News round-up: Gay rights victory and an anti-woman crusader

• Good news. The California Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that doctors cannot cite their religious beliefs as grounds to deny gay and lesbian patients medical care.

  
  Guadalupe Benitez with her twin daughters Sophia, left, and Shane, 2, and her partner Joanne Clark.(Sandy Huffaker)

  Guadalupe Benitez, now 36, had received extensive treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome in order to be able to make a baby. After years of treatment, she was finally ready for artificial fertilization, but her doctor refused citing “religious” reasons. Benitez, a lesbian, sued her doctors under California’s civil rights laws, which bars discrimination based on sexual orientation. And now she has won!

  “For me this is a case about doing the right thing and being fair,” Benitez said. “Not discriminating against people and doctors not playing the role of God, saying because you are gay, you are not worthy of having a child or a family. I did it not only for me, my partner and my children but for other people coming after me, so they don’t have to go through the humiliation and frustration and abandonment as a patient.”

• A Simple Question. NYT asks, “Is Jon Stewart the Most Trusted Man in America?” I prefer Steven Colbert. I think the Daily Show has gotten worse over time. It just isn’t as witty as it used to be.
• Humor. A cow chased a bear away from its apple tree.
• Anti-Woman Crusader. Roy Den Hollander, the lawyer fighting ladies nights discounts in clubs, has made his next step in his crusade against women. He is suing Columbia University for having a women’s studies program because there is no comparable men’s studies. [As if every other discipline weren't masculinist, as if there weren't a need to think about dismantling gender oppression.]

  
  The Anti-Woman Crusader. [Source]

  He began his misogynist crusade with a civil RICO lawsuit against his ex-wife. It was dismissed. Then, came his next lawsuit against ladies’ nights: “So what happened was, my best buddy in town called and said, ‘You’ve got to get back in the social life,’ ” Den Hollander recalled. “We’d say, ‘Hey, the Copa looks good tonight,’ but we wouldn’t go, because they’re charging double for guys and maybe we didn’t have the cash.”

  He even sued the federal government claiming parts of the Violence Against Women Act are unconstitutional.

  He carries around in his pocket a 41-point list called “Discrimination against men in America,” including child-custody laws, circumcision, “5% of females have borderline personality disorder.”

  Another interesting fact about Hollander: “I tend to be attracted to black and Latin chicks, and Asian chicks.” [Exoticizing]

  His thoughts on the ramifications of his anti-Ladies Night lawsuit: “What I think will happen is that clubs will reduce the price for guys and increase it for girls. Every guy will have ten or fifteen more dollars in his pocket, which the girls will then manipulate into getting more drinks out of him. If they drink more, they’ll have more fun, and so will us guys. And then when she wakes up in the morning she’ll be able to do what she always does: blame the man.” [What a charmer]

  His myspace page.

  The dude is just fucking crazy. He needs serious medical attention before he hurts someone.