After the recent story about conservatives in the Oklahoma legislature debating whether the government should be allowed to intrude on traditional marriage (while having zero problem with the government intruding on same sex relationships) here comes another stunner from the state.
Now, Republican Senator Steve Russell has taken a bill aimed at looking into secondary school education and inserted language to exempt Oklahoma from complying with the recently signed federal hate crimes bill. Basically, it would allow the state to not only ignore the federal law, but to destroy records in hate crimes cases which did not end in conviction.
From Russell...
"We just don’t want the pendulum to swing too far the other way,” he said. "This protects people to do or say whatever they want, as long as it complies with local ordinances.”
The bill has already passed the Oklahoma senate by 39-6 and now heads to the House.
It's bad enough that the courts aren't stepping in when the established equality of LGBT Americans is simply voted away by the populace, as in Maine, but now are we going to see the states literally thumbing their noses at FEDERAL laws, just to protect and continue to enshrine BIGOTRY into our lives? Why does the law only apply to heterosexuals where they "feel" it should apply, while the rest of us are daily being restricted more and more.
David Boies and Ted Olson, attorneys in the CA Prop 8 case, sat down with Adam Liptak, Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times, at the newspaper's Manhattan headquarters last night to discuss the landmark case.
The two were filled with optimism as well as reality, discussing their return either later this month or in early April to give their closing statements. They feel the case went extremely well and have confidence in Judge Walker, who may issue his ruling as early as June. Let me just say that it will be quite a celebration if Walker issues a ruling in our favor in June, national Gay Pride month...
VIDEO: Saudi Man Jailed After Innocent Video Surfaces
While we occasionally consider political actions in regards to protesting the lack of equality for LGBT Americans that may end up with us being arrested to prove a point, those ideas can't even be entertained in many, many other countries.
A young Saudi man decided to make a brief, YouTube video with a friend of his. Sitting in a car, dressed in a police uniform and brandishing a weapon, the young man pretends to check the other's license, finds its not proper, then puts on some music and moves about seductively. There's nothing more than that, nothing obscene or close to exposure, just a couple of young men fooling around and having fun. Unfortunately, the video caught the attention of the authorities and the man has been sentenced to a year in jail as well as physical punishment for "impersonating an officer" and "homosexuality".
As far as we still need to go in America to overturn the oppressive and constitutionally illegal denial of equal rights to LGBT citizens, consider for a moment what it's like to have any variation on what other consider to be a "normal and proper gender and sexuality".
Officially Approved Same Sex Ceremonies in Mexico City
In the first same sex ceremonies to be approved with legislative authority, Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard officiated five same sex marriages, despite continued criticism from the Catholic Church and other campaigning against the recent change in the laws. It's yet another area from around the world where acceptance of same sex marriage seems unlikely, and somehow astonishing considering how the United States seems to be moving backwards on this issue.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spokesman Pedro Julio Serrano cheered the milestone. "People in the United States can look up to Mexico City and see a courageous legislature taking a stand," he said. "It's a model to follow."
A prom is an event that most high school students look forward to, both for its excitement as well as its sense of passage. All that ended in a Mississippi school recently when a lesbian student asked to bring a girl to the dance, and to, god forbid, wear a tuxedo.
Constance McMillan's request to take her girlfriend to the prom resulted the entire event being cancelled by the school district. They chose that option rather than risk problems when the ACLU got involved. It's a small, conservative town of about 4,000 in Itawamba county in Mississippi, so conservative in fact that nearby, ten years ago, school officials were sued over student led, daily intercom prayer.
Constance has returned to school after the decision and faced some verbal retaliation from other students who are disappointed in the prom's cancellation. Her parents support Constance, even pushing her to get right back to school and stand up for who she is. Chances of a privately sponsored prom don't seem likely.
The Give A Day Get A Disney Day volunteer program through the Disney Parks has come to an end. Gay Central Valley would like to thank all those who volunteered for our organization. Your help was generous and well needed and we hope that you consider volunteering in some way in the future, outside of the Disney Program. Disney issued the following statement regarding the end of this very successful program...
The overwhelming support we received for the "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day." program has helped us reach our goal of inspiring one million people to volunteer a day of service to their communities. The program has now ended. Although you can no longer register and sign up for volunteer opportunities on this site to earn a free Disney Theme Park ticket, you can still continue to give back to your community by locating and signing up for volunteer opportunities through HandsOn Network.
Gay Central Valley is happy to once again help sponsor The Fresno Skittles, a local LGBTQ (and allies) softball team . The skittles play other teams locally at the Regional Sports Complex , located 1707 West Jensen, on Jensen just past West Avenue. Games are an hour in length, played weekly on Wednesdays.
Their current schedule is as follows:
(all in field 4)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010: 6:00 PM Wednesday, March 17, 2010: 8:00 PM Wednesday, March 24, 2010: 9:00 PM Wednesday, March 31, 2010: 6:00 PM Wednesday, April 07, 2010: 8:00 PM Wednesday, April 14, 2010: 7:00 PM Wednesday, April 21, 2010: 7:00 PM Wednesday, April 28, 2010: 7:00 PM Wednesday, May 05, 2010: 6:00 PM
We encourage all to come to the games to show support for this local LGBTQ (and allies) team.
Restaurant Review - New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant
Though I am into healthy eating, I never thought I liked vegetarian food much. That was until I found New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant at Champlain and Perrin, near Woodward Park. It is a little out of my traditional haunting grounds, but I have since acquired a new job in the area, and have been exploring the nearby restaurants.
New Stars is stylishly decorated with white table cloths, and a lot of wood work. The place has a country feel. The ambiance is very nice, but the food is superb. The first item I tried was the Garden Burger. I have never had much respect for Garden Burgers, making it a good test. The vegetables were very fresh. The veggie patty was a different experience for someone not used to vegetarian food. It is very flavorful and has a texture a little lighter than ground meat. The fries are fried to a crisp golden brown. Instead of fries you can order a green salad composed of a very fresh mixture of salad greens, with a slightly sweet plum infused dressing. I did not know that soy meat existed, but their soy chicken comes very close to the real thing, but with a softer texture. New Stars only uses the highest quality soy meat.
They serve a very enjoyable tropical fruit tea as well that has a natural fruity sweetness. It is just the perfect choice to keep you awake for the afternoon’s work.
The service is very prompt and your glass stays full. All in all it is a different experience in the city of Fresno. New Stars is a good pick for those who like to try something new, whether you are vegetarian or not. New Stars is proof that you can be healthy and enjoy eating at the same time.
Hello and welcome to my article on the current events that are taking place in our valley.
I am sure you all know of the town of Hanford. It is not too far from the city of Fresno and is a rather cultural place to visit. Especially on the first week of every October where the yearly renaissance fair is held. It is aimed to recreate the era of King Henry the Eighth , and it does a very fine job at that I might add. It is a great event for history buffs and also very fun for the family. I strongly recommend all try and make the time to go see it as it only takes place on the first week of October, and another thing that is wonderful is it is totally free of charge! Hanford also has the Kings Symphony Orchestra for those that love classical music. They are very talented and I also recommend them to people that take an interest in classical pieces. They also stray aside and play more modern things as well to please more of an audience. Sadly they only play four times out of the year which sort of makes it more special since it is a rare occurrence. Hanford also has things to do that occur more often and not a few times of the year. The Kings art center has a very wide variety of art ranging from water colors, Pottery, Textiles and photography among many other forms of art. It also teaches classes on how to paint and make pottery on top of many other subject regarding art. Hanford is a very cultural place and has interesting things to do, yet sadly it also infamous.
Many notice right away that Hanford's water has a rather disturbing smell to it. This because of Hanford's water system. You see the wells that supply Hanford with ground water bring up Hydrogen Sulfide along with the water. Hydrogen Sulfide exists deep in the earth and Hanford just so happens to be below a pocket of the Hydrogen Sulfide gas which is also known as H2S which has the smell of rotten eggs. If you ask anyone who works on an oil rig they will cringe in fear at the word H2S. That is because while the machinery is pumping up oil it sometimes gets H2S along with it, which in major levels can be very deadly and leads to death upon breathing it in. They of course have an alarm system that detects it as it is coming up but unfortunately not everyone is so lucky to make it safety on time. H2S gas is also in swamps and volcanoes and “wells”. Luckily there is nothing to fear though as it is in very small amounts and only gives a rotten egg smell in Hanford's water supply.
On December 7th 2009 the city of Hanford was relieved to know that the dangerous levels of arsenic which is a very deadly poison. Has been eradicated from the wells. This was fixed by drilling new wells to replace the ones that were tainted with the dangerous levels of arsenic. They now meet the federal standard of only 10 micrograms of arsenic per liter of water and is now safe for public use. So now that we are all more educated on the fact that Hanford's water is safe we can all have one less thing to worry about.
In more entertaining news I would like to talk about an interesting web comic by the name of “Blur the Lines”. It is a hilarious web comic about two gay men by the names of Rick and Drew who are a couple. It is very clever and is just simply awesome. The artwork of the comic is also pretty good and is made up of short yet very funny skits that range from day to life, pop culture and some odd events that Rick and Drew face. Do not just take my word for it though. Here click the link and give it a try yourselves http://www.blur-the-lines.com/ . I especially suggest that you read this comic on the recent fiasco where a school had given students laptops with built in video cams to spy on them at home. http://www.blur-the-lines.com/?p=224. A very controversial case in the courts I might add.
Well that concludes this news column on recent valley events. I hope you all benefit from it and I look forward to bringing to the next column. Good day and stay safe.
I haven’t many good things to say about the sequel, other than the young lean bodies of young guys was hot, but the storyline didn’t follow thru with the first. The first one actually went with parodies of other teen movies but in gay format. Part two wanted to be like “Gays Gone Wild” was more like Narcoleptics go to sleep. It had no substantial humor as the first. The attempt was there but, no, it just didn’t happen. There were no references to teen sex movies or T.V. shows as the previous movie. There was a mixture of religion and they (writers) tried to tie it in with humor but were seen more to me like the writer thumbing his nose to my religious beliefs. It’s a movie, that if you’re curious about seeing then do; but your time and money are spent better on something else.
The boys are back and they are horny as ever! Packed with celebrity cameos and total gross-out humor, this outrageous follow-up to another gay movie centers around the spring break adventures of Andy, Nico, Jarod, Griff when they enter Fort Lauderdale “Gays Gone Wild” contest ) a contest to see who gets laid the most). The frisky foursome becomes entwined in all sorts of sexual misadventures in this scandalously funny un-PC comedy.
-- “The gay teenage sex comedy of your dreams!” – Time Out
New York
-- “The most hilarious gay spoof ever made!”—Gay.com
Rosanne has issued an apology for her blog posting last week about the death of Marie Osmond's son...
I saw on the front page of a tabloid that he had killed himself because he could not handle being gay, and I wrote about how angry that made me, after seeing it hundreds of times, growing up as I did in Utah. I don't know the Osmonds, but was always offended at their constant defense of the indefensible things that their church does, the way it promotes hatred and racism and sexism, tax free.
I always intended that my remarks are directed to Power, and always on behalf of its victims. I am sorry to have hurt Marie Osmond, who is the most open minded person in her whole family. I really apologize to her. I thought about waiting to say what I had to say, but then I thought that perhaps there was no better time to add to the conversations in America about homophobia.
Anyway, I apologize again for having added to another mother's pain, and have asked myself if I should have said nothing at all, or waited a while to say what I said. I really don't know. I think it's good to get people talking about being more aware of what we accept, and i know that my comments got people talking.
The hateful letters I have received from the darkest minds of all, the religious, have made me re-think ever adding my views or my voice to anything ever again in this country. It's a scary time in America, for everybody, but especially for people like me who have a less sanitized view of all of it.
Seems the courts aren't done with the Phelps gang yet. After a ruling against Phelps which was later overturned, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the fall about whether the messages on the signage used by Phelps when picketing funerals is protected by the Constitution...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court is getting involved in the legal fight over the anti-gay protesters who show up at military funerals with inflammatory messages like "Thank God for dead soldiers."
The court agreed Monday to consider whether the protesters' message, no matter how provocative and upsetting, is protected by the First Amendment. Members of a Kansas-based church have picketed military funerals to spread their belief that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
The justices will hear an appeal from the father of a Marine killed in Iraq to reinstate a $5 million verdict against the protesters, after they picketed outside his son's funeral in Maryland.
Boy, you can smell the Republican hypocrisy in Oklahoma. Actually, you can smell it everywhere, but it's reaching a fever pitch there.
Republican legislators find themselves divided as measures concerning heterosexual marriage keep rearing their ugly, little heads. Oklahoma has the third highest divorce rate in the nation, behind Nevada and Arkansas. In light of the recent studies claiming that divorce and unwed childbearing weighs heavily on the financial burden of the nation, at something like $112 billion a year, the Oklahoma legislature is faced with a portion of their representatives urging some kind of intervention and another rebuking it.
Two marriage bills have already failed. One would have had couples seeking therapy before divorcing while another would have eliminated incompatibility as a reason for divorce if the couple had been married 10 or more years or had children. A third bill, requiring couples to seek counseling before marriage, is still on the table.
What's hypocritical and frankly, astonishing to see at this point, is some of the debate over the issue.
"How far do I want government to come into my home and your home about private personal matters?" asked Rep. Leslie Osborn, a Republican from Tuttle. She called state government a "huge monster."
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, has advised addressing the issue, but outside of government. He wants to "break the cycle of divorce" but not "mandate it".
So is this the wave hitting back at conservative heterosexuals? Is this, in some small way, a little bit of justice for all those conservative Americans who seem to have absolutely no problem allowing the government to control the relationships of LGBT citizens? They work tirelessly to make sure we have only the relationship status they want us to have, inflicting the government all over every aspect of our personal lives, but when it comes back to their corner, then they think government needs to back off.
Well, contrary to how things have played out in the past with closeted gay politicians, Roy Ashburn has wasted no time in re-defining his identity.
"I am gay ... those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long," he said on a Monday morning radio talk show.
He defends his anti-gay voting record though, saying he's voted in line with his district and with how they wanted to be represented. While he may be technically right to represent his district with certain votes, what does it say about a man who's now explaining his record with the excuse of "integrity", when he's remained in the closet for so long and chosen to not only be a Republican but a Republican politician? There's no excuse for it. Add to that the standard "I'm a Christian please pray for me" BS that Ashburn is also peddling and you know exactly who this phony is.
Virginia's AG Rebukes Colleges for Sexual Orientation Anti-Discrimination Policies
The Attorney General of the state of Virginia, Kenneth Cuccinelli, has warned state colleges, via written letter, that they are overstepping their boundaries by including sexual orientation into their anti-discrimination policies. He claims the General Assembly of Virginia has the word on what is or is not discriminatory, and since the state of Virginia, as recently as last week, "a subcommittee killed legislation that would have banned job discrimination against gay state employees".
He went on to urge colleges which included sexual orientation in their anti-discrimination rules to retract and amend their regulations to conform to state law. The chairman of the democratic party has responded that colleges should be able to set policies "without meddling from Ken Cuccinelli" and the ACLU issued a statement saying that colleges are bound by decisions of the US Supreme Court to not discriminate based on sexual orientation.
This demonstrates one of two paths conservatives have begun to embrace in America. Both are born of recent developments in civil rights legislation. Since LGBT equal rights issues have faced such massive defeat and devastation in recent months, it's had a splintered effect. Some conservatives, realizing they're winning, albeit on a morally treacherous ledge, have taken to the "gentler" approach, in which they proclaim gay people are not to be hated, or reviled, but accepted, although on separate terms. LGBT American are able to have rights, but the rights they designate, nothing more. And certainly no rights which carry the same label or equity as the rights they enjoy throughout the supposed "land of the free and the home of the brave".
A second conservative segment, easily more dangerous, see LGBT failures as an opportunity to ramp things up. From an alarming rise in hate crimes to government officials working to enforce, through twisted interpretations of equality, the daily discrimination of LGBT Americans, one of the results of our civil rights losses is an empowerment of our opposition. It's clear that without discrimination, these people have no one to devour and restrict. Without it, they are less. Without it, they are equal. And they don't want to be equal.
They want the throne. Virginia is another example.
Join Gay Central Valley @ The Express on Wednesday, March 17th for a St Patrick's Day Fundraiser. $3 Cover benefits Gay Central Valley and it's website divisions... Beer Pong Competition... Leprechaun Bartender... $4 Tokyo Tea... Doors Open @ 9pm... Come join the fun...
Chance to win:
Catered Gourmet Dinner for 10 people ($500 value)
10 boxed Lunches catered anywhere in Fresno or Clovis ($100 value)
By our friends at Grand Occasions
Wine from Engelmann Cellars and many MORE great prizes!
Think you have the “Luck of the Irish”?
Join us for a great fundraiser and raffle to establish our Resource Center!
Your help is critically needed to raise funds for a Gay Central Valley Resource Center here in Fresno. Whether you need information about workplace discrimination, want to join the fight for equality or just need a place to share your experiences. Whatever the issue is, if it affects the LGBTIQ community, we want to help.
But now we need funds to establish a safe place where it can all happen. Your contributions through fundraising events and the website will make the difference and help us to stake a rightful claim to our place and give voice to our community in Fresno.
Your contributions are tax deductible.
Gay Central Valley is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Should Same Sex Marriage Be Legalized In California?
For years the U.S has been fighting for freedoms, some of which we have today such as African American freedom and woman's rights to vote. Now there's another battle that we must fight for. Marriage rights for the widely known LGBT Community Or the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, And Trans community which I am a proud member of myself.
When the subject of Same Sex Marriage comes up in any political or simple conversation there are always criticizers and supporters, whom often are discriminated against themselves for supporting a friend or loved one, who are a member of the LGBT Community or who just support us in our fight for rights that we should have to not only bring peace between the straight community and the LGBT community but to bring equality to each individual of both communities.
Some say America is the land of equality, but how can that be when equality is still being fought for to this day? Equality among the LGBT and straight community may not bring discrimination to an end nor put an end to those who have political power who are against us, but it will finally be a milestone and the hugest achievement in a life time among the LGBT Community.
Most people have a choice in whether that want to get married or not, why can't the LGBT Community have the same choice? During the 2009 presidential election Same Sex Marriage was voted against in California because the public thought that Same Sex Marriage was wrong, but NO one should dictate how people live their lives, but nonetheless people do.
People say that homosexuality, bisexuality, and transexuality is not a genealogical factor. Well the matter of the fact is that it is, and it is also a life choice, and it's just who we are. A persons sexuality shouldn't matter, what matters is on the inside of a person, be it a kind heart, caring, forgiving, that's what people should take into consideration, as I said it shouldn't matter what the person is.
As we continue to fight for our rights as a whole, no one can quiet us, as long as we stick together no one can shatter our spirits and our pride. We will fight, we may lose from time to time but we shall stand to gain our rights for future generations to come. As a proud member I will continue to do what I can in helping our cause.
The Roy Ashburn Story Just Gets Better & Better...
(Not an actual picture of Ashburn...but funny)
Oh, it's all so delicious, and the flavors keep improving...Seems Ashburn was asked in 2009 by Lois Henry of The Bakersfield Californian if he was gay. His response?
"Why would that be anyone's business? Including The Californian's? I think there are certain subjects that are simply not relevant and this is one of them. It has no bearing on the job I do."
Henry pushed him, saying it was relevant because of his voting record, to which Ashburn replied that he's voted against "almost all social issues". What a guy.
Just last year he was outed on Facebook (natch) by the out gay mayor of West Sacramento. At the time, Christopher Cabaldon's post on the social networking site: "It wouldn't bother me so bad to see Roy Ashburn at Badlands with a boy if he didn't have such a bad voting record on gay rights."
Just to make things funnier, Ashburn was at Faces Nightclub, a very cool and fun gay club in Sacramento the night of the Miss Gay Latina 2010 Contest, as Craig Ferguson points out in the attached video...
Rosanne Blogs About The Suicide Of Marie Osmond's Son
Marie Osmond's poor gay son killed himself because he had been told how wrong and how sick he was every day of his life by his church and the people in it. Calling that "depression" is a lie!
Yet the Osmonds still talk lovingly about their church, saying nothing about its extremely anti-gay Crusade. Marie also has a gay daughter! Hey, I want her and all the gay kids in the world to know that they are just fine being gay and that they deserve love and respect instead of insults and rebuke! I have gay people in my family and my circle of friends and I am kicking bigot ass and taking names!
That is how it's done in my religion---(I have my own religion that I made up for myself and it is a great religion that actually works and respects facts and not fantasy!)
Gerald Lund one of the ex church apostles has three gay kids himself.
Yet, even though the people they say they love the most in all of their public displays and speeches (THEIR KIDS AND FAMILY!!) are gay,-- their own children,for crying out loud- these people cannot find the christian decency and compassion within themselves to stop their hypocritical gay bashing!!
How sickening. I know so many mormon kids who were gay and committed suicide, and I just cannot and will not stay quiet in order to not offend bigots anymore. It is all so terribly depressing.
Marie please don't talk about how your faith in your church has helped you get through this one! Please get some integrity and tell that church of yours that you will leave it and stop giving it ten percent of your money if they don't stop trying to destroy your kids' and all gay people's civil rights and dreams and hopes!!
G-d is trying to use you for something good and this is your opportunity! Your church is wrong and on the wrong wrong wrong side of things! Get as vocal about that as you are about your diet. G-d bless you too, Marie.
Take a hard look at the facts now as you use this very sad time for introspection, healing growth and prayer, and become a strong symbol for loving mothers who make no apologies for hatred against their own kids!
My friends in Upward Educate, a college preparation program, have been the most accepting of my homosexuality. In the following essay I describe the importance of being honest about my sexual orientation. I provide a short story that applies this imperative truth when I was at an Upward Educate convention. The parts are labeled.
Essay
My nerves are actually on edge and I'm shivering as I type this annoying piece of literature. I am a homosexual and I'm not going to lie, it’s an interesting place to be. This shaking and resistance to publishing my story is not because God is telling me to "choose" a better lifestyle: it's because I hear too many horror stories about gays getting killed and I also think about how many people will awkwardly approach me in the future to ask about it. I publish these journals because coming out is something that for certain reasons needs to be done. The main reason being sanity and another being public awareness.
The general public is not as bad as it seems, every hour hearing someone say fucking faggot, or that’s gay. You kind of get used to the creative ways people bash you after a while. The names hardly bug me because it is simply the generations background speaking. The hard part for me is trying to teach people it isn't a sin or a choice.
I’ve been this way since the first time I stepped in the boy’s locker room. Homosexuality deals with sex, that doesn't mean I'm a pervert dement who needs counseling. It just means that my body is sexually aroused by a male’s body instead of the female’s body. Unfortunately because it is viewed as a sin and seen as a sexually confused mishap, homosexuality has led me down several dangerous paths.
Another Anti-Gay Conservative Gay Politician Caught Red Handed
GOP California State Senator Roy Ashburn was pulled over after leaving FACES, a gay bar in Sacramento, last night. His driving was erratic and in the end he was charged with a DUI and with driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08%.
A male passenger in the car with Ashburn was released and not charged. Ashburn has since issued an apology (as usual). Ashburn, divorced with children, has a very anti-gay voting record, including voting against recognizing same sex marriage from other states and opposing Harvey Milk day.
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The Give A Day Get A Disney Day volunteer program through the Disney Parks has come to an end. Gay Central Valley would like to thank all those who volunteered for our organization. Your help was generous and well needed and we hope that you consider volunteering in some way in the future, outside of the Disney Program. Disney issued the following statement regarding the end of this very successful program...
