Why LGBT people of color in Ohio need to care about Lobby Day 2012

Equality Ohio is hosting their 7th annual Lobby Day this Wednesday and this year they’re making history when it comes to LGBT people of color.

EO’s regular day of community lobbying will go as planned, where they pull the Ohio LGBT community and their allies together to meet with various legislators at the Ohio Statehouse to discuss the legislative issues that effect the LGBT community. This year Lobby Day’s main focus is the Equality Housing and Employment Act and the Safe Schools Act.

After the regular 9-4 day of lobbying, EO has arranged a meeting with various LGBT of color community leaders and the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus at 4:45 p.m. This is the first time such a meeting has ever taken place.

Various speakers from the LGBT people of color community have been assembled (of which I am one) that will present our issues to the caucus in hopes that some common ground is reached in order to promote more visible allies among the OLBC.

LGBT people of color continue to be the most underrepresented and marginalized community in American society. Our HIV infection rates are the highest, we have the most LGBT homeless youth and our suicide rates are continuing to skyrocket because of the intense rejection we face from our churches and our families. It’s time to break this cycle.

A movement has started in this city with the creation of organizations like the Columbus Black Gay Men’s Coalition, the Greater Columbus Mpowerment Center, Traxx Columbus and Columbus Urban Pride. We have a mayor and a president who are publicly on our side. LGBT people of color are more visible in this city than ever before. It’s time to continue this mobilization into the Statehouse and demand our issues are heard and supported in this states legislature.

The only way this meeting is going to be a success is if we can show the caucus that we mean business and that our issues deserve their attention. We can do this by showing up. The more we have standing with us to represent us, the larger the impact we’ll have. Please consider joining us for this historic occasion.

We’re already making moves to end the stigma and invisibility. Now let’s start making it legal.

Lobby Day is this Wednesday, May 16. If you’re interested in attending the 4:45 p.m. meeting with the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus email Aaron Riley at rileyaaron@sbcglobal.net so that he can add you to the guest list. If you’d like to participate in all that Lobby Day has to offer visit www.EqualityOhio.org to register.

Queer Minded #7: Ohio Gay Marriage Petition Pt. 2

Queer Minded is a new online talk radio show that I host featuring local and national LGBT news and entertainment. Airing Fridays at 10 p.m. and podcasted atTalktainmentRadio.com! Visit Queer Minded on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. 

Check out the second half of our two-part serious on Freedom to Marry Ohio‘s gay marriage petition!

Ian James from FTMO joins us in studio to respond to Equality Ohio’s decision to come out publicly against the petition. He also give us an update on the ballot initiative and supplies information on how Ohioans can sign the petition and get involved online.

Tom Morgan from GetEQUAL Ohio also joins us to discuss the activist efforts of GetEQUAL and why it’s still important for the LGBT community to continue to protest for their rights. You’l also hear from the brand new Accept It Campaign that’s going viral right now on Facebook.

Listen at the link below!

http://www.talktainmentradio.com/podcasts/043012%20Queer%20Minded.mp3

Mass gay marriage makes history in Cleveland with over 2,000 wedding guests! [PHOTOS] [VIDEOS]

Photo by Vision Video Productions

The Ohio Street Protest for Full Equality took over yet another city in Ohio, this time invading Cleveland this past Saturday (March 24). (Check out this post and this post for details on similar protest last year.) But the protest did more than just disrupt traffic. It made history. After the rally on the steps of Cleveland’s City Hall, near Willard Park at the corner of 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue, participants marched down the street to the Galleria to witness a mass wedding featuring over 250 straight and gay couples. A first for the state, and made even the region.

It was also a historic day for me personally as it was my first pro-gay marriage/equality protest! It was definitely a life changing experience. I was the first speaker (introduced by rally MC Ed Mullen, director of Equality Ohio) and spoke about bullying on behalf of the It Gets Better Project and the Make it Better Foundation. I made a host of new friends (thanks Shannon Glatz, Liberty Manos and Tom Morgan!) and bonded with people from all over the state about issues that I’m passionate about.

It will definitely go down as one of the greatest days of my life. I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. In that moment in a crowd of 2,000 I felt like I could truly make a difference. I was a very powerful experience that I’ll never forget.

Several organizations came together to plan this amazing event including Equality Ohio, GetEQUAL, Freedom to Marry. And there were several amazing speakers including Captain Steve Snyder-Hill, who is the plaintiff, along with his partner, in a high profile DOMA case and the soldier who was booed at the Republican debate in September; former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan, who is a leader of Freedom to Marry Ohio, which is collecting petitions to have gay marriage added to the 2013 ballot; and a surprise visit from former Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy, a long time advocate for gay rights, she’s was just named the new CEO of Freedom to Marry Ohio.

Robert and Joyce Strommen

All the speeches were amazing, but I have my favorite was from Pastor Robert and Joyce Strommen (pictured above) who are a part of the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats but were mainly there representing the Cleveland branch of PFLAG (Parents and Families of Lesbians and Gays). They were an older couple who gave a tear-jerking speech about the importance of acceptance. I kept think about my own grandparents and parents and wishing they were as accepting as the Strommens.

The rally also garnered lots of press coverage. Check out videos from Cleveland’s local ABC, NBC and Fox news affiliates. and since I was there my journalism bug kicked in I took a few pictures and video (video #1, video #2) of my own.

Here are a couple amazing videos of Vision Video Productions. Overall I think they have the best coverage of the event that I’ve seen.

VVP has been posting video and photos of the event on their Facebook page all week. Here are the ones they’ve posted so far. You can continue to follow their videos on their YouTube page.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman signs Freedom to Marry pledge

Just after posting the previous story about Freedom to Marry’s petition to have marriage equality added to Ohio’s 2012 election ballot, I learned that Columbus’ Mayor, Michael Coleman has just publicly signed the Mayors for the Freedom to Marry Pledge and the Ohio Elected Officials Freedom to Marry pledge.

Here’s the official announcement from Equality Ohio:

Equality Ohio is pleased to announce that Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman has signed the Mayors for the Freedom to Marry Pledge and the Ohio Elected Officials Freedom to Marry pledge supporting the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. We appreciate his willingness to discuss this issue with community leaders and reach the decision to support full marriage equality. Thank you Mayor Coleman, and we look forward to hearing your 200th anniversary State of the City speech and cheering for you as the Grand Marshal of the Columbus Pride Parade in June.

It’s been reported that Mayor Coleman has been dragging his feet on signing the petition after many mayors, both democrat and republican, across the state and the nation have already signed on. It was a move that was puzzling as Columbus is considered one of the country’s largest gay meccas and Coleman has always been very pro gay rights.

Many local gay rights leaders and organizations came together and put in many man hours to have petitions signed and meetings with the mayor to change his mind.

Whatever the motivations or reason the lag, I say thanks to Mayor Coleman for finally signing the petitions, your commitment to equality is a great example to the state and the nation! And special thanks to all those who tirelessly fought to make this happen!

UPDATE (2/16 at 2:11 p.m.): The Columbus Dispatch has picked up the story and includes the below quote from Coleman’s spokesperson, Dan Williamson, stating why the mayor changed his mind:

“One of the things that pushed the mayor over the top on this issue was a meeting he had with a city employee, a veteran who came back,” Williamson said. “He told the mayor he’s now openly gay, but he had to hide things from his fellow soldiers,” while the don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy was in effect. “He said he was overseas fighting for everybody’s rights but his own.”

 

Freedom to Marry Ohio has started a petition to get marriage equality on the 2012 ballot

An new organization called Freedom to Marry Ohio has started a petition to have a marriage equality added to the state’s 2012 election ballot.

According to a press release for the organization, Freedom to Marry Ohio is a coalition of past and present elected officials, candidates, community and business leaders who are advocating for Marriage Equality in Ohio.The organization is led by Statewide Co-Chairs Tim Hagan (former Cuyahoga County Commissioner) and Andrew Ginther (President of Columbus City Council), and John O’Grady (Franklin County Commissioner). You can find out more by visiting their website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

As their first major project their gathering signatures to have same-sex marriage added to the 2012 ballot. They need 385,245 to make it happen.

The first big step to hitting that number is a goal of 1,000 signature by Wednesday, Feb. 22, which would validate the petition with the Ohio Ballot Board, said Ian James, Freedom to Marry Ohio’s volunteer outreach advocate. If the 285,000 signatures aren’t acquired by the July deadline the organization would be forced to shoot for the July 2013 deadline for the 2013 ballot.

It seems a major component of Freedom to Marry Ohio’s strategy is to included specific wording in the Ohio Constitution that would legalize marriages between same-sex partners, but while giving religious institutions the right to refuse performing same-sex marriage ceremonies. A long time argument for many against marriage equality has been that such laws would force churches to marry gay couples, thus impending or their First Amendment rights to freedom of religion.

If added to the ballot the decision for voters would be to amend the current same-sex marriage ban to read as follows:

In the State of Ohio and its political subdivisions, marriage shall be a union of two consenting adults and no religious institution shall be required to perform or recognize a marriage.

You can sign the petition at Mary Jo Kilroy‘s (who is currently running for Congress) Campaign Headquarters at 1349 E. Broad Street, Columbus. James also said there are now 200 volunteers committed to helping reach the petition’s goals. So get your pens ready!

Ohio Queers: 400+ pack downtown Cincy for marriage equality rally…is Columbus next? [PHOTOS] [VIDEO]

Local news reports, photos and video are pouring in all over the Web from Saturday’s pro marriage equality protest in Cincinnati. The event was heavily covered by the local news and the final number of participants was a whopping 417.

As planned, Ed Mullen of Equality Ohio and openly gay candidate for Cincinnati City Council Chris Seelbach were the event’s main speakers. The protest mostly took place at the Four Square Plaza in downtown Cincinnati. Here’s a quick Facebook video of the massive crowd. Marchers at one point did go past Occupy Cincinnati protesters, which produced this pretty powerful moment. (If you’re interested in a minute-by-minute breakdown of the day visit Tom Morgan’s Facebook page. He’s GetEQUAL‘s State Lead Organizer in Ohio and he has literally documented every moment of yesterday’s festivities.)

It looks like Columbus may be next on the list for a horde of marriage equality love. A Facebook event page already has nearly 300 “attendees” and it looks like the speakers will be Michael Loch, president of NKY Equality Now at Northern Kentucky University, and GetEQUAL Ohio’s Tom Morgan.

Check out more photos and video from Facebook and YouTube below.

Here’s a YouTube slide show of photos taken by a participant:

This is a speech by Michael Loch, president of NKY Equality Now at Northern Kentucky University:

Ed Mullen of Equality Ohio

Tom Morgan of GetEQUAL Ohio

Chris Seelbach

Ohio Queers: Brutal gay bashing sends Westerville South student to hospital

Just a week after a Chillicothe, Ohio, student’s gay bashing made national news, a freshman boy at Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio, was brutally beaten because his sister came out the closet. His attackers assumed because his sister was gay that he must be too. According to reports they yelled gay slurs at him while attacking him at school.

The boy’s mother went to Equality Ohio with her story seeking help and told them her son suffered a concussion and has been taken out of school to recover.

EO’s Kim Welter (another local hero I admire that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting) was interviewed by 10tv, the local CBS News affiliate, about the incident, calling for Ohio’s legislatures to make some real changes before it’s too late. The mother of the attacker took her son’s side of the story to Columbus’ NBC4, saying that the issue wasn’t homophobic and gave the typical “boys-being-boys” excuse, an excuse that has been used for generations to ignore the real issue of anti-gay bullying.

Equality Ohio is currently at the forefront of lobbying Congress, calling for the passage of laws that protect LGBT students. There are three anti-bullying bills currently making their way through Congress, the most well-known of which is the Safe Schools Act (House Bill 208), which would add sexual-orientation to Ohio’s existing anti-bullying statute.

As for last week’s incident in Chillicothe, it was recently reported that the attacker has been charged by the prosecutor’s office. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Levi Sever has been charged with assault and will appear in juvenile court. This same Dispatch story also reports that no charges will be filed in the Westville case, saying “Westerville police said this afternoon that their investigation has found no evidence the fight involved ‘gay bashing.’”

EO and others are also calling for the community to get involved. Ed Mullen, EO’s director, recently appeared on NBC4 to help cast a mainstream light on the issue, and the organization is also asking people to send them their personal stories of struggling with bullying so they can put a face on the epidemic, which is what will be the key factor to changing minds. Change.org has also started a petition in support of the Safe Schools Act that’s well passed 50,000 signatures.

This is no longer an isolated incident. Ohio is at the bottom of the list when its comes to states with LGBT friendly legislation in this country, and it’s becoming clear that our state’s youth are modeling this message that gay means second class. It’s time that the Ohio Department of Education get involved. Every child deserves to be safe at school. And our legislatures standing idly by and watching this situation escalate is only making the problem worse.

Happy National Coming Out Day! Celebrate those who can be themselves and remember those who can’t

Wouldn't this be perfect for a Coming Out Party! I must find a cupcake shop that makes these.

Today is National Coming Out Day, a day that recognizes the courage it takes to live openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual, and reminds us that there are many out there who still can’t be open because of the intolerant communities in which they live. It is more important now more than ever for the lgbt community to stand up and be counted. I’ve always had the same philosophy as the great Harvey Milk: If they know us they are more likely to vote for us.

I do recognize that each individual should come out in their own time and there are many communities where coming out can be down right deadly, such as in Uganda, where they are still considering the Kill the Gays Bill or Jamaica, where it is socially acceptable for citizens to abuse gays openly in the streets. But now more than ever, those who can need to stand up for those who can’t.

Today I’m going to be speaking at a Coming Out Day event at West Virginia University in Parkersburg, a city that I’ve heard is less than accepting. I’ve had many people ask me, “Why are you going down there? You aren’t going to change their minds, and it seems dangerous.” My mother has been trying to talk me out of it all week. She did finally convince me to a least take someone with me. (Being her baby boy has these occasional consequences.)

I’m going because small town communities in states like West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, are where the most closeted of us live. If we don’t start creating communities of inclusion in the most conservative of areas we’ll never win at the ballots, we’ll never see true equality.

That’s why I’ll continue to go to areas that aren’t the most accepting, to encourage their gay citizens to stand up together and be counted, to show the bigoted that we’re not the monsters they think we are. We have families we love, we have jobs, we’re dealing with this shitty economy just like you. Because if I can convince one person to help make their community safer for lgbt people, if I can make one parent see that there’s nothing wrong with their kid, if I can make one preacher come to the realization that we’re not an abomination, then any of the ugliness that I ever endured because of coming out will all be worth it.

 

Gay YouTube soldier returns with live coming out video to mom

After his coming-out-to-dad video went viral, Randy Phillips, the popular gay YouTube solider returns to tell his mom on camera. This time the results aren’t so good.

Check out the full video below:

Closeted YouTube soldier reveals face, comes out to father on camera

The closeted solider who has been popularly documenting his coming out process on YouTube for nearly six months has finally shown his face to the world.

I’ve featured him on Queer Corner a few other times. He’s 21, from Alabama, a servicemember who was serving in Afghanistan, but is stationed in Germany, and was deeply in the closet. Before his first video April 18, he’d never told anyone, not even his parents, and obviously not his girlfriend.

At about 3 a.m. this morning the now famous, yet still nameless, recruit filmed himself back in in his quarters on base in Germany coming out to father over the phone, to celebrate Obama and the military officially lifting Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This time, however, he showed his entire face. It was probably one of the most powerful YouTube videos I’ve seen. His father, who sports a thick Southern accent, was great, reiterating the fact that he would always love his son, no matter what, throughout the call.

I’ve been watching this soldier’s YouTube videos for some time now and am happy to see he’s finally coming into his own and embracing his true self. He’s obviously gone viral and his chiseled features have also made him pretty popular in the gay blogosphere. I still maintain this is the most revolutionary piece of activism I’ve ever seen. This dude is definitely changing the game and changing lives in the process.

You can check out the moving video below:

Check out all of his videos at his YouTube page, AreYouSuprised, and you can also follow him on Twitter.

Air Force Airman Randy Phillips

UPDATE (9/21, 2:08 a.m.): The “headless soldier” has gone mainstream. He was featured on CNN last night, where his name was revealed (Randy Phillips) and he talked about his experience coming out to his mother. Click HERE to check out the CNN report

DADT REPEAL OFFICIALLY GOES INTO AFFECT TODAY!!!

For the first time in America’s history gays can now openly serve in the military.

Sept. 20th marks the official repeal date set by President Obama, the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs. And the press has been having a field day with the coverage leading up the momentous occasion. Here are few stories that have popped up already:

• AP (via USA Today): Navy Officer, Partner Wed in Vt. as Ban Ends 
• The Huffington Post: Gay Officer Says ‘This Is Going To Take Some Getting Used To’
• The Washington Post: U.S. military prepares for end of ‘don’t ask don’t tell’
• CNN: Repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ seen as ‘tipping point’ in gay rights movement
• Marine Times: We’re gay, get over it
  
• HBO aired a new documentary at midnight entitled “The Strange History of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (Here’s a review from AfterElton.com)
  

I’m sure there will be lots more coverage throughout the day to get soldiers’ coming out stories, interviews with new gay recruits and reactions on bases across the world.

We’ve still got a long ways to go where gay rights is concerned, but if only for today, I’m going to revel in the historical beauty.

Ohio Queers: GetEQUAL held protest at Statehouse Friday [PHOTOS], Equality Ohio holding EHEA Rally Sept. 27

As planned, the local branch of GetEQUAL hosted a protest outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus Friday afternoon. A small but mighty group of activists stood along Broad Street downtown with signs that said things like “I can loose my job for being transgender.” It was an effort to educate the city on the inequalities faced by Ohio’s LGBT citizens, in preparation for the Equal Housing and Employment Act, which is set to be discussed in Ohio’s legislature starting next month.

Here’s a statement about the event (exclusive to Queer Corner) from Tom Morgan, State Lead Organizer for GetEQUAL in Ohio:

Concerned “queer” activists showed up on Broad Street at the Statehouse on Friday to help get the word out about the EHEA or Equal Housing Employment Act that will be introduced, again, next month. They came with bull horns, signs, banners, and a clear message. WE ARE NOT YET EQUAL! A similar bill was introduced in the last Ohio session, but was stopped in it’s tracks by Senate Republican President Bill Harris. Now retired. Ohio is an “at will” employment state, however bigotry is written into these laws as well. Persons may be fired here with little effort. However, there is still a list of things that a person cannot be fired for: race, creed, religion, etc. “Queers” need to be ON that list as well, or possibly fall prey to it’s subtle bigotry. We also believe it’s wrong to be denied housing just for being true to yourself.

Equality Ohio is also planning to host a rally, press conference and Lobby Day at the Statehouse in honor of the Equal Housing and Employment Act Sept. 27 at 1:30 p.m. It’s the same day Representatives Ross McGregor and Nickie Antonio will introduce EHEA in the House.  For more information visit www.equalityohio.org.

Below are a few more photos from the GetEQUAL protest, courtesy of Morgan. For more on GetEQUAL visit www.getequal.org.

Closeted YouTube solider outed while still deployed

The mysterious gay YouTube solider that I featured on Queer Corner a little while ago has moved past the gay blogosphere, with his story hitting the mainstream last week.

He posted a YouTube video of a military band’s brilliant cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” that hit 17,000 page views in just a few hours. It was featured on Carson Daily’s talk show and is now well past 1 million views. That video was discovered by members of his platoon and the connection was soon made that he was the headless gay soldier in the other videos.

There seems to only be about 25 people in his unit, and he’s recently reported that they were all extremely accepting and supportive, so it doesn’t look like he’s going to be further outed.

I’ve already made my stance clear on how much I admire what this kid is doing in my other post, but I did want to add something. By sharing his story and being out at work, he’s now proving that gays can be out in a unit without “disrupting cohesion.” This is a common argument used by Republicans and anti-gay activists to back their belief that gay service members should stay in the closet. This faceless young man’s timid voice is disproving 20 years of hateful theorizing.

Check out his latest video below, in which he discusses how he was outed by the “Rolling in the Deep” video and how he recently came out to his girlfriend. He plans to show his face once he’s told his family and after the DADT repeal officially goes into affect Sept. 25.

Closeted soldier is captivating YouTube

Back in April a soldier, who grew up in the Bible Belt, is stationed in Europe, but has been deployed to the Middle East, bravely posted a video the would begin the chronicling of his coming out journey. Now after 11 videos, the 21-year-old fearful story is captivating YouTube, and giving the world an unprecedented glimpse into the effects of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Every so often the soldier, who hides his face because it is still illegal for gays to be out in the military (the DADT repeal is still going through a lengthy process that should be resolved by the end of September), will post videos updating his audience (at over 283,000 views and counting) on the progress of his coming out. Up until a July 7th video that featured him coming out to a co-worker in the military, he hadn’t come out to anyone, including his parents, his family and his girlfriend.

All of this of course begs the question, why is he doing this on YouTube? Just for the fame? He addresses this in one of his videos, saying that the YouTube community is typically more supportive and its the many positive comments that’s he’s gotten that is spurring him forward and building his strength to finally come out.

My first question was, how has he not yet been discovered? In a world of hackers and IP addresses, I’m surprised he hasn’t been outed by some blogger, or even by a fellow service member who’s seen him online. He also addresses this issue in one of his videos, saying subconsciously he hopes he is outed, which might somehow make it all easier. Now that the gay blogosphere has picked up the story this may become a reality. I just really hope this isn’t another hoax like A Girl in Damascus.

Though I really don’t think it is a hoax. His raw emotions, Southern child-like voice and slightly juvenile demeanor give of a sense of pure naivete. He doesn’t sound like an experienced orator (the ever present ’uhs’ and ‘ums’ and constant apologies for gasps in time between videos) and he posses a boy-next-door charm that’s undeniable. Even on his Twitter page he show’s his age, posting photos of his abs and discussing his workout regimen. He definitely comes off as your typical 21-year-old male with typical 21-year-old male obsessions.

I think what this soldier is doing is not only truly phenomenal, but revolutionary. I don’t think anything like this has ever been done and it’s putting so much perspective on a policy civilians can’t truly understand. Many like to throw around their opinions on DADT and gays serving in the military, especially those who have never served. I hope this opens a few eyes and I know it’s going to give so many other closeted soldiers hope for their situations.

Check out all the “faceless soldier’s” videos at his YouTube channel called Are You Surprised and you can also follow him on his Twitter page (@areyousurprised). Below are a few my favorite videos from his channel.

The first is one of his latest videos where he discusses if he should come out to a homophobic soldier in his unit.

The second is one of his most popular videos, which, as I mentioned above, features him coming out to a friend in his unit.

And lastly, this is my top favorite video of his thus far. It gives a rare glimpse into those DADT Repeal Military Trainings we’ve been hearing so much about.

Ohio Queers: GetEQUAL planning protest outside Statehouse Aug. 26

The Ohio branch of GetEQUAL is putting together an “educational demonstration” to take place outside the Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, to protest the fact that Ohio is still one of 29 states in the union where gays can be fired or denied housing for being gay (37 if you consider transgenders alone).

The Ohio legislator will be considering the popular Equal Housing and Employment Act (EHEA) when they return to session in the fall. GetEQUAL is hoping this protest will help educate Ohioans and reinvigorate the debate on this very important topic.

The protest is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. t0 5:3o p.m. Friday, August 26 on Broadway Street between Third and High Streets. The group is expecting a large turnout and plan to line that block of Broad Street (which is on the north side of the Statehouse) with protesters.

This is also the same day that’s been deemed the annual GLBT Call Off Work Day by gay rights activists across the nation. A protest that has gays not show up to work to show our presence and impact in the workplace.

For more information visit the protest’s event page on Facebook and the GetEQUAL OH Facebook page.

UPDATE (7/31): Looks like GetEQUAL has started a trend. First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus will be hosting a rally at the Statehouse in support of EHEA 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27.