Inside This Newsletter
Bless Thee
Bless this house, O Lord we pray. Make it safe by night and day. Bless these walls, so firm and stout Keeping want and trouble out. Bless the roof and chimney's tall. Let Thy peace lie over all. Bless this door that it may prove Ever open to joy and love!
Bless these windows shining bright Letting in God's Heavenly light. Bless the hearth ablazing there With smoke ascending like a prayer. Bless the folk who dwell within Keep them pure and free from sin. Bless us all that we may be Fit, oh Lord, to dwell with Thee. Bless us all that one day we may dwell, O Lord, with Thee.
Iowa Rights Order Challenged
On November 21 a hearing was held on Republican Iowa State legislators' claim that Democratic Governor Tom Vilsack overstepped his authority with a September executive order prohibiting discrimination in state employment based on twelve categories including sexual orientation and gender identity. It is believed to have been the first executive order in the nation to protect the civil rights of transgendered people, and religious right activist Bill Horn of Straight from the Heart made sure that everyone knew about it in the most negative terms.
Republican state lawmakers, while denying any sentiment against gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgenders, first rammed through a bill in April to repeal that executive order and one other, but of course Vilsack promptly vetoed it. On July 11, 23 Republican legislators led by state Senate Majority Leader Stewart Iverson (R-Dows) and state Senator Steve King (R-Kiron), along with a retired state employee, filed a lawsuit to have the order struck down. In October, Vilsack's counsel requested a summary judgment, saying his order "implements but does not contravene" state law. Polk County District Judge Glenn Pille, who called the case "our own civics lesson," is expected to rule without a trial because the facts are uncontested.
Former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Mark McCormick represented the lawmakers, arguing much as they had in the legislature that Vilsack had violated the separation of powers among the branches of government because, "The governor has no power by executive order to create law." Iowa human rights statutes cover neither sexual orientation nor gender identity.
Iowa Deputy Attorney General Julie Pottorff, representing Vilsack, responded that his order was implementing existing state law calling for "equal opportunity in state employment to all persons." She said the dispute "is purely a legal question" but told the judge that the lawsuit "is no more than a political disagreement." Democrats complained throughout the legislative session that Republicans were pursuing the matter to provide "red meat" to the homophobic right wing of their party in an election year.
McCormick also asked that a current state employee be allowed to join the lawsuit. That employee filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission charging that he had experienced "reverse discrimination" based on race and gender.
Domestic Violence a threat to GLBT
A conviction in the gruesome murder of a lesbian reinforces the message that domestic violence is no less of a threat to GLBT people than it is to the straight community. A Calgary, Alberta jury on November 17 found lesbian Deborah "Chris" Point, 40, guilty of the second-degree murder of her partner, Audrey Trudeau, 44. Her sentencing hearing will begin January 9; given a range of 10 - 25 years before consideration for parole from a life sentence, the jury recommended 20 years without parole, but prosecutors will seek the maximum. It was a gory and dramatic case that drew daily press coverage for more than six weeks of trial. Point's family and friends continue to maintain her innocence. A recent U.S. report indicates that partner violence is no less common or dangerous in gay and lesbian relationships than in heterosexual ones.
The U.S. National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, best-known for its annual report on gay-bashings compiled by victim services programs, last month issued its fourth annual domestic violence report based on reports from programs in eight areas of the U.S. (Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; Colorado; Boston, Massachusetts; New York City; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington). It described 3,120 documented cases of domestic abuse against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) victims recorded in 1999, most of them committed by a lover or partner, and in ten cases, the battering ended in death. Less than 3 percent of victims in the groups' cases were transgender, while the rest were divided about equally between men and women. Victims in heterosexual relationships are notoriously shy of reporting the violence they experience to authorities and GLBT victims are even more so, as they fear homophobia from police and courts and the consequences of being "outed" -- but they do appear to be seeking help from NCAVP member services at a growing rate as outreach improves. In detailed statistics provided by New York's Anti-Violence Project on 510 victims of 459 incidents by 481 perpetrators (47 percent lovers/partners, 32 percent ex-partners, 13 percent family/roommates/other), one-third of victims had experienced at least ten incidents of abuse before seeking help from the program. Among 1,106 incidents reported by the victims, nearly one-fifth were assaults, another 2 percent were attempted assaults with weapons, 6 percent were assaults with weapons, 2 percent were sexual assaults, and 6 cases were murders.
Gay Runaways
Jason Karella told himself he was gay at age 10. Seven years later, he told his mother. She told him to get out. With nowhere to go, the youngster from Soldotna, Alaska, struck out for San Francisco. It was a place that always looked warm and accepting on television.
Karella, now 24, long ago abandoned that idea. One of many young, lost souls who run to San Francisco every year in search of a welcoming shoulder from the gay community, Karella instead met with the twin scourges of the city's runaway population - homelessness and AIDS. ``I ran to San Francisco because people told me this was the gay mecca,'' said Karella, an HIV-positive drug abuser living in a shelter. ``I came under false pretenses. People said they would help me, and they didn't.''
This time of year, the city's population of gay runaways tends to swell. The holidays are when many youngsters choose to confront confusion about their sexual identity. ``It's a time when a lot of gay and lesbian people come out to families,'' said Stephen Russell, a gay youth educator at the University of California at Davis. And if that decision backfires, San Francisco often is the first place they turn.
No one is sure how many gay youngsters are living on the streets. A study by the New York-based Streetwork Project, which provides outreach to street youth, says 42 percent of homeless youth identify themselves as gay or lesbian. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force estimates 26 percent of gay youngsters are forced from their homes because of conflicts surrounding their sexual orientation. The Larkin shelter serves about 3,000 youngsters a year. Forty percent are gay, lesbian or transgender, and approximately 10 percent are HIV-positive, said Anne Stanton, executive director. That's five to 10 times higher than the average reported at sexually transmitted disease clinics, she said.
Gay males ages 13 to 24 made up 51 percent of the nation's AIDS cases reported in 1998, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites). As many as half of gay and bisexual males forced out of their homes sell their bodies to survive, according to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, a New York-based social service agency. While many believe San Francisco is the best-equipped city to handle gay and homeless issues, the city struggles to deal with the onslaught. There are no gay-specific shelters, and that keeps many gay youngsters from requesting a bed. They fear ridicule or beatings from straight kids bunking near them.
Once runaways arrive in San Francisco, they're often surprised by the cold northern California temperatures and the astronomical cost of living. Even the historically liberal Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, where homeless youngsters beg for change, and the Castro District, with its large, visible gay community, have not lived up to the national reputations they once carried as areas of refuge.
EDITORS NOTE: Not only teenagers face this problem, but also adults. If you can help someone out this holiday season, weather its a can of food given to your local shelter or donate time or a buck to a shelter in your area.
NGLTF Targets Problems of GLBT Seniors
Millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Americans over age 65 are more likely than those who are non-gay to face poverty, discrimination in several laws, and anti-gay bias by caregivers, nursing homes, and senior services centers, according to a new report. Moreover, the report states, many older GLBT Americans say they do not know who will take care of them if they need assistance in their old age.
"Outing Age: Public Policy Issues Facing Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders" was released Nov. 11 by the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force Policy Institute. It is the first comprehensive report to address public policy issues facing older gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. NGLTF estimates there are currently between 1 and 3 million GLB people 65 and older in America, and that by 2030, there will be 4 million.
Among the report's findings:
Several federal programs that aim to serve older Americans "blatantly exclude or otherwise discriminate against GLBT elders."
For example, Social Security pays survivor benefits to widows and widowers but not to surviving spouses of same-sex life partners. Medicaid regulations protect the homes and assets of married spouses but offer no such protection to same-sex partners.
Tax laws and other regulations of 401(k) plans and pensions discriminate against same-sex partners and could cost the surviving partner in a same-sex relationship over $1 million during the course of a lifetime.
One study cited in the report found that twice as many GLBT people as the general population of people over 65 live alone. The same study found that 90 percent of gay senior citizens have no children, versus 20 percent of all seniors.
The report cites rampant bias in health care and social services for older GLBT people. In one survey, for example, 52 percent of nursing home staff reported intolerance and bias against homosexual residents. "Outing Age" contains several recommendations for change, including: Government agencies charged with serving the needs of older Americans must fund and initiate research on GLBT seniors; Laws must be passed to prohibit discrimination against GLBT people in hospitals, nursing homes, and home health agencies; and GLBT organizations and communities must examine their own anti-aging biases, take steps to provide needed services, and include GLBT old people at every level of decision-making.
"Outing Age" will be distributed to more than 1,425 policy makers at state, local and federal aging organizations, government agencies, and GLBT organizations across the country.
Gay Ski Weekends Heat Up Winter
With plummeting temperatures and a hint of snow in the air, many people's thoughts turn to the white slopes and their favorite gay ski and boarding events. A core of established events anchors the season, several are really beginning to catch on, and a few new ones promise the novelty and beginner's energy you won't find in older events. With the right organization, and a pile of cold green stuff, gay skiers and boarders can enjoy the cold white stuff surrounded by "family" clear into the spring. Part of what makes some of these events so enjoyable (like the folksy, home-spun atmosphere) also makes them difficult to report on in minute detail. And many of the events are organized by one all-out busy individual or a group of volunteers, who in some cases had not finalized details as of this article. Check with the organizers for the most up-to-date information. What follows is a list of some of the most prominent events in chronological order.
The Season's Hottest Gay Ski Events:
Jan 20-27 Aspen Gay & Lesbian Ski Week, Aspen, Colorado Information: Aspen Gay and Lesbian Community Fund (AGLCF, P.O. Box 3143, Aspen, CO 81612; www.gayskiweek.com). Information/reservations: Aspen Ski Tours (800/367-8290; www.coloradogay.com)
Feb 4-11 Altitude 2001, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada Information: Out on the Slopes Productions (604/899-6209 or 888/258-4883 , fax 604/899-6214; www.outontheslopes.com, altitude@outontheslopes.com) Reservations: Bliss Tours (800/636-0810 or 604/736-0810, fax 604/736-2242; www.blisstours.com, altitude@blisstours.com)
Feb 8-11 17th Annual IGLOO Winter Rendezvous, Stowe, VT Information/reservations: IGLOO (www.iglooatstowe.com, iglooatstowe@hotmail.com or info@iglooatstowe.com)
Feb 22-25 FEST*IVER 2001, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec City, Canada Information/reservations: Global Tourisme International (418/684-0662 or 888/684-0662, fax 418/684-3085; info@globaltour.qc.ca.)
Feb 28-Mar 4 Utah Gay & Lesbian Ski Week, Park City, UT Information/reservations: Utah Gay & Lesbian Ski Week (877/429-6368; www.gayskiing.org)
Mar 2-4 Ski Daze Weekend VI, Big Bear Mountain, Big Bear, CA Information/reservations: CanBoy Productions (323/866-7018; www.willgorges.com)
Mar 7-11 Lake Tahoe WinterFest 2001, Lake Tahoe, NV Information/reservations: www.laketahoewinterfest.com and NV Gay and Lesbian Visitor & Convention Bureau (877/777-4950; nglvcb2000@aol.com)
Mar 30-Apr 1 Gay Ski/Snowboard Get Together, Mammoth, CA Information/reservations: Rainbow Ski (619/435-0996; www.rainbowski.com leftie69@aol.com)
FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSERS…
These Well-known words in the Lords prayer always seem to come more alive during the Christmas Season. Why is it that we always try to become better people during this time of the year? Some people pray for world peace more during this Holiest of Holidays than any other time without realizing that a little forgiveness would bring about world peace a lot faster than the once a year prayer. If someone has done you wrong, forgive that person. Instead of wishing that person all the bad luck imaginable, pray that they will find happiness. Or, if you have wronged a person, reach out and do something for that person that will make their lives better. It is so easy to wish harm to another. Do not always take the easy path. If you do all that you can to seek forgiveness from another and they do not respond, then so-be-it. Get on with your life. Live life to the fullest. Do not always think another person in your life will make you happy. If you do not enjoy your own company, all the other people in the world will not make you happy. Happiness comes from within. So this Holiday Season, if someone in your life has made you unhappy, pray for the person that they are sharing their life with now, and be grateful that you had the time you shared together.
Submitted from e-mail by Preacher
Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?" Fanny Brice, actress and singer (1891-1951)
Short Time Topic's
I have just read a book written by Leslie Feinberg called Stone Butch Blues and if I didn’t know better I would ask her how she got the story of my life. I wish I could thank her personally for writing this book and even though it is called a non-fiction it is the closest book to the truth of how we were treated as people I have ever read. I would like to also thank my friend from Oklahoma for telling me about this book. She does not know how I have cried over the writings in this book and all the memories that were repressed that came back to me. Thank you Dee for giving me back my life after thirty-five years of being totally in the dark. It has helped a lot to know why a "Stone" has such a hard time with relationships and that the only relationship that would probably work for me is to find one good "stone femme".
If any of you out there would care to find out the hell we suffered in our daily lives I highly recommend reading Stone Butch Blues. Don’t think for one minute that that all the things you are allowed to do now are your personal rights. Someone had to fight for those rights and believe me when I say, fight we did. We all knew our place in the pecking order of things and elders were highly respected. Through unity and watching each other’s backs, slowly things became safer for us all. I wonder what would happen today if just a few of us could impress on the younger generation the need for unity.
New Zealand's Parliament on November 21 voted 74 - 39 to give gay and lesbian partners of at least three years' standing the same access to courts for division of property or dissolution as divorcing married couples. That followed a separate vote to similarly add unmarried heterosexual couples to the Property (Relationships) Amendment Bill which passed much more narrowly, 62 - 58. Domestic partners have the option to create their own equivalent of prenuptial agreements to determine division of property if they don't wish to face the courts' general standard of a 50 - 50 split. If as expected the bill is passed on its final reading next week, the new law will become effective February 1, 2002, replacing a 24-year-old statute. The Labour Government plans to introduce a broader bill for legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples with! in! a year.
New Hampshire News: The Out & About Dance has been changed from the 2nd of December to December 9th. FMI 1 877 422-0702
A survey of the nation's top-achieving high school students released Tuesday shows that nearly 40 percent of more than 2,000 polled are prejudiced against gays and lesbians. Even so, the survey also found that despite the homophobic sentiment, teens are at least willing to accept gays in lead roles in society -- including the clergy, the military and Scouts, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows Scouting groups to bar gays.
In the survey, administered by Who's Who Among American High School Students, 38 percent of the 2,804 teens polled acknowledged a bias against homosexuals -- a number far higher than those admitting prejudice against racial, ethnic or religious groups.
The Los Angeles City Council sent an unequivocal message to the Boy Scouts of America Tuesday. In an 11-0 vote, the council approved a motion ordering the Los Angeles Police Department to end its relationship with the Boy Scouts. The department's Explorers unit is a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America and governed by the same national board of directors. Since the Supreme Court ruled in June that Boy Scout troops have the legal right to exclude gays, a handful of cities have acted to disassociate themselves from anything scout-oriented.
MSH is looking for a few decicated women to join our writting staff.Choose from many different subjects, to once in awhile or every edition. If you would be interested, please feel free to contact either myself, luv2much or Bestwolf at the email addresses below.
MSH Newsletter will be getting a new face lift next year. As we speak, it is under construction with new features and set up. We hope to get all the new changes up and running in January but if not, keep a eye out for new stuff. If there is something you want us to keep or if there is something you don't like, please tell us now. We look forward to a New Year with all of you!!
Pet Of The Month
Hi I'm Tyche, here at Artistic Amazon Bookstore in Portsmouth. I'm the official greeter and boy,oops, girl, do I like my job. I love to hear the people laughing as they read the bumperstickers, or hear the nice sounds as they find a t-shirt that's them. I really like to see their happy faces as they pick out books for themselves or for loved ones.
Tyche (Goddess of good fortune or DYKE)
Bestwolf's Wish List
Oh Lord, this year could you bring me a real Femme, not the pieces of work that you have constantly Blessed me with over the years. Oh I am not complaining Lord, they have ALL been beautiful, in their own way. Some were even pretty. Make her from the OLD School, you know, the kind of Femme that is able to "Stand By Her Butch." And, if you could make her want something other than the bedroom all the time that would be nice too. Oh ya, and please make her someone that keeps "our house" at home and not be a blabbermouth to all the Miss Butinskies in the country, that would be a plus. So much for mission impossible!!
Now that I have the money, could you please send me to the right place for My Sisters House? I would like it to have a lot of land 50 acres or more, at least one usable standing building, and be in New Hampshire, however if this house is not to be in New Hampshire, please don’t send me to Florida.
Please Bless all my friends that have incurable illnesses. Help them to know that they do not suffer all alone, and if there is a cure for any of them, well Lord I guess you know I pray for them all the time.
For all my friends that are alone, it would be nice if you could give them someone that is kind, caring and compassionate to help them through their lives.
Please eliminate some of the Hate that surrounds us in our daily lives. It would be nice to live just one day without fear of just being ourselves.
Luv2much's Wish List
This year I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a SAFE New Year's. I wish that we as people can learn to find the good in all, to have patience, respect and above all be honest with yourself and others.
My Sisters House
P.O. BOX 6441
Laconia, N.H. 03246
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