News

When the California Supreme Court decided in May that the state discriminated against same-sex couples by not legally recognizing their marriages, it appeared the state's highest court had the last word in the debate over same-sex marriage.

But before the ink dried on the decision, opponents of same-sex marriage collected the signatures needed to put a ban on same-sex marriages on the state's November ballot as Prop. 8: The California Marriage Protection Amendment. If it passes, the state constitution would read: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California." It would not act retroactively, however.

Opponents of same-sex marriage are banking on the amendment because the supreme court's decision overturned a previous statute, Prop. 22, that they thought effectively banned same-sex marriage. "The supreme court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage did not just overturn the will of California voters, it also redefined marriage for the rest of society, without ever asking the people themselves to accept this decision," reads the web site Protect Marriage, which supports Prop. 8. Read More

Marriage wins again in Massachusetts

Today, another barrier to marriage equality was broken down by the Massachusetts legislature.

Massachusetts state legislators repealed the so-called 1913 law that prevented out-of-state couples from marrying there. Gov. Deval Patrick is expected to sign the bill into law later this week --- and when he does, Maine couples will be able to go to Massachusetts to marry.

Estelle Getty, who played meddling mother Sophia on "The Golden Girls," died Tuesday morning. She was 84.

Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.

Getty won an Emmy Award in 1988 for her portrayal of the feisty octogenarian. For her role as Sophia, Getty also notched a Golden Globe Award in 1986. She also received an American Comedy Award. More from The Hollywood Reporter

The Christian Civic League of Maine's Michael Heath said the evangelical group that led the push is pulling the plug.

Besides wiping Maine's law protecting gays from discrimination off the books, the initiative sought to bar the use of state funds by the attorney general's office for its civil rights teams and reaffirm Maine's law that restricts marriages to one man and one woman.

The Celtics did not just beat the Los Angeles Lakers, they crushed them – and left no doubt that the Larry O'Brien trophy belonged back in Boston after a 22-year hiatus.

Accompanied by chants of "Seventeen!" the Celtics routed their longtime rivals 131-92 to close out the finals in six games. Sixteen green-and-white banners will soon have company in the rafters.

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Same-Sex Marriages Begin in California

SAN FRANCISCO — With a series of simple “I dos,” gay couples across California inaugurated the state’s court-approved and potentially short-lived legalization of same-sex marriage on Monday, the first of what is expected to be a crush of such unions in coming weeks.

The weddings began in a handful of locations around the state at exactly 5:01 p.m., the earliest time allowed by last month’s decision by the California Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage. Many more ceremonies will be held on Tuesday when all 58 counties will be issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Read More

NBC’s Tim Russert dead at 58

Washington bureau chief, ‘Meet the Press’ moderator collapsed on job

WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58.

Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the network said. He and his family had recently returned from Italy, where they celebrated the graduation of Russert’s son, Luke, from Boston College.

Russert was best known as host of “Meet the Press,” which he took over in December 1991. Now in its 60th year, “Meet the Press” is the longest-running program in the history of television.

But he was also a vice president of NBC News and head of its overall Washington operations, a nearly round-the-clock presence on NBC and MSNBC on election nights.

He was “one of the premier political journalists and analysts of his time,” Tom Brokaw, the former longtime anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” said in announcing Russert’s death. “This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice.”

In 2008, Time Magazine named Russert him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Longtime Couple To Kick Off Gay Marriage In Calif.
by The Associated Press

(San Francisco, California) Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon's nuptials at City Hall ignited the gay wedding spree that thrust San Francisco into the national spotlight in 2004.

Now the city plans a repeat of the ceremony when gay marriage becomes legal in California on June 16.

Mayor Gavin Newsom plans to officiate at the couple's wedding, just as he did for them in 2004. He said Monday that Martin and Lyon will be the only gay couple married at City Hall on June 16. The clerk's office will issue licenses for other couples beginning June 17.

Martin, 87, and Lyon, 84, are lesbian activists who have been together for more than five decades. They were plaintiffs in the California Supreme Court case that led to the state's legalization of gay marriage.

Organizations Urge Couples Marrying in California
to “Make Change, Not Lawsuits”

Four GLBT legal organizations and five other leading national GLBT groups have issued a statement entitled “Make Change, Not Lawsuits.” The statement explains that while couples who go to California to marry should ask friends, neighbors and institutions to honor their marriages, they generally shouldn’t sue. The statement says that ill-timed lawsuits are likely to set the fight for marriage back, and that there are other ways to fight which are more likely to win.

To read the statement, Click Here

(AP) An initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in California has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State announced Monday.

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen said a random check of signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors showed that they had gathered enough names for it to be put to voters.

The measure would amend the state constitution to "provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

If approved by a majority of voters on Nov. 4, the amendment would overturn the recent California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. It is similar to gay marriage bans that have been adopted in 26 other states.

"This signifies the fact that California voters really do favor and will come out to vote for the protection of historic marriage," said Ron Prentice, executive director of ProtectMarriage.com, a coalition of religious and social conservative groups behind the initiative.

In response to the court's May 15 ruling, California public health officials already have amended marriage license applications to read "Party A" and "Party B" instead of bride and groom. Local officials have been told to start issuing the revised licenses to same-sex couples on June 17.

Gay men and lesbians would still be able to get married between then and the election, even with the initiative pending, unless the court agrees to stay its decision until after Nov. 4, as the amendment's sponsors have requested.
Read On

They staged a sit-in to protest the government's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy regarding gays in the military.

Jacob Reitan, a student at the Harvard Divinity School who is gay, visited the recruiting center and asked to enlist. It was a request he knew would be refused.

Protesters say it's time for Congress to repeal the law.

"The only way this bill is going to be repealed is when the stories of gay people who want to serve get heard and when that causes people to move to action to demand change," said Reitan. "So I think it's a very effective way of making this point clear. Plus, as any young person who wants to serve their country, I ought to be able to walk in there and make that attempt."

When they walked into the recruiting center, they were met by the station's commander, Sgt. First Class Otis McMillan. McMillan calmly told the group that they were welcome to stop by, but that they were protesting in the wrong place.

"I think that their focus is misdirected," said McMillan. "All they're doing is making it hectic for these recruiters who have work to do today, that's all they're doing. I mean the place that they should be, they're not."

"That place," says Sgt. McMillan, "is Congress."
Read More

A report released Tuesday shows that violent attacks on members of the GLBT community nationwide grew by 24 percent in 2007 over the previous year.

The 78-page report was prepared by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs with input from more than 30 of its members across the U.S.

The number of incidents of anti-GLBT violence rose from 1,486 in 2006 to 1,833 in 2007, based on reporting from the exact same reporting regions as the year prior.

Additionally, 2007 had the third highest murder rate in the past 10 years that NCAVP has been compiling the report with murders more than doubling from 10 in 2006 to 21 in 2007.

GLBT people also reported a 61% increase in sexual assaults perpetrated as hate crimes.

Part of the increase is attributed to an increase in the willingness of GLBT people to report hate crimes.

Portland, Ore., City Commissioner Sam Adams on Tuesday became the first openly gay mayor ever elected to lead one of the 30 largest U.S. cities.

Adams, a Democrat, won 58 percent of the vote over several opponents in the state's unique mail-only primary, eliminating the need for a runoff in November, the Oregonian newspaper reported.

His campaign motto, "Early days of a better nation," referenced not only the city's progressive heritage but his own childhood in poverty. Food stamps and public housing kept the family afloat, he has often said.

"I will work hard with all of you, and believe me you're going to be working hard as well," he told a crowd that included his mother, grandmother and two sisters, the Oregonian quoted him as saying Tuesday night.

"Together we can make Portland cleaner, greener, more sustainable, smarter, more equal, better educated... We've done it before, and we will do it again."

New York to recognize out-of-state gay marriage

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Gov. David Paterson has told state agencies to start recognizing gay marriages performed where the unions are legal.

Paterson spokeswoman Erin Duggan says the governor's legal counsel sent a memo to all the state's agencies telling them they could be violating state human rights law if they don't start recognizing the marriages.

The move is one of the strongest steps the state can take short of action by the Legislature

In a much-anticipated ruling issued Thursday, the California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional

Several gay and lesbian couples, along with the city of San Francisco and gay rights groups, sued to overturn state laws allowing only marriages between a man and a woman.

"There can be no doubt that extending the designation of marriage to same-sex couples, rather than denying it to all couples, is the equal protection remedy that is most consistent with our state's general legislative policy and preference," said the 120-page ruling.

It said that the state law's language "limiting the designation of marriage to a 'union between a man and a woman' is unconstitutional, and that the remaining statutory language must be understood as making the designation of marriage available to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples."

With the ruling, California becomes the second state to allow same-sex couples to legally wed. Massachusetts adopted the practice in 2004, and couples don't need to be state residents to wed there.

Time Magazine's fifth annual list of the world's most influential people: leaders, thinkers, heroes, artists, scientists and more includes former Maine Senator George Mitchell.

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union say Daphne Beasley, the principal of Hollis F. Price Middle College High School in South Memphis, went way beyond her role as educator.

The ACLU says in September 2007, Beasley asked her staff to give her the names of students who were couples, heterosexual and homosexual, because she wanted to keep an eye on them to cut down on public displays of affection.

She's accused of publicly posting the names of those students, including two boys, Andrew and Nicholas, who had just started dating. The ACLU says that in doing so, Beasley revealed their relationship to other students, teachers and even their parents. Read More

Thursday (May 1) is the fifth anniversary of President Bush's dramatic landing in a Navy jet on an aircraft carrier homebound from the war.

"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," Bush said at the time. "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11, 2001, and still goes on." The "Mission Accomplished" banner was prominently displayed above him _ a move the White House came to regret as the display was mocked and became a source of controversy.

Read More From The Huffington Post

Australia's new government won praise Wednesday for its plan to eliminate discrimination against gay couples in more than 100 laws, but even those applauding said it should go further and approve same sex marriages.

Attorney General Robert McClelland announced that the government will change federal laws to ensure that gay couples in long-term relationships are treated the same as married couples on issues such as taxation, pensions and welfare payments.

"It will make a practical difference to the everyday lives of a group of our fellow Australians who have been discriminated against for far too long," McClelland told reporters.

The amendments will be introduced in Parliament next month, McClelland said, but it will take a year to complete the process.

McClelland said the Marriage Act — the law that applies nationally to ratify marriage — would not be among the laws changed.

"The government regards marriage as being between a man and a woman and we don't support any measures that seek to mimic that process," he said.

Rights advocates welcomed the proposed changes, but said the government should go further.

We just received word that Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap's office responded to Mr. Heath late Friday. The Secretary took steps to highlight the changes in Maine law that the referendum would create, and pointedly asked which laws Mr. Heath seeks to repeal that currently protect same-sex couples.

So we know the discussions about the text, title, and summary of the ballot measure will continue. This is the beginning of a process: there is no deadline by which Mr. Heath must respond to the Secretary. We will continue to monitor developments with the Secretary's office, so if Mr. Heath forces another anti-gay referendum on Maine, everyone will know what is at stake.

EqualityMaine will keep you informed and let you know how you can help stop this referendum in its tracks, but perhaps you're wondering what you can do right now. Here's one idea: forward this email to three friends and urge them to join our news list. If we know we can count on them, we will know we can call on them when it's time for action.

The longer the debate over this sweeping proposal drags on, the more important it is for us to keep the message clear - Maine is not interested in discriminating against gay and lesbian citizens.

Ironically, this proposal offers an unexpected opportunity for fair-minded Mainers to unite and make our voices heard. Help us take advantage of it.

Forward this message to three people. Let them know it's time for us to stand together.

The leader of the Christian Civic League of Maine has taken a first step to launch a referendum drive to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions in Maine.

The proposal advanced by Michael Heath would also strike the sexual orientation category from the Maine Human Rights Act.

Heath says if the Secretary of States Office approves his petition, he’ll begin recruiting organizers to gather signatures.

Putting a referendum on the state ballot requires about 55,000 signatures, or 10 percent of the turnout for the last gubernatorial election.

In 2005, an effort to overturn the Maine law prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals in the areas of housing, education and employment was rejected.

The inquest into the death of Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 returned a verdict of unlawful killing on Monday, blaming "grossly negligent" driving by her chauffeur and pursuing photographers for the car wreck.
Read More

Maine's Bureau of Highway Safety said that as of Tuesday, first-time violators can be issued $50 fines. Second violations can bring $125 fines, and third and subsequent offenses can lead to $250 fines.

Since last September, violators received only warnings. Previously, motorists had to be pulled over for a separate violation if they were to be cited for nonuse of seat belts.

State officials estimated the law will save 10 lives and avoid 155 serious injuries per year. Injuries avoided thanks to the law will save taxpayers an estimated $33 million per year in unneeded medical expenses and lost productivity.

High Marks For Maine In Healthy State Rankings

In a report released Wednesday, CQ Press ranked Maine behind Minnesota, New Hampshire and Vermont as the nation's healthiest states. The rankings are based on 21 factors that include access to health care, health care affordability and preventive care.

In a separate CQ Press survey, Maine was ranked in the middle of the pack in a rating of the most livable states.

New Hampshire, Utah and Wyoming were the top three states. Maine was ranked 20th, down four spots from last year.

Citing challenges within the industry, CEO and Publisher Frank Blethen said the company needs to focus on the future of its newspapers in Washington state.

The sale would include the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, the Kennebec Journal, the Morning Sentinel and MaineToday.com.

Blethen said the decision was painful, but a sale may be the best opportunity for the long-term survival of his company's newspapers in Washington and Maine.

The Blethen Maine Newspapers, as they're known, have been owned by the Seattle Times for 10 years. They have about 500 employees and combined circulation of about 101,000 daily and 136,900 Sunday.

Genetic manipulation, pollution top
Vatican's 'new sins'

In an attempt to give moral and ethical behavior more significance to current times, the Vatican has recently announced seven new deadly sins, published in an issue of the L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's official newspaper. The revision of the list comes after 1,500 years, with Vatican officials explaining that the new items address a global "secular" society bent on the concerns in the age of globalization. The sins are said to be an address to the "decreasing sense of sin" in the modern world.

"The remorse I feel will always be with me and words cannot describe how grateful I am for the love and compassion they have shown me," Spitzer said.

The announcement came as the New York governor faces allegations -- but no charges -- that he is tied to an international prostitution ring ensnared in a federal probe.

Massachusetts is reaping huge financial gains as a result of same-sex marriage. The Boston Business Journal reports that the only state in the country to allow gays to marry is become " a powerful lure for same-sex couples who want to live in a place where they can get married, gain legal rights and have access to spousal health benefits."

For decades the state has seen a brain drain despite having some of the most prestigious universities in the nation. From 2003 to 2005, the population actually fell to 6,429,137 from 6,438,510, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau obtained by the publican.

"Since the marriage law passed, we see a lot more (gay) professionals moving into the Boston area," Henry Hoey, a member of the Greater Boston Business Council, a chamber of commerce for gay professionals told the Journal. Hoey said that the organization's membership has increased 5 percent to 1,100 members since last year. "The effects of this law are starting to take hold."

Recruitment agencies and other business groups also say they have seen an influx of same-sex couples - mostly professionals.

Attorney Jeffrey Webb and his partner Mark Schuster moved from Los Angeles to Massachusetts in December order to marry. "That was something that was really important to us," Webb told the Journal.

He is now a partner and practices trial law with a well known Boston-area firm. Schuster is now the chief of general pediatrics and vice chair for health policy research at Children's Hospital Boston.

In 2003 the Supreme Judicial Court, the highest court in Massachusetts, struck down laws banning same-sex marriage and in 2004 the first gay couples began to wed. Since then more than 10,000 gay and lesbian couples have married in the state. [

On today's show (Friday, February 29th) Ellen DeGeneres will be speaking out on the recent murder of gay 15-year-old Lawrence King.

"...I need to talk to you about something that's really serious and really sad and if you know me, it's hard to talk about sad stuff without getting emotional but this is really important to talk about. On February 12th an openly gay 15-year-old boy named Larry who was an 8th grader in Oxnard, California, was murdered by a fellow 8th grader named Brandon. Larry was killed because he was gay. Days before he was murdered, Larry asked his killer to be his Valentine.

I don't wanna be political, this is not political, I'm not a political person but this is personal to me. A boy has been killed and a number of lives have been ruined and somewhere along the line, the killer Brandon got the message that it's so threatening and so awful and so horrific that Larry would want to be his Valentine that killing Larry seemed to be the right thing to do. And when the message out there is so horrible, that to be gay you can get killed for it, we need to change the message (audience enthusiastically claps; Ellen is very choked up and overwhelmed by the the audience clapping. She's fighting back the tears, takes a deep breath - the audience is still clapping).

Larry was not a second-class citizen, I am not a second-class citizen. It is okay if you're gay (audience erupts in cheers and clapping to show their love and support). I don't care what people say, I don't care what people think, and I know there are entire groups of people who face discrimination every single day and we're a long way from treating each other equally - all of it is unacceptable, all of it!

But I would like you to start paying attention to how often being gay is a punchline of a monologue or how often gay jokes are in a movie. And that kind of message, laughing at someone 'cause they're gay is just the beginning. It starts with laughing at someone, then it's verbal abuse, then it's physical abuse, and then it's this kid Brandon killing a kid like Larry. We must change our country and we can do it, we can do it with our behaviour, we can do it with our messages that we send our children, we can do it with our votes.

This is an election year and there's a lot of talk about change. I think one thing we should change is hate. Check on who you're voting for and does that person really, truly believe that we are all equal, under the law and if you're not sure, change your vote, we deserve better...

(Ellen is very choked up and emotional)

My heart goes out to everybody (her voice breaks) involved in this horrible, horrible incident, the whole... all the families and of course, even, you know, Brandon's life has changed 'cause he did this. So, we're gonna put more information on this, on our web site and we're gonna have a wonderful, fabulous, funny show after this... we'll be back.

An investigator for the Maine Human Rights Commission has determined that Camp Kieve employees in Nobleboro discriminated against a transgender Pennsylvania man.

The investigator's report will be part of a hearing before the entire commission Monday afternoon in Augusta. The commission has not made a finding on the report's contents. Compiled by Paul D. Pierce and filed with the commission Feb. 7, the eight-page document supports the basis of a complaint filed by Jeremiah Nazarkewycz on March 29, 2007.

Nazarkewycz alleged that Kieve-Wavus Education Inc. refused to rehire him for the spring 2007 session after Nazarkewycz made a public appearance at Cony High School in Augusta last January, discussing his transgender status.

The estate of Ric Weiland, a high school classmate of Microsoft Corp. founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen and one of the first five people to work at the software giant, has left $65 million to gay rights and HIV/AIDS organizations.

The bequests were announced Sunday by the Pride Foundation of Seattle, where Weiland was a board member for several years. The foundation called it the largest single bequest ever given to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender causes.

Gates and Allen hired Weiland in 1975, the year they founded Microsoft. He worked as a project leader for the Microsoft Works word
processing and spreadsheet software, and was a lead programmer and developer for the company's BASIC and COBOL systems, two of the first
personal computing interfaces. He left Microsoft in 1988.

Weiland donated tens of millions to various organizations — from gay rights groups to environmental and education organizations — before he
died in 2006. He committed suicide at age 53 after a long battle with depression, and survivors include his partner, Mike Schaefer.

The $65 million is among bequests totaling about $160 million — the bulk of Weiland's estate_ to various charities and Stanford
University, his undergraduate alma mater, according to an estimate provided by the Pride Foundation.

In the latest bequest, the Pride Foundation said Weiland's estate had established a fund at the foundation that would give $46 million over
the next eight years to 10 national gay rights and HIV/AIDS groups, including Lambda Legal; the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force;
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation; and amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS
Research.

His estate also bequeathed $19 million directly to the Pride Foundation for scholarships and grants supporting the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender community in the Pacific Northwest.

Awards Season
Big Night at The Oscars

And the winners are...

Juno over No Country... Depp over Daniel Day...

Moviefone's Fan Predictions

Moviefone.com polled readers for their Oscar picks in an unscientific but telling, survey.

"Juno" was a runaway Moviefone pick for Best Picture, while its star, Ellen Page, was a landslide selection for Best Actress. Voting pulled in nearly 600,000 Moviefone readers.

In another fan-driven result, Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd" was the Moviefone fan pick for Best Actor - and not odds-on favorite Daniel Day-Lewis.

Portland released its “State of the Port,” an assessment of transportation activity in the City. The City’s Port activities experienced an 84% increase in container moves, a record-breaking 55% increase in cruise ship passenger, and a 59% increase in cruise ship
revenue.

“The Port of Portland is an integral part of the City,” remarked Joe Gray, City Manager. “The livelihoods of thousands of people depend upon a healthy, vibrant working harbor and 2007 was a good year. It is also an exciting time for our Port as the future holds a great deal of promise. In the coming year, we will prepare for the opening of the Ocean Gateway Terminal, the construction of a new garage and terminal expansion for the Jetport, and continued negotiations for the reconstruction of the Maine State Pier. ”

Other highlights from the State of the Port include:
• 577 vessels visited the Port of Portland in 2007 (a slight decrease from 2006, 618 vessels).
• More than 4,000 containers disembarked in the Port, an 84% increase.
• Nearly 23.5 million tons of cargo entered the Port of Portland in 2007.
• A record-breaking 48,700 cruise passengers visited Portland, an increase of 55% over last year.
• 32 cruise ships visit Portland last year, an increase of 18%.
• Cruise ships visits generated an approximate $366,000 per boat, up 59% from 2006.
• Cruise ships visits generated approximately $1.5 million for Portland, a nearly $10 million for the region.
• 942,000 passengers utilized the Casco Bay Ferries, up slightly from last year.
• The Cat experienced a 20% passenger increase with more than 56,400.
• Concord Trailways, Mermaid Transportation, VIP Tour and Travel Bus experienced increases in passengers.
• Passengers of the METRO bus systems increased 4% to 1.43 million. System usage has increased every year for the past eight years.
• Travelers on the Downeaster increased by 17% to 383,000.
• The Portland Jetport experienced a 17% increase in passengers, the fastest growth rate for any airport in New England.
• More than 1.6 million passengers fly in or out of the Portland Jetport. 10 of the 12 months of 2007 were record breaking.
• Portland’s transportation system had more than 6.8 million passengers in 2007, a 9% increase from 2006.

The State of the Port is compiled annually by the City’s Department of Ports and Transportation.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders applauded today’s decision by the Massachusetts Court of Appeals in favor of 17-year-old Ashley Shaw who has sought to get MassHealth to cover her AIDS-related surgery.

“This is a great victory because it affirms that a teenaged girl living with AIDS must receive the health care that her doctors deem necessary,” said GLAD staff attorney Janson Wu. “As people with HIV live longer – and especially children born with HIV live into adulthood – access to care is the critical issue of their lives.”

Ashley Shaw has lived with HIV since her birth, and the powerful anti-AIDS drugs she takes cause multiple side-effects, including the growth of an abnormal fat pad on the nape of her neck. This “buffalo hump” caused her daily pain, severe headaches, abnormal posture, and posed the danger of permanent damage to her spine. In 2004, her doctors at Children’s Hospital concluded that surgical removal was a necessity.

Literally on the eve of the scheduled surgery, MassHealth denied coverage. In light of Ashley’s pain and the risk of long-term damage, Ashley’s mother, Liz Shaw, decided to proceed with the surgery and appeal the decision later. “Any mother would have made the same decision,” said Liz. MassHealth denied her right to appeal because the surgery was performed “without authorization.”

“This was error,” wrote Judge Elspeth Cypher on behalf of a unanimous Court. “We reject the DMA’s [Division of Medical Assistance] view that Ashley’s claim may be terminated because the procedure had been performed without authorization. There was no timely and reasonable alternative available when the request for authorization was denied.”

“When Ashley was born, the median life expectancy of children with HIV was eight years old,” said Liz Shaw. “But she is part of the first generation of children who are growing up and living into adulthood. She’ll continue to need medical care, and I’m grateful to the Court for providing that access to care.”

GLAD had filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court in 2005 on behalf of Ashley and Liz Shaw. The Court found on behalf of MassHealth and GLAD filed the appeal with the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, arguing before the court on October 4, 2007.

Ventura County prosecutors charged a 14-year-old boy with the shooting death of a classmate Thursday and said the killing in an Oxnard classroom was a premeditated hate crime.

Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Maeve Fox declined to discuss a motive in the shooting or why prosecutors added the special allegation of a hate crime against Brandon McInerney (pictured) , who was charged as an adult.

But classmates of the slain boy, Lawrence King, said he recently had started to wear makeup and jewelry and had proclaimed himself gay. Several students said King and a group of boys, including the defendant, had a verbal confrontation concerning King's sexual orientation a day before the killing.

Read More

Gay Rights Leader Attacked in Brazil
President of Sao Paulo's Gay Pride Association hospitalized

The President of Sao Paulo's Gay Pride Association was hospitalized after he was attacked at their offices yesterday.

Alexandre Peixe dos Santos was gagged, hooded and beaten by an unknown number of attackers.

The association organizes one of the largest gay rights parades in the world. Last year three million revelers packed the streets of the Brazilian city in what officials have called the largest party in the world.

Mr Peixe dos Santos was beaten unconscious in the attack and called police when he regained consciousness.

The incident is being investigated by a specialist police unit, the Racial Crimes and Crimes of Intolerance Division.

In September GLBT activists in Brazil spoke about the high levels of homophobia in their society in the wake of the brutal sexual assault and murder of a gay teenager.

Osvan Inacio dos Santos, 19, was attacked in a street near a bar where he had just won the local "Miss Gay" competition. His naked body was found on Sunday morning and forensic examination found his skull had been fractured and indicated sexual assault.

The attack and murder, in the town of Batingas in northeast Brazil, is just one high-profile example of the problems the GLBT community face in the country, which is often viewed as liberal in matters of sexuality.

Tedy Marques, president of the Alagoas Gay Group, told EFE news agency at the time:

"Homophobia is one of the worst problems Brazil faces. It is unacceptable that every other day in our country a homosexual is brutally murdered."

Activists estimate that more than 2,680 gay people were murdered in Brazil between 1980 and 2006.

Awards Season
Grammy Award Winners

Jubilant screenwriters declared victory Saturday in their 14-week-old strike, hailing the Writers Guild of America's tentative agreement with Hollywood's major studios that, if accepted, could return employees to work this week.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House on Thursday quickly passed a Senate-approved economic stimulus package and sent the bill to the president's desk for his signature.

The House voted 380-34 to accept the Senate's $170 billion measure, just a few hours after Democratic and Republican senators reached accord and ended a days-long stalemate over the bill.

The deal, passed in the Senate on a 81-16 vote, includes rebate check amounts of $300 to $600 for people who have an income between $3,000 and $75,000, plus $300 per child.

But the plan also gives checks to more than 20 million Social Security beneficiaries and 250,000 handicapped veterans and their widows.

Two White House officials said President Bush will probably sign the bill next week.

Read More

Super Stunner
Giants End Patriots' Perfect Season

After 18 victories, the New England Patriots fell from the unbeaten ranks with a 17-14 loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

A victory at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday would have given New England a perfect 19-0 record on the year and allowed them to join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as unbeaten Super Bowl champions.

Gay Pride In Jerusalem Could Be Barred

Move to ban public events that
"insult religious values and public feelings."

A member of Israel's religious Shas Party told a parliamentary committee Tuesday that homosexuality
is an epidemic and should be dealt with like the Health Ministry deals with bird flu.

Marriage wins again in Massachusetts

Same-Sex Marriages Begin in California

NBC’s Tim Russert dead at 58

Washington bureau chief, ‘Meet the Press’ moderator collapsed on job

New York to recognize out-of-state gay marriage

High Marks For Maine In Healthy State Rankings

Genetic manipulation, pollution top Vatican's 'new sins'

Awards Season Big Night at The Oscars

And the winners are...

Gay Rights Leader Attacked in Brazil President of Sao Paulo's Gay Pride Association hospitalized

Awards Season Grammy Award Winners

Super Stunner Giants End Patriots' Perfect Season

Gay Pride In Jerusalem Could Be Barred Move to ban public events that "insult religious values and public feelings."

Genetic manipulation, pollution top
Vatican's 'new sins'

Awards Season
Big Night at The Oscars

Gay Rights Leader Attacked in Brazil
President of Sao Paulo's Gay Pride Association hospitalized

Awards Season
Grammy Award Winners

Super Stunner
Giants End Patriots' Perfect Season

Gay Pride In Jerusalem Could Be Barred

Move to ban public events that
"insult religious values and public feelings."