Broadcast YOUR Message of Marriage Equality

Hat tip to Lavender Liberal for this wonderful idea in order to defeat the anti-marriage initiative in California.

The Marriage Equality Youtube group is looking for LGBT folks & allies to upload short videos onto the net to speak out about why marriage equality is so important to you. Whether you are coupled, single, married, or just believe in equal rights please put out the message and broadcast it to thousands of people on the net. The founder of the group will collect snippets from the various videos to make one long compelling film about why Same-Sex Marriage must be secured for Californians and all citizens of the world.

So get those video cameras out and make your case for Same-Sex Marriage! Together our videos can reach tens of thousands of people and get people to vote against the anti-SSM amendment. We can change hearts and minds through our stories.

http://www.youtube.com/group/marriageequality

TAKE ACTION: Urge United Nations to Support Worldwide LGBT Rights

"People around the world face violence and inequality – and sometimes torture, even execution – because of who they love, how they look, or who they are. Sexual orientation and gender identity are integral aspects of our selves and should never lead to discrimination or abuse. More than 80 countries around the world still make it a crime for men to have sex with men, or women with women. In some countries, the punishment is death. Many laws punish people for simply looking differently, or not living up to cultural norms of “masculinity” or “femininity.

The Yogyakarta Principles – named for the Indonesian city where they were adopted in 2006 by a panel of international experts – lay out clear standards for how governments should end violence, abuse, and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and ensure equality. We urge the United Nations to endorse the Yogyakarta Principles, and to call for an end to violence and abuse based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Tell the world’s governments to stop criminalizing people because of who they are or whom they love."

Click here to Contact the Secretary-General: Mr. Ban Ki-Moon of the U.N.

Support Anti-Discrimination Legislation in Ohio

According to God is a Dyke:

"In Ohio it is legal to:

* Fire someone if they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
* Deny them a place to live if they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
* Force them to leave a restaurant if they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender

In Ohio, it's legal -- even though more than two-thirds of Ohio voters support passage of legislation that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Today, a bipartisan group of legislators has introduced a bill to ban this type of LGBT legislation. State Senator Ray Miller and State Representatives Jon Peterson and Dan Stewart are optimistic, that Ohio will become the 21st state to update its laws and make our state a place where everyone feels at home."

Word of the Gay: "Pink Dollar"

"Pink Dollar" - Used to refer to the purchasing power of the LGBT community. Within the past decade many marketers have realized the wealth and loyalty of the Queer consumer.

1.1 Million Strong for Marriage Equality

Our opponents have collected 1.1 million signatures for a proposed anti-gay ballot initiative that would overturn the recent court ruling allowing for marriage equality in California. To reflect the new number our opposition has reached, the Human Rights Campaign has a new goal on the "Million for Marriage" campaign.

Please sign the Million for Marriage petition and send it along to friends and family.

Million for Marriage Petition

Queers United Welcomes all Homophobes to Our Site

So Queers United has had its first homophobic comment, yay! This comment was left on the entry about homophobe Greg Gutfeld of Fox News.

"fuck all you gay bastards..jesus christ keep all that fag shit to yerself you fucking queer..and queers united is a ridiculous name..and all of you are ridiculous people and should be put on a giant boat set a sail and sank"

I want to thank the person who wrote this, you inspire me and hopefully others here to continue our activism and educate and create awareness to stop homophobes like yourself.

Open Forum: What Does Pride Mean to You?

Happy Pride Month everyone!!!

June traditionally kicks off PRIDE celebrations throughout the world! I figured this is a good opportunity to ask What Does PRIDE mean to you? How do you choose to live your life out and proud, or do you? Will you be attending a parade, a fundraiser, a rally of some sort? What are your thoughts on what PRIDE is about, what it should be, and how the media covers it?

Shameless Self Promotion Sunday

Please feel free to share any links to Queer or Queer related topics of interest. You can post a blog entry you made, a website you found interesting. Anything goes as long as it is Queer in nature.

Guadalajara Officials Want to Oust Gay Bars

According to To Be Publications:

"The Mexican city of Guadalajara is threatening to move gay clubs out of the city center in advance of the 2011 Pan American Games that will take place in the city, according to Carlos Oceguera, who owns two such clubs.

A February story in the daily newspaper La Jornada Jalisco made the same claim, with the headline "Guadalajara mayor's office attack against gay clubs; it doesn't want them in the Historic Downtown."

Oceguera said city officials believe the presence of businesses catering to gays gives the city a "bad and promiscuous image" for tourists."

Local Activism has been unsuccesful and club owners have asked for international help to resolve the issue.

Please contact the Guadalajara Tourism Bureau...
Click here for E-Contact for "Vive Guadalajara!"

Word of the Gay: "Heterophobia"

"Heterophobia" - The irrational fear or aversion to heterosexual people.

There are a limited number of hate crimes against heterosexual people by homosexual people based on sexual orientation, but there have been a few instances. In heavily LGBT neighborhoods there have been some isolated cases of harassment against straight people.

---

Alternate use of the term:
"Heterophobia" has also been used by more conservative LGBT circles who are opposed to the traditional gay rights platform. They use the term to imply that extending equal rights to LGBT people is tantamount to discrimination against heterosexual people.

The term has been used by conservative circles who feel that when more liberal groups target them by calling them homophobic based on their positions that they can counter that liberal LGBT groups are being so called "heterophobic".

Asexual Pride Graphics

I have created a listing of Asexual Pride graphics for Asexuals & Allies to show support and create awareness about the Asexual Community.

Click here for Asexual Pride Graphics.

The reason the graphics are on a seperate entry is because it would lag the main page and make it difficult for readers. So surf over there and start decorating, post links to your decorated pages!

Lesbian Couple Discriminated Against at Safeco Stadium

According to Outsports:

"Two lesbians who kissed at a Seattle Mariners baseball game at Safeco Field said they were told to stop and are claiming discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The security guard said ‘there’s a lady whose son says he saw you guys making out, and I did, too. And you have to stop.’ Guerrero (the lesbian) said ‘well, we weren’t making out, but we were kissing and I’m not going to stop.”

The couple stayed at the game and then took pictures of men and women kissing without them being asked to stop. The Mariners are investigating the incident."

Contact Mariners (Safeco Field)

*Photo courtsey of thatsparklychick's on Creative Commons.

New York Recognizes Out of State Same-Sex Marriages

Thanks to the leadership of Governor David Patterson, New York State will recognize out of state Same-Sex Marriages within New York. (CNN)

Please contact the Governor to thank him for his leadership on the issue and commitment to equal rights for the LGBTQ community.

E-Contact Form for Governor Paterson

To Write To The Governor:
David A. Paterson
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

Phone: 518-474-8390

TAKE ACTION: Dubai Police Harass Transgender Population

According to SeaQWa:

"DUBAI -- Calling it part of an "awareness campaign", police in Dubai have arrested several men and women for cross-dressing.

Police claim the arrests are part of a campaign aimed mostly at young people to preserve the social values of the cosmopolitan Gulf Arab trade and tourism hub, newspapers reported on Monday. "

Please take action by contacting the Dept. of Tourism, tell them you will boycott the country and demand they take action to protect LGBT (it's probably best to spell out the acronym for them) citizens.
Click here for Feedback Form!

Clovis Superintendent Apologizes for Lesbian Couple's Photo's in Yearbook!

"Clovis Schools Superintendent Rhonda Seidenwurm on Tuesday apologized to parents and residents offended by the inclusion of lesbian couples in the 2008 high school yearbook.

She took full responsibility for not reinstating a policy that gives school officials oversight of the yearbook. She said the school will put in a policy providing more oversight on the yearbook next year."

(CNJ Online)

This is absurd that the school is trying to censor the yearbook and it is queerphobic that LGBT students would not be able to have their lives displayed.

Email Dr. Rhonda Seidenwurm the Superintendent of Clovis Municipal Schools District:
rhondas@clovis-schools.org