Monday, November 9, 2009
Westboro Baptist Church Protests Outside Obama Girls' School: Westboro Baptist Church, a hate group that travels around the country holding anti-gay rallies, protested outside the school attended by President Obama's children on Monday morning.
Melody Barnes, Obama Adviser, Offers "Sympathy" For Gay Marriage: Following a speech at Boston College's School of Law, President Obama's senior domestic policy aide implicitly acknowledged that she differed with Obama on the issue of gay marriage, multiple sources say.
Outing Muslims: Conservative(s) have long wanted to kick gays out of the military. Now, after last week’s tragedy, they’re coming after Muslims too. In, “No More Muslims in the U.S. Military,” Bryan Fischer wrongly states, “It became evidently almost immediately that the mass murderer in yesterday’s killing spree at Fort Hood was a Muslim who was motivated by jihadist impulses.”
Don't Ask, Don't Give: The gAyTM Is Officially Shut Down: Online bloggers petition for a financial boycott of the DNC and cite 39 instances in which the Obama administration has dropped the ball on LGBT rights and advocacy.
John Stewart: "Can't Get Queer, From Here"
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Can't Get Queer From Here | ||||
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New Home!
If you attempted to view the site at around 8:30 p.m Monday evening, you may have received a 404 File Not Found error. This is because the blog was migrating to our new domain, bluedevilsunited.com! (If you're here, no need to reload. Welcome!)
The blog can still be reached at its original address (bluedevilsunited.blogspot.com) as well as at www.bluedevilsunited.com.
Thanks for your patience--we're all set now! :)
The blog can still be reached at its original address (bluedevilsunited.blogspot.com) as well as at www.bluedevilsunited.com.
Thanks for your patience--we're all set now! :)
Fate of Same-Sex Marriage Bill in Albany Unclear: After a major setback in Maine last week, gay rights advocates and their opponents are shifting their focus to New York, where Gov. David A. Paterson has called legislators to Albany on Tuesday and asked them to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage.
Election Round-ups: What We've Lost and What We've Gained
As most of you are aware, last week many states across the U.S. held elections to vote on various propositions and mayoral positions. Included in this election cycle were a few pieces of legislation that have specific impact on LGBT Americans and their families, such as Referendum 71, making domestic partnerships completely equivalent to civil marriages in the state of Washington, the election of openly gay canditate Mark Kleinschmidt as mayor of Chapel Hill, NC, and the passage of Ordinacne 1856 in Kalamazoo, MI (where I grew up!), adding gay and transgender people to the city's pre-existing nondiscrimination ordinance.
But the most widely publicized and watched election last Tuesday was the Proposition 1 vote in Maine. With the opportunity to become the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through legislation as opposed to through the courts, Maine voters approved Prop 1 by a margin of 6%, striking down the law legalizing same-sex marriage in their state. Like California this time last year, Maine fell prey to the twisted lies and pandering of the opponents of marriage equality.
However, despite its similarities to Proposition 8, this loss did not feel the same as the one in California. On election night last year, I remember the feeling of elation as I stood and watched Obama's acceptance speech with a full heart and a heady spirit. And then I remember getting back to my room, receiving a phone call from my friend back home in San Diego letting me know that it was starting to look bad for marriage equality in California, telling me that H8 was pulling ahead. I stayed up that entire evening, obsessively refreshing the poll results. I went to class the next day, drained, burnt out, exhausted, all dregs of my euphoria and excitement from the night before long since crushed by the emotional rollercoaster of election night. Before I could even get angry I felt deflated, betrayed, and incredulous.
This time was different. Proposition 8 taught us to be cautious, to not assume that people will do the right thing if prompted by their leaders (in the courts or otherwise) to do so. Gone is the beguiling concept of a "new era" that clouded our perceptions of the race last year, allowed our loss to blindside us.
Our experience in California taught us that we could lose in Maine; it instructed us in how that loss might feel. More than that though, the passage of Proposition 8 demonstrated that these losses, these set backs, they will not define the success of this movement. They will not choke it, or bury it, or deal the final blow. These losses of equality ultimately will serve only to add fuel to our fire. They remind us that while progress can be won, it will not be handed to us. It must be fought for, and it must be taken. "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals," (Martin Luther King, Jr). Such was the case in California, and once again in Maine. Far from being reasons to lose hope in our government, in our neighbors, or in ourselves, they should become our motivation, armed with the knowledge that through continued education of our peers and an openness about our lives and our humanity, we will be able repeal these hateful measures. And soon.
Liftoff!
Welcome!
This blog is sponsored by Duke University’s Blue Devils United, the student group for LGBTQ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer/Questioning) undergraduate students and allies. As writers, we hope the entries here effectively capture LGBTQ life at Duke and in America. We seek to inform and empower our Community – a demographic we understand extends beyond the campus walls. A specific goal the staff has is to effectively convey the diversity within the LGBTQ Community, something that is often underrepresented and underestimated.
This is not a new concept, though, in that BDU launched a similar blog last December (which has since been moved here). While this blog shares many aspects and values with its predecessor, we are a completely new staff that has strived to improve last year’s prototype. After several weeks of planning, there is no doubt our model has improved.
Aside from a graphic redesign of the site, changes in the posting dynamics will ensure a more uniform density of entries Monday through Friday. In addition to daily personal columns written by our staff, the blog will constantly be updated with national and local LGBTQ news and links. Every day of the week has also been assigned a feature:
Monday: Anonymous Posts.
We will collect all entries sent in (using the link on our sidebar) over every week and post them all on Monday. Everything sent in is completely anonymous. We won’t censor anything either, so long as entries contain no personal attacks.
Tuesday: Every Gay Should Know…
This column highlights events, figures and tidbits of gay culture. Topics will range from the Stonewall Riots to Bea Arthur. Harvey Milk to the etymology of “fag.” Personally, just about all of these fall under “Everybody Should Know” for me. Bea included.
Wednesday: Coming Out Stories.
While I will collect most of these face to face, stories sent in anonymously can be posted too!
Thursday: Profiles.
Summer Puente will be interviewing LGBTQ individuals and allies as we seek to personalize and put faces to our diverse and eclectic community.
Friday: Every Duke Gay Should Know…
It is important that students (currently enrolled or otherwise) are aware of LGTBQ issues and topics that are specific to Duke life. This means both highlighting the good and recognizing the bad; too often, one perception dominates the other.
We seek to capture Duke accurately while neither coddling nor depressing. With this in mind, we’ve decided to abandon the pseudonyms of last year and put real names and faces to our words. To do otherwise, we feel, would falsely connote a sense of fear among the staff. We are not afraid, and we feel safe here.
The success of the blog will be largely controlled by you, our readers. So visit often, comment often and submit entries whenever you want. The invitation of non-anonymous authorship is extended to all Duke students – just email us at BlueDevilsUnited@gmail.com
Enjoy :)
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