Hat/tip to Joe.My.God
Showing posts with label Black and Gay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Black and Gay. Show all posts
More Coverage of MLK Kingdom May Parade
More coverage of the Black gay contingent at yesterday's MLK Day Parade from NoMoreDownLow.TV
Hat/tip to Joe.My.God
Hat/tip to Joe.My.God
Black LGBT Contingent in 26th Annual Kingdom Day Parade
MadProfessah and Wonder Man were part of a contingent of nearly 100 Black LGBT Angelenos participating in the 26th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Kingdom Day Parade in South Los Angeles for the 3rd consecutive year, primarily organized and sponsored by the Barbara Jordan/Bayard Rustin Coalition, in collaboration with Here To Stay Coalition, Los Angeles Black Pride and Black Lesbians United.
The contingent has grown every year, and this time we received media attention from the local public radio station, KPCC 89.3 FM.
Thousands of people lined Martin Luther King Boulevard in South Los Angeles to pay tribute to the fallen civil rights leader.It's the 26th annual Kingdom Day Parade – and the first parade for Long Beach resident Chante Craig. Craig walked as part of a group declaring themselves "black, gay and here to stay."She says Dr. King's words are inspiring to gay blacks seeking tolerance and love."Unfortunately, though we live in California, it's a very liberal state but we still have some very conservative views – especially in the black community with churches being such a stronghold in the community. It tends to allow homophobia to spread across the community – and so this is one of our ways to come out and bring some positive exposure to the community and show them what other things we're doing as well."L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, county and state leaders and marching bands from South L.A. high schools took part in the event. A party continues at the parade route's end in Leimert Park.
Anti-Homophobia Imagery Raise Hackles In Upstate NY
The above are examples of images challenging homophobia which are appearing on billboards in the Tri-Cities Capital district area (Schenectady-Troy-Albany) sponsored by the advocacy group In Our Own Voices.
The Times Union covers the resulting controversy:
City Councilman Joseph Allen said Friday that he came in for both scorn and support after publicly expressing his displeasure this week that the billboards send the wrong message to impressionable youngsters, particularly those being raised by single mothers who may not have positive male role models.He's a City Councilman and doesn't know that the first amendment applies to speech he doesn't agree with? Homophobic idiot. I find it fascinating he denies he is homophobic and then is quoted in the newspaper using the words "gay lifestyle" which is a clear indication of homophobia and ignorance. Too bad the reporter didn't ask Councilman Allen what the "gay lifestyle" is and whether he think there is a "jewish lifestyle" or "Black lifestyle."
"This kind of billboard is putting the stamp of approval on a gay lifestyle," said Allen, who is black and insists he is not homophobic.
He said he has talked with the city lawyer about taking down the billboards in Schenectady but was told the advertisements are protected under First Amendment rights.
Tandra R. LaGrone, executive director of Albany-based In our Own Voices, said the group is sponsoring the awareness campaign because it is consistent with the mission of promoting the health and welfare of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people of color.
"I thought it would be useful and pertinent to have the campaign in the Capital Region because of the numbers for HIV and AIDS among gay black males have has risen significantly," she said. "You have to start from a place of respect in order to address the stigma and homophobia of being a black gay man."
There are a total of 18 billboards in Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer and Montgomery counties along with ads on buses and bus shelters, said Peter Constantakes, spokesman with the state Department of Health which gave $50,300 to the campaign.
[...].
LeGrone called Allen's remarks especially "frightening" considering he is an elected official and black. "He is looking at his constituency as strictly being heterosexual individuals," she said, adding that the message is that gay black men make up every segment of society and are here to stay.
Congrats to IOV for the successful campaign. This is very important work.
Maryland Likely To Legalize Marriage Equality
Maryland is starting to garner mainstream attention as the next state which marriage equality advocates are predicting will be the one to enact a law ending discrimination.
Maryland is poised to become the sixth state to recognize same-sex marriage as proponents say they believe they have enough support to pass such a measure in the upcoming legislative session.
The expansion of gay rights appears to have gained significant traction as Maryland's General Assembly begins its 90-day session Wednesday. Not only are Democrats optimistic about their chances of approving same-sex marriage, but a leading Republican, sensing momentum on the issue, has instead countered with a proposal to grant civil unions to gay couples.
Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley has publicly stated that he would sign a marriage bill into law. Maryland then would join Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C., in sanctioning same-sex marriages.Interestingly, the top Republican in the State Senate has now proffered a civil unions bill which would provide all the state-sanctioned rights and responsibilities of marriage except for the word marriage and call that relationship a civil union, in response to the momentum for full marriage equality.
"Civil unions would grant the same rights as marriage, but just shift the role of something that is viewed as a religious institution to something more secular," [State Senator Allan] Kittleman said. "I just really believe, it is more the libertarian in me, that government needs to be out of something that is religious. The disagreement we have in society on gay marriage is from the religious aspects of it."
Calling same-sex relationships anything other than marriage is a nonstarter for gay rights advocates.
[...]
Six states -- California, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington -- currently grant same-sex couples all the same rights as marriages, short of the designation. Four other states -- Colorado, Hawaii, Maine and Wisconsin -- offer lesser levels of protections for gay couples.
[...]
Even if same-sex marriage eventually becomes law in Maryland, opponents could collect 55,000 signatures and force a referendum on the subject in 2012.
Equality Maryland and its allies are expecting such a referendum to be held and said they are hopeful that it will be the first time that a same-sex marriage law is approved in a statewide popular vote.Proposition 8 Take 2 in 2012, perhaps in a state where up to 30% of the population is African-American. Should be interesting. Maryland also has the largest number of openly gay or lesbian elected officials, at least two of whom are also Black.
2011 Fusion LGBT People of Color Film Festival March 3-4
I'm not sure I'll be in town this year, currently I'm planning a trip to South Africa for March 2011 but my dates are relatively flexible.
Black, Gay and Polish!
Kristian Legierski is the first openly
gay and Black elected official in Poland
gay and Black elected official in Poland
This is a great story. Poland has recently elected its first openly gay official, when Krystian Legierski (pictured above) won a Warsaw City Council seat on November 21st. Legierski, a 32-year-old lawyer is biracial (his father is from Mauritania and his mom is Polish) and the first Black elected official in the Eastern European country as well.
Rod 2.0 reports:
Legierski discussed the intersections of race and sexuality in his election: "In Poland there are so few blacks that nobody has ever done research on how many there are. It would not pay to do it. But without a black-emancipation movement, and without a strong organization of sexual minorities, after just 20 years of democracy, we have achieved what elsewhere sometimes took generations. Poland showed its tolerant and nondiscriminatory face."Poland becomes the most recent Eastern European nation to elect a Black to public office. On October 25, a Ghanaian-born doctor won local elections in Slovenia's coastal town of Piran, becoming Slovenia's first black mayor. Russia elected its first Black elected official in July, a city councilman north of Moscow.
Kenya PM Declares Gays "Should Be Arrested"
Kenya PM Raila Odinga
The Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Odinga has attacked the LGBT community in his African country, declaring that they "should [all] be arrested."
"Any man found engaging in sexual activities with another man should be arrested," Odinga said at a rally on Sunday, in the Nairobi slum of Kibera.
Odinga is just joining a chorus of African politicians who are continually displaying their ignorance of homosexuality (There's no "need" for homosexuality--really? And "even" lesbians will be arrested) and blatant misogyny."Even women found engaging in sexual activities will be arrested."Speaking to his home constituency, Odinga, also a member of parliament, argued that since August census results showed the national population was perfectly split between men and women, there was "no need" for homosexuality."This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated in this country. Men or women found engaging in those acts deserve to be arrested and will be arrested," Odinga said to cheers and laughter in the crowd.
Unfortunately, the words of politicians can have real impacts on the lives of their citizens, especially if their underlings take these words to signal policy changes. Rod 2.0 reports that Kenyan gays and lesbians are terrified.
Openly Gay Black Man Elected To NC House of Representatives
Marcus Brandon has been elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives. He will represent the cities of Greensboro and High Point in the state legislature.Brandon will be the only openly LGBT state legislator in North Carolina, and one of just five openly LGBT African-Americans serving in state legislatures across the country (including Maryland House of Delegates candidate Mary Washington, who will also win tonight).
Openly lesbian N.C. State Sen. Julia Boseman is stepping down at the end of this term.
Mississippi Black Corrections Officer Fired For Being Gay
André Cooley, a corrections officer in Forrest County, Mississippi, was fired recently after his employer discovered he was gay.
The Clarion-Ledger reports on a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of Cooley against the Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Billy McGee and other jail employees.
The incidents pertinent to the lawsuit began with a 911 call placed by Cooley on June 14, requesting help in a domestic disturbance.A Hattiesburg Police Department report lists Cooley as the victim and describes his male companion as the assailant. The complaint states Bolton also responded to the call and ordered Cooley to report to his immediate supervisor before returning to work after learning of the two men's relationship.McGee on Monday said he stood by the decision to fire Cooley."He got in a fight with his boyfriend, and the police were called to his house for a domestic disturbance," McGee said. "Those kinds of incidents don't speak well for people in law enforcement."
[...]
Here is a video of an interview with Coooley discussing the lawsuit.According to the complaint, Cooley obtained a copy of the police report on June 15, saw he was listed as a victim acting in self-defense and began trying to reach Bolton. He instead reached Brannon, and Brannon told him he was to be terminated because of the "type of situation" in which he was involved.The complaint also states Brannon told Cooley he was fired because of his sexual orientation, and that Brannon later told Cooley's former co-workers that he was fired because he "turned out to be a faggot," according to the lawsuit, which represents one side of a legal dispute.The Sheriff's Department also contested Cooley's application for unemployment benefits. A decision from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security dated July 21 says Cooley "displayed inappropriate conduct and behavior while off-duty, unacceptable for any officer."[...]."What makes things particularly difficult in Mississippi is that there's no federal or state law forbidding discrimination (on grounds of sexual orientation)," [Cooley's lawyer] Atwood said.
Black Gay Visibility Campaign In NYC: "I Love My Boo"
These are examples of posters going up around New York City as part of Gay Men's Health Crisis' ongoing I Love My Boo campaign, which it announced on Monday it was greatly expanding.
According to The Advocate, the posters will appear in over 1000 subway cars and 150 subway stations for the month of October.
GMHC has started a Facebook page for the campaign.
Hat/tip to LOL Darian
CDC Says 1 in 5 MSM Have HIV (And Half Don't Know It)
The study provided additional insight into the populations of MSM most in need of HIV testing and prevention:
Among racial/ethnic groups, black MSM with HIV were least likely to be aware of their infection (59 percent unaware, vs. 46 percent for Hispanic MSM and 26 percent for white MSM).
While young MSM (under age 30) had lower HIV prevalence than older men, they were far more likely to be unaware of their HIV infection. Among MSM aged 18-29 who had HIV, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) were unaware, versus 37 percent for men age 30 and older.
Among young MSM, young MSM of color were less likely than whites to know they were HIV-infected. Among HIV-infected black MSM under age 30, 71 percent were unaware of their infection; among HIV-infected Hispanic MSM under age 30, 63 percent were unaware. This compares to 40 percent of HIV-infected white MSM under age 30.
CDC officials note that low awareness of HIV status among young MSM likely reflects several factors: they may have been infected more recently, may underestimate their personal risk, may have had fewer opportunities to get tested, or may believe that advances in HIV treatment minimize the threat of HIV. For young MSM of color, discrimination and socioeconomic factors – such as poverty, homophobia, stigma, and limited health-care access – may be especially acute and pose particular challenges.This is not the first time that CDC has issued an alarm about the rate of HIV infection in MSM, especially MSM of color.
Today, on the White House blog, Brian Bond, President Obama's Liaison to the LGBT community, wrote an article about "Focussing HIV Prevention Efforts on Gay and Bisexual Men" where he discusses HIV and his own HIV-status in the context of National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness day, which is today, September 27.
Today is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. For me, every day is an “awareness day” about HIV/AIDS. I feel it is important for me to talk about it, because I am increasingly concerned that many in the LGBT community don’t. I am worried about the kids out there and the generation that hasn’t seen the devastating impact of this epidemic the way my generation has. Now more than ever we need to be talking about HIV/AIDS. Just a few days ago The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published new heartbreaking data showing that one in five gay and bisexual men in 21 major US cities are living with HIV. I am one of those men. I have been living with HIV since 2001. (Emphasis added)
[...]
Gay and bisexual men make up roughly 2% of the US population, but we account for 53% of new HIV infections. We are the only group where HIV infection rates are rising.
These statistics are shocking and they demand a stronger, more focused national response that includes Federal leadership, combined with new levels of commitment and focus at the State and local levels. These data also demands a reinvigorated commitment to ending HIV/AIDS from the LGBT community. We all have a responsibility to reverse that trend.
I encourage all of you to read the Strategy and Federal Implementation Plan. In addition to describing the challenges, it presents a roadmap for responding that includes increased attention on high risk communities including gay and bisexual men, along with Transgender Americans, Black Americans, Latino Americans and substance users. The Strategy also calls for new efforts to reduce infections, and calls for us to take new steps to end stigma and discrimination. In the President’s budget proposal for next year (that begins on October 1st), he also proposed a new initiative at CDC to take a more holistic approach to preventing HIV in the LGBT community with promoting sexual health and preventing sexually transmitted infections.
Eddie Long Says He Will Fight Charges
Eddie Long, the Atlanta-area Black minister who is the target of four lawsuits claiming "coercive sexual activities" between Long and four teenaged Black men, has announced that he will fight the charges. The story is on the front page of today's New York Times.
Writer and Black gay AIDS activist Craig Washington has penned a brilliant "A Sermon for Bishop Eddie Long" which ends with this crescendo:
Whether or not Long actually committed the acts of which he was recently accused, this much is true: He is assuredly guilty of engendering fear and hatred of LGBT people among thousands. He has convinced countless numbers of gays that they are sinners whose salvation rests on becoming "reconditioned" into heterosexuality. Such toxic teachings reinforce the stigma that compromises HIV-prevention efforts as well as our mental and physical health.
One who cannot face aspects of himself that he despises will train that animus on another whom he regards as his opposite. Did he sell out countless individuals in order to throw congregants off the scent of his own hunt, the exploitation of young men? Was there a point when, at first, a few and then many knew what was happening and said nothing? How long will we enable the abuse perpetrated in word and deed by our pastors? When will we dare to speak the ugly, inconvenient truth even when we are afraid?
This story of this sullied bishop serves overdue notice to Christians across the nation who have bought and sold snake oil presented as holy water. It is a foreclosure warning to every black male pastor who deems the church his castle, and the women, gays and young who build it as no more than chattel to serve his appetites. It is a subpoena, a calling to account for all black men who endorse patriarchy as the most legitimate form of power in our communities. It is a stained diary page brought to light. It is truth. Amen.
Pow!
UPDATED 10:55AM PDT 09/26/2010:
Via Rod 2.0 comes this brief statement from Eddie Long to the press:
"On the advice of counsel, I am not going to address the allegations and attacks against me, again as I stated earlier, I want this to be dealt with in a court of justice and not in the court of public opinion."
Celebrity Friday: Bishop Eddie Long
The stories about Bishop Eddie Long have become too prominent to not comment on at this blog. He is the well-known African-American pastor and head of an Atlanta-area mega-church who was accused this week by three young men of forcing them to have sex with him after going on long vacation trips with them.
The video above is from a press conference announcing the filing of lawsuits by two of the accusers.
According to CBS News:
In lawsuits filed this week, three men who were members of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church claimed Long coerced them into sexual relations with gifts including cars, cash and travel when they were 17 or 18 years old. The sprawling church in Lithonia, Ga., about 18 miles outside of Atlanta, counts politicians, celebrities and the county sheriff among its members and hosted four U.S. presidents during the 2006 funeral of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King.
One of the claims in the lawsuits is that Long had sexual contact with the young men, who were enrolled in New Birth's ministry for teen boys, during trips he took them on in the U.S. and abroad. Gillen said the travel was part of a mentoring program that other young men also participated in.
Recently, pictures of Eddie Long taken by his phone which he sent to the men have surfaced, showing him wearing athletic wear or spandex. See below:
I think the pictures speak for themselves. Be prepared to become even more of a celebrity than you were before, "Bishop" Eddie Long!
Hat/tip to Wonder Man.
NBJC's Out on the Hill Conference
The event will bring thought leaders, faith leaders, legislative officials, philanthropists and activists from the Black LGBT community from around the country to DC for a number of seminars, trainings, receptions and workshops, including two which will be occurring at The White House itself. Sadly, since I have a day job teaching Math and Cultural Studies at Occidental College, I can not attend but here are some people who will be there:
Confirmed elected officials include Georgia State Representative Simone Bell and Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh. Both are outstanding examples of Black LGBT leadership and activism. Also in attendance will be veteran activists like Mandy Carter, founder of NBJC and Southerners on New Ground (SONG); Donna Payne, Diversity Program Associate Director for HRC; Courtney Snowden, Senior Associate for the Raben Group; and Aisha Moodie-Mills, President of Campaign for All DC Families.Early registration for the conference ends tomorrow, and if you want to attend the events at the White House they need specific information from you at the NBJC office by 5pm EDT Friday. For more information, call 202-319-155.
MadProfessah.com will try to have coverage of what happens at the conference next week.
Celebrity Friday: Mitrice Richardson
The sad, mysterious story of Mitrice Richardson has come to an end with the revelation that skeletal remains found in a Malibu Canyon belong to the 25-year-old Black lesbian student and beauty queen who disappeared 11 months ago.Richardson was arrested at Geoffrey's restaurant in Malibu after acting bizarrely and saying she was unable to pay her $89 dinner tab. She was released from custody shortly after midnight without her car — which had been impounded — or a cellphone or purse. Investigators believe she was spotted three times in the canyon area in daylight hours that morning. After that, she was never heard from again.
The remains — which include a skull — were found about two and a half miles from the last credible sighting of her on Sept. 17. The discovery casts an ominous shadow over the case of the missing woman.
[...]
The release of the Cal State Fullerton graduate into an area near a rugged canyon that she was not familiar with prompted widespread criticism of the Sheriff's Department. Her mother and father filed lawsuits accusing the Sheriff's Department of negligence in releasing her without transportation or conducting a mental health exam.
Geoffrey's staff told sheriff's personnel that Richardson was acting crazily at the restaurant. And police investigators said later that an examination of her diaries and text messages revealed she was probably suffering from a severe bipolar disorder and may not have slept for five days before her arrest.
08/08/08 2 Years Later: We're STILL Married
August 8, 2010 12noon: celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary with a brunch at an East Hollywood restaurant called Square One Dining.
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