Openly gay David Huebner is confirmed as US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa: "Openly gay attorney David Huebner was confirmed by the US Senate last Friday to serve as US Ambassador to New Zealand and Somoa."
Monday, November 23, 2009
Openly gay David Huebner is confirmed as US Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa: "Openly gay attorney David Huebner was confirmed by the US Senate last Friday to serve as US Ambassador to New Zealand and Somoa."
Reports of anti-gay or religious-based hate crimes rise in US in 2008; more agencies tracking: Reports of hate crimes against gays and religious groups increased sharply in the U.S. in 2008, according to new FBI data released Monday.
Overall, the number of reported hate crimes increased about 2 percent. These same figures show a nearly 11 percent increase in hate crimes based on sexual orientation, and a nearly 9 percent increase in hate crimes based on religion.
Colbert on William Phillips:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Tip/Wag - U.S. Speedskating Team, NY Lottery & William Phillips | ||||
| ||||
Don't Forget to Remember
In agreeing to post my news feed on the Blue Devils United blog, I have to admit I forgot how insanely depressing it can be. From the hideous murders of Jorge Steven López Mercado and Jason Mattison Jr. to the harassment of mayoral candidate Annise Parker, the messages that we have been receiving have been grim. And not only from within our own borders, as the attempt to make homosexuality punishable by death in Uganda reminded us. These attacks upon our community, nationally and globally, while shocking, aren't new. Until there the LGBT community is understood and accepted worldwide, there will always be more to report on, more information to disseminate. It can be overwhelming and frustrating and disheartening.However, I would like to give a platform, for a moment, to those other messages, the ones of hope and strength that come to us even as we learn of the crimes being committed against our community. A boy refusing to pledge to a flag that does not live up to all it promises. The British Prime Minister speaking out against transphobia. A local vigil. A march. A win. While these messages may seem a pittance in the face of the losses that we have felt, they are the embodiment of the love and fortitude of our community, and of our ever-growing legion of allies. I continue to take heart in the knowledge that progress, although slow, is inevitable, IF we continue to give our hearts and our minds to the struggle for it.
So as we pause and remember all of those lost before true equality could be won around the world, let us not lose faith in the power and potential of our LGBTA community.
And, because I just have to (and because it gives me chills every time), some words that never fail to give me hope:
Anonymous Posts(11.16.09–11.22.09)
Every week, we collect anonymous entries sent in using the link on our sidebar and post them all on Monday. We post anything as long as it doesn't contain personal attacks or hate speech. Feel free to submit your thoughts and questions :)#1:
Hello everyone! It's Class ACES Registration time again, I'm looking for a sexuality course that is fun and deals with LGBT issues. I'm thinking of signing up for SXL 135, with Janie Long, called "Clinical Issues in LGBTQ". Has anyone here taken this class? Is it worth taking, or fairly interesting? Is it hard or straightfoward?
Thanks! Looking forward to taking my first gay-themed class, if it's good!
-Undergrad lesbian
#2:
Gay marriage in New York! How awesome would this be? Go Gov. Patterson!!!!!
#3
The Colbert video reminded me of a speech Keith Olbermann made last November, speaking out against Prop 8. This video is incredibly meaningful and is just as relevant today as it was a year ago. Forgetting politics and putting religion in perspective, he stresses the importance of love and happiness and the significance of spreading that love and happiness in a world that is so filled with hate. This is a video that everyone should see: both people in support of the LGBT community and non-supporters alike. It can definitely spark discussions on religion, love, and the symbolic nature of marriage and what it truly stands for. I urge you to take a 7 minute break from whatever you are working on and listen to this speech.
Enjoy!
MA GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Charlie Baker Chooses Openly Gay Senator Richard Tisei as Running Mate: "Charlie Baker, a moderate Republican running to become the governor of Massachusetts, has chosen State Sen. Richard Tisei, who is openly gay, as his running mate. Baker issued the following on his Twitter account this morning: 'Want you to be the first to know: I’ve chosen State Senator Richard Tisei as my running mate. Excited about this team.' Tisei is the Senate Minority Leader, and played a key role in the fight to retain marriage equality in Massachusetts."
Tisei publicly discosed to the Boston Globe last week that he is gay: "Tisei was first elected to the House at age 22 and moved to the Senate in 1991. His sexual orientation has been an open secret on Beacon Hill, and he disclosed it publicly yesterday in an interview with the Globe, anticipating the scrutiny that would accompany a statewide candidacy. 'It is not exactly a news flash,' he said . 'I don’t think people really care these days.' "
Love, Survive, Organize: The Bull City Vigil for Jorge and Jason
“When my son told me he was gay, I told him, ‘Now, I love you more.’ I want to tell the world that hatred is not born with human beings, it is a seed that is planted by adults and is fostered creating a climate of intolerance and violence. We must change our ways and understand that anyone …could have been my son. And I want everybody to know that Jorge Steven was a very much loved son.”- Miriam Mercado
On Sunday night, members of the Durham/Duke community gathered downtown at Durham Central Park to honor the lives and reflect on the deaths of Jorge Steven López Mercado and Jason Mattison Jr. The vigil was just one of over 20 held across the country yesterday.
Jorge was 19 when he was killed November 14 in Puerto Rico for being gay. His body was found on the side of a road "partially burned, decapitated, and dismembered, both arms, both legs, and the torso" (from Pam's House Blend). By all accounts, Jorge was an incredibly loved boy who sought to put his mark on the world of fashion design.
This murder has revealed not only the unfathomably sick nature of an individual, but also a paradigm of ignorance and intolerance among those in positions of power. As a community, we were appalled to read that a police investigator (and bigoted idiot) for the case publicly remarked, "'people who lead this type of lifestyle need to be aware that this will happen." Furthermore, the investigation has shed light on Puerto Rico's lack of legislation in this area: "Never in the history of Puerto Rico has a murder been classified as a hate crime. Even though we have to follow federal mandates and laws, many of the laws in which are passed in the USA such as Obama’s new bill, do not always directly get practiced in Puerto Rico," explained Christopher Pagan, a Puerto Rican who first alerted American media of the story.
15-year-old Jason Mattison Jr. was also murdered this month in his hometown of Baltimore. Jason was found shoved into a closet "raped, gagged with a pillowcase [and] stabbed repeatedly in the head and throat" (from The Baltimore Sun). The boy aspired to be a pediatrician: "There was never a question of whether or not he was going to make it. Some children we have to pray over a lot -- pray for grades that they pass, but we never worried about that with Jason," said Principal Starletta Jackson. The suspect, Dante Parrish, 35, is a family friend who had recently been released from prison after serving 10 out of a 30 year sentence for his involvement in a 1999 killing. The research of a nonprofit legal group The Innocence Project led to the discovery of a technicality with Dante's proceedings that led to an overturning of his conviction (from Pam's House Blend).
The Durham vigil last night featured musical and spoken tributes to those who have been senselessly taken. Personally, this was one of the most powerful and inspiring events I've ever been a part of. While I rode a Kübler-Ross-ean emotional cycle of confusion, anger, and sympathy for two people I had never met, I was consistently able to find solace just in the faces - hell even in the mere presence of the friends and strangers surrounding me. Yes, this is incredibly cheesy and run-of-the-mill of me to say, I understand. But there is something to be said for a selfless gathering of people on a cold, cold, rainy Sunday night in the middle of Durham (read: in the middle of America) in order to express solidarity with each other, and with the community at large. Feeling unqualified as a writer (I'm an engineering student) to effectively convey the emotions and messages from the night, I'm compelled to embrace the cliché here. We've heard some quotes to the point of desensitization, but in this case the overwhelming level of relevance and retroactive empathy trumps, for me, the risk of being tiredly proverbial:
"Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."-MLK
All pictures from the night are courtesy of our friend Justin Harris. Click on any image to enlarge.All Marriage Outlawed in Texas? Attorney Barbara Ann Radnofsky makes the argument that a 2005 Texas constitutional amendment aimed at banning gay marriage actually succeeded in banning all marriage.
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