By Ramy Eletreby

Catholic Church Leaders Come Out Against Same-Sex Marriage

Cardinal Roger Mahoney, the archbishop of Los Angeles, joined 50 other prominent religious leaders, including seven high-ranking Roman Catholic officials, in signing a letter calling upon Congress to pass the Marriage Protection Amendment, a constitutional amendment blocking same-sex marriage. In the 2004 elections, evangelical Protestants led the charge for federal and statewide marriage amendments. Other cardinals to sign on include Francis George of Chicago, Edward Egan of New York, Theodore McCarrick of Washington, William Keeler of Baltimore, Sean Patrick O'Malley of Boston, and Justin Rigali of Philadelphia. Dr. Rick Warren, the founding pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. and author of the New York Times' best-selling The Purpose Driven Life, also signed the petition.

Additionally, Pope Benedict XVI continued his anti-gay attacks, saying during Good Friday observances that the moral world is battling "a diabolical pride aimed at eliminating the family," reports 365Gay.com.

Meanwhile, on May 6 at 6 p.m., the Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Catholics will celebrate 20 years of ministry with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles with a special multi-lingual Mass at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood.

APLA and MCC Address Crystal Meth Crisis

Beginning May 8 at the West Hollywood Park Auditorium, APLA will launch a series of community forums dealing with crystal meth addiction and its connection with HIV from 7-9 p.m. Speakers at "Crystal: The Good, the Sad and the Ugly," will include writer/activist Tony Valenzuela, Peter S. Theodore of the Friends Research Institute, and APLA addictions specialist Lydia Szamraj. A study released last summer showed that among 19,000 MSM who tested for HIV from 2001-2004, the rate of reported crystal meth use nearly doubled from 5.8 to 10.3 percent. Among MSM who tested HIV-positive, crystal meth use nearly tripled from 11.7 to 30.2 percent. For more information, see www.apla.org.

The Metropolitan Community Church, meanwhile, has created "Deconstructing Meth/Deconstructing Me," an interactive workshop that can be scheduled for presentation by local churches and community organizations. For more information, see www.mccchurch.org.

Court Bans Inflammatory T-Shirts at School

On April 20, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a homophobic T-shirt worn by Tyler Harper, a San Diego-area high school student, could be banned without compromising the student's right to free speech. The T-shirt stated, "Be ashamed, our school embraced what God has condemned" on the front and "Homosexuality is shameful" on the back. In the 2-1 decision, the court wrote that wearing such a T-shirt "was injurious to gay and lesbian students and interfered with their right to learn," reports the L.A. Times.

"Public school students who may be injured by verbal assaults on the basis of a core identifying characteristic such as race, religion, or sexual orientation have a right to be free from such attacks while on school campuses," wrote Judge Stephen Reinhardt. "Being secure involves not only the freedom from physical assaults but from psychological attacks that cause young people to question their self-worth and their rightful place in society."

The incident occurred in 2004 when school officials prohibited Harper from wearing the shirt to protest the Day of Silence. Harper sued, claiming that his rights to free speech and freedom of religion had been violated.

Liberty Hill Honors Lisa Powell

Liberty Hill Foundation, a leading progressive organization supporting social change, will honor longtime black lesbian activist Lisa Powell at their prestigious Upton Sinclair dinner on May 10 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Powell, an attorney, co-founded United Lesbians of African Heritage (ULOAH) in 1989 and is now the executive director. ULOAH's annual Sistahfest retreat provides a safe space for black lesbians to socialize and discuss the social/economic change movement. Powell, a one-time ACT UP activist, often speaks out at LGBT rallies and demonstrations for equal rights. For more information, call (310) 453-3611 or go to www.libertyhill.org/dinner.

L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Honors Women

This year the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's annual Women's Night on April 29 focused on dancing and socializing at the Music Box at Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood. The Center also honored three community leaders and activists: Rose M. Marcario, co-founder of the Gay & Lesbian Theatre Alliance; Kim Bergman, Ph.D., clinical director of Growing Generations; and Prajna Paramita Choudhury, program consultant for the South Asian Network. "Women's Night is a true night of celebration and joy as well as an opportunity to honor our own," said event Co-Chair Pam Clifford.

Heilman Proposes Global AIDS Effort

During his installation as West Hollywood Mayor on April 17, John Heilman said that one of his priorities this year will be to "spearhead an effort globally to do our part" in the fight against HIV/AIDS which, he said, is "nothing sort of catastrophic." He will ask that some of the money raised during APLA's AIDS Marathon, for instance, go to organizations doing international work. He also intends to hold regular city fund-raisers and challenge other mayors to do the same. West Hollywood, Heilman said, must "share our great resources in the world that needs our assistance."

Lambda Legal Appeals Lesbian Infertility Ruling

On April 24, Lambda Legal filed papers asking the California Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling that allowed Southern California health-care providers to refuse infertility treatment to lesbian patient Guadalupe Benitez, based on their religious beliefs. "Our client's doctors' behavior goes against established medical ethics and violates California civil rights law," said Jennifer C. Pizer, Lambda Legal senior counsel. "We're asking the Supreme Court to reverse the lower court's decision because it goes against the very issue the court settled in 2004 when it ruled that Catholic Charities, a social services agency and not a church, may not violate civil rights laws no matter how earnestly they may wish to." According to a Lambda press release, the doctors claim a right not to comply with California's civil rights law because they are fundamentalist Christians and they object to treating a lesbian patient the same way they treat other patients.

San Francisco Launches Safer Sex Tips Via Cell Phone

The San Francisco Department of Health has launched a program to deliver safer sex tips via text messages on cell phones to young people ages 12-24, the San Francisco Chronicle reported April 26. "A lot of teenagers don't go to clinics, and they're afraid to ask questions. Text messaging, it's no one's business but yours," Michelle Irving, a 22-year-old Health Department peer educator told the Chronicle. "They don't have to talk to someone if they think they're pregnant or their condom broke. It's confidential, so no one has to feel embarrassed or humiliated." To receive the SF Public Health Department text messages about safer sex, send the message "sexinfo" to (917) 957-4280 on MetroPCS phones or 36617 on all other cell phones. More information is available online at www.sextextsf.org.

GLASS' DeCrescenzo Honored

Terry DeCrescenzo, executive director of Gay and Adolescent Social Services, a not for profit agency that provides a comprehensive set of services for LGBTQ foster youth, including group home care ... and foster family training/placement, received the National Association of Social Worker's Lifetime Achievement Award at their annual luncheon held at the Hilton LAX.