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Del Martin, lesbian activist who became symbol in gay marriage movement, dies at 87 (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
SAN FRANCISCO - Pioneering lesbian rights activist Del Martin, who married her longtime partner in June on the first day that California's same-sex couples gained that right, died Wednesday. She was 87.

L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Mourns Loss of Pioneering LGBT Activist Del Martin (PR Newswire via Yahoo! News)
In response to the loss of heroic and pioneering LGBT activist Del Martin, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's Chief Executive Officer Lorri L. Jean issued the following statement:

Gamma Mu Foundation Awards $129,550 in Gay & Lesbian Community Service Grants and Scholarships (Centre Daily Times)
Gamma Mu Foundation today announced the award of more than $129,000 in community service & public education grants and scholarships in support of their mission of making the world a more hospitable place for people regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or health status. -->

Gay Advocates Slam FDA Blood Ban The Food and Drug Administration announced on their website that the current lifetime ban on donating blood will remain in effect for gay and bisexual men. In March of 2006, the American Association of Blood Banks, America's Blood Centers and the American Red Cross testified before the FDA that the lifetime ban for men who have sex with men "is medically and scientifically unwarranted" and that "it does not appear rational to broadly differentiate sexual transmission via male-to-male sexual activity from that via heterosexual activity on scientific grounds." Some Gay Men In S.F. Getting HPV Vaccine For Women They don't know if it will stop them from getting cancer, but gay and bisexual men in San Francisco are taking a vaccine meant to prevent cancer in females. Gardasil is the controversial vaccine that protects against certain strains of the human papilloma virus, which can cause cervical cancer. Now, some gay and bisexual men are asking their doctors for the vaccine in the hope that it will ward off anal and penile cancer which are also caused by HPV. Cleveland opens first gay health clinic in Ohio Organizers of a new medical clinic in Cleveland say their center is the first of it's kind in Ohio. The Pride Clinic, which is dedicated to serving the gay, lesbian and transgender community, had two patients on its opening day last week. Introduction of Healthy Families Act Legislation Provides Vital Protection for GLBT Families Senator Edward Kennedy and Representative Rosa DeLauro introduced the Healthy Families Act, a bill that guarantees American workers seven days of paid sick leave to recover from their own illness or to care for a sick family member, including families headed by same-sex couples. Hawaii House Passes Gay Partner Benefits Bill A bill that would extend health coverage to the unmarried partners of state and county workers who are part of the state health fund has been passed by the Hawaii House. Meth Addiction Among Gay and Bisexual Men is Treatable The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association released a report that contradicts the widely held perception that addiction to crystal methamphetamine is essentially untreatable, a misunderstanding shared by some health professionals. National Gay Rights Organizations Team Up To Create "first Of Its Kind" Hospital Rating The Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association announced a first-of-its-kind tool to rate the healthcare industry on how it treats its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender patients and to educate the GLBT community about what to expect from healthcare providers and facilities. Same-Sex Marriage: Mental Health Perspectives As conservative groups push for a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and woman and lesbians and gay men initiate lawsuits to overturn state bans against same-sex marriages, several psychiatrists are researching and discussing how denial of same-sex marriage impacts mental health. APA Discredits "Ex-Gay" Movement The American Psychological Association issued a stinging rebuke of the so-called "ex-gay" movement following a demonstration by members of several organizations that claim homosexuality is a choice that can be cured.

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