Stonewall 40, or 1968?

Police raid a new gay bar in Fort Worth, Texas and things get ugly. This update from Box Turtle Bulletin:

Ft. Worth police have issued a press release (Word Doc: 34KB/2 pages) blaming club patrons for police officers’ excessive show of force during Sunday morning’s raid on the Rainbow Lounge on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. The cops are raising their own version of the “gay panic” defense, claiming that two patrons made “sexually explicit movements” and another “grabbed the [Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission] agent’s groin.”

People on the scene find those charges incredible. Todd Camp, a former Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reporter who was at the bar, said, “No one was acting aggressive to officers.” Another eyewitness, Chuch Potter, told a local CBS affiliate, “I can guarantee there wasn’t a man in this bar that would’ve touched one of those officers, knowing they were arresting people.”

Even straight people at the Fort Worth Weekly find the police department’s shrieking sex-crazed-zombie-homos excuse unbelievable. Straight guy Jeff Prince was working on a story that took him to another gay bar a few years ago, and steeled himself against the guaranteed out of control lecherous onslaught that awaited him:

As I sat there, I kept figuring one of these guys would hit on me. I was going to politely explain to them that I wasn’t that way. Except nobody paid any attention to me. For 10 or 15 minutes not a single person spoke to me or approached me. I was relieved and offended at the same time. What am I chopped liver?

Another straight dude Weeklyteer Dan McGraw did a cover story called “Waking Up the Rainbow” in 2005 about gay politics in Fort Worth and spent several nights incognito at a gay bar called Best Friends. He had a similar experience of being ignored. “It was like hanging out at any other bar,” he said. “Most of the guys had been married before and had kids.”

For some reason, however, Fort Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officers went into a gay bar on Saturday night and the patrons allegedly became fraught with horn and damn near raped our boys in blue.

City councilwoman Kathleen Hicks says she’s disturbed by the raid. She joins openly gay councilman Joel Burns in calling for an investigation into the raid that resulted in seven arrests and sent one man to the hospital with a critical brain injury.

First thought: why do insecure straight men convince themselves that a gay man will hit on them because somehow, they're irresistible? Hello! Just a quick note...gay men have better taste than you can ever imagine, so get over yourselves. We ain't into straight asshats.

Good ol' Texas where big hair and bigger homophobes flourish. This is the kind of stuff that led to the Stonewall riots in the first place. But since we're talking Tex-ass here, all bets are off as to how this will work out.

Meanwhile, prayers for the man with the blunt trauma blood clot in his brain would be deeply appreciated.

Oh, and welcome once again to 1968!

40 Years After Stonewall..

A tribute by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus:

I am grateful that I was present at the beginning - and still around to talk about it. Maybe I'll write a post about my experiences on that night and the one following.

And so it goes.

Second Class Citizens - 40 Years On...

Frank Rich in today's New York Times nails it.

LIKE all students caught up in the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s, I was riveted by the violent confrontations between the police and protestors in Selma, 1965, and Chicago, 1968. But I never heard about the several days of riots that rocked Greenwich Village after the police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in the wee hours of June 28, 1969 — 40 years ago today.

Then again, I didn’t know a single person, student or teacher, male or female, in my entire Ivy League university who was openly identified as gay. And though my friends and I were obsessed with every iteration of the era’s political tumult, we somehow missed the Stonewall story. Not hard to do, really. The Times — which would not even permit the use of the word gay until 1987 — covered the riots in tiny, bowdlerized articles, one of them but three paragraphs long, buried successively on pages 33, 22 and 19.

But if we had read them, would we have cared? It was typical of my generation, like others before and after, that the issue of gay civil rights wasn’t on our radar screen. Not least because gay people, fearful of harassment, violence and arrest, were often forced into the shadows. As David Carter writes in his book “Stonewall,” at the end of the 1960s homosexual sex was still illegal in every state but Illinois. It was a crime punishable by castration in seven states. No laws — federal, state or local — protected gay people from being denied jobs or housing. If a homosexual character appeared in a movie, his life ended with either murder or suicide.

The younger gay men — and scattered women — who acted up at the Stonewall on those early summer nights in 1969 had little in common with their contemporaries in the front-page political movements of the time. They often lived on the streets, having been thrown out of their blue-collar homes by their families before they finished high school. They migrated to the Village because they’d heard it was one American neighborhood where it was safe to be who they were.

Stonewall “wasn’t a 1960s student riot,” wrote one of them, Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt, in a poignant handwritten flier on display at the New York Public Library in the exhibition “1969: The Year of Gay Liberation.” They had “no nice dorms for sleeping,” “no school cafeteria for certain food” and “no affluent parents” to send checks. They had no powerful allies of any kind, no rights, no future. But they were brave. They risked their necks to prove, as Lanigan-Schmidt put it, that “the mystery of history” could happen “in the least likely of places.”

After the gay liberation movement was born at Stonewall, this strand of history advanced haltingly until the 1980s. It took AIDS and the new wave of gay activism it engendered to fully awaken many, including me, to the gay people all around them. But that tardy and still embryonic national awareness did not save the lives of those whose abridged rights made them even more vulnerable during a rampaging plague.

On Monday, President Obama will commemorate Stonewall with an East Room reception for gay leaders. Some of the invitees have been fiercely critical of what they see as his failure, thus far, to redeem his promise to be a “fierce advocate” for their still unfulfilled cause. The rancor increased this month, after the Department of Justice filed a brief defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the most ignominious civil rights betrayal under the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton.

Read the whole thing at the link above and, oh, by the way, Happy 40th Anniversary.

More later.

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HRC and Orbitz. Did anyone notice?

As you can tell from my previous post below, I don't get around much. I watch even less TV, but while watching a documentary on History International I saw this. On the first viewing I didn't catch the obvious, but then (as usual) it was replayed over and over and I finally noticed the EQUAL sign patch on the shirt worn by the guy on the right. An homage to HRC and the LGBT community for our support. Nice.
I found it on YouTube:

Yes, I am slow, but who'da thunk it?
Happy Stonewall 40th Anniversary to all. Time it was, and what a time it was...

More later.
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Tomorrow and the Future?

When asked recently about any plans for tomorrow and the future and my response was - I ain't so sure about either anymore. There's an old saying that "if you want to make G*d laugh, make plans." And more often than not, it seems to be true. Some random thoughts on life...not that I have one.

Yesterday, on the way to Job #2 I was rear ended while stopped at a red light. The well coiffed old bat didn't know how to drive (or brake) her big new SUV and slammed into me. I got out of the car and screamed at her. She rolled down her window and asked why I was upset...yep, those were her first words. How dare I interfere with her air-conditioned ride! She didn't care about any damage and was about to drive away, but I guess seeing that I could spit nails or chew her face off, decided to get out and exchange insurance info. I filed a claim with her insurance company before going to work and will contact mine on Monday because they were closed yesterday.

Working two jobs to dig out from under and maybe get some kind of life one day, just doesn't want to work out for me. Rent is going up next month, auto insurance went up due to the last accident and will likely go up again - though this was not my fault either. I'm still paying off the hospital and emergency room folks. All other expenses are going up weekly, but salaries remain the same.

Three years ago I had a nice house, big screen TV, great surround sound system, and a life partner of 30 years. Then I was hospitalized and out of circulation for 4 months following the surgeries. During this time I found out that my partner was seeing someone else and planning to build a new house (and life) with him. Two years ago I went from home owner to homeless in the space of a month. Everything went with him to his new life - including many of his gifts to me. I began learning that I didn't require much to live comfortably, and a good thing too, because I had nothing.

Finding this tiny apartment was a blessing, and the healing experience I needed so badly began. Then the fall last November sent me to the ER with a fractured spine and more medical bills. The hospital and ER staff worked out new payment plans - adding the new charges to the existing one - and I went back to work.

Though I continued to search for another part time (or a full time job) the tanking economy made that futile until this past April when I got job #2. That said, if the economy doesn't improve soon, job #1 may be in jeopardy. Luxury items are the first scratched off shopping lists and fine jewelry is a big time luxury.

Fortunately, I love both jobs for different reasons and the extra money will help eventually (I hope!) but not yet. I'd like to go out for dinner or drinks once in a while, but the budget is too tight for those luxuries. Aside from the 3 shift meals offered weekly at job #2, I do all my cooking. And this accident will cause more upheaval, time, and expense. Oh, Joy!!!

I stopped planning for the future when my world fell apart and my health and insurance went south. I can't bring myself to make another attempt. Anything, as the event yesterday shows, can happen at any time to send my life into another spiral of chaos and planning a future will only tax whatever energy I have left. Taking each day as it comes and doing what needs doing to get through isn't much of a life, but it is all I have for now.

Oh well. Blather, rinse, repeat. At present I have a roof over my head, healthy meals on the table, and the ability (creativity?) to get the bills paid on time. There is also gin, tonic, lime, and Absinthe. So, there's that...

And so it goes.
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Lazy Caturday

I totally agree...

More later.
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FEMA Misspent Millions Intended for Katrina Victims

Yes, I know, I keep getting emails begging me to stop beating the dead horse. Well, FEMA is far from dead and needs to be held accountable. Four years on and ...

WASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency ignored the law and misused millions of dollars to build two warehouses after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, according to government investigators.

Some of the money FEMA misused should have gone toward Katrina victims in Louisiana, according to a Homeland Security Inspector General report obtained by The Associated Press. The report is expected to be released Thursday.

"FEMA had no authority to use appropriated funds to construct the two buildings," the investigators said, adding that the agency violated a prohibition against agreeing to spend money without congressional authority.

In the summer of 2006, FEMA spent more than $7 million on two warehouses the agency said it needed to repair trailers and mobile homes used by disaster victims. One of the warehouses was paid for from federal disaster relief fund, which investigators say is not permitted. The other warehouse was paid for with proceeds from sales of travel trailers and mobile homes _ also not allowed.

The report says senior officials at FEMA rejected the proposals for these warehouses, but they were built anyway.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said this report confirms his ongoing concerns about FEMA's lax contracting policies.

"It shows, in this instance, FEMA's disregard for the law," said Thompson, who chairs the House Homeland Security committee. "This is another example of FEMA gone wild."

After the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, FEMA set up 12 sites to store emergency housing units. Once hurricane victims left the disaster housing, the units were moved to these storage sites to be cleaned, repaired and refurbished. FEMA wanted to put up maintenance buildings at two of the sites _ Selma, Ala., and Cumberland, Md., the report said.

FEMA officials told the inspector general that senior agency officials "disallowed" the proposals to build these sites, but "eventually the projects were approved and funded," the report said.

The Cumberland building was delivered without electricity, lighting or other utilities and couldn't even be used for repairs, the report said.

FEMA spokesman Clark Stevens said he could not comment on a report that hasn't been released.

But, he said, "FEMA does not tolerate wasteful spending and is committed to making sure that any past mistakes are not repeated."

Yes, well, we'll see, won't we?

So beyond sad.

And so it goes.
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Non Discrimination Bill Passes in Delaware!

Never thought I would get to type that title, but it really happened last night. SB121 - Non-Discrimination Bill passes DE House & Senate - now awaiting Gov Markell's signature

http://legis. delaware. gov/LIS/LIS145. NSF/vwLegislatio n/SB+121? Opendocument

EQUAL Rights for ALL in Delaware

ACLU of Delaware, LGBT Civil Rights Project

AIDS Delaware - CAMP Rehoboth - Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.

Delaware LGBT State Employees - Delaware Liberty Fund - Delaware Pride

Delaware Stonewall Democrats - Delaware Unitarian Universalists for Equality - JUST for Youth

PFLAG Wilmington Chapter - The Rainbow Chorale of Delaware - UofD LGBT Caucus

The House suspended its rules and tonight passed SB121 by a vote of 26 YES, 14 NO, 1 Absent. Three amendments were introduced, and all were defeated.

The bill now goes to Gov. Markell who is expected to sign the bill as early as this weekend.

SB121 tonight was passed in the Senate by a vote of 14 YES, 5 NO, 1 Absent.
All three amendments that were put forward were defeated. It has taken ten long years to get this bill to the floor of the Senate. This is truly a great day for EQUAL Rights for ALL in Delaware!

It's time for a festive cocktail before dinner.

More later.
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Enough Said...

This is NOT going to happen this time.

And so it goes.
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White House Conference Call with LGBT Leaders

This is from AMERICAblog's John Aravosis:

White House deputy chief of staff, and the political director, have a 2pm conference call scheduled with the members of the gay caucus of the DNC. The administration has also scheduled a meeting this week with the top non-profit gay rights groups.

Privately, I also wrote to four White House contacts on Friday night and asked that they also schedule talks with the top gay rights leaders with constituencies online - the top leaders involved in the uproar over the past week - including, if those leaders are interested, Pam Spaulding, Andrew Sullivan, Joe Jervis, Dan Savage, and Andy Towle (I suggested those names as a starting point, not exclusively), and of course Joe Sudbay and me as well. I received no response.

Joe and I have been talking about this, and we've been fascinated how the White House's response to gay issues has been very 1990s. Thinking that the gays are the third rail of politics, when in fact the polls are pretty darn great on our issues (even with Republicans, conservatives and churchgoers, when it comes to DADT). Thinking that the major issues confronting the community are hospital visits and changing the names on our passports, instead of growing community anger over Don't Ask Don't Tell and marriage. It's as if the White House is stuck in 1993.

Then we started thinking about the White House's last-minute effort to reach out to the gay groups for cover (holding the hastily-arrange benefits memo signing last week, and now holding conference calls and meetings with the DNC's gay caucus and the traditional non-profit gay rights groups. It's all very 1990s in that the White House fails to recognize the importance of the online community overall, but also to this particularly uproar.

Back in the early 90s, if you had HRC on board, you could pretty much write your own ticket as a politician trying to woo the gay community. Towards the middle 90s, you had new groups like Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN), and established groups like GLAAD coming into their own. You also had NGLTF, and others of course. Zoom ahead to 2009. Not only is it not a certainty that having any one of the top gay groups on board is enough to win over the community, but it's no longer clear that even having most of them on board is enough.

Why? Because of the Internet.

The community at large is getting more and more agitated, even angry at the DOJ brief comparing our relationships to incest and pedophilia and I don't think the WH is going to get out of this one easily. Unless of course, the champagne and caviar make our "leaders" swoon and sign on to whatever the WH is selling this time.

Read the rest here. Stay Tuned.

And check for updates.

More later
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Support for Public Health Plan

Click image to embiggen.

I have no health insurance. It disappeared with the break up. At my age and income level it is out of the question, but I would be willing to pay higher taxes for that peace of mind if given the opportunity. I took on the second job to rid myself of the burden of hospital debt from last November when I fractured my spine and the hospital has been great about working out a payment plan that wouldn't break the budget, but I want to get out from under, so to speak.

More later.
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Healthcare Reform: Tellng the Truth

The Republican Health care Horror show. And then, the truth:

WHAT’S IN THE HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL FOR YOU?

We know our economy and fiscal future are tied to building on what works in our health care system and fixing what’s broken.

Here are 12 ways health care reform will help you and your family.

LOWER COSTS

• No more co-pays or deductibles for preventive care

• An annual cap on your out-of-pocket expenses-- no longer driving Americans to financial ruin

• An end to rate increases based on pre-existing conditions, gender, or occupation

• Group purchasing power of a national pool if you have to buy your own plan

• Guaranteed, affordable oral health and vision care for kids


GREATER CHOICE

• Keep your doctor and your plan if you like them

• More plan choices, including a high-quality public health insurance option that would compete with private companies

STABILITY & PEACE OF MIND

• An end to coverage denials for pre-existing conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or cancer

• Get the care you need with an end to lifetime limits

• Job and life choices will no longer be based on health care coverage

HIGHER QUALITY

• Doctors-- not insurance companies-- in charge of health care decisions

Why are those in Congress adamant about thwarting health care reform? Could it be lobbyists? Nah.

And so it goes.

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