Bayard and MLK. In the 1950s, activists wore sharp looking suits.

Sadly, Rustin is largely ignored in the history of equality in this country because of his sexuality, so today we also remember the importance of his influence on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his desire for non-violent protest.

Join us for this and all the hot news:

The uproar over Ricky Gervias’ harsh jokes aimed at celebrities at the Golden Globes- organizers said he went too far, but we think they’ll have him back.

Oprah’s attempts at suicide.

The Simpsons goes gay.

The Battle Hymn of Sarah Palin.

and Chico the Chihuahua narrowly escapes an owl attack.

Featured Music:
Final Fantasy: An Ocarina Odyssey – The St. Louis Ocarina Trio: iTunes

Clip found via my old college buddy Alison’s blog The Queer and Now.

As allies of the Democratic Party in various sectors scramble to motivate the party’s “base” for the elections, apparently a voice pouring cold water on such efforts was not welcome.  That the piece showed that human rights progress is not beholden to Democratic Party advancement made it that much more toxic.  Here it is so that you can judge for yourself.

Who cares who wins the elections
by Andy Thayer

Either way, we will not win on November 2nd.  Sure, party hangers-on hoping for sweetheart contracts and other favors care, and are working overtime using the issues we care about, and fears about what “the other guy” might do to us, to try to make us care who wins as well.  But these party operatives have horses in these races that the vast majority of us don’t, because when their candidates win, they will go back to screwing us the way they have before the elections.

Take the race for Illinois’s open U.S. Senate seat.  On the one hand you have a “friend of the people” banker Democrat whose only major accomplishment to date was landing a job at the family bank (no doubt there was rough competition for that gig) and then handing out “loans” to mobsters before the whole thing went bust.  He got his current entrée into statewide office largely because he’s a fundraiser for and friend of the Obama administration, a repeat of that merit-based hire into the banking vice presidency.  His opponent is a political chameleon who will say anything to get into office.

Both candidates are utterly lacking in care about anything that could be described as principles.  Power, and the means to augment it, is its own principle.  And this is the best that both major parties could come up with for the top of the Illinois ticket?  The race not only with statewide, but national implications?

The real question to ask this November is not “Who should I vote for,” but rather, “How do we bring about real change,” and the voting booth has precious little to do with this.

But that’s the last question Democratic operatives want their base to be asking.

Instead they try to scare us.  Their main message is one of “my opponent is so so SO bad, you may not like me, but if you don’t vote for me, you’ll get HIM!“  It’s blackmail by fear of an even worse “alternative.”

But what has happened in the past when oppressed communities and other progressive voters stayed home rather than let this blackmail do its electoral magic?  The most dramatic national example unfolded in 1968 with Chicagoans getting front-row seats.  An anti-war movement disgusted by the war escalations of Democrat (sound familiar) Lyndon Johnson and the thuggery of the 1968 Democratic Convention gave up on the voting booth.  Along with the burgeoning Black Power, Latino and women’s movements, they focused their efforts on protesting and resisting established power in the streets of America.

A notorious racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, war-mongering Richard Nixon – “the greater evil” – squeaked into the White House in the 1968 election and tried to carry out his program of escalating the war on Vietnam.  As we learned later, he secretly wanted to nuke North Vietnam.  But he couldn’t, because the power of the international movement against that bipartisan war forced him not to.  He then won a landslide reelection in 1972 (the biggest Presidential landslide in history up until that time), and yet still, he and his successor were forced to pull out of Vietnam.

Many other important gains were won during the Nixon presidency that make him look far more liberal than any president since – Food Stamps, Affirmative Action, the Environmental Protection Agency, a Nixon-packed Supreme Court legalizing abortion, to name a few.  All because there was a movement in the streets forcing these changes.
Today, President Obama is looking very similar to Lyndon Johnson, but without the civil rights and Great Society legislation. Obama promised to repeal NAFTA and make it easier to join unions (“card check”), but instead we got the bank and other corporate bailouts – the largest transfer of wealth from working people to rich in world history.  And a jobless recovery, no foreclosure relief worthy of the name, and a freeze on domestic spending (but not military spending) — all while he surrounded himself with the Goldman Sachs alums and other corporate cretins who gave us the financial meltdown in the first place.
Obama promised to stop the Bushite attacks on civil liberties, close Guantanamo and amend if not repeal the USA PATRIOT Act.  Instead he has launched FBI raids on anti-war activists, assassinations abroad, subjected a 15-year-old Guantanamo detainee to a military tribunal, and aggressively campaigned to expand executive spying power with no judicial oversight.

The Obama “peace” alternative to George Bush and John McCain continues the American occupation of Iraq, with mercenaries upholding a hapless “government” instead of troops. With record military spending he has dramatically escalated the Afghanistan war, with Special Forces and drones in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.  He’s supported a brutal coup in Honduras, is building threatening new U.S. military bases in Colombia, and lets Israel commit war crimes against the Palestinians and those seeking to aid them.
Whether the issue is gay rights (hanging with bigots like Rev. Rick Warren, arguing in court to uphold Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, etc.), immigrant rights (greatly increased deportations, no reform while his party had solid majorities in Congress), or the environment (“drill baby drill” on the Atlantic seaboard, opps, until the BP disaster), President Obama has been the George W. Bush “third term” we were warned we would get with McCain/Palin.

Fortunately, many supporters of peace and civil rights have begun relearning the lessons learned by late-1960s activists – that the Democrats, no matter what they say, are not your friend.  That they are as active an impediment to peace and civil rights as their more honest Republican opponents.

In a few days time Obama and the Democrats are going to get the thrashing they richly deserve, and I for one will have no pity for them.  And there will be no Ralph Nader scapegoat this time (not that the Greens deserved it the first time).

Instead of staying home in disgust, I hope that people around the country vote Green Party and for other third party progressive candidates regardless of whether it throws the elections to the Republicans or not.  The Dems continuing as the dominant party in power will only give us nicer rhetoric, while escalating the retrograde policies of the previous administration, as they have during the two years they’ve had the control of the presidency and Congress.

I am not Pollyannaish about the Left’s prospects for the next few years.  The most critical lesson our current generation still needs to learn is that however difficult they are to construct, only movements independent of both major parties can win the changes that most of us want.

That means that peace activists, gay rights activists, labor activists, civil rights activists, etc., need to begin treating Democratic Party politicians, regardless of their rhetoric, with the same justified wariness and contempt as their Republican opponents.  That means demonstrating against both Tea Party racists and Democratic excuses for “progressive” politics.

The power of the early Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, spiking to an incredible height of effectiveness in the 1963 March on Washington and the flood of civil rights legislation which followed it, was not in its inspiring rhetoric, but its determined independence from both parties.  Civil rights principles trumped parties.

Only a progressive movement completely independent of, and opposed to the Democratic Party and its operatives can begin to emulate that marvelous legacy.

* * * * *

Andy Thayer is co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network (www.GayLiberation.net) a Chicago-based LGBT direct action group. He’s been a leading organizer of most of the city’s large anti-war protests over the past decade, including a march of 15,000 on Lake Shore Drive at the start of 2003 Iraq war. He’s been arrested numerous times in various protests, including at a 2009 gay pride demonstration in Moscow. He can be reached at LGBTliberation@aol.com

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

The Chicago-based Gay Liberation Network (GLN) lobbied the Law Center to list AFTAH as a hate group so that its lies against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people could be exposed to public scrutiny and condemnation. The listing appeared in the most recent issue of the Law Center’s quarterly publication, Intelligence Report.

The criteria that the Law Center historically has used to determine whether or not an organization is a hate group is not merely that it opposes legal equality for gays or others, but whether or not they intentionally utilize discredited and slanderous propaganda to spread lies about a group of people. By repeatedly using the phony “research” of defrocked psychologist Paul Cameron, who is roundly condemned by every major professional psychological association, AFTAH’s website apparently met the Law Center’s definition of a hate group.

The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks neo-fascist and other hate groups in the United States and when such groups violate the rights of others, often files suit against the hate groups. Several years ago, the Center briefly listed the Illinois Family Institute as a hate group when it listed Cameron’s discredited “research” on its website.

The Illinois Family Institute was founded and formerly headed by anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera. After a series of defeats, most notably two spectacularly failed attempts to get anti-gay referendum on the Illinois state ballot, in 2006 LaBarbera was apparently forced to resign from the Illinois Family Institute, where upon he upon he re-launched Americans For Truth About Homosexuality and his rhetoric against gays has gotten even more unhinged.

Prior to his stint with the Illinois Family Institute, LaBarbera was employed by the anti-women’s rights organization, Concerned Women for America (CWA). Before joining CWA, he was employed as a reporter for the far-right Washington Times newspaper during the early years of the paper when it more tightly reflected the views of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, cult leader of the far right “Moonies” sect.

“Getting LaBarbera’s website labeled a ‘hate group’ is important because it helps assist the political marginalization of a man who has dedicated his career to denying others legal equality,” said Bob Schwartz of the Gay Liberation Network. “Through demonstrating against LaBarbera and his organizations over the years, GLN and others have made LaBarbera gain the reputation of being a bigot, and thus radioactive in many ‘respectable’ circles. This most recent victory, getting the Southern Poverty Law Center stamp of disapproval for LaBarbera’s website, makes it less possible for him to garner support for future anti-gay legislation and initiatives.”

We’ve got a special show for you today, blues musician Gaye Adegbalola plays her greatest hits in our studio. She’s wrapping up her farewell tour with her band Saffire and getting ready to work on a new solo album. Today Gaye is here to talk about her work in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, what drives her passion in music and why fighting shame is so critical for gay liberation.

We first met Gaye back in 2005 at the Out Music Awards where she wowed the crowd with her audacious song “Big Ovaries” looking absolutely stunning wearing a white tuxedo with tails that complimented her silver shock of hair and dark skin. We were charmed by her then and we are so pleased to finally have her in the studio performing such wonderfully outrageous songs such as “Bareback Rider” and “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” which tells the tale of love that just may not be worth it.

Gaye’s put out six critically acclaimed albums, a live album and thousands of shows with her musical collaborators Ann Rabson and Andra Faye in Saffire, which is on their final tour, so catch these fabulous woman while you still can.

Comment on today’s show using twitter- Include #fof1076 in your update for it to appear on the site. Learn more about hashtag searches in the Twitter Fan Wiki.

Human Rights Campaign Gala 2009 – Time to Shine
Join us on Saturday, Nov. 7 for the most elegant evening of the year featuring Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child and Joe Solmonese, HRC’s President. Visit hrcchicago09.com for tickets and info.

Featured Music:
Gaye Adegbalola – Gaye Without Shame: iTunes | Amazon
Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women – Havin’ the Last Word: iTunes

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Although the African American religious vote made a small but significant difference in passing this ordinance, many people are pitting gay rights advocates against the black church.

Did queer folks fail to reach out to black churches or did these Churches fail to see the universal struggle for equality in their own back yard?

Why wasn’t Barack Obama’s rejection of the measure a bigger part of the campaign against the proposition?

On today’s show we have Chicago’s very own, the Rev. Charles Straight- Pastor of Faith United Methodist Church, in Dalton Illinois.

He’s here to help us make sense of what happened and what we can learn from this setback in order to fight against injustice wherever it rears it’s ugly head, even when it means taking a good hard look at ourselves.

In case you didn’t catch it, Wanda Sykes has come out, saying that she was born a beautiful black lesbian. Does being biologically gay mean people will be less likely to discriminate against you?

And the truth about beer goggles. British researchers conducted a study on the effects of alcohol on our attraction to others. They found out that tipsy men and women tend to rate their own genders as more attractive even after, as little as, one drink.

There is much to celebrate!

Check out today’s sponsor:

Gay, Sexy, Healthy- Lifelube.org
A blog on sex, drugs, physical, mental and
emotional health, spirituality and more.
Come to a live podcast taping on Nov. 18 in Chicago.

Featured Music:
Hercules and Love Affiar: MySpace | Site

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