Occasionally, the stories behind what went into reporting the news are as informative as the news. This is one of those times. Additionally, the stakes are high, and the LGBT community needs to have discussions like these before the result, not after.
Immediately following the February 18 Wisconsin presidential primary, I began, on behalf of the Gay People's Chronicle, to work on getting interviews with Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
By that time, two things were clear.
Read More at The Bilerico Project:
Monday, March 3, 2008
We Are Not Helpless
Filed by: Nadine Smith
March 3, 2008 7:36 AM
We can be horrified, but we cannot be surprised.
Witness the death of yet another child who said he was gay -- the murder of another teenager who defied gender stereotypes.
On Friday, Feb. 22, 17-year-old Simmie Williams Jr. was gunned down on a street corner in Broward County. Just 10 days earlier, Lawrence King, a 15-year-old Oxnard, Calif., junior high student, was shot to death in his own classroom because he wore makeup -- because he was different.
And less than one year ago, Ryan Keith Skipper, 24, was stabbed to death in Polk County.
In Broward, police are investigating Simmie Williams' murder as a possible hate crime based on the words they say were exchanged before the shooting.
In California, Lawrence King, a constant target of harassment and ridicule, was shot in the back and in the head by a 14-year-old who told friends in advance that Lawrence was "having his last day."
Ryan's teenaged killers drove around town in his stolen, blood-soaked car bragging that they had "killed a fag."
Read more at the Bilerico Project:
March 3, 2008 7:36 AM
We can be horrified, but we cannot be surprised.
Witness the death of yet another child who said he was gay -- the murder of another teenager who defied gender stereotypes.
On Friday, Feb. 22, 17-year-old Simmie Williams Jr. was gunned down on a street corner in Broward County. Just 10 days earlier, Lawrence King, a 15-year-old Oxnard, Calif., junior high student, was shot to death in his own classroom because he wore makeup -- because he was different.
And less than one year ago, Ryan Keith Skipper, 24, was stabbed to death in Polk County.
In Broward, police are investigating Simmie Williams' murder as a possible hate crime based on the words they say were exchanged before the shooting.
In California, Lawrence King, a constant target of harassment and ridicule, was shot in the back and in the head by a 14-year-old who told friends in advance that Lawrence was "having his last day."
Ryan's teenaged killers drove around town in his stolen, blood-soaked car bragging that they had "killed a fag."
Read more at the Bilerico Project:
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The TVC & CWA Dump On Dana Beyer; Amy Contrada Warns Of The Transgender Apocalypse
Every now and again, folk like Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, Focus On The Family (FOTF) and the Concerned Women For America (CWA) call out LGBT organizations to take stands on issues, or to work with religious right organizations to work against some perceived scourge. Well, I have a similar call for Peter LaBarbera, Matt Barber, Janice Crouse, and Wendy Wright: it's time for religious right organizations to condemn Rev. Lou Sheldon, his daughter Andrea Lafferty, and the Traditional Values Coalition for their repeated use of the anti-LGBT/anti-transgender pejorative "she-male."
And, Matt Barber needs to be one of the particular voices condemning the use of this anti-LGBT/anti-transgender pejorative, as he's used the pejorative she-male in a relatively recent piece.
I assume religious right organizations will continue to condemn use of the terms faggot -- they should feel the same way about the term "she-male," and they should be condemning their peer Rev. Sheldon, his daughter Andrea Lafferty, and the Traditional Values Coalition for their repeated use of the term.
In fact, I'm calling out these organizations to do just that.
More at Pam's House Blend:
And, Matt Barber needs to be one of the particular voices condemning the use of this anti-LGBT/anti-transgender pejorative, as he's used the pejorative she-male in a relatively recent piece.
I assume religious right organizations will continue to condemn use of the terms faggot -- they should feel the same way about the term "she-male," and they should be condemning their peer Rev. Sheldon, his daughter Andrea Lafferty, and the Traditional Values Coalition for their repeated use of the term.
In fact, I'm calling out these organizations to do just that.
More at Pam's House Blend:
Largest GLBT Democratic Organization in Houston Casts its Support for Hillary
HOUSTON, TEXAS – Houston Area Stonewall Democrats proudly endorses Senator Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary. Representing five of the region’s counties, Stonewall Democrats are the largest GLBT Democratic organization in southeast Texas. With their endorsement, Stonewall Democrats join Houston Controller Annise Parker and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Sue Lovell in the community’s support of Hillary Clinton. Lovell, a super delegate, is the only Texas GLBT member on the Democratic National Committee.
Read More:
Read More:
Wyoming Rural AIDS Prevention Project: Knowing your risks and making safer sex decisions
The Wyoming Rural Aids Prevention Project was developed by the University of Wyoming and is a very good interactive tool for helping people to gage and understand their personal risks for contracting HIV/AIDS. I will put a link to this site here on my blog and we will also be putting a link and an explanation on our new web site which will be up and running very soon.
Take the challenge and know your risks. The Centers, both East and West, also offer free and confidential HIV testing and counselling. It is vitally important to know your status as well. Give us a call to set up an appointment or stop in when you are in the area.
The Center West
3601 Canyon Lake Dr.
Suite 4
Rapid City, SD 57702
605-348-3244
The Center East
1600 S. Western Ave
Suite B1
Sioux Falls,SD 57105
605-331-1153
Take the challenge and know your risks. The Centers, both East and West, also offer free and confidential HIV testing and counselling. It is vitally important to know your status as well. Give us a call to set up an appointment or stop in when you are in the area.
The Center West
3601 Canyon Lake Dr.
Suite 4
Rapid City, SD 57702
605-348-3244
The Center East
1600 S. Western Ave
Suite B1
Sioux Falls,SD 57105
605-331-1153
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The Perils of Aging While Gay
by Tomas Guerra, special to 365gay.com
When Gayle had a stroke one Sunday evening nine years ago, she was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center's emergency room, Minnesota's third largest hospital. But when Gayle (a senior trans woman) got there, she was told that in order to receive treatment, she would have to re-assume her old identity: She had to become Glen if she wanted to be helped.
Gayle did not protest. She wanted her life to be saved. But when she was taken to the Veterans Administration Hospital for follow-up care, she was forced to do the same: she was told she'd be Glen for every medical provider who worked there.
More recently, an openly gay man who had no family or friends hanged himself in a room of a nursing home in an East Coast city; because others on his floor were made uncomfortable by his sexual orientation, the 79-year-old had been moved to a floor for patients with disabilities and dementia. The resulting stress made him too depressed to live. Read more at 365 gay.com
When Gayle had a stroke one Sunday evening nine years ago, she was rushed to Hennepin County Medical Center's emergency room, Minnesota's third largest hospital. But when Gayle (a senior trans woman) got there, she was told that in order to receive treatment, she would have to re-assume her old identity: She had to become Glen if she wanted to be helped.
Gayle did not protest. She wanted her life to be saved. But when she was taken to the Veterans Administration Hospital for follow-up care, she was forced to do the same: she was told she'd be Glen for every medical provider who worked there.
More recently, an openly gay man who had no family or friends hanged himself in a room of a nursing home in an East Coast city; because others on his floor were made uncomfortable by his sexual orientation, the 79-year-old had been moved to a floor for patients with disabilities and dementia. The resulting stress made him too depressed to live. Read more at 365 gay.com
Robbinsdale Radical on The Laramie Project
Great post at The Robbinsdale Radical blog about the Laramie Project performance at Central High School. And Bob Ellis has to get his two cents worth about it. Of course, he wasn't there and is only using talking points from the politically motivated fundamentalist organizations that make their financial and political way by spreading lies, half-truths and exploiting fear and ignorance.
Ellis and his kind are not interested in truth or reality. They are only interested in advancing their anti-gay politically motivated agendas. They really don't want to be held accountable for the destruction their bigotry causes. That is why they hide their intolerance behind religious fervor.
If showing the truth about how Mathew Shepard's murder affected the Laramie community will bring about understanding, tolerance and acceptance of those of us who were born different, then so much the better. If that be a gay agenda, then I endorse it proudly.
If Ellis really wants to engage in a real honest, intelligent discussion of what the Bible really says and doesn't say about homosexuality, then I encourage him and others to attend the showing of "For the Bible Tells Me So" at the Journey Museum on April 5th at 6:30 pm. It is free to the public and a panel discussion will follow.
Ellis and his kind are not interested in truth or reality. They are only interested in advancing their anti-gay politically motivated agendas. They really don't want to be held accountable for the destruction their bigotry causes. That is why they hide their intolerance behind religious fervor.
If showing the truth about how Mathew Shepard's murder affected the Laramie community will bring about understanding, tolerance and acceptance of those of us who were born different, then so much the better. If that be a gay agenda, then I endorse it proudly.
If Ellis really wants to engage in a real honest, intelligent discussion of what the Bible really says and doesn't say about homosexuality, then I encourage him and others to attend the showing of "For the Bible Tells Me So" at the Journey Museum on April 5th at 6:30 pm. It is free to the public and a panel discussion will follow.
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