Equally Speaking
Good morning and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning
dose of GLBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Thursday, March
20th. I'm Betsy Purcell.
And I'm Tommy Lodge. First up, news from Oklahoma.
About 350 people demonstrated Tuesday at the Oklahoma state Capitol to
demand Rep. Sally Kern apologize for calling homosexuality a bigger
threat than terrorism. The demonstration was organized by Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and included a number of area
church leaders. Kern was not in the Capitol during the noon hour
protest.
The Baltimore City Council has endorsed Maryland legislation that would
allow same-sex couples to marry. The move comes less than a month before
the General Assembly adjourns. The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage
Protection Act would allow civil marriages for same-sex couples but
permits churches to refuse to perform weddings.
A New York City gay man whose wedding photograph was used during an
anti-gay speech by the president of Poland has delivered a letter of
protest to the Polish consulate. President Lech Kaczynski used the
pictures during a national broadcast in which he campaigned against the
European Union's proposed charter of rights. He claims that Poland will
be forced to allow same-sex marriage if the charter is ratified.
A group of GLBT gun owners was among those making arguments before the
U.S. Supreme Court this week. The Court is currently considering a legal
challenge to the District of Columbia's ban on handguns. The Pink
Pistols say that guns should be allowed in homes for self-defense
against hate crimes. The Court has not indicated when it will make its
ruling.
A Colorado man sentenced to 22-years in prison for the murder of a gay
man is asking the state Court of Appeals to reduce his sentence.
Attorneys for Jason Fiske claim that the trial court violated his Sixth
and Fourteenth Amendment rights, resulting in an excessive sentence.
Fiske pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and robbery in the 2005
strangling death of Kevin Hale in Montrose, Colorado.
A new study has found the use of health care services in Canada differs
depending on sexuality. The study found that gay men were much more
likely than heterosexual men to have consulted medical specialists or
mental health service providers in the year prior to the survey.
Lesbians were less likely than heterosexual women to have seen a family
doctor during the same period or to have undergone a pap test.
That's the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Have a great day and we'll see you back here again tomorrow morning.