Articles by: Thomas Waters

Follow up: Mayor Peduto’s Announcement.

And from my perspective, the Mayor has shown by his statements following the incident and now today, that he is committed to doing things differently. This is good news for the residents of Pittsburgh! Thank you Mr Mayor!

July 17, 2014 Comments are Disabled Activism, Gay Pride, general
Breaking News: Pittsburgh City Statement Regarding Police Incident at Pride Due Out Today.

Breaking News: Pittsburgh City Statement Regarding Police Incident at Pride Due Out Today.

Just received via Twitter the below announcement. This follows a tweet I sent regarding my blog post from yesterday which went to the Mayor. I’m looking forward to reading the announcement, and appreciate the Mayor’s efforts to do things differently than they have been done in the past.

July 17, 2014 Comments are Disabled Activism, Gay Pride
Is there progress on Pittsburgh’s investigation into the police incident at Pittsburgh Pride?

Is there progress on Pittsburgh’s investigation into the police incident at Pittsburgh Pride?

The real questions to be answered surround the officer’s actions. Were they justified? Did he break any policy, rule or protocol? If he did not- how is the City going to assist the residents of Pittsburgh in understanding that, and if he did, what is the City going to do about it?

July 16, 2014 Comments are Disabled Gay Pride, general
Race and Racism Conversation

Race and Racism Conversation

This specific conversation is focused on Race and Media: a Discussion of Fruitvale Station and 12 Years a Slave. Panelists are Billy Jackson, NOMMO Productions; Luqmon Abdus-Salaam; Darius Prier, Duquesne University; Liana Maneese; and Njaimeh Njie, Ya Momz House.

July 15, 2014 Comments are Disabled Activism, general
Christie and the GOP “strategy” regarding Marriage Equality.

Christie and the GOP “strategy” regarding Marriage Equality.

This means that the GOP knows it can’t win when it comes to marriage equality, but they are going to use rhetoric about “not giving up the fight” in an effort to keep these folks strongly behind the GOP. In other words, appease the base even though you know it is all over.

July 13, 2014 Comments are Disabled Election, general, Same-Sex Marriage
Black Civil Rights and Gay Civil Rights

Black Civil Rights and Gay Civil Rights

The Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s was one piece in a larger struggle against racism which is and must be ongoing. Today LGBTQ persons label ours as a civil rights movement is to accomplish legal and legislative changes similar to those which were achieved by the African American Civil Rights Movement.

July 12, 2014 Comments are Disabled Gay Pride, general
Equality PA: Strong and Effective!

Equality PA: Strong and Effective!

The big deal for us, in Pennsylvania is getting two bills, HB 300 and SB 300 passed to provide protections from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. If you’ve been a long-time reader, you know this bill has been a passion for me since 2008.

July 11, 2014 Comments are Disabled Activism, general, LGBT Discrimination: Exploring Laws and Policies
Homophobe Rhetoric and Fake Democracy

Homophobe Rhetoric and Fake Democracy

Both individuals suggest that the vote of the people trumps all else, which is not the way it works in the United States, no matter how much these homophobes wish it did. We live in a Constitutional Democracy. Here is what is meant by a Constitutional Democracy

Will SCOTUS Hobby Lobby be the most significant decision of our lifetime?

Will SCOTUS Hobby Lobby be the most significant decision of our lifetime?

These two aspects make this decision potentially one of the most damaging decisions since the founding of our Country and the birth of our Constitutional Democracy.

July 7, 2014 Comments are Disabled American Theocracy: Analyzing the Religious Right, general
Learning from our past to change today: the Civil Rights Movement and Freedom Summer.

Learning from our past to change today: the Civil Rights Movement and Freedom Summer.

It is possibly the advocates role to help that history keep from being forgotten, and our job to embrace lessons from past struggles so that we can employ then anew in new struggles against the same old power structure of oppression.

July 3, 2014 1 comment Activism, general