tagged w/ LGBTQ
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Two undercover Atlanta police officers assigned to an investigation at the Atlanta Eagle downed shot after shot of the potent liqueur Jagermeister even as their colleagues were preparing to raid the Midtown gay bar, according to information obtained in a lawsuit against the city.
Three undercover officers were already in the Atlanta Eagle bar before the Sept. 10, 2009, raid started. At least two of them were drinking heavily, according to the bartender and the receipts they filed for the costs of their drinks.
According to information gathered in the now-settled lawsuit, officer Bennie Bridges spent $60 of APD funds on May 21, 2009, and another $50 the night of the raid on Sept. 10, 2009. A second officer working undercover that evening, Jared Watkins, claimed $60 for drinks the night of the raid. The third officer inside the Eagle bar before the raid claimed he spent $10.
According to records for those who were in the bar undercover on May 21, 2009, five officers, one of them a woman, each claimed they spent $5. Three others reported spending $10, $20 and $29. That was the night Bridges, the lead investigator, spent $60, according to information gathered to settle a federal lawsuit for $1.025 million and legal costs.
It is not clear if the officers were asking to be reimbursed or if they were documenting money that was given to them in advance. A “witness” and a supervisor, in addition to the officer, signed off on the paperwork accounting for the expenditure.
APD spokesman Carlos Campos said in an e-mail that APD “employees are prohibited from consuming intoxicants or illegal substances while on duty. However, exceptions are made for employees working undercover on specific law enforcement operations. Those exceptions must be approved ahead of time in writing by an employee’s supervisor, and must be limited to prevent the impairment of the employee.”
Campos declined to comment on Bridges’ or Watkins’ spending or any specifics about the case because “internal investigations into officers’ actions are ongoing.”
It was never determined if the officers were impaired.
Bridges, 41, did not respond to a telephone message left at his home Tuesday. He has been on paid leave since he was arrested earlier this month in Cobb County on charges of speeding, DUI and possession of marijuana.
Watkins also could not be reached Tuesday.
Cristina Beamud, executive director of the Atlanta Citizen Review Board, which fields complaints against officers, said sometimes it is necessary "on some occasions, to drink in small quantities. It's never a good idea for officers to consume alcohol, especially if they're planning to take enforcement action."
Even though the federal lawsuit has been settled, the repercussions of the raid that night continue to dog the Atlanta Police Department. The city and APD struggled to rebuild their weakened relationships with the gay community. Mayor Kasim Reed tried to mend hurt feelings by apologizing for the raid.
Robby Kelly, a co-owner who was tending bar on Sept. 10, 2009, said he remembered Bridges from that night because Bridges stood taller than many in the bar and because he and the other officer were loud as they drank $6 shots and bantered with another bartender.
Kelly said the bartender also bought the two undercover officers a couple of Jagermeister shots in addition to the ones Bridges and Watkins bought for themselves.
Once the raid started, Kelly said, he lost track of the two as officers from APD’s vice unit and the now-disbanded Red Dog team swarmed the bar.
Patrons and employees were ordered to the floor and handcuffed. Some officers used profanity and anti-gay slurs as they conducted the searches, witnesses said.
APD initially said the officers went to the bar based on reports that men were engaging in sex acts while others watched. Eight people were charged with violating city ordinances involving licensing. But a municipal court judge later dismissed the cases against three of them and then prosecutors dropped charges against the remaining five.
Attorney Dan Grossman, who filed the lawsuit in federal court, questioned why some of the undercover officers drank so much. They could have had a soft drink or water with lime if they wanted to make it look like they were drinking alcohol, he said.
“That’s a lot of booze,” Grossman said. “That goes beyond fitting in. Now it’s having a good time. ... If they could have made some argument that it’s essential to an undercover investigation, they should have left the location once the raid started and left it to those who were sober.”Two undercover Atlanta police officers assigned to an investigation at the Atlanta... more
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A 35-year-old Iranian man living convicted of heroin trafficking in Switzerland is being sent back home — despite his pleas that he'll be persecuted in Iran because of his sexuality. The man, who arrived in Switzerland and was repeatedly denied asylum, secured temporary residence in 2004 after a civil union with a Swiss man; his 2007 conviction of moving 70 grams of heroin, however, killed his attempts to renew his papers. And thanks to last year's passage of a new law that automatically deports any foreigner convicted of crimes including rape and drugs, the man has little recourse. Which isn't to say he didn't try: He appealed to the Federal Administrative Tribunal, which just denied his asylum claim, insisting "homosexuality is not uncommon in the Iranian society and systematic discrimination is not detectable" and that "in practice, homosexuality is tolerated by the authorities when it is not done openly in view in an offensive manner." That's complete bullshit, as we've seen, but it's hard to generate much sympathy for a man moving drugs around. That said, the deportation might be the harshest punishment the Swiss can hand down: a possible death sentence.
Read more: http://www.queerty.com/switzerland-is-sending-a-gay-drug-trafficker-back-to-iran-to-die-20110214/#ixzz0ISM1nGUlA 35-year-old Iranian man living convicted of heroin trafficking in Switzerland is... more
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Oskar, a six-year-old Swedish boy, was stabbed in the neck at his preschool for wearing pink, and openly preferring pink nail polish and ballet. Prior to the attack, he had told his parents that classmates called him "gay and a "girl." Luckily (poor word choice?) the assault was performed with a blunt knife, and the boy was not seriously hurt. The school, meanwhile, says it was just a "small incident." Incidentally, the boy's mother says she doesn't "want to have my child at a school which considers a stab with a knife to be a 'small incident.'"Oskar, a six-year-old Swedish boy, was stabbed in the neck at his preschool for... more
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The Whidbey Giving Circle is proof that small philanthropic groups can still make a big splash for their community needs, by throwing their check books and balls around.
For those who shy away from starting a local non-profit because they think it'll take millions of dollars to make a difference, the Whidbey Giving Circle is an example of a small community getting big results one dollar at a time.
Take the example of their bowling event, Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011 at Whidbey Island's historic local bowling alley, Ebey Bowl. The event is of benefit to both the charity and the local business. It's inexpensive enough for people to attend and provides a winter night activity when the Pacific Northwest winter nights are long. And when tough economic times hit, this local Whidbey Island charity figured out a way to raise money and not break the bank of their members. The event has a 10.00 cover, and Ebey Bowl is hosting the bowling costs. Attendees can choose to eat there, ordering directly off the bowling alley menu - or not. 10.00 gets Whidbey Giving Circle members a chance to give, have good fun and spend more if they choose. There will be a silent auction for those who can afford to spend even more. A little something for everyone's wallet.
The Whidbey Giving Circle is a philanthropic community of Island County citizens who pool resources to support LGBTQ equality and young people on the island. Membership is open all who make a financial contribution of any size. Annual gifts range from $15 to $5,000. Every gift is powerful and earns the donor opportunities to vote on key Whidbey Giving Circle grants and scholarships. Affiliated with Pride Foundation, the Whidbey Giving Circle began in 2007 and has since grown to nearly 70 members, providing approximately $20,000 of annual support to organizations, community leaders and students.
For more information about the Whidbey Island Giving Circle – Larry Lowary at 360-579-2172The Whidbey Giving Circle is proof that small philanthropic groups can still make a... more
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On the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth, read what LGBT rights activist and playwright Larry Kramer had to say about Reagan shortly after his death in 2004.
By Larry Kramer
COMMENTARY: The following piece was originally published in The Advocate issue dated July 6th, 2004.
Our murderer is dead. The man who murdered more gay people than anyone in the entire history of the world, is dead. More people than Hitler even. In all the tributes to his passing, as I write this two days after his death, not one that I have seen has mentioned this. The hateful New York Times (“all the news that’s fit to print”) of course said nothing about this. We still are not fit to write about with total honesty in their pages. Not really. Just as we were not fit for Ronald Reagan to talk about us. What kind of president is that?
I have been writing a long work of history which I call The American People. I chose this title because in every speech he ever made, Reagan went on and on about “the American People.” We of course were never a part of his American People. And we knew it. Year after year of his hateful and endless reign we knew we were not a part of the American People he was President of. He would never talk about us, of course, or do anything for us except murder us. There were no social services for us. There was no research into our health. Even as we were dying like flies. How could he not have seen us dying? The answer is he did see us dying and he chose to do nothing. There was no representation in his government of us. There was never anything for us but his ignoble dismissal of us. All of Washington, indeed the world, knew that Reagan hated us. How could they not? Most of them did, too. And when Daddy doesn’t love you, who is there who will stand up to Daddy? This is a trick that Hitler used and which I believe the young Reagan learned from him. He never had to say much out loud himself about his hatreds; but everyone knew what they were. Gays were as hated under Reagan as Jews were under Hitler. It is a trick that both George Bushes have carbon-copied. We have not been included among their American people either.
I could never understand why Reagan’s hatred of us was so intense and manifest and never-ending. Some of Nancy Reagan’s best friends were gay, the self-loathing Jerry Zipkin, at one time her principle “walker,” chief among them. It is said he taught her how to dress. In my play, Just Say No, I dramatized my own theory of why she and her husband kept gays off their agenda as if we were the plague, which of course, as in some hideous self-fulfilling prophecy, we became. Ron Reagan, Jr. That is why. It was no secret in an ever-widening circle that Ron Reagan, Jr. was suspected of being gay. In his freshman year at Yale (I believe this was his only year there; perhaps there were two), I have been told he had numerous gay experiences. I am well known at Yale. Indeed, I have established the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Yale to document the evil acts that American “history” has performed on us.
And just as damning of the son’s reputation, of course, because it could not be hidden, was that Ron Reagan, Jr. was a ballet dancer. This did not look good and was obviously exceedingly embarrassing to a father who rode so many horses. So off with the tutu and on with a wedding ring. Junior was married off and sent to far-off places in positions of low visibility. I have gay friends in Hollywood, equally closeted, who knew him and know him and protect him. To know him is to be sworn to some sort of pact of secrecy. What a hideous life Ron, Jr. must have led all these years. To be denied a life and to have been so utterly gutless about fighting back. (Well, we know all about that.) While his own mother was gallivanting around with some of the biggest fairies in the world. What hateful parents to have had in the prime of your life, “the great communicator” of a father out there communicating how much he hated you and his wife out there going along with this. I suspect by now Ron Reagan, Jr. actually believes he is straight. By now he may very well be. He may well have been all along. He just looked so suspicious, and of course it was this perceived suspicion that, one way or the other, is what caused his father to murder so many of us. Why does history not recognize this monstrous and never-ending history of hatred and the inestimable number of deaths it continues to cause?
People magazine called me for a quote Reagan’s death. “I wish he had died before he was elected” is what I told them. I wonder what they will run.
It is remarkable that two of the so-called “greatest presidents” have also allowed the greatest perpetrations and perpetuations of mass murder. Franklin D. Roosevelt was shamefully inept in dealing with “the Jewish question,” (see my play The Normal Heart), most ironically since so many Jews were his most loyal supporters, the Jerry Zipkins of their day. No one really writes about this. Roosevelt is one of history’s great gods. Just as no one really writes about Reagan and “the gay question.” These two major murderers so far have gotten away with helping to cause the two major holocausts of modern history. Just as Jews are asked to never forget their Holocaust, I implore all gay people never to forget our holocaust and who caused it and why. Ronald Reagan did not even say the word “AIDS” out loud for the first seven years of his reign. Because of this, some 70 million people, so far, have become infected with HIV/AIDS. I wonder what it feels like to be the son and the wife of a man responsible for over 70 million people so far becoming infected with a virus that has killed over half of us so far. I wonder what it felt like while he was alive to ponder this. For surely he must have thought about it. How could he not? He has been called the consummate actor who came to believe all his lines. Does this not make his legacy even more grotesque? It should.
Hitler knew what he was doing. How could Ronald Reagan not have known what he was doing?
But of course, no one is writing about this. Reagan too is one of history's gods.
So far he has gotten away with murder.On the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth, read what LGBT rights activist... more
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Not coincidentally, the Reagan years saw a boom in dishonest research "proving" that welfare itself caused the rise in single-female-headed families (who are in fact more likely to be poor).
Charles Murray's "Losing Ground" purported to put meat on the bones of Reagan's "Poverty won" argument, marshaling an arsenal of statistics to show that poverty programs, especially what was known as "Aid to Families With Dependent Children," encouraged promiscuity, rewarded the lazy and destroyed the family -- especially the black family.
Anti-poverty scholars fought back with their own statistics:
The number of white female-headed households not on welfare exploded in the same years, making it unlikely welfare was causing the trend.
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The share of children born to low-income black single mothers rose sharply largely because married black mothers were having many fewer children, not because single women were having more.
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But thanks to Reagan's sunny claims from his bully presidential pulpit, and the right-wing philanthropy enlisted to spread Murray's lies, the other side prevailed. You might say those scholars fought a war on lies, and lies won.
1. Does Abortion Reduce The Population Of African Americans or Does Marriage?
2. Perhaps this is why the right wing wants to Protect Marriage?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Not coincidentally, the Reagan years saw a boom in dishonest research... more
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We have learned that Ugandan LGBT advocate David Kato Kisulle was murdered today at his home in Kampala. Frank Mugisha of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) has confirmed that the David’s body was identified at a hospital.
Update: I have also confirmed this with SMUG’s Pepe Julian Onziema, who identified David’s body in the hospital morgue. Police are investigating.
The details surrounding his murder are unknown at this time. He was reportedly beaten in the skull with a hammer at his home. We do not yet know whether it was a single assailant or a group of people, nor do we know any other circumstances surrounding his death.
Update: More details from Human Rights Watch:
Witnesses told police that a man entered Kato’s home in Mukono at around 1 p.m. on January 26, 2011, hit him twice in the head and departed in a vehicle. Kato died on his way to Kawolo hospital. Police told Kato’s lawyer that they had the registration number of the vehicle and were looking for it.
David Kato was a spokesperson for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and one of the plaintiffs (or applicants) in the successful lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction against the Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone (no relation to the U.S. publication of the same name). Kato was one of three applicants who had been named by the tabloid under a headline tagged “Hang Them!” His photo appeared on the tabloid’s front cover.
LGBT Ugandans have lived under a menacing atmosphere for more than a decade. The anti-gay hysteria has increased significantly since the introduction of the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill into parliament in 2009. That bill, which remains under review Parliamentary committee, would impose the death penalty on LGBT Ugandans under certain circumstances and criminalize all advocacy by or on behalf of LGBT people. It would also criminalize even knowing someone who is gay if that person fails to report their LGBT loved one to police within 24 hours. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for February 18, and the bill is expected to be considered after Parliament returns for a lame-duck session before the new Parliament begins in May.
This horrendous murder adds to the fears that LGBT Ugandans regularly face over their safety. Brenda Namigadde, a lesbian asylum seeker in the U.K. has been threatened with deportation back to Uganda. Just yesterday, she received an ominous message from M.P. David Bahati, the author of the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill, in which he said that Brenda must “repent or reform” when she returns home:
Brenda is welcome in Uganda if she will abandon or repent her behaviour. Here in Uganda, homosexuality is not a human right. It is behaviour that is learned and it can be unlearned. We wouldn’t want Brenda to be painting a wrong picture of Uganda, that we are harassing homosexuals.
M.P. Bahati may be technically correct. They are simply killing homosexuals, not harassing them.
David has served as the Advocacy and Litigation Officer for SMUG since 2004, according to his facebook profile. He also attended the University of York where he studied Human Rights.
Update: Mourners are posting message on David’s facebook wall.We have learned that Ugandan LGBT advocate David Kato Kisulle was murdered today at... more
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcfViklWRsU
Thank you, FritoLay, for finally airing a gay Superbowl Doritos ad that is not homophobic, but rather cute and funny.
Maybe companies are starting to get the message that homophobic advertising isn't good for their bottom line, or their reputation?
NOTE FROM JOHN: I'm not so sure I'm happy with the flaming stereotype depicted in the ad. Curious about your thoughts?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcfViklWRsU
Thank you, FritoLay, for finally airing... more
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Jim Buzinski, founder of outsports.com, blogger and advocate for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgendered athletes broke the story of three high-school boys who wanted to support each other, come out, help others and dance on The Ellen Show.
Not finding any gay sports figures to look up to, Brad Usselman, Ben Newcomer and Robert (last name withheld - on request) decided to make a blog to help support each other, and maybe help others be openly gay athletes.
"Three kids. Three time zones. One mission" - is the subtitle of the blog, Brad, Robert and Ben have chosen for their blog "Walk the Road". Walk the Road can be found on the wordpress URL - bradrobertben.wordpress.com
Buzinski, a long time journalist and advocate for gay sports, found the young men to be sincere, driven and admirable - making them and their website a feature on outsports.com.
Read Jim's interviews with these courageous young men at http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2011/01/08/gay-high-school-athletes-blog-to-make-difference/
GSJim Buzinski, founder of outsports.com, blogger and advocate for Lesbian, Gay,... more
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The nation's first gay museum opening in San Francisco's Castro district showcases a variety of items ranging from Harvey Milk's pink-framed sunglasses to manuscripts and sex toys.
The 1,600-square-foot museum, opening Wednesday, chronicles the evolution of what organizers call the liberation of the gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Milk's sunglasses displayed in the GLBT History Museum are a tribute to the late San Francisco supervisor, who was the first elected openly gay politician in California.
GLBT Historical Society executive director Paul Boneberg told the San Francisco Chronicle the society has a five-year lease for a formerly empty storefront.
The society is relying on donations and volunteers to keep the museum open.
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It would be nice if they had acquired the writings of Alan Turning that where put up for auction at Christie's a few months back
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/despite_backing_from_google_alan_turings_papers_fa.phpThe nation's first gay museum opening in San Francisco's Castro district... more
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Conservatives claim to have the votes.
Since the passing of the law allowing same-sex marriages in New Hampshire last year, some 1,500 couples have been wed. Now, all of that hangs in the balance as a few grassroots organizations work to get a repeal to the Republican controlled floor in New Hampshire's state legislature.
When asked about his part in repeal efforts, state Rep. Leo Pepino said, “I think we have the votes (to repeal). We have a lot of really good conservatives and a good conservative doesn’t believe in gay marriage. … It’s a matter of ethics.”
Other "good conservatives," such as state Rep. William O’Brien (R-Mont Vernon) and Senate President Peter Bragdon (R-Milford), however, claim they're working on the budget.
Donna Swartwout and Linda Murphy, the first couple to be married under the law, are celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary in the Florida Keys on what was supposed to be their honeymoon. Unfortunately, they're spending this happy time concerned for their union. There's still no word of how repeal would affect the couples joined this past year.
Says Swartwout, “I never thought a year (after our wedding) we’d be in Florida, wondering if we’re on a honeymoon or a vacation.”
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If you think being a Gay Republican is OK, IT IS NOT!!!Conservatives claim to have the votes.
Since the passing of the law allowing... more
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The city hipsters sipping expensive coffee and chatting on cellphones did not give a second look at the two young men cutting across a Hollywood courtyard on their way to bed down in a nearby park.
AJ, 23, and his boyfriend, Alex, 21, hide their blankets and duffel bags in bushes. They shower every morning at a drop-in center and pick out outfits from a closet full of used yet youthful attire.
"If I could be invisible, I would," AJ said. "I feel ashamed to admit that I'm homeless."
Every year, hundreds of gay youths end up alone on the streets of Los Angeles County, where they make up a disproportionate share of the at least 4,200 people under 25 who are homeless on any given day.
A recent study found that 40% of the homeless youths in Hollywood, a gathering spot for these young people, identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual or unsure of their sexual orientation. Five percent say they are transgender.
But it is a largely hidden population, said Simon Costello, who manages the drop-in center frequented by AJ and Alex.
"They haven't been on the streets for years and years," he said, "so they don't look bad."
Blending in is part of how AJ and Alex survive on the streets. Police officers are quick to issue tickets, and the streets are full of predators.
In recent weeks, a Times reporter and a photographer spent time with several gay homeless men in their early 20s.
PHOTO GALLERY: On the streets of Hollywood with AJ and Alex:
http://framework.latimes.com/2010/12/10/young-gay-and-homeless-in-l-a-county/#/0The city hipsters sipping expensive coffee and chatting on cellphones did not give a... more
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Many groups are doing something about the sobering STI rates amongst youth around the world. It’s hard to discuss education disparities without discussing health disparities and more specifically the lack of informed sexual health action amongst youth/young adults. With World AIDS Day not too far in the rearview it seems pertinent to mention the infection statistics for youth, LGBTQ and women of color.
2009 America:
46% of high school students had ever had sexual intercourse
14% of high school students had had four or more sex partners during their life
34% of currently sexually active high school students did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse.
Approximately 19 million new STD infections each year (almost half of them are among youth aged 15 to 24.)
More info: http://he-ed.blogspot.com/2010/12/heed-highlight-sexual-health-and.htmlMany groups are doing something about the sobering STI rates amongst youth around the... more
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Tonight, December 16, 2010 at 7:30 PM a memorial service and rally will be held at Brooklyn's Parade Grounds (adjacent to the Tennis Center across the street from Prospect Park) to remember all victims of violence as well as the recent suicides of gay young adults.Tonight, December 16, 2010 at 7:30 PM a memorial service and rally will be held at... more
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As of next Sunday, Glam Gam Productions is no more. Forget the Box has a wicked awesome write-up on their latest show, Tits the Season. Check their show, LAST EVER, on Dec 9, 10 and 11.
If I could thow my hat in the ring for a quick sec, I gotta say I'll miss them. They were a that rare max of artistic integrity, audaciousness and total fucking folly. I love it when people can REMEMBER LAUGHTER. Fuck high-brow, these kids would go into the woods, looking all wood thug-like, and take pics of themselves with neon accoutrements hanging from various...
read more at: http://www.xtra.ca/blog/montreal/post/2010/12/09/Glam-no-more.aspxAs of next Sunday, Glam Gam Productions is no more. Forget the Box has a wicked... more
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A Christian minister in Minnesota said on his radio program that the nation's first Muslim member of Congress was soliciting the support of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to implement Sharia law. Follow his logic with us, wouldn't you?
Bradlee Dean of the religious ministry You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International said on his radio program that Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) is only supporting LGBT rights as part of a strategy to bring Sharia law to the United States, the Minnesota Independent reported.
"I said time and time again that there is a correlation between the Muslims and the homosexual agenda, and we have a couple of fools in the state of Minnesota that are putting a rope around their neck and they just don't realize it," Dean said on a radio. "Here, let me give it to you this way: Keith Ellison is a Muslim."
Dear reasoned that Ellison's support of protections for the LGBT community (like the Matthew Shepard Act) and for same-sex marriage is part of a plot to overthrow the Constitution and put Sharia law in its place.
"Why is he so adamant about overthrowing the Constitution as it is right now? Because if you pay attention to the plow he's planting the seed," Dean said. "He's trying to come through with Sharee [sic] law."
"Does somebody want to talk to the homosexual community in the state of Minnesota and tell them what he is doing?" Dean continued. "Go online, folks! You love the homosexuals so much then why don't you tell them who they've appointed as their chairperson? He's a Muslim!"
"Hello? Why is he after it? Because he wants to bring in Sharee [sic] law through the homosexual agenda!"
"What is Keith up to? I think we have to ask the question, Keith," said Dean. "I'm just asking the gay communities what's up with Keith Ellison because they are so foolish, blind and stupid not to figure out that their vice chair is a Muslim. This is no hidden secret, folks. This is in America. Who is this guy working for?"
A spokesperson for Ellison, who serves as co-chair of the House LGBT Caucus, did not immediately respond to TPM's request for comment.
As the Minnesota Independent points out, Dean and his ministry "have close ties to the Republican Party and GOP elected officials and candidates including former gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Secretary of State and current state Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, and state Rep. Dan Severson." Rep. Michele Bachmann has also fundraised for the group, the news website said.
******There is audio http://minnesotaindependent.com/74635/bradlee-dean-keith-ellison-is-advancing-sharia-law-through-homosexual-agendaA Christian minister in Minnesota said on his radio program that the nation's... more
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Really, it’s not the lingering after effects from all the tryptophan you ingested over Turkey Day—or the alcohol, if you spent the holiday with our family. Tomorrow is Election Day. Again.
Think of it like this: It’s your Sarah Palin-esque duty to God and country to hit the polls tomorrow. Or put another way: Your ass got bigger over Thanksgiving, and you really could use the outdoor exercise.
So scoot on over to your neighborhood precinct and cast a ballot on Tuesday. With the small turnout expected, you and your annoying neighbor really can make a difference this time.
To help, those do-gooders at Georgia Equality offer some advice. http://georgiaequality.org/
Vote for their candidates, and you cast a ballot for equality. Or a fair majority. Or something like that. It is Georgia, after all, so any candidate progressive enough to pursue an endorsement from the statewide gay rights group can’t be all bad.
We’ll let Jeff Graham (photo), Georgia Equality’s executive director, make the direct pitch on why you need to vote on Tuesday. He’s much more eloquent than us. (See above: tryptophan and alcohol.)
This is when it counts - such an incredibly small percentage of voters come out for runoff elections, the LGBT community in Georgia has the opportunity TOMORROW, November 30th to be a powerful and influencial force in some very important races!
Imagine - if we stand together and pledge to go to the polls and cast our vote, we can help shape the GA Supreme Court and help elect fair minded judges to the State Superior Court and the State Court of Appeals. Every one of the cases that these judges will hear is important to the individual parties involved; and many have implications for the larger community, including the LGBT community. Please consider the importance of these Judicial races, and what they could mean for LGBT individuals and families.
Also at stake in the upcoming runoff is the election of the Mayor of the City of Athens and Athens-Clarke County Commissioner District 5.
Your vote will make a difference in this election - remember…equality begins at home - please plan to vote tomorrow.
Here’s the cheat sheet of Georgia Equality endorsements:
Tammy Lynn Adkins, Georgia Supreme Court
Chris McFadden, Georgia Court of Appeals
Shelitha Robertson (second photo), Fulton Superior Court
Courtney Johnson, DeKalb Superior Court
Jared Bailey, Athens-Clarke Commission
Gwen O’Looney, Athens mayor
The statewide gay rights lobby endorsed 17 candidates on the ballot in November.
http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/view/Atlanta_gays_go_30-27_with_candidate_picks?gid=6698
Ten of those won and two were sent to the runoffs—Jared Bailey for the Athens-Clarke Commission and Chris McFadden for the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Georgia Equality has since endorsed three more candidates in races where their original pick lost—Tammy Lynn Adkins for Georgia Supreme Court, Shelitha Robertson for Fulton Superior Court and Courtney Johnson for DeKalb Superior Court. The group, aided by supporters in and around Athens, also offers up a runoff endorsement of Gewn O’Looney for Athens mayor.
Robertson survived a recount of her race for the Fulton judgeship.
http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/recount-costs-challenger-votes-737121.html
She placed second to Kelly Amanda Lee, who wasn’t endorsed by any LGBT groups that picked candidates this election cycle. Georgia Equality’s initial endorsed candidate, Chloe Dallaire, placed fourth in a five-way race to replace retiring Superior Court Judge Melvin Westmoreland.
Another interesting factoid about the Fulton race: Robertson, who has lobbied for gay votes at several LGBT events including the Pride parade, is an attorney credited with securing bail for the Eagle 8 when they were jailed in the botched Eagle raid in September 2009.
http://www.projectqatlanta.com/news_articles/category/eagle_raidReally, it’s not the lingering after effects from all the tryptophan you... more
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Prime Minister Raila Oldinga ordered a nationwide crackdown on gays in Kenya. He ordered police to arrest anyone engaging in homosexual behavior.
Oldinga states, “We will not tolerate such behaviours in the country. The constitution is very clear on this issue and men or women found engaging in homosexuality will not be spared.”
The anti-progress premier went on to say that, “Any man found engaging in sexual activities with another man should be arrested. Even women found engaging in sexual activities will be arrested.”
In October, media sources began publishing pictures of gays in Uganda. The headlines read, “100 Pictures of Uganda’s Top Homos Leak.” Slapped next to the headline was a banner reading “Hang Them.”
Sine those headlines ran, 4 Ugandans have been attacked while others fled in hiding.
Today in Kenya at a public rally the Prime Minister recalled the ratio of men to women being equal population wise, then pondered why their people should engage in homosexual activity. C Street must be gleefully applauding this.
Examiner.com:
> C Street politics: The Christian mafia is advocating the death penalty for
> homosexuals in Uganda. The Family at C Street,
> aka the Christian mafia(http://j.mp/i4GOab), is backing proposed anti-gay legislation
> in Uganda that will sentence homosexuals to death.
> The Family at C Street(http://j.mp/hMNkzL) is actively supporting the Ugandan
> leaders who are championing this draconian legislation, legislation that would
> institute the death penalty for homosexuality.
> C Street has been a Christian fundamentalist frat house for US congressman and
> senators. The house, sometimes referred to as the “C Street Complex”, is home
> base for the Family.
> Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and David Bahati, a key Ugandan lawmaker,
> are both active members of the Family, and the major force behind the legislation.
> Indeed, they represent the Family in Uganda. Bahati organizes the Family’s Ugandan
> National Prayer Breakfast and oversees an African student leadership program
> designed to create future leaders for Africa, into which the Family has poured
> millions of dollars.
> The Family is a secretive international Christian cult that preaches a doctrine known
> as the “Seven Mountains Mandate” in which believers seek to gain world control, by
> gaining influence over seven key sectors of society: religion, government, media,
> education, arts and entertainment, family, and business. The group is quite sexist,
> believing in a strong patriarchy, and obviously radical in their homophobia. Members
> take an oath and are sworn to secrecy
Uganda, which borders Kenya is on the same page, both not seeing that being gay is not a choice. Why is it our business? Because C Street started this in Uganda.
Read more on this at Daily Nation.
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/politics/-/1064/1062134/-/78xndg/-/Prime Minister Raila Oldinga ordered a nationwide crackdown on gays in Kenya. He... more
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