There is little chance laws against homosexuality will be repealed in Jamaica if a public opinion poll released Friday is any indication.
The survey found that 70 percent of Jamaicans do not believe gays and lesbians should have any civil rights.
The poll, taken for the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper, found women slightly more receptive than men to repealing the sodomy law or giving gays protection from discrimination in housing or work. …
Jamaican gays, supported by international human rights groups, have been calling for repeal of the sodomy law which carries a sentence of 10-years in prison on conviction.
Last month Prime Minister Bruce Golding condemned Britain and other Commonwealth countries for criticizing the treatment of gays in the Caribbean nation.
”Jamaica is not going to allow values to be imposed on it from outside,” he said during an interview broadcast on the BBC. (story)
Jamaica has been described by human rights groups as having the worst record of any country in the New World in its treatment of gays and lesbians. …
Funny, but I describe Jamaica that way too. As a lesbian, I’d rather take my chances getting outed in Saudi Arabia. (Afghanistan or Iran? That’s a hard call; I say both are even with Jamaica.)
This story reminds me… I haven’t cruised over to the Jamaica Gleaner lately to see what the haters are saying these days. If you’ve never visited the JG site, you should — the disgusting filth spewed there will wipe out any silly idea you ever had about vacationing in Jamaica.
That goes for you straights, too, you know — even those who don’t give a whit that Jamaicans are overwhelmingly in favor of beating queers to death; they’ll happily beat you to death, too, if they accidentally mistake you for a battyboy.
Bill Authored by Assemblymember Leno, and Sponsored by EQCA, Would Honor the LGBT Civil Rights Pioneer Each May 22
SACRAMENTO — June 19 — Civil rights activist Harvey Milk would be commemorated with an official day honoring his leadership under a bill approved today by the Senate Education Committee.
On Wednesday, Senate committee members passed Assembly Bill 2567, which would establish May 22 as Harvey Milk Day in California, with a 6-3 vote. The legislation is authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and sponsored by Equality California. If the measure is passed in the full Senate and signed by the governor, California would become the first state in the nation to designate a day commemorating a leader of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
“By passing this bill, the Senate Education Committee acknowledges the unprecedented legacy of Harvey Milk and the importance of teaching our future generations the important role he played in history,” said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. “Through his staunch commitment to human rights, Milk, one of the nation’s first openly gay leaders, inspired a community to stand strong in the face of aversion. Perhaps more than any other figure, Harvey Milk’s life and political career embody the rise of the LGBT civil rights movement. His achievements and vision deserve this wide recognition.”
AB 2567 will be heard next on the Senate floor.
Milk was one of the nation’s first openly gay elected officials. He was assassinated in 1978, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, by a homophobic colleague with the Board of Supervisors. AB 2567 would proclaim May 22 as Harvey Milk Day, in honor of his birth. The bill would encourage public schools and educational institutions to conduct activities teaching students about this important LGBT leader. As a non-fiscal state holiday, it would not impact the state budget because it does not increase the number of paid holidays for state employees or suspend public functions.
“Harvey would be proud to know that his legacy continues to teach us to believe in ourselves and our dreams,” said Assemblymember Leno. “Given the alarming rates of suicide, depression, substance abuse, bullying and violence against LGBT youth in our schools, the bill aims to give LGBT and straight students alike a positive representative of who LGBT people are that inspires pride and self-esteem rather than fear and shame. That is what Harvey was all about,” he said.
During the 1970s, Milk worked to pass an LGBT civil rights ordinance in San Francisco and helped defeat an initiative that would have banned gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools.
California law commemorates the contributions of important historical figures and groups including Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, American Indians and Japanese Americans.
Founded in 1998, Equality California celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008, commemorating a decade of building a state of equality in California. EQCA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots-based, statewide advocacy organization whose mission is to achieve equality and civil rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians.
We say:
By the way, speaking of Harvey, here are the latest expected release dates for the film Milk:
Venice Film Festival, Italy: September 1, 2008 Toronto Film Festival, Canada: September 11, 2008 New York Film Festival: September 30, 2008 U.S. limited engagement: November 26, 2008 U.S. general release: December 5, 2008
Memphis, Tennessee, February 12, 2008: Transgender woman Duanna Johnson is arrested on a prostitution charge. While she is in custody, Officer Bridges McRae, 28, speaks to her; when she doesn’t respond as he wants her to, McRae wraps a pair of handcuffs around his fist and starts beating Johnson about the head. A second officer, James Swain, 25, grabs Johnson’s shoulders and holds her while McRae continues the beating.
Then McRae maces Johnson. Then he handcuffs her and leaves her lying on the floor. Then a nurse shows up and tends to McRae for a scratch, ignoring Johnson:
There’s a follow-up video from WMC-TV, which first reported the story, in which we learn that Swain — the one who held Johnson down — was fired in April, and McRae — the one who beat her — was given a desk job.
Ironically, it was a complaint by McRae that brought this brutal assault to the attention of the Memphis Police Department’s Internal Affairs — against the detective in the booking area, for not helping McRae “during the incident” (i.e., while he was beating Johnson!).
The case has been turned over to the the FBI (presumably because of the potential violation of Johnson’s civil rights).
Johnson intends to sue.
What do we say? We have great respect for law enforcement officers who take “To protect and to serve” to heart. We do not call cops “pigs.” But in this case, we’ll make an exception.
As I commented on the YouTube video above: “What horrid stains [Swain and McRae] are upon police officers everywhere — and what disgusting excuses for human beings. And may that nurse never sleep soundly again.”
Believe it or not, my editorializing is at a bare minimum here. I think you’ll be more than able to “hear” the tone for yourself; i.e.: “Ask not what Obama will do for the LGBT community — ask what the LGBT community can sacrifice to get Obama elected.”
Suffice to say: The O Camp has a long, long way to go to convince me of anything — and its chances of convincing me to vote for their guy is next to… oh, how shall I put it? Nuthin’.
I called in at 2:57 p.m. and, after enduring the most craptastic on-hold music until 3:05 p.m., the call started at 3:06 p.m., led by Steve Hildebrand, Deputy Campaign Manager of Obama for America.
Hildebrand began by telling us this is “a very important time for our country, and for our party, and for Senator Obama, and for Senator Clinton…” and noted that while the announcement for the conference call was on short notice, nearly 1,200 people were listening in.
There will be another conference call within the next two weeks, which Obama himself will join.
Hildebrand continued: “This has obviously been a very long… exciting… painful, challenging… historic” primary process, “very historic,” between the Democratic Party’s first female and first African-American candidates. “The fact that these two candidates raised enormous sums of money” and brought in “enormous… record numbers” of new voters and volunteers “is really quite ‘impactful’ for the progressive community, [and] for the Democratic Party… [which] bodes well as we go into the general election.”
Hildebrand expressed the hope that the Hillary Clinton supporters on the call could “wrap your head around the situation, to hopefully join Barack and his venture,” moving forward at whatever pace was comfortable, while he recognizes “the pain that goes with this.”
“Know that you have a welcome home here, and that we need your help, we want your help, and we will take you whenever you’re ready — if you get to that point.”
After explaining that the call would be limited to 30 minutes (because it was an expensive call), and there would be no Q&A (although you could still submit questions via the Web), Hildebrand introduced Elizabeth Birch, former executive director of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and Clinton supporter.
(Birch, of all people — I mean, I really respect the woman — pissed me off to no end. See if you can figure out why.)
Birch:
“I was asked by the Senator Obama campaign to try to articulate what the Hillary Clinton people are feeling at this juncture… I was surprised at my own reaction… On the night of June 3rd I was in San Francisco… and I burst into tears… I was so upset… and it was sort of — it was a painful moment, and it was acute, and I hadn’t expected it.
“I had come to admire Senator Obama a great deal… [but] it was extra-complex in our family.” Birch explained that she and her partner are the parents of two nine-year-old, biracial twins — “so we had to be careful about how wildly enthusiastic we were about [Clinton] in front of the children. … It was complex and emotional…
“On June 3rd, I think there were three things going on, at least for me. … [While I don’t speak for everyone], I think I speak for a lot of women, and men as well…
“[First], just the emotions that burst up, when you gave a vanquished warrior — and [Clinton] has been a warrior. Say what you will; this woman has been tested and tested and tested, again and again. …
“[Second:] And then I started to think: to know my daughter, at the age of 9, at this early and formative age, won’t get to see a woman president.
Third, Birch reflected on being a “scrappy 12-year-old” herself, and (I could only surmise from the context) having grown up during the first wave of feminism: “There was an enormous amount of estrogen operating in those days… We felt we could do anything… take the world by storm. [We didn’t want to be better than men, but] if we could just rise to these highest offices, it would set a tone for life.
“So there’s a heartbreak in [Clinton] losing — but it’s not all about [Clinton] herself. It has to do with the lives of women… who are projecting [themselves onto] this grand screen.
“As a mother, I know deep, deep in my heart, that [it’s as important] for my kids to see a woman take the helm as to see a very wise, very strong, very effervescent man, who is black and white like them, take a leadership position in this country.”
Asking for “patience” from Hillary supporters, Birch concluded: “We will be able to turn our hearts over to the other equally important dream and necessity of electing the first African-American [president].
“Most important, none of us will tolerate for one more minute a third Bush [term] — which is what McCain represents.”
Back to Hildebrand:
“A quick update… In the process of moving very quickly into general election mode, [we have] spent [about] the last six weeks putting together [plans for] a budget [and] processes to quickly move into general election mode, should we get to that opportunity.”
Hildebrand then went into plans for “state operations in all 50 states”; the Obama campaign will not be focusing solely on “battleground states,” but will be “teeing off of what Howard Dean has done” [with his 50-state strategy].
Then came a plug for the Obama Web site (for those who want to get involved on the ground), and then Hildebrand went back to the 50-state plan: “There will be extensive offices — not just one per state, [but] several hundred. We also have very quickly joined forces with the Democratic National Committee, and [with] the Democratic National Convention staff.”
Next, Hildebrand appeared to be illustrating Obama’s gay cred with a list of notable LGBT activists who had joined the Obama campaign in an official capacity (the descriptions of who these people are, are mine; Hildebrand seemed to assume that everyone on the conference call would know every one of them by name alone):
• Brian Bond, Executive Director of the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Council (GLLC), will be joining the Obama campaign next week in Chicago, “not just for [LGBT] outreach, but [to head] all constituency operations.”
• Joan Garry (former executive director of GLAAD) and Kevin Jennings (founder and executive director of GLSEN), co-chairs of Obama’s LGBT finance operations, “need as much help as possible to put resources together…”
Hildebrand then acknowledged the efforts of Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin, “fighting for our rights in Congress, and what they have done to be such leaders for us… We look forward to working with them.”
Then Hildebrand thanked Providence, Rhode Island, Mayor David Cicilline, head of the Democratic Mayors Association, “one of our most prominent gay elected officials.” (I’m not sure what he was thanking Cicilline for, but I’m guessing because the mayor is heavily involved with the Obama campaign.)
Then Hildebrand announced that Melissa Etheridge had agreed, about six weeks ago, to be “one of about a dozen” co-chairs of Obama’s “50-state registration and mobilization campaign.”
“We have formed teams in all 50 states to put together what we hope [will be] the most successful voter registration drive… We’ve had incredible success in… Pennsylvania, Indiana, North Carolina… Literally hundreds of thousands of new voters want to be active, ’cause they know how much trouble our country has been facing.”
Coming back to the Clinton supporters: “I also want you to — when you’re ready — to become very involved with our campaign… We need the help — there’s no question about that.”
In his many conversations with gay people, Hildebrand said, “we certainly recognize [Clinton’s] strength with gay voters. … I think there’s a lot of information we need to provide on Barack’s… ‘rock-solid’ [positions on gay rights]… There are a lot of people who question [Obama’s commitment to the LGBT community]. … [We need] a significant education program.”
Hildebrand then turned the mic over to Human Rights Campaign head Joe Solmonese (who, to his credit, was calling in from the road, literally; he was on his bike, in the midst of the California AIDS Ride).
Solmonese started by expressing surprise that the one thing “most people” have been talking to him about this week is the LOGO debate held last summer. That the debate was attended by all the candidates (never mind, Joe, that you excluded Mike Gravel, until you were pressured to include him) illustrates the power of the LGBT community on the national stage.
Solmonese launched right into an appeal for all LGBTs to join the Obama campaign, citing “the degree to which our community has moved onto other campaigns” (meaning, as the other candidates dropped out of the race).
He praised Hillary Clinton, saying there is “no greater hero” to the LGBT community, and that he knows “many people are disappointed… but it speaks to the real power of our community that we have such an ally as [Obama],” and that Obama “has a vision of America that includes us. He sees us — he sees we are part of the fabric of America. … He has told me… that he sees it as his calling bring disparate communities together.”
Then (and it was surprising no one had mentioned it yet) Solmonese brought up Obama’s speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church, and how Obama “told the congregants that they should do a better job of embracing their [LGBT] brothers and sisters.”
Next, Solmonese rattled off the usual laundry list illustrating Obama’s commitment to LGBTs: Obama favors the Matthew Shepard Act, wants to see equality in the workplace, wants to repeal DADT, and thinks there “ought to be more funding for HIV.”
Then it was onto waxing poetic about what an “incredibly exciting … transformative moment [this is] in American politics.”
And then came the standard unity pitch: “It’s time for everyone … to show our power, and come forward and work toward a common goal.”
And then came the usual fearmongering: “The consequences could not be clearer.” Solmonese noted that John McCain opposes the Matthew Shepard Act (and opposed it when Senators Levin and Kennedy attached it to another bill to try to get it passed), opposes ENDA, thinks DADT “works just fine” — and, while he opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, stating that marriage was “best left to the states,” McCain endorsed the constitutional marriage ban in his home state of Arizona.
Solmonese went back to the unity pitch for a moment (”[We have to] rally together to show ourselves to be the powerful community [we are]”), and then mentioned that the “young people” inspired to come to the polls to fight the California marriage amendment are the same young people who will vote for Obama.
Hildebrand came back to praise Solmonese for HRC’s endorsement of Obama, and then turned the call over to longtime civil rights activist (and longtime Clinton friend) David Mixner.
Mixner:
“I understand what many of you are going through. I was a strong John Edwards supporter… We [Edwards supporters] did find a home [in the Obama campaign]. I think you will find a warm home here. … Two things:
“[First:] Senator Obama has already opposed the California and Florida initiatives.
“[Second:] We’ve had moments in our history as a community where we have an opportunity to create great change. This is such a moment … with [the California and Florida anti-gay initiatives], to build a power base, to replace the Republicans…
“Probably for the first time since the ‘92 [Democratic] convention, we have the opportunity to make history as a community. We must gather and unite in our opposition to McCain … to create something special in this country.”
Next up, Tobias Wolff, civil rights lawyer and Chair of the Obama National LGBT Policy Committee:
To Hillary Clinton supporters, Wolff said he understands that there is an “issue of trust, and trust in the LGBT community” regarding Obama. “As a community, I think we have learned that we have to demand [leaders] earn our trust and earn our loyalty.
“Senator Clinton came into this race with a reputation in our community [of having earned that trust] through long years of advocacy, [while Obama’s] longstanding commitment to [the LGBT community] was less well known outside Illinois. Obama took the same approach with LGBT voters — he set out to earn their support, and earn their trust.”
Citing Obama’s “extraordinary work making LGBT equality and fighting homophobia a part of his message all over country,” Wolff opined that Obama’s appearance at Ebenezer Baptist Church was a “genuine expression to his commitment to our community, and recognition that he needs to earn our trust.”
Wolff said that in speaking with Obama “one on one, at length,” Obama “knows the issues, and he knows us, and he feels these issues in his bones. And the courage he has shown in giving our rights a prominent platform [shows that] this is a community that deserves to be courted.
“And the promise I want to make to all of you… We will continue to work to be worthy of your trust and of your support. We certainly don’t take it for granted.”
Hildebrand ended the call right at 30 minutes, with this:
“We will follow up with all of you and make sure you have contact information in the campaign. We want to invite you to get involved locally… We’ve got a lot of work to do…”
Chicago television station WTTW-Ch. 11 received a bomb threat on Tuesday night in relation to its airing of the gay documentary “Out & Proud in Chicago”.
The locally produced film documents the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Chicago.
In a statement Wednesday, Chicago Commission on Human Rights Chairman Dana Starks said:
It is shameful and disgusting that this is how our LGBT community can be treated in Chicago. While we would like to believe that this kind of homophobia was a thing of the past, unfortunately it continues — this time at the expense of WTTW, Northeastern Illinois University, and also the entire LGBT community.
More than anything, this incident emphasizes the importance of providing education on the harmfulness of stereotypes which lead to discrimination — and even hate.
We hope that this incident does not tarnish the otherwise positive reception that has been anticipated for “Out and Proud in Chicago,” the first presentation of the history of the LGBT community on prime time television in Chicago.
I received a message from a gentleman directing The Laramie Project, who wanted to know if he could use my video, “Life, Interrupted,” for the live show. (Of course, I was honored, and, of course, I gave him the go-ahead.)
For you Really-Northern Northern Californians, and close-to-the-stateline Oregonians, The Laramie Project will be at the Arcata Playhouse in Arcata, California, from June 18 through June 21, and June 25 through June 28 (8:00 p.m. curtain). See HumboldtPride.org for more info.
(I want very badly to go, but the dates are running into 1] our move, and 2] our wedding plans, so it’s doubtful we’ll make it.)
Events Calendar Coming to the Newswire
I’m putting the finishing touches on a dynamic calendar tracking major LGBTQQIA events throughout the world, and should have it ready for your perusal before the end of this week. You’re welcome to submit events we haven’t caught (just wait until the calendar goes live first, so you can see if your event has already been included).
Commenting on the Newswire
When you’re in the midst of moving and planning a wedding, you don’t get to accomplish much else. Thus, I’ve been sitting on a ton of comments I’ve been meaning to answer — mostly wonderful, supportive comments. The hate mail has died off a bit, mostly because I’m banning the IPs of abusers left and right — although I did get another nastygram from the nastyboy who told me he didn’t care if I voted for McCain or stuck dynamite up my private parts. (Hey, Jim Nacios, I’ll answer you here, when I get around to it — but you need to stop contacting me, right now. You come take a big, steaming dump in the middle of my living room, and expect me to welcome you here? You’re not welcome. Now, go away and harass someone else. If you contact me again, I’ll report you to your ISP — and to that university your email address appears to belong to. Now go away — permanently, pest.)
Because I’m so far behind in my replies, I’m thinking about reinstating actual commenting on the Newswire — moderated, of course — so at least intelligent comments will appear in a timely manner, even if I don’t have time to respond to them as I’d like to. (Unintelligent comments, of course, will either be dumped, or ridiculed mercilessly.) I’m also considering displaying trackbacks. I’m waiting to see if the backend measures I’ve taken over the past few days prove successful in cutting down the spam. (If you’d like to see what the blocked spammers see when they try to access any page on the LavenderLiberal.com domain, this is our new 403 “Forbidden” page.)
What Democratic Party?
Yeah, I know what’s going on with the presidential race, and yeah, I have plenty to say about it — but, frankly, it’s all come out the way I expected, so my opinion is practically moot now. That doesn’t mean I won’t be writing about it (me, not express my opinion? ha!) — but I don’t feel a lot of urgency about it anymore. The Blogger Boyz (somebody called them “petulant”; what a good word!) won (”Crush that defense! Kill! Kill! Kill!”) — that is, if “winning” means alienating a huge core of the Democratic base, plus ultra-liberal homos like me who will not forgive nor forget McClurkin, Meeks, Caldwell, Mary Mary, and all the rest of the homophobes contributing to this Great New Society and Realignment of the Democratic Party that 1) I don’t recognize any longer, and 2) doesn’t want me as a member anyway. As far as they’re concerned, I’m a racist, mouth-breathing member of the Bitter White Woman contingent.
Whatever. It’s Obama’s world party now — we just squirm under its bootheel have to put up with it. (But probably only until November.)
So, what’s there to say that can’t be said later, when I have time to sit down and write something long and thoughtful? Not much, really — except that I’m not looking forward to the next four years of President McCain. But, as I’ve often said, if I could survive Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II, I can survive McCain.
And, anyway, I’m trying to quit my addiction to national politics, as all my earnest participation has been for naught, and my energy can be better put to use elsewhere.
If you wonder what I mean by that, take a look at one of the last long posts I made at Democratic Underground — it’s at the top of my journal there (which I’ll be reprinting here sometime, since I expect that I’m about to be purged from DU at any moment):
Have you ever stumbled across a headline and known what you were going to find in the story before you read it?
I was cruising through the late headlines before bed, and noticed one that screamed “hate crime” — not “crime of passion,” mind you, but “hate crime,” for no other reason than that it’s almost par for the course: When a man is murdered, and mutilated — when there is this kind of overkill — chances are he was gay.
The mutilated body of a male teacher was found Saturday at Hacienda Faraon in Brgy. Cabahug, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
The victim, who was identified by the Cadiz police as Antonio Bilbao, 38, and a teacher of the Himogaan Baybay Elementary School in Cadiz City, was found with his head almost severed, and multiple stab wounds in his body, police said.
The body that was discovered by a farm worker at about 5 a.m. Saturday, was probably dumped in the place, initial police investigations showed.
Chief Inspector Jefferson Descallar, Cadiz police chief, yesterday said the victim was reportedly seen with six other persons at a benefit dance in one of the sitios in the barangay, who were also with him on his way home at about 2 a.m. Saturday.
Descallar, however, refused to disclose the names of the companions, while follow up investigations of his brutal killing are being done.
Aside from the severe cuts in his neck, the police also initially counted eight stab wounds in his body, majority of them in the stomach.
Descallar said they are looking into robbery as the motive for the killing and cited the missing wallet and other personal belongings of the victim.
He, however, said they are still exploring other angles of the incident.
Bilbao who was reported by the police to be a homosexual, was supposed to report to his new assignment as a teacher at the Himogaan Baybay Elementary School in Brgy. Cabahug, Cadiz City, today. …
I’m going to follow this story as best I can.
Of course, this sickens me, no matter who the victim is. But, somehow, I’ve become something of a chronicler of my murdered LGBT brothers and sisters; I can’t think of any better way to make the violence stop than to put a face and a life to every name, to force people to recognize the victim not as a thing, but as their brother or sister, their uncle or cousin, their grocery clerk or next-door neighbor.
I’ll talk more about this tomorrow — it’s late and I’m zonked. I just wanted to mention this now; you see, whoever Antonio Bilbao was in this life, we should know his name.
Recently a woman reported that she was brutally raped at her home in Charlotte [NC]. Now an anti-gay marriage amendment has been introduced in the state Senate. You may wonder what the two have to do with each other. I believe they are directly related. You see, the woman, who chose not to disclose her identity to the one local TV station, WBTV, that covered the crime, said she was a lesbian, and that while brutalizing her, her attacker made it clear that he was raping her because she was a lesbian.
… [In North Carolina] crimes committed on account of a victim’s sexual orientation are not classified as “hate crimes” under state law. But make no mistake, gay people are targets. The violence is real and it is systematic.
Efforts to amend the state constitution to preclude forever a same-sex couple from marrying are but one component of that system of violence. Such efforts, regardless of their sponsors’ intention, have the effect of branding gay North Carolinians as the “other,” as something less than equal.
Imagine systematically denigrating a segment of the population and then believing that the consequences stop with the law on the books, without any real-world ramifications. When proponents of a marriage amendment brand certain North Carolinians as targets for special disadvantage, other people believe them, and gay people, like the woman in Charlotte, are raped — or worse.
Last semester, I taught the close friend of a young man named Sean Kennedy. … Sean is dead. In May 2007, he was assaulted in Greenville, S.C., by a young man who called him “faggot” while punching him so hard that he broke every bone in Sean’s face. Sean fell to the pavement; the impact caused his brain to separate from his brain stem.
Shortly after driving away, Sean’s killer left a message on the cell phone of one of Sean’s friends: “Tell your faggot friend that when he wakes up he owes me $500 for my broken hand.”
Or consider Scotty Joe Weaver… Or there is the case of Danny Overstreet…
Studies show that in states, particularly in our neighboring Southern states, where anti-gay marriage amendments are in place, violence against gay people, and especially gay youth, is escalating at alarming rates. …
The [North Carolina] anti-marriage amendment was introduced on May 14 by Sen. Jim Forrester, R-Gaston, whose wife recently wrote that gay people in North Carolina are “seeking to … rob our children of their innocence.”
Reading those words, I thought of my friend, shot at on the streets of Roanoke, who has now been with his partner for 13 years; neither of them is interested in robbing anyone of his innocence. I thought of Sean Kennedy, Gwen Araujo, Michael Sandy, Brandon Teena. Doesn’t anybody care about their innocence? …
Some in our state Senate recently opposed a bill passed in the House that would protect gay youth and youth perceived to be gay from bullying and harassment on that account. I can only assume that the opponents believe these youths deserve to be beaten, cut, urinated on and set on fire as gay youth I have known and counseled have been. Do these kids also deserve death?
It’s a hard truth, but when you recognize that marriage amendments, and the dehumanizing culture of which they are a part, break not only hearts but also bones, you understand what really is at stake. …
What can I say? My heart swells with gratitude — while my anger swells at the disgusting, revisionist lies of Holocaust deniers (like Scott Lively) that are allowed to spread.
But no anger now. Just gratitude, and admiration for a country with the courage and humility to acknowledge the starkest genocide of the twentieth century — and to recognize the slaughter of and atrocities inflicted upon the homosexual “undesirables”:
BERLIN (Reuters) — Germany unveiled a monument to the tens of thousands of homosexuals persecuted under the Nazis, whose laws were used to prosecute gay men for a generation after World War Two.
Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit, who is openly gay, hailed the grey, concrete memorial as a long overdue acknowledgement of the repression of homosexuals, 50,000 of whom were convicted by Nazi courts during Adolf Hitler’s 12-year dictatorship.
“The monument consecrated today is a reminder to us of the horrors of the past and draws our attention to the degree of discrimination that currently exists,” Wowereit said.
“Great efforts will still need to be undertaken before the sight of two men or women kissing here or in Moscow or elsewhere on the planet is accepted by society in general.” …
Nazi authorities ordered the castration of some gay men, and sent thousands more to concentration camps, many of whom were murdered or died from hunger and disease.
Until 1969, when the centre-left Social Democrats headed a government for the first time since the Weimar Republic, Nazi laws continued to be applied to prosecute homosexuals. …
EU Should Insist on Reforms to Counter Persisting Inequality and Abuses
ISTANBUL — May 22 — Turkey should urgently change law and policy to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people from extensive harassment and brutality on the streets, in homes, and in state-run institutions, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Human Rights Watch also called on the European Union to make Turkey’s membership aspirations contingent on ending endemic abuses and guaranteeing equal rights and protection for LGBT people.
The 123-page report, “‘We Need a Law for Liberation’: Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights in a Changing Turkey,” documents a long and continuing history of violence and abuse based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Human Rights Watch conducted more than 70 interviews over a three-year period, documenting how gay men and transgender people face beatings, robberies, police harassment, and the threat of murder. The interviews also exposed the physical and psychological violence lesbian and bisexual women and girls confront within their families. Human Rights Watch found that, in most cases, the response by the authorities is inadequate if not nonexistent.
“Democracy means defending all people’s basic rights against the dictatorship of custom and the tyranny of hate,” said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “Where lives are at stake, Turkey needs to take concrete action and pass comprehensive legislation to protect them.”
In recent years, Turkish authorities have repeatedly harassed human rights defenders and civil society groups working on issues of gender and sexuality. Most recently, on April 7, 2008, police raided the offices of Lambda Istanbul, a nongovernmental organization that has advocated for LGBT people’s rights for over 10 years. The police justified the incursion by claiming the organization “encourages” and “facilitates” prostitution. The Istanbul Governor’s Office has also filed a lawsuit trying to close down Lambda, arguing its name and objectives are “against the law and morality.” Lambda will once again have to defend its right to exist before the Beyoðlu 3rd Civil Court of First Instance on May 29, 2008.
The report examines a wide range of human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Several transgender people told Human Rights Watch how police tortured and raped them. One gay man recounted how another man stabbed him 17 times in an attempted murder that still remains unsolved. A lesbian couple described how their parents used violence to try to separate them; when they turned to a prosecutor for help, he refused, questioning them instead about their sex life. Human Rights Watch also found that, in a flagrant violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Turkish military continues to bar gay men from serving in its forces. At the same time, Turkey withholds any recognition of conscientious objection to military service. Some objectors must instead identify themselves as “sick” — and are forced to undergo humiliating and degrading examinations to “prove” their homosexuality.
The report acknowledges that there have been some positive changes in Turkish law and policy as the country attempts to join the European Union. However, it also calls on the EU to insist on respect for LGBT people’s basic rights as a barometer of Turkey’s human rights progress.
Turkish law offers no express protections for LGBT people’s universal human rights. In 2005, Turkey reviewed some of its laws to bar discrimination, a move meant to show Turkey’s commitment to European Union standards. However, Turkey has yet to adopt a comprehensive antidiscrimination law that conforms to EU standards.
“In the complex path toward European Union accession, this report points to an area where little or nothing has changed,” said Long. “The EU must fully incorporate issues of sexual orientation and gender identity when considering Turkey’s application for membership.”
