Bloggin.OUT

Much Ado About Enumeration

2009-03-04T12:01:00.000-05:00

Enumeration: Not the Only Policy for Protecting LGBT Students

Triangle Foundation appreciates this opportunity to reiterate our support of Matt’s Safe Schools Law. Triangle is a member of the Michigan Safe Schools Coalition (MSSC), along with many important allies. Triangle consulted with numerous national and local advocates on the creation of safe schools for LGBT youth, including the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which is considered to be the leading national education organization in this respect. GLSEN compiled much of the research on the importance of enumeration (a listing of protected characteristics) in safe schools legislation. While Triangle acknowledges that enumeration is ideal, we also recognize that it takes more than enumeration to protect LGBT children from bullying and harassment.

Two versions of Matt’s Law are currently under consideration in the Michigan Senate, one with enumeration and one without. The enumerated version contains a definition of bullying which includes characteristics that are often the motivation for bullies, such as race, sexual orientation and gender identity. The non-enumerated version contains a definition of bullying which does not detail the characteristics, but states that bullying and harassment include conduct that “is reasonably perceived to be motivated by animus or by an actual or perceived characteristic.”
Even with an enumerated law, there is no guarantee that LGBT students will be or feel safer. California has an enumerated law and LGBT leadership in that state is having difficulty with its implementation and enforcement. A 2007 GLSEN survey uncovered that only 26% of California students reported that their school has a compliant policy, and this is the state where 15 year old Lawrence King was murdered in school. The survey also found that 90% of LGBT students regularly heard other students make homophobic remarks and 40% of LGBT students reported being physically harassed because of their sexual orientation, and 29% because of their gender expression. In a 2005 survey of Michigan LGBT students, 35% reported being physically harassed because of their sexual orientation and 23% due to gender expression.

In 2007, Iowa enacted an enumerated law and about 50% of their students report that their schools enforce it. The Iowa Pride Network credits this moderate success, in part, to their statewide Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) campaign, which preceded the introduction of the law, and tripled that state’s number of GSAs from 20 to over 60 in three years. It was the relationships that they cultivated with the schools, by establishing GSAs, that made the law easier to implement at the local levels.
If Matt’s Law is enacted without specific enumeration, we have a number of tools that can be utilized to aid in the protection of LGBT students. It’s important to note that the non-enumerated version does not specifically exclude LGBT students, unlike Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which is enumerated and specifically excludes the LGBT community. Also, the definition of bullying in this version clearly provides protection, and would allow a parent to petition the school for redress for any grievance that is causing harm to the student. Additionally, in 2006, the Michigan State Board of Education adopted a comprehensive, LGBT inclusive, Model Anti-Bullying Policy. We cannot underestimate the support established for LGBT students by this powerful government agency. If Matt’s Law is enacted, it will be the responsibility of the LGBT and allied communities to reach out to all school districts and encourage them to adopt a comprehensive policy. The Eychaner Foundation in Des Moines found that most Iowa school districts adopted the sample policies distributed by the Iowa Association of School Boards. Furthermore, due to the unique features of our legislation and coalition building, a respectable organization such as GLSEN continues to work with the MSSC.

The legislative process is not generally an easy one, and laws are only as good as the human beings who must enforce them. Triangle extends our gratitude to the likely, and unlikely, allies who continue to devote considerable resources to creating safe schools for all children. We commend the many parents whose children are tragic casualties of bullying, who continue to show up in Lansing and fight for Matt’s Law, and who view any further delay in the passage of this legislation as an unnecessary threat to the lives of all children. Our community should value these partnerships as well, as these allies will continue to support our community as we strive for equality in other areas of the law. For those of you who wish to help with this process, you know where to find us.

Guest Post by Melissa Pope about California murder

2008-02-20T14:49:00.004-05:00

The below is an entry from a guest writer - Triangle Foundation's very own Director of Victim Services (and an absolutely fabulous woman) - Melissa Pope.

Her essay is in response to the shooting of a gay middle school student discussed in this previous entry.
_________________________________

By Melissa Pope, Director of Victim Services, Triangle Foundation

The Northern Illinois University community is beginning to heal after last week’s shooting rampage that claimed six lives. The focus is on the victims and their families and, of course, trying to figure out what made the assailant kill before taking his own life. While we may never know all of the details of what motivated this man to kill, we do not have a living killer to bring to justice.

With the murder of Lawrence King, a fifteen year old gay, gender-bending youth, we have an offender who is very much alive to suffer the consequences of his actions. It appears that King’s killer will be charged with first-degree murder and committing a hate crime. While nothing guarantees that this boy will spend the rest of his life in prison, clearly his life will never be the same.

Did you notice I called him a boy? King’s killer is only 14 years old. By law, he is still a child. We cannot talk about the death of a fifteen year old and call King a child without acknowledging that the killer is also a child.

As I write this, one part of me cries out for vengeance against this killer – child or not. I want to see him punished for taking the life of another human being. In all honesty, this part of me wants him to suffer so that he knows the pain he has caused King’s family and friends. But another part of me says that we must stop and look at this child to find out how to help him unlearn the hatred that lead to his heinous actions. I am not just talking about finding out how he became this hate-filled monster so that we can implement programs to prevent other children from developing this same revolting ideology. I am also talking about working with this child to bring him to a place of acceptance so that he is not lost forever in an internal maze of lies and intolerance, destined to be miserable.

At Triangle, we reach out to the victims of hate. We want them to know we are here to be with them, to advocate for them and to help them in any way possible. But we are also here for the offenders – to educate them so that they no longer harbor prejudices that can fester and erupt into volcanoes of violence. And we are here for the entire state of Michigan, to offer educational programming that highlights the price we all pay when prejudice is allowed in our homes, our schools, our work places and our society.

It hurts to admit that we will lose more children – some to murder, some to suicide and some lost to the hatred in their hearts. With every loss, we must remind ourselves to continue to strive for true equality for all people so that these losses diminish over time until they no longer exist.

And now a message from Kate Clinton

2008-02-20T13:43:00.001-05:00

Yet another reminder of why I love Kate Clinton so much...

Playing the blame game...

2008-02-20T13:32:00.001-05:00

This is a great commentary on how some groups try to place the blame on some pretty odd things when incidents like school shootings happen. It's unfortunate that they put so much attention on the symptoms and peripheral factors rather than the root of the problem... Video games aren't why youth are committing crimes... You could argue that it's a part of the climate that we've created and therefore a part of the problem in a way...but not to the level that folks like Jack Thompson have indicated. This follows a pattern of other folks who are more keen on scapegoating others than accepting where the true blame lies. It's a pattern that we must end.

Playing the blame game
Why search our souls when video games make such an easy scapegoat?
COMMENTARY
By Winda Benedetti
MSNBC contributor
updated 3:31 a.m. ET, Mon., Feb. 18, 2008

Say what you will about Jack Thompson, but the attorney-turned-anti-video-game crusader has what can only be described as a breathtaking genius for transforming ghastly national tragedies into shining moments of self promotion.

On Friday, police were still struggling to figure out why a seemingly polite, well-respected graduate student named Steven Kazmierczak had shot and killed five students at Northern Illinois University and then turned the gun on himself. But Thompson had it all figured out. Faster than you can say wild speculation and reckless sensationalism, he leapt in front of Fox News cameras and suggested that video games were to blame.

“We find from brain scan studies out of Harvard that if you get started playing, for example, violent video games you are more likely to copycat the behaviors in the games,” Thompson said in a rambling commentary that had nothing to do with what the interviewer had actually asked him. “The disturbing thing that keeps popping up in many of these…is that you can rehearse these type of massacres on simulators, which are called video games.”

During his brief air time, Thompson made sure to plug a book he’s written (which I will not plug here). Then, fresh off the boob tube, he began firing off press releases to various Web sites, trumpeting his screen time and flashing a photograph of himself in all his broadcast glory. (Look ma, I’m on TV!)

And in what can only be construed as an attempt to terrify grandmothers everywhere, Thompson declared in a “news” release: “We have a nation of Manchurian Candidate video gamers out there who are ready, willing, and able to massacre, and some of them will.”

The Northwest Herald and New York Post have since reported that Kazmierczak's former dormmates say he used to play the popular first-person shooter “Counter-Strike.” Though Thompson is now using these reports to make himself sound like a prognosticator extraordinaire, the truth is he's simply playing the numbers. The fact is, one would be hard pressed to find a young man of Kazmierczak's age who has not played video games. Indeed, The Herald reports that Kazmierczak's dormmates said playing "Counter-Strike" was a common activity among the students living in the building — none of whom have opened fire on their classmates.

While the video game connection remains tenuous at best, what seems far more pertinent are initial reports that Kazmierczak previously had been placed in a psychiatric treatment center and had recently stopped taking antidepressant medication.

This is not the first time Thompson has put his mug in front of every camera possible immediately after a mentally disturbed gunman has opened fire on innocent people. When last we spoke with the controversial Florida attorney, he was blaming video games for the massacre of 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech last April.

Not-so-funnily enough, while Thompson's misinfomation-laced pronouncements claim that the shooter — Seung-Hui Cho — had a passion for violent video games, a governor-ordered review of that horrific incident found no connection whatsoever with games. Instead, what the review panel found was a young man with a long history of psychiatric illness and a student who fell through the cracks of a deeply flawed mental health system. In fact, according to the the extensive 260-page report, it's unclear if Cho — who was passionate about books (gasp!) and not video games — ever played anything more aggressive than the kid-friendly "Sonic the Hedgehog."

Needless to say, video game players and proponents are collectively rolling their eyes in disgust at Thompson’s latest attempts to use a nightmarish tragedy to further his own cause and beat his own drum.

“Blaming video games for the behavior of the mentally-challenged is vile on many levels,” Hal Halpin, President of the Entertainment Consumers Association, wrote in a public statement.

“My opinion is that Jack is a distraction from the real issues,” said Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association. “When these kinds of tragedies occur, it’s horrible, horrendous and sad, and it’s very difficult for people to wrestle with the real issues. It’s easier to say, ‘Oh it was those video games that brainwashed him.’ That’s much easier than saying our society is messed up, people don’t take care of each other, teachers aren’t in control, there’s rampant bullying, and there are no parents at home because they have to work two jobs.”

In his personal blog, Della Rocca also posts an interesting e-mail conversation he had with Thompson after the Virginia Tech shooting. In it, Thompson challenges Della Rocca to a series of gaming debates and explains that they each stand to net $3,000 or more per event. Della Rocca declined this money-making endeavor, though not before suggesting they instead agree to a free debate...which Thompson declined.

“Not only must we question what good is this guy actually doing, but we should be questioning his motive,” Della Rocca said. “That is to say, are these massacre chasers profiting inappropriately from the deaths and fears of these tragedies?”

Speaking of the scapegoat de jour...
When games aren’t turning our children into a bunch of gun-wielding psychopaths, it seems they’re turning them into a bunch of Fatty McFattersons. Or so Steve Easterbrook, CEO of McDonalds UK, suggested to The Times of London.

“Kids are sat home playing computer games on the TV when in the past they’d have been burning off energy outside,” he opined during an interview about the role the golden arches have played in rising obesity rates.

To his credit, Easterbrook admits that obesity is a “complex” problem. At least on that point the developers over at Persuasive Games agree. They say that obesity is, indeed, a complex problem with no simple solutions. They also suggest that, among other things, it just might be fast food that makes you fat.

I know, I know! What a bunch of loons with loony ideas about how the world works. One of those loony ideas: They made a video game about the labyrinthine and systemic problem behind America’s ever-expanding waistline. Aptly enough, this little simulation game is called “Fatworld” and it’s free to download at www.fatworld.org.

I took a few moments to speak with Ian Bogost, the brain behind “Fatworld” (and the author of the book “Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames”). While games frequently get a bad rap for being violent diversions forged in very mouth of hell itself, Bogost believes that video games are, in fact, a medium uniquely suited to presenting complicated and thought-provoking issues to the public at large.

With that in mind, he created “Fatworld” to be an exploration of the intricate relationship between obesity, nutrition, socioeconomics and politics.

“Unlike television or even novels, instead of telling stories, video games represent systems and complicated interactions between multiple dynamics,” Bogost says. “They're a model of the world rather than an individual story within it.”

And so you start “Fatworld” by creating a character — selecting body shape, age, socio-economic class, and predispositions to things like heart disease and diabetes. In “Sims”-esque style, you lead your character through daily life, choosing what foods to eat and buy, whether to exercise (or not). You can acquire and run restaurants and the types of food you put on the menu will affect the health of the people in your town.

Meanwhile, you can stroll on over to the Govern-O-Mat to change government food subsidies or bribe a politician, and you can visit the Health-O-Mat to check on how your character is faring. (Using vending machines to affect government and health care policy is a bit of divine commentary, I think).

Throughout it all, the choices you make affect your character's health — you’ll watch yourself get fatter or thinner, live a long life or die. Yes, the game plays a little clunky here and there (the exercising mingames especially), but if "Fatworld" stumbles at times in the gameplay department, it more than makes up for it in the thought-provoking department.

“If anything, what I hope to do with the game is to show that any simple answer is wrong,” Bogost says.

Stick that in yer McNugget hole and eat it
For those looking for a game that feels plenty comfortable pointing the finger of blame at fast food, check out the free “McDonald’s Video Game” at www.mcvideogame.com, which gives players a satiric peek at the ugliness that goes into the making of a Big Mac.

Welcome to McDonald’s. Would you like a side of rainforest deforestation with your double-hormone beef patty? Mmmm, mmm good!

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23204875/

10-year-old trans youth commits suicide

2008-02-15T20:10:00.003-05:00

Yet another tragedy this week...

See my below post for my thoughts on all of these things from this week... Sadly - even though I wrote it before learning of this incident - it still applies. My condolences to the family of Cameron McWilliams...

Gender torment of 10-year-old Cameron

A BOY of 10 has been found hanged at his South Yorkshire home after telling his

mum he wanted to be a girl.

Tragic Cameron McWilliams had already asked for permission to wear make-up, and been teased after he was found wearing his half-sister's knickers.

His desperate mum Kelly McWilliams told a Doncaster inquest she had bought him girls' underwear to wear in private, but had refused his requests to be allowed to wear make-up.

She said: "It was apparent he was unhappy and said he wanted to be a girl. He did like girls' things."

Mrs McWilliams told a Doncaster inquest Cameron was older than his years and had expressed an interest in transvestism.

He had been teased after once being found in his half-sister's knickers, and had asked if he could wear make-up. His mum told him he would have to wait until he was older.

Mrs McWilliams found her son hanging, with a black leather belt around his neck, in his half-sister's bedroom at the family home in Montrose Avenue, Intake, Doncaster.

"When I got in the room he was not asleep, he was standing by the window with a dressing gown on," she said.

"His head was down and I realised something really serious had happened and I screamed."

The court heard Cameron was a lonely boy with no friends outside school. He spent all his time at home listening to music, playing on his XBox and using a laptop computer.

His mother revealed Cameron had been very interested in recent reports of a spate of teenage hangings in Bridgend, South Wales.

"He was not himself but he made no mention whatsoever that he would harm himself," she said. "On that day he was happy as Larry."

She said her son was in the habit of writing her notes if he wanted to discuss something, and added: "He would have asked me questions about hanging but he never did."

Doncaster coroner Stanley Hooper told the court: "I do not know what was in the mind of this little boy. All I know is he was an unhappy little boy and that he wore his sister's underclothing, and that would be a cause of worry to his mother and stepfather."

Referring to Victoria Beckham's famous claim that her husband David wore her knickers, he added: "If there is anything I can say to avoid similar fatalities in the future, I observe it is well-known that there is a very rich and successful footballer married to a pop singer who is known to have worn his wife's underwear."

Attempts by police to revive Cameron when he was found in the early hours last Monday were not successful, and his body was taken to Sheffield Children's Hospital for a post mortem examination. Inquiries into his death are continuing.

The inquest was adjourned to a later date.

A SUPPORT group for children with gender issues today extended their "heartfelt sympathy" to Cameron's family.

Susie Green from Mermaids, which helps youngsters struggling with gender identity issues, along with their friends and family, said today: "We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family at this terrible time. The loss of a child is impossible to imagine.

"A large number of members at Mermaids are parents with children who have experienced, or are experiencing, gender identity problems, so this strikes a chord.

"A number of our children have made attempts on their own lives, thankfully unsuccessful.

"Children with gender dysphoria are often isolated, bullied and persecuted for being different. Making friends is hard, as they do not conform to the gender norms that others expect.

"Life alone with this can seem intolerable.

"Finding Mermaids as a source of information and support has been a turning point for many, as the knowledge that you are not alone can provide comfort and solace.

"This is a terrible, terrible tragedy, and for many of us at Mermaids, a sharp reminder of what we could have faced. Our thoughts are with Cameron's family.

Click here for original article

Shooting of a gay middle school student

2008-02-15T17:11:00.001-05:00

In addition to the tragic news of a shooting at Northern Illinois University, many of us have also been deeply impacted by the news of a gay and gender bending middle school student who was shot in the head, was subsequently pronounced brain dead and died...

Each of these incidents causes my heart to sink... So many young lives wasted this week... The NIU incident is jarring for me personally because of my time working in Student Affairs and the respect I have for folks working in higher education and for the students working to better themselves. However, the death of Lawrence King - the gay and gender bending youth - brings me to tears.

Lawrence was 15-years-old - an eighth-grader in middle school - and he was shot by a 14-year-old classmate. Before you read any further...take a moment to digest that...we're talking about two middle school students who weren't old enough to vote, drive a car or even enter high school...

Many of the students interviewed have indicated that the two students had previously fought. The reason for these fights stemmed from Lawrence's sexual orientation and outward appearance and behavior - aka gender expression. Brandon McInerney is being charged with first-degree murder in Lawrence's death, with a special allegation that the killing was indeed a hate crime.

At least two lives have been destroyed because of heterosexism and transphobia. I said at least two, because I've seen situations like this unfold into people who work at the school losing their jobs and careers as a result of these incidents. In this case, from what I've seen, the school did a pretty good job going into this. It appears as though no one expected that this would happen and that the school had responded to previous reports of bullying.

It is TRULY amazing to me that a young person's motive for killing another young person would be that person's sexual orientation and gender identity. I have to imagine he intended on killing him as he shot him twice in the head. I also have to imagine that he knew he'd be throwing away his life in the process... He did it in front of a group of students and left the gun behind - not exactly a plan for "getting away with it" in my humble opinion.

I can't help but think of other lives wasted because of heterosexism and transphobia, including Ian Guarr and of course Matthew Shepard. I don't care what your attitude about homosexuality and transgender people is - how can anyone feel comfortable with a society that cultivates a mentality that pushes people's hatred towards anyone to the point where they decide to take another human being's life? Things have simply got to change - and I know we've said this before - but we must once again commit ourselves to making this change happen.

At Triangle Foundation we are doing many things to address the heterosexism and transphobia that exists. When people's hate boils to a point where they act out - we are also here to help the victims of hate. However, we know that there is more that needs to be done and frankly - we need your help.

Aside from the obvious step of supporting the work of Triangle Foundation and others - I have a suggestion for something that you can personally do to help fight the hatred that, in this case, has destroyed the lives of some of our young people. Hate doesn't just happen overnight. It is developed and, oddly enough, nurtured over time. However, I think we often are willing to dismiss the things that cause this to happen.

How many times have you had a family member forward a clearly racist or homophobic email and ignored it because...well...they're family and you don't want to start a conflict? Have you ever heard someone use a derogative word and let it slid because...after all...who are you to call them out on it? It is so evident to me, and many others, that these "simple" selection of words is truly a root of hatred. Granted, it's not the only root, but it is one that we see in our daily lives and that we are able to address.

I challenge you to not pass up on opportunities - so long as they are safe - where you can speak up and let someone know that you're not okay with their hateful language being used. Often times the other person doesn't think they're using hateful language - so use it as a teachable moment. There's no need to attack them verbally or belittle them - just let them know that you don't think what they've said is okay and share with them why.

I know this sounds like a simple step - but I am horrified at the number of times a young person who has perpetrated a hateful act claims the comfort and ease at which they could use hateful speech as evidence of society giving them permission to hate that group. "My teacher never tried to stop me from saying Fag or Gay in a negative way - so I figured that meant they agreed with me."

Hatred in any form is simply wrong and unnecessary. It is up to all of us to let those around us know that we do not agree with their hateful remarks, intentional or otherwise, and that they shouldn't either. Please - don't let these opportunities pass you by. I'm tired of seeing so much hatred and violence around us. Even if this only does a little bit to help - it's well worth the investment of time and energy.

To the family and friends of Lawrence King - I am so very sorry for your loss. Our community is also mourning the loss of Lawrence. I hope and pray that the day when things like this are no longer the way that we decide to settle our disagreements and differences is not far off.

Creating Change - The End...

2008-02-10T18:28:00.000-05:00

The 20th Creating Change Conference has come to a close. It was a GREAT conference and The Task Force did an amazing job putting it together. I'm really proud of the Detroit Host Committee and how good of a job Detroit did hosting the conference.

I'm already looking forward to next year's conference and I hope to see you there!

Check out this Creating Change 2008 Video Montage...

Oh Kate Clinton...how we love thee...

Creating Change - United ENDA & Mara Keisling

2008-02-10T14:26:00.000-05:00

A number of organizations involved with the United ENDA effort honored The Task Force for their work in getting United ENDA started and for their ongoing support of Transgender issues. Mara Keisling - the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality - spoke about this work and the United ENDA effort. Kudos to The Task Force for doing this important work and to folks like Mara for taking the time to recognize their contributions.

Check out this clip from Mara's remarks...

Creating Change - Jon Stryker

2008-02-10T01:12:00.000-05:00

Jon Stryker won an award at this year's conference from The Task Force for all of his work for and support of our community. Two things really stood about this...for one he donated the "prize" money to the Ruth Ellis Center...the second was his acceptance speech. He used it as an opportunity to address racial equality and explain what Arcus Foundation - which he founded - is doing to help address it.

I was impressed by what he had to said - kudos to Jon Stryker.

Check out this clip...

Creating Change - Bishop V. Gene Robinson

2008-02-09T23:58:00.000-05:00

Bishop Gene Robinson is a hero of mine. Not just because I'm an Episcopalian and not just because he was the first openly gay Bishop in the Episcopal church (or any very large church for that matter), but mostly because he's a truly great Bishop! He does all of the things you'd want your Bishop to do...and he show off! I suspect most of the great things he does most people don't even know about. Despite being thrust into the media spotlight - he's not someone who goes after it.

I always enjoy hearing him speak and have had the privilege of interacting with him during a few of his trips to Michigan. I thought his speech at the conference was good - but one of his best to be honest. I felt given the audience he could have gone further and done more with it... However, it's still a very good speech!

Check out these clips...

Creating Change - State of the Movement

2008-02-08T23:13:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite parts of Creating Change is the annual State of the Movement address delivered by the Executive Director of The Task Force. The years that I've gone it's always been Matt Foreman that has delivered this address. Matt is one of my favorite speakers - not just because of his delivery but because he often says what needs to be said and not just what people want to hear. Plus I like his style of writing - so hearing him deliver it is an added bonus.

Click here to read this year's State of the Movement address.

Check out these clips...

Creating Change - Opening Plenary

2008-02-08T11:12:00.002-05:00

WOW! Last night's plenary was amazing! I was really impressed by what Julian Bond had to say and by what he said as an ally. He made some really strong arguments on how all of the civil rights movements connect and how LGBT rights are civil rights too...

Also - I must say that having been to a few Creating Change conferences before - I'm really impressed by how great the stage looks this year! Congrats to Russell, Chris and everyone else who worked on it.

Check out this clips...

Creating Change

2008-02-07T14:05:00.000-05:00

It's the first big day of Creating Change and things are already booming! Lots of folks arrived today and the whole energy of the hotel has been turned way up. It has been wonderful reconnecting with folks and forging new friendships.

Tomorrow is the first workshop I'm helping with and I hope it goes well. Woodhull has done a great job putting it together - so I'm confident it will. :-)

I'm planning on posting more as thee conference continues...but I may not have a chance to do so! If you're here at CC - be sure to say hi! If you're not here...well...why not?

_________________
Sent from my Treo Smartphone.

I will be departing from Triangle in March

2008-02-04T18:04:00.002-05:00

I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to depart from Triangle Foundation in mid to late March. I am immensely proud of the work that has been done over the last few years in regards to our youth initiatives. However, it is time for me to try other things and allow for some fresh blood to be pumped into the program.

We have been working on how my transition will happen and I feel positive about how that process is proceeding.

Kate Runyon, our Interim Executive Director, wants to make it clear that Triangle remains committed to the youth work I have been doing. She asked me to pass this along:

“We appreciate the contributions Greg has made to creation and early development of Triangle Foundation’s Youth Initiatives Program. We respect his decision to allow for fresh input and leadership to take this program forward. Triangle’s board and staff remain committed to the important work our organization is doing developing the skills of young leaders and empowering them to bring their voice and skills to our work. I am eager to see how this program will continue to develop and impact not only young people, but our organization and movement as well.”

Since it was my decision to move on and I remain on very positive terms with folks at Triangle – I will have some involvement with Triangle moving forward. As for me personally, I haven’t decided exactly where I will be going to next just yet. My partner and I are looking at a number of options. As always, I am open to suggestions. =-)

Time coverage of the youth vote

2008-01-31T13:28:00.001-05:00

There has been a lot of talk about the youth vote's role in this year's election. This is a pretty extensive article discussing that...

The Year of the Youth Vote
By David Von Drehle

Senator Claire McCaskill is the highest-ranking Democrat in Missouri, and Missouri picks Presidents. The Show-Me State has voted for the winner in 25 of the past 26 elections. This is why the contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination fought so hard for McCaskill's endorsement. As her wary advisers helped her weigh the risks and rewards of siding with powerful Hillary Clinton or charismatic Barack Obama, neutrality began to look appealingly safe.

But there's something about an 18-year-old that can't abide careful hedging and cautious steps. The Senator's daughter Maddie Esposito had seen the way her mother teared up whenever she heard Obama speak. And now it was happening again as mother and daughter sat side by side on the family-room sofa in a suburb of St. Louis, watching the results of the Iowa caucuses on TV. "You know you believe in him," Maddie admonished her damp-eyed mother. "It's time to step up." The next morning, Maddie, a college freshman home for the holidays, added a threat: "You have to do it, or I'm never talking to you again."

McCaskill endorsed Obama — a big boost in an important Super Tuesday primary state. And the story of that endorsement is the Democratic-nomination battle etched in miniature. Kids like Maddie Esposito are the muscle of Obama's army. His campaign has become the first in decades — maybe in history — to be carried so far on the backs of the young. His crushing margin of victory in Iowa came almost entirely from voters under 25 years old, and as the race moved to New Hampshire and Nevada, their votes helped him stay competitive. In South Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 26, Obama's better than 3-to-1 advantage among under-30 voters more than neutralized Clinton's narrower edge among over-65s. Now, as the candidates shift to the coast-to-coast, Dixie-to-Dakota battlefield of Feb. 5, Obama is counting on a wave of Democrats experiencing their own McCaskill moments, roused to his banner by the fervent — if sometimes vague — urgings of youth.

Caroline Kennedy's three teenagers began working on her last year. "They were the first people who made me realize that Barack Obama is the President we need," the daughter of John F. Kennedy told an audience in Washington on Jan. 28. Her decision, joined by her uncle Senator Edward Kennedy, to place her father's mantle on Obama's shoulders was both a boost to Obama and a rebuke to the Clintons.

Frustrated by feckless Washington, energized by the unscripted, pundit-baffling freedom of a wide-open race, young people are voting in numbers rarely seen since the general election of 1972 — the first in which the voting age was lowered to 18. Obama is both catalyst and beneficiary. In state after state, he has drawn more young voters than any of his competitors. For a group of voters with no memory of a time before Bushes and Clintons, Obama is a fresh face. His opponents promise to fight, but Obama promises healing. His is the language of possibility, which is the native tongue of the young. And if he happens to be light on details — well, what are details but the dull pieces of disassembled dreams? "I had a friend tell me this was impossible, quoting all these political-science statistics at me to show that it's hopeless to try to organize students," says Michelle Stein, 20, media coordinator for Obama's youth campaign in Missouri. "Now he says, 'You were right, I was wrong. Where do I sign up?'"

Combining digital-age technology with old-fashioned shoe leather, the Illinois Senator first rallied Iowa students to cancel Clinton's cakewalk. While enthusiastic Democrats of all ages produced a 90% increase in turnout for the first caucuses, the number of young voters was up half again as much: 135%. The kids preferred Obama over the next-closest competitor by more than 4 to 1. The youngest slice — the under-25 set, typically among the most elusive voters in all of politics — gave Obama a net gain of some 17,000 votes. He won by just under 20,000.

The excitement that created — a "tidal wave," in the words of Bill Clinton — nearly drowned the hopes of the former President's wife. But Hillary Clinton answered with her own organizational prowess, whipping up huge numbers of working-class, female and older Democrats. Only the students have kept Obama in contention: in New Hampshire, his edge among young voters was 3 to 1; in Nevada, it was 2 to 1; and in Michigan, nearly 50,000 under-30s voted "Uncommitted" because Clinton's name was the only one on the ballot. In a year of unprecedented levels of participation by Democrats of all ages, Obama is counting on a youthquake that reverberates upward. On the short road remaining to Super Tuesday, the race may come down to this: Will the youthful ranks of Obama's movement grow virally as the election goes national? And will a public long trained to follow youthful trends be swept up in the tide?

The Ground Game
Obama is tapping into a broad audience of energized young voters hungry for change, according to a new TIME poll of under-30 Americans. Nearly three-quarters of the respondents said they feel the country is headed down the wrong track, with majorities expressing worries about jobs, affordable health care and the war in Iraq. Their interest in the election exceeds their interest in celebrity news or sports — 7 of 10 said they are paying attention to the race. Obama is the only candidate in either party who is viewed favorably by a majority of young people, and he has half again as much support as his nearest competitor, Democrat or Republican.

But Obama's support among youth is not just a matter of mood; it is a product of effort and organization, of finding his supporters and getting them to the polls. In TIME's national survey, he has a 3-to-2 advantage over Clinton among young voters, but he is doing significantly better than that in actual balloting, thanks to his superior ground game.

No other candidate can claim similar success. Turnout has been lackluster for all Republicans this year. In South Carolina, Obama drew more under-30 votes than all Republican candidates combined, according to exit polls. Mike Huckabee does well among conservative Christian youth, but there is no sign of a surge in their ranks. The young people marching to Ron Paul's drum are long on passion but short on numbers — roughly 3,000 in South Carolina, for example, compared with Obama's estimated 50,000. After gaining strength among voters whose views were formed in the Reagan years, the GOP has the support of only 1 in 3 young people today, and the party's luster has faded among independents.

Obama's outreach to students didn't spring from some starry-eyed principle. It started as a specific element of his early strategy in Iowa. The first-in-the-nation caucuses allow 17-year-olds to vote if they are going to turn 18 before the general election, which means most high school seniors are eligible. To win those kids, Obama did something unusual in politics: he made them a genuine priority. After his rallies in towns across the state, he met backstage with student leaders from the area — a privilege most campaigns reserve for local VIPs and fund raisers. He also hired as his youth-vote coordinator Hans Riemer, a veteran of Rock the Vote, which has been working to mobilize the student vote for years, with increasing success. Riemer extracted a promise that his work would be an integral part of the overall campaign, not a lip-serviced, photo-op'd afterthought. His timing was perfect. The art of political organizing is in the midst of a broad philosophical overhaul that erases many of the old distinctions between young voters and their elders.

Basically, it's 19th century politics using 21st century tools. The idea is rooted in a deceptively simple truth: voters are more likely to go to the polls if they are asked face to face by someone they trust. The rediscovery of this antique notion began in the 1990s when researchers at Yale University published several influential studies proving that personal canvassing is more effective than direct mail or phone calls from strangers. In 2001, Republicans put the idea to a test in several special congressional elections, and the extra money and time devoted to door-knocking produced instant results. So the GOP expanded the effort in 2002, then applied it to presidential politics in 2004. The party's mammoth "72-Hour Project" — named for the final weekend of the campaign, when GOP volunteers made literally millions of personal pitches — helped George W. Bush become the first candidate since 1988 to win a majority of the popular vote.

"It's really the same way we organized back in the heyday of political machines: know your voters and turn them out personally," says George Mason University associate professor Michael McDonald, an expert on voter participation. "Obama has keyed into this and applied it on campus, using students to recruit other students."

What began as a tactic to capture rural caucuses snowballed into a systematic strategy. Obama put his money where his mouth was, spending precious radio and television dollars on ads aimed specifically at Iowa students. A student-to-student phone bank dialed tens of thousands of dorm rooms and cell phones. By Election Day, "we had our entire field operation working to turn them out," says Riemer.

One recent evening in the trendy loft district of downtown St. Louis, students from Missouri campuses gathered at Obama's state headquarters to plan the final phase of their own Super Tuesday effort. Quentin Anderson, 19, welcomed them by saying, "The youth vote is the most important factor in this cycle. We need to keep that momentum going." Glenn Rehn, 25, reported that Obama volunteers at the University of Missouri had collected 800 signed pledges of support before leaving campus for winter break. Kevin Wolfe, 19, said that for his group at Washington University in St. Louis, the Iowa success was like throwing a switch. "People see that he can win, and they are moving off the fence."

As the meeting continued, the students traded ideas for fund-raising concerts and teasingly racy "Show Us Your O-Face" parties. They discussed plans for "dorm-storming," a canvassing technique that matches student volunteers with dormitories where they live or have friends. "It's a very intimate interaction because they're hearing about Obama from someone they already know," Wolfe explained.

The point of all these activities is to collect as many names as possible of potential supporters and then badger the prospects until they cast their ballots. Those Yale studies found that pleading doesn't become ineffective until after the third appeal. Washington University sophomore Charlie Bittner, 19, told the group he planned to take the personal approach even further. "I will lead groups every 30 minutes from a spot on campus to the polling place," he said. "People feel more comfortable if they're part of a group."

The 21st century part is this: technology makes it easier than ever to create networks and share enthusiasm. Facebook, the largest of Internet social-networking sites, boasts a market share of more than 85% of four-year U.S. universities, with millions of members averaging 20 minutes per day on-site exploring interests and keeping track of friends. Facebook has all the power of Meetup, the online campaign sensation that powered Howard Dean's brief moment in the presidential spotlight four years ago — plus much more. Its 65 billion page views per month make Facebook perfect for rapidly spreading messages and creating trends. "A kid puts up an Obama page, and suddenly she has 35 friends gathered," Riemer marvels. "It was so much more work to get started just five years ago."

That is not the only advantage of technology. Finding and communicating with students have traditionally been a nightmare for politicians. Students are constantly moving from home to dorm to group house to campus apartment. They don't typically show up in the databases purchased by campaigns: rolls of past voters, lists of homeowners and membership files of special-interest groups. They aren't regular watchers of TV news or subscribers to newspapers. But kids can now catch candidate speeches and debate snippets on YouTube. Their cell-phone numbers and e-mail addresses follow them everywhere. Technology makes it easier for them to volunteer too: students who might never show up at a phone bank can now download contacts from a central database and make calls from the comfort of their dorm rooms. Loosely connected to traditional networks, young people are intensely connected online. They once were lost but now can be found, and Obama is being rewarded for making the effort to look.

Barack the Vote
If you want to feel old, just tell a group of teenagers today that you can remember a time when the Clintons were hip. There was this guy on TV, see, called Arsenio Hall, and Bill Clinton went on wearing sunglasses and playing a saxophone, and, well, no, it wasn't on YouTube — this was before most people had heard of the Internet — oh, never mind. There's nothing new, for today's young people, about a Clinton replacing a Bush.

Claire McCaskill's daughter, to take one newly eligible voter, was all of 2 years old when that happened the first time. The Gingrich revolution came during her pre-K years; impeachment was around second grade. In other words, no matter how many times Hillary Clinton intones the magic word of 2008 — change — it's going to ring a bit hollow, because she is an eternal piece of their mental furniture.

Obama, by contrast, radiates the new. He doesn't just talk about change; he looks like change. His person and his platform are virtually indistinguishable. Obama, like Tiger Woods and Angelina Jolie, has one of those faces that seem beamed from a postracial future, when everyone will have a permanent, noncarcinogenic tan. He has small kids and a low BMI. His voice rumbles with authority, but his ears stick out like Opie Taylor's. His campaign is crawling with cool young people, and the candidate fits right in. We've yet to see Obama flustered or harried; instead, he gives off the enigmatic Zen confidence of the guy who is picked first for every game.

His lack of experience can even seem like an asset to young voters. "I like that he's new," says Neil Stewart, 18, a freshman at the University of Colorado in Boulder. "We need some freshness in our government right now." Obama's "inexperience means he comes in with a fresh look and isn't quite as jaded by the political system as most other people are," says Jennifer Zamarripa, 26, a University of Denver law-school student. "He's new and modern and breaking with the past," says José Villanueva, 21, a senior at Claremont McKenna College in California.

It's hard to overstate the extent to which thick Washington résumés are out of vogue on U.S. campuses. Especially among young Democrats, many of whom cast their first votes in 2006 to elect a Congress that would change course in Iraq and make progress on issues like health care. The yawning chasm between what was promised in that campaign and what the Democratic Congress has actually delivered makes everyone with seniority in Washington automatically suspect. Joseph Biden and Christopher Dodd probably have socks that have spent more time in the Senate than has Obama, and look what good their years of experience did for them.

It's also true that the issues of the past are not necessarily the issues most compelling for today's students. Pollster Frank Luntz gathered a focus group of New Hampshire students on the eve of the primary there, and the hour-long conversation barely touched on the hot buttons of yore: abortion, crime and affirmative action. Their world, after all, encompasses RU 486, lower murder rates and Oprah. What concerns many of them is the nature of politics: the perceived gridlock of parties, conniving of special interests and shallow biases of the media. When Obama talks broadly about changing those dynamics, what strikes some older ears as airy and substance-free hits younger voters as the chime of insight. Washington University senior Matt Adler, 21, puts it this way, "What Obama brings to the forefront is the issue of process. It's not just what gets done but how it gets done; the morality of the process matters. Being honest, open and inclusive is an issue in itself."

Of course, young people are far from unanimous. "If we were electing someone on the basis of their ability to give great speeches, then Obama would be a great choice," says Jonathan Beam, 21, a political-science major at Emory University. "But Hillary Clinton outshines the rest of the field with her experience, and I just don't think we can afford to let another candidate get on-the-job training." While you can find students who aren't voting for Obama, though, it's harder to find students who don't recognize his appeal. "A lot of my friends from home are Republicans," says Caitlin Ellis, 20, a University of Missouri junior, "and it's refreshing not to have to fight tooth and nail with them when I say I'm for Obama."

Where Obama could be onto something truly rare is the way his campaign themes, personal story and base of support reinforce one another. Obama radiates change, which attracts young people, which in turn validates the message of change. He tells young people they can make a difference, and they decide to vote, thus making a difference. "Hope is the thing with feathers," as Emily Dickinson put it, and if Obama can make it fly, it can have deep implications in a society primed to follow the passions of youth. As cultural critic Thomas Frank explained in his book The Conquest of Cool, advertising agencies in the 1960s forever transformed youth from a demographic group to a consuming ideal. Historian T.J. Jackson Lears of Rutgers University traces the association of youth with political renewal far into America's past. "It's quite thoroughly embedded," he says. "It really begins with Theodore Roosevelt," who became President at age 42. Freshness and vitality have almost always sold better than the worry lines of veteran leadership.

Tomorrow's Democrats Today
Will it happen? There are plenty of reasons to doubt. Obama's Iowa effort was long on money and loaded with time. Conditions were perfect for the slow, hard work of grass-roots organizing. Now it's the opposite. On Feb. 5, half the remaining states will vote, including those with megapopulations such as California, Arizona, Georgia and New York State. What's more, the rules are less favorable to student organizers. Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada all had some of the most liberal voting laws in the country. Same-day registration meant that first-time voters could be swept to the polls by a last-minute appeal. By contrast, those Missouri volunteers and their counterparts in many other states face the hard fact that students who weren't registered weeks earlier will be stuck on the sidelines. They can't catch the Obama wave no matter how many times they are asked in the cafeteria.

However, Hillary Clinton also confronts the harsh math of too many states and too few resources. Super Tuesday will be another step into uncharted territory in this unusually competitive, uniquely front-loaded campaign. In the absence of wall-to-wall television ads, what role will online communications play? Will turnout remain high as campaign field operations are stretched thinner than pantyhose? If the enthusiasm wanes, who stays home — Obama's kids or Hillary's geezers? "I'm confident that we will turn out more young voters than ever before," says Riemer, "but what size piece of the puzzle that ultimately is, I just can't say."

When young people get involved, they tend to stay involved. The graybeards of today's Democratic Party were once the inspired youth of the New Frontier, or Clean for Gene McCarthy, or bell-bottomed foot soldiers for George McGovern. Scan the crowd at an Obama rally, squint, and you just might see the future. For the moment, it's enough for young Obama supporters to feel that they are part of something big and historic. "I am a believer that change can happen," says Patricia Griffin, 25, a student at St. Louis Community College. "So-called Washington experience has given us an unjustified war, an economy slipping, the dollar losing its value, health care impossible to afford. I'm telling my friends they can make a difference this time. They can vote."
With reporting by Karen Tumulty/Washington, Paige Bowers/Athens, Rita Healy/Denver, Kristin Kloberdanz/Berkeley and Justin Horwath/Minneapolis

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1708570,00.html

Al Gore endorses same-gender marriage

2008-01-23T18:56:00.000-05:00

There are so many reasons to be an Al Gore fan...from his intelligence to his passion for environmentalism....I'd have a hard time thinking of a reason not to like the guy.

Well...he just helped me like him even more by publicly endorsing same-gender marriage. Plus, I love how he didn't do it in a way that was overtly trying to gain political capital...he essentially just went on his web site and posted a vlog...

Here's his vlog where his makes this endorsement...

Bloggin.OUT v2.0

2008-01-10T15:11:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the next version of Bloggin.OUT!!! Okay...true...it essentially looks the same...but looks can be deceiving. For instance, did you notice the spiffy new header? No longer will I be there to stare you down as you read this blog, but rather a pleasant few of a group of young people will welcome you.

In fact...this header gives away a big clue about what Version 2.0 of Bloggin.OUT is all about! We are opening this blog up to more authors - specifically GLBT youth leaders. It's our little experiment into finding out what's on the minds of young leaders and what they have to say to the world.

If you're not sure whose thoughts you're reading, you can scroll to the bottom of the blog post and see who posted it. To the right you can also click on the names of the authors of these entries to find out more about them....

I hope that you enjoy what comes from this and that you'll keep coming back to see how things unfold... If you are a young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or allied youth interested in contributing your entries to this blog - please feel free to contact me at greg@tri.org to discuss how you can contribute.

Enjoy!

Think Equal Ads

2008-01-08T23:12:00.001-05:00

Wow! I am truly impressed!!! Kudos to our friends in New Jersey.

Slate takes a glimpse into the world of Drag Kings

2008-01-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

Kudos to Slate for covering a topic that some mainstream news outlets may shy away from. It was rather interesting to see a glimpse into the world of Drag Kings through the eyes of a reporter. I loved the question "Do you adjust yourself?"

Thanks to Aaron for sending me the link to this video. The reporter has also done a follow-up article about it on Slate's web site. Click here to check it out. Some of the terms aren't exactly correct...but overall not a bad job.

In response to my last post...

2007-12-10T18:16:00.000-05:00

Okay - I wouldn't normally post a negative comment on this blog. However, I feel that it's important for people to understand that these things do still happen and give my thoughts on it.

I am often surprised at how some people believe that the fight has been won and it's time for us all to go home. While it's true that we have made some amazing progress...there are still a lot of hearts and minds we need to reach out to. Sadly, there are also a lot of people who when given the choice between dialog and hate will choose hate...

The individual who left this comment in response to my post about the recent news regarding the Boy Scouts:

Thank GOD for AIDS (used to be known as GRID).

It's a nice painful death, and strikes a**f**ing faggots down.

Whenever I hear another a** pirate has died from the GRID, I Smile.

Hopefully people you know have died from the GRID, painfully.

- Anonymous

Having been the recipient of these types of pleasant messages before...I have a few thoughts about this...

First...I should note that this person didn't make NEARLY as many grammar errors as most people who write hateful messages do. I don't know what it is about hate messages, but apparently they are exempt from proper spelling and grammar. It's doubtful that I will ever send someone hate mail, but if I did I would at least respect myself enough to have someone proofread it first.

Okay, with that small gripe out of the way, I now have to wonder about this person's motive. Something possessed this person to take a little bit of time and write out the above message. I think it's safe to assume that this person didn't know that Triangle has moderation setup for our blogs. This means that a comment can't be posted without one of us reading it first and saying it's okay. Now that's not to say that we'd stop a comment from someone who disagrees with us...but as this message clearly indicates not everyone who leaves us comments want to engage in civilized discussion.

Again, I suspect this person probably thought their comment would go live on the Internet right away and that some audience of people would then read it. This leads me to wonder what they were hoping would happen. Based on the message I think we can safely assume this person isn't interested in their comment leading to some thoughtful two-way dialog. It's really a shame that they don't want to communicate. I would really like to hear what they have to say about the Boy Scouts situation and try to understand where they're coming from. Unfortunately cheering for the death of other people doesn't really teach us much other than that this person is something of a tragic figure.

The most obvious motive is that they were trying to either discourage me or someone who might agree with me. If that's the case...I think their message is lacking in convincing anyone that not only am I wrong - but that I'm so wrong the entire movement I work on should be written off. The comment they made is very similar to a tactic I see played out on elementary school playgrounds. Child A makes a comment about some given situation...Child B doesn't like that comment and retorts with some random insult... Is this comment poster trying to tell us that rather than explain why we should abandon our cause we should simply accept this random...insult...if you can even call it that...as a reason to throw our arms up and walk away?

Seriously...if that actually worked...don't you think you'd see ads on TV that go like this "I'm Candidate B and I approve this message.... ::pause as the announcer's voice and random video footage can be seen and heard:: Don't vote for Candidate A - he's a poopy head and no one likes him....not even his own mother. In fact we don't like Candidate A so much that we hope he dies. So take that Candidate A." As bad as political ads have gotten, I take comfort in knowing that whoever wrote the above comment is clearly not in charge of writing them (yet).

Perhaps this person actually does have this opinion and is unable to figure out how to create their own blog to speak to their base (because I can assure this person that their base is unlikely to be a faithful enough reader of this blog to come back and look at comments later). If motivating their base was the goal...I think they've missed their mark. Even if someone stumbled upon this message who agreed this person...saw the comment (assuming we didn't moderate our comments and that I hadn't gotten around to deleting this one) and said "Well...at least someone out there agrees with me." I suppose that might work...but that seems like a bit of a stretch and a pretty poor use of resources. It would have been more strategic to link to my post and then comment about it on their blog.

I've had the opportunity to engage people who write messages like these before. What always amazes me is when they tell me why they did it. Often times it's never with a clear outcome...they were usually just compelled to do it without thinking of the consequences (with "role models" like George W. Bush around...I can see how they would see that as a good idea). The thing that I find almost funny...if it wasn't so sad...is that they often tell me that they were compelled to do so because of their values or their own personal beliefs.

Now I don't know about you...but generally speaking I was always told that despite how much I dislike someone or disagree with them...wishing them death or smiling when it happens is going way over the fine line. If their values are such that wishing death upon others and smiling when someone dies is acceptable...then I'm pretty happy to hear that they disagree with me. If anything - I see that as a HUGE compliment. I'd be MUCH more concerned or less motivated to continue if I learned that they actually agree with me...but would like to wish death upon others...

Sometimes they combat their obvious sudden lack of values as being religiously motivated. This REALLY does concern me and makes me even happier that we disagree on things. I consider myself a religious person. I'm very proud of my religion and it provides me with a lot of inner-peace and comfort. Maybe that's because my religious upbringing didn't teach me to wish death upon others. I have no idea what church they're attending...but it's certainly not mine... I have yet to find anything in the Bible that suggest posting the above comment is a good idea. In fact, if I may "Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her" John 8:7. I'm far from a Priest...but I think the very tone of the above comment...and the nature of folks who are so filled with hate that they post these things...leads me to believe that they are far from being without sin.

I've thought about why these people write these types of messages. I usually come back to some desire to get us to stop. This actually motivates me a great deal. Apparently our cause is becoming so successful that it apparently scares those that disagree with us so much that they will do desperate things like post some insults in response to a blog post they disagree with. These acts of desperation are somewhat comforting and a good sign of progress.

So in an odd way - I'd like to thank the person who made the above comment. I'm sorry that you are so filled with hate that you cannot even manage to have an actual dialog with me. However, it's nice to be reminded that what I'm doing and saying flies in the face of people such as yourself and the things you stand for because if you're comment is any indication of who you are...I'm glad your company is not one that I will be keeping anytime soon...

Boy Scouts evicted from Philadelphia building for homophobic policies

2007-12-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

Below is a story about the City of Philadelphia formally ending their lease with the local council after years of debate. Essentially the city is doing this because the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) refuses to agree to comply with the cities nondiscrimination policy, which would prevent them from discriminating based on sexual orientation.

As a former Scout, but someone who has been vocally opposed to this aspect of their work…I’m pleased - but with mixed emotions. It’s sad that they’re so hell-bent on defending their stance on this issue that they’re willing to sink themselves as a result. From what I've seen and heard, it looks like it’s really destroying a lot of the organization – much more so than I think anyone thought it would. They’ve lost many of their most visible supporters (such as Steven Spielberg who publicly resigned from the Advisory Board for Scouts - after 10 years of service - in 2001 essentially citing their stance on homosexuality).

I have to imagine that some people in the Girl Scouts are preparing for the eventual collapse of BSA. It’s rather sad, but they are essentially the last scouting organization in any country where homosexuality is legal (it is still illegal in a few dozen countries) that still has a policy forbidding homosexuals from being involved.

This is a victory, but one of those bittersweet victories that we would rather not have had to force to happen in the first place… It’s ironic that they are blaming the city for hurting young people when their own bigoted behavior brought this upon themselves and did so because it is in fact hurting many more young people and adults…

On a side note...I find it very amusing that they're being evicted on June 1st - the first day of GLBT Pride Month... I think it would be wonderful if we kicked off Pride Month at this very building. Maybe a GLBT organization can even move into the building. After all...the city will be looking for someone to move in and at $1 a year...you can't beat the price!

December 6, 2007
Boy Scouts Lose Philadelphia Lease in Gay-Rights Fight
By IAN URBINA

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 4 — For three years the Philadelphia council of the Boy Scouts of America held its ground. It resisted the city’s request to change its discriminatory policy toward gay people despite threats that if it did not do so, the city would evict the group from a municipal building where the Scouts have resided practically rent free since 1928.

Hailed as the birthplace of the Boy Scouts, the Beaux Arts building is the seat of the seventh-largest chapter of the organization and the first of the more than 300 council service centers built by the Scouts around the country over the past century.

But over the years the fight between the city and the Scouts was about more than this grandiose structure in Center City.

Municipal officials said the clash stemmed from a duty to defend civil rights and an obligation to abide by a local law that bars taxpayer support for any group that discriminates. Boy Scout officials said it was about preserving their culture, protecting the right of private organizations to remain exclusive and defending traditions like requiring members to swear an oath of duty to God and prohibiting membership by anyone who is openly homosexual.

This week the Boy Scouts made their last stand and lost.

“At the end of the day, you can not be in a city-owned facility being subsidized by the taxpayers and not have language in your lease that talks about nondiscrimination,” said City Councilman Darrell L. Clarke, who represents the district where the building is located. “Negotiations are over.”

Mr. Clarke said talks ended this week when the deadline passed for the local chapter to change its policy; on June 1 the group will be evicted.

“Since we were founded, we believe that open homosexuality would be inconsistent with the values that we want to communicate with our leaders,” said Gregg Shields, national spokesman for the Boy Scouts. “A belief in God is also mentioned in the Scout oath. We believe that those values are important. Tradition is important. Our mission is to instill those values in scouts and help them make good choices over their lifetimes.”

In 2000, the Supreme Court decided a case — Boy Scouts of America v. Dale — involving an openly gay scout from New Jersey who was barred from serving as troop leader. The court ruled in a 5-to-4 decision that, as a private organization, the group had a First Amendment right to set its membership rules.

The issue became a local concern in Philadelphia in May 2003 when the national Boy Scouts held their annual meeting in the city. During the conference, a local scout challenged the organization’s policies by announcing on television that he was gay and that he was a devoted member of the organization. He was promptly dismissed by the local chapter, which is called the Cradle of Liberty Council.

Municipal officials drew the line at the Beaux Arts building because the city owns the half-acre of land where the building stands. The Boy Scouts erected the ornate building and since 1928 have leased the land from the city for a token sum of $1 a year. City officials said the market value for renting the building was about $200,000 a year, and they invited the Boy Scouts to remain as full-paying tenants.

Jeff Jubelirer, a spokesman for the local chapter, said it could not afford $200,000 a year in rent, and that such a price would require it to cut summer-camp funds for 800 needy children.

“With an epidemic of gun violence taking the lives of children almost daily in this city, it’s ironic that this administration chose to destroy programming that services thousands of children in the city,” Mr. Jubelirer said. He added that the organization serves more than 69,000 young people, mostly from the inner city, and that its programming focuses on mentoring and after-school programs instead of camping trips.

But Stacey Sobel, executive director of Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, a gay-rights advocacy group based in Philadelphia, said: “Allowing the Boy Scouts to use this building rent free sends a message that the city approves of their policy. We are not looking to kick the Boy Scouts out. We just want them to play by the same rules as everyone else in the city.”

Ms. Sobel said the city required that any organization that rented property from it agree to nondiscriminatory language in its lease. The Boy Scouts skirted the requirement by never having had to sign a lease because they were given use of the building by city ordinance in the 1920s.

Local scout leaders said they tried hard to find a compromise between the city and their own national office, and in 2005 they seemed poised to agree on a policy statement adopted by the Boy Scouts in New York, which did not renounce the prohibition against gay members, but affirmed that “prejudice, intolerance and unlawful discrimination in any form are unacceptable.”

But last year, city officials wrote Cradle of Liberty Council officials to say that suggested policy statement could not be reconciled with Philadelphia’s antidiscrimination ordinance.

On May 31, the City Council voted 16-to-1 to authorize ending the lease, though Mr. Clarke and other Council members continued trying to negotiate a settlement. Those efforts ended this week, Mr. Clarke said, adding that he had shifted his energy toward trying to see if there was a way the city could reimburse the group for improvements it had made to the property over the years.

Boy Scout officials said they do not have a cost estimate for the improvements, but Mr. Jubelirer said it would exceed $5 million.

Flipping through an aged book of fund-raising encouragement for construction of the building — from dignitaries like Helen Keller, Babe Ruth and Winston Churchill — Chuck Eaton, director of field service for the local chapter, noted how the past contrasted with the present.

In front of the building, the wording on a statue of a boy standing sentinel also marks the passage of time. “The past is our heritage,” it reads. “The present our opportunity. The future our hope.”

HIV/AIDS PSA

2007-12-05T16:24:00.001-05:00

This public service announcement (PSA) was made by 26 year old filmmaker, activist and blogger Eric Leven.

Here's an interview that was recently done with Eric...
http://bloggernista.com/2007/10/09/who-says-young-gay-men-are-shallow/

Transgender student elected Homecoming King

2007-11-28T17:18:00.000-05:00

Very cool story about a transgender student elected Homecoming King at Pasadena City College...

Fighting for the throne
Transgender student elected
By Caroline An, Staff Writer

Video: King for a day

PASADENA - For Andrew Gomez, the month of November was one of firsts. First, he broke the news to his mother that he was transitioning from a female to a male. Then the 24-year-old transgender student was elected Homecoming King at Pasadena City College.

Neither event came easily, but the second milestone nearly did not happen. PCC's homecoming committee initially ruled Gomez ineligible because of his pierced ear.

But after students complained, lodging charges of discrimination, the committee relented and reversed its decision. Gomez said his election earlier this month as Homecoming King surprised him, even though he initially ran hoping to become a source of inspiration for other gay, lesbian and transgender students.

"I wanted them to feel like they could do something like this, instead of having them feel, `I am not straight so I can't do this,"' Gomez said.

As child, Gomez was a tomboy, he said, always piling his long hair into a baseball cap. "My mom would get really mad when I did that," he said.

Two years ago, he cut his hair short.

But Gomez is still in a transitional period. He hopes to have surgery, but acknowledges it will not happen for some time. There are still specialists to see, male hormones to be prescribed and a myriad of other changes before Gomez's transformation can be complete.

For now, he has taken simpler steps. Gomez binds himself, although "it is unnecessary, since I am nearly flat-chested," he said.

"He is a low-key person," said Sue Talbot, advisor to the United Rainbow Alliance, a PCC support and advocacy group for gays, lesbians and transgender people.

Of the latter group, Brian Kraemer, who heads Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a support group not affiliated with PCC, said he has seen more transgender individuals and their families attending the group's meetings.

Gomez, a creative-writing major, said getting his family to accept his decision has been difficult. Last summer, he posted a message on his Facebook page declaring his intention to become a man. Yet it was only earlier this month that he actually revealed it to his mother.

To his surprise, she had already suspected; she was mostly angry with him for not telling her earlier. She continues to struggle with Gomez's decision.

"I was prepared to pack my bags, because I wasn't going to stay there if she wasn't going to support me," Gomez said. "It is going to take a long time for her to use the male pronoun."

Although he originally enrolled at PCC under his birth name, this semester Gomez began asking professors and fellow students to call him by Andrew. The fact that most people now do so makes him grateful, Gomez said.

After he posted the message on his Facebook page, several friends messaged back within minutes with words of support.

"It was just amazing," said Gomez.

Frank Kameny writes Tom Brokaw

2007-11-27T18:10:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to have a private dinner with Frank Kameny when he was in Michigan a couple of years ago for our film festival. He is an amazing and truly inspirational person and I always love to see what he has to say...

Check out this letter he wrote to Tom Brokaw regarding the "Voices of the Sixties" book recently published by Mr. Brokaw. Essentially...Tom Brokaw got told...

November 26, 2007
Mr. Tom Brokaw
c/o Random House Publishing Group

Ms. Gina Centrello
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group

Ms. Kate Medina
Executive Editorial Director
Random House Publishing Group
1745 Broadway
New York , New York , 10019

Dear Mr. Brokaw and Mmes. Centrello and Medina:

As a long-time gay activist, who initiated gay activism and militancy at the very start of "your" Sixties, in 1961; coined the slogan "Gay is Good" in 1968; and is viewed by many as one of the "Founding Fathers" of the Gay Movement, I write with no little indignation at the total absence of any slightest allusion to the gay movement for civil equality in your book “Boom! Voices of the Sixties". Your book simply deletes the momentous events of that decade which led to the vastly altered and improved status of gays in our culture today. This change would have been inconceivable at the start of the Sixties and would not have occurred at all without the events of that decade totally and utterly ignored by you. Mr. Brokaw, you have "de-gayed" the entire decade. "Voices of the Sixties"??? One does not hear even one single gay voice in your book. The silence is complete and deafening.

As a gay combat veteran of World War II, and therefore a member of the "Greatest Generation", I find myself and my fellow gays as absent from your narration as if we did not and do not exist. We find Boom! Boom!! Boom!!! in your book about all the multitudinous issues and the vast cultural changes of that era. But not a single "Boom", only dead silence, about gays, homosexuality, and the Gay Movement.

The development of every other possible, conceivable issue and cause which came to the forefront in that period is at least mentioned, and is usually catalogued: race; sex and gender; enthnicity; the environment; and others, on and on and on -- except only gays.
In 1965, we commenced bringing gays and our issues "out of the closet" with our then-daring picketing demonstrations at the White House and other government sites, and our annual 4th of July demonstrations at Independence Hall in Philadelphia . The Smithsonian Institution displayed these original pickets last month, in the same exhibition as the desk where Thomas Jefferson drafted The Declaration of Independence. The name of the Smithsonian's exhibition? “Treasures of American History”. In your book: No Boom; only silence.

About 1963, a decade-long effort commenced to reverse the psychiatric categorization of gays as mentally or emotionally ill, concluding in 1973 with a mass "cure" of all of us by the American Psychiatric Association. No boom in your book; only your silence.

The most momentous single Gay Movement event occurred at the end of June, 1969, when the "Stonewall Rebellion" in New York , almost overnight (actually it took three days) converted what had been a tiny, struggling gay movement into the vast grass-roots movement which it now is. We had five or six gay organizations in the entire country in 1961; fifty to sixty in 1969; by the time of the first Gay Pride march, in New York one year later in 1970, we had 1500, and 2500 by 1971 when counting stopped. If ever there was Boom, this was it. In your book, no Boom, only your silence.

About 1972, Elaine Noble was elected to the Massachusetts state House of Representatives as the first elected openly gay public official. I had run here in Washington , DC , the previous year for election to Congress as the first openly gay candidate for any federal office. Harvey Milk was elected to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco . No boom in your book; only your silence.

Mr. Brokaw, you deal with the histories of countless individuals. Where are the gays of that era: Barbara Gittings; Jack Nichols; Harry Hay; Del Martin and Phyllis Lyons; Randolfe Wicker; Harvey Milk; numerous others? No booms in your book; only silence and heterosexuals.

Starting in 1961 a long line of court cases attacked the long-standing U.S. Civil Service Gay Ban (fully as absolute and as virulent as the current Military Gay ban, which actually goes back some 70 years and was also fought in the 60s) with final success in 1975 when the ban on employment of gays by the federal government was rescinded. In your book, no boom; only your silence.

The assault on the anti-sodomy laws, which made at least technical criminals of all gays (and most non-gays for that matter, although never used against them) and which was the excuse for an on-going terror campaign against the gay community through arrests the country over, began in 1961 and proceeded through the 60s and onward. In your book, no boom; only your silence.

In 1972, following up on Stonewall, the first anti-discrimination law protective of gays was enacted in East Lansing, Michigan, followed by the much more comprehensive one in D.C. in 1973, starting a trend which now encompasses some twenty states, countless counties and cities, and has now reached Congress in ENDA. In your book, no boom; only your silence.

The Sixties were a period of unprecedented rapid social and cultural upheaval and change. We gays were very much a part of all that. A reader of your book would never have the slightest notion of any of that. In your book, no boom; only your silence.

At the start of the Sixties gays were completely invisible. By the end, and especially after Stonewall, we were seen everywhere: in entertainment, education, religion, politics, business, elsewhere and everywhere. In BOOM our invisibility remains total.

The only allusions to us, in your entire book are the most shallow, superficial, brief references in connection with sundry heterosexuals. Where are the gay spokespeople? We are certainly there to speak for ourselves. But in your book, only silence.

Mr. Brokaw, I could go on, but this should be sufficient to make my point. The whole thing is deeply insulting. As I said, you have de-gayed an entire generation. For shame, for shame, for shame. You owe an abject public apology to the entire gay community. I demand it; we expect it.

Gay is Good. You are not.

Sincerely,
Franklin E. Kameny, Ph.D.

I ought to sue!

2007-11-27T15:41:00.000-05:00

I was looking over my pay stub and realized that I'm putting more into my social security than I am into my actual retirement account. Thanks to our Director of Development's campaigning - I'm putting a nice amount into my retirement account (especially for my age)...but Uncle Sam seems to think I should be setting aside more. I happen to agree...but I'm a little annoyed with him all the same.

I'm going to assume that you're aware of the Social Security problems that exist in our country right now. If you're not...uhm....I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this...you might want to sit down if you're not already...but our Social Security program is falling apart.

Bush attempted to fix (or in my opinion further break) the program after the 2004 election. However, enough people realized his idea was very bad and decided against it. This was a wise decision, the made decision is what they did next...nothing.

So here's how I see it... As it stands right now, there's a reasonable chance that I will not see all, or perhaps any, of the money I am investing in Social Security now...let alone see any interest that would otherwise be earned off this money. Hopefully that won't be the case...but if the current trend of "leave this problem for the next Congress to fix" continues...well...I might be investing a lot of money into my parents retirement but not mine.

Despite what you might be thinking right now - I'm actually a big supporter of Social Security. We don't save nearly enough for our retirement and at my age, I'm in a very small minority of people saving at all. My issue is with the management of the program - they're doing a horrible job. I don't care how you look at it - if I'm putting X into a retirement program and will likely get less than X back when I go to access it decades from now...there's a problem.

The government is essentially acting as a retirement investment agency. Now if the company that I have my retirement account with did to me what the government is doing to me - I'd not only have every right to sue...I very likely would sue. So by this logic...shouldn't I be able to sue the Federal Government for mismanagement of my Social Security investment? I think I have a pretty good case actually. I have yet to hear a good argument that convinces me what they're doing isn't the equivalent of investor fraud...but...in all fairness...I'm not a lawyer or an investment expert.

Now after saying all of that...I should confess that I have no real intention of suing....but I ought to.......