Two women pleaded not guilty in D.C. Superior Court today to charges of simple assault related to a June 23 incident involving a gay man.
The attack, which occurred around 3:15 a.m. at the Manny & Olga's take-out restaurant in the 1800 block of 14th Street NW, was videotaped by a bystander and posted online. In the video, two women are shown fighting with the man, Miles DeNiro, also known as drag performer Heidi Glüm, and dragging him across the floor.
D.C. Superior Court records show arrest warrants were issued on June 27 for Raymone Harding, 28, and Rachel Manna Sahle, 22, both of Gaithersburg. Both are scheduled for misdemeanor initial status hearings on Sept. 5 before Judge Juliet McKenna.
Harding and Sahle were released on personal recognizance and were ordered by Judge Karen Howze, filling in for McKenna, to submit to drug testing by the court's Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) and were notified that they must stay away from the victim in the case.
...moreAs the fight for marriage equality continues in the states, the forces of social reaction redouble their efforts to brazen their way past the fact that they are losing.
Our opponents' war with reality is darkly comical. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the Republican nominee for governor, perversely asserts that laws criminalizing certain sex acts between consenting adults – ruled unconstitutional a decade ago – are necessary to prevent sexual assaults against children. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doubles down on his arbitrary claim that only voters, not their duly elected legislators, should change marriage law. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence renews his commitment to amend the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. Former Sen. Jim DeMint, at the Heritage Foundation, repeats the baseless claim that children are harmed by gay parents. Somehow it is gay citizens, not those who constantly attack us, who are the danger.
Gay families have plenty of company in the right's crosshairs. The Supreme Court overturned the pre-clearance provision of the Voting Rights Act, setting off a resurgence of voter-suppression efforts. After Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis blocked an anti-abortion bill with an 11-hour filibuster, Gov. Rick Perry announced another special legislative session to push it through. U.S. House Republicans cited security concerns in vowing to defeat immigration reform, despite the Senate bill's escalated militarization of the Mexican border. You think this is your country?
The bullies' and usurpers' various targets cannot afford the illusion of occupying separate silos. That would play into the divide-and-conquer strategy exemplified by the National Organization for Marriage plan "to drive a wedge between gays and blacks." We must learn to recognize our common threads. As Trayvon Martin's killer is tried in Florida, activists and officials in D.C. contend with anti-LGBT attacks in the first week of summer.
In the 1960s, the Black Panthers were seen as threatening when they carried guns, despite their self-defense rhetoric and their decidedly un-scary breakfasts for children. Now, gun-rights efforts that go far beyond our Founders' well-regulated militias portray vigilante justice as patriotism, and a wannabe cop is cheered by Web trolls for stalking and killing an unarmed black teenager. Meanwhile, the paternalistic mayor of America's largest city stands by a police stop-and-frisk program that treats being black or Hispanic as reasonable suspicion. How can we accept a situation where armed white men are seen as protecting their neighborhoods while unarmed black men are suspects? Do our own loved ones have to be cut down before we say, Enough?
Some lives are discounted by those who feed on hate. We as survivors must take the risk of speaking up lest the flood of intolerance carry us off too. Holding on in common cause requires patience and perseverance.
One reader responded to a recent column of mine with a lecture on my "cis gender privilege." She added reasonably, "If you have been listening to the disenfranchised communities and incorporating them into your discussions and work, please provide me with links or other resources that demonstrate this." Despite her apparent mistrust, I found her solicitation of evidence refreshing, and I sent her several links. We need to build alliances that acknowledge our differences, not simply mirror ourselves.
Working together across multiple lines of diversity is hard. It is easy to dump our baggage on one another and punish people for showing up. That makes for poor introductions and empty chairs. Yet coalition work is not a safe space. It can be contentious and uncomfortable and aggravating, but is essential if we are to prevail.
Justice is not something to which we are entitled, but to which we are called. Without our faithful engagement, it will wither. Let us rally and challenge one another. Our nation is at stake.
Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist. He can be reached at rrosendall@starpower.net.
...moreThe recent economic downturn led to the closing of numerous businesses. Companies lacking sufficient capitalization, a clear strategic plan, or simply adequate management often went down in flames at the height of the crisis. Local LGBT nonprofits were buffeted by the same economic storms, yet many rode out the gales and survived and even thrived. How does a small group set up to help the community without making a profit keep going?
''Nonprofits are just like businesses,'' says Sam McClure, director of affiliate relations and external affairs for the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. ''Nonprofits have a core product, they engage in basic business operations, and are set up to serve specific clients.'' She adds that ''good planning, consistent management, and budgeting are essential for the survival of an organization.''
Brent Minor of Team DC
(Photo by Ward Morrison)
Among the District's nonprofits is Team DC, an organization that works with local sports clubs to help dispel discrimination against LGBT people who wish to participate in sports. Team DC works with about 30 individual clubs with total membership of approximately 3,500. The group coordinates funding to local sports groups, provides sporting outlets for area LGBT teams, and administers scholarships for LGBT student athletes. The group's only paid staff member, Brent Minor, describes Team DC as a resource for LGBT individuals who find it difficult to be a member of other sports teams.
''Many of the teams we serve have been around for 20 to 30 years,'' says Minor. ''Most of them have been fairly resilient and have managed to keep going even during tough economic times. People still want to participate in sports, even when businesses are having problems. This gives us a ready-made constituency.''
Casa Ruby is another nonprofit, designed as ''a multicultural center and safe space'' for Washington's Latino LGBT community. The organization works directly with local governments in providing services including HIV testing, combating youth homelessness, employment assistance, ESL classes, and legal counseling for gay and transgender members of the Latino community. According to Henry Maticorena of Casa Ruby, the organization has been growing in recent years despite cuts in government programs to social-services organizations due to the recent sequestration of the federal government.
One of the means that Casa Ruby uses to enable itself to provide services to its constituency is through a series of small contracts with other nonprofits to conduct HIV testing through its volunteer base. Casa Ruby also produced a 2013 calendar featuring a different transgender woman each month as a means of raising awareness in the Washington transgender community.
One of the Washington/Baltimore area's most distinctive philanthropic organizations is Brother, Help Thyself, a community-based organization that provides financial and other support to LGBT and AIDS/HIV groups. Founded in 1978 by four gay motorcycle clubs, the group began by raising funds for a local gay men's health organization, which ultimately grew into Whitman-Walker Health, one of the country's leading HIV prevention and treatment foundations.
According to BHT's president, James Slattery, the secret for his group's success has been to ''be as far as possible from running itself as a traditional business. Our operating model is to raise as much money as we can and give it all out at the end of the year.'' The organization has no paid staff and no permanent offices. It even holds its board meetings in conference space rented from another local LGBT nonprofit.
Slattery says BHT just kicked-off its annual grant drive. Among its fundraising activities is its annual Gay & Lesbian Night at King's Dominion, scheduled for Sept. 14.
John F. Stanton, a CAGLCC member, is the president of SRP & Associates Inc., a strategic marketing and public relations firm in Northern Virginia.
Winner of the 2012 NGLCC Chamber of the Year Award, the Chamber means business. For more information, visit caglcc.org.
...moreThe annual Pride parade on June 29 in Milan, Italy was everything you'd hope for from the city. See photos on the following pages.
A roundup of essays, commentaries, and op-eds from Advocate contributors and staffers, who give a sense of what it means to be an American.
But starting today... I'm laying it out there. I'm done playing it safe.
I don't have a manager or a label or any sort of funding other than the tip money I make playing piano downtown at The Joynt, and also, ironically to some, in the churches on Sunday morning... (we'll see how long I'll be singing “Glory to God†should this video see the light of day).
As far as the ascetic achievements of the video... lets just say I was lucky to have a good friend introduce me to the best team I could have asked for... who held on to the roller coaster that was this project and dealt with all my intensity and craziness as the true professionals they were.
I wrote the song during a drunken piano jam session at a party. I recorded the vocals in my parents basement and worked with my friend Max Steger: http://maxsteger.com/ to record and mix the rest of the instruments.
I feel like music industry people wouldn't like the idea of me “pigeonholing†myself by telling this story as I have. But I don't believe the world sees change until it sees honesty.
So I went in on my own.
BUT my story would never have seen the light of day were it not for the kindness and generosity of so many that helped me through this process, many of whom asked for nothing in return. I know my passion and intensity for this project were a lot to deal with (that might be the understatement of the year.. ;)) I want to thank my crew and everyone involved for doing your best to help me keep my sanity... just barely. And thank you for sticking with me; for your flexibility and patience and helping to bring my vision to life. And to mom and dad... I know you guys don't always understand just what the hell I am trying to do, but continue to love and support me nonetheless. It means everything to me...
-Steve
HOW CRAZY IS THIS???? The Huffington Post reports:
The event is scheduled for the end of July, just weeks after the Supreme Court's landmark rulings in favor of gay rights. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has been extended an invitation as an honorable attendee.
The Family Research Council's legislative affiliate, FRC Action, will officially launch two new ex-gay rights organizations, Voice of the Voiceless and Equality and Justice For All, during the dinner in Washington, D.C., on July 31.
"Come celebrate the lives of former homosexuals and hear about their unique stories and achievements!" reads the invitation.
In addition to Bachman, the Heritage Foundation's Jim DeMint, the Liberty Counsel's Matthew Staver and Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.) -- who on Friday introduced a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage -- have all been invited to speak.
This is a splashly, colorful, drag-filled joyride of a show, with a soft-sold message of tolerance that never gets in the way of high-energy production numbers. Those numbers sound truly smashing on this lovingly produced cast recording, which has the bright energy and finish of a rock record. Cyndi Lauper’s music is appropriately emotional and [...]
The post CD Review: “Kinky Boots†(Original Broadway Cast Recording) appeared first on GaySocialites.com.
Dougie Meyer and DJ Steve Sidewalk (pictured above, top left) pulled out all the stops for the Splash Saturdays Gay Pride Edition in New York City including a guest appearance by porn star Brent Corrigan (pictured above, bottom right with yours truly). Sidewalk provided all the pride beats you could imagine while Dougie and Brent [...]
The post Dougie Meyer presents Splash Saturdays Gay Pride 2013 Edition in NYC appeared first on GaySocialites.com.
Roseland Ballroom was packed from wall-to-wall (as seen in the photos above) for “Ultimate Champions” Work Pride 2013, a tribute to Peter Rauhofer. The party stretched from Saturday night until the wee hours of Sunday morning with an impressive DJ line-up that included music by an impressive DJ line-up including Abel, Chus & Ceballos, Eddie [...]
The post New Yorkers ‘Work’ in memory of Peter Rauhofer with massive gay pride event appeared first on GaySocialites.com.
On Sunday’s episode of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” the roundtable discussed the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act and how the ruling will affect the states who have already voted to ban gay marriage.   Stephanopoulos read an exceprt from Justice Kennedy’s opinion,  “the federal statute is invalid [...]
The post Can state bans against gay marriage hold up? appeared first on GaySocialites.com.
Alec Baldwin says a recent Twitter rant defending his wife, Hilaria Thomas, against a British reporter who claims she was tweeting during James Gandolfini’s funeral wasn’t intended to be homophobic. After an article was released in The Daily Mail accusing Thomas of using Twitter to do some self promotion while the service was taking place, [...]
The post Alec Baldwin apologizes for homophobic tweets appeared first on GaySocialites.com.
- Sponsors -
No comments:
Post a Comment