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Vatican Strengthens Ban on Gay Priests (Big Gay News)
Gay Men Have Lower Personal Incomes (Big Gay News)
Organizer: Prop. 8 Prayer Not Political (Big Gay News)
Gay Couples Fear Legal Limbo in Cal. Vote (Big Gay News)
Kate Clinton: Big Gay Slowdown (HuffingtonPost)
£500,000 Lottery cash spent on studying drug use by gays (Daily Mail)
Sigur Ros star relates to gay Little Britain character (Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)
Gays bash Hobby Lobby as insensitive (Colorado Springs Independent)
Analysts: Blacks could tilt state vote on gay marriage ban (Sun-Sentinel)
The Gay Mafia That’s Redefining Liberal Politics (Time Magazine)
Why Halloween’s The Gayest Holiday (RainbowNetwork.com)
I will not support marriage inequality (The Union)
LDS mothers plan gay-marriage vigil (The Salt Lake Tribune)
“The Gay Bed & Breakfast of Terror” (Denver Post)
Gays Christian Church to celebrate 85th anniversary (Journal Gazette & Times-Courier)
Researchers Find ‘Transsexual Gene’ (Fox News)
America’s Top Gays On Campaign Trail [The Homosexual Agenda] (Gawker)

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30 (UPI)

Gay married couples in California face what they fear is legal limbo if Proposition 8 passes next week banning same-sex nuptials, analysts say.

Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution to define marriage as only an act between man and woman but says nothing about the estimated 1,600 same-sex couples who tied the knot since it became legal in California June 17.

Analysts predict a period of “legal chaos” if the proposal passes, The Los Angeles Times said Thursday, with the legality of same-sex marriages performed between June and November suddenly in doubt.

There is plenty of comment from experts on both sides of the question.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown, the state’s top law enforcement officer, in a view likely to be challenged, expects Proposition 8, if it passes, would not be retroactive and that existing marriages would stand.

On the other side of the issue, Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California-Irvine, told the Times he saw “no clear answer.” It would be a situation “to be litigated by the courts.”

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

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 30 (UPI)

Evangelical Christians say they hope the collective power of prayer will sway voters to support California’s proposed ban of same-sex marriage.

Tens of thousands of churchgoers are expected at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium Saturday for a 12-hour “united massive fasting and prayer” to “save the very sanctity of marriage” by supporting Proposition 8, a ballot measure that would ban gay and lesbian marriage in California if approved.

Event organizers describe Tuesday’s Proposition 8 vote as a “confrontation between light and darkness” and say they hope the stadium prayers will create “a wave of freedom and deliverance the state has never seen,” a promotional video viewed by United Press International says.

But organizers deny the event is political.

“We’re not there to make a political statement,” said Lou Engle, who co-founded The Call, which organized the event.

“We’re praying for a spiritual awakening,” he told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The prayers will seek God’s power “to influence the outcome of the election,” but also to seek personal forgiveness, he said.

The Call’s Web site says, “As California Goes, So Goes the Nation.”

Supporters of same-sex marriage say Saturday’s event is indeed political, seeking to energize supporters in the name of faith three days before the vote.

“Clearly the focus is on taking away this right” of same-sex marriage, Dale Kelly Bankhead, a No on 8 spokeswoman, told the newspaper. “It seems political to us.”

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

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 30 (UPI)

A study of Canadian gay men found 12 percent have lower personal incomes than heterosexual men, researchers said.

For the study, Christopher S. Carpenter of The Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California Irvine used data from the Canadian Community Health Survey which includes standard demographic questions as well as self-reports on sexual orientation.

The study, published in the Canadian Journal of Economics, also found lesbians have 15 percent higher personal incomes than heterosexual men and women.

Similar to gay and straight differences in the United States, gay men and lesbians in Canada are more likely to live in urban areas and more highly educated than heterosexuals in Canada, the study said.

“This is the first work to document statistically and economically meaningful differentials associated with sexual orientation in Canada,” Carpenter said in a statement. “The long-term significance of the study will be to further the call for more research into the causes and consequences of gay/straight differences in Canada and elsewhere.”

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

VATICAN CITY, Oct. 30 (UPI)

Men with homosexual tendencies should not be allowed to train for the Catholic priesthood even if they seem able to stay celibate, the Vatican said Thursday.

The guidelines for bishops and seminary heads also recommended psychological examinations for all candidates for the priesthood, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. In a veiled reference to the sexual abuse scandal, the document said that barring men with psychological problems would ”prevent so many tragedies.”

In addition to “rooted homosexual tendencies,” the document listed “immaturities” that might interfere with a priest’s ability to serve. They include ‘’strong emotional dependence, notable lack of frankness in relationships, excessive rigidity of character, lack of loyalty, uncertain sexual identity” and an inability to remain celibate.

Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Catholic Education Congregation, described homosexuality as “a deviation, an irregularity, a wound” even when a gay man is celibate.

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

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 29 (UPI)

Actor Sean Penn escorted activist and San Francisco congressional candidate Cindy Sheehan to the San Francisco premiere of his new film “Milk.”

Penn, a San Francisco resident, plays the title character in the film about the life and assassination of San Francisco Supervisor and gay-rights leader Harvey Milk.

“Like Sheehan, Penn is a longtime critic of the Bush administration and its handling of the Iraq war. His political activism has included a tour of Iraq and travel to post-Katrina New Orleans,” Sheehan’s campaign said in a news release.

Contacted by phone Wednesday, Sheehan’s representative said the candidate described the experience of attending the premiere the previous night and seeing the film as inspiring.

On Oct. 4, Penn presided over a fundraiser for Sheehan at his San Francisco home that raised more than $5,000 for her campaign, her campaign said.

Actors and activists Martin Sheen and Roseanne Barr have also each recently endorsed Sheehan, who is running as an Independent candidate in California’s 8th Congressional District race against incumbent Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

“These immensely talented individuals have used their success and celebrity to draw attention to issues that are important to this state and to this country,” Sheehan said in a statement. “I am deeply honored by their support and their confidence in my candidacy.”

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

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30 (UPI)

Gay married couples in California face what they fear is legal limbo if Proposition 8 passes next week banning same-sex nuptials, analysts say.

Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution to define marriage as only an act between man and woman but says nothing about the estimated 1,600 same-sex couples who tied the knot since it became legal in California June 17.

Analysts predict a period of “legal chaos” if the proposal passes, The Los Angeles Times said Thursday, with the legality of same-sex marriages performed between June and November suddenly in doubt.

There is plenty of comment from experts on both sides of the question.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown, the state’s top law enforcement officer, in a view likely to be challenged, expects Proposition 8, if it passes, would not be retroactive and that existing marriages would stand.

On the other side of the issue, Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California-Irvine, told the Times he saw “no clear answer.” It would be a situation “to be litigated by the courts.”

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

 

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Connecticut to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage (Big Gay News)
Conn. Getting Gay-Wedding Licenses Ready (Big Gay News)
More celebs come out in support of gay marriage (Pink News)
Gay men have significantly lower personal incomes than heterosexuals (EurekAlert!)
Hate crime charge in Prop. 8 sign attack (San Francisco Chronicle)
Transgender theft suspect accused of theft (Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Man Charged In Transgender Slaying Involved In Jail Fight (KMGH 7 Denver)
California split over gay marriage referendum (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Ruling: Officials must marry gay couples (Norwalk Advocate)
Students want to end bullying against homosexuals (The Saginaw News)
Halloween fun can be found far beyond S.F. Castro district (Oakland Tribune)
Parents protest student pledge forms on gays (San Francisco Chronicle)
Soulforce, SWBTS meeting ‘cordial’ (BPNews.net)
Gay in Bismarck (KX TV North Dakota)

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HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 28 (UPI)

An attorney in Connecticut’s legal battle over same-sex marriages says he expects the first official weddings of homosexual couples to begin Nov. 10.

The Connecticut Supreme Court Tuesday officially published its opinion allowing same-sex marriages, a move that begins the formalities of rewording the state marriage licenses to accommodate the ruling.

“I understand that people are excited to get married and want to do it as soon as possible, but Connecticut needs new license forms that reflect the Supreme Court’s decision and the reality that same-sex couples here can marry freely,” said Bennett Klein, an attorney with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders.

The Hartford Courant said the forms will likely identify gay couples as “partners for life,” or something similar rather than as “bride” and “groom.”

Klein told the Courant that while the parties in the landmark case have 10 days to ask the high court to reconsider their ruling, he did not expect any objections and predicted everything would be in place for same-sex weddings to begin on Nov. 10.

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

HARTFORD, Conn., Oct. 29 (UPI)

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says he expects his state to officially legalize same-sex marriages early next month.

Blumenthal said Tuesday that thanks to a landmark state Supreme Court decision, Connecticut will allow same-sex marriages to occur and those entering into such unions should be treated the same as individuals in opposite-sex marriages, the Connecticut Post reported.

“Sometime during the week of Nov. 10 we anticipate same-sex couples will be married in Connecticut,” he said. “The simple answer to many of the questions that we’ve been asked is that they’ll be treated under the law exactly the same way as opposite-sex marriages.”

The state Supreme Court’s ruling came in the case of Kerrigan et al; Mock v. Connecticut Department of Public Health, in which eight same-sex couples were attempting to earn the right to marry.

A final judgment on the matter is not expected until Nov. 10 and the official ruling may not be entered until two days later, the Post said.

Gay right advocates say up to 1,700 gay and lesbian couples are expected to take advantage of the new state law once it goes into effect.

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

 

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FBI report: Anti-gay crimes up (USA Today)
WSU students wearing red to support gays (Seattle Times)
Hate crimes numbers drop; gays targeted (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
Paperwork means gay marriages begin next month (Boston Globe)
Guilty Senator Ted Stevens had history of mostly anti-gay votes (Metro Weekly)
Substantial Number of Asian Gays in California Are Parents (New America Media)
Researchers claim gene linked to MTF transsexual development (Metro Weekly)
Transsexual beauty queen crowned in Philippines (Pravda Ru)
West Michigan money fights gay marriage in Florida, California (The Muskegon Chronicle)
Bryn Mawr couple back Calif. gay-marriage ban (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Sean Penn’s new gay drama avoiding publicity (Reuters via Yahoo!Xtra News)Utah Residents Complain About
UT Residents Complain About Paper’s Lesbian Announcement (RainbowNetwork.com)
Soulforce activists to meet SWBTS officials (BPNews.net)

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Mormons Scale Back Prop. 8 Effort (Big Gay News)
Lewis Slammed for Televised Gay Slur (Big Gay News)
Gay Florida Man Awaits Ruling on Adoption (Big Gay News)
Connecticut JPs ready to perform gay marriages (Boston Globe)
75% of Brits would vote for a gay Prime Minister (Pink News)
iTunes gets briefly c**sored (Tech Digest via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)
Local money fights gay marriage in FL, CA (The Grand Rapids Press)
Gay man seeks ordination (Belleville Intelligencer)
Denis Leary taken to task over slurs on gays (New Kerala)
California’s First Lady backs gay marriage (Pink News)
‘Transsexual gene’ identified (New Kerala)
Miami court decision may affect a law barring gays from adopting (Sun-Sentinel)
Same-sex ruling inspires hope (Penn State Collegian)
A Line in the Sand for Same-Sex Marriage Foes (New York Times)
Not much of a mystery in oppression of gays (Journal Inquirer)
Teacher, student ‘had lesbian affair’ (AAP via Yahoo!7 News)

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MIAMI, Oct. 27 (UPI)

Supporters of gay adoptions are awaiting the decision of a Miami court that might provide a means of overturning a state law preventing gays from adopting.

Under Florida law, gays and lesbians can be state-appointed foster parents or permanent guardians but cannot be adoptive parents.

Some states like Mississippi and Utah prevent unmarried couples from adopting but Florida statute 63.042 states: “No person eligible under this statute may adopt if that person is a homosexual.”

The Florida case awaiting a court ruling involves Frank Martin Gill who seeks court approval to adopt his two foster sons.

Stratton Pollitzer of Equality Florida, a gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual group, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel there is no scientific evidence that children raised in gay homes become homosexual.

“In fact, child welfare evidence shows that gay parents are as capable of being good parents as anyone else,” Pollitzer said.

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

SACRAMENTO, Oct. 25 (UPI)

Mormon Church officials are trimming their efforts on behalf of a ballot initiative to abolish same-sex marriage in California, a church spokeswoman said.

The church, headquartered in Salt Lake City, will continue to work on behalf of California’s Proposition 8, but will stop making telephone calls from Utah to California voters, church spokeswoman Kim Farrah said in a news release.

The church has been a pre-eminent supporter of the ballot initiative and, at the request of the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign, its members have been phone banking from Utah to push for its passage Nov. 4, The Sacramento Bee reported Saturday.

“However, the church has since determined that such phone calls are best handled by those who are registered California voters,” Farah said in the statement issued Friday.

A liberal group called the Courage Campaign said it will deliver a petition to a Mormon church in Los Angeles demanding the church stop providing financial support for the Yes on 8 campaign. Mormons are among the largest contributors to the campaign, the newspaper said.

The manager of the Yes on 8 campaign, Frank Schubert, said in a statement the ballot initiative would be defeated if the campaign does not raise $3 million during the coming week, the report said.

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

SYDNEY, Oct. 26 (UPI)

U.S. comedian Jerry Lewis acted inappropriately by calling cricket a “fag game” on an Australian television broadcast, an equal rights advocate says.

Corey Irlam, an Australian Coalition for Equality spokesman, said the 82-year-old so-called King of Comedy should not have used the derogatory word for gay individuals during a Network Ten broadcast, Sky News reported Saturday.

“Lewis is a world-renowned comedian but clearly this wasn’t funny,” Irlam said.

Lewis’ comment, which was paired with an effeminate demonstration of cricket, came after he was asked for his opinion on the sport.

“Oh, cricket? It’s a fag game,” Lewis said. “What are you, nuts?”

The on-air comment marks the second derogatory comment offered by Lewis regarding the gay population, Sky News reported.

The British news group said Lewis apologized last September for a similar anti-gay comment he made during his annual Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon.

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