Box Turtle Bulletin

The Blade Is Back!

The venerable Washington Blade, which abruptly closed last November following the bankruptcy of it’s parent company Windows Media, will return to newsstands in the Washington, DC area this Friday.

After the newspaper’s closing, a new paper dubbed DC Agenda appeared on the scene operated by a new company founded by Blade Publisher Lynne Brown, Editor Kevin Naff, sales executive Brian Pitts and other former Blade employees. That new company, Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc., this week announced that they successfully purchased all of the Blade’s assets from a federal bankruptcy court in Atlanta. The purchase included the Blade name, all trademarks and copyrights and the entire 40-year archive.

The Blade began more than 40 years ago as a single page mimeographed newsletter, and over the years grew to become one of the most powerful voices for LGBT issues in the nation. The Blade is particularly credited for having broken many important stories while covering the political beat in the nation’s capital. Protecting that legacy is one of the most exciting prospects of this announcement. Blade Publisher Kevin Naff says that new company is working to restore online access to the paper’s electronic archive as soon as possible.

Update: Southern Voice, the Atlanta-based paper that also closed with Windows Media’s demise, is also attempting a resurrection. It’s return however has been a bit more troublesome. Only one issue has hit the streets and already they are looking for their third news editor.

Stories from the Frontlines: LCpl. Danny Hernandez, USMC (Separated)

LCpl. Danny Hernandez was a reservist in the Marines working on his undergraduate degree with the goal of becoming an officer. But because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” that plan was cut short:

My discharge came from the fear that my sexual orientation was going to be revealed by a third party; a group of unknown Marines who threatened to use my sexuality as a way to retaliate after a dispute in a bar. I had spoken with two fellow Marines from my unit; both of whom I trusted. They calmed me, told me that it wasn’t a big deal, and reassured me that everything was going to be fine.

I returned to drill only to find out that the two Marines – the Marines I confided in — had mentioned it and word had reached my 1st Sergeant and Commanding Officer. They told the two Marines to submit written statements detailing everything I had told them. When I walked in to my 1st Sergeant’s office the first question out of his mouth was, “Are you gay?”

You can predict the rest. Despite his willingness to go anywhere in the world to serve his country, he was discharged under DADT.

Ramin Setoodeh is back with another astonishingly stupid column

It appears that Newsweek’s Ramin Setoodeh is so insecure in his own sexuality that he is compelled to fall all over himself in his effort to give ammunition to our enemies. Like a dog trained to expect a kick, he never fails in his ability to point out his suspicions about the flaws, failings, and inabilities of gay people.

Setoodeh was the entertainment reporter who went to Oxnard to cover the cold-blooded murder of gay teenager Larry King and instead ran a hit-piece arguing that it was all King’s fault. His murderer, Brandon McInerney, was a sensitive and “smart”, but “troubled”, boy who had been harassed and taunted by King who “flaunted his sexuality and wielded it like a weapon.”

That was, of course, before it was discovered that McInerney had white supremest connections and neo-Nazi beliefs.

In May of last year, Setoodeh predicted that Adam Lambert wouldn’t get into the finals because Christians wouldn’t vote for him. Then in November he wondered whether gay rights were being set back by gay characters on TV such as Kurt on Glee or Marc on Ugly Betty who “stand apart” too much (“if you want to be invited to someone else’s party, sometimes you have to dress the part”)

Well, Setoodeh is back with another column of poorly-contrived speculation presented as thoughtful commentary. And, as usual, while it is dressed up in the pretenses of liberal concern, at heart it’s just an excuse to denigrate gay people.

This time Setoodeh is lamenting the difficulties that gay actors have in getting straight roles, and he’s identified the problem. It’s not that studio execs are leery of hiring them or that straight audiences won’t watch gay actors. No, it’s that gay actors aren’t convincing.

To prove that gay men just can help being big ol’ nelly queens that could never be believable as straight, he brings us two examples. (Gay women are only believable “before” they are gay.)

First, the “real problem” with Promises, Promises is that it stared Sean Hayes, better known as Jack on Will and Grace.

But frankly, it’s weird seeing Hayes play straight. He comes off as wooden and insincere, like he’s trying to hide something, which of course he is. Even the play’s most hilarious scene, when Chuck tries to pick up a drunk woman at a bar, devolves into unintentional camp. Is it funny because of all the ’60s-era one-liners, or because the woman is so drunk (and clueless) that she agrees to go home with a guy we all know is gay?

And having Jonathan Groff playing a straight role in Glee just destroys that show’s gritty reality and believability.

on TV, as the shifty glee captain from another school who steals Rachel’s heart, there’s something about his performance that feels off. In half his scenes, he scowls—is that a substitute for being straight? When he smiles or giggles, he seems more like your average theater queen, a better romantic match for Kurt than Rachel. It doesn’t help that he tried to bed his girlfriend while singing (and writhing to) Madonna’s Like a Virgin.

To Ramin Setoodeh, it’s just a sad, sad, lamentable (but undeniable) fact that gay actors should be relegated to the hairdresser and prison guard roles. And besides, those roles don’t challenge Setoodeh’s own comfort level.

Stories from the Frontlines: Capt. Joan Darrah, USN (ret.)

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network’s campaign of letters to President Barack Obama to urge repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” continues. Today’s letter comes from retired Navy Capt. Joan Darrah. She served our country for twenty-nine years. Capt. Darrah writes:

I’m sure, as I do, you remember exactly where you were on September 11, 2001.

At 8:30 a.m. that day, I went to a meeting in the Pentagon. At 9:30 a.m., I left that meeting. At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon and destroyed the exact space I had left less than eight minutes earlier, killing seven of my colleagues.

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was a lesbian Navy captain who, at that time, had more than 28 years of dedicated military service. My partner, Lynne Kennedy, an openly gay reference librarian at the Library of Congress, and I had been together for more than 11 years. Each day, I went to work wondering if that would be the day I would be fired because someone had figured out I was gay.

In spite of that stress, somehow Lynne and I had learned to deal with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; we had made the requisite sacrifices. I had pretended to be straight and had played the games most gays in the military are all too familiar with.

But after Sept. 11 our perspective changed dramatically. In the days and weeks that followed, I went to at least seven funerals and memorial services for shipmates who had been killed in the Pentagon attack. As the numbness began to wear off, it hit me how incredibly alone Lynne would have been had I been killed.

…In fact, had I been killed, Lynne would have been one of the last people to know, because nowhere in my paperwork or emergency contact information had I dared to list Lynne’s name. This realization caused us both to stop and reassess exactly what was most important in our lives. During that process we realized that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was causing us to make a much bigger sacrifice than either of us had ever admitted.

Capt. Darrah retired nine months after the 9/11 attack.

Lou Engle Answers Uganda Rally Critics

Grove City College professor Warren Throckmorton has obtained a press release from Lou Engle addressing his scheduled May 2 rally in Kampala and questions surrounding the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that is now before the Ugandan Parliament. In his statement, Engle denies having any knowledge about the draconian proposal, and says that he does not support the anti-gay bill as written:

Now recently, TheCall has been wrongfully marked and vilified as an organization promoting hatred and violence against homosexuals and as one that supports the Uganda bill as currently written. To the contrary, we have never made a private or a public statement of support for that bill. Though we honor the courage and stand with the stated purpose of the many Church leaders in Uganda who are seeking to protect the traditional and biblical family foundations of the nation, we have serious concerns with the bill as presently written, especially in terms of some of the harsh penalties for certain homosexual behaviors or offenses. Sadly, many around the world are identifying TheCall with these aspects of the bill.

BTB is among the blogs who have noted Engle’s extremist anti-gay rhetoric in the recent past and openly questioned the message Engle intends to deliver at his Kampala Rally this coming weekend. Past is prologue, as they say, and Engle’s silence on the bill (his current protestations that he knew nothing about it stretches credulity) raised many well-founded concerns, especially given the impact that other American anti-gay activists have had in Uganda. As far as his past rhetoric is concerned, Engle prefaced his remarks on the Ugandan bill with an apology of sorts:

TheCall belief and intent has never been about promoting hatred toward the homosexual community as a whole or towards individuals who identify as LGBT. We have always sought to offer a message of love and redemption to those with same-sex attractions, though at times our communication could have been expressed more effectively and graciously. In this aspect, we humbly seek your forgiveness if we had not communicated God’s righteousness and mercy adequately.

Engle then announces that TheCall will go forward on May 2 as scheduled at Makerere University, but he denies that the rally will be a forum to support the Anti-Homosexuality Bill:

Therefore TheCall, though continuing to be held in Uganda, will not promote this bill. In fact, we challenge the Church of Uganda to join with Christians around the world, to first examine our own moral failures, confess our own lack of love, and from that heart seek to establish true biblical standards, reflecting compassion for those struggling with same-sex attraction and equal justice for criminal offenses committed by heterosexuals or homosexuals. We believe this also reflects the heart and intent of the Christian leaders of Uganda.

It’s unclear what message Engle will deliver at the rally itself. We know he intends to address homosexuality since it is one of the talking points included in his announcement for TheCall Uganda. Will he criticize the bill? Or will he applaud “the courage and stand with the stated purpose of the many Church leaders in Uganda who are seeking to protect the traditional and biblical family foundations of the nation”? This statement is unclear, and without further clarification it looks like we may not find out until it’s too late.

Click here to read the complete TheCall Uganda Press Release.

Churches Rally For Anti-Gay Bill in Eastern Ugandan

It looks like we’re about to enter a marching season of sorts in Uganda among that country’s Pentecostal Christians. May marks the 50th “jubilee” of the Pentecostal movement, and American anti-gay firebrand Lou Engle is expected to hold a rally in Kampala on May 2. Today, NTV Uganda, the nation’s main independent television channel, reports on a rally staged by an estimated 400 people in the eastern city of Mbale demanding passage of the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

It was about a year ago in Mbale when a mob accosted a male couple in their home. When police were summoned, they broke into the home and arrested the couple. There are now reports that one of the men has since died under mysterious circumstances following his arrest and detention by police.

We Are All Mexicans

I’ve always loved Tucson, but I have to say that Arizona is under a veritable reign of terror now that the tea party has taken over state government. Do you think I’m exaggerating? Maybe a little, but where else can you expect to hear police arbitrarily demanding to “see your papers” but in Apartheid-era South Africa, present-day Burma and the Grand Canyon state? I’m proud to be a Tucsonan — if only Pima County could be its own state! — but Arizona is a mess. A vindictive, angry, spiteful, punitive and broken mess.

This is also the same state that banned same-sex marriage and rescinded domestic partnership benefits among state government employees. First they went for the gays, then the brown-skinned…

CA Assembly Dismantles “Cure the Gays” Mandate

The California Assembly, in a rare unanimous showing, voted to eliminate a 1950 law declaring homosexuality a deviance and requiring the state to conduct research into ways to cure homosexuality. The only group that voiced opposition to the move was the increasingly radical and unbalanced ex-gay organization known as PFOX, which called California’s move to eliminate the mandate “offensive.”

The measure to repeal the mandate now goes to the state Senate.

Exodus Co-Founder: I Never Saw One Of Our Members Become Heterosexual

Today’s video is short and concise.  I asked Michael point blank if he believed anyone in his program at Exodus ever changed.

(transcript after the jump)

Read the rest of this entry »

Rumors about veto of Portugal’s marriage law

Some news sources are reporting that Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva intends to veto the same-sex marriage bill passed by the legislature. (gayopolis)

Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva will veto a gay marriage bill approved by lawmakers in February, Radio Renascenca reported. Cavaco Silva will veto the bill soon after Pope Benedict’s arrival on May 11.

However, both the President and the legislative leadership are denying that any decision has been announced. As yet, the exact method by which the bill will become law is uncertain. The legislature has adequate votes to overturn a veto and has indicated intention to do so.

The Gay Dog

Thai Spice in Adelaide, Australia has a fast and firm policy about what animals are let in the restaurant. It may be an impromptu policy, but they stand by it.

So when employees misunderstood Ian Jolly’s wish to bring in his guide dog, they were adamant: no way was he bringing in a gay dog (Herald Sun)

At an Equal Opportunity Tribunal conciliation hearing on Friday, the restaurant agreed to provide Mr Jolly with a written apology and attend an Equal Opportunity education course, in addition to paying him $1500.

“The staff genuinely believed that Nudge was an ordinary pet dog which had been desexed to become a gay dog,” a statement from the hearing said.

What relevance does this story have? None, really. But it did give me an excuse to post this movie poster from 1954.

Exodus Co-Founder: Getting Married As A Leap Of Faith

Ex-gay Mike Haley showing off pictures of his wife and family while speaking at the Love Won Out ex-gay conference. Love Won Out is primarily attended by Christians who are unable to accept a gay friend of family member and wishes they would enter an ex-gay program. The message Mike's photos send is, "there's still hope for your gay loved one to turn straight and get married."

Some people in the ex-gay movement become so deeply involved they make the drastic step of getting married.  Michael Bussee took that step and talks today about his inner conflict in doing so.  Michael recognized he wasn’t a heterosexual when he got married but chose to anyway because he believed God would reward him with heterosexuality if he truly committed himself to God and took his vows as a leap of faith.

Once married Michael found himself in an uncomfortable position as a role model at Exodus and privately tried to discourage his own clients from marrying.

Lastly Michael talks about the damage caused by using marriage as proof of change and the collateral damage that occurs when mixed orientation (ex-gay) marriages come to an end.

(transcript after the jump)

Read the rest of this entry »

SLDN Announces New Campaign To Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

The Servicemember’s Legal Defense Network (SLDN) today has announced a new a media campaign to urge the Congress and President to take immediate action to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Every weekday morning, the SLDN, in partnership with BTB and several other leading blogs, will share an open letter to the President from a person who is impacted by this discriminatory law.

While news reports indicate that the Administration would prefer to put off repeal of DADT until next year, we are actually at a critical stage in which the repeal can occur now. The House and Senate Armed Services Committee will soon begin marking up the Defense Authorization Bill. That bill represents the best opportunity to repeal DADT in the near term. It just so happens that in 1993, the Defense Authorization Bill was the same vehicle that was used to bring DADT into being. There is no reason not to use the same method to repeal it today.

According to the SLDN:

“This is a critical hour as we’re very close to reaching the 15 votes needed to include repeal to the Defense Authorization bill,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.  “We are just two or three votes away and we urge the President to engage now and help us line up key votes still needed to get DADT repealed this year.  By people sharing their personal stories on how this terrible law has impacted them, we can send a powerful message to the President and our own community as we build momentum going into this crucial vote.”

By visiting the SLDN web site, you can take specific action such as  sending a letter to your member of Congress, posting the daily letter to your Facebook and Twitter feeds (use the hashtag #DADTstories and the campaign short link http://bit.ly/cLUsmp), and generally spreading the word. The SLDN’s facebook page can be found here.

Other blogs participating in this campaign include AmericaBlog, Pam’s House Blend, Bilerico Project, PageOneQ, OpenLeft, AKA WIlliam, Good As You, LGBT POV, and Michael in Norfolk.

Maj. Mike Almy, US Air Force

Here is today’s letter from Major Mike Almy, a thirteen-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force:

April 26, 2010

President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

If you end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), I’d re-enlist the day you sign repeal into law.

For thirteen years, I served in the United States Air Force where I attained the rank of major before I was discharged under DADT.

As the Senate Armed Services Committee considers including repeal in the Defense Authorization bill, we’re very close — just two or three votes — to passing repeal in committee. I ask for you to voice your support to put us over the top.

I come from a family with a rich legacy of military service.  My father is a West Point graduate who taught chemistry at the Air Force Academy, flew helicopters in Vietnam, and ultimately retired as a senior officer from the Air Force.  One of my uncles retired as a Master Gunnery Sergeant from the Marine Corps, with service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  Another uncle served in the Army in Korea.

Growing up, I didn’t really know what civilians did, I just knew I would follow in my father’s footsteps and become a military officer.

I joined Air Force ROTC in 1988 and was awarded a scholarship.  I earned my jump wings in 1991.  In 1992, I graduated from ROTC in the top 10% of all graduates nationwide.  In 1993, I went on active duty, just as DADT was becoming a law.

Stationed in Oklahoma, I was named officer of the year for my unit of nearly 1,000 people.  Later, I was one of six officers selected from the entire Air force to attend Professional Military Education at Quantico, Virginia.

During my career, I deployed to the Middle East four times.  In my last deployment, I led a team of nearly 200 men and women to operate and maintain the systems used to control the air space over Iraq.  We came under daily mortar attacks, one of which struck one of my Airmen and also caused significant damage to our equipment.  Towards the end of this deployment to Iraq, I was named one of the top officers in my career field for the entire Air Force.

In the stress of a war zone, the Air Force authorized us to use our work email accounts for “personal or morale purposes” because private email accounts were blocked for security.

Shortly after I left Iraq — during a routine search of my computer files — someone found that my “morale” was supported by the person I loved — a man.

The email — our modern day letter home — was forwarded to my commander.

I was relieved of my duties, my security clearance was suspended and part of my pay was terminated.

In my discharge proceeding, several of my former troops wrote character reference letters for me, including one of my squadron commanders. Their letters expressed their respect for me as an officer, their hope to have me back on the job and their shock at how the Air Force was treating me.

Approximately a year after I was relieved of my duties, my Wing Commander recommended I be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, even though the Air Force was actively pursuing my discharge.

But instead, after 16 months, I was given a police escort off the base as if I were a common criminal or a threat to national security.  The severance pay I received was half of what it would have been had I been separated for any other reason.

Despite this treatment, my greatest desire is still to return to active duty as an officer and leader in the United States Air Force, protecting the freedoms of a nation that I love; freedoms that I myself was not allowed to enjoy while serving in the military.

Mr. President, I want to serve.  Please fulfill your promise to repeal DADT and give me that chance.

Thank you,
Major Mike Almy
United States Air Force

Ugandan Cabinet Committee Recommends Passing Anti-Gay Bill On the Down Low

The Sunday Monitor, Uganda’s largest independent newspaper, has apparently gotten a copy of the report by the Ugandan Cabinet committee tasked with reviewing the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill. According to the Monitor, the committee recommends deflecting attention to the bill by changing its title and/or combining it with the Sexual Offences Act. According to the Monitor:

The existence of the committee’s report was first disclosed last Wednesday but details were not available at that time. That report made it appear that the bill might be headed toward a rather quiet end. The latest details appear to led support to the suspicion that Uganda’s leadership may instead try to quietly pass the bill through the kind of stealth and misdirection commonly used by circus magicians.

But it appears that there is considerable disagreement over the committee’s recommendations. The committee report appears to be the work of just three cabinet members out of seven members overall who were tasked by President Yoweri Museveni to review the bill and come up with recommendations. Among those who failed to attend the review meeting in February was Ethics and Integrity Minister James Nsaba Buturo, who has been a consistent and ardent supporter of the bill as written. The Monitor reports that Buturo vigorously opposes the committee’s recommendations and insists that the bill should be passed in its current form. He also criticizes the committee for not meeting with MP David Bahati, the bill’s sponsor. Buturo is calling for another meeting of the committee before the report is released to the full Cabinet.

The committee’s observation that the bills title is “stigmatizing and appears to be targeting a particular group of people” is perplexing. The reason the bill appears to be targeting a particular group of people is precisely because it is targeting a particular group of people — as you can see when you read the text of the bill yourself (PDF: 847KB/16 pages). Changing the title and moving its provisions into another bill without the word “homosexuality” will look for all the world like a shell game by carnival con men.

Finland likely to get marriage equality next year

Finland has had Registered Partner recognition since 2002. But that is likely to be upgraded to civil marriage in the coming year (Ice News)

Regardless of the outcome of next year’s Finnish parliamentary elections, the governing majority is expected to implement a motion in support of gender-neutral marriage and adoption.