Seattle, WA - Seattle Archbishop Attempts To Remove Marriage Equality – 4.15
Seattle’s Archbishop J. Peter Sartain is one of the homophobes who spoke out against the legalization of same-sex marriage in Washington State.

Governor Christine Gregoire, who is Catholic, signed marriage equality into law earlier this year. Now the archbishop is circulating petitions through the state’s parishes to get the rollback on the November ballot.

A bulletin from Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain, who testified against the same-sex marriage bill, is asking parishes to participate in the signature-gathering effort and “do everything you can to uphold the traditional definition of marriage in our state.”

“We bishops have already made known our strong opposition to the redefinition of marriage, and we will continue to do so,” he promised.

Currently, same-sex couples will be able to marry in Washington this summer. But if equality’s opponents collect 120,577 signatures before a June 6 deadline, those marriages will be delayed until after the November elections. If Washingtonians should vote to roll back equality, the state will continue to offer civil unions, though legal marriage will be delayed indefinitely.

But Archbishop Sartain may not get as much help as he hoped, since several Catholic parishes have refused to circulate his petition

Source: Reuters

Bozeman, MT - Montana Supreme Court Hears Appeal of Marriage Equality Case – 4.13
The American Civil Liberties Union has appealed a district-court ruling dismissing the same-sex domestic partnership case, Donaldson & Guggenheim v. State of Montana, to the Montana Supreme Court.

“The Montana Constitution guarantees fair and equal treatment to all people, including gay and lesbian couples,” said lead attorney, James Goetz, of the Bozeman, MT law firm Goetz, Gallik & Baldwin, acting as a cooperating attorney. “This case is about giving loving, committed couples the recognition they deserve and ensuring that all families can thrive in Montana. Domestic partnerships are a way for the Montana Constitution’s guarantees of human dignity and protection for all people to be upheld for same-sex couples.” Without domestic partnership recognition, the plaintiffs have been denied the ability to take care of each other and their families. Judge Jeffrey Sherlock dismissed the case in April 2011, saying an amendment to the Montana Constitution that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman had already settled the question, adding that the question of granting gay couples the benefits, without allowing them to get married, was best left to the legislative process. In November, the ACLU said that Sherlock “abdicated his responsibility” in dismissing the case.

Source: Montana ACLU

Los Angeles, CA – Researchers Discover Potential Lead to Cure for AIDS – 4.16
There could be a huge breakthrough concerning the war on AIDS. Scientists at UCLA say they have found a way to turn stem cells into cells that fight the HIV virus. (See the UCLA report on Page 8.) Researchers say the discovery could one day potentially lead to a cure for AIDS, cancer and other deadly viruses. They have figured out how to engineer stem cells taken from adult blood and turn them into immune cells that attack and kill the HIV virus.

The breakthrough even surprised them.

Researcher Dr. Jerome Zack said, “We knew that the results were coming down the pike, but when they finally came out, we looked at it and went, ‘That’s pretty good!’”

So far the technique has been successful in attacking HIV in hundreds of lab mice.

“We haven’t fully developed the technology to clear them of HIV, but they are significantly suppressed in the amount of virus that is replicating,” said Dr. Scott Kitchen.

Researchers say human clinical trials are the next step. If those prove successful, the technique could be available to patients in about ten years.

Source: NBC news

Baton Rouge, LA - Archaic Louisiana Legislation Would Codify Discrimination into Law – 4.16
Forum For Equality Louisiana and the Human Rights Campaign are calling on Louisiana State Senator A.G. Crowe to withdraw SB 217, a discriminatory measure that would force state agencies and local governments to write discrimination into public contracts by setting limiting protected classes to just race, religion, national ancestry, age, sex or disability. The bill’s passage would mean entities entering into public contracts with government bodies - including charter schools - could discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and even on things like athletic ability, language competency or political beliefs. 

“Senate Bill 217 is nothing more than a power grab that says that only the Legislature can make decisions about discrimination issues in Louisiana. This is a sad attempt by hate groups to not only prevent local governments, school boards and charter schools from having anti-discrimination policies, but also to take away protections many city governments have already enacted,” said John Hill, chair of Forum for Equality Louisiana. “Nationally, this is a losing battle for these extremists as more states expand civil rights; so once again, these groups make Louisiana backward-thinking, not forward-thinking.”

Source: Forum For Equality Louisiana 

New York, NY - Magic Mike Stripper Flick Coming in Late June – 4.13
Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper movie, Magic Mike, is coming via Warner Bros. starring hunky actors Matt Bomer as Ken, producer Channing Tatum as Mike, Adam Rodriguez as Tito and Joe Manganiello as Big Dick Richie, with Matthew McConaughey as a former stripper. Bomer was interviewed by New York magazine, Vulture, regarding his role as an in-the-flesh Ken doll.

“The difference between men at strip clubs and women at strip clubs is that when women go, they want more of an experience. They also go in packs, and they go to laugh. But hey, it’s high time we turn the tables and objectify some men,” said Bomer. “And we’re all different types.

Variety is the spice of life! It’s not just beefcake. We needed a skinny man, too! I have two routines: Dr. Love and Ken Doll. Yes, [my character’s]
name is Ken, and his Ken doll is plasticine, well put together, and it’s a play on the fantasy. What if a … Ken doll came to life? Wasn’t that your fantasy?” Bomer also confessed he was licked by an extra.

Concerning his costume, he commented, “We pretty much all got down to our thongs, although one of us - his thong got kind of ripped off. That’s not going to make the film.” Damn! Bomer complained he had a hard time with the thong.

Source: Vulture magazine