UPDATE: Thanks to Correspondent Emilia for pointing out that there was a problem with this petition. I delinked it while that gets figured out. Must admit, its a good lesson for me in trusting my gut b/c the petition didn't seem to jibe with what feministing reported. Next time, trust gut.
Keeping the Best Interests of the Greater Community of Women in Mind: A Declaration and Affirmation of the Importance and Necessity of Woman-Only Spaces
We are a coalition of women (born women) and transwomen. As feminists committed to the liberation of women and an end to gender, we have found analysis and critique of the goals, strategy and methodology of the transgender movement imperative. At the same time, we remain committed to one another and to all women, women (born women) and transwomen, as a class of human beings subordinated under male heterosupremacy. We are dismayed by the polarization which currently exists in the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival community, specifically, and in the feminist and progressive communities, in general, over the issue of woman (born woman) only spaces. For this reason, we have come together to write this declaration.
The Inquirer published a nice piece illustrating why gay marriage is truly a civil rights issue. Its about child custody, health care decisions, financial stability and so much more. Of course, its a little middle-classy but that's probably who was available for the interview.
Same-sex couples in New Jersey say last week's state Supreme Court ruling ordering the Legislature to give them the same rights as heterosexual married couples within 180 days - though they don't necessarily have to call it "marriage" - is an opportunity to remedy many of the inequalities they say exist in their everyday lives.
"It's not the sexy stuff - it's the day-to-day issues," said Betsy Codding, who lives with her partner in Haddonfield. "This brings everything very much into the public eye."
When Heggs, 56, had a heart attack and a stroke, a hospital refused to consult Long. Heggs, who was in intensive care, on a respirator, needed a blood transfusion.
The hospital wanted proof that Heggs and Long were together, Long said.
"They wanted to see our marriage certificate," Long said. "They would never do that to a heterosexual couple."
We all worry about this stuff. Not everyone can afford to pay an attorney to do all the paperwork necessary to secure some rights, especially those in the community toiling away below median income. Without health insurance and without the extra $5,000 a year to pay for it out of pocket. I'm fortunate that Ledcat's employer offers domestic partner benefits. My employer chooses to only extend coverage to the families of heterosexual employees. They say its about the money. End of conversation.
It would be interesting to see the Inquirer or the PG take a look at the lives of working class queers and explore the double whammy of being poor and gay.
His defeat ``would cost conservatives one of their most talented warriors'' and could be seen as ``a repudiation of conservatism itself.''
So sayeth the Candian Press referencing a recent article in the National Review.
Who are they talking about? Our good buddy, Ricky Sanctimonious.
And its all because he loves him some bush. W style. Like most arrogant frat boy men, dumb and malleable bush.
Santorum, 48, is an anomaly among many Republicans who are putting some hefty distance between themselves and Bush in an election year when most voters are fed up with the Iraq war and are demanding change.
``He just can't turn his back on it,'' says Washington political analyst Charles Cushman. ``He's a true believer.''
For Cushman, the staunch Catholic's emphasis on the anti-terror fight is one way to take the focus off his reputation for extremism that goes well beyond antipathy toward gay marriage, contraception and abortion rights.
He's long been something of a political pinata, making headlines for remarks linking homosexuality to polygamy and bestiality. In a book last year, he suggested more mothers should quit their jobs and stay home with their children. Santorum says he meant women in wealthy families who could afford it.
That's my favorite recent spin. Rich chicks should stay home and get rid of all their illegal nannies. Then they'd go home to their children, too. Its a win-win for ALL the children. What if the mother makes more money than the father --- should he stay home? HA HA HA HA. Only a liberal Democrat lesbo would make that suggestion!
Would the defeat of Rick Santorum also mean a repudiation of self-loathing spokesfags like Robert Traynham? Who by the way is John McIntire's new best friend. I'm guessing that won't trickle down to me. :-)
Here's a link to the PG story on the New Jersey Supreme Court decision . And here's where you can see how the Trib covered the issue .
Hmmmm. Oh that's right. No coverage by either paper. The Post-Gazette ran 17 million letters to the editor when gay marriage was the big political wedge issue here in Pennsylvania last spring, including puh-lenty of column inches for homegrown homophobe and hate-mongerer Darryl Metcalfe to spew his jaundiced views.
On the bright side, KDKA covered the story. And WTAE. And even WPXI. And our good friend John McIntire did an especially nice job on both his blog and his radio show on KDKA. With yours truly donning the Lesbian Correspondent hat to chime in here and there.
So what's the deal with our local print media? I fully anticipate the fine folks at the City Paper will give a progressive shout out about the ruling in recognition of its magnitude for us homos here in da Burgh. But our daily papers have no such excuse.
Perhaps the PG is too busy replacing its actual human staff with cylons to pay attention to little things like pro-gay marriage supreme court rulings. When you cut our weekly dose of Tony Norman in half, you lose a lot of liberal street cred. And the Trib .... well, I can imagine the staff has been practicing wailing and gnashing of teeth over the impending Santorum defeat. Perhaps they just couldn't muster up a gay affirmative article that doesn't include drag queens and cultural events.
I have been brought to my knees by a mighty round of ailment and have barely touched a computer over the past two weeks. Thanks for all the inquiring and encouraging emails. It is nice to be missed. :-)
I'm sure you've caught most of this but I'll do a quick round up of some things that may have slipped beneath your radar.
Mark Foley - Scummy pedophile hiding behind alcoholism, history of abuse and the turmoil of being gay? Boo fucking hoo. On behalf of alcoholics, victims of abuse, homosexuals and all of our families, grow a pair and take responsibility for being a fucking pedophile. As for Hastert and all the rest, are you really surprised at their desperate desire to cover this up and somehow blame the homosexuals --- the Catholics have been doing this same maneuver for years. And its pathetic to consider abolishing the page program to "protect the children." Even the Catholics didn't go that far.
The always eloquent LA Johnson wrote a two-part series for the Post-Gazette about a local woman, Dannylee Mitchell, who is suing her former employer for discrimination. Dannylee is a transgender woman and believes she was dismissed because of her gender identity rather than her work performance. This is an amazing little series, very brave and forthright. I have never met Dannylee, but I admire her courage in sharing so much of her inner life with Post-Gazette readers. Go check it out.
Reverend Janet Edwards published an Op-Ed piece on her struggle with the Presbyterian Church over performing a wedding for two women. She explains why she is pleading innocent. Here's the backstory on our coverage of Janet's situation.
The Lesbian and Gay Film Festival opens this month.
Former Whitehall native James Yearsley now of Tampa wrote in a lovely little anti-gay diatribe to the Post-Gazette that was only printed in the online edition. Don't ask, Don't tell, Mr. Yearsley opines, keeps the military blood supply HIV free. Good to know, Jim.
Contrary to reports from the PA Department of Education, incidents of bullying is significantly high for gay and lesbian students. A report from GLSEN indicates that 80% of respondents had heard homphobic language in school. Only 12% of Pennsylvania schools have Gay Straight Alliances in comparison with 22% of schools nationwide. GSA's are an important tool in addressing homophobic harassment and bullying.
I'm sure there are stories I missed, but they'll resurface soon I am sure. Enjoy this beautiful day!
Now that's the kind of headline to start your Saturday morning.
Jeb Bush rolled into town for a Santorum fundraiser at the Duquesne Club (no word on whether Sienne Miller was in attendance). He encountered some protestors near Sixth and Liberty.
Demonstrating the further stagnation of the Bush gene pool, Jeb blew the protestors a kiss. Does he think he's Liz Taylor for crying out loud?
So they chased him. The PG account is filled with delightful phrases like "scurried" and "slow retreat" and "Mr. Bush was cornered." But far and away this is the best part of the entire article:
As a precaution, the governor was ushered into a T-station supply closet and stayed there until the crowd left.
They drove him into the supply closet while Port Authority police tasered a few folks and dispersed the crowd. No arrests.
Here's my question -- if the crowd's behavior requires the use of force (taser), why no citations? Or was this just about felling some protestors to free Jeb Bush from his closet? The homo in my would normally find that compelling, but I'd frankly rather Jeb stay in the supply closet and stay the hell out of Pittsburgh. Blowing kisses and going underground is simply not done here in the 'burgh.
Who investigates Port Authority use of force? Who investigates Jeb Bush's crowd control tactics? Who unlocked the closet door?
Here's a bit of a roundup from the blogosphere coverage ...
Ann Rodger's PG story was picked up all over the country, including The Huffington Post.
Pam's House Blend points out while 14,000 seats in the Mellon Arena remained empty, Dobson didn't miss an opportunity to make the Christian connection with the African-American community.
Street Prophets note that a turnout of 3,000 doesn't bode well for electoral turnout among the wingnut faithful.
Regarding the Antifa contingent, there's a LiveJournal report here and a blurb from their own website here.
I'm in the middle of the desert struggling to reconcile time zones and this is not the best way to begin a morning ...
These women are poised to be the next generation of leaders in their fields?whether it's sports, business, finance, politics or the arts. In their own words, they tell how they got where they are and where they hope to go next.
This is from Newsweek. The fourth woman profiled? Mary Cheney - Queen Lesbian Bitch of the Bush Apologists. Here's some pearls of wisdom on her "career" as a political campaigner ...
Every political campaign, especially at the national level, is an emotional roller coaster. There are moments that are simply incredible?holding a rally with 10,000 cheering people at midnight in Honolulu, watching my dad win the vice presidential debate and holding the Bible while he took the oath of office.
Mary appears to conveniently sidestep the fact that the Bible her father rode to the Vice Presidency is the very same weapon that's beating her entire community down on a daily basis in these hallowed United States. Not to mention that her father did not win that debate ... but why let facts get in the way of continuing to leverage Daddy's power for your self-promotion?
Leader? She worked for her Daddy, she wrote a book that no one bought and she is the most boring talk radio guest I've ever heard. What the hell kind of leadership is that? If this is Newsweek's idea of including the LGBTQ community, I'm definitely glad we switched to Time magazine.
Local gay organizers have spent dozens of hours organizing a planned LGBTQ presence in response to the upcoming "Stand for the Family" rally sponsored by the grand poobahs of homophobia, Focus on the Family. It includes everything from a media training to a candlelight prayer vigil.
And now from the City Paper comes word that a new group Pittsburgh Antifa is planning to ratch things up several notches.
If we are to stave off an atmosphere of bigotry that directly fuels violence and intolerance, we need to demonstrate to people at war with us that we are willing to fight back against their hatred and bigotry.
So we call on our friends, allies, and comrades to join us on September 20th in a Pink-Purple-and-Black Bloc as we noisily, angrily, and directly confront Focus on the Family Action.
They aren't satisfied with the non-confrontational approach of the Standing for All Families organizers. All the code words are there --- assimilation, trading freedom for security, no such thing as police protection --- you've heard it all before.
Several local and national groups are collaborating on a week of events to counter "Stand for the Family", culminating in a "Standing With All Families "Presence" outside the rally and a silent prayer vigil a block up the street. This is too narrow a framework for dissent, both in terms of the political issues addressed and the choice of tactics used. It also allows FOFA attendees to pretend they are just attending a conservative version of a liberal rally for same sex marriage.
Great. Fine. Believe what you choose. Practice what you preach. Do the anti-fascist thing til the sun goes down. But here's where it gets ridiculous .... Mike Avallone of Bloomfield and Antifa organizer.
?We feel this needs to be confronted for what it is,? Avallone told CP. ?Basically we just want to disrupt it as much as possible from the outside.?
What the hell does that mean? Hurling insults from behind black masks or throwing fire bombs? I'm not a 100% fan of the presence approach myself, but this is a bit too vague for my comfort. Hell, its a whole lot too vague. But this group comes out of nowhere with brimstone rhetoric that's basically a retread of what more radical LGBTQ groups have been saying in the past. Its probably the same people or their younger siblings. They have a message, but let's keep it in perspective.
And worst of all, it now has the presence organizers in a bit of a tizzy about how to handle these disruptive pseudo-allies.
So once fucking again our community is going to get so embroiled by infighting and petty disputes that we will completely miss the point. Then we can spend the next six years pointing fingers and whining about how apathetic we are. Blah, blah, blah.
You know what --- these antifa kids have been around for years and they ain't gonna set the Mellon Arena on fire. (Remember RESYST? They coexisted with us for years). The police know how to handle them so just give them wide berth and do your own lawful thing exercising your first amendment freedoms. If you think seeing a queer activist in purple and black is the worst sight your kids will endure that night, you are sadly mistaken. Its a good bet the fetus-friends will be out there with signs that are much worse. And those rally attendees probably will let loose with a few choice words when their own precious angels have to eyeball handholding homos in mass quantities.
Leave your kids at home with their homework, bedtime snacks and so forth if you must. That's fine and its probably where they belong.
But there's no excuse for you to stay home and let Rick Santorum return to office without even a whimper of protest from the LGBTQ community. Your kids deserve better than that.
Official word on plans to cancel the Standing with All Families event is still pending ...
