The Soulforce Equality Riders Arrested at Falwell’s “Liberty” University

I mentioned the planned Equality Rides a few weeks ago — modeled after the student “Freedom Riders” of the 1960s who travelled around to centers of intolerance and bigotry, these students are traveling to Universities and military institutions that ban LGBT students. Yesterday, 20 equality ride students were arrested at Jerry Fallwell’s “Liberty” University.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – More than 20 gay rights activists were arrested on trespassing charges Friday as they tried to step onto the campus of Liberty University, the school founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Many of the activists were part of Soulforce, a group on its first stop of a nationwide “Equality Ride” tour to promote gay rights at the nation’s conservative Christian universities and military academies.

Invoking the memory of the civil rights movement, Soulforce member Jacob Reitan said: “We want to come to the school today to say, ‘learn from history.'”
“We have a right to be here, because this school teaches that being gay is being sick and sinful,” said Reitan, co-director of Equality Ride. “We have a right to question and to show how we are children of God.”

Continue ReadingThe Soulforce Equality Riders Arrested at Falwell’s “Liberty” University

Advance Indiana, Carson’s Challenger, and Ted Fleischaker

Julia Carson is facing a democratic challenger to her office — a gay man, Kris Kiser, with very little political experience. Much of the GLBT community supports Carson, who has been a friend of ours politically and gone to bat on gay issues with no hesitancy whatsoever. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) both support Carson over a challenger with little experience.

However, local sleazeball gay “newpaper” publisher Ted Fleischaker endorsed Kiser over Carson in an editorial in his “newspaper” (the only part of that term that is accurate is that the trash he publishes gets printed on paper), generating some controversy in the gay community and a great deal of discussion over the issue on the Advance Indiana website, which has done a decent reporting on the details.

I can’t say much about Kiser or whether he’d be a good candidate, although I think he can’t have very good judgement, since he’s trying to create a schism in the community by running against one of the best elected officials Democrats have, rather than running against a Republican incumbent. And if I were him, I wouldn’t count an endorsement from Fleischaker as a positive thing. I’d be running as far away from that as I possible could.

After a heated discussion of the issues on the Advance Indiana site, along with commentary on the validity of Ted’s paper, someone hacked the Advance Indiana site and deleted the related posts. Gee, that’s an awful striking coincidence. I remember back in the day when I was libeled on the gayindy mailing list by an “anonymous” source for expressing opinions Mr. Fleischaker disagreed with.

Continue ReadingAdvance Indiana, Carson’s Challenger, and Ted Fleischaker

Johnny Weir Dodges the Gay Question

Johnny’s flamboyant, but he’s not officially out

“I think it’s funny that people care,” Weir said before ultimately placing fourth. “I don’t have a problem with people saying anything. People could be saying, ‘Oh, let’s poll about Bode Miller. Let’s poll about Michelle Kwan being a lesbian. It’s not a big deal. Who I sleep with doesn’t affect what I’m doing on the ice or what I’m doing in a press conference.”

Earlier in the week, the Tribune interviewed Rudi Galindo, a former U.S. champion and one of the only openly gay figure skaters in the business. Galindo complained that the media was not confronting Weir about the question of whether he is gay.

“He’s drinking tea with his pinkie finger in the air, and he’s so over the top and feminine, why is everybody asking him about his style and not just ask him if he’s gay?” Galindo told the Tribune. “It’s the funniest thing to watch.”

Weir has never publicly discussed rumors that he is gay, though according to the Tribune, at nationals he said he had been through a tumultuous personal relationship recently that had had a negative impact on his skating. When asked to further discuss that issue again at the Olympics, he declined.

In past news conferences, Weir has described himself as a “diva” and called himself “princess-y,” making sure to point out that he is not a jock but an athlete dressed in rhinestones and sequins.

Then, when asked about the subject on his personal Web site, Weir replied: “People talk. Figure skating is thought of as a female sport, something that only girly men compete in. I don’t feel the need to express my sexual being because it’s not part of my sport and it’s private. I can sleep with whomever I choose.”

I’ve seen it a dozen different places already online, but I can’t help making the reference myself, because I sing the song every time I think of him – Johnny Are You Queer?

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Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Costs $363.8 million

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon’s costs for firing service members for homosexuality under its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy were nearly twice as high as a government estimate made last year, an independent commission said on Tuesday.
A University of California commission of military experts said it cost at least $363.8 million to implement the policy from 1994 to 2003. That is 91 percent more than the $190.5 million estimated a year ago by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative arm.
Opponents of the policy — a compromise forged when former President Bill Clinton tried to lift the Pentagon’s ban on gays serving in the military — said the report showed more reason to end restrictions entirely.
Under the policy, gays could serve if their sexual orientation remained secret and if they refrained from homosexual conduct. More than 10,000 service members have been fired for homosexuality since 1994, the panel said.

Too bad the government didn’t go with the “So they’re gay, get over it” policy instead — it cost $0.00. And we could have built a few schools with the savings.

Continue ReadingDon’t Ask Don’t Tell Costs $363.8 million

LGBTQ Youth Equality Ride Across the U.S.

During March and April The Soulforce Equality Ride will be visiting 19 religious and military schools to give voice to those who can not speak up themselves because of oppressive school policies. Many of these schools expell lgbtq students who come out or are outed.
At military and religious colleges around the nation, bans on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender enrollment force students into closets of fear and self-hate. These bans devalue the life of GLBT people and they slam the door on academic freedom. The Equality Ride empowers young adults to challenge these college bans.

Scheduled to take place in the spring of 2006, the Equality Ride will take 25–30 young adults on a seven-week bus tour to confront numerous religious and/or military colleges that ban the enrollment of GLBT students. At each stop along the journey the members of the Equality Ride will present a powerful case for GLBT equality.

Like the Freedom Rides of the 50’s and 60’s, the Equality Ride is a student-led effort that takes young adults into epicenters of intolerance and oppression to make a better tomorrow. In going on this journey, the Equality Riders draw inspiration from those Freedom Riders over forty years ago.

The goal of Soulforce is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance.

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Johnny Weir

Too funny:

He has the face of Paul Rubens, the hair of Nick Nolte, and the fashion sense of a gay dolphin caught in a fishing net while reenacting a scene from Showgirls. What’s not to love about U.S. Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir?

As Steph mentioned on her blog, Johnny is one of the Boys We Like. Which is quite different than our friend Scott’s version of “Boys I Like.” On Scott’s version, you can sometimes seee boy’s pee-pees. We pretend they don’t have ’em.
Every time Johnny opens his mouth he scares reporters. Just by saying things I hear every day from my gay men:

“I am very princessy as far as travel is concerned and having a nice room and things like that. Sorry to say ‘princessy,'” he added, laughing, “but that’s what we do.”
Known for his outspoken manner, the three-time U.S. men’s champion isn’t afraid to declare that the Olympic Village “is not very comfortable.”
“It’s a little dusty, very underdecorated, the beds aren’t very soft,” Weir said Tuesay, “but I’m enjoying it!”

In sports reporting, “Outspoken” is code for “flaming homo.”

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Anti-Gay Killer’s MySpace profile

Of course you’ve heard about the teenager Jacob Robida who went on a rampage at a gay bar in Massachusetts with an axe and a gun, and who was later killed in a police shootout.
Checkout his myspace web page.
Too bad none of the people he hurt and killed get to have accolades on the internet after this terrible incident. I’m sorry I can’t find my way to forgiving him.

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The L-Word and Hot Sex (or lack thereof)

While we were watching this weeks episode of The L-Word, (episode 4, season 3) we noted that so far this year, there has been a distinct lack of hot sex such as existed in previous seasons. In the past, the characters were shuckin’ clothes and doing the deed several times an episode, whereas this season has been quite tame. Shockingly so, in fact. Every episode, we wait breathlessly for the Parental Warnings screen, hoping against hope for Adult Content and Adult Situations, and every week, the screen reports only “Brief Nudity.” (“Only brief,” Stephanie says bleakly, each time.) They are apparently not participating in my new years resolution campaign.

I’m not saying the show is boring, or anything. I enjoy character-driven drama. But there are some advantages to being on cable, and this show should be taking advantage of them.

Continue ReadingThe L-Word and Hot Sex (or lack thereof)