Congratulations to Joe Hoeffel for receiving the endorsement of the Liberty City Democrats, the Philadelphia LGBT Stonewall chapter to be the next Governor of Pennsylvania. 

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the whole damn race is up in the air. Nearly half of Democratic Pennsylvania is undecided. 

Forty-seven percent of the Democratic respondents said they remained undecided. Among those who had picked a candidate, 70 percent said they still might change their minds.

I'm already sick of the ads although I love Anthony Williams throwing a cardboard box into a trash can.  I know it is meant for dramatic effect, but all I could think -- don't they have recycling laws in Philadelphia? Is he going to dump the Rendell legacy and his House majority into the trash can or is he going to reduce, reuse and recycle the Democratic party?  See, it works as an analogy! 

(Lo and behold, they not only have laws, but a REWARD system for recycling.)

BTW, Montgomery County has a great recycling page, too.

Allegheny County recycling website?  Let's just say that it is highly unlikely anyone would even think about recycling Anthony Williams' box.  Sigh. 

So chalk one up for the gay community AND the recycling community in support of Joe Hoeffel.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 5, 2010 which will be the date of Pittsburgh's 5th Annual Dyke March.  The location will still be in Oakland and organizers have fabulous plans for the ultimate grassroots picnic (get it?) and post-march party.

What's is a dyke march?

Dyke March is a mostly lesbian-led and inclusive gathering and protest march much like the original gay pride parades and marches. They usually occur the Friday or Saturday before LGBT pride parades and larger metropolitan areas have related events (parties, benefits, dances) both before and after the event to further develop community often targeting specific community segments (older women, bar events, arts, parenting groups, etc.) The purpose of a Dyke March is to increase lesbian visibility and activism and they have grown to be more inclusive of all women-loving-women regardless of labels as well as bisexuals, intersex and transgender persons.

It is one of the most diverse and empowering queer events in Pittsburgh.  Women from across the spectrum are there -- young high school women, women from "back in the day", women of color, bikers, bicyclists, parents with kids in strollers, lovers, disabled women, poor, rich, tall, short, athletic, old, young ....  you name her and she was probably there.  Plus, plenty of men and allies of all genders marching alongside. 

The best things, and things most feared by the powers that be, are the increasing visibility and power of women in the LGBTQ community.  I think the Dyke March has done more to advance both visibility and power than any other organized event.

The Dyke March is not in any type of competition or power struggle with Pride events.  March organizers have a Pride float in the parade and come to the festival.  You can absolutely support both with no hesitation. 

Here's a PghLesbian.Com Herstory of the Dyke March in Pittsburgh.

2006 - Pittsburgh's First Dyke March took place in Oakland.  It was created as an act of visibility and the turnout was great. I think participating in that march was one of my best political memories.  I had no idea who most of the women were and that really opened my eyes to the broad spectrum of what it means to be a dyke.

2007 - This year, the March  moved to July and we loved the poster. I stirred up a bit of controversy (imagine) when I appeared on John McIntire's talk show on the Man Station to talk about the march. I learned quite a bit about myself from those conversations and had to really take a step back and examine things like my privilege and my reason for jumping on the Dyke March bandwagon.  The march itself carried on!

2008 - The Delta Foundation approached the Dyke March organizers about making the march an official part of PrideFest.  That didn't go well. I'm not sure Delta really understood (or understands now) the underlying principles of dyke marches. I hope, one day soon, they will ask. Fortunately, the Lambda Foundation stepped in with a last minute grant and the march proceeded downtown with some (ahem) issues.  Betty Hill gave a rousing speech. 

2009 - The Dyke March returned to Oakland.  Things turned unpleasant when the police refused to protect the marchers, but the women persevered.  It was another exhilerating event that I truly enjoyed. 

Any link will show the recurring issue -- the Department of Public Safety.  From permits to police protection, they have dropped the ball on all fronts.  Four years of dropping the ball begins to look like a systemic pattern of discrimination.  If the ACLU were to investigate this and other LGBT events requiring permits without large payments, what would they find? I had tremendous issues with the Special Events people over an unrelated LGBT event. 

The good news is that the Mayor's Office has become involved thanks to the Mayor's LGBT Advisory Committee.  Other heavy hitters, including elected officials on multiple levels, are paying attention and willing to step in to ensure that visibility and voices are not lost because of bureaucratic bungling. 

There are quite a few folks stepping up to support the women who organize and participate in the dyke march.  They've worked hard to get this tradition going and deserve women who have access to resources to step in and help their sisters. 

June 5 could possibly be the most political moment of the entire month of Pride by the simple fact of so many awesome dykes gathering in one place.  You should definitely check it out --- there really is room for everyone. 

It is the second thing people ask me after making the requisite joke about her hair/makeup.  Frankly, I'm amazed (read: disappointed) at how catty us feminists can be when it comes to the appearances of women who are Republican.

But I digress. 

I don't care if Jane Orie is a lesbian. Stop foisting the unappealing zealots into our tribe.  Stop with the family values folks who get caught at gay clubs. Stop with the self-loathing ex-gays.  Stop with the .... wait a minute.  It is actually okay if these people are gay, even if they are struggling to accept or identify.

But when well-intentioned liberals whisper "Well, you know she's an unmarried woman of a certain age so she must be a lesbian" it doesn't make it OKAY because she's a conservative Republican.  It is still offensive.  It feeds right into the furor that being gay is something you keep secret, not to mention that horrible state of affairs of being a woman without a man (and a ring).

Don't get me wrong. I am a fan of exposing hypocrisy.  Jane Orie does not have a gay-positive voting record, but to expose something you need more than innuendo and impending spinsterhood for God's sake.  And sure as people like to search for themselves in "the Google" and end up here, plenty of folks are going to search for dirt on Jane anyway and end up at this slap-in-your-face post.  Good.  Welcome. 

Here's what I wonder. In the race for Supreme Court, how many Western Pennsylvania Democrats supported Joan Orie Melvin rather than an Eastern Pennsylvania liberal? I wonder if Mr. Potter might explore that a little bit ...how "invested" were Jack Wagner, Dan Onorato, Luke Ravenstahl, Wayne Fontana, Jay Costa, etc. in the Jack Panella campaign.  I guess I need to look into that a little bit.  Did our Dems do right by us in that race?  Could we have been spared the three Orie circus and focus on issues like redistricting and gay divorces and so forth?

Seriously. Enough with the woman bashing.  Her actions speak for themselves.  We don't need to go there. 

Guest columnist Mary Grabar doesn't like new school curricula that teach kids coping skills.  While opinining about this in the Tribune Review, she just can't resist a full body slam of GLSEN - the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

While most people would consider an activist like Kevin Jennings, who founded the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which encouraged children to engage in homosexual activity (sometimes with adults), a menace, those attending the third annual Conference on Conflict Resolution Education at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio gave Jennings a warm welcome.

Jennings is the assistant deputy secretary of education in the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. He's better known, non-ironically, as the "safe schools czar." He spoke about the Department of Education's pilot program "Successful, Safe and Healthy Students."

Yes, GLSEN is a menace for helping educate and empower children about tolerance diversity and self esteem.  Whatever.  But why does the Trib insist on publishing drivel that GLSEN encouraged kids to engage in sex with adults?  Hello?  This is the typical wingnut stirring up fear using dreadful accusations that are simply unacceptable.  Why does the Trib publish this awful stuff? Because it drives ad revenue.  Shame.

The Trib also has some Rx information for the Obama Administration which has "alienated" the gay and lesbian population.  That's an understatement.

Pat Robertson blames the Catholic sex-abuse history AND media coverage on the homosexual agenda.

As the Catholic League's Bill Donahue relates, 80 percent of the victims of priestly abuse have been males and "most of the molesters gays."

And as The Times' Richard Berke blurted to the Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association 10 years ago, often, "three-quarters of the people deciding what's on the front page are not-so-closeted homosexuals."

Is there perhaps a conflict of interest at The New York Times when covering a traditionalist Catholic pope?

Ah, the Trib.  They actually report well on Pittsburgh LGBT stories, but run the most ridiculous extreme haters in the op/ed section.  But it is good to stay in touch with what the second largest newspaper in the region is printing as "news" regarding our community and reinforce the positive.