In D.C.: High School Principal comes out at a school Pride event

I'm heading to DC

I'm off to DC for the LGBT Media Convening! It should be a blast, learning more about the movement and blogging.

So, I'll be posting light today.

Question of the Day

What in the hell is going on in Washington D.C.?

Washington D.C. is the Gayest Place in the US

Look out Cali and New York, Washington D.C. has the most gays in the nation. Gallup poll says that D.C. is not only the Chocolate City, but the Rainbowville as well.

I'm a little surprised by this to be honest. I thought, Cali was on top on the list. 

Get Ready for March 4 Marriage

Check out their Facebook page and 'Like' it.

Check out the D.C. Transgender and Gender Identity Respect Campaign

This campaign is headed up by the D.C. Office of Human Rights. The goal is provide awareness and understanding about the Trans community in D.C.

More info here on their FB page

FRC Shooter volunteered at DC LGBT community center, FBI Interviews the Center

Word is out that the shooter Floyd Corkins was a LGBT volunteer at the D.C. LGBT community center. Now the FBI are involved.

Chris Geidner has more

The FBI has interviewed the head of D.C.'s center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community because a volunteer at the center is suspected in today's shooting of a security guard at the Family Research Council, a religious conservative organization also based in D.C.

The suspect in today's shooting, Floyd Corkins II of Virginia, had been volunteering on some weekends at the front desk of The Center, D.C.'s LGBT community center, the center's executive director, David Mariner told BuzzFeed.

"The FBI was just here, and we are cooperating with them fully," Mariner said. "We are shocked and appalled that this happened, and I cannot even imagine —"

He added, "All of our volunteers, they register online, they go through a background check, and then they go through a training."

Mariner also provided a statement that the center is releasing to the media that states, "I was shocked to hear that someone who has volunteered with the DC Center could be the No matter the circumstances, we condemn such violence in the strongest terms possible. We hope for a full and speedy recovery for the victim and our thoughts are with him and his family."

More to come

Office of Human Rights will launch campaign to Attack Anti-Transgender Discrimination

In D.C. the Office of Human Rights will launch an exciting campaign to fight anti-transgender discrimination and foolishness.

Washington Blade reports:

Another Transgender Murder in D.C.

More tragedy in the Transgender community in D.C.:

A transgender woman suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to the neck about 2 a.m. Monday on the 2300 block of Savannah Street, S.E., D.C. police said.

The incident was the fourth reported shooting of a transgender person in D.C. since July. The latest case prompted police officials to call a news conference Monday afternoon to discuss this and other transgender related cases.

Transgender activists Earline Budd and Ruby Corado, who spoke at the news conference, said the latest shooting was among more than a dozen violent attacks against transgender women in D.C. this year.

“The transgender community is now in crisis,” Corado said.
Monday’s shooting incident came two days after police found the body of an unidentified person initially thought to be a transgender woman on the sidewalk along the 2600 block of 11th Street, N.W., about 5:20 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.

This is another incident in D.C. what's really going on here?

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Bishop Harry Jackson continues his fight to stop Gay Marriage in D.C.

Old Snake Face won't quit! After being defeated time and time again to put gay marriage to a vote in D.C., he gives it one more try:

Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor of a Beltsville, Md., Christian church, and other same-sex marriage opponents filed a petition with the Supreme Court Oct. 12 asking the court to consider hearing the case in a process known as a petition for a Writ of Certiorari. The case consists of their appeal of a lower court ruling that rejected their contention that the city must allow voters to decide the marriage question in a ballot initiative.

The D.C. Court of Appeals upheld the Board of Elections and Ethics’ decision to bar Jackson and his supporters from organizing a ballot initiative on grounds that, if approved, the initiative would violate the city’s Human Rights Act. The Human Rights Act bans discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Jackson and his attorneys argue that the city did not have the authority to ban ballot measures that impact the Human Rights Act because only Congress could make such a change by amending the city’s Home Rule Charter. Gay rights attorneys have joined city attorneys in disputing that contention, claiming the city acted within the scope of the Home Rule charter in the 1970s when it put in place restrictions on certain ballot measures.

City attorneys defended those restrictions in a brief submitted before the Supreme Court on Dec. 17. The attorneys, among other things, argued that the case involves a local matter pertaining to the city’s initiative and referendum law. They noted that the high court has a longstanding precedent of deferring to state or D.C. appeals courts on cases that don’t have a national impact.

If the Supreme Court rejects Jackson’s request to take on the case, the D.C. Court of Appeals decision remains in force to permanently prevent a ballot measure on the same-sex marriage law.

If it accepts the case, it would become the first time the Supreme Court addresses a same-sex marriage-related issue. But the case would not address marriage itself or whether same-sex marriage is protected under the constitution — only the question of whether D.C. voters should be allowed to decide the issue through a ballot measure.

Harry, give this sh** up! You are wasting resources and God's time on this foolishness. You will lose again!

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Delano Hunter... You lay Down with Bigots, you come up a Loser

Poor Delano Hunter. After hooking up with NOM and gaining an endorsement of The Washington Post, he still lost to D.C. City Councilmember and gay rights supporter, Harry Thomas Jr.

In fact, Delano got less than 900 votes in Ward 5. Here's more:

Thomas, a Democrat who voted for the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009, is confident that his vote was not just right, but also good politics, saying, ''[I]f I had been on the other side of this issue as a councilmember, I wouldn't have been as successful [in my re-election campaign].''

Thomas represents Ward 5 in Northeast D.C., which – as he described it to Metro Weekly at his campaign headquarters during a victory party on Tuesday night – has ''a large African-American population, a large Catholic community, a large Baptist and religious community.''

Referring to NOM's perceptions of his ward, Thomas said, ''People automatically assumed they would be so adamantly against someone's rights.''

Thomas, though, said that he made no such assumptions.

''I was … very confident that I could vote my conscience and my honesty and not even try and take anything into account except for the fact that what's right for people, for fairness,'' he said.

And it worked. I hope Delano learned his lesson.

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WATCH The Racism and the Foolishness of DC Tea Party Rally

MESS

NOM's support of Delano Hunter is BROKE

NOM is trying they're best to unseat the elected officials who supported the Same Sex Marriage law in D.C.

They have been pushing their special candidates in the Democratic Primaries, but their efforts have been a bust.

However, they are making some moves with Ward 5 council hopeful, Delano Hunter. Now, he is (visually) the ideal for Ward 5: Black, young, cute and all that jazz to mesmerize the folks in D.C.

And as you can see, they are really trying play the 'Race Game' with these broke ass ads...
But here's the thing, he's not ready for prime time.

If NOM was smart, they would have schooled Delano a whole lot better in the debating game. Please check out this debate with the Ward 5 candidates, and watch how BROKE Delano really is:


Honey, Delano ain't ready and NOM, y'all are fools to get involved in this. Stay out, before you are put out.

WATCH Wonder Kid, Will Phillips speak at the "Big Commit" Rally in D.C.

WATCH NOM's Rally in D.C. LIVE

Live Video streaming by Ustream

UPDATE: GetEQUAL shut down of the Capitol Rotunda

See the protest below


Metro Weekly has the deal:

A little before noon today, July 28, eight individuals associated with Get Equal, who had been taking an ordinary tour of the U.S. Capitol, began a protest once they reached the Capitol Rotunda. As statues of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and others surrounded them -- including a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. -- the eight were arrested within an hour for "Unlawful Conduct - Demonstrating in the Capitol Building," according to the U.S. Capitol Police.

At first, the eight stood silent in the middle of the Rotunda with signs serving as a "reminder" to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) that she had promised a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act this year. The eight then, as the Rotunda was being cleared of visitors and media, sat down, began pounding the marble floor and chanting for a vote on ENDA.

"Speaker Pelosi, I am somebody," the eight chanted, "And I deserve job protection, right here, right now."

Those arrested, according to Get Equal, were Orelia Busch, Charles Butler, Sean Carlson, Shannon Cuttle, Robby Diesu, Erica Knapp, David McElhatton and Zack Rosen of the blog The New Gay.

Okay, but I want to see this action done to our enemies too. I haven't seen much of that yet.

DC Gay Marriage Haters got Shut Down!

I give these fools credit for trying... D.C.'s highest court just told these haters "NO" on trying to overturn city's same-sex marriage law.

Here's the stuff:

Opponents had wanted to challenge a law that took effect in Washington in March allowing same-sex couples to marry. They attempted to get approval to put an initiative on the ballot asking city voters to define marriage in the city as between one man and one woman. But city officials balked, saying a district human rights law barred initiatives that would authorize discrimination.

On Thursday, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled 5-4 that officials had the authority to keep the measure off the ballot and acted appropriately.

Now, that's should be enough for Bishop Harry and his band of fools to sit the Frak down and shut it up.

New Trailer: For My Wife

For My Wife is a documentary created by Charlene Strong.
She tragically lost her partner and was denied the right to be by her side at the hospital.

That incident inspired Charlene to fight for domestic partner rights and the rest became history, please watch:

Charlene has been invited to the White House for the Pride Reception next Tuesday. Her documentary will be playing on June 21 in Philly and June 24 in DC.

More info on Charlene Strong go here

Wale's back on for DC Black Pride

Well, I guess the pressure worked. Wale is back on with DC Black Pride.

Metro Weekly reports:

According to Earl Fowlkes, the DC Black Pride board member acting as spokesperson for the nonprofit organization, Wale's people reached out to Black Pride this week, requesting their client be given time on Black Pride's stage.

''He wants to show that he's not [homophobic], and we don't see any reason, within parameters, why that can't happen,'' Fowlkes said, speaking to Metro Weekly on Thursday evening, May 27.

''Wale is going to make a guest appearance and a comment about the situation and we felt like that was appropriate,'' Fowlkes says. ''His appearance and his willingness to engage say a lot for his character.

Fowlkes also said:

Fowlkes predicts Wale will get a warm welcome.

''People are forgiving,'' he says, adding, "This whole situation can be looked at as a turning point for our black LGBT community. I can't imagine this happening ten years ago. I think that what has matured is not just our reaction, but that we had the kind of people on our board to be able to reveal to the world that the perception of homophobia is wrong.''

That's cute and all, but I hope there's some LGBT artists in this mix. WE need to show them some love too.

Wale Tweets about the D.C. Black Pride Drama

So this rapper, Wale, was supposed to perform at the D.C. Black Pride event. But according to sources and his agency, Wale canceled the gig because he didn't know it was a gay thing.

Well, many of us ran the story and even contacted Wale. After a slew of emails, calls and tweets, Wale speaks:

"I didn't even know bout a show..I have done 48 shows this year..and I haven't booked one personally," tweets @Wale.

Wale, who is your booker? And where is your manager? How did you NOT know about this event? This still doesn't get the meat of the story, but maybe this weekend the air will be cleared.

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