Monday, May 2, 2011
(25) The Pope Show & Debbie Gibson
The Pope reps in NYC, The Pope-mobile, Pope apologies, The Pope on Evil Eve, The Pope, Pope and more Pope ….
Sunday, May 1, 2011
A Different Light gay bookstore in Castro closing
It's the last few days for the last of its kind. A Different Light Bookstore, the last of a once-proud family of gay literary spots and a beacon of homosexual life in the Castro, will be out of business by the end of...
Energy 92.7 goes from gay-oriented to mainstream
KNGY, Energy 92.7, San Francisco's gay-oriented FM radio station, has been sold, and the staff of about 35 dismissed. At 9 p.m. Thursday, new ownership took control, and the format flipped from top-40 dance to top-40...
National Organization for Marriage needs to get off of its phony cross
crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters The National Organization for Marriage says that it's going to investigate why the law firm handpicked by Speaker of the House John Boehner to defend DOMA decided not to take the case: The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), a conservative organization fighting against the legalization of same-sex marriage, said Monday it would launch an "investigation" into the decision of the law firm King & Spalding to drop its defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). "We will convene a panel of legal experts and ethicists to determine if any rules of professional conduct have been violated, or if the firm has acted illegally in reaching their decision," NOM President Brian Brown said in a statement posted on their website. "We already know they have violated the moral imperative of acting in good faith and fair dealing. If our review concludes that the firm has violated any statutes or rules of professional conduct, we will initiate the appropriate disciplinary complaints." At the same time, NOM is claiming that the lgbt community "bullied" the law firm into deciding not to take the case: Same-sex marriage advocates have launched yet another campaign of cultural intimidation—pressuring the nation's top law firms in an attempt to silence and marginalize those who would stand for marriage and the Defense of Marriage Act. If NOM really wanted to know the truth, they should read this very thorough article in the Huffington Post by Jennifer Bendery which points out that it was a combination of outside pressure and pressure from employees inside the firm (who were totally caught by surprise by the decision to defend DOMA) which led to the backtrack. But who am I really kidding, really? NOM is simply exploiting this situation to get a moment in the spotlight and maybe even wrench some money from its gullible supporters (as if it doesn't get enough from mysterious money source which it fights tooth and nail not to reveal). But here is the thing which bothers me. For all of NOM's talk about intimidation, isn't this the same group which was part of a coalition that sent out a letter to 30 organizations during the Proposition 8 vote in California demanding that they support the effort to ban gay marriage in the state or "be outed as an opponent of traditional marriage"? And didn't NOM spend over $235,000 on a recent campaign to recall three Iowa judges, not for any judicial malfeasance, but simply because those judges ruled against the state's defense of marriage act? In terms of intimidation, NOM has written the book. Perhaps the group is upset because organizations whom it doesn't agree with are reading and editing that book?
Alliance of Fighters: When the oppressed band together with vision, they make a mighty opposition
Opinion:
Representatives from the faith, business and arts communities joined political activists and public officials on April 20 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington. Illustrating in microcosm D.C.'s remarkably successful LGBT movement, the evening gathered an array of leaders and fighters who have overcome differences of race, religion, culture, sexual orientation and gender identity to work together.
D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton spoke of the test our coalition will face in the months ahead as Republicans in Congress attack the District of Columbia with a series of social riders to our city's Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations bill, seeking to impose their will over that of D.C. voters on issues from abortion funding and school vouchers to marriage equality. The challenge is heightened by concerns that our purported Democratic allies will use the District as a bargaining chip, as they did in the recent Fiscal Year 2011 budget deal.
The power Congress holds over our city has loomed over GLAA's efforts over the years, from hate-crimes legislation to domestic partnerships to sodomy law repeal. Every advance involved a broad-based effort. We knew that winning and keeping marriage equality required not only a supermajority in the D.C. Council, but a diverse coalition to prevent the anti-gay right from dividing our city along racial and religious lines. Solid preparation led to a landmark victory.
That same cooperation and fighting spirit will help us defeat the right wing's anti-democratic interference in D.C.'s self-government. The willingness of some Democrats to sell out the District reminds us that there are no guarantees; but if we stand up, fight back and ground our message in the bedrock American values that brought us this far, we have a good chance.
How to respond to bigotry was demonstrated by one of the recipients of GLAA's 2011 Distinguished Service Awards presented on April 20, the Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington. He described an encounter he once had with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who accused Chane of being clearly unfamiliar with Leviticus given his support for gay rights.
Chane replied by pointing out that Museveni was wearing a jacket made from different types of fabric; that one of Museveni's guards had a tattoo; and that another had a body piercing – all violations of Leviticus. He told Museveni to examine himself before faulting others, whereupon Museveni quickly changed the subject to international development. You can imagine the cheers this anecdote won from the crowd at GLAA's reception.
My partner, Patrick, an African who recently visited family in Uganda, loved this story when I called him to recount it. He knows that slanders by the likes of Museveni must be publicly challenged, including the lie that homosexuality is un-African and was imported by Westerners. Patrick himself witnessed indigenous forms of homosexuality as a teenager in villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The thirst for freedom is universal. Patrick tells me of his great-great-grandfather, a Congolese villager who was captured in the late 19th century by Arab slavers intent on transporting him to the island of Zanzibar. He escaped his captors in Burundi and made his way back home.
One of the guests at GLAA's April 20 reception was historian David Carter, whose book, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution, was turned into a documentary film broadcast on PBS on April 25.
Resistance to oppression begins as a cry of the spirit, whether from Congolese villagers facing slavers or Greenwich Villagers facing a police raid. When the oppressed have the vision and fortitude to band together, they become stronger. The key is the word ''alliance,'' right up there in GLAA's oh-so-'70s name.
Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist. He can be reached at
//
. ...more
Representatives from the faith, business and arts communities joined political activists and public officials on April 20 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington. Illustrating in microcosm D.C.'s remarkably successful LGBT movement, the evening gathered an array of leaders and fighters who have overcome differences of race, religion, culture, sexual orientation and gender identity to work together.
D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton spoke of the test our coalition will face in the months ahead as Republicans in Congress attack the District of Columbia with a series of social riders to our city's Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations bill, seeking to impose their will over that of D.C. voters on issues from abortion funding and school vouchers to marriage equality. The challenge is heightened by concerns that our purported Democratic allies will use the District as a bargaining chip, as they did in the recent Fiscal Year 2011 budget deal.
The power Congress holds over our city has loomed over GLAA's efforts over the years, from hate-crimes legislation to domestic partnerships to sodomy law repeal. Every advance involved a broad-based effort. We knew that winning and keeping marriage equality required not only a supermajority in the D.C. Council, but a diverse coalition to prevent the anti-gay right from dividing our city along racial and religious lines. Solid preparation led to a landmark victory.
That same cooperation and fighting spirit will help us defeat the right wing's anti-democratic interference in D.C.'s self-government. The willingness of some Democrats to sell out the District reminds us that there are no guarantees; but if we stand up, fight back and ground our message in the bedrock American values that brought us this far, we have a good chance.
How to respond to bigotry was demonstrated by one of the recipients of GLAA's 2011 Distinguished Service Awards presented on April 20, the Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington. He described an encounter he once had with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who accused Chane of being clearly unfamiliar with Leviticus given his support for gay rights.
Chane replied by pointing out that Museveni was wearing a jacket made from different types of fabric; that one of Museveni's guards had a tattoo; and that another had a body piercing – all violations of Leviticus. He told Museveni to examine himself before faulting others, whereupon Museveni quickly changed the subject to international development. You can imagine the cheers this anecdote won from the crowd at GLAA's reception.
My partner, Patrick, an African who recently visited family in Uganda, loved this story when I called him to recount it. He knows that slanders by the likes of Museveni must be publicly challenged, including the lie that homosexuality is un-African and was imported by Westerners. Patrick himself witnessed indigenous forms of homosexuality as a teenager in villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The thirst for freedom is universal. Patrick tells me of his great-great-grandfather, a Congolese villager who was captured in the late 19th century by Arab slavers intent on transporting him to the island of Zanzibar. He escaped his captors in Burundi and made his way back home.
One of the guests at GLAA's April 20 reception was historian David Carter, whose book, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution, was turned into a documentary film broadcast on PBS on April 25.
Resistance to oppression begins as a cry of the spirit, whether from Congolese villagers facing slavers or Greenwich Villagers facing a police raid. When the oppressed have the vision and fortitude to band together, they become stronger. The key is the word ''alliance,'' right up there in GLAA's oh-so-'70s name.
Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist. He can be reached at
//
. ...more
(1) Am I Offensive to Bisexuals?
� First show, cut me some slack bishes. Give it a few seconds to start.
Community News
Women honored for their contributions
San Diego Woman’s Club hosts dinner benefiting women at risk
Many local women in San Diego work tirelessly to make the city a better community for all. The San Diego Woman’s Club will recognize the efforts of one special woman by hosting a benefit dinner in her honor. The honoree for the evening is Sister Christina MacLean, Director of Mary’s House which is a home for victims of human trafficking.
The proceeds for the evening will benefit Women at Risk, International (WAR, Int’l). WAR was established in 2006 and currently has representation in 16 states and projects in 14 different countries around the world. The purpose behind WAR is to unite and educate women as well as children in areas of …
Read More
San Diego Woman’s Club hosts dinner benefiting women at risk
Many local women in San Diego work tirelessly to make the city a better community for all. The San Diego Woman’s Club will recognize the efforts of one special woman by hosting a benefit dinner in her honor. The honoree for the evening is Sister Christina MacLean, Director of Mary’s House which is a home for victims of human trafficking.
The proceeds for the evening will benefit Women at Risk, International (WAR, Int’l). WAR was established in 2006 and currently has representation in 16 states and projects in 14 different countries around the world. The purpose behind WAR is to unite and educate women as well as children in areas of …
Read More
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