Category: GLBT

GLBT Movie Series Opens Saturday At The Park Forest Holiday Star

June 17, 2010
ChicagolandGLBT
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From ENEWSPF:

As part of its ongoing effort to provide entertainment for each of its members, The Holiday Star will begin showing the first in a series of gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgendered (GLBT) movies this Saturday night, June 19th at 7 p.m.

The feature “Were the World Mine,” a story of gay empowerment, inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Theater owner Kenny Yochelson says Park Forest is a unique community with a diverse group of people and cultures, "Our responsibility as an entertainment venue is to fulfill the needs of our community. What separates us from other theaters, is our ability to listen and react. The GLBT Movie Series is a direct reaction to the needs of an underserved GLBT community here in Park Forest and we’re happy to fill that void. We like to keep things constantly moving and fun. The patron’s needs aside, if it weren’t for our special events and the wonderful folks who attend…I’d get bored!"

Yochelson says costumes are welcome and encouraged.

Sounds like a blast.

Portugal’s President Ratifies Gay Marriage Law

May 17, 2010
ConservativesEthicsGLBTInternational
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Portugal’s conservative—yes, conservative—president, has decided to ratify a law legalizing gay marriage.

Yup.

In a Catholic country.

Yup. Yup.

From the AP:

Portugal’s conservative president announced Monday he is ratifying a law allowing gay marriage in the predominantly Catholic country.

The head of state’s decision to permit the enactment of a bill passed by Parliament in January makes Portugal the sixth European country allowing same-sex couples to wed.

President Anibal Cavaco Silva said in a nationally televised address he regretted that the country’s political parties had failed to reach a compromise during days of heated debate in Parliament four months ago.

Vetoing the bill would only send it back to Parliament where lawmakers would overturn his decision, he said, adding that the country needed to focus on overcoming an economic crisis that has increased unemployment and deepened poverty.

The Socialist government’s bill was backed by all of Portugal’s left-of-center parties, who together have a majority in Parliament. Right-of-center parties opposed the measure and demanded a national referendum.

"Given that fact, I feel I should not contribute to a pointless extension of this debate, which would only serve to deepen the divisions between the Portuguese and divert the attention of politicians away from the grave problems affecting us," Cavaco Silva said.

He said that, in ratifying the law, he was setting aside "personal convictions."

Remember, these are real, human lives our regressive American laws affect. And in Portugal, a conservative with guts.

Episcopal Church Confirms First Openly Lesbian Bishop: CNN

March 17, 2010
GLBTReligion
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From CNN:

The Episcopal Church confirmed its first openly lesbian bishop on Wednesday, six years after its first openly gay bishop took office.

“I am profoundly grateful for the many people … who have given their prayers, love, and support during this time of discernment,” Bishop-elect Mary Douglas Glasspool said after learning she’d won support from the majority of her church’s standing committees and diocesan bishops.

“I am also aware that not everyone rejoices in this election and consent,” she continued, “and will work, pray, and continue to extend my own hands and heart to bridge those gaps, and strengthen the bonds of affection among all people, in the Name of Jesus Christ.”

Glasspool, 56, was elected bishop of the Episcopal Church’s Los Angeles diocese in December. Before taking office, she needed to win the consent of a majority of the church’s standing committees and diocesan bishops.

The Episcopal diocese of Los Angeles released an informal tally Wednesday showing that Glasspool had received consents from 63 of the Episcopal Church’s 110 standing committees, seven more than necessary.

Glasspool’s ordination and consecration as bishop is slated for May 15.

Johnny Weir Deemed ‘Not Family Friendly’ Enough to Perform in Stars on Ice Tour

March 11, 2010
GLBTSports
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Johnny Weir

From GLAAD:

GLAAD has learned from a source that wishes to remain anonymous that sponsors of the Stars on Ice Tour, which include Smuckers and IMG Entertainment, have refused to allow 3-time US National Champion and 2-time Olympian Johnny Weir to participate because they claim that he is “not family friendly.”

To say that Weir is “not family friendly” would be a clear jab at his perceived sexual orientation. Weir is extremely involved with his family. He is putting his younger brother through college, and supports the family financially because his father’s disability prohibits him from working. Weir’s dedication to his family can be clearly documented in the Sundance series, Be Good Johnny Weir, which follows him and his family and friends through his life and career as a championship skater.

Catch that again: Weir is “putting his younger brother through college, and supports the family financially because his father’s disability prohibits him from working.”

So it goes.

Mississippi School District Cancels Prom Over Lesbian Couple

March 11, 2010
GLBTStrange
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From GLAAD:

A Mississippi school district cancelled a local high school’s prom on Wednesday after an openly lesbian student asked to bring her girlfriend as a date, The Associated Press reported on Thursday.

In a statement released by the Itawamba County school district, school board members state that “Due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events, the Itawamba County School District has decided to not host a prom at Itawamba Agricultural High School this year.”

The student, Constance McMillen, 18, told Jackson, Miss. newspaper The Clarion Ledger that the cancellation is retaliation for her request to bring her girlfriend to the event.

“I feel like I should be able to go and be myself and not have to worry about what clothes I’m wearing or who I am bringing or who I’m dancing with,” McMillen said.

USA Today reports today that “school officials told McMillen last month that she could not bring her sophomore girlfriend to the prom and also told her she could not wear a tuxedo. The school then circulated a memo that prohibited same-sex dates.”

McMillen then ACLU, and the school district canceled the prom.

So it goes.

Gay-Rights Activists Stage Valentine’s Day Protest at Holy Name Cathedral

February 15, 2010
EthicsGLBTReligion
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From the Chicago Tribune:

Attending Mass at Holy Name Cathedral was supposed to be one of the final Valentine’s Day weekend treats for Cindy White and her husband, who had traveled to Chicago from Hampshire, Ill., to celebrate the romantic holiday.

Instead, the couple found themselves wading through nearly 100 men and women who had gathered outside the cathedral Sunday morning to protest the Catholic Church’s opposition to gay marriage and other stances that they see as unjust to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

The protesters waved rainbow flags and shouted slogans like, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, homophobia has got to go!” and, “Holy Name, holy shame!”

According to the Tribune, last year, the Gay Liberation Network helped organize a march from the city building in which marriage licenses are issued to Holy Name to show support for gay marriage, said Andy Thayer, the group’s co-founder.

“We want to drag the church’s bigotry out of the closet,” said Thayer, 49.

The response from Church officials somewhat was less than Christian. Colleen Dolan, spokeswoman for the Chicago Archdiocese, called the protestors “misdirected.”

“They may not like it, but it’s the teaching of the church that marriage is between one man and one woman,” Dolan said. “Those of us in the church don’t get to choose what the teachings are.”

So who does the choosing? Who, exactly, are “those of us in the church?” The People of God, as the Church teaches? Dolan’s is an interesting, and ultimately shallow, response.

Let the colors fly with the stained glass at last.

More on this story at the Trib.

Turns Out President Obama Never Forgot His Promise to Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

February 1, 2010
Barack ObamaCongressConstitutionDemocratic NewsGLBTMilitaryRepublicansWhite House
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gay soldiers

From the New York Times:

President Obama and top Pentagon officials met repeatedly over the past year about repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the law that bans openly gay members of the military.

But it was in Oval Office strategy sessions to review court cases challenging the ban — ones that could reach the Supreme Court — that Mr. Obama faced the fact that if he did not change the policy, his administration would be forced to defend publicly the constitutionality of a law he had long opposed.

As a participant recounted one of the sessions, Mr. Obama told Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, that the law was “just wrong.” Mr. Obama told them, the participant said, that he had delayed acting on repeal because the military was stretched in two wars and he did not want another polarizing debate in 2009 to distract from his health care fight.

But in 2010, he told them, this would be a priority. He got no objections.

On Tuesday, in the first Congressional hearing on the issue in 17 years, Mr. Gates and Admiral Mullen will unveil the Pentagon’s initial plans for carrying out a repeal, which requires an act of Congress. Gay rights leaders say they expect Mr. Gates to announce in the interim that the Defense Department will not take action to discharge service members whose sexual orientation is revealed by third parties or jilted partners, one of the most onerous aspects of the law. Pentagon officials had no comment.

Gay rights groups are calling the hearing historic even as they question how quickly the administration is prepared to act. But Republicans are already signaling that they are not eager to take up the issue.

I hope that our friends in these gay rights groups start to understand that the president was actually working on repealing the ban on gays in the military almost non-stop since taking office, meeting "repeatedly" with top Pentagon officials, in addition to talking about the wars the previous president started.

Maybe, just maybe, there’s more involved in being President of the United States than viewing everything through the lenses of one issue?

The ban should be repealed, and I hope it is soon.

I’m near the end of Frank Schaeffer’s Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don’t Like Religion (or Atheism). Schaeffer’s son John is a United States Marine. Near the end of the book, Frank writes a very compelling and stirring account of the boot camp process where one becomes a Marine. I was moved today as I read it, while walking on a treadmill for two miles. I plan on finding Schaeffer’s Keeping Faith: A Father-Son Story About Love and the U.S. Marine Corps.

When I was a child (to paraphrase St. Paul), I did not trust the military. Now that I am a man, I have an incredible respect for those who serve this country in uniform. Some liberals really go overboard slamming the military, and they should not. These men and women learn to move beyond preoccupation with the self. They think of the other, the platoon, the United States of America, before they think of themselves. Those in uniform are worthy of our respect and support.

Gays and lesbians are more than capable of serving openly, thinking of others first, the platoon, the United States of America, before they think of themselves. Gay and lesbian soldiers serve openly in the military of other countries every day.

Gay and lesbian soldiers have been serving the United States of America in the military for centuries. Let them finally and proudly serve openly.

Pennsylvania State Sen. John Eichelberger Introduces Anti-Gay Marriage Bill

January 29, 2010
Civil RightsCongressConstitutionEthicsGLBT
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From the Philadelphia Gay News:

About eight months after he pledged to introduce a bill that would institute a ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution, Pennsylvania Sen. John Eichelberger (R-30th Dist.) has made good on his promise.

SB 707, which Eichelberger introduced Jan. 26, would add to the Pennsylvania Constitution the language: “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid and recognized as marriage.”

Eichelberger announced his intention to spearhead such an initiative last May, and Sen. Daylin Leach (D-17th Dist.) shortly thereafter introduced a measure that seeks to legalize same-sex marriage in the Keystone State.

To amend the constitution, both chambers of the state legislature would have to pass the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment in two consecutive sessions before the question is posed to voters.

I don’t get it at all. Gays and Lesbians want to do one of the most conservative things possible: get married.

Get over.

More here.

Obama Declares ‘I Don’t Quit’ in First State of the Union Address

January 27, 2010
Barack ObamaCivil LibertiesCivil RightsCongressConstitutionDemocratic NewsEconomyEducationElectionsEnvironmentEthicsGLBTGlobal Warminggun controlHealth CareInternationalIraqJobsJohn McCainLegalMilitaryRepublicansSupreme CourtWhite House
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From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Declaring “I don’t quit,”‘ an embattled President Barack Obama vowed in his first State of the Union address Wednesday night to make job growth his topmost priority and urged a divided Congress to boost the still-ailing economy with fresh stimulus spending. Defiant despite stinging setbacks, he said he would not abandon ambitious plans for longer-term fixes to health care, energy, education and more.

“Change has not come fast enough,” Obama said before a politician-packed House chamber and a TV audience of millions. “As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may be, it’s time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth.”

Obama looked to change the conversation from how his presidency is stalling — over the messy health care debate, a limping economy and the missteps that led to Christmas Day’s barely averted terrorist disaster — to how he is seizing the reins.

A chief demand was for lawmakers to press forward with his prized health care overhaul, which is in severe danger in Congress, and to resist the temptation to substitute a smaller-bore solution for the far-reaching changes he wants.

“Do not walk away from reform,” he implored. “Not now. Not when we are so close.”

Republicans applauded the president when he entered the chamber, and even craned their necks and welcomed Michelle Obama when she took her seat. But the warm feelings of bipartisanship disappeared early.

I don’t know how “embattled” President Obama is right now. Every president is “embattled.” I found the tone of the SOTU remarkable. But Congress needs to remember how to be a parliament, and they’re not there yet. Republicans say, “NO!” Democrats let the tail wag the dog and give up the fight. The intelligence factor in Congress is rather low right now, I fear, on both sides of the aisle. Republicans are too dumb to realize that there is more to life than cheap politics, and Democrats are too dumb to know how to make Congress work.

Too bad.

I’m glad this president does not “give up.” We still have work to do.

Original Anti-Gay Cartoon in Notre Dame’s Observer Was Equally Horrible

January 27, 2010
EthicsGLBTReligionViolence
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Notre Dame gay fine by me t-shirt

Both versions of the strip considered by editors, including the original rejected submission (second from the top). Beneath the strips is a gmail chat between one of the comic creators and an Observer staffer.

I was patient, I believe, with the flap over the anti-gay comic strip Mobile Party that ran in Notre Dame’s Observer earlier this month. I was patient and more forgiving until I saw the original comic considered by editors at the Observer. In the original, the punch line was uglier, if that’s at all possible.

From IrishCentral:

The cartoon depicts a conversation between two figures that reads:

“What’s the easiest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable?"

“No idea.”

“A baseball bat.”

Earlier, the cartoonist, who has not yet been named, posted the original version of the cartoon on his blog. In this version, it shows the punch line as “AIDS” instead of “a baseball bat.” The paper, he claimed, preferred “not to make light of fatal diseases.”

The original chat between the Observer and creators of the comic strip is above. According to The Observer, the primary authors of the strip are Notre Dame seniors Colin Hofman, Jay Wade and Lauren Rosemeyer.

What were these young adults thinking? How could they have possibly thought that either of those jokes were acceptable?

From College Media Matters:

Among the criticisms emanating from faculty and students at Notre Dame and its sister school St. Mary’s, here is part of a statement from student representatives of St. Mary’s Straight and Gay Alliance (Notre Dame does not officially recognize a GSA-related group on its campus): “You may not like it but Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s is a home to lesbian, gay and bisexual students. Your call as both a Christian and as a human being is to respect them. Making light of the very real threat of homophobic motivated hate crimes is a poor excuse for humor and a despicable action. I completely support and defend a person’s freedom of belief, expression and speech. However, when expressing that belief takes the form of language which encourages violence against a group of people, you have crossed a professional and ethical line.”

Similarly, in a piece touching on the comic’s status as a symbol of a larger discriminatory and ignorant mindset at the school, a Notre Dame sociology professor writes, “This [the comic controversy] is no isolated incident on our campus. . . . Getting a cheap laugh at the expense of the abused, bashed, disabled and even murdered not only belittles these horrific experiences but encourages more violence.”

The administration at the University of Notre Dame must step up and do more. The administration must finally sponsor a gay-straight alliance. That takes courage in the face of the United States Catholic bishops who are so incredibly out of touch, and the Vatican, which exists in a parallel universe.

What would Jesus do? I know that’s a simple question.

The answer is simple too.

The University of Notre Dame must finally and completely embrace its gay and lesbian students, faculty and staff.