The Bilerico Project

Take Action: Thank Governor Gregoire for Marriage

Joe Mirabella — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Today I'm participating in a Washington United for Marriage and Daily Kos blog swarm to help support the marriage equality campaign in Washington State. I'm joined by bloggers from Pam's House Blend, Good As You, AMERICABlog Gay, the Prop 8 Trial Tracker, the Seattle Lesbian, The Bent Angle, on the-Ave, MadProfessah, HRC, Hella Bus, Horsesass.org, Step Forward, LGBT POV, FrontiersLA, the Left Shue, and the New Civil Rights Movement and more.

This has been an incredible week! On Tuesday a three judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional. In the majority opinion, the court wrote,"Prop 8 served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California."

On Wednesday, the Washington State House passed a same-sex marriage bill, and now it the bill is headed to Governor Gregoire's desk for her signature. She promised to sign the bill before Valentine's Day!

Please click here to thank Governor Gregoire. Governor Gregoire's leadership was instrumental to the success of passing a marriage bill in Washington State. She not only supported the bill, but she introduced the bill. This is as much her legislation as it is our community's legislation.

Please join us during this blog swarm to thank Governor Gregoire for her leadership and her friendship. There is little doubt our opponents will make their voices heard, but we know that together our voice for equality is so much stronger.

Please click here to the Washington United for Marriage's and Daily Kos' joint petition to thank Governor Gregoire for making history. When our friends speak up for us, we need to speak up for our friends, so join us in thanking Governor Gregoire today!

Did you sign the thank you petition? Share it with your friends: http://wufm.it/4

Thousands Demand Ohio Gym Stop Discriminating

Joe Mirabella — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:30:00 -0500

More than 4,000 people have signed a popular petition on Change.org urging an Ohio gym to offer a family membership to a local gay couple, Shane and Coty May.

Shane and Coty, who were legally married in Washington, D.C. last year, requested a family rate at the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium, a fitness center run by the City of Cuyahoga Falls. Coty, who suffered injuries while serving in the U.S. military in Iraq, uses the gym for physical therapy and rehabilitation. When the couple asked the gym for the discounted family rate, they were told that the natatorium did not recognize their family because they were a gay couple.

"We simply wanted to be treated fairly by the natatorium," Shane May said, "The natatorium could easily give Coty and I the family rate like so many other community gyms do in Ohio. We feel like we're being treated like second class citizens."

Shane has become Coty's primary caregiver while Coty goes through intense rehabilitation to recover from injuries he suffered while serving in Iraq. The couple said that using the natatorium's facilities are important for Coty's health, yet the gym's refusal to offer them a family membership costs Shane and Coty an additional $255 a year.

"We're not even asking the City of Cuyahoga Falls to recognize same-sex marriage," Shane said, "We just want to be treated like any other family in Ohio."

Several other gyms throughout the state of Ohio do offer family memberships to same-sex couples, including fitness centers in Medina, Twinsburg, and Akron. Yet the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium continues to refuse Shane and Coty's request.

What Shane and his husband Coty have been able to achieve in just a couple of days is incredible. They've been able to rally more than 4,000 signatures on their petition on Change.org, putting significant pressure on city legislators to change this policy.

Napolitano Could Reunite LGBT Families for Christmas

Bil Browning — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:00:00 -0500

I've given GetEqual plenty of hell when I thought they weren't on the right track, but this action even has me signing on to it. The group is demanding that the Obama administration live up to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's moving UN speech; they want Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to allow Americans and their partners who've been forced to leave the States to come home for the holidays.

In an effort to bring national attention to the horrifying choice between love and country forced upon these binational gay and lesbian couples, LGBT organizations including GetEQUAL, Stop the Deportations, and Out4Immigration are calling on Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to immediately reunite these couples with their families in the United States. The Obama administration could easily bring these couples home for the holidays by simply granting temporary "humanitarian parole" to the foreign spouses or partners of U.S. citizens, allowing them to enter the United States with that temporary status until a permanent solution can be achieved.

"Secretary Clinton's speech to the U.N. was incredible -- and the Obama Administration has an opportunity right now to give shape to those words by proving to the LGBT community that it values and supports our relationships," said Robin McGehee, director of GetEQUAL. "We've heard a lot of nice words from this Administration -- now it's time to move beyond words to action, and to bring these couples home for the holidays."

Watch the GetEqual video for the action after the break and sign on to the petition to Secretary Napolitano.

Continue reading "Napolitano Could Reunite LGBT Families for Christmas"...

Demand Senate Dems Protect Syringe Exchange Programs

Michael Emanuel Rajner — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:00:00 -0500

National AIDS organizations are encouraging advocates to take action and call key Senators after hearing that negotiations on the appropriations bill - including riders like syringe exchange programs - are taking place at the highest levels. Conservative ideologues are likely to attempt to restore a ban to prevent the federal government from funding proven evidence-based interventions like syringe exchange programs.

AIDS advocacy groups like HIV Prevention Justice Alliance, National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), AIDS United and the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) have all issued action alerts warning of the looming danger of roll backs to programs so critical to reduce injected drug use and slow the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C.

Several years ago, a dear friend once shared with me his painful struggle to escape the living hell of shooting up on crystal meth and how for years he lived with a "dirty secret" and feared reaching out for help. As tears ran down his cheek and fell from his chin, he explained the painful process of reaching out to friends for help - but he continually found himself abandoned by those close to him and desperate to find a way out.

As he went on with his story, he praised the efforts of harm reduction groups offering a syringe exchange program that helped him break free from a time never to be revisited. If it were not for the efforts of that organization, my friend would not be alive today.

After the jump, you will find the action we are asking you to participate in.

Continue reading "Demand Senate Dems Protect Syringe Exchange Programs"...

Help George Carlin Stick It To God

Don Davis — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:00:00 -0500

Once again The Fates have come our way to provide a story, and once again, we have a contender for the "Ironic Story Of The Year".

It's got everything you need for serious irony: an irascible comedian who mocked religion at every opportunity, a city that loved him, and the rich coincidence of his having been born at the crossroads of New York City's communities of religious education.

And that's why, today, we'll be talking about the effort to name the street right next to Manhattan's Seminary Row... Carlin Street.

(And before we go further, a language warning: we'll be quoting George Carlin liberally, and that means there may be present today certain of the seven words with which he created one of his best known routines. You are now officially warned.)

Continue reading "Help George Carlin Stick It To God"...

I'm Not Posting on 9/11: I've Got a Desk to Clear

Don Davis — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:30:00 -0500

I'm going to be really honest with you: after all the fights at the mall to get just the right present for everybody and the giant hassle of going to the post office so I can get the perfect stamps for my cards - and then worrying that I left someone off the list - I am just not in the mood to do a 9/11 story.

And it's been getting worse every year. I mean, just like the "It's Christmas Every Day Store," I know there's one of the "9/11 Every Day" stores open, in the all-too-human form of Rudy Giuliani, and I've learned to live with that, but it seems like they got started with the 9/11 earlier than ever this year - and by the time the TV memorials and analysis and retrospectives are all over, to paraphrase Lewis Black: I'm going to hate freedom.

In an effort to stave off this fate, we'll be headed in a different direction today: I have three stories to pass along; each is important enough that you really should know about them, and yet they're each very much bite-sized and easily digestible.

It's all good stuff, so let's get right to it.

Continue reading "I'm Not Posting on 9/11: I've Got a Desk to Clear"...

Take Action: Anoka-Hennepin School District Suicides

Kate Kendell — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:00:00 -0500

I'm tired of asking this. And I think you probably are too.

When it comes to our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, just how bad do things have to get before they change?

It's tough being a teenager anywhere, but being a student in Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin School District is especially hard. Why? Because there's actually a "gag policy" that prevents school staff from talking about LGBT issues.

The bottom line is that this gag policy has created an environment where LGBT kids are relentlessly and cruelly bullied.

Even after seven teenagers in the district, including at least four who were known or perceived to be LGBT, took their own lives, school-district administrators and elected officials refuse to help.

NCLR has filed a lawsuit against the school district demanding that it immediately repeal the gag policy, and to take action to address the bullying and harassment that LGBT students are regularly facing. The lawsuit is underway, and now it's time to take action.

Continue reading "Take Action: Anoka-Hennepin School District Suicides"...

Action Alert: Support HIV/AIDS Programs

Michael Emanuel Rajner — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:00:00 -0500

AIDS United is asking you to tell your Senators and Representative that cutting programs vital to people with HIV/AIDS is no way to reduce the deficit - we need a fair and balanced approach now!

BACKGROUND:

Congressional negotiations to reduce the federal deficit are still stuck, putting at risk critical services upon which millions of Americans rely, including persons living with HIV/AIDS.
The Ryan White Program, Medicaid, Medicare, housing, prevention and other programs that make up the safety net for vulnerable Americans with HIV/AIDS andthe NIH-supported research that holds the keys to ending the pandemic are all on the line.
Congress is negotiating now to reduce the deficit and Congress is scheduled to vote on this isssue this week, so we need to exert pressure now!

ACTION NEEDED:

Please call your Senators and Representative and tell them to prevent harmful cuts and caps to health care and low-income programs, including those that impact persons with HIV/AIDS, in negotiations to reduce the deficit - we need a fair and balanced approach now! Please make these critical calls today!

To call your Senators and Representative, dial the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. To look up your Members of Congress, click here.

MESSAGE:

Please call with this message: I am calling to ask my Senator / Representative to prevent harmful cuts and caps to health care, research, and low-income programs, including those that impact persons living with HIV/AIDS, such as the Ryan White Program, Medicaid, Medicare, housing, and prevention programs! We need a fair and balanced approach now!

Balancing the budget on the backs of vulnerable Americans, including those living with HIV, is wrong, will potentially cost lives, and will cut jobs in the health care and human needs sectors.
Early and reliable access to HIV care, treatment, and support helps people with HIV live healthy and productive lives and is cost effective. Investing in HIV prevention today translates into greater health and less spending in the future.
In my state/district, such programs are greatly needed, because (insert local details or tell personal story).

Action Alert: Bravo's Gay Jeff Lewis On 'Cannibalism, Cremation & Transgender Crack Addicts'

Dr. Jillian T. Weiss — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:30:00 -0500

Last week, Curbed.com featured a story on Jeff Lewis, the openly gay host of Bravo's "Flipping Out" TV series, entitled "Jeff Lewis on Cannibals, Cremation, and Transgender Crack Addicts", an interview written by Raina Cox, an interior designer and author of the blog "If the Lamp Shade Fits," for which the tagline is "Life is too short to live ugly."

To the contrary, this is very ugly.

Curbed.com describes itself as a website with a "fascination with real estate porn in all its many glories."

Mr. Lewis had this to say:

"What's your least favorite of all the houses you've flipped?
The worst one--there was a house I bought on King's Road in Sunset Strip and it was in really bad shape. The older woman who owned it had rented it out to four different people who lived there. She was renting out rooms, basically, and to very undesirable people. Normally when you buy a house, the house is delivered vacant. I thought it was delivered vacant, but when I started the demo I realized there was this basement that I didn't see during the inspection, and there was a transgender crack addict. A lot of times when you buy a house you inherit a feral cat or a raccoon or something, but in this particular case I inherited a crack addict--no joke! It took me a couple of weeks to get rid of he/she. But I didn't even know he/she was living there. It was pretty crazy--I didn't know until demo day!"

The bold emphasis in the quote appears in the original on curbed.com.

I contacted GLAAD and reported this defamatory piece, and posted a comment on the site, as follows:

"Your comment about the poor woman living in a basement, and your reference to her as 'a transgender crack addict,' along with its use in the title to titillate, is shameful. Transgender people are human beings, and not to be used as the butt of your jokes, regardless of their poverty or sobriety issues. You should immediately change the title of this piece and erase that prejudiced remark."

The editor, Sarah Firshein, replied to me with this bland non-reassurance:

"@Jillian Weiss: When interviewed, Mr. Lewis was describing the individual he found living in his basement, who happened to be transgender and who happened to be a crack addict. There's no further subtext than that. That said, thank you for presenting your point of view. We are all in agreement here that transgender folks are indeed 'human beings.'"

Are we? Are we in agreement? I think not. I think your view of the humanity of trans people is a mass of privileged rhetoric about "humanity", which you can discard at will for the putrid reality underneath, to use as linkbait and laugh about at happy hour, while you watch the ad revenue flowing in. For shame.

I spoke to Ms. Firshein today about the story on the telephone. I introduced myself as an editor at Bilerico.com, and asked if she had any comments on the story, and if she would be willing to remove it and issue an apology. Her answer was a curt "uh, no," and to tell me to email her if I had any questions at sarah@curbed.com.

It's surprising that Ms. Firshein, a proud graduate of Wesleyan University (it's next to her name on everything on the web), which has a fine Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies program, would think that there's no subtext here. Is this what you learned at Wesleyan, Ms. Firshein? As a member of the academic community, I think I will have to check with your professors on that, and see what they're teaching over there.

Continue reading "Action Alert: Bravo's Gay Jeff Lewis On 'Cannibalism, Cremation & Transgender Crack Addicts'"...

URGENT: Call Gov Brown NOW and Tell Him to Sign the FAIR Education Act

Karen Ocamb — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:30:00 -0500

Gov. Jerry Brown may have a long history of being pro-gay - but he also has a long history of being pro-farm worker and yet he recently vetoed a bill dear to the United Farm Workers. Brown, remember, has an even longer history of being unpredictable.

So it is imperative that the LGBT community swamp his office NOW with calls and emails telling him to sign SB 48 - the California FAIR Education Act. This bill would provide students in public schools with accurate, fair and positive images and information about LGBT people and our contributions. The Religious Right - including the LA Catholic Church - is claiming that the bill would "sexualize" education and is reportedly bombarding his office with calls to VETO the bill. Brown has until Monday to sign, veto or let the bill go into effect without his signature.

USA Today underscores the significance:

Whatever happens will influence the fate of potential legislation elsewhere. And California, like Texas, is such a massive customer of textbooks that it skews what publishers offer.

Call Brown's office now - 1-916-445-2841. This is an automated line. You will be asked if you want English or Spanish. You will then be asked if you want to express your opinion on legislation - that's option #2. You will then be asked if you're calling about SB 48 - prohibition against discriminatory education - press #1. Then you will be asked if you want to support - press #1. Please Note: the automated message is a bit finicky - please wait until the guy finishes before pressing your option.

To give you a visual idea of what's at stake - here are two starkly different images I shot while covering the LGBT community. The first is a young girl holding up the iconic Shepard Fairey image protesting the passage of Prop 8 and the second is of members of the Westburo Baptist Church clan with the child standing on a soiled American flag promoting antigay hatred.

Continue reading "URGENT: Call Gov Brown NOW and Tell Him to Sign the FAIR Education Act"...

LGBT Groups Protest AR Paper's Obituary Policy

Adam Polaski — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:00:00 -0500

GLAAD has joined the Human Rights Campaign, Queerty, and the Center for Artistic Revolution in Arkansas in a campaign against The Batesville Daily Guard, the Arkansas newspaper that removed James Terrance's name from the obituary of his partner, John Millican, who died of spinal meningitis on June 11. The newspaper's obituary policy was that only spouses, parents, children, grandparents, and siblings would be included in the free obituary. Same-sex marriage is not available in the state of Arkansas. Extended obituaries including people surviving their same-sex partners are available with the Guard for a fee.

Last week, the Guard said it would consider its obituary policy and make changes to be more inclusive. It appears, however, that the newspaper's editors or publishers have since changed their mind.

A new editorial ran in the newspaper on Friday. It reiterated the paper's discriminatory policy.

It was brought to our attention Terrence James had a problem with our policy because he was not listed in the free obituary as a life partner. Once again, free obituaries do not list life partners or significant others, nor does it list in-laws or ex-spouses."

Continue reading "LGBT Groups Protest AR Paper's Obituary Policy"...

Gillibrand and Democracy for America Target DOMA Repeal

Adam Polaski — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:30:00 -0500

In the wake of last night's passage of marriage equality in New York, Democracy for America and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand are looking to capitalize on the momentum by making a renewed online push to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

On Daily Kos and Pam's House Blend, and in an e-mail blast from Democracy for America, Gillibrand urged marriage equality supporters to sign a petition to repeal DOMA and share their own story about how the prohibitive law has impacted their life. The organization and senator have wasted no time in trying to take advantage of last night's huge step toward national progress. In her letter urging participation (larger excerpt after the jump), Gillibrand writes:

"Much like the historic vote last night in New York, it's going to take a lot of hard work and our collective grassroots advocacy. And I believe it's going to take telling more of the stories of those who experience the injustices of DOMA every day."

You can sign the petition to repeal DOMA and share your story here.

Continue reading "Gillibrand and Democracy for America Target DOMA Repeal"...

Time For Direct Action In New York Today

Dr. Jillian T. Weiss — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:00:00 -0500

With the nation holding its breath over whether there is, or is not, a crucial 32nd Senatorial yes-vote for marriage equality in the Empire State, dueling lobbies chanting and praying in the NY Senate building, and a U.S. President who is "evolving" but seems stuck in the Jurassic period, three organizations known for direct action are organizing demonstrations during President Obama's Manhattan LGBT fundraising visit today at 5:30 pm.

The lobbyists are in full swing in Albany, and we pray that their efforts will be successful, but lobbying and praying only goes so far. It's time for direct action to speak up and say to the Democratic President -- who is our fierce advocate and will be enjoying elaborate floral centerpieces and authentic Moroccan finger foods at an LGBT fundraiser at the LGBT Leadership Council at the Sheraton Hotel today in an effort to raise One Billion Dollars -- it is time to speak to him about moving out of Jurassic Park on LGBT rights.

Continue reading "Time For Direct Action In New York Today"...

San Jose Sharks: Sign an 'It Gets Better' Petition

Gloria Nieto — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:30:00 -0500

Here's something quick and easy you can do to make the world a little better. Please pass this on also.

I have started a petition on the Change.org web site asking the San Jose Sharks to do an It Gets Better video. Since the San Francisco Giants were the first professional team to make a video (way to go Sean Chapin), the Sharks can be the first National Hockey League team to produce a positive message in the United States and Canada.

A number of other baseball teams are committing to doing their own IGB videos including the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins. I am asking for a little help here to move a team that, I believe is willing to make this effort.

Please sign and share!

Space Needle: If Community Raises $50k We'll Raise the Pride Flag

Joe Mirabella — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:30:00 -0500

In a dramatic change of course, Seattle's Space Needle has announced that they will fly the Pride flag again this year during Seattle Pride Weekend, if the community can help them raise $50,000 for four organizations that support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. The news comes after 9,000 people signed a Change.org petition started by Seattle resident Josh Castle.

The Space Needle's $50,000 fundraising challenge will benefit four different organizations that support the LGBT community: the Greater Seattle Business Association (the GSBA) LGBT and allied scholarship fund; the It Gets Better Project, which supports the Trevor Project; Lambda Legal; and Mary's Place, a trans inclusive women's shelter in Seattle.

On June 3, the Space Needle told Seattle's LGBT community they would not fly the Pride flag again as the organization did last year for the first time. Lifetime Seattle resident Josh Castle wanted to urge the Space Needle to change their mind, so he started a petition asking the Space Needle to, "Please raise the Pride flag during Seattle Pride weekend."

Continue reading "Space Needle: If Community Raises $50k We'll Raise the Pride Flag"...