Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

She Voted to Fire a Gay Teacher. And Now the Gays are Boycotting Her Restaurant

When we learned the manager of Los Angeles restaurant El Coyote donated to Prop 8, there was outrage and boycotts from gay clientele. In Oklahoma City, it's Flip's Wine Bar and Trattoria at the center of a new boycott. But this time because its co-owner, as a member of the Oklahoma City School Board, voted [...]

Mary Cheney + Heather Poe Welcomed 1st Daughter Yesterday. Today, They'll Have to Defend Her

Congratulations to Mary Cheney and Heather Poe, who welcomed their second child, Sarah Lynne Cheney, into the world yesterday at 6 pounds and 14 ounces. CONTINUED » Permalink | 1 comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Children, Dick Cheney, heather poe, kids, Mary Cheney

Do Fags Smoke More Fags?

The National Youth Advocacy Coalition would like to know! CONTINUED » Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Smoking, Studies, tobacco

Autumn Haiku

The cool air wakes me.  Leaves changing colors around. Alas! Autumn’s here!

How LGBT Youth Benefit from the Schools Budget: Joyce Liljeholm

Maine’s super-volunteers and passionate student allies

In the days leading up to my departure for Maine, I wasn't sure what to expect from the people I'd meet here. I'm no stranger to ballot campaigns; we've had our share of those in Oregon. I rode on Tuesday to a suburb outside of Portland, Maine with another volunteer staff to meet with nine high school students about their interest to get involved with the No On 1 campaign. Our goal was to start a “Friends and Family” Volunteer Recruitment Phone Bank with them on the spot, and to organize a few times when they and their friends could volunteer together, canvassing door-to-door the weekend before Election Day. We rolled up to their neighborhood Starbucks at about 3 o'clock and met the students inside. They'd come straight after school, and had heard about the campaign at an all-ages concert, where they'd been watching their favorite local band. Three of the youth were band members! A few of them had worn few of them had worn their No On 1 buttons to school that day, and mentioned that they'd started conversations with other students about the issue, and what it meant to them. After introducing ourselves and briefly describing the state of the campaign, we read through a script and role-played it, making sure to arm the students with the facts needed to express to their friends and family members how much this means to them and why we need their help in the last two weeks of the campaign. When we asked the students to get out their mobile phones and start calling to sign their friends up for volunteer shifts with the campaign, they excelled at the task! After about a half hour, the students made a plan to gather together with their newly signed up volunteers for a morning canvass on Halloween, knocking on doors to get out the vote. None of the nine students were affiliated with the Gay Straight Alliance at their school, (and none mentioned that they identified as LGBT,) but all shared a sense that whoever you are and whomever you love, couples deserve to be recognized equally under the law.

From Maine with Love

We are 11 days away from the November Election. The Portland, Maine office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food provisions for all the other volunteers. The fieer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food provisions for all the other volunteers. The first day we had homemade chili, yesterday egg salad sandwiches, and this morning someone brought in some carrots from their own yard. Mainers are chipping in any way they can. My time has been spent in the office working in the communications department while Travis Prinslow and Meleanie Altaras have been adopted into the Data and Campus Outreach departments. We work 9 to 9, when we're lucky and have been working on a variety of projects. From confirming volunteers, to getting people to vote early and in person volunteer recruitment. The amount of work that goes into a campaign is astounding. You walk into any office and you hear typing, people on the phone, stapling, paper shuffling and people being directed. It's a small preview of what Oregon will be dealing with soon enough. However, Oregon's fight will be much larger-- Maine's population is a third the size of Oregon's. I'm grateful that Basic Rights Oregon is starting early and getting all our ducks in a row before we enter our own fight. Maine's latest YouTube celebrity goes by the name of Phillip Spooner. Mr. Spooner is 85 years old, a WWII vet, and a lifelong republicanâ€"he is also in favor of marriage equality. Click here to watch his testimony in April during the Marriage hearings. His video has officially gone viral, with close to 500,000 views. Mainers are excited to have someone like Mr. Spooner speaking up for equality, so much so that he has unofficially become the face of the campaign. Click here to watch a segment of Mr. Spooner being interviewed about his views on Marriage Equality. The opposition is using children to scare voters into voting against equality. They are running ads claiming that "gay sex education" will be taught in schools. Fortunately, the Maine campaign has been very diligent about countering their ads and has caused a stir by featuring a French catholic woman who supports her son's right to get married. Yolande Dumont is also a Maine celebrity and has inspired Catholics and other religious denominations to come out and support the No on 1 campaign. Of course the Catholic DIoces is bankrolling the opposition's campaign along with National Organization marriage and Shubert Flint of prop 8 fame. When Yolande first came on the airwaves the Catholic Diocese was up in arms and started to spend resources countering Yolande's message. This is exciting because the opposition is now on the defensive. Not only do they have to counter multiple legislators, and educators on the whole "Teaching gay in Schools" issue, now they have to make sure that other fair minded Catholics reject Yolande's message. If the No on 1 Campaign wins on Election Day it will be a model on how to defeat the oppositions' vitriol and lies. Although, Maine is literally the farthest place from Oregon in the country, their efforts will have a huge impact on our work. They need all the help they can get. If you have not donated to the NO on 1 campaign you can do so by clicking here. If you cannot afford a donation but have some extra time on your hands you can phone bank from Oregon with their Call for Equality Program sign up here. I'm going to get back to work now but feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions about getting involved in the Maine campaign. In solidarity, Alejandro Juarez Communications Coordinator Basic Rights Oregon (503) 222-6151 x 105 alejandro@basicrights.org

News & Views

The LGBT News and Viewpoints for Thursday: LGBT News: - Update: Suspect charged with murder in slaying of gay teen in Puerto Rico - Maryland — Many unanswered questions in killing of Baltimore youth. - Texas’ gay marriage ban may have banned all marriages - New Lutheran Body to Form After Gay Pastor Vote - Report: Homosexuality no factor in abusive [...]

Illinois Issues Accurate Birth Certificates To Transgender Persons

Reversing Two Restrictive Policies, Illinois Issues Accurate Birth Certificates To Three Transgender Persons CHICAGO, IL — In an important reversal of two policies restricting who can obtain accurate birth certificates after sex reassignment surgery, the state of Illinois has issued new, accurate birth certificates to three transgender persons born in Illinois. All three individuals had been [...]

Protest in NYC Against Uganda’s Anti-Gay Measure

What: A public protest against a proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda will take place on Thursday in New York City aligned with global human rights protests in other cities. NYC Uganda Protest Rally Poster – Click to download (PDF) Where: Uganda Permanent Mission to the United Nations 336 East 45th Street New York City When: 12:30 PM ET, Thursday, November 19, [...]

---

- Sponsors -

---