Transsexuals win strip-search choice

TORONTO -- A group that supports transgender rights is applauding a "precedent-setting" decision by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario that gives transsexuals who are strip-searched by police the right to choose between female or male officers or both to perform the act.

The ruling, which stems from a complaint by a man who was in the process of becoming a woman, is a "win-win" for both transsexuals and police, said Laurie Arron of Egale Canada, a group that advocates equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The transsexual complainant was strip-searched by male Peel Region police officers in May and August of 1999 and March 2001. The complainant asked to have the search performed by female officers each time, but was repeatedly denied.

The ruling, issued May 16, also sets out directions for officers who have doubts that a detainee is transsexual, and ordered Peel police to produce a training video on transsexuality for its members.

"It upholds the human rights of trans-people, and the police training will help everyone to get along better," Arron said.

Officers also cannot refuse to strip-search transsexuals unless they believe they have significant rights of their own to protect.

'FULL AND EQUAL'

The tribunal's decision was also lauded by Barbara Hall, chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

"This precedent-setting decision recognizes that transsexual individuals are full and equal members of society who must be accorded respect, dignity and freedom from discrimination," Hall said.



Gay film festival marks its 30th year with 266 movies in a range of styles

John McMurtrie, Chronicle Staff Writer

The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival turns 30 this year, and in the parlance of the day, it still looks fabulous.

Touted as the longest-running and largest event of its kind in the world, the festival for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cinema is screening a wide selection of films -- 266 in all -- from June 15-25. The festival program was announced Tuesday.

There are feature films that deal with health issues, documentaries about same-sex marriage and a lot of lighthearted offerings ("Dyke Delights," anyone?).

Among the highlights of Frameline30, as the 11-day event is also called, will be a tribute to French director François Ozon, who will be honored with the 2006 Frameline Award at a June 20 screening of his latest film, "Time to Leave." (Frameline is the film funding and distribution organization that oversees the festival.)

Ozon has directed several accomplished and varied films that belie his relative youth -- he's 38. His writing and directing credits include the campy whodunit "8 Women," the seductive thriller "Swimming Pool" and the dark drama "Under the Sand." Five of his films will be shown during the festival.

"Time to Leave," a sentimental drama, is about a 30-year-old (Melvil Poupaud) who learns that he has a terminal disease (not AIDS, as he suspects), and proceeds to dramatically alter his life. The great actress Jeanne Moreau plays his grandmother.

The festival's opening-night movie is "Puccini for Beginners," a romantic comedy directed by Maria Maggenti. (Maggenti's 1995 film "The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love" opened Frameline19.) A gala will follow at the San Francisco Design Center Galleria.

Closing out the festival will be "Queens," a Spanish romp directed by Manuel Gómez Pereira, about a mass wedding of same-sex couples. The closing-night party also will be held at the Galleria.

Thirty-two countries will be represented at the festival, with titles coming from as far away as Iceland, India and Nigeria. The Bay Area will have a strong presence as well: 47 local filmmakers are in the lineup.

Eleven of the festival's films will be world premieres.


June 15 Thursday

Castro Theatre

7:30 pm Puccini for Beginners (90 min)
10:30 pm The Masseur (80 min)

San Francisco Design Center

10:00 pm Opening Night Gala


June 16 Friday

Castro Theatre

12:00 pm Tough Girls (98 min)
3:00 pm Meth (79 min)
6:00 pm Whole New Thing (92 min)
8:30 pm Loving Annabelle (80 min)
10:45 pm George Michael: A Different Story (100 min)
Roxie Film Center

6:00 pm Half a Life (71 min)
8:00 pm Jack Smith & the Destruction of Atlantis (96 min)
10:30 pm ¡El Presidente! (75 min)
Victoria Theater

6:00 pm Lulu Gets a Facelift (67 min)
8:00 pm 20 Centimeters (113 min)
10:30 pm Flirting With Anthony (88 min)


June 17 Saturday

Castro Theatre

11:00 am Fun in Boys’ Shorts (89 min)
1:30 pm Fun In Girls’ Shorts (84 min)
4:00 pm The Believers (80 min)
6:15 pm Mom (70 min)
8:30 pm Boy Culture (87 min)
10:45 pm OpenCam (105 min)
Roxie Film Center

11:00 am God & Gays: Bridging the Gap (90 min)
1:30 pm Queer Experiments (99 min)
4:00 pm The Dark Matter of Mars (76 min)
6:15 pm Innocent (80 min)
8:30 pm Vice & Consent (57 min)
10:30 pm Vacationland (104 min)
Victoria Theater

11:00 am Take the Flame! Gay Games: Grace, Grit & Glory (85 min)
1:15 pm Rock Bottom: Gay Men & Meth (65 min)
3:30 pm 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (70 min)
5:30 pm For the Love Of Dolly / Camp Michael Jackson (102 min)
8:00 pm Boy I Am (81 min)
10:15 pm Lost in Generation (77 min)


June 18 Sunday

Castro Theatre

10:30 am The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (73 min)
12:15 pm Dyke Delights (109 min)
2:45 pm 50 Ways of Saying Fabulous (90 min)
5:15 pm What’s Up, Scarlet? (84 min)
7:30 pm Wild Tigers I Have Known (93 min)
10:00 pm Soap (102 min)
Roxie Film Center

11:00 am Rainbow’s End (80 min)
1:15 pm Mom’s Apple Pie / Queer Spawn (87 min)
3:45 pm Ugly Ducklings (95 min)
6:00 pm Tough Girls (98 min)
8:15 pm Octopus Alarm (107 min)
10:30 pm Love Life (72 min)
Victoria Theater

11:00 am Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing (126 min)
1:45 pm Trans Francisco (97 min)
4:00 pm Saving Marriage (90 min)
6:15 pm The Conrad Boys (93 min)
8:30 pm Inciting Hope - Queer Women of Color Shorts (91 min)
10:30 pm Kiki and Herb Reloaded (75 min)


June 19 Monday

Castro Theatre

11:00 am Mom (70 min)
1:00 pm 8 Women (111 min)
3:30 pm Eye on the Guy: Alan B. Stone & the Age of Beefcake (46 min)
6:00 pm Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig (110 min)
8:45 pm The Favor (79 min)
10:30 pm Go West (97 min)
CinéArts@Empire

7:00 pm Sun Kissed (92 min)
9:15 pm Far From Sunset Boulevard (130 min)
Parkway Theater

6:30 pm Unveiled (97 min)
9:15 pm A Love to Hide (103 min)
Roxie Film Center

6:00 pm Small Town Girls (103 min)
8:15 pm Hotel Gondolín / Harsh Beauty (105 min)
10:30 pm Don’t F**K With Me (83 min)
Victoria Theater

6:00 pm FAG HAGS: Women Who Love Gay Men (75 min)
8:00 pm Rag Tag (99 min)
10:30 pm Whispering Moon (97 min)


June 20 Tuesday

Castro Theatre

12:00 pm Love Life (72 min)
2:15 pm Lover Other (67 min)
4:15 pm Muxes: Authentic, Intrepid, Seekers of Danger (102 min)
7:00 pm Time to Leave (85 min)
9:30 pm Backstage (115 min)
CinéArts@Empire

7:00 pm Last Second (112 min)
9:30 pm Stray Cats (115 min)
Parkway Theater

6:30 pm Octopus Alarm (107 min)
9:15 pm The Conrad Boys (93 min)
Roxie Film Center

6:00 pm BE REAL (81 min)
8:15 pm Derek Jarman: Life as Art (87 min)
10:30 pm Killing Rock Stars (95 min)
Victoria Theater

6:15 pm Emerging Voices (75 min)
8:30 pm Shabnam Mousi (150 min)


June 21 Wednesday

Castro Theatre

11:00 am Momma’s Boy (91 min)
1:15 pm Mom’s Apple Pie / Queer Spawn (87 min)
3:30 pm Sun Kissed (92 min)
6:00 pm A Very Serious Person (92 min)
8:30 pm small town gay bar (91 min)
10:30 pm The Kinsey Sicks: I Wanna Be a Republican (90 min)
CinéArts@Empire

7:00 pm Red Doors (90 min)
9:15 pm Broken Sky (140 min)
Parkway Theater

6:30 pm The Favor (79 min)
9:15 pm Go West (97 min)
Roxie Film Center

6:00 pm Do It Yourself - New Youth Films (57 min)
8:15 pm Family Ties (94 min)
10:30 pm Sitcom (80 min)
Victoria Theater

6:00 pm Cruel and Unusual (70 min)
8:15 pm FtF: Female to Femme (76 min)
10:30 pm the sex movie (93 min)


June 22 Thursday

Castro Theatre

11:00 am Family Ties (94 min)
1:15 pm “With You!” (68 min)
3:15 pm Boys School (95 min)
6:00 pm Pick Up the Mic (94 min)
8:30 pm Paper Dolls (80 min)
10:30 pm Two Drifters (102 min)
CinéArts@Empire

7:00 pm Eleven Men Out (85 min)
9:15 pm Strangers With Candy (97 min)
Parkway Theater

6:30 pm Last Second (112 min)
9:15 pm Stray Cats (115 min)
Roxie Film Center

6:00 pm Lover Other (67 min)
8:00 pm Like a Brother (82 min)
10:15 pm Criminal Lovers (96 min)
Victoria Theater

6:00 pm Saint of 9/11 (91 min)
8:15 pm Bad Girls Behind Bars (80 min)
10:30 pm AMNESIA-The James Brighton Enigma (90 min)


June 23 Friday

Castro Theatre

11:00 am The Line of Beauty (180 min)
3:00 pm Worldly Affairs (103 min)
6:00 pm Wrestling With Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner (102 min)
8:30 pm Looking for Cheyenne (87 min)
10:30 pm Dirty Laundry (118 min)
Roxie Film Center

6:00 pm FABULOUS! The Story of Queer Cinema (82 min)
8:15 pm Crush (1904 min)
10:30 pm Water Drops on Burning Rocks (90 min)
Victoria Theater

6:00 pm The Gymnast (96 min)
8:30 pm The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green (88 min)
10:30 pm One Night Stand (80 min)


June 24 Saturday

Castro Theatre

11:00 am Why We Sing! (106 min)
1:15 pm Fat Girls (82 min)
3:30 pm Laughing Matters...More (75 min)
6:00 pm Queer Duck: The Movie (74 min)
8:30 pm Bam Bam and Celeste (85 min)
Roxie Film Center

11:00 am Beyond Conception (75 min)
1:15 pm Performative Queers (88 min)
3:30 pm Books of James / Reporter Zero (99 min)
6:00 pm Yours Emotionally (86 min)
8:00 pm Unveiled (97 min)
10:30 pm Colma: The Musical (113 min)
Victoria Theater

11:00 am Like a Brother (82 min)
1:15 pm The Line of Beauty (180 min)
5:00 pm CAMP OUT (78 min)
7:15 pm Trantasia (95 min)
9:30 pm Another Gay Movie (90 min)


June 25 Sunday

Castro Theatre

12:00 pm Fun In Girls’ Shorts (84 min)
2:30 pm Fun In Boys’ Shorts (89 min)
4:45 pm A Love to Hide (103 min)
7:30 pm Queens (107 min)

San Francisco Design Center

10:00 pm Closing Night Party



Two gay and lesbian soldiers discharged a day
25-May-2006

PinkNews.co.uk writer

The American military discharges two lesbian, gay and bisexual recruit’s a day, according to a report.

New data obtained by Servicemembers Legal Defence Network (SLDN) indicates the armed forces continued to discharge two lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel per day in 2005.

The rate of discharge has remained relatively consistent each year since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and represents a 40% decrease compared with years prior to the attacks.

A total of 742 military personnel were discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on openly gay service members, up from 668 discharges among the services in 2004.

“The time has come for the Pentagon to call on Congress to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” said SLDN executive director C Dixon Osburn.

“The law deprives our nation of thousands of skilled men and women who could be instrumental in fighting the war on terror. Our national security suffers because of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”

The Army discharged 386 soldiers in 2005, up from 325 the year before. The Air Force dismissed 88 airmen, down slightly from 92 in 2004; the Navy discharged 177 members, the same as the prior year; 75 Marines were discharged, up from 59 the year before; and the Coast Guard discharged 16 men and women, compared to 15 in 2004, the research suggests.

According to an analysis of 2000 census data by statistician Gary Gates, there are currently 65,000 gays serving in the armed forces. “Many gay and lesbian service members are out to colleagues, yet ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ still threatens to cut their careers short if they get caught in the crosshairs of this counterproductive law,” Mr Osburn added. According to Mr Gates, an additional 41,000 lesbian and gay Americans may enlist for military service if the ban were repealed.

The military’s need for qualified and experienced personnel also continues to grow. The San Antonio Express-News recently reported that the armed forces are facing a “major” officer shortage, including falling short by 2,500 captains and majors in the Army this year, with that number increasing to 3,300 in 2007.

In an attempt to attract new recruits and fill the gap, Pentagon leaders have recently relaxed enlistment standards regarding age, physical fitness, education and criminal records. The discharge of lesbian and gay Americans, however, continues.

A bi-partisan coalition in Congress now supports legislation to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1059), introduced in March 2005 by Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA) now has 116 supporters, including five Republican lawmakers. Meehan’s legislation would repeal the military’s ban and allow lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel to serve openly in the armed forces.

Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to achieve the three-star rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Army, also called earlier this month for Congress to repeal the military ban. “The Army teaches its soldiers, officers, NCOs and other enlisted personnel to live by seven values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honour, integrity, and courage.”

Ms Kennedy said in an interview with reporter Peter Cassels. “Tell me: which is only found in the heterosexual population?”