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Governor Deval Patrick today signed a bill repealing a 95-year-old statute that had prevented gay and lesbian couples from most other states from marrying in Massachusetts, according to Boston.com. “It’s a good day,” said Patrick, declaring that the repeal will “confirm a simple truth: that is, in Massachusetts, equal means equal.”

Massachusetts will “continue to lead the way as a national leader” and affirm “all people come before their government as equals,” Patrick said in a bill-signing ceremony at the State House’s Grand Staircase. Gay marriage “is still troubling for some of our citizens,” he said, “but it is still the law.” Patrick, who turned 52 today, also called the bill “a great birthday present.” 

Marc Solomon, executive director of MassEquality, a gay-rights organization, said, “This is really a new day. We welcome everyone from New York to come here and get married. We think it’s a shame people can’t get married in their own states.”

The repeal took effect immediately, making Massachusetts the second state after California to allow same-sex couples to marry, regardless of residence. It opened the borders for potentially thousands of nonresident same-sex couples. That includes an estimated 49,000 couples from New York, where Governor David Paterson has instructed state agencies to recognize and grant benefits to gay couples who marry elsewhere, even though the Empire State does not authorize same-sex marriages.

The law specifically barred out-of-state residents from marrying here if the marriage would be considered void in their home state. The origins of the law could be traced to the national backlash over the interracial marriage of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson. At the time, 30 of 48 states banned interracial marriage, and many other states, including Massachusetts, enacted provisions that would keep interracial couples from crossing borders to marry in their jurisdiction. The law remained on the books but fell into obscurity until gay marriage became legalized in Massachusetts, and Governor Mitt Romney cited the law as a means to prevent Massachusetts from becoming what he called “the Las Vegas of gay marriage.”

Unlike past same-sex marriage debates, the repeal of the 1913 law did not draw protesters to the State House. Advocates cited the absence of demonstrations as a sign that same-sex marriage has become an accepted fact of life in Massachusetts, after lawmakers in a joint session last year rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to limit marriage to heterosexual couples. The repeal passed swiftly in the Senate earlier this month on a unanimous voice vote. The House voted 118 to 35 to pass the repeal bill on Tuesday after a 45-minute floor debate.

Supporters called the 1913 law a vestige of racist opposition to interracial marriage, while opponents argued for keeping it in deference to the rights of other states to set marriage laws. Several representatives called for keeping the law on the books because they said it would create legal chaos for other states that would be forced to consider same-sex marriage or resolve disputes among couples who marry in Massachusetts but want benefits, or to divorce, back home.

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The Lesbos residents, who appealed to Athens court in an attempt to ban the word lesbian, lost their bid. The residents claimed that as the island’s inhabitants, they were the only true Lesbians. They sought an injunction against the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece (OLKE), from using the word ‘lesbian’ in their title in a sexual context.

“Today’s decision is unacceptable and an insult to the people of Lesbos and their three thousand year long history”, said Mr Dimitris Lambrou, the primary complainant. “The decision means that we will appeal instantly to a higher court and, at the appropriate time, to the European Court of Human Rights”.

The islanders said they did not mind if lesbians use the terms “female homosexuals” or “gay women” to describe their sexual preferences, but insisted that using the name of the island and its people was a violation of their right to a national and regional identity.

But the court ruled that the word lesbian in its adopted Greek and international sexual context does not offend or threaten the individual, collective or human rights of the island’s residents.

“The controversial words at stake should not be seen as an insult to an individual’s personality, nationality or social standing, and should not be taken as an individual or collective insult the people of Lesbos,” said Judge Maria Petsali.

After the decision was handed down, Mr Lambrou said: “The decision by the court will not stop the effort of hundreds of thousands of Lesbian islanders to fight for the right to maintain their name separately from a that of a sexual deviation. It is a misguided ruling, so we have decided to take the matter to the highest courts both in Greece and Europe”.

During earlier proceedings, he explained that it was not his intention to affect homosexual rights.
“They can do what they want with their bodies. And they can call themselves what they want, but not lesbians,” he said.

Evangelia Vlami, a lesbian activist, told the court: “Claiming that the word insults their history is racist and ridiculous,” she told the court. “It is a word that has evolved harmlessly from history and mythology and under no circumstances is intended to offend the islanders or those many people around the world who originate from this island”.

“After all,” she added, “‘Siamese twins is an internationally accepted term, and nobody thought of arguing that this term insults the people of Siam”.

Source: The Telegraph

The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the nation’s law barring HIV-positive visitors from traveling to the United States, according to The Advocate. Democratic senator John Kerry and Republican senator Gordon Smith attached the repeal to legislation reauthorizing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The PEPFAR bill was approved by a vote of 80–16 and now moves to a committee in the Senate before being sent to the president.

“We applaud the Senate for rejecting this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States,” said Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese in an HRC press release. “We call on the leaders of the House and Senate to retain the Kerry-Smith provision in conference and ensure it is included in the final legislation sent to the president’s desk.”

The majority of California voters oppose Proposition 8, a proposed amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the state, the Associated Press reported Friday.

According to the AP, the newly released California Field Poll survey found that 51% of voters will likely vote against Prop. 8, while 42% of voters support the proposed amendment. Democrats and Republican voters were starkly split on the issue, with 63% of Democrats indicating they would vote down the measure and 68% of Republicans saying they would vote for it. Independents rejected the ban 66% to 27%. The poll, conducted by Field Research Corp., randomly surveyed 672 likely voters during the week of July 8–14.

The survey shows a change from 2000, when 61% of voters were in favor of Proposition 22, an amendment that supported the state’s 1978 ban on same-sex marriage.

The 1978 ban was overturned in May of this year, making same-sex marriages legal in the state of California. Proposition 8 was constructed in response to the new ruling. 

Source: The Advocate

The Associated Press reports that the Massachusetts Senate voted Tuesday to repeal a 1913 law used to bar out-of-state gay couples from marrying in the state. The law prohibits couples from obtaining marriage licenses if they couldn’t legally wed in their home states.

The House is expected to vote on the repeal later this week. Gov. Deval Patrick, whose 18-year-old daughter announced publicly last month that she is a lesbian, would have 10 days to sign it. Patrick, a Democrat, said the 95-year-old statute also carries a racist taint.

The law dates to a time when the majority of states outlawed interracial marriages. Critics said the law was designed to smooth relations with those states. Massachusetts has allowed interracial marriages since 1843.

Dianne Wilkerson, the Massachusetts Senate’s lone black member, said the vote was long overdue. She called the law “evil.” ”This is one of the most pernicious statutes on our books,” said Wilkerson, a Democrat. “This bill puts the final nail in the coffin of those dark days.”

Opponents of gay marriage said the 1913 statute is needed to ensure Massachusetts respects the marriage laws of other states. They said it will also help prevent same-sex couples from entering into marriages and then returning to states that have already passed laws or amended their constitutions to bar gay marriages.

“The Massachusetts Senate has no right to infringe on the internal issues of how other states define marriage, but that’s exactly what they voted today to do,” said Kris Mineau of Massachusetts Family Institute.

The law was rarely enforced until Massachusetts’ Supreme Judicial Court ruled in 2003 that the state could no longer bar gay couples from marrying. Romney, then eyeing a run for president, ordered city and town clerks to enforce the statute, although some town clerks balked.

Eight gay couples from surrounding states challenged the 1913 law in court and in 2006 the same court that allowed gay marriage refused to toss out the law.

An analysis released by Massachusetts’ Office of Housing and Economic Development found repealing the law would draw thousands of couples to the state, boosting the economy by $111 million, creating 330 jobs and generating $5 million in taxes and fees over three years. The study assumes New York would provide the largest number of gay couples — more than 21,000 couples — with New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and Maine bringing the total to more than 30,000 in the first three years after the ban was lifted.

Resident standing inside Carmen’s Place, where attack happened.

NY1 reports that four teenaged boys were arrested for attacking the director and several residents of a transgender center in Astoria Tuesday.

Father Louis Braxton, Jr., who leads the transgender center “Carmen’s Place” in Astoria, Queens, says he was trying to defend a group of transgender teens who were being assaulted Monday night when four teenaged boys attacked him with belts and paint cans.

“I was standing right here looking that way and they kind hit me from behind,” said Braxton, who says the incident happened in front of the shelter where he and the transgender teens live. “I have a couple of knots on my head right now and a fat lip.”

Braxton said the boys struck him after yelling anti-gay slurs at the transgender teens, who were horsing around outside the shelter.

Carmen’s Place has been a safe haven for transgender and gay youth for about three years.

“When they said what they said, I was shocked,” said victim Alessandra Carver. “I was like, ‘You feel good about what you’re saying?’ and then that’s when he was like, ‘Why you talking?’ So he went there and took a trash can and hit me with the thing upside with one of them.”

Police say four teenagers were arrested for their role in the attack — 17-year-old Tyreek Childs, 16-year-old Travaughn Payne, 17-year-old Shara Mozie and a minor whose name has not been released.

The teens have been charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Police say they are still trying to determine whether or not they will be charged with a hate crime.

In the meantime, Braxton and the transgender teens say the attack left them feeling unsafe at their shelter, and they are now looking for a new location.

Gay sergeant Darren Manzella was recently discharged for speaking out openly about being gay

Congress should repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy because the presence of gays in the military is unlikely to undermine the ability to fight and win, according to a new study released by a California-based research center reported in 365Gay.com.

The study was conducted by four retired military officers, including the three-star Air Force lieutenant general who in early 1993 was tasked with implementing President Clinton’s policy that the military stop questioning recruits on their sexual orientation.

“Evidence shows that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is unlikely to pose any significant risk to morale, good order, discipline or cohesion,” the officers state.

To support its contention, the panel points to the British and Israeli militaries, where it says gay people serve openly without hurting the effectiveness of combat operations. Undermining unit cohesion was a determining factor when Congress passed the 1993 law, intended to keep the military from asking recruits their sexual orientation. In turn, service members can’t say they are gay or bisexual, engage in homosexual activity or marry a member of the same sex.

The study was sponsored by the Michael D. Palm Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara, which said it picked the panel members to portray a bipartisan representation of the different service branches. According to its Web site, the Palm Center “is committed to keeping researchers, journalists and the general public informed of the latest developments in the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy debate.”

Two of the officers have endorsed Democratic candidates since leaving the military - Army Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, who supports Barack Obama, and Marine Corps Gen. Hugh Aitken, who backed Clinton in 1996.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Minter Alexander, a Republican, was assigned in 1993 to a high-level panel established by the Defense Department to examine the issue of gays in the military. At one point, he signed an order that prohibited the military from asking a recruit’s sexual orientation.

Alexander said at the time he was simply trying to carry out the president’s orders and not take a position. But he now believes the law should be repealed because it assumes the existence of gays in the military is disruptive to units even though cultural attitudes are changing.

Further, the Defense Department and not Congress should be in charge of regulating sexual misconduct within the military, he said. “Who else can better judge whether it’s a threat to good order and discipline?” Alexander asked.

Navy Vice Adm. Jack Shanahan said he had no opinion on the issue when he joined the panel, having never confronted it in his 35-year military career. A self-described Republican who opposes the Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war, Shanahan said he was struck by the loss of personal integrity required by individuals to carry out “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

“Everyone was living a big lie - the homosexuals were trying to hide their sexual orientation and the commanders were looking the other way because they didn’t want to disrupt operations by trying to enforce the law,” he said.

Congratulations to Thomas and Nancy Beatie! They are the proud parents of a baby girl.

As you are probably aware, Thomas Beatie was born a woman, named Tracy Lagondino, but she went through a sex change, having chest reconstruction and taking testosterone to develop masculine traits. Tracy kept her ovaries and uterus, which was a good thing since Beatie, 34, was able to get pregnant because his wife couldn’t.

It is reported that Thomas has given birth to a girl at an Oregon hospital. The baby was conceived through artificial insemination using donor sperm and Beatie’s own eggs.

Both Beatie and the baby are doing well, Beatie told People.

“The only thing different about me is that I can’t breast-feed my baby. But a lot of mothers don’t,” Beatie was quoted as saying by People. “I actually opted not to do anything to my reproductive organs because I wanted to have a child one day. I see pregnancy as a process and it doesn’t define who I am,” Mr Beatie told the TV talk-show host Oprah Winfrey in April. “I feel it’s not a male or female desire to have a child. It’s a human need. I’m a person and I have the right to have a biological child,” Beatie said. The couple said that their parental roles would be fairly traditional, with Beatie as the child’s father and Nancy his mother. The couple still have to face some opinions and some questions raised by people that fell offended by their decision.

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The latest data on HIV infection across 33 states finds new diagnoses jumping by 12 percent annually between 2001 and 2006 among young gay and bisexual men, according to US News.

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say the rise is “especially concerning” for young black men aged 13 to 24 who have sex with men. For this group, the annual rate of new HIV diagnoses rose by 15 percent annually, compared to a 9 percent and an 8 percent annual rise among their white and Hispanic peers, respectively. The findings were released Thursday in this week’s issue of the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Friday, June 27, is National HIV Testing Day across the United States.

The CDC researchers reported that, “during 2001-2006, an estimated 214,379 persons had HIV/AIDS diagnosed in the 33 states.” Almost half (46 percent) of these new cases were diagnosed among men who have sex with men, and there was a noticeable decline in HIV transmission for the time frame in all categories except for this high-risk group, the report found.

Overall, gay and bisexual men comprised 63 percent of all cases of new infection among U.S. males, and almost two-thirds of new cases among men who have sex with men occurred in the 25-to 44-year-old age group, the CDC said.

The agency noted that certain risk factors, such as pre-existing infection with syphilis or gonorrhea, or the use of alcohol or illicit drugs (especially methamphetamine) can encourage HIV transmission among young gay and bisexual men. “Strengthened collaborations between STD, HIV, viral hepatitis and substance abuse programs should result in more effective HIV prevention efforts,” the CDC noted in an editorial.

In related news, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on Thursday announced what it called “the largest HIV testing initiative” in the city’s history: a push over the next three years to have all residents of the Bronx aged 18 to 64 learn their HIV status.

In a prepared statement, city health officials noted, “Bronx residents account for nearly a fourth of New York City’s HIV infections and a third of AIDS deaths each year.”

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama received a standing ovation on Thursday when she paid a campaign visit to gay and lesbian Democratic activists to promote her husband Barack Obama’s presidential quest, according to Reuters.

Obama, appearing at a dinner meeting of the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee, cited her husband’s efforts to fight discrimination and promote equal rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people.

She said he supported a complete repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, which only recognizes marriages between men and women and upholds states’ rights not to honor same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. He also opposes a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward gays in the U.S. military and was against a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, she added.

He supports full family and adoption rights for gay and lesbian couples and believes the federal government should not stand in the way of states that opt for domestic partnerships, civil unions or civil marriage, she said. The Illinois senator opposes same-sex marriage.

“Barack believes that we must fight for the world as it should be, a world where together we work to reverse discriminatory laws like DOMA and ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” she said. “The world as it is should be one that rejects discrimination of all kinds.”

Her husband also has called for a renewed effort to fight HIV and AIDS and has said the African-American community should overcome homophobia, she said.

“Nothing we have to do over the next four or eight years is going to be easy. There will be powerful forces who believe that things should stay just as they are, that everything is fine, and that’s where you all come in,” she said.

“Your voices of truth and hope and of possibility have got to drown out the skeptics and the cynics,” she said.