Five Reasons Men Die

 This study does not includes AIDS. But it does includes some byproducts like stroke, etc.

Men's Health

by Bill Phillips and the Editors of Men's Health 

It was a sunny September day in the Pacific Northwest, and Jeff Hale had just closed a $1.5 million deal. To celebrate, he was taking the afternoon off, relaxing on his patio lounge, and playing ball with his dog. That's when he began feeling compression high in his chest, some pain in his left shoulder, and an unsettling sense of dread. At 44, he was in relatively good shape, although 15 pounds overweight and under a lot of stress from work. At first, he thought it was an asthma attack and took a hit off his inhaler. But when that didn't help, he remembered an article he’d read in Men's Health.

"There were two things from that article I recalled," he recounted to our reporter a few years ago. "One was that every heart attack is unique. My symptoms will be different from your symptoms. The other was, if you suspect you're having a heart attack, take an aspirin." Hale took two and drove himself to the hospital. He almost didn't make it. Doctors found blockages in three arteries and performed a triple bypass the next day. "They told me I'd saved my life," says Hale. "The aspirin thinned my blood, and the inhaler dilated my arteries."

Heart disease is the number one killer of men, claiming the lives of nearly 400,000 fathers, friends, brothers, and sons every year. Often, the difference between life and death is razor thin—remembering to pop an aspirin, not delaying your trip to the E.R.

This week is National Men's Health Week, which was created by Congress in 1994 to raise the awareness of the health threats uniquely facing men. To commemorate, we’ve put together a list of the most popular ways to die as a man in America. Collectively, these diseases kill nearly one million of us annually. And, chances are, your lifestyle or genetic profile puts you at risk for at least one of them.

But, as Jeff Hale learned, our fates are not sealed. If you understand your risks, and learn how to negate them, you can outrun the reaper. Here’s how:

STROKE
Why you’re at risk: Each year, nearly 50,000 American men die of a stroke, according to the American Heart Association. I know what you’re thinking: But those are really old men. But you’re wrong. In fact, 1 in 14 stroke victims is younger than 45. As a neurologist I interviewed a few years ago told me: “If you did MRI scans on a hundred 40-year-olds, you’d see that a large number have already had a silent stroke.” And that’s scary because small, silent strokes often precede large, debilitating strokes.

What you can do about it: Keep your blood pressure at 120/80 or lower. Every 20-point increase in systolic BP (the top number) or every 10-point rise in diastolic BPdoubles your risk of dying of a stroke, says Walter Kernan, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at Yale University. The good news: Simple lifestyle changes can dramatically reduce your risk. Assess your stroke risk right here, and learn how to turn the odds in your favor.

CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE
Why you’re at risk: Nearly 60,000 men died from COPD—which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema—in 2006, according to the CDC. The chief cause: the Marlboro Man. In fact, smoking causes 80 percent of COPD deaths. Considering that tobacco use has also been directly linked to the other man killers on our Top 5 list—notably, heart disease (#1) and cancer (#2)—you have to ask: Why are people still smoking?

What you can do about it: It’s pretty simple, really. You need to figure out how to kick butts for good. Improve your odds by joining a gym—smokers who are trying to quit often fall off the wagon during stressful moments. Regular exercise lowers levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the brain. Warning: Going cold turkey is one of the least successful ways of quitting. Find out how to tilt the odds of success in your favor by checking out Will You Be Able to Quit Smoking?

ACCIDENTS
Why you’re at risk: According to the CDC, 80,000 men die each year in unexpected tragedies, from sports injuries to fires to falls. But the most preventable accidental deaths are the 30,000 that occur on America’s roads every year.

What’s that? You’re a great driver? Not surprising that you think so. According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 72 percent of drivers regard themselves as more skilled than everyone else. Researchers trace the bias to a fundamental information imbalance, namely that the poorest performers are also the least able to recognize skill (or lack of skill) in themselves or others.

But fine, let’s say it’s true. Then consider the guys you’re sharing the road with: Surveys indicate there's a nearly 80 percent chance they speed regularly, and a 53 percent likelihood they talk on the phone while driving. There's a 4 percent chance they run red lights—on purpose—and a 2 percent chance they have driven after drinking too much. These guys make Evel Knievel look like a defensive driver.

What you can do about it: If you do one thing today, make it this: Stop texting while driving. You’ve probably heard that texting behind the wheel is just as dangerous as drinking and driving. Not true. Texting is way more dangerous. In fact, texting increases your risk of a crash by 23 times (versus 11 times for driving under the influence), according to a Virginia Tech study. Step into the MH Driving Simulatorand test how well you multitask behind the wheel. 

CANCER
Why you’re at risk: The Big C killed nearly 300,000 men in 2010, according to the American Cancer Society. Lung cancer tops the list, accounting for 29 percent of all cancer deaths, followed by prostate cancer (11 percent) and colon/rectum cancer (9 percent). We all know that smoking causes lung cancer, but the risk factors for prostate cancer are less well known. Yet, it’s one of the most common—1 in 6 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetimes—and least understood killers of men.

What you can do about it: Take our quiz to determine your risk. If you’re at high risk, put certain staples of the Mediterranean diet on your plate. A study published in theJournal of the National Cancer Institute shows that men who eat more than 10 grams of garlic or scallions (about three cloves of garlic or 2 tablespoons of scallions) daily have a 50 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than those who eat less than 2 grams. Sound like too much of a good thing? Other studies have linked the lycopene in cooked tomato products to lower prostate cancer risk; aim for at least two servings a week. And if you really like coffee . . . Harvard researchers found that drinking 6 cups a day reduces your risk of developing advanced prostate cancer by 59 percent.

HEART DISEASE
Why you’re at risk: This is the deadliest disease known to man. More than 1 in 3 adult men have some sort of heart disease and more than 390,000 men died of the killer in 2007, according to the American Heart Association.

But you’re a fit, healthy guy, right? Why would you die of heart disease? Believe it or not, not every victim of the disease is overweight or inactive. Men’s Health Editor Peter Moore discovered this eight years ago. He was doing everything right: He was thin, exercised regularly, and ate a healthy diet. But none of that prevented one of the arteries in his heart from becoming 99 percent blocked. Still think you’re risk-free? You can find out your heart disease risk by clicking right here.

What you can do about it: Small lifestyle changes can yield big results when it comes to improving heart health. Here are four simple changes you can make today:

• Exercise for 30 minutes. Middle-aged men who exercise vigorously for two hours a week (aim for 30 minutes, four times a week) have a 60 percent lower risk of a heart attack than inactive men.

• Lose the spare tire. If you’re overweight, dropping 10 to 20 pounds lowers your risk of dying from a heart attack. In fact, a 10-year study found that overweight people had heart attacks 8.2 years earlier than normal-weight victims.

• Drink five glasses of water a day. Men who drink that many 8-ounce glasses are 54 percent less likely to have a fatal heart attack than those who drink two glasses or fewer. Researchers say the water dilutes the blood, making it less likely to clot.

• Count to 10. Keeping your cool under stress may keep you alive. Men who respond with anger are three times more likely to have heart disease and five times more likely to have a heart attack before turning 55.

Gays Flock to The new State With a Gay Marriage Law

People celebrate after the New York Senate passed a bill legalizing gay marriage in New York June 24, 2011. New York's state legislature gave final approval on Friday to same-sex marriages, a key victory for gay rights ahead of the 2012 presidential and congressional elections.

Photograph by: Jessica Rinaldi, Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Waves of gay couples rushed Saturday to make wedding plans, as euphoria over New York State’s legalization of same-sex marriage promised to turn the annual gay pride parade here into an enormous roving engagement party.
In the wake of the law passed by the legislature and signed by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo late on Friday, engagement rings were offered and accepted and champagne corks popped to kick off wedding plans that are likely to add an estimated $284 million to the state’s economy, according to a report by the Independent Democratic Conference.
The report estimated that more than 21,000 gay and lesbian couples from New York would marry within the first three years and nearly 42,000 gay and lesbian couples from out of state would travel to New York for a “destination wedding.”
“Peter, will you marry me?” asked Dan Gallagher, 46, who dropped down on one knee as he finished running through Central Park on Saturday with his partner of 14 years, Peter Shearer, an emergency medicine physician. The couple, who are raising a four-year-old son, are thrilled to marry in their home state.
The decision to wait for a wedding in New York also was made by Walter Bridgham, 47, a manager at Macy’s, the U.S. department store chain, and Argus Galindo, 46, a magazine subscription manager, who cheered the law’s passage with a crowd outside New York City’s Stonewall Inn, where a police raid in 1969 sparked the modern gay rights movement.
“It was emotional. He turned to me and we looked into each other’s eyes and said, ’Yes.’ We knew the question,” Bridgham said. They have been a couple for 20 years, and their ceremony is set for July 28 at New York’s City Hall.
“It makes you feel like we’re equal, that we can celebrate with friends in New York and not have it be, in some people’s eyes, not recognized,” said Tim Ford, 45, an actor engaged to marry his partner of 18 years, Michael Beltran, 44, an administrator for a law firm, in October.
“The wedding planning stress is already started,” he said.
Before the ink dried on the newly signed law, they changed their Facebook status from domestic partnership to engaged, sparking a flurry of congratulations, Beltran said.
“We waited for this day for a long time. It’s very emotional,” he said, choking back tears.
Both men were raised Catholic and Beltran serves as a group song leader at weekly mass, but they will reluctantly not be married by the Church, which opposed the gay marriage bill. The new law exempts churches and religious institutions from having to perform gay marriages.
“It doesn’t bother me but it bothers Michael a little more,” said Ford, who plans instead to be married by a friend who was ordained a minister.
BIGGER CROWDS EXPECTED
Seemingly instantaneous engagements, planned for years but long awaiting the state’s consent, were celebrated around the state, including in the state capital Albany where the proposed law was mired for days in a fight over the exemptions.
“I feel like a first-class citizen, a first-class New Yorker, for the first time in my life,” said Jim Reda of Brooklyn, outside the Senate chamber with his partner of eight years. “We will be married by the end of the year. I can’t believe I’m actually saying that.”
The most populous state to approve marriage equality legislation, New York is the sixth state to legalize gay nuptials, joining Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia. Civil unions were approved in Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois and New Jersey. Same sex marriage is banned in 39 states.
The victory was expected to boost crowds at Sunday’s NYC Pride March, according to Britton Hogge, media director for Heritage of Pride, which organizes the event.
“We expect an extra 500,000 to 1 million as a result of passage,” said Hogge, noting the crowd estimate for the event from police was typically about 1.5 million people.
In the past, the event was considered less a parade and more a march in an ongoing demand for equal rights and respect. But this year’s victory for same sex marriage and the tsunami of marriage proposals was expected to transform the event into a movable engagement party.
“It’s definitely going to change the mood. This year for sure it’s just going to be a huge celebration,” Hogge said.

© Copyright (c) Reuters

 http://www.vancouversun.com

"Doing the right thing for the right reason is everything to me"A sailor's Story

BY AUTUMN SANDEEN

USS Coronado (AGF-11) arrives at Fleet 

Activities Yokosuka, Japan, March 24, 2004.

Back in 1997, I was assigned to the USS Coronado (AGF-11) as the leading petty officer of the Ordinance Division. I was a fire controlman first class petty officer with over 17 years in service – about two-and-a-half years from my transfer to the Fleet Reserve with a retirement pension.

My division officer was Ensign Moore. (NOTE: The division officer’s name has been changed in this article to protect her privacy.) She was the first female weapons officer (WEAPSO) that the USS Coronado had had in its over 20 years of service.

She was fairly young. I believe she was 23 years old when she became my division officer. She was also very fit and attractive. If she was a just a few inches taller she would have had the makings of a fashion model.

The USS Coronado was an old ship at the time, and many pieces of equipment that had been on the ship at its commissioning had been removed, so there were many screw holes missing screws, and many cableways that traversed through the bulkheads (the walls) of the ship that had spaces where cables had previously traversed.

Well, one weekend I had two different enlisted sailors in my department (the organizational level one up from my division) tell me that sailors were watching Ensign Moore shower, and that she had a birthmark on a particular part of her body that was usually covered.

I was distressed. I initially felt in a quandary over what to do, if anything, with that information. After two days of agonizing over it, I sought the advice of a female chief petty officer off my command. I told her I didn’t know what to do with the information, and she called me on it. She told me I did know what to do with the information, but that I knew it would be hard to do what I knew was the right thing to do.

That chief asked me a couple of rhetorical questions in the process. She asked me: 1.) How would I feel if that woman being peeped at in the shower was my mother or my sister; and 2.) How would Ensign Moore feel if she found out later that I knew she was being peeped at while she was showering, but didn’t tell her.

On that Monday evening, I told Ensign Moore that people were peeping at her when she showered. I remember that her face turned sheet white. Then, we called in the senior chief master at arms (who was also female), and she took my verbal report of the incident.

To make a long story short, they discovered that there were four sailors who were peeping at all of the women officers who were using a particular shower that had many empty screw holes and empty cableways. It was just Ensign Moore was their favorite to peep at. It was based on how very attractive she was. Three of the sailors were discharged for their actions, and the fourth, who had turned “state’s evidence,” received the maximum punishment he could receive in a non-judicial punishment hearing.

I was treated differently by my peer petty officers. I wasn’t trusted with much personal information after that. I had the senior chief signalman on the ship come up to me and told me I handled it wrong. I should have taken this incident to the chief’s mess instead of to the ship’s master at arms, so that no one would have gotten in trouble over this. And, I was dealing with significant depression already so this contributed to a couple of months of even deeper depression.

A few months later, one of the three discharged sailors saw me while I was crossing the street by the 32nd Street Naval Station, and he revved his car, squealed his tires and sent me the message that he could run me over at that moment, and that he wanted to run me over. My guess is he didn’t run me over because of the potential consequences of injuring or killing me.

Even though it cost me personally, I realized I did the right thing for the right reasons, and that I had to continue that sort of behavior for the rest of my life.

That incident changed my life, and how I look at actively working to make the world a better place. I’d do it again, now without a moment’s hesitation. Doing the right thing for the right reason is everything to me.

http://lgbtweekly.com

MSNBC Cut From Rachel Maddow Gay Marriage To Gay Lock up Raw-WTH?

by Mark Joyella |  

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow extended her live program Friday night to cover the historic vote in New York on same sex marriage, but ultimately bailed before Governor Andrew Cuomo made held a news conference to talk about it (Fox News was also in tape–only CNN carried Cuomo’s remarks live). As Maddow told viewers as she wrapped the network’s live coverage, “we’ll resume with our normally scheduled programming right…(and she was clipped).” So what was in store for viewers who may have sought out MSNBC on a Friday evening in the summer because they cared about the vote in New York? Lockup, which featured an investigation into gay prison sex. I kid you not.

After a commercial between Maddow and Lockup, the show’s announcer said “homosexuals can live freely in prison, as long as they adhere to parts of the (prison) code: mind your own business, and never show weakness.” Media critics (including this one) were quick to call MSNBC out, withThe New York Times‘ Jeremy Peters saying via Twitter the network won the “tasteless award of the night,” and The St. Pete Times‘ Eric Deggans tweeting “hey MSNBC! All goodwill from having compelling Rachel Maddow anchor #ssm vote is gone now that you’re airing Lock Up Raw on gay prison sex.”

http://www.mediaite.com

Why Should Some Minorities Be Singled Out for Special Rights?

Used by permission of The Star Tribune
Most social conservatives fail to consider the effects
of homophobia. The "special rights" argument wouldn't
be applied to religious minorities, but is liberally
applied to the one group it is still acceptable for
them to hate. This Steve Sack cartoon commented on
the murder of Matthew Shepard, a crime which shocked
the world with its brutality and callousness. It was
inspired by homophobia.

Leading Libyan Football Players Defect to the Rebels

A group of 17 leading Libyan football figures have announced their defection to the rebels.

They include the nation's goalkeeper, Juma Gtat, three other national team members, and the coach of Tripoli's top club al-Ahly, Adel bin Issa.

Mr Gtat and Mr bin Issa announced the group's defection to the BBC during a late night meeting in the rebel-held Nafusa Mountains in western Libya.

It comes on the heels of defections by military officers.

Propaganda blow

At their hotel in the town of Jadu I met goalie Juma Gtat relaxing in his room.

"I am telling Col Gaddafi to leave us alone and allow us to create a free Libya," he said as we sat on his hotel bed in front of other players.

"In fact I wish he would leave this life altogether," he added with a laugh.

In football-mad North Africa, the defections are clearly a propaganda blow for Col Gaddafi. But he has always resisted any pressure, political or military, to leave office. 

And he has some advantages on the various battlefields in this war across Libya.

Here, in the rebel-held Western Mountains, in besieged Misrata in the centre, and in the east, the long-time Libyan leader has most of the heavy weapons - such as multiple rocket launchers and tanks.

The rebels mostly have small machine guns and, in some cases, only ancient rifles.

The longer-range rockets and artillery at Col Gaddafi's command mean he can often pin the rebels down to their positions.

Mr bin Issa, told me he had chosen to come to the Western Mountains "to send a message that Libya should be unified and free".

"I hope to wake up one morning to find that Gaddafi is no longer there," he added.

Desert units

Sports stars matter in the battle for public opinion. But the rebels still need to win some decisive military victories if they are to advance.

In the Western Mountains, they have managed to seize most of the high ground, taking control of a series of towns.

I have travelled from Wazzin, hard on the Tunisian border, to the rebel stronghold of Jadu.

Although some of the towns in between have suffered serious attacks, they remain in rebel hands.

But troops loyal to Col Gaddafi hold the plains and valleys below.

The colonel also holds the capital, its approaches, and large parts of this mainly desert country.

So far, most of the attention has of course been on the heavy fighting for coastal cities, where most of Libya's population live.

But Col Gaddafi also has arms caches and military units deep in the Sahara Desert - some of which have not yet been deployed.

By Mark DoyleBBC World Affairs Correspondent, in Jadu, Libya

A Students Sexual Health in Scotland

Rob Sharp is studying IT management at the University of Northumbria

When someone mentions sexual health to you,

 what’s the first thing that you think of? 

That worrying moment when you hear the doctor

 stretching those non-powdered-non-latex gloves

 over their soon to be very invasive fingers?

 Perhaps receiving that awkward text from 

‘that guy in the nightclub’ detailing how he ‘accidentally caught herpes a few weeks back’.

 Or is it having a student nurse shove swabs into the most inconvenient of places?

My first thought is of an incident in a sexual health clinic in my hometown in Scotland, 

where the woman who was doing my screening quizzed me about my ‘choice of sexuality’

 for about ten minutes. Having just come out, it was a particularly traumatising experience 

to be challenged about my sexuality in a place where homophobia is least expected. 

That experience put me off going to my local clinic for quite some time.

However, I’m keen to keep myself fit (Newcastle expects it of me, I think!), so a short

 time ago I prepared for the prodding and quizzing and headed to my nearest clinic,

 New Croft Sexual Health Centre, in the centre of Newcastle. Upon arrival, I was met

 with a dour-faced receptionist who begrudgingly handed me a form and directed me

 to a booth with a small grunt. The paperwork was rather extensive and, as ever, 

demanded instant recall of my GP’s name and address. After cutting through the

 red tape I was handed a rectangular piece of plastic, and a card with a number on it. 

The plastic rectangle, I soon realised, was an electronic buzzer that would vibrate 

when I was called to see the doctor; how nifty! I sat down in the waiting room

 and noticed a display about the International Day Against Homophobia perched 

in the centre of the room; as it was saturated with rainbows, it was hard to miss. 

Given my earlier experience in Scotland, it was certainly good to know that this

 clinic at least nodded towards sensitivity for gay people. Minutes later,

 I was pleasantly surprised as my hand vibrated; it was time to go upstairs.

I was seen by a student doctor. Being a student myself, I was a little more 

lenient on him than most would be; it did, after all, take him over 45 minutes 

to fill in all my paperwork. He was polite, calm and very helpful. All the 

examinations were conducted without the slightest hiccup, apart from the

 Hepatitis B injection, which he wasn’t qualified to perform. At this point 

an excitable, bouncy doctor entered the room, administered the injection, 

and then handed me a slip of paper with details of how my results would be

 sent to me; instead of a letter through the post, I’d get a text message from 

the clinic giving me, I hoped, the all clear.

I think New Croft did a great job. I didn’t feel judged or belittled because of

 my sexuality. The care and treatment I received was second to none, and 

the staff were eager to help with anything possible. If you haven’t had a check

 up for some time, I’d urge you to pop along. It takes just 30 minutes or so 

to make sure that everything is ok down below, and you can relax knowing 

that you’re doing your bit to stop the spread of STIs. Living in a university 

town, it’s certainly something I hope people are serious about.

And if the altruistic angle hasn’t done it for you, you also get shedloads of

 free condoms. What more of a reason do you need?

For more information on the New Croft Sexual Health Centre, including clinic 

times and directions, visit the official website.

NYS a Gay Marriage Victory, But the Fight goes On-see why

Gay rights activists had focused on New York as the biggest battle so far in their continuing fight to give gay couples the same rights and status as heterosexual ones in America. It became a powerful symbolic 

battleground for both gay people and their opponents, especially as several high-profile Republican presidential candidates are using the issue in their nascent campaigns.

New York's Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, had made gay marriage a key pledge, but activists had to get a vote through the Republican-controlled state senate. Huge efforts were put into persuading a handful of wavering Republicans to join Democrats in passing the law. One of them, Stephen Saland, had voted against gay marriage in 2009, but gave a speech outlining his change of heart. "My intellectual and emotional journey has ended here today and I have to find doing the right thing as treating all persons with equality," he said.

Another senator, Mark Grisanti, explained his motives for going back on a campaign vow to oppose the move. "I cannot deny a person, a human being, a taxpayer, a worker, the same rights I have with my wife," he said. The move made New York's senate the first Republican-controlled legislative body in America to vote in favour of gay marriage.

It is a huge win for gay rights groups, who poured millions of dollars and thousands of hours' work into the campaign. Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said: "History was made today in New York. This victory sends a message that marriage equality across the country will be a reality very soon." Others pointed out the huge difference it will make to gay New Yorkers' personal lives. Herndon Graddick, a senior director at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said: "At the heart of this vote are loving and committed New Yorkers who simply want the same thing all Americans want: the ability to take care of the people they love and to protect their families."

However, the fight in America is far from over. While New York joins the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont, as well as Washington DC, as places where gay marriage is legal, in most parts of the country the issue remains fraught. California and Maine allowed same-sex marriage, only to have critics fight back and outlaw it again. Opponents of gay marriage vowed to do the same in New York and promised that Republicans who had helped pass the vote would pay for it at the ballots. The National Organisation for Marriage swore to spend at least $2m (£1.25m) in 2012 campaigning against Republicans who had switched sides.

"Politicians who campaign one way on marriage, and then vote the other, need to understand: betraying and misleading voters has consequences, too. We are not giving up, we will continue to fight to protect marriage in New York," said the NOM president, Brian Brown.

Other NOM officials fumed at the state's Republican party in language reflecting feelings of anger and betrayal. "The New York Republican party is dysfunctional," said NOM chairwoman Maggie Gallagher. "The Republican party in New York is responsible for passing gay marriage, and sadly it's the families of New York who will pay the worst price of the new government-backed redefinition of marriage."

Opponents of gay marriage have been largely social conservatives and religious groups. New York's Roman Catholic church has campaigned openly against the idea, drawing criticism from liberal commentators, who contrast its concern for the poor and other vulnerable minorities with its attitudes towards gay people. But church leaders were not backing down. "The passage by the legislature of a bill to alter radically and forever humanity's historic understanding of marriage leaves us deeply disappointed and troubled," said the New York State Catholic Conference in a statement.

But even that organisation seemed to tacitly admit that, in New York at least, the tide of history and public opinion was turning against it when it came to believing that marriage could only be between a man and a woman. "This definition cannot change, though we realise that our beliefs about the nature of marriage will continue to be ridiculed," it added in the statement.

In recent years the issue of gay marriage has become one of the biggest topics in American politics. Supporters have framed it as a modern civil rights issue continuing the tradition of the 1960s movement to get voting rights for black Americans.

Opponents, however, have seen it as an attack on traditional values and conservatives have successfully used it as a rallying cry to mobilise their base.

Republicans have used proposals to ban gay marriage to bring out conservative voters. Leading politicians, such as presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, have made their anti-gay marriage attitudes a cornerstone of their agenda.

However, the vote in New York represents a big victory for Cuomo, a rising star of the Democratic party. Though he has been criticised by progressives for being too hard on trade unions in seeking to curb state spending, passing gay marriage will help to cement his support among liberals.

It will also contrast with the official position of President Barack Obama. Many gay voters supported Obama in his 2008 election campaign but have since been disappointed by his refusal to back gay marriage.

Just last week Obama faced angry gay supporters at a New York political fundraiser where he failed to publicly back the state's planned law. Critics of his position say Obama is unwilling to risk alienating the political centre in 2012 by embracing gay marriage.

• 
• • Paul Harris
  • guardian.co.uk,

Pride Night at Washington DC 'Nationals' Home Run

Posted by Pete in Allies in Sport

Metro Weekly, Washington, D.C.’s Gay & Lesbian News Magazine, called yesterdays “Night Out with the Nationals” a Grand Slam.

From a sports fans perspective, that certainly would be true: the Washington Nationals scored five runs in the bottom of the 9^th inning, capped by a walk-off home run, to beat the Seattle Mariners 6-5.

From the perspective of those that appreciate progress for visibility of the LGBT community in sports, it was also a grand slam.

I’ve written before that, while I appreciate these “Pride Nights” even if they are just gimmicks to sell tickets, I’ll be especially encouraged when the events feature and recognize the LGBT community more prominently.

To date, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors were the shining example.

The Washington Nationals join the list of teams that went above and beyond to celebrate the LGBT community, and for that, I am thankful.

Metro Weekly reports that the event brought in more than 3,400 LGBT fans (see photos from the event here) and featured a slew of participation from some well known LGBT folk:

“The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington sang the national anthem. Amanda Simpson, the first openly transgender presidential employee, presented the Nationals’ lineup to the umpire. Daniel Hernandez, the gay intern who helped save the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), threw out the first pitch. And Washington Post opinion writer Jonathan Capehart opened the game with the magic words, ”Let’s play ball!””

Additionally, I know that Pat Griffin, who writes the blog “It Takes A Team” and is one of the most well-known scholars for Title IX and gender/sexuality issues in sports, was in attendance to receive an award on behalf of GLSEN’s Changing the Game campaign.

http://www.WideRights.com/