Nearly 125 women of all ages, ethnicities, sizes and shapes turned out Friday evening for Pittsburgh's first-ever dyke march, a grassroots effort organized by two local queer women in less than one month.
The event kicked off with a rallyesque bang at the CMU lawn with some spoken word, a few djs and a lot of lady mingling. We marched from CMU to Pitt and back along the Forbes/Fifth corridor. The pace was a little fast for those of us who aren't uber-physical, but the energy was high as the parade participants chanted, cheered and enjoyed the delicious feeling of being amongst a crowd of women laying claim to the dyke mantle.
The organizers expected/hoped for about 40 participants especially as they relied mainly on word of mouth to promote the event. They got well over 100 women, some reportedly driving in from West Virginia to attend.
The event grew out of frustration that most spaces in the local community are defined by men, either the men who attend or the men who own the actual space. This holds particularly true for PrideFest where some sense that queer women are invisible. Some women just opt not to participate in the LGBT community or travel out of state to attend dyke-friendly events. Eli and Khalia, the organizers, chose to create dyke affirming spaces and settled on a dyke march to coincide with PrideFest.
They are both quick to point out that the PrideFest Committee and the Gay & Lesbian Community Center have been supportive, providing listings of the march on their calendars and spreading the word about the event. PrideFest organizer Jeff Freedman told the City Paper that he viewed the Dyke March as a mobilization of the community, something he claims is long overdue.
The event did face an organizing problem when the Pittsburgh City Police failed to show up on time for the start of the march even though the organizers had followed all of the city policies and procedures to request the permit and arrange the event. They tried repeatedly to contact the police and were unsuccessful. Rather than see the event collapse, they turned to allies and asked them to help block traffic counting on the fact that the permit would offset potential problems.
We marched up Forbes and all the way to Fifth Avenue near the Cathedral of Learning when one squad car from Pittsburgh's Zone 4 showed up at the event. Organizers showed him the permit and he allowed the event to continue. This sargeant stayed for about 20 minutes and then left the group to finish the parade unescorted.
The event ended back at the lawn where jubilant women spent some time decompressing from the bit of a high this sort of dyke-positive event had created. I spent some time talking with both Eli and Khalia to get their perspectives on the value of creating dyke friendly spaces. I found them both to be articulate, passionate and -- perhaps most importantly -- willing to take action to build the dynamics they think will strengthen the community.
What I did not find was any sense of man-hating or male-bashing or desire to completely disengage from the male homodynamic. I did an informal survey at PrideFest about the Dyke March and found that a lot of the women who did not attend had heard these sort of rumors about the event and the organizers. Fortunately, they were willing to listen to our experience and expressed a genuine interest in participating in the future once we reassured them that no one was planning to castrate gay boys.
These women have done a good job creating a dyke-affirming event. The next challenge is to reach out beyond their circles of genderqueer women to all those dykes who didn't attend, didn't hear about it and are pretty much mainstream. Their voices should be part of the dialogue because they too are being disregarded by those in power. There are lots and lots of suburban dykes in Pittsburgh complete with minivans, car seats and years of misogeny on thier backs.
More on that later when I discuss why being labeled an assimilationist is not cool ...
Join members of the local trans community and their allies to celebrate, commemorate and advocate for trans-inclusion within progressive, queer and feminist communities.
Here's a bit o'background for those of you asking what the heck camp trans is about. Click to go the Camp Trans website.
Camp Trans is an annual gathering of trans people and their allies in Michigan with the intent of:
Protesting the exclusion of trans women from women-only spaces, most notably the Michigan Womyn?s Music Festival;
Building a trans-inclusive community that is welcoming and safe for all;
Empowering the next generation of activists to fight for trans issues locally through organizer trainings, workshops, and leadership development; and
Advocating for the inclusion of trans issues in progressive, queer, and feminist movements by building coalitions with supportive organizations and bringing attention to local campaigns.
This is a divisive issue here in my little local gay women's circle. The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival is hallowed ground among some women. Even the Correspondents don't see eye to eye on this issue. But I'm writing this post so I'm gonna tell you what I think.
I won't set foot at the Womyn's Festival as long as they exclude transwomen, genderqueer women and so forth. Don't get me wrong -- I bet Michigan is a wonderful experience and even though I prefer to camp with AC, television and showers, I'd probably enjoy the opportunity participate. But I can't do it. It seems wrong in 2006 to be having these kinds of divisive battles and inconsistent with the emergence of an entire generation of queer homosexuals. Its like shopping at Wal-Mart which the Correspondents never ever do. I'm not willing to trade the welfare of hundreds of thousands of employees and their families to save $$ on my dog food.
And I don't want to trade on my white/lesbian/middle class privilege to go to a music festival -- it would feel very artificial b/c there's at least 200 women who cannot attend sitting up the road. I'd rather use that privilege to do something good for my community instead of just doing something good for my personal enjoyment. Maybe I really am too much of a social worker after all. Whatever.
So mark your calendars for Friday, July 21 and head over to The Quiet Storm to show your support for all women in our community.
There's much to blog about today, but I'll start with PrideFest which was really nice this year. Organizers estimate that 6,500 people attended. I can tell you it was very crowded and there were more vendors than ever before.
This is the first year I've seen the parade from the beginning where we drove to catch the opening remarks of Governor Ed Rendell. His comments about legislative attacks on homosexuality and wingnuts using our identitites to polarize and divide the Commonwealth were very well received. And, as promised, he did say "Ladies, Start Your Engines" to the dykes on bikes. Which I must admit was pretty cool.
He also openly endorsed gay marriage. Openly. Not second-class citizenship. Not separate, but equal. Not telling us to go make the environment safer for him to speak out on our behalf.
The parade was larger than ever and filled with happy homo-lovin' people. I heard from others that Councilwoman Tonya Payne marched in the parde which makes her the coolest City Councilperson going. The others showed up at the festival, but we think that there's something about being in the parade -- about actively marching for community pride ---- that distinguishes our supporters from those who just talk to us.
We then drove down to the festival on the North Shore (my previously broken foot cannot handle two marches in two days). The festival was great. We arrived in time for the opening comments and to hear the political guests: our community's greatest champion -- State Representative Dan Frankel; City Councilman Bill Peduto, Doug Shields and Jim Motznik; Allegheny County's Valerie McDonald and Councilman Rich Fitzgerald. Frankel was eloquent and ferocious as always. Valerie spoke movingly about her family's African-American pride and made wonderful connections between the civil rights struggles of all minorities. Motznik told George Bush to kiss his ass which drew a mighty response. Shields and Peduto lived up to expectations with their enthusiastic support. And it was great to see a County Councilman there. I don't know much about Rich Fitzgerald, but my Councilwoman wasn't there so I'm gonna look him up.
All these fine and lovely people showed up to support our celebration, the second largest gathering of the LGBT community in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. What's striking is who was NOT there, namely three specific people: Bob Casey, Dan Onorato and Bob O'Connor.
I heard it everywhere yesterday. How come Bob Casey didn't show up?
Bob Casey blew it. He is under fire for being too moderate and there are many people in the LGBT community who view his support with skepticism and dismay. There are many people who don't plan to vote at all. He didn't attend the recent national gay democrats convention and he didn't show up for this. So in our opinion this was a perfect opportunity for him to reach out to the everyday homosexuals, not just those who can afford $100 plate HRC dinners. This was his chance to show up that he values and respects our families, our contributions, our lives. But he didn't show up. Sending interns with stickers doesn't cut it.
Even the local Democrat top dogs didn't bother to show up. Both Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and City of Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor had committed to attend and speak with the crowd. Both blew us off. At the very least it would have made the absence of the Democratic nominee for Senator in the race against our greatest foe a bit more palatable if the local boys had come in his stead.
What the hell is that about? Does our community lack the political muscle to turn out these guys? I fully expect to get a Rovian spin from the Steel-City folks who on KDKA radio openly approved of Howard Dean's 700 Club outreach, but there's very little you can do to convince me that NONE of these guys could show up.
Who else wasn't there?
State Senator Wayne Fontana in whose district this was held and whose staff hasn't acknowledged my correspondence asking if he would attend.
US Congressman Mike Doyle.
Any Allegheny County Democrats running for office. The only candidate who made this a priority was running for office in Butler County (I missed his name but I'll get it and post it b/c he deserves the props). The list goes on of course.
Everyone will have a good reason to offer, but I suspect if it were an event put on by a union, senior citizens, African-Americans or other groups they would have found a way to be there. Laura summed it up very well "They don't respect us enough to show up."
I wonder if they respect our votes and our financial support?
As for media coverage, I was disappointed with KDKA's typical exploitive coverage. On the 11 o'clock news, they covered the Epilepsy Run right before us and the camera showed a wide range of people in the race: adults, families, people with strollers, dogs, wheelchairs, scooters, couples, singles, friends, etc. When it came to PrideFest, they showed two shots of anyone who wasn't a drag queen and one shot of Governor Rendell. The text was fine, but it was obvious that the KDKA news team puts about as much effort as FOX into fair and balanced coverage of the LGBT community.
On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette got it REALLY right this year. Front page of the region section with a very well-done article contextualizing PrideFest with the marriage debate. They even worked in "Ladies start your engines."
Wearing "Just married in Canada" T-shirts and identical gold wedding rings, Maria and Beth Kramer, of Ross, were on a motorcycle at the start of the gay community's Pride March, which Gov. Ed Rendell kicked off Downtown yesterday with "Ladies, start your engines!"
A few minutes earlier, the governor had brought the couple, who married in Stratford, Ontario, in April, on stage.
"Some day I hope that shirt says 'Just married in Pennsylvania,' " he said, to a roar of approval from the crowd.
The Tribune-Review had nothing. Perhaps our quasi-buddy and Trib columnist Mike Seate will weigh in this week. I didn't see the news on WTAE or WPXI, but there's nothing on their websites under local news.
We'll weigh in on specific aspects of Pride over the coming week. I need an entire post for the Dyke March itself. And I want to revisit the queer v gay issue.
During an early June interview with Al-Jazeera, Sheik Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, a leading Muslim scholar, emphasized that homosexuals are perverts who deserve punishment. In his mind, that's not open to debate.
He does concede, however, that there is debate over the best method to murder homosexuals:
The same punishment as any sexual pervert - the same as the fornicator.
The schools of thought disagree about the punishment. Some say they should be punished like fornicators, and then we distinguish between married and unmarried men, and between married and unmarried women. Some say both should be punished the same way. Some say we should throw them from a high place, like God did with the people of Sodom. Some say we should burn them, and so on. There is disagreement.
The important thing is to treat this act as a crime.
Ah. Democracy is action? This is interesting:
Qaradawi is controversial: among Muslims he is widely considered a moderate conservative, while many Western critics regard him as dangerously radical or as a supporter of violence. Some Muslim opponents see him as lax and influenced by Western ideas.
So tossing and burning are the moderate, Western influenced suggestions?
SheikAl-Qaradhawi attributes the electoral (or perhaps political) victories of George Bush to American perversion.
Kerry, who ran against Bush, was supported by homosexuals and nudists. But it was Bush who won [the elections], because he is Christian, right-wing, tenacious, and unyielding. In other words, the religious overcame the perverted. So we cannot blame all Americans and Westerners.
But unfortunately, because the Westerners - Americans and others - want to flatter these people on account of the elections, a disaster occurs. In order to succeed and win the elections, he flatters these people, rather than saying to them: No, you are sinning against yourselves, against society, and against humanity. This is forbidden. Instead of leveling with them, people flatter them to win their votes. This is the disaster that has befallen humanity.
Well, I suppose its a step forward to be linked with nudists instead of pedophiles and animal abusers. Still, I don't get where Bush and his religious whackos are "flattering" us -- how is amending the Constitution of the United States to make us permanent second class citizens flattery? I think its pretty consistent with telling us we are sinning against ourselves, society and humanity. Especially since they are telling us that in order to win votes ...
When I spoke with Mary Cheney on KDKA last week, I asked her what she is doing to help the homosexuals in Iraq. She acted stunned that she could do anything (ahem) and pointed out that homosexuals have bigger issues to worry about than gay rights.
Like worrying about tossed off a building or set on fire?
Wipe away all the rhetoric and propaganda, and all you have left is discrimination based on fear and prejudice. There is no danger to the family, there is no threat to our children. There is simply hatred and fear. And a use of language geared to incite that fear.
Stanley M. Stein of Elizabeth Township takes a different approach:
The forces of hate, bigotry and intolerance are again afoot in the land. Only this time the victims are gay people instead of people of color. But the rhetoric and hypocrisy are pretty much the same. Like hate-mongering white ministers shamelessly quoted the Bible to justify slavery and racial segregation, President Bush and the mullahs of the fundamentalist Christian right wing do the same to justify their own form of intolerance.
Stanley doesn't note that his very own state rep, David Levdansky is one of those who puts his own political career ahead of standing up to bigotry and intolerance. Mr. Levdansky may or may not harbor homophobic feelings in his heart, but his homophobic actions --- his willingness to let fear and hatred fuel his career --- speak volumes about the values he does hold dear.
The controversy over the gay marriage bill should add numbers and energy to Pittsburgh Three Rivers PrideFest 2006, taking place this weekend.
PrideFest is the occasion for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to hit the streets. It will begin at noon Saturday with a march from the Eliza Furnace Trail, Downtown, to the festival grounds at Riverfront Park on the North Shore.
A decent piece, situated in the entertainment section where it should be well read. The article goes on to mention the Theater Festival, the movie from the Film Society, and an event at the Holiday Bar. What it fails to mention (or just alludes to) is Pride Night at PNC Park. I want a specific reference to the Bucs being homo-welcoming.
The City Paper took a different approach, focusing on the two parades/marches associated with Pride: the Pride Awareness March and the Dyke March. I like the thoughtful contrast between the two events.
A separate and more overtly political statement by Pittsburgh?s gay community is planned for the day before PrideFest ? the city?s first Dyke March. Organized by a Bloomfield woman who calls herself Khalia Latte, the June 16 event will travel between the university campuses in Oakland. ?It was created as an act of visibility ? not to be an attack on Pride ? to counter the [greater] representation we felt was given to gay men,? says Latte. ?We?re hoping that this event will act as a catalyst ? as a rallying point for our community, to network, to try to politicize our community. Increasingly, gay space has become de-politicized, assimilationist.?
That's a valid arguement. I suspect, however, that for many people attending PrideFest itself is a political act. Leaving their closets, even just for a day, to mingle with gay people and experience first-hand a gay affirming atmosphere is the political statement.
Then there is the rest of us. Sure there are those its easy to peg -- the party crowd who come to Pride to see some skin, ogle the hotties and have a good time; the family crowd who want to check out the booths, stroll in the parade and enjoy a beautiful day surrounded by other same-sex parents; the ... oh wait, I guess that proves my point -- PrideFest is what you make of it.
Now, I know what Khalia is referencing. The GLCC is solidly white, middle class, middle aged gay male dominated. The committee has been chaired by white, middle class, gay men for at least the past five years and counting. The white, middle class, gay men tend to be the most visible and outspoken components of the community. And the ones with the money to donate to the organizations. Followed closely by the white, middle class, middle aged lesbians. The power dynamic is clear. The invitation to be part of the organization has been extended, but that's not the same thing as creating a queer friendly environment. See earlier post about Queer v Gay and the posted comments for a glimpse into the larger dynamic at play.
To be fair, these people have stepped up and saved the GLCC and PrideFest. They put in hundreds of hours to keep the center running and provide essential services. Their time, talent and donations ensure we can run a phone line, service dozens of kids each week and provide a gay-affirming space in the heart of Pittsburgh. They deserve kudos for that. Others stepped up to turn Pride from financial ruin and keep it free for the public. PrideFest has gone from a small little street fair to a huge public celebration of the gay community thanks to these very same white gay men.
I credit both Khalia and Jeff Freedman, PrideFest organizer, for publicly acknowledging that the two events are complementary, not competitive. The beauty of the current model of PrideFest has been its generative nature -- creating space for new "acts of visibility" including everything from a gay film to a dyke march to a religious service.
If these disparate queers and gays can generate this type of relationship around Pride, it bodes well for the larger dialogue. And that dialogue is coming. There are some significant issues of inclusiveness/exclusiveness in the gay community that I've referenced in previous posts. The most obvious divides are along race and age, but certainly include socio-economic status as well. But it goes further than that --- the GLCC is not handicapped accessible, but many of the queer events are held in bars or other venues where smoking is de rigeur --- both are acts of exclusion. PrideFest is free, many queer events are by donation -- both are acts of inclusion.
How mighty it will be when some of these energies move from working side by side to working together.
It seems the AFA of PA is peeved with the PA Senate Judiciacy Committee, specifically Senator Jane Earll of Erie for weakening the Marriage Protection Amendment when they stripped the anti-civil union language. Chief scribe and bigot Diane Gramley sent me this message:
Senator Jane Earll of Erie offered the amendment stripping the strong language of H.B. 2381.Yesterday the AFA of PA delivered over 800 letters from her constituents in favor of the Marriage Protection Amendment.She will now have to face those constituents.
?Pennsylvanians understand the issue better than their Senators give them credit.They understand that civil unions must be addressed or traditional marriage will be weakened because homosexual activists will continue pushing for same-sex marriage.Even homosexual activists recognize civil unions will be used as a stepping stone to legalize same-sex marriage, continued Gramley.
If Senator Earll stood up to 800 Erians, what does that say about the 20 SW PA Democrats who kowtowed to hatred and prejudice? Exactly ...
?If the Senate is not willing to deal with the issue of marriage in its entirety ? same-sex marriage and civil unions ? then they send the clear message to their constituents that they are not willing to take the tough stand necessary to protect one man one woman marriage,? Gramley concluded.
Diane, honey, the members of the Pennsylvania legislature are no more going to take a tough stance on ANY issue than they are going to vote to reduce their size. The weenie Democrats in Southwestern PA didn't stand up FOR your little gaybashfest of a bill; they stood up AGAINST early retirement.
Apparently, the AFA of PA was on to something ... the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send the amendment to the full Senate for a vote. BUT they removed language in the bill prohibiting civil unions and domestic partnerships. (365gay.com)
So what does this mean to the average homo? Well, the bill that passes the Senate has to be the same version as passed the House. So if this version passes, it has to go back to the House for another vote. Or it has to be amended on the floor of the Senate before passing. Either way, it all has to happen before the end of the session on June 30.
So what should you do? Pittsburgh's own Steel-City Stonewall Democrats suggest you continue writing letters to the editor and contacting your Senator to ask why they aren't focusing on more pressing issues. They offer this bit of comfort:
The good news is that our opposition is also now fighting the senate version of the amendment, dissatisfied that it now allows civil unions.
Ohio legislators expect a bill banning all abortions with no exceptions to get a brief hearing and then be put back in the drawer.
As the Columbus Dispatch reports, even the Ohio Right to Life organization does not support the bill. Does this mean that even fetus worshippers have some respect for the lives of women? Umm, no. This means that they recognize a tactical error when they see one ...
Ohio Right to Life is neutral on the bill being considered today.
Denise Mackura, director of government relations, said while at least 100 abortion-rights opponents are expected at the Statehouse to express their views, she?s concerned the bill would eliminate a number of critical state laws, such as a ban on partial-birth abortion.
While that might appear to make sense, if the court tosses out the bill, all the other laws might get tossed with it, she said.
Mackura is unconvinced that an abortion ban is the best way to get Roe v. Wade overturned. Rather, she expects it would come from a case challenging, for example, a law restricting abortion funding or parental notification.
Mackura said she would rather see Ohio pass an abortion ban that goes into effect if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. She also wants to take away state funding for abortions.
"It?s always useful to send a message to the court that people do think the law has gotten too extreme," she said.
So a bill that would allow women to die attracts 18 co-sponsors. And it gets a hearing, albeit a brief hearing. In a state were domestic violence laws no longer apply to unmarried women.
I've still got this really nasty taste in my mouth from the Mary Cheney interview.
So I'm trying to figure out this MySpace thing b/c someone from the Steel Queer N'At collective posted my post about their performance ... there. That's a horrid sentence. But you get the point. Anyway, I'm trying to figure it out and I notice that one of the acts from the collective is performing this Friday at Quiet Storm.
They are Thrive, three poets The Black Ass Bombshell..aka Vanessa German, Sweet Thunda aka Bekazela Mguni and Savannah Montana..aka Becca Cooper
We were very impressed by their acts. The Black Ass Bombshell did this wicked piece about Jorge and I was so enthralled by their outfits that it took me at least two minutes to realize who Jorge was. Then tonight I discover that Vanessa German is the woman who won the national SLAMBUSH contest. And I think I heard her at the Peace Rally in 2005. Where I was very impressed but it ended up I had been marching on a broken foot all along so the incredible pain sort of edged everything else out. That's right -- I marched for peace on a broken foot. Then I went to Starbucks.
So it all sort of swirls together to prompt me to go to The Quiet Storm this Friday at 8 PM to see Thrive perform en masse. After marching for dykes on a never really gonna heal from being broken foot. Then I'll march for Pride Awareness on that same foot.
Thank god my father wants to spend Father's Day at the movies. At least there'll be no marching.
I would greatly appreciate if there could be a blogging for peace/equality/healthy feet/Starbucks event in the near future.
During an early June 
