"In the light of this broad and profound vision of human sexuality and the problems it currently faces, the Pope reaffirms that ‘the Church does not of course consider condoms to be the authentic and moral solution’ to the problem of AIDS."
— Statement from the Vatican after Pope Benedict said in an interview that condoms, which the Catholic Church bans, may be appropriate for HIV prevention in certain situations like male prostitutes. (NationalPost.com, Nov. 22)
“It was a very important statement that voters made, a statement that resonated across the country and one that I think will give legs to a larger movement over the next few years.”
— Former and possibly future presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, also a Fox commentator, on Iowa voters ousting Nov. 2 three of the seven judges who approved gay marriage in the state. (On Top Magazine, Nov. 22)
One thing important to transgender people is being called the correct pronoun. Having others recognize you and respect you enough to call you by the pronoun you identify with is a validation of existence for many.
So when you have gay icon Cher calling her transgender son, Chaz Bono, "she" and a "lesbian" on the David Letterman Show, it's really a tragedy not only to Chaz but to all people in mainstream society — and the LGB world, too — who are still learning the issues transgender individuals face.
According to an article on the Huffington Post, "Cher also said she considers Chaz a lesbian, even though he has described his relationship with his girlfriend as heterosexual."