Quest Vol. 13 No. 5

*Quest News* Volume 13 No. 5 March 30, 2006 Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick Top Story: Legal Threats From Out Of State Christian Group KO Another Viroqua H.S. Diversity Day Viroqua - Viroqua High School has cancelled a Diversity Day for a second time in two years after an out-of-state Christian legal group threatened action over the inclusion of gay speakers. The day, held biennially for juniors and seniors, would have been held on March 23 as a opportunity to promote diversity in the community. Speakers were to have included representatives of the African American, Latino, Jewish, Muslim, native American and gay communities. In 2004, about 400 people signed a petition asking that speakers on gay, lesbian and transgender issues not be included in the school’s Diversity Day. The school board cancelled the event, but it was reinstated after spring elections changed the board’s makeup. While pressure in 2004 came largely from within the community, this time, much of the challenge was from outside, according to Gregg Attleson, a Spanish teacher at the school who was on the Diversity Day planning committee. In a fax sent to the school on March 8, Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based Christian public interest law firm that regularly fights LGBT civil rights issues, warned that if Diversity Day went on the school could face legal action. “By excluding the Christian and ex-gay viewpoints, the District violates the Establishment Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection,” the fax claimed. The fax also noted that a federal court in Michigan had ruled unconstitutional a similar exclusion at Ann Arbor Public Schools event. The fax said that the group represented Pastor Don Greven of Bad Axe Lutheran Church and Charles Lind, grandfather of a Viroqua High senior who were concerned that representatives of the so-called ex-gay movement or other Christians opposed to homosexuality were not invited to speak. The committee then decided the best course of action was to cancel the whole day. According to Attleson, the committee had received requests to include the “ex-gay” viewpoint. They contacted the gay couple who would be speaking. The couple refused to participate alongside the ex-gay speaker, Attleson said, saying they would be uncomfortable. Attleson said the Diversity Day program included two keynote speakers, a movie and and small group discussions with three of 10 speakers in sessions scheduled throughout the day. Students could choose which small groups they wanted to attend, and wouldn’t have to participate if their parents contacted the school in advance. “Our students are not going to be living their lives out in Viroqua,” Attleson told the LaCrosse Tribune which broke the story after obtaining a copy of the Liberty Counsel fax. “They’ll be out and about in the world - in jobs, in the military, in the university - and they’re going to come into contact with people of different backgrounds. And we feel it would be real helpful for them in a nice safe place, like a high school, to have contact and be able to dispel some of the stereotypes.” The Diversity Day’s cancellation prompted Wisconsin State Journal columnist Susan Lampert Smith to comment “Wisconsin’s heart of whiteness is intact.” Smith noted that students in the district, nearly 99% of them white, would not be able to hear from “an American Indian speaker, a person with disabilities or anyone who doesn’t look like them.” “For this, we can thank the Liberty Counsel, the same group that kept Ridgeway schoolchildren safe from hearing a kid dressed like a Christmas tree sing non-approved lyrics to the tune of ‘Silent Night,’” Lampert added. Pew Poll Finds U.S. Warming To Gay Marriage Washington, DC - Opposition to same-sex marriage dropped sharply across the country during the past two years, though just over half of Americans still oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center released March 22. The poll also showed increased support for allowing same-sex couples to adopt children, and substantial backing for the rights of gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. The Pew center’s national poll of 1,405 adults, conducted from March 8-12, found that 51% opposed same-sex marriage and 39% supported it. In February 2004, as same-sex couples were marrying in San Francisco, a Pew poll found 63% of Americans opposed the right of gays and lesbians to marry and 30% in favor. The margin of error in the latest survey was plus or minus 3 or 4 percentage points, depending on the question. “In 2004, (same-sex marriage) was an emotional issue that struck a very deeply rooted chord in a lot of people,” Michael Dimock, associate director of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press said. “It is still an issue - a lot of people who opposed it then still oppose it now. But a lot of people who opposed it then were in an intense environment and either feel less strongly or feel that people can do what they want to do.” Support for same-sex marriage has grown steadily over the past decade, according to the Pew center, which is an independent research organization. In 1996, 65% of Americans opposed same-sex marriage and 27%supported it. The poll also found the country nearly evenly split on allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt children with 46% in favor, and 48% opposed. In 1999, 38% of Americans supported adoptions by same-sex couples, while 57% opposed them. Sixty percent of those polled in the most recent survey supported allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, while 32% opposed the idea. “It indicates people are changing,” Dimock said. “They’re becoming more open and tolerant, and we also have a shift in generations, which has a big impact.” The poll noted a distinct change in the number of respondents who said they “strongly oppose” same-sex marriage. In February 2004, 42% were in that category. That dropped to 28% this year, with the biggest decreases being among people over 65, Republicans and those who described themselves as religious moderates. Gay rights advocates said Americans have had plenty of opportunity in the past two years to hear the stories of gay couples and same-sex parents, which has increased tolerance for gay and lesbian rights. “I think people have thought more about gay families in the last two years than in the previous 30,” Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force said. Representatives from Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council declined to comment on the poll. Any shift toward support for same-sex marriage has yet to show up at the polls, however, Since 2004, voters in 13 states have passed constitutional bans on same-sex marriage. At least seven states including Wisconsin will vote on similar measures in November. The survey was released just a day after a poll of California residents indicated increasing support for gay rights in the state, including for same-sex marriages. The nonpartisan Field Poll found that support for same-sex marriage in the state had risen from 38% in 1997 to 43% today. World & National News: Amnesty International: Widespread Police Abuse of LGBT Community in The USA Washington, DC - Thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people across the USA are victims of a system that fuels discrimination and facilitates torture, ill-treatment and impunity, said Amnesty International today as it launched a report on police abuses against people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The report “Stonewalled – Still demanding respect” is based on interviews conducted by Amnesty International (AI) between 2003 and 2005 with members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, victims of gender-based violence, survivors of police abuse, activists, lawyers and law enforcement officials across the US. “The interviews reveal a very clear and worrying pattern. Cases of beatings, sexual violence, verbal abuse, harassment and humiliation by law enforcement officials against LGBT people take place on any given day in detention centers, prisons, in the home, and on the street,” said Amnesty International. In 2004 a women from Athens, Georgia, said she was forced into her apartment at gunpoint by a former County Deputy and raped because she is a lesbian. She said the officer vowed to “teach her a lesson”. Within the LGBT community in the USA, transgender people, members of ethnic or racial minorities, young people and immigrants are particular targets of police abuse. A Native American transgender woman told AI that in October 2003 she was stopped in Los Angeles by two police officers as she was walking along the street in the early hours of the morning. According to her testimony, the officers handcuffed her and drove her in the police car to an alley off Hollywood Boulevard where she was beaten, verbally abused and raped. After her ordeal she was thrown to the ground and told “that’s what you deserve.” Despite the significant progress over recent decades in the recognition of LGBT rights in the USA, persistent discriminatory attitudes have created a situation in which abuse of LGBT people is frequently dismissed as “normal”. Victims often do not report police brutality and other crimes against them because they fear hostile or abusive response from the police and because, as they know, many reported abuses are not properly and impartially investigated. “There are still some discriminatory laws; but the bigger problem is the discriminatory way in which many laws are applied, which often results in the arrest and detention of individuals just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Amnesty International. In December 2003, a young African-American gay activist was waiting at a bus stop when Chicago police officers arrested him allegedly for loitering with intent to solicit. Despite providing identification and corroborating information from the organization he represents, he was detained for two days. “Effective reform requires the backing of the highest ranks. There needs to be a fundamental understanding of the right to freely express one’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Amnesty International. Amnesty International is calling on US federal and state authorities to take action to prevent discriminatory application of the law, to investigate all allegations of sexual, physical and verbal abuse against LGBT people by their officials and to bring those responsible to justice. Amnesty International’s report is part of a campaign on the issue of police abuse against LGBT people in the USA launched in September 2005. Amnesty International will also be presenting its range of concerns about the situation of human rights in the USA to the UN Committee Against Torture and the UN Human Rights Committee during 2006. For a copy of the report “Stonewalled – Still demanding respect: Police abuse and misconduct against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the USA,” visit the Amnesty International website at: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr510012006. Dueling Faith-Based Rallies Heat Up Minnesota Amendment Fight St. Paul - Two rallies held two days apart at the Minnesota State Capitol by supporters and opponents of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage focused on religion and faith to support their messages. Turning up the temperature on arguments about faith and its place in a debate about who can marry whom, opponents of a proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage rallied in the Capitol rotunda March 23 Participants gathered two days after a rally by ban supporters outside the Capitol that featured similar proclamations of faith. The March 23 “People of Faith” rally pulled an estimated 1800 participants and was designed to focus on religion and its role in the debate. More than 160 faith leaders from 14 denominations have signed a resolution opposing the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Banners from such places as St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, St. Paul Reformation Lutheran Church, and the Mayflower Community Congregational Church lined the second floor of the rotunda. Rally participants crowded into the three floors of the rotunda and spilled three-deep into the halls. Though same-sex marriage is prohibited under Minnesota law, a proposal being considered would give it the weight of the state Constitution. The Republican-majority Minnesota House has passed a bill that would put the proposed ban on the ballot in November. Leaders of the DFL-majority Senate have pledged to hold a hearing on a similar measure in committee, but supporters of the ban have urged a floor vote. Rabbi Aaron Brusso, of the Adath Jeshurun Congregation and co-chair of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association, said one’s fate in this country should not be tied to one’s birth. People do not choose their gender, color or sexual orientation, he said. “It does not matter if you are born a slave; a human being should be free. It does not matter if you are a woman; a human being should vote. It does not matter if you are black; a human being should be a citizen. By what right does it say that if you are born a gay or lesbian, you are not a human being?” he asked. The Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church said same-sex marriage is not one of the threats to traditional marriage in our society. “The time and energy spent wasted pushing this amendment forward would be better spent addressing the issues that are genuine threats to families in our society and our state: unemployment, homelessness, poor access to health care,” she said. The anti-amendment event came two days after about 1,000 supporters of the measure gathered outside the Capitol for a rally that also focused on religious issues related to marriage. Chuck Darrell of Minnesota for Marriage, which is lobbying for the amendment, said it’s good that faith groups are entering the debate over marriage. But Darrell claimed the March 23 rally focused only on “love” and ignored “truth.” “What is loving about putting children in an environment where they’re missing either a mother or father?” Darrell said. Jacob and Kate Lundquist of rural Roseau drove down to St. Paul so that they could be at the anti-amendment rally. The Lundquists said they were compelled to make the trip after their pastor encouraged congregants to support the amendment. They disagree. “I think it’s important for people to realize that all people of faith are not for this amendment,” Kate Lundquist said. Justice Ginsburg Says Republican Rhetoric Sparked Death Threats Washington, DC - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she and former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor have been the targets of death threats from the “irrational fringe” of society, people apparently spurred by Republican criticism of the high court. Ginsburg revealed in a speech in South Africa last month that she and O’Connor were threatened a year ago by someone who called on the Internet for the immediate “patriotic” killing of the justices. Security concerns among judges have been growing. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter joked this year that Justice John Paul Stevens should be poisoned. Over the past few months O’Connor has complained that criticism, mainly by Republicans, has threatened judicial independence to deal with difficult issues like gay marriage. Ginsburg said the web threat was apparently prompted by proposals in Congress, filed by Republicans, that tell judges to stop relying on foreign laws or court decisions. “It is disquieting that they have attracted sizable support. And one not-so-small concern - they fuel the irrational fringe,” she said in a speech the court posted online this month and first reported March 15 by LegalTimes.com. FDA Will Reconsider Gay Blood Ban Washington, DC - The Food and Drug Administration will reconsider current policy that bars as a blood donor any man who has had sex with another man since 1977, officials said March 17. Changing the policy has been recommended by the American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks and America’s Blood Centers, which collect virtually all the blood used for transfusions nationwide. The three groups had requested the change at a March 8 workshop the FDA convened to review the latest scientific information about the safety of the blood supply, arguing that current tests and screening methods have improved enough to protect transfusion recipients without the lifetime ban. Instead, the panel recommended a one year ban for men reporting having sex with another man, thus treating them the same as other groups at increased risk for spreading sexually transmitted virus through donated blood. “We strongly support the use of rational, scientifically based deferral policies, and we want them to be applied fairly and consistently,” Red Cross spokesperson Ryland Dodge said. The FDA implemented the lifetime ban in the mid-1980s when concerns about the spread of the HIV were running high and many questions remained about the ease with which people could spread the virus and the reliability of screening methods. Since then, the accuracy of testing has improved substantially, as have questionnaires that all donors answer to identify those posing the greatest risk, Dodge said. “All these things come together to make us much more confident that our layers of safety have improved to the point where they should review the policy,” Dodge said. FDA spokesman Stephen King said the agency would convene a meeting of its Blood Products Advisory Committee to formally reconsider revising the policy, probably later this year. Agency officials are “definitely interested in hearing all the science, and if there’s hard evidence in place that changing the policy would not endanger the blood supply they’re definitely open to it,” King said. The current policy has long been a sore point for gay civil rights groups. “The blood deferral policy that exists is not based on science. It’s based on inertia and in many cases stereotypes,” Lambda Legal’s Jon Givner said. “The FDA should revisit the issue and adopt a deferral policy that is based on actual risk rather than sexual orientation.” Leading Adoption Institute Strongly Recommends Gay Adoptions New York - The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute released a new report March 23 that finds there is no child-centered reason to prevent gays and lesbians from becoming adoptive parents, and recommends that they be utilized more extensively to provide permanent, loving homes for children living in state care across the country. “Based on both the available research and growing experience,” the report concluded, “adoption by gays and lesbians holds promise as an avenue for achieving permanency for many of the waiting children in foster care.” The Institute report - which is part of a larger, more extensive year-long project that will be completed and released in several months - is intended to provide a research-based context for the ongoing debate in the United States over the adoption of children by gays and lesbians. Most important, the Institute seeks to develop information to help shape best practices that focus on providing boys and girls in the child welfare system with safe, committed and enduring families. The principal findings of the report, which is entitled “Expanding Resources for Children,” are: * Against a backdrop of increasing public acceptance, social science research concludes that children reared by gay and lesbian parents fare comparably to those of children raised by heterosexuals on a range of measures of social and psychological adjustment. * Studies are growing in number and rigor, but the body of research on gay/lesbian parenting is relatively small and has methodological limitations. Still, virtually every valid study reaches the same conclusion: The children of gays and lesbians adjust positively and their families function well. The limited research on gay/lesbian adoption points in the same direction. * Though few states have laws or policies explicitly barring homosexuals from adopting, some individual agencies and workers outside those states discriminate against gay and lesbian applicants based on their own biases or on mistaken beliefs that such prohibitions exist. * Laws and policies that preclude adoption by gay or lesbian parents disadvantage the tens of thousands of children mired in the foster care system who need permanent, loving homes. “The bottom line for those of us who advocate for children is clear,” Adam Pertman, the Executive Director of the Adoption Institute said. “There’s simply no credible research to indicate that children are harmed in any way when they’re adopted by gay and lesbian parents, but there’s lots of evidence to indicate that they do well in those homes. So, if we as a society believe that kids should be our primary concern, we have to put aside our prejudices and preconceived notions, and do the best we can for them.” The Institute’s research examined the relevant issues, laws and practices relating to gay and lesbian adoption and parenting, and the available studies spanning the last several decades. It represents one of the broadest and most thorough reviews and analyses to date on the questions involved. If the pool of available parents for waiting children is to be expanded to include gays and lesbians, the report recommends that child advocates and policy-makers take steps including: * Move to end legal and de facto restrictions on adoption by gays and lesbians. This includes working to expand co-parent and second parent adoption, as well as revising agency policies and practices that may impede their consideration as an adoptive resource. * Develop clear statements in support of such adoptions, recognizing a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach disadvantages parents and, ultimately, their children. And develop contacts with the gay/lesbian community in order to engage in genuine, informed outreach. * Help workers, supervisors, and agency leaders examine their attitudes and beliefs about gay and lesbian parenting, while affirming the value of these families by including them in outreach, training materials, and parent panels. * Conduct research to inform the development of resources, training, and support to improve post-adoption success. And work to include and educate children in the process, recognizing that they may encounter prejudice if adopted by gay parents. The Adoption Institute is the pre-eminent research, policy and education organization in its field. Its mission is to provide leadership that improves laws, policies and practices - through sound research, education and advocacy - in order to better the lives of everyone touched by adoption. Because it is independent of any interest group or cause, the Institute has long been a source of accurate, unbiased information for journalists, researchers and policy makers. The Institute’s current initiatives include ones on identity formation in adoption, ethics in adoption, siblings in adoption, improving policies for international adoptions, and establishing best practices for birth parents. The Institute’s website at: www.adoptioninstitute.org, contains extensive information on a wide array of adoption-related issues. U.S. State Department Lists The World’s Worst Places To Live For Gay People Washington, DC - Gay globe trotters may want to consider adding another guide to their piles of travel brochures, Damron and Fodor tip books: the recently released State Department human rights report. The State Department annually issues a human rights report noting abuse committed by foreign governments. One category is abuse motivated by victims’ sexual orientation and gender identity. Gay rights advocates applauded the 2005 report, released March 15, for its detailing of anti-gay abuses committed in a range of countries, including Iran, Poland, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates. “I was glad to see (the report) talked about issues of discrimination,” Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Rights program at Human Rights Watch, told Southern Voice. Past reports, he said, “were willing to address egregious persecution but not everyday life.” The violations outlined in the report range from criminalizing homosexuality in Nigeria to banning gay rights parades in Warsaw, Poland, to the murders of gay rights and AIDS activists in Jamaica. The report also criticized Nigeria for health care and employment discrimination against HIV-positive people. The public, the report stated, believes HIV is “a result of immoral behavior.” The United Arab Emirates, the country recently making headlines in Dubai Ports World controversy , criminalizes homosexuality. The UAE was cited in the State Department report for arresting 26 gay men and reportedly giving them hormone treatments to change their sexual orientation. While homosexuality is not illegal in Nepal, the report stated, police still harass and abuse gays. It is unclear what criterion is used to define abuse, as some human rights violations - like criminalizing sodomy - were the law of the land in a dozen U.S. states until a Supreme Court decision in 2003. The report’s inclusiveness of gay-related abuse can help asylum seekers who must prove persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity in their home country, Chris Nugent, a D.C. attorney who specializes in gay asylum cases said. “It is a vital source of information concerning treatment. It’s relied on by immigration adjudicators as evidence of human rights conditions abroad.” While the report may help asylum seekers, it is less clear what it will mean for U.S. domestic policy and relationships with other countries. The State Department is required by law to issue the reports, which are supposed to help determine funding granted to foreign countries, according to Elisa Massimino, D.C. director of Human Rights First, a human rights advocacy group. There also is the problem of credibility because of the United States’ own human rights record, which is absent from the report. In the past year there has been international outcry over U.S. policies to torture and indefinitely detain suspects, as well as the policy of “rendition,” or sending a foreign suspect to a third country for interrogation. Critics have alleged that some terrorism suspects are sent abroad to be tortured. These charges are missing from the country reports, even for those countries where suspects were sent, according to Massimino. The Top 10 Most Anti-Gay Nations Sources: Human Rights Watch, 2005 State Dept. Report 1.) Uganda: Last July, the government of Uganda approved a constitutional amendment banning equal marriage rights for gays. Consensual homosexual sex can be punished by life in prison. 2.) Iran: People with HIV face discrimination in employment and at school. Intercourse between two men is punishable by death and homosexual acts that do not involve intercourse are punishable by 100 lashes. Two young men, at least one a minor, were executed in Mashad in July, some claim, for being gay. Two more men were executed for being gay last November. 3.) Egypt: While Egyptian officials claim that homosexuality is not illegal, Human Rights Watch says that it is. Egyptian law prohibits fujur, which courts have interpreted to mean “homosexual relations between men.” Rights groups have documented hundreds of cases in which gay men were arrested and tortured. Men are subjected to abusive anal examinations. 4.) Saudi Arabia: Some gays who are convicted of homosexuality are flogged with 2,000 lashings, according to Ariel Herrera of Amnesty International’s OUTFront program. Gay men have been beheaded in public squares for the crime of consensual homosexual sex. 5.) Nigeria: Homosexuality is outlawed in the Nigerian penal code and Muslim law. However, in northern states under Muslim law the punishment can be death; in the civil penal code homosexuality can carry up to a 14-year prison sentence. The numbers of people arrested and sentenced for sodomy are unknown. A new law forbids same-sex marriage and prohibits gays from assembling and petitioning the government. It also allows prosecution of newspapers that publish information about same-sex relationships and religious groups that allow same-sex unions. Those who violate the law can be sentenced to five years in prison. 6.) United Arab Emirates: Civil and Muslim law criminalize homosexuality in the UAE. Last November, 26 gay men were arrested and reportedly given hormone treatments and therapy. 7.) Cameroon: Last May, 17 men were arrested for homosexuality. Twelve were charged and detained. The suspects were given a “medical examination” to find evidence of homosexual conduct, the State Department reported, citing IGLHRC as the source of the information. 8.) Poland: “Right wing groups attempted on several occasions to disrupt Gay Pride marches,” states the report. In 2005 Warsaw Mayor Lech Kaczynski, who is now Poland’s president, denied Gay Pride groups the right to march because he “would not allow the promotion of gay culture,” the report states. However the marchers assembled anyway and spoke about discrimination they faced. 9.) Nepal: While homosexuality is not criminalized, government authorities harass and abuse gays and transgender people. In April, police attacked 18 transgender women who were on their way to a festival. 10.) India: Violation of India’s sodomy law is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The sodomy law is often used to harass and detain AIDS prevention workers and gays. State News: UW Safer Spaces Initiative Launched Madison - The UW-Madison LGBT Campus Center (LGBT CC), in cooperation with the Office of the Provost and the Dean of Students, has announced the UW Safer Spaces Initiative. According to Eric W. Trekell, Director of the LGBT CC, recent events have shown that no place - Madison included - is truly “safe” for LGBT individuals. “The initial goal of the UW Safer Spaces Initiative is to raise awareness of, and provide education around, issues of assault, violence, harassment and discrimination, Trekell said. “The long-term goal of the Initiative is to develop a series of strategic alliances among social justice-focused organizations on campus and in the downtown Madison community to develop a more comprehensive and inclusive anti-hate initiative.” The Initiative will begin with three major components: an advertising campaign in the UW-Madison student newspapers, a “gay? fine by me.” t-shirt campaign culminating in a National Day of Silence “Breaking The Silence” rally at the State Capitol on April 26th, and; a series of programs. The Initiative’s first advertisement ran in the March 24 edition of the Badger Herald. Additional ads will run in the Badger Herald and the Daily Cardinal on alternate weeks. The first program was held March 27. “Licensed To Kill,” a 70 minute video by filmmaker Arthur Dong interviewing inmates serving on death row or life imprisonment for murdering gay men was followed by a panel discussion that included Dr. Joe Elder, UW Sociology and Det. Carol Ann Glassmaker & Sgt. Jerome Vannatta, of the UW Police Dept. A second video and discussion program is set for Tuesday, April 4 at 7:30 PM in Room 1651 Humanities and will feature “Tongues Untied,” a documentary by Marlin Riggs that exposes the homophobia and racism that confront gay black men in the United States, using poetry, music, and oral history. LGBT CC staff will facilitate discussion after the showing. On Monday, April 10 a third program featuring the showing of the film “Family Fundamentals” will be held at 7 PM in Room 111 of the Humanities building. Filmmaker Arthur Dong interviews three evangelical families who have to deal with gay children in the documentary. Other highlights include a Christian conference advocating reparative therapy to cure homosexuality, Congressional and television debates, and several heart rending stories. On Tuesday, April 18 Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu George Takei will deliver the lecture “Equality - The Final Frontier” in Room 3650 Humanities at 7 PM. Takei, who recently made headlines by coming out and who regularly appears on the Howard Stern program, will talk about living in a WWII Japanese-American internment camp, his recent coming out, and the need for equality. On Wednesday, April 26 the National Day of Silence March and Rally will be start at 4:30 PM from the Library Mall and conclude at the Capitol. UW Allies and LGBT community will march up State Street to support a rally of regional high school Gay Straight Alliances. Co-sponsors of various events include the UW-Madison All Greek Council, the UW Allies, the UW Students for Equality, the UW Student Leadership Program’s Leadership and Social Justice Committee, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of South-Central Wisconsin, and the Human Rights Campaign. For more information on the UW Safer Spaces Initiative, contact: Eric W. Trekell, Director of the LGBT Campus Center by phone at: 608- 265-2480 or visit the center’s website at: lgbtcc.studentorg.wisc.edu. GLSEN Seeks Award Nominations Madison - The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of South Central Wisconsin (GLSEN-SCW) is accepting award nominations for educators and community activists who have made a positive impact on the climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Wisconsin schools. GLSEN-SCW will recognize one educator and one community activist for their work at the 10th Annual Celebration of Leadership at the Monona Terrace in downtown Madison on Saturday, May 20. Individuals and groups are encouraged to nominate educators, community members, and students who they feel are deserving of such an award. Letters of nomination should include the following information: the name of nominee and their role with school; the nominator's relationship to nominee, including length of relationship; and the steps the nominee has taken to help improve the school's climate and to raise awareness and acceptance for LGBT students and staff. Nominations should be no longer than two typed pages. Nominators should include their name and contact information, including phone and email, if applicable. Deadline for nominations is April 5. Nomination materials can be downloaded from the GLSEN-SCW website at: www.glsenscw.org and should be printed and mailed to: GLSEN-SCW, Attn: Awards Committee, 1202 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703. In addition to these awards, GLSEN-SCW will present $500 scholarships to four graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting respect for all, especially in a school setting, with an emphasis on LGBT issues. GLSEN South Central Wisconsin is an education organization creating safe schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. GLSEN envisions a future in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Feingold At AIDS Network's Red Ribbon Affair Madison - AIDS Network will welcome U. S. Senator Russ Feingold to its annual Red Ribbon Affair to be held at the Monona Terrace Saturday, March 31. The annual fundraising dinner and silent auction will also welcome special guests U. S. Representative Tammy Baldwin, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, State Assembly Representative Mark Pocan and other prominent LGBT and gay-friendly individuals. Doors will open for the silent auction at 6 PM and dinner will begin at 7:30. Attendees may choose from a variety of menu selections including Chicken Picatta, Green Peppercorn Encrusted Sirloin of Beef, Moroccan Salmon, or a vegetarian Caribbean Polenta. Entertainment throughout the evening will be offered by the Rob Dz Experience, the Fountain of Life Worship Team, the Perfect Harmony Men's Chorus and Mifasol. Tickets are $75 each and may be obtained by calling Dan Curd at the AIDS Network at 608-252-6559, Ext. 21, by eamil at: dcurd@aidsnetwork.org or by registering online at: www.aidsnetwork.org. Key sponsor for this year's event is the Dean Health System. Leadership sponsors include Abbott Laboratories, AnchorBank and GlaxoSmithKline. Other corporate sponsors include American Family Insurance, Cullen, Weston, Pines & Bach LLP and UW Health. Proceeds from the Red Ribbon Affair will benefit AIDS Network. Since 1985, the AIDS Network (formerly the Madison AIDS Support Network) has provided critical AIDS care and prevention services to south central Wisconsin. The agency is sustained in these efforts by the resources, expertise and passion of hundreds of volunteers and donors. Working together they strive to meet the increasing needs that HIV disease and AIDS place before us. Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Opposes Civil Unions & Marriage Ban Milwaukee - The Wisconsin AFL-CIO has announced its opposition to the proposed constitutional ban on civil unions and marriage. The Wisconsin Legislature recently approved the measure and placed it on the November statewide ballot. “The mission of the AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families - to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our communities,” David Newby, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO said in a March 22 press release. “Discrimination against persons because of their sexual orientation not only violates the basic concept of human rights, but it also translates into economic discrimination.” The Wisconsin AFL-CIO also cited the far-reaching consequences of the proposed ban. In states that have passed similar bans, domestic partner benefits negotiated by labor unions are being challenged in court. The Michigan Attorney General issued a memo calling on local government employers not to renew existing domestic partner benefits. “Legal opinions indicate that this constitutional amendment will adversely affect domestic partner benefits and probably make them illegal. Unions have negotiated domestic partner benefits for employees they represent,” said Newby. “Domestic partner status provides employees crucial access to health care, family and medical leave, bereavement leave and other benefits. This applies to partner families that are heterosexual as well as committed gay and lesbian families. If unions and employers negotiate partners’ benefits, why should state government interfere?” The State AFL-CIO is committed to educating its members about the harms of the civil unions and marriage ban and urging them to vote against it in November. As the statewide coordinating council for all AFL-CIO unions in Wisconsin, the State AFL-CIO determines union policy on state issues, speaks for labor and indirectly for all working people on matters of public concern, provides services to local unions, and coordinates political and legislative action with its 1,000 affiliated unions which represent 250,000 members in the state. Stage Q’s “Dutch Love” Marks Debut Of New Artistic Director Madison - StageQ, Inc. has announced its production of the comedy play “Dutch Love” by Claudia Allen. The show opens Friday, April 7 and runs through Saturday, April 29 at the Bartell Theatre on 113 E. Mifflin Street in Madison. “Dutch Love” is the story of a man and woman married for over 20 years and their college age daughter. What seems to be an average American family is shattered by the announcement that mom is in love with a woman named Dutch. And while this is stressful enough for dad, his past boyfriend shows up for Easter dinner with Dutch who is eyeing up their daughter. Laughs and comedy of errors and manners ensure an entertaining night of theater. “HBO’s ‘Big Love’ and ‘The Sopranos’ are wholesome family entertainment compared to this family,” StageQ’s new Artistic Director Tara Ayres told Quest. The play marks her first production for the local not-for-profit theater group. Claudia Allen is a Midwest playwright whose previously play “Hannah Free” played to big audiences last year at the Bartell. “Dutch Love”features Pam Adams, Christopher Babiarz, Kelly Kiorpes, Tim Spires, and Katy Conley as Dutch. “Dutch Love” runs Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8. A Sunday matinee is set for April 23 at 2 PM. Tickets are $10 for Thursday and Sunday shows and $15 for Friday and Saturday. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.StageQ.com. Reservations also can be made by calling 608-661-9696, Ext. 3. Tranny Roadshow Comes to Milwaukee Milwaukee - The multimedia extravaganza Tranny Roadshow, featuring transgender poets, rappers, filmmakers, storytellers, breakdancers, rock bands, comedians, actors, folk singers, photographers, zinesters, and more, is making a one-night stop in Milwaukee at 10:00 PM on Thursday, April 6, at the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, 703 South Second Street. Seven regular and guest artist members of the Tranny Roadshow will be featured on April 6: AJ Bryce, Dylan Scholinski, Jamez Terry, Kelly Shortandqueer, Tona Brown, Seeley Quest, and Imani Henry. Although all are self-identified as transgender, they promise a “raucous evening of entertainment, open and accessible to people of all backgrounds.” Tickets are $10 and may be ordered online at www.uncommontheatre.net or calling the ticket order line at 800-595-4849. A small additional online fee applies. Tickets will also be available at the door. Tranny Roadshow is being co-sponsored by the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center and Forge, a 12-year-old trans-masculine/SOFFA (Significant Others, Friends, Family and Allies) educational, advocacy and support organization based in Milwaukee. For more information about Forge, call 414-559-2123, or visit the group’s website at: www.forge-forward.org. Feature Story: Task Force’s Winter Party Warms $300K To Gay Groups By Steve Vargas and Nathan Mathis Miami Beach - Backs and bodies - smooth, freckled, tattooed, tan and mostly all ripped - pulsed in the salt breeze on South Beach at the dance party finale at the Winter Party, held March 5 and yearly to raise money for local and national gay rights groups. As the sun set, house anthems spread a bittersweet euphoria across the crowd of 5,000 partygoers, mostly men. “It’s a male-bonding, sensual, tribal-type of connection, being able to touch and be physical with other guys and express what you never got as a kid,” Mark Heiner, a bartender in town from New York told us. The bash unofficially kicked off what is known as “circuit party” season, attendees said - for the next six months, some will travel a world-circuit in search of the best party around. “It looks pretty, but there’s a dark side that can happen,” Heiner said, nodding to the drug abuse and often-futile search for love that he said can mark the scene. In Miami Beach, though, the beach party wound down a five-day winter festival which this year drew 10,000 guests - at least 6,000 from snow socked northern cities and other points out of town. Begun in 1994 to raise cash to defeat anti-gay state legislation, the Winter Party is now run by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a non-profit advocacy group working to build grassroots support for gay rights. Amid the South Beach soiree, the group has retained its political mission, kicking two-thirds of the festival’s estimated $300,000 in profits back to local gay groups. “People want to stereotype gay people into being white, handsome and dancing - and that is definitely a part of our community that we’re intensely proud of,” Matt Foreman, executive director of the national Task Force said. “But our community is also families with children, poor people and people of color.” He also added, “ I don’t see any tension between serious work and good parties, but we’re going to keep on broadening the festival.” This year, then, the five-day bash spilled beyond house-heavy circuit parties to include golf, museums, wine-tasting and beachfront films, a family picnic and fashion show - in part reflecting the evolution of an aging gay rights movement that now reaches out to baby boomers, too, said festival spokeswoman Sharon Kersten. But beneath the bamboo scaffold and billowing white banners on the beach, dancing was still the main point. “It makes you feel so happy and independent,” Connecticut financial consultant Emre Algan said. “It makes me feel creative, like I can be myself.” The crowd at the Beach Party was ruled cute, not hard, by a soft-spoken spectator from Atlanta, standing along the seaside fence. The sun-splashed vibe was all about community, family and pride. Later as dark fell, so did the bass - from soaring, lyric-filled anthems to deep tribal house. Meanwhile, in speedos and cargo shorts, golden-backed boys twirled fluorescent scarves like trippy windmill waves, a move called “flagging.” Otherwise, there was no voguing, no posing, just dancing - for itself, for the way it looks, for the way it feels. “It’s more about a free spirit, to do your own thing, to set trends,” pharmacist Richard Long said before heading to the risers for a view of the sun-kissed crowd. Standing there, it just seemed possible that dancers might be “the athletes of God” or at least that’s what Albert Einstein once said, according to Circuit Noize magazine, handed out at the party. And as diva Kim English took the stage at sunset, belting out her anthem “Unspeakable Joy,” it was so: Crowds rose in a cheer between the sand dunes and sea and lost themselves in the swirl. Top of Page Quest Home QNU Home

Quest News Volume 13 No. 5 March 30, 2006
Compiled & written by Mike Fitzpatrick

Top Story:

Legal Threats From Out Of State Christian Group
KO Another Viroqua H.S. Diversity Day
Viroqua - Viroqua High School has cancelled a Diversity Day for a second time in two years after an out-of-state Christian legal group threatened action over the inclusion of gay speakers. The day, held biennially for juniors and seniors, would have been held on March 23 as a opportunity to promote diversity in the community. Speakers were to have included representatives of the African American, Latino, Jewish, Muslim, native American and gay communities.
In 2004, about 400 people signed a petition asking that speakers on gay, lesbian and transgender issues not be included in the school’s Diversity Day. The school board cancelled the event, but it was reinstated after spring elections changed the board’s makeup.
While pressure in 2004 came largely from within the community, this time, much of the challenge was from outside, according to Gregg Attleson, a Spanish teacher at the school who was on the Diversity Day planning committee.
In a fax sent to the school on March 8, Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based Christian public interest law firm that regularly fights LGBT civil rights

issues, warned that if Diversity Day went on the school could face legal action. “By excluding the Christian and ex-gay viewpoints, the District violates the Establishment Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection,” the fax claimed. The fax also noted that a federal court in Michigan had ruled unconstitutional a similar exclusion at Ann Arbor Public Schools event.
The fax said that the group represented Pastor Don Greven of Bad Axe Lutheran Church and Charles Lind, grandfather of a Viroqua High senior who were concerned that representatives of the so-called ex-gay movement or other Christians opposed to homosexuality were not invited to speak.
The committee then decided the best course of action was to cancel the whole day.
According to Attleson, the committee had received requests to include the “ex-gay” viewpoint. They contacted the gay couple who would be speaking. The couple refused to participate alongside the ex-gay speaker, Attleson said, saying they would be uncomfortable.
Attleson said the Diversity Day program included two keynote speakers, a movie and and small group discussions with three of 10 speakers in sessions scheduled throughout the day. Students could choose which small groups they wanted to attend, and wouldn’t have to participate if their parents contacted the school in advance.
“Our students are not going to be living their lives out in Viroqua,” Attleson told the LaCrosse Tribune which broke the story after obtaining a copy of the Liberty Counsel fax. “They’ll be out and about in the world - in jobs, in the military, in the university - and they’re going to come into contact with people of different backgrounds. And we feel it would be real helpful for them in a nice safe place, like a high school, to have contact and be able to dispel some of the stereotypes.”
The Diversity Day’s cancellation prompted Wisconsin State Journal columnist Susan Lampert Smith to comment “Wisconsin’s heart of whiteness is intact.” Smith noted that students in the district, nearly 99% of them white, would not be able to hear from “an American Indian speaker, a person with disabilities or anyone who doesn’t look like them.”
“For this, we can thank the Liberty Counsel, the same group that kept Ridgeway schoolchildren safe from hearing a kid dressed like a Christmas tree sing non-approved lyrics to the tune of ‘Silent Night,’” Lampert added.

Pew Poll Finds U.S. Warming To Gay Marriage
Washington, DC - Opposition to same-sex marriage dropped sharply across the country during the past two years, though just over half of Americans still oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center released March 22. The poll also showed

increased support for allowing same-sex couples to adopt children, and substantial backing for the rights of gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.
The Pew center’s national poll of 1,405 adults, conducted from March 8-12, found that 51% opposed same-sex marriage and 39% supported it. In February 2004, as same-sex couples were marrying in San Francisco, a Pew poll found 63% of Americans opposed the right of gays and lesbians to marry and 30% in favor. The margin of error in the latest survey was plus or minus 3 or 4 percentage points, depending on the question.
“In 2004, (same-sex marriage) was an emotional issue that struck a very deeply rooted chord in a lot of people,” Michael Dimock, associate director of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press said. “It is still an issue - a lot of people who opposed it then still oppose it now. But a lot of people who opposed it then were in an intense environment and either feel less strongly or feel that people can do what they want to do.”
Support for same-sex marriage has grown steadily over the past decade, according to the Pew center, which is an independent research organization. In 1996, 65% of Americans opposed same-sex marriage and 27%supported it.
The poll also found the country nearly evenly split on allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt children with 46% in favor, and 48% opposed. In 1999, 38% of Americans supported adoptions by same-sex couples, while 57% opposed them.
Sixty percent of those polled in the most recent survey supported allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, while 32% opposed the idea. “It indicates people are changing,” Dimock said. “They’re becoming more open and tolerant, and we also have a shift in generations, which has a big impact.”
The poll noted a distinct change in the number of respondents who said they “strongly oppose” same-sex marriage. In February 2004, 42% were in that category. That dropped to 28% this year, with the biggest decreases being among people over 65, Republicans and those who described themselves as religious moderates.
Gay rights advocates said Americans have had plenty of opportunity in the past two years to hear the stories of gay couples and same-sex parents, which has increased tolerance for gay and lesbian rights. “I think people have thought more about gay families in the last two years than in the previous 30,” Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force said. Representatives from Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council declined to comment on the poll.
Any shift toward support for same-sex marriage has yet to show up at the polls, however, Since 2004, voters in 13 states have passed constitutional bans on same-sex marriage. At least seven states including Wisconsin will vote on similar measures in November.
The survey was released just a day after a poll of California residents indicated increasing support for gay rights in the state, including for same-sex marriages. The nonpartisan Field Poll found that support for same-sex marriage in the state had risen from 38% in 1997 to 43% today.

World & National News:

Amnesty International: Widespread Police Abuse of LGBT Community in The USA
Washington, DC - Thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people across the USA are victims of a system that fuels discrimination and facilitates torture, ill-treatment and impunity, said Amnesty International today as it launched a report on police abuses against people on the basis of

their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The report “Stonewalled – Still demanding respect” is based on interviews conducted by Amnesty International (AI) between 2003 and 2005 with members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, victims of gender-based violence, survivors of police abuse, activists, lawyers and law enforcement officials across the US.
“The interviews reveal a very clear and worrying pattern. Cases of beatings, sexual violence, verbal abuse, harassment and humiliation by law enforcement officials against LGBT people take place on any given day in detention centers, prisons, in the home, and on the street,” said Amnesty International.
In 2004 a women from Athens, Georgia, said she was forced into her apartment at gunpoint by a former County Deputy and raped because she is a lesbian. She said the officer vowed to “teach her a lesson”.
Within the LGBT community in the USA, transgender people, members of ethnic or racial minorities, young people and immigrants are particular targets of police abuse.
A Native American transgender woman told AI that in October 2003 she was stopped in Los Angeles by two police officers as she was walking along the street in the early hours of the morning. According to her testimony, the officers handcuffed her and drove her in the police car to an alley off Hollywood Boulevard where she was beaten, verbally abused and raped. After her ordeal she was thrown to the ground and told “that’s what you deserve.”
Despite the significant progress over recent decades in the recognition of LGBT rights in the USA, persistent discriminatory attitudes have created a situation in which abuse of LGBT people is frequently dismissed as “normal”.
Victims often do not report police brutality and other crimes against them because they fear hostile or abusive response from the police and because, as they know, many reported abuses are not properly and impartially investigated.
“There are still some discriminatory laws; but the bigger problem is the discriminatory way in which many laws are applied, which often results in the arrest and detention of individuals just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Amnesty International.
In December 2003, a young African-American gay activist was waiting at a bus stop when Chicago police officers arrested him allegedly for loitering with intent to solicit. Despite providing identification and corroborating information from the organization he represents, he was detained for two days.
“Effective reform requires the backing of the highest ranks. There needs to be a fundamental understanding of the right to freely express one’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Amnesty International.
Amnesty International is calling on US federal and state authorities to take action to prevent discriminatory application of the law, to investigate all allegations of sexual, physical and verbal abuse against LGBT people by their officials and to bring those responsible to justice.
Amnesty International’s report is part of a campaign on the issue of police abuse against LGBT people in the USA launched in September 2005.
Amnesty International will also be presenting its range of concerns about the situation of human rights in the USA to the UN Committee Against Torture and the UN Human Rights Committee during 2006.
For a copy of the report “Stonewalled – Still demanding respect: Police abuse and misconduct against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the USA,” visit the Amnesty International website at: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr510012006.

Dueling Faith-Based Rallies Heat Up Minnesota Amendment Fight
St. Paul - Two rallies held two days apart at the Minnesota State Capitol by supporters and opponents of a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage focused on religion and faith to support their messages.
Turning up the temperature on arguments about faith and its place in a debate about who can marry whom, opponents of a proposed state Minesota Rally

constitutional ban on same-sex marriage rallied in the Capitol rotunda March 23
Participants gathered two days after a rally by ban supporters outside the Capitol that featured similar proclamations of faith.
The March 23 “People of Faith” rally pulled an estimated 1800 participants and was designed to focus on religion and its role in the debate. More than 160 faith leaders from 14 denominations have signed a resolution opposing the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Banners from such places as St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, St. Paul Reformation Lutheran Church, and the Mayflower Community Congregational Church lined the second floor of the rotunda. Rally participants crowded into the three floors of the rotunda and spilled three-deep into the halls.
Though same-sex marriage is prohibited under Minnesota law, a proposal being considered would give it the weight of the state Constitution. The Republican-majority Minnesota House has passed a bill that would put the proposed ban on the ballot in November. Leaders of the DFL-majority Senate have pledged to hold a hearing on a similar measure in committee, but supporters of the ban have urged a floor vote.
Rabbi Aaron Brusso, of the Adath Jeshurun Congregation and co-chair of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association, said one’s fate in this country should not be tied to one’s birth. People do not choose their gender, color or sexual orientation, he said.
“It does not matter if you are born a slave; a human being should be free. It does not matter if you are a woman; a human being should vote. It does not matter if you are black; a human being should be a citizen. By what right does it say that if you are born a gay or lesbian, you are not a human being?” he asked.
The Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church said same-sex marriage is not one of the threats to traditional marriage in our society. “The time and energy spent wasted pushing this amendment forward would be better spent addressing the issues that are genuine threats to families in our society and our state: unemployment, homelessness, poor access to health care,” she said.
The anti-amendment event came two days after about 1,000 supporters of the measure gathered outside the Capitol for a rally that also focused on religious issues related to marriage. Chuck Darrell of Minnesota for Marriage, which is lobbying for the amendment, said it’s good that faith groups are entering the debate over marriage. But Darrell claimed the March 23 rally focused only on “love” and ignored “truth.” “What is loving about putting children in an environment where they’re missing either a mother or father?” Darrell said.
Jacob and Kate Lundquist of rural Roseau drove down to St. Paul so that they could be at the anti-amendment rally. The Lundquists said they were compelled to make the trip after their pastor encouraged congregants to support the amendment. They disagree. “I think it’s important for people to realize that all people of faith are not for this amendment,” Kate Lundquist said.

Justice Ginsburg Says Republican Rhetoric Sparked Death Threats
Ruth

Washington, DC - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she and former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor have been the targets of death threats from the “irrational fringe” of society, people apparently spurred by Republican criticism of the high court.
Ginsburg revealed in a speech in South Africa last month that she and O’Connor were threatened a year ago by someone who called on the Internet for the immediate “patriotic” killing of the justices. Security concerns among judges have been growing.
Conservative commentator Ann Coulter joked this year that Justice John Paul Stevens should be poisoned. Over the past few months O’Connor has complained that criticism, mainly by Republicans, has threatened judicial independence to deal with difficult issues like gay marriage.
Ginsburg said the web threat was apparently prompted by proposals in Congress, filed by Republicans, that tell judges to stop relying on foreign laws or court decisions.
“It is disquieting that they have attracted sizable support. And one not-so-small concern - they fuel the irrational fringe,” she said in a speech the court posted online this month and first reported March 15 by LegalTimes.com.

FDA Will Reconsider Gay Blood Ban
Washington, DC - The Food and Drug Administration will reconsider current policy that bars as a blood donor any man who has had sex with another man since 1977, officials said March 17. Changing the policy has been recommended by the American Red Cross, the American Association

of Blood Banks and America’s Blood Centers, which collect virtually all the blood used for transfusions nationwide.
The three groups had requested the change at a March 8 workshop the FDA convened to review the latest scientific information about the safety of the blood supply, arguing that current tests and screening methods have improved enough to protect transfusion recipients without the lifetime ban.
Instead, the panel recommended a one year ban for men reporting having sex with another man, thus treating them the same as other groups at increased risk for spreading sexually transmitted virus through donated blood. “We strongly support the use of rational, scientifically based deferral policies, and we want them to be applied fairly and consistently,” Red Cross spokesperson Ryland Dodge said.
The FDA implemented the lifetime ban in the mid-1980s when concerns about the spread of the HIV were running high and many questions remained about the ease with which people could spread the virus and the reliability of screening methods. Since then, the accuracy of testing has improved substantially, as have questionnaires that all donors answer to identify those posing the greatest risk, Dodge said.
“All these things come together to make us much more confident that our layers of safety have improved to the point where they should review the policy,” Dodge said.
FDA spokesman Stephen King said the agency would convene a meeting of its Blood Products Advisory Committee to formally reconsider revising the policy, probably later this year. Agency officials are “definitely interested in hearing all the science, and if there’s hard evidence in place that changing the policy would not endanger the blood supply they’re definitely open to it,” King said.
The current policy has long been a sore point for gay civil rights groups. “The blood deferral policy that exists is not based on science. It’s based on inertia and in many cases stereotypes,” Lambda Legal’s Jon Givner said. “The FDA should revisit the issue and adopt a deferral policy that is based on actual risk rather than sexual orientation.”

Leading Adoption Institute Strongly Recommends Gay Adoptions
New York - The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute released a new report March 23 that finds there is no child-centered reason to prevent gays and lesbians from becoming adoptive parents, and recommends that they be utilized more extensively to provide permanent, loving homes for children living in state care across the country.
“Based on both the available research and growing experience,” the report concluded, “adoption by gays and lesbians holds promise as an avenue Gay Dads

for achieving permanency for many of the waiting children in foster care.”
The Institute report - which is part of a larger, more extensive year-long project that will be completed and released in several months - is intended to provide a research-based context for the ongoing debate in the United States over the adoption of children by gays and lesbians. Most important, the Institute seeks to develop information to help shape best practices that focus on providing boys and girls in the child welfare system with safe, committed and enduring families.
The principal findings of the report, which is entitled “Expanding Resources for Children,” are:
* Against a backdrop of increasing public acceptance, social science research concludes that children reared by gay and lesbian parents fare comparably to those of children raised by heterosexuals on a range of measures of social and psychological adjustment.
* Studies are growing in number and rigor, but the body of research on gay/lesbian parenting is relatively small and has methodological limitations. Still, virtually every valid study reaches the same conclusion: The children of gays and lesbians adjust positively and their families function well. The limited research on gay/lesbian adoption points in the same direction.
* Though few states have laws or policies explicitly barring homosexuals from adopting, some individual agencies and workers outside those states discriminate against gay and lesbian applicants based on their own biases or on mistaken beliefs that such prohibitions exist.
* Laws and policies that preclude adoption by gay or lesbian parents disadvantage the tens of thousands of children mired in the foster care system who need permanent, loving homes.
“The bottom line for those of us who advocate for children is clear,” Adam Pertman, the Executive Director of the Adoption Institute said. “There’s simply no credible research to indicate that children are harmed in any way when they’re adopted by gay and lesbian parents, but there’s lots of evidence to indicate that they do well in those homes. So, if we as a society believe that kids should be our primary concern, we have to put aside our prejudices and preconceived notions, and do the best we can for them.”
The Institute’s research examined the relevant issues, laws and practices relating to gay and lesbian adoption and parenting, and the available studies spanning the last several decades. It represents one of the broadest and most thorough reviews and analyses to date on the questions involved.
If the pool of available parents for waiting children is to be expanded to include gays and lesbians, the report recommends that child advocates and policy-makers take steps including:
* Move to end legal and de facto restrictions on adoption by gays and lesbians. This includes working to expand co-parent and second parent adoption, as well as revising agency policies and practices that may impede their consideration as an adoptive resource.
* Develop clear statements in support of such adoptions, recognizing a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach disadvantages parents and, ultimately, their children. And develop contacts with the gay/lesbian community in order to engage in genuine, informed outreach.
* Help workers, supervisors, and agency leaders examine their attitudes and beliefs about gay and lesbian parenting, while affirming the value of these families by including them in outreach, training materials, and parent panels.
* Conduct research to inform the development of resources, training, and support to improve post-adoption success. And work to include and educate children in the process, recognizing that they may encounter prejudice if adopted by gay parents.
The Adoption Institute is the pre-eminent research, policy and education organization in its field. Its mission is to provide leadership that improves laws, policies and practices - through sound research, education and advocacy - in order to better the lives of everyone touched by adoption. Because it is independent of any interest group or cause, the Institute has long been a source of accurate, unbiased information for journalists, researchers and policy makers.
The Institute’s current initiatives include ones on identity formation in adoption, ethics in adoption, siblings in adoption, improving policies for international adoptions, and establishing best practices for birth parents. The Institute’s website at: www.adoptioninstitute.org, contains extensive information on a wide array of adoption-related issues.

U.S. State Department Lists The World’s Worst Places To Live For Gay People
Washington, DC - Gay globe trotters may want to consider adding another guide to their piles of travel brochures, Damron and Fodor tip books: the recently released State Department human rights report.
U. S. State Dept.

The State Department annually issues a human rights report noting abuse committed by foreign governments. One category is abuse motivated by victims’ sexual orientation and gender identity.
Gay rights advocates applauded the 2005 report, released March 15, for its detailing of anti-gay abuses committed in a range of countries, including Iran, Poland, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
“I was glad to see (the report) talked about issues of discrimination,” Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Rights program at Human Rights Watch, told Southern Voice. Past reports, he said, “were willing to address egregious persecution but not everyday life.”
The violations outlined in the report range from criminalizing homosexuality in Nigeria to banning gay rights parades in Warsaw, Poland, to the murders of gay rights and AIDS activists in Jamaica. The report also criticized Nigeria for health care and employment discrimination against HIV-positive people. The public, the report stated, believes HIV is “a result of immoral behavior.”
The United Arab Emirates, the country recently making headlines in Dubai Ports World controversy , criminalizes homosexuality. The UAE was cited in the State Department report for arresting 26 gay men and reportedly giving them hormone treatments to change their sexual orientation.
While homosexuality is not illegal in Nepal, the report stated, police still harass and abuse gays. It is unclear what criterion is used to define abuse, as some human rights violations - like criminalizing sodomy - were the law of the land in a dozen U.S. states until a Supreme Court decision in 2003.
The report’s inclusiveness of gay-related abuse can help asylum seekers who must prove persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity in their home country, Chris Nugent, a D.C. attorney who specializes in gay asylum cases said. “It is a vital source of information concerning treatment. It’s relied on by immigration adjudicators as evidence of human rights conditions abroad.”
While the report may help asylum seekers, it is less clear what it will mean for U.S. domestic policy and relationships with other countries. The State Department is required by law to issue the reports, which are supposed to help determine funding granted to foreign countries, according to Elisa Massimino, D.C. director of Human Rights First, a human rights advocacy group.
There also is the problem of credibility because of the United States’ own human rights record, which is absent from the report.
In the past year there has been international outcry over U.S. policies to torture and indefinitely detain suspects, as well as the policy of “rendition,” or sending a foreign suspect to a third country for interrogation. Critics have alleged that some terrorism suspects are sent abroad to be tortured. These charges are missing from the country reports, even for those countries where suspects were sent, according to Massimino.

Earth

The Top 10 Most Anti-Gay Nations
Sources: Human Rights Watch, 2005 State Dept. Report

1.) Uganda: Last July, the government of Uganda approved a constitutional amendment banning equal marriage rights for gays. Consensual homosexual sex can be punished by life in prison.

2.) Iran: People with HIV face discrimination in employment and at school. Intercourse between two men is punishable by death and homosexual acts that do not involve intercourse are punishable by 100 lashes. Two young men, at least one a minor, were executed in Mashad in July, some claim, for being gay. Two more men were executed for being gay last November.

3.) Egypt: While Egyptian officials claim that homosexuality is not illegal, Human Rights Watch says that it is. Egyptian law prohibits fujur, which courts have interpreted to mean “homosexual relations between men.” Rights groups have documented hundreds of cases in which gay men were arrested and tortured. Men are subjected to abusive anal examinations.

4.) Saudi Arabia: Some gays who are convicted of homosexuality are flogged with 2,000 lashings, according to Ariel Herrera of Amnesty International’s OUTFront program. Gay men have been beheaded in public squares for the crime of consensual homosexual sex.

5.) Nigeria: Homosexuality is outlawed in the Nigerian penal code and Muslim law. However, in northern states under Muslim law the punishment can be death; in the civil penal code homosexuality can carry up to a 14-year prison sentence. The numbers of people arrested and sentenced for sodomy are unknown. A new law forbids same-sex marriage and prohibits gays from assembling and petitioning the government. It also allows prosecution of newspapers that publish information about same-sex relationships and religious groups that allow same-sex unions. Those who violate the law can be sentenced to five years in prison.

6.) United Arab Emirates: Civil and Muslim law criminalize homosexuality in the UAE. Last November, 26 gay men were arrested and reportedly given hormone treatments and therapy.

7.) Cameroon: Last May, 17 men were arrested for homosexuality. Twelve were charged and detained. The suspects were given a “medical examination” to find evidence of homosexual conduct, the State Department reported, citing IGLHRC as the source of the information.

8.) Poland: “Right wing groups attempted on several occasions to disrupt Gay Pride marches,” states the report. In 2005 Warsaw Mayor Lech Kaczynski, who is now Poland’s president, denied Gay Pride groups the right to march because he “would not allow the promotion of gay culture,” the report states. However the marchers assembled anyway and spoke about discrimination they faced.

9.) Nepal: While homosexuality is not criminalized, government authorities harass and abuse gays and transgender people. In April, police attacked 18 transgender women who were on their way to a festival.

10.) India: Violation of India’s sodomy law is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The sodomy law is often used to harass and detain AIDS prevention workers and gays.

State News:

UW Safer Spaces Initiative Launched
Madison - The UW-Madison LGBT Campus Center (LGBT CC), in cooperation with the Office of the Provost and the Dean of Students, has announced the UW Safer Spaces Initiative.
According to Eric W. Trekell, Director of the LGBT CC, recent events have shown that no place - Madison included - is truly “safe” for LGBT individuals. “The initial goal of the UW Safer Spaces Initiative is to raise awareness of, and provide education around, issues of assault, violence, harassment and discrimination, Trekell said. “The long-term goal of the Initiative is to develop a series of strategic alliances among social justice-focused organizations on campus and in the downtown Madison community to develop a more comprehensive and inclusive anti-hate initiative.”
The Initiative will begin with three major components: an advertising campaign in the UW-Madison student newspapers, a “gay? fine by me.” t-shirt campaign culminating in a National Day of Silence “Breaking The Silence” rally at the State Capitol on April 26th, and; a series of programs.
The Initiative’s first advertisement ran in the March 24 edition of the Badger Herald. Additional ads will run in the Badger Herald and the Daily Cardinal on alternate weeks.
The first program was held March 27. “Licensed To Kill,” a 70 minute video by filmmaker Arthur Dong interviewing inmates serving on death row or life imprisonment for murdering gay men was followed by a panel discussion that included Dr. Joe Elder, UW Sociology and Det. Carol Ann Glassmaker & Sgt. Jerome Vannatta, of the UW Police Dept.
A second video and discussion program is set for Tuesday, April 4 at 7:30 PM in Room 1651 Humanities and will feature “Tongues Untied,” a documentary by Marlin Riggs that exposes the homophobia and racism that confront gay black men in the United States, using poetry, music, and oral history. LGBT CC staff will facilitate discussion after the showing.
On Monday, April 10 a third program featuring the showing of the film “Family Fundamentals” will be held at 7 PM in Room 111 of the Humanities building. Filmmaker Arthur Dong interviews three evangelical families who have to deal with gay children in the documentary. Other highlights include a Christian conference advocating reparative therapy to cure homosexuality, Congressional and television debates, and several heart rending stories.
On Tuesday, April 18 Star Trek’s Mr. Sulu George Takei will deliver the lecture “Equality - The Final Frontier”
in Room 3650 Humanities at 7 PM. Takei, who recently made headlines by coming out and who regularly appears on the Howard Stern program, will talk about living in a WWII Japanese-American internment camp, his recent coming out, and the need for equality.
On Wednesday, April 26 the National Day of Silence March and Rally will be start at 4:30 PM from the Library Mall and conclude at the Capitol. UW Allies and LGBT community will march up State Street to support a rally of regional high school Gay Straight Alliances.
Co-sponsors of various events include the UW-Madison All Greek Council, the UW Allies, the UW Students for Equality, the UW Student Leadership Program’s Leadership and Social Justice Committee, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of South-Central Wisconsin, and the Human Rights Campaign.
For more information on the UW Safer Spaces Initiative, contact: Eric W. Trekell, Director of the LGBT Campus Center by phone at: 608- 265-2480 or visit the center’s website at: lgbtcc.studentorg.wisc.edu.

GLSEN Seeks Award Nominations
Madison - The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of South Central Wisconsin (GLSEN-SCW) is accepting award nominations for educators and community activists who have made a positive impact on the climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Wisconsin schools. GLSEN-SCW will recognize one educator and one community activist for their work at the 10th Annual Celebration of Leadership at the Monona Terrace in downtown Madison on Saturday, May 20.
Individuals and groups are encouraged to nominate educators, community members, and students who they feel are deserving of such an award. Letters of nomination should include the following information: the name of nominee and their role with school; the nominator's relationship to nominee, including length of relationship; and the steps the nominee has taken to help improve the school's climate and to raise awareness and acceptance for LGBT students and staff.
Nominations should be no longer than two typed pages. Nominators should include their name and contact information, including phone and email, if applicable. Deadline for nominations is April 5. Nomination materials can be downloaded from the GLSEN-SCW website at: www.glsenscw.org and should be printed and mailed to: GLSEN-SCW, Attn: Awards Committee, 1202 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703.
In addition to these awards, GLSEN-SCW will present $500 scholarships to four graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting respect for all, especially in a school setting, with an emphasis on LGBT
issues.
GLSEN South Central Wisconsin is an education organization creating safe schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. GLSEN envisions a future in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

Feingold At AIDS Network's Red Ribbon Affair
Madison - AIDS Network will welcome U. S. Senator Russ Feingold to its annual Red Ribbon Affair to be held at the Monona Terrace Saturday, Red Ribbon logo

March 31. The annual fundraising dinner and silent auction will also welcome special guests U. S. Representative Tammy Baldwin, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, State Assembly Representative Mark Pocan and other prominent LGBT and gay-friendly individuals.
Doors will open for the silent auction at 6 PM and dinner will begin at 7:30. Attendees may choose from a variety of menu selections including Chicken Picatta, Green Peppercorn Encrusted Sirloin of Beef, Moroccan Salmon, or a vegetarian Caribbean Polenta. Entertainment throughout the evening will be offered by the Rob Dz Experience, the Fountain of Life Worship Team, the Perfect Harmony Men's Chorus and Mifasol.
Tickets are $75 each and may be obtained by calling Dan Curd at the AIDS Network at 608-252-6559, Ext. 21, by eamil at: dcurd@aidsnetwork.org or by registering online at: www.aidsnetwork.org.
Key sponsor for this year's event is the Dean Health System. Leadership sponsors include Abbott Laboratories, AnchorBank and GlaxoSmithKline. Other corporate sponsors include American Family Insurance, Cullen, Weston, Pines & Bach LLP and UW Health.
Proceeds from the Red Ribbon Affair will benefit AIDS Network. Since 1985, the AIDS Network (formerly the Madison AIDS Support Network) has provided critical AIDS care and prevention services to south central Wisconsin. The agency is sustained in these efforts by the resources, expertise and passion of hundreds of volunteers and donors. Working together they strive to meet the increasing needs that HIV disease and AIDS place before us.

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Opposes Civil Unions & Marriage Ban
Milwaukee - The Wisconsin AFL-CIO has announced its opposition to the proposed constitutional ban on civil unions and marriage. The Wisconsin Legislature recently approved the measure and placed it on the November statewide ballot.
“The mission of the AFL-CIO is to improve the lives of working families - to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our communities,” David Newby, President of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO said in a March 22 press release. “Discrimination against persons because of their sexual orientation not only violates the basic concept of human rights, but it also translates into economic discrimination.”
The Wisconsin AFL-CIO also cited the far-reaching consequences of the proposed ban. In states that have passed similar bans, domestic partner benefits negotiated by labor unions are being challenged in court. The Michigan Attorney General issued a memo calling on local government employers not to renew existing domestic partner benefits.
“Legal opinions indicate that this constitutional amendment will adversely affect domestic partner benefits and probably make them illegal. Unions have negotiated domestic partner benefits for employees they represent,” said Newby. “Domestic partner status provides employees crucial access to health care, family and medical leave, bereavement leave and other benefits. This applies to partner families that are heterosexual as well as committed gay and lesbian families. If unions and employers negotiate partners’ benefits, why should state government interfere?”
The State AFL-CIO is committed to educating its members about the harms of the civil unions and marriage ban and urging them to vote against it in November.
As the statewide coordinating council for all AFL-CIO unions in Wisconsin, the State AFL-CIO determines union policy on state issues, speaks for labor and indirectly for all working people on matters of public concern, provides services to local unions, and coordinates political and legislative action with its 1,000 affiliated unions which represent 250,000 members in the state.

Stage Q’s “Dutch Love” Marks Debut Of New Artistic Director
Madison - StageQ, Inc. has announced its production of the comedy play “Dutch Love” by Claudia Allen. The show opens Friday, April 7 and runs through Saturday, April 29 at the Bartell Theatre on 113 E. Mifflin Street in Madison.
“Dutch Love” is the story of a man and woman married for over 20 years and their college age daughter. What seems to be an average American family is shattered by the announcement that mom is in love with a woman named Dutch. And while this is stressful enough for dad, his past boyfriend shows up for Easter dinner with Dutch who is eyeing up their daughter. Laughs and comedy of errors and manners ensure an entertaining night of theater.
“HBO’s ‘Big Love’ and ‘The Sopranos’ are wholesome family entertainment compared to this family,” StageQ’s new Artistic Director Tara Ayres told Quest. The play marks her first production for the local not-for-profit theater group.
Claudia Allen is a Midwest playwright whose previously play “Hannah Free” played to big audiences last year at the Bartell. “Dutch Love”features Pam Adams, Christopher Babiarz, Kelly Kiorpes, Tim Spires, and Katy Conley as Dutch.
“Dutch Love” runs Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8. A Sunday matinee is set for April 23 at 2 PM. Tickets are $10 for Thursday and Sunday shows and $15 for Friday and Saturday. Tickets can be purchased online at: www.StageQ.com. Reservations also can be made by calling 608-661-9696, Ext. 3.

Tranny Roadshow Comes to Milwaukee
Milwaukee - The multimedia extravaganza Tranny Roadshow, featuring transgender poets, rappers, filmmakers, storytellers, breakdancers, rock bands, comedians, actors, folk singers, photographers, zinesters, and more, is making a one-night stop in Milwaukee at 10:00 PM on Thursday, April 6, at the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, 703 South Second Street.
Seven regular and guest artist members of the Tranny Roadshow will be featured on April 6: AJ Bryce, Dylan Scholinski, Jamez Terry, Kelly Shortandqueer, Tona Brown, Seeley Quest, and Imani Henry. Although all are self-identified as transgender, they promise a “raucous evening of entertainment, open and accessible to people of all backgrounds.”
Tickets are $10 and may be ordered online at www.uncommontheatre.net or calling the ticket order line at 800-595-4849. A small additional online fee applies. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Tranny Roadshow is being co-sponsored by the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center and Forge, a 12-year-old trans-masculine/SOFFA (Significant Others, Friends, Family and Allies) educational, advocacy and support organization based in Milwaukee. For more information about Forge, call 414-559-2123, or visit the group’s website at: www.forge-forward.org.

Feature Story:

Task Force’s Winter Party Warms $300K To Gay Groups
By Steve Vargas and Nathan Mathis
Miami Beach - Backs and bodies - smooth, freckled, tattooed, tan and mostly all ripped - pulsed in the salt breeze on South Beach at the dance Winter Party Hotties

party finale at the Winter Party, held March 5 and yearly to raise money for local and national gay rights groups.
As the sun set, house anthems spread a bittersweet euphoria across the crowd of 5,000 partygoers, mostly men.
“It’s a male-bonding, sensual, tribal-type of connection, being able to touch and be physical with other guys and express what you never got as a kid,” Mark Heiner, a bartender in town from New York told us.
The bash unofficially kicked off what is known as “circuit party” season, attendees said - for the next six months, some will travel a world-circuit in search of the best party around.
“It looks pretty, but there’s a dark side that can happen,” Heiner said, nodding to the drug abuse and often-futile search for love that he said can mark the scene.
In Miami Beach, though, the beach party wound down a five-day winter festival which this year drew 10,000 guests - at least 6,000 from snow socked northern cities and other points out of town.
Begun in 1994 to raise cash to defeat anti-gay state legislation, the Winter Party is now run by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a non-profit advocacy group working to build grassroots support for gay rights.
Amid the South Beach soiree, the group has retained its political mission, kicking two-thirds of the festival’s estimated $300,000 in profits back to local gay groups.
“People want to stereotype gay people into being white, handsome and dancing - and that is definitely a part of our community that we’re intensely proud of,” Matt Foreman, executive director of the national Task Force said. “But our community is also families with children, poor people and people of color.” He also added, “ I don’t see any tension between serious work and good parties, but we’re going to keep on broadening the festival.”
This year, then, the five-day bash spilled beyond house-heavy circuit parties to include golf, museums, wine-tasting and beachfront films, a family picnic and fashion show - in part reflecting the evolution of an aging gay rights movement that now reaches out to baby boomers, too, said festival spokeswoman Sharon Kersten.
But beneath the bamboo scaffold and billowing white banners on the beach, dancing was still the main point.
“It makes you feel so happy and independent,” Connecticut financial consultant Emre Algan said. “It makes me feel creative, like I can be myself.”
The crowd at the Beach Party was ruled cute, not hard, by a soft-spoken spectator from Atlanta, standing along the seaside fence.
The sun-splashed vibe was all about community, family and pride.
Later as dark fell, so did the bass - from soaring, lyric-filled anthems to deep tribal house. Meanwhile, in speedos and cargo shorts, golden-backed boys twirled fluorescent scarves like trippy windmill waves, a move called “flagging.” Otherwise, there was no voguing, no posing, just dancing - for itself, for the way it looks, for the way it feels.
“It’s more about a free spirit, to do your own thing, to set trends,” pharmacist Richard Long said before heading to the risers for a view of the sun-kissed crowd.
Standing there, it just seemed possible that dancers might be “the athletes of God” or at least that’s what Albert Einstein once said, according to Circuit Noize magazine, handed out at the party. And as diva Kim English took the stage at sunset, belting out her anthem “Unspeakable Joy,” it was so: Crowds rose in a cheer between the sand dunes and sea and lost themselves in the swirl.

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