ELTON JOHN MARRIES PARTNER

KANYE WEST SPEAKS OUT
Against Homophobia and Gay Bashing

Grammy Award-winning hip hop artist, Kanye West, famous for bringing a positive message to hip hop music, is speaking out against homophobia and gay bashing. In an MTV interview, West comments about homophobia in the hip hop culture and what prompted him to join the effort to end discrimination against gays.

According to an Associated Press report (8-18-05), Kanye West remarked that the word "gay" has become an antonym to hip-hop — and that it needs to be stopped. During the interview, the 27-year-old rapper launched into a discussion about hip-hop and homosexuality while talking about Hey Mama, a song on his upcoming album, Late Registration.

West says that when he was young, people would call him a mama's boy.  "And what happened was, it made me kind of homophobic,” West explained. “I would go back and question myself.”  West says he changed his ways when he learned one of his cousins was gay. "It was kind of like a turning point when I was like, 'Yo, this is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays.'"

West says hip-hop has always been about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people." He adds that in slang, gay is "the opposite, the exact opposite word of hip-hop."

West insists, "Not just hip-hop, but America discriminates. And I wanna just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, 'Yo, stop it.'"
 

GAY COUPLES IN THE U.S.
From Ramon Johnson

Where Do Gay Couples Live?  Did you know that according to a study by the Center for Policy Research at Syracuse University, 60% of gay couples in the U.S. live in only 20 cities?

Do you live in one of the top gay cities?  According to a Syracuse University, OpusComm Group, GSociety Study, these are the top ten gay cities in America for travel or relocation.

Los Angeles...  New York...  San Francisco...  Washington DC...  Miami...  Dallas...  Boston...  Phoenix...  Chicago...  Seattle.

WNBA STAR COMES OUT
Sheryl Swoopes Opens Doors with Honesty and Courage
 

"Sheryl Swoopes is a real hero on and off the court," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese made the following statement as three-time WNBA MVP player and Olympic gold medalist Sheryl Swoopes came out on October 26, 2005, in an interview with ESPN's The Magazine.

"Sheryl Swoopes is a real hero on and off the court. Being open and honest about your life is an act of bravery.  This MVP player and Olympic gold medalist is helping to start real conversations about openness, honesty and authenticity.  We commend her for this brave step that will mean so much to her gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight supportive fans and peers."

In an interview with The Magazine, Swoopes said, "Some people might say my coming out after just winning the MVP award is heroic, and I understand that. And I know there are going to be some negative things said, too. But it doesn't change who I am. I can't help who I fall in love with. No one can."

From HRC

ALABAMA BILL TARGETS GAY AUTHORS
CBS News, Montgomery, Alabama, April 27, 2005

A college production tells the story of Matthew Sheppard, a student beaten to death because he was gay.

And soon, it could be banned in Alabama.

Republican Alabama lawmaker Gerald Allen says homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle. As CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann reports, under his bill, public school libraries could no longer buy new copies of plays or books by gay authors, or about gay characters.

"I don't look at it as censorship," says State Representative Gerald Allen. "I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."

Books by any gay author would have to go: Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Gore Vidal. Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" has lesbian characters.

Allen originally wanted to ban even some Shakespeare. After criticism, he narrowed his bill to exempt the classics, although he still can't define what a classic is. Also exempted now Alabama's public and college libraries.

Librarian Donna Schremser fears the "thought police," would be patrolling her shelves.

"And so the idea that we would have a pristine collection that represents one political view, one religious view, that's not a library,'' says Schremser.

"I think it's an absolutely absurd bill," says Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

First Amendment advocates say the ban clearly does amount to censorship.

"It's a Nazi book burning," says Potok. "You know, it's a remarkable piece of work."

But in book after book, Allen reads what he calls the "homosexual agenda,"
and he's alarmed.

"It's not healthy for America, it doesn't fit what we stand for," says Allen. "And they will do whatever it takes to reach their goal."

He says he sees this as a line in the sand.

In Alabama's legislature, the reviews of Allen's bill are still out on whether to lower this curtain for good.

Editor's Note: When the time for the vote in the legislature came there were not enough state legislators present for the vote, so the measure died automatically.

HETEROSEXUAL COUPLES CAN LEARN FROM GAYS & LESBIANS
From Leonard Holmes, Ph.D.

Research suggests that married heterosexual couples can learn a great deal from gay and lesbian couples. Researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley have published what is said to be the first published observational studies of homosexual relationships.

John Gottman, one of the lead authors is quoted as saying that "Gay and lesbian couples are a lot more mature, more considerate in trying to improve a relationship and have a greater awareness of equality in a relationship than straight couples. I think that in 200 years heterosexual relationships will be where gay and lesbian relationships are today."

In the first of two papers, the researchers explored the conflict interaction of homosexual and heterosexual couples using mathematical modeling techniques.

In the second study, they looked at factors influencing gay and lesbian couples' relationship satisfaction and dissolution.

"In the modeling paper we looked at processes, and they look so different you could draw a picture," said Gottman. "Straight couples start a conflict discussion in a much more negative place than do gays and lesbian couples. Homosexuals start the same kind of discussions with more humor and affection, are less domineering and show considerably more positive emotions than heterosexual couples.

"The way a discussion starts is critical. If it starts off in a bad way in a heterosexual relationship, we have found that it will become even more negative 96 percent of the time. Gays and lesbians are warmer, friendlier and less belligerent. You see it over and over in their discussions, and their partner is receiving the message they are communicating. In turn, their partner is allowing himself or herself to be influenced in a positive way. With married heterosexual couples a discussion is much more of a power struggle with someone being invalidated."

Gottman describes gay and lesbian relationships as being characterized by "the triumph of positive emotions over negative emotions." He stated that "Negative emotions have more impact in heterosexual relationships. This is why our previous research has shown you need a 5-to-1 ratio of positive to negative statements. This seems to be universal in heterosexual couples. But it may be different in gay and lesbian relationships where positive emotions seem to have a lot more power or influence."

The subjects of the studies did more than complete questionnaires. Researchers videotaped discussions each couple had about what occurred that day, a topic of ongoing conflict, and a pleasant topic. They analyzed the verbal and nonverbal content of their interaction during the talks and again at a later time when the partners viewed the tape individually. The researchers also collected an array of physiological data, including heart rate, during the conversations.

Homosexual couples were recruited in the San Francisco Bay area and they filled out a questionnaire that assessed relationship satisfaction. Forty pairs – 12 happy gay couples, 10 unhappy gay couples, 10 happy lesbian couples and 8 unhappy lesbian couples – were chosen to participate in the study. The comparison sample of married couples was drawn from a larger study that recruited couples from around Bloomington, Indiana.

It was matched in terms of age, marital satisfaction, education and income to the homosexual couples and consisted of 20 happy and 20 unhappy couples. The researchers went on to collect data for 12 years on the relationships of the homosexual couples. By then eight couples (20 percent) – one gay and seven lesbian – had broken up. This rate, if projected over a 40-year period, would be almost 64 percent, which is similar to the 67 percent divorce rate for first marriages among heterosexual couples of the same time span.

The research found that high levels of cardiovascular arousal among straight couples during a conflict predicted lower relationship satisfaction and higher risk for relationship dissolution. The reverse was actually true with homosexual couples. With gays and lesbians, low physiological arousal was related to these negative outcomes.

The gay and lesbian couples talked more openly about topics such as monogamy and sex. Heterosexual avoided talking about sex. This may be because their sexuality is already an issue when they deal with a largely heterosexual world. The authors content that such open and honest communication may improve the relationships of heterosexual couples.

Reference: Journal of Homosexuality October 2003
 

WHAT GAY RIGHTS BACKLASH?
Editorial by Ramon Johnson

Gay Victories Only Stimulate Existing Homophobia

Mainstream media seems to believe the recent gay rights victories in the political and social arenas will inevitably result in a step backwards for gay equality. I must admit, the pressures from right-wing conservatives and the Vatican have heightened, but is their voice any different or more harsh than it's always been?

The positive advances in gay rights (stricken sodomy laws, same-sex marriage in Canada, openly gay clergymen) haven't altered the opinions or policies of  homophobic politicians and institutions. They were never our friends before recent events and won't be after this push for gay equality. President Bush and the Catholic Church have never been known as gay supporters, so why the sudden fear?  Could it be that their voices are currently louder than ours? 

Gay equality has been an lingering and taboo issue until recently, forcing moderate citizens and politicians to take a stance one way or the other.  We as a community are faced with a challenge that has the potential to change the lives of gays for decades to come.  Was there not a "backlash" during the march on Stonewall? Were there not loudly vocalized opinions and threats of legal action during the passing of the same-sex marriage law in Canada?  Were there not pressures from powerful anti-gay adversaries before the opening of the first gay public high school?  Yet we prevailed; just as the original marches at Stonewall did.

Sure, it's easier for us to take the advice of those afraid of change and be content with current levels of "gay tolerance;" watching silently as our children lose even the existing rights those before us so diligently achieved. But isn't it far more rewarding to push for equal rights- rights few dreamed possible? 

If you choose not to join in the new rally for gay equality for yourself, then consider the future of our gay youth, family and friends who will be greatly affected by the events that are happening today.  Make history by contributing to the gay rights movement of the new millennium!  There will always be a backlash from those that oppose gays, but it's up to us to overcome it and march forward.