Hate Crimes Bill, Long Overdue
The Jewish Week Writes:
“There’s a good reason the Anti-Defamation League and a number of other major Jewish groups have made passage of a new hate crimes bill a top priority: there are still too many places in America where violent crimes against unpopular minorities are not investigated or prosecuted with any vigor.
Different versions of the measure have again passed both houses of Congress, and once again conservative lawmakers are trying to attach “poison pill” amendments and marshaling their forces to strip the hate crimes provisions when the measures go to a House-Senate conference committee. And once again, Jewish groups face a tough fight in protecting legislation that may be even more critical as the recession fuels the growth of assorted hate groups.”
See Hate Crimes Bill, Long Overdue
The Jewish Week
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Kern: Immorality caused the recession
Sally Kern wants a resolution blaming divorce, same-sex marriage, and abortion for the recession.
Tags: Abortion, Divorce, Immorality, marriage, Recession, Sally, same sex marriageAIDS/LifeCycle charity bike ride gets personal when recession hits
For the last two years, Brodt has participated in the annual bike ride to raise money for HIV and AIDS-related services at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
But Brodt, once a television producer with a six-figure salary, never thought “others” could include him.
After losing his job and health insurance, Brodt, 37, now relies on the same services that he raised money for in the past for his own HIV treatment.
He was laid off last April. Although he was offered another job in the industry, he decided to take time off to reassess his career. When he was ready to return to work, previous job offers had dried up. By then, he said, people who had provided job leads were losing their own positions.
Savings stretched only so far. Brodt moved into an older, cheaper apartment on the edge of Hollywood and gave up his car. Some weeks, he said, he had less than $20 in his bank account.
After six months, Brodt could no longer afford the $500 monthly payment for COBRA health insurance benefits. His HIV medications could run several thousand dollars a year. He stopped taking them.
It wasn’t long before he started to feel fatigued and depressed.
“I thought, maybe I need to talk to someone . . . Maybe I’m just depressed. I can’t find a job,” Brodt said. “I didn’t really think it had to do with HIV.”
Brodt’s symptoms were a textbook example of what can happen when someone who is HIV positive stops taking medication, said Brad Hare, medical director of UC San Francisco’s Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital. A lapse in treatment can increase the risk of disease progression and medication resistance, he said.
See AIDS/LifeCycle charity bike ride gets personal when recession hits Los Angeles Times -* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/aidslifecycle…
AIDS/LifeCycle 8 to Raise $10+ Million to Fight AIDS 2,200 cyclists to start San Francisco-to-Los Angeles ride May 31
SAN FRANCISCO and LOS ANGELES, CA — More than 2,200 bicyclists from 41 states and 14 nations will stream out of San Francisco on May 31 en route to Los Angeles as participants in the colorful and emotional AIDS/LifeCycle, the world’s largest annual AIDS fundraiser.
The 545-mile trek is expected to raise more than $10 million to support vital HIV/AIDS-related services at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The event also raises awareness about the disease, particularly significant this year following a recent survey revealing a dramatic drop in the sense of urgency about HIV/AIDS and persistent misconceptions about HIV transmission and treatment among Americans.
Participants on the weeklong ride include cyclists and a volunteer support crew of hundreds of “roadies” who range in age from 18 to 78. Whether gay or straight, HIV-positive or HIV-negative, expert cyclists or novices, they share a commitment to reducing new infections and the suffering caused by AIDS.
“People come to AIDS/LifeCycle to fight a disease,” said Mark Cloutier, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and one of the cyclists. “But the event is also a celebration of health. Participants have the physical strength to complete a challenging course, and the emotional connectedness to help others succeed on an exhausting, yet exhilarating journey.”
Riders train for months to prepare for the rigorous ride, and raise a minimum of $3,000 each to support the work of the two sponsoring organizations. The event has raised approximately $50 million to fight AIDS since it began in 2002.
“The economic recession has deeply impacted HIV/AIDS service providers on all fronts. Charitable giving and government funding of HIV/AIDS support services are dropping while the number of people who need free or low-cost services is going up,” said Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. “Our participants and their supporters recognize the urgent need for HIV prevention. I’m proud of the AIDS/LifeCycle community, and I’m deeply grateful.”
During the seven days of AIDS/LifeCycle, an estimated 1,080 Americans will become infected with HIV. There are 1.1 million Americans living with HIV — the highest number in the history of the epidemic — 1 in 6 of whom are Californians. Gay and bisexual men bear the brunt of the disease, representing 73 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in California and 53 percent nationally. Communities of color are also disproportionately affected; although African Americans comprise 6 percent of the state’s population, they account for nearly 19 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS.See * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
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How the Rising Gay Marriage Issue Affects Cal Gov Race
The cultural war over gay marriage has suddenly re-emerged nationally, setting the stage for volatile political developments in California when the Prop. 8 decision comes down between now and June.
Last Friday’s decision by the Iowa Supreme Court that found unconstitutional a state ban on same-sex marriage was followed within days by enactment of a pro-gay marriage law in Vermont and passage of another in the District of Columbia. All this could push the issue directly before Congress, as similar measures move ahead in New York and other states.
The flurry of activity triggered an all-hands-alert among religious foes of gay marriage, led by an outfit called the National Organization for Marriage, which rushed to air in California and other key states a dubious TV spot that uses paid actors to mouth lines of supposedly real people whose purported lives are about to be allegedly disrupted by “The Gathering Storm.” (And for a good spoof of the ad, try this.)
Foes of Prop. 8 meanwhile are sniffing defeat in court and planning mass demonstrations if the California Supremes uphold the initiative ban on gay marriage passed last November. The court has until June 3 to issue its ruling.
All of which complicates the lives of the candidates for governor. After months of mouthing platitudes about the green economy, as all-recession-all-the-time stories blanketed the news cycle, wannabes now face the unpleasant prospect of getting whipsawed between two highly motivated enemy camps: ardent progressive and gay activists demanding civil rights for all versus impassioned conservative evangelicals and other churched groups, fiercely intent on protecting their most sacred values from doom.
Read how the issue affects the governor’s race at www.calbuzz.com
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‘Thank Gays It’s Friday’ Comedy Show Moves to New Venue
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif — The Sunset Strip caters to a young vibrant crowd and while other industries have been laying off workers or going under, live comedy continues to flourish in Southern California, the entertainment capital of the world.
After a 16-week run, the gay and lesbian standup comedy show: ‘Thank Gays It’s Friday,’ moves to its new home: The World Famous Comedy Store, this Friday January 23rd, with its Midnight Show.
As the demand for this LGBT show has grown, the new venue shifts from an 18 and over audience to a 21 and over audience at its new venue: The Comedy Store.
Producer, host and comic, Jerome Cleary remarks, “It’s a natural progression that the response and feedback from audiences the past 4 months has carved out a niche.”
According to ArtistsForce Blog: “Despite the recession, 2008 figures show revenue gains in the live entertainment industry. Pollstar reported North American receipts for 2008 at $4.2 billion, an increase of 7.8 percent over 2007. The revenue growth was not due to increased unit sales, though. Instead, the growth came from higher ticket prices.”
“We continue to have sold out shows at our club over the past six months, says, comic-actor, Pauly Shore, son of Mitzi Shore, owner of The Comedy Store.
In addition to standup comics, the show has featured drag performances, juggling acts along with other non-standup performers.
For more information, email: TGIFcomedy@gmail.com
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Who Will Save America’s Gay Hockey Team?
QUEERTY REPORTS — Like a burning forest fire, the global financial panic is burning everything in its path; businesses are folding, workers are being laid off, and now the burning embers of recession threaten to melt the ice for GForce, America’s national LGBT hockey team.
The team, made up of LGBT athletes from L.A., New York, Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and elsewhere across the country lost their sponsors this year — and the team’s continued existence is in peril.
“We were saddened but not surprised that our private philanthropists and corporate sponsors pulled out this year,” David Farber, one of the team’s centers, tells Queerty. “With a hard fought political campaign, Prop 8, and a severe economic downturn we were expecting to lose some sponsorship, but not all of it! We are now looking to non-corporate sponsors and grassroots support to help keep this great non-profit alive and spread the message of GForce.”
See Who Will Save America’s Gay Hockey Team?
Queerty, NY -
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