GLBTQ: Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

It took major political pressure and direction from the White House, but it's official: The 2010 U.S. Census will record and report raw data about Americans in same-sex relationships. It's a stark departure from the Bush administration, which collected the data but barred its release. CONTINUED Â» Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Census, [...]

[See post to watch Flash video] Remarkably, it's already been three years (yesterday) since the murder of Robert Wone, the Radio Free Asia attorney who was found slain at the D.C. townhouse where he was staying with friends. It's not exactly an anniversary that's worthy of celebration — unless, of course, you count the tireless efforts [...]

Just because Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Australia Labor Party won't change positions and come out for same-sex marriage rights doesn't mean Aussie gays aren't tying the knot. At least unofficially. As part of the National Day of Action, organizers staged mass mock weddings Saturday, with an estimated 8,000 supporters showing up in [...]

INTEGRATION on Wednesday was pretty much amazing. Check it out.

It was a great night. It has been for a while now. Though my observations can be perceived as aÂ promotional opportunity, whatever.Â It’s rare that I can truly be in depth andÂ honest about how I feel after DJing a night at Integration. Let me chalk this up to me being personal and not having blogged in [...]

I canâ€™t stand fish. They bother me to no end because everything about them is just plain creepy: they lurk around in the water, theyâ€™re slimy, theyâ€™ve got eyes on the sides of their heads, and they smell disgusting. The stench reminds me of Joan Riverâ€™s stale, hasnâ€™t-been-used-in-a-couple-decadesâ€¦. nevermind. Ahem. Anyways, the point is my [...]

Whoopsie! Oh, Papa Razi is NOT gonna like this one...

A Roman Catholic bank in Germany has apologised after admitting it bought stocks in defence, tobacco and birth control companies.
Der Spiegel newspaper discovered the bank had invested 580,000 euros (?495,310, $826,674) in British arms company BAE Systems.
It also invested 160,000 euros in American birth control pill maker Wyeth and 870,000 euros in tobacco companies.
The bank apologised for behaviour "not in keeping with ethical standards".
Pax Bank has previously advertised ethical investment funds, specifically claiming to avoid arms and tobacco companies along with organisations that do not adhere to Catholic beliefs.

Some days, it's like shooting fish in a barrel...

h/t Tavdy79

In an effort to defeat universal health care, conservatives are engaging in a campaign of lies that will ultimately cause more families to suffer needlessly at a most painful time. As someone who worked for years with end-of-life care issues, and spent years working in the HIV/AIDS community, I cannot let it pass.

It's easy to play on people's fear of death. It's even easier when you're willing to lie outright as conservatives are doing in the health care debate.

A campaign on conservative talk radio, fueled by President Obama's calls to control exorbitant medical bills, has sparked fear among senior citizens that the health-care bill moving through Congress will lead to end-of-life "rationing" and even "euthanasia."

The controversy stems from a proposal to pay physicians who counsel elderly or terminally ill patients about what medical interventions they would prefer near the end of life and how to prepare instructions such as living wills. Under the plan, Medicare would reimburse doctors for one session every five years to confer with a patient about his or her wishes and how to ensure those preferences are followed. The counseling sessions would be voluntary.

But on right-leaning radio programs, religious e-mail lists and Internet blogs, the proposal has been described as "guiding you in how to die," "an ORDER from the Gove Government to end your life," promoting "death care" and, in the words of antiabortion leader Randall Terry, an attempt to "kill Granny."

Though the counseling provision is a tiny part of a behemoth bill, the skirmish over end-of-life care, like arguments about abortion coverage, has become a distraction and provided an opening for opponents of the president's broader health-care agenda. At a forum sponsored by the seniors group AARP that was intended to pitch comprehensive reform, Obama was asked about the "rumors." He used the question to promote living wills, noting that he and the first lady have them.

Democratic strategists privately acknowledged that they were hesitant to give extra attention to the issue by refuting the inaccuracies, but they worry that it will further agitate already-skeptical seniors.

Where the consequence is needless suffering, I do not share Democratic strategists hesitance to refute inaccuracies.

That anyone would direct your doctor in "guiding you in how to die" is a lie.

That it amounts to "an ORDER from the Government to end your life" is a lie.

The truth is not that Democrats want to "kill Granny," but that Republicans want to ensure that "Granny" suffers needlessly in death, and that her family - in the midst of their pain - deal with the confusion of not knowing what kind of care "Granny" does or doesn't want, and what kind of measures she does and doesn't want taken.

Only a party that believes the Terri Schiavo spectacle was a boon to their cause could engage in a campaign to virtually ensure that many, many more such cases will happen - though most will not play out before news cameras, or serve as a political sideshow for the extreme right. They are risking the same result they got from the Schiavo story - that even more Americans will be appalled at a crass, politically driven intrusion into a deeply personal matter.

Grandma will die, someday. So will we all. It's perhaps the one indisputable reality every single person on earth has in common. We don't, however, like to think about it. So we don't think about it until it's too late, and our families suffer as a result. Republicans seem to want to make sure that continues to be true.

That's because the measure they're exploiting to defeat health care reform is really intended to facilitate more people getting advance directives. An advance directive is simply a document that serves to state what medical treatments you want or don't want, and what measure you do or do not want taken if you are unable to make medical decisions for your self. In other words it speaks for you when you cannot speak for yourself.

In addition, a medical power power of attorney allows you to designate someone you trust to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make them yourself.

The question isn't "How do you want to die?" The question is simply: "What kind of care do you want, and what measures do you want taken if - at the end of life - you are unable to speak for yourself?"

It's a decision that, in the absence of an advance directive or a living will, falls to a spouse or the closest family members. In the absence of an advance directive and/or medical power of attorney, families are often torn apart with fighting over their loved-ones wishes and trying to determine what those wishes were, leading to years of courtroom battles, while their loved one lingers.

Health care reform advocates don't want to "Kill Granny." Neither do conservatives. I'l. I'll even give them the benefit of the doubt that they don't want your family battling it out over Granny's hospital bed, or in court for years and years, as Granny lies there, no longer able to say what she wants. But that's the ultimate outcome of their dishonest campaign.

I saw it up close and personal when I volunteered in the HIV/AIDS community, while in college. I saw partners who had spent decades together, and spent years caring for one another, kept apart because they were "not family" and had no legal standing that anyone was obligated to recognize. One man knocked on the door of the organization where I worked, and when I answered told me with tears in his eyes that he had just been barred from his partner's bedside by the man's estranged family, and even ejected from the home the two of them had shared. He had no legal standing as a spouse, of course, and the couple had no legal documents that might have given him the right be there.

Legal spouses don't have that problem. The reason that 30 or more courts ruled in Michael Schiavo's favor is because he was the legal spouse. Without that even the legal status of having a medical power of attorney, let alone being legally married, the people whose pain I witnessed were extremely vulnerable. Even couples who have those documents, like Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond, are vulnerable if they travel - or go anywhere at all - without them.

My husband and I both have advance directives stating what measures we want and don't want taken, in the event that we are unable to make those decisions ourselves. We each have medical powers of attorney, designating one of us to make make medical decisions for the other, if either of us is unable to make those decisions for ourselves. We have them because our experience has taught us how necessary they are, and the consequences of not having them. We have them because we know how vulnerable we are, and how vulnerable our children are without them.

The truth is that most Americans are vulnerable in this regard. According to a FindLaw.Com survey, 67 percent of Americans don't have a living will. That means more than two-thirds of Americans may have little to no say in the care they receive or the measures that are taken if they are terminally ill and/or incapacitated.

That's perhaps one of the worst aspects of the Republican's dishonest campaign. It has the potential to make people even more vulnerable, not merely by leaving their wishes undocumented, but by using fear to discourage people from even talking about this most personal decision with one of the most appropriate people: their doctor . After all, a personal physician who knows her patient's wishes, can be an effective advocate and help family understand the most compassionate ways to honor their loved one's wishes.

That's why, wherever you stand on health care reform, I urge you to please use this as a "teachable moment." Sit down with your doctor and/or your family now - while you can still speak to them and they can still hear you - and talk about what care you want and don't want, and what measures you do or don't want taken, if you are ill or injured and unable to speak for yourself. Talk about who you want to make decisions for you if you are unable to speak for yourself.

Make sure you have an advance directive. (You can download copies of your state's advance directive forms here.) Make sure you have a medical power of attorney. Make sure everyone knows.

At the same time time, don't let the right insert politics into a matter that's ultimately between you, your family and your doctor. The measure that members of the conservative fringe are exploiting in the process does nothing more than encourage doctors and patients to have that most-important, most-avoided conversation.

They're lying as a means to a political end, and it will cause more families to suffer needlessly. It's not just inaccurate. It's not just wrong. It's immoral.

LGBT-friendly American Airlines is still on my sh*t list for the abominable couple of trips I've had the last two times I've flown the carrier. I chronicled the disastrous service that caused me to miss seeing my family on one trip (American Airlines sucks gargantuan donkey turds) and completely miss a conference (The massive sucktitude of American Airlines is beyond belief) because of cancellations within one week.

Let's just say I'm about to take two trips in the next two weeks, and I purposely didn't choose American when I bought tix. It took a lot to keep me from deleting this bit of shilling the moment it hit the inbox...

FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 3, 2009

AMERICAN AIRLINES AWARD-WINNING WINE SELECTION

ACKNOWLEDGED BY GLOBAL TRAVELER MAGAZINE

American’s Choice of Sparkling Wine Named Best for Domestic First Class Flights

FORT WORTH, Texas – It’s time, once again, to break out a case of the bubbly at American Airlines. According to Global Traveler magazine, the premier choice for sparkling wine while cruising at 35,000 feet belongs to American Airlines.

Global Traveler’s panel of wine judges selected American Airlines as serving the Best Sparkling Wine in the North American Premium Class category for its Gloria Ferrer Brut Sonoma. This annual “Wines on the Wing” wine survey accolade was formally announced in the August issue of Global Traveler magazine.

“American Airlines is honored that Global Traveler has named our Premium Class sparkling wine the best,” said Lauri Curtis, American’s Vice President – Onboard Service. “We strive to serve the finest wine possible and are consistently working to enhance the inflight dining experience for all of our wine-loving passengers.”

Yeah, they know WHY you fly, but the cancellations let you know why you won't be flying, and you won't be able to sample the wine if you're sitting in the terminal waiting for a plane that will never arrive.

Oh, I forgot to let you all see this bit of fun when it came a few weeks ago -- apparently some employees at AA read the Blend and I received a preposterous email from the LGBT liaison, George Carrancho.

Hi Pam,

A few people have passed me your blog… While I know that I cannot make up for what has happened I wanted to personally apologize for what happened and ask you to give us another chance!

My role at American is outreach to the LGBT community. Please let me know the next time you are traveling on AA that way I can monitor your flights and try to prevent this from reoccurring.

Hope you have an amazing summer and thank you for your business!

Best Regards,
George Carrancho
National Sales & Marketing Manager for LGBT Community.

I'm sure he meant well, but Carrancho must think I'm a dunce if I'm supposed to believe he could somehow intervene with the airline's problems by "monitoring" them, rotflol. I mean come on, how lame is that? Was I supposed to feel comforted? It's nice, of course, that they have a Community Marketing Manager for LGBfor LGBTs, but the flight wasn't cancelled because a homo was about to go airborne; I was just a Jane Doe coach class person getting screwed again (and again), by the airline. People in the terminal were flaming mad.

The fact is that there's more than a flight that gets deep-sixed when the sign changes to "CANCELLED." In the case of the conference trip to nowhere I was told that I'd receive a refund because there wasn't any way for AA to get me to the destination before my panel and the entire event was over the next day. I haven't seen the credit back yet; I need to check and see if that materialized. For the first cancellation, I was out a night's hotel stay in NYC and parking.

I realize the airlines are running tight margins financially, but couldn't AA offer something, anything aside from inane fantasies like the above? We already know that the airlines do just about anything to avoid a refund; how about a big boost of mileage points to customers at least?

The full release is below the fold if you want to know more about the lovely award-winning wine that you'll miss when your flight is cancelled.

FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 3, 2009

AMERICAN AIRLINES AWARD-WINNING WINE SELECTION

ACKNOWLEDGED BY GLOBAL TRAVELER MAGAZINE

American’s Choice of Sparkling Wine Named Best for Domestic First Class Flights

FORT WORTH, Texas – It’s time, once again, to break out a case of the bubbly at American Airlines. According to Global Traveler magazine, the premier choice for sparkling wine while cruising at 35,000 feet belongs to American Airlines.

Global Traveler’s panel of wine judges selected American Airlines as serving the Best Sparkling Wine in the North American Premium Class category for its Gloria Ferrer Brut Sonoma. This annual “Wines on the Wing” wine survey accolade was formally announced in the August issue of Global Traveler magazine.

“American Airlines is honored that Global TraveleTraveler has named our Premium Class sparkling wine the best,” said Lauri Curtis, American’s Vice President – Onboard Service. “We strive to serve the finest wine possible and are consistently working to enhance the inflight dining experience for all of our wine-loving passengers.”

According to Global Traveler, 27 airlines submitted 54 white wines, 56 red wines and 24 champagne or sparkling wines currently on their international Business Class and North American Premium Class wine lists for a blind taste test. The tasting was organized by Global Traveler’s wine columnist and noted wine expert, Eunice Fried, using 35 independent judges who are noted wine-industry experts. The airlines with the highest totals won.

“Global Traveler is the only U.S.-based magazine hosting this type of wine survey in the States. We pride ourselves on the unbiased results and are proud to bring our readers information on premium travel they cannot get anywhere else,” said Francis X. Gallagher, publisher and CEO, Global Traveler. “Year after year, American Airlines continues to be a standout in our survey. We are honored to present them the Wines on the Wing award again. Our readers know they can expect first-rate service onboard American Airlines, from the wine service and beyond.”

Selection of the exceptional wines served onboard American’s flights is handled by official wine consultant, Ken Chase, a classically trained winemaker and viticulturist. Chase updates American’s wine list monthly to ensure that only the finest red, white, sparkling and dessert wines are available onboard.

Chase has designed 19 special wine lists for international and domestic flights to ensure that each selection complements the ethnic, cultural, seasonal and stylistic differences of each destination. Careful attention also is placed on matching American’s menu items with appropriate wine lists. These measures show American’s dedication to providing the passenger with a premier inflight dining experience.

American, a founding member of the global oneworld^® Alliance, has been singled out by Global Traveler magazine in the past for its wine selection. In August 2007, American won first place for Best International Business Class White Wine category for J. Wegeler-Erben Riesling Spatlese Bernkasteler Doctor 2004, as well as second place in the Best International Business Class Red Wine category for its Chateau Batailley Pauillac 2003. For more information and to view the current list of American’s award-winning wines, please visit www.aa.com/wine.

About American Airlines

American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection^® serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site, AA.com^®, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld^® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve nearly 700 destinations in more than 130 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, We know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

###

AmericanAirlines^® We know why you fly^®

Current AMR Corp. news releases can be accessed via the Internet.

The address is http://www.aa.com

2009 BRO Annual Dinner Logo

Mark your calendar now and get ready for the event of the year:

Love Basic Rights Oregon's 27th Annual Dinner & Auction Saturday, October 10th, 2009 5:30pm - Door's Open Portland Ballroom, Oregon Convention Center (777 NE Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard in Portland) This year's theme is Love, highlighting the love and commitment that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Oregonians share for each other and the broader community. Individuals and businesses are invited to sponsor Oregon's premier LGBT event.For more information, please contact Juan Martinez at 503/222.6151, x106at 503/222.6151, x106 or juan@basicrights.org.We'll see you on the 10th!