Tuesday, November 10, 2009
RI governor vetoes bill to allow domestic partners to plan each other’s funeral: Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri vetoed a bill on Tuesday that would have added domestic partners to the list of people authorized under state law to make funeral arrangements for each other.
Gay Couple Thrown Out of New York Taxi Cab for Hugging: A gay New York couple was kicked out of a taxi cab earlier this week for hugging, the New York Post reports.
Marriage Equality and the Generational Gap: A clear look at the divide between the generations over marriage equality, in graphic form (in the form of a graph/chart, not, you know graphic. ;p)
God Endorses Marriage Equality: From the beginning, the radical-right evangelicals behind Washington state's Referendum 71, have had the shared delusion that God takes sides, and favors them. ...
American Medical Association Calls For Repeal of DADT: WASHINGTON, DC - Servicemembers United, the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans and their allies, announced today that the American Medical Association (AMA) has passed a resolution calling for full repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.
With overwhelming support from its membership and virtually no opposition, even from the uniformed services representatives in attendance, the call for full repeal became official AMA policy today upon passage of the resolution.
Movie Review: The Bubble
[Ed. Note: Every other Tuesday, Ari will be reviewing gay-themed movies. No, not those kind (ask him in person for those reviews). I swear by his judgment in films, and you should too :) ]A film's ability to separate politics from the universal struggles of its characters can be considered its finest achievement. In Eytan Fox’s second gay-themed film “The Bubble” (Ha-Buah in Hebrew), the director hopes we as an audience do exactly that; put ourselves out there and perhaps gain new perspective by leaving our politics at the door. “The Bubble” is certainly as politically charged as it gets, tackling such issues as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, gay love, and naïve activism. Although in the foreground of the story, Tel Aviv plays a vital role in establishing the ever-growing liberal mindset the city has instilled in its people. The title refers to the fact that this city has become isolated, in recent years, from the turmoils and civil struggles between Jews and Palestinians that occur just outside of its borders.
When Noam (Ohad Knoller), who works as a reserve officer in the Israeli Defense Force, leaves his ID at a Jerusalem checkpoint, Ashraf (Yousef Sweid) arrives at his apartment to return the card and the two strike a bond instantly that of course, spills over to what you would expect. As the two continue to meet on and off (Ashraf oscillates between Israel and the West Bank) Noam’s roommates Lulu (Daniella Wercer) and Yelli (Alon Friedman) set up a drug infused protest to object the current occupation in Palestine and to promote peace in the region.
The movie juxtaposes the norms both outside and inside Tel Aviv to show the inner workings of the two characters. While Noam lives the easy life within “the bubble”, Ashraf deals with the everyday pains of being closeted from his parents and older sister. Here, we continue to see how nearly indiscriminate geographical boundaries lend to a much more complex war on values. The beauty lies in the film’s ability to tackle issues in a way that doesn’t seem to undermine one side or the other, and yet provides an active voice against homophobia that doesn’t seem forced or overdone.
On a more political note, however, “The Bubble” tends to fall under this childish notion that peace can be achieved through an organized rave on the beach. Although the prospect of a protest full of ecstasy-riddled twenty year olds has much to be desired in terms of efficacy, the director wants the audience to believe in the purity of the cause. The reality of the conflict is displayed in both serious and comedic interludes throughout the film, and yet maintains the level of earnest you would hope to expect, both in the depiction of the relationship between Noam and Ashraf, and the conflict that continues to keep men like them apart. B+
Pastors Will Test Matthew Shepard Act By "Inciting Hate Crimes": Religious conservatives still outraged over the passing of hate crimes legislation have decided to test the limits of the new law with a publicity stunt involving incendiary hate speech directed at gays and lesbians. In order to "prove" that their God-given right to harass LGBT folk is being threatened, a group of pastors plan to travel to the nation's capital and ratchet up the rhetoric in hopes of getting themselves arrested.
Every Gay Should Know #1: Maine's Question 1 Ad Campaign
[Ed. Note: Every Tuesday, we highlight an event, figure or tidbit 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 us. Bea included.]On May 5, 2009, the Maine House of Representatives passed “An Act To End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom” – a bill that would allow same-sex marriage in the state. The proposal had already been approved by the state Senate, and needed only to be signed by Governor John Baldacci in order to become law.
Baldacci signed the bill the next day, and the law was set to go into effect September 14, 2009.
Barring some sort of crazy intervention, of course.
Paperwork to launch a people's veto campaign was put in by Reverend Bob Emrich on May 7. Leading the opposition to gay rights would be the comically ironic "Stand For Marriage Maine," a Catholic Church-sponsored organization. The group hired the same public relations company that was successful in overturning gay-rights with Proposition 8 in California last November. With over the 55,087 signatures needed (almost double that, actually), Stand For Marriage succeeded in putting the issue to ballot on November 3, 2009 (the original Sept. 14 date was subsequently pushed back).
Ultimately, same-sex marriage was narrowly repealed in the state with a 52.8/47.2% split.
figure 1: wtf?
However, perhaps just as mind-blowing were the tactics being used by Stand For Marriage Maine. Their ads would have been embarrassingly inaccurate and misleading if they weren't somehow effective. Most of their campaign revolved around the perception that somehow gay marriage (and voting "No" to Question 1: "Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?") would lead to "homosexual marriage being pushed on Maine students." Because that is how sequitur arguments work.
I would also like to invite everyone to post in the comments section what they think the scripted stage direction to Jen was at (0:22) in the second video.
But eek! That's what what was happening in Massachusetts after gay marriage was allowed four years ago? That sounds scary. I just hope that that NPR soundbite wasn't taken out of context.
(1:58) Tovia Smith: But many teachers say they're less afraid now since the high court decision legalizing gay marriage. Deb Allen teaches eighth-grade sex ed. in Brookline. She keeps a picture of her lesbian partner and their kids on her desk and gay equality signs wall. Allen says she's already been teaching a gay-friendly curriculum for nearly a decade, but she says she does begin this year feeling a bit more emboldened.Whoops, she was a sex education teacher. Right, forgot to mention that. We would not want to risk the passage of a gay-rights bill emboldening our sex education teachers to teach about sex. Or answer questions about sex. Guhroossssss!!!11 Asked by the state's Education Commissioner to evaluate the legitimacy of this fear, Maine Attorney General Janet Mills had this to say:
Deb Alen: In my mind, I know that, 'OK, this is legal now.' If somebody wants to challenge me, I'll say, 'Give me a break. It's legal now.'
"I have scoured Maine laws relating to the education of its children for any references to marriage in the public school curricula," Mills wrote in her opinion. "I have found none."This should end things, right? That sounds pretty definitive and convincing from an Attorney General. Obviously, the logical thing for Stand For Marriage to do is to apologize for the confusion when they completely made something up. As full-grown mature adults in positions of power, and not a group of petulant fourth graders, they believe in respectable discourse on the issues at hand.
Just kidding:
Paul Ash, Lexington School District superintendent, told the [Bay Area Reporter] that the district had made several attempts to appease the Wirthlins and accommodate their religious convictions, but that he "came to the conclusion that they had no intent on settling. At the attempt to mediate prior to the case it was abundantly clear that the Wirthlins and Parkers had no intention of coming to a compromise, that they wanted a public fight. I only saw political campaigns and religious vigils. I never saw any evidence, not even a hint, that there was any intention on the part of these families to work out an agreement."Holes in their facade of "unwitting victims" did not take long to appear. They were already members of MassResistance, which has been called an "anti-gay hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. They're also related to the key political strategist for the Mormon Church in their efforts to destroy gay marriage, Dick (so perfect) Wirthlin. So yeah, I guess it is so weird that they would find themselves in this progressive school district (I do not guess it is so weird that they would find themselves in this progressive school district). The Wirthlins should team up with Richard and Mayumi Heene and go to Hoax School together.
To reiterate what I said before, though: as laughable and misleading as these ads are, they were ultimately successful. I hope that if you didn't before, you know now the sort of arguments and people that pro-rights activists are dealing with. Perhaps we should stoop to their level of outrageous, barely tangential statements: our angle will be that gay marriage can save the economy. Oh wait.
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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