9/17/2012 This Way Out

Program #1,276

Hosted by Greg Gordon and produced with Lucia Chappelle

"NewsWrap": Scotland's government has a marriage equality proposal on its agenda, while a civil partnerships bill is expected to be introduced soon in Poland; Prime Minister Julia Gillard cancels a speech to the Australian Christian Lobby after its leader calls the gay "lifestyle" as much of a health hazard as cigarettes; a new study in Israel reveals the rate of attempted suicide by young people to be 112 times the rate of the general population, with an even higher rate for religious LGBT teens, echoing similar reports in the U.S. and the U.K.; a 9-year-old Mainer quits the Boy Scouts because of the organization's exclusionary anti-gay policies; and best-selling author John Green celebrates a pro-equality Indianapolis bride and groom for giving same-gender couples the honor of the traditional first dance at their wedding reception (written by GREG GORDON, with thanks to REX WOCKNER, produced by STEVE PRIDE, and reported this week by JOHNNIE TORRES and NATALIE PEOPLES

While the U.S. Republican Party's National Convention the previous week seemed to follow a "don't say gay" policy, the DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION held September 4th through 6th in CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA was the exact opposite. There were more LGBT delegates than ever before, including the largest transgender delegation in history.  The party of President Barack Obama nailed marriage equality and employment non-discrimination into its platform. And as "This Way Out" Associate Producer LUCIA CHAPPELLE reports, while it was not without controversy, "the gay" was gleefully glorified by a remarkable number of LGBT people and their allies onstage (includes comments by two gay activists protesting outside the convention; and remarks by "out" Congressmembers JARED POLIS of COLORADO, BARNEY FRANK of MASSACHUSETTS - including his controversial "Log Cabin Republicans are 'Uncle Toms'" comment - and TAMMY BALDWIN of WISCONSIN; equally "out" CALIFORNIA Assembly Speaker JOHN PEREZ and Democratic National Committee Treasurer ANDREW TOBIAS; ally, actor and Obama reelection campaign official KAL PENN; equality-supportive MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR DEVAL PATRICK; First Lady MICHELLE OBAMA; and U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA