Mar 28, 2008   | COMMENTS     

Two Florida lawmakers fight for gay adoption rights

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Two Florida Lawmakers are trying again to pass legislation that would allow gay people to adopt children. Sen. Nan Rich has proposed a law that would allow a judge to decide whether gay adoption would be in the best interest for a child. Rep. Mary Brandenburg is sponsoring the bill in the House. Gay people can be foster parents, but cannot adopt. Rich says this current law makes no sense. There are more than 3,400 children now available for adoption in Florida. Rich argues that there is no evidence that gay people can’t provide a nurturing environment for children. Gov. Charlie Crist has stated that he opposes any changes to Florida’s ban on gay marriage. Crist and other Republican lawmakers say a traditional family provides the best environment for children.

Social worker says he will oppose Sally Kern in fall elections

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A 59-year-old social worker says he plans to run against an Oklahoma lawmaker whose anti-gay remarks have provoked calls for her resignation. Democrat Ron Marlett said Monday he will oppose Republican Rep. Sally Kern in this fall’s election for her Oklahoma City-area seat in the state House. Kern has been criticized for saying homosexuality poses a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism. Her comments to a Republican group were recorded and posted on the video sharing web site YouTube by the D.C. based Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. Marlett says he abhors hatred and believes everyone is worthy of respect. He says extremists share many of the same views voiced by Kern.

Gay hockey fans say New York crowd offensive at Rangers games

NEW YORK — Gay hockey fans in New York are upset about what they say is a pervasive sense of homophobia at Rangers home games, the New York Times reported last week. Crowds call long-time season ticket holder Larry Goodman a “homo” via chant when he does his trademark goofy dance. Homophobic epithets are shouted to players and the crowd booed when the name of the New York City Gay Hockey League, a recreational group, was flashed across a jumbo screen at Madison Square Garden. Kevin Jennings, a Rangers fan who is gay, said he stopped attending home games for about a month this season because he felt so uncomfortable. Ray Stankes, 50, of Bayside, Queens, said he canceled season tickets he had had for 25 years in part because of the anti-gay environment. Jennings and Jeff Kagan, the director of the gay hockey league, wrote to Rangers General Manager Glen Sather in November and asked him to create a fan-education program that denounces anti-gay remarks. Since the complaints, the Rangers have broadcast warnings that they will remove fans who behave offensively and said they have posted additional security throughout the arena. Some fans think it’s much ado about nothing. “It’s a hockey game,” said Ricardo Pereira, 25, a season-ticket holder from Huntington on Long Island. “Hockey players are tough. Deal with it.”

Lesbian priest says she wants license to minister in N.D.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — A lesbian priest says she wants to start a dialogue with church leaders after the Episcopal bishop of North Dakota refused her request for a license to minister in the state. Rev. Gayle Baldwin, 62, an associate professor of religion at the University of North Dakota, was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1980. She came out as a lesbian a decade ago in Wyoming, where she has a license to preach and administer the sacraments. She came to UND in 2000. Baldwin went public this week with a letter to Episcopal leaders explaining her request to be licensed in North Dakota. “I have been clear from the beginning what my expectations are,” said Bishop Michael Smith, head of the 3,000 Episcopalians in North Dakota. “That is fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those not called to marriage.”

Four Penn State gay couples plan commitment ceremony

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Four gay Penn State couples are exchanging vows in what’s being dubbed a “Pride Commitment Ceremony” this weekend, the Daily Collegian, an independent student newspaper, reported. The couples went public despite protest threats from Faith Baptist Church of Altoona, Pa. “The press recently has focused on the opposition to the ceremony, and we’re thankful for their getting the word out, but really the focus is really on the love of these individuals,” Tom Koerber, Coalition of LGBTA Graduate Students ...