Venus View

2011-12-18T16:31:00.006-05:00

Rogero becomes Mayor of Knoxville

A few words of hope

As Knoxville’s new Mayor, Madeline Rogero, gave her speech at the Jacob’s Building at Chilhowee Park yesterday, a few words of hope were included in her speech acknowledging “gay” citizens as well as straight. This reminds me that I need to send a National Lesbian and Gay Journalists’ Stylebook on Terminology. I am not gay. I am a lesbian. Guess I’ll have to give her the benefit of the doubt and make sure her press officer gets a copy of the stylebook.

In her speech, she offered hope for true diversity in all functions fulfilled by city government as well as laying out some concrete examples of what that might look like. She has many daunting tasks ahead of her, and I congratulate her not only on being the first woman to be Mayor of our fair city, but also for her courage and tireless energies. I will be watching to see what happens in the days ahead.

2011-06-17T17:04:00.005-04:00

JOY, SHEER JOY!

To thine own self be true = HAPPINESS

I am now and have always been a lesbian feminist activist since I came out in 1978. I am just now getting to do some of the things I have fervently desired since Day One. I am going to be representing Lesbian Connection at Knox PrideFest 2011. I cannot think of an organization I would rather represent. This publication has changed the lives of many lesbians by providing a concrete matrix for a national (and international) lesbian community.

I have worked at many LGBT-related gatherings. I have volunteered for many facets of the LGBT struggle for equality. I promise this little job will bring me more sheer joy than anything I have ever done. I owe these wimmin (sic) *something* for all the encouragement, validation, and vital information that they have made available free worldwide to lesbians since they first began publishing in 1975.

MORE JOY

I received my ticket to the 2011 Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. I shook as I carefully cut the envelope open so that I can scan it for a possible scrapbook. I am just in absolute awe at the accommodations available to disabled persons at this event. I am really going to get to go see my Sisters and The Land. I am dumbstruck with joy.

I have been making clothing and bags to use at MichFest. I also have turned out a ceremonial belt, Croning dress for the ceremony on August 7th - some good Leo energy going on then. When I think about getting to go I lose all grounding whatsoever and just float around propelled with anticipation, wonderful anticipatory fantasy, and (you guessed it) JOY!

My heart is feelin' good today.

2011-05-09T23:37:00.010-04:00

Starting to prepare for MichFest

I got up this morning, filled out the forms that I need to send to the Michigan Womyn's Music Festive (hereafter referred to as MichFest. I cannot remember ever being more joyous as when I called Walhalla and spoke with a womon named Terril. She was very patient with me. I told her that I had waited 33 years to come to MichFest, that when I checked their Web site to see if they could accommodate a visually impaired, hearing impaired, mobility impaired lesbian. I broke down when I saw all the wonderful supports that were in place to enable those of us who need them to attend. I felt a wave of memory wash over me. I was instantly back in 1979 in Montana helping distribute "The Amazon Spirit," a statewide monthly newsletter published by local lesbian feminists. I was down in Stone Mountain, Georgia, watching Melissa Etheridge perform onstage at RhythmFest in 1989, feeling tearful gratitude for Holly Near who works so hard to make the venues where she performs accessible. It's like a cocoon. The lesbian womonenergy is addictive. It is a place apart where my sisters care about each other and actively advocate for each other.

On Sunday, I bought the tallest air mattress that would fit my budget, a battery-powered inflation pump, and a bunch of D batteries. I also got an 8 X 10 tarp.

I was a bit anxious about how much energy it would take to do my two proposed workshops. To my delight, when I opened my MichFest folder I found detailed outlines for both of them. I did them a month or two ago, but formot all about doing them. The first one will be about sharing my experiences as a native Appalachian lesbian. How I try to keep the best parts of my culture while struggling mightily against the oppression of patriarchy that is the very matrix of Appalachian culture. I quilt. I crochet. I can. I make apple butter. I can. I can pass some good Appalachian culture down to my grandchildren without buying into the old boy Christian shoulder-patting submissive female role that engulfs many Appalachian straight women and lesbians as well.

The second one will be about the emotional roller coaster that occurs in many of our lives when our mothers die. I am an old hand at this one. My mother died in 1971. I was 19. The ogre to whom she was married called her into his private office, threw a red jacket over her head, and shot her six times. The pain is indescribable, but I have learned to live without her. I'm hoping that a group of wimmin will provide an opportunity to give and get support around this issue.

I'm ready tor some good womon energy, bonfires, rock and roll. sweet acoustic guitars, intensive intensives, sharing and meeting my sisters from all over the world. I cannot wait to get to The Land. I will put down my walking stick, kneel down on my one good knee and will lay a big one on the Holy Terra. This has been a long time coming.

_________________________________________________________________

Photo credit - Sam Bays
False Solomon's Seal in my front garden

2011-02-14T23:32:00.003-05:00

Local mainstream news sources watch a different Madison

Focus on the Dems flight, not protests

After watching the live events in Madison, Wisconsin, on MSNBC with Ed Shultz I turned on my local news. When the Wisconsin story aired I was absolutely dumbfounded. The entire story focused on the Democratic legislators who have fled the state to prevent a quorum necessary for a vote on the bill that could end collective bargaining rights for state government employees.
I kept waiting for the fact that this workers' uprising is like none other in the history of the United States. These workers have stayed the course and will be joined in ever greater numbers by locals with a day off and others coming in one by one and by busloads.

Not one remark told of the tens of thousands who have stood fast in the cold Wisconsin weather to assert their right to health care, fair working conditions, a living wage and the collective bargaining process.

Looking at the 4-5,000 people assembled inside the capitol building was nothing short of jaw-dropping awe. The energy is infectious. Tomorrow they expect 40,000. No mention of
any of this was made in the four local news sources I checked after being clued in by the newscast.

I intend to watch any live broadcast I can manage because I am now aware that I have some major perception differences when compared to our local mainstream news sources.

Surprise, surprise.

2011-02-04T16:41:00.011-05:00

Moving forward with MichFest plans

I've been in dreamland these days, thinking about MichFest and the pilgrimage I have wanted my entire life. These thoughts are interwoven with the crocheted cotton stitches of my evening wrap, the bead work on my "Pisces" shirt. I am allowing myself to breathe and know that I am dis/covering wisdom as I plod toward my Croning with great thought and reverence.

Knowing that I am embracing a journey that will entail many challenges only makes me want it more. I have fantasies of offering up one of my Max/ine Feldman purses for auction to help pay my expenses. More fantasies break through my consciousness, leading me to take gifts to randomly or not-so-randomly distribute to those who seem to need them along the way. I'm obsessing with having as many things as possible homemade - adding an amalgam of healer and weaver literally imbued to the very threads. I have been an healer, a weaver and grower-of-herbs for many years. Some say many lifetimes.

I have finished the Pisces shirt and am on to making my Africa skirt/caftan/not sure yet. The wrap is still ongoing, but it won' take long. It will soon be time to make my Croning dress.

2011-01-20T13:47:00.009-05:00

MY HOPES AND DREAMS HAVE INTERSECTED WITH THE HORIZON

I am MichFest bound, baby!

Why (you ask) is this woman blathering on about a festival that doesn't happen until August?

Because I have waited 33 years to go. I have dreamed of attending the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival
since I first heard about it in 1978. The stories I have heard from the womyn who have attended make my head swim with images of so many womyn singing, laughing, playing, emoting, eating, and just living together in a separate space that has be guarded steadfastly6 by their courageous staff for the last 35 years.

I seriously thought I would never be able to go. I have low vision and cannot drive. While the MichFest com board offers a section for those who need a ride, I am not comfortable riding with strangers. So, I gave up on my dream for all time.

I was speaking with Linda, a friend, when the subject of MichFest arose. Yeah, I admit it. I brought it up. I told her of my unadulterated jealousy regarding her annual treks to MichFest. She offered to let me go with her. I almost blacked out.

You see, she not only offered a ride. She also offered to "take care" of me, a phrase that did not offend me in the least. I have low vision. (For those not familiar with those terms, they simply mean I'm almost blind. I also have a severe hearing loss in both ears. Add to that my horrendous joint problems, and it becomes crystal clear just how generous her offer was.)

I've been on that Web site ever since our conversation - always an open tab on MichFest. I'm thrilled, exhilarated, ecstatic, full of joy and an unabashed gynophile!!

2010-06-22T22:16:00.009-04:00

HERITAGE LGBT STYLE

I have just returned home from my first Pride event in two years. Heritage Night is special to me because it is the event that brought my activism back to life back in 2004. In most communities, it is a time to honor the elders who have blazed the path for those coming into their own in this day and time. It is usually a time to reflect on the collective community memory, while making sure the path is clear for all.

Before I go on, let me just say that the event planners were wonderful. They did a lot of hard work to make this community come together during Pride Week. I honor their efforts and extend my gratitude to them. All of them.

We were offered a film made locally by some young white folks for some young white folks. Inclusive - a word that those of us in the LGBT movement use frequently. We give lip service to the rainbow of variations that our lives represent. Race, class, sex, gender identity, differently able and numerous other descriptors come to mind as the un/spoken prize longed for by those of us who have tramped the roads of this struggle for many years. We hope. We do our best to be sure that the whole spectrum is represented in venues that serve to bind us together as a community. That not-so-simple deed cannot be done unless these words are spoken. We have to speak ourselves into being, not just in a dialogue (although those are absolutely necessary,) but as a chorus. Taking time for solos, duets, three-part harmonies, raunchy drinking rounds, quiet poetry – taking time to listen to all whose voices are offered to be heard. We cannot have a chorus of only tenors. While their music may be beautiful, it is not the depth and range that can be obtained when we combine our voices. We can expand, hoping to resonate with as many of our people as possible.

How can we do this? It starts with recognition by young and not-so-young newly-out folks who have lots of energy and want their voices to be heard, to tell of the oppression they have suffered, the indignities they have endured. I want them to sing out. I honor their stories. I want their unique journeys to be offered up on the altar of our collective consciousness and that of as many kindred souls who can hear.

For those who think I am on a pointless rant, let me explain. I sat through the film that told the story of some young LGBTIQ people who have experienced what it is to be an LGBTIQ youth in Knoxville, Tennessee. Unfortunately I cannot tell you very much about it. The film was not closed captioned. I am mostly deaf. The deaf call me hard of hearing. In any case, I could not understand a single word that was said. Those who know me well know this fires up my Leonine nature. I do understand that closed captioning is expensive. If only those who produced the film had taken a moment to acknowledge the lack of access for those of us who are hearing impaired, it would have been a bit easier to swallow. As it was, I felt ignored, minimized, excluded. Believe it or not, one never gets used to it.

All of the people in the film were young except the parent of one of the young persons. I wonder if this were the case due to grant parameters, or if they simply did not make the effort to reach out to the rest of the community and *ask* for participation. Maybe they did. If so, I missed it. The question of money brings us gracefully to the important issue of class and how it marginalizes people in this and every other community. So many times I have seen folks shunned, ignored, marginalized, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unwittingly.

I feel it necessary to say that I do not feel adequate to address the issues of racial divides in the LGBTIQ community. I know so little, only what I can observe. What I see are two completely separate communities, the boundaries of which are traversed only by a few individuals. Knowing that there are windows that appear from time to time that allow white folks to peek into a world that we cannot experience, but can only imagine. Seizing that opening should be a priority for our leaders. I admit to having failed to optimize my own efforts in this regard, but hope to pick up and run with this soon. I will try harder, make more room in my schedule and my heart to move forward with this to the best of my own abilities.

Then, of course, there is the issue of age. I guess old queers are just supposed to shut up and sit in the corner or better still simply dry up and blow away. I’ll be damned. Do I have to say over and over and over that the patriarchal death march that passes for mainstream culture is ga-ga- over youth? It is *everywhere*. Women are just supposed to die at age 30...40? I’m 58, and I’m still kicking. My soulheart physically hurts when I realize that the lesbian village, that can give wisdom and direction, has vanished into 90s air, leaving us at the dawn of the second decade of the century, plowing the same ground over and over and over.

Those who are close to our Mother may know of a phenomenon called hard-panning. This happens when the same ground is mechanically tilled season after season with no attempts to aerate or improve the soil. Over time the layer of earth that is just beneath the tines grows hard, especially in our clay soil. The end result is that nothing can grow in soil that has been treated this way. The analogy just seems so fitting. I applaud the efforts of the young people who produced the film tonight, but I could not shake the feeling that our collective memory has *never* taken root. We just keep plowing the same field over and over, wondering why nothing will grow.

A womon wrote in to the last issue of Lesbian Connection bemoaning the loss of lesbian feminist community. That resonated to my very bones. We are no longer supposed to want that. We are all under this fucking rainbow, and we are supposed to like it. Some of us like it some of the time. Few lesbians I have spoken with on this subject like the LGBT thing all the time. Even if it is a head space, we need wimmin’s space. We need to re/member the connections that can empower us and provide opportunities for intergenerational dialogue and understanding within the lesbian community. We cannot coalesce by cordoning ourselves off into ever dwindling splinter groups.

We need also, at this point in time in East Tennessee, to create bonds of friendship and commonality with gay, bisexual and transgender people. That can only come if we know who we are. One cannot offer an empty shell, a political-zombie, and expect productive community-building to occur. We need to flesh out who we are as people. We need a place to exchange ideas and aspirations without the encumbrances of alcohol in an environment that encourages participation. I have planted this seed in my own mind. I would now like to plant it in yours. By throwing the idea out there, perhaps we can come together and prosper.

Well, back to the Pride event.

When the belly dancer started, I left. I felt like a zebra in a herd of thoroughbreds. Swaying hips and dancing girls with all manner of scarves and teasing movements interpreted through the mind of another may be a wonderful experience. I can almost see the observation of belly dancing as entertainment – for men. I am not comfortable with that much sexuality in mixed company. Call me a prude. Call me jealous. Call me, please, a quasi-separatist. There are things that I can enjoy in mixed company. Belly dancing is not one of them. When performed for men’s enjoyment, it becomes distorted and creates an atmosphere in which I am very uncomfortable. The roots of this dance run deep, touching on the hot core of patriarchal machinations, oppression of wimmin and silencing of wimmin’s voices. The idea that it is done for exercise is just plain bullshit. I kept wondering where the pole was. Like I said, I had to leave.

I understand that the production of Pride events is a lot of work. I truly appreciate the effort that it takes to make this love offering to the community. I know because I have done it. I became so tired that I had to rest for a time in order to even feel that I could breathe at a Pride event again. From my friends I felt welcomed and valued. I love them with all my heart. I guess I’m just an old curmudgeon who re/members and longs for continuity in a community that at least wants to re/member, whether they can or not.

2010-05-30T12:31:00.001-04:00

Normally when I write music, the tune comes long before the lyrics. In fact, I have a couple or three "unlyriced" tunes in my music bag right now. But this horrible disaster in the Gulf of Mexico made the words spill out almost involuntarily.

OCEANA'S CHILD

One fine spring day
Oceana basking
In sun's golden rays.
Her salt air spraying
As wave greets shore.
These lovely days
We'll see no more.

CHORUS

For we are all
Oceana's children
Withing her arms
All life begins.
Her fertile shores
Both deep and shallow
Sustain us all.
This you must know
As we mourn the Gulf of Mexico.

Quietly the news of tragedy,
Of explosion and death
Off the shores of Louisiana
Oil workers drew their last
Earthly breaths.
Their loved ones mourn
The loss of family.
Without a graveside
To adorn.

CHORUS

The crude oil spews
Poisoning the water.
All creatures now
As good as dead.
This black muck comes forth
From BP's faulty bed.

CHORUS

The death begins,
The creatures struggle
Against the poison
In the deep.
Soon poison gases
Join in the chorus,
Spreading out, ever spreading
In ghastly waves
Of deathly sleep.

CHORUS

We cannot fix this
With hose and hair.
There are no scrubbers
In Oceana's lair.
We must arise
And defend our homeland.
Or swear to die
On Oceana's sand.

(C) 2010 Beth Maples-Bays

(Please know that these lyrics are just roughed out. Something --told me to offer them up for you to read, so I did. If you have any questions about these lyrics, feel free to leave comments.)

2007-09-01T11:35:00.000-04:00

I

I'm up and at 'em early, getting ready for the breakfast plenary that promises to elaborate on the double discrimination faced by LGBTQ immigrants in the United States

Later, I will moderate a breakout session (workshop) on media and accessibility. I believe this will be the first time that voices of LGBTQ disabled folks will be heard at a National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention. Today will provide a broad overview with an eye to more specific workshops in future conventions. With 78 million Baby Boomers aging rapidly, the need to have accessible journalism products becomes more pressing if we are to tap into this vast market and provide news and information critical to these times.

An article about the events and concerns leading up to my proposal for the workshop was published in Insight, the daily paper chronicling the events at the convention. Student journalists staff the publication, and I am thoroughly impressed with their work product. Maybe next year, we can have some UT j-majors on the staff.

More later...

2007-09-01T03:22:00.000-04:00

Margaret McElligott named 2007 Women's Distinguished Service Award recipient

McElligot accepts award from a smiling Lauren Ober, Women's Task Force Chair

2007-08-31T17:43:00.001-04:00

Greetings from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association 2007 convention!

I am blogging live from Westin Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego where the NLGJA convention has been in full swing for the second day. The plenaries and breakout sessions never fail to please with topics such as blogging vs. reporting, gay media covering gay news, and the 40th anniversary of The Advocate to keep all attendees excited about the annual LGBT Media Summitt on Thursday, followed by the general convention when our cohorts from mainstream media joined us today.

In addition to new board members, NLGJA has a new executive director. David Barre, formerly with Greenpeace and the National Minority AIDS Council, looks forward to moving NLGJA into the future, meeting and exceeding membership goals including extra efforts to recruit women and people of color.

With many so many topics and photos, I will have to wait until I return to Tennessee to make a full report, but in the meantime I will post snippets periodically.

Look for them in your inbox!

2007-02-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

Lesbian anti-terrorist freedom fighters

The ultimate fighting machine

There is finally a solution for combating worldwide terrorism! Check out the latest version of the Lesbian Avengers outlined on Pam's House Blend. Condi will love you for it.

2007-02-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

Who is Tom Cole, and why is he calling me?

Republicans stoop to yet another low, calling small business owners

I just got a phone call from Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) sounding an alarm for the poor small business owners and outlining his forecast of trouble ahead because of that nasty old Nancy Pelosi. I mean, really - she has to be evil, right? She's a woman with money in a powerful position and a Democrat to boot!

It seems that Rep. Cole is the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, and he is "concerned" for the health of our small businesses. This guy was "deeply involved" (from the NRC Web site) in the fiasco otherwise known as the sham that passed for an election in Florida's 2000 Presidential race. This pointy-headed conservative with his three degrees is hardly worried about the Mom's and Pop's, but rather seeks only to erode the Democratic foothold in Congress so that he and his "party" can spend more money on their illegal wars while they consistently reduce funding levels for programs aimed at improving our nation's health, education, and general well-being of the people. He should be ashamed of himself.

As my grandmother would say "horse-shoo."

Knox County Democratic Party Chair Betty Reddick notes, "The health of our nation's small businesses are not endangered by Speaker Nancy Pelosi."

Well, indeed. I couldn't have said it better myself, Betty.

The phone calls appear to be part of a national campaign to attack Speaker Pelosi and the new Democratic Congressional majority by raising the level of fear and anxiety among our nation's small business owners. I hope they don't fall for it. I'm afraid some will. The message needs to go out that we won't be duped again. The last time small business owners got a fair shake there was a guy named Bill in the White House.

After scraping my jaw up off the floor, it occurred to me that I am listed on the national do-not-call list. Unfortunately, these folks can call me all day everyday due to the political party exemption from from state and federal do-not-call registries. I will say however, that I will make a point of broadcasting their dirty, shameless tactics every time my tellie jingles.

It is ironic that a link to the National Do Not Call Registry is the second link down in the left margin navigation bar on Cole's Web site. That would certainly indicate to me that harassing phone calls are a cause for concern among his constituents. Maybe he just doesn't care.

I want the Tennessee Republicans who pretend to represent my family in Washington to know that I do not appreciate this telephone harassment. Congressmen David Davis, John J. Duncan, Jr., Zach Wamp, and Marsha Blackburn - you are now on notice that if you party does not *back off* I will blog this harassment every time it happens.

2007-01-13T19:11:00.000-05:00

National Conference on Media Reform

Friday, Jan. 11, 2007

The day was exhausting, and I did not have the energy to blog last night. It was an intense day starting with Dr. Willie Harenton, the Mayor of Memphis, followed by Bill Moyers. You know, I never knew Moyers is a Southern Baptist. It made sense, but it just never occured to me. His limited view of diversity was attributed to his status as such as I listened to him speak. Little did I know that it would be a common refrain in the rarified atmosphere of the conference.

After lunch, we were treated to Danny Glover, topped off with Jesse Jackson. I never clapped so hard in my life. Jackson's rousing style replete with the wonderful cadence that is the exclusive domain of Southern African American preachers was balm to my soul. I overlooked the occasional dampening of my enthusiasm over his references to Christianity in fair exchange for the lift to my spirit that he always brings.

Following that I went to a workshop on Big Media moderated by none other than Phil Donohue. Phil's 25 years as a pioneer in TV talk was a frequent source of inspiration for me in the mid-seventies. His groundbreaking topics brought previously taboo subjects to the fore for American viewers. We owe him a great debt of gratitude.

Entitled "Inside Corporate Media: Can It Tell The Truth?", they began by talking about Donohue's brief stint at MSNBC that coincided with 9-11 and the beginning of the war in Iraq. Jeff Cohen, author of Cable News Confidential, worked with Phil on the MSNBC talk show. They were quite honest about the fact that Phil was fired because of his criticism of Bush and the number of anti-Bush guests they booked.

I knew there had been something going on back then, but it just seemed like so much was happening so fast, that I had never delved into the why's and wherefore's of Donohue's quiet disappearance. As I look back, it makes perfect sense.

Cohen has an impressive progressive journalism resume, however I believe I admire him the most for spendng five years at Fox News. I identify with entering enemy territory to bring a message to the people. That is exactly how I feel frequently while working on LGBT issues in East Tennessee. Homeland or not, the natives are definitely hostile.

The workshop also featured Juan Gonzalez, a brilliant historian who probably knows more about Latino and Native American journalism in the American West during the period of atrocities otherwise known as Manifest Destiny as anyone on the face of the earth. I find him fascinating.

Laura Washington also sat on the panel. She is a free-lancer who writes for the Chicago Sun-Times and In These Times. She told an interesting story about her first interview with the Sun-Times early in her career. The job in question involved covering a beat that included low-income, dense housing areas that were populated predominantly by African Americans. The interviewer asked her if she thought she could cover that beat with objectivity. She looked him dead in the eye and asked, "Would you ask a white writer if they can cover the suburbs objectively?" Needless to say, she did not get the job, but says that ultimately it has worked out better for her in her role as free-lancer.

Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007

Memphis, TN

My day began with a workshop on civil rights after a quick breakfast at my hotel. I had planned to go to the Policymakers workshop, but the congressmen could not be there until after 2:00 p.m. I chose the civil rights workshop, hoping for more diversity that I saw on Friday. The presenters at this conference have whittled diversity down to one word - "raceNgender." Age, geographic ethnicity, religious diversity, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, ableism were all cast to the wind with raceNgender foremost on the minds of every speaker I heard on Friday.

In fact, not one single speaker addressed *any* form of discrimination/oppression except for raceNgender with an occasional bone tossed to the dog named economic justice. I guess I had forgotten where I was. I thought I had come to a conference to network with open-minded progressives. Instead I found myself in an Oz populated almost exclusively with middle class hippies of various ages aka the peaceNjustice folks along with a handful of political operatives and professional journalists.

I'm not here to trash the conference. Some important and creative work has occurred here, but as was noted at the Women and Media workshop that I attended for my second installation today, the only women speaking in the plenaries (the large banquet-hall-type room) were actresses, namely Geena Davis and Jane Fonda. I missed Geena and may not get to see Jane. All I've heard were men who talked about raceNgender until it came out of my ears.

In no way do I mean to disrespect the struggles of people of color. I have been alive in East Tennessee since 1952. I saw first-hand what they struggled against and how they continue to struggle in many ways.

Gender discrimination is very real. I am a product of the second wave of the women's movement. Without the brave women who cared for the psychologically-injured young woman who had lost her mother to a madman, I would probably not be here today. The universal war on women is the matrix from which I understand everything else. Our struggles have really just begun. Global justice for women is something that is very important to me.

But dammit, they're not the only ones who struggle. I take much more flak for being pagan than for being female in the circles I live in today. I lived for years in fear that I would lose my children to the foster care system because of who I love. I have lost jobs, apartments, and much more because I am lesbian, because I dare to love women and share my life with one woman. Since Sam has transitioned, many may question the latter statement, but let's just put it this way. All of my partners since 1978 were born female.

At any rate, the Media and Women workshop was great. It included a variety of speakers who were at least three different colors as well as geographically diverse. It contained no women much over forty and no lesbians.

The final workshop of the day was a Policymaker Roundtable with Congressmen Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Steve Cohen (D-TN). It was moderated by Frannie Wellings of the Free Press, sponsors of the conference. I am so offended by some of the things Wellings did that I cannot at this time write in detail about this workshop. I am deeply offended by the lack of LGBT voices at this conference. I am deeply disappointed by her lack of concern regarding that issue.

I felt that it would only be fair to get a statement from someone representing the conference with regard to this. Speaking with Outreach Coordinator Charlotte Capogna, I emphasized my gratitude for the willingness to dialogue around LGBT issues that she and the Women in Media organizers and presenters had shown. Her willingness to admit that this is an area that needs work has endeared her to me forever. I am also grateful to the young lesbian who was working at the information table on the Mezzanine. I did not get her name, but she was very helpful and sweet.

Hopefully I will have time to write more tomorrow or Monday. For now, I must call it a night.

2007-01-11T23:54:00.000-05:00

National Conference on Media Reform

www.freepress.net

Thursday, January 11, 2007

12:35 pm

I am bored stiff as I fly via Northwest Airlines to Memphis for the National Conference on Media Reform hosted by Free Press.

As I waited with my partner, Sam, to board my flight at the McGee-Tyson Airport, three young adults sat immediately behind us, engaged in a rather loud conversation. Even I with my severe hearing impairment could understand enough of what was said to gather that the young woman doing most of the talking was affiliated in some way with the Knoxville Police Department (KPD.) She began describing the recent prostitution stings that KPD conducted along Magnolia Avenue in East Knoxville, a street well known for such activity.

Her diatribe consisted of a blatantly slanted account of the stings lauding the poor police officers who were sent to this area to do the work they were paid by the taxpayers to do. Her unspoken complaint was imbedded in her description of the “little old ladies” who repeatedly requested that their neighborhood be cleared of these people with careful note that there was really noting law enforcement could do about it. In addition to attesting to the futility of these stings, her sympathy for the police officers who had to the this work oozed like honey from every word she uttered.

I could no longer resist. I reached for a business card and turned around, offering it to her as I introduced myself. I pointed out that I was familiar with the stings in question and highlighted the fact that the names of the men having sex with men who were arrested in Tyson Park were named on the air by WVLT-TV in Knoxville.

She immediately retorted that that was the fault of “the media.” I returned fire stating that the only “media” doing this was the most conservative station in the area. You know, the one that included a segment by Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family fame in each evening news broadcast.

I turned around and stewed in my juices until I remembered that the Chief Information Officer for KPD, Darrell Debusk, was a recent guest on the Halerin Hilton Hill morning radio talk show on WNOX Newstalk 100, local Reich Wing radio station. During his appearance, he read the names of the 15 men previously arrested at Tyson Park, He did not ready any names associated with the Magnolia Avenue stings.

She stared at me, apparently speechless, as I leveled the whole spiel of information at her that I had gathered during my background research for an Equality Herald article, also carried on Out and About Newspaper’s Web site.

She remained speechless, staring. Her companions turned around to see this woman, middle-aged grandmother, who knew statistics about men who have anonymous sex in public places. You see, I could not resist letting them know that these men are mostly married and heterosexual.

9:59 pm

After a frustrating beginning during which I practically had to wring a neck or two to get someone to show me where the elevators were, I finally got registered and got cleared for press credentials.

After an exhausting day, I was hungry and found that Memphis has a trolley system that, for $1/ride, will “carry you” to Beale Street and other destinations. As I stood awaiting the trolley, I found a lovely trio consisting of two young women from New York City, one an academic and one a broadcast journalism activist, along with their friend, a man from Seattle. We rode the trolley and met up with their friends at the famous Rendezvous Ribs. Our waiter was the very chap pictured on their Web site. His playful gruff manner made it even more fun.

The friends that had joined us were all from Canada. We had wonderful conversation about everything from kids to Dubya to the Alcan Highway. They were all sweet, interesting people who were patient with the deaf old lady from Knoxville.

2006-12-13T23:22:00.000-05:00

NYU prof slams Dobson for "distorting" research

Letter released by Truth Wins Out ED Wayne Besen

In a press release issued by Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen, a letter written by New York University psychology professor Carol Gilligan blasts Focus on the Family's James Dobson for "distorting" her research in a recently released Time magazine article on Mary Cheney's pregnancy. The letter, provided by Truth Wins Out, articulates Gilligan's displeasure with Dobson's use of her research to underpin his conclusions that same-sex couples cannot provide a positive family environment in which to raise children. Her position is stated in no uncertain terms.

Dear Dr. Dobson:

I am writing to ask that you cease and desist from quoting my research in the future. I was mortified to learn that you had distorted my work this week in a guest column you wrote in Time Magazine. Not only did you take my research out of context, you did so without my knowledge to support discriminatory goals that I do not agree with. What you wrote was not truthful and I ask that you refrain from ever quoting me again and that you apologize for twisting my work.

From what I understand, this is not the first time you have manipulated research in pursuit of your goals. This practice is not in the best interest of scientific inquiry, nor does bearing false witness serve your purpose of furthering morality and strengthening the family.

Finally, there is nothing in my research that would lead you to draw the stated conclusions you did in the Time article. My work in no way suggests same-gender families are harmful to children or can't raise these children to be as healthy and well adjusted as those brought up in traditional households.

I trust that this will be the last time my work is cited by Focus on the Family.

Sincerely,

Carol Gilligan, PhD
New York University, Professor

Dobson's article entitled "Two Mommies is One Too Many" released Monday, December 10. was a guest column for the industry giant. This is not the first instance of Time giving Dobson a platform for hate speech.

Dobson is the Founder and Board Chair of Focus on the Family, a right-wing group seen by many as dedicated to perpetuating patriarchal nuclear families with the traditional heterosexual couple with children to the exclusion of all other family constellations. They are headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Their mission (from their Web site) -

To cooperate with the Holy Spirit in disseminating the Gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible, and, specifically, to accomplish that objective by helping to preserve traditional values and the institution of the family.

"No reputable media outlet should continue using Focus on the Family as a resource because they are chronically dishonest and lack credibility," says Besen. "James Dobson should start to wonder if there is something inherently wrong with his stance on gay issues if the only way he can support his positions is outright lying."

Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the "ex-gay" myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit www.TruthWins.Out.org.

2006-12-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

Sears buys ads on LOGO

American Family Association issues Action Alert in protest

by Beth Maples-Bays

The American Family Association issued an Action Alert this morning urging members to call and write Sears regarding their purchase of ads on LOGO, a cable network devoted to LGBT programming.

Sears’ public relations spokesperson declined to comment and refused to be identified. He states that Sears buys advertising across the spectrum of available markets. He pointed out that it is Sears’ policy not to comment on present or future marketing strategies. They are aware of the AFA Action Alert.

From the AFA Action Alert:

Sears has thrown its support to the LOGO network. LOGO is the 24-hour cable television network dedicated to programming for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders according to a homosexual advertising website. It is carried on many cable systems around the country. Many of you have been forced to accept it as part of your cable package. Sears is now helping to make it mainstream!

Sear's advertising will help LOGO air shows like "Sex 2K Drag Kings," "The Gayest and Greatest of 2006," and "Transgeneration."

Sears advertising (two-minute infomercials) will go to help the fledging network get on firm financial ground. Sears advertising is financing LOGO's push to legalize homosexual marriage in addition to promoting the homosexual lifestyle.

Sears is owned by Kmart Corporation.

Sears will be hearing from the Religious Reich on this. We need to let them know that we appreciate their support for our community.

Take Action

1. Send an email to Sears asking them to cancel their advertising on LOGO.

2. Call your local Sears store and ask why Sears is supporting the homosexual network with its advertising.

3. Forward this email to your friends and family.

Click Here to Send Your Email to Sears Now!

Aylwin B. Lewis, President

Sears Holdings

3333 Beverly Road

Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

Primary Phone: 847-286-2500

Secondary Phone: 1-800-549-4505

Fax: 847-286-7829

E-Mail: Aylwin B. Lewis, Sears Holdings

2006-10-19T13:38:00.000-04:00

An important development concerning women's health in New York. - Beth

NYS COURT OF APPEALS UPHOLDS WOMEN'S HEALTH AND WELLNESS ACT

Catholic Charities Lawsuit Fails

Albany, NY (October 19, 2006)-The Women's Health and Wellness Act was upheld today by the Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York State. The six judges on the court voted unanimously to uphold this important law, which requires insurance plans to cover reproductive health services including osteoporosis exams, prescription contraceptives, and breast and cervical cancer screening.

The Court of Appeals decision in Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany v. Gregory V. Serio states that the object of the Women's Health and Wellness Act was:

"to make broader health insurance coverage available to women and, by that means, both to improve women's health and to eliminate disparities between men and women in the cost of health care."

"This is a great day for the women of New York State," said JoAnn M.
Smith, president and CEO of Family Planning Advocates of New York State.
"The urgent need to prevent discrimination in health care was rightly - and unanimously - affirmed by the highest court in the state."

Catholic Charities sought special rights to discriminate against women employees by denying them access to needed health insurance coverage.
Catholic Charities unsuccessfully challenged the Women's Health and Wellness law in two lower New York courts. On November 25, 2003, the New York State Supreme Court found that the law protects women from discriminatory health insurance practices. That decision was affirmed by the Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department, on January 11, 2006.

The Women's Health and Wellness Act, which went into effect January 1, 2003, has made vital preventive health care services and treatment available to more women in New York State. The bill was sponsored by Assemblymember Deborah Glick of Manhattan and Senator John Bonacic of Mt. Hope. Family Planning Advocates (FPA) led a huge coalition that worked to pass this law and brought key reproductive rights organizations together to submit an amicus brief to the court.

The Women's Health and Wellness Act helps to end discrimination against women in insurance coverage by enhancing access to reproductive health care including contraception. While birth control is the most widely used prescription drug for women of reproductive age, it was routinely excluded from insurance plans. According to Alan Guttmacher Institute,
49 percent of typical large-group insurance plans failed to routinely cover any reversible contraceptive method. Women of reproductive age were forced to pay as much as 68 percent more for out-of-pocket medical care than men.

New York's Women's Health and Wellness Law exempts employers engaged in purely religious activities, such as seminaries, from having to provide contraceptive coverage to their employees, who in all likelihood share their employer's religious beliefs. A similar exemption in California's contraceptive coverage equity law was also upheld in the courts. Planned Parenthood's thirteen New York affiliates filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, urging the judges to uphold this law.

2006-10-18T16:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes “T” is for tough

A lesbian SO’s view of Southern Comfort 2006

by Beth Maples-Bays

Reading about Southern Comfort online last year, I realized that it was simply time for Sam and I to go check it out. After 15 years of living and loving together as well as weathering the storm and demands of transition five years prior, I felt that I owed it to Sam to invest in a trip to at least one trans-oriented convention. Southern Comfort was the closest, so it was a natural choice.

Allow me to give you a bit of background about what brought us to that conclusion. When we began our relationship in 1991, Sam got a healthy, employed partner making more than $40,000 annually as a registered nurse. Before then end of our first year together, I became very sick and was soon completely disabled. Complete blindness, respiratory problems, joint and skin manifestations of the autoimmune disorder that was ravaging my body put me in a position of helplessness that I had never before experienced. With a pre-existing severe bilateral hearing impairment, the loss of my vision also meant the loss of my primary means of communication.

Throughout the ensuing eight years, I experienced numerous eye surgeries (14 total,) 32 periocular injections of corticosteroids, immunosuppressant therapy, respiratory debilitation that precluded independent ability to get from one room to the next without assistance, and many other serious medical problems. I saw internists, retinal and vitreous specialists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists, and other highly specialized medical practitioners as we began the hunt for a diagnosis that was stubbornly elusive.

Throughout this ordeal, Sam was always by my side. I never went to a doctor’s appointment alone. I never had to worry about getting medications from the pharmacy. I was supported and loved by a partner who, initially unbeknownst to me, was struggling with important issues of his own.

One day in 1992, I was sitting on the bed in my bedroom, resting from an exhausting trip to the bathroom, gasping for breath, unable to see myself in the vanity mirror less than three feet away. Sam, who was then using his feminine name, sat down beside me on the bed. He was holding some sort of paper in his hands, and he told me that he had something to tell me. The paper he was holding was a pamphlet from the Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The conversation that occurred between us that day was not long or complicated. Sam told me that he is transsexual, that he had known this since early childhood, that he had had the vocabulary to articulate his transsexuality since early adolescence, and that he had actually written to the Ericson Foundation more than thirty years prior to obtain information regarding transitioning from female to male.

My immediate response was simply one of exasperation, and I told Sam that it just was not something I had the energy to discuss. I was having trouble getting through the day alive without considering anyone’s gender identity, my own included. I promised him that if I ever got any semblance of health restored, we would deal with it at that time. Sam patiently accepted my promise.

What ensued were seemingly endless years spent blind, tapping with a white cane, undergoing surgeries and highly invasive procedures in hopes of getting a handle on a medical condition that no one could name, much less treat. When 1998 rolled around, I began immunosuppressant therapy that resulted in a halt to disease progression. At the same time, Windows 98 SE personal computer operating system came equipped with accessibility features for the first time. In a rash of competition, the prices on home computers became so low that I was actually able to purchase one. That opened up a world of information that would eventually benefit both of us in ways we never imagined.

After months of intensive self-taught immersion in computer applications, I began to stick a toe in the puddle of available information concerning transgender people, including social/support and informational sites. As I racked up the URLs in hopes of one day finding the answers that Sam needed, I found that it did not take nearly as long as I thought it would. By 2001, Sam was on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) supervised by our family internist who had gone the extra mile in educating himself on this when he realized there was no one in East Tennessee at that time who was qualified to do so.

The next big hurdle was Sam’s chest reconstruction surgery. He felt strongly that without that, he would never pass as male. To make a long story short, in October 2001 he had the surgery done in Timonium, Maryland, by Dr. Beverly Fisher, despite great financial hardship. That debt became our primary financial priority for years to come.

Finally, in 2006, I could see our way clear to manage a trip to the Southern Comfort Conference (SCC) held in Atlanta, Georgia. Initial correspondence with “Cat” Turner and the other gracious organizers, who see to it that no one needing a scholarship is turned away, was exciting. We both looked forward to our first conference with hope and enthusiasm.

Going to Atlanta early in order to have time to do some “touristing,” we anticipated the beginning of the conference with heightened eagerness as we realized it was about to begin. The program schedule was packed with a great mix of informative and entertaining events. The organization of the conference was splendid, and the meals and accommodations were superb. We were both delighted to have the opportunity to meet so many transfolks from so many different backgrounds. SCC is the largest conference of its kind in the world. Attendees have come from all fifty states and numerous foreign countries. Volunteers do all of the organizing and informational presentations. They do so with professional demeanor, with very few exceptions.

One of those exceptions occurred Thursday morning. I attended a welcoming reception for parents, family, and friends of transfolks. The hostess for the event was an SCC board member who is a licensed professional counselor. We were seated in a hospitality suite as the significant others, family, and friends of transgender persons dribbled in one or two at a time. Eventually there were about fifteen people present. At the facilitator’s suggestion, we took turns introducing ourselves and stating how we came to be at SCC. By the time the circle had finished, I realized that I was the only partner of a female-to-male (FTM) in the room. While I was a bit surprised, I was nonetheless glad to be surrounded by partners of transgender people. As the circle widened and more women joined the discussion, I soon realized that I was not only the only FTM’s significant other (SO), but also the only lesbian-identified partner. All of the partners present identified in one way or another as heterosexual. Most were married or planning to marry. That ratcheted my surprise up a notch, but I was still enjoying the meeting.

At one point the moderator made an attempt at a summary statement to move us on to the next discussion point in which she made a sweeping motion to indicate the whole group and said, “All of us were either married to our partners when they transitioned, or we met our partners after they transitioned.”

I was taken aback. The story I had told them was very similar to the one included at the beginning of this article. Her dismissal of my experience was one of many to come over the ensuing weekend.

When I reminded her that I was neither married or planning to do so, as the laws of my state do not allow Sam and I to marry. Her face flushed. She dismissed me, more directly this time, and moved on with her talking points. She also repeatedly referred to me as “gay,” despite my objections and explanation that I prefer to be called “lesbian.”

Later that morning, I attended a workshop on FTMs of color presented three panelists. As I listened, I heard the same tired stereotyping of lesbians that I experienced online during the time that Sam was transitioning. In fact, one of the panel members said, “I was too masculine for the lesbians, so I did not feel accepted.” Which lesbians? Hello? There are entire listservs and support groups of lesbians who are attracted only to very masculine women. Surely, this person could have found one in his hometown, which is a major metropolitan area. Recognizing one’s transgender status and taking steps to align the physical presentation to the person between the ears is entirely valid. Blaming it on lesbians about whom you obviously know very little is quite another.

In addition to the workshops, daytime activities included such goodies as a trip to the Georgia Aquarium, Lennox Square Mall shopping trip, tour of the High Museum of Art, the Alliance Theater production of “Elliott, A Soldier’s Fugue,” and a 60’s Luau pool party. The evenings were filled with myriad activities and events, ranging from Agatha’s: A Taste of Mystery Dinner Theatre and a Sweet 16 PJ’s and Slumber Party to Al La Bone’s 1920’s Speakeasy and So-Co A-Go-Go. Late night events included clubbing at the Wetbar and a 1970’s Saturday Night Fever Blowout. There was truly something for everyone.

I declined the offer to repeat the “support” group experience the following morning. The group was designed to be an ongoing support for SO’s attending the convention, however as the old saying goes – fool me twice, shame on me.

Sam and I opted to hear Dr. Toby Meltzer, plastic and reconstructive surgeon, speak on surgical techniques for FTMs. It was a highly informative choice. With a background in nursing, I was eager to hear more regarding gender reassignment surgery (GRS) from a surgeon actively practicing in that area.

Friday was filled with workshops overflowing with information for transfolks on topics ranging from HRT to political involvement to makeup tips for the male-to-female (MTF) trans women. The open microphone was a rousing good time, and the vendors offered everything from wigs and jewelry to books on transition experiences. It was a bit of a treat to see lovely ladies’ shoes in size 13 wide lined up in a delicate display. The makeup artists were there as well, creating painted ladies one by one.

The formal dinner that evening was wonderful, and we lingered a while to talk with another FTM/SO couple. They hailed from Asheville, North Carolina, just over the mountains from our home in Knoxville. As Sam spoke with the FTM, I chatted with the SO, finding that she, too, was heterosexual. Her background in occupational therapy had given us some fodder for conversation, and we were just about to launch that topic when the “support” group leader joined us. She had announced from the dinner podium her intent to form an advocacy group for elder transgender people. I complimented her on her goal and suggested that it might be good to join with lesbian, gay, and bisexual people to further her objectives.

What followed was a tirade about the way transfolks have been treated by “gays.” My repeated objections in the prior workshop had been ignored, as they were again on this evening. While it is a fact that trans persons have had to fight tooth and nail for a place under the LGBT rainbow, it is not because of my lack of earnest advocacy. As an activist in my community, I am an ardent supporter of inclusion for trans people in all aspects of the LGBT community.

In 2004, I organized our area’s first-ever Transgender Day of Remembrance. There had never been an observance of that important commemoration in East Tennessee’s history. I wrote an article advocating for the inclusion of MTF community members in lesbian groups and events, posted on my personal Web site, in 2003. I have personally lobbied the Tennessee General Assembly with regard to the need for statutory changes allowing changes on the birth certificates of persons born in Tennessee who transition to another sex. Those lobbying efforts occurred in 2005 and 2006 as part of the Tennessee Equality Project’s Advancing Equality Day on the Hill. In short, I am not only an FTM/SO, I am an ally and an active one at that.

Under attack because of past injustices inflicted by others, I tried to explain, but could not break through the angry tirade. I simply got up and left the room. As far as my heart was concerned, the SCC was over. The following day, I found some healing in the sweet, tender circle lead by Holly Boswell. As the circle participants presented their requests in the healing phase of the ceremony, I found myself asking to be welcomed. The sense of isolation at being the only lesbian partnered with an FTM at the conference was truly overwhelming. In this circle of healers, I found solace and comfort.

I needed that circle more than I realized I would. Saturday morning brought fresh wounds in the workshop entitled “Partners of Transmen.” I won’t rehash the entire hour, but will offer this as an example of what I heard. The panel consisted of three women, two of whom identified as heterosexual, and one claimed “queer” as her descriptor. A bit more savvy this time, I asked the participants if anyone in the room identified as lesbian. No one did. Later in the conversation when I referred to myself as the only FTMSO lesbian in the room, the remark was characterized as “harsh,” and I was silenced. I gave up on trying to communicate at that point. I also gave up on SCC. With many burners in the fire, I cannot dally with folks who are not supportive and who will not or cannot open their minds to the possibility that there are others who are different, but who do accept and support them.

On the drive home, Sam and I discussed these events ad infinitum, analyzing and re-analyzing in hopes of coming to some greater understanding of how and why they occurred. Our conclusions were relatively simple. SCC, while doing their best to welcome FTMs and their SOs, is rooted and grounded in a culture and tradition that primarily reflects the needs of MTFs and crossdressers who are heterosexual. They were the overwhelming majority of the conference participants. It is also primarily an entertainment event. Despite the organizers best efforts to offer enlightening and informative workshops, the preponderance of participants seemed to be there for one big party. There is nothing wrong with having a party. I’m just not interested in that form of entertainment, particularly in a setting in which I received little if any validation for who and what I am.

If the organizers want to increase the participation of FTMs and SOs, they need to reach out into the community in which those people live. They need to study the subculture of FTMs apart from the FTM and trans organizations, looking instead to the local LGBT communities. The ability of FTMs to become truly invisible in the larger culture does not mean that all identify as heterosexual and choose the path of either stealth or trans activist. There are other choices. Some of us like a larger family. We feel supported and accepted on the local level in ways that cannot be replicated by national organizations of any stripe.

We find our local community to be accepting and supportive without need for credentials to prove who we are, without pressure to succumb to anger rooted and grounded in the past, without the push to live a separatist lifestyle based on Sam’s trans identity. We like our local LGBTQ community. They know us. They love us. They support us.

At a time in our nation’s history when the slings and barbs of the radical right are assaulting all of us, it behooves us to gather and find strength in numbers. It can be done.

2006-10-12T13:05:00.000-04:00

What if the conservatives win in November?

Today's inbox shows the Christian nationalists are gearing up

A quick peek at this morning's email revealed yet another round of propaganda by the Christian Reich. Specifically targeting "liberals," the laundry list of doom is intended to frighten conservatives into voting.

Here's my version -
Here is what we can expect if the conservatives win:

Harsh treatment for immigrants

Further laws and constitutional changes to prevent marriage equality

Only conservative judges will be appointed. They will create laws to implement the social agenda conservatives cannot get passed through the legislative process.

WomenÂs reproductive freedom will be nothing more than a memory

Conservatives will continue to try to make us a Christians-only society.

Continued lack of balance in broadcasting Â opposing views are not given equal time.

An increase in taxes to push new military programs.

Continued lack of "hate crimes" protection for LGBTQI Americans.

Conservatives will continue to support policies that defy the Geneva Convention including torture.

We will continue to occupy Iraq, sending the message to the Arab world that we have no respect for them. We will continue to threaten Iran and Syria, furthedestabilizeng the region.

Go Vote! Encourage Others To Do The Same.

2006-10-09T21:43:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 9, 2006 10:31 AM	CONTACT: Human Rights Watch Tel: 1-(212) 290-4700

UN: New Report Says Violence Against Women is a Human Rights Violation Classification obliges States to punish perpetrators and prevent abuse

NEW YORK - October 9 - Human Rights Watch and the Center for Women’s Global Leadership welcomed a report issued by United Nations today that classifies abuse against women – whether it happens in the home or elsewhere – as a human rights violation. As such, states are obliged by international human rights standards to hold perpetrators accountable. The 140-page report entitled “In-depth study on all forms of violence against women,” which was issued by Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s office, confirms that violence against women by spouses, family members, and employers is a human rights violation, settling any outstanding debate on this issue. By squarely stating that it is, the report says that governments have an obligation to protect women whether the perpetrators are state or non-state actors. “This report acknowledges for the first time from the highest levels of the United Nations what human and women's rights advocates have documented over the past few decades: violence against women is a massive human rights violation that is both a cause and a consequence of deeply ingrained inequality between men and women,” said Charlotte Bunch, Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University, and a member of the Secretary General’s International Advisory Committee for the study. The report describes promising practices in the fight against violence against women but dismisses state efforts so far as mostly ineffective. Even with a sophisticated analysis of the problem and, in certain cases, strong laws related to this violence, most national-level responses have been inadequate, and have not eradicated the impunity perpetrators too often enjoy. “The Secretary-General’s study conveys a very simple message,” said LaShawn R. Jefferson, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Women’s Rights Division. “The individual who carries out any form of violence against women has committed a crime. A government that does not develop, fund, and implement all necessary laws and programs to prevent and to punish this violence violates international human rights law. Both the individual committing the violence and the government blithely letting it happen must be held responsible.” The study highlights the need for additional attention to violence suffered by women from marginalized groups (such as indigenous peoples or ethnic minorities). The report also draws attention to the problem of under-documentation of violence and control of women’s bodies and sexuality as an insidious component of gender inequality. In addition, the study addresses violence in conflict situations, pertinent issues related to criminal justice systems, service provision for survivors, the need to work with men to address violence, and needs of women who are facing multiple forms of discrimination. It is incumbent upon the next Secretary General to commit to advancing the specific recommendations set out in Kofi Annan’s study and it is imperative for human rights advocates to keep pressure on governments to fulfill their responsibility, said Human Rights Watch and the Center for Women’s Global Leadership upon the launch of the report. The report’s recommendations are directed at member states and at various entities within the United Nations system and include a call to document and register all forms of violence against women and to provide leadership at all levels in the condemnation and prevention of violence against women. “What the Secretary-General’s study makes clear is that this violence is not inevitable: with sufficient political will, funding, and carefully developed and targeted programs, violence against women can be significantly reduced,” said Bunch. “The issue now is will governments and the United Nations make a firm commitment to act on the findings of this report.” ###

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2006-07-22T12:54:00.000-04:00

JERUSALEM POLICE DENY MARCH PERMIT TO WORLDPRIDE

ALL OTHER PRIDE EVENTS TO PROCEED AS PLANNED

From HAGAI EL-AD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF JERUSALEM OPEN HOUSE, WORLDPRIDE ORGANIZER

"The Jerusalem police 24 hours ago informed us that they are unable to provide a safe environment for the march in light of the current hostilities in the region and the excessive stress this puts on their staff. Therefore, we feel it would be neither responsible nor appropriate to hold the march until such time that circumstances allow for a safe and peaceful gathering for all. This is not the time for celebrations, and the march, which would requires extensive security, will not take place due to the situation. The parade will be held with the improvement of the security situation in the country. All other WorldPride events will take place as scheduled in a format that is sensitive to the situation and as part of the continued democratic struggle for a free Jerusalem.

We continue to hear from attendees from around the world informing us that they will indeed be coming to Jerusalem. Their participation inspires us to work toward a successful and safe WorldPride gathering in the spirit of the principles we have always promoted: peace, tolerance and respect for diversity in all its forms.

We are committed to marching in Jerusalem as we have done successfully annually since 2002. A new date for this year's Pride March in Jerusalem will be announced as soon as a cease fire is achieved in the region. We hope and pray together with our colleagues and supporters around the world for an end to hostilities and suffering in the region."

The Jerusalem Open House (JOH) is a grassroots, activist organization of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgendered people, and allies. Since 1997, we have worked to make our city a place where all people are free to seek self-fulfillment. Our greatest challenge is a tradition of conformist heterosexism that continues to be enforced by almost all social institutions in Israel, including the family, the school, the state, and the religious establishment. This challenge is especially formidable in Jerusalem, a city of traditional values and deeply rooted religious commitments. Visit JOH online by clicking here.

From RABBI SHARON KLEINBAUM, NORTH AMERICAN CO-CHAIR OF WORLDPRIDE AND HEAD RABBI OF CONGREGATION BETH SIMCHAT TORAH

"I am fully committed to attending all WorldPride programs and events, traveling with dozens of my congregation members to Jerusalem with pride and anticipation next week. Now, more than ever, it is important that we demonstrate the values of WorldPride in Jerusalem a city like no other, a distinctive global symbol. Sadly, that symbol has been hijacked to propagate fundamentalism, segregation, and conflict. WorldPride will be held in Jerusalem to reclaim the symbol that Jerusalem is, for what it was originally all about: tolerance, openness, and respect for all human beings regardless of sexual orientation, religion, gender identity, or nationality."

WorldPride is a unique international opportunity to make a global statement, building upon decades of Pride events and the struggle of millions of individuals across the globe for self-fulfillment, for the possibility to be who they are and to follow their heart and their identity. It is through WorldPride that InterPride most effectively expresses the combined energy of its member organizations, responsible for Pride celebrations around the world that attract a combined attendance of between 15 and 20 million, from San Francisco to Montreal to Sydney to Berlin. Click here to visit WorldPride online.

2006-07-08T21:23:00.000-04:00

Transgenders Claim FEMA Sex Change Scandal Was Fabricated, Fraudulent

Last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified before a House Homeland Security subcommittee to spotlight $1.4 billion fraudulent waste of Emergency Assistance Funds (EAF) to Hurricane Katrina victims. The unprecedented level of Federal Emergency Management Agency fraud was blared over television newscasts and emblazoned on newspaper headlines: "FEMA funds paid for a sex change."

However, the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC) is now publicly calling the media and authorities on this claim, demanding proof that this occurred and calling the press on this claim "fabricated" and "fraudulent." In reviewing both House subcommittee testimony and the GAO report (www.gao.gov/new.items/d06844t.pdf) that uncovered the fraud there was no reference of a sex change, nor any surgery of any type being paid for by FEMA funds.

"It appears [the sex change] story was prime red meat for conservatives looking to turn attention away from the President, and onto Katrina victims and FEMA," said NTAC President Vanessa Edwards Foster. "It also appears there's no veracity to the story that EAF funds were used for gender reassignment surgery. These press claims are what's fraudulent."

House Homeland Security Investigations subcommittee chair Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) called the discovered waste "criminal" but never mentioned anything about sex changes. However Rep. Charles Dent (R-PA) did note the sex change claim shortly after the House testimony, commenting, "I don't understand how this could happen."

How the sex change allegation originated remains unclear. The June 14, 2006 story by Larry Margasak of the Associated Press noted a sex change in a laundry list of items scammed from FEMA. While outlets as diverse as Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, MSNBC, Bloomberg Report carried the story, the more conservative news outlets such as Wall Street Journal or Fox News made no mention of the sex change accusation.

When questioned about the story, the GAO's Office of Public Affairs stated "there was no reference to that allegation … because we cannot confirm it."

"The press reported on fabricated claims of sex changes paid with FEMA funds, but no media ever mentioned $2,000 paid to a Christian Broadcast Network from EAF payments," Foster of NTAC commented. The GAO report listed $2,000 paid to Colorado-based LeSEA Broadcasting Network.

After anguishing over the initial FEMA news reports, NTAC Vice President Courtney Sharp said she "was shocked to discover that the [GAO] report didn't mention anything about anyone misusing funds to have gender reassignment surgery."

2006-06-30T21:05:00.000-04:00

The Power of Google vs. "Out and Proud"

By Vanessa Edwards Foster

Don't you love background checks? Yes, when in job-search mode, you become inured to this "laying bare" of your record -- and even your personal life sometimes. We know it's there and, especially if you're out in the GLBT community, you know the potential for discovery. But in our day-to-day lives, we tend to give it only passing thought.

It's occurred to me that we've been living in the 20th century if we think our lives aren't readily available to all. Take a good look around. We're living in the age of information, with computers on virtually every citizen's desk. With more users crowding the "information superhighway," user-friendly facility has become the standard.

And lest we forget, we also live in an age where evangelical neo-conservatism is in vogue, with its paranoid zeal of ferreting out and neutralizing those deemed subversive. To wit: the revelation of the National Security Administration keeping files on all GLBT organizations and their affiliates, political or no.

The potential impact for the TGLB job seeker (acronym rearranged in order of impact) with any typical employer is devastating. This doesn't require private investigators, or even the minimal cost of credit checks (a problem for anyone in the trans community who changes their name). No, all the eagle-eyed employer needs is right at their fingertips: Google.com

It felt as if the floor fell out from under me. I knew instantly she'd done a thorough job of searching the Internet, so I answered, simply, "yes."

Her eyes studied me closely, as she asked her follow-up: "so how did you come to work with . . . THEM?" While I hate politically legalistic answers -- avoiding both lies and forthrightness, I answered in that vain: "I've worked for a number of causes, such as the Women's Political Caucus, that stand up for those whom are disadvantaged or disparate."

She acknowledge seeing my work with the Women's Caucus, then referring to her notes again, she asked if I had heard of "T.G.A.I.N"? "And how did you become involved with THEM?" Note that in her questions, there was special emphasis on her part on the one word -- THEM! It's a slightly more politic euphemism for "THOSE PEOPLE!"

Needless to say, the jig was up and I explained to her my transgender status. This drew another quick once-over, and the response "Wow. Well, I certainly couldn't tell. Surprising!" That last sentence seemed dubious since I knew she'd done her Googling pretty thoroughly. The rest of the interview was typical -- if perfunctory -- job experience questioning. Two gallons of gas burned for a job interview that wasn't going to hire me anyway. Peachy.

After telling my friend Ethan about the incident, he replied to me "well, yeah! There's like thousands of entries in Google about you!" WHAT? I figured I'd have a few. There were 119 last I'd checked . . . admittedly that was around the millennium. So I Googled myself and, lo, there were thousands of entries all right. And topping the list: the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition. And there were pictures too, lending more proof. And phone numbers, home address -- even rather personal details of my physical status in an interview I'd granted with the Hill News, Capitol Hill's prime periodical.

So where does that leave outed TGLB job hopefuls? Pioneer transgender activist, Phyllis Frye is best known for her exhortation: "Be Out And Proud!" "When you transition, don't run from one closet into another closet!" Mostly, I agree. You have to be open in order to debunk the myths and demystify the misconceptions of us that society holds. But by opening ourselves for society's edification we also open ourselves to those who still cleave to their fear of us, rationale notwithstanding.

Meanwhile, especially in the red states, how do we open GLBT folk survive? There are jobs in social advocacy, and a number of gays and lesbians do find work there. Transgender advocacy is overwhelmingly voluntary (e.g. NTAC). Paid employment for transgenders in advocacy is much rarer. So where does this leave the future of activism? One can only speculate. There are, however, certain attendant costs to being "out and proud."

Vanessa Edwards Foster is a long-time activist, and is currently the Chair and Co-Founder of the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition.

2006-06-29T19:03:00.000-04:00

Act Now to Save the Last Remaining Clinic in Mississippi !

The sole remaining abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi needs your help!

The Jackson Women's Health Organization is facing a week-long siege by the anti-abortion group Operation Save America (formerly Operation Rescue) from July 15-22.

They want to make Mississippi “the first ‘abortion-free' state in America .” Flip Benham, the director of Operation Save America, has said “We will not wait for the President, Congress, or the Supreme Court to end abortion.”

Your Feminist Majority Foundation, along with the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Coalition, is mobilizing supporters to defend women's right to choose. We are planning a week of activities to support the clinic and to show the nation that Mississippi is pro-choice.

We are kicking off the week of activities with a Reproductive Freedom Rally on July 15 at Smith Park in downtown Jackson at 11 a.m. Speakers will include national feminist leaders, local community leaders and activists. Pro-choice activists are coming from hundreds of miles away to show their support for reproductive rights in Mississippi.

We need you to join us in Jackson ! Let us know if you can attend the rally by emailing mississippi@feminist.org.

We also need volunteers for the entire week of July 15-22. If you want to volunteer for pro-choice activities or for phonebanking or leafleting, please let us know by emailing mississippi@feminist.org.

Last, but not least, your Feminist Majority Foundation is raising money for the Jackson Women's Health Organization for the security equipment and staff they need to keep the clinic open and its patients, staff, and volunteers safe during the siege. Please make an emergency donation today, half of your tax-deductible gift will help the Jackson Women's Health Organization get the security assistance they need, and the other half will support the Feminist Majority Foundation's Clinic Defense Project as we protect the Jackson clinic and other targeted clinics across the country.

We need your help now to keep the Jackson clinic open and keep the Feminist Majority Foundation strong in our struggle to stop this domestic terrorism against women's health care providers. We cannot allow anti-abortion zealots to win through violence and intimidation.

Please forward this information to all of your friends and family in or near Jackson, Mississippi – we need all the help we can get!

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

2006-06-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

Welfare Changes

An economist with the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Heather Boushey said today:

"New changes to the 1996 welfare reform law mean that more welfare participants will need to be in work activities and states will have less flexibility in defining what those activities are, all without significant increases in funding for child care. Single
parents, especially low-income single parents, need access to the kinds of work supports that make moving from welfare to work viable. Most women leaving welfare enter jobs that don't provide the kinds of benefits -- paid sick days and holidays, paid family leave, or employer-provided health insurance -- that make work work. Those with children also need access to safe, affordable, and enriching child care.

To promote work, welfare policy should not be based on rigid, national rules, but be flexible enough to recognize that families need to provide adequate care, and that many need access to education to move up the job ladder."

Heather Boushey is the co- author of one chapter in the important book, "Inquality Matters: The Growing Economic Divide in America and Its Poisonous Consequences."

2006-06-27T17:33:00.000-04:00

Two items of interest

TN State Supreme Court gives tacit approval to anti-choice car tags

The Xtian soldiers are "marching as to war" in Tennessee. Soon the people who advocate the colonization of women's bodies will be able to proclaim their beliefs on state-sanctioned license plates. This is just a taste of what the Xtian Nationalists have in store for women in the days ahead. Denying women readily-available medical care that enhances their reproductive freedom is definitely in the crosshairs of the megachurch and their zealots and have been for a while.

I am appalled and embarrassed that Tennessee is allowing the fundamentalists to have their way with state sanction. There is no alternative tag for people who believe that women are full citizens in our society and should be allowed full bodily integrity.

My feeling that I am living in hostile territory is increasing daily as the Xtian stalwarts take each governmental body, one by one, and create nothing more than a big rubber stamp for right wing extremists who want this country to be *all* red.

What happened to red, white, and blue?

One more time for emphasis - GAY=MALE

Those who know me well, know that I never use the word "gay" to describe myself. My rationale for doing so is a firm opinion that gay=male.

Here's a scientific study described in an article on 365gay.com that shows, once again, that I am entirely correct.

Gay Biology
by The Canadian Press

(Toronto, Ontario) A new study suggests a male's sexual orientation is not the product of his environment but rather is influenced by biological factors present before birth.

Researchers at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., have found evidence that ``a prenatal mechanism(s) . . . affect men's sexual orientation development.''

2006-06-25T22:20:00.000-04:00

American Rabbi denounces anti-gay organizing against WorldPride as hateful and inciting violence

Statement from Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, North American Co-Chair of August 2006 WorldPride to be held in Jerusalem. Rabbi Kleinbaum is also Head Rabbi of Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, the largest LGBTA synagogue in the world

"I am both outraged and saddened by American Rabbi Yehuda Levin's efforts to undermine and threaten WorldPride, its organizers and participants.

Levin's use of religion as a weapon of bigotry and violence is offensive to all who care about God and religion and morality. He blasphemer's God's name when he says that Jerusalem does not belong to all of us. Yehuda's organizing of a Jerusalem conference attended by both Jewish and Arab religious leaders, expressing their violence and hate riddled objections to holding WorldPride in Jerusalem, should be offensive to all people of faith and those who believe in free expression and diversity.

His comments, along with those of two leading Muslim religious leaders, Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi and Sheikh Hamad Bitawi, clearly and bluntly advocated violence against LGBT people and are despicable and dangerous. Who are they to claim Jerusalem as only for those who agree with their divisive and bigoted views? These so-called "religious leaders" are the true disgrace to the true spirit of our diverse faiths.

Advocating violence goes against every holy principal we hold dear as Jews, in solidarity with millions of Christian, Muslims and people of diverse faiths.

Jerusalem was chosen as the site for WorldPride because it represents a center of tolerance, pluralism, and love for all humanity. The thousands of WorldPride participants, from Israel and all over the world and of diverse faiths - will be the best answer to Levin's display of intolerance and unholy values.

My participation in the historic multifaith convocation, the first ever to take place at WorldPride, will include religious leaders from the gay and allied communities joined together in mutual respect, not brought together in hate as Levin has done. Muslims, Jews, and Christians will come together in a display of a religious voice that respects all human beings who were created in God's image, and obligated to universal values of respect and love."

2006-06-23T18:45:00.000-04:00

WEIGH IN WITH YOUR OPINION: TAKE THE WORKING WOMEN'S SURVEY

Working women know the importance of a good job in a just economy. We value jobs where our pay keeps up with prices. We value an environment where lawmakers listen to working people -- not just big corporations. We value an economy where one big medical expense doesn't wipe out a family's life savings. And whether you work in or outside of the home, this survey is our chance as working women to be heard!

The Ask a Working Woman survey is sponsored by the AFL-CIO, the largest organization of working women in America, and Working America, a community affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Responses from the survey are used to educate every U.S. representative and senator as well as state and local officials around the country on Labor Day.

So weigh in today with your opinions and values

2006-06-23T13:14:00.000-04:00

Truth Wins Out launches counter to right wing "ex-gay" movement

Wayne Besen, activist and journalist, has taken on a brand new project. Truth Wins Out (TWO) recently debuted at a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

From their Web site:

Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that will set the record straight and challenge the right as never before . Our mission is to:

Counter Right Wing Propaganda
Expose The ‘Ex-Gay’ Myth
Educate America About Gay Life

As part of the launch of this important new nonprofit, ex-ex-gays told their stories from within the inner sanctum of the organizations that are currenly targeting young LGBT people after years of failure in their focus on adults.

Learn how you can help in the effort to see that truth wins out over bigotry. Visit their Web site at www.truthwinsout.org or email Wayne at wbesen@truthwinsout.org.

2006-06-18T18:14:00.000-04:00

Protest Vigil Targets Anti-Gay Arson

Vigil on One Week Anniversary of Arson Attack On Gay Section of Chicago Public Library

7 PM, Tuesday, June 20

in front of the Merlo Public Library

CHICAGO – Activists are urging all community members to attend a protest vigil in front of the Merlo Public Library, 644 W. Belmont, at 7 PM, Tuesday, June 20th, the one week anniversary of an arson attack on the Library that destroyed about 100 books, mostly in the library’s unique Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans section. The arsonist(s) apparently used lighter fluid as an accelerant to target the collection, the only one of its kind in the entire 81-branch public library system.

ONE branch with an LGBT section is attacked, and of the many sections in that one library, it is the LGBT one which suffered most of the damage,” said Bob Schwartz of the Gay Liberation Network, the group which initiated the protest. “Whether it’s out of laziness, incompetence or a desire to promote an overly rosy image of the city to prospective tourists, the police department’s refusal to call this a probable hate crime doesn’t help matters. Instead, it sends the message that the City doesn't take the violation of the LGBT community’s civil liberties seriously.”

“Anti-gay forces have long tried to use discriminatory legislation to intimidate people from coming out, and now they've used violence to erase our presence in the libraries as well,” said Schwartz. The Merlo Library’s Lesbian and Gay collection was featured in a substantial article in the Chicago Free Press a few months ago. The arson attack comes just a few weeks after Illinois's most active anti-gay organization, the Illinois Family Institute, led a battle to censor "objectionable" books out of the curriculum of a north suburban school district.

“After the 1998 lynching of Wyoming gay student Matthew Shepard, thousands of folks around the country held vigils highlighting the hate crime. By doing so, they dramatically increased public consciousness about the problems of anti-LGBT hate and violence. With this vigil, in a small way we are attempting to make that same kind of contribution,” said GLN’s Andy Thayer.

The Gay Liberation Network is urging community members to not only attend the vigil but, if possible, to send an additional message to the book burners by bringing a new LGBT book to donate to the library's collection. A bin to deposit the books will be available at the vigil. In the event that donated titles aren't needed by the Merlo Library, they will be donated to the Gerber Hart Library, Chicago's privately funded LGBT library.

For Information: Bob Schwartz, 773-878-3697; Andy Thayer, 773-209-1187

Visit the Gay Liberation Network online at www.gayliberation.org.

2006-06-16T16:49:00.000-04:00

WORLDPRIDE RESPONSE TO ATTACKS BY JERUSALEM MAYOR AND LOCAL EXTREMISTS

from Hagai El-Ad, Executive Director of Jerusalem Open House, the main organizer of WorldPride

"This week an orchestrated campaign to sabotage Jerusalem WorldPride has been launched by those who propagate the fallacy that only they have a right to claim faith as their mantle. This campaign will fail, as it has in previous years; but the news that the Mayor of Jerusalem has signed a petition calling for the cancellation of WorldPride - accompanied by reports that extremist Jewish preacher Amnon Yitzhak is planning a so-called "humility march" in opposition of WorldPride - should be troubling to anyone who believes in Jerusalem as a welcoming city for all people.

The Jerusalem courts have decreed that WorldPride deserves the support of the city, and that pride is a protected form of freedom of speech. The Jerusalem public has shown its support for pride by attending it in the thousands over the past years. In addition, WorldPride is receiving the unconditional support of thousands of individuals and scores of groups around the world who will converge in Jerusalem in August to discuss and debate important issues in our community - from religion to politics to health to youth.

The truth is that WorldPride represents something that should make religious and political extremists very uncomfortable. WorldPride will be a historic and diverse international event bringing together lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied people proclaiming to the world that we too are people of faith and that we will not allow anyone to hijack our religions, our freedom or our rights.

The Jerusalem Open House looks forward to welcoming in Jerusalem thousands of our supporters this August, for a weeklong, memorable, meaningful, safe, and exiting experience - Jerusalem WorldPride 2006, commencing in 50 days on August 6."

2006-06-16T12:11:00.000-04:00

Text of Speech

Given by Ed White

Saturday, June 10, 2006

at the PrideFest 2006 on the Square Rally in Downtown Knoxville, TN

Hello all you Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenderfolk and Gays! Hello all those Questioning and, last but certainly not least, our Straight Supporters, too! Hello all you beautiful, blessed people!

I was asked to speak today because I am becoming an old warrior, having fought the good fight locally since the summer of 1990; that was the year I first came out as a bisexual and found out I had a community to fight for. I am not the oldest or most experienced warrior among us, by far, but I represent, perhaps, a moment in Knoxville’s history when gay activism began to go mainstream: the birth of Knoxville Pride.

Those were heady days, but even as our local movement grew, those days were increasingly marred by a new wave of right-wing antics, from Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, to the Knox County Commission’s anti-gay resolution of 1993, a chain letter version of just one such resolution that swept county goverments across the country leading up to the ’94 mid-term election.

Some credit Gingrich’s Contract on America with the right-wing take-over of Congress that year, but the truth is, they built that winning coalition standing on our backs, using such political attacks to build their base just like today.

I continued my activism in various ways over the years, but eventually left organized LGBT activism for more of a free-lance role, most especially writing letters to editors, guest op-eds, and lobbying various reporters and editors for improved LGBT coverage. I also became an AIDS caregiver and ran quilting bees for the AIDS memorial quilt the year it last toured Knoxville,circa 1998. But the good fight left me severly burned out at the end of that decade, and I’m still struggling against that burn out today.

Only with the selection of George Bush and his validation of the right wing did I rouse myself, knowing the fight was once again on in full. I said to friends at the time that with Bush as president, at least activism would become fun again. I never thought how wrong my glib comment would be: Activism today is decidedly not “fun”! It’s exhilarating and rewarding in many ways, yes, but also scarry and often tinged with desperation.

Few here will doubt this, but we are under an extremist attack today, by some of the very people elected to represent all the citicizens of the United States. Today’s bigots – along with those who are just plain opportunists – are slicker than ever these days, too. They’ve learned the same lesson the KKK learned more than a decade ago when they took of the robes and hoods, and cleaned up their rhetoric: They stripped their soundbites and tone of all direct bashing to the point that they talk white power without hardly mentioning the races they hate.

Replay the marriage debate in Washington this week: the pro-ban side hardly uttered the words gay or lesbian, sticking to talking points carefully crafted to give the appearance that this has nothing to do with gays-and-lesbians-proper or with denigrating us. And the people who’ve coached these politicians are people like the folksy James Dobson, pretty boy all-American types like Ralph Reed and the leader of the Family Research Council Ken Connor, the latter of whom actually has past connections with white supremicists, soliciting donations from them for a Lou isiana politician he worked for early in his career.

Gays and lesbians aren't even mentioned in the wording of the gay marriage ban. Even so, you rarely hear anyone in the press or otherwise talking about the formally named "Marriage Protection Amendment". It’s hard for anyone outside of the far right to even utter the bill’s title with a straight face.

But the clear implication of this cleaned-up rhetoric is that all kinds of ultimate doom await the U.S. if those terrible gays are allowed to marry – some of them have even said they consider gay marriage the number one national security threat today - if that's not a form of gay bashing, then I don't know what is. No matter how often ban supporters speak as Bush recently did, saying that everyone "deserves to be treated with tolerance, respect and dignity," the very implication that ga ys and lesbians could harm society totally belies that sentiment.

Intentionally or not, these attacks always causes an increase in hate crimes against us.
Statistics recently release by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, whose hate crime statistics are generally considered more accurate than the FBI's, clearly show this. Hate crimes against gays and lesbians rose significantly in 2003 and 2004. That’s when Massachusetts first legalized gay marriage and the push for a ban grew louder right through the last election.

And then a funny thing happened: gay marriage dropped off the national radar in 2005 and hate crimes against gays and lesbians fell a whopping 15%. Any bets on which direction the stats will go this year?

Now, make no mistake, many of those who are uncomfortable with gay marriage are at heart good people who truly mean nobody harm. Even so, if the results of these political initiatives are increased bigotry and hate, their unintended, misguided support can't excuse them.

Even among our erstwhile supporters there are many who are culpable if bad things result this year and in the future, simply because of their inaction. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard from nominally “supportive” straight folk, “you just shouldn’t push too hard for gay rights in an election year” or even more commonly this week, “this marriage thing is so ridiculous, the best response is just to ignore it and let it go away.” We need to make these people understand: the Salemites may ultimately loose under the weight of their own idiocy and hate, but we in the LGBT community will pay a terrible price along the way without more pro-active friends on our side. We need our supporters to take every single politi cal attack to task, loudly and publically.

Remember the Edmund Burke quote, The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’?

People need to understand – and I really don’t think enough of them do - the larger pattern at work here, being played out on local, state and national levels. LGBTQ’s are the focus of political attacks ranging from marriage to adoption and beyond. Those against us tout so-called reparative therapy to discredit our claims to our own identities, they spend millions - MILLIONS - of federal dollars to teach kids that sex is only to be tolerated for the straight institution of marriage. Don’t be surprised if next they try to resurrect their old attempts to ban us from teaching and other professions here and there around the country. They've tried it before, they will again. This is the slippery slope that’s really important: it’s far too reminiscent of the anti-Jewish Nazi pograms for anybody’s comfort. Every time they have a success it validates and inspires further anti-gay legislation to solve the gay question, It’s a drug to these people that can only lead to the question of a final solution.

At this point I must emphasize that we have to keep things in perspective: while many of us ultimately fear genecidal consequences if the Salemites win, we are nowhere near that today. We cannot afford to become like them and allow them to polarize us into extremists ourselves, locked into LGBTQ thought-ghettoes where we are fighting the whole world just to get back at our detractors. We will only alienate possible allies that way, allies without whom we cannot possibly win.

We have to understand the issues better, too: there are serious religious freedom issues at potential loggerheads with gay marriage. It’s easy to think “so what, so long as those religious beliefs are wrong and harmful”. But any precedent limiting any religious expression, even hurtful religious expression, can have far-reaching unintended consequences. Religious liberty is a cornerstone of our society, just as much as is the need for basic fairness for persecuted minorities . We need to understand this and figure out how to minimize these risks on bo th sides of the equation.

These important deliberations seem almost impossible in the current climate, but they will never be possible if we take on the right’s “you’re either with us or against us”, winner-take-all attitude. Playing zero-sum games pits us against even some of our own in the end, and leaves no room to genuinely discuss things that should be of concern to everyone. And that’s exactly what the far right hopes we will do, become absolutists, tearing us and our broader coalitions apart.

But notice something very important. While Lesbians and Gays may statistically be the primary focus of these political attacks and the subsequent hate crime, notice a lot of media coverage of these issues: you’ll see, at some point during each story, they refer to the LGBT Community, never the “Lesbian and Gay Community”.

We are a community, whole and united more than we’ve ever been, and people are waking up to that fact. WE don’t think of gay marriage and other attacks as being against just gays and lesbians We know that if any of us are vulnerable, we are all vulnerable. It’s time the rest of society understands that if any LGBTQs are at risk, they are all just as at risk too.

We are a rainbow of difference, all made the same through our differences, sexual minorities, joined in solidarity against enemies who won’t differentiate between us if they’re ever allowed to come up with that final solution. We are transgendered, bisexual, lesbian and gay.

But we are also black and white and brown and you name it. We are urban and rural, rich, middle-class and poor, third world and first. We are Bhuddist, Jewish, Muslim and Pagan, Athiest and yes, even Christian. We are smart and not so, good and bad and in-between. We are simply everywhere, our colors are shot straight thru the fabric of humanity.

We’re here! We’re queer! And people are increasingly getting used to it. Present-day attacks notwithstanding, and understanding we can take nothing for granted, our society is finally beginning to go beyond mere tolerance and the nascent respect that grows every year.

Keep up the good fight! Don’t leave the few to do all the work of organizing, as so often is the case, this year being no exception. Come out and reach out beyond our LGBTQ enclaves to the rest of society, the only place the battle can be won. And most importantly, keep hope alive! There is no other way to succeed. One way or another, we shall indeed all overcome in the end!

Thank you for listening! BE GOOD!

2006-06-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

I'm not Keen on Being Stoned to Death, Nor do I Know Many Lesbians who Look Good in a Burqa

an essay by James Nimmo

(Oklahoma City) What a week it's been (June 4) in Oklahoma City for gay equality!

First, the anti-gay GOPer-inspired "Marriage Protection Amendment" failed in the US Senate. Then, thanks to the efforts of the sterling efforts Cimarron Alliance Foundation and lucky timing, the Human Rights Campaign Executive Eirector Joe Solmonese and his religious side-kick, Harry Knox, were at the Mayflower Congregational Church the very next day after the Senate vote to give us a rousing pep talk and the latest low-down on the strategy of HRC to help America's gays/lesbians secure our full citizenship.

Mr. Solmonese deserves every penny he's paid--his presentation was smooth and articulate, filled with the front-row details he learns as director of America's largest-budgeted gay equality organization.

Mr. Knox is one smooth-talkin' Southern charmer able to switch immediately from the brogue of his birth to that of a skilled debater. If you weren't among the 500 or so in the audience you missed a good compendium of the gay equality fight in America.

Harry Knox is the director of the newly created religious arm of HRC which is used to provide religious viewpoints when the legislative process proves ineffective against the far-out homo-foe fundie x-tians.

As one atheist liberal, I have to ask if it's the best thing to use religion to deflect the bible-bullets our enemies direct our way. How does this help correct the ignorance which this ammunition represents? I think it's likely we'll be hit by ricocheting bullets.

Now, before you godly-pure stop reading, please take a look at this statement: I'm not opposed to anyone's observance of evolved nature worship as long as that ceremony is private, between consenting adults, and is not paid for by tax dollars, or supported by the force of law.

Sounds like sex doesn't it?

Sex is the chief fly in the fundie ointment that they're using to lubricate their way to omniscient power in civil government. That's where we same-gender-attracted folk come in.

Our private lives are the primary battering ram the homo-foes are using to demolish the First Amendment wall separating church and state policies. I don't know about you, but I'm not keen on being stoned to death by the remnants of that wall, nor do I know very many lesbians who would look good in a burqa or hajib.

Portions of religious tradition are being used to keep us gays/lesbians from full warp-and-weft inclusion in the fabric of society. Is it really such a good idea for HRC and other progressive friends to try and use other portions of religious tradition in our favor?

Don't ever underestimate the hair-splitting skill of our crafty, wily religious enemies. Whatever religious-based strategy HRC uses, it will be met serve-for-serve in the tennis tournament of opposing bible verses.

Whether used for open-minded or medieval issues, religion appeals to the emotions, which are malleable, highly reliant on circumstances, and represented by latent tribal bonds of kin vs. outsider recognition.

One can look at the broad history of America and see that the biggest dividing issues have been the Civil War of North and South in the 19th century and race accommodations between blacks and whites in the 20th century. I suggest that the 21st century dividing issue will be religious intolerance between fundamentalists and the rest of us, irrespective of sexual orientation.

This religious intolerance recedes far back in political history, but let's stop at Thomas Jefferson's time (who had his own sexual contradiction) and consider what he said about religious acceptance--"It does me no injury if my neighbor professes 20 gods or no god. It neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket."

I would like to close by thinking that the logic of jurisprudence will save our legal gay equality at the least, and our lives at the most. But the law didn't help the disembodied 2/5ths of the Indians and slaves not counted in the Constitution. It didn't help Dred Scott attain his freedom, nor did it prevent the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands.

Education in the national classroom of hard knocks and experience has changed the tenor of the general American attitude towards minorities even if this does no good for the long-dead individuals in the afore-mentioned examples. It's up to us to make our case to the best of our abilities, however our circumstances may fall.

Winston Churchill said that what we learn from history is that we never learn from history. I would like to think the fight for American gay equality to be the exception to this rule.

For, after all, aren't we all exceptional?

For further consideration take a look at this New York Times article available at--

"Will Same-Sex Marriage Collide With Religious Liberty?"
http://okstonewall.org/forums/index.php?topic=677.0

James Nimmo is a Democratic Party activist in Oklahoma City and treasurer of Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats, www.okstonewall.org .

2006-06-08T11:30:00.000-04:00

Gay rights and Labor share common struggle

by Tony Pecinovsky

While the relationship between the LGBT community and the labor movement has traditionally been weak, things seem to be changing. LGBT rights organizations and trade unions are working together more and more, coordinating campaigns, running candidates and fighting for issues like domestic partner benefits and gay marriage.

Sandra Telep of Pride At Work, a constituency group for LGBT union members, says, “Unions do a lot of work with and within the LGBT community. We work behind the scenes, but don’t get
a lot of credit for the work that we do.”In fact, unions and union members have a long history of fighting for domestic partner benefits during union contract negotiations. In 1982, the Newspaper Guild, which is part of the Communications Workers union (CWA), won the first domestic partner benefits package in U.S. history. Since then unions have fought for and won domestic partner benefits in contract negotiations all across the country.

Unions are also in the forefront in the struggle for the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry. Last year, at its national convention, the AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the U.S., passed a resolution in support of gay marriage rights.

The resolution said in part: “The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) [would] amend the U.S. Constitution to deny important rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families, such as the right to hospital visitation, inheritance, and health care rights for partners.”

According to the AFL-CIO, right-wing attempts to define marriage as a “union between man and woman” through the FMA only serve to divide and weaken the movement for economic and social justice.

Also at the AFL-CIO convention, Nancy Wohlforth, co-president of Pride At Work and secretary treasurer of the Office and Professional Employees International Union, was elected to the federation’s executive committee. Wohlforth, a founding member of the San Francisco-based Lesbian and Gay Labor Alliance, is the first openly lesbian or gay person to serve on the AFL-CIO executive committee.

Most recently, the Service Employees International Union, with 1.8 million members, sharply criticized the U.S. vote to ban LGBT rights groups from the United Nations.

“The U.S. joined some of the world’s most oppressive regimes in backing a United Nations initiative to silence advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality,” said Andy Stern, president of SEIU.

“All over the country unions are building successful coalitions with LGBT rights organizations like the Human Rights Campaign,” said Telep. “And in many cases unions and LGBT rights coalitions help Pride At Work chapters form.” Currently there are fourteen Pride At Work chapters across the country.

While union leaders support LGBT rights out of a sense of justice and civil rights, that’s not the only reason. They also support LGBT rights out of self-interest. The same organizations that attack LGBT rights, organizations like Focus on the Family and Exodus International, also attack unions.

For example, Focus on the Family, the largest right-wing religious organization in the U.S., finances and supports anti-union “paycheck protection” bills. These bills require unions to obtain written permission from each member before spending union money on political purposes like lobbying for pro-union legislation, communicating with and mobilizing members, and paying expenses for union political action committees. “Paycheck protection” would weaken the labor movement and create unnecessary bureaucracy and red tape in an environment where business already outspends unions 10 to 1.

Said Telep, “The LGBT rights movement and the trade unions have a common enemy. Which is another reason why the labor movement has worked so hard to support LGBT rights.”

While there is a long history of unions fighting for LGBT rights, a lot more work needs to be done. Union members are not one hegemonic group. There are many different political trends and tendencies within the union movement. And unfortunately, some union members are wary of LGBT rights organizations and have fallen victim to right-wing attempts to divide the union vote with wedge issues like gay marriage.

After the AFL-CIO resolution was announced some union members sent letters of protest to the federation leadership. Others complained about union money being used to fund LGBT rights initiatives and organizations, as well as LGBT candidates in electoral races. Others union members actively campaigned against gay marriage.

Overall, though, the organized labor movement — with its combined 13 million members, resources and infrastructure — is moving in the right direction and expanding its field of work to include LGBT rights.

Tony Pecinovsky (tonypec@pww.org) is the district staff person for the Communist Party in Missouri and Kansas. This article was originally written for the Vital Voice, a St. Louis-area gay and lesbian rights bi-weekly.

Visit People's Weekly World online at www.pww.0rg.

2006-06-07T12:54:00.000-04:00

Statement by
Judy & Dennis Shepard

Opposing the Federal Marriage Amendment

"Anyone that believes that the hatred behind this amendment is any different than the hatred that was the cause of our son's murder is fooling themselves and doesn't understand what is happening every day in our society."

After viewing the President's press conference on Monday and the Senate debate the past two (2) days regarding the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment", we feel compelled to respond to those who would write discrimination into the Constitution.

It was hatred directed towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community that personally harmed our family and took away our son, Matthew, not the love and commitment expressed each and every day between same-sex couples. Love is the foundation for marriage, not a threat to it. That love should be celebrated by society, not diminished. The love and strength of the GLBT community and their allies that helped us significantly during the difficult times of the past seven (7) years now sustains us and encourages us to continue the fight for GLBT rights. As a society, we should encourage and support our fellow man as the GLBT community has done for our family.

It saddens us that the President and Senate Majority Leadership, in the guise of protecting the institution of marriage, are using the lives and jeopardizing the futures of GLBT individuals and their families for political gain leading up to the 2006 mid-term elections. In their opinion, marriage between a man and a woman needs to be protected or the world as they know it will collapse along with modern society. It ain't so. During the course of our 33-year marriage, the only time our family has needed protection is when hatred and discrimination took the life of our son Matthew.

This is the same type of regressive thinking that led to prohibition (which failed and the Constitutional amendment was repealed) and racial discrimination and segregation (which also failed). Will modern civilization disappear if same sex marriages are recognized as having the same equal rights as those of opposite sex marriages? Only in the closed minds of those currently in political power, especially the older generation, who think it is their duty and God-given right to tell the younger generation what is right and what is wrong; only in the closed minds of those in political power who are worried about the fact that the 'younger generation' is more open-minded and accepting of diversity of all kinds, including same-sex marriage; only in the closed minds of those in political power who are worried about losing an election over other domestic and international policy failures; and only in the closed minds of those fundamentalist church groups who are attempting to purchase a Constitutional amendment through political votes and donations to justify their existence. As far as the President and Senate Majority Leadership are concerned, it's okay to take away the rights of a significant portion of taxpaying, law abiding, God-fearing Americans, as long as it isn't them losing those rights, privileges, and, possibly, families.

Since when is it wrong for a gay American to want to fight for, and protect, the country of birth by serving in the military? Where is the threat to our family and the families of other Americans? Our biggest threats come from an ineffective President and Senate Majority Leadership that can't conclude a war, can't improve the current state of the educational system, can't provide decent health care for every American, can't reform the Social Security and Medicare system to prevent them from going broke, can't protect our borders, can't reduce the debt, and can't bring back the world-wide goodwill, integrity, and reputation that America held before the second Gulf War.

Everything is a 'can't' so the obvious solution to these problems is to focus on an issue that half the country believes is a non-issue.- gay marriage. Why? It turns attention away from the real problems and keeps the religious right happy that something is going to be done. It's so obvious that an Amendment will not pass. But it allows the President and Senate Majority Leadership a so-called 'photo-op' - an opportunity to put on a public display of good intentions, letting them pretend to do what is good for America in order to reach for those all important votes and donations,

Anyone who believes the hatred behind this amendment is any different than the hatred that led to our son's murder is fooling themselves and doesn't understand what is happening every day in our society. Instead of trying to enshrine discrimination into the U.S. Constitution for a threat that does not exist, let's spend the time more wisely by building and supporting rights for all citizens to work, play, marry, raise families and live in a country that was founded on the proposition that all citizens are accorded equal rights.

Judy & Dennis Shepard are the parents of Matthew Shepard, who was killed in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in 1998. Matthew's death touched the hearts and souls of millions across this country and ignited a media focus on the issue of hate in our society. The Matthew Shepard Foundation, founded by Judy & Dennis shortly after Matthew's death, seeks to "Replace Hate with Understanding, Compassion & Acceptance" through its varied educational programs and by continuing to tell Matthew's story. For more information, please visit www.MatthewShepard.org.

This statement has been published with the express permission of Judy and Dennis Shepherd's representatives.

2006-06-06T14:36:00.000-04:00

Stonewall Dems labeled "radical" by Elizabeth Dole

I got an unbelievable press release in my email this morning. These folks have really gone off the deep end on this one. In my dealings with the Stonewall Democrats, I can honestly say that the people in the organization, from professional organizers to grassroots activists, are sober, serious, moderate-thinking people. To call them "radical" is to pander to the rising tide of Christian Nationalists who are taking our country by storm.

They completely own the Republican Party. I hope the Democrats don't cave in to their underhanded and completely transparent tactics. Ted Kennedy said it well, "A vote for this amendment is a vote for bigotry pure and simple." That gives me some hope, however I have not forgotten that it was President William Jefferson Clinton who signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

Here's the press release:

NRSC Issues Desperate Attack Against Stonewall Democrats
Committee Headed by Elizabeth Dole Lables Stonewall a "Radical Gay Group"
- Rick Santorum Sends Campaign Staff to Videotape Stonewall Members at Convention -

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Washington, DC - Today, National Stonewall Democrats released the following attack piece the organization received shortly after it was issued last Friday by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). The committee, tasked with electing Republicans to the United States Senate, is chaired by Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole (NC). The following attack - sent to the entire NRSC press list - demonstrates a deep desperation on the part of congressional Republicans who face increasing charges of corruption and a rejection by voters at the ballot box this November.

The attack was released on Friday, June 2 - the opening day of the 2006 Stonewall Democrats National Convention in Pittsburgh. In addition to this attack piece, National Stonewall Democrats removed a employee of Rick Santorum's reelection campaign from the convention's opening reception after he was discovered secretly videotaping the evening's remarks and Stonewall members from across the country.

NRSC PRESS RELEASE
The National Republican Senatorial Committee
Elizabeth Dole, Chair

For Immediate Release:
Friday, June 2, 2006
Contact: Dan Ronayne (202) XXX-XXXX
ON EVE OF SENATE GAY MARRIAGE VOTE, "SILENT BOB" HIDES BEHIND HOWARD DEAN

DNC Chair To Stand In For Silent Bob in Pittsburgh With The National Stonewall Democrats, A Radical Gay Group Backing Bob Casey, Jr.
WASHINGTON--The NRSC released the following statement regarding Howard Dean's appearance in Pittsburgh before the gay rights group the "Stonewall Democrats" this Saturday in Pittsburgh.

"As the Senate prepares to vote on The Federal Marriage Amendment, Silent Bob is ducking an appearance before a gay rights group. The fact that Casey Jr. is having Howard Dean stand in for him speaks volumes about his political courage. When given a chance to stand up for something, Casey Jr. comes up empty again," said Dan Ronayne, NRSC Spokesman. On June 5, 2006, The "Senate Meets At 2 PM To Resume Consideration Of The Motion To Proceed To S.J.Res.1, The 'Marriage Protection Amendment.'" (FNS Daybook, June 5, 2006)

DNC Chair Howard Dean Is Scheduled To Attend The National Stonewall Democrat Convention This Saturday In Pittsburgh. (National Stonewall Democrats Website, http://www.stonewalldemocrats.org/convsched/, Accessed June 1, 2006)
THE STONEWALL DEMOCRATS SUPPORT "MARRIAGE EQUALITY" FOR HOMOSEXUALS AND BACK BOB CASEY, JR. FOR U.S. SENATE
"The National Stonewall Democrats Support Full Marriage Equality For Same-Sex Families." (Eric Stern, National Stonewall Democrats Executive Director, Op-Ed, "Marriage: An Equal Responsibility," May 2005)

"U.S. Senate Candidate Bob Casey Has Won The Unanimous Endorsement Of The Capital Region Stonewall Democrats, The Harrisburg Area's Largest Political Organization Of LGBT Democrats And Straight Allies." (Capital Region Stonewall Democrats, Press Release, "Casey Gains Gay Endorsement," May 11, 2006)

And The National Stonewall Democrats' Convention Poster Features Pictures Of Senator Santorum And Says, "Pittsburgh: Where Warhol Began His Career, Where Democrats Will Help Rick Santorum End His." (National Stonewall Democrats Website, http://www.stonewalldemocrats.org/convention/, June 1, 2006)

Paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.gopsenators.com
------

National Stonewall Democrats is the only national organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democrats, with more than 90 local chapters across the nation. NSD is committed to working through the Democratic Party to advance the rights of all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Find out more at www.stonewalldemocrats.org.

2006-06-05T10:51:00.000-04:00

Ambassador Victor Ashe

Ashe may be gay, certainly not open

The blogosphere erupted with posts about W's sexual proclivities yesterday. The only reason I noticed such banter relates to the naming of Victor Ashe as Bush's long time lover. While I would not venture to say whether or not Bush and Ashe have had any sort of sexual relationship, I can say this: the blogs that heralded Ashe as "openly gay" were dead wrong.

Ashe, ambassador to Poland since Jjune 23, 2004, was the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, for 16 years. I am a resident of that East Tennessee 'burg. As a result, I had the opportunity to observe Mr. Ashe as he conducted the business of the city over the years. I can assure you that he was not openly gay. He would have been ridden out of town on a rail if he had publicly disclosed a gay sexual orientation. After all, this is East Tennessee, home of some of the nation's most strident Christian Nationalists.

During his tenure as Mayor of Knoxville, Mr. Ashe dutifully produced wife and children at most any event or occasion requring family presence. As for what he does in his bedroom, I have not a clue, but I do know that if he is indeed gay, as the speculation both local, national, and now international supposes, he kept his secret well, at least in public.

2006-06-04T11:01:00.000-04:00

White House photo by Paul Morse

Bush preaches gospel of division in weekly radio address

Constitutional amendment seen as instant solution to marriage equality "problem"

Georgie-porgie is at it again. In his weekly radio address to the nation, he outlines his plan to damage our Constitution as he plunders forward in an attempt to be the first President in the history of the United States to advocate an amendment that reduces the civil rights of a minority group. From his Saturday 6/3/2006 radio address:

On Monday, I will meet with a coalition of community leaders, constitutional scholars, family and civic organizations, and religious leaders. They're Republicans, Democrats, and independents who've come together to support this amendment. Today, I want to explain why I support the Marriage Protection Amendment, and why I'm urging Congress to pass it and send it to the states for ratification.

So what do all these diverse people have in common? I think I know. I think we all know. And if we do, we must step up and move forward in resistance to the rising tide of bigotry before those who would codify hate into law restrict the liberty of the American people past the point of no return.

Having a go at the Constitution to fend off those horrible people that think LGBT citizens should have equal civil rights with other Americans is applauded on every televangelist program on earth. On the 1400 programs and networks that exist internationally, they hawk the way to righteousness regardless of the bloodletting it may cause. Why, the very thought of full citizenship for LGBT folks just makes a respectable Christian Nationalist shudder!

I am reading a book that I would highly recommend to anyone who is concerned about the sharp right turn our country has taken. "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism" by Michelle Goldberg, senior political writer for Salon is absolutely delicious. Her thorough research and articulate rendering of what could be a very dry read carries the reader along as she points to the intricate details of the Christian Nationalist movement. I haven't read it all just yet, but I have seen enough to highly recommend her book.

At this point, I must note that Michelle does not capitalize the "N" in Christian Nationalism. I suppose it makes it *way* obvious that there are similarities to another, now thankfully dead, party - National Socialism. I am deliberately capitalizing the "N" in Christian Nationalism. Goldberg does not dos so in her book. I guess I fee the obvious analogy is valid. At least Fritz Stern thinks it is, and I'm not sure there is anyone who could address that issue better than Dr. Stern.

I'm also reading chunks of Stern's "Politics of Despair." It was written in the mid-60s and is a bit on the dry side. However the dazzling insights into our current political clime demand that this particular tome be given at least a general once-over by any respectable progressive or moderate in search of understanding the events now taking place on the national and international scene. Stern takes you step by step into an analysis of the psychosocial building blocks that formed the platform upon which German National Socialism blossomed in pre-World War II Germany. It is critical that we study this process in order to prevent repeating the horrors of the end result of that regime.

I must admit to being primed for these two current reads by "With God on Their Side" by Esther Kaplan. If you haven't read this one yet, read it first. It will help prepare you for Goldberg's conclusions, sobering as they are.

2006-05-25T23:43:00.000-04:00

Evidence of atrocities mounts

24 innocent civilians murdered by US Marines

I am sick to death of this carnage. This bloody battle that has no end and takes innocent civilian lives is a blight on the history of this country. We have a bloody and terrible history starting with the Nations that were desecrated as the Europeans "settled" in land that was not theirs.

Abraham Lincoln ordered the execution of Native sons on the same day that he "freed" the slaves that built New York City and many other altars to white men's lust for wealth and power. The blood of the African slaves who died on the boats after they were kidnapped, who died from diseases that were foreign to their immune systems, that died from malnutrition, exposure, and just plain exhaustion moves me to write something, anything, to cry out against this madness.

The bloodletting that brought these and many other stains on our nation's past should be just that - the past. But My Lai has been revisited in Haditha, and the death march drones on, unencumbered by such niceties as the Geneva Convention. Aggreessive war and disdain for human lives becomes a part of our existence once again, as it did during the Vietnam War of my childhood.

We have learned nothing.

As I turned my TV on to "Nightline" as is my custom every night as I prepare for another night's rest, the scenes shown echoed those that one might see on "American Justice" or other forensic fare. The blood spatter, the howls of grief, the bodies, the destruction - all weigh heavily on my psyche as I identify with the victims and their families. Human beings, flesh and blood innocents who did nothing to deserve this horrible end.

Have we lost all sense of humanity? Are we headed for a future that only values human life *before* birth?

I am sick and tired, despondent at the prospect that there may be nothing we can do, at least not at this moment. The leadership vacuum has never been so obvious as it has now. Hindsight of Marine Generals notwithstanding, I burn a candle this night for the people who are victimized by the war on Iraq.

2006-04-07T15:38:00.000-04:00

Police retried for charges related to immigrant traffic stop

This story hasn't been given much attention on the airwaves. I read it in the Knoxville News-Sentinel's e-version this morning. Depending on who you believe, it appears that two Newport policemen,Sgts. James W. Roach Jr. and Patrick Sheldon, harassed and stole hundreds of dollars from two immigrants, Wilder Gomez Roblero and Marcos Mijia Vasques, after an undocumented stop that the policemen deny.

I'm having a problem reading the News-Sentinel's version of this story. The bias is written all over this article. The crime victims names were in the very first sentence. The defendants names are not mentioned until the end of the third paragraph.

Apparently these guys were tried for the theft in Cocke County and were acquitted of any wrongdoing. Those charges were felonies. They are now standing trial on misdemeanor charges of violating the victims' civil rights.

Golly gee, ya think they may get acquitted again?

It's time for the Feds to step in on this one.

2006-04-07T15:28:00.000-04:00

Libby sings, reveals Bush and Cheney gave order to leak

Now that we know for certain that the Bush/Cheney cartel ordered Valerie Plame's exposure as an undercover CIA operative, where's the beef? When are we going to see the impeachment hearings start? Censure? That is just too little, too late.

The last time I checked TREASON is a capital offense. Surely we can get a least a little slap on the wrist of these two bigwigs for committing *treason*. Yes, I know...they probably have some lame excuse that everyone, including all mainstream medai outlets, will accept as gospel.

If the Democrats don't move on this, and there are myriad ways they can do so even if they are the minority party in both Houses of Congress, they are dead in the water as a viable party. PERIOD.

Even the most naive among us knows that exposing the identity of an American spy, who could be killed while trying to obtain intelligence to *help* our nation, is wrong morally, legally, ethically - *every* way.

Such is life in a Christian Fascist nation.

2006-03-28T17:04:00.000-05:00

It's high noon in Cocke County

Well it looks like it's the wild, wild west in Schmutzer country. WATE is running an AP story outlining the facts surrounding an apparent abundance of "rights restoration" going on for felons on the Cocke County circuit.

I hate to tell them this, but this is hardly news. This is status quo and has been since I was a child, and I am no spring chicken.

The corruption runs deep in East Tennessee, The common folks here know it, but have no way to mow down the multitude of barriers between the citizenry and the light of day.

Ho hum.

2006-03-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

Focus on the Family hawks "ex-gay" film

Mailing list subscribers to the Focus on the Family's action alert listserv were treated to a "3-day special offer" this morning. The smutty propaganda flick offered for your viewing pleasure is "on sale" from now until Monday. Oh, joy! I'm rushing right now to get my credit card to make an online purchase...no...I think I'll get one for Aunt Sally, too.

Could it be that they are having a hard time moving this particular piece of merchandise? Is it possible that the majority of Americans are wising up to their fascist ways and are simply sick of their hatemongering? Or is this part of a concerted effort to goosestep their way into American living rooms with a message of hate and injustice? Could it be all of the above?

Whatever their motivation, it is truly a credit to the sterling value of freedom of speech in the United States of America.

I guess.

2006-02-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

JUST IN FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD -

Guttmacher Institute Study Documents Major Lags In Contraceptive Access Across the Nation

Planned Parenthood Calls on Legislators to Adopt Sound Public Health Policies

February 28, 2006 — Reacting to a newly released Guttmacher Institute ranking of state-level efforts to ensure access to family planning, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) today called on state legislators to adopt policies that support family planning services and ensure access to contraception. Such policies, PPFA noted, would reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. The Guttmacher study ranked Nebraska, North Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, and Utah lowest among the 50 states, finding they lag significantly in providing adequate access to contraceptive services.

“Access to family planning promotes healthy families, in which children are wanted and loved. It enables people to decide responsibly when to become parents — that is why funding for family planning is so important,” said PPFA President Cecile Richards. “Unfortunately, too many states fail women and their communities by contributing to the number of unintended pregnancies by enacting policies that hinder access to contraception.”

The independent Guttmacher study assessed each state’s commitment to helping women avoid unintended pregnancy by measuring access to contraception; laws and policies that either facilitate or hinder access to birth control and family planning information; and public funding for family planning and services between 1994 and 2001.

The report cites several states, including Alaska, California, Louisiana, Oregon, and South Carolina, that have made the most progress. PPFA applauded states that commit resources to family planning to ensure women have access to contraception and the information they need to use it correctly. Contraception is basic health care used by ninety-eight percent of American women during their lifetimes.

Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Pregnancies can occur when birth control methods fail or are used improperly, inconsistently, or not at all.

Numerous studies show that improved contraceptive access and availability would reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. With more than 850 affiliate health centers nationwide, Planned Parenthood is committed to working to ensure access to family planning and other reproductive health services for all who need it.

To find out where your state ranks, please visit www.guttmacher.org.

2006-02-24T16:18:00.000-05:00

OUTRAGE in South Dakota

Legislators pass abortion ban

The international mainstream press is awash in coverage of the abomination that is occurring in South Dakota. The Boston Herald, the Australian Broadcasting Company, and the Hartford Courant top the list when I Google for articles related to the South Dakota legislature's passage of an outright ban on abortion.

We have stepped back in time and are going headlong down a slippery slope of restrictions on women's reproductive freedoms that I never expected to see in my lifetime. I grossly underestimated the forces that surrounded me in my childhood here in East Tennessee in a small town completely dominated by two Southern Baptist churches. I thought that after I left and moved to live in other areas of the country that I had left behind the misery that the imposition of their rigid lifestyle imposes on everyone in the community.

I feel as if I am awakening now to a nightmare in my 50s in which that same emotional and cultural straitjacket that was the burden of my childhood and adolescence is suddenly going to be imposed on the entire country. This is an outrage.

Do I hear the drumbeat of fascism closing in? Will our freedoms erode so slowly that there is no real resistance? Is there an echo in the room that originated in Europe in the 30s?

I do not believe I am overreacting.

The thought of incest and rape victims forced into pregnancies brought on by the rampant violence against women in our country moves me to rage and action. We must stop this monster before it consumes our reproductive freedom from border to border and coast to coast. The ethnocentric bigots who are pushing these bonds of reproductive slavery on the women of the United States need to know that we will not submit without an all-consuming struggle.

While we have been complacent in our professional services that stand in for political movements these days, we have allowed the opposing forces to move ahead incrementally until we have arrived at this scenario in South Dakota. We need to fire the social workers and the grant writers and get some activists with fire in their bellies to move this movement forward in the tradition of Alice Paul and others like her who would stand in the rain and the cold enduring all manner of cruelty, knowing that women's lives were at stake.

Women's lives are at stake now. Where are the women and supportive men with fire in their bellies? We need you now.

Prepare for the battle in your state. It is coming.

www.naral.org

2006-01-03T17:10:00.000-05:00

Schmutzer-style justice once again in Grainger County

THP officer receives probation for hospitalizing girlfriend

It seems that some things never change. I've had a real jolt of that reality lately coming from the 4th District, the perview of District Attorney General Al Schmutzer for the last 30 years. Coming on the heels of the dismissal of charges against Chris Willingham, accused of first degree murder in the death of his business partner, Shane Bacon. The two previously co-owned Monster Audio in Sevierville.

The charges were dismissed by Judge Jon Blackwood after the prosecution's case rested and in response to the usually ho-hum defense motion to dismiss. The victim's family and many locals were stunned by this.

The judge and the prosecutor, Jerry Harris, were from Memphis. How does a judge from Memphis wind up hearing a Sevierville murder case? The judge who would normally hear such a case, Henry Rex Ogle, recused himself citing his mother's death as cause for removing himself from the case.

There were more lawyers running from this case than you can shake a stick at - as my Concord-born grandmother would say.

In addition to Ogle, District Attorney General Al Schmutzer also recused himself. He said that the victim's family had ill feelings toward him.

Then they put the burden of trying this case on District Attorney Pro Tempore Joseph Baugh who became so ill late last June that they had to find someone else to try the case. That's when Harris was drafted to the team.

Of course, the presence of James A. H. Bell as the primary criminal defense attorney had nothing whatsoever to do with all these good fellows hightailing it for the hills.

Sevier County is one of four counties in the 4th District. Jefferson, Cocke, and Grainger round out this lovely quartet.

So yesterday we got the wonderful news that a former Tennessee Highway Patrol officer, Mike Cameron, who beat his girlfriend so badly that she was hospitalized is getting probation for this serious crime. Yes, his girlfriend subsequently married him (and he was summarily fired for marrying her,) but that should not be a factor in the decision regarding the appropriate punishment for this crime.

This is hardly the first time Cameron beat this woman. In fact, he beat her six officially recorded times and Goddess-only-knows how many others that were not officially recorded. That the woman is at his side is no indication whatsoever that he deserves any sort of treatment one way or another, yet the presiding judge cites that as one of the factors considered in rendering his judgment in this case. Has Judge Ben Hooper been in a cave for the last 30 years? Is he really unaware that appeasement of the perpetrator is textbook battered women's syndrome?

So why, you ask, was this sentence given to this beast who beat his own "loved one" with his official THP-issued stick? Why did he only get a year's probation?

That's not all. If he is a good boy, he is eligible to have his record expunged completely at the end of his probationary period..

I think I'm going to be sick.

2006-01-01T01:22:00.000-05:00

Knox Dems, others challenging Repubs on August 2006 ballot

Swann, Jenkins, Collins face opposition

Georgiana V ines of the Knoxville News-Sentinel offered up a juicy column recently detailing the Election Commission filings for possible political races for the coming year.

Three of those races leap out at me as deserving of immediate comment.

It appears that the judge who believes that women seek orders of protection “for entertainment” will be facing some opposition come August 2006.

First elected to his post on the Fourth Circuit bench in 1982, Judge Bill Swann has faced no opposition since then. This Ivy League-educated judge will be facing opposition from a couple of opponents including one that he ordered permanently out of his court after learning of his plans to run against him. That move earned him some well-deserved censure from the State Court of Appeals who reversed his order, allowing the opponent to return to Swann’s court to practice.

That opponent, David C. Lee, of the Lee, Lee & Lee law firm, will take on the current judge next August. This Vanderbilt educated attorney took his J.D. in Florida at Stetson University.

Swann has been known to offer orders of protection along with hollow reassurance regarding the actual threat of physical violence and his opinion that the ruling was not reality based, but rather was offered to “help.” He has been demeaning and dismissive of many women who have appeared before him, and it would serve the 4th District well to dust off his seat to make way for new blood.

Perhaps he would like to move his office to UT-K and teach German as he did at both Yale and Brown Universities before deigning to come to Knoxville to “go slumming” as the 4th Circuit Court judge.

Instead of speaking German, Lee apparently prefers Russian. I don’t care what other languages he speaks as long as he can bring a sense of fairness and genuine concern to our family court.

The other opponent, Jeff McKenzie may be a fellow who has spent time in Washington working in the offices of Representative Jimmy Duncan (R-TN.) We certainly will need to know more about him and how he would see his role as jurist if he were to ascend to the 4th Circuit bench.

The women and children of Knox County deserve much better than the melee that currently passes as “order of protection day” at the City-County Building. For those who have not witnessed this grand event, I would invite you to go see for yourself the circumstances domestic violence victims endure in their quest for protection against those who would assault, stalk, and murder them. You can go to the City-County Building on any Thursday that is not a holiday. The lines are outrageously long, and the atmosphere is less than supportive.

The statistics show that the women who are courageous enough to seek an order of protection or exhibit other distancing behaviors risk their lives to do so. Over and over statistics indicate that the most dangerous thing a battered woman can do is leave the batterer. She should not have to be treated like some sort of bovine equivalent, left to stand in long lines to fill out forms, then have her concerns minimized or outright dismissed by a judge who may have been a good judge at one time, but is no longer a credit to the good people of Knox County. There has to be a better way to address the important problems these women and their children face.

Vines also points out that Criminal Court Judge Ray Lee Jenkins is up for reelection. His Republican cohorts are not challenging the long-time judge, however she does point out that a Democrat, Ken Irvine is tossing his hat into the ring. This defense attorney has been, according to Vines, an assistant public defender since 2004. His previous association (current?) is with Eldridge, Irvine, and Gaines. He also heads up the Tennessee Innocence Project.

From their Web site:

The Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, founded by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld in 1992, is a non-profit legal clinic and
criminal justice resource center. We work to exonerate the wrongfully convicted through postconviction DNA testing; and develop and implement reforms to prevent wrongful convictions. This Project only handles cases where postconviction DNA testing can yield conclusive proof of innocence
Whatever your political bent may be, it seems to me that this is a genuinely good cause. Kudos to Mr. Irvine for his involvement in this worthy endeavor.
I also note with interest that Mark Harmon, UT-K Associate Professor of Journalism and Electronic Media and local liberal talk show host, will oppose David Collins for his District 2A seat on the Knox County Commission. Harmon's show, Left Turn, airs weekly on NewsTalk 100 WNOX FM 100.3 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm on Saturdays. Dr. Harmon is active in the local Democratic Party and deserves the support of the moderate and left-leaning folks interested in this race. The Knox County Commission is heavily weighted to the right. More balance and diversity should definitely be on the agenda for this governing body.

2005-12-28T12:52:00.000-05:00

Anti-gay Tennessee lawmaker targets home town paper

Bradley News Weekly editor threatened by Rep. Jeff Miller

Tennessee State lawmaker Jeff Miller has hurled fighting words in the face of the Bradley News Weekly's editor Barry Graham. The Washington Post has picked up the story, and folks in Cleveland are talking about a threatening letter intended to scare away the weekly paper's advertisers.

The article quotes the publisher, Susan Shelton, who denies any reduction their advertising accounts.

Barry Graham, the paper's editor, is making waves in Cleveland. The soft-spoken Scotsman, who moved here from points further south, has a clarity of purpose with regard to the whole situation. His obvious disdain for the legislator who touts "family values" while he brings his Nashville girlfriend home to Cleveland with him to sign divorce papers is absolutely refreshing.

We need more Barry Graham's in East Tennessee. After all, this valley was originally settled by Scot-Irish. My ancestors came from that stock. Of course, the rest of the family was here waiting for them when they crossed Cumberland Gap. Maybe we need some more new blood in this valley. Unfortunately every time we get folks like Barry Graham or the myriad others I have known in the last 25 years since I came home from my wanderings in the West, the good ones take in the social climate and hightail it for parts unknown.

Perhaps they just run to the blue states where they can breate a little easier and relax in the knowledge that no one will threaten them because they tell the truth.

2005-11-03T12:04:00.000-05:00

ACLU fights for equal time for reproductive freedom in Tennessee

License plates now give one-sided viewpoint

CINCINNATI - The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court ruling blocking an anti-abortion specialty license plate in Tennessee, saying that the plate discriminates against opposing viewpoints.

“When the state of Tennessee approved an anti-abortion license plate and failed to do the same for a pro-choice plate, it effectively cut off public discussion,” said Julie Sternberg, Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, who argued the case today before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. “The lower court made clear that the state cannot open up a forum for public debate on abortion without allowing both sides an equal opportunity to express their position. We are hopeful that the appeals court will do the same.”

The law in question makes a “Choose Life” license plate available to motorists for an annual fee of $35 over and above the basic costs of registering a car in the state. Fifty percent of all funds raised, after expenses, go to a private anti-choice organization called New Life Resources. The legislature twice rejected an amendment that would have authorized a “Pro Choice” specialty plate.

On September 24, 2004, a federal district court blocked the state from distributing “Choose Life” plates, saying that the state’s sponsorship of such plates constitutes viewpoint discrimination. The state appealed the case to the Sixth Circuit.

“The real issue at the heart of this case is free speech,” said Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director of the ACLU of Tennessee. “This is not about being on one side or the other of the abortion debate. It is about being on the side of free speech for all.”

Plaintiffs in the case include the ACLU of Tennessee, Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, Inc., and three individuals. Lawyers on the case include Sternberg and Carrie Flaxman with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project; Roger Evans and Donna Lee of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America; and Susan L. Kay, the ACLU of Tennessee Legal Committee Chair.

The case, ACLU of Tennessee v. Bredesen, #03-1046.

2005-10-31T23:13:00.000-05:00

Join the fight! Stop Alito!

Deal breaker Alito's record speaks loudly regarding women's rights

My visit tonight to bluenecks and the gadzillion news alerts I have received today regarding the Alito nomination gave me reason to research this guy a bit. I had already heard that he has rendered decisions that virtually send women hurtling back to Victorian times by allowing a husband rights to the domain otherwise known as his wife's uterus. When men take on the risks of pregnancy and childbirth, then and only then will they be entitled to equal say over any conceptus they may have accidentally or purposely donated their DNA to create. Unbelievable!

Tennessee's Guerilla Women describe Alito as nothing more than a Scalia clone.

I'm revving up the old pro-choice engines because it really does look like we're in for a fight on this one. With 15 years experience on the bench and the blessings of the holy fathers - Robertson, Falwell, and Dobson - we're in for a wild ride that will test the mettle of many a politico. The nuclear option placed on the front burner the last time the Dems threated a filibuster is moving to the front of the stove once again.

We'll have to see how the partisans actually line up on this, but I have received alerts and calls to action all day today from women's groups, progressives, and LGBT organizations decrying the nomination and declaring Alito to be a far right darling.

It's time to go to work, y'all.

2005-10-28T15:43:00.000-04:00

VOX-UT Knoxville raises voice against GAP

Pro-choice students defend reproductive freedom

by Beth Maples-Bays

KNOXVILLE – Recent VOX action on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville shouted out their defense of women’s right to physical integrity and against the misleading and shocking pictures displayed with UT’s approval.

In speaking of the October 25th action, Vox supporter Andrew Ciscel observes, “The main action today was very successful with 30-40 pro-choice activists holding signs and flyers, lining up as a blockade to the highly inappropriate display that GAP imposed on UT campus,” states Andres Ciscel, VOX supporter. “It was a very peaceful protest of their
display with lots of support from passing students and staff.”

GAP (Genocide Awareness Project) goes from campus to campus with their large detailed photographic displays of bloody fetal remains comparing abortion to Jewish Holocaust victims, African-American lynchings, and the genocide visited upon Native Americans by the United States government.

“In my opinion, if this sector of the anti-choice movement really wants to have intelligent conversation, they can come out and demonstrate without photos of bloody fetuses next to images from real human genocides,” asserts Ciscel.

Periodically throughout the two-day display, members of VOX were individually handing out fliers next to the GAP display. Several English classes, studying debate, took flyers from both sides and sometimes engaged the anti-choice participants.

What is Vox®? Vox is the Latin word for "voice" and Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood is a nationwide program to energize and mobilize the new generation of pro-choice Americans. Vox aims to educate and inspire a new generation of young adults to advocate reproductive freedom.
The newly organized Vox is working quickly on UT-Knoxville campus to work on behalf of women’s reproductive freedom. In this case, they protest the misuse of the word “genocide” and other attempts to shock the public and slant the public conversation in their favor.

In Knoxville, women may seek a full array of reproductive health services at the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health. The Center’s director, Corrine Rovetti, RN, MSA, is a graduate of the University of Tennessee – Knoxville’s College of Nursing and has been an outspoken support of women’s reproductive freedom.

From their Web site:

“Medical care at the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health is supervised by Morris D. Campbell, M.D. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and also a Fellow in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He lives in Knoxville and has privileges at local hospitals.

Routine gynecological and family planning care is provided by Corinne Rovetti, RNC / MSN. She is a certified family nurse practitioner specializing in women's health care. Her perspective is to empower women to empower themselves.”

Contact information for Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health. Location: 1547 West Clinch Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916. Phone: (local) 865-637-3861 or (toll-free) 800-325-5357. Fax: 865-637-0222. Email: krepro@aol.com. Visit their Web site at www.kcrh.com.

“PPMET believes that the self-determined pursuit of sexual health is important for everyone's well-being and quality of life. We are a recognized and respected leader in providing reproductive, sexual and complementary healthcare and comprehensive sexuality education to women, men and teens regardless of race, age, income status, religion or sexual orientation.” – PPMET Web site

Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee has two offices: Nashville and Knoxville. They offer comprehensive reproductive health care in Nashville including both medical and surgical first trimester abortion services. You can reach the Nashville office at 615-321-7216. The Knoxville office does not offer abortion services. You can receive other reproductive health services including birth control and gynecological care. You can reach the Knoxville office at 865-694-7155. Or simply call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN (7526.) The phone will ring in the clinic nearest you. Visit their Web site at www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/tennessee..

For further information about VOX on UT-K campus, email Stacia at utvox@hotmail.com.

Beth can be reached at Beth@gyrlgroove.com.

2005-10-04T20:28:00.000-04:00

Playing with the boys

Confronting misogyny in the LGBT leadership

It is with a heavy heart that I sit down to write this article. I am feeling as if I have come full circle and, in the process, went absolutely nowhere. I am an old school radical lesbian feminist separatist who was fool enough to try to reach out across the abyss that separates us to some kind and gentle men in my local gay community.

At first I was completely reassured that there were men in this world who are unfettered by the legacy handed down from both the insitutional and familial patriarchs that control our daily lives. I found brilliance and beauty in the creative spark that I share with many gay men. Their generalized love of the arts gave me hope for common ground in areas other than the oppression we share. As I have said, I am a lesbian. I have been “out” for 27 years.

For many of those years, I was unable to fully participate in community political activities due to educational endeavors, family responsibilities, and, more recently, heath problems. I have managed to a few things on the way to my mid-fifties including writing for a couple of lesbian publications and, now, LGBT publications. I have also been known to sit on a board or two, organize a group here and there, and produce some events for the community. It has been a labor of love.

I have bonded with my community more in the last four or five years than ever before, given the lack of obstacles to freedom of expression as in prior years with family, housing, and job considerations. It is a welcome relief to be “out” in every arena of my life. Too many times, we dismiss the stress brought on by a life in the closet. It is very real.

So I looked forward to my senior years when I could write with abandon without regard for anyone who might be looking over my shoulder intent on imposing their homophobic values on everyone around them. There are lots of those folks here where I live, but if the truth were to be told, there are lots of them everywhere, especially in the current American political climate. The entire country seems to have taken on the values that I fled in my youth when I moved West to escape my Southern Baptist roots. But in the end, I had to go home to fight these battles. Sometimes it takes a native’s insight to war against the particular factions that oppress our community in a given geographic region.

We like to say that we are on the front lines of the culture war. I am proud to stand beside my brothers in this fight. At least I was proud. Lately some troulblesome attitudes have reared their ugly little heads, and I am once again confronting misogyny. That deadly foe was front and center in my life for many years. After my Mother’s husband killed her in cold blood and O.J.’d his way out of it, I knew that this opponent would be first in my battles against injustice.

We were separatists in the 70s because we knew that all men are basically misogynist, and relationships between men and women are inherently unequal. Why in the hell did I forget that? How stupid have I been to delude myself into believing that there are kind and gentle men? They may treat each other with respect and dignity, but don’t hold your breath if you don’t have a penis.

All I can say is this: I am not laying down my sword, but my shield will be a little higher from this day forward as the battles become more fierce here on the front lines. Unfortunately my shield is needed not just for the Jerry Falwell’s and Dick Cheney’s, but also to fend off the barbs of my comrades as they seek to position themselves in the community.

It’s a shame. It’s a waste of time, energy, and resources that could be used much more productively against the onslaught from the religious reich.

But, I guess boys will be boys.

2005-08-23T23:47:00.000-04:00

Several interesting articles - one interesting theme

Sex topics with women center stage

There are several interesting articles out there this evening with one theme - men's fear of women's sexuality and their attempts to control this powerful force.

First on the list is "Oversexed," an article from The Nation written by Debbie Nathan in which she documents the plight of women brought to the United States and virtually enslaved by their employers. She examines the issue alongside its partner, human trafficking for sexual enslavement.

From there, I go the New York Times for a look at Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder experienced by men who witness their wives giving birth. The writer, Keith Ablow, M.D., takes us on a "A Perilous Journey From Delivery Room to Bedroom" as he takes us on a stroll down memory lane reminiscent of the time when all men were assumed to be heterosexual and avid fans of the virgin-whore dichotomy.

From there it's just a short jaunt over to the Internaitonal Herald-Tribune's Health and Science section where there is another article from the New York Times. This time, Denise Grady reports on yet another article from the Journal of the American Medical Association published today that concludes there is no capacity for feeling pain in a fetus of less than six months gestation. This blows apart one of the main talking points of the wingnuts who want women to die in childbirth even if they are seven years old and incest victims. I'm sure they will go merrily on their way, ignoring the A.M.A., but at least we'll know the truth of the matter.

2005-08-16T17:06:00.000-04:00

Robert's nomination more ominous than indicated in mainstream press

Democrats ignore warning signs of extremism

John Roberts' nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States is soon to be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee. While Democrats lay down and play dead, the opposition to Roberts' nomination within the LGBT community and women's groups is clear across the board.

From such organizations as The Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Organization for Women, National Abortion Rights Action League, and many others comes the radical notion that we should not accept a pig in a poke. (Yes, I'm an Appalachian.) That we should not go gently into the "good" night of futile acceptance that Roberts is "the best we're going to get from this administration."

The ACLU points to previous actions by Robers indicating opposition to Roe v. Wade. support for school prayer, and opposition to full expression of freedom of speech along with greater scruting of his role in the Reagan and Bush I administrations.

In her Free Press column, Molly Ivins warns of complacency regarding Roberts nomination and points to his previous defense of such illustrious clients as Operation Rescue and of his membership in the Federalist Society. If you don't understand what the big deal is about his membership in that lovely little group, click on the link and read for a bit. It won't take long to see that they are right-wing extremists guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of any self-respecting progressive.

So what if he is well-heeled, gracious, well-mannered and eye candy? So what if he isn't Robert Bork or John Bolton?

I suppose we are to be grateful that he will be well-dressed and mannerly as he twists the knife?

Well he does have one thing to his credit. He found Fred Thompson a job. Old Fred's on the team that is managing Johnny Boy according to Molly Ivins.

Wonderful.

2005-08-12T18:30:00.000-04:00

HRC, NBJC urge Wilson to "do the right thing"

Black DC minister invited to meet with LGBT leaders

In a press release issued today by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC),a case in point of how hate speech can lead to violence rang out like the sounding of a bell whose tone is so insistent it cannot be ignored.

Referring to Reverend Willie Wilson's hate-filled sermon delivered from a DC pulpit in which he demonized all lesbians and particularly lesbians of color from his own community, the Human Rights Campaign along with the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) offered an invitation to Rev. Wilson to sit down and talk with community leaders about the growing distance between them.

"We called upon Rev. Wilson to meet with us. We wanted him to sit down with those of us he once embraced as member of the black church, of his black family," said Donna Payne, HRC's Senior Diversity Organizer.

Neither HRC nor the National Black Justice Coalition received a response.

Rev. Wilson is the leader of the Million More March coming up on October 15th in our nation's capital.

Payne spoke out today about a time when she and Wilson worked side-by-side to promote community amd when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people came to hear his message of unity and fairness in a church that welcomed their presence. Her message included her memories of his prior work on the side of justice.

But she spoke out against the hate speech that he spewed forth from his pulpit recently and against the hurt and pain caused in the LGBT community because of his words. She spoke out against his explicit sexual remarks that she felt "disgraced the pulpit and his dignity."

Referring to the consequences of Wilson's sermon as the "ripple effect of hate," Payne also spoke of a DC minister who called Wilson to task in a written reponse. Afterward, Reverend Abena McCray began almost immediately to receive death threats, numerous harrassing phone calls, and a brick through her car window.

Payne also told of Noah's Arc, soon to be the nation's first black LGBT television program, whose production had to be called to a halt due to Nation of Islam protests outside their building.

Her passion for the LGBT community rings clearly throughout her remarks. Her need for a united black community runs through her plea like a strong thread meant to mend the tears of recent days.

I've never met Donna Payne, but I can feel her power emanating from the words on my monitor screen. We should all have that kind of passion for the work we do.

Read her last few words and see that I speak the truth:

Before another rock is thrown, help bring us together. Let's sit down and, as one united community. There is no need to feel threatened. We can demonstrate our willingness to accept responsibility, to change our behavior and to strive to make our communities the best they can be by talking.
We want to meet with you. Stop the hate by using your powerful voice for unity. We are waiting for you to do the right thing.

2005-08-05T20:40:00.000-04:00

Prior pro bono work poor choice for focus on Bush's pick for high court

Roberts' prior pro-equality pro bono work does not qualify him for gay sainthood. It does not qualify him for inclusion in exclusive gay circles either. Although I am not privy at this point to the details surrounding this prior legal endeavor, I assume it was simply "his turn" to take a pro bono case at this firm. (?)

What it does tell me is the this guy is a lawyer. You know the kind...the attorney who will do whatever it takes to win a case or get ahead. I believe in many circles that is otherwise known as blind ambition - hardly a characteristic one would single out as befitting a post on the Supreme Court of the United States of America.

I notice that People for the American Way (PFAW) shares some of my reservations. They point out that his prior positions on school bussing to achieve racial balance, school prayer, affirmative action, voting rights, immigrant rights, religious and civil liberties, Title IX, sex discrimination, rights of the disabled, rights of the accused, reproductive freedom, environmental protections, executive power, and excessive arrest procedures land him squarely in the lap of the right wingers that are shying...no...running away from them as fast as their little legs will carry them based solely on his one time assistance to a gay group.

I guess the wingnuts are just not prone to "big picture" thinking. I hope the LGBT community isn't guilty of just the opposite - focusing on this one thing that Roberts did under Goddess-knows-what circumstances.

He's bad news no matter how you slice it.

2005-08-05T11:18:00.000-04:00

Lamar Says “NO” to Live Discussion with GE on Fox News

Thursday, 04 August 2005

“We were ready to hold them accountable on national television; they knew it and ran scared,” Chuck Bowen, Executive Director of Georgia Equality.

August 4, 2005, Atlanta, Georgia - Today’s planned discussion of the billboard controversy on Fox News has been cancelled because Lamar Outdoor Advertising claimed they had no one to appear in the interview. Instead, they offered a written statement.

Read Georgia Equality's press release here.

2005-08-03T20:36:00.000-04:00

Lamar Advertising refuses Georgia Equality request for "neighbors" billboard

Georgia Equality Executive Director to Face-Off with Lamar Outdoor Executive LIVE on Fox News

A statement from Georgia Equality indicates they have scheduled an on-air debate with Lamar Outdoor Advertising, billboard giant. Lamar has recently refused Georgia Equality's request to purchase billboard space.

"Your World with Neil Cavuto" on Fox News Network will feature the face-off on Thursday, August 4, 2005 from 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. The program will be re-broadcast at 1:00 a.m. Friday, August 5, 2005 also on the Fox News Channel. Cavuto's program is said to have an audience of approximately 1.5 million for each airing.

Despite numerous requests from various sources, Lamar execs have not yet confirmed whether or not they will appear as this post is uploaded.

Georgia Equality summarizes the events leading up to the broadcast this way:

"The controversy arose when Georgia Equality contacted Lamar about placing advertisements on its billboards in South Georgia for the “We Are Your Neighbors” campaign. Lamar refused because it defied “community standards,” but the president of the company said that he did not agree with the local manager to decline the business. He went on to say, however, that he would not override the decision by the local manager."

I guess LGBT money shouldn't go into any of the products advertised by Lamar.

Here is the billboard they refused:

For those wishing to contact Lamar Advertising, please see the contact information provided below.

Lamar Advertising Company
5551 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 2-A
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
General Information: Theresa Doran
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 66338Baton Rouge, LA 70896
Corporate Phone Number: (225) 926-1000

Corporate Fax Numbers:(225) 926-1005
Executive: (225) 923-0658