A representative from the Mayor's office will be meeting with representatives from various LGBT organizations and entities to discuss the composition of the new Advisory Council. While the Mayor's planning team has reached out to Leadership Pittsburgh, LP will not be playing any part in the formation of the council. That's regrettable as the process for establishing a brand new advisory entity would be strengthened by more transparency and some unbiased perspective. LP will work on structural and procedural issues. Still, I think that first step would make this seem more legitimate.
There are whispers (and snickers) from multiple corners that this advisory council is just a empty gesture or an attempt for Luke to appear more progressive as he faces reelection and lays the groundwork for his next political steps. My personal concern is that this board is going to be packed with Luke supporters (mostly gay white male business owners who need a good relationship with the sitting Mayor) and a few handpicked token Ls Bs and Ts.
Call me cynical if you will, but I'm willing to be wrong on this. I hope I'm wrong on this and certain individuals don't sit on the Advisory Council, creating real opportunity for fresh new voices to engage the Mayor's team on these issues. It isn't as if he is going to stop paying attention to his donors.
What could we reasonably expect from the Administation? Well, we can expect that LGBT civil protections and domestic partner benefits are integral to any City-County merger discussion.
We can expect that the Mayor take a better look at the internal climate of his employees and determine how LGBT friendly it is. Really is. Do a survey. Look at DP benefit applications. Figure it out. At least try.
We can expect the Equal Employment Opportunities manager, Tamiko Stanley, will work to recruit LGBT employees, a task that goes hand in hand with creating a more gay-sustainable work climate.
We can expect more appointments of LGBT city residents to boards and commissions and not just the art related ones.
We can talk about increasing sensitivity training for First Responders, but also receptionists and other front line staff with whom one's gay status might come up in conversation while seeking services or information.
We can expect the Mayor to hire an openly queer person in his office. Not someone that everyone "knows" is gay. A person who claims his or her gay identity with pride and dignity.
We can expect the Mayor to pay attention to the plight of the GLCC and step up to ensure this vital institution finds a new home.
I can expect that other bloggers will stop having stories to share about Mayoral staff making gay-bashing comments and/or being completely threatened by the slightest hint that they aren't 100% virile manly women-loving men.
We can expect that at the next ACDC gay meeting, Luke will show up and answer tough questions. Not send a surrogate.
We can expect access to the Mayor at events and meetings where this is opportunity for real contact, not just social events and parades.
We can expect something meaningful. A change in the City culture. Perhaps that's a tall order, but City Council has done the work on civil protections and domestic benefits. Now it is up to Luke to execute all of that into a City that truly integrates the LGBTQ community across the board.
So, we need to all turn up and submit names for this board that aren't the usual round of folks. I have two in mind. Who are you going to nominate?
Just received a call to action from the Steel-City Stonewall Democrats. As you may recall, legislation has been introduced on the county level which would expand civil protections with regard to housing, employment and public accomodations to include the classes of sexual orientation and gender identity. This is an important step for our region toward achieving equality for all residents.
Without this legislation, it remains perfectly legal for a landlord in Monroeville to refuse to rent to a lesbian couple. It remains legal for a restaurant owner in Bethel Park to refuse service to gay men. It is legal for an employer in McCandless to fire someone just for being gay.
The chance to make an impact is nigh:
Allegheny County Council is considering an ordinance that would prohibit discrimination in Employment, Housing and Public Accommodations based on characteristics including sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
The Council has, so far, been very interested in moving this non-discrimination ordinance forward. Twelve (out of 15) Council members have signed on as co-sponsors! One of Council?s next steps is to approve funding for the ordinance. Specifically, the County will have to hire folks to educate the public, to investigate complaints, and to prosecute violations of the ordinance. The Council's Government Committee will be discussing the ordinance next Tuesday.
This isn't a feel good resolution expressing the will of the Council. It needs to have some funding to give it teeth. My partner Ledcat, as you may recall, is an investigator and can attest to the need to ensure that qualified people are hired -- outside of the ken of politics -- to protect the interest of the residents of the County. This is a critical step in the process.
The meeting is Tuesday at 5 PM. Can you attend? Perhaps not. It is a holiday week and you do have jobs. One thing you can do is make a telephone call or send an email to your County Council Rep (and the two at large reps). Those details are below:
Please contact your County Councilperson to thank him or her for supporting this ordinance.Encourage your Councilperson to continue moving the legislation forward.
You can look up your County Council District by following this link:
In case you wish to encourage the non-sponsors to become co-sponsors, here is their contact information:
Chuck McCollough, Council At-Large
412.350.6520
Jan Rea, District 2
412.350.6530
Vince Gastgeb, District 5
412.350.6545
(Councilmembers ?at-large? are elected county-wide and represent all residents of Allegheny County.)
In case you would like to attend: the Government Committee of the Allegheny County Council will be meeting this Tuesday, November 25, at 5:00pm to discuss this legislation.The location is
436 Grant St., County Courthouse Rm. 119, Conference Rm. 1.At this type of Committee meeting there is not the opportunity for public comment, but the public is welcome to attend, and you would be supporting the legislation with your presence.
This is the forward momentum you've been hoping would spring from the Obama election and the anti-Proposition 8 rallies. This is your chance to do something very concrete that will have an impact in your own backyard. Our Councilwoman is the primary sponsor, but I am going to call Chuck McCullough as he represents me in his "at-large" capacity. I'm going to call John DeFazio, too.
Imagine the impact if each of the 400-500 people who turned out this past Saturday picked up the phone to do the same thing. On a County issue, that's huge.
Be sure to read this piece from the Post-Gazette Saturday diary:
In this miracle we call America, my own life is a testament to promises made, and kept.
I studied and worked hard. I have a good job. I worked in Congress for a well-known senator as the Reagan revolution began, one of only a handful of black Senate staffers at the time.
None of the blessings I've enjoyed would have been possible had it not been for those whose blood was spilled in Alabama in that summer of 1963.
Now, as a gay African American, a proud father and, I hope, a minister some day, I stand second to none when it comes to having pride in my country and what it has achieved. Mr. Obama's election reminded me of that.
The promise that now lives in me has been passed on to my children -- my beautiful "rainbow" sons -- two of them African American, one Puerto Rican and one Irish.
This week has been filled with much turmoil in the LGBTQ community as we struggle to reconcile the hope of an Obama presidency with the voter support of four anti-gay constitutional amendments. Bigotry has reared its ugly head along with ignorance, good intentions and enough blame to go around and around. At one point, I had to stop reading my email because the finger-pointing is just too much.
Sadly, there has been no online discussion on the local level. The local LGBTQ advocates have issued no statements or email messages or anything of that sort. There has been no calls to action or invitations to reflect on how we -- the collective we -- can move forward. I haven't really seen this level of analysis in the other local blogs.
Which is better? To remain mum or to expose the ugly face of racism in the queer community? It is great that Melissa Etheridge isn't going to pay California State taxes. That'll show 'em. And people are boycotting Rosie's family cruises b/c she didn't ante up. Wow. I shouldn't be so dismissive of people working through their anger and frustration, but the lack of self-awareness on the collision of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation is sad.
We are fortunate that men like Don step foward to proudly claim all of their cultural identity and remind us that our community is diverse. Period. We have to come to terms with that and find a way to build bridges with constituencies that might support a statewide marriage amendment. We have to make sure the Don Hammonds of the region are sitting at the table when we talk with the Ricky Burgesses of the region. Not that Reverend Burgess is a bigot, but he is opposed to gay marriage and we have to be willing as a community to enter that uncomfortable territory to dialogue around these issues and find our common ground.
This came across my desk about 14 times last week:
Invitation
Please join Councilman Bill Peduto & State Representative Chelsa Wagner for
"The Life of the Party" Halloween Party
feat. live music by
The Old E Allstars DJ Omar Abdul
Friday, October 31 from 8 to 11 PM
The Grand Hall at The Priory 614 Pressley Street, Northside
Cost is $10 with costume, $20 without All proceeds benefit Northside charity
Paid for by People for Peduto and Friends of Chelsa Wagner
My first question? Which Northside charity. Representative Wagner represents part of the Northside, specifically my part of the Northside - Manchester. Along with Castle Shannon and Beechview and Brookline, etc. Hmmm. Our little step-child status isn't her fault -- she didn't draw the district maps. I've talked with her staff on a regular basis and I believed they genuinely wanted to connect with our community.
This seemed perfect. A chance for Chelsa to do something for the children in Manchester (and their families) by designating the proceeds to benefit a local charity in her district. This could pave the way for more contact and stronger connections which would be a win-win for everyone. Right? Bill doesn't have any voters in the Northside so there isn't a conflict with him, right?
I asked some questions. I contacted Wagner's folks and Peduto's folks. I asked some friends of friends. I got various answers, but it boils down to no one being willing to name the charity or tell me how that charity has been/will be selected. That seems weird to me. Why would there be a problem with designating the proceeds to benefit a neighborhood that could use it? On the other hand, if they chose something outside of our district, why not just say so?
I think I am too naive and missing some sort of insider perspective here. I asked some people about that possibility and no one is talking.
It is a party. With masks and costumes. It costs $10.00. It seems reasonable to ask that our State Representative invest her time, talent and energies to benefit families living in her district. We don't have an office. Her staff cannot always attend (or aren't invited to) local events. They haven't organized any events here. So why not this one small first step?
I certainly have nothing against the other local charitable organizations. I just think it should be okay to ask for a little transparency when your elected official gets involved a few blocks outside of your district while you are struggling for some state attention. If you've been reading this blog, you've seen the Herculean efforts it takes to get PennDOT to simply cut their grass. We could use some help out here.
Let me say this in closing. Chelsa's staff have typically been very forthcoming with me and responsive to my calls. They seem like good people. I wasn't even going to blog about this until it became apparent that I could not get a straightforward answer. Having recently sat through a depressing free-for-all that passes for a public meeting, a meeting not attended by her staff, I just think someone has to start speaking up --speaking up more -- and saying that Manchester deserves attention. My God, my neighbor caught a state employee DUMPING in our fields, only half a block from the house he (the employee) rents. It is pretty bad when you drive a car down the street that is subsidized by my tax dollars (gov tags) to your rental property. But to dump in our neighborhood -- a place you should consider home? That's crazy.
There's a disconnect here. Or maybe I'm crazy for asking questions. Maybe I'm just supposed to put on my costume, shut up, pay up and have a good time. Then drive back down the street to Manchester passing the kids "hanging out" because their pool is closed, their community center is leaderless and focused on $250,000 housing units and because no one can agree how to ensure these kids get a shot at decent jobs being created by development around the block (i'm talking to you casino and Steeler-hotel people).
I feel a bit fatigued, to be honest with you. Obviously, I'm tired of the ads and the 27 minutes of media coverage during a 30 minute program. But I'm also getting tired of my political friends. I get at least a dozen Facebook invitations to rally after get out the vote campaign after fundraiser. And dozens of similar email messages.
All with this fervent undertone of urgency that implies I am somehow lacking if I am not 100% on board. That the fate of the world as we know it rests in my hands.
Well, back in 2004, I did volunteer for the Kerry campaign. I was sent to HQ downtown and forced to make phone calls to other volunteers asking them to come in to make phone calls to other volunteers. It was the most ridiculous waste of time. I never went back. I did volunteer on election day, but was treated like a moron by Kerry's guy on the ground so never went back to that, either. I mean I'll do the drudgery work, but I've got a dozen other very worthy causes that need my time and energy, too so please don't waste my time making me feel important. Just give me a real job. It can be boring. Just real.
This year, a popular tactic seems to be making fun of Western PA's fondness for yard signs. That's not elitist at all. People even have it as their Facebook icon. Get over yourself. We like signs. So what?
Today someone explained the situation with the local elections. It sound serious, but very convoluted. Why isn't anyone taking the time to break down this important information instead of just wasting our time? Stop shoving clipboards in my hands to ask for my email address. Give me good information and ask me how I can help.
If the Pennsylvania House and Senate seats are in jeopardy, why did only one State legislator turn out for a recent Gay Dems event? Or why didn't he bring it up? The only State Legislator that asked for my help is a Republican woman who reached out to me. My own rep's staff is taking days to answer a simple question about a fundraiser. There's a disconnect there.
Frankly, I'm tired. It is never enough. I'm working OT to convince some borderline voters on the presidential campaign. I'm deleting email messages to events I can't afford. I'm trying to process new information that just makes me feel panicky, not informed. And I'm hoping to avoid charges that I don't appreciate the volunteer hours other politicos are putting in. All of which is just bullshit. All of it.
I appreciate your hard work. But you are alienating me when you hit me with all of these intense demands for my time, money and attention. What I'd like to have is information. I'd be happy to talk with my neighbors about our state elections. But I need something to say. Stop mocking me and start educating me.
The Post-Gazette's "Next Page" featured a fascinating article on the implementation of deliberative polling around marriage issues.
My interpretation of this process is that it strives to create an informed voter, rather than create systemic changing dialogue grounded in consensus.
At the core of deliberative polling lies the belief that to develop an informed opinion citizens need two things: access to balanced information and the opportunity to engage in deliberation with a range of alternative views.
Sounds interesting. Proponents of gay-rights have long argued that when our opponents get to know us, they will experience our issues in a personal way that should overcome the us/them dichotomy.
Saturday's event is sort of an all-day education session. Participants have homework, they engage in small groups and they learn the facts about the history of marriage in our culture. I'm going to read that booklet myself. At the end of the day, participants will be polled for their individual views, not a collective decision. That polling data will be made public.
The poll is designed to have a policy impact, presumably by turning out informed voters (and informing their networks). I wonder about the choice of this issue. Neither Presidential candidate is in favor of gay marriage and the issue is fairly dormant in Pennsylvania. Equal protection would seem more fitting since it has legislative life. However, those pesky State House elections remind us of the importance of retaining as many progressive reps as possible. As progressive as Pennsylvania goes.
This strikes me more as an intellectual exercise on a hot button issue, but not necessarily a Pennsylvania issue.
Have you registered anyone to vote in this election? A friend, a comrade, a work buddy, your godmother, the neighbor, the dog walker, the fence sitter, the guy on the corner, etc?
Here's the link to the PA Voter Information page. http://www.votespa.com/ All you need to know.
Now, if you are looking for some guidance as to who deserves you vote, check out the Steel City Stonewall endorsements and recommendations .... http://www.steel-city.org/
Some news from our friends at Steel City. Two ways for you to get involved. A movie night at Cattivo and a Bonfire. How fun is that! I haven't done a bonfire in years and years. Ironically, I was moaning to Lance about the events all being in smoking venues. Lo and behold, an actual fire turns out to be just what I was looking to attend.
Some interesting tidbits for your political viewing pleasure. Michelle Obama addressed over 600 LGBT delegates at a luncheon cosponsored by Congressman Barney Frank and the Victory Fund. Is this a sign of things to come?
Pam's House Blend has this live coverage of the speech.
Frank in his opening remarks, noted that no Democrat who voted against the federal marriage amendment was defeated, however several who voted for it and ran for re-election were defeated
Which begs the question, according to Pam, of why so many Dems are "spineless" when it comes to repealing DADT and with regard to ENDA. Many of her commenters are questioning how impactful the "Elizabeth Edwards" syndrome should be for our community. Check out the conversation. Here are some other posts from Pam who is live in Denver.
The Advocate.com has a piece up about the Stonewall Convention which ran this past weekend. The 2006 Convention was here in Pittsburgh. I wasn't press credentialed for that one. :-) However, here's a little shout out to Pittsburgh embedded in the Advocate coverage. They mistakenly identify Gary Van Horn as the Head of the Pittsburgh Chapter, the Steel City Stonewall Dems. Gary is a former chair and current regular member. I think Gary is in Denver as a delegate for the DNC. Here's the link ... http://www.gaytvblog.com/2008/08/democratic-nati.html
I am rethinking some of my positions on this campaign. While I find distasteful and sexist the relentless tirades of bloggers and politicos against Hillary supporters potential damage to the election of The Annointed One, I don't want to squabble. Nor, however, do I wish to capitulate to the bigotry that says the prism of a woman is always skewed. Sometimes I feel like speaking about women's issues -- about my issues as a gay woman -- is the ultimate vagina monologue b/c the men simply don't want to engage in meaningful dialogue. I suspect on some gut level that we are being set up as scapegoats b/c we open our mouths and speak unpopular opinions.
That being said, what can I do to elect a Democrat and still acknowledge the historical greatness of Hillary's campaign? How do I work to ensure my future and still satisfy the inner voice that feels deeply betrayed by Obama's allegiance to Donnie McClurkin? I don't know.
BTW, I've been invited to participate in a webcast discussion on the campaign with other bloggers, including John McIntire and Maria of 2 Political Junkies. I have to work out a veterinary issue to see if I can make it. I'm kind of nervous.
On Facebook. I love Facebook and have over 140 friends. I found Melissa Hart's page through a former LDI classmate, Monica Douglas, who is currently the Executive Director of the Republican Party of Allegheny County.
It will be interesting to see what this new friendship means. I'm also friends with DeSantis and Mark (of course). Peduto and Lamb do not have pages. Peduto has a group. I joined. Chelsa Wagner isn't up there yet. It is only a matter of time until they all climb on board, I suppose.
