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July 12, 2005

Patrick (lgbt@smartbrief.com) thought you might be interested in checking out Gay & Lesbian Leadership SmartBrief.

I find these very enlightening, thought I'd share.

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Headlines

Oregon civil unions bill gains support
While the vote for a civil unions bill in Oregon's Senate last week is not expected to be matched in the GOP-controlled House, LGBT groups say intensive lobbying could help. A new poll found support for a civil unions bill has risen to 49%; last November, 57% of voters approved the anti-gay Measure 36 that banned marriage for gays and lesbians. OregonLive.com/Associated Press (7/9)

New strategy for California marriage bill: Proponents of a bill legalizing marriage for gays and lesbians in California are taking a revised version to the state Senate after it failed in the Assembly by just four votes. Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, one of six openly gay members of the Legislature, said there is a "lot of acceptance of the bill in the Senate." If a bill passes there it will return to the Assembly for a final vote. SF Gate/Associated Press (7/11)

Issues & Legislation

First marriage for gays and lesbians in Spain
In stark contrast to a Franco regime that banned homosexuality in Catholic Spain just 30 years ago, the country's first same-sex civil ceremony took place Monday near Madrid. Emilio Menendez and Carlos Baturim, partners for 30 years, were finally married. Reuters (7/11)

Poll finds Spaniards less supportive of adoption: A new poll finds 62% of respondents are in favor of marriage for gays and lesbians, but only 44% favor adoption by them. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)/AFP (free registration) (7/11)

Gay Nigerian sentenced to death by stoning
A Nigerian man who admitted to a judge he had engaged in sex with a man has been sentenced to to death under Islamic Sharia law. A United Nations human rights official is working to publicize the man's case. ABCNEWS/Reuters (7/9)

Asian HIV prevention programs ignore gay men
Official disregard for gays and lesbians in Asian countries is undermining efforts to curb the spread of HIV, according to reports at the Seventh International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. Some surveys indicate as many as 20% of gay and bisexual men in Thailand are infected with HIV, as are 14% in Cambodia and 8% in Vietnam, countries where HIV prevention programs are focused on heterosexuals and female sex workers. Advocate.com (7/2005)

UCC church vandalized after pro-gay vote
A United Church of Christ church in Middlebrook, Va., was hit with anti-gay graffiti just days after the denomination voted during its General Synod to support marriage for gays and lesbian. The vandals also tried to burn the church, but the fire did not spread. The Washington Times/United Press International (7/11)

Student groups protest over blood donor rules
The U.S. government ban on blood donations by gay men is unfair and discriminatory, according to student groups whose campus activism about the issue is spreading. Organizers say they'll now pressure the American Red Cross to change its position on the rules in the hope that the Food and Drug Administration would be influenced. Los Angeles Times (free registration) (7/10)

"Down low" author speaks up
Answering questions from an Indianapolis Star reporter, E. Lynn Harris, author of "Invisible Life," talks about what his book on secretly bisexual black men means to women, his views on gay marriage, his own struggles with depression and his next book on black churches, gays and AIDS. The Indianapolis Star (7/11)

Political Landscape

Fighting for marriage in New Jersey
A one-year-old domestic partnership law in New Jersey "doesn't provide half the amount of rights as married couples get," said Su Lael, who along with her partner is suing the state for full marriage rights. Lael and about 400 others gathered at a Town Hall meeting in Maplewood, N.J., to discuss pressing the state to extend full marriage rights to gays and lesbians. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., spoke at the event, saying dire predictions about the consequences of marriage equality in Massachusetts have proven false. Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.)/Associated Press (7/10)




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Business & Enterprise

AFA hits Nike over support for civil unions
The American Family Association has urged its members to contact Oregon-based Nike to demand it withdraw its support of a bill that would establish civil unions for gays and lesbians in that state. "Many corporations are already donating large sums to homosexual organizations to support their agenda. Sending a message to Nike will send a message to those corporations poised to support homosexual unions," an AFA alert said. 365Gay.com (7/12)

SmartQuote



	They always predict chaos, and they're never right." -- Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., speaking about warnings from opponents of legalizing of marriage for gays and lesbians.



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