Tyrone Yates Not Running for Senate

Texas Liberal, one of my favorite bloggers, is reporting that Tyrone Yates will not be seeking the Senate seat that Sen. Voinovich is leaving this year. Yates' statement:

After much consideration, and in light of the serious work of the legislature in this budget crisis, I have decided to discontinue my exploratory committee and not pursue a seat for the United States Senate at this time.

I had to face the choice of running for the U.S. Senate or working to find solutions to Ohio’s critical budget problems. I choose to go to work on Ohio’s immediate fiscal stress. I am determined not to advance a personal agenda over my deep commitment to the public business. My decision not to pursue the U.S. Senate at this time in no way diminishes the serious issues I care about faced by Ohioans and the United States.

I will continue to advocate for cleaning up our banking and financial system, repairing the housing and foreclosure crisis, re-establishing a broad manufacturing role for Ohio and American workers, and a strong foreign policy reflecting America’s best impulses.

I am steadfast in my view that the Democratic Party offers the best answers to these critical dilemmas and I will work with Ohio Democrats to win the U.S. Senate seat in 2010.

I want to express appreciation to the press and my deep thanks to everyone who supported my exploratory effort including Ohio Democratic Party Chairman, Chris Redfern.

The Democratic side is heavy with powerhouse state politicians, namely Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Governor Lee Fisher. Both are very, very LGBTQ friendly.

Texas Wants to Fight a Civil War

Gov. Rick Perry, participating in one of these tea-bagging events today, said, apparently, Texas can secede from the union. Thanks to Texas Liberal for the quote:

“Texas is a unique place. When we came into the union in 1845, one of the issues was that we would be able to leave if we decided to do that,” Perry said. “My hope is that America and Washington in particular pays attention. We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come of that.”

Oh? Can it? Can it now? First Alaska, now Texas. Let me just make this clear: four months of unchecked political power in a party that you don't like is enough to secede...

...but eight years of ghastly human rights violations and unchecked fiscal or financial policy and we're just a bunch of crazy liberals?

National Poetry Month!

April is National Poetry Month! 2009 marks the 14th celebration of the month, and I want to encourage you, my dear blogobois and blogogals, to share your poetry!

Unfortunately, so much of what I have written in my life has disappeared into the ether known as "hard drives." It makes me sad... I have a lot of older stuff that's pretty damn decent, IMHO, and I'm afraid that most of it has disappeared. I used to use Pathetic.org to store a lot of the poetry and stories but, once, in a fit of drunken rage at my then first attempts at social networking (no one ever responded to my work), I deleted my account and all that work is now, sadly, gone forever.

And then there's even more that has disappeared on old computers long since fried or recycled.

In fact, the only stuff I know that's left -- how sad is this -- are the few pieces I've posted here on QueerCincinnati.com, until, one day, when I get fed up with the drama and homosexuals in general I will delete this site, too, in a fit of drunken rage... and all will be gone.

I don't know where that story came from, but it has a lesson: always have a backup and a paper copy. We can't trust the information age as much as we'd like to. Anyways, I thought I'd post something of mine (that has been posted before) that's poetry-like, and encourage you to post something of yours!

I want to rub my hands across the soft cream of your body. I want to make indentures into your stomach and watch the white spot linger and go. I will watch you drowsily roll over towards me, open your eyes briefly, and smile. I could watch you smile forever. I could hold you here just as long. Entwine my arms around yours, underneath yours like a complicated puzzle. I will wrap my body into yours, matching jigsaw for jigsaw, as I curl and scoot closer to your. The sound of your mumbled, half-dozed how are you brings me home. The feeling of flesh and bone. The gentleness of a lover. Kiss gently the soft skinned cheek, trailing my lips over your neck and onto the top of your spine. Slowly run my hand across the bone down your naked back, clad only in blanket and cold air. You shiver and move closer to my warmth. The minor heat of your body does not fill me, but your presence does. I move my hand down your peach soft legs. Your scent of baby newness and budding leaves reach my nostrils and I take it in. What are you doing. A half heard and half understood question; I lean in to run my lips against yours, open now. They are dry like mine. I feel you smile, and I lick your upper lip in response. You are too much. Does it matter who says it? We both feel it as I reach around to hold on. I inhale your exhaled breath. You are ticklish down where your body meets your legs, so I caress that spot. I want you closer. You jerk and giggle a little. We are matched skin for skin but still I want you closer. Still I want you more. I play briefly in the patch of hair below your belly button. You press closer still, tighter, nearer, further into my embrace. Hands rubbing hands, fingers pressing into flesh, lips running over shoulders and necks. I will not let you sleep until I have had my fill of your body, of your breath, of your being. More than an exchange of lust, it is an exchange of desire and love. I know that tomorrow I will climb dazed from your bed. I know that tomorrow I will have to leave this. But, for now, a tender feeling and perfect moment.

When the story of my life is written, that will be classified in the "Barry was in a creative writing class and dating a boy that he had yet to have sex with" Period. There's actually a lot written from that particular part of my history.

Neil Aquino, over at Texas Liberal, shares with us this poem:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Toilet paper is white
But not when you
are through.

HA! But he actually gives us a much better piece that he's written here:

The mob on the one side.
The few on the other side.
I’ll take my chances
With the Niagara below.

So, here's the 411: I know we all think we're the greatest writers in the world when we're working on something, but it takes some gumption to put it out there. And I want to encourage you to share something you've written ... or perhaps write something special for me in the comments below in honor of National Poetry Month.

Oh, and don't forget my mother and I run a little blog that, I suppose, it's my turn to write on -- Mom and Son Writing. When our respective difficulties came up in the last few months, we became less active. But it's worth checking out occasionally. This is my favorite piece from my mom (Chapstick), and this my favorite piece from me (Random Phone Number).

Chris Finney -- Part Three

Update: This blog was linked on Towleroad.com -- Thanks, Andy! -- and I wanted to welcome all the Towleroad readers over here to QueerCincinnati.com! To follow up with this story, there are lots of links in the follow posting, and you can check out my two other responses (Part 1, and Part 2). To sum up, for your benefit: Chris Smitherman, Cincinnati politician and President of the local NAACP and a historical supporter of LGBT rights here in the 'Nati, brought Chris Finney, arch-conservative firebrand and historical anti-gay activist, as the Chair of Legal Redress for the local organization. This details the further fallout of that decision...

I don't think we've ever gotten to a "Part Three" on any topic here at QueerCincinnati.com. Interesting. Those pictures are awful of both of them, btw.

I've been given the heads up by my "hacker" -- the mysterious person sending me links via my own account -- about two CityBeat bits that have come out about the Smitherman-Finney relationship. First, CityBeat (in its most recent issue) gives us a great lay out of Finney's history of anti-gay work here in town, including the first indication from Smitherman on his position: 

“Chris Finney has done a fabulous job for the NAACP over the last two years,” Smitherman says, referring to successful ballot issues that blocked a sales tax increase to build a new jail and repealed City Council’s decision to install red-light cameras at intersections. “He has earned our confidence in him with our legal work. I cannot be concerned with the interests of any other constituency group. I must look out for the interests of our membership.”

Hm. OK. Meanwhile, a blog post at CityBeat goes a little further into Smitherman's position:

Finney has belonged to the NAACP’s local chapter for about three years, Smitherman added. With his recent appointment as “chair of legal redress,” Finney becomes one of two white members on the chapter’s executive committee.

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

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

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

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

“There’s no issue that we’ve put on (the ballot) that the Democratic Party has supported,” Smitherman said. “People call Chris Finney radical, but it’s the positions of the local Democratic Party that are radical.”

OK. Strange. George Ellis, President of Equality Cincinnati, in the former article, states that he would like to speak specifically to Smitherman about this appointment before any position is made. Ellis and I disagree on a lot, and I'll be interested to know the outcome of that meeting -- seriously, I would.

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

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

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

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

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

As for me... well... 

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

I'm just sayin'.

Other links: original Beacon story, Cincinnati blog response. 

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

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

Texas steps up to the plate for equality

Thanks to PlanetTransgender (now blogrolled) for this...

House Bill 538 prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.(Click here for HB538 Text)

The bill will incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity/expression into all existing labor code sections dealing with nondiscrimination, treating them equally with race, color, disability, religion, sex, national origin, or age

I figure I have at least one of my readers that might be interested in knowing that this is going on in their home state. :-)

And don't forget their Facebook group.

ELECTION 2008: Barack's VP

With an announcement of Barack's VP assured this week -- next week is the convention, duh, and I'm rooting more and more for Sebelius, Bayh, or Richardson -- I, too, decided to come out of the closet like Texas Liberal and admit...

...I signed up for the text message announcement.

You can too.

Although I think my reasoning is far less convincing than TL's.

BLOGGING: New bloggers!

You'll notice, if you're paying attention, that I've added three new blogs to the blogroll on the left side of your page. A brief description:

• Divas Never Die -- "The life and times of a middle aged D-list diva." -- A local blog, based out of Mainstrasse in Newport, KY, written by a drag queen "getting on in years." :-) She's funny and delicious -- and the flicks of all the pretty boys she's got going on, well... to quote a dear friend, "I'm all juicy."
• Trevor Hoppe -- mentioned him in a previous blog. Some people around me will read his bio and immediately think of another local pretty boy whom I have often commented that his looks are getting him everywhere because his actions sure aren't -- HA! -- but Trevor seems to actually have something to say.
• Texas Liberal -- former Cincinnatian who has me on their blogroll -- YEA! -- so I went over and checked it out and it seems to be right up my ally -- I love it! And it seems that he and I blog similarly. :-)

Anyways, you know me, I'm a big softy for being linked from other blogs, so I got giddy when I saw Locavore, Queen City Survey, and Texas Liberal had added me to their blogrolls. I appreciate it, guys. :-)