12th April 2003 (# 1) News Clippings Digest

1. NEW YORK POST Is men's magazine Details too gay?
2. HENDERSONVILLE TIMES-NEWS (North Carolina) Letter from Clippings
reader Charles Merrill says he and his partner are going to have
a "big fat gay wedding" - not a "homosexual marriage"
3. BOSTON GLOBE Female student is found beaten unconscious near
her home; she had received threats for participating in her school's
Day of Silence; school officials are busy denying that there is a
connection
4. MORGAN HILL TIMES (California) Students detail anti-gay
harassment incidents
5. LONDON FREE PRESS (Ontario) Rally protests school board's
inaction on making schools safe for gay and lesbian students
6. 365GAY.COM Canada: Labor Supports Gay Marriage
7. INDIANAPOLIS STAR Friends recall life and love of Rev. Howard
Warren, who died of AIDS

New York Post, April 11, 2003
1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10036
(Fax: 212-930-8546 ) (E-Mail: letters@... )
( http://www.nypost.com )
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04112003/business/kelly.htm
Radar's Attitude: More Like Spy Than Vanity Fair (excerpt)
By Keith J. Kelly
RADAR - the long-awaited new magazine from Maer Roshan - is
coming
out of the box swinging at celebs in Hollywood and the media world. .
And Roshan, the editorial director of Tina Brown's Talk when
it bit
the dust last year, also takes heterosexual Dan Peres to task for
putting
out a "fey" men's magazine that seems to be aimed squarely at guys
who are
on the other side of the great sexual divide.
Let's Get One Thing Straight: Dan Peres, editor-in-chief of
Details,
is not gay. But his magazine sure seems to be. Call him a
professional fag
stag (the title of a December 2002 piece on homo-lovin' heteros),"
Radar
says about Peres in its up front "Fresh Intelligence" gossip page.
The piece also takes Peres to task for a recent cut line on a
feature
story about Phone Booth star Colin Farrell. "Have You had Sex with
Colin
Farrell Yet?" Peres' Details asked provocatively - and some thought
oddly -
for a non-gay mag.
Peres is already counterpunching - or should we say slapping -
back.
"What is Maer getting his panties in a twist about?" says
Peres.
"Details is a magazine for men - all men. I'm not going to get
caught up in
a whole butcher-than-thou stand-off with the cookie-cutter men's
magazines.
Those other books are squeamish about running stories with any gay
content;
Details isn't. So, what's the big deal?"
Fuller seems to have adapted the stance that all publicity is
good
publicity. "Hey, we're happy to be monstrously up in our newsstand
and ad
sales," she says. "It's so nice of Radar to recognize this."


Hendersonville Times News, April 12. 2003
PO Box 490, Hendersonville, NC 28793-0490
(Fax: 828-692-2319 ) (E-Mail: tnletters@... )
( http://www.hendersonvillenews.com )
Letter: 'Homosexual' term that's best avoided
In May, I will be getting married to another man I have
lived with
for 12 years at our country place outside Edneyville. We (my same-
sex
partner and I) sent out formal invitations.
Most of our friends and family are looking forward to the
commitment
ceremony performed by a Buddhist. However, there are a few so-called
"Christians" in Edneyville who tell me they do not believe
in "homosexual
marriages."
That term is used by conservative Christians that means "they
don't
like two men loving each other." And that's OK. That's their
business, not
mine.
"Homosexual" is a medical term used to criminalize lesbians,
gay men,
and bisexuals in the 19th century. The term should generally be
avoided
although some older lesbian, gay and bisexual people may describe
themselves
in this way.
I look forward to our "big fat gay wedding."
- Charles Merrill, Edneyville [Edgespring@...]


Boston Globe, April 12, 2003
Box 2378, Boston, MA, 02107
(Fax: 617-929-2098 ) (E-Mail: letter@... )
( http://www.boston.com/globe )
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/102/metro/Concord_student_assaulted
_near_h
ome+.shtml
Concord student assaulted near home
By Jenny Jiang, Globe Correspondent
A 16-year-old Concord student was found unconscious near her
home
Thursday night after being beaten in the head with a blunt object,
possibly
a baseball bat, police said.
The woman, whose identity is not being released at the
family's
request, was assaulted as she walked home from a friend's house,
said the
victim's brother.
"She was 100 feet from the front door," he said. A neighbor
found
her unconscious, lying by the side of the road and bleeding
profusely from
the head around 7 p.m., police said.
The girl was taken to Emerson Hospital in Concord and then
transferred to Boston Medical Center, where she was in the intensive
care
unit last night, said the brother. "She is stable," he said. "Her
life is
not in any danger at this time."
A day before the attack, the girl had attended a "Day of
Silence"
assembly at Concord-Carlisle High School, organized by students to
promote
tolerance for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students.
The rally
was sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
The group
said in a statement last night that several friends had reported
that the
victim "was harassed with homophobic epithets by her alleged
attacker for
participating in the national Day of Silence."
Police and school officials would not say if the attack was
linked to
her participation in the rally.
"It is unknown if it's a hate crime, but we are looking at
every
single aspect of this," Concord Police Chief Len Wetherbee said. "We
haven't spoken to the victim yet; we are working with the parents.
When
it's appropriate, we will interview her."
One school official cautioned against linking the attack to
the
rally. "Many students participate in the Day of Silence. To say
that this
single student was singled out, the rumor has no foundation. I
think this
is a one-of-a-kind incident," said Nadine Binkley, assistant
superintendent
for the Concord public schools and Concord-Carlisle High School.
Asked
about the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's statement
that
someone had verbally harassed the victim at the rally on April 9,
Binkley
said, "My understanding is, nothing like that has happened."
The victim's brother declined to comment on a possible motive
for the
attack, except to say, "It was not random. ... It was very
deliberate."
He said the attack has shocked many people in Concord. "She
has a
lot of friends. She is well liked by a great many people, and this
is
extremely upsetting to everyone who cares about" her.
"She's just a girl with a good heart who doesn't feel hatred
for
anyone," he added.
The brother said that although his sister has not been able
to speak
much since the attack, she has managed to joke about it. "Not that
any of
this is funny," he said.
Guidance counselors and social workers were called to the
high school
yesterday to help students and teachers deal with news of the attack,
Binkley said.
"We think this is an unfortunate incident. The whole
community is
upset," she said. "Concord is a very safe community and very
tolerant of
diversity. We work very hard to promote tolerance, and I don't
think it's
related to any 'homophobic epithets."'
. Globe correspondents Jared Stearns, Heather Allen, and
Denise Dube
contributed to this report.


Morgan Hill Times, April 11, 2003
P.O. Box 757, Morgan Hill, CA 95038
(Fax: 408-779-3886) (E-Mail: editormh@... )
( http://morganhilltimes.com )
http://morganhilltimes.com/news/newsview.asp?c=37848
Students detail anti-gay harassment incidents
By Carol Holzgrafe
The allegations behind six former Morgan Hill School District
students suing the district for failing to protect them from anti-gay
harassment are varied and occurred between 1991 and 1998, according
to
Tuesday's published opinion of Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Judge,
Mary M. Schroeder.
The primary plaintiff is Alana Flores, accompanied in the
lawsuit by
four other young women and one young man, all former MHSD students.
According a deposition given by Flores and filed with the
lawsuit,
she frequently found pornographic pictures taped to her locker.
Once a note that said "Die, dyke bitch, f--- off. We'll kill
you,"
was attached to the photo on one occasion. When she asked for help
from
Assistant Live Oak Principal Delia Schizzano she said she was
told "Yes,
sure, sure, later. You need to go back to class. Don't bring me
this trash
any more. This is disgusting."
Schizzano asked Flores if she was gay. When Flores
answered "no,"
she said "Why are you crying then?" The student continued to
receive notes
and pictures and continued to bring them to Schizzano's attention
but, she
contends, "school officials took no action."
The incident at Martin Murphy Middle School involve a male
student
who, according to published opinion, was beaten by six other
students.
"Faggot, you don't belong here," he alleged he was told. The
student
was hospitalized with "severely bruised ribs." After her reported
the
incident to former Principal Don Schaefer and Assistant Principal
Frank
Nucci, "they punished only one of the six students ... and (the
student) was
transferred to another school."
Two other plaintiffs, while students at Live Oak, said other
students
made anti-gay comments and sexual gestures and threw a plastic cup
after the
girls began dating during their senior year. The students allege
that
Bartschi told the girls to report the matter to campus police but
did not
follow up or investigate.
One student reported name calling and food throwing several
times to
a campus monitor. The report states that the monitor refused to act
to stop
the harassment even when she was a witness.
"On occasion," the student alleges, "the monitor initiated a
rumor
among the students that (the student) and another female student
were having
oral sex in the bathroom."
The student also alleges that a physical education teacher
failed to
take action when classmates said they didn't want her to touch or
look at
them or to be their partner in class or when they called her "queer"
and
"dyke". The teacher, the student alleged, suggested that she change
clothes
elsewhere so "her classmates would not feel uncomfortable."
. Carol Holzgrafe is a reporter at the Morgan Hill Times.
She covers
all local news, including City Hall.


London Free Press, April 12, 2003
London, Ontario, Canada
(E-Mail: letters@... ) (
http://www.canoe.ca/LondonFreePress/home.html )
http://www.canoe.ca/LondonNews/lf.lf-04-12-0041.html
Gay students call for action
By Marissa Nelson, Free Press Education Reporter
More than 40 people rallied outside the Thames Valley
District school
board office yesterday afternoon to protest the board's inaction on
making
schools safe for gay and lesbian students.
"We need to let them know that we won't go away," Julie
Glaser of the
Seen and Heard: Youth Anti-violence Education Project said. "Our
families
come in many shapes and forms and that diversity needs to be
reflected in
the curriculum."
It was the second time many of the protesters - including
parents,
students and activists - had rallied at the Education Centre.
A protest organized to get the board to address violence and
harassment against gay and lesbian students in August prompted the
board to
set up a committee.
That committee's report was handed down this week but only
four of 17
recommendations were approved. The rest were sent back for more
work and
the committee is to report back again by October.
Jason Yeoman, a gay Saunders student, said he fears for his
safety
and has been harassed in school.
"My school can't protect me," Yeoman said. "I heard four
anti-gay
comments in two hours today. This is how we go through every day.
Schools
can't and won't protect us because we're the minority."
Joanne King, who is part of a support group for parents and
friends
of gay and lesbian people, said she was embarrassed by the
discussion at the
board meeting.
"I can't even repeat the things that were said," King
said. "Don't
let these people destroy all these great people," she said,
motioning to the
crowd.
The report calls for schools to provide gay-positive resource
materials, identify an outreach staff member, find ways to ensure
gays and
lesbians are included in the curriculum and fund more hours for a
violence-prevention staff member.
The board spent hours Tuesday debating the report when some
trustees
argued it should be dealt with by the safe schools program.
Trustee Terry Roberts said there was a lot of duplication in
the
gay-lesbian and safe schools reports, both heard Tuesday night.
"Why are we going to do this for one group when we should be
doing it
for all students . . . I'd like a united effort through safe
schools," he
said.
"This is a group that falls prey to bullying. Next you could
hear
from obese kids that they're getting picked on."
Trustee Stewart Deller said all students should be safe in
schools
but he doesn't support including gay-positive material in the
elementary
school curriculum.
"They're not looking for an inch or a foot, they're looking
for
miles," he said. "I understand this is a secular system but the
majority of
religious groups are opposed."
Deller said he's not opposed to diversity but sees this as a
minority
asking for measures that offend the majority.
"It's a minority that's trying to steal away the rights of the
majority and it's not appropriate," he said. "We will protect you
but don't
push it on everybody else and say that it should be normalized."
Peggy Sattler, the trustee who chaired the committee and
wrote the
report, said she'll continue the fight.
"It's important you continue to advocate to be treated with
dignity
and respect. Gay and lesbian students are not a fringe element," she
said.
"We're not doing enough to address the culture of homophobia in
schools. I'm
not giving up."


365Gay.com, April 12, 2003
http://365gay.com/NewsContent/041103canMarriage.htm
Labor Supports Gay Marriage
by Jack Siu, 365Gay.com Newscenter, Toronto Bureau
Toronto, Ontario - The traveling road show that is the House
of
Commons committee on same-sex marriage has gotten a severe dressing
down
from one of Canada's most power labor leaders.
Wayne Samuelson, the head of the Ontario Federation of Labor
accused
the committee of doing nothing to stop "insulting, dangerous and
unnecessary" rhetoric from conservative Christian groups opposed to
gay
marriage.
The committee has been holding hearings across Canada and will
prepare a report next month for the government on whether gays and
lesbians
should be given the right to marry, or if instead there should be the
creation of a national domestic partner registry, or if the
government
should abandon regulating marriage altogether.
The committee was set up after courts in Ontario and Quebec
ruled the
federal definition of marriage as a union between one man and one
woman was
unconstitutional. The courts gave the government two years to amend
the
law. The rulings are being appealed.
At hearings in Toronto, Samuelson blasted the committee after
speakers from groups opposed to gay marriage stated that
homosexuality is
linked to pedophilia, bestiality and mental illness.
"I have three daughters and one is gay. I'm insulted to hear
these
suggestions that my daughter must suffer from STDs or binge drinking
because
she is gay - give me a break," the Ontario Federation of Labor
president
said.
"In all my years of public policy discussion I have never
seen these
kinds of incredibly destructive comments allowed."
The criticism of the committee has been made in the past by
national
gay rights group EGALE but it is the first time that the charge has
been
made by a major non-gay organization. The Ontario Federation of
Labor is an
umbrella group of almost all unions in the country's largest
province.


Indianapolis Star, April 12, 2003
P. O. Box 145, Indianapolis, IN, 46206-0145
(Fax: 317-444-6800 ) ( http://www.indystar.com )
(Online Mailer: http://www.indystar.com/help/contact/letters.html )
http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/0/035524-5890-009.html
Friends recall life and love of Howard Warren
Small group gathers at the Damien Center, where minister consoled
those
affected by AIDS
By Diana Penner, diana.penner@...
In the very room where the Rev. Howard Warren for 10 years led
Celebrations of Life for Damien Center clients who had died of AIDS,
about
30 people gathered Friday to celebrate his.
Add to those gathered the nearly 1,300 souls whose names
Warren had
invoked and whose family and friends he consoled and whose lives he
held up
as valuable and joyous parts of his own.
"This was the place where he found support and meaning," said
longtime friend Ed Towne. "He said he was surrounded by angels."
Warren died March 14 from complications of AIDS, the disease
that
vexed him personally and professionally, but that also gave him the
zeal of
a missionary.
Friday's intimate, quiet service was a chance for those who
had known
Warren through the Damien Center - clients, co-workers, volunteers
and
donors - to pay him tribute.
Warren was remembered for his willingness to fight for
homosexuals in
the clergy, for people with HIV and AIDS wherever they were in
society, and
for diversity in all arenas.
At the Damien Center, Warren became the director of pastoral
care in
1989, two years after his own diagnosis and after he revealed to
Presbyterian Church officials that he was gay. The Damien Center
was just 2
years old at that time, when AIDS diagnosis and death often were not
far
apart.
Every month, the center held a Celebration of Life, a service
intended to be uplifting despite being prompted by death. Until the
advent
of protease inhibitors, powerful drugs that can dramatically extend
the
lives of people with HIV, the Damien Center could count on losing a
dozen to
two dozen clients every month and include them in the celebrations.
In the 10 years that Warren handled the celebrations, 1,281
clients
died. In all, since the center opened, 1,426 clients have lost their
battles with AIDS. Several dozen of their photographs smile from
the Wall
of Memory, joined Friday by Warren's, showing him resplendent in his
rainbow-striped ministerial stole and his cap festooned with buttons.
In 1998, the number of deaths had dropped so much that the
Celebrations of Life were held in the same room quarterly; last
year, there
were two for the 55 clients who died. Some had discussed including
Warren
in the next group Celebration of Life, but it was decided he should
be
accorded his own service.
Warren would want them all remembered: 1,490 in Marion
County, 3,957
in Indiana and 467,910 nationally since the AIDS epidemic began in
the early
1980s.
Friends offered remembrances of Warren that ranged from the
funny to
the profound.
In recounting the many boxes of research and papers Warren
left
behind, Towne cracked up the room: "By the way, if there were
financial
problems at the Damien Center in the early '90s, it may have been
because of
Howard's Xeroxing."
Brian Fisher recalled that when he met Warren in about 1990,
he was a
bit put off by Warren's creative garb. But the minister wouldn't
let the
young man get away with that and offered some wisdom he recalls to
this day.
"He said, 'If you judge a gift by the way it's wrapped,
you're going
to miss a lot.'
"You have to open it."
. Call Star reporter Diana Penner at 1-317-444-6249.
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