Archive for the ‘Gay Rights’ Category
07
After the passage of Prop 8 in california, it was fashionable to blame “blacks and hispanics” because on the whole, some of them voted for it’s passage. Long discussions were bantered back and forth about “how could ‘they’ vote to legalize discrimination.” Blogs were posting daily after the passage of Prop 8 about how to “reach out to ‘those communities.’ ” But I have yet to hear ONE WORD from ANYONE in the Lesbian or Gay communities about the “white people” who just passed Prop 1 in the state of maine!
The state of maine has over 1.3 million people in it according to the 2008 census. Of that 1.3 million people, 97% is white. So the passage of Prop 1 in maine was done by white people! Where are the Lesbian and Gay voices now? Where is the blaming, the gnashing of the teeth, and the name calling now? The silence is deafening!
As I had stated when Prop 8 passed, even if every registered black and hispanic voted for Prop 8, that was NOT the deciding factor. The vote was passed by white people! Yet the “minorities” took the brunt of the criticism for the passage. It wasn’t appreciated THEN and it still isn’t appreciated.
So hear this white Lesbians and Gays. You BETTER keep blacks and hispanics name OUT OF YOUR MOUTHS when it comes to Same Couple Marriage. Because while there is no excuse for BIGOTRY, DISCRIMINATION, and/or HATE, white people are the ones passing these propositions. So before you start looking into someone else’s backyard, CLEAN UP YOURS FIRST! Because RACISM is still the “biggest ism” there is. And your silence on this issue JUST PROVES IT!
Oh, but don’t get this SHIT twisted blacks and hispanics. That doesn’t get you off the hook ONE BIT! Because for a group of people who CONTINUE to experience discrimination, to turn around and do it to someone else is PATHETIC! You, those “minorities” who voted for Prop 8, are still BIGOTS, POOR EXCUSES FOR HUMAN BEINGS and COWARDS! And don’t YOU forget that EITHER!
16
A justice of the peace in Hammond, Louisiana, has refused to sign a marriage certificate for an interracial couple. Keith Bardwell has said that he is “not a racist” because he has married Black couples “right here in my own home.” When the bride, Beth Humphrey, called to get the certificate signed, Bardwell’s wife stated that her husband “would not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples.” His concern was not about the couple themselves. The judge is concerned about the children, and how they will be treated by society. I was under the impression this issue, interracial marriage, was taken care of with the Loving vs Virginia case decided by the Supreme Court in 1967. But I guess deciding who can and can’t get married has again become a slippery slope and the slope done slipped!
Again is looks like someone is sitting in judgment of someone else, using racist stereotypes to justify bigotry. Bardwell has said that he “don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves.” And since he is now the foremost scholar on interracial children, he doesn’t want them to suffer.” Damn, that’s awful nice of him isn’t it! Those are the same piss poor excuses that are used by people who oppose Same Couple Marriage. But you’re right black folks, the Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights struggle is not the same thing! Dumbasses!
Did Bardwell forget that our president is the product of an interracial marriage? Does he not realize that no one is “pure?” And that in 2009, the number of interracial children are growing and those children are no less proud of who they are and who they come from?
As a Lesbian who saw the state she lives in, california, and other states, pass propositions that bars Lesbians and Gays the right to get married, I felt this was bound to happen. Because people are failing to realize that once you start considering people to be “thems” or “others“, if shouldn’t be a surprise when someone else does that EXACT same thing to you.
This will be an interesting test to see just how trifling Black people really are. Are far to many Black folks just bigots or are they racists too? And we will also see how far we have come as a country. Because we already know that people ARE NOT FREE to marry who they want to marry. We will see if race is “no longer and issue” since Obama was elected!
This should be good!
14
SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has decided that the reason for their very existence, Tolerance and Equality for All, doesn’t extend to Same Couple Relationships. The amnesia of the leaders of that organization as to what they stand for, is being played out by their threats to fire a straight, African American Reverend, Eric Lee, who was public in his opposition to Prop 8. And his very public opposition just might cost him his job!
I find it amazing that the one group of people, African Americans, who have and continue to experience hate like no other group, thinks nothing of doing that to Lesbians and Gays. I understand your feelings that the Black Civil Rights movement is being overshadowed by the Gay Rights movement. And I understand that the comparison can be offensive. But the bottom line is this. Because our Black elders have failed to teach the younger generations our collective history, far too many youngsters don’t know anything more about the Civil Rights movement other than what we learned in school. And as we all know, that is minimal at best and a complete JOKE AT WORSE. And whether you like it or not, the comparisons are EXACTLY THE SAME! The same arguments that were used to try and justify not giving African Americans Civil Rights and stopping Interracial Marriage 50 years ago have been dusted off and are being used to discriminate against Same Couple Relationships. In a post I wrote on May 21, 2009, titled “Is Gay the New Black?” I listed eight different reasons why the struggles are the same. And these reasons include: education, religion, employment, housing, violence, health care, government, and marriage. Anyone with an open mind can’t deny the comparisons, PERIOD!
Slowly but surely, African Americans are alienated the very people who helped, fought, stood, and died for us to be in the position that we are in now. And our failure to say “thanks” and to return the failure won’t be forgotten nor should it be. So when the next atrocity occurs, like Hurricane Katrina, and we are shown and told EXACTLY where we stand in this country, and we run for help, we should be surprised when the Lesbian and Gay neighbors lock the door, close the curtains, and turn off the lights! Nor should we be surprised when African American Lesbian and Gays who have plenty of discretionary income to spend, stop spending it with you!
Time is going to show that opposing Same Couple Marriage was wrong. And when our children and grandchildren as us why we did it, what are you going to say that makes sense? That the bible, the same bible that STILL SAYS WE SHOULD BE SLAVES AND BE CONTENT WITH OUR LOTS IN LIFE, told us to do it? Or that an organization that fought for EQUALITY is now against it. The SCLC should be ashamed of themselves.
17
President Obama has decided to allow the partners of Lesblan and Gay federal employees the same benefits as their straight co-workers. WOW! That’s awful damn WHITE of him!
And not nearly good enough!
He has refused to step in and end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He has refused to end, what he promised to do before the elections, DOMA – Defense of Marriage Act – which he as the ability to do. Yet he thinks this is supposed to placate us! No, not even close!
Lesbians and Gays supported Obama in large numbers and if he thinks he would have gotten elected without our MONEY, organizing skills, and support, I can guarantee you, he is sadly mistaken. While he certainly brought together a large and diverse coalition of people, we were at the forefront of this group. And we are growing tired of waiting on him to do what he promised to do.
I pay taxes, FEDERAL TAXES, and don’t appreciate my tax dollars being used to discriminate against me. If the Federal Government has laws on the books that make discrimination legal, why should we be surprised that states are doing the same thing?
Major props to Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine who are either already performing Same Couple Marriages, or are scheduled to begin in 2009 or 2010.
Hey california. How is the budget melt down working out for ya!!!! According to the prestigious Williams Institute, they estimate that the passage of Proposition 8 will cost the state more than $800 million in the next three years, due to a loss of revenue for weddings and various auxiliary services. Not to mention the “trickle down theory” that applies to more money in people’s hands.
I guess that old saying is right. Bigotry, Hate, and Racism affects EVERYONE! Not just the people it is aimed at!!!!
12
BYE BITCH!!!!
Now you can continue your “Same Couple Marriage, Not in my Country” bigotry tour full time!
27
california supreme court:
23
In last Tuesday’s california election, every proposition that the Governor Schwarzenegger backed was RESOUNDINGLY DEFEATED. Even with his threats to cut health care, education, and fire and police protection, the california citizens didn’t bite. So we will see if the threats made by the governor come to pass. But that is not the real question. Because with one vote, california already signed its fate. californians voted for Prop 8, which made marriage between Same Gendered Couples illegal.
Before the election and discussion might now be accelerated, there was talk of maybe legalizing Marijuana. This drug is called a “Schedule 1″ drug as far as the Federal Government is concerned, meaning it is one of the worse drugs in the world. Other Schedule 1 drugs include: Heroin, GHB, and Meth Amphetamine. And to show just how silly this really is, COCAINE is NOT a Schedule 1 drug but Marijuana is! Yet there is serious talk about legalizing a drug that is supposed to be one of the worse drugs in the world. californians would rather have a bunch of potheads instead of law abiding Same Couple Marriages.
An article came out on May 17, 2009, a few days before the california elections, which stated that the state of Massachusetts has gotten a 111 million dollar windfall since it legalized Same Couple Marriage. NOW, 111 million dollars is a drop in the bucket compared to the money that is needed to shore up the california budget, but the fact remains that Same Couple Marriage brings money and JOBS into the state of Massachusetts. Massachusetts’ unemployment rate is at 8% and california’s is around 11%. The “trickle down theory” of the money being spent in Massachusetts and not in california should be lost here. Iowa, another state that has legalized Same Couple Marriage, has an unemployment rate of 5.1%. And their tourism industry is on the rise with Lesbian and Gay couples from surrounding states taking buses to Iowa to get married. Since there is a 3 day waiting period to get a marriage license, I wonder how much money is being spent in Iowa for hotels, Limos, food, lounging, and catering services, just to name a few. AGAIN, money that could be flowing into the coffers of california. Because the bottom line, and no offense to Massachusetts or Iowa, california is a better place to be and get married! Not only can you go from the beach, to the snow, and then to the desert in hours, but you are right near an international border in Mexico where you can have a whole other experience! People came from not just other states, but OTHER COUNTRIES to get married in california when it was legal! Don’t you get it!!!
Continue reading “I’d rather pay more in taxes than allow Gay Marriage!” »
21
Black folks, what the hell is your problem? For a race of people who have faced the worse bigotry, discrimination, and racism, in HISTORY, to turn around and do that to another group of people UNFATHOMABLE. And to hear Black people says that they resent the implication that the fight for Same Couple Marriage is a civil rights issue, makes it even worse. And to top it off, the Black church seems to be at the forefront of this “Campaign of Nonsense.” Oppression is Oppression! How hard is that to understand!
In a recent article, some Black clergymen stated their opposition to this struggle being “co-opted” by Gays and Lesbians. Yet here are some of the reasons that they used to justify their arguments. We know what we have gone through as an ethnic group, said Rev. William Gillison, pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church. Bishop Michael A. Badger, pastor of Bethesda World Harvest International Church, said that he doesn’t doubt there is discrimination against gay people but that it is hardly on the order of what African-Americans have encountered and still face. If you know what discrimination feels like, how can you in good conscious turn around and do the exact same thing? Do they think their are no Lesbian and Gay parishioners in their church? Ignoring the situation is not going to go away. And just like the Civil Rights Struggle that Black folks went through, Lesbians and Gays are not going to quit. We aren’t going back in the closet, and we are not going to let you marginalize us. Hell, that sounds like a Civil Rights struggle to me. Do you really think the struggle is different? Let us count the ways.
Continue reading “Is Gay the new Black?” »
09
Doug Manchester, owner of the Manchester Hyatt Hotels, donated $125,000.00 to the “Yes on Prop 8” campaign and got INDIGNANT when the Lesbian and Gay community organized and have supported a financial boycott of his hotels. And nearly a year later, Doug has had a change of heart, or is it wallet? and NOW wants to give an Olive Branch to our community. He is pledging to donate the same amount of money, $25,000.00 to Lesbian and Gay charities and give another $100,000.00 as credit towards staying at his hotels and holding parties and fundraisers there. Is Ashton Kutcher around anywhere? Because I feel like I am getting PUNK’D!
This BRIBE does nothing to undo the hurt that has been caused by the passing of Prop 8. The FACT that a group of people decided to take a BIGOTED stance and play GOD can’t be undone for $125,000.00. And the FACT that Manchester showed no compassion and said our complaints were “personal attacks on him and his family” hasn’t been forgotten. What happened to the “personal attack?” Is the fact that his companies wallets are getting lighter and lighter and emptier and emptier the real reason for the change in opinion? What about the personal attacks on OUR FAMILIES?
To our community’s credit, we have not wavered in honoring the boycott. And when former President Bill Clinton spoke at the Hyatt Hotel, he was met with protesters letting him know exactly how we felt. Many other organizations, including the American Trial Lawyers Association, have moved, canceled, or refused to hold their conventions at his hotels. It seems that with a recession, and people being more conscious about where they spent their money, Doug is feeling the pinch. This has nothing to do with a change of heart. It has to do with cobwebs and dust in the company vault!
Continue reading “UNCLE!!!” »
24
The latest salvo in the Same Couple Marriage debate, was a “bikini model” masquerading as a Miss USA candidate, speaking for the “whole country, saying that marriage is between a man and a women.” And this is what was taught to her in her home mind you. What galls me is that while people are more than within their right to state their bigoted opinions, those opinions affect people’s lives. Within the last two weeks, two bright preteen boys committed suicide because they were being bullied and teased MERCILESSLY because they were thought to be gay. Another kid, 17yr old Eric Mohat, was told to go ahead and commit suicide, because “no one will miss you.” It is in this climate of BIGOTRY, HATE, and INTOLERANCE, that the way to keep “someone in their place” is to call them “gay!”
That two kids committed suicide because of being teased at school has pretty much gone unnoticed. Kids tease other kids. Boys will be boys. But for those two kids, it obviously was more than that. That days of upon days, weeks upon weeks, and months upon months, of being called “fag“, “queer“, “homo“, and “gay” took their toll of these young boy’s self esteem. And even when the mother’s of these two boys continually called to try and resolve this situation, it was met with a blind eye and a deaf ear. When the government requires that you attend school, doesn’t the government have the obligation to make sure it is safe, physically and emotionally, to be there?
As I stated in an ealier post, I was teased in college about “looking” at girls. Nothing to the extent that these kids went through but yeah, it got old quickly. So I know EXACTLY how they felt. For me, the torment would be intermittent and last no more than 3 hours, depending on the class. I can’t imagine being someplace for 6 or more hours and treated to choruses of verbal abuse. So even when they woke up in great moods, ready to tackle the world, within minutes of being in school, that state of mind was under assault, on a daily basis, for no good reason.
Continue reading “No one will ever miss you!” »