Lauren Daley has a short but immensely important piece in the City Paper- an interview with Judith “Jack” Halberstam who will be in Pittsburgh as a Short Term Fellow. Daley’s piece is a very good read, so check it out, but this question was especially interesting: How do we bridge the gap between LGBT communities that are so varied? There has to be a different kind of politics. It’s not going to be an “identity politics”[Read More…]
Activists who care about Same-sex marriage need to recognize the value of work on every front, and support the efforts by others in those regards. We must support the legal efforts, the legislative efforts, and also continue to change public opinion and affect cultural change if we want to see Marriage Equality in the future.
Most often, when reports like this surface, the attention is turned towards the anti-gay zealots, but isn’t the real culprit here the news media in general? Mr Green, 60, who was recently interviewed by the BBC over his views on Elton John becoming a father, has approved of the death penalty for gays and lesbians. Mrs Green described the incident which prompted her to leave him, recalling how he made a list of her failings[Read More…]
It wouldn’t be too off the mark to say that Marine Commander Amos, didn’t have many friends within the LGBT movements during the month of December. He was seen as an outspoken opponent to the repeal of DADT. Even I wanted to see Obama fire his ass- throw him out of there fast! But, his public opinions made clear that Free speech is welcome, and dissenting views belong at the table too. The real issue[Read More…]
On the one hand, we want to celebrate that our relationships and our families are recognized, and on the other hand, there is no denying that second class citizenship is never enough. Separate is never equal, and we must keep working until there is Equality for all.
Real equality is for all people, and that will include those who seek to be married as well as those who do not. Focusing only on the right to marry misses the real issue, which is creating an environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity, and have the same rights and freedoms.
#1: When listening to #SOTU, remember: When a politician says “invest” he means “I want to spend your money on this”. #sotu Me: better than giving it to the rich oil companies. Spending is better that being robbed. #1: How is spending against your will not robbery?RT @tcwaters: Spending is better that being robbed. The night of the State of the Union (SOTU), I had this exchange with a follower on Twitter. and I think[Read More…]
I received this blog post from Carl Davidson, reposted here with permission By Carl Davidson Beaver County Blue Nearly 500 progressive and liberal organizers gathered at Pittsburgh’s Sheraton Station Square over the sunny but bitterly cold weekend of Jan. 22-23 to drawn out the lessons of their setbacks in the 2010 elections and shape a new course for the future. Under the theme of ‘Taking Pennsylvania Forward,’ the two-day meeting was mainly pulled together by[Read More…]
Equality PA, the ACLU, and HRC has been sponsoring a series of town hall sessions across the state to talk about the recent shifts in the PA legislature and what to expect in terms of LGBT Rights legislation. I attended two of these- the meeting in Erie on Wednesday Jan 27th, and the Pittsburgh meeting on Jan 28th, and I have a slew of thoughts racing around my head from these experiences. The ACLU of[Read More…]
However, from my perspective, just because he is an openly gay man, who works hard for his district, doesn’t make him “our champion.” I believe we can name a number of city council members who Kerr and others would name as friends and supporters for the LGBT community. One example: my own councilmember, Patrick Dowd who has been working with me, community members, and the Zone 5 police following last year’s gay bashings. Truly Bill Peduto is our champion. Natalia Rudiak is our champiuon, and so is Patrick Dowd.