DAILY VIDEO: October is GLBT History month

Starting on October first the above video will change everyday featuring a famous gay icon.

Republican waffling and pandering

Pandering to the interests of specific voting blocs is a common tactic for candidates seeking the presidential nomination of either party. During the 1992 Democratic primaries, Sen. Paul Tsongas famously pulled out a stuffed animal and accused Gov. Bill Clinton of being a "pander bear."

But in the race for the 2008 nominations, pandering has sunk to new lows--especially on the Republican side.

Mitt Romney has unabashedly reinvented himself in his bid for the GOP nomination. In Massachusetts, he ran as a Northeastern liberal Republican. In his failed bid to unseat Ted Kennedy in 1994, Romney declared that the gay and lesbian community "needs more support from the Republican Party," and said that the question of same-sex marriage should be left to the states to decide.

In his successful 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Romney supported domestic partnership status for gay as well as straight couples in Massachusetts, supported the federal assault weapons ban, and said that "the choice to have an abortion is a deeply personal one. Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not the government's."

At least, up to a point. Rudy tempers his pro-choice record by bizarrely promising to appoint judges who disagree with his own position on abortion. And last week he went before the National Rifle Association and declared his newfound belief in the Second Amendment's individual right to bear arms.

But even McCain hasn't been immune to the pander bug. After getting trounced in the 2000 South Carolina primary, where Bush supporters used a variety of underhanded smear tactics, McCain took on Christian conservative leaders with a strong dose of his "straight talk."

"Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance," McCain said in a seminal speech in February 2000, "whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right."

Fast forward to the 2008 campaign, and McCain seems to have eaten his words as he seeks the Christian conservative vote. He telegraphed this new approach in May 2006, when he gave the commencement address at Liberty University--the institution founded by the late Jerry Falwell, one of McCain's "agents of intolerance."

Of course the Democratic candidates pander to their own special interest groups on the left. But not even Hillary Clinton, with her changing positions on the war, has needed to perform the ideological contortions of some of her Republican counterparts.

Republican primary voters may be thinking more about "electability" than whether a candidate is sincerely and authentically "conservative." But regardless of one's views on gay rights, abortion, or gun control, blatant and perhaps cynical repositioning by major candidates should make voters pause.

Chicago police abuse

Three women claimed Thursday in a federal lawsuit that an off-duty Chicago police officer roughed them up and called them names because of their sexual orientation after this year's gay pride parade.

The lawsuit could become the latest black eye for the Chicago Police Department, which has faced tough questions lately about the actions of off-duty officers, among other problems.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit filed on behalf of Kelly Fuery, 36, Debra Sciortino, 32, and Nicole Tomaskovic, 25, were the police department, officer William Szura and two state troopers.

According to the lawsuit, a vehicle driven by Fuery came upon a car moving at 30 mph on Interstate 55 after the June 24 parade. Fuery beeped her horn, and Szura responded by slamming on his brakes, speeding up and switching lanes, making it impossible for Fuery to pass, the lawsuit said.

Fuery was forced to the shoulder, where Szura screamed words such as "dyke" and spit at her, according to the lawsuit. The women claim he stuck a gun in Fuery's abdomen, "causing her to fear for her life."

When Sciortino tried to step in, Szura shoved her, and she fell, the lawsuit said. When Tomaskovic drove up in another car and tried to help, Szura placed her in a chokehold, according to the suit.

In other Chicago police troubles, six members of an elite unit are accused of using their badges to shake down residents and intimidate people. One of those six was accused Wednesday of considering hiring gang members to kill a former colleague and potential witness against him.

In July, three off-duty officers pleaded not guilty to beating four businessmen in a bar in one of two videotaped confrontations that helped ramp up criticism of the department.

In the other case, an off-duty officer was caught on tape apparently beating a female bartender. The officer has pleaded not guilty.

US Attorney Generals office attempts to corrupt court

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as amended by the Patriot Act, "now permits the executive branch of government to conduct surveillance and searches of American citizens without satisfying the probable cause requirements of the Fourth Amendment."

Portland attorney Brandon Mayfield sought the ruling in a lawsuit against the federal government after he was mistakenly linked by the FBI to the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people in 2004.

By asking her to dismiss Mayfield’s lawsuit, the judge said, the U.S. attorney general’s office was "asking this court to, in essence, amend the Bill of Rights, by giving it an interpretation that would deprive it of any real meaning. This court declines to do so."

Mrs. Chillis' blog

In my "wandering" today I ran across Mrs. Chillis' blog.

She's a straight college professor who is very outspoken in regards to GLBTQ equality.

Here is a link to the article which drew me there:
http://teacherseducation.wordpress.com/


Here is her "top 10 reasons she is a outspoken GLBT advocate":
http://theinnerdoor.wordpress.com/2007/09/11/ten-things-tuesday-36/

I was very impressed and thought I'd pass it on.

Civil Unions are not the same as marriage

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey's civil unions law has failed to provide all the benefits of marriage to at least one in five same-sex couples, a gay rights group told a panel Wednesday that will report its findings to the governor and state Legislature.

More than 300 of the 1,514 same-sex couples who have joined in civil unions have complained to Garden State Equality, the state's leading gay rights group, about employers denying them benefits under the law, said David M. Smith, the group's deputy director.

Craig Ross said that when he lost his white-collar job and tried to get benefits on his partner's plan, the couple were denied despite their civil union because they aren't "married.''

"Calling our relationship and our legal status a civil union, I believe, gives my company an easy out,'' Ross said. "Calling it what it is - a marriage - makes denial of those benefits obvious for what it is: discrimination.''

Washington DC: HRC employee attacked exiting gay bar

The victim, a young man in his 20s, was leaving a gay-friendly bar at about 1 a.m. Saturday morning when several men on bicycles began to follow him, yelling anti-gay taunts.

"He suffered injuries to the back of his head, as well as to his face," friend Joe Solmonese said. "He went to the emergency room Saturday night," he said. "He was taken by ambulance. He had some stitches in the back of his head. He's bruised in his face. He was given an MRI, checked out internally. He's back at home and recovering now."

Saturday's attack was the latest in a string of recent hate crimes.

Canada changes birth certificates

Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative government rapidly approved new regulations, effective immediately, allowing birth certificates to register a lesbian "spouse" of a birth mother as the "other parent." The decision was made in cabinet only four days after the couple launched a human rights complaint.

Halifax scrambled to make adjustments to the Vital Statistics Act after a "married" lesbian couple, Emily and Jamie O'Neill, filed a Human Rights complaint demanding the province recognize them equally as parents to Emily's newborn daughter, Jordyn, who was conceived through artificial insemination and born August 7. Since the old regulations listed a newborn baby's "father" and "mother," Jamie would have needed to adopt Jordyn in order to acquire the same legal rights as Emily.

San Francisco theatre celebrates 30 years

Theatre Rhinoceros celebrates 30 years of gay and lesbian plays.

Given another decade, it may have to start lying about its age. Theatre Rhinoceros, San Francisco and the nation's "longest-running professional queer theater company," turns 30 this season. Founded in 1977 by Allan Estes, its first artistic director, and managing director Lanny Baugniet, the Rhino has long enjoyed a higher national than local profile as an incubator of new gay and lesbian plays, becoming the first gay theater to receive National Endowment for the Arts funding.

It's celebrating with a look back, "Theatre Rhinoceros: The First Thirty Years." Compiled and staged by current Artistic Director John Fisher, the show is billed as a revue of "original songs and scenes from three decades of new theater about the love that not only speaks but also shouts, sings and dances its name."

There's a lot to celebrate, not the least of which is the Rhino's survival. It's had to weather more than the usual share of small arts institutions' financial challenges and growing pains - including the cooptation of its special niche, as gay, lesbian and transgender themes have found homes in mainstream theater, films and TV.

Hypocrit: Maryland governor O'Malley

As Maryland gays mourned a high court ruling upholding a ban on same-sex marriage, some said they were equally stunned and upset by the remarks of Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, who in private, had repeatedly assured plaintiffs in the case that he supports gay unions.

"I look forward to reading the Court's full opinion, but as we move forward, those of us with the responsibility of passing and enforcing laws have an obligation to protect the rights of all individuals equally, without telling any faith how to define its sacraments,” O’Malley said in a statement following a request from the Blade for comment. “I respect the Court's decision."

The remarks were assailed by plaintiffs in the case, some of whom worked for O’Malley’s gubernatorial campaign and claim O’Malley told them he backed their cause. Lisa Polyak, one of the plaintiffs, shared with the Blade her private e-mail exchanges with O’Malley during the course of the court fight.

In one message, O’Malley responds to an e-mail from Polyak thanking the then-mayor of Baltimore for his support of same-sex marriage. O’Malley writes, “You are most welcome, Lisa. However, I'm just supporting something I strongly believe in. I wish you and your family nothing but the best.” That message is dated Oct. 22, 2004.

She was referring to an interview O’Malley gave to the CBS affiliate in Baltimore at that time, which is available online at www.wjz.com. During the interview, O’Malley stated, "I'm certainly not opposed to it. I don't see how we can deny governmental protection to those sorts of contracts. I know that churches will certainly have different views. And that certainly is their right and no one should infringe on that. But ... I'm not opposed to civil marriages."

After a Baltimore Circuit Court judge ruled in January 2006 that it is unconstitutional to ban gay couples from marrying, he said publicly, "I was raised to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a fundamental issue of the state’s public policy, and a decision that ultimately should not be made by a single trial court judge. The Court of Appeals should review this matter and any legislative action would be premature until the court acts."

That statement angered gay rights activists, who demanded a private meeting with O’Malley shortly afterward, according to sources who attended.

During the meeting, held at the home of Vic Basile, a longtime activist and member of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s board, O’Malley disavowed his previous statements in support of marriage, multiple sources at the meeting told the Blade this week.

“I’m sorry you thought that I supported civil marriage,” O’Malley reportedly said in response to Polyak’s questions during the meeting.

VIDEO: Pride by Alaina Alexander

Florida State Univ lawyer request removal of gay anti discrimination protection

The Florida State University Student Union Board rejected a proposal from FSU’s general counsel, D. Michael Cramer, to remove protection for sexual orientation from the Student Union Board’s anti-discrimination policy.

The big school down the street (University of Florida at Gainesville) has much stronger anti-discriminatory policies. Not noted in the story is that UF also offers its faculty domestic partner health benefits.

State institutions that want to compete outside of Florida (you know… like with other ARL institutions) need to work around painfully backward state laws and policies — and these institutions are often attempting to provide equal rights and benefits in an environment that enables the D. Michael Cramers of the world to feel free to get up in front of students and propose removing protections from a nebbishly little student government policy. Doesn’t spell well for future reforms.

USA forces military recruiters upon colleges

Yale Law School will end its policy of not working with military recruiters following a court ruling this week that jeopardized about $300 million in federal funding, school officials said Wednesday.

Yale and other universities had objected to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allows gay men and women to serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves. Yale Law School had refused to assist military recruiters because the Pentagon wouldn't sign a nondiscrimination pledge.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Yale on Monday, rejecting its argument that its right to academic freedom was infringed by federal law that says universities must give the military the same access as other job recruiters or forfeit federal money.

Sodomy: Texas and Singapore

For years many states in the USA had laws against sodomy.

In 1973 Texas renamed the sodomy law to "Homosexual Conduct". Which made it discriminatory, since sodomy was no longer illegal for heterosexuals.

In 1998 two Houston men were arrested for having private consensual sex in their home.

They legally pursued the issue and finally in 2003 the US Supreme court issued a 6-3 opinion stating sodomy laws are unconstitutional.

I lived in Texas during that time and it came back to me when I saw an article today saying Singapore To Repeal Sodomy Laws But Not For Gays.

HRC back-to-school reception in Washington DC

Last night, HRC hosted its 2nd annual back-to-school reception for GLBT and straight supportive college students coming or returning to the Washington, DC area.

Candace Gingrich (pictured on left), our senior youth outreach manager who hosted the event, wrote about last night's fun.

Provincetown: Travel Warning update

Most of us think of Provincetown and "Gay Friendly" as coupled terms (like bread and butter). Maybe that's changing?

Richard (pictured) was visiting Provincetown this last weekend.

Richard decided to buy a pizza at Spiritus on Commercial Street. He left this well-known pizza parlor around 12:30 AM and as he walked down the street, came face to face with three men, one of whom calls him "faggot." Richard, as many of us would, replied with a "smart" comeback.

Richard continued his walk and within seconds felt a blow to his head. The last thing Richard thought to himself before he blacked out was "this is it, it's over..."

About an hour later he was awaken, on the beach, by Provincetown Police (they received an anonymous call). Officer Joudrey made the police report and sent Richard (distraught and confussed) on his way. Richard drove his vehicle back to his home town of New Bedford.

Around 12 noon the next day, Richard went to St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford. At immediate sight, the orderly puts him in a wheelchair, administers an IV, and puts on a neck collar (due to obvious head trauma). Richard was asked when this happened. He responded, "around 12 hours ago." He is told by the doctor "that is when you should have gone to the hospital, 12 hours ago."

Richard phoned the Provincetown Police and asked "what are the police going to do about this" and was allegedly told, "there is nothing we can do because you told us that you couldn't identify the three men that did this, so it is best to leave it alone."

Up until yesterday at around 2pm, the brother of the owner of Spiritus Pizza, Carl Yingling, was unaware of any incident near his establishment. So it seems that the police did not contact Spiritus or check out its webcam to see if any of this was recorded that evening.

Folks, this is a federal hate crime! Why would the police dismiss it so casually? Are the Provincetown Police lazy or bigots?

http://knowthyneighbor.blogs.com/home/2007/09/is-provincetown.html

click here to view followup article

Gay Travel Warning: Provincetown

In the wake of three gay cases of violence (two of which involve the Provincetown Police) a travel warning has been issued.

The Anti-Violence Project has mounting concerns about the safety of LGBT visitors to Provincetown.

According to Chairperson Don Gorton, “We lack confidence that the Provincetown Police Department, under its current interim leadership, is willing or able to adequately protect LGBT visitors. The Department is incapably led, seriously understaffed, under trained, and under supervised”. Gorton announced that the Anti-Violence Project would continue and step up its advocacy efforts until confidence is restored in the Provincetown Police Department: “The Provincetown Police Department desperately needs to be reformed.”

Please join Don Gorton and I in personally contacting the Provincetown authorities and voicing your concerns:
mjarusiewicz@provincetown-ma.gov (Asst. Town Manager) 508.487.7087 wtobias@provincetown-ma.gov (Acting Police Chief) 508.487.1212
slynn@provincetown-ma.gov (Town Manager) 508.487.7002
mavellar@provincetown-ma.gov (Selectmen Chair) 508.487.7003

http://livelovelearn247.blogspot.com/2007/09/another-gay-bashing-in-provincetown.html
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Canada: "Guerilla Gays" take over straight bars

Over 100 queer people and supporters took over a straight bar in Ottawa on Sep 14 as part of a new activist group, Guerilla Gay Fare.

At a Capital Pride event in August, Tim Campbell witnessed some hostility towards gays at a queer party hosted in a non-queer venue.

Campbell read about the guerilla gay group concept in a Capital Xtra editorial, and he decided to create a Facebook group called Guerilla Gay Fare. The group quickly grew to over 600 members in just over two weeks.

"All of them were really happy to have us, they said 'you guys are welcome to party here, this is a great thing,'" says Campbell. While the concept is new to Ottawa, guerilla gay bar groups have existed for the past few years in several cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC.

http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=2&STORY_ID=3617&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=1

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Provincetown doesn't like gays

The Provincetown Police Chiefs' LACK OF ACTION allowed a woman to commit suicide (the Chief received 3 days off without pay - note: he already had the days off).

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/n1riw/ptnchief.htm

The Provincetown Police accused of gay bashing (throws a noncombative gay man into an object smashing his face).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x54545

And yet ANOTHER gay bashing in Provincetown (The victim was discovered unconscious at around 3 AM, lying on the beach covered in bruises, dried blood, and lacerations.)

http://livelovelearn247.blogspot.com/2007/09/another-gay-bashing-in-provincetown.html

These are three very recent articles which would suggest there is a major problem in Provincetown.

click here to view a followup article

Video: Shame No More

What if "the norm" in society was Homosexuality!

Help for BiNationals?

The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) is a U.S. bill introduced to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act which currently houses the countries immigration policies. If passed, UAFA would allow permanent partners of United States citizens and permanent residents, including same-sex partners, to obtain residency. Currently, only the heterosexual spouses of U.S. citizens are granted citizenship.

UAFA (formerly known as the Permanent Partners Immigration Act) was defeated in the 108th Congress, but was re-introduced to the Democratic-controlled House and Senate on May 8, 2007 by New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT).

In 16 countries throughout the world, the foreign partner in these binational relationships can be granted citizenship in the residing country—just as in heterosexual relationships. However, in countries such as the United States, foreign partners of gay individuals aren't given the same privilege. As a result, many gay couples (regardless of the length of their relationship or the level of commitment) are forced to be apart—retreating to their respective countries of citizenship. UAFA would allow these couples to live together in the United States.

31 States: Gays can be fired for being gay

In 31 states, it's still legal to fire someone because they're gay; in 39 states it is legal to fire someone for being transgender.

Thousands of hardworking GLBT Americans have lost their livelihoods simply because of who they are.

The version of ENDA currently before Congress—which has been promised a full vote by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—is inclusive of not only gay, lesbian and bisexual workers, but transgender ones as well. This milestone follows the success of a hate crimes bill, which was passed by the House as a stand-alone bill for the first time ever in May.

http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2007/09/calling-inclusi.html

http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/enda
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Larry Kramer calls on LGBT community to get back in the streets and ‘in their face’ to fight for gay rights

Everyone who saw him walk in could tell he was someone important — even if they didn’t know his identity.

His bearing drew attention, the same way it did two decades ago when his outrage riveted the attention of the nation from one coast to the other.

The younger journalists attending the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention whispered, “Who is that?” as the distinguished-looking man wearing turquoise jewelry sat down at a table near the podium in the San Diego hotel’s conference room.

The older journalists whispered, “Is that Larry Kramer?”Several confirmed that it was indeed the renowned AIDS activist, novelist and playwright.

The Advocate’s publisher, Michael Phelps, looked a little nervous — perhaps he wasn’t sure what to expect during the question and answer session. Kramer, who lives in Connecticut, was expected at the convention, but not for another two days when he was scheduled to speak.

When Phelps finished his presentation about the magazine’s new design, he opened up the session to questions. Kramer patiently waited until the others had asked their questions first.

Then he took the microphone. Older and frailer than in the days when his words sparked headlines almost daily in the mid-1980s, Kramer set about the task of dressing down the publisher. He complained that the magazine today had too much white space, too many pretty pictures and not enough information. As the nation’s largest gay publication — one that had once lived up to the nature of its name — The Advocate owed more to the nation’s LGBT population, he said.

Kramer had set a tone for his appearance at the convention, and he continued with it two days later when he attracted a capacity crowd to an auditorium in the hotel. The tone was one of dismay with the gay rights movement today.

The activist — who once roared but now almost whispers into the microphone — accused LGBT people of being “passive” and “apathetic” today. Freedom cannot be won without a fight, he warned.“If you want the freedom, [then] you have to find a way,” Kramer said. “Just don’t be so passive. We are capable of so much more.”

“I love gay people,” Kramer said. “I want so much more for us.”

http://www.dallasvoice.com/artman/publish/article_6679.php

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South Padre Island, Texas welcomes GLBT Music Enthusiasts

This island getaway is rolling out the welcome mat for GLBT music fans to attend the first annual South Padre International Music Festival.

More than 40 acts from a variety of genres will perform November 2-4, 2007, during the South Padre International Music Festival. Current acts on the bill who have GLBT appeal include Patrice Pike, Ginger Leigh, Los Amigos Invisibles and Robert Randolph & The Family Band. More acts are announced each week.

http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=769424

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HIV resurges among young gay men in New York

HIV is staging a comeback among young gay men in New York, with new cases increasing by a third in those younger than 30 and doubling among teens in the past six years, health officials said Tuesday.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0911hiv-nyc0911-ON.html
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Feel free to post articles yourself.

For any of you who are so inclined,feel free to post articles and/or opinions of your own.

-tom

Majority of Adult Americans disagree with employment discrimination (sexual orientation)

Nearly two-thirds of all American adults (64%) believe it is unfair that federal law currently allows for an employer to fire someone because they are gay or lesbian. A similar majority (60%) of heterosexual adults were not even aware that federal law does not provide protections for employees on the basis of sexual orientation. An overwhelming majority (79%) of heterosexuals also feel that how an employee does his or her job, and not their sexual orientation, should be the standard for judging an employee. When it comes to the issue of transgender employees in the work place, two thirds of heterosexuals (67%) also agree that employee performance should be the standard by which they are judged and not whether they are transgender.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070910006417&newsLang=en
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Penn Tapped for Harvey Milk Biopic

Sean Penn will play gay 1970s politician Harvey Milk in director Gus Van Sant's long-gestating biopic of the first openly gay prominent elected official. Matt Damon is tentatively attached to play Milk's assassin, Dan White, who shot the San Francisco city supervisor along with Mayor George Moscone in 1978. After serving five years of a seven-year sentence, White committed suicide in 1985. Michael London and his Groundswell Prods. are financing the movie. Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks are producing from a script by Dustin Lance Black (Big Love). The filmmakers are now in talks with a ''leading specialty division,'' according to Hollywood Reporter, to finalize a deal on the as-yet untitled project. Shooting could start by the end of this year.

Gay-rights protests shake up reggae industry

In the wake of gay-rights protests surrounding three major dancehall reggae concerts in New York in recent weeks, promoters, performers and their labels are noting a detrimental effect on bookings and endorsements in the United States and Europe for dancehall artists, who play a style of reggae that incorporates hip-hop and R&B.

http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSN0921667620070910?pageNumber=1
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Gay Orlando Steps Out

A LITTLE past midnight at the Parliament House, the parking lot is full. That’s not surprising: the club, actually several bars and a hotel rolled into one sprawling complex, has become a definitive destination in Orlando, though not quite in the mold of Walt Disney World, just a 30-minute drive away.

At one of the Parliament House’s bars, male dancers perform in little more than their skivvies. At another, a more rough-and-tumble Western-minded crowd holds sway. And at the complex’s small Footlight Theater, drag queens take the stage, including one seemingly pregnant female impersonator who gives “birth” to the musical strains of “I’m Every Woman.”

Parliament House is just breaking ground on the Gardens, an adjoining 164-unit time-share resort that is being heralded as the first gay-friendly project of its kind in the world. And closer to Disney, on the often ticky-tacky tourist strip of Highway 192 in Kissimmee, the Freedom Resort & Spa, a gay-oriented membership resort, has opened on the site of a former Travelodge hotel; the price of membership begins at $3,000.

http://theblingblingfactor.wordpress.com/2007/09/08/gay-orlando-steps-out/

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