SEAGLA Website

Selected Articles by Sara

1) Be an ally & a friend resource guide - from GLAAD
http://www.glaad.org/PSA2006/?PHPSESSID=6833881c4eb0e5e1bd74aa456e10d1aa
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

2) Majority In N.J. Support Gay Marriage
http://365gay.com/Newscon06/02/021606njPoll.htm
Trenton, New Jersey, 365Gay.com, February 16, 2006

3) Debate over same-sex marriage, benefits part of national trend
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060221/NEWS01/60220035/1071
Asheville, North Carolina, Asheville Citizen-Times, February 21, 2006

4) Parton's plea for tolerance
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/movieawards/oscars/2006-02-22-parton_x.htm
Nashville, USA Today, February 22, 2006

5) Civil war breaks out between 'pro-family' groups over US gay rights
bill -
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_06026fonf.shtm
Ekklesia, February 6, 2006

6) U Florida Drops Sex Requirement For Gay Benefits
http://365gay.com/Newscon06/01/012506uFla.htm
Gainesville, Florida, 365Gay.com, January 25, 2006

7) Bishops dealt setback in pursuit of gay adoption exemption
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/02/17/bishops_dealt_setback_in_pursuit_of_gay_adoption_exemption/?p1=email_to_a_friend
Boston, Boston Globe, February 17, 2006

8) Bikers Confront Anti-Gay Phelps Clan
http://365gay.com/Newscon06/02/022106phelps.htm
Fort Campbell, Kentucky, 365Gay.com, February 21, 2006

9) Episcopal Church May Be On Verge Of Electing 2nd Gay Bishop
http://365gay.com/Newscon06/02/022106episc.htm
Seattle, Washington, 365Gay.com, February 21, 2006

10) Gay rights enter Italian election
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4747436.stm
Italy, BBC News, February 24, 2006

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1) Be an ally & a friend resource guide - from GLAAD
http://www.glaad.org/PSA2006/?PHPSESSID=6833881c4eb0e5e1bd74aa456e10d1aa
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

Be an ally & a friend resource guide - from GLAAD

On General Hospital, when Lucas revealed to his cousin Georgie that he is
gay, she met the news with the kind of reaction lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people dream about: She was warm, accepting and embraced him
with a hug.

Sure, you watch Ellen on TV, and you "know" Will and Jack on Will & Grace
and Lucas on General Hospital, but is there someone in your real life who is
lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT)? Probably.

Betty DeGeneres - Ellen's mom - made this comparison in her book "Just a
Mom": "Let me suggest that we all know someone who is left-handed.

Lefties make up roughly the same percentage [of the population] as gay
people. And yet millions of Americans say they don't know someone who is
gay. Unless those people who claim ignorance are living in a place called
Fantasyland, they are most likely mistaken."

"Allies help others understand the importance of equality, fairness and
respect."

LGBT people are our mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers,
aunts, uncles and cousins. This is a fact and it isn't going away. You have
the opportunity to be an ally and a friend at home, school, church and work.

A straight ally can merely be someone who is supportive and accepts the LGBT
person, or a straight ally can be someone who personally advocates for equal
rights and fair treatment.

Allies are some of the most effective and powerful voices of the LGBT
movement. Not only do allies help people in the coming-out process, they
also help others understand the importance of equality, fairness, tolerance
and mutual respect.

As you read on, you will find helpful resources that will give you more
information on being an ally and a friend. See
http://www.glaad.org/PSA2006/?PHPSESSID=6833881c4eb0e5e1bd74aa456e10d1aa for
the links:

10 Ways to be an Ally & a Friend
Is your child gay?
Teen & student allies
Stop anti-gay violence & bullies
Images in the media
When your mom or dad is gay
The workplace & LGBT issues
Equal rights, not special rights
Faith issues
Straight spouses
Concerns about HIV/AIDS
Additional Online Resources
Books

Please help us continue to make our culture changing work possible with a
tax-deductible, online gift today. GLAAD is a non-profit organization and we
depend on the generous support of friends like you to continue our work
changing hearts and minds. Thank you. http://www.glaad.org/

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2) Majority In N.J. Support Gay Marriage
http://365gay.com/Newscon06/02/021606njPoll.htm
Trenton, New Jersey, 365Gay.com, February 16, 2006

Majority In N.J. Support Gay Marriage

by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

(Trenton, New Jersey) As New Jersey Supreme Court justices consider
overturning prohibitions on same-sex marriage the state's largest LGBT group
has released a new poll showing a majority of voters in the state believe
gays should have marriage equality and Republican lawmakers have begun
pushing a constitutional amendment to block gay marriage.

Republican State Senator Gerald Cardinale announced Thursday that he will
bring in a proposed amendment before the end of the month. Cardinale and
other GOP leaders want to fast track the bill to get it on November's
ballot.

He told reporters at the state house that marriage should be between a man
and a woman and he is concerned that the court - as he described it - has a
tendency to legislate from the bench.

The court Wednesday heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging the state's ban
on same-sex marriage. (story) A decision is not expected for several months.

But a new poll released Thursday suggests that most people in New Jersey
support marriage equality.

The poll, by Zogby for Garden State Equality, was conducted last week. It
shows that 56 percent of those surveyed favor marriage equality while only
39 percent said they believe marriage should be restricted to opposite-sex
couples.

It is the first time a state poll has showed majority support for same-sex
marriage.

In the heavily Democratic state the poll showed that 67 percent of those who
identify as Democrats support same-sex marriage.

A wide majority of people who said they were Catholic or Jewish also
supported gay marriage: 68 percent of Catholics and 68 percent of Jews.

Sixty-one percent of voters said they would oppose a constitutional
amendment to ban same-sex marriage while only 33 percent would support such
a move.

"If marriage equality prevails at the state Supreme Court and national
anti-gay activists think of coming here," said Steven Goldstein, chair of
Garden State Equality, "they will meet their Waterloo.

"New Jersey marches to a different drummer and the beat of equality. New
Jersey is the state that doesn't hate."

Zogby conducted the poll of 802 likely New Jersey voters from February 8
through February 10, 2006. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percent. Garden
State Equality commissioned the poll, but Zogby independently conducted the
poll and independently compiled the poll data.

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Debate over same-sex marriage, benefits part of national trend

by John Boyle, SENIOR WRITER

ASHEVILLE - In a matter of weeks, this city of nearly 75,000 people has
taken on gay rights issues being argued nationwide, such as same-sex
marriages and workplace benefits for partners of gay employees.

Whether that amounts to trend or coincidence is another matter.

The Rev. Steve Runholt sees a movement taking place with events that include
an Asheville pastor's announcement Sunday that he would no longer perform
civil marriages because he cannot do so for gay and lesbian couples.

A Massachusetts law allowing gay marriages sparked a rush by some states two
years ago to adopt gay marriage bans.

Also this month, Asheville City Councilmen Brownie Newman said he wants the
city to consider allowing gay and lesbian employees to add partners to
health insurance benefits plans, reflective of another national debate.

"I think two things are happening," said Runholt, chaplain at Warren Wilson
College and pastor of the Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church. "One is that
people are realizing that constitutionally, America is committed to the
principle of creating a society with liberty and justice for all.

"The other thing is that on the religious side, people are starting to
understand the Gospel in a profound way, and Jesus routinely crossed the
social and cultural and even theological barriers that excluded people, and
he did that in the service of love."

Runholt also is a member of People of Faith for Just Relationships, which
the Rev. Joe Hoffman coordinates.

Hoffman, the pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ in
Asheville, delivered a sermon Sunday in which he said he will no longer
perform civil marriages that would be recognized by the state. He still will
perform the religious marriage ceremony for gay and heterosexual couples.

Taking a different approach

Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum, a Philadelphia-based
nonprofit civil rights group for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered
people, said issues percolating in Asheville have been making national
headlines since the 2004 presidential election and before.

"I think it's reflective of a conversation that America is having with
itself, literally across the nation," Lazin said.

In terms of Hoffman's action, Lazin said he's not heard of other pastors
taking that tack, but he likes the idea.

"In the past we have assumed it's religion versus gays and lesbians," Lazin
said. "What we're seeing now is it's not a discussion between gays and
lesbians but a discussion that religious denominations are having with
themselves in terms of the values they have."

Newman said he thinks the recent headlines represent more of a confluence of
events rather than any organized efforts.

"I think personally that the community looks at these different issues very
differently," Newman said. "There's a lot of people who would disagree with
changing the definition of marriage who probably would agree with the idea
that all employees should get the same benefits for doing the same job."

Extending benefits to long-term partners of gay and lesbian employees would
not cost taxpayers money, he said. Three other North Carolina cities
offering such benefits - Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Durham. Orange and Durham
counties are the only two counties that have equal benefit policies.

In the workplace

In another recent case, the advocacy group Employment Equality for Gays and
Lesbians - formed following allegations of discrimination from an Asheville
couple - held a Saturday rally of about 60 people in the city's downtown.

Laurel Scherer and Virginia Balfour say their oral agreement with the Wolf
Laurel ski resort in Madison County to take action photos of skiers was
terminated in November after they ran their wedding announcement in the
Citizen-Times.

Scherer said recent events come from a combination of coincidence and
concerted effort for change.

"I think with the Wolf Laurel thing, that inadvertently created a social
movement and got some people motivated to work together in some areas they
haven't before," she said.

Kelley Wolfe, an adjunct professor at UNC Asheville who teaches courses in
health and sexuality, sees more afoot, though.

"I'm hoping the centrists are saying, 'This is the time for equality,'"

Wolfe said. "I think if it's going to happen, it's going to happen in a town
like Asheville, because we're a pretty open-minded community."

Runholt, the Warren Wilson chaplain, said he believes the country, and
Asheville, are at a turning point.

"What's happening is it's becoming the new civil rights issue of our time,"
he said. "The issue is not going to go away. If you think about in terms of
politics, is it fair and right to discriminate in the United States against
someone because of the way they are?"

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4) Parton's plea for tolerance
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/movieawards/oscars/2006-02-22-parton_x.htm
Nashville, USA Today, February 22, 2006

Parton's plea for tolerance

By Peter Cooper, USA TODAY

NASHVILLE - Dolly Parton has no trouble relating to outsiders. "I've always
been a weird, out-there freak myself," she says.

Growing up in the mountains of East Tennessee, she was used to not being
accepted. "My grandfather was a Pentecostal preacher. It was a sin to even
pluck your eyebrows, and they thought it was a sin for me to be there
looking like Jezebel."

Her ability to identify with outcasts helped her to an Oscar nomination for
Travelin' Thru, a song she wrote for the movie Transamerica. The main
character is a pre-operative transsexual (played by Felicity Huffman)
traveling the country with his son.

"Some things are strange to me, and some things are odd," says Parton, 60.

"But I don't condemn. If you can accept me, I can accept you."

The ceremony March 5 won't be Parton's first Oscar experience; her 9 to 5
was nominated in 1980. But this time, she gets to perform.

She'll walk the red carpet in a Robert Behar-designed dress with Duncan
Tucker, Transamerica's producer and director. (Of her husband of 40 years,
Carl Dean, she says, "I can't even get him to go for a Big Mac, much less
the Oscars.")

Tucker was instrumental in offering Parton direction for the song. "He
wanted the song to be about redemption and about people's feelings," Parton
says.

She struggled until one morning on her tour bus she had the idea for a
spiritual theme and a gospel feel. She wrote: "God made me for a reason, and
nothing is in vain/Redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain."
She finished in a day.

Parton is considering putting the song on a gospel album and doing a dance
club version.

"Having a big gay following, I get hate mail and threats," she says. "Some
people are blind or ignorant, and you can't be that prejudiced and hateful
and go through this world and still be happy. One thing about this movie is
that I think art can change minds. It's all right to be who you are."

Peter Cooper reports daily for
The (Nashville) Tennessean.
Contributing: William Keck in Los Angeles

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5) Civil war breaks out between 'pro-family' groups over US gay rights
bill -
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_06026fonf.shtm
Ekklesia, February 6, 2006

Civil war breaks out between 'pro-family' groups over
US gay rights bill -

Civil war appears to have broken out between religious conservative family
groups in the US over a bill that would grant rights to gay couples.

Dr. Paul Cameron, Chairman of the Family Research Institute, has launched a
blistering attack on Dr James Dobson of Focus on the Family, another group
well known for its hard-line stance on homosexuality.

The Advocate, the premier gay rights magazine, hadpreviously listed Dobson
number 1 and Cameron number 2 on the gay "enemies list".

However, Cameron's Colorado-based think tank has now challenged Dr. James
Dobson's endorsement of a bill before the Colorado legislature that would
grant to gay partners many of the legal rights currently reserved to married
couples.

These rights would include property-sharing, decision- making powers over
funerals and organ donations and, potentially health-care policy benefits.

If adopted, the proposed legislation could force employers to cover gay
partners - no matter how ill.

In a statement that will outrage many Christians on both sides of the
Atlantic who are working for justice for gay and lesbian people, Cameron
said, "This is madness. Currently there is one voluntary relationship that
immediately confers these benefits - marriage between a man and a woman.

Married couples receive these benefits because they make substantial
contributions to society. They are more economically productive, provide the
best environment in which to raise children, and are the least likely to
commit crimes. Homosexuals, on the other hand, are less economically
productive, seldom produce children or raise them well, and are more likely
to commit criminal acts. In addition, society should not reward
relationships that tend to spread disease."

Cameron suggested that conferral of any part of marriage benefits to
homosexuals was without precedent in the history of the Church. "Moses and
St. Paul condemned homosexuality. As soon as the Church gained political
power in the Roman Empire it outlawed homosexuality. Now Dobson tells
society to give gays 'marriage lite' benefits.

"During the confirmation fight over Harriet Meyers, Dobson, in a somewhat
ambiguous manner, told his radio audience that he was in favour of gay
rights. His support of this 'marriage lite' bill removes the ambiguity. When
the Denver Post, one of the most anti-family, anti- traditional newspapers
on the planet, says it is 'pleasantly surprised' by Dobson's support for
'expanded legal benefits for same-sex couples,' you know that a betrayal has
occurred."

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6) U Florida Drops Sex Requirement For Gay Benefits
http://365gay.com/Newscon06/01/012506uFla.htm
Gainesville, Florida, 365Gay.com, January 25, 2006

U Florida Drops Sex Requirement For Gay Benefits

by Fidel Ortega, 365Gay.com Miami Bureau

(Gainesville, Florida) A requirement that same-sex couples swear they are in
"a non-platonic" relationship in order to enroll for health benefits has
been dropped by the University of Florida.

Last month the university became the state's only public university to
approve a benefits plan for its partnered unmarried workers. (story) The
plan is scheduled to go into effect in February.

Married employees have long been able to insure their spouses.

Some gay and lesbian employees of the Gainesville school objected to the
requirement. The issues exploded last week at a meeting of the university
Senate. (story)

One student senator asked how the university would police the requirement.

Tuesday Kyle Cavanaugh, U Florida's vice president for human resources,
removed the "non-platonic relationship" requirement the school's newspaper,
The Alligator reports.

Cavanaugh said that it was never the university's intent to probe into the
sex lives of domestic partners. He said that the remaining criteria should
be enough to define the employee's relationship.

Couples applying for inclusion in the health care plan must show they
cohabitate and have share financial obligations.

Following the university's announcement that it would begin offering the
health insurance plan a Republican lawmaker announced legislation to block
state universities and community colleges from using taxpayer's money for
same-sex domestic partner benefits. (story)

Rep. Larry Cretul said his bill would not prevent the schools from using
private funds to pay for the benefits.

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Bishops dealt setback in pursuit of
gay adoption exemption

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

Governor Mitt Romney and a legislative leader yesterday delivered unwelcome
news to the Catholic bishops of Massachusetts, who plan to seek permission
from the state to exclude gay and lesbian parents from adopting children
through its social service agencies.

The governor said he was not authorized to give such an exemption, and State
Representative Eugene L. O'Flaherty, the House chairman of the joint
committee on the judiciary, predicted little support among lawmakers for any
request by Catholic adoption agencies for an exemption from the state's
antidiscrimination policies.

''I would say there would not be an appetite to entertain that," O'Flaherty
said.

The comments were made a day after the Globe reported a plan by the four
bishops of Massachusetts -- representing Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and
Fall River -- to hire a Boston law firm to explore legal and political
strategies for opting out of gay adoptions. Catholic Charities of Boston,
the social service arm of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, has in the
past two decades processed a small number of gay adoptions in compliance
with state antidiscrimination laws. The Vatican has stated such adoptions
are ''gravely immoral."

The bishops' plans are at odds with the 42-member board of Catholic
Charities of Boston, which voted unanimously in December to continue the
practice of allowing gays to adopt.

Yesterday, representatives of the archdiocese and Catholic Charities said
the funds to pay the Boston firm, Ropes & Gray, to prepare a legal strategy
for the exemption were coming from the budget of Catholic Charities of
Boston. Some board members expressed surprise, and dismay, that the agency's
funds were being used for that purpose. The members serve three-year terms
and at the pleasure of Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, several members said.

''I'm shocked," said Donna DePrisco, a board member. ''I find it hard to
believe."

One board member, who asked to remain nameless, said the bishops' plans has
angered many on the board. The board member said some on the panel may
consider resigning if the bishops persist with the plan.

Meanwhile, the bishops' hope of getting help from Romney, who is a strong
opponent of gay marriage, was dashed yesterday. Romney said that when he
read the story in the Globe yesterday morning, he asked his legal counsel to
research whether he had the authority to exempt an organization from
regulations governing the placement of children with same sex couples.

''My understanding is that any exemption would require legislation and would
not be something I would be authorized to do on a personal basis," the
governor said. He did not express his own view on the issue.

O'Flaherty said that over a dozen years ago the Legislature adopted the law
barring contractors from discriminating against gay couples, and said
lawmakers would be unlikely to entertain the bishops' request.

''This is a very divisive issue that I don't see making it onto agenda for a
debate," O'Flaherty said. ''We have enough on our plate already."

He said he would oppose granting such an exemption to any social agency that
contracted with the state, although he said he respected the church's right
to follow its own doctrine on the issue.

The bishops may also consider going to court to fight the requirement that
they adhere to the state's antidiscrimination policy, on First Amendment
grounds protecting religious freedom.

In the past two decades, Catholic Charities of Boston placed 13 children
with same-sex couples, a fraction of the 720 adoptions the group completed
during that time. Those adopted were all foster children who were considered
hard to place because they had special needs or were older.

If Catholic Charities does not get an exemption, it either has to allow gay
adoptions to continue or risk having its adoption license pulled, state
officials have said.

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8) Bikers Confront Anti-Gay Phelps Clan
http://365gay.com/Newscon06/02/022106phelps.htm
Fort Campbell, Kentucky, 365Gay.com, February 21, 2006

Bikers Confront Anti-Gay Phelps Clan

by The Associated Press

(Fort Campbell, Kentucky) Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band
of motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to
another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from church protesters.

They call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders, and they are more than 5,000
strong, forming to counter anti-gay protests held by the Rev. Fred Phelps at
military funerals.

Phelps believes American deaths in Iraq are divine punishment for a country
that he says harbors homosexuals. His protesters carry signs thanking God
for so-called IEDs -- explosives that are a major killer of soldiers in
Iraq.

The bikers shield the families of dead soldiers from the protesters, and
overshadow the jeers with patriotic chants and a sea of red, white and blue
flags.

"The most important thing we can do is let families know that the nation
cares," said Don Woodrick, the group's Kentucky captain. "When a total
stranger gets on a motorcycle in the middle of winter and drives 300 miles
to hold a flag, that makes a powerful statement."

At least 14 states, including Oklahoma, are considering laws aimed at the
funeral protesters, who at a recent memorial service at Fort Campbell
wrapped themselves in upside-down American flags. They danced and sang
impromptu songs peppered with vulgarities that condemned homosexuals and
soldiers.

The Patriot Guard was also there, waving up a ruckus of support for the
families across the street. Community members came in the freezing rain to
chant "U-S-A, U-S-A" alongside them.

"This is just the right thing to do. This is something America didn't do in
the '70s," said Kurt Mayer, the group's national spokesman. "Whether we
agree with why we're over there, these soldiers are dying to protect our
freedoms."

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a daughter of Fred Phelps and an attorney for the
Topeka, Kan.-based church, said neither state laws nor the Patriot Guard can
silence their message that God killed the soldiers because they fought for a
country "that embraces homosexuals."

"The scriptures are crystal clear that when God sets out to punish a nation,
it is with the sword. An IED is just a broken-up sword," Phelps-Roper said.

"Since that is his weapon of choice, our forum of choice has got to be a
dead soldier's funeral."

The church, Westboro Baptist Church, is not affiliated with a larger
denomination and is made up mostly of Fred Phelps' extended family members.

During the 1990s, church members were known mostly for picketing the
funerals of AIDS victims, and they have long been tracked as a hate group by
the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence
Project.

The project's deputy director, Heidi Beirich, said other groups have tried
to counter Phelps' message, but none has been as organized as the Patriot
Guard.

"I'm not sure anybody has gone to this length to stand in solidarity," she
said. "It's nice that these veterans and their supporters are trying to do
something. I can't imagine anything worse, your loved one is killed in Iraq
and you've got to deal with Fred Phelps."

Kentucky, home to sprawling Fort Campbell along the Tennessee line, was
among the first states to attempt to deal with Phelps legislatively. Its
House and Senate have each passed bills that would limit people from
protesting within 300 feet of a funeral or memorial service. The Senate
version would also keep protesters from being within earshot of grieving
friends and family members.

Richard Wilbur, a retired police detective, said his Indiana Patriot Guard
group only comes to funerals if invited by family. He said he has no problem
with protests against the war but sees no place for objectors at a family's
final goodbye to a soldier.

"No one deserves this," he said.

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9) Episcopal Church May Be On Verge Of Electing 2nd Gay Bishop
http://365gay.com/Newscon06/02/022106episc.htm
Seattle, Washington, 365Gay.com, February 21, 2006

Episcopal Church May Be On Verge Of Electing 2nd Gay Bishop

by The Associated Press

(Seattle, Washington) The dean of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral is among
five finalists for the position of bishop of the Diocese of California.

If elected, the Very Rev. Robert Taylor would become the second openly gay
bishop in the Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion to which
it belongs.

The denomination has been divided on the issue of homosexuality, especially
since the 2003 election of the church's first openly gay bishop, V. Gene
Robinson, in New Hampshire.

"I feel just honored and humbled by the trust and faith of the diocese in
including me on their list of nominees," said Taylor.

He added that he hopes the church would focus on issues other than gay
clergy, such as poverty, health care and ministering to the larger society.

Taylor is known for his work on social justice, community outreach and
interfaith efforts. He helped fight against apartheid in his native South
Africa, which he left in 1980 with help from Nobel laureate and Anglican
Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Taylor, 47, has led St. Mark's Cathedral on Capitol Hill since 1999. During
his tenure, membership has risen from 1,900 to 2,400.

He's served as chairman of King County's Committee to End Homelessness and
is founding president of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation, which raises
money for Tutu's peace center in Cape Town, South Africa.

Taylor previously served as rector at St. Peter Church in Peekskill, N.Y.,
where the congregation grew from about 50 to 550 during his 11 years there.

The finalists to succeed the California Diocese's Bishop William Swing were
announced Monday at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, where the California
Diocese is based.

In addition to Taylor, candidates include the Rt. Rev. Mark Handley Andrus,
an assistant bishop of the Diocese of Alabama; the Rev. Jane Gould, rector
of St. Stephen's Church in Lynn, Mass.; the Rev. Bonnie Perry, rector of All
Saints' Church in Chicago; and the Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton, canon
pastor at Washington National Cathedral in the nation's capital.

Perry also is openly gay.

Finalists will meet with members of the diocese April 24 to 29, with the
election May 6. The bishop-elect is to be confirmed at the denomination's
national gathering in June.

The Diocese of California has about 27,000 members in the Bay Area.

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10) Gay rights enter Italian election
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4747436.stm
Italy, BBC News, February 24, 2006

Gay rights enter Italian election

A transgender opposition candidate in Italy's general election this April is
campaigning for improved gay rights.

Vladimir Luxuria, standing for the Communist Refoundation party, intends to
challenge conservatives in her own country and Europe.

Ms Luxuria, who considers herself neither male nor female, told the BBC that
having a transgender MP would be an important symbol.

She wants to promote civic unions and press for asylum rights for gay
people.

Italy was one of the very few nations in the European Union that did not
recognise civil unions, she told the World Today programme.

She called for political asylum for "all the gays who try to get into Italy
from countries where homosexuality is punishable by death".

Serious message

The hardline Communist Refoundation is the third biggest party in the
opposition alliance led by Romano Prodi, which has seen disagreements
between its factions over the rights of same-sex and unmarried couples.

"We don't want privileges - we want our rights," said Ms Luxuria.

Asked about attitudes towards gay people in Italy, she argued that the views
of ordinary people were changing but politicians and the Roman Catholic
clergy were "far behind".

Speaking earlier to Reuters news agency, she suggested she would ditch her
trademark drag costumes - sequins, feather boas and bouffant wigs - once
elected.

"Parliament is not a theatre, it's not a discotheque," she said.

"It wouldn't be useful to provoke [people] in such a stupid way."