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September 26, 2006
Howard Dean to Speak at Black Gay Pride Event
Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean will be attending Baltimore’s Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride celebration set to take place Friday, October 6, 2006 at the Wyndham Baltimore Inner Harbour Hotel located at 101 Werst Fayette Street in Baltimore. He will be the featured speaker at Baltimore Black Pride’s Pre Black Out Party Reception that will take place at 5 p.m. This will be Dean's first time attending a Black gay pride celebration.
The reception is the first official event of the weekend long Baltimore Black Gay Pride which runs through Sunday, October 8, 2006.
For more information and a complete schedule on Baltimore Black Gay Pride, please visit www.bmoreblackpride.org.
Posted by Jasmyne at 11:45 AM | Permalink |
September 22, 2006
Anti-Gay Group Urges Support for Terrorists
Tony Perkins of FRC issues
urgent call to support terrorists
The nation's greatest anti-gay activists will gather this weekend in Washington, DC for the Family Research Council's Washington Briefing. They will be joined by officials from the Bush Administration (Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Tony Snow) and prominent Republicans like George Allen, Katherine Harris, Marilyn Musgrave and Rick Santorum.
Republicans should be rightfully chided for attending a three-day festival filled with anti-gay workshops and speakers (James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Maggie Gallagher). However, the Family Research Council is much more than the leading anti-gay organization. As of last night, it is a supporter of terrorism.
I received an urgent email last night from FRC calling on me to contact the Indonesian embassy to urge clemency for terrorists convicted of gunning down more than 200 civilians. Why the support? I'm not sure. The same could be asked of conservative writer Michelle Malkin, who recently took flack for her own support of this terrorist cell. I should mention that the terrorists happen to be Christians who were convicted of killing Muslim civilians.
The Family Research Council appears to be offering a defense of convicted terrorists simply because they are Christian.
Just as we should denounce Muslim terrorists who kill in the name of God, we must also denounce terrorists who prostitute the name of Christ for their own purposes. As an American, I want to see the equal prosecution of terrorists regardless of faith. As a Christian, I might even argue for an more aggressive prosecution against those who pollute the reputation of my own faith with their killings.
Our nation is fighting a War on Terror. Terror is terror. The Family Research Council shouldn't be excusing terror because it is done in the name of Christ. Our nation should reject that argument, and Republicans should reject organizations like FRC who coddle terrorists simply because they proclaim a similar faith.
Posted by John at 03:36 PM | Permalink |
Black Gay Mayor Welcomes Focus On the Family to Palm Springs
Black and openly gay Palm Springs Mayor Ron Oden is in the news today.
The L.A. Times has reported that Oden, sent a letter welcoming Colorado based conservative group Focus on the Family to Palm Springs for their "Love Won Out" conference slated to take place this Saturday. Focus on the Family believes that gays can “overcome” their homosexuality and teaches that gays and lesbians lead deviant and un-Christian lifestyles and have a choice in their sexual orientation.
Oden sent conference organizers a letter noting how "pleased" he was that they were holding the event in the area.
"It's a pleasure to welcome you," the mayor wrote to Focus on the Family, which is holding the conference. "We are so proud to have you here in the Palm Springs area."
Palm Springs has one of the nations largest percentage same-sex couples, needless to say, some of Oden’s constituents are not happy.
Oden said Thursday that the group had requested a welcome letter months earlier, and that he doesn't regret sending it.
"Not long ago people were saying they didn't want us in their communities," he said. "If we now turn around and say we don't want them, where does it stop?
"If we want the acceptance and understanding of others, it's also important for people to see we're willing to extend the same courtesy to others."
Now, I work for an elected official and we get those letter requests all of time. It’s standard for organizations to ask for a letter of greeting from local elected officials.
But just because it’s standard practice, doesn’t mean you have to submit the letter.
One of Oden’s gay constituents said that if the KKK was having a conference and requested a letter, he doubted that he’d receive the same welcome.
In the letter, according to a copy released by Focus on the Family, the mayor urged participants to "discover all that makes this a great place to live and visit…. We are going to do everything we can to make you want to come back. We'll tempt you with so many things to do and see that you will just have to return."
Gay activists are planning to protest outside of the conference…as they should be.
I like Ron a lot. I admire him and I think he’s a great guy but I am not sure how I feel about this.
He didn’t have to submit the letter, in fact he could have ignored the request. I don’t think it would have hurt him at all. I understand his reasoning for doing it, but it just doesn’t fly with me. Focus on the Family will never accept gays, I don’t care how welcoming you are. I think Ron knows this as well. However, if it was a ploy to get some coverage and to turn heads, then job well done, you certainly captured my attention.
What I really want to know is does the Mayor plan to join the protestors who plan to hold affirming signs of gays and lesbians outside of the conference on Saturday?
Posted by Jasmyne at 04:49 AM | Permalink |
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop…Black LGBT Bloggers Strike Again
Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender bloggers have done it again.
A controversial concert scheduled in Los Angeles for October 3 that featured homophobic reggae artist Buju Banton was officially cancelled by the venue’s management after an email campaign was initiated. (See L.A. Times Story)
In less than 24 hours after the campaign was started, the assistant general manager of the Highlands Nightclub in Hollywood Adam Manacker sent out an email stating that he was not aware of Buju Banton's lyrics or his anti-gay sentiment until he started getting e-mails. His email goes on to say, “I have since done some research and have decided to cancel the show. I apologize on behalf of myself and the Highlands.”
This latest Black LGBT blogger campaign comes on the heals of a similar campaign against two anti-gay artists, Beenie Man and TOK, who had been scheduled to perform at an AIDS benefit concert put on by LIFEbeat, the music industry’s AIDS charity.
But even with all of these successes for Black LGBT bloggers, there’s a sentiment that Black bloggers are still not considered a part of the “mainstream” blogging community.
President Clinton recently convened a meeting of bloggers in Harlem, New York without the presence of any Black or Latino participants.
Organizers of the meeting claimed to have invited two Black bloggers who couldn’t make the meeting, but the response was met with much skepticism from Black bloggers who contend that there’s no way they couldn’t find someone Black to participate given that they were meeting in the heart of Harlem.
Maybe President Clinton and his staff didn’t realize that Black bloggers had “outed” Black pastors in one of the most controversial and still talked about online campaigns. Perhaps the news didn’t cross their desks that Black bloggers had single handedly worked to get several concerts cancelled that featured homophobic artists. Perhaps they just weren’t aware that it was because of Black bloggers that author E. Lynn Harris’ new book and the Black gay series Noah’s Arc became household names over night. It was Black bloggers who exposed the raw sex parties in New York that prohibited the use of condoms.
From all of these examples hundreds of millions of media impressions were generated. Opinions were formed. People we were engaged. From blurbs in ESSENCE Magazine to local television coverage and radio interviews on both Black and LGBT shows, Black bloggers have been wielding their power and influence both online and in their communities.
And note that I use the phrase “Black bloggers.” While it would be easier to lump us into the LGBT category, Black LGBT bloggers are Black bloggers. We write about issues from a Black perspective and from the perspective of being same-gender loving. Our audiences are not only other Black LGBT people but include Blacks of all sexual orientations.
Black bloggers have power. We yield it every day. With every post, email, and comment, we message to a dedicated audience that comes back day after day.
It’s a shame that in every aspect of my life, from being Black, to being female and lesbian, and also a blogger, that there’s this never ending struggle for equality.
There’s no reason why Black bloggers should have been excluded from the Clinton meeting and even more disturbing than that is the fact that apparently, it wasn’t even an issue for those around table, who were probably too excited to think about anything other than the fact that they were in the room.
I’m tired of having to ask why we were excluded from the conversation, or why there aren’t any Blacks in management at your company, or why don’t you have a Black political consultant on retainer, and my favorite, why are calling me to attend a meeting 24 hours before it takes place.
Fortunately for me, I’ve got more important issues to contend with. There’s another reggae concert scheduled on October 22 here in Los Angeles featuring Beenie Man and my energy would be better spent on making sure that Black LGBT people mobilize and again make their presence felt.
This is definitely the era of the blogger, and Black LGBT bloggers have played their part in making blog history.
Let’s do it again and get Beenie Man cancelled in Los Angeles.
Who’s with me?
Posted by Jasmyne at 04:47 AM | Permalink |
California Congresswoman Maxine Waters Makes “Top 20 Most Corrupt” List
California’s Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) has made the D.C. based watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW) “20 Most Corrupt Members in Congress" list….again.
An eight-term Democrat representing 35th District communities which includes South Los Angeles, Waters is believed to have exercised power in Congress "to financially benefit her daughter, husband and son."
"Rep. Waters' family members have used her name and connections to make lucrative commercial deals from which they have reaped personal financial gain in violation of House rules," CREW said.
Waters' daughter, Karen Waters, allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars by charging for spots on slate mailers issued by a nonprofit organization that sends sample ballots to voters, according to CREW. Rep. Waters’ husband, Sidney Williams, also earned hundreds of thousands of dollars by working as a consultant for a bond underwriting firm that seeks government investment, CREW said.
Waters' son, Edward, also benefited from her political connections involving a county lease to run a golf course in South Los Angeles, according to CREW.
To be fair, Waters is in the company of California's very own Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Riverside; Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville; Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands; Rep. Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar; and Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy.
An August 2006 Harris poll shows that 77% of Americans have a negative view of Congress and a May 2006 Gallup poll indicates that 83% of Americans consider corruption a serious issue.
Other Blacks on the list include Rep. William Jefferson, D-Louisiana.
Of the 20 “most corrupt,” two are Black, three are Democrats, and 17 are Republicans, including Federal Marriage Amendment supporters Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania and Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colorado.
Posted by Jasmyne at 04:42 AM | Permalink |
September 13, 2006
Pro-Gay Muslim Wins Democratic Nod
Photo Credit: Craig Lassig/AP Photo
Keith Ellison last night claimed the Democratic nomination for Minnesota's overwhelmingly-Democratic 5th Congressional District. Many news outlets have focused on the fact that Ellison will become the first Muslim elected to Congress with a victory in November. However, what many reports filed from outside Minnesota have overlooked is his strong record of support for LGBT issues.
Ellison has not only been a supporter, but a dogged advocate for LGBT families in Minnesota. He helped lead the Democratic opposition to an anti-marriage amendment in the state legislature and rallied the Black religious community against it in speeches and editorials. This, in part, earned him the endorsement of the Minnesota Stonewall DFL - our local chapter.
Ellison is a candidate who has admitted his flaws (having his drivers license suspended for failing to pay traffic tickets), and who seems able to learn and grow from them. Opponents attacked Ellison for his college-days defense of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan from charges of anti-Semitism. However, Jewish political leaders in the district quickly rallied around the Ellison campaign to point out his work with their community.
I've worked in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. It has the unique position of being home to the state's largest concentrations of Black, Jewish, Muslim, immigrant and LGBT voters. It is a place that is home to the largest Somali refugee community and to the largest concentration of openly-gay elected officials in the country. Bringing together Jewish, Muslim, African American, African Immigrant and LGBT activists, Keith Ellison has been able to talk about his support for LGBT equality in local mosques and his faith as a Muslim before gay audiences.
As we wade through another political season where Republican politicians try to divide Americans by exploiting homophobia in communities of faith, it is reassuring to have a counter-balance to their efforts in someone like Keith Ellison.
Read More: Would a Constitutional Amendment Welcome the Stranger, Clothe the Naked or Heal the Sick? (Keith Ellison, editorial)
Posted by John at 09:57 AM | Permalink |
September 12, 2006
Don't Tread on Me
President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush - Photo Credit: Reuters
Would anyone who took a basic civics class in high school like to tell us what is wrong with this picture? It is not the first time that something like this has happened.
Posted by John at 10:34 AM | Permalink |
September 11, 2006
GOP Bailing Out of the Ocean State?
from Political Wire
If Chafee Loses Primary, Republicans Will Surrender Seat
The New York Times: "In an extraordinary pre-emptive announcement, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has said it will concede Rhode Island to the Democrats should" Stephen Laffey (R) defeat Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) in the GOP primary. "Citing poll data, Republican leaders said they saw no way someone as conservative as Mr. Laffey could win in a state as Democratic as this; as it is, they are increasingly worried about Mr. Chafee’s hopes in a general election."
Posted by TrailMix at 05:21 PM | Permalink |
