Gay senator wants space shuttle to land in NYC
New York’s openly gay state senator wants to bring the space shuttle to New York City. And on Thursday, the state senate took a step toward realizing that dream, passing a resolution endorsing an application to receive one of NASA’s retiring crafts, according to a news release [1] from Sen. Tom Duane’s office.
Three NASA shuttles – Discovery, Endeavor and Atlantis – are scheduled to be retired early next year. Duane hopes to bring one of them to Manhattan’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
[2]
“The spacecrafts are national treasures,” Duane said in the news release. “With more than 8 million residents and 46 million visitors each year, New York City would be without question the most high-profile and exciting place for the shuttle to land.”
The Intrepid Museum launched an online petition [3] and so far has collected nearly 45,000 signatures.
[1] http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senator-duane-spearheads-passage-resolution-bring-space-shuttle-new-york-city
[2] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-tom-duane-top.jpg
[3] http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/shuttle/
Tour says it is not discriminating against Weir
Claims that Olympian Johnny Weir was not included in the “Stars on Ice” cast because of his sexual orientation are not true, the figure skating tour said.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation started an online petition last week, saying Weir was being excluded from the tour because he was …
Sign petition for Miss. lesbian student barred from prom
Change.org started an online petition Friday in support of a Mississippi teen who sought to go to prom with her girlfriend. School board members decided to cancel prom instead of allow the lesbian student to attend with a same-sex date. On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties union, on behalf of …
Lesbians in China petition to donate blood
(Beijing) Lesbians in China have organized an online petition calling for gay people to be allowed to donate blood, state media reported Tuesday.
The petition, asking the government to remove a law enacted in 1998 banning the gay community from donating blood, has drawn 540 signatures from lesbians and aims to …
Gay row minister to be inducted in Scotland
The gay minister whose appointment sparked a furious debate in the Church of Scotland is set to be formally inducted in Aberdeen.
The Reverend Scott Rennie will be introduced to his congregation at a service at Queen’s Cross Church.
Hundreds of ministers and thousands of Church of Scotland members signed an online petition opposing the move.
After arriving in Aberdeen, Mr Rennie said he was looking forward to serving God in the city.
The issue had gone to the General Assembly which narrowly voted in favour.
But there has been a two-year ban on the ordination of gay ministers and a special commission is considering the issue.
See
Gay row minister to be inducted
BBC News
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/07/gay-row-minis…
Petition blasts Starr for Prop 8 ‘lies’
(Washington) Copies of an online petition electronically signed by 46,000 people has been hand-delivered to the Washington, DC offices of Kirkland & Ellis where Ken Starr is counsel.
Starr argued before the California Supreme Court to both uphold Proposition 8, which bans marriage between loving same sex couples, and to strike …
Demographics suggest Prop. 8 may have a short life
If the Proposition 8 battle is replayed in 2010, demographic trends alone could eliminate the initiative’s winning margin, according to an analysis of polling and census data.
Gay rights groups have already vowed a 2010 repeal fight against the initiative, which took away a right for same-sex couples to marry that had been granted in a California Supreme in May. Given that conventional wisdom holds that it is easier to get a no vote than a yes vote, a repeal campaign could have a harder mission than the unsuccessful No on 8 campaign did this year.
“We have not determined, with our allies, exactly when that will be,” said Rick Jacobs, founder and director of the Courage Campaign, which has gathered over 300,000 names on an online petition calling for a repeal. “But we will be absolutely ready to put it on the ballot in 2010.”
If the repeal side does get on the ballot, they’ll be facing a very different electorate. According to the Field Poll, voters 65 and older made up 19 percent of the 13 million people who cast ballots in this election — about 2.5 million voters. According to polling by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), six in 10 voted for Prop. 8. The measure won by 4.6 percentage points, or 591,644 total votes.
According to death rate data provided by the California Department of Public Health, over a third of those over 65 die each year. If you applied these deaths rates to voters in this age group, over two years, deaths could eliminate 1.5 million voters over 65 — which would suggest 900,000 yes on Prop. 8 voters and only 600,000 no voters, for a net loss of 300,000 votes for the yes side.
However, it’s probably not quite this simple, according to PPIC demographer Hans Johnson, who noted that it was probably healthier older people with lots of years ahead of them who cast more of the ballots.
“If you’re really sick, you probably didn’t vote,” Johnson said. “If you‘re in a nursing home or suffer from dementia, you probably didn’t vote.” See Demographics suggest Prop. 8 may have a short life
Capitol Weekly, CA
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/demographics-…
