Pam Spaulding's Blog, page 54

Violence At A Baltimore McDonalds Shows A "Bathroom Bill" Meme Can Have More Than One Meaning

Rosedale, Maryland State Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier is the senator for the district where this apparent beating hate crime took place. She was one of the six State Senators that was expected to vote for HB 235 on the Senate Floor, but instead voted to recommit the bill back to committee.


There's a video associated with a violent bathroom related incident at a McDonalds in Baltimore County. The violent attack appears to be a hate crime; it appears specifically to be antitransgender hate crime. It certainly argues for a "bathroom bill" of a different meme than the religious rights' "bathroom bill" meme.

The source for the video is WBAL-TV, and the article headline for the video is Girl, 14, Faces Charges In Videotaped Beating. From the article:

Police said a 14-year-old girl has been charged as a juvenile in the beating, while charges are still pending against an 18-year-old woman. The woman declined to be interviewed, according to 11 News reporter Sheldon Dutes.

Meanwhile, the restaurant has dismissed an employee who taped the incident.

...When Baltimore County officers arrived, they found a 22-year-old woman who appeared to be having a seizure. Witnesses told police that the victim had been assaulted by two teens. Equality Maryland later identified the victim as a transgendered woman and urged officials to investigate the attack as a hate crime.

From MetroWeekly's Community Outraged by Disturbing Video of Apparent Anti-Trans Assault:

A video that has garnered attention within the LGBT community appears to show a Baltimore County transgender woman being assaulted physically by two patrons of McDonalds on Monday, April 18, as employees from the restaurant stood by, one of them recording the incident on a portable phone.

The Bilerico Project reported on the video today, which shows the woman battered after being kicked, punched and dragged on the floor. The video of the incident was posted by the McDonald's employee on a web site called "World Star hip Hop.com."

From the Equality Maryland press release, entitled Equality Maryland: Bigotry And Discrimination Against Transgender Individuals Must End:

EQUALITY MARYLAND: BIGOTRY AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS MUST END

Equality Maryland pushes Attorney General Gansler to proceed with investigation as a hate crime

Baltimore, Maryland, April 22, 2011 - Earlier today, Equality Maryland learned of the beating of a transgender woman in Baltimore County.  The following is a statement released by Board President Chuck Butler:

Equality Maryland's Board President, Chuck Butler

"A member of our community was recently the victim of senseless violence. Equality Maryland is saddened that in this day and age, bigotry and discrimination against transgender individuals continue, especially in our own backyard.

No person ever deserves to be a victim of violence regardless of their gender identity or presentation. We encourage the State's Attorney General to investigate this as a gate crime based on gender identity. We are encouraged that McDonald's is working with local police to investigate this incident, and hope that the company will follow-up with appropriate disciplinary action against any employees involved.

We remain committed to advancing gender identity protections for the entire state of Maryland and will continue to work with local organizations and legislators to advance these protections.

Equality Maryland, with the Transgender Education Project will work to empower the transgender community as the educational voice of their community and develop trainings and support programs in coalition with state and national transgender organizations on a broad range of topics that include support and resource information for transgender Marylanders. The project will continue to hold educational forums for the population at large."

[More below the fold.]
Bilerico and WBAL-TV have reported that the McDonalds the attack occurred at is in Rosedale, Maryland -- which is in Baltimore County.

The victim of the crime has now has responded publicly spoke about the attack in the Baltimore Sun's Victim of McDonald's beating speaks out:

A transgender woman brutally beaten at a Baltimore County McDonald's spoke out on Saturday, saying that the attack was "definitely a hate crime" and that she's been afraid to leave the house ever since.

"They said, 'That's a dude, that's a dude and she's in the female bathroom,'" said Chrissy Lee Polis, who's 22 and said she stopped at the Rosedale restaurant to use the restroom. "They spit in my face."

"I knew they were taping me, I told the guy to stop," said Polis, a slight woman with streaked hair. "They didn't help me. They didn't do nothing for me."

According to the Baltimore Sun article, the employee that filmed the beating has been fired.

McDonalds has a press release on this, entitled Our Concern Regarding the Baltimore Incident:

There's no room for violence under the Golden Arches. We strongly condemn the videotaped assault in one of our Baltimore franchised restaurants. Working with the authorities, we now have more facts, and we want to share our actions with you.

First and foremost, our thoughts are with the victim during this time.

Our franchisee is investigating the behavior and response of his employees. Action has been taken, and the crew member who made the video is no longer employed by his organization. Appropriate action regarding other employees will take place as warranted.

We want to reassure our customers that your neighborhood McDonald's is a safe, welcoming place for everyone. We share our customers' concern. We are doing everything possible to make sure the right thing is done.

The problem is that this isn't the first assault of a trans person at a McDonalds. Does anyone remember the story of Christina Sforza?

On 10 July 2006, Ms. Sforza, a bi-racial transgender woman, and two friends were at a McDonald's restaurant located at 341 Fifth Avenue. After eating, Ms. Sforza, a diabetic, went to the bathroom to give herself an insulin injection. The men's toilet was out of order so a McDonald's employee told her to use the women's toilet. Ms. Sforza reports that she had been in the toilet for not more than a minute or two when she heard banging on the door and someone yelling outside, "I'm going to kill you, faggot. I'm going to kill you."

According to Ms. Sforza, as soon as she opened the door, an African American man in a blue McDonald's shirt, whom Ms. Sforza believes to be the manager, hit her across the head with a lead pipe and kept hitting her in the head, torso and groin, and on her arms when she tried to protect her head and face. When Ms. Sforza managed to get hold of the pipe, the man allegedly began choking her, saying, "I'm going to kill you, you fucking fag, I don't want any fags in here." Ms. Sforza tells AI that a crowd of McDonald's staff and customers were cheering, yelling "kill the fag," and egging the attacker on. At this point, one of Ms. Sforza's friends called the police.

Ms. Sforza states that when the police came they would only speak to her alleged assailant who told the officers that Ms. Sforza had attacked him. When the Emergency Medical Services arrived at the scene the police allegedly refused to let them examine her swollen face and arm. Ms. Sforza was arrested, her injured arm forced behind her and placed in handcuffs. She reports banging her head against the roof of the police car several times as the officers pushed her and kicked her legs into the car to close the door.

Or of other McDonalds incidents, including the Florida McDonalds that refused to give an interview to Zikerria Bellamy because she was transgender? The McDonalds manager in that case stated:

"You went to (indistinguishable) McDonalds today. It doesn't matter how many times you go down there: You will not get hired. We do not hire faggots.

"You lied to me. You told me you was a woman. And then you lied to me. You told me you were seventeen. I can't believe you. You're a lying brother (indistinguishable). How could you ever lie to me? We will never..."

Change.org already has a petition up about what McDonalds is calling an "incident", entitled Demand that the employees on duty at McDonald's be held responsible in the beating of a trans woman The petition already has thousands of signatures.

~~

The "bathroom bill" meme goes like this: Transgender people are all potential bathroom predators of women and children in public women's restrooms. This is because transgender women are, in those giving voice to the meme, "men in dresses."

A clear description of the "bathroom bill" branding of all legislation that provides employment, housing, and public accommodation protections for transgender people can be found within the Massachusetts Family Association's Bathroom Bill (emphasis added):

But [Massachusetts Public Accommodation Bill], the Bathroom Bill, impacts all places of public accommodation. Designed to help gender-confused individuals, [the bill] would add the vague category of "gender identity or expression" to the state ban on discrimination. Among the negative consequences of this law are: a) school children would be taught that they can change their gender if they want and b) women and children would be put at risk since access to sensitive areas such as single-sex bathrooms, locker rooms, and c) women-only fitness facilities would be open to anyone, regardless of biological sex, and d) anyone speaking out against it could be charged with a "hate crime."

This bathroom beating of a transgender woman occurred in Maryland. This is the same state where HB 235 - the gender identity bill that was early in the process stripped in the House of Delegates of public accommodation protections failed to pass through the Senate. There were six Maryland State Senators that voted differently than expected on HB 235 (emphasis added):

Senators Kasemeyer (D-12), Klausmeier (D-8), McFadden (D-45), Middleton (D-28), Robey (D-13) and Zirkin (D-11) were expected to support ending discrimination based on gender identity in housing, employment, and credit, but voted instead to recommit the anti-discrimination bill.

The State Senator that represents Rosedale, Maryland -- where this Maryland beating of a transgender woman took place -- is Katherine A. Klausmeier. She was one of the State Senators That was expected to vote for HB 235 on the Senate Floor, but instead voted to recommit the bill back to committee. She had previously stated about HB235, when the bill was sent to the Rules Committee -- a committee to which she belongs:

"It's all up to the [the Maryland State Senate President, Mike Miller," said Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, the Baltimore County Democrat who chairs Rules.

And Sen. Mike Miller said this about transgender civil rights/HB 235:

I personally believe [HB 235] is anti-family, uh, so I'm going to vote against it.

...The problem is this: I have senators that are not going to hire, uh, people with male sexual organs who wear a dress to serve as receptionists, okay? Umm, and so if they're not going to do it, so if the senators and house members themselves wouldn't hire someone in that category, how can we say to constituents that you've got to do this?

I wonder if those who are against employment, housing, and public accommodation protections for transgender people will now say that the beating of Crissy Lee Polis woman in a McDonalds bathroom would be "pro-family." Probably not -- I can't imagine that Ruth Jacobs and her organization Citizens For Responsible Government will own the violence related to their incendiary version of the "bathroom bill" meme.

Sen. Rich Madaleno has promised to, next legislative session, to "pre-file a new version of the Gender Identity Antidiscrimination Act that includes provisions for housing and employment, as well as public accommodations in the hope it can receive a full debate and vote in the Senate before the last day of the session." I'd suggest renaming the bill "The Crissy Lee Polis Civil Rights Act."

Sen. Klausmeier needs to become a co-sponsor of Sen. Madaleno's upcoming bill, and do whatever it takes to get the bill through the Maryland State Senate in support of the transgender victim of this apparent hate crime. Sen. Miller needs to let the bill through the Maryland State Senate, and vote for the bill himself on the Senate floor.

There should be a new kind of bathroom bill" meme in place in Maryland, and across the United States, and what happened to Crissy Lee Polis  should be at the center of it.

~~

Per CBS Baltimore:

Outreach groups for the transgendered community are planning a rally in front of the Rosedale McDonald's for Monday night at 7 p.m., hoping to send the message that what happened inside is unacceptable.

The address to the McDonalds in Rosedale is as follows:

6315 Kenwood Avenue

Rosedale MD 21237

.

PBS Segment on Trans Report "Injustice At Every Turn."

The PBS LGBT news show, "In The Life" did a segment on the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality report on Transgender Americans' lives, Injustice At Every Turn.

It's a good moment in the fight against Transgender discrimination, particularly in light of the recent horrifying attack on a transgender woman in Baltimore.

Continued education is key.

One thought, I'd like to share as a cisgender gay male is that while our communities are in an LGBT coalition, it's important to acknowledge—so that we may better address—the gulf in public education that exists. The public education work on the LGB part of the LGBT far surpasses that of the T.

And acknowledge that being Trans is not as easily understood topic as being gay. That is, it is now relatively simple for most Americans to understand that LGB people feel a different attraction than heterosexuals do. And that has been reaffirmed over and over in the pop culture landscape that many LGB (although not all) relationships are not all that different from straight relationships. It's transitioned into even popular comedy as,

GAY AGENDA GymWorkLaundryDinnerDishesGleeBedtime

Most Americans now recognize this as a comedic spoof of the idea LGB Americans are some strange otherworldly apparitions whose routines are completely alien to both God and man.

But an understanding of gender expression is much more complicated and challenging than that of orientation. And it bumps up against a great deal of ingrained beliefs that people still carry around with them about gender. It challenges people to think outside the general simplistic understanding that "You got a Y chromosome, you're a boy, you got an X chromosome, you're a girl."

Clearly there is much more to gender expression than that. An illustration of late includes conservatives going ape-shit over a picture of a 5-year old boy with pink toenails. Nothing in the biology of chromosomes dictates girls paint their nails pink and boys must not.

But somehow, the thought of a 5-year old boy with pink toenails seemed so dangerous, so scary, so thoroughly at odds with everything that is Holy that not only did Fox (expectedly) treat this as a serious news story, but shamefully, so did NBC and CNN. Thank God for Jon Stewart and his friends being a voice of both mockery and reason shaming the media hysteria. But, this tempest in a teapot demonstrates what a truly hot-button issue any blurring of gender-roles actually is to the general public. Even 50 years after the feminist movement began the process of overtly challenging ingrained societal attitudes, we're still having ridiculous discussions about even the most picayune and innocuous departures from traditional gender expression.

We've moved significantly beyond the widely held belief 40 years ago that a gay man is just someone who hangs out at a rest stop and cruises for anonymous sex with strangers. But make no mistake, before "The Real World," before "Melrose Place," before "Ellen," that was exactly what most Americans thought. That our lives were sad, lonely, sick. It was believed in the 1970s it was impossible for a gay person to achieve and thrive and be happy and feel love. (And lesbians didn't exist except in pulp fiction novels.)

Our task is to help America have a similar evolution on their understanding of Trans Americans. To help them move beyond knee-jerk hysteria that the catchphrase "bathroom bills" generates. And the reality is far too many have not yet. Baltimore sadly illustrates who are the real victims in bathroom disputes.

The most vehement voices of hate resonate far too often and far too widely because people's understanding of Trans issues and Trans people is far too limited right now. The idea of gender could exist on a spectrum, or being malleable is something that is deeply disturbing and scary to many people on a purely visceral level.

And yet, gender does exist on a spectrum. And it is malleable. And that's no big deal. And we see examples of this everyday, women wearing pants, men painting their nails. The roles are not so clear cut as they once were and that's a very good thing. And we need to work to desensitize people to this nonsensical fear and hysteria that somehow society will crumble if boys cease to "be boys" and girls stubbornly refuse to "act like girls."

I know many people have criticisms of the major gay orgs and that includes National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality and I certainly would not argue they are not above critique.

But let us recognize and praise these orgs for this effort. They have absolutely risen to the task of what a major advocacy org should be doing with their funding and their resources. They've financed the gathering of facts, and real world examples, and hard data. They have produced an exhaustive and valuable report.

And now the report is reaping benefits, like inducing PBS to produce this segment. In it, they've found in my (cisgendered male) opinion, appropriate and charismatic voices to speak proudly on behalf of the Trans community. And to say, in just a simple declarative sentences that Trans Americans are just simply human beings, not so different from anyone else and they would like to work and contribute no different than anyone else. And far too often they are not allowed to, due to rampant ignorance and hate.

I would encourage everyone to share this video with their friends and family.

Our task at the grassroots is to embrace and utilize the tools these groups have provided to educate ourselves and to go out into the community and continue to educate our progressive friends—gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, cisgendered and other—why it's important to pass these non-discrimination protection bills, like ENDA on the Federal level and New York's GENDA bill. This report provides the hard data why it must be done.

It is incumbent we all stand up for the right of every American to live their lives free of hate, discrimination, violence and fear.

 

New York Grants Inmates Same-Sex Conjugal Visits

Well, this opens up a whole new dating pool for me:

 From Raw Story:

The New York state prison system recently changed its regulations to allow inmates in same-sex marriages or civil unions conjugal visits from their partners, as well as a tweak that will allow inmates to visit their partners if they are terminally ill. [...]

Former Gov. David Paterson changed prison policies in 2008 to recognize same-sex unions performed in states where they are legal, and the changes appeared in the state register this week. A prison spokesman, Peter Cutler, said they have been in the practice of granting furloughs for illness, and could not explain the delay in the rule changes' publication.

This might have saved inmate Chris Keller the trouble of orchestrating Tobias Beecher's return to Oswald Correctional Facility in the the final season of HBO's homoerotic prison drama Oz (picture, right).

In all seriousness, the more often our familial relationships are afforded the same respect as any others, the better our movement will be in the long run. There is reason to be happy for all our LGBT brothers and sisters here.

Cutler says he does not know if anyone has exercised their right to conjugal visits.

A Teabagger fails miserably in refuting racism charge

crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

In all honesty, I don't believe that the entire tea party movement is racist. I believe it's a naive movement which allowed itself to be co-opted by the wealthy powers that be, but that's another argument entirely.

What I do believe, however, is that the tea party movement houses vindictively racist elements who can't get over the fact that an African-American is president or that the United States is becoming more multicultural. I also believe that those who have sense in the tea party movement know this but are afraid to admit so for fear that it would reduce the credibility of their entire movement.

However, this video speaks for itself. This is an authentic teabagger, Grady Warren, griping about how unfair it is to brand the tea party movement as racist. However, I don't think his argument will fly when you listen to what he has to say. If you can listen to the entire piece, then you deserve an award.

As much as I hate to remind folks, this video was done before the 2010 midterms, where thanks in part to folks like Warren, the Republican Party took over the House of Representatives and several state governorships. So any thing that's happening now, i.e. the problems with unions in Wisconsin, the Republican Party trying to make Medicare into a voucher system, insane anti-abortion legislation, is solely on the shoulders of folks like Warren.

See what happens when reasonable people don't vote like they should.


Big hat tip to a Facebook friend of mine of who pointed out this video.

Bible literalists disagree on how old heterosexual marriage is

Radical-right Christians who use the Bible as a weapon against marriage equality tend to be Bible literalists and treat the Bible like a history book.  But if the Bible provides factual details about marriage, why can't these folks agree on how old the allegedly heterosexual-only version of the institution is?  They can't all be correct because any Bible literalist will tell you that there is only one way to interpret the Bible - their way.  So who is right, who is wrong, and what else might people "certain" about what the Bible says be getting wrong?

6,000 years old

Not marriage-specific, but Think Progress says of Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (R): "Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (R) is resisting a proposal that would allow same-sex couples in the Commonwealth of Virginia to adopt children, telling a local Fox affiliate last night that homosexuality is a "disordered behavior" that is "inconsistent with a 6,000-year-old moral code""

5,000+ years old

Ken Hutcherson: "What we're talking about is the federal government's de facto imposition, on all 50 states, of a radical redefinition of marriage for the first time in more than 5,000 years..."

5,000 years old

Rick Warren: "Warren is concerned about "redefining the 5,000-year-old institution of marriage.""

James Dobson: "If the battle to protect marriage takes even five more years, liberal judges and activists will have destroyed this 5,000-year-old institution, which was designed by the Creator, Himself."

4,000 years old

William Bennett, Secretary of Education during the Reagan Administration: "Can one defend an honorable, 4,000year-old tradition and not be called these names??"

Attorney for Polk County, Iowa, Recorder, in Varnum v. Brien referenced in New York Times: "[T]he Iowa Supreme Court on Tuesday pressed lawyers for both sides with sharp questions on topics like the 4,000-year-old history of marriage..." and Pam's House Blend: "This guy's arguments seem to be taken directly from Fraud on the Family talking points (marriage has been defined heterosexuallly for 4000 years..."

3000 years old

Mitt Romney: "I agree with 3000 years of recorded history. I believe marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman and I have been rock solid in my support of traditional marriage"

Angry White Dude: "Homosexual marriage is not a civil right. It is not a right at all! It is a perversion of the 3000 year old institution of marriage. "

2,000 years old

WA State Senator Pam Roach (R): "It is merely about the definition of marriage, upholding what is 2000 years of social mores and common law."

John Fay, University of Washington college student: "So, let's think long and hard about this before overturning a tradition that has been in place for 2,000 years."

Love Amongst the War Wounds

I have a confession to make, Blenders. I love a Marine. A male Marine.

Hey, bisexuality happens, ok? ;)

I didn't intend to love this Marine. He and I became aware of each other's existence through an online mutual friend a few years ago. We commented on each other's personal blogs from time to time. A Marine and a Navy veteran, he and I could relate to each other on many levels. When he deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Moshtarak last year, I followed what little news there was of him. Then in April I learned that, as he put it, his leg had been rearranged by a roadside bomb.

Come below the fold for the story.

Jester was driving an MATV, an armored vehicle, in a convoy in Marja on April 5th. The vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Because of the leg room, Jester was driving with his left leg straightened rather than bent. The concussion wave from the bomb went straight through the armor and shattered his left leg before throwing him through the dash. He had to unbuckle his flak jacket and crawl on his back over the radio mount out through the back pass and onto the waiting litter. In addition to the shattered limb, he suffered a major concussion, and will always have short-term memory problems because of it.

In the year since the blast Jester and his medical team have worked hard at limb salvage. Fourteen surgeries have finally helped the bones re-knit themselves. Jester has suffered multiple infections at the site, one nearly killing him after the bone graft from a cadaver donor went bad. He has dealt with life-threatening blood clots due to the extensive vascular damage in the leg. He has been on blood thinners for 7 months, and nearly died twice. His lungs are spotted from the blood clots having traveled from his leg to his lungs. The nerve damage means he experiences chronic debilitating pain and severe edema from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). He has spent this past year either in a hospital bed or at home on convalescent leave, his mother his primary caregiver. There is no way to describe Mom's patience, her tenacity, her willingness to fight hard for her son's health. An Air Force veteran, she knows her way around the military medical system, and is an absolute lioness. It is a hard thing she has done. She's an amazing person.

Throughout all this, Jester has persevered. We finally met face to face in October of last year, after I moved from Hawaii to the East Coast. I was living with the friend who introduced the two of us online. One weekend we decided to drive the two hours to Jester's house to see him and spend the day. Jester and I clicked instantly. I will admit to feeling confused; I had most recently been in a three-year relationship with another woman, another active duty servicemember, and wasn't quite up to thinking of men as potential romantic material just yet. I was still identifying as a Kinsey-5 lesbian! I also wasn't sure I wanted the complications of a relationship with a servicemember. The military chewed me up and spit me out, both as an active duty sailor, and later as a "silent partner" living under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Getting close to someone in the military wasn't on my to-do list. So I firmly pushed him into the "friends" box and moved along.

Two months later, after a series of yet more devastating setbacks in his life, Jester put up a blog post about feeling depressed and angry. We exchanged some emails, and I decided to go visit him for the day. That visit turned into a relationship, and here we are, four months later, absolutely inseparable. We joke that out of the Kinsey scale of 1-6, with me at a five, Jester took that last little one point and ran away laughing with it. I can't imagine life without him now. He's smart, funny, sweet, completely supportive of my work to further LGBT rights, and dedicated to equality for everyone. He and his Mom were the ones who made it possible for me to attend the signing ceremony of DADT repeal. If our relationship gets to that point, we're determined to not get married until DOMA is gone.

Two broken vets have a lot in common. Jester has suffered major wounds from his time in Afghanistan. I have schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Together, we would make a Veterans Affairs caseworker's head spin around. And together, we are far more than we ever would be apart.

What is there to say about true love? It is inexplicable, it happens as it will, with no warning or thought. It is the one thing getting us through the rough time we are experiencing now. I am self-employed, not making nearly enough money to survive, and still trying to find paralegal work. I'm suffering from a seasonal psychotic bout, and working with my doctor at the VA to keep my meds stable. Jester and I talk every day, and he is constantly checking on me, keeping me anchored to reality. He is back at Bethesda Naval Hospital in the Wounded Warrior unit. Right now, he is facing amputation of the injured leg.

Jester is not alone in this decision. 15% of limb amputations due to combat wounds are delayed amputations, meaning three or more months after the injury.

Wounded soldiers and Marines are making choices about arms and legs that predecessors from earlier wars never had: whether to trade poorly functioning flesh-and-blood for microprocessor-driven substitutes. Advanced prosthetics created to replace limbs lost in battle now are being sought by troops with legs or arms that survived combat, but are not functioning well or are still causing great pain after months or even years of physical therapy.

What doctors call delayed amputations — defined as when limbs are removed three months after an injury — now make up 15% of all combat-related amputations, according to research in Military Medicine published in December. That’s up from a 5% military rate cited in a 2008 analysis in the Journal of Orthopedic Trauma, and far higher than the civilian rate of 3.9%.

Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, 134 troops — 101 soldiers, 23 Marines, six airmen and four sailors — have chosen to have their limbs removed and replaced with prosthetics months or years after being hurt, according to the Army, Navy and Air Force. The longest period between an injury and an amputation was five years, Army doctors say.

Jester faces this decision for several reasons. Due to the CRPS, his leg suffers from chronic horrifying pain and severe edema. This threatens the skin and puts him at risk of gangrene. The vascular damage in his leg means blocked veins and arteries, putting his life in danger from blood clots. The nerve damage and pain means that he cannot put any weight on the leg; he will be confined to a wheelchair or crutches for years to come, perhaps the rest of his life. In short, he is already living the life of an amputee, facing life-threatening complications.

If he goes through with this, Jester will face a transtibial amputation - the leg will come off below the knee. That will give him the best chance of interface with a prosthesis. He will be many months in rehab. The pain may never go away. But he will be up and mobile, and have another shot at life.

No matter what Jester's decision, I will love him and be by his side. As a military family, we know what to expect. He and I and his mother will be together through this. Love may not conquer all, but it makes the unbearable manageable. We will make it.

Matt "Bam Bam" Barber and The Peter, have loins hot for JoeMyGod over GLAAD award

Poor Joe Jervis. He wins the first GLAAD blog award and look what it gets him - hot and bothered reactions from both Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber . First, LaBarbera, with his hilarious victimization post , "Why Did Gay 'Anti-Defamation' Group GLAAD Give Award to Hateful Homosexual Blogger who Demonizes and Mocks Christians?

GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) gave its 2011 Media Award for "Outstanding Blog" to Jervis, a New York-based homosexual atheist and creator of the blog "Joe.My.God." - a daily compilation of homosexuality-related news. JMG is filled with name-calling and nasty barbs directed especially at religious conservatives who oppose homosexuality.

...But if GLAAD, like AFTAH, is against hateful name-calling (AFTAH has condemned Fred Phelps of "God Hates Fags" notoriety), then it is curious that it chose to honor Jervis - who routinely mocks Christians using cruel, de-humanizing rhetoric. For example, Jervis routinely uses the atheist term "Jeebus" in the place of Jesus to mock Christians, as he did recently with African-American ex-lesbian Linda Jernigan.

Jervis delights in referring to former Senator and potential GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum as "Frothy Mix" - repeating a malevolent smear concocted by another Christian-bashing homosexual activist, Dan Savage, who meanly "redefined" Santorum's last name as the filthy byproduct of anal sex.

Said LaBarbera: "GLAAD's slogan is 'words and images matter.' We at AFTAH agree. Jervis' published words reveal him to be an inflammatory, anti-Christian bigot who resorts to 'defamatory' smears, lies and despicable, crude putdowns to belittle people of faith. (Jervis smears LaBarbera as "Porno Pete," falsely implying he is homosexual.)

And Peter, introducing Matt's throbbing reaction:

Culture warrior Matt Barber - one of the many people who have personally suffered at the hands of pro-homosexual activists - had this to say about GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) giving its 2011 "Outstanding Blog" award to radical, hateful homosexual activist Joe Jervis and his "Joe.My.God." blog:

"So GLADD, a self-described anti-defamation group, gives an award to one of the most vicious, vile and vulgar anti-Christian bigots on the planet and expects to be taken seriously? Hey, while we're at it why not give Muammar Gaddafi the 'Humanitarian of the Year' award. Or how about a Nobel Peace Prize for Barack Oba... Oh, wait...."

You learn something every day - Idaho Gov. Butch Otter should consider a name change

Not that I give a damn about the guy -- this tool just signed an executive order that will end Medicaid in his state.

Earlier this year, when the Idaho state legislature was considering an unconstitutional bill to nullify the Affordable Care Act, the state's attorney general issued a stark warning against turning that bill into law. If Idaho passed a law refusing to comply with the Medicaid provisions of the ACA, it could opt itself out of Medicaid:

An additional legal ramification that must be considered as RS 20315 is contemplated is its effect on existing and future Idaho participation in the Medicaid Program. As a purely voluntary program, Idaho's refusal to comply with the expanded provisions within the PPACA could potentially result in Idaho exiting the program and losing the existent federal matching funds. This could create a situation where individuals presently covered would no longer be covered, yet still require medical treatment, which likely would be required to be provided for and paid for through some non-federal means. This situation, in turn, could create an intense burden on the State's budget.

Sadly, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) did not heed the attorney general's warning. Although Otter vetoed a nullification bill attacking the ACA yesterday, he also issued an executive order which effectively forbids his state from participating in Medicaid as soon as the ACA goes into full effect.

The reason Otter might want to change is name is that he's now the laughing stock of the gay world. On my Facebook page today, news you can use:

LGBT New Yorkers Getting Out Their Easter Bonnets

Louis Flores of Connecting Rainbows is organizing an event that will create an LGBT presence at New York City’s Easter Day Parade. He says:

On Sunday, April 24th, we invite you to join other LGBT New Yorkers increasing our visibility in front of the Catholic Church to send a message that all Americans ought to live their lives free of hate and violence. Your courageous participation will help us communicate that LGBT civil rights should be a priorities to all American institutions, not just to Congress or to the Courts.

Don't worry, it's not a bunch of noisy, angry gays making new enemies. They are being very clear their intention is to be peaceful and respectful, Louis says:

It is important that everyone who participates in this procession recognizes we want to keep this a peaceful and respectful activity. Our standard is a standard of peace.

The intent is to draw attention to the violence, death and suicide that is sadly too often the effect of unchecked homophobia.

And the timing of this is very appropriate, with New York expected to take up marriage equality and the GENDA transgender non-discrimination bills this year, engaging Catholics respectfully and with pride is a good idea. New York Archbishop Timothy Nolan recently appeared on CBS's 60 Minutes and compared marriage equality to incest. The United States Conference of Bishops just sent a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development saying "USCCB Urges HUD Not to Include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Among Protected Categories" that would be afforded non-discrimination protection in housing. The Archdiocese of Portland dropped well over a half million dollars to fight marriage equality in Maine in 2009 (even as they were simultaneously closing parishes for financial reason). The list goes on and on.

It's time for us to not be ashamed to say the hierarchy of Roman Catholic Church is one of the most serious impediment in the fight for LGBT rights. 

While is clear is the Catholic Church hierarchy is very actively engaged in the the political battle we're facing it also appears that the Church would also like to obscure this fact from the public view by hiding behind the front group National Organization for Marriage. An allegation that former NOM strategist turned marriage equality supporter, Louis Marinelli confirmed from his experience on the inside.

I am sharing this with you because I want you to realize that NOM is a small group of devoutly religious Catholics supported by a couple of undisclosed sources.

One reason the hierarchy would like to obscure their political meddling is because Church knows they are out of touch with its actual parishioners on the ground. Latest polling shows that Catholics support marriage equality by a margin of 63%. We are lucky that the actual parishioners are our allies. Our task is to engage them to engage their leadership.

I think LGBT people who show up can expect to be greeted warmly and engaged respectfully by their Catholic New York friends. The Church has actually done a good job in instilling a sense of the value of fighting for social justice among its followers. There are many points of pride in their history on that.

Unfortunately, the hierarchy of the Church has allowed its eyes to get clouded on the issue of social justice for LGBT people. And that's a shame. But when more parishioners attention is drawn to spoils of homophobia I have full faith the Catholics of America will no longer continue to tolerate the pointless, divisive, expensive activities the leadership has been engaging in.

LGBT participants intend to bring pictures of victims of LGBT hate crimes like Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh and others. They will light a candle in St. Patrick's Cathedral in honor each of the victims.

A Facebook Event page is here as well.

It's Not Over for Montana Domestic Partnerships

By Amy Cannata, Communications Director, ACLU of Montana

We always knew it was going to be a journey with bumps and curves in the road. So did our six plaintiff couples when they signed on to sue the state of Montana for domestic partnership recognition.

This week our lawsuit, Donaldson and Guggenheim v. State of Montana, hit a pothole when Montana District Court Judge Jeffrey Sherlock ruled against us and in favor of the state's motion to dismiss the case. But make no mistake, the wheels are still on the car, and we are still traveling hopefully toward a future where all loving, committed couples are treated with dignity, fairness and respect, and have the same rights to care for one another as opposite-sex married couples.

We were disappointed in Judge Sherlock's ruling, and so were our clients. But their and our spirits and determination are still strong.

"This is just a first step on one of the roads to victory. This is a bump, not a loss," wrote plaintiffs Jan Donaldson and Mary Anne Guggenheim in a message to their fellow "fabuliffs" and ACLU staff. "We do know we are right, and many many other people of all colors, stripes, majorities and minorities, Democrats, Independents and even Republicans know we are right. And we shall prevail, for sure in our grandchildren's lives, probably in our children's, maybe in ours. Let's all try to meet up in Bozeman for PRIDE weekend and march with all kinds of pride. Best to everyone — we are in this however long it takes. Thank you for being who you are and thanks to the ACLU staff for standing proud with us."

Wrote plaintiff Mike Long (with his usual quick wit): "The next time you're in the state capitol, stop and ponder the statue of my hero Jeanette Rankin ... She knew of a time when the thought of a woman voting was unthinkable. Now the concept of denying women the vote is laughable. So shall it be with our cause. (I just hope it happens before I'm dead and gone and somebody's pondering my statue, not that I'll have one, but if I do it'll be a good-looking one). "

Judge Sherlock said in his ruling that he sympathized with our plaintiffs. He stated that "there appears little doubt that Plaintiffs have been subject to private prejudice, discrimination, and even violence in Montana. The State also does not dispute the economic and emotional harm often suffered by the Plaintiffs due to their sexual orientation."

Still, Judge Sherlock said that to order the Montana Legislature to enact a statutory framework establishing domestic partnerships would be a violation of the separation of powers between the judicial and legislative branches of government.

Judges in Vermont and New Jersey ruled otherwise. When faced with similar sets of facts, that is exactly what they did - ordered their state's legislatures to right the violation of same-sex couples' constitutional rights by establishing a framework, such as domestic partnership registries, for same-sex couples to obtain the same protections as marriage.

We have 60 days from the date of the ruling to decide whether to appeal.

In the meantime, we hope that you will join us in our work to educate the public about domestic partnerships and to change hearts and minds on the issue. Please sign our Fair is Fair petition and join the ACLU.