NBJC celebrates Black Gay Families in their new Film "Black Love"

The National Black Justice Coalition has released a short film called "Black Love: The Quest for Marriage Equality" This piece celebrates Black gays and lesbians and their quest for acceptance and equality.

In their press release, NBJC states:

The film examines the special rewards and challenges of same-gender relationships, how marriage equality can be a part of the solution to the structural and economic issues faced by many Black families, and the strategies that are needed to bring full acceptance of gay and lesbian people to the Black community.

 Here's an excerpt

 

HUD introduces new LGBT Protections

During Creating Change, the Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced strong LGBT protections in federally supported housing programs.

The Task Force blog reports:

The new rules, to be published next week, will help LGBT people and their families across the country stay in their homes, get the loans they need to buy homes, and access life-saving federal assistance programs to help get low-income people and families back on their feet.


Donovan is the first sitting Cabinet secretary in history to speak at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change, the country’s largest annual gathering of LGBT rights advocates. They have been meeting this week in Baltimore to strategize and mobilize in this critical election year.

Enjoy

Puerto Rico Lawmakers want to remove LGBT protections from Hate Crimes Law

There's some trouble brewing in Puerto Rico:

Puerto Rican lawmakers are poised to vote on a revised penal code this week that includes a provision that would eliminate LGBT-specific protections from the island’s hate crimes law.

The Puerto Rico Senate late last month approved a provision that would eliminate sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity and religious beliefs from the hate crimes statute that was included in the penal code that lawmakers approved in 2004. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the amended penal code this week during an extraordinary legislative session that Gov. Luis Fortuño convened.

Representative Héctor Ferrer and Sen. Eduardo Bhatia joined LGBT and Dominican activists at a press conference on Sunday, Dec. 4, to criticize the proposed amendments. 

"To eliminate these groups as protected categories is to invite the commission of hate crimes in Puerto Rico," said Ferrer, as Vocero reported on Dec. 4 "It is a setback in the country’s public policy."
"In an advanced society, this is dangerous for society," added Bhatia, as Primera Hora reported.

I hope people reconsider. LGBT people needs protection. Come on PR, get it together!

Obama Administration Issues a Memorandum to address International LGBT Issues

The Obama Administration has released a memorandum to fight discrimination on LGBT issues on a global scale.

Metro Weekly reports:

"The Obama Administration has made a tremendous difference in the lives of LGBT people in the United States and this new strategy helps to extend that presidential leadership across the globe," Solmonese said. "There is no question that the administration's record of advancing equality for LGBT people has been enhanced by the leadership of Secretary Clinton who consistently underscores the simple truth that LGBT rights are human rights."


According to HRC, the presidential memorandum is the first ever U.S. government strategy to deal with human rights abuses against LGBT people abroad.


Obama's memorandum requires the Department of State to "lead a standing group, with appropriate interagency representation, to help ensure the Federal Government's swift and meaningful response to serious incidents that threaten the human rights of LGBT persons abroad." 

Please click on the link above to read the full memorandum.

In California: State Assembly Passes the LGBT Education Bill

State Sen. Mark Leno sponsored the bill

Good news from the real Sunny state. The California Assembly approved the LGBT Education bill.


Here's the press release from the GSA Network and EQCA

Today, the California State Assembly in a 49-25 vote passed a bill that would require schools to fairly and accurately portray the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement and the historic contributions of the diverse LGBT community in social science instruction. The Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act (SB 48), authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), would also add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s existing anti-discrimination protections that prohibit bias in school activities, instruction and instructional materials. 


Studies have shown that inclusion of LGBT people in instructional materials is linked to greater student safety and lower rates of bullying. The bill is co-sponsored by Equality California and Gay-Straight Alliance Network.
“The struggle of the multicultural and multiethnic LGBT community in California is one of the greatest stories yet to be told,” said Equality California Executive Director Roland Palencia. “The FAIR Education Act will ensure that public schools acknowledge the heroism of individuals and communities who in spite of countless barriers continuously overcome adversity.” 

Palencia added, “For decades, LGBT leaders have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for all Californians. LGBT leaders were heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, the farm workers’ movement, the women’s movement, and have built health and human services institutions that now serve millions of Californians. It is time for history to accurately depict our community’s contributions.” 
The FAIR Education Act would bring classroom instruction into alignment with existing non-discrimination laws in California and would add the LGBT community to the existing list of underrepresented cultural and ethnic groups, which are covered by current law related to inclusion in textbooks and other instructional materials in schools. By including fair and accurate information about the rich and diverse history of LGBT people in instructional materials, SB 48 will enrich the learning experiences of all students and promote an atmosphere of safety and respect in California schools.

“This is a victory not only for the LGBT youth in California who have been fighting to be heard in Sacramento and represented in their history classes, but also for all California youth who deserve to learn a fair and accurate account of California and US history,” said Carolyn Laub, Executive Director of Gay-Straight Alliance Network. “By passing the FAIR Education Act, the Assembly has taken an unprecedented step to reduce bullying, increase safety for all students, and teach students to respect each other's differences.”

“We are selectively censoring history when we exclude LGBT Americans, or any other group of people, from our textbooks and instructional materials,” said Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). “We can’t tell our youth that it’s OK to be yourself and expect them to treat their peers with dignity and respect when we deliberately deny them accurate information about the historical contributions of Americans who happened to be LGBT.”

The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk. 

This is good news for our community.

source

People think 25% of folks are Gay

 So people think that 1 out of 4 peeps are gay?  For real? I guess so.

A new Gallup poll indicates that the average American believes that a quarter of the population is gay or lesbian. Additionally, 35% of those polled think the figure is even higher. 

Participants were asked, "Just your best guess, what percent of Americans today would you say are gay or lesbian?" Only 4% of respondents say less than 5% of Americans are gay. Gallup asked the same question in 2002, with average estimates that 21% of men were gay and 22% of women. 

There is more info here as well. I still think this is a little crazy.

Spelman College host their 1st LGBT Summit for HBCUs

Spelman College did the damn thing. They host the 1st LGBT summit at their university for HBCUs (Historic Black Colleges and Universities).

Here's the scoop:

The conference, titled “Facilitating Campus Climates of Pluralism, Inclusivity, and Progressive Change at HBCUs,” is the first of its kind. Participants came from nine HBCUs to attend several panel discussions throughout the day on campus about LGBT communities and ways to create a more open climate at school for those who have alternative lifestyles.

“We hope that [the summit] will provide some leadership for HBCUs to address LGBT issues as it relates to students, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, the founding director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center at Spelman. “We think that the public awareness will put the issue on the radar.”

Black colleges as a whole have been slower to take on this public dialogue on lesbian and gay issues for a few reasons.

“Some [schools] were founded with religious affiliation,” Guy-Sheftall explained. In addition, the relative silence on the issue seems to mirror the Black community’s attitude as a whole. “Black colleges are not different from African-American communities in general.”

One recent issue related to LGBT issues on HBCU campuses stands out. In 2009, Morehouse College, one of the summit participants, established  a controversial dress code, which banned students at the all-male institution from wearing clothing “associated with women’s garb (dresses, tunics, purses, pumps, etc.)” on the campus.

Guy-Sheftall says she’s seen other campuses have issues surrounding dress code. “But the biggest issue we’re facing on our campuses is [the lack of] open public dialogue,” she said. The suicide last year by a gay Rutgers University student, who jumped off a bridge last September after his sexual encounter with another man was streamed live unbeknownst to him, made the project more urgent, she continued, and the hope is to tackle intolerance on HBCU campuses, before it reaches that point.

According to BET.com several HBCUs attended like: Bennett College of Women, Howard University, Clark Atlanta University, Southern University, North Carolina Central University, Philander Smith College, Morehouse College and Morgan State University.

And all of the HBCUs will receive a packet with training info, programming ideas and other resources. This was a great move for HBCUs. It is very important for them to support their LGBT students and staff.

Hat tip to Rod 2.0 for the info and heads up

WATCH: State Senator Mark Leno speak on the California Gay Education Bill

WATCH Long Island High School Students Rally for a Gay-Straight Alliance

More on the story is here

B. Slade is the NOW.NEW.NEXT and FOREVER in Music

Last night, I had the pleasure of hearing B. Slade live and uninhibited at Zanzibar in Santa Monica. Y'all, I can't tell you how talented this man is. His voice is out of control!

Before, B. Slade performed, there were several acts that got you in mood for a party, but once he hit the stage, you knew a show was about to happen.

B. Slade started out with his version of A Man's World. It was very moving, blending in soul and old school techniques you barely hear in today's music. And then he was able to include Alicia Keys' Fallin' in the mix. I hate that song, but B. Slade made it work for me. Hell, I even have a new appreciation for it.

Then, he gave us a powerful performance of Get Over You. B. Slade tore this song up and I was totally feelin' it. What B. Slade did to this song is epic, y'all. EPIC!

B. Slade is the future of music, especially in the LGBT world. I have been slightly turned off by LGBT music, mostly the dance stuff. But B. Slade brings it for reals. He is what Adam Lambert, Ari Gold and others should be... A mega talent MOFO! I hope he returns to L.A. with a full show, so he can show the children how it REALLY done!

Please check out his website, here

Cynthia Nixon talks LGBT Rights and Bullying