Image via Wikipedia

Dominic Hannigan who topped the poll in his consituency of Meath East, is the first openly gay person to be elected to the Dáil Éireann.

Hannigan made headlines in 2006 when he marched in the Dublin Gay Pride Parade with his partner when he was a county councillor.

At the time, the editor of the Gay Community News told reporters at the Irish Independent that there was, definitely, a gay TD in office, but that:

“This is someobody who has had a long career, of which being gay has not been a part. Getting it out of the way at the beginning or early in your career is probably the best way to do it now. If you have been around a long time, and it’s never been in the public domain, it’s very difficult to come out.”
Irish Independent

Ireland has had openly gay senators, a lesbian mayor, now our first openly gay TD. Fingers crossed we will see our first openly gay President this year. Senator David Norris, who was instrumental in having homosexuality decriminalised in 1993 is one of the early favourites.

Image via Wikipedia

The polls closed at 10pm last night and the state broadcaster RTE released the exit poll early this morning. From the looks of the exit poll and reports from the individual polling stations rolling in, it looks as though Ireland has seen fit to change their government altogether.

The exit polls show Fianna Fail, the party that have been in charge for the last 14 years, are polling at 15%, and as low as 8% in Dublin constituencies. Some party supporters are saying that their actual numbers may be higher as some voters may have been unwilling to admit voting for them. Some anecdotal evidence of verbal abuse against Fianna Fail supporters seems to support that speculation. Fianna Fail are largely blamed for the current economic crisis and increasing levels of emigration as Irish young people leave the country to find jobs.

Fine Gael are against marriage equality and are most likely to lead the new government. However, it does not appear that they will have enough seats for a majority government and speculation has been that they will go into a coalition government with the Labour party who look set to be the second largest party. Labour favour a referendum on marriage equality. Last week, a poll showed that only  27% of those polled opposed allowing marriage for same-sex couples.

Social issues have not figured largely in this election and voters answered polls over and over that the economy and jobs were foremost in their minds. While media outlets talk about “voter anger”, a lot are also noting increased engagement in the political process. Voter turnout appears to be healthy, around 70% nationwide and as high as 81% in some constituencies.

Predictions in Irish elections are difficult because of the method of voting that’s used. Proportional Representation – Single Transferable Vote is a system whereby people vote for each candidate on the ballot by preference. If one’s first preference candidate already has enough votes, your vote is then given to your second preference, and onwards. A similar system is used in local and city elections in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Green Party’s Paul Gogarty was the first candidate to concede this morning (on Twitter, even), with only 10% of the votes counted. He achieved some level of international infamy when footage of him telling another TD in the Irish parliament “F**k you” became a You Tube hit and was also broadcast on The Rachel Maddow Show in the United States.

Let’s look at it again:

This follows the statement of Fine Gael’s Equality spokesperson, Lucinda Creighton, publicly opining that marriage is about procreation and expressing that she definitely does not favour marriage equality. Fine Gael are the favourites to lead the new government, either in coalition with another party or on their own.

It is unclear whether Ms Creighton will take the opportunity to legislate for the annulment of marriages in the case of old age, infertility, sterlisation or the use of contraceptives.

Ireland goes to the polls tomorrow morning. However, in opinion polls, Fine Gael have been showing a strong lead from the beginning of the election.

Image via Wikipedia

We talk a lot about the politics of outing people as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Some of us believe it’s always wrong. Others, that it’s only ok if the closeted person is being a hypocrite — that it’s ok to out an anti-gay politician as gay, but not a closeted person who fights the corner anyway. Some believe that outing is the only way we can achieve the visibility we need in order to progress and get our rights.

The conversation is different with the trans community.

The nature of the trans community itself makes visibility extremely difficult. Many trans people aspire to live post-transition as though they’d never lived otherwise. That means they become invisible — exactly their goal, and totally their right. And while visibility and understanding can also increase awareness in larger society about the struggles and rights of trans people, for many trans people, standing up and being counted simply isn’t an option.

Remember we talked about butch women? I said, at the time:

a woman who spends her life presenting as other than “how a woman should look” is a lightening rod for hate and violent rhetoric.

That in itself is as much about the control of women and femininity as it is about anything else. But it’s also about the fact that society in general really, really hates it when their assumptions are either incorrect, or they are unable to make an assumption. It makes people nervous and afraid. And that fear makes people angry.

Fear makes me angry too. When I saw the front page article that outed a woman as trans last week, I was terrified. Not for myself, but for people I know and love. I was afraid for the woman involved as well, although I don’t know her. My fear made me angry. I’m still angry.

They named her, published photographs and used words like TRANSSEXUAL and FELLOW in big, scary caps. At least, it probably scared the writer, Gary Meneely, who, frankly, should be struggling to live with his conscience right about now.

The woman he outed had never done anything to him. She wasn’t living a lie, or even living deep stealth. She wasn’t rude when she refused to be part of a tabloid’s “case study”. On the board of a trans rights organisation and known for giving talks on the subject, the “revelation” hardly qualified as the “WORLD EXCLUSIVE” the rag touted. But still,until this, she had control over who knew. The tabloid took all that away from her.

Perhaps this story may help us understand why so many trans people chose to erase their pasts entirely. Post-transition, a lot of people make the painful decision to cut off family and old friends. They move, and start a new life where nobody knows. They alter childhood stories and discard photographs, cards, letters, diplomas — anything containing any kind of clue about the past.

Let’s clarify some terms first. Let’s say stealth is living where your neighbors and community don’t know, but you have friends that you maintain contact with that do.

Deep stealth is when you drop all the past, rather erase it. You begin completely new, like you landed on this planet full grown, with no real past.

Since everyone has to have a past, you must make one up, but how? First rule is don’t make up anything too interesting, for if you do, people will talk about this made up past of yours. For example, if I had said that I was a Ph.D. student that dropped out of school and my parents disowned me, people would think, ‘ she must be really smart, or a liar, she must have some mean parents’. You want people not to think anything.
TSRoadMap

There are a lot of reasons people want to live this way, as hard and painful and lonely as it can be. It’s significantly safer. There are economic, social and romantic benefits.

There’s a 2006 UK study done about the discrimination faced by trans people. One striking statistic is that 42% of people wanting to transition did not do so because they feared they would lose their job or be harassed at work. Unfortunately, the statistics from those who did transition and work at the same time prove their fears correct. Many people transitioning in work have been harassed (one in ten) and often are made to use the wrong toilets (one in four). 6% of respondants were physically assaulted at work as they transitioned.

More recently, the an American study was just released with very sobering statistics, including that 41% of the more than 6000 people they interviewed had attempted suicide. 90% had been mistreated at work. 35% had been physically assaulted while in school, and 12%, sexually assaulted. The study found that trans people in America were four times more likely to live in poverty than the general population.

I’m not saying that outing gay people is not a bad thing. We certainly are targeted as well. But the consequences faced by trans people when they are outed can be different in orders of magnitude. I remember several years ago when a women and her family were hounded out of a large European city when she was outed as trans to the wrong person. She said it never leaves her mind that it might happen again, so she has never felt settled where she is.

An outing like the one last week shouldn’t be tolerated. It should be condemned everywhere. Preferably, without outing her again in the process.

Originally blogged at Gaelick.com

Eamon Gilmore, Labour Party leaderImage via Wikipedia

With the general election less than two weeks away, the leader of Ireland’s Labour party, Eamon Gilmore, has said that he believes, “Ireland is ready for equality between gay and straight.”

Included in the party’s election manifesto is a pledge to call for a referendum that would allow a constitutional ammendement allowing same-sex marriage.

Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Irish constituion, was written in the early 20th century and lays out the roles of women in the home and of family in society. Opinions of allies and opponents alike differ on whether or not a constitutional referendum is needed, and whether or not Article 41 actually prohibits same-sex marriage.

Article 41

1.    1° The State recognises the Family as the natural primary and fundamental unit group of Society, and as a moral institution possessing inalienable and imprescriptible rights, antecedent and superior to all positive law.

2° The State, therefore, guarantees to protect the Family in its constitution and authority, as the necessary basis of social order and as indispensable to the welfare of the Nation and the State.

2.    1° In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.

2° The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.

3.    1° The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of Marriage, on which the Family is founded, and to protect it against attack.

2° A Court designated by law may grant a dissolution of marriage where, but only where, it is satisfied that ­

i.            at the date of the institution of the proceedings, the spouses have lived apart from one another for a period of, or periods amounting to, at least four years during the five years,

ii.            there is no reasonable prospect of a reconciliation between the spouses,

iii.            such provision as the Court considers proper having regard to the circumstances exists or will be made for the spouses, any children of either or both of them and any other person prescribed by law, and

iv.            any further conditions prescribed by law are complied with.

3° No person whose marriage has been dissolved under the civil law of any other State but is a subsisting valid marriage under the law for the time being in force within the jurisdiction of the Government and Parliament established by this Constitution shall be capable of contracting a valid marriage within that jurisdiction during the lifetime of the other party to the marriage so dissolved.
Bunreacht na hÉireann

Labour’s manifesto also states that they will push for Gender Recognition legislation and they have been attacked by conservative and religious groups for committing to legislating for abortion when the life of the mother is at risk.

01/28/2011 by JR Russell

One year ago, I reported that an Irish company, Tullow Oil, were readying an investment of 1 billion euro in Ugandan oil interests.

We tried to contact them.

We even goaded them a bit. No dice.

Nobody from Tullow Oil — named after a town not far from where your friendly, non-oil-company biting-blogger is sitting right now — wanted to answer the question that seemed so natural:

How could anybody invest in a country that had just proposed legislation that would execute homosexuals and their defenders?

John McGuirk, the only not-gay Irish blogger that picked up on this story, had this to say at the time:

I’m not Gay, and advancing gay rights has not been the cause of my life, but I wonder if this was a white supremacist Government imposing apartheid in Uganda whether the degree of international action would be the same.

Indeed.

But it seems on the scale of corporate responsibility, while Tullow are happy to throw some pennies at mosquito net charities, they are not interested in using their influence to prevent the murder of LGBTQ Ugandans (who presumably may find themselves employed by Tullow). Mosquito nets wouldn’t have helped David Kato when he was bludgeoned to death after his photo was published in a tabloid paper.

In fact, Tullow’s presence in Uganda as possibly making things a bit harder for those trying to press for change. The infamously terrible contracts between Tullow and Uganda are still secret, and Uganda is still dragging journalists off to prison if they try and press for access, but the Ugandan people believe, largely, that Tullow Oil’s discoveries will bring wealth to their country and that they will no longer be dependent on other countries. Threats of sanctions are met with shrugs of indifference.

As Giles Muhame — editor of the vile rag that published the photos of hundreds of men (including David Kato), alleging they are homosexual (a crime in Uganda) and calling for their hanging — said to our own Mel Nathan,

Soon we will have enough of our own oil and we will not need America or outside Countries.

The Anti-Homosexuality bill may not have passed yet. But its introduction copper fastened a new era of government-approved violence against Ugandan LGBT people.

Wednesday, outspoken gay activist, David Kato Kinsule, was found bludgeoned outside his unfinished home, which he’d already equiped with security cameras and an alarm.

And as I type, sources are confirming that Brenda Namigadde, a Ugandan woman who was due to be deported back to Uganda this very night was being given reconsideration. I dare say she owed the reconsideration to the young man who was buried today amidst preaching and hatred, carried to his grave by the only people who would lay his body to rest: his LGBT community.

But with the BBC reporting that the deportation is still set to go ahead, we have another case of corporate complicity in the murder of LGBT Ugandans. As Emily Dugan, of the Indepenent on Sunday, asks on Twitter:

So after one year, what has changed for Uganda’s gays? It would seem very little, besides the body count.

Update: The BBC are now reporting that the deportation is not going ahead tonight.

Any Tullow or Virgin Atlantic company reps looking to have a chat can feel free to email me on CanuckJacq@gmail.com. I don’t bite. I don’t even misquote or twist stuff. I just have questions.

From today, Ireland will formally recognise the same-sex civil partnerships and marriages from 27 jurisdictions under the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act.

Ireland’s state broadcaster, RTE, has estimated that there are at least 1,000 gay couples in the state whose relationships have been formalised elsewhere and will now be recognised. Tax and inheritance laws will now apply to couples in civil partnerships the same way they do to opposite sex married couples. There is still no recognition of the rights of children in these families.

Civil partnerships were supported by the Irish Evangelical Alliance although the Roman Catholic Church was not in favour.

Irish same-sex couples are now free to enter into civil partnerships, but the first ceremonies will be in April as 3 months’ notice is required by Irish law.

12/15/10-by JR Russell
Hot on the heels of October’s European court ruling that the ban on gay rights parades in Moscow violated the freedom of assembly, right to effective remedy and protections against discrimination, Moscow’s new mayor has put a stop to a planned parade in Lubyanka Square.

The Russian LGBT Network planned to demonstrate in support of those who have been convicted of the law that criminalized consensual sexual relations between men. Other activists were due at the event, including Lyudmila Alekseeva and Nina Tagankina from the Moscow Helsinki Group.

The law was introduced in 1933 and was the 121st Article of the Russian Soviet Federalist Socialist Republic Criminal Code. Consensual sex between men was punishable by up to 5 years in prison — while the same article specified that the sentence was increased by up to 3 years in cases of rape.

It is unknown how many men were convicted and jailed under Article 121. In 1993, it was noted that not all prisoners who had been jailed for homosexuality had been released when the law was overturned. Because of missing records many prisoners could not be located. According to some sources, there were as many as 1000 convictions a year during the 1980s.

In 2008, the Russian LGBT Network — Russia’s only interregional LGBT rights organization — declared December 17 a Day of Remembrance for those LGBT who were victims of political oppression. This year, they planned a demonstration in front of the old KGB buildings to encourage the government to exonerate those convicted under the overturned soviet-era law. The law was first published on December 17th before it was made law.

The European Court decision is not yet in force as Russia has until January 21, 2011 to appeal the decision. The organizer of Moscow Pride, Nikolai Alekseev, believes that no appeal will be heard and that Moscow’s Gay Pride parade in 2011 will be a state-sanctioned event. He has also called the decision to disallow the Lubyanka Square demonstration “illegal”.

The organizers have not yet indicated whether they will proceed with the demonstration or if they will comply with the ban.

Related articles

• Breaking: Nikolai Alekseev Launching Protest to Boycott Swiss AIR (lezgetreal.com)
• Russia breached European Convention by banning Moscow gay prides, declares European Court of Human Rights (miamiherald.typepad.com)
• European Court of Human Rights Rules in Favor of Gay Activists Over Banned Moscow Pride Parade Complaints (towleroad.com)

Heather Peace has graced the cover of UK lesbian magazine, Diva, and has now been interviewed on the second episode of the brand-new online lesbian talk show “The Birdbox“. The show is hosted by comedian Jen Brister and Diva magazine editor Jane Czyzselska.

Ms Peace also is a musician who is suddenly finding her shows need larger venues. I don’t expect that will change anytime soon.

Here’s a preview. The episode goes live on QUOD.tv in a week.

and declare October 21st Russian LGBT Liberation Day

This morning, the European court ruled in favour of Nikolai Alexseyev’s complaint that authorities in Moscow had unlawfully denied gay Russians the right to march in pride parades.

The ruling states that the ban on LGBT marches violates Articles 11, 13 and 14.

Article 11 guarantees freedom of assembly and association.

Article 13 guarantees the right to effective rememdy. Anyone denied rights must be able to seek rememdy with their national courts.

Article 14 prohibits discrimination.

Alexseyev and his team were also awarded more than €17000 in compensation for legal costs, travel and non-pecuniary damages.

Alexseyev has made the following statement in response to the decision:

“This decision is a major victory for us because no judge, no lawyer and no politician will any longer be able to tell us that the bans of our events were lawful.

“This decision is the first judicial blow for former Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov who declared on several occasions that gay pride organizers and participants are satanic, weapons of mass destruction and faggots.

“This decision is the first to recognize that the Russian law on freedom of assembly contradicts with the European Convention. It is a gift to all democrats and human rights activists in Russia. It is a gift of the LGBT community to some groups who still have difficulties to stand up for equal rights of LGBT people.

“We declare October 21, the Russian LGBT Liberation Day and we will celebrate it every year from now on with public demonstrations.

“Today, we demanded the EU representative in Moscow to impose a visa ban to all the Russian judges who breached the law and confirmed the bans of Moscow Prides.

“Today, we asked the General Prosecutor to initiate criminal prosecution against former Moscow Mayor for using his official capacity to prevent public event which is a breach of article 149 of criminal code.

“Ironically, today, Moscow’s local Parliament put a final dot on the Luzhkov era by appointing a new Mayor. We hope Mr. Sobyanin will take note of the European Court’s decision and authorize sixth Moscow Pride in May 2011.

“I want to personally extend my deepest gratitude and respect to all my team of fellow activists in Russia who stood next to me during the last five years in the good and hard times. These people are my heroes”.

When people think of Ireland, I doubt words like “progressive”, “liberal” or “secular” come to mind. In fact, I’m pretty sure “The Catholic Church” probably is in the top five phrases everyone associates with this small, divided island. But years of prosperity, improved education, and the child sex abuse scandals have given Ireland’s people a bit of a kick away from the old ways. More and more, the Irish are losing their fear what awaits in the next world and are working at making this world a better place.

Recently, Ireland’s current President, Mary McAleese, turned down an invitation from the New York City St Patrick’s Day Parade Committee to be the grand marshall at this year’s special parade. The reason? She couldn’t be part of something that excluded people based soley on their sexual orientation. Heads turned. Conservative Ireland just told NYC what they could do with their homophobic parade. It was kind of beautiful.

And now, Ireland may go one better. We may elect an openly gay President. Guess they won’t be asking him to lead their parade.

Senator David Norris is not just openly gay. He is the gay in Ireland. He was publicly out when gay sex was still illegal. He fought with the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform to overturn the law that criminalised gay sex. He took his case to the European Courts and Ireland was forced, kicking and screaming, in 1993, to decriminalise gay sex. This was the same year the Americans enacted Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. The Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform was founded in the 1970s and to complete Senator Norris’ presidential pedigree, the past two presidents, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese, were both legal advisors to the campaign.

It would be hard to campaign against Senator Norris. I have heard him speak in a crowded gay bar in Dublin. The sound system didn’t work so he threw the microphone to one side and simply spoke. The entire room hushed to hear him speak. Even through the parts where he seamlessly transitioned into Irish — which many of the listeners wouldn’t understand — there were no interruptions. He is a formidable speaker with a wide appeal.

He didn’t voice an interest in the job until he was told a Facebook campaign had been started to support him for the presidency. In February, bookies set the odds of David Norris succeeding Mary McAleese at 33/1. Today those odds stand at only 9/2. There’s hope.

As Harvey Milk said, in his famous “Hope Speech”:

Like every other group, we must be judged by our leaders and by those who are themselves gay, those who are visible. For invisible, we remain in limbo–a myth, a person with no parents, no brothers, no sisters, no friends who are straight, no important positions in employment. A tenth of the nation supposedly composed of stereotypes and would-be seducers of children–and no offense meant to the stereotypes. But today, the black community is not judged by its friends, but by its black legislators and leaders. And we must give people the chance to judge us by our leaders and legislators. A gay person in office can set a tone, con command respect not only from the larger community, but from the young people in our own community who need both examples and hope.

The first gay people we elect must be strong. They must not be content to sit in the back of the bus. They must not be content to accept pablum. They must be above wheeling and dealing. They must be–for the good of all of us–independent, unbought. The anger and the frustrations that some of us feel is because we are misunderstood, and friends can’t feel the anger and frustration. They can sense it in us, but they can’t feel it. Because a friend has never gone through what is known as coming out. I will never forget what it was like coming out and having nobody to look up toward. I remember the lack of hope–and our friends can’t fulfill it.

Valerie Jarett, advisor to President Obama, made a speech to the $275-a-plate National HRC Dinner last night. She said she wanted to address the recent suicides of gay teens. She did. But she missed the freaking point.

I say this not only as an advisor to the President.  I say this from my heart, as a mother.  I cannot begin to fathom the pain – the terrible grief – of losing a child.  There is no greater loss – and we have lost too many in just the past few months.  Asher, Billy, Seth, Tyler, Justin.  I want to express my deepest condolences to Tammy Aaberg, Justin’s mom, who is here tonight and who I just met backstage.  Please join me in recognizing her for the courage she has shown in sharing her son’s story, and honoring his memory – in the hope that no other mothers or fathers will have to know her pain.

from Office of Public Engagement

There’s no point reading the rest. She simply details how the administration plans to tackle a compound fracture with band-aids. (and the same old promises that really haven’t meant anything yet).

This is unacceptable.

Ms Jarett, please note that very often the parents are responsible for the pain their children experience as young gay people. It’s not about the parents. It’s not about their pain or their loss. It’s about the intolerable pain those children felt that lead them to believe there was nothing left for them in this world.

How many of those grieving parents had fought for their children? How many of them — in seeing other teen suicides — had said to their children that it doesn’t matter how dark things get, that they’ll always be there for them? How many parents sat their children down and specifically said that it doesn’t matter to them if they are gay? How many of them made it clear that despite the fact that growing up gay means that their children will lack basic human rights (thanks Obama administration) like marriage and the ability to serve their country, that they will be loved and supported?

Ms Jarett mentions the groups doing exemplary work with LGBT youth. There aren’t enough ways to say Thank You (although I’m sure they appreciate donations) to thank those groups for what they do. But what they do is treat the symptom of what is a far bigger problem. When a society implicitly tells a segment of itself that they are less worthy and grants them fewer freedoms and rights, that tells those people that they are worth less than their peers and tells their peers that it’s right to treat gay kids differently than straight kids.

If the president does it, how can you blame some high school students for it?

Unfortunately the Obama Administration’s record on gay rights has been one massive adverture in missing the point.

If you want LGBT youth to stop killing themselves, start by giving them a future with the same rights and freedoms as other people. I assure you, what all of these kids need is hope, not sympathy for their parents.

The homophobes at the New York City St Patrick’s Day Parade committee decided that 2011 should be a special, significant celebration to mark the 250th anniversary of the event. They decided to ask the Irish President to be the grand marshal of the parade.

Their mistake? President McAleese won’t participate in an event that specifically excludes groups on the basis of sexual orientation. Even conservative Ireland is beyond that.

Her refusal sends a pointed message to the organisers that their values are out of step with the culture they purport to celebrate.

McAleese’s refusal to accept the grand marshal invite will come as major blow to parade officials who were intent on making the day an historic showcase.  New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York is now being considered a likely replacement.

via President Mary McAleese declines St. Patricks Day NYC Grand Marshal invite | Irish News | IrishCentral.

A Catholic Archbishop (especially one who has signed the Manhattan Declaration of hate) is unlikely to argue with intolerance and exclusion. He is also unlikely to be the kind of memorable figure that President McAleese would be.

In case any of the organisers are reading this:

You know what would make your 2011 250th anniversary parade special, historic and noteworthy? Make it a parade that includes everyone who wants to celebrate her Irish heritage. And then ask President McAleese and Senator David Norris to be Grand Marshalls.

(h/t to Panti)

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It’s like something out of a novel. The kind of intrigue you can enjoy because you know it’s just too outrageous to be real. Sadly, this time it was all too real. Russia’s best known gay activist, Nikolai Alekseev, was detained prior to boarding a flight to Geneva in Moscow’s Domodevo Airport.

Friends were unable to get information from airport security and authorities and the Russian Police said they had no record of him. The following day, the Airport authorities released a statement that he was detained after refusing to remove his shoes in a standard security check. His friends and long-time colleagues smelled a rat.

Alekseev had had his phone briefly following his detention and then it was gone. He had managed quickly to notify the media and his closest friends before communication was cut off. All over the world, people contacted their Russian embassies and consulates asking them where Nikolai Alekseev is.

The next day, messages start to arrive from Nikolai’s Swiss mobile phone. He told people that he is in Minsk, claiming political asylum and that he has withdrawn the case against the Mayor of Moscow. A couple of his more canny colleagues text back, asking questions Alekseev would be able to answer. As they suspected, they received no answer.

Fortunately, Alekseev is now back in Moscow, in good enough shape that he has managed to type up a full account of his ordeal and declare his intention to sue the airport and airport security service for violating international law and allowing Nikolai to be arrested by Russian police once already in the international zone of airport departures. One thing is for sure, he doesn’t seem to have been convinced to give up the fight. Read his account on his LiveJournal blog:

After this, began talking about a picket against Luzhkov: “You is not tired? You see that everything is easy? “All this was accompanied by terms such as” fag, “” motherfuckers “,” homosexual “, etc. But then I immediately replied that the applicant rally on Tuesday is not that recall on any anything I can not. They also insisted that the formal organizer still me. I was given water to drink already poured into a glass. And I have doubts about the composition of the water. Over the past two days I lost concentration, there was some emotional unresponsiveness. Only a few hours after returning to Moscow today, I realized that it was all on purpose. Nikolai Alekseyev’s LiveJournal (Google Translate link)

An interesting footnote: Nikolai credits his Apple iPad with being the only way he was able to determine the location of his interrogation. If only James Bond had an iPad, huh? (h/t to LGBT Asylum News, very quick with the updates!)

“We have serious reasons to fear for the health, and even for the life of Nikolai Alexeyev.” Alexei Davydov
source

We’ve been posting updates as we’ve had them on the fate of Nikolai Alekseev, who was detained while he was trying to board a flight to Geneva. The next day, text messages started to arrive to friends and colleagues of the activist. Now, his long time colleague in activism, Alexei Davydov, has said he suspects the text messages are not being sent by Nikolai.

If you read Russian, go for it, but I’m using the Google Translate English version throughout.

At 16.30, I asked him three times to confirm what he wrote to me with the phone, and asked him a question that only I know the answer and he, after which the connection was lost. A similar situation exists at Anna Komarova.
From this we concluded that: everything that was written with the numbers of Nicholas, written not by him. Special forces who are behind this are doing all that we stopped looking for him in Russia.
source

Several sources are now reporting that Alekseev has contacted Russian news service, Interfax, saying he is dropping his lawsuit against Moscow for disallowing the gay pride march and that he has decided to claim political asylum in Belarus. The airport police insist he was arrested because he refused to remove his shoes at the airport security check.

Through colleagues, he has now communicated that is safe and in Minsk and thanks everyone for their support and international pressure.

“It paid off,” says the email update.

While in custody, the lawyer and gay rights advocate faced pressure to drop his lawsuit against the city’s mayor.

The website GayRussia.ru has been the subject of attacks, making it inaccessible for parts of the day, so updates are being sent by email and on Facebook.

The update also says the the incident has not altered plans to march against the Mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov. Luzhkov is openly homophobic and Alekseev is asking for his resignation. The group intend to march on September 21st as planned, despite being refused a permit for the demonstration.

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Nikolai Alekseev was arrested by Russian police just before he was due to board a flight to Geneva. The last update indicates the Russian police are denying any knowledge of his location and not disclosing the reason behind his arrest.

Before communication was cut off, Alekseev communicated that he was still unaware of the reason behind his detention.

Alekseev is a tireless campaigner for gay rights in Russia, where the public and government attitude is openly hostile. Only recently, a court ruled it was not offensive for the mayor of Moscow to refer to homosexuals using the derogatory “gomiki”, which, roughly translated, means “faggot”.

There is speculation the arrest may be linked to Alekseev’s involvement in gay pride marches and protests with the opposition party.

Vigils and marches are being organised at Russian consulates and embassies in order to put pressure on Russian authorities to either release Nikolai Alekseev or — at the very least — to provide information on where he has been taken and what charges he is facing.

Activists are urging people to contact their own governments to ensure Russia feel international pressure. Europeans should contact their MEPs.

Correction: The story broke at LGBT Asylum News

Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family and C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy, went to Uganda and spoke to the author of the much discussed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, David Bahati.

Sharlet has written an article about his visit for Harper’s Magazine (you’ll have to be a subscriber or find a hard copy to read it) and has done an interview with NPR. In the interview, he talks about the opportunity he had to meet with David Bahati, and even visit him in his home.

He warns that — while the bill is currently on the back-burner as a result of international pressure — it is still there and is still an actual threat, as is the violence and rhetoric that has been inspired by the bill and the discourse around it.

And essentially what it is right now is sort of a tiger on the leash. It’s something that the dictator can – if he feels he’s threatened and he needs to rally public support and distract them – he can get this thing passed in probably about four weeks. So it remains incredibly dangerous.
NPR

And while the likes of Martin Ssempa have been saying that the bill is about HIV prevention, Bahati made his motivations clear when he invited Professor Sharlet to his home.

[Bahati] spoke more bluntly than he had before, about what he wanted to do.

And what he wanted to do was kill every last gay person. And this came up because he said, well, the death penalty may come out of it but, you know, democracy will bring it back…

Towards the end of this genial visit, Bahati threatened to arrest Professor Sharlet if he came back to Uganda, on the grounds of promoting homosexuality.

And he said, yeah, of course I’ll have you arrested. And, you know, he sort of made that clear to the Ugandan journalist I was with, too.

The only thing holding [the Anti-Homosexuality Bill] back, right now, is Museveni, who is afraid of losing support from Western donors. If there was a vote on it tomorrow, it would pass almost unanimously. To vote against it would be political suicide in Uganda.

But that said, Museveni is holding it back. He’s trying to kind of play both sides. On the one hand, says we got to go slow on this; may be this isn’t the right way. And then he’ll go and give a public talk about the gay menace. His wife, who is also very powerful, the first lady, has also talked about sort of purging Uganda.

A new report released by the Uganda AIDS Commission has shown that increasingly, HIV infections in Uganda are being spread by unfaithful married couples.

A study from 2006 shows that up to 16% of women and 36% of men will be unfaithful during their marriages. Ugandans are now being targeted with ads that try to link AIDS with infidelity, also referred to as “having a side dish”.

42% of the 130,000 new cases between 1996 and 2005 were between “monogamous” couples.

Current epidemiological trends would suggest that to avoid HIV infection in Uganda you may need to avoid getting married. How times have changed. There was a time in Uganda when marriage was the recommended option to avoid catching HIV.

via The HIV Shift.

I hope that Martin Ssempa is reading these reports. He’s always used HIV/AIDS against gay people and as a scare tactic in support of David Bahati’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Perhaps now, he’ll support an anti-marriage initiative?

Of course not. Martin Ssempa is hoping that HIV and homosexuality take care of themselves. If not, he’ll happily kill a few queers regardless of whether it helps in the fight against HIV. And of course, it won’t.

Uganda’s existing anti-gay legislation prevents any real work on the high incidence of HIV within the gay community. While members of Uganda’s gay population are more than twice as likely to be infected with HIV than the general population, the criminalisation of consensual same-sex sexual acts means that it’s almost impossible to work with the community as people are (quite rightly) unwilling to identify themselves to anyone perceived as an authority.

A recent survey of 303 MSM in Kampala, Uganda, found that 37 percent had been physically abused at some point in their lives, 37 percent had been blackmailed and 26 percent had been forced to have sex, according to Joseph Baker, a researcher with the U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC).

Even more troubling, members of this group were five times more likely to be infected with HIV. The overall HIV prevalence was 4.5 percent in adult males in Kampala, 13.7 percent among those participating in the survey and 22.4 percent among those who had experienced violence.

“We have a situation where laws and their arbitrary, inappropriate enforcement are increasing risk and vulnerability—thereby imposing barriers to effective HIV responses for those most vulnerable and the general population,” says Jeffrey O’Malley, director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) HIV Group.
from Scientific American

The kitten, named Lola, had been missing for 16 hours when her owners heard her meowing from inside the outdoor garbage can.

The shocking video shows the grey-haired, middled aged woman petting the kitten before looking to see if she was being watched, and quickly throwing the helpless kitten into the family’s garbage can.

I’ll be delighted when this psycho is identified.

source

Photo by @Golden_Gaytime via Gaelick.com

It seems like just yesterday that Civil Partnerships were passed by the Irish Dáil and Seanad. It was, in fact, not that long ago at all. It’s so recent that it will still be some months before Civil Partnerships are actually available to Irish couples.

While it was an obvious and huge step forward, critics of the Civil Partnership legislation point out that the children of same-sex couples are not protected under the new legislation, and also that the legislation has the effect of codifying inequality.

Today, Irish queers and allies marched in Dublin to demand full civil marriage for same-sex couples. Estimates put the crowd at 4-5000. The march was organised by LGBT Noise.

Panti Bliss, owner of the popular Pantibar, remarked on Twitter that the crowd was relatively young. This would show a divide in the community where the younger LGB are more likely to see marriage as their right. The Netherlands started recognising same-sex marriage almost a decade ago, so for some of those marching, same-sex marriage has been a reality in Europe for most of their lives.

Assembling at Dublin City Hall, Lord Edward Street, the march set off at 2pm wending its way down Dame Street, by the gates of Trinity College Dublin, and along Nassau Street before turning up Kildare Street.  There, the march passed by the gates of Dáil Éireann and turned left at The Shelbourne Hotel onto St Stephen’s Green where the mass of people streamed around the Green (past the Loreto school) to the steps of Iveagh House where the Department of Justice and Law Reform is headquartered (no longer is the portfolio of Equality included in the Department’s remit).
from Gaelick (more pics there too)

Newspaper The Irish Catholic is reporting that the reluctantly offered resignations of Bishops Eamonn Walsh and Raymond Field have been rejected by Pope Benedict XVI.

Both bishops presided over dioceses that were involved in the cynical cover up of rampant child abuse allegations. Bishop Ryan was in the diocese of Ferns and Bishop Field was in Dublin. Both offered their resignations in December 2009, following intense pressure from victims’ groups and the public.

The newspaper obtained a letter from Archbishop Diarmuid Martin revealing the Pope’s decision and that both Bishops Ryan and Fields would remain as Auxillary bishops and will,  ”be assigned revised responsibilities within the diocese.”

Of course, reassigning bishops is an entirely new thing. Reassigning priests is what got them all in trouble in the first place.

Dublin Pride 2010

On the eve of my fifth wedding anniversary, I sat at the computer, my eyes and ears glued to the live feed from the Seanad Éireann (the Irish Senate) as they discussed the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009 (catchy, isn’t it?).

The bill passed 48-4. It didn’t seem like it would be such a landslide, but perhaps the timbre of the homophobe apologists weighed disproportionately in my mind. It was, without a doubt, an historic event that was marked with a manual vote, as requested by Senator David Norris, one of the brightest heroes of the LGBT movement in Ireland.

Still, I can’t quite bring myself to celebrate.

The bill is a massive step in the right direction. For a country that took until 1993 to decriminalise homosexuality, there is huge public support for civil unions. The vast majority of the general population were in favour of civil unions. An evangelical alliance in Ireland has even released a statement supporting civil unions and citing separation of church and state. The Roman Catholic Church — those gatekeepers of perfect sexual morality and experts on family life — have fought this every step of the way. Even with that huge majority of popular support, this legislation wouldn’t have seen the light of day if it hadn’t been for the political maneuvering of the Green Party.

And, of course, the homophobes like Ronan Mullen used children and fear mongering as a weapon to ensure that the children of gay couples will continue to have fewer rights than those born to heterosexual married couples. That’s nothing new to Ireland. In this country, the children of married and unmarried couples have different rights. Actually, children have very few rights — the difference is that married couples have more rights to their children than do unmarried couples.

And of course, civil partnerships are not equality. It’s an entirely separate institution designed to keep us in our second class place. It’s discrimination now codified into law. It’s not marriage, nor is it equal to marriage.

I know a lot of queers don’t want marriage. As a married queer, I’m in favour of it. It’s something I wanted, and feel my participation in the insitution of marriage proves it can be other than what it has been — a marriage between two women will not exist to limit women.

I am married, and what gets my goat right now is that, as part of this law, my equal-in-all-respects Canadian marriage will become a second-class, separate and discriminatory Irish civil partnership, without me even signing on a dotted line. In some impractical ways, it seemed better to have an unrecognised marriage than to have a marriage recognised as something other than what it is. In practical ways, of course, a civil partnership is far more useful.

Five years ago, we stood in front of a minister, in a church, surrounded by our closest friends and family. I wore a white suit; she wore a white dress. It was informal and there had been no rehearsal, so there were laughs when we were walking back down the aisle and the minister had to shout to get us to come back and sign the register.

In my home country, my wife and I are as married as my parents and grandparents are. Here, we will be registered civil partners, in no way joined similarly to my parents-in-law, or neighbours, friends and colleagues. My civil status will reveal my sexual orientation and my status as a second-class resident of this country.

As monumental and as worthy a victory this has been, I don’t feel like dancing quite yet. There is a lot to do before we really have equality.

Most of what we know about gay people is that they are men who dress almost in a feminine way and talk softly or have feminine attributes. All the gay men I spoke to and met were none of these. These people act in the same way straight people do. Like I said, they charm, seduce, deceive, cheat and naturally I would assume there is also heart breaking involved. Plus, they always talked about having protected sex.

I expected to meet insanely rich people like the tales I have heard about the gays but these people are ordinary; they use taxis, eat and hang out in ordinary places and would rather beep or send a text message than make a call.

via Daily Monitor:  - Sunday Life |In the footsteps of a gay man: A journalist’s journey into the Ugandan gay world.

This goes to show that it doesn’t matter what David Bahati wants. It doesn’t matter what Martin Ssempa wants. The truth will win out in the end.

An actual journalist (and God bless Ugandan journalists — they don’t have the freedom but they do the job) has made a cursory investigation into the lives of gay Ugandans and determined that gay Ugandans are just Ugandans.

Hopefully this article will make a lot more people think about the lies they’ve been told — that gay men are all effeminate and that gay people are inordinately wealthy. The anti-gay lobby like to tell people that gay people have been paying activists to promote homosexuality and recruit children.

To us, these stories may be ridiculous, but if you’ve never met a gay person (or a person willing to tell you they’re gay), you might believe these lies. But if you read an article by a journalist brave enough to look a bit closer, you might be able to dismiss these lies as well.

Here is what we do know: a young man was brutally murdered, that he was mutilated and his head was cut off and dumped into a latrine. That much is true. But we have now confirmed that the young man had no connections with Integrity Uganda. Furthermore, the story about the missing Rev. Henry Kayizzi Nsubuga’s disappearance following a pro-LGBT sermon also appears increasingly unlikely. Yes, the man is reported to be missing, but so far the only sources indicating that he gave a pro-LGBT sermon are from Rev. Coward himself and the virulently anti-gay Anglican web site Virtue Online. In short, there is almost nothing about the article published by Rev. Coward that appears credible.

via Box Turtle Bulletin » Hoax Alert: Uganda Beheading Story May Have Been Planted By Anti-Gay Scam Artist.

This all begs the question — is his name really Rev. Coward?! How awesome.

The head has been identified as belonging to farm worker, Pasikali Kashusbe, whose body was discovered nearby earlier in the week.

Kashusbe was active with Integrity Uganda, an LGBTI support group, with his partner Abbey. Together, they have increased youth participation significantly in the three years they have been involved.

Kashusbe went missing on Martyr’s Day.

Uganda’s Martyr’s Day, a national holiday, is a particularly dangerous time for LGBT people. The holiday commemorates the death of several Anglican and Catholic missionaries ordered by the Bugandan King Mwanga II, who felt that foreign religious influences posed a threat to his kingdom. In fact, his fears proved correct; the executions prompted Britain to invade Uganda and turn it into a British colony. Popular lore has it that King Mwanga II, who himself was a teenager, killed the martyrs because they refused his homosexual advances. It is unclear how much of that part of the story is true or how much of it is lore that was reinforced by the British colonial government to discredit the king.
via Box Turtle Bulletin

Although the police say they are unclear as to the motive of the murderer, they have a suspect in custody and the body was found missing its genitals. A news report on Uganda’s NTV says the suspect may well be a cousin of the deceased.

Ireland’s parliament has passed the Civil Partnership Bill.

The version passed has no conscience clause, so service providers will not be able to opt-out of civil partnerships because of personal or religious beliefs.

Homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland in 1993 but until now, no form of family recognition has existed for same-sex partners. The bill has critics on both sides — those who believe that same-sex couples should have no recognition under the law and those who believe that this falls terribly short of full equality under the law for families headed by same-sex couples. Children being parented by same-sex couples, for instance, are still denied recognition of their family.

Anti-sodomy protesters were protesting last night outside the Dáil.

Tax and Social Welfare legislation must be enacted before civil partnerships will be available so it may be 2011 before Irish couples will see any benefits.

The Irish senate is expected to approve the bill by the end of the month. It will be autumn before it is signed into law.

photo by @sharayray

Stephen Powell, 19,  who had previously been reported as in critical condition due to a gunshot wound to his torso has died from his injuries.

The two other victims, a 19 year-old woman and a 29 year -old man are expected to recover from their wounds.

Another 19 year-old man has been taken into custody in connection with the shooting.

There is no official word yet on whether the attack was personally motivated or homophobic in nature, although eye witnesses have tweeted that the scuffle appeared to be personal.

Photo by SharonHahnDarlin.posterous.com

San Francisco’s Pride weekend has taken a sombre and violent turn as the San Francisco Police Department reports that three people have been shot outside a gay bar on Market and Castro St.

The area has been sealed off, and the wounded have been taken to hospital by ambulance, according to witness reports. So far, no fatalities have been reported but there has been no word on the condition of the victims.

Pink Saturday is a street party held in San Francisco to kick off the main celebrations on Sunday. The party attracts tens of thousands of people and has been held annually for decades.

Twitter accounts put the shooting outside The Café nightclub and Pottery Barn on Market Street.

One twitter user has said that that it appears to have been a personal fight as opposed to a homophobic incident.

UPDATE: One witness account on twitter asserts the shooter has been arrested and also shared a photo of the sealed-off area.

UPDATE: CBS now reporting that the shooter has been taken into custody and the gun has been recovered. Also, there were three victims, and one with life-threatening injuries. All were taken to hospital.

photo by @sharayray

When Sessions says it, it’s a “Center for Islamic Studies and, uh, Sharia Law”. The Sharia law part is his own invention, of course, although I would guess that some of the classes cover it. I presume he paused as he was remembering something someone said once about lying.

His words:

Around the same time that Dean Kagan was campaigning to exclude military recruiters, citing what she saw as the “evils of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” Harvard University accepted $20 million from a member of the Saudi royal family to establish a Center for Islamic Studies and, uh, Sharia Law… she was perfectly willing to obstruct the military, which has liberated countless Muslims from the hate and tyranny of Saddam Hussein and the Taliban, but seems she was willing to sit on the hands– sidelines as Harvard created a center funded by and dedicated to foreign leaders presided over a legal system that would violate what appear to be her positions.

Where do I start? He’s obviously trying to paint a picture that conservatives like to paint — that of the morally ambiguous, agenda-driven, lefty, gay and muslim apologist liberal. It makes no sense, of course. In one short paragraph, he manages to paint her as gay friendly, anti-military, and pro-Sharia.

The misdirection is intentional, but as Frances Martel, on Mediaite, points out that,

nowhere in the 2005 Crimson report does it say that employees and fellows at the Center for Islamic Studies would have to live under Sharia Law, the way LGBT members of the military would have to live under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Promoting the study of a culture rarely is the same thing as promoting that culture.

The most notable thing that Sessions has told us is that they have zero, zilch, nada, nothing. There’s nothing they can pick on that makes any sense, so they’re actually making stuff up. While it sounds like fun guys, it’s not terribly grown up.

General David Petraeus refused transport to hospital by ambulance after appearing to  faint during a scheduled Armed Services Hearing on Afghanistan.

General Petraeus has said that not only does he believe that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell should be repealed, but that it could be as well. He has spoken of working with gay and lesbian CIA officers and has said that it didn’t affect the working relationship at all.

General Petraeus has said he was only a little light-headed and that it was not because he was listening to Senator John McCain at the time.

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Yesterday, the LGBT branch of the UK Labour political party were told they were unwelcome in the central London pub. According to accounts, they arrived as they had pre-booked an area for a social evening following their AGM. When they attempted to put up a banner, they manager told them that it would offend other patrons. He also is alleged to have said that if they’d said they were a gay group when they booked, he would have refused the booking.

The statement released this evening states that they have begun an investigation into what happened and that, “the Deputy General Manager will not be on site until the investigation is concluded.”

Also from the statement:

…diversity and inclusion are a core part of our ethics and are clearly referenced in our recruitment process, our equal opportunities policy and training. [...] we do not tolerate homophobia in our pubs, whether from guests to other guests, or involving our employees.

According to tweets from @LGBTLabour, the group arrived at The Greencoat Boy in central London about two hours ago to be told that if the manager had known it was a queer group, he would have refused the booking, and refused to serve the group.

They held their Annual General Meeting today and had booked space at The Greencoat Boy for afterwards.

The incident has been reported to the police as a hate crime and is being investigated. In the UK, it has been illegal to discriminate in the provision of services on the basis of sexual orientation since 2007.

Three of the group have gone to Charing Cross Police Station to give witness statements.

06/01/2010 by JR Russell (email)

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? I mean, how could anything to do with a fighter jet have anything to do with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?

The Defense Authorization Bill, that’s how.

That tentative victory that was achieved with the inclusion of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal language being added to the Defense Authorization Bill 2011 (H.R. 5136) is now on shakier ground than ever since the house defeated an amendment to defund the production of an alternate jet engine for the F-35.

The saga of the F136 engine is complicated. Issues include the logistics of supporting two engines instead of one (especially in limited spaces like aircraft carriers), the possible benefits of competition to the bottom line, and the benefits and costs of redundancy.

Like everyone, the Pentagon has been trying to cut costs.  Defense Secretary Robert Gates has stated he does not want the F136 engine built for the F-35. Secretary Gates has also said he would recommend the president veto any bill that includes further funding for the F136 engine. The Defense Authorization Bill 2011 includes a further $485 million in funding for the F136, alongside the language that repeals Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

President Obama has indicated he will follow the recommendation of the Pentagon and veto the bill.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program: A Tale of Two Engines

Also known as the “Lightening II”, the F-35 Fighter Jet is still in the testing stages, and is projected to cost almost $90 million per unit. The Joint Strike Fighter program was set in motion to replace many of the aging and damaged aircraft that are currently relied upon. The program is guided by four requirements; the jets must be affordable, lethal, survivable and supportable.

Nine countries are involved in the production of the F-35 jets. The United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Norway and Denmark have all signed on with the United States to purchase these new-generation jets.

There don’t seem to be huge differences between the two engines. While the F135, made by Pratt & Whitney,  has been in production for quite some time and has been extensively tested, the F136, made by General Electric and Rolls Royce,  has had fewer than 100 hours of testing. However the team producing the F136 say that their engine is better suited to higher temperatures and higher altitudes than the F135 and would be more appropriate to usage in the Middle East, for instance.

The real decisions are budget and logistics based. On the budget issue, one side would argue that spending the money to produce a second engine reduces the number of planes the pentagon can order. The other side of that argument is that competition between the companies producing the different engines may bring the costs down significantly. The program is already years behind schedule with significant cost overruns. The projections on both arguments are just that — projections — and it’s impossible to conclusively prove the future.

There are worries as well that keeping aircraft carriers and bases stocked with parts for two different engines and keeping staff trained to support both engines will create space and readiness problems. The other side of that is that if one engine turns out to have a significant flaw, there is an alternative and the entire jet program isn’t lost.

Will Obama Veto the Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?

The history of presidential vetoes makes for interesting reading. President Grover Cleveland vetoed more bills than all his predecessors combined. President Barack Obama has yet to veto a bill directly (although he used the “pocket veto” on a resolution that had become redundant due to a recent enactment) but has stated his intention to veto any bill that continues to fund the F136 engine production.

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn) has been quoted as saying, “I fully expect the President to follow through with his threatened veto of the Defense Authorization Act if the F-35 Extra Engine Program is in the final legislation.”

Other sources are not as confident, pointing out that he said he would veto it only if it had a significant impact on the number of F-35s that could be ordered.

If Obama vetoes the bill because of the F136 funding, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell could be used as a bargaining chip. As it stands, those who defeated the amendment to defund the project do not have enough votes to override a presidential veto. However, there are at least 100 votes that could be convinced to override a veto (and would be delighted to do so) if the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal was removed from the bill. The two-thirds majority vote needed to override a presidential veto would be easily achievable under those circumstances (unless there were substantial vote losses on the other side due to removing the repeal language).

I’ll be watching this one closely. Will the “fierce advocate” use his first presidential veto on a bill that includes the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell? And if he does, will repeal survive?

They marched for 10 minutes, carrying a 20 metre long rainbow banner, from Belarusakaya train station on the road to St Petersburg. According to organisers, the route was symbolic of the unified Slavic Prides (Moscow, St Petersburg and Minsk).

To fool the police and protesters, organisers said the parade would take place at the Office of the European Commission. In a statement, they apologised to journalists who also missed the event, but asked that people understand why it had to be done.

“We are very sorry for the journalists who were waiting for the March at the Office of the European Commission and who missed the action which took place today but we hope you understand that given the very particular context we have to face here in Moscow where the police is watching gay activists and journalists and our will to avaoid any arrest and any beatings, the way w conducted the 5th Moscow Pride attempt was the most appropriate.”
from GayRussia.ru

You can see a video here.

In contrast, the 2007 Moscow Pride March ended in significant injuries and arrests when the Russian police allowed Neo-Nazi groups to assault protesters. UK activist Peter Tatchell sustained such severe injuries that he is left with brain damage. He attended today’s event.

It’s only one week until the much hyped “Quit Facebook Day” arrives. One website reports that up to 60 per cent of users could quit Facebook in the near future over privacy concerns. Proponents of quitting Facebook point to a veritable laundry list of privacy violations. And you know what? They’re right. Facebook’s privacy policy is a disgrace of epic proportions.

You know what’s not going to get you your privacy back? Quitting. And here’s why.

First, we all signed up voluntarily and nobody forced us to post the results of the “Favorite Sex Positions Quiz”, even if we regretted it later when we realised our great-aunt and our boss now know that reverse cowgirl is how we like it. It was more disturbing later, of course, when we discovered we had that in common with our great-aunt, and the less said about the boss’ preferences, the better.

We don’t need more proof that Facebook is part of how we run our lives now, so IF everyone quits Facebook, something will rise up in its place, and there’s no reason to believe that a new Facebook will be any more concerned with privacy than the old one, and Facebook are 100 per cent unconcerned about privacy.

In July 2009, Sara Kennedy deleted and purged her Facebook account. She had many reasons and those included privacy concerns. She didn’t think about Facebook again until late in February 2010 when she started receiving strange emails that appeared to be from Facebook but were in a foreign language. Worried these emails were a phishing scam, she wrote to the only Facebook email address she could find: privacy@facebook.com.

She received no direct response to her query, but the situation just got weirder and weirder. Although she never actually heard from a person at Facebook, she eventually discovered herself that someone had used her email address to sign up to Facebook and had managed to log in and post some rather risque photos without access to her email account. Then, Facebook started recommending those who had been her friends on Facebook to the person who was using her email address. Ultimately, she put a stop to it herself by logging in and changing the password.

Facebook may be the immediate problem but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. While it seems like everyone is using the internet, many users are completely unaware of basic privacy safeguards and have never thought through the implications of posting their more personal vital statistics on a website that is owned by somebody else.

However, if individual users are naive when it comes to the internet, our countries and legislative bodies are positively blind when it comes to appropriate regulation for social network providers who control such volumes of sensitive information.

Private companies are in business to make money and will work in the interests of their customers — the advertisers — not in the interests of their non-paying users. Unfortunately the only way forward with this is legislation that enforces the kind of freedoms over our own information that the EFF have laid out in their Bill of Privacy Rights for Social Network Users.

And before you all start shouting — I’m no fan of regulating the internet. I am a fan of regulating for-profit private businesses who make money by sharing sensitive information without our informed, clear and explicit consent.

So, instead of quitting Facebook on May 31st, which will accomplish exactly nothing other than making it a billion times harder to keep up with your friends and families (and remember birthdays), fire off an email to your elected representatives, attaching a copy of the EFF‘s Bill of Privacy Rights for good measure and share this post on Facebook so all your friends do the same.

Fight Facebook with Facebook. You know I’m right.

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The occupants of the car are all members of the Pink Life Association. When requested by police, they all showed their identity cards, but were still removed from the car, beaten and arrested.

When friends called the police station to find out about the 5, the police told them it was none of their business. A lawyer was required to convince police that the prisoners should receive medical attention for their wounds.

A week prior, 15 countries harshly criticised Turkey for its tolerance of the torture of LGBTQ individuals at the UN Human Rights Council session.

“I’ve known [Elena Kagan] for most of her adult life and I know she’s straight,” said Sarah Walzer, Kagan’s roommate in law school and a close friend since then. “She dated men when we were in law school, we talked about men — who in our class was cute, who she would like to date, all of those things. She definitely dated when she was in D.C. after law school, when she was in Chicago – and she just didn’t find the right person.”

via Elena Kagans friends: Shes not gay – Ben Smith – POLITICO.com.

The blogosphere and press are torn between berating those of us who want to know, trying to figure it out, and wondering why nobody has actually asked her yet.

Politico decided to ask her old college friends.

Her friends have said she dated men in college. You know what? So did I.

The longer this goes on, the more of a bad taste I get in my mouth.

I also find myself agreeing with Andrew Sullivan, so surely the end is nigh.

What the hell is so shameful about being gay? And stop with all that “What she does in her bedroom is her own business” — I’m not asking if she likes it with the lights on. Being gay — by the way — isn’t just about what you do in bed. It’s about what you do on the kitchen table too.

I’m kidding.

Being gay is about who we love. It’s about the lifetime of discrimination, fear, rejection and threat we’ve seen. It affects our sense of security and fairness. Being gay is as relevant as and no more shameful than ethnicity and faith.

It is not just about sex.

So — media? — you can ask. You’re not asking whether she leaves her socks on — you’re asking about her family, her loves, her life, her identity. And then she can answer, and we can all get over it.

05/10/2010 by JR Russell

There are times you can really regret writing something. This is one of those times.

On April 16th, I wrote an opinion piece stating that I thought (now officially) Obama’s SCOTUS nominee, Elena Kagan, should publicly come out of the closet.

I still think that. I also think that the AFA — who today stated that I agree with them — are full of shit. I’m not linking you to their bile. You can find them easily enough, but I’ll quote.

Think about it for a minute. If you were falsely accused of engaging in sexually aberrant behavior, would you waste a single minute challenging such a scurrilous rumor?

Even lesbian websites are agreeing with me about the importance of Ms. Kagan declaring herself on this matter. For instance, from LezGetReal, “A Gay Girl’s View on The World:”

I’m not going to respond to the entire post because it’ll anger me beyond my ability to function, but just this one quote is making my blood boil.

1. Elena Kagan — straight, bi or gay — plainly does not believe that homosexuality constitutes “sexually aberrant behavior”. Whatever her sexual orientation, she has stood up for the rights of gay people, most notably in a protest over the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

2. I do not in any way agree with the AFA on why Elena Kagan should come out of the closet. I will state the reasons I think she should come out.

• It’s better for her. It’s awesome being out. Personally, I can recommend it.
• It’s better for other people when people (especially amazing, accomplished people like Elena Kagan) come out.
• It’s going to be so much harder for her to address the homophobia she’s going to experience if she won’t say that she’s gay (or not).

Again, I’m not going to go through the post point-by-point (because I have to actually do some work today) but I’m guessing those are not the reasons the AFA think Elena Kagan should be out.

I’m guessing their reasons are a lot less concerned with her well-being and the well-being of other gay people, than it is about ensuring that gay people never get anywhere in life.

Just for clarity — I do not agree with the AFA about anything. Ever.

Warning Catholics! Evil symbols...

The Roman Catholic Church in Poland obviously is not dealing with any of the mess that the Roman Catholic Church in other countries is dealing with.

If they were, they wouldn’t have time to come up with these posters that warn devout catholics of images that are — in themselves — evil and could lead to demonic possession.

According to various Polish discussion boards, these were introduced in church and several of the symbols explained.

Many of the commenters remained curious as to how a rainbow or a butterfly might be considered evil. Very few were able to point out the gay symbolism of the rainbow and the pro-anorexia symbolism of the butterfly. It appears these weren’t among the symbols explained by the priests.

Irish people may be dismayed to see the Celtic Cross represented on this as well.

Other evil symbols include Ying-yang, Anarchy, a unicorn, a pentagram, an upside-down cross, a satanic cross, and others.

My grasp of Polish is pretty basic and my grasp of Catholicism even weaker. Anyone care to elucidate us on the evil nature of the symbols in these posters?

In one of the biggest upsets of the UK election — where the count is still ongoing in a very close race — Peter Robinson, First Minister of Northern Ireland, lost his seat in Westminster.

In comments immediately following the announcement he blamed his personal circumstances, believed by many to be a direct reference to the scandal involving his wife, Iris Robinson, and her very young restaurateur lover.

In his concession speech, he also said he wasn’t sure he wanted to win anyway. And you know, Westminster is so far away.

As it stands right now, the Conservatives need 36 more seats to avoid a hung parliament. There are 36 seats left to report.

Many constituencies had recounts last night, and several turned voters away after 10pm despite some having waited as long as 2 hours to vote. Many sources speculating on possibility of legal challenges to close votes in those areas.

Today, voters in the United Kingdom are voting in one of the closest elections in recent history.

With polls showing the Conservatives — who unsuccessfully tried to court the gay vote — in the lead, speculation is that a hung parliament will result as the other two left-leaning parties will likely be in the majority.

Immigration, gay rights and equality legislation have featured heavily in this campaign with the Conservatives giving a mainstream party home to much of the anti-immigrant sentiment.

The Conservative attempt to court they gay vote was disastrous, with leader David Cameron making a boob of himself in an interview with Gay Times that ended up displaying his total lack of awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ community. He then tried his best by sacking a candidate who made homophobic remarks, but ended his campaign standing by candidate Philippa Stroud, who founded a church that taught that homosexuality was the result of demonic possession, demonstrating he’s clearly given up on the gay vote.

He might as well. A PinkNews.co.uk poll put the Conservatives a very poor last place amongst their readers. Of course, the gay vote not only encompasses gay people, but those outside the community who believe strongly that gay rights are civil rights and are as important as the rights of everyone else.

Might I suggest to David Cameron that if he does win, it’s his chance to prove to gay people that Conservatives do care about the LGBTQ community by actively legislating in our interest. The Conservatives have a long history of homophobia to overcome and so far, the UK LGBTQ community has said that words are simply not enough.

Polls close tonight at 10 p.m. local time, which is 5 p.m. EDT.

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Lisa Reimer alleges the principal at Little Flower Academy told her to stay home for the remainder of the school year, when her current contract expires, after parents complained about the fact that her lesbian partner recently had a baby.

…

They [sic] school administrators said that they had lots of friends and family who were gay and they were completely supportive of that, but that families at LFA would not accept that,” Reimer told reporters on Wednesday.

Reimer said received the news earlier this week after taking two weeks off following the birth of her son. She had previously asked for parental leave but said the school refused.A group called the Pride Education Network sent out a news release Wednesday on Reimers behalf, claiming the principal told her that parents were concerned “the girls might follow Ms. Reimers lead.”

via B.C. teacher claims school sent her home for being gay – CTV News

This is a pretty little story. Apparently the school was well aware she was gay, and that was ok, but becoming a parent? No. That was the end of the world.

I’d like to see her lawyer take that side. You can’t fire someone for becoming a parent regardless of the ethos of the school. I’m pretty sure priests have become fathers without being fired by the Catholic Church. I know — and know as in it’s a matter of public record — that they have raped children without losing their jobs. That is obviously completely against their teaching, but it’s not as scary to the parents who send their daughters to a ridiculous school called “Little Flower”.

So, the following list was circulated in anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the UK.
For those of you who can’t make out the type, the highlights include

• launching his own branded line of “Benedict” condoms
• bless a civil partnership
• open an abortion ward
• give a speech on equality
• sponsoring a network of AIDS treatment clinics
• launch a helpline for abused children
• announce the sacking of dodgey bishops

Can’t say as I’d trust a catholic condom, but apparently these suggestions were so out of order that the Vatican collectively threw a hissy fit upon reading the leaked document, and didn’t confirm that the trip would still happen until the Foreign Office issued an apology and made the very apt announcement that the person responsible for the memo had been moved to another parish department.

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Five years ago, Houston attorney/theologian Daniel Shea watched the results of the papal conclave at home. Intellectually, he knew what the dirty-gray smoke puffing out of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney signaled: that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger would soon be announced as the new Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

According to Shea, the cardinals elected Ratzinger Pope to give him the immunity that would enable him to avoid answering any questions concerning his knowledge about and handling of sex abuse cases in Houston’s St. Francis De Sales church in the mid-1990s.

via Houston.

First impressions? This guy sounds a bit nuts. I mean, what are the chances that the cardinals in Rome were so worried about a single American lawsuit (there are so many similar lawsuits wordwide) that they chose the Pope based on that alone?

But, given the Vatican’s response to victims and the evidence trail that is only now leading to Pope Benedict’s back yard, it’s not so far fetched anymore.

The case in question has been very high profile and has pointed to evidence that implicates the new Pope in the cover up of the abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests. The document he penned 48 years ago, Crimen Sollicitationis, covers the church’s position on how these allegations should be handled.

The oath to maintain confidentiality must always be taken in these causes, also by the accusers or complainants and the witnesses. These persons, however, are subject to no censure, unless they were expressly warned of this in the proceedings of accusation, complaint or questioning. The Defendant is to be most gravely admonished that he too must maintain confidentiality with respect to all persons, apart from his advocate, under the penalty of suspension a divinis, to be incurred ipso facto in the event of a violation.
from Crimens Sollicitationis

Barry, who was drunk, had stumbled and fallen to one knee. When she did, one of the men kicked her in the face.

“It was just like someone drop-kicking a football,” Gouchie said.

The force of the kick flipped Barry on her back and knocked her unconscious for almost five minutes, Gouchie said. The four attackers, who appeared to be between the ages of 16 and 20, quickly fled, she said.

The women called 911, and an ambulance arrived right away. However, it took 30 minutes for a police officer to arrive.

via CBC News – Edmonton – Lesbian victim of assault says it was hate crime.

Read the rest of the story.

It seems that the officer who ultimately arrived took sparse detail and then did not file a report on the assault.  The CBC (the Canadian state broadcaster) has not been able to get a statement from the Edmonton police or their Police Chief, Mike Boyd.

What, Canada? Is kicking lesbians unconscious a new wholesome activity for Alberta teens?

… oh wait, Alberta. Right.

Alberta is the only province in Canada that ever had a KKK and is often known in other parts of the country as “little Texas“… both because of its oil industry and conservative social and policital culture.

This story would have me believe now, the level of disconnect between Canada and its province of Alberta is staggering. In a country where a lesbian can marry her parter (and has been able to for years now), she can’t rely on her police force to simply file a report when she is viciously assaulted by homophobic teenagers.

Image via Wikipedia

Dozens gathered for today’s “Don’t Hate, Legislate” rally at Capitol Square despite the rain. Delegate Adam Ebbin and Senator Donald McEachin spoke out against Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Governor Bob McDonnell’s actions since taking office.

At the rally, Robyn Deane shared her story about coming out as transgendered in the McDonnell family. See the full speech below.

Ebbin said Cuccinelli failed to cite a statute when he advised Virginia’s public colleges and universities that they couldn’t include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies.

He referenced section 23.9.2.3 of the Virginia Code, which empowers public universities to establish rules and regulations for the conduct of students while attending the institution as well as the employment of professors, teachers, instructors, and all employees of that institution.

“Ken Cuccinelli is an embarrassment to our great State. We have a proud heritage within the great books of history,” Ebbin said. “Not of embarrassing lines on the Daily Show.”

via Video: McDonnell’s Former Brother-in-Law Publicly Speaks Out As Transgendered – Gay Richmond News, Entertainment, Nightlife & GLBTQ Community Guide :: GayRVA.

We often say it’s important to come out because our coming out will make the people around us more understanding of our community.

Unfortunately it seems some people are so cold and heartless that seeing what a transperson goes through up close makes no impression whatsoever.

Thank goodness for people as brave as Robyn Deane who will speak out even when it’s not easy or convenient.

Her former brother-in-law — Virginia’s new Governor — rolled back protections from discrimination for gay and lesbian people during his first month in office.

A lesbian couple who had a child through sperm donation have become the first gay couple to both be named on their child’s birth certificate in the United Kingdom.

Natalie Woods, 38, and Elizabeth Knowles, 47, from Brighton, are the first to take advantage of new legislation granting gay parents the right.Their daughter, Lily-May Betty Woods, was born to Ms Woods, who works for Brighton’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Switchboard, earlier this month.

She was conceived using a registered sperm donor.The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2008 removes the words “mother” and “father” from the birth certificate and instead gives spaces for the names of two parents.

via Lesbian couple are first to jointly sign birth certificate – from Pink News – all the latest gay news from the gay community – Pink News.

Huge, huh? Imagine a child born with the right to both her intended parents. Let’s hope this right is extended to other children in other countries asap.

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• Lesbian couple becomes first same sex couple to sign joint birth certificate (telegraph.co.uk)

Senior Editors Note: In California,  this right has been in place for some time. In 2005 – California Domestic Partners were legally granted the right to be named on a birth certificate of the birth child of the other DP.  This afforded the non biological parent a presumption of parenthood, indistinguishable from the other parent – with one hundred percent equal right and obligations in respect of the child.

Linking here from the AFA? Please read this:

The AFA think I agree with them about Elena Kagan. I don’t.

Should gay public figures with their eyes on big nominations right now risk coming out? I think so.

The election of US President Barack Obama showed us that the American people have new priorities and expectations. When America elected the charming constitutional scholar, they said that being mixed race is no longer something that can prevent you holding the most esteemed office in the country. Did this indicate that America is post-race? I don’t think so. Being mixed race may not have prevented him becoming president but that’s not to say it didn’t present an obstacle.

Bloggers and journalists alike have breathlessly declared that America may also be post-gay. The most blatantly idiotic assertion I have heard in a long time has been brought on by the success of a handful of non-straight individuals. Nevermind the struggle they faced to get where they are (Ellen, I’m looking at you), or the fact that they are massively overqualified for the jobs they hold (Rachel Maddow, D. Phil?) — their success is now to be attributed to the American people being “post-gay”.

Well the apparently “post-gay” America is a place where the president has had to slap the hands of hospitals and tell them to grow a soul and allow the same-sex partners of patients visitation rights after a Florida hospital made a woman die alone while her partner and adopted children tried in vain to gain access to her. And that’s just the story we heard. I know of others, no less heart breaking.

In “post-gay” America,  marriage equality exists in a few jurisdictions and is specifically outlawed by constitutional amendments in many others. President Obama has been busy with his defense of the Defense of Marriage Act, and while he has promised to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell — one of the most anachronistic and ridiculous laws from an international standpoint — he and his administration appear in no great hurry to do so.

In “post-gay” America, gay public figures may remain unmarried even where they have the right to be married. Getting married immediately puts your sexual orientation on the public record and until America is truly “post-gay”, well, a lot of people have very good reasons to not want that.

So no, America is not post-gay — nor is it post-race. However, it is getting there, on both fronts. While these attitudes change, strategies and responses have to change along with them.

What we can learn from the election of President Obama is that sometimes having an obvious “disadvantage” can be an asset. Of course, as a mixed-race individual, he had no choice of being open about that. However, it meant he could address concerns related to that openly and directly. It also meant that his opponents were easily called out when they used racial stereotypes in order to demonise him.

Right now, rumours about Elena Kagan are hitting a fever pitch. Unfortunately, she cannot openly address the concerns people will have about confirming a gay person to the Supreme Court. She cannot name the homophobia of those that will oppose her confirmation. She will be battling whispers with shadows and there is no way to win that fight.

If she is not a lesbian, she needs to come out and say it, and put to rest the rumours and concerns. If she is gay, I believe she needs to say that too, and quickly. While being gay is not a shameful thing, being chased out of the closet can certainly make a person appear weak and lacking in integrity.

President Obama is going to want to nominate someone who he thinks represents his own mythology well. A successful, respected constitutional scholar with a slightly left-of centre approach — opposing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell while being on record saying that there is no constitutional right to marriage equality — would be a consistent Obama administration nominee (and a total disappointment to true liberals). However, until Elena Kagan rids herself of the shadows, she won’t fit the Obama image, and that could be her biggest downfall.

Could coming out backfire? Of course it could. But being closeted could too, without the benefits of being out. It’s not a great choice, but I think the answer is different than it would have been ten — or even five — years ago.

Following the denial of her request to bring her girlfriend to prom and also to wear a tuxedo, she contacted the ACLU to assert her First Ammendment rights. The school promptly cancelled the prom, blaming it on Constance.

Parents then arranged a private prom and after a judge ruled that the schoolboard had indeed denied Constance her rights, they invited her and her girlfriend to the private party.

It all took a nasty turn when it was revealed that the prom to which Constance and her friends was a fake and all but 7 students were at a party at a secret location outside the town.

Throughout the battle in the court and in the press, Constance has maintained more dignity than her opponents and has behaved with more maturity than many of her supporters too.

Constance McMillen’s battle is now a major historical point in LGBTQ history in America and her inclusion in the NYC Pride Parade is a fitting tribute to her courage.

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