The California Supreme Court agreed today to review legal challenges to Prop. 8, the voter initiative that restored a ban on same-sex marriage, but refused to permit gay weddings to resume pending a ruling.
Meeting in closed session, the state high court asked litigants on both sides for more written arguments and scheduled a hearing for next March. The court also signaled its intention to decide the fate of existing same-sex marriages, asking litigants to argue that question.
Today's decision to review the lawsuits against Proposition 8 did not reveal how the court was leaning. The court could have dismissed the suits, but both opponents and supporters of Proposition 8 sought review to settle legal questions on a matter of statewide importance.
What's Comes After 8, Pittsburgh? popped onto the local blog scene recently. California transplant and newly married Christopher Hixson (also a scientist) started blogging:
I'm a newlywed (after a
government imposed 11
year engagement). Shaken
from my cushy life by
the tragedy of California
Proposition 8's passage, I
started a blog to try and
do my part to keep some
post-prop 8 momentum
going in my current home,
Pittsburgh, PA. Seriously. I
also do other things, and so
should you. Get involved.
Welcome aboard, Christopher. We need more LGBT voices in the Burghosphere -- talking politics, sure but also other topics of interest to the general community.
It always brightens my day to read a letter in the Post-Gazette section focusing on the civil rights of the gay community. Here's one example from Tuesday.
Creating inequality
Electing Barack Obama to be our president is a step toward eliminating racism; for this I am joyous and grateful. But sadly, eliminating racism does not mean ending discrimination.
This Election Day, voters in several states chose to enshrine discrimination into their state constitutions; Arizona, Florida and California voted to outlaw gay marriage while Arkansas voted to end the right to adoption for a targeted group of people.
All of these states passed constitutional amendments to eliminate civil rights for same-sex couples. Unequal treatment under the law is being written into state constitutions across our country.
Shame on all of us.
CHRISTINE ALLEN Sewickley
Christine makes an excellent point about constitutionalizing discrimination against an entire set of people. The follow up point would be the fallout these actions have on our most vulnerable citizens - children. The law in Arkansas prohibits unmarried couples of all stripes from adopting or fostering children. Any foster care recruiter or adoption specialist can tell you how many children languish because there are not enough homes that meet the existing standards or willing to step forward. So now that state just wipes an entire class of people off the consideration board because they are in an unmarried relationship to restrict the rights of gay people. Who suffers? The teenagers living in residential settings because there aren't enough families. The teens living on the streets because there aren't enough families. The little children living in substandard homes because the pool of qualified homes has been reduced.
Another contact from a Pittsburgh Cinemark Theater (Pittsburgh Mills). Note this one uses the term "sexual orientation" in lieu of yesterday's "sexual preference" usage by the corporate office. Do you think it is a local sensibility or just a lesson well learned?
They formally state that they include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies. I asked to see a copy of that policy, especially since yesterday it included sexual preferences and asked for clarification on the change in language. I also asked them to identify any local or regional LGBTQ organizations which they have supported and reiterated the value of being proactive in this regard to offset the damage their company endures as a result of the CEO's donation in support of Prop 8.
Do they seriously think that changing one word in a sentence is going to appease me? Especially when that sentence is allegedly corporate policy? You just don't change policies overnight and you sure don't change them on a local level without corporate input. Any meaningful discussion with advisors from the LGBTQ community would have, hopefully, ensured that the policy include gender identity as well, so I'm assuming this was just an attempt to make me go away.
Are we going to go away? Yes, actually. I'm going to go to Squirrel Hill to see "Milk". I'll go to the Southside Works to see other movies. I'm going to go online and continue encouraging you Cinemark Theaters to email and call them with requests that they take action to undo this regrettable damage by their CEO. If they want us as customers, they need to treat us with respect and dignity. If you don't have an option in your community, consider using Netflix which just partnered with Logo to offer DVD rentals of their programming. Rent movies from your library. Get some friends together to pool gas money and drive to the nearest town with a non-Cinemark theater to see "Milk"
We as a community have options. We aren't held hostage to every corporate entity in our community. The CEO of Cinemark sent us a clear message that he'll gladly take our hard-earned dollars and then turn around to spend them to keep us in second-class citizenship. Cinemark theaters across the country need to take individual action to offset this damage. If the theaters in Pittsburgh contributed $1,000 to the local LGBT Film Festival or the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, then theaters in 9 other metro communities followed suit ... would that be okay to us? Would the lesson be learned?
As for the employees being harmed by a boycott, that's an age old argument. I'd ague the employees are harmed more by the lack of a union than anything we can inflict. I'd argue that employees can put some pressure on their bosses to acknowledge the damage being done and the viral nature of the bad reputation. I'd argue that by calling for the company to create a culture that respects all customers, the work environment will be stronger and healthier and more affirming for LGBTQ employees and their families. I'd argue that if you know someone who works for Cinemark and might lose some income because of this issue, take your ticket money and buy them a gift card for groceries. Put your money where your mouth is, but keep your mouth open calling attention to this shameful conduct on the part of Cinemark.
Cinemark corporate can at any time meet with leaders on the national level of the LGBT community to discuss a resolution. They can get the numbers and the names. Here in Pittsburgh, regional staff can email me for the local contacts. A solution can be found before "Milk" premieres that leaves everyone a winner.
But you can't just change one word in a sentence and expect us to believe that things are different in your corporate culture. If anything, that shows that nothing has changed at all.
Dear Sue,
We received your correspondence regarding your concerns about the Proposition 8 vote in California. Please know that Cinemark made no financial contribution to either side on this issue. The company does not take a formal position on political issues that do not directly affect our business. It would be inappropriate to influence our employees' position on personal issues outside the work environment, especially on political, social or religious activities. Cinemark is dedicated to providing high quality entertainment for all of our customers. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate based on race, creed, religion or sexual orientation. We appreciate the importance of this matter to you. We hope that you equally appreciate that any individual act or contribution is just that, individual acts of personal expression and do not reflect company positions or policy.
Cinemark 18-IMAX @Pittsburgh Mills #357 425 Pittsburgh Mills Circle | Tarentum, PA 15084 P:724-274-0155 | F:724-274-0157 | E: 357@cinemark.com
Hey. I was just notified that this little correspondent has been selected to participate in the LGBT Blogger and Citizens Journalist Initiative in DC. I applied in October, but since they planned to pick 35 folks, figured it was not gonna happen. Hurrah, I was wrong!
Mike Rogers, a blogger who gained notoriety for outing closeted Republican officials, is spearheading a new initiative to support training and funding for the next wave of gay bloggers.
Rogers recently established the program, called the LGBT Bloggers & Citizen Journalist Initiative, with a $50,000 grant from philanthropist Jonathan Lewis.
Lewis is the son of Peter Lewis, one of the founders of Progressive Auto Insurance. Jonathan Lewis awards an annual scholarship through the Point Foundation?s National LGBT Scholarship Fund.
Rogers said the goal of the LGBT Bloggers & Citizen Journalist Initiative is to bring the online world together with traditional organizations that are sometimes lagging in the technology department.
Rogers said the initiative?s driving force is best encapsulated by a quote from Pam Spaulding, a lesbian blogger who writes at Pam?s House Blend: ?You can ignore us, but we are journalists, we are activists, it?s all one now.?
Rogers said that other progressive movements have been more effective in quickly disseminating their messages.
Citing this year?s killing of Lawrence King, the gay California teen who was shot Feb. 12, Rogers said fewer people online knew about that than last year?s ?Jena 6? controversy, in which six black Jena High School students in Louisiana were charged with attempted murder for attacking a white student after a noose was found hanging from a campus tree.
?How do we strengthen our voice so that when one of our young people is murdered, it becomes just as big of a story?? he said.
The initiative will begin with a December summit of 50 bloggers and representatives of gay rights groups, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which are sponsors.
This is interesting timing. My blog post about Cinemark and Proposition 8 was promoted to the front page of Pam's House Blend and Lez Get Real today, drawing a lot of new visitors to this site. When I applied, I submitted samples including my coverage of the Big Gay Meeting organized by the ACDC back in 2006. The concept of journalist-activist continues to resonate with me as many of the promises at that meeting have yet to come to fruition (such as the meeting on the delivery of human services to Allegheny County's LGBTQ population).
We have a long way to go right here in our own backyard.
Now, Ledcat and I have to see if we can make the arrangements to make it happen. Kennel, work, etc. It may not, but it sure is nice to be invited to the party.
We received your correspondence regarding your concerns about the Proposition 8 vote in California. Please know that Cinemark made no financial contribution to either side on this issue. The company does not take a formal position on political issues that do not directly affect our business. It would be inappropriate to influence our employees' position on personal issues outside the work environment, especially on political, social or religious activities. Cinemark is dedicated to providing high quality entertainment for all of our customers.
As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate based on race, creed, religion or sexual preference. We appreciate the importance of this matter to you. We hope that you equally appreciate that any individual act or contribution is just that, individual acts of personal expression and do not reflect company positions or policy.
Kindest regards,
James Meredith Vice President, Marketing & Communications Cinemark USA, Inc. 3900 Dallas Parkway, Ste 500 Plano, TX 75093 972.665.1060 (office) jmeredith@cinemark.com
So it is a personal contribution and thus, of no concern to Mr. Meredith. Of course, those of our "sexual preference" make personal decisions all the time about where to spend our money. Money that filled the personal coffers of the Cinemark bigwhigs, enabling the CEO to make a $10,000 donation in support of Prop 8.
In my response, I explained that I would prefer to see Mr. Meredith take the lead to offset the damages his corporate revenue have done to those in my community before I spend money a this local theaters. I encouraged him to seek out opportunities to support GLBTQ organizations in the Pittsburgh region -- I even made a few suggestions. And I explained that my sexual orientation is no more a preference than his.
There's been a lot of chatter about pushing back against those who financially supported the Yes on Proposition 8 initiative to show that the LGBTQ community will not have our rights ripped away and then blindly spend our $$ to fill the coffers of those who did the ripping.
LGBT organizers have been posting lists of donors to the Yes on 8 funds causing those folks to cry "foul" on issues of free expression and participation in the political process. That's bullshit. You can't fund a very targeted political issue and then expect those of us in the crosshairs to gladly hand over our pennies.
One of my sisters over at Lez Get Real has published a list of Yes on 8 Donors.
So, you might be asking what this has to do with us yinzers not planning to travel to California anytime soon.. I'm glad you asked. In a mere week or so, the new movie based on the legacy of Harvey Milk "Milk" will debut and the CEO of Cinemark Theaters made a nearly $10,000 donation to strip away marriage rights.
Hmmm. So, you can inform yourself about which local theater are owned by Cinemark and make an informed decision to not finance our own oppression, especially when it comes to the legacy of one of the greatest figures in contempary gay life.
I can hear you saying that boycotts don't work. Apparently, similar tactics in Sacramento resulted in a contribution to the HRC and a public apology. Plus, we are from Pittsburgh and know the power of the girlcott, right? If our girls could take on Abercrombie & Fitch, surely you and I can make a conscious decision to see Milk at a theater that is not owned by Cinemark. These include:
For those of us in Pittsburgh, this is a no-brainer as we have a zillion theater from which to choose. What's the situation in Erie -- are there alternatives? Clearly, someone should also take the lead on notifying the theaters of the call for the boycott so they can let corporate know and maybe we can see what happens.
Getting back to the larger issue, the response of the LGBT community and our allies hasn't always been something of which we can be proud. I've heard some stunning racist comments and these sweeping generalizations about African-American folks and Mormons. NPR reported that some Morman communities have received anthrax threats. That's despicable.
The boycott idea is fine because its pretty low energy, but what we really have to find the initiative to do is wrestle with the racism within our own community. We can't simply lay the fault at the feet of the African-American Christian community and call it a day. I don't really know many groups that are thoughtfully reaching out to the African-American community, both gay and straight. Yesterdays rally was pretty homogenous. The Dyke March gets it right -- that's one of the more diverse events in the City. This is the real underlying challenge. We have to find a way to engage Pittsburgh's African-American community around our shared struggles for equality.
The PG runs an interesting piece from the Washington Post on the taboo of homosexuality in India. Apparently, in spite of the slight liberalizing impact of the new economy, the fact that being gay is illegal causes for a thriving subculture in blackmail. Nice.
The editors ran one photo with a three sentence caption to describe yesterdays protest. You cannot access it online. The Tribune Review has nothing.
We missed the news, but I don't see anything up on KDKA. WTAE ran this piece. I saw their team arrive early when the crowd was small. I'm sure they had other news to cover, but it is a shame they didn't capture the large crowd streaming across the lawn and onto the sidewalks.
On a personal note, last week a friend emailed me about using my name in a blog post about marriage. Not wanting to make assumptions about my relationship, he opted not to invoke my name. I appreciate that, but I have been meaning all week to email him and clarify. True, the decision of Ledcat and I about our relationship is private and it is not fair or reasonable to assume all LGBTQ couples want to get married. But it is fair to use my name to say that I believe that we should have that option. It should be our decision, not a decision made to placate people who feel we are going to destroy the fabric of their faith community.
Wanda Sykes came out during yesterday's protests. Courtesy of Queerty. Ledcat and I enjoy the lightheated gay marriage storyline on "The New Adventures of Old Christine." I wasn't surprised by this "revelation" having seen Wanda chat about gay issues with Ellen a few months ago.
Wow. Pittsburgh turned out a crowd of more than 500 people (independent counts, not the organizers) in the Oakland area of town to protest the passage of California Prop 8 and demand equal rights for LGBTQ families. What began as a loosely organized effort turned into a large crowd of adults and children milling around Schenley Plaza and then taking to the streets for a very orderly and loud impromptu march around the Cathedral of Learning. Bearing signs and chanting the age-old calls for equality, Pittsburgh's queer community has clearly taken to the heart the national cry to rise up and demand change for our community.
Most major media outlets were present and busily interviewing the array of families who turned out with signs, strollers and something to say. I caught up with Equality Advocates' Jake Kaskey and a few old friends, but the vast majority of the crowd were folks I've never met before. Nonetheless, a friendly vibe pervaded the event with folks sharing signs, ensuring their neighbors got safely across the street and generally reveling in the festive nature of the crowd.
There was some police presence, mostly university police from CMU and Pitt. Ledcat picked out the police in unmarked cars, but they were fairly unobtrusive.
Throughout the march up Forbes and back down Fifth, we heard lots and lots of honks of solidarity with only a few perplexed stares. I counted no negative incidents. Click here to see what's happening around the country.
I don't have my cable to upload the photos so those will follow later tonight.
I was blown away by the turnout for this event, especially after all the confusion about location and the lack of participation from the major local groups. GLSEN, PFLAG and the Renaissance City Choirs turned out with the latter doing a lovely performance. Pittsburgh did itself proud. Kudos to Misty for showing what one person can accomplish even without the participation of the old-timers.
The question is whether this will make any difference. Let's hope Steel City and Gertrude Stein and other groups will find a way to tap into this energey and transform it into direct advocacy on local and statewide gay rights issues. The energy is there as is the willingness to do something -- our charge is to find a way to channel that into something proactive. We need to step up the advocacy work on HB 1400 and the Allegheny County anti-discrimination and not just sit back waiting to react to the anti-gay efforts of our opponents. Today was about far more than gay marriage -- it was about our entitlement to full and equal rights.
If you feel the energy, I encourage you to go to Steel City Stonewall and get involved. Come back later and see the photos.
From the PG comes word that Moon Area Schools have approved the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance among another new officially sanctioned clubs.
The approvals were unanimous on all of the groups except the new one, which was opposed by director Mark Limbruner.
"I voted no to the Gay-Straight Alliance because the club will be dealing with sensitive issues that are more appropriately handled by family members or our in-school counselors," Mr. Limbruner said, explaining his vote.
The club's purpose, as described by the district, is to "provide a forum for students of various sexual orientations to meet, discuss and address issues affecting them and their friends."
Amanda Hartle, the district's public relations officer, said the Gay-Straight Alliance was chartered as a club this year. She said its formation passed through all of the district's approval channels to become a recognized district organization.
She said the club will hold its first meeting this month, so it's not known how many students in grades 9-12 will participate. It's expected to include students of all sexual orientations -- not just gay or lesbian but also straight, she said.
No word on how Mr. Limbruner voted on the Youth for Christ club, or if he thought religion is an issue that should be handled by families.
Good for Moon. Good for the students who get to the club going and more power to 'em.
Don't forget today's rally at 1:30 in Oakland. Hope to see you there.
