Scientists breed mice with two fathers

Scientists have created mice with two fathers, suggesting that technology could one day be used to allow gay male couples the chance to have children with genes from both parents.

Researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Texas used a series of steps to create the mice.

They manipulated stem cells from a male mouse (father A) to create ‘”male eggs” without the male Y chromosome. These were then put into embryos and transplanted into surrogate mother mice.

The resulting mice, which were all female, had genetic material from both father A and the donated eggs and sperm from the embryos. Some of the eggs they produced had only genetic material from father A.

They were then mated with another male (father B) and their offspring, both male and female, contained genetic material which came from only father A and father B.

The researchers admitted that the process was complicated but said that if it was refined, “someday two men could produce their own genetic sons and daughters”.

It could also be used for lesbians to have children.

“It may also be possible to generate sperm from a female donor and produce viable male and female progeny with two mothers,” researchers said.

Another use could be to preserve endangered species where no females remain.

The study was published this week in the journal Biology of Reproduction.

In 2008, researchers at the University of Newcastle created primitive sperm cells with female embryonic stem cells.

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk 

Conservatives Resubmit Anti-Gay Marriage Manhattan Declaration App

A Christian conservative group on Thursday announced it had resubmitted
 to the iTunes store a modified app declared “offensive” by Apple.

The Manhattan Declaration app is a mobile version of the manifesto unveiled
 last year in New York by religious leaders opposed to gay marriage.

Apple removed the app from its iTunes store because “it violates our
 developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people.”

The free app included the 4,700 word document, which users were asked to electronically sign, and a four-question survey. One question asked, “Do you support same-sex relationships?” Users who answered “yes” were told that
they had replied incorrectly.

The group's new version deletes the quiz.

“In reading some of the blogs and press on the Manhattan Declaration app,
we understand that one element of the app, the poll, seemed particularly offensive to those who asked for the app's removal,” the group's Chuck
 Colson said in a statement.

“As a sign of goodwill, we have removed the poll and have resubmitted
 the app without it,” Colson added.

The app was deleted from the digital store after more than 7,000 people
signed a Change.org petition urging Apple to remove it.

But the Christian group behind the app responded with its own online
petition. More than 43,000 people signed onto the petition asking Apple
 to restore the Manhattan Declaration app, the group said.

“Despite the claims of some, the Declaration does not promote hate or homophobia. It is not anti-gay. Rather, it proclaims that all human beings
are loved by God and are worthy of respect,” the petition reads.

Supporters of the document include Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council (FRC), a group recently labeled a hate group by the
 Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), James Dobson, founder of the
 anti-gay Christian-based Focus on the Family, and Bishop Harry R.
 Jackson, Jr., the District of Columbia's most visible opponent of its
 gay marriage law.

BY ON TOP MAGAZINE STAFF 
PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 12, 2010

EU wants end to Czech practice of making 'gay' asylum seekers watch porn to check if they are aroused

The EU has told Czech Republic to stop its controversial practice of trying to determine whether asylum seekers are gay by showing them blue movies to gauge their 'sexual arousal' levels.

Those subjected to what Czechs referred to as the 'porno exam' were men claiming asylum on the grounds they would be in danger in their homelands due to their sexuality.

If any of the applicants got aroused at the sight of men and women having sex they were automatically denied asylum rights.

Asylum seekers had to watch both 'straight' and gay porn. Sensors were attached to the private parts and linked up to a computer to test whether they were stimulated or not

The men were shown both 'straight' and gay porno films by Czech officials. Sensors were attached to the private parts, linked up to a computer, to test whether they were stimulated or not.A Prague interior minister spokesman said the tests had been valuable in determining whether men were really gay or not but the EU said they were clearly a breach of the human rights charter of the bloc.

In a report on homosexual equality, the Agency for Fundamental Rights said 'phallometric testing was questionable, since it is dubious whether it reaches sufficiently clear conclusions'.

The Czech Republic is the only country in the EU that uses phallometric testing in order to distinguish true asylum seekers from those that might use claims of homosexuality and subsequent persecution back home as ruse to get into the country.

The Czech Interior Ministry is fighting back against the criticism, reportedly claiming the testing has been carried out in fewer than 10 cases and always in the presence of a medical specialist. 

Ministry spokesman Pavel Novak also claims the test was only used on unreliable applicants from nations such as Iran, where gays and lesbians are subject to prosecution.

He went on to note all those who passed the test had been granted asylum.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk


By ALLAN HALL

Carol Channing: I've Had A Love Affair With The Gay Community

Tony Award-winning actress Carol Channing says she's had a love affair with

 the gay community.

The 89-year-old actress-singer-comedienne became a gay icon starring in Broadway hits Hello, Dolly! and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

In 2002, the City of San Francisco proclaimed February 25 to be Carol

 Channing Day in honor of her outspoken support for LGBT rights.

In an interview with gay networking website dot429.com, Channing says 

she's had a love affair with the gay community.

“I honestly don't know,” Channing says in response to a question on the

 state of gay marriage. “I never cared if someone was gay or not. If a

 friend was gay? Well, that's all there was to it.”

“The gay community is responsible for so much of my success, and I

 love them. It's a mutual love affair, really. They make the better audiences

 too, because they laugh often and loudly. Applause is obligatory,

 but laughter is a reward, and gay audiences reward me often. Years ago,

 I was made their Queen in San Francisco, which is so much better than

 legend or icon. I was told that on that day, there wasn't a blonde wig to

 be found in stores. Isn't that wonderful”

Channing added that she doesn't think of herself as a gay icon: 

“The moment you do, then you're not. There are so many talented

 people that have been called a 'gay icon' that have no similarities at all.”

BY ON TOP MAGAZINE STAFF 

WikiLeaks exposes Vatican cover-up

The American media has been endlessly debating the merits of WikiLeaks over the past few weeks, but 

the U.S. government isn't the only one whose secrets are being leaked. Wikileaks has just released new documents that shed greater light on the Vatican's sordid role in the recent Irish priest sex scandal:

Pope Benedict refused to allow Vatican officials to testify in an investigation by an Irish commission into alleged child sex abuse by priests, according to U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, The Guardian newspaper reported.

Benedict was also reportedly furious when Vatican officials were called upon in Rome, The Guardian reported Saturday.

According to the documents, Benedict even went as far as to say the Murphy Commission of Inquiry into sexual and physical abuse "offended many in the Vatican."

"The Vatican believes the Irish government failed to respect and protect Vatican sovereignty during the investigations," it said.

So after all the protests by Catholic officials and parishioners that the Pope knew nothing about these atrocities and that the Church conspired to cover them up, here's further evidence of their complicity. So eager was the Pope to protect the Vatican thta he even denied investigators access to Vatican officials, interfering with the Irish abuse investigation and putting even more children in danger. There is simply no way an intellectually honest person could conclude from the facts that the Pope values the safety of Catholic children more than protecting the reputation of the Catholic Church.

And the most disturbing part of this whole story is that Irish officials let the Pope get away sabotaging the investigation. The leaked documents reveal the Vatican was granted immunity by Irish investigators because of the belief that opposition politicians were publicly putting pressure on their government to vilify the Vatican just to further their own careers.

The Irish government, meanwhile, wanted "to be seen as co-operating with the investigation" because its churches and education department were also involved in the scandal.

So the Irish government eventually just gave in. And so rapists and their accomplices just get away with their crimes and more and we have every reason to believe more and more child rapes will continue to take place among Catholic priests who will never see the inside of a jail cell.

Oh, and then there's the whole Vatican money laundering scandal.

There will never be a better business model for an organized crime syndocate than the Catholic Church. Al Capone has nothing on Ratzinger.

examiner.com

DA's Investigation Pushed Michael Portantino Over The Edge

  A district attorney's investigation into allegations of fraud pushed Michael Portantino, the former publisher of San Diego gay weekly Gay & Lesbian 

Times, over the edge, Portantino lawyer Marc Carlos says.

The 52-year-old publisher on Wednesday jumped off the Park Manor Suites

 Hotel to his death. His body was discovered by passers-by, who called emergency services.

Portantino abruptly shut down his 22-year-old publication in October,

 leaving behind irate staffers who complained that their checks had 

bounced.

Lawyer Marc Carlos told alternative the San Diego Reader that an ongoing investigation pushed his client into despair.

“There was never any discussion that [Portantino] would not be charged,

” Carlos said. “We were discussing potential charges that we could 

negotiate. I wanted misdemeanor chargers.”

“The investigation involved allegations of inflating circulation to 

advertisers.”

“He was distraught over the whole thing – people impugning his integrity. 

That is what pushed him over the edge,” Carlos added.

Authorities began investigating Portantino after the now defunct San

 Diego News Network reported the allegations in a May 11 story. The story,

 and subsequent investigation, sent advertisers packing.

Portantion was the brother of California Assemblyman Anthony Portantino.

ontopmag.com

Carrie Fisher: Everyone Knows John Travolta is Gay

By GossipGirl. Published on 12/12/2010 

Speaking to the Advocate in a candid interview, actress/screenwriter/novelist Carrie Fisher dropped a bombshell about a fellow actor, stating that everyone knows John Travolta is gay.

Gay rumors have plauged Travolta since the 1980's, but he has alwas denied them and has put his legal team to work to squash the rumors time and time again. But Fisher showed now fear in discussing the topic.

The interviewer asked her:

“I know you and Travolta go way back, so let’s get really blunt here: Does his (Travolta’s) legal team have any business demanding Gawker remove a recent post suggesting that he’s given (bleep) jobs?”

Fisher replied:

“Wow! I mean, my feeling about John has always been that we know and we don’t care. Look, I’m sorry that he’s uncomfortable with it, and that’s all I can say. It only draws more attention to it when you make that kind of legal fuss. Just leave it be.”

Back in 2009, Fisher also mentioned in a piece about 10 things gay men should know about women:

“We don’t really care that John Travolta is gay.”

Travolta was first called gay by Paul Barresi, a porn star who gave a tell-all interview about an alleged gay relationship with the actor in the 1980s. Later, he recanted, but then changed his mind again and said it was true. Over the years, other men have come forth claiming relationships with John.

Adding fuel to the rumors has been Travolta's behavior, which includes kissing male staff members on the lips.

Catholics Tell Minnesota Archbishop: Jesus Wouldn't Fight Civil Rights for Gay Couples

A few months ago, the Catholic Church in Minnesota spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to mail out more than 400,000 DVDs to families across the state. On those DVDs was a simple, concise, yet very anti-gay message: Catholics are not allowed to support gay marriage, and they should never vote for a political candidate who does.

Catholics in the pews were outraged at the Church for spending so much money and so many resources, especially during tough economic times, on fighting something that more and more Catholics see a basic civil right. One local artist decided to collect copies of the DVD, and turn their homophobic message into a piece of artwork that stood for equality. And then there are the folks at ReturnTheDVD.org, who not only organized a campaign to get pro-equality Catholics to send DVDs back to the Archdiocese, but waged a campaign to raise money to fight homelessness and poverty -- things the Catholic Church should be committed to fighting, rather than the civil rights of gays and lesbians.

Today, ReturnTheDVD.org is announcing that they're sending back 3,000 DVDs to the Minnesota Catholic Conference, and that they've raised more than $10,000 which they will give to organizations working to alleviate poverty.

"We deliver these DVDs in love and with the hope that all those affected by the message in them will see that there are many Catholics who feel very strongly that the Church's hierarchy is wrong on this issue," say organizers. "We ask for prayers of acceptance, tolerance and inclusiveness for all. That is exactly what Jesus was all about!"

Yes, that may have been all that Jesus was about. But it's certainly not what the Minnesota Catholic Conference has been about of late.

Coupled with the DVDs, these activists will also send an official letter to the Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul, expressing their dismay that a Church with such a rich history of social justice is seemingly abandoning efforts to fight for health care, a strong educations system, an end to poverty, and for a world free from war and violence.

"Imagine the positive effect the money spent on these DVDs could have had on homelessness and poverty in our communities, especially in this economy," the letter reads. "We pray that you will take to heart the concerns of the thousands of Catholics who believe the Church hierarchy’s current actions, as reflected in the DVD, are inconsistent with what Jesus teaches us about how we should treat others."

Now that's a powerful message to send.

The institutional Church might have the resources to send out 400,000 anti-gay DVDs. But they don't have the numbers to support their campaign, nor do they have history on their side. More to the point, for all of the Minnesota Catholic Church's efforts to urge voters to support politicians who oppose same-sex marriage, Minnesota just elected a Governor who proudly championed his support for marriage equality on the campaign trail.

Seems like the people have spoken. And they'd much rather see the Catholic Church tackle homelessness and poverty, than targeting same-sex couples and LGBT families.

Photo credit: returnthedvd.org

Petraeus Aide Marvin Hill: If Troops Can't Deal With DADT Repeal, They Should Leave The Service

Marvin Hill speaks with General David Petraeus in January 2010.

WASHINGTON -- A senior aide to David Petraeus, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, is out with a strong statement in support of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT), saying that servicemembers who can't adjust to the change should think about leaving the military.

"If there are people who cannot deal with the change, then they're going to have to do what's best for their troops and best for the organization and best for the military service and exit the military service, so that we can move forward -- if that's the way that we have to go," said Command Sergeant Major Marvin Hill in an interview with Roland Martin on Washington Watch, set to air on Sunday.

Indeed, one of the arguments put forth by many critics of repeal is that integrating the forces will result in a loss of large number of servicemembers opposed to the change.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen addressed this concern during his recent testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, stating, "Should repeal occur, some soldiers and Marines may want separate shower facilities. Some may ask for different berthing. Some may even quit the service. We'll deal with that."

Also in the interview with Washington Watch, Hill said that he believes "the troops are ready for something like this."

"We know that if there is a change, that that change will have to be led, and it's going to have to be led by senior leaders such as myself and -- and others across the battlefield. Senior leaders are the ones [that are] going to set the tone in the unit and enable the unit to move forward."

In March, Petraeus told Congress that he believed the time had come to repeal the military's ban on DADT. He has also said that in his personal experience of serving with openly gay and lesbian CIA officers, "after the 10 seconds of awareness wore off, the focus was on the professional attributes of these individuals."

huffingtonpost.com