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I'll be frank, my previous diary on school bullying touched a nerve both here on DailyKos and also at Pam's House Blend. I want to share these comments with my readers and also use this opportunity to respond. Emotions were (rightfully so) very raw on this issue, and to understand the full context I do encourage all readers to check out Part I of this pair of diaries for background. I want to thank every single commenter for sharing their thoughts. More than anything else, I appreciate your time and thank you for adding to this very important discussion.
Some of you may have already heard of the case of Larry King, a fifteen year-old high school student who was shot and killed on February 12 in what is widely believed to have been a hate crime. King, a gay student who was apparently harassed on a regular basis but who was open about his sexuality, died after he was shot in the head while attending class. Brandon McInerney, 14, was charged with first degree murder and also faces a hate crimes allegation. I have not reviewed California's sentencing guidelines for this case, but his exposure appears to permit parole eligibility once he reaches his sixties, assuming prosecutor's obtain a conviction. Yesterday, a Superior Court judge ruled that McInerney could be tried as an adult. More after the jump.
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I have never endured a more difficult experience than the cliquey, judgemental, make it or break it middle school crowd of my childhood years. I'll be perfectly honest, at 20 years old, those memories are quite fresh in my mind. I'm sure you can relate in some way.
I know, I'm well aware of the demographics of Dkos, however I also am aware of the universality of assholes, bullies and jocks throughout time, culture and class. If not middle school, then high school or certainly college. So many of us Kossacks can recall those dark experiences of school harassment in the form of intimidation, humiliation and sometimes violence.
Some of us, like me, remember those days as perpetrators. I know it may be hard to imagine, but for us reformed bullies, the experiences can sometimes be far worse than anything we dished out. Please allow me to explain.
As has been reported the NC Senate's failure to pass anti-bullying legislation in tact despite having the votes is disappointing shows a disturbing and unacceptable lack of courage and compassion. They threw kids in the state of North Carolina under the bus when they had an opportunity to protect them.
I have communicated privately with many members of the NC House and the NC Senate regarding passage of the anti-bullying legislation. In doing so, I made clear to them that mine was a private correspondence written as a parent, not as a politician and not as someone who planned to publicize our discourse so at to subject them to outside pressures. I did so in order to give them an opportunity to round the votes required for passage of bill without feeling as if I were trying to shame or embarrass them publicly. And I did have continued private conversations with members of both houses, Democratic and Republican.
Now that the bill has failed to pass, I'm am not going to break my word to kiss and tell about those conversations. However, am going to comment on the failure to pass this legislation and go on record publicly with my thoughts. First, here is an excerpt of a personal story which I related to them.
This is a hard diary to write; I try to be optimistic with all of the progress we are making for equality for the LGBT community. I cheer as I watch gay and lesbian couples marry in California; I smile when I read polls showing acceptance growing. I do all of this being lucky enough to be a gay man living in New York where in truth I experience little out right homophobia myself. But we cannot become complacent and assume that the battle is over. Every so often things occur which wake us up.
Unfortunately, it looks like a majority vote on the legality of my marriage and thousands of others like it will be happening this November in California.
A post on the QueerLaw mailing list has just informed me that the California Supreme Court has issued a response to the motion requesting a stay in preventing Proposition 8 from appearing on the November 4, 2008 statewide ballot.
Pam Spaulding has ann exlusive story on Obamas faith based program.
In short, the campaign is saying that there will be no money for proselytizing or "reparative" therapy.
A source with Senator Obama's campaign (Director of the LGBT Vote, Dave Noble) has now confirmed to Pam's House Blend that under no circumstances will funds from the program will be granted to FBOs for proselytizing or reparative therapy.
For the past three years, I've known it and I am sure others have also. Once I started to think about it, I knew I had been different since my days in kindergarten. On the outside, I looked like every other straight guy but on the inside, I was attracted to those straight guys. I thought I had a problem so I always tried to hide those feelings but I really couldn't. I had to act straight to make sure my friends didn't find out or I would be without my friends.
We fast forward to today and I am proud to say that I am gay. I went to my first "gay" bar a few months back and although I will never go back, I was very happy to know that I could be comfortable with myself.
This Sunday in Chicago nearly half a million spectators gathered to watch 250 different groups march in Chicago's 39th annual Pride Parade, with the theme "Live, Love and Be Proud."
Obama Pride was one of the many groups that marched in the parade, and the enthusiasm was infectious. Never before have I been so fired up and ready to go! This was my first year marching in the parade, and I can't imagine a better group with whom to have marched.
Following the break is my recap of the event, as well as some thoughts on Pride and the gay community.
"What have I got to be proud about. I'm just gay; it's not like that's an accomplishment."
Those may not be the exact words of my friend Jason, but every year, back when I lived in Atlanta, as Pride weekend approached, he could be counted on, like clockwork, to utter some variation on that same sentence.
To Jason (and to many other gay men and lesbians I've known), Gay Pride doesn't have much meaning. It seems just to be a weekend when people dress up, march, dance, and perhaps drink a bit too much; a boozy party in the guise of something more.
And I have to admit, I've had cynical moments when I've felt like that was all it was too.
Follow me over the jump for a different perspective on the importance of Pride.
(cross-posted in a slightly different format at MichiganLiberal.)
I'm sitting in the Café of the Barnes and Noble on 28th St. in Grand Rapids, MI recovering and recaffeinating my body after surviving a hectic and wonderful day yesterday.
I have to be honest: I'm a homosexual, but I'm a fairly conservative homosexual. I didn't acknowledge my sexuality publicly until I was 22. My friends and I were planning a trip to see a Stephen Lynch concert in Pontiac, and we were discussing the merits of Lynch's act. We acknowledged that he's a good singer and that he's hilarious, and then I just blurted out, "He's hot, too!" In any event, I've only been to the gay bar in Muskegon 4-5 times, and drag queens still make me nervous. I only came out at work about six months ago. I've never had a boyfriend. I'm 26, and yesterday was my first Pride.
I learned a lot yesterday. I learned a lot about life, about people, and about the Gay Agenda. I initially tagged along expecting fun and games, but yesterday turned out to be an educational experience.
Join me over the flip and find out what I learned.
Is helping the LGBT community important to you? Is defending my rights, your rights or the rights of friends and family something you care about? If it is, and you live in New York City, I’m sure you can find 3 or 4 hours to help fight for equality this summer! Please make some time for equality and civil rights and watch our combined efforts win this November! Read below for more info.
On May 17th, 2004 we were victorious in the marriage fight in Massachusetts. As every battle energizes the movement for marriage equality, likewise every defeat sets back our mission for equality by years, if not decades. Our thriving and passionate marriage equality movement stands to face the largest setback in the 21st century this November if California passes an amendment which would wipe out all signs of progress that we have made for equal marriage.
This is the third in a series that has thus far included Why the Left is Right on... The Death Penalty, and Why the Left is Right on... Abortion. In it I will explore the status of gay rights, as well as the reasons that I feel that the left is right when it comes to teh gheyz (of which I am one - full disclosure). This diary will not explore the argument of marriage versus civil unions - though there are very valid points one could make on the subject, it is simply not the focus of this entry.
The military’s need for qualified and experienced personnel continues to grow. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee recently released data showing the Army has doubled the number of waivers it grants to recruits convicted of violent felonies including manslaughter, rape and kidnapping. In an attempt to meet personnel goals Pentagon leaders have recently relaxed enlistment standards regarding age, physical fitness, education and criminal records. The discharge of lesbian and gay Americans, however, continues.
Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) is the military's ban on openly serving lesbian, gay or bisexual service members. It was enacted by a Democratic President and has been sustained by both Democratic and Republican congresses for over a decade. Like many progressive initiatives, Democrats in Congress, who remain too skittish about being labeled a "Gays before Berets" party, have not brought up the issue in any meaningful, challenging way this session.
Let's be perfectly clear. As a person of Caribbean descent, the LAST thing I want to be in this post is condescending. I admit very upfront that I do not know much about Caribbean culture- or Jamaican culture in particular- however coming from a Guyanese family, with family members scattered throughout the Carribean, I have a vague, but proud, connection to the region.
This connection, as I continue to discover and nurture it throughout my life, encourages me to speak out against the ills existing in my ancestral homeland. As progressives, we show our love and pride for our roots by always seeking out the better in those very things which give us meaning and comfort. As I explore the highly emotional details of rampant homophobia in Jamaica in this post, I do it out of love for the Caribbean region, which has thrived despite a history of colonialism, natural disasters, slavery and the shackles of contemporary neo-liberalism.
June is Gay Pride month, so designated because the Stonewall Riots occurred 39 years ago in late June. This weekend 23 of 50 states are holding Gay Pride parades and festivals. Around the world there are 7 countries hosting Gay Pride celebrations on 3 continents.
Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face. It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience. The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.
A brutal attack on the part of the Memphis police against a transgender woman by all accounts is undergoing some internal investigation by the Memphis police; pressure needs to be put on them to insure that proper action is taken. Further, there needs to be greater media exposure of this brutal attack. Please read on to learn more about the attack, what is being done, and who you can contact to see that justice is served.
Last night I participated in Equality California's phonebanking to identify voters who haven't yet made up their minds about which way they're voting on the issue come November.
The atmosphere was exciting and promising. And the collective results of the calls were encouraging, to say the least.
