Thanks to Gary Van Horn from the Delta Foundation for passing these along. I was disappointed that County Council staff did not return my phone calls to get a copy myself.    more »

It is 5:25 AM and I am still stick.  I spent yesterday pretty much in bed which I rarely do. Last night, I tossed and turned with the whole "I'm cold/I'm hot" thing and body aches.  I took some Tylenol, but now I'm awake at 5:25 AM (actually I was awake at 5:00 AM) with the whole "I'm cold/I'm hot" thing and body aches. My tossing and turning was keeping everyone, notably Ledcat, awake and causing much stirring amongst the critters.  Since the second bedroom has accumulated at least 3 loads of laundry to be folded (I did briefly consider flopping down on the pile but opted against further annoying Ledcat), I dragged myself downstairs to curl up on the couch with the night stalker aka Coco.  On the bright side, I did enjoy my first meal in 36 hours -- saltines and gatorade. Yummy.  With a Tylenol chaser.

I have a training to attend today and, ridiculously, I'm still debating attending.  Clearly, I'm sick.  It is 64 degrees in the house and I'm not the least bit cold at this particular moment.  My body feels like I just ran into a wall.  Do I actually think I will avoid infecting other people AND still absorb something from this training?  I'm blogging at 5:32 AM so rational thought probably isn't an indicator of anything for me.  I'm just going to keep typing until I get tired enough to maybe get a few hours of continuous sleep or should that read a few continuous hours of sleep?  My point is still made.

I was going to read my much overdue library book about Descartes but it is too heavy for me to hold upright without shaking.  Also not a good sign, huh?  I wish I had a Linda Fairstein novel to read.  Descartes is a bit much.  I hate being sick with nothing light to read.  I may have to pilfer some issues of Rolling Stone from Ledcat. 

What I hate more than being sick is when people come to work sick.  I mean a cold in one thing, but people who look like death warmed over a few times and then some should stay home.  I'm very fortunate to have worked at places with generous sick time.  I remember having PT jobs upon which I depended for rent money and not having a choice about taking a sick day.  I really appreciate my job right now. 

On the bright side, my new poster from Ms. Magazine apparently arrived yesterday.  When I renewed, they sent me a poster featuring Barack Obama wearing a "This is what a feminist looks like" tee shirt.  That's kind of awesome.  Another bright side is that Ledcat did a "sick" grocery shopping so I'm stocked up on crackers, Gatorade and chicken noodle soup.  She's very good about doing that and always gets just the right things for me.  I really appreciate my Ledcat right now.  I hear no stirring of little toe nails so apparently the dogs settled down and she's drifted back to sleep.  Another bright note is that we have two movies from NetFlix so my inability to go out and do anything will be softened by watching "Margot Getting Married."  I really appreciate NetFlix right now.

Maybe I should toss in some gay stuff now, aside from the normal household stuff of two women coping with illness, laundry and dogs in need of nail trimming while living in a homosexual relationship.  You know, life lived in sin. 

Read Pam's take on the newest incarnation of the Office of Faith Based Programs. As we have been arguing here in Allegheny County, religious groups will be free to continue discriminating against gays under the guise of their religious freedoms.  Should they be funded to do so?  Hmmm.  How does a queer teen experiencing homelessness feel about "praying away his gay" before he gets a bowl of soup and the right to take a weekly shower?  Even this sick woman sees that we must have ENDA in place to tackle the unjust fallout of religious discrimination.  There's nothing wrong with a faith based soup kitchen, it just shouldn't receive governmental funding if it uses those tax dollars to cause harm to vulnerable people.  Cause harm on your own dollars.

OK, I think I'm ready to sleep.  I can feel that the room is chilly which is a good sign.  So here's hoping for some sleep and another delicious meal of crackers sometime soon.  Have a great day, kids.

Barb Feige, Deputy Director of Pittsburgh's ACLU, wrote in to affirm that the proposed anti-discrimination legislation will not interfere with anyone's religious liberty.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania supports the Allegheny County ordinance as a step forward in the struggle for civil rights and equality for all people. We are also in a unique position in advocating for both religious liberty and for advancing civil rights.

Those who claim that religious organizations' right to practice their faith will be impacted by laws protecting people from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation are wrong on this issue. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, the state Religious Freedom Protection Act and exceptions within the proposed ordinance itself all provide multiple layers of protection to allow religious organizations to carry out their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion.

It is an interesting vantage to defend both Fred Phelps and the County Ordinance, but one that offers us some light through the jungle of protest growing up around this ordinance.  My hope is that people of faith will take the ACLU at its word, but I continue to also hope that other people of faith will step up in support of the ordinance. 

An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin

 

 

February 7, 2009 at the Benedum Center

Performance at 8:00 PM

Followed by a Meet and Greet reception benefiting the GLCC

 

If the names: Edith Ann, Madame Lupe, Judith Beasley or Trudy make you think of Lily Tomlin and you would enjoy a night of Classic Lily Tomlin, followed by a meet and greet after the show, you are in luck!

 

One of America's foremost comediennes, Lily Tomlin brings an extraordinary, award-winning career that spans Broadway, film and television to Pittsburgh. "An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin" is a nostalgic presentation of more than a dozen of her famous characters including Edith Ann, the precocious five-and-a-half-year-old, Trudy, the New York City bag woman who plays host to visiting aliens, Ernestine the telephone operator, and Lucile the rubber addict. It will be a night of sidesplitting comedy, woven in with Lily's affectionate reminiscences of her Midwest childhood.

 

Ticket orders for this event must be received by February 5th, 2009

 

To purchase tickets: $90.00

 

By phone: Kat Carrick  412-793-5274

On line at: www.glccpgh.org

Mail to: GLCC, P.O. Box 5441 Pittsburgh PA 15206

 

PLEASE NOTE: If you already purchased a ticket for Lily from the Cultural Trust and would like to attend the Meet and Greet fundraiser, you can add on the event  through the GLCC for an additional $23.00. See above for ordering options.

 

All Tickets  for the Meet and Greet will be held at the Will Call office at the Benedum Center

From the Women & Girls Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Last night at the Pittsburgh Public School Board Education Committee Meeting, the PPS Health Curriculum Review Committee recommended that the School Board adopt a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum for the district. Currently there is no consistent health or sex-ed curriculum or policy guiding instruction for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, so information differs school to school, classroom to classroom. In some of our schools students are taught medically accurate age appropriate information and at others students are taught ?abstinence only? and are given very limited information about their own bodies and how to make responsible and safe choices to prevent unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

 To ensure that all of our students have equitable access to science based, age appropriate, comprehensive information regarding how to stay healthy and strong into adulthood, the board asked the Health Curriculum Committee to review national data and research on best practices regarding health and sexuality educational models. The Health Curriculum Committee consisted of parents, teachers, principles, physical education teachers, and district administrators, and health professionals. After several months of investigation and work, the committee came up with its recommendation to the Board to adopt a comprehensive K-12 health curriculum to include a comprehensive approach to sexuality education.

 I am enclosing the full presentation that was made to the board last night. The presentation document cites a great deal of the compelling research which demonstrates that comprehensive sex-ed programs have been proven to decrease sexual activity and unsafe behaviors, while abstinence only programs have not. In addition, because abstinence only programs only discuss sex in the context of heterosexual marriage, they leave many teens (and their parents) alienated from the process and excluded from receiving information about how to develop safe and respectful sexual and intimate relationships in GLBT and in non-marriage based heterosexual relationships. Comprehensive programs are more comprehensive and inclusive in language and information, and the curriculum are based on scientific data and fact (not moral judgment) so that all of our children are informed with equitable information to make safe and responsible choices.

 IMPORTANT! ? There is a School Board Public Hearing scheduled on Monday February 16, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the District office located at Conference 341 S. Bellefield Avenue (Oakland).

 We hope that you will sign up as a speaker to make public comments in support of the adoption of this policy and that you will encourage others to do so as well (especially those that have children attending a PPS school). It is imperative that the School Board hear that there is ample and enthusiastic support from district parents and constituents on this topic. WE NEED YOUR VOICES AS PARTICIPANTS IN THIS PROCESS!!!!!!!!!!

 If you also would send an email, letter, or place a personal call to your school board member on this topic that would also be very helpful.

 To speak at a Public Hearing you must call the Superintendent's Office at 412-622-3600 to ask for your name to be included on the speakers list no later than noon on the day of the Public Hearing (Feb. 16).

*Additional information about the Public Hearing*

- Location: Conference Room A, Administration Building, 341 S. Bellefield Avenue (Oakland)

- Contact Information:

    Contact: Superintendent's Office

    Email: superintendentoffice@pghboe.net

    Phone: 412-622-3600

 If you have any questions of concerns please do not hesitate to contact Adriana U. Dobrzycka. Thank you for all your efforts on this issue. We are looking forward to seeing you at the School Board Public Hearing on February 16!

 Take care.

 Adriana

 Adriana U. Dobrzycka, MID, MPH

Program Officer

Women and Girls Foundation (WGF)

425 6th Ave, Suite 1860

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Phone: (412) 434-4883

Fax: (412) 227-0417

 

I feel better. I had my first meal at Mad Mex today.  While the booths are incredibly uncomfortable, the food was good and the service was great. I hope I tipped enough.  Plus, I have leftovers for tomorrow! 

This came through the email box today:

 

OK, I'm really feeling lazy today and kind of pissed off.  What is it with this disconnect between a 125 turnout for Dykes on Bikes and the very short notice on important political organizing events?  Maybe someone needs to tap into more of the grassroots Miranda Vey's of Pittsburgh and see what happens.  Or invite Dykes on Bikes to join the Value All Families Coalition.  Or ask her to invite people to the training.  Or something!  How many years and years are we going to go without email being an organizing tool for our advocacy community?  It is thoroughly mind boggling.  No wonder blogs are dead and I had to rename this The Radical Vagina to get a gig with a dying local outlet of the MSM.  People love me, except those who think I intentionally undermined my queer credibility by throwing away flyers and undermined my feminist credibility by attending a wet tee shirt contest.  What if I entered a wet tee shirt contest while ripping up flyers AND sending out timely email calls to action via my Blackberry for the talent portion of the show ?  Who wouldn't pay to see that - a soggy fat chick covered in paper shreds begging people to email their Councilman?  Seriously ... that's entertainment.

Anyway. Here's a piece of the landmines facing repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  Makes sense to me that you need the military brass to want the gays, especially those with highly prized skills like speaking languages native to countries where we send soldiers. 

The Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society is inviting people to attend the Oscar shindig thrown by the Pittsburgh Film Office  Cost is $75 and includes all the usual hoopla.  I hear David Conrad might be there, serving foie gras pigeon style.  <gasps and ducks - unintentional pun>

March 5 is the day for the California Supreme Court to hear the Prop 8 case.  Adam will learn is he's still married.  Here's hoping he doesn't have to return the china and the gravy boats.

From Pam's House Blend, a story about teachinig tolerance in the schools.  Not.

Did anyone else see the Wrester?  My God, it was the saddest movie I've been to in years.  It felt so lonely.

 

 

From Equality Advocates and the Value All Families Coalition

I hope this reaches everyone in high spirits.  Session is underway in
Harrisburg and we expect over the coming months several issues
important to the LGBT community to be discussed and moved forward.  A
co-sponsorship memo has already been distributed in the House for non-
discrimination legislation, and we expect both the reintroduction of
hate crimes protections, as well as a potential anti-LGBT
constitutional amendment to find its way through the legislative
process this session.

There is an exciting and palpable desire for change within the LGBT
and allied grassroots, and I am working as hard as I can, along with
countless other organizations, activists and lobbyists committed to
these issues, to see positive legislation move forward this year.

This year we will hold regional Value All Families Coalition meetings
to bring more organizations and people into the process and sign-up
new faces and allies to join our effort.  Please try to send a
representative of your organization or come as an individual to learn
more about upcoming legislation, events, strategies, and issues we see
coming up over the coming year.  Myself, Stacey Sobel, Andy Hoover (of
the ACLU), and Steve Glassman will be attending and speaking at most
of these meetings.  Additionally, PLEASE feel free to forward this
announcement to any other organization you think would like to join
the coalition; that's why we're having regional meetings!   Please
RSVP to myself (jkaskey@equalitypa.org) just so I can get a better
idea of who will be attending each meeting.

Western PA Regional Value All Families Coalition Meeting

Saturday, February 7 from 1:00 - 2:30pm

Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh

5808 Forward Avenue, Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh


Additionally, we will be holding an LGBT advocacy workshop next
weekend in Pittsburgh.http://eqfed.org/center4civilrights/events/pghadvocacyworkshop/details.tcl
(Pittsburgh Workshop)

Also on Saturday, February 7 from 3:00 - 5:00pm

Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh (5808 Forward Avenue).

This is a good opportunity to get more involved in advocacy efforts on behalf of the LGBTQ community.  I realize that four days advance notice is not particularly useful, but let's face it -- the room for improvement should motivate you to want to get involved.  That is one of the reasons I started a Google Group for LGBT Advocacy and a Google Group for LGBTQ bloggers. Unfortunately, it seems like we need a lot more practice to get those running smoothly so your new social media folks can get the good information out to you.