Gay Rights Activist Calls for March on Washington

SALT LAKE CITY — An activist who worked alongside slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk announced plans Sunday for a march on Washington this fall to demand that Congress establish equality and marriage rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Cleve Jones said the march planned for Oct. 11 will coincide with National Coming Out Day and launch a new chapter in the gay rights movement. He made the announcement during a rally at the annual Utah Pride Festival.
“We seek nothing more and nothing less than equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states,” Jones said.
He stirred up a crowd of thousands just blocks from the Salt Lake City headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, part of a conservative coalition that worked last fall to pass California’s Proposition 8, which overturned a court ruling legalizing gay marriage.
“I’ve got a message for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Jones shouted. “I’ve got two words from California … I’ve got two words for the prophet … Thank you. Thank you for uniting us. Thank you for galvanizing us.” See Gay Rights Activist Calls for March on Washington

* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

Published by

Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/gay-rights-ac…

Global video mashup for International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia 2009 hits the Internet

359 people from 48 countries take part in massive global web video project to mark the IDAHO 2009

A global project to create a public awareness video for the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO) on May 17 has attracted the participation of 359 people from 48 countries across six continents around the world. The groundbreaking project is a joint undertaking of the Paris-based IDAHO Committee and the social network Gays.com, attracting 50,000 people to its website within a month.

Said Louis-Georges Tin, founder of the IDAHO committee, “We are overwhelmed and, at the same time, humbled by this torrent of enthusiastic support that has poured in from all four corners of the world since we kickstarted the video project in April. People have made the effort to go to such places as the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Merlion, the Petronas Twin Towers and the Eiffel Tower to shoot their video, contributing to the spectacular visual feast you see in the mashup.”

In April, members of the global LGBT community were invited to step out in front of the camera and in their own language introduce themselves, state where they are from and how proud they are to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The result is a video that sends the powerful message that LGBT individuals are present in every country, every society and every corner of the world. Participants submitted videos in all of the world’s key languages, including Afrikaans, Arabic, Cantonese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tamil and even American Sign Language.

In addition to the groundswell of support from local communities from around the globe, renowned celebrities, activists, politicians and web personalities have also participated in the project. These include (in alphabetical order):

Ali Hili: Gay Iraqi activist now living in exile in London and founder of the Iraqi-LGBT group
ANT: Host of VH1 reality series Celebrity Fit Club and U.S. of ANT on MTV’s LOGO channel
Lizzy the Lezzy: Animated lesbian standup comedy character with a cult following on Youtube
Michael Buckley: Celebrity host of the entertainment show What the Buck, the 5th most subscribed comedy channel of all time on Youtube
Michael Kauch: German member of parliament and coordinator of the gay and lesbian policy for the Free Democratic Party
Stephen Williams: British Liberal Democrat member of parliament for Bristol West

Said Kenneth Tan, spokesperson for Gays.com, “Much has been said about Stonewall 2.0 and netroots activism since the Proposition 8 vote against gay marriage in California. This project was made possible only by the Internet, and we believe there are a limitless number of opportunities for the LGBT community to harness the power of the Internet to educate, raise awareness, promote equality, and to debunk myths. We have been honoured to partner with the IDAHO Committee in the execution of such an amazing project.”

Prior to the launch of the video, Gays.com announced that it experienced a massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack which began at approximately 3.50am Hong Kong time on May 15, 2009, causing the entire website to be inaccessible.

A distributed denial of service attack occurs when a multitude of systems attempt to flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system with illegitimate website requests. The flood of traffic by these requests cause the Internet bandwidth of the attacked site to be consumed to such an extent that the website is inaccessible to other legitimate users.

Said Kenneth Tan, Gays.com spokesperson, “The timing of this DDoS attack on Gays.com is by no means a coincidence. We have been working for weeks on this high profile video campaign together with the Committee for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The final product of this campaign, a public awareness video, was going to be launched on the campaign site at http://gays.com/idaho on Sunday. This is a well-timed, well-orchestrated assault by a large botnet with tens of thousands of PCs sending requests to our site. Engineers with our Internet Service Provider remarked they have never seen an attack of this intensity before. We deplore these unscrupulous actions by an organised group to harrass, intimidate and silence us for what we are doing.”

Added Tan, “Our technical staff are now working round the clock to restore services to legitimate users. In the meanwhile, we are going through our access logs, gathering information through various mechanisms and connecting the dots to identify the origin of the attacks. We will be working with law enforcement officials to bring the cyberterrorists to justice.”

The video “IDAHO 2009: One Voice, One Message, Heard Around the World” is now accessible at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Rp8ep_ezE

The Committee for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) is a network of activists, present in over 50 countries, who seek to promote the idea of an international day against homophobia and transphobia. This day has been recognized officially by a number of governments around the world and provides an opportunity for the LGBT movement across the world to unite in a powerful demonstration of collective visibility.

Gays.com was designed for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community as the world’s first LGBT social networking website that designed for real people with real names an real world connections. The site aims to build an authentic social environment that helps people maintain their relationships with people they actually know. Launched in May 2008, Gays.com is headquartered in Hong Kong with a development team spread between Shanghai, China and Bielefeld, Germany.

Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

Published by

Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/global-video-…

Queercents: Steps to Avoid Homelessness

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Foreclosure rates continue to rise, and more Americans are on the brink of homelessness every day. Unfortunately, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community are at a higher risk for becoming homeless. Youth are particularly vulnerable. Some estimate that between 40%-60% of homeless youth are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

Queercents (http://www.queercents.com/), a personal finance blog serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, has provided several tips for people who may be on the verge of becoming homeless. Author Alex Taylor shares advice based on personal experience to help readers avoid becoming permanently homeless.

The story is available at http://www.queercents.com/2009/04/28/my-financial-implosion-avoiding-homelessn ess/

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” says Taylor. “It’s important to recognize when you need assistance from others. Contact friends, family and social service agencies if you need help.” Most importantly, Taylor advises that “if the loss of your home is imminent, make avoiding homelessness your full time job. Look for new work, be persistent in your search for help, and do not give up. Once you fall into homelessness, it’s much more difficult to work your way back.”

About Queercents:

Established by Nina Smith in 2006, Queercents originated the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender personal finance blog concept by aggregating financial tips from the distinct writings of several money bloggers.

Queercents . . . we’re here, we’re queer, and we’re not going shopping without coupons.

Published by

Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/queercents-st…

Equality California Launches Historic Win Marriage Back: Make it Real! Campaign

Grassroots mobilization and statewide ad buy announced

Los Angeles –Equality California (EQCA) today is launching the largest grassroots mobilization campaign of its kind in state history: Win Marriage Back: Make it Real! The new campaign features TV commercials, faith outreach, on-the-ground organizers, door-to-door canvassing and online activism. Over the next 100 days, the campaign will reach more than 300,000 Californians in person and millions online and over the airwaves.
“This is exactly the kind of person-to-person, peer-to-peer outreach we need to be doing to change minds and win support for the freedom to marry for same-sex couples,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom.
EQCA is a plaintiff in the current legal challenge against Prop. 8. The Court is scheduled to issue its ruling between now and June 3rd.

“While we remain hopeful that the court could invalidate Prop. 8, we cannot wait another day to take action. We are launching the most extensive campaign of its kind to talk openly and honestly with Californians on their front porches, online and over the airwaves in order to achieve full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community members,” said EQCA Marriage Director Marc Solomon.

As part of today’s launch, EQCA released the first two in a series of television ads that feature same-sex couples and Californians hurt by the marriage ban. The first ads are scheduled to air statewide starting Monday.

Over the next hundred days, volunteer canvassers will knock on 40,000 doors in targeted communities as well as enlist 100,000 activists to serve as Equality Ambassadors, who will pledge to have conversations about marriage with at least 300,000 California residents.

To help meet the campaign’s ambitious goals, EQCA is currently hiring and placing 25 full-time field organizers throughout the state, including the Central Valley, the Inland Empire, San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Six organizers have already been hired.

“This campaign is for every person in every community in every part of our state, and it will empower our diverse community and allies to win marriage back together,” said Andrea Shorter, EQCA coalition coordinator. “We will also enlist 1,000 clergy in the next 100 days to help spread the word that marriage equality is a spiritual value as well as a civil right.”

EQCA will also organize major outreach events with faith, grassroots and community leaders as part of the campaign specifically working with African American and Latino communities.

To view the television ads, click here: www.eqca.org/realstories

Published by

Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/equality-cali…

Utah prime location for gay-rights movement

Salt Lake City » Valerie Larabee is a lesbian, out and living in Salt Lake City, where the shadow of the Mormon church can feel long and cold for people who are gay.

“My friends who don’t live here think I’m nuts,” said Larabee, a former Air Force officer and financial planner, who moved to Utah in 1997 and now runs the Gay Pride Center on Salt Lake City’s west side.

While much of the country moves in fits and starts toward greater acceptance of gay people and endorsement of equal rights, the politically active Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the often ultra-conservative Mormon-dominated Utah Legislature have found themselves squarely on the opposite side of that trend.

In the U.S., gay marriage is legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Utah has made it illegal twice: Once in statute and again when voters banned the practice in the state constitution.

Undaunted, activists say the current political and social climate in many ways make this “the best time” to be gay in Utah. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community — especially along the population-dense Wasatch Front — is growing and energized.

“I think we are the frontline of the culture war,” said Troy Williams, a former Mormon and the gay host of “Radioactive,” a talk show on public radio. “This is where the fight is and this is where the really exciting stuff is happening.”

Utah prime location for gay-rights movement

Salt Lake Tribune

Published by

Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/utah-prime-lo…

Obama’s 100-day gay report card

This Wednesday marks the 100th day since President Obama took the oath of office and, for the national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, never-before-experienced access to and inclusion in the federal government — although the LGBT community is still awaiting the appointment of an openly gay individual to the president’s cabinet.

Since taking office, Obama has appointed at least 35 openly LGBT individuals to federal posts. Nine of these employees were nominated for positions that required Senate confirmation, making Obama the first president ever to choose LGBT individuals for such positions within the first 100 days of the presidency.

Among the top LGBT appointments are John Berry as director of the Office of Personnel Management; Fred Hochberg as chair of the Export-Import Bank; Kathy Martinez as assistant secretary for the Office of Disability Employment Policy; Marisa Demeo as associate judge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; Nancy Sutley as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Mercedes Marquez as the assistant secretary for community planning and development and Raphael Bostic as assistant secretary for policy development and research, both at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. See Obama’s 100-day gay report card

Philadelphia Gay News * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

Published by

Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/05/obamas-100-da…

Pizarro: Activist Cleve Jones to make an appearance in San Jose – San Jose Mercury News

Pizarro: Activist Cleve Jones to make an appearance in San Jose
San Jose Mercury News, USA
Well, the real Cleve Jones will be in San Jose Thursday night to discuss his lifetime of social activism, especially for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and victims of HIV/AIDS. His 8 pm talk will be at the Billy DeFrank LGBT …

Logan Crane | If You Seek Amy Tufts Daily

As a heterosexual, I often take for granted the accessibility of hookups and matchmaking. I have a high regard for constituents of the queer community who live as minorities in our college hookup atmosphere. The Tufts social scene is a montage of frat parties and bars that encompass heterosexual norms. As I commonly joke with a gay friend that we should “man hunt” on Saturday nights, I have come to realize just how complicated that process can be. A queer in search of a relationship or sexual advice is often left with minimal resources.

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Center is a great way to meet other queers. Their support groups make for a comfortable environment while providing a network outlet. The on-campus social scene lacks variety, as the options are Rainbow House or a queer-friendly house party. Those fortunate to own an ID are able to escape to a larger queer community within the Boston area. For gay men, Club Café is an extremely popular video bar. Paradise is for those interested in no more than a g-string and Velcro-seamed pants. For the lesbian ladies, Modern and Tribe are highly recommended to meet sexy singles. Midway Café is an excellent place for the transgender community. A themed night such as Queeraoke is bound to bring out your inner Sasha Fierce. An excellent suggestion from a fabulous queer friend is Guerrilla Queer Bar, which provides an alternative nightlife for the LGBT community. Finding a mate at Tufts comes with limited opportunities, but using social resources both at Tufts and in Boston can make the experience a little easier.

The resources available for sex and dating are more often than not geared to a heterosexual audience. It is rare to come across free dental dams, but there is always an abundant supply of cheap and uncomfortable condoms available. Finding resources about the intricacies of queer sex can be difficult. Although queer-themed TV has plenty of content flaws, shows like The L Word and Queer as Folk demonstrate ways to approach a sexual encounter. For someone new at queer sex, these shows might be helpful for getting started.

For those lesbians looking to explore sexual fantasies, Crashpadseries.com and Cyber-dyke.net are distributors of strictly lesbian porn, none of that bi-curious teasing that is labeled “lesbian” porn on other sites. All actresses involved are strictly interested in one thing — vagina.

Some feel uncomfortable diving into graphic cinema, so I suggest watching Annie Sprinkle’s Herstory of Porn. This documentary features the best and worst moments of queer porn. Because porn is not a sufficient instructor of sexual acts, the book Lesbian Kama Sutra is helpful and strictly for queer women. It provides more than your average scissor, so I encourage you to purchase this book for an increase in tongue teasers.

Gay porn is much easier to come by. Insertion of the words “gay sex” or “anal” will result in millions of Google pages on gay porn. But if you are looking for the specifics on sexually pleasing your partner, Gay-sex-positions.com provides written and visual description pertaining to the intricacies of anal and oral positions. Also, the LBGT Center on campus provides an excellent library of sex books and queer literature.

As the queer community on campus is incredibly small, these are some useful outlets to further your queer constituents and culture. As for sexual pleasure, one must never rely on the poor educational advice from health professionals and sex education teachers. Queer blogs, porn and Web sites are all useful means for sex tips. It’s important to recognize the avenues accessible to escape a social and sexual environment dominated by heterosexuals. The expansion of a social network and sexual lexis can be of great benefit.

–

Logan Crane is a junior majoring in political science. She can be reached at Logan.Crane@tufts.edu.