Gay Dems meeting
early to talk strategy

DENVER, CO (AP) - Gay and lesbian Democrats are gathering early to prepare a strategy for the convention, and their marching orders are the same for all states: Make sure other delegates know who you are and what gay voters want this fall.

The Stonewall Democrats started a four-day “boot camp” in Denver recently. At the top of their agenda for the convention, are pushing Democrats to fight proposed gay-marriage bans in three states and passing federal anti-discrimination laws.

With a record 370 lesbian, gay and transgendered delegates to this year’s convention, Stonewall Democrats say they’re primed to drive Democrats’ plans more than ever before. The number of gay delegates is up almost 100 from 2004, and they now make up some 6 percent of all delegates. Only two states - Nebraska and North Dakota - won’t send any openly gay delegates.

Stonewall Democrats spokesman John Marble said the No. 1 message of gay delegates should be that a gay-friendly agenda from Democrats will help the party as a whole. The group will argue that opposing anti-gay-rights measures on ballots in Arizona, California and Florida will help Democratic fortunes in all races in November.

“It’s something our nominee should feel comfortable talking about,” said Ann Baker, a Stonewall Democrat from Roosevelt, NJ.

One topic not on the table: A federal gay marriage push. The Democratic nominee-in-waiting, Sen. Barack Obama, has said he favors civil unions but not gay marriage, and Stonewall Democrats are unlikely to push party delegates to call for federal marriage equality.

“Culturally, we’re not there,” said Barbra Casbar, a transgendered delegate to this year’s convention. She said Stonewall Democrats aren’t angered by Obama’s stance, saying the more important priority is to make personal connections with straight Democrats.

Diego Sanchez, a transgendered delegate from Boston, said Stonewall Democrats have wide-ranging priorities, and that nondiscrimination legislation should be tops for Democrats seeking gay votes.

Stonewall Democrats say their greater number at this year’s convention shows they’re a higher priority for the party. Scheduled to address Stonewall Democrats are Democratic Govs. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Deval Patrick of Massachusetts.

Mormon supporters of gay
unions take to cyberspace

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (AP) - Prompted by their church’s support for a California initiative to ban gay marriage, some Mormons are voicing opposition to the proposed ban on the Internet - saying in cyberspace what they might not be able to express in church buildings.

“We need a place where people can have a discussion and get information,” said Laura Compton, a contributor at MormonsforMarriage.com. “And people need to know that it’s not coming from an anti-Mormon place, or a gay Castro district place. It’s coming from a faithful place.”

MormonsforMarriage is one of a handful of Web sites to spring up since June, when top Mormon leaders distributed a letter to be read from California pulpits to call the faith’s 750,000-plus members there to contribute money and time to help pass Proposition 8.

The Nov. 4 ballot initiative would amend California’s constitution to recognize marriage as only between a man and a woman. In May the state Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.

“When I heard and saw the letter that the church leaders had read in sacrament meetings, I was appalled,” said Carolyn Ball, a lesbian who was excommunicated in 2002 for refusing to choose the church over her partner. “So I said, ‘That’s it.’ I want Mormons to know that there are gay people in their congregations, every Sunday.”

In an interview on ldshomosexuality. com, Ball, who taught at the church-owned Brigham Young University and its Missionary Training Center, recalls two failed marriages to men and a series of humiliating conversations with her local church leaders.

“I really just want people to try and understand and see the pain they are causing gay members of the church who are struggling,” said Ball, 44, who now teaches at William Woods University in Fulton, MO.

Besides personal stories and comments, most of the pro-gay marriage sites include statements that outline the principles that have fostered their support of gay unions. Contributors stress that they consider themselves to be faithful Mormons.

Lds4gaymarriage.org quotes legal decisions and LDS scripture from the Doctrine & Covenants, which states that religious freedom doesn’t “provide license to infringe or impose upon the rights and liberties of others.”

Mormons are taught that gay sex is a sin, but celibate gays can remain active in the church.

Church leaders see marriage as a moral issue and since the 1990s have been active in efforts to defeat gay marriage legislation nationwide. In 2000, church members supported and helped pass California Proposition 22, which prohibited state recognition of same-sex unions that were legal elsewhere.

Native-American tribe to
allow same-sex marriages

PORTLAND, OR (AP) - At the request of a lesbian couple, the Coquille Indian Tribe on the southern Oregon coast, in the U.S. West, has adopted a law recognizing same-sex marriage.

Tribal law specialists say the Coquille appear to be the first American Indian tribe to sanction such marriages. Most tribal law doesn’t address the issue. The Navajo and Cherokee tribes prohibit same-sex marriages.

The couple planning their wedding at the tribal plankhouse say they seek only tribal recognition and are unconcerned about Oregon state and U.S. federal prohibitions against gay marriage.

“For me, the important thing wasn’t about rights or the benefits,” 25-year-old Kitzen Branting told the Eugene Register-Guard. “I just wanted the tribe to say ‘Yes, we recognize that you are just as important as any other tribe member, and we will treat you and your spouse as we treat all tribal members’.”

Legal scholars said that tribes do have authority over domestic relations among tribal members, but the U.S. Congress may have the ultimate say-so.

Lawyer Robert Miller, who teaches Indian law at the Lewis & Clark College School of Law in Portland., said the tribes have all the rights they have historically held unless Congress takes them away or the tribes give them up by treaty.

Bill Funk, who teaches constitutional law at Lewis & Clark, compared the Coquille action to that of states that recognize same-sex marriages even though the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 does not.

“Under federal law, these are not marriages,” said Funk, adding that other tribes and states need not recognize a Coquille same-sex marriage. He said the lack of federal recognition could make the couple ineligible for marriage-related Social Security and other federal benefits.

Only the states of California and Massachusetts allow gay marriage, though some other states allow civil unions for same-sex couples. Oregon voters amended the state constitution in 2004 to prohibit gay marriage. But with its sovereignty recognized by the federal government, the tribe is not bound by the state constitution. Oregon does recognize civil unions.

“For our tribe, we want people to walk in the shoes of other people and learn to respect differences,” the tribal chief, Ken Tanner, told The Oregonian newspaper. “Through that, we think we build a stronger community.”

Opponents of AK gay
foster ban plan court case

LITTLE ROCK, AK (AP) - Opponents of a proposal that would ban unmarried couples living together from adopting or fostering children said they plan to challenge the measure in court if it’s approved for the fall general election ballot.

Debbie Willhite, lead consultant for Arkansas Families First, said the campaign against the proposed initiated act is already preparing to petition the Arkansas Supreme Court if the secretary of state’s office says backers of the proposal have submitted enough signatures.

“We do intend to enjoin the initiative,” Willhite said. “We’re quite optimistic that we’ll keep this from being voted on.”

Arkansas Families First has more than $45,000 in the bank to finance efforts to fight the measure and raised $13,345, according to a campaign-finance report recently filed. Its expenses included $1,755 paid to the secretary of state’s office for copies of the petitions submitted by the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, which proposed the ban.

Recently, the committee submitted signatures to get the measure on the November ballot, but fell short of the necessary 61,794 necessary signatures. The committee got another 30 days to gather more signatures.

Willhite said her group has been going through the signatures and petitions submitted to find more names that she believes should have been tossed out by the secretary of state’s office.

The group is in a better position financially than the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, sponsor of the proposal, which recently raised $9,000.

The committee reported a debt of nearly $2,800 as of July 31. The group’s expenses total more than $57,000.

Committee president Jerry Cox says the group plans to turn in 24,000 signatures of registered voters.

Hamlet 2 rocks with
racy musical numbers

SAN DIEGO, CA (AP) - Rock Me Sexy Jesus. You’re As Gay As the Day is Long. Raped in the Face. These aren’t insults. They’re song titles from the new film Hamlet 2, which opened recently.

The movie follows an eternally optimistic but marginally talented high school drama teacher, as he mounts an ambitious musical sequel to “Hamlet” that he hopes will save the school’s drama department. The irreverent songs come as choreographed musical numbers in the student production, which closes the film.

Director Andrew Fleming, a self-proclaimed lover of musicals, co-wrote the flick and its titillating tunes with South Park writer-producer Pam Brady.

“Because I’d never written songs before, we didn’t know what the rules were,” said Fleming. “We didn’t know you shouldn’t write about the tasteless things going around in your head.”

Though the songs’ titles and lyrics are kooky and crass, they are presented with complete sincerity by drama teacher Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan) and his cast of misfit students. That’s what makes the otherwise acerbic songs sing, Brady said. “The joke of it is that he’s so damaged and he’s trying to be so honest with his feelings but he’s so limited with his abilities that it ends up being completely inappropriate.”

A trio of teenage girls bob their heads as they sing Rock Me Sexy Jesus. “He’s the son of God and I think that’s cool,” they chirp. “But he’s got a swimmer’s bod like nobody do.”

The sing-along, happy 1960s vibe of You’re As Gay As the Day is Long belies its mostly unprintable lyrics.

In crafting the songs, Fleming said he and Brady weren’t aiming to offend.

“It was just what came to us naturally,” he said. “It maybe came out of frustration because we had seen so many musicals and we were trying to do something that was really funny.

“I’m not pretending these songs are as good as any musical ever,” he continued. “I hope people will think they’re a breath of fresh air.”