| christian grantham | |||
| Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD. | |||
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March 09, 2005
Here is confirmation on an exclusive story I broke over a week ago.
HRC chooses former EMILY's List leader Joe Solmonese as its new head, as predicted by many. From the e-mail sent out by HRC: "At HRC, he will not only continue building an extraordinary bipartisan political operation, he will also develop innovative programs to talk to America about GLBT lives. Joe is excited to expand the conversation with America beyond the political to the personal, engaging with communities of faith, communities of color, and empowering all GLBT Americans and their families and friends."
[HRC chooses - MetroWeekly - 03-09-05]
filed under: Exclusives
March 02, 2005
A source that wishes to remain anonymous confirms tonight that the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has offered the position of President and CEO of HRC to Joe Solmonese, the CEO of Emily's List.
Since the departure of former President Cheryl Jacques, Democratic activists Hilary Rosen and Mike Berman led an internal restructuring prior to the appointment of the new President and CEO. According to HRC, the process to find a new President and CEO involved over 25 people and an outside firm.
A 25-member committee, chosen to reflect broad geographic representation and diversity as well as board and staff perspectives will form the search committee as the Human Rights Campaign officially opens its search for a new leader today. The announcement launches a national search that Board of Directors Co-Chair Gwen Baba said would be "aggressive in both its timing and its scope."
[HRC BOARD ANNOUNCES SEARCH PROCESS FOR NEW LEADER - HRC - 01-04-05]
After some activist bellyaching, HRC later listed those people.
[HRC ANNOUNCES SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBERS - 01-06-05]
- Gwen Baba, BOD co-chair, Los Angeles, CA
- Vic Basile, FD co-chair, Baltimore, MD
- Joe Barrows, BOD, Denver, CO
- Bruce Bastian, BOD, Orem, UT
- Terry Bean, FD, Portland, OR
- Mike Berman, BD co-chair, Washington, DC
- Ken Britt, BOD, Atlanta, GA
- Lawrie Demorest, FD co-chair, Atlanta, GA
- Amy Errett, BOD, San Francisco, CA
- Anne Fay, BOG co-chair, Dallas, TX
- Emily Giske, BOD, New York, NY
- Everett Hamilton, former BOD, Washington, DC
- Julie Johnson, BOD, Dallas, TX
- Kevin Layton, general counsel, Washington, DC
- Marty Lieberman, BOD, Seattle, WA
- Andrew Linsky, BOD, Palm Springs, CA
- David Medina, BOD, Washington, DC
- Cathy Nelson, development director, Washington, DC
- Victoria Raymont, BOD, Chicago, IL
- Henry Rosales, BOG co-chair, Denver, CO
- Donna Rose, HRC business council, Round Rock, TX
- Hilary Rosen, FD, Washington, DC
- Winnie Stachelberg, political director, Washington, DC
- John Sullivan, BOD, Minneapolis, MN
- Tony Varona, BOD, Tuckahoe, NY
- David Wilson, BOG, Boston, MA
Joe Solmonese is the CEO of Emily's List, a national organization that supports pro-choice Democratic women candidates throughout the country.
also read: EXCLUSIVE: HRC's Cheryl Jacques is Fired, Exclusive: HRC Tries To Assure Major Donors, HRC Staff Told to Keep Quiet, Remain Focused, Jacques Slams 'Minority of Voices' at HRC, HRC: Mixed Messages on Privatizing Social Security
Developing...
filed under: Exclusives
February 09, 2005
Arch nemesis GayPatriot, the anonymous gay Republican, has moved from Blogger.com and launched a new website "representing the million gay and lesbian Americans supporting President Bush." The new site is now GayPatriot.org. The "Internets" will never be the same.
filed under: Exclusives
December 17, 2004
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) sought to quell concerns among their major contributors in a nationwide conference call last night. The hour long call at times presented a business-as-usual approach to the post-election political landscape. But in a Q&A session with interim director Hilary Rosen and others, Federal Club members confronted HRC's post-election message and questioned why a shakeup was necessary if HRC remained on track.
"The issue with Cheryl was not a policy issue, and we're trying to respect her privacy." Rosen told Federal Club members. "So, there shouldn't be any misunderstanding about that. She's a terrific person and did a lot of good here. But she resigned, and we're moving on."
Some Federal Club members continued to press the issue, clearly not satisfied with the lack of answers and cryptic phrasing. The exchanges got particularly heated when a New York Federal Club member accused HRC officials of sounding like the Bush Administration with their answers and asked whether HRC honestly viewed "differences in management philosophies" as a personal matter.
"You know, look, these things happen in an organization, and we're in a transition," Board member Mary Breslauer said. "We're talking about an internal matter here. It wasn't a fit, and both Cheryl and HRC decided to move on."
This and other attempts by HRC to effectively communicate Jacques's departure didn't sit well with some Federal Club members who contribute over a thousand dollars a year to the nation's largest gay and lesbian civil rights organization.
"It sounds to me like something bad happened they don't want to talk about," a Federal Club member later told me on condition of anonymity. "If this is really a personal matter, then they need to say there was a difference in management styles, not management philosophies. Organizational management philosophies are perfectly open for discussion. Personal management styles are not."
Communication problems were a central theme in many concerns raised by Federal Club members on the conference call.
When one federal club member asked why HRC didn't present a positive message on the website after the election, Rosen was at a loss for answers. "When you look at our upcoming magazine, you'll see a weather page with lot's of sun and rain clouds. So, it's a balanced message."
Questions also arose around still more confusion created in particular by a New York Times story that suggested HRC plans to support privatizing Social Security.
"We are not supporting the president's privatization effort," Rosen emphasized. "What we have to do in this debate is tell our stories to legislators how we are the only people that don't get all the benefits that other Americans get."
How HRC plans to tell those stories to Republicans after taking a position on privatizing Social Security is a concern for some major donors.
"I don't know why HRC is even taking a position on Social Security," one Federal Club member told me. "They sound like a bunch of partisan hacks towing the party line on Social Security. What they need to do is focus both sides of the debate on beneficiary issues that affect gay and lesbian families so we're always on the winning side."
Despite the lack of answers and a clear sense of direction, still one Federal Club member asked what more they could do for HRC besides give money. "What we are going to do and want you to do is tell us how you can make a difference in your community," Rosen said. "Check the website over the next few days for more details."
filed under: Exclusives
December 14, 2004
Yesterday, Alabama state Rep. Gerald Allen met with President George Bush. Before boarding his flight home today, I spoke with Rep. Allen about whether his proposed bill to ban homosexual content from public libraries and schools ever came up.
"The President is strong on moral values. I don't think anyone has a question about that," Allen said. "But my bill never came up, and I won't have anything more about that for another two months."
Another two months? Allen dismissed my question of whether the White House asked him to tone down his rhetoric in favor of higher priorities.
"The bill simply didn't come up. Now, we talked a lot about tax reform, but had the issue come up, I'm certain the President would have a lot to say about the moral values that got him elected."
The fact that the White House didn't bring up Rep. Allen's desire to burn books should tell him something about Republican Party priorities. Last week, Rep. Allen told the Guardian there was no higher priority than the "moral values" his proposed bill represents.
Last month, "14 states passed referendums defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman". Exit polls asked people what they considered the most important issue, and "moral values in this country" were "the top of the list"."Traditional family values are under attack," Allen informs me. They've been under attack "for the last 40 years". The enemy, this time, is not al-Qaida. The axis of evil is "Hollywood, the music industry". We have an obligation to "save society from moral destruction". We have to prevent liberal libarians and trendy teachers from "re-engineering society's fabric in the minds of our children". We have to "protect Alabamians".
['We have to protect people' - Guardian - 12-09-04]
Only time will tell if Rep. Allen's visit to the White House helped him focus on more important Republican priorities than burning books.
also read: Stonewall Democrats United, Talking Points
filed under: Exclusives
, Moral Majority
, Republican Fire Oaths
November 30, 2004
This is exactly how Fuqua screwed up the movie Gangsta.
Citing a difference in management philosophy, the Human Rights Campaign’s boards and its president, Cheryl Jacques, announced that she will resign from her position."Cheryl hit the road almost as soon as she arrived and has been an effective advocate for our community," said HRC Foundation Board Co-Chair Lawrie Demorest.
Jacques led HRC through the successful defeat earlier this year of the Federal Marriage Amendment in the House and Senate, and through a period of significant growth in fundraising and membership, including a record $30 million budget for 2004, and a membership that now exceeds 600,000.
[CHERYL JACQUES TO LEAVE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN - HRC - 11-30-04]
filed under: Exclusives
November 30, 2004
In an emotional meeting today with the staff of the nation's largest gay and lesbian civil rights organization, Human Rights Campaign board members Vic Basile and Mike Berman shared the news that Cheryl Jacques has been terminated.
Angered that news of the termination had leaked out through this blog, Berman reiterated the decision was made in a highly confidential executive session of the board and that no one at HRC was to speak to anyone regarding staff matters, especially the media.
"This had absolutely nothing to do with the elections," Berman added. "There is nothing HRC could have done to change the elections."
Berman apologized to the staff for having very little to tell them leading into this weekend's board meeting in Las Vegas other than confirming Jacques' immediate termination. When asked by a staffer what they could do to help, Berman urged the staff to remain focused on their work.
"We can't say anything to anyone until Cheryl is comfortable. Unfortunately we're stuck with that," Berman told the staff. There were few answers given to the staff other than encouragement to move forward.
"We've got to figure out what we're for and not spend so much time on the defense," Berman said of the challenges ahead. "We are not going to dwell on the past. We are going to focus our energy on moving forward."
HRC told several media outlets inquiring about this story that a statement would be issued this afternoon. No statement was issued.
filed under: Exclusives
November 30, 2004
Cheryl Jacques, the Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign, has been fired. According to sources that wish to remain anonymous, HRC's Board of Directors voted to replace Jacques with Hilary Rosen as interim executive director. The vote took place in an emergency conference call Monday night.
Rosen is the partner of HRC's former executive director, Elizabeth Birch, who left HRC after eight years. Rosen also left her position with the Recording Industry Association of America earlier this year to focus on her children with Birch. Rosen recently worked as a political commentator and media consultant.
HRC's board will meet this weekend in Las Vegas, and the HRC staff will be told of the decision today. The board hoped an early vote would allow the Las Vegas meeting to not be dominated by discussions on the decision.
Sources say some board members expressed deep misgivings with how HRC presented itself during the 2004 elections. HRC Board member Bruce Bastian was particularly upset with HRC spending money on bumper stickers, t-shirts, billboards and tattoos that read "George Bush, You're Fired!"
Developing...
filed under: Exclusives
November 22, 2004
Should drag kings be able to enter MetroWeekly's "Nightlife Coverboy of the Year" contest? Every year, D.C.'s lgbt magazine features some of the areas hottest men vying for the year's front cover. This year 47 men are asking for your vote, or so it seems. A closer look at 27 year-old coverboy candidate "Allix" suggest things might not be what they appear.
Allix, a.k.a. Maximum Head, Pux Allot or Allix Allot, is a well-known drag king. You wouldn't know it reading the provided bio Metro Weekly lists along with Allix's photos. Unbeknownst to the other candidates, and maybe even Metro Weekly, Allix is looking to do the unthinkable: become Metro Weekly's "Nightlife Coverboy of the Year" as a drag king!
According to Allix Allot's bio on DCKings, "Allix developed a deep-seated animosity for all authority figures as well as a deep-rooted affinity for all things kinky and hard core. His early exploits and favorite vices are well documented in juvenile court and reform school files."
Should Allix's animosity for authority allow him to break the rules? All this week, until November 28, voters will choose the top ten for a final vote December 2-8. To vote for Allix, click here.
filed under: Exclusives
November 11, 2004
Indiana Democratic Party (IDP) Chair Kip Tew has a lot of explaining to do following loses and a failure of principled leadership.
Following Tuesday's Democratic losses, Tew was a changed man. He called a reporter to apologize for being nasty during the campaign. He called himself a "loser" and said he was "pretty defeated."
[Daniels will take wheel for his RV1 victory tour - Indy Star - 11-07-04]
In September, Tew personally assured me that "the Indiana Democratic Party strongly condemns bigotry in every form." That was his response to charges made here that someone sent a gay-baiting email from the IDP headquarters. Although the party denies this ever occured, the facts are clear. Kip Tew's scurilous behavior as IDP Chair is not the future of the Democratic party.
Now comes word that Kip Tew sent mailers to voters a week before the elections condemning equal marriage rights.
"Any Way You Slice It, Vern Tincher Believes Marriage Should Be Between a Man and a Woman" is the way the flier put it.Gauzy images showed a wedding cake being sliced by a man's hand holding a woman's and beaming heterosexual couples. "Because he believes in the sacred institution of marriage, Vern Tincher will always vote to define marriage as only between a man and a woman, and also vote against recognizing homosexual marriages from other states."
[Group says Democrats betrayed gays on marriage issue - Indy Star - 11-11-04]
And what did Kip Tew have to say about engaging in behavior he himself condemend a month prior?
Tew responded with apologies but defended Tincher's decision. The race, he said in the letter, was about winning."I will not allow us to go down without a fight, nor will I allow us to take a stand on principle that will cause us to go backwards and diminish our chance for success for many years."
[Group says Democrats betrayed gays on marriage issue - Indy Star - 11-11-04]
Kip Tew, YOU'RE FIRED!
filed under: Exclusives
November 05, 2004
In April 2002, when Vince and I held a private ceremony celebrating our love for one another, one thing missing was a host of civil marriage rights afforded married couples. We were extremely fortunate and lucky not to have to pay a lawyer to draft what few protections we could think of needing. For many gays and lesbians, these rights will cost them attorney fees.
That wasn't the only thing missing from that day. We were fortunate to have very close friends celebrate our commitment to one another, but none of our family showed up. When I didn't hear from my family for months after the wedding, and asked why they didn't attend, the mere question was met with shocking hostility and anger from my sister. "How dare you do this to us. Why does it always have to be about you!?"
filed under: Exclusives
November 04, 2004
David Broder points out something very important today about the success of Republicans and the challenge for Democrats.
The Democratic Party and allied groups waged an expensive and largely effective effort to increase the turnout of urban and minority voters, but Republicans trumped them by finding even more support among white voters outside the cities and inner-ring suburbs -- many of them people for whom religion is a central element.That yielded a quickly emerging consensus yesterday across the Democrats' ideological spectrum that they "have to take the time to understand the concerns of rural families and Christian families," as Clinton White House chief of staff Leon E. Panetta put it.
[Need to Connect With Religious, Rural Voters Noted - Washington Post - 11-04-04]
Realizing the issue that mobilized the Republican base in rural America was the supposed threat of "gay marriage," the writing on the wall, largely ignored by national gay and lesbian leadership, is a desperate call for Washington's successful fundraising expertise to share talent and success with local education and outreach efforts.
FLYING OUR KITE IN THE WIND
I'll never forget a debriefing I had in 1998 with the directors of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest gay and lesbian civil rights group. The debriefing followed a successful national fundraising dinner in Washington, D.C. coinciding with a national voter mobilization conference I coordinated for HRC.
In the meeting were HRC's Executive Director Elizabeth Birch, Political Director Winnie Stachelberg, Field Director Donna Red Wing, Communications Director David Smith, Development Director Cathy Nelson, NCOD Director Candice Gingrich, myself and a couple of others.
The weekend was a big success for HRC at the Wardman Park Hotel, especially the fundraising portion of the weekend, the national dinner. Over 700 people attended OutVote '98, which was below what I had hoped. By contrast, over 2,000 attended the fundraising dinner.
In the debriefing, I openly praised Cathy Nelson for how extremely effective she was at fundraising and echoed how clearly important it was. But I added, perhaps naively, that I thought there was such a thing as "too effective." I pointed out that Cathy's use of HRC's national structure through local steering committees was too focused on the fundraising dinner building up to the weekend and didn't equally sell the importance of mobilizing the gay and lesbian vote through the weekend's conference. I expressed that I hoped the national structure can be used just as much to achieve HRC's equally important task of mobilizing the gay and lesbian vote.
That's when Elizabeth Birch chimed in, "There's also such a thing as flying your kite in the wind." That got a couple of light-hearted laughs as Elizabeth explained in her own way how the bills are paid. Elizabeth was right, of course, but she was also articulating an unavoidable reality in Washington that is at the core of a clichéd "Inside the Beltway" blindness to the rest of America.
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
What Elizabeth clearly meant was that HRC's life line, the thing that brought all these talented people to one table in beautiful offices in the heart of Washington D.C. was raising money from cities across America. HRC's national structure exists primarily to this day for fundraising. Make no mistake about it. Sadly, we paid for this reality with congressional loses in 1998, and the cost is even deeper today.
I came to Washington, D.C. in 1996 a student activist who received death threats and who had worked hard to gain the support and respect of religious groups for equal rights. The Baptist Student Union, once a fierce opponent, actually served breakfast to a conference of more than 400 gay students I and my co-chair, Allie Sultan, brought to campus from the Southeast region.
Once in Washington, I was fortunate to work with very talented people in our national civil rights movement and later with the White House on domestic policy forums. It was somewhat disillusioning for me to see leaders I deeply respected clamoring in a political culture steeped in fundraising while ignoring the necessity of funding and organizing work beyond the Beltway.
DIVIDENDS OF TRUST
My hope is our talented national leadership will someday understand that no amount of fundraising matters when you don't have the trust and support of the American voter. No $2,000 PAC contribution matters to a Congressional leader when the people they represent aren't there yet.
It is past time that success in our national vision for equality weighs the value of the American voter against short-term fundraising successes. It is time for our national movement to change course and lay the groundwork for the enduring dividends of trust from the American voter.
filed under: Exclusives
October 24, 2004
Many Democratic 527s have spent millions of dollars to register new voters and project high voter turnout at the polls November 2. But if this weekend's disappointing turnout to two voter rallies in Florida is any indication, George W. Bush will win by a landslide.
According to Matt Drudge, Cher and Rosie O'Donnell openly expressed dismay this weekend directly to their audiences when hardly anyone showed up. The events were separately sponsored by Democratic 527s MoveOn.org and Americans Coming Together.
The harshest criticism came from Cher.
"There were supposed to be thousands of people here tonight. I'm not sure why that didn't happen, obviously the people putting on this thing were just not very good at it," Cher reportedly told the crowd. "When I was coming down the steps, I thought 'Oh shit, well I'll just go out there and give it my best.'"
The press release for both the events issued by D.C.-based Fenton Communications boasted "an estimated crowd of 2,000 young Americans" would attend Cher's appearance at Miami's trendy Crobar in South Beach. As Cher took the stage, only 200 people bothered to show up.
"I am aware that she was very disappointed," Fenton's Kawana Lloyd told Outlet Radio. "We did the PR for the event and were expecting a lot more people. I think it was probably poor planning. We were told about Cher's appearance late Thursday night." MoveOnStudentAction event organizers did not return our calls.
Despite Rosie O'Donnell's venue located within minutes from Florida Atlantic University, the event, sponsored by Americans Coming Together (ACT) and Emily's list, was even more disappointing.
"You know, there's only like, you know, maybe 38 of us here and maybe we can just like tap a keg and put on some disco, and totally party," O'Donnell reportedly joked with the audience.
If Cher, Rosie and threats of disco are hardly a draw for gay and lesbian Florida voters, let's hope 527s have spent their money wisely turning them out for Kerry.
filed under: Exclusives
, Gay Vote
October 13, 2004
The elections in Illinois are heating up on the issue of gay marriage. No, it's not the losing anti-gay campaign waged by hypocritical moralist Alan Keyes, whose own daughter, Maya, is a lesbian. There isn't even a gay marriage measure on the November ballot. The focus of angry gay marriage opponents is on the race for the Illinois Supreme Court's 5th Judicial District seat.
Angered that the state legislature failed to place a gay marriage amendment on November's ballot, Christian conservatives are now setting their sites on the election of a Republican Supreme Court Justice in the state's 5th district.
Christian conservatives fear that Illinois Justices will continue appointing "activists judges," and that the high court itself could hear challenges to the state's law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The race has attracted a lot of attention and a lot of money. A Colorado based film maker, Wayne Ewing Films, is making a documentary on the election, and state parties and special interest groups have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the race.
Because of laws prohibiting Supreme Court candidates from expressing their views on issues that might come before the court, Republican Supreme Court Justice candidate Judge Lloyd Karmeier is very careful in how he expresses his position on gay marriage.
"What Karmeier has said is Supreme Courts in other states have gone too far in their actions and that he believes the court is to interpret the law, not make laws," Karmeier Campaign Spokesperson Steve Tomaszewksi told Outlet Radio.
When asked how Tomaszewski feels as a gay man working for a Supreme Court candidate who advocates positions denying him and his partner equal rights, Tomaszewski asserted, "I have no problem speaking for Shimkus and Karmeier on these issues and supporting their positions both personally and professionally." Tomaszewski added that Outlet Radio was the first media outlet ever to ask him about being gay.
Tomaszewski has lived with his partner, Jerry Dial, a hairstylist in Collinsville, IL, at various addresses for years. Thomaszewski is also the spokesperson for Representative John Shimkus (R-IL), who recently voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment in the United States Congress.
As a spokesperson for Karmeier's campaign, Tomaszewski answers to Campaign Manger David Luechtefeld, a conservative Republican state senator in Illinois who opposes equal rights for gays.
Even the candidate's wife is in on the gay bashing. On October 21st, Judge Karmeier's wife Mary will attend an anti-gay marriage rally in Effingham, IL and plans to speak about the issue of gay marriage. The rally is one of 14 occurring across the state in a one week period titled "United We Stand--Defending Marriage."
The rallies are hosted by Christian conservative groups Illinois Family Institute, Concerned Women for America Illinois, Walsh Forum, Catholic Citizens Illinois and others.
"We are just a bunch of Christians in Illinois who aren't giving up on the grassroots battle to end gay marriage," Effingham Protect Marriage Rally coordinator Pammette Balda told Outlet Radio. "We don't want the bestiality, pedophilia and gay marriages that liberal activist judges are forcing on America. We're organizing and telling Illinois that the Christian majority won't stand for this."
Renew Illinois, one of the sponsors of United We Stand--Defending Marriage, has endorsed Judge Lloyd Karmeier for the Illinois Supreme Court.
Another even co-sponsor, Catholic Citizens of Illinois, has placed radio spots reminding voters not to vote for politicians that support equal marriage rights.
"Across the country, pro abortion gay rights politicians are masquerading as Catholics and asking for your vote, while the clear teaching of the Catholic Church is that abortion and homosexual acts are gravely sinful.Politicians who promote these errors, and the voters who put them in office, participate directly in this evil. This November, don't leave your Catholic Faith behind when you go into the voting booth. Your vote is a matter of life... or DEATH"
[Catholics Vote Catholic - listen to the MP3]
Balda said she heard Karmeier speak at a Greater Effingham Chamber of Commerce luncheon on the subject and is confident Karmeier will stand up against the gay agenda and activist judges.
"Liberals are trying to get this gay agenda into our schools so kids who haven’t hit puberty will question themselves," Balda added. "Krameier won’t let that happen."
Citizens in the 5th district of Illinois will vote for either Republican Lloyd Karmeier or his opponent, Democratic candidate Judge Gordon Maag, on November 2, 2004. The documentary is scheduled for release January 2005 and will be distributed in theaters, television, schools and universities.
filed under: "W" is For Wackos
, Equal Marriage Rights
, Exclusives
, Gay Vote
October 06, 2004
You might remember the story slathered in the press by Republicans gleeful that a little known gay Republican group endorsed President Bush. According to a press release, Abe Lincoln Black Republican Caucus co-founder Don Sneed was kicked out of a gay bar in Dallas, TX.
"I went to the club to have a cool beverage, went to the gentlemen's room, went to the bar where a red-shirted staff person came up to me. I proceeded to tell him that the gentlemen's room needed some attention. It was in a rather surly state of affairs, whereupon he said: 'it doesn't matter, we want you to leave.' I protested but was kicked out without much ado nor any reason being given for the discriminatory action." Taking a stab at sarcasm Sneed said, "I've never been thrown out of a more pathetic establishment."
[A.L.B.R.C. Co-Founder, National Black Republican Grassroots Community Organizer, Says He Was Thrown Out of Gay Night Club - Press Release - 10-05-04]
Rick Espaillat, Media Director for JR's parent company Cavern Enterprises, told Outlet Radio that JR's has a long history with Sneed.
"For a long time, Don led Sunday demonstrations on the street corner across from the bar when we cattered to our black clientel. He said blacks shouldn't patronize a white-owned bar.Don was thrown out of the bar after he became belligerent and told a bartender to get out of his face.
We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, and there wasn't any racial bias in kicking Don out of the bar. We own 4 nightclubs with 150 employees of all ethnic backgrounds and genders and have a very diverse clientel."
In a telephone Interview with Outlet Radio, Don Sneed responded saying this was all about politics in the Cross Roads community.
We led a series of protests pointing out racial discrimination within the gay community over the summer in Cross Roads. We called for a boycott of Cross Roads businesses by black patrons and sought a summit with the community to iron out these issues.I went into JR's that evening to let them know we are open to working with them. When I came back from the bathroom and went to the bar, a manager came up to me and asked me to leave for no reason. It was basically like 'if you don't like our political agenda, you can go over to your side of town.'
filed under: Exclusives
September 29, 2004
Cable subscribers in Las Vegas are in for a rude awakening in February if they are anticipating Viacom's launch of the all gay cable channel LOGO. I just spoke with the editor of QVegas, Steve Moore, and he tells me Cox Cable will only carry the channel if the community expresses a demand for it.
This is an early example of what is sure to play out in smaller markets across the country. While larger markets will carry the channel despite interest, smaller markets will provide a strong indication of whether the gay and lesbian community really wants LOGO.
Is it time for a campaign reminiscent of George Lois and Dale Pon's "I Want My MTV?" The popular campaign, launched by MTV in the early 1980s, featured pop-stars proclaiming "I want My MTV!" The campaign was a response to cable carries refusing to carry the novel all-music channel. The campaign worked, and who can forget it?
According to Viacom, LOGO "will be advertiser-supported, targeting primarily gays and lesbians, 25-49, and will provide a mix of original and acquired programming that is authentic, smart, inclusive and open-minded."
LOGO's availability in larger markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and San Francisco, will be announced soon.
LAS VEGAS WANTS LOGO?
call Cox Communications-Customer Service
702-383-4000
filed under: Exclusives
, Media
September 27, 2004
For people interested in pictures publicly available online, here is Maya Keyes, daughter of Alan Keyes, as identified by the Illinois Leader. Besides her beautiful smile, notice her ear rings and necklace.
Now, check out this photo of Maya and her cute girlfriend. You can see this photo in her girlfriend's online profile at GAY.com under "GraceFire," or Bria Grace. Gracefire calls the photo "Me and my Anjul." Notice how "Anjul" is spelled just like "DangerousAnjul," the Yahoo username Maya Keyes used to post to her father's Senate Campaign Yahoo group. Maya deleted that earlier today. You'll also notice Gracefire links to Maya's GAY.com profile. I'm sure after we post this, that will soon be removed as well. Notice the exact same ear rings?
Now, check out this picture of Maya snogging Gracefire. Check out the same necklace and ear rings as in the Illinois Leader photo. How can Alan Keyes deny something special like that? Also notice the "George Bush YOU'RE FIRED!" button. Maya is a self-proclaimed anarchist, and she isn't sure if she's going to vote for John Kerry. She's considering Ralph Nader. If Alan Keyes is going to blow a prayer gasket over his daughter, let it be over that.
filed under: Coming Out
, Exclusives
September 24, 2004
Take a look at this hot new billboard for GAY.com. They are scheduled for display in several major cities, but were rejected in markets in Florida, Tennessee, Iowa, Arizona, Indiana and Wisconsin. I wonder why?
According to in-house creative director Christy Schaefer, the story of the campaign is simple: two players from the same team have been dreaming of each other for a long time until one day, after practice, they finally connect in the end zone. "What starts as a casual hook-up becomes a real connection. These guys are playing for keeps," she said.
[Gay.com Shakes Up Tradition-Bound World of Football With Its 'Play for Keeps' Campaign - Press Release - 09-24-04]
filed under: Exclusives
, Media
September 22, 2004
| Dan Rather, CBS News Anchor |
|
| George W. Bush, President of the United States |
|
also read: Power Line, Command Post, WizBang
filed under: Exclusives
, For The Record
September 05, 2004
In a stunning display of dirty politics, the Indiana Democratic party has been caught in a regrettable game of gay-baiting. Local activists have learned the Indiana Democratic Party sent emails attempting to alert Republican lawmakers and conservative groups of efforts to court the LGBT vote by Republican Gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels.
Daniels, former White House Office of Management and Budget Director under President Bush, is running against incumbent Democratic Governor Joe Kernan. Kernan is viewed more favorably within the lgbt community, but has no discernable record to suggest he's any better than Daniels. With Daniels holding a 6-point lead in the polls, Kernan is feeling the heat. Kernan added gender identity to the states anti-discrimation policy in an effort to woo lgbt voters, only after it was made safe by Daniels issuing the same policy in his own campaign.
Daniels hasn't taken the lgbt vote for granted, and recently requested to meet with LGBT leaders in a proactive outreach effort.
The following is Daniel's invitation to leaders of local LGBT community:
Understanding you to be a leader in the community, Mitch Daniels invites you to a meeting at Jesus MCC Church (2950 East 55th Place, Indianapolis) on Tuesday, September 7th, to discuss issues of importance to you.
Immediately following Daniels invitation to court the LGBT vote, an email surfaced from "David Fleshacker” using a yahoo email address.
Message-ID: (20040902225630.85574.qmail@web61304.mail.yahoo.com) Received: from [67.37.15.118] by web61304.mail.yahoo.com via HTTP; Thu, 02 Sep 2004 15:56:30 PDT
From: David Fleshacker [mailto:glbtindy@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2004 5:57 PM
Subject: Personal invitation to meet with Mitch DanielsDear Senator:
You're invited to join our candidate for Governor Mitch Daniels in a
meeting with members of Indiana's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community. Please see the invitation below. I believe it's very important that you attend to share your concerns.
David
The email was sent to Republican lawmakers and conservative groups inviting them to attend. The only problem was the email was not sent from the Daniels
campaign or Republicans. Unbeknownst to the sender, the email headers IP
address 67.37.15.118 pointed directly to the Indiana Democratic Party.
Why would the Indiana Democratic Party want to thwart a progressive
Republican meeting with the lgbt community?
filed under: For The Record
filed under: Exclusives
, For The Record
