June 20, 2005

The Liberty Line is a monthly e-communications update from the Liberty Education Forum. 

Reaching the Heartland Genetic Link to Sexual Orientation Found in Fruit Flies Polls show that people who believe sexual orientation is not a choice are four times more likely to support civil unions or civil marriage equality.  That's why the findings from a new study are so significant.  If more people come to understand that sexual orientation isn't a choice, then political advances will follow.  The new study adds to the growing mountain of evidence that clearly demonstrates people do not choose their sexual orientation.   Researchers have discovered a genetic determinant for sexual orientation in fruit flies.  Experiments demonstrate that genetically altered female flies given the male "fru" gene behave like males, actively pursuing other females. Similarly, males given the female version of the gene turned their sexual attention to other males.  "We have shown that a single gene in the fruit fly is sufficient to determine all aspects of the flies' sexual orientation and behavior," said Dr. Barry Dickson, senior scientist at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. Although it is not clear now if there is a similar master sexual gene for humans, the finding adds to the body of scientific evidence that sexual orientation is innately programmed in men and women.  Dr. Michael Weiss, chairman of the department of biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University, said, "Hopefully this will take the discussion about sexual preferences out of the realm of morality and put it in the realm of science."  Click here to read more.  Click here to read the Liberty Education Forum's new white paper on this subject, "The Only Question that Matters: Do People Choose Their Sexual Orientation?" Keeping the Faith Anglican Church Makes "Preposterous" Proposal for Partnered Priests When Britain's new domestic partnership law takes effect on December 5, the Anglican Church has decided that gay Anglican priests and their partners will be allowed to register.  Here's the catch—a gay priest in a relationship will be required to provide his bishop with an assurance that he is remaining celibate. The proposal still be approved by the House of Bishops, the Church's highest body in the UK. Anglican leaders emphasize that they have no choice but to follow the law.  Their decision has left no one happy.  The proposal has stirred up hostility between conservatives and liberals in the Church and offended gays.  One gay priest labeled the plan as "preposterous". Even so, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, an organization of LGBT Anglicans, estimates that within the next five years 1,500 gay clergy will have registered under the new law.  Click here to read more about this story. New Pope Condemns Same-Sex Unions as Anarchic "Pseudo-Matrimony" In an address to the Diocese of Rome on the role of the family, Pope Benedict XVI reiterated the Vatican's opposition to recognizing gay and lesbian families.  Pope Benedict, formerly Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, is known for his anti-gay rhetoric.  In 2003 as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he led a campaign against same-sex unions, pressuring Catholic politicians to oppose laws granting legal rights to gay couples.  "The various forms of the dissolution of matrimony today, like free unions, trial marriages and going up to pseudo-matrimonies by people of the same sex, are rather expressions of an anarchic freedom that wrongly passes for true freedom of man," he said.  Click here to read more about this story. Faith, Hope, and Love Abide Commemorating the first anniversary of marriage equality in Massachusetts, Reverend Jay Emerson Johnson, makes the case that honest efforts to defend marriage and protect families must be based on "values that are unchangeable: faith, hope and love."  His column for The Advocate refutes religious opponents who frequently abuse the Bible to justify their stance, saying that "societal definitions of marriage and family will inevitably change over the course of history. It's clear that what is important in the Bible is not a family structure based on biology, or even heterosexuality, but the quality of love exhibited in the relationships. And if same-sex couples exhibit such spiritual values, they deserve the legal protection and civil recognition of marriage."  Click here to read the entire article.   A Retired Bishop Speaks For Justice Herb Chilstrom is a strong ally to gays and lesbians in the fight for equality.  He was the first presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, serving from its formation in 1987 until 1995.  Since his retirement, Chilstrom has continued to spread a gospel of love and justice for all people, gay and straight.  "I am convinced that our churches and our society must affirm gay, lesbian, and transgendered persons as completely equal in every way with those of us who are heterosexual," he said in a recent speech to a church conference. "It is time for those of us who believe the Gospel is for all and who believe that civil rights are for all to speak up." "In the course of our lifetimes, we change our minds about things we once thought were settled forever," he says. "This has really become a justice issue. Gays are being treated unjustly, both by the church and by society. And it is not God's way. Any true conservative who cares about stability in our society ought to support gay unions, and ought to bless these relationships."  Click here to read more about this story. Defending Freedom Public Supports DADT Repeal Recently published polls show overwhelming support for repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  The Boston Globe reports that 79% of Americans believe gays should be allowed to serve openly in the U.S. military.  Gallup reports between 65% and 79% support for lifting the military's gay ban.  The Annenberg Survey reported in October that half of junior enlisted personnel and their families support allowing gays to serve.  And in 2003, Fox News reported 64% support for allowing gays to serve.  "Large majorities of Republicans, regular churchgoers, and (even) people with negative attitudes toward gays think gays and lesbian should be allowed to serve openly in the military," the Globe reports. These polls will help give momentum for repealing the law in Congress.  A bill in Congress to lift the ban is being co-sponsored by a bi-partisan group of 84 members of the house.

Watch Video of Speeches from the 2005 LEF National Sympoisum  Now you can watch video of some speeches from the 2005 Liberty Education Forum National Symposium in New Orleans.  Click here to watch speeches from conservative law professor Dale Carpenter, Evan Wolfson from Freedom to Marry, and Jimmy Creech from Soulforce.     The Only Question That Matters: Do People Choose Their Sexual Orientation? Noted author Chandler Burr has written a new white paper for the Liberty Education Forum.  Burr’s white paper clearly demonstrates that we already know the answer to this question—people don’t choose their sexual orientation.  This has important political implications and it’s a powerful tool for achieving equality.  Click here to read this new report Courage Under Fire World War II veteran Rupert Starr from Columbus, Ohio is a former prisoner of war.  In late 1944, he was captured by the German Army after he had volunteered to go behind enemy lines in an effort to re-establish communication with headquarters.  Now Starr is speaking out against the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.  Click here to watch a brief video highlighting Starr's story of courage and sacrifice. Freedom and Fairness Liberty Education Forum Patrick Guerriero makes frequent speeches at colleges and universities around the nation.  He offers an inclusive and hopeful vision for all American families.  Click here to watch Guerriero's September 2004 speech at Claremont McKenna College. Click here to send an e-mail about having Patrick speak at a college or university near you.   A Vision for Equality Andrew Sullivan is a leading voice of gay conservatives.  This highly respected author and commentator was keynote speaker at LEF's 2004 National Sympoisum in Palm Springs.  Click here to watch his speech. Please Support Fairness The Liberty Education Forum is a leading voice in the effort to gain equality for gay and lesbian Americans.  Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to LEF.   Click here to make a contribution to the Liberty Education Forum.  Donations and gifts are tax deductible under federal tax code. Also, please see if your company will match charitable donations.  Thanks for your support.

Wounded Iraq Vet Speaking Out Against Don't Ask, Don't Tell  

A decorated Army sergeant wounded in Iraq participated in a Capitol Hill briefing on June 16th to highlight his opposition to the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.  23 year-old Robert Stout received the Purple Heart after a grenade sent shrapnel into his arm, face and legs while using a machine gun last May.  Aside from Stout, the Washington briefing included representatives from the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (CSSMM), Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Log Cabin Republicans.

Stout told a room full of Congressional staffers that he was out to members of his unit without any problems.  "My sexual orientation had no affect on what my team thought about me.  We were not worried about sexual orientation; we were worried about keeping each other alive."

Sergeant Stout was officially discharged from the Army last month, though he wanted to stay in the service if not for the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.  He told The Washington Post, "I know a ton of gay men that would be more than willing to stay in the Army if they could just be open," Stout said in April. 

Congress Looks Abroad for Desperately Needed Translators

Congress is considering granting "special immigrant status" to 50 foreign translators needed to fight the War on Terror.  Some lawmakers have a better idea.  "The answer to our dire need for translators is not to give U.S. citizenship to Iraqis and Afghanis," Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said, "but rather to stop discriminating against American citizens who are ready to serve their country."

Dozens of Arab linguists have been kicked out of the U.S. military in recent years because of their sexual orientation.  Click here for more information.

Army Struggles to Conceal Recruiting Woes

"I don't see why we are still barring all gays and lesbians from serving openly. Between 1994 and 2003, according to the Government Accountability Office, the military discharged 9,488 homosexuals, including 322 with badly needed knowledge of such languages as Arabic, Farsi and Korean. In other words, the fight against gay rights is hurting the fight against our real enemies. That's a compelling reason to change the law, even for those of us who used to be supporters of the gay ban. I suspect that in a year or two, attitudes will tilt even more in the pro-gay direction, making the existing policy unsustainable. Sooner or later, the U.S. military will follow the example of Australia, Britain and Israel and lift its ban on openly gay service members." Click here   Click here to read the entire editorial.

 

Gay and Lesbian Families

U.S. Companies Expand Gay Workers' Rights

The private sector is leading the way in treating gay workers fairly.  The Human Rights Campaign reports at least 8,250 employers provided domestic partner benefits at the end of 2004, a 13% increase from 2003.  "As we suspected, corporate America is well ahead of America generally in terms of extending basic rights to all people," said HRC President Joe Solmonese.  Click here here to read more.

New Jersey Providing Legal Fairness

A New Jersey Superior Court judge has ruled that domestic partners can sue for loss of consortium, furthering the cause of equality for gays and lesbians.  Such a lawsuit might be filed by someone whose partner was injured in a car accident.  Consortium is defined as the right of a spouse to the company of, help of, affection of, and sexual relations with his or her mate.  "The most important aspect of the decision is that domestic partners will no longer be treated as second-class citizens in the courthouse," said the plaintiffs' attorney, Clark E. Alpert.  "The intent of the Legislature and rationale of Judge Rothschild are that domestic partners have the same rights as other citizens."  

Teeing Up in California

Gay and lesbian families are looking for equal treatment in all aspects of life.  The California Supreme Court will decide whether a golf club's family membership policy, which excludes gay and lesbian couples, is consistent with the state's civil rights laws.  This case demonstrates, "that the law struggles with what to do when you are trying to apply traditional rules to nontraditional situations," said Barbara Cox, a professor at California Western School of Law who specializes in same-sex legal issues.  Click here to read more.  

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Healthwatch

More Than a Million in U.S. Living With HIV

The Center for Disease Control has announced that the number of HIV positive Americans broke one million for the first time since the height of the AIDS epidemic.  This is both good news and bad news, reflecting the success of treatments that keep more people alive and the failure of the government to "break the back" of the AIDS epidemic by its stated goal of 2005. "While treatment advances have been an obvious godsend to those living with the disease, it presents new challenges for prevention," said Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention.  Click here to find out more.

The Internet, Crystal Meth, and AIDS Apathy: A deadly combination

The New Yorker magazine has published a must-read piece on the current relationship between methamphetamine, AIDS and the gay community.  Crystal meth is a chemical stimulant that affects the central nervous system, and is known to induce bursts of euphoria, increase alertness, and reduce fatigue.  The drug first gained popularity in the gay community of San Francisco in the 1990's, where it became the preferred fuel for all-night parties and a necessity for sexual marathons.  Medical experts see a clear link between the rising popularity of methamphetamine, and the recent resurgence of HIV infections among gay men.  Cathy Reback, a principal investigator at Friends Research Institute, who also works for the Van Ness Recovery House, in Los Angeles, has carried out some of the most comprehensive research on the effect of the drug on gay men.  She puts it simply.  "You know that slogan from the Clinton campaign? We have paraphrased it many times: 'It's the drug, stupid.' When you are talking about HIV. infection among gay men, it's the drug."  Click here to read the entire article. 

Study Shows Men With Partners Fare Better After Prostate Cancer Treatment

The Advocate reports that "being married or having a domestic partner significantly improves quality of life for prostate cancer patients following treatment, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. The study found that partnered men reported better psychosocial and spiritual well-being, suffered fewer adverse effects from treatment, and had less fear and anxiety about their cancer coming back than did their single counterparts. The research appears in the July 1 issue of the journal Cancer, but is being published May 23 on the journal's web site."

"Clinicians caring for prostate cancer patients need to address coping and social support mechanisms in order to encourage the beneficial aspects of partnership and overcome the detrimental affects of being single," the study concludes.  Click here to read more on this story.

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