tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41642079264215963042012-02-16T03:59:54.894-08:00Black Latino Out and Gay <br><br> "Because being gay isn't just black and white"Stonenoreply@blogger.comBlogger104125TheBlogExpressionhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-51683538445224735502011-06-24T19:41:00.000-07:002011-06-24T19:44:10.347-07:002011-06-24T19:44:10.347-07:00

Yesterday my spouse and I celebrated our 15th anniversary! It was also our first anniversary since we got married in Connecticut. I know this is a short post....I just wanted to annotate the fact for history and all of my fellow LGBT! This post will be expounded upon...for now ..my spouse and I are headed out to the village to celebrate!

Stonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-6787431924771674432010-12-18T08:52:00.000-08:002010-12-18T14:10:55.361-08:002010-12-18T14:10:55.361-08:00

Today, Dec. 18, 2010 the discriminatory and unfair law instituted 17 years ago, "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was repealed by Congress. DADT has been repealed by a (cloture) vote of  63 to 33.The final vote to repeal ended with 65 to 31 and  was held 3:30  pm. The House had passed the bill by a vote of 250-175 on Wednesday. Although the Senate’s Republicans have tried to block the vote at

Stonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-74723771724572772892010-12-15T15:21:00.000-08:002010-12-15T16:26:44.613-08:002010-12-15T16:26:44.613-08:00

The U.S.  House of Representatives has just passed DADT Repeal by an overwhelming vote of 250 - 175. The final hurdle will be when it reaches the Senate to be voted on. Today’s vote was filled with many allegations of Democrats trying to rush the bill through by Republicans. In what was one of the most homophobic and blatantly bigoted moments Rep. Dunkin Hunter (R-CA) uttered these words: The

Stonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-19964198733170047752010-12-14T12:17:00.000-08:002010-12-14T12:22:01.069-08:002010-12-14T12:22:01.069-08:00

Have you ever heard of Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays? If you have not, perhaps you know it by its present name: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays  (PFLAG). It is an organization founded in 1974 by Jeanne and Jules Manford. The organization has grown since then to over 200,000 members who fight for the rights and civil protections of the LGBT community.

Stonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-53350474865368824182010-12-09T19:37:00.000-08:002010-12-15T16:24:36.348-08:002010-12-15T16:24:36.348-08:00

Many of us who have worked and are working towards the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell were saddened today. As I wrote yesterday, the law that was signed by former President Bill Clinton which bars openly gay and lesbian members was bought to a vote today. Democrats needed a vote of 60 to bypass a filibuster. Sadly the vote was cast with a final vote of 57-40, falling shy of the 60 mark by 3

Stonenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-61249916558028092002010-12-08T13:59:00.000-08:002010-12-08T16:01:32.976-08:002010-12-08T16:01:32.976-08:00

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)said he will (in all probability ) be bringing DADT repeal up for vote tonight on the floor of the Senate. Senator Reid says he believes he has the votes needed to end the unfair “Don’t ask Don’t Tell” law which has been in force since 1993. There are however a few more steps to be taken before tonight. The most important I can imagine is to get as many people as we

Stonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-39480478983899133612010-12-06T19:07:00.000-08:002010-12-08T14:01:16.167-08:002010-12-08T14:01:16.167-08:00

Today the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case of California’s Proposition 8 (Prop 8). The three judges hearing the case are: 1) Judge Stephen Roy Reinhardt, who was confirmed in 1980 after being nominated by President Jimmy Carter. 2). Judge Michael Daly Hawkins, who  joined the 9th circuit court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton. 3). Judge Norman Randy Smith,

Stonenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-86046839984206437862010-12-03T17:09:00.000-08:002010-12-03T17:15:00.333-08:002010-12-03T17:15:00.333-08:00

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is verged to sign Illinois Civil Unions bill SB1716, also known as the "Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act".The bill was co-sponsored by openly gay State Rep. Greg Harris, who worked on the bill since introducing it two years ago. The legislation was approved by both the state Senate (in a 32-24-1 vote) and House (61-52) last Wednesday. 

Stonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-65471540634091428052010-12-01T07:06:00.000-08:002010-12-01T19:12:05.114-08:002010-12-01T19:12:05.114-08:00

December 1st (today) is World Aids Day.  It is a day that holds a lot of significance for me because like many world wide, Aids has affected my life. No, I am not HIV positive. I have however, had three HIV positive partners. One I lived with for 5 years. It was a very difficult time. Not only did he have HIV, so did my older brother and his partner. I also lost my nephew (only 6 months younger

Stonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-91972087264266176122010-11-26T09:33:00.000-08:002010-11-26T10:22:20.678-08:002010-11-26T10:22:20.678-08:00

Dan Savage’s “ It Gets Better Project” on you tube which was started by the well known gay columnist in September, as garnered not only over 1 million views, but high profile individuals as well. Dan started the project to stem the tide of teen bullying and gay suicide that has been all too frequent since September, a time in which over 12 teens have committed suicide. Most notably, Tyler

Stonenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-63457037844976849462010-11-23T17:38:00.000-08:002010-11-23T18:06:48.529-08:002010-11-23T18:06:48.529-08:00

Today saw the debut of a book by Pope Benedict XVI entitled “ Light of The World”. It is a book that I will no doubt be reading soon, not because of my catholic upbringing, but for what I was told I would never see the Catholic Church sanction: condom use. In his book Pope Benedict stated that condom use may be appropriate in certain circumstances, such as male prostitution. Here is a snippet of

Stonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-76750562004157358292010-11-17T17:42:00.000-08:002010-11-17T22:08:53.648-08:002010-11-17T22:08:53.648-08:00

  The LGBT community is slowly realizing the fact that there are many political figures that are backtracking on gay rights issues. The fight for gay civil rights is one that we all know has its supporters and detractors. It isn’t a surprise to any of us involved in the struggle for equality. What is probably a surprise is the fact that so many believe the political propaganda which is often the

Stonenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-89079549077892830632010-11-13T17:10:00.000-08:002010-11-13T17:14:20.677-08:002010-11-13T17:14:20.677-08:00

International Transgender Day of Remembrance will be celebrated on November 20th 2010. It will be the 12th annual day of remembrance. Why is this day important to not only those of us in the LGBT community, but to our allies, and families? It is on this day that we remember the many transgendered victims of hate crimes. Transgender Day of Remembrance saw its birth in the 1998 brutal slaying of

Stonenoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-30496998704149369612010-11-09T19:08:00.000-08:002010-11-09T19:13:11.794-08:002010-11-09T19:13:11.794-08:00

The change in the LGBT community since the midterm elections has begun. We must however, ride the wave to equality. Although most lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender individuals are concerned regarding what’s to come, there is still hope. Many new pro LGBT happenings are just surfacing. Yes, the Democratic party losing control of the House is a setback, but they are still lin control of the

Stonenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-85423996530260389332010-11-03T18:34:00.000-07:002010-12-09T19:40:38.540-08:002010-12-09T19:40:38.540-08:00

The back and forth swing of DADT is being pushed once again, as the newly elected midterm officials take office. It seems the controversial and highly unfair “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy is about to hit another brick wall. The DADT policy has been a roller coaster that many in the LGBT community have been riding heavily, especially in the last two months. In September California Judge

Stonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-59656511591137820792010-11-01T20:52:00.000-07:002010-11-01T21:09:39.119-07:002010-11-01T21:09:39.119-07:00

Last remaining Golden Girl Betty White who was recently on the cover of Parade Magazine, stood fast in her defense of same sex marriage. Ms. White, who is now 88 years old,  is most loved for her role as scatterbrain and albeit lovable Rose Nylund in NBC’s “The Golden Girls”. She is however, also widely remembered  for her role as Sue Ann Nivens on the much loved sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore

Stonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-29370454133944786252010-10-27T15:22:00.000-07:002010-10-28T18:07:22.946-07:002010-10-28T18:07:22.946-07:00

As anyone who has been to this site before knows, there has been a disturbing and horrifying outbreak of teen suicides this past month. So many of our gay and LGBT youths have committed suicide because of being bullied. In an attempt to bring more coverage to these unfortunate deaths, and stem the tide of gay youths who feel they have no hope, several LGBT organizations are forming a “Stop the

Stonenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-11533520166449868022010-10-18T16:52:00.000-07:002010-10-18T18:50:34.973-07:002010-10-18T18:50:34.973-07:00

A  recent rash of gay teen suicides and  hate crimes has shocked America and New York. It  has prompted me to write about these two videos that are going viral! Both of the videos were made for the  “It Gets Better” campaign implemented by Dan Savage. The video by  Fort Worth ,Texas council member Joel Burns, hit particularly close to home. Councilman Burns is also the gay son of Methodist

Stonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-82904877562626622032010-10-13T18:50:00.000-07:002010-10-13T18:54:04.400-07:002010-10-13T18:54:04.400-07:00

U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips who issued  a landmark ruling on Sept. 9, declaring the policy 17 year old policy unconstitutional, on Tuesday stated in her worldwide Injunction of the policy: Furthermore, there is no adequate remedy at law to prevent the continued violation of service members' rights or to compensate them for violation of their rightsWhile Justice Phillips ordered the U.S

Stonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-77830870354204654022010-10-12T18:11:00.000-07:002010-10-12T18:13:56.641-07:002010-10-12T18:13:56.641-07:00

Today marks the 12th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Wayne Shepard (December 1, 1976 – October 12, 1998). Matthew Shepard was only 21 when he was brutally attacked and murdered in Laramie, Wyoming. He was robbed, pistol whipped and tied to a fence and left to die by two men whom he had met at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie, Wyoming. Mr. Shepard was taken to  Poudre Valley Hospital, in Fort

Stonenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-83154124069805309192010-10-09T13:02:00.000-07:002010-10-09T16:38:54.721-07:002010-10-09T16:38:54.721-07:00

A gang of thugs calling themselves the Latin King Goonies brutally attacked two teens and an older man said to be the partner of one of the teens. The gang of nine forced one of the 17 year old victims to beat his lover in the face and  burn him with cigarettes. The gang which police say is not tied to the gang known as “ The Latin Kings” also disgustingly tortured one of the 17 year olds and

Stonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-50250055323864676702010-10-07T15:29:00.000-07:002010-10-07T17:37:09.564-07:002010-10-07T17:37:09.564-07:00

The GMHC ( Gay Men's Health Crisis) is expanding a campaign it launched in 2008 named “ I Love My Boo”. The campaign which was originally slated to be plastered on bill boards and phone booths, but has mostly been seen only in gay bars and clubs, is hitting NYC subways. Soon the ads will be very visible, no doubt making them controversial as well. They are slated to be shown on 1000 subway cars

Stonenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-44740975744610627242010-09-29T15:15:00.000-07:002010-09-30T13:25:54.173-07:002010-09-30T13:25:54.173-07:00

This post is without a doubt one of the hardest to write. Having raised three nephews and three nieces, it is heartbreaking to deal with. America is in the grip of one of its worse crisis. Yes, it has to deal with the gay community. No, it’s not that gays are the biggest threat to society, as the Pope and the Catholic Church have recently stated. It is because Gay teens are committing suicide

Stonenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-21362587990465431492010-09-24T16:50:00.000-07:002010-09-24T16:53:24.084-07:002010-09-24T16:53:24.084-07:00

Only two days ago the U.S. Senate failed to repeal DADT.. The push to repeal failed to break the filibuster bought on by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) by 4 votes. The measure which needed 60 yes votes, failed with 56 votes to 43 against. All Republicans voted no,with two Democrats voting no also. It what seems like more than poetic justice, not only for Maj. Margaret Witt, but for the many gays

Stonenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164207926421596304.post-47792892323437298012010-09-22T10:55:00.000-07:002010-09-23T17:36:04.165-07:002010-09-23T17:36:04.165-07:00

There is good news on the LGBT front for Couples wishing to adopt  children. New York Governor David Paterson signed an adoption bill on Sunday that allows gay couples to jointly adopt a child.  The newly signed law allows for the joint adoption of children by unmarried couples  in New York State. The bill replaces the term husband and wife with “married couple”, although unmarried couples

Stonenoreply@blogger.com2