Israel recognizes Canadian gay marriage

By Hassan Mirza, GAY.COM

Jerusalem Interior Ministry’s officers recorded the first gay marriage following a court order to recognise same-sex unions from abroad.

Taking advantage of the November court ruling, Avi and Binyamin Rose married in Canada, obtained licence in Toronto in June, and have returned to Jerusalem a married couple.

On November 29 the High Court of Justice ruled the govermenment must register same-sex marriages of those wed in counturies where it is legal.

The registration purproses, however, serve to collect statistics and do not require the marriage to receive official recognition of marriage rights. Gay marriage in the country faces an uphill battle with Israel's religious authorities monopoly over marriage and divorce.

To read more, click here.

Florida Panthers shave "gay" mustaches

More from Jim Buzinski of OutSports.com:

Two members of the Florida Panthers NHL team have shaved their mustaches after players from the Vancouver Canucks said they looked gay during a Jan. 7 game. "Their guys were calling me gay," Panthers captain Olli Jokinen (photo) told The Palm Beach Post. Teammate and fellow Finn Ville Peltonen also shaved his 'stache.

"There were a couple of idiots over there," Jokinen said. "Obviously you don't hear Markus Naslund calling anybody gay. He wouldn't do that. But that's what this game has come to now ... there's not as much respect as there used to be."

To read more, click here.

PFLAG's (Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) National Office offers$1,000 and $2,500 scholarships

Press release:

Scholarships Available

In order to be eligible for these funds, applicants must be graduating high school seniors entering higher education for the first time in fall 2007 (students who graduated in 2006 and took a year off before going to college are also eligible to apply); self identify as either a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender person, or as a supporter of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people; demonstrate an interest in service to the LGBT community; and have applied to an accredited higher education institution in pursuit of either an associate's degree leading to transfer credits towards a bachelor's degree, or a bachelor's degree program at a four-year college.

This year, new awards are available for students with one or more GLBT parents/guardians.

Applications must be postmarked by 2/14/07

For more information visit www.pflag. org

You may download instructions and application forms from the website or you can email them as an attachment to Danielle Flink at dflink@pflag.org.

NOTE: Some local PFLAG chapters also offer scholarships and may have different qualifications. See:
http://www.pflag.org


Judy Hoff
Sr. Coordinator, Safe Schools
PFLAG National
www.pflag.org
919-496-2192

BY JULIE JORDAN, People.com

Jennifer Aniston has never much cared for tabloids – where, as she puts it, "people are ruthless and cut-throat and will stop at nothing." But she had a blast visiting that world for TV. In an exclusive interview, Aniston, 38, talked to PEOPLE about her guest role as a magazine editor on Courteney Cox's Dirt, the show's much fussed-over kissing scene (Aniston's character is gay) – and those real-life tab reports of plastic surgery:

You guest-star on the season finale of Dirt as a lesbian. What was it like working with Courteney again?
We had a ball. It was completely fun. I forgot just how much fun we have together in the work world.

So what about that kiss between you and Courteney? It was touted as a passionate lip-lock.
It's a good-bye kiss. I don't honestly think people want to see Rachel and Monica have at it.

To read more, click here.

Jennifer Aniston photo by Lisa O'Connor / ZUMA

News release:

Jason & deMarco will be at the following location: Sunshine Cathedral 1480 SW 9th Ave Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315 Sun, Feb 4th, 2007 7:00 PM Concert - "Till the End of Time" Tour Doors Open at 6:30 PM Tel: 904-462-2004 Web: sunshinecathedral.org Email: info@sunshinecathedral.org Tickets: A Free-Will Offering will be taken at the concert

Associated Press

An immigration judge who previously denied a gay man's asylum bid on the grounds that he could conceal his sexual orientation if he returned to his native Mexico reversed the decision Tuesday.

In allowing Jorge Sota Vega to remain in the United States, Judge John D. Taylor said that gays should not be required to dress or act a certain way to avoid persecution and that Vega's lawyers proved he would be at risk if he were deported to Mexico.

Vega's case attracted attention from national gay rights groups when Taylor denied his application and said that Vega could live safely in Mexico because he did not look gay and could hide the fact that he was.

"It seemed to us this is a real double standard," said Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal. "Courts don't deny asylum to someone based on their political beliefs by saying, 'If you just didn't tell other people what you believed, you would be fine.'"

Vega, 38, lived in Tuxpan and Guadalajara before he fled to the United States. He said in his 2004 asylum bid that he was beaten by police and told by authorities in Mexico he would be killed.

Now a New York resident, Vega appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The San Francisco-based court sent the case back to immigration court last year.

News release:

VETERANS SEEK RE-INSTATMENT & END OF MILITARY’S BAN

BOSTON, MA – The federal First Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on March 7 in Cook v. Gates (formerly Cook v. Rumsfeld), a constitutional challenge to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members.  The lawsuit, originally filed in December 2004 on behalf of  veterans dismissed under the law, seeks the plaintiffs’ re-instatement in the armed forces and the end of the ban on open service.  The plaintiffs are represented by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.

“We are looking forward to presenting our case to the First Circuit,” said Sharra E. Greer, director of law and policy for SLDN.  “The men and women named in the lawsuit spent their military careers fighting for justice and equality, and their stories are a vivid reminder of why ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is not only unconscionable, but unconstitutional as well.  We believe that, when the Court considers our arguments, these patriots will be granted their day in court.”

In April 2006, a District Court dismissed the plaintiffs’ lawsuit.  That decision was appealed by the platiniffs and the March 7 hearing by the First Circuit will re-consider the lower court’s ruling.  The lawsuit asserts that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” punishes gay, lesbian and bisexual service members for their sexual orientation and for their private, constitutionally protected conduct. As a result, the plaintiffs argue, it has denied and continues to deny them several constitutional rights, including the right to privacy, equal protection of the law, and freedom of speech.  The challenge to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the plaintiffs’ appeal brief asserts, is “grounded in basic principles of identity, equality and freedom.”

The plaintiffs in Cook v. Gates all served honorably in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Together, they have served more than sixty-five years in the armed forces. Three have served in direct support of operations in the Middle East. Collectively, they have earned more than five dozen awards, medals and commendations. 

“Our national security and our nation’s commitment to equality would be best served by allowing these brave men and women to return to duty,” said Greer.  “We are confident in the strength of our case, and certain in the rightness of our cause.” 

For more information, including briefs filed in the case and bios of the plaintiffs, visit www.sldn.org. 

By DAVID CRARY, Associated Press

Two national advocacy groups Tuesday accused the federal government of neglecting what they described as an epidemic of homelessness affecting tens of thousands of gay and lesbian youth, many of whom leave home because of conflicts with their parents.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless said gay, lesbian and transgender youth make up at least 20 percent — possibly as much as 40 percent — of the total number of homeless and runaway youth, a fluid population which experts have estimated at 575,000 to 1.6 million each year.

"The national response to this epidemic has been nothing short of disgraceful," Matt Foreman, executive director of the task force, told reporters during a teleconference.

To read more, click here.

To download the report, click here.

This photo, supplied by Peter Thompson Associates, is a recent but undated photo of Daniel Radcliffe, the boy wizard from Harry Potter movies, who opens on the London stage in the Tony Award-winning drama "Equus" on Feb. 27, 2007. Previews begin on Feb. 16. The 17-year-old will perform nude in one scene. (AP Photo/Peter Thompson Associates, Uli Weber) .

From Liz Smith in The New York Post:

January 30, 2007 -- 'I'VE BEEN called a bitch - and a lot worse - for years. And you know what, so what? People who think that aren't going to change their minds. And I wouldn't dream of sending them to therapy to 'rehabilitate' their feelings. How absurd."

That's Sharon Stone on the Isaiah Washington/T.R. Knight "Grey's Anatomy" controversy. Miss Stone added, "Please, I call all my gay friends 'big fags.' " (Hmmm . . . when the politically correct cops get on Sharon's case, I do pity them!)

People interview: Jennifer Aniston on her lesbian "lip-lock" with Courteney Cox

BY JULIE JORDAN, People.com

Jennifer Aniston has never much cared for tabloids – where, as she puts it, "people are ruthless and cut-throat and will stop at nothing." But she had a blast visiting that world for TV. In an exclusive interview, Aniston, 38, talked to PEOPLE about her guest role as a magazine editor on Courteney Cox's Dirt, the show's much fussed-over kissing scene (Aniston's character is gay) – and those real-life tab reports of plastic surgery:

You guest-star on the season finale of Dirt as a lesbian. What was it like working with Courteney again?
We had a ball. It was completely fun. I forgot just how much fun we have together in the work world.

So what about that kiss between you and Courteney? It was touted as a passionate lip-lock.
It's a good-bye kiss. I don't honestly think people want to see Rachel and Monica have at it.

To read more, click here.

Jennifer Aniston photo by Lisa O'Connor / ZUMA

Singers Jason & deMarco to perform Sunday in Fort Lauderdale

News release:

Jason & deMarco will be at the following location: Sunshine Cathedral 1480 SW 9th Ave Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315 Sun, Feb 4th, 2007 7:00 PM Concert - "Till the End of Time" Tour Doors Open at 6:30 PM Tel: 904-462-2004 Web: sunshinecathedral.org Email: info@sunshinecathedral.org Tickets: A Free-Will Offering will be taken at the concert

Gay man from Mexico wins U.S. asylum

Associated Press

An immigration judge who previously denied a gay man's asylum bid on the grounds that he could conceal his sexual orientation if he returned to his native Mexico reversed the decision Tuesday.

In allowing Jorge Sota Vega to remain in the United States, Judge John D. Taylor said that gays should not be required to dress or act a certain way to avoid persecution and that Vega's lawyers proved he would be at risk if he were deported to Mexico.

Vega's case attracted attention from national gay rights groups when Taylor denied his application and said that Vega could live safely in Mexico because he did not look gay and could hide the fact that he was.

"It seemed to us this is a real double standard," said Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal. "Courts don't deny asylum to someone based on their political beliefs by saying, 'If you just didn't tell other people what you believed, you would be fine.'"

Vega, 38, lived in Tuxpan and Guadalajara before he fled to the United States. He said in his 2004 asylum bid that he was beaten by police and told by authorities in Mexico he would be killed.

Now a New York resident, Vega appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The San Francisco-based court sent the case back to immigration court last year.

FIRST CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS TO HEAR ORAL ARGUMENTON MARCH 7 IN “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” CASES

News release:

VETERANS SEEK RE-INSTATMENT & END OF MILITARY’S BAN

BOSTON, MA – The federal First Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on March 7 in Cook v. Gates (formerly Cook v. Rumsfeld), a constitutional challenge to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service members.  The lawsuit, originally filed in December 2004 on behalf of  veterans dismissed under the law, seeks the plaintiffs’ re-instatement in the armed forces and the end of the ban on open service.  The plaintiffs are represented by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.

“We are looking forward to presenting our case to the First Circuit,” said Sharra E. Greer, director of law and policy for SLDN.  “The men and women named in the lawsuit spent their military careers fighting for justice and equality, and their stories are a vivid reminder of why ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is not only unconscionable, but unconstitutional as well.  We believe that, when the Court considers our arguments, these patriots will be granted their day in court.”

In April 2006, a District Court dismissed the plaintiffs’ lawsuit.  That decision was appealed by the platiniffs and the March 7 hearing by the First Circuit will re-consider the lower court’s ruling.  The lawsuit asserts that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” punishes gay, lesbian and bisexual service members for their sexual orientation and for their private, constitutionally protected conduct. As a result, the plaintiffs argue, it has denied and continues to deny them several constitutional rights, including the right to privacy, equal protection of the law, and freedom of speech.  The challenge to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the plaintiffs’ appeal brief asserts, is “grounded in basic principles of identity, equality and freedom.”

The plaintiffs in Cook v. Gates all served honorably in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. Together, they have served more than sixty-five years in the armed forces. Three have served in direct support of operations in the Middle East. Collectively, they have earned more than five dozen awards, medals and commendations. 

“Our national security and our nation’s commitment to equality would be best served by allowing these brave men and women to return to duty,” said Greer.  “We are confident in the strength of our case, and certain in the rightness of our cause.” 

For more information, including briefs filed in the case and bios of the plaintiffs, visit www.sldn.org. 

More help urged for homeless gay youth

By DAVID CRARY, Associated Press

Two national advocacy groups Tuesday accused the federal government of neglecting what they described as an epidemic of homelessness affecting tens of thousands of gay and lesbian youth, many of whom leave home because of conflicts with their parents.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Coalition for the Homeless said gay, lesbian and transgender youth make up at least 20 percent — possibly as much as 40 percent — of the total number of homeless and runaway youth, a fluid population which experts have estimated at 575,000 to 1.6 million each year.

"The national response to this epidemic has been nothing short of disgraceful," Matt Foreman, executive director of the task force, told reporters during a teleconference.

To read more, click here.

To download the report, click here.

Harry Potter: Boy wizard grows up

This photo, supplied by Peter Thompson Associates, is a recent but undated photo of Daniel Radcliffe, the boy wizard from Harry Potter movies, who opens on the London stage in the Tony Award-winning drama "Equus" on Feb. 27, 2007. Previews begin on Feb. 16. The 17-year-old will perform nude in one scene. (AP Photo/Peter Thompson Associates, Uli Weber) .

Sharon Stone: Isaiah Washington Being Sent to Therapy Is 'Absurd'

From Liz Smith in The New York Post:

January 30, 2007 -- 'I'VE BEEN called a bitch - and a lot worse - for years. And you know what, so what? People who think that aren't going to change their minds. And I wouldn't dream of sending them to therapy to 'rehabilitate' their feelings. How absurd."

That's Sharon Stone on the Isaiah Washington/T.R. Knight "Grey's Anatomy" controversy. Miss Stone added, "Please, I call all my gay friends 'big fags.' " (Hmmm . . . when the politically correct cops get on Sharon's case, I do pity them!)