With Bruce Kraus' victory in the Democratic primary, today is an historic moment for Pittsburgh and all of Western Pennsylvania. Kraus is the first openly gay person to be headed for the hallowed halls of the City Council of Pittsburgh. In fact, he is the first openly gay elected official in Western Pennsylvania. Well, he will be after the General Election in November. But you know us Pittsburghers -- it is all primary, all the time for local races.
What does this mean for your everyday average queer? Puh-lenty.
First, it means that Pittsburghers are more progressive and openminded than the Allegheny County Democratic Committee and others would have you believe. A progressive gay man defeated the incumbent, party-endorsed candidate. Change can happen.
Second, it means that the rest of the elected officials are going to have to interact with a real live homosexual on a regular basis. I relish this because, in my experience, this kind of personal interaction is the best vehicle to break down prejudice and build understanding. We cannot underestimate the power of these relationships to bring about change for all Pittsburgh residents, gay and straight.
Third, it means we finally get to see someone who "looks" like us AND acknowledges he is "us" in a leadership position. Not another closeted wink, wink politico. Not someone we speculate about every so often. Rather, someone who is proud and confident enough in his identity to share this part of life with the entire electorate. Kraus told Pittsburgh's OUT newspaper that his campaign is about more than his sexuality (no weblink available). That's certainly true, thank goodness, but I think it is good for the regional LGBTQ community to savor this moment.
Finally, it means we get a progressive, energetic and dedicated member of city council to join our allies Bill Peduto and Doug Shields. Kraus campaigned on the loss of Community Development Block Grant monies for organization such as the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, Shepherd Wellness Center and Persad, the region's LGBTQ mental health provider. He wants to do something about the liquor license situation on the South Side. He has a proven record of community involvement and civic leadership. He won the endorsements of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steel-City Stonewall Democrats and the Gertrude Stein Political Club of Pittsburgh. He garnered the support of the Victory Fund.
Bruce Kraus is our candidate. Soon he will be everyone's member of Council. Hallelujah!
One of the most bitter foes of the American gay community has died and I only feel sadness for him and his family. I'm sad because his legacy is permanently scarred by his unrelenting hatred and intolerance for people who are gay, feminist, foreign born, of color and otherwise different from his vision of a godly society. Falwell sowed dischord and hatred in the name of religion, a weapon he used to divide our nation.
Remember this?
> After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Falwell said on the 700 Club, "I
> really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the
> feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to
> make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American
> Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the
> finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen."
Should I cry for this man? Nope, but neither do I rejoice at his death. Instead, I mourn a life wasted, power abused and faith misplaced by millions of Americans. I guarantee the wingnuts are just looking for the slightest bit of glee from our side, just waiting for something to pounce upon to carry on his legacy of hate. From what I've seen, most people won't give them the satisfaction. Media outlets all over the nation are contacting prominent LGBT organizations and leaders for comment. I was thinking what I would say if a media outlet asked me (ha).
Statement by Matt Foreman, Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
?The death of a family member or friend is always a sad occasion and we express our condolences to all those who were close to the Rev. Jerry Falwell. Unfortunately, we will always remember him as a founder and leader of America?s anti-gay industry, someone who exacerbated the nation?s appalling response to the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic, someone who demonized and vilified us for political gain and someone who used religion to divide rather than unite our nation.?
NOTE: The first edition of this post switched the district races around. I apologize for the ridiculous mistake and can only claim that the lack of coffee made me do it. It goes to show that people ARE paying attention.
None received the ACDC endorsement so I didn't get to sing their praises in previous posts. But I should have because these three people running on a local level can make a tremendous difference for our community. Kraus is gay, Arnet and Dowd are not. But all are committed to a progressive fairness that bodes well for minority groups in the region.
Kraus is running for City Council - Southside, Allentown, Knoxville, Beltzhoover, etc. He's taking on incumbent Jeff Koch. Koch is the guy who finagled the Redd Up crew into wearing his campaign tee shirts while on the job. Working for the city. Nice. He is feeling the heat. Email everyone you know in this district and tell 'em to vote for Kraus.
Heather Arnet is running for School Board in District 2 (Lawrenceville, Highland Park). The lesbians love Heather. She is progressive, fair and a visionary. Her commitment to girls has been amply demonstrated by her wonderful work with the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Heather has been endorsed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Gertude Stein Club as well as highly recommended by the Steel-City Stonewall Democrats. Vote for Heather on Tuesday. Tell your friends in her district to vote for her. Email them right now. Don't wait.
This is definitely our guy. A proven progressive while on the School Board, Dowd has run an excellent campaign. His opponent is incumbent Len Bodack - Highland Park, Polish Hill, Stanton Heights, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield. Bodack came to a LGBT forum and said he is opposed to gay marriage because of his religious beliefs. Classic old school politics -- why would we vote for someone like that?
The opponents of all three of these individuals have NOTHING to offer the gay community in terms of policy or innovations to serve our families. We need to be part of the change that is going to move Pittsburgh forward. The status quo is not sufficient.
Email your friends in these areas. Call your mother, your sister, your best friend and ask them to vote for candidates that respect and value the LGBT community.
Saturday night, Ledcat and I sat down to talk with Lance Friedman, co-chair of the Steel City Stonewall Democrats which is the local chapter of the national gay democratic network. Friedman has been co-leading the group since January 2007 after the unexpected departure of Steel-City's controversial co-chair Scott Safier.
Since then Friedman and co-chair Tara Reynolds have been working with a small but dedicated board to rejuvenate the organization. Of late, Friedman's energies have been wholeheartedly focused on the May 15 primary, dedicating countless hours to turning out the gay vote and working for candidates such as openly gay Bruce Kraus' campaign for city council.
"Elections are about turnout," says Friedman, a three year Pittsburgh resident originally from Michigan. "A small group of gay voters can make a difference in this election." The May 15 election is not expected to generate a large turnout.
Friedman and his partner, a University of Pittsburgh researcher, relocated to Pittsburgh from New Jersey. They have been together for nearly 10 years and Friedman, a history major, has been politically active the entire time.
When he arrived in Pittsburgh, he became involved with the Gertrude Stein Club and Steel City, eventually joining the Steel-City board. With the departure of Safier, Friedman has been actively reaching out to former board members asking them to reconnect with the organization. He says that several have indicated a willingness to get involved and perhaps rejoin the board.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that I was a board member of Steel-City and resigned over the antics of Safier in my pre-blog days. Any hint of criticism that seeps through this post is solely my own. Friedman spoke not a single ill-word about the man.
The current board includes 4 people, all of whom are juggling a lot of competing interests and are self-proclaimed political junkies (h/t to David and Maria). Friedman and Reynolds are looking for fresh blood to keep the organization moving forward.
Friedman says frankly that he doesn't perceive himself as a leader. "I took the co-chair job because no one else wanted it," he explains. He envisions recruiting new leadership and being able to step down from the executive committee to a typical board role.
Friedman's modesty about his leadership talent is unwarranted. The organization recently hosted an endorsement party, drawing a good sized crowd of both candidates and community members. Friedman had his concerns that the turnout would be gay-lite and candidate-heavy, so he got on the phone and contacted every gay person he could think of and encouraged them to attend the event. It worked. Ledcat and I rolled in around 3:30 and rolled out an hour later laden with stickers, flyers and postcards and a fresh look at the candidates.
Others noticed as well, including the Allegheny County Democratic Committee (ACDC) which was planning their own LGBT forum with their endorsed candidates. They wanted to partner with Steel City to turn out the gays, but Friedman acknowledges that the timing was a bit dicey as the event was scheduled for the day after the Steel City endorsement. The ACDC and Steel City groups did not achieve endorsement parity, but did cooperate in the event planning.
Moreover, the Steel City candidate questionaires were the primary source of information for the ACDC forum. Friedman was rather pleased with this event and views it as a step forward for the LGBT community. Here's my take on the event.
The dynamic co-chair seems to understand the challenges of turning out the gay vote while remaining delightfully optimistic about the opportunity. "I'd like to think gay people are voting even if they aren't politically active," he offers. He chalks up the lack of political activity to the subtle, but widespread oppression LGBT individuals face in Western Pennsylvan's political climate (heavy on the Catholic conservatism).
Friedman believes the election of Bruce Kraus could change that. Seating an openly gay individual on City Council would demostrate how open-minded Pittsburgh can be. He believes it would play a major step in breaking down homophobia by creating opportunities for other elected officials and the public to interact with a real gay person rather than just an image from the media or as painted by anti-gay activists. According to Friedman, Kraus is ready to wear the "gay mantle" should he win Tuesdays election.
Kraus deserves the support of the entire LGBT community. Just this weekend, local businesses endorsing Kraus had their property vandalized. Two separate businesses. Kraus' campaign also reports more than 18 signs have been stolen which seems to be a lot for a city council race.
Meanwhile, Friedman and his small but dedicated group will continue to grow their organization in a new direction. He sees endless possibilities for collaboration with the ACDC, the Gertrude Stein Club, LGBT business owners including the tavern guild, and the elected officials themselves. While frank in his assessment of the gay friendliness of any particular candidate, Friedman remains positive on the possibility for the gay community to change their attitudes and welcoming to anyone who wants to join his group.
And that truly marks the dawn of a new gay in Pittsburgh.
You can help make a change in Pittsburgh. Check out the Steel City webpage for more information.
CALL OUT FOR SUPPORT TO DEMAND JUSTICE FOR ERICA KEEL
THIS FRIDAY, MAY 11TH, 4pm, at 12O1 LOCUST ST OPEN PLANNING MEETING
On March 22nd of this year, Erica Keel, a 20-yr-old African American trans woman, was fatally run over at Broad and Thompson streets in North Philadelphia. According to witness accounts, the driver in question intentionally ran over Erica four times after ejecting her from his car. A medical examiner's report supports these accounts. However, the police have ruled Erica's death an accident and have refused to conduct an investigation. The driver, Roland Button, fled the scene but was later apprehended by police. He has yet to face criminal charges, including "hit and run." When friends of Erica, who are themselves trans, questioned police officials about the classification of Erica's death as an "accident," they were asked to disclose their "birth" names and were told they were "trying to make something out of nothing."
As community members and allies, we are asking for your support in challenging police injustice by demanding a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding Erica's death. Our efforts to demand justice for Erica are part of building a larger strategy to address state violence against trans youth of color in Philadelphia.
Please join us THIS FRIDAY at 4pm at the Washington West Project, 1201 Locust St., to help plan a demonstration. For more information contact Savannah: 267-879-1339 n_hornback@yahoo.com
Be sure to read the comments. It would be great to see this kind of dialogue happening in Pittsburgh, but instead we have a candidate for Sheriff and former Pittsburgh Police Officer who sees no real law enforcement issues with the LGBTQ community. Ahem. I guess that stuff just happens in Philly?
This made me laugh. And cry. Our favorite Pennsylvania-flavored fundie, Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania, has issued a call for all good Christian families to boycott the City of Brotherly Love for being too gay friendly.
It seems that Philly has ratcheted up the drive to attract gay tourist dollars by unveiling several dozen rainbow street signs in the gayborhoods that cater to the LGBTQ community.
According to Gramley, the city was prompted by the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus to approve the street signs. "What the city of Philadelphia is doing is looking for the homosexual [tourism] dollars," she says. "They need to know that if they are going to be accommodating homosexuals, then they're going to lose the traditional family dollars."
The city of Philadelphia is not family friendly, says Gramley -- and families should not choose Philadelphia as a vacation spot, she adds. The AFA of Pennsylvania leader believes a loss in tourism dollars is the only way the city is going to get the message.
"Let's face it," she says; "the majority of people in America hold traditional values, or they at least believe that homosexual acts are not right -- and we need to just send that message to Philadelphia."
Gramley says the country's Founding Fathers would be appalled that Philadelphia is now being touted as a "mecca" for homosexual tourists.
Let's face it. Gramley is another hate-spewing pseudo-Christian bigot with the temerity to think she can successfully boycott an entire city. At least she had the smarts to do it before football season gets underway. Good Christian men may object to Justin Timberlake exposing Janet Jackson's breast during a football game, but what's a few prancing queens compared to the Eagles?
You know what really pisses me off about Gramley's sanctimonious "family values" boycott? She's right -- Philadelphia is not a family friend place, but it has nothing to do with homosexuality. This year, the city has seen more than one homicide per day. The poverty rate in Philadelphia is the highest of any major US city. The city is overwhelmed by guns. The police force has been reduced. The number of people who are homeless has risen.
These things impact real people's lives -- 1.5 million people. Real families with two parents, single parents, grandparents, etc. These are REAL issues about which a family association should be concerned. Taking action to address any of the above would be a wonderful way to honor the Gospel and the call to social justice. But this isn't about Jesus or social justice or honoring anything. It is about hate, intolerance and a rejection of the essence of Christian love.
Diane Gramley and the AFA of FA: putting the FU in family values.
h/t Pam's House Blend make the jump if you want to read some really atrocious comments from the wingnuts ...
Pam's House Blend contributor Ken from Mississippi has a nice little piece on the activism of coming out.
As I've said many times here at the little coffeehouse, the most radical, powerful bit of activism that we can do as LGBT citizens is to come out of the closet, live openly. The power to effect change and acceptance is to let your friends, family, work colleagues and people see that our lives are as normal and mundane as theirs, and that there is nothing to fear by expanding their world view to include a more diverse view of people.
Also from Pam, John McCain calls gay members of the military an "intolerable risk." Sigh.
This weekend is the first regional meeting of the International Lesbian and Gay Association in Africa. According to Pink News out of the UK, 38 African nations - all members of the United Nation -criminalize consensual same sex activity.
There's a report on PageOneQ that an Iraqi gay man was beaten and tortured by Iraqi police - for being gay - while Americans were present. For being gay.
The EU's Court of Human Rights has condemned the ruling that banned the Warsaw Gay Pride festival, saying it violated the EU Human Rights Charter. Warsaw hasn't been kind to Gay Pride as we've reported before.
And you've probably heard that Rosie O'Donnell made Time's list of the 100 Most Influential People. W did not make the list. Sadly, Archbishop Peter Akinola of the Anglican "Hate the Homo" theological tradition made the list. That's really scary.
The Trib's editorial board clicked their heels and jumped into line with the right wingnuts clamoring about the House of Representative's extension of federal hate crime protections to the LGBT community. It passed 237 to 180 while a companion bill works its way through the Senate. W, of course, is going to veto it.
Here's what the Trib has to say about it:
So, if somebody shoots dead a homosexual -- actual or perceived -- he would face the added hate-crime offense as opposed to someone who shoots to death a heterosexual.
Did the shooter hate the heterosexual less?
"H.R. 1592 would further carve out 'tiers' of victims, putting more importance on crimes committed against a Rosie O'Donnell than against her next-door neighbor," the Family Research Council reports.
They neglect to point out that shooting someone because they are gay happens a lot more frequently than the equally terrible crime of shooting someone because they are heterosexual. Its not the fact that a homosexual has been shot, you idiots; it is that they've been short BECAUSE they are homosexual.
The truth is that wingnuts are freaking out because they won't be so free to spew their inciteful hatred in the guise of free speech. They claim their thoughts wll be censored, but that's patently untrue. They will just be held responsible for violence based on intolerance.
The Trib doesn't fail to play the fear-mongering card ...
From capital crimes to organized religion, the adherents of hate-crimes legislation don't seem to know where to stop. A Catholic city official in Canada, for example, got slapped with a $1,000 fine for suggesting a gay couple's lifestyle was not "normal."
Again, not quite accurate. I feel like daveyoe what with all this fact checking and n'at. The Canadian city official was opposed to a gay pride proclamation, but took it a step further by denouncing homosexuality as unnatural and abnormal. That's inappropriate behavior for an elected official and, apparently, a violation of Canadian Human Rights ordinances. However, the nutters spin it as a suppression of DeCicco's Catholic beliefs.
They should relax because the worst DeCicco would face in the US is a short stint in rehab and an appearance on Oprah. While he might be unelected, he'd get puh-lenty of $$ on the wingnut speaking circuit and be personally annointed by Big Daddy Dobson. Not too shabby for a little dude from Kaloomps, British Columbia.
Seriously, those of you who are white and heterosexual, take a moment to think of the many ways in which you can express your identity without repercussion. I have to think very carefully about holding Ledcat's hand in public. I can not kiss her good-bye 99% of the time. We can't enjoy the simplest display of public affection without some qualm because of the very real possibility that we will encounter hostility. The majority of the time its merely dirty looks and muttering. But you never know. You have to be careful. I love Ledcat too much to expose her to potential violence just for the pleasure of holding her hand while we walk down the street.
Violence against gays is a very real issue in our society, much of it driven by hate rhetoric dripping from the fervored wingnuts and their merry minions of faith. I believe their speech is protected. Parry if you must, but be careful not to thrust.
I spent 90 minutes detailing what I deemed an historic event for Pittsburgh's LGBT community and the local Democratic Party. The party detailed it thusly (h/t Progress Pittsburgh):
GLBT: A good crowd representing the GLBT community in the area met with a dozen candidates and discussed issues of concern within the community, raising health care partner benefits coverage questions among several topics discussed during the evening. Local GLBT bloggers called the forum ?historic? and applauded the ACDC outreach into the community. Former Judicial candidate Hugh McGough served as moderator for the event and helped to usher along candidates new and familiar with GLBT community issues. Following the event, long discussions and networking occurred over far too many cookies and many in attendance asked hat these events become standard ACDC procedure.
You gotta be freakin' kidding me. Cookies? That warrants a mention in the one paragraph devoted to this event. Cookies. Like we are a bunch of church ladies who got together to discuss an upcoming social. Please note, I only got one cookie because I was busy chatting.
Plus, I have the sneaking suspicion they lifted some of the concepts from my blog post as I believe I am the only local LGBT blogger who covered the meeting and practically the only LGBT political blogger in Pittsburgh. The phrase "usher along candidates new and familiar with GLBT community issues" is what tipped me off. This is a neat little way to sidestep the criticism some of us raised about the candidates lack of preparation. They aren't underprepared; they are just "new." How nice for them.
So when exactly do they become old? Cause I swear Len Bodack and Sheriff Mullen have been around the block a few times if ya know what I mean. <wink wink>
Here's the thing ... the little paragraph is great ... so when is the next meeting? How about having a lesbian moderate it -- maybe Betty Hill or Dr. Emilia Lombardi? And we definitely need a little more "T" so be sure to get the word out in the trans community. When will the LGBT subcommittee be formed? Or an openly LGBT individual hired on by the committee?
I have a better idea -- how about if the candidates turn out for PrideFest so they can interact with thousands of LGBT community members from all over the county. How about if Rich Fitzgerald and Doug Shields turn out a few new members of their respective councils? And I hope Dianna Wentz proves she really is supportive of the gay community in spite of her personal religious beliefs by turning out for the most important LGBT political networking event AFTER the primary. It is all symbolic, you see, but it can send a message to our community. Click on the pretty little button on the top right side of my blog for all the PrideFest information you need. I'll be the one with the small blonde dog and the petite Ledcat.
Next time, come to us. I'll even let you borrow my blog.
