Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" Battles HIV
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- Created on Tuesday, 22 February 2011 15:34
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
By The POZ Staff on February 18, 2011 10:59 AM
By Trenton Straube (Copy Editor, POZ)
Lady Gaga's latest hit single "Born This Way" must be the most overtly pro-gay song to perch atop the Billboard Hot 100, where it currently waves like a rainbow flag on a Pride float. (You can read the lyrics at the end of this post).
Though her message to love and express yourself has been labeled a "gay anthem" linked to LGBT causes--for example, to counter gay teen suicides--Gaga's empowering dance track also does double duty as a battle cry against HIV/AIDS.
How? Simply put, LGBT people who love and respect themselves are less likely to put themselves at risk for HIV, compared with those who are struggling with their sexuality or who are rejected by their communities. This is because those who aren't empowered and accepted are more susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse, to depression, low self-esteem, homelessness, unhealthy sexual relationships and myriad other factors that increase one's risk for contracting the virus.
What's more, the very title "Born This Way" is a powerful rebuke to the ex-gay movement. This fundamentalist religious ideology posits that LGBT people are not born this way, baby. Indeed, the ex-gay theory goes, same-sex attractions result from childhood trauma, sexual abuse or unhealthy relationships with parents. This, in turn, means that being gay can be overcome with reparative therapy and the power of God.
Gaga's not having it. She opens "Born This Way" by stating: "It doesn't matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M, just put your paws up, 'Cause you were born this way, baby."
Amen. And by the way, this ex-gay ideology is not a fringe belief system to be snickered at by those of us lucky enough to live out, loud and proud lives. Its dangerous premise continues to devastate individuals, families and communities (Uganda, anyone?) while helping spread HIV in the process. For more details, click here to read POZ's recent cover story linking the ex-gay movement with the spread of HIV.
Of course, Gaga isn't the first artist on the planet to trumpet loving yourself and living a healthy life. Back in the day--1977 to be exact--openly gay singer Carl Bean had a hitdisco anthem titled "I Was Born This Way" (and Bean's version itself was a remake of a 1975 track by Valentino; the chorus goes "I'm happy, I'm carefree and I'm gay / I was born this way"). Bean went on to found the Minority AIDS Project and is now the archbishop of the Unity Fellowship Church in Los Angeles.
But has any celebrity ever sang about HIV and queer equality backed by the star-wattage of Gaga? The week after launching her track, an alien-looking Gaga appeared on Good Morning America wearing what she described as a "latex and condom-inspired outfit." But there's a method to her madness. She was there to speak about the MAC AIDS Fund, for which she's a spokesperson.
click for complete article
The Wretched Void
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- Created on Monday, 14 February 2011 23:15
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
Tyler Clementi. Asher Brown. Seth Walsh. Justin Aaberg. Raymond Chase. Five gay teenagers who ended their own lives after relentless bullying and torment. In the devastating wake of these tragedies, family and friends were left to ask the tough questions. “Could I have prevented this?”; “Where was the school involvement?”; and probably the most heart-wrenching, “What was the last thought that went through their mind?”
The Cutting Edge Theater Project, Fresno’s newest boutique theater company, seeks to answer these questions with their premiere show, The Wretched Void.
A demand for acceptance and equality, The Wretched Void is a show aimed at both straight and gay audience members. Void provides a window into the intimate details of these tragedies, as well as a mirror charging audience members to examine their own prejudices and beliefs.
For additional information, follow them on Facebook: Cutting Edge Theater Project, or on Twitter at ce_theater.
Listen To Lady GaGa's New Single, Born This Way, HERE!!!!!!!!
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- Created on Friday, 11 February 2011 04:17
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
It's finally arrived!!!!!!!!
An anthem for a new generation, Lady GaGa's new single is birthed unto the world today - and it's huge!
Upon first listen, you'll be able to hear it's a massive massive hit!
The first single off her upcoming album, out this May, Born This Way, is the dance diva you know and love about GaGa - but it's also more.
It's growth. It's evolution.
It's pop with depth!
It's everything!!!!!
Listen to Born This Way (below) and download the song on iTunes today!!!!!
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Gay Hanford Volunteer
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- Created on Wednesday, 09 February 2011 17:59
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
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Gay Hanford Business Directory Letter
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- Created on Wednesday, 09 February 2011 17:34
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
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Closet homosexuals sink further under the radar after Kato’s death
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- Created on Wednesday, 09 February 2011 15:35
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
By JOHN K. ABIMANYI (email the author)
Posted Monday, February 7 2011 at 00:00
He sits at a table with his fingers encircled around the tail of a glass filled with Smirnoff. He is at a Kampala nightspot and has dissolved into the crowd, looking just like any other reveller. What most people at the bar would not know however, is that he, plus a couple of his colleagues at the venue, is homosexual. He demands that his identity is hidden if he is to be quoted in the papers instead; he proposes a pseudonym, Alan Mukasa.
He gives off no signs that he is gay. He’s not dressed in a tight fitting pair of jeans, commonly known as skinnies, his hair is a natural un-treated neatly trimmed black, he has no studs or earrings, wears no make-up or anything that may attract undue attention to him. “It’s a security precaution one has to take,” he says. “The best way to hide is to fit in.
Be as ordinary as everyone else and there will not be many questions to ask, and answers to give,” he adds. There is an ever-present sense of consciousness that runs on autopilot in the Ugandan gay man’s mind, Mukasa says. But that was before the murder of gay rights activist, David Kisule Kato last month, which, as Mukasa says, “Forces you to ask yourself whether you have watched your back well.”
Mukasa and Sam Musiime (also not real name), say the gay Ugandan living in the closet now has to add even more latches and keep the world away from the skeletons. “The aftermath of David Kato Kisule’s death is a strange atmosphere of confusion, fear, sadness, shock, and terror,” Musiime says, adding, “After watching a pastor deliver a less than savoury hate speech at his funeral, all I could think is, ‘they must think we are all mad’.”
Musiime and Mukasa are both in their late 20s and have kept their orientation a secret from many for nearly a decade now. “You tell no one. Only gay people like you ever get to know, and even then, you watch which gay person gets to find out because they too could sell you out, accidentally or not,” Musiime says. “The key is to ease into society as much as possible, behave like everyone else, even flirt with girls to portray the usual boy look,” Musiime says.
Click for complete article
FRC Infuriated That CPAC Will Host Pro-Gay Rights Presidential Candidate
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- Created on Wednesday, 09 February 2011 14:42
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
Submitted by Brian on February 9, 2011 - 11:08am
The Family Research Council is joining other Religious Right groups in elevating their attacks on CPAC, which begins tomorrow. The FRC is already boycotting CPAC over the conference’s inclusion of GOProud, and hosts a similar gathering called the Values Voter Summit. But today’s news that former New Mexico governor and likely GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson will address the annual event, where he “plans on advocating legalizing marijuana and gay rights,” enraged Tom McClusky. McClusky, the FRC’s Vice President for Government Affairs, has taken to his blog to bash Johnson for his libertarian views and CPAC for including him:
Guess Who (else) Is Coming to CPAC? Grover Norquist’s pot-smoking/pro-abortion/pro-gay marriage Presidential candidate
I wrote about the pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-pot legalization, pro-illegal immigration former New Mexico governor and wannabe President Gary Johnson before when it was learned that Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform were partnering with the liberal homosexual group Log Cabin Republicans for a fundraiser for him. It appears now that CPAC is so desperate to fill speaking spots that they have invited Gary Johnson to speak at CPAC as well. What is equally likely is that they hope to divide the libertarian vote to avoid the joke of a straw poll they had last year.
The Log Cabin Republicans will be hosting a fundraiser for Johnson, who supports “gay unions,” on CPAC’s opening night.
Norquist, for his part, earlier today called boycotting groups like the FRC “loser organizations.”
via: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/frc-infuriated-cpac-will-host-pro-gay-rights-presidential-candidate
Bush daughter adds to Obama's problems
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- Created on Friday, 04 February 2011 17:24
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
Editor's note: LZ Granderson is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com and has contributed to ESPN's Sports Center, Outside the Lines and First Take. He is a 2010 nominee and the 2009 winner of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation award for online journalism and a 2010 and 2008 honoree of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for column writing.
(CNN) -- Now, I'm not so cynical as to believe Barbara Bush does not believe in the words she said in her PSA supporting marriage equality in New York.
Maybe George W. Bush's daughter has always supported marriage equality and finally feels strong enough to say it; maybe she has gay friends; maybe she downloaded the first season of "Modern Family" and decided gay people are not as scary as she thought. Who knows? I'm just happy to see her use her platform to introduce civility and fairness.
But I am also aware that her little revelation follows roughly 18 months of gay rights support coming from the mouths of some fairly surprising sources. People such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, former first lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain. I also see that despite Obama doing more for the GLBT community than any other president in this country's history, it only took a 22-second PSA to suggest he is still somehow behind the eight ball when it comes to gay rights.
click for complete article
New chief justice says California Supreme Court will decide soon on entering Proposition 8 fray
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- Created on Friday, 04 February 2011 17:14
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye discusses the possibility of weighing in on the federal appeal of Proposition 8 and her hope that a vacancy on the California Supreme Court be filled by a Southern California Latino.
Chief Justice of California Tani Cantil-Sakayue, pictured after swearing in members of the California Legislature in Sacramento, describes herself as "a very moderate Republican." (John G. Mabanglo / European Pressphoto Agency)
By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times
February 3, 2011
Reporting from San Francisco —
Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said Wednesday that the California Supreme Court may decide "as soon as next week" whether to weigh in on the federal Proposition 8 appeal and expressed hope that a Southern California Latino would be chosen to succeed departing Justice Carlos R. Moreno.
In her first meeting with reporters since taking over for retired Chief Justice Ronald M. George, Cantil-Sakauye said she would meet with Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday and discuss the judicial branch budget and Moreno's successor.
Moreno, the only Democrat on the court, is leaving at the end of this month to make more money in the private sector. He was the sole justice on the court to vote to overturn Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that reinstated a ban on same-sex marriage.
Cantil-Sakauye said Moreno had been an important "ambassador" for the court and as a resident of Los Angeles, had ensured the court has a strong presence there. She said geographic and ethnic diversity are important to the court, and "it really would be helpful" if Moreno's successor shares his heritage and residency.
Brown has yet to reveal his leanings on the subject, but his advisors have been examining several Latino candidates, including law professors. The court also has no African-American justice.
Gay rights activists have bemoaned Moreno's departure at a time when the court is being asked to play another critical role in Proposition 8. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has asked the California high court to determine whether state law gives sponsors of initiatives the authority to defend them legally when state officials refuse to do so.
The state court has been highly deferential to initiatives in the past. If the court rules that initiative backers have special status under state law, the 9th Circuit would be more likely to rule on the constitutionally of Proposition 8.
Lawyers and law professors who have followed the case suspect that the 9th Circuit was prepared to dismiss the appeal by backers of Proposition 8 on the grounds that only state officials can challenge the trial court's ruling against the measure. Gay rights lawyers say such a ruling would mean Proposition 8's demise, but it would have no direct effect on same-sex marriage outside California.
The new chief justice has declined to reveal her views about gay marriage. As an appeals court judge in Sacramento, she performed a wedding for a same-sex couple "as a favor to someone else who had a family emergency," she said. Same-sex marriage was legal for six months in 2008. "I didn't have any qualms about it," she said.
Cantil-Sakauye, appointed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, described herself as a "a very moderate Republican" who was attracted to the party in college because of its strong law-and-order stance. She said she does not vote along party lines.
She rents an apartment in San Francisco four blocks from the court and commutes to her home in Sacramento on weekends to be with her husband and daughters. "We Skype, and we talk," she said.
She said one of her biggest surprises since becoming chief justice was the failure of judges critical of the centralization of the courts to give her a chance to address their concerns. Some of those judges have formed an association to lobby for more autonomy.
Cantil-Sakauye said she was willing to appoint some of those critics to judicial policy committees, but "instead of giving me a chance," the judges wrote negative and critical letters.
UPDATE: Central Valley G.S.A. Valentine's Mixer
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- Created on Friday, 28 January 2011 20:08
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
Calling all Central Valley Gay Straight Alliance’s! You are invited to a Valentine’s Mixer brought to you by the Clovis North High School G.S.A! The Valentine’s Mixer will be held at the Downtown Community Arts Collective on February 12, 2011 from 6pm-9pm. This mixer will provide a chance for Central Valley teens to interact with one another during the season of love!
The night will consist of food, drinks and music all with a splash of a Valentine’s theme. If you are Single and ready to mingle, Clovis North G.S.A has got you covered! "Love and Kisses" favors will be available for purchase throughout the night to give to that special someone that has caught your eye! Taken but still looking for a good time? No worries! Bring your special someone to have a night out! The fun will begin right when you walk through the door!
If the party scene is not for you, slip into the lounge area where you can chat with G.S.A. members from across the Valley. Socializing and networking with other individuals that attend the event will provide a new opportunity to hear ideas to bring back to their G.S.A as well as making new friends.
Snacks and drinks will be provided to everyone who attends. There will be a live DJ playing your requests for the night from XO Productions, as well as a photo booth to take some fun pictures!
*** $5 minimum donation for entry! Proceeds will go towards funding a LGBT Community Center here in the Central Valley!***
Volunteers and donations are needed to help make this a great event! Four to five volunteers are needed in the following areas.: set up before the event and cleanup after the event, supervision volunteers to ensure the event is maintained at a controlled level, as well as security volunteers to ensure that students are escorted to their vehicles safely after the event is over. Please contact Justin Kamimoto via email at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
for all donations inquiries and volunteer interests.
Facebook RSVP
EQCA Sponsor Bill Barring Deals With Anti-Gay Businesses
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- Created on Friday, 28 January 2011 13:35
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
via OutqNew.Wordpress.com
Written by Xorje Olivares
California State Senator Christine Kehoe says she wants the state to stop doing business with companies that do NOT provide their employees with domestic partner benefits.
The openly lesbian politician last week introduced Senate Bill 117, which would add a provision to the state’s current equal benefits law. That’s the 2003 law Kehoe authored as an Assemblymember that prohibits discrimination in benefits between employees with spouses and employees with registered domestic partners.
Kehoe tells OutQ News that her main goal as a state lawmaker is to help ALL Californians receive equal rights.
KEHOE: “The fundamental issue with this bill and almost all the bills I’ve done regarding LGBT civil rights is fairness and justice and that every Californian is treated equally.”
Kehoe says she’s proud of the state’s track record on advancing pro-gay rights legislation. And she says she is hopeful that her bill will provide an even playing field for companies wanting to do business with the state.
Senate Bill 117 is backed by gay rights group Equality California. The group’s executive director Geoff Kors said in a statement: “This legislation would ensure fairness and equality for workers and could mean the difference between having access to vital benefits such as health insurance or not.”
Kehoe’s bill is set to have its first policy committee hearing in the next couple of months.
Add a commentKings County Employment Opportunities
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- Created on Friday, 28 January 2011 13:30
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
|
Road Maintenance Worker I/II |
OPENING DATE: 01/28/11
CLOSING DATE: 02/07/11
JOB OPPORTUNITY:
Three immediate vacancies in the Public Works Department Roads Division. Future vacancies will be filled from the eligible list to be established; expected life of the list is six months.
About the Position
Under close supervision, to perform a variety of semi-skilled, unskilled and manual tasks in the construction, maintenance and repair of County roads, bridges, storm drains or traffic safety devices; to operate trucks and light equipment; and to perform related duties as required.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The Road Maintenance Worker classification series is utilized in the Roads and Bridges Division of the Public Works Department. Road Maintenance Worker I is the entry level class in the series. Incumbents work under close supervision and guidance and are expected to advance to the II level when the minimum qualifications have been met for the higher level and satisfactory performance has been demonstrated. Incumbents may be required to work a flexible work week schedule including regular assignment to a weekend labor crew. Incumbents may be required to qualify for deputization by the Kings County Sheriff’s Department, as required by assignment.
DUTY SAMPLE
Operates a dump truck, a water truck or other light equipment utilized for road maintenance and repair; lifts and moves heavy objects; loads stone, gravel, dirt, debris and other materials and dumps or unloads trucks; performs pick and shovel work in digging, widening and backfilling trenches and other excavations; fills cracks and patches road surfaces; sweeps, clears and cleans road sides, gutters, curbs, culverts and other drainage structures; assists in road striping, installing and repairing road traffic control and warning signs; may assist with bridge construction work including hauling, loading and unloading forms, mixing and pouring concrete; mixes and sprays chemical and water solution on road sideways for the control and eradication of weeds; cleans and inspects equipment assigned, and reports needed repairs to immediate superiors; may operate equipment normally assigned to the class of Road Maintenance Worker II on a training, relief or emergency basis as required; may oversee the work of probationers assigned to work-in-lieu projects.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Note: Minimum qualification requirements must be met by the closing date.
Education: Completion of formal or informal education sufficient to assure the ability to read and write at the level required for successful job performance.
Experience: One year of general work experience in maintenance, construction or agricultural work.
Desirable Qualification: Maintenance, construction, or agricultural work experience involving the use of light equipment such as trucks, small tractors or related equipment preferred.
License: Possession of a valid, appropriate California driver's license. Class A or B is preferred.
A current DMV printout is required upon application. Applicants must mail, fax (559-585-1036) or deliver in person a current DMV printout prior to the closing date. Applicants who do not submit a DMV printout the closing date will be disqualified.
A valid California Class A or B driver's license with tanker endorsements and no restrictions must be obtained within one year from date of appointment in order to remain in County employment.
(NOTE: Candidate’s receiving a conditional offer of employment are required to submit to pre-employment drug testing before employment can be confirmed. Incumbents are required to submit to on-going random and other DOT-mandated drug and alcohol testing as a condition of employment.)
Special Requirements:
Ability to perform heavy manual labor including the ability to lift and carry objects weighing up to 100 pounds for distances up to 50 feet
Ability to work overtime, on-call or call-back assignments, as required
Ability to work a flexible work week schedule, including weekends as assigned; ability to qualify for deputization by the Kings County Sheriff's Department, including a satisfactory driving record, as required by assignment.
SELECTION PROCESS
Depending upon the number of applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, the examination process may include a qualifications screening (pass/fail) and/or an oral examination (100%) which may include a practical component.
Veterans Preference available upon request-must be requested before closing date
Equal Opportunity Employer
APPLICATIONS MAY BE OBTAINED AND FILED ONLINE AT:
http://www.countyofkings.com/hr/index.html
OR
Kings County Human Resources
(559)582-3211 ext 2510
Governor Brown Orders Immediate State Car Cutback
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- Created on Friday, 28 January 2011 13:02
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
SACRAMENTO – In an effort to cut the state’s passenger vehicle fleet in half, Governor Jerry Brown today directed all state agencies and departments to immediately halt new car purchases and turn in taxpayer-funded cars that are not essential to state business.
“There is a lot of wasteful spending on cars that aren’t even driven,” Brown said. “And we can’t afford to spend taxpayer money on new cars while California faces such a massive deficit.”
Brown said his goal is to halve the number of the state’s passenger cars, trucks and home storage permits—which allow state employees to use passenger cars for their daily commute.
“Fifty percent is a starting point. If we find more waste, we’ll make more cuts,” Brown added.
Brown will also move underutilized vehicles to new locations, so that the fleet is more efficient overall. Cars that are not needed will be sold.
The Department of General Services estimates that there are approximately 11,000 passenger cars and trucks in the state fleet, and approximately 4,500 home storage permits, that don’t serve a health or public safety function. Brown’s goal is to cut these totals in half.
Brown’s order directs every agency secretary and department director to immediately review their organization’s home storage permits and withdraw those that are not essential or cost-effective. He explained that some employees may need a car around-the-clock because their jobs are public health and safety focused, or it is more cost-effective for the state for certain employees to have a car than not. The review will take this into account.
Brown’s order instructs agencies and departments to analyze the purpose, necessity and cost-effectiveness of every fleet vehicle, and submit a plan for cutting unneeded vehicles. Non-essential vehicles must be sold or transferred within 120 days of the plan’s approval.
The order additionally prohibits agencies and departments from buying new vehicles for non-emergency use.
Earlier this month, Brown issued an Executive Order directing state agency and department heads to collect and turn in 48,000 government-paid cell phones.
The text of the Executive Order is below:
click link for Executive Order
via http://dl5.activatedirect.com
Pentagon Unveils DADT Repeal Plan of Action
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- Created on Friday, 28 January 2011 12:10
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
| Written by Jonathan Higbee | Friday, 28 January 2011 |
| Tags: dadt repeal, military, pentagon, implementation |
As expected, the Pentagon today revealed its plan of action for DADT repeal.
Though repeal is not anticipated to be fully enacted for at least three more months, the military will begin a three-tiered training approach in early February with a goal of instilling respect for all soldiers, LGBT or straight. The three tiers of the training program will be administrators, relevant leadership and finally, the rest of the military.
Also unveiled during today's press conference is news that the U.S. military will no longer ask recruits about their sexual identity and will cease tracking the private sexual lives of current servicemembers.
But the biggest morsel out of today's Pentagon statement might be that the military has decided it WILL NOT need to implement any major policy or rule changes once it begins to allow gay soliders to serve openly. Instead, leading brass say the military will focus on respect and personal privacy in the months leading up to DADT's full repeal.
via http://instinctmagazine.com/blog/pentagon-unveils-dadt-repeal-plan-of-action
Obama Nominates Gay Man to Federal Bench
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- Created on Friday, 28 January 2011 12:01
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
By Advocate.com Editors
President Barack Obama has nominated J. Paul Oetken, a gay lawyer who served in the Clinton administration, to be a federal judge in Manhattan.
The New York Times reports on the nomination of Oetken, a senior vice president and associate general counsel of Cablevision. He was recommended by Sen. Charles E. Schumer, who said that Oetken possesses the three criteria of “legal excellence, moderation of views and diversity.”
“I am looking for people who fit the three criteria, and I was shocked to learn there were no openly gay male judges on the entire federal bench,” said Schumer, who added that Oetken, a graduate of the University of Iowa and Yale Law School, “fit the bill,” the Times reported.
Last year, Schumer recommended that the president nominate Daniel S. Alter, who is gay, to the same court in Manhattan. Alter was not nominated, a decision that he believes was based on statements he allegedly made about the term “Merry Christmas” and the Pledge of Allegiance. He denies he made the statements.
Obama also has nominated Edward Carroll Dumont, who is gay, to the court of appeals for the federal circuit in Washington.
via Advocate.com
Ill. High Court: Rahm Can Run
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- Created on Thursday, 27 January 2011 17:02
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
The Illinois supreme court has cleared former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel to stay on the ballot in the Chicago mayoral race, theChicago Tribunereports.
The state appeals court ruled Monday that Emanuel did not meet residency requirements and therefore could not run for mayor, but the supreme stayed that decision Tuesday and overturned it today, meaning he will definitely be on the ballot for the February 22 vote.
Emanuel and other major candidates — former U.S. senator Carol Moseley Braun, onetime public schools chief Gery Chico, and city clerk Miguel del Valle — have all sought the support of LGBT Chicagoans. Emanuel has drawn both praise and criticism from gay activists for his work in President Obama’s and President Clinton’s administrations.
If no one wins a majority in the February 22 election, there will be a runoff April 5. Richard M. Daley, a strong gay ally who has been mayor since 1989, is not seeking reelection.
via advocate.com
HJUHSD to introduce modified closed campuses
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- Created on Thursday, 27 January 2011 16:57
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
Hanford high schools will all have modified closed campuses starting in the 2011-2012 school year.
The Hanford Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees will consider on February 8 approval of a a new closed campus policy for Hanford High School, Hanford West High School, Sierra Pacific High School and Earl F. Johnson Continuation High School.
Under the new policy, all students will be required to stay on school grounds throughout the school day, except for juniors and seniors who meet specific eligibility requirements. Those students will be allowed to leave campus during the lunch period. No students will be allowed to leave the school grounds at any other time without written permission from parents/guardians and the school.
Traditionally, all students at HHS and HWHS have been allowed to leave campus during the lunch period. Under the new policy, juniors and seniors who wish to leave campus at lunch will need to meet specific academic, citizenship and attendance standards, which will be more specifically defined before the start of the 2011-2012 school year.
As part of the change from open to closed campuses, the District is also working on plans to partner with local vendors to expand on-campus lunch options for students. Vendors who would like more information about these potential partnerships can contact Director of Business Services Renee Willhite at 559-583-5901, ext. 3112.
Parents, students or other community members are invited to attend the February 8 meeting of the Board of Trustees or to contact the HJUHSD Superintendent's Office at 559-583-5901, ext. 3101 with questions or comments about the proposed modified closed campus policy.
via http://hjuhsd.blogspot.com/2011/01/hjuhsd-to-introduce-modified-closed.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+hjuhsdnews+(HJUHSD+News)&utm_content=FaceBook
Ugandan Gay Rights Activist Found Beaten to Death
- Details
- Created on Thursday, 27 January 2011 16:24
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
Posted by Joshua Norman via CBSnews.com
David Kato, a prominent gay rights activist, was found bludgeoned to death in his home near the Ugandan capital of Kampala, CNNreports.
Nowhere has the tension between traditional, conservative African culture and modern ideas of openness regarding homosexuality been put on more of a public display than in Uganda.
Being a homosexual is already illegal in that country and carries a prison sentence of 14 years. In 2009, MP David Bahati introduced legislation that tried to make being homosexual carry the death penalty in some cases, though it failed to pass.
Although police say they cannot conclude there is a link between Kato's death and his activism, friends tell the BBCthat he received repeated death threats after his name, photograph and address were published in the local Rolling Stone newspaper as one of the country's "top 100 homosexuals" last year.
Complete article click here
DADT Repeal Plan Coming Friday
- Details
- Created on Wednesday, 26 January 2011 16:32
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
By Michelle Garcia
Officials at the Pentagon will outline new policies for its millions of service members and other personnel on recruiting, harassment, and other policy issues in the wake of the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
The training will take place over the course of three months and will involve troops, commanders, and key administrators, the Associated Press reports.The plan, which is not completely finalized, will be released Friday.
President Barack Obama assured Americans during his State of the Union address Tuesday that the full integration of gay troops wishing to serve and already serving will take place this year. Obama signed legislation in December to repeal the ban on out gays and lesbians, after a yearlong battle in Congress to overturn the 17-year-old law.
via advocate.com
Meet "Team Gay" From Syfy's New Reality Competition "Face Off"
- Details
- Created on Wednesday, 26 January 2011 12:25
- Written by Joe L. Sosa, Jr
Posted by snicks on January 26, 2011
To the glut of reality competition shows, we can add one more, but this one sets itself apart by appealing to the inner fantasy geek in all of us. Okay, the geek in me.
Face Off debuts on Syfy Wednesday night at 10 PM EST, and will "introduce 12 up-and-coming make-up artists who will "face off" in Los Angeles in a series of elaborate challenges that will determine just who has the steady artistic hand to be the country’s next great SFX artist."
Here's a synposis from the show's press release:
"For their first spotlight elimination challenge, the contestants are tasked to imagine an entirely new species, a human/animal hybrid, based on one of three exotic animals that are brought into their workspace lab -- a beetle, an ostrich or an elephant. The contestants must work in teams of two to execute their creative visions, utilizing specialized skills including molding, sculpting, prosthetics and an involved application process on live models. Future elimination challenges include application of full body make-up to nude subjects, conceptualizing a creature that would inhabit a newly discovered planet, creating an original horror villain and transforming a 'bride' into a 'groom' and a 'groom' into a 'bride'."
We reached out to the show to inquire about gay representation, and happily, it turns out there are two members of "Team Gay" competing in the first season.
click for complete story
via http://www.afterelton.com/tv/2011/01/face-off-syfy-team-gay