Wilmington Pride is a Day at the Beach!

by ENC intern Brittany Cox
(picture from left to right; Nikki B., Billy M., Brittany C., Suzanne W., Corey K.)

Hello Readers! My name is Brittany Cox and I am an intern for Equality North Carolina. On Saturday June 13, I made the trek from Buies Creek to Wilmington to captain the Equality NC table at Wilmington Pride.

My main objective while at Wilmington Pride was to advocate for the School Violence Prevention Act by getting people to sign postcards which would be subsequently sent to their district representative. This is crucial at this time because the bill is headed to the House floor very soon!

Arriving at 9 am my friends, Suzanne and Corey, and I set up the tent. Jessica Probst, our volunteer, was promptly on time and did an amazing job getting people to sign the postcards. By herself, within 2 hours, Jessica managed to get approximately 50 cards signed! We were all very impressed with her effort and enthusiasm for the cause, and want to thank her for all of her hard work!

We managed to get approximately 100 cards signed, and we met some great people.

I was briefly featured on a Pride broadcast. I also met Matt Comer, Editor of Q-Notes, an LBGT newspaper, who kindly took our picture. Thanks to Matt for letting us use this picture on the blog!

Next to Pride was a farmers market. Periodically some of these people would stroll into the festival. Many of them merely walked around and took in the sights, whereas others walked a few steps in, realized where they were, and proceeded to leave. My friends and I got a good chuckle out of this.

All in all the day was beautiful, colorful and exciting! We spread the word about the School Violence Prevention Act and had an amazing time!

Equality in the News: June 6 - June 12, 2009

This week's Equality in the News is brought to you by one of our fabulous new interns, Harmony! Don't be fooled by the "Posted by: Wes" at the bottom, because it was all her, and she did a great job! :) Let's get right to it...

So what is happening?

In the legislature …

• News 14 Carolina questions the changes made to the Healthy Youth Act in committee last Wednesday. Watch or read their report.
• Our friend Sean Kosofsky of NARAL Pro-Choice NC posted about the Senate gutting the Healthy Youth Act over at the Progressive Pulse.
  
• The Fayetteville Observer did a great editorial in support of passing the School Violence Prevention Act.
  
• A correspondent of The Durham News writes that “Bullying laws must cover gays,” connecting the “School Violence Prevention Act” to personal experiences to defend the enumeration.
• Q-Notes has the story of how North Carolina’s only openly lesbian Senator, Julia Boseman, was also the only legislator to vote against a resolution in which “The General Assembly of North Carolina expresses its appreciation for the life and public service of Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr., and honors his memory,” although many members of the Black legislative caucus were purposefully absent during the voting.
• Our video to raise awareness about the School Violence Prevention Act, which encourages you to take action now has been featured on Pam's House Blend and The Independent Weekly blog. Check it out, if you haven't already!

Around the state …

• The Winston-Salem Journal tells about the small but passionate group protesting the ruling on Prop 8 last Saturday, not on Sunset Boulevard, but in our own downtown Greensboro.
• “After election time, we noticed a lot of people talking, wanting change and not having a good way to channel that energy into something,” says 19-year-old Alison Bryan to The Daily Tar Heel. A Chapel Hill native, Bryan co-organized this evening’s concert, Boomtown Live, both to promote civil rights and to resuscitate the declining Chapel Hill music scene. Some proceeds from the concert will support our own Equality – thanks Alison and Jonathon!
• The Carolina Peacemaker explores the experiences of, and resources for, LGBT individuals in Guilford County, NC. Check out this interesting read!
  

In the nation …

Don’t ask about the state of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” and Obama, don’t tell us to wait. Fox News reported back in January that the Obama administration planned to repeal the discriminatory policy, but this week the Supreme Court denied the appeal by discharged officer, James Pietrangelo II, against it. No comment from the White House. President Obama may have named June “LGBT Pride month,” but if the nation is really proud of its LGBT members – and their service to their country – then it’s time it took a stand.

• The Associated Press reports that a Quinnipiac University poll shows that a majority of Americans support the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, yet the Supreme Court shut down former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II’s appeal this week. No word from Capitol Hill...
• The Star-Ledger brings us an interesting editorial “Revisting the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy” which provides a good counter to the “bad for morale” argument...
• Por los que hablan español: Qué.es nos diga que “La máxima instancia judicial estadounidense decidió no aceptar la apelación planteada por el ex capitán del Ejército James Pietrangelo II, contrario a la política de "no preguntes, no lo digas" que sigue el Pentágono respecto a los homosexuales.” Obama, ¿dónde estás?

That does it for this week's roundup!

Free Stuff from COLAGE

COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) is a great group - they're a national assemblage of kids and adults with LGBT parents - and they have some great resources online.

Their Youth Leadership and Action Program has the best of the bunch, including some nice posters to help raise awareness of gay families. Their Respect All Families materials are excellent - you can browse and download the materials or request posters here.

Given our recent work on antibullying legislation, these are particularly timely and relevant for us.

COLAGE says the purpose of these posters is "to promote visibility of families like ours, to counter the lack of positive images of youth with LGBT families, to fight the homophobia we have faced in our schools and communities, and to counter the isolation and prejudice that we and others with queer parents often face. We made the posters to make it known that families like ours exist and flourish, and we want to tell kids who have queer parents: you are not alone. There are others like you."

Be sure to check out their PDF version of the Respect All Families Action Guide.

The main COLAGE site also has a great set of resources, including:

• reading lists for various-aged children of gay parents
• materials for gay parents
• a list of famous kids with LGBT parents
• resources for trans parents, including a legal guide and a guide for their kids
• information on making schools safe for diverse families

Finally, they have some nice information on visibility and research, as well as links to gay-positive summer and family camps.

If you're gay and have kids, if you have LGBT parents, or if you know someone who fits either of those categories - i.e., this is good for EVERYONE - take a look at what they're offering.

Happy LGBT Pride Month!

June is the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City, one of the seminal events in gay history and the fight for civil rights.

It's also LGBT Pride Month. This isn't just something we, the gay community came up with. This is national. This is official.

President Barack Obama issued this proclamation at the start of the month.

Now, I've heard a lot of grumbling recently about how the president said he was a Friend Of Gays and would fight for our rights, but hasn't done so since we helped get him elected. I've heard some people say this proclamation is just another empty gesture.

I have to disagree.

It wasn't so long ago, i.e., before the most recent election, that the president of the country refused to issue such a proclamation, saying it was political and divisive. (Note the terribly irony of that!)

I'm thrilled to have a president that will talk about issues that affect the LGBT community. Look at what this proclamation says:

"My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States."

That's an amazing affirmation.

(My sole complaint is that the m-word (marriage) is nowhere in there. Now that 12% of the country has legalized marriage equality, it's clear that the fairness train has left the station. Our country's executive needs to come on board sometime soon, and the sooner the better!)

I'm happy to have this. Sure, it is just a gesture, but gestures mean something. Look at what he says:

"During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."

He calls for people working together for equal rights. He includes sexual orientation AND gender identity.

I'm willing to take him at his word.

"I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists."

So say we all - happy Pride month!

Equality in the News: May 23 - June 5, 2009

Since we last updated you on the equality-related happenings around our state, the United States gained another state that recognizes same-sex marriage: New Hampshire! In addition to this, the Nevada legislature, in an exciting move, went rogue and overrode the governor's veto of a domestic partnership bill for state employees. We congratulate these outstanding strides by NH and NV's state legislatures for protecting the rights of their constituents.

June has officially been proclaimed as LGBT Pride Month by President Obama. Many of you may know that Obama's action/inaction on LGBT issues has been a growing dialogue within our community and beyond - whether or not you feel he's doing enough or has fallen short on promises, it's still exciting to have a President who has a good track record of acknowledging our issues.

Without further ado, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods:

• Q-Notes mentions our upcoming PAC Reception at the RBC Plaza in Raleigh on June 9. You can always check out our website to RSVP, or stop by Q-Notes for the general information.
• News 14, NC's 24-hour news outlet covers the debate on the School Violence Prevention Act as it went through committee last week. Unfortunately, most of that debate focused on wording, and not about the children who are directly affected by intense bullying on a daily basis.
• Raleigh's News & Observer briefly mentions the Healthy Youth Act & SVPA in an article that mostly focuses on the education budget crisis we're currently experiencing. They fail to mention that both of these bills would cost very, very little (if anything) if enacted. (Unlike the Marriage Discrimination Amendment ballot initiative, which would cost our state upwards of $2 million.)
• The good news is that the SVPA has proceeded through the first of two committees, and is heading to the House for a vote very soon. The Greenville Reflector has the story.
  
• If you've been keeping up with the Healthy Youth Act (we know it's difficult!), you may know it's been battled tirelessly. News 14 has that story. If you haven't already, we urge you to take action to help us get this bill passed the way it was intended.
• Heard any good rumors about that former Raleigh mayor? The News & Observer has, specifically the one about how he's gay, and how he considers that to be "vicious" enough to file a libel suit against a Wilmington DJ for spreading it. Our very own Ian Palmquist is on the scene to counter this sad form of homophobia.
• Props to our friends in Asheville for starting a wonderful awareness-raising campaign on HIV/AIDS. The Asheville Citizen-Times has the story on the campaign, called "I Need You to Know." It was started by the Western NC Aids Project.
• Coming up next weekend is both Boone's and Wilmington's PRIDE Festivals. Equality was on the scene last weekend at Triad Pride. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped us out and to all of those who stopped by to learn more about our work.
• We launched a video this week to raise awareness about the School Violence Prevention Act before it heads to the House for the final vote. The video is below, and we encourage you to share it on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, your web page, or with the folks in your address book. The video features real quotes from true stories of bullying gathered from around the state. Help us make this viral campaign a success and take action, if you haven't already. The link for sharing is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVyuIX73B2k

Thanks for checking in with us this week! We'll see you next time.

Support Binational Gay Couples TODAY!

Today in Congress there'll be debate on the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would allow American citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for residency in the United States.

Now, it's easy to think "That doesn't affect me," but the truth is that it does, even if you don't know it. You may have friends who are part of a binational couple, and you are basically guaranteed to have friends of friends in this situation.

I have a couple of friends who live in Durham, Tim and Ed, that are from different countries. Ed's from here, but Tim's from Canada. They've been together for almost 10 years, and they've had to - and still have to! - jump through hoops just for Tim to stay here and work so they can be together.

Straight couples can get married and sponsor their spouse for immigration, but gay couples are totally out of luck (still/again - same old story!). The unfairness and inconsistency of it is maddening!

(Now, part of me thinks, "Hey, they can go to Canada and get married in a civilized manner. And Canada has socialized medicine and hockey. And you get called a Canuck - how cool is that!" Of course, after a little thought I realize, "But Canada is really cold.")

The USA is their home. As a former trailblazer of freedom and equality, our country should have been taking the lead on this, not playing catch up. It's too late for that, which makes it all the more important to do something now so we don't fall further behind.

Every step we can take forward for someone else also takes us, as a community, forward. Even an issue like this, which doesn't affect most of us directly, will affect our friends and people we know, as well as help shape a culture of acceptance and fairness.

The trip to the top of the mountain is made of little steps, one after another, and this is an important one for take. It all adds up.

Check out Immigration Equality for more information on this issue and how you can help.

Happy 4th Annual Blogging for LGBT Families!

Today is the 4th Annual Blogging for LGBT Families Day. Now, most people don't know about this. Heck, even most LGBT families don't know about this day of acknowledgment!

I found out about it from Mombian, a lesbian mom's blog.

This particular day is of special significance to me and my gay family. The start of June is also when we'll be celebrating our second Kid-iversary, marking the second anniversary of Kid coming into our family, as well as me and Craig's 15th anniversary together.

Of course, Craig and I can't get married in NC, and Kid can't belong to both of us in NC. (Well, for that second one he sort of can, but second-parent adoption isn't clean and easy here like it is in some states.)

That's why days like this - and in fact any day for gay visibility or anything any LGBT person or ally does to simply be open and out - are so important. Things are a lot better than they used to be - I never knew there could be gay couples with kids when I was growing up - but we've still got a long way to go.

So, this one is for all of the gay parents and their kids out there. This is for all of our families of choice, whoever they are.

This is for my Craig and Kid, and Auntie Angela and Uncle A.R.

This is for Craig's parents (Grams and Paw Paw) and his sister, her husband, and their son and daughter, who from the beginning welcomed me as their in-law/uncle and Kid as their grandson/nephew/cousin. We just spent a week at the beach with them, and our gay family agenda included go-carts, movies (Wolverine, Hannah Montana, Night at the Museum, Star Trek (again)), kite flying, digging for buried treasure, building sand castles, playing video games, holding tiger cubs, jumping waves, playing billiards, wading in the ocean, and anything else that would tire the kids out.

This is for my bleeding-heart liberal family who always joked that the only thing that would make Craig better than just being gay would be if he were black and Jewish.

This is for all of the Pride celebrations and family groups that help showcase the amazing normality of our families.

This is for all people of goodwill who see the truth of our families with their hearts, despite the vitriol and prejudice that gets spread about us.

I will always remember and treasure the day Kid came home from kindergarten, talking about how he learned in class that some families have one dad, some have a dad and mom and stepdad, some have two dads, etc. His teacher in Wake Forest, within spitting distance of a virulently antigay religious school, went out of her way to teach him about the diversity of families that included him.

This is for education and information overcoming ignorance. This is for honesty dismissing falsehoods. This is for love and connection.

Happy Blogging for LGBT Families Day, All!