News And Scoops

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Michigan Churches Stop Serving Homeless Because of Homosexuality

So much for that Biblical principle of "Blessed are the poor." For a few churches in Kalamazoo, Michigan, that passage has been rewritten to say, "Homeless people shouldn't get any food because of homosexuality." It what is becoming one of the grossest maneuvers by the religious right in this country, three churches in Kalamazoo have severed their ties with an ecumenical homeless ministry due to disagreements about homosexuality. This comes in the wake of the Archdiocese of Washington D.C.'s threat to stop serving needy families and the poor should gay marriage become legal in the District. In Michigan, the three churches at the center of this storm are Agape Christian Church, Word for Life Church of God, and Centerpoint Church. They were part of a ministry known as Martha's Table, which brought together eight different faith congregations to provide meals and worship space to the homeless. Only for these three churches, the fact that some of the other participating faith bodies take a progressive stand on homosexuality is enough to say to Kalamazoo's homeless, "We don't want you." How very Christian. Speaking to the Kalamazoo Gazette, a lay pastor from Agape Christian Church, Kim Sandelin, said that her church couldn't work together with other churches to fight homelessness because they don't want to stand next to faith traditions that look kindly on LGBT people. "An immoral lifestyle has eternal ramifications in Scripture," said Sandelin. Another pastor from Agape Church added that for their church, they couldn't tolerate working next to people of faith who violate their biblical worldview, even though the homeless ministry itself has seemingly nothing to do with the issue of gay rights. What is it with conservative churches who feel they can barter the lives of the poor in order to wage political warfare on the issue of gay rights? How do you justify that morally and spiritually? That's where the reasoned comments of another Kalamazoo pastor, who also happens to be conservative, comes into play. Rev. Ken Baker of the Third Christian Reformed Church, told the Gazette that his church would still participate in the homeless ministry, because theological viewpoints about homosexuality shouldn't be a factor when it comes to taking care of the poor and needy. "I feel very sad about the decision of three partner churches to pull out," Baker told the Gazette. "Everything about the ministry of Martha’s Table reflects the heart of Jesus, who came to preach good news to the poor. Surely, all our churches would agree that mercy and compassion were at the heart of the ministry of Jesus." In theory that last statement of Rev. Baker's should be correct. But not for the three Churches pulling out of serving the homeless. They're willing to use homeless folks as political pawns in a chess game over whether governments and churches can respect the civil rights and celebrate the inclusion of LGBT citizens or faith members. Their homophobia might run deep, but their committment to the biblical principles of mercy and compassion run pretty damn shallow. Again, how can this story also not be a reminder of the Archdiocese of Washington D.C.'s threat to bail on the poor should same-sex marriage become of the law of the District. Yesterday the Human Rights Campaign launched an action calling on the Archdiocese to keep serving needy families, the homeless, and those without health care in the District no matter what theological differences the Church may have with civil government. If you haven't signed the Human Rights Campaign's petition to D.C. Archbishop Donald Wuerl, mosey on over this way and sign up. Churches can take varying viewpoints on homosexuality -- nobody is really arguing that. But using the poor as a political weapon? That's what you call moral bankruptcy. Michael A. Jones Source Gay Rights Change.Org

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Government Supported Gay Bar Closes Before Opening

Homosexual behavior has been viewed as a sin or a disease for countless ages all throughout the world, including China. And so when the first state-funded gay bar in Dali, Yunnan Province, southwest China was shut down a day before its opening due to a clinical outbreak of homophobia, it came as no surprise. Although gay bars have been operating in China for over 15 years, the stigma associated with homosexuality still exists, making it exceptionally hard for gays to come out the closet. What’s worse is that Yunnan province hosts over 23% of China’s HIV/AIDS infected population, despite only figuring into 3.5% of China’s total population. And according to Health Minister Chen Zhu, 32% of all HIV victims in China were infected from homosexual male-on-male sex. It was this fact that inspired local AIDs Doctor and bar-manager Zhang Jiambo to seek over 120,000 yuan from the Dali Prefecuture government to transform his gay bar into an educational “space where gay men could meet and socialize and also receive education on how to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.” China Daily quoted Zhang as saying, “As a long-term medical worker in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, I know how hard it is for us to reach these groups to promote self-protection messages like safe sex.” The bar was due to officially launch on December 1st, better known as World AIDS Day; but was prematurely closed instead due to an extremely negative reaction from the general public. Extensive coverage of the bar prior to its opening by local news agencies — including Beijing News, China Central Television, and China Daily — was mainly to blame, as it put fear into the hearts of potential attendees and volunteer workers, provoking many to not even show up, lest they be publicly outed. In fact, some were already outed, even if they weren’t gay. The bar had opened up for trial operation in November, allowing Zhang’s AIDS volunteers an opportunity to try out their rehabilitative methods. Many had their pictures and names later posted in the news. One volunteer chronicled his experience: “When the CCTV journalists came to interview us, and report on the day-to-day work of AIDS volunteers, they did not let us see their report, they also did not seek or get the consent of the people they interviewed.” The result was that many of the volunteers found themselves as targets of homophobia, including being mocked and even repudiated by their peers. All of the media frenzy eventually led Zhang to cancel the grand opening. He explains, “They (gay men) refused to show up at the opening for fear of media exposure and potential discrimination. Had I known it, I would not have told the media.” Source: China Daily News Global

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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Takes a Chance on Abba

The fine folks at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame down there in Cleveland, OH just released their list of 2010 inductees - and ABBA is on the list. (see complete story here) ABBA, who unforunately broke up in 1983, is still every gay boys 'Dancing Queen' and recording artists from Madonna to Lady Gaga find inspiration in their songs.  Now they're getting the recognition that they deserve by being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Included in the list of performers are: Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies and The Stooges.  Also included in this years inductees are nonperformers who will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award, those include: Otis Blackwell, Mort Shuman, Jesse Stone, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil and David Geffen. Geffen as you may know is an out gay record executive - Asylum Records, Geffen Records and was most recently was cofounder of DreamWorks SKG along with Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, he left SKG in 2008.
It's wonderful to have a gay man inducted this year as well as a band that has meant so much to so many gay men and women!

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Chicago Area Man Charged With Hate Crime For Attacking Gay Man With Brass Knuckles

An Elburn, Illinois (Chicago suburb) man was charged with a hate crime Tuesday for striking a gay man in the face with a metal object, police said. Marcus Crimaldi, 23, (photo left) was arrested after the altercation at 11:35 p.m. Monday at South Grove and East Chicago streets in Elgin, Illinois. Deputy Chief Jeff Swoboda said Elgin police believe Crimaldi struck the victim, a South Elgin man, because he was homosexual. Crimaldi hit the man while clenching an unspecified metal object in his fist, police said. Swoboda, citing preliminary reports, said the victim did not appear to be seriously injured and was not hospitalized. The events leading up to the altercation remain unclear. Crimaldi was charged with a Class 4 felony hate crime and two counts of aggravated battery. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of the most serious offense. A Kane County judge set Crimaldi's bond at $50,000; he would need to post $5,000 for release. His next court date is Jan. 6 in front of Judge James C. Hallock. In 2007, Crimaldi was convicted of criminal property damage and burglary in Elgin, and received 24 months of probation in each case, according to court records. His attorney could not be reached for comment. (via -Daily Hearld)

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Federal Hate Crime Charges Possible In Gay Puerto Rican Teenager Murder

A federal prosecutor on Puerto Rico said earlier today her office would file hate crime charges against the man who reportedly confessed to killing gay teenager Jorge Steven López Mercado if local authorities do not. United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez told Puerto Rican press her office continues to monitor the case. EDGE reported late last month local prosecutors agreed to investigate López’s murder as a hate crime after local activists met with Puerto Rico Department of Justice Secretary Antonio Sagardía. This case could be the first tried under the legislation President Barack Obama signed into law in late October that added both sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to federal hate crime statutes. Juan A. Martínez Matos has reportedly confessed to murdering the gay teenager on Nov. 13. He allegedly decapitated, dismembered and partially burned his body before he dumped it along a road near Cayey. A Caguas judge last week ordered Martínez, who is known by his nickname Gasper, to undergo a psychological evaluation to see if he is competent to stand trial Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force expressed his outrage over this decision to EDGE, but he welcomed Rodríguez’s announcement. "We are satisfied that the federal authorities are monitoring this case and that they’re respecting the work that the local authorities are doing," he told EDGE in an e-mail. "We are all vigilant to this process and we won’t rest until justice is served. This was a horrible hate crime and Puerto Rico needs to send a powerful message to the world that we do not tolerate homophobia in any of its ugly forms." Story By Michael K. Lavers has written for the Advocate, the Fire Island News, the Village Voice, WNYC and other media outlets. He has also provided commentary on LGBT and other issues to the BBC and the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. He blogs at Boy in Bushwick [www.boyinbushwick.blogspot.com]

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Britian Prime Minister Brown Pushes For Gay Rights In Attitude Magazine

Gordon Brown is pushing for British civil partnerships to be recognised across the EU - including Eastern Europe, he has told Attitude magazine. The prime minister said Britain was negotiating deals with France and Spain but wanted to "go further than that". He told Attitude a gay lifestyle magazine it was important to show "respect for gay people was due" in "Eastern Europe as well as Western Europe". But he predicted it would take "many years" for this to happen. Campaigners have been pushing for people who have undergone a civil partnership to be granted the same legal status and rights they enjoy in the UK in every other EU country. A lack of legal recognition can affect issues such as immigration and pension rights. Ugandan aid Mr Brown was also quizzed by Attitude about his own voting record on gay rights - he missed several votes on the issue during the first eight years of the Labour government - and what he was doing to tackle homophobic bullying in schools and the police, which campaign group Stonewall claims is on the increase. He said he had probably been busy with Treasury business when the votes were taking place but added: "I've always given my strong support." On tackling bullying, he said: "I want to do much better. In every area where you've got prejudice or you've got discrimination, you have to change the laws, but you also have to change the culture." But he refused a call to cut British aid to Uganda, where there are proposals to reintroduce the death penalty for homosexuality, saying he regularly raised the issue with the Ugandan government but "the point about aid is that it saves lives". In an interview with journalist Johann Hari in this month's edition of Attitude, Mr Brown hails civil partnerships as a key Labour achievement, which "showed our country is far more tolerant than people thought". 'Fight' He told the magazine: "I'm fighting to get all the countries in Europe to recognise civil partnerships carried out in Britain. "We want countries where that hasn't been the case - especially in Eastern Europe - to recognise them. We're negotiating agreements with France and then with Spain," said Mr Brown. "But I think we can actually go further than that. And if we could show Eastern Europe as well as Western Europe, that this respect for gay people is due, that would be really important. "Of course it will be tough, and will take many years, but that has never ever been a good reason not to fight." All three main parties at Westminster have been competing for the gay vote in recent years. Earlier this year, David Cameron won plaudits from campaigners after he apologised for Section 28 - the Conservative inspired legislation banning the "promotion" of homosexuality in schools. But the Conservative leader has also come under fire for forming alliances with allegedly homophobic Polish politicians in the European Parliament - something firmly denied by Mr Cameron but a theme returned to by Mr Brown in his Attitude interview. Gay marriage and same sex adoption are banned across most of Eastern Europe and in some countries, such as Romania, homosexuality has only been decriminalised in the past decade as a condition of joining the EU.

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Golden Globe Nominations Announced

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. tipped its hat to a roster of both commercial and specialty pics Tuesday morning when it announced its nominations for the 67th annual Golden Globes. Paramount's "Up in the Air" led the pack with six noms, including best picture, actor, director, screenplay and two supporting actress mentions. The Weinstein Co.'s "Nine" followed with five. "Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds" and "Precious" joined "Up in the Air" in the film drama category, while "500 Days of Summer," "The Hangover," "It's Complicated" and "Julie and Julia" rounded out the top comedy-musical pic list. On the TV side, HBO led all nominations with 17 total, but Fox's "Glee" received the most noms of any show, garnering mentions in the comedy-musical, actor, actress and supporting actress categories. Both Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep reeled in dual notices in the lead actress categories. Bullock received mentions for her dramatic turn in "The "Blind Side," as well as for her lead comedic perf in "The Proposal" for which she will compete with Streep's two noms for "It's Complicated" and "Julie and Julia." Streep adds to last year's record-breaking tally for a total 25 nominations. Matt Damon also received twin acting noms: comedic actor in "The Informant" and supporting for "Invictus." "Inglourious Basterds" director-screenwriter Quentin Tarantino also did well with the Globes, garnering double nominations. In addition to a screenplay nom, Tarantino joined nominee Jason Reitman for "Up in the Air" in the directing category, along with Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker," James Cameron for "Avatar" and Clint Eastwood for "Invictus." While the picture categories saw noms for smaller films and studio fare, the same pics were seemingly omitted in some expected categories. Warner Bros.' "Invictus" garnered acting noms for Damon and Morgan Freeman, as well as Eastwood's directing nom, but was shut out of the drama pic shortlist. Par's "The Lovely Bones," produced by DreamWorks, landed a mention for supporting actor Stanley Tucci but failed to net a drama pic nom. Sony Classic's "An Education" and Fox Searchlight's "Crazy Heart" received recognition in the acting categories for thesps Carey Mulligan and Jeff Bridges, respectively, but not much else. Focus Features' comedy-musical entry "A Serious Man" drew only one nom, for lead actor Michael Stuhlbarg. The big question is, which if any, of the film noms might translate to the Oscars' expanded roster of noms, which grew to 10 this year. Typically, only one comedy-musical nominee (usually the Globes winner) makes it to Oscar night, but even that's not a given. Last year's comedy-musical Globes winner "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" failed to make the cut. Pics nominated in the Globe's animated feature race, including "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog" and "Up," could also find their way into Oscar's top 10. Toons aren't eligible for top picture consideration at the Globes. In all 38 films received at least one nomination, which should help boost the Globes' telecast popularity among viewers, especially given the populist tone of much of the nominated fare. The kudocast is being aired live on the West Coast for the first time on NBC since 1996. Among distributors, the Weinstein Co. received 12 noms -- the most of any studio -- followed by Warner Bros. with nine and Paramount with seven. Specialty distribs Sony Pictures Classics and Lionsgate grabbed six and five mentions, respectively. TV favorites "30 Rock," "Big Love," "Dexter," "Mad Men" and "Damages" were among the shows to receive three noms each, as well as longforms "Grey Gardens" "Georgia O'Keeffe" and "Into the Storm." Nominees were announced at the Beverly Hilton by John Krasinski, Diane Kruger and Justin Timberlake. The kudocast will air on NBC from 8-11 p.m., EST, Jan. 17. Click here for the full list of nominees

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United States Capital City Voted To Legalize Gay Marriage

The Associated Press is reporting that the Washington, DC City Council voted Tuesday to legalize gay marriage, giving supporters a victory after a string of recent defeats elsewhere and sending the issue to Congress, which has final say over laws in the nation's capital. Mayor Adrian Fenty has promised to sign the bill, which passed 11-2, and gay couples could begin marrying as early as March if Congress allows it to become law. Democratic congressional leaders have suggested they are reluctant to get involved, though gay marriage opponents say they will try to get it overturned either in Congress or at the polls. The bill had overwhelming support among council members and its passage was no surprise. Two members voted "I do" when their names came up, and when the vote finished a packed chamber erupted into cheers and clapping.

"Make no mistake, 2009 has been one hell of a year for marriage equality," said David Catania, who introduced the bill and is one of two openly gay council members.

The "no" votes included former mayor Marion Barry, now a council member, who voted, "I don't." If the bill becomes law, the district will join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont in issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. They will be able to wed in New Hampshire starting in January. Gay marriage supporters have had less success elsewhere recently. Maine voters overturned the state's same-sex marriage law last month. Earlier this month, the New York state Senate rejected a bill that would have allowed gay couples to marry. And New Jersey's legislature, which had been working on a same-sex marriage bill, postponed a recent vote when the measure appeared headed for defeat. Tuesday's vote in the district came after several months of discussion, including two marathon council hearings at which some 250 witnesses testified. Opponents included the Archdiocese of Washington, which said it might have to stop providing adoptions and other services because the law would force it to extend benefits to same-sex couples. But most who testified in this overwhelmingly Democratic city were supporters. Some, teary-eyed, asked the council to let friends, relatives or themselves marry. One man proposed to his partner during his testimony. The law will likely take effect around St. Patrick's Day in this city of 600,000, which is about 1/17th the size of Rhode Island. Congress has 30 working days to reject it, but that has happened just three times in the past 25 years. Still, opponents plan to try. Members of a group called Stand4Marriage, led by local pastor Bishop Harry Jackson, have met with members of Congress to urge them to oppose the bill. Attorney Cleta Mitchell said that after Fenty signs the bill and it goes to Congress, the group will ask a district elections board to put a referendum on the ballot asking voters to overturn it. She said in a statement before the vote that the law is a "decision for the people, not a dozen people at city hall." The group Mitchell represents made a similar request this summer, when the city passed a law recognizing gay marriages legally performed in other states. The board declined to put the issue on the ballot, saying that would violate a city human rights law. Jackson said Tuesday he believed that the group had a "airtight legal case" and that "If it gets to the vote, we win." The group also has a lawsuit pending from earlier this year, when it tried to get an initiative on the ballot asking voters to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The elections board again cited the human rights law in saying no. A hearing in that case is scheduled for January.

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Gay Performer Dustin Michaels Choked To Death On Marijuana Bag During Arrest (VIDEO)

Andrew Grande a/k/a Dustin Michaels, a 23 year old gay porn performer choked to death on a “large bag of marijuana", after being arrested by Bay County (Panama City Beach, Florida) sheriff deputies on Friday, December 11, 2009 after officers responded to a distrubance call. Grande was suspected of assaulting a a female subject following an argument. "When deputies confronted Grande, they were able to place a handcuff on his wrist, and during the struggle they observed Grande attempting to place something in his mouth. The incident was recorded by a Tru TV crew who were riding along with Bay County Sheriff's deputies." "After emergency medical technicians arrived, they removed the bag of marijuana from Grande's throat with forceps, officials said. Grande was taken to nearby hospital and pronounced dead, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. An autopsy was performed Friday afternoon and the preliminary cause of death is asphyxia due to obstruction of the airway by a foreign material, officials said." (NewsHearld)
You can read more of this story at DewayneinSD.com On December 7, 2009 (4 days before his death) Dustin Michael posted this image to his Twitpic page, encaptioned “Oregano”

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Which Businesses Do You Want To Shop Your 'Gay Dollars' With This Holiday Season?

Some businesses support LGBT equality. Some don't. Which ones do you want to support when you're out shopping for the people you care for this holiday season? With the Human Rights Campaign's 2010 Buying for Equality guide, finding out where businesses stand on equality is a snap. Browse the online version or download a free copy! From clothing to computers to kids' stuff, from the latest hairstyles to the grocery aisles, they've collected data on hundreds of businesses. And some of the differences between companies selling similar products and services might surprise you:

Best Buy (100%) vs. Radio Shack (40%) Visa, Mastercard, American Express (100%) vs. Discover Card (58%) Dell (100%) vs. Acer/Gateway (50%)

Over 300,000 people have used Buying for Equality to make informed choices about their purchases. In today's economy, it's even more important we support the companies, products, and brands that support us. When you're searching for the perfect gifts for all the important people in your life this holiday season, consider shopping at businesses that care about their GLBT employees. Check out the online guide, or download and print your free copy now.

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Twelve Men Face Execution for Gay Sodomy in Iran

Ten young Iranian men, including eight teenagers, are currently awaiting execution for sodomy, and two more are being re-tried on the same capital charge. And, in an exclusive interview with Gay City News, an Iranian student gay rights activist confirmed for the first time the existence of queer organizing on multiple university campuses throughout Iran. The information about the ten youths currently under sentence of death for sodomy (lavaat in Persian) was released on November 25 in a joint appeal by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO), and COC of the Netherlands, the world’s oldest LGBT rights group, founded in 1946. The three organizations called on Western countries “with significant diplomatic and economic ties to Iran, including Germany, France, Canada, as well as the European Union, to pursue diplomatic efforts to cease these executions.” It is extremely difficult to obtain information about death penalty cases involving homosexuality under today’s repressive theocratic regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where the press is heavily censored and journalists, regime critics, and human rights advocates are routinely persecuted and arrested and where the subject of same-sex relations is officially considered a political and religious taboo. Defendants in sodomy cases are denied open trials. Last month, Human Rigths Watch, basing its finding on an Iranian newspaper report, told of the execution of two men for sodomy. Most of the new information about the 12 defendants now threatened with execution for sodomy was provided by lawyers and activists with the Committee of Human Rights Reporters (CHHR) in Iran, according to Hossein Alizadeh, the Middle East and North Africa program coordinator for IGLHRC, while contacts in Iran provided by IRQO yielded additional information, he told Gay City News. CHRR, founded in 2005, has become one of the most important sources of information about human rights violations in Iran and recently became the first Iranian human rights organization to officially recognize the LGBT rights struggle by creating a Queer Committee to deal with persecution of sexual minorities. (“Queer” is the translation preferred by Alizadeh and other gay Iranians for the Persian word “degar-bash,” a term meaning “different” and which embraces gays, lesbians, and transpeople.) Hesam Misaghi, a 21-year-old leading member of CHRR’s Queer Committee, speaking through a translator by telephone from Isfahan, Iran’s third largest city, told Gay City News that this committee had been established some five months ago. The establishment of the Queer Committee by CHRR “is the sign of a new cultural awareness, because a new generation of Iranians no longer share the reactionary views of the regime with regard to sexual minorities,” said Misaghi, who courageously insisted on using his real name for the interview with this reporter. He added that “while an important part of those with this new attitude are secular, there is even a new generation of conservative Muslims who want to recognize queer rights.” Most of CHRR’s activists are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, and a number of them have been arrested and harassed by security forces for their human rights work. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE - GAY CITY NEWS