Extra Second in 2008

As if we really needed to prolong this year any longer than necessary... (from CNN)

Immediately before midnight a leap second -- the first for three years -- will be added to atomic clocks around the world by official timekeepers.

Peter Whibberley, a senior research scientist at Britain's National Physical Laboratory, said the Earth's erratic rotation meant an extra second needed to be added.

"The difference between atomic time and Earth time has now built up to the point where it needs to be corrected, so this New Year's Eve we will experience a rare 61 second minute at the very end of 2008 and revelers... will have an extra second to celebrate."

Oh, come on. They couldn't have thrown this in at, say, noon? Or randomly thrown it out in the middle of a day so no one notices?

I think this is a great example of "nerds want attention, too." :-)

2008: A bust for my personal life, a boom for my blogging life

2008 was the year that QueerCincinnati.com was made. There's been a lot going on on this blog this year, but I'll say this: other than the rapid expansion of my blog from virtual unknown to being the biggest non-hookup or chat gay site in the city and getting 300+ hits a day... I would say the rest of my life was a complete and utter clusterfuck. But because JereKeys has been so wonderful to give us a review of his stats, let's look at a little bit of ours on this, the last day of the shitshow known as 2008...

Total Blog Posts 2008: 817 (before this one)
Total Blog Posts 2007: 40 (increase of approximately 2,000.5%)

Biggest Blogging Month 2008: October, with 100
Biggest Blogging Month 2007: September, with 15 (an increase of approximately 750%)

Biggest Confirmed Total Hits: December 14, 2008 -- 1,148

Biggest Month (after sitemeter installed in July): August, with 11,498 hits
December may beat it, as it's only about 390 hits behind

Total Confirmed Hits (after sitemeter installed in July): 46,217

Average Daily Hits: 398
I'm not even going to break down what the most popular posts were. I'll give you a clue: they have to do with half-naked men. Oh. It's Wednesday, today, isn't it?

Most Popular Labels (total):
Election 2008 -- 148 posts
Gay Stuff -- 145 posts
Cincy Gay Scene -- 97 posts
Blogging -- 96 posts
General Stuff -- 95 posts
Ohio/CinNKy -- 88 posts
Barack Obama -- 75 posts
HIV/AIDS -- 54 posts
Hilary Clinton -- 45 posts
John McCain -- 44 posts
Pop Culture -- 36 posts

...those are the only ones over 20, believe it or not... even Sarah Palin didn't make the list, nor did our current President. Shocking, actually.

I look forward to the recap numbers next year, seeing as how we'll have a full year of sitemeter numbers to base it off of! Yea!!!

---

It's funny to glance back at the 40 posts from 2007. They are kind of lame, and I think they definitely show a blogger in need of a voice. Or, rather, just something to do. I picked the blog up and put it back down so many times that it really was Super Tuesday that made me the prolific blogger than I am, today.

I just wanted to make it seem like my opinion mattered, so I started randomly posting my thoughts on the election.

And, well, we see where that got us.

---

Though my personal life crumbled and things went from decidedly bad to god-awful this year, I'm glad to still be around and to have at least this much completed for the year.

Though I still feel like a total nerd whenever I say to people You know, I'm a bit of a blogger...

Coming up in the next day or so: blogging resolutions for 2009. What are my fellow Cincinnati Bloggers resolutions for their sites in the coming year???

Lesbian Experimentation

I just giggle every time I read xkcd.com ... even if I've read the same comic over and over and over again. I've posted about it before, long ago, but I can't seem to find it, and, honestly, I don't care.



Oh, and PS, I love that I have a "lesbians" label already. I wonder where it takes me...

Penny Tration - Video Blog #4

Good Night, Crazy Lady.

Christine Maggiore, founder of the Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives organization, died this past week. Why does this matter?

Christine Maggiore, an activist who vehemently denied that HIV causes AIDS, declined to take anti-AIDS drugs and sued Los Angeles County for stating that her 3-year-old daughter succumbed to AIDS-related pneumonia, has died. She was 52.

Maggiore died at her Van Nuys home on Saturday. She had been treated for pneumonia in the past six months, but her official cause of death was pending, county coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter said Tuesday.

He said it was unclear whether her death was AIDS-related. She was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus in 1992.

She was also the lady who wrote the What if everything you knew about AIDS was wrong? book. Granted, some of the points about the tests -- that there is a chance of false positive, that some things do "trigger" a positive result that are not HIV -- and about alternative treatments -- which do, in fact, complement traditional Western medicine nicely -- are completely valid...

...lady, you're a nutjob, your research has been debunked, and the only people you were helping in the end...

...was yourself.

Good night, crazy lady.

(And I'm not going to spare it, really, I'm glad she's dead. And I hope an autopsy is performed, and I hope they find that AIDS killed her, and I hope it's about time that people stopped their internalized fear of their own disease and stopped giving nutjobs a soapbox. Her cause would have died years ago had it not been for the internet... she did so much more harm than the bit of good she was as the establishment's devil's advocate.)

BLOGGING: An Update from Cody

Well hello yet again everyone!

I really am terribly sorry about the HUGE gap between my last vlog and now...
Working retail during the holidays is hell (as other local vlogger Mikiepg84 can attest to) and I've had no time off other than Christmas day!
In any case, I was, in fact, able to record a vlog on Boxing Day, and I subsequently filmed another video of me playing snooker on my billiard table... My HP Quickplay program likes to link the 2 vids together and make them one piece, so it won't upload to YouTube since it's over the 10 minute limit...
Alas, I am going to meet up with a computer geek friend of mine (who's webiste I will also be writing for soon; zgbnetwork.com *shameless plug*) on Friday so he can teach me how to get the little fucker to cooperate for me! Oh joy!

I'd also like to give a big ole' warm welcome to my favorite drag queen on Earth, Penny Tration!!! I'm thrilled to have you on board doll, and I can't wait 'till I actually get to meet you in person (I allude to this welcome in my vid too BTW).

So until I get that damn vlog uploaded properly, I shall bid ya'll adieu!

-Cody
"Don't wanna be stuck off in this cool cool world. Don't wanna mess this up. Better keep your eye on me girl..."

Blog by phone!!!

First blog by phone.

I bought myself a smart phone - a Samsung Blackjack II. Overall good performance. Runs on Windows which means it could be faster, but Microsoft would probably just eat that up with unnecessary junk.

I do like checking my email via phone though. Not like I am responding any faster.

Joint celebration of my two sister's birthdays. 21 and 23. Jeez. Now we are all adults.

My mother is not happy with this.

Merry Christmas :-)

It's midnight, per our tradition, I've had a little to drink this Christmas Eve. And of course...



Merry Christmas, every one.

(Funny, I'm 26 and it's still hard to get to sleep this evening. But that's ok. I hear Santa upstairs. It's amazing that, no matter how old you get, things still remain the same.)

Back2Stonewall.com

Meet our new latest queer Cincy-area who seems in line to beat me as the most prolific LGBT-focused blogger in Cincinnati: Back2Stonewall.com. I'm impressed, so far, they claim to be an organization, though, and I'm curious to know where they are going.

They are based out of Covington, KY. I'm trying to find more information as quicly as I can. Here's a piece from their best post so far:

In my opinion the only one guilty of disrespecting our History is Mr. Friss and the lackadaisical Gay “Mainstream” Media at this point. Why they have spun and turned this way is beyond me. Perhaps its fear. Fear of losing their cushy mainstream jobs or perhaps they don’t want to make enemies or make waves. But whatever it is they do us NO GOOD and should be ignored and they themselves be removed as “voices” of our community.

Our fight can no longer be waged and won by Task Forces, Black Tie Fund Raisers, Public Relations People, Commercials and “nice protests”. It hasn’t worked for the past 20 Years. Why should it work now and why should we revert back to it after blatantly seeing that IT DOES NOT WORK with the Passage of Proposition 8.

WE NEED TO STAND UP. WE NEED TO BE ANGRY AND LET THAT ANGER WORK FOR US.

Boycotts, Marches, Civil Disobediences, Guerilla Theatre, and REAL Grassroots Activism is needed. Not with Mission Statements as such from “Join The Impact”

We must engage our opposition in a conversation about full equality and to do this with respect, dignity, and an attitude of outreach and education.”

WTF?

That’s a nice sentiment. It really is. Only it doesn’t work and has NEVER worked throughout history. Our enemies are fueled by the bigotry and hate of their “religion” We MUST take this fight to a Federal Level. Nothing less will do and we must fight for ALL or NOTHING and we must WIN using whatever means possible.

You see I think we have forgotten something. The Stonewall Movement never ended. It will be 40 years since that fateful night in June in NYC. 40 Years and this is only as far as we have come. Many of the original Activist have passed and it is up to us to carry on their work. But we must pick up the torch and carry on. And that means looking to the past to see what worked. Especially now since what we have been doing in the present has not.

But one thing is sure. We must ORGANIZE and we MUST SUPPORT EACH OTHER
as a COMMUNITY and WE MUST NOT BE PASSIVE!

Well, done, whomever you are.

(You have been blogrolled, btw, and now you get your own label -- I have a feeling I'll be talking about you quite a bit.)

Christmas Eve

I've been trying to write something over at Rainbow Cincinnati for the last 24 hours about traditions, but it's been hard to write. It's funny, Christmas traditions. That's all I'll say for now, but I'm really glad to be back in Charleston, SC right now.

It's been good to see everyone.

Even the prodigal daughter -- my sister, Em -- who was supposed to picking melons on Australian organic farms as a migrant worker this Christmas made it back. Surprised everyone. Epic fail on the rest of our presents. That, apparently, won as the present this year.

But it means we get to spend another Christmas together as a family, and that's nice. I keep waiting for the first Christmas the six (well, seven now, my brother's girlfriend is part of the family, and that makes me happy) of us don't spend as a family. I'm really glad it hasn't happened yet, and I'm really glad it's not this year.

I love my family, and the masses of board games we've played and DVD's we've watched in the last two days.

Anyways, I just wanted to check in with everyone and say hello, that I'm alive and I made it.

And I'm really thankful to all of you for reading, and thankful for Penny and Cody for contributing, and thankful to the CincyTwitterati and CincyBloggers for welcoming me into their lives, and, again, thankful to all of you for reading.

Merry Christmas Eve, and I'll see you tomorrow.

For now, I have to honor my brother's and my favorite tradition of 7 years: finding the one open bar on Christmas Eve and have a drink.

It will be the first time all four of us -- me and my three siblings -- get to go together.

I know you don't read this, Em, but I'm really happy you made it back.

Penny Tration - Video Blog #3 - 12.20.08

This my VideoBlog (I call it porn) #3 from my trip up to Axis Night Club in Columbus, OH.  We were doing a fundraiser for Camp Sunrise - a one week day camp for kids affected and infected with HIV and AIDS.  Alexis Stevens, Miss Ohio USofA @ Large was there to help me get thru the video.  

Thanks for watching!

Penny Tration on Queer Cincinnati????

Hello Everyone,

Our Fearless Leader, Barry, invited me to be a contributor to QueerCincinnati.com.  Who's Excited (insert applause here).  I thought I'd do a little intro before regular posting - so here goes:

Picture it - Cincinnati, Ohio - The Dock Complex - Spring 1992...

A gay in his veritable youth was fortunate enough to be present for a performance by Ms. Hurricane Summers.  He, in his infinite wisdom and complete lack of couth, decided to barge into the dressing room and introduce himself to the defrocked Star.  

The scars have taken 15 years to heal. 

Later that year, the Drag Queen Helga was hatched.  Without a mother to guide this young drag queen, she molded herself after the extraordinary talents of the late Divine.  While slowly honing her craft in a suburban void, she was presented with the opportunity to emigrate to New York City; Needless to say, she jumped at the chance to be in the center of all that is gay! 

October 2001 -  An off-chance showing at the famed Halloween Parade Costume Contest pushed this drag queen into the spotlight where she shined like a new penny.  After another contest that evening hosted by the legendary Kenny Dash at SBNY (formerly Splash) and a quick re-invention, Penny Tration burst onto the New York City drag scene and never looked back. 

March 2003 - Penny Tration came back to her roots in Cincinnati, Ohio and has worked extensively with The Court (the local chapter of the International Court System) to raise money for HIV/AIDS charities and Breast Cancer Awareness.  About a year later, after her tenure with the court was complete, she was accepted at The Dock Complex and offered a position on cast. 

November 2005 - Penny hosted the Grand Opening Party at the newest Club in the Midwest, Adonis. 

February 2006 - Penny embarked on an unexpected journey into local (and somewhat fickle) celebrity by becoming the Show Director and Nightly Hostess at Adonis The Night Club.  Hosting shows and booking performers from all over the country, Penny has been exposed to a level of talent that was totally unexpected. 

October 2007 - Adonis the Night Club was named one of the Top 50 Gay Bars in the World by Out Magazine with the Cabaret aspects (Penny’s Weekly Show) prominently featured. 

November 2008 - Penny was crowned Miss Ohio Gay Pride 2009 on November 15^th at Axis Night Club in Columbus, Ohio. 

Today - Becoming a staple entertainer in the region and a seasoned-proffesional on the internet, Penny has been exposed to a number of amazing opportunities - not the least of which is being invited to contribute to QueerCincinnati.com.  You can catch her weekly VideoBlogs or join her mailing list for a recap of the weekend events around Cincinnati.

It's been quite a ride!

Festival of Lights!!!

From all of us (well, me and Cody :-))



To my Jewish and friendly readers.

12 Gays of Christmas

I've resisted posting this, but I can't stop watching it.



I mean, really, I've organized drag shows... queens are hard enough to organize. I can't IMAGINE the rehearsals for this one.

Thanks to EdroEdro...

On Minnessota...

...and yet another proof that no one can ever tell me that "my vote doesn't count." 

Sexiest Poem Ever

I've had this marked in one of my books for years. Thought I'd share it... esp. for those who have a special someone to curl up with on this cold day.

I WANT TO BREATHE

you in I'm not talking about

perfume or even the sweet o-

dour of your skin but of the 

air itself I want to share

your air inhaling what you

exhale I'd like to be that

close two of us breathing

each other as one as that.

-James Laughlin

Bears on the Square

Will someone explain these to me? Saw these on Fountain Square, wondering when we became the bear city, and not the pig city.

They are fun though :-).

Bush is still president???

In a giant middle finger to the country as he is about to waltz out of off, President W. Bush and his administration has enacted some rules for healthcare providers via the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Via the Huffington Post:

Very little about the Bush administration could surprise me anymore, but I was completely disheartened when -- despite the written opposition from more than 200,000 Americans, 150 members of Congress, a bipartisan coalition of governors and attorneys general, the American Medical Association, and women's health organizations like Planned Parenthood -- the Department of Health and Human Services issued a last minute regulation that will undermine health care access at nearly 600,000 pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals across the country.

This sort of "take the drapes on your way out" approach is the final chapter of an administration that has prized political ideology over health care for their entire eight years -- and the rule issued yesterday, with little more than 30 days left in office, is the ultimate holiday gift to the extreme right.

Under this new rule, doctors and health care workers of all kinds can deny patients vital health care information and services, without the patient even knowing. No patient is exempt from the reach of this rule: sexual assault victims could be denied information about emergency contraception that could prevent unintended pregnancy, moms hoping to time their pregnancies can be denied contraception at their local pharmacy, young adults hoping to be tested for sexually transmitted infections could be denied treatment by health care employees who oppose premarital sex.

In short, this rule is likely to create total chaos in an already stressed health care system, and for low-income women and families, this rule may spell the end of the few available health care options. Essentially, any patient that utilizes health care at a provider that receives any federal funds will be subject to the luck of the draw in terms of what kinds of reproductive health care they are offered. This might seem far-fetched, until you realize that groups like Pharmacists for Life have campaigned nationally to have pharmacies refuse to provide women birth control prescribed by their physician.

This seems to be what the new rules are saying: that if you are a health care provider and do not believe in something, you are not ethically required to offer it. Birth control and abortion tend to be the big two that people are mentioning, but my question includes questions like PEP or STD treatment... etc. etc. etc.

I thought I was being taught that we don't place our personal judgments on our patients when we enter the healthcare field...

...but apparently a few people skipped class that day.

Planned Parenthood has a petition up to ask Pres-elect Obama to reverse these rules. I signed it -- will you?

NYTimes, civil unions "separate, not equal"

Thanks to Gay News Blog for this one...

Via the New York Times...

Civil unions are an inadequate substitute for marriage. Creating a separate, new legal structure to confer some benefits on same-sex couples neither honors American ideals of fairness, nor does it grant true equality. The results are clearly visible in New Jersey, which continues to deny same-sex couples some of the tangible civil benefits that come with marriage.

Gov. Jon Corzine of New Jersey has long said that he would sign a measure granting the right to marry to couples of the same sex. We are heartened that he has declared that that should happen sooner rather than later.

We hope Mr. Corzine intends to prod legislators into passing such a law early in the 2009 session. That would make New Jersey the first state to legalize marriage for same-sex couples through legislative action. Three other states — Connecticut, Massachusetts and California — have done so through the courts. Unfortunately, California voters approved a ballot measure in November rescinding that right, at least for now.

Mr. Corzine made his statement after a state commission released its final report on New Jersey’s two-year-old civil union law. The commission noted the hurt and stigma inflicted by shutting out gay people from the institution of marriage. It also found that civil unions do not assure gay couples of the same protections, including the right to collect benefits under a partner’s health insurance program and to make medical decisions on behalf of a partner who is unable to do so. The panel concluded unanimously that the state should enact a law to remove the inequities.

We regret that the leaders of the state’s Democratic-controlled Legislature do not view this issue with the same urgency. Senate President Richard Codey, for instance, said recently that progress in civil rights areas “is typically achieved in incremental steps.” We suspect that political expedience is clouding Mr. Codey’s sense of fairness. Next year in New Jersey, the governorship and all seats in the Assembly are up for grabs in an election. Some Republicans already are talking about making their opposition to same-sex marriage a campaign issue.

Governor Corzine typically takes the right side on important issues, but he has been known to retreat in the face of opposition. We hope that’s not the case here. It’s past time for him and for the Democrats in Trenton to find the political courage to extend the right to marry to gay couples.

I wonder what they'll say about the impending debate in New York over marriage recognition.

USA does not support LGBT Human Rights

As you've probably heard, the USA has refused to sign the UN's declaration on human rights for gay people.

This is an excellent video that was put out on YouTube (and Facebook) that talks about what you can do...



I like the UN flag in rainbow... I think we should adopt it as a symbol for international LGBT rights.

A clarification on Mr. Warren

Rick Warren is a bad man who will stop at nothing to refuse us our rights.

And his support of Prop8 is detestable...

...as his statement that pedophilia and homosexuality are somehow one and the same is gross, and he should apologize for it.

But let's get back to my point...

...Rick Warren doesn't matter.

And, I think, this is my last post on the matter. Comments? Thanks to all who have. I do welcome hate mail -- queercincinnati@gmail.com -- and I welcome comments, of course :-).

I just always reserve the right to be a bitch.

Because I can.

Follow up to Rick Warren

I got hate mail from a gay person today about my Rick Warren opinion, effectively calling me a race traitor. I'm not reposting it. Once, I asked on Twitter whether it is a requirement to be both a bigot and illiterate. Apparently that is just the style of hate letters... seemingly illiterate.

Since we're picking apart Obama's LGBT stuff right now, let's make note of some of the things that have happened that apparently we care nothing about:

1) Nancy Sutley is named into one of the highest appointed positions an (openly) LGBT person has ever held in the executive branch.

2) A gay man is being considered for the job of Secretary of Navy, the first time an openly gay person will have ever led a branch of the armed forces.

3) A lesbian was shortlisted for the Secretary of Labor -- she did not get it over someone actually more qualified.

4) Oh, and Barack Obama is the only president to date to be very clear and specific (what we Kenneth Starr's words about Prop 8? "brevity...match with clarity") on his views of LGBT people -- “it is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans.”

And, please remember, this is all Barack Obama has the power to do right now, nominate people. But if you want to get angry about something...

How about this:

During the campaign all the Democratic nominees for President stated on a live, nationally televised debate that they would seek to repeal DADT. None of the nominees indicated how high a priority it would be, not how quickly they would seek such action. Obama, who recently reiterated his support of the LGBTQ community still plans to pursue a removal of the DADT policy, but his camp is now saying that such action will not start until at least 2010.

No? You want to get angry over a preacher at the inauguration?

Other things matter, Rick Warren does not.

PS For the Prop8'ers out there... good try. I thought we were still angry at the Mormons? No? We've changed that to include white evangelical Baptist members -- who preach to the largest Protestant denomination in the country? Oh, thanks for the memo. See, here I thought it was Equality California's gross mistreatment of the situation and belief that of course we'll win, as well as the rest of our (the greater "community") apathy and belief that of course we'll win.

If change is going to happen in the deep South, if change is going to happen in the hearts and minds of those so viciously against us -- the viciously devout, the Rick Warren debate was perfect.

See, I'm not the only one...

...who doesn't care about Rick Warren, from the LA Times via Joe.My.God. commentator:

Finally, Warren is among a group of younger evangelicals who, without renouncing traditional views about abortion and sexuality, have expanded their mission to include environmental stewardship and efforts to eradicate poverty and AIDS. It's because of such views that Obama can credibly include him in his effort to bring Americans together despite differences about social issues.

These explanations won't salve the hurt felt by gays and lesbians over Warren's prominent role in the inauguration, even if (as is likely) the prayer he offers is unobjectionable. But those who oppose Obama's choice must be careful not to exaggerate its importance.

See. Get over it.

PS To those who say this is like inviting a member of the KKK to preach. You're wrong and engaging in hyperbole... and you know it. There's a pretty clear line between "hate-mongering violent white power advocate" and "prominent evangelical preacher." Now stop spewing vitriole (I like that word today); Rick Warren, to my knowledge, has incited no violence against LGBT people.

A Brief Case for Rick Warren

First of all, to all of you getting angry over Barack Obama's decision to have anti-gay, anti-abortion minister Rick Warren give his inaugural address: get over it. It doesn't matter. It is the political equivalent of the Deanscream circa 2000.

Second of all, rather than be disappointed in Barack Obama, I'm actually really glad he chose him. Here are my reasons:

1) We are allowed to disagree. Rhetoric of difference has defined us for eight years -- it's time to end it.

2) The man, for all his thoughts on stem cells and gay rights and abortion, has one thing right: evangelicals should focus on more than just social issues like the above mentioned three. Warren has long been an advocate for issues like poverty and climate change and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

3) I truly believe he's a good man who believes in his cause -- after all, he donates back 90% of his salary. This is not a man after the limelight. We've heard about him a couple of times, but, really, he shies away from the light as often as he takes it so that he can do the work he believes is right. That, in the age of televangelism, is admirable. Let's be honest, how many of you really thought much about Rick Warren before this election season? And be honest. I only barely knew his name, and I am informed.

4) Obama is reaching out. He's telling the world, "I welcome all view points, not just those that agree with me." I think that's admirable.

5) As the Washington Post points out, this says just as much about the direction of evangelism in this country as it does about Barack Obama... that a preacher, who is known for being against Obama on just about every single major social issue, is willing and happy to support his inauguration. Rick Warren is saying this: get over it, there are more important issues.

I am a progressive, and I have no problem with Rick Warren. I'm not even going to put you "on notice," as some local bloggers have.

I'm ok with this. Because, in the end, I believe you'll do right for me.

And really, it doesn't matter.

Cardiovascular Step Down!!!!

(image from the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association)

I just found out my clinical floor for next semester -- yea! Cardiovascular Step-Down!!!!

That's exciting because, as I've talked briefly about before, I have a heart problem known as "Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy" -- HCM, for short -- which was first described to me as the symptom described as Left Ventricular Hypertrophy -- LVH, which I thought was a disease for a long time until I started in nursing school and they were like "no" and then I started asking better questions. (If you look at the picture above, my heart is kinda like the picture on the right... note the blockage of the aorta? If I ever pass out, please don't grab the AED... thank you, Urban Active ... LOL)

I'm working on a post about it and how it affects my life.

Anyways, the point of this post is just to share my excitement -- I GET TO WORK ON THE HEART FLOOR!!!! :-) I get to learn about the HEART!

...unlike the freakin' orthopedic floor I was on last semester... if I had to give another 90 year old with dementia but with a full hip replacement another full bed bath, I was going to scream.

Bless the souls of the people that can do that.

(Plus I get to learn about a lot of really cool diseases of the heart -- cardiovascular diseases tend to be very hard to conceptualize because there are so many variations on a theme. CV diseases have such wild side affects and affect such a huge segment of the population ... and a blockage in the aorta has such different affects than one in a radial artery... anyways... I'm just really siked :-))

I love you Phillip Morris

Really.. this is a movie. Sheez...



Whatever, I'll still go see it.

Death Map

Why am I not surprised that this appeared on Fox News?

A death map... comparing average death age against the average for a county. Please note Hamilton County Ohio is -1.5yrs or greater of the standard variation... Charleston County is at the norm.

Morning HIV/AIDS Updates

Just a couple of quick ones for your morning..

• Unlike what is taught in most HIV classes, that it becomes easier for a woman (or a man) to become infected with HIV with the help of an open sore, it appears that normal vaginal tissue is just as susceptible to infection as broken skin, causing concern about the difficulty to fight the spread in women and explain a lot of reasons why some prevention methods have proven faulty.
• The FDA has approved the FC2 -- the Female Condom 2 -- a new version of an old product that is inserted into the vagina during intercourse rather than worn on the penis. The product is being hailed for one major reason: it's much much cheaper, giving more access and more availability for use.
• Canada is going through a bit of a debate over HIV and criminal law, as the first charges against a man are being brought that include murder where he infected two women during consensual sex. (There's also news on the international front about HIV and criminal law -- from Kenya, actually.)
• Science has discovered just how and at what rate HIV mutates in the body, giving some vital clues as to how the body's reaction to an invading microorganism actually facilitates the mutation.
• Two bits of great news: Indonesia is dropping plans to implant microchips into HIV+ folks to track them, and the government of India is banning company's abilities to test people for HIV as a condition of employment -- even the US doesn't have that ban.
• Apparently circumcision does reduce the risk of contracting HIV for heterosexual men in the US by 51%-- still no word on whether the government will yet encourage condom use, which decreases risk by 99%. Silly government.

That's all folks, for this morning at least!

On having sex with straight men (Rainbow Cinci post)

New post over at Rainbow Cincinnati, this time entitled On having sex with straight men... which I'm sure will be of great interest to all of my dear gay readers.

Your preview:

A few months ago, Vivica (drag name) called me and, with purses falling out of her mouth, she squealed, "I had sex with a straight guy!"

"Yea? When? Where is he?" I responded.

"Right here, playing Halo!"

Uh-huh.

Just this past weekend, darling Katy of Kate's Random's Musings was driving me home from our meet-up when she turned to me and asked: What percentage of straight men have sex with other men?

Do you want the official stats or personal experiences?

I'm here to tell you, ladies, it's a lot of them. And in this, your best gay girlfriend is not going to be your best friend. (click here for the full version) (click here for the QueerCincinnati column archive)

Darren also updated his blog!!!! Don't forget to check it out, as well as all the rest of the excellent content over there by clicking on the picture below :

WEARING *WHAT* WEDNESDAY: Eric Dane

The Hugh Jackman Post was so successful. LOL

I have a new obsession with Grey's Anatomy, so I was going to do "the men of Grey's" ... but then I realized I was really really in love with Eric Dane. So we'll go with that here.

To my "readers" ... who do you want to see next?

To Eric and the producers of Grey's... I like his new hair look ... the grey must stay.

Of all the idiocies...

...Bill Abney as the President of the Community Center?

Really? I have every respect for Michael Chanak, Rusty Lockett, and Adam Reilly. Don't get me wrong. (I don't know the two women.)

But the Board seems to be dwindling -- again. And they elect Bill freakin' Abney as the President.

That's lunacy.

That's like... well, it would be like electing me as the President of the Board. I'm flaky and strange; I have unusual, crazy nights out; I can be found on gay.com late at night; I have insulted and condescended to about every person in the community; I have an occasional problem with drinking; I have a background that can be described as "murky" at best; I can sometimes be described as incompetent and unintelligible; and I can be a downright bitch.

Apparently, I, too, am qualified to be the President.

What happened to Joe Penno? Did we jade someone that quickly? Did he, as he may have indicated, become too annoyed with the process and the processes that he was tired of the attempt? Did he move completely over to organize Pride -- see my previous post?

Of all the idiocies, of all the incompetencies...

...this one tops the list.

Cincy Pride Planning Falling Apart

I got a phone call the other night while I was still in my PJ's from a certain MH who is on the Pride Planning Committee.

Apparently, he was at the meeting and no one else came. His comment: "Surely not everyone could have forgotten about it?"

My guess: 1) it's really close to the holidays, and 2) no email was sent out.

I hope it doesn't fall apart... the momentum was good.

Well, except I'm not viewed as a media source.

And I never actually heard about the logo design contest...

...and the only emails I got were from MXC about updates to the listserv...

...hrm...

...no more comments, because now I'm just being a bitch.

(My previous post on the subject.)

Bush vs. the Shoe

Does it bother anyone else that the dominant rhetoric about this is not the awfulness that Bush has done that led up to this, but what happened to the journalist that did it?

Time to Look Busy

From Indexed

CWB Holiday Social...

...was AWESOME! Got to meet some great new people!!! (Sorry, my pictures SUCK) It was awesome to hang out with:

• Kate (my chauffeur and BFF for the night)
• Liz from get in mah belly
• Kevin of Strategic Public Relations
• 5chw4r7z (ha, Liz, I spelled it out!)
• Erin Marie of Don't Call Me Mrs.
• AmyinOhio
• ShannanB of Mommy Bits
• Monika of Such a Redkatblonde
• Debba of Girlfriendology
• Lenna of CincySpin (new to the scene!!!)
• Liz/Angela of JulietandJuliette.com

It was a great event and word on the street is that we raised over $800 for The Interfaith Hospitality Network of Northern Kentucky!!!

Thanks to all who came -- including Twitter friends, new and old!!

In exactly one week...

...I will be on a plain back to Charleston, SC. 

Where's it's a chilly 61 degrees tonight. Sucka's.

Bush the Best President on Global AIDS?

...so sayeth some commentators:

I can see it now. The world will be very different. The president of the United States will receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his lifesaving aid to victims of disease in Africa. Government and civic leaders from Europe and Asia will express their admiration. Americans will walk a little taller. Barack Obama will bow his head as the ribboned medal is extended.... .

But wait. The president who deserves such an honor is in office now. It is George W. Bush who has devoted so much time, energy and money (well, our money, but it was legal) to fighting AIDS and other diseases in Africa...

But for the most part, the beautiful people in America - the Hollywood and university types, the book and magazine publishers, and of course, the major media - have shown complete indifference to George W. Bush's dedication to a cause they purport to value. In fact, they've pointedly ignored it. It goes without saying that if Mr. Obama does even half of what Mr. Bush has done for AIDS sufferers in Africa, he will be - in the eyes of those same people - a candidate for canonization.

Of course the left can say whatever they like about George Bush and the war in Iraq and the war on terror. But when he does something completely in line with their own stated principles and values, it is simply mean-spirited of them to deny him his due.

Discuss.

(Personally, I think taking care of AIDS victims in Africa is the easy way out. Where was the same money for domestic AIDS cases? Of course, he did create PEMS, the once-hated, now-vaulted "HIPAA-violating" tracking system that mysteriously discovered that we were drastically underreporting new HIV cases every year. Strange, that.)

HIV Meds Used to Get High?

I'm a little skeptical that this can actually happen, but it is the BBC (thanks to TY). And, really, we will get high on just about anything these days...

Anti-retroviral drugs used to treat HIV/Aids are being bought and smoked by teenagers in South Africa to get high.

Reports suggest that the drugs are being sold by patients and even healthcare staff for money.

Schoolchildren have been spotted smoking the drugs, which are ground into powder and sometimes mixed with painkillers or marijuana. Aids patients themselves have been found smoking the drugs instead of taking them as prescribed.

I wonder if it has the same affect as taking the pill itself, which we could then make an argument that it would be good to go into nebulizers along with medical marijuana.

The kids say that it gets them high and transports them to another world. Here's my thing: since HIV meds are in such high demand for, you know, HIV+ patients, what we don't need is another drain on the supply.

Jeez.

The Bottom Monologues

My dear blogger friend TrevorHoppe is engaged in yet another project about bottoms... and, considering my newly found bottom-identity, I thought I might help support it...


Join the Bottom Monologues.

I'll let Trevor tell you all about it:

Hey guys! I’m Trevor — one of the three organizers of “The Bottom Monologues,” and I’m thrilled to see this project in motion. “The Bottom Monologues” is first and foremost about cutting through all that bullshit stigma that plagues queer communities about taking it in the butt. We’re bottoms, and we’re proud of it thank-you-very-much! It’s kind of like the “Vagina Monologues,” with a few obvious differences

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before we can get this thing on stage, we need to hear from YOU! Yes, that’s right, I said you. Not a bottom? That’s cool. You probably still have a few ideas that you’d like to share about bottoms or getting fucked. So let me explain this process a bit:

I. First, we’re collecting *your* stories about *your* lives as a bottoms, tops, versatiles, or none-of-the-above. We’ve developed this lovely online questionnaire for your fill out that asks some pretty broad questions about bottoms: what is a bottom, what’s great sex as a bottom, what’s different between tops and bottoms — that sort of thing! I think it’s a pretty fun exercise, since most of us really don’t get to talk about bottomming out in the open. Which is exactly what this project is all about!

II. We’ll collect all those amazing and fabulous stories and look for consistencies across them. What’s similar in the stories we get? Is there a particular narrative that pops up in many of your stories? And of course, we’ll also be looking for stories that stand out from those similarities and challenge the those common themes.

III. Once we’ve had a chance to pour over the data, we’ll do our best to distill the stories into “composite characters” — our best effort to boil down dozens of stories into one. These will be the products that will be shown on stage in the “Bottom Monologues,” an expression of the diversity and richness of bottoms’ lived experiences. You may not see the word-for-word account of your fabulous experiences in the final product, but you can be assured that it has had an impact on the stories we’ll tell on stage.

I hope you join in on this amazing project. Help us bring the “Bottom Monologues” to life. It will be fabulous. You can have a hand in making our vision happen. Join us! Tell us your story today!

So, help them out. It's real easy to submit your piece (ha -- get it, submit - bottom... I think it's funny). I promise I will post mine here when I get around to writing it.

Hell yea, bottoms!

RIP, Another Dead Queer, Jose Sucuzhanay

Via the NY Times...

Early Sunday, less than a mile from where Mr. Sucuzhanay worked, he and his brother Romel were set upon by men the police said they believed were strangers.

The brothers were walking home from a bar, arms around each other, the police said. At the corner of Bushwick Avenue and Kossuth Place, three men riding in what a witness described as a maroon or red sport utility vehicle spied the brothers and shouted anti-gay and anti-Hispanic slurs.One of the men hit Jose over the head with a bottle, and the driver of the car swung an aluminum baseball bat at his head, the police said. He fell to the floor as the three attackers, who were black, continued kicking and punching him, the police said. The beating ended only when Romel held up his cellphone and said he was calling the police.

The N. Y. Times story does not cover the queer angle, but Joe.My.God. does. . . Mr. Sucuzhanay was murdered because they thought he was gay.

Real classy, assholes.

Now can we start talking about race and sexuality issues? Please?

Cincinnati LGBT Band Members @ Inauguration Parade

Via TheSkeptikOne (who is the subject of an upcoming column, even though she doesn't know it :-), and will be blogrolled soon), via the Ohio Beacon News Network Twitter Feed...

Several members of Cincinnati's lesbian and gay marching band will take part in the historic first march of an LGBT band in the inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, prior to the swearing in of President Elect Barack Obama. The marching band, itself, will be comprised of band members representing lesbian and gay marching bands from around the country. The marchers are members of bands which make up the Lesbian and Gay Band Association.

Cincinnati resident, Lisa D’Amore, who is the current president of the national organization, tells me that the organization participated in both Clinton inaugurals, back in 1993 and 1997, but the unit was seated and did not march. The band performed “America the Beautiful” during the 1993 Clinton festivities, to which the new president gave them a big “thumbs up.”

2009 will be the first time, she says, that the combined band will get to show off its marching stuff. The national organization was formed 26 years ago, while some of the founding member bands have been in existence for nearly 30 years. The Queen City Rainbow Marching Band and Color Guard was formed in 2002, and consisted of just 5 musicians and two flag twirlers. Today the band has 35 marching members with a 7 member flag corp. The Rainbow Band performs at many functions and events throughout the year in Cincinnati and Kentucky, and can be seen every year leading off the Cincinnati Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade which takes place in June, which for those of you who don’t know, is LGBT pride month.

Congratulations to the always fabulous, Queen City Rainbow Band!!!! I just think this is FABULOUS.

CALL TO BLOGGERS: WhiteKnot.Org

Crossposted from impactcincinnati.com...

We are asking all local bloggers and webmasters to post this image on their website!!! The White Knot brings together two symbols of marriage — the color white and the knot itself — and it stands for your commitment to equal marriage.

We, along with WhiteKnot.org, are asking local bloggers and webmasters to show their commitment to equal marriage by adding this to their website! When you do add it, please email us at impactcincinnati@gmail.com so that we know it has gone up!


For now, thanks to Jere Keys, who sits on the 2009 Pride Planning Committee, for posting the WhiteKnot on his website!

IMPACT Cincinnati has a website!!!!

IMPACT Cincinnati finally has a website!

Make sure you check it out and blogroll it -- it's on wordpress, so the RSS addy is impactcincinnati.wordpress.com -- but you can just type in IMPACTCincinnati.com to access the site.

Are you read for protest number 2 -- this time, on the statehouse grounds???

Two Conferences *I* Want to Go to

2009 LGBTI Health Summit in Chicago, IL
August 14-18, 2009 -- As seen on Lifelube!!!

I told them like a month ago that I would repost this information, and, look, I finally did! This is the mission of the conference:

The 2009 National LGBTI (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex) Health Summit is an event dedicated to preserving and improving the emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual, psychological, environmental, and social health and wellness of LGBTI people, a population that continues to experience significant health disparities because of its members’ sexual orientations and/or gender identities.

While the summit will include speakers, panels, workshops, pre-summit institutes and organizing meetings, it will also include interactive exercises, such as experiential education activities, yoga and other forms of self and communal care, as well as creative festivities. The Summit will address a range of topics that includes, but is not limited to:

• LGBTI health through the life course
• Understanding LGBTI history and its health impacts
• Wellness for all of our communities
• Bisexual visibility & well-being
• Health leadership
• Health care access
• Frontiers in HIV/AIDS and STD prevention and care
• New HIV prevention technologies like microbicides and PrEP
• Youth and elder strategies
• Tobacco and LGBTI health
• The role of alcohol and other substances in LGBTI communities
• Universal Health Care and other paths to good LGBTI health
• LGBTI Spirituality and its role in the health of individuals and communities
• Culturally competent LGBTI mental health research and programming
• Self-care for the community organizer
• Marriage equality as a health strategy
• Addressing racism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia to enable healing
• Diversity of family structures as a part of LGBTI health
• Understanding our identities and our bodies: what does it mean to be L,G,B,T or I?

Doesn't it sound wonderful? I've also been listed as an official endorser of the event. (even though they promised they would Blogroll me and haven't, I still love the somewhat NSFW Lifelube blog)

MBGLTACC
February 13-15, 2009, in beautiful Bloomington, IN
I was really unsure about going to this... but the fabulous T. Black from IMPACT Cincinnati eventually told me I was going. I am, after all, a college student again. So, I guess I'm going :-); of course, being shown around by the "celebrity" BadEvan won't be so bad at all either.

I may also be hosting a small blogger break out or social hour with the aforementioned "celebrity." :-)

Comment-hate

Over at Rainbow Cincinnati, in response to the piece by Jason Boeckman, we got some fun responses. These are the comments that were left on the blog:

gay? ur going to burn in hell!
Submitted by artsnfarts99 on December 2, 2008 - 11:32pm.
silly faggot dicks are 4 chicks!!!!

gay men out there in cincinnati.. serial killer out there to k
Submitted by artsnfarts99 on December 2, 2008 - 11:44pm.
all you gays and dykes make me and most of this country sick.it is un natural and honestly sick.. does it really feel good to get a cock rammed in ur ass? that has to hurt. and if it wasnt because of gay men there would be no aids but u silly faggots had to ass fuck each other and then lick the shit of ur dicks u nasty mother fuckers. did you know the average life expectency for a gay man is 39 yrs old? and 67% of u gay men think that you are better than everyone else just because your gay well just so you know that u homos are a joke. i hate you all just like your fathers do. i promise when u came out to ur parents they wanted to commit suicide... as a matter of fact just go kill yourself and save this country the trouble because i killed 4 men so far just because they were gay. im not kidding. and the murders i committed are still unsolved and i can say this cuz u all cant prove it. and i plan on to continue to kill faggots until the day i die or get caught then when i go to prision i will kill the fags there to. jesus hates you. i hate you. your dad does too. go get aids and die u nasty butt pirates. elton john sucks!!!

Question: Do we report this as a threat or just a crazy ranting online?

More importantly, I'm not Elton John's biggest fan either, does that make me not a nasty butt pirate?

Sad, I kinda liked the moniker.

Rainbow Cincinnati post!

Aren't you excited? There's a brand new post over at Rainbow Cincinnati from me! I know I'm excited!

Here's your preview:

Let me tell you about David.

...at least, I think his name is David. It's either that or Daniel, or Denny, or some other name that begins with a D.

...or it's Brad.

Regardless, we'll call him David.

I met David one night at the Serpent. Like any good time at the Serpent, we made out and probably engaged in a little more fondling than is appropriate for a public place. I don't remember if we did anything that could be interpreted as sex, per se, but I know it was enough that the southern belle in me curled her toes a little bit and said, "Mama won't like this."
(click here for the rest of it)

Make sure you check out the rest of my columns over there, and don't forget to peruse the rest of the excellent material on the website!

This was my night...

... how was yours?

Cincinnati's Domestic Partner Registry

In response to Cleveland's passage of a domestic partner registry, I ask you two questions:

1) What would it take to pass the same thing here?

2) Does it matter anyways? Is it worth it, in other words?

A domestic partner registry, btw, is nothing but municipal acknowledgment of a DP situation, which makes it easier for people who CAN access DP benefits to do the same. Almost no rights are bestowed. 

UN Calls for an End to Criminalization of Homosexuality

From Joe. My. God.

From the article from the Edge...

The US government is one of the only Western democratic nations that has declined to support a United Nations Declaration calling for the global decriminalisation of homosexuality. 

The Declaration will be put before the UN General Assembly this Wednesday, 10 December, which is Human Rights Day and the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

"It will be the first time in its history that the UN General Assembly has ever considered the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) human rights," noted British gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell of the London-based LGBT rights group OutRage! 

Although not be binding on the member states, the declaration will have immense symbolic value, given the six decades in which homophobic persecution has been ignored by the UN. 

For a summary of the countries supporting the Declaration, see below. 

"Even today, not a single international human rights convention explicitly acknowledges the human rights of LGBT people. The right to physically love the person of one’s choice is nowhere enshrined in any global humanitarian law. No convention recognises sexual rights as human rights. None offer explicit protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity," Tatchell added. 

Eighty-six countries (nearly half the nations on Earth) still have a total ban on male homosexuality and a smaller number also ban sex between women. The penalties in these countries range from a few years jail to life imprisonment. In at least seven countries or regions of countries (all under Islamist jurisdiction), the sentence is death: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and parts of Nigeria and Pakistan:

Apparently, it's all about the Pope with United States. Really? The Pope?

Cleveland's DP Registry!

From Willow, word is that Cleveland just passed a domestic partner registry!!! From today's GP's Chronicle:

City Council is well on its way to including transgender people in the city’s non-discrimination code and creating Ohio’s third domestic partner registry.

Ordinances to do both were been approved on December 1 by council’s Legislative Committee and will likely be passed by the full council at their December 8 meeting.

Mayor Frank Jackson is expected to sign both the registry and the measure to add gender identity to the city’s equal rights ordinances, said his spokesperson Maureen Harper. The equality ordinances have included “sexual orientation” since 1994.

Sixty-five people squeezed into council’s 44-seat hearing room for the committee session on both measures. Most wore rainbow stickers supporting them.

The committee took up the partner registry first. It is sponsored by 13 of council’s 21 members.

The proposal would allow unmarried couples over the age of 18, same-sex or opposite sex, to register their partnership with the city. It would be open to both residents and non-residents of Cleveland.

The registry confers no rights or benefits. However, registration will allow couples to access benefits offered by insurance companies, employers and health care providers.

There were 29 witnesses speaking for the registry, including clergy, attorneys, activists and Cleveland Heights officials.

Voters approved the Cleveland Heights registry in 2003. The Cleveland proposal, like the Toledo registry created in 2007, are modeled after it.

Committee chair Phyllis Cleveland of Ward 5 opened testimony after accepting an amendment from the city administration to make the registry effective 120 days after passage, rather than 90 days.

Congrats Cleveland! Now, how does this play with DOMA?

Gonorrhealize my dreams

HA!

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Jesus. This is too funny.

STUPID JOKE SATURDAY!!!!!!

Q. Why dont blind men skydive?
A. Because it scares the shit out of the dog

Q. Where do you find a one legged dog?
A. Where you left it.

Q. What's pink and fluffy
A. Pink fluff

Q. What's blue and fluffy
A. Pink fluff holding it's breath

Two muffins are in the oven.
One says to the other "God it's hot in here"
The other one replies "Oh no... It's a talking muffin"

What did the fish say when he swam into the wall?
Damn

Why was the Energizer Bunny arrested?
He was charged with battery.

----
And from my dear friend Michi:
WHAT DID THE GHOST SAY TO THE BEE?
BOO-BEE

What I'm listening to: Mika

Apparently TY over in Amsterdam sent me this song about... oh .... 6 months ago and I though "meh, that's cute," and then forgot about it. I just recently found it and he had to remind me that he had, indeed, shared it when I tried to send it back.

And now everyone is telling me, "Duh, this is an old song."

Whatever. I'm obsessed this week with Mika's Grace Kelly.

And as a bonus my other new favorite song by him I found on YouTube:
<
Best part? The videos are directed by Patrick Daughters, who is not making his first appearance here @ QueerCincinnati.com as a diretor I love.

SNOW DAY!

I have a shit ton of stuff to post, but I have to admit, I'm still the southern boy when it comes to snow. It makes me happy when it's soft and beautiful like it is this morning. And the best part? Working third shift, I get to see it start to fall and before it becomes dirty city snow :-). 

To the haters...

...don't you have anything better to do than quibble over other people's business? Like, I don't know, support local businesses and buy into our economy to improve it.

Everytime I see that guy outside of Planned Parenthood, I want to kick him in the tuckus.

Chipotle on Fountain Square!

...this is where I wonder where a whole bunch of bloggers and individuals who are so pumped up on buying and eating locally...

...get excited about a fast food chain opening up in an area that can be called definitely Cincinnati...

Oh those Christians and their gay sex!!!!

I have to giggle a little bit at this bit from the Enquirer a few days ago...

Cincinnati Christian University’s chief financial officer entered a written plea of not guilty Monday after he was arrested Saturday in Mount Airy Forest and charged with sexual imposition.

Robert Williams, 52, of Independence, was arrested at 9:23 a.m., accused of getting into a man’s car and touching his genitals. The man was an undercover officer.

The university placed Williams on administrative leave while officials there assess the facts of the case, according to a statement from the university.

“We are shocked and dismayed by the news,” Cincinnati Christian University President David Faust said in the statement. “This is a personal tragedy for him and for his family, and we lift them up in our prayers.”

A couple of things: 1) I hate these stings. They are morally reprehensible. I think it's called entrapment, but I could be wrong. 2) There were two other guys picked up that day -- poor guys -- no one would have cared otherwise. 3) I feel bad for men who feel like that this is the only way they can express their homosexuality. I really do.

But, the reason I giggle, is for defeated hubris that leads to all this.

But it's always nice to know where I can go to pick up men, if I ever get in a spot.

IMPACT Cincinnati: Candlelight Vigil, 12/4/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Impact Cincinnati to Launch Three Month Awareness Campaign about Equal Marriage in Ohio 

December 1, 2008 

Contact Information:
      IMPACT Cincinnati
      www.impactcincinnati.com
      impactcincinnati@gmail.com
      Cameron Tolle, Lead Organizer

Cincinnati, Ohio -- IMPACT Cincinnati, the activist network that organized the equal marriage protest at City Hall on November 15th, will be holding a candlelight vigil on Thursday December 4 at The Gathering Church (1431 Main Street, Cincinnati, www.thegathering-church.org) at 7:00 p.m. The event will be dedicated to those who are still denied equality under current Ohio statute, and those who have been negatively impacted by discriminatory laws. 

The event is set to kick off three months of activism and awareness building, marking the passage of Ohio's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) between December 2003 and February 2004. The act, sponsored by Cincinnati state representative Bill Seitz, was passed in the state House of Representatives by a margin of 73-24 and would later be signed into law by then-Governor Bob Taft. The state statute was later reinforced by a state constitutional amendment, approved by voters in 2006. IMPACT Cincinnati believes that public perception has changed dramatically since 2003 regarding LGBTQ persons and that there is a growing consensus amongst Ohioans to grant equal protection for same-sex couples in the state, and that continued visibility, dialogue and education is the only way to continue that trend.  

The vigil on December 4 will be the debut the local WhiteKnot campaign. Gaining national prominence immediately following the JoinTheImpact.com protests on November 15, WhiteKnot.org has spearheaded a movement for people to wear a white ribbon tied in a knot as a show of support for equal marriage. From their website, "The White Knot is the symbol for marriage equality. It takes two traditional symbols of marriage -- white and tying the knot -- and combines them in a simple way to show support for the right of gays and lesbians to marry." 

Local organizers for IMPACT Cincinnati are optimistic about future events after the tremendous success of their City Hall protest. Aside from the vigil, plans are in the works to preview the movie MILK, set to be released in Cincinnati on December 12th, travel to Washington DC to be visible Midwest activists at the Obama inauguration, participate in several local and regional LGBTQ conferences, and take a regional leadership role in a national protest planned for June of 2009.  

IMPACT Cincinnati believes that true LGBTQ equality will only be achieved when every interested person has the opportunity to engage and participate in their wider movement and community. IMPACT Cincinnati, a grassroots network of community activists, strives to energize LGBTQ and allied people in Greater Cincinnati, link dedicated volunteers to a wide range of opportunities to generate change, and supports the efforts of local organizations working for equality. All are welcome.

###