Mar 03, 2006  | COMMENTS     

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s stance on same-sex marriage sparked the head of a leading gay rights advocacy group in New York to encourage a financial boycott of her re-election campaign, the New York Times reported. Alan Van Capelle, executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, told board members in a memo that Clinton is "a complete disappointment," citing her opposition to gay marriage and her support for the Defense of Marriage Act. He said gay New Yorkers should stop giving money to support her re-election bid. Clinton opposes gay marriage but supports civil unions; she opposes a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage. Van Capelle said he will not "lend my name and sell tickets" to any fund-raiser that a gay group sponsors to further Clinton’s re-election efforts. Such support would "actually hurt" gay political causes, he said. "It will send a message to other elected officials that you can be working against us during this critical time and not suffer a negative pushback from the gay community," Van Capelle said, according to the Times.

Penn State coach draws protest from gay rights supporters

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP)-—-About three-dozen people protested against Penn State coach Rene Portland and the university during the Lady Lions’ Feb. 26 game against No. 6 Ohio State. The protesters laid out a rainbow flag on three rows of empty seats, then waved the large banner during halftime. Former player Jennifer Harris has filed a federal lawsuit against Portland, accusing the coach of asking her to try to look more "feminine" and of maintaining a discriminatory policy against lesbians or those who she thought were lesbians. Harris has said she is not gay. Portland has vehemently denied the allegations. Several hundred fans responded by holding up "We Believe in Rene" signs that were distributed by Portland supporters before the game, a 61-59 loss to the Buckeyes. Portland declined comment about the protest after the game. Protesters said they targeted the game in part because it was the last home game this season for the Lady Lions. "We want to show that Penn State doesn’t follow their [nondiscrimination] policies,’’ said student Cory Carter, 18, of Philadelphia.

Tax returns pose problems for Calif. domestic partners

SAN JOSE, Calif.-—-Gay Californians face a unique issue this year at tax time: how to reconcile finances when new state law gives them many of the financial responsibilities of a married couple but federal law still treats them as single, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Clark Williams, interim head of San Jose’s gay community center, is among those who face the quandary. Williams and his partner, along with about 71,000 other state residents, must find a safe way to do their taxes despite the inconsistencies. " I will follow the advice of professionals on this," Williams said. "I don’t want to do anything to trigger an audit." But even professional tax preparers disagree on how to best handle the situation, and the Internal Revenue Service still is deciding the best way to tackle the issue. Taxpayers and officials will have to work out issues such as how to report income if, for example, one partner works and the other stays at home.

Gay, trans themes creep into country music

This year, some of country’s most famous names are singing in movies with gay and transsexual themes. Dolly Parton received an Oscar nomination for "Travelin’ Thru," a song she wrote and sang for "Transamerica," while Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris are heard on the Oscar frontrunner "Brokeback Mountain." Nelson, always an iconoclast in his music and politics, even released a gay cowboy song on Valentine’s Day, "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly (Fond of Each Other)." Veteran country stars like Parton, Nelson and Harris are free to reach out to a gay audience because they already have loyal fans. Their careers aren’t driven by hit records, because country radio already ignores them.?? Parton, who has always embraced her large gay following, says she’s too stubborn to worry about a negative response. "I’m old enough and cranky enough now that if someone tried to tell me what to do, I’d tell them where to put it," Parton, 60, recently said. "I have a person who works in my organization who once was a woman and now is a man," Parton said. "I didn’t know for years that this person had had a sex change. I know what a wonderful person he is, and I based some of my feelings [in the song] on my feelings for him and on knowing what he went through."