The Center launched the initiative at a news conference in front of the Los Angeles Mormon Temple, three days after the election, to not only support the work to invalidate Proposition 8, but send a message to the leaders of the Mormon church that no one's religious beliefs should be used to deny fundamental rights to others. At the urging of church leadership, Mormons contributed more than $15 million to fund the deceitful advertising campaign that resulted in the initiative's passage by a small margin.

"It is a travesty that the Mormon church bought this election and used a campaign of lies and deception to manipulate voters in the great state of California," said L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Chief Executive Officer Lorri L. Jean. "People from all over the world are sending a message to President Monson that we will not tolerate being stripped of our equal rights in the name of religious bigotry. They're entitled to their beliefs, but not to impose them upon the constitution or laws of California."

Of the money raised so far, $40,000 will be given to the ACLU, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the three non-profit organizations that have jointly filed a lawsuit in the California Supreme Court challenging Proposition 8. Another $20,000 remains in a fund that will be used to support grass-roots activities for full marriage equality.

The donations have come from nearly all 50 states and from countries around the world, including Canada, Mexico, Australia, Denmark, England, Germany, Japan, Singapore and South Africa.

The Web initiative, InvalidateProp8.org, remains active and will continue to raise and distribute funds to support the effort to overturn Prop. 8 and send postcards to the president of the Mormon church.

About the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Since 1971 the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center has been building the health, advocating for the rights and enriching the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Our wide array of services and programs includes: free HIV/AIDS care and medications for those most in need; housing, food, clothing and support for homeless LGBT youth; low-cost counseling and addiction-recovery services; essential services for LGBT-parented families and seniors; legal services; health education and HIV prevention programs; transgender services; cultural arts and much more. Visit us on the Web at: www.lagaycenter.org.

SOURCE L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

http://www.InvalidateProp8.org

This event, organized by F.A.I.R. with the support and involvement of several other LGBT organizations, was held in conjunction with Join the Impact's "National Day of Action" rallies, marches, and protests at city halls across the nation. Event participants included Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, City Council Member Bill Rosendahl, State Assembly Member John Perez, West Hollywood City Council Member John Duran, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center C.E.O. Lorri L. Jean, actor/activist Alec Mapa, and civil rights activists Connie Rice and Christine Chavez.

The protest rally at City Hall was followed by a march through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, which ended at the Los Angeles Historic Park, commonly known as "the Cornfield." Event participants were then treated to live musical performances by local openly-LGBT artists and additional speakers.

"With the passage of Prop. 8, young people, both gay and straight, have been energized to action," said Darryl Stephens of F.A.I.R. "We hope to channel this energy into securing full equality for all. This is California. We must continue to lead the way on civil rights issues. And this is the civil rights issue of our time."

California was just one of several states, including Arizona, and Florida, which saw the recent passage of ballot measures designed to deny same sex couples the right to marry. In Arkansas, same sex couples were denied both the right to marry, and the right to adopt children.

More than 40 states now deny same sex couples the right to marry, and with the recent passage of Proposition 8, now only 2 states, Massachusetts and Connecticut, allow same sex couples the right to marry. In Vermont, same sex couples are allowed civil unions, and provided with most, but not all, the rights of marriage.

F.A.I.R. was created with the support of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center at a Young Activists Forum held on November 8, 2008. Its members are young Los Angeles-based activists dedicated to taking the fight for equal rights "from Streets to Strategy," following the passage of Proposition 8 in California. F.A.I.R.'s mission is to promote empowerment, action, outreach, and education in the effort to secure equality for all. You can learn more about F.A.I.R. at www.justfair.us.

SOURCE L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

http://www.justfair.us

The three part series, airing at 8:00pm each night, begins with O'Keefe's own disclosure about being a gay man, who is considering fatherhood, "I figured it's a series on gay parents, and it's for National Coming Out Day. I can't pretend I don't have a vested interest in this topic, so I felt I had to say 'I am gay'."

In episode one, "Adoption", we meet Mario and Stephen Howard a married couple who adopted a little girl. However, their new family has not come without a cost. The Howards say that they have lost about 90 percent of their gay friends, who are unsupportive of their decision to be parents.

In episode two, "Surrogacy", we're introduced to a family that took two women and two men to create. Drew Gyorke and Sam Wong fertilized eggs donated by one of the women; then, the eggs were implanted into a surrogate. Eight months later, she gave birth to twin girls. The cost of the surrogate / donor recruitment processes, medical procedures, and legal services is generally between fifty and one hundred thousand dollars, and according to one reproductive lawyer, surrogacy is a "legal minefield".

The final installment is called "Co-Parenting", and it looks at lesbians and gay men who have children together, although they are not married or romantically involved. The program features Heather Carlson, Mike Hall and their three-year-old son Shaw, whose lifestyle is similar to any other traditional nuclear family unit, except Heather has a girlfriend and Mike is a gay man.

The three-part "Gay-by Boom" series is one of ichannel's new fall @issue shows; @issue airs weeknights at 8 and 11 Eastern and Pacific times. ichannel is available by subscription from cable and satellite providers across Canada; for more information on ichannel programming, visit www.ichannel.ca.

Contacts:
ichannel
Rosemary Fusca
Head of Programming
(416) 756-5523
Email: rfusca@stornoway.com

ichannel
Kevin O'Keefe
Show Producer and Host
(416) 756-5505
Email: kokeefe@ichannel.ca
Website: www.ichannel.ca

SOURCE: ichannel

mailto:rfusca@stornoway.com
mailto:kokeefe@ichannel.ca
http://www.ichannel.ca

"We felt that parents' rights, parents' family values as well as their cultural values, the way it's approached, almost seems as if those are undermined, if not ignored," Schafer said Monday. "We should actually be concerned about everyone's rights. And I'm not sure that identifying one group over another is the right way to approach it."

The course was added as an elective to the high school curriculum as part of a settlement between the provincial government and a gay couple who won a human rights complaint.

British Columbia Education Minister Shirley Bond said the course is optional, and it's up to school boards to decide whether to offer it.

www.upi.com