The AFA attacks homosexual couples in MY neighborhood!

Today is Christmas, and as a Jew, my family and I generally gather together to eat Chinese food or go to the movies. Despite the fact that I don't celebrate Christmas, I believe this time of year--regardless of religion or faith-- is for family, friends, support, and love.

I can't even begin to describe the confusion and sadness I feel because of the organization that calls itself the The American Family Association (AFA). They claim to "represent and stand for traditional family values." Their mission is "to motivate and equip citizens to change the culture to reflect Biblical truth." Apparently, to them, "Biblical truth" means that they have the right to attack others for loving each other and raising familes. It means that they have the right to spread hate during the time of year when families and friends come together and celebrate. It means that they have the right to send hateful messages to families who live differently than themselves.

This is happening right now to two of the most generous and loving people I have met since living in New York City. Lea Forant, Carolyn Montgomery, and their beautiful (yet mischevious) son Eli, have been the targets of the AFA's cruel agenda. Lea and Carolyn opened Cafe Forant in Hell's Kitchen 2 years ago. Ever since, their cozy little cafe has been a haven for so many people who crave a homemade meal and a home away from home. This year, Lea, Carolyn, and Eli were asked by Swanson broth (owned by Campbell's Soup Company) to appear in an ad campaign that was to be published in The Advocate. (Please see ad below).
Since the ad has been published, the AFA has called upon their members to spew cruel and abhorrent words to Lea and Carolyn. Everyday they receive emails from people who know nothing about them or their family. They call Lea and Carolyn's "lifestyle" an abomination and pour their angry and sad hearts out to a couple who have done them no wrong. These emails even attack 4- year-old Eli, hinting that Eli is only their "claimed" son. Members of the AFA are boycotting Campbell's Soup Company products and writing letters to the president of the company, Douglas Conant, demanding that he stop supporting the homosexual lifestyle.

I cannot fathom why people who claim to be devout Christians would participate in such despicable acts during the holiday season. Didn't Jesus die for all of their sins? Aren't they supposed to treat everyone kindly and with respect? I thought that was the core value of the Christian faith. Now maybe I don't know because I am Jewish, but it seems to me that these angry and volatile people are harboring something much deeper and scarier than their claim of doing God's work. It angers and saddens me that they believe a God would want them to discriminate and attack others who happen to be in a different situation than themselves.

This just goes to show that even in New York City, where everyone's differences are generally embraced and celebrated, odious words and behavior can still slip through the cracks. Please support my wonderful friends at Cafe Forant. Visit their website at www.cafeforant.com or send kind words and thoughts their way. In these rocky times, we need to come together. It's the only way that change can happen.

Have a wonderful holiday,

Becca

Pope attacks blurring of gender

Thanks for this article, Al. It saddens me that the most influential person of the Catholic faith, who supposedly adheres to the bible and Christian values, can be so hateful and closed-minded. His comparison between the destruction of the rainforest and homosexuality/transexuality is astounding.

From BBC NEWS online

Pope Benedict XVI has said that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

He explained that defending God's creation was not limited to saving the environment, but also about protecting man from self-destruction.
The Pope was delivering his end-of-year address to senior Vatican staff.

His words, later released to the media, emphasised his rejection of gender theory.
Speaking on Monday, Pope Benedict XVI warned that gender theory blurred the distinction between male and female and could thus lead to the "self-destruction" of the human race.

Gender theory
Gender theory explores sexual orientation, the roles assigned by society to individuals according to their gender, and how people perceive their biological identity.

Gay and transsexual groups, particularly in the United States, promote it as a key to understanding and tolerance, but the Pope disagreed.

When the Roman Catholic Church defends God's Creation, "it does not only defend the earth, water and the air... but (it) also protects man from his own destruction," he said.

"Rainforests deserve, yes, our protection, but the human being ... does not deserve it less," the pontiff said.
It is not "out-of-date metaphysics" to "speak of human nature as 'man' or woman'", he told scores of prelates gathered in the Vatican's sumptuous Clementine Hall.

"We need something like human ecology, meant in the right way."

The Catholic Church opposes gay marriage. It teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are.
Rev Sharon Ferguson, chief executive of Britain's Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, described the Pope's remarks as "totally irresponsible and unacceptable".

"When you have religious leaders like that making that sort of statement then followers feel they are justified in behaving in an aggressive and violent way," she said.

Please read on...

U.S. fails to support the decriminalization of homosexuality at U.N.

From the NY Times

By NEIL MACFARQUHAR

Published: December 18, 2008

An unprecedented declaration seeking to decriminalize homosexuality won the support of 66 countries in the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, but opponents criticized it as an attempt to legitimize pedophilia and other “deplorable acts.”

The United States refused to support the nonbinding measure, as did Russia, China, the Roman Catholic Church and members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The Holy See’s observer mission issued a statement saying that the declaration “challenges existing human rights norms.”

The declaration, sponsored by France with broad support in Europe and Latin America, condemned human rights violations based on homophobia, saying such measures run counter to the universal declaration of human rights.

“How can we tolerate the fact that people are stoned, hanged, decapitated and tortured only because of their sexual orientation?” said Rama Yade, the French state secretary for human rights, noting that homosexuality is banned in nearly 80 countries and subject to the death penalty in at least six.

France decided to use the format of a declaration because it did not have the support for an official resolution. Read out by Ambassador Jorge Argüello of Argentina, the declaration was the first on gay rights read in the 192-member General Assembly itself.

Although laws against homosexuality are concentrated in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, more than one speaker addressing a separate conference on the declaration noted that the laws stemmed as much from the British colonial past as from religion or tradition.

Navanethem Pillay, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, speaking by video telephone, said that just like apartheid laws that criminalized sexual relations between different races, laws against homosexuality “are increasingly becoming recognized as anachronistic and as inconsistent both with international law and with traditional values of dignity, inclusion and respect for all.”

The opposing statement read in the General Assembly, supported by nearly 60 nations, rejected the idea that sexual orientation was a matter of genetic coding. The statement, led by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, said the effort threatened to undermine the international framework of human rights by trying to normalize pedophilia, among other acts.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference also failed in a last-minute attempt to alter a formal resolution that Sweden sponsored condemning summary executions. It sought to have the words “sexual orientation” deleted as one of the central reasons for such killings.

Ms. Yade and the Dutch foreign minister, Maxime Verhagen, said at a news conference that they were “disappointed” that the United States failed to support the declaration. Human rights activists went further. “The Bush administration is trying to come up with Christmas presents for the religious right so it will be remembered,” said Scott Long, a director at Human Rights Watch.

The official American position was based on highly technical legal grounds. The text, by using terminology like “without distinction of any kind,” was too broad because it might be interpreted as an attempt by the federal government to override states’ rights on issues like gay marriage, American diplomats and legal experts said.

“We are opposed to any discrimination, legally or politically, but the nature of our federal system prevents us from undertaking commitments and engagements where federal authorities don’t have jurisdiction,” said Alejandro D. Wolff, the deputy permanent representative.

Gay-rights advocates brought to the conference from around the world by France said just having the taboo broken on discussing the topic at the United Nations would aid their battles at home. “People in Africa can have hope that someone is speaking for them,” said the Rev. Jide Macaulay of Nigeria.

Obama chooses Rick Warren to deliver invocation

From CNN.com

President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday defended his pick of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration next month as one of "a wide range of viewpoints that are presented."

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

"And that's how it should be, because that's what America is about," Obama said responding to a question at a news conference about his and Warren's differences on social issues. "That's part of the magic of this country is that we are diverse and noisy and opinionated."

Liberal groups and gay rights proponents had criticized the president-elect on Wednesday for choosing Warren, who opposes same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

Those socially conservative stances put him at odds with many in Obama's Democratic Party, especially the party's most liberal wing.

"[It's] shrewd politics, but if anyone is under any illusion that Obama is interested in advancing gay equality, they should probably sober up now," Andrew Sullivan wrote on the Atlantic Web site Wednesday.

Obama in the news conference also defended his record on equality for gays.

"I think that it is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans," he said. "It is something that I have been consistent on, and I intend to continue to be consistent on during my presidency."

People for the American Way President Kathryn Kolbert told CNN she is "deeply disappointed" with the choice of Warren and said the powerful platform at the inauguration should instead have been given to someone who has "consistent mainstream American values."

"There is no substantive difference between Rick Warren and James Dobson," Kolbert said. "The only difference is tone. His tone is moderate, but his ideas are radical."

Dobson, a social conservative leader, is founder and chairman of Focus on the Family.

Linda Douglass, a spokeswoman for Obama, defended the choice of Warren, saying, "This is going to be the most inclusive, open, accessible inauguration in American history."

"The president-elect certainly disagrees with him on [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] issues," Douglass said. "But it has always been his goal to find common ground with people with whom you may disagree on some issues."

Douglass also noted that Obama and Warren agree on several issues, including advocating on behalf of the poor, the disadvantaged and people who suffer from HIV/AIDS.

Obama pointed out that Warren had invited him to speak at his Saddleback Church two years ago even though Warren knew that he had views "that were entirely contrary to his."

"We're not going to agree on every single issue, but what we have to do is to be able to create an atmosphere when we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans."

Obama also pointed out that Southern Christian Leadership Conference co-founder the Rev. Joseph Lowery, "who has deeply contrasting views to Rick Warren on a whole host of issues," is also speaking.

Warren's support of California's Proposition 8, a measure that outlaws same-sex marriage in the state, sparked the ire of many gay rights proponents earlier this fall.

Warren, who has made it a practice not to endorse candidates or political parties, wrote in October that the issue of gay marriage is not a political issue, but instead "a moral issue that God has spoken clearly about."

"For 5,000 years, every culture and every religion -- not just Christianity -- has defined marriage as a contract between men and women," Warren wrote in a newsletter to his congregation. "There is no reason to change the universal, historical definition of marriage to appease 2 percent of our population."

Warren also stirred controversy earlier this week when he told Beliefnet.com his grounds for opposing same-sex marriage lie primarily on his right of free speech.

"There were all kinds of threats that if [Proposition 8] did not pass, then any pastor could be considered doing hate speech if he shared his views that he didn't think homosexuality was the most natural way for relationships, and that would be hate speech." In the 2008 election, Warren hosted Obama and Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, at a candidate forum held in his church.


His book "The Purpose Driven Life" has sold more than 20 million copies since it was first published five years ago, and Time magazine named him one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in 2005.

"Many believe that Warren ... is the successor to the [Rev. Billy Graham] for the role of America's minister," Time wrote in 2005.

COME OUT, COME OUT, wherever you are!

Please attend the national demonstration, LIGHT UP THE NIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS
on Saturday, December 20th

Below is the information for the NYC event:

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS NYC
6 PM - March from Herald Square (6th Ave./35th St.)
7 PM - Rally near Times Square (7th Ave./42nd St.)

This is the perfect opportunity for all of us who believe in equality to come together and support each other. I am so excited to attend and (hopefully) see the thousands of others who are joining us in this movement. I'll be there with camera in hand, ready to capture the action of the rally and talk with people who are in attendance.

I urge everyone, regardless of your sexual orientation, to dedicate this Saturday night, before the winter holidays, to a cause that is crucial to the struggle for equality. Hope to see you all there.

To find out more information on LIGHT UP THE NIGHT in other cities please visit Join the Impact

Our Mutual Joy

Opponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture. But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side.

By Lisa Miller | NEWSWEEK

Published Dec 6, 2008

From the magazine issue dated Dec 15, 2008Let's try for a minute to take the religious conservatives at their word and define marriage as the Bible does. Shall we look to Abraham, the great patriarch, who slept with his servant when he discovered his beloved wife Sarah was infertile? Or to Jacob, who fathered children with four different women (two sisters and their servants)? Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and Israel—all these fathers and heroes were polygamists. The New Testament model of marriage is hardly better. Jesus himself was single and preached an indifference to earthly attachments—especially family. The apostle Paul (also single) regarded marriage as an act of last resort for those unable to contain their animal lust. "It is better to marry than to burn with passion," says the apostle, in one of the most lukewarm endorsements of a treasured institution ever uttered. Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple—who likely woke up on their wedding day harboring some optimistic and newfangled ideas about gender equality and romantic love—turn to the Bible as a how-to script?

Of course not, yet the religious opponents of gay marriage would have it be so.

The battle over gay marriage has been waged for more than a decade, but within the last six months—since California legalized gay marriage and then, with a ballot initiative in November, amended its Constitution to prohibit it—the debate has grown into a full-scale war, with religious-rhetoric slinging to match. Not since 1860, when the country's pulpits were full of preachers pronouncing on slavery, pro and con, has one of our basic social (and economic) institutions been so subject to biblical scrutiny. But whereas in the Civil War the traditionalists had their James Henley Thornwell—and the advocates for change, their Henry Ward Beecher—this time the sides are unevenly matched. All the religious rhetoric, it seems, has been on the side of the gay-marriage opponents, who use Scripture as the foundation for their objections.

The argument goes something like this statement, which the Rev. Richard A. Hunter, a United Methodist minister, gave to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in June: "The Bible and Jesus define marriage as between one man and one woman. The church cannot condone or bless same-sex marriages because this stands in opposition to Scripture and our tradition."

To which there are two obvious responses....please read on...

Birth certificates to reflect NY gay-marriage move

The Associated Press
By JENNIFER PELTZState officials will now let married same-sex couples list both their names on their children's birth certificates in a policy shift deeply important to many gays and lesbians.

The decision, which echoes similar provisions in states that allow gay marriages or civil unions, is one of many changes since Gov. David Paterson ordered state agencies in May to respect out-of-state gay marriages.

The state Health Department said Friday it had agreed to the change, which came after a lesbian couple who are expecting a baby filed a lawsuit. The change would apply statewide except in New York City, which is considering revamping its own birth certificate forms to accommodate same-sex couples.

Under state law, a woman's husband is automatically deemed a parent of a child the pair conceives through artificial insemination, whether or not he is the genetic father. Gay couples have complained about having to jump through legal hoops to secure equivalent parental rights.

Carolyn Trzeciak and Nina Sheldon Trzeciak of Ulster County, who got married in Canada in 2006, sued last month. Nina Sheldon Trzeciak is carrying their first child, conceived through in vitro fertilization.

The couple argued they both should be designated as parents under Paterson's directive. The governor told state agencies to make sure policies and regulations treat married same-sex couples equally, saying a recent court ruling suggests they would otherwise risk discrimination claims.

Gay couples may be able to secure a second parent's rights through adoption. But having their names on a child's birth certificate immediately gives both spouses such rights as nursery visits and information on the child's medical condition, the lawsuit said.

"That gives them equal treatment," said the Trzeciaks' lawyer, Melissa B. Brisman of Park Ridge, N.J.

The Health Department said in a statement that it had been exploring how to apply Paterson's directive to birth certificates for some time but arranged a quick resolution for the couple because the baby was due Friday.

Massachusetts and Connecticut are now the only U.S. states that allows gay marriages; California briefly did until voters banned it last month. Some other states let same-sex couples enter into civil unions that offer some of marriage's legal advantages.

States that allow gay marriage or civil unions have made provisions for birth certificates to list both partners' names, said Susan Sommer, senior counsel for the gay rights advocacy group Lambda Legal. It was not involved in the Trzeciak case.

While the group urges couples to cement both parents' rights through an adoption or other court order, Sommer said getting the names of both parents on the birth certificate is a great help to the children.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal organization based in Scottsdale, Ariz., is challenging various attempts to extend spousal rights to gay couples in New York. In September, a Bronx judge threw out the group's challenge to Paterson's directive; the organization is appealing.

The alliance argues that only the Legislature, not the governor, has authority to recognize out-of-state gay marriages.

(This version corrects that Connecticut also allows same-sex marriage)

Blogfab: LGBT bloggers strategize in D.C., too

Bay Windows
by Lisa Keen
contributing writerIn a sterile conference room on the 11th floor of a non-descript office building in Washington, D.C., more than two dozen LGBT bloggers listened intently last weekend as their more veteran peers instructed them in the art of "blog swarms," "astro-turfing," and "cross-posting."

Bloggers, said one, can enable a minor event to "take on a whole new life" in the mainstream media by spreading news about it across 10 or 15 different blogs (aka the "blog swarm"). Lone bloggers can acquire the clout of large groups by assuming a moniker that makes them appear to be a "national" entity when, in fact, they are "a fake grassroots organization" (aka "astro-turfing"). And bloggers can increase readership for their views by posting them not just on their own sites but on other, more widely read, sites (aka "cross-posting").

Blogs, said Mike Rogers, organizer of the summit, can be used to "drag people out of the closet" and persuade a corporation that has donated to an anti-gay cause to make amends to the LGBT community.

Rogers gained considerable notoriety in 2007 after he posted blog items about U.S. Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) being arrested for solicitation in an airport men’s room. A Washington Post headline that year referred to Rogers as possibly "the most feared man on [Capitol] Hill" because he’s made clear he’s willing to use his blog - blogActive.com - to out closeted politicians who vote against the rights of LGBT people.

"I’m an angry gay man," quipped Rogers to a workshop Saturday on "Fighting Back" against anti-gay institutions and people. He urged LGBT bloggers to "take it to the next level" in their posting against anti-gay entities and people.

This first "National LGBT Citizen Journalist Bloggers Summit" attracted about 60 LGBT bloggers. The conference was separate from but simultaneous to the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute. and bloggers and the more conventional leaders met in a few joint sessions.

Continued...

Jon Stewart v. Mike Huckabee

Love Jon Stewart.

Civil Unions vs. Gay Marriage

While I was home in Boston 2 weeks ago, I was having a discussion with my mom about gay marriage and why I have decided to make a documentary about it. She asked me a great question, which I realized I couldn't answer:

"What are the differences between civil unions and gay marriage?"

I sort of stammered a bit, and came up with some lame explanation. That's when I realized I needed to start researching, and fast! There really is no simple answer to the question my mother asked, but I think it's important to be aware of the differences that exist to fully understand what we're fighting for.

Below is some information I've gathered on civil unions vs. gay marriage.

What is Marriage?
When people marry, they tend to do so for reasons of love and commitment. But marriage is also a legal status, which comes with rights and responsibilities. Marriage establishes a legal kinship between you and your spouse. It is a relationship that is recognized across cultures, countries and religions.

What is a Civil Union?
Civil Unions exist in only a handful of places: Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut. California and Oregon have domestic partnership laws that offer many of the same rights as civil unions.

Vermont civil unions were created in 2000 to provide legal protections to gays and lesbians in relationships in that state because gay marriage is not an option. The protections do not extend beyond the border of Vermont and no federal protections are included with a Civil Union. Civil Unions offer some of the same rights and responsibilities as marriage, but only on a state level.

What about Domestic partnership?
Some states and municipalities have domestic partnership registries, but no domestic partnership law is the same. Some, like the recently passed California domestic partnership law comes with many rights and responsibilities. Others, like the one in Washington offer very few benefits to the couple.

What are some of the key differences between Civil Unions and Gay Marriage?

Recognition in other states
Dissolving a Civil Union v. Divorce
Immigration
Taxes
Benefits

To read up on these topics please go to LesbianLife on About.com

Another great resource is Talk About Equality Top Ten


Laws Regarding Same-Sex Partnerships in the United States

██ Same-sex marriages

██ Unions granting rights similar to marriage

██ Unions granting limited/enumerated rights

██ Foreign same-sex marriages recognized

██ Statute bans same-sex marriage

██ Constitution bans same-sex marriage

██ Constitution bans same-sex marriage and other kinds of same-sex unions

From Wikipedia.com

Day without a gay is TODAY!

For those of you who have to be at work, like me, I urge you to click through these links below. Talk about equality with your co-workers, friends, and family; spend money at an LGBT business (that's what I plan on doing); donate to an LGBT foundation; or buy your holiday gifts from companies that support gay rights (if I were buying presents this year, I would definitely be doing this). It's important to stand together in any way we can. Even if you are at work today, you can still make a difference!

Talk About Equality Top Ten
http://www.talkaboutequality.org/Site/TOP_TEN.html

Join The Impact
www.JoinTheImpact.com

Civil Rights Front
www.CivilRightsFront.com

National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Business Directory:
http://www.nglcc.org/business/directory

Human Rights Campaign Shopping Guide:
http://www.hrc.org/buyersguide2009/hrc_buyersguide_09.pdf

A few gay-owned businesses for your Holiday Shopping needs:

Hazelnut New Orleans
www.hazelnutneworleans.com




















Delphinium Home
www.delphiniumhome.com




















Or for charity:

Broadway Cares
http://broadwaycares.stores.yahoo.net/

Matthew Shepard Foundation
http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/Ecommerce?store_id=1101

Or make contributions in the names of your loved ones to:

Lambda Legal Defense Fund:
https://secure.ga4.org/01/donate2

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
https://www.kintera.org/site/c.nlI2IeN1JyE/b.3449865/k.848E/Make_a_Donation/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=nlI2IeN1JyE&b=3449865&en=epJDIMMuGfKHLLNrHbIFJLNtFjIXLYOzFiJJIOPqH8IIJSMAJtE

Documentary update

After posting numerous news articles about Prop 8 and the LGBT equal rights movement, I figured it was time for a personal update on the status of my documentary. As I've said before, I am so grateful to all of those who have donated to my project. The funds I've raised thus far have made a huge dent in the costs of my film equipment. Seriously, I can't thank you all enough!

Right now, I am psyched to start talking to people about their views on the Prop 8, gay marriage, etc. I am in the process of honing the questions I plan to ask. I'm trying to get to the core of what I want to find out, and why. I think the "why" is what will drive the project.

Now that I have all of my equipment (SO EXCITING, though I nearly had a heart attack at B&H because of all the money I was spending...) I can finally begin my journey.

One of the greatest moments I've had in the past 2 months was talking to my dad about this project, which he wasn't so enthusiastic about at first. However, when he realized that people actually want to see me succeed in creating this documentary, he expressed his pride for having a daughter who stood up for what she believes is right. He encouraged me to never back down, no matter what. That meant a lot coming from him. Thanks, Harv!

I hope you will all continue to visit my blog and read up on the current events revolving around the equal rights movement as well as the progression of my documentary. Once I have some interviews under my belt, I plan to post them up here, so definitely stay tuned.

Below is a photo of my new obsession (Canon Vixia HF10)...I know, I know, I am a huge nerd...

Iowa high court to hear gay-marriage case

From USA Today

By Grant Schulte



The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday in a pivotal same-sex marriage case that could echo throughout the nation and be far more difficult to challenge at the ballot box than a high-profile ruling in California, legal experts say.

The lawsuit, filed by six same-sex Iowa couples, pits gay rights supporters against those who argue that gay marriage threatens traditional family values.

The case, Varnum v. Brien, could make Iowa the first state in the Midwest to legalize gay marriage, says University of Iowa law professor Angela Onwuachi-Willig. Other high-court decisions favorable to gay rights advocates have come from traditionally liberal, coastal states: California, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The hearing comes little more than a month after California voters approved Proposition 8, a measure that limited marriage to a man and woman in the state constitution.

Amending the Iowa constitution is much more difficult. According to state law, the procedure requires simple-majority approval of the Iowa House and Senate during two consecutive legislative sessions, followed by a simple majority of voters in the next general election.

Continued...

Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Fallout Hits Hollywood

Interesting the way people who supported Proposition 8 are now being "outed" and cast aside...hm? So it goes for Richard Raddon, former LA film festival director.


By Carlos Santoscoy

On Nov. 25, the Board of Film Independent, the not for profit organization that produces both the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Spirit Awards, announced the resignation of Los Angeles Film Festival Director Richard Raddon after it was revealed that he had given $1500 to the Yes-On-8 campaign. Raddon has become the latest casualty of a post-election Proposition 8 Hollywood war of retribution.

Gay activists have been protesting the passage of Proposition 8 – the California Constitutional amendment that yanked back the right of gays and lesbians to marry in the state – since Election Day.

And that new “no more Mr. Nice Gay” mentality appears to be taking root in Hollywood, where many believe that there is no room for anti-gay bigotry in an industry that promotes itself as a proponent of diversity and employees a large number of openly gay and lesbian people.

Raddon's first attempt to resign was met with an unanimous rejection by the board, but the controversy would not die down. Resentment simmered as people inside and outside of Hollywood pointed to the group's explicit mission to promote diversity.

“Is it OK to let this go?” distributor Howard Cohen, an advisor to the film festival who is gay, told the Los Angeles Times after the board rejected Raddon's first resignation attempt. “There are a lot of gay people who work at Film Independent. The issue has not been closed.”

Director Gregg Araki, long considered a favorite among gay cult film fans for such gems as Mysterious Skin, agreed Raddon should walk away.

Continued...

From On Top Magazine

Call in Gay on December 10th!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

CALL IN GAY on DECEMBER 10^th

We are asking everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, to help us fight for basic human rights. In reaction to the devastating and inhumane ‘yes’ on Proposition 8, the LBGT community, is asking all Queers and supporters to “call in gay” for ‘Human Rights Day’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Rights_Day), the 10^th of December. The Queer population has suffered social injustice for too long and now is our chance to show the world how much we matter.

December 10^th is a Wednesday and we encourage everyone to do nothing to help the economy. We ask that students skip class, teachers cancel class and business owners shut the financial doors for one day. No matter how important your job may be, please “call in gay” to show support on December 10^th. Don’t forget to spread the word to everyone you know!

We will make a difference! We will receive the rights we deserve! And we are an important part of the global economy!

With Love,
The Queer Community

Join the social network!

Facebook: A Day Without a Gay!!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38177567454&ref=nf

For all questions and comments:

info@DayWithoutAGay.net

Message from DayWithoutAGay.net

Education and income were strong factors in vote against gay marriage

This is an interesting article about voter breakdown in California regarding Prop 8. Do you think education and socioeconomics played a part in the outcome of the election? And what do you think about the analysis of race in the gay marriage vote? Just some things to think about...

By Mike Swift
Mercury News

A majority of blacks and Latinos voted to ban same-sex marriage in California last month, but socioeconomics — not race and ethnicity — was the decisive factor in Proposition 8, according to a new statewide survey of voters.

Even after the California Supreme Court's landmark ruling, after an estimated 18,000 same-gender couples wed between June and November, and after the two sides in the Proposition 8 campaign spent more than $83 million to sway voters, the state remains locked in an ideological stalemate on same-sex marriage, exactly as it was three years ago. Neither side in the same-sex marriage debate holds a majority. Forty-seven percent are in favor of same-sex marriage; 48 percent oppose it.

The new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California of 2,003 Californians who voted Nov. 4 found significantly less support for Proposition 8 among blacks than had been indicated by exit polls. Election Day exit polls triggered recriminations between gay rights advocates and black leaders. And now the new data indicates that 61 percent of Latinos voted for the ban, an even higher percentage than exit polls indicated on Election Day.

But while a majority of non-white voters backed a ban on gay marriage, the key finding in the new survey was that voters' position on Proposition 8 was determined more by their level of education and income than their race or ethnicity, said PPIC president Mark Baldassare. Among Californians with a high school diploma or less, 69 percent voted for Proposition 8. Among college graduates, 57 percent voted against it.

"Both among whites and non-whites, among college graduates and among upper-income voters, Prop. 8 lost," Baldassare said. "Among both whites and non-whites, among non-college graduates and lower-income voters, Prop. 8 won. It seems to me that some of what we attributed to race and ethnic differences really had to do with a socioeconomic divide in regard to same-sex marriage."

Because African-Americans and Latinos tend to have lower incomes and a lower share of college graduates than whites, Baldassare said the racial voting pattern on same-sex marriage was really a reflection of education and income.

Continued...

"Prop 8 - The Muscial"

Again, I have to thank Natalie for this one. It is truly a gem!

Starring John C. Reilly, Margaret Cho, Maya Rudolph, Neil Patirck Harris, Allison Janney, Rashida Jones, Kathy Najimy, and of course it wouldn't be complete without Jack Black starring as Jesus Christ. See what other celebs you can find...

From FunnyorDie.com

Consequences of Gay Marriage

Culture Buzz: A helpful pie chart demonstrating the pros and cons of letting other people get married. I am very glad to have Prop 8's effect on Russia cleared up.



I thought this was very funny when I came across it on the worldwide web...!

From Buzzfeed.com

Same-sex marriage likely off agenda for 2009

From the Associated Press

Lawmakers will face plenty of challenges when they meet in January for the 2009 legislative session, with the top priority being the creation of a balanced two-year budget amid a tanking economy. But one hot-button issue that's likely to be left off the agenda is gay marriage.

The GOP-controlled state Senate has voted three times since 2005 to pass the proposed amendment, which would have to pass two consecutive, separately elected General Assemblies and then win approval in a statewide vote to take effect.

But resolutions supporting the proposed amendment have twice died in the Democrat-controlled House.

Sen. Brandt Hershman, a Republican from Wheatfield who has pushed the measure in the past, told The Indianapolis Star that he doesn't plan to raise the issue next year unless the House takes action first.

"I think the issue is still relevant in that it continues to be debated in a variety of states and continues to be heard by a variety of courts," Hershman said. "However, if action is to be taken this time, it would be my intent to see it start in the House, because that's been the holdup in the past, and until that legislative entanglement is resolved, there's not much to be achieved through the Senate yet again."

House Speaker Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, has repeatedly said that Indiana's law prohibiting same-sex marriages is working.

Continued...

N.Y. Democrats May Skip Gay Marriage Vote

Read the article below from the New York Times.

By Jeremy W. Peters

After a pledge from New York Democratic leaders that their party would legalize same-sex marriage if they won control of the State Senate this year, money from gay rights supporters poured in from across the country, helping cinch a Democratic victory.

But now, party leaders have sent strong signals that they may not take up the issue during the 2009 legislative session. Some of them suggest it may be wise to wait until 2011 before considering it, in hopes that Democrats can pick up more Senate seats and Gov. David A. Paterson, a strong backer of gay rights, would then be safely into a second term.

The question of how aggressively to proceed has touched off an intense debate among legislators and gay rights supporters about how ready the broader electorate is to embrace same-sex marriage, both in New York and across the country.

Many are still stung by California voters’ approval this month of a measure that reversed a court decision that gave gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. Heavy spending by church groups and others opposed to same-sex marriage helped the proposal win.

“We want to get there, but we want to get there the right way or else we risk setting ourselves back another decade,” said Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat who represents the Upper East Side. “I think the California proposition and the recognition that entities with large amounts of money who oppose same-sex marriage have decided to be large players in this have a lot of people going back to the drawing board.”

In addition, shoring up the state’s depleted treasury and repairing the economy have become the most pressing issues for Albany lawmakers, who return to the capital in January to face a reconfigured landscape. Democrats hold a majority of seats in both chambers of the Legislature, along with the governor’s office, for the first time since the 1930s.

Some Democrats are not even confident they have the 32 votes necessary to pass a same-sex marriage bill in the Senate.

Continued....

The Fight Over Gay Adoption Heats Up

From Time.com

By Michael A. Lindenberger

Gay rights supporters scored another major victory in court Tuesday, when a state judge in Miami tossed out a statute that had for more than 30 years barred gay people in Florida from adopting children. The decision came after a week packed full of dueling expert testimony over whether any evidence supports the state's contention that children are put at risk when raised by gay parents. The answer, said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy S. Lederman, is not at all: "The Department's position is that homosexuality is immoral. Yet, homosexuals may be lawful foster parents in Florida and care for our most fragile children who have been abused, neglected and abandoned. As such, the exclusion forbidding homosexuals to adopt children does not further the public morality interest it seeks to combat."

Yet, despite the good news for gays contained in the ruling, the decision is hardly the last word on the issue. The state has vowed to appeal, and the issue is likely to end up before the Florida Supreme Court, which upheld the ban once before in 1995. On the federal level, the U.S. Supreme Court has already let stand lower court rulings that upheld Florida's law, the nation's strictest ban on gay adoption.

Meanwhile, conservative activists across the country are working hard to make sure that no court, at any level, has the final word on gay adoption. Like gay marriage before it, conservatives are looking at the issue of who can raise children as one best decided at the ballot box, not in the courthouse. Those efforts received a boost on election day in Arkansas, where voters easily passed a law that restricts any unmarried couple living together from adopting children. Arkansas joined Florida, Nebraska, Utah and Mississippi as the only states with laws that either directly or indirectly ban adoption by gays.

Similar statehouse fights are pending in South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, says gay adoption expert and advocate Jennifer Chrisler, and more are likely to follow, as conservatives try to duplicate their successful strategy to ban gay marriage state by state. "The other side was very strategic about their efforts to ban gay marriage," Chrisler, executive director of the Family Equality Center in Boston, told TIME. "They were able to bring that issue to the attention of the American people well before Americans were ready to have that conversation. They are likely to use a similar strategy when it comes to parenting issues."

Continued...

Wanda Sykes comes out at Las Vegas rally

If you haven't seen this video of Wanda Sykes speaking at a rally in Las Vegas, please watch it now! Not only is she intelligent and hysterically funny, but she is also an advocate for equal rights. Her determination to fight for what she believes in should be an inspiration to us all. She truly could not articulate the purpose of this movement any better. Watch below:

Speak up about equality at your Thanksgiving table!

I received the message below from Jamie McGonnigal who administers the "US Gay Secession 2009" group on Facebook. Please join his group here, and read his demand to speak up about equality at your Thanksgiving table, which is something we ALL should do regardless of our sexuality.

"Dear Friends,

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend a 'Town Hall' meeting at the LGBT Community Center here in New York. While there was a great deal of frustration in the voices of those attending, in addition to those on the panel, one thing was clear -- we are just at the beginning of the most important Civil Rights battle of our generation.

Friends, I am so proud and motivated and excited about what we have within us. There is a passion, an anger and a new inability to take "NO" for an answer. It is now, this very moment that is one of the most crucial moments in our movement. Now is the time that we cannot afford to lie back, get tired or expect someone else to do this work for us. If we do, we will never have the Equality we deserve. Talk About Equality.

The next step may be one of the most difficult, but it is with great hope and support that I ask it of you.

Thanksgiving Day is just 2 days away. For many, it is the only day of the year where your whole family is sitting around the same table and more importantly, it is a day of giving thanks. I ask of each of you to raise the topic of Equal Rights with your family. I urge those of you who are not out to your family, to tell them who you are. I cannot tell you how important this is. Talk About Equality.

For some, there will be screaming, yelling, crying and hopefully a bit of understanding. For others, we find ourselves in families, already supportive of who we are and our struggle for Equality. For those families, your work is not done. You MUST ask your families to speak for you. To bring up Marriage Equality with their friends and loved ones, their colleagues, their classmates. This conversation cannot end just one or two degrees away from us. This is about everyone, not just us. Talk About Equality.

To prepare for your conversations with your families and friends, please study up. Go read about Proposition 8 and what happened in California. Go visit www.prideagenda.org, there's some great information there. Please do your best to keep people's religious beliefs out of the discussion. If someone brings up their religious text, let them know that we do not want religious rights, we want Civil Rights. For far too long, people have stopped this conversation by saying "I don't believe in homosexuality." That time has come to an end. This is about Equal Rights as Human beings under the laws of our Constitution. Talk About Equality.

There is a lot of work which must happen between now and the day we will all be Equal, but please join me in having this conversation with your friends and loved ones.

We have several actions, rallies, protests, etc which are being planned. Our website will be up and running in a few weeks, but in the meantime, please visit www.civilrightsfront.com or www.jointheimpact.com for more information.

This Thanksgiving, I am truly thankful for the opportunity to stand with all of you, my friends of all colors, sexualities and nationalities to demand our Equal Rights.

Talk About Equality.

Love,

Jamie"

It's almost Thanksgiving...

So I should give thanks (again) to all of the people who have written me such beautiful emails and have donated to my project, I can't thank you enough.

Liberal Hollywood ponders next step in fight for same-sex marriage

Below is an article from The Los Angeles Times.

By Rachel Abramowitz and Tina Daunt
November 23, 2008

After the passage of Proposition 8, some are calling for boycotts and firings. Others worry about free speech rights being trampled.

Should there be boycotts, blacklists, firings or de facto shunning of those who supported Proposition 8?

That's the issue consuming many in liberal Hollywood who fought to defeat the initiative banning same-sex marriage and are now reeling with recrimination and dismay. Meanwhile, activists continue to comb donor lists and employ the Internet to expose those who donated money to support the ban.

Already out is Scott Eckern, director of the nonprofit California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, who resigned after a flurry of complaints from prominent theater artists, including "Hairspray" composer Marc Shaiman, when word of his contribution to the Yes on 8 campaign surfaced.

Continued...

Thank You!

I have to say that I am feeling so energized and excited about the documentary I am about to embark on. The responses I have received in the past 24 hours have been absolutely amazing. I never imagined I would receive such loving support from people I haven't been in touch with for a long time, and in such a short amount of time. Every time I opened my email, I saw another message of encouragement, and it honestly brought tears to my eyes. It is humbling and completely overwhelming. I really can't articulate the feelings I have right now, just that I am so overjoyed, excited, and above all, grateful.

I am so proud to take on this project that is affecting so many people. I am feeling so confident right now, though I know the making of this film will be not without its hardships. Thanks to all of you who have donated and have sent words of encouragement and support. It means the world to me. My heart is so full right now. I wish I could express more of what I'm feeling, but I really can't.

Again, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and am so looking forward to making this film, and my dream, a reality!

With so much gratitude,

Becca

Activists Seek to Tie ‘Milk’ to a Campaign for Gay Rights

Read the article below from the New York Times and watch the trailer at the end of the post.

Is it a good idea to use the upcoming Sean Penn film, "Milk," to help drive the campaign for gay marriage and equal rights? Comment please!

By MICHAEL CIEPLY

Published: November 21, 2008, New York Times Movies Section

LOS ANGELES — When the movie "Milk" comes next month to Claremont, a college town about 30 miles from here, Patrick Milliner intends to greet it with a candlelight vigil protesting the newly passed state prohibition of gay marriage.

Patrick Milliner, a gay-rights advocate addressing a crowd last week, hopes to align “Milk” with a ‘Shame on 8’ campaign.

Before this month’s election, Mr. Milliner organized unsuccessful opposition to California’s same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8. Now he expects the movie, about Harvey Milk, the murdered gay-rights crusader and San Francisco supervisor, to ignite his “Shame on 8” campaign.

“It fits perfectly with the plan,” Mr. Milliner said.

That may be good for the movement. Whether it is also good for the movie is less clear.

The convergence of “Milk,” which portrays gay-rights battles of 30 years ago, and a looming new culture war over homosexual marriage and other issues, has raised unusual expectations around Focus Features’ plan to release the film. It will be shown in a widening group of theaters, beginning with some in New York, Los Angeles and about a dozen other cities on Wednesday.

Proposition 8-related vigils have already occurred outside prerelease screenings in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Amy Balliett, a founder of jointheimpact.com, a clearing house for gay rights information, said on Friday that her site would urge its network of supporters to see the film on Dec. 5 at one of a list of “gay-friendly” theaters.

“Our goal is to make this movie one of the top three-grossing movies of the weekend,” Ms. Balliett said in an e-mail message.

Yet the unforeseen alignment between “Milk” and the gay-marriage ban — there was no Proposition 8 on any ballot when the director Gus Van Sant began shooting the film in January — also creates a conundrum for those Focus executives. How do they honor their movie hero’s feisty brand of confrontational politics without being consumed by them?

To join the fight could turn off some of the viewers Focus needs to make “Milk” a broad-based hit. But to sidestep it might disappoint a core audience that has begun to see the film as a rallying point.

Mr. Milk, played in the movie by Sean Penn, was not one to pull punches. “If this thing passes, fight the hell back!” Mr. Penn says at a pivotal point in the film, as his allies ponder the likely passage of Proposition 6, a 1978 ballot initiative aimed at curbing gay rights in California. (It failed.)

But Focus has been stepping carefully of late.

In a particularly ticklish exercise, the studio continues to plan showings of “Milk” in theaters owned by the Cinemark chain, whose chief executive, Alan Stock, donated to the campaign for Proposition 8.

Taking a cue from Milk — who made his political breakthrough by supporting a union boycott of Coors beer — opponents of the marriage ban have begun their own boycott through a Web site, NoMilkforCinemark.com.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Cinemark, one of the country’s largest theater chains, said its decision to proceed with plans to show the movie also reflected a principle: “It would be inappropriate to influence our employees’ position on personal issues outside the work environment, especially on political, social or religious activities.”

On Thursday James Schamus, the chief executive of Focus, struck a diplomatic note. “I know there’s a lot of anger out there,” said Mr. Schamus, who noted that Cinemark three years ago was among the first chains to embrace the studio’s gay-themed “Brokeback Mountain.”

“I hope that gets settled,” he said of the boycott call.

With similar delicacy, Dustin Lance Black, the film’s writer, and Cleve Jones — a Milk associate who is portrayed by Emile Hirsch in the movie, and served as its historical consultant — published a manifesto in The San Francisco Chronicle last week calling on President-elect Barack Obama, who has opposed same-sex marriage, to support comprehensive federal legislation guaranteeing gay rights, including the right to marry.

But the pair did not identify the manifesto with “Milk,” despite the film’s strong call for exactly such equality.

“I don’t know that it would be appropriate,” Mr. Jones said of any effort to align the movie with the campaign against marriage bans in California and other states. The danger, he said, was that conscious campaigning might seem to exploit, rather than support, Mr. Milk and his legacy.

Even so, Mr. Jones, over the last few weeks, has conducted politically robust discussions keyed to Focus-sponsored college screenings of “Milk” in a number of cities, including Boston and Washington.

Speaking separately, Mr. Black said he viewed the movie itself as a contribution to the movement it portrays. And the manifesto, with its call for broad federal action, he added, was directly inspired by Mr. Milk’s critical stance toward gay contemporaries who demanded too little.

“They weren’t asking for what they wanted,” said Mr. Black, who spoke from Salt Lake City, where he was planning to screen the film on Friday. “They were asking for crumbs.”

In the same spirit, Daniel Nicoletta — another Milk associate, who is portrayed in the film by Lucas Grabeel of “High School Musical”— said last week that he believed the opposition to Proposition 8 would inevitably fade, but that he hoped for a boost from the movie’s release. “We need that excitement,” he said, speaking of actions like the one planned by Mr. Milliner.

In Mr. Schamus’s view, the filmmakers and others are free to politick as they please.

But, he said, to identify “Milk” directly with a position — even one popular enough among Oscar voters to enhance the film’s prospects in a heated awards race — is to misunderstand how the cinema really effects change.

“The way movies work is not by pushing toward or appealing to a specific electoral position, but by changing the climate of opinion,” Mr. Schamus said.

And to push too hard, he cautioned, risks losing sight of what he sees as the main point of “Milk”: “There is actually a great, old-fashioned American narrative movie here.”