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Humanists Prepare to Hold LGBT-Inclusive Prom in Mississippi

For Immediate Release

(Washington, DC, March 12, 2010) The American Humanist Association (AHA) stepped forward today and offered to plan and fund a prom for the Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Mississippi. The Itawamba County School District made headlines earlier this week by cancelling their prom rather than letting a lesbian student, Constance McMillen, bring her girlfriend as her date.

“It’s shameful that closed-minded members of the school board are prepared to deprive an entire class of students their prom over their outdated religious mores.” said Roy Speckhardt, Executive Director of the AHA. "People can hold to any belief or no belief in this nation, but the school board misuses their position when they try to impose their beliefs on the student population in Itawamba.”

McMillen was barred from the prom after making it known that she intended to bring a same-sex date. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Mississippi became involved and demanded the school reverse its policy. The school board responded by cancelling the prom.

“The ACLU is doing good work in Mississippi, and we humanists can also bring resources to the table that will defend students from a repressive school board,” added Speckhardt. “Prom is a special event for teens across America; we’ll make sure it’s a special night for these students as well.”

AHA members Todd and Diana Stiefel made a $20,000 grant available to the AHA for the purpose of holding a prom in Itawamba County. The AHA will be discussing logistics with the pertinent parties today.

Humanists and freethinkers have a history of speaking up for the rights of all. The AHA was among the first to support civil rights, equal pay for equal work, and the right of same-sex couples to marry. Recently the AHA launched the LGBT Humanist Council to advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families. (www.lgbthumanists.org).

The American Humanist Association (www.americanhumanist.org) advocates for the rights and viewpoints of humanists. Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., its work is extended through more than 100 local chapters and affiliates across America.

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.

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via americanhumanist.org

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Dan Savage: ‘Not a single GOP elected official’ has participated in ‘It Gets Better’ – LGBTQ Nation

Dan Savage, co-founder of the “It Gets Better Project” — a campaign to inspire LGBT youth facing adversity and depression — called out Republicans politicians on Thursday over their refusal to participate in the campaign aimed at preventing teen suicide.

Dan Savage

Savage was responding to criticism by the the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), who on Thursday said in a statement to Politico, that Savage had a “long history of lewd, violent and anti-Christian rhetoric.”

The project has had the reach and impact that it’s had thanks to tens of thousands of people from all over the world who’ve participated. [A]nd no one who participates is required to crawl into bed with me. ..:

It is interesting, though, that not a single GOP elected official can bring himself or herself to make a video, or participate in the creation of one.

No GOP elected official can risk being seen letting bullied LGBT kids know that life isn’t high school and that it will get better for them. It doesn’t require signing off on the entire gay agenda (the president made a video, and he doesn’t support gay marriage).

No GOP elected can back the seemingly radical notion that LGBT kids shouldn’t kill themselves, that they should have hope for their futures.

No GOP elected official can do even that — David Cameron, meanwhile, made a video months ago. Which tells us a lot about the noisiest part of the GOP’s base — lewd (have you seen their websites?) hate groups like Focus on the Family and Americans for Truth About Homosexuality — and how feared they are by even “moderate” senators like Scott Brown.

Dan Savage

The NRSC’s attack on Savage came in response to growing criticism of U.S. Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), who refused to participate in an “It Gets Better” video released Wednesday that featured all other 11 members of the Massachusetts’ congressional delegation.

Savage, along with his spouse Terry Miller, founded the “It Gets Better Project” last year in response to the increasing number of teen suicides of kids who were bullied for their perceived sexual orientation. To date, the project has received more than 10,000 video contributions, including submissions from teh President, Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Related Stories:

• Sen. Scott Brown at center of controversy over absence from anti-bullying video
• Massachusetts congressional delegation releases 'It Gets Better' video

Tags: Dan Savage, GOP, It Gets Better Project, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Republicans, Scott Brown

Filed under: National Headlines

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Sen. Scott Brown slammed for not appearing in anti-bullying video!

(Antler)

Massachusetts lawmakers are criticizing Sen. Scott Brown, the one Republican in the state’s Congressional delegation, for refusing to take part in an http://www.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/20110728mass_gay_activists_fau...&position=recent">anti-bullying video aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth.

This week, his 11 colleagues, all Democrats, released a video they filmed for the “It Gets Better” campaign, a series of supportive video messages posted online for young people who may be targeted for bullying because of their sexual orientation. The campaign was started in September 2010 by sex columnist and gay-rights activist Dan Savage.

(Massachusetts Congressional Delegation "It Gets Better" video)

Brown was absent from the video, having declined to appear, the Associated Press reports. “Sen. Brown's absence in our congressional delegation's video sends a message that he supports kids being bullied or harassed," Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Medford) said in a press call hosted by the Massachusetts Democratic Party on Thursday.

Brown’s office denied that he supports violence against the LGBT community. “Scott Brown has a strong record at the state and federal level against bullying and believes that all people regardless of sexual orientation should be treated with dignity and respect,” spokesman Colin Reed said. “His main focus right now is on creating jobs and getting our economy back on track.”

Brown is against gay marriage, and when he was a state senator, he voted to uphold Gov. Mitt Romney's veto of a Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth. However, he recently supported the repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy banning gay men and lesbians from openly serving as soldiers, the Boston Globe reports.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee also defended Brown, dismissing video campaign founder Savage as having “a long history of lewd, violent and anti-Christian rhetoric,” according to the Huffington Post.

Since it launched in September 2010, hundreds of celebrities, politicians and organizations have filmed “It Gets Better” messages, including President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Boston Red Sox. Conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron released a video last November. Not one elected Republican official in the U.S. has appeared in the campaign.
 

via globalpost.com

Massachusetts senator won’t tell gay teens “it gets better.”

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TABC settlements bring ‘closure’

Tom Anable

Fairness Fort Worth president says payments to Gibson, Armstrong fair; TABC spokeswoman says agency is happy with mediated settlements

JOHN WRIGHT | Online Editor
wright@dallasvoice.com

Two years and one month after the Rainbow Lounge raid, Fort Worth’s LGBT community finally has some closure, according to the president of an advocacy group formed in response to the incident.

Last week it was reported that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission had reached monetary settlements with two patrons injured in the June 2009 raid of the gay bar, which occurred on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion.

Chad Gibson, who suffered a serious head injury in the raid, will receive $210,000 from TABC. George Armstrong, who suffered a torn rotator cuff, will receive $15,000.

The city of Fort Worth, whose police officers conducted the raid along with TABC agents, previously settled with Gibson for $400,000 and with Armstrong for $40,000.

“It closes all the legal issues, and the damage issues,” Fairness Fort Worth President Tom Anable said this week of the TABC settlement. “It’s closure in regards to the Rainbow Lounge incident.

“It’s all done and closed,” Anable added. “We have closure and we’re moving forward with other issues.”

TABC fired two agents and a supervisor after the raid, and FWPD suspended three officers.

“Fort Worth ran the operation. Fort Worth was in charge of the operation,” Anable said. “TABC fired employees, and Fort Worth gave some wrist slaps, so I think it was appropriate they [Fort Worth] paid more money.”

Carolyn Beck

TABC spokeswoman Carolyn Beck said her agency’s settlements with Gibson and Armstrong were agreed to during mediation in March, but had to be signed off on by the offices of the attorney general and the governor.

“Those approvals came through in June, and so here we are now,” said Beck, who was named the agency’s liaison to the LGBT community following the raid. “We are happy that we were able to come to an agreement with mediation, and I personally feel like our relationship with the LGBT community is a lot different than it was two years ago. And I hope that it continues to stay positive.”

After the raid, TABC became the first state agency in Texas to conduct comprehensive LGBT diversity training for its employees.

Don Tittle, the Dallas attorney who represented both Armstrong and Gibson, didn’t respond to a phone message from Dallas Voice this week.

But Tittle told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “It is done. They are very relieved. I think they feel that they received a level of justice, although it was slow. The monetary compensation was fair, but I think it was important to both of them that there be change within both organizations. As a result of the incident, both Fort Worth and TABC have taken affirmative steps to improve relations and to be more sensitive to diversity.”

via dallasvoice.com

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The Future of LGBT Comics is LOOOKING ...Goooddd

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San Diego Things To Do | LGBT Gay Pride Parade Route Map Schedule and History

San Diego Things To Do

LGBT Gay Pride Parade Route Map Schedule and History

Active military & Margaret Cho highlight 27th annual event

By Melissa Rauch • Sat, Jul 16th, 2011

Read More: Gay pride , parade , festival , rally , LGBT , live entertainment , balboa park , Hillcrest

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Crowds at the 2010 Gay Pride Parade

The national Gay Pride month has been set for June in the United States; Bill Clinton made it official in the year 2000. However, it will be rolling into the month of July for a weekend of eccentric and dynamic energy from one of the largest events in San Diego.

This weekend, San Diego LGBT Pride will be hosting the 37th annual Pride parade, a festival and rally from July 15 to July 17. There will also be Run and Stride with Pride, a 5k run and walk, starting right before the parade on Saturday, July 16 at 10 a.m. The parade will start at University Avenue and Normal Street and proceed west on University Avenue to 6th Avenue, it then turns south and ends on Balboa Drive and Upas Street.

This year, the theme is “Pride Around the World”, and the hope of San Diego Pride is to reflect the global quest for LGBT life in all other countries, as well as to instill hope and cause for people all over the world. All ages are welcome to attend any portion of the Pride events going on throughout the weekend.

San Diego LGBT Pride has been recognized for over 35 years. They make their name known by hosting a slew of events compounded into one weekend that grows more and more every year.

The parade has floats that drive through the middle of the streets, and hundreds of thousands of people lined up to watch. It has been said to be the largest civic event in San Diego, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Not only does this event bring out small and large businesses of every kind to support LGBT, but it is also made up of 12-15 percent of non-resident groups who come out to celebrate with local San Diegans.

The San Diego LGBT Pride Parade is the fifth largest parade throughout the United States, and in the past it has attracted more than 150,000 energized fans to watch the two-hour event. This year, the number of spectators is expected to increase even more, just as it has in the past.

The Spirit of Stonewall Rally is the opening event of the weekend, and not only does it bring back historic content and meaning to people all over the world, but it restores hope and confidence. The rally symbolizes events that happened to the LGBT community almost 40 years ago and brings together a group of people who are willing to stand up for their rights. It will begin on Friday, July 15 at 6:30 p.m. in Balboa Park at Marston Point.

Parade route

Throughout this rally, there will also be a lot of celebrating over the New York legislation that just passed, allowing the right for same-sex marriages to take place, starting at the end of July. New York is the sixth and largest state in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage.

On top of that, they will also be celebrating the final end of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”policy that has demanded gay men and women serving in uniform to keep quiet for the past 17 years.

Frank Sabatini Jr., media coordinator for San Diego LGBT Pride, believes that supporters from all around have helped to make this event successful.

“It has become a giant melting pot of tolerance and those who believe in equal rights for all,” Sabatini said.

The Pride festival will have constant entertainment throughout the day, with three stages for the performers starting Saturday, July 16 from noon to 10 p.m. and it will continue Sunday, July 17 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Highly praised comedian Margaret Cho will be performing Saturday, July 16 at 8:15 p.m. on the main stage.

Although the live entertainment is a huge part of the festival, there will also be 300 participating vendor booths, plenty of food, an art exhibit, cultural presentations, and much more. During the festival, the Cabrillo Bridge may be closed temporarily.

The mission of San Diego LGBT Pride is “Fostering pride in and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, locally and globally.”

“We encourage everyone to come out and join us,” Sabatini said. “It’s one of the most colorful and festive events in the city.”

Please note that Balboa Park is a smoke-free zone.

For more information and details about any Pride events, call 619-297-7683 or visit SanDiegoPride.org.

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Special thanks for the troops who marched - bet those who are still against this have
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Wellington LBGT community aims to take back the night!

via 3news.co.nz

The gay community's really worried about the attacks and tonight's not going to be the end of it. The Queer the Night Collective is also holding a public meeting next Thursday to talk about issues around homo and transphobia.

Queens LBGT Pride Parade Tomorrow: Gothamist

Recently, President Obama officially declared June the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, and events are going on across the five boroughs all month. Today, a few hundred members of Staten Island's LGBT community came out for their march, culminating with a festival in Tompkinsville Park at 4 p.m. later this afternoon. And tomorrow, there is the 19th Annual Queens Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Parade and Festival taking place in Jackson Heights.

The Parade starts at noon on 37th Avenue from 85th Street to 75th Street in Jackson Heights; there will also be a multicultural festival concurrently from noon to 6 p.m. on 75th Street and 37th Road between 74th and 77th Streets. This year’s Grand Marshals will be Miss New York 2010, Claire Buffie, NYS State Senator Tony Avella, and SALGA (South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association). Chis Calvert, co-chairperson of Queens Pride, the festival organizing committee, said: "Queens Pride is thrilled by the President's proclamation and is pleased to host the kick-off for the month of Pride celebrations in New York City. Our parade offers LGBT organizations a real opportunity to draw awareness and visibility."

The second annual Harlem Pride event is coming up on on Saturday, June 25, in Marcus Garvey Park from noon to 6 p.m. The celebration includes a barbecue, bowling and a dance party, but it has been met with resistance (and confusion) in some corners of Harlem, including one pastor who said, "If children start to believe it is okay to be gay, they will think it's okay to be a pedophile or have sex with animals. It's a slippery slope."

via gothamist.com

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