Breaking News Events

[Kobi]

It won't be nearly as controversial as Time magazine's breastfeeding cover, but Newsweek's May 21 issue declares Barack Obama the country's "first gay president."


http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/n...144158226.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

North Carolina governor worried how gay marriage vote makes the state look



http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/n...ate-look120512

[CherylNYC]

Originally Posted by Kobi

It won't be nearly as controversial as Time magazine's breastfeeding cover, but Newsweek's May 21 issue declares Barack Obama the country's "first gay president."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/n...144158226.html

WTF? How did he go from 'evolving on gay marraige' to the first gay president?

[LeftWriteFemme]

Top GOP Pollster to GOP: Reverse On Gay Issues


http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast....ay-issues.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

Cuban President's Daughter Marches for Marriage Equality

http://www.advocate.com/politics/mar...riage-equality

[Gemme]

Same Sex Couple Banned From Prom

Hope Decker and Tiffany Wright, a same-sex couple at Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington, Ky., were barred from attending the school's prom because their relationship violated the Catholic church's position on homosexuality, the Herald-Leader reports.

Decker, 18, and Wright, 16, were told by school officials they could not attend the school event, despite having already purchased their dresses, because of the nature of their relationship.

"As a Catholic high school, we uphold every teaching of the Catholic Church," Lexington Catholic High School President Steve Angelucci told the Herald-Leader in an email. "The policies and procedures of our school reflect those teachings."

But Decker told LEX 18 that she believes the couple's treatment was based on more than just school rules.

"What I experienced in the Dean's Office was blatant homophobia," Decker told the station.

Wright told the station that, while they were upset at first, they soon decided to take action.

"I mean, we both cried and then I was like, this is ridiculous," Wright said. "There's gotta be something we could do about this."

So, instead of going home, the couple and their friends held their own prom in the school's parking lot with the help of some car stereos for music, WLKY reports.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Gay father wrongly accused of raping twin daughters after posting photo on Facebook (and authorities gave the girls to the nanny who made false accusations)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1v4M2V0v4



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...thorities.html

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by LeftWriteFemme

Gay father wrongly accused of raping twin daughters after posting photo on Facebook (and authorities gave the girls to the nanny who made false accusations)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1v4M2V0v4



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...thorities.html

I read about this a couple days ago! How insane is THAT?

Luckily, he got them back but it took MONTHS for them to figure out he didn't do it.

[Kobi]

Being Catholic, I am used to the misogynistic doctrines and the idjiots who create and perpetuate them. But, stuff like this just makes me want to smack the jackasses upside the head with a very large crucifix


VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Friday held out an olive branch to American Roman Catholic nuns, who are reeling from a stinging Vatican report that criticized them as being feminist and politicized.

"I wish to reaffirm my deep gratitude for the example of fidelity and self-sacrifice given by many consecrated women (nuns) in your country," he said in an address to visiting U.S. bishops.

In a reference to the malaise felt by many American nuns after the report issued last month, he said he hoped that "this moment of discernment will bear abundant spiritual fruit for the revitalization and strengthening of their communities in fidelity to Christ and the Church ..."

A month ago, the Vatican's doctrinal department, which the pope headed for many years before his election in 2005, issued a blistering report on the activity of the majority of American nuns.

It was issued after a Vatican investigation determined that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, whose 1,500 members represent some 80 percent of American nuns, had "serious doctrinal problems" and promoted "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith".

The report, which also criticized the LCWR for sometimes challenging bishops, shocked most American nuns and led to an outpouring of popular and editorial support for them and their work among the poor, and in schools and hospitals.

A Twitter drive in the support of the nuns attracted thousands.

The report said the LCWR had been "silent on the right to life" and had failed to make the "Biblical view of family life and human sexuality" a central plank in its agenda.

In his address to visiting U.S. bishops, the pope did not mention the scolding report and used much softer language in describing his view of religious life.

"The urgent need in our own time for credible and attractive witnesses to the redemptive and transformative power of the Gospel makes it essential to recapture a sense of the sublime dignity and beauty of the consecrated life ..." Benedict said.

Last month's report prompted much criticism of the Vatican attempt to rein in the nuns, who were seen by many as helping the image of the Catholic Church in the United States at a time when it was engulfed the scandal over sexual abuse of minors by priests and accusations and bishops covered it up.

A New York Times editorial called the Vatican's report "a misreading of the very fine work in schools, charities, prison and impoverished neighborhoods being done by about 60,000 nuns across the nation".

The editorial, one of many to defend the nuns, said: "It would be a tragedy, far beyond the Church, if their fine work and their courageous voices were constrained."

American nuns and U.S. bishops have been at odds over several issues social issues. They supported President Barack Obama's health care reform which the bishops opposed it.

The Vatican named Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain and two other U.S. bishops to undertake the reforms of the conference's statutes, programs and its application of liturgical texts, a process it said could take up to five years.

[Talon]

Originally Posted by Kobi

Being Catholic, I am used to the misogynistic doctrines and the idjiots who create and perpetuate them. But, stuff like this just makes me want to smack the jackasses upside the head with a very large crucifix


VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Friday held out an olive branch to American Roman Catholic nuns, who are reeling from a stinging Vatican report that criticized them as being feminist and politicized.

"I wish to reaffirm my deep gratitude for the example of fidelity and self-sacrifice given by many consecrated women (nuns) in your country," he said in an address to visiting U.S. bishops.

In a reference to the malaise felt by many American nuns after the report issued last month, he said he hoped that "this moment of discernment will bear abundant spiritual fruit for the revitalization and strengthening of their communities in fidelity to Christ and the Church ..."

A month ago, the Vatican's doctrinal department, which the pope headed for many years before his election in 2005, issued a blistering report on the activity of the majority of American nuns.

It was issued after a Vatican investigation determined that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, whose 1,500 members represent some 80 percent of American nuns, had "serious doctrinal problems" and promoted "radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith".

The report, which also criticized the LCWR for sometimes challenging bishops, shocked most American nuns and led to an outpouring of popular and editorial support for them and their work among the poor, and in schools and hospitals.

A Twitter drive in the support of the nuns attracted thousands.

The report said the LCWR had been "silent on the right to life" and had failed to make the "Biblical view of family life and human sexuality" a central plank in its agenda.

In his address to visiting U.S. bishops, the pope did not mention the scolding report and used much softer language in describing his view of religious life.

"The urgent need in our own time for credible and attractive witnesses to the redemptive and transformative power of the Gospel makes it essential to recapture a sense of the sublime dignity and beauty of the consecrated life ..." Benedict said.

Last month's report prompted much criticism of the Vatican attempt to rein in the nuns, who were seen by many as helping the image of the Catholic Church in the United States at a time when it was engulfed the scandal over sexual abuse of minors by priests and accusations and bishops covered it up.

A New York Times editorial called the Vatican's report "a misreading of the very fine work in schools, charities, prison and impoverished neighborhoods being done by about 60,000 nuns across the nation".

The editorial, one of many to defend the nuns, said: "It would be a tragedy, far beyond the Church, if their fine work and their courageous voices were constrained."

American nuns and U.S. bishops have been at odds over several issues social issues. They supported President Barack Obama's health care reform which the bishops opposed it.

The Vatican named Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain and two other U.S. bishops to undertake the reforms of the conference's statutes, programs and its application of liturgical texts, a process it said could take up to five years.

This means a great deal to me, personally, because my great aunt was a Franciscan nun. Thank you, Kobi.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Shorter University's 'Personal Lifestyle Statement' Which Bans Gay Employees Leads To Faculty Exodus


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1528588.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

Malawi to overturn homosexual ban, Joyce Banda says


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18118350

[Nat]

Westboro showed up at the McDonalds at Fort Hood (Killeen, TX) today (about 30 minutes from me).





And this was the response:

















"Once the WBC people were getting ready to leave, all the military supporters followed them. The police had to escort the WBC group out of the area."

[*Anya*]

updated 5/18/2012 3:40:10 PM ET

All boomers need hep C test for liver, CDC says
msnbc.com news services

For the first time, health officials are proposing that all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C.

Anyone born from 1945 to 1965 should get a one-time blood test to see if they have the liver-destroying virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in draft recommendations issued Friday.

The often undiagnosed virus is contracted through contact with blood from an infected person. While the risk of infection has dropped dramatically since the early 1990s, many older adults are still at risk, according to the CDC, which released the draft guidelines.


Baby boomers account for 2 million of the 3.2 million Americans infected with the blood-borne virus. The virus can take decades to cause liver damage, and many people don't know they're infected. According to the CDC, one in 30 baby boomers has been infected with hepatitis C.

CDC officials believe the new measure could lead 800,000 more baby boomers to get treatment and could save more than 120,000 lives.

The virus causes serious liver diseases, including liver cancer - the fastest-rising cause of cancer-related deaths - and is the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States.

The hepatitis C virus is most commonly spread today through sharing needles to inject drugs. Before widespread screening of blood donations began in 1992, it was also spread through blood transfusions.

[Nat]

Risk factors for hep c per NIH.gov (because the blanket recommendation for an entire generation confused me):

Hepatitis C infection is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). People who may be at risk for hepatitis C are those who:

- Have been on long-term kidney dialysis
- Have regular contact with blood at work (for instance, as a health care worker)
- Have unprotected sexual contact with a person who has hepatitis C (this risk is much less common than hepatitis B, but the risk is higher for those who have many sex partners, already have a sexually transmitted disease, or are infected with HIV)
- Inject street drugs or share a needle with someone who has hepatitis C
- Received a blood transfusion before July 1992
- Received a tattoo or acupuncture with contaminated instruments (the risk is very low with licensed, commercial tattoo facilities)
- Received blood, blood products, or solid organs from a donor who has hepatitis C
- Share personal items such as toothbrushes and razors with someone who has hepatitis C (less common)
- Were born to a hepatitis C-infected mother (this occurs in about 1 out of 20 babies born to mothers with HCV, which is much less common than with hepatitis B)

[Kobi]

Former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi, who in March was found guilty of invasion of privacy and hate crimes that resulted in the tragic suicide of his gay roommate Tyler Clementi, was sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail, as well as 300 hours of community service and counseling. He was also fined $10,000. He will begin his sentence on May 31.

Ravi, 20, did not speak, but inside the packed New Brunswick, N.J., courtroom, his mother, Sabitha Ravi, in tears, pleaded for mercy for her son. "The media was ripping him apart with their misleading facts ... He was absolutely devastated and broken into pieces,” she said, referring to her son as "kind-hearted and loving," reports the Newark Star-Ledger.

Ravi cried as his mother spoke.

In a case that received national attention, Ravi was also convicted of bias intimidation, witness tampering, hindering arrest and numerous other charges. All stemmed from his role in using a webcam to observe Clementi's date with a man in the dorm room on Sept. 19, 2010.

Ravi later Tweeted about what he'd witnessed and invited others to watch Clementi with the man, whose name has not been revealed. Prosecutors said Ravi was motivated by a hatred of gays, an allegation Ravi consistently denied.

"I do not believe he hated Tyler Clementi," Judge Glenn Berman told the court on Monday, according to ABC News. "He had no reason to, but I do believe he acted out of colossal insensitivity."

Clementi, 18, jumped to his death off the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 22, after leaving a note on Facebook that read, "Jumping off the gw bridge. Sorry."

Refused a Plea Bargain
In the days leading up to Monday's sentencing, several prominent gay activists made public pleas for Ravi not to be sent to prison, reports ABC News.

But the man captured on the webcam with Clementi did not agree. His attorney, Richard Pompelio, read his victim-impact statement in court Monday. It said, "While I bear no anger towards Mr. Ravi, after much thought and many sleepless nights, I must say that Mr. Ravi should serve some type of confinement so that he can reflect on the serious harm he has caused. ... I do not believe that he has taken responsibility for his conduct, and to this day he seems to blame me for the actions he took."

Speaking in court as his wife cried, Tyler's father, Joseph Clementi, also said of Ravi: "He had no call to do what he did. Tyler never did anything to Mr. Ravi to cause him harm." Ravi's actions, said Joseph Clementi, were purely as a result of his seeing Tyler "as someone not deserving basic human decency and respect, because my son was different from him [and] because he was gay."

In her own message, Jane Clementi, Tyler's mother, called Ravi's actions "mean-spirited, they are evil and, most important, they are against the law." She also said, "The court needs to show ... this was not right, and it was not acceptable behavior, and it will not be tolerated."

Before trial, Ravi had rejected a plea deal that would have placed him on probation and required community service – and spared him any time behind bars or the threat of deportation to his native India. He chose instead to face a jury.

Molly Wei, another student who was with Ravi when he was eavesdropping on Clementi (and whose laptop was used to watch the intimate encounter), received leniency for her participation in the events. She was sentenced to perform 300 hours of community service, undergo counseling or training in cyberbullying and alternative lifestyles and work full-time.

Soon after Ravi's conviction, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also signed into law tougher anti-cyberbullying laws.

Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan said in a statement Monday afternoon that he planned to appeal the Ravi's sentence.

"The imposition of this term is insufficient under the sentencing laws of this state, the facts that were determined by a jury, and long-standing appellate precedent," reads the statement. "Consequently, this office will appeal the sentence."

http://www.people.com/people/article...ntent=My+Yahoo

[*Anya*]

Quote Kobi:

" Tyler Clementi's life was worth 30 days in jail, 300 hours of com. service and a fine? Really?"

Just in case you were really wondering what a LGBTQ life is really worth in our legal system.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Judge Judy Speaks Out In Support Of Gay Marriage On 'The View'


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...r=Gay%20Voices

[Talon]

Originally Posted by *Anya*

updated 5/18/2012 3:40:10 PM ET

All boomers need hep C test for liver, CDC says
msnbc.com news services

For the first time, health officials are proposing that all baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C.

Anyone born from 1945 to 1965 should get a one-time blood test to see if they have the liver-destroying virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in draft recommendations issued Friday.

The often undiagnosed virus is contracted through contact with blood from an infected person. While the risk of infection has dropped dramatically since the early 1990s, many older adults are still at risk, according to the CDC, which released the draft guidelines.


Baby boomers account for 2 million of the 3.2 million Americans infected with the blood-borne virus. The virus can take decades to cause liver damage, and many people don't know they're infected. According to the CDC, one in 30 baby boomers has been infected with hepatitis C.

CDC officials believe the new measure could lead 800,000 more baby boomers to get treatment and could save more than 120,000 lives.

The virus causes serious liver diseases, including liver cancer - the fastest-rising cause of cancer-related deaths - and is the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States.

The hepatitis C virus is most commonly spread today through sharing needles to inject drugs. Before widespread screening of blood donations began in 1992, it was also spread through blood transfusions.

I recently saw a documentary on this very subject...the disease being spread through blood transfusions..and how this affected vast amounts of people, who thought that the blood they were receiving was safe (similar to when HIV was passed on to patients).

[Lady Pamela]

It is a modern KKK alert!

Demand Atention be brought to this and stop it..by making this go viral on all your profiles or sites....With the message saying.....WE ARE ONE PEOPLE. UNITED WE STAND, DEVIDED WE FALL! ONE PEOPLE..NO MATTER COLOR, RELIGION, OR SEXUAL PREFRENCE!!!!! WE DEMAND AUTHORITIES TAKE A STAND NOW AND STOP THIS HATRED AND DEVISION AS PEOPLE!!!
EVERYONE SHARE THIS PLEASE!!!!

And send it to those in high places.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/2...> <br /> ...