The Movement: October 2007
Queer(e)s as punching bags
Filed by Alex Blaze | October 31, 2007 7:35 AM |These bumper stickers were up for sale at eBay: Because violence against queer(e)s is just so damn funny. And the stick figures are so original. Jeremy has more, like the company's asinine "we're so ironic that we ironically come up...Read More
ENDA Update: Where We Are Now
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 30, 2007 4:42 PM |Earlier today, the National Center for Transgender Equality released Executive Director Mara Kiesling's latest update on where we in the battle for an inclusive ENDA. I include her entire statement here for reasons I'll go into afterward: "There hasn't been...Read More
Plus ça change...
Filed by Alex Blaze | October 30, 2007 9:47 AM |....plus c'est la même chose. The free French daily Metro had a story up about Cristina Fernández de Kirchner winning the Argentine presidency and becoming that country's first woman leader. Accompanying that story was this: It asks, "Which female politician...Read More
The Queer Perspective & Why It's So Damned Special
Filed by Guest Blogger | October 30, 2007 9:30 AM |[EDITOR'S NOTE:] This guest post comes to us from Ray Jencar. Ray is a former teacher and current grad student at the University of Louisville. He hopes someday, like Socrates, to corrupt the minds of youth. Ray has guest posted...Read More
Mass Equality Forgets To Come Back For Transgender People?
Filed by Marti Abernathey | October 29, 2007 3:33 PM |The Boston Globe is reporting that Mass Equality is debating whether or not to disband the organization, after winning marriage equality in Massachusetts. The debate is creating tensions among onetime allies. Some gay leaders believe MassEquality should broaden its mission...Read More
'Love Thursdays,' But 'Don't Ask' About U.S. Gays in the Military
Filed by Steve Ralls | October 29, 2007 11:10 AM |First it was slut day, and now it's 'Love Thursdays.' In an effort to show just how culturally sensitive it is, the United States military has placed one Montgomery McFate (her real name, I swear) on active duty in the...Read More
The New Face of Argentina
Filed by Steve Ralls | October 28, 2007 4:37 PM |Is she the new Evita? By the time you read this, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will almost certainly be the new president of Argentina. Kirchner, who will follow her husband to the Casa Rosada, has already been compared (and compared...Read More
The California fires and the gay agenda - what really happened
Filed by Don Sherfick | October 28, 2007 8:40 AM |Peering again behind the Bilerico Project curtain, we contributors labor under a rule established by our editorial powers-that-be which admonishes us to exercise voluntary restraint in writing separate posts to criticize the offerings of our fellow writers. It's supposedly not...Read More
ENDA Update: The Fork In The Road
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 27, 2007 2:30 AM |If latest reports are true, the Baldwin amendment may be DOA. House leadership is remaining quiet thus far, but if this is actually the case, the House Democratic leadership will have basically two options: They can proceed with the non-inclusive...Read More
More on civilly disobedient lesbians
Filed by Jen Jorczak | October 26, 2007 5:40 PM |In response to yesterday's post, reader and Soulforce Colorado State Organizer Christopher Hubble sent me a link to his blog post about Colorado couple Kate Burns & Sheila Schroeder. Kate and Sheila, of Englewood, Colorado, have been a couple for...Read More
More on civilly disobedient lesbians
Filed by Jen Jorczak | October 26, 2007 5:40 PM |In response to yesterday's post, reader and Soulforce Colorado State Organizer Christopher Hubble sent me a link to his blog post about Colorado couple Kate Burns & Sheila Schroeder. Kate and Sheila, of Englewood, Colorado, have been a couple for...Read More
Oct 31: Be Bold Wear Red
Filed by Jessica Hoffmann | October 26, 2007 2:18 PM |From a coalition of women-of-color-led organizations: "We understand that October 31, 2007 is Halloween. For most families it’s a time to be with their children. Even though Halloween is about “fake” and “imagined” terrors, the violence committed against women of...Read More
Silly gay gene article of the day
Filed by Alex Blaze | October 26, 2007 10:17 AM |A National Geographic article entitled "Sexual orientation is genetic in worms" shows that some people are very attached to the idea that sexual orientation is monolithically a gender inversion based on genetic. Researchers at the University of Utah were able...Read More
Lesbianism: an act of civil disobedience
Filed by Jen Jorczak | October 25, 2007 7:40 PM |So, this morning I'm checking my email and there's a post to the GayIndy listserv, warning us all that the Focus on the Family Love Won Out conference is coming to Indianapolis next weekend. Never having heard of such a...Read More
Lesbianism: an act of civil disobedience
Filed by Jen Jorczak | October 25, 2007 7:40 PM |So, this morning I'm checking my email and there's a post to the GayIndy listserv, warning us all that the Focus on the Family Love Won Out conference is coming to Indianapolis next weekend. Never having heard of such a...Read More
Dennis Miller's Gay Candy
Filed by Marti Abernathey | October 25, 2007 6:30 PM |During a recent edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Dennis Miller and Bill O'Reilly discussed J.K. Rowling's outing of Albus Dumbledore: MILLER: No, I shouldn't be surprised that Dumbledore was gay. I noticed how his wand seemed to shake every time...Read More
Larry Craig -- the Santorum finally hits the fan
Filed by Marla R. Stevens | October 25, 2007 4:00 PM |Wonkette bagged yet another example of that which of Larry Craig is in denial. The comments after the sordid little post-jump tale are priceless....Read More
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Gay Men's Health
Filed by Michael Crawford | October 23, 2007 9:45 AM |Jim Pickett spends most of his time in what he describes as "the greatest job in the world" thinking and talking about men and sex. As advocacy director for AIDS Foundation Chicago, Jim focuses on building grassroots support for gay...Read More
At last...!
Filed by Brynn Craffey | October 21, 2007 4:55 AM |Lydia Foy, an Irish dentist who underwent sex-reassignment surgery (SRS) 15 years ago, won a major legal victory on October 19th for herself and for other Irish transsexual citizens in her 10-year legal battle with the state to have her...Read More
ENDA Update: Barney Frank Says He Supports Passage Of Baldwin Amendment, Frank & Foreman Talk ENDA On LOGO
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 20, 2007 12:01 AM |The spin continues...on both sides. Today, Barney Frank issued a press release saying that he supports Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin's proposed amendment that would restore gender identity and expression protections to the "rights for straight-looking and acting gays and lesbians only"...Read More
Hate Crimes: The Domestic Terror Threat
Filed by Waymon Hudson | October 19, 2007 8:00 AM |We live in a society and under an administration that is ruled by fear of terrorism. We hear it all the time: “Everything changed on 9-11.” We have threat levels depicting how scared we should be and telling us where...Read More
It's (Still) Elementary
Filed by Ellen Andersen | October 18, 2007 10:10 PM |When It’s Elementary: Talking about Gay Issues in School was first broadcast on PBS 10 years, it broached the then-radical notion that we should be teaching about gay and lesbian lives in classrooms – in elementary school classrooms yet. Oh...Read More
Don't Ask, Don't Recruit
Filed by Steve Ralls | October 18, 2007 9:36 AM |The United States military has admitted to making a mistake: It almost (and for a few minutes) recruited qualified gay Americans for the armed forces. But there'll be no more of that now, thank you very much. This morning's USA...Read More
Larry Craig's own inconvenient (and sad) truth
Filed by Don Sherfick | October 18, 2007 7:30 AM |A lot has been written in both the mainstream and LGBTQ media concerning Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig, and given his choice to remain in the Senate and try to reverse his guilty plea in Minnesota. We watched Matt Lauer's...Read More
Same-Sex Marriage: Be Careful What You Wish For
Filed by Eric Leven | October 17, 2007 11:34 AM |I was having a conversation with a friend of mine last night and we got to talking about same-sex marriage. First and foremost I am a huge supporter of same-sex Marriage. But what does this mean? Does it mean I...Read More
A new threat: Same-sex human-robot marriage and the constitutional solution thereto
Filed by Don Sherfick | October 17, 2007 9:50 AM |I’m almost afraid to give any greater attention to this topic, being pretty sure that the proponents of SJR7 (the proposed Indiana constitutional amendment concerning same-sex marriage) monitor this site on a regular basis and that what follows could set...Read More
ENDA Update: Tammy Baldwin To Introduce Amendment To Restore Transgender Protections to ENDA
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 16, 2007 10:31 PM |From the United ENDA coalition: United ENDA Supports Congresswoman Baldwin's newly announced efforts to restore gender identity protections to Employment Non-Discrimination Act Monday, October 16, 9:45pm WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced today that she has secured an...Read More
True Community
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 16, 2007 2:02 PM |Don't blink or you'll miss it. Whether you've been a part of this community for fifty years or five minutes, understand that we're in the midst of a moment in our collective history as a community significant enough that it...Read More
Bearly Understood: Clarifying Identity within the Bear Community
Filed by Eric Leven | October 15, 2007 9:30 AM |In 1996, I was fifteen years old and was just beginning to get the first pangs of the realization that I might be gay. I was having dreams in which naked men started to appear regularly. I began having unprovoked...Read More
ENDA Update: Pelosi Promises Inclusive ENDA Vote Once Enough Support Is Secured
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 13, 2007 12:02 AM |HRC, taking credit for the move, and labeling it a success, released this statement earlier tonight. The Human Rights Campaign has collaborated with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to craft a solution to the controversy surrounding the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Today,...Read More
It's All About Trust
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 12, 2007 9:26 PM |Feel the breeze? They're spinning faster than Lance Armstrong's bicycle tires on the last leg of the Tour D'France. First, Joe Solmonese issues a press release I can only describe as "willful misdirection" on his part. It seems like this...Read More
All of us, every one of us
Filed by Matt Foreman | October 11, 2007 1:15 PM |At this critical moment in our efforts to pass an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that includes transgender people under its protections, it is important to recall just why so many of us believe that no one can be left behind....Read More
An overlooked plight: the problems of gay and lesbian seniors
Filed by Don Sherfick | October 10, 2007 5:25 PM |Unless Bil, Alex, and a host of other contributors to this site are just plain fibbining and/or have discovered that elusive Fountain of Youth, I'm apparently the biologically oldest of their number, getting ready to observe my 69th birthday in...Read More
6 years later, pacs are faring well
Filed by Alex Blaze | October 10, 2007 3:40 PM |Le Monde, one of the big French papers, has a couple of articles up about the pacs here, or French civil unions. They are pretty much the same thing as marriage without any of the rights related to children and...Read More
Butch Paradise
Filed by Sara Whitman | October 10, 2007 12:30 PM |I’ve never really thought of myself as butch. I knew everyone else thinks of me that way, but I don’t. Personally, I feel quite the princess most of the time. I love to cook, take care of my kids, and...Read More
ENDA: The Volokh Conspiracy Gets It Wrong
Filed by Guest Blogger | October 09, 2007 2:31 PM |Editors Note: This guest post comes to us from Dr. Jillian Weiss. Dr. Weiss is an associate professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College in New Jersey, specializing in transgender workplace diversity issues, and she has conducted research involving...Read More
DIY artificial insemination à la française
Filed by Alex Blaze | October 09, 2007 2:26 PM |It's interesting to compare the state of LGBT movements in other countries to that in the US, considering the different cultural, social, and legal landscapes that such movements are being mapped out on. The latest issue of Têtu, France's most...Read More
ENDA Action Alert From The Task Force
Filed by Matt Foreman | October 09, 2007 1:35 PM |Congress is paying attention: Make your voice heard – again! Last week, thousands of LGBT people and their friends – just like you – delivered an uncompromising message to Congress: Vote for an ENDA that protects all lesbian, gay, bisexual...Read More
ENDA Update
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 06, 2007 1:03 PM |The number of organizations supporting an inclusive ENDA has now grown to over 200, with dozens more signing on every day. It's truly amazing...every day, I check the United ENDA website and am thrilled to see yet another long list...Read More
Information, Please.
Filed by Steve Ralls | October 04, 2007 7:58 PM |Earlier today, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network called on Pentagon leaders to step up their investigation into the death of Specialist Ciara Durkin, a Massachussets Army National Guard soldier who was found dead in Afghanistan on September 27. Already, there are...Read More
Lambda Legal Responds to Rep Barney Frank
Filed by Guest Blogger | October 04, 2007 5:15 PM |[EDITOR'S NOTE:] The following guest post comes to us from Kevin Cathcart. Kevin is celebrating his 15th year as Executive Director of Lambda Legal and is a leading strategist and spokesperson in the movement to achieve full recognition of the...Read More
Larry Kramer Asks "Why Are We So Passive?"
Filed by Michael Crawford | October 04, 2007 4:30 PM |Update: Bilerico contributor Andres Duque who also blogs at Blabbeando tells me that I video posted below was originally made by Keith Darce. Keith blogs at Scoop Zone. I snagged this video clip of Larry Kramer from Knuckle Crack. Larry...Read More
Craig's Unplea Rejected
Filed by Marla R. Stevens | October 04, 2007 2:54 PM |Sen. Larry Craig will not get a do over. The judge in Minnesota says he plead guilty and guilty he'll stay -- no toe-tap-dancing his way out of that one!...Read More
UPDATED - Rep. Baron Hill Supports ENDA with Trans-Inclusion After All
Filed by Jerame Davis | October 04, 2007 12:25 PM |UPDATE: This post was edited for clarity and new information was added after the jump. Previously, I mentioned 3 members of the Indiana Congressional delegation as holding up the original trans-inclusive ENDA. Today, I spoke with Rep. Baron Hill's press...Read More
The difficult discussions people don't want to have
Filed by Pam Spaulding | October 04, 2007 8:51 AM |I started out intending to do a short piece on this ridiculous incident in Louisiana about college students who thought it was knee-slapping funny to roll in the mud and play blackface on video depicting the Jena 6. As I...Read More
Transgender HRC Board Member Resigns
Filed by Marti Abernathey | October 03, 2007 2:51 PM |The only transgender person on HRC's Board of Directors resigned today. The current situation regarding ENDA is nothing short of a politically misguided tragedy. A tool that could and should be a unifying beacon on the heels of the historic...Read More
Lesbian Service Member Killed in Afghanistan
Filed by Steve Ralls | October 03, 2007 9:21 AM |For the first time, there is a report of an openly gay service member killed while on duty in the war zone in Afghanistan. Massachusetts National Guard Spc. Ciara Durkin, 30, was found with a single gunshot wound to her...Read More
Say It Ain't So, Joe!
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 03, 2007 4:08 AM |Ok, so have we finally had enough NOW? Once again, the Human Rights Campaign has sunk to the community's lowest expectations, and turned a willful blind eye to anti-transgender discrimination. Thing is, this is exactly what they promised us they...Read More
Say It Ain't So, Joe!
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 03, 2007 4:08 AM |Ok, so have we finally had enough NOW? Once again, the Human Rights Campaign has sunk to the community's lowest expectations, and turned a willful blind eye to anti-transgender discrimination. Thing is, this is exactly what they promised us they...Read More
Congress Postpones ENDA Vote!
Filed by Rebecca Juro | October 01, 2007 7:55 PM |This was just released: From: Speaker Pelosi Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 5:43 PM Subject: Pelosi, Miller, Frank and Baldwin Statement on ENDA Monday, October 1, 2007 Pelosi, Miller, Frank and Baldwin Statement on ENDA Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy...Read More
