Breaking News.... "Pregnant Man Gives Birth"
This just in……
Lesbiatopia has just learned this morning from one of our 24 Hour Tip Line sources that THOMAS BEATIE, also know to the world as the 'PREGNANT MAN,' gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
He is the first legally male person ever to do so. He will be raising his new baby with his wife, Nancy.
Bettie, 34, a trans gender man, who was born Tracy, stunned the world this when past spring when he announced that he was pregnant.
Today we discovered he delivered a healthy baby girl at a hospital in Bend, Oregon, and that the birth was natural, according to our source, who added that earlier reports that Beatie had planned a cesarean section were not true.
Bettie, despite years of taking male hormones and living outwardly as a man, maintained that he retained his female sex organs because he knew one day he intended to get pregnant.
He recently quoted as saying...I feel it's not a male or female desire to have a child. It's a human need. I'm a person and I have the right to have a biological child."
He was impregnated with sperm from a donor. His wife, Nancy, inseminated him at home with a device they bought from a veterinarian.
Further Details and up dates as they arrived here in our Lebiatopia News Center...so stay tuned
As a rugby player for several years, with Paula the Surf Mom calling me a "rugby great" back in my college days, this story really hit a soft spot in my heart, and one that any sports enthusiast could find solace in. This is the story of one incredibly brave, gay, rugby-playing hero.
Mark Kendall Bingham, a 6 ft 4 in, 225 pound openly gay American born May 22, 1970 in Phoenix, Arizona was a force to be reckoned with... on the rugby field. Off the field, he was a gentle human-being, a partner of six years and above all, a hero. Read on for his brave and touching story...
On September 11, 2001, when 31-year-old Mark Bingham, rugby player and a public relations executive from San Francisco boarded United Airlines Flight 93 in Newark, NJ, little did he know that the flight he was about to get on, would go down in September 11 history. Sadly, on that day, United Airlines Flight 93 did not reach its intended destination; instead it crashed in an empty field just outside Shanksville, PA, about 150 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.
The 9/11 Commission, through testimony, tapes of passengers' phone calls, and the 
flight data recorders recovered from the crash determined that crew and passengers, alerted through phone calls to loved ones, had overpowered the most of the hijackers. The Commission concluded that the remaining hijackers then crashed the plane to keep the crew and passengers from regaining control.
Mark Bingham is believed to have been among the passengers who attempted to storm the cockpit to try to prevent the hijackers from using the plane to kill hundreds or thousands of additional victims. He made a brief airphone call to his mother, Alice Hoglan, shortly before the plane went down. Hoglan, a former flight attendant with United Airlines, later left a voicemail message on his cell phone, instructing Bingham to reclaim the aircraft after it became apparent that Flight 93 was to be used in a suicide mission.
Mark is survived by his former partner of six years, Paul Holm, who says this was not the first time Bingham risked his life to protect the lives of others. He had twice successfully protected Holm from attempted muggings, one of which was at gunpoint. Holm describes Bingham as a brave, competitive man, saying, "He hated to lose — at anything." He was even known to proudly display a scar he received after being gored at the running of the bulls in Pamplona.
Bingham was also a keen rugby player, playing for one of USA’s leading gay & bisexual rugby teams - San Francisco Fog RFC.
In 2002, a coordinating group of gay & bisexual rugby teams based around the globe got together to create IGRAB, a body to promote rugby as an all-inclusive non-discriminatory sport which everyone can play, regardless of sexuality. The formation of this body led to the inauguration of a new international rugby competition which, in a unanimous decision by all the members of IGRAB, became known as the Bingham Cup.
The first Bingham Cup was held in 2002 and hosted by the San Francisco Fog, Mark Bingham’s home team. That year, eight teams traveled to California to compete over two days with the Fog coming out on top as the Cup’s first winners. In 2004, the Bingham Cup was hosted by London’s Kings Cross Steelers. From eight teams just two years prior, twenty teams from four countries were fielded for the 2004 Bingham Cup which was won for the second time by the San Francisco Fog. New York's Gotham Knights took up the host mantle in 2006 and along with the addition of a third day of match play the Knights presided over a new mid-tier competition (The Bowl) and an inaugural Women's competition. That year the Cup and Plate were won by the Sydney Convicts and The Bowl was won by the Boston Ironsides.
SF Fog win The Bingham Cup® in June 2002 in San Francisco
Photo by Allan Lee
This Friday, June 13th, 2008, the 6th Annual Bingham Cup will commence in Dublin, Ireland for 5 consecutive days of a tournament focused on fair competition, rugby skills development, value for money, camaraderie and having the craic (What's the craic? Craic is an irish language word for good times/gossip/music/drinking/debauchery of any kind/or good clean fun). Sounds like good old-fashioned Rugby to me!
In addition to having an entire rugby tournament named in his honor, Mark Bingham has received many memorials, including:
I would like to dedicate this article to the All-American Rugby player and hero, Mark Bingham, and share with you the song "Tuesday Morning", by Melissa Etheridge, which was written in his memory:
10:03 on a Tuesday morning
in the fall of an American dream
a man is doing what he knows is right
on flight 93
Loved his mom and he loved his dad
loved his home and he loved his man
but on that bloody Tuesday morning
he died an American
Even though he could not marry
Or teach your children in our schools
Because who he wants to love
Is breaking your God's rules
He stood up on a Tuesday Morning
In the terror he was brave
And he made his choice and without a doubt
A hundred lives he must have saved
And the things you might take for granted
Your inalienable rights
Some might choose to deny him
Even though he gave his life
Can you live with yourself in the land of the free
And make him less of a hero than the other three
Well it might begin to change ya
In a field in Pennsylvania
Stand up America
Hear the bell now as it tolls
Wake up America
It's Tuesday Morning
Let's roll….
Melissa Etheridge - Tuesday Morning
Lesbian Politics: The Nacho Bean Dip of News (WARNING: SEVERELY BAD METAPHORS AHEAD)
Got guests arriving in 10 minutes and afraid you'll never be able to come up with anything current or interesting to talk about? Never fear! I whipped this up just for you. Even if you look at nothing else political this week, learn these headlines! Below is a veritable layered party dip of stories I am dying for you to know.
LGBT folk anticipate particular hardship during poor economy.
Next, the guacamole. Smooth, creamy goodness.
Young voters vote Democratic and pro-gay.
On top of that, the sour cream. Sour cream and this story are favorite things of people with munchies.
Barney Frank (and I) totally, totally want you to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, dude, like, seriously.
(Psssssst, hey Cali ladies! If Barney Frank's bill right there were to pass, anyone with a medicard could grow up to but no more than 6 plants legally (!) and never have to pay for the dankydank again. Urge your Congresspeople to sign before my . . . um . . . er . . . glaucoma! gets any worse. 6 plants would just about fix my s*** right up; wouldn't you agree, Doctor?)
We finish, of course, with the cheese!
You may or may not be able to tell the difference between John McCain and George Bush; what I want to know is, can you tell the difference between John McCain and an old carrot?
Serve with a salty, pointy tortilla chip of pain that will likely cause a 5-inch gash in your esophagus. (Dave Barry fans out there?)
Speculators knock OPEC off of oil-price perch.
OK, and one final LGBT soupçon in case you get hungry later.
Both sides raising big bucks over marriage amendment.
When you're full, put in fridge to chill, and then you take a nap.
Lesbian Politics: U.S. Justice Dept. Fired Attorney for Rumors of Being a Lesbian
Leslie Hagen may or may not be a lesbian, but the U.S. Justice Dept. allegedly fired her over rumors that she might be one.
Why do you care?
In the majority of workplaces in the U.S., that is still legal.
There are two things to consider here; one is the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the other is the U.S. attorney-firing scandal.
Prior to ENDA, the legality of being gay in the workplace was a question of states' rights. The following states protected you from being fired if you were gay (not even if you were trans necessarily):
· California
· Colorado
· Connecticut
· Hawaii
· Illinois
· Iowa
· Maine
· Maryland
· Massachusetts
· Minnesota
· New Hampshire
· New Jersey
· New Mexico
· New York
· Rhode Island
· Vermont
· Washington
· Wisconsin
· District of Columbia
· (For everywhere else, it was Screw you, queer!)
The House of Representatives introduced the ENDA bill in April 2007 to protect LGBT folks at the federal level. In September 2007, some politicians got nervous that including protections for trans people might keep the law from passing, so they revised it without trans protections. The new version of the bill, HR 3685, passed.
This is old news in the LGBT community, but we should examine this anew in light of Leslie Hagen's job termination.
Without protections for trans people, no one in the LGBT community is protected by ENDA. Our sexual orientations receive federal protections, but our gender identities do not. What ENDA says in its present form is that so long as gay people act and look like straight people, federal law protects their jobs.
To explain: a femme is a woman who "looks like a woman" by average hetero standards, so that is acceptable in the workplace; a butchie, however, can still be accused of being a woman who "wants to look like a man," which can be considered "inappropriate workplace attire," which still--legally--can result in employment termination under ENDA.
Leslie Hagen's firing occurred before the introduction of ENDA, but consider the following. Hagen was a GOP loyalist in a Republican administration. Her final performance review shows marks of "Outstanding" in every category. The woman who took issue with her, Monica Goodling, was also a Republican--with a J.D. from Regent University (the one founded by Pat Robertson). (If you follow those links, the implication of that becomes pretty clear.) No proof was required for Goodling; the rumor was bad enough. As one Republican source for the NPR story said, "To some people, [being a lesbian is] even worse than being a Democrat."
And as the investigation continues, Goodling continues to get away with it.
Leslie Hagen was not the only person to be fired under Monica Goodling's scrutiny. The U.S. Justice Dept. under Alberto Gonzales fired seven other U.S. Attorneys under the broad scope of the Patriot Act, and at least two other Attorneys were fired with no explanation at all. These attorneys were Bush appointees who allegedly had plans to investigate the administration and its officers for wrongdoing.
The U.S. Justice Dept. is supposed to be (a) a non-partisan entity and (b) just. With Bush's hijacking of the different branches of government comes the frightening prospects that (a) governing documents will outlaw LGBT freedoms, and (b) the attorneys and judges who would combat our injustices will be silenced.
Keep abreast of ENDA updates here:
The Task Force
And stay on top of the attorney-firing scandal here:
Blog Search
Hey Ladies! If you happened to be a New York City gal and decided not to go to Dinah Shore next weekend you might want to stop by the 15th Original GLBT Expo at the Javits Convention Center. It’s the exciting world where business and entertainment come together to bring you everything GLBT friendly.
“For the past 15 years, the EXPO has helped to present the finest products & services available to the GLBT consumer. Starting in 1993, the EXPO has generated over $35,000,000 of dollars spent within the Greater Tri-State area. This includes GLBT friendly companies from every industry, both large and small, Fortune 1000 and Gay-owned companies. They have all discovered the GLBT Community is affluent, brand-loyal, well educated and business minded. It is the truest definition of "THE PERFECT NICHE MARKET".”
There will be 400 exhibits, samplings, giveaways, and seminars. Joining the expo family this year id the International Gay Franchise Expo with opportunities that can change your future and for those who are looking to tie the gay knot they'll have the nations largest Gay Wedding Event.
And for those of us who are environmentally conscious The GLBT Expo is going Green with a pavilion of earth friendly companies.
The two day event isn’t all business! There is going to be tons of GLBT entertainment. I’m not too sure of the line up but if its anything like last years it shouldn’t be anything less than superb. Maybe if you stick around long enough you might get the chance to see one of your favorite GLBT performers.
If you have a few hours to kill, you want to start planning your gay wedding extravaganza, or want to go to a great place to network and meet people then stop on by and check The Original GLBT Expo.
Saturday, April 5, 2008 11 am- 7 pm
Sunday, April 6, 2008 12 pm- 6 pm
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
38th & 11th Aves | New York City
For directions call 212-216-2000
For more information go to: www.originalglbtexpo.com
I know I’ll be there checking out the scene, snapping photos and chatting it up with some of our gay brothers and sisters. Don’t worry if you can’t go I’ll give you the low-down.
If you don’t go the only one you’re hurting is yourself!
Did you go to the Prom? I did. I was straight back then, so I went with my boyfriend at the time. We had been dating for about two months - a long time in high school, so of course we were going to Prom together. It was... fine. Nothing extraordinary. Certainly nothing like what the media and ABC Family makes it out to be. It was just a dance, with an expensive dance and people I didn't like and a dinner I don't remember and pictures that turned out really bad. But for this couple, I hope Prom is a fantastic memory:
According to The Huntsville Times, Circuit Court Judge John Graham ordered yesterday that the Board of Education in Scottsboro, Alabama was to allow a lesbian couple to attend their high school Prom. Typically, courts are not in cession on Saturday, but seeing as it was the day of the Prom, a decision was pressing. Immediately after hearing the ruling, Chelsea Overstreet, 17, a junior, and her date Lauren Martin, 16, dressed in their prom clothes and attended a press conference. You can read the full article by David Brewer of The Huntsville Times here. Apparently, since there was no state law regarding this issue, the judge was able to cite a federal law which prevents public schools from denying same-sex couples admission to Proms.
Alabama, people! We're talking the Bible Belt! I could not be happier for this beautiful couple and I hope that their friends and classmates celebrate them as they deserve. I know that at times, we get discouraged with the state of gay acceptance in our country. But change never happens overnight, and progress is being made in baby steps every day. We must celebrate each of these victories, and then spread the news so that similar steps can be 
taken in other places. Can you imagine the day when, rather than Prom King and Prom Queen, a high school chooses to crown a "Prom Couple", regardless of gender? It makes me so excited to think about the ramifications of this decision and the ways that equality will continue to grow.
Most women in my generation (ages 20-40) did not come to terms with their sexuality until well after high school, due to either inward or outward homophobic pressures. As our world changes, though, teens are finding the freedom to explore and determine their sexuality at younger ages. This is something that is so much healthier for them, and we need to do everything we can to continue this progress. Anyone who was forced in the closet for any amount of time can tell you about the emotional and mental consequences that resulted from such a painful experience. I dream of a day when no child, teen, or young adult is forced to deny who they are because of other people's opinions or beliefs. I can't wait until we as a society create an environment which encourages acceptance of all people, all sexualities, all genders variants. Yes, I am a woman. I am a lesbian. I am a college-graduate. I am a white, middle-class American. But all of that is secondary. Those are adjectives. Characteristics, not identities. First and foremost, I am a human being. Just like you. I will respect you as such. And one day, the majority of the world will, too.
Health Ledger, academy award nominee and best known for his groundbreaking role as Ennis in Brokeback Mountain, was found dead in his bed at one of his residences in Soho, NYC by his housekeeper at 3:35 PM ET today. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they believe it was not a crime, adding prescription pills were found near his body.
According to NYPD a masseuse arrived at Ledger's apartment and was let in by a housekeeper. When he didn't answer his bedroom door, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened it and found him unconscious. They attempted to wake him, and when they couldn't they called 911.
TMZ was told when paramedics responded, the actor was in full cardiac arrest. They attempted to perform CPR on him, but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It is a sad, sad day for such an amazingly talented young actor.
Roses are red, violets are blue, please leave your comment, after your reading is thru. Read More......
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