Even better than a pie in the face, because we all know glitter is the herpes of craft supplies: it NEVER goes away!

And to the security guy at the end of the video: “Do we disturb your events?” Uh, yeah, you do. Lots of times. And you disturb our lives, and our rights! So “feel the rainbow”, sucka!

Source.

Capleton

Please THANK “Kinetic Playground” Nightclub for Doing the Right Thing!

CHICAGO — Through a series of negotiations this week and last and with the threat of a demonstration, Gay Liberation Network (GLN) and other community activists were successful in persuading management at  Kinetic Playground nightclub, 1113 W. Lawrence Avenue, to cancel “Kill Gays” dancehall performer Capleton for a show originally scheduled for late this Saturday night, October 9th.

In human rights circles, Capleton’s Jamaica has one of the worst reputations for anti-LGBT mob violence in the hemisphere, with Jamaican police openly tolerating it.  In 2004 the country’s leading gay rights campaigner, Brian Williamson, was stabbed multiple times in an apparent anti-gay hate murder. The constant threat of violence has forced other gay rights campaigners to flee the country.

Capleton is one of a small group of Jamaican performers who have gained international notoriety for openly calling for the murder of lesbians and gays in the lyrics of their songs.  As recently as last December at a concert in Jamaica, Capleton called out congratulations from the stage to those who commit violence — “All who a bun battyman and sodomite, hand up!” (“All who have burned queers and sodomites, put your hands up!”).

We are big supporters of free speech, having had our own threatened on numerous occasions.  But only a fool would say that calls to lynch people – whoever the targets – is “free speech,” any more than is yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. Nor is Capleton’s right to spew hate from the stage compromised by GLN’s right to protest his presence on that stage. He has a right, within limits, to say what he pleases; he has no right to the stage he wants to say it from, it doesn’t belong to him.

The cancellation of Capleton is a victory that all human rights supporters should savor.  The Gay Liberation Network, which initiated the campaign against Capleton in Chicago, commends Kinetic Playground management for putting human rights principles above dollars by canceling the show.

Please put an exclamation point on this victory by buying a drink or two this Saturday night at Kinetic Playground, 1113 W. Lawrence Avenue, so that the management and staff there know that Chicago is willing to stand behind those who follow their conscience.

Lauren and Ellie don’t like the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law, so they’re taking to YouTube. But they aren’t just getting on to complain and whine. Watch these two college girls do absolutely everything right.

I hope everyone starts making videos like this. The best part is when they fill up his mailbox with messages from all of their friends.

I love that the video starts out with Lady Gaga over their shoulder–Gaga and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had a Twitter exchange over DADT the other day as well. She’s an outspoken advocate. Thanks Gaga!

Oh, and by the way–wonder what Michael Bennet thought of Lauren and Ellie?

Word is Ellen wants them on. Great job, Lauren and Ellie!

Sure we get the news bites about atrocities like the gay Malawi couple who were imprisoned, Uganda’s “kill the gays” bill, or the pride that was held in Russia, but do we know about the organizations that fight for equality in other countries? I couldn’t name one until a few days ago.

One such organization in Australia reminds me of the NOH8 campaign.  It’s called This Is Oz. An online photo campaign where people are encouraged to send in their photos of themselves holding up signs of their personal message.

According to the website, it’s “Part art project, Part human rights campaign, This Is Oz, is all about making Australia a place where everyone belongs.”

So, the question now is, when are we going to see a collaboration between the NOH8 campaign and the This Is Oz campaign. I think it’s time for a global effort for equality!

The activists represented organizations from all over Illinois and were gathered in honor of Harvey Milk Week of Action. Their press release comes via Facebook.

As part of a broad strategy to gain a vote on ENDA this year, a group of Chicago activists have been arrested after a sit-in in Senator Richard J. Durbin’s office. The sit-in was initiated due to the Senator’s lack of response regarding a pledge that a coalition of activist groups sent to the Senator for signature. The pledge (in its entirety below) affirms his commitment to a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and forceful advocacy of the bill before the Media and Senate. The ‘form letter’ response received from the Senator via email did state his support for ENDA, but does not mention transgender protections as part of the bill he supports:

In each of the last several Congresses, I have joined Senator Ted Kennedy as an original cosponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This measure would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Specifically, it would make it unlawful for employers to discharge or refuse to hire any individual, or limit any individual’s employment opportunities, based on that person’s sexual orientation.

The activists arrived in Senator Durbin’s office at noon during a protest in support of ENDA that was taking place in front of the Federal Building. With Pledge in hand they arrived and stated they would not leave until the Senator signed the pledge. The Senator was not in the Chicago office and when the group asked to speak to the Senator via phone, they were told “that is not possible.” They refused to leave until the pledge was signed. The staffer then called the Federal authorities to have them removed from the office.

“I am here because we can no longer sit around and wait for our rights to be handed to us by politicians, we must demand our rights from them,” said Lindsey Dietzler of LGBT Change and one of those arrested. “We have to be here to fight for those who are forced to remain invisible and deny who they are just to make a living. I want Senator Durbin to know that until there is full federal equality for every queer citizen, no one in this country is free.”

The activists arrested are: Andrea Crain, Kevin Connaghan, Lindsey Dietzler, Roger Fraser, Judy Heithmar, Brent Holman-Gomez, Nik Maciejewski, Rachael McIntosh, Corrine Mina, Michael Oboza, Samantha Pajor, Sherry Wolf, Danelle Wylder.

“The LGBTQ community has stepped up to the plate and done our part. We gave votes, money, and countless hours of volunteer work to elect a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress and put a Democrat in the White House,” said Andrea Crain of Join the Impact Chicago. “We have lobbied our representatives and educated the public. We were told to wait until after the health care bill passed, and it has passed. We did our work, now Senator Durbin must do his!”

We call on the community to stand in solidarity with those who have been arrested by signing our petition asking Senator Richard Durbin, the second highest ranking Senator in the Senate, to become a forceful advocate for an ENDA vote this year: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/PASS-ENDA-NOW. Please also contact Senator Durbin at his office at (312) 353-4952 and tell him to help get ENDA passed this year!

Full disclosure: I’m friends with several of these activists, but had no prior knowledge of the planned sit-in.

Apparently, Mike Huckabee was unaware of this new story as he agreed to be on Rosie O’Donnell’s Sirius radio show.

GetEqual gets arrested

John Wright of The Dallas Voice, who caught the live stream of the committee hearing, reports the following:

Activists from GetEQUAL interrupted a House committee hearing this morning to demand a markup of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The activists approached Chairman George Miller, D-California, and attempted to hand him a magic marker.

“I don’t know if it’s because of the recession that you guys you can’t afford markers, or whatever the issue us, but in our community there are people being fired because they are lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender.”

Mitchell refused to take the marker but told the activists that the committee plans to take action on ENDA soon. “We’re working on it as expeditiously as we can,” Miller said. Another unidentified committee member could be heard voicing opposition to ENDA. “This is the problem with this. There’s no end to it. You’re never going to satisfy them all,” the lawmaker said.

The audio on a live stream of the committee hearing then cut out for a few minutes. When it returned, Mitchell explained to the audience that the interruption was related to ENDA. “It’s not an easy piece of legislation,” Miller said. “It’s a really complicated piece of legislation. We want to get it right, but we expect to have it before this committee in the very near future.”

This is the third such action from GetEqual this week. First, GetEqual disrupted the President’s speech at the Barbara Boxer fundraiser on Monday. Then, Dan Choi, Jim Pietrangelo and Autumn Sandeen joined three other veterans chaining themselves to the White House Fence on Tuesday.

Most people know that with regards to your workplace, there is a Federal Civil Rights Anti-Discrimination Law that prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. But, did you know that “In 29 states across America, it is still legal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation, and in 38 states, it is still legal to fire someone for being transgender” (hrc.org). So, please explain to me why this seems okay to the federal government? Presently, there is a battle to pass a bill that is up for vote in the very near future in the U.S. Senate that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to these protections. It is called the “Employee Non-Discrimination Act”, ENDA. The passing of this bill is a big deal and it needs to happen. Frankly, I am shocked and appalled that there is no protection for these things already in this country.

Now comes my current problem that I want to make everyone aware of: I contacted TN State Congress Representative Phil Roe via e-mail encouraging him to support this bill. He responded a few short days later denying his endorsement and, instead, offering ridiculous reasons for his disapproval. Allow me to quote his e-mail which I find at it’s very core, disturbing:

“I have three fundamental problems with the so-called Employee Non-Discrimination Act – that would extend these protections to sexual orientation – and would therefore oppose it if it comes to the House floor. As you may know, this legislation passed the House in 2007 but has never been considered by the Senate.

Given that I am concerned the consequences of this bill have not been thoroughly examined, I cannot support a bill that could undermine freedoms that make our nation great.”

Now let’s review this, shall we?…

His first point that it interferes with freedom of religion. #1) I know plenty of “religious” gays and “religious” straight supporters. The extremist fundamentalists that rebuke the LGBT community are bigots and the fact that they are allowed to openly discriminate in the workplace is disgusting to say the least. #2) You already can’t discriminate against someone based on religion, so if they are protected, why isn’t the LGBT community?

His second point that the bill protects against “actual or perceived sexual orientation” presents a problem stating that it would flood the courts with “frivolous litigation”. Does anyone else see the problem here? He seems to have a problem with the fact that you can’t always tell an individual’s sexual orientation outright, and therefore, you should be able to deny them employment. Because, God forbid, you weren’t allowed to deny those individuals their basic rights, they could sue you. Well no crap. They should be able to sue if that is the reason that the employer’s decision is based on.

Lastly, his absurd third point that the traditional definition of marriage is being challenged and targeted. Let’s look at it this way…when filling out an employment application you almost aways get to the “marital status” question. He seems to find it offensive that, since gay people aren’t allowed to get married in most areas of the country, there might be issues with that question. Well guess what? Marital status should have nothing to do with whether or not you get hired, promoted, or even just treated with respect in your job.

One of the things that bothered me the most was his closing statement that the bill would “undermine the freedoms that make our nation great”. The fact that he is supporting some form of discrimination by denying this bill tells me that he knows nothing of what freedom in this nation is intended to be at all, and instead prefers to look at the world through a narrow-minded tunnel, ignoring the hurt he, and others like him, are causing.

I hope that everyone can take this for what is intended to be, which is my attempt at shedding light on an important issue that goes unnoticed to most people. I have been lucky enough to have never been faced with the difficult decision of how to express myself in the workplace. But, there are thousands of people everyday that have to endure this fear that they might be fired, or not hired in the first place because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or both.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hope that you support ENDA as much as I do by forwarding this information along and withdrawing any support from state representative Phil Roe and others like him. Anyone that supports discrimination in any way is not a fit person to represent anyone.

~Daniel Lee Justice~
(and please note my last name…I like to think that I have that name for a reason)

P.S. Please take the time to click on the hyperlink below to learn more about this bill, and to have the opportunity to write to your representatives directly via e-mail encouraging the passing of ENDA.
PASS ENDA NOW

She's a Cynner

The Goonies may have been “Good Enough” for Cyndi Lauper, but the pop music icon thinks the world of her lesbian sister and the whole LGBT community. After using her Celebrity Apprentice stint as a platform to promote her True Colors Fund and her new Give A Damn Campaign to promote awareness of LGBTQ issues, she’s now announced that she is going to be opening a new LGBTQ homeless shelter in Harlem.

That definitely makes us like her a lot more than some other Celebrity Apprentices.

According to recent studies, 40% of homeless youth self-identify as LGBT. Cyndi wants to change that. According to the do-good hub Tonic.com:

The True Colors Residence, which is slated to open in 2011, will offer a safe haven for LGBT youths between the ages of 18 to 24 who need a place to stay while they get back on their feet. It will be the first permanent residence in Manhattan for LGBT homeless young adults.

Because LGBTQ youth are more likely to face violence and discrimination, especially in homeless shelters, they have special needs and may benefit from a separate dedicated facility–certainly since most homeless shelters are operated by religious institutions. However New York City has no LGBTQ-focused homeless shelters. Cyndi’s True Colors Residence will fill this void.

After her stint on The Apprentice, Cyndi is going to be getting to work with her True Colors Fund raising the lion’s share of the $11Million price tag.

I’d say that’s good enough for me!

Check out Give a Damn and the True Colors Fund. And watch Cyndi and Team Tenacity still going strong on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice on NBC.

If the President is serious about keeping his promises to our community, now is his chance to prove it.

Publicly demand that President Obama take the lead in getting DADT repealed this year.

1) That means the President needs to state publicly that he wants Congress to repeal DADT this year; and
2) The President needs to take the lead in working with Congress to make sure the repeal happens.

Call now: HRC Front Desk: (202) 628-4160
TTY: (202) 216-1572
Toll-Free: (800) 777-4723

And right after that, he’s put a very short list of blogs sponsoring the “blog swarm.”

Although we think it’s a great idea to leverage the power of new media to put pressure on politicians and political organizations, I’m left wondering why the list is so small.

Why not put together a page where all the participating blogs can be listed? Why make it exclusive instead of inclusive ?

As Cleve Jones told us in an interview, in the past, activists had a phone tree and called each other. It would be fun to see blogs take this time-spreading the word on this action and have their names included.

What this appears like to some is just another attempt to separate the haves from the have-nots. How about it? Open the action to everyone. A list of “official” blogs is exclusionary and counterproductive. Harness the true power of social media: inclusiveness.

As Ariana Huffington loves to say “Ubiquity is the new exclusivity” so why not spread it around? Plan ahead and get it everywhere.

Jason Smith captured some video clips from the Chicago protest the decision of the California Supreme Court to uphold Proposition 8, a referendum to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry in the state.

In the video I’m talking about how fighting marriage equality is a cash cow for religious fundamentalists and conservatives in the U.S. Next to me is video blogger GoatheaderEd.

Camera and editing by Jason Smith.

You saw him at the Oscars, now on today’s show we have longtime gay rights activist Cleve Jones talking about what it was like to walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards, dance with Madonna at the after-party and hold Dustin Lance Black’s hand during the momentous evening.

The Oscar win for the film Milk certainly gives the national gay rights moment a shot in the arm but can we leverage the movie’s success into a comprehensive bill that ensures equality for all Americans?

Here are some memorable quotes from the interview:
On being at the Oscars with Madonna and a room full of celebrities celebrating Milk:

“It was an odd sensation to be in a room full of people and the only face I did not recognize was my own!”

On what an average citizen can do to fight for equality:

“I always go back to Harvey Milk. The single most important thing that we must all do as individuals is to come out of the closet and reveal ourselves to our families, neighbors and coworkers and let people understand who we are. I think the greatest obstacle that remains that individual queer people have about coming out.”

“The second step is to finally demand that straight people really get with the program and show their support. I think Sean Penn’s speech was very helpful in that regard. Too long we’ve accepted compromise and allowed our own leaders to sell us out. This is what President Clinton did… we need to hold all our leadership accountable.”

Cleve shares with us his thoughts on President Clinton crossing the picket line.

The fishy biological origins of sex.

Here’s another reason for pushing marriage equality: the environment. If Australian Senator Steve Fielding is right and divorce is ecologically unsound, then allowing same-sex couples to legally marry just may save the earth.

American Idol Judge Simon Cowell clarifies the rumors of him wanting to be frozen upon death. For now he’ll just enjoy being icy in life, not in death, thank you very much.

The world’s most unfortunate names.

Check out the world’s most windowed office building. Isn’t it cute? It looks like some cubist block of swiss cheese. Wouldn’t it totally blow if you worked there and didn’t have an office with a window?

How ecologists use magnets to confuse crocodiles.

If you got a moment, please vote for Feast of Fools in the Chicago Reader best of Chicago awards. We’re hoping to win Chicago’s award for the Best Gay News Source.

The podcast enjoyed by most commie, homo-loving sons of guns- Feast of Fools.

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Did we stop the hate in 2008? Will we take the time to be divine in 2009? Or can we just stop the whine in 2009? What’s the line for 2009?

Hunky actor Chris Evans outs his hotter gayer brother in an interview in the Advocate. Chris says his gay brother is darker, taller and gets a lot of action. Question is, where is he?

Scott Baio is back “in charge” as host of “Confessions of a Teen Idol” a new reality tv show that examines former teen hunks such as Christopher Atkins, David Chokachi , and Adrian Zmed and helps them overcome their addiction to fame. The show claims that each hour-long episode will provide a rare, never-before-seen look at fame and its consequences as the guys live together and form a unique and exclusive support group.

But, we really just want to see how they’ve aged like our friends on Facebook.

Listen to today’s show as we talk about drag shows in smalls towns, our trip through the Midwest and celebrating Christmas with friends, loved ones and big pitcher of sangria.

We have an interview with Amy Balliett, Co-Founder of Join the Impact, the LGBT political movement that quickly formed after the passage of Proposition 8 in California.

Amy tells us how the group came together to organize over 200 simultaneous actions all over the world, what the new generation of activism looks like and how the Internet and social networks are changing politics and activism. Plus, Amy quickly explains why Facebook is hot and MySpace is so not hot. (It has something to do with tables.)

We also bid a fond farewell to Eartha Kitt, the legendary actress and singer who died at the age of 81 on Christmas day. It seems like a fitting departure for a woman who was best known for her song Santa Baby. Goodbye Eartha.

Get your red on black Feast of Fools tshirt before they are all gone. We also rely on your donations to make this show happen. Thank you for your support.

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Gus Van Sant’s new biographic film MILK brings forth a chilling timeliness with parallels to the anti-gay measures passed in the last election.

Have we come a long way baby, or have we only just begun?

On today’s show we have the real-life Cleve Jones, Harvey Milk’s protegee and friend portrayed by the hunky actor Emile Hirsch in the film. Since the 1970s, he has been working tirelessly for gay rights and union organization.

On the anniversary of the assassination of Harvey Milk, Cleve conceived the idea for the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the world’s largest community arts project and memorial to the lives of over 85,000 Americans killed by AIDS.

Cleve shares his experience with the film and his thoughts on boycotts and the fight against proposition 8. Cleve is asking for the gay community to boycott Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego because the owner of the hotel gave $125,000 to Yes on Prop 8 campaign. They are having a community forum on the boycott on December 6th at the Center on Halsted at noon. Call 773.472.6469 for details.

Will we ever see a political leader like Harvey Milk again, and where’s their Facebook profile?  It seems Obama won the election online, maybe we’ll find the same success as the new generation of queer youth network and organize on the internet.

Join us as Cleve answers how accurate was the movie? Was it a mistake to release the film after the November election? Was Harvey Milk’s lover Scott Smith as attractive as actor James Franco? What was assassin Dan White’s sinister relationship to the San Francisco Police Department? 

And does the potential for winning an Oscar help an actor kick it up a notch on the Kinsey Scale? 

Find out, PLUS- we’ve got Cleve Jones for the hour plus questions from you, our listeners. 

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Besides, it’s the ultimate gay mixer. There will be lots of smart, brave and good looking guys and gals fighting for marriage. Why wouldn’t you not want to go?

Proposition 8 Protest
Saturday, November 15, 2008

Time:
10:30AM WEST COAST
11:30AM MOUNTIAN TIME ZONE
12:30PM CENTRAL TIME ZONE – Chicago
1:30PM EAST COAST

Location:
Your local City Hall, but if you’re in Chicago, it’s at Federal Plaza at Dearborn and Adams. Here’s a map.

To learn more, visit: Join The Impact, Gay Liberation Network or the Facebook Event.

Our gay pride shouldn’t be something we celebrate one month out of the year. We need to fight for equality! There’s no bigger turn on than a passion for justice.

How far have we come in creating laws to protect queer folks from violent crimes?

On today’s show we’ve got Wayne Besen- best known for Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, a tell-all book about the deceptive practices behind ex-gay groups and Andy Thayer from the Gay Liberation Network.

Wayne will be speaking in Chicago this Saturday Sept 27th for the 10th annual Matthew Shepard March protesting the murder of Matthew Shepard and all victims of hate violence. The rally starts at 8pm on the corner of Roscoe and Halsted followed by a march through the neighborhood.

The controversial induction of Fundamentalist Radio personality James Dobson into the Museum of Broadcast Communication’s Hall of Fame has a lot of people up in arms. Why would they ask him of all people? Is this just a cry for help from antiquated institution that isn’t even relevant anymore to secure money or is something else going on here?

Check out Dump Dobson to learn how you can protest against Dobson’s inclusion into the Hall of Fame.

Is the Bush administration a shop-o-holic? The chilly reception to the 700 billion dollar bailout and a deficit out of control shows us a Republican party struggling to handle their obsession with spending. Will somebody please hire Washington a therapist or get them to find a hobby other than spending money.

Mama’s Milk Ice Cream? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are putting pressure on the Vermont Ice Cream company Ben and Jerry’s to substitute human breast milk instead of cow milk in their ice cream.

The demand comes in the wake of news reports of a Swiss Restaurant which uses cows milk in three quarters of all the dairy products it serves. How about a Moma’s Mounds blizzard sundae?

Listen to today’s show as we talk about these topics and more. What’s the big deal over celebrities in glass closets and what happens if Obama wins the U.S. Presidenital Election. Will Obama solve all our problems?

Vote baby vote- Feast of Fools.

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