Dallas woman’s attorneys say case may set Texas precedent
The last time Kristie Vowels saw her daughter was on April 25, 2007. And whether she ever will have the legal right to see the nearly-4-year-old child again depends on the 5th District Court of Appeals’ decision in what Vowels’ attorneys said could be a precedent-setting case.
Vowels filed the lawsuit seeking joint custody, and later, the right to adopt the girl — whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy — on May 23, 2007, less than a month after the child’s biological mother and Vowels’ former partner, Tracy Scourfield, cut off Vowels’ contact with the girl.
Judge Tena Callahan in Dallas’ 302nd District Court dismissed the suit, for lack of standing, on April 4 this year, and on April 29 Vowels’ attorneys, Michelle May O’Neil and Susan Vrana, filed papers appealing that ruling.
But, O’Neill said, the appeals court isn’t likely to take any action for at least six months.For Vowels, that six months seems, she said, like an eternity.“I think I am still in disbelief that I am having to fight to see my child,” Vowels said. “My daughter deserves equal rights and equal protection. She deserves to have two parents raise her.”
Scourfield did not return a call seeking comment. Her attorney, Paul Brumley, declined comment through an e-mail.
According to information provided by Vowels and her attorneys, Vowels and Scourfield moved in together in December 1998. After several years of discussion and several sessions with a therapist, the two women decided to have a child through artificial insemination, with Scourfield as the biological mother and sperm from an anonymous donor.
The child was born May 21, 2004. She was given Vowels’ first name as her middle name, and her last name was a hyphenated combination of her mothers’ last names.
Read more:
Monday, May 12, 2008
Gay Cuba
AFP: Google News
Raul Castro's daughter spearheads anti-homophobia drive
HAVANA (AFP) — President Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela, is organizing Cuba's second anti-homophobia festival this week to boost public awareness of the country's long-marginalized gay community, this time with the approval of her dad's government.
"There's political support for this educational strategy. It's the best thing that's happened to us," Mariela Castro said about the backing the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) she heads is receiving from Cuba's Communist Party.
She said Raul Castro, 76, "is helping us a lot ... not only because I'm his daughter, but because I've earned his respect by working at my job carefully."
A teacher and mother of three children, Mariela Castro, 46, took over from her late mother, Vilma Espin, in running Cuban Womens' Federation (FMC) after she died in 2007, and has headed CENESEX for the past 14 years.
Her uncle Fidel Castro, 81, relinquished presidential power to his brother Raul, 76, in February citing health reasons.
For as long as Cuba's communist revolution began nearly 50 years ago, Mariela and her mother have been busy trying to whittle away at the country's machismo tradition.
The week-long festival in Havana and six of Cuba's 14 provinces, aims to increase public awareness about gay rights through television programs, movies, theater, debates and book fairs, culminating with the International Day Against Homophobia, on May 17.
Besides the educational efforts, Mariela's group is also busy reforming Cuba's Family Code and has proposed in parliament a bill on freedom of gender -- the right to choose one's gender, and the right to "legal union" for gays.
Read more:
Washington Square News
PHOTO ESSAY: Cuba from dusk to dawn
"El Malecon" in Havana is an 8 km stretch of cement seawall spanning from one side of the city to the other. Many people say that it's both a help and a hindrance; it protects the city and its inhabitants from weather, but prevents them from leaving the area.
Regardless, it is the heart and soul of Havana. There is no other place in the city where you will find, at any given moment, a more diverse group of Cubans and foreigners in the same place. During the day, you are almost guaranteed to come upon fisherman, young couples (foreign and local) and a musician or two, often in the same area.
It is at night, however, when the true character of the Malecon comes out. Fueled by the ridiculously cheap, yet incredible rum, the music gets louder, the romantic petting gets less secret and a whole different group of Cubans come out of the woodworks.
This group is comprised of homosexuals and transsexuals that descend upon a three-block stretch of the Malecon, ironically very near to what many consider to be the best hotel in the city, the Hotel Nacional. They come to hang out, find out where the parties are and hook up.
The police are present, but for the most part, the government ignores the happenings. For many of the people who show up to this section of the Malecon, it is their only chance to fully express themselves during the week.
Raul Castro's daughter spearheads anti-homophobia drive
HAVANA (AFP) — President Raul Castro's daughter, Mariela, is organizing Cuba's second anti-homophobia festival this week to boost public awareness of the country's long-marginalized gay community, this time with the approval of her dad's government.
"There's political support for this educational strategy. It's the best thing that's happened to us," Mariela Castro said about the backing the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX) she heads is receiving from Cuba's Communist Party.
She said Raul Castro, 76, "is helping us a lot ... not only because I'm his daughter, but because I've earned his respect by working at my job carefully."
A teacher and mother of three children, Mariela Castro, 46, took over from her late mother, Vilma Espin, in running Cuban Womens' Federation (FMC) after she died in 2007, and has headed CENESEX for the past 14 years.
Her uncle Fidel Castro, 81, relinquished presidential power to his brother Raul, 76, in February citing health reasons.
For as long as Cuba's communist revolution began nearly 50 years ago, Mariela and her mother have been busy trying to whittle away at the country's machismo tradition.
The week-long festival in Havana and six of Cuba's 14 provinces, aims to increase public awareness about gay rights through television programs, movies, theater, debates and book fairs, culminating with the International Day Against Homophobia, on May 17.
Besides the educational efforts, Mariela's group is also busy reforming Cuba's Family Code and has proposed in parliament a bill on freedom of gender -- the right to choose one's gender, and the right to "legal union" for gays.
Read more:
Washington Square News
PHOTO ESSAY: Cuba from dusk to dawn
"El Malecon" in Havana is an 8 km stretch of cement seawall spanning from one side of the city to the other. Many people say that it's both a help and a hindrance; it protects the city and its inhabitants from weather, but prevents them from leaving the area.
Regardless, it is the heart and soul of Havana. There is no other place in the city where you will find, at any given moment, a more diverse group of Cubans and foreigners in the same place. During the day, you are almost guaranteed to come upon fisherman, young couples (foreign and local) and a musician or two, often in the same area.
It is at night, however, when the true character of the Malecon comes out. Fueled by the ridiculously cheap, yet incredible rum, the music gets louder, the romantic petting gets less secret and a whole different group of Cubans come out of the woodworks.
This group is comprised of homosexuals and transsexuals that descend upon a three-block stretch of the Malecon, ironically very near to what many consider to be the best hotel in the city, the Hotel Nacional. They come to hang out, find out where the parties are and hook up.
The police are present, but for the most part, the government ignores the happenings. For many of the people who show up to this section of the Malecon, it is their only chance to fully express themselves during the week.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The Telegram: Egale Canada survey shows LGBTQ students don’t feel safe at school
Over two-thirds of Canadian students who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirited, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) said they felt unsafe school, according to a nationwide survey conducted by Egale Canada.
Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, is in St. John’s to discuss the findings of the survey with senior representatives of the provincial Ministry of Education. She said provincial governments need to take steps to make sure these numbers go down.“We may have human rights for LGBTQ people in Canada, but you’d never know it based on these results,” Kennedy said.
The national survey on homophobia and transphobia in Canadian schools had 1,200 participants from all over the country. It found that almost half of LGBTQ students had heard mean rumours about themselves at school. Over a quarter of those students have been physically harassed, while 41 per cent have been sexually harassed.
The Telegram
Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, is in St. John’s to discuss the findings of the survey with senior representatives of the provincial Ministry of Education. She said provincial governments need to take steps to make sure these numbers go down.“We may have human rights for LGBTQ people in Canada, but you’d never know it based on these results,” Kennedy said.
The national survey on homophobia and transphobia in Canadian schools had 1,200 participants from all over the country. It found that almost half of LGBTQ students had heard mean rumours about themselves at school. Over a quarter of those students have been physically harassed, while 41 per cent have been sexually harassed.
The Telegram
Mombian; Sustenance for Lesbian Moms: This Year, Penguins: Next Year, Guinea Pigs
For the second year in a row, the children’s book And Tango Makes Three, about two male penguins who care for an egg and raise a chick together, tops the list of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 10 Most Challenged Books.
Personally, I think the guinea pigs will give them a run for their money in 2008 (not that I wish censorship on this or any book). Herewith, my full review of Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, a new LGBT-inclusive children’s book that I’ve mentioned in a few previous posts. I also speak with author Sarah Brannen and her editor, who discuss, among other things, the reaction to the book so far and their feelings about potential censorship.
Fur Better or Worse: Gay Guinea Pigs Wed in New Children’s Book(Originally published at After Elton, March 25, 2008)
The book’s great strength is that Jamie’s gender is a non-issue throughout. Unlike many older LGBT-themed children’s books, such as Heather Has Two Mommies, it doesn’t focus on a child struggling against negative views of her family. That approach has value for some, but Uncle Bobby indicates it is now possible to present a same-sex relationship without the need to defend it or compare it, however favorably, with a heterosexual norm. (Even the excellent And Tango Makes Three contrasts the same-sex penguin pair with the usual opposite-sex couples.) This leaves Brannen free to concentrate on her other themes, and opens up the book to a wider audience.
The theme of a niece questioning her gay uncle’s devotion is not a new one, however. Mini Mia and her Darling Uncle, by Pija Lindenbaum (R & S Books), appeared in the U.S. in late 2007 as a translated Swedish import. (Uncle Bobby was already at the publisher.) Like Chloe, four-year-old Mini Mia is jealous of her uncle’s new beau. She acts out in retaliation, pouring sugar on the boyfriend’s shoes and throwing his towel in the pool, but ends up bonding with him over their shared love of soccer. Mini Mia stops short of marriage, though. Mischievous children may find more humor in Mini Mia’s antics than in Chloe’s, but parents may prefer Uncle Bobby for its calm pacing.
Read more:
We have "And Tango Makes Three" and several other titles including the recent addition of "Heather Has Two mommies" in the Library at the Center West. All were donated by members of the community and PFLAG members. We would welcome "Uncle Bobby's Wedding" if someone were inclined to purchase it for us. All contributions can be tax deductable. (O.M.)
The Moderate Voice: Doctors and demons and unsung heroes
May 9th, 2008 by JOE WINDISH
It turns out that one of the doctors in yesterday’s piece on families coping with gender identity issues, Kenneth J. Zucker, Ph.D., is on the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group for the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Pam says that’s not good news:
Needless to say, gender-variant LGBT and straight youth, as well as transsexual adults, will likely have to deal with another decade plus of being considered seriously disordered — with its conversion therapy implication for children.
Reform models for, or different takes on Gender Identity Disorder in DSM-V aren’t likely to be seriously considered with forceful advocates Zucker and Blanchard on the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group, advocating to continue listing gender-variant youth and adult transsexuals as disordered.
Pam makes the analogy to 1973, when Homosexuality was was removed as a disorder from the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Second Edition (DSM-II).
It was the step that recognized that individuals whose sexual interests are directed primarily toward people of the same sex weren’t afflicted with a psychiatric disorder.
I make that leap, too. And will share this personal story only to inform the reader of how my experience shapes my beliefs…
As a runaway still in Harrisburg, PA, in 1973, I went to a psychiatry clinic and cried, “I’m a homosexual, please fix me.” The psychiatrist looked at me with kind empathy and answered back, “Why do you think you need fixing?”
Read more;
It turns out that one of the doctors in yesterday’s piece on families coping with gender identity issues, Kenneth J. Zucker, Ph.D., is on the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group for the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Pam says that’s not good news:
Needless to say, gender-variant LGBT and straight youth, as well as transsexual adults, will likely have to deal with another decade plus of being considered seriously disordered — with its conversion therapy implication for children.
Reform models for, or different takes on Gender Identity Disorder in DSM-V aren’t likely to be seriously considered with forceful advocates Zucker and Blanchard on the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group, advocating to continue listing gender-variant youth and adult transsexuals as disordered.
Pam makes the analogy to 1973, when Homosexuality was was removed as a disorder from the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Second Edition (DSM-II).
It was the step that recognized that individuals whose sexual interests are directed primarily toward people of the same sex weren’t afflicted with a psychiatric disorder.
I make that leap, too. And will share this personal story only to inform the reader of how my experience shapes my beliefs…
As a runaway still in Harrisburg, PA, in 1973, I went to a psychiatry clinic and cried, “I’m a homosexual, please fix me.” The psychiatrist looked at me with kind empathy and answered back, “Why do you think you need fixing?”
Read more;
Saturday, May 10, 2008
WRCB.COM: Bill to expand Alabama's hate crimes law moves ahead
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A bill to expand Alabama's hate crimes law will be up for passage on the Legislature's final meeting day.
The bill would expand the law to cover crimes committed against people because of their sexual orientation. The bill won approval from the Alabama House on Tuesday and from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. That puts the bill in line for consideration by the Senate on May 19, which will be the final meeting day of the 2008 legislative session.
Democratic state Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery got Alabama's current hate crimes law enacted in 1994, and he has been trying to expand it ever since.
The law sets mandatory minimum sentences for crimes committed against people because of their race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity or physical or mental disability.
WRCB
The bill would expand the law to cover crimes committed against people because of their sexual orientation. The bill won approval from the Alabama House on Tuesday and from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. That puts the bill in line for consideration by the Senate on May 19, which will be the final meeting day of the 2008 legislative session.
Democratic state Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery got Alabama's current hate crimes law enacted in 1994, and he has been trying to expand it ever since.
The law sets mandatory minimum sentences for crimes committed against people because of their race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity or physical or mental disability.
WRCB
Friday, May 9, 2008
Black Hills Area LGBT happenings this weekend
Black Hills Area Gay, Straight Alliance meeting at 4pm at The Center West, 3601 Canyon Lake Dr. Suite 4, Rapid City. For more information call 348-3244
Black Hills Area Gay Men's Social Gathering at 7pm. For more information and location call 348-3244
Let us know of events in the area for the LGBT community and we will help get the word out about them. Get on our mailing list: info@thecenterwest.org
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