News Briefs 12/13/2008
- “Day Without A Gay” protest fizzles, San Francisco Chronicle, Matthai Kuruvila.
- NY State Senator Ruben Diaz for the record, Room Eight-NY Politics. Sen. Diaz clarifies his vaguely threatening comments toward the gay community. He refers to himself as “Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz.”
- Top evangelical resigns after backing gay unions, Associated Press, Eric Gorski.
- NYC group: Anti-gay violence likely on rise, Newsday.com.
- Miami Beach vote to reaffirm domestic partnership delayed, 365gay.com.
- Urban Outfitters responds to controversey from yanking ["I Support Same-Sex Marriage"] T-shirt, New York Magazine, Sharon Clott.
- Effort to get same-sex civil unions on AZ ballot planned, Tucson Citizen, Andrew J. Shainker.
- Op-Ed: Gay Rights 2.0, Newsweek, Jessica Bennett.
- Playstation Home: It’s ok to say gay! Gaygamer.net, Fruit Brute.
Excerpts from the above headlines follow:
“Day Without A Gay” protest fizzles
Designed to be a protest against the Nov. 4 passage of Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, the day’s events drew only scattered support in the Bay Area, the heart of the gay rights movement, and also criticism.
Several gay and lesbian people said they couldn’t afford to take the day off, particularly in a tightening economy where many are concerned about their jobs. And in the Castro district, business owners were livid that people were encouraged to not shop during the holidays, a peak time for retailers.
NY State Senator Ruben Diaz for the record
It was the content of their calls that made me angry. I welcome people to call my office – but with respect to me and to my staff.
When I told Liz that they will see what we can do, this was not at all meant to be a physical threat. As far as what we can do, we have many options, which include: going to the Republican Party, staying neutral to create an impasse, or going to the Democratic Party.
Top evangelical resigns after backing gay unions
An outspoken and polarizing voice in conservative Christian politics resigned effective Thursday from the National Association of Evangelicals after a radio interview in which he voiced support for same-sex civil unions and said he is “shifting” on gay marriage.
The Rev. Richard Cizik’s comments — made on a Dec. 2 “Fresh Air” broadcast on National Public Radio — triggered an uproar that led to his stepping down as NAE vice president of governmental affairs.
NYC group: Anti-gay violence likely on rise
An advocacy group that documents violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people said a rash of attacks across the country — including the severe beating recently of a man in New York City — suggests the number of reported assaults could rise in 2008.
Miami Beach vote to reaffirm domestic partnership delayed
A move to reaffirm Miami Beach’s domestic partner law has been put off for a month after some LGBT leaders complained the proposal did not go far enough.
City Commissioner Jerry Libbin had proposed the resolution as a means to signify that despite the passage last month of an amendment to the Florida constitution banning gay marriage, the city partner registry is unaffected.
Urban Outfitters responds to controversey from yanking ["I Support Same-Sex Marriage"] T-shirt
Urban Outfitters landed in some hot water earlier this week when consumers started to question company standards after an “I Support Same-Sex Marriage” T-shirt mysteriously vanished off shelves in California. Yesterday, Urban Outfitters reached out to us to comment on the situation: “The T-shirt was pulled because it was not selling,” a spokesperson for the company told us. “This is a common practice because sales space is so valuable, especially in this challenging economic climate.”
Effort to get same-sex civil unions on AZ ballot planned
Weeks after voters approved amending Arizona’s Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, gay-rights activists are looking toward 2010.
A man who champions equality for gays in the United Kingdom has traveled to Arizona to begin a drive for a ballot initiative that would establish civil partnerships, which since 2005 have allowed same-sex couples to legally register their relationships.
A lot has changed since 1988, both in the fight for equality and the way in which that fight is being waged. [Michelangelo] Signorile is still an activist, but AIDS is no longer the silent killer it once was. There are two openly gay members of Congress, powerful gay lobbying groups and a president who, in his election night victory speech, acknowledged that the gay community as part of his winning coalition. Still some, like ACT UP founder and writer Larry Kramer, say grassroots leadership is what’s missing today. “That’s always been our fatal flaw,” the 73-year-old says of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered population. He wonders: when faced with opposition, can today’s activists muster the kind of grassroots movement that ACT UP did 20 years ago?
Playstation Home: It’s ok to say gay!
I ran a little experiment in PlayStation Home today and discovered that “gay” is no longer a censored word for conversation. I was gaying it up one side and down the other and while it elicited a lot of stares and curses from the surrounding crowd, it was wonderful to fun through the central plaza screaming “I am gay!” at the top of my virtual lungs.
