Living: February 2007
It's baaa-aaack
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 28, 2007 1:01 AM |Remember that bill I blogged about earlier going through the Utah House to block GSA's from forming in schools, and reader Lynn pointed out in comments that it was gone? Well, it's back. From the Salt Lake Tribune (sometimes I...Read More
Respected trans woman fired for being trans
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 28, 2007 12:33 AM |From 365gay:Largo city commissioners voted Tuesday night to fire its longtime city administrator less than a week after she disclosed she is embarking on sex reassignment. For 14 years Steven Stanton was an admired overseer of the Tama Bay community's...Read More
Cleaning out the files - more non-SJR-7 diversion (almost)
Filed by Don Sherfick | February 27, 2007 11:15 AM |One thing I've discovered since becoming a contributor to this site, and searching the Internet for links or other material to support or embellish my offerings, is that I've managed to pick up some odds and ends that don't quite...Read More
Dear Michele
Filed by Michele O'Mara | February 27, 2007 8:16 AM |Q. Dear Michele, I have kind of a complicated problem with a guy. He and I dated for a while about five years ago, off and on, for about half a year. He was plenty nice and the sex...Read More
The politics of personal destruction
Filed by Bil Browning | February 26, 2007 10:41 PM |As some of you might have heard, last week was a really rough one for me. After leading the impromptu protest at the Statehouse, things have turned toward the ugly. While there is a small faction within the LGBT community...Read More
This week's poll
Filed by Bil Browning | February 26, 2007 7:56 PM |Take Our Poll from PollDaddy.com What do you think will happen to SJR-7 now that it is going to the house? Will it be amended? Will it steamroll right through the legislature as-is? Or will they kill it completely?...Read More
SB289 - a stealth companion of SJR-7?
Filed by Don Sherfick | February 26, 2007 7:28 AM |We all know how proponents and opponents of SJR-7 are arguing over whether the text of that proposed "Marriage" amendment is crystal-clear or river-bottom muddy, what it means and what it doesn't. It now seems that a companion piece of...Read More
A short "time out" from SJR-7 - a 92 county perspective
Filed by Don Sherfick | February 25, 2007 7:48 AM |As you know many, if not most, of my posts have been on the subject of SJR-7. And I need a little break on a Sunday morning. So indulge me with a little diversion as I tell you about a...Read More
Ex-gayism is one big yo' mama joke
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 24, 2007 2:27 PM |If you spend enough time going through the literature of people who sell ex-gayism as a cure, you begin to hear a near-constant blame-the-parents message. Sure, if their cure doesn't work, they blame you, but when they talk about why...Read More
My objection over-ruled.....by me
Filed by Don Sherfick | February 24, 2007 8:28 AM |Yesterday I took issue with something in an item by Thomas Nolan, a Purdue student writing in the Purdue Exponent, appeared to imply about SJR-7 being unconstitutional. Fellow contributor Alex Blaze posted a comment saying he didn't think that was...Read More
Those parents in Massachusetts got their suit tossed
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 23, 2007 4:14 PM |That Massachusetts couple suing the school district because the book King and King was read in school, brainwashing their kids into the homosexual agenda, just had their suit dismissed. They thought the school was out of order. The judge told...Read More
Would SJR-7 be constitutional? yes, but......
Filed by Don Sherfick | February 23, 2007 7:19 AM |Yesterday Bil posted and quoted extensively from an item written in the Purdue Exponent by Thomas Nolan, a sophomore in the School of Mechanical Engineering. I applaud and agree with Nolan's opposition to SJR-7 as being repugnant to the very...Read More
Thank you!
Filed by Bil Browning | February 22, 2007 8:46 PM |Thanks to the beautiful reader who saw my clip about needing a new digital camera. My new camera will get lots of use! Thank you for the support and love!...Read More
I'm not a lawyer - I just play one on the internet
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 22, 2007 12:42 AM |Utah's state legislature just passed a bill to restrict GSA's in that state. More from 365gay.com:The bill would allow schools to ban clubs they believe would threaten the "moral well-being" of students or faculty. It would require parents to sign...Read More
Fort Wayne area principal retaliates against pro-gay student editorial
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 21, 2007 5:03 PM |Speaking of high school, some Woodlan school administrators are acting pretty adolescent themselves. The principal is all mad over a student editorial in the school paper that said that it's OK to be gay. You can read the full text...Read More
NJ schools have to fight systemic harassment (Oh, hell yes)
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 21, 2007 4:17 PM |From the Daily Record:Public schools can be held liable for repeated, prolonged student-on-student sexual harassment, the state Supreme Court ruled today in a case brought by a New Jersey boy who contended he was victimized by years of homophobic taunts...Read More
Coming together
Filed by Bil Browning | February 20, 2007 11:51 PM |There's been a lot going on lately and I haven't gotten a chance to talk about something that's very important to me. On Sunday night I was witness to a remarkable and empowering experience. A little background... I truly and...Read More
The Anger Gap
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 20, 2007 10:29 PM |Jeffrey Feldman has a great post up over at the Huffington Post about answering the anti-Christian charge that conservatives often level at liberals, especially during the recent Edwards campaign hullabaloo. One thing that I found really interesting was in a...Read More
Episcopalians rebuked over the Issue that Dare not Speak Its Name
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 20, 2007 1:04 PM |In a move that was called unprecedented, the Anglican hierarchy has rebuked American Episcopalians for being OK with the gay. The NY Times article is good, but the Washington Post article says it more concisely:Anglican leaders concluded their five-day meeting...Read More
Heather Poe, ya better take note...
Filed by Julien A. Sharp | February 20, 2007 10:44 AM |You could be on the wrong end of this story someday if you and l'il Mary (Cheney) have a l'il tiff that results in, er...irreconcilable differences. Having a baby "together" in Virginia?? What were you thinking ?!?!? I mean, this...Read More
Read the Fine Print rally a success
Filed by Bil Browning | February 19, 2007 5:50 PM |Today's "Read the Fine Print" rally at the Statehouse was a success, I think. About 500-600 people gathered at the Statehouse rotunda to demand that Indiana's LGBT citizens get the same rights as other Hoosiers. Indiana Equality and HRC sponsored...Read More
Read the Fine Print rally a success
Filed by Bil Browning | February 19, 2007 5:50 PM |Today's "Read the Fine Print" rally at the Statehouse was a success, I think. About 500-600 people gathered at the Statehouse rotunda to demand that Indiana's LGBT citizens get the same rights as other Hoosiers. Indiana Equality and HRC sponsored...Read More
Update on Mark Lee
Filed by Bil Browning | February 19, 2007 9:12 AM |You might remember that I brought you the news of Mark Lee's carjacking and his appeal to the community to assist him in finding his car and bringing the perpetrator to justice. Good news! Mark's car has been found and,...Read More
Connect the dots
Filed by Bil Browning | February 16, 2007 9:15 PM |Let's take a closer look at Brandt Hershman - author of SJR-7 and chief proponent. Good old Brandt has realized that he's no longer able to whip folks into a fury with the gay boogieman. Hoosiers point out that a...Read More
Anglican split deepens
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 16, 2007 11:22 AM |Because it hasn't really widened. From the AP via The Houma Courier:Seven conservative Anglican leaders refused Friday to take Holy Communion with the head of the U.S. branch of the church, who supports ordaining gays and blessing same-sex unions, as...Read More
Anti-Defamation League testimony
Filed by Bil Browning | February 15, 2007 7:16 PM |At yesterday's hearing on the hate crimes bill, several individuals testified about the importance of passing the bill. Testifying were: Carl Brizzi (Marion County Prosecutor)Earl Morgan (Director, Indianapolis Department of Public Safety)Abigail Seif, (Anti-Defamation League, Chicago office)Cornell Burris (President, Greater...Read More
Getting Intimate
Filed by Michele O'Mara | February 15, 2007 3:53 PM |Hopefully the lovin' feelings that are traditionally stirred by a big red holiday like Valentine's Day have not yet worn off - it was, afterall, only yesterday. My newsletter this month was about intimacy. I thought I'd share the text...Read More
Blog Wars: Indy Style
Filed by Jerame Davis | February 15, 2007 3:05 PM |This is too funny to leave alone... It seems that Jennifer Wagner of Taking Down Words (and former bilerico.com contributor) and Matt Tully of the Indy Star (and his own semi-blog) are having a bit of a blog war. Wednesday,...Read More
Gay man victimized then verbally abused by IMPD officer
Filed by Bil Browning | February 15, 2007 9:05 AM |A friend of mine, Mark Lee, gave me a call last night. You might know Mark too - he's a well-known local photographer and has shot several local LGBT couples for various organizations and his own show. Mark was recently...Read More
The Big Lie III: "Terms of Art" and other Social Conservative Red Herrings
Filed by Chris Douglas | February 15, 2007 6:55 AM |Hoosier social conservatives have called in their out-of-state hired guns, this one in the person of Chris Stovall, an attorney out of Arizona, who publishes in this morning's Indianapolis Star. (Arizona, incidentally, land of Goldwater western conservatives, voted down their...Read More
The Big Lie II
Filed by Chris Douglas | February 14, 2007 6:00 AM |I think it's important for the media to understand the conflation of two strategies at work among Republicans, business interests, and academic interests in the legislature, whether friend or foe. As educated press rooms, editorial boards, reporters and blogs around...Read More
Did I shovel the drive-way this afternoon?
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 13, 2007 3:43 PM |The snow is piling up here in Indiana and quite a few of the schools are closed. So, instead of being locked in my house, I did what every respectable ex-urban does when it snows: I shoveled the drive-way. The...Read More
My Fellow Central Indiana Republicans: Time to Smell the Coffee
Filed by Chris Douglas | February 13, 2007 8:00 AM |I sat yesterday sipping a drink with a fellow Republican holding close to vest the name of another Republican thought capable of beating Bart Peterson. In my opinion, it was delusional. I don't think the ramifications on Marion County politics...Read More
Klan presence increases in Indiana
Filed by Bil Browning | February 12, 2007 3:58 PM |Well, color me surprised. Membership in the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana has soared. I wonder what could be causing that? Hmmmm. Let's think about what hateful, discriminatory laws and attitudes have been floating around the state lately? Hmmmmm. Could...Read More
SJR-7 passes the Senate
Filed by Bil Browning | February 12, 2007 3:35 PM |The Indiana State Senate has passed SJR-7, the proposed amendment to the constitution that would not only outlaw same-sex marriage, but would also strip all unmarried couples of hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights, domestic partner benefits, civil unions and domestic...Read More
Vacation with Ex-Flingy-Thingy
Filed by Michele O'Mara | February 12, 2007 3:16 PM |While my girlfriend and I were split up she made plans to go on a vacation with a woman she was seeing during our "off" time. We have since reunited and she is planning to follow-through with her plans, which...Read More
Help Helen help you
Filed by Bil Browning | February 12, 2007 6:16 AM |This weekend at a dinner party I was talking to Carl Brizzi's Chief of Staff, Helen Marchal. We were talking about the proposed hate crimes law and I promised her that I would ask bilerico readers to help her to...Read More
Quote of the Day
Filed by Ed Team | February 10, 2007 1:17 PM |"The Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee has voted to advance a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in the state. Committee members would have served their constituents better by addressing serious concerns about the proposal. They should have considered, too,...Read More
It's Not Just the Bigotry...
Filed by Sheila S. Kennedy | February 09, 2007 6:37 PM |It's the hypocrisy. By now, readers of this blog know that a Michigan court--ruling on language very similar to the language in "clause B" of SJR-7--said "The marriage amendment's plain language prohibits public employers from recognizing same-sex unions for any...Read More
Shakes keeps her job!
Filed by Bil Browning | February 08, 2007 5:54 PM |It looks like Melissa gets to keep her job after all. From the JohnEdwards08 blog comes Edwards's statement on the bloggers: The tone and the sentiment of some of Amanda Marcotte's and Melissa McEwan's posts personally offended me. It's not...Read More
SJR7-Watch your Indiana legislators in session
Filed by Don Sherfick | February 08, 2007 7:01 AM |It's likely that Senator Hershman will bring up SJR7 for second reading in the Indiana Senate this afternoon (Thursday 2/08). If approved it will be eligible for third reading which I understand would likely happen next week. Live sessions of...Read More
Did Mr. Deity really help the Colts?
Filed by Bil Browning | February 07, 2007 11:50 AM |With all the hullabaloo over Tony Dungy and the Colts' recent brushes with homophobia, I thought that this was really funny. In the clip, God (Mr. Deity) holds a press conference to talk about whether or not he really helps...Read More
Did Mr. Deity really help the Colts?
Filed by Bil Browning | February 07, 2007 11:50 AM |With all the hullabaloo over Tony Dungy and the Colts' recent brushes with homophobia, I thought that this was really funny. In the clip, God (Mr. Deity) holds a press conference to talk about whether or not he really helps...Read More
On God and football outcomes
Filed by Don Sherfick | February 07, 2007 9:10 AM |All of the discussion concerning Tony Dungy's referencing God as an important, if not decisive force in the Colts' Superbowl success leads me to offer this insightful Andrew Sullivan post yesterday. It doesn't deal directly with divine sports intervention, but...Read More
Snickers goes nuts with the Colts
Filed by Bil Browning | February 06, 2007 7:29 PM |If you blinked you might have missed this story. I didn't get a chance to blog about it yesterday and by now it's a completely different story. Think back to Sunday's game. Do you remember the Snickers commercial that showed...Read More
Rally at the Statehouse!
Filed by Carrie Wooten | February 05, 2007 8:00 PM |This coming Thursday, Planned Parenthood will be holding a rally at the Indiana Statehouse to advocate for "Prevention First" legislation. The proposed legislation aims at fighting right-wing religious doctrines that are currently invading sexual education curriculum. It also serves to...Read More
Blending Families
Filed by Michele O'Mara | February 05, 2007 7:00 AM |Q. My partner was previously married to a man with whom she had two children, now 17 and 13. Their father is involved and accepting of our relationship, but the kids have trouble accepting me in their life as a...Read More
Go Colts!
Filed by Bil Browning | February 04, 2007 6:06 PM |Copyright 2007 Tribune Media Services, Inc. Okay, I succumbed. But in my own way. *grins*...Read More
"Read The Fine Print": Part II - SJR7 and the fresh eggs dilemma
Filed by Don Sherfick | February 02, 2007 8:30 AM |Wednesday I re-commenced a series designed to try and put SJR7, the so-called "Marriage Amendment" proposed to become part of the Indiana Constitution, into more "non-lawyer friendly" language. To begin, let's forget about SJR7's second paragraph for a moment (a...Read More
Talking to Mom
Filed by Bil Browning | February 01, 2007 2:55 PM |I'm spending today at the 2007 Indiana Counseling Association Educational Conference working at the PFLAG/IYG/YAD booth. (That's Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Indiana Youth Group, and Youth and Diversity for those of you from out of state.)...Read More
Talking to Mom
Filed by Bil Browning | February 01, 2007 2:55 PM |I'm spending today at the 2007 Indiana Counseling Association Educational Conference working at the PFLAG/IYG/YAD booth. (That's Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Indiana Youth Group, and Youth and Diversity for those of you from out of state.)...Read More
