Change.org Petition: GetEQUAL.org: Issue a formal apology to the First Lady Michelle Obama

The backlash is running. Since GetEQUAL refuse to see the flaws in their plan to heckle the First Lady, other gay activists are calling them out.

Yesterday, I saw that a petition was made for GetEQUAL's leaders, Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather Cronk to formally apology to the First Lady Michelle Obama:

Last Tuesday night a lesbian couple invited the First Lady to speak in their home. The speech was on the importance of the future of our children. GetEQUAL.org sent an activist to heckle the First Lady during her speech. 

Even with an overwhelming number of requests from members of the LBGT community demanding GetEQUAL apologize, Co-Directors Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather Cronk refuse to do so. Although they state they understand the First Lady is NOT an elected official, they consider her one. 

GetEQUAL is a fringe organization that is in danger of hurting any forward momentum the LBGT has achieved and will hope to achieve in the future. 

Ellen Sturtz, Felipe Sousa-Rodriguez and Heather must apologize for their inappropriate behavior, immediately!

If you are interested in signing, the link is here

Showtime Synergy! Washington Blade is DC Agenda

The Jemstar earrings has saved Washington Blade from oblivion.

They are now, DC Agenda. Here's their mission statement:

Don’t judge us too harshly — the edition of DC Agenda you’re holding is a modest, early iteration of what we hope to achieve in the wake of Washington Blade’s sudden closing this week.

The news that parent company Window Media was shuttering and liquidating its newspapers came as a shock to the staff, some of whom devoted their careers to the paper that became an institution. We were ushered out the doors of our offices with no severance, canceled paychecks and more questions than answers about why this was allowed to happen.

The former staff of the Washington Blade remains united and DC Agenda represents our effort at continuing the important mission and work of the Blade. It will grow and evolve to include a much larger and more diverse group of voices. But the core of the Washington Blade’s work remains unchanged. We will cover Congress, the White House, the LGBT rights movement, the D.C. marriage fight, local hate crimes and other political issues important to the LGBT residents of the city.

It’s been a tough week for us, but we are buoyed by the outpouring of support from people all over the city and beyond. We welcome and need your help and will respond to each offer as soon as possible. Thank you to all who have pledged to stick with us, especially our advertisers. Please visit savetheblade.com for updated information on DC Agenda or to make a gift to support the new venture.

The strength of the Washington Blade did not lie in its brand name — it came from the spirit of those who worked passionately to serve and inform our community. Those people are still here. Our work continues.

Yes, the work continues.

Reasons why the Cali Gay Community has to reach out beyond WeHo

One of the biggest failures of the No on Prop 8 campaign was the outreach to minorities and LGBT minority groups.

And after many meetings, protests and marches Cali's gay groups pledge to do better. But if they still need any convincing, they should look in the Los Angeles Times.

They just did a poll that should give these group plenty to work with.

Here's some results

White voters were most emphatic in their support for same-sex marriage, with 68% supporting it and 27% opposing. African American voters were strongly against it, with 54% opposing same-sex marriage and 37% supporting it.

Opposition to gay marriage by African Americans was widely seen as a major factor contributing to the passage of Proposition 8. Latinos in the current poll were split, with 45% supporting same-sex marriage and 46% opposing.

Within the Latino population, there were additional divisions: women, the young and people with college educations offered more backing for gay marriage than men, older voters and those with fewer years of schooling. Since the passage of Proposition 8, political analysts have suggested that statewide support for same-sex marriage is only a matter of time, and the poll offered support for that idea.

Among Los Angeles voters, support for same-sex marriage grew consistently stronger as the age of respondents decreased.

Among those age 18-29, 66% said same-sex marriages should be recognized as valid, while 29% disagreed.

The percentage of support declined slightly with each increment of age; those age 50-64 supported gay marriage by a narrower 55%-39% margin. The only voters to oppose same-sex marriage in greater numbers than those who backed it were those older than 64. In that group, 43% supported legal gay marriages and 48% were opposed.

This should be helpful for the next campaign. They know what they need to do and marching in WeHo is not the ideal.

Time to take the message to East L.A. and South Central.

Source

Prop 8 is In...What's Next?

So Prop 8 is upheld. Now it's time to move forward.

During our rallies, I hope we think about how to change this mess of a proposition. I know folks are angry, but let's not run around in circles. As we prepare for a new battle, there are some things we should think about.

• We should come together in love and hope. No finger pointing or blaming this person or this race. We need to stand together as a powerful force.

• We need to have goals and agendas in order. Let's not make it up as we go.

• Oh, this is not President Obama's fault, Queerty. But I'm sure y'all will blame him for this.
  

• Make sure that we are inviting EVERYBODY to the table when discussing next steps. We lost because the No on Prop 8 team was basically a clique, we can't do that again. We need all of our grassroot folks involved in this process.

• We need to reach out to our allies and bring them aboard.

• We need to go beyond Beverly Hills, WeHo and other gay friendly spots. We need to go to Crenshaw, Watts, East LA and other places where we are not as visible. If we going to change minds, we have to look beyond our safe neighborhoods.

• Raise money and use that money wisely.

• Support politicians that truly support us.

• Challenge yourself and get involved. Grassroot groups don't appear out of thin air, they take hard working people who believe and strive to achieve.

• Be prepared for religious groups and their dark tactics, we can't let them have the upper hand.
  

• Keep our eyes on the prize.

I could go on, but this is enough. We can change this mess in 2010, but we need to start now. I hope our rally leaders express this tonight.

You will no longer find a Hot, Biker Guy with Chicken Legs on Craigslist

Well, I knew it would happen. After, 2 murders leading to the sex ads on Craigslist, the site will kindly remove its Erotic Services and replace it with a "monitored" adult section.

So be careful what you ask for, because you are being watched.

Source

A Great Move for Source Magazine

A new change in the Hip Hop genre, Source Magazine will no longer have “booty ads,” for pornographic films, pornographic sites or escort services.

Of course it's a business move, most mainstream ads will not appear next to Fanny's Ass Humpers. So it's a great way for The Source to get those companies who refused them in the past. Yet, this is an opportunity to redesign the look of Hip Hop. The core fans want Hip Hop to stay in its roots. These ads questions the ideals of Hip Hop and paints negative images no one wants.

With this change, Hip Hop can be rebooted to a new generation. Mr. McMillan, a partner at a major law firm, Dewey & LeBouef said, “We don’t want to just glorify the lowest-hanging fruit,” he said. “There’s a lot of people that want hip-hop but don’t want some of the filth that some of the business carries with it.”

This is a small step, but a step in the right direction. Perhaps this move could inspire other Hip Hop magazines to take a different direction in their ads.

Can an Obama Presidency change TV programming?

Crazy talk time! So looking back at the Bush years and television, I noticed how bad it was. We escaped and indulged too much in the celebs, rich folks, and reality shows. However, with Obama in the House, we may see a shift in the tube.

For one, there will be an increase of multiracial folks on TV. We got a taste of that with Tracee Ellis Ross and Persha White from Girlfriends, Rashida Jones from The Office, Kimora Lee Simmons, and Sidney Pointer in Knight Rider. I have a feeling there will be more actors and actresses of multicultural backgrounds all over the fall season.

Less rich folks TV. Bush's tax cuts made the rich richer and the rich on TV the annoying infomerical that wouldn't go away. Now with the recession, folks don't want to see silly rich kids crying over a $12,000 dress because it's not $12,500. People will want to see real people trying to make it and possibly succeeding the hard way...working for it.

The return of middle class TV. Bush almost wiped out the middle class during his run as president. And with that, we lost sitcoms and dramas based on middle class families in the US. But I think that we will see a return of the Good Times/Roseanne type shows. Again, people want to identify with TV characters with similar issues. With our current state, folks need a family or a person to be less celeb and more human.

Diversity comeback. Networks will be more diverse in race. Hopefully we will see more people of color playing diverse roles and even (gasp) lead characters. CW, please take heed.

Less trash more reality. I think we could see reality shows based on real issues. Tila Tequlia won't be a mega star, but the Biggest Loser will. I think people want to see someone like them. Living in a fantasy isn't cute anymore.

I know this is crazy talk and wishful thinking, but I think an Obama presidency could shift our thinking. This could be a good time for the quality of television...hopefully.

Rosa did her THING on this day

Rosa Parks made history on this day in 1955. Please remember the struggle, the reason, and the change.

Something New

There are some Christians who are turned off by the evils of religion. One such group is Missiongathering

They wanted to embody God's grace to the emerging/postmodern culture they were a part of. To take ancient symbols and the story of God's grace and live out what they mean for us today. This community of faith—this gathering of restless spiritual wanderers from all over San Diego County--found a safe haven for Christian spirituality as opposed to religious institutionalism.

This group also placed a huge billboard up. I think it's good to have a loud, different voice from the other side. Perhaps they can spark conversations and church in the Christian culture.

The Revolution

It begins. Perhaps this movement will take us out of our stereotypical shadows. This could be the best thing to happen to our community. Maybe our decadence will transform into something else stronger and better. We should take heed of this event and think of it as the ultimate wake up call.

Reality 2

This map shows the change in the country. Dems are growing (I think) while Repubs are shrinking.

Only 22% voted Republican

Obama won 9 states Kerry lost

Hispanics and Black were the change agents in this game.

A change is coming