Iowa’s LGBT Newspaper - ACCESSlineIOWA

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., didn’t mince words Thursday in calling for the repeal of the long-standing ban on gay men donating blood.

“Not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban,” Kerry wrote today in Bay Windows, a New England-based gay and lesbian newspaper.

A letter to the FDA — spearheaded by Kerry and signed by 20 other Senate Democrats — is more guarded, calling for the administration to review — and modify, if appropriate — the long-standing prohibition.

“With hospitals and emergency rooms across the country in constant and urgent need of blood products, we believe certain blood donor deferral policies should be reviewed and appropriately modified and modernized while ensuring the blood supply meets the highest possible standards that we all expect in America,” the lawmakers write.

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Read the complete article at: http://bit.ly/923kKa

The only performance of cirque du soleil ~ alegria in iowa!

Cedar Rapids, IA - Cirque du Soleil is pleased to announce that the critically-acclaimed production Alegría will perform in Cedar Rapids at the U.S. Cellular Center from March 10-14, 2010 for eight performances only.

 

Tickets are available at http://bit.ly/aF2u65, the U.S. Cellular Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster Outlets, or charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Alegría is a Cirque du Soleil classic and an internationally acclaimed production that has entertained more than 10 million people worldwide since its world premiere in Montreal in 1994. In May 2009, Alegría embarked on a new journey, performing the same mesmerizing production, but now in arenas throughout North Ametrica, giving more people the opportunity to enjoy a Cirque du Soleil show in their own town.

By stating his staunch opposition to the Iowa Supreme Court’s 2009 decision on same-sex marriage, Bob Vander Plaats has positioned himself as the hard social conservative among the remaining three Republican candidates for Iowa Governor.

The Iowa Family Policy Center ("IFPC") exclusively endorsed Vander Plaats in a rally on the steps of the state capitol in early January. The IFPC even went so far as to declare that they would not support the leading candidate, Terry Branstad, should he win the nomination. Analysts across the political spectrum have pointed out that this threatens to divide votes for the eventual Republican candidate in November, but the IFPC seems more concerned with a strict anti-equality stance in their candidates than likelihood for actual election.

(Anybody familiar with the phrase "Does not play well with others" will probably agree that this is a good description for the Iowa Family Policy Center.)

Now remember that political caucuses can be influenced by the most motivated elements in their party, and social conservatives today are somewhere between outraged and rabid. However, recent polls have clearly shown that most Iowans are not concerned about same-sex marriage.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; this rule is something by which we are all bound regardless of our knowledge or perception of it. The purpose of this column is to explore the actions and reactions we have to the decisions and questions raised in our ever-adapting world. The reactions here are intended to stimulate debate in the hope that through it, we can better see what unites us in the face of our differences.

On January 27^th, 2010 President Obama called for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (“DADT”) by the end of the year. Following this, numerous high ranking officials and officers, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense, and the Commanding General of US forces in Iraq, have come out in opposition of the policy. How should we react to this issue becoming a priority in the face of so many problems our nation is facing and why is it still controversial to repeal a policy that even its architects like Gen Powell now oppose? Furthermore, to say that openly gay men have not served in the military is inaccurate. In January of 1993, Justin Elzie outed himself to Peter Jennings and continued to serve openly until his honor­able discharge in 1997.

Yet in the 17 years since DADT was passed, more than 13,000 men and women have been voluntarily or forcibly discharged. This number includes decelerated pilots like LtCol Fehrenbach, war heroes like Eric Alva, human intelligence collectors like Alex Nich­olson, and linguists like Lt Dan Choi. There are those like RADM Steinman who, for the 25 years until he retired, suffered silently, and those like Joseph Rocha whose careers and pride were silenced by those the policy empowered to humiliate and degrade them. Make no mistake, even today gay service­men fill every billet, are in every branch, and occupy every rank. As Senator McCaskill put it, “the issue isn’t whether or not gay and lesbian Americans are serving in the military; it’s whether or not we talk about it.”