Sexual Orientation

With the Boy Scouts of America announcing Wednesday that it would delay a decision on whether to allow gay members and leaders, local representatives say they are in a holding pattern. Matt Bear, camp director and spokesman for the San Gabriel Valley Council, said that whichever decision the national executive board makes, that's the decision the council would support. “We're still sending kids to summer camp. We're still sending kids to the National Jamboree. Everything's still the same,” Bear said.

Mike Mohill addressed the City Council Tuesday to reveal he is gay, one week after Councilman John Drayman announced his opponent’s decades-old misdemeanor lewd conduct convictions. Mohill and Drayman are vying with four other candidates for two spots on the City Council in the April 5 election. He accused the councilman of outing his sexual orientation. Drayman, in response, said his actions had nothing to do with his interests in Mohill’s personal life. He said his decision to air the arrests came after months of not responding to ethical attacks from Mohill and fellow gadfly Barry Allen.

LOS ANGELES — Religious hate crimes, including a tagging incident at Glendale’s St. Peter Armenian Church, increased last year throughout Los Angeles County, according to a county report released Thursday. Religion was the basis for third-largest group of hate crimes reported in Los Angeles County in 2008, according to the county’s Commission on Human Relations annual report. Hate crimes based on a person’s race or sexual orientation made up the largest and second-largest groups, respectively.

For a group concerned about the rights of all people, this decision should be a slam dunk. The Glendale Human Relations Coalition last week created a committee that will study whether the coalition should ask the city of Glendale to stop giving federal block grant funds to groups that discriminate based on sexual orientation and age. Although it sounds like government gobbledygook at its worst -- a committee recommending to...

Editor's Note: Numerous instances of plagiarism have been discovered in Dan Kimber's “Education Matters” column, which ran in the News- Press from September 2003 to September 2011. In those columns where plagiarism has been found, a For the Record specifying the details will be appended to the piece. I find myself for the second week in a row taking a position that departs, only slightly, from my basic political tendency. I'm having some difficulty with a new state law, the FAIR Education Act, that will require textbooks created by the California Board of Education to introduce the issue of sexual orientation when teaching American culture.

About 40 years ago, I learned that my daughter was gay. Since then, she and her partner have had a wonderful relationship, better than many heterosexual marriages. Many times she has felt rejected because of their relationship, including where she worked and in churches. I know that she has no more control over her sexual orientation than I have over some of the problems in my life. As a result, I do not stand in judgment about her actions. I do have some mixed emotions about gay marriages, though.

Craig Missakian Upon reading Ms. Michael's letter concerning Proposition 22, I gave it to friends to read. Some had supported the measure and some had opposed it. All of them advised me simply to ignore her comments. I thought differently. In the wake of the March 7 election, if there was any division created in our community by Proposition 22 now is the time to heal that wound. Unfortunately, I believe Ms. Michael's approach in continuing to divide this community by attacking supporters of the measure as hateful and bigoted only makes matters worse.

Gov. Brown signed a bill last Thursday that requires California schools to use history textbooks and lessons that mention positive contributions from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. No other state has such a requirement. While I have no problem including in a history textbook anybody who is important in human history, I do have a problem when it is mandated by elected officials just because it is politically expedient to do so. No other group of highly educated professionals has so much of their work environment controlled as do teachers.

The Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society of Los Angeles commends Glendale Unified School District Supt. Michael Escalante for his willingness to uphold his students’ First Amendment rights, which were expressed through the Day of Silence event (“Parents blast Day of Silence,” April 25). We are glad that the Glendale Unified School District and other area school districts support these events that seek to increase awareness of sexual orientation issues. The Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society of Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to foster acceptance and promote equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

With the Boy Scouts of America announcing Wednesday that it would delay a decision on whether to allow gay members and leaders, local representatives say they are in a holding pattern. Matt Bear, camp director and spokesman for the San Gabriel Valley Council, said that whichever decision the national executive board makes, that's the decision the council would support. “We're still sending kids to summer camp. We're still sending kids to the National Jamboree. Everything's still the same,” Bear said.

You know what I like best about Sequoia National Park? The fact that conservationist John Muir walked off its dusty trails and into a warm bed with a woman. What inspires me most about Neil Armstrong? That a straight man was willing to take one small step for mankind. Why do I appreciate the Declaration of Independence? Because the Founding Fathers proudly wore heels, Capri pants and powdered wigs when they signed it. Really? No. But now that I have your attention: Should a person's sexual identity be the criteria by which we measure their brave, noble and unselfish accomplishments?

Editor's Note: Numerous instances of plagiarism have been discovered in Dan Kimber's “Education Matters” column, which ran in the News- Press from September 2003 to September 2011. In those columns where plagiarism has been found, a For the Record specifying the details will be appended to the piece. I find myself for the second week in a row taking a position that departs, only slightly, from my basic political tendency. I'm having some difficulty with a new state law, the FAIR Education Act, that will require textbooks created by the California Board of Education to introduce the issue of sexual orientation when teaching American culture.

Gov. Brown signed a bill last Thursday that requires California schools to use history textbooks and lessons that mention positive contributions from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. No other state has such a requirement. While I have no problem including in a history textbook anybody who is important in human history, I do have a problem when it is mandated by elected officials just because it is politically expedient to do so. No other group of highly educated professionals has so much of their work environment controlled as do teachers.

As a new resident in the foothills of Glendale, I am enjoying so much of what this community has to offer. However, my greatest concern is making it up and down my hillside roads alive every day. I have witnessed people behind the wheel of their cars doing the most unimaginably dangerous driving. They are speeding, encroaching into the other lane and passing on these steep and blind curving roads, risking their lives and those of others. I also like to walk on these hilly streets, but I fear for my life every time I step foot off the curb.

Mike Mohill addressed the City Council Tuesday to reveal he is gay, one week after Councilman John Drayman announced his opponent’s decades-old misdemeanor lewd conduct convictions. Mohill and Drayman are vying with four other candidates for two spots on the City Council in the April 5 election. He accused the councilman of outing his sexual orientation. Drayman, in response, said his actions had nothing to do with his interests in Mohill’s personal life. He said his decision to air the arrests came after months of not responding to ethical attacks from Mohill and fellow gadfly Barry Allen.

LOS ANGELES — Religious hate crimes, including a tagging incident at Glendale’s St. Peter Armenian Church, increased last year throughout Los Angeles County, according to a county report released Thursday. Religion was the basis for third-largest group of hate crimes reported in Los Angeles County in 2008, according to the county’s Commission on Human Relations annual report. Hate crimes based on a person’s race or sexual orientation made up the largest and second-largest groups, respectively.

The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on June 4 denied a petition to reconsider a 2008 decision to grant a preliminary injunction protecting Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists and engineers from being required to submit to a Bush administration Homeland Security background check established five years ago. The case was filed in 2007 by 28 JPL employees after they were told they would have to submit to an extensive background check that could...

With the first black president-elect, the United States has made a leap forward in dealing with extreme prejudice, but to think that intolerance over race, gender or sexual orientation is history would be wrong. According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Chief of Field Operations Region One Neil Tyler, hate crimes and prejudicial thinking are still very much a part of our society. According to reports, L.A. County hate crimes increased by 28% in 2007, while the rest of the nation showed a decrease.

I am writing in response to Mel Wolf’s Sept. 19 letter, “Marriage should be man and woman,” and to anyone else who shares his opinion. I am also writing this letter because I just saw my first Yes on Proposition 8 ad on TV. Marriage was designed for two people to publicly commit and dedicate their love and lives to each other and maybe, or maybe not, have children. Traditionally, it has been between a man and a woman. Everyone is born with certain characteristics that make them who they are. Skin color ranges from white to black, intelligence ranges from very little to genius, voices range from can’t carry a tune to beautiful with perfect pitch, athletic ability ranges from not very strong to so good some people can make millions by just playing games.