Box Turtle Bulletin

Email of the Day

In it ta win it.

Dear Jim,

The state of Maine is once again under attack by the radical Homosexual Lobby. Radical activists have forced a homosexual “marriage” initiative — dubbed Maine Question 1 — onto the ballot this November. Despite the fact that Maine voters rejected this very same issue three years ago. Local sources believe the Homosexual Lobby’s plan is to simply “wear out” the pro-Family voters there with fight after fight. And it could very well work.

Many allies of the Family are still recovering from the first fight and simply do not have the energy or resources to pick it up again so soon. Local elements of the Homosexual Lobby are reporting they already have $5 million to spend for homosexual “marriage,” and experts expect more will come in from their powerful allies. The pro-Family forces reportedly have less than 40% of that to fight for real marriage.

…And while you and I will know that even if the Homosexual Lobby does win in Maine, it will be due solely to their vast wealth — but the Homosexual Lobby will use this as “proof” that public opinion has turned in their favor. They will take this one false-positive result and shove it down the throats of politicians in state after state.

…Needless to say, this is a fight Public Advocate must take up. I am still devising our strategy and I don’t want to reveal our hand to the enemy too early. But I need you to be ready to help however you can when the time comes. This November could change everything, if we are not prepared.

And, of course —

P.S. Please prayerfully consider chipping in with a donation of $10 or more to help Public Advocate fight for traditional values.

Let me just say that I wish Eugene all the luck in the world, especially with the fundraising part. In fact, everyone I meet who might be inclined to donate vast sums of money to fight against marriage equality, I intend to refer them to Eugene instead of all those tired people in Maine. Cuz you just know that every dollar they give him will be money well spent.

The Daily Agenda for Monday, September 17

TODAY’S AGENDA:
British Producer of Pro-Gay Play to Appear in Uganda Court: Kampala, Uganda. David Cecil, a British citizen who produced the play “The River and the Mountain” depicting the harsh treatment LGBT Ugandans face in that homophobic society, was arrested and charged last week for “disobeying lawful orders” for staging his play in two smaller venues around Kampala after the Uganda Media Centre banned its performance at the National Theatre. The Uganda Media Centre regulates media and public performances in Uganda. Cecil faces two years’ imprisonment if he is found guilty of the charges. He pleaded not guilty last Thursday and was remanded to the notorious Luzira maximum security prison. He is due back in court today for a possible determination of bail.

TODAY IN HISTORY:
First Openly Gay Judge Appointed to Bench: 1979. The news wires across the country buzzed with news that California’s Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Stephen M. Lachs, “an avowed homosexual“, as a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge. He had searched as a Superior Court commissioner for nearly five years, while also serving as a board member fothe Los Angeles Gay Community Services Centre. Lachs recognized his appointment as “an important step” for gay rights. “There probably are millions of lesbians and gay men in the country who are performing their jobs very well and yet are in positions where they feel they cannot allow their sexual preference to be known. This is hopefully something we will tart seeing the end of.”

He also recognized that his appointment on the bench might be controversial. “I feel that it could present problems. Judges come up for reelection and surely it could be an issue. I wold hope that when I stand for re-election, (voters) would consider my work on the bench.” His hope was well-founded, and he remained on the bench until his retirement in 1999.

President Reagan Mentions AIDS For The First Time: 1985. According to urban legend, President Ronald Reagan never mentioned AIDS during his presidency. Or, according to another version of urban legend, he he did mention it, but not until 1987. The truth is that Reagan didn’t talk much about AIDS during his administration after so many thousands had suffered such early and agonizing deaths — in sharp contrast to the government’s vigorous and immediate response when 34 military veterans (and presumably not homosexual ones) were sickened with Legionellosis — Legionaries Disease — at an American Legion convention in 1975. And the truth is that it was on this date in 1985 when Reagan finally mentioned AIDS, briefly, during a news conference when he was asked about the budget allocation for research:

Q: Mr. President, the Nation’s best-known AIDS scientist says the time has come now to boost existing research into what he called a minor moonshot program to attack this AIDS epidemic that has struck fear into the Nation’s health workers and even its schoolchildren. Would you support a massive government research program against AIDS like the one that President Nixon launched against cancer?

President Reagan: I have been supporting it for more than 4 years now. It’s been one of the top priorities with us, and over the last 4 years, and including what we have in the budget for ’86, it will amount to over a half a billion dollars that we have provided for research on AIDS in addition to what I’m sure other medical groups are doing. And we have $100 million in the budget this year; it’ll be 126 million next year. So, this is a top priority with us. Yes, there’s no question about the seriousness of this and the need to find an answer.

The mother of Ryan White, the 13-year-old teen with AIDS who was forced to attend classes via telephone because his Kokomo, Indiana school district prohibited him from going to school, was disappointed that Reagan didn’t take the opportunity to tell parents they shouldn’t fear that their children could catch AIDS through casual contact. And Rep. Gary Studds (D-MA) disputed Reagan’s statement that AIDS research was a top priority:

“… The president said last night it is one of the top priorities of the last four years,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in an interview Wednesday. “Under those circumstances, it is more than a little difficult to imagine why he has never mentioned it once before in public.”

…At his news conference Tuesday night, Reagan, responding to reporters’ questions, said more than $500 million had been spent to try to find ways of combatting AIDS, a fatal virus which attacks the body’s ability to fight disease. But Studds said Reagan’s requests to Congress for fiscal years 1982 through 1986 were far less than that amount, and the money was appropriated only because Congress went beyond administration requests. “The administration’s request for the five fiscal years in question, ’82, ’83, ’84, ’85 and ’86, adds up to $213.5 million,” Studds said. “The way I read that, it’s less than ‘over half a billion’ by a substantial amount.”

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY:
Roddy McDowall: 1928. The child actor began appearing in British films at the age of ten, but the bombing of London during World War II interrupted his career when McDowall was among thousands of British children sent to the safety of America. A year later, his role as Huw Morgan in How Green Was My Valley made him a household name. He followed that success with 1943’s Lassie Come Home, where he met lifelong friend Elizabeth Taylor. That same year, he appeared as the son of Wyoming ranchers who was given a colt to raise in My Friend Flicka of the two films, McDowall later recalled, “I really liked Lassie, but that horse, Flicka, was a nasty animal with a terrible disposition. All the Flickas – all six of them – were awful.”

“Nuthin’ like an invigorating swim to build a man’s appetite. So, it was off to raid the icebox for Tab and Roddy. As luck would have it, Mrs. McDowall had a delicious chocolate cake, hot dog sandwiches ready.” — a publicity still for the June 1963 issue of Calling All Girls. (Click to enlarge)

By his late teens, McDowall began the tricky transition from teen idol to adult actor. He did this by leaving Hollywood and going to New York to study acting. After winning a Tony award for Best Supporting Actor as Tarquin in Jean Anouilh’s The Fighting Cock, he returned to Hollywood. In 1963, he played Octavian in Cleopatra for which he was an early favorite for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Unfortunately, he was disqualified when Fox studios mistakenly submitted his nomination under the Best Actor category. He most famous role is one in which no one sees his face — under heavy makeup as Cornelius in four of the five original Planet of the Apes
films. But that didn’t prevent him from being one of Hollywood’s more recognizable faces, thanks to television appearances including The Twilight Zone, The Carol Burnett Show, Columbo, Hollywood Squares, and as “The Bookworm” in the 1960s camp classic Batman.

McDowall never married, and died of lung cancer in 1998. Like most actors of his generation, he also never came out. He was probably one of Hollywood’s most trusted celebrities; he was known among his friends as a man of kindness and who could keep a secret (his disdain for Flicka notwithstanding). Besides one rumor of his having a relationship with Montgomery Clift, the nicest man in Hollywood managed to avoid the most intrusive (and career-limiting) aspects of the rumor mill during his lifetime

If you know of something that belongs on the agenda, please send it here. Don’t forget to include the basics: who, what, when, where, and URL (if available).

And feel free to consider this your open thread for the day. What’s happening in your world?

The Daily Agenda for Sunday, September 16

TODAY’S AGENDA:
Daniel Radcliffe to Talk Suicide Prevention: Online. Today at 2:00 p.m. EDT, Daniel Radcliffe will participate in a live online discussion to raise awareness about preventing suicide through The Trevor Project’s “Talk to Me” campaign. This conversation on Google+ Hangout will feature questions submitted by young people online and posed by members of The Trevor Project’s Youth Advisory Committee. The event will be moderated by Shira Lazar and will be broadcast through TrevorTalkToMe.org and on The Trevor Project’s YouTube and Google+ pages.

Pride Celebrations This Weekend: Boulder, CO; Brisbane, QLD; Dallas, TX; Peterborough, ON; Roanoke, VA.

AIDS Walks This Weekend: Birmingham, AL; Cranbrook, BC; Detroit, MI; Guelph, ON; Peterborough, ON; Saskatoon, SA.

Other Events This Weekend: Best Buck in the Bay Rodeo, La Honda, CA.

If you know of something that belongs on the agenda, please send it here. Don’t forget to include the basics: who, what, when, where, and URL (if available).

And feel free to consider this your open thread for the day. What’s happening in your world?

The Daily Agenda for Saturday, September 15

TODAY’S AGENDA (Ours):
South Star: Safe Schools Convening of the South: Atlanta GA. Hosted by Lambda Legal, the second annual South Star conference is a regional convening of youth and adult leaders to discuss the intersections of safe schools for LGBT students and the School-To-Prison-Pipeline that disproportionately impacts students of color. Over fifty people from over twenty organizations and twelve states will attend the conference which will include workshops, performances, and a People’s Movement Assembly (PMA) facilitated by Project South. The conference takes place today at The American Friends Service Committee Georgia Peace Center, 52 Walton St., NW in Atlanta.

Pride Celebrations This Weekend: Boulder, CO; Brisbane, QLD; Dallas, TX; eKurhuleni, South Africa; Modesto, CA; Peterborough, ON; Roanoke, VA; Valdosta, GA.

AIDS Walks This Weekend: Birmingham, AL; Cranbrook, BC; Detroit, MI; Guelph, ON; London, ON; Mt. Pleasant, MI; Nelson, BC; Ottawa, ON; Peace River, AB; Peterborough, ON; Saskatoon, SA; Yorkton, SA.

Other Events This Weekend: Best Buck in the Bay Rodeo, La Honda, CA.

TODAY’S AGENDA (Theirs):
Values Voters Summit: Washington, D.C. The Values Voters Summit, sponsored by the SPLC-certified anti-gay hate group Family “Research” Council,” continues today at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The morning plenary session includes talks by Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel, which is among several defendants in a lawsuit over their alleged conspiracy to kidnap Isabella Miller-Jenkins. Staver will be joined by former Reagan Administration Education Secretary Bill Bennett, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R), Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA). The morning session also features leaders of several state-level anti-gay groups:

• Joseph Backholm, Executive Director, Preserve Marriage Washington
• Carroll Conley, Executive Director, Maine Family Policy Council
• John Helmberger, CEO, Minnesota Family Council
• Cathi Herrod, President, Center for Arizona Policy
• Derek McCoy, Executive Director, Maryland Marriage Alliance

Afternoon sessions will include talks by the American Family Association’s Ed Vitagliano, Maryland marriage equality foe Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., and Vision America’s Rick Scarborough.

TODAY IN HISTORY:
Miami Passes Anti-Gay Ordinance, Launches “Super-Secret Inquiry”: 1954. The Miami City Commission took a somewhat comical turn in its long-running anti-gay hysteria campaign (see Aug 3, Aug 11, Aug 12, Aug 13 (twice that day), Aug 14, Aug 26, Aug 31, Sep 1, Sep 2, and Sep 7) when it unanimously voted to earmark $5,000 so that city manager Arthur Evans could launch was was described by The Miami News as a “super-secret investigation of morals and gambling conditions in Miami.” The Commission also voted 4-1 to approve an ordinance which made it a violation for persons of the same sex to “embrace, caress or dance in public or to adopt mannerisms or facial makeup or dress of the opposite sex.” The Miami News didn’t indicate what the penalty for violating the ordinance would be.

Earlier that week, Miami’s mayor Abe Aronovitz announced that he was drawing up an ordinance which would prohibit Miami bar owners from selling liquor or bear “to known sex perverts” and direct the offending bars be referred to the State Beverage Department with a recommendation that their licenses be revoked. In announcing that proposal, Aronovitz said, “I think it is a far greater menace to sell liquor to perverts than to minors.” So far, I haven’t been able to learn what came of that proposal. If you have any info, please let me know in the comments.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY:
Ann Bannon: 1932. Born Ann Weldy, the future “Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction” experienced her first stirrings over her sexuality while a sister at the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the early 1950s. Noticing that a younger sorority sister was being flirtatious with an older one, she felt both awkward and fascinated. “I saw a lot of it happening and I didn’t know what to make of it. I don’t even know how to put it—I was absolutely consumed with it, it was an extraordinary thing.”

She nevertheless married after graduating in 1954 — becoming Ann Holmquist in the process — and soon became the mother of two children. But she clearly couldn’t put her sorority experience out of her mind. By then she had read two lesbian novels, Radclyffe Hall’s dismal 1928 novel The Well of Loneliness — practically required reading for every lesbian in the 1950s — and Vin Paker’s Spring Fire from 1952. Because Spring Fire was set in a boarding school, she felt that she could more easily identify with that story line. She also decided to try her hand at fiction writing. She wrote to Packer — real name Marijane Meaker — asking for advice on getting published. To her surprise, Meaker answered with an invitation to meet in Greenwich Village. There, the young mother could see “Emerald City, Wonderland, and Brigadoon combined — a place where gay people could walk the crooked streets hand in hand.”

Odd Girl Out, first edition cover, 1957.

Ann Weldy Hulmquist then took the pen name of Ann Bannon, wrote Odd Girl Out based on her own sorority experience, and saw her book published by Gold Medal Books in 1957. It became the second best selling original paperback that year. Between 1957 and 1962, she wrote four others — I Am a Woman, Women in the Shadows, Journey to a Woman, and Beebo Brinker.

But with the completion of her fifth novel, Bannon decided that her writing career had run its course. She went back to college to earn a master’s and a doctorate in linguistics, and became a professor and, later, an associate dean at Cal State in Sacramento. She remained largely unrecognized, although her novels were rediscovered and re-issued several times over the years. Occasionally, one of the university librarians would bump into her and comment on a new edition the library received, or a student would find out who she was.

It wasn’t until her difficult marriage ended in a bitter divorce in the 1980s and she retired in the late 1990s, that she finally began to understand how important those little mass market paperbacks were to generations of lesbians who had little other media or literary representations to draw on. In 1997, her work was included in Particular Voices: Portraits of Gay and Lesbian Writers, a collection of authors who had made the deepest impact on the lives and identities of gays and lesbians, which was used as a college textbook for LGBT studies across the country. In 2004, three of her novels were translated into an award-winning play titled “The Beebo Brinker Chronicles,” which had two successful runs in New York in 2007 and 2008. The second run was staged with Lily Tomlin and her partner Jane Wagner as executive producers. And in 2008, she was given the Pioneer Award from the Lambda Literary Foundation. She now tours the country visiting paperback-collecting and pulp fiction conventions and is often invited to speak at colleges and universities. You can find out more at her web site.

If you know of something that belongs on the agenda, please send it here. Don’t forget to include the basics: who, what, when, where, and URL (if available).

And feel free to consider this your open thread for the day. What’s happening in your world?

Barney Frank thinks Victory Fund is in a “cultural lag”

Sorry for being the Barney Frank show, but he’s in the news today. (Tewksbery Patch)

But the Victory Fund — an organization dedicated to supporting LGBT candidates for office — has put its support behind Tisei. Frank said blanket support for gay candidates was a useful strategy 20 years ago, but times have changed.

“I was still in the closet when it started. Visibility was the key thing. I think that is no longer sensible,” Frank said. “Beyond that, I think you take into account the impact. In that sense I think the Victory Fund is in a cultural lag. We used to just be grateful when people were nice to us. We’ve gone beyond that now.”

The premise of the Victory Fund is that gay elected officials create greater impact than gay-friendly elected officials:

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender office holders are our clearest and most convincing champions for true equality. As leaders in government, they become the face and voice of a community. They challenge the lies of extremists and speak authentically about themselves, their families and their community.

A quote for a Friday afternoon

Sometimes you just have to pull a quote out of context and throw it out there. Enjoy. (Sydney Morning Herald)

If you don’t think a country full of people having sex with donkeys is funny then maybe there’s something wrong with you.

More from Barney Frank

This year does not seem to be experiencing “a wave” (the change in political direction that shifts the make-up of the House). So, unless there is some anomaly in voting patterns, it is fairly likely that the Republicans will continue to hold the House of Representatives this fall, and with a significant margin. Barney Frank is doing what he can to make sure that one of them isn’t gay.

“The fact that Richard Tisei is openly gay is a good thing.” Frank said. “The problem is that it is of no use to us.”

Frank said if Tisei were elected, his first vote would be to keep Republican Rep. John Boehner as House Speaker. Boehner has opposed efforts to repeal the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act that denies tax, health and other benefits to married gay couples.

The fact that Tisei supports efforts to repeal the law is beside the point, Frank said.

“If he is helping them keep the majority that is irrelevant because the bill will not come up,” Frank said.

I think it is unlikely the bill will come up because DOMA isn’t going to withstand its Supreme Court challenge. Nor will electing Tierney encourage Boehner to present the bill.

But, in any case, Tisei certainly doesn’t share Frank’s no-gay-Republicans philosophy.

Tisei said the fact that he’s Republican is a good reason to back him, noting that most political observers assume the GOP will retain control of the House. Tisei said he’d be in a better position to advocate for the state with House leaders since Tierney would be in the minority party.

Tisei also said his election would be another step forward for the country.

“As a gay person we will never have true equality until we have people on both sides of the aisle who are willing to stand up for the concept that everybody should be treated fairly under the law.” Tisei said.

Personally, I too think our community desperately needs an out unapologetically gay congressperson in all parties. And I think that Tisei would be rather effective. He has shown himself to be skilled Senate Minority Leader and appears to have been respected. I suspect that, unlike many Republican house members, he is far too politically savvy and connected to be shuffled off into a corner. And I think that his assertion that his election would “send a strong message” has merit.

But I guess we’ll never know, if Barney Frank has his way.

Linda Harvey gets ABC coverage

ABC News has dedicated an entire story to Linda Harvey and her “group” Mission:America. She’s made the big time. She may wish she hadn’t.

About the only thing that the crazies have going for them is that their audience is limited to those who agree with them anyway (and those of us who mock them). But when presented by a reporter who is neither an extremist nor a gay activist, their crazy rantings seem, well, crazy.

In her new guide on how to talk to kids about homosexuality, Harvey writes, “It’s not right to tell someone that being homosexual is okay. The person may be feeling sad because of being bullied, but never try to make him or [sic] feel better by saying “gay” is okay.”

Well who would do that anyway. They proper response to someone “feeling sad” because of being bullied is to scream, “You’re going to burn in hell, you filthy sinner!” Right?

And besides everyone knows, “from Asia to India”, that “being gay is wrong”.

Oh, Linda. Lovely, lovely Linda. You really have no idea just how hateful (and stupid) you come across to anyone who doesn’t live in your bubble, do you?

The beautiful glorious NOMtastic New York primary results

What a beautiful glorious NOMtastic day.

The New York primary yesterday was unusual. In an unusual turn of events, the community’s focus was on the Republican side of the ticket where there were four candidates whom we were anxiously hoping to win.

It started back on June 24, 2011 when four Republican New York State Senators joined the Democratic Senators (all except Sen. Diaz) in supporting a change in the marriage law to allow couples of the same sex to marry. The “Republican Four”, as they became known, immediately became the chief targets of those who oppose equality.

By focusing on these four senators, the anti-gays took advantage of two political assumptions: to be a Republican, one must oppose equality; and Republican voters will reject any legislator that votes for equality.

These premises are essential for anti-gays to uphold in order to keep equality a partisan issue and to maintain discrimination in those parts of the country in which Republicans hold majorities. Should marriage equality become a matter of personal conscience and not a principle of the Party, it would invite thoughtful reflection and a careful review of the arguments. And opposition to equality cannot withstand thought and analysis; it relies on accepted and unquestioned partisanship and culture war positions.

Equally necessary is the threat of reprisal. The fear of angry citizens tossing out “the traitors” could keep potentially sympathetic Republican legislators in line. And as nearly every pro-gay vote has required at least some Republican support to pass – a situation that is likely to continue in the immediate future – scaring potentially supportive Republicans could immobilize our progress.

So threat was made: the National Organization for Marriage would take down these four Republican senators and thus intimidate any future Republicans across the nation that might consider supporting equality. Yesterday was the day of reckoning.

One senator, Jim Alesi, chose not to run after he made an incredibly stupid decision. He was in a housing development looking at houses. He found one house locked so he went in a basement door and climbed a ladder serving as a makeshift staircase and slipped and fell, injuring his leg. As it turns out, the house had been already sold. And while the owners (a retired couple) chose not to prosecute for trespass, he sued them for his injuries. Idiot. He immediately withdrew the lawsuit and apologized, but by then his political career was ambulatory dead.

Which left three senators under attack, Steve Saland (Poughkeepsie), Roy McDonald (Saratoga Springs), and Mark Grisanti (Buffalo).

But the anti-gays in chief, the National Organization for Marriage, had five targets in total:

The primary election candidates and the results are:

Democratic Senate District 10
James Sanders (NOM endorsed)
Shirley Huntley

James Sanders beat Shirley Huntley with a 53-40 margin. But it’s rather unlikely that marriage had anything to do with this decision. A couple of weeks ago Huntley was arrested and indited with the felony charge of conspiracy in relation to a scheme to transfer state funds to her personal charity. And as she had been a vocal opponent to equality who only changed her vote under pressure (and rather unconvincingly), she’ll not be missed by the community.

NOM can call that a win if they like. I think it’s a bit embarrassing to do so, but that’s NOM.

Democratic Senate District 33
Manual Tavarez (NOM endorsed)
Gustavo Rivera

Rivera soundly defeated Tavarez.

Republican Senate District 41
Steven Saland
Niel DiCarlo (NOM endorsed)

As of the final tally of the votes cast at polling stations, Saland was ahead of DiCarlo by 42 votes. This will come down to a count of the absentee ballots.

Republican Senate District 43
Kathleen Marchione (NOM endorsed)
Roy McDonald

The National Organization for Marriage (but not yours) is trumpeting victory in this election:

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) today celebrated the defeat of two incumbent state Senators who voted to redefine marriage in New York. NOM played a pivotal role in helping to defeat the incumbents, Roy McDonald and Shirley Huntley.
…
McDonald was defeated in the Republican primary by pro-marriage candidate Kathy Marchione. NOM was a major supporter of Marchione, sending two district-wide mailers and launching thousands of telephone calls.

However, that appears to have all the truthfulness of anything else NOM claims. As of the final tally of the votes cast at polling stations, Marchione ahead of McDonald by 130 votes with hundreds of absentee ballots outstanding.

Republican Senate District 60
Mark Grisanti
Kevin Stocker (NOM endorsed)

NOM’s highest level of animus and anger were directed at Grisanti. Six months prior to the vote, he had stated his opposition to equality based on the teachings of his Catholic Church. But Grisanti is an unusual politician; he spent months listening to his constituents and supporters of marriage and trying to work out a thoughtful logical opposition to marriage. And once he found that thought and logic did not support his presumptions, he shocked anti-gays by changing his position and explaining the process he went through to get there.

Grisanti has been the target of a smear attack, with one opponent going so far as to send gay porn to voters. Making matters more difficult, Grisanti got caught up in a bar brawl this year. So the fact that Grisanti trounced Stocker is especially sweet.

We will have to see just how sweet the victory is. If McDonald and Saland end up victors, then NOM’s endorsement will continue it’s role as the kiss of death. We will either celebrate or lament when the final votes are counted. But in any case, today’s picture is one in which our community and a brave legislator have proven false the claim that for a Republican to vote for equality is a career ender.

NOM is, amusingly, also gleefully claiming victory in New Hampshire:

In New Hampshire, where incumbents almost never lose, two Republicans who betrayed marriage went down to defeat.

Ahem… considering that 119 Republicans “betrayed marriage” by voting to kill the anti-gay bill, I don’t think I’d blare that ‘victory’ too loudly, NOM.

And finally, there is one other race in which NOM did not nominate but which is worth noting.

Republican Senate District 15
Juan Reyes
Eric Ulrich

In the final days of the race, Reyes sent out a flier attacking Ulrich for “hobnobbing” with gay people. He and his wife go to dinner with a fellow councilman and his husband. And Ulrich hired a gay chief of staff as well as another staffer and (in bold) Ulrich voted for gay marriage (in a city counsel vote of support).

Ulrich won handily.

All in all, a beautiful glorious NOMtastic day.

Ugandan Gov’t Web Site Admits Anti-Gay Laws Are Foreign Imports

The recent arrest of British national David Cecil for producing a pro-gay play in the Kampala suburbs has gained significant notice worldwide and inside of Uganda. Cecil, who produced the play “The River and the Mountain” depicting the harsh treatment LGBT Ugandans face in that homophobic society, was charged yesterday for “disobeying lawful orders” for staging his play in two smaller venues around Kampala after the Uganda Media Council banned its performance at the National Theatre. The Uganda Media Council regulates all media and productions inside of Uganda. Cecil faces two years’ imprisonment if he is found guilty of the charges.

One recurrent theme inside Uganda is that Cecil’s arrest is more evidence that homosexuality is “un-African” and is a western import. In an undated post, the Uganda Media Centre, which serves as a press office for the Ugandan government, has picked up that theme and goes further. In an op-ed penned by Joseph Jabo (who has a habit of railing against gay people) and posted on the Uganda’s Media Centre’s web site points out that Uganda’s anti-gay laws are British in origin:

It is ironical that (David Cecil), a British National, would blatantly disregard Uganda’s Anti-Sodomy Laws and go ahead to produce a homosexual play (and have it performed on Ugandan soil) when his British forefathers are the ones who introduced Anti-Sodomy Laws in Uganda in the first place! The still-relevant anti-sodomy laws are based on Christian principles (Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:24-31). Uganda is not the only country where homosexuality is illegal. Homosexuality is illegal in more than 70 countries worldwide and 41 out of 54 countries in the British Commonwealth uphold anti-sodomy laws.

And, of course, Christianity itself, along with Genesis, Leviticus and Romans are all western imports as well.

The Daily Agenda for Friday, September 14

TODAY’S AGENDA (Ours):
Here is this week’s rundown of what’s happening with the four marriage ballot  campaigns along with what you can do to help.

Maryland Question 6: If passed, Question 6 will provide marriage equality while guaranteeing that “each religious faith has exclusive control over its own theological doctrine regarding who may marry within that faith.” Marylanders for Marriage Equality is fighting for Question 6’s passage. In case you missed it, Maryland Delegate Emmett Burns, Jr. blasted Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo, who came out in support of Question 6. Burns actually sent a letter to Ravens owner owner Steve Bisciotti asking that he silence Avanbadejo. The two-time All-Pro linebacker shot back via Twitter: “Football is just my job it’s not who I am. I am an American before anything. And just like every American I have the right to speak!!!” Meanwhile, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Baker and and Gov. Martin O’Malley lent their voice for Maryland’s familes, and Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP Julian Bond wrote an op-ed titled “Why Marriage in Maryland Matters” for the DC/Baltimore editions of the AFRO. And finally, MME has issued a brief memo titled, “What to Watch Out For,” which warns of the strategies used by the National Organization for Marriage in previous marriage battles.

What you can do: Faith leaders can sign up to lead their congregations in Family Sunday/Shabbat activities. Other supporters can help them hit their goal of 60 house parties in 60 days by signing up to host a party, commit to volunteering during their Weekends of Action, or donate here.

Maine Marriage Initiative: The ballot details are still to be worked out, but what is certain is that a citizens initiative, “An Act to Allow Marriage Licenses for Same Sex Couples and Protect Religious Freedom” will be on the ballot in the fall. Mainers United for Marriage is the main campaign behind the initiative.  The Christian Civil League is already trotting out the ususal junk science: “When a girl doesn’t have a father to fill that role she’s more likely to become promiscuous in a misguided attempt to satisfy her inborn hunger for male attention and validation.” And in Protect Marriage Maine’s latest email they both blasted the Maine Marriage Initiative for recieving out of state funding — and announced a $500,000 pledge from the National Organization for Marriage!

What you can do: Ever wanted to see New England’s famed fall colors? You can do that when you sign up for a volunteer vacation or donate miles so someone else can travel. You can also buy stuff from their online store, or you can donate here.

Minnesota Marriage Amendment: The ballot proposal to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage is known simply as “the marriage amendment.” Minnesotans United for All Families is the main group fighting against the amendment’s passage in November. This past week, Zach Wahls completed his statewide tour of Minnesota after speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. His tour attracted the attention of Minnesota Public Radio and this spotlight from WCCO Channel 4. MUAF has also launched “Faith Action Week” statewide, which consists of a series of more than 150 events in churches and religious communities to highlight that faithful Minnesotans are voting ‘no’ on this amendment because of their faith, not in spite of it.

What you can do: You can sign up to volunteer, host a One Day United fundraising party at your home on September 23, sign up to run the Big Gay Race on September 29,Sign up for a Leadership Assembly training session to learn how to become a conversation drive leader, or simply donate here. The 40,000th donor will receive a Vote No Prize Pack.

Washington Referendum 74: If Referendum 74 is approved, Washington will join six other states and the District of Columbia in providing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Washington United for Marriage has put up its first broadcast television ad in the Seattle area, and it is airing on cable statewide. They’ve also launched a new rapid-response micro-site, Marriagefactcheck.com, to combat misrepresentations and falsehoods raised by opponents of Referendum 74. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines is the latest corporate entity to come out in support for Referendum 74, making WUM’s Coalition Partners page a very crowded one.

What you can do: You can sign up for a house party (email mea@washingtonunited.org to get started), sign up for one of 50 weekly phone banks across Washington, attend one of nine upcoming town hall meetings, or you can donate here.

Pride Celebrations This Weekend: Boulder, CO; Brisbane, QLD; Dallas, TX; eKurhuleni, South Africa; Modesto, CA; Peterborough, ON; Roanoke, VA; Valdosta, GA.

AIDS Walks This Weekend: Birmingham, AL; Cranbrook, BC; Detroit, MI; Guelph, ON; London, ON; Mt. Pleasant, MI; Nelson, BC; Ottawa, ON; Peace River, AB; Peterborough, ON; Saskatoon, SA; Yorkton, SA.

Other Events This Weekend: Best Buck in the Bay Rodeo, La Honda, CA.

TODAY’S AGENDA (Theirs):
Values Voters Summit: Washington, D.C. The Values Voters Summit, sponsored by the SPLC-certified anti-gay hate group Family “Research” Council,” kicks off today at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. The morning plenary session is positively jam-packed with anti-gay speakers, including: Sens. Paul Ran (R-KY) and Jim DeMint (R-SC), and Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NB), Tum Huelskamp (R-KS), James Lankford (R-OK).  There had been some confusion about whether Ann Romney, the wife of GOP presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney, would be a part of the morning plenary sessions — as of Tuesday evening, she was still listed on the schedule — but an FRC spokesman later confirmed that she had only been invited to speak and was not actually a confirmed speaker. No matter, vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) will be a part of the morning plenary instead. Actor Kirk Cameron will also be in the dais as well.

So anyway, all of that is just before before lunch. Tim Wildmon, co-founder of another SPLC-certified anti-gay hate group American Family Association, with speak during lunch, followed by an afternoon plenary featuring, once again, Tim Wildmon, with Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA), Reps. Steve King (R-IA), Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Allen West (R-FL). Also joining the pack is the GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate Ted Cruz, Garry Bauer of American Values, and Genevieve Wood of the Heritage Foundation. The evening plennary will feature Oliver North, Dennis Prager, and Fox News contributor and “comedian” Steven Crowder. Now aren’t you sorry you didn’t buy tickets?

TODAY IN HISTORY:
Disgusting Depravity: 1822. The following notice appeared in the September 14, 1822 edition of The Times of London:

DISGUSTING DEPRAVITY — On Monday last Benjamin Candler, late valet to the Duke of Newcastle, was committed to Lincoln Castle by Sir R. Heron, Bart., charged with an unnatural offence. On the same day was committed to the same place by the Alderman of Grantham, William Arden, Esq., of Great Pultney-street, Golden-square, London, charged with the same offence; and on Tuesday was committed to the Castle , by the Alderman of Grantham, John Doughty, of Grantham, joiner, charged with the same. A discovery of the abominable intercourse which had been carried on it, it is stated, was made through the circumstance of a letter from Rantham, intended for the valet at Clumber, but accidentally not addressed on the outside, falling into the hands of the Dike of Newcastle. His Grace, on discovering the nature of the contents, proceeded with due caution for furthering the purposes of justice, and the consequence has been the commitment of the above persons to Lincoln Castle for trial at the next assizes. The person committed as an Esquire, was apprehended in London after the first examination of the others at Grantham, and was brought down in safe custody in one of the mail coaches on Sunday morning. We understand that he had apartments at Grantham during the last hunting season.

The “unnatural offence” was a capital crime, and the three men were hanged at Lincoln Castle on March 21, 1823.

ACT-UP Protests At NY Stock Exchange: 1989. Chaining themselves to a banister at the New York Stock Exchange and unfurling a sign reading “SELL WELLCOME,” five AIDS activists protested the price set by Burroughs Wellcome for AZT, the only drug that had been approved in the U.S. to fight AIDS. Burroughs Wellcome had been charging from $7,000 to $8,000 per year for the drug, which was far beyond the ability for many people to pay. Four days later, Burroughs Wellcome announced a twenty percent reduction in the wholesale price of the drug. A spokesman denied that the announcement was connected to the high profile protest.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS:
David Wojnarowicz: 1954. In November of 2010, G. Wayne Clough, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, made the executive decision to remove a short silent film A Fire in My Belly by David Wojnarowicz from the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibit “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture.” The film, which included a twelve-second scene of ants crawling over a crucifix, was denounced by the Catholic League’s Bill Donohue as anti-Catholic “hate speech.” Clough removed the video after complaints from soon-to-be House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), but he neglected to consult co-curator, gay activist and art historian Jonathan David Katz, about the decision. “It was an incredibly stupid decision. I am flabbergasted that they rose to the bait so readily,” he said in an interview after the video was removed. The irony, which was not lost on anyone, is that the whole point of “Hide/Seek” was to highlight the role of sexual difference in American portraiture, including the effects of marginalization (hence, the “hide”). Katz saw history repeating itself:

In 1989 Senator Jesse Helms demonized Robert Mapplethorpe’s sexuality, and by extension, his art, and with little effort pulled a cowering art world to its knees. His weapon was threatening to disrupt the already pitiful federal support for the arts. And once again, that same weapon is being brandished, and once again we cower.

Untitled (One Day This Kid…), 1990. Click to enlarge.

Wojnarowicz, who at 37 died of AIDS in 1992, wasn’t one to cower, although he certainly had the kind of life experiences which might have encouraged him to do so. Born in Red Bank, New Jersey he grew up with an exceptionally cruel and abusive father. After his parents divorced, he and his siblings were bounced back and forth — at one point, his father kidnapped them and took them to Rural Michigan — until they finally ended up with their mother in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. By the time he was sixteen, he ran away from home and was living on the streets. He supported himself through prostitution and became fascinated with the social outcasts he met in abandoned warehouses and on street corners, and where he began to become involved with graffiti and elaborate paintings on the walls of abandoned buildings. At one point, he spent some time in Paris with his sister, where he became more serious about photography and painting. When he returned to New York, his unique brand of confrontational street art found an audience alongside other underground artists like Keith Haring (who Wojnarowicz didn’t get along with).

Wojnarowicz had a combustable personality. When one gallery damaged one of his paintings and refused to repair it, Wojnarowicz retaliated by taking a tire iron to the gallery’s pristine white walls. In 1989, Wojnarowicz wrote a blistering essay, “Postcards form America: X-rays from Hell,” which blasted several public figures, Cardinal O’Connor in particular (“this fat cannibal from that house of walking swastikas”). The essay appeared in an exhibition catalogue, prompting the National Endowment for the Arts to rescind its funding for the show. This made Wojnarowicz the newest bogeyman for the religious right. But when the American Family Association’s Donald Wildmon copied, distorted, and disseminated Wojnariwicz’s image in a pamphlet as part of a campaign against the NEA, Wojnarowicz sued the AFA and won a historic Supreme Court case which is forever enshrined as David Wojnarowicz v. American Family Association.

Which, of course, makes the Smithsonian’s actions in 2010 all the more relevant two decades later. Here is the version of A Fire in My Belly which led the Smithsonian to crumple like a bad suit against Donohue’s charges of blasphemy. This same video was also projected onto the exterior walls of the National Portrait Gallery during a protest over the Smithsonian’s censorship.

David Wojnarowicz’s life is chronicled in Cynthia Carr’s definitive biography Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz, which was released last summer.

Another one for his fans.

Ben Cohen: 1978. The former England Rugby Union player for Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks, Cohen was already a well-liked gay icon before retiring from professional rugby earlier this year. He often speaks highly of his gay following, a fan base which he has rewarded by almost never wearing a shirt (or so it seems). In 2010, he released this video as part of the “It Gets Better” project, and since retiring, he has devoted his time to the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which he established as the world’s first foundation dedicated to combating anti-gay bulling and homophobia. He was inspired by two things in his life: his father was killed when he stood up for an employee who was being attacked, and Cohen’s clinical deafness (he has about a 33% hearing loss in each ear) has made him keenly aware of how being different can make someone stand out.

And just because he’s Ben Cohen, here’s a behind-the-scenes video for Ben Cohen’s 2013 calendar, which will benefit his anti-bullying foundation:

If you know of something that belongs on the agenda, please send it here. Don’t forget to include the basics: who, what, when, where, and URL (if available).

And feel free to consider this your open thread for the day. What’s happening in your world?

Klassy klassy NOM removes list of endorsed candidates

Earlier tonight the National Organization for Marriage had a posted list of candidates in New York whom they encouraged their followers to support. I went to double check to see if NOM was as much the kiss of death as they usually are … but just like magic that list had disappeared. Poof.

Oh NOM, you’re so klassy, you must be a Kardashian.

NY primaries pit anti-gay Republicans against pro-gay incumbents

There’s nothing that angers an anti-gay more than a pro-gay Republican. They consider it traitorous for someone who runs as a conservative or a Republican to vote for equality and they vow revenge.

The National Organization for Marriage has, for example, made it a high priority to “punish” those Republican legislators that voted for marriage equality. The top article in the NOM blog today is:

We promised that we would hold accountable all the politicians in Albany who betrayed us on marriage. We have delivered on our promise to not let the actions of those who flip-flopped and voted against the will of the people be forgotten.

We have fought the good fight, in the name of honor and integrity across New York State—but today we need your help to finish the job!

Today is Primary Day in New York.

But NOM is not alone. Primary opponents too have taken up marriage as an Alamo cause. Though perhaps not exactly wisely.

One rabble rouser who wants to see Sen. Grisanti replaced decided that the smart way to attract people to his arguments is to email them gay porn. Matthew Ricchiazzi, some bisexual dude who unsuccessfully ran for Buffalo mayor (and who evidently opposes equality) sent out this:

Yeah, that wouldn’t have been my first choice of campaign literature but I get the impression that he’s not very bright.

And then there was Juan Reyes who decided that Republican NY city councilman Eric Ulrich was too friendly with gay people. So he sent out this:

That didn’t exactly go as planned. As a result, Rudy Guiliani, who had stayed out of the race, endorsed Elrich.

After seeing what his campaign has done, which is disgusting, Juan doesn’t belong in politics. I don’t know where he belongs, but he belongs someplace else… I find these attacks, the gay-bashing attacks, childish, silly, and a real indication you don’t belong in public service.

It will be interesting to see how the primary goes.

UPDATE: Both Grisanti And Ulrich won their primary races tonight.

Ugandan TV Coverage of Gay Play Producer’s Arrest

This news report is from NTV, Uganda’s largest independent television network.

David Cecil was arrested and charged with “disobeying lawful orders” which carries a two-year sentence. The charges stem from his staging of the play “The River and the Mountain,” which this remarkably evenhanded NTV report describes as:

…a theatre performance that paints a picture of brutal treatment of homosexuals in Uganda and the violation of their freedom of expression…

Cecil is charged with staging the play at Tilapia Cultural Centre in Bunga and at Mishmash Cultural Centre in Kololo without permission from the Media Council. He pleaded not guilty today and was remanded to Luzira Prison until September 17.

Ugandan Police Arrest British Producer of Play About Gay Community

David Cecil waves from a court cell at the Makindye Court on Thursday in Kampala, Uganda (AFP)

Last month, we reported on a pro-gay stage play, “The River and the Mountain,” which premiered at a small theater in Uganda after the government banned its performance at the National Theater. The play’s producer, British citizen David Cecil, has since been arrested on charges that he had the play performed without official authorization. He appeared in court today, charged with “disobeying lawful orders” and was ordered held without bail. If found guilty, Cecil would face a two year sentence:

The Ugandan Media Council sent a letter to David Cecil, producer of The River and the Mountain, on 16 August saying it was considering whether to grant the play clearance to be performed. “In the meantime,” read the letter, “this play is not to be staged in any theatre or public place in Uganda.” The play’s run at the National Theatre was cancelled but it was performed at two small venues in the capital Kampala.

“I was called in by the police and spoken to by several officers from the media offences department of the CID [Criminal Investigation Directorate],” said Cecil. “They said that by staging the play I have disobeyed the Media Council, which is a public authority. I’ve been charged with that offence and they are now considering whether to press on with the case. But I had only taken their letter to be advisory, not the law.”

The Guardian’s report last week  indicates that Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo is behind the ban:

Ugandan ethics minister Simon Lokodo said the play was not granted clearance because “this play is justifying the promotion of homosexuality in Uganda, and Uganda does not accommodate homosexual causes. We will put pressure on anyone saying that this abomination [homosexuality] is acceptable.”

A scene from “The River and the Mountain,” as posted on the play’s Facebook page.

Lokodo, a defrocked former Catholic priest, has led raids against two conferences to discuss human rights for LGBT people. He also announced that he would try to ban thirty-eight NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) for “receiving support from abroad for Uganda’s homosexuals” so that LGBT people in Uganda could “”recruit” young children into homosexuality.

A report with Radio Netherlands provides this timeline:

‘The River and the Mountain’ ran from 17 to 23 August in a small cultural centre in Kampala managed by Cecil and his girlfriend.

On 6 September, Cecil was charged for ignoring an advance warning from the Uganda Media Council that the play was not to be staged until official “clearance” was obtained. The warning was issued on 16 August, the day before the play premiered. On 29 August, after the showings had ended, the Media Council ruled that the play was not to be staged because parts of the production “implicitly promote homosexual acts”, which “are contrary to the laws, cultural norms and values of Uganda”.

Cecil says he and British playwright Beau Hopkins, together with Ugandan director Angella Emurwon and the Ugandan actors, decided to go ahead with the staging because the Media Council’s initial warning letter “in no way” made reference to any potential legal consequences. Cecil says: “Even my Ugandan lawyer read the letter and said: ‘It does not clearly constitute a legal order’.”

Cecil said that if the original warning was clearer, he probably would not have staged the play. The British citizen also says he has “fallen into the trap” of local politicians who regularly charge that homosexuality is “un-African” and is being “imported” by Westerners.