From Brent Rinehart’s re-election campaign comic book.  Illustration by Shane Suiters.
Now Brent Rinehart has risen to the challenge and is out to show that he will not be outdone by any woman!  The only County Commissioner with the guts to use a 16-page comic book for his re-election campaign, Brent takes the fight right into Kern’s territory (that is, the homophobic religious right constituency).  He’s got an angel on his side and Satan against him!  SCORE!!
He’s got a toga-clad Roman trying to drag a Boy Scout out into the woods! (In case you don’t remember—Rome was destroyed by homosexuality.)  SCORE!!  He’s got Peter Pan, another Roman, and Satan marching in the gay pride parade!  SCORE!!
And did you know that good ole boy politicians in Oklahoma are now liberals?  They are!  And they’re against Brent just like the homosexuals!  SCORE!! 
Chafing at all the attention given to Rinehart, Rep. Kern tried to get back into the spotlight by packin’ heat at the Capitol this week.  It’s way too early to call, but Rinehart has a big lead over Kern in this year’s title bout.  (And, he’ll be hard to overtake with the angel on his side!)

A Greek court Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit accusing an LGBT rights group of demeaning the people of the Aegean island of Lesbos by purloining the word Lesbian, a term islanders have used to name themselves for centuries.
The lawsuit was brought by three islanders from Lesbos, home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women. The island is a popular holiday destination for gay women.
The suit said hat the name of the LGBT group - Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece - “insults the identity” of the people of Lesbos.  In dismissing the case, the court said that islanders did not have sole claim to the name.
Attorneys for the three islanders said they may appeal to the European Court.
Sappho lived from the late 7th to the early 6th century B.C. and is considered one of the greatest poets of antiquity. Many of her poems, written in the first person and intended to be accompanied by music, contain passionate references to love for other women.
Very little is known of her life. According to some ancient accounts, she was an aristocrat who married a rich merchant and had a daughter with him. One tradition says that she killed herself by jumping off a cliff over an unhappy love affair.
Dimitris Lambrou one of the litigants in the case said Sappho was not gay. “But even if we assume she was, how can 250,000 people of Lesbian descent - including women - be considered homosexual?”
Lambrou also denied the suit was homophobic.  “The word lesbian has been associated with gay women for the past few decades but we have been Lesbians for thousands of years,” he said.

The first American wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom told a House sub-committee Wednesday that many in his unit knew he was gay and it was not an issue.  It was only years after he nearly died in battle, receiving a Purple Heart for courage, that he realized he needed to speak out against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the ban on gays serving openly in the military.
“Three hours into the invasion, we had stopped to wait for orders. I went back to the Humvee to retrieve something – to this day I can’t remember what – and, as I crossed that dusty patch of desert for the third time that day, I triggered a landmine,” former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric F. Alva told the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.  “I was thrown through the air, landing 10 or 15 feet away,” said Alva, who served in he Marine Corps for 13 years. ”The pain was unimaginable. My fellow marines were rushing to my aid, cutting away my uniform to assess the damage and treat my wounds. I remember wondering why they weren’t removing my right boot – it wasn’t until later that I realized it was because that leg was already gone.”
Alva said that he received the Purple Heart, along with visits from the President and First Lady. “I was told I was a hero,” he recalled.
“That landmine may have put an end to my military career that day, but it didn’t put an end to my secret. That would come years later, when I realized that I had fought and nearly died to secure rights for others that I myself was not free to enjoy. I had proudly served a country that was not proud of me. More importantly, my experience disproved all the arguments against open service by gays and lesbians – I knew I had to share my story,” Alva said.
The committee also heard from U.S. Army Major General Vance Coleman (Ret.) and U.S. Navy Captain Joan E. Darrah (Ret.) who also called for an end to the ban.  But Elaine Donnelly, president of the conservative Center for Military Readiness, expressed her concern over gay men sharing a “cramped submarine” with other officers.
The remark drew laughter from some in the packed committee room.  “Equal opportunity is important, but the needs of our military must come first,” Donnelly said.
The congressional hearing was the first on the impact of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell since it was enacted 15 years ago.

Robin Tyler, left, and Diane Olson rejoice after marrying in a Jewish ceremony on the steps of the Beverly Hills courthouse.  (Luis Sinco, Los Angeles Times)

Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were the first same-sex couple to wed after California’s Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal. (MSNBC)

Dozens of gay couples were married Monday after a historic ruling making California the second state to allow same-sex nuptials went into effect.

At least five county clerks around the state extended their hours to issue marriage licenses, and many same-sex couples got married on the spot.  “These are not folks who just met each other last week and said,  ‘Let’s get married.’ These are folks who have been together in some cases for decades,” said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

“They are married in their hearts and minds, but they have never been able to have that experience of community and common humanity.”

The really big rush to the altar in the nation’s most populous state is not expected to take place until Tuesday, which is when most counties plan to start issuing marriage licenses to gay couples. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of couples from around the country are expected to seize the opportunity to make their unions official in the eyes of the law.

Local officials are now required to issue licenses that have the words “Party A” and “Party B” where “bride” and “groom” used to be.  In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom, who helped launch the series of lawsuits that led the court to strike down California’s one-man-one-woman marriage laws,
presided at the wedding of lesbian rights activists Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84.  (In 1955, Martin and Lyon and six other lesbian women formed the Daughters of Bilitis, the first major lesbian organization in the United States.)  Well-wishers cheered when they emerged outside Newsom’s office after the ceremony.

Dozens of couples gathered outside the clerks offices in Alameda, Sonoma and Yolo counties, where hours were extended to accommodate gay couples who wanted to be among the first to marry.

Derek Norman, 23 and Robert Blaudow, 39, from Memphis, were in the Bay Area for a conference and decided to get married at the Alameda County clerk’s office.  “We might wait a long time in Tennessee, so this is our chance,” Blaudow said.

First in line to pick up a marriage license in Sonoma was Melanie Phoenix, 47, and Terry Robinson, 48, of Santa Rosa. They have been together for almost 26 years and plan to be wed in August.  “It’s an historic occasion,” Phoenix said. “I never believed it was really possible until Gavin Newsom took the first step in 2004.”

A throng of well-wishers and news media surrounded a lesbian couple as they were married in a Jewish ceremony in front of the Beverly Hills courthouse.  The ceremony was broadcast live on three newscasts in Los Angeles.  The couple wept and pressed their foreheads together, and onlookers whooped as the marriage became valid.

Unlike Massachusetts, which legalized gay marriage in 2004, California has no residency requirement for marriage licenses, and that is expected to draw a great number of out-of-state couples. The turnout could also be boosted by New York state’s recent announcement that it will recognize gay marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

A UCLA study issued last week estimated that half of California’s more than 100,000 same-sex couples will get married over the next three years, and an additional 68,000 out-of-state couples will travel here to exchange vows. The study estimated that over that period, gay weddings will generate some 2,200 jobs and $64 million in badly needed tax revenue for the state, which is ailing financially.

Some of those out-of-state couples are likely to demand legal recognition in their home states, setting the stage for numerous court battles.  However, some couples may wait to tie the knot because of a proposed constitutional amendment on the California ballot in November that would undo the Supreme Court ruling and ban gay marriage.

This is the only event of its kind and is the preeminent assembly of Black Lesbian activists, educators, community organizers, and professionals.  The National Black Lesbian Conference provides attendees with opportunities for leadership development and skills-building, business development, professional networking, and continues to develop and expand the platform for future advocacy. 

The  past three conferences have fostered an environment and provided a space where  hundreds of Black Lesbians have convened to enhance their skills through a holistic  approach to well being, receive information, commemorate each other, and network with like-minded members of the community.

For more information about the conference go to: http://nblc-invitefriends.eventbrite.com/

If you have ever started a program of physical activity and failed, being a part of this study will help you learn how to cope with or overcome your barriers so you will continue to participate in physical activity.

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma want to understand how an 8-week educational program (1 hour per week) may help increase participation in regular moderate physical activity among adult lesbians. This educational program will focus on teaching skills and abilities needed to cope with or overcome barriers to participation in moderate physical activity.

Who can participate? If you are a self-identified lesbian aged 21-64 years and not pregnant please call us so we can determine if you are eligible to participate.

What will I have to do for the study? You will be asked to volunteer for an 8-week research study that includes a 1-week follow-up 1-month and 2 months later. The study location will be at the Oklahoma City public library, 300 Park Avenue, Oklahoma City. Participants will complete several questionnaires, wear a small, pager-sized device to measure physical activity for 1 week on 5 different occasions, and potentially participate in either the intervention or the control group. In the intervention group participants will attend several 1-hour educational sessions that include information on how to cope with or overcome barriers to doing physical activity, as well as a 20-30 minute moderate intensity walk. Participants in the control group will attend several 1-hour sessions that include general information on moderate physical activity, as well as a 20-30 minute moderate intensity walk.

All participants who complete the 8-week study and the 1-month and 2-month follow-ups and wear the accelerometer as instructed will receive a physical activity report, a summary report of the study results, a study t-shirt, and the education sessions information. In addition, for every accelerometer data collection time point (5 different occasions) a $5 gift card will be given to each participant who wears the accelerometer as instructed. Participants who begin the study but do not fully complete the study will receive a study t-shirt.

Why is this study being conducted? Up to 78% of adult lesbians are not physically active at sufficient levels. This is important because we know that physical activity decreases the onset of many diseases (i.e., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, etc.) plus improves overall health and well-being. The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association has provided us a Lesbian Health Fund grant to conduct a study on how to increase participation in physical activity among adult lesbians. In addition, very minimal research is being done on adult lesbian women, thus your participation is so very important and beneficial to understanding how to improve the health of all lesbian women.

How do I get involved or what if I need more information? If you need more information or you want to get involved, contact Danielle Brittain or Mary Dinger, Department of Health and Exercise Science, University of Oklahoma, 1401 Asp Avenue, Norman, OK 73019, Phone: (405) 325-9028, Email: ouphyactlab@ou.edu.

Registration includes five nights of suite-style lodging, breakfast, lunch and dinner each day as well as all educational program materials and entertainment
WHEN:  July 19-24, 2008 WHERE:  Glen Complex—Towson University Towson, Maryland

For more info visit www.campuspride.org/camp.asp

Pike • Yang Ying • Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues directed by Alix Olson featuring Elvira Kurt, Marga Gomez, Staceyann Chin,

Alix Olson and special guests • Hanifah Walidah • Ferron and Bitch • Von Iva • Hip Hop at High Noon with JenRO, Medusa, Yo Majesty

• Boyskout • Ellis with Anne Heaton • Natalia Zukerman • Jambalaya • Isle of Klezbos • Erin McKeown • Toshi Reagon and Big Lovely

• Mayra Casales • CoCoMaMa • Blame Sally • Kinnie Starr • emma’s revolution • Holly Near • Laura Love and HarpersFerry • Patty

Larkin • Chix Lix Flix • Antigone Rising • Sandra Valls, Poppy Champlin, Marga Gomez • Drumsong Orchestra with Ubaka Hill • One

World Inspirational Choir with Aleah Long • Ruth Barrett
http://www.michfest.com/