Today in GLBT News

[Prince Of Dorkness]

Today someone was rather surprised to find out that it's legal in 29 states to fire someone for being gay and legal in 38 to evict them form their homes.

So I figured I'd keep y'all abreast of the news in my community.

I figured it might help us to encapsulate the stories from the last couple of days since Barack Obama "declared war on marriage." (according to Fox News)

• Rep. James Lankford (R-OK) argued that it should stay legal to fire gay people for being gay. He followed up saying that you can't just walk up to a person on the street and say "you're gay." News to me.

• Bob Marshall blocks judicial nominee Tracy Thorne-Begland for being a "gay judge."

• Republican Rep. Don Coram, whose son is gay voted against his own son's civil union because he said "Democrats are playing politics to get votes."

• Tony Perkins boldly LIES that churches are being forced to host gay weddings on national television and the only person who calls him out isn't the "Journalist" who is hosting the "debate" but famed American Idol "Clay Aiken." No, really.

• Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said that the Violence Against Women Act shouldn't include protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people because "those are side issues."

• Pat Robertson posts a video saying that gay marriage "leads to disease."

• Pro-Boxer Manny Paquaio said that "gays should be put to death."

• And he got his wish. Four gay men were publicly executed for being gay in Iran today.



and how was your day?

[brianlux]

That's a lot of heavy news. There's still a lot of bias out there. What's sad is, I thought this whole thing was beginning to turn around nearly forty years ago when I first started following gay rights issues. What happened?

[Prince Of Dorkness]

That's a lot of heavy news. There's still a lot of bias out there. What's sad is, I thought this whole thing was beginning to turn around nearly forty years ago when I first started following gay rights issues. What happened?

Oddly enough... we've come a VERY long way. When I came out in about 1987, things were a LOT worse. And I helplessly watched my friends and peers get sick, waste away and die in front of me while the general consensus was that they deserved it.

We've come a very long way since then.

But it's not over yet and it won't be for a very long time.

[rollings]

To address just your first point, I was under the impression that employment was always a contract at will, and thus you could be fired for any damn reason as well as being able to quit for any damn reason. But I suppose it would be a problem if discrimination WAS suspected...but not so in those states you say, huh?

[brianlux]

We've come a very long way since then.

Good to hear. I hope things keep moving that way. As you say, though, still a long way to go.

I'm thinking of Mark K. as I write this. Mark was one of the first gay men I knew- a good friend- and the very first person I ever knew who died of AIDS (Early '80's). Mark and I and my wife and a few other friends were walking around the Castro one night and some guy drove by and yelled really loudly "fags!" at Mark and I. Mark pointed at me and and yelled- "Him, not me!" I laughed and got a little flustered and bent over to tie my shoe and Mark yelled out "Cheer-i-o!"

R.I.P. good friend.

[Prince Of Dorkness]

To address just your first point, I was under the impression that employment was always a contract at will, and thus you could be fired for any damn reason as well as being able to quit for any damn reason. But I suppose it would be a problem if discrimination WAS suspected...but not so in those states you say, huh?

Not so in those states, no.

That said... It would (and should) be illegal for me to fire one of my employees if I found out that he was a Christian.

[Prince Of Dorkness]

We've come a very long way since then.

Good to hear. I hope things keep moving that way. As you say, though, still a long way to go.

I'm thinking of Mark K. as I write this. Mark was one of the first gay men I knew- a good friend- and the very first person I ever knew who died of AIDS (Early '80's). Mark and I and my wife and a few other friends were walking around the Castro one night and some guy drove by and yelled really loudly "fags!" at Mark and I. Mark pointed at me and and yelled- "Him, not me!" I laughed and got a little flustered and bent over to tie my shoe and Mark yelled out "Cheer-i-o!"

R.I.P. good friend.

Oh... I really wish I had a time machine and could go back to the Castro in those days. Yeah, people were dropping dead left and right but there was a revolution brewing. And it was ugly but exciting. It was similar in Toronto in the late 80s.... I remember hanging about in Cawthra Park one afternoon and one of my friends said that "you can feel the uprising bubbling up from under... You can see the monster is awake and just waiting to be provoked... It's going to happen soon."

And it did.

[know1]

That is a lot of heavy news and the people, countries, etc. doing those things are just plain wrong.

But I will say this - in most states you can be fired for no reason whatsoever. Lots of people don't get that.

[josevolution]

Humans just suck i've totally lost all hope for our society ...

[brianlux]

Oh... I really wish I had a time machine and could go back to the Castro in those days. Yeah, people were dropping dead left and right but there was a revolution brewing. And it was ugly but exciting. It was similar in Toronto in the late 80s.... I remember hanging about in Cawthra Park one afternoon and one of my friends said that "you can feel the uprising bubbling up from under... You can see the monster is awake and just waiting to be provoked... It's going to happen soon."

And it did.

The Castro really was an amazing time and place back then. There was a real community feel to the place and things were definitely happening. Not only was there a vibrant community, an active night life scene but also some great bookstores and the awesome Castro Theatre- which I guess is still there but I don't know if it's changed since then.

There was a real movement of gays having a strong sense of pride and community and at the same time an acceptance for outsiders who were open minded and cool with the scene. And, somewhat like the hippie scene in the Haight Ashbury (I lived in the upper Haight and saw a lot of change happen there- both good and bad) the place probably got too much of the wrong kind of attention from the outside. I suppose a lot of that has to do with all the money coming into the city which drove a lot of us middle and lower income folks out.

The history stands though, and great it is.

[Cosmo]

GLBT always sounds like a sandwich to me... like a tossed salad between two tacos.

[ComeToTX]

Humans just suck i've totally lost all hope for our society ...

We really are an awful species, aren't we?

[norm]

GLBT always sounds like a sandwich to me... like a tossed salad between two tacos.

[butterjam]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/steps-to ... 681_285942

[Prince Of Dorkness]

Wow... been a whole two days, and...

• A middle school teacher from Kansas posted to his Facebook page that Gay marriage is the same as ‘murder, lying, stealing, cheating’
• Christian Softball Teams refuse to play a Church's team because the pastor is bisexual.
• Gay Couple Sentenced To Three Months In Dubai Prison For “Fondling” In Car
• Maine's "marriage protectors" have launched their gaymarriagehouseofhorrors.com