Left Turn on Rights: Old Lesbian Speaks

Good News: Mina says

2009-11-10T00:02:00.000-08:00

"I know I am getting better. " " I feel better".

Sharon

Mina's (Our) Progress

2009-11-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Mina is now in a Nursing Home/Rehab place. She has been there for 2 days and she seems to be accommodating to the place.
It takes me at least a 1/2 hr. to get there. It is in Pico Rivera in a place with a unlikely name Riviera (Italian not Spanish). Most of the residents there are Spanish speaking which makes it a bit hard on both of us though we really don't mind as the staff is pretty cooperative and friendly. Mina was seen by a physical therapist today who put her in a sling and had her exercise her arms.
She is not allowed to step down on her feet or jump around on one foot either as he doesn't want to risk harming her major injury to her ankle on the right foot. Mina likes the food or she has liked it so far. So one down and who knows how many to go. The place is quite a distance from Long Beach and I would have preferred her being in Long Beach but she needed special care that this place offers. I think Mina's poor body has been through the mill but her spirit is good. In a way, it is Mina who keeps me going. I am doing the bills now, something I always hated doing but they are online now so I kind of like that part. I keep making phone calls trying to catch up with things at home. It is hard work going to see Mina every day and also taking care of the busywork Mina usually did. Wow, Mina really did take good care of me. I plan to return the favor in more than one way. Sometimes I get very tired but one good thing is I am actually losing weight, about 22 lbs. so far. I am very overweight so I see this as a good thing. I don't think I am losing too fast. It has been over the past month or a bit less. I think it is because I am expending more energy than usual and also eating much less. A great combination. So for now all is as well as it can be.

Sharon Raphael

Rehab Delayed, a few more days in hospital for Mina

2009-11-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Because my spouse Mina has a wound vac and diabetes which involves a special kind of nursing, there are no Rehab places at this time in our area that will take her. Thus the hospital as a result of Mina's appealing for a delay is keeping her a few more days which is good as she is getting the physical therapy in the hospital that she needs to recover at a Rehab or at home down the line. Her wound care is priority number one as far as I am concerned and think she is doing the right thing. One issue is that I am so far away from Kaiser Sunset and since I don't drive frwys ( a phobia) I have to rely on friends to take me there or go city streets. One day I took a taxi which was prohibitive but I did it anyway. I hate to ask people for help but they do offer. I plan to go see Mina tomorrow with a neighbor. I did stay overnite when Mina had her own room. I am taking care of myself. Yesterday I visited 2 different Rehab places, neither called the case manager/discharge planner back. We got the message. Stay in hospital a while longer. Kaiser should have known better. Mina is doing well though they keep changing her cast again and again which is painful.

Sharon Raphael

My spouse Mina will be in Rehab tomorrow

2009-11-01T17:59:00.000-08:00

Mina, my legal spouse, will be in a Rehab place tomorrow. She needs to be off her ankle from 6-8 wks. and needs to build up her upper body strength so she can move from bed to a wheel chair without help or at least with less help. Not sure which Rehab. I have two choices, one is better than the other but both will suffice. Kaiser wanted a third choice and there was none I wanted so hope they don't screw with us. I saw a great looking place with good staff. It is only 15 minutes away from where we live. Hope we can get in there. The other place is in Long Beach closer but not as nice. Hope Kaiser goes for the first one.

Sharon Raphael

My spouse Mina is improving

2009-10-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

Mina is getting better. Will be released from the CCU unit soon. Surgery was successful on the ankle. Now it need to heal.
Take care.

Sharon Raphael

My Spouse Mina had a heart attack

2009-10-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

My spouse Mina (we legally married Aug. 24, 2008) had a heart attack and broke her ankle at same time so I will not be writing as much as usual. We will see. I am spending all my time at the hospital. Mina is improving.

Sharon Raphael, Leftturnonrights

CHECK OUT VIDEO: AN ENDURING PASSION

2009-10-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

MINA AND I ARE FEATURED IN A VIDEO ON THE WEBSITE JEWSONFIRST. THE INTERVIEW WAS DONE BY RABBI HAIM BELIAK. THE WEBSITE IS A BLOG THAT HIGHLIGHTS CIVIL RIGHTS AND FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUES WITH A PROGRESSIVE JEWISH SLANT. JANE HUNTER AND RABBI HAIM BELIAK ARE THE EDITORS AND CREATORS OF JEWSONFIRST. THE INTERVIEW WAS DONE IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR (09) BEFORE THE 18,000 MARRIAGES WERE VALIDATED AND NEW MARRIAGES INVALIDATED AND NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE PLACE IN CALIFORNIA. TAKE A LOOK. THANKS.

SHARON RAPHAEL

http://www.jewsonfirst.org/audio-video/Display5.aspx?id=5375

Pics of OLOC Steering Committee meeting + Sharon in Cleveland oct 09

2009-10-15T03:19:00.001-07:00

Rally at CSU Dominguez Hills to save programs

2009-10-15T03:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings Students, Faculty, and Staff friends,
My thanks to all for your help with a VERY SUCCESSFUL RALLY today. It was an inspiring event. Here are some great pictures posted on flickr.com.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43566129@N04/
I especially want to thank all the speakers and performers: David Bradfield

Equality march photos-take a look

2009-10-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43341208@N07/show/

See below: activist react to Obama's speech on Gay rights to Human Rights Campaign audience.

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2009/10/activists-react-to-obamas-speech.html

Counter

2009-09-16T20:04:00.001-07:00

The Race Question and President Obama: Getting at Basics

2009-09-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

racist and anti Obama image (This is disgusting)

There is a lot of talk these days including a statement that came out yesterday Sept. 15, 2009 from former President Jimmy Carter "I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man," and other comments in the media that these tea parties and other recent demonstrations against Barack Obama and his health care policies are race based attacks. It is clear that the "Birthers", demonstrators and others who keep repeating that Obama was not born in the United State are spreading racist sentiments. It is clear that protesters who carry signs that are renderings and/or distorted images of the President portrayed as the Joker from Batman fame is clearly a racist image of Obama. The media has also focused on these images so often the message comes across as though large numbers are participating in these anti Obama rallies which is not the case. The right wingers expected a million to show up at their Washington DC rally, only 70,000 came according to Washington police estimates. Most major civil rights movements in the past had half a million or up towards a million. I also think that what Jimmy Carter is saying about race and Obama is true. Carter knows the South, knows racism when he sees it, and he is an insightful, intelligent and high minded person.

Obama's Press Secretary Robert Gibbs reported today Sept. 16th that Obama does not think these sentiments are race based. Politically Obama cannot afford to distract the public from his focus on health care policy and he may truly believe other factors are involved in this health care and anti Obama crowd. It is also very hard for the victim of racism to always see the racism clearly for what it is. My take on this anti Obama crowd, I won't call them a movement, is that this type of thinking is ignorance based and there is also the taint of anti foreigner attitudes plus racial stereotyping attached to their idiotic thinking. It has been reported that there have been signs among this "talented" group saying" Foreigner Go Home" or "Go back to Africa". The fact most Republicans will not stand up and say outloud "This is wrong" show me what I have thought all along that the Republican Party exploits and has for a very long time exploited racist thinking and attitudes in order to win votes especially from blue collar and Southern whites. You can't turn around without watching someone representing the Republican Party taking a stand against a group comprised of people of color, true they are usually progressive and cutting edge groups that fight racism and are critical of the status quo.

It is true the Republican Party has roots which seem progressive in term of racial issues. The Democrats in the South during the height of the racist attacks on Black people often could be connected with organizations i.e. the Klu Klux Klan and the Republicans back in fifties seemed more business minded and wanting peace among the races so they could continue to get money from both races. But things have changed as the voters have changed and the Democrats in the North prevailed and won civil rights victories under the leadership of Lyndon Johnson and other civil rights minded Democrats and movement folks who prevailed upon the Democratic Party to join their cause. There was definitely a racist tone to the era of Ronald Reagan.
The Bushes, all of them, were never in the forefront of civil rights legislation. Bushes always dragged their tails when it came to cutting edge legislation and race. Republican McCain from Arizona even voted against allowing a Martin Luther King holiday in his State long after civil rights legislation had been enacted. The Democratic Party could not exist without help from voters and activists of all races.

It is true that we are going through a period of time when people from all political persuasions are questioning President Obama's decision making. I think many in the public thought he was a kind of new Messiah coming to save them from all kinds of injustice. It was clear Obama was catering to moderates during his campaign tours. He always sounded like someone
who would weigh the pros and cons very carefully and not act too radically about anything much. People compared him to W.
and thought this is a really smart guy, he can do it. There was a kind of reverse racism among liberals I think. These soft
minded and soft hearted types felt that a Black man couldn't possibly fail them. Now that we are still mired in Iraq and building up forces in Afghanistan, the liberals and more to the left types are giving up on Obama. They are not the racist types
Carter and others are pointing to yet race played a definite factor in their high turn out and great organizing efforts to get Obamna elected President. I guess I am one of the broken hearted though I knew better and also felt I was electing a pretty moderate guy but thought at least we would get universal public health care, even if it would not be single payer. I thought we would get the end of "Don't Tell, Don't Ask". And I hoped the country would be finally ready when the courts state by state
stood up for Gay Marriage. I thought Obama would be ready too but alas I was mistaken.

I was actually a Hillary supporter up to the time I saw her strategists including what seemed to be Bill Clinton turning toward the racist path in an attempt to garner a few more votes. The truth be told I think Hillary and Obama have pretty much the same very moderate politics. One thing I know for sure, if I thought Hillary would be doing better now because she is white, it would not change a wit my volition to see Obama in the highest office in the land. He won fair and square and if people want to undermine him based on his vulnerability on race than let them reap unfortunately with the rest of us the evil which they have wrought. Too bad the people who are not acting out of racial animosity have to suffer too.

The truth is many of us are put off by the fact Obama is not standing up for himself or what we think is himself. When the hysterical right cries about death panels and old people being euthanized, Obama should not say he will call these people out, he should do it. As an older person myself I have questions about the fact the cost of the new health care package may be balanced on the backs of medicare recipients, for instance, Obama clearly stated, he wanted to get rid of Senior Advantage, a program that many HMO have that give extra services to those over 65. Obama says his plan to can do the same thing but cheaper. Well, we do have the right to know exactly how that will play out. On the other hand, the need for universal health care with no pre-existing conditions is so imperative, I am willing to give those in Congress who have the will to do it my support. I want everyone to have access to good health care and I am hoping AARP and other old persons groups make sure
the medical care we already have that we like stays the same. It is not racist though to question aspects of the health care package.

The answer to the question Is Race Undermining Obama's Presidency? It will do so if the media doesn't get on the stick and put these issues into a better perspective. Stop acting like the majority are against public health care which they are not. Most people want to be able to keep their health care whether they lose a job or not. They want to keep their health care whether they get sick or not. They want to see a stop of soaring health care costs. It is not just race but also fear mongering that could end the whole movement forward. It is all of the above, exploitation of race, exploitation of immigration issues, and a little bit of concern about what the real facts will be in the long run that is stirring the pot. Let's put the lid on the race and anti foreigner commotion and let the lid be open when it comes to a fair minded discussion of whether Obama is on the right track on health care, the wars we are fighting, and the direction of the economy. Let's also give credit to Obama where credit is due.

Sharon Raphael

Olympic Athlete's Gender Supposedly Revealed by Newspaper

2009-09-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

I would like to know who revealed the results of a gender test done on Olympic athlete Caster Semenya? If it was the Olympic committee looking into the gender issue, they should be sued. Semenya was found to be the I in LGBTQI meaning Intersex,neither male or female but having some male characteristics plus she was raised as a girl. According to a Doctor on the Olympic panel she is to be seen as female. the only issue for the Olympic committee is cheating and Semenya was not cheating as she thinks of her gender and always has known her gender as female. Actually determining what gender she belongs too is probably not scientifically possible at this stage in our knowledge base. Most likely she falls somewhere in between. The testosterone that she may have in her system according to most experts is most likely not usable but that too is hard to determine. Nothing is clear and that is just the way it is for the experts. For Semenya it is a whole different story and she has a long road to walk getting her identity back in order after such an ordeal.

on my Facebook Sept. 11, 09

try this website for more info. http://www.fanhouse.com/news/main/caster-semenya-gender-test-results/666103?i

Sharon Raphael Now after reading more I am wondering who did the test and who revealed it as the Olympic Committee denies doing anything yet and says they would have to report to Semenya first before the public knows anything so I am wondering if this reporting which came out of Australia is bogus.
on my Facebook Sept. 11, 09

It appears a reporter either erroneously reported the results of a gender test done on Olympic athlete Caster Semenya or legitimate tests were done and illegally given to a reporter. That is my take on what happened and I think it is a damn shame
as revealing such information when in the long run Semenya will be ruled a female in any case according to most experts. This information could damage this young woman psychologically and I hope she can keep a semblance of sanity after this whole debacle subsides into the background. What a terrible thing to do to anyone and in this case one so deserving of the medals and honors she has won this far in her courageous Olympic battle to be the best runner in her category.

See at least one of the articles from Australia below.

Brisbane Times, Australia
Secret of Semenya's sex stripped bare
JACQUELIN MAGNAY
September 11, 2009

THE world champion 800m runner Caster Semenya has been revealed to have male and female sexual organs, posing an ethical and political quandary for the sport's ruling body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, and her home nation, South Africa.

Extensive physical examinations of Semenya, who is just 18 and from a remote village in the country's far north, has shown the athlete is technically a hermaphrodite. Medical reports indicate she has no ovaries, but rather has internal male testes, which are producing large amounts of testosterone.

The presence of both male and female characteristics will come as a devastating blow to Semenya, who has fought off snide remarks about her masculine appearance for much of her life.

Late last night the IAAF was trying to contact the athlete to inform her of the results. After her domination of the world titles in Berlin last month, Semenya was given exhaustive blood and chromosome tests as well as a gynaecological examination.

It is believed the IAAF was hoping to consider the ramifications of the results before publishing details.

One possibility would be to allow Semenya to retain her gold medal, but award a second gold to the runner-up, Janeth Jepkosgei from Kenya.

"This is a medical issue and not a doping issue where she was deliberately cheating," an IAAF spokesman, Nick Davies, told the Herald.

"These tests do not suggest any suspicion of deliberate misconduct but seek to assess the possibility of a potential medical condition which would give Semenya an unfair advantage over her competitors. There is no automatic disqualification of results in a case like this."

Earlier the IAAF said it was likely that Semenya would keep her medal because the case was not related to a drug matter.

Following her stunning victory, Semenya was embroiled in controversy, but returned to South Africa as a hero. South Africans condemned the scrutiny of Semenya and an African National Congress politician has filed an official complaint with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The president of Athletics South Africa, Leonard Chuene, said he was unaware the tests had been completed.

Reactions to Obama Just Plain Scare me

2009-09-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

I just read an article on how some parents are reacting negatively to a speech Obama plans to give to school children across the country. some are saying it smacks of socialism and big government when George W. Bush gave almost the exact same speech encouraging children to study and not to take drugs. In addition, the tea party types who are organized by the right wing power brokers are acting as though they are part of a grassroots movement to keep Obama from enacting a universal health care plan that could help those who are underinsured or who don't have health care at all and to try to reduce costs for all of us. Again, people are yelling about Socialism. There are in addition " The Birther's" who claim Obama was not born in this country. All these reaction scare me as they are overkill and based on lies and total inaccuracies. Don't forget the gun toting people who show up at public demonstrations against Obama. Another strange and disgusting development.

I can't help but think as I see nearly all of the protesters are white that racism is involved. No other President in my memory has been treated this way. The other side, those who support Obama and those who see what the other side is doing and see the racist motivation are now just beginning to organize. I pray it is not too late for Obama to achieve the upper hand and take the reins of power and run with it as he did so nobly in the start of his days in office. Perhaps, the speech he is giving on Health Care before a joint session of Congress will help move things in the right direction again but I do have my doubts. I am afraid the Know Nothings and Racially Motiviated Acid tongued types are gaining an upper hand via the media and I know they are a relatively small minority of people in this country. Unfortunately, so many are ignorant of politics in this country that other may join this mean spirited movement.

Obama and other centrist types together the progressive wing of the Party and other progressive must band together to fight together to win back center stage and get things going in the right direction. I think Obama's tendency to appease Republicans in Congress put us in the mess in the first place. G.W. Bush did one thing right, I agree with Bill Mahr on this one, and that was he did what he wanted and paid little heed to those who disagreed with him. Why can't Obama take his power and do more of the same. Now it may be too late as the shrewd and deceitful saw his weaknesses and seized the moment. Obama must seize the moment back. I hope he can.

Sharon Raphael

abstract I did using Spin Art application

2009-08-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Wish you could see it spin.

Carrying The Torch for Ted Kennedy and more Importantly for Ordinary Folks like Us

2009-08-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

The best course we can take to continue the mission that Edward Kennedy championed is to make certain that Congress and the President pass a fair universal health care package that lowers costs by inclduing a public option, provides quality health care for all, and takes into account the needs of people of all ages. I just heard Adrianna Huffington say she was tired of hearing media buttonhole Ted Kennedy as only a liberal or progressive. His ideas were the ideas of Americans, she went on to say. It is true what Adrianna says. Ted Kennedy represented the voices of hard working class Americans who wanted a fair shake in life. He wanted justice for those who were disadvantaged and for those who couldn't always speak up for themselves.

I heard a blurb from TV of Ted speaking before the Senate about the need to raise the minimum wages which he fought for over his whole career. He said and I paraphrase when he was disgusted with the conservative Senators and others who did not want to support a raise of 2.15 cents over a 2 year period. He spoke with disgust saying What more do you want from these good working men and women of America, how greedy can you get? How much more do you need referring to the wealthy power brokers in power. He was something else. You never hear that kind of speak anymore. The greedy Capitalists are winning all the time now and now Ted's voice will be silent. Others will speak up from time to time but we need to get the Ted Kennedy injected back into the political scene again. It seems in order to win a seat in Congress or to even think of running for President, one has to be right smack in the middle or to the right. There is no being progressive or even a liberal Democrat in current political time.

I wonder about the evolution of Arianna Huffington from Republican to progressive opinion news and blog writer and speaker. I know she wrote a book back in the seventies which was anti Feminist. I find this astounding given who she seems to be. Never hear her talk about Feminism to this day yet she seems like a strong progressive voice who must have renounced those antiquated ideas she had years ago. Hearing her speak up to talk about the legacy of Ted Kennedy is strange and a bit bittersweet. It is not that I don't like her as I think her ideas are refreshing and usually right on target or should I say left on target or is it as she says, her ideas are American common sense ideas or do we have to just say that because the country is now so far to the right. It sure can get confusing.

Who else may carry the torch and tradition of Ted Kennedy. No one has mentioned "Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (born July 4, 1951) was lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. She ran for the governorship in 2002. The oldest of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel's 11 children, she is part of the Kennedy political family." (Economicexpert.com) She has always impressed me. Perhaps, the younger generation need not carry a torch as what is expected today is that they be themselves rather than enlarge power for the Kennedy family which always seemed a given.

No one knows what the future will hold. Obama's image seems to be diminished and diminishing as a result of shrewd political maneuvering of the large corporations and business that run our country. They have brought out the cave men, the gun toting
and the lunatic and know nothing fringe shouting stupid and carrying sign with slogans i.e. give me back my country and Obama is Hitler. Is this America, Arianna, Teddy? Is this country for those who shout the loudest and have the most hysteria. The mainstream Republicans will not put this group of marginal nutcases in their place because they seem afraid to lose their votes and perhaps, deep down, agree with some of the anti intellectual message many of them share including the carrying of lethal weapons in public settings. And people just look on including most of the media without condemnation and without simple human reactions of horror at the sheer thought of these images surrounding the highest elective offices in the land including our President who happens to be a Black man.

Ted Kennedy who supported Obama and saw him as a new generational face of his older brother Jack would want to see
President Barack Obama take the heavy mantel he accepted, get some real back bone and pick up the will of the majority of people in this country who want fairness for all regardless of race or class or sexual orientation or gender , equality, environmental justice, and health care for all. As Ted Kennedy said, how greedy can you get. Give the people what they need and I would add even if they don't know they need it and are too ignorant and brainwashed by big business to know what they need. It is our job to continue Ted's tradition of educating the public at large and to keep pushing for the rights of people, the average common people in this land who need a break and sho don't need to have their anger channeled against their own self interests.

As Ted said "The Dream will never Die". Obama must carry this dream on or get out of the way for the next politiican determined to do the right thing.

Counter

2009-08-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

Testimony From a Gay Survivor of the Nazi Regime

2009-08-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

The following was translated by a friend from LAIN and Facebook. See below.

Gerard Koskovich: Testimony From a Gay Survivor of the Nazi Regime

Gerard's Notes|Notes about Gerard|Gerard's Profile
Testimony From a Gay Survivor of the Nazi RegimeShare
Yesterday at 10:27pm
Following is my translation from the French of a first-person testimony published by a gay survivor of the Nazi concentration camps. The French version first appeared as "Les homophiles dans les camps de concentration de Hitler" by B.M., "Die Runde," in Arcadie, no. 82 (October 1960), pages 616-618.

Homophiles in Hitler's Concentration Camps

by Bert Micha

When the German concentration camps were thrown open in 1945, a wave of terror swept over Germany and the entire world. But the indignation, pity and horror soon were wiped out by the general misery that followed the war, by daily worries about finding food and a place to live. The Dachau trials remained unknown to large parts of the public, and it didn't take long before some individuals started to show signs of doubt about the genuine gravity of the horrors that took place in the camps. Too many people had a powerful interest in minimizing the atrocities that had been committed and in letting them fall into obscurity as quickly as possible. A few books did appear, but they were not always objective, and often they were aimed at sensationalism. As for the survivors of the horrors of the camps, they were busy trying to find their place in the new society then being formed -- a society that they hoped would be in keeping with fundamental humanitarian principles. From time to time, organizations representing the interests of the victims -- particularly Jews, who were the most severely affected, as well as communists, socialists and displaced foreigners -- tried to claim indemnification, most often without much success.

The common law prisoners -- pimps, killers and professional thieves who had been so numerous in the camps and who had at first greatly damaged the reputations of the liberated internees -- quickly rediscovered their old lives and disappeared from view. Bonds of friendship already had been less than firm in the camps, where shared misery too often brought out the basest instincts; such bonds rapidly came undone. The recent trials of former concentration camp doctors have created barely even a weak renewal of curiosity and interest regarding these past events.

Yet there is one group among all the victims that has never received the light of publicity, hasn't complained about the damage it sustained, and hasn't encountered any understanding from the newspapers, from government agencies or from organizations that defend the interests of former internees: That group is the homophiles. Because Paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code -- the very Paragraph 175 that has been a subject of debate for decades -- makes homophiles into criminals, they encounter no pity from the public, and of course can make no claim for damages. To this day, no one has sought to learn how many homophiles were hunted down by the Nazis, nor to learn what the survivors retrieved of their lives and their belongings.

Memorial to the gay victims of the Nazi regime (Nollendorfplatz, Berlin). The inscription on the granite triangle reads: "Beaten to Death. Silenced to Death. The Homosexual Victims of National Socialism." (Photo: G. Koskovich)

The trials of former camp doctors have recently called to mind the fact that thousands of homophiles were forcibly castrated, often under beastly conditions. In the camps, homophiles often were singled out for special mistreatment. The author of these lines himself once witnessed how an effeminate young man had to dance repeatedly in front of the SS, only to be subsequently strung up on a beam in the guardroom with his hands and feet tied, then beaten horribly. The author also recalls the "latrine parades" in one of the first camps (Sonnenburg), for which the commandant always chose homophiles.

We must not forget that the homophiles in question often were honorable and cultured citizens who held important positions in society and in the government. During the seven years that he passed in various camps, the author of this article got to know a Prussian prince, major athletes, professors, schoolteachers, engineers, artisans, workers of every type -- and naturally, prostitutes, as well. Certainly, not all of them were worthwhile people, but the majority were completely lost and alone in the world of the concentration camps. During their rare hours of leisure, they lived largely in isolation. It was thus that I came to know the tragedy of a very civilized foreign embassy attaché who remained absolutely walled-up and unapproachable in a boundless and inescapable despair. He couldn't manage to make sense of the atrocious cruelty that he saw around him, and one day, for no apparent reason, he slumped over dead.

To this day, I find it impossible to recall all those comrades, those outrages, those deaths without sinking into profound despair.

None of this would have been possible without the legal opportunities that Paragraph 175 offered to the sadistic butchers of the Third Reich. I am now an old man. In my youth, I knew the activities and the struggles of the homophile circles that were then united under Magnus Hirschfeld, Adolf Brand, Fritz Radszuweit and others -- men who gave their honorable names to the fight for rights. I worked with them and I joined them in hoping for understanding and justice. Whether Paragraph 175 is maintained or repealed is no longer of much concern to me personally. But I hope for all those human beings known or unknown who still live under the weight of its constant threat that -- despite everything -- reason, progress, science and the courage of the medical profession will finally win the day. If that happens, the victims of all the concentration camps will not have died in vain.

NOTE: Arcadie was the main French homophile periodical of the 1950s. It gives little indication of the source of the text translated here: merely the German words "Die Runde" ("the round," "the circle" or "the party") that follow the author's initials. Although not so stated, the article was translated into French from a German text that appeared under the pseudonym "Bert Micha" in the autumn 1958 issue of the mimeographed private newsletter of Die Runde, an informal social group of gay men in the town of Reutlingen, near Stuttgart.

Details about Die Runde and the Micha article can be found in Karl-Heinz Steinle, Die Geschichte der Kameradschaft die Runde 1950 bis 1969, Hefte des Schwulen Museums, no. 1 (Berlin: Verlag rosa Winkel, 1998), pages 12-13, and Andreas Sternweiler et al. (eds.), Goodbye to Berlin? 100 Jahre Schwulenbewegung (Berlin: Verlag rosa Winkel, 1997), page 199. Thanks to Prof. James Steakley of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, for providing this information. --GK

Translation copyright © 2009 by Ray Gerard Koskovich; may be reprinted with credit for noncommercial purposes provided a copy of the print publication or a link to the online publication is sent to the translator at dalembert@aol.com.

Books That Influenced Me: Shows My Age

2009-08-23T02:36:00.001-07:00

A friend asked me to list at least 15 book that influenced me or made their mark so here they are. Shows my age.

Alice in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll
Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn by Mark Twain
Short Stories by Jack London
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
Helen Keller by Annie Sullivan
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Diary of Anne Frank
Life of Maxim Gorky Autobiography
My Life by Eleanor Roosevelt , any book about Eleanor Roosevelt by Eleanor Roosevelt
Short Stories of Isaac Bashevis Singer
KeepYour Gunpowder Dry, Margaret Mead
Well of Loneliness, Radcliffe Hall
The Story of Christine Jorgenson, by Christine Jorgenson
Capital, by Karl Marx sometimes written Das Kapital
The Second Sex, Simone De Beauvoir
The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber
Moses and Monotheism by Sigmund Freud
Woman on the Edge of Time , Marge Piercy
The Cancer Journals, Audre Lorde
Aging in Three Industrial Societies, Ethel Shanas et. al.
Journals and Novels by May Sarton

One Book I am promoting is Lambda Gray: A Practical Emotional and Spiritual Guide For Gay and Lesbians Who are Growing Older, ed. Karen Reyes (Mina and I have a chapter in it). Marcy Adelman's book on Midlife Lesbians where we also have a chapter.

Question/Answer about My Senior Advantage

2009-08-20T20:29:00.001-07:00

Below is correspondence I had with my health provider about the benefits of Senior Advantage which one can join at age 65 with some insurance carriers i.e. Kaiser Permanente which is my health care provder. I am happy with my coverage at Kaiser but wondered about what I get for joining Senior Advantage. Obama says the government could save money by eliminating that program. What is left out to be fair is what alternative the President or Congress would provide, if anything, for those of us who prefer something other than basic Medicare plus Medigap coverage. Obviously it is in Kaiser's interest to keep Senior Advantage. Any ideas on this one? By the way, my question was answered within a very short time so this advice forum for Kaiser members is quite helpful.

Name: Sharon Raphael
State: CA
Question: I am on Senior Advantage and am a Kaiser Group Member. I work at CSUDH as a ferper, retired faculty. Obama says he want to get rid of Senior Advantage because it costs the government 14% more than straight medicare. I don't understand why this is so. What advantages am I getting from Senior Advantage and if this were changed what would I lose? I want universal health care to pass but I don't necessarily want to lose my senior advantage unless you can make some sense out of this for me. Thanks. Sharon Raphael, Long Beach

Sharon,

Under a Medicare Advantage plan, like the one you have with Kaiser, the federal government pays your insurance carrier a monthly fee for assuming the responsibility of your health care expenses. This amount, according to statistics, is 14% higher than the claims incurred by Medicare Part A and Part B recipients, for which Medicare is fully liable. So, the government is suggesting that by eliminating Advantage plans, and not contracting with insurance carriers to assume claims liabilities, they will save money. Part of the reason why claims are less on Medicare A and B is because the covered benefits are limited. You can visit Medicare.gov, where they provide a comprehensive comparison of which benefits are offered under Medicare Part A and Part B. You will see that there are substantial sacrifices in coverage from what you have now on your Advantage plan. Medicare Part A is standard coverage, Medicare Part B will cost you a $96.40 a month. But, if you want prescription drug coverage, you will also need to purchase Medicare Part D. Combined, these Medicare programs will fall short of your current benefits and will include things like hospital deductibles and gaps in prescription drug benefits. If you have Medicare, you can still purchase additional Medigap coverage, but these plans can be quite costly and may still not equal the comprehensive coverage you receive under your Advantage plan.

Best Regards,
Health Insurance Advice Forum
http://www.healthcare.com
http://www.healthinsurancefinders.com

Gay Men Targeted in Iraq; article from Washington Post

2009-08-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

Gay Men Targeted In Iraq, Report Says
Militias Blamed for Scores of Killings

TOOLBOX

By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, August 17, 2009
BAGHDAD, Aug. 16 -- Human Rights Watch will urge in a report to be released Monday that the Iraqi government do more to protect gay men, saying militiamen have killed and tortured scores in recent months as part of a social cleansing campaign.

THIS STORY
Iraq May Hold Vote On U.S. Withdrawal
U.S. Moves to Counter Violence in Northern Iraq
Gay Men Targeted In Iraq, Report Says
View All Items in This Story
Although the scope of the problem remains unclear, hundreds of gay men may have been killed this year in predominantly Shiite Muslim areas, the report's authors said, basing their conclusion on interviews with gay Iraqi men, hospital officials and an unnamed United Nations official in Baghdad.

"The government has done absolutely nothing to respond," said Scott Long, director of the gay rights program at Human Rights Watch. "So far there has been pretty much a stone wall."

Homosexuality was tacitly accepted during the last years of Saddam Hussein's rule, but Iraqis have long viewed it as taboo and shameful.

Iraq's human rights minister, Wijdan Salim, has expressed concern about the reported slayings, but few other government officials have addressed the issue publicly or indicated that they are disturbed by the reports.

A senior police official in Baghdad said authorities could not effectively protect gay men because they often do not report crimes.

"To protect someone, you have to know who he is and his location," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the issue. "It's very easy for the militiamen to find them and harm them, and it's very difficult for our forces to protect them."

Reports of slayings targeting gay men began circulating early this spring in Sadr City, a conservative Shiite district in eastern Baghdad. Gay men were also reportedly slain in Basra, Najaf and Diyala province, Human Rights Watch said.

Gay activists said militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had target lists containing the names of men suspected of being gay. Some were killed and some were tortured, they said. Human Rights Watch said a commonly reported form of torture involved injecting super glue into men's rectums.

When violence in Iraq began ebbing in 2008 and militia and insurgent leaders lost sway in several parts of the country, social norms became less strict. Women began to shed abayas -- long black robes that cover them from head to toe -- in certain formerly conservative neighborhoods. Liquor stores began selling alcohol openly. And gay men began to congregate in cafes and other venues for parties. The advent of the Internet in Iraq after the 2003 invasion also allowed gay men to form bonds and circles of friends.

The attacks on gay men appear to have coincided with a call by religious leaders in Sadr City and other Shiite communities to curb behavior that clerics called unnatural and unhealthy.

Sadr movement officials say they condemn homosexuality, but have denied participating in violence targeting gay men.

Support Ezra Nawl

2009-08-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Ezra Nawi's sentencing hearing took place yesterday (Sunday), and Jewish Voice for Peace was there with over 20,000 of your signatures. The judge will render her sentence on September 21st, 2009. At the hearing, Emily Schaeffer testified on behalf of
Ezra Nawl. Ezra Nawl is a Jewish farmer who was born in Iraq.
20,000 sign petition asking

not

to put Ezra Nawi in jail | Israel | Jerusalem Post
Source: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1249418620894
Jerusalem Magistrate's Court Judge Eilata Ziskind, who convicted peace activist Ezra Nawi in March of participating in a riot and assaulting a police....

(Nawl was,,," jailed for his courageous nonviolent defense of Palestinian Bedouins in the South Hebron region-under constant attack by settlers, the Israeli army and police." http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/

Saving Grace to be cancelled: Boo Hoo!!!!!

2009-08-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Show to be canceled after 9 shows next summer. "TNT’s bold series SAVING GRACE i. Academy Award® winner Holly Hunter stars as gutsy Oklahoma City Police Det. Grace Hanadarko, a woman who holds nothing back, whether on the job or in her personal life. ...Hunter’s acclaimed performance has earned the actress two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Award® nominations." Loved the series. I am a regular watcher of the show. Holly Hunter and her many co-stars do a great job pulling off a complicatedplot line each week. The main plot always involves detective work to find the culprit, the other plot going on involves an Angel named Earl, who portrays a downhome kind of guy, sent by God to save Grace from her sexual, drinking and other sinful behavior. There is no Christian banality in this comedy/drama. Reminds me sometimes of the brilliant play "Angels in America", not sure that fits but it has overtones as Grace goes through her seemingly driven and challenging life. Her best friend is a crime pathologist working for the same police department where Grace is a detective. The women are depicted as competent and determined and Grace's male friends including her married boyfriend are true characters to remember. The show also demonstrates the local humor of these police types which is often very funny even to me, a non police midwesterner originally from Ohio transplant to LA. The rumor is the show is not selling as well in overseas markets as here in the USA. It does have regional significance as it takes place in Texas ( I think) and there is a lot of local color. I thought Europeans loved cowboy types and there is a modern American Indian detective on the show to boot. Too bad only 9 more episodes to go. I guess Holly Hunter can go back to making block buster movies. Boo Hoo!!!!

Watch this Documentary: The Yes Men Fix the World

2009-08-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

Watch the "The Yes Men Fix the World" on HBO on demand documentaries shown until 8/24/09. It was fabulous. If you haven't seen it, you will love it. It is about two hoaxsters who brilliantly and in reality try to fix the world. You will feel good and will learn
a great way to educate people about how to right wrongs i.e Bhopal, New Orleans, Exxon pollution.

http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/

Counter

2009-08-13T16:01:00.001-07:00