The Human Rights Campaign expressed concern with the proposed funding levels for HIV/AIDS programs in the president's fiscal year 2005 request. While details on spending continue to emerge, the requested budget would fund prevention programs at the National Center for HIV/STD and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at $696 million when the nation spent $700 million in 2003, and the budget provides flat funding for nearly every care and treatment program within the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act.
Workers at a large healthcare center in the Bronx, New York, were charged with stealing funds from the clinic to benefit the campaign of their boss—a former city councilman running for borough president, reports 365gay.com . Four former managers of the Soundview Health Center were accused of stealing $25,000 from the nonprofit as well as closing an AIDS clinic on election day so that workers could perform campaign work.
A pitcher a Cleveland Indians minor league team confessed, again, to appearing in a gay porn movie three years ago, reports AP. Kazuhito Tadano asked for forgiveness for his 'one time' mistake that happened while he was playing college baseball in Japan. Tadano's representative says the scandal caused him to be rejected by the major league teams in Japan. Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia says Tadano will be welcomed in the Indians bullpen when he's ready.
A downtown Las Vegas outdoor strip mall refused to rent space to a new nightclub after the management company found the club may have gay clientele, reports KVBC-TV. The $100 million entertainment complex is less than two years old and apparently struggling to survive. Donald Troxel, an Ohio businessman, said the management of the strip mall told him his lease would not be granted because of the gay nature of the business.
Several labor unions in Massachusetts are coming out in favor of civil marriage for gay couples, reports the Boston Globe. The Massachusetts legislature is set to vote on a possible amendment to the state constitution that could ban gay marriages. But unions representing nearly 200,000 people are lobbying legislators to drop the idea of banning the marriages. On the anti-gay marriage front is the Roman Catholic Church and the Coalition for marriage who plan to send out 1 million letters and host rallies supporting the ban. Members of the state Democratic party voted to support the rights of gays to marry.
The United Nations made a small move toward furthering gay equality, reports Reuters. The organization offers employees health and other benefits to gay and other unmarried couples if the employees' home countries would allow such benefits. Employees from less than a dozen nations would likely be eligible to apply for the benefits.
Gay men and lesbians in the military have a new social support system, reports Gay.com . Military Community Services Network was established as a support for gay troops and their families. MCSN's executive director and founder Tony Smith said there's a need for such an organization because the military does not provide support for gay couples.
Concerned Women for America, a conservative women's organization claiming 500,000 members nationwide, says the fight against gay marriage is on top of their agenda this year, according to Human Events. Sandy Rios, president of CWFA, told Human Events that merely banning gay marriage and allowing civil unions would be like a Constitutional Amendment 150 years ago outlawing 'slavery' but allowing people to own other humans as long as they called it something different.
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