It was brought to my attention that Panera Bread allegedly blocks my blog because it falls into the category of pornography and nudity. I say allegedly because I haven't tried for myself, not because I doubt the veracity of the report. I appreciate the feedback and will be investigating.
So I'm going to try hitting up the local free wi-fi spots to see if I can access my blog. You can help by giving it a shot when you whip out the laptop at a local spot and letting me know.
I would guess it happens at corporate spots more than local coffee houses.
So far I can Voluto in the East End and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh do not block my blog. Last time I checked, The Quiet Storm and the Square Cafe also did not block my blog.
Why does it matter? It is clearly annoying to me because it is my blog and I care about it.
But this is also about liberty and equality. My blog is about the LGBTQ community and the words "lesbian" "gay" "queer" are not offensive, pornographic or sexual. To be lumped into those categories based on words is demeaning to our identities and offensive to me, both as a member of the community and a blogger.
It is not about free speech. No one made a law saying Panera Bread or any other corporation has to block my site, so be careful. But we as a community need to know when our views, opinions and information are being suppressed to "protect" people from being offended. Then we need to speak up.
I'll keep you informed. And I'll be taking my laptop with me more often.
I'm not sure we can go too wrong with any of these candidates for Allegheny County Chief Executive. I see domestic partner benefits on the horizon for Allegheny County employees (we are thiiiiiis close) which will pretty much seal the deal in terms of our region being a true leader with regard to equality.
This is more important than ever when a local elected state official wants to write discrimination into the Commonwealth constitution. We need to rally local Democrats in the House to stand up to this hate and insist they focus on our economy, healthcare, environment and so forth. A strong ally in this office will prove valuable in this regard.
There is also the inevitable march of non-discrimination ordinances through Pennsylvania's municipalities. Allegheny County's LGBTQ community needs to shore up our base so we can assist our sisters and brothers in Washington, Westmoreland, Butler, Beaver, Armstrong, Greene, Fayette and so forth. It is their turn so we owe it to them to elect a County leader who will lead on our behalf.
Some day, we'll seat more LGBTQ folks at the tables, alongside our champion Bruce Kraus. For now, we must insist that the women and men we do elect represent our community in their roles.
Impulse Pittsburgh bills itself as a new monthly women's social event. "The Girls are takin' back the 'Burgh!"
With the holidays over, the upcoming winter months may prove to be quiet and somber. The weather may bring a storm or two, and we'll naturally want to stay within the safety of the indoors. However, that doesn't mean we can't have some fun and be within the company of the most diverse and beautiful group of women in Pittsburgh! The burgh's newest monthly girl party is coming: January 15! and will prove to lift your spirits. Hence why our first theme will be: Winter Wonderland! Whether you're trying to get out of the house, love meeting new people, or just want to celebrate with your fellow LGBTQ crowd, you won't want to miss out! Impulse: Winter WonderlandDate and Time: January 15 from 9PM-2AM Location: Tonic Bar @ Downtown! 971 Liberty Ave. Door Fee: $5 Drink Specials: From 9-11PM! Parking: Plenty of parking on the street or across the street at the David L Lawrence center for only $5 the entire night!
Get ready for:
-2 Floors will be all ours, and each will be decorated with winter splendor! -Not 1, not 2, but 3 DJs from the Operation Sappho Crew! A warm intro to mary mack, drop that, and square peg, who will be spinning the beats all night. -Drink Specials from 9-11PM - Dollar off all drinks in the bar, $2 off all speciality drinks! -Photographers to capture the moments (of course, they will ask first!) -Raffle Giveaways and Contests. Proceeds will go to The Trevor Project!
There is no dress code- come as you are. No pressure- only a good time!
"When Winter wages her war Don't show her mercy Instead, act on your Impulses And Dance the night away!"
Interesting development. Pittsburgh is already home to Lez Liquor Hour which is more of Happy Hour held on a monthly basis, complete with some of the most erotic written imagery demonstrating the intense creative power of the organizer.
Both events circulate among Pittsburgh's bars which may be an interesting indicator of the future of the "lesbian bar" scene. We aren't going to have a bar specifically for lesbians, but more of a lesbian contingent drawn by events like these and staff who are gay friendly such as Cattivo and the Blue Moon, both in Lawrenceville.
The idea that there is no lesbian scene is factually inaccurate, but the lack of a lesbian space is a bit troubling. The GLCC hasn't been successful in creating a vibrant presence Downtown, but they are still new to the location so that could change. The events above do require some disposable income and a desire to be part of a certain scene. Ledcat and I are not bar people. We attend more when there's a cause we support than for the socialization. Still, we could attend whereas some women cannot because of child care, income and recovery. Monthly child-friendly potlucks, also rotating, fill some of those needs.
So this emergent moving scene is an interesting phenom and one we should appreciate for adding some flavor to the local lesbian community. It should lead us to rethink the concept of claiming a lesbian space within the mainstream community and recognize that this is about embracing our identity within that space, not necessarily assimilating.
Last year, I set up a little widget on Facebook for this blog. I use it to push stories that are most interesting or relevant. At the same time, I set up a fan page for my friend's beagle rescue.
Fast forward to January 2011. I have 222 fans. The beagles have 1700+ fans. LOL. There's a bit of humble pie.
This is from the latest issue of The Advocate. I'm trying to find out what the Pride Theater Festival is. I googled and found some events in past years, but nothing current. If anyone has a lead, let me know. Perhaps they meant PrideFest?
Pittsburgh got the following score:
Pittsburgh ranks very well in some local quality of life issues (LGBTQ friendly faith based communities) and "gay" businesses (the 21). That's good news for those of us who live here, especially given how prominantly a role Pittsburgh's faith communities have played in the anti-LGBT sentiment (think Episcopal).
For the lesbians, the news is less good. No lesbian bars and the only other indicator is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the number of Tegan and Sara concerts (insert sigh).
The most interesting indicator and perhaps the most powerful, aside from faith based, is the number of elected officials who are openly gay. This is particularly unique timing as Pgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus has announced his bid for a second term. Bruce has been a leader on quality of life issues on the Southside which has raised some hopes for the future of the residential and business portion of the community, but also raised ire from those who like the status quo (count me among the former). If Bruce is not successful, it will do more than protect the drunken brawls, it will send a message rippling across the nation about Pittsburgh's progressive views.
Thankfully, we can do something to preserve this.
BTW, who is the second official? Are they looking historically to include Wilkinsburg's councilor James McGill from the early part of last decade? I'll be asking or else I am completely blanking.
UPDATE: I doublechecked The Advocate website and found this guide to points for the Elected Officials category. 1 point for state elected officials, 2 points for members of Congress and 3 points for mayors and governors. I was also told I'll be getting a call from The Advocate tomorrow to explain it all. So, we'll see ...
UPDATED UPDATE: Apparently the tongue in cheek approach sort of slid by me. I mean I read those words, but I don't really get how Pride Theater Festival is a tongue in cheek reference. It did exist, it doesn't now. Oh, maybe that's the point? Oh, wow, this is just literally hitting me now. The Andy Warhol Museum is the gayest thing about Pittsburgh and we have ONLY one elected official and a lot of religious turmoil over gays ... oh, this might be more slick than I originally thought. Well played, Advocate.
Got a heads up from our friends at End Bigotry in Venango County about a press release from the American Family Association of Pennsylvania that narrows in on US Congressman Barney Frank. In general, they are commenting on the need for Congress to move right. I say "they" loosely because this is mostly about Diane Gramley.
?We?ll put Barney Frank on notice. ?A Sleeping Giant has awakened and the majority of Americans do not share in your goal setting.? Americans are tired of waking up to find an America that they hardly recognize. This is not a game to them, it is a war to get our country back,? Gramley further stated.
In the wake of the attempted murder of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, I'm suprised the AFA of PA has left this up. Declaring war on a member of Congress is a sad reflection on their tactics and feeds right into the "slippery slope" debate that has been raging for the past two days.
Suddenly "a war to get our country back" seems a lot uglier than just words. Google cache here.
Diane Gramley is not harmless. She's no longer tilting at windmills. She has some serious victories in her back pocket and a lot of alienated, suffering people vulnerable to her hate speak. I'd like to think Diane Gramley wouldn't shoot Barney Frank and intends only to engage in a war of words, but is her lack of "scrubbing" hubris, ignorance or something more?
UPDATE: Just me. At first I thought I was overreacting, but I keep mulling over the sheer amount of time Ms. Gramley has invested in her agenda. It can't be easy to turn out people at hearing after hearing much less slog through the pile of inaccurate information she relies on for her testimonies. OK, that was facetious. But I do worry about the tipping point. When is Ms. Gramley responsible for moving beyond saying that Barney Frank is a fag who is an abomination before God and encouraging someone to do something about it? It is an age old question, but she's a very good example of someone who intentionally uses loaded, vivid imagery about the LGBTQ community to evoke hatred and repugnance. I worry.
January 11, 2011?Councilman Bruce A. Kraus announced today that he will be seeking a second term as a representative on Pittsburgh?s City Council. The primary election will be held on May 17, 2011.
In a letter to constituents, Councilman Kraus cited?among other accomplishments?a few examples of the many successes that he has had in his first term:
?Protecting libraries in our district?we will soon see a renovation of our South Side branch library. In addition, efforts are underway to bring a new state-of-the-art library building serving Knoxville, Carrick, and our other Hilltop communities
?Responding to our neighbors? needs more efficiently with the opening of our Hilltop District Office on Arlington Avenue
?Working to reduce gun violence through responsible gun ownership legislation that requires reporting lost and stolen guns
The Councilman promised to continue to focus on keeping neighborhoods safe, clean, and green and to continue improvements to his constituents? quality of life.
?It has been an honor and a truly rewarding experience to represent our neighborhoods on City Council,? Kraus said. ?I am pleased to have been able to follow through on my campaign commitments and proud of what we have been able to accomplish.?
In his first term, Kraus served two years as chair of the Committee for Public Safety and currently chairs the Committee on Public Works. Among his legislative accomplishments were the passage of numerous bills focused on safe and clean streets and improved quality of life for residents and businesses alike.
Bruce Kraus was first elected in 2007 with 55% of the vote in the Primary Election and 86% in the General Election.
District 3 of Pittsburgh?s City Council includes the neighborhoods of Allentown, Arlington, Arlington Heights, Beltzhoover, Knoxville, Mount Oliver City, Saint Clair, the South Side Flats and Slopes, and parts of Carrick, Mount Washington, and Oakland.
Folks, it is a good time to get your fingers stretched and send in your own letters. Politicians pay attention to people contacting them personally, but they also watch the opinion sections of the media. If you need an angle, consider writing in about Chick Fil A if you are a customer. Talk with the franchise owner of the restaurant you visit and ask them point blank if they would support an organization like the Pennsylvania Family Institute. Then write a letter. Very simple, but imagine how many people you can educate.
Daniel Robinson of Tarentum writes a pretty incoherent letter that seems to say he doesn't hate gay people, but his hands are tied because God told him being gay is wrong.
Hate isn't the emotion guiding people who take God serious, love is. What people do with their lives is between them and God. Likewise, those who place their faith in the Creator who endowed us with our rights, can't be asked to ignore His definitions of "right and wrong."
It is sort of a live and let live, but my side is really right approach to writing letters. Or living life. Or judging. It also shows that people are making decisions about our equality based on some sketchy reasoning. Do you want Daniel voting on your equality (no matter who you are)?
Major Gregorio Sheehan (Ret) is more blunt about the repeal of DADT
The result will be that conservative Christian men, the backbone of American combat units, will think twice before enlisting or re-enlisting, the thought of sharing a foxhole with a homosexual being repellent to their senses.
Well, I didn't know conservative Christian men were the backbone of combat units. Is that based on anything more than his subjective perspective? Like the Pentagon survey? Hmmm.
Regardless, Daniel and Gregorio took the time to write and I'm sure they had an impact in some households, an impact that doesn't serve our community well.
One of my favorite gals, asked if It was ok to watch as her partner had her hair done. Sure Sue, I replied, and before I could say cream or no cream, her workspace was set up. Computers on, tweeter is tweeting, coffee is being consumed, do you mind if I create an office space in your entry way? This cyberspace, savvy computer queen is going to text everyone she knows about HairPeace, unless she is knocked out of the way by an incoming client who is blind!
To be fair, I did inch out of the way of the customer who was visually impaired. I'm not a monster.
Susan has a hilarious, touching memoir of her life "growing up in the hair industry" called Hair Peace (Susan is Buddhist).
I am very much looking forward to being prominently featured in the volume II where she "matures in the hair industry."
Check out Susan's new blog On The Fringe to catch daily updates from the salon where all the cool lesbians get their hair styled. Her clientele is very intriguing ...
