ACTION ALERT

The Florida House and Senate have bills which would allow, in certain 

circumstances, gay Floridians to adopt.

This is the first in a series of weekly Calls to Action from the 

Coalition 

for Fair Adoption.  WE NEED YOUR HELP in letting the lawmakers know 

that 

this legislation is in the best interest of the children of Florida.  

Also 

included are several websites to bring you up to date with this 

legislation.

Please distribute this  to as many people in Florida as possible 

who 

are interested in child welfare.

ADOPTION CALL TO ACTION –

Please call the bill sponsors to thank them for sponsoring a bill which 

is in the best interest of the children of Florida.

Senate Bill 172 - Adoption

Bill Sponsor - Senator Nan Rich

District Office:  (954) 747-7933

Tallahassee Office:  (850) 487-5103

Email:  rich.nan.web@flsenate.gov

House Bill 123 - Adoption

Bill Sponsor - Sheri McInvale

District Office:  (407) 317-7797

Tallahassee Office:  (850) 488-0660

Email:  sheri.mcinvale@myfloridahouse.gov

WEBSITES

http://www.eqfl.org/issues/adoption.php

http://www.fairadoption.org

http://www.flsenate.gov

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/

Gay Marriage Amendment: In 2006, with nothing to offer but a long list of failures, GOP will return to hate in the name of Jesus

With Republicans and Bush never less popular; Iraq about to implode; the economy limping along; illegal domestic spy programs leading to possible impeachment; Katrina's incompetent handling continuing, and Abramoff casting a long shadow over the entire Republican so-called revolution - the GOP has decided to, once again, distract the people from the real issues. Unable to take a message, or record of success to the American people in 2006, Republic Read More....

Also Visit: http://www.Separation-Of-Church-And-Hate.com

A message from Michael Albetta, President of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus:

Dear friends and colleagues,

It is with a good deal of joy and pride that I want to announce to you that the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus has launched today the most comprehensive website ever created on religion and gays. It is a project we have been working on for almost a year and is a non-sectarian, non-partisan service we are doing for the entire country.

If I can tell you a little about it, I think you will see what an important achievement this is for our caucus during our first year of reorganization.

Whether it is an anti-gay marriage amendment, a corporation's policy on discrimination, a state allowing gays to adopt children, or even the movie "Brokeback Mountain," what one believes is most often determine by one's religious beliefs. Yet, up till now, there has not been a single comprehensive source where you could find information on homosexuality from all faiths and with different views.

Our caucus has filled that gap and created a website with links to over 100 other websites, which in turn have links to many other sources and thousands of pages of material, discussing not only Christianity, but also Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and other faiths.

Among the topics covered at www.ReligionAndGays.org are:

* Official positions of world religions on homosexuality
* Different analyses of what the Hebrew, Christian and Koran scriptures say
* How religious views on homosexuality have changed over the centuries
* Links to the latest news stories and developments on these issues
* Pro and con websites on whether homosexuality is compatible with different faiths
* The reasoning and tactics of the religious right on gay issues
* The arguments for and against Ex-Gay Ministries
* What different religions and denominations say about same-sex unions (marriage, domestic
partnerships, etc.)
* How to contact denominational gay support groups and how to find a gay friendly house of worship
in your area

We realized there was a vast ignorance about religion and gays. This lack of knowledge was true in both the gay and straight worlds, in both the Democrat and Republican parties, in both the gay and mainstream media. There will be no improvement in the public discourse, either on the pro or con side, until we have a better understanding of the religious issues.

"Our goal at www.religionandgays.org is not only to help gays and straights who have a personal interest in the issue, but also to provide an essential, one-stop resource for the news media, political leaders, policy makers, and religious personnel of all stripes. Our reach is national because these issues cut across all state boundaries, all political parties, all races, all families and all belief systems.

We would like to ask each of you to help us with this website by doing the following things:

Visit www.religionandgays.org and let us know what you think. Warren Day is the creator and editor of the site and he would love to hear from you at FlGLBTDems@aol.com
If you know of anyone who is struggling with issues of religion and being gay, then please encourage them to visit the site.
Contact your local media -- mainstream and gay -- and let them know about the website and how it might help them in covering future stories.
Contact the political and religious leaders in your area and let them know there is now this resource that could aid them in their work..
This is a website that could make a real difference, but we need your help in spreading the word.

As I said, Warren Day is the creator and editor, and Bill Vayens, our caucus secretary, is the webmaster. We are indebted to them for the hundreds of hours it took to make this project a reality. Warren often speaks on religion and gays, including the Come Out with Pride Rally in Orlando this past October.

So visit www.religionandgays.org and let us know what you think. It is one of the ways in which the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus is seeking to serve you and the greater good of our state.

Peace,

Michael Albetta
President

I had great respect for Sen. Ken Pruitt especially after his tireless efforts to defend the Bright Futures program, which I could not have attended college without. I always considered him to be one of the few fair-minded Republicans in the Florida Legislature, until now.

As an Eagle Scout who happens to be gay, I'm ashamed that he is using the Boy Scout's bigoted and discriminatory policies as a political football and fundraising gimmick.

GROUP SAYS IT HAS ENOUGH SIGNATURES FOR REDISTRICTING MEASURE
       Associated Press -- January 24, 2006
                   by Brendan Farrington

Tallahassee -- A group that thinks drawing political boundaries is a job for an independent commission and not politicians said Tuesday it has enough signatures to put the issue on November's ballot.

The Committee for Fair Elections said it has turned in more than 900,000 signatures, far more than the 611,009 needed to put it on the ballot. As of Tuesday evening, elections supervisors had certified almost 580,000 signatures. The deadline for certification is Feb. 1.

The ballot questioned would ask voters to create a 15-member commission to draw congressional and legislative districts. Members would be selected in a nonpartisan process and would not be able to seek elected office for four years after serving.

Two-thirds of commissioners would have to agree on the districts, and if they couldn't agree by a deadline, the Supreme Court would set political boundaries.

"Certainly we all want to see more competitive districts and more accountable legislators," said state Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Dania Beach. "No politician should be afraid of a competitive election."

Supporters say the need for the measure can be seen in recent elections, where many incumbents for Congress and the Legislature go unchallenged or don't face strong opposition.

"Not one incumbent lost in 2004," said Paul Dunn, a spokesman for the group proposing the amendment. "There was only one congressional race that was within 10 points."

Similar ballot questions were rejected in California and Ohio last year.

Three U.S. representatives - all Republicans from the Miami area- have challenged the proposal: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and brothers Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart.

The state Supreme Court will hear arguments next month on whether the proposal can be placed on the ballot. The Supreme Court must decide whether the initiative deals with a single subject and that the title and ballot summary are not misleading

BATTLE LOOMS FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BAN

Voters passed same-sex marriage bans in 12 states in 2004. Barring an avalanche of last-minute petitions, an effort to place a similar measure in the Florida Constitution won't make November's ballot.
The 611,000 petitions needed here amounts to the nation's highest qualification threshold. Also, Florida4Marriage.org - the group pushing to place a one-man, one-woman definition of marriage in the state constitution - opted not to hire professionals to gather signatures.
State officials recognized 220,635 certified petitions at the close of business Friday. The deadline is Feb. 1.
"We're in a tough place," acknowledged Florida4Marriage Chairman John Stemberger, adding that the group is close to halfway in gathering the needed signatures. "This is still a doable campaign."
The effort began nearly a year ago but took a back seat among religious conservatives to the Terri Schiavo battle and hurricane relief efforts, Stemberger said.
Political analysts say the 2004 same-sex marriage initiatives helped spike voter turnout among religious conservatives and helped President Bush win battleground states such as Ohio.
Read More....

Florida: Bring Aboard the Bigots

The pre-eminent authority on campaign financing and special interest activity in the ballot initiative process. He is currently the Scholar in Residence at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center Foundation.
It appears the Republican Party of Florida has decided to come out of the closet. It’s a big step for the party, as it appears that it has officially abandoned all pretenses of being an inclusive, big-tent party

Read More....

Parshall suggested Matthew Shepard's lifestyle was responsible for his murder, called gay adoption "state-sanctioned child abuse"
Summary: During a discussion about the implications of "the buzz around" the film Brokeback Mountain on CNN's Larry King Live, radio host Janet Parshall referred to the adoption of children by same-sex couples as "state-sanctioned child abuse," and implied that the "lifestyle" of Matthew Shepard, a gay man, was partly to blame for his 1998 murder.
During the January 17 edition of CNN's Larry King Live -- dedicated to a discussion about the implications of "the buzz around" award-winning film Brokeback Mountain (Focus Features, 2005) -- radio host Janet Parshall referred to the adoption of children by same-sex couples as "state-sanctioned child abuse" and implied that the "lifestyle" of Matthew Shepard, a gay man, was partly to blame for his 1998 murder.
Opining on gay marriage, Parshall called it a "pretend family," arguing that "God himself" defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and that "everything else is a fraudulent misrepresentation." She then asserted that allowing a gay couple to adopt constituted "state-sanctioned child abuse because you've purposely taken away either a momma or a daddy, and mom and dad are both necessary in a child's life."
Speaking about Shepard's death -- the result of severe injuries sustained during a violent beating at the hands of two men who, purportedly claiming to be gay, lured him from a campus bar at the University of Wyoming -- Parshall first asserted that she was not offering "a justification of what happened, because it was wrong, wrong, and wrong;" nonetheless, she suggested that "there's a lot of questions about his [Shepard's] background," and asked, "[W]as he looking for trouble in all the wrong places?"
Parshall also told host Larry King that she was not at all surprised at the "buzz" surrounding Brokeback Mountain because "what we're witnessing, Larry, is the homosexualizing of America."
According to an article in American Outlook, the quarterly magazine of the conservative Hudson Institute, Janet Parshall's America "reaches 3.5 million listeners five days a week." The show is syndicated by Salem Radio Network.
From the January 17 edition of CNN's Larry King Live, which featured a discussion that included Parshall, actor Chad Allen, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president R. Albert Mohler Jr., and former Mayor of Casper, Wyoming (Shepard's hometown) Guy Padgett III:
PARSHALL: No, I didn't see the film and I'm not at all surprised that out of seven [Golden Globe] nominations Brokeback walked away with four, and some might say that's an indication of what the Oscar ceremonies might look like later on this year.
KING: Why would you comment on it if you haven't seen it?
PARSHALL: Well, I'm interested in all of the buzz around the film. I'm not the least bit surprised that we're hearing so much chatter. After all, I think what we're witnessing, Larry, is the homosexualizing of America.
[...]
PARSHALL: Well, there's a lot of questions about his [Shepard's] background. Was he, in fact, coming -- and this is no way, shape, or form, a justification of what happened because it was wrong, wrong, and wrong. Let there be no ambiguity there.
But, in reality, I understand that Matthew was somewhat of a person who hung around some of the gay bars and was coming on to some people. So, was he looking for trouble in all the wrong places?
If I were his mom, I would have given him some counsel, "stay away from that kind of a lifestyle," because there's a way that seems right on demand and the end therein is death, and, unfortunately, it cost Matthew his life.
[...]
PARSHALL: What I have against it is that it's a pretend family, Larry. Let's talk about this. You talked about the law but really the genesis of this law -- no pun intended -- happens to be the Book of Genesis. It was God himself who defined family as one man and one union; one man, one woman in that union, and everything else is a fraudulent misrepresentation. And, you know --
KING: But, in Genesis, guys had five wives.
PARSHALL: Yeah, they sure did, and guess what, the Bible also said they had a boatload of trouble. In fact, it's interesting USA Today writes a piece --
KING: But still called them family.
PARSHALL: Well, that also said it was called a problem. God's plan all along was one man and one woman, and when those patriarchs stepped outside that plan, that rest of that book says they had a whole bunch of trouble. So, it isn't about hurting me personally, Larry. It's about hurting our culture. It's about hurting our kids.
I think when two people of the same sex get together and they decide to use the moniker of a marriage, I think it's a grotesque misrepresentation, and actually, if that union decides that they want to then adopt children 'cause biology says they can't create children, then I think what you have in many respects is state-sanctioned child abuse because you've purposely taken away either a momma or a daddy, and mom and dad are both necessary in a child's life.
KING: Would you agree that a homosexual union can raise a pretty good child and a heterosexual union can raise a pretty bad one?
PARSHALL: I would agree that probably, we need to reform the foster care system and we need to tear down some of the encumbrances to the adoption laws in this country, but I don't think it's a good idea to say to Johnny, "Guess what, two daddies are going to meet all your needs just like a mommy and a daddy are," because that's just not true.
—S.G.

-

GOP BANKROLLING GAY MARRIAGE BAN

Florida Republican Party donates $150,000 to support ban on gay marriages

By Jason Garcia
Tallahassee Bureau
Posted January 12 2006


TALLAHASSEE · The Republican Party of Florida gave $150,000 to the group that wants to put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot, new campaign finance records show.

The party's donation -- more than three-quarters of the total that the group sponsoring the amendment, Florida4marriage.org, has raised so far -- comes as supporters are struggling to meet a state-imposed deadline for gathering signatures.

Backers must collect 611,009 signatures and have them certified by local elections offices by Feb. 1. Florida4marriage.org officials say they have gathered roughly 250,000 so far for their proposal, which would also prohibit civil unions that offer the same benefits as marriage.

Word of the contribution also comes a week after a host of Republican leaders, including the state party chairwoman and both of the GOP's leading candidates for governor endorsed the measure.

Having a proposal to ban same-sex marriage on the ballot could help the Republican Party by rallying religious conservatives to the polls in a year when Floridians will elect Gov. Jeb Bush's successor.

A spokeswoman for the Republican Party said political considerations played no role in the GOP's contribution.

The party made the donation "solely because we support the issue," said Camille Anderson, the spokeswoman.

Still, Anderson acknowledged, "It happens to be beneficial to have initiatives on the ballot that Republicans feel strongly about."

John Stemberger, the chairman of the group sponsoring the amendment, said the money has been largely spent on mailers alerting supporters of the impending deadline and distributing petitions.

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564.

AREA 9 SPECIAL MEETING
BROWARD DEMOCRATIC EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE

Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Place: City Commission Chambers
City Hall
100 North Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL
AGENDA:
A. 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM: Candidates' Forum (Fort Lauderdale Mayor and City Commission). All candidates for municipal office (who are registered Democrats) have been invited to attend.
B. 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM: FOCUS 2006 – Organizing to Help Ron Klein Win 22nd Congressional District and Mobilizing Turn-out Outside the 22nd Congressional District. State Senator Ron Klein is the invited speaker for this session; we will break out into District Caucuses to begin to develop strategies and a work plan. (See note below on Caucus discussion points.)
While this is a meeting for DEC members, we are reaching out to Democratic club/caucus members to attend.
All Dolphins resident in Fort Lauderdale are invited to attend.
All Dolphins resident in the 22nd Congressional District (Clay Shaw's) should plan to attending.