Frakkin' A, Cincinnati Enquirer!

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

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

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

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

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

Gender-Variant Shot - We're All Clueless

Last week, two female presenting people, possibly transwomen or crossdressers, where attacked and robbed in Cincinnati. One was shot when the thief tried to take her purse. How did no one hear about this? (Myself included and I’m on the look out). Needless to say, it wasn’t headline news. But then again, maybe its better it wasn’t because the media did such a terrible job of covering the story. Wrong pronouns everywhere. “…Attacker shot one of the victims, who was dressed as a woman, while trying to steal HIS purse.”

If it is clear someone is presenting in one gender, why are people determined to get the pronoun wrong? People are determined to stick to their brain’s sex binary. To add insult to injury, the civic response to this is thing short of a sick-minded comedy hour.

“…if the shooter gets caught, he'll probably only be charged with a "missed da weiner."”
“…don't they know it's a man under that skirt! Probably a big one too!”
“You don't think that Shanequa and Shantay were out trying to make some extra money.” –Transphobic, racist and classist. Charming.
“What a drag!” – Ok this one is shitty, I know, but I have to appreciate the accurate queer-vocabulary.

There was another attack that same week in a Cincinnati suburb where a gay man was beaten on account of his sexual orientation. In response to this a huge protest has been organized by big name queer organizations. I’m not trying to hate on anyone, or show a lack of support for the survivor or those working to fight hate. All I’m saying is where’s the rally to protect the genderqueers? I realize people can’t rally around something they don’t know happened. Maybe we just need to open our scope a little wider, be on the look out a little more. Mainstream media isn’t going to do it for us. Its up to us to make sure everyone is protected and supported.

-JAC
Midwest GenderQueer
x-posted at midwestgenderqueer.com

Transgender Nebraska 8-Year-Old

Hrm. I think I may need some help with this one, folks, so give me some good information and let's chat about it:

A family in Omaha Nebraska, who is named for their protection, is allowing their son to change schools so that he can live his life as a girl. The child's current school -- private and Catholic -- refused to allow the change to occur, so she was removed and will be placed in a new one in the coming school year. She plans to throw out all of her boy clothes, grow out her hair, and get her ears pierced. Says the mother about a regular conversation with her child: "One night she said, 'Every night when I go to bed, I pray my inside will match my outside. But it never happens."

Please don't attack me on this one, kids, as this is one of those "Barry needs more information moments" (and one of those moments when I think, "Gee... we need a trans-identified person on staff here at QueerCincinnati.com" -- hint hint hint -- but more on that later). When I explain how I came to "know" that I was gay, I ask people if they remember around the time when they thought, "Gee, I'm attracted to the opposite sex" -- their sexual awakening, if you will. Most people say "Oh yea," and I say, "Mine just came differently." I think they get that.

In my head, I suppose I always pictured trans-identity to be much the same ... when you "come to" in your sexuality, you would similarly "come to" in your gender. Am I wrong? I mean, 8 years old (or, 4 by this article's telling) seems really early in life. I don't even remember what I thought at 8...

...and I'm sure my perception of self has changed significantly since then.

Thoughts?

Fairfax High School Prom Queen

...is a queen.

Sergio Garcia began his campaign to be prom queen as a sort-of joke, but it took on a seriousness and realness to it as the school began talking about gender and gender roles. In the end, he won. A compilation of quotes from the LA Times article, that treats the issue really well, actually:

• Before prom, on running: I will be wearing a suit, but don't be fooled, deep down inside, I am a queen!From his speech: At one time, prom may have been a big popularity contest where the best-looking guy or girl were crowned king and queen. Things have changed and it's no longer just about who has the most friends or who wears the coolest clothes. Sure, I'm not your typical prom queen candidate. There's more to me than meets the eye.
• On winning: I felt invincible.
• On gender and what it means to be queen: I didn't really know if the school approved. I thought 'Why can't I do it?' I see myself as a boy with a different personality. . . . I don't wish to be a girl; I just wish to be myself.

I just have one thing to say, Mr. Garcia: You-bettah-work. You may have felt invincible, as one person who beat out all those other women for the crown, but you have made, no doubt, untold numbers of high school queens feel the same... and feel like they, too, can go for their own crown. I wonder who his King was and whether or not they shared a dance afterwards?

Kinda makes me wish I'd thought of this.

Conservative Silence on P&G

So far, we've heard nothing from conservative groups about P&G's inclusion of gender identity and expression in its non-discrimination policy, a fact that the Washington Blade also picked up, as well:

Conservative groups have no plans to boycott Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest consumer products maker, after the business amended its anti-discrimination policy to include gender identity and expression.

Lisa Popyk, a Procter & Gamble spokesperson, downplayed a policy update the Blade first reported last week, saying the categories were long intended to be included.

“For us, it was just a clarification of a long understanding of treating everyone equally and with respect,” she said...

But the policy change drew no immediate ire. Devon Williams, a Focus on the Family publicist, said Wednesday that “at the current time, we don’t have any plans to encourage a boycott of Procter & Gamble.”

Peter LaBarbera president of the conservative Americans For Truth said he remained concerned that “someone who expresses their gender identity as female and he is a biological male” might use the policy to assert “his civil right” to use a female restroom.

He stopped short of calling for a boycott, but noted the issue “has a lot more traction than even gay debates.”

“I think it garners a lot of attention from people who have a hard time with the idea that civil rights should be based on what we would say is gender confusion,” LaBarbera said.

The American Family Assoc-iation did not respond to requests for comment. Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, a conservative organization based in Cincinnati, declined to comment for this article.

Oh? There was a time, not many years months ago that this would have flown across the conservative newswire, and there would be some sort of absurd boycott started against the home goods giant.

I wonder what's changed?

Update: Hrm. Methinks I have figured out where Wolfie at Back2Stonewall.com always gets his excellent news from :-). I swear, Wolfie, I found them too, I'm not just stealing! LOL! But, for all of my readers, Wolfie covered both the P&G issue and the Beauchamp indictment before I did, so check it out!

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.

NH Gender Protection Bill Fails

Amidst everything else going on in the world with marriage, the battle for simple equal protections is getting shoved under the rug a little these days. So, as we are all excited about the unexpected passage of equal marriage in the NH Senate today, a major step back occurred at the same time: the same body rejected a bill giving equal protections to people based on their gender. (If you read the article, you'll cringe too when you read the words "people with sexual identity issues," but the rest of the piece is interesting.)

The bill had been dubbed "the bathroom bill" after opponents sought to undermine it by insinuating that it would put children in danger of being sexually molested in public bathrooms. Our friends in the NH Senate stood up against the rhetoric, saying that this detracted from the actual purpose, but that, apparently, didn't stop every single one of them from voting against it. That's right... the NH Senate, on the same day it voted for equal marriage and for medical marijuana, unanimously -- 24-0-0 -- voted against protections for gender.
How do they justify the move?

Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth, a sponsor of the bill, said that those who campaigned against the bill “shamefuly sought to distract us from the real issue, literally bringing the debate to the toilets."

Passing the bill now would only worsen the situation for transsexuals because of the way the bill was portrayed, she said.

Um, k. I'm not sure I get your thinking. If we pass protections now, we'll make the situation worse... hrm. In an idle thought, I wonder if this was voted down to make the marriage bill go forward... a lot of stories have indicated furious lobbying and vote-changing in the last 24 hours, in which case, I ask: was it worth it? But that's just an idle thought and I really hope it was not the case.

Nikki McIntosh, Kentucky Equality Federation Transgender Outreach Director, with the concurrence of KEF's Managing Director (Laura Reed) and President (Jordan Palmer), released this strongly worded statement in response:

Had this happened in Kentucky, Kentucky Equality Federation would have condemned the legislation; you either protect all of us or none of us.....UNITED WE STAND!

Well said, KEF, well said.

Let Us Pee

Found a neat blog somewhere due to the Twitterverse. Let Us Pee, tales of people who, because of their gender or sexuality, have been harassed in a public restroom.

For example:

I've been sexually harassed by a woman in the female toilets when (and this was pretty much verified by later events) she read me as trans, and apparently thought it was appropriate to walk up to me, introduce herself, and suddenly grope my breasts.

I have to admit that the bathroom issue is something I'm not as familiar about, and one that I'm trying my damnedest to learn about. I will say, though, I prefer single occupancy bathrooms regardless...

The New Gay: Washington Post Article

The Washington Post has a great piece about a friend of this blogs -- TheNewGay.net. From the Washington Post piece:

One is a former drag king, the other is a laid-off newspaper reporter-turned blogger, and each, in their own way, is trying to transform Washington's gay scene. Eboné Bell, 27, and Zack Rosen, 25, friends and entrepreneurs, have a politically subtle mission: to integrate the region's gay scene, which they say caters to crowds that are typically older, white, wealthier and male. . .

"You come out into this culture that you had no hand in creating, and you're expected to conform to it if you want to have friends or sexual partners," Rosen said. "One of the greatest tragedies in gay life is that you spend the first 18 or 20 or however many years of your life feeling as an outsider -- and then you come out, and still . . . you may not want to come into this fabulous world of big, mega dance club music with all these guys in Hollister T-shirts. It's one way people live, but it's not you. One of the tag lines of [the New Gay] is: 'Be gay and be yourself,' and here, it's often very hard to do both."

The website itself has a great response to the piece, entitled "Why I Reject Gay Culture:"

Let’s first get out of the way the fact that being “gay” and being a part of gay culture are two different things. Being “gay” or “queer” or “lesbian” means that you are attracted to members of the same sex. Being a part of gay culture means you accept and go along with a monolithic, single-minded “culture” mostly composed of people who are attracted to the same sex. A culture that, unlike all other minority cultures, you aren’t born into. You have to go seek it out.

Unfortunately, at least in my experience, it isn’t very easy to break into this gay culture. Firstly, it’s very male oriented, and white. If you are a lesbian or a person of color, you’re already have a few strikes against you when it comes to acceptance by greater gay culture. However, us white guys don’t necessarily have it all that easy, either.

Somehow, gay culture has evolved into a very homogenious and anti-intellectual stage show.

Lately, we've talked a lot about exclusion and sexuality, about intersections and discrimination. When I first ran into Ethan Philbrick, of Guerrilla Queer Bar fame, we automatically classified him as gipster -- gay hipster -- and both Montgomery and I said that we had never seen these homosexuals before in our life.

Why? Probably because they were not part of this gay life and were separate and apart ... they didn't fit into the typical stereotypical gay scene.

I took on the identity of queer many many years ago, and I have to say this: I don't think I've even begun to understand it until I started to get to know the gipsters as people, rather than just the side show. They're good people. And I understand that I am different, and that even I, for all of my love of Beyonce and Cher and Britney/etc., am still very much outside the norm. I'm not gay, so much, as truly queer... as my gender expression is all fluked up, as is my in-your-face attitude about my sexuality and gender. I mean, I like stereotypical gay culture -- I am a consumer -- but there is difference there, too. (Take, for instance, Kristy Kay Karolina, my drag alter ego, who has won me and lost me countless boyfriends, mainly on the misunderstanding that she somehow dominates my life, but is still very much a part of my life. They don't get it.)

But there is for everyone.

As we move forward, I think these differences between us will redefine us, and will give new breath into the movement. They will make us better, stronger, smarter. At least, I hope.

I'm not very articulate, so I'll refer you over to Paper Clips N' Potato Chips -- another friend of this blog -- who has a far better response than I could ever hope to write.

Push for Trans Rights Moves Forward in Three States

Have you been following trans-rights in this country? I know I haven't been keeping as close of an eye as I usually do, so let me do a quick round up for everyone that's interested on three different states:

• Massachusetts and New Hampshire: Both are trying to move gender identity and expression protections through their statehouses.
• New Hampshire: Originally, the bill died in the House in a 181-149 vote, but the body reconsidered it and voted 188-187 to pass it on to the Senate.
• Connecticut: The protections bill died recently in the House judicial committee, but activists are organizing to take it to the floor.

Hrm. Is this weird to anyone else -- Mass and Conn both have equal marriage, and New Hampshire seems like the next one to go (with Maine)... but they don't have protections for gender? Weird.

Guerrilla Queer Bar TOMORROW (Friday): Sully's Downtown

Guerrilla Queer Bar returns!!!!!

Last month brought us two amazing events -- the takeover of the underutilized gay bar the Subway (attendance, 80-100 at a time, probably 150 by the time the night ended), and the takeover of the straight Lodge Bar (attendance of 100-150, probably 200 by the end of the night). From the minds of the maybe sometimes a little insane Ethan Philbrick & Co., tomorrow's event has been announced, and it's a great one!

From the Facebook posting (via their group):

SULLY'S! 700 Race Street (on the corner of Race and 7th)

I know some of you may be groaning...a little wary of venturing to a sports bar mecca of our city...but I beg you, leave your bias behind and get your cute butt to Sully's on Friday night because this shit is gonna be b.a.n.a.n.a.s.

Listen to these deals we've got going:

1. Tell the people at the door you're with Guerrilla Queer Bar and you'll get in FREE.
2. We will have the VIP room to gather in. Just ask someone to point you in the right direction. The VIP room opens at 9 and has it's own private bar. I've heard the bartender is a cutey.
3. If you get there before 9, your first drink is free.
4. If you say you're part of GQB, you'll get a wrist band that will get you 2 DOLLAR DRINKS between 9 and 11.
5. The DJ starts spinning at 9.
6. From 11-12, it's LADY'S NIGHT, and any "lady" will receive PENNY DRINKS. For serious. Pennies. We'll have to see how broadly they define "lady".

In honor of "lady's night" and Kate Bornstein's inspiring appearance during Xavier's Queer Week:

April's Guerrilla Queer Bar will be.... GENDER-FUCKed!

Break out of your gender box for even just one night! Whatever your comfort level--put on a mustache, get out your sequins, or add a little swagger to that walk! One rule-- have fun and don't be mean! Come in your get up, or put it on in the potty! Boys being girls can use "lady's night" to buy penny drinks for girls being boys! Throw those inhibitions out for a night and explore a new identity! Or--of course-- come as you are, everyone is always welcome!

Let's give Sully's a night to remember!

I've totally got to hand it to them -- this shit is going to be fun. I was planning to be in a show up at Shooter's that night (as Kristy), so me and Viv were going to slip down and join the party for a few drinks anyways in full drag. Makes my night like 100X easier!!!!

So, who's with us tomorrow kids?

---

More: CGQB will also be hosting a Same-Sex Kiss-in for the summer "opening" of Fountain Square on Saturday at 8p.m. For more information, check out their Facebook invite. And don't forget the CGQB blog.

Transgender Day of Visibility

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

From the PrideSource article:

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

...

Unlike Transgender Day of Remembrance, Crandall said, the day of visibility aims to focus on all the good things in the trans community, instead of just remembering those who were lost. "The day of remembrance is exactly what it is. It remembers people who died," she said. "This focuses on the living. People have told me they love Remembrance Day but it really focuses on the negative aspect of it. Isn't there anything that could focus on the positive aspect of being trans?"

It's a beautiful thing. Anyone know of anything else going on in town? In the meantime, it's good to remember that we're all a little trans -- after all, do you conform 100% to the expected norms of your sex? Or, do you fulfill the roles you feel are right for you? Clearly, trans-identity is more than this, but it's a good place to start thinking about how your own gender affects your life and your interactions with the world.

Thanks to Queers United for the heads up!

Gay-Friendly Gainesville

(YouTube video not working -- go here.)

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

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

But Gay.com has an interesting take on the win:

Surrounded by notoriously conservative northern Florida, should Gainesville now be considered a "gay-friendly" city -- or was it simply the high turn out of liberal-minded University of Florida students who were responsible for swinging the vote more toward equality?

My take? Simple: we didn't really talk about this one much, did we? Even I only posted once on the situation and then only because it looked like Cincinnati, in a way. Have we already moved so far past Prop8, have we already had the necessary country-community-catharsis that we aren't going to fight with each other? Or, are we now so insularized by 1,000,000 little fights that we don't have the time to fight for these little places.

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

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

Trans-Rights?

Cincinnati has protections for gender identity/expression. 

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

Weird. I'm actually really surprised by this. 

Weird Marriage Stuff

Well these certainly are unique approaches to the equal marriage movement (and, might I say, smart moves):

• California has a new bill that proposes to strike marriage from California law, period. Make everyone get a DP and let the churches do the marrying ... which, actually, is not that unwise and would remove the whole church-state question known as "marriage" in our country. (Granted, I will say this: a lot of heterosexuals will feel like it's a down-size, I'm sure, which, I think, is the point of our argument.)
  
• Meanwhile, a bill in Iowa has been introduced that creates gender neutral marriage, as opposed to specifically saying "marriage is between a man/woman and a man/man and a woman/woman and..." You can see how gender neutrality would be helpful there. (Iowa, btw, may be the next state to judicially pass equal marriage. Seriously. We haven't lost a court case on this one yet.)

Well, that's about all the marriage stuff I can take today. :-)

Oh, but shit is building. Be prepared.

Maryland's Gender Identity Protection Bill

I always liked the flag of Maryland, didn't you?
Via Maryland Wire:

A Maryland Senate panel is scheduled to hear testimony on a measure that would prohibit discrimination against transgender people.

The bill is sponsored by Montgomery County Senator Richard Madaleno Jr. and would protect transgender residents from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. Testimony will be heard on Wednesday.

Thirteen states, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and 90 other local jurisdictions including Montgomery County, have banned discrimination against transgender people, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Here's the bill itself.

Hard to believe Cincinnati is ahead of Maryland, isn't it?

Meanwhile, a woman was killed and two more were injured just outside of DC while leaving a lesbian bar called Coconuts Cafe. One step forward, one step back.

"Equal Pay"

Picture courtesy of Writes Like She Talks

The New York Times has an interesting bit about the difference between women and men's pay. Women earn more than men in exactly three fields: data entry, postal work, and special education teachers (but nothing more than 5%). Women and men earn exactly the same in ticketing and travel agents.

Everything else... it goes way way down. The biggest difference? Physicians, where women earn 40% less than men.

The next three blogs come from ohioBNN on Twitter.

And so it begins...

Three very significant developments this week in the fight for equality:

• The Supreme Court fight has begun: Eight couples, and three gay widowers, have brought suit against the federal government for recognition of their marriages. Even though it is only coming out of Massachusetts, the implications are fascinating. If the Supreme Court says that the federal government has to recognize marriages as defined by a state, then that essentially knocks down the 1996 Federal DOMA. The question, of course: is it time?
• Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) has introduced a bill to the US House of Representatives repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, stating that it is ineffective and has impeded military readinness. On her bill, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, she says: "This bill will once and for all end the discriminatory practices of the Department of Defense and men and women who have been administratively discharged would be allowed to have the opportunity to serve again if they want. There is no evidence to support a continued ban on open service, and every reason to allow lesbian and gay Americans to serve our country." President Obama is currently meeting with the Department of Defense on how to best deal with a possible repeal.
• And the right is gearing up to fight "David's Law," which is expansion of hate crimes protections to cover sexual orientation, as well.

Things to watch for...

Oh, and via JMG, Pelosi is promising the passage of a trans-inclusive ENDA. Thank jeebus.

I just realized how expansive this post is... lot of good stuff :-).

Idaho goes back to the 19th century

Idaho state Senators have killed a bill in committee that would protect people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, again. In a wave of states passing increasingly more inclusive bills and laws, we still have places left to fight, and fight hard.

From SeattlePI.com:

A state Senate committee on Friday rejected a proposal to forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

About 50 supporters of the proposed change to the Idaho Human Rights Act filed quietly out of the room, some in tears, after the Senate State Affairs Committee voice vote. Similar bills have been rejected in the past.

Idaho's 1968 Human Rights Act currently forbids workplace and housing discrimination based on race, sex, religion, color, national origin or mental or physical disability. The measure defeated Friday would have prohibited discrimination in employment, education and housing on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Co-Sponsor Sen. Charles Coiner, R-Twin Falls, compared the gay, lesbian and transgender community's push to be included in the law to the push to forbid discrimination based on physical or mental disability.

"Their movement is a few years behind but it's moving forward," Coiner said. "We've got work to do."

Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, the state's only openly gay lawmaker, said because there is no due process for those in the gay, lesbian and transgender community who feel they are victims of discrimination, they "endure in silence."

"By virtue of its omission (from the law) many employers and many people feel that it's OK" to discriminate, said LeFavour, another co-sponsor.

Wait, just to clarify: gay rights is equivalent to rights for people with mental illness? Please, Mary, don't start with me. I'm telling you, weird shit is happening out there in the Rocky Mountain states.

---

Stories I've not posted on because they are just, well, there:

1. Half of NJ voters support gay marriage -- NJ is one of the states on the "next" list for equal marriage.

2. Wisconsin may be getting a DP registry.

I mean, really, whoo-freaking-hoo. But, other bloggers are talking about, so I thought I might as well say something.

Internationally Queer

Three exciting steps on the international front for LGBT persons...

• Bolivia, of all places, has created protections in their new constitution for GLBT individuals -- specifying both gender identity and sexual orientation. Bolivia, mind you, is one of the more "Westernized" South American countries, as it was colonized by England. English colonies tend to have done better in the long run in terms of development (think Australia, US, South Africa) over other colonial powers including France (Sierra Leone, Vietnam), Italy (Ethiopia), and Spain (the rest of South America). Former English colonies, it appears, also appear to be more LGBT friendly (with the notable exception being India). 
• In that same article, Hungary moves forward towards some level of marriage equality. I need to do more research on it, though, seeing as how the Hungarian Constitution actually deals specifically with marriage.
• While Bolivia is entering the 21st century, protecting LGBT individuals, our own country (which does not) finally joined on with the rest of the developed world and now supports a UN declaration calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality. It would be, officially, the first thing that Barack Obama has done for our community since he entered office. Not a bad first step. :-)

Queer citizens of the world, we.