The Bilerico Project

Bryan Fischer Freaks Out About BSA Policy Change

John M. Becker — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:30:00 -0500

"BSA now stands for Boy Sodomizers of America, because that's what will happen. Mark my words."

Bryan Fischer, Director of Issues Analysis for the American Family Association -- a SPLC-certified anti-gay hate group -- reacting on Twitter to the Boy Scouts of America's decision yesterday to no longer exclude gay Scouts.

Anti-Gay Activist Commits Suicide in Notre Dame Cathedral: Updates, Analysis

John M. Becker — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:30:00 -0500

The iconic cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was evacuated on Tuesday after Dominique Venner, a 78-year-old far-right Catholic activist, shot himself in the mouth in front of the altar as a protest against France's new marriage equality law. Hundreds of tourists in the packed cathedral witnessed the grisly event.

Mr. Venner was a well-known essayist and a former member of a paramilitary group known as the Secret Army Organization (OAS), which waged a bombing and assassination campaign in the early 1960s to protest France giving Algeria its independence. He was also close to the anti-marriage equality movement and an outspoken critic of same-sex marriage, which French President Fran�ois Hollande signed into law on Saturday.

Hours before his suicide, Venner published a homophobic, Islamophobic post on his blog denouncing the new law as "detestable" and condemning Islamic immigration from north Africa. (Venner did see a silver lining to an Islamist takeover of France, however: a hypothetical Islamist government would repeal marriage equality.) He also made reference to a planned May 26 protest against the law, writing:

It is not nice enough to organize street protests to prevent [marriage equality]... It certainly will require new, spectacular, and symbolic actions to wake up the sleep walkers, shake the anaesthetized consciousness, and awaken the memory of our origins. We are entering a time when words must be authenticated by acts.

And Venner made what seemed to be an ominous allusion to the symbolic action he planned to take later that day:

It is here and now that our destiny is played until the final second. And this final second has as much importance as the rest of a life. That is why we need to be ourselves until the very last instant.

I spoke with progressive talk-show phenom David Pakman yesterday about Venner's suicide. (Side note: if you're not yet familiar with Pakman's nationally syndicated political talk radio and TV program, The David Pakman Show, you'll want to be.) In the interview, Pakman wonders whether self-loathing homophobia may have fueled Venner's extreme anti-gay hatred.

Watch, after the jump.

Continue reading "Anti-Gay Activist Commits Suicide in Notre Dame Cathedral: Updates, Analysis"...

The Bilerico Editorial Team Welcomes John Becker

Bil Browning — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:00 -0500

I wanted to give everyone a heads up that we have a shift in the management team at Bilerico effective today.

John Becker has joined us as our new Managing Editor. James Holmes had to step down after he got a big promotion at his full-time job that eats up all of his time. (Congratulations to Jim!) Winter Tashlin and Sarah Blazucki will continue as Associate Editors and I'm still here as the Editor-In-Chief.

Most of you know and love John already. You might remember him for exposing Marcus Bachmann's ex-gay therapy practices, his prolific Facebook presence, or his free-lance writing. He's been a regular contributor since 2010.

You can reach him at johnbecker@bilerico.com. Please join me in welcoming him to the leadership team.

Sequestering the Next Disaster

Terrance Heath — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:00 -0500

President Obama has promised Oklahoma “everything that it needs right away” to begin the process of recovering and rebuilding, after the massive tornado touched down in the state on Monday, devastating the cities of Monroe and Newcastle. Already hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Association employees are the ground in Oklahoma, and millions of dollars in federal disaster relief will almost certainly follow. Oklahoma will recover.

But the debate in Washington is a reminder that we’re all threatened by a masssive, man-made disaster called sequestration, that could make the next natural disaster even worse.

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Robbie Rogers May Return to Pro Soccer

John M. Becker — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

Remember Robbie Rogers, the courageous (and gorgeous!) 25-year-old U.S. national soccer star who came out and retired from the sport earlier this year?

Well, it turns out that Rogers was so heartened by the overwhelming support he received from fellow players, fans, and the American public that he's apparently reconsidered his decision to retire. If he returns to active play, Rogers will be the first openly gay male athlete currently playing in Major League Soccer.

Gay Star News reports that Rogers has been practicing with the Los Angeles Galaxy in recent weeks. At the 2013 Voice Awards last Sunday, he greeted the crowd, thanked them for their support, and credited them for inspiring him to return to professional soccer.

Speaking to reporter Greg Hernandez, Rogers said that there are still some logistical hurdles to be sorted out with his former team, but he's optimistic:

It's just kind of being worked out. Chicago owns my rights and until they trade me to LA, I guess I'm owned by Chicago. It feels amazing to be back in California and obviously back on the soccer field. Just working away...

I'm excited to get back to [playing] and I hope it kind of creates a path for other footballers, for other soccer players to do the same.

Rogers chose not to return to the Chicago Fire because he wants to live closer to his family in Huntington Beach, California.

Here's hoping that everything gets sorted out so this LGBT trailblazer is able to get back on the field. Welcome back, Robbie Rogers!

Media Coverage of Murder: Remembering Sakia Gunn

Rev Irene Monroe — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:30:00 -0500

This May 11th sadly marked the tenth anniversary of the murder of Sakia Gunn of Newark, N.J. And her murder is mired, at best, by myths and, at worst, malicious intent.

Depending, however, on the LGBTQ circles you run in and where you get your news, you may or may not know who she was. For many, Gunn was and still is a small blip on the gay and national news radar screen.

While a nation cried out in horror in 1998 over the brutal killing of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old white gay male student at the University of Wyoming, and the murder of Teena Brandon, a 21-year-old white Nebraskan transgender man (the inspiration for the 1999 movie "Boys Don't Cry") untold numbers of hate crimes against LGBTQ people of color not only went unreported in mainstream papers, but they rarely saw the light of day in queer ones as well.

Gay and national media have also paid attention to homophobic bullying. The bullying that led to the suicide of LGBTQ youth was on its way to becoming a national epidemic. For example, in the month of September 2010, nine teen suicides were tied to sexual orientation or gender expression, highlighting the disproportionate bullying of our LGBTQ kids and those perceived to be LGBTQ.

One of the suicides that September was that of 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi. Clementi jumped to his death from the George Washington Bridge after finding out that his college roommate and another classmate had secretly used a webcam to broadcast his sexual encounters with another male, highlighting the dangers of "cyberbullying"-- teasing, harassing, or intimidating with pictures or words distributed online or via text message. The story of Clementi's suicide, and the many others that happened that month, went viral and saturated the media.

However, when the suicide of Joseph Jefferson, a 26-year-old African-American activist for LGBT youth, went largely unnoticed.

"I could not bear the burden of living as a gay man of color in a world grown cold and hateful towards those of us who live and love differently than the so-called 'social mainstream,'" Jefferson posted on his Facebook page the day he killed himself.

Issues of race, gender identity, and sexual orientation trigger a particular type of news broadcasting on major network channels. With many of these network channels' objective to provide viewers with "infotainment" rather than fair and balanced reporting, discerning television viewers--straight and gay--are most often incensed and insulted by the news than informed by it.

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Slutty Clothes Season

Bil Browning — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:07:51 -0500

With the Memorial Day weekend approaching, we can all look forward to the beginning of slutty clothes season!

Michele Bachmann: God Will Repeal Obamacare

John M. Becker — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:00:00 -0500

"...I think before [President Obama's] second term is over, we're going to see a miracle before our eyes, I believe God is going to answer our prayers and we'll be freed from the yoke of Obamacare. I believe that's going to happen and we saw step one last week with the repeal of Obamacare in the House. We have two more steps. We serve a mighty God and I believe it can happen."

-- Michele Bachmann, in a radio interview with Focus on the Family founder and outspoken homophobe James Dobson on Tuesday.

Harvey Milk Day - Never Forget

John M. Becker — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 -0500

Today, May 22, 2013, would have been the 83rd birthday of Harvey Milk, an icon and martyr of the movement for LGBT equality (and one of my personal heroes) who was assassinated in 1978. The day is commemorated by supporters of LGBT rights around the world (and officially in the State of California) as Harvey Milk Day.

So, on this Harvey Milk Day, take a moment to reflect on how far we've come in the fight for equal rights in the nearly 35 years since Milk's murder. While there's still a staggering amount of work to be done, I wonder if even a visionary like Harvey Milk could have imagined the dizzying pace of our progress towards equality. Today and every day, we must be thankful for the generations of courageous LGBTs and allies who came before us and braved a world more hostile than most of us can comprehend in order to help build the one we now inhabit. We can never forget that we've come as far as we have because heroes like Harvey Milk and so many others -- many of whose names are forever lost to history -- stood up first, came out first, fought back first, suffered the beatings first, took the bullets first. For us. Thank you, Harvey Milk. May our work honor your legacy.

The Oppressed Shall Lead: Advocacy Through Empowerment - Part 2

Drew Cordes — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:30:00 -0500

Author's note: Part I of this essay is available here. As I was working on this essay, Sylvia Rivera Law Project released "From The Bottom Up: Strategies and Practices for Membership-Based Organizations," which is a much, MUCH more thorough, concise and effective resource on this subject than I'm able to produce from my own thoughts, by my lonesome, with a blog post. What follows is a very general outline and some suggestions. For anyone interested in community organizing and advocacy, I highly recommend "From the Bottom Up," as well as some other works I'll list at the end of this piece.

Because the theory of grassroots mobilization is easier to talk about vaguely in print than put into practice, and because I want to give anyone reading this (my fellow trans* people especially) some rudimentary tools and instructions to actually go organize and get some shit done, let's talk nuts and bolts.

These basic instructions are by no means exhaustive and problem-free. Sprawling tomes are written every year about organizing and advocacy, but with the few words I have in a space like this, I thought it would be good and productive to sketch out some guidelines. Besides, no matter how much research and reading you do, there will always be unavoidable problems. Solving them has more to do with inspiration, motivation, cooperation, and gruntwork than intimate knowledge of the organizational histories of labor and social movements.

So, no more of Part I's rhetorical academic onanism. No more Foucault. How do we create communities, coalesce, organize, and act effectively?

Continue reading "The Oppressed Shall Lead: Advocacy Through Empowerment - Part 2"...

Happy Harvey Milk Day!

Bil Browning — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:00:00 -0500

If you live in California, today is Harvey Milk Day - in honor of the gay politician assassinated in 1978. Milk is often held up as a hero of the LGBT movement.

If you don't live in California, find a way to celebrate anyhow. I uploaded a graphic from GLAAD to my fan page on Facebook. Feel free to go share it or swipe it for your own use. (I'd have linked them directly but couldn't find it on their site or their own Facebook page.)

(Video by Sean Chapin)

Orthodox Priests in Georgia Lead Violent Anti-Gay Mob

John M. Becker — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:00 -0500

In what must have been unbelievably horrifying, a mob of thousands -- led by a group of Orthodox priests -- attacked a small group of gay rights demonstrators in the former Soviet republic of Georgia on Friday.

Same-Sex Marriage Shouldn't Be the Focus of the Immigration Debate

Bil Browning — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:30:00 -0500

The LGBT news has been chock full of articles and op-eds decrying Senator Chuck Schumer's reluctance to include same-sex couples in the current immigration reform package. Advocates insist that the right of binational couples to sponsor their foreign partners for citizenship is a must-have to get their blessing.

This is an extremely short-sighted and dangerous game that should shame the LGBT movement, but, unfortunately, it's become a rallying cry for some leaders. Once again, the needs of gay couples are being put ahead of the welfare of thousands of LGBT people.

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BREAKING: UK House of Commons Passes Marriage Equality

John M. Becker — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:15:00 -0500

Just now, the UK House of Commons gave final approval to a marriage equality bill. The vote was 366-161.

The bill now moves on to the House of Lords.

Here's a handy graphic representation of the bill's progress through Parliament. (Thanks to Joe Jervis for finding it!) Today the House of Commons just completed its third reading, meaning that the equal marriage bill is essentially halfway through the process of becoming law.

Peace Corps to Accept Same-Sex Couples

Bil Browning — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 -0500

While married heterosexual couples have been allowed to serve in the Peace Corps since it was started in 1961, same-sex couples will now be accepted and given the opportunity to serve together.

"Service in the Peace Corps is a life-defining leadership experience for Americans who want to make a difference around the world," Peace Corps Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. "I am proud that the agency is taking this important step forward to allow same-sex domestic partners to serve overseas together."

Peace Corps volunteers travel overseas to assist in the fields of education, health, community economic development, environment, youth in development and agriculture. Same-sex couple can start applying on June 3, but the agency has announced the criteria for acceptance and how assignments will be handled today. From a statement emailed to Bilerico Project:

The Peace Corps requires formal documentation for all couples who want to serve, and same-sex domestic partners will be required to sign an affidavit before leaving for service that will act as verification of their relationship. The Peace Corps continually works with staff in host countries to identify placements that allow for safe and productive assignments.

Couples who serve together gain a unique perspective of host country customs and culture, but opportunities for couples are limited, as both applicants must apply at the same time and qualify for assignments at the same post. Many factors affect placements, including an applicant's overall competitiveness, program availability, departure dates, and safety and medical accommodations. For any applicant, the number one factor in determining an assignment is the demand from host countries for skilled volunteers.

Bilerico Project Associate Editor Sarah Blazucki's full-time job is with the Peace Corps as an editor for their publications.

Minnesota Republicans Kill Anti-Bullying Bill

John M. Becker — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 -0500

I've written frequently over the past few years about the chilling epidemic of anti-LGBT bullying in the state of Minnesota; the anti-gay animus of the Minnesota GOP; and the spiritual bullying of Twin Cities Archbishop John Nienstedt, one of the most outspoken homophobes in the American Catholic hierarchy.

But yesterday those three topics intersected in a way that makes me sick to my stomach: Minnesota Republicans forced the withdrawal of an anti-bullying bill in the state senate after the Minnesota Catholic Conference claimed that if the measure was signed into law, it would turn schools into "re-education" camps.

The Safe and Supportive Schools Act had already passed the Minnesota House earlier this month when the Senate began debate on it late Sunday evening. But Senator Scott Dibble, the bill's sponsor, pulled it early Monday morning after Republicans announced that they planned to stretch debate on the bill for ten hours. Since the legislature was required to end its session by midnight last night, the GOP's move doomed the bill. As Mary Elizabeth Williams notes at Salon.com, Minnesota Republicans literally bullied an anti-bullying bill.

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Fred Phelps Jr. Blames OK Tornado on Gay NBA Player

John M. Becker — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:30:00 -0500

"OK Thunder's Durant flips God by praising fag Collins. God smashes OK. You do the math."

-- Fred Phelps, Jr. of the Westboro Baptist Church, taking to Twitter yesterday, just hours after a deadly tornado devastated Moore, Oklahoma, to place blame for the twister on Oklahoma Thunder star Kevin Durant and his support of openly gay NBA player Jason Collins.

Marriage Equality Round-Up: Illinois, UK

John M. Becker — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:30:00 -0500

After frustrating delays, it looks like marriage equality legislation may be able to finally move forward in Illinois and the U.K.

In Illinois, pro-LGBT lawmakers are hoping to make the Land of Lincoln the 13th state to allow same-sex couples the freedom to marry. The Illinois Senate passed a marriage equality bill on Valentine's Day, but the measure has been stalled in the House of Representatives. With just days remaining on the legislative calendar (the spring session ends on May 31), LGBT rights leaders in that state say proponents have finally secured the 60 votes required to pass the bill.

Jim Bennett, Lambda Legal's Midwest regional director, told the Windy City Times: "I have absolutely no doubt we're going to be done with this by May 31. I believe that this bill is going to pass."

Rick Garcia of the Civil Rights Agenda added, "I believe we're there. The cake is baked. We're waiting for the icing."

Rep. Greg Harris, chief sponsor of the bill, has said he wouldn't call for a vote until he knew the votes for passage were there. Pat Quinn, the state's pro-equality Democratic governor, has campaigned hard for the bill and promises to sign it into law if it reaches his desk.

Continue reading "Marriage Equality Round-Up: Illinois, UK"...

Charting a New Course for LGBT Youth

Mark Segal — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 -0500

Community Academy in Philadelphia is like any other charter school in big-city America, trying to etch out an existence for students who, for whatever reason, don't make it in the typical urban school system. All I knew about Community Academy was that it was the first and oldest charter school in Philadelphia and, at 33 years old, has been one of the pioneers. But I discovered there was a lot more I didn't know.

The recent invitation to speak at Community Academy came from former City Council member Angel Ortiz and, in all honesty, I had zero time to prepare. So as I got in the car with Angel, I actually heard myself say, "So, tell me where we are going, who I am speaking to and what this is all about." Angel laughed and said, "Put on your seatbelt. I'm taking you to the barrio."

And he was. Community Academy is a fortress-like structure in the middle of the inner city. The parking lot is guarded, and you feel as though you're entering a prison. Inside, there are more guards and a metal detector, but once you get through that maze, the world changes dramatically.

You enter a modern building with students and teachers streaming through the halls, engaged and excited to be there. You can also note that they are all wearing, with some pride, the school jacket with its crest.

I was introduced to the school's founder and CEO, Joe Proietta. He explained the mission of the school and then led me into a room where members who self-identify as LGBT were waiting for us to have a discussion. Most members of the group were over 14 and female. As I was introduced by Angel, I was sort of at a loss for words, realizing that I'm speaking to a group of gay youth, and that is how I started out my chat. Some 40 years ago, I told them, we organized an organization to help endangered youth -- people just like them -- but, at that time, it was not safe to come out at school or have your school officials support you. All of a sudden, I turned the tables and asked them what their lives were like and what coming out was like for them.

They were all bright, eloquent, and very much in control of their lives. Most said they had come out when they were around 12 or 13 but knew they were gay all their lives. Many had parental problems but they were determined not to allow that to get in their way. Some take public transit for an hour and a half to make it to school every day. And many of the students were at Community Academy because the school embraced them, and that if it weren't for this school, they would not be in any school at all.

The biggest surprise was their lack of knowledge about their city's LGBT community or the Gayborhood. But it really shouldn't have been a surprise, since they see themselves as being able to fit in anywhere and with anybody.

Some charter schools have a particular focus, such as an artistic or even a sports-centered curriculum. Community Academy is specifically designed to embrace at-risk youth, make them feel welcomed, and help them grow.

I guess what I'll remember is what at first seemed strange to me. Two of the girls, ages 16 and 17, had been together for two years. They said so in an open room with their teachers and principal looking on, and no one was shocked or surprised. When I mentioned that to a friend later, he said, "That's sweet, it's a high-school romance."

Here's to the future. It's a bright one.

New York City Rocked by Slew of Anti-Gay Hate Crimes

John M. Becker — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:30:00 -0500

Living as we are in a time of astonishingly rapid progress in the movement for LGBT civil rights, it can sometimes be easy to forget how much work still remains to be done -- until something happens that jolts us out of our complacency.

For many in the LGBT community, one such jolt is the alarming rash of anti-gay violence currently taking place in New York City, arguably the birthplace of the modern LGBT rights movement and widely considered one of the most gay-friendly cities on the planet. In the last three weeks there have been five attacks on gay men, including several brutal beatings and one murder. And the city's police commissioner revealed at a news conference on Saturday that bias-related crimes so far this year are up considerably compared to the same period last year.

The latest incident took place late Friday night, when a gunman shouting homophobic slurs chased 32-year-old Mark Carson (right) through the West Village and then murdered him. The suspect, Elliot Morales, reportedly laughed gleefully as police arrested him, boasting to deputies, "I shot him in the face."

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