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» Cutting 377.
Homo hopes are up in India, where a court is reconsidering Section 377, a Colonial era penal code criminalizing same-sex loving. Activists are hoping the court will "read down" the law, which would remove gay speak from 377. [Times of India] |
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» Record-Breaking
This year's AIDS Walk in New York raised more than $7 million. [365 Gay] |
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Then came a turnaround: tired of being light in the loafers, Gutierrez signed on with the ex-gay movement and even appeared in one of their videos, “I Do Exist.” Three years later, however, Gutierrez released a statement denouncing the ex-gay population, calling it "divisive." And now he's taking an even harder stand against the reparative movement, especially their claims of "compassion." As I began to sever ties to ex-gay ministry I was shocked to see how quickly people turned away their friendship and camaraderie. We've got a feeling you're better off, Gutierrez |
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Federal Judge J. Owen Forrester recently ruled that Georgia Tech University must stop funding gay "safe space" pamphlets that allegedly deride homophobic religions. The pamphlets offered an overview of various religions and noted, quite controversially, that many religions take Biblical tales "out of context" to justify discriminatory behaviors. They went on to outline specific religions, describing some, such as the Church of Latter-Day Saints, as "anti-gay." |
» LA Safe Space.
We won't pretend to be sober sisters - or young - but we absolutely love that LA-based WeHo Alt exists. Here's how they describe themselves: "WeHo Alt provides a safe space for our younger LGBTQ that are in their teens, twenties, and thirties… Weho Alt is a viable alternative to bars, free of drugs and alcohol, to help minimize substance abuse, HIV, and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases." [WeHo Alt] |
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A Queerty Original!
Now, as president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Roskoff remains one of the most progressive activists this side of the Mississippi. In fact, it was an email from Roskoff that spurred the following exchange with our editor. Some of you may recall last week's story about anti-gay "cult" Aesthetic Realism. Well, Roskoff wrote to us and regaled us with tales of how he and his GAA pals used to rail against the group. Always intrigued by tales of homo history, we asked Roskoff if he'd like to elaborate for you, our darling readers. And he graciously agreed. Read what Roskoff has to say about the Realism movement, gay activism's golden years, why homos need to stop cheering for Hillary Clinton, how Barney Frank and HRC do more harm than good, and why Barack Obama must be the Democratic nominee - after the jump, naturally. |
» Spotlight!
Fellow blogger and friend Andres Duque of Blabbeando shines over at BBC, where he chats about Latino marginalization in gay communities: "For example, on the issues of immigration and political asylum the traditional gay organisations say that's not something they should be dealing with or focusing on." Wait, gay non-profits prefer white folk? Our world just crumbled… [BBC] |
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Supporters of New York's Empire State Agenda bussed it up to Albany today to lobby their legislators to support gay rights measures. [We are] traveling to Albany to help win marriage equality, transgender non-discrimination protections, safe schools for LGBT youth, and more funding for our community’s health and human services needs. We couldn't be there, unfortunately, but we're more than happy to pass along the gay non-profit's video, Lobbying Your Legislator. More informative instructions can be found here. There's nothing sexier than activism. Okay, that may not be true, but activism definitely gets points in our books. |
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A number of shareholders will tomorrow ask the board of Well Fargo to remove sexual orientation from their anti-discrimination policy. Rather than railing entirely against "gay sins," as Ken Hutcherson did against Microsoft, these clever little homophobes insist that "gay" can't be seen, like race, and therefore fagalas should just keep a lid on it:
You can be sure, of course, that the shareholders' resolution brings up a bit of Biblical reference, saying that all three major religions "condemn" gay ways. This isn't the first time Well Fargo has felt the anti-gay backlash. Focus On The Family ended their business relations in 2005 after the bank contributed dough to GLAAD, which the Christian right basically regards as a Satanic covenant. |
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» Meet-up.
The God-loving gay activists of Soulforce are holding a non-violence workshop at NYC's Gay and Lesbian Center tomorrow. 6:30 sharp. If you're late, they'll beat you. [SF] |
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The Ohio businessman just gave the Akron-area university $2 million to boost students' gay rights activism. The money, the school's largest LGBT donation ever, will be spent on scholarships, booking pro-gay speakers and offering other lavender-hued programs. Said Jackson: "I'm hoping they'll get politically active and educated. By educating them, they'll become part of the process." |
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» Push Back!
Maine-based gay rights advocates are fighting a right-wing referendum aimed at banning gay marriage, adoption and removing gays from the state's discrimination policy. [Boston Globe] |
» Push Back…
Human Rights Campaign claims to be fighting for trans rights, but their actions in Houston recently have some people wondering whether they mean it. A number of protesters |
» History Lesson.
With Matt Foreman stepping down as National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Executive Director, it's time to reflect on his ascension as one of the nation's most successful gay activists. [Edge NY] |