First Annual Howard Grayson LGBT Elder Life Conference, March 24, 2012

If you're a Senior and live in the Bay area (San Francisco) then you may want to check out the First Annual Howard Grayson LGBT Elder Life Conference being held at 30th Street Senior Center, 225 30th St. (betw. Dolores & Church) on Saturday, March 24th from 1:30-5:00pm.

The Howard Grayson LGBT Elder Life Conference will deal with end of life issues as well as taking the first steps towards a safe and more secure elder life. Spend Saturday afternoon with us for a rainbow of resources and wisdom! Lean about your legal options and protections, LGBT services, and opportunities for action! Chat and chew with LGBT community organizations and leaders!

Honored guest Phylliss Lyon,
honored comedians Karen Ripley and Tom Ammiano.

Bay Area seniors welcome to this Free event.
For more info contact Michael Lyon 415-215-7575 or email him at

mlyon01@comcast.net

Read about Howard Grayson’s life: http://tinyurl.com/7bcn3td


Sponsored by: Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, On Lok 30th St. Senior Center, Department of Aging and Adult services, Openhouse, Rainbow Adult Community Housing, Senior Action Network, Gray Panthers, Asian Pacific Island Queer Women and Transgender Community, California Alliance of Retired Americans, LGBT Center of San Francisco, Outlook Theater Project, National Center for Lesbian Rights.

D.C. Council Gives Final Passage to Same-Sex Marriage Bill

From HRC

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, applauded the Washington, D.C. Council’s overwhelming vote today for final passage of legislation recognizing same-sex marriage.

“Today’s vote is a victory for all D.C. residents, whose relationships will soon be treated equally and fairly in the eyes of the law,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “This legislation is an important and historic step towards equal dignity, equal respect and equal rights for same-sex couples here in our nation’s capital, which also preserves the right of clergy and congregations to adhere to their faiths. The legislation the Council passed today reinforces the legal equality and religious freedoms to which all D.C. residents are entitled.”

“Congratulations to the D.C. Council – particularly Councilmember David Catania who spearheaded this bill - Mayor Fenty and the many advocates of equality in our community who have worked so hard for, and will vigorously fight to protect marriage equality in D.C. We look forward to the Mayor’s signature and the day not too far off when same-sex couples in D.C. will be able to enjoy all the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage,” added Solmonese.

The D.C. Council voted today 11 to 2 to give final approval to the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009. The vote recognizing same-sex marriage was the second in two weeks for the Council, which approved the bill in an initial vote on December 1, 2009 by the same margin. Since last July, D.C. law has recognized marriages by same-sex couples from other jurisdictions, including foreign countries. The new legislation would permit same-sex couples to marry in D.C. itself while ensuring that clergy and religious organizations would not be required to provide services, accommodations, facilities or goods for the solemnization of a same-sex marriage.

The legislation now goes to the desk of Mayor Fenty, who has said he will sign it. The law would take effect at the conclusion of the Congressional review period, which lasts for 30 legislative days following the Mayor’s signature.

Opponents of marriage equality have attempted to overturn the legislation by proposing a ballot initiative to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled last month that the proposed initiative would violate the D.C. Human Rights Act and therefore was not a proper subject matter for the referendum process under D.C. law. Opponents have sued in D.C. Superior Court despite the fact that last June, a Superior Court judge ruled that a similar proposed referendum prohibiting recognition of marriages by same-sex couples performed in other jurisdictions would violate the D.C. Human Rights Act and therefore was ineligible for the ballot.

At this time, five states recognize marriage for same-sex couples under state law: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire (effective January 1, 2010). New York recognizes marriages by same-sex couples legally entered into in another jurisdiction. Five states—California, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada—plus D.C. provide same-sex couples with access to the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Hawaii, Colorado, Maine, Maryland and Wisconsin provide same-sex couples with limited rights and benefits. California recognized marriage by same-sex couples between June and November of 2008, before a slim majority of voters approved Proposition 8, which purports to amend the state constitution to prohibit marriage equality. Couples married during that window remain married under California law, but all other same-sex couples can only receive a domestic partnership within the state. The state will recognize out of state same-sex marriages that occurred before November 5, 2008 as marriages and those that occurred on or after November 5, 2008 as domestic partnerships. The Prop. 8 vote has been challenged in federal court; a decision is not expected any time soon.

Same-sex couples do not receive federal rights and responsibilities anywhere in the United States. To learn more about state by state legislation, visit: www.hrc.org/state_laws.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

San Francisco's Gay-Friendly Radio Station Gone

There really are no words to express how disappointed I was last Friday when I jumped in my truck, turned on the radio, which was set to Energy 92.7, and found that they had been replaced with some top 40 music station. Come on... like San Francisco needs another top 40's music station?

Energy 92.7 was different then most radio stations, not only were they independently owned, but they played pure dance music, had many OUT DJs and catered to the LGBT community, as well as everyone else.

So after spending the weekend wondering what happened, I read on SF Gate.com that last Thursday evening new ownership took over the station, the Energy employees were all let go, and the format changed from pure dance music to top-40 mainstream.

"The station lasted five years," according to Jason Dahlstedt, producer of KNGY's show "Fernando and Greg in the Morning. "When it launched, everybody said it wouldn't make it past a year." KNGY owner Joe Bayliss of Flying Bear Media has informed the staff of the sale a few months ago, but KNGY kept going until the check had cleared.

Energy 92.7 will be sorely missed!!!

Obama Still Committed to Gay Rights

With the growing discontent from so many gay rights activists, President Obama met with hundreds of members of the LGBT community on Monday for a East Room reception marking the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York, considered the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.

The criticism stems from unfulfilled campaign promises, such as those that would repeal laws barring gays from serving openly in the military and proclaiming marriage to be a union between a man and a woman. Not to mention the more recent legal brief submitted by Obama's Justice Department that defended the 1996 federal marriage law which blocks recognition of gay marriages outside of the six states that perform them.

Obama addressed the group stating, "I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that." It's not for me to tell you to be patient, any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half century ago."

Recommitting to his election campaign pledge, Mr Obama stated, "I'll say it again. I believe 'don't ask, don't tell' doesn't contribute to our national security. In fact, I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our national security." He also stated that he has asked Pentagon officials to begin planning for how to end "don't ask, don't tell," but 77 House members have already asked him to eliminate the policy faster. Likewise, there's been little movement on overturning DOMA, even though Obama says he wants it repealed.

"I've called on Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act to help end discrimination against same-sex couples in this country," Obama said. "Now, I want to add we have a duty to uphold existing law, but I believe we must do so in a way that does not exacerbate old divides. And fulfilling this duty in upholding the law in no way lessens my commitment to reversing this law."

But that's not likely to happen right away. Obama and Congress are devoting most of their energy to passing a healthcare overhaul and a sweeping new energy policy. With such a busy agenda, White House and congressional leaders have been reluctant to overload the political machinery in Washington by pushing through more controversial legislation.

Obama is hoping LGBT supporters will be patient, but for how long?

“I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the promises that my administration keeps. … We've been in office six months now. I suspect that by the time this administration is over, I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration,” he said.

My Amazon.com LGBT Dilemma

So I am having this dilemma…I have always been a fan of Amazon.com, they offer a large selection of LGBT Books, clothing, accessories, etc, and all at reasonable prices. However, last Sunday hundreds of LGBT book titles were stripped of their sales rank in what they are calling a "glitch."

It was author and blogger Mark R. Probst who first discovered the problem when he noticed the sales rankings for two new high-profile LGBT books were missing, as well as his own book, The Filly. Since bestselling and high-ranking titles are displayed more predominantly when using the Amazon search feature, without these rankings, titles are more difficult to find can effect authors sales. When Probst complained to Amazon about this issue, the reply he received stated, "In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude 'adult' material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature."

Since then, an Amazon representative characterized the move as a mistake, stating that, "essentially, there's a glitch in our system and it's being fixed."

Meanwhile, both the LGBT and straight community are outraged and they aren’t shy about sharing their feelings. Twitter has exploded with thousands of comments from those who believe this is a homophobic issue. "Queerty" has posted an article called “Why We're Not Buying Amazon's Gay Book 'Glitch.’” And there is even a petition against Amazon and their new adult policy, which already has more than10, 000 signatures and counting.

Personally, I would like to believe that Amazon wouldn’t unfairly target the LGBT community. However, it is obvious that the company's new adult book policy has somehow tagged these books in a way that has targeted LGBT literature.

Now if it was all adult-themed literature that was being tagged equally, I may be a little more understanding, but from what I have read, many so-called risqué books with heterosexual pornographic content were not affected by this glitch, including: Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds by Chronicle Books, Rosemary Rogers’s Sweet Savage Love (explicit heterosexual romance) and Alan Moore's Lost Girls (which is a very explicit sexual graphic novel), leading me to believe that a homophobic bias does exists, at least to some degree.

And then, when I thought I had hear it all, this morning a new story came out stating that a programmer at Amazon France was editing the Amazon site to filter porn out of some search results, and he "mixed up 'adult,' which is the term they use for porn, with stuff like 'erotic' and 'sexuality.' The system he was working on is universal, so the change he made propagated across Amazon's sites worldwide.

Whether or not that story is true, Amazon should have admitted to this mistake days ago, instead of calling it a “glitch.” Either way, my guess is that Amazon will lose customers anyway, if no other reason then the way they dealt with this whole debacle.

But needless to say, I still have my dilemma, do I continue to use Amazon and trust that this was an honest mistake??? Hmmm….

Religion and Sexuality in the LGBT Community

Article originally posted on gaynewsbits.com

IN THE LIFE Debuts Its January Show ‘Ties That Bind’ — A Look at the Intersections of Religion and Sexuality in the LGBT Community.

IN THE LIFE, the only three-time Emmy nominated public television series documenting the gay experience, explores religious devotion and discord in the LGBT community.

The power of religion to shape our lives, our worldview and our political convictions transcends all cultures, faiths, and sexual orientations. The Bible, the Koran, and the Torah are tools for spiritual guidance, comfort, and direction, but many gay and lesbian people endure a sense of alienation from religious communities that fail to see a place for them in their congregations.

In the wake of many defeats sustained by the LGBT community on Election Day, with the historic passage of Proposition 8 in California and similar amendments in other states, the entire country has been witness to how religion is used as a wedge in the larger community.

Believing that homosexuals have no place in the Christian Church, ex-gay ministries like EXODUS International promise gay and lesbian people struggling to live within the margins of religious fundamentalism “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ.” In its lead-story, “In God We Trusted,” this episode of IN THE LIFE examines evangelical ex-gay ministries that have been established around the country to “re-program” LGBT people into heterosexuals — often with tragic consequences endured by its members: guilt, desperation, even suicide.

In “A Conversation With…” Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop ordained by the Episcopal Church, and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, spiritual leader of New York City’s largest LGBT synagogue, map their spiritual journeys, noting parallels and pivotal moments that lead them to call for a more inclusive theology that celebrates people of all faiths and sexual orientations. “I wanted to be a part of a Judaism that could ask questions in a sophisticated way about the meaning of life, interfaith relations, sexuality, feminism, gender issues,” says Kleinbaum, “and I believed that Judaism was actually big enough and strong enough, and that God was sophisticated enough to handle those kinds of questions.”

The episode concludes with a “Real to Reel” highlighting Parvez Sharma’s groundbreaking film, “A Jihad for Love.” This rare portrait of a different kind of “Jihad,” meaning: an inner struggle or to strive in the path of God, brings the stories of gay and lesbian Muslims across twelve countries to the forefront of the debate on Muslim scripture and homosexuality.

“Ties That Bind” has begun airing on American Public Television stations, and is available for free video streaming and downloadable podcasting from the IN THE LIFE website. To find out when it will be airing in their local areas, to stream or download it, viewers should go to In The Life: Ties That Bind.