Monday, July 31, 2006
TAKE ACTION: NRSC spokesman is anti-gay closet case...
Long-time readers will remember that I have always placed an emphasis on closet cases who serve as spokesmen and communication directors for anti-gay politicians and organizations. So, today I am reporting on Brian Walton, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Above is Brian pictured with a bunch of college buddies. Walton acknowledged on the group's website that he is gay here. (His college friends are not exactly the pro-gay crowd either as you can see here, here and here.)
Here's the kind of press releases the NRSC sends out (the red and yellow are my emphasis):
I have spoken with individuals who have had intimate encounters with Mr. Walton. I spoke with him via telephone and he acknowledged he was gay. Mr. Walton then asked me if he could call me back in fifteen or twenty minutes and I said "sure." Mr. Walton did not call back and he did not return two messages left for him on his office phone and cell phone.
Here's another example of what the NRSC and Mr. Walton are up to...
TAKE ACTION: Tell Mr. Walton and his colleagues (click here or copy the names from the box below to your mail program) at the National Republican Senatorial Committee what you think of his work on behalf of lesbian and gay Americans. Your email will be copied to staff at the NRSC and to staffers of Elizabeth Dole, chairwoman of the Committee, and staffers of Saxby Chambliss and Kit Bond who serve as the Committee's co-chairs.
A couple more hours...
Sunday, July 30, 2006
As usual, I'll stick with the ACLU
This may shock some of you, but I'm a card carrying member of the American Civil Liberties Union.The ACLU was right with the Nazis in Skokie and they are right in defending Fred Phelps' right to protest too. (Any other stance would be counter to my family tradition. My mom's first cousin was married to the late Mario Savio, founder of the Free Speech Movement.)
During "Skokie" I attended Junior High School across the street from the synagogue my mother helped to found. Even then, as a teenager involved in the Jewish community, did it ever occur to me to limit the rights of Nazi, freaks like Phelps, or anyone else with a point of view I disagreed with.
Quite the contrary. These haters, be they Nazis, Fred Phelps, or closet cases who work against the community... MUST be exposed by the light of day. All pushing these people back into the ground does is created the condition for a geyser, which could blow at any time.
I get comments
Because the original comment post had expressed a desire to see the subject of this post kill himself, I decided to yank it. You can still read the responses to the comments.
I have a challenge which will put an end to this "suicide" silliness. A challenge to readers.... Find me someone who meets the following criteria and I will stop blogACTIVE's campaign to expose hypocrisy in the government:
1. Closeted gayReady... Set... Go...
2. Is an elected official who works against the gay community
-or-
Is a staff member for such a politician or anti-gay organization
3. Was "outed" by gay media between 1986 and today
and
4. Died as a result of suicide within 90 days of their being exposed.
Friday, July 28, 2006
AP: Priest May Have Misspent $1.4 Million
AP: Priest May Have Misspent $1.4 Million
A priest who resigned from a church in an affluent Connecticut community misspent up to $1.4 million in parishioner donations to lead a life of luxury with another man, according to a church-directed investigation.Ahhhhhh, good old hypocrisy.The Rev. Michael Jude Fay spent church money on limousines, stays at top hotels, jewelry, Italian clothing and a Florida condominium shared with the other man, auditors hired by the diocese found. About half the money he spent was kept in a secret bank account, according to their report, which was mailed Friday to 1,700 parishioners of the Darien church and obtained in advance by The Associated Press.
Bloggers on "outing"
“Outing” celebrities in 2006, the bloggers have their say:
"Woo, who has stated she is bisexual, has written on her blog that reporter Mike Rogers at BlogActive refers to a New York Magazine article “that pretty much confirms the scuttlebutt that our man Anderson is ‘family."
Jeez....so impatient....
So, It's one of these guys, pictured from their little college group website.
Take your guess....add it to the comments.
(and remember, folks...anything you post on the web can be located...
See you on Monday...
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
A hot, hot summer and long hours in the library
I've lived in Washington for over ten years and never had reason to visit the Library's main reading room. Unlike most libraries, at the LOC you must obtain a card to even look at the books and you can't check books out.
What is most amazing, however, is that they have every book ever registered with the LOC available, all within 60 minutes of requesting it; rather extraordinary if you ask me. I don't know if I've ever seen a book printed in my lifetime in the US without the ubiquitous Library of Congress cataloging data.
I was at the library to see a book which I had heard about a videotape of a newscast from 1982. (The Vanderbilt University has an amazing archive of every major network newscast from 1968, all searchable in a text database). I was able to obtain the video from those newscasts.... I did all of this on a tip.... and it's helping.
So, this book, Each Time A Man, published in 1978 has the following passage...
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Black LGBT Bloggers Against Anti-Gay Musicians.
Margaret Mead gets it:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Weasel Response from LIFEbeat re: having gaybashers on their concert bill
Here is the press release that LifeBeat’s PR firm released in response to mounting criticism of allowing two artists to perform at the Reggae Gold fundraiser who advocate the hanging and burning of gays:
LIFEBEAT STATEMENT ON REGGAE GOLD:
LIFEbeat's mission is to utilize the power of music to raise awareness and educate in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Caribbean American community has been tremendously affected by the HIV/AIDS virus and has long kept silent about the epidemic's effect on their community for fear of being stigmatized. When planning the upcoming Hearts & Voices Reggae Gold concert, LIFEbeat’s staff and board knew this event might raise concerns by some in the gay community and required careful consideration before proceeding. LIFEbeat’s staff and board do not condone anti-gay lyrics or violence against anyone; they are an organization dedicated to promoting life. The staff and board also strongly believe that dialogue opens doors, creating the opportunity for enlightenment, growth and change amongst all involved. We all have an opportunity to look to the future, not the past, and join together in solidarity to educate, enlighten, be a part of positive change and save lives.
[emphasis mine]
Jody L. Miller
JLM PR, Inc.
580 Broadway, Ste. 1208
New York, N.Y. 10012
p: 212.431.5227
f: 212.431.6818
e: jody@jlmpr.com
I have three questions for LIFEbeat:
1) How does having the artists Beanie Man and TOK, who advocate the murder of gays help the Caribbean American community to deal openly with HIV/AIDS when the disease has been stigmatized as a gay disease?
2) If LIFEbeat does not condone violence against gays then why is it allowing artists to perform who advocate the murder of gays?
3) How does having advocates of murder perform with LIFEbeat’s approval further the organizations “dedication to promoting life?”
Asking gays to "have a dialogue" with people who call for our deaths is as ridiculous as asking Jews to have discussions with neo-Nazis or for African-Americans "to have a dialogue" with the KKK.
If you feel that the press release does not address our concerns please contact John Cannelli Executive Director at 212-459-2590, ext.101 jcannelli@lifebeat.org , and Sarah Peters, Manager, Operations at 212-459-2590, ext.119 speters@lifebeat.org .Also contact JLM to request a more substantive response to our concerns.
Many thanks to Jasmynne Cannick and Keith Boykin for shining a light on this idiocy.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
It's time to make some changes.
Friday marked a very special day for my blog. Two years ago, on July 7, 2004, blogACTIVE came into being with my first report on a closeted anti-gay official.
Over the past two years much has happened. Dozens of closeted politicians and senior staff who work against the gay community have been reported on. The site pushed one anti-gay member of Congress out the door and helped a member of a state legislature come out on his own terms with help, love and support. This site and the coverage it has received have created social change and educated many on the perils of homophobia from within the closet.
The work of this blog also resulted in the creation of my LGBT news service, PageOneQ. Moving from a twenty-year career in activism and fundraising to journalism has been quite a change. My father has always predicted I would find great joy in working with computers and the web. He was right.
It's time to make some changes.
Over the next three months, I will be making some big changes to the blog and PageOneQ. Some are in the planning stages (a blog redesign) and some have already been set in motion (the creation of a new site which blogACTIVE and PageOneQ readers have been asking for). And, perhaps, most important, I have decided to share some of the work with other capable folks who are great believers in blogACTIVE.
Meet Julian Miller.
Diehard fans of the site know Julian for his lively participation in the comments section. As I've read the comments Julian has posted, it became clear to me that he and I share many of the same political beliefs. This is not surprising, as we are both 42 and came of age in a gay community ravaged by AIDS. Like me, Julian has spent time living in New York, which was his home for 16 years until his recent move to Chicago. When I speak to Julian I feel one of those connections politically that is almost second nature. I am sure there are times on this site when Julian and I may disagree -- I promise you that when we do the discourse will be interesting.Born and raised in North Carolina, Julian has been active in a number of community causes, including Boycott Colorado, the effort against Colorado's Amendment 2, and gay and lesbian groups in Japan. Like me, Julian believes that old time activism is still effective and necessary.
Julian recently wrote:
I do believe that sometimes we must make our voices heard and we have to take clear stands for or against current and proposed policies and legislation. I love the reason that blogactive exists to keep people honest. If someone is a gay politician and she/he supports anti-gay legislation and policies then I firmly believe that we need to have an open and honest discussion about how he/she can support positions that hurt loved ones and the community. This is not "outing;" this is requiring honesty from those who govern and who are in positions of power. I do not believe that living a closeted life in Washington, D.C., NYC, SF, LA, Seattle or most other cities is a morally tenable position. Some readers of this blog disagree with this view. Mike knows that I will never try to please everyone; that is impossible. I would like most to keep a discussion going on what political action is necessary to protect our civil rights and what policies, legislation and regulations discriminate against us. Also I would like to discuss how some straight people have misperceptions about who comprises the LGT community.And I look forward to hearing from Julian...
I look forward to hearing from the readers of this blog.
Monday, July 10, 2006
TAKE ACTION: Another batch of anti-gay metrosexuals
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Hey, George...
Best...
Sunday, July 02, 2006
The race is on