THIS SITE BEING UPDATED

Stay tuned for improvements. Thanks, Josie

Out-Takes

dailyread said...
This is a great blog. The information you share is information that needs to be held up to the light of day...every day.

I am a straight male in the waning years of my life, but have been honored to call numerous gay and lesbian people my friends, and shall always do so.

This particular post is heart rending. Nothing should be more important than the threads that link us as family and friends.

Please continue posting...



the fourth dimension said...
Very touching. Have you thought of starting petitions etc., for protection for these kids and awareness amongst other ignorant people like me?

I am sure a lot of the interweb clan can give you the helping hand you need, and at least start some kind of an awareness program, which hopefully at some point might help these kids and the gay community.



Jozee said...
You are not ignorant just unaware.

I am hoping to meet people in similar situations.

Fighting this battle alone is draining and beyond my financial scope. All the lawyers I've discussed this with have just shaken their heads.

None interested in landmark cases.

Even GLAD, the orginazation I've cited below has admitted they only go for cases that are sure bets.

They knew how many families were tormented by the fact that loving, same sex couples could not marry.

They held off for years till they were sure the timing and the case was right.

And in the custody case below they were using laws already in existance.

I'm sure GLAD probably has figures on just how many, bereft custodians are out there. Mothers, fathers,grandparents,aunts, uncles, and well-intentioned friends.

In the light of potential damage to our future generation,something has to be done.

Thanks for your concern,

Josie

Highlights Of Democracy

Try Your Luck

Appetizers and Bull

Wish You Would

You And I Are Not Free

If I Could I'd Crawl Through That Tiny Portal

Judge Says CA Can't Ban Gay Marriage

I GoT 3 F,n#*@ MOnthS SaLaRy ToO...Be sUre...
GUESS WHO'S???

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Judge Says Calif. Can't Ban Gay Marriage

45 minutes ago U.S. National - AP


By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - A judge ruled Monday that California's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, saying the state could no longer justify limiting marriage to a man and a woman.


In the eagerly awaited opinion likely to be appealed to the state's highest court, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer said that withholding marriage licenses from gays and lesbians is unconstitutional.


"It appears that no rational purpose exists for limiting marriage in this state to opposite-sex partners," Kramer wrote.


The judge wrote that the state's historical definition of marriage, by itself, cannot justify the denial of equal protection for gays and lesbians.


"The state's protracted denial of equal protection cannot be justified simply because such constitutional violation has become traditional," Kramer wrote.


Kramer ruled in lawsuits brought by the city of San Francisco and a dozen same-sex couples last March. The suits were brought after the California Supreme Court halted a four-week marriage spree that Mayor Gavin Newsom had initiated in February 2004 when he directed city officials to issue marriage licenses to gays and lesbians in defiance of state law.


The plaintiffs said withholding marriage licenses from gays and lesbians trespasses on the civil rights all citizens are guaranteed under the California Constitution.


Two legal groups representing religious conservatives joined with California Attorney General Bill Lockyer in defending the existing laws and had vowed to appeal if Kramer did not rule in their favor.


Lockyer's office has said it expects the matter eventually will have to be settled by the California Supreme Court.


A pair of bills pending before the California Legislature would put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot. If California voters approve such an amendment, as those in 13 other states did last year, that would put the issue out of the control of lawmakers and the courts.

What About When People Are Missing?

Your Maman est la. Never Doubt.

Small Planet...I Thought... NO RULES!

Unity

Spice Is The Variety Of Life

D'Jheri

Cumin, coriander, bay, chipotle,
Haitian friend,
Thought I had to throw everything out.
Remnants, thought there was nothing there.
Took someone from my hemisphere ;
Living under third world conditions
To show me the wealth I had in my
Grasp.
The banquet that lay at my feet when I thought Mother Hubbard was there.
Cumin , coriander, bay, chipotle.

Fraternal Twins

Who's to say
Who's wrong or right.

Who's to say
Who's black or white?

Wesley and Thomas Charnock born March 4 1982 Leigh UK

What The World Needs Now

Please stop by my friend D.R.'s blog he deserves a read.
http://trailingedgeblog.blogspot.com/
A very mellow, cool dude.
We need more people like him. Tell him Josie sent you.
Peace out.

Glad's E-Newsletter

Dear Josie,

Welcome to GLAD's new, quarterly e-newsletter. Our intent is to keep you up-to-date on GLAD's cutting-edge work expanding and defending LGBT rights across New England. Please give us your feedback! And please forward this newsletter to a friend who supports equal justice under law. Many thanks for your support of GLAD.
GLAD Fights for Lesbian’s Parental Rights

GLAD has joined as co-counsel on behalf of Janet Miller-Jenkins, a Vermont lesbian seeking visitation with her daughter, in the context of an action to dissolve her civil union with Isabella's biological mother, Lisa Miller-Jenkins.Lisa filed the dissolution action in November, 2003, and the Vermont Family Court granted Janet visitation rights with her two-year-old daughter while the case proceeded.read more
GLAD Launches NE Outreach Initiative
With the creation of several new positions, GLAD has announced the launch of an unprecedented multi-state New England Outreach Initiative. Building on lessons learned in the aftermath of the Goodridge marriage decision, GLAD will collaborate with state-level organizations to build public environments that support and sustain advances in LGBT rights. read more


GLAD's Winter Party Come celebrate, strategize and put some Spring into your step!Premier AuctionFeaturing Greek love in Mykonos: One-week stay at beautiful seaside home, a Swiss Alps hiking adventure, a 5-night honeymoon package at any Starwood hotel in the worldSunday, March 20, 20054:00pm to 7:00pmBoston Ballet Building19 Clarendon Street, BostonBuy tickets now!
GLAD HOTLINE Q&AQ I’m thinking about getting a new job, but I heard my employer’s health insurance plan might not have to cover me because I have AIDS. Is that true?A In any state, health insurance plans cannot refuse to cover pre-existing conditions such as HIV or AIDS except for short periods of time. That period can last 12 months. For example, an insurer in Massachusetts can only impose such a “pre-existing condition” exclusion for a maximum of six months. The period is often further reduced or eliminated because the duration of any health insurance you’ve had recently can count as credit against six months. In addition, Massachusetts law requires certain insurers to make health insurance available to individuals (people not on group plans at work) without regard to medical history.For a detailed explanation of how these laws work, call the GLAD hotline at 1-800-455-GLAD.
IN THE NEWS

Mary Bonauto"The country's most powerful attorney in the equality fight istaking her case to other states and trying to avoid the spot light..."read more
GLAD Leadership Changes HandsGLAD bids a grateful farewell to Margaret Williams, who acted as interim executive director for the past year. "We are extraordinarily thankful for Margaret's guidance during this year of progress and growth," said Board President Mark Kelley. read more
Board Affirms Marriage PositionAt its January 20, 2005 meeting, GLAD's board of directors re-affirmed the organization’s commitment to full marriage equality. The board unanimously passed the following resolution: read more
VOLUNTEER
GLAD’S Legal Information HotlineDo you have one weekday afternoon free? Work on the front lines helping people who have experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and/or HIV status. read more
EVENTS
One-year anniversary of marriage equalityOn May 17, GLAD will celebrate the one-year anniversary of same-sex marriage with several events, including a commemorative photo exhibit at Boston City Hall. Keep checking www.glad.org for details and updates.If you were married in Massachusetts during May of last year, we’d love to hear and tell your story about what being married has meant to you. If you'd like to share your story, please email rdunn@glad.org, and help us celebrate your first anniversary. Stories will be used in press materials, on our website, and when we talk publicly about marriage.
Donate to GLAD
Give to GLAD online!
GLAD en Español
Para leer nuestras publicaciones en español oprime aquí.

Dykes to Watch Out Forcourtesy of Alison Bechdel
"Get Me to the Clerk on Time"
If you would like to be removed from our email list please send a message from the address where you received this message to unsubscribe@glad.org.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is New England’s leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression.

A Dispatch From The Culture War

Gay Arkansans protest Gov. Mike Huckabee's hetero-only "Celebration of Marriage."

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Michelle Goldberg



Feb. 15, 2005 Holding on to her husband's arm, a middle-aged woman in a white wedding veil and sparkly makeup beamed as she walked past a cluster of protesters outside the Alltel Arena in Little Rock, Ark. The couple joined thousands of others, all streaming into the stadium for a Valentine's Day "Celebration of Marriage" hosted by Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet. Those who weren't welcome at the governor's celebration -- gay couples like Robert Loyd and John Schenck, together for 30 years and recently wed in Toronto -- took the event as a personal rebuke. After all, just a few months ago, Arkansas voted overwhelmingly to ban both gay marriage and domestic partnerships -- all in the name of preserving the institution of marriage.

"I can't marry my Valentine," said one sign. "Get a new Valentine," one woman, a celebrant, shouted as she walked in.


The Huckabees had invited every God-fearing heterosexual in the state to watch them upgrade their union into a "covenant marriage," a type of marriage that's very difficult to get out of. Covenant marriages are one of the right's attempts to shore up traditional matrimony, something that appears especially embattled in Bible Belt states like Arkansas, where divorce rates are soaring.

The sad state of marriage in Arkansas, which has America's third-highest divorce rate, led Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, to declare a "marital emergency" in 2000 and pledge to halve the number of divorces in a decade. As part of that effort, he pushed for the state's covenant marriage law, which essentially forecloses the option of no-fault divorce for participating couples. "Only when there has been a complete and total breach of the marital covenant commitment may a party seek a declaration that the marriage is no longer legally recognized," the 2001 law says. Such a breach can include physical abuse, imprisonment or "habitual drunkenness for one year."

People aren't exactly flocking to covenant marriages. Two other states, Louisiana and Arizona, also have such laws, but only a tiny percentage of couples are participating. Huckabee hopes to change that. Before his Valentine's Day rally, the governor toured the state with the co-host of the event, Dennis Rainey, head of the Arkansas-based ministry FamilyLife, a division of the Campus Crusade for Christ. Together, they encouraged pastors to refuse to perform noncovenant marriages in their churches. The churches, in turn, organized fleets of buses to take their congregants to Alltel for a kind of religious revival as scripted by Hallmark.

There's a contradiction at the heart of the marriage movement. In their zeal to "protect" marriage from gay people and divorce, religious right activists have fetishized it, promoting it as a source of boundless bliss that would make the authors of bodice-rippers blush even as they bemoan a society where people are too easily swayed by marriage's disappointments. "On the one hand they have this romanticized view of marriage, true love and putting the partner above everything, but another theme in this whole marriage movement is that you shouldn't expect so much from marriage, you should suck it up, stay together for the sake of the kids and recognize that marriage is a moral duty," says Stephanie Coontz, author of the forthcoming "Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage."

"Your eyes must light up when your spouse enters the room," proclaimed Rabbi Daniel Lapin, who, in a gesture toward ecumenicism, was invited to give the opening speech at Huckabee's event. A close ally of the religious right, Lapin is a gray-bearded man with a British accent who seems to be striving to become the real-life Rabbi Bengelsdorf from Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America." Lapin said that marriage is needed to turn the "raw rock of male sexuality and aggression" into a beautiful work of art.

The highlight of the night was the Huckabees' conversion of their marriage and restatement of their vows, including Janet's pledge to "submit" to Mike. When they were done, they invited the audience to repeat their promises. Thousands of wives stood up and vowed to submit to thousands of husbands, and then thousands of people kissed and cheered.

There was only one interruption. During Huckabee's speech, a group of young activists unfurled banners saying "Queer Rights Now." As security guards moved in to hustle them out, two young men embraced. They stayed put as the rest of their group moved into the aisles, looking a little scared as they clung to each other as people jeered them and called for their arrest.

It was the most romantic thing I saw all night.


www.salon.com

Exit Stage Left

What About The Isle Of Lesbos?

Recent events in the world of animated children's shows have caused people to question whether the cartoon industry is promoting a homosexual agenda. Allegations have been directed at SpongeBob SquarePants for participating in a pro-gay video, and at Buster the Bunny for his fraternization with a lesbian couple and their children. While some have dismissed these allegations as the rantings of ultraconservative Christians, gay cartoon characters do in fact exist, and some of them are even politically active. I recently asked some of them to share their stories.

Sitting in the living room of his well-appointed Cape Cod-style home, a cultural icon recalls his heyday with sadness and regret. "I was in constant fear of being found out," says Popeye, sipping herbal tea. "I thought once I cast Olive Oyl, everyone would know. She was so tall and lanky, with that boyish figure ..."


He trails off, shaking his head. "If you want to know the truth, I picked her because she reminded me of someone." He smiles and looks wistful. "Ensign Robert Flynn. Some of my fondest memories of the Navy revolve around him."

Popeye the Sailor Man, the animated embodiment of testosterone, lived in terror of being outed, as it would have ended his lucrative career. "Bluto threatened me with that a couple of times," he confesses. "I always wondered about him, though. He was so hypermasculine, always swaggering around like he had something to prove." He sighs and leans back against the antique sofa. "Maybe I'm just projecting, though. I did a fair amount of macho posturing myself."

First making the scene in 1929 as a bit player in a comic strip, Popeye became an immediate success. The series was finally renamed for him, and movies followed. In the '30s, Popeye's films were even more popular than Mickey Mouse's.

"Even though we were rivals, Mickey was one of the few people who were nice to me after learning I was gay," Popeye says.

"You know, people don't realize how different it was back then," he continues. "It wasn't like today, where only a few religious nuts get upset and boycott your work. My whole life would've been ruined if I'd come out. I had no choice."

Popeye stops and stares at the floor for a moment. "But still," he almost whispers, "every time I said 'I yam what I yam,' I felt like a fraud."

Reluctant to say more, Popeye tells me to check out the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Cartoon Alliance. He says the group helped him immensely when he finally decided to come out as gay after being brutally caricatured on-screen by Robin Williams.

Three days later, I'm in the parlor of a lovely San Francisco townhouse, being entertained by a self-described "proud queer, an old queen, ev-en!"

"I can't believe America didn't know," says Snagglepuss. "I mean, the cuff links, the flamboyance, the theater jargon -- plus, I'm pink, for heaven's sake!"

"I think it's terrific what SpongeBob is doing," he declares as he accepts a white wine spritzer from longtime companion Huckleberry Hound. "I've heard rumors about Squidward, too." Snagglepuss looks at his partner. "Two out and proud gays on one show, wouldn't that be fabulous?!"

The more reserved Huckleberry shakes his head. "I just wish it wasn't such a big deal. It would be nice if they'd leave his private life out of it and just allow him to be the amorphous asexual blob that he was drawn to be."

"I had a much different Hollywood experience than Puss," he continues. "The producers were looking for someone to host a show, to be a major player. They didn't care that I was gay, but this was 1959, and they didn't want any speculation about me." He sits down on the end of the chaise longue and puts his hand on Snagglepuss' leg. "They liked my look, but I sounded very effeminate."

"Luckily, he could do wonderful impressions," Snagglepuss chimes in. "They just fell in love with his Andy Griffith!" Snagglepuss grins. "Guess how we met. I was a guest on his show and then got my own segment. It was love at first sight."

"We were well known among industry players after that," Huckleberry says, looking sheepish. "I'm a homebody, but Puss always wanted to be out at all the parties."

"People began speculating Recent events in the world of animated children's shows have caused people to question whether the cartoon industry is promoting a homosexual agenda. Allegations have been directed at SpongeBob SquarePants for participating in a pro-gay video, and at Buster the Bunny for his fraternization with a lesbian couple and their children. While some have dismissed these allegations as the rantings of ultraconservative Christians, gay cartoon characters do in fact exist, and some of them are even politically active. I recently asked some of them to share their stories.

Sitting in the living room of his well-appointed Cape Cod-style home, a cultural icon recalls his heyday with sadness and regret. "I was in constant fear of being found out," says Popeye, sipping herbal tea. "I thought once I cast Olive Oyl, everyone would know. She was so tall and lanky, with that boyish figure ..."


He trails off, shaking his head. "If you want to know the truth, I picked her because she reminded me of someone." He smiles and looks wistful. "Ensign Robert Flynn. Some of my fondest memories of the Navy revolve around him.

Popeye the Sailor Man, the animated embodiment of testosterone, lived in terror of being outed, as it would have ended his lucrative career. "Bluto threatened me with that a couple of times," he confesses. "I always wondered about him, though. He was so hypermasculine, always swaggering around like he had something to prove." He sighs and leans back against the antique sofa. "Maybe I'm just projecting, though. I did a fair amount of macho posturing myself."

First making the scene in 1929 as a bit player in a comic strip, Popeye became an immediate success. The series was finally renamed for him, and movies followed. In the '30s, Popeye's films were even more popular than Mickey Mouse's.

"Even though we were rivals, Mickey was one of the few people who were nice to me after learning I was gay," Popeye says.

"You know, people don't realize how different it was back then," he continues. "It wasn't like today, where only a few religious nuts get upset and boycott your work. My whole life would've been ruined if I'd come out. I had no choice."

Popeye stops and stares at the floor for a moment. "But still," he almost whispers, "every time I said 'I yam what I yam,' I felt like a fraud."

Reluctant to say more, Popeye tells me to check out the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Cartoon Alliance. He says the group helped him immensely when he finally decided to come out as gay after being brutally caricatured on-screen by Robin Williams.

Three days later, I'm in the parlor of a lovely San Francisco townhouse, being entertained by a self-described "proud queer, an old queen, ev-en!"

"I can't believe America didn't know," says Snagglepuss. "I mean, the cuff links, the flamboyance, the theater jargon -- plus, I'm pink, for heaven's sake!"

"I think it's terrific what SpongeBob is doing," he declares as he accepts a white wine spritzer from longtime companion Huckleberry Hound. "I've heard rumors about Squidward, too." Snagglepuss looks at his partner. "Two out and proud gays on one show, wouldn't that be fabulous?!"

The more reserved Huckleberry shakes his head. "I just wish it wasn't such a big deal. It would be nice if they'd leave his private life out of it and just allow him to be the amorphous asexual blob that he was drawn to be."

"I had a much different Hollywood experience than Puss," he continues. "The producers were looking for someone to host a show, to be a major player. They didn't care that I was gay, but this was 1959, and they didn't want any speculation about me." He sits down on the end of the chaise longue and puts his hand on Snagglepuss' leg. "They liked my look, but I sounded very effeminate."

"Luckily, he could do wonderful impressions," Snagglepuss chimes in. "They just fell in love with his Andy Griffith!" Snagglepuss grins. "Guess how we met. I was a guest on his show and then got my own segment. It was love at first sight."

"We were well known among industry players after that," Huckleberry says, looking sheepish. "I'm a homebody, but Puss always wanted to be out at all the parties."

By Liz Larocca