civil Union contempt Rutland, VT — According to media reports, a Vermont judge has found Lisa Miller-Jenkins to be in contempt for tak- ing her child to Virginia and disobeying a court order involving custody of a child. Judge William Cohen released a sharply worded decision granting a motion by Janet Miller-Jenkins to hold ‘her former partner, Lisa Miller-Jenkins, in contempt for failing to abide by a tem- porary visitation order he handed down earlier this year. ’ The Family Court judge did not impose any sanctions against Lisa Miller-Jenkins for violating a temporary visitation order. Civil contempt sanctions range from fines to jail. A Virginia judge took jurisdic- tion in the case, despite Vermont’s prior ' ruling, and declared that Lisa Miller- __( Jenkins is the child’s sole parent. The decision was based on Virginia's ’ Affirmation of Marriage Act, a law that bars the state from recognizing same-sex civil unions or any rulings issuing from civil unions. I Hospital Denies Benefits Fall River, MA — St. Anne's Hospital has adopted a plan _to deny health care bene- fits to the same-sex spouses of their employees, despite the legalization of sarne-gender marriage, according to a report in Gay City News. Changing to a “self funded” benefits program “allows the hospital’s managing group, Caritas Christi Health Care, to stop extending insurance benefits to sa.rne-sex spouses of employees,” the Fall River Herald News reported.- v Michele Granda, staff attorney ‘ with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, which won the right of sarne- sex couples to marry in Massachusetts, said it was the first case she was aware _ of in which an employer changed health plans to avoid providing spousal benefits to gay married couples. No Love Lost 7 Toronto, Ontario — A Canadian television station has apologized publicly to view- ers for a mid-September telecast of American evangelist Jimmy Swggart’s television program in which he threat- ened to kill gays, according to 365Gay.com. The program aired on Omni 1, a Toronto multicultural station, and throughout the US, prompting an investi- gation by the Canadian Radio Television Commission. During a rambling sermon Swaggart, said, referring to gay marriage, “I've never seen a man in my life I want- ed to marry. And I'm gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I'm gonna kill him and tell God he died.” The program was taped in New Orleans where voters Saturday agreed to amend the Louisiana constitu- tion to bar same-sex marriage. Under Canadian law hate speech is a criminal offense. Broadcast lawyers say that both the station and Swaggart could be charged in addition to any penalty imposed by the CRTC. Swaggert has since issued an apology of sorts. ' Spirit of Justice , Boston — Tim Gill, founder of both Quark, Inc., and the Gill Foundation, receives the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders’ “Spirit of Justice” Award at its armual dinner on October 1 in Boston. I The dirmer celebrates a land- mark year in which GLAD won same- sex marriage rights in Massachusetts, made possible in part by the Gill Foundation's long-time support of gay and lesbian causes. As it celebrates its _ 10th anniversary, the foundation has invested more than $67 million in hun- dreds of organizations throughout the U.S. serving the lgbt community and people with l-IIV/AIDS. ' Prior Spirit of Justice hon- orees are Del Martin and Phyllis Lyons, founders of Daughters of Bilitis; play- wright Tony Kushner; Professor Laurence H. Tribe of Harvard Law School; and Mary Bonauto, director of GLAD’s Civil Rights Project. Deceptive Amendment Atlanta, GA — A lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of Fulton County seeks to remove an amendment dealing -with same-sex couples from Georgia's Nov- ember ballot. Represented by Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Georgia, and the law firm of Alston & Bird LLP, the plaintiffs allege that the ballot language is decep- tive and unconstitutional. Earlier this year, the state leg- islature approved an amendment to the Georgia Constitution that would prohibit same-sex couples from marrying, may prohibit civil unions, and could limit the court's jurisdiction on matters involving same-sex couples. “This amendment is constitu- tionally flawed, period. Not only does it combine four different subjects, in viola- tion of the Georgia Constitution, the clearly deceptive language voters will see on the ballot creates the mispercep- ’ tion that its only purpose is to define marriage,” said Jack Senterfitt, Senior Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal's Southern Regional office in Atlanta. “Separate from the lawsuit, Lambda Legal believes that a group's civil rights shouldn't be put to a popular vote.” ' ’ Abandoning Youth Washington, DC — In recent months the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has been under fire for its decision to imple- ment a new U.S. AIDS policy strategy emphasizing HIV testing over HIV pre- vention. According to a press release from the National Youth Advocacy Coalition, HIV infections among lgbt adolescents have risen as government resources were shifted from proven pre- vention efforts to abstinence-only educa- tion. CDC’s most recent surveillance data, released in August, shows an increase in new infections among adoles- cents, and both African Americzm and Hispanic young people. In August, the CDC awarded A contracts to just eight community-based organizations. In 2000, there 88 youth- serving agencies receiving funding. Spending on abstinence-only education has exceeded $500 rriilhon during this same period. _ Suing Oklahoma Norman, OK — In a federal lawsuit Lambda Legal is seeking to overturn a law that may legally orphan children _ adopted by same-sex couples in other 7 states when the families are in the state ' of Oklahoma. “This drastic law could nullify legal adoptions of children by same-sex couples in other states when they are in Oklahoma,” said Brian Chase, Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal's South Central Regional Office in Dallas. The law, passed hastily at the end of the Oklahoma legislative session earlier this year, says that Oklahoma, “shall not recognize an adoption by more than one individual of the same sex from any other state or foreign jurisdiction.” Unit Cohesion Santa Barbara, CA — A new study released last month concludes that gays and lesbians serve openly in the Middle East without undermining unit cohesion or the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study, by Dr. Nathaniel Frank, is titled Gays and Lesbians at War: Military Service in Iraq and Afghanistan Under ‘Don ’t Ask, Don ’t Tell.’ When gays are out, they report greater success in bonding, morale, professional advancement, levels of commitment and retention, and access to essential support services. The study also finds that ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ impairs the ability of gay troops to develop bonds of trust, stress, prepare for deployment, focus on their mission, advance profes- sionally, and access support services, including medical and psychological consultations. These effects have an impact not just on gays, but on those around them. Essentially, the ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ policy creates the very lack of unit cohesion that has been used to justi- fy its implementation. P&G Supports Equal Rights Cincinnati, OH — The following note was forwarded by “Ian,” who observed that r “subscribing to the anti-gay [listserves] is often the best way to obtain pro-gay information...” What follows are excerpts from an alert letter from the American Family Association, distributed over the signature of Donald Wildmon. “Procter & Gamble, makers of Crest toothpaste and Tide detergent, has publicly thrown their support and money behind the homosexual political agenda. “P&G recently wrote to their Cincinnati employees urging them to support the repeal of a city law that for- bids giving special rights to,homosexu- als. In 1993, the citizens in Cincinnati adopted the law by a vote of 62% to ' 38%. P&G is now working to get that law repealed and has given $10,000 toward that goal. ’ “To our knowledge, Procter & Gamble is the first company to support the political agenda of the homosexual movement.” ‘ The emailed letter urges recip- ients to “Take Action” by boycotting Crest toothpaste and Tide detergent, two P&G products, and calling the chairman of the board to “politely” tell him that they are boycotting andwhy. ‘ CIS Says No to Married Trans" Washington, DC — The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) con- derrmed a memorandum issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) armouncing that the Department would not recognize any marriage in which either party has changed or plans to change their sex. The policy would prevent foreign spouses from obtaining immigration rights in marriages — or engagements to be married 1 where one spouse is transgender and either one is an American citizen. . Said GenderPAC Executive Director Riki Wilchins, “This policy not only singles out one group of Americans for discrimination, but it carves out a special exception to the states‘ [marriage] prerogatives to do so.” A memo enacting the policy approved by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge admitted that rec- ognizing such marriages for the purpose of obtaining immigration status is “arguably the most comprehensive, inter- nally consistent agency approach.” How- ever, the memo argued, “Recognizing sex changes for federal immigration pur- poses, especially if they involve mar- riages, is likely to be politically controversial." Murder Musk: Under Pressure New York — A gay-led boycott and protest against certain Jamaican “dance- hall” performers has been generating press. The controversy is over lyrics by a number of perfonners that advocate the burning, stabbing, execution, and beating of gays. ‘ The artists include Beenie Man, Capleton, Bounty Killer, and Vybz Kartel. among others. Beenic Man's 33 scheduled appearances had been cut to five as of last month, under pressure from gay activists, who have also been educating the tours’ corporate sponsors and record labels about how their profit is tied to what they call murder music. The rallying cry came from London's Outrage (www.outrage.org.uk). . United Kingdom police are investigating Beenie Man and other Jamaican singers for inciting public disorder and homo- phobic hate crimes. German sports cloth- ing maker Puma, a sponsor of Jamaican A music events, warned all its -artists of a zero tolerance stand on hate statements and lyrics. , Jamaica is considered one of the world's most overtly anti-gay nations. Prominent Jamaican gay activist Brian Williamson was knifed to death in his Kingston apartment June 9, in what gay leaders called an anti-gay hate crime. According to a report in Gay City News, an appearance by Bounty Killer (Rodney Price), whose single “Another Level” includes the line, “Bun a fire pen a puff and mister fagotty” (burn a fire on puffs and faggots), was cancelled from the Krakrock Festival in Belgium, in September. Virgin Records hastily issued . an apology on Beenic Man’s behalf in early August, but his management com- pany denied on Jamaican radio that it was an apology. ‘ The “no apology” stance is now enshrined on T-shirts sported by the performers’ hardcore fans as a free- speech defense of the artists and their rhetoric. V . Compiled this month by Euan Bear.