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Senator Storms Won't Allow Gay Adoption Bill Come up for a Vote 2008-04-04 10:54:09 Please call and email Senator
Ronda Storms
(R- Florida) who heads the committee that is responsible for a newly introduced bill to ease the Gay adoption ban in Florida. She maintains she will not allow the bill to come up for a vote in the committee.District Office:313 E. Robertson StreetBrandon, FL 33511Email: storms.ronda.web@flsenate.govPhone: (813) 651-2189
Read more:Allow
, Adoption
Representative Thatcher Doesn't Believe in Oregon Equality Act 2008-04-04 10:53:35 "Many of my constituents tell me they don't believe sexual orientation should be considered a protected class like race or religion," Thatcher
said. "The new law has vague definitions of sexual orientation, which will lead to expensive litigation and there are already measures in place to deal with discrimination." -Rep. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer).: kim@kimthatcher.netContact #: 503-932-1291PO Box 9111Salem, Oregon
97305
Read more:Representative
, Equality
Homophobic Rhetoric from Oregon Senator Gary George 2008-04-04 10:53:09 Check out the exclusive interview the Senator
had with Just Out Magazine senator believes "Gays should SHUTUP and not talk about their sexuality", and he is leading the effort to repeal the Oregon
Equality Act.Feel free to send the senator your thoughts on his homophobic comments.Contact Tel. (503) 986-1712or email at: sen.garygeorge@state.or.usAddress:900 Court St. NE, S-214Salem, OR 97301Contact the entire house and senate to censure and fight off his bigoted comments and attempt to repeal the Oregon Equality Act.
Read more:George
Rep: Sally Kern: "Gays Worse Than Terrorism" 2008-04-04 10:52:40 Please watch this clip of Oklahoma state represenative Sally
Kern free to contact her by phone and email and let her know that her bigoted views do not represent you.Capitol Address: 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 332 Oklahoma City, OK 73105District Address: 2713 Sterling Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73127.Phone: (405) 557-7348.Email: sallykern@okhouse.gov
Read more:Terrorism
Rep: Sally Kern Defends her Vicious Homophobia 2008-04-04 10:52:16 Please contact her and urge others to do so as well. The mainstream media is not covering this story and it is the obligation of LGBT groups to hold this woman responsible for her actions.Capitol Address: 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 332 Oklahoma City, OK 73105District Address: 2713 Sterling Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73127.Phone: (405) 557-7348.Email: sallykern@okhouse.gov
Read more:Sally
, Vicious
, Homophobia
"Buying for Equality" 2008-04-04 10:51:51 Please check out the Human Rights Campaigns recently released "Buying
for Equality
" guide. Whether you pass Exxon-Mobile and don't get gas because they lack a domestic partnership policy, or you make sure to stop at the ATM at Citibank an HRC corporate sponsor. You can make a difference, money talks, and where there is money LGBT equality will follow. Support the companies who support you, and boycott those who seek to oppress the Queer community.
Bill O'Reilly Wants "Gays Turned into Salt", Dennis Miller calls "Homosexuals Morons" 2008-04-04 10:51:21 Another day and another task we have in combating blatant homophobia. The O'Reilly
factor had a segment about "Hunky Jesus" an event in San Francisco where men dress up as Jesus. The event is hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Whether you like the event or are personally offended by it, people have the right to exercise their right to free speech and so do O'Reilly and Miller
. However, I prefer to call them out on it and let them know they are wrong to talk about gays in this manner. Dennis
Miller refers to gays as "homosexual morons who want to throw a parade" and O'Reilly says "Wouldn't you love to see these people turned into salt" and Miller responds he "doesn't know, and just doesn't care"Please watch the video here on PageOneQ of people tuned into this homophobic cr Read more:calls
, Dennis Miller
Give Jay Leno the Bird! 2008-04-04 10:50:44 Leno on the Tonight Show a nightly TV program interviewed Ryan Phillipe who back in 1992 played the first ever gay teen on a sitcom One Life to Live. "During the interview, Leno hounded Phillippe, telling him to look into the camera, pretend it was his "gay lover…Billy Bob," who "has just ridden in shirtless from Wyoming" (still milking the Brokeback jokes), and give it his "gayest look." (My Gayest Look)Jay Leno has been infamous for making jabs at the gay community and this is unacceptable. Show him how you feel by visiting the above website and giving him, your gayest look ever!‹^› ‹(•¿•)› ‹^› With Love,Queers United
Sally Kern Gone Wild? Rep: "Gays Shouldn't Be Fired Because of Sexual Orientation" 2008-04-04 10:50:23 Pop out the champagne, Sally
Kern who just a few days ago said the "gays are worse than terrorism" and said the "gay agenda is spreading like a cancer" now has a change of heart. In front of P-FLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays) she has said she does not rescind her previous comments but does not feels gays should be discriminated against with regards to employment.We at Queers United applaud any positive step in the right direction, its small but it is something. Please contact Ms. Kern to thank her for her pro-LGBT sentiment, and also push for her to apologize for her previous offensive comments.UPDATE: This is an email response I have received from Sally Kern after thanking her for her more progressive comments."For the record, I said a homosexual should not be fired from thei Read more:Fired
, Sexual
Queers United Supports Barack Obama 2008-04-04 10:49:46 Queers United
stands firmly in support of BarackObama
for president because of his principles of fairness and equality for all citizens. Many in the Queer community support Hillary Clinton who is also an ally for LGBT equality but there are some distinctions between them which make Obama more suitable.Hillary Clinton does not support repeal of Defense of Marriage Act.Barack Obama's Stance:-Supports civil unions-Supports the repeal of (Defense of Marriage Act)-Supports repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy-Supports expanding federal hate crimes to include sexual orientation/gender identity-Supports Employment Non-discrimination Act-Supports adoption rights by LGBT families-Committed to fighting HIV/AIDS on a global level-Opposed to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriageCheck
Diversity Lesson 101: Asexuality 2008-04-04 10:49:28 Part of activism on behalf of the Queer community is understanding the different communities it consists of, and we can be better advocates for other minorities by being educated and going out and seeking to educate others. Asexuality is often misunderstood but it does in fact lie on the sexual continuum. Asexuals simply put do not experience sexual attraction. Like sexuality itself many people do not identify as strictly heterosexual or homosexual but line up on the continuum somewhere in between the Kinsey scale. (Homosexual)-------------------(Bisexual)-----------------(Heterosexual)Some asexual's have some desire for aspects of sexuality while others have no desire to engage in intercourse. (Asexual)----------(Some degree of sexuality)---------(Sexually driven)Is Asexuality sexual Read more:Diversity
Rep: Jane Cunningham feels "physically ill" Looking at Gender Non-Conforming Students 2008-04-04 10:48:51 Representative Jane Cunningham
(R) District 86 in Missouri who runs the ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION committee recently made some disturbing comments regarding "The Missouri Safe School Legislation" that her committee will decide on.The bill is intended to protect students from discrimination based on "actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, intellectual ability, physical appearance, or mental, physical, or sensory disability or disorder.""Two youth attempted to speak with Representative Jane Cunningham (R-86) regarding Safe Schools Legislation because of her position as chair of the House Education Committee. Upon entering Rep. Cunningham told the youth to leave, as she "couldn't look at [them] anymore," because their appeara
As The World Turns. Progressive or Fearful? 2008-04-04 10:47:24 The CBS show As the World
Turn's made a big step in TV history by being the first show to have a continuous gay male couple cast. The couple has been seen kissing on the air twice. Since that point anti-gay activist organizations like the "American Family Association" a rightwing Christian thinktank has sent out action alerts to CBS and their sponsor Procter & Gamble. The show has now not shown much affection between the gay couple while straight couples do indeed physically engage on air. You may ask yourself why is this an action alert, why is this important? The fact is anytime there is gay visibility the community is either making strides forward or backward pending on how the LGBTQ community is displayed in the media.Please contact CBS and let them know that pandering to anti-gay Read more:Progressive
Tell Thai Red Cross New Gay Blood Ban is Wrong and that "Gay Blood Saves Lives" 2008-04-04 10:46:43 Thailand which has typically been progressive and culturally tolerant to their large transsexual minority, and even somewhat understanding of their homosexual citizens has backtracked today on sexual minority rights. The Thailand Red Cross
has announced that it will no longer accept blood from men who have sex with men, citing the high levels of HIV/AIDS in the gay community.All blood should be tested regardless of what a person does or says, and to single out a whole group of people based on a statistic is wrong. The fact is millions of heterosexuals have HIV, no other racial, religious, or community based group would dare be singled out for fear of the organization being labeled insensitive and discriminatory.Please contact the Thailand Red Cross to let them know that gay blood saves l Read more:Blood
, Wrong
, Saves
, Lives
Jay Leno Apologizes for Offensive Stereotypical Gay Joke 2008-04-04 10:46:09 Our words have not gone unheard. Jay Leno
has apologized for his recent inflammatory comments, when he suggested Ryan Phillipe show him "his gayest possible look". Jay Leno has a history of making light hearted jokes based on gay stereotypes and also has an enormous cache of jokes regarding the gay cowboy lovers film, Brokeback Mountain.According to GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation):"Jay Leno apologized today for on-air remarks he made during an interview with Ryan Phillippe that GLAAD and others criticized.""In talking about Ryan's first role, I realize that what I said came out wrong," the host said in a statement. "I certainly didn't mean any malice. I agree it was a dumb thing to say, and I apologize."Thank you for your activism in contacting Jay Leno at the Tonight Read more:Offensive
David Letterman and Blatant Transphobia! 2008-04-04 10:44:27 Well there seems to be a domino effect with regards to Late Night Talk Show hosts being insulting towards the Queer community. Next up on his anti-queer soapbox? DavidLetterman
. "An Oregon man who used to be a woman, claims to be five months pregnant through artificial insemination, wow he is a mother and a father" Then Letterman has his top 10 possible joke answering machine messages that this man could receive, with the last one referring to him as "androgynous freak show".Contact David Letterman
and tell him to apologize for his blatant transphobia and lack of understanding the diversity that exists within gender.Email:cbsmailbag@aol.com
Start Prepping: Day of Silence 2008-04-04 10:43:56 Hey folks,The Day of Silence is vastly approaching and will be held April 25, 2008.The organization responsible for this annual event is GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) and here is their write up on the event."The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. This year’s event will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. Hundreds of thousands of students will come together on April 25 to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior."Whether you are a student, a faculty member or just a concerned citizen please see how you can get involved in this important Read more:Start
Diversity Lesson 101: Intersexuality 2008-04-04 10:43:15 Intersexuality is a very misunderstood minority with very little scientific research or cultural and educational awareness on this group of individuals who suffer enormously at the expense of society and the medical establishment.Intersexuality is when individuals are neither exclusively male or female. People who are born intersex may have differing degrees of being both male and female, internally, externally, or both. Typically society has regarded these individuals as “hermaphrodites” but this term is offensive and incorrect. A hermaphrodite would be someone who was fully man and woman, this is a biological impossibility, and as such we must refer to those with amibiguous genitalia as intersexual. Intersexuality is described by the medical establishment as a biological disorder, Read more:Diversity
Morning Joe: Seeks a Morning of Trans Bashing 2008-04-04 10:41:48 According to the Scandalous Candice Blog“MSNBC’s morning show called Morning
Joe has crossed the line. Morning Joe is a news show hosted by a failed republican congressman named Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Willie Geist.Today though they crossed the line. They reported on Thomas Beatie, the transgendered male who is having a baby. They put the story in what they call a useless news category “News You Can’t Use” and proceeded to make fun of them and call the couple “disgusting” and make “ewww” sounds. They did this more than once on the show. They also called it “garbage” and saying “people don’t want to wake up to this crap.” That was quoted by Mika Brzezinski. Joe used the story to lead into the next story by saying “this is probably why 81% of Amer
Jay Leno is Sorry (NOT!) 2008-04-05 23:07:16 According to Citizen Crain:"Jay Leno
is trying his best to have it both ways in the flap over whether he was gay-baiting actor Ryan Phillippe during a "Tonight Show" interview.Hard to see how he was misunderstood and issued an apology and within days, Leno was unfiltered and unapologizing.()He is now whining about "political correctness" and the rigors of being a comic today. After all, he claims to have gay guests all the time and he never makes fun of their relationships."Time to contact Jay Leno (again):
Immigration Equality for Same-Sex Couples 2008-04-05 21:46:52 Write your senators and congressional representatives to support S. 1328/H.R. 2221, the Uniting American Families Act - legislation that will finally grant qualified same-sex couples equal access to our country's most basic immigration rights. This bill is sponsored by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT).Currently bi-national couples are not considered a family and thus do not have the same rights as heterosexuals when it comes to immigration rights. These couples currently face tremendous fear and discrimination at the expense of the lack of protections.Use the following Human Rights Campaign form to contact your representatives:
Read more:Equality
Get EnGAYged with Politics 2008-04-05 05:11:58 We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it! We can march in the streets, and shout as loud as we want but without a vocal voice in government we stand little chance of passing equality legislation for our friends, family and loved ones.
It is imperative that all Queer people and allies are registered to vote, so our voice can be heard on issues of Queer Equity and other issues facing the nation. The upcoming November election is nearing, and you can still register and make a difference!
Register here through the Human Rights Campaign:
GLBT Political Party Websites:
Official LGBT democratic organization
Official LGBT republican organization
Queer Libertarian representation
Queer Green Party representation
GLBT sites endorsing pro-equality Candidates
Endorsing LGBT polit
The Heterosexual Questionnaire 2008-04-04 16:47:29 The Heterosexual Questionnaire was created back in 1972 to put heterosexual people in the shoes of a gay person for just a moment. Questions and assumptions made of Gays and Lesbians that are unfair, are reversed and this time asked to the straight people.This is a fun survey, but also an activist survey. Please repost this to your email list, myspace bulletin, use it in a group setting, have fun with it but also let the point be made.1. What do you think caused your heterosexuality?2. When and where did you decide you were a heterosexual?3. Is it possible this is just a phase and you will out grow it?4. Is it possible that your sexual orientation has stemmed from a neurotic fear of others of the same sex?5. Do your parents know you are straight? Do your friends know- how did they react?
Gay Rights is Natural... 2008-04-08 03:23:57 I saw this cute clip at NCGayActivist:Send it to friends, post it around the net and let those who speak the untruth that homosexuality is unnatural take a second guess.
Read more:Rights
, Natural
Boycott Jamaica! 2008-04-07 22:25:55 There have been increasing calls from gay rights groups about boycotting Jamaica over its fiercely homophobic culture and the violence and danger faced in the country by Gays and Lesbians. The Jamaican tourism industry has been ignoring the cries of human rights and LGBT rights activists who are demanding change in the country.As noted at Box Turtle Bulletin:"Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has brushed off calls by homosexual groups for a tourism boycott of Jamaica and Jamaican products."The violence is staggering, people are being murdered or beaten on an almost weekly basis, and the musical lyrics are blatantly anti-gay and violent.Tourism accounts for 1/3 of all employment in Jamaica, let the tourism officials know you will spread word to boycott Jamaican travel and goods until they d Read more:Boycott
LGBT Catholics to Protest Anti-Gay Pope 2008-04-07 12:30:08 As noted at DignityUSA:Dignity USA the largest LGBT Catholic organization will protest when Pope Benedict XVI's visits the United States April 15-20. DignityUSA's executive director. "We need to recognize the damage that this Pope's attacks on our community have caused countless individuals and families. We witness on their behalf." Events throughout Washington D.C. and New York City:THURSDAY, APRIL 10 (10 a.m. New Ways Ministry Press Conference):LOCATION: Murrow Room, National Press Club (529 14th Street, NW; 13th floor, Washington D.C.)"A Few Moments with the Pope: Lesbian/Gay Catholics
Speak about their Church" - Speakers: Teresa DeCrescenzo, executive director of Gay Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS), Gregory Maguire, author of more than a dozen novels, most notably Wicked, wh Read more:Protest
End The Travel Ban against HIV + European Union Visitors to U.S. 2008-04-07 02:03:51 As noted at 247Gay:"London’s Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford launched an online campaign this week to end the US policy of virtually refusing travel visas to people with HIV, a policy that has no public health rationale. Currently the EuropeanUnion
is involved in visa negotiations with the US authorities to secure visa-free travel (visa waiver) for EU citizens from all of its 27 member states. In the US, gay rights campaigners are trying to get the ban lifted."Sign the petition to lift the ban letting the Presidents of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Council know this is discriminatory.*Graphic courtesy of jonrawlinson of Creative Commons.
Read more:Travel
, against
, Visitors
, European Union
Illinois Your Chance is NOW! 2008-04-09 20:54:18 Anti-gay activists are working around the clock to get petitions signed and contact their representatives to defeat the proposed civil unions bill. Please join Equality Illinois
in demanding equal rights for all citizens."HB1826, the civil union bill, passed the House Human Services Committee and now is waiting for a vote on the full House floor." Illinois citizens please goto the link below and contact your representatives!
GLAAD Issues Call for Action on Associated Press 2008-04-09 15:18:14 The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has issued a call for action to email the Associated Press
over their lack of coverage and mischarcterization of their anti-gay hate crimes media coverage."The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is encouraging community members to call upon The Associated Press
to provide greater depth and context when covering incidents of bullying and violence directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.The AP’s latest story on Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student from Oxnard, Calif., who died after he was shot by a classmate in what prosecutors have identified as a premeditated hate crime based on King’s perceived sexual orientation, unfairly assigns blame to King. The story suggests that the openly gay student’ Read more:Issues
, Action
Diversity Lesson 101: GenderQueer/Intergender 2008-04-09 09:25:00 We have talked extensively on the blog about how society has constructed a gender binary system of male and female, we are each expected to fit the roles of our biological sex. For the majority of people this is a non-issue and they conform well or closely to their aligned role. Some people who are intersexual do not have a clear biological sex, they are to some degree male and female internally, externally or both, and this can pose a dilemna for how they self-identify with regards to gender identity. The other group of people are transgender, they are biologically male or female but their identity does not match their body parts and so they seek to bring harmony between their mind and body through either living as or having elective surgery/hormones to bring their mind/body closer to Read more:Diversity
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