Ohio Queers: LGBT publication at Kent State refused by three local printers

The spring 2011 edition of Fusion, an LGBT campus magazine at Kent State University, was refused publication by three separate printing companies because it featured profanity and men in female clothing.

Ohio based printers Freeport Press Inc., Hess Print Solutions and Davis Graphic Communication Solutions each told Fusion editors that they would have to change their content if they wanted to the companies to print their material. Freeport has been printing Fusion for many years now and this is the first time they’ve refused to publish the magazine. Past issues of the magazine have included risque photos of gay men and women and has also used profanity on several occasions. However,  now that the story has hit the media Freeport is claiming they shouldn’t have published any issues of Fusion in the first place.

This specific issue focuses heavily on issues that surround the transgender community, with the cover and a large section of the magazine featuring pictures of transgender individuals. Many are calling this three very distinct cases of discrimination based in transphobia.

Here’s an excerpt from Campus Progress‘ report on the attempted censorship:

The controversy has cost Fusion, Campus Progress’ 2010 awardee for Best Overall Publication, more than $2,000, its editor says, as well as substantial effort as students try to release the issue before the school year ends next week.

One company after another turned Fusion down before a fourth printer agreed to take the issue to press.

“We are very surprised that it happened more than once,” says Raytevia Evans, the editor of Fusion and a first-year journalism and mass communications graduate student at Kent State.

The controversial magazine issue includes an eight-page spread featuring cross-dressing models, with the headline “Gender Fuck’d” written in large print above. Because the issue has not yet been released, Fusion requested that Campus Progress withhold posting the controversial content.

The three Ohio-based printing companies that rejected Fusion in its final form—Freeport Press Inc. in Freeport, Hess Print Solutions in Brimfield, and Davis Graphic Communication Solutions in Bamberton—cited similar reasons for refusing to publish the magazine.

“We actually asked them to adjust the content of Fusion based on the f-word and on what we’re calling some graphic material, which involved some pictures of genitalia, and we’re just not comfortable producing that type of content,” says David Pilcher, vice president of sales and marketing at Freeport Press, the first company that refused to print the issue without editorial changes. “It’s not that we are trying to perform any censorship here.”

The photo in question depicts a man wearing a leotard. A bulge is noticeable around his genitals.

Freeport has been Fusion’s publisher for several years, even as the magazine published a spread in its spring 2010 issue depicting underwear-clad men kissing intimately. Freeport also published the word “fuck” at least three times in two previous issues of Fusion, released fall 2009 and winter 2011.

Click here if you want to read the whole article. It includes responses from Hess Print Solutions and Davis Graphic Communication Solutions as well, both equally ridiculous.

After Campus Progress broke their story about the three discriminatory printers Wednesday (Arpil 27),  a fourth company, Printing Concepts in Stow, Ohio, stepped in to save the day. It looks like Fusion editors will be able to get the magazine out before Kent State’s student leave campus for the summer. Here’s a statement that was released by Printing Concepts on Thursday:

Printing Concepts advocates freedom of speech and the extension of that right to all persons or organizations. They accepted the Fusion project based on this Constitutional right. As a business philosophy, Printing Concepts maintains that they do not judge the artistic, literary, or political content of their clients’ work, unless that content advocates violence or harm to others.

You can view Fusion‘s full spring 2011 issue HERE.

DADT Repeal Update #7: Sec. Gates resigns, AP gets access to DADT training session

The planned June 30 resignation date of Defense Secretary Robert Gates is quickly approaching and ironically falls in the middle of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal process. It was the pro-repeal testimonies of Gates, along with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, before Congress that were instrumental in Congress’ passage of the repeal. In order to ease the fears of activists, the White House released a statement last week that said, “the DADT repeal act was signed into law by the President, and certification and implementation will happen whomever serves as Secretary of Defense.” It was also announced last week that President Obama plans to nominate Leon Panetta, the current director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to take Gates’ place.

The Associated Press was given access to one of those DADT repeal trainings that we’ve been hearing so much about. The video is below. I thought the segment was a little heavy of the opposition side, as it showed several soldiers who kept bringing up the tired excuse of how the repeal affected their religion. But I loved how the military official running the training quickly shoots down these arguments and makes these statements look silly. As they are. And I’m glad we have some solid proof that these sessions are taking place, which means the full repeal is imminent.

However, the repeal doesn’t seem imminent enough. Especially for former West Point Cadet Katherine Miller, who reapplied to West Point this but was denied re-entry because DADT had not been fully repealed. You may remember, she was in the news last for discharged under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell even though she was at the top of her class at West Point. Miller said she doesn’t plan on reapplying ever agin, but though she’s been unfairly rejected from West Point twice, she still harbors no ill will towards the military and plans to rejoin in some other capacity once DADT is fully repealed. That’s one patient and forgiving woman. Below is a video from the latter half of The Rachel Maddow Show that features a recent interview Miller on the subject. Start the video at around the 06:00 mark.

Marriage Equality Roundup #8: Minnesota, Zach Wahls, DOMA, Prop 8, Kevin Smith

The Minnesota Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee passed a bill Friday afternoon that would put a ban on same-sex marriage in the the state’s Constitution if voters approve it during the November 2012 elections.

Zach Wahls is still fighting the good fight after his impassioned speech in front of Iowa’s Congress about his two moms in February against a law that could take away the marriage rights for lesbians and gays went viral. He’s been traveling all over the world talking about marriage equality and just last week he was given an award for his efforts by the Family Equality Council in NYC. Here he chats at length about his experiences with PATV in Iowa. And below you can see his chat on MSNBC about how his life has changed and the FEC award.

Last week a Montana judge ruled against six gay couples seeking the same legal protections as married couples.

Progress: Conjugal visits allowed for inmates and partners in same-sex marriages, civil unions.

The case to overturn Prop 8 in California is still slowly making it’s way through the courts. Opponents have already failed to prove their case in court and are in the process of appeal, but it looks like their running out of ideas because now they’ve filed a motion to throw out the original ruling that struck down California’s gay marriage ban because the judge who made the ruling is in a same-sex relationship. Former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker, how has since retired, recently came out of the closet and has been in a long term relationship with his partner for many years. The whole thing is ridiculous and I’m surprised the ruling is even being taken seriously by a judge. This is like saying a female can’t be the judge in cases that involve women’s rights. Here’s more on the topic from Washington Post columnist Adam Serwer.

DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) has been causing all sorts of controversy lately. First same sex, bi-national couples are still being routinely deported. Below you a can see a couple discuss their fears of being torn apart at a deportation hearing that set for them on May 6.

But the big DOMA news has been surrounding Atlanta based law firm King & Spalding. They recently made the very controversial decision to break their contract with the government to defend DOMA after gay rights groups protested the firm. The HRC lead the fight and have come under attack for the pressuring the law firm to drop the case, which HRC says is something they are firmly proud of. However, after backing out, one of King & Spalding’s key partners, Paul Clement, left the firm and has the joined the fight to defend DOMA. Glenn Beck is calling Clement a hero. (Of course he is.) And of course Speaker John Boehner (who originally hired K&S to defend DOMA) has been issuing statements of  “disapproval” since the firm broke their contract. I say kudos to King & Spalding. Twenty years from now you’re going to be in the history books for being on the right side of the issue.  Here’s a great comprehensive look at the whole K&S take down.

There is some good DOMA news. The Respect of Marriage Act (which would repeal DOMA) looks like its gaining momentum in Congress. It will likely garner enough votes to make it out of committee and on the Senate floor for debate an vote.

This video of director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Red State) marrying two hockey-loving bears was just too cute to pass up.

Know Thine Enemy: Nashanta Robinson

Christian radio personality Nashanta Robinson is a Philadelphia video blogger and host of the show Speak Up and Loose Your Voice on BlogTalkRadio.com. Robinson is also a former aspiring hip hop artists who once had Lil Kim on her list of influences, but later transitioned to Christian rapping.  She ultimately left hip hop behind completely for Christian punditry. And of her own admission on her show she’s ranked number 90 amongst 2,000 or so shows on BlogTalkRadio.com, so apparently she’s being heard. She’s also featured on two Web sites, here and here.

Robinson recently did a show called “A woman’s rightful place” where she discussed homosexuality and how she thought it was wrong based on scriptures from the Bible. She calls homosexuality a choice and the point of the show is that a woman’s place is with a man.

Her show is basically based on random thoughts that God have “given” her. She rails against a certain topic for half an hour and pretty much perpetuates the “angry black woman” stereotype. And she claims her hateful speech is justified because she’s doing “Gods work.”

After her “A woman’s rightful place” show she went on her YouTube page and added a video-extension to the show called “New Freaky Boiz Girlz be Gagging (response).” She had seen the latest video “Girlz be Gagging” by the Freaky Boiz (a group we’ve exclusively interviewed here on Queer Corner)  and it offended her to her core because as she claims, this signifies “the gays are going to be infiltrating hip hop soon.”

The video received nearly 500 pages views and a plethora of comments were posted against her vile and judgmental criticism of the group becasue the boys are gay.  She has since taken the video response down. Apparently she couldn’t take the heat. But she did do another radio show, this time called “Sin is Sin,” about her response video to the Freaky Boiz. It was another ramble fest. She calls homosexuality a sin and compares it to other sinful acts like adultery and pedophilia.  She also reads a few of the comments that were posted against her on the video and uses the Bible to combat them.

We’ve discussed the lyrics of Freaky Boiz here on Queer Corner before. The issue with Ms. Robinson’s anti-gay diatribes aren’t becasue she disagress with the lyrics. There are many people in the LGBT community who disagree with FB’s explicit descriptions of gay sex. The problem is that she and many other religious leaders like to claim they are not bullies becasue they care about the people their judging and are just trying to save them in the eyes of God.

I definitely call foul on this philosophy. Just becasue you have great intentions or you mean it in a nice way, persecution is persecution. And statistics show that teen suicides are higher in conservative areas of the country where religion is often used to perpetrate bigotry.  Nashanta Richardson, Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Eddie Long, and any other pastor or religious person who advertises their views that homosexuality is a sin and that gays are going to hell are bullies.

It has been proven by the leading psychiatric minds and associations in America that persecution of gays in the church leads to mental disorder and sometimes suicide. And gay teens are four times more likely to commit suicide then their straight peers because of anti-gay bullying, bullying that often comes from the pulpit and mouths of “Christians.”  It’s time these “Christians” start taking responsibility for the fatal damage their hateful message against gays is causing.