I got to thinking about that question when I was doing article searches for today’s Focus On The Rainbow Daily News Brief when in my topic searches ROTC came up in several stories albeit not about DADT.
When I went to Danbury High School I was in the Air Force ROTC program and as it was back in the late 60’s/early 70’s I well remember the “discrimination” on Fridays when we wore our uniform and over the course of those three years because of the Air Force’s involvement in the Vietnam War being called everything from baby killers to being spate on.
So I did a google search for ROTC Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and my question was answered at the website Washington City Paper in an article from last month.
According to the G.W. student newspaper the Hatchet, University Freshman Todd Belok was dismissed from the Navy ROTC program after his fellow midshipmen learned that he was gay. Belok didn’t explicitly inform the Navy that he was gay, but after he was observed kissing “another male” at a fraternity party, Belok was “officially dismissed from the program in December,” the Hatchet writes.
On September 13, 2008, Belok attended a party at Beta Theta Pi, a fraternity which he later pledged, when two other midshipmen [MIDN], Dave Perryand Squad Leader Nick Trimis, said they saw Belok kiss another male on the lips.
“In the basement of Beta Theta Pi, MIDN Belok introduced me to another male, who he referred to as his ’special friend,’ ” Trimis wrote in the Performance Review Board report. “Within five minutes of this introduction, I witnessed MIDN Belok kissing this individual on the lips. I decided I needed to leave after this encounter.”
Belok says he’s still determined to become a Navy officer—after “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed. Belok has, however, now pledged Beta Theta Pi.
The Noble Beast Foundation, in collaboration with organizers of the Mr. Gay Competition, are thrilled to announce that Philadelphia will serve as host city for the United States National Mr. Gay contest. Foundation President and Mr. Gay Founder, Don Spradlin, will collaborate with Bruce Yelk and Nightlifegay.com, Philadelphia’s premier LGBT event promotions company, to coordinate and execute this year’s Competition. Scheduled to take place on November 13th, 2010 at Voyeur Nightclub (1221 St. James St), the United States National Mr. Gay Competition is an exciting addition to Philadelphia’s calendar of special LGBT events.
Over the last several years, Center City Philadelphia’s ‘Gayborhood’ has been home to the Philadelphia Mr. Gay Competition, which serves as a preliminary to the US Mr. Gay Competition Finale. This year’s Philadelphia Mr. Gay contest will take place on Saturday, April 17th, at Voyeur Nightclub.
Due to the way in which the local LGBT community has embraced and supported Philadelphia Mr. Gay over the last several years, in addition to the city’s rising profile as an acclaimed destination for LGBT leisure travelers, the Noble Beast Foundation’s Board was thrilled to award their contest to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. This marks the first time that the United States National Mr. Gay Competition will take place on the east coast.
Mr. Gay United States brings together contestants representing the nation’s most prestigious cities, a wide variety of celebrity judges, performers, and hosts, as well as spectators from all around the country. A series of competitive categories and performances will culminate in the naming of the 2011 US Mr. Gay titleholder. The winner of this Competition will go on to compete as the US Delegate to the International Mr. Gay (IMG) Competition Grand Finale. The IMG Competition is the largest and oldest running international contest to select an ambassador or spokesman to support the mission of the sponsoring nonprofit Noble Beast Foundation.
The Mission of the Foundation, explains Spradlin, is to “Advocate International Equal Rights by confirming the essential nature and contributions of gay men to a healthy society where “gay” is not a stereotype. We are especially concerned about the damage done by our society’s acceptance of the ‘gay stereotype’ to define all gay people. We showcase real gay men to show that we are not the ‘other’.”
“I’m thrilled that the national organizing committee has selected Philadelphia to host the National Mr. Gay Competition,” said Bruce Yelk, President of Nightlifegay.com. ”This is a testament to the support of our local LGBT community, and I’m incredibly excited to help coordinate what’s certain to be one of Philadelphia’s most innovative special events.”
To learn more about Mr. Gay competition and the Noble Beast Foundation, visit www.mrgaycompetition.com. As competitors, judges, performers, and hosts are named in the coming months, Nightlifegay.com post will updates and new information on their website. To book your trip to Philadelphia for the 2010 Mr. Gay United States Competition and view the local LGBT visitor’s guide, log onto www.visitphilly.com.
The Noble Beast Foundation, in collaboration with organizers of the Mr. Gay Competition, are thrilled to announce that Philadelphia will serve as host city for the United States National Mr. Gay contest. Foundation President and Mr. Gay Founder, Don Spradlin, will collaborate with Bruce Yelk and Nightlifegay.com, Philadelphia’s premier LGBT event promotions company, to coordinate and execute this year’s Competition. Scheduled to take place on November 13th, 2010 at Voyeur Nightclub (1221 St. James St), the United States National Mr. Gay Competition is an exciting addition to Philadelphia’s calendar of special LGBT events.
Over the last several years, Center City Philadelphia’s ‘Gayborhood’ has been home to the Philadelphia Mr. Gay Competition, which serves as a preliminary to the US Mr. Gay Competition Finale. This year’s Philadelphia Mr. Gay contest will take place on Saturday, April 17th, at Voyeur Nightclub.
Due to the way in which the local LGBT community has embraced and supported Philadelphia Mr. Gay over the last several years, in addition to the city’s rising profile as an acclaimed destination for LGBT leisure travelers, the Noble Beast Foundation’s Board was thrilled to award their contest to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. This marks the first time that the United States National Mr. Gay Competition will take place on the east coast.
Mr. Gay United States brings together contestants representing the nation’s most prestigious cities, a wide variety of celebrity judges, performers, and hosts, as well as spectators from all around the country. A series of competitive categories and performances will culminate in the naming of the 2011 US Mr. Gay titleholder. The winner of this Competition will go on to compete as the US Delegate to the International Mr. Gay (IMG) Competition Grand Finale. The IMG Competition is the largest and oldest running international contest to select an ambassador or spokesman to support the mission of the sponsoring nonprofit Noble Beast Foundation.
The Mission of the Foundation, explains Spradlin, is to “Advocate International Equal Rights by confirming the essential nature and contributions of gay men to a healthy society where “gay” is not a stereotype. We are especially concerned about the damage done by our society’s acceptance of the ‘gay stereotype’ to define all gay people. We showcase real gay men to show that we are not the ‘other’.”
“I’m thrilled that the national organizing committee has selected Philadelphia to host the National Mr. Gay Competition,” said Bruce Yelk, President of Nightlifegay.com. ”This is a testament to the support of our local LGBT community, and I’m incredibly excited to help coordinate what’s certain to be one of Philadelphia’s most innovative special events.”
To learn more about Mr. Gay competition and the Noble Beast Foundation, visit www.mrgaycompetition.com. As competitors, judges, performers, and hosts are named in the coming months, Nightlifegay.com post will updates and new information on their website. To book your trip to Philadelphia for the 2010 Mr. Gay United States Competition and view the local LGBT visitor’s guide, log onto www.visitphilly.com.
Source – PR Newswire/Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
BAR OWNER & PATRON RECIEVE “GET OUT OF JAIL FREE” PASS IN GAY ASSUALT
A local bar owner and a bar patron pleaded guilty last week to assaulting a gay man who was celebrating his 23rd birthday at the Trackside Bar & Grill.
Scott Gabriel, 38, owner of the Trackside in Butler, was given one year of probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and pay $50 in restitution after pleading guilty to a disorderly persons offense of simple assault last Tuesday before state Superior Court Judge Philip Maenza in Morris County.
Bar patron Philip Picarello, 32, of Butler, was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to perform 350 hours of community service and enroll in an anger management course.
He reportedly chuckled in court when his attorney asked him if he had tried to injure Jesse Allard, 23, of Stillwater, Pa. outside the bar before answering “No,” an action that Judge Maenza did not appreciate. Picarello then admitted to pushing the victim outside the bar, causing him to lose his balance and fall.
The incident occurred on Dec. 27, 2009. Allard was pushed to the ground where he suffered unspecified injuries. Allard was celebrating his birthday at the bar with his cousins and posting updates to his Facebook account via his cell phone that he was having a good time at the bar before the assault.
In a television news interview from his hospital bed, Allard said he had complimented a man’s jacket in the bar and was called a “faggot” in response, and then assaulted as he was ejected from the bar, and assaulted further outside the bar. He was then hit by a Jeep in the road and a man claiming to be a local cop refused to help him, Allard said.
Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Catherine Broderick told the judge that after a grand jury reviewed interviews with at least 20 witnesses, it ultimately decided that there was no evidence that Allard’s sexuality spurred the attack and dismissed a charge of bias intimidation.
The grand jury recommended that Gabriel be charged with simple assault and indicted Picarello on a charge of aggravated assault that was later downgraded to a simple assault during the negotiations of the plea agreement between the Prosecutor’s Office and Picarello’s attorney. – Source – NewJersey.com
GAY SOFTBALL TEAM PLAYERS ATTACKED IN AUSTIN TEXAS
Trailing a banner that read “Austin March Against Hate,” hundreds of people walked from a downtown gay bar to City Hall on Saturday to retrace the path of two gay men who were attacked last weekend.
“Ignorance is not the way. Fear is not the answer. Love will conquer hate,” one of the victims, Emmanuel Winston, told the crowd. “Hate will not be tolerated, and we will not be silenced.”
Winston and Matthew Morgan said they were walking to a City Hall parking garage from Oilcan Harry’s on Feb. 20 when four men followed and assaulted them.
Winston and Morgan said they were wearing jerseys from the “Shady Ladies,” a gay softball league, and that the attackers used slurs about their sexual orientation.
Police Chief Art Acevedo attended the rally Saturday and said police were still investigating the attack and that it will be up to prosecutors to decide whether there is enough evidence to charge the suspects with a hate crime.
He asked the marchers and City Council members present at the rally to push for high-resolution video cameras downtown, saying that video of the four suspects captured on a City Hall camera was grainy. Police released that video Friday . No arrests have been made.
Jeff Butler, the head coach of the softball team and an organizer of the rally, said the incident was a hate crime.
“I understand due process, but I’m not going to tiptoe around that (phrase),” he said. The victims, he added, have shown “character, drive, courage and resolve. … They refused to allow the attackers to control their lives. They were not going to allow this injustice to go unchecked.” – Source – Statesman.com
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR RUNNER MEG WHITMAN ON GAY AND LESBIAN TOPICS
Gays and lesbians should be allowed to adopt, but not marry.
Asked to reconcile her stance against same-sex marriage with her willingness to allow gays and lesbians to adopt children, Whitman said she believes the term “marriage” should apply only to the union of a man and a woman. Still, she’s in favor of granting equal rights to gay people through civil unions and domestic partnerships.
And she approves letting gays adopt because “many kids need a great home.” – Source – Mercury News
OPPONENTS IN PROP 8 TRIAL “REDEFINE” THEIR ARGUMENT
Lawyers in the first federal trial to examine whether state bans on same-sex marriages are constitutional have submitted new written arguments to the judge who will decide the issue.
Chief U.S. Judge Vaughn Walker requested the briefs summarizing the respective sides’ evidence to help him prepare for closing arguments.
In papers filed late Friday, lawyers for the sponsors of California’s gay marriage ban offered new twists on their claim that allowing gay men and lesbians to wed could undermine man-woman unions.
The potential harms they cited included giving bisexuals a legal basis for pursuing group marriages and unmarried fathers an incentive to abandon their children.
Lawyers for gay marriage supporters argued that no evidence existed to back those claims. – Source – KESQ-TV
DC MARRIAGE BUREAU GETTING READY FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LICENSES
D.C. Superior Court officials are preparing for what they expect to be a flood of same-sex couples descending on the courthouse Wednesday to apply for marriage licenses.
Wednesday is the first day that same-sex couples in the District can apply for licenses in the marriage office, in Room 4485.
“We’re anticipating a lot of excited residents from the District and suburbs coming down to the court to apply, and we want to make this as smooth an experience as possible,” said Lee F. Satterfield, the court’s chief judge.
To expedite the process, Satterfield said, couples should bring, in addition to their “patience,” completed applications, which can be downloaded from the court’s Web site. Couples should also have $35 for their application and $10 for the license (cash or money order). – Source – Washington Post
REMEMBERING NEW PALTZ , NY GAY WEDDINGS OF 2004
A group of advocates for same-sex marriage braved the aftermath of this past week’s storm and gathered outside New Paltz Village Hall Saturday to rally for marriage equality rights in commemoration of the sixth anniversary of the same-sex marriages performed in unison with ceremonies in San Francisco. – Source – Mid-Hudson News Network
PRO-GAY ADVOCATES PROTEST ANTI-MARRIAGE ANTI-GAY GROUPS IN RHODE ISLAND
One group stood outside Ocean State Baptist Church chanting pro-gay slogans Saturday.
The other gathered inside the church talking policy and politics on the traditional family: a man and a woman.
Separating them, the church’s parking lot and a neon sign that intermittently flashed in bright pink lights: “Seek me and you shall find me.”
Rhode Island, the most Catholic state in the nation, is emerging as a battleground in the fight over gay-rights, both sides said.
Politically liberal, Rhode Island is split when it comes to gay issues: it remains the only New England state that hasn’t recognized gay marriage.
(Maine voters overturned that state’s same-sex law in November).
“They figure New England is the bleeding point,” said organizer Josh Kilby, “and if they stop it here, they can stop it anywhere.”
Holding signs that read “Equality wasn’t found on the back of the bus” and “God is gay for everyone,” the 30-something protesters from Providence Equality Action Committee and the International Socialist Organization at Brown University stood at the corner of Limerock Road and Douglas Turnpike. – Source – Providence Journal
GAY MARRIAGE BRINGS NEW BUSINESS OPPORTUNITES
In business, change brings opportunity. And when it comes to states that have recently legalized gay marriage, some see a marketing opportunity in selling insurance products for wedded gay couples.
The “gay market” in the United States is huge, according to Texas-based Merge Media, which estimated the buying power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to be roughly $800 billion in 2008. In addition to being large, the LGBT audience tends to have a strong allegiance to a particular brand — something that insurance companies, which tend to focus on branding initiatives likes sports events (NCAA, NASCAR, the PGA, etc.) — love.
Merge Media, with a client list that includes BMW, Coors and Hotels.com, said 89 percent of LGBT adults are highly likely to seek out a brand that advertises in gay media, and three out of four have a strong preference for a brand that markets directly to them.
One in four LGBT adults reported switching brands recently to a competing company that supported LGBT. Plus, LGBT adults are far more tech savvy (twice as likely to own a WiFi laptop and three times as likely to conduct financial transactions online), are twice as likely to have a portfolio worth more than $1 million, and twice as likely to have an annual income greater than $250,000. – Source – Insurance Journal
WALTER KOENIG’S MISSING SON ANDREW FOUND DEAD OF APPARENT SUICIDE
HATE CRIME CHARGES UPHELD IN BEATING OF GAY MAN IN COOK COUNTY
If someone makes gay slurs in the middle of a fight — is it a hate crime? Even if the victim wasn’t targeted because of his sexual orientation?
Those were the questions posed to Cook County Judge Ramon Ocasio III on Wednesday during a hearing involving three Evanston men charged with a hate crime for beating up a gay man on the CTA in January.
Attorneys for the three said the man — Daniel Hauff, 33, of Rogers Park — intervened in a fight the men were involved in. They said state law says that for an incident to constitute a hate crime, a person has to be attacked because of his sexual orientation or race.
For at least a few minutes, Ocasio agreed that the men — Sean Little, Kevin McAndrew and Benjamin Eder — weren’t guilty of a hate crime for that reason.
But after an exasperated Assistant State’s Attorney Erin Antonietti repeated how the men allegedly taunted Hauff as a “faggot” and asked him whether they’d get AIDS from him after he suffered a bloody nose and cuts, Ocasio reversed his decision and upheld the hate crime charges.
The men were originally charged with misdemeanor battery. But Tuesday, prosecutors upgraded the charges to a felony hate crime and aggravated battery. Ocasio issued a $10,000 personal recognizance bond for the trio.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Antonietti said Hauff confronted the men on the Red Line when he heard McAndrew, 23, bullying another gay rider. – Source – Chicago Sun-Times
GAY MAN WINS SUIT OVER EMPLOYER THAT “DE-GAYED” BUSINESS
Charles Lisboa, 41, told a tribunal how staff in The Pembroke Arms, a former gay pub in London’s Shepherd’s Bush, were referred to as “queens” and one was told his manner of walking was “too camp”.
The former assistant manager said he had been ordered to put up a sign outside that said “This is not a gay pub” and made to reprimand a homosexual couple for their overtly romantic behaviour, before being told he was “another kind of gay”.
The owner of the establishment, RealPubs, had been attempting to turn The Pembroke Arms, formerly the Colherne Arms, into “trendy gastropub”, Mr Lisboa said.
The Brazilian, who lives in Shepherd’s Bush, resigned in January last year, four weeks after the pub was relaunched. He suffered sleeplessness and had counselling to combat depression, he said. It took him nine months to find another job.
RealPubs claimed it was simply trying to attract patrons from a wider section of the community.
But a Central London Employment Tribunal found the company guilty of discriminating against Mr Disboa on the grounds of sexual orientation.
It ruled that references to “queens” and the insistence on the sign by Malcolm Heap, the pub manager, were “gratuitous and offensive”. – Source - Telegraph
THOUSANDS TURN OUT FOR DOWNUNDER GAY MARDI GRAS
Thousands of people brought Sydney’s downtown to a standstill as the flamboyant annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade marched, danced and sashayed through the city streets.
Balmy weather meant crowds were bigger than last year, with media reports suggesting as many as 300,000 turned out to watch the Saturday night parade, which featured drag queens and scores of George Michael look-alikes.
More than 100 floats with some 9,500 performers took part in the famous gay pride spectacle, which organisers hailed as a “hugely creative parade” and police said was better behaved than in previous years.
“It is enormously heartening to see our gay pride event so eagerly supported by the broader community,” organiser Michael Rolik said.
“The parade was at its exuberant best this year. I spoke with many visitors from overseas and the message was clear — Mardi Gras is the best gay pride event in the world and a great reason to visit Sydney.” – Source – AFP
Congressman Jim Moran read a letter on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday from an active duty soldier in Iraq. Congressman Moran stated that the soldier had, “learned that a fellow soldier was also gay, only after he was killed by an IED in Iraq. The partner of the deceased soldier wrote the unit to say how much the victim had loved the military; how they were the only family he had ever known.” The soldier originally provided the letter in response to an inquiry for the Pentagon’s current study of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
This is the second publicly known case of a gay soldier killed in action during the current wars in the Middle East. The first was U.S. Army Major Alan Rogers, who died while on patrol in Iraq in January, 2008. Statisticians have estimated that more than 200 gay and lesbian service members have perished since the onset of the conflict. Military leaders this week suggested in Congressional hearings that gay and lesbian troops disrupt the force.
Dr. Nathaniel Frank stated that, “It is important to honor the sacrifice of all American troops, and we do so today and always.” Frank is Senior Research Fellow at the Palm Center.
RAINBOW SUPPORTERS KNIT ONE … PEARL TWO ON CAPE COD
Members of the Cape Cod chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders) have spearheaded a monthly knitting and crocheting club which meets at Falmouth Public Library. The group offers more than a place to share an interest but also a forum for sharing personal experience.
Amy Mesirow of Marstons Mills said she got involved in PFLAG two years ago.
“My son, who was then 15, came into our room with tears streaming down his face and told us that he’s gay,” she said.
Mesirow said she was not upset by his admission but rather the fact that it took him so long to tell anyone.
“He suffered three years of private anguish before he was able to come to us. He said he didn’t want to be gay, because of the way gay people are treated. He hears gay slurs at school all the time,” she said.
“It motivated me to get involved.”
The organization, which meets in Brewster, has since become an important part of her family’s life. – Source – Falmouth Bulletin
CASES AGAINST GAY AND LESBIAN AIRMEN WILL CONTINUE
Gay and lesbian airmen who disclose their sexual orientation will be dismissed even though the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law is under review by the Pentagon, according to the service’s top civilian leader.
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley made the proclamation to reporters after he mentioned the review and possible repeal of the law during his keynote speech Thursday at the winter conference of the Air Force Association here.
“We are continuing to process those cases,” Donley replied when asked whether the service would wait to act until the Defense Department finishes its assessment, which should be in 45 days.
Donley declined to discuss specific cases such as the potential dismissal of Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, an F-16E Strike Eagle weapons systems officer who was outed by an acquaintance.
The review, ordered by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will address whether an airman who is outed violates the ban on gays serving openly.
The number of airmen dismissed because of their sexual orientation has steadily declined in the past few years, Donley said. The Air Force let go about 100 airmen in 2006, compared with about 75 in 2009, he said. – Source – Air Force Times
ARREST WARRANT MAY BE ISSUED ON TUESDAY IN LESBIAN CUSTODY BATTLE
A Vermont judge overseeing a child custody battle between two former lesbian partners will hold a hearing Tuesday at which he may order one’s arrest.
Family Court Judge William Cohen has given Lisa Miller, of Forest, Va., until Tuesday’s hearing to appear in court with 7-year-old Isabella Miller-Jenkins or face arrest.
Miller was ordered to surrender custody of the girl she had with ex-partner Janet Jenkins, of Fair Haven, on Jan. 1, but she failed to do so and has since disappeared. Their daughter is now considered a missing person. – Source – WDBJ-TV
APPEALS COURT REVERSES DISCRIMINATION CASE FILED BY LESBIAN AGAINST CITY OF LA
A California appellate court on Thursday reversed a $6.2 million verdict against the city of Los Angeles in a discrimination lawsuit filed by a black lesbian firefighter.
The 2nd District Court of Appeal issued its decision in the case brought by Brenda Lee of Mission Hills, who sued the city alleging the fire department discriminated against her based on her race, gender and sexual orientation and refused to transfer her after she complained of harassment.
Lee claimed her superiors yelled and made derogatory comments about her and put her through grueling drills without proper safety precautions. She also claimed someone put urine in her mouthwash. – Source – Star Tribune
JULIANNE MOORE AND ANNETTE BENING TEAM UP AS LESBIANS IN COMEDY
Julianne Moore and Annette Bening team up in “The Kids Are All Right” in which they play a long-term lesbian couple whose lives are turned upside down when their two teenage children contact their biological father.
The family comedy, screening at the Berlin film festival out of competition, had the audience laughing and applauding on Wednesday with a sharp script and increasingly complicated love triangle that forces the characters to rethink their lives.
Moore, 49, said she had wanted to work with director Lisa Cholodenko since her 1998 feature “High Art,” which also involves a lesbian relationship.
Cholodenko took nearly five years to complete the script, although with gay marriage such a hot topic in the United States, her timing turned out to be good. – Source -Rueters
Another huge purchase has been made at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and it’s for Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right. The film puts a new twist on the concept of family reunions with the help of an amazing cast including Academy Award nominees Annette Benning and Julianne Moore.
In the movie, two teenage children conceived through artificial insemination get the urge to seek out their birth father and introduce him to the family life that their two mothers have built for them. Once the donor is found, the household will never be the same, as family ties are defined, re-defined, and then re-re-defined. Mark Ruffalo stars as the unsuspecting father, and Alice in Wonderland actress Mia Wasikowska and Journey to the Center of the Earth’s Josh Hutcherson are featured as the inquisitive teens.
Following its acclaimed world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Focus Features has acquired domestic and select international rights (the U.K., Germany, and South Africa) to the film. The announcement was just made yesterday by Focus Features CEO James Schamus. The movie was produced by Gilbert Films’ Gary Gilbert and Jordan Horowitz, Antidote Films’ Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Mandalay Vision’s Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, and UGC PH’s Philippe Hellmann. – Source – ScreenCrave
All of New England’s top antigay, antifamily activist organizations are convening Saturday, Feb. 27, in Smithfield, a suburb of Providence, R.I.
Their summit agenda: Undermine the families and eliminate the rights and religious freedom of lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual New Englanders.
Rhode Islanders who support full constitutional equality, led by the Providence Equality Action Committee, will make their voices heard outside the event from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Antigay sponsors of the summit include the Family Research Council, National Organization for Marriage-Rhode Island, a Christian Rightist legal attack squad, called the Alliance Defense Fund antigay “family policy” councils from every state in New England, and an antigay Connecticut youth-harassment league.
In recent weeks, FRC and NOM officials have gone on record favoring criminalization and imprisonment of LGBT Americans and the abduction of a Virginia child from her lesbian custodial parent by an antigay non-custodial parent.
Josh Kilby of the Providence Equality Action Committee said, “Antigay activists are using Rhode Island as a beachhead to sanctify their bigotry, and undermine liberty and true family values, all across New England. Rhode Islanders must put their foot down and say, ‘Enough is enough,’ to the Christian Right’s war against our communities.”
Mike Airhart of Truth Wins Out said, “These groups claim to support the family — but not before they fire gay workers, drive gay spouses to lie to their heterosexual partner, jail gay couples for private intimacy, deny sex education to teen-agers who then become pregnant, injure people through discredited ‘ex-gay’ therapy, and discriminate against gay-tolerant religious traditions. In the end, they leave thousands of ruined marriages, separated gay couples, disrupted churches, and un-adopted children in their wake.”
PEAC invites New England organizations that support and defend equality to join us in Smithfield on Feb. 27.
Location: Outside Ocean State Baptist Church, 600 Douglas Pike, Smithfield
For more information, please contact Providence Equality Action Committee at info@peac.us.com or (401) 418-1659.
Special thanks to Michael Airhart for sending this information to Focus On The Rainbow.
