Mar

18

Gay News Bytes: Teacher Fired for Showing Gay Play

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Police sergeant awarded $1.2 million after claiming false gay rumor cost him promotions

A Newport Beach police sergeant was awarded $1.2 million on Tuesday after a jury agreed with his claims that he was discriminated against based on false rumors that he was gay.

Sgt. Neil Harvey, a 27-year veteran, alleged in his lawsuit that the city retaliated against him because of the gossip and denied him a lieutenant position despite having more experience and formal education than other candidates. Harvey claimed former Police Chief Bob McDonell never promoted anyone perceived to be gay.

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Vermont begins hearings on same-sex marriage bill

Nine years after it played host to a bitter fight over civil unions, Vermont’s Statehouse is again a gay rights battleground.

More than 200 same-sex marriage opponents, cheering and wearing buttons that read “Marriage — A Mother & Father for Every Child,” converged Monday on Montpelier as lawmakers began a week’s worth of hearings on a bill that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.

If approved, Vermont would join Massachusetts and Connecticut as the only U.S. states that allow gay marriage.

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West Point grads declare gay pride

Thirty-eight graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., came out of the closet Monday with an offer to help their alma mater educate future Army leaders on the need to accept and honor the sacrifices of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender troops.

The group, Knights Out, wants to serve as a connection between gay troops and Army administrators, particularly at West Point, to provide an open forum for communication between gay West Point graduates and their fellow alumni and to serve in an advisory role for West Point leaders if the “don’t ask, don’t tell” laws are repealed by Congress. The group believes a repeal is both “imminent and inevitable.”

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Oklahoma Teacher Fired for Showing a Gay Play

An attorney for an Oklahoma school district says the firing of a teacher in a dispute over a gay-themed play had nothing to do with homosexuality.

Lawyer John Moyer said Debra Taylor’s dismissal from her job a Grandfield High School stemmed from a mock funeral she organized as a protest of the order from the district to scrub the class project involving “The Laramie Project,” a play about the killing of a homosexual teenager in Wyoming.

Mar

18

Anti-Gay Organization Criticizes U.N. Declaration Decriminalizing Homosexuality

Filed Under Gays, Lesbians, LGBT, Politics, WTF? | 3 Comments

Robert Wood, Acting Spokesman for the UN issued the following statement today:

The United States supports the UN Statement on “Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity,” and is pleased to join the other 66 UN member states who have declared their support of this Statement that condemns human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity wherever they occur.

The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human rights abuses around the world. As such, we join with the other supporters of this Statement and we will continue to remind countries of the importance of respecting the human rights of all people in all appropriate international fora.

And the anti-gay religious organization AFA responded with the following:

The Obama administration and other proponents of a United Nations statement that calls for the decriminalization of homosexuality claim it merely targets the seven countries that put homosexuals to death. But one pro-family activist [that would be the AFA] warns the document elevates homosexual behavior to skin color and religious belief.

Wow. These religious extremists hate homosexuals so much that they’re against any law that makes it a crime to kill someone just because of their sexual orientation? Are straight Christians the only people who should be protected from persecution?

Such scarey little people these “good Christians” are.

Mar

15

Lesbian Artist Alison Bechdel on SistersTalk Radio

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If you missed tonight’s episode of SistersTalk Radio, you missed a great interview. Tonight’s guest was Alison Bechdel, creator of the infamous comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For. You can listen to the podcast now (or download it for later).

Hear Alison Bechdel discuss the history of Dykes to Watch Out For and her very dramatic coming out story. This interview definitely went in an unexpected direction. It was truly one of the most powerful and touching interviews I’ve done so far.

Since its inception in 1983, Bechdel’s comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For has become a countercultural institution. The strip is syndicated in dozens of newspapers, translated into several languages and collected in a series of award-winning books. Utne magazine has listed DTWOF as “one of the greatest hits of the twentieth century.” And Comics Journal says, “Bechdel’s art distills the pleasures of Friends and The Nation; we recognize our world in it, with its sorrows and ironies.”

In addition to her comic strip, Bechdel has also done exclusive work for a slew of publications, including Ms., Slate, the Advocate, and many other newspapers, websites, comic books, and ‘zines.

In 2006, Houghton Mifflin published her graphic memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. The bestselling coming-of-age tale has been called a “mesmerizing feat of familial resurrection” and a “rare, prime example of why graphic novels have taken over the conversation about American literature.”

Next Sunday, join us when we talk to transgender cultural icon Kate Bornstein.

Mar

13

Friday Night Without the Mrs

Filed Under Lesbians, Sex and Sexuality | 2 Comments

Holy dear gawd. I just sent this picture to the Mrs and told her “This is what’s keeping my attention – for now.”


image source

I’m about 4 days away from my Aunt Flo visiting and I have sex on the brain (actually, I’m thinking about sex, steak and chocolate).

I was a bit bothered by the borderline homophobic comments posted on the blog where I found this image:

Men and women are meant to come together to form the second complete unit – a duality or couple. In and of themselves men and women form their own individual dualities. But when two emerge, they form one entity, one unit – as well they keep the individual unit in tact. This new unit becomes the basic unit needed to produce or create children. The purpose of this unit, however, is not simply to create children, it is also to grow the original complete unit beyond itself

Umm, yeah. Annoying. But the picture is great!

Update: A Twitter response to this blog post has prompted the following question: Is this image art or porn? Or both?

Mar

13

Gays Worse Off Than Blacks – Really, It’s True

Filed Under Gays, Lesbians, LGBT, Race | 2 Comments

As a homosexual female of color, I find it very amusing when caucasian homosexual males fight for the honor of being . . . the lowest on the social totem pole. Like a train wreck that you just can’t help but stop and stare at, I have to read every article that addresses the question of: Which is worse? Being gay or being Black?

Here’s the latest that made me chucke just a bit:

Do people harbor more negative feelings toward LGBT people than they do toward people of specific races or ethnicities? According to the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology, the answer is yes.

But is this a destructive question to ask? I think the answer is yes. More on that in a paragraph or two, but first, here are the findings of the study.

35 percent of those surveyed revealed negative attitudes toward gay men;

41 percent held prejudicial attitudes toward lesbians;

28 percent held negative attitudes toward Asians;

25 percent held negative attitudes toward Black populations;

18 percent held negative attitudes toward Southeast Asians

I’m wondering who was included in this research’s sample size? Would we see similar results if this survey was administered in the US? Would we see similar results if this survey was administered in southern states in the US?

Mar

13

Republican Party Leader Says Homosexuality is Not a Choice

Filed Under Gays, Lesbians, LGBT, Politics, Race, Women's Issues | 1 Comment

In a recent interview, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele told GQ magazine that he supports abortion rights. “I think that’s an individual choice [to have an abortion],” he said.

Before I mention Steele’s comments on homosexuality, I’d like to mention that the GQ article hovered dangerously close to a really good example of how white folks stereoptype all Black people:

GQ: I was kinda expecting hip-hop to be playing in here today.
Steele: Aw, sh—. It’s on my, uh, computer there. I haven’t pulled it up yet, but I’ll get a little bit goin’ in a second or two.

Yeah, all Black people listen to hip-hop.

Steele’s comments on abortion:

GQ: Are you saying you think women have the right to choose abortion?
Steele: Yeah. I mean, again, I think that’s an individual choice.
GQ: You do?
Steele: Yeah. Absolutely.

Steele must have gotten some grief from his GOP people. He later issued a statement “clarifying” his comments regarding abortion saying he is indeed pro-life.

Later, Steele disputed the view that being homosexual is a lifestyle choice. “I don’t think I’ve ever really subscribed to that view that you can turn it on and off like a water tap. … You just can’t simply say, oh, like, ‘Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being gay.’ It’s like saying ‘Tomorrow morning I’m gonna stop being black,’” explained Steele.

Steele said an amendment to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman is a state issue and is “mucking around with the Constitution.”

Is Steele a moderate conservative trying desperately to appeal to independents who voted for Obama in the ’08 election? I think he is.

Mar

12

Pepsi Sponsors Gay Themed Family Guy Episode, AFA Flips

Filed Under Gays, Lesbians, LGBT | 9 Comments

AFA is still pissed that Pepsi donates money to LGBT organizations, but won’t donate a single penny to their crappy, hateful anti-gay organization. The latest email from AFA encourages its members to continue boycotting Pepsi because the company sponsored a gay episode of Family Guy:

Pepsi gave the gay lifestyle a major push on the March 8th episode of FOX network’s Family Guy.

Pepsi and FOX network joined hands to bring a perverted and sickening episode of TV’s Family Guy into the homes of millions of Americans. This episode was rated TV-14 DLSV by FOX, meaning that in the network’s opinion it was appropriate for 14-year olds, an opinion obviously shared by Pepsi. It aired during prime-time.

Here is what Pepsi helped sponsor. WARNING: Very offensive content!

Bestiality. Glory holes. Circuit parties. Gay orgies. Eating horse sperm. This is the kind of sickness Pepsi thinks is worth promoting.

Late last year, AFA asked Pepsi to stop promoting the gay lifestyle. Pepsi refused and AFA launched a boycott in January.

Someone at the AFA actually watches Family Guy?

Am I the only one who noticed the AFA never asked its members to boycott Fox, nor did they ask their members to stop watching Family Guy?

I’m a huge Family Guy fan. I would have to say at least half the episodes have homosexual tendencies. I guess the AFA only boycotts Family Guy sponsors who refuse to give them money.

Mar

12

Women Aren’t the Only Domestic Abuse Victims

Filed Under Gays, Lesbians, Race, Women's Issues | 2 Comments

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard all the news about Chris Brown. And if you’re anything like me, you were shocked (and a bit annoyed) to learn Rihanna reconciled with Brown after he turned her face into a punching bag. I’ve never been involved in an abusive relationship so I will never understand why a woman would reconcile with a partner who beats her. At the risk of sounding anti-woman, I have to say . . . I just don’t get it – and I never will.

Last night’s dinner conversation with Mrs. SistersTalk was dominated by the Brown/Rihanna scandal. I had a few opinions that I think might have shocked her:

1. Chris Brown is the new O.J. Simpson. And since we’re all still pretty pissed that O.J. got away with murder, we’ll do everything we can to make sure another Black man doesn’t get a chance to kill a woman.

2. Black women who experience domestic abuse have been ignored for quite some time now. The Brown/Rhianna situation has suddenly made the world view Black women the same way it views white women: sweet, innocent, vulnerable and in need of protection from abusive men.

3. If this situation didn’t involve two high-profile musical icons, we most likely wouldn’t still be talking about the situation weeks later. It’s a damn shame that we need celebrity domestic abuse cases to draw attention to a very serious issue in this country.

I have never been involved in a relationship with an abusive man or an abusive woman. Based on my own experiences with friends and family members who repeatedly get involved with abusive partners, I’ve developed an opinion about both the victim and the abuser: they both have low self-esteem and low self-worth. Yes, I realize expressing that opinion will most likely result in me being accused of making excuses for the abuser and blaming the victim. But, that’s how I see it.

Why is it that half the women I know have never been involved with abusive mates, while the other half have made a habit of jumping from one abusive mate to another? What makes one half so different from the other half? Race? Socioeconomic background? Perhaps. But, I know white middle-class women are no less likely to be abused than poor Black women.

I remember taking a Women’s Studies class in college and the students (mostly female) were discussing domestic abuse. I never wanted to ignore or deny that women are often the victims of domestic abuse, but I was annoyed the students always used the pronoun “he” when referring to the abuser and “she” when referring to the victim. I said, “the abuser is not always male and the victim is not always female.” I argued that women are often the abuser and that men can be victims. I cited lesbian relationships as an example of female on female domestic abuse, gay male relationships as examples of men being victims of domestic abuse, and heterosexual men who are too ashamed to admit that their wives beat them as an example of straight men who are victims.

Maybe now is a good time for the religious right to start a new movement – one that protects families from the trauma of domestic abuse. But that would be too much to ask, now wouldn’t it?

Mar

11

Gay News Updates

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Gay Israeli couple allowed to adopt: Former Knesset member Uzi Even and his life partner, Dr. Amit Kama, who were married in Toronto in 2004, on Tuesday were given the right to adopt their 30-year-old foster son, whom they took in 15 years ago.

Nigeria gay activists speak out: Nigerian gay rights activists have told the country’s lawmakers that a new bill to outlaw same sex marriage would lead to widespread human rights abuses.

Cuadra Takes Stand in Gay Porn Murder Trial: Prosecutors say Cuadra killed adult film producer Bryan Kocis in 2007 — over competition in the gay pornography industry.

Experts: Gay Marriage Won’t Hurt Kids: The Vermont Psychological Association, the Vermont Psychiatric Association, the Vermont Association of Mental Health Counselors, and the Vermont chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, all say legalizing gay marriage would help the children of same-sex couples. The group says allowing gay couples to marry validates their relationships, could reduce discrimination and increases benefits for the families.

Mar

11

Prop 8 Archbishop Blocks Gay Play

Filed Under Gays, Lesbians, LGBT, Religion | Leave a Comment

George Niederaurer, the San Francisco Archbishhop who invited Mormon involvement in California’s Proposition 8 campaign, intervened in the staging of a play with gay themes that had been scheduled for a performance at a Castro district Catholic church.

The odd thing about this story is that Neideraurer once took heat from the Catholic community when he gave communion to two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence who were dressed in drag. His church supposedly “welcomes all people of good faith, regardless of their background, gender, race, social status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”

source

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