Gay Hero Lee S. Dreyfus Passes Into Wisconsin History
Former Republican Governor Signed Nation’s First-Ever Gay Equal Rights Law
By Mike Fitzpatrick
Waukesha - Former Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus, known for signing the nation's first statewide gay rights law, has died. He was 81.
  A fiscally conservative Republican who was a social moderate,  Dreyfus died January 2 at his Waukesha home while watching television, son Lee S. Dreyfus Jr. said. He had suffered from heart and breathing problems, according to a family spokesman.
  In addition to signing the 1982 bill that added sexual orientation to age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion as protected classes against discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation, Dreyfus worked actively with Fair Wisconsin in 2006 to defeat the constitutional ban on gay marriage and civil unions.
  He was honored last year by Madison’s OutReach for his efforts supporting the gay community.
  Prior to his election as governor, Dreyfus also served as a member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Board of Regents and Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Dreyfus was known for wearing a trademark red vest as university chancellor. He continued the tradition during his unconventional, populist campaign for governor, and traveled the state in a painted bus called the Red Vest Whistle Stop Special.
  In televised debates prior to the election, Dreyfus, a skilled orator, overcame the problem of name recognition, as well as doubts about his experience and competency for the position. He scored a decisive primary victory over Bob Kasten, the endorsed Republican candidate. He then beat incumbent Governor Martin J. Schreiber in the general election, 54-44%.
  After his election the red vest remained. Dreyfus maintained a closet full of red vests and the closet was sometimes included in tours of the Governor's Mansion.
  When the Democrat-controlled legislature passed AB-72 in 1982, they were unsure if Dreyfus would sign it. He didn't hesitate to do so, according to former campaign adviser Bob Williams. Equal rights for all "was his belief," Williams said.
  After he signed the bill Dreyfus said: "It is a fundamental tenet of the Republican Party that government ought not intrude in the private lives of individuals where no state purpose is served - and there is nothing more private or intimate than who you live with and who you love."
  Current Governor Jim Doyle had high praise for Dreyfus: “Lee Dreyfus was one of a kind – one of Wisconsin’s unique personalities.  He was both a wonderful governor and education leader.  He led us, educated us, entertained us, all at the same time.  He showed us that politics do not have to be harsh or overly partisan.”
  Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett called Dreyfus passing the loss of “a true political original,” adding that “Dreyfus was a progressive thinker who brought groundbreaking equal rights legislation and effective populist governing to the people of Wisconsin.”
  A private funeral service for Dreyfus was held January 7 in Waukesha. A public visitation followed by a prayer  vigil was held at the Dreyfus State Office Building in Waukesha a day earlier.

New Year Brings Gay Civil Unions In New Hampshire
Oregon Partnerships Halted By Court Ruling
Concord, Portland -The New Year brought more mixed messages for gay couples on both U. S. coasts: Dozens of |New Hampshire gay and lesbian couples rang in 2008 by entering into civil unions in the early moments of New Year's Day, while in Oregon activists planned candlelight vigils to mark a federal judges ruling delaying the implementation of Oregon's new Domestic Partnership Law.
  In Concord, 37 couples braved below-freezing temperatures to participate in an outdoor ceremony on the plaza of the New Hampshire Statehouse, where the law was adopted and signed in 2007.
  “We've been together 20 years - we've been waiting for this moment for 20 years,” Julie Bernier and Joan Addresen told the Associated Press. “Finally the state will recognize us as we are!"
  According to Bernier and Andresen, they never had a commitment ceremony or other symbolic recognition of their relationship previously. "I didn't believe in doing it until it meant something," Bernier said.
    After making brief group vows together, couples walked through an archway decorated with rainbow ribbons and a "just married" banner to meet officiants for individual ceremonies. As they walked through, fireworks from the city's New Year's celebration lit up the sky.
    No protesters showed up for midnight ceremony. However Maine resident Michael Hein attempted to pass out anti-gay tracts from a group claiming to be the Christian Civic League of Maine. That state may join
  New Hampshire's civil unions law was enacted by the Democrat-dominated Legislature early last year and signed by Democratic Governor John Lynch in May. The law gives same sex couples the same rights, responsibilities and obligations of marriage without calling the union a marriage. New Hampshire is the fourth state in the nation to allow civil unions, after Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey. Granite state officials estimate that as many as 3,500 to 4,000 civil unions will be performed this year.
  New Hampshire follows Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey in allowing civil unions. Massachusetts is the only state that allows marriage. The state estimates that as many as 3,500 to 4,000 civil unions will be performed this first year.
  In Oregon, the state’s LGBT civil rights group Basic Rights Oregon canceled its January 2 celebration at Portland's Gerding Theatre to instead hold a candlelight vigil to draw attention to the delay and the impact that it will have on some Oregon families. Vigils were also held in Bend, Ashland, Eugene and Corvallis.
  Basic Rights Oregon's Executive Director Jeana Frazzini called the judge's ruling "nothing short of an outrage."
"The suit is an eleventh hour effort to keep caring, committed Oregon couples from critical and necessary rights, and it is shameful," she said.
  In his late December decision blocking Oregon's domestic partnership law from taking effect, U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman didn't rule on the merits of the law, which would allow gays and lesbians to enjoy most of the legal benefits of marriage. Rather, Mosman said he wanted to scrutinize the way elections officials rejected signatures for a referendum that would have required a statewide vote on civil unions next November.
  The surprise move raised questions about the appropriateness of a federal judge interfering in a state initiative system. "I'm not saying that the elections officials are perfect, but I don't see any reason to believe that federal judges are better able to run elections than state officials," Daniel Hays Lowenstein, a professor at UCLA Law School told The Oregnian. Lowenstein added that federal judges should get involved only if state officials are breaking federal law or discriminating.
  Mosman set a hearing for February 1 to determine whether opponents of civil unions gathered enough valid signatures to place the law on the ballot. Elections officials had ruled opponents were short 96 signatures of the 55,179 required to qualify the referendum.

World & National News:

California Supremes Affirm Domestic Partner Property Tax Protections
San Francisco - In a major victory for same-sex couples, the California Supreme Court on January 3 denied a petition by county assessors seeking review of a California Court of Appeal decision affirming the validity of basic property tax protections for domestic partners. The Court's decision means that the validity of these protections is now secure. No further appeals are possible.
  "We're thrilled the Supreme Court has recognized what the trial court and the appellate court have each already found to be true-- that the Board of Equalization has the authority to grant gay and lesbian couples the same protections in a time of grief as everyone else," Lambda Legal Senior Staff Attorney Brian Chase said. "No one should lose their home after the death of a partner."
  Last October the California Court of Appeal had unanimously affirmed the validity of a Board of Equalization rule that protects domestic partners from increased property taxes when one of the partners dies and the other inherits the couple's home. California law has long provided this
protection for surviving heterosexual spouses.
  The case began in March 2005 when Sutter and Orange Counties challenged the rule in state court. Represented by NCLR, Lambda Legal, and the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Equality California and three same-sex couples intervened in the litigation to defend the rule.
  "We are very pleased with the Court's ruling, reaffirming that a surviving domestic partner should not lose the family home because he or she must pay taxes that a surviving married spouse does not," Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors said. "The fact that this lawsuit moved forward in the first place further illustrates the need to grant same-sex couples the ability to marry in California. Then we would not have to waste time and tax-payer money to defend these kinds of very sensible and vital protections."

Nepal Court: “Protect The Gays!”
Nepal - In a landmark verdict aimed at legitimizing same sex behavior, Nepal's top court ruled December 21 that the government must create new laws to protect gay rights and change current ones that might be tantamount to discrimination, an official said. The Supreme Court issued the order in this conservative Himalayan kingdom after hearing a petition filed by four gay activist groups seeking greater rights, court spokesman Til Prasad Shrestha told the Associated Press.
  According to Shrestha, it is up to the government to determine how the ruling should be implemented. It was not immediately clear whether the ruling overturns current laws banning homosexuality or whether the government would be compelled to recognize same-sex marriages. Sexual acts between same sex partners are punishable in Hindu-majority Nepal by up to two years in prison.

Uruguay OKs Gay Civil Unions
Montevideo - Uruguay has become the first country in Roman Catholic-dominated Latin America to approve civil unions for gay and unmarried straight couples. President Tabare Vazquez signed the bill into law approved by the Uruguan Congress December 19 right after Christmas. The bill, which took effect January 1, requires couples to prove they have been together for five years when the register their union. In return, couples will receive cohabitation rights, covering areas such as inheritance, pensions and child custody. They will also have a means to formally end their union.

Federal DP Benefit Bill Introduced
Washington, D.C. - Domestic partners of federal employees would be eligible for a number of benefits under a bill introduced by Gordon Smith (R-Washington) and Joe Lieberman (D-Connecticut) December 19. The Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act for 2007 has 19 additional Senate co-sponsors and would permit access to federal health benefits, the Family and Medical Leave program, long-term care, insurance, and retirement benefits. In return, gay and lesbian couples would also assume the same obligations that apply to married employees and their spouses, such as anti-nepotism rules and financial disclosure requirements. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that offering benefits to same-sex domestic partners of federal employees would increase the cost of those programs by less than a half of 1%, similar the the experience in the private sector.

John Edwards On Gay Issues - Repeal DOMA, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
Washington, D.C. - Presidential candidate John Edwards has announced that if elected president, he would try to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), signed in 1996 by President Clinton, and do away with the ban on gay men and lesbian women serving openly in the U.S. military. Edwards made his comments following a campaign event December 18 in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
  "I think we should get rid of DOMA; I think DOMA was a mistake from the beginning, and discriminatory, and so I will do everything in my power as president to do that," Edwards said in a brief meeting with reporters.
"I think it's discriminatory against gay and lesbian couples, that's what's discriminatory about it."
  Most Democratic candidates campaigning in New Hampshire have applauded its civil union law, that granted gay unions most of the legal rights of married couples beginning in 2008. When Mr. Edwards told several hundred people that "the key is to have the federal government recognize civil unions between same-sex couples," he received hearty applause.
  Edwards followed up by condemning the military ban on openly gay personnel.” "I would end 'don't ask, don't tell,' " he said to additional cheers.

Former KC Mayor Targeted For Pride Cover
By Michael K. Lavers, Press Pass Q
Kansas City - A Kansas City politician who appeared on the cover of local LGBT newspaper Camp continues to face criticism from social conservatives more than a year after it first hit newsstands.
  Former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, who is now campaigning to unseat four-time incumbent Congressman Sam Graves in Missouri’s Sixth Congressional District, dressed as June Cleaver on the cover of Camp’s 2006 Gay Pride issue. The photo also showed her serving a slice of rainbow cake under the headline, “Serving the Community with Pride.”
  Photographers Dusti Cunningham and stylist Andrew Chambers shot the cover. They conceived the idea alongside Camp publishers John Long and Jim Gabel.
  “We wanted the cover to get great attention from both the LGBT community and the Kansas City community,” Long said. “Our thought was who we might choose [as] a model or image that would get that kind of visibility – and Kay Barnes came to mind.”
  Local LGBT activists have long-applauded Barnes’ record during her two terms in office. She created the city’s domestic partner registry, served as an honorary chair of the Kansas City AIDS Walk, and supported the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of Greater Kansas City. The National Lesbian and Gay Task Force’s annual Creating Change conference took place in the city in November 2006.
  Not surprisingly, some have tried to use the Camp cover and her other pro-LGBT overtures against her. A possible Graves supporter handed out leaflets that showed the image of Mayor Kay Barnes on the cover during a Northwest Missouri State University homecoming rally last October. Graves denied any involvement, but local conservative talk radio hosts and others remain highly critical of her decision to appear on Camp’s cover.
  Long pointed out many people swarmed Barnes at that year’s Gay Pride to applaud her and seek autographed copies of the cover. BlueGirlRed, a blog featuring suburban Kansas City straight women, also praised the former mayor.
  Long conceded that the cover surprised many in Kansas City. He added, however, he continues to receive positive feedback more than a year after it first made a splash. “People are not going to forget it,” Long concluded.

Study Finds Extreme “Right Handedness” In Gay Men
Ontario -  A recent study of men in Ontario, Canada provides a new twist on the connection between sexual/relational orientation and right or left-handedness. Whereas earlier studies showed that gay men and lesbians were 39% more likely than heterosexuals to be left-handed, the new data "provides evidence that gay or bisexual men also have an elevated incidence of extreme right-handedness."
  To complicate matters, another factor is involved - the often-reported finding that having older brothers may be a predictor for men being gay. In the new study, results indicate that the number of "older brothers moderates the relationship between handedness and sexual orientation." That is, the extreme right-handedness finding is only seen in men with no or few older brothers.
  "These new research findings add further weight to the idea that biological factors play a significant role in the development of sexual orientation," Robert-Jay Green said. Green is the Executive Director of the Rockway Institute, a national center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender research and public policy at Alliant International University.
  The study was conducted by Anthony F. Bogaert of Brock University. Bogaert asked about the sexual attractions and behavior of 538 gay or bisexual men and 373 heterosexual men. The men were questioned about their right or left hand usage for ten physical activities. They also were asked if they had biological brothers. Most of the men were right-handed. However, the gay and bisexual men had a higher likelihood of both left-handedness and extreme right-handedness when compared to the heterosexual men.

Woman Convicted, Later Jailed For Drag Queen Abuse
Wigan, UK - An English woman who subjected her drag queen neighbor to a tirade of abuse was jailed December 18, just a week and a half after being told to stay away from him for life. June Jones, 56, was jailed after breaking the conditions of a restraining order - put in place after she was found guilty of harassing her female illusionist neighbor - only hours after it was made. Jones, who lives alone in this western English hamlet with her five pets repeatedly attacked her gay next door neighbor with a stream of homophobic abuse and insults.
  Clubland impersonator Martin Prescott and his partner claimed to police that the barrage of swearing related to their sexuality had grown so bad that the stress it was causing was starting to damage their health. Jones admitted her harassment of 40-year-old Prescott between the spring and late summer.
  In one incident Jones stood outside Mr Prescott's flat yelling insults such as "puff" and "pervert" to the distress of mourners at a nearby funeral reception. On another occasion she jumped in front of Mr Prescott's car and forced Prescott to listen to a harangue about his gay lifestyle.
  Jones was issued a lifelong restraining order, £100 fine and ordered to pay Prescott’s court costs by Wigan magistrates. The presiding magistrate told her: "Mr Prescott has a perfect right to live his life without harassment from you."

Chemistry.com Ad Campaign outs eHarmony’s AntiGay Bias
New York - The online dating service Chemistry.com has unleashed a new campaign that seeks to depict its older and larger competitor, eHarmony.com, as out of touch with mainstream American values. The ads, which began appearing in late December, attack eHarmony for refusing to match people of the same gender and for the evangelical Christian beliefs of its founder, Dr. Neil Clark Warren.
  It is not the first time that Chemistry.com has hit on this theme. In April 2007, the service ran a set of ads called “Rejected by eHarmony” featuring people who were turned away from eHarmony for being gay, not happy enough or simply unmatchable by its system. Chemistry.com spent $20 million on that campaign, and the company plans to increase the budget for this new effort.
  Although Chemistry.com has 3.7 million registered users, in contrast to eHarmony’s 17 million, the “Rejected by eHarmony” campaign may be working. Since it was introduced, Chemistry.com has experienced an 80% growth rate, according to Mandy Ginsburg, general manager of Chemistry.com. She said that enrollments by gays and lesbians have risen 200% since the “Rejected” campaign started, and that 10% of Chemistry.com’s members are seeking a same-sex match.
  The ads “demonstrate that eHarmony is out of sync with what is happening in America,” Ginsburg noted. The company plans to expand the campaign to include television and more print ads this month.

Drag Queen To Get New Murder Trial
West Palm Beach - Onetime female impersonator Eulis Campbell is entitled to a new trial thanks to an appeals court ruling December 19 that the trial judge erred in not sequestering the jury that convicted him of first-degree murder.
  Campbell was convicted in November 2006 of the stabbing death of Farook Baksh, a married truck driver and landlord whom he met at a gay bar. He went with Baksh to an apartment in the Westgate community near West Palm Beach.
Campbell - who once made a living impersonating Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minnelli and Madonna while using the stage name Madeline Monroe - allegedly stabbed and slashed Baksh 56 times, including in the back, according to trial testimony. He contended that he acted in self-defense after Baksh brandished a knife during sex play. After killing Baksh, Campbell set fire to Baksh’s apartment.
  Circuit Judge Richard Wennet had denied the defense motion and sent the jury home because sequestering them would have occurred over a four-day holiday weekend. The judge said there was nothing to support the need for sequestration and that he doubted the sheriff's office would be able to transport jurors to a hotel on such short notice.
  The state sought the death penalty against Campbell. After later finding him guilty, the jury recommended he be sentenced to life in prison, which Wennet gave him.
  For more than 50 years, courts have ruled that juries must be sequestered in capital cases in which they don't reach a verdict the same day they begin deliberations. A 1984 Florida appellate decision said the only exceptions are for "exceptional circumstances of emergency, accident or other special necessity."

Survey: 80% of Bulgarians Do Not Accept Gays
Sofia - About 80% of the Bulgarians have negative attitude towards gay people, according to the results of a new discrimination study. The research conducted by Skala agency in September shows that only 17 % can freely communicate with gay people, while 53 % declared they have extremely negative attitude towards homosexual men and women.
  Almost half of the inquired would not work with gay people while 70% of the people would not let their child go to a school where a gay teacher works. The study also shows that the prejudices of Bulgarians are focused mainly on gay men. Lesbians enjoyed the highest degree of tolerance.

State News:

Christian Gay Documentary On Oscar Short List
Eden Prairie, MN - “Oscar buzz” is a phrase Phil and Randi Reitan never thought they’d have any kind of personal response to. But after the past months of incredible public response to the documentary they appeared in with their son, Jake Reitan, the recent news wasn’t all that hard to believe. “For the Bible Tells Me So” - a film by Daniel G. Karslake of New York about Christian families who have children who are gay - has been short-listed for the documentary category of the 2008 Academy Awards, to be held February 24.
  That means of 70 or so documentaries, Karslake’s film is one of 15 chosen to be whittled down into a handful of selections that will be voted on by the Academy. The official nominees will be announced January 22.
  “That’s very exciting,” Randi told the Mankato Free Press. “That would be great. It’s so much more publicity.”
  Jake, who grew up in Mankato, came out to his family in high school and his parents struggled to come to terms with giving up the dreams they’d always had for his future. Jake became their teacher, and as a family, they have become gay rights activists, traveling the world to practice civil disobedience to help spread the message of tolerance, which is how Karslake learned of them.
 The film will be released on DVD in February and is available for pre-order at forthebibletellsmeso.org.

Openly-Gay Mormon Wins "Survivor China"
Salt Lake City - File this one under the "couldn't make this up if I tried": 22 year-old openly gay Mormon flight attendant and longtime "Survivor" fan Todd Herzog of suburban Pleasant Grove has won the latest edition of the reality series.
  Herzog is described by CBS as an "openly gay Mormon" (actually, he's the second contestant to be so labeled on "Survivor"). In July, he left for China to film the show for two months. He came back 28 pounds lighter and with a stomach and liver full of parasites (he's doing better now).
  But his sexual orientation was never even mentioned. Instead, Herzog concentrated on playing the game with more strategy than the other contestants. The show labeled him "The Schemer" for his ability to make alliances with some players and backstab others.

White Light Cinema Offers “Stan Brakhage: Rare Masterpieces”
Chicago - Announcing the formation and premiere screening of a new, occasional, peripatetic film series:White Light Cinema. White Light Cinema is designed to compliment the programming of other local film venues and organizations by presenting, alone and in collaboration, rare, obscure, overlooked, and resolutely non-commercial films and videos that have either not been screened in Chicago or have not shown in years.
  While focusing heavily on great works by avant-garde film masters, the series aims to include both retrospective and contemporary films and videos that range across a wide spectrum of alternative cinema. White Light Cinema will present works demonstrating significant aesthetic merit, originality of vision, radical and commanding investigations of form, and challenging provocations to mainstream film and media conventions.
  The inaugural program, screening Sunday, January 27, is a selection of rarely seen 1970's masterpieces by the legendary experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage (1933-2003). One of the great masters of cinema, Stan Brakhage completed more than 400 films in his fifty plus year career. Beginning in the early 1950's and continuing to his deathbed, Brakhage's work is a profound exploration of the nature of film, the qualities of light and color, and the subtle and poetic possibilities of rhythm and editing.
  A 63-minute program of six short films will screen Sunday, January 27 at 7 PM at Cinema Borealis, 1550 N. Milwaukee Avenue, 4th Floor. Films will include: The Weir-Falcon Saga (1970), The Peaceable Kingdom (1971), The Process (1972), The Wold-Shadow (1972), The Shores of Phos: A Fable (1972), and Skein (1974). Admission: $7-10 on a sliding scale. For more information call White Light Cinema at: 773-381-3102 .
  White Light Cinema was founded and is programmed by Patrick Friel. Friel is currently the freelance Festival Director and Programmer for The Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival (run by Chicago Filmmakers) and was the Program Director at Chicago Filmmakers from 1996-2007.