18 hours ago
Friday, February 29, 2008
Barack Obama communicates directly with gay communities
The Obama campaign is lavishing some of its cash advantage on LGBTs with targeted ad buys in Ohio and Texas leading up to the critical March 4 primaries in both states (Rhode Island and Vermont also vote that day). According to Obama LGBT steering committee member Eric Stern, the campaign has just completed an ad buy with queer newspapers in the four largest LGBT markets of those two states -- Columbus, Cleveland, Dallas, and Houston.
Full-page ads will appear starting this Friday in Outlook Weekly of Columbus, the Gay People's Chronicle of Cleveland, the Dallas Voice, and OutSmart, which is Houston-based. Buying a full-page four-color ad that appears one time typically costs anywhere between $1,000 and $2,000 in weekly publications. In the Gay People's Chronicle, for instance, the ad cost about $850, according to the paper's advertising manager; the same ad went for about $1,500 in the Dallas Voice.
The ads were the brainchild of Stampp Corbin, cochair of Senator Obama's National LGBT Leadership Council. Stern called the coordinated buy "the icing on the cake" in terms of the Obama camp's outreach to the gay community in Ohio and Texas. "It's a direct appeal to LGBT voters, asking for their support," he said, adding that the ad includes information about how people can get involved with the campaign. The Obama campaign has actively been trying to cut into the long-standing ties between gays and lesbians and Sen. Hillary Clinton. Stern paraphrased the message of the ad as a "call for the country to come together and unify around creating national progress toward equality for LGBT Americans."
Earlier today the Advocate reported that the Obama campaign was doing targeted ad buys in Ohio and Texas in advance of the primaries there on March 4th. According to the Advocate, "Full page ads will appear starting this Friday in Outlook Weekly of Columbus, the Gay People's Chronicle of Cleveland, the Dallas Voice, and OutSmart, which is Houston based."
"[Obama LGBT steering committee member Eric] Stern called the coordinated buy 'the icing on the cake' in terms of the Obama camp's outreach to the gay community in Ohio and Texas. 'It's a direct appeal to LGBT voters asking for their support,' he said, adding that the ad includes information about how people can get involved with the campaign. The Obama campaign has actively been trying to cut into the longstanding ties between gays and lesbians and Hillary Clinton."
The Ohio and Texas versions, according to Stern, "include specific information on voting in those states and how to get involved with the campaign locally." Stampp Corbin, the Co-Chair of the National LGBT Leadership Council, was the catalyst behind making these ads happen as a part of their efforts to mobilize and energize LGBT voters in Ohio & Texas.
viewed here
Thursday, February 28, 2008
the largest plasm screen for gay movies
The widest Plasma is here to take over your walls. Panasonic's 103 inch siblings are out in market to owe it to 150inch Plasma. It is restricted to only a 10 of them which has better wall mount configuration, improved video processing technology, anti-reflective coating, enhanced wireless presentation capabilities, more versatile media card redability and a dual HDMI board included as a standard feature.
viewed here
Is Daniel Johns gay?
'I'm not gay' ... Daniel Johns shows his true feelings. Picture: Cameron Tandy
FOR the past few years, there's been speculation about Daniel Johns' sexuality. But the Silverchair frontman wants everyone to know - he's not gay. At Monday's Big Day Out in Melbourne, Johns told the crowd in no uncertain terms that he's a red-blooded heterosexual male.
"I'm not f------ gay," he said between songs.
To show he doesn't care what anyone thinks, Johns wore a lacy garter on stage.
The talk about his sexuality has been around for years, but intensified this month when his split from wife Natalie Imbruglia became public.
Bjork throws usual tantrum
SHE'S always had a bad attitude when it comes to dealing with photographers, and Melbourne's Big Day Out was no different for Bjork.
During her performance, the Icelandic pop pixie had a tantrum midway through her first song.
She demanded that all the photographers in the pit in front of the stage be moved to the side because she didn't want to have to look at them.
The quirky songbird is well known for going berserk at photographers at airports around the world, most recently ripping a Kiwi snapper's skivvy in half when he tried to take a shot.
New York state accepts gay couples from elsewhere
A New York appellate court ruled Friday that valid out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples must be legally recognized in New York, just as the law recognizes those of heterosexual couples solemnized elsewhere. Lawyers for both sides said the ruling applied to all public and private employers in the state.
Even though gay couples may not legally marry in New York, the appellate court in Rochester held that a gay couple’s 2004 marriage in Canada must be respected under the state’s longstanding “marriage recognition rule,” and that an employer’s denial of health benefits had discriminated against the couple on the basis of their sexual orientation.
“The Legislature may decide to prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages solemnized abroad,” a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court ruled unanimously in rejecting a 2006 lower court decision. “Until it does so, however, such marriages are entitled to recognition in New York.”
For more than a century, the court noted, New York State has recognized valid out-of-state marriages. Moreover, it said that the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest judicial body, has said the Legislature may enact laws recognizing same-sex marriages. “In our view, the Court of Appeals thereby indicated that the recognition of plaintiff’s marriage is not against the public policy of New York,” the court held.
As a practical matter, the marriages of thousands of gay couples entered into outside the state have been recognized in recent years by many state and local agencies and by private employers for purposes of allowing health and life insurance coverage, child care and other benefits. But others have resisted doing so voluntarily, pending the outcome of numerous cases in the courts.
Friday’s ruling, legal experts said, was the first by an appellate division court, and would make the recognition of valid out-of-state gay marriages mandatory across New York. It was not clear whether Monroe County and Monroe Community College in Rochester, the employer in the case, would appeal.
Daniel DeLaus Jr., the county attorney for Rochester, said his office was reviewing the decision and would decide whether to seek an appeal.
Jeffrey Wicks, a lawyer who represents the plaintiff, Patricia Martinez, said that New York had recognized common-law marriages, even marriages of closely related people that might not be allowed in the state. “There’s a long tradition in New York of recognizing marriages that couldn’t be performed in New York,” he said.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, which represented Ms. Martinez, a word-processing supervisor at the college, hailed the ruling. The union called it “the first known decision in the country to hold that a valid same-sex marriage must be recognized.”
“This is a victory for families, it’s a victory for fairness and it’s a victory for human rights,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the N.Y.C.L.U. “Congratulations to all same-sex couples validly married outside of New York State: You are now husband and husband, wife and wife. Now we need to work toward a New York where you don’t have to cross state or country lines to get married.”
The New York City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, the first openly gay leader of the Council, also applauded the ruling. “If this is saying companies have to do it, it’s a tremendous step forward in recognizing the diversity of families in New York City.”
New York City already extends marriage benefits to workers in domestic partnerships, and under a law passed in 2002, it provides all city benefits and services to same-sex couples whose unions are recognized by other jurisdictions. But the city has no power to impose such rules on private companies.
In 2004, the Council adopted legislation sponsored by Ms. Quinn that would have required large companies doing business with the city to provide equal job benefits to domestic partners. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg vetoed the bill, and while the Council overrode the veto, the mayor said it violated state and federal laws and would prove costly to taxpayers. He sued successfully to block it in a case decided in 2006 by the Court of Appeals.
Mayor Bloomberg’s office declined to comment on Friday’s ruling, saying it had not seen the decision.
Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo also declined to comment, noting that his office may be involved in an appeal as the traditional defender of state agencies. Monroe Community College is a branch of the State University of New York.
In the past, Mr. Cuomo has said that state law requires that marriages performed in other states, and in Canada, be recognized in New York.
In the case before the appellate division in Rochester, Ms. Martinez and her partner, Lisa Ann Golden, formalized their longstanding relationship in a civil union ceremony in Vermont in 2001, and were married in Ontario on July 5, 2004.
A few days later, Ms. Martinez applied to Monroe Community College for health care benefits for her spouse. In November 2004, the college’s director of human resources, Sherry Ralston, denied the application, contending that the state did not recognize the marriage as a matter of law and public policy.
Ms. Martinez sued in 2006, arguing that her constitutional and civil rights had been violated. A State Supreme Court justice, Harold Galloway, dismissed the lawsuit in August 2006, saying the state did not recognize same-sex marriages. The state, he wrote “currently defines marriage as limited to the union of one man and one woman.”
But the appellate court disagreed, citing the century-old “marriage recognition rule” applying to heterosexual couples and noting that the Court of Appeals had implied that the Legislature could adopt a law legalizing same-sex marriage.
In early 2006, the court said, Monroe Community College had begun extending health-care benefits to Ms. Golden under a new contract provision. However, the judges held, the plaintiff was entitled to unspecified monetary damages for the period during which the benefits were wrongly denied.
Image from Gayclic
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
new sexy swimmers suits
This is Michael Phelps, the American swimmer who won six gold medals at the 2004 Olympics.
And that ridiculous-looking suit he's wearing? He says it's a big reason that he has a chance to put on an even better show in Beijing.
The suit is called the Speedo Lzr Racer, and every American Olympic swimmer is expected to wear it at the 2008 Summer Games. Swimmers from about 50 other countries will wear it as well. (Suits for female and male swimmers are identical.) According to Phelps, who gave Speedo his input in designing the suit, it's the best swimsuit ever made.
"It literally feels like you are a rocket coming off the wall," Phelps said. "The water completely runs off the suit."
If that's the kind of suit you want at your community pool or at the beach, good news: You don't have to be an Olympian to get one, as they're on sale at the Speedo web site for the low, low price of $550.
The world's leading swimwear company Speedo, launched the first space age Olympic swim suit, the Speed LZR Racer. The hologram launch saw the world's fastest swimmer, Michael Phelps (USA) appear in London , New York , Sydney and Tokyo on the same day, the Speedo LZR RACER was revealed to a global media audience.
Celebrating its 80th Anniversary, Speedo unveiled the world’s first fully bonded, ultrasonically welded swim suit to be worn by the Australian Olympic Team when they swim for gold in Beijing.
American super swimmer Michael Phelps appeared in a spectacular Hologram before Australia’s own superstar, swim team captain and two time Olympic 1500m freestyle gold medallist Grant Hackett led a parade of leading Australians, Leisel Jones, Jessicah Schipper, Eamon Sullivan, Stephanie Rice, Bronte Barratt and New Zealand stars Dean Kent and Moss Burmester.
Male LZR RACER BodyskinA fully bonded male performance bodysuit with an ultra low profile zip and silicone gripper at the ankle. Made from Speedo's ultra lightweight LZR Pulse fabric, the suit's LZR panels, core stabiliser and bonded seams all combine to reduce drag. Available in regular and longer body lengths.
Michael Phelps, the champion biography
Name: Michael Phelps
Country: USA
Date of Birth: 30 / 6 / 1985
Place of Birth: Baltimore, Maryland
Stroke: Freestyle & Butterfly
Current Records HeldWorld
200m Freestyle, (L/C), 1:43.86, 27.03.07, Melbourne (AUS)
200m Butterfly, (L/C), 1:52.09, 28.03.2007, Melbourne (AUS)
200m Individual Medley, (L/C), 1:54.98, 29.3.2007, Melbourne (AUS)
400m Individual Medley,(L/C) 4:06.22, 01.04.2007,Melbourne (AUS)
4 x 100m Freestyle Relay, (L/C) 3:12.46, 19.8.2006, Br Columbia (CAN)
4 x 200m Freestyle Relay, (L/C) 7:03.24, 30.3.2007, Melbourne (AUS)
Results (Since 2004)Athens 2004 Olympic Games
1st 100m, Butterfly
1st 200m, Butterfly
1st 200m, Individual Medley
1st 400m, Individual Medley
1st 4 x 200, Freestyle Relay
1st 4 x 100, Medley Relay
3rd 200m, Freestyle
3rd 4 x 100, Freestyle Relay
World Championships
2007
1st 200m, Freestyle
1st 100m, Butterfly
1st 200m, Butterfly
1st 200m, Individual Medley
1st 400m, Individual Medley
1st 4 x 100m, Freestyle Relay
1st 4 x 200m, Freestyle Relay
2005
1st 200m, Freestyle
1st 200m, Individual Medley
1st 4 x 100, Freestyle Relay
1st 4 x 200m, Freestyle Relay
1st 4 x 100m, Medley Relay
In Search of Gay Surfers
Though no openly gay male surfers compete on the professional tour, several out lesbians do, including former world champion Lynne Boyer. Gay gals who surf are also the focus of the Logo reality show Curl Girls. All of which makes one wonder, Is there such a thing as a "curl guy," and if so, where is he? "I know they’re in the water," says L.A.-based Curl Girls star Michelle Fleury. "I look for them, but I haven’t spotted or spoken with anyone admitting to being gay."
Maybe they're in San Francisco, a gay mecca where the surfing scene has exploded over the last decade. "If there was going to be a place where there would be openly gay surfers, this would be it," says Matt Warshaw, the San Francisco–based author of The Encyclopedia of Surfing, "but you just don't see it." Warshaw is straight, but he's been writing about demographic trends in surfing for years and the ongoing invisibility of gay men confounds him. "I’m baffled as to whether it’s a sport that has happily or unhappily closeted surfers," he admits, "or if it's so staunchly hetero that it's like a force-field to keep gays out."
If the latter is true, it's for good reason. Despite its easygoing, enlightened vibe, surfing has a long history of homophobia. When a 1988 magazine article implied that Aussie surf star Cheyne Horan was gay, he lost endorsement deals and friends. A decade later, former top-5 pro Robbins Thompson left the sport in disgust after his sexuality became known and he started hearing taunts in the water and having the word "fag" painted on his car. In 1996, teen surfer Shane Dorian listed "dykes and fags" along with "diseases, the Devil, and flat spells" as things he'd like to rid the world of in Surfer magazine. And just last year, when a statue of a surfer went up in Cardiff near San Diego, surfers criticized it for not looking butch enough and dubbed it "Fairy Mary." So what's the deal?
"The gay guys I know who surf tend to try and keep their sexuality and their surfing separate," says Leslie Smith, a part-time surf enthusiast who works for a nonprofit organization in Manhattan. "They’re not closeted, but they’re not going to necessarily wear freedom rings on the beach." Smith adds that he has encountered homophobia on the beach, but like most surf-related altercations, it was all about turf. "I pulled up to this little cove in Hawaii a couple years ago," he recalls, "and a couple of a guys came over like, 'What are you doing here? Locals only.' They started calling me gay and making effeminate gestures and it became clear that I was going to leave or I was going to get beaten."
viewed here
More uncensored surfers on restoring sex blog
underwear furniture for your home
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We also offer two types of finish:
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available at meliadesign
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
mardi gras float sydney
My friend Brenton from aussielicious encourages you to go to the mardi gras float...
Here’s a clue for what to expect from our mardi gras float. No there won’t be any waves, but you’ll love this video anyway. This is why I had so much fun rowing surfboats. It’s an amazing adrenaline rush crashing through a massive surf or flying down the face of a wave. It doesn’t hurt that there are fit guys all around with their speedos up their butts either!
I seriously can’t wait for the parade, its going to be so much fun!
The madness draws nearer
by aussielicious
With just over a week to go before the 30th Anniversary Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade makes it’s way up Oxford Street I thought I’d share this brief history of the parade from Wikipedia with you.
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is an annual gay pride parade and festival for the LGBT community in Sydney, Australia, and is one of the largest such events in the world. Despite its name, it is not held on Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday) or indeed, on a Tuesday at all. It began on June 24, 1978 as a protest march and commemoration of the Stonewall Riots. Although the organisers had obtained permission, this was revoked, and the march was broken up by the police. Many of the marchers were arrested. Although most charges were eventually dropped, the Sydney Morning Herald published the names of those arrested in full, leading to many people being outed to their friends and places of employment, and many of those arrested lost their jobs as homosexuality was a crime in New South Wales until 1984.
The event was held again in 1979, with the name changed to the “Sydney Gay Mardi Gras”. In 1980 the first post-parade dance party was introduced, and in 1981 the parade was shifted to February. An increasingly large number of people not only participated in the event, but larger numbers of the wider community turned out to watch the parade. In 1988 the parade was renamed the “Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras”.
The parade, whilst featuring many in the gay community with a penchant for exotic costumes and dance music, has always retained a political edge, with often witty visual commentary on their political opponents featuring in the floats. As homosexuality became more and more accepted in the wider community, more gay representatives of community groups and organisations have taken part in the parade, including the police force. The parade features a number of costumed characters that return for many successive years. Dykes on Bikes and Miss New Zealand are perfect examples of regular crowd favourites.
Gay Jamaican cop eyes asylum in Canada
A Jamaican police officer who went public that he is gay is seeking asylum in Canada and told the Toronto Star he is in hiding in fear for his life.
Constable Michael Hayden, 24, went public this month in the Jamaica Star newspaper, and told the Toronto newspaper he has since been repeatedly attacked by fellow officers after making the disclosure.
"I want to stay here and fight," Hayden said in a telephone interview. "But it's not safe for me. My life is in great, great jeopardy."
The four-year veteran of the Jamaican Constabulary Police Force said he had requested leave and was in hiding. Police officials wouldn't comment, the Toronto Star said.
Last month, 30-year-old Jamaican gay activist Gareth Henry fled the country and sought refugee status in Canada. He now lives in Toronto.
Henry claimed in a telephone interview he's lost 13 gay friends in Jamaica since 2004 but police often blame the victims' lovers or other gay men for the homicides, the Star said.
from here
David Beckham half nude in Hawai
David Beckham Offers Hawaii a Peek at the Paradise Under His Shirt
Just as promised, here are the photos of David Beckham giving the crowd some applause at the Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii. It was David's first trip to Honolulu and here he is, soaking up the sunshine and admiration of the fans (and us) at the Aloha Stadium there yesterday. This applause and shirtlessness came after the L.A. Galaxy's game against Gamba Osaka and I'm guessing that his well-tanned chest was David's way of saying, "Thanks guys. Now, I will very graciously allow you all to feast your eyes on THIS."
Monday, February 25, 2008
Mardi Gras , let's go
If you can go, therefore you must
For anyone visiting for mardi gras for the first time and going to the after party which is officially sold out for the first time in years, this video gives you a good impression of what to expect.
I’ve heard rumours of all sorts of performers, Olivia Newtown-John, Cindy Lauper, George Michael, Scissor Sisters and Bear Force One. Who will actually turn up? Who knows!
from Brenton from aussielicious
For anyone visiting for mardi gras for the first time and going to the after party which is officially sold out for the first time in years, this video gives you a good impression of what to expect.
I’ve heard rumours of all sorts of performers, Olivia Newtown-John, Cindy Lauper, George Michael, Scissor Sisters and Bear Force One. Who will actually turn up? Who knows!
from Brenton from aussielicious
runners will run faster
The SPARQ Parachute creates the drag necessary to force athletes to push themselves harder to achieve speed. It is designed for athletes who weigh 170 - 210 lbs. The easy step-in belt allows you to get right to your workout without having to fidget with buckles or adjustments. The Specs include: - Maximum drag = 25 lbs of force. - Belt accommodates waist sizes 32"- 56". - Durable enough for team training. - Floating metal tri-ring reducing belt offers improved chute tracking. - Improved heavy duty webbing lead and 2X coated heavy-duty veil fabric provides excellent durability. - Comes with carry bag.
viewed here
Sunday, February 24, 2008
China launches first anti-AIDS drive for gay men
Men in the bathroom of a department store, which has become a hangout for Shanghai's emerging homosexual population. Chinese authorities have launched their first anti-AIDS programme focused on gay men, amid rising concern that the disease is becoming more prevalent among homosexuals, state press reported Thursday
$65M for gay rights, HIV/AIDS groups
The estate of Ric Weiland, a high school classmate of Microsoft Corp. founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen and one of the first five people to work at the software giant, has left US$65 million to gay rights and HIV/AIDS organizations.
SEATTLE --The estate of Ric Weiland, a high school classmate of Microsoft Corp. founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen and one of the first five people to work at the software giant, has left $65 million to gay rights and HIV/AIDS organizations.
The bequests were announced Sunday by the Pride Foundation of Seattle, where Weiland was a board member for several years. The foundation called it the largest single bequest ever given to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender causes.
Gates and Allen hired Weiland in 1975, the year they founded Microsoft. He worked as a project leader for the Microsoft Works word processing and spreadsheet software, and was a lead programmer and developer for the company's BASIC and COBOL systems, two of the first personal computing interfaces. He left Microsoft in 1988.
Weiland donated tens of millions to various organizations - from gay rights groups to environmental and education organizations - before he died in 2006. He committed suicide at age 53 after a long battle with depression, and survivors include his partner, Mike Schaefer.
The $65 million is among bequests totaling about $160 million - the bulk of Weiland's estate- to various charities and Stanford University, his undergraduate alma mater, according to an estimate provided by the Pride Foundation.
In the latest bequest, the Pride Foundation said Weiland's estate had established a fund at the foundation that would give $46 million over the next eight years to 10 national gay rights and HIV/AIDS groups, including Lambda Legal; the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation; and amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.
His estate also bequeathed $19 million directly to the Pride Foundation for scholarships and grants supporting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in the Pacific Northwest.
A gay rights foundation in Seattle, along with 10 related non-profit groups, has been left $65 million by a man who helped create Microsoft.
The Pride Foundation and the 10 other organizations have received the estate bestowal from Ric Weiland, who helped found the technology giant with Bill Gates and Paul Allen, The Seattle Times said Sunday.
That generous donation may mark the largest financial donation to the U.S. gay and lesbian community in history, the newspaper reported.
Altogether, Weiland donated $160 million to charity, including a $60 million donation to Stanford University. Groups focused on scientific research and environmental protection also benefited from Weiland's generosity.
Zan McColloch-Lussier, Pride Foundation director of communications, said the donation from Weiland, who committed suicide in 2006, would help maintain the fight for equal rights for all gays and lesbians.
"It's a gigantic investment in our equal-rights movement," he told the Times. "It will be here long after our kids' kids are gone."
viewed here
Microsoft is scared about the competition
Facing new antitrust investigations in Europe, Microsoft published 30,000 pages of previously secret software code for its ubiquitous Windows operating system on its Web site Thursday, in what the company described as a significant concession toward greater openness and compatibility with competitors. It lost a landmark court case in Europe last autumn and in October abandoned its appeal of the commission's judgment in 2004 that it had abused the dominance of its Windows operating system to gain unfair market advantages. But the legal surrender, coming at the end of almost a decade of litigation, did not end Microsoft's problems in Europe. In January, the commission opened two new investigations into Microsoft's business practices - one related to the interoperability of its Office suite, server and open-document format, and the other into its practice of bundling software applications like its Internet Explorer Web browser into Office.
Barack Obama history regarding gays
Barack Obama -Young, Liberal Presidential Candidate: Barack Obama has thrown his hat into the 2008 presidential race. Barack Obama seems to be getting liberals all fired up because he is young, energetic and represents change. But how does Barack Obama stand on gay and lesbian rights? This profile examines where Barack Obama stands issues of importance to gay and lesbian voters.
Barack Obama's Political Background: Barack Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996. He served for eight years and ran for United States Senate in 2004. His speech at the Democratic National Convention that year brought America's attention to this liberal political newcomer. He won the election easily over arch-conservative Alan Keyes.
Barack Obama in the Illinois Senate: Barack Obama was known as a liberal who was not afraid to build bridges across party lines during his term in the Illinois State Senate. He gained a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood for his support of family planning and abortion rights legislation.
Barack Obama and Gay Rights in Illinois: Barack Obama supported gay rights during his Illinois Senate tenure. He sponsored legislation in Illinois that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Barack Obama in the United States Senate: Every two years the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay and lesbian organization, issues a scorecard for members of the Senate based on their sponsorship and voting on key issues of importance to gay and lesbian citizens. Barack Obama scored 89 out of 100% in the 2006 scorecard. Here's how HRC rated Barack Obama:
Barack Obama on Hate Crimes: Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation to expand federal hate crimes laws to include crimes perpetrated because of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Employment Non-Discrimination: Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes it should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Gays in the Military: Barack Obama believes we need to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. His campaign literature says, "The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve."
Gay & Lesbian Adoption: Barack Obama believes gays and lesbians should have the same rights to adopt children as heterosexuals.
Barack Obama and Gay Marriage/ Civil Unions: Although Barack Obama has said that he supports civil unions, he is against gay marriage. In an interview with the Chicago Daily Tribune, Obama said, "I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."
Barack Obama did vote against a Federal Marriage Amendment and opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.
He said he would support civil unions between gay and lesbian couples, as well as letting individual states determine if marriage between gay and lesbian couples should be legalized.
"Giving them a set of basic rights would allow them to experience their relationship and live their lives in a way that doesn't cause discrimination," Obama said. "I think it is the right balance to strike in this society."
Sources: Chicago Daily Tribune, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
more here
water cube Beijing
Canada's Alexandre Despatie Troy Dumais, Jevon Tarantino and Christopher Colwill of the U.S, Nicholas Robinson-Baker and Benjamin William Oliver Swain from Britain competed today at the Good Luck Beijing FINA World Cup Diving competition being held at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing aka The Water Cube. Amazing building!
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