On Saturday, December 19, 2009, the LBT Women of Erie went on a sleigh ride at Burch Farms County Market in North East, PA. Photos are by Laurie Finch of LBT Women.
Last night, I drove home in the first significant snow storm of the season. The wind was blowing across the country roads and the visibility was almost zero. It would have been a laborious drive on a dreary evening had it not been for the houses aglow with Christmas lights. The colored lights reflected off the newly fallen snow.
In the early 1900’s the British Government in South Africa declared that all non-Christian marriages were invalid. A little known lawyer opposed this and other similarly unjust laws of the British Government. This man was Mahatma Gandhi – a man whose policy of nonviolent non-cooperation eventually led the entire country of India to freedom from British rule. He demonstrated that justice is not won through war, nor through the idle talk of a select few elite, but through the active disobedience of an entire nation. The people did not raise their fists to fight, but they refused to follow unmerited laws.
On Friday, February 19, 2010, the Patterson Library, 40 S Portage St, Westfield, NY 14787 will present a screening and panel discussion for Out in the Silence. Out in the Silence follows a controversy in a small Pennsylvania town. It has been chosen for its respect for the viewpoints on all sides of the issues, with emphasis on finding common ground. The panel discussion will include subjects from the film. "Following the story of a small American town confronting a firestorm of controversy ignited by a same-sex wedding announcement in the local newspaper, this gripping documentary illustrates the challenges of being an outsider in a conservative rural community and the change that is possible when courageous people break the silence and search for common ground. Out in the Silence will challenge you to rethink your values and help close the gaps that divide our communities." For more info, contact Rev. Steve Aschmann at (814) 440-0902 or email revaschmann@uuerie.org. The phone at the library is (716) 326-2154. You can see more about the film at http://www.outinthesilence.com.
From GayTravel.com: The overnight bullet train pulls into the station and several hundred passengers pour out into the station. A logjam forms at the exit as attendants ask to see tickets. This first experience with Beijing traffic is followed quickly by a taxi line of more than one hundred people, which leads you into morning rush hour traffic on one of Beijing’s four ring roads. Emerging from the smog, however, you find a city bustling with a newfound - and quite deserved - post-Olympic air. While reaching to the future with modern mass-transit, rose-line highways and futuristic buildings, Beijing also clings to its ancient dynastic past in a way no other Chinese city can. Get lost in the labyrinth that is the Forbidden City. Gaze into the sky above the Temple of Heaven. Take a royal holiday at the New Summer Palace. And of course, scale the world’s most impressive site - The Great Wall of China.
The White House has appointed Amanda Simpson, the former head of the National Center for Transgender Equality, to be a senior technical advisor to the Commerce Department, ABC's Jake Tapper reports. Simpson is one of the first transgender political appointees, but Democratic officials say they are unsure if she is the very first. The White House itself had no further comment on the appointment.
Hello, Yeah that's right: Vertigo, your once little gay bar is becoming a very popular spot. Last Saturday we had a record number of people in. So if you haven't been in, you need to, because Vertigo is getting to be a household name to almost every gay or lesbian in the Butler area.
Erie Gay News now has a group on LinkedIn. Please be sure to check us out and join! LinkedIn is a popular social networking site for professionals. In addtion to LinkedIn, you can also find Erie Gay News on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Frappr and Wikipedia.
MEDIA, PA - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Congressman Joe Sestak expressed his strong disagreement with Senator John McCain's remarks that the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy should be continued. From his experience as a former 3-star Admiral who served 31 years in the Navy, Joe has been a staunch advocate of allowing gay Americans to participate openly in our military. The following statement responds to Senator McCain's comment that "it would be a mistake to repeal the policy:"
Who are your greatest enemies? Luke Skywalker battled the respiratory challenged scoundrel Darth Vader. Superman played chess games with the Mensa maniac Lex Luthor. Batman and Robin were vexed with the likes of the Joker when they weren’t exploring the depths of their batcaves. You and I have much worse enemies to ward off. These foes rear their ugly heads daily and seek to divert us from our health and fitness goals. The Bangles rendition of Manic Monday starts us heading through a sea of procrastination and fitness evasion.
Joni Mitchell has a song, “Happiness is the best facelift”, but curiosity may be just as good. If you want to stay youthful and energetic, consider the role of curiosity in your life. As kids, many of us were not encouraged to be curious: “Curiosity killed the cat”, my grandma told me when I asked too many questions. At the time (age 5) I shut up and obeyed her, but I wish I had replied with, “But Grandma, I’ll bet that cat had a fabulous 9 lives before he died.”
Philadelphia "Equality Forum 2010 with Africa as the international focuswill be our best-ever annual forum," stated Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director, Equality Forum. The weeklong national and international summit will be held from Monday, April 26 to Sunday, May 2 in Philadelphia. There is no registration fee and all substantive panels are free.
See the latest in marriage and court battles! Play the marriage game show and guess what is "gay" and what is "straight." Prizes, thrills and chills! A Mark Fiore political animation.
Thanks to you, late last year, House Bill 745, an LGBT-inclusive Hate Crimes Bill passed the PA House Judiciary Committee with massive bipartisan support in an 18-8 vote! In just a few weeks, a FULLPennsylvania House of Representatives floor vote is expected on House Bill 745. NOW is the time to step up the pressure on our State Representatives. HB 745 would amend the Title 18 Ethnic Intimidations Act to define crimes against individuals based on “actual or perceived ancestry, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity” as ethnic intimidation, or hate crimes.
From QueerTheCensus.org: We know it's a little clichéd – but here's what we want to tell the census: We're here. We're queer. And we want you to ask us about it. You read that right: LGBT people are basically invisible in the survey that is supposed to reflect the diversity of America's population – and that's a big problem. The data collected impacts issues critical to every American – like our health care, our economic stability, and even our safety. And when LGBT people aren't counted, then we also don't count when it comes to services, resources ... you name it. It's past time to Queer the Census! Sign the petition at http://www.queerthecensus.org to demand that the census ask the question and count everyone!
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 7 – A multicenter research team led by the University of Pittsburgh is developing microbicides specifically designed to prevent rectal transmission of HIV, with the further aim of assessing their safety and efficacy in lab and early clinical studies.
Erie Gay News has free, automatically updating content for your web site! You can have the calendar and/or latest headlines on your site. Once you place the code, you don’t need to do anything else. This helps us all out, because the more places that news and events can be found, the more likely it is that people can find it. Additionally, we have a page on our site that displays web sites carrying our content. Right now, about 10 different sites already carry the calendar and headlines and get an extra mention and a link for doing this. Everybody wins! Check out the page at www.eriegaynews.com/rsspartners.php. You can also contact Michael Mahler at (814) 456-9833 or info@eriegaynews.com for more info.
"Re-Member Yourself" - Author, Christopher Felton, will be conducting a 5-week self-help workshop at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Erie, 7180 New Perry Highway, Erie PA on Sundays from January 31, 2009 - February 28, 2010, 9:15 am to 10:15 am. The workshop will be based on his book, entitled "Re-Member Yourself", which is a comprehensive self-help workbook/journal that has been very effective for people from all walks of life. It has been credited for helping others to learn from and correct negative thinking, bring meaning to daily life, and find a blessing in each day. Books are $20 each, and the sign-up sheet is on the community action table. Be prepared for an interactive, introspective, and interesting experience! Browse to http://www.uuerie.org
Leicester, UK, January 20, 2010 – The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that is present in almost 100% of cervical cancer cases can be transmitted between women, according to a new reportfrom the UK. (DMU) in Leicester and has been used as part of the British National Health Serice Cervical Screening Programme 2009 Annual Review.
The Art Galleries at Allegheny College will present the exhibition “In Between” Jan. 26 to Feb. 16. An opening reception and artist’s talk with diversity scholar-in-residence Zanele Muholi will be held at 7 p.m. on Jan. 26. Note: some of the works in this exhibition deal frankly with human sexuality. Highlights include Muholi’s immersive installation “Insila Yomuntu”; “Nude No. 5, Eleanor Dubinsky and Melanie Marr,” an experimental video piece by New York artist Mary Ellen Strom; and two large projections in the Vukovich Center, “Mind Control” and “Queer Youth Manifesto,” by artist collaborative AGAIN. The projections by AGAIN will be visible every evening during the exhibition through the building’s wall of windows. The show also will include a wide variety of drawings, paintings, photographs, videos and sculptural works by Melissa Boyajian, Ria Brodell, Jacinta Bunnell, Andrea Chung, Jess Dugan, Jesse Jagtiani, Nahna Kim, Jacob Kincheloe, Cobi Moules, Jesse Finley Reed, Jeannie Simms, Colleen Toledano and Japanese photographer/performance artist Yasumasa Morimura.
My name is William Morelli, and I am the Recruiting Assistant for the United States Census Bureau here in Erie, Pennsylvania. I am currently reaching out to several churches and other organizations in local communities where we are having a hard time finding applicants for work with us here at the Census Bureau in the spring.
From Air America: Divorce rates are higher in states that ban same sex marriage than in states that do not have state constitutional bans. According to CDC data, between 2003 and 2008 states which do not prohibit same-sex marriage saw an average 8% decrease in divorce rates. However, states that passed a same-sex marriage ban as of January 1, 2008 saw a 1% increase in divorce rates during the course of the same years.
Erie Gay News is giving away an autographed CD of We Came to Sing by Holly Near and emma's revolution. To enter, just fill out the form here between February 2 and February 23.
Please note! You can see emma's revolution right here in Erie on Saturday, February 6 at 7:30 PM at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Erie, 7180 New Perry Highway. Tickets are just a $12 suggested donation. Full details are here.
The Democratic caucus in a 7 to 2 majority asked Greg Rabb to continue as President of the Jamestown NY City Council for the 2010-2011 City Council, with swearing in on January 4. Rabb is Jamestown’s first openly-gay councilmember.
You are invited to a meeting of the GLBT community on Thursday, February 18 at 7 PM at Craze Night Club, 1607 Raspberry St, Erie PA 16502. At the meeting will be Jesse Salazar, who heads Senator Casey’s statewide LGBT and Latino Affairs. Also present will be Gary van Horn, president of the Delta Foundation in Pittsburgh. We will be discussing legislation and legislative advocacy related to the GLBT community. You can also sign up for the GLBT Voter/Activism list (as well as other lists) at http://lists.eriegaynews.com. For more info, contact: Michael Mahler at (814) 456-9833 or email info@eriegaynews.com. You can also RSVP for the event at the Erie Gay News Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=293354399743.
Lauren Hildebrant, recently featured on Erie Gay News in a contest for her debut album, "Not Really a Waitress", sings Mr. Wrong about the recent spate of celebrity break ups (rather a lot of them!) This includes some same-sex couples. Check it out!
Logo Greenlights Four New Series for 2010 Including 'The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi,' 'RuPaul's Drag U,' 'The Arrangement' and the Already Notorious Project 'Kept'. Logo Also Orders New Episodes of Series "Beautiful People," "the Big Gay Sketch Show," "Exes & Ohs," and Critically Acclaimed "Real Momentum" Documentary Series
As a Life Coach, I do a lot of work with people’s conflicts and identities. I’m also always practicing what I preach- and that’s what led to this article. If you’re bisexual, this is for you!
Erie Gay News is giving away an autographed copy of Carole Pope's CD, Transcend. To enter, just fill out the form here between January 19 and February 9.
Every third Tuesday of the month, beginning February 16, 2010, the Rev. Dr. Rich McCarty will faciliate a discussion group on spirituality and sexuality at Community United Church (1011 West 38th Street) in Erie, PA. Community United Church is an open and affirming Christian congregation. The discussion group will ground conversation in relevant issues such as what Christian scripture and ethics have to say about human sexuality, but will also provide individuals opportunites to share questions, stories, and experiences with respect to what it means to identify as a person who is both spiritual and sexual. This group will also explore comparative religious views on sexuality and think about how different religious perspectives can help or hurt a person to cultivate a strong and sure sexual identity. Meetings will be confidential. Come join the discussion! For more info, contact Rich at richmccarty@msn.com or at (319) 270-5140.
Point Foundation (Point), the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, announces the opening of its 2010 application season starting December 11, 2009. Students who will be enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs for the 2010-11 school year are eligible to apply for the prestigious, multi-year scholarships. The application deadline for this year’s scholarships is February 12, 2010.
February 2, 2010 (Washington DC) – In March, American households everywhere will receive their 2010 Census forms in the mail: an important civic milestone that happens only once every ten years. What makes this year’s Census even more historic is the unprecedented and welcoming outreach by U.S. Census leaders and managers to include the entire lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and allied community in these efforts, as a way to achieve the nation’s most accurate count possible.
I was four years old and entranced by the red, white and blue peppermint stick barber shop pole when I went for my first haircut. The barber told me that all the little boys cried the first time. I was excited. It was my mother who cried. She still talks about the day she cut off my “lovely curls.” My brother tells me that pre-haircut I looked like Shirley Temple. It's been all downhill since then in the beauty queen department. I liked going to barbers and continued to go as long as I could get away with it. There was no nonsense with these guys. It was a little unusual for them to cut a girl's hair, but they were cheaper and, as my mother had already temporarily given up on making a diamond out of a tomboy, she didn't object. My favorite part was getting my neck wrapped up in some kind of soft narrow barber's paper and the way the barber would whip the paper off, then wisk stray hairs from the back of my neck with a fat powdered brush. The men in the shop talked sports or current events over my head. There were no noxious chemical smells. I can't remember ever disliking a haircut I got from a barber.
The 2010 LEAGUE Foundation scholarship program is now receiving student applications until April 30, 2010. Since 1996, LEAGUE Foundation has continued to grow in its mission of providing financial resources for America’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender youth to attend institutions of higher learning. Now in its 14th year the LEAGUE Foundation has awarded its 79 scholarships and applications have been received from students from all 50 states. Financial support has been received from corporations, individuals, and other GLBT organizations.
Erie Gay News is giving away 20 copies of the new Ellen DeGeneres comic book from Bluewater Productions! To enter, just fill out the form here between February 5 and February 26.
January 26, 2010 Washington DC – With official launch of the nation’s once-in-a-decade national count – the 2010 U.S. Census -- just a few weeks away (March 2010), Our Families Count expands endorsements this month to over 80 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender nonprofit and straight allied leaders at the national, state and community levels – plus LGBT business leaders and academics.
Philadelphia, PA - As part of its re-organization to more effectively and efficiently advocate for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Pennsylvanians as the leading statewide organization dedicated to LGBT rights, Equality Pennsylvania and Equality Advocates Pennsylvania today announced the promotion of Jake Kaskey, former policy and programs director, to managing director of the organizations. Continuing with this expansion, the board has elected four new members from across central Pennsylvania.
Erie Gay News is giving away 5 copies ofNoa Tylo's CD - Feeling in Me, plus an autographed poster of Noa, as well as a bonus CD of "Let's Do It!" As an added bonus, winners will get an online coupon for buy one, get one free from MasterBeat.com. To enter, just fill out the form here between January 26 and February 16.
SAN FRANCISCO – The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Fresno City College today demanding that the school ensure that all its health science classes teach unbiased and medically accurate information. According to students at the college, lectures by Professor Dr. Bradley Lopez, who teaches an introductory health class, often present religiously-based and anti-gay views as “science” or “fact.”
On January 16, 2010, the LBT Women of Erie had a wonderful time at their tubing party at Peak N Peak in Clymer NY. Friends had fun in the frosty air! Photos are by LBT Women coordinator Laurie Finch.
Before I leave for church on Sunday mornings I often watch a fundamentalist Protestant preacher who appears on a local television station. What he preaches (along with his wife) is unique and troubling. He takes headlines from national newspapers and, after reading them out loud, finds passage from the Bible to back up his own theological bias. He may read a headline, for example, about a natural disaster and then, reading a few verses from the Bible, claims that the disaster is the judgment of God. He proves the truth of the old adage that you can make the Bible say anything you want.
Media, PA - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Congressman Joe Sestak released the following statement following the appearance of Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen before the Senate Armed Services Committee: "Today's announcement that the Pentagon will begin a year-long study to prepare for repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' indicates a step in the right direction, but it is inadequate," said Joe. "It's not time to study 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' it's time to end it, and we should do so immediately. That said, if unfortunately if we are to study the process, our military and troops cannot be left in limbo. President Obama should sign an executive order -- relying on the same 'stop-loss' authority used to extend tours of duty -- to halt dismissals under this policy. In a time of war, we cannot lose any more troops that we depend on to keep our country safe.
Lake Erie Counseling, Inc. in association with North West Pennsylvania Rural AIDS Alliance is forming a group for persons diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. The group will focus on support, resources and education.
From the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: Today, for the first time, we witnessed top U.S. military brass declare their support for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen made it clear that they share President Obama's view that DADT needs to go.
To fulfill our mission to improve the well being of the GLBT and HIV+ communities, Persad Center is conducting an assessment of its services and seeks input in planning for what services we will offer in the future. Persad will provide several opportunities over the next few months to gather your feedback that will inform our strategic planning for the future. We will let you know about each of these opportunities as they unfold. In January and early February, we will be conducting a series of focus groups to gather your opinions. The focus groups will be held at Persad’s main offices at 5150 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Each group will be facilitated by a trained research facilitator and will include 8-10 people meeting one time for 1 ½ hours. As compensation for their time, participants will receive a $25 gift card to Giant Eagle. Please sign up for one of our focus groups so that we can hear what you have to say about the needs of the community and how Persad can help make the community better. To register, please contact Kristen Hawley at khawley@persadcenter.org or 412-441-9786 x240.
On Wednesday, December 23 2009, Mike Kohler and Tom Wiler hosted the folding work party for Erie Gay News. This was our 17th anniversary issue. The LBT Women of Erie helped out and also showed off their fabulous new Bean Wear (for Hanging with the Beans.) The "Hanging with the Beans" logo for the LBT Women of Erie was designed by Erie Gay News graphic designer Mike Lipiec.
I don’t wear leather other than shoes or belts, but I do have my butchwear standards. Butch style, though, is different by generation, ethnicity, geography, personality and income. For example, I wouldn’t know how to dress appropriately for a dinner party on the upper east side of Manhattan. At gatherings that call for classiness, I get rebellious and wear jeans, a white button down shirt and a vest. That’s always been and always will be my fancy function dress code.
Issue #87 of
the print edition of the current run of Erie Gay News is out as of Thursday, January 28, 2010!
You can pick
it up at several locations. You can also read the articles here. There have been 171 issues of Erie Gay News since the first issue in January, 1993.
Equality Forum
Crime Victim Center
Freedom to Marry web site
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Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
Persad Center
