Archive for February 2009

Court Rules Montana Church Can Hide Anti-Gay Contributions

February 27, 2009 LGBT, Religion No comments

I guess not all Christians are brave warriors for Jesus. At least one church in East Helena, Montana is full of Christian cowards:

Far from the gay-rights battlefields of Los Angeles and San Francisco, where supporters of a ban on gay marriage risk business boycotts and landing on the social D-list, a Baptist church in Montana has scored a quiet victory in its campaign to keep its books and defense-of-marriage backers out of the limelight.

The Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church of East Helena isn’t obliged to make campaign finance disclosures, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, because its support for the Montana Marriage Protection Amendment — use of some printer ink and a foyer table — was “extremely minimal.” The 2004 state ballot initiative passed by a 2-to-1 margin.

What does this victory mean for those Yes on 8 supporters who want to keep their anti-gay donations private?

Bill to Ban Smoking in Cars with Kids Gains Momentum

February 25, 2009 Parenting, Politics No comments

My response to this article sounds like someone who’s suffering from a serious case of bi-polar disorder:


Smoking is already banned in places like bars where only adults can go, so some Minnesota lawmakers say it only makes sense to outlaw smoking in vehicles when children are present.

A Senate committee approved the bill Wednesday after a doctor and an 11-year-old asthma sufferer testified that children are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke in a car.

My initial knee jerk response to this article was “Hell yeah! Smoking in a car where children are present should be banned.” Giving birth to a child doesn’t automatically grant you the right to place that child’s health at risk.

But wait . . . I know what bleeding heart liberals will say. “First, it’s against the law to smoke in your own car when children are present. Pretty soon it’ll be against the law to smoke in your own home.” Blah. Blah. Blah.

In my opinion, a half-way decent parent would never knowingly do anything to risk their child’s health. It’s pathetic that the government needs to tell some parents (actually, a lot of parents) that second-hand smoke will cause their children serious health problems.

Do we want the government giving us parenting advice? Probably not. Is it necessary for some people? Absolutely.

GayCenter.org Claims NYPD Falsely Arresting Gay Men

February 25, 2009 Gays, LGBT, WTF? One comment

From GayCenter.org:

On February 21, 2009 there was a protest in Sheridan Square against the false arrests of gay men in video stores by the New York Police Department. The next meeting of the Coalition to Stop the Arrests will be on Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at the Center.

Contact stopthearrests@aol.com for more information.

This video excerpt is from Out at the Center, a TV show of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of New York City.

YMCA Changing Membership Policy to Include Gay, Non-Traditional Families?

February 25, 2009 Gays, Lesbians, LGBT, Politics 19 comments

This morning I woke up thinking, “I think I wanna take a water aerobics class at the YMCA.” Once I get a thought in my head, I run with it. By 8:30am, I was standing at the front desk at my local Beloit, Wisconsin YMCA completing membership paperwork.

I signed up for the Single Parent Household (SPH) membership: a one parent household that has dependents below the age of 18 (or age 23, if they’re still in college). Those dependents have to be people a single parent can legally claim on her/his federal taxes. A 6-month SPH membership costs $379 total.

While I waited for the front desk clerk to process membership IDs for me and my two teenagers, we engaged in idle chat about the weather and the economy. As a sidenote, I asked the clerk, “Does the Y allow same-sex domestic partners to take advantage of the family membership?” The clerk responded with, “No. We only allow a mom-and-dad household to use the family membership because that’s what a family is: a mom, a dad, and their children.”

What?

Is she for real?

A real family consists of a man and a woman?

I was in a great mood this morning and I wasn’t about to let some narrow-minded front desk peon ruin my day. I remained silent, finished up my paperwork, then headed home to think about how I would handle the situation.

At about 10am, I called the YMCA and asked to speak to the Executive Director, Mike Ace. I told Mr. Ace that I was offended by his front desk clerk who informed me that a real family consisted of a man, a woman, and their children. I told him that as a lesbian mother of two who is in a relationship with a woman, I was very offended by her comments. Mr. Ace apologized profusely and stated that he was sure the clerk never intended to offend me and that she was most likely only doing her job. Since the YMCA is federally funded 501(c)(3) organization, they are obligated to define family the way the federal government defines a family. Any federal funds the YMCA receives cannot be used to provide funding to non-traditional families not officially recognized by the federal government.

I want to pause for a second and (again) thank Bill and Hillary Clinton for giving the LGBTQ community DOMA:

1. No state (or other political subdivision within the United States) need treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state.

2. The Federal Government may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states.

The second part of DOMA makes it impossible for same-sex couples to enjoy the same rights as married heterosexual couples – even at your local YMCA.

Mr. Ace informed me that even though the federal government does not allow their organization to use federal funds to provide discounted membership rates to same-sex couples, the organization has been discussing various ways to address the issue. One possible solution (and Mr. Ace did not make any promises about this) was to push some of the organization’s private funds over so they can be used to help same-sex couples offset the cost of their membership. Other non-traditional families (like unmarried heterosexual couples living with children, grandparents raising children, and divorced heterosexual couples still living together) will also be allowed to use private funds to help offset the cost of their membership.

Mr. Ace made it very clear that this has been an issue the YMCA has been addressing for a little while now. He also stated that all the Executive Directors for Wisconsin YMCAs will be meeting soon and the topic of non-traditional families is on the agenda. His final comment was, “How the YMCA views families is changing, but that change is coming slowly.”

Kama Sutra the Musical Brings Lesbian Sex to the Stage

February 24, 2009 Entertainment, Lesbians, Music, Sex and Sexuality One comment

I’m not quite sure how I ended up on the mailing list for Kama Sutra the Musical: Vegas Bound … and Gagged, but it was one of the most interesting emails to land in my inbox in weeks.

Musical

We’re not dirty; we’re about sex.

Hear the new female-for-female anthem, When Pussies Collide and 12 more, like:

Martha Screw-it!
Baby, Won’t Ya Do Me Where the Sun Don’t Shine
Blame it on Cher

Created by Grammy-winner, Terry Abrahamson, the only person in history to have written for Oprah, Michael Jackson, Muddy Waters, Larry Flynt, Joan Jett and gay cable goddesses Sharon Gless and Pam Grier, as well as creating the first lesbian love song in film history.

I couldn’t resist checking out the web site. Some of the reviews will make ya raise an eyebrow:

“. . . it was great to finally see some real lesbian action on stage performed with real energy and passion that wasn’t about some male’s fantasy version of what lesbians should be. . . ”

“Aside from the fact that the parking sucks, the show got me and my date so horny that we did it in the car . . . ”

“. . . By the end of the show, you’ll be holding your partner tight, not just anxiously awaiting the bedroom, but also feeling comfortable about what happens in said bedroom . . . ”

The cast includes Dustin Hamilton (Dick), Buddy Reeder (The Swami), and Kendel Lester (Gina). The show is directed by Buddy Reeder.

Dates and Location:
Saturdays at 10:30pm
Davenport’s Piano Bar and Cabaret
1383 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago

To reserve your tickets, call Davenport’s at 773-278-1830

Show ends March 28, 2009.

AFA Boycotts Pepsi (Again) Over Gay TV Commercial

February 23, 2009 Gays, Marketing, Religion No comments

The anti-gay religious organization AFA has stepped up their Pepsi boycott after they discovered this gay Pepsi ad (airing only in the UK):

This 2005 Pepsi Super Bowl ad still has the AFA’s panties in a bunch too:

The AFA is asking its members to boycott Pepsi “until it stops supporting homosexual groups which are pushing homosexual marriage.”

Whatever. The AFA has always hated gays – long before our community ever started aggressively pushing for marriage rights.

Out and Proud R&B, Gospel Artist Tim Dillinger

February 22, 2009 Gays, Lesbian Podcast, Music, Religion No comments

Tim Dillinger is more than just a singer with a four-octave range; he’s a singer/songwriter, poet, author, speaker and minister whose work has been receiving recognition on an international scale since 2004 when he released his debut album, “Love Is On My Mind.”

If you missed tonight’s SistersTalk Radio interview with Tim, you can listen to the podcast now or download the show and listen later.

Hear Tim discuss:

* His musical influences
* His favorite musicians
* Being an openly gay R&B and gospel artist
* Being a non-Black R&B and gospel artist

You’ll also get to listen to two of Tim’s songs: Dreams (Come Alive) and That’s the Kind of Love. If you love powerful and soulful ballads, Tim Dillinger will become a new favorite on your playlist.

Adam Carolla hangs up on Ann Coulter – Calls Her a Bitch

February 20, 2009 Bitch Slap, News, WTF? One comment

Holy shit!

I don’t even know what to say about this. Except . . . holy shit!

I’m guessing some feminists out there will come to Ann’s defense because Adam called her “baby doll.” It would be funny to watch feminists defending a woman who thinks feminists are the spawn of Satan.

And by the way, Ann Coulter is indeed a bitch.

New Gay Immigration Bill Has My Panties in a Bunch

February 20, 2009 Gays, Lesbians, WTF? 3 comments

Although gay marriage isn’t recognized on a federal level and individual states don’t have to recognize any gay marriages performed in other states (thanks to the Clintons!), lawmakers have introduced a new gay immigration bill:

Currently, American immigration law allows American-born individuals to sponsor their foreign-born opposite-sex spouse for immigration to the country. Same-sex couples, however, are not given this same opportunity.

UAFA would change the language of the immigration law to allow American citizens to sponsor the immigration of their “permanent partners.” The individuals must be in a committed, intimate and financially interdependent relationship with one another in which both intends a lifelong commitment.

source

I’m wondering how that will work when same-sex tax-payin’ American couples can’t even receive the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples. I would be pissed if gay immigrants were granted more rights than American tax-paying citizens. What are these Democrats thinking? Why continue the Republican tradition of taking care of non-US citizens long before you take care of your own people?

It seems to me (in my opinion) that the first (and most logical) step would be to get gay marriage recognized on a federal level. Once that’s done, this gay immigration bill wouldn’t be necessary at all because gays married to non-US citizens would receive the same rights and benefits as straight people married to non-US citizens.

LGBT Equality is Coming, But It Won’t Happen Tomorrow

February 20, 2009 Barack Obama, Gays, Lesbians, LGBT, Politics, Race, Women's Issues 7 comments

A lot of people in the gay community are expecting President Obama to focus exclusively on issues related to the LGBT community:

While Obama’s official presidential website does highlight issues of workplace discrimination, expansion of hate crime laws to include attacks based on gender identity and sexual orientation, and combating the stigma of HIV/AIDS, these symbolic gestures aren’t enough. He must also appoint cabinet members and surround himself with people who can enact policies that affect the daily realities of many LGBT individuals.

If Obama surrounds himself with people whose main agenda is equality for LGBT people, then who will take care of people who have needs different than those related to sexual orientation? Women. Blacks. Hispanics. Disabled people. Children. The poor. The homeless.

I’m aware that the needs of the LGBT community have been largely ignored and often trampled on, but we can’t (and we shouldn’t) expect a complete about-face on LGBT issues. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 didn’t see full realization in the south until at least 1988. The high school I attended in Georgia wasn’t completely desegregated until 1988, when our high school principal announced he would no longer allow separate Black and white proms or separate Black and white homecoming queens.

It’s obvious to me that those people in the LGBT community (mostly white men) who are expecting – and almost demanding – equality right now have never known what discrimination felt like until they told the world they were gay. The rest of the LGBT community (non-white males) are very familiar with what discrimination feels like because we knew that feeling long before we told the world we were gay. Most of us are aware that it will take some time to see a significant change for the LGBT community.

Equality for the LGBT community is coming, but it’s not happening overnight. In the meantime, the LGBT community has to continue to push forward and insist that the needs of the LGBT community are not ignored. What we should never do is insist that our needs come before anybody else’s needs in this country. That’ll just piss a whole lotta people off.

« Older Entries