Pam Spaulding's Blog, page 39

Today's @sshat: N.Y. State Sen. Martin Golden wants to void marriages from other jurisdictions

So this guy is so fired up about marriage that he wants to invalidate any union, like my Canadian marriage for shiz and giggles. Please. (The Advocate):

Senator Golden, a Republican from Brooklyn, introduced the bill with co-sponsors senator Thomas Libous, who is the deputy Republican majority leader, and senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., a Democrat and outspoken gay rights foe. The legislation has almost no chance of moving, but the main intent of the longtime marriage equality opponent appears to be symbolic.

"I am sending the message that there is some normalcy in this great state when it comes to the principled idea that marriage is between a man and a woman," said Golden, according to the New York Daily News.

Of course it goes without saying that the man has issues.

When former governor David Paterson issued the executive order to recognize same-sex marriages from elsewhere, Golden unsuccessfully tried to challenge the order in court. In 2005, the former police officer turned state senator objected to advertisements for the Showtime series The L Word on bus shelters in his Bay Ridge district.

Video break: hilarious Rapture-o-rama!

Protect thy keyboards as Jesus high-fives his return...

Guest column by Ron Hill: Michelangelo Signorile is Right About GOProud, (Regretfully)

Ron Hill bills his site Republicans 4 Freedom as "Advocates For The Rational Wing of the Republican Party." And that he is. Hill wrote for conservative CNN commentator David Frum's web site, and has advocated for repeal of "DADT" and for marijuana legalization. In error I printed another piece yesterday; this is Ron's response to Mike Signorile's Advocate commentary, "Lessons Learned," about GOProud, the Tea Party and the grip of the fundamentalists on the Republican party.

Michelangelo Signorile is Right About GOProud, (Regretfully)

By Ron Hill

God this post is hard to write.

I'll lose some readers over this I'm sure.

I'm reluctant to criticize GOProud. On the one hand, any visibility for gays in the GOP is a good thing: we must be out and active if we want to change hearts and minds within the conservative movement. GOProud's visibility, I believe,  is helping to increase acceptance of gays and of equality within the GOP.

Yet on the other hand, GOProud seems to be in favor of everything conservative while also ignoring (or at least, strongly downplaying) anything related to human rights for GLBT Americans.

Perhaps GOProud believes they cannot take a vocal stand for equality right now and are focusing on quietly gaining acceptance and allies at this time. I can understand that, but also feel frustration with this strategy.

I also find GOProud's support of Ann Coulter and Donald Trump disappointing, particularly when Ms. Coulter is part of the problem with her toxic rhetoric rather than being part of the solution. She contributes nothing to enlighten debate and apparently exist to throw verbal grenades to the cheers of her hyper-partisan readers.  

People like Ann Coulter cheapen public debate and create an "us versus them" mentality that makes it easy to demonize people for merely disagreeing with one another.

Honorable ladies and honorable gentlemen should be able to disagree without being disagreeable - and this goes for gay activist on both the left and on the right.

GOProud's criticism of liberal gay activist is both unnecessary and distasteful - it also makes it hard to focus on the real enemies of freedom. My quarrel is not with liberal activist who are also agitating for my freedom - and I will work with them if it will help secure freedom for all Americans.

 Fighting legal discrimination is neither a liberal nor a conservative cause - it is an American cause.

I'll work with just about any American, including democrats, when doing so will advance our common cause of freedom and liberty for every American.

And then I'll agree to disagree with them on the other issues. I admire how Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neil could fight each other tooth and nail on the issues but then sit down and have a drink together after 5 pm.

Civilized people do not always have to agree 100%.

But GOProud has not been behaving like civilized people. GOProud's Chris Barron once tweeted "The Gay Left = The American Taliban. Hateful, angry and dumb as shit." Chris Barron has also tweeted personal insults about fellow pro-gay rights conservatives Andrew Sullivan and Meghan McCain.

Honestly, what did Meghan McCain do to deserve a personal smear from Chris Barron? Couldn't he just disagree with her statement without attacking her on a personal level? Such behavior is uncouth, unbecoming and ungentlemanly. We conservatives expect better behavior from our own.

It's one thing to criticize someone's positions on the issues. It's another to criticize a person as "dumb", "fat" or to compare them unjustly with the Taliban.

By the way, having served in Afghanistan, I know a thing or two about the Taliban. I may disagree with democrats on most issues, but no democrat wants to make it a crime to be gay, none of them want to imprison me for being gay, and none of them want to execute me for being gay. However, many social conservatives on the American right have called for exactly these steps -  steps which are also supported by the Taliban.

As I've said before, the greatest external threat to American freedom is Islamic fundamentalist, while the greatest internal threat to American freedom is also from religious fundamentalist - this time of the Christian variety.

Michelangelo Signorile is also right about the Tea Party claiming to be only about fiscal issues and downplaying social issues - they did this only until they were elected - now the Tea Party is busy trying to use government to impose private religious belief onto everyone in society - just like the Taliban. These are not "conservatives", they are authoritarians who claim to oppose big government only to use more government as a means of imposing their faith on society.

And Michelangelo Signorile is also right that gay equality will increasingly become a wedge issue that Democrats will use against Republicans. The country has moved much farther in support of gay rights much quicker than anyone anticipated. Increasingly, being against equal rights for GLBT Americans will be viewed just as negatively as being in favor of Jim Crow. On this issue, we Republicans are clearly on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of freedom.

Chris Barron has become a serious liability to GOProud's being accepted as a legitimate, credible, professional organization. It's time for Mr. Barron to go. GOProud is in need of a serious reorganization. One simply cannot build coalitions when someone is tweeting personal attacks on our natural allies in the struggle for equality.

As much as it upsets me to write this, I have to admit that sometimes Democrats are right - and Michelangelo Signorile is right in his current Advocate column. I wish it wasn't so.

For the rational wing of the Republican Party,

Ron Hill

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Family Research Council's whining stinks of blatant hypocrisy

crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

As I have long pointed out, it's not enough to make a few concessions to these extremists. Once they have a foothold, a little bit of acceptance turns into a full-blown demand to co-opt your business. They want corporations to join them in the assault on real tolerance. Unless you cower and give them what they want, these activists will make sure you can't function in society. Over the years, gay activists have perfected this kind of corporate terrorism. And until companies stand their ground and refuse to negotiate, homosexuals will continue to bully businesses.

That was Family Research Council president Tony Perkins this week in an email. He was referring to campaign jointly conducted by Media Matters and several national lgbt groups which called on the company Orbitz to stop advertising on Fox News in light of the channel's viciously negative approach to covering lgbt issues.

There is one strange thing about Perkins's statement, however.

It flies in direct opposite to the Family Research Council's actions in several cases, such as when the group supported the boycott against McDonalds because the company gave money to some lgbt organizations:

The Big Mac attack on family values is finally over! After a five-month boycott, Americans finally got what they ordered-McDonald's agreement to stop financing the homosexual agenda. Back in May, the fast food giant joined the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to the dismay of millions of customers who did not feel served. At the time, company Vice President Richard Ellis refused to back down, even calling conservatives "haters" in a public statement. The American Family Association launched a national campaign to force McDonald's to eat its words. And eat them, they did!

Or the threatening language it used against the Coca Cola company when it was suspected that the company persuaded the law firm King & Spalding to drop the DOMA case:

 Rumors are flying that one of those companies was Coca Cola. People closest to the story are suggesting that the soda king did most of the arm-twisting. "Sources... confirm that one of King & Spalding's top clients, Coca Cola, also based in Atlanta, directly intervened to press the firm to extricate itself from the case." A spokesman for the company refused to comment. But if the allegations are true, I guarantee that FRC won't hesitate to!

Or even now when FRC is supporting an anti-abortion group giving grief to the Girl Scouts for supposedly supporting Planned Parenthood. Apparently FRC have been picking on the Girl Scouts since 2004.

I guess being an "economic terrorist"  is all dependent on the spin.

Hat tip to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch.

Guest column by Sue Fulton: Tribute to a transgender Air Force officer - Stacy Nowak

Tribute to a transgender Air Force officer

By Sue Fulton, Executive Director, Knights Out

You probably didn't know Stacy Nowak, but you should have.

Stacy graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 2002, and worked as an Air Traffic Controller in her home state of New Jersey. She was a talented and smart transwoman just coming into her own, and her tragic accidental death on May 9, at the age of 31, has robbed the LGBT community of a dynamic voice.

I first met Stacy at New York Pride last year, when she marched with a small but ebullient Knights Out contingent. She and her friend were shy at first, but joined right in. After that, I started seeing Stacy more regularly at SAGALA (Service Academy Gay and Lesbian Association) events, and we came to be friends. At an Atlantic Community event honoring Dan Choi, Stacy was one of six other LGBT vets who were recognized, and spoke to many people about her experiences as an Air Force officer. Professional when called for, Stacy could also be giggly (and even gossipy!), which was when we had our most fun.

When SAGALA board elections came up, I approached Stacy to run; we both agreed that transpeople should be represented in SAGALA, and she was willing to step up. She has served well, though all too briefly, in that role.

Stacy was connected with many in the local trans community, and helped a lot of her trans sisters and brothers through difficulties. She was roundly liked and respected, and many of us were in awe of her ability to deal with some of the challenges of being a transwoman. She was a groundbreaker at the FAA, a respected controller who nevertheless fought numerous battles about her transition. Check this out:  http://justkeri.wordpress.com/...

Stacy and I talked at length over the weekend of the SLDN Dinner. After some hard-earned wins at the FAA, she was debating whether to be more public as a transgender vet. After we hashed over pros and cons, she asked me to work with her on a media/communications plan. She was ready to work publicly to secure the rights of transpeople to be treated equally by both the Veterans Administration and, ultimately, the active duty Armed Forces. With Stacy's wit, courage, and deep understanding of the issues, she would have been an extraordinary spokesperson.

We live in a world that challenges transpeople at every turn, often in ways that seem hopelessly soul-crushing. And yet, so many of my trans friends are joyful, and strong, and funny - like Stacy. I wish we'd had her longer. I miss her.

Donations in Stacy's name can be made to the Disabled American Veterans, PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301; or the USO, PO Box 96322, Washington, DC 20090-6322.

Sue Fulton is a 1980 West Point graduate and Executive Director of Knights Out, an organization of LGBT West Point grads and their allies. She is also a Board Member of SAGALA, Service Academy Gay and Lesbian Association; and a Founding Board member of OutServe, the association of actively serving LGBT military personnel.

The cost of oppression - NYT: hair extension thefts on the rise

I've blogged about the politics of hair for years on the Blend. When I saw this article in the NYT, "Costly Hairstyle Is a Beauty Trend That Draws Thieves' Notice," I just shook my head. This is the natural extension (no pun intended) of black hair pathology taken to the extreme. Why not steal hair that costs women thousands of dollars of hard-earned money to weave into their heads.

The most expensive hair type - and the one in highest demand by thieves and paying customers alike - is remy hair, which unlike most other varieties is sold with its outermost cuticle layer intact. This allows it to look more natural and to last longer without tangling. Remy hair from Indian women is the most popular.

But remy hair extensions can cost as much as $200 per package and the average person requires at least two packages. Hundreds of dollars more, and at times thousands, are spent at hair salons to have the extensions attached, often by sewing.

IMHO, Chris Rock did a public service by airing this part of black culture out in his documentary "Good Hair (2009)." He needs to update it with this latest, sad development. I wrote this about the phenomenon when the doco was released:

The status quo is still straightened hair, even though we see more natural styles in vogue now. Black women are unfortunately still chastised by family and significant others not to 1) cut their hair or 2) let it be kinky. It's one of those "dirty laundry" matters that people don't want to discuss openly, but when you have such poisonous, enabled self-loathing, it needs sunlight upon it. Look at this ad. It implies that the woman got the job because her hair was chemically straightened. The self-loathing is so culturally ingrained, so pathological -- there is nothing wrong with our hair, but nearly every signal received by the dominant culture is that it needs to be "corrected."

After all, black women are the backbone of the hair product industrial complex -- we're talking a $9 billion-dollar industry. The demand for weaves crosses the color line, of course, but if you have the opportunity to see Chris Rock's "Good Hair" you will see just how "addicted" some women are to achieving a Euro beauty standard on their heads. Some salons do layaways so women can pay for weaves that cost thousands of dollars. And these are working class woman doing this, mind you; some convince their boyfriends to pay for their weaves. As Al Sharpton said in the film, "We wear our economic oppression on our heads."

More below the fold.

But the bottom line of the piece in the Times is that when you have small beauty salons having to install security measures. Look at the worth of the hair inventory that has been stolen (no wonder thieves bypass the register), and what hair bandits will do - and that includes violence:

In addition to the $150,000 Houston robbery this month, thieves have recently taken $10,000 in hair from a San Diego shop; $85,000 from a business in Missouri City, Tex.; $10,000 from a shop in Dearborn, Mich.; and $60,000 from a business in San Leandro, Calif. All the values were provided by the storeowners.

...In Dearborn, Mich., Jay Shin, the owner of Sunrise Beauty Supply, was killed during a holdup on March 15 by gunmen who stole 80 packages of hair extensions worth about $10,000. Two young men have been arrested.

Assaults have been reported even when only a small amount of hair is involved. In West Palm Beach, Fla., a 16-year-old girl sprayed a clerk with pepper spray last year as she made off with extensions. And in Lawton, Okla., the police said a customer who ran out of a store with extensions tried to escape with the store owner clinging to the hood of her car.

Just unbelievable. Click over and read the whole piece; it really is unsettling.

Related:

* The care of kinky hair, daddy edition

* Essence can't seem to find a woman with natural hair for its Top 10 celeb hairstyles

* Documentary on the politics of hair:

* Hair and black self-loathing

* The politics of hair (again)

Another Sports Figure Kicks Down The Closet Door

Jared Max, host of ESPN sports show, "Maxed Out" heard in New York on 1050 radio, joined National Basketball Association Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts in the "We're here, We're queer, get used to it" chorus. ESPN reports Max said this morning:

"Are we ready to have our sports information delivered by someone who's gay? Well, you know what, we are gonna find out," Max said. "Because for the last 16 years I've been living a free life among my close friends and family, and I've hidden behind what is a gargantuan-size secret here in the sports world. I am gay."

A podcast is available here.

Earlier, ESPN reporter Johnette Howard did little round up on come to Jesus the sports world seems to be having about the issue of LGBT rights. There have been a lot of scrimages of late; Kobe Bryant's infamous f-word eruption, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo and New York Ranger Sean Avery expressing support for marriage equality. Avery got a little flack, that only served to rally the NHL to the defense of his position. The scores are racking up, and in favor of respect, dignity and equality.

Max also said:

"I don't share this news with you today to get a reaction or to make news, of being a New York sportscaster working on an all-sports radio station," Max said. "I do this today because it seems to me there's never been a better time."

It's always a good time to life your life honestly, but your timing is indeed, stellar. Congratulations, Mr. Max. Your toaster in enroute.

Sports fans can follow Jared Max on Twitter at @JMax2112

 

Batsh*ttery of the night - Ted Nugent vs. Kirk Cameron (w/poll)

This should be entertaining...which of these celebrities emitted the most batsh*ttery?

Nominee #1: Motor City Madman and ultra-heterosexual Ted Nugent. Via The New Civil Rights Movement:

Extreme right-wing activist and Second Amendment advocate, guitarist Ted Nugent said he is "repulsed at the concept of man on man sex," said he thinks it's "against nature," and "strange as hell," and paused when he was asked if "morally" he wouldn't mind if one of his children were gay, but said it is "inconsequential," Wednesday night on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight." The 62 year-?old Nugent lied about his position on gays, saying he believes in "live and let live," despite earlier written statements to the contrary. And yes, he made the "I have friends that are gay" statement.

Nominee #2: 80s Teen Hearthrob and fundamentalist Christian Kirk Cameron. Via CharismaMag:

Stephen Hawking says there is no heaven. Kirk Cameron begs to differ.

The Growing Pains actor-turned-evangelist responded on Wednesday to the famous physicist's comments claiming there is no heaven or afterlife. Hawking called heaven a "fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

"To say anything negative about Stephen Hawking is like bullying a blind man. He has an unfair disadvantage, and that gives him a free pass on some of his absurd ideas. Professor Hawking is heralded as 'the genius of Britain,' yet he believes in the scientific impossibility that nothing created everything (Sir Isaac Newton called atheism 'senseless and odious') and that life sprang from non-life," Cameron says..."Why should anyone believe Mr. Hawking's writings if he cannot provide evidence for his unscientific belief that out of nothing, everything came? He says he knows there is no heaven."

Big shoes to fill: Equality NC executive director Ian Palmquist to step down July 1

I'm happy for Ian and Brad, but we are losing one of the strongest, most battle-ready and effective advocates for equality in North Carolina. Having watched Ian work so hard and with such success in this state, he leaves shoes that are hard to fill, particularly as the state faces a marriage amendment battle. As QNotes reports:

Ian Palmquist has served as Equality North Carolina executive director for for five years, though he has been employed by the group for more than a decade. During his time with the organization, Equality North Carolina has grown to become one of the most influential state-based LGBT advocacy and lobbying groups across the nation.

Named qnotes' 2009 Person of the Year, Palmquist has guided Equality North Carolina through several policy and legislative successes. In 2008, the state became the first in the Southeast to pass a fully LGBT-inclusive statue protecting all public school students from bullying and harassment. Equality North Carolina has been able to hold an anti-gay constitutional amendment at bay for seven years, though LGBT citizens face a heightened threat from GOP legislators this session. Additionally, hospital visitation rules, AIDS drug funding and other policy initiatives were a success during Palmquist's tenure as executive director.

Ian's personal note (the video is a recent one I did with him after a town hall re: the marriage amendment battle):

Serving the LGBT community and our allies here in my home state of North Carolina has been the greatest honor of my life, so it is with mixed emotions that I share this news. I have informed our Board of Directors that I will be stepping down after more than eleven years at Equality North Carolina, the last five as Executive Director.

Now, my partner, Brad Oaks, and I will be moving to Boston, where I will be pursuing a Mid-Career Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. My last day in the office will be Friday, July 1. I leave with an overwhelming feeling of pride in what we have built together, confidence in the future of this organization, and gratitude for the tireless effort that our board, staff, and supporters like you have given.

Our Victories

Thanks to your hard work and support, we've accomplished so much together.

The greatest moment, for me, was on June 23, 2009, when the North Carolina House gave final approval to the School Violence Prevention Act. That moment, when Speaker Joe Hackney cast the deciding vote in favor of landmark anti-bullying protections, was the culmination of three years of work on the bill and decades of advocacy and organizing by Equality NC and our predecessors. For the first time, the legislature said that treating people differently based on their sexual orientation and gender identity is unacceptable.

Just a few of our other achievements together include:

Winning passage of the Healthy Youth Act, to provide comprehensive, medically accurate sex education.Winning hospital visitation protections that became a national model and expanding hospital non-discrimination protections to include gender identity.Strengthening the state's HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs by securing major funding increases for critical needs.Through Equality NC PAC, supporting the election of our first openly lesbian senator, Julia Boseman, and our first openly gay representative, Marcus Brandon.Fending off the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment for the past seven years (and counting!)Our Movement

Those victories and the ones we're still working toward don't come easily. It take a strong organization with active and engaged supporters. Having first come to Equality NC in 1999 as part-time administrative support--the second of two staff members--it has been inspiring to see how our community has stepped up and enabled us to grow beyond anything I could have envisioned then.

We now boast over 25,000 supporters, 16,000 online activists, 1200 donors, 600 volunteers, 24 active board members, and a phenomenal team of five employees, two lobbyists, and several contract organizers. Today, Equality NC is a force to be reckoned with and we've earned a national reputation as one of the strongest statewide LGBT advocacy groups.

Our Future

We have achieved much and built much together. Yet, LGBT North Carolinians are still denied full equality and we still face attacks on basic rights in the state legislature. There remains work to do.

Fortunately, Equality North Carolina is stronger than ever. I know that our talented, experienced staff and dedicated board members will take the organization and our movement for full equality to new heights in the coming months and years.

This year, our fight to defeat the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment in the legislature will continue unabated. I truly believe we can retain our proud status as the only Southern state without this kind of bigotry in our constitution.

The Board of Directors has already put into motion the first steps to begin the search for your new executive director and I will be working closely with the board to ensure a smooth transition. They will be in touch in the next few days to share more information.

I will miss working at Equality NC, but I will continue to be a part of the organization as a monthly donor and dedicated supporter. Like you, I will be proud to be one of the thousands of people across this state and this nation who believe we can build a state of equality in North Carolina.

With gratitude,

Ian Palmquist

Executive Director

New York GOP Striking Back On Marriage Equality

With Republican Senators under intense pressure from Mike Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo, Senators Gillibrand and Schumer and a large coalition of conservative GOP donors to approve marriage equality in the next few weeks, Senators Martin Golden (District 22, Brooklyn) and Tom Libous (District 52, Binghamton) have turned to that old addage, "The best defense is a good offense."

Three years ago, Governor David Paterson administratively implemented the policy of New York recognizing same-sex marriages preformed elsewhere, shortly after taking office. Today, two Senate Republicans introduced a bill today that would strip the state of the option to do so.

The text of the bill:

416
 2011-2012 Regular Sessions
 I N  SENATE
 May 19, 2011

Introduced  by  Sens.  GOLDEN, LIBOUS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary

AN ACT to amend the domestic relations law, in relation to rendering the  status of same sex marriage entered into  outside  of  New  York  void  under New York law

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1.

Section 6 of the  domestic  relations  law  is  amended  by  adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:

4.  MARRIAGES  CONTRACTED BETWEEN TWO PERSONS OF THE SAME SEX, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH MARRIAGE IS  RECOGNIZED,  SOLEMNIZED  OR  LEGAL  IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION, SHALL BE CONSIDERED VOID IN NEW YORK.

S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11581-01-1

There has been no public outcry in the the three years since Paterson implemented this policy and Republicans have had plenty of time to register their complaints with this practice, but have done nothing of the kind in three years.

Regardless, it's not getting through the Senate, and even if it could, it's getting a vote in the Assembly House, and even if it could, it would meet Governor Cuomo's veto stamp.

This is clearly just a stunt and an attempt to put the marriage equality activists on the defense.

Frankly it's disgusting. It's isn't that they disapprove, and it isn't that they just suddenly realized three years later that their constituents disapprove. Nobody cared in 2008, and nobody cares now in 2011.  

It's a shameless stunt that plays to an ignorant and hateful minority of voters. It's an attempt to whip up anti-gay animus, over an issue that has not been a problem for 3 years.

Jeremy Hooper at Good As You blog at least maintains a sardonic sense of humor:

No word if Sen. Golden's bill also forces us to burn our wedding albums for kindling and to sacrifice our gifted juicers to the gods of conservatism. But we'll keep you posted.

Toothless bill or not, I still let Golden's office know what I think of their stupid antics.

Senator Golden - (518) 455-2730; (718) 238-6044
Senator Libous - (518) 455-2677; (877) 854-2687