“Our schools must reflect the values of our community; this can only be achieved by a bottom-up approach where the Board builds trusting relationships with the community and listens to community input before making policy decisions,” DeGrio said in a press release announcing his candidacy.

“We must continue to support school curriculum that studies the history of discrimination in our country, whether it be against people of color, women, religious minorities, sexual minorities, immigrants like my grandparents or today’s new Americans,” he said. “This is not to say that the specific forms of discrimination against each of these groups are to be equivocated; rather discrimination, as a broad issue, is analogous. Discrimination is always intended to divide society into ‘us’ v. ‘them.’ By teaching children the lessons of the past, they will inevitably arrive at the conclusion of equality. We already see this happening.”

“David has been a long time advocate on issues of equality and has the professional experience to provide a uniquely valuable and much needed perspective to the Minneapolis Public School Board,” said Del Jenkins, chair of the Stonewall DFL.

School board election will be held this November. DeGrio, an eastside Minneapolis resident, is running for a citywide spot on the board.

DeGrio has secured the endorsement of openly gay Minneapolis City Council Member Robert Lilligren and Nimco Ahmed, associate chair of Senate District 62 in Minneapolis.

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Gov. Bob McDonnell (Photo: Wikimedia / Gage Skidmore)

Pam Spaulding points out the high stakes for Virginia – as one of the three separate governmental entities that make up the Washington, D.C. metro area, moves like this can drive away companies looking to re-locate or open a branch in the D.C. area.

Elsewhere…

On TV – ABC’s Nightline shows a special segment about Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, including shots of Martin Ssempa’s infamous gay-porn-screening-in-a-church. It’s good national media exposure, and the reporter treats the bill as the human rights abomination it is, but the segment doesn’t engage with Ssempa and other evangelicals’ canard crying “racism” and “neocolonialism” when the media points out that US evangelicals had a hand in inspiring the bill. As Jim Burroway has pointed out in the past (and as Andrew Sullivan mentions today), homophobia in Africa is nothing new, and in some ways this bill and the violence in Kenya and Malawi are responding to a flowering LGBT rights movement. However, there is a difference between saying Ugandans are doing this at the behest of a white American, and pointing out that Ssempa, Scott Lively, and others, tapped into a set of pre-existing prejudices among some Ugandans when they used the US evangelicals’ prestige to scare up support for the bill.

(Joe.My.God, Daily Dish)

Dept. of Fun – Make Glenn Beck cry. I did. Here’s how. (Politics in Minnesota)

Mississippi – School cancels prom because a (rather ballsy) lesbian student wants to bring her girlfriend. The School Board then calls for a private prom to be organized so the student can legally be banned from attending. Since that statement is now a matter of public record, I wonder if the Board is now on the hook for promoting discrimination? (Pam’s House Blend)

D.C. – The Servicemembers’ Legal Defense Network is bringing lots of retired soldiers, sailors, and airmen to a DADT repeal hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing next Thursday, including the former commander of all US and NATO forces in Europe, the same post held by 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark. (The Advocate)

D.C. – Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is hesitant to promise Senator Joe Lieberman’s (I-CT) DADT repeal bill will be included in the must-pass 2011 defense spending bill. He did say he would try, however. John Aravosis still isn’t satisfied. (AmericaBlog)

D.C. – Leave it to former Navy officer/disgraced New York Representative Eric Massa to choose aquatic metaphors for attempted sexual assault. (Joe.My.God)

California – The Episcopal Church affirms its second LGBT bishop. So far, no fireworks. (On Top Magazine)

Dept. of You Didn’t, Did You?- Anna Nicole Smith to be immortalized in opera. For serious. I think I hear great composers retching in their graves. (The Advocate)

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Virginia Delegate Ken Plum (Photo: Towleroad)

Elsewhere…

D.C. – Former New York Representative Eric Massa implodes on Glenn Beck’s TV show:

“Not only did I grope him, I tickled him until he couldn’t breathe and four guys jumped on top of me. It was my 50th birthday and it was kill the old guy.”

The Advocate has the video, The Washington Post has a post-mortem on Massa’s career plus details on allegations that he created a “hostile work environment” for male staffers, and Towleroad has video of Massa blowing up on CNN’s Larry King Live when King asks Massa if he’s gay. (The Advocate, Washington Post, Towleroad)

D.C. – Are military men opposed to a DADT repeal afraid they will be sexually assaulted and raped as regularly as their female counterparts are if the law is repealed, because no-one is addressing this monstrous, well-known issue? In other news, Servicemembers United announces an open forum on repeal strategy, an army chaplain fights a DADT inquiry, and the repeal measure picks up nine more co-sponsors, bringing the total number of co-sponsors to 22. Most of these guys are well-known progressive figures like Russ Feingold (D-WI), though, so it’s not horribly significant. (Time/via Pam’s House Blend, The Advocate)

New York – In Brooklyn, New York Citiy, five men severely beat a 22-year-old man while shouting anti-gay slurs. It’s being treated by police as a probable hate crime – the young man had just left an LGBT event at a local pizzeria. (Towleroad)

Connecticut – Jury in an internet date murder case hears video confession from the accused, and it sounds like he’s claiming a little “gay panic.” One wonders, if he told police he’s not gay or bi, why did he set the date up in the first place? (Towleroad)

South Carolina – File in the Department of What The F*ck: legislators condemn 3,000 people to misery and early death by axing state assistance to HIV/AIDS patients. (The Advocate)

Teh Interwebs – File in the Dept. of Over My Dead Body: Christianist leaders pray for control of the national media. (Towleroad)

California – File in the Dept. of I Was Five When He Was Hot: Actor Corey Haim OD’s, dies. Haim had struggled with crippling dual addictions for his entire adult life – to drugs and bad hairstyles. (Joe.My.God)

Uganda – ABC’s Nightline to focus on Uganda’s “Kill Gays” bill in tonight’s show. Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI did not raise the issue with Ugandan Catholic officials when he met with them last Friday. Andrew Sullivan gives him the benefit of the doubt, but forgets to note that an ascendant faction in the Church holds teh gays in utter contempt, to the point of denying communion to the openly homosexual – a message of strong condemnation in the Church. (Box Turtle Bulletin, Daily Dish, BBC)

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Txuj Ci Showcase; An evening of Queer and Ally Hmong Talents
Wed, March 10, 6:30-9:00 PM
Coffman Union 3rd floor, Mississippi Room

The GLBTA Programs Office and Shades of Yellow present an evening of queer and ally Hmong talents! Join us for free food, live performances, and more! Hosted by the Queer Student Cultural Center and sponsored by the Hmong Minnesota Student Association, and Asian Sorority Interest Group. Promotions by Center For Hmong Arts and Talents(CHAT) and Multi-cultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE). Contact glbta@umn.edu for more information.

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Elsewhere…

D.C. – The Supreme Court takes up whether the Westboro Baptist Church’s “Got Hates Fags” pickets of soldiers’ funerals represents distasteful but protected free speech, or an improper invasion of privacy. (Towleroad)

California -Senator Roy Ashburn (surprisingly) admits he’s gay during a live interview on a local AM radio station. (Towleroad)

Florida – Florida legislators have proposed a bill that would deny tax breaks to films featuring gay characters, in an attempt to censor movies and TV shows. (Towleroad)

New York – Hiram Monserrate goes from ally to bitter enemy of the state’s LGBT community in just three months. Fighting to regain his seat (he was kicked out of the legislature for slashing his girlfriend), he’s begun to run ads calling his opponent a “leading spokesperson for the gay community” who “voted 3 times for the gay marriage bill.” (Joe.My.God)

Virginia – The backlash against the new state Attorney General’s attempts to eliminate employment protections for LGBT state employees is growing in Virginia’s colleges and universities. (AmericaBlog)

Uganda, Kenya – Time Magazine has a touching profile of one of Uganda’s most prominent LGBT activists, and what life is like for her and her partner. Meanwhile, a Kenyan radio station implicated in organizing last month’s pogrom near Mombassa is again threatening the same HIV/AIDS clinic targeted by rioters claiming it was a haven for gays and lesbians, and was helping “spread” homosexuality in the area. (Box Turtle Bulletin, Time Magazine)

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Karl Rove (Photo: Wikimedia/Official White House Portrait)

He was responding, of course, to long-standing charges that his late, adopted father was gay, making his strong opposition to LGBT rights a rather smelly piece of hypocrisy. So I suppose he’s taking a strong stand within his party to end the gay-baiting campaign tactics that are a hallmark of many GOP election battles, right? And he was just following orders, albeit reluctantly, when he orchestrated the race-baiting attacks on McCain during the 2000 Republican presidential primaries.

Elsewhere…

New York – New York City bigwigs honored the Queens St Patrick’s Day Parade with their presence. The Queens parade is an LGBT-inclusive rival to the super-catholic Manhattan St Patrick’s Day Parade that bans queer marchers, under the protection of a 1995 Supreme Court ruling. (Joe.My.God)

D.C. – The DC Agenda follows up with the HRC on the 4 things it says it will get passed this year (DADT repeal, Early Treatment for HIV Act, ending taxes on domestic partner health benefits, and benefits for the domestic partners of federal employees). They’re given bland assurances that ENDA, DADT repeal, and domestic partner benefits are on track, but that ETHA and ending the DP tax are entirely dependent on how healthcare reform shakes out. (DC Agenda)

D.C. – Gen. David Petraeus, possibly the second-most powerful general in the Army, supports a DADT repeal, the Pentagon’s review of how to implement a repeal, and thinks fears over a repeal are overblown. To the head of the Army, who’s been railing against a repeal, he says “Calm down, Fluffy.” (The Advocate)

D.C. – NY Rep. Eric Massa details the sexual harassment allegations against him. (Roll Call)

Virginia – Parts of the state university system are revolting against the state Attorney General’s order to ditch all employment protections for LGB individuals. (The Bilerico Project)

New Jersey – The state is split in its support for same-gender marriage and has been for a long time. (Towleroad)

Teh Interwebs – Don’t these couples look cute?! Don’t they make you want to drop your support for DOMA?! (Joe.My.God)

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No matter who wins the big prize for Best Picture a number of great opportunities for viewing the ceremonies with others exist around town.  Tickles Bar is hosting an Oscar night party in their still relatively new location.  Featuring the Avatar cocktail and an opportunity to win a $50 bar tab for picking the correct winners, it sounds like a fun opportunity to grab a nosh and maybe have the bar cover the drinks!  If you are looking for a way to celebrate Hollywood and give back to the community at the same time consider attending the Aegis Foundation event at The Hotel Ivy.

Tonight the only recommendation I have is march on down to Rumours/Innuendo for Mama Stevie’s Blowout Birthday Bash (god that Grrl’s gettin OLD!)   Love ya Stevie!  Whatever you do this weekend – make it safe and put some Spring in your step.

Ciao

Margie

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Tandy Bowman, Founder of Servant Hearts and Cathy Perry, Programs Coordinator, Hospitality Initiative of Servant Hearts (Photo ©2010 Cathy Perry)

Since long before Harvey Milk first allied with San Francisco Teamsters to help them get a better contract, LGBT groups have teamed up with others in need, giving our time and energy to help address their issues. Last week, the new Bemidji LGBT group The Hospitality Initiative of Servant’s Hearts helped the local United Way and Kids Against Hunger pack a huge number of packaged meals (each pouch feeds 8 people) at the local Boys and Girls Club. The Hospitality Initiative is doing some great work up north by tackling the problem of homophobia head-on, working with GSAs at the local high school and University, and organizing a seminar aimed at social service agencies, employers, and health care providers, to be held in mid-April. By seeking allies among these groups, they hope to begin building a chorus of voices who can speak out against the sometimes-overwhelming homophobia in the area.

The Boys and Girls Club Gym, set up for meal packing (Photo ©2010 Cathy Perry)

Cathy and Tandy, hard at work packing meals (Photo ©2010 Cathy Perry)

We helped pack approximately 64,000 meals on our shift from 12:00 – 1:30pm. There were 3 shifts, 200 community volunteers per shift at 20 packing stations. The meal was a 5″x7″ sealed baggie weighing just under 400 grams, and included soy meal, dehydrated vegetables, chicken base flavoring with vitamins, and white long grain rice.

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The Altar of St Peter's Basilica (Photo: Wikimedia / Jean-Christophe Benoist)

In one wiretap from last December, [Ehiem's assistant Lorenzo] Renzi is heard explaining the rules of engagement: “You’ll get up to 2,000 euros … Do not touch his balls. You need the money. Put on some music, take out the [inaudible], swallow the Viagra, and adelante!”

Pope Benedict XVI (Source: Wikimedia / Russian Presidential Press and Information Office

Elsewhere…

California – California newspapers are pointing out that the initial report that state Sen. Roy Ashburn was at a huge Sacramento gay club before being pulled over for a DUI has no sources backing it up. Still, that hasn’t stopped many, including West Sacramento’s openly gay mayor, from coming forward and saying they ‘knew all along.’ Maybe a reporter decided to take Ashburn down by faking a situation so he could reveal an open secret? (The Advocate, Joe.My.God)

D.C. – The heads of various services are lining up against a DADT repeal, potentially spelling trouble for the legislation when the US Congress has, in recent years, made a habit of abdicating practical civilian control of the military on important issues. (The Advocate, DC Agenda)

D.C. – An adoption anti-discrimination bill gets a re-boot. (DC Agenda)

California – Plan: 1) Find a homo, 2) shoot him in the face with the BB gun in a drive-by, 3) videotape the whole thing to make it so much easier to convict us of what amounts to low-grade terrorism. (Joe.My.God)

California – More details emerge in a horrendous kidnapping-rape-murder case in San Diego. (The Advocate)

Poland – The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Poland cannot discriminate against a same-gender couples, despite the country’s constitution declaration that marriage is the “union of a man and a woman.” (Towleroad)

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“I have so many creative and talented people in my life. I’ve been looking for ways to collaborate with them. When we came up with the concept for “Little Monsters,” I created the entire concept with them in mind,” said Janzen.

The event at Jetset is open to the public and ages 21 and up. For those that attended Janzen’s “Stories from Exile,” the format is similar.

“Instead of printing out each photo, we’re projecting them on the wall. Aside from the obvious price difference, I prefer this style. In a normal photography exhibition, only 4 or 5 people can experience each image at the same time. At little Monsters, the entire room will experience the piece together. That common shared experience is important to me.”

The event runs from 7 to 9 pm on Thursday, March 4 at Jeset, 115 1st Street North in Minneapolis

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