Just Because

Why is BET Running an Anti-Obama Ad?

BET, goddammit! In certain areas, including Ohio, BET has an anti-Obama running regularly. This ad is from a super-PAC called Pivot Point Washington.

This raggedy ad says Obama has cut funding to black colleges and black businesses and "his support of gay marriage is a slap in the face to people of faith."

Look at this mess

Why would they air this ad. Clearly somebody should have questioned this.

David Morse, from Ad Age said:

In all of these cases, marketers are creating ads that encourage divisiveness, intolerance and ignore basic civil rights. Yet outlets are airing them, though each could choose not to. The nonpartisan group Free Press is leading a campaign that calls on stations to reject political ads that are deceptive or promote injustice....BET chose not to take the high road. It's a shame. We have the power, through our ads, to effect change, for good or bad. We can make a difference by reflecting a vision of diversity and inclusion in our ads.

Rick Santorum believes that most Black folks are on Federal aid - WATCH

From HuffPo:

"It just keeps expanding - I was in Indianola a few months ago and I was talking to someone who works in the department of public welfare here, and she told me that the state of Iowa is going to get fined if they don't sign up more people under the Medicaid program," Santorum said. "They're just pushing harder and harder to get more and more of you dependent upon them so they can get your vote. That's what the bottom line is."


He added: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money; I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money."


"Right," responded one audience member, as another woman can be seen nodding.


"And provide for themselves and their families," Santorum added, to applause. "The best way to do that is to get the manufacturing sector of the economy rolling again."

10 Ways African-Americans can be more accepting of the LGBT community

Black folks are seriously behind the times when it comes to LGBT acceptance and understanding. Many within the community still struggle with gay people and still believe
demons are the reason why we are gay.

Well, I'm hear to say, Wake Up and get over it! It is what it is. Blacks folks are LGBT people too!

It is time for Black folks to finally get on the bandwagon and here's how:

1. Stop saying that LGBT issues are White issues. It's an everybody's issue.
2. Education yourself. Stop relying on rumors and lies about the LGBT community.
3. Remember our struggle. We don't have to compare it, but remember the struggle and how it took a lot of love and support to get through.
4. Challenge the church. You should not allow false preachers to carelessly speak for you or put stupid thoughts in your head. 
5. Actually read the Bible see how wrong you have been all these years.
6. Remember, these 'Gay' people are your family. Gays are not some new race. They are your cousins, sons, daughters uncles and aunts. They are a part of you and your family. Always keep that in mind.
7. Realizing gay marriage will not destroy the family unit. That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. You know what hurts the family? Ignorance and foolishness.
8. Stop forcing stereotypical gender roles in our community. I think men truly struggle with their sexual identities due to the myths we have adapted as acceptable roles.
9. Denounce homophobia in our community. Stop promoting hate!
10. Understand that civil rights applies to all.
    

African Americans respond to President Obama's stance on DOMA

After the mess and blame placed on African Americans for Prop 8, many were curious to see where the community stood on the DOMA issue.

Well, Washington Post may have an idea of that answer.

Some say the decision is dismaying, though not damning. Others may be rethinking their views, given the influence Obama has in the African American community. And there are those who don't seem to care much at all. 

"I don't think that this is a deal breaker in terms of whether we are going to support the president ... but it doesn't help," said Cheryl Sanders, pastor of a small church in the District, who described herself as fairly conservative theologically. 

She is among the 68 percent of churchgoing African Americans who oppose same-sex marriage and among the 90 percent who support Obama. 

As a question on its own, churchgoing African Americans are against same-sex marriage. But when the issue is wrapped up into a larger political context, it becomes just one of many and generally not the deciding one, said the Rev. Al Sharpton, an Obama ally. 

 However, some folks have a different view. Like the minister Anthony Evans who leads the National Black Church Initiative

"The president has harmed himself on this issue," he said. "He has openly offended the black church, and he didn't need to do it." 

 However, according to the article, Anthony will continue to support the president. I also believe, that the overall majority of us will support Obama in 2012.  Gay Marriage will not send a huge number of Blacks to the other side. In fact, his stance will challenge their beliefs and possibly begin the much needed conversation.

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Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

This is the 11th year of this day. It is a reminder that we have to educate our people and end this disease.

Interesting Quote: Sharon Lettman-Hicks

Sharon Lettman-Hicks is the Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition. She was speaking at the 2010 State of Black Gay America Summit last week.

Is It too much to Ask for More Black Entertainers who are Openly Gay?

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a meeting where we were talked about Black LGBT peeps in the industry.

We all know they're there, but none of them are out. I mean, we have a few actors and music artists, but no mainstream, big time people. We have no version of Ellen, Elton John, Neil Patrick Harris or Jane Lynch... none.

So why is that? Well, there are many reasons: religion, career, image, self-awareness; the list could go on. But I think it's time to change that.

If more Black entertainers (including athletes and politicians) come out, think of the impact that could make?

• More young Black teens would fill more comfortable coming out.
  
• There would be more examples of Black LGBT in the limelight.
• The myth of gay issues being White issues will begin to cease.
• HIV and AIDS cases could decrease.
• The Black community will have no choice but to acknowledge the Gay community within.

The possibilities are limitless. I wish some of the closeted peeps would understand the power of what they truly have. Their honesty could set many people free. Hopefully, one day they will see that and maybe... Come Out.

Hera, take me Now! There are Black Teabaggers!

I must be dreaming!

Yes, there are Black Teabaggers! I know, I know it's crazy. And these folks are damn proud of it.

They've been called Oreos, traitors and Uncle Toms, and are used to having to defend their values. Now black conservatives are really taking heat for their involvement in the mostly white tea party movement—and for having the audacity to oppose the policies of the nation's first black president.

"I've been told I hate myself. I've been called an Uncle Tom. I've been told I'm a spook at the door," said Timothy F. Johnson, chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation, a group of black conservatives who support free market principles and limited government.

"Black Republicans find themselves always having to prove who they are. Because the assumption is the Republican Party is for whites and the Democratic Party is for blacks," he said.

Johnson and other black conservatives say they were drawn to the tea party movement because of what they consider its commonsense fiscal values of controlled spending, less taxes and smaller government. The fact that they're black—or that most tea partyers are white—should have nothing to do with it, they say.

Have they seen the pictures, the news or anything lately? Teabaggers are not the best of friends with the minorities. I don't know what these folks are thinking. However, to each their own I guess.

No one said we all should be on the same team, but I thought this was the one issue we all agreed on.

P.S. My mama is praying for these people.

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Rush Limbaugh talks about the Black frame of Mind

Why is he talking about Tiger Woods?

I got two more stories in the stack today about how black unemployment is through the roof. Black unemployment is terrible. The black frame of mind is terrible, they're depressed, they're down -- Obama's not doing anything for 'em. How is that hoax and change workin' for ya? They're all livid. I mean, they thought there were gonna be an exact 180-degree economic reversal and it's done nothing but get bad for everybody, but they're especially upset about it because they look at him as one of them, and now they feel abandoned. And I'm sure Tiger Woods' choice of females not helping 'em out with their attitudes there either.

Rush, shut it up!


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Elder Dallin H. Oaks thinks Mormons are suffering like Black folks did in the 60s

There is NO comparison, sweetie!

This man cracks me up. The nerve of some people.

Mattel introduce New Black Barbies with features and "long hair"

Mattel has released new black barbie dolls that are diverse in skin tones and features.

Barbie designer Stacey McBride-Irby (I'm jealous, BTW) created the "So In Style" line, which has Grace, Kara and Trichelle, with their little sisters Courtney, Janessa and Kianna.

They are cute and I will get my niece one, but some folks are not feeling them.

"Why are we always pushing this standard of long hair on our girls?" asked Gail Parrish, 60, a playwright in Alexandria, Va., and a mother of four grown children. "Why couldn't one of the dolls have a little short afro, or shorter braids or something?"

McBride-Irby said she originally designed all the dolls with long hair. Combing her Barbie's long hair when she was a girl was the "highlight of my play experience," she said. She was advised to create some dolls with curlier hair, so she did.

Black mothers who want their girls to love their natural hair have an uphill battle and these dolls could make it harder," Parks said in an e-mail. Aside from the hair, some black women are concerned about the dolls' thin frames.

Okay, I get that. However, these dolls are creating a new trend and acceptance of our features. The hair thing will always be an issue, but I think Mattel is heading in the right direction.

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Interesting Quote: LZ Granderson

Not to be flip, but Miley Cyrus is older than Bill Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell." That doesn't mean that the safety of gay people should be trivialized or that Obama should not be held accountable for the promises he made on the campaign trail. But to call this month's first-ever White House reception for GLBT leaders "too little too late" is akin to a petulant child throwing a tantrum because he wants to eat his dessert before dinner. This is one of the main reasons why so many blacks bristle at the comparison of the two movements -- everybody wants to sing the blues, nobody wants to live them.

This lack of perspective is only going to alienate a black community that is still very proud of Obama and is hypersensitive about any criticism of him, especially given he's been in office barely six months.

If blacks are less accepting of gays than other racial groups -- and that is certainly debatable -- then the parade of gay people calling Obama a "disappointment" on television is counterproductive in gaining acceptance, to say the least. And the fact that the loudest critics are mostly white doesn't help matters either.

Marion Berry Defeated

The D.C. City Council voted to recognize gay marriages performed in other states and countries.

Watch the Marion try his best to stop it and the lost folks carrying on at the end.

Equality Summit pt 3: On the Black Hand Side

After the 'No on 8' literally deflected bullets in the first meeting, we broke off in our work groups. They announced to everyone to go to a group that is your weakness or where you need the most training. Since the big theme was the lack of effort towards the Black communities, folks showed up at the African American discussion room, and by folks I mean white folks.

It didn't matter to me or some others, but there were people who wasn't so happy about that. There were a few Black people who wanted time to discuss our issues and asked the non-Blacks to leave. We thought that notion wasn't an option and said everyone was welcomed to the table. After 15 minutes of this mess, we pushed for everyone to stay, however the ones who opposed that idea left the room.

I was very upset about this because it sent an horrible message about the Black involvement in LGBT issues. I understand we need a space, but this was an opportunity to discuss our issues and work together. The reason why there's misunderstandings is because we don't talk to each other. This spat only caused a divide, but no worries, I held it down.

I became the 'speaker on Black issues' (jk). I addressed Blacks in the Gay media, the lack of visibility of LGBT people of color and ways to improved this. We also talk about how the protest could've been in South Central and East LA. If people felt betrayed by Blacks and Latinos, then they should have came on down to those neighborhoods and told them. Protesting in WeHo was a safe choice, protesting on Crenshaw and East L.A. would have be more effective (I think).

Afterwards, we had our African-American discussion time, but we realized there is a huge difference in where we stand. Some people are not comfortable talking openly about Black problems. There's still some trust issues with non-Blacks stemming from the past. The other side (me included) wanted explore that Jim Crow/trust/L.A. riots muck that's still holding folks back, but we only had 30 minutes.

It was clear our (Black) community needs time to deal with our stuff. We are continuing that conversation at a later date. Also we hope to connect with other LGBT groups of color as well.

In all, I enjoyed the conflict, drama, and the discussions. I met some wonderful folks during the 'thunderdome' and will stay in touch. Hopefully, we can come together and continue the healing process. I didn't grow up here, so my perception of cross-culture outreach is different than the ones who grew up in the heart of L.A.

But this is the time for a movement and change. We as a LGBT community of color need to ensure our place at the table. If we're going to win gay equality, all of us need to feel a part of the team. But it will take some time and I'm committed in making that happen.

Not Really a Race Issue

So there are some Black designers who are upset that Michelle didn't pick their dress.

The co-founder Amnau Eele said this“It’s fine and good if you want to be all ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘We Are the World’ by representing all different countries. But if you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other black designers do something too?”

Okay, but really, is this a real issue? I say no. It's not that serious she didn't choose a black designer. To be honest, I can't name many black designers, except the ones on Project Runaway. Michelle has fours years of fashion. Perhaps if the designers work with her stylist then maybe something can happen.

But let's not waste time soft-punching Michelle for this. Maybe if there was some pro-activity about this, maybe she would've found a Black designer. Still, I don't want to get into place where if you are Black and Famous you have to wear Black labels and such. Sean John can only go so far.

Let's be open and see what happens.

Where were all the Black folks in Krypton?

Newsarama.com has uncovered an interesting place in Superman's world, Vathlo Island. I never heard of the place and neither have most people. The reason may be because that's where are all the Black People lived.

Many years ago, there was a map of Krypton. If you look here you will see what I'm talking about.
Vathlo Island, Home of a Highly Advanced Black Race. Isn't that something? For a long time Kryptonians were all white. In wasn't until the mid-70s diversity hit the dead planet.

“A lack of ethnicity was an error of omission, and I'm not sure given the time that it's fair to call that ‘racist,'" said Mark Waid, Boom! Studios Editor-in-Chief, occasional DC Comics writer. “Siegel and all those who followed in crafting the Superman legend were, indeed, simply following the traditions of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, when one world always equaled one culture, maybe two if they were at war because the plot demanded it. Remember, as absurd as this sounds in an America finally enlightened enough to elect a black man as President, the Civil Rights Act wasn't passed until 1964. The gradual recognition of all races and ethnicities across all of pop culture, comics included, really didn't start to blossom until the late 1960s. Yes, Superman was weirdly late to that party - the first African-American even in a Superman story, and it's from the summer of 1970, believe it or not! - but again, and not to make excuses, that delay was just creative inertia in action.”

Fascinating. I have to get this comic. I understand the sign of the times back then. When Black Power got big in the 70s of course it was time for a change. Look at Wonder Woman, around that time, it was revealed she had a Black sister, named Nubia. Then Storm, Luke Cage, and others came on the scene.

Makes you wonder what other diversity secrets are luring around the comic book world.

New Prop 8 Info!

A new study from National Gay and Lesbian Task Force reveals that the whole 70% Black vote for Prop 8 wasn't that high.

An deeper look into the exit polls from 5 key California counties found that between 57% and 59% of Black people voted for Prop 8, which is a huge difference from the numbers reported days after the ballot passed. Religion, age, political party, and ideology played a much bigger role in the Prop. 8 vote.

In fact, this piece here gets into the ideology part a little bit more:

About two-thirds of the state’s self-identified conservatives knew someone who was gay and about 4 out of five of them voted for the measure – the same exact ratio of conservatives who voted for Prop. 8 but didn’t know an openly LGBT person. Republicans demonstrated a similar pattern, with about four out of five of them voting to pass the ban regardless of whether they knew anyone who was out or not.

Interesting...very interesting.

More info in here

Question of the Day

With Obama bringing the color and diversity back in the forefront, will TV show finally, finally reflect the big change?

I mean we have a Black President, we should have more folks of color on the screen (bring back Girlfriends you sons of whores)

Greed + Cheap Ass Flatscreen = Careless Death

This is sad, how can people be so careless! I'm sure y'all heard the Wal-Mart story. Jdimytai Damour was trampled to death while trying to keep order with the shoppers.

Folks knocked Damour to the ground 3 minutes after the store opened. Witnessed said that the shoppers were acting like "savages" to get in to Wal Mart, Wal Frakking Mart! The sad piece was when they were told that an employee was killed, people were yelling 'I've been on line since yesterday morning.' They kept shopping."

I know the economy is tough, but when does Black Friday equals losing your hot damned mind. These people should be ashamed of themselves for this. I can not believe that a man lost his life for cheap ass flat screens and DVRs. I hope they can rest at night knowing what they did.