Tampa Bay Coalition
Eye on GLBT News & Headlines
October 11th ~ 25nd.
 
Index of News Headlines posted on this page.
October 26: Spike in S.F. Syphilis Cases of Gay~Bi Men.
October 26: Mass. Gov. Appoints Unabashed Gay Judge to Court of Appeals Seat.
October 26: Jerry Falwell's Son is Blaming Media and Gays for 'Smear Campaign' Hurting Donations.
October 25: Montreal Wins Bid to Host the Gay Games VII. & Montreal Welcomes The World.
October 25: Lesbians Trial for Club Toronto Bathhouse Raid.
October 25: FBI Report on Hate Crimes on Sexual Orientation Contines.
October 25: Indiana Town Rejects Pastor's Anti-Gay Protester.
October 22: N.Y. Gov. George Pataki Orders Equal Benefits for September 11th. Surviving Gay Partners.
October 20: Judge Rules in Favor of Same-Sex Couple in Delaware, They Win Joint Adoption
October 15: After September 11th Attack, Who is Really Family, Who Makes Decision on
                   Survivors Benefits.
October 12: Offensive Anti-Gay Slur is scrawled on Navy Bomb "High Jack This Fags"
                   The Saga of the Homophobic Bomb Continues, Updates October 15, 16, 18 & 20th.
October 12: Hillary Clinton Calls for Equal Assistance to Gays After Attacks, Urges Benefits for Partners.
                   Related Article Oct. 5th.
October 11: Domestic Partners Benefits Funding Passed by Senate.
 
Spike in S.F. Syphilis Cases of Gay~Bi Men
October 26: Rate syphilis is spreading in San Francisco's is described as startling. The S.F.
Department of Public Health, DPH, has recorded 116 cases, as of September, with a majority
being gay and bisexual men. The rise is due to many of the gay and bisexual men reporting
having multiple partners and unprotected sexual activity. That is taking place in anonymous
situations, such as sex clubs, adult bookstores,  and meetings through the Internet and in
bathhouses.
 
Mass. Gov. Appoints Unabashed Gay Judge to Court of Appeals Seat.
October 26: As Gov. Jane Swift gave the oath to Judge David Mills, Straight, Gay, Old and Young
packed the standing-room-only House Chamber. Chorus from Danvers High School, the town where
Mills has acted as Town Moderator, also attended. It is clear the respect and love those attending
had for the new judge and he returns that love openly and without embarrassment or secrets.
 
Jerry Falwell's Son is Blaming Media and Gays for 'Smear Campaign' Hurting Donations
October 26: Jerry Falwell's son claims father is victim of the news media "wolf pack" and "liberal lies.
"Falwell's youngest son is blaming the media and gay civil rights activists for launching "a vicious smear
campaign" aimed at his father. This is a statement that included in their recently distributed fund-raising
letter. The letter urges their supporters to sign and return a "vote of confidence" card to Jonathan Falwell
and include a donation of $ 50 or $ 100..
 
Montreal Wins Bid to Host the Gay Games VII
October 25: The Gay Games VII of 2006 will be held in  Monteal, Canada. One of four the cities
bidding to host the game, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. This brings the Gay Games back
to North America for the first since Gay Games IV, held in New York City 1994. The Gay Games VI
to be held next year will be at Sydney, Australia.
Montreal Welcomes The World
Montreal's gay village was brighter, happier and loud at the giant party to celebrate the winning
of the 2006 Gay Games. Montreal games will be held from July 29 to August 5, 2006, along with 
Montreal's gay pride celebrations. They will welcome the 24,000 athletes and 200,000 visitors
expected with open arms, not to mention the estimated $150 million in revenue. 
 
 
Lesbians Trial for Club Toronto Bathhouse Raid
October 25: 'Male Police Officers raid 'Women Only' charity event Sept. 15, 2000. The events draws
300 to 350 patrons of fundraiser for scholorship fund for gay, lesbian and transgender. Two women
who were arrested on charges under the Liquor Licence Act, their trial began with police testimony
about the raid. Defendents made a motion of judicial stay of charges for police abuse of process.
The trial is set to resume November 29th, decision on the motion expected by then. TBC September 16,
2000 article on the raid at Club Toronto Bathhouse.
 
FBI Report on Hate Crimes on Sexual Orientation Contines
October 25: Hate crimes continue unabated despite thelower overall crime rates, a disturbing trend is
noted from FBI's new crime report. Hate crimes that are based on sexual orientation have more than
tripled since the FBI has  collected statistics in 1991. TBC archives of a partial listing of 2000 Hate Crime
Victims, with Steen Fenrich, Arthur Warren and Danny Overstreet, listed on TBC's Tribute & Memorial to
Those We Lost to Hate Page.
 
Indiana Town Rejects Pastor's Anti-Gay Protester
October 25: People in Bloomington, Indiana say no to Hate and  Pastor John Lewis. Anti-gay protesters
showed up with "Fags are cursed" placecards. When went to eat at nearby restaurant,  owner refused to
serve them. Those counter protesting held placecards reading "Honk if you love your gay neighbor".
Dozens of honks in responce were the sweet sounds of support to pro-gay anti-hate protesters.
 
N.Y. Gov. George Pataki Orders Equal Benefits for September 11th. Surviving Gay Partners.
October 22: Surviving partners of gay and lesbian victims of the World Trade Center attacks have faced
inequities in receiving the same benefits spouses of others victims do. N.Y. Gov. George Pataki issued an
executive order granting gay partners families equal benefits as spouses from N.Y.'s State Crime Victims
Board. See related articles on this story for Oct. 15th and 12th below.
 
Judge Rules in Favor of Same-Sex Couple in Delaware, They Win Joint Adoption
October 20: A Deleware Couple that has been together since 1979, have been allowed to adopt two
children together. "The fact they are gay men is of no concern to the court," Family Court Chief Judge
Vincent Poppiti write in his decision. He ruled the men would provide the two brothers, ages 1 and 6,
a loving, stable and financially secure home.
 
Offensive Anti-Gay Slur is scrawled on Navy Bomb "High Jack This Fags"
October 12: After Navy Officer wrote an offensive anti-gay insult on a bomb, a photo to the right was
snapped by an Associated Press, AP, photographer. The AP went ahead and released the photo totally
ignoring the anti-gay slur. Appearing in newspapers, it created a firestorm of condemnation. With gays,
lesbians and organizations contacting the AP and only then th AP decided the photo contained offensive
slur. The AP told it's clients to remove the photo. The Officer not only exposed he was homophobic, he
proved to be quite illiterate. [High Jack  spelt Hijack]. Here are a few articles on the backlash  & press
release from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.
The Saga of the Homophobic Bomb Continues, Updates.
October 15 & 16: Homophobic Bomb Row Deepens and US Navy Condemns the Homophobic Message
Scrolled on Bomb.
Update October 18:  Navy Official Apologizes to the the Human Rights Campaign, So Sorry About The Nasty, Insensitive, Anti-Gay, Homophobic, Intolerent and Offensive Slur Message on the Bomb.
Update October 20: The Navy calls the anti-gay slur graffiti scrawled on bomb inappropriate.
 
After September 11th Attack, Who is Really Family, Who Makes Decision on Survivors Benefits.
October 15: Will a new federal fund to compensate survivors of Gay and Lesbian victims? Should it? If a
homosexual partner or parent is named in a will they will be out of luck. Who is decision maker whether
to include them? It is U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft,  Justice Department prepares the rules and
procedures. Contact Ashcroft, tell him this horrific tragedy requires equality for all the victims survivors
in any and all the benefits offered. Attorney, General John Ashcroft's [Web Site]
Related Article Oct. 5: The Salvation Army, Red Cross Accept Aid Appeals From Gay Survivors of 9/11 Victims.
 
Hillary Clinton Calls for Equal Assistance to Gays After Attacks, Urges Benefits for Partners .
October 12: Senator Hillary Clinton, D-NY, was keynote speaker at Human Rights Campaign's annual dinner.
Where Senator Clinton said she felt strongly that, "Surviving partners of gay and lesbian victims of the Sept. 11
attacks should get same assistance and benefits that the families of other victims get". Attending the dinner were domestic partners of three of the Sept. 11 victims: Tom Hay, partner of David Charlebois, co-pilot of airliner that crashed into the Pentagon; Nancy Walsh, partner of Carol Flyzik, a passenger aboard one of the jetliners that
crashed into the World Trade Center; and Mike Lyons, partner of Jack Keohane, worked near the World Trade
Center in New York killed as the buildings collapsed. Article 1. Article 2. 
Related Article Oct. 5th: Rev. Louis Sheldon Says Gays Shouldn't Get the Aid Being Given to Families of 9/11
Victims. Article. NOTE: TBC's "Tribute to Our Brothers, Sisters & Friends Lost", profiles & articles David Charlebois, John Keohane, NYFD Chaplin Father Mychal Judge, Mark Bingham, Carol Flyzik and other Gay and Lesbian victims.  
 
Domestic Partners Benefits Funding Passed by Senate.
October 11: Senate Appropriations Committee voted the District of Columbia can use funds in implementing it's domestic partners law. In an effort to curtail the spread of AIDS, funding for a clean needle program was also approved.
Related article on D.P.B.: The private sector leads the way for offering domestic partner benefits. The Human Rights Campaign's ``State of the Workplace for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans 2001 report released.
 

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