The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) articles from August 2004

The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) archives from August 2004

QAF, pro and con.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... Thank you so much for your cover story on Queer as Folk ["Queer as Folk: The Ultimate Episode Guide," July 6]. I enjoyed your recap of the last four seasons and found myself agreeing and laughing with your trip down memory lane with this show....

Kramer vs. Reagan.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... I was totally stunned when Ronald Reagan died and there was nothing but extreme praise in the media. I wondered if I had lived on a different planet than everyone else at the time of his presidency. And then, as always, Larry Kramer steps...

David vs. Goliath.(Summer Reading)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... Here's the choice: 957 pages of My Life by former president Bill Clinton or 22 essays drawn from the quirky life of David Sedaris. Advocate news features editor Chad Graham picks the best summer books to save gay readers from literary hell....

Why not go-go to Homo a Go Go?(Music Preview)(the queer Olympia, Washington event is reviewed)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... Sara Marcus previews Homo a Go Go, the queer Olympia, Wash., music event (featuring the Gossip, pictured). Owing a debt to Michigan, the fest represents a new generation's effort to create a climate where arts and music can be enjoyed by a...

Let's get to work.(Workplace Advice)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... Career coach Ed Vladich offers advice to a gay American lawyer in Denmark who's ready for a new challenge and shares the story of a bogged-down doctor who took time to rediscover his career path via Doctors Without Borders. Send your questions...

WeHo ... mophobia.(First Person)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... Ohio native and Advocate intern Steven Harbaugh knows what it's like to be out in the heartland---and after a summer with his partner in Los Angeles, he concludes it's not that different in Southern California's gay mecca. The homophobia simply...

Message received.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... David Brock and the other liberal Democrats need to get over the fact that George W. in fact beat Al Gore in the last presidential election ["Danger on the Right," July 6]. George W. didn't steal the election. Electoral votes have and will...

Full equality?(reader forum)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... I was perplexed after reading Vanessa Kerry's column, "My Dad's Core Values" [My Perspective, July 6]. How can she be a third-year medical student and not understand the meaning of the word equality? She says John Kerry's core value is...

Reading something gay.(reader forum)(Don Clark's Loving Someone Gay should be included as one of the best books to read about being gay sj )(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... Your panel's selection of the 100 Best Lesbian and Gay Nonfiction Books ["Simply the Best," June 22] was an awesome list of queer reading, and yet the academic bias of the group led to at least one glaring omission. Don Clark's Loving Someone...

Right and wrong.(reader forum)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... I am surprised that Rosie O'Donnell contends that she won me over during her recent trial simply because she knows how to "work a room" [R Family, June 8]. For the record, I genuinely like Rosie and appreciate her honesty and forthrightness...

A little more conversation.(on social acceptance of gays and lesbians)(Editorial)
August 17, 2004... There's a wonderful biopic coming out this fall on Alfred Kinsey, the 1950s sex researcher who came up with that famous 10% figure and the 0-6 scale of sexual attraction--totally straight (0) to totally gay (6). In the middle of the film, out...

My straight little brother.(my perspective)
August 17, 2004... This past year, as scenes of gay marriage victories came across my TV screen in New York City, I observed myself observing others taking an active role in this awesome moment--standing in line for licenses, suing the government, getting...

Sex and relationships: while the battle for same-sex marriage dominates the news, gay and lesbian couples have the spotlight. But not all of us opt for marriage or even monogamy. In this special report, 24 Advocate readers, ages 18 to 71, share their experiences of sex and relationships. Are the most enduring partnerships begun in the bedroom? Or is it something else that brings and keeps us together?(survey)
August 17, 2004... Angela Wicks Age: 21 Residence: Kent, Ohio Occupation: student Identifies as: lesbian Relationship status: partnered, 1 1/2 years When my girlfriend, Yvonne, and I started dating, sex wasn't always at the forefront of our...

Reaching out to the down low: a look inside the clubs where men have secret gay sex reveals why many can't be convinced to play safe.(society)
August 17, 2004... Most visitors to Hollywood would never notice the Study, a gay bar tucked into a side street about two miles east of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. On a recent Sunday night, however, the place is packed with mostly African-A3nerican and Latino men...

Porn star wants you ... safe: Harvey Fierstein and gay-porn superstar Michael Lucas talk about Lucas's safe-sex campaign (hot!) and crystal meth (not!).(activism)(Interview)
August 17, 2004... Harvey Fierstein has long been active in the battle against AIDS; his recent. work includes penning opeds for The New York Times and holding forums in the city to address the rise in crystal meth use and HIV infection among gay men. So when he...

Keep the bathhouses, lose the shame: the problems of increasing HIV infection and rampant crystal use among gay men are intertwined, argues PATRICK MOORE, so they need to be attacked in tandem. The first steps are to combat the self-loathing attached to gay sexuality and to reach out to sexually active gay men where they meet.(Commentary)(Column)
August 17, 2004... After enduring decades of devastation, the gay community is now witnessing a new generation of young men becoming infected with HIV, seemingly oblivious to the death and suffering that they might have escaped. We also see middle aged gay men,...

Bear or straight?(culture)
August 17, 2004... Details magazine found itself in the midst of controversy earlier this year over its satirical piece "Gay or Asian?" It was part, of a series depicting the fashion crossover between gay dudes and other subcultures, with previous installments...

Scared of sex: Gay people paralyzed by a fear of STDs need to know: Celibacy driven by terror can be bad for your health.(health)
August 17, 2004... In the spring of 2004, Tom Trevor met a cute guy while vacationing in Hawaii. They fooled around but didn't have sex, which remained a possibility for when the pair planned to meet in San Francis co. When he returned home to Los Angeles, Trevor...

Cruising ... for books.(notes from a blond)(Column)
August 17, 2004... I was looking for something sexy to read on the beach this summer, because nothing says "Troll" louder than a copy of Bin Clinton's 957-page memoir tossed casually onto an Ikea towel. So I strolled into my local gay bookstore, the Purple...

Hanging with Antonio: Antonio Sabato Jr. tells all about putting his underwear model body back on the line as a mysterious gay seducer in the upcoming film Testosterone.(the sex issue)(Interview)(Cover Story)
August 17, 2004... He obsesses over Britney Spears, is "close pals" with "funny" Tori Spelling, loves Broadway musicals, likes to work out on the beach, and thinks Will & Grace's wild Jack is someone he could hang out with. Oh, and he's been known to wear...

He don't hate me: Spike Lee gives his most revealing interview ever about homophobia, the down Low, queer bashing, gay parenting, and She Hate Me, his winning new lesbian comedy.(film)(Interview)
August 17, 2004... African American dad fathers 19 babies with 38 lesbian morns--and lives happily ever after. That's one story you'd never hear from Spike Lee, right? Prepare for an update. For his new film, She Hate Me, the African-American auteur--often...

Cutting Colin: as A Home at the End of the World hits the screen, the filmmakers talk about slimming down the novel--and axing Colin Farrell's nude scene.(film)(director Michael Mayer, author Michael Cunningham)(Interview)
August 17, 2004... Michael Mayer knew he wanted to make Pulitzer Prizewinner Michael Cunningham's 1990 novel A Home at the End of the World his film-directing debut. So he turned to an old acquaintance he knew would be perfect to adapt it: Michael Cunningham. ...

Black and white and dull all over: interracial sex is taboo in Proteus, but the storytelling fails to arouse.(Movie Review)
August 17, 2004... Proteus * Written by Jack Lewis and John Greyson * Directed by John Greyson * Starring Rouxnet Brown, Neil Sandilands * Strand Releasing Writers and directors out to make movies based on true stories ought to keep in mind that just because...

Here to represent: Patrik-Ian Polk wondered why there was no TV show about black gay men. So he created one.(DVD)(Interview)
August 17, 2004... "I walked into the club, and it was full, mostly, of black gay men from all over the country," recalls filmmaker Patrik-Ian Polk about 2003's Los Angeles Black Pride celebration. "And I was immediately struck with the notion that this was a...

Lust at last: at age 70, illustrator Bob Ziering shows his gay erotic art for the first time.(art)(Interview)
August 17, 2004... Bob Ziering's name might not be recognizable, but his drawings certainly are. For over 40 years he's produced illustrations for such clients as Simon and Schuster, Disney, and the New York City Opera, for which, in one dramatic commission in...

On the beach: Paul Freeman's book Bondi Classic depicts an endless, erotic summer.(art)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 17, 2004... Sun, sand, sea--and skin. That's the magic combination that artist Paul Freeman assembles in his sublime new book of photos, Bondi Classic (Cowboy Mouth Publishing, $49.95). Freeman, a leading photographer for the Australian gay magazine Blue,...

It's all natural: biologist and transwoman Joan Roughgarden takes on Darwin and science's traditional view of sexuality.(books)(Interview)
August 17, 2004... Joan Roughgarden had a revelation as she marched in San Francisco's 1997 gay pride parade. The Stanford University professor of biological sciences--who was herself then transitioning to life as a woman--was struck by the overwhelming physical...

Dirty pillow talk: Justin Jorgensen's Obscene Interiors explores what's really disgusting about Web porn--people's furniture.(books)(Interview)
August 17, 2004... Justin Jorgensen has never dated, hooked up with, or even met any of the 56 men depicted in his new book, Obscene Interiors, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings for them. "I ended up sort of falling in love with the guys," admits the...

America's first top model: more outrageous truths from once-and-forever supermodel Janice Dickinson.("Everything about Me Is Fake... and I'm Perfect!")(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 17, 2004... Everything About Me Is Fake... and I'm Perfect! * Janice Dickinson * HarperCollins/Regan * $24.95 "Are all models lesbians?" asks Janice Dickinson rhetorically in her latest tell-all book. "The answer is simple. Absolutely."...

India's new lesbian fire: the gay-themed Girlfriend caused riots among Indian fundamentalists. So why don't queers like the film?(culture)
August 17, 2004... For gay and lesbian groups in India, the new Bollywood movie Girlfriend has posed a confusing dilemma. Queer activists are condemning the film for its homophobic and titillating depiction of lesbians. But those stone activists are just as...

L is for lovin': the L Word soundtrack is loaded with luscious lyricism for when you're feeling lascivious.(Sound Recording Review)
August 17, 2004... The L Word * Various artists * Tommy Boy On the L Word episode when everyone drove out to the Dinah Shore golf tournament, the gals sang "Closer to Fine" a thousand times on the overnight journey. But let's be real: Alice, Jenny, and...

The Kerry gamble.(against the current)(John Kerry's policies on gay and lesbian rights)(Column)
August 17, 2004... As far as gay rights are concerned, this election is not a close one. One candidate has gone out of his way to endorse equality for gays and lesbians. One wants to relegate us to second-class status in the very Constitution and, for good...

Postcards.(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... I couldn't wait to write and tell you how much I love your magazine. Yes, it is filled with all-perfect boys who can't afford to travel and ignores us older, non-gym rat guys-but then everything does, so why not you? But it is a great magazine,...

Annoyance, straight up.(Postcards)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... I'm still trying to figure out just what the point was of the article "Palm Springs Outing" in your Summer 2004 issue. You're a gay magazine targeting a gay audience. What possible interest could any of your audience have in a straight guy's...

Reservations and Loathing in Las Vegas.(Postcards)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... We really enjoyed your February 2004 issue. We made our reservations with the Las Vegas Rainbow bed-and-breakfast, which was in your article on Vegas [City on a Page].We called the day before to give them our flight number and let them know our...

Mislabeled paradise.(Postcards)(Letter to the Editor)
August 17, 2004... I continue to enjoy your Summer 2004 edition and especially enjoyed your selection of "Most Gorgeous Gay Beaches on Earth." I was pleased with myself (if I'm allowed) that I have enjoyed five of your selections personally and absolutely agree...

New homes.(gay-positive travel destinations)(Editorial)
August 17, 2004... Over a shared plate of benechin, a spicy rice and meat dish that is the tasty staple of Senegal, the humble 27-year-old head of the Senegalese gay movement sat across from me, skipping along in his African French so fast that I, with my high...

[Perfect 10] the world's top gay-welcoming spa retreats.(Orientation: dispatches from the editors)
August 17, 2004... What's not to like about an aromatherapy massage by a waterfall, a petal-stream soak overlooking the sea, or a garden shower in a lava-rock grotto? It seems that everywhere you look nowadays there's a new spa, and although many say they're "gay...

The true tales of a room service waiter.(Orientation: dispatches from the editors)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... What's the best way for a guest to get their food hot and on time? "Preorder your breakfast the night before. Either fill out the doorknob menu that some hotels have, or just call the night before and specify what time. It makes our lives a lot...

Athens exposed.(Orientation: dispatches from the editors)(the Olympics in ancient Greece)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... The Olympics return to Greece in almost all their glory on Friday, August 13. Spectators pining for prolonged peeks at nude physiques will have better luck visualizing The Naked Olympics (Random House, $12.95), in which Tony Perrottet reveals...

Wombstock rocks.(Summer Music)(Michigan Womyn's Music Festival)
August 17, 2004... Women's music festivals have been an integral part of the feminist and lesbian movements ever since the first events burst into existence in 1974, creating safe spaces for women of all walks of life to commune in blissful sisterhood. A...

Travel babble.(Orientation: dispatches from the editors)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... "What is the feeling when you're driving away from people, and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? It's the too huge world vaulting us, and it's goodbye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the...

Invasion of the Queer Mongols?(Orientation: dispatches from the editors)
August 17, 2004... 2004 saw the establishment of the first lesbian organization in Mongolia (www.mongoldyke.org.mn) as well as the brand new Mongolian GayTravel (www.geocities.com/gayto mongolia), a local tour operator who offers gay trips, cruises, and adventure...

Carried away.(Fall Radar)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... Yes, we have baggage! Consider these cases luxurious lodging for all your fall colors >>> 1. The Sac Horizontal (23" x 11" x 11") in natural cowhide with side pocket, $5,800, by Louis Vuitton 2. The Square Duffel (18" x 10" x 13") from the...

Fall films with settings you can simply fall into.(On Location)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... Explore the London of Bright Young Things What: Bright Young Things, the directorial debut of out actor-writer Stephen Fry (Wilde), follows the eccentric social creatures that live their uninhibited lives in the sparkling art deco clubs...

No, no, JoJo!(Orientation)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... When one of our editors was nearly violated by a frisky Floridian dolphin during a recent vacation, we decided to look further into the matter of amorous sea mammals. It turns out that JoJo, a dolphin who "cruises" the waters off the Club Med...

Pack mentality.(Goods To Go)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... 1. The ideal fall suit is as versatile durin8 the workweek as it is on the weekend away. Black pin-striped trousers, $148, by Banana Republic 2. Black pin-striped blazer, $350, by Banana Republic Leather trim updates the cardigan as a stylish...

The it list.(Orientation)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... An assortment of up-to-the-minute accoutrements you'd be crazy, to leave home without >>> 1. JF Roadster wallets in black perforated leather with rugby stripes and ivory perforated leather with suede stripes, $45 each, by J. Fold. 2....

The Girl With the Golden Bouffant: An Original Jane Bond Parody.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 17, 2004... The Girl With the Golden Bouffant: An Original Jane Bond Parody. By Mabel Maney Harper Entertainment, $14.95 What's a lesbian to do in glittering gin City circa 1966? Here's a conceivable itinerary. Play a hand of craps, catch a tasteless...

The View From Stalin's Head.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 17, 2004... The View From Stalin's Head By Aaron Hamburger Random House, $12.95 Post-Cold War Prague of the early '90s was a haven for North American intellectual imperialists seeking art, ideas, and escape via communion with the lingering ghosts of...

Trannies play the field.(Sports)(Brief Article)
August 17, 2004... Decked out n Diesel shoes and clingy hot pink shirts, Thailand's "ladyboys" grab their mallets, clamber on the backs of their animals, and ready themselves for a ferocious game of polo. But this isn't some traditional tea-sipping horse match....

A cruise down: shark alley.(Sweat)(Column)
August 17, 2004... Although I have been swimming with sharks for years as an indie filmmaker in Hollywood, when it was suggested I try it literally while on a visit to Cape Town, South Africa, I said, "Absolutely not!" I have no fear of the beastly man-eating...

Islands for rent: be it a windswept Irish isle or a Caribbean secret getaway, you can rule your own fantasy island-for a price!(Dreams)(private island owners)
August 17, 2004... Johnny Depp's mascara-smeared pirate king, Marlon Brando, Dr. Evil, Sir Richard Branson, and Robinson Crusoe and his own Man Friday--what do these characters have in common? A private island of their own. Privacy--as the rich and famous...

John Waters's Baltimore: see Maryland's greatest city through the eyes of the king of bad taste.(People Who Travel)(Column)
August 17, 2004... "I would never want to live anywhere but Baltimore. You can look far and wide, but you'll never discover a stranger city with such extreme style. It's as if every eccentric in the South decided to move North, ran out of gas in Baltimore, and...

Is your travel insurance gay-friendly? Make it your policy to ask.(Travel Matters)
August 17, 2004... When planning your vacation, you probably think more about UV protection than about travel insurance protection. And you probably think even less, if at all, about whether your travel insurance policy offers equal protection to gay and straight...

Queering Las Vegas.(Travel Queeries)
August 17, 2004... Q My girlfriend and I have been together for five years, but our families have never met. Considering that both sets of parents are mildly obsessed with blackjack, we thought it would be fun to plan a wacky Vegas wedding. Are there any wedding...

Womyn in the mist.(Straight Outing)
August 17, 2004... I had two fears while heading co the Russian River Women's Weekend, the biannual blowout (there's another one every fall; this year's begins September 17) that has been bringing thousands of, well, women-identified women to tiny Guerneville,...

Forever Florence: Felice Picano rekindles the forbidden passion and unmatched glory of Tuscany's perpetually blooming flower.
August 17, 2004... My first night in Florence, I was walking home late from dinner to my pensione in the mostly residential Santa Croce (central west) side of town. Fog had begun to creep up from the Arno river. I don't know what I was thinking, perhaps how quiet...

Venice unmasked.
August 17, 2004... Venice is the drag queen of Italian cities. Baubled, bejeweled, bewigged, the city spends a few weeks of every early spring behind the glittering masks of Carnavale and the glamorous facade of the Venice Film Festival and the rest of the time...

Hong Kong: a queer world opens in the New York of Asia.
August 17, 2004... Two lithe young Chinese men in nothing but white spandex shorts and a generous coating of body glitter burst out of nowhere carrying huge rainbow flags. They race around revelers, twirling the flags in that defiant, revolutionary Les Miserables...

China's gay cultural revolution.
August 17, 2004... Being gay is not a crime in China, but less than a decade ago gay people were still being arrested as "hooligans," and it wasn't until 200 that homosexuality was declassified as a mental illness "People are busier making money now," says the...

Surprising Senegal.(an overview of where to go and stay in Senegal if you are gay)
August 17, 2004... The dry winds of the Sahel blow all the way through Dakar. The Sahara may be hundreds of miles away, but its taste is in the air as I gaze over the Atlantic to the pastel colonial edifices of Goree Island. This slave fortress, an abode to so...

The out traveler: destination station.
August 17, 2004... TRAVEL * Airlines 1 Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines Inc. provides air transportation for passengers and freight throughout the United States and around the world. Delta serves 206 domestic cities in 46 states, Washington, D.C.,...

Saugatuck: Michigan's secret treasure.(Our Towns)
August 17, 2004... When I was a 15-year old boy, vacationing in Saugatuck. Mich., held many secret treasures. I was forbidden to walk beyond a certain point on Oval Beach where my parents had warned me that "sexual deviants" were known to parade around in the...

Travelscopes.
August 17, 2004... ARIES March 21-April 20 Late summer journeys refresh the soul but leave the body exhausted. Better wait till September, when a between-the-sheets workout on the Yucatan revives you spiritually and physically. That cutie arouses fantasies of...

On faith.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 31, 2004... Thank you for your increased coverage of positive stories on spirituality in the lives of lesbian, gay, trans, bi, and queer people. Your recent article "Keeping the Faith" [July 20] shows that individuals from many faith traditions are...

Open and affirming.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 31, 2004... In "How Christian Are Christian Churches?" you might have included the one mainline Protestant denomination that does accept gays and lesbians fully: The United Church of Christ, which has approximately 1.3 million members and 6,000 churches,...

Reader comments from www.advocate.com.(reader forum)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... * "Yes, but it's not just the gays and lesbians who are doing it--it's all middle-and upper-class people who are gentrifying these neighborhoods." * "It's government inaction in building affordable housing and allocating sufficient funds...

Rocky in Colorado.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 31, 2004... Please be aware that in your July 20 story "Senate Power Shifts" the picture labeled "Coors (R)" is not Pete Coors, the Colorado Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. The picture is actually that of outgoing U.S. senator Ben Nighthorse...

Marriage on his mind.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 31, 2004... Writings by people like Richard Goldstein [Left Hook, June 20] never cease to amaze me: "Never mind [Bush's] endorsement of a constitutional amendment that would enshrine discrimination in our intimate lives." Isn't that exactly what John Kerry...

The big reveal.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
August 31, 2004... Your magazine listed a recently married couple, two older gentlemen, as "unidentified" ["Our Wedding Album," June 22]. They are Paul McMahon and Ralph Hodgdon of Boston, together 49 years. I made a documentary about them on their 46th...

Bridging two worlds.(my perspective)(Column)
August 31, 2004... Soon after my previous boss, U.S. senator Wayne Allard, presented me with a $2,500 college scholarship from Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays during a public ceremony in June at his Washington, D.C., office, I unexpectedly...

Rants & raves.(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... "I saw about 10,000 video screens of gay porn featuring Jerry Garcia.... I didn't know if I'd return to the real world." Rufus Wainwright, describing the crystal-induced hallucination that led him to seek rehab help from Elton John, as...

Courts closed? Congress wants to prevent judges from ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. But is that constitutional?(Judiciary)(the marriage protection act)
August 31, 2004... Conservative members of Congress said the Marriage Protection Act, which passed the House of Representatives by a 233-194 vote in July, was needed to prevent federal judges from challenging the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage...

Just married and ready for a fight.(Civil Rights)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... Same-sex couples legally married in Massachusetts beginning May 17 have since been denied a variety of things, including health care benefits and U.S. passports, all based on the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act. By checking a box on a...

Florida backpedals on gay fathers.(Parenting)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... Curtis Watson and his partner of eight years thought they had overcome Florida's total ban on adoption by gays when a state judge granted them "long-term, nonrelative custody" of their two foster children in March. That was, until a straight...

Defending Ms. Behavior.(Media)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... Meryl Cohn has been amusing readers of gay newspapers for 12 years with her syndicated gay etiquette column, Ms. Behavior. Now the lesbian writer has competition from a similar manners manifesto that started running in The Boston Globe in...

Across the nation.(The Nation)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... Bend, Ore. A new ordinance that protects gays and lesbians from discrimination in the city withstood a challenge from petitioners, who failed to gather enough valid signatures to refer it to voters. Minneapolis, Minn. Jay Wiesner,...

Seeking equality in divorce.(Canada)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... A year after the Canadian province of Ontario began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a pair of Toronto lesbians are seeking the country's first legal same-sex divorce. And their court action has launched a whole new battle over...

Outing themselves: the founders of a group of gay U.S. senate staffers say threatened outings on Capitol Hill do nothing to help gay rights.(Behind the Headlines)(Interview)
August 31, 2004... On July 15, the morning after the antigay Federal Marriage Amendment was rejected by the U.S. Senate, openly gay Senate staffers Lynden Armstrong, 32, and Mat Young, 29, sat in a conference room near the Capitol. Both were pleased by the result...

Coupled gays a worthy target.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... A new ad campaign from Adelphia has a number of gays and lesbians praising the cable provider for its progressive approach to winning over new subscribers. The print ad, which has been running in several gay publications in Southern California,...

Insurance for the unmarried.(Benefits)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... Are domestic-partner benefits made obsolete by legalized same-sex marriage? That's what some Massachusetts employers have been arguing, and now they've drawn the ire of a new coalition of prominent gay rights groups. "We've just barely secured...

Making pastors political.(Benefits)(Brief Article)
August 31, 2004... If you had any lingering doubt that the Bush campaign would use same-sex marriage as an election-year wedge issue to mobilize evangelical Christians, prominent GOP leader David Barton of Texas may have eliminated it when he traveled to Oregon...

Died.(Transitions)(Obituary)
August 31, 2004... DIED: William Robinson Jr., 42, cofounder and CEO of Positive Influence Inc., on AIDS service organization in Maryland, of AIDS-related complications, July 6. DIED: Mike Savage, 51, a longtime gay rights and AIDS activist, in a river...