National News: Kameny, ENDA, EHDLA

What a fabulous day it was yesterday for LGBTQ equality. Well, sort of, if only we can get the Matthew Shepard Act to move... or only if we could get rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell... or only if... blah blah blah. You get the point.

• Frank Kameny is no longer unfit for unemployment by the Federal Government. Kameny is, truly, one of the pioneers for queer rights in this country having taken his firing from the Civil Service Commission over 50 years ago and challenging it, loudly, proudly, and without apology. HE would go on to coin the phrase "gay is good" (as a response to the "black is beautiful" movement). Today, the Office of Personnell Management, formerly the CSC, officially honored him. Neat.
• ENDA -- the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- was introduced in the House of Representatives! Unlike in years past, ENDA is gender inclusive in its language. In 2007, some of you remember, the language was stricken at the suggestion of Barney Frank (D-MA) and the new bill -- only protecting sexual orientation -- was then endorsed by the HRC, which could probably be chalked up as one of the worst PR moves of all time. It passed the House, died in the Senate, and then-President Bush said he would veto it. Hrm. Already, HR 2981 has 10 cosponsors. Also, if you check out the Wikipedia article on ENDA, it has a great timeline that summarizes the history of the bill well (seriously, what was life like before Wikipedia?). In related news, Bil at Bilerico is -- justifiably -- aghast at Indiana Equality's decision not to support ENDA because: "ENDA doesn't make us equal - rather, it creates a new form of segregation. It does not provide protections in housing and public accommodations. There are no protections for LGBT children in the public schools where administrators continue to turn a blind eye to harassment and brutality. With ENDA, we are only marginally protected in the workplace." You know, it's a good point, actually. But, really, we're already pissed about everything else, why be pissed about progress? Of course, that's what I said in 2007 about a non-gender inclusive ENDA. Hrm.
• The Ending Health Disparities for LGBT Americans Act (EHDLA) was introduced by Tammy Baldwin! This bill is a bit of a sleeper and one I didn't even realize was being tossed around. 365gay.com reports the bill will do the following: "In addition to investing in data collection and research, the bill establishes non-discrimination policies for all federal health programs, provides funding for cultural competence training for health care providers, extends Medicare benefits to same-sex domestic partners, creates a new office of LGBT Health within in the Department of Health and Human Services, and provides funding for community health centers who serve the LGBT community." In short: it will start protecting the health interests of LGBTQ Americans. Fabulous. It is HR 3001 and currently has 7 cosponsors.

Isn't this fun, now, kids? Stuff is getting done, and quickly again. Apparently yelling and screaming worked, although I have a suspicion the ongoing drama over LGBTQ individuals pulling out of the DNC fundraiser in protest of inaction had more to do with it. A friend of mine -- was it JereKeys? yea, I believe so -- suggested that the reason going is so slow on a lot of these is because, so long as there is more to do, then the Democrats can continue to dangle the metaphorical carrot of equal rights and raise some serious cash.

They understand, I think, that the Republicans, if all other things were equal, would likely be the party of establishment queers if the GOP was better on our issues.

EHEA and the Obama Memo

I'm almost through! By this time tomorrow, I will be done with my summer semester at school and will have 8 weeks off -- just enough time to complete all my clinical prep for year two at school! WHOO!!! Many thanks to my contributors for making sure the blog is updated in my intermittent involvement this week! You guys are the best!

But I wanted to just post two bits from the queerrevolution that you should know about:

First, the Equal Housing and Employment Act (EHEA) made it out of the State Government Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives. The EHEA (HB 176), as you may remember, is the law that will prohibit discrimination against sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, making Ohio the 21st state in the union to do so (in a related note, I wonder if, with all the marriage talk lately, we will confront a situation in the near future where we have more states with equal marriage than equal protections :-)). According to Equality Ohio's email, it was recommended to a vote by the whole House in a 8-5 vote. The vote breakdown:

• For: Gerberry (D), Lundy (D), Sykes (D), Williams B. (D), Stewart (D), Mallory (D - hell yea Cincinnatian!), Sayre (D), and Hite (the only Republican to vote for it).
• Against: Adams (R), Daniels (R), Grossman (R), Hall (R), and Stebelton (R).

What next? Well, it goes to a floor vote. If it passes there, onto the state Senate, where there are some questions as to whether it can pass but Lynne Bowman, Executive Director of Equality Ohio, says that she is confident that fairness will come to Ohio. Gov. Ted Strickland is likely to sign the bill due to a long history of standing with queer Ohioans.

This is the first time the Ohio legislature has voted for fairness for LGBTQ individuals... ever.

Second, Obama signed the partners memorandum, giving very limited benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees and, by very limited, we mean very limited. In fact, it has sent the world into a small uproar seemingly for two reasons:

• It doesn't go far enough, failing to provide for health, retirement, or pension benefits for same-sex partners and is probably equitable to little financial benefit other than relocation costs. It seems that anything else would be against the law, per the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act.
• It is a memorandum -- not an executive order -- which means that it expires when Obama leaves office.

A fact sheet provided by the White House is available on the Advocate website detailing the benefits covered. It confuses me, the whole hubbub, as everyone is still cursing Obama's name, saying that it's too little too late.

I seriously wonder if homosexuals have forgotten the last 8 years, and we are just so hungry for someone to listen to us, that we are willing to go rabid at the mouth, screaming shouting and cursing our President, for not doing everything right now. You know, through the Bush years, no one would listen to us. I don't remember the HRC -- for once, I'm kinda standing up for them -- getting a personal meeting with Bush II to reassure them that the President was still on their side, unless I missed it? I know, I know. I want more now, too; I think Obama should put an immediate stop on discharges from the military under Don't Ask, Don't Tell pending legal review, and I think the DOJ-DOMA brief was shameful... and I think Obama's ongoing silence on LGBT issues makes him somewhat of a political coward.

But this is the first time any rights were granted to LGBTQ people since, well, since Bill Clinton. And Mr. Clinton, I might remind you, signed DOMA and DADT, so maybe Obama ain't so bad... but I am still rather bored by the ongoing expectation that we, as queers, will pay for politicos campaigns, whilst they are never willing to step up and do anything for queers. Maybe that's the reason nothing has been done? If the carrot is still hanging in front of us, will we still work as hard for the Democrats?

But that's just my thoughts.

Volunteers Needed All Around!

I have been requested to post needs for Cincinnati Pride volunteers by a variety of organizations, and I have, until now, categorically turned them down. But I changed my mind because I could. So :-P *PHBBBBBBBBT*.

I have volunteered with a variety of organizations during Pride since I started going in 2002, mostly STOP AIDS (I think for obvious reasons). However, the weekend's success is reliant upon literally hundreds of people staffing booths and marching and running around with walkie-talkies who do not get paid for their hard work. It's an insane logistical nightmare that has, in the past, been headed up almost exclusively by one or two people (hell yea, Kathy Laufman!).. and it's mostly thankless. If you are going to Pride and you want to help out, even for a couple hours, here are the seven places that have sent requests (that I know about) for volunteers:

• Councilmember Greg Harris -- One of the most supportive councilmembers in Cincinnati has requested people to march with them in the parade. One of his volunteers says this in an email: "Since Greg stepped into Cincinnati politics he has been an outspoken supporter of fairness, and equal rights for our community. This election we will be losing a supporting voice on Council, thus, it is critical that Vice Mayor Crowley’s voice be continued by Councilmember Greg Harris. Both Vice Mayor Crowley and Councilmember Harris have a history of standing with our community when it is not politically popular—it is imperative that we keep that history alive." Interested people should email spencer at keepgregharris dot com. 
• Equality Cincinnati -- EC seems to be looking primarily for help with their booth staffing, from their Facebook event invite (linked above): "It is that time of year again, Pride is upon us and we need your help at the Pride Festival. Equality Cincinnati will once again be having a both at the festival and we are looking for people to help man the booth during the event... If you can give two hours or more of your time on either day, we would love to have you. It is a great chance to socialize, network and spread the word of what Equality Cincinnati has and wants to do in the Greater Cincinnati Area." If you want to help out, email Dan, dpdrentec at aol dot com.
• Equality Ohio -- EO is actually looking for volunteers for every Ohio Pride, including people to staff booths, march in parades, collect EHEA signatures, sell memberships, etc. All volunteers will receive an Equality Ohio t-shirt.
• HRC-Cincinnnati -- Looking for people to staff the booth, march in the parade, and canvass the crowd to support the Human Rights Campaign. Interested people should contact their local email address, hrccincinnati at gmail dot com.
• IMPACTCincinnati -- The activist network is not, to my knowledge, marching in the parade, however, they do have a booth two days in a row that desperately needs to be manned (or womanned, or trans'd... gr... needs to be covered). I'll be there Saturday afternoon with Juliet, as will Cody! Come say "hi" even if you can't help out! Email IMPACTCincinnati, impactcincinnati at gmail dot com.
• Ohio Democratic Party LGBT Caucus -- Sent out via Facebook (linked), looking to fill shifts at booths, sell memberships, and get petition signatures.
• Squealing with Pride 2009 -- Pride Planning is pretty much over, as far as I understand, though they have huge needs in set up, take down, and just general operations. Trust me, this is the hardest job you'll do, but it can actually be a lot of fun (and you look cool, with a walkie talkie if you're one of the lucky few to snag one). Email the Pride Committee, pride at cincyglbt dot com.

See, now you can't say that you didn't know how to get involved. Lots of opportunities next weekend -- I expect to see you out! 

Obama's "Deal" on DADT?

From the Daily Beast, via every LGBT blog on the web...


In short: Obama has, possibly, made a deal with LGBTQ rights leaders (ahem -- HRC -- ahem) to delay on the repeal on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I don't know if it's true, and it seems far sketckier than I would want to believe, but it's something to think about, innit?

Thinking more about it, I wonder if this is one of those things where Obama said, "You know, we might be able to do that next year, can we focus on something else right now?" Rather than the more evil sounding "deal making." Meanwhile, this is another video that's popped up from yesterday where Obama reassures homosexuals that we have a friend in the White House:

Massive Community Calendar Update

We are less than two weeks out from Pride, and I realized... I have absolutely nothing on here about Pride events! And then I went searching, and well... I'm keeping my mouth shut.  For the next two weeks, here are some amazing things going on!


Flash Action! Queer folks are heading (back) out to Maineville this evening (6/2 at 9:00pm) to stand in solidarity against hate at Tabby's American Grill, where an alleged hate crime occurred last week! We've gotten some positive response from the bar, and we're looking to stand with them and make this a peaceful queer bomb! Check out the coverage we got at Towleroad!

Milk: Summer Underground returns tomorrow, Wednesday the 3rd. Cincinnati's experiment in fabulous music and great dancing had a strong turn out last week -- probably around 80 folks! The organizer said that, from what he's heard, he expects this week to be even bigger! Make sure you check it out and add MILK to your Facebook friends!

And for the biggest, gay party night of all... THIS FRIDAY the 5th! 

• 5:00pm-7:00pm: World's Gayest Office Party, hosted by the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce at Yadda Club
• 8:00pm-10:00pm: HRC First Friday, hosted by the local organizing community, at Crazy Fox Saloon
• 10:00pm: Return of Guerrilla Queer Bar -- and, trust me guys, this sounds like the most fun one of all!!!

As for next weekend, I'm going to just hit them real quick:

• Friday, June 12th, 5:00pm-9:00pm: "Pride in Our Party," hosted by the Ohio Democratic LGBT Caucus, at Below Zero Lounge, with honorable hosts Rep. Steve Driehaus, Ohio AG Richard Cordray, Ohio Treasure Kevin Boyce, County Commissioner Todd Portune, Rep. Connie Pillich, and Rep. Denise Driehaus
• Friday, June 12th, 8:30p: Rainbow Candlelight Vigil across the Purple People Bridge, organizers are planning a mini-march with groups forming at both the north and south ends of the Purple People Bridge and marching to the middle; at the end, the group will march together south towards Kentucky (more information later)
• Saturday, June 13th, 3:00pm-9:00pm: Pride Festival at Hoffner Park in Northside
• Sunday, June 14th, 12:00pm-1:00pm: Pre-Pride Parade Rally at Burnet Woods
• Sunday, June 14th, 1:00pm-3:00pm: Pride Parade from Burnet Woods in Clifton to Northside
• Sunday, June 14th, 1:00pm-7:00pm: Pride Festival at Hoffner Park in Northside

There you go folks!

Calendar Update!

Time for a big ol'queer calendar update! I promise I'll try to cover all the big stuff for you guys! Please note that all images are from the website or the Facebook page of the event listed.


If you haven't heard about Penny's "private" party at Adonis now, clearly you have not been paying attention. Bitch is working her heels down making sure you join her and all five hundred of her closest friends at Annie's (right up the street from Adonis) this Friday at 10:00pm. It's an open bar from 10p-11p, so it is worth it to get their early. You just have to print off this flyer to get in and par-tay! Check out the event invite.


Meet Milk, Cincinnati's queer and queer-friendly summer underground party scene, debuting at Below Zero on May 27th. I had the chance to speak to the organizer this weekend at the Guerrilla Queer Bar party at Little Bit party, and, aside from being gorgeous, he's a smart guy who's dedicated to good music and great dancing. Word is that he's got some pretty cool shit lined up for all of us to party to; it's all about music, kids. He played a sampling, and it sounds like it will totally be worth it Add Milk: Summer Underground.


PrideLove -- Cincinnati's experiment with queer *gasp* dating -- is coming back, this time to BronZ. Fabulous Della R. (who says that she and I will be BFF's, which I'm totally down with), who owns the business, has a great event lined up: Speeddating! Take five minutes to go on quick dates with men you have never met before, leave perhaps with a husband! Add in some fantastic drink specials, and it sounds like it will be yet another successful event. Check out their event invite for May 30th from 6pm-9pm.


The HRC will be hosting its monthly First Friday event, going out to bars that you normally would not see them out.. making new friends and new connections. Next month, the event takes place at Crazy Fox Saloon in Newport at 8pm. Check out the event invite.


Below Zero Lounge will be hosting the Ohio LGBT Democratic Caucus, kicking off Pride on June 12th at 5pm. Cover is $35 and gets you membership into the caucus. Check out the event invite.


I am so excited to mention this event, as it's being hosted by our friends at the Kentucky Equality Federation and Marriage Equality Kentucky. Tickets are a little expensive -- $50-$150 -- but a portion of that goes to our local GLSEN, and the majority of it goes for fighting for marriage equality in the Bluegrass State. Pop Singer Briant Kent and Gay Comedian (comedienne?) Ryan Hill will be performing. Advance purchase is necessary for attendance, and I hear that they are selling like hot cakes! Check out the event, or the Facebook event, for June 20th at 8pm at Adonis, followed by an after party at Yadda Club.

Please note that Equality Ohio is looking for Pride Volunteers for the entire state, and Squealing with Pride here in Cincinnati is also looking for event volunteers! Pride is next month, kids, can you believe it????

(OH) Strickland: No to Garrison

At the HRC-Strickland fundraising event this past weekend here in Cincinnati -- where I hear Strickland impressed the crowd with a quick fire unscripted Q&A for the crowd -- the Governor said in no uncertain terms that he would not pick State Rep. Jennifer Garrison for his Lt. Gov. running mate. (The current Lt. Gov., Lee Fisher, is running for the empty Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Voinovich.)

Why is this so interesting? In 2004, Garrison went ran against State Rep. Nancy Hollister (R -- who voted against the state Defense of Marriage Act) by touting her own opposition to same-sex marriage. She's also supported by the NRA and Ohio Right to Life -- making me wonder how is she a Democrat? (Joking. Social issues do not define your political affiliation.)

In short: Strickland is not going to welcome an anti-gay Democrat into the statehouse... even if she is local (Cincinnatian) and popular.

PS This event went out on Facebook to a lot of people going -- $250? No thanks! I am hoping that the Ohio LGBT Democratic Caucus and the Governor have an opportunity for others to speak to Strickland without just precipitous pricetag (though I understand there were a handful at the event who were offered tickets at reduced prices).

Hospital Equality Index

The HRC has put out another study (I've said it before -- they are really good at doing reports and studies). This time, it's an evaluation of 166 medical facilities around the country. Unfortunately, not a single Cincinnati hospital participated, nor did any Columbus hospital; we have primarily Cleveland medical facilities. No facilities participated in either Kentucky or Indiana.

The hospitals were scored on the following characteristics:

1a Patients’ Bill of Rights and/or non-discrimination policy includes “sexual orientation”

1b Patients’ Bill of Rights and/or non-discrimination policy includes “gender identity or expression” or “gender identity”

2a Visitation policies allow same-sex partners/spouses the same visitation access as opposite-sex spouses and next of kin

2b Visitation policies allow same-sex parents the same visitation access as opposite-sex parents for their minor children

3a Recognize advance healthcare directives allowing same-sex partners/spouses decision-making authority for their partner/spouse under care

4a Provide cultural competency training addressing sexual orientation and healthcare issues relevant to lesbian, gay and bisexual community

4b Provide cultural competency training addressing gender identity and healthcare issues relevant to transgender community

5a Equal employment opportunity policy includes “sexual orientation”

5b Equal employment opportunity policy includes “gender identity or expression” or
“gender identity”

5c Domestic partner health insurance benefits are offered

As you can see if you embiggen the picture above, which is a cutout of just the Ohio hospitals, that they didn't do too poorly. The points missing universally are cultural competency trainings and gender identity/expression in Patient Bills of Rights.

I think those are totally "doable" goals.

But, again, the index itself may be inappropriately scored. As JereKeys brought up with the HRC Corporate Index, it does nothing to gauge actual environment. For example, University Hospital here in town generally has a negative perception in the LGBT community's head, but is probably the most open and accepting environments out of all the major hospitals (at least, from my experience; though I hear Children's is like a big gay heaven :-)).

At least it's a good jumping off point to start the conversation, though, yes?

Demands for Obama to Act Grow

Three things on the web this weekend have caught my eye that feed into the "Obama needs to say something" line growing around the blogosphere.

First, a Washington Post editorial by Eugene Robinson asks about the semantics of marriage. He takes politicians (and Obama) to task for the language games they are playing:

Obama took the "civil unions" route during last year's campaign and has stuck with it. While I see the political calculation -- that was basically the position of all the major Democratic candidates -- I never understood the logic. If semantics are the only difference between a civil union and a marriage, why go to the trouble of drawing a distinction? If there are genuine differences that the law should recognize, what are they?

It seems to me that equality means equality, and either you're for it or you're not. I believe gay marriage should be legal, and it's hard for me to imagine how any "fierce advocate of equality" could think otherwise...

Does Obama's stance in favor of repeal [of DOMA] mean that he believes the federal government should recognize same-sex marriages? Does he also believe that, say, the state of Alabama should recognize a gay marriage performed in Iowa? If so, what is the practical difference between this position and just saying in plain language that gay marriages ought to be legal and recognized in all 50 states?

Second, a POZ online poll shows that 60% of the readers of that site don't feel that the Obama administration has made HIV/AIDS a high enough priority. As of right now, I cannot think of a major thing the Obama administration has done except to get his act together, put a couple of people into positions, and offered to expand PEPFAR (which there's some controversy over an unfunded mandate there).

Third, there's the Lt. Dan Choi situation. Choi came out on the Rachel Maddow show and was then sent a letter from his employer stating that he would be terminated. "Obama to fire gay soldier" is the headline developing. But Obama has to go through Congress to change the law, you might say. Or, he could put a stop on discharges pending review of the law.

Look, I still support the man. I still believe that he has our best interests at heart, and I honestly believe that, 100 days in, we can't be so quick to judge his actions. And he has even assured Joe Solmonese of the HRC enough to say, "They have a vision. They have a plan." As little as I like the HRC, I'm going to take his word for it. Let's see how the next 100 days go, let's see what happens with the Matthew Shepard Act, let's see what happened in NH...

...I just hope I'm not saying "well, let's see" all the way to 2012. 

How do Cincinnati's Businesses Rank?

The post about P&G including gender identity/expression in its non-discrimination policy got me thinking: How do other Cincinnati businesses rank, and why? Commentors seems mildly interested in contacting these businesses as a way of encouraging them to increase their HRC Corporate Index. I did a little scouring and there are only six locally based businesses on the list:

Macy's

• 2009 Rank: 100 (Second year running!)
• 2008 Rank: 100 (Perfect score! The only Cincinnati based business to do so on the 2008 index)
• 2006 Rank: 80

Proctor and Gamble

• 2009 Rank: 85
• 2008 Rank: 85
• 2006 Rank: 65
• Missing Points: P&G did not include gender identity and expression in their non-discrimination policy.
• Notes: As of May, 2009, this policy has changed and the score is likely to increase in 2010.

Frost, Brown, Todd

• 2009 Ranking: 85
• Missing Points: Does not including gender in its diversity training, nor does it have trans benefits in its insurance; does not cover domestic partners in dental, vision, COBRA, or dependent coverage.
• Notes: This is the first year FBT appears on the list.

Convergys

• 2009 Ranking: 80
• Missing Points: Does not include gender identity/expression in its non-discrimination policy; does not cover domestic partners in dental, COBRA, vision, or dependent coverage.
• Notes: 2009 is the first year Convergys appears on the list! Honestly, I've never been quite sure what they do...

Fifth Third Bank

• 2009 Rank: 75
• 2008 Rank: 60
• 2006 Rank: 65
• Missing Points: Does not include gender identity and expression in its non-discrimination policy, nor include some insurance benefit for trans-identified persons in their insurance; only gives some benefits -- minus dental, vision, COBRA, dependent coverage -- to domestic partners.
• Notes: 5/3 scores the lowest in 2008 out of all the Cincinnati businesses, which surprises me as they have a very large and very prominent LGBT employees organization. I checked their website and though they stress their diversity, there is no mention of DP benefits, so maybe not? I think I'm actually disappointed by this.

Kroger's

• 2009 Ranking: 75
• 2008 Ranking: 75
• 2006 Ranking: 35
• Missing Points: Exlusively dealing with gender identity and expression -- no protection in non-discrimination policy of gender identity/expression, no diversity training including gender, and no trans wellness benefits for employment.
• Notes: Despite what they are missing, a 40-point increase in two years is huge, but that seems to have capped off. Also, a commentator on the P&G post pointed out that Kroger just started allowing affinity groups, which means there will be a little internal pressure to start including some of these points.

Overall? Not bad, though we can do better! How do we line up with other indexed businesses in Ohio? In order of ranking and alphabet:

1. Abercrombie and Fitch - New Albany - 100 (duh!)
2. Cardinal Health - Dublin - 100
3. KeyCorp - Cleveland - 100
4. Nationwide - Columbus - 100
5. NCR Corp. - Dayton - 100
6. Owens Corning - Toledo - 100
7. Progressive Corporation - Mayfield Village - 100
8. Squire Sanders and Dempsey LLP - Cleveland - 100
9. AmTrust Bank - Cleveland - 83
10. Limited Brands - Columbus - 80
11. National City Corporation - Cleveland -80
12. Vorys, Sater, Seymore, and Pease LLP - 80
13. Huntington Bancshares - Columbus - 75
14. University Hospitals of Cleveland - 50
15. Cooper Tire and Rubber - Findlay - 33
16. Dana Holding - Toledo - 20
17. Lauren Manufacturing - New Philadelphia - 5

In short: every single other city, except for Cleveland, has one "100" business. We now, also, have two. :-) We're actually doing slightly better in our big businesses.

This original post was written based on the 2008 Rankings; I should have been using the 2009 rankings. I tried to edit it to make sure it reads right, apologies if there are mistakes.

P&G Becomes Trans-Inclusive

Proctor & Gamble, local giant often "Proctor and God" for its dominance of the local employment and everything market, has added "gender identity and expression" to its non-discrimination policy, according to a Washington Blade story. 

"We at P&G recognize the power that comes from people of diverse backgrounds and experiences coming together around a common goal. Our policy forbids any discrimination, harassment or intimidation because of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability or other non-job-related personal characteristic. Employees are encouraged to bring questions or concerns in this area to their management. Strict disciplinary action for violations of this policy will be taken, including termination of employment."

In the 2008 HRC Corporate Equality Index, P&G earned a score of 85 -- up from 65 in 2006 -- the remaining 15 points are because they do not protect based on gender identity/expression. Congratulations, P&G, you likely just earned yourself a 100 in 2010.

QueersUnited, where I got this story, is encouraging you to contact and thank P&G.

Guerrilla Queer Bar Location Announced

Where are we dancing and carousing tonight, this fabulous first Friday of the month, with Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar? From the blog:

THE PAVILION (949 Pavilion St. Mt. Adams)

**********

Now I know many of you may be groaning-- having had your fair share of negative Pavilion experiences-- but put them aside! This will be a night of queer-dance-debauchery to be remembered! Where else needs to be queered up more than Mt. Adams? And where else in Mt. Adams could use a dose of queering than the Pavilion?


***********

Here's the Deal:

1. If you're short on cash, get there early. It's free to get in before 10pm (and it's nice to beat the line). So get there at 9 (and if you're someone who's always late, say you're going to be there at 8!). I know some of you don't think fun starts before midnight-- but just think, the earlier you go out, the more time to have fun, the higher your chances to find someone (or someones) to take home, and the more time to have fun with them at home and still get to bed before 7 am! After 10pm the cover is 5 bucks (lame).

2. We'll be congregating on the SECOND FLOOR. Look out for the purple GQB bandannas (and if you haven't gotten one yet, we'll have more-- they're only $5).

3. Pavilion is 21+ (but they're also a restaurant and serve food until 11 pm.) :)

4. Parking/driving in Mt. Adams sucks. We recommend the #1 bus (which you can catch easily in Government Square) or if you're a UC student (or could pass as one, they don't usually check IDs) hop on the "Greater Cincinnati Route Shuttle UC Shuttle" which runs until 2:30 and connects Mt. Adams, Newport, Downtown, and Clifton. For more info go to http://www.sorta.com/ or http://www.uc.edu/af/facilities/shuttle_services.html . Or take a taxi, drive, bike, or skip.

5. When the clock strikes midnight, the Pavilion's dance floor will turn into a queer kiss-in. However you want to interpret that, go for it. If you want to bring someone to kiss, find someone to kiss, kiss yourself, hug someone, kiss a whole bunch of people, recite a poem about what kissing means to you, kiss your best friend, whatever. 12:00 am = kissin' time

You gonna join us tonight? And, more importantly, who's my midnight kisser? :-)

And don't forget the HRC First Friday event at 8pm at Golden Lions.

We're Here! We're Queer! And we know how to email!

Lots and lots of opportunities these days for you to make your voice heard on a whole host of issues around the country, even if they don't apply to you directly!*

*In the end, everything applies to everyone.

The National Health Interview Survey is a division of the National Center for Health Statistics, based out of the CDC. It is the public health census, essentially, that monitors health related behaviors and conditions. The National Coalition for LGBT Health is pressing (via email, their website is not updated to reflect this) to add questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to the NHIS, and has met with some success ... garnering the support of 46 additional representatives and the personal interest of Rep. Whitehouse (D-RI), who is pressing for a $2million allotment in the budget to make this happen. Their recommendation is that you call the Senate switchboard (202-224-3121), ask for your Senator, and then request (once you get their office) the staff person in charge of Health and Human Services appropriations. Tell them that you are a constituent who supports appropriating an additional $2 million for the National Health Interview Survey and that you would like them to sign on. In order to sign on, they need to contact Jordanna Davis in Senator White house’s office by close of business on Tuesday, April 28th. (Means you guys have to contact your Senators on Monday).

*****

JoinTheImpact.com and the HRC is asking you to contact your Represenatives to support the passing of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HR 1913 -- the Matthew Shepard Act). The vote could come as early as this week after the Judiciary Committee gave it to the full house with a passage there of 15-12. JTI put out an email asking for national call-in days on April 27th, 28th, and 29th (before 5pm EST). From the email:

Most likely, one of the Members interns will answer and ask where you're calling from and why. You're calling to urge the Representative to vote for the Matthew Shepard Act (H.R. 1913). Most calls end right there. But if you like, you can add:

· Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are on the rise. One out of every six hate crimes is because of the victim's sexual orientation.

· Hate crimes have more than one victim. They are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorize entire communities.

· The Matthew Shepard Act targets only violent acts – not speech. It does not tell any clergy member what he or she can or can't preach.

· Mention that Rep. 's vote on this bill will affect your future support.

Make sure you contact JoinTheImpact to let them know that you've done it -- if you click on the HRC link above, they will track via their website.

*****

The HRC is asking NH folks to contact the New Hampshire legislature -- not for marriage anymore -- but for something probably a little more important: gender protections. That's right, kids, the state was nearly the next one to legalize equal marriage, but they do not yet protect people based on their gender identity and expression... but neither does Massachusetts, shockingly. The bill is HB 415 and would add gender in anti-discrimination and hate crimes statutes already in place. (The link above mentions also HB 436, the now defunct bill that would have extended marriage protections for same-sex couples.)

*****

Maine's equal marriage bill will shortly be voted on by the joint Judiciary Committee, and Equality Maine is asking residents to email their representatives to get this bill to a vote (and then vote it through the entire legislature). Gov. Baldacci, at this point, may event vote it up, as well. I think for non-Mainers, it may be valid to email as well, especially if you bring up that marriage, in other states, has led to an increase in tourism.

*****

Tennessee, also, will be taking up a hate crimes bill that adds gender to the protected groups -- HB0335, one of the two bills pushed by the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition in this legislative session. The bill is being sponsored by Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis), and I can't seem to find any indication as to whether it will pass or not. Regardless, it's an opportunity for people from Tennessee to make their voices heard. On a related note, does Ohio have a TransPAC?

*****

And, finally, Texas has an anti-bullying law, entitled "Corinne's Law" that will be hitting the floor of their legislature this week. Texans are urged to contact their representatives and let them know their support. The law will expand current statutes by including electronic harassment, as well as harassment that does not occur on school property.

You know, this took an awful long time.

Contact Your Representative about the Matthew Shepard Act!

If that doesn't work for whatever reason, click here to view the PSA by Judy Shepard entitled "Ten Years"

The HRC is urging you to contact your US Senators and Representatives to support HR 1913 -- the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (the "Matthew Shepard Act"). Our local guy, Steve Driehaus, is one of the original 42 co-sponsors in the house and he is being hounded by the right telling him not to vote. It's important you call or email him today!

To contact Steve Driehaus specifically, his phone is (202) 225-2216 and you can send him an email here.

Massive Community Calendar Update

An update is way overdo, so I'll try to cover as much as possible -- sorry if I leave someone out, just shoot me an email: queercincinnati@gmail.com


Julia Serano Lecture
April 22nd, 7pm at the University of Cincinnati
Serano, an Oakland-based writer, spoken word performer, trans-activist, and biologist, will be giving a talk at UC in Swift 500 on entitled "Transsexual and Trans Feminine Perspectives on Sexism." Serano published Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity in 2007. (TransOhio post.)



cincYPac and the Cast of MTV's "Take the Stage"
April 23rd, 6pm-8pm, Cadillac Ranch
cincYPac -- Cincinnati's Young Professional Political Action Committee -- is hosting a night where you can meet the cast of MTV's hit reality show, "Take the Stage," that is hosted right here in Cincinnati. Check out their Facebook event for more information -- the event costs $15 (and $5 for students).



Pride Night with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
April 24th, 8pm+
The CSO will be welcoming the LGBT community for the 6th year in a row to a fabulous evening of music, followed by a cocktail party at Corbett Tower. Tickets are $40, includes both events. Check out the CSO website for information on the promo code and how to order your ticket.



PrideLove Sexy Singles Party
April 24th, 8pm-11pm, Below Zero Lounge
The wonderful ladies and gentlemen of PrideLove invite you to a hot little singles party at Below Zero lounge, hosted by darling Penny Tration, including a Sexy Singles Auction. (Formerly featured on QueerCincinnati.com.)



CAC's Contempory Fridays: SPIN
April 24th, 9pm-1am, Contemporary Arts Center
The CAC continues its highly successful parties with "The Price is Light," along with Northside Nick and Chris Collins. The one I went to -- months ago, now -- was actually a lot of fun. Check out their Facebook event.



First Friday with HRC
May 1st, 8pm, Golden Lion's Lounge
HRC's second First Friday cocktail hour will be held at the Golden Lion's Lounge in Clifton -- per the Facebook invite, you can be sure to check out their event (and you actually can, considering the times -- well done, HRC) before you head off to...



Cincinnati Guerilla Queer Bar -- Month 3
May 1st -- TBA
Even I don't know where it's going to be, guys, but I've been told to make sure that everyone saves the date!



Lucky Ladies Speeddate
May 3rd, 3pm-6pm, Yadda Club (Covington)
Check PrideLove's flyer for the upcoming event for all of our fabulous single ladies out there.



stop) aids Guest Bartending Night
May 3rd, 6pm-10pm, Below Zero Lounge
I will feature this more later because I think it's going to be an awesome night. But, the education team of STOP AIDS (all of them true hotties) will be behind the bar, and every dollar you give goes to stopping AIDS right here in Cincinnati. (Facebook event)



Judy Shepard Speaks
May 5, 7pm, Great Hall of the Tangeman Center on UC's Campus
After her last speech was cancelled due to illness, Judy Shepard comes to speak at the University of Cincinnati. She's worth watching, folks; I would go.



Ethan Philbrick's Cello Recital
May 9, 8pm, St. John's Unitarian Church
Check out his Facebook event. (Ethan is both a fellow blogger and the organizer of CGQB -- and then he got cutie-patootie Jeff of centsinnati to sweettalk me into posting it, so another fellow blogger -- so I'm posting this "personal event" based on their status as bloggers. But Ethan's an amazing cellist and worth checking out, I think.)



Making Beautiful MUSIC Together
May 9th, 7pm-10pm, the DOCK Complex
The ISQCCBE and the Cincinnati Men's Chorus will be hosting a special charity event at the DOCK to support local charities... and each other. Check out their Facebook event.



Queen City, Music City
May 30th at 8:07pm, May 31st at 3:07pm, National Underground Railroad Museum
The next Cicninnati Men's Chorus show will focus on music straight out Nashville -- including tunes with hints of country, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass. The 30th and 31st will be their Pride shows, with a special musical nod to the LGBT movers and shakers in music. Check out their website for more information.



Miami U. LGBT Alumni Reunion
June 18-21, Oxford, Ohio
As part of the bicentennial celebration, 1809 LGBT Alumni are calling all alums to come and support the association, as well as join them in special events like a reception with Pres. Hodge and a special viewing of Freeheld (2008 Academy Award short documentary winner, produced by MU alums).

Equinox Cincinnati
July 3-5
Hold on to your horses, girls, the next big event in the gay social calendar in Cincinnati may be upon us -- meet Equinox Cincinnati (and their Facebook event). I don't have much more information from the organizers yet, but I've been promised the exclusive ASAP. George (of Metronation and of the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce) is hot on this one, guys, and says he already has busses filling up from people out of state to come party in the 'Nati. I have a feeling this will be huge. Save the date. (And you are reading that right -- this event is cosponsored by Fountain Square.)


Ohio Lesbian Festival
September 19th and 20th, Columbus-ish
Womyn-only event featuring music, art, and community. Check out their website for more information.



GAY PRIDE DATES FOR THE REGION!!!!!
I'm just going to do a list because there are so many to list off:

• June 6th-14th: Indianapolis, "Circle City, IN Pride"
• June 13th and 14th: Cincinnati, "Squealing with Pride"
• June 19th and 20th: Columbus, "Freedom 2009"
• June 19th and 20th: Louisville, "Kentuckiana Pride Festival"
• June 20th: Cleveland, "Equality through Unity"
• June 23rd-28th: Chicago
• Saturday, June 27th: Lexington, "Stonewall Lives"

You know, looking at Columbus's and Cleveland's themes... aren't you kinda glad we have something at least interesting? Seriously.

Seriously, what did I miss? I know I did. Again, email me if you have anything for the list.

Polis May Introduce Equality Omnibus Bill

Jared Polis (D-CO) has indicated an interest in introducing an LGBT Omnibus Bill, which is being batted around as a possibility all over the interweb and in all sorts of political circles.

From the Washington Blade:

Polis said he's "very interested" in the concept of introducing a bill with "several aspects of the equality agenda." He noted that he believes other lawmakers would be interested in introducing the bill.

The nonprofit donors group eQualityGiving.org last month proposed that Congress tackle omnibus legislation that would include language regarding hate crimes, employment non-discrimination and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," as well as language from other LGBT rights-related bills.

The group's proposed measure would also contain a clause requiring the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships legalized by states.

Likely not included would be any federal recognition of marriage rights, outside of those provided by the states. But it would, in effect, nullify DOMA, which is equally as awesome.

The idea of the Equality Omnibus Bill seems to be pushed by eQualityGiving.org, which gives services for people interested in donating to LGBT causes. The site not only details specific issues, and includes extensive resources and information, but also endorses candidates (and gives more information) and information about other organizations for you to support if X Y or Z are your causes.

What's great about the site is that not only do they list out "equality goals," but they also reference a study done by the HRC and Hunter College at the City University of New York that delineates relative interest in LGBT issues based on age and information level. They give us two graphs:

I'm sure this may of interest to some of the readers of my blog.

April 15th Protests

I initially started this post writing up one event, but then I realized there were two events going on.
First, via Facebook and their website:

From the website:

But I'm not out! I'm scared of being shamed and outcast by my community!
Now's the time, Gays. And we've made it as safe and silly for you as possible by choosing the most gay-friendly,corporate spot in the world. Starbucks! Starbucks has been committed to LGBT rights since the beginning of time offering domestic partnership insurance, quoting gay artists on their coffee cups and funding our pride parades.

I'm not gay, but I like kissing.
Perfect. Straight allies, never fear! Come support your commitment to equality and public displays of affection, and smile at your neighbor to let them know its 2009 and that you're happy we're able to live our lives. It means a lot to us when you tell us, especially when you're our friends and family.

I'm just not comfortable kissing in public.
Fine. Consider April 15th "Homo Hug-in."

C'mon. Is kissing REALLY going to solve our problems?
Yes.

You're insane.
People who vote against gays do so because they don't know us and they're not used to us. But that's changing as we live our lives openly like they do. Once they see that we're just like them, and unafraid, they come around. Didn't you see the Oscars? C'mon! One small kiss for us, one giant leap for equality!

Ok, I'm in. Tongue or no tongue?
Welcome to America. Be creative.

Actually, there's a really, really hot Starbucks employee up the street from me. Hrm....

---
And then, in a move that I think should be repeated over and over and over again...

JoinTheImpact and the HRC are teaming up to protest on Tax Day. From the website:

As LGBT Americans, we work hard, take care of our families, and pay our taxes every year. Yet, our families are not included in the very policies we help fund. Our loved ones are treated like legal strangers and denied the economic protections given to our heterosexual counterparts.

It is time to take a stand. This April 15th, we will rally at post offices across the nation. All the materials you need to host your own event are on this website. Sign up today. We can change this world.

Currently, no one is signed up in Cincinnati to organize it, but, you know what, I may just pop down on the 15th and grab the closest cute mail carrier and make out like crazy.

Matthew Shepard Act

Missed this coming across the wire -- EEP! Of all the important things to post, you'd think this was number one. 

From the HRC: 

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA)/Matthew Shepard Act gives the Department of Justice (DOJ) the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence by providing the DOJ with jurisdiction over crimes of violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

The Act provides the DOJ with the ability to aid state and local jurisdictions either by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable to act, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated, violent crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury. The LLEHCPA also makes grants available to state and local communities to combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers or assist in state and local investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated crimes.

It doesn't seem to be getting a lot of press around, so let me see if I can stir up some trouble, yea? Rep. Conyers (D-MI) also introduced this bill in 2005 (it seems, I could be wrong... it's really hard to find good info on that particular proposal), and it was intro'd in both 1999 and 2007.

It currently has 42 co-sponsors, including three from Ohio! Rep. Driehaus (Cincinnati), Rep. Kilroy (Columbus), and Kucinich (Cleveland) are all on board for it! Yea!

Make sure you email your Representative and Senator to push this through and protect LGBT people against hate!

Oh, and make sure you check out the HRC site -- FightHateNow.org -- dedicated to passing this very very important law.

Cleaning Up a Little Bit

A few quick housekeeping notes:

1. Gotten a lot of feedback that I'm not linking to original articles -- I am, actually, but I think the color of links blended in a little too much, so I've changed that color. This is a temporary fix. I'm trying to find a whole new schema that will alleviate this problem.
2. In response to the HRC vs. CGQB post, I'll say this: I apologize that it came off as it did. Let me simplify what I believe I was meaning to say: the timing was not right for the HRC event, especially with a similar stated purpose. The HRC has reached out to the organizers of Queer Bar, which I'm glad about and curious to know the outcome of that meeting. I'm also proud of the HRC for utilizing social media to improve its outreach. The reason for the post was to prod a little bit and make sure the issue is addressed so that there isn't any perception of competition and all events can occur with equal opportunity. Just a little nudge. If it came off otherwise -- and it appears that it did -- I am truly sorry. 
3. Update: And I'm trying to find rhyme/reason to commenting. My most popular/read posts don't get commented on, but little ones get lots. Very confusing to me.

I think that's about it :-). Hope that helps!

HRC's First Friday versus Guerrilla Queer Bar

Please note the follow up to this posting here.

Something that came to my attention this evening...

The local HRC crew has started an event known as Equality First Friday. From their 4/3 event Facebook invite, here's its stated purpose:

Join HRC Greater Cincinnati on the first Friday of every month as we travel to a new Greater Cincinnati/Dayton destination to meet new friends and bring the message of HRC to the community!

Now I'm not one to cause problems, but I just have a question: given the recent press and success of Guerrilla Queer Bar -- which is stated as happening on the first Friday of every month -- why would they post a competing event with a similar stated purpose? Overall, it's a great idea. I applaud the HRC for utilizing Facebook to bring a younger crowd into their organization and find "new blood," but I'm not sure the wisdom of directly challenging another event.

We have a small community in town, let's be honest about that, and, though I would like to believe that we have enough people to drink and dance at more than one big event, I get the impression that the crowd they are trying to reach is the same that goes to CGQB. 

I'm sure it was just a mistake. And, to make a suggestion, would it be, perhaps, prudent to have a Final Friday event, rather than First Friday? That way, if Queer Bar does, for whatever reason, take a nosedive at some point, you've branded that evening as your own without stepping on anyone's toes. And, of course, meet with Ethan and the Queer Bar organizers too see what's up and how best to work together.

I hear there's a meeting this week between the two, so I'll be curious to see how it goes.

After the comment that came through, I wanted to clarify a point that isn't as clear above: this seems like a great chance for the HRC to reach out and work together with an existing movement. It comes across as competitive, however. That is, in short, my point.