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Por lo Tanto pedimos Su Apoyo p%uFFFDrr Exigir la mienbros C%uFFFDmara de Diputados de M%uFFFDxico , y evaluado FUE Lleva en El Pecado S%uFFFD Cabo juicio pol%uFFFDtico del presidente Felipe Calder%uFFFDn Hinojosa , El Caso del del Trabajo , Javier Lozano Alarc%uFFFDn , El Caso del de Energ%uFFFDa , Georgina Kessel Mart%uFFFDnez, El Director de la Comisi%uFFFDn Federal de Electricidad de , Alfredo El%uFFFDas Ayub , Actos Los Siguientes :

- Decapado de las Naciones, Unidas 44 Millones de Trabajadores SUS %uFFFD Presentadas en Virtud de Pecado Trabajo Previo aviso .
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Although The Well described nothing more salacious than a kiss “full on the lips,” the book faced obscenity trials in both the U.K. and the U.S. In the U.K., among those pushing for the book to be banned were Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin and Chancellor Winston Churchill. They were successful, and the court ordered that all copies of the book be destroyed. In the U.S., copies were confiscated and charges brought against the publisher, but a New York court eventually allowed publication.

Although it is unlikely that a judge today would order the destruction of all copies of a book, LGBT-themed books still face challenge and censorship. Some come under fire for being sexually graphic, but others are attacked simply for including a character who has two moms, even if they play little part in the book.

The U.K. trial of The Well also shows that the search for “scientific” evidence to support anti-LGBT measures has a long history. Sir Archibald Bodkin, Director of Public Prosecutions, said to one doctor, according to the Guardian, “I want to be able to call some gentleman of undoubted knowledge, experience and position who could inform the court of the results to those unfortunate women (as I deem them) who have proclivities towards lesbianism, or those wicked women (as I deem them) who voluntarily indulge in these practices — results destructive morally, physically and even perhaps mentally.”

Physician Sir William Henry Willcox obliged, writing, “[Lesbianism] is well known to have a debasing effect on those practising it, which is mental, moral and physical in character. It leads to gross mental illness, nervous instability, and in some cases to suicide in addicts to this vice. It is a vice which, if widespread, becomes a danger to the well-being of a nation …”

We’ve seen the same recently in the Proposition 8 case and in a case on whether to overturn the law against adoption by determining whether a gay man in Florida can adopt the boys he and his partner have been fostering for many years. The anti-LGBT side tried to marshal medical and sociological experts to support their cases and claim a danger to families and our national well-being.

Their lack of success, however, indicates that some things may indeed have changed since the 1920s. The “experts” ended up either supporting the positions they were supposed to oppose, or being thoroughly discredited by the judges. George Rekers, who testified in the Florida case, additionally found himself hoisted on his own . . . umm . . . luggage . . . when he was found traveling with a young man whom he had met through the Web site Rentboy.com and hired, he said, to carry his bags.

LGBT books will continue to face challenges in the foreseeable future. Even if LGBT people gain legal equality, there will no doubt be people who continue to believe LGBT topics (“graphic” or not) are inappropriate for public libraries and schools. But it is also notable that on Hall’s birthday, the LGBT community heard that a stay in the Prop 8 case was denied and same-sex couples should soon be able to marry in California. The future is looking bright — but that is all the more reason to reflect on and learn from the past.

Happy Birthday, Radclyffe Hall

But that seems to be changing – a bit. You’d never think it, but it seems that professional sports teams are warming to the idea of having LGBT nights. When it comes to the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Golden State Warriors in California became only the third team to hold an LGBT-focused event earlier this year. The Toronto Raptors were first in 2004, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers.

I wanted to get a sense of what’s going on behind the scenes at a professional sports team. I got in with Lorrie-Ann Diaz, director of marketing communications and advertising for LeBron James’ new team the Miami Heat. Lorrie-Ann is out and proud and offered some great insight on what it’s like to work for a professional sports team and how “the straights” and she interact.

I want to know what your experience has been like as a lesbian working for a major sports team. It sounds like it has been a positive one. Can you tell me why?

I’m delighted to say that my experience as an out lesbian working for a major pro sports team has been a very good one. Perhaps it sounds cliché, but the HEAT’s business operation is a microcosm of our city. We are a very diverse workforce – at every level. And fortunately for those of us who work here, this diversity is welcomed and celebrated.

At the end of the day, we work in sports and entertainment: an industry that creates fun. As such, playfulness and fun is part of our professional DNA. Well, during my first year with the club, my then girlfriend sent me a bouquet of flowers. As I carried the bouquet back to my desk (our office is wide open, like a newsroom), my boss jokingly teased, “Ooh! Someone’s got a man!”

I smiled to myself and thought: “There’s no way I’ll be able to stomach more of that teasing! It will be too stressful and taxing to lie about who I am.” So a few days later, I invited my boss (the EVP/CMO) out to lunch.

At lunch, when I disclosed my sexuality (and he apologized for his unwitting faux pas), he was incredibly kind, compassionate and very supportive. And I knew part of that compassion and understanding stems from his own life (he’s a minority himself and in an inter-racial marriage).  When I think back to that time – 2010/2011 will be my 11^th season – it was only about eight months into my employment with the HEAT. I knew I was taking an enormous risk. But his reaction exceeded my expectations and, as the fairytale goes, we’ve lived happily ever after!

Have you heard of other sports teams where people work that aren’t so welcoming to LGBT folks?

Unfortunately, intolerance still exists all over this country and our industry is not exempt. I personally have not heard of any team that is not welcoming to the LGBT community. But I’d prefer to focus on the positive. As my own experience illustrates, taking a risk can often lead to the opening of doors and the start of an important and ongoing dialogue. In my humble opinion, this is the way we break down stereotypes and intolerance: one person, one conversation, one experience at a time.

Do you think players would want domestic partner benefits? I know plenty of straight couples who like that option because they don’t feel forced to be either “together” or married. It’s a nice middle ground.

That’s a good and valuable question although I can’t purport to know what the players want and don’t want. In my own life and career, I was overjoyed when the HEAT announced that it would begin offering domestic partner coverage as part of our overall benefits package. I was proud of my franchise for considering the needs of all of its employees. And as you point out, gay couples aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit from domestic partnership coverage — an important detail that is often overlooked.

Is there any professional organization that welcomes LGBT workers at sports teams? If not, why not?

I’m not aware of any organization that formally welcomes LGBT workers if/when they join a sports team. I can only speculate as to why that is but I’d venture to say that perhaps it is so because sexual identity is such a highly personal and private matter. Notwithstanding, having been out for so long in my workplace, I guess I’m a one-woman welcoming committee of sorts. Throughout the years, some of my co-workers have approached me for guidance simply because I’m very open about my lifestyle.

Do you belong to any queer professional organizations? How long have you been with the Heat?

While I don’t formally belong to any queer professional organizations, the 2010/2011 season will be my 11^th at the HEAT. I know many local movers and shakers in our community and they often and actively seek me out for sponsorship and promotional support for things like events and fundraising and I am happy to oblige them as often as I can.

In addition, I prefer to work behind the scenes, leveraging games and/or concerts to organize social opportunities for professional lesbian women to meet and network.

I wasn’t always in sports management. I kind of fell into it back in 1998, the year of the lockout (I was still living in Los Angeles in those days). I answered a classified ad placed by the Los Angeles Clippers, who were looking for a marketing assistant. After a year there, I decided to come back to my hometown here in the Magic City and thank goodness, got my foot in the door at the HEAT. I worked my way up from Marketing Assistant to Advertising Manager to my current position as Director of Marketing Communications and Advertising. As the years have gone on, I realize how blessed and lucky I am to work in such a supportive environment with such great, smart, and talented people.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Out and Proud, and Working for the Miami Heat

It’s time for America to choose cleaner energy—we must move away from outdated, dirty energy sources to smarter choices. New clean energy and energy efficiency technologies will create safe, green jobs, provide power without contaminating our land, water, and air, and will help curb global warming pollution.

Unfortunately, the Senate has yet to overcome the political impasse that is delaying action on this critical issue.

Please tell President Obama and Carol Browner, Director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Policy, that we need their leadership to break this impasse and ensure that Congress passes comprehensive climate and energy legislation this year.
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