NEW YORK, July 24 (UPI)

Thirty-nine percent of men in New York City who have sex with other men do not disclose their sexual orientation to their doctors, health officials said.

Healthcare providers, who know about their patients’ sexual behavior, can help prevent HIV infection through testing, counseling and other services, officials said.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, examined data from the 2004 to 2005 Centers for Disease Control National HIV Behavioral Survey.

For the survey, men at gay bars and clubs were interviewed anonymously, tested for HIV and offered medical and social services as needed. The New York City Health Department analyzed data for the 452 survey participants who lived in New York City.

The study showed that men who disclose having sex with men were twice as likely as those who did not to have been tested for HIV — 63 percent versus 36 percent.

The current national guidelines, adopted in 2006 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, call on healthcare providers to offer HIV tests to all patients between the ages of 13 and 64, officials said.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

WASHINGTON, July 24 (UPI)

A U.S. House of Representatives panel is examining the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bars openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the U.S. military.

Opponents to the policy told a House Armed Services subcommittee Wednesday the policy hurt the military by excluding otherwise-qualified people from enlistment and discharging highly trained personnel who have acknowledged their sexual orientation publicly, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Proponents said cohesion and morale would be harmed by allowing openly gay personnel to serve, The Washington Post (NYSE:WPO) reported.

Likely Democratic Party presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois said he would work to repeal the law; his presumptive Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, said it should be maintained.

A bill to dismantle the policy was introduced last year.

“We have figured out how to deal with racial integration and gender discrimination,” said U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., the bill’s sponsor. “This is the last frontier.”

Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, which opposes a repeal, said allowing gays to serve openly would drive away individuals not wishing to serve with gays.

Retired U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, who lost his right leg after stepping on a land mine in Iraq, said he fought “and nearly died to secure rights for others that I myself was not free to enjoy.”

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CANTERBURY, England, July 22 (UPI) — An African bishop at the Lambeth Conference in Britain called Tuesday for the resignation of the Anglican Communion’s only openly gay bishop.

Daniel Deng, the archbishop of Sudan, said that the bishops in the U.S. Episcopal Church who voted for Gene Robinson’s consecration as bishop of New Hampshire should seek forgiveness for bringing the worldwide Anglican Communion to the brink of schism, The Times of London reported.

More than 200 conservative bishops from Africa and elsewhere have boycotted the conference, held every 10 years. Deng said that he decided to attend because he believes it is important for Sudan to be heard in the West.

The Anglican leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, issued a statement saying that both sex outside of marriage and homosexuality violate religious teachings.

“I do not believe that sex outside marriage is as God purposes it,” Williams said.

Members of the Gay and Lesbian Christian Movement distributed copies of a 1989 essay, “The Body’s Grace,” in which Williams said he did not believe sex was just for reproductive purposes.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SAN DIEGO, July 22 (UPI) — A male dancer who jumped off a ship in San Diego Bay was shot dead by a police officer who tried to rescue him.

An autopsy found that Steven Paul Hirschfield was killed by a shot to the chest, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Hirschfield was performing at a party Saturday night on board the Inspiration. The ship, operated by Hornblower Cruises, had been chartered by a group celebrating Gay Pride Week.

Witnesses said that Hirschfield, wearing white briefs and sneakers, went over the rail as people approached him. The ship put a boat in the water to rescue him but he refused to board it.

Two Harbor Police officers pulled Hirschfield from the water a short time later. The officers, Clyde Williams and Wayne Schmidt, said that Hirschfield knocked Schmidt over and then grabbed his taser and beat him with it.

When Hirschfield tried to grab Schmidt’s gun, Williams shot him. Both officers have been placed on paid leave while the death is investigated.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

WASHINGTON, July 22 (UPI) — Congressional Democrats say they are taking what some hope will be the first step to changing the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” gay service policy.

U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., has introduced a bill that would repeal the policy and let gays and lesbians serve openly in the military. Democrats on the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee scheduled a Wednesday hearing for it, the first time the policy has been directly discussed in Congress since it was instituted by the Clinton administration in 1993, USA Today reported.

“There’s another year in the war,” said Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., chairwoman of the committee’s military personnel subcommittee. “We want to start a conversation.”

No one from the Pentagon was scheduled to testify at the hearing. U.S. Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell told the newspaper the Pentagon has already answered questions about the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy at other hearings.

“Not much has changed,” he said. “It is still the law of the land.”

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

OKLAHOMA CITY, July 21 (UPI) — An Oklahoma county commissioner’s re-election campaign is distributing an anti-gay comic book that links the state attorney general to “the homosexual agenda.”

Legal Newsline reported Monday that in one of the drawings, Oklahoma Attorney General W.A. Drew Edmondson is depicted holding a sign that says, “Gay rights now!” A caption says Edmondson “put Oklahoma on record to force the Boy Scouts to accept homosexuals as scout leaders, a pedifile’s (sic) dream come true.”

In an interview Monday on CNN, Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart, a Republican, criticized Edmondson, a Democrat, for filing campaign complaints against him because of his opposition to “the homosexual agenda.”

Edmondson last year filed felony charges against Rinehart, accusing him of perjury, conspiracy and money laundering in connection with his 2004 campaign.

Rinehart Monday defended the comic book.

“One person’s mud-slinging, I guess, is another man’s issues,” he said, adding that he thought the comic book was a “a novel approach to telling a story.”

He said he believes fighting “the homosexual agenda is an issue in this campaign,” just like improving local roads is important to voters.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – July 21, 2008

With just six weeks to go until the Democrat and Republican Presidential conventions, the general election is almost officially here. Results from a new Harris Poll show that:

In a four way race, Barack Obama leads John McCain among registered voters 44 percent to 35 percent, while Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate and Ralph Nader each receive 2 percent. Sixteen percent of registered voters are not sure who they will vote for yet;

Among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) adults (though not specifically registered voters) 60% of GLBT adults favor Obama while 14% favor McCain. Three percent of GLBT adults favor Barr, while 1% choose Nader. Six percent choose “other,” while 17% of all GLBT voters are not yet sure which candidate to support – comparable to the general population.

John McCain is holding onto just slightly more of his base as just over three-quarters of Republicans (77%) say they will vote for him versus just under three-quarters of Democrats (74%) who will vote for Barack Obama; and,

Among Independents, Obama has a 12-point lead (38% to 26%), but one-quarter of Independents (25%) are not sure, 4 percent would vote for Bob Barr and 3 percent for Ralph Nader.

These are some of the results of a Harris Poll of 2,690 U.S. adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive® between July 3 and 11, 2008. Like all polls conducted well before an election, this should not be read as a prediction, but rather as a snap shot of the presidential “horse race”.

Additional results include:

Half of Matures (those over 63) say they would vote for John McCain, while three in ten (29%) would vote for Senator Obama, indicating that some of McCain’s strongest support comes from this generation;

Half (51%) of the youngest generation or Echo Boomers (those aged 18-31) would vote for Barack Obama while just one-quarter (24%) would vote for Senator McCain;

Ninety percent of African Americans are voting for Senator Obama, as are six in ten Hispanics (60%). Whites, however, are leaning towards Senator McCain over Senator Obama (40% versus 34%);

Over two in five men (42%) and women (43%) say they would vote for Senator Obama, while over one-third of men (36%) and three in ten women (30%) would vote for Senator McCain. This suggests that the gender gap doesn’t really exist this year; and,

Half of single women (51%) would vote for Senator Obama while just one-quarter (25%) would vote for Senator McCain. Married women are more closely divided – 37 percent would vote for Obama and 36 percent would vote for McCain.

So What?

While Americans are thinking of summer vacations and the beach, November 4th may seem like eons away. However, in reality, the election is just 15 weeks from now. That means that everything from this point on in time definitely matters.

Regina Corso, Director of The Harris Poll, said, “Senator Obama’s lead seems solid, but there are some troubling spots to watch for in his campaign. First, Matures are solidly behind John McCain, and this is a group that goes out and votes in the strongest numbers among all age groups. Further, the divide among married women is also extremely close. With almost one-quarter of this group (22%) undecided, the candidate that can win the lion’s share of those undecided Americans can move these overall numbers.”

To see the data tables, please visit: http://www.witeckcombs.com/news/releases//20080721_harris2.pdf .

WASHINGTON, July 18 (UPI)

Seventy-five percent of Americans say gays and lesbians should be permitted to serve in the U.S. military, a Washington Post-ABC News poll indicated.

That figure is up from 62 percent in 2001 and 44 percent in 1993 — when the administration of former President Bill Clinton instituted “don’t ask-don’t tell,” a policy that allows gays to enter the military but forbids them from disclosing their orientation or acting on it sexually.

Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents all said gays should be permitted to serve openly, the Post said Friday.

The poll found 64 percent of Republicans approve of allowing gays to serve in the military. In 1993, only 32 percent said they should.

More than 80 percent of Democrats and more than 75 percent of independents said gays should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces. Only 50 percent of military veterans agreed, the poll found, while 57 percent of white evangelical protestants said gays should be allowed to serve.

The telephone survey was conducted July 10-13, polling a national random national sample of 1,119 adults with a margin of error of 3 percent.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SACRAMENTO, July 18 (UPI)

Fifty-one percent of California voters oppose an initiative to reverse a state Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage, a poll released Friday indicated.

The Field Poll surveyed 672 likely voters, the Los Angeles Times reported. Among respondents, 42 percent said they support Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

In 2000, Proposition 22, a similar referendum, got 62 percent of the vote. Mark DiCamillo, the Field Poll director, said attitudes among California voters have shifted considerably in the past eight years.

Jennifer Kerns, a spokeswoman for the Protect Marriage Campaign, said the poll shows that proponents of same-sex marriage are losing ground. In May, a poll found 54 percent support for gay marriage.

However, DiCamillo said the two polls are not comparable. The one released Friday targeted likely voters and also was based on the specific language of the proposition that will appear on the November ballot.

The poll was conducted by telephone July 8-14. The margin of error is 3.9 percent.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, July 16 (UPI)

The Dutch Language Union has invented a new word that translates to “birthname” to accommodate married gay men who feel awkward listing their “maiden” names.

The word, geboortenaam, was invented by the union after a civil servant approached the group and explained that it could be “embarrassing” for married gay men to have to list a maiden name on forms, Radio Netherlands reported Wednesday.

“The word was needed because men who entered into a gay marriage had to fill in their ‘maiden name’ on official forms when they wanted to take on their spouse’s surname,” the language union said in its announcement.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CANTERBURY, England, July 16 (UPI)

Anglican bishops from around the world gathered Wednesday in Britain against a backdrop of controversy over the acceptance of homosexuals in church leadership.

The 650 bishops from more than 150 countries, led by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, met at the University of Kent in Canterbury to discuss the Anglican Covenant document, which seeks to prevent a split in the church on the issue of consecrating openly homosexual bishops, the BBC reported.

The disagreement within the church leadership ranks have prompted 250 Anglican bishops to boycott the meeting. Those bishops, from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and a group of countries in southern South America, say the Bible bans gay relationships.

The controversy broke out in reaction to the consecration of the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire in the United States, Rev. Gene Robinson, who wasn’t invited by Williams to attend the conference, the BBC said.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 12 (UPI) — U.S. Census Bureau officials say their final 2010 census report will not include same-sex marriages, regardless of whether such marriages are legal in a state.

Officials plan to edit the responses of same-sex married couples to show them in census tabulations as “unmarried partners,” the San Jose Mercury-News reported Saturday. The decision was dictated by several federal mandates, including the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, officials said.

Martin O’Connell, who heads the bureau’s Fertility and Family Statistics Branch, told the newspaper the bureau has considered the matter “for quite a long time.”

“It’s not something the bureau could arbitrarily or casually decide on a whim, because our data is used by virtually every federal agency,” he said.

That’s the problem, say gay rights advocates.

“To have the federal government disappear your marriage I’m sure will be painful and upsetting,” Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told the newspaper. “It really is something out of Orwell. It’s shameful.”

Jennifer Kerns of ProtectMarriage.com, which is pushing for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in California, said the census policy shows how legalization of same-sex marriage could dictate government policy shifts.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BOSTON, July 10 (UPI)

Massachusetts lawmakers say they are preparing to vote on whether to repeal a 1913 law that bans out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying in the state.

Lawmakers say they expect the state Senate to take up the law Tuesday and the state House to do the same soon after.

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray back the repeal, but their support alone may not be enough to secure other lawmakers’ votes, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.

Supporters of gay marriage rights say they are optimistic the repeal will be approved because of backing from leading lawmakers and Gov. Deval Patrick.

“If we get the 1913 law repealed, it brings us one very important step closer to full equality,” said Arline Isaacson, cochairwoman of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus.

Opponents argue the law gives out-of-state couples an unfair advantage.

“I just feel that it would be hypocritical if I turned around and said, ‘Fine, you can come here and get married, and we’ll recognize it’,” state Rep. James R. Miceli, D-Wilmington, told the newspaper.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

NAIROBI, Kenya, July 11 (UPI)

Anglican bishops from Kenya and four other African countries say they will boycott their church’s biggest meeting over same-sex relationships.

The church’s top decision-making organ, the synod, which brings together the clergy, laity and bishops from 39 sees every 10 years, said Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Nigeria also will not attend the Lambeth Conference that opens Wednesday in London.

Anglican Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, speaking to reporters in Nairobi, said other dioceses and provinces from the West also will skip the conference over the gay issue, the Nation reported.

“We want to pass a message that we stand for Anglican ideals by not attending the Lambeth conference,” Nzimbi said. “During the last meeting, we resolved that marriage is between man and woman. Some provinces have neglected this and even consecrated a gay bishop.”

The Anglican church boasts a membership of 77 million worldwide but the same-sex issue has threatened a split.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MYTILENE, Greece, July 11 (UPI)

A native of the Greek island of Lesbos who is trying to stop gay women from using the “Lesbian” label said he has received support from around the world.

Dimitris Lambrou, 69, said he is trying to obtain a court injunction to prevent the homosexual rights organization OLKE from using the world “lesbian” to describe homosexual women, Der Spiegel reported Friday.

He said numerous current and former Lesbos natives have contacted him to voice their support for his cause. He said a Lesbos native who has lived in Canada for 30 years told him he is still met with confusion when he describes himself as “Lesbian.”

Lambrou insists that his cause is solely aimed at reclaiming the “Lesbian” title and not an attack on the homosexual community. He said he has no problem with homosexual women or same-sex marriage, he merely wants to reclaim a word that he claims is an important part of his heritage.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.