Montreal police: Porn actor Luka Rocco Magnotta in body parts case is overseas (with video)

BY ROB GILLIES AND PHIL COUVRETTE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

OTTAWA, Ontario -- A Canadian porn actor suspected of mailing body parts from a dismembered corpse to the Conservative and Liberal party headquarters after making a video of the killing might have fled North America, police said Thursday.

Montreal Police Cmdr. Ian Lafreniere said police believe Luka Rocco Magnotta fled based on evidence they found at his apartment, and based on a blog Magnotta once wrote about how to disappear.

The 29-year-old Magnotta has been added to Interpol's wanted person's list.

"We believe he may be in a foreign country," Lafreniere told The Associated Press. "He left a letter on a website mentioning how to disappear for good, and secondly, our investigation brought us some details that might let us

think that he could be away from the country."
Click here to read the complete article.

National groups react to appeals court decision that Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional

Here are news releases in response to the U.S. appeals court decision that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional:

Log Cabin Republicans:

(Washington, DC) – The First Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld two lower court rulings finding that the so-called “Defense of Marriage” Act is unconstitutional. The unanimous three judge panel included two Republican appointees, including the author of the opinion.

“Once again, the so-called ‘Defense of Marriage’ Act has been struck down as not only discriminatory against LGBT families, but as offensive to the Constitution’s guarantees of federalism and individual liberty,” said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director. “It is worth noting that the author of this opinion is a well-respected Republican appointee, and that the lower court decisions upheld by the First Circuit today were written by Judge Joseph Tauro, a Nixon appointee. Similarly, earlier this year a George W. Bush appointee in the Ninth Circuit ruled against DOMA. As Judge Michael Boudin wrote, ‘no precedent exists for DOMA's sweeping general "federal" definition of marriage’ and ‘DOMA intrudes extensively into a realm that has from the start of the nation been primarily confided to state regulation.’ Conservative principles demand that DOMA fall, and Log Cabin Republicans remain committed to building bipartisan support for its repeal.”

Human Rights Campaign, (HRC):

The writing is on the wall for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

A ruling this morning by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision that the denial of federal rights and benefits to lawfully-married same-sex couples is unconstitutional.  The ruling -- authored by President George H.W. Bush appointee Judge Boudin for the three judge panel – comes in two cases: Gill v. Office of Personnel Management, brought by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders on behalf of married Massachusetts same-sex couples who were denied specific federal rights and benefits and Massachusetts v. Department of Health and Human Services, brought by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts itself.  

Currently, six states and the District of Columbia allow same-sex couples to marry.  This year, legislatures in Maryland and Washington State approved marriage equality laws, but they are not yet in effect and are likely to be subject to popular referenda.  Under DOMA, even those lawfully-married couples cannot be recognized by the federal government, and as a result are denied access to more than 1,100 rights, benefits and responsibilities under federal law.  These include Social Security survivor benefits, federal employee health benefits for spouses, protections against spouses losing their homes in cases of severe medical emergencies, the right to sponsor a foreign born partner for immigration, the guarantee of family and medical leave and the ability to file joint tax returns, among many others.

In July 2010, a federal district court judge ruled in the Gill and Massachusetts cases that DOMA is unconstitutional.  Two other federal district courts and a federal bankruptcy court have subsequently agreed.  The House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG), which is currently defending DOMA, is likely to appeal today’s decision, either to larger panel of the First Circuit or to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Freedom to Marry:

NEW YORK – Today a federal three-judge panel, including two Republican appointees, unanimously ruled that Section Three of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which discriminates against the marriages of same-sex couples performed in the states, is unconstitutional.  Below is a statement from Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry, and the architect of the Hawaii marriage case cited in the unanimous opinion:

“Today’s unanimous decision issued by the First Circuit Court of Appeals is a powerful affirmation that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is an unconstitutional and unjust law whose days are numbered.   This ruling will return the federal government to its historic role of respecting marriages performed in the states, without carving out a ‘gay exception’ that denies thousands of protections.

“As more loving same-sex couples commit their lives to one another in marriage, the harms of this unjust law become more clear – from service members, risking their lives to protect ours, being denied the ability to protect their own families through military medical insurance or survivor benefits to senior citizens having to move out of their homes after their partners of many decades pass on because they cannot access Social Security protections afforded any other legally married couple.”

People For the American Way:

Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way Foundation, issued the following statement:

“The First Circuit has reached the inevitable conclusion on DOMA: the arguments for such a discriminatory, hurtful law just don’t hold up. Over 16 years, DOMA has denied thousands of legally married Americans the protections and responsibilities granted to all other married couples under federal law. DOMA prevents married couples from providing for each other through Social Security; sponsoring each other for visas; helping each other with the tax benefits reserved for married couples; and prevents some service members and veterans from having their marriages recognized by the military. DOMA marginalizes a group of Americans, declares them inferior, and denies them rights granted to all others.

“ DOMA has caused real harm to Americans. A law that discriminates against a class of people just for the sake of discrimination is contrary to our principles and contrary to our laws.”

Lambda Legal

(New York, May 31, 2012) - Today the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld a lower court ruling finding the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.  Lambda Legal issued the following statement from Lambda Legal Marriage Project Director, Camilla Taylor:

"We are thrilled that another court - this time, the Court of Appeals for the First  Circuit - has ruled that it is unconstitutional to deny respect to the marriages of lesbian and gay couples.

"The  so-called Defense of Marriage Act is being challenged in multiple cases and it won't be long before that bad law is gone for good.

"We congratulate our colleagues at  Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and the State of Massachusetts for achieving this wonderful victory."

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network:

(Washington, DC) Army Veteran and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis applauded a decision by the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which today ruled the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional. 

"At SLDN, we applaud the court for affirming that legal marriages in the states - and all the rights and protections that come with those marriages - should be recognized and respected by our federal government.  Though a narrow decision, this important victory nonetheless paves the way further for litigation like McLaughlin v. U.S., SLDN's case on behalf of married gay and lesbian service members and veterans who are denied equal recognition, support and benefits for their families by this discriminatory law.  We congratulate the GLAD attorneys and plaintiffs in this case and look forward with them to the day when every American - especially those putting their lives on the line to protect our nation - has the freedom to marry the person they love, knowing that their commitment will be honored by their government," said Sarvis.

Marriage Equality USA:

New York/San Francisco • 31 May 2012 ― Marriage Equality USA applauds today's unanimous ruling from the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston that found the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to be unconstitutional.

"The so-called 'Defense of Marriage Act' was unconstitutional the day it was written, and we are gratified that today's ruling confirms that fact," said John Lewis, Marriage Equality USA Legal Director.

"Marriage is a fundamental right, yet DOMA has denied federal recognition to legally married same-sex couples across the United States," added Stuart Gaffney, Marriage Equality USA Media Director. "Today's ruling sends a message loud and clear, that it is time for marriage discrimination to end."

"We are hopeful that soon all loving, committed same-sex couples, who are legally married in their home states, will no longer be excluded from the over 1,000 rights and responsibilities that all other married couples have under federal law," said Lewis.  "The First Circuit Court of Appeals looked closely for any interest that could possibly justify this exclusion, and it found none.  DOMA cannot stand."

The First Circuit is the first federal appeals court to rule on DOMA.  Two federal district court decisions have also found DOMA to be unconstitutional.  No federal court has upheld DOMA.

DOMA's supporters may ask the First Circuit Court of Appeals to review the decision en banc, although observers speculate that such a request is unlikely given that the court has only five active judges.  They could also ask the United States Supreme Court to hear the case.  The Supreme Court has discretion whether or not to do so.

YouTube video | Laura Jane Grace (formerly Tom Gabel) performs 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues'

On YouTube:

Laura Jane Grace (formerly Tom Gabel) of Against Me!
Transgender Dysphoria Blues
2012 Punk Rock Bowling
Las Vegas, May 26, 2012

Al Jazeera English video | Mariela Castro visits U.S.

Video from Al Jazeera English, which features a clip of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey speaking with Mariela Castro at the New York Public Library on Tuesday:

Castro niece champions gay rights in New York

The daughter of Raul Castro, Cuba's president, is taking her long standing fight for gay rights to the people of the US.

Mariela Castro, the niece of Fidel Castro, has been speaking in New York about the persecution of gay and lesbian people.

But for her critics say they want the political rights of all Cubans to be championed by the country's elite.

Al Jazeera's Cath Turner reports from New York.

Read the opinion: U.S. appeals court unanimously rules Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional

BY DENISE LAVOIE, AP LEGAL AFFAIRS WRITER

BOSTON -- A federal appeals court Thursday declared that the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutionally denies federal benefits to married gay couples, a ruling all but certain to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In its unanimous ruling, the three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said the 1996 law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman discriminates against gay couples because it doesn't give them the same rights and privileges as heterosexual couples.

The court didn't rule on the law's other politically combustible provision, which said states without same-sex marriage cannot be forced to recognize gay unions performed in states where it's legal. It also wasn't asked to address whether gay couples have a constitutional right to marry.

Click here to read the complete article.

Click here to read the opinion:

ExxonMobil stockholders reject LGBT protections

BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com

ExxonMobil shareholders on Wednesday voted 80 percent to 20 percent against a resolution asking the company to explicitly protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees from discrimination.

“It is shameful that ExxonMobil forces its shareholders to push it to be an equitable employer,” said New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who lobbied for the resolution. New York State's pension fund holds approximately 16.2 million shares of ExxonMobil stock with an estimated market value of $1.3 billion, according to a comptroller's office news release.

“ExxonMobil is clearly acting in a discriminatory way when it offers different benefits to its employees based only on the company’s interpretation of legal marriage. It should do the right thing and implement a clear policy prohibiting discrimination. From the shareholders’ standpoint, there’s risk to the value of our investment until it does," DiNapoli said. "I remain firmly committed to advocating for this resolution until ExxonMobil provides equality for all of its employees.”

Texas-based ExxonMobil has fought an explicit nondiscrimination policy for at least 10 years, according to Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, a national group working to ban workplace discrimination against LGBT Americans.

"It's a digging in of the heels by very stubborn people who want to latch on to the past," Almeida told The Miami Herald on Wednesday.

The oil company posts on its website that "any form of discrimination by or toward employees, contractors, suppliers, and customers in any ExxonMobil workplace is strictly prohibited.

"Our global, zero-tolerance policy applies to all forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity," reads the policy.

ExxonMobil does not give domestic partner insurance benefits. Mobil employees lost the benefits after Exxon merged with the company in 1999.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) gave ExxonMobil a negative score on its 2012 annual Corporate Equality Index.

"On HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, ExxonMobil received a score of -25. In contrast, oil and gas companies such as Chevron, BP, Shell, and Spectra received scores of 85 or higher," according to an HRC news release. More information on the HRC Corporate Equality Index is available at www.hrc.org/cei.

Also Wednesday, ExxonMobil stockholders boosted Chairman and CEO Rex W. Tillerson's compensation by 17 percent, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. In 2011, he earned $25.2 million. The combination of salary, stock awards and other compensation made Tillerson the 16th-highest paid executive among publicly traded U.S. companies last year.

Tillerson is also national president of Boy Scouts of America -- which prohibits gays from being members or masters.

A scouts spokesman told The Herald it was unlikely the organization would change its policy, even as gay activists on Wednesday delivered 275,000 petitions demanding gays be admitted as members and masters.

Miami Herald video | Christian Family Coalition's Anthony Verdugo discusses gay marriage

Anthony Verdugo, executive director of the Christian Family Coalition in Miami-Dade County, discusses President Barack Obama's stand on gay marriage.

Reported by Steve Rothaus / Miami Herald Staff.

Video by Kristofer Rios / Miami Herald.

Hollywood mayor asks for city manager’s resignation after DUI leaving Swinging Richards

BY CARLI TEPROFF, CTEPROFF@MIAMIHERALD.COM

The Hollywood mayor is asking for the resignation of City Manager Douglas Hewett following a DUI arrest in April.

“Personally, I have gotten along very well with the city manager, but I do think he should resign in light of the recent events,’’ Mayor Peter Bober said Wednesday.

Hewett, 41,was charged with driving under the influence after leaving Swinging Richards, a gay strip club in North Miami Beach on Easter Sunday.

Click here to read the complete article.

Video | Embattled reggae star Beenie Man: 'I respect all human being, including gay and lesbian'

Jamaican reggae star Beenie Man, still dogged by anti-gay lyrics he performed years ago, has apologized in a video published two weeks ago on YouTube.

"I have nothing against no one. I respect each and every human being, regardless of race or creed, regardless of religious beliefs, regardless of sexual preference, including gay and lesbian people," Beenie Man says in the video. "Do not fight against me for some song I sang 20 years ago. There's no one in this world who's the same person they were 20 years ago. I'm not. ... Please, I'm begging you."

Beenie Man is scheduled to appear Aug. 20 in Spain at Rototom Sunsplash, which posted the following message on YouTube:

Rototom Sunsplash has received and is happy to publish a videomessage of Beenie Man in which he wishes to clear out any doubt about his position concerning homophobic lyrics appeared in some of his old songs.

We would like to think that his words can put an end to all the controversies that the subject has generated.

This video reaches us after a journey that Rototom has started in 2005 and which has seen us committed to bringing to the Sunsplash only those artists that respect and accept all people, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

In 2007 this position has lead us to draw up the Reggae Compassionate Act, an agreement that was supported by reggae promoters and activists of Stop Murder Music and signed, among others, by Beenie Man. In the agreement, the artist committed himself not to sing or make public statement in Jamaica or any other country in the world, that could encourage prejudice, hatred or violence against gay or lesbian people.

Beenie Man is part of the 2012 Sunsplash line up, because we believe in his change and his detachment from homophobic positions, as demonstrated on this video.

In 2004, MTV removed Beenie Man from a downtown Miami concert, part of the Video Music Awards celebration. Here's an article I wrote on Aug. 24, 2004, including an interview with Florida gay activist Jack Nichols, who died less than a year later.

Performer bounced from show over lyrics

BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com

After a threatened protest by South Florida gay activists, MTV announced late Tuesday that controversial Jamaican reggae star Beenie Man will not perform Saturday at a concert in downtown Miami.

"We removed him, " MTV spokeswoman Marnie Black said. "Beenie Man will no longer be performing Saturday night. We don't want anything to overshadow what will be a great weekend of events for South Floridians."

Tuesday morning, a London gay-rights group called for South Florida gay activists to protest at Beenie Man's planned Miami appearance.

"A pop star who wants to 'execute' gay men and lesbians will perform live in Miami, " reads an open letter from Brett Lock of Outrage!, the London-based group. "One of his song titles is: [Batty Man Fi Dead] 'Queers must be killed.' "

Jack Nichols, a longtime Florida gay activist, said Beenie Man's songs "are encouragement to murder."

"They specify ways to murder gay men and lesbians, " said Nichols, an editor at GayToday.com. He cites these Beenie Man lyrics, adapted from Jamaican patois:

* "Hang chi chi gal wit a long piece of rope." Chi chi is slang for gay.

* "I'm dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays."

LOST IN TRANSLATION?

Beenie Man's manager, Clyde McKenzie, said Nichols and other gay activists took the lyrics out of context.

"There are songs that seem to be inciting direct violence. In some instances, it is metaphorical and taken out of context, " said McKenzie, who has representedBeenie Man for 14 years.

"In dancehall, when two sounds clash, they say they'll kill each other. Heap metaphorical violence against each other. It sounds sometimes, very, very harsh if you're removed from the context, if you do a rough translation."

Beenie Man, who is on a world tour promoting his new album, Back to Basics, had been scheduled to perform in Club Row, between Northeast Second and Miamiavenues in downtown Miami, part of the Video Music Awards hoopla.

MTV had planned to keep Beenie Man on the concert roster after his label, Virgin Records UK, issued an apology on his behalf this month. The offending lyrics are at least four years old, predating his recording for Virgin, a label spokeswoman said.

McKenzie said Beenie Man "is coming to understand that people are offended by some of the things he said."

Nichols doesn't buy McKenzie's explanation. "If there were an equivalent, if a singer came in and said, 'Kill all African Americans and kill all Jews, ' I would imagine that there would be quite a bit of controversy, to say the least, " he said.

Before MTV made its announcement, Heddy Peña, executive director of SAVE Dade, Miami-Dade County's largest gay-rights group, had planned to organize a concert protest.

"The gay and lesbian community is tired of being used by artists who want to obtain publicity at the expense of our community. What these artists lack in talent, they try to make up with bravado. The problem is that their bravado puts people's lives at risk."

Lyrics preaching violence against gays and lesbians are often heard in Jamaican dancehall music. In addition to Beenie Man, other singers criticized by gay activists include Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks.

"I just smile, because I don't know what they're fussing about, " Beenie Man told The Herald on Sunday, when asked about his anti-gay lyrics. "I'm not here to cuss people. I make music. But at the same time I just want to teach people - my sons and my daughters - the right way of life."

SPONSORS BAIL OUT

Two weeks ago, sports-clothing giant Puma, a major sponsor of the Jamaican Olympic team and of reggae concerts, warned performers that the company has a "zero tolerance" policy toward the performance of songs with anti-gay lyrics.

"There is a myth that people are homophobic in Jamaican society, " McKenzie said in a telephone interview from Kingston. "There's not an inordinate amount of violence being committed on homosexual persons in Jamaica. It's a myth that fits a particular agenda and that upsets me. Jamaicans are like Americans and British people - a majority of them don't endorse a gay lifestyle, but they tolerate it."

Beenie Man has been dogged by controversy throughout his summer tour.

After the Pennsylvania Lesbian and Gay Task Force threatened to boycott an Aug. 6 concert in Philadelphia, Beenie Man dropped two potentially offensive songs from his playlist.

Two weeks ago, R.J. Reynolds axed Beenie Man from 15 concerts on its Salem "Stir Your Senses" U.S. tour. "R.J. Reynolds Tobacco does not tolerate this or any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation, " the company said in a statement.

Beenie Man's world tour is scheduled to end on Nov. 8 - with a Miami concert.

Zach Wahls presents 275,000 petitions to Boy Scouts, demanding group allow gays and lesbians

BY STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com

Zach Wahls on Wednesday presented more than 275,000 signed petitions to the Boys Scouts of America, calling for the organization to allow gay and lesbian members and masters.

Wahls also met with Boy Scouts spokesman Deron Smith, in Orlando for the scouts' national meeting.

“While today's meeting was productive and thoughtful, the delivery of these petitions marks the beginning of this journey, not the end,” said Wahls, in a news release from Change.org. “I thought our dialogue today was an honest one, and I'm looking forward to continuing the conversation in the months ahead. We leave today one step closer to religious and personal freedom than when we arrived, and it's hard to be anything but thrilled about that."

On Tuesday, Smith told The Miami Herald "the BSA does not plan to change its policy."

Wahls became well known in 2011 when he spoke to the Iowa legislature on behalf of his family. He opposed a resolution that would end civil unions in Iowa. The YouTube video of Wahls speaking to the legislature went viral and has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.

In April, Wahls published a memoir, My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength and What Makes a Family. It recounts his life being raised by Terry Wahls and Jackie Reger, a lesbian couple who married three years ago in Iowa.

On April 10, Jennifer Tyrrell started a petition on the website Change.org after her 7-year-old son’s Cub Scout troop removed her as den leader because she is a lesbian. Since then, more than 275,000 people have signed the petition, including celebrities Josh Hutcherson, Benicio Del Toro, Julianne Moore, Fran Drescher, Ricky Martin, Kelly Osbourne and Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Dharun Ravi, former Rutgers student in Tyler Clementi webcam gay spying case, apologizes

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL, ASSOCIATED PRESS

TRENTON, N.J. -- Calling his actions "thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish," a former Rutgers University student openly apologized for the first time for using a webcam to spy on a romantic liaison between a man and a roommate who later killed himself.

Dharun Ravi, 20, who had been criticized by a judge for not showing remorse and for refusing to say he was sorry, also said he will begin serving a 30-day jail term on Thursday even though he doesn't have to do so.

Ravi issued his most contrite public statement yet on Tuesday in the case that made his roommate, Tyler Clementi, a prime example of what gay rights advocates said were the consequences of bullying, and made Ravi a symbol of what his family called an overzealous prosecution.

"I accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless, insensitive, immature, stupid and childish choices that I made on Sept. 19, 2010, and Sept. 21, 2010," Ravi said in a statement issued through his lawyer. "My behavior and actions, which at no time were motivated by hate, bigotry, prejudice or desire to hurt, humiliate or embarrass anyone, were nonetheless the wrong choices and decisions. I apologize to everyone affected by those choices."

Click here to read the complete article.

Zach Wahls to present more than quarter-million petitions demanding Boy Scouts end gay ban

By STEVE ROTHAUS, srothaus@MiamiHerald.com

A straight Eagle Scout with two lesbian mothers on Wednesday will deliver more than a quarter-million online petitions to the Boys Scouts of America, demanding they allow gays as members and masters.

“This isn’t a gotcha moment. We aren’t trying ambush the Boy Scouts. It’s to encourage one of the great cultural institutions in this country to change a policy that many of us feel are out of date,” said Zach Wahls, 20, of Iowa City, who will urge the Scouts to reinstate Jennifer Tyrrell as a den mother near Bridgeport, Ohio. Scouts' policy prohibits gays from being members and adult leaders and Tyrrell, a lesbian, was ousted in April.

Wahls will speak Wednesday with Scouts spokesman Deron Smith in Orlando, where the BSA is holding its national meeting this week.

“Yes we will respectfully meet with him. However, the BSA does not plan to change its policy,” Smith told The Miami Herald in an email on Tuesday.

Wahls became well known in 2011 when he spoke to the Iowa legislature on behalf of his family. He opposed a resolution that would end civil unions in Iowa. The YouTube video of Wahls speaking to the legislature went viral and has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.

In April, Wahls published a memoir, My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength and What Makes a Family. It recounts his life being raised by Terry Wahls and Jackie Reger, a lesbian couple who married three years ago in Iowa.

Terry and Jackie “both were scout moms,” said Wahls, who spent a decade in the organization “from Tiger Cub to Eagle Scout.”

The Iowa scouts didn’t disqualify Wahl’s mothers, he said.

“Once my moms explained who they were, and they were very honest and very open, there was a little bit of hesitancy,” Wahls said. “Once they got to know my moms on a meaningful level, it became a nonissue. They were just two parents who wanted their son to have an enjoyable and enriching experience in the Boy Scouts.”

“Once we got past the myths and misconceptions and stereotypes, we began to engage on a person-to-person level,” he said.

The Scouts have had a long history of disallowing children and adults who identify as gay or lesbian. In 2001, United Way of Miami-Dade stopped funding the South Florida council over the issue.

On April 10, Tyrrell started a petition on the website Change.org after her 7-year-old son’s Cub Scout troop removed her as den leader because of her sexual orientation. Since then, more than 275,000 people have signed the petition, including celebrities Josh Hutcherson, Benicio Del Toro, Julianne Moore, Fran Drescher, Ricky Martin, Kelly Osbourne and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

After it was announced that Wahls deliver the petitions to the national scout leaders, the BSA issued a statement:

“Scouting values the freedom of everyone to express their opinion and teaches it members to treat everyone with courtesy and respect at all times. The BSA sets polices that are best for its organization and membership. The BSA welcomes all who share its beliefs but does not criticize or condemn those who wish to follow a different path.”

Wahls acknowledges that although the petition campaign is “trying to put pressure on the Boy Scouts to change their policy ... we wouldn’t want to force the Boy Scouts to change its policy.”

“We want this to be organic,” he said. “We want it to be authentic and be real.”

Next year's Moscow gay pride 'to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the abolition of the persecution of gay sex in Russia'

Posted to GayRussia.eu (translated by Google from Russian):

The Organizing Committee of the Moscow Gay Pride is not going to stop holding their shares in the Russian capital. On Monday, May 28 decision that the Eighth Moscow Gay Pride parade under the theme "20 years without the article," will take place in a wide format 24 to May 26, 2013. According to the founder of Moscow Pride Nikolai Alekseev, "in the next was waiting for us round the historic date - the 20th anniversary of the abolition of criminal prosecution for engaging in homosexual relations in Russia. To mark this date we will gather in Moscow, a major international LGBT conference of Western activists and politicians. " Mr. Alekseev said that "in Moscow has invited the world-famous gay activists, as well as members of the European Parliament and national parliaments of several countries. We also hope that the Gay Pride in Moscow for the first time someone has come from the mayors of foreign cities, being openly gay or lesbian. " Gay activist noted that "we will make the Moscow authorities to agree on our march, in accordance with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, which they continue to ignore and violate the rude." movement founder of Moscow Pride has also promised that "in the near future will be held a full re-branding Moscow Gay Pride, this applies to the entire visualization of motion. Relevant jobs have been sent to professional designers. " Recall that on Sunday May 27 the city authorities for the seventh consecutive dispersed public action of the Moscow Gay Pride, detaining dozens of parties around the Moscow City Duma and the Moscow City Hall. Criminal prosecution for engaging in homosexual relations in Russia was canceled May 27, 1993 after the publication of the law of the relevant changes to the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, signed by then-President Boris Yeltsin.

Miami attorney to Rea Carey of Task Force: Meet with Mariela Castro, 'but please, not in a vacuum'

Miami attorney and gay rights activist David da Silva Cornell has written a column for Huffington Post headlined, Mariela Castro and LGBT Leader Rea Carey: Conversation, Yes -- But Please, Not in a Vacuum.

Da Silva Cornell writes about the controversial program Tuesday night at the New York Public Library, in which Castro, niece of Fidel and daughter of Raul, will discuss LGBT rights in Cuba with Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

He writes:

Moshe Dayan once noted, "If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies." I believe that that observation is equally applicable if you want to encourage change by regimes which violate human rights. Refusing even to engage in dialogue with those with whom one disagrees never seems to yield results. I therefore cannot agree with those -- such as LGBT-ally Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) -- who wholly oppose Castro's visit and her participation in dialogues here.

Nor can I -- or, I think, any reasonable observer -- deny what positive impact Mariela Castro has had in improving the lives of LGBT Cubans.

Click here to read the complete Huffington Post article.

Video | Trailer for 'deepsouth' film about HIV/AIDS in the American South, to be released in July 2012

Posted on Vimeo:

deepsouthfilm.com | After 30 years, America thinks the fight against HIV/AIDS is over. But it flares regularly and quietly across the American South, where infection rates are 50% higher than in other parts of the country. Facing a broken health system and a culture of denial, HIV-positive Southerners must cobble together their own solutions to survive. Release date: July 2012.

Director: Lisa Biagiotti
Director of Photography: Duy Linh Tu
Editor: Joe Lindquist

AP raw video | Gay protest blocked in Moscow

From Associated Press:

Gay activists tried to stage two demonstrations in Moscow on Sunday to demand the right to hold a gay pride parade, but they were blocked, first by Orthodox Christian opponents and then by police. Approximately 40 people were detained. (May 27)