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| Today marks one year ago that I gathered with my family, friends, and fellow Obama campaign volunteers to watch the election results come in to campaign headquarters in celebration of all the things we have worked so hard for. Today I also woke to the news of the repeal in Maine that takes legal rights away from gay & lesbian citizens of that state. My friend and former boyfriend Tom is from Maine and lives there with the love of his life, Ray, with whom he has made a family for 15 years now. I called him this afternoon after hearing how distressed he was to offer some comfort and solace, and to encourage him to not be defined by this or to allow his love, his life, or his family to suffer one millisecond more of pain inflicted by these horrible people responsible for making this happen. Fortunately for us, love wins out and he and I both are fortunate not only that we have such a bounty of love in our own lives, but that we can celebrate it in each other because it matters. There is a lot of responsibility that needs to be assumed and taken up. It's time once again to stop being complacent and start getting proactive, to start engaging one another and to call out those who mean us harm wherever they might be - loudly, without restraint, and without apology. ALL OF US have this responsibility, not just my GLBT brothers and sisters, but all of our straight friends and allies - if indeed you are our friends and allies. You can no longer stand idly by and watch as we suffer these indignations like it doesn't affect you, and if it doesn't affect you to watch those of us you call loved ones suffering the tyranny of second class citizenship, then we must force ourselves to question our loyalties to you. You cannot have it both ways because this is too important, and we can no longer afford to pretend that your silence isn't complacency. Speaking for myself, I would do that for each and every one of you because it is right and because it matters, and I cannot accept anything less than the same in return. Regret is a terrible, numbing, cancerous thing. A few short decades ago hundreds of thousands of white people in this country stood by and said nothing when black people were denied civil rights, when they were tortured and killed, and they maintained an uncomfortable silence about how wrong this was, how evil discrimination is, all of the things they knew were true yet kept to themselves and those like them for fear of becoming vilified. That's a terrible thing living in that kind of fear, but it is also a wholly unnecessary thing and let's be honest - it's WRONG. It is WRONG to see an act of injustice and say nothing. It is WRONG to hear someone preach hateful speech about people you love and respect and say nothing. It is WRONG to maintain the status quo for the sake of comfort when it creates damage in the homes and lives of those you claim to love and respect. Moreover, it is WRONG to be silent amongst those perpetuating a wrong and not call out what you know is RIGHT. Silence is acceptance, and your silence is not good enough anymore. It never has been. I am tired as I write this. I am life-tired. With everything that is going on in my personal life, I cannot help but be exhausted. I've been this tired before and I will be this tired again, but damnit - that's NO excuse to sit on my ass and not do any and every thing I can to say and do something that matters. That's all it takes, really - the courage to look fear in the eye and the drive to look into the faces of those who may never agree with you, who may very well even turn on you, even the will to push exhaustion aside long enough to make a declaration. Because it matters. Because as my beautiful friend Greg recently learned and shared with me, it is a fact that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teenagers are more likely to complete a suicide attempt than their heterosexual contemporaries - and one of them could be YOUR child. Because approximately one in four underage kids who come out to their parents are kicked out of the house. Because an estimated 40+% of the homeless teenagers in NYC alone are GLBT and were kicked out of their homes and are made homeless by their god-fearing parents' indifference to love in favor of embracing religious hysteria. Because the average duration of life on the streets is one year after which it's death or prison. Shelters are run internally by gangs like crips, bloods. Sissy boys and butch girls are safer on the streets. Because there are homeless teenagers dying of HIV/AIDS as I type this that are beyond medicine and in support volunteers' homes so that they won't be forced to die alone. Greg knows this because he is volunteering his time for these kids, these children, the very same ones thrown into the trash by parents who are likely the chief constituent voting bloc that is responsible for the decision in Maine. Which, by the way, should never have been up for a vote in the first place. That's what we're teaching our children, be they heterosexual or otherwise. That is what they are learning whether they are hearing it from the misguided voices harmonizing their collective bigotry or the deafening silence that results when such things are not being called out in opposition for the true evil they represent - and as I stated earlier, silence is acceptance. So I'm challenging you all to share these words with as many people as you can. Repost word for word or cut and paste what you can personalize if you must, but you have an opportunity to throw a gauntlet down and step up and be a hero for me and people just like me, and we have never needed you to rise to this challenge more than we do now. Do it because it takes balls to do a courageous thing, no matter the cost. Do it because enough people have been beaten, tortured, and killed for simply being who they are and their voices and their hopes and dreams have been stolen from us all - and you can be their voices, hopes, and dreams so that their suffering is not in vain. Do it because nothing is faster than the speed it takes for compassion to die and it is the death of compassion that makes all of this necessary in the first place. Do it because Matthew Shepard can't and you can. Or do it for the best reason possible - no reason at all - because you don't need a reason to do the right thing. The choice to speak out in agreement is yours, I can only hope you will share this message with others. As many times as I've done this and seen one flame light a thousand torches to provide illumination for others to see, it isn't a choice for me - it is a necessity - a responsibility - and while your complacency is and will continue to be heartbreaking, I'm never giving up this fight until such a time that conversations in the future refer to this kind of discrimination against families like mine as a thing of the past. Do you understand what I'm saying? I will not be complacent, I will never give in to people telling me what is right and fair when they couldn't be more wrong, and I will no longer stand up to support those who will not do the same thing for me because they'd rather be cowardly and prefer the comfort they take for granted, something I refuse to do. It is your turn to share this and spread these words so that others may do the same from your example. It's one small action, that is all I'm asking for right now. It is your turn to say something, what will YOU do? LINK TO THIS POST:
<center><font size="+2"><b><a href="http://jesus-h-biscuit.livejournal.com/1215367.html">Because Matthew Shepard Can't, & I Can - THAT'S why.</b></font>
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|  Allen Thornell after suffering a stroke the night before, at the age of 38. Allen was only 6 days older than I am. I've only just been brave enough to write about him. Because I love him. Because I miss him. Because I'm not ready to speak of him in a past tense. Because I'm not done crying. Mostly because I want his death to be the most insignificant thing about him - I want his life and what extraordinary things he did to define him, and I want you all to know that while we must find a way to accept the Allen-shaped hole in our lives and in our movement for change, we must not give in and we must not stop. We cannot honor him by spending too much time mourning him, we have to pick up the proverbial torch that he can no longer carry for us and try to do it at least as well as he did. We owe him that, because he didn't set out to do what he did in his too-short life because he had to - he did it because he CHOSE to. That is how character is made. Allen taught me more about activism, selflessness, and indefatigable perseverance for a greater good than anyone else, except for perhaps my greatest model for activism - Harvey Milk. In many ways Allen has been the living embodiment of Harvey, Atlanta Georgia's own incarnation of the man we have seen as a beacon of hope for the entire queer community, such as it is. Meeting him in person for the first time back in 2004 after countless phone calls and emails back and forth getting organized for a push back against Senate Resolution 595, the Georgia marriage amendment, I was greeted with such joy and genuine happiness that I think for a moment I forgot it was our first time in one anothers physical presence. Allen was then the director of Georgia Equality, a civil rights group based in Atlanta. I recall thinking he was adorably cute and much smaller framed than I imagined he would be, which provoked the suggestion of lightning sometimes coming in the most unassuming of packages. This was proved time and again by his tireless efforts to think bigger, get organized, and never give in, even when it was really hard not to. It was also proved when Allen would go toe to toe with people in positions of power, never breaking a sweat, never losing his cool, and making it look so calculated and with such ease. It's just the way Allen always was and you got hip to that early on. Away from the public eye was one thing, but he always managed to pull off playing it cool when it mattered most in those days. After the time, energy, and passion invested by us in writing letters to elected officials, calling them repeatedly, sending endless streams of personalized emails, getting people registered to vote on behalf of Georgia Equality at Pride, we were getting down to the wire for the passage or failure of SR 595. All hope resided for us in the desire for the bill to die in committee, which would have been the best message the state could send, and consequently a huge pipe dream. I remember feeling incredibly anxious when it looked like we were going to lose and lose big, and I called Allen at home one evening thinking that I needed to either reassure him or have him reassure me and strengthen one another's resolve that no matter what happened, we had to press on - it mattered too much not to. When it died, the first person I called was Allen. He was out and I could hear the revellers screaming and whistling excitedly in the background as he answered his cellphone. I'll never forget hearing him say to me "You should be here right now, you helped make this happen and you're part of it." We knew that it was going to come up immediately for reconsideration - the fundamentalists that own the conservatives had way too much invested in this thing to let it go. It was that night that we (Maggie & I) made the decision to go to the Capitol to sit in on the House Rules Committee meeting when it came back up for a floor vote. I met Allen across the street from the Capitol and he immediately hugged us and put us to work, writing letters to be delivered to the reps in the legislative office building next door and phone banking. It was an amazing day and one of the best days I've ever spent doing something that was bigger than me. I remember him emailing me after I wrote "That's MISTER Faggot to you", reminding me about that day in the Capitol when we saw Sen. Nancy Schaefer, a woman who has spat more hateful, homophobic vitriol at nonheterosexuals than almost anyone in Georgia politics. I saw her first and mentioned to him that she was walking our way, and he got on his tip toes to whisper in my ear "...don't make eye contact with her, I need you here today" and we laughed out loud. It was also when he told me he was planning a run for the state House District 58 seat, and I offered to help in any way I could. We talked about his hopes and the issues he wanted his candidacy to be based around, and he told me he would let me know if and when he needed me. He ended up losing to state Rep. Robbin Shipp in the Democratic primary runoff. Had he won, he would have been the first openly gay man elected to the General Assembly. He wasn't afraid of talking about being HIV-positive, either - but never let that fact alone define him. Allen knew there was always that clock ticking, the one a lot of people ignore, and perhaps that ticking was part of what motivated him to be who he was. His work wasn't just about the gay community, or those living with HIV/AIDS. He worked for global fairness and the rights of laborers. He worked to end poverty worldwide. He sat on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Stonewall Democrats and the Victory Fund. And he was my sweet, compassionate, and lovely friend. I never got to see him as much as I wanted and usually time with Allen meant time shared with a lot of other people, and I accepted that because it was part of the deal, part of the sacrifice necessary to be bigger than yourself. If I had known that the last time I saw him would be the last time I saw him, I wouldn't have let him out of my arms so fast when he came up for a hug. I'd have also kissed him on his temple, conveniently at the level of my lips, and told him again that because of him, I can never be the same man I was before he became my friend - and it has made all the difference in how I see life, love, fairness, justice, and the responsibility to do what you can - when you can - and for as long as you can. Find the people you love right now. Love them as hard as you can, love them until you ache through and through, until you cannot love them more, and then find a way to love them more with all that you have. Clocks are ticking everywhere and that isn't what matters. It is true that everyone dies but not everyone truly lives. It makes me happy to know that Allen really, truly did. May you all be so lucky, and may someone love you as much as Allen loved all. | |
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| NOTE BEFORE READING: This is a really difficult post to write on a good day. I think what I'm writing about needs to be talked about and picked apart by as many people as possible, so when you're finished reading this, please - by all means - farm the link to it out, email it, share it with as many people as possible please.
One week ago, on a Monday much like any other Monday, Sirdeaner L. Walker, a breast cancer survivor, found her son hanging by an extension cord on the second floor of their Springfield , MA home. He had endured another day of taunting at New Leadership Charter School, where he was a sixth-grader, she said, and just couldn't take it anymore. She phoned the school repeatedly since Carl began attending in September but the bullying continued, she said. Other students made him a target, daily calling him gay, making fun of how he dressed and threatening him, she said. Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover was 11 years old. I'll repeat that, so that it might sink in a little bit better - Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover was 11 years old. He is only one of many, many others. Sadly, this isn't the first time I've written about this, and it will not be the last. That is his picture to the left - he could be your child or a child you know. How would you feel if I were writing this story about YOUR child, what then? Look at him, burn that sweet face into your memory. We owe him at least that. Some of you may recall last Fall when my then 15 year old nephew, Jake, had been bullied by a kid at his school for almost 2 years, leading up to that kid bringing guns to my nephew's school one day. Guns that he had stolen from someone else's house, no less. Many people reading this are personal friends of mine, many of whom have school aged children, and this is a reality happening everywhere - one I hope none of you ever have to go through - but it is happening and we cannot afford to ignore it anymore when 11 year old children are driven by torment to kill themselves. We dodged a major tragedy that day, but I can barely even think about it in retrospect without being in tears and conversely being caught up in anger I cannot put into perspective. In a way, that is why I'm writing this. According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Center, nearly one in three youth nationwide reported either being bullied, having bullied someone, or have done both . According to the center, one recent study of grades 6-10, showed as many as 13 percent reported bullying others, and 11 percent said they were victims of bullies. Victims of bullies become anxious, insecure and cautious, suffer low self-esteem and rarely defend themselves or retaliate. Often they feel isolated and withdrawn. The most common reason cited by youth for why someone is targeted for bullying is because the person does not fit in. The Center also notes there can be long-term effects for both the victim and perpetrator of bullying. Victims as adults suffer from depression and poor self-esteem, while 60 percent of bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction by age 24. The National School Safety Center defines bullying as physical confrontations and direct threats of violence, but also indirect forms such as rejection and exclusion, humiliation and name calling, manipulating friends, and more recently, hurtful messages sent by e-mail or posted on web sites. Carl was taunted by other children for the way he dressed and because they suspected he was gay. My guess is that his tormenters come from homes where their morals, values, and ethics are such that any discussion of homosexuality, any mention of it winds up being painted with the broad brush of disapproval and in some cases abject disgust. Still worse, some of them may come from "good God-fearing, traditional values parents" who see news reports about same sex marriages and equal rights and make cavalier statements in the presence of their children about how wrong such things are, about how evil and wrong homosexuals are. Some will posit that this is just a means of communicating a belief, and that it is harmless as it isn't tantamount to inciting hatred or violence against any particular group. I say that they couldn't be more wrong - because that is where this begins. Homophobia, much like racism, is learned behavior - and parents infect their children with it all the time. When they make disparaging statements about others, it gives their children license to put people in their crosshairs as some sort of enemy opposition to their own way of life. The crowd that seeks to 'protect marriage' is in fact recruiting their own children, the same ones they make egregious claims about protecting, into thinking that the gay people whom they'll likely never know or ever meet are intent on destroying their families. That's all it takes for them to legitimize bullying another child in a lot of cases, and then there's peer pressure. That's another huge factor. Bullying among our youth is a significant problem--and it is steadily increasing. Many experts fear bullying has become so widespread and common, adults are blinded to its extensive harm. Here are some facts: - It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. (Source: National Education Association)
- A survey conducted by the American Association of University Women reported that 85% of girls and 76% of boys have been sexually harassed in some form and only 18% of those incidents were perpetrated by an adults. Young bullies carry a one-in-four chance of having a criminal record by age 30. (Study by Leonard Eron and Rowell Huesman)
- American schools harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million of their victims. (Dan Olweus, National School Safety Center)
- One in seven students is either a bully or victim.
- 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.
- 15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school.
- 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.
- One out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.
- Mean behavior among kids is a universal problem. In a poll of 232 kids in kindergarten through 8th grade at a Connecticut elementary school, every child claimed to have been the victim of at least one schoolmate’s or sibling’s meanness in the previous month.
Someone, somewhere in the world attempts to take their own life every 3 seconds. One person successfully takes their own life every 40 seconds. In the time it took me to write this (right at 2 hours), approximately 180 people killed themselves and another 2400 tried to kill themselves. Maybe one of those people is someone you love. Again, please share this with as many people as you can and begin talking about it. Thank you for reading. | |
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| Ahmet Yildiz was openly gay. This was an affront to members of his family who believed his lifestyle brought shame on the family name. Their solution was to murder him last summer. He was 26 years old.His friends and associates believe he was the victim of so-called honor killing. Turkish sociologist, Mazhar Bagli, has done extensive research involving people who have been convicted for honor killings. Bagli has little doubt that Yildiz' death could indeed fall into the honor killing category: "Honour killings cleanse illicit relationships. For women, that is a broad term. Men are allowed more sexual freedom, but homosexuality is still seen by some as beyond the pale." In Turkey it is believed that around 1,000 honor killings have been committed over the past five years. In virtually every case, the victims are young women who have transgressed against patriarchal rules governing conduct. In some cases females have been murdered for the 'crime' of having premarital sex. They have also been murdered for falling victim to rape and even for the offense of speaking to a stranger. Prior to the shooting, Yildiz was pressured by relatives who wanted him see a doctor so he could be "cured." When he was in the company of relatives, there were continual arguments. Yildiz openly gay lifestyle even made him the target of death threats. Yet despite the enormous pressure to underplay his homosexuality, he had the courage to stand his ground. The courage of Ahmet Yildiz is the more remarkable since gay rights in Turkey have recently taken a few hits. As the Turkish gay community has become more visible, there has been a reactionary backlash with gays targeted for beatings, insults and threats. A former neighbor of Ahmet Yildiz said that his refusal to live-a-lie may have been too much for some people: "He could have hidden who he was, but he wanted to live honestly. When the death threats started, his boyfriend tried to persuade him to get out of Turkey. But he stayed. He was too brave. He was too open."His partner left the country after his love was murdered. He had no claim to Ahmet's body and was not even allowed back to the flat to get his personal belongings. It is frightening to think about such things happening anywhere, but the hatred, bigotry, intolerance, and homophobia that lead to this tragedy is all too common the world over. This is not just a case of a middle eastern society, this is happening everywhere, including our own backyards. It runs unchecked like a cancer because those perpetuating this intolerance are seldom called out for it. I cannot live with that. Ahmet Yildiz died for having the courage to be who he was shamelessly - as we all should - and because those who were supposed to love him CHOSE to hate him for it. His death diminishes me as a human being. As it should diminish us ALL as human beings. I've posted some pictures of him below because I want all of you to look at him and burn that beautiful face into your minds knowing that his face could be mine, yours, or someone else you love - not in Turkey, not in Iran, but right here in the USA. | |
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| It really happened! After 8 long years of misery and hopelessness, bitter family infighting, and much loss in the way of national respect and values - what felt for so long as teetering on fascism and disrespect for the Constitution at every turn got a death blow on Tuesday when my country, which I love beyond measure, spoke up loudly and without restraint our rallying cry since we began work on this Campaign: YES WE CAN... It is still very surreal and I cannot bring myself to let go of certain fears just yet, but I hope that in time it happens as it deservedly should. It has been an amazing experience watching all of this unfold in real time, and the coincidences are not lost on me. The old mill next door burned to the ground a week ago; that imposing, seemingly impenetrable structure that one couldn't imagine being taken down by any conceivable force and yet there its remains sit on the riverbank across the way, a victim of itself. All it took was time and accelerant. What is left stands as a metaphor for an abrupt end to something big and destructive - and a lingering possibly for something even bigger to one day stand in its place. We have been euphoric. We have been enjoying this renewed sense of hope and possibility for a better future because we believed in it and willed it into action. Tuesday evening was without question one of the most significant experiences of my entire life and I'm finding it staggering even now how enormous it really was. I sat in my home with one of my closest friends in the world watching the final results come in and being acutely aware of each one of my senses when the moment arrived signaling the certainty of our President-elect. Absent were recollections of happier tears shed, of joy being rediscovered and frustrations released, all cloaked in the brilliance of goodness and a return to a time when we finally believed once again that everything was going to be alright, my fellow countrymen had spoken in a defiant, resounding voice that would not be content to merely open new doors - these doors were kicked in, smashed to bits, and burned for kindling. Again, all it took was time and accelerant. The initial shock and disbelief that it was actually happening was replaced with the soothing balm of reassurance by way of the numbers of people who were catalysts for this change occurring. My own county here in West Central Georgia, historically conservative, voted 70% in favor of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Even Fort Benning, a fundamental part of our lifeblood, went to a majority for Obama/Biden. How extraordinary every part of this was! Finding it difficult to keep any semblance of composure, I let all of this wash over me and let go of everything I have held back for months and years in torrents of frustrative tension now flowing like the river this home is perched above. I felt more alive than I have in ages, and it was a catharsis well earned. But my heart was heavy and still burdened, and a lingering sadness was pressing upon me for something that would never be and I couldn't get my mind off of him. It was all so beguiling. Renea, knowing me better than most and having that magical ability to not only read my mind but also unintentionally speak my thoughts looked over to me and said aloud what was welling up in me. She said "I'd give anything if Harvey were alive to see this" and we both wept. It was shortly after this that the news of Prop 8 in California came in, as well as those in Arkansas, Florida, and Arizona - and we were momentarily bereft. It was a familiar feeling and for once we had the opportunity to put it down and replace it with our new President-elect facing the nation he was chosen to lead speaking to the world in one of the most precious, glorious moments of my life. I decided then not to waste my happiness as it has been so hard to earn earn. Mourn your losses because they are plenty - but celebrate your victories, because they are so few. I've had a few days now to begin processing everything and take stock of what has transpired and what is left to be done. I have used this blog and others in an effort to spark dialog and create change, because I believe in the power of grassroots activism. There has never been a better time in history for this given the way in which the Obama campaign got its legs and honed its muscles on the shoulders of grassroots movements. I've thought long and hard about what is to be done now, where I go from here with my fighting nature and how to keep laboring to make things better. The battle I've helped fight for years now is finally over, but there are old ones that need footsoldiers and not enough are available. I'm unnerved at the label placed on me and others like me that for some reason - any reason - we are second and third class citizens. That it is acceptable to ignore the separation of church and state while allowing an ignorant and antiquated religious bent to define what a 'real' family is or who should not have legal rights. I'm tired of being told I have to smile and play nice while sand is being kicked in my face, and I can no more be a spectator when my brothers and sisters are STILL being oppressed and discriminated against than I can capitulate to the insanity that tries to define who and what I am. It is time for grassroots action. It is time to get your hands dirty and build something. It is time to finally be dissatisfied with being a second class citizen enough to stop being one and make change. It is time to stop fighting this fight for ME and start fighting it for WE. It is time to get engaged with each other and those who need to be held to account. It is time to declare as a nation that putting the fundamental rights of citizens of this country up for popular vote is illegal; it is un-American and it speaks to the same backward thinking that causes our children to harm themselves as they have no sense of self worth or self respect. It is time we ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) engayge_america. | |
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| 10 years ago Matthew Shepard was beaten almost to the point of death and hung up on that fence in Laramie, Wyoming - bloody, broken, terrified, and alone. He clung to life for almost a week before he finally died. This is a repost of what I said on the subject in 2004: 
I was planning on writing a rather lengthy post today, but I have no energy to start one, let alone complete it. Today has hit me hard. It's been difficult trying to keep my emotions in check with everything that is going on, and on the top of it it is officially 10 years ago that Matthew Shepard died in that hospital room. The truth is he died on that fence ten years and one week ago. I still cannot get my mind around these things.
I look at Calpernia's blog and think about our emails back and forth to one another and how far she's come in such a short time, and I'm in awe of her resilience, despite such tragedy. I emailed Gabi Clayton about her remarkable son Bill, I hope she is doing well.
Matthew, Barry Winchell, Brandon Teena, Gwen Araujo, Bill Clayton, Danny Overstreet, Billy Jack Gaither, JR Warren, Tyra Hunter, the list goes on and on and on.
Each one of these people is gone for senseless reasons.
Each one of these people could have been one of my friends, children, or siblings.
As far as I'm concerned, each one of them was.
Tags: calpernia, grief, hatecrime, matthew shepard
It was Matthew's funeral that began the funeral pickets and indeed the entire God Hates Fags movement, and consequently in response The Laramie Project. The sum total of all of this is what drove me to write the post linked to below - if you haven't read it yet, please do so now. It's gotten several hundred comments and has been linked to countless times by people all over the world, which is all I ever hope to do with these kinds of posts - raise awareness and spark dialogue for change. When you go to work or school tomorrow, pick at least one person to discuss what happened 10 years ago. Find out what they think and tell them what you think. Get angry, mourn the loss, and if necessary think on these things if you live in the closet and consider coming out. Make National Coming Out Day every day. Just think about it - then DO SOMETHING. | |
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| HARVEY MILK IS DEAD.Harvey Milk is one of my lifetime heroes, and has taught me more in my 37 years about who to be - how to live - and how to fight than probably any other man on earth. If you read some of the things I write and they resonate with you because I come off as fearless or angry, because I'm unwilling to settle for less than what is acceptable, or because I will not apologize for being who I am, then you owe your respect not to me - but to people like Harvey. I am who I am for the same reasons he was, because it never occurred to me to be anyone but who I am - and there's nothing wrong with that, and I will never allow anyone to convince me differently. In December of this year, a film by Gus Van Sant will be released called "Milk" ( IMDb listing | trailer), starring Sean Penn in a stunning portrayal as Harvey Milk. This film has the potential to reach a large number of people who never knew there even was such a thing as Harvey Milk, which got me thinking about how many people still don't - even before this film comes out. This is unacceptable. People have to know. I've written about him before, so hopefully some of you are already on board. For those of you who are not familiar with him, I urge you to take the time - and I'm going to make that real easy for you. Steven Biko, the slain South African civil rights activist immortalized in Peter Gabriel's song "Biko" once said "It becomes more necessary to see the truth as it is if you realize that the only vehicle for change are these people who have lost their personality." He understood the necessity of civil rights for all, not some, and he died for what he believed in and fought for. Harvey Milk was a gay man living in San Francisco, CA at a time when there were virtually no real civil rights protections for the GLBT community to secure employment, among many other things. Harvey was the owner of a small camera store in the Castro district, which has over the years become sort of a queer mecca. Before Harvey, people only lamented the fact that things were the way they were. No one had considered that this was ever going to change, and no one until this point had stood up and said in a resounding voice that would not stand to be quiet: "NO". Harvey was that voice, which is extraordinary not only because he had the courage to be that voice, but because he pioneered it. There was no map, there was no manual - Harvey wrote it all and got others on board with this journey to help pick a fight no one had ever picked before on this scale outside of the Stonewall Riots. Not because he wanted notoriety or fame for it, but because it was necessary and right and had to be done. In preparing for this fight, he knew he would be putting his own life at risk for injury or even death, but that was a small sacrifice to make he felt if it meant change - real change would result. He knew that the possibility was high that he may be assassinated, and that it was an invariable part of what he was signing up for - but that was his commitment to seeing this change come to fruition. He even says so in an audiotape he recorded that was meant to be played in the event of his death by assassination. You can hear it for yourselves here. Make no mistake, this is not a gay thing. If you're a woman and you enjoy the civil rights protections you have, you don't just owe the suffragettes, you owe Harvey. If you're an atheist and you appreciate that there are laws protecting you from work discrimination - if you're a person of color or a person of size - YOU OWE HARVEY MILK. If you're a person who is frustrated because you see how much farther we have to go, congratulations - you're just that much more like him. Be proud of that, but don't stop at pride - don't even idle there - DO SOMETHING. He kicked in the door you walk through with no notice daily, and you'd never even have that opportunity to a large degree without his efforts and sacrifice. The reason I feel a stronger kinship on a personal level is because Harvey was first and foremost an activist at heart, which played first in everything he set out to accomplish. He meant for the world to see that a gay man was just as capable and just as able as Dr. King and meant to take care of those he felt were his community, his family, his tribe. Harvey Milk is responsible for many aspects of me, and vicariously many others I hope. I'm very angry with any gay man who describes himself as 'straight acting'. It's insulting to me and an affront to the core of my principles as a human being, let alone as a gay man. There's nothing wrong with being gay, there's nothing wrong with being straight either - but to try and assume characteristics of or model oneself behind those who you're not and never will be presupposes that you're not capable of being yourself without restraint and without apology and you know what? FUCK that! Just FUCK THAT NOISE. Have some respect - people died for you to be that self righteous asshole, showing respect is the very least you can do. If you don't find a flaming queen sexually attractive, understand that he's not out trying to impress you - that's him being him. It doesn't mean you don't deserve being called out for treating him like he's somehow less than you are or that you're better than he is simply because you have different mannerisms and gestures. If you don't have the character or fortitude to be who you are regardless of circumstance then you should know who Harvey was simply because he was that person in the face of those who hated him for it and you can't even be that for yourself. To quote Steven Biko one more time, "The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." If you're going to be a willing victim, be one on your own terms and not someone else's.  November 27th of this year will be 30 years since Harvey Milk was assassinated and yet there are people reading this now who have no idea he even existed. In 1984 there was a documentary film made about his life and work called The Times Of Harvey Milk. It won the Academy Award (as well as 7 others) for best documentary film and is an extraordinary account of what he did and who he was. If you're not sure of who he is and what he was, this is where you start. Below are links to download the film as well as the DVD extras. Please take the time to watch it and share it with others - talk to people about it and get on board with this story before the new biopic is released - and then go see that as well. Then you'll know. Then you can tell someone who also didn't know. Then they will tell someone else, and in this way he never dies, not really. If you have trouble unzipping and/or playing these files, you may try unzipping them using WinRAR, which is what I use to compress/unzip files. It works perfectly in that. Download it from here: WinRAR 3.80 beta 5. This .avi file might not work properly unless you have the correct video/audio codecs installed. I use this: CodecInstaller 2.10.1 - full package. When all else fails, VLC media player is a dirty whore who'll play anything. Please link to this post. Thank you. Have an icon or two.   "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country."
- Harvey Milk HARVEY MILK LIVES! | |
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| We are all just two steps from homelessness Producer/Director - Malcolm Burt. Producer/Director - Malcolm Burt. Stories of 8 people who have beaten homelessness. The stereotypes are wrong - you merely need to lose your job or break up with your partner or family and you're homeless. In that way, we are all just two steps from homelessness. My dear, sweet, and beautiful friend Malcolm ( ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) mmmblog) has made a new documentary film with his production company MMMedia on a subject very few people really consider as relevant to themselves, but sadly it is a reality I wished people whould stop denying and wishing away. It is not unthinkable that any of us could be one of the people in this film, which should be reason enough to watch it. Every day the homeless seem to look more and more like us, we who have so much and yet take so much more for granted. Rather than present their stories in an overwrought way that depends upon tragedy and emotion to tell a story in its entirety, Malcolm has made a film that allows the people to simply tell their stories and share their experiences, ending in triumph as each person makes their way back to a solid footing and a real, permanent home. These people are humble and inspiring, and I am tremendously proud of each of them for having the courage and tenacity to overcome such amazing obstacles. Malcolm told me about the film last night before he left home for a well deserved vacation, and I told him that I would blog about it today on his behalf. It makes me very happy to have him as a true friend, especially considering the caliber of person he is. I'll be even happier next year when he comes to the US for a visit and we can finally meet in person for the first time and ride roller coasters together while screaming our fool heads off. Please watch the film and share it with as many others as possible! LINK TO THIS POST: ( click here for the code ) | |
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| Tomorrow there will be many people - mostly students - spending the day in silence in protest of anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. The 12th National Day of Silence Honors Lawrence King, the 15-year-old California student who was shot twice in the head and killed at school in February by a 14-year-old heterosexual classmate because of King’s sexual orientation and gender expression. I personally don't think silence is the answer - I think being vocal and being loud is. Part of my reason why I don't believe in silence over issues like bullying and harassment is because when you say nothing, you say EVERYTHING. Add to that the fact that I'm part of the Act-Up generation, where Silence = Acceptance. I will not be complacent about this sort of stuff, not now, and not ever. Especially considering my own nephew (Jake), also 15, is being constantly harassed by the little bastards in his school because he's different - he wears strange looking clothes and spiked hair, he's an atheist and has two friends who are gay and for him it is a nonissue - they're his friends and their sexuality is inconsequential. He's been harassed, assaulted, ridiculed, threatened, and the school's administration is not doing much about it - but you can bet your ass they will. He's defended himself when necessary and tried to let some of the namecalling go, but his patience is wearing thin and he's acutely aware that what is happening to him is not only unfair, it is patently wrong. When Jake was a child, one of the neighborhood kids who babysat him once or twice went to school at Columbine and was visiting his father for the summer, who happened to live across the street from us. We all know what can happen when bullying and harassment don't get properly dealt with, and I'm not about to see my nephew being victimized without trying to do something about it. I know because it happened to me when I was in school, and like Jake, I also fought back. You know who's also not being silent? You guessed it - the Christian Right. That is because they have their own campaign/agenda scheduled for Monday, and they're calling it the Day of Truth: "This marks the fourth year of the Day of Truth, which was established to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective." Their version is equally misguided as far as I'm concerned, and their version of the TRUTH amounts to the notion that there are alternatives to being gay, which apparently is much worse than being a teenaged heterosexual murderer of a gay teenager. Their version of the truth is also backed up by religious hysteria, right-wing propaganda, self righteous grandstanding, and not ONE SINGLE IOTA of reasonable scientific data to back up even one of their claims. They'll be wearing t-shirts and passing out cards that read: "I'm speaking the Truth to break the silence.
True tolerance means that people with differing -- even opposing -- viewpoints can freely exchange ideas and respectfully listen to each other.
It's time for an honest conversation about homosexuality.
There's freedom to change if you want to.
Let’s talk." Yes, they have the nerve to think this passes for honesty. My friend Jeremy offers this spot on analysis: "That's right -- they are telling kids that despite the lack of scientific backing, there is "freedom to change" from homosexuality if one wants. And they don't see how maybe, just maybe, this might be seen as "disruptive" to the gay students, children of gay parents, science teachers, or any straight allies who have chosen to put reason over faith-based rhetoric? And not only disruptive to the school day, but instead disruptive to the very cores of people's beings!!!
We always say that one of the most annoying aspects of our opposition is their sheer non-desire to own their bullshit. And this is just more of the same. They are not seeking "honest conversation" and dialogue. They are trying to reshape a conversation because they don't like the way fact, progress, and tolerance are steering the narrative for the nation's young people. " The online news magazine Same Same has a current post on both sides of the argument that you can read here. Now for my two cents. Ah, fuck it - here's my quarter's worth. I'm a gay man. Faggot, queer, nelly, Mary, cocksucker, butt pirate, woofter, whatever you want to call me - I don't care. You don't have to like me, there are plenty of others that do. They more than make up for the lot of you who dislike me for being a homo. I'm not proud to be gay any more than I'd be proud to be a man or a caucasian, because these things, much like my sexuality, we decided for me - no matter what you may think about that. Being gay is actually the least interesting thing about me, in fact. Want to know some of the more interesting things about me? I can fix the plumbing when a pipe bursts. I can throw a football AND catch a baseball. I can fix the truck if it breaks down in most cases. I spent years of my life helping to raise children that were not my own when their heterosexual sperm donors couldn't be bothered, and made appropriate sacrifices to do so, and never ONCE complained about my choices - and am to this day a parental figure to those same children. In other words, I worked my ass off to earn what I got. I survived being beaten to a pulp by 5 rednecks who jumped me once at night when I was alone and called me most of the names in the first sentence of this paragraph - because I "looked like one". Consequently, I have no fear of getting my ass kicked now because that's already happened, so by all means, step to me with some bullshit and threaten to kick my ass, and by all means assume that I'm not going to fuck you up because after all, I'm just a cocksucker, right? Oh, if I had a dime for every asshole that ever underestimated me with that mistake... When these mindless shitstains cloak themselves in God and indoctrinate children into doing their bidding, all the while accusing US of having an agenda to push, I have to take some comfort in knowing that I'm better than they are. So I won't be silent tomorrow, and I won't speak my truth only on Monday. I'm not that guy, I'm this one, and that's me EVERY day. | |
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| Since Mrs. Mary Frances Forrester  posted her ridiculous tripe with the title of " The Real Homosexual Agenda", and since I've had a LOT of new people add me to their friends lists since I first posted this, I'm reposting the Gay Agenda. LINK TO IT AT WILL, THE CODE IS AT THE END OF THIS POST! This originally was the brainchild of my friends at annoy.com, which sourced and quoted my post "That's MISTER Faggot To You!" in the original piece. I loved it and thought it was genius. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE spread the word by posting the code at the bottom of the page in your own LJ/blog, and thank you in advance. INTRODUCTIONHow many of you haven’t heard of the “Gay Agenda” or “Radical Homosexual Agenda”? Although many claim there isn't one, here it is, the new, improved, radical homosexual agenda for 2006. A roadmap, if you will, towards destroying nuclear families, and reshaping society to the point that if your son isn’t blowing his professor, don’t expect any graduation ceremonies. For all the fear-mongering pigs that use religion to marginalize, humiliate, electrocute and murder others, may this new Gay Agenda permeate your worst nightmares. Yes, Focus on the Family, Traditional Values Coalition, Concerned Dried-Up-Old-Cunts Women for America, American Family Association, Family Research Council, Eagle Forum, Alliance Defense Fund, Chrisitian Coaltion, Mission America, Morality in the Media, and all you other assholes, this means you. THE GAY AGENDA  *cue dancing leather queens in assless chaps on a pride float, drag queens painted for the back row with 6' hair, 1o" heels, and SEQUINS SEQUINS SEQUINS, dykes on bikes, "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge, and poppers for all!!!* 1. Gay men and lesbians should marry one another, and extol each other every tangible and intangible benefit the institution provides. They cannot stop gay marriage as long as gays are marrying. If you are gay and single without a desire to marry, marry a homosexual of the opposite sex anyway, and donate any marriage credits the government may offer to any gay organization seeking to destroy heterosexual norms. 2. Once benefits are secured, divorce. Wreck the sanctity of the institution by driving up the divorce rates from the current 52% to at least 80%. 3. Remember 52% of marriages end in divorce, the remaining 48% in death. There's nothing sanctimonious about that. Demand the institution and then wreck it. James Dobson was right about our evil intentions. We just plan to be quicker than he thought. 4. Get a gun and learn how to shoot. It's as much about arming bears as it is bearing arms. If you think you're protected by the Constitution, think again. If they don't allow you to marry, the next amendment will be to deny gays guns. 5. Reclaim Jesus. He was a Jewish queer to begin with, and don't let anyone forget it. 6. BAN DIVORCE. If the institution is so in need of protection, seek a constitutional amendment to ban divorce. One marriage, once. 7. Normalize - Thwart fashion and style sense inclinations so that homophobes cannot separate you from straights. Gay vague my ass. Make it gay impossible to tell. 8. Hate Crime laws are just the beginning. Once those are passed either federally or in all 50 states, begin campaign to eliminate homophobia entirely. 9. Like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," thoughts or words equal conduct. Homophobic inclinations alone, even without any actions, should be criminal and punishable to the full extent of the law. ¹ 10. Penetrate the sperm banks to perpetuate the gene. Although the nature vs. nurture debate rages on, ensure that as many vials of semen contain gay genes. 11. Lie about your sexual orientation when giving blood. Screening of blood is either effective or not. If a celibate gay's blood is more dangerous than that of sexually promiscuous heterosexual, the problem is in the screening process, not the orientation of the donor. Faggot blood is God's blood. 12. Alternatively, set up blood banks for gay blood only. For us fags by us fags ( ~*FUFBUF*~). 13. Become surrogate mothers or males donate sperm to lesbian couples. If children of gays are to be put up for adoption, stipulate that heterosexuals are unfit for parenting such children, no matter how sad or desperate they may be. ( Read more... ) | |
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| It's now being reported that Sally Kern has a gay son - one she's allegedly disowned for it, too. We'll see if that pans out as a truth or not. I came across this post from the beautiful Pam, and am reposting it here for ease and because I want everyone to read it: Letter From HS Senior To Sally Kern
Today my nephew attempted to deliver a letter to Sally Kern but was stopped by a highway patrol man. With his permission I am distributing the letter to all news stations and thought I would include it here.
Maybe we can all stand to learn a listen from this smart, loving, young man. He more than most has reason to hate. He lost his mother, my sister, in the Murrah Building bombing.
Elizabeth
Rep Kern:
On April 19, 1995, in Oklahoma City a terrorist detonated a bomb that killed my mother and 167 others. 19 children died that day. Had I not had the chicken pox that day, the body count would've likely have included one more. Over 800 other Oklahomans were injured that day and many of those still suffer through their permanent wounds.
That terrorist was neither a homosexual or was he involved in Islam. He was an extremist Christian forcing his views through a body count. He held his beliefs and made those who didn't live up to them pay with their lives.
As you were not a resident of Oklahoma on that day, it could be explained why you so carelessly chose words saying that the homosexual agenda is worst than terrorism. I can most certainly tell you through my own experience that is not true. I am sure there are many people in your voting district that laid a loved one to death after the terrorist attack on Oklahoma City. I kind of doubt you'll find one of them that will agree with you.
I was five years old when my mother died. I remember what a beautiful, wise, and remarkable woman she was. I miss her. Your harsh words and misguided beliefs brought me to tears, because you told me that my mother's killer was a better person than a group of people that are seeking safety and tolerance for themselves.
As someone left motherless and victimized by terrorists, I say to you very clearly you are absolutely wrong.
You represent a district in Oklahoma City and you very coldly express a lack of love, sympathy or understanding for what they've been through. Can I ask if you might have chosen wiser words were you a real Oklahoman that was here to share the suffering with Oklahoma City? Might your heart be a bit less cold had you been around to see the small bodies of children being pulled out of rubble and carried away by weeping firemen?
I've spent 12 years in Oklahoma public schools and never once have I had anyone try to force a gay agenda on me. I have seen, however, many gay students beat up and there's never a day in school that has went by when I haven't heard the word **** slung at someone. I've been called gay slurs many times and they hurt and I am not even gay so I can just imagine how a real gay person feels. You were a school teacher and you have seen those things too. How could you care so little about the suffering of some of your students?
Let me tell you the result of your words in my school. Every openly gay and suspected gay in the school were having to walk together Monday for protection. They looked scared. They've already experienced enough hate and now your words gave other students even more motivation to sneer at them and call them names. Afterall, you are a teacher and a lawmaker, many young people have taken your words to heart. That happens when you assume a role of responsibility in your community. I seriously think before this week ends that some kids here will be going home bruised and bloody because of what you said.
I wish you could've met my mom. Maybe she could've guided you in how a real Christian should be acting and speaking.
I have not had a mother for nearly 13 years now and wonder if there were fewer people like you around, people with more love and tolerance in their hearts instead of strife, if my mom would be here to watch me graduate from high school this spring. Now she won't be there. So I'll be packing my things and leaving Oklahoma to go to college elsewhere and one day be a writer and I have no intentions to ever return here. I have no doubt that people like you will incite crazy people to build more bombs and kill more people again. I don't want to be here for that. I just can't go through that again.
You may just see me as a kid, but let me try to teach you something. The old saying is sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you. Well, your words hurt me. Your words disrespected the memory of my mom. Your words can cause others to pick up sticks and stones and hurt others.
Sincerely
Tucker This moved me to tears. I want to pay for this child's entire college tuition. I hope he does go back, and I hope when he's old enough and able he runs for public office there. Afterall, it is more his town than hers. | |
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| By now I'm sure most people have heard about Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern's horrific hate speech (hear it here). Today, she's issued a press statement that is both unrepentant and back-pedaling. Dan at GayPolitics.com mentioned that they didn't want to give her name or contact info initially because they didn't want to give her the medida attention, but I have a serious problem with that. For starters, how can we hold elected officials to account when we don't know who they are? Sure this might sway those virulently anti-gay assholes more in that realm, but they were already there to begin with, there have always been religious winguts that way and always will be - but we stand NO chance of thinning their ranks if we allow them to remain anonymous. I came out of the closet (more like smashed it into fucking kindling when I was 15) because it's not fair to be in that place, and I don't want closet homophobes or closet racists either. Free speech rights for all, not just those you agree with. All speech should be protected, even unpopular speech. FUCK censorship. I've been saying this for years, I'm not about to stop now. If you want to tow that line, fine by me. Just own it and be honest about it. If you're a homophobic bigot, give Fred Phelps a run for his money and wear it on your sleeve - just don't cry foul or complain when we fight back. If you're alright about being an avowed racist, that's fine too - just make sure you don't save your nigger/kike/chink/jap/gook jokes for your white friends only - tell them everywhere you go and in mixed company. Go big or go the fuck home, because otherwise you lack the courage of your convictions and you don't really believe in anything you profess. Let Mrs. Kern say what she wants to say, and rather than baselessly bitching about it, DO SOMETHING for a change. Use your outrage and accomplish something with your anger. Call or write your congressmen and Senators, find out where they stand on these issues and make sure they know your vote carries influence. Make them grovel for it - that's part of the fucking problem, they're caught up in their own power trips, shut that shit down - and stay on them. Write letters to your local paper to be printed in the editorials. Write TIME, USA Today, Newsweek, U. S. News, Chicago Tribune, Dallas News, New York Times, Newsday, Boston Globe, SF Examiner, and the SF Chronicle. Learn who the REAL enemies are and fight them. Do your homework on hate crime statistics. Question and challenge yourself and others. Get involved in organizations that interest you. FIGHT BACK. I made this graphic earlier just for this post. Link to it if you want to.  COPY & REPOST:
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| In Memory Of Lawrence King
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| Discrimination, faith-based styleSalvation Army Lobbies for Religious Discrimination
It’s almost time for those red kettles to go up in front of grocery stores across America, and all across America, people get all rosy cheeked just thinking about doing good… forgetting about all the organizations that do as much good without making such a big show about it… without thinking about where the money that goes into the red kettle really goes to.
Among other things, the money people give to the Salvation Army goes to pay the salaries of lobbyists in Washington D.C. What, oh what, do those Salvation Army lobbyists lobby for? The Salvation Army lobbies in favor of the political agenda of the Religious Right.
There’s the time, for example, when the Salvation Army leaders met behind closed doors with the Bush White House to come up with a strategy for passing a law that would allow government-funded groups to fire people for refusing to join the religions of their bosses. Convert and praise Jesus or lose your job, the Salvation Army law said. That was a practice that the Salvation Army was already engaging in, giving religious tests to employees and telling them to take a hike if the responses were not theologically correct, taking government money all the while. The Salvation Army spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of red kettle money on that political project alone.
What else does your red kettle donation pay for? Political organizing against same-sex marriage, for one thing. The Salvation Army uses its organization to promote opposition to equal marriage rights for same sex-sex couples. The web site of the Salvation Army states, “The Salvation Army believes, therefore, that Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life. There is no scriptural support for same-sex unions as equal to, or as an alternative to, heterosexual marriage.” Catch that other part too - the only good homosexual is a homosexual who decides not to have sex for the rest of his or her life.
There’s also the Salvation Army’s history of rescinding benefits to same-sex domestic partners. Said the Human Rights Campaign, “We’re talking about health care, about providing health benefits, and what the Salvation Army has decided to do is prevent certain families from getting health care, and that’s just mean.” Salvation Army supporters responded to Portland’s request that it adhere to the city’s ordinance requiring organizations receiving money from the city government to provide benefits to same-sex domestic partners by sending hate mail with messages such as “You are a sick person who doesn’t deserve to be mayor.” Compassion?
Still want to put that money in the red kettle?
Consider the Salvation Army’s decision to put its religion ahead of the needs of homeless people in Wisconsin. When the Janesville City Council asked the Salvation Army to stop trying to convert people to evangelical Christianity with government money provided through the city government, the Salvation Army said no. The Salvation Army decided that it was more important to keep trying to convert people to Christianity than to help people in need, so it decided to stop work on a homeless shelter until the local government relented and allowed proselytization with government funds. A spokesman said that stopping its religious activities as part of government-funded programs that it administrates would stop the Salvation Army from fulfilling its mission “to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ”. The Salvation Army would let the homeless freeze outside in the Wisconsin winter weather rather than just stop telling people to worship Jesus.
Yes, government funds. The Salvation Army gets a huge amount of praise for helping people in need, but the truth is that a huge amount of the money that the Salvation Army spends comes directly from federal, state, and local government. We, the taxpayers of America, make the sacrifice, but the Salvation Army gets the credit with none of the oversight and accountability that ordinarily goes along with government programs. In 2005, for example, 95 percent of the Salvation Army’s budget for children services came from the federal government, and was used, among other things, to conduct an anti-gay witch hunt in which employees were told to look for signs of homosexual activity in their colleagues, and to expose those colleagues so that they could be fired.
The plain fact is that the Salvation Army would only conduct a tiny fraction of its charitable works if it did not receive billions of dollars of government money. Much of the red kettle money goes toward building and maintaining Salvation Army churches, like the ones Wrangell, Alaska; Griffin, Georgia; Thomasville, North Carolina; Gilroy, California; Kalispell, Montana; Fort Lauderdale, Florida and countless other places across the USA. When you throw your money into the red kettle, are you thinking about helping people in need or about maintaining the temple in Rochester, New York?
I’m not denying that the Salvation Army does some good things with its own resources, but most of the good work it does is with government resources that could just as easily go to other programs that don’t discriminate, don’t lobby the government, and don’t mix religion with social services. Let the Salvation Army support itself, and rely purely on private donations. If the Salvation Army wants to keep preaching a right wing agenda, then it’s long past time that it get off the government dole. Well, you know me, not one to let things go right by me without offering my $.02. So how about a $3 bill instead? I've made a full sheet of these things that you can download here and print out. Cut out the bills, fold them into quarters so the blank side doesn't show, and keep them on you. Give them out to friends and family, and whenever you go shopping slip one in the bellringer's kettle. Send them a message that they cannot have it both ways, and get out your frustration on that annoying goddamned bell ringing at the same time. All I ask is that you pass this along, please. To link to this post in your own journal:1. Right-click inside the text box below
2. Choose 'Select All'
3. Right-click again and choose 'Copy'
4. Paste into your own journal
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|  putaindemerde's family is in a bad way and needs some serious help for his niece and nephew. These children are beautiful and in dire need of assistance, and are being failed by a system that is supposed to be helping them. They are only five years old and in desperate need of help, their situation as well as that of the entire family will not get any better without the help of every able bodied person getting involved. The more people who read and repost about these children, the more help they stand to receive, so please repost using the code below. You can read some of the details of the absolute nightmare this family is having to go through here, and on what might help bring about some change here. If you can, please make a donation on behalf of these kids in the Autism Walk. COPY & REPOST:  | |
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| To repost this banner or get a different one, click here. I would appreciate it immensely! | |
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WHAT IS VOTE SMART?
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Thousands of candidates and elected officials. Who works for you? Who is seeking your vote? This community, based on the ideals at Project Vote Smart, a citizen's organization, has developed a Voter's Self-Defense System to provide you with the necessary tools to self-govern effectively: abundant, accurate, unbiased and relevant information. As a national library of factual information, Project Vote Smart covers your candidates and elected officials in five basic categories: biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and interest group ratings. This community will serve to bring that information directly to LiveJournal. So - what would you like to know? |
WHY VOTE SMART?
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The 2008 Presidential election will be upon us before long, much faster than we are truly aware of. Already candidates are getting ducks (and arrows) in a row. Learning which candidate you should vote for is difficult and time consuming. At times, this is overwhelming - which is why it is necessary to get information to people as easily as possible, thereby increasing the chances to get them informed and armed to cast their votes in the electoral process. Much is at stake, and believe it or not, EVERY VOTE COUNTS! |
COMMUNITY INFO
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The vote_smart community is maintained by jesus_h_biscuit. Only registered users may comment to any post or participate in any poll. Posting access is given only through the maintainer - email for more info. |
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| ""We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other." Yolanda Denise King November 17, 1955 – May 15, 2007 "In the 1950s and 60s, African-American men and women made some choices--often dangerous ones--and they were joined by men and women of goodwill, gay and straight, from all races and backgrounds, and together, tremedous progress was made toward the betterment of our nation.
The civil rights movement served as the inspiration and paved the way for all the movements for human rights which followed it--the women's movement, the peace movement, and, of course, the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans.
We have come a long way. And while the scars and stains of racism remain, the fact is, racial discrimination is no longer legal. However, discrimination under the rule of law still exists. If you are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you do not have the same rights as other Americans. You cannot marry. And while there has been some progress, thanks to the work this organization [Out & Equal Workplace Advocates] in the workplace, you still face discrimination in the workplace, and in our armed forces. For a nation that prides itself on liberty, justice and equality for all, this it totally unacceptable." ( Yolanda King: A Remembrance ) | |
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| Link to my earlier post, please - it's very important to pass this on:COPY & REPOST: Here's what will appear on your journal: Yellow ribbons DO NOT Support the troops,
they support 3 inches of bumper space on your car.  If you really want to support the troops, click here and read jesus_h_biscuit's post on how to REALLY support our troops. | |
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| SUPPORT THE TROOPS DOES NOT MEAN THE FOLLOWING:- You are not supporting the troops by parading around with a magnetic yellow ribbon on your car.
- You are not supporting the troops by wearing a particular color one day a week.
- You are not supporting the troops by clapping for them in airports.
- You are not supporting the troops by hollow gestures that can and will be as forgotten as the names and faces of the 3,351 you didn't know and will never be able to know.
My friend lifeasicit said it best when he told me "There is a big difference between supporting the troops and not supporting those who run the war. There are many circumstances that cause a person to enlist and it is not for us to understand why, only to let them know we care and have not forgotten them." Having served in the military himself, he echoes my feelings perfectly, which is why I am trying to be proactive. We need to remember them and properly mourn them when they die so senselessly, but that is not enough. We need to do more to support those in harm's way. If the powers that be won't, then it is up to the citizens of this country to take care of our own. They are our children and they are in harm's way - what more motivation does one need? DO SOMETHING!Put Heat On Our Government Officials To BRING THEM HOME SAFE AND SOONMake A Care Package & Send It YourselfThis is easy, requires little time or effort, and will really make a difference. You can even go in on items with a friend, get together a group of people and go shopping for items, make a night of it. Tell people what you're doing and explain how they can do it as well.
( Instructions on how to send a care package, items to send and not send ) Link to this post:COPY & REPOST: Yellow ribbons DO NOT Support the troops,
they support 3 inches of bumper space on your car. If you really want to support the troops, click here and read jesus_h_biscuit's post on how to REALLY support our troops.
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| US gives Sudan Darfur 'ultimatum'The US has said it expects Sudan to prove its commitment to allowing a strengthened UN peacekeeping force into Darfur within a matter of weeks. |
The conflict in Darfur has displaced more than 2.4 million people |
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said time was running out for Sudan to allow the international peace keeping force in. Recent talks with Sudan's president were not encouraging, he said. US President George W Bush has already outlined possible sanctions if Sudan's president does not keep his promise. Mr Negroponte has accused Sudan's President Bashir of continuing to place obstacles in the way. He also said that the Sudanese government had failed to disarm the Arab militia it has been supporting for more than four years.
Sanctions
The US has in effect now issued an ultimatum to Sudan to take steps to end the violence or face further unilateral and international sanctions. However, speaking to reporters in Washington following his visit to Sudan, Mr Negroponte appeared sceptical as to whether President Bashir would comply. "My sense is always that these agreements tend to be grudging and they tend to leave a lot of questions open as to whether they will follow through with implementation," he said. The Bush administration has agreed to give the UN Secretary General a short period of time to persuade Sudan to co-operate before pressing ahead with further sanctions. There is no specific deadline but US officials say they will only hold off for a matter of weeks.
In the time since President Bush declared the situation in Darfur a genocide, hundreds of thousands have been raped, beaten, and murdered. Scores maimed for like after horrific attacks by machete wielding Janjaweed fighters. Following the partial signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) on May 5, 2006, the violence in Darfur has actually increased, and has remained at least steady since. I suppose I should find some reason to believe we're helping in knowing that at least SOMETHING more is happening at our behest, even if it is just a flexed muscle, but I'm so angry about all of those that were massacred so senselessly - preventably - who will never see justice. Add to this the fact that this is years overdue, and still - nothing is really happening. They'll all be fertilizer before too long, and by the time something actually starts working in favor of the Darfuri people, I'm afraid it will be too late. This is the same anger I have whenever I hear someone vomiting GOP talking points the likes of "We're fighting them over there so we don't have to do it here". I hear that and my teeth jump out of my mouth, promptly turn around, and eat my brain. Because we SHOULD be fighting "them" here, actually. How different would things be for those same sheep if every day HERE were 9/11 all over again? But why should it have to happen in our own backyards for us to give a fuck, that is what I want to know. That, and what 'winning the war on terrorism' actually means. If you get upset about the holocaust and not about what is happening in Darfur as I type this, something is wrong with you. I cannot be the only one raising my voice on this issue, PLEASE, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, get involved. I'll even make it easy for you. Go to the SaveDarfur.org website, download the Policy Talking Points Word document, read it, and take action. You can do it by sitting wherever you are right now and writing email inquiries for those who are in a position to make these things happen. Take action.See this post, which you can link to. Please. | |
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| In researching an upcoming post on how I came to be completely at odds with the Catholic church, I found an interesting article and wanted to supply a new post with old (and faithful) links, so I went back to find links from a previous one and decided to repost it with new info. The comments in the original post (the now legendary "That's MISTER Faggot to you!") finally went over 800 and I stopped replying some time ago, but it was something I really put my heart into. The new article was from the Episcopal News Service and it is about Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, and his newly issued stance that gays' treatment is similar to that of the South African blacks during apartheid. It is causing much debate and really getting a lot of dialog created between people all over the world, let alone on the African continent. I'm sure the usual bandwagon of assholes will issue all-new propaganda disguised as a factual account to be a rebuttal on any scientific study or rights groups' claims that there is a genetic component to homosexuality, they always do. They cannot prove that God is a real, actual entity as a basis for their entire argument, but they claim this nonsense. *shakes head* I especially love Desmond Tutu for this - because there is a series of commonalities in our own civil rights fight that mirrors that of other minorities, especially that of the African-Americans in decades past. When hit by conservative religious conjecture that it is not a fair assessment to compare and contrast the two, Tutu's assertions are a great point of contention - as were Coretta Scott King's assertions that homophobia is tantamount to racism. They say if you are not outraged, then you are not paying attention. I for one am outraged, and if you have a single nerve capable of firing off any common sense whatsoever, you should be as well. At the end of this post you'll find code that you can use to link back. I want all of LiveJournal and then some reading this, your effort in spreading this around will be appreciated greatly. If you come across any links or organizations that should be included, reply with them. Thank you in advance for reading. ( That's MISTER Faggot to YOU! ) | |
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| Save Baby Giovanni!There's a very young child, not even really out of infancy yet, that's in Children's Hospital up here in Boston with a rare condition that's really screwing him up. He apparently needs a bone marrow transplant to even begin to get this stuff under control. Due to the fact that he's of Greek/Italian descent, this has been a bit of a nightmare to get accomplished, since it's so hard to find a match for a background like that. As of now, they have 21 potentials out of the national registry, and are of course looking for as many as they can potentially drum up.
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