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person apology until recently. Tomlin said neither the yearbook editor nor his former bullies have contacted him to apologize.
Photo By Bob Jagendorf
And he goes on: “Not only are they on the wrong side of history, but they will be on the wrong side of eternity.” The panel also included Maryland Marriage Alliance head Derek McCoy,Austin Nimocks from the Alliance Defending Freedom and self-proclaimed “ex-gay” Greg Quinlan.
School District Apologizes for Use of “Fag” 42 years later
By Sergio N. Candido
Anti-Gay Speaker Implies LGBTs ‘Worthy of Death’
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panel discussion by an anti-gay group is making its rounds around the blogosphere for the extremist comments of one of the speakers. The Maryland Marriage Alliance, a group working to oppose a ballot measure that would legalize gay marriage in the state, held a town hall meeting on Oct. 19 to discuss marriage. During the forum, an Reverend Robert Anderson implied that members of the LGBT community are “worthy of death.” “If we don’t vote against it, then we approving these things that are worthy of death,” he said, as first reported by Good As You blog.
Canadian gay man will finally get some peace after being haunted for 42 years by the word “fag.” The North Vancouver school district apologized this week to Robin Tomlin for printing the anti-gay slur next to his 1970 high school yearbook photo. “They just said how sorry they were and how it slipped through the cracks,” Tomlin, now 60 and living with terminal liver cancer, told The Vancouver Sun.“And they’ll institute remedies so that it won’t happen again.” Tomlin said he suffered from harassment on a daily basis during his high school years, being targeted by jocks who would shove him and say, “You little faggot, get out of the way.” He was so afraid of being bullied that he ended up missing his high school graduation. After the apology and as a way to celebrate, Tomlin’s friends arranged a “graduation ceremony” for him, complete with a cap and gown in front of the school. According to the Sun, the school agreed to reprint the yearbook page without the homophobic slur, but refused to issue an in-
nj govenor christopher j. christie
NJ Gov. Announces $19 Million for HIV Funding
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oudmouth New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has allocated over $19.5 million in state funding to 54 different AIDS/HIV organizations and clinics for the prevention and treatment of the deadly virus. “Today’s funding announcement is a significant investment in our community organizations that are on the frontlines in the battle against HIV,” Christie said at the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation in New Brunswick, as reported by NBC 40. “It’s community organizations just like Hyacinth that are providing a vital safety net and vision that is worthy of our continued support. We are joined by a common vision and belief that we have a moral imperative to help people in need of treatment.” Hyacinth received the largest funding award ($2.1 million) to continue providing their services to those who need them the most. Mary O’Dowd, deputy commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health, said the grants “ensure that more New Jersey residents will know how to protect themselves, have the opportunity to get tested and get the treatment they need. Working with our partners, we can reduce the transmission of HIV and improve the quality of life of those living with HIV/AIDS.’’ According to NBC one in five people living with HIV in New Jersey are unaware they are infected. The number of infected people in the state sits currently at 36,000 people. Back in February, Christie vetoed a passed bill that would have made it legal for gay couples to get married in New Jersey. Despite that, the governor still holds that he supports gay rights.
Trans Army Vet Fights for Equality in Military
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hile gays and lesbians have been allowed to serve openly in the military for over a year now, transgender service members are still living in the shadows. For this reason, the two biggest militaryoriented LGBT rights groups are coming together to make one last push for equality, and for that, they’ve designated a new leader: Allyson Robinson, a transgender army veteran. Robinson is set to become the head of
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a new LGBT rights organization resulting from the merger of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and OutServe, according to The Huffington Post. “Allyson Robinson is exactly the right person at the right time to be our leader and voice in Washington in the fight to achieve full LGBT equality in the military,” April Heinze, a retired Navy captain and cochair of the SLDN board of directors, said in a statement. “She comes with an exemplary military background, strong political and policy acumen, and a deep commitment and vision for bringing about the changes needed to carry forward the work we began with the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’” The new trans leader is a graduate of the West Point military academy; she commanded a Patriot missile unit in Europe and the Middle East before becoming a Christian minister. She has also worked for the Human Rights Campaign. “We cannot stop until we reach the day when all qualified Americans who wish to wear the uniform of our armed forces have the opportunity to do so with honor and integrity -- and without fear of discrimination or harassment -- whether they are gay, bisexual or transgender,” Robinson said in a statement. She’ll be taking over SLDN leader and Army veteran Aubrey Sarvis and OutServe founder Josh Seefried.
Gays are Eternally Damned Says MLK’s Niece
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hat would Martin Luther King Jr. say if he found out one of his close relatives supports limiting the civil rights of others? This is the case with his niece, Alveda King, who has recently appeared on a Maryland ad saying gay marriage is an “unholy alliance.” “I believe that the NAACP leadership and gay rights activists have formed an unholy alliance by trying to convince you and me that marriage should be redefined,” she says in the ad, recorded for the anti-gay Maryland Marriage Alliance. Then she slams Missouri Rev. Phil Snider, who gave a pro-gay speech at a Springfield City Council hearing on the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance just a few days ago. “Some preachers are saying that gay marriage is inevitable and that they want to be on the right side of history. Well I believe that we are on the right side of history and the right side of eternity. Support marriage as God’s holy union between one man and one woman—vote against Question Six,” she continued. Question Six is Maryland’s ballot measure that, if passed, would legalize gay marriage in the state. Contrary to Alveda King, Corretta Scott King, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s wife and Alveda’s aunt, was a supporter of gay rights. “I believe all Americans who believe in freedom, tolerance and human rights have a responsibility to oppose bigotry and prejudice based on sexual orientation,” Corretta said at the Atlanta Pride Festival in 1996.
October 31, 2012 • SouthFloridaGayNews.com