Obama names Medal of Freedom recipients, including Harvey Milk …

, attempting to those who have acted as “agents of change,” he will bestow the Presidential Medal of , the country’s highest civilian honor, on a cast of living and deceased figures widely known in , the arts and sciences, and .

The 16 named by the today include , the city who an early movement for rights in public life and was assassinated. They include the late , a as well, and the ailing Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of .

The ’s , who will be honored at a ceremony Aug. 12, include American civil-rights the Rev. Joseph Lowery and South African fighter . They include a in for women, star , and the first on the , retired Justice Day O’Connor.

They include actor and singer .
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Obama names Medal of Freedom recipients, including Harvey Milk …

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‘Two-Track’ Church Suggested by Archbishop of Canterbury

— The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, the , said among the world’s 77 million over and same- could divide their church into a “two-” yielding “two styles of being .”

The formula could avert a formal breach between and but bring new in the between the global Anglican Communion and American Episcopalians who resolved this month to open the door to ordaining openly gay bishops and to start the process of developing rites for same-sex marriages.

insisted that the issue should not be debated “in apocalyptic terms of and excommunication but plainly as what they are — two styles of being .”

In a lengthy message published Monday on his Web site, the archbishop offered a detailed and nuanced response to at the convention in , Calif., this month when -rights in the chalked up major victories over on . The is the official branch of the in the .

The developments were seen by and as likely turning points in the history of the divided , reflecting the profound rifts over within — the world’s third largest network of Christian after the and Orthodox . The differences have crystallized around the ’s consent in 2003 to the of the church’s first openly bishop, V. Gene Robinson of .

The Episcopalians had agreed to a on the election of , but it was lifted at the convention in .

The is the of the , which is composed of 38 provinces worldwide. The claims about 2.3 million .

In his message, repeated his view that “a blessing for a same- union cannot have the authority” of the full , any more than a blessing for a couple living outside would have.

That, in turn, means that as long as the broader church “as a whole does not bless same- , a person living in such a union cannot without serious incongruity have a representative function in a Church whose public teaching is at with their .”

The issues have confronted the archbishop with not simply between and in the but also across the broader church with its many in , Britain and elsewhere. Four in the and many individual have broken away from the national to forge alliances with such as the Church of .

said: “There is at least the possibility of a twofold ecclesial reality in view in the middle distance: that is, a ‘covenanted’ global body, fully sharing certain aspects of a vision of how the Church should be and behave, able to take part as a body in ecumenical and interfaith ; and, related to this body, but in less formal ways with fewer formal expectations, there may be associated local in various kinds of mutual and with one another and with ‘covenanted’ provinces.”

The archbishop has promoted the idea of — described by some analysts as a kind of good-behavior guide for — to overcome the rift.

“This has been called a ‘two-tier’ model, or, more disparagingly, a first- and second-class structure,” the archbishop’s message said. “But perhaps we are faced with the possibility rather of a ‘two-track’ model, two ways of witnessing to the heritage, one of which had decided that local had to be the prevailing value and so had in good declined a covenantal structure.”

The message continued: “It helps to be clear about these possible futures, however much we think them less than ideal, and to speak about them not in apocalyptic terms of and excommunication but plainly as what they are — two styles of being , whose mutual relation will certainly need working out but which would not exclude in mission and service of the kind now shared in the .”

See Anglican Sees ‘Two-Track’ Church @

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HBO RANKS HIGHEST IN THIRD ANNUAL “GLAAD NETWORK RESPONSIBILITY INDEX”

Networks for Third Year in a Row; and Receive “Failing” Grades for Lack of of the Community

Los Angeles, CA, July 27, 2009 – The &; Alliance Against Defamation () today released its third annual Network , a report that the quantity, quality and of of , , and () on . programming on the five networks was evaluated as well as original programming on 10 of the highest-rated .

scored the highest rating of the 15 networks evaluated with characters on shows including , The No. 1 and that reflect the ethnic and racial of the community. Of ’s 14 original series, 10 included content and 42 percent of the network’s total included representation.

“This year programming was not only inclusive of , but networks like are beginning to reflect the broad within our community,” said , Senior Director of Media Programs at . “With upcoming fall programming and new there is a tremendous opportunity for networks to share the stories of all of our community including , and as well as of color, all which continue to be underrepresented across all networks.”

reviewed a total of 4,901 hours of programming for of characters or issues on the five (, , The , and ) from June 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009. also examined 1,212.5 hours of original programming on 10 highly-rated . Each hour was reviewed for on-screen . Based on the quantity, overall quality and of these , a rating was assigned by ’s Media Program to each network: Excellent, Good, Adequate, or Failing.

Additional findings from the Network :

Good

- and Showtime received grades of Good, with leading with 42 percent of featuring .

- , with shows including Brothers &; Sisters, Grey’s Anatomy and Betty, again received the highest ranking of the five networks, earning a Good grade with 24 percent of their including .

- The also received a grade of Good, with 20 percent of their including .

Adequate

- While received an Adequate, rising from last place and a Failing grade in 2008; 11 percent of its were -inclusive, yet some of those hours included problematic content.

- Among evaluated, TNT showed the largest growth, jumping from one percent of inclusive last year to 19 percent. FX posted the sharpest , dropping 32 percent over the previous season. Both were graded

Failing

- and received Failing grades, for their 8 and 5 percent, respectively, of with . moved down from third place in last year’s Network to last among the five major networks.

- A&;E, Sci Fi and TBS received grades of Failing.

shows that weave our stories into the of the series present richer, more and are the kinds of that help Americans understand and embrace their family , and in a more meaningful way,” said Robinson.

The third annual Network was delivered to programming executives at the 15 graded networks, and ’s Media Program will continue discussions with them to for in the quality, quantity and of their .

The Executive Summary of the report can be viewed online at .org. A PDF of the full report can also be downloaded at .org.

The 14th Annual Where We Are On TV report on will be issued in September 2009. This analysis will examine as well as the gender and race/ethnicity of all scripted characters scheduled to appear during the 2009-2010 season.

About

The &; Alliance Against Defamation () is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of and in the media as a means of eliminating and based on and . For more information, please visit www.glaad.org.

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Diocese of Niagara to offer same-sex blessings

As of Sept. 1, the will allow its to bless same-gender who have been civilly married.

Niagara becomes the second diocese in the Church of , after the -based New Westminster, to offer a for same- . (The , which allowed same- in 2002, currently limits the rite to eight parishes.) The issue of same- continues to deeply divide in as well as worldwide.

“The Niagara Rite is intended for the voluntary use of who wish to offer a of blessing regardless of the gender of the civilly married persons…” the said on its Web site, www.niagara.anglican.ca

The rite may also be used for the blessing or renewal of for “celebrating a significant moment in their together,” said an introduction to the Niagara Rite.
The approval of the rite came five years after the diocesan of Niagara passed a motion allowing civilly-married , “where at least one party is baptized,” to receive a church blessing. The at that time, , had refused to implement the motion. In January 2008, a similar motion was approved by Niagara’s diocesan , and this time, Bishop Spence gave his approval, but said he reserved the right to determine when the same- would move forward.

Last fall, Bishop Spence’s successor, , informed a meeting of the Canadian house of that he intended to develop the rite, saying, “I believe we are among those who have been called by to speak with a on this subject.”

Under a list of outlined by Bishop Bird, a who wishes to offer the Niagara Rite must contact the bishop’s office “so that a conversation can take place between the bishop and the involved.” The is expected to provide details about the couple the intends to bless “and should be prepared to have a conversation about the response of the parish to the ,” the list added. “A date for such a blessing should not be confirmed with the couple until after this conversation with the bishop has taken place.”

A parish is not required to get the approval of its vestry before it can offer such .

Two other – Montreal and – have also informed the house of about their to move with same- . At that meeting, the house of issued a a “large majority” of its could affirm “a continued commitment to the greatest extent possible” to a on the blessing of same- . But it acknowledged that the , which had been sought by the and the of the , would be difficult for some “that in have made on these matters.”

The issue of whether can offer same- is likely to be revisited at the 2010 meeting of General , the governing body of the Church of . In 2007, General had agreed that blessing rites for are “not in ” with core church doctrine, but refused to affirm the authority of to offer them. General delegates had also voted to study revising the (church law) to allow to marry all legally qualified persons. for has been legal in since 2005.
Last spring, Council of General (CoGS), the church’s governing body in between General meetings, decided not to ask General 2010 to amend the to allow for the of same- . The decision was made after the , worship and ministry committee, which was asked by CoGS to prepare “a theological rationale to allow for the of all legally qualified persons,” said that it found the request problematic. Janet Marshall, committee chair, told CoGS that some felt uncomfortable about being asked to create a rationale for only one side of the argument.

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As of Wednesday, in St. Paul, Minnesota, can get . The state capital joined two other cities in that state in approving a resolution that allowed for

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Councilmen waver on new gay marriage bill

Porterville rehashed a .

Former mayor Cameron Hamilton proposed that council show adamant to a bill circulating among state .

Bill 54 proposes same- married outside the state, and before the passage of Proposition 8, are warranted the equal recognition as married spouses in California.

The council formerly engaged with a state issue on Sept. 2, 2008 by adopting a resolution supporting Proposition 8. The , which was passed by in November, codifies that in California is only between a man and a .

This time the was not unanimous.

By a sliver — two in favor, two opposed, one abstained — council allowed Hamilton to draft a resolution to approve or disapprove at a future meeting.

See Councilmen waver on new gay marriage bill

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Officers say teen slaying suspect admitting killing, apologized Los Angeles Times -

A after he allegedly gunned down his , junior student Brandon calmly allowed police to take him into custody, telling them, “I’m the one who did it,” the officers testified in a Ventura courthouse Monday.

, who was 14 at the time, apologized repeatedly for allegedly gunning down , 15, a who students said had pursued romantically, the officers testified. See Officers say teen slaying suspect admitting killing, apologized

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Salt Lake City leaders seek to eradicate discrimination

was the topic of Debra Daniels’ first speech.

With the release of a report Tuesday detailing incidents of in , Daniels is still talking about the need for some later.

“I am surprised today, in 2009, that we are still asking that our be allowed to move into a , to … access and care … and they’re being denied based on who they are,” Daniels said on the steps of the -County Building.

The report by the Commission found based on race, , class and happens often in the city.

See Salt Lake City leaders seek to eradicate discrimination

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A consensus: among consultants Wait until 2012 To Repeal Prop 8

he advice is piling up on one side for folks who want to see same legalized in California: Wait until 2012 to ask voters to overturn Proposition 8.

We’ve told you about the three LGBT coalitions of color who suggested waiting, and the nation’s oldest LGBT Democratic club saying the same. Now some of California’s top are joining the chorus.

Now, now. We know that some blame consultants for the ruinous anti-Prop 8 campaign. But California director Marc — who helped the successful drive for in — asked seven to share their thoughts on the 2010 v. 2012 question. Plus, they asked what the community and their should do to prepare to go back to the ballot. Three were openly (including two who are married) and one is a .

The : Wait until 2012.

Sue Burnside, co-chair of the National &; Board, is “convinced that we should refrain from rushing in 2010, and instead to build on and strategically prepare for a ‘Yes on in 2012.” for Mark Armour and suggests “a multi-year campaign that culminates in an election when the time is right.”

“If you do UNSUCCESSFULLY undertake this issue at the ballot in 2010, this will further erode public support on the issue and make it harder for future efforts to succeed,” Claussen said.

Even though Democratic consultant Richie Ross — who has won a bazillion races in California going back a few — doesn’t offer a definitive , he a raw numbers breakdown that suggests that by 2012 there will be more on the rolls (likely to for ) and more older voters (likely to oppose) dying off.

, who has worked on many gay-related ballot measures over the years, worries about . Each side on the Prop 8 battle raised at least $40 million. “The most conventional to employed by a wide variety of campaign strategists — bury your by dramatically outspending them, effectively drowning out their message — isn’t an option when the is as well-funded as ours is in California.” He worries that the 66 weeks until Nov 2010 “is a very brief time to raise $40-.”

Plus, he worries if “our strategy, in a lower turnout year, (can) insure that those who voted withus in 2008 return to the in greater numbers than those who voted against us? We can certainly try. But we have to acknowledge that this would be very difficult. Key blocs of our supporters, such as younger voters, often turn out to in reduced numbers in off-years.”

Former Jill Darling said “Did the 2008 campaign move voters? Are the post- efforts having any effect? Nothing measurable, as of May.”

See The consensus: Wait until 2012.

Chronicle

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Aussie High school told to apologise

Gary has demanded an from a Catholic in after it published an anti- letter in its .

In a letter to the editor, former Xavier student Matt Price called for “a world free from ”, who, he said live lives devoted to and .

His letter called for businesses not to employ , with Price revealing that he with his message.

Price, who claims to be a ‘cured’ , said his new ‘’ life allowed him to “/heal my in the way I was guided as a child”.

Gary told MCV the school was inciting against .

“To publish calls for a world free of is nothing less than an to kill ,” he said.

called on Xavier to “apologise unreservedly for this serious and illegal breach of NSW anti- laws”.

See High school told to apologise

Melbourne

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