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LGBT Catholics Welcome New Pope

Pope Francis is anti choice, anti abortion & anti gay through he claims that church teaching on homosexuality, including that "men & women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies must be accepted with respect & compassion. He opposes gay marriage & has called it "demonic in origin. He strongly fought gay marriage legislation introduced in 2010 by the Argentine Government calling it a "real & dire anthropological throwback". Marriage equality is the law in Argentina. He also believes that adoption by gay & lesbian people is a form of discrimination against children. The gay catholic org DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke made this statement exclusively for OUTTAKE VOICES about the election of Pope Francis, “We join our fellow Catholics in praying for the ministry & leadership of Pope Francis. We applaud the cardinals for their recognition of the rising energy of the Catholic Church in the global South & the new possibilities & perspectives that may come from that region. We are encouraged by Pope Francis’ clear commitment to the poor & to the social justice tradition at the heart of our faith. At the same time, we acknowledge that as archbishop & cardinal the man who is now Pope Francis has made some very harsh & inflammatory statements about lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender people. We recognize that sometimes this new job on which he embarks can change the man called to it. We call on our new Pope to recognize that he is now head of a Church that includes a huge number of LGBT people, their families & friends around the world. We invite him to take the time to learn about our lives, our faith & our families before he makes any papal pronouncements about us & we stand ready to enter into dialogue with him at any time.” For More Info: dignityusa.org
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Military Officials Urge End DOMA

At a news conference in Washington DC former Congressman & former U.S. Navy Three-Star Admiral Joe Sestak joined with Former Congressman, Army Captain & Iraq War Veteran Patrick Murphy, OutServe-SLDN Executive Director Allyson Robinson & Staff Sgt. Tracy Johnson in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to end the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Thirty military officials & OutServe-SLDN, which represents gay & lesbian service members & veterans, each filed an amicus brief in the United States v. Windsor case challenging DOMA being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 27. Former Congressman & U.S. Navy Three-Star Admiral Joe Sestak stated, “As someone who served in the United States Navy for more than 30 years, I believe DOMA undermines military families & therefore, eventually erodes military readiness. We have long known that supporting service members’ families affects our military’s effectiveness, as well as our ability to recruit & retain the most talented fighting force in the world. But DOMA prevents the Pentagon from offering equal benefits & protections to same-gender couples & their families. I believe that DOMA is neither correct nor practical for a military force devoted to defending our freedom & equality & therefore, that it is unconstitutional.” There will be rallies held at the Supreme Court on March 26.
For More Info....
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OUT Magazine David Bowie Tribute


For its April cover story OUT reached out to some of the world’s most innovative gay artists & designers & invited them to pay tribute to the legendary David Bowie to coincide with Bowie’s first album in ten years & a massive exhibition of his influence on design & fashion opening at London’s Victoria & Albert museum this month. Over the next 10 days celebrities from various walks of life remember the legacy Bowie has left of both music & pop culture. Bowie tribute stories in OUT’s April 2013 issue include: Glenn O’Brien – “Who wouldn’t want to be there when Bowie met Warhol for the first time?” Adam Lambert – “A light bulb went off–I wasn’t into drag, I didn’t want to dress like a woman, but I wanted to express my gender & artistic identity differently than the mainstream. Bowie was a key inspiration.” Mick Rock - “To me, he was always exotic, whatever phase he was in. Now he’s the Howard Hughes of rock ‘n’ roll, but he’s more than just a rock legend – in the U.K., he’s a national treasure.” Joey Arias – “It was the end of the ‘70s & it was a moment that was so far ahead of its time that nothing will ever match up to it because there’s only one Bowie, there’s only one Joey & there’s only one Klaus. We didn’t have to do anything but be ourselves that night. People still come up to me on tour and say, ‘You changed my life.’” Jake Shears – “You are my favorite artist on earth. My favorite song you’ve ever written is ‘Fantastic Voyage.’ Thank you so much for coming to my show, but I really hope at this point that we never cross paths. There’s not a lot in this world I keep sacred, but I would rather you just stay imaginary.” Jean Paul Gaultier – “I remember going to gay bars in London that Bowie was known to frequent & it gave many of us courage not to hide, to have confidence in ourselves. …One thing that was astonishing was his ability to do cinema & music simultaneously, while endlessly reinventing himself. It wasn’t only his androgyny but his creativity…” 
Read Story…. 
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Queen Elizabeth Slowly Evolves

Though headlines in the UK praised Queen Elizabeth for promoting gay rights in a new Commonwealth Charter without actually mentioning the word ‘gay’ perhaps she is evolving stating, “We are implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, color, creed, political belief or other grounds.” UK gay activist Peter Tatchell stated, “In her 61 years on the throne, the Queen has never publicly uttered the words lesbian or gay. She is a patron of hundreds of charities but none of them are gay ones. Never once has she visited or supported a gay charity. In truth, the Commonwealth Charter does not include any specific rejection of discrimination based on sexual orientation. This was vetoed by the homophobic majority of member states. While I doubt that Elizabeth II is a raging homophobe, she certainly doesn’t appear to be gay-friendly. Not once during her reign has she publicly acknowledged the existence of the LGBT community… Astonishingly, since she became Queen in 1952, the words ‘gay’ & ‘lesbian’ have never publicly passed her lips. There is no record of her ever speaking them. Even when she announced government plans for gay law reform in her Queen’s Speeches, she did not use the words lesbian or gay. Apparently, mentioning LGBT people is beneath the dignity of the monarch.” With the UK close to passing gay marriage I think it’s time that the 86 year-old Queen embraces our LGBT community.
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Gay Man Wins $13 Million Verdict

David Ayers spent eleven & a half years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Cleveland police reports suggest the arrest was motivated by anti-gay animus. An example of the Feb 9th 2000 police report refers to friends of Ayers & Ayers himself, as gay: "This male appeared very 'gay' like, but when we asked him if he was gay, he laughed & stated no.... But this male acted very 'gay like', also had candles lit up around his house & religious statues & holy water in cups... KEN SMITH is also a hairdresser & dressed & sat like a gay male. Note: DAVID AYRES [sic] gives quite an impression of also being gay." A federal jury returned what is probably the largest-ever civil rights verdict for this court -- $13.21 million for the wrongful prosecution & imprisonment of David Ayers. Ayers, 56, is an African American gay man & native of Cleveland who at the time of his 1999 arrest had been employed for over eight years as a security officer with the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. He had no prior arrests & had no physical evidence linking him to the crime but was charged & eventually sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 murder of an elderly CMHA resident, Dorothy Brown. Ms. Brown's body was found in a pool of blood, naked from the waist down, with pubic hairs in her mouth. One of the pubic hairs was later DNA tested & found to not match Ayers, leading to his exoneration & release in 2011.  Knowing that their "evidence" was too weak to convict Ayers, police officers Kovach & Cipo enlisted a jail-house snitch, Donald Hutchinson, who had been housed with Ayers at Cuyahoga County Jail, to falsely claim that Ayers confessed to him. Kovach & Cipo also falsely claimed that Ayers implicated himself to them shortly after his arrest. Both Kovach & Cipo retired from Cleveland Police Department will full benefits. The verdict award is among the top ten ever in the country for a wrongful conviction case. Ayers was represented by Russell Ainsworth & Rachel Steinback of the Chicago-based civil rights firm Loevy & LoevyAttorneys at Law.
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Gay Military Reveals Agenda


At the OutServe-SLDN National Dinner Saturday night attended by nearly 1000 service members, veterans & supporters, Allyson Robinson, OutServe-SLDN Executive Director stated in her first State of LGBT Military Equality Address, “The fight for full LGBT equality in our armed forces is far from over. In fact, it's just getting started. LGBT troops still lack even the most basic nondiscrimination protections – protections that have been the standard with other American employers for years. The Defense of Marriage Act still denies LGBT military families the most important support services – things like health insurance & survivor benefits. Qualified Americans who are transgender & who want to serve in uniform are still forbidden from doing so by medical regulations that have become ridiculously obsolete. And despite the repeal of ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’, thousands of our troops are still in the closet, afraid of what coming out might mean for their careers & their families.” Robinson set a goal for reaching 14,000 actively serving members by the end of 2014, which is the number of every gay & lesbian service member kicked out of the military under “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.” The 2013 OutServe-SLDN National Dinner also featured appearances by former Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA); reality television stars & winners of CBS’s "The Amazing Race," Josh Kilmer-Purcell & his partner Brent Ridge (The Fabulous Beekman Boys); New York stage sensations, The Broadway Boys; Washington Post opinion writer and MSNBC contributor Jonathan Capehart; Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson; & the first lesbian couple to wed in the West Point Cadet Chapel, Sue Fulton & Penelope Gnesin.
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GLAAD To Honor Brett Ratner

This is an interesting turn of events. GLAAD announced that the Ally Award will be presented to director Brett Ratner at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in NYC on March 16th when they’ll also premiere a PSA campaign helmed by Ratner during the event. The GLAAD & Comcast 'Coming Out for Equality' PSA series features a diverse group of straight celebrities & athletes coming out as supporters of LGBT equality & calling for other Americans to speak out. As we reported last week Madonna will present the Vito Russo Award to Anderson Cooper during the same event. Ratner directed & produced the PSA series donating his time to raise support for LGBT people. Remember Ratner was fired from producing the Oscars in 2012 for using a gay slur. Participants include Charlie Sheen (Anger Management), Jackie Chan, Tamala Jones (Castle), Giada De Laurentiis (Food Network) & Pauley Perrette (NCIS). Herndon Graddick President of GLAAD stated, "Brett Ratner's dedication & leadership will inspire countless people to speak out in support of LGBT friends, family, neighbors & children. From high school jocks to faith leaders, those who follow Brett's lead are admired & heralded, while anti-LGBT bullies are increasingly ridiculed & marginalized."
For More Info & Tix…
We’ll be at the NYC awards to get all the dish from the Red Carpet for OUTTAKE VOICES™.
Listen To Our GLAAD Media Awards 2012 Coverage:
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