The Post-Gazette is reporting that State Representative Dan Frankel has introduced legislation to expand civil protections to include the LGBTQ community across the state. 

He's built up a stronger base of support so things look possible this time around.

Netroots Nation is coming to Pittsburgh August 13-16, 2009.  Here's the call for proposals.

In the next 12 months, we'll be working together more than ever to push progressive policy into legislation. And there's no better place to discuss our priorities and plan how to make them a reality than at Netroots Nation, the grassroots event of the year.

In order to create the most well-rounded agenda possible, we need your input. Will you help us develop and organize the sessions that you?ll attend at Netroots Nation in Pittsburgh?and help shape the dialog for progressives in 2009?

It's easy to get involved. http://netrootsnation.org/proposals ... The deadline for submission is March 31.

We want to see proposals on key issues like the economy, health care and energy policy. And we also want to include sessions about successful offline and online organizing tactics.    

But you are not limited to these topics. We want this year's agenda to reflect your interests. And your interests are best expressed by your proposal.

When you're brainstorming, here are a few things to think about:

* How does my idea help the broader progressive movement?
* How will it empower activists to take what they've learned and use it for the greater good?
* Do my proposed panelists represent diversity?of ethnicity, gender, geography, age and viewpoint?

Click here to read the full list of guidelines and submit your idea: http://netrootsnation.org/proposals

Let me just say this.  If HB 300 becomes law and our community gains statewide civil protections in the areas of housing, employment and public accomodation, it will be a good thing. 

However, it is shortsighted to celebrate that avoiding a county vote on this issue -- especially any public commitment from our Chief Executive -- is some sort of auxillary victory.  It is most decidedly not, especially when Dan Onorato gets to run for Governor without doing anything for gay people. 

Electing a social conservative to follow in the footsteps of Ed Rendell is not going to be very good news if you aren't protected by the privileges of race, gender, sexual orientation or class (or any combination of those).  No human rights ordinance can protect us from that. 

Is it completely unrealistic to ask Chief Executive Onorato to make a show of good faith on any one gay issue over which he holds sway?  Just one, Dan.  It doesn't have to be the HRC.  Just do one thing.

My God, why is this so unreasonable? 

Lynn Cullen. It is official.  Gay people, rejoice.

Interesting women's music show.

The SUNSTAR Women in Music Festival
(March 5th - 7th, 2009) features a full roster of independent music
artists and includes concerts, workshops and special events celebrating
emerging & world class music makers. Named in honor of our most
precious and energizing resource, the sun, the SUNSTAR
Festival intends to acknowledge, recognize and support the many women
who are creating phenomenal music and will present emerging and
established Pittsburgh based artists as well as nationally acclaimed
guest artists, Toshi Reagon and Bahamadia.

Also, coming up later this month is another Dykes on Bikes fundraiser, this to benefit the Pittsburgh Dyke March.

 Those leather clad biker dykes are back and hosting another fundraiser.  Join the Pittsburgh Chapter of Dykes on Bikes? as they host "The Butch Femme" party to raise funds to help the organizers of the Pittsburgh Dyke March.  All are welcome to attend and express their butch or femme identity.  Come dressed to the hilt in ties and suits or barely covered in thigh highs and short skirts.  All expressions of butch femme presentation is welcome from all those who support our GLBT community.

Music for this event will be provided by DJ Adele and the naughty DOB shooter girls will be selling their toxic jello shots.  There may even be some performances based on butch/femme expression and other activities to celebrate.  Come help support the Dyke March and party with the women of Dykes on Bikes?.

This event hosted by the Pittsburgh Chapter of Dykes on Bikes? www.pittsburghdykesonbikes.com or email us at info@pittsburghdykesonbikes.com

Where: Cattivo

When: Saturday March 21^st

Cover: $3

Time: 9pm until close

Party Partners:

http://www.djadele.com/

http://www.cattivo.biz/intro.html

This might sound strange, but participating in this event is a good way to flex your political/advocacy chops this month.   The Pittsburgh Dyke March will be three years old this year and is a true grassroots effort to lift up voices that are not typically at the table. How many blue collar queer women sit on local boards or have any decision making authority in the local community? To beat my familiar drum, it would be a stunning victory to see someone who identifies as a dyke on the Mayor's LGBT Advisory Committee. The organizers stood up to those who pushed them to compromise their values and are a good example of how to get organized.  Last year, the Lambda Foundation stepped in to help the event and, this year, Dykes on Bikes picks up the charge to keep this important event alive and flourishing. 

You can influence advocacy efforts and empower dykes in our community to continue growing their influence.  And before anyone casts some anti-feminist stone, remember that Dykes on Bikes founder Miranda Vey came out in on a blistery cold day in January and spoke about her experiences as part of the Big Queer Rally. By organizing this event, she literally puts her money where her mouth is.

Mark the date on your calendar.

I received an email this week inviting me to the March 17 rally in Harrisburg and a telephone call from someone who wanted to discuss my concerns about the current state of affairs in gay politics.  The call was perfectly cordial, but I'm left feeling rather unsatisfied. Especially when they wanted my list of other bloggers. I went back and reread some of my recent posts and the comments to figure out the source of my unease.

I'm not sure that I feel particularly frustrated so much as just angry.  I'm angy that it is 2009 and we have very little to show for it in Pittsburgh and the larger metropolitan region.  Maybe it wouldn't be so irritating if we had some accomplishment in recent memory.  With all due respect, a domestic partner registry means nothing.  If the Mayor hasn't made the effort to register City Employees, it is clearly an empty symbol.  I can see why it is useful for businesses to have a vetting process for domestic partners, but I have yet to see how it helps us partners. 

A recent commented affiliated with one of the major players in gay advocacy said this:

I have come to believe that Sue isn't really interested in the very difficult & complicated work that needs to be done to achieve progressive change. Instead, she mainly seems interested in creating controversy & causing division in an attempt to garner attention for her blog.

Then he emailed me and said that there are no hard feelings.  Really?  Cause this is pretty harsh.  It is one thing to say I'm playing some sort of dilletante dance with blogging for attention and quite another to say I don't grasp the nuances of progressive change.  So, yeah, I have some hard feelings.  I'm not even doing such a great job of garnering attention given that my blog stats have been pretty consistent for over a year now.  Sure a scandal generates a little spike here and there, but really... the same few people come to read me.  I've had three prominent local folks tell me they read about my blog when I'm quoted on other blogs.  :-)

If you've been reading, you know the status quo with the Mayor's Advisory Committee and the County work on domestic partner benefits and the HRC ordinance.  Clearly, frustrating.  Not so clearly, anger inducing.  It makes me angry that organizers based in Philly and Harrisburg roll into Pittsburgh for a meeting or two and leave us with half-fulfilled promises.  Then they expect us to jump when its time to load up the buses.  It is tough to swallow when someone says you don't know what you are doing and then asks for your "list of bloggers" that you've compiled after three years in the trenches.  It isn't my responsibility to provide media lists for organizations that have access to computers, internet connections and blogrolls. 

It is tough to read on Facebook that people are going to gay roller derby, but don't have time to send out a press release.  Or be on the receiving end of a series of drunk emails because I refuse to toe anyone else's line.  Drunk emails are fun.  When you are 22, not 38.  It it tough that people who are clearly angry at me for having an opinion still talk with me and try to justify things.  I don't care if I know the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, I care if you know at least some of the story.  My hands are tied by promises of staying "off the record."   (For the record, I removed people from my list of Facebook friends that insult me in real life, but want to network with me.)

It is just tough that I think I actually have something to offer, but I'm repeatedly slammed for thinking outside the box and asking uncomfortable questions. 

While a statewide non-discrimination bill is a great idea, I just don't think Pittsburgh wins by taking the pressure and resources away from local efforts and pouring them into the state.  We may get civil protections, but we also don't have domestic partner benefits in our County and I don't see any of the power players in Democrat politics doing anything about that.  Would it really be that hard to convince Dan Onorato to reconsider that one?  Really?  You can get the farmers from mid-state to protect me from employment discrimination, but I can't get a job at the County?  Come on.

It might just be nice if we could have one baby step here in Pittsburgh.  Just one.  If someone could follow through and get something accomplished before adding on yet another round of phone calls and letters and rallies and so forth then leaving us completely to our own devices for months on end while they "handle" the behind the scenes stuff.  Because we are apparently untrustworthy when it comes to knowing that behind the scenes stuff is happening. I mean I know it, but I can't tell you about it. 

Maybe the disaster that was the Proposition 8 campaign has taught us a few things about making sure our leaders are accountable to us.  Maybe not.

Either way, I'm still feeling uneasy about the convergence of all these non-accomplishments. I'm not sure that Rocking the Dome is the best way to go.  I could be wrong, but that's just where I'm at right now.

Over 200 people packed a local church to support the Employee Free Choice Act.  Both our Mayor and Chief Executive were happy to speak out affirming labor, even while remaining mum on equality.  Sigh.  Good for Pittsburgh United and related organizations who are doing excellent work on an important issue. They make it happen.  We just make it look like something happened.  View from the BurghChair has the scoop:

If you don't know, the EFCA would change the law to allow workers to choose which form to use to create a union. They still could choose to use a private ballot election or use a card-check option. Right now, the company chooses which option and almost always forces a private ballot instead of a card-check. This is important because the private ballot allows time for the company to put together an anti-union campaign and use intimidation against employees who want to form a union.

Also, be sure to visit Pride At Work for more information on the intersection of labor and equality. An interesting  fact sheet is attached to this post.

To be clear, I am very pleased with the event (which I did not attend) and support labor. I wear a UNITE HERE button on my jacket.  I grew up with a unionized father and I wish we could find a way to unionize direct care providers in the human services as demonstration of the value we should have for people providing essentail services to people we should value.

It has been five days since I tried to follow up with Ravenstahl and Onorato on LGBT equality issues.  Onorato's people have not responded at all.  Ravenstahl's press secretary sent a non-answer.  I have to disclose to you that I've contacted my Council reps and that hasn't helped move them toward an answer.  A local Dem committeeperson informed me that he put in a word and that, too, failed to generate any response. 

Discrimination protection in the workplace is a labor issue, a perspective that labor unions get even if our elected officials do not.