DOMESTIC
National News Notes
by David Stout. Q-Notes staff
High court legalizes gay adoption
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Adoptions by
same-sex couples became legal last month
when the Indiana Supreme Court refused to
hear a challenge to an appellate court ruling
permitting joint and sec
ond-parent adoptions.
The case centered
around longtime part- ^
ners Becki Hamilton and
Kim Brennan who were
fighting the Morgan
County Juvenile Court
for custody of their
infant foster daughter, identified as W.
By a vote of 4-1, the high court decided to
let stand a ruling by the Indiana Court of
Appeals that found it lawful for two unmar
ried persons of the same or opposite sex to
seek a joint adoption. Indiana Attorney
General Steve Carter appealed the decision.
Gay rights law firm Lambda Legal represented
Hamilton and Brennan.
The decision was condemned by state Sen.
Jeff Drozda (R-Westfield, pictured), who
opposes gay adoptions. He said the courts
were not representing the views of Hoosiers,
adding that he will introduce legislation in
2007 to bar same-sex couples from adopting.
charged Rev. Janet Edwards, a minister
in the Pittsburgh Presbytery, of violat
ing the Church’s constitution by per
forming a marriage for two women in
June 2005. Rev. Edwards faces penalties
that could include rebuke or loss of her min
istry. The Presbyterian Church is sharply divid
ed over allowing marriage ceremonies for
same-sex couples.
When Rev. Edwards married Nancy
McConn and Brenda Cole last year, she said it
was one of the spiritual high points of her
ministerial life. She defended her decision
throughout the inquiry. “Nancy and Brenda
demonstrated a strong commitment to each
other and to God. I saw no reason not to pub
licly recognize their commitment because they
happen to be two women.”
Last March, a minister who married two
same-sex couples in the Redwoods Presbytery
of Northern California was found not guilty of
violating church law when the Presbytery
ruled that the marriage of same-sex couples is
not “outside of, or contrary to the essentials of
the Reformed faith.”
Rev. charged for marrying couple
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — An investigating
committee of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Celebrity citing, part one
NEW YORK, N.Y. — There will be no wed
ding bells for celebrity supercouple Brad Pitt
and Angelina Jolie until gays and lesbians are
granted the right to marry, Pitt revealed in
“Esquire” magazine’s October issue, on news
stands now. “Angie and I will consider tying
the knot when everyone else in the country
who wants to be married is legally able,” the
42-year-old actor said.
Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, hailed
the announcement. “Brad’s comments will
absolutely help open people’s eyes to the fact
that committed gay and lesbian couples are
still denied the right to marry and that there
are really ugly efforts underway across this
country to keep us from having any legal pro
tections whatsoever.”
Pitt and Jolie are actually the second
Hollywood couple who are forestalling mar
riage until it’s available to same-sex couples.
Last November, Oscar-winning actress
Charlize Theron told TV’s “Extra” that she and
longtime boyfriend Stuart Townsend will get
married the day gay marriage becomes legal.
DVD supports LGBT foster youth
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — A new
DVD/CD resource has been released to edu
cate service providers who work with LGBT
youth in the foster care system. The DVD,
“Breaking the Silence: LGBTQ Foster Youth
Tell Their Stories,” features the heartfelt, self-
made videos of 10 former foster youth who
identify as LGBT. Through their words and
images they share their experiences in state
care, as well as their recommendations for
improving the system.
In each three-minute story the youth detail
what it was like coming out in foster care; how
important it was to find supportive allies; the
effects of rejection by family and foster par
ents; the challenges of transitioning gender
while in state custody; and what providers
need to know about LGBT youth.
The accompanying CD contains more than
25 training tools for social workers, probation
officers, group home workers, foster parents,
system administrators, lawyers, youth advo
cates and others who work with queer foster
youth. “Breaking the Silence” is available free
from the National Center for Lesbian Rights,
www.nclrights.org.
Celebrity citing, part two
LOS ANGELES, Calif — Openly gay talk
show host Ellen DeGeneres (pictured) will host
the 79th Annual Academy Awards, slated for
February 25,2007. This will be the comedian’s
first time hosting or even attending the Oscars,
but she has successfully hosted the Grammys
and the Emmys. In fact, her graceful handling
of the Emmy telecast in the wake of 9/11
reportedly earned her the Oscar job from pro
ducer Laura Ziskin.
In a statement Ziskin
said, “Ellen DeGeneres
was born to host the
Academy Awards. 1 can
already tell she is going
to set the bar very high
for herself and therefore
for all of us involved in
putting on the show.
Now all we need is a lot of great movies.”
If DeGeneres is anxious about following in
the footsteps of Billy Crystal or Whoopi
Goldberg — the show’s only other female host
— she’s not letting it show. “There are two
things I’ve always wanted to do in my life,” she
joked during the announcement. “One is to
host the Oscars. The second is to get a call
from Laura Ziskin. You can imagine that day’s
diary entry/’>
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SEPTEMBER 23.2006 • Q-NOTES 9