The Movement: June 2011
The Appropriation of Stonewall, 'Bad' Immigrants, & Sex Policing
Filed by Toshio Meronek | June 30, 2011 4:00 PM |By the end of this year, we'll have three new books covering the shamefully under-addressed issue of the targeting of queer people by the American court, policing, and prison systems.Read More
AZ Trans Social Services Provider Faces Foreclosure
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 30, 2011 12:00 PM |This property, home to eight residents who are members of the most underserved population in the Phoenix metro area, faces foreclosure.Read More
Marriage Equality: How We Won New York
Filed by Marc Solomon | June 30, 2011 10:00 AM |How did we pull this historic victory off? With lessons from my work in marriage battles from Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and California to draw on, I want to share my best thinking on what enabled us to win and what this means for the future.Read More
HRC Store Vandalism Ineffectively Protests Gay, Inc.
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 29, 2011 4:30 PM |The Human Rights Campaign gift shop in Washington, D.C. was vandalized early this morning as a tribute to the 42nd anniversary of Stonewall and the riots that "started the movement." But this is not an example of intelligent, critical discourse.Read More
Unbinding the Spirit: Mobilizing Pro-Equality Clergy
Filed by Rev. Emily C. Heath | June 29, 2011 10:00 AM |During the next vote for marriage equality, I'd like for progressive, pro-equality clergy to stand up against religious bigotry with a voice that is heard loud and clear. The question is: How do we do it?Read More
Should We Forgive Ken Mehlman?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 29, 2011 8:00 AM |Ken Mehlman was the gay architect of the national move towards constitutional bans against marriage equality. Now that he's evolved to support gay marriage, we ought to forgive him. Read More
Transgender Community Win At The VA
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 28, 2011 3:00 PM |The Veterans Health Administration has released the much anticipated directive toward transgender and intersex veterans. Read More
Hate Crime Against MN Trans Woman Lands Her In Jail On Murder Charges
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 28, 2011 10:00 AM |Chrishaun McDonald was accosted by a group; her attacker wound up dead. She's in solitary.Read More
Pride in NY & Turkey, Trouble in Chicago & SF, and NOM
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 27, 2011 3:00 PM |It was a big, successful Pride weekend after NY's passage of marriage equality. But that doesn't mean there weren't some roadblocks along the way. Read More
Bi Activist Adrienne Williams Honored by White House
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 27, 2011 2:00 PM |The founder of Bi Social Network and the "I am Visible" campaign to combat biphobia and bi-erasure will join other LGBT activists at the White House's Pride Reception on Wednesday.Read More
Lessons from Albany: The Role of Everyday Activists
Filed by Rev. Emily C. Heath | June 27, 2011 10:00 AM |I can count on one hand the number of times this week in Albany that I saw a paid staffer from an LGBT group thank an unpaid activist. Sometimes, I think they believe they don't need anyone else. Read More
From the Lawn to the House, Bi Activist Makes History Again
Filed by Amy Andre | June 27, 2011 9:00 AM |Like President Obama, bisexual activist Lani Ka'ahumanu is mixed-race and has ties to Hawaii. She'll be bringing her heritage and their common background to the forefront when she meets him for the LGBT Pride Reception this week.Read More
Does Gay Marriage Endanger Queer Community?
Filed by Jessica Max Stein | June 26, 2011 10:30 AM |An eyewitness perspective from Friday night's celebration at the Stonewall Inn. Gay marriage in New York state is a great step forward for many families; but let us never forget that we are family. Read More
A Look at LGBT Inclusion in Conservative Judaism
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 26, 2011 9:30 AM |Three years after being the first openly gay person accepted to a Conservative Jewish rabbinical school, Aaron Weininger says that the movement is continuing its tradition of acknowledging and accepting necessary change.Read More
UPDATED: Activists Attacked at St. Petersburg Slavic Pride
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 25, 2011 7:30 PM |A group of LGBT activists hosted an unofficial, unapproved Pride parade in St. Petersburg, Russia, and several of the participants were attacked by anti-gay protesters. 14 people, including activists and their attackers, were arrested.Read More
Pride at Work Stands by AT&T Merger Endorsement
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 25, 2011 5:30 PM |Pride at Work's decision to focus almost solely on unions and ignore the effects of the AT&T / T-Mobile merger on net neutrality is prioritizing the job security of a group of LGBT T-Mobile workers over the future fairness of the Internet. Read More
70 Years Ago: Bayard Rustin Built Foundation for ENDA
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 25, 2011 11:00 AM |Guest blogger Tico Almeida takes a look at Bayard Rustin, who helped organize a 1941 march on Washington so successful that it never even took place and create the foundations for Obama's proposed ENDA executive order.Read More
Troup Coronado Resigns from Equality California
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 25, 2011 9:30 AM |After resigning from GLAAD's board on Wednesday, Coronado, the lobbyist at the center of the "GayT&T" scandal, has now resigned from Equality California, too. Read More
History at the Stonewall Inn
Filed by Cathy Renna | June 25, 2011 8:00 AM |There was a huge celebration in front of the Stonewall Inn on Friday night. The crowd grew. And grew. And grew. I knew I was standing in the right place at a moment when history was about to be made.Read More
Powerful #EvolveAlready Video
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 24, 2011 11:00 AM |GetEqual created a powerful video based on Joe Sudbay's #EvolveAlready campaign that's taken Twitter by storm. Read More
U.S. Census Statistics Number Same-Sex Couples
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 23, 2011 6:00 PM |Data from Alabama, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming has been released, and it shows that the number of same-sex couples in these states is substantial. Read More
See, Now I Have A Problem With This
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 23, 2011 1:00 PM |I am compassionate for all forms of gender expression. But I do not support this, and it frankly undermines the entire movement. Read More
GLAAD Announces Acting President, Coronado's Resignation
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 23, 2011 10:15 AM |GLAAD has named Mike Thompson as the new acting president after the resignation of Jarrett Barrios. Troup Coronado, the AT&T lobbyist at the center of the controversy plaguing GLAAD this month, has also resigned.Read More
Time For Direct Action In New York Today
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 23, 2011 10:00 AM |Direct action today in NYC at Pres. Obama's LGBT fundraiser, complete with elaborate floral centerpieces and authentic Moroccan finger foods. Read More
Equality California Withdraws Anti-Net Neutrality Letter
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 22, 2011 8:00 PM |The advocacy organization withdrew its 2009 letter to the FCC opposing net neutrality, joining similar withdrawals from GLAAD and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Troup Coronado, a former AT&T lobbyist, continues to sit on the org's board. Read More
HHS Sec Sebelius Commits to Collecting LGBT Data in Health Surveys
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 22, 2011 4:30 PM |You can't underestimate the importance of collecting data on LGBT people to better understand where problems lie and how to help. At a news conference on Tuesday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced they will start collecting LGBT data as part of federal health surveys.Read More
6 GLAAD Board Members Resign; Coronado Remains
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 22, 2011 11:00 AM |Resignation letters from six GLAAD board members now join that of president Jarrett Barrios. But Troup Coronado, the former AT&T lobbyist at the center of the corporate controversy, remains on the board as new information about him surfaces. Read More
Oregon Trans Health Benefits Lawsuit Points To Prejudice
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 22, 2011 10:00 AM |Oregon prohibits private insurers from excluding trans health benefits, but they won't extend them to their own state employee. "Irrational" defines the State's position here. Read More
Not Just About Numbers: A Response From a Latino Democrat
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 21, 2011 7:30 PM |Recently, the president of the DC chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, penned a response to criticism by Bilerico's Alex Blaze regarding the lack of people of color in Log Cabin's national leadership. A Stonewall Democrat sets the record straight.Read More
How Obama's 'Evolution' on Marriage May Help Us
Filed by Jerame Davis | June 21, 2011 3:00 PM |Have we stopped to consider how Obama's "evolution" on marriage has benefitted us in media and public consciousness? By having this process of "evolving" on marriage, the media has kept a spotlight on the marriage debate in a way they likely would not have otherwise.Read More
The Scandal Grows: Gay AT&T Lobbyist's Role Exposed
Filed by Bil Browning | June 21, 2011 10:15 AM |The GLAAD/AT&T scandal continues to grow as it engulfs other civil rights organizations and media outside of the LGBT community has started to take notice of the role of one specific gay lobbyist.Read More
GLAAD Board Co-Chair Confirms Barrios' Days Are Numbered
Filed by Bil Browning | June 20, 2011 7:00 PM |The GLAAD board's co-chair is reaching out to press to confirm that president Jarrett Barrios has tendered his resignation and will be asked to help choose his successor.Read More
GLAAD/AT&T Fallout Continues as New Groups Admit Involvement
Filed by Bil Browning | June 20, 2011 1:15 PM |Barrios, a former Massachusetts state senator and long-rumored to be a potential Congressional candidate in his home state, has become the talk of the statehouse and blogosphere as news of his demise has spread.Read More
COW: Becky Juro on GLAAD Prez's Resignation
Filed by Bil Browning | June 19, 2011 7:15 PM |Contributor Rebecca Juro thinks that GLAAD needs to start getting their hands dirty, but I argue they group had started going in a good direction under Jarrett Barrios' leadership. What do you think?Read More
OutServe Prepares for a Post-DADT Military
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 19, 2011 1:00 PM |OutServe, the network for LGBT active duty military service members, has expanded rapidly, and in October they'll host the first OutServe Armed Forces Leadership Summit. Co-director JD Smith speaks here about preparing for a post-DADT military.Read More
What To Do When The President Is Just Not That Into You
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 19, 2011 11:30 AM |What to do when you're waiting by the phone but he won't call you back. Read More
GLAAD Chief Resigns Over AT&T FCC Flap
Filed by Bil Browning | June 18, 2011 6:45 PM |GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios has stepped down after the recent controversy surrounding the group's endorsement of the AT&T/T-Mobile merger and the discovery that he lied about his involvement in a letter wholly written by AT&T and sent to the FCC on his behalf.Read More
Life Since Vegas: Action on DADT Repeal and the Dream Act
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 18, 2011 6:00 PM |Six activists discussed what has occurred snce the last Netroots Nation in Vegas, and in particular action on Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal and the DREAM Act, offering legal status to children of undocumented residents. Read More
Michele Bachmann Glittered To Protest Anti-Gay Rhetoric
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 18, 2011 12:15 PM |LGBT Activists glitter Michele Bachmann to protest anti-gay rhetoric today at the Right Online conference of conservative activists in MinnesotaRead More
Latinos and LGBT Community Working Together on Immigration Reform
Filed by David Castillo | June 18, 2011 9:00 AM |A Netroots Nation session on "Immigration Reform Through a Queer Lens" demonstrated the power of bringing minority communities together to work toward common goals. Read More
Let the Maps Begin! First Data from Census 2010
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | June 17, 2011 3:30 PM |Yesterday The Williams Institute released the first color-coded state maps with data from Census 2010.Read More
Video: Immigration Reform Through A Queer Lens
Filed by Jake Weinraub | June 17, 2011 3:15 PM |The session focused on the personal stories of undocumented immigrants - using 'coming out' rhetoric to draw a parallel between LGBTQ identity and undocumented immigrant identity.Read More
Gay Rights Protesters Make Pawlenty Dazzle
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 17, 2011 10:45 AM |At a book signing in San Francisco, activists from CODEPINK threw pink glitter on Republican presidential nominee hopeful Tim Pawlenty, demanding, "Where's your courage to stand for gay rights and women's reproductive rights?" Is it effective?Read More
Why the Umbrella Failed
Filed by Mercedes Allen | June 17, 2011 9:30 AM |Evaluating the balance between sameness and shared advocacy and the decolonization of trans in this follow-up to "The Death of the Transgender Umbrella."Read More
Netroots Nation: Social Justice Strategy Caucus
Filed by Jake Weinraub | June 16, 2011 1:15 PM |After realizing no facilitator would arrive, we took our own initiative to have a productive conversation.Read More
Blogs Cannot Be Both Sustainable and Independent
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 16, 2011 9:00 AM |How can blogs keep their independence while seeking ad money from organizations to keep them financially sustainable?Read More
Thoughts and Updates from Netroots Nation
Filed by Jake Weinraub | June 15, 2011 2:15 PM |I am most excited to engage in conversations about race/class/cis privilege with other privileged LGB folks.Read More
This Morning at Netroots Nation LGBT Connect: Missing Issues
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 15, 2011 1:00 PM |A dizzying variety of people showed up this morning at Netroots Nation LGBT Connect. Who are these people?Read More
I'm Here At Netroots Nation LGBT Connect
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 15, 2011 9:00 AM |It's time for the annual Netroots Nation conference again, the conference for progressive bloggersRead More
Historic Prop 8 Ruling Rejects Effort to Disqualify Judge Walker
Filed by Kate Kendell | June 14, 2011 7:15 PM |Only 24 hours after hearing the Prop 8 supporters' motion to disqualify former U.S. District Court Chief Judge Walker and invalidate his ruling striking down Prop 8, Chief Judge James Ware issued an inspiring defense of the integrity of judges everywhere today.Read More
Incest Is an American Family Value?
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | June 14, 2011 4:00 PM |No idea where this chart was displayed, or who displayed it, but it certainly makes its point! Can't help wondering if homophobia is the result of all that inbreeding. Read More
What Sucks About Most Privileged Gay Men
Filed by Jake Weinraub | June 11, 2011 12:00 PM |"The Grid" contributor Paul Aguirre-Livingston writes about his experience as post-modern homosexual, and is critiqued by many.Read More
GLAAD President Admits Knowledge of Mystery FCC Letter
Filed by Bil Browning | June 10, 2011 2:30 AM |As GLAAD has spent the past week defending its endorsement of the proposed merger between telecom giants AT&T and T-Mobile, new information has surfaced that calls into question the organization's relationship with AT&T and the judgment of its president.Read More
I Won't Be Shopping at AutoZone Any More
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | June 09, 2011 5:30 PM |In case you missed it, the Huffington Post just ran a story about HRC's list of The Worst Companies For LGBT Workers, including two retailers to especially avoid: AutoZone and Cracker Barrel. Read More
Interview: GLAAD President Addresses Recent Controversies
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 08, 2011 9:15 PM |After being criticized by bloggers and a former board co-chair, GLAAD representatives, including president Jarrett Barrios and board member Gary Bitner, speak about the organization's finances, recent endorsement of the AT&T/T-Mobile merger, and their stance on net neutrality.Read More
Meneses-Sheets Lands New Job With Gay Group
Filed by Bil Browning | June 08, 2011 2:45 PM |Morgan Meneses-Sheets, the former Executive Director of Equality Maryland, has landed a new job as Development Director with gay labor org Pride At Work.Read More
How Marriage Equality Can Save the Black Family
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 07, 2011 6:00 PM |Guest blogger Maya Rupert points out how this summer has the potential to dredge up the familiar false dichotomy that pits the black community against the LGBT community.Read More
Proposed Gender Dysphoria Diagnosis in DSM-5
Filed by Kelley Winters | June 07, 2011 5:00 PM |Although the APA has responded to concerns about the "Gender Identity Disorder" diagnosis in the new edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, they have not addressed concerns about their "Gender Dysphoria" diagnosis.Read More
Stonewall at 42: 'Why Don't You Guys Do Something?'
Filed by Rev. Emily C. Heath | June 07, 2011 2:00 PM |Whatever happened to the working class group of butches and other visibly queer and trans folks who ignited the Stonewall riots? And what would they think of the modern LGBT rights movement?Read More
Vital Ventura County LGBT Center Closes
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | June 06, 2011 6:30 PM |As the budget-cutting massacres continue, our own biggest centers in urban areas may weather the storm somehow, but the smaller LGBT centers in suburban and rural areas are suffering - along with the people they serve.Read More
Norfolk's 2011 Out in the Park a Huge Success
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 06, 2011 4:30 PM |The rain ceased, the sky began to clear and a multitude of people came out and made the event a huge success - likely the largest, most upscale and amazing pride event ever in this area.Read More
Bil Browning, Superhero
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 06, 2011 1:30 PM |D.C.'s LGBT community is honoring none other than Bilerico's own Bil Browning with Capital Pride's annual Capital Pride Heroes award. Read More
Comment of the Week: Jessica Max Stein on the Barbershop Queer Issue
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 05, 2011 7:00 PM |What's a "queer issue," and are we all under the "queer umbrella" now?Read More
Slutwalk Kicks Off in Chicago Today
Filed by Jake Weinraub | June 04, 2011 12:00 PM |Hundreds are gathering at Thompson Center Plaza in Chicago today for Slutwalk - a march "in support of education and against intolerance" around rape culture.Read More
GetEQUAL Activists Arrested at NC General Assembly
Filed by Jake Weinraub | June 03, 2011 5:00 PM |Three GetEQUAL activists were arrested at the North Carolina state capitol yesterday for disrupting a legislative session.Read More
Why Is GLAAD Endorsing the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger?
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 03, 2011 4:30 PM |What is a gay rights organization doing supporting the AT&T/T-Mobile phone company merger immediately after AT&T endorsed Tennessee's anti-gay legislation?Read More
AIDS at 30: President Reagan with KS
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 03, 2011 2:30 PM |How angry were activists at President Reagan for ignoring the burgeoning AIDS crisis? This photoshopped image I shot of Reagan with Kaposi's Sarcoma lesions plastered on walls on New York City streets during the 25th anniversary of Stonewall is one indication.Read More
Refuting NOM's Talking Points
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 02, 2011 1:00 PM |Bloggers Jeremy Hooper and Alvin McEwen dismantle the National Organization for Marriage's deceptive talking points one by one.Read More
The Death of the 'Transgender' Umbrella
Filed by Mercedes Allen | June 01, 2011 8:00 PM |If you've read trans or LGBT blogs in the past year or three, you've inevitably come across an ongoing battle over labels - particularly "transgender" as an umbrella term. It seems to be a conflict without end or compromise.Read More
Equality Maryland Announces New Goals as Board President Resigns
Filed by Adam Polaski | June 01, 2011 3:00 PM |A week after admitting its dire financial instability, Equality Maryland's board president, Charles Butler, resigned. The organization has distributed a statement detailing its new short-term direction.Read More
Barbers, Gender, & Why $5 Matters
Filed by Rev. Emily C. Heath | June 01, 2011 12:00 PM |We may dismiss them as trivial, but even small demonstrations of gender discrimination - like price differences based on gender for a haircut - are significant. Read More
White House 2011 LGBT Pride Month Proclamation
Filed by Jake Weinraub | June 01, 2011 9:30 AM |President Barack Obama proclaims June 2011 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.Read More
