D.C. Asks Judge to Dismiss Gay Marriage Lawsuit

The District of Columbia is asking a judge to throw out a lawsuit by opponents of same-sex marriage.

The plaintiffs, led by local pastor Bishop Harry Jackson, are seeking to get their proposed ban on gay marriage on the ballot. They are suing after the Board of Elections and Ethics turned them down.

City lawyers filed a response Friday. They say the ballot initiative would violate the city's Human Rights Act because it seeks to deny benefits on the basis of sexual orientation.

A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6.

D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty signed a bill legalizing gay marriage on Friday, and the measure is expected to pass congressional review.

Can Your Netflix Account Reveal Your Sexual Orientation?

by JP Mangalindan

One feature Netflix users have always taken for granted, privacy, might be in danger if they're one of the 480,000 members whose information was shared as part of a contest to improve the company's popular movie recommendation system. According to Wired, a closeted lesbian mother going by the pseudonym "Jane Doe" filed a lawsuit yesterday against the rental giant, claiming it had, among other things, broken a federal privacy law protecting citizens' video rental information.

The backstory: Netflix started a contest back in September 2006 that gave 50,000 contestants vying for $1 million two sets of data. The first included 100 million movie ratings, the date of the rating, subscriber IDs, and movie info culled from some 480,000 customers. The goal? Create a movie recommendation algorithm at least 10-percent more accurate than Netflix's own.

Though user data had been anonymized through a common method called perturbation, that didn't stop two savvy University of Texas researchers from figuring out the real identities, political leanings, and even sexual orientation of several Netflix users, by cross-referencing data given by the company to reviews posted on IMDB. Which is why Doe is concerned: if information like her sexual orientation became available, it might negatively affect her and her family's lives, she stated in her complaint. But, we point out: the Netflix findings aren't public, and the ability to re-link identities to connect to other Web profiles is neither encouraged nor part of the contest. Netflix never gives users the option to state a sexual preference, so the claim that raw data can be used to predict sexuality outside of Netflix is either suggesting movie choice determines type of person, or it's Netflix's fault for allowing researchers to look outside of the given data set.

However, Doe does bring up a crucial point, as her suit also aims to stop Netflix from starting the second phase of its contest, which would provide even more information about customers, like ZIP codes, ages, and gender. If that comes to pass, Wired remarks that it's 87-percent possible to take someone's age, tastes, and ZIP code and hunt them down on the Internet. With these tangible, real-world (and identifiable values), Netflix is breaching user privacy (especially if those accounts opt to be hidden).

Therefore, it appears the Netflix contest really did succeed in what it set out to do, which was accurately glean our preferences and choices via movie lists. So while movie recommendations might be more accurate going forward, remember: every time you rate a movie, song, or TV show, bits of yourself are released into the cyber-sphere.

From Switch.com and Wired.com

President Obama Signs Hate Crime Bill into Law

On Wednesday President Obama signed a law that makes it a federal crime to assault an individual because of his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.

The expanded federal hate crimes law, hailed by supporters as the first major federal gay rights legislation, was added to a $680 billion defense authorization bill that Obama signed at a packed White House ceremony.

The hate crimes measure was named for Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming teenager who died after being kidnapped and severely beaten in October 1998, and James Byrd Jr., an African-American man dragged to death in Texas the same year.

Shepard's mother, Judy, was among those at the ceremony that also included Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Attorney General Eric Holder and leading members of Congress and the Pentagon, who were on hand for the appropriations bill signing.

To loud applause, Obama hailed the hate crimes measure in the bill as a step toward change to "help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray."

He cited the work of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and others "to make this day possible."

Later Wednesday, Obama stood with Shepard's parents and relatives of Byrd at a separate White House event honoring passage of the expanded hate crimes law.

Noting reports of 12,000 crimes based on sexual orientation over the past 10 years, Obama called the bill another step in the continuing struggle for protecting human rights.

"Because of the efforts of the folks in this room, particularly those family members standing behind me, the bell rings even louder now," Obama said. When he finished his remarks, he hugged the weeping relatives as the audience applauded.

Several religious groups have expressed concern that a hate crimes law could be used to criminalize conservative speech relating to subjects such as abortion or homosexuality. However, Holder has said that any federal hate-crimes law would be used only to prosecute violent acts based on bias, not to prosecute speech based on controversial racial or religious beliefs.

Former President George W. Bush had threatened to veto a similar measure, but Obama brought a reversal of that policy to the White House.

When the bill won final congressional approval last week, Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese called the hate crimes measure "our nation's first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people."

Earlier this month, Obama told the Human Rights Campaign, the country's largest gay rights group, that the nation still needs to make significant changes to ensure equal rights for gays and lesbians.

"Despite the progress we've made, there are still laws to change and hearts to open," he said in an address at the group's annual dinner. "This fight continues now and I'm here with the simple message: I'm here with you in that fight."

Among other things, Obama has called for the repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military -- the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. He also has urged Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and pass the Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act.

The Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage, for federal purposes, as a legal union between a man and a woman. It allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages. The Domestic Partners Benefit and Obligations Act would extend family benefits now available to heterosexual federal employees to gay and lesbian federal workers.

However, some advocates for stronger rights for the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community have complained that Obama's administration is moving too slowly on his legislative promises.

Opponents of the expanded hate crimes bill challenged the need to specify one particular community in federal legislation. They contended that existing federal hate crimes laws were sufficient to protect the rights of people based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

More than 77,000 hate-crime incidents were reported by the FBI between 1998 and 2007, or "nearly one hate crime for every hour of every day over the span of a decade," Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee in June.


Source: CNN

Religion and Sexuality in the LGBT Community

Article originally posted on gaynewsbits.com

IN THE LIFE Debuts Its January Show ‘Ties That Bind’ — A Look at the Intersections of Religion and Sexuality in the LGBT Community.

IN THE LIFE, the only three-time Emmy nominated public television series documenting the gay experience, explores religious devotion and discord in the LGBT community.

The power of religion to shape our lives, our worldview and our political convictions transcends all cultures, faiths, and sexual orientations. The Bible, the Koran, and the Torah are tools for spiritual guidance, comfort, and direction, but many gay and lesbian people endure a sense of alienation from religious communities that fail to see a place for them in their congregations.

In the wake of many defeats sustained by the LGBT community on Election Day, with the historic passage of Proposition 8 in California and similar amendments in other states, the entire country has been witness to how religion is used as a wedge in the larger community.

Believing that homosexuals have no place in the Christian Church, ex-gay ministries like EXODUS International promise gay and lesbian people struggling to live within the margins of religious fundamentalism “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ.” In its lead-story, “In God We Trusted,” this episode of IN THE LIFE examines evangelical ex-gay ministries that have been established around the country to “re-program” LGBT people into heterosexuals — often with tragic consequences endured by its members: guilt, desperation, even suicide.

In “A Conversation With…” Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop ordained by the Episcopal Church, and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, spiritual leader of New York City’s largest LGBT synagogue, map their spiritual journeys, noting parallels and pivotal moments that lead them to call for a more inclusive theology that celebrates people of all faiths and sexual orientations. “I wanted to be a part of a Judaism that could ask questions in a sophisticated way about the meaning of life, interfaith relations, sexuality, feminism, gender issues,” says Kleinbaum, “and I believed that Judaism was actually big enough and strong enough, and that God was sophisticated enough to handle those kinds of questions.”

The episode concludes with a “Real to Reel” highlighting Parvez Sharma’s groundbreaking film, “A Jihad for Love.” This rare portrait of a different kind of “Jihad,” meaning: an inner struggle or to strive in the path of God, brings the stories of gay and lesbian Muslims across twelve countries to the forefront of the debate on Muslim scripture and homosexuality.

“Ties That Bind” has begun airing on American Public Television stations, and is available for free video streaming and downloadable podcasting from the IN THE LIFE website. To find out when it will be airing in their local areas, to stream or download it, viewers should go to In The Life: Ties That Bind.

National Religious Leadership Roundtable condemns pope’s remarks denouncing gender theory

Gay and Lesbian Task Force Press Release:

WASHINGTON — The National Religious Leadership Roundtable, convened by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, condemns last weeks remarks by Pope Benedict XVI that denounced gender theory, saying it could lead to humanity’s “self-destruction.” Gender theory explores sexual orientation, the roles assigned by society to individuals according to their gender and how people perceive their identity. The Catholic Church has repeatedly attacked gender theory. “If tropical forests deserve our protection, humankind ... deserves it no less,” said the pope.

Statement by the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, National Religious Leadership Roundtable

“For the pope to purport that he and the Roman Catholic Church have it all figured out, that no mystery remains, is tantamount to blasphemy. Particularly in this time of war and famine and economic chaos, we as Christians of every gender and sexual orientation ought to be working with our brothers and sisters around the globe to deepen respect for all of creation.”

US Opposes UN Gay Decriminalization Resolution

Last week it was announced that the United States was the only major western nation to refuse to sign a United Nations statement that would condemn discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

66 of the 192 U.N. members signed the nonbinding declaration, with the majority of the opposition coming from Islamic countries, Russia, China and the United States.

The UN declaration, co-sponsored by both France and the Netherlands, was signed by all 27 European Union members, as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries.

France's human rights minister, Rama Yade, said, "It's disappointing," when referring to the U.S. position, which she described as a contradiction to America's tradition as a defender of human rights.

According to some of the declaration's backers, U.S. officials expressed concern that certain parts of the declaration might be problematic in committing the federal government on matters that fall under state jurisdiction. In many states, landlords and private employers are still allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and on the federal level, gays are not allowed to serve openly in the military.

Carolyn Vadino, a spokeswoman for the U.S. mission to the U.N., stressed that despite its unwillingness to sign, the United States condemned any human rights violations related to sexual orientation.

Gay rights activists nonetheless were angered by the U.S. position.

"It's an appalling stance to not join with other countries that are standing up and calling for decriminalization of homosexuality," said Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

She expressed hope that the U.S. position might change after President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January.

Also denouncing the U.S. stance was Richard Grenell, who until two months ago had been the chief spokesman for the U.S. mission to the U.N.

"It is ridiculous to suggest that there are legal reasons why we can't support this resolution _ common sense says we should be the leader in making sure other governments are granting more freedoms for their people, not less," said Grenell, who described himself as a gay Republican. "The U.S. lack of support on this issue only dims our once bright beacon of hope and freedom for those who are persecuted and oppressed."

More than 50 countries opposed to the declaration, including members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, issued a joint statement last week criticizing the initiative as an unwarranted attempt to give special prominence to gays and lesbians. The statement suggested that protecting sexual orientation could lead to "the social normalization and possibly the legalization of deplorable acts" such as pedophilia and incest.

The declaration also has been opposed by the Vatican, a stance which prompted a protest in Rome earlier this month.

Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, stated that the Roman Catholic Church opposed the death penalty and other harsh repression of gays and lesbians, but expressed concern that the declaration would be used as pressure against those who believe marriage rights should not be extended to gays.

A new Vatican statement, issued last week, endorsed the call to end criminal penalties against gays, but said that overall the declaration "gives rise to uncertainty in the law and challenges existing human norms."

The European nations backing the declaration waged their campaign in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Maxime Verhagen, the Dutch foreign affairs minister, stated that countries that endorsed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 they had no right to carve out exceptions based on religion or culture that allowed discrimination against gays.

"Human rights apply to all people in all places at all times," he said. "I will not accept any excuse."

He acknowledged that the new declaration had only symbolic import, but said it marked the first time such a large number of nations had raised the cause of gay rights in the context of General Assembly proceedings.

"This statement aims to make debate commonplace," he said. "It is not meant to be a source of division, but to eliminate the taboo that surrounds the issue."

Although the declaration's backers were pleased that nations on six continents had signed it, there were only two from Asia and four from Africa.

Oregon Senator Gary George tells gays to Shut Up!

In Oregon, two lawmakers are planning a statewide ballot initiative to repeal the gay-rights law passed by the 2007 Legislature prohibiting discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation.

Senator Gary George is one of the co-sponsor of this ballot initiative and was recently interviewed by Oregon's Gay Newspaper, Just Out. I was so blown away by the Senators statements in this interview that I had to share them.

Just Out: Why are you sponsoring this repeal initiative?

State senator Gary George: I’ve had people approach me for special rights for homosexuals and I don’t believe anyone should have special rights. I’ve had members of the gay community come in and ask and I’ll say I’m sorry I don’t give anyone special rights.


Just Out: What sort of special rights do you feel that the Oregon Equality Act offers?

George: First off, I thought that was a fabrication of definition, in the sense that you gave special rights, it picks out another group, a lifestyle group, and says hmm, you have all these protections. The main thing that bothered us with the whole bill was the fact that here we go again, adding one more class of people that need to have special rights.


Just Out: Can you give an example?

George: If I discriminate in favor of you it automatically requires I discriminate against someone else. I was hoping with your generation we can stop calling each other ‘asian-american,' or 'latino-american...' There’s one talk show host, and he has really severe hard feelings against affirmative action. Because of the race that he is, I believe he’s Italian, he was discriminated against because he’s not black. I have dear dear friends in the legislature who are black but sometimes I really get tired of hearing about their color.


Just Out: What if an employee is fired because of his/her sexual orientation or gender identity? Isn't the Oregon Equality Act in place to guard against such discrimination?

George: As an employer, I don’t wanna hear about it. This workplace is for work purposes. My advice to the gay community is SHUT UP, just don’t talk about it. If you walk around talking about what you do in the bedroom, you should be on the pervert channel.


Just Out: What is your reaction to the recent murders of out gay youth in Florida and California?

George: Obviously murder is murder, there’s no excuse for that. Here’s what I’m saying, I think we’re seeing a backlash, in other words if you push me too hard don’t be surprised if I react. Gays will tend to react violently if people are oppressive toward them. If gays are oppressive toward straights, then you’ll see a violent backlash. You’re going to have a point where these groups develop and say I’m tired of these special privileges.


Just Out: Are you suggesting that gays, by virtue of being out and open, are inciting these types of violent reactions?

George: You have to recognize for every action there’s a reaction…we’re obviously not gonna tolerate anyone who beats up any other person.

If you do feel like you’ve been discriminated against as a gay, you have hard feelings. I remember when I was heavy and wore glasses as a child and I was picked on. We all know the gay person that nobody notices – I think that is where we need to head. Everybody knows where the line is, so when I see I’m offending someone, I have to back away from that. We have to adjust our behavior so as to not be offensive. If you push anyone too hard, they will react.

My plea to the gay community would be, hey, mature. We have brilliant, brilliant people within the gay community.


Just Out: Who are some of those brilliant gay people?

George: [Senator George laughs] We know a bunch of them, they’re some of the brightest and wealthiest people in the country.

But wait, there's more...


In an audio recording of Oregon State Senator Gary George (R - McMinnville) February 21, 2008 gathering of the Constitution Party of Oregon has emerged online in which the state senator vigorously agrees with an audience member that, with the state's new anti-discrimination law for sexual minorities in place, Oregon may be headed in the ideological direction of Nazi Germany.

About six minutes into the nearly hour-long speech, state senator Gary George says this:

"Do they [the legislature] have the ability to write a bill dealing with special rights for homosexuals? To say that if I should stand at a pulpit and reach back here and grab a bible and tell you that homosexuality is an abomination to God, and if you're a homosexual you need to stop doing that, okay. You need to stop that.

If I were to do that, under this bill, and we had the right people in the room, I could be brought up on charges - sound a little bit like Canada? Sound a little bit like Europe?"

Then a voice from the crowd yells out "Nazi Germany! Sieg Heil!"

"Nazi Germany, yeah that's right. And so, what happens is, what happens was, is they were able to get passed, and right now there's an effort out there by Marylin Shannon and a bunch of us that are actually going to challenge that. We're gonna say 'No, I'm sorry, you cannot provide special rights, you know, for homosexuals...' with the ability to sue you, and with the requirement that your children and your grandchildren be taught affirmatively that homosexuality is a great idea.

So that's the kind of thing that we're battling down there."