Don't Tell Me Who To Love - Ray Boltz/Soulforce (Music Video)

Soulforce an organization dedicated to achieiving LGBT liberation from religious oppression and discrimination through non violent means has come out with a new video on marriage equality. The song is by Ray Boltz a famous Contemporary Christian Artist who came out of the closet recently.

Word of the Gay: "Wolf"

A "wolf" is an older hairy and aggressive gay male.

NYC Restores Funds to Ali Forney Center

UPDATE: "Officials have restored funding for a drop-in center for homeless gay youth, a high-risk group for contracting HIV" (LGBT Youth News).

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11/5/08 - The Ali Forney Center is an LGBT homeless youth shelter that operates in New York City. Due to the current financial crisis in the economy, the local government has cut funding which is now threatening the existence of the project. The $600,000 the center receives annually in assistance is their only source of income.

Please call on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to restore funding to the Ali Forney Center by clicking here and copying and pasting the following text into the contact box provided on the form.

Dear Mayor Bloomberg:

I am writing this to request your assistance in preventing the defunding of the Ali Forney Center's drop-in services to homeless LGBT youth. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has announced that in 2009 it will cease allocating HOPWA funds to the drop-in services of the Ali Forney Center, resulting in the defunding of New York City's only full time drop-in center for homeless LGBT youth. The closure of this program would create a terrible service gap for homeless LGBT youths and would put their lives at risk.

Of particular concern is the loss of HIV prevention, testing and treatment that would result from the center's closure. As recent studies have indicated that HIV is spreading most rapidly in Black and Latino men who have sex with men under the age of 30, the loss of the comprehensive and innovative HIV services at AFC's drop-in center would be catastrophic.

Please see to it that the HOPWA funds are restored, or that new funding is put in place to ensure the continuation of these invaluable services to the homeless LGBT youth of our City.

Please visit the Ali Forney Center website to donate any money, or to donate items such as food, clothing, and other items which may be useful to the center.

Activist Tip: Debunk "Heterosexual" Preference

Often we see anti-gay right-wing forces use quotations around words that describe our identities, and families. You will see them say a "homosexual" insinuating that this does not deserve recognition as a real orientation. They will also put quotations around "marriage" when they discuss gay couples, to debunk the notion of gay unions being worthy. Likewise, with regards to trans folk they say "man", "woman" totally disregarding and disrespecting the persons gender identity.

When dealing with anti-gay opponents lets reverse the tactic and put it on them to see how they feel. For example, "heterosexual" to describe the so called preference of these individuals. Also "heterosexual marriage" to describe the notion that somehow a "straight" couple should attain marriage rights.

Please do not regard this post as heterophobic, we have many allied readers and would never degrade their identities or marriages, this is simply a tactic that can be used against our anti-gay opponents so they can just for a second see what it is like to walk in our shoes.

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.

Word of the Gay: "Plurisexual"

A "plurisexual" is a person who enjoys a variety of sexual practices and/or is open to either sex.

Vermont Freedom to Marry Drive

Vermont Civil Rights activists need your help, help them acquire marriage equality in Vermont. Please tell your friends, co-workers, family members, any body, to join the Freedom To Marry Drive and donate toward a great cause, the goal is to raise $50,000 by January 31st, please get the word out.

Every contribution whether it be through service or donation will help us, please don't hesitate to help. For more information please visit http://firstgiving.com/vfm or visit Vermont Free to Marry (Click Here)

Crossposted via Proposition This!

Anti-Gay Principal Reneges on his Decision to Resign

Back in May we discussed the Columbia, South Carolina Irmo High School's vote and rally on whether to allow the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance. In light of the fact that the school voted to allow a GSA principal Eddie Walker had announced he would resign since the club "conflicted with his values" and he felt it was inappropriate for a club to discuss things of a "sexual nature."

Now according to CountOn2News:

"Lexington-Richland District 5 spokesman Buddy Price told The State newspaper Thursday that interim superintendent Herbert Berg got a letter from Walker that said he wanted to stay."

The anti-LGBT principles contract is up for renewal in the Spring. If you aren't in favor of this homophobic principle keeping his position please join us in contacting the interim superintendent and members of the board in the district.

Berg, Herbert
Position: Superintendent
Email: HBerg@lex5.k12.sc.us
(803) 476-8116

Contact Members of the Board!

Open Forum: Does Gay Marriage Threaten Straight Identity?

In most progressive nations people support some form of legal recognition of same-sex relationships whether it be civil unions or domestic partnerships, but they outright reject the notion of providing marriage to gay and lesbian couples. Obviously something about granting marriage rights to same-sex couples threatens their world view.

Do self sufficient lesbians threaten the roles of the stereotypical "housewife" and the "man of the house" status. Does this whole notion of women's liberation in the sense that a woman need not be dependent on a man, not only threaten the mans macho self image, but also challenge the traditional "housewife" to reconsider her subservient role?

Do effeminate gay men represent a loss among straight men for their image of male supremacy and masculinity? Perhaps, marriage for these men would be an indicator of acceptance of them, and in order to preserve the "male image" femme men cannot be accepted or even tolerated under any circumstance.

Is there an irrational fear that children being raised by same-sex parents may grow up open-minded or even explorative of their own sexualities. The more homosexual people there are, the fear of a destruction of the human animal becomes a reality in the mind of our critics.

If gay marriage is legal, it will be on par with straight marriage and will be considered just another variation of a legal contract one can enter. Does the fact that one group can put down another help to empower this sort of straight pride and privilege that exists in our culture. Although never discussed and maybe entirely sub-conscious perhaps there is this feeling of being above gay people.

So what do you think, does queer sexuality/identity threaten heteronormative thinking and identity? Could this be one of the reasons for fierce opposition to granting marriage rights to same-sex couples?

"Living Out Loud" 2009 Midwest BLGTA College Conference

Join hundreds of BLGTA students from across the Midwest for the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference, the nation's largest annual regional conference on queer issues, February 13-15, 2009, at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

For more info and to register check out MBLGTACC 2009.

Word of the Gay: "Plumbing"

"Plumbing" is a term used to describe the uro-genital tract. It is a neutral way to describe sexual and reproductive organs thereby making them useful in some intersex and transgender circles.

Prop 8 The Musical

Activist Tip: Love The Sinner, Hate The Sin!

We are taught to love the sinner and to hate the sin. We must exercise compassion and provide outreach to the heterosexual community some of whom engage in the sin known as homophobia: a fear and/or hatred of homosexuals or transphobia: a fear and/or hatred of transgender people.

Find out how you rank on the homophobia scale.

Want to get more involved to fight queerphobia?

Find out what programs your local LGBT community center offers.

Find a local Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) chapter.

See if there is a safe-space training program, get certified, or start your own!

Learn more about and host a Stop the Hate workshop.

Check out the 52 things you can do to help stop transphobia!

Speak up when someone uses anti-queer terms or misrepresents the truth.

National No Name Calling Week is Jan 26-30, 2009.

Check out the Think B4 You Speak campaign.

Mapping Gender Neutral/Unisex Restrooms

Transgender, Genderqueer, and Intersexual folks often face difficult decisions when it comes to something as simple as going to the restroom. They face the reality of being attacked, discriminated against, arrested, or feeling very uncomfortable when choosing a bathroom that is specified for a specific gender.

Now, thanks to the Safe2Pee Resource, gender variant people can find gender neutral/unisex bathrooms around the world. You can also add any bathrooms to the database that would be suitable.

"The goal of the project is to create a resource where people who do not feel comfortable with traditional public restrooms can find safe alternatives, and to support advocacy and research to further the cause of gender free, inclusive bathrooms."

Word of the Gay: "Genderphobia"

"Genderphobia" is the fear and/or hatred of gender variant individuals. These can consist of a dislike for cross-dressers, transsexuals, or any degree of gender bending. The term is synonymous with transphobia.