Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Transgender Day of Visibility


I actually don't know if anything is going on here in town, except for Kate Bornstein at Xavier University tomorrow, but I think that's more incidental than planned.

From the PrideSource article:
"I went on Facebook and I was thinking...whenever I hear about our community, it seems to be from Remembrance Day which is always so negative because it's about people who were killed," Crandall, who heads up Transgender Michigan, recalled. "So one night I couldn't sleep and I decided why don't I try to do something about that.
"I thought, 'why doesn't someone do it?' Then I thought, 'why isn't that someone me?'"

...

Unlike Transgender Day of Remembrance, Crandall said, the day of visibility aims to focus on all the good things in the trans community, instead of just remembering those who were lost. "The day of remembrance is exactly what it is. It remembers people who died," she said. "This focuses on the living. People have told me they love Remembrance Day but it really focuses on the negative aspect of it. Isn't there anything that could focus on the positive aspect of being trans?"
It's a beautiful thing. Anyone know of anything else going on in town? In the meantime, it's good to remember that we're all a little trans -- after all, do you conform 100% to the expected norms of your sex? Or, do you fulfill the roles you feel are right for you? Clearly, trans-identity is more than this, but it's a good place to start thinking about how your own gender affects your life and your interactions with the world.

Aaron Schock: GOP stud


We've talked about him before, but I have to say: I love Aaron Schock. Even if he is a Republican. 

So does Meghan McCain.

(And we've talked about him before, btw)

Election 2010: OH-GOV, KY-SEN


The Ohio Daily Blog gives us the heads up to a Washington Post piece that indicates Congressperson Tim Ryan will "run" for Lt. Gov. Wait ... I thought, in Ohio, the Gov-Lt. Gov. ran as a ticket. Am I wrong on that one? Sabrina Eaton, of the Cleveland Plain Dealer confirms that Ryan is being considered. But it may just be a lot of rumor-mongering. We bloggers are good at that.

And we have two Democrats sort of announced for the Kentucky Senate seat against embattled Republican Jim Bunning: Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo (who has been endorsed by Gov. Beshear) and Attorney General Jack Conway (as yet unconfirmed, but he's floating it).

Meanwhile, the Republicans remain adamantly opposed to endorsing Bunning, but I have no news for that one. I just think it's still funny.

Monday, March 30, 2009

The Hookies (NSFW)

Did you know there was an awards ceremony for professional escorts? I didn't. But there is -- the Hookies (thanks to Benjamin Nicholas for the link).

I have friends that do this, and I have one question: how is this legal? I mean, I get it, escorts are paid for their time and the companionship, not by the act (which is prostitution). But it seems like it's very much an open secret... with people only going after Craigslist, small-times hooks as opposed to what seems to be a booming online industry.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the act. I think it's one of those that, if legalized, becomes a "no victim" crime, like marijuana. Oh, and I will admit that the guys that won these awards are about 10X hotter than any Craigslist trick. Anyways, but I digress...

Oh, and congratulations to the lifetime achievement winner, also a blogger (NSFW)!

Let me reinforce this: NOT SAFE FOR WORK (NSFW)!!! You know when *I* say it, I probably mean it.

Hate Crime Vigil






As part of Xavier's Queer Week, today was a candlelight vigil in honor of the victims of hate crimes. It looks well attended. And tomorrow is Kate Bornstein -- which I understand should be an amazing show!!!

Thanks to Rusty Lockett for sending pics via his camera phone!!!

Unexpected Praise

So, last week when we talked about Chris Finney, I criticized the Cincinnati Black Blog (which has been blogrolled almost since I started) by saying: "To which I have one response: why does anyone read the Cincinnati Black Blog? Why do I? I think it's just to get angry in the morning." Today, guess who's smiling face is on the Cincinnati Black Blog?


ME!!!!

Yea! I got him to put a picture of a drag queen on his site!!!! (it's from my Facebook profile, btw, and is years old in the first show I did @ BronZ) And this is what Mr. Livingston has to say about **me**:
We have an interesting cast of characters operating in this sector the blogosphere. Just to name a few, you are already familiar with The Demented "Diva", The Dean of Cincinnati, The Provost of Cincinnati, The Sillyman, The Bigot of Cincinnati, and The Black Grimace. Today we add Barry Floore to the cast and bestow upon him the nickname: The Queer of Cincinnati.
High praise to be included in such a troupe of characters! Can I have a crown that says that, Nate? "The Queer of Cincinnati." Absolutely beautiful. Meanwhile, however, he actually ... sort of ... praises the LGBT response to the Chris Finney appointment:
Cincinnati's GBLT community is angry about Finney's NAACP appointment for many reasons, including what it says about the NAACP's future ability and desire to defend the civil rights of GBLT people. They're successfully spreading the word all over the country about the appointment. Will shining the light on the appointment do anything to change it? Will the concerns raised now by the GBLT community force the NAACP to closely watch Finney and make sure he doesn't advocate any more of his purported anti-gay positions? I don't know. And I find no fault in what the gays are doing. They are doing what they should be doing.

What I want to know is why the Black community isn't raising HELL about Finney's appointment in light of his long record of opposing civil rights for Black people!?!
First of all, I wasn't aware of the history Chris Finney has working against the black community, and I'd be interested in learning more -- looks like, instead of homework, I'll be doing more research.

Secondly, Mr. Livingston is not known as the most ardent supporter of LGBT rights here in Cincinnati. The post my picture appears in, even, has this charming line: "who a person chooses to have sex with may, indeed, justify disparate treatment." Uh-huh. Whatever.

...but it makes the praise of our community's national response (and growing) all the more unexpected.

Christopher Smitherman: Warns us Queers

From Christopher Smitherman's show this weekend:

Cincinnati NAACP president warns GLBT community about criticizing appointment of anti-gay rights activist Chris Finney, 3/28/09 from Funky Broadway on Vimeo.

The information also appears in the latest CityBeat blog post:
“I think you should be very, very cautious LGBT community,” Smitherman said. “I think you should be very cautious moving forward. I don't think this is a tree you want to bark up. But if you want to go there, if this is what you want to do, we can go there.

But the bottom line is your community as it deals with racism in the African-American community, you’re not there,” he continued. “You're absent. And then when it's convenient for you, you start evoking (sic) Dr. Martin Luther King. Proposition 8 lost in California because the (gay) community isn't properly engaging the African-American community. And you're showin' up at the last minute trying to build bridges and have relationships, and it doesn't work that way.
I do like his point: "It's not enough to just talk about Martin Luther King."

Meanwhile, he makes an interesting point: "How can you be racist and be gay? It's an oxymoron to me." In the end, I think, racist pervades regardless of other minority indicators. But, then again, so does homophobia and heterosexism.

More Updates: the Enquirer picked it up, as did GoMagazine and the Democratic Underground.

Update: I just cut a lot out of this blog post. I'll let you guys do the talking. Tell me what you think. Also, if you decide to repost, just give us a heads up so we can track it across the world-wide-weirdness known as teh interweb. Like this post from the Lavender Newswire, which is about to be blogrolled here at QueerCincinnati.com, and the ever angry :-) Wolfie at Back2Stonewall.com,, and don't forget the Cincinnati Black Blog's reaction, as well as Cincinnati blog.

Jay Brannan

From on the hot actors of Shortbus... he's apparently a folk singer.


Totally worth it to watch.

Something to piss you off this AM

Approaching the end of the marathon 36-hour work session. Thought this would be fun to give you a rise this morning (I'm reposting the whole thing -- it's just too precious):
There is no finer metaphor for “pretzel logic” than the issue of “gay rights”. The contemporary addiction to “gay” liberation is no less dangerous or mind-altering than being addicted to heroine.

Being gay is a sexual disorder the American Psychological Association does not recognize because it drove out Division leaders and members who recognized sexual addiction for what it is. Gay men have eight times more sexual partners than heterosexual men do, and are the prevalent reason why 3% of individuals living in Washington D.C. are infected with H.I.V – on par with AIDS crisis countries such as Kenya.

Speaking frankly, I know what goes on in the gay community having been invited to a few gay parties. The real party is in the bathroom. The parade goes both ways all night with any number of people in there at one time. It’s a crack house for sex addicts.

We know that crack, heroine, and other mood-altering addictive substances are dangerous to individuals and inflict great costs and health risks on larger society. We do not think twice about dealing with drug and alcohol addiction at face value. That is why “crack studies” and “smoker’s rights” are not taught in schools. Accordingly, drugs are illegal. We tax the daylights out of tobacco, and some cities have even made smoking illegal in many locations.

If “drug rights” promoters filed lawsuits asking the courts to mandate the establishment of “Friends of Drug Lovers” support groups in the public schools, they would be laughed out of town.

No matter how one cuts it, schools and universities promoting queerness as an attractive lifestyle may one day find themselves being sued by those who become ill after being conscripted into this dangerous lifestyle.

The shrill defiance of gay activists has gone too far. Same-sex marriage is now out of the question. As an “economic right” advocates now demand, same-sex marriage would not build chastity into open marriages.

Same-sex marriage is a viciously sexist proposition: the stated intent of feminist strategists is to secure the right for any two women to marry each other, turning marriage into a feminist political institution having chattel control of family, children, and the levers of political power. We are not far from this day. Upon creation of Obama’s White House Council on Women and Girls, N.O.W’s president (and Alpha-lesbian) Kim Gandy proudly proclaimed “We Got the Entire Cabinet.” Obama is set to inject gay lifestyle into the military, and sign a non-binding U.N. gay rights treaty that G.W. Bush refused to sign.

We have an aids epidemic in America caused by queer activists practicing and proselytizing their addiction. The epidemic is spreading into the heterosexual community at an alarming pace, most likely enhanced by swinging lesbians.

The sexual liberation movement now controls the White House. We can expect a downpour of mandates coming from Washington in the coming years. States must act to protect themselves.

Matters of public health and states’ interest are paramount. States should quickly enact health laws making homosexuality illegal and sending those who insist on practicing it into sexual addiction recovery programs until they get well. The alternative is to end up with yet another victim group needing ongoing federal and state bailouts this country cannot afford.
Lesbians get AIDS? And what gay parties is he getting invited to that I am not???

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Hong Kong Time Lapse

In a marathon 36-hour stretch of working, so I'm not really posting, but this is an awesome video from last night in Hong Kong as it celebrated Earth Hour.

Thought I'd share at least something today.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Earth Hour


I'll be at the hospital during Earth Hour (8:30pm-9:30pm). I turned off my lights and my computer at home, though, and I'll be using Blackle if I need to search here at work.

Make it a good hour!

Texas vs. Science

From Salon.com
Dan McLeroy, the Texas State Board of Education chairman, a dentist and self-described creationist, led the charge to mandate teaching the "strengths and weaknesses" of the theory of evolution. After three days of high-pitched argument on both sides, the 15-member board, by a vote of 8-7, rejected the language, relieving textbook authors and publishers of the pressure to insert what opponents called "junk science" into their pages. But in a compromise that alarms and dismays many science education advocates, the board did adopt language that attempts to cast a shadow of doubt over the validity of the central evolutionary concepts of natural selection and common ancestry.

Proponents of the theory of intelligent design, and other brands of neo-creationism, argue that evolution is inadequate to the job of explaining the diversity and history of life on earth. If they can cast doubts about evolution's validity, they have a chance to fill the authority vacuum with the tenets of creationism. But since late 2005, when a federal judge in Dover, Pa., ruled that intelligent design was a form of creationism, and that its introduction into public high school curricula was unconstitutional, advocates of teaching neo-creationism have been forced to seek other ways into public science classrooms. Enter the "strengths and weaknesses" strategy, crafted by the Seattle-based, pro-intelligent-design think thank, Discovery Institute...

Not that science makes sense to a creationist like McLeroy. "Scientific consensus means nothing," he tells Salon. "All it takes is one fact to overthrow consensus. Evolution has a status that it simply doesn't deserve. People say it's vital to understanding biology. But it's genetics that's the foundation for biology. A biologist once said that nothing in biology makes sense without evolution. Well, that's not true. You go into the top biology labs, and it makes no difference if evolution is true or false to what they're doing and studying. It makes no difference."

It makes all the difference in the world, says Miller, who notes the irony of McLeroy quoting Dobzhansky, one of the fathers of the modern evolutionary synthesis. Adds Miller: McLeroy's "fundamental misunderstanding of the way genetics and evolution have produced a unified science of biology is nothing short of breathtaking."
This whole debate makes my head hurt. I thought intelligent design was pretty much discredited.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Bizarre Week and OFF

To my wonderful readers:

It's been a weird week. I was sick last night while trying to study for my test at 8:30am.

Short note: got an 80 on the exam (5.5 points above the class average!). Plus, we got our paper grades back, and I got a 96! This means my new average is an 81! This is exceptionally low for me; after all, I graduated cum laude from Miami University, but this is an accelerated nursing program, and people are now dropping like flies.

"There's something to be said for just surviving," my dad said on the phone this morning. True statement.

I'm feeling better, and my stressors are lightened (for right now -- I have 36 hours of work in a row from Saturday night into Monday morning). Thus, I'm off to Columbus for the night for a great night out with Kurtis, Leslie, Brian, and Chris! No blogs out of me for the next day or so... sorry 'bout that, yo! Check out my friends on my blogroll to your right.

For now, I'm out for fun and adventure! No doubt there will be a story for you.

Much love,

Barry Floore
QueerCincinnati.com

COLAGE in Cincinnati


Thanks to Steve B. @ Rainbow Cincinnati.

COLAGE -- Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere -- has arrived in Cincinnati for the support of, well, children of lesbians and gays. 

For more information, contact Tracey DuEst, COLAGE Cincinnati Coordinator, at 513-678-6809, or Julia Spiegel, COLAGE NKY Coordinator, at 513-410-5404, or email cincy@colage.org.

For more information, check out this excellent interview with a child of a lesbian couple this week.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Equal Marriage Update


A lot of news has come out in the last few days about equal marriage, so let's just do a quick round-up:
  • New York: Both Sen. Charles Schumer and Mayor Bloomberg (and NYC City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn) have come out in support of gay marriage, despite the NY State Democrats block in the current session. Simultaneously, Governor Patterson both required all agencies to acknowledge out of state gay marriages and NYC gay couples are now allowed to list same-sex parents on birth certificates.
  • New Hampshire: Even though there was a blockade in the NH State Senate against the equal marriage bill, the NH State House has passed the bill. It was a squeaker -- 186-179, and then only after a brief recess to discuss the issue. But still... it's on its way!
  • Hawai'i: After a civil unions bill passed the State House with flying colors (33-17), it got deadlocked in the Senate Judiciary Committee and is now dead, even after a valiant attempt to save it.
  • Maine: Seems like the gays are taking on the family/children argument -- something I always said that we would never win. We'll see.
  • Vermont: Gay rights proponents are not giving up after Gov. Douglas stated that he would veto an equal marriage bill. Rather, they are counting heads and seeing if they have the requisite 2/3 of both houses to overturn a veto. I think we do, it seems, in at least one house.
  • Delaware: Meanwhile, Delaware is fighting a double-whammy: a bill that would protect LGBT folks in all things wonderful, and one that would ban same-sex discrimination. Great. 
That's about all I got for the day.

HRC's Position on an Inclusive ENDA

Photobucket

Thanks to PamsHouseBlend...

HRC has changed its policy on supporting an inclusive ENDA -- one that protects gender identity and expression for the whole country. 

Their new policy:
It's the policy of HRC that the organization will only support an inclusive ENDA. In 2007 House leadership informed us that there were insufficient votes to pass an inclusive bill, so they decided to vote on a sexual orientation only bill. We made a one time exception to our policy in 2007 because we strongly believed that supporting this vote would do more to advance inclusive legislation. We will not support such a strategy again. We look forward to Congress sending President Obama a fully inclusive ENDA for his signature.
I've oscillated on this point; my initial statements drew a lot of criticism. I was one of the "support it slowly" argument-makers -- you know, "let's get this now and work on other things later." Right. I have since changed my mind, clearly. I am now a inclusive-only ENDA supporter.

I'll let you read Pam's above linked article and make decisions for yourself on the situation and the change in policy.

GLSEN Meets with Education Secretary


Thanks to our local fabulous GLSEN representatives for the heads up...

From the National GLSEN blog:
In an historic first, GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard and a delegation of students and teachers met with Education Secretary Arne Duncan today to discuss the importance of anti-bullying efforts to the Administration's education reform agenda.

Secretary Duncan affirmed a commitment to make schools safe for every student, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

"It was moving to witness these students and teachers sharing their personal stories of pain, rejection, resilience and hope with the nation’s top education official," Byard said. "Secretary Duncan showed great compassion for their experiences, respect for their perseverance and dedication to identifying effective responses to school climate issues. I am confident that we will see growing engagement with these issues at the Department of Education and truly positive change."

Secretary Duncan also expressed an interest in finding ways to highlight the problem of bullying and harassment in national discussions about education, and requested further data on a number of proposed interventions.
Can I just say: thank God.

I think my own experience was lucky, growing up in South Carolina. I think my school accepted it fairly well when I came out my freshman year. It was not as... well, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Sure, I was called fag; sure, I had a rock thrown at me (a theme in my life, it seems); sure, I was asked not to turn around in the gym locker room so I couldn't "look at us [the boys]."

Blah, blah, blah. But by the time I was a senior, it was almost normal -- gay Barry.

But a lot of people have it worse. A lot, a lot of people. And I'm glad that the Obama administration is open to the discussion. Thank you, GLSEN.

Harvey Milk Stamp?

I know, I know, it seems I'm culling Facebook this morning for material, but this is worthwhile because it's an actual movement that's growing that's started by Equality Cincinnati's own Daniel Drent. That is, asking the Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee of the US Postal Service to honor Harvey Milk with his own stamp.

What do you think the stamp should look like?

Chris Finney -- Part Three

Update: This blog was linked on Towleroad.com -- Thanks, Andy! -- and I wanted to welcome all the Towleroad readers over here to QueerCincinnati.com! To follow up with this story, there are lots of links in the follow posting, and you can check out my two other responses (Part 1, and Part 2). To sum up, for your benefit: Chris Smitherman, Cincinnati politician and President of the local NAACP and a historical supporter of LGBT rights here in the 'Nati, brought Chris Finney, arch-conservative firebrand and historical anti-gay activist, as the Chair of Legal Redress for the local organization. This details the further fallout of that decision...
I don't think we've ever gotten to a "Part Three" on any topic here at QueerCincinnati.com. Interesting. Those pictures are awful of both of them, btw.

I've been given the heads up by my "hacker" -- the mysterious person sending me links via my own account -- about two CityBeat bits that have come out about the Smitherman-Finney relationship. First, CityBeat (in its most recent issue) gives us a great lay out of Finney's history of anti-gay work here in town, including the first indication from Smitherman on his position: 
“Chris Finney has done a fabulous job for the NAACP over the last two years,” Smitherman says, referring to successful ballot issues that blocked a sales tax increase to build a new jail and repealed City Council’s decision to install red-light cameras at intersections. “He has earned our confidence in him with our legal work. I cannot be concerned with the interests of any other constituency group. I must look out for the interests of our membership.”
Hm. OK. Meanwhile, a blog post at CityBeat goes a little further into Smitherman's position:
Finney has belonged to the NAACP’s local chapter for about three years, Smitherman added. With his recent appointment as “chair of legal redress,” Finney becomes one of two white members on the chapter’s executive committee.

“You have to practice what you preach,” Smitherman said.

Also, Smitherman isn’t overly concerned if Finney’s appointment upsets Cincinnati’s gay community.

“As if I would care what they think about that. They don’t have a relationship with the Cincinnati NAACP,” Smitherman said. “(Finney’s) been working and communicating with us. The question is, where are these other communities?”

In fact, Smitherman dismisses much of the criticism about the appointment as instigated by the Hamilton County Democratic Party. Noting that the local party has opposed the NAACP chapter’s last three efforts — blocking a sales tax hike to build a new jail, overturning City Council’s approval of red-light cameras and trying to revive Proportional Representation — he said thoughtful residents should be more angered at the party.

“There’s no issue that we’ve put on (the ballot) that the Democratic Party has supported,” Smitherman said. “People call Chris Finney radical, but it’s the positions of the local Democratic Party that are radical.”
OK. Strange. George Ellis, President of Equality Cincinnati, in the former article, states that he would like to speak specifically to Smitherman about this appointment before any position is made. Ellis and I disagree on a lot, and I'll be interested to know the outcome of that meeting -- seriously, I would.

Smitherman has made, in the past, some excellent points about racism within the gay community. And I'm not going to say its unfair for him to go a step farther and ask where were these groups when the NAACP needed them? I think that's kind of the point of a progressive movment, isn't it? To build a movement, and to work together. So I'm not going to say Smitherman is completely off-balance by saying any of that. I think they are valid and interesting points to bring to the table when discussing LGBT-African American relations, especially in a city like Cincinnati. 

With no snarkiness, and absolutely no backstabbing or bitchiness, I'll say that I'm curious to know the outcome of a potential Equality Cincinnati-NAACP meeting over this very issue.

Meanwhile, friend Texas Liberal, a former Cincinnati resident, makes a fascinating connection: "Writing about this issue and seeing that Chris Finney is still causing trouble after I’ve been away from Cincinnati for 11 years reminds me of the Jean Sartre play No Exit. The same people year after year after year afflicting each other by dredging up bad memories and the inability to leave the room even though they may in fact have the option to go elsewhere."

And the Cincinnati Black Blog is up in an uproar over the -- ahem -- uproar: "The Beacon Boys are, quite predictably, mad about the appointment. They object to Finney because of his history of opposing special rights for white male homosexuals who want affirmative action and preferential treatment because of who they sleep with, even though there is no history of homosexuals, as a group, being denied jobs and contracts based on their sexual orientation." To which I have one response: why does anyone read the Cincinnati Black Blog? Why do I? I think it's just to get angry in the morning.

Finally, our friend Wolfie at Back2Stonewall.com is making waves trying to get in touch with the National NAACP over the appointment. He received this response: "As you know the NAACP’s national position does not condone any discrimination or denial of civil and human rights and that includes towards the LGBT community." He's waiting on further response.

As for me... well... 

...this is my first foray into politics, so I'm sitting back and listening, wondering, and reading. Except to say: maybe black folk aren't wrong. Maybe it's time we stood up for them at some point, too, instead of expecting them to stand up for us.

I'm just sayin'.


Oh, and I just got another heads up from my hacker that Christopher Smitherman hosts a show every Saturday from 5:00pm-6:30pm on 1230am/WDBZ. It's a call-in program, apparently. I don't know. Again, I'm just sayin'

Update: I don't know if you are following the comments, but the story is starting to take off just a bit. Check out the run on Box Turtle Bulletin, 365Gay.com, and Lavender Newswire.

HIV/AIDS Updates!

Haven't done one of these in a long while, so I thought I might take the opportunity to do one real quick. There are some big duh's in here:
  • The World Health Organization is shouting to the heavens on the connection between TB and HIV. The link is especially notable in the developed world, btw, as TB is very rare, though we have the occasional outbreak. In short: if you develop TB, it is recommended you be tested for HIV ASAP. 
  • We're back on the "circumcision helps prevent HIV" kick again. Except now we're saying it also helps protect against other STDs like herpes and HPV. Question: how about we press for condoms?
  • Oh, because the Pope isn't sure it's a great idea. There's a lot of interesting fallout from the statement that condoms promote AIDS (there are two links there, btw). Though I wouldn't call condom use, really, a "cult" -- more of a push. 
  • What?! Early treatment can lower the effects of a disease on your body -- SHUT UP!
Anyways, have a great day!

Community Events

I have a lot to cover today, so I'll try to make it through it all. I'm also updating my events calendar (to the right of your screen) to reflect these changes:

April 6th-10th, Miami University Awareness Week
Spectrum's (MU's LGBTQ Alliance) week-long series of talks, events, and concerts. I don't have the details on it -- sorry! -- oh, but they do :-). The only note is that there has been the addition of the Pride Parade and the Drag Show has been moved to the 17th of April.


March 26-29
Xavier's theater department will be doing a four show run of the internationally renowned showed, Angels in America. No invitation for me to review though :-(. It's ok. I'm busy. LOL.



Tuesday, April 7, 12:30pm
UC Rally for a full time LGBTQ Coordinator on campus, from their Facebook event: "The University of Cincinnati LGBTQ Students have been told by the Administration that they support All Kinds of Diversity. We have yet to see this support because while we have been given a “permanent” space it is very small and is not adequate for our needs. Also we have not received funding for a full time staff person. It is time to show the administration the support that we have for our community and show them that we need THEIR support for us." I think I'll talk about this in greater detail later.


Friday, March 27, 9:00pm
The Contemporary Arts Center is putting on one of their fabulous parties -- this one entitled spin -- from their Facebook event: "Join us as the CAC finishes the Final Friday circuit! The hottest ticket in town will be the CAC’s Contemporary Fridays re-imagined. On the final Friday of each month* the CAC will cater to this city’s vibrant population of art and night life enthusiasts. With both the Store and the galleries remaining open until 9 pm, downtown devotees can shop and stroll to their hearts’ content. Those with energy to spare can stay for the after party starting at 9pm when the CAC’s Kaplan Hall turns into Cincinnati’s hippest club. This month it is hosted by PROJECMILL**! PROJECTMILL orchestrates amazing multi-sensory dance parties at the Northside Tavern every month as part of their DMF series. Who knows what to expect when they bring their creative energy to the CAC?! —the party won’t stop until 1 am."


Friday, April 10th, 8:00pm
I actually got an email from darling Jori C. on this one, though I lost it so I have to default back to their Facebook event: "The Coochie Chronicles comes in the tradition of the Vagina Monologues. The Coochie Chronicles is a frank, melodic, exploration into the sexuality, lives, politics, stereotypes, and realities of women of color." I am as yet undecided on my attendance, but I think I might actually go!


Saturday, July 11, 6:00pm
Darling Montgomery's next public showing at Scott Knox's foyer at 6:00pm. Again, defaulting to the Facebook event. Sorry, the information is so much more concise!!

And I really want to make sure you all remember two major events supporting two very important organizations in the Cincy area coming up very soon...
Also: next Pride Meeting is on 4/14 at 7:00pm at the New Spirit MCC

If you have an event you would like posted/pimped -- clearly I'm not talking about them much any more, as they are coming in so quickly -- just shoot me an email at queercincinnati@gmail.com or send me a Facebook invite.

Obama Admin is Pro-Medical Marijuana


Seriously, from the NYTimes:
Attorney General Eric Holder announced last week that the federal government will no longer prosecute dispensers of medical marijuana if they comply with state law. That should bring relief to people who need marijuana for health reasons and free up law enforcement resources for more important work.
I'm just going to say it: it's time to end the unnecessary war on marijuana in this country. Period. Not only does it become taxable, but it uncrowds our jails (reducing expenditures) and allows our law enforcement departments to focus on real crime (thus reducing overall crime rates).

Marijuana is equitable to alcohol in its effects and is less addictive than the liquid. (The link there is older... anyone have more recent research?) In fact, it may be safer. 

And the war on medical marijuana -- come on. 

The least we can do is decriminalize it completely. 

And before you call me a pothead: I actually don't like marijuana -- shockingly, perhaps. Yea, yea, yea, we all "did that" at some point in our lives, but it certainly is not something I enjoy. Paranoia is something that is a daily problem in my mental health as it is -- and I'm fat -- so I need neither the mental side effects or the munchies to enhance anything.

Gay-Friendly Gainesville

(YouTube video not working -- go here.)

Gainesville has protected the rights of LGBT individuals in an overwhelming 58-42 victory. The fight was particularly nasty, producing the video above in the link above insinuating that protecting the 100 or so transgender residents of the city would lead to men following little girls into bathrooms? Absurdity and transphobia -- real advanced, folks.

The final count: 11,717 to 8,375. That's a pretty sweeping victory.

But Gay.com has an interesting take on the win:
Surrounded by notoriously conservative northern Florida, should Gainesville now be considered a "gay-friendly" city -- or was it simply the high turn out of liberal-minded University of Florida students who were responsible for swinging the vote more toward equality?
My take? Simple: we didn't really talk about this one much, did we? Even I only posted once on the situation and then only because it looked like Cincinnati, in a way. Have we already moved so far past Prop8, have we already had the necessary country-community-catharsis that we aren't going to fight with each other? Or, are we now so insularized by 1,000,000 little fights that we don't have the time to fight for these little places.

I mean, we should win this kind of battle, even in Gainesville. Hell, we should win this kind of fight in Birmingham (AL) and 96 (SC -- and yes, there is a city in SC called 96).

But we kinda let this one slide, didn't we?

On Barack Obama

I think everyone should take a quick moment to check out TheSkeptikOne's random musings on a bunch of issues. I think her point on Pres. Obama is worth it:
They really do believe that he is magic if they actually thought he was going to be able to clean up this mess in about 2 months on the job....

Ya'll need to chill....

Other Magic Negroes have taken a while to find their game, too...
I really think all of you should follow her blog, like, now. She's fantastic and a hell of a lot more interesting than me :-).

Cincy Dems and Other Bits on Election 2010

I've been really lax this week -- it's been crazy, crazy, crazy in my life here in Queer-world. I apologize for not keeping up with the world... but I promise I've got a couple coming through. Including, but not limited to, the follow-ups on the Chris Finney situation.

The Election itself for 2010 is awfully quiet. I got to meet a possible City Council nominee for the Dem's this past weekend -- he was making the rounds at a few gay meetings to introduce himself and shake hands -- and he was cute enough. Seemed supportive, overall, but I didn't get a chance to really ask him a lot of detailed questions. I'll be sure to talk more about him once the Dems, Reps, and Charterites give their nods.

The biggest thing out there is an interesting article from the Cincinnati Enquirer on State Rep. Tyrone Yates and (possibly) Commissioner Todd Portune entering the Senate race for Ohio, against the growing field that already included Jennifer Brunner (D), Lee Fisher (D), and Rob Portman (R). It's starting to look like an all-out brawl, though the Dems are looking nicely to pick it up.

However, sadly enough for Yates/Portune is that Cincy Dems do not have a strong history on the state-wide scale, from the Enquirer:

There just haven't been many in the past 40 years, as Democratic primary elections have been dominated by northeast Ohio where the highest concentration of Democratic voters lives.

The last Cincinnatian to win one of the major state offices was John Gilligan who won the governor's office 39 years ago. Even after he won it, he couldn't keep it - he lost his bid for re-election four years later.

Jerry Springer, fresh off his stint as Cincinnati mayor and council, ran in the Democratic primary for governor 1982, but came in third in a field of three.

Cincinnati-area Republicans have never had that problem - the region has produced plenty of GOP statewide candidates, from former Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and former secretary of state J. Kenneth Blackwell to former state treasurer Joe Deters.

For decades now, Democratic candidates for any of the state's constitutional offices - governor, secretary of state, auditor and treasurer - and the state's two U.S. Senate seats tend to be from parts of the state other than Cincinnati and southwest Ohio.

But there are some signs that may change soon.

"I'm not saying we have gone completely blue in Hamilton County, but everything has been moving in our direction in the last few elections,'' said Hamilton County Democratic Party chairman Tim Burke, pointing to Barack Obama's win over John McCain in Hamilton County and Steve Driehaus' ousting Republican incumbent Steve Chabot in the 1st Congressional District last fall.
A lot of the outcome is hinging on the economy -- and once very popular Gov. Strickland is starting to sink in the polls because of it (threatening his cozy position, but no one has really stepped up yet to take it on, except for a minor State Senator from Cuyahoga Falls -- please don't let me eat those words).

And all of this matters, of course, because 2011 is the redistricting year -- EEP! This is the year to be in control.

Oh, and the other big news is that Jim Bunning in Kentucky continues to plug on. I'm actually starting to respect the old curmudgeon, going up against the establishment and all that. I'm impressed. But, of course, anyone who takes on Mitch McConnell in a nasty, to-the-political-death fight very much in public is my hero. You know what the respectability of McConnell becomes should Bunning win the election.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Vermont Same-Sex Marriage to be Veto'd


From the Associated Press:
Gov. Jim Douglas said Wednesday he will veto a gay-marriage proposal if it passes the Legislature, the first time he has signaled such an intent before final legislative action on a bill.

Speaking at an afternoon news conference, the Republican governor said that he thought Vermont's first-in-the-nation civil unions law, passed in 2000, provided sufficient rights to same-sex couples and that he believed "marriage should remain between a man and woman."

"For those reasons and because I believe that by removing any uncertainty about my position we can move more quickly beyond this debate, I am announcing that I intend to veto this legislation when it reaches my desk," he proclaimed.

For those following: it passed the Senate this week and is expected to pass the House, as well. He's claiming that the economy is more important right now. Um, what?

WEARING WHAT WEDNESDAY: Ben Cohen

This slice of absolute deliciousness popped up on my Facebook accoutn as having several of my friends as his supporters. I'll tell you right now: I do not think the reason people "support" Ben Cohen is because he's a great UK Rugby star.

Seriously...






I am in love with him for these pictures.








Damn. Now I have to go into work. Ben Cohen is my new husband, so back off ladies.

Neat -- I got hacked

My blog email -- queercincinnati@gmail.com -- was hacked.

I've been mysteriously sending messages to myself with a great deal of information about stuff that is relevant to my postings.

It's been weird, these last few days. I thought it was all in my head.

I've officially been hacked.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Honoring a Friend

In honor of Doug Feld, Spectrum (Miami University's LGBTQI student organization) has decided to use the April drag show in Oxford as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, per the family's wishes to honor him.

April 17th, 10:30pm, Balcony Bar in Uptown Oxford 
(I believe that's all correct)

I'm sure you'll get a text from me about this. Jeffery -- I'm going to see how long it takes before you read this because I'm kind of sadistic, but, mostly, I need to go to bed, and I'll call you tonight.

After all, I've asked to be able to talk about Jeff and Doug... oh, and do a number.

Equality Omnibus

The next great move in LGBT Equality is the idea of an Omnibus bill -- that is, putting through all the rights at once rather than piecemealing it one by one. eQualityGiving identifies twelve key areas in which rights are different and/or are differentiated by state/region/municipality:
Employment
Housing
Public accommodation
Public facilities
Credit
Federally funded programs and activities
Education
Disability
Civil marriage
Hate crimes
Armed forces
Immigration
I mean, I would add, also, insurance coverage (including sex reassignment surgery).

They have a full discussion of the proposal here (PDF).

Just one of the better ideas out there, right now.

Thanks to National Equality Tax Revolution, who summed it up nicely: "Best Idea Yet."

Monday, March 23, 2009

Body Tagging

Oh, the gipsters and their wonderfulness. 

Thanks to It's Tea for the heads up to this fun little project from my new favorite flash activist/artist -- Ethan Philbrick. Someone asked, "What is his role in the community?" I am deeming him Cincinnati's flasher.

Wait, no. That's not right.

Anyways, "body tagging" is described, by Mr. Lohr of It's Tea, as: "body tagging juxtaposes the figural shapes of the human body against the built urban environment (as graffiti does the same with paint)." Involved are, of course, Mr. Lohr and Ethan... but also "sidd finch" (Jeff Elrod) of centsinnati, who seems to be returning quietly to the blogging world.

I think I have a not-so-secret blog crush on those three boys. 

This is my new favorite one, though, from the Facebook pictures (so may not come up if your work blocks Facebook):


I like this movement and the way the two are contorted but seem to still fit together.

Genre Magazine Ceases Publication


Gay monthly Genre is ceasing publication, citing the ongoing recession.
"We thank all of our readers, advertisers and editorial staff for their support throughout our more than 16-year history and hope that we can re-establish our relationship when times are better," company CEO David Unger said in a statement.
On another note, it's interesting when New York Magazine cites Towleroad as their source. It's starting to look rough out there for the print media, isn't it? The question I have, of course, is if we replace "real" media... what are we left with?

The democratization of information comes with a whole new mess of issues -- chief among them is reliability. 

Cincinnati Rollergirls

... are amazing!

Seriously, thanks to @MissPrint95 's invitation (she is on the team and she is filled with the awesome), we got to watch what, I think, is the coolest sport known to mankind... the rollerderby.

Don't believe me, check out the Cincinnati Rollergirls' YouTube video:

They whooped some serious Knoxville butt on Saturday night (one of the teams beat the other Knoxville team by an absurd 175-38)-- an event I had the pleasure of enjoying with AmyInOhio and Katy (of Kate's Random Musings), with @RadioCarla and Debba of Girlfriendology rolling by to say hey. Apparently, we have a really good team here in town, something like 17th or 19th out of the 60 nationally ranked teams.

By the end of the night, we had become so used to scream bizarre names -- "Blu Bayou" (blew by you), "Sk8-crime," "8-her," "Rockalottapus," "Karma Krash," etc. -- and had become normalized to the terminology ("the jam," "lead jammer," "pivot," etc.) that we were practically professionals. 
#Cincyrollergirls kind of rocked Knox!!! on TwitPic

Seriously, a great night out planned by the growing Cincinnati Imports crew.

Can't wait for the next round on the 11th of April when Cincinnati goes up against Cleveland!!!

Don't know what RollerGirls are all about or how to play, check out this excellent instructional video. I understand, now, the white board in the center of the ring -- they are totalling up the minor penalties.

Update: Check out the pics from 5chw4r7z.

More on Xavier: Queer Week!

This is for the Community Events. Thought it just easier to post the whole thing and go with it, right? I believe this is next week.

Queer Week
A week to embrace and celebrate the use of queer as an inclusive, unifying socio-political term for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, straight, transsexual, intersexual, gender queer, or anyone else who supports the equality of all identities and expressions.

Throughout the entire week: Observe the display of over 2,000 rainbow flags on the academic mall honoring LGBTQ victims of bias-motivated hate crimes in 2007.

Monday:
1:30 Distribution of ‘Gay, Fine by Me’ T-Shirts on the Greenspace
7pm Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Hate Crimes (Open to the Public!)
-Xavier Alliance would like to invite the greater Xavier community to honor the over 2,000 victims of hate crimes in 2007. We also hope to bring voice to the many unreported, unheard victims of biased violence. A crime against one, is a crime against all. Co-Sponsored by Campus Ministry and Gospel Choir

Tuesday:
Queer Awareness Display and Tabling in Gallagher

Wednesday:
7pm An academic performance by Kate Bornstein “On Women, Men and the Rest of Us” in Kelley Auditorium
-Join Xavier Alliance in welcoming Kate Bornstein, an American author, playwright, performance artist and gender theorist. She will grace Xavier with an academic performance regarding the intricacies of gender within us all. Event open to the public!

Thursday:
7pm Showing of ‘Milk’ with panel discussion in Gallagher Theater

Friday:
4pm Same-Sex Hand Holding Day/Solidarity and Closing Ceremonies
-Sure, Xavier is tolerant.. but what about full acceptance? Spend the day in solidarity with LGBTQ students at Xavier by holding the hand of someone of the same-sex while walking around campus and to class. Then, join us at 4pm on the Academic Mall for the Closing Ceremonies of Queer Week.

A question of flaunting

"Until same-sex marriage is legal everywhere and same-sex couples are allowed the rights as every heterosexual couple worldwide, we simply do not think it's fair or just for a female bride-to-be to celebrate her upcoming nuptials here at Cocktail. We are entitled to an opinion, this is ours."

This article is making the rounds on the gay blogosphere, so I wanted to see what QC.com readers thought of it (the discussion at JMG is interesting):
The women come to celebrate without having to worry about straight men pawing them. The gay men are there because, well, they don't want to be around a lot of women.

For years, some bar owners have tried to accommodate both groups, but that's becoming increasingly difficult. With California's vote last November in favor of the gay-marriage ban known as Proposition 8, some gays are saying that bachelorette parties at their bars are becoming more than a minor nuisance. They're a constant reminder that gays don't have equal marriage rights.

"The women are a hoot, and some can be just delightful," said Geno Zaharakis, the owner of Cocktail, a gay bar on North Halsted Street. "But because not everybody can get married, watching them celebrate, it's such a slap in the face. Prop 8 just reopened the wound."

Zaharakis told me that Cocktail stopped hosting bachelorette parties a couple of years ago when he noticed his gay patrons weren't just complaining about the women being minor irritants but about them "flaunting" their right to marry. So Zaharakis hung a sign on the front door of his establishment that says, "Bachelorette Parties Are Not Allowed."
I'd be curious to know what your take on it.

As a side note, I call it "homo-tourism" with my straight friends -- taking the girls to the gay bar. That's just one the many words I bring to the table. :-)

Vermont Senate OKs Equal Marriage


And it's begun. Vermont's Senate passed the equal marriage bill, and the House is expected to as well.

All that's left? The unknown governor.

I think this is the proper video from the Burlington Free Press site:

Congratulations, Xavier

On making it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA March Madness!

Why do I get the feeling that, if they'd lost, the Pope would come and blame the loss solely on Cameron Tolle?

Sunday, March 22, 2009

On Chris Finney -- Part Deux

My last blog post was long and rambling, so I'll try to condense it down:

The NAACP of Cincinnati has hired Chris Finney to be their Director of Legal Redress, despite his conservative and anti-gay history. The national NAACP, the local NAACP, and the local chairperson (Christopher Smitherman) have, in the past, been in general support of LGBT rights in the city and in the country as a whole.

Thus, QueerCincinnati.com's take on the whole situation is thus: Why Chris Finney?

I think it's a fair question, considering Finney's history as a conservative firebrand quick to shout an opponent down and do anything to win a campaign. Are we appealing to what people believe as "central Cincinnati conservativism," does it indicate a shift to a more aggressive local NAACP, or does the pick indicate the NAACP, locally, is moving away from its progressive roots to move more within the conservative halls of the local body politic?

And where does that leave the relationship between the local NAACP and local gay rights organizations?

In short: Why Chris Finney? Totally reasonable to ask, IMHO.

There, much better. It helps to write everything down in one sitting instead of coming back to it a couple of times.

On Chris Finney

The Beacon has posted a bit on the Cincinnati NAACP's recent decision to hire Chris Finney as the Chair of Legal Redress. It's an interesting read, even if you aren't familiar with Chris Finney. And, truth be told, I had no idea who he was until yesterday when someone mentioned him in passing in conversation.

Update: the Cincinnati Blog also calls out the move as the "they [the NAACP] must believe Civil Rights no longer matter."

It's amazing how things like this come together.

There are two central points to the Beacon article:

1) Chris Finney has a long history of being a conservative activist and attempted to make sure that hate crime laws in Cincinnati did not cover sexual orientation. More importantly, he was one of the authors and main supporters of Issue 3 here in town -- "Issue 3," btw, became the infamous Article XII that specifically barred protections for LGBT Cincinnatians.

2) The NAACP, though the national organization's board is support of the LGBT community, and the local President (Chris Smitherman) has been supportive in the past, is making a very strange decision here.

And it is a strange choice.

Mr. Finney is no stranger to the news, though, a simple Google search brings up a host of news articles and blog postings -- everything to coverage of an outburst Finney had during a Pepper news conference to a Business Courier article on his mean-spirited tactics in campaigns to not supporting the repeal of Article XII in 2004 to his involvement in banning red light cameras in both Toledo and Cincinnati (and, in his defense, his defense of a woman who was trying to seek visitation rights from her ex-husband). In short, the man is a conservative firebrand, it seems, who does not shy away from the public spotlight. (Not unlike us bloggers, sometimes :-) -- I'll own up to it, at least.)

So, why would the NAACP -- a more progressive organization -- hire Finney to represent them? Finney just led the NAACP lawsuit against the City of Cincinnati over the powers of the City Manager. The relationship appears to have begun over the red light camera bits, with Finney working with COAST (Coalition to Oppose Additional Spending and Taxes), which is the earliest connection I could find.

I mean, I think there is a valid point that Smitherman brought up after his failed re-election bid:

That leads him to the biggest disappointment of his re-election campaign: the failure of the gay white community to return the favor. Smitherman says he traded a lot of political capital to support the repeal of Article 12, an unpopular issue with his African-American base.

But he hasn’t seen the gay community support Roger Owensby Sr.’s campaign to get justice for his son, an unarmed man who died in police custody in 2000. Nor did they lend meaningful support to his re-election campaign, Smitherman says.

“When the repeal of Article 12 happened (they said) ‘We need to be on the Buzz (WDBZ, 1230 AM), we need to be on WCIN, we need to be on 1320, we need to be at every church everywhere,’ so we know that you know where the churches are, we know that you know where the radio stations are,” Smitherman says. “But when one of their biggest advocates is up for re-election and then they’re reading The Enquirer—that maligned their community, that doesn’t support them—and then you believe what you read in The Enquirer about me, there’s something sick about you.”

He says the gay community must address racism within its ranks, which contributes to a rift with the African-American community.

“They, meaning the gay community, take no responsibility for that disconnection,” Smitherman says. “They just say, ‘The black community is homophobic,’ not ‘We’re just adding to the broken relationship by taking and not giving.’ “

He concedes that racism can flow both—many—ways.
True -- racism within the gay community is something that I think we should look at very specifically. And, yes, I think there is some valid point to be made that, though we ask for a lot of support for gay issues, we don't necessarily step up for them when they need it.

However, with the national NAACP, there is a growing support of LGBT issues, as evidenced by this video by Chairman Julian Bond supporting the NO on 8 movement:


And this even more recent message to the HRC stating that gay rights are civil rights:


Appropriately, it would be good to remember that it works the other way (gay rights are civil rights; but, perhaps as importantly, civil rights include gay rights).

Regardless...

Back to Chris Finney.

I think this is turning out to be one of those, "I'm not sayin' anything, I'm just sayin'" posts. Except for two points for me:

1) Why Chris Finney? Though the thought seems to be that a) he's won some court cases for them (and may, in fact, be a good lawyer... and some indications sound like he watches politics pretty closely), and b) it appeals to the conservative nature of the city and the body politic. But, considering his history and the overwhleming progressive nature of the national organization, it seems like a surprising move.

2) We, as the homosexuals of the world, should start addressing some of our own issues. This includes racism, but also includes transphobia, sexism, classism, our own health, and a multitude of other issues. Smitherman was not wrong to point it out. (But the reverse is not wrong, either... that there is homophobia in the black community... but that's not my issue to deal with internally except with the love and tolerance it takes to open someone's mind.)

Anyways, that's all I'm sayin'. But who knows, I'm rarely right about these things.

How good can rise from bad


(From CNN.)

Obama's joke was insensitive and wrong. Duh.

But the Special Olympics are handling it masterfully and turning it into an opportunity to start a public conversation on the way we deal with handicap in this country.

And I'm happy with that conversation finally happening.

The Special Olympics has launched a website known as the R-Word.org to spread awareness about this very issue. Chec it out!

Gay Chicken -- Part Deux

In regards to this post, Clips n Chips -- a blogger I like a lot -- brings up a better point about the "gay chicken" rage sweeping the internet. 

This is his response:
That being said the popular "Gay Chicken" trend that is sweeping the Internet troubles me a little, because I think it implies being gay is weird and bizarre that really undercuts what many of us are trying to do. While like many I appreciate the a good gay joke every now and again, which is why I am only in the 3-6 range as a LGBT Ally when I last did Safe-Zone Training, the idea of daring another guy to see who bails out first as a test of manliness is just irritating....

I'm not too surprised mocking what gay guys do and/or using homosexuality as a form of testing how manly a (straight) a guy is, is not new. Throughout our pop culture history gay characters have been used to display exuberant flamboyance as a juxtaposition to what "normal guys" are supposed to be like. And I think Gay Chicken is an extension of that with a twist. 

First of all the act itself act itself is seen as taboo, and the inherit goal is not to actual kiss (or do other things) to the other guy but rather just last longer. It's essentially a test of Bravado, where "gay acts" are used a proxy. And so the game presents several different messages: (1) homosexuality, or "gay acts", are weird/taboo, (2) only 'real' men can stand the heat and stick through it, and(3) the guy that bails out for is "gay" for not being to handle it. 
I accept that, as well. I mean, I still stand by the gay chicken craze allows some to experiment safely, or express some form of homo-eroticism without being called "gay," but, like girl-on-girl porn, it's mockery.

Seriously, search for gay chicken on YouTube. Lots and lots and lots of videos -- some more homophobic than others -- some more homoerotic than I think they intend to be.

Why Terminators Transport Naked

From Bilerico...

Too funny NOT to repost.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

STUPID JOKE SATURDAY!

It returns!!!

What do you call a hundred rabbits marching backwards?
A receding hare-line
---
What do you call a midget psychic wanted by the FBI?
A small medium at large.
---
If you're an American in the living room, what are you in the bathroom?
European.
---
What's green and stands in a corner?
A naughty frog.
---
What did the boy melon say to the girl melon?
Sorry, Honeydew, but I cantaloupe.
---
Why did the mushroom go to a bar?
He was a fungi.

Why did he leave?
Wasn't mushroom.
---
What's brown and sticky?
a stick!
---
What's yellows and flies through walls?
a magic banana!
---
Oh and finally:

How do you keep a moron in suspense?

From Rae

Dear, dear Rae photoshopped a pic from this week's protest... I think it's quite lovely.

Sorry, woke up late and heading out the door. Many, many things to post. Guerilla Queer Bar event last night? Success. Everything Mr. Ethan P. touches these days turns into gold, it seems.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Charged Dropped Down

Thanks to Stuff Queer People Need to Know...
Matthew Kafagolis and Ethan Kirkwood, the alleged perpetrators in the anti-gay hate crime that took place on or near University of Cincinnati’s campus, are now being charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault each, according to the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts’ Web site. The charges were refiled as misdemeanors against the alleged perpetrators on March 19, and March 20, respectively. The original charges these individuals faced were felonious assault. The maximum penalty for a misdemeanor charge is less than a year in jail.
Both have been charged with two counts of: "ASSLT-KNOWINGLY,VICTIM HRMD M1 2903-13A ORCN." I don't know what that means. I think it's just describing where in the legal code the court is charging them under.

Gay Chicken

I love gay chicken videos. For your morning enjoyment... mildly NSFW...

Gay chicken is a silly straight boy game that allows them to safely "experiment." Seriously. Call me. We'll make it safe.

From Church of Our Savior


...one of the LGBT community's strongest faith-based activists in the community. It apparently was a big hit yesterday at the protest -- the image, that is. I got the chance to meet the Rev. Mother Paula Jackson and didn't realize whom I was speaking to. I should have been on one knee.

Thought I'd share the image.

Trans-Rights?

Cincinnati has protections for gender identity/expression. 

Did you know that both Massachusetts and Connecticut were gearing up for a fight to gain protections in those states? The story: Mass/Conn are good on marriage, bad on trans-rights; Cincinnati is good on trans-rights, bad on marriage.

Weird. I'm actually really surprised by this. 

Tennessee's Gag Rule on Gays

What's with Tennessee? In my head, they are still tainted by the Scopes Monkey Trial.

From NewsChannel5, out of Nashville:
One state lawmaker does not want homosexuality brought up at all in schools.

Rep. Stacey Campfield said he believes the issue of homosexuality can be too complicated for young minds to understand. Campfield filed, the "Don't Say Gay" bill, which would essentially ban teachers from talking about the topic.

"I think our teachers need to stick with reading, writing, and arithmetic," Campfield said. "It confuses a lot of children that are already in a difficult part of life, and it's a very complex issue."

Campfield pointed to newspaper articles as examples of where homosexuality was being taught in schools, like a program in Knoxville that contains information on aids, gay and lesbian sex. He said second graders had access to the information.

"Let's take this off the table, lets not talk about this to very young children, I don't see a problem with that," Campfield said.
And the news video:

I mean, I kinda see the whole "it's kids, let's pull things off the table," but we did sex ed in 5th grade... and I seriously doubt they would suggest something like, say, Christianity would be inappropriate to teach.

The point is this: I doubt it's part of their curriculum. And it sounds like a waste of time and a smoke screen. Veiled homophobia/heterosexism with the typical excuse, "We're saving the children!"