TOP6NEWS - Date 1.21.05

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1-NEWS:  LA Supreme Court limits Lawrence

2-NEWS:  Atlanta prosecutor won't sanction country club

3-NEWS: Canadian minister: No link between polygamy and ssm

4-NEWS:  Canadian PM willing to put job on line for ssm

5-NEWS: Christians concerned about SpongeBob

6-NEWS: J. Corvino: Working for CUs will bring ssm

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1-NEWS: LA Supreme Court limits Lawrence

By Gwen Filosa Staff writer 

A woman accused of soliciting oral sex cannot use the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling that struck down a Texas sodomy law on privacy grounds to escape prosecution, the Louisiana Supreme Court said Wednesday.

Tina Thomas tried to sell oral sex to an undercover police officer April 10, 1995, in Jefferson Parish, prosecutors say. Louisiana law calls such an act a crime against nature and makes it a felony that carries up to five years in prison.

By contrast, someone accused of offering sexual intercourse for cash is charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor.

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2-NEWS: Atlanta prosecutor won't sanction country club

By TY TAGAMI

It's been four weeks since Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin asked a city prosecutor to seek a fine of as much as $90,000 against the Druid Hills Golf Club, and so far the club hasn't had to pay anything.

City Solicitor Raines Carter said he decided not to cite the private Atlanta club for violating a city law protecting gays from discrimination. He said he elected not to fulfill the mayor's request because the club subsequently sued the city and named him as a defendant.

"My role, at this point, is just as a defendant," Carter said. He said he hasn't asked a city judge to fine Druid Hills, and won't "until I get some direction about how to proceed with that lawsuit." He said he expected that direction to come from the city attorney.

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3-NEWS: Canadian minister: No link between polygamy and ssm

Cotler John Ward

OTTAWA (CP) -- While some suggest that a push to legalize polygamy may lurk on the fringes of the same-sex marriage issue, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler says there is no link between the two.

"We don't see any connection, I repeat, any connection between the issue of polygamy and the issue of same sex marriage,'' he said Thursday. "Any attempt to make that kind of connection is simply a way of confusing distinguishable issues in every regard.''

Earlier in Montreal, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said the traditional definition of marriage should be enshrined in law or Canada could be faced with more radical demands, such as legalizing polygamy.

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4-NEWS: Canadian PM willing to put job on line for ssm

By ALLISON DUNFIELD

Prime Minister Paul Martin and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper are donning gauntlets over the same-sex marriage issue, saying they are prepared to put their political lives on the line.

Mr. Martin told reporters in China that Friday that he feels so strongly that same-sex marriage should be protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that he would go to the polls over the issue.

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5-NEWS:  SpongeBob Accused of Promoting Homosexuality

By David Andreatta

NEW YORK — Conservative groups are putting the squeeze on a film starring SpongeBob SquarePants (search) bound for elementary schools — charging it promotes a gay lifestyle.

The four-minute video features the wildly-popular gap-toothed sponge — whose sexuality has been questioned because he often holds hands with his pink friend, starfish Patrick Star — and scores of other cartoon characters singing the disco classic "We Are Family" alongside celebs Diana Ross, Bill Cosby and Whoopi Goldberg.

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6-NEWS: J. Corvino: Working for CUs will bring ssm pride source.com, MI, January 20, 2005 Civil discourse on civil unions By John Corvino

Some of the nastiest mail I receive is not from right-wing homophobes, or even bitter ex-boyfriends, but from members of our own community who think I'm not progressive enough. For example, several months ago, shortly after I argued on these pages that we ought to fight for civil unions now and marriage later, I received an email message with the following

subject-line:

"Why are you such an Uncle Tom faggot?"

There was no text to the message, and no signature - just the subject-line. With some ambivalence, I wrote back:

"I received a message from you with the subject-line 'Why are you such an Uncle Tom faggot?' but no text. Was there supposed to be text, or did the question in the subject-line exhaust what you have to say on the issue?"

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