Gay Rights

Finding equality in all things

Dallas Gay Couple REARRESTED

Crime (?) Scene Revisited

As you may remember from gayagenda.com’s post (http://gayagenda.com/”Marriage applicants face charges,” July 16, 2012), Dallas gay couple Beau Chandler and Mark “Major” Jiminez were arrested on July 5th for “criminal trespassing” after applying for a marriage license in Texas, a state that doesn’t permit same-sex marriage.

After being denied the marriage license, they, handcuffed to each other, staged a sit-in and were charged with Criminal Trespass. They appeared in court at the Frank Crowley Courthouse August 2, as expected, after meeting with supporters. Initially, they could have faced a $2000 fine and an 180-day jail sentence for Civil Disobedience. (Now the stakes are higher. According to Beau Chandler’s comments following the story, Jiminez could be taken away for 5 years for being arrested twice within 30 days for the same “crime.”)

According to WFAA TV, the head-strong couple returned to the Crowley Building to apply for a marriage license and were denied, again. They staged another Sit-In.

Sit-In, Yet Again

Police arrested Jiminez again for trespassing, according to WFAA reporters, and he told them: “How is our marriage going to affect your life? When you’re sitting down to the dinner table, how is the fact that we’re married going to affect your life, at all? It’s not! So why are you worried about it?”

Beau Chandler’s Poignant Comments: Crime Against Humanity

Hello guys and girls and anyone identifying as between. Thanks for the outpouring of support. Someone said we’re heroes and brave. Well, I can tell you we’re not really heroes. We are men who want our rights, and we aren’t going to take “no” for an answer – nor any more of their crap in order to get our rights. Brave? I don’t know. I’m terrified now because my partner could be taken away from me for 5 years for getting arrested twice within 30 days for the same “crime.” They cannot be held accountable for their crimes against humanity, but we can be held accountable for refusing to leave without our constitutionality promised rights-which violates ANOTHER right – to peacefully assemble! Apparently, yes. In the current republic of Texas (I’d call it a state, but that would imply that it abides by, and upholds the rights of the people as promised by the constitution) we can go to prison for demanding the equality to which we are entitled. I can also tell you – they are VERY likely to do exactly that to him. The love of my life will very likely be taken from my arms and imprisoned for at least a time to punish him for wanting to marry me. This is not something that should be allowed. We have written letters to eyes that will not see, and made phone calls to ears that will not hear. Our options are running short.

 

Historic Promotion 1st Gay General

Tammy Smith, America’s First Openly Gay General  

Former Army Colonel Tammy Smith, on August 10, 2012, was promoted to Brigadier General. This is a milestone appointment as this promotion makes her the first general officer to come out while serving. Smith, 49, received her stars from her wife Tracy Hepner in a private ceremony at the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Her new assignation is as Deputy Chief in the Army Reserve Office of the Chief in Washington, D.C.

Before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Most high-ranking members of the military have waited until they were discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” or retired to come out. Sue Fulton, a 1980 West Point graduate and member of OutServe Board of Directors, concurs “for years, gay and lesbian generals and admirals were forced to hide their families in order to protect their careers.”

It was just last year before “don’t ask, don’t tell” was repealed that Smith, anonymously, told Leo Shane III, reporter from Stars and Stripes, last summer that she wasn’t planning on coming out to her colleagues. Smith, who spent much of 2011 serving in Afghanistan, was looking forward to the relief of knowing that her career wouldn’t be threatened if she was found out,” confirms Shane.

A Role Model For All Senior Enlisted Troops and Officers  – Sarvis

Army Veteran and SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis states that “Brigadier General Smith made history today – not only as an exemplary service member, but as a proud lesbian acknowledging the tremendous sacrifice her family makes in order for her to serve and advance.”

Says Fulton: “It is a great day for our military and for our nation when this courageous leader is finally able to recognize her wife, (co-founder of the Partners and Families Coalition concerned with military benefits and programs) for her support and sacrifice in the same way that all military families should be recognized for their service to our country.”

What Smith Has To Say

Smith told the newspaper that “all those facts (about her being the first lesbian Brigadier General to come out while serving) are irrelevant. I don’t think I need to be focused on that. What is relevant is upholding Army values and the responsibility this carries.”

Brigadier General Smith set a long-overdue precedent this week. Will senior enlisted and officers follow her lead and come forward with their spouses and loved ones?

 

Hershey School Leaves Bad Taste

You can’t get HIV from sitting in a classroom with a HIV + student, nor handling a basketball he touched, or sharing a glass in the cafeteria.  Even in 2012, “fear and hysteria” loom, says Ronda Goldfein, lawyer with Aids Law Project, for a 14 year- old HIV+ boy who was denied admission last year to The Milton Hershey School in Harrisburg, Pa. Founded by the chocolate magnate whose candy bar bears his name, Hershey School is the U.S. biggest and wealthiest co-ed boarding school for low income and socially disadvantaged children, K-12.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia in November. alleging that the school violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, which includes HIV. There is a pretrial conference set for September. The student currently attends a public school in Delaware County.

Rights of the Individual Vs. Public Safety

In a private letter sent July 12th to the defendant and his mother’s home, the school offered the ninth grader a place for fall 2012 as well as an apology. The student is considering the offer, but is also going ahead with the lawsuit.

School spokeswoman Connie McNamara told ABCNews.com last year that the boy’s HIV status was a “direct threat.” Our kids are no different than teenagers anywhere else,” she said last year. “Despite encouraging abstinence, we cannot be 100 percent certain our kids are not engaging in sexual activity. We had to balance his rights and interests with our obligation to provide for the health and safety of other students.”(who live in groups of 10 to 12 in on-campus housing.) President Anthony Colistra believes that the school’s decision regarding “Abraham Smith” (pseudonym) was appropriate.

Since When Does HIV + Hinder School Acceptance

Abraham Smith never thought that his HIV status would hinder his school acceptance. “I thought I would get into the school because of the type of student and person I am,” he told ABC News.

“As a result of the school’s decision, my life has turned into fear, anger, confusion and tears.”

New Policies at School

Heeding legal advice, Colistra said that Hershey School will no longer refuse admission to otherwise qualified students who have HIV.

The school is issuing a new equal-opportunity policy stating that the school treats applicants with HIV no differently than any other applicants. It also is developing a mandatory training for staff and students on HIV issues.

School’s Past Sexual Issues

Perhaps, the school is ultra-sensitive about further criticism because of its former sex scandals. Last October, the school’s former House Parent, was sentenced for having child pornography. In 2010, five former students claimed they were sexually abused by a serial molester who gained access to the campus.

One wonders how many boarding schools have built-in policies that exclude HIV positive students? If the Justice Department and lawsuit hadn’t slapped the school’s hands, would misinformation about HIV trumped the emotional state of its students?

 

 

 

 

Grand Rapids Gay Day Abuse

It is apparently completely legal to threaten to rape women in Grand Rapids, Michigan! The local police have confirmed they would not be charging a group of Bible-preaching protesters who threatened to rape a woman at recent gay day event, even though the threat was captured on video and uploaded to the internet.

These protesters are allegedly from a Christian black supremacist group entitled The Black Hebrew Israelites and are seen verbally abusing the woman attending the celebrations. According to local media, the BHI group were actively rapidly spreading a movement preaching “a frightening, racist theology that says Jesus Christ is returning soon to kill or enslave white people, Jews, homosexuals, and others.”

One the video at the Gay Day event, one protestor can clearly be heard abusing the woman “Back in the day there was no free power, there was no going to the mall. There was, ‘sit your ass in this house until I bring my ass home.” he says.

Another added: “And if your ass get to going out there like you said, guess what? You get raped. And that’s what’s going to happen to you . . . do you understand?”

“the Lord said that” one of the protestors claimed, yet the woman challenged him to find the corresponding Bible verse, to which he responded with “Isaiah 13: ‘Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.’ What does ‘ravished’ mean? It means we going to rape your ass. And I’m going to have fun doing that. And you going to like that. I promise you.”

The gay day event was organised in Grand Rapids by the human rights group Tolerance, Equality and Awareness Movement (TEAM) to showcase the cities wide diversity.

Police lieutenant Mark Ostapowicz, stated: “The Gay Day celebration group was upset that [this] Bible group was able to protest, but in their protest they weren’t doing anything wrong, according to the [responding police officer’s] report.

“When the officers got there they were not threatening each other. As long as they’re not breaking any of the protest rules, there’s nothing we can do. As of right now, we just have two groups in disagreement with each other. Nothing happened that led the officers to do more.”

The shaming stand of the Grand Rapid’s police has been greeted with anger and surprise by many, including TEAM, a statement on their website read “It is our position that these actions should not be tolerated in this community, and that the perpetrators of such actions be brought to justice. Hate speech that incites violence, rape and other criminal actions is not constitutionally protected. It is our hope that the Grand Rapids Police Department will formally charge these men for these atrocious and unwelcome actions in our community.”

It would seem a forlorn hope as Grand Rapids police department have confirmed they will not do anything at this stage, they probably won’t do anything even if the verbally abused woman comes forward.

Calls For UK Gay Blood Ban Removal.

A petition calling for the UK government to remove the ban on gay blood donations attracted over 8,000 signatures before it closed at the weekend.

Mr King who set up the petition said reaching 8,000 signatures was a “fantastic achievement” adding “In the past year the campaign to end the gay blood ban has come so far, we’ve had leaflets on stalls at university freshers’ fayres across the country, there’s been coverage in national newspapers, the Liberal Democrats made opposition to the ban their official policy and today 8,082 people have called on the Government to end this ban once and for all.“

A year ago the blanket ban on gay blood was partially lifted, allowing men who have sex with men to donate, providing they hadn‘t done so for a whole year before donating. Many saw this as a blanket ban just under another name and also indicative of the homophobia and prejudice of the blood service.

“The move to a 12 month deferral was a small step forward but for sexually active gay and bisexual men it is a ban in all but name and it was a decision entirely lacking in scientific foundation.” said King.

The petition called for a blanket ban on ‘men who have sex with men’ to be replaced with individual risk-based donor screening to allow gay and bisexual men to contribute to life-saving resources.

The current screening procedures group gay and bisexual men together as if they form a uniform risk to the blood stocks. A sensible, scientific and evidence-based donor screening policy would assess the risk of an individual’s sexual behaviour, without reference to their sexual orientation, King suggested.

The hypocrisy of the current system is all to evident, a heterosexual who has unprotected sexual intercourse with prostitutes regularly can still donate blood freely, yet gay or bisexual men in a long term committed relationship are unable to unless they abstain from sexual intercourse, unprotected or otherwise cannot.

 

Gay Tourist Murdered In Tunisia

Tunisian police are investigating the brutal murder of an Italian tourist only known as Angelo, it has emerged this week. According to police reports the gay tourist was stabbed approximately ten times on 1st August some time close to 2am

The Tunisian police arrested a suspect for the murder little over an hour later, with some of the Angelo’s stolen possessions. The 20 year-old unemployed man had reportedly been out with Angela earlier that day, visiting some of Hammamet’s cafés before spending part of the night with him at his holiday apartment.

Hammamet police chief Shokri Kraiem, told a Tunisian radio station, that a dispute took place between the victim and his killer shortly before the murder, yet nobody came to his aid.

A friend of Angelo, Martine Costa, wrote a brief note on Facebook about the horrific incident “At 2am, our friend Angelo cried “help!”, his cries… echoed… and heard in… the street but no one intervened, because… a homosexual was involved. was found dead, murdered, in his hen oliday apartment in Hammamet, a coastal resort town in north east of Tunisia. The neighbor, who said she heard the cries, remained still,’ and continued eating her shorba soup” Costa alleged.

She also wrote how the next day she saw young children laughing about him being murdered because he was gay: ‘”At seven years they laugh, what will they do when they reach 20… become murderers?” she also claimed the local people talked as if Angelo deserved it because he was gay.

Costa’s note on Facebook has been shared thousands of times and pulled in hundreds of comments, some of which are blatantly homophobic or of a derogatory nature. However homophobia is rife in the north African nation where even the government minister for human rights rejected requests to include the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans persons. Local gay people say that Angelo’s murder is indicative of the difficulties and prejudiced faced by the local GLBT community on a day by day basis.

New Zealand Gay Marriage Debate

Winston Peters, the leader of New Zealand’s minority political party NZ First, says he wont support equal marriage in New Zealand! He is also forcing the eight NZ First MP’s to abstain from a crucial vote on the issue.

Winston Peters told reporters this week that NZ First are arguing instead for a referendum on the issue after announcing the party’s eight MPs will abstain from voting when the current bill on the gay marriage comes before the New Zealand parliament.

“We believe there should be enough members of parliament who have got confidence in the public of this country to trust the public to decide this issue after reasonable debate.” he said.

His stance on gay marriage shouldn’t come as a surprise, he has repeatedly refused to comment or disclose his personal views on the issue and NZ First party are a rather conservative and nationalistic, popular with many Maori voters.

Elsewhere there is far more positive news, MPs from the Green Party, the Maori Party, Mana, United Future and many in the Labour Party have already pledged their support for the bill. Earlier this week, Prime Minister John Key also announced he would support the bill, yet the rest of his National Party are split on the issue.

The leader of New Zealand Conservative party, Colin Craig angered many last week when he tweeted his homophobic leanings, saying gay relationships are not ‘normal’ and confirming his party was against marriage equality. However there are no Conservative Party Mps currently in the New Zealand parliament, reports Jason Shaw, exclusively  for Gay Agenda.

According to local media, some 54 MPs have said they will be voting in favour of the bill, 15 MPs are known to be against it, 44 MPs are yet undecided or undisclosed leaving the 8 MPs from NZ First being commanded to abstain.

Many activists and local commentators believe there has never been a better time for marriage equality to be passed, as there seems to be a new more open attitude toward sexuality and marriage. Many believe that marriage equality will not only good for New Zealand’s image overseas, but also a massive boost to the economy.

 

Amazon Founder Gives $2.5 Million

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and his wife have pledged $2.5 million to help a campaign that supports passing a same-sex marriage referendum in Washington State on the November Ballot.  Mr. Bezos, quickly becomes one of largest financial backers of marriage equality around America.

Quotes courtesy of the New York Times article:

“To get this from a straight, married couple sends a powerful message that marriage is seen as a fundamental question of fairness,” Zach Silk, the campaign manager for Washington United for Marriage, said Thursday in an interview.

Bill Gates and Steven A. Ballmer of Microsoft each gave $100,000 to the referendum campaign, according to its officials.

Same-sex marriage was legalized by Washington’s Legislature in February after a concerted push by Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat. But opponents collected enough signatures to put the legislation to the voters.

Mr. Bezos was approached via e-mail on Sunday by Jennifer Cast, one of Amazon’s earliest employees and a lesbian mother of four children who is now a fund-raising chairwoman of the pro-referendum effort.

“I want to have the right to marry the love of my life and to let my children and grandchildren know their family is honored like a ‘real’ family,” Ms. Cast wrote. “We need help from straight people. To be very frank, we need help from wealthy straight people who care about us and who want to help us win.”

In the e-mail, Ms. Cast described in detail the pain she endured as a young adult and the difficulties she faced publicly acknowledging her sexuality. At the end, she pointedly asked him to donate between $100,000 and $200,000 to the referendum cause.

“Jeff, I suspect you support marriage equality,” she wrote. “I beg you not to sit on the sidelines and hope the vote goes our way. Help us make it so.”

She hit “send” and waited.

Two days later, on Tuesday, she received a reply while in a car with her family. Recalling that moment, she said she had to read it out loud twice to make sure she had read it right.

“Jen,” the e-mail said, “this is right for so many reasons. We’re in for $2.5 million. Jeff & MacKenzie.”

 

 

Pioneering Spirit

All great movements in history fostering change or having motivated individuals to step forward from their comfort zones to take action for the betterment of society have one key component in common.  It is what drove early explorers to the shores of North America, created the desire of early settlers to forge westward and beyond, and individuals to take action generally, that many would not consider taking in order to create a better life.

The common thread in humankind’s quest for fulfillment of a better life is the pioneering spirit of the individuals leading these great movements of people.  It is this intense pioneering spirit within us that has made America what it is today and will continue to influence its future.

America has been and will continue to be blessed with pioneers that are not afraid to envision circumstances and conditions that will facilitate fulfillment of America’s inherent promise of liberty and justice for all.

Pioneers who have fought for queer equality, envisioned a society that openly accepted queer individuals, based on their inherent self worth, and not on the prejudices related to the sexual orientation with which they were born.

Since the Stonewall Rebellion in June of 1969, the beginning of the modern day queer equal rights movement, many pioneers have stepped forward to fight the fight.  It was their dedication and commitment to the cause of equality that has helped to foster better understanding of what it means to be queer.  Without their vision, the queer community would not have many of the rights and privileges we enjoy today.

We tend to forget the efforts of those before us and take for granted what has been achieved resulting from their efforts.  It is their sacrifices made on that hot summer night in New York City in June of 1969, and by others that followed, that ignited the spark of equality in the hearts of many and kept it burning brightly.  They had the courage to stand and say ENOUGH!

We need to continue to stand up for our rights, and fight harder than our predecessors did to ensure a society in which queer individuals are fully accepted for who they are and not discriminated against for what they are.  It is our obligation to those that follow that we continue to wage the battle against those that would have us return to the days before Stonewall.

Democrats, Party For Marriage Equality?

The US Democrat party look all set to finally embrace same-sex marriage as part of their party platform. Such a move would signify a large shift from the current policy but would be more in line with the beliefs and ideals of President Obama and is a major step forward in American politics.

Democratic Party officials have argued over the contentious issue for quite some time, however at a platform-drafting meeting held in Minneapolis last weekend, they approved the first step to amend their platform, placing the amendment on track for adoption. In two weeks time, the entire platform committee will put it to a vote. Then, if approved as many expect it to be, it will then go before convention delegates in Charlotte, North Carolina, for a final passage in early September.

According to insiders who were briefed on the vote in Minneapolis, there were no objections at all when the issue came up and party officials do not anticipate any major obstacles going forward.

The language used in the platform is crucial and over the last weekend it was clear, they reiterated the party’s disapproval of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing legal same-sex marriage.

The Democratic Party’s move comes more than two months after President Obama personally backed the rights of same-sex couples to get married. At the time he said his views on the issue were ‘evolving’ as he had previously not supported equal marriage laws. However he is still the only sitting President to publicly support marriage equality and whilst his vocal support carry no legal weight, they are a significant move forward to making a fairer society for all.

It seems like that the Democrats will become the first major party in American politics bring support of same-sex / equal marriage to its platform and could make it a vital key issue of the election. It is also a move welcomed by the vast majority of both gay and human rights activists and political commentators, “Like Americans from all walks of life, the Democratic Party has recognized that committed and loving gay and lesbian couples deserve the right to have their relationships respected as equal under the law,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “I believe that one day very soon the platforms of both major parties will include similar language on this issue.”

The current Democratic Party platform was drafted four years ago, when Mr. Obama was first running for president and called for “full inclusion of all families, including same-sex couples, in the life of our nation,” and for “equal responsibility, benefits and protections.” However the platform stopped short of endorsing same-sex marriages, time though, have changed and changed rather dramatically. There are movements and political will in many countries throughout the world for the legalisation of same sex marriage, including some unlikely nations such as Vietnam.

Of course, even with a changing society and a growing acceptance of same-sex marriage, the issue still remains a difficult one for some older and more traditional members of the Democrat party, especially those in staunchly republican areas of the country, who seek to keep the status quo. Fearing that a more advanced move toward inclusion will alienate the more conservative hard-core Christian voters.