Saliendo del Clóset

¡SALIENDO DEL CLOSET REANUDA SU PROGRAMACION ESTA NOCHE !

2011-03-16T18:12:00.005-04:00

SALIENDO DEL CLOSET A LAS 10:30 PM POR WKAQ 580 Y SUS ESTACIONES REPETIDORAS.

TEMAS A DISCUTIRSE:

D.O.M.A. (Defensa Del Matrimonio/Defense Of Marriage Act) ; PRIMER CASO QUE SE RECONOCE COMO CRÍMEN DE ODIO; COMENTARIOS SOBRE LAS EXPRESIONES DEL GOBERNADOR FORTUÑO SOBRE EL MATRIMONIO DEL MISMO SEXO...

LOS INVITAMOS A LLAMAR Y CONTRIBUÍR CON SUS OPINIONES SOBRE LOS TEMAS.

OBAMA "EL PRESIDENTE GAY"

2011-03-09T12:14:00.003-04:00

OBAMA LLAMADO “EL PRESIDENTE GAY” PORQUE SENTÓ UN PRECENDENTE COLGANDO A D.O.M.A. DE UN CLAVO DANDO CON ESTO LUZ VERDE A TODO EL MOVIMIENTO GAY DEL PAÍS…

…AUTOMATICAMENTE SE ENCIENDEN LAS FOGATAS EN TODO EL PAÍS…

Gay Politics Report/3.08.2011

LGBT lawmakers play big roles in marriage, rights debates

The number of openly gay and lesbian state legislators in the U.S. may be small, but they play prominent roles in the fight to secure legal protections for same-sex couples, according to this article. "The more visible we are, the better. When you look someone in the eyes, it's a little harder for them to deny that we should have the same rights," said Deborah Mell, an openly lesbian Illinois state legislator who helped pass a civil unions bill in that state. The Associated Press.

Out lawmakers sponsor Colorado civil unions bill: Two openly gay members of the Colorado state Legislature are supporting an effort to create civil unions for same-sex couples in that state. The bill cleared a state Senate committee vote on Monday. "These are protections no family should be without," state Sen. Pat Steadman, one of the bill's sponsors. The Denver Post.

Washington considers recognizing out-of-state marriages: A Washington state bill sponsored by state Rep. Laurie Jinkins would recognize same-sex couples in legal marriages or civil unions under the state's domestic partnership law. "It says if you have a marriage in another state, you get a domestic partnership here," Jinkins said, explaining that she is attempting to make a technical correction to an existing law. The bill, which has passed in the House, will head to the state Senate. The Associated Press.

Gay, lesbian Maryland delegates issue appeal to colleagues: The six openly gay and lesbian members of the Maryland House of Delegates have issued a letter to their colleagues asking them to support Maryland's marriage equality bill, which is set for a vote this week. "For those of you who are not yet sure if you can support us, what we ask you for is the opportunity to talk face-to-face about the challenges our families face and how this legislation will help us meet them. What we ask is for the opportunity to protect our families as you would protect yours," the letter says. The Washington Post.

Obama made the decision to drop DOMA defense

President Barack Obama, a former professor of constitutional law, surprised both his aides and LGBT groups with his decision to direct the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. He warned White House staffers there would likely be political fallout, but added, "it's the right thing to do." Obama has developed a growing interest in LGBT issues, a source says. The Daily Beast

Boehner announces House will defend DOMA

House Speaker John Boehner announced last week that the House will act to defend the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which forbids federal recognition of the marriages of same-sex couples. The move comes after the Obama administration announced it would no longer direct the Justice Department to defend key portions of the law. Philly.com

N.H. could force presidential hopefuls to weigh in on marriage

If activists succeed in getting the New Hampshire state Legislature to act on a bill that would repeal marriage equality for same-sex couples in early 2012, the timing could force presidential candidates to take sides on the issue. Such a vote could complicate some possible GOP efforts to deflect debate about social issues, according to this article. The Politico (Washington, D.C.)

New York activist slams Trump comments on marriage

Donald Trump's recent comments rejecting marriage equality or limited partnership rights for gay couples have earned him the ire of a gay activist in New York City. "Not only should gays be furious, we should be boycotting the products of the advertisers on his TV show," said Allen Roskoff, who was the city's first openly gay appointed official. Daily News (New York)

Married gay couple faces separation, deportation

Two men who married in the District of Columbia could be separated if one of them, a Salvadoran immigrant, is deported this week. Federal law prevents gay and lesbian U.S. citizens from sponsoring their same-sex partners for residency. Edge Publications

West Hollywood voters consider city's future as a gay haven

The city of West Hollywood, Calif., founded as a refuge for the LGBT community, is grappling with new demographics and new attitudes about gay culture. The debate about the city's future is playing out in local elections that have drawn numerous candidates. The New York Times

¡ OBAMA DON'T DOMA ! ¿Y QUÉ ES ESO, CON QUE SE COME ?

2011-03-07T11:35:00.005-04:00

Acerca de la noticia más comentada…D.O.M.A.

Aunque tardía la nota, aquí va. En dias pasados hemos sido testigos de grandes victorias pero “la guata” me dice que muchos no recuerdan o tal vez no tienen muy claro lo que es DOMA

D.O.M.A. : “Defense Of Marriage Act”. DOMA es un acta que define y defiende el matrimonio tradicional como la unión de un hombre y una mujer. Acta que se aprobó con la intención de bloquear todo avance de la causa Gay en cuanto al matrimonio del mismo sexo.

DOMA fue creado por la extrema derecha o “conservadora” republicana y los religiosos fundamentalistas-tiesos “de la extrema “whatever” en Norte América. Teniendo el concepto de DOMA claro en la mente, se podría decir que esta decisión de Obama de no defender DOMA es realmente formidable y muy positiva aunque, pasiva por lo antes explicado, ahorra la lucha a nivel federal de todo el país. Quiere decir que su gobierno no defenderá DOMA en ningún caso legal. Dándole esta acción luz verde al movimiento gay CONTRA DOMA…a los grupos LGBTT en PRO del matrimonio del mismo sexo. Es un mensaje clarísimo para TODOS. Dicho esto, nos preguntamos ¿y ahora qué?... Simple, ahora las peleas serán “callejeras” y solamente en las cortes estatales, aunque lleguen al foro más alto que lleguen, el fiscal federal no se meterá en el asunto.

Ahora bien, esto no significa el FINAL DE DOMA. DOMA sigue existiendo y será defendido a capa y espada por los mismos grupos de derecha y fundamentalistas que crearon el acta pero afortunadamente solamente a nivel estatal. Ojo, que esa derrota a nivel federal se puede convertir en una lucha campal poltica en los foros más bajos. Los republicanos se reagruparan y harán un tremendo “revolú politiquero” y un frente unido contra el tema del matrimonio del mismo sexo, osea, defenderan DOMA a muerte. ¿Porqué? Bueno, además de que les encanta la pelea, tienen el mejor de los temas para a los ojos de los conservas y religiosos tratar de tratar de destruír el apoyo al gobierno y obra de Obama. Ellos dirán: “ ¡Inaudito que un PRESIDENTE y además NEGRO venga con esa patraña a este punto del partido y tan liberal en su decisión como para hacer una maniobra política como esa y NO defender DOMA !” Como bien dicen en Castilla La Vieja “an insult to injury”.

¡Si alguien me quiere corregir en errores en cuanto al tema...adelante, será bienvenida la correción!

Aquí les dejo con la noticia relacionada con esta maniobra de OBAMA.

“Don't let Republican leaders in Congress waste time and resources protecting the hateful Defense of Marriage Act”

In the wake of President Obama's courageous decision to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), radical lawmakers have sunk to a new low.

Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor have spent this past week working to placate anti-LGBT members of Congress and their right wing base by indicating they will defend DOMA – no matter what it takes.

So much for their pledges to focus on jobs and the economy. These so-called fiscal conservatives are wasting Congress's time and resources to defend discrimination.

We've never taken these attacks sitting down – and we can't start now. Time and again, our opponents lash out when we make progress. And time and again we band together to stop them. We've got to do it again this week, with a rapid-response effort in Congress and beyond. Can you help now?

In the past several weeks, HRC has helped drive major victories: civil unions in Hawaii and Illinois; unprecedented progress on marriage equality in Maryland, Rhode Island, and New York; and President Obama's decision on DOMA.

But these victories have pushed our opponents to redouble their efforts to undermine equality.

Human Rights Campaign | http://www.hrc.org/Joe Solmonese-PRESIDENT/4-03-2011

MENSAJE DE JOE SOLMONESE: PRESIDENTE DE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

2011-02-26T10:32:00.005-04:00

GRANDÍSIMA VICTORIA DE LA COMUNIDAD LGBTT EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS Y VIENE NADA MENOS QUE DE OBAMA ¿Quieres ponerte al día con un tema crítico? Conviene leerlo para aclarar toneladas de dudas que vemos que existen en la isla…

Recuerden: “Knowledge is POWER”

DOMA: El acta que va en defensa del matrimonio tradicional osea CONTRA EL MATRIMONIO DEL MISMO SEXO.

HRC.com/2/.26.2011/Joe Solmonese-President

Today in America, there are still laws on the books that serve only to oppress LGBT people. As so many of us understand first hand, the Defense of Marriage Act is one such law. This week, Attorney General Holder released the Obama Administration's analysis that Section Three of DOMA, which denies legally-married same sex couples over 1,000 federal protections, is unconstitutional. He also announced that the administration will no longer defend the law in court, reversing the policy it had pursued for the past two years.

I don't need to lecture anyone in our community about the importance of this shift; LGBT Americans experience the reality of this law every day. Without the right to sponsor a spouse for immigration, some couples are forced to choose between love and country. The Family Medical Leave Act does not protect same-sex couples in times of sickness. The lesbian and gay soldiers who will serve our country in uniform once the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” is implemented will be rewarded with unequal support—their families will be excluded from many military family benefits. The truth is that DOMA materially harms LGBT people and our families, and there is no way to reconcile our common humanity with the harm that this law selectively inflicts. This week's announcement tells me that today, the administration takes DOMA's harms seriously.

While the administration previously argued that DOMA served various legitimate purposes, this week it acknowledged that discriminating against gay people doesn't serve such an objective. It also acknowledged the elephant in the room – DOMA's pedigree as a legislative statement of moral disapproval.

This President, a constitutional law professor, did not wake up one morning and adopt a novel interpretation of equal protection. He stared down an oppressive law with eyes wide open. He judged it in light of truths to which our nation was once blind. And he got it right.

And while this step forward in monumental, it is just the beginning of the fight for marriage equality at the federal level. There is no doubt that those opposed to equality will throw everything they have defending this terrible law – or that we will stand up to them, no matter what. But it is because of this fight ahead of us that we have got to keep things moving in the states. This week a victory in the Maryland Senate moved a marriage equality bill one step closer to reality, while in the pacific a supportive governor finally made a breakthrough by signing civil unions into law in Hawaii. Plenty of factors made these victories possible, but it was your actions, from phone calls to statehouse visits and everything in between, that helped to make them possible.

So we keep at it; we take these tremendous victories and we thank those that helped us to make them a reality, but we do not take our eyes off of the road ahead. Together we keep pressing and we do everything that we can to make tomorrow's America a place that is truly fair and equitable for everyone.

Joe Solmonese

President, Human Rights Campaign

TREMENDA VICTORIA PARA LA COMUNIDAD LGBTT EN ESTADOS UNIDOS

2011-02-23T21:16:00.004-04:00

Vale la pena leer el recuento de la historia política sobre el gran “issue” EL Matrimonio del Mismo Sexo.

washingtonpost.com/2-23-2011/Post Politics/Jerry Markon, Ed O'Keefe, Sandhya Somashekhar and Peyton M. Craighill

In gay rights victory, Obama administration won't defend Defense of Marriage Act

The White House says President Barack Obama is "grappling" with his personal views on gay marriage even as he's ordered the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of a law that bans it.

The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will no longer defend the constitutionality of the federal government's ban on recognizing same-sex marriages, a rare legal reversal and the latest in a series of political victories for gay rights activists.

In gay rights victory, Obama administration won't defend Defense of Marriage Act

The Justice Department had appealed the decision of a federal judge in Massachusetts who struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in July, saying it was obligated to defend federal statutes. The 1996 law defines marriage from the federal perspective as between a man and a woman, which means same-sex married couples are denied access to marriage-based federal benefits.

In an extraordinary change, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Wednesday that he and President Obama had determined - after an extensive review - that the law's key section is unconstitutional. "Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute" in court, Holder said in a statement.

Administration officials said the review was triggered by a court-imposed filing deadline in two new legal challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act, filed in federal courts in New York and Connecticut.

The change in position came after intense lobbying of Justice Department and White House officials by gay rights groups and the American Civil Liberties Union, according to activists familiar with the White House's thinking.The conversations included meetings with White House counsel Robert Bauer and one of Obama's closest advisors, Valerie Jarrett. "There has been an all-out effort to get them to do the right thing," said one activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

Obama's relationship with the gay community, a key part of his political base, has been complicated, and activists had strongly opposed the administration's earlier defense of the federal same-sex marriage law. The president has said in the past that he does not support the right of gay couples to marry, though he said in December that his views are "evolving."

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that Obama's "position on the Defense of Marriage Act has been consistent: He has long opposed it as unnecessary and unfair." He said that the decision to change the government's legal position is "separate" from Obama's personal views and that the president has been "grappling" with the broader issue of same-sex marriage.

The administration's decision on the federal law comes as gay rights advocates have won a series of recent changes in how the federal government treats gay men and lesbians, including Obama's signing in December of legislation to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gays from openly serving in uniform.

Liberal groups hailed the reversal. "The President has chosen to defend the Constitution of the United States over a discriminatory and clearly unconstitutional law," said Michael Keegan, president of People for the American Way. "That decision should be commended. A discriminatory law like DOMA has no place in a country grounded in the values of freedom and equality."

Richard Socarides, a longtime gay rights activists and director of Equality Matters, said Wednesday's announcement was as significant as Obama's push to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military.

"This is the position he took on the campaign trail, but now the government's policy will match up with the political rhetoric," he said.

Conservative groups vehemently objected, saying the administration's earlier position of defending the law in court was the right one. Holder acknowledged in his statement that the legal reversal was "rare." The Justice Department customarily defends federal laws in court.

"It's a dereliction of duty," said Tom McClusky, senior vice president of Family Research Council Action. "Whether they agree with the law or not is irrelevant. . . . The Obama administration has purposely dropped the ball here."

Same-sex marriage is legal in five states, including Massachusetts, and the District. The Maryland Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill to legalize it, and is expected to give the measure final approval Thursday. But same-sex couples are disqualified from receiving marriage-based federal benefits under the Defense of Marriage Act. Those who oppose the federal law say it requires states to discriminate against their citizens.

One of several reasons why the decision to end the government's defense of the marriage law came this week is that the March 11 filing deadline is two days after the one-year anniversary of the District's same-sex marriage law. The White House was aware that gay rights groups would have used the anniversary to contrast the administration's defense of the law against the District's embrace of marriage equality, according to activists.

Groups opposed to same-sex marriage say they will lobby House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to hire counsel to defend the law. His office has not said what he will do, but his spokesman Michael Steel criticized the Obama administration for its stand.

"While Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, the President will have to explain why he thinks now is the appropriate time to stir up a controversial issue that sharply divides the nation," he said.

A poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in September found 43 percent of those surveyed favored allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally and 47 percent opposed. This is a high point for favorability of same-sex marriage in the center's polling back to 1996. The poll showed wide partisan divisions: 55 percent of Democrats and 46 percent of independents favored same-sex marriage, but only 21 percent of Republicans. The Washington Post's polls show a similar division and trend.

GOBERNADOR A LA VANGUARDIA Y EN DEFENSA DE TRANSEXUALES

2011-02-22T09:37:00.003-04:00

Orden Ejecutiva aprueba medidas para defender los transexuales…

Universo Gay/20 de febrero de 2011/ Alexander Rocha

El gobernador del estado de Massachusetts firmó una orden ejecutiva en su despacho que impide que cualquier trabajador del gobierno pueda ser discriminado por motivos relacionados con su género.

Deval Patrick, el gobernador de Boston, aprobó el pasado jueves 17 de febrero una orden ejecutiva que establece una serie de medidas para impedir que cualquier institución de la región sea capaz de echar de su puesto de trabajo a una persona por ser transgénero.

En la agenda pública del político, ni tampoco en una nota de prensa, se manifestó públicamente que el gobernador fuese a firmar el proyecto, habiéndose producido en una ceremonia privada en la que solo estaban presentes, aparte de Deval Patrick, abogados y personas transexuales que trabajan en la actualidad para el estado.

Los activistas han manifestado su total apoyo a este proyecto que establece un referente en medidas contra la discriminación en todo el país americano, ayudando a que se aprueben leyes a nivel nacional a favor de la tolerancia.

Diane DeLap, trabajador transexual de Boston, declaró que "esto enseña a la sociedad que las personas transexuales también merecen un trabajo y ser tratadas bien".

Tampoco faltaron las críticas al proyecto, calificadas por los partidos de la oposición, homófobos, como la "ley del baño", aludiendo que "permitiría a cualquier sexo meterse en el baño del otro".

MILITARES: SE VIRÓ LA TORTILLA...

2011-02-22T08:09:00.003-04:00

Universo Gay | 20.febrero.2011 / Alexander Rocha

AHORA LOS SILENCIOSOS SERAN LOS HÉTEROS PREJUICIADOS Y TENDRÁN QUE FUNCIONAR CON LA NUEVA POLÍTICA EN LA UNIFORMADA.

PROHIBÍDO OLVIDAR SOPENA DE EXPULSIÓN…

Después de que un juez dictaminara que la ley discriminatoria del ejército estadounidense era inconstitucional, empiezan a ser juzgados y despedidos altos mandos por violación de los derechos humanos.

Un Oficial de la Marina fue despedido por las torturas infringidas a marines estadounidenses en misiones en Bahrein bajo su mandato, humillando constantemente a distintas personas por su orientación sexual para, una vez que después se hizo público que eran homosexuales, echarlos por la ley estadounidense discriminatoria que fue anulada hace escasos meses.

Muchos de los marines destinados a Bahrein bajo el mando de dicho oficial han confesado a los investigadores, bajo estricto anonimato, las distintas medidas discriminatorias que el oficial impartía a las personas que sabía que eran homosexuales o bisexuales.

La Marina emitió un comunicado diciendo que el oficial despedido "no cumple con con los estándares que se le exigen a un cargo de su talla".

Uno de los marines discriminados, tras saber la noticia, ha manifestado: "Este caso tendrá un gran impacto en las fuerzas armadas, lo que hará que nuestros hombres y mujeres estén seguros con su trabajo, además de honrar a las personas que ya han sido maltratadas por llevar el uniforme".

MATRIMONIO EN HAWAII A PUNTO DE CARAMELO

2011-02-19T07:28:00.005-04:00

HONOLULU | Wed Feb 16, 2011 REUTERS

Hawaii state legislators on wednesday approved civil unions for gay couples, and Gov. Neil Abercrombie said he would sign it into law.

The Hawaii Senate approved the proposed law by a vote of 18-5, sending it to Abercrombie for his signature. It had earlier been approved by the House.

Throughout his campaign last fall, Abercrombie said he supported laws giving same-sex couples in civil unions the same rights, benefits, protections and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage.

"I have always believed that civil unions respect our diversity, protect people's privacy, and reinforce our core values of equality and aloha," Abercrombie said in a statement after the vote. "For me this bill represents equal rights for all the people of Hawaii."

The law Abercrombie will sign is essentially the same as the measure that then-Governor Linda Lingle, a Republican, vetoed in July when she cited a "flawed" legal process as her reason for not giving her approval.

It would make the Aloha State the seventh state to grant essentially the same rights of marriage to same-sex couples through civil unions or similar laws.

Five U.S. states and the District of Columbia issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. New Jersey allows civil unions.

As lawmakers debated the measure, residents from both sides of the issue packed the gallery. Those supporting Civil Unions wore rainbow silk-flowered lei. After the vote, the gallery erupted in cheers and clapping.

Republican Sen. Sam Slom urged his fellow members to vote against it because he said the government has no business mandating marriages.

Tara O'Neill, president of the gay activist group Pride Alliance praised the measure.

"I have a great sense of pride for the Legislature that was able to see the big picture of equality for Hawaii," O'Neill said.

IGUALDAD EN EL MATRIMONIO...

2011-02-12T08:59:00.006-04:00

Gay Politics Report/11-2-2011

"There is so much happening that it is a challenge even for the most ardent marriage-equality supporters to keep track of," said Molly McKay, media director of national organization Marriage Equality. State legislators in Indiana, Wyoming, Rhode Island, Maryland, New Hampshire and Iowa are dealing with the issue, with some considering extending marriage to same-sex couples and others ready to either reverse marriage equality or prevent it through constitutional amendment. The Wall Street Journal (2/9), SeacoastOnline (Portsmouth, N.H.) (tiered subscription model) (2/10), Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne) (2/9)

EN Nueva York…New York's top politicos ready marriage push: Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., said this week he wants the Legislature to bring up and pass a marriage equality bill before the end of its session in June. Separately, New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican, said he would let that chamber's only openly gay member, Sen. Tom Duane, manage such a bill, an unusual step since Duane is now a member of the minority party. Duane's office welcomed Skelos' comments and reiterated it would take strong support from Cuomo to get the bill passed. Advocate.com (2/10), The New York Times (free registration) (2/9)

EN RHODE ISLAND…Rhode Island House, Maryland Senate hold marriage bill hearings: Supporters and opponents of marriage equality turned out in droves for two key committee hearings on pending marriage equality bills in both the Rhode Island and Maryland legislatures this week. One Maryland senator who had been expected to vote against a marriage bill changed his mind and announced he would support the measure after listening to what he called "appalling and disgusting" testimony from anti-gay marriage activists. The Providence Journal (R.I.) (free registration) (2/10), Washington Blade (2/8), The Washington Post/Maryland Politics blog (2/10)

EN NEW HAMPSHIRE…New Hampshire poll finds solid support for keeping marriage equality: A new poll of New Hampshire adults finds nearly two-thirds oppose ending marriage equality in the state, with 66 percent of independents saying lawmakers should leave the law alone. The Telegraph (Nashua, N.H.) (2/10)

EN HAWAII…Hawaii Legislature nears final passage of civil unions bill

Hawaii's same-sex couples could win the right to form civil unions soon. The Hawaii Senate has already passed the bill, and the State House of Representatives could pass it this week, according to this article. Gov. Neil Abercrombie has pledged to sign it into law, unlike his predecessor, who vetoed a similar bill. MassLive.com/The Associated Press (2/9)

Tercera Parte: 10 ACTIVISTAS SACADOS DEL CLOSET POR LA FUERZA...DE CARA

2011-01-29T10:42:00.003-04:00

Nuffy.net/Anti-Gay Activists Caught Being Gay

Cosas veredes de ayer y de hoy...

LARRY CRAIG: [Izquierda]Ex-Republicano del estado de Idaho, quien sirvió en el senado por 18 años, apoyó la enmienda federal al matrimonio, la cual prohíbe el derecho al matrimonio a personas del mismo sexo; Craig también es calificado con un cero por el grupo Campaña de Derechos Humanos (Human Rights Campaign). Sin embargo fue arrestado por actos lascivos contra un policía encubierto en un baño del aeropuerto Minneapolis-St. Paul. ¿Sorprendente no? Del dicho al hecho, un trecho…

ED SCHROCK:[Centro] Vehemente opositor contra asuntos de derechos de homosexuales durante sus dos términos en el congreso, en temas desde el matrimonio del mismo sexo hasta el permitir homosexuales en las fuerzas armadas. Schrock fue 100% opositor de cualquier suceso relacionado con los homosexuales y en cualquier lugar. En agosto de 2004 Schrock salió de la carrera de elecciones hacia su tercer término cuando fue grabado solicitando sexo de un homosexual dedicado a la prostitución (male prostitute).

ROBERT ALLEN:[Derecha] De nuevo, la verdad se descubre en un baño público. El representante por el estado de la Florida, fue arrestado por ofrecer sexo oral a cambio de $20 a un policía encubierto en los baños de un parque.

Aunque las estadísticas muestran que Allen, quien está casado y con hijos, siempre ha votado en contra de la legislación en derechos de los homosexuales.

Su record al votar es un 90% consistente con la Coalición Cristiana, un grupo que aboga por las enmiendas anti-gays. El consenso en grupos gay se expresa con palabras de ironía: este individuo tiene “numerosos logros”…que abarcan desde anti-gay, racista, hipócrita y a su paso mostrando muchas contradicciones en un solo día.

Otro individuo más en el foro público que parece necesitar consejería para organizar la mogolla mental y existencial que viene arrastrando sabrá Dios hace cuantas vidas, igualmente haciendo demasiado daño a su paso…

CONTINUARÁ... CON LA 4TA Y ÚLTIMA PARTE

PARTE 2: 10 ACTIVISTAS ANTIGAY SACADOS DEL CLOSET POR LA FUERZA..DE CARA

2011-01-27T09:43:00.005-04:00

Nuffy.net/Anti-Gay Activists Caught Being Gay

Siguiendo la publicación anterior para los que "sintonizaron" ahora...lean la primera parte...He aquí prueba contundente de la negación y el síndrome crónico del terror y de tantos en nuestra especie- “el closetísmo agudo” o lo que en el mundo “hetero” llama la “doble vida”. Somos much@s los que identificamos este “virus” emocional en perpetuo conflicto con la realidad social en que viven y finalmente podemos repetir las famosas palabras: “por sus acciones se conocerán”…en estos casos es cuestión de tiempo para que hasta sus mismos aliados, traicionados, víctimas o la prensa los saquen del closet a empujones.

Segunda Parte...

RICHARD CURTIS: (IZQUIERDA) Representante por el estado de Washington. ¡¿Qué pasa con el estado de Washington?!

Este individuo tiene un record de votar en contra de los derechos gay-votó contra las uniones domésticas de los homosexuales y se opuso a un proyecto de ley que prohibía la discriminación por la orientación sexual de individuo.¿De veras? Curtis renunció hace poco a su puesto político debido a un reporte que se preparaba sobre un encuentro sexual que tuvo con un individuo que presta servicios sexuales (male escort). El afamado escolta Cody Castagna informó a la policía que Curtis le ofreció mil dólares a cambio de sexo y que Curtis compró dos películas pornográficas en el hotel para el entretenimiento de ambos en la habitación. Como si esto fuera poco, Cody dice tener pruebas de fotos en las cuales Curtis aparece vistiendo un neglillé rojo. Fotos que fueron tomadas por Cody cuando descubrió que Curtis solo tenía $200 en su cartera.

BRUCE BARCLAY: (CENTRO) Comisionado Republicano del condado de Cumberland-Pa. Es llamado "la estrella porno del mundo de la política", debido a una acusación contra Barcley de violación por un joven de 20 años-Marshall Mc Curdy. El 31 de marzo, la polícía con orden de allanamiento casa no pudo encontrar pruebas de tal acusación en su casa, aunque se encontró cientos de encuentros sexuales que Barclay grabó con equipo de alta tecnología. Aparentemente el encuentro entre Barclay y Mc Curdy tuvieron sexo consensual. Otro que cae por su propio peso…

Roy Asburn: (DERECHA) Sen. partido conservador por California, quien siempre votó en contra de cualquier proyecto de derechos gay…fue arrestado por manejar en estado de embriaguez luego de salir (en compañía de un hombre) de una barra gay. Desde esta “revelación”, en la cual el punto importante es que salío de una barra gay con un hombre no identificado y desde entonces, Ashburn ha admitido que es homosexual pero que su record de votos sigue reflejando su “responsabilidad” para con sus electores. CONTINUARÁ...

10 ACTIVISTAS ANTIGAY SACADOS DEL CLOSET POR LA FUERZA.........DE CARA 1ra Parte

2011-01-25T11:27:00.008-04:00

Cosas veredes de ayer y de hoy …

Nuffy.net/Anti-Gay Activists Caught Being Gay

He aquí prueba contundente de la negación y el síndrome crónico del terror y de tantos en nuestra especie- “el closetísmo agudo” o lo que en el mundo “hetero” llama la “doble vida”. Somos much@s los que identificamos este “virus” emocional en perpetuo conflicto con la realidad social en que viven y finalmente podemos repetir las famosas palabras: “por sus acciones se conocerán”…en estos casos es cuestión de tiempo para que hasta sus mismos aliados, traicionados, víctimas o la prensa los saquen del closet a empujones. Véase a continuación…

Bien sabido es que al momento en que una persona se convierten el vocero de una causa o en contra, serán figuras públicas y si no llevan una vida relativamente transparente por definición se convierten en hipócritas públicos, traicionando hasta su mera existencia, sembrando la duda en cualquier grupo político-social. ¿Cuán patológico es esto? Ustedes dirán…aunque el tiempo se encarga SIEMPRE de manifestarlo y no siempre de la mejor manera. A SABER:

1-TROY KING: FISCAL DE ALABAMA- (Izquierda) Conocido por sus expresiones contra los derechos gay; fue sorprendido por su esposa mientras tenía relaciones sexuales con un varón, estudiante de la universidad de Troy. El escándalo está por salir “al aire”.

2-JIM WEST: ALCALDE DE SPOKANE,Washington (favor no confundirlo con el personaje de tv en los 60’s). (derecha)

West ha trabajado arduamente para debilitar el movimiento de los Derechos Gay en su comunidad; apoyó un proyecto de ley para prohibir que las lesbianas y homosexuales trabajaran en las escuelas, centros de cuidado diurnos y algunas agencias estatales, como también apoyó un proyecto de ley para prohibir al estado a distribuir panfletos educativos sobre como protegerse del VIH/SIDA. Ha propuesto que se criminalice entre adolescentes el tener contacto con las áreas sexuales del cuerpo o las partes íntimas. ¡¡ Mientras, el indivuo fue un depredador sexual durante 25 años, sosteniendo relaciones sexuales con niños y jóvenes varones de su comunidad y frecuentando páginas del internet mostrando sus habilidades sexuales, ofreciendo trabajo en la ciudad de Spokane a sus víctimas a cambio de sexo!!

¡Si esto no es una aberración, que baje Dios y lo vea! Imagino que cuando le preguntaron si era homosexual, lo negó rotundamente como también negó sus actividades sexuales. De horrorizarse; no sé si este individuo pueda clasificarse como gay, creo que más bien es una aberración del ser humano. Las estadísticas indican que la mayoría de los depredadores sexuales de niños por lo general son heterosexuales…ustedes dirán…

CONTINUARÁ…

OPEN HOUSE CENTRO COMUNITARIO LGBTT-H O Y

2011-01-23T13:07:00.003-04:00

Les recuerdo que HOY domingo tendremos un OPEN HOUSE desde las 2pm hasta por la noche para que visites... EL CENTRO COMUNITARIO LGBTT DE PR. Localizado en la Calle Mayagüez No. 37 en Hato Rey.

También celebraremos los cumple de varios amigos incluyendo el mío. Tendremos picadera y refrigerios. CONOCE TU NUEVO CENTRO.

Un buen año para mí y los proyectos que forjé en el 2010

2010-12-31T16:22:00.002-04:00

by Cecilia La Luz on Friday, December 31, 2010 at 4:05pm

Quiero agradecer a Tod@s los que colaboraron y ayudaron a que los eventos y proyectos de esta servidora fueran productivos para educar y levantar conciencias durante el 2010. Este año fue uno de buenos logros y cosechas, aunque con mucho esfuerzo. A ver si se me da mi deseo de crear nuevos líderes íntegros y sin agendas personales en la comunidad gay. Parece que sí. Gracias a la nueva Junta del nuevo Centro Comunitario LGBTT y que pueda echar pa’ lante este hermoso proyecto, en especial a Leannette Velez, la dueña de Esechys, por asumir el reto de presidir la nueva Junta.

Gracias a los auspiciadores del periódico Conexión G, a la cerveza Coors Light por estar siempre con nosotros apoyando todos los esfuerzos que hace esta servidora. A todos los colaboradores del periódico, en especial a Sirio Álvarez. A la discoteca Circoy Babylon.

A todos los que colaboraron para hacer real el programa Saliendo del Clóset, que termina su histórico año # 11 en la radio comercial de Puerto Rico.

Gracias a todos los que trabajaron en el PR Pride Fest 2010, el Congreso Educativo LGBTT 2010 en noviembre, y el Coors Coming Out Tour en abril y mayo. A Ricky Martin por salir del Closet y así ayudar a muchos a tener la valentía de hacerlo.

Para mí ha sido un año de muchos escollos, que pude superar exitósamente y tener fe. Si he podido lograr mi sueño más importante, que es la creación del primer Centro Comunitario LGBTT de PR, tú también puedes lograr las metas que te impones, muy en particular, si son a beneficio de otros.

Qué pasen un Feliz año, tengan siempre pensamientos positivos hacia todos, de esa forma, se te devolverán en bendiciones.

A fines de enero les invitaremos a la inauguración del Centro. Bendiciones para todos.

NOTICIAS DEL

2010-12-31T14:23:00.003-04:00

Universo Gay.com/12.30.2010/Andres Bacigalupo

En enero, las declaraciones del arzobispo belga André Leonard, quién comparó la homosexualidad con la anorexia. A fines del mismo mes, el pedido de inconstitucionalidad de la ley de matrimonio gay de México DF.

En marzo, las declaraciones homófobas de Paquita, la del barrio. A su vez, a fines del mismo mes, la salida del armario de Ricky Martin generó el récord de 258 comentarios.

En abril, insólitas declaraciones del presidente boliviano, Evo Morales, quién sugirió una relación causal entre los pollos con “hormonas femeninas” y la homosexualidad. Casi un mes después, el inédito pronunciamiento de un sacerdote católico argentino aceptando la homosexualidad (“Jesús jamás condenó ni mencionó la homosexualidad”).

En junio, el tema de la “curación de la homosexualidad”, que volvió a las primeras planas a partir de un centro existente en Barcelona, generó mucha atención por parte de los lectores de Universo Gay.

Las declaraciones de Josep Antoni Duran Lleida defendiendo esos “métodos”, cosecharon 99 comentarios. No fue para menos: el político de CiU llegó a calificar a la Generalitat como “el único gobierno que pertenece a la Internacional gay y lésbica".

En julio, el debate (y posterior aprobación) sobre el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en Argentina fue seguido de cerca por cientos de lectores. Antes de su legalización, la noticia sobre las presiones eclesiásticas a una senadora votó a favor.

Militares gays y palabras eclesiásticas

En agosto –en medio de la discusión sobre el ingreso de gays a las Fuerzas Armadas de EE.UU- el general James Conway dijo que los marines heterosexuales no querían compartir cuarto con sus pares homosexuales. También dijo que no había fondos para construir nuevos dormitorios, con lo cuál –según Conway- no podía autorizarse la inclusión de militares homosexuales.

En septiembre, una noticia muy comentada fue las declaraciones homófobas del agente del futbolista alemán Michael Ballack (“Son pobres, feos, sin talento y gays”).

En octubre, el cardenal mexicano Juan Sandoval Iñiguez bramó: “Dios creó al hombre y a la mujer pero los géneros fueron fomentados desde la ONU".

En noviembre, antes de las elecciones catalanas, la presidenta del PP de esa comunidad, Alicia Sánchez Camacho, dijo que no le gustaba el término “matrimonio” para designar a las uniones gays pero, eso sí, aclaró que a un hijo gay “lo querría absolutamente igual”.

Días después, el enésimo rechazo de Benedicto XVI a la homosexualidad (“que está contra el plan de Dios”) .

Por último, en diciembre la noticia de los “12 pasos” para dejar de ser homosexual es promovido por la Arquidiócesis de León (México).

Las buenas noticias…el matrimonio gay en Argentina, cierra el año con más de 800 casamientos... y la derrogacion de la DADT. Elton John y David Furnish se convierten en padres

INTERESANTE RECUENTO : ARTICULOS MAS LEIDOS DEL 2010

2010-12-30T16:50:00.005-04:00

10. Sex Prank Drives Teen to Suicide

September 29: Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi is presumed to have killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate allegedly broadcast video of him having sex with another man on the Internet.

9. Bea Arthur's Truck-Driving Marine Past

December 10: Bea Arthur served 30 months in the Marine Corps during World War II, driving a truck and working as a typist, according to website The Smoking Gun.

8. Stem Cell Transplant Patient Free of HIV

April 2: A patient with HIV remains free of the virus after receiving a stem cell transplant from a donor with a gene mutation that confers natural resistance to the virus that causes AIDS.

7. 50 Cent Encourages Gay Suicide

September 30: No stranger to antigay tweets, 50 Cent posted an ill-timed message Thursday on his Twitter page, suggesting that any man who isn’t into women should kill himself. The rapper now claims he has "nothing against people who choose [an] alternative life."

6. Lesbian Students Stopped From Graduating

November 15: Two female high school students in Oklahoma fire back at their school for refusing to let them graduate after discovering the two are a couple.

5. Megachurch Pastor Jim Swilley Comes Out

October 29: The pastor of a megachurch in Conyers, Ga., told his congregation that he’s gay, saying that while he knows his announcement might ruin his career, the recent rash of suicides pushed him to speak out.

4. Marquette Students Rally for Shunned Professor

May 6: Marquette University students protested one of the biggest faculty events of the year in solidarity with a prospective dean whose job offer was allegedly rescinded because she is a lesbian.

3. Fran Drescher: My Ex-Husband is Gay

June 2: Fran Drescher has long been a vocal supporter of gay rights, but as she reveals in the new issue of In Touch, her dedication runs deep: Her former husband, to whom who she was married for 21 years, is gay.

2. School Official Wants Gays Dead

October 26: Arkansas school board member Clint McCance posts on Facebook that he believes "queers" and "fags" should kill themselves — that is, if they don't get AIDS and die first.

1. McMillen: I Was Sent to Fake Prom

April 5: Constance McMillen confirmed to The Advocate that she was sent to a "fake prom" while the rest of her class partied at a secret location at a parent-organized event.

Advocate.com Editors/12.29.2010

ESTUDIO UNIVERSIDAD YALE REVELA PREJUICIO Y DISCRIMEN RAMPANTES CONTRA JOVENES LGBT

2010-12-29T21:17:00.002-04:00

365gay.com/12.13.2010/Lisa Neff

A study published in the journal, Pediatrics, reports that lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents are 40 times more likely than their straight peers to be punished by schools, law enforcement agencies and courts.

“Non-heterosexual youth suffer disproportionate educational and criminal-justice punishments that are not explained by greater engagement in illegal or transgressive behaviors,” the Yale University report concluded.

The punishments come as suspensions, expulsions, arrests and convictions and police stops.

LGB youth were 50 percent more likely than straight youth to report being stopped and questioned by a police officer, according to the study based on a survey of 15,000 middle and high school students.

That LGB youth are singled out for punishment — with or without provocation — might help us understand why harassment and bullying goes unreported and unabated in schools.

LGB youth must think: Why should I trust my principal? Can I trust the police officer whose partner harassed me in the park last week? Will the dean give me detention when I didn’t start the fight, but only acted in self-defense?

The Pediatrics study suggests that those sworn and hired to protect LGB youth in fact contribute to or cause victimization.

An analysis involving LGB adults probably would yield similar findings. Some things don’t change for us with graduation from high school.

Two lawsuits help illustrate the point, one recently settled by the city of Atlanta and one pending against Miami Beach.

In the settled case, which cost the city of Atlanta a million dollars, police raiding the Atlanta Eagle gay bar forced patrons to lie on the floor, some in spilled beer and broken glass. Patrons were searched and then detained while police conducted background checks, all the while hurling anti-gay slurs, according to Lambda Legal attorneys.

You won’t read about such activity at an Atlanta Hooters, but police raids occur too often at gay bars in U.S. cities large and small.

And new on the court docket is a federal case in Miami Beach against the city and two police officers who allegedly arrested a gay man in retaliation for his reporting a police assault against another gay man.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit on behalf of Harold Strickland, who was in Flamingo Park in March 2009 when he saw two Miami Beach police officers kicking and punching a handcuffed man.

Strickland called 911 to report the assault but. As he was making the Samaritan’s emergency call, he was arrested for “loitering and prowling.”

In the recorded 911 call on his cell phone, Strickland sounded nervous but secure at the start. He told the dispatcher he was walking along when he saw two undercover police officers chase after a man. When the officers caught the man, they handcuffed him and pushed him to the ground.

Strickland told the dispatcher that one officer kicked the man in the head as if kicking a football.

“They were punching the guy,” Strickland continued. “And the guy was scared.… You could hear him…”

“I don’t know what they’re doing… It was very inappropriate,” he added.

Late in the 911 call, Strickland asked the dispatcher if she wanted him to walk back to the scene to describe the police vehicle.

She said yes, if he felt secure. Strickland said he did, after all, the police were present.

But when he returned, he was confronted by the two police officers. His cell phone was still carrying the 911 call, and Strickland told the dispatcher, “Now they’re coming after me.”

Seconds later, the call ended.

An arrest report said the officers read Strickland his “Miranda” rights and then took him into custody because “he could not dispel officer’s alarm for the safety and property of persons in the area.”

The record suggests that if Strickland alarmed officers, it’s because he witnessed police misconduct. So they punished him to cover their crime.

TERREMOTOS EN PUERTO RICO 2010

2010-12-28T17:37:00.002-04:00

Resumen sobre los terremotos más comentados en Puerto Rico desde principios de año

Autora: Dra. Lorna G. Jaramillo Nieves

Catedrática Auxiliar

Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras

Universidad de Colorado, Boulder, Ph.D.

Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, B.S.

Nuestra memoria histórica se ha retomado debido al terremoto de Haití, el de Chile y muy recientemente el sismo del 16 de mayo, con epicentro en Moca, además del sismo de nochebuena con epicentro en Aguas Buenas. Al contrario de lo que muchas personas piensan, estos eventos no se han intensificado en los últimos meses, no son un castigo para la humanidad, y mucho menos representan algún cataclismo que está a punto de caramelo. Los terremotos existen desde que el mundo es mundo y son parte de la historia de nuestro planeta. Muchos se preguntarán, “¿y por qué nos parece que ahora ocurren más que antes?” Bueno, en realidad no es que sean más frecuentes, lo que sucede es que ahora sabemos más de estos eventos naturales porque tenemos mejores medios de comunicación y mejor tecnología. Hoy día los medios digitales, los celulares y la densa red de satélites nos informan a ritmos nunca antes vistos. Además, nos parecen más cercanos, porque están ocurriendo en nuestro propio vecindario, el Caribe y América Latina. Haití, República Dominicana y Puerto Rico son países que tienen un riesgo sísmico debido a fallas que discurren en su alrededor e inclusive en su propio territorio. Por otro lado, los instrumentos que se utilizan actualmente para detectar los terremotos son muchos más sofisticados que los primeros instrumentos inventados por los chinos para detectar sismos en el año 153 A.C. Y, es por estos instrumentos modernos, más que nada, que podemos detectar cualquier terremoto que ocurra en el mundo, por pequeño que sea.

Los terremotos o sismos son simplemente la liberación de energía debido al rompimiento de la corteza terrestre. Este rompimiento es provocado por la fuerza constante que ejercen las placas tectónicas en la superficie del planeta, ya que las mismas están en movimiento. Las placas son similares a las piezas de un rompecabezas y representan el “cascarón” que cubre el interior dúctil de la Tierra. En ciertos momentos, el choque o roce de las placas llegan a un punto crítico donde la fuerza acumulada puede provocar el deslizamiento entre dos placas. Esto causa entonces el rompimiento de la corteza y origina el foco de un terremoto o el punto dentro de la corteza terrestre donde ocurre el rompimiento. Este rompimiento puede ocurrir a profundidades de pocos kilómetros o hasta 800 km de profundidad. Para tener una idea; el Monte Everest tiene una elevación aproximada de 8.9 kilómetros sobre el nivel del mar, esto implica que los focos de los terremotos pueden ocurrir a profundidades hasta prácticamente 100 veces mayores que la altura del Monte Everest. Ahora, usted preguntará, ¿y el epicentro que siempre mencionan en las noticias?”, pues este es el punto en la superficie del planeta que se encuentra exactamente sobre el foco, así como nuestra cabeza se encuentra exactamente sobre nuestros pies.

Volviendo a nuestra memoria sísmica; si recordamos el terremoto de Haití el 12 de enero de 2010, podríamos mencionar que el mismo fue de una magnitud de 7.0 en la escala de Richter, mientras que el de Chile el 27 de febrero de 2010 tenía una magnitud de 8.8 en la misma escala. Ahora, al preguntarnos, ¿cuál causó más daños?, nuestra contestación indudablemente sería el terremoto de Haití. Pero, ¿por qué, si la magnitud del terremoto de Chile fue mayor? Rápidamente saltará a nuestras mentes el argumento de que en Haití la construcción es mucho más pobre que en Chile. Estoy es muy cierto, pero el enfocarnos en sólo ese detalle nos hace perder un factor más relevante. Esos es: la profundidad del foco del terremoto de Haití fue de 13 km, mientras que el de Chile tenía una profundidad de 35 km. He aquí otra diferencia, el foco del terremoto de Haití se encontraba mucho más cercano a la superficie, lo que implica que la energía recibida podría ser comparable a la originada por el terremoto de Chile o posiblemente mayor. Este ejemplo nos lleva a discutir en más detalle una característica de los terremotos. A medida que la energía causada por un terremoto viaja a través del planeta, la misma se va disipando. Por ejemplo, imaginemos que nos encontramos en una mesa muy, muy larga, donde están sentadas 30 personas. Ahora, imagine que el anfitrión, sentado en la cabecera de la mesa da una palmada fuerte sobre la mesa y por el sentido del tacto, todos los que tengan sus manos en la mesa deben sentir el golpe. Ahora, las personas inmediatamente al lado del anfitrión sentirán el golpe de seguro, pero el invitado en el otro extremo de la mesa no sentirá las vibraciones del golpe sobre la mesa. Igualmente, los lugares más cercanos al foco, sentirán más la sacudida de un sismo que los lugares más alejados. Por tanto, el miedo que invade a muchos puertorriqueños que en el evento de un terremoto en la isla no quedará piedra sobre piedra, esta fundado más en la histeria colectiva que en la ciencia. Sabemos ahora que los 2 municipios más cercanos al foco (al igual que al epicentro) sufrirán los mayores daños y viceversa.

Los dos sismos más notables para Puerto Rico este año, cuyos epicentros se localizaron en Moca y Aguas Buenas respectivamente fueron sentido por muchas personas debido a que ocurrió sobre el nivel del mar. A diferencia de los sismos ocurridos en las cercanías de la isla durante las últimas décadas, estos sismos ocurridos en “tierra”, lo que sumado a sus magnitudes (5.8 el ocurrido en Moca y 5.1 el de Aguas Buenas en la escala de Ritcher) facilitó el que fuese sentido por muchos puertorriqueños. En cuanto a Puerto Rico, sabemos que han ocurrido 4 terremotos de intensidad 7 o mayor desde el 1700, de los cuales 2 generaron tsunamis. Ahora, ¿qué implica esto para nosotros? Pues, significa que Puerto Rico puede experimentar un terremoto en cualquier momento, ya que la isla se encuentra en una zona sísmicamente activa. Esto no implica que estemos completamente indefensos ante esta situación. Podemos prepararnos por medio de dos pasos: el primer paso es educarnos y el segundo es organizarnos preventivamente. Al haber leído este artículo ya ha tomado el primer paso para educarse sobre terremotos. Ahora, posiblemente se preguntará, ¿y cómo me puedo preparar para algo que aún no se puede predecir? Sencillo, cuando no sabemos si lloverá o no, ¿qué debemos hacer para estar preparados? Correcto, debemos tener siempre una sobrilla. He aquí la clave: debemos estar preparados siempre. En primer lugar, básicamente lo mismo que necesita durante la época de huracanes es lo que necesitará para estar preparado para un terremoto. Así que en lugar de mantener estos artículos durante la época de huracanes, manténgalos durante todo el año, con la salvedad de cambiar el agua periódicamente. En cuanto al evento en sí es necesario estar consciente de lo siguiente: durante un terremoto fuerte, todo lo que no esté anclado se moverá pues la sacudida será tan fuerte que no podrá mantenerse de pie. Esto implica que solo tiene unos segundos para buscar un lugar seguro. Algunos de estos lugares son bajo una mesa, escritorio o dentro de un cuarto pequeño. En su casa el lugar menos seguro es la cocina, ya que gran parte de los objetos y enseres no se encuentran sujetos o anclados a la pared. Busque un clóset o cuarto pequeño. Si se encuentra en un auto o en un edificio es altamente recomendable no salir del mismo.

En resumen, a pesar de que los terremotos no pueden ser evitados o aún no pueden predecirse, sí podemos estar preparados. Lea sobre el tema, pregunte y salga de dudas. La mejor manera que poseemos para enfrentar un terremoto es estar informados.

Para más información, visite las siguientes páginas en el Internet:

http://redsismica.uprm.edu/

http://www.eldiamenospensado.com/

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2007/41/

Documento revisado 27 de diciembre de 2010

Nicaragua- La Iglesia Católica y el matrimonio gay

2010-12-28T17:17:00.003-04:00

La Arquidiócesis de Managua se pronunció contra “los distintos proyectos que abiertos o soslayadamente pretendan equiparar las uniones entre personas del mismo sexo con el matrimonio”.

La jerarquía católica de Nicaragua ha salido a condenar el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo, a pesar de que éste ni siquiera está siendo analizado en el parlamento local.

Según reporta EFE, el asunto asomó de lleno durante un mensaje leído durante la última misa dominical celebrada en la Catedral Metropolitana, en dónde la diócesis reafirmó su rechazo "a los distintos proyectos que abiertos o soslayadamente pretendan equiparar las uniones entre personas del mismo sexo con el matrimonio heterosexual".

Para la Arquidiócesis de Managua, la legalización del matrimonio entre parejas del mismo sexo deforma "la percepción de los valores morales fundamentales y menoscaba la institución matrimonial como tal".

Según el documento, el matrimonio “no es una unión cualquiera” y aunque la Iglesia aclara que no pretende discriminar a las personas homosexuales, sí “rechaza las prácticas homosexuales y lésbicas como acto objetivamente contrario al plan de Dios para el ser humano”.

La eventual legalización del matrimonio homosexual en Nicaragua aún parece remota. Según la legisladora María Dolores Alemán Cardenal, Nicaragua “está a años luz” de poder alcanzar una normativa de esa índole.

Universo Gay/dic27.2010/Andres Bacigalupo

NACIONES UNIDAS Y CRIMENES CONTRA HOMOSEXUALES

2010-12-27T13:52:00.003-04:00

La ONU restablece la referencia a los homosexuales en la resolución contra los crímenes extrajudiciales Las organizaciones de derechos humanos expresaron su satisfacción por el resultado de la votación. China, Rusia y la mayoría de los países árabes y africanos votaron en contra.

La Asamblea General de Naciones Unidas logró finalmente la aprobación de una resolución que condena los asesinatos extrajudiciales y los crímenes contra las minorías incluyendo una alusión explícita a aquellos cometidos por la orientación sexual de la víctima. Esta referencia a la homosexualidad había sido ampliamente resistida en una votación anterior, impulsada sobre todo por países árabes y africanos.

Este martes, sin embargo, 93 países votaron a favor de mencionar explícitamente a las minorías LGTB en tanto que 55 lo hicieron en contra y 27 se abstuvieron. Estados Unidos, la UE y gran parte de los países latinoamericanos se inclinaron a favor de condenar la violencia contra los homosexuales. Rusia, China y la mayoría de los países africanos y árabes se pronunciaron en contra.

"Estamos aliviados por el resultado", ha dicho Boris Dittrich, de Human Rights Watch. "Los países que trataron de hacer retroceder las protecciones cruciales para las personas gays y lesbianas han sido derrotados", añade Dittrich.

En abierto contraste, el embajador de Zimbabwe ante la ONU, Chitsaka Chipaziwa, declaró: "No podemos aceptarlo, especialmente si implica aceptar prácticas como la zoofilia, la pedofilia y todas esas prácticas que muchas sociedades considerarían aberrantes en sus sistema de valores".

Cuba finalmente no lo hizo, votó la primera vez en nuestra contra y la segunda se ausentó. Decepcionante desde luego.

Universo Gay/dic22.2010/ Andrés Bacigalupo

JOE BIDEN OPINA SOBRE EL FUTURO DE "DOMA"

2010-12-27T12:51:00.003-04:00

Universo Gay/dic 24,2010/Andres Bacigalupo

Joe Biden, Vice presidente declaró en el programa de tv “Good Morning America” que las opiniones están evolucionando y que inevitablemente en la nación se llegará a un consenso sobre el matrimonio entre homosexuales . Joe Biden declaró que igual como sucedió con DADT pasará con el matrimonio gay.

Luego de la histórica anulación de la ley “Don´t ask, Don´t tell” –que prohibía la presencia de militares gays en las Fuerzas Armadas- tanto el Partido Demócrata como los grupos de derechos humanos han puesto en la agenda el asunto del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo.

Para Obama es un tema “pendiente” y para las organizaciones que defienden a lesbianas, gays, transexuales y bisexuales, un asunto clave que debe impulsarse ahora y extenderse a nivel federal (actualmente el matrimonio gay sólo es legal en Washington DC y en 5 de los 50 estados). “¿Si ahora podemos servir abiertamente a la patria, ¿por qué no podemos casarnos con las personas que amamos?”, se preguntaba un artículo de la revista Advocate.

ANDREA COMENTA…ES PRECISO EJERCER GRAN PRESIÓN A LA ACTUAL ADMINISTRACIÓN DE OBAMA PARA MANTENER ESTOS “ISSUES” EN PRIMER ORDEN DE AGENDA. ES EL MOMENTO HISTORICO PARA LA COMUNIDAD LGBTT EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS PARA QUE ESAS OPINIONES TAN DESTRUCTIVAS CAMBIEN Y POR CONSECUENCIA, LAS LEYES Y ASÍ ABOLIR EL DISCRÍMEN QUE POR TANTAS DÉCADAS VIENE AFECTANDO NUESTRA COMUNIDAD.

DERROGACIÓN LEY DADT

2010-12-22T11:57:00.002-04:00

365Gay.com/Dec21,2010/James Harrison

El Secretario de prensa de Casa Blanca, Robert Gibbs anunció en conferencia de prensa que Obama firmará la derrogación de la ley “DADT”hoy, convirtiéndo esta en ley. Luego de firmada la medida, Gibbs dijo que antes de que se permita servir a los abiertamente gays, el Presidente, el Secreatario de Defensa y el conjunto de Jefes de Personal [ Joint Chief’s of staff], tienen que aprobar que las Fuerzas Armadas estan listas para la medida. Gibbs dijo que el proceso no será agotador. En vista de que la mayoría de los que están sirviendo están de acuerdo con esto, imagino que este será proceso sin problemas. Esperemos que no haya tropiezos o sorpresas.
Trad. AStL

VOTO HISTÓRICO EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS: LEY ANTIGAY-"DADT"

2010-12-20T13:48:00.003-04:00

Universo Gay/ 20-20-2010

Una histórica votación pone fin a la discriminación de homosexuales en las Fuerzas Armadas de EE.UU Por Andres Bacigalupo Por 65 votos a favor y 31 en contra, el Senado norteamericano logró anular la ley de 1993 que les prohibía a gays y lesbianas asumirse como tales en el seno de las Fuerzas Armadas.
El presidente Barack Obama y los grupos que defienden los derechos de los homosexuales ya pueden celebrar en Estados Unidos. El primero, porque ha cumplido una promesa de campaña. Los segundos, porque han conseguido una histórica victoria al eliminarse la ley de 1993 que impedía que gays y lesbianas se asumieran públicamente en el seno de las Fuerzas Armadas.
La votación del Senado (65 a 31) le siguió a la que tuvo lugar también la semana pasada en la Cámara de Representantes (250 a 175) y ahora el siguiente paso es la firma de Barack Obama y un plazo de 60 días para su total entrada en vigor.
El camino para la derogación de esta ley, popularmente conocida como “Don´t ask, don´t tell” (“No preguntes, no digas”) ha sido más que arduo. Se topó con numerosos pronunciamientos judiciales en contra y con el rechazo del Partido Republicano.
Sin embargo, con el paso de los meses, la opinión pública comenzó a estar mayoritariamente a favor de la derogación (algo que les hemos contado en Universo Gay en los meses de noviembre y febrero). En el plano político, aquello tuvo consecuencias incluso entre los representantes republicanos, muchos de los cuales terminaron apoyando la derogación: fueron clave al respecto los votos de Susan Collins (Maine), George Voinovich (Ohio), Mark Steven Kirk (Illinois), Scott Brown (Massachusetts), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Olimpia Snowe (Maine), John Ensign (Nevada) y Richard Burr (Carolina del Norte).
13.500 expulsados
La anulación de la ley fue calificada como un “hecho histórico” entre los activistas norteamericanos. Aaron Belkin, director del Centro Palm en California, dijo que la votación "marca el comienzo de una nueva era en la que el principal empleador de Estados Unidos trata a los homosexuales y lesbianas como seres humanos''. Durante miles de años, dijo, uno de los requisitos para ser ciudadano de primera en cualquier nación es el derecho de integrarse a las fuerzas armadas, y la votación del sábado "es un paso histórico hacia eso''.
Más de 13,500 militares fueron expulsados de las fuerzas armadas desde que la ley se aprobó en 1993.

A.St.L.

Asiste al 4to Congreso Edu LGBTT-viernes 19 y sábado 20 noviembre 2010

2010-11-14T05:07:00.003-04:00

El 4to Congreso Educativo LGBTT se llevará a cabo el viernes 19 en la noche y el sábado 20 de noviembre del 2010 en el Centro de Convenciones.. Habrán 9 paneles o conferencias con 31 panelistas..

Paneles cumbres:

Crímenes de Odio; con los funcionarios públicos de más alto rango en la seguridad del país como a nivel federal..Secretario de Justicia y el Superintendente la Policía, entre reps. federales.

Discrimen en el Empleo por Orientación Sexual; con reps del gobierno, sindicatos, juristas, y reps de empresas privadas.

Violencia contra la comunidad trans. Comisión de Derechos Civiles y Lambda Legal

Gays en la Tercera Edad; Gerontólogos y AARP

Orador Principal: Christopher Bates, experto en VIH/SIDA de Washington, DC.. hablará sobre el apoderamiento de la comunidad LGBTT.

Políticos hablan sobre inclusividad en sus partidos; PNP's, PPD's y PIP's..Juan Dalmau-PIP, Héctor Ferrer-PPD,PNP-Héctor Morales.
Lily García ofrecerá una conferancia de superación personal con sus herramientas.
Costo: $15 por persona.. compra en pay pal aquí en la página principal.. o en la UPR, o llamando al 787-607-3939..

Verifique itinerario aquí o en Facebook visite "4to Congreso Educativo LGBTT"..

Los esperamos!!!

Fortuño actúa sobre los crímenes de odio

2010-10-09T21:08:00.001-04:00

sábado, 9 de octubre de 2010
Maritza Díaz Alcaide / Primera Hora

El Gobierno de Puerto Rico es consciente de las repercusiones internacionales que tendría el megaoperativo contra elementos corruptos de la Policía que llevó a cabo esta semana el FBI.

El gobernador Luis Fortuño dijo ayer que, para que se supiera de la participación de su administración en el esfuerzo por erradicar las manzanas podridas de la Uniformada, él aseguró que esa información llegara a otros países el mismo día de los arrestos.

Le reveló a este diario que había un acuerdo con el secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos, Eric Holder, de que ese comunicado de prensa se sacaría cuando él terminara su conferencia desde Washington.

“Queríamos que se supiera que había un esfuerzo conjunto de limpiar la casa”, dijo el Gobernador, satisfecho con la cobertura de los medios internacionales, que en su mayoría incluyeron sus declaraciones.

Aunque la imagen de Puerto Rico pudo lacerarse, dijo que no cree que sea correcto el iniciar una campaña para volver a hablar del tema.

Fortuño y una comitiva de su gobierno, incluido el superintendente de la Policía, José Figueroa Sancha, se encontraba ayer en Nueva York, donde se reunieron con personal de la policía de la ciudad (NYPD).

Asesores del Primer Ejecutivo y el superintendente José Figueroa Sancha dialogaron con el presidente de la Comisión del NYPD para combatir la corrupción en la Policía.

El Gobernador tuvo un encuentro con el jefe de la Policía de la Gran Manzana, Raymond Kelly, y acordaron que en dos semanas policías de la Isla viajarán a Nueva York para participar de un adiestramiento de la Unidad de Control de Desórdenes, el equivalente aquí de la Fuerza de Choque.

Ese adiestramiento, indicó el Primer Ejecutivo, incluirá aspectos sobre el tipo de fuerza que se utiliza en las intervenciones de las unidades de operaciones tácticas, ya que la Policía de la Isla elaboró un protocolo de uso de fuerza parecido al del NYPD.

El ayudante del Gobernador en asuntos de seguridad, Max Pérez, también conversó con el dirigente de la Comisión Externa de Ciudadanos de Nueva York, un comité a cargo de pasar juicio sobre las investigaciones internas que involucran a policías imputados de corrupción, de uso excesivo de la fuerza y otros, cuando surge alguna querella.

Fortuño sostuvo que es posible que en la Isla se copie ese tipo de auditoría externa.

El Gobernador anunció desde la Gran Manzana que se estará creando además un task force especializado en crímenes de odio, para lo cual también la policía neoyorquina les brindará adiestramiento a los agentes boricuas.

La idea es que de tres a cuatro policías puertorriqueños participen de ese entrenamiento en la ciudad de Nueva York y que éstos a su vez adiestren a otros cincuenta policías en la Isla.

El Primer Ejecutivo definió los crímenes de odio como aquellos que se cometen contra grupos minoritarios, por ejemplo, los homosexuales y los dominicanos que residen en la Isla, simplemente por su condición de tales.

La NYPD estará colaborando también con la implantación en Puerto Rico del “Real Crime Time Center”, un centro tecnológico que permitirá identificar el tiempo real, la concentración y patrones de la actividad criminal en Puerto Rico.

Con el uso de ese mapa, se espera que la Uniformada haga un uso más efectivo de su personal.

Tras establecerse esa alianza con el NYPD hace varios meses, se logró identificar fondos para adquirir el equipo necesario para iniciar la primera fase del proyecto.

La compra del sistema se llevará a cabo durante este año fiscal.

Suman 398 los matrimonios gay en el DF

2010-09-05T17:26:00.001-04:00

A seis meses de que entrara en vigor la ley que los permite

Por Agencia EFE

México - Casi 400 parejas del mismo sexo se han casado en el Distrito Federal seis meses después de que entrase en vigor la ley que permite el matrimonio gay, indicó hoy el gobierno de la metrópoli mexicana.

En total ha habido 398 de estos matrimonios, de los que el 53% fue entre hombres y el 47% entre mujeres.

En estos seis meses, 41 extranjeros se han unido a mexicanos, sobre todo europeos, seguidos de sudamericanos, norteamericanos y centroamericanos.

Aunque la mayoría de quienes se casaron están entre los 30 y los 40 años de edad, seguidos por los que tienen de 21 a 30, en este periodo se han celebrado cuatro matrimonios de personas de entre 71 y 90 años.

En agosto pasado, la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación determinó la constitucionalidad de las uniones y su validez en el resto del país, tras varias controversias presentadas por el Gobierno federal y estados mexicanos de tendencia conservadora.

El fallo de la Suprema Corte dictaminó también que es posible que los matrimonios del mismo sexo adopten, como establece la ley del Distrito Federal.

La ley ha sido duramente criticada por la jerarquía eclesiástica del país, que ha condenado tanto los matrimonios entre parejas del mismo sexo como la posibilidad de que adopten niños.

Prop. 8 judge lifts stay, but same-sex marriages still on hold

2010-08-12T18:23:00.003-04:00

(08-12) 13:11 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Gay and lesbian couples in California who were breathlessly poised to get married this morning had their hopes dashed when the federal judge who struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage lifted his stay on those nuptials - but simultaneously ruled that his order not take effect for six more days.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker invalidated Proposition 8 last week, saying the ban was discriminatory and unconstitutional. At the time, he put a temporary stay on his ruling, meaning it could not be enforced.

He lifted that stay today, according a court announcement at 12:35 p.m. However, Walker said in today's order that the stay will not be canceled until 5 p.m. on Aug. 18.

That gives proponents of Prop. 8 time to ask the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for another stay.

Couples this morning gathered at San Francisco City Hall in hopes that they could tie the knot. Despite the uncertainty of that likelihood, they wanted to be ready to take advantage of whatever opportunity they could get in the long, tangled trail of legal rulings regarding same-sex marriage.

Proponents of Prop. 8 had argued that Walker's decision should not take effect while they seek a reversal in higher courts. That process could last a year or more; a decision by the appeals court may, in turn, be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lawyers for Protect Marriage, the Prop. 8 campaign committee, had said that if Walker's ruling of last week is allowed to take effect, "same-sex marriages would be licensed under a cloud of uncertainty, and should (Protect Marriage) succeed on appeal, any such marriages would be invalid."

Lawyers for the two couples and a gay rights organization that challenged Prop. 8 have argued that maintaining the ban through a stay would further punish gay and lesbian couples. They said that in order for the stay to remain in place, Prop. 8 opponents have to prove they are being harmed by gay and lesbian marriages, and they have to show they are likely to prevail on appeal.

"They can't prove either of those," said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, one of the driving forces to overturn the same-sex ban. "Lifting this stay is the right thing to do."

Prop. 8 opponents were joined in their request that the stay be lifted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Douglas Napier, an attorney who defended Prop. 8, said that contrary to Kors' contention, he is confident his side will win on appeal. After Walker's ruling, which was the result of a nonjury trial in January, he called the setback a legal "bump in the road."

Validos en todo México matrimonios gays de la capital

2010-08-10T18:25:00.003-04:00

martes, 10 de agosto de 2010

Prensa Asociada

México.- Todos los estados de México están obligados a reconocer civilmente los matrimonios homosexuales que se realicen en la Ciudad de México, según acordaron hoy en votación 9-2 los miembros de la Corte Suprema.

La semana pasada el máximo tribunal declaró en votación 8-2 que los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo, aprobados por la legislatura local de la capital mexicana, son válidos constitucionalmente.

El gobierno impugnó ambas leyes con el argumento de que los matrimonios de parejas del mismo sexo rompen el pacto de la Federación, pues equivalen a introducir una nueva figura que no todos los estados reconocen.

Sin embargo, para la mayoría de los ministros el artículo 121 de la Constitución señala que el estado civil de las personas debe ser reconocido en todo el territorio nacional, independientemente de dónde se celebre.

La Ciudad de México es el único lugar del país donde se permiten los matrimonios gays. El gobierno capitalino informó la semana pasada que desde marzo se han celebrado 320 bodas de parejas del mismo sexo, de las cuales 173 han sido de hombres y 147 de mujeres.

Study: Female sexual fluidity

2010-08-09T16:22:00.003-04:00

By Celeste Lavin, 365gay.com

08.09.2010

Many researchers who studied the concept of “late-life lesbianism” had previously concluded that these women had always been gay, but weren’t comfortable coming out until they were older, reports NPR.

A new study led University of Utah professor Lisa Diamond to suggest that this is not the case.

Diamond tracked a group of 79 women for 15 years; most of the women said they became attracted to women when they were in their late thirties.

From these women, Diamond has found that in fact these late-life lesbians had not in fact always been attracted to other women.

“It does appear to be that women’s erotic desires are pretty tightly linked to their emotional feelings. And so for some of these women, they authentically did not really feel attracted to women before they met one particular woman that they completely fell in love with,” said Diamond.

She added, “I think it’s hard to know whether that capacity actually becomes stronger over time. Probably what’s a safer conclusion to draw is that as time goes on, women have more opportunities to discover that capacity.”

Diamond said that in aging, women become more open-minded, meet more people and have a wider range of experiences, which can “create a context in which a woman might have always had that capacity to become attracted to women, but might never have had the opportunity until she reaches a certain stage in her life.”

Some opponents to same-sex marriage have sited Diamond’s research as evidence that sexuality is a choice, but Diamond said that is not the right conclusion to draw from her work.

“The problem there is the mistaken conflation of change with choice. The women that I have studied who have had these experiences did not experience them as chosen at all. So the idea that it’s chosen is really the mistake there,” said Diamond.

Diamond said the women were more confused than upset by their new feelings, and most of them said the experience was very satisfying. Diamond said, “Women would say, I don’t know what’s going on but, oh, I love this woman.”

Senate confirms Kagan as 112th justice

2010-08-05T16:33:00.001-04:00

By The Associated Press
Washington– The Senate has confirmed Elena Kagan as the 112th justice and fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court. The vote was 63-37 for President Barack Obama’s nominee to succeed retired Justice John Paul Stevens.

Five Republicans joined all but one Democrat and the Senate’s two independents to support Kagan. In a rarely practiced ritual reserved for the most historic votes, senators sat at their desks and stood to cast their votes with “ayes” and “nays.”

Kagan isn’t expected to alter the ideological balance of the court, where Stevens was considered a leader of the liberals.

But the two parties clashed over her nomination. Republicans argued that Kagan was a political liberal who would be unable to be impartial. Democrats defended her as a highly qualified legal scholar.

She is the first Supreme Court nominee in nearly 40 years with no experience as a judge, and her swearing-in will mark the first time in history that three women will serve on the nine-member court together.

Her lack of judicial experience was the stated reason for one fence-sitting Republican, Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, to announce his opposition to her confirmation Thursday, just hours before the vote.

Though calling her “brilliant,” Brown – who had been seen as a potential GOP supporter – said she was missing the necessary background to serve as a justice.

“The best umpires, to use the popular analogy, must not only call balls and strikes, but also have spent enough time on the playing field to know the strike zone,” Brown said.

Sentencia a favor de las bodas homosexuales

2010-08-04T19:24:00.002-04:00

Por Fernando Mexía/ EFE

Juez consideró que la definición de matrimonio no es compatible con los principios de igualdad y proceso legal

Los Ángeles (EE.UU.)- Un juez federal en San Francisco sentenció hoy a favor de las bodas homosexuales en California al considerar que la legislación que las prohíbe atenta contra los derechos fundamentales recogidos en la Constitución de EE.UU.

En su esperado veredicto, el magistrado Vaughn Walker consideró que la Proposición 8, aprobada en referéndum en noviembre de 2008 en California y que reformó la Carta Magna del estado para definir matrimonio como un enlace entre un hombre y una mujer, no es compatible con los principios de igualdad y proceso legal.

"La Proposición 8 carece de base racional para negar la licencia de matrimonio específicamente a gays y lesbianas. De hecho, no hace otra cosa que consagrar la noción de que las parejas de sexo opuesto son superiores a las del mismo sexo", indicó Walker, quien en virtud de esa discriminación declaró esa normativa "inconstitucional".

"Estamos encantados con la decisión de hoy porque afirma que los derechos recogidos en nuestra Constitución son aplicables a todos los estadounidenses", manifestó Geoff Kors, director ejecutivo de la institución Equality California.

La sentencia, no obstante, soliviantó a los más conservadores como constató el presidente de la organización Save California, Randy Thomasson, para quien lo ocurrido hoy supone "un golpe terrible".

"El juez ha impuesto su propio orden homosexual a los electores, los padres y los niños de California", dijo Thomasson, quien insistió en que la Constitución de EE.UU. "garantiza que las políticas estatales las hace la gente, no los jueces".

La decisión del juez Walker ha sido el último capítulo en una larga batalla legal entre defensores y detractores de las bodas entre personas del mismo sexo en California que se remonta hasta el año 2000, cuando un 61,3 por ciento de los electores aprobaron en las urnas la Proposición 22.

Aquella iniciativa, muy similar a la Proposición 8, modificó el código civil del estado al restringir la definición de matrimonio a un enlace que se produce únicamente entre un hombre y una mujer.

La Proposición 22 fue recurrida por vía legislativa en dos ocasiones, aunque el gobernador Arnold Schwazenegger vetó en última instancia los recursos al considerar que solamente los tribunales o los ciudadanos en referéndum tenían potestad para cambiar la norma.

En 2004, la ciudad de San Francisco, donde hay una importante comunidad homosexual, promulgó una ordenanza municipal por la que se aceptaban las uniones civiles entre personas del mismo sexo en su jurisdicción.

Una normativa que fue anulada posteriormente por la Justicia, aunque después de que se casaran 4.000 parejas.

Entre 2000 y 2008, el caso de los enlaces entre homosexuales y la validez de la Proposición 22 llegó a los juzgados californianos, aunque las diferentes cortes de apelaciones optaron por mantener la prohibición a esas bodas.

Finalmente, la Corte Suprema de California terminó por revocar la Proposición 22 en mayo de 2008 al considerar que iba en contra de los principios constitucionales de su territorio.

California se convirtió así en el segundo estado de EE.UU. en legalizar las bodas homosexuales, después de Massachusetts, aunque seis meses más tarde y después de que 18.000 parejas del mismo sexo pasaran por el altar, los electores anulaban la sentencia del Supremo en las urnas.

El 4 de noviembre de 2008 el 52.2 por ciento de los votantes aprobaban en referéndum la Proposición 8, una iniciativa promulgada por grupos conservadores con el fin de reformar la Constitución de California para consagrar el matrimonio como un derecho solo aplicable a las uniones entre un hombre y una mujer.

Este resultado supuso un varapalo para los colectivos de homosexuales en cuyo seno se originó un intenso debate sobre si acudir a los tribunales federales o llevar a las urnas en las siguientes elecciones una nueva propuesta para modificar la Constitución.

Los partidarios de la vía judicial optaron por denunciar en agosto de 2009 la Proposición 8 ante una Corte Federal de San Francisco por considerar que atentaba contra los derechos de la Carta Magna de EE.UU., país que oficialmente no reconoce las bodas homosexuales aunque sí las aceptan los gobiernos de seis de sus estados.

Está previsto que la decisión del juez Walker sea recurrida ante la Corte Federal de Apelaciones y todo apunta a que terminará en manos de la Corte Suprema de EE.UU., la última instancia judicial del país.

2 PALABRAS MUY NUESTRAS AL DICCIONARIO DE LA REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA

2010-08-02T07:44:00.003-04:00

La Real Academia Española ha incluido los términos “homófobo” (persona “que tiene o manifiesta homofobia”) y “matrimonio homosexual” entre las más de tres mil palabras nuevas.

Sobre este último, aunque no aparece en el adelanto de la edición, sí lo hará en la próxima edición escrita. El secretario de la RAE, Darío Villanueva, dijo que la inclusión del término obedece a la aprobación en 2005 de la ley que permite en España el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo (y que se ha extendido a otras naciones hispanas) lo que llevó a la Academia a plantearse “la necesidad de modificar el significado de la palabra “matrimonio” para reflejar esa realidad que la ley ha propiciado”.

Entre otras novedades, la RAE ha redefinido términos como pederastia (“inclinación erótica hacia los niños” y/o “abuso sexual cometido con los niños”) y sodomía. Ésta última palabra se sustituye ahora por “práctica del coito anal”.

Pese a la polémica que podría generar la inclusión de estos términos, Villanueva aclaró que “la Academia no legisla, no crea realidades. Simplemente introduce en el Diccionario acepciones y términos que están en el lenguaje. No emite en relación a ellos ningún juicio de valor, actúa con la más absoluta de las objetividades”, pero teniendo en cuenta que cualquier decisión “afecta a una comunidad de 450 millones de personas”.

universogay.com/30 de Julio de 2010/Andres Bacigalupo

CON O SIN LEY: A LA IGLESIA LE IMPORTA UN BLEDO

2010-07-31T18:49:00.002-04:00

Desde la Comisión de Derechos Humanos, señalan que “todo mundo tiene derecho a emitir su opinión, siempre y cuando esa opinión no se convierta en un elemento que fomente la violencia”.

El presidente de la Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH) de México, Luis González Placencia pidió a la Iglesia Católica que tenga prudencia en sus opiniones sobre la ley de matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo vigente en el Distrito Federal.

González Placencia señaló que a la disputa en los tribunales se le ha querido dar un matiz de inmoralidad a un tema que entiende que debe ser regido por el estado laico. "Hay que tener cuidado y hay que ser responsables a la hora de emitir la opinión", dijo el funcionario.

"Todo mundo tiene derecho a emitir su opinión, siempre y cuando esa opinón no se convierta en un elemento que fomente la violencia. Yo creo que quien emite esas opiniones tiene que hacerse cargo de las posibles consecuencias que tiene", agregó.

Muchas de las opiniones eclesiásticas sobre el matrimonio gay en México han generado quejas de parte de activistas homosexuales que las han calificado lisa y llanamente como declaraciones homófobas. Ese fue el caso del cardenal Norberto Rivera quién calificó como una “aberración” la ley de matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo.

universogay.com/29 de Julio de 2010/Andres Bacigalupo

¡ ANNE RICE SE UNE A LAS FILAS CON GRITOS A TODO PULMÓN !

2010-07-30T13:47:00.003-04:00

Se ha reportado que la novelista Anne Rice, autora de Interview with a Vampire y The Feast of All Saints, recientemente que “dejó de ser Cristiana”.

Rice utilizó su página de Facebook el miércoles para denunciar su cristiandad y rechazar lo que ella entiende que son sentimientos antigay, antifeministas y antidemócratas.

Rice dijo: “es simplemente imposible para mí el ‘pertenencer’ a un grupo tan conflictivo, hostil, déspota e inmerecedor. Por 14 años he tratado. He fallado. Soy una de afuera. Mi conciencia no permitirá otra cosa. En el nombre de Cristo, dejo la Cristiandad y de ser Cristiana”.

Rice, tiene un hijo abiertamente gay, Christopher Rice quien apoya publicamente los derechos LGBTT. 365gay.com /July29.2010/Shamecca Harris

ANDREA COMENTA:

Aunque a muchos les parezca poco esta noticia, es una fuerte golpe a la imagen del mentado cristianismo, que al parecer el cuento y la misión se han desvirtuado del todo luego de dos mil años de la noticia en la calle y con la Biblia debajo del brazo.

¡Qué pena que sigan perdiendo seguidores por déspotas y que además de antigays y homofóbicos, son anticristianos porque obviamente, ¡ese no era el mensaje de Cristo! y no me lo contó nadie, lo leí yo solita.

La famosa escritora Anne Rice defiende la causa con uñas y dientes, a tal punto que hizo público su examen de conciencia y yo diría que con justicia y muy congruente con las ideas que los llamados “cristianos” DEBIERAN PERSEGUIR, I-M-I-T-A-R -A- C-R-I-S-T-O, después de todo, ¿no es esa la misión? Rice lo dijo de manera transparente con todo lo que tenía, su fe, su voz, su conciencia y su tinta…

¡ Bravo por Anne Rice !

¡ IGUALDAD DE DERECHOS A COMO DE LUGAR !

2010-07-29T17:31:00.004-04:00

(Honolulu) Six gay couples in Hawaii are filing a lawsuit Thursday asking for the same rights as married couples, three weeks after Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a same-sex civil unions measure.

The lawsuit doesn’t seek the titles of “marriage” or “civil unions” for gay partners. Instead, it requests that the court system extend them the benefits and responsibilities of marriage based on the Hawaii Constitution’s prohibition against sex discrimination.

“We continue to be discriminated against,” said plaintiff Suzanne King, who has been in a relationship with her partner for 29 years. “We’re a family unit, and we live our lives just like everyone else, but we aren’t treated the same.”

The legal action in state court comes as a response to the Republican governor’s veto July 6, when she said voters should decide whether to reserve marriage for couples of a man and a woman.

Five other states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex marriage. Five more states essentially grant the rights of marriage to same-sex couples without authorizing marriage itself.

Hawaii passed the nation’s first “defense of marriage” constitutional amendment in 1998, giving the state’s legislature the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples. The amendment is silent on civil unions and rights for same-sex couples.

Most Hawaii residents don’t want the government to endorse equal rights for gay couples, said Garret Hashimoto, chairman for the Hawaii Christian Coalition.

“I feel insulted. They keep bringing up Martin Luther King, black rights and women’s sufferage. This is not about that. This is about two males or two females practicing sex,” he said. “It’s behavior. It’s no different from smokers or drinkers.”

The office of Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett declined comment Wednesday because it hadn’t yet been served with the lawsuit.

The state grants some rights to gay couples through its reciprocal beneficiaries system.

But they lack the same legal priviledges and obligations of adoption, child support, alimony and access to family court, said Jennifer Pizer, senior counsel for Lambda Legal, which is bringing the case along with the American Civil Liberties Union.

“This case is not about marriage. It’s about the right of same-sex couples to at least have a system that is understandable and complete,” Pizer said. “The state’s equality guarantee at least has to mean same-sex couples should have the same rights and responsibilities, even if it’s segmented off into a system that isn’t as respected, understood and revered as marriage.”

The case likely won’t be settled until it reaches the Hawaii Supreme Court, or if state lawmakers and the next governor approve a new civil unions bill, Pizer said.

Advocate.com-Associated Press/07.29.2010

Protesta en el Capitolio: Presión a Pelosi

2010-07-28T17:47:00.002-04:00

Todos arrestados...

Eight people were arrested during a sit-in staged by the direct action group GetEqual in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday as part of an effort to push House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take a vote on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, legislation that would outlaw workplace discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

“In March, GetEqual held a sit-in in Pelosi’s office asking her to bring ENDA to the floor for a vote. At that point, we said we would keep coming back until it was voted on," explained Heather Cronk, GetEqual spokesperson, who participated in the protest as an observer. "So this is us making good on our promise, asking her to make good on her promise over the last few years on ENDA.”

A spokesperson for the Speaker said ENDA was still in the queue for a vote but encouraged activists to focus their energy on the Senate.

“Passing ENDA this year is a top priority for the Speaker, but we believe that passing ENDA before DADT repeal has been finalized, jeopardizes both initiatives," said Drew Hammill. “Until then, the LGBT community should encourage the Senate to develop a course for ENDA to ensure that when the House passes the legislation, the Senate can move quickly to send the legislation to the President’s desk.”

The group of about 20 LGBT activists entered the building as part of a routine tour through the Capitol. Upon reaching the rotunda, they pulled out signs reading, “Pass ENDA Now” and “Pelosi: This Is Your Reminder.” Before sitting down in the center of the rotunda, they began a variation on their signature chant, "Speaker Pelosi ... I am ... somebody ... I deserve ... job protections."

Eight people volunteered to risk arrest in the action, with the other half present to provide support including a couple legal observers. But the support people along with tourists and reporters were quickly removed by Capitol police, according to Cronk, leaving only the eight "riskables" seated in the rotunda. The eight who were arrested include: Orelia Busch, Charles Butler, Sean Carlson, Shannon Cuttle, Robert Diesu, Erika Knepp, David McElhatton (legal name: Sarah McElhatton), and Zack Rosen.

Pelosi told attendees at last weekend’s Netroots Nation conference for progressive bloggers that they should hold her accountable, though she stopped short of promising a vote on ENDA.

“I can’t give you a time, but I can tell you that it is a priority,” Pelosi said during a Q&A in a room of roughly 1,000 conference attendees. “To do it this year, we have to finish ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ And hopefully we can do them both this year.”

Cronk said the group chose the rotunda because it symbolizes “America’s commitment to justice, equality, and freedom.” At the beginning of the tour, she noted they had been shown a film with narration stating, “This is the core – the center – of our experiment with political freedom.”

But she added that GetEqual plans to take its show out of Washington and on the road during the August recess (Aug. 9 – Sept. 10), when lawmakers will be back in their home districts.

“We’ll be taking our actions into the states,” she said. “We plan to hold other lawmakers accountable and we intend to help those lawmakers who haven’t made a commitment to ENDA yet to do so.”

Cronk said GetEqual was consulting with other national organizations, researching the public whip count at Act on Principles, and getting feedback from other LGBT advocates who walk the halls of Congress to determine whom to target.

Advocate.com/July 28, 2010/Kerry Eleveld

JUEZ FEDERAL SORPRENDE A LA COMUNIDAD GAY EN ARIZONA

2010-07-27T08:36:00.002-04:00

Un juez federal sorprendió a todos hace unos días con un “injunction” contra el estado de Arizona, la acción judicial evita que el estado ponga en vigor una ley que quitaría los beneficios a parejas domésticas lesbianas y gay emplead@s por el estado.

Palabras del Juez Federal John Sedwick: “Contrario a lo que el estado sugiere, es desigualdad (no equitativo) el atribuír el déficit presupuestario a los empleados homosexuales tanto como lo sería el atribuírlo a cualquier otra clase única, como lo serían empleados de ojos verdes o pelo rojo”. Según AZCentral.

La ley tendría efecto el 1ro de octubre y hubiera quitado la cubierta de beneficios a toda pareja doméstica, homosexual o heterosexual (no casados) y a los hijos de estas parejas. Advocate.com/July26,2010/ Michelle Garcia

CORTE SUPREMA NEW JERSEY SOBRE EL MATRIMONIO GAY

2010-07-26T18:30:00.003-04:00

(Trenton, NJ) The New Jersey Supreme Court has declined to hear a case from six same-sex couples seeking the right to marry, saying the case needs to wind its way through the lower courts first.

Gay couples unsuccessfully sued New Jersey four years ago for the right to marry. They claim that by creating civil unions, the state has not fulfilled a court order to treat them the same as heterosexual couples seeking to marry.

The Supreme Court said Monday that it cannot consider whether the civil union law provides equal rights to gay couples until there is a trial record.

The justices were split 3-3, one vote shy of the four needed for the motion to be granted.

365gay.com-Associated Press/July26,2010/

MAINE y La Igualdad en el Matrimonio

2010-07-26T18:00:00.007-04:00

Una derrota nos deja marcadas lecciones que nos ayudan en el camino sobre todo al hablar de un tema tan importante como lo es la campaña sobre igualdad en el matrimonio. Jesse Connoly, jefe de la campaña en Maine; sorprendentemente es heterosexual pero más aun sorprende su incansable compromiso con la causa, llamándola “su causa de vida”. Hoy examina los tramos y detalles de la campaña derrota para lograr un triunfo en el futuro. Veamos lo que este líder tiene que aportar…

The manager for the "No on 1" campaign in Maine that sought to keep voters there from overturning marriage-equality legislation last fall pondered the lessons of the unsuccessful effort at a Netroots Nation panel in Las Vegas on Thursday.

“This is still very painful for us to talk about. We put forth a campaign that we thought was going to be the first one in the nation to win,” he said of him and his fellow panelists, Julia Rosen with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Adam Bink of OpenLeft.com, and Joe Sudbay of AmericaBlog.com, all of whom worked closely with the campaign in different capacities.

Connolly thanked the room of activists for engaging so thoughtfully in rehashing the effort. “This is something that, for a straight ally like me, is one the most important things in my life — to figure out how we win these campaigns,” he said.

Connolly spoke to The Advocate following the panel.

During the panel you said that you thought running a marriage equality campaign during an off-year election was disadvantageous. Why?

If you look at some of the voter turnout rate, we had to spend a lot of our time and resources pushing people to get out and vote, and that took away from resources that we could have otherwise used to persuade persuadable voters. It’s always helpful to have other things that voters are excited about. Equality might be important for them but might not be the one thing that gets them out to vote.

Of course if you look [at the bill that added nondiscrimination protections in Maine], it failed in '98 and failed again in 2000, and then finally we passed it in 2005. So there’s no guarantees, but I think it’s a helpful framework for these campaigns.

What do you think the other side did best in terms of messaging?

Well, they did a lot of things well. But the one ad that I think was an interesting play for them was an ad in the last week to 10 days; it was uplifting and said gay and lesbian families have all the rights they need [through that state’s current domestic partnerships], so it’s OK to vote “yes” [and overturn the marriage equality law].

After they hammered us on schools and the idea of gay sex being taught in the schools, they switched to this uplifting tone that I thought was very strategic on their part — basically giving voters permission to vote against us without feeling bad about it for those that might have been on the fence.

Have you had any second thoughts about your own messaging?

I think the messaging that we put forth was very strong, I think the consulting team that did our TV spots did a great job of executing the message we were running on.

I think the bigger question is around the timing of the election, wondering why our supporters didn’t go vote. Those are more burning questions versus the coulda/woulda/shouldas on messaging. We were trying to boost turnout and put messages up there that encouraged people to go voted. But as we look through our data, there was a swath of voters who didn’t go vote and we need to try to understand why they didn’t.

Advocate.com/July 22,2010/Kerry Eleveld

Notas Sueltas...de Méjico y de Hollywood

2010-07-26T17:38:00.003-04:00

MÉJICO: DEPTO DE TURISMO CON NUEVA OFICINA TURISMO GAY

Asegura el secretario de turismo dicha entidad que el sector turístico gay gasta casi un 50% más que el turismo familiar o de otro tipo.

El Secretario de turismo de la ciudad de México, Alejandro Rojas Díaz, estuvo presente en el acto de inauguración de dicha oficina.. En el acto, declaró que la ciudad de México merecía una oficina así desde hace tiempo, porque tiene todos los elementos necesarios para convertirse en el destino latinoamericano gayfriendly preferido.

“Este sector de la población es importante puesto que gasta un promedio de 47% más que un turista convencional” aseguró Rojas “además, a este segmento corresponde el 15% del total del turismo mundial. Si se contemplan mil millones de turistas anualmente en el mundo, 150 millones son turistas LGBT” aseguró el funcionario.

El secretario también dijo que la Ciudad de México se ha ido convirtiendo en uno de los lugares preferidos por los visitantes homosexuales porque promueve la convivencia entre ese sector, lo que queda demostrado con la reciente legalización del matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en esa ciudad.

Jaime Rogel, uno de los integrantes del comité que se hará cargo de la nueva oficina, dijo que según estudios de la IGLTA, al menos el 55% de la población homosexual, viaja tres veces por año y un 33% lo hace cinco veces en el mismo tiempo. Universogay.com/24 de julio,2010/Valentina

Qué bien, al fín se acepta públicamente la realidad de que la población gay tiene más tiempo y dinero para gastar en vacaciones. ¿Me pregunto si esa será también la motivación de otros gobiernos para cambiar sus leyes? Cualquiera que sea la motivación, bienvenida sea porque es un cambio positivo en la historia y a la postre re-obtenemos derechos que nunca hemos debido de perder y que son inherentes a cualquier ser humano...

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

De Hollywood…

El publicista Howard Bragman decidió producir una nueva serie televisiva con el tema “Saliendo del Closet”/ “Coming out of the closet”. ¿¡Se copiaron del Cecilia La Luz!?

Bragman, quién también es gay, ha sido el representante de celebridades tales como Chaz Bono, Chely Wright y Meredith Baxter las cuales salieron del closet mientras estaban vinculadas con Bragman.

El nombre del show será “Saliendo”/“Coming out” y aparentemente la misión del mismo será perseguir celebridades que estén en el closet para sacarlos a “La Luz”públicamente. ¡Y dale con Cecilia La Luz!

¿Me pregunto si será esto ilegal, la persecución de celebridades en sus viajes? ¿Será que en otros países escaparán de ser acusados de hostigar gente famosa? Veremos que se tren entre manos.

En Los Ángeles, durante el Outfest : Gay & lesbian Film Festival, Bragman como panelista del mismo, se pronunció acerca de la vida de una celebridad en el closet, diciendo que era triste ver que una celebridad en el closet. “Que si había actores varones en el closet y tenían un valor de $100 millones y su vida entera no era real, no había nada más triste que eso”. Además se reportó que Bragman anunció al público presente que le hicieran referidos de figuras públicas que quisieran salir del closet para que así tengan un gran oportunidad en TV. 365gay.com/July23,2010/Shamecca Harris.

A los que creemos que la encuesta a los militares es una injuria...

2010-07-24T12:30:00.005-04:00

¡ Según Maquiavelo, la historia se repite y esta encuesta NO es la primera!

When the Department of Defense distributed 400,000 online surveys to enlisted troops to gauge their opinions on gays in the military, there was an uproar. Many argued that nobody would have surveyed soldiers about racially integrating the military 60 years ago.

Well, the Pentagon corrected this misconception last week when it revealed that in fact, soldiers were surveyed about integrating blacks and whites in the military.

“Prior to President Truman’s 1948 executive order integrating the armed forces,” said DOD spokesperson Cynthia Smith, “Our preliminary research shows that branches of the armed forces undertook a number of modestly sized surveys of the attitudes of enlisted and nonenlisted troops concerning racial issues, integration, and morale.”

A 1947 survey to enlisted soldiers found that “An overwhelming majority of the men feel that Negro and white soldiers should be separated both during and after training.”

The survey also asked for soldiers to agree or disagree with the statement: “There is nothing good about Jews.” Eighty-six percent of enlisted troops agreed.

The survey found that “four out of five white enlisted men are opposed to the idea of having Negro and white soldiers in the same units even if they do not eat in the same mess or sleep in the same barracks.”

Just seven percent thought the military should be integrated. The survey was collected in 1947; the next year, President Truman mandated the military to be integrated. This was twenty years before the last laws prohibiting interracial marriage were repealed.

On Thursday, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow commented on the survey and its relation to the recent survey of soldiers about gays in the military.

“There are rights that are guaranteed to us all by the constitution. These rights are not up to a vote,” said Maddow. “This is America and the rights of man are inalienable no matter what skeeves you out.” “The results of that survey will be interesting, but they will also be completely irrelevant of whether or not this policy should and will be changed.”

365gay.com/July23,2010/Celeste Lavin

¿Qué piensan Las Américas Sobre el Matrimonio Gay?

2010-07-24T11:38:00.009-04:00

Un claro resumen...

La presidenta de Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirschner firmó el miércoles la ley sobre el matrimonio del mismo sexo[1],haciendo de esta nación la primera en América Latina en legalizar el matrimonio gay y hoy se une al Canada en ser los primeros países de América en obtener igualdad en el matrimonio. Entre las jurisdicciones en las Américas que tienen el matrimonio gay se encuentran Iowa, Massachusetts y Ciudad Méjico pero esto no compara con las siete naciones Europeas y en SudÁfrica que tienen total igualdad en el matrimonio. Americas Quarterly[2], especula que el atraso en las Américas se debe a la fuerte influencia de la Iglesia Católica. En Honduras, El Salvador y la República Dominicana existe la prohibición constitucional del matrimonio gay y en Bolivia, la nueva constitución limita los matrimonios legalmente reconocidos a la unión entre un hombre y una mujer. En Costa Rica la corte suprema falló en contra del matrimonio gay. Americas Quarterly analizó data tomada de LAPOP/Proyecto de Opinión Pública Americana (American Public Opinion Project), encuesta que incluyó data de 42,238 encuestados de 25 naciones en América del Norte, Central, SudAmérica y el Caribe. La encuesta preguntó,“¿Con qué intensidad usted está de acuerdo o en desacuerdo con que las parejas del mismo sexo tengan derecho a casarse?” en una escala del 1 al 10, (donde 10 significaba “fuertemente o totalmente de acuerdo”)[3]Se observó que Canada, Argentina y Uruguay cayeron en el extremo positivo con más del 50% de apoyo, mientras que Guayana y Jamaica cayeron en el extremo negativo con menos del 10% de apoyo. Los actos sexuales entre hombres tanto en Guayana como en Jamaica están criminalizados. En Guayana, tan solo el intento de tener sexo anal es penalizado con 10 años en prisión. El estudio encontró una alta correlación entre religiosidad y una visión negativa sobre la homosexualidad. Se encontró que mientras más importante era la religión para los encuestados, mayor fue la asistencia a servicios religiosos y mayor fue la tendencia a oponerse al matrimonio del mismo sexo. Se encontró también correlación entre las variables socioeconómica y demográfica. Residentes de grandes ciudades reflejan la tendencia a apoyar el matrimonio del mismo sexo, como también los que completaron más años de educación formal. Ambos, grupos más adinerados y más jóvenes apoyaron con tasas más altas el matrimonio gay.

Eslabones a los estudios citados:

[1]http://www.365gay.com/news/argentina-legalizes-gay-marriage-in-historic-vote/

[2]http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/1728

[3]http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-graph-americas-gay-marriage-attitudes-clear-top.jpg

365gay.com/July23,2010/Celeste Lavin

Margaret Marshall...La juez que hizo historia en Massachusetts...

2010-07-23T18:05:00.003-04:00

...¡ Y “Sin querer queriendo” puso a Obama en Jaque !

(Boston) Massachusetts Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, who wrote the landmark ruling making the state the first to legalize gay marriage, said Wednesday she’s retiring to spend time with her husband, who has Parkinson’s disease.

Marshall, 66, said she would step down in October to be with her husband, former New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who retired in 2001.

Marshall was first appointed to the bench by then-Gov. William Weld in 1996, after four years as general counsel and vice president of Harvard University. She became chief justice three years later.

Perhaps her most enduring – and maligned – legacy on the court was the decision in 2003 that allowed Massachusetts to become the first state to legalize gay marriage.

In the 4-3 ruling, Marshall said the denying gays and lesbians the right to marriage “works a deep and scarring hardship on a very real segment of the community for no rational reason.”

“It cannot be rational under our laws, and indeed it is not permitted, to penalize children by depriving them of State benefits because the State disapproves of their parents’ sexual orientation.”

The ruling – and justices – were widely criticized by opponents of gay marriage as being judicial activists.

Weld said Wednesday that the criticism was unwarranted.

“I knew from early on she was committed to justice for everybody,” he said, adding that he dropped her a note a day after the gay marriage ruling to say “she had done the right thing.”

Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, welcomed the news that Marshall was leaving the court, saying the state had been under “Marshall law” since the 2003 ruling.

“In our opinion, her legacy will have a far-reaching negative effect on the health of our commonwealth,” he said.

He said he hoped Massachusetts residents would eventually be allowed to vote on the definition of marriage.

Marshall said in 2005 – a year after the first gay marriages were performed – that she was concerned about political attacks on the judiciary.

“I worry when people of influence use vague, loaded terms like ‘judicial activist’ to skew public debate or to intimidate judges,” Marshall said. “I worry when judicial independence is seen as a problem to be solved and not a value to be cherished.”

Marshall, a native of South Africa, was the first immigrant and first woman to lead the state’s 320-year-old Supreme Judicial Court. She was a white student leader of the anti-apartheid movement in the 1960s.

365gay.com/The Associated Press/07.21.2010

ESTATUS DEL CASO DADT EN CALIFORNIA...

2010-07-23T16:53:00.010-04:00

REP: LOG CABIN Vs.

Gob. FEDERAL: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

The Log Cabin Republicans will present closing arguments on Friday in a trial challenging the federal government on "don't ask, don't tell."

The final day of the two week trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California in Riverside. The group says that their suit is the first to directly challenge the law, which was enacted by Congress in 1993. They first filed the suit in 2004.

While the Department of Justice, arguing on the government's behalf has argued Congress acted rationally when devising the law banning gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military, the Log Cabin Republicans' attorney Dan White has argued that the law is unconstitutional, and motivated by "animus, prejudice, hostility, ignorance, [and] fear of gays and lesbians."

According to AP, the Log Cabin Republicans appealed to U.S. District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips to file an injunction declaring the law unconstitutional. She is expected present a written verdict, though it may take many weeks before she submits her decision. Experts say she may hold out until after Congress decides whether or not to repeal "don't ask, don't tell."

Advocate.com/ July 22, 2010/Michelle Garcia

Al día con Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell…

2010-07-23T14:27:00.002-04:00

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) told the Blade on Thursday he’s expecting the full Senate to take up “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal in September after lawmakers return from August recess.

Advocates have been anticipating a vote on the fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill — the vehicle to which repeal language is attached — after the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 27 attached the provision to the bill and reported out the legislation to the floor.

Levin said the quickest possible route for passing repeal in the Senate is now reaching an agreement this month to take up the defense bill shortly after lawmakers return from August break.

“What we’re hoping to do before August is to have an agreement which will pave the way for it being brought up right after the recess,” Levin said.

Bryan Thomas, a Levin spokesperson, later clarified that Levin was referring to an agreement negotiated between majority and minority leadership.

Levin, who had earlier said he was hoping for a vote on the defense bill in July, said this agreement would eliminate the possibility of a filibuster on a motion to proceed after lawmakers return.

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said his organization is also urging Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to bring the defense legislation to the floor “right after the Labor Day recess.”

“Yes, it would have been better if we were on the Senate floor this month, but the calendar was just too crowded,” Sarvis said.

Sarvis said scheduling the defense bill for a vote in early September is “absolutely essential” to move forward with repeal to finish legislative action ”before Congress goes into ‘lame-duck mode.’”

“This is the bill that provides for the pay and benefits and equipment for all service members, straight and gay,” he said. “This bill and these core benefits for our [service members] should not be caught up in post election games and posturing.”

In addition to wanting to move forward with the defense legislation, proponents of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal have expressed concern about opponents of the language filibustering the defense legislation as a whole, or stripping out the provision with a substitute amendment or a motion to strike.

Levin said he doesn’t think either a filibuster or an amendment would succeed, but added the odds of a successful amendment passing the Senate may “depend on what the wording is.”

The senator said he hasn’t seen any draft amendments relating to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” language, but predicted one would come to the floor.

“I haven’t seen it,” Levin said. “I know there will be, but I haven’t seen it.”

Sarvis said he shares Levin’s confidence that repeal language in the defense legislation can be retained.

“The Senate votes are likely to be close, but, in the end, I think, repeal proponents will prevail,” Sarvis said.

Washingtonblade.com/July23,2010/Chris Johnson

INMENSO EL PODER ADQUISITIVO DE COMUNIDAD LGBTT

2010-07-22T08:38:00.002-04:00

The total buying power of the adult LGBT community in the U.S. is projected to be $743 billion. This is up from the 2009 projections of $732 billion.

Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications, the group who published the estimate, said that the study gives the nation a snapshot of the economic activity of the LGBT community, even in the recession.

Witeck said that this estimate should not be interpreted as any evidence that gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals are wealthier than others. He said that was “little more than a stereotype.”

He said that the stereotype comes from the lower percentage of gay households with children. Especially for gay male couples, he said, having both partners in the workplace with no children makes for a higher per capita household income.

He added, “We also are well aware that under existing laws and norms, same-sex couples are penalized throughout the economy by discriminatory tax burdens, a hodge-podge of inadequate relationship rights and obligations, complex and costly barriers to adoption and parenting, and barriers to access to public safety net programs that are routinely available to married couples and their families.”

The total buying power for all U.S. consumers is estimated at $10 trillion.

365 Gay.com/7.21.2010/Celeste Lavin, 365gay.com

A la luz de DALAI LAMA

2010-07-22T08:32:00.004-04:00

"In the present circumstances, no one can afford to assume that someone else will solve their problems. Each one of us has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged". DALAI LAMA

RESULTADOS ESTUDIOS VIH IMPACTARAN FUTURAS INVESTIGACIONES

2010-07-21T17:58:00.002-04:00

(Atlanta) Poverty is perhaps the most important factor in whether inner-city heterosexuals are infected with the AIDS virus, according to the first government study of its kind.

The study, released Monday, suggests that HIV is epidemic in certain poverty-stricken urban neighborhoods. And, more significantly, poor heterosexuals in those neighborhoods were twice as likely to be infected as heterosexuals who lived in the same community but had more money.

Federal scientists found that race was not a factor – there were no significant differences between blacks, whites or Hispanics.

Health officials have long believed poverty drives HIV epidemics, but there have been few studies to back that up. Some research actually contradicts that belief: Studies in Tanzania, Kenya and some other African countries actually found that wealthy people were more likely to be infected than the poor.

“In the United States, we haven’t have a history of looking in depth at the association between poverty and HIV,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of HIV/AIDS Prevention for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mermin oversees the CDC team that did the new study.

More often, studies have focused on the race of HIV patients, their sexual orientation, or whether or not they use intravenous drugs.

The CDC report was released at the international AIDS conference in Vienna.

The study involved a survey in 2006 and 2007 of 9,000 heterosexual adults, ages 18 to 50. They answered questions on a computer about their income, condom use and other details and were given HIV tests.

The research was done in high-poverty neighborhoods in 23 U.S. cities. It focused on heterosexuals who don’t use intravenous drugs; that group accounts for about 28 percent of Americans living with HIV. It did not involve gay or bisexual men, who have the highest rates of HIV in the United States.

The results: HIV was detected in 2.4 percent of the people who were living below the federal poverty line, which in 2007 was an annual income of roughly $10,000 or less for an individual. The 2.4 percent translates to roughly 1 in 42 people.

In contrast, infections were found in 1.2 percent of people in the same neighborhoods who made more money than the federal poverty guideline. That’s 1 in 83 people.

Both rates were higher than the national average, which is 0.45 percent, or 1 in 222 people.

The results suggest that people in low-income neighborhoods are more likely to be infected because they live among more people who are infected. Perhaps more people in such neighborhoods have used illegal drugs or had other experiences that put them at higher risk, Mermin said.

“It’s epidemiological bad luck,” he said. He described the situation: “I’m in a community where when I meet a new (sexual) partner, the chance that they would have HIV is much higher than if I were wealthy and living in another geographical area.”

Officials need to start looking at the AIDS epidemic in a different light, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, who chairs global health studies at Emory University’s school of public health.

“You talk about ‘Can we decrease the HIV burden in the United States?’ I would say, ‘What can we do to decrease poverty in the United States?’” del Rio said.

He noted there are diseases that are more prevalent in certain racial groups, for genetic reasons. Sickle cell disease, which is most prevalent in blacks, is one example.

But there’s no clear biological reason why the infection rate is eight times higher in blacks than whites, and three times higher in Hispanics than whites. But understanding that blacks are disproportionately poor probably does explain why the rates are higher, del Rio said.

He was an author of a smaller, recent study that found that 60 percent of Atlanta’s HIV cases were located in a downtown area of the city with high proportions of blacks, IV drug users and people living in poverty.

An estimated 1 in 272 Americans is infected with HIV, according to 2006 estimates. In other terms, more than 1.1 million Americans are living with the AIDS virus. The number has grown since 2006, CDC officials believe.

Officials believe the annual number of new HIV infections has been hovering around 55,000 a year since the late 1990s.

365 Gay.com-The Associated Press/7.19.2010

LUCHA DE MIGRANTES HOMOSEXUALES

2010-07-21T17:29:00.002-04:00

Keep Queer Families Together

According to the 2000 census, nearly 36,000 same-sex couples are bi-national, their median age is 38 and almost 50% of them are raising children. Current U.S. immigration policies mean they live in fear of one partner being deported, the couple being fined or having to choose to live separately. The Uniting American Families Act would apply the same standards to same-sex couples that opposite-sex couples already enjoy when one partner wants to bring a foreign partner into the country. HRC has joined a coalition of 30+ organizations calling on Congress to include the provisions of UAFA in any immigration reform legislation.

Add your voice in support of equal treatment for bi-national same-sex couples »

HRC/July21,2010

RESUMEN DE ÚLTIMAS NOTICIAS

2010-07-21T17:07:00.004-04:00

Marriage Equality Victories

Last week, Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages nation-wide. Lawmakers in the mostly Catholic country spent nearly 16 hours debating the issue, before deciding to grant all of the protections, rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples.

Back in the United States, the DC Court of Appeals ruled against foes of DC marriage equality who had wanted to put an initiative on the ballot to invalidate same-sex marriages entered into in the District. The Court ruled unanimously that the proposed initiative would in fact impermissibly permit discrimination against gays and lesbians in the District.

On the national front, a judge of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts declared unconstitutional the denial of federal rights and benefits to lawfully married Massachusetts couples under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Judge Joseph Tauro said in his ruling on one of the cases that Congress undertook the classification of marriage solely as the union of a man and a woman "for the one purpose that lies entirely outside of legislative bounds, to disadvantage a group of which it disapproves. And such a classification, the Constitution clearly will not permit." Tauro's rulings are likely to be appealed by the Department of Justice to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Supreme Court Upholds University's Non-discrimination Policy

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against a Christian law student group that sought official recognition by a public university, but refused to abide by the school's non-discrimination policy. The case, Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, was brought against the University of California, Hastings College of Law, which has a longstanding non-discrimination policy that must be adopted by all student groups in order to receive school recognition, which includes access to school funds.

HRC/JULY21,2010

VOZ GAY EN LAS NACIONES UNIDAS

2010-07-20T16:55:00.003-04:00

International Gay Rights Group, Opposed By GOPers, Wins UN Status

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission today won accreditation from the United Nations despite Republican efforts to defeat the group's application.

Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Trent Franks (R-AZ) wrote a letter to the other countries who sit on the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council -- countries including anti-gay strongholds like Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- urging them to vote against the New York-based group's application.

Their effort failed, and the resolution passed 23 to 13, with 13 abstaining.

"Today's decision, we think, is an affirmation that the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have a voice in the UN," said Sara Perle, a spokeswoman for IGLHRC. "It's a clear message from [the council] that diverse voices cannot be silenced."

IGLHRC, which advocates against anti-gay laws and state-sanctioned violence, applied for "consultative status" in 2007, hoping to get access to the U.N. and a more formal voice in the body's debates. The group's application languished in the Non-Governmental Organization Committee, which has been notoriously hostile to gay rights groups, for three years.

The NGO Committee finally voted on the application this year, voting to take "no action." The U.S. balked. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice offered a resolution to have the council vote on IGLHRC's application directly, skipping the NGO Committee.

Smith, the Republican congressional representative to the U.N., then wrote a letter with Franks asking the other members of the council to vote against IGLHRC. The two argued that IGLHRC's mission was a danger to the freedoms of religion and expression.

Neither Smith nor Franks have returned multiple calls for comment.

TPMMuckraker/July19,2010/ Rachel Slajda

CONFERENCIA INTERNACIONAL SIDA: BILL CLINTON Y BILL GATES

2010-07-20T14:11:00.003-04:00

(Vienna) Two heavy hitters on the world health stage – Bill Clinton and Bill Gates – called Monday for a more efficient fight worldwide against the AIDS virus.

In separate speeches at an international AIDS conference in the Austrian capital, the former American president railed against spending too much money on reports that just sit on shelves and urged that funds directly target AIDS sufferers. Gates, the founder of Microsoft Corp., said health groups must adopt better business practices that deliver more bang for the buck.

Clinton said many countries are misspending foreign aid. He said funding should go directly to local organizations, because developing countries can deliver health services at a lower cost and less overhead than established organizations.

“In too many countries too much money goes to pay for too many people to go to too many meetings, get on too many airplanes,” Clinton said. “Keep in mind that every dollar we waste today puts a life at risk.”

The number of people taking crucial AIDS drugs climbed by a record 1.2 million last year to 5.2 million overall, the World Health Organization said Monday. Between 2003 and 2010, the number of patients receiving lifesaving antiretroviral treatment increased twelve-fold, according to the Geneva-based body.

“We are very encouraged by this increase. It is indeed the biggest increase that we have seen in any single year,” said Gottfried Hirnschall, director of the WHO’s HIV/AIDS department.

Clinton also called on aid groups to remember that the world was “awash in trouble” due to the impact of the financial crisis.

“It is easy to rail at a government and say why doesn’t the government give us more money if they’re giving somebody else money,” he said. “But the government gets its money … from taxpayers who have lower incomes today than they did two years ago.”

Gates said although finding new funding was critical, more could be done with the resources that were already available.

The Global Fund to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, one of the biggest funders of AIDS programs, has in the past found evidence of fraud in countries’ health programs – like Uganda and Zambia – and suspended their programs or tried to get the money back.

“Even if we advocate for more funding, we can do more to get the most benefit from each dollar,” Gates told delegates. “If we push for a new focus on efficiency in both treatment and prevention and we continue … to create new tools, we can drive down the number of infections dramatically and start writing the story of the end of AIDS.”

Some countries – such as Russia – are not using data to make funding decisions that target the right populations because those groups make politicians uncomfortable, Gates added.

“If you’re afraid to match your prevention efforts to the right populations, then you’re wasting money and that costs lives,” he said.

Clinton said in order to have the “moral standing” to ask for more funding, organizations should prove to governments that “we’re doing our job faster, better and cheaper.” He also defended President Barack Obama’s efforts on AIDS.

“You can demonstrate and call the president names or we can go get some more votes in Congress to get some more money,” Clinton said. “My experience is that the second choice is the better one.”

On Sunday, the head of the conference said world leaders lack the political will to ensure that everyone infected with HIV and AIDS gets treatment.

Julio Montaner – the president of the International AIDS Society and chairman of the AIDS 2010 conference – said the G-8 group of rich nations has failed to deliver on a commitment to guarantee universal access to AIDS drugs and warned this could have dire consequences.

Montaner’s comments foreshadowed one of the key topics for the weeklong gathering, which organizers say has drawn 20,000 policymakers, experts and advocates.

In 2005, G-8 leaders committed to an Africa-focused package for HIV prevention and treatment that gets “as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010.” They reaffirmed that commitment again in 2006.

But a G-8 report from last month’s summit of world leaders in Canada acknowledged that the AIDS treatment targets will not be met by 2010.

According to the World Health Organization, 33.4 million people were living with HIV in 2008. While the number of deaths declined to 2 million in 2008 from 2.2 million in 2004, about 2.7 million new infections still occur each year.

365gay.com/July20,2010/The Associated Press

INVESTIGACIÓN MÉDICA DEL SIDA PUBLICA HALLAZGOS

2010-07-19T12:20:00.004-04:00

Una reciente publicación en la revista médica Británica The Lancet demuestra que el tratamiento a personas con VIH podría reducir del todo la transmisión del virus.

En un estudio en British Columbia, Canada, investigadores encontraron que por cada 100 personas recibiendo tratamiento para VIH, se observó una reducción de 3%.

Líderes en el campo de investigación del SIDA aclamaron el estudio como evidencia que los gobiernos tendrán para proveer tratamiento del SIDA gratis a sus ciudadanos, tal como lo hace Canada. Sin embargo, en los Estados Unidos el acceso a al tratamiento del SIDA el último año ha sido gravemente afectado debido a los grandes recortes a nivel nacional a los programas de medicamentos de VIH, tales como el ADAP-Aids Drug Assistance Program; programa de asistencia en drogras del SIDA.

“Mientras más personas pongas en terapia de medicamentos, menor es la transmisión”, Dijo a Prensa Asociada el Dr. Anthony Faucci , del Insituto de Nacional de Alergias y Enfermedades Infecciosas . U.S National Institute of Allergy and infectious Diseases.

Faucci dijo que las nuevas tasas de reducción de la infección en Canada “es muy probable que no se pueda explicar con otra cosa”.

Los hallazgos serán presentados esta semana en la Conferencia Internacional del SIDA en Viena, la cual en parte se enfocará en el compromiso que hicieran los países G8 a mantener el Fondo Global (Global Fund)para combatir el SIDA, la tuberculosis y la malaria.

Advocate.com Editors/July19,2010

AUSTRIA: Conferencia Internacional del SIDA

2010-07-19T07:55:00.003-04:00

Conferencia Bienal

Cerca de 25 mil personas podrían concentrarse en la Conferencia Bienal del SIDA en Viena, agrupando investigadores, expertos en política pública y activistas en ese campo, comenzando desde ayer Domingo.

La conferencia, bajo el lema “Derechos Aquí, Ahora”, en parte se enfocará en el compromiso de los países G8 en sustentar el Fondo Global para combatir el SIDA(Global Fund), la tuberculosis y la malaria. Se espera que la conferencia atraiga atención a los abusos contra los derechos humanos en paises con leyes que se enfocan en personas que viven con VIH y el estigmatizarlas.

En el 2008 los paises G8 hicieron el compromiso de un acceso universal enfocado en la prevención, tratamiento y asistencia; promesa que no se cumplió. Según la Sociedad Internacional del SIDA, el potencial a un acceso universal se ve amenazado debido a los fondos y apoyo político inadecuados.

Advocate.com Editors/July17,2010

GRUPOS GAY EN ESTADOS UNIDOS SOLIDARIOS CON PUERTO RICO

2010-07-18T12:45:00.003-04:00

SOLIDARIOS CON LAS VÍCTIMAS EN PUERTO RICO...

Today is the “New York City Day Against Homophobia,” according to a declaration by the New York City Council, reported by GLAAD.

The announcement comes in response to the repeated attacks on members of the LGBT community in Puerto Rico. Seven LGBT people have been murdered in Puerto Rico over the past eight months.

A network of non-profits and elected officials in New York published a report called “New York City Stands in Solidarity with the Puerto Rican Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community,” that outlines the network’s efforts to address the violence affecting Puerto Rico’s LGBT communities.

“New York has always shared a special bond with Puerto Rico, and so, too, have our LGBT communities. When we said we would do everything within our power to raise awareness of and put an end to anti-LGBT hate and violence in Puerto Rico, we meant it,” said New York City Council Speaker, and out-lesbian Christine Quinn. “As this senseless and tragic violence continues, we must double up on our commitment and efforts.”

Puerto Rico has a population of nearly 4 million, and since 2002, the U.S. territory has seen the murders of 26 members of the LGBT community, the most recent last Wednesday.

365gay.com/ July13,2010/Celeste Lavin

NACIONES UNIDAS REPORTA SOBRE VIH

2010-07-17T12:58:00.004-04:00

ONU SUGIERE CAMBIOS...

Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, with the Outlook report

A new United Nations report says that a radically simplified approach to ensuring access to HIV treatment for everyone who needs it could prevent 10 million deaths by 2025 and 1 million new infections annually.

The so-called Treatment 2.0, says the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), could lower the cost of treatment, simplify treatment regimens, ease the burden on health systems, and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV and their families.

“We can bring down costs so investments can reach more people,” Michel Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, said at the report’s launch in Geneva today. “This means doing things better – knowing what to do, channelling resources in the right direction and not wasting them, bringing down prices and containing costs. We must do more with less.”

The agency estimates that there were 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide at the end of 2008, as well as nearly 2.7 million new infections and 2 million AIDS-related deaths.

It adds that only one third of the world’s 15 million people in need of HIV treatment are accessing life-saving medicines.

For the new plan to succeed, the agency’s Outlook report calls for action to be taken across five key areas.

Firstly, it calls for the creation of a better pill that is less toxic and for a simple diagnostic tool to monitor treatment.

Secondly, evidence suggests that people living with HIV who have reduced the level of virus in their bodies, through antiretroviral therapy, are less likely to transmit it. As a result, UNAIDS says that if everyone in need has access to treatment, this could reduce the number of new HIV infections by one third annually.

The report also urges slashing the cost of antiretroviral treatment, especially for hospitalization and monitoring treatment, which can cost twice as much as drugs.

Fourth, UNAIDS stresses the need to improve voluntary HIV testing and counselling, since starting treatment at the right time, optimally when their CD4 count – a measure of immune system strength – is around 350, boosts the efficacy of treatment and increases life expectancy.

Lastly, Treatment 2.0 will be fully successful if communities are mobilized and involved in managing treatment programmes and access.

“Not only could Treatment 2.0 save lives, it has the potential to give us a significant prevention dividend,” said Mr. Sidibé.

The report also shows that young people are leading the prevention revolution, with 15 of the most severely affected countries reporting a 25 per cent drop in HIV prevalence among this key population.

In eight countries – Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe – significant HIV prevalence declines have been accompanied by positive changes in sexual behaviour among young people.

Mr. Sidibé cautioned that flatlining or reductions in investments in HIV will only hurt the AIDS response, with nearly $27 billion required this year to meet country-set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

“The AIDS response needs a stimulus package now,” the official underlined. “Donors must not turn back on investments at a time when the AIDS response is showing results.”

His agency recommends that nations invest between 0.5 and 3 per cent of government revenue into their AIDS response programmes, but warned that for the majority of countries severely affected by the epidemic, national investments, even at optimal levels, are insufficient.

Also included in the report released today are the results of a public opinion poll that shows that nearly three decades into the epidemic, countries continue to rank AIDS high on the list of the most important challenges the world faces.

Overall in the survey, AIDS is perceived to be the top healthcare issue in the world, followed by safe drinking water.

The publication wraps up with a “Last Word” from UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador Annie Lennox, who said that “as a woman and mother, I feel compelled to speak out, and try to raise awareness in the best way I can, to try to use my platform to do so.”

un.org/July13,2010

INTERESANTE REACCIÓN AL PLAN VIH/SIDA DE OBAMA

2010-07-17T11:17:00.008-04:00

After President Obama revealed the new U.S. plan to fight HIV, several leaders from the nation's top advocacy groups voiced their support for the plan, as long as it can be carried out.

After a year and a half of research the White House on Tuesday released its national strategy for tackling HIV. The plan calls for a 25% infection reduction over the next five years as well as using a $30 million cash infusion — redirected from the Affordable Care Act — to focus on prevention and targeted testing. Many AIDS organizations heralded the strategy, while others were skeptical. Here’s what groups are saying:

“Today’s release of the strategy is an important milestone that we should all celebrate. However, it’s critical to acknowledge that is just the beginning. Advocates must stay engaged in the weeks, months, and years ahead to ensure this plan gets fully implemented.”

—David Ernesto Munar, AIDS Foundation Chicago vice president

“We are pleased with the direction the Obama administration is pursuing in its national strategy on fighting HIV and AIDS. We have called for an informed and robust dialogue around the truths about HIV and AIDS, including discussions about safe sex, prevention, public education, and living with HIV/AIDS, among other things. That this is happening at the highest level of government sets the tone for significantly reducing the impact of HIV and AIDS in the black community and beyond."

—Sharon J. Lettman, National Black Justice Coalition executive director

"The news of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy brings much needed hope for all Americans affected by HIV/AIDS. We commend President Obama and the leadership of the Office of National AIDS Policy, particularly Jeff Crowley, Greg Millett, and James Albino. We are encouraged that the 14 community forums across the country allowed for the perspectives and experiences of people living with HIV to inform the content, and ultimately the success, of the strategy."

—Marjorie Hill, Gay Men's Health Crisis chief executive

"The president has shown leadership, and for that we commend him. Now, his leadership must continue because the nation’s ability to achieve or exceed the goals articulated in this strategy will require a serious focus by appropriate branches of government and a significant increase in federal resources."

—Darrel Cummings, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center chief of staff

Advocate.com/ July 14, 2010/Editors

SENADO REITERA ISSUE PENDIENTE "ENDA"

2010-07-16T10:09:00.002-04:00

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

Senate Democrats will not address the Employment Non-Discrimination Act before their recess, according to The Hill.

In the next few weeks Democrats will focus on forcing Republicans to vote on issues that primarily reflect the party differences concerning fiscal policy. Senate Democrats aim to send three bills to President Obama's desk in the next three weeks — one regulating Wall Street (which was passed Thursday), an unemployment bill, and a bill extending credit for small businesses.

The Hill reports Congress will go to recess in August and will focus primarily on the November elections. Democrats worry if they appear ineffective before the summer recess, they could lose majorities in both the House and Senate.

Advocate.com/July 15,2010/Marche Grair

CRÍMEN DE ODIO: "BACK STORY"

2010-07-16T09:30:00.002-04:00

CASO SUCUZHANAY: 2 CRÍMENES DE ODIO

Un mensaje social pero en la segunda ronda del caso…

Yesterday, a New York State Supreme Court jury convicted Keith Phoenix of committing two hate crimes for beating José Sucuzhanay to death and attacking the decedent’s brother, Romel, in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood after mistaking the Ecuadorian immigrants as a gay couple.

A mistrial was previously declared on May 11th when one juror held out for a lesser charge of manslaughter while the other 11 jurors believed that second-degree murder should be applied. Unlike the second jury, the first jury did not believe Phoenix’s acts were bias-motivated.

After hearing the verdict, Diego Sucuzhanay, another of José’s brothers, stated that “this verdict sent the right message.” HRC applauds the jury for holding Phoenix accountable for the horrendous bias-motivated crimes he committed against José and Romel.

HRC-Backstory/June 29,2010/Ty Cobb &Partial Contribution by Jeffrey Sallot, Law Fellow.

MIRANDO DE CERCA EL EVENTO ARGENTINO

2010-07-16T08:25:00.005-04:00

Argentina de hoy a la vanguardia gay: escribe su nombre en el mapa en mayúsculas

Gay rights activists celebrate Argentine vote for same-sex marriage

Argentina has become the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage. The Senate approved the new law early Thursday after more than 16 hours of debate.

It was 4:05 a.m. and frigid outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires as Argentine lawmakers voted Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, but Marcelo Marquez was still there. He had waited through 14 hours of debate for the moment that would make his country the first in overwhelmingly Catholic Latin America to grant gay couples the same rights as heterosexual ones.

Gay marriage passes last vote in Argentina

"For me, it was incredible," said Marquez, 41, a philosophy teacher who now plans to marry his partner, Mariano Tissone, 37. "Everyone exploded -- screaming, dancing, hugging, some singing the national anthem."

The Senate voted 33 to 27 in favor of the bill, which the lower house had approved in May with strong backing from President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The vote -- which also made Argentina the second country in the Americas, after Canada, to approve marriage for gay men and lesbians -- prompted thousands of supporters to whoop in the streets and shout, "We made history!"

Among them was Marquez, who recounted a long fight for what he called equal rights. "We now have legal recognition, given by the state," he said. "We are so happy that the state did not stop our fight for equality."

Gay rights activists in the region and beyond said Argentina's action would serve as an example. Already, advocates of gay marriage in Chile and Paraguay have said they hope their lawmakers will be spurred to approve similar proposals.

Dan Hawes of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington said the vote in Argentina also gives momentum to gay rights advocates in the United States.

"The victory in Argentina shows those of us in the U.S. who are working for the freedom to marry that with persistence, engaging the public, in making the case why same-sex couples need and deserve the right to marry, that we can continue to advance the freedom to marry," he said by phone Thursday afternoon. "Even in places where the odds are stacked against us."

In Argentina, the Catholic Church had mounted a vigorous campaign to stop the bill. Posters plastered on walls featured a man and a woman cuddling a baby and the admonition, "Kids have a right to a dad and mom." As the debate in the country's ornate, 104-year-old Congress began Wednesday, tens of thousands of people opposed to the legislation prayed and rallied outside.

They were led by Argentina's highest cleric, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who had warned that approving the bill amounted to an "intention to destroy God's plan."

A step for minorities

But what observers had predicted would be a tight vote in the upper house turned out to be not so close.

Sen. Gerardo Morales told other lawmakers that the bill would remedy "a situation of injustice and discrimination toward sectors of the Argentine society who really do not have the guarantee of equal rights as our constitution establishes."

Fernández de Kirchner, speaking from China where she was on a state visit, said she was "very satisfied with the vote."

"To think that 50 years ago women could not vote and that not long ago there was no interracial marriage in the United States," she said in comments carried by La Nación, a Buenos Aires newspaper. "All that has changed. We can think this has been a positive step in defending minority rights."

In Latin America, which is uniformly Catholic and where the church hierarchy is often consulted on major decisions, only Mexico's capital city has approved same-sex marriages. But gay activists have made progress: Colombia's highest court last year gave same-sex partners nearly all the rights found in common-law unions. Uruguay's Congress also recognized same-sex civil unions.

"In some northern countries, they said these advances could never happen in our region," said Marcela Sanchez of Colombia Diversa, an advocacy group on gay issues in the Colombian capital, Bogota. "But now we are seeing movement forward in a number of places."

For American gay rights advocates, the vote in Argentina puts that country of 41 million people ahead of the United States, where voters in California and other states have approved propositions blocking gay unions. Only the District and five states, four of them in New England, have legalized gay marriage.

The right place

In some ways, Argentina seemed a logical choice for the approval of gay marriage.

Though influential, the Catholic Church is not omnipresent in the country, which has long been a magnet for immigrants from around the world, including Jews, Muslims and, a century ago, anarchists who rejected the Vatican.

The Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, is also among the world's most cosmopolitan cities, with numerous bars and hotels catering to gays. The city legalized same-sex unions in 2002, though gays have faced legal obstacles to getting married and only a handful had taken vows.

Nearly 70 percent of Argentines thought it was time to legalize gay marriage, according to a recent poll by the Analogías polling firm. Analía del Franco, the firm's general director, said the country's strong human rights tradition, a product of the fight against a military dictatorship that lasted from 1976 to 1983, had helped propel the gay marriage bill.

"This is something that comes from way back," del Franco said.

washingtonpost.com/wp Foreign Service/July16,2010/Juan Forero & Special correspondent Silvina Frydlewsky in Buenos Aires contributed to this report.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Argentina de ayer: 2009

Gay Marriage in Argentina is 1st in Latin America

TRUTH WINS OUT.ORG/December 29th, 2009/Wayne Besen

Two Argentine men were joined Monday in Latin America’s first same-sex marriage, traveling to the southernmost tip of the Americas to find a welcoming spot to wed. Argentina’s Constitution is silent on whether marriage must be between a man and a woman, effectively leaving the matter to provincial officials.

The ceremony upset the Roman Catholic Church, which had to take a break from its pedophile priest scandal to condemn the love of this happy gay couple.

“The decision took me by surprise and I’m concerned,” Bishop Juan Carlos, of the southern city Rio Gallegos, told an Argentine news agency. He called the marriage “an attack against the survival of the human species.”

I just checked my newspaper and took a walk around the block. Apparently, the human species is still alive and well. I don’t suppose, given the facts, that Gallegos will issue a “correction” for his embarrassingly idiotic statement. In my view, the church is inviting violence against this couple by claiming they will essentially destroy the world.

Same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Mexico City and some states in Mexico and Brazil, but marriage generally carries more exclusive rights such as adopting children, inheriting wealth and enabling a partner to gain citizenship.

Only seven countries allow gay marriages: Canada, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. U.S. states that permit same-sex marriage are Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Earlier this month, lawmakers voted to make Mexico City the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. Leftist Mayor Marcelo Ebrard was widely expected to sign the measure into law.

Well, it appears the United States continues to fall behind other civilized nations as our Religious Right continues to drag this country down in its quest to take us back to the Dark Ages.

DESPLUME: D.A.D.T. PART II

2010-07-15T13:34:00.002-04:00

Stephen Vossler, a former Korean interpreter for the Army and a "don't ask, don't tell" repeal activist, also testified on Wednesday. Early in his military career, Vossler, who is straight, was given a room assignment with Darren Thomas, a soldier who was in the process of being discharged under DADT. Vossler said his roommate was highly qualified in his work as a language specialist but was given menial tasks, such as cleaning latrines and filing paperwork, as punishment due to the DADT investigation.

"Homosexuality was fair game. There were rules protecting gender, rules protecting religion and race, but no rules protecting homosexuality," Vossler said. "So it was something to make fun of ad nauseam."

Wednesday court proceedings concluded with testimony from University of California, Hastings College of the Law, professor Elizabeth Hillman, a military law expert who spoke about the disproportionate amount of women discharged by the ban. Though women comprise 14% of military personnel, they account for about 34% of all discharges. Women of color are particularly vulnerable to the policy, she said.

"Women are a minority," Hillman said. "Women in male-dominated positions are more likely to face resentment and barriers put up by their male colleagues."

During cross-examination, assistant U.S. attorney Scott Simon, representing the Justice Department, asked Hillman whether the disproportionate impact on women due to "don't ask, don't tell" was a deliberate action, to which she replied, "No, I believe it was not intended by leaders of the military."

Former Air Force major Mike Almy, Palm Center director Aaron Belkin, and former petty officer 3rd class Joseph Rocha are scheduled to testify on Thursday.

Advocate.com/July15,2010/ Michelle Garcia

D.A.D.T.: DESPLUMANDOSE EN CORTE

2010-07-15T13:17:00.003-04:00

In a second day at trial, attorneys challenging "don't ask, don't tell" relied on witness testimony by DADT experts as well as critical statements made by President Barack Obama and a seminal tweet by a top defense official in making their case against the 1993 law.

Attorney Daniel Woods, representing the plaintiffs in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America, cited Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen's testimony during a February Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the policy, where he said, "I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens." Woods also submitted to the court a February 2 tweet from Mullen's personal Twitter account, which read, "Allowing homosexuals to serve openly is the right thing to do. Comes down to integrity[.]"

"This is one of the greatest admissions of all time," Woods said to U.S. district court judge Virginia A. Phillips during Wednesday's proceedings.

Nathaniel Frank, a DADT scholar and author of Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America, testified for a second day about research he conducted as a senior fellow for the Palm Center, including studies on foreign militaries that had successfully integrated openly gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members.

Assistant U.S. attorney Paul Freeborne assailed Frank's testimony as that of a biased advocate whose credentials did not merit expert witness status in court. During cross-examination, Freeborne quoted Gen. Colin Powell, who during 1993 congressional testimony said that although other militaries had integrated gay troops, no other nation had military operations comparable to that of the United States. (Powell has since said that he does not believe the military should institute a law banning gays and lesbians from openly serving.)

Frank also addressed the "close quarters" argument often made by conservatives and opponents of allowing homosexuals to serve openly. Sharing close quarters with gays and lesbians is nothing new to military life, he said, pointing out that gay people have always served in the armed services.

Advocate.com/July15,2010/ Michelle Garcia

WASHINGTON D.C.: CELEBRANDO...

2010-07-15T12:59:00.004-04:00

Día a día el progreso es mayor...

Marriage equality foes were dealt a blow Thursday morning — the DC Court of Appeals ruled against allowing an initiative on the ballot to invalidate same-sex marriages entered into in the District.

Gay marriage foes — led by antigay Bishop Harry Jackson of Maryland and groups including the National Organization for Marriage — were attempting to get Prop. 8-like initiative on the ballot in DC.

The Court of Appeals ruled 5-4 that the proposed initiative would permit discrimination against gays and lesbians in the District, which is prohibited by the DC Human Rights Act.

“The court’s ruling today is a significant victory for justice, the rule of law and the protection of all D.C. residents against discrimination,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “It’s time for the National Organization for Marriage to realize equality is here to stay no matter how much money they want to throw at turning back the clock.”

The District began issuing marriage licenses in March. Subsequent congressional attempts to block the law failed.

Advocate.com Editors/July15,2010