QueerCincinnati.com

New Site!

2009-08-03T18:39:00.003-04:00

Welcome to all of my fabulous visitors!

The oldsite -- with the bombastic URL "cincywestsidequeer.blogspot.com" -- is no longer the host for QueerCincinnai.com. Please update your bookmarks to the new site: http://queercincinnati.wordpress.com . Shortly, the URL www.queercincinnati.com will redirect you to the new site.

Thanks for reading, and look forward to you coming back!

Away! Away! Away!

2009-07-31T06:51:00.003-04:00

Off to Charleston -- maybe for the last time ever -- pray we stay in the air!

PS Check out the ad that I saw on QueerCincinnati.com, weird, huh? Especially considering the Scientologists are threatening (we think) to out John Travolta, at least his personal secrets, if he leaves the0 ~~church~~ ~~cult~~ ~~religion~~ practice.

Three Takes on the Same Story

2009-07-30T18:07:00.002-04:00

A South Carolina man has been charged with having sex with a horse -- for the second time.

Joe. My. God. says: "It's a crazy world, people."

Cincinnati Blog says: "In a new low, the Enquirer chose this story to pick up from the AP Wire. I guess they have a large equine readership down in the Bluegrass state that would be interested."

The owner, Barbara Kinley, via the Huffington Post, says: "Everyone around here has horses," Kenley said. "And they all said the same thing. You should have shot him."

I say: I have officially added "bestiality" to the list of tags on my blog. Win?

Cleveland: Finalist for Gay Games, 2014

2009-07-30T17:40:00.003-04:00

Thanks to UrbanCincy.com for the heads up:

Cleveland is a finalist to host the 2014 Gay Games, along with Washington, DC and Boston. UrbanCincy notes that the event could help pump nearly $60million into the northeastern Ohio economy, bringing in visitors and sportsmen from around the world. The bid was spearheaded by the Cleveland Synergy Foundation, and their full bid book is available online here.

The Gay Games have been around since 1984. Previous host cities have included New York City, Sydney (Australia), San Francisco, Vancouver, Amsterdam, and Chicago. The 2010 Games will occur in Cologne.

Kissing Mary

2009-07-28T18:06:00.005-04:00

Hamburger Mary's - Cincinnati is reopening its doors for lunch on July 29th (that's -- ahem, tomorrow), and tonight for dinner. The bar -- entitled "Dirty Mary's" -- is still underconstruction and will be open in approximately a month. Business Courier article, thanks to @winemedineme and the Wine Me, Dine Me, Cincinnati website.

Cincinnati will be participating in the Great Nationwide Kiss-in to protest police actions against same-sex PDA across the country, thanks to ImpactCincinnati and Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar. Facebook Event.

Ha -- this is me "on vacation."

On vacation!

2009-07-27T14:43:00.002-04:00

I'm taking a little vacation for the next week or so -- I'll be heading home to Charleston (SC) this weekend, so it is unlikely you'll hear from me until after then, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up!

Also, nearly done with Gone With the Wind ... any suggestions for my next read?

"The Sign"

2009-07-24T19:28:00.002-04:00

Out of Fort Worth, thanks to Towleroad...

Discuss.

Half-Naked New York Firemen and Don't Ask Don't Tell

2009-07-23T18:12:00.006-04:00

First, business. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's seat, has decided to pull an amendment to the defense bill -- the same one with the Matthew Shepard Act -- that would put a stay on discharges from the military based on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." She decided that the Senate did not have the necessary 60 votes to end a filibuster. So many things wrong with the thing, including the question of whether we really need to overcome a filibuster every time to get anything done anymore. Remember, it only takes 51 votes to pass, not 60. Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) have promised to propose legislation to end the discriminatory policy. No word on when though.

And, second, you know all how much I love beefcake. Well, the 2010 New York Firemen calendar has come out for purchase. Though, for the most part, it is an experiment in the thought that "men in groups look better than a man alone," it's still quite tasty to look through. Thanks to Queerty for the full photo set and the below video of the making of...

Joe.My.God. points out, astutely, that it's labeled the FDNY calendar -- not the NYFD calendar as in past years after a 2008 model was found performing in Guys Gone Wild video (link -- NSFW) with his massive schlong. The department pulled its support for the calendar soon after.

Purchase the 2010 calendar here.

Alice in Wonderland

2009-07-23T10:13:00.004-04:00

Thanks so much to Wolfie at Back2Stonewall for posting this. You do not know how much I love Tim Burton. I used to say (in high school) that my favorite movies were "dark, Gothic surrealism -- you know, things like Batman, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas." Then, I realized they were all done by the same guy. Though I think his love affair with Johnny Depp borders on homoerotic, you have to admit the two are made for each other.

I mean check out the trailer for 2010's Alice in Wonderland:

Oh, and wander over to Tim Burton's IMDB page, do I see the following as one of his next projects:
Whoa, dude. I think I just squealed a little bit.

HIV/AIDS Updates

2009-07-23T09:50:00.005-04:00

Nothing truly ground breaking this morning, but a couple of neat little snippets you might be interested in:

Chimps are getting sick from a disease that looks suspiciously like AIDS. The theory has long stood that HIV is a mutated version of the far more pacific chimp disease, SIV, though there has been no actual connection ever made. Our closest evolutionary cousins are starting to get sick and dying off, offering both a threat and a hope. On the one hand, chimpanzees are endangered and a radically virulent new illness further threatens their precarious existence; on the other hand, scientists can study why the monkeys do or don't get sick and may be able to apply it to humans. It's being called 'the missing link.'
Circumcision in men has been finally proven to not be an effective prevention measure for female partners. But it may be protective for men who have sex with men. Meanwhile, people with HIV/AIDS are being encouraged to take their meds to reduce transmission. Call me old school, how about this: wear a condom, get tested, get your partner tested. :-) (As a side note: I will comment that I am of the belief that without extraordinary intervention, especially in the developed world, we may have reached the lowest possible infection rate. And by "extraordinary intervention," I'm talking cure or vaccine or microbicide.)
Women progress to AIDS faster than men, even with the same level of virus in their body. Did you know that? Actually, I didn't either. Rather than quote the article from Science Daily based on a paper coming out this week (which uses sentences like: "Earlier studies indicated that pDCs recognize HIV-1 using a receptor called Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), leading to production of interferon-alpha and other important immune system molecules." which I barely understood), I'll sum it up this way: it appears that, again, a woman's hormones fuck them yet again. That was kind of insensitive of me.
In perhaps the most interesting ethical HIV questions to come out in a long time, the porn actress who was diagnosed with the disease is suing over the privacy of her medical records. Apparently, the state of California has subpoenaed her health care provider for information regarding her health status, and, most specifically, her identity. Can we call that "career ending?" Fuck Cal/OSHA.

Remember, make sure you are getting tested. For most people, every 6 months to a year is completely reasonable, but consult your HIV tester or health care provider for a more thorough assessment for your sexual risk and reduction methods. Contact STOP AIDS at 513-421-2437 to schedule a free, 20-minute oral HIV test. And pick up some condoms while you're there.

WEARING WHAT WEDNESDAY: Freddie Stroma

2009-07-23T09:36:00.004-04:00

In honor of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince -- which I've promised to see with my mother next weekend -- thought I'd brought to you a delicious little piece of man-candy known as Freddie Stroma, an upcoming British actor/model who plays Cormac McLaggen in the latest flick. Thanks to Towleroad for the heads up on the boy, and for the video of him dancing in his underwear below :-).

In Ohio, men tell women whether or not to have an abortion

2009-07-22T10:09:00.005-04:00

... or so a new law would have it.

Thanks to the every informative @JereKeys of www.JereKeys.com (who will be leaving and I will be at a loss for good information sources once he is gone). I'm just going to quote straight from the story and not comment, because I think the Pam's House Blenders are doing a fine job:

Led by Rep. John Adams, a group of state legislators have submitted a bill that would give fathers of unborn children a final say in whether or not an abortion can take place.

It's a measure that, supporters say, would finally give fathers a choice.

"This is important because there are always two parents and fathers should have a say in the birth or the destruction of that child," said Adams, a Republican from Sidney. "I didn't bring it up to draw attention to myself or to be controversial. In most cases, when a child is born the father has financial responsibility for that child, so he should have a say."

As written, the bill would ban women from seeking an abortion without written consent from the father of the fetus. In cases where the identity of the father is unknown, women would be required to submit a list of possible fathers. The physician would be forced to conduct a paternity test from the provided list and then seek paternal permission to abort.

Claiming to not know the father's identity is not a viable excuse, according to the proposed legislation. Simply put: no father means no abortion.

I think there is a distinct sector of society that honestly believes that the only real people are those in long-term monogamous marriages, and that shotgun weddings are the answer to all of life's sexual problems.

So much for that whole sexual revolution, and woman's reproductive rights movement we had.

10 Year Anniversary?

2009-07-22T08:52:00.002-04:00

It with some reticence that I call this a happy anniversary.

Ten years ago this month, my brother, my best friend, and I were walking on the beach with a pack of cigarettes. Though I had dabbled in the habit since I was 13, it was that night that I learned what it meant to inhale, and thus the jokes about Bill Clinton's marijuana history. I wandered down the beach, heavily nicotine buzzed, and I looked at my brother and asked for another. That summer, one pack, a bottle of vodka, and four people were too much for us to finish. We would be coughing our lungs up the next day.

July 2009 -- I am now, as the medical profession would say, a "ten pack year smoker" -- that is, on average, one pack a day for ten years.

Win?

The Pull-and-Pray

2009-07-21T19:53:00.004-04:00

Dan Savage has an interesting take on it, but it bears repeating. I have something to say about it, too, but I don't have the time to write it down, so this post is more about "Barry reminding himself to write later." Per the NYTimes article, set off by a June article in Contraception magazine (warning: PDF):

“If the male partner withdraws before ejaculation every time a couple has vaginal intercourse, about 4 percent of couples will become pregnant over the course of a year,” the authors write.

For condoms, used optimally, the rate is about 2 percent. But more significant, the authors say, are the rates for “typical use,” because people can’t be expected to use any contraception method perfectly every time. Typical use of withdrawal leads to pregnancy 18 percent of the time, they write; for typical use of condoms 17 percent of the time.

(There are other, more effective methods. Failure rates for the pill and the patch are about 8 percent; for Depo-Provera injections, about 3 percent; and for diaphragms, about 16 percent. Intrauterine devices fail less than 1 percent of the time.)

Did you know some gay men use the withdrawal method as a means of protecting themselves against HIV? Truth. "On me, around me, just not in me."

Additionally, I wonder if there isn't an interesting study to be done on the effectiveness of withdrawal as a function of age. How well does a teenage virgin practice withdrawal as compared to a, say, established man in his early 40s?

But I've been reading David Halperin, and I've been wondering about risk taking these days, so... yea, I'm trying to cross reference in my head.

Picture thanks to Birth-Control-Comparison.info.

Politicking the Matthew Shepard Act

2009-07-21T19:19:00.002-04:00

A few days ago, the Matthew Shepard Act -- adding sexual orientation and gender identity/expression to the federal hate crimes statute -- was attached to the $680B Department of Defense 2010 authorization bill, which Obama had threatened to veto due to an egregious outlay for a F-22 building program. Unfortunately, such politicking begets more politicking, especially when the budget of the DoD is probably one of the more contentious things you can touch after 7 years or so war in two countries:

The F-22 funding was stripped today from the Senate bill 58-40. Though it makes Obama happy, the money was approved by the House. Even if the new bill passes as is, the two chambers have to reconcile the differences. Who knew any of us queers woudl care about a couple of fighter planes quite so much?
The ACLU has come out against the Senate version of the bill, saying that the Senate version lacks "the strong protections for speech and association" found in the House version.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), who is, btw, against the Matthew Shepard Act and voted against its passage, added three new amendments to the bill, in a move that seems to be directed at killing it. The three amendments would allow the death penalty for some hate crimes cases, would require the Justice Department to revise its standards of a hate crime, and would create an additional set of punishment for crimes involving servicemembers. The HRC tells us why these additions are absurdities.

Friend of the blog "Maybe it's just me..." has a list of who voted for and against the Act in the Senate. All the Senators from Ohio and Indiana voted for it, whereas Bunning (KY) voted against it and McConnell.. umm didn't vote?

Local School Board Election

2009-07-20T18:24:00.005-04:00

The local school board is something I do not follow; the elections even less so. All I know is that CPS, for the most part, gets really bad press. Whether its deserved or not, I do not know, as I am not a product of that system. Charleston County (SC) School District got bad press, too, but there were enough bright spots within the system to make it a worthwhile education.

It's only recently that I've begun to pay attention to school based LGBTQ issues, not only due to the media regarding bullying, murders, and suicides of queer kids in middle- and high-schools, but because of the tireless advocacy of the local GLSEN organization.

I have not yet done my research on all the candidates, and I am only aware of one person running for the CPS board -- Jason Haap, local activist, editor of the Cincinnati Beacon, and friend to this blog. Haap is hugely LGBTQ-friendly and has come to me on a couple of occasions with questions regarding the local community and how he, as a supporter, can be (well) more supportive. When he announced his campaign for school board, after stirring up a little trouble (as only he could :-)) by announcing a mayoral race, he sent me a message on how a curriculum could be more LGBTQ-friendly.

I checked out his website (via his Facebook group) a few days after that conversation, and this appears there:

Other elements, like anti-bullying efforts and recognitions of excellence, should be linked into the curriculum more particularly. Anti-bullying should not be reduced to random pull-out programs with guest speakers, but a district wide policy should make reporting and follow-up more user-friendly (such as accepting information via email, text, and so forth). Those students who do something spectacular should be recognized more regularly for acts of excellence, and the district should partner with the City of Cincinnati and area media to promote excellence as a strategy to improve the schools, the neighborhoods, and the City as a whole.

I think I just made myself a brand new goal for the 2009 elections: get all the school board electors to make strong anti-bullying statements in their platform. Do you think that's feasible? (Don't worry, GLSEN, you'll be hearing from me first :-).) I have made endorsements in past elections. I think, now that Cool Summer is over, I may spend my time on the 2009 local elections so that you, my dear readers, can have a better view of who is on our side and who is not.

Can we make CPS a more LGBTQ-friendly space? Is it already? What are your experiences?

Marriage Equality ... in Kentucky?

2009-07-20T18:09:00.002-04:00

Marriage Equality Kentucky (TM) has announced a public petition to remove the voter-approved Constitutional Amendment 233A, voted for in 2004, which limits the definition of marriage in that state as between one man and one woman.

You might remember that there was a host of states in 2004 that passed marriage amendments ranging from just banning marriage -- Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and Oregon -- to banning marriage and civil unions -- Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah -- to all contracts -- Michigan. It was perceived then, as now, as a move to bring out the radical right to the voting booth and push George W. Bush into his second term as President. It worked.

Kentucky is one of the few states actually moving to repeal, at this point, it seems. I have heard nothing from any of the above states listed. In my own opinion, it is too early for marriage, though I am not against the attempt made. I think a lot of these states lack in the very basic protections for LGBTQ folks. Ohio itself is still facing a shockingly uphill battle just receiving employment and housing protections for sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Public accomodations and hate crimes on a statewide level, word is, is further down the line. And the adoption fight is very real in some of those states; Ohio itself may soon be threatened with right wingers banning gay folk from adopting.

In a world where we seem to have the support of most voters in theory, it's amazing how slow we've been able to turn that support into action, isn't it?

But back to the point...

Marriage Equality Kentucky (TM), under the funding of a friend of this blog, the Kentucky Equality Federation, is starting a petition to repeal Constitutional Amendment 233A. If you are a Kentucky resident and believe in marriage equality, I recommend you sign it. The petition will be organized by zip code an presented to the Kentucky legislature.

A Teacher Speaks

2009-07-19T23:29:00.005-04:00

After months of refusing interviews due to overwhelming depression and therapy, Larry King's teacher speaks to the LA Times. King, you might recall, was the foster child who was viciously murdered by his classmate after months of torment over his gender expression. Her tale is simultaneously enlightening and heart-wrenching, telling of the utter devastation such a terrible act of violence has not only on the victim and the victim's family, but on everyone around:

"Look Larry, you can't shove this into people's faces," [Dawn] Boldrin recalled warning the 15-year-old who had a habit of taunting those who made fun of him. "That's as wrong as them saying there's something wrong with you."

That was the last time she felt whole as a teacher, a mother and a wife, Boldrin said in a recent interview at her Camarillo home, the first time she has talked to the media about what happened that day.

Within minutes, one of Larry's classmates, Brandon McInerney, stood up in the lab, pulled out a gun and shot him twice from behind as Boldrin shouted, "What the hell are you doing, Brandon?"

Boldrin was both protective and supportive of King, even giving him one of her daughter's gowns to know that he was loved and that people around him supported his gender. It's hard to make in through the interview without tearing up quite a bit.

Thanks to just about everyone on Twitter today for this.

Going through my collections

2009-07-19T05:30:00.006-04:00

In an effort to constantly improve myself and find joy in other things except for drinking, carousing, and intimate encounters, I have two new goals: read more and go through my movie collection. And, because I am an obsessive blogger, I plan to write about it as I go.

Reading

I have a lot of books. At one point, I documented well over 2,000 books I owned. For the nerdy and outcast teen that I was -- my middle school years are highlighted by my social ostracism, both internally and externally -- I read voraciously. By 7th grade, I was reading several thousand pages a semester (I know because my English teacher required us to document our reading in great detail). I continued the need for books well into college, though my reading has significantly dropped off since.

My parents are moving and found a large collection of books left in a closet by yours truly, and she's bringing them here. The theory was that, after I went to college, I would trade out my college every couple years when I got bored with it. I am now confronted with the reality of not only having read the grand majority of the books on my shelf, but the addition of hundreds more.

In the past month, I've racked up thousands of pages, and I've found myself enjoying the effort. Some recent completions:

George R.R. Martin's The Song of Ice and Fire series -- I admit it, I'm a scifi/fantasy junkie. I have read all the greats and am depressed at the notion that Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series will not be completed by the man himself. I picked up Martin's series in college and loved it, though we are still waiting for it to be complete. Like Jordan's series, it was intended to be three, maybe four, books and has now ballooned out to probably six or seven. I own only the first three and, after my recent re-read of the first three, I am foaming at the mouth of the next few. I think I am like most readers of the series though, wondering when the Starks, the central character family, will start doing something than dying off slowly. It has now been referred onto my brother whom I think will enjoy it. Read time (3 books): about two weeks.
Flora Rheta Schreiber's Sybil -- Though steeped in some controversy -- some say Sybil, nee Shirley Ardell Mason, was misdiagnosed by her psychiatrist, Cornelia B. Wilbur -- the book is an interesting and fascinating look into the world of psychoanalysis and the ofter over-diagnosed condition known as Multiple Personality Disorder (Disassociate Identity Disorder). I read it for the first time in a series of books with similar themes, including When Rabbit Howls and The Three Faces of Eve, early in high school. I thought I wanted to be a psychiatrist at that point in my life. Though experiences since with the extremely mentally ill have changed my desire, the book is, nonetheless, fascinating. It's also not for the faint of heart, as the details of Sybil's abuse as a child will leave you squirming. Read time: about four days.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon -- I don't remember exactly when I picked this book up, though it was probably in the middle school era where I was experimenting with religion and thought Wicca was it. It wasn't. I tried to read the book way back when, but I was unsuccessful and, going through this time, I found multiple book marks and dog eared pages where I had left off before. I was somewhat disappointed with it, as it was hardly the classic that everyone put it out to be. The characters were bland and the intrigue even moreso. Read time: about ten days.
Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show -- I long established as one of my favorite books of all time, and I found it equally enjoyable this time around, though it can no longer be counted as amongst my favorites. It's good and made for a quick read, but it isn't quite as life changing this time around. Apparently, there are other books in a series -- dubbed The Art, or a sequel at least -- but I really am not driven to read them. Read time: three days.
Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth -- I was disappointed with this read the first time, thinking I wasn't as impressed with it as everyone said I would be. I'm actually enjoying it much more, this time around. It's a much heavier text than the rest, and I'm going slowly. Currently in the middle of it. It's an Oprah book, now, too.

Not sure what's next -- but I'll keep you updated, no doubt.

Watching

I own well over 200 movies, a collection I began in college when I got my first DVD player. The first movie I bought? Don't laugh -- South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Hey, it's funny. Anyways, after discovering the cheapy movie deals offered at most movie rental places (seriously -- 4 movies for $20?!), my collection has grown exponentially since, though my watching has not kept pace and there is a huge number of titles that I have never seen before. I think it's time to actually make it through my entire collection, this time around. What have I watched so far, in about two weeks of trying:

Mists of Avalon -- FIRST TIME WATCH-- Especially having come off reading the book, I noticed that the movie was missing a lot of important details, though it works as a movie. Shocking, with such a huge amount of talent, you'd think it would have been better. (4 out of 10)
The Emperor's New Groove -- Seen it god knows how many times, and I am still entertained by it, though it didn't make it far in the box office. Worth a great chuckle, though not ground breaking cinema. (8 out of 10)
The Sweetest Thing -- Simple, lighthearted, and it's difficult to deny the joy of watching The Penis Song scene over and over and over again. As an amusement, it ranks high. Anything else -- including intelligent humor -- it lacks. (6 out 10)
The Incredibles -- My favorite movie of all time. I can't get over how well done the movie is, especially with rich characters like Edna Mode and the extensive back story they created for the flick as evidenced by the DVD extras. I am shocked that no one ever decided to make a sequel, though there are enough rumors saying it will happen. Nothing was ever confirmed, and it makes me sad. Charming, funny, and well thought out. (9.5 out of 10)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow -- FIRST TIME WATCH -- How can so many amazing actors pick such a bad movie? I could barely be bothered to keep track of what was happening. The cinematography was amazing, however, and was the only thing saving the flick. I left wondering what the point was. (2 out of 10)
Fame -- FIRST TIME MAKING IT THROUGH -- Meh. Also a classic, but I wasn't as impressed with it as I thought I should be for as many homo's that say they love it. I mean, it was fun and I liked it, but I think the number of times I've fallen asleep watching it is a testament to my interest level. Classic scenes, though, and you'll recognize many references for later works. (5 of 10)
Borat -- I turned it on the day Bruno came out. It is what you know it to be -- filled with low brow humor that you can't help but laugh at. I'm not sure why I bought it, and I'm not sure what would encourage me to watch it again in the future. (6 of 10)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- We, like so many people, heard about it from the grapevine, pre-Twitter, and I was charmed enough to see it a second time in the theatre. I never go watch a movie twice in a movie theatre. It is much as you remember -- fun and whimsical and totally worth your time. And, extra score, the jokes are still funny! (9 out of 10)
Elizabeth: The Golden Age -- FIRST TIME WATCH -- I loved the movie that preceded this, Elizabeth, so much, and I did enjoy the sequel. It's not as historically valid as the first, and has some continuity problems, but it's well-done and beautifully produced. I'd recommend the first one over this, but I would still suggest you check it out. (7 out of 10)
The Wiz -- Watched it twice since Michael Jackson died, and I love it still. It is a brilliantly recrafted and rethought version of The Wizard of Oz, and it may actually live up to the original for its creativity. The songs will stick in your head for weeks, and Diana Ross is simply fabulous, while the final bit by Lena Horne makes you realize why she was a star. (9 out of 10)
Sweeney Todd -- I am on a Sasha Baron Cohen kick this week, apparently, and I turned this on to remind myself that the man does have some amazing versatility as an actor. Add great performances by Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, and Helena Bonham Carter, including some surprising vocal talent by the three, and you have a definite winner. Bloody as hell, though. Not an every-day'er though, and I think, in cutting down the original Broadway piece, it lost a little bit (8 out of 10)
The Devil Wears Prada -- How can you not have seen this movie? I read the book a few weeks before it came out; my sister was reading it and it was just a cheapie little bit that seemed to be written so that it could be a movie. It turned out to be an excellent flick with a couple of Oscar nom's to boot. (9 out of 10)

The only problem is that I seem to be going after previously watched movies, or favorites. I'm trying to learn to balance new flicks with the old favorites. So far, successful.

I'm not sure if anyone cares about any of this, but I do. :-)

Probable Cause or Intent to Embarass

2009-07-19T02:54:00.008-04:00

Ran up to the Stop'n'Go on McMillan this evening -- a local convenient store that is open 24 hours and has earned the distinction of being the Stop'n'Rob for the regularity of burglaries there. Something like once a day, but I don't know that for sure.

As I ran in around 2:30am to pick up a pack of cigarettes (or three), there were three cops out front. I had to be buzzed into the store. I asked what was the problem. The man behind the desk informed me that it was traffic stop -- it, apparently, necessary for three cops to pull someone over. I took my time, intrigued by what major infraction would bring three cop cars -- one without lights -- to go after a girl who looked to be no older than her early 20s and who was panicked on the phone, probably with a friend. By the time I purchased my cigarettes, I walked outside where groups of UC students were slowing down to watch the scene and laughing. The girl's face was buried in her hands as she talked hurriedly on the phone. A twosome was standing outside the doors of the store, smoking, laughing, and talking about the situation. I pulled out my phone to take a picture, and two of the cops, both white, in their late 20s or early 30s, one just under six feet, one a few inches more, approached the car and said, "Here's your license and registration ma'am." That's all I heard of the mumbled conversation before they returned to their cars and let her go.

Assessment: no serious infraction was committed. Had it been a DUI, more would have been done and likely the girl taken off to the Justice Center for the evening. Had she been anything more than just a traffic violation, then more would have been done and the folk around said they had not seen the girl leave her car.... which means this was, at most, a speeding or reckless driving infraction.

They needed three cops for that.

I usually defend emergency responders. For the most part, they do their best with little thanks and people are oft to make quick judgments about them without the full information.

A few weeks ago, I heard our medical director at the Emergency Department teach a second year resident, a medical student, a handful of nurses, and me about patient's dignity. "She's already lost her dignity," he said, "she's in the emergency room screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs. She won't remember you telling her off or making a further fool of her. All it does it make you look bad to the other patients around who just think you're being a bunch of cruel asses. Just get her in, make sure she's stable, make sure she's got all the treatment we can do in her current condition, shut the door, and get out. She'll be asleep soon enough."

It's a valuable lesson, and one I think the cops, this evening, should have taken. She's embarrassed enough, being pulled over on a busy street at 2:30am. Do what you need to do and get her on her way. If you think you need more backup, bring them, and then send them on their way when it becomes obvious you don't.

Otherwise you're just making yourself look like an ass -- especially when you've been running plates to make extra cash for the city, as happened to Katy of KatesRandomMusings.com.

STUPID JOKE SATURDAY!

2009-07-19T00:39:00.004-04:00

What do you call a woman with a sheep on her head?
Ba-Baa-Ra.

Why is a cat black?
Because it is.

How is a duck like a bicycle?
They both have wheels, except for the duck.

---

In the old west, a settler is watching an Indian meeting. There is an old woman sitting on a hippopotamus hide, and two younger women sitting on other types of pelts. Everybody seems to be listening to the old woman, but paying only half as much attention to the younger ones. After a while the settler asks his Indian guide why the older woman is treated with so much more respect. The guide answers, “The squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sum of the squaws of the other two hides.”

---

Five pigs went into a bar. The first pig asked for one glass of beer. He drank it and asked where the bathroom was. The bartender said, “Down the hall and to the right.”

The second pig ordered 2 glasses of beer. He drank them and asked where the bathroom was. The bartender said, “Down the hall and to the right.”

The third pig ordered 3 glasses of beer. He drank them down, then asked where the bathroom was. The bartender said, “Down the hall and to the right.”

The fourth pig ordered 4 glasses of beer. He drank them down then asked where the bathroom was. The bartender said, “Down the hall and to the right.”

The fifth pig ordered 5 glasses of beer. He drank them down, paid his tab, then began to leave. The bartender stopped him and said, “Aren’t you going to ask where the bathroom is?” The pig replied, “No. I’m the one that goes wee-wee all the way home!

---

A juggler, driving to his next performance, is stopped by the police. “What are these matches and lighter fluid doing in your car?” asks the cop. “I’m a juggler and I juggle flaming torches in my act.” “Oh yeah?” says the doubtful cop. “Lets see you do it.” The juggler gets out and starts juggling the blazing torches masterfully.

A couple driving by slows down to watch. “Wow,” says the driver to his wife. “I’m glad I quit drinking. Look at the test they’re giving now!”

---

There were three horny dogs (A British bulldog, A German Shepherd and a Chihuahua).

A poodle walked by and she says "Ill let one of you f*** me if you can use liver and cheese in the same sentence"...

The Bulldog says: "I hate liver and cheese"...

She says: "Nope that wont work"...

The German Shepherd says: "I love liver and cheese"...

She says: "Nope that wont work"...

The Chihuahua says: "Liver alone cheese mine"

COOL SUMMER

2009-07-18T23:57:00.005-04:00

Many thanks to everyone who came out for Cool Summer: Our House to Yours! We had a great crowd and raised about $800 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Cincinnati, though I forgot to take any pictures! :-) That will help off set the stay of a family at the House for 36 days!

Many thanks to my partners in crime, Julie of WineMeDineMeCincinnati.com, Katy of KatesRandomMusings.com, Monika and Shannan of CincinnatiWomenBloggers.com. Also, many thanks to Below Zero Lounge for being such a fabulous host, and thanks to Lancome for setting up and doing free makeup consultations! And, of course, thanks to M2B Designs for her amazing graphic!

I think by the end of the night the overall reaction was: success!

Also, congratulations to the Ensemble Theatre Company and STOP AIDS for a hugely successful Big Hair Bingo, with pictures brought to you by Cincinnati NAMjA!

Of course, after the party and the time at Blue Bar with Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar, I found myself sick with god knows what... so much so that I just woke up about an hour ago. Sigh. We're going to chalk it up to the relief from stress.

Job Postings per 1,000 Residents

2009-07-18T23:12:00.004-04:00

And Cincinnati is number 15 on the list, ranking the top 50 metro areas in the counry. Yet another "Where are you getting these numbers and are you applying them properly?" studies.

Via Joe.My.God.

And, as an addenda, thanks to The Urbanophile out of Indianapolis, here are a couple other pieces of interest you may want to check out:

The New York Times did a piece for their Travel section entitled 36 Hours in Cincinnati, detailing what a weekend in the Queen City was like and where cool things are in our fair city. The writer checked out such great locales including the Northside Tavern, Shake It Records, the Cincinnati Ballet, Playhouse in the Park, and Over-the-Rhine. Worth a read.
The annual city population estimates are out for 2008 by the US Census Bureau, Cincinnati has only changed by approximately 100 between 2007-2008. On the bright side, even if it is a loss, it's not that big of one. It is not, however, a reflection of the greater Cincinnati area, our metro goes from Northern Kentucky as far north as Middletown, including southeastern Indiana and possibly as far east as Allen and Brown Counties.These numbers only reflect the incorporated city of Cicninnati, which is approximately 330,000 individuals. The 2005 population estimates for the metro was about 2.1m and growing.
Ohio has been ranked by Chief Executive as the 46th best state for business based on a variety of variables, including gross state product, civilian labor force, unemployment, and average salary.

When we get bad numbers, it's always our first instinct to find out why they are wrong and argue that we aren't that bad. I wonder if we would be so willing to fight the numbers if we were ranked in the top 10. We all know the economy is shit right now, and Ohio has a lot of room to improve. Rather than fight the individual statistics, we should, perhaps, be working to improve them as fast as possible.

Rayya Restaurant

2009-07-17T16:49:00.006-04:00

Quick review of Rayya: great food while you're on the go, probably not the best sit-in locale, but a fabulous little family-owned diner to run in and run out of.

I was wandering around the city today, in desperate search for last minute items for Cool Summer this evening, and I got a fit of the hungries on the way to the bus. My first thought? Skyline, though I knew it would leave my stomach churning in the hot sun and with the long evening ahead. I needed something else, and I've always thought it might be nice to try something new amongst the little shops downtown.

Thank god I was on Court Street.

When I walked into Rayya Restaurant (29 E. Court Street), my first thought was, "Oh my god, I've walked into My Big Fat Greek Wedding." From the little old Greek man sitting out front, to the pretty late 20s/early 30s Greek daughter helping mom behind the counter, to the drawing of the Parthenon on the front of the menu, I might as well have been in Dancing Zorba's on that movie, though much smaller. The layout is like any other quick service locale downtown -- a couple of tables, a bar from which everything is served, and the kitchen in the back. Very informal. So informal, in fact, mom walked back to grab my cheeseburger and walked it back out in her hand (gloves on), slid the fries on my table, and unobtrusively shouted, "What you want on it?"

OK.

I got it to go and walked it down to the busstop in front of the court house, and pulled it out, where I promptly took a picture, much to the amusement of my fellow bus riders.

As for the food: it's blandish and will remind you of an improved version of your high school's half-assed attempts at palatable beef. If you're going for the burger of the year award, Rayya is not the winner. It's juicy, the add-ons were good, and the fries -- lightly salted -- were acceptable. You will not leave this burger thinking, "I must have another one tomorrow!" Rather, for $5, you'll think, "That was a pretty decent meal." And, even better, it's perfect while you're running. Their menu is long and littered with classic diner fair to gyros and a handful of Greek items I had never heard of. All of it, I'm assuming, are hand-held delights that you can run off in the paper bag back to your office. Total time waiting on my meal? 5 minutes. And it was made fresh. The fries were steaming and the burger was hot off the grill.

Cheap, decent fair. Completely worth a check-in if you happen to be in the area and hit the hungries.

um. k.

2009-07-17T14:49:00.000-04:00

Maddow on Pat Buchanan

2009-07-17T12:12:00.003-04:00

And this is why the blogosphere is fabulous. Rachel Maddow makes Pat Buchanan look like a racist asshole, and, the next morning, though few of us watched the actual show, we all know about it. A bit from HuffPo:

When asked why the overwhelming majority of justices have been white, Buchanan declined to explicitly cite discrimination, but explained that "White men were 100% of the people that wrote the Constitution, 100% of the people that signed the Declaration of Independence, 100% of the people who died at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, probably close to 100% of the people who died at Normandy. This has been a country built basically by white folks, who were 90% of the nation in 1960 when I was growing up and the other 10% were African-Americans who had been discriminated against. That's why."

When Maddow asked whether the reason that 108 out of 110 justice were white is because "white people deserved to have those positions," Buchanan answered: "A lot of people get up there for a lot of reasons."...

Later, Buchanan attacked Maddow for being out of touch and seemed to slam judges who support affirmative action when he stated, "You know what they ought to do? They ought to defend the rights of white working-class folks."

Maddow cut him off and snapped, "I don't need a lecture from you about whether or not I know, what I think about working class Americans... For you to privilege race... and say that what we need to tap politically is white people's racial grievance, you're playing with fire and dating yourself."

Snap when you say that, girl.

Random Thoughts For Today

2009-07-17T10:24:00.005-04:00

Guys online are flakey as hell. Including me. It comes with the territory.

I think I'm missing something about everyone's excitement over the Matthew Shepard Act. -- WIN or FAIL

Don't ever write a check your ass can't cash. TRUST.

I need to be more victorious in my awesome responsibilities. (Thank you, David Krikorian, for the most amazing personal mantra ever.)

I really need to start spellchecking and/or editing and/or reading my blogs before they post.

I think the best description of depression is this: You're more upset that you are depressed over everyone else, rather than being upset by anything in particular.

DiGiornio pizza is amazing. Better cold, though. Great drunk food.

People will find anything and anyhow to get high -- witness the growing fad, "Butt Hash." (not for the faint of stomach)

Social media websites that don't have an effective layout for mobile web are stupid.

I am overwhelmed by the greatness of the people around me, and constantly strive to live up to the person my friends believe/want me to be.

The chronically ill are simultaneously the strongest and weakest people in the world.

I have blogger envy. It's something like penis envy, but I have a blog.

Follow Friday (#FF) on Twitter is annoying to me -- so many to pimp, so few characters! (Meanwhile, I got to my 1000th follower -- WOW!).

Tried watching Borat again. Turned it off 20 minutes in. I remember it being better than that.

Meanwhile, Sweeney Todd was just as good, if not better, than I remember.

Slowly but surely, I'm becoming obsessed with old school musicals. I am listening to Barbara Streisand as I write this.

Really Gay Broadway Baby

2009-07-17T09:43:00.004-04:00

I'm perusing YouTube this morning, watching more Broadway performances, and I thought I'd share.

First, John Barrowman's rendition of the La Cage Aux Folles classic, I Am What I Am, also a Gloria Gaynor disco hit and one of the many songs every drag queen tries to do in their careers.

And a mashup I never thought I'd see... Alan Cumming and Joel Grey performing Willkommen from Cabaret. I think this vid shows how drastically different the two actors are, and what amazing talents the two of them brought to the role.

Good morning from Cincinnati!

Milk: Summer Underground

2009-07-17T01:04:00.004-04:00

Ari of Milk: Summer Underground, Cincinnati's weekly party that focuses on the music rather than the party, has been asking me to say something about the even since it began, and, though I started off posting announcements, I have done little else to support it. I went tonight, the first time all summer I've had a chance to, and had a great time.

Milk has had a bit of drama in the last few weeks. It moved its location from Below Zero to Little Bit, and I was sure that it would die. However, word had it that last week's event was huge and made for a packed house at Little Bit's. Once upon a time, Little Bit's was one of my favorite bars in the world, though I have not had the opportunity to enjoy as much as I should have, though it's the only LGBTQ bar I could feasibly walk home from. And it is the only LGBTQ bar left in Clifton -- sigh.

I will say this: for everything else I might criticize, Ari plays some great music. It's an unexpected break from the usual. Jazz, a little bit of pop, some hip-hop. It's both unexpected and delicious. In the two hours I spent there, I heard everything from Billie Holliday to Madonna... and who couldn't appreciate that kind of diversity? The crowd was distinctly smaller than the

week before. but still busy. I didn't see Irene -- one of the three owners and recently returned to the bar full time (a fact I am very grateful for) -- stop moving behind the bar except for a few brief moments the entire time I was there. A handful of cute gay boys even made an appearance, as well as some of the cast of Cincinnati Opera's Carmen.

The only true complaint is that the music, for the size of the crowd, was too loud. However, had there been more people, it would have been the perfect volume.

Milk: Summer Underground occurs every Thursday night at Little Bit's Bar on Vine Street.

Matthew Shepard Act Faces Veto

2009-07-17T00:50:00.005-04:00

It was little more than a Twitter Rumor earlier (or "tumor," or "twumor" if you will), but it appears that the US Senate has voted to end discussion on (63-28) the Matthew Shepard Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity/expression to federal hate crims states, to be attached to a Department of Defense authorization bill. There was unanimous consent to add it to a Department of Defense Authorization Bill as an amendment. The bill allows for a $1.75 billion program to fund the building of new F-22 jets, which Pres. Obama has opposed in the past.

That's right, folks, the Matthew Shepard Act is now attached not only to a defense bill, but one that Obama is not happy with amd has threatened to veto...

...which means we are, again, potentially fucked. From the Advocate:

"The President has long supported the hate crimes bill and gave his personal commitment to Judy Shepard that we will enact an inclusive bill,” said Shin Inouye [D-Hawai'i], referring to Shepard’s Oval Office visit with the president earlier this year. “Unfortunately, the President will have to veto the Defense Authorization bill if it includes wasteful spending for additional F-22s. The collective judgment of the Service Chiefs and Secretaries of the military departments is that the current program is sufficient to meet operational requirements. A Presidential veto would not indicate any change in President Obama’s commitment to seeing the hate crimes bill enacted."

*sigh* Does this mean we have to go through this again next year? Perhaps. We'll see.

For the record: I don't want the $1.75B spent on the F-22s, either. I think most defense spending is a complete waste, but it is one of the few things the federal government is constitutionally mandated to deal in... but we just spend too damned much on it, and wasteful wars. However, I might be willing to suck it up the spinning if the Matthew Shepard Act is attached.

Might be.

Cincinnati Queer Bar: Spreadin' the Love

2009-07-17T00:41:00.006-04:00

As always, at midnight, Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar announced its newest target bar for Spreadin' the Love, where they strive to "take over" an underused queer bar, via Facebook...

Hello beautifuls!

Its time to spread some love! And this month we have an amazing night planned for you. Ready for this? We are jumping the river this month and meeting tomorrow night at Blue Bar! As always we are going to create a night full of queer community love - with games, drink specials, and all kinds of dancing. What else could you ask of a Friday night?

So tell your friends, that cuteness you have been eying, and anyone else you come across to come down and make some fun. We want this night to be just as amazing and beautiful and exciting as our first Friday events, because we love you and we have heard rumors that you might feel something special for us too. So lets make it happen!

As always we have packed the evening with incentives. $1 jello shots, $3 grape ape shots, $4 sailor jerry shots, and $10 domestic buckets. We are also bringing back the messenger game! There will also be a DJ makin' it happen on the dance floor.

You can find Blue Bar at 264 Pike Street in Covington, KY. It closes at 1:30, so come a little early to get in all the queer love you can handle.

Word is that CGQB (on twitter, now) has changed up its organizational structure. Whereas it used to be very hierarchical with Mr. Ethan Philbrick running the show, a crew has grown to organize the bi-monthly (does that mean twice a month???) events so that they can incorporate queers of all varieties -- black, white, asian, gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, women, men, etc. etc. etc. As you might remember, CGQB has received some criticism for their white male-dominated organization that ignored other issues outside of the passing gender issue. I think this change will be good for the movement, as a whole.

But, as for a committee, well, I don't like them. You know what they say, when a committee chooses a color, it's always gray. But Blue Bar sounds like a fabulous time (though I'm not sure if Blue Bar is technically "underused")!

Equality Ohio Fundraiser

2009-07-16T21:12:00.005-04:00

Equality Ohio hosted a little fundraiser at Below Zero this evening, and I had the distinct pleasure of hanging with my dears Erin Upchurch (of Equality Ohio), Cameron Tolle (of Impact Cincinnati), and Rusty Lockett (of Church of our Savior and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center), all pictured above. I did the single most shocking thing you would ever expect from me ... that is, gasp, signed up to be an Equality Ohio member. (Yes, Lynne, it's true.) Thanks to Erin we have a mini update on the Equal Housing and Employment Act (EHEA -- HB176), which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in Ohio.

The Ohio legislature is on recess right now, but we have received assurances that there will be a vote before this session ends. As it stands, we've not had a lot of leadership emerge in the Ohio Senate on the issue, so there is a lot of lobbying to do over there, too. Law in Ohio, though, seems to read that the House can pass a bill this session and then go to the Senate next session, so we don't have to start the process over again. Equality Ohio is asking people to continue to contact their State Representatives throughout the summer to keep the pressure on them until a vote comes up in late September or early October. For information on how to contact your local representative, go here.

Other events of note this weekend:

COOL SUMMER Coktail Hour-- Brought to you by this blog, WineMeDineMeCincinnati.com, KatesRandomMusings.com, and CincinnatiWomenBloggers.com. It's a fundraiser tomorrow (July 17th) from 7pm-10pm at Below Zero Lounge. Promises to be a great time! (Facebook page)
Big Hair Bingo -- "Honey, this isn't your grandma's bingo." Gay bingo comes to Cincinnati tomorrow night at 7:30pm at the Ensemble Theatre Company (1127 Vine Street), benefiting STOP AIDS and the theatre. (Facebook Page)

Hope to see you out this weekend folks!

Holy Shit, Meghan McCain

2009-07-16T18:07:00.003-04:00

If you have not had a chance, you must must must read the Meghan McCain interview with OUT Magazine. I don't like Republicans, but she is on our side. Somehow. I'm a bit surprised, too. Her final statement:

“Homophobia is the last socially accepted prejudice,” McCain says, repeating it for emphasis. So it’s only natural that she also views the fight for gay equality as “my generation’s civil rights movement.” At a time when California can constitutionally ban gay marriage and the current presidential administration -- having vowed so much -- has yet to fulfill its promises, it’s hard not to be won over by this bubbly optimist. “In general, I don’t get a good response from the conservative movement,” she admits, unfazed. “But there are a lot of people who have said, ‘I’m Republican and I’m pro–gay marriage. Thank you for showing that you don’t have to be anti–gay marriage to be a Republican.'"

And she goes after Obama for his lack of support for LGBTQ so far in his presidency, and more importantly, this is the single most amazing single thing anyone has ever said:

“Joe the Plumber -- you can quote me -- is a dumbass. He should stick to plumbing.”

Snap when you say that, Meghan. For the love of god, someone needed to. I think in a single interview Miss McCain may have done more for the Republican LGBTQ'ers than years of gay-baiting via Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, George W. Bush, and the whole bit.

I have often said that gays would be far more Republican if only they would be more libertarian when it came to queers.

Meanwhile, she's still a Republican, which means she's against about everything else I believe in.

Internationally Queer Update

2009-07-16T17:45:00.006-04:00

A few news items are floating in the blogosphere on international queer rights:

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Israel, Britain, and Australia all allow openly LGBTQ individuals to serve in their militaries, whereas the US does not. We've noticed.
Lithuania: In an 87-6 vote, the Lithuanian Parliament overrode President Dalia Grybauskaite's veto of a law that would bans speech promoting homosexuality, bisexuality, and trans-identity to children. The heavily Catholic country also banned information that promoted hypnosis and bad eating. As expected, gay rights groups are pissed. One of the co-sponsors of the bill, Petra Grazulis, had this to say: "We have finally taken a step which will help Lithuania raise healthy and mentally sound generations unaffected by the rotten culture that is now overwhelming them." No word on how the EU will respond, which Lithuania joined in 2004.
Mongolia: Queers in the Asian nation are seeking international help to get the Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendre Centre registered with the government. However, the Legal Entities Registration Agency is stonewalling the process, saying that the name is A) not moral and B) uses words that have been improperly translated into the native Cyrillic language. From the official rejection letter: "The name ... has a meaning that conflicts with Mongolian customs and traditions and has the potential to set the wrong example for youth and adolescent."
Pakistan: In a surprising move, the Supreme Court has ordered that social service benefits must go to trans people, citing extensive prejudice, oppression, and social ostracism as a reason that poor trans-identified persons must receive governmental benefits. Unlike wealthy trans-individuals, who are protected often by their privilege, impoverished people are rejected and find themselves the victim of harassment and abuse. The court has ordered an investigation on the best means of extending these benefits to trans people.
Ukraine: Banned Bruno for depictions of nudity and gay sex. Don't act surprised. You knew someone was going to ban it. On a related note, I really like Sasha Baron Cohen, and I'm just waiting for him to do something amazing after his blow-out performance in Sweeney Todd. Seriously, he's very versatile.
Venezuela: The heavy Catholic influence in this country made it politically impossible to add equal protections for LGBTQ individuals in the remake of the Constitution a few years back. Now, the "Organic Law for Gender Equity and Equality" is coming up for consideration, which would extend some rights to individuals and same-sex couples. The same Catholic Bishops that stonewalled on equality in the consitution are now pointing to the very constitution they crafted to object to the new law.

The world, as it is, according to queer.

Daniel Radcliffe on everything queer

2009-07-15T19:26:00.004-04:00

Daniel Radcliffe has been making some public statements lately that make him seem, to my mind, one of the coolest mo'fo's around. Seriously. I'm sure some people get angry with him over his lack of PC, but, like Hillary making a joke about Indian grocers, I wonder if he says them because he feels so part of the community.

On rumors that he's gay:

I grew up around gay people my entire life, basically, that's possibly why I'm quite camp, and some people think I'm gay when I meet them, which I think is awesome.... [Apparently] someone said 'Daniel Radcliffe is gay. He's got a gay face!' [Laughs] I really don't know what a gay face is. But I think it's wonderful that Dumbledore was outed as gay ... Half of me thinks Jo Rowling just did that to see if she could piss off the right wing, but I'm not sure how true that is.

On wanting to play gay:

I'd love to play a drag queen or transvestite, but not just because of the costumes. Wait, what am I saying? Yes, because of the costumes! If the script was good - I wouldn't just do it because I got to dress up. Although I maintain that I look good with eye make-up. And I'm not going to be an emo kid, so the only other option is drag queen.

On how to avoid the paparazzi:

The one piece of advice I would give to any actor is, if you want to go out on the street without being recognized, without even being looked at, go out with a 6' 8" beautiful transsexual. No one gives you a second glance. Especially when you're 5' 5"

See, now I just wanna hang out with him, though I still contend that Emma Watson is the best actor out of the leads in the Harry Potter series. And he's getting better looking the older he gets...

Speaking of Harry Potter -- my mother said it wasn't good. What were y'all's thoughts?

Matthew Shepard Act Up for Vote THIS WEEK?

2009-07-15T09:46:00.002-04:00

The rumors are a-flyin' this week that the Matthew Shepard Act -- or, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HR1913 and S.909) -- will be voted on this week in the Senate. DailyKos is reporting it, the right wingers are up in arms about it, and it seems that Judy Shepard is in Washington, DC this week.

All signs point to yes, which means one thing:

It's time to make the phone calls to your Senators.

It's as simple as this: go to OpenCongress.org's Senator Page, click on your state, and make the phone call, or make the email. Takes about 45 seconds. DailyKos is saying that they have received well over 300,000 right wingers fighting against the bill that would add gender identity/expression and sexual orientation (oh, and disability -- did you know that one?) to federal hate crimes protections. It's so important to protect ourselves, and this is just one more tool added to the arsenal.

If it passes the Senate -- it has already passed the House -- President Obama has promised to sign it.

National Equality March

2009-07-14T20:56:00.003-04:00

I guess it is happening -- October 11th, Washington, DC, let's MARCH, baby! (And follow their Twitter for more updates.)

Prepare to Prevail: 2012 for Proposition 8?

2009-07-14T20:07:00.003-04:00

A group of California rights groups have posted on "how to win back marriage equality in California." It is a daring document, given what seems to be the interest in taking equality back to the polls in 2010. Perhaps they are right:

Unlike Proposition 8 in 2008, any upcoming electoral campaign for marriage equality would be one of choice, not one of necessity in fending off an attack from religious-right foes. Timing is ours to determine. Going back to the ballot to remove the voter-imposed ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution in 2010 would be rushed and risky. We should proceed with a costly, demanding, and high-stakes electoral campaign of this sort only when we are confident we can win. We should choose to Prepare to Prevail.

We have much work to do before we proceed to the ballot. Many of us, which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organizations and progressive allies, have been doing critical educational and organizing work for years, intensified it during the Prop. 8 campaign in 2008, and have continued to communicate with key constituencies after the election. We vow to intensify our efforts until we win back marriage equality in California. We invite all groups and individual leaders to sign on to this statement and join us in building a solid battle plan for equality. We must step up our work, collectively and in concert, as soon as possible.

It's for 2012, huh? Most of their reasons are around simple organizing coalitions and building support, as well as data collection/etc. A good portion, also, has to do with the realities of the ongoing economic recession.

Take a gander at the list of signatories which includes a lot of regional groups that I have never heard of. Nothing national signed on yet, except for local offices of nationals like the ACLU.

WEARING WHAT WEDNESDAY: True Blood

2009-07-14T19:49:00.002-04:00

The Twitterverse is always so up on True Blood, the vampire TV show that Twilight should have been. I have never seen it. But, after these pictures of Ryan Kwanten and Mehcad Brooks came out on the omg blog, I may have to check it out. Click on the pictures above for the NSFW pictures. Seriously -- NSFW.

And this week's fabulous beautiful men blogger -- check out V-M-P, Vintage Male Physique, which seeks out images from the "golden age of gay erotica." My first gay erotica was a book of black and white physique pictures that I took from my employer -- the library. :-) Check it out. It may not be our perfect A&F models you typically see on WWW, but it's totally worth it.

Bill Clinton Supports Equal Marriage

2009-07-14T19:38:00.004-04:00

In a high profile turn, former President Bill Clinton comes out in support of equal marriage -- well, basically. Or, at least, that's what every other gay blogger would have you believe. It is not, however, true, at least, not entirely. From the Nation:

Asked if he would commit his support for same-sex marriage, Clinton responded, "I'm basically in support."

This spring, same-sex marriage was legalized in Iowa, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine and New Hampshire. In his most recent remarks on the subject, Clinton said, "I think all these states that do it should do it." The former president, however, added that he does not believe that same-sex marriage is "a federal question."

Asked if he personally supported same-sex marriage, Clinton replied, "Yeah." "I personally support people doing what they want to do," Clinton said. "I think it's wrong for someone to stop someone else from doing that [same-sex marriage]."

SFGate blogger Joe Garofoli makes the perfect point: this is the man who tried to redefine what "is" is. I don't think Mr. Clinton will be waving any flags anytime soon... but it is in the right direction.

In somewhat related news, Liz Cheney is looking to run for public office. That should throw the national groups for a loop. ~~A high profile, lesbian GOP'er. Hrm. And the daughter of a former VP.~~ I falsely reported that Liz Cheney was the lesbian daughter... which is not true. Mary Cheney is that happy lesbian. Liz is the other one.

aw, the joy of brand new doctors

2009-07-14T06:48:00.000-04:00

Cody's Take on the Streetcar

2009-07-13T16:49:00.002-04:00

Hello all!

I'm currently unemployed, and due to the fact that I'm unemployed and have litterally no money left (and debt to pay off), my parents are talking about throwing me out... That makes perfect sense doesn't it...? Yeeeaaah...

Anyway, as another consequence of my predicament, I've been applying to as many jobs as possible, including applying to be Examiner.com's Public Transit writer. for the application I had to write a brief article about my chosen subject matter, so I figured I'd share it with you folks (since this blog tends to feature the Streetcar periodically):

Ignorance is not always bliss… There hasn’t been much in the media about the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar lately. In fact, the only public exposure I have encountered has been a clipboarder campaigning to stop the streetcar project back at the Cincinnati Pride Festival in June and a poster for the upcoming film showing of “Taken for a Ride,” a film about GM’s role in the disappearance of streetcars, which I saw in Northside. Regardless, because yours truly is such a transit fan, the subject is always nagging at me like an angry spouse. There are so many different sides to the story to take into account, and here are a few that move me most:
1.) www.cincystreetcar.com has some good points about the benefits of a streetcar system. It is true that a streetcar system is a bit more permanent than the use of motorbuses because there are tracks laid in the roadbed. Permanence of a route could certainly spur business development along routes because of the guaranteed movement of people in the area.
2.) The same aspect of a streetcar system has a number of drawbacks however. There is a huge cost of materials and labor to tear up a roadbed, lay tracks, repave the road, and set up the overhead wires to power the cars. Also, when there is bad weather or road work bus routes can be diverted to compensate for flooding, snow, or maintenance. Streetcars cannot do this. In fact, there are photographs of rail lines built on stilts during flooding. This could cause Cincinnati to spend even more of the money it already doesn’t have…

Enjoy,
-Cody, The Seeker

The Curse of Casual Sex

2009-07-13T10:14:00.003-04:00

I'm never sure the motivations of people forwarding me some things I get in my inbox, but a link to a story over at DH Blog entitled "The Curse of Casual Sex" interested me:

Although sexual sharing clearly need not flow from love—indeed, it can just as easily be motivated by hatred or the desire to feel powerful or attractive—it is only through an act of deadening oneself to one’s feelings to some degree that one can fail to experience any emotional consequence of a sexual encounter. The payoff of deadening one’s feelings, of course, is immediate gratification of a powerful, instinctive urge with no further thought needed. The cost of deadening one’s feelings is a diminished capacity to feel anything and a consequent difficulty initiating and maintaining intimate relationships that require one to be in touch with one’s own and one’s partner’s feelings. This fact should give pause to those who indicate in their dating profiles that they are seeking a long-term relationship but are willing to hook up or play around in the meantime. When you habitually deaden your feelings to treat the intimate sex act as something casual, you create an emotional habit that in time becomes a personality style that may be impossible to turn on or off at will. Those who claim they are not interested in long-term relationships often have been so damaged emotionally already by loveless, “casual” encounters and disappointments in love, that they simply stop trying and convince themselves that they don’t really need anyone special. Being unwilling or unable to love certainly is a curse in my book, and Freud considered this a key symptom of mental illness. (“Zu lieben und zu arbeiten,” “To love and to work,” was Freud’s definition of mental health.) In a culture that glorifies casual sex, as popular gay culture does, it should not surprise us to find some form(s) of mental illness normative.

I would say this was one of those, "Barry, you're sleeping around too much these days!" emails I occasionally get from friends/acquaintances that I ignore, but it came from someone that... well, let's just say they don't come from a place to judge me nor my behaviors. :-) Regardless, it's worth a thought, and I am, as always, curious as to your thoughts.

A lot rings personally true in this article, but I'm not sure how much I wish to disclose, so I'll just let y'all talk.

BRAVO Alert

2009-07-13T10:00:00.005-04:00

A string of anti-LGBTQ crimes seems to have struck the country, from soldiers to trans-identified individuals, and it's worth taking note that the spree seems not to be limited to just "out there." The Buckeye Regional Anti-Violence Organization (BRAVO) monitors all sorts of activities. I was recently contacted on Twitter about three separate attacks in Central Ohio (read: Columbus-area) around July 4th. From their website:

BRAVO, has received 3 reports of anti-LGBT attacks in multiple neighborhoods around several LGBT Bars on Friday night of the 4th of July weekend. The description of the attackers in each incident is very similar and BRAVO strongly believes that these attacks are related and were perpetrated by the same group of assailants.

In all 3 assaults the victims were jumped by a group of 6-7 young men, in well lit and populated areas. The attacks took place between midnight and 2:00 AM. The assaults involved beating, kicking, and punching with "brass knuckles". Injuries included concussions, stitches, abrasions, bruises, and head injuries; medical attention was required in all cases. Anti-LGBT language was used in all 3 of the attacks.

If you have been the victim of, or are aware of, similar assaults please contact BRAVO (614 294 7867) or the Columbus Police Department. (614 645 4545)

For further information BRAVO can be reached at 614 294 7867 or 866 86 BRAVO.

Description of Perpetrator:
Sex: 6-7 Males in a group
Race: Caucasian, African American and Latino
Age: Late Teens

STAY ALERT
TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS
BE AWARE
KNOW THAT THIS TYPE OF CRIME IS NOT RARE

If you know of anything, please contact the above listed phone numbers, and make sure you and those you love stay safe. The fight is not over -- there are still those who wish to do us harm.

Also: if you have been a victim of a hate crime, please contact BRAVO. If you would like to contact this blog -- queercincinnati@gmail.com -- about your story, please do so.

On My Interview with David Krikorian

2009-07-13T07:24:00.002-04:00

Long awaited post on my interview with Ohio's Second District presumption Democratic nominee in 2010, David Krikorian over at Rainbow Cincinnati. Your excerpt:

Krikorian dares to tell me, on one had, that he is the best hope for an LGBT friendly, electable candidate in the Second District, while, in the next breath, saying that he will not march in a parade and wave a flag. That kind of candidate -- he insists -- could never win the district, and hasn't yet. He speaks passionately that, no, he will never sign a Defense of Marriage Act; and then, when informed that no DOMA needs left to be signed on either the federal or state level, is willing to fess up to his own ignorance of all the issues and asks for more information.

As he gesticulated wildly with a soon-emptied coffee cup throughout our time together, I knew that I liked him and that he may be ballsy enough to win... and mayhap even do right by his queer constituents in the process.
Click here for the rest

As always, check out the excellent content at Rainbow Cincinnati by clicking on the link below.

Le Jazz Hot

2009-07-12T18:25:00.005-04:00

Victor/Victoria is my mother's favorite musical. Apparently, when we were little (it came out the same year I was born), my mother got so frustrated, handed the two of us -- my brother and I -- off to my dad, told him to take the day off from work, and went to the movies by herself. She stumbled into this flick completely by accident and it was played at least 2-3/year in my house ever since.

Needless to say, my mother made me gay.

And possibly a drag queen:

If you haven't figured this out, I sit at my desk and listen to Sirius's Broadway channel. I post musicals when I hear one that I'm like, "God, I love that song." Right now, I'm working on Cool Summer and trying to figure out a few things about Texas (a few things, and one thing about Salt Lake City)... and I thought I'd share happiness rather than sadness.

CincyPride 2010 + Apologies

2009-07-11T18:44:00.002-04:00

Been busy these last two days with nothing of value. HA! But, before I headed off to work for the night, it was made official today that the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati will no longer be organizing Cincinnati Pride (as announced here) and has passed the torch onto the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber recently had huge success organizing EQUINOX to rave reviews. I wonder what it will be like for them, organizing two huge events within a month of each other?

From the Rainbow Cincinnati post:

This afternoon, Bill Abney, President of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati announced that the organization will not organize Pride 2010.

The announcement came at the Pride Appreciation volunteer party hosted by the Community Center and the Bar Monet of Willard Street in Covington, KY.

Concurrent with this news, Nigel Cotterill, President of the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce says his organization will organize the event for Cincinnati in 2010. Their Vice President, George Crawford will have charge of the event. George was chair of the successful Equinox celebration held just last weekend.

Nigel Cotterill will be forwarding a "release" of additional details in the next few days.

The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati had been the organizer for the past five years.

Also: don't forget the Cincinnati Drag Races tomorrow on Main Street, or next week's COOL SUMMER Cocktail Hour for Ronald McDonald House on Friday the 17th from 7p-10p at Below Zero Lounge.

GLEE PREVIEW

2009-07-09T19:04:00.004-04:00

I watched it on HULU after a huge response on Twitter after it premiered this past Spring, but then it got pushed aside for new episodes into the Fall and I nearly cried.

How could they tease us with a halfway decent show and then strip us of a follow up?

Because it's on FOX.

That's ok, here' the preview for the next season and I am positively GIDDY with the upcoming season!

And for those who have not checked it out yet, here is the entire Hulu archive of GLEE footage and the Pilot.... which, I just discovered, I could embed:

I actually have to give a nod to, of all places, ManhuntDaily -- Manhunt, which despite its operator's support of John McCain in 2008 and provides for the sexual outlet of innumerable gay boys in the world, runs a damned good blog... so much so it's been blogrolled.

2010 Election Update

2009-07-09T18:15:00.004-04:00

You know my love of Jennifer Brunner, but, after my experience at the Ohio Democratic Party Family Dinner about a week ago, I started to wonder, due to the overabundance of Lee Fisher stickers and absolutely no Brunner stickers, about her candidacy (especially with GOP Senate candidate Rob Portman posting $1.5million in fundraising, Fisher at $900,000, and Brunner's numbers undisclosed). When I inquired, a Fisher worker informed me, with an ironic tone, that she had said it was inappropriate to campaign at the dinner. I wonder which was right, but there are still some rumblings, and she responded sharply on her website:

Ever since I decided to give up the security of what is widely regarded as a "safe" re-election for Secretary of State and instead run for the U.S. Senate, the political insiders in Columbus and Washington began actively discouraging my candidacy. "She can’t raise the money," said many. "You shouldn’t run for the Senate if the Governor supports Lieutenant Governor Fisher," warned some Washington insiders in January. "You need to take one for the team, even though I don’t think the Lt. Gov. can win in the general election," one Congressman cautioned. "I think you have the political skills to win this election, but you need the money,” said a political mentor...

I am in this race to stay.

For the second time today, I'll say it: Snap when you say that girl. Despite expected disparities in fundraising (word of mouth, no actual source, but I think I read it somewhere) in the previous quarter of FEC reports, polls are showing a dead heat in a Fisher-Brunner matchup -- 24-21 (Quinnipiac, 7/7/09) or 22-17 (Daily KOS/Research 2000, 7/9/09). Meanwhile, KOS/Research 2000 (same article) show Fisher and Brunner polling ahead their all-but-nominated Republican counterpart, former Bush OMB director Rob Portman, by 7 and 4, respectively, or by 4 and 1, depending on whom you listen to. Portman is actually closing the gap; Republicans are finding new candidates right and left in the flagging economy, as Obama's polls numbers continue to drop. In Ohio, it's under 50% for the first time since he was elected.

Meanwhile, Democrats still look solidly ahead (second source which also shows Gov. Strickland ahead of potential GOP candidate Rep. Kasich by 5%) for 2010, though it appears Steve Chabot will be challenging Rep. Driehaus for his OH-01 (that's, uh, Cincinnati, folks) seat back in the coming election.

And that's your long-delayed 2010 election update, thought I have something bigger coming likely in the morning.

Neat from Neatorama

2009-07-09T17:57:00.004-04:00

Neatorama was one of the many blogs I used as inspiration for this one, and remains one of the few blogs I follow on a regular basis. Singularly one of ... well ... the neatest sites on the web, but it's rare (well, rare these days) to repost anything from over there. I thought you might like these two bits.

Introducing the Warp Drive

Dr. Richard Obousy, a physics and technology consultant out of Houston, has created the first theoretical warp drive, which would move along the a wave of dark matter. The only problem, of course, is that we do not have enough understanding of dark matter to harness it.

The shape of the warpship was chosen to optimize the manipulation of surrounding dark energy, creating a spacetime bubble. How exactly the bubble would be created is still a mystery. But once the bubble gets created, spacetime at the front of the warpship would be compressed, and behind, it would expand. Inside the bubble, spacetime remains unchanged; therefore the warpship floats in the center of stationary space while the bubble moves through spacetime.

The bubble itself, containing the warpship, "drives the spacecraft forwards at arbitrarily high speeds," said Obousy. This means the warpship can travel faster than the speed of light.

The picture on the right is the proposed design of the futuristic warp ship, which he asks be built in the hopes that the he can study the possibility.

Guinness Record for Vagina Lifting: 31lbs

On the list of crazy records comes the record for vagina lifting, a 42 year old Russian woman recently broke the record.

According to local media, Tatiata has been exercising her vagina for fifteen years. “After I had a child, my intimate muscles got unbelievably weak. I read books on Dao and learned that ancient women used to deal with this problem using wooden balls,” she said. “I looked around, saw a Murano glass ball and inserted it in my vagina. It took me ages to get it out!”

Just in case you haven’t tried lifting weights with your vagina before, Tatiata recommends it to all women who want to improve their sex life. “It’s enough to exercise your vagina five minutes a day, ladies, and in just one week you’ll be able to give yourself and your man unforgettable pleasure in bed,” she said.

Check out the Mayo Clinic article on Kegel exercises. I have no idea if that's the kind of exercises she does, but it's good practice for people, none the less.

Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Version

2009-07-09T17:34:00.003-04:00

It's making the rounds on YouTube and Twitter, thought you may enjoy it:

I LOL'd a lot. I thought you might, as well.

And the claws come out...

2009-07-09T08:48:00.003-04:00

I am fond of saying to people, "Snap when you say that." Well, to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, snap when you say this:

The Letter from AFER to NCLR, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU

July 8, 2009

Kate Kendell
National Center for Lesbian Rights
870 Market Street, Suite 370
San Francisco, CA 94102

Jennifer Pizer
Lambda Legal
Western Regional Office
3325 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1300
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Mark Rosenbaum
ACLU of Southern California
1313 W. 8th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Dear Kate, Jennifer and Mark:

On behalf of the plaintiffs and our board, donors and supporters, I am writing to ask that you not intervene in Perry v. Schwarzenegger.

Given our willingness to collaborate with you, and your efforts to undercut this case, we were surprised and disappointed when we became aware of your desire to intervene.

You have unrelentingly and unequivocally acted to undermine this case even before it was filed. In light of this, it is inconceivable that you would zealously and effectively litigate this case if you were successful in intervening. Therefore, we will vigorously oppose any motion to intervene.

In public and private, you have made it unmistakably clear that you strongly disagree with our legal strategy to challenge Prop. 8 as a violation of the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the United States Constitution. Your strident criticism of our suit has been constant:

May 27, Joint Statement from ACLU, Lambda, NCLR and Other Organizations -- “Now that the California Supreme Court has refused to strike down Proposition 8, we need to go back to the voters. Since we lost Proposition 8 just six months ago, and since a ballot initiative to repeal is likely to require a huge investment in time and money, it is tempting to at least try a federal lawsuit first. But it’s a temptation we should resist.”
May 27, The Advocate -- “‘This is an attempt to short-circuit the process, to go all the way to the end….To us, that seems like a lot of risk for a long shot when we know that if we worked to establish more of the predicates, we could do this and not be taking such a big risk.’” (Matt Coles, ACLU)
May 27, New York Times -- “‘We think it’s risky and premature,’ said Jennifer C. Pizer, marriage project director for Lambda Legal in Los Angeles.”
May 27, New York Times -- “‘Federal court. Wow. Never thought of that.’” (Matt Coles, ACLU)
June 26, Associated Press -- (Within a story on the filing of the ACLU, Lambda and NCLR amicus briefs): “ACLU attorney Matt Coles said the groups filed their arguments reluctantly because they still believe federal court is the wrong forum for their fight.”
Even after you filed an amicus curiae brief urging the district court to grant our motion for a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of Prop. 8, you refused to characterize your position as one of “support.” Indeed, Jennifer Pizer of Lambda Legal went so far as to insist that we alter a press release that described your amicus curiae brief as “supporting” our suit. In response, we issued a second release addressing her concerns.
Having gone to such great lengths to dissuade us from filing suit and to tar this case in the press, it seems likely that your misgivings about our strategy will be reflected—either subtly or overtly—in your actions in court.

Despite your well-publicized hostility toward filing suit in federal court, we actively sought out your advice and counsel, and have incorporated it on many occasions. We value your leadership, experience and expertise on the issue of marriage equality. Thus, from the outset, we have sought to stand together with you, shoulder to shoulder, in this battle. Some examples:
In the fall of 2008, a representative from what would become AFER spoke to Paul Smith, cochair of Lambda Legal’s board of directors, and asked him to play a role in the case. He declined.
In May 2009, an AFER board member discussed the case in New York with Jon Davidson of Lambda Legal, asking for Lambda’s involvement. Several days later, AFER board members had a conference call with Lambda in which we again asked for Lambda’s involvement.
On May 14, 2009, a meeting was held in the home of an AFER board member with Ramona Ripston and Mark Rosenbaum of ACLU, and Jennifer Pizer and Jon Davidson of Lambda. Both groups declined to participate in the case and urged AFER to cease its efforts.
On June 2, 2009, Theodore Olson and other members of the legal team spoke with and solicited the input of Kate Kendell and Shannon Minter (NCLR) via conference call.
On June 8, 2009, Kate Kendell and Shannon Minter actively participated in a lengthy strategy meeting with our legal team at the Los Angeles offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
On June 9, 2009, members of the legal team solicited the input of Jennifer Pizer and Jon Davidson of Lambda Legal via conference call.
Representatives from Lambda Legal, ACLU and NCLR were invited to participate in a moot court exercise scheduled to take place in San Francisco on July 1, 2009 in advance of the first court hearing in this case.
When the moot court was delayed due to an order by the Judge, representatives of Lambda Legal, ACLU and NCLR participated in a conference call where we discussed the order and potential next steps.
That call was followed by two subsequent calls that afternoon to discuss how to further integrate Lambda, NCLR and ACLU.
Regrettably, you embarked on a public and private campaign to undermine our efforts to vindicate the federal constitutional rights of California’s gay and lesbian residents. We nevertheless remain willing to work closely with you at all stages of this case and welcome your continued participation in the district court proceedings as an amicus curiae.But we cannot and will not support your motion to intervene. Your intervention would create a complex, multi-party proceeding that would inevitably be hampered by procedural inefficiencies that are directly at odds with our goal—and the goal of Chief Judge Walker—of securing an expeditious, efficient, and inexpensive resolution to the district court proceedings. As a result of your intervention, we could be mired in procedurally convoluted pre-trial maneuvering for years—while gay and lesbian individuals in California continue to suffer the daily indignity of being denied their federal constitutional right to marry the person of their choosing. Such potentially interminable delay is antithetical to the values on which your organization was founded and for which you and your supporters have fought so tirelessly.

Delaying equal marriage rights in California serves none of our interests.

Again, we continue to welcome your input and advice as we move forward in this case. We look forward to working with you to resolve this issue and bring the focus back to the constitutional issues at hand.

Sincerely,
Chad H. Griffin
Board President

The letter is in response to the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the ACLU, and Lambda Legal's recent statement in support of the Boies and Olsen federal lawsuit against Proposition 8 based on the Equal Protections and Due Process clauses of the Constitution. You can read the letter and get an idea about the fight. For the record, I'm against the lawsuit. Rather not create the legal precedent...

...but no one listens to me about these sort of things. I was right, though, on the original Prop8 lawsuit. I still think we should win at the polls in California. Would be more decisive.

I said early on Twitter that we are all trying to claim the legacy of the movement. My thoughts? Well, I'm reading Mists of Avalon, and I have to wonder if we wouldn't benefit from an Arthur like figure (more modern reference: MLKJr) to bring us together as a leader. You know, move us forward. And, also for the record, I do not believe we have yet to see that leader come forward. Even Cleve Jones, as much as I adore him, I do not believe it is him, either. *sigh*

Nods to the Box Turtle Bulletin.

Equal Marriage Updates

2009-07-08T16:45:00.003-04:00

A few things floating out on the web today, just a quick run down:

Maine: Opponents to equality have announced that they have reached the 55,000+ signatures necessary to force a "People's Veto" referendum on the equal marriage law in that state. A rarely used law -- less than 30 times in the state's history -- allows the voters to veto any law put into place by the legislature. The movement is being spearheaded by the group, Stand for Marriage Maine. Per polls, Maine would have a rough fight at the polls as, though the legislature voted for it, the voter base is slightly against it. The ME law is due to go into effect Sept. 12, though will be delayed if the signatures are filed.
Massachusetts: The Attorney General of Massachusetts has filed one of the strongest federal suits against the Defense of Marriage Act, claiming that it interferes with states' "soverign authority to to define and regulate marriage." LawDork, 2.0 has a great run down of the suit, including a copy of the suit.
New Hampshire: Gov. John Lynch is experiencing a bit of a polling backlash after signing the equal marriage bill into law. His numbers have dropped to a measly 62%. Actually, the change may make him vulnerable as it will be the first time in his whole tenure where his approval rating dropped below 70%. Kevin Smith of Cornerstone Policy Research has this to say: "The governor assured voters time and time again that he did not support gay marriage, but when it reached his desk he broke his word to the voters... What we're seeing here is a trend where this governor is really tied into the far left wing of his party. And people are now starting to wake up to that fact, and that's why his poll numbers are dropping."
New York: Former Democratic gubernatorial primary candidate, Tom Suozzi, has come out in favor of full marriage equality. Meanwhile, rumors are growing that the Republicans in the state senate of this state forced the gay marriage issue in an orchestration of the recent Republican coup. WTF is up in NY?

And, finally, the National Education Association, the nation's largest union, has come out in supprt of equal marriage. From the notes of the 2009 Representative Assembly:

NEA will support its affiliates seeking to enact state legislation that guarantees to same-sex couples the right to enter into a legally recognized relationship pursuant to which they have the same rights and benefits as similarly-situated heterosexual couples, including, without limitation, rights and benefits with regard to medical decisions, taxes, inheritance, adoption, and immigration.

They also support anti-discrimination.

Though, I will say, it's nice that everyone seems to be on our side, the question is when will someone show some leadership?

Guest Blog: Gays vs. Media

2009-07-08T08:22:00.004-04:00

I am ever open to guest bloggers, and Jason of Out-With-it-Already has appeared regularly here at QueerCincinnati.com. He forwards this on to post here with our happy little nest of queer Cincinnati bloggers :-).

Let's talk this all out, shall we?

Yesterday, NPR.org published an article titled, "Black Ministers In D.C. Divided Over Gay Marriage," detailing the vocal opposition from predominantly African-American churches in D.C. to the recently approved bill that recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other states.

We've got some good stuff in here:

"Like many evangelicals, Walker reads the Bible as the literal word of God. And he sees in those pages a blueprint for a healthy family. It's not the only blueprint. Walker himself was raised by a single mother, and he appreciates the grandparents in his church who raise their grandkids.

"I'm not taking away from that," he says. "But I think God's perfect order for family is mom and dad.""

News flash: The world ain't perfect and it never will be. But thanks for playin', buddy!

"In 2007, Wiley and his co-pastor — his wife, Christine — held two same-sex blessings, prompting two-thirds of their congregation to leave. Since then, they've attracted new members who were looking for a gay-friendly black church."

OK. I'll take acceptance wherever I can get it but I have serious reservations when religious folk--well-intentioned as they usually are--begin meddling in same-sex marriage. I appreciate the Wileys' commitment to the inclusion of same-sex couples in the institution of marriage but when they give blessings to these marriages they are misleading the general public into believing that same-sex marriage advocates aim to require religious entities to recognize and perform same-sex marriages. As I've always understood it, at least, same-sex couples are seeking civil marriage. Civil. As in not religious. Of course, many people--including LGBT people--are religious, so I can understand that some same-sex couples should desire any form of affirmation of their union from their respective religion. But this is dangerous territory we are entering, folks. When the general public believes same-sex marriages are happening in places of worship, then they are likely to vote against legislation allowing same-sex marriage because they overwhelmingly wish to preserve the tradition of their faith community.

"Wiley acknowledges that there are a handful of biblical passages condemning homosexuality. But he says blacks don't take the Bible literally when it comes to racial issues.

"The Bible says, 'Slaves, be obedient to your master,' etc. Well, we don't hear black people saying, 'OK, we got to stick with that,' " Wiley says. "Yet when it comes to the issue of homosexuality, then people are running to the Bible.""

You speak great truth, Reverend Wiley.

"For Wiley, who studied under liberation theologian James Cone, gay rights are simply the next step in the civil rights movement. Like blacks, he says, homosexuals did not choose this life.

But Walker calls the comparison "ludicrous."

"When I talk to most people of African descent, many of them are absolutely appalled by any comparison to the civil rights movement, simply because we cannot take off our blackness," Walker says."

Just as you, Reverend Walker, cannot "take off [your] blackness," I cannot opt out of a feeling; I do not control attraction. Sure, I could make the CHOICE not to live openly and to deny my identity but I cannot CHOOSE to whom I am attracted. You, on the other hand, can CHOOSE to refrain from rhetoric that persecutes and marginalizes people seeking civil rights and protections completely outside of the religious realm in which you operate.

Here is an additional thought I have:

The media might also be holding us back. I'll explain.

When reporting on marriages of same-sex couples, the language is almost always "gay marriage." We need to move away from this notion of "gay marriage" and here's why: Gay marriage sounds like "other marriage." What I mean by this is that it sounds exactly like same-sex couples are in fact redefining marriage.

A marriage is a marriage, and we know that. You know who doesn't know that?: A lot of people in the majority. If we can somehow strike "gay" from "gay marriage" and still find ways to accurately report on same-sex marriages, that'd be fantastic because, let's face it, marriage cannot be gay. Marriage is not an orientation, or an identity, for that matter.

What also doesn't help is that we still live in a world where the word "gay" continues to be used by people when they mean to say something is stupid, silly, or dumb. Translation: bad. So, when people here "gay marriage" is it not too difficult to see how they might be processing same-sex marriage as "bad marriage"?

Now, I recognize the difficulty reporters will have in creating concise headlines and news beats addressing same-sex marriage. Take NPR's headline, "Black Ministers In D.C. Divided Over Gay Marriage." Why do members of the media use the phrase "gay marriage"? Probably because it's short and to the point and also because "same-sex marriage" includes the word "sex" which still shocks a lot of people. Never mind we're talking about someone's actual biological sex and not the act of sexual intercourse. Whose wise idea was it to use this same word--sex--for both? I can say I'm not happy with them.

However, herein lies the problem: Am I expecting that NPR's headline might have read "Black Ministers In D.C. Divided Over Civil Marriages Between Same-Sex Couples"? Yeah, I'm not holding my breath on that one. But in my ideal world it would go something like that because if we allow media to continue using "gay marriage" to define our loving unions, we'll be gettin' wherever we're goin' real slow.

Cincinnati Drag Races

2009-07-08T05:33:00.004-04:00

A mainstay of Cincinnati's Pride calendar returns -- the Cincinnati Drag Races! After the raucous success of last year's event, held in conjunction with the popular and ever growing Second Sunday on Main festival, the two parties teamed up and will be hosting this year's races on Main Street on July 12th from 2pm-5pm.

Thanks to Nigel from Below Zero, here's a bit about this year:

Second Sunday is Open 12 – 5 p.m. in historic Over-the-Rhine on Main Street between 13th and Liberty. The event is free and open to the public.

“Drag your Dog OUT” please drag you dog out in fun attire

Drag Races 3 – 5 PM Between 14th street and Orchard Street
Open registration for last minute teams opens at 2 PM
Festivities will start at 3 PM

This year we are planning a few different categories: Non Prophet Races, Arts Community Races, and Bars and Restaurants Races

Objective of Race: From the start line the first member from a team of 4 gets dressed in Dress, Wig, Handbag and Heels must be 2 inches high. Then runs one block to the exchange line, where they pass off the same items to the next team member who in return runs back down the course. The race is complete once all four team members have completed course.

Judges and special guests will include Penny Tration, Truly Scrumptious, Quasi, and Just Joan. Event-goers are invited to continue the revelry by heading over to On Broadway (817 Broadway) for a cookout, or to Below Zero Lounge (1122 Walnut Street) or Shooters (927 Race Street) for after party adult beverages.

Below Zero will also be hosting the races' "Pit Stop," starting at 1pm, where you can get quick service drinks before heading down the street to watch those bitches run.

WEARING WHAT WEDNESDAY: Josh Duhamel

2009-07-08T00:34:00.001-04:00

I am only giving you a little bit of a sneak preview today, but I am warning you that this link is completely NSFW. Josh Duhamel -- all around hunk -- recently posed nude and the link will take you to pretty pictures of him with both full frontal and full rear nudity. Click at your will. I just thought you'd like to see. :-) Have a nice day, all.

As for your hot website of the week, I think we might have to go with the site that brings us this website: Outrate.net's Eye Candy blog. Yet another, whenever-I-feel-like posting site of beautiful men, usually NSFW.

Again, you have been warned and I am not at fault if you decide to click on those links when it's inappropriate...

...like, say, at work.

Do it at home. You'll have more time to enjoy it then, too.

12:34:56 am on 7/8/9

2009-07-08T00:33:00.003-04:00

Neat. Completely pointless, but neat for something that only happens, what, twice a century.

Cool Summer: Our House to Yours

2009-07-07T18:21:00.006-04:00

From QueerCincinnati.com; Wine Me, Dine Me, Cincinnati; Kate's Random Musings; and Cincininnati Women Bloggers, with a special thanks to MB2 Designs, and to Lancome...

Cool Summer: Our House To Yours
A cocktail hour to benefit Ronald McDonald House of Cincinnati
July 17th, 7pm-10pm at Below Zero Lounge (1122 Walnut Street)
$10 Suggested Donation at the Door

Check out the Facebook event -- tell us you're coming!

The Advocate's Perez Interview

2009-07-07T14:50:00.003-04:00

As if we needed any more reason to dislike Perez Hilton today, these were his thoughts in a recent Advocate interview about the recent scandal where he called will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas a faggot:

“I thought about calling him the n word,” he says over the phone a week after the incident, “but I thought the f word was even worse. I was so filled with hate at that moment because I was hated on so much, and I reacted in the worst way possible. Then I went on to make a bunch of other mistakes. I shouldn’t have made the video. I shouldn’t have released so many statements. But what’s come out of all of this is that I’ve learned so much about myself, and I’m in a much better place. I’m actually thankful that it happened. As cheesy as it may sound, I had almost a spiritual moment when I just let all of the anger and worry go and am now filled with peace, happiness, and wisdom. I could let this jade me and go back to being the super bitch that I was when I first started the website, but I’ve softened on my website and in life, maybe because I’m happier in my personal life than I’ve ever been.”

And yet he manages to dominate the gay headlines. Hrm. This is like Carrie Prejean all over again. Too much coverage of someone whose actual value is approximated at 0.

A Quick Thought on Metro

2009-07-07T07:18:00.004-04:00

Cincinnati's bus system, Metro, is facing budget cuts. A lot is out there right now about this, but there are threats of route cuts, reductions, layoffs, fare increases, and any number of other awfulnesses which threaten to cripple the already mediocre single public transit option in the city. This, amongst talks of adding a streetcar with, seemingly, the best outcome being gentrification and business development in downtown and Over-the-Rhine.

Laura's Carbon Footprint said it best: Metro is a social justice issue. "Each of us, as part of this society, is intrinsically linked to people that are dependant on the bus, whether we know the individuals or not," she writes, far more eloquent than I could ever hope to be.

Years ago, I read about the Bus Riders' Union in LA and did a pretty extensive research study on them. I'm not going to write about it here -- I do have a 15 page research project, including pictures, if you're that interested -- but I'll share the history from the above linked website:

The BRU/SDP was initiated in 1992 as the Strategy Center's Transportation Policy Group and soon began organizing bus riders in the "Billions for Buses" campaign to confront and defeat the transit racism reflected in the policies of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). In 1994, the BRU led popular protests against a massive fare hike and obtained a temporary restraining order to stop the MTA in its tracks. The BRU then sued the MTA for violating the civil rights of transit dependent bus riders.

In 1994, the Labor/Community Strategy Center and Bus Riders Union, along with the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates and Southern Christian Leadership Conference, represented by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, brought suit against the Los Angeles MTA, charging them with violating Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which prohibits government agencies that receive any federal funds from distributing those funds in a racially discriminatory manner. The Strategy Center, BRU, and NAACP LDF charged the MTA with establishing a separate and unequal mass transit system-a dilapidated, overcrowded bus system for 400,000 overwhelmingly Latino, Black, and Asian/Pacific Islander bus riders (at that time, estimated at 81% people of color, but on most of the worst inner-city lines it was essentially 100% people of color).

When the MTA signed the civil rights Consent Decree in late 1996, the BRU took up a formidable obligation-to represent the civil rights of 400,000 daily bus riders in Los Angeles County-88% of whom are, more than 50% of whom have annual family incomes under $12,000 and 57% of whom are women.

Since then, we have written a new chapter in the civil rights and environmental justice movement: a grassroots group wins a well-known civil rights suit, but then has the guts and commitment to enforce its provisions for a decade to build a clean-fuel, world-class mass transportation system in the most air polluted and auto-dominated city in the U.S.

I'm just saying. The similarities could be eerie. And, when we consider the streetcar, perhaps we should look less at the success story of Portland, and look, instead, at the failures of LA.

I've been an exclusive bus rider for a year, and I cannot stomach or live on any less service than they currently provide. And I am not the only one.

Save the environment. Improve your health. Help the city. Ride a bus.

RIP, MJ

2009-07-07T07:09:00.004-04:00

Today is MJ's funeral. Bad was the first album I ever bought. I was being selfish and wanted the cassette, which my mother couldn't dub (we had a single deck) so other people couldn't have a copy of it. But The Wiz sticks with me as amazingly, simply Michael. But you know my fondness for Broadway. He was the king of showmanship, afterall.

Don't try to read anything into my choices of music this morning. The videos suck, by the way. Just turn 'em on while you're doing something else. You'll be doing yourself a favor.

Go here for a live stream of MJ's funeral today, starting at 1pm.

Gay Life After Saddam

2009-07-07T06:58:00.004-04:00

A brand new BBC Radio 5 documentary -- Gay Life After Saddam -- makes the almost unbelievable statement that life was better for Iraqi LGBTQ folk under the dictatorship than under the current regime. For anyone not following, reports of harassment, attacks (by police, sometimes), and brutal tortures/atrocities have been reported under the new government, as far as supergluing gay men's anuses shut and then feeding them laxatives to induce diarrhea.

Yea, so not pleasant. A single statement stood out to me in the BBC coverage:

What is clear however is that gay people in Iraq have not been crushed.

And, so, there is hope.

With the international attention on the radio program, Radio 5 will be rebroadcasting the documentary (60 minutes) on July 12th, although the website seems to indicate that it is available other times. Just not right now, when I want to listen to it.

Death in the Family: 2 years on

2009-07-07T06:48:00.004-04:00

2009 Addition:

Two years ago, I wrote this, and I wondered why I delayed this year. I suppose, as time goes on, we feel it less; it hurts less; perhaps it even means less. But I mark Katie's death as the beginning of a long and awful tumble that left and indelible mark on my conscience and on my person. I don't blame her, at all, but I take death very strangely, and the guilt I felt about Katie's death is still.. raw.

In some way, I've forgiven myself, but it's good to continue to remember people that have blessed our lives, and left our lives.

I still miss you, Katie.

---
2008 Addition:
I wrote this one year ago yesterday. . . I'm going to repost it every year.

----------

2007 Piece:
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

There's a lot of things people don't know about me -- even my best friends are not privy to parts of my history that I doubt they even know existed. It's funny -- no one in my senior year ever asked "What have you done for the last four years?"

This struck home, because, since then, I left them behind. Most of them, actually. And I don't know why it happened, but it did. They were good years, with wonderful people and fun times... great stories, if you ever want to know.. but based on how they ended, I think I just left it all behind.

I lost a friend this week.

Her name was Katie Rosby. On July 4th, they were shooting off fireworks in Cleveland and their neighbor, a fireman, had gotten tired of the noise from the house and came and killed three people -- two boys, 24 and 30 (one of which is the brother of Katie's best friend), and Katie. Shot Katie in the back. She died on the scene.

It's been a year and a half since I last talked to Katie and two things strike me as interesting:

1) I rearranged my house this weekend, and I found gobs of pictures of her and me, framed a few and put them up, thinking, "I need to call her soon."

2) The last conversation we had -- in front of the Papa John's on Hamilton Ave in College Hill -- ended with her saying "I don't care if we only talk once a year, so long as you answer when I call, and that I know you're always there."

I was always here, had she called (I hope I would have been). I just never called her. Her mother called me and said that they just wanted to tell two people -- our friend Dustin and me -- because, "even though you two rarely talked, she thought the world of you." I have since been told by her best friend (whose brother has passed) that, even that night, she told a story about me.

I can't believe it's been a year and a half since I talked to her.

I kept saying I would call.

This is so Sunday-afternoon lifetime drama. So "Cat's in the Cradle."

But I can't believe she won't be there the day I decide to finally get the cajones to call her, apologize for being a bad friend, and then act like nothing had happened.

Katie Rosby had one of the most beautiful smiles ever, and she always laughed. She was easy to make laugh. Those are the qualities I cherish in my friends. And I left her behind.

And now she was found dead with her friends in the driveway of some house in Cleveland, shot because the fireworks were too loud on July 4th.

And I didn't have the strength to answer her mother when she asked "What am I supposed to do now?"

I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't know, because I don't know what I'm supposed to do now.

------

People will criticize me for posting this, but I live my life in public; I will grieve in public too.

Katie was a drinker, btw (surprised???). She liked Killian's. If you get a moment, and you think "I need a beer," get a Killian's. I am not a believer, so I don' pray, but I drink. So please raise a glass to my Katie. It's all I know what to do now.

Equal Marriage in DC Starts Tomorrow

2009-07-06T18:51:00.002-04:00

The Washington Post is reporting that the District of Columbia will begin recognizing out of district same-sex marriages at 12:01a.m. (Weird time for municipal acknowledgement; the only thing that would really matter, at that point, is emergency services... arguably, some of the more important services.) The Post also provides an excellent FAQ on the new rules, including an emphasis that you cannot get married in DC, California marriages will be recognized, and it still does not cover the federal benefits of marriage.

Enactment has been overshadowed recently by Marion "I'm a moral leader" Barry allegedly stalking his girlfriend. Man, clean up the act if you want anyone to take you seriously. But, I guess the question that goes unanswered is: Who the hell is voting for that man? I wonder if he'll be back next go round?

Good-bye, productivity.

2009-07-06T17:59:00.002-04:00

Things I've learned about myself, playing Sims 3:

I believe -- and now have proof -- that money solves all problems and makes life easier
I would rather be flirty or charismatic than ambitious or hard-working
Bigger is usually better
The ability to buy new things is better than the ability to spend time with other people
Fewer clothes is always best
I have no concept of heterosexuality

Meanwhile, everything else I'm doing is falling behind. However, my apartment is clean. It's a side effect of waiting for my SIM to sleep. Weird.

RUMOR MILL REPORT: Pride

2009-07-05T13:21:00.004-04:00

Word on the street is...

...the Greater Cincinnati Gay and Lesbian Community Center, which has hosted Cincinnati Pride for the past five years, will be stepping down as the primary organizer of the event, allowing other local parties and organizations to take up the mantle and run the event. The Community Center will continue to support it, and help with the logistics of putting it together, but it will no longer be the primary spearhead.

Word is the announcement will come this coming weekend. No word on who is going to pick it up, but a few names are floating. I wonder who you guys should think should take it on.

Just to clarify: this is not the end of Cincinnati Pride, it's just being handed off...

..at least, that's what I hear.

Eyes Open Festival

2009-07-05T13:13:00.003-04:00

Many thanks to Jamie at Stuff Queer People Need to Know for the heads up on this one...

Whoa -- I didn't even realize something like this, but it promises to be a huge day. They have movies, including Brooklyn's Bridge to Jordan, Living with Pride: Ruth Ellis at 100, The DL Chronicles: Boo, and Noah's Arc: Jumping the Brooms, as well as performers and art exhibits. And only $15.

To my fellow local queer bloggers: I say we make a day of it, yea?

Check out their Myspace page.

A Community Passing

2009-07-04T15:58:00.002-04:00

If you did not hear all ready, a pillar of Cincinnati's LGBTQ community has passed from us. June Delph, long time supporter of organizations like PFLAG and the Greater Cincinnati LGBT News, passed last night around 8:00pm, surrounded by family, much as she would have liked.

I did not know June Delph, but I know her mark on the community. Months ago, I thought it was funny when I realized the mural, on the picture attached here, was on the side of the building where I reside and I realized, "I was meant to live here." The Delphs have been fierce donors to great causes in the city, giving time, money, energy, and enthusiasm with a passion and single-mindedness towards equality, love, and hope. From everything I knew of her, she was an inspiration. I know PFLAG, for one, will be sorely lacking for her passing. She and her husband were regulars at the meetings, giving comfort and support.

Bless her, and bless all parents who mark their own child's lives through love and dedication to others.

From the ISQCCBE mailer today:

We are writing to let you all know that our Dear June passed away at 8:00 last night. She was at home and surrounded by her adoring family. A memorial service will be held for her at 2:00 on Tuesday, July 7 at the Norman Chapel, Spring Grove Cemetery. June would love as many Court members as possible to attend and remember her "in face." She loved each and every one of you. Of course, you are all welcome no matter what you decide to wear.

Truly a touching story, truly an amazing woman. I did not know her, but it is hard to be in the know in the city, or even to be gay in the city, and not feel the amazing and wonderful effects this woman had on my life.

I wish I had known her, at all.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

2009-07-04T02:05:00.001-04:00

Don't forget about Equinox, nor the Northside 4th of July Parade!

I Want Penny Tration on RuPaul's Drag Races

2009-07-03T18:35:00.001-04:00

And we only have four days to get her there!!!!

I Want Penny Tration on Rupaul's Drag Race! from Penny Tration on Vimeo.

Penny -- HELP! I can't find your voting page!

Queer Bar Stirs a Little Controversy

2009-07-03T17:36:00.003-04:00

Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar, which is fast becoming a mainstay on people's party calendar, has both tried to quell some complaints about the event but stirred some controversy in the process. The latest email via their Facebook group:

First-

GUERRILLA QUEER BAR is TOMORROW night (Friday, July 3rd)!

As we eluded to in the previous message, this month is going to be excitingly different. After lots of conversations with many female identified CGQB-ers, we've decided that it is necessary and important to focus this guerrilla queering on FIGHTING MISOGYNY.

I know many of you queer boys out there might be saying, "But there haven't been any problems! I've been having a great time, let's just keep it about being queer in straight spaces!"

Listen boys, it's time to clear the misogynist gauze from our eyes! Being queer doesn't make us free from our male privilege! Many women have reported that they might stop coming to Guerrilla Queer Bar because they feel unsupported in the struggle against all the sexual objectification and misogyny they face during CGQBs!

We'll have pamphlets about combating misogyny for people to pass out, but feel free to show your support by making a t-shirt, sign, or your own flier!!

***

"Okay, I'm excited to fight misogyny, but what is the ridiculously awesome place we'll be queering this month!!??", you might be asking...
*
*
*
*
(can I get a drum roll please...)
*
*
*
*
THE NORTHSIDE ROCK AND ROLL CARNIVAL!!!!!
located in Hoffner Park (where the Pride Festival was)

***

We know some of you may be complaining, "Northside!? Northside's already as queer as we get in Cincinnati! I thought CGQB was about going to radically straight bars!"

Have no fear! Though lots of queers may live in Northside, there are still plenty of homophoic/transphobic/racist/misogynist people to interact with and show the beauty of queer-dance-love-fantastic. ESPECIALLY at a ROCK and ROLL festival!

Some of you may be still be thinking, "I thought we were going to bars! I don't want to go to some outdoor festival with music I don't like!"

Have no fear again! First-- the festival is going to be ridiculously awesome. There will be a fire performer, a sword swallower (talk about no gag reflex!), and seriously good music. Second-- Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar is going to have a booth so all us queers can gather and celebrate! It will be complete with a kissing booth, queer face painting from 8-10, and lots of cuties to meet. TONS of cheap beer will be for sale, but remember to also bring your thermos full of _________!

Leave your fears at home, put on the queerest outfit you've got (for serious this time-- you'll be in Northside!), come find the CGQB booth (we'll be gathering there around 8), and make Hoffner park even queerer than it was for pride!

Unfortunately, I don't think people got it, or just have just been responding with some negativity on their wall posts, for example:

Your new crusade to fight misogyny is laughable when one takes into account the stance taken in past Queer Bar events when the issue of the sexes has arisen. An April 2 invitation to an event in fact encouraged participants to take part in and ipso facto support a "lady's night" event". An event that offered preferential treatment contingent on being a member of a certain sex. Any preferential treatment is unacceptable, regardless of whether or not something is so common place that it is practically an institution. A number of state supreme courts, including California's and Iowa's, have ruled lady's night is sexist by nature and a violation of men's civil rights. Surely the women participants in said event happily took advantage of the benefits afforded them. I hardly see the point in coming to the defense of a group that willfully participates in events geared at discrimination. Any argument that ladies night is something designed to benefit men by ensuring a large number of women

With two supporters responding:

Every GQB has in some way encountered discriminatory gender-related policies like ladies night, and at every one GQB has engaged these policies in some way either in negotiating with the bar in advance or while we are actually there, either through a questioning of the rules each time they are encountered (remember when we tried to get Sully's to question what they understood to be "ladies"?), or, through a direct breaking of these rules. In the case of the "no dicks on stage" policy at the Lodge bar, this led some people to nearly get kicked out. This time, the engagement with broader issues of misogyny, sexism, and the objectification of women is just more explicit. So there's not really much that's laughable or new here.

And:

anne's got it. ryan, if we were to limit ourselves to attending bars with no discriminatory gender-related policies, we'd end up staying at queer bars. even then, there are a good number of those that are incredibly misogynistic. serpent comes to mind. as for recognizing the implications of our actions, i was barely aware that it even was ladies' night at sully's. all i know is that genderfucking the place opened up lines of dialogue (in bathrooms, on bartops, on dance floors) that would previously have been inaccessible to both the normatively gendered and the queerly gendered.

gqb isn't about choosing spaces where everyone will be safe, or choosing spaces where we know the drinks we buy will not support events like the "best legs" contests that lodge bar keeps e-mailing me about. it's about the creation of a safe space, the challenging of discriminatory policies, and the interaction between the queer community and the straight community.

Perhaps that was the purpose of going to those bars, those lady's night genderfucks. That was always my thought, at least. What do you guys think? Lame or awesomeness, this new branching out and this new take?

The Wicked Ol'Witch is Dead... er ... out of office!

2009-07-03T17:16:00.005-04:00

Sarah Palin has resigned as governor of Alaska. Absolutely no one one knows why, though the assumption is so that she pursue her national political interests in 2012. I am going to make a guess: shit is about to hit the fan for Ms. Palin for reasons as-yet-disclosed. Why do I say that?

Because, if you want to be President, you don't jump out of your post three quarters of the way through to seek the Presidency until long after you've declared. That's bad PR and makes you look like a flake. Truly. Something is simmering that has not hit the national media yet -- another scandal? another child pregnant? a paramour? perhaps more corruptions charges? -- and we're just going to sit back and watch it go insane in Alaska.

But the DNC said it best:

"Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said.

"Either way, her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."

Seriously, Alaska, you've got to do better on the national stage. If this is the best you have to offer, I think we're all vastly disappointed.

Regardless, good-bye, Sarah Palin.

And here's her press conference -- weird:

On the flip side, do you think this will be enough to remind queers why we elected Obama and not McCain Palin?

There seems to be some great commentary going on about this out there. From Nate Silver:

Palin is the most Bushlike of all the Republicans who have emerged as contenders for the national ticket: the smirkiness, the smugness, the regional accent (although Palin's, I assume, is not feigned), the malapropisms, the contempt for media (both the people who cover it and their mediums), the express deference to religious faith, the occasionally undeniably likable moments of joviality and regular guy/gal-ness, the tendency toward self-dealing, the bulldog/barracuda mentality, the comfort in one's own skin (Palin was crippled when she lost hers late in the campaign), the (apparent) preference for isolation in [Wasilla, Crawford], and last but not least, the no-holds-barred, no-apologies conservatism.

And sure, some of this is complicated by the fact that Palin is a woman, and a very attractive woman. Would Palin be resented to the same degree by (some) liberals if she looked like Susan Boyle? Well ... maybe not. But would she have been picked for the national ticket? Well ... maybe not. But this has less to do with Palin herself and more to do with the manner in which she was elevated to the national stage. Liberals believe very deeply in the idea that life ought to be meritocratic. Palin didn't seem to have earned it, especially in comparison to John McCain and Barack Obama and even Joe Biden who had such compelling life stories. To a lot of people (not exclusively liberals; Kay Bailey Hutchison's contempt for Palin was obvious), it felt like another case of the pretty girl getting the promotion. If Palin wins the nomination on her own in 2012, this case will fade, and in turn so should some of the resentment.

And don't forget to check out the bit on Hot Air, entitled "Palin isn't a serious candidate for President."

Fagette -- NSFW Video

2009-07-02T19:42:00.001-04:00

Out of Athens, GA, thanks to Genderfork.com...

The Athens Boy Choir is a project of trans spoken word artist Katz.

EHEA Update from Equality Ohio

2009-07-02T11:13:00.002-04:00

You know, for all my criticism of Equality Ohio, they've been very effective at getting information out about the Equal Housing and Employment Act (EHEA) this time around. The EHEA, as you may remember, would make Ohio the ~~21st~~ possibly the 22nd state to pass employment (and housing) protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (the correction is due to the possibility of passage of a non-discrimination bill based solely on sexual orientation in Delaware).

From the email-er:

The General Assembly Session (which started back in January) was scheduled to end on June 30, 2009. However, because the budget has not been approved, Session is still on-going - for an indeterminate amount of time. As long as the House remains in Session, HB 176 (the Equal Housing and Employment Act) could get a vote at any time. We may have no more than a few hours notice. HB 176 remains on the agenda for a vote by the House, but only budget related items are actually getting attention as of this morning.

This is our best shot, right now, to get the Equal Housing and Employment Act (HB 176) passed. It will only get harder if it doesn't happen in this General Assembly (2009-2010). Opponents of HB 176 are working hard to keep equality out of reach of Ohioans. This CAN NOT be stressed enough.

So what can you do? Until the Session goes on recess or a vote occurs on the House floor this summer, keep your focus on the House Members -

Again, I cannot stress this enough -- email your state representatives to pass HB176.

Indian Gay Sex!

2009-07-02T05:09:00.003-04:00

I'm going for crazy headlines these days.

Just a few hours ago, the Delhi High Court of India ruled that consensual sex between people of the same gender is a violation of the rights expressed in the subcontinent's Constitution. Section 377 says that homosexual sex is against the "order of nature" and is punishable with up to 10 years in prison. Activists blame the exploding HIV rates in the country on the law, saying that people have been afraid to discuss their behavior, afraid that it would land them prison time.

However, the decision is tempered with some of the details of the ruling, from the Associated Press story:

The law itself can only be amended by India's Parliament, but the court's verdict should protect New Delhi's gay community from criminal charges and police harassment.

While the Delhi High Court's ruling is not binding on courts in India's other states, Tripti Tandon, a lawyer for the Naz Foundation, said she hoped the ruling would have a "persuasive" affect.

In short: the law has not changed, it's just unlikely to be enforced, and then the ruling only stands in the one state of India. It is a start -- a start that took 8 years to complete, btw, which, apparently is not unusual in the clogged civil litigation system of the world's second largest country. Let's hope it goes further, yes? That's a billion people who can't enjoy the wonderment of man-on-man (or woman-on-woman) action. Human rights issue ... seriously.

Other than the HIV issue, India's gay scene gained international attention after a prince of the country came out and then was subsequently disinherited by his family.

Ten on Tuesday (On Wednesday): Cody's 10 Places

2009-07-01T16:45:00.002-04:00

Well, due to the fact that I have a job and a boyfriend an hour away from my summer home in Hamilton, I've had very little time to keep up appearances online lately. Currently, I have a couple weeks off work though, so I have some time to kill before dinner...

Considering I split my time between the whole of Butler County and the whole of Hamilton County, I'll combine my top-10 places for both (in an itinterary order):

Beginning in Butler County and heading south:

1.)State Line Rd. west of Oxford, OH. Quaint, very photogenic area on the OH-IN border. Dead-straight road (with a couple chicanes) and flat-land for miles (lots of cornfields and such). Great place to photograph incoming storm-fronts.

2.)Quick stop at Coldstone Creamery in Oxford for ice-cream. Great treats!

3.)Holiday Drive-In (north side of Hamilton) stop to see a small collection of vintage GMC buses a friend of mine owns. (I'm such a GEEK)

4.)Miami Woods in Hamilton (my backyard ends into the woods). Walk the trails and check out the ruins of the old Streamas dairy farm (destroyed in the '20s or '30s by coal fire we think).

5.)Governor Bebb Park out in Okeana. Hooked up with a straight guy there one time. Nice rural park.

6.)Bellevue Park in Clifton. Great view of the city from the top of Clifton hill. Down off Ohio Ave. Very romantic at night.

7.)Gypsy Hookah Cafe on Calhoun St in Clifton. I LOVE HOOKAH and the Gypsy started it all. There's another hookah lounge 2 or 3 doors up the street that is legitly Indian and better lit. Kinda like The Dock and the Adonis of hookah bars respectively. I like the patronage of the Gypsy better, even though the service is kinda slow sometimes (but the shisha is more to my liking and doesn't bite as hard as the other lounge's.)

8.)Sawyer Point/Yeatman's Cove. Cool to be down on the river and also quite photogenic.

9.)Back to Clifton to grab a bite to eat at the Skyline at Clifton and Ludlow. Good food, great price, great people. And open whenever you want/need to eat!

10.)Hang in the Gaslight District on Ludlow. Neat shops, and a Graters and UDF... yummm! Might even drive down to Northside for some more fun afterwards.

-Cody
The Seeker

A Tale of Two Police Departments

2009-07-01T09:21:00.004-04:00

On the one hand, we have the Fort Worth Police Department, responding to the raid of a Fort Worth gay bar called the Rainbow Lounge. Seven men were arrested and one was sent to the ICU for a brain injury. Police called it a routine bar raid, but this was police chief Jeff Halstead's response, however:

"You're touched and advanced in certain ways by people inside the bar, that's offensive," he said. "I'm happy with the restraint used when they were contacted like that."

Oh, what? So you can attack someone if you're touched inappropriately -- isn't that called the gay panic defense?

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, a gay man was followed and gay slurs were shouted by a group of Somali youth that included "I hate gay people," and "Fuck gay people," as reported by Joe.My.God. and demonstrated in this YouTube video:

Please note the almost Zen-like restraint the gay man uses while being followed down the streets. The Minneapolis Police Department, in response to accusations that the man was seen in the video passing possible local police officials, released this statement (again, thanks to Joe.My.God.):

June 30, 2009 ( MINNEAPOLIS ) Currently, there is a video on YouTube of an incident that occurred sometime during the Minneapolis Gay Pride Festival. There has been some speculation that Minneapolis Police Officers were in that video. The Minneapolis Police Department wants to assure the public that those security officers who casually walk by during this incident were not from our department. We have a strict uniform policy and those were not our uniforms or our police officers. This is unacceptable behavior that would not be tolerated by the Minneapolis Police. Action would have been taken immediately to stop the harassment that is depicted in the video. We want all people, no matter of color, race, creed or sexual orientation to feel safe and welcome while they are in the city of Minneapolis. PIO contact for this incident is Sgt Jesse Garcia III.

Which one represents tolerance, understanding, and an attempt to make things right; and which represents idiocy and homophobia? I'll let you decide.

Gay History: June 30, 1979

2009-07-01T08:45:00.003-04:00

Thanks to the Dean of Cincinnati from the Cincinnati Beacon for the heads up on Facebook on this, the original wording coming from the Examiner, though I can't find other sources to confirm. On June 30, 1979:

A group of 40 people in Cincinnati Ohio who had reserved a city park pool for a gay pride party were outnumbered and attacked by local residents who threw rocks and bottles at them. Police arrived, watched for a while and then drove away. One man had to be rescued by a television news crew. Police refused to return, even after several calls reporting a riot.

I have a feeling at least one of my readers will be able to confirm this, or know someone who can confirm this so we can get an interview and learn more about the incident???

Mother?

WEARING WHAT WEDNESDAY!!!

2009-07-01T08:09:00.003-04:00

Yea! Wearing What Wednesday is back -- the last post was June 10th, if you can believe it. See, there's this new hot-and-botheredness growing over Ryan Reynolds because he's partially naked in his new movie, The Proposal. And apparently he had some recent cover shoot which brought all the boys to the yard because of his sheer gorgeousness.

And can I say that I have been a huge fan of the man ever since Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place. I certainly never watched that sitcom for his acting. And now since he looks like this:

But Mr. Reynolds is not shy in front of the camera, as per this scene from Buying the Cow:

Which is really the whole reason I posted this blog this morning. But, for your hot blog of the week? You have to admit it (otherwise, I'm calling you a liar) that you've had a crush on a hot cartoon or superhero at some point in your life.

Thank god there's the Shirtless Superheroes blog to remind us just how hot and how dirty that makes us all feel. :-) That's Peter Parker in the picture, btw.

And to my readers who love the hairy types: I recommend LifeLube's WOOF WEDNESDAY's. Trust.

Slutty Gang Bang!!!!

2009-07-01T07:55:00.004-04:00

Ha! Did the headline catch you? I seriously am perusing the web this morning, and I wanted to bring you two blogs written by maybe one of my newest favorite authors in the blogosphere, not necessarily for her writing style, but for her topics. Her name is Chantelle Austin, and her blog is all about sex, sexuality, love, and relationships... from the point of view of someone who has experienced enough to be able to write intelligently about the topics.

The first piece came via the @sexgenderbody Twitter feed: "Is being a slut a bad thing?"

We’re programmed to believe that being promiscuous, or a slut is a bad thing and what is that really? It’s a judgment, damn it! The one thing I pride myself on NOT doing. Coming from someone who works hard to accept others as they are, I was judging myself! I had come to the conclusion that I wasn’t a slut because I was selective about whom I slept with but what does that say about people who aren’t selective? And is that really “wrong”?...

And why does being a slut have to be a bad thing? Are they not just experiencing all that sex and life has to offer? Some people love chocolate, and they’ll eat any sort of chocolate they come across, does that make them a chocolate slut? Hell yes, but is that a bad thing? No! So why is it that some people get labelled as a slut and the connotation is that it’s a bad thing, almost an insult to be called one?

I mean, I was kind of like, "OK, that's not such a bad point, but it's one I've heard before, and how is this special," until I delved further and read a previous column she had written that spurred this particular piece of work: "Am I a Slut If I Participate in a Gang Bang?"

I might be a swinger and engage in sex with people other than my husband but that doesn’t mean I don’t have standards, self respect or professionalism. And it's no excuse for others to treat me with any less respect or manners either so I'll let them know so...

All behaviours of a self respecting woman in my book.

I have recently been criticized for some of my own personal behaviors, and, perhaps they would cause some hackles to rise, but, honestly, I have no problems with them. No guilt -- mostly -- and no worries -- mostly. Sure, I've messed up and made poor decisions, and sometimes my decisions have been overly tainted by alcohol and not by my own libido...

...but it was refreshing to hear a straight woman thinking the same thing I am, and feel empowered by her choices rather than demeaned.

Thoughts on Doctors

2009-07-01T07:32:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, the an advisory committee to the FDA recommended for the removal of Vicodin and Percocet from sale in the United States due to the acetaminophen (Tylenol) component. Acetaminophen overdoses are directly related to acute liver failure, and long-term use is linked to other liver issues.

At the Emergency Department, we are not unfamiliar with overdoses on a variety of issues, acetaminophen included. We are not also unfamiliar with people pleading -- pleading -- for painkillers, usually vicodin or percocet. See, they are relatively inexpensive and innocuous as compared to the more powerful ones like dilaudid or fentanyl. Why we don't see more people begging for morphine tablets escapes me, but I have no doubt it's due to the sheer obivousness of morphine in comparison.

Which brings me to my point...

As we are speaking, right now, a new class of doctors is arriving in Cincinnati for their very first shifts as MD's. Sure, they've had their time in clinical rotations, but today they begin the arduous process of doctorin' up people, and they will get to learn the lessons and make the decisions that so many have before them. They will get to learn the difference between a grimace of real pain and the grimace of a needy 20 year old dislocating his shoulder regularly for the sole purpose of obtaining pain medication. They will get to hear the crazy tales -- the STD check who brings both his pregnant baby mama and his pregnant girlfriend in to get tested -- and they will become familiar with our frequent fliers.

At the same time, a class of doctors is leaving. I have fought with these doctors and become friends with them. I have learned to like them, and I've learned to hate them. Though my job does not near approximate the nurses roles, and my judgment on who is good and who is bad is slightly skewed to who refers to me the most, I have a pretty good and I am sad to see them go. But it also reinforces a sharp divide within the hospital.

We are a team together, working towards health, working towards homeostasis. However, as doctors move from R-1 (first years) to R-2 (second years), or as the R-4's leave, or as the R-1's enter, the doctors are still the doctors in a class in and amidst themselves. They know each other best. And the nurses know each other best. And the other services are so dwindled and separated out as to not be able to say that we really know each other. Thus, these new doctors will learn from all of us, and we will learn from them. They will take with them, as they move onto bigger and better things, the memories of our combined efforts. They will remember the patients we diagnosed together, and the crazy patients we held down together.

But they will move on, confident in their ability to cure. For my part, I will be part of "this cool program we had during my internship;" and the nurses will likely fall into one general lump of people known simply as "the nurses at my last job," individual faces and names forgotten and left behind. (See, when a nurse leaves, it is known, and we say good-bye a little and hug but there are a lot of them and they pass on; when someone lower leaves, it is not known and likely forgotten more often than it is remembered.)

I guess I'm just a little sad this morning, seeing work friends depart and realizing that they were never, perhaps, my friends. I was just part of their learning experience.

In the next month, I will teach the newbies about HIV and sexual health. They will look to me for answers about behaviors they had never heard about, and they will ask me questions about my program, my experience, and some snippet of neat information they missed over the newswire. Or, they will use me -- well, all of us in the Emergency Department -- to supplement their knowledge and to carry out their great and wonderful work, and we will support them. We will help them become better doctors.

Then, on their final day years later, they will look at me over their guitars and say, "I'm just ready to get the fuck out of here," and forget to say good-bye when they go and never acknowledge the part we all played in making them, them.

And I wonder who I will say good-bye to, and who will guide me, much like these doctors in a class all their own did for each other.

In a weaker moment, I might say that I just want to be remembered, that I want to matter in some way. I wonder, for those doctors already gone, if I did.

TEN ON TUESDAY

2009-07-01T07:17:00.004-04:00

Ten on Tuesday is a feature I run, well, whenever I feel like it. I post ten things on various subjects and invite you -- fellow bloggers and friends -- to post as well on the same topic. This week, I'm feeling a little bit of love for this city we call home, and so...

TEN ON TUESDAY:

Ten Places You Take People When They Come Into Town

1. Any Local Festival -- What else are you going to do with your friends except drink and eat and watch some amazing entertainment?
2. City Parks -- We have a lot of them, and they are, by far, some of the most amazing I have ever been in. Mt. Echo, Mt. Adams, Devue, even Burnet Woods -- all with views and neat little hideaways to enjoy nature amidst the city's sounds.
3. For Chili -- I'm actually a little bit of a Gold Star man, myself, but I've had far more positive reviews with Camp Washington and Skyline.
4. To Newport on the Levee -- You may crucify me now, if you so desire, but it's nice to sit in the Barnes & Noble porch and look at the skyline of the city over the river. That, and a movie is alwasy the safe bet when taking guests out.
5. To the Top of Carew Tower -- Because you kinda have to, don't you? I mean, it's a requirement, to take them to one of the highest points with an observation deck.
6. My House -- But that's a different type of guest.
7. Scenic Home Tour -- Through Northside, Clifton, Avondale, Covington, Over-the-Rhine, and Price Hill. I absolutely love the housing stock, and I think it's something to be adored and amazed at, if only we all were better stewards of our history.
8. Hustler Store -- Preferably in Mason, but that, again, is another type of guest and one that has a great sense of humor. It's part of our culture here, seriously.
9. Purple People Bridge -- If I can manage the time, a trip through Sawyer Point and across the bridge to #5 usually leaves people awe struck.
10. Fountain Square -- Again, because you kinda have to, don't you?

I know, there's probably nothing surprising on the list, but, I'll be honest, I have had a very small circle of existence since I stopped driving and haven't had much opportunity to explore as far afield as I would like.

So, there you go. As always, post your list in the comments, or a link to your own blog post.

New Loss for Lt. Dan Choi

2009-07-01T06:57:00.004-04:00

In the most high-profile case of its like, Lt. Dan Choi, an Arabic interpreter in the National Guard, was recommended for discharge yesterday from the military by a panel of four officers due to breaking the infamous Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. So, he's out, and now he's out.

From the MSNBC story:

Lt. Dan Choi would be the first New York National Guard member discharged for violating the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy, said Lt. Col. Paul Fanning, a spokesman for the New York Army National Guard.

Choi, a combat veteran, said it amounted to firing him "for nothing more than telling the truth about who I am."

"I'm a leader. A setback is an opportunity to keep fighting, and I'm going to do that through my actions," said Choi, who on Sunday was a celebrity grand marshal in San Francisco's Gay Pride Parade.

Choi says he will go on to fight the decision, but it is unlikely that he will win due to the recent setback on the federal level on Don't Ask, Don't Tell where the Supreme Court refused to hear a case.

My suggestion? Let's expand the 1964 Civil Rights Act -- as suggested by the group The Power -- to include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, and then move on to court cases. We need some kind of law on our side first, right? Seems reasonable, yea?

Thanks to Wolfie at Back2Stonewall for the heads up on this video of Keith Olbermann's take on DADT:

About Damn Time

2009-07-01T04:25:00.004-04:00

And, so, Al Franken has been declared the victor in the long, 8-month battle for the junior Senate seat in Minnesota, and he had these words to say:

"When you win an election this close, you know not one bit of effort went to waste. The way I see it, I'm not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator, I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from Minnesota."

I have no idea what he really means by that statement except to say that I'm sure Hillary said something similar back when she got the Senate seat in New York. Political aspirations what?

The Democrats now control 60 seats in the Senate -- a filibuster proof majority -- which is as disturbing as it is exciting, but it also proves that Minnesotans love their outsider politicians, and 312 people in that state may be thinking, "What the fuck did I do on election day?"

Norm Coleman conceded and, I wonder, if that is, officially, the end of the 2008 election.

Web Site Story

2009-06-30T13:56:00.002-04:00

Julie Niesen of Wine Me, Dine Me, Cincinnati posted this on her Facebook, and then I saw it on Neatorama, and I watched it both times and laughed both times, so, I figured, I'd share it.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

The internet ... to the tune of the worst musical ever, West Side Story.

Democratic Candidate Fundraiser Raided

2009-06-30T13:14:00.002-04:00

OK, after the bizarre story of Texas police raiding a Fort Worth gay bar and arresting drunk people, we have another story out of Encinitas, California, a suburb just north of San Diego. At the home of a lesbian couple, Congressional hopeful, Francine Busby, was holding a fundraiser until the cocktail hour was raided by eight sheriff's cruiser... and a helicopter.

Why? Apparently, a noise complaint.

Here's the story from Sign On San Diego:

The party was Friday night in the 1300 block of Rubenstein Avenue, the home of Shari Barman, a Busby supporter.

It ended with Barman, 60, being arrested and jailed on suspicion of battery on a peace officer, and resisting, delaying and obstructing a peace officer.

Pam Morgan, 62, a Rancho Santa Fe resident and one of the guests, also was arrested and taken to the Encinitas Sheriff's Station, where she was cited for resisting, delaying and obstructing a peace officer.

Other partygoers were doused with pepper spray, and seven deputies, a sergeant and a helicopter were dispatched to the neighborhood of expensive homes.

Busby, Barman, guests at the party and a Sheriff's Department spokesman provided varying accounts of what happened.

Busby, 58, a Democrat seeking the 50th Congressional District seat in 2010, said she will meet with Sheriff Department officials today to find out who made what she called a “phony” noise complaint.

The Sheriff's Department received the complaint at 9:33 p.m. from a man who said someone was talking on a loudspeaker and a crowd was cheering, keeping him awake.

From about 8 to 8:30 p.m., Busby said, she used an amplified microphone to talk to guests, whom she described as middle-aged supporters.

During Busby's speech, Barman said in a statement yesterday, a man on the property behind her house shouted “disparaging remarks” about Busby and gay people. Barman lives in the house with her partner, Jane Stratton, 55.

After her talk, Busby said, people chatted.

“It was a quiet home reception, disrupted by a vulgar person shouting obscenities from behind the bushes,” Busby said.

Neighbors on three sides of the house said yesterday there wasn't much noise from the party. One man said he slept through it.

“We didn't hear anything until the sheriff came, with eight patrol cars and a helicopter,” said Natasha Cortina, 43, who said she and her two children were home with the windows open.

Hugh Elliott, 53, who lives closest to the house, said he heard a deputy's radio, then arguing, coughing, crying and finally everyone spilling outside as the smell of pepper spray drifted over his back fence.

There is some indication that there may have been resistance to arresting by the owner of the home, but certainly not enough to justify a helicopter and pepper spray. Especially since the hostess was 62 years old. Seems... excessive?

Coming Up in Queer Cincinnati...

2009-06-30T07:29:00.004-04:00

Cincinnati Equinox!!!

I feel awful, I was supposed to email George from Metronation, the mastermind behind the event, but I never did, but I wanted to make sure you heard about it.

Cincinnati Equinox comes out of no where and promises to be one of the highlights of Cincinnati's queer calendar. No, organizers are quick to point out, it has nothing to do with Pride and it certainly does not replace the event. Rather, Equinox promises to be different and special in its own right. When I heard about it, probably at Below Zero Lounge one evening, I was a little taken aback. My thoughts are probably your own: can it be successful? Well, if George's assurances are true, and he's talking that there are literally hundreds (maybe over a thousand at this point) of people bussing in from out of town for a big old gay party at... FOUNTAIN SQUARE.

That's right, folks, the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, recently reformed out of the ashes of the Queen City Careers Association, has teamed up with Fountain Square to put on the party of the year this coming weekend! How they did it on July 4th weekend, I'll never know, but you can be sure I'm going.

Here is the event line-up according to the website:

Friday, July 3rd: Welcome Party, 10pm-Close at various local bars
Friday, July 4th: Equinox Festival, 11am-4pm on Foutain Square
Friday, July 4th: Equinox Ball, 10pm-2am, Grand Ballroom of the Millenium Hotel
Friday, July 4th (ish): Afterhours Breakfast, 1:30am-4am, Millenium Hotel

Trust, kids, it's gonna be fun and I will be sure to update you later in the week as soon as I find out the various wonderful things all of the Cincinnati queers have planned. I probably won't be making it to the ball -- it's far too much for this poor queer to attend -- but you can be sure you'll see me out at the bars. *Checks little black book* Who's lucky enough to be my date that evening?

Oh, and after my interview with CityBeat around Pride, I got a lot of questions of how can large queer events really become political and change hearts and minds of Cincinnati and our neighbors. I think the Equinox founders answered it best from their mission statement:

The purpose of the event is to help heal the image of Cincinnati in the National LGBT Community. Although Article XII has been repealed, Cincinnati is still viewed by other cities as homophobic and unwelcoming to the GLBT Community. On any given weekend a large portion of our city's own community leave for the nearby cities of Columbus, Louisville, Dayton, Indianapolis and Lexington.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce believes that by hosting Equinox, we can show the changing climate towards the gay and lesbian community in Cincinnati, therefore improving the attitudes of our own community, as well as, show other cities that times have changed in Cincinnati and we welcome them with open arms, as our city is a great place to shop, play and live.

And don't worry, word is that Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar is very much working with Equinox planners for a huge party that night.

Great Cincinnati GLBTQ Youth Summit

A mainstay of all queers' calendars, the youth summit has now opened up for registration. I'll cover a little more later, but they are also looking for additional help and worshop proposals. Do you think there's a demand for "blogging for queers" workshop? Hrm. Maybe I'll put my two cents in. Check out the website here.

Super Secret Event

Well, for another week. Just put July 17th, 7pm-10pm on your calendar, kids. You'll be doing some good for the world, and having a great time in the process. Promise, promise.

MapHIV.org

2009-06-30T07:13:00.004-04:00

A new atlas has popped up on the interweb, an interactive map bring the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US into easy-to-see and simple graphics for easy comparison. Granted, it takes a little digging to get the detailed information, but it's an excellent exercise in comparisons, especially regionally.

Overall, Ohio tends to fair green, meaning that we tend to have lower overall HIV infection rates (per 100,000 of the population) than some parts of the country. Hamilton County, as well, tends to fair better than either Cleveland or Columbus. The picture above represents one of the higher rates you can find in HamCo -- eclipsed only by our AIDS rates amongst African Americans.

As a whole, the South is drowning in HIV/AIDS, outside of those traditional epicenters of urban America, a fact that shouldn't surprise anyone, but always seems to. A CNN story links the disparity to stigma, lack of testing sites, a decentralized population, lack of HIV-knowledgeable healthcare professionals, and difficulties in education. Georgia tends to do the worst.

Check it out -- MapHIV.org. Worth a few minutes of your time today. It's produced by the National Minority Quality Forum, an organization dedicated to making sure minority populations receive the highest level of service in the US healthcare system.

Avenue Q Closing

2009-06-30T06:45:00.002-04:00

I got this from a brief perusal of PerezHilton's website, and I wanted to just make a quick point about using the man as a source before I continue:

I think Mr. Hilton is a silly little man with more readership than good sense. I think he is an attention whore, and I think it's absurd that we would somehow give credence for a celebrity blogger as an actual celebrity. I think he's hateful and mean spirited. But all those things describe most bloggers. More recently, Mr. Hilton decided to take his own hypocrisy to a new level, going to so far as to refer to will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas as a faggot, because, according it him, it was "the worse possible thing that thug would ever want to hear." GLAAD was right in condemning him for his actions, especially because, being open and queer, you'd think it would ring as an absurdity for the man who brought down Carrie Prejean for being against same-sex marriage would then launch into homophobic vitriole for the sole reason that it was hateful. In short, I have little love for Perez Hilton.

That said, he's very good at what he does and there is usually a snippet or two of interesting news on his site, this included from a post yesterday:

After 9 years on Broadway, Avenue Q is closing, PerezHilton.com has learned.

The Tony Award-winning musical will play its last performance on September 13th.

It was a very good run!

Sigh. It was a good run, and I thought I'd share another bit of music from the show that was just recently in Cincinnati to large crowds.

Ha -- I thought it was appropriate :-).

Gay Exorcism Response

2009-06-29T12:18:00.005-04:00

In response to this seeming gay exorcism...

The preacher admits that yes, it is a gay exorcism.

And comes off sounding like a crazy, bigoted, blathering idiot. I like the question: "How do you know anything has changed?"

Zack Ford blogs has a great running commentary of the transcript.

Frakkin' A, Cincinnati Enquirer!

2009-06-29T11:56:00.005-04:00

Seriously, as if the last round wasn't bad enough with the Chadea Thrasher case -- accused and now convicted and sentenced of sexually touching a patient at University of Cincinnati. Ms. Thrasher is trans, a fact that the Enquirer has delighted in reporting over and over and over again for no apparent reason. Despite the fact that what Thrasher did was very, very wrong, the Enquirer's ongoing inability to cover LGBTQ issues with any level of propriety and dignity is galling.

For example, from the story on the conviction on today's Cincinnati.com:

Two weeks ago when Thrasher was convicted of sexually touching a patient at University Hospital – where Thrasher was a working as a phlebotomist – he was wearing a woman’s wig with long hair, necklace, heels and carrying a purse.

Today, the female impersonator – who lives as a woman and uses the name Chadea Thrasher – was wearing the black-and-white stripes of an inmate. That’s the same outfit Thrasher will have to wear for the next 18 months after Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Ruehlman sent Thrasher to prison for that amount of time.

"Female impersonator?" Oh, is that the term we're using now. As of my posting (noon), there was only one brilliant comment: "Doesn't UC Hospital do background checks of the people that they hire? I am sure they would not have hired a female impersonator, if they had known that in advance!!! Good grief!!!" Be sure to check back and find out just how intelligent anonymous commentators can be on a newspaper site.

First On Screen Man-on-Man Kiss

2009-06-28T23:21:00.003-04:00

Check out the story here about the first on-screen man-on-man kiss ever which occurred 10 years ago this month. The video above is the actual event on the TODAY show with Al Roker running over to chat with the young couplem whom he believed to be heterosexual with one of the guys proposing to his girlfriend back in Ohio. It's kind of a cool story.

Police Raid Texas Gay Bar

2009-06-28T23:10:00.002-04:00

On the anniversary of Stonewall, police raided a gay bar in Fort Worth Texas, arriving with zip cuffs and paddy wagons, in what they are saying was a routine check of local liquor establishments. Protests were held today. From the Star-Telegram:

Witnesses say that police arrived at the nightclub about 1 a.m. Sunday and arrested seven people and that one of those arrested suffered a fractured skull during the takedown and is at a Fort Worth hospital.

About 75 people showed up Sunday afternoon at the Rainbow Lounge to make signs for the rally. Some of the signs read: "Give us Answers Now" and "We Have Rights Too."

Fort Worth police released a statement saying that the Rainbow Lounge was not the only bar targeted by six Fort Worth police officers and two agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and a supervisor. The group first went to the Rosedale Saloon and Cowboy Palace on Rosedale Street. Nine people were arrested, police report.

A Facebook group has sprung up to relay information about the raid and the ensuing protests. Witnesses were given the chance to post their first hand experiences. One of the club's dancers reports thusly:

I was one of the dance entertainers last night at Rainbow Lounge. I was dancing on a box in the VIP lounge and was looking right at the first guy who was arrested. The male patron was standing at the bar doing nothing but having a having a drink and a fun time (like people do in bars) when an officer entered that section of the club and made a beeline straight towards him. The officer forcefully spun the man around, shoved him against the bar and placed plastic restraints on his wrists. The officer then marched the man out the club. The guy was stunned and obviously really scared.

I was still standing near the entrance to the VIP lounge with a friend when an officer approached a man standing there. The man had water in his hand. The officer asked him how much he had had to drink and the man said that he didn't have to answer that. The officer then said that he was going to arrest him for public intoxication. The man said,"You can't do that I am just standing here right now drinking water." At the time the officer shoved the man over towards the wall near the dressing room and then back to the rear wall near the men's restroom, then down onto the floor. Several other officers, made their way back there to hold that ONE MAN down on the ground as they placed restraints on him. At the time I noticed that all of them did not have FWPD uniforms on. Some of them were actually State Police.

I came out of my horrified daze at that moment and told my friend that we needed to get out of there quickly. I just felt like everything was about to go crazy. Outside the bar, there were officers standing all over the place. I did a quick scan and counted seven squad cars. I heard one officer telling a young woman who was complaining to him about being harrassed by them that they were only there to protect the citizens of Fort Worth and to keep drunk people from being on the roads.

Whoa, dude. This was a weird choice of days to do this (A) and (B) I thought we were done with this 40 years ago. There may be a plausible explanation, and I'll be very curious to hear what the PD has to say about this over the next few days.

Thanks to Change.org for the story!

STUPID JOKE SATURDAY!

2009-06-27T14:59:00.002-04:00

You only get one today:

A man rushed into the doctor's clinic and shouted: Doctor! I'm think I'm shrinking!

The Doctor calmly responded: Now settle down. You'll just have to be a little patient.

HA! But I'm going to give you a whole blog to check out -- WE MAKE YOU LAUGH!

National HIV Testing Day -- Repost

2009-06-27T14:36:00.002-04:00

I got tested again about a month ago by my doctor, but today is National HIV Testing Day, and I thought I'd repost my story from 2008 that originally appeared on RainbowCincinnati here.

---

The last year has been rough, and I would be lying if I said I hadn't fucked up a time or two.

But, for the most part (I continue to tell myself), I did ok. However, when someone is naked behind and in front of you, the lines begin to blur on exactly how safe you are being.

I have been truly concerned about the results of an HIV test exactly twice in my life.

The first time was my first test. Fresh into the world of gay.com, this chubby 19 year old found a boy that liked him. He was 38 (ish), I was 19. It made perfect sense when I wanted him to fuck me that we should do so without a condom. HIV happens to other people (A) and (B) he likes me and would look after my interests. All I remember is desperately trying to clean myself out and seeing blood.

Three months later, he called to tell me that he was HIV+. That was the first time I was worried and it opened up a whole new world of learning, growing, and a career path that was unexpected.

Today was the second time I was worried, and I arrived via bus to the STOP AIDS offices promptly at... 8:40am. I got to sit out front, reading a book my father had recommended to me, and greet all of my former coworkers, having to make light of the situation with each new smiling face.

"I'm here to celebrate the day!" It being National HIV Testing Day, the ruse was plausible.

I didn't tell them that I was scared shitless, or that I was there only because a series of signs from the heavens were directing me there. No, no, I was just there doing my good, gay duty.

Having not been tested since March (ish) 2007.

You read that right. I am an HIV Counselor and Advocate and had not been tested in over a year. Let's ignore the lapse in judgment and move on with the story...

I had decided that my desire to be tested would also be mitigated by who was testing me. First, Libby. She and I had talked about it before, she's one my dearest friends in the world, and, if I had to have bad news, I wanted to hear it from her. I wanted a friend in that room. Second, Cheryl. It seems counterintuitive. She is an older, religious, dignified African-American lady. When you consider the game of identities, it's not that unusual because she is exactly the opposite of who I am.

And I always said that she would be the best person to hear that you were positive from because she's so much like a mother. I would guess that she would just swoop me into her arms and make me feel better.

Third, Todd. Todd is amazing at what he does, but none of this was necessarily his business. However, if it were positive, he would have to be called in to guarantee my anonymity. I figured the result would be safest in his hands, and he would treat it with the kind of respect that I would want.

Adam and Brent and the rest of the staff... I love them all, but I didn't want them to test me. Sorry, guys. I don't know any of you as testers, and I was really worried.

Todd drove up first. I called out: "I'm in need of your services!"

He looked flustered and said: "TODAY?"

"It's National HIV Testing Day! I wanted to be your first test of the day!" I know I have a bad habit of popping with random projects. I think it's funny he would not have thought that I would be there for an HIV test. When he realized, he looked visibly relieved that it wasn't another "Crazy Barry Scheme" (which he would buy into because he knows they work).

Libby pulled up immediately after, we worked out the details and Libby was going to test me.

I have been in that room many times, but this was the first time in the cushy chair which is now a big loveseat like monstrosity. I reclined and Libby and I gossiped.

If you've never been tested, I'll clue you in: you get asked a lot of questions. And since places like STOP AIDS have a 20-minute test, you are definitely going to have time to chat. Libby whipped out the list and answered the questions for me. We giggled about some of the answers, made light jokes, but that was because I was worried and I get the impression she was a little worried for me.

But she was being a professional, and I love her for it.

I learned one thing, though: don't look at the test. I was watching her eyes the whole time. I freaked out every time her gaze lingered. Kathryn once suggested you just turn the test around so neither of you can see it. Now that I've sat in the big cushy loveseat at the STOP AIDS office, I understand better why. When my job switches to the 20-minute test, I'll remember that then.

When I called her on her eyes, she said, "Honey, it's working. And I'm not seeing anything." She flipped the test towards me.

For most other people in the world, this would be a terribly unprofessional move. I have seen these tests turn positive. Ten minutes into it, I saw what she was seeing: there was no indication of an HIV infection.

Ten minutes in -- and it's a big secret that the tester can usually tell that soon, if not sooner -- and we knew it would be fine.

I texted my sister immediately after: TWICE I'VE DODGED THE BULLET ON THIS FUCKING TEST.

Her response: AND HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU PLANNING TO HOLD THE GUN UP TO SEE IF YOU CAN.

OK, OK. I get it. Learned my lesson.

Carry on.

But I'm HIV-negative... today.

---

And today, and today, and today.

My old boss used to liken the penis to a deadly weapon, "except its not the bullets we're worried about -- but it's a shot all the same," she used to say. I thought it was worth a thought this morning.

Stonewall Anniversary

2009-06-27T14:17:00.007-04:00

'We are the Stonewall girls
We wear our hair in curls
We wear no underwear
We show our pubic hair...
We wear our dungarees
Above our nelly knees!'

June 28th, 1969, 1:20am

Per Allen Ginsberg:

You know, the guys there were so beautiful—they've lost that wounded look that fags all had 10 years ago
Happy 40th anniversary, queer rights movement.

Oh and someone said it on Twitter the other day: Why do I feel like Stephen Colbert educated more of America on Stonewall the entirety of the American public education system?

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Stonewalling

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Mark Sanford

We're here, we're queer, you'll get to us eventually. Priceless. BTW, did you happen to catch the study where both conservatives and liberals enjoy the Colbert Report because they perceive that he is on their side? Seriously, folks.

And don't forget to check out Wolfie at Back2Stonewall.com's article he reposted that originally appeared in CityBeat, this time unedited. You know, that boy isn't such a bad writer. :-)

Tranny Alert!

2009-06-26T22:47:00.003-04:00

This is making the rounds on Twitter -- click here to follow the tweetstream -- and GLAAD will be reaching out to the owners of the website, Tranny-Alert.com, but I was curious to know what you guys thought about the website and the ensuing controversy.

National HIV Testing Day

2009-06-26T07:24:00.002-04:00

Don't forget -- it's that time of the year. I'll repost my story tomorrow. Jo Anne over at TheSkeptikOne (ha! I got it right!) has a great run down of where and how to get tested or learn more this weekend. If you are confused, call this number:

513-421-AIDS

(513-421-2437)

It's STOP AIDS' phone number. They'll direct you on how/where/when to get tested.

HIV is still out there; a great way you can be protected, and a great way to protect your partner, is to get tested today. (And don't forget the rubbers, boys and girls -- if you call that number or stop by their office at 220 Findlay, you can get a shitton for free. We used to give out grocery bags full, sometimes.)

Five Guys Burger: A Review

2009-06-26T06:45:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, I had the distinct delight of doing lunch with @Kate_The_Grea t of Kate's Random Musings, whose company is always a welcome diversion in my week. We had another issue to discuss at the time, and we decided on the freshly minted Five Guys Burgers and Fries (website, twitter) that recently opened here in Clifton at 210 Calhoun Street.

I love burgers. I've said it before that, when I dine out, my eyes immediately seek out their cheeseburger because I see it as classic American cuisine and a meal that, I think, is easy to do poorly if ignored and hard to do very, very well. Five Guys does it very, very well. How they managed to maintain their semi-fast food sentiment, their diner look, and still make a delicious and juicy burger... I'll never know. But it's a definite, definite win for the owners, and for the city, I think.

Imagine this, if you will: you've heard about a chain restaurant, everyone raves about it, talks about how wonderful it is, it's lunch time in Clifton in the middle of the week, and the last few restaurants people raved about were disappointments. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, no? Wrong. We walked in -- immediately greeted by an employee who held the door for us, and walked by a sign that informed us just exactly where our potatoes were coming from that day (Driggs, Idaho) -- and were at the counter ordering our meal within three minutes. The menu was simple -- there's not much on it, dogs, burgers, brauts, drinks, and fries is about the whole of it -- so simple, in fact, that the lady who followed us in was confused enough to ask, "Are your burgers any good here? What should I order?" Seriously. You're at a freakin' burger joint.

Got my number, my drink, and waited. I will make a mild complaint that it's hard to hear over the hustle and bustle. To my count, there were no fewer than 15 employees working when we came in, and the crowd walked in shortly after. The cashier is screaming "I need two patties!" every time someone orders a burger, and then there are two guys at the end of the counter yelling your number. I got confused, but I'm sure this will all pass.

We unrolled our burgers. I got the bacon cheeseburger ($5.79) with lettuce, grilled onions, and ketchup, a side of small fries ($1.79, I believe), and a small drink ($1.39). Unfortunately, Five Guys suffers from the Penn Station syndrome: no meal deals, and kind of expensive. My whole meal was just over $10. The price was quickly forgotten. Kate and I considered each other, considered our burgers, and dove in. At first bite, it was love. The beef was exquisitely juicy and flavorful. The cheese was American, a disappointment, but the other add-ons were fresh and delicious. It was not a cheap piece of lettuce stuck on there, it was a nice hunk of iceberg piled on two patties with bacon that carried a touch of spice. The bread was soft and squishable, otherwise you would not have been able to fit my burger in my mouth.

The fries, of which you get a lot for your money, were not terribly impressive. They were fresh and thick and juicy, but I shudder now to believe that I have become so used to -- sigh -- fast food that I may never truly be able to enjoy a real fry. A tad oversalted, I felt like they could have used a touch of something to set them apart. A special spice, perhaps? Maybe just a little pepper? I had just grabbed salt (which I did not add), and I was too engrossed in my burger to go hunting for pepper, and I really didn't think about it.

Regardless, I ate every last one of the potatoes.

The set up is vaguely reminiscent of a 1950s diner. It's decorated in red and white checks. Considering the location of the line and the cashier, I was sure that the place would soon have people pouring out the door. Service was fast and efficient and pleasant, so there was nobody hanging outside waiting to get on the very hot and sticky summer afternoon. The crowd moved right through, and there did not seem to be a lack for seats. The place was full, but no one was left wandering or waiting.

Overall, I'm going back. And soon. Well, once I get paid again. I can't be eating $10+ meals every day. Perhaps just once a week. So much for my waistline.

It's an "A" -- and totally worth the hype.

Oh, and yes, we both picked up the 5chw4r7z habit of taking a picture of our food. LOL. The picture above is from my Twitter (via Twitpic). The bottom two are from Juliet's camera which I still have :-).

Farrah Fawcett Loses Her Battle with Cancer Today

2009-06-25T13:28:00.003-04:00

It was just announced that Farrah Fawcett has lost her battle with cancer, she was 62.

She had been diagnosed with anal cancer in 2006. As she underwent treatment, she enlisted the help of actor Ryan O’Neal, who had been her longtime companion and was the father of her son, Redmond, born in 1985.

Her struggle with painful treatments and dispiriting setbacks was recorded in the television documentary “Farrah’s Story.” Fawcett sought cures in Germany as well as the United States, battling the disease with iron determination even as her body weakened.

“Her big message to people is don’t give up, no matter what they say to you, keep fighting,” her friend Alana Stewart said. NBC estimated the May 15, 2009, broadcast drew nearly 9 million viewers.

In the documentary, Fawcett was seen shaving off most of her trademark locks before chemotherapy could claim them. Toward the end, she’s seen huddled in bed, barely responding to a visit from her son.

May she now find peace.

Juliet