The Movement: February 2008
Are We Doing Enough to Stop Bullying at School?
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | February 29, 2008 8:58 PM |When I entered Powell County High School in 1949, the boys called me "Nellie the Horse." Back in the day, "Nellie" was understood as a generic reference to horses, like the word "Fido" for dogs. But it was also a...Read More
Breaking up is hard to do
Filed by Jen Jorczak | February 29, 2008 3:45 PM |ABC news reported Tuesday that though New York state does not allow same-sex marriages, the courts are allowing the first gay divorce to proceed. (Technically, is this the first? Anybody know about the Massachusetts couple?) In what appears to be...Read More
Too Funny -- HRC Nominated for Pink Brick Award
Filed by Dustin Kight | February 29, 2008 12:35 PM |I gotta say, there are moments when I really love our community. So much sass. So much, well, nominating the largest "LGBT" civil rights organization for San Francisco Pride's Pink Brick Award, intended to dishonor folks and organizations who set...Read More
Remembering a life and demanding change
Filed by Waymon Hudson | February 29, 2008 11:45 AM |Community leaders, family, friends, and LGBT activists gathered yeserday at an emotional vigil to honor the life of 17-year-old gay teenager, Simmie Williams Jr, at the spot where he was murdered last week in what many consider a hate-crime. Among...Read More
Trans101 For Dumbasses
Filed by Marti Abernathey | February 28, 2008 6:13 PM |If you're wanting to ask your favorite transgender person questions and you're not that bright... this video is for you. iPhone users: Click to watch...Read More
OUTSpoken Families is coming to Indianapolis!
Filed by Bil Browning | February 28, 2008 2:30 PM |The Bilerico Project, Indianapolis PFLAG, likeourfamilies.com and Indiana Fairness Network are teaming up with the Family Equality Council to present OUTSpoken - a national advocacy training program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) parents, guardians and allies. The...Read More
Sitting Shiva On She
Filed by Kate Clinton | February 27, 2008 3:15 PM |Don’t ask. I’m a 60 year old white woman with the last name Clinton. How do you think I feel? Please do not tell me your long night of the soul “Let this cup pass from me, Oprah” story about...Read More
Black LGBT History Day 26: Kylar Broadus
Filed by H. Alexander Robinson | February 26, 2008 1:27 PM |Kylar W. Broadus is a professor, attorney, activist and public speaker from Missouri. He is an associate professor of business law at Lincoln University of Missouri, a historically black college where he serves as chair of the business department. Kylar...Read More
Queering time
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 26, 2008 12:44 PM |I lived alone So I took him home He doesn't love me But he keeps me company Everything's alright -Kimya Dawson You know those criticisms of gay male culture that chide gay men to see the big picture, think about...Read More
Transgender History: Into the Modern Age (1700s - 1932)
Filed by Mercedes Allen | February 26, 2008 9:55 AM |[EDITOR'S NOTE:] Frequent guest blogger Mercedes Allen has written a six part history of transgender people for the Project that is running weekly on Tuesdays. A listing of the other sections is at the bottom of the post. As society...Read More
Darren Manzella on Coming Out, Speaking Up... and Staying In
Filed by Steve Ralls | February 26, 2008 9:10 AM |Many Bilerico readers have been closely following the story of Army Sergeant Darren Manzella, the openly gay Army medic who 'came out' in December during an interview with 60 Minutes. As we reported here on the site in late December,...Read More
Sexing up Hillary Clinton
Filed by Bil Browning | February 26, 2008 8:15 AM |This one ranks right up there with Republican operative Roger Stone's new 527 - Citizens United Not Timid. To quote Pam, "This sort of mind-numbing "He-Man Woman Haters Club" frat boy crotch-grabbing has been out of control this cycle." I...Read More
The Tide Is Turning
Filed by Rebecca Juro | February 25, 2008 9:09 PM |New York's Gay City News is reporting that over fifty people protested outside the Human Rights Campaign's annual Midtown Manhattan Dinner this Saturday, and that the event was snubbed by every single gay, lesbian, and bisexual elected official in New...Read More
The Tide Is Turning
Filed by Rebecca Juro | February 25, 2008 9:09 PM |New York's Gay City News is reporting that over fifty people protested outside the Human Rights Campaign's annual Midtown Manhattan Dinner this Saturday, and that the event was snubbed by every single gay, lesbian, and bisexual elected official in New...Read More
Gay Producer Craig Zadan on "A Raisin in the Sun"
Filed by Karen Ocamb | February 25, 2008 5:53 PM |Let's be honest: most people will probably tune into ABC's drama "A Raisin in the Sun" tonight to see if Sean "P Diddy" Combs can act. He can. In fact, the entire cast is achingly brilliant. Check out the excellent...Read More
Yes, I Am
Filed by Cathy Renna | February 24, 2008 11:59 AM |No, this is not a post about Melissa Etheridge. It is about something I had the honor of working on the past few weeks - the largest bequest ever to LGBT and AIDS/HIV groups. Ric Weiland, one of the first...Read More
¿Quién es más sexist - Chris Matthews or Maureen Dowd?
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 24, 2008 6:57 AM |From Maureen Dowd today: And when historians trace how her inevitability dissolved, they will surely note this paradox: The first serious female candidate for president was rejected by voters drawn to the more feminine management style of her male rival....Read More
Conservatives Spend More Time Talking About Our Identities Than We Do
Filed by Dustin Kight | February 23, 2008 12:09 AM |So the headline might be a bit of an overstatement, but bear with me. I recently got "pinged" for a post I'd written for the Family Equality Council Blog. That post is called, "It's STILL Elementary," referring to the recently...Read More
Let's talk about sex, baby. Let's talk about you and me.
Filed by Bil Browning | February 22, 2008 3:15 PM |I've pissed off several contributors and readers in the past week. Several of you have written in about my Big Brother butt post and yesterday's Big Brother porn entry. No one, however, wrote in about Abigail's "Lindsay Lohan Naked Photo...Read More
Richard Kim in The Advocate
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 22, 2008 2:11 PM |Associate editor at The Nation and homo Richard Kim wasn't all to pleased with Jamie Kirchick's criticism of anyone who's queer who disagrees with him Matt Foreman a couple of weeks ago so he wrote a letter to The Advocate:...Read More
Tonight On The Rebecca Juro Show: Open Phones!
Filed by Rebecca Juro | February 21, 2008 5:47 PM |Tonight on the Rebecca Juro Show: Open Phones! We'll be taking your calls at 928-257-3171. You set the agenda, you choose the topics! Obama's surging...he's now won ten in a row! Is Hillary finished? We'll get into that and...Read More
Transwomen of Color Testify to the UN on Racism in the U.S.
Filed by Jessica Hoffmann | February 21, 2008 5:00 PM |Right now, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is meeting in Switzerland -- and two Bay Area activists are there to advocate for the rights of transwomen of color in the U.S. Miss Major and Melenie...Read More
Transwomen of Color Testify to the UN on Racism in the U.S.
Filed by Jessica Hoffmann | February 21, 2008 5:00 PM |Right now, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is meeting in Switzerland -- and two Bay Area activists are there to advocate for the rights of transwomen of color in the U.S. Miss Major and Melenie...Read More
Nancy boys who live in glass houses...
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 21, 2008 8:32 AM |Tim Gunn thinks Hillary Clinton is suffering from gender confusion (about 5:50 in): iPhone users: Click to watch What's also interesting is that of the three politicians whose fashion he and Conan commented on, two were women. That makes sense...Read More
The legitimate votes
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 20, 2008 2:03 PM |Apparently, it's not just white women and black men who are dealing with identity politics in this presidential race: Working-class white men make up nearly one-quarter of the electorate, outnumbering African-American and Hispanic voters combined. As the Democratic primary race...Read More
Angry Brown Butch: "Hate Crimes Legislation Won't Help"
Filed by Jessica Hoffmann | February 20, 2008 1:25 PM |Over at Angry Brown Butch (a blog well worth checking out, if you haven't already), Jack offers a queer, prison-abolitionist take on responses to the murders of Sanesha Stewart and Lawrence King. Jack writes, I cannot see how hate crimes...Read More
When the Best Just Isn't Enough: Hillary Clinton
Filed by Bruce Parker | February 20, 2008 8:03 AM |I have said it before and I will say it again, Barack Obama is pretty fucking impressive. I am not one of the folks who will critique him as being all style and no substance. On some level, when he...Read More
Transgender History: The Rise of Hatred (the Middle Ages)
Filed by Mercedes Allen | February 19, 2008 8:10 AM |[EDITOR'S NOTE:] Frequent guest blogger Mercedes Allen has written a six part history of transgender people for the Project that is running weekly on Tuesdays. A listing of the other sections is at the bottom of the post. The advent...Read More
300 Rally for Equality
Filed by Jerame Davis | February 18, 2008 3:25 PM |Equality IS a Hoosier Value and today at the Indiana Statehouse, 300 LGBT Hoosiers and their supporters made that message ring loud and clear. From the Indianapolis Star: About 300 Hoosiers rallied at the Statehouse today to urge the defeat...Read More
Am I a Closet Case?
Filed by Serena Freewomyn | February 17, 2008 10:27 AM |I started a new job this week at a hip new restaurant in Scottsdale. I like the people I work with, But like any other kitchen, there's a lot of sex talk that goes on. I mean A LOT. Normally,...Read More
A sex writer’s open letter to her audience
Filed by Gina de Vries | February 16, 2008 6:45 PM |Lest you have any doubts about why I’m up on this stage tonight, I’ll make my intentions abundantly clear: I am here to cruise every single last one of you. Perhaps stumblingly, perhaps juggling my heart around in my nervous...Read More
A sex writer’s open letter to her audience
Filed by Gina de Vries | February 16, 2008 6:45 PM |Lest you have any doubts about why I’m up on this stage tonight, I’ll make my intentions abundantly clear: I am here to cruise every single last one of you. Perhaps stumblingly, perhaps juggling my heart around in my nervous...Read More
Power is sexy! Action is hot!
Filed by Kate Clinton | February 16, 2008 11:30 AM |Those were the popping mantras of the recent National Conference on LGBT Equality sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in good old Detroit, Michigan. I did a warm up show the night before the conference in Ann...Read More
The next hot ass that comes along
Filed by Michael Crawford | February 16, 2008 8:22 AM |In his fantastic post Where's the Outrage??, Waymon Hudson assails the traditional media for failing to more widely cover the murder of 15 year old Lawrence King who was shot in the head by another student likely for being gay....Read More
LGBT Media Matters...Or Not
Filed by Rebecca Juro | February 15, 2008 9:38 PM |Back when I first came out transsexual and began getting involved and familiar with community-relevant media in the mid-90’s, there really wasn’t a heck of a lot of out there for transgender and gender-variant people. With the exception of the...Read More
Beyond Violence: On School Shootings, Domestic Abuse, Hate Crimes
Filed by Jessica Hoffmann | February 15, 2008 11:18 AM |As Gina posted yesterday, a reportedly gender-nonconforming teenager was shot and killed by a classmate in Oxnard, CA, this week. Today, the LA Times is reporting that prosecutors want to charge the 14-year-old who shot him as an adult, for...Read More
Beyond Violence: On School Shootings, Domestic Abuse, Hate Crimes
Filed by Jessica Hoffmann | February 15, 2008 11:18 AM |As Gina posted yesterday, a reportedly gender-nonconforming teenager was shot and killed by a classmate in Oxnard, CA, this week. Today, the LA Times is reporting that prosecutors want to charge the 14-year-old who shot him as an adult, for...Read More
Colorado couple goes to court
Filed by Jen Jorczak | February 15, 2008 8:59 AM |Remember Kate Burns and Sheila Schroeder, the couple who staged a sit-in at their county clerk's office when they were refused a marriage license? This week, they were in court on the trespassing charge stemming from their sit-in and to...Read More
Friendship in the Time of Love
Filed by Yasmin Nair | February 14, 2008 6:48 PM |We know by now that Valentine's day, like the concept of romantic love as the highest form of affection, is a modern invention. The language of romantic love is all around us, even after the 14th of February, and it...Read More
Tonight On The Rebecca Juro Show: Vanessa Edwards-Foster
Filed by Rebecca Juro | February 14, 2008 6:03 PM |Tonight, my guest will be activist, blogger, and former Chair of the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, Vanessa Edwards Foster. Vanessa's been a respected leader in the LGBT and transgender rights movement for many years, and since leaving the reins of...Read More
A Love That Knows No Bounds
Filed by Rev Irene Monroe | February 14, 2008 1:45 PM |On this Valentine's Day, I am reminded of no greater challenge to marriage equality than same-sex marriage. However, the precedent for same-sex marriage was set by an African American woman named Mildred Loving (1942- ) who I am honoring as...Read More
Protest, HRC, and My Investment Portfolio
Filed by Marti Abernathey | February 14, 2008 11:40 AM |I like to think of my advocacy/political work in much of the same way as I think of how to invest my money. I see activism as an investment in my community and my future. With that in mind, I...Read More
Reasons why I don't like "marriage equality"
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 13, 2008 2:16 PM |Evan Wolfson has a letter up about this year's Freedom to Marry Week and Freedom to Marry Day telling everyone, for the love of Christ, stop saying "gay marriage." It's interesting that this is often the big message of the...Read More
Who wants to file taxes anyway?
Filed by Jerame Davis | February 12, 2008 6:01 PM |Taxes. Who doesn't hate them? Even as an unabashed Liberal (note the capital L) I hate taxes. Unlike Republicans, I understand they are a necessary evil that keeps our democracy running and capable of dealing with everything life throws at...Read More
Black LGBT History Day 12: Regina Shavers
Filed by H. Alexander Robinson | February 12, 2008 12:59 PM |Transitioned January 29, 2008 Regina Shavers founded the GRIOT Circle, "an intergenerational and culturally diverse community-based social service organization responsive to the realities of older lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, two-spirit and transgender people (LGBTST) of all colors." Regina Shavers had...Read More
Is it any wonder?
Filed by Bil Browning | February 12, 2008 12:36 PM |Are you surprised that women keep telling pollsters that they're voting for Hillary even though they agree with Obama more on the issues? One look at this t-shirt outta tell you why... Another sexist example after the jump courtesy of...Read More
The Advocate's Homophobosphere
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 10, 2008 4:35 PM |Here's Chris Crocker on homophobia on YouTube (NSFW): iPhone users: Click to watch This month's Advocate has an article about homophobia on web 2.0 outlets. It specifically talks about Chris Crocker's "Leave Britney Alone" video and the amount of homophobia...Read More
The Advocate's Homophobosphere
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 10, 2008 4:35 PM |Here's Chris Crocker on homophobia on YouTube (NSFW): iPhone users: Click to watch This month's Advocate has an article about homophobia on web 2.0 outlets. It specifically talks about Chris Crocker's "Leave Britney Alone" video and the amount of homophobia...Read More
Blogger meetup pic
Filed by Bil Browning | February 10, 2008 12:27 PM |I thought I'd share this photo from the blogger meetup. While folks were running in and out, we gathered up some of the bloggers at Creating Change and snapped a photo. Pictured: H. Alexander Robinson, Lane Hudson, Wayne Besen, Bil...Read More
What are these people really like?
Filed by Bil Browning | February 10, 2008 9:20 AM |I'll have a lot more to say about Creating Change - especially about some of the major topics - but for now I just wanted to mention some of the other contributors and some thoughts about meeting most of them...Read More
Ambassador Michael Guest and Sean Kennedy: What's your favorite blog?
Filed by Bil Browning | February 09, 2008 5:49 PM |Sean Kennedy from the Advocate and former Romanian Ambassador Michael Guest wanted to get in on the Bilerico Project shout outs. Isn't it funny how many different people stop by on a regular basis? I'm starting to get a big...Read More
The State of the Movement
Filed by Matt Foreman | February 08, 2008 5:48 PM |While this was the plenary speech today at Creating Change, I thought I'd share it with the Bilerico audience too. As always, I cannot tell you how privileged and humbled I am to be here speaking to you — as...Read More
Julian Bond excerpt from Creating Change plenary
Filed by Bil Browning | February 08, 2008 9:45 AM |I'm having a great time at Creating Change. I've met lots of folks, and I have to admit: I didn't realize we had so many fans out there! *puffs chest out with pride* Last night we got settled into the...Read More
Me on Jamie Kirchick on Matt Foreman
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 07, 2008 10:14 PM |One can only imagine the conversation that took place between The Advocate and America's third-favorite gay conservative, Jamie Kirchick, when he was asked to write an opinion piece on Matt Foreman's resignation.... The Advocate: Jamie, you're gay and, like, into...Read More
New York, California, Hillary Clinton, GLB's, and exit polling
Filed by Alex Blaze | February 06, 2008 7:03 PM |Exit polling reported by The Advocate: The exit polling found that among the 4% of California voters who identified as GLB, 63% voted for Clinton, 29% for Obama, and 1% for Edwards. In New York, 7% of voters self-identified as...Read More
Saying No to Just Saying No
Filed by Serena Freewomyn | February 06, 2008 12:25 PM |There has been a national trend of states turning down federal funding for abstinence-only education. And as of last week, Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona has joined the list of governors who are saying no to just saying no. Napolitano,...Read More
What's 'SGL' Mean?
Filed by Monica Roberts | February 05, 2008 4:43 PM |If you read my blog or the posts I have done on Bilerico so far, you'll note that when I'm describing the African-American GLBT community, I will sometimes use the term 'SGL' or 'SGL community'' What's SGL and what does...Read More
Gladys Bentley: Bad as She Wants to Be
Filed by Rev Irene Monroe | February 04, 2008 12:20 PM |Black History Month. Black History Month is that time of year when the achievements and courage of people of African descent are acknowledged and celebrated. However, for decades now, Black History Month has not once acknowledged or celebrated the contributions...Read More
Clinton or Obama: Clinton of course - Here's why
Filed by Jerame Davis | February 04, 2008 11:00 AM |Since we've had an Obama lovefest on the site of late, I thought it was time we gave Hillary a bit of love. Hillary Clinton is the right candidate for this point in our history and gets my wholehearted endorsement...Read More
Hillary Dodges The Trans-Inclusive ENDA Question Again
Filed by Rebecca Juro | February 02, 2008 1:33 PM |Check this video out. Kudos to Jason Bellini for at least asking the question. A pity he didn't bother to follow-up and press for an actual answer when Clinton completely ignored the actual question and went off about hate crimes....Read More
Yes, Black GLBT History Exists
Filed by Monica Roberts | February 01, 2008 10:00 AM |The purpose of studying history is not to deride human action, nor to weep over it or to hate it, but to understand it-and then to learn from it as we contemplate our future. -- Nelson Mandela As someone...Read More
Bilerico Celebrates Black History Month
Filed by Michael Crawford | February 01, 2008 9:09 AM |Today marks the beginning of Black History Month. In celebration we will be running a series of posts throughout the month exploring the rich and varied experiences of Black LGBT people. The posts and video clips from Bilerico contributors and...Read More
