Restore Equality 2010 has made a strange and bold move in the last days of its signature gathering campaign to get a measure on the November ballot which could overturn Prop 8. They've announced they're now collecting electronic signatures as well as paper signatures. This has never been done before, and to help them with the effort, Restore Equality has enlisted the start-up company Verafirma.
The LA Times recently reportedthat Michael Ni, a co-founder of Verafirma, submitted an electronic signature to the clerk's office in San Mateo, signed through the touch screen of his iPhone for the measure to legalize marijuana. The purposeful act was done in order to challenge current law, which does not allow electronic signatures to be collected for the initiative process. Currently, no state allows electronic signatures for initiatives, which makes it confusing as to why Restore Equality would choose to go this route. Ni's signature will be considered by the State Attorney General's Office.
Three states are currently debating electronic signatures. California, in this case, and Nebraska and Utah in similar cases. Decisions in California and Nebraska are pending, while the Utah Attorney General has already issued a 5 page analysis of the matter in his state, ruling that "the laws governing initiatives do not contemplate or allow for the use of electronic signatures."
There still is no word from Restore Equality about how many signatures they have collected and how many they need to meet the requirement of about a million signatures by April 12th.
Looks like Fresno City College has called out Professor Lopez for his teaching style. After becoming a major news attraction recently, as well as a target of the ACLU, Lopez denied any wrong doing regarding his teaching methods. The College has now weighed in...
Fresno City College authorities found that Dr. Brad Lopez, a health instructor, “engaged in conduct that could result in the creation of a hostile learning environment by unreasonably interfering with students’ learning by making insulting comments directed at homosexuals.”
BIG NEWS! Central California Alliance (CCA) is bringing the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorusto the Tower Theater in Fresno on Harvey Milk Day, Saturday, May 22nd. Gay Central Valley encourages the community to purchase tickets to support this project, as a portion of the ticket proceeds will be used to help fund a planned LGBT Community Center here in Fresno. CCA has brought several community members in as an Advisory Board to assist with the goals and direction the planned Community Center will take. A Central Valley LGBT Community Center is long overdue and will be a monumental asset to LGBT citizen in the Central Valley. Only through the assistance of everyone in the community can this project take shape and flourish. Gay Central Valley fully supports this venture.
This performance by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus is part of their 2010 California Freedom Tour, which is described on their website...
The Chorus will present a concert of uplifting and joyous music that speaks directly to the experience of seeking freedom in the face of discrimination. This is the first time that San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus has embarked upon a tour of California and the first time that the Chorus is collaborating with local charities in the Redding/Chico area to raise funds to help them with their work. 100% of all concert proceeds will be invested back into local community programs. The objective is to reach out to diverse communities in the universal language of music with an inspiring and affirming message of acceptance.
The concerts in Chico and Redding are the first leg of a statewide tour that plans to take in Fresno, Bakersfield and Tracy later in the year (May-July). More details of these events will be posted as it becomes available.
The tour has already appeared in Redding and Chico, California to sell out crowds. After Fresno, the tour is scheduled to move on to Bakersfield and Tracy.
The Official After Party for the concert in Fresno on Saturday, May 22nd, will be held that night, after the performance, at the North Tower Circle in Fresno. A $5 cover charge will be collected at the door. All door proceeds will go toward assisting the planned LGBT Community Center.
We urge the community to fully support this project during this event and in the future. The LGBT Community in Fresno and the Central Valley needs a space in which to disseminate information and come together, and an LGBT Community Center would be that place.
The head of the UN AIDS Agency, Michel Sidibe, is laying it on the line. With direct and pointed words, he stated yesterday that "it is unacceptable" that 85 countries still have laws criminalizing homosexuality. In fact, seven countries punish homosexuality with the death penalty.
Sidibe described the "growing conservatism" around the world frightening. The fact that conservative policies are increasing and that HIV is on the rise among groups which are not only being discriminated against but facing harsh criminal punishments, is a recipe for disaster. Sidibe warns of a rise in HIV of "epidemic" proportions.
He also pointed out that in Caribbean countries, most of which don't have repressive laws, that only about 5% of HIV is among men having sex with men. The United States, however, is shockingly seeing a spike in new HIV cases, with around 50% of those among homosexuals. Some of this, he concluded, is due to a new "complacency" about the disease.
"We must insist that the rights of the minorities are upheld. If we don't do that ... I think the epidemic will grow again," he warned. "We cannot accept the tyranny of the majority."
In his analysis we can see one of the most dangerous side effects of conservative and restrictive governments. While gays struggle the world over for basic civil rights protections, epidemic disease can be a result of isolation of various groups in the population, groups which are limited in their access to fair and available medical treatments and information. While these governments will undoubtedly entertain the thoughts that perhaps it wouldn't be too bad if certain groups in the population would start dying off, they're missing the piece that will in the end, be their undoing as well. HIV is alive and well among all groups in the population, and while they may not belong to the groups at highest risk now, they will eventually be the population left, the only population left for HIV to attack.
Governments choosing to criminalize and restrict certain groups based solely on some false morality they've created for themselves can come to no other result but to destroy civilization itself, not just the marked parties.
Read more about the warnings of Michel Sidibe HERE
VIDEO: GLAAD Awards - Will Phillips Acceptance Speech
I've written about 10 year old Will Phillips before. I'm not much of a hero person, but if anyone qualifies in my book, it's this brave young man. He garnered national attention for refusing to say the Pledge Of Allegiance in school until all LGBT Americans were granted equal rights. Now, GLAAD has bestowed an award on him for his courageousness. Watch his incredible acceptance speech...
If I were to type it in it wouldn’t be that bad. I mean I can just erase the history. But what if mom comes home early? It doesn’t matter; she won’t be home until like four. That gives me a hour and a half. I can just look at a couple of bad pictures and be done. What if she finds them though? What if somehow my brother hacks into the history and finds it? I don’t care. It is totally worth it.
I type in the raunchy gay pornography site and proceed to do what boys do. The only problem is I am wrong. Not because it is pornography but because it is the same sex. I feel guilty for being sinful and giving into my sins. I am demented by the devil for sure.
Who in the world could possibly think the same sex is attractive? I mean, there is something wrong with me for sure.
Gavin Newsom is back, baby...Although he dropped out of the Governor's race, he's just made the following announcement regarding a run for Lt. Governor...
Just announced that I am running for Lt. Gov.! I want to say thank you for eveyone's support today and over the years. I hope you will join me in this campaign to help take what is right about California and fix what is wrong in Sacramento.
A little more justice today as the employees of the Atlanta Eagle bar, who were arrested in September for supposedly "lewd dancing without a permit" (what century are we even living in??) have been declared NOT GUILTY.
Reading about Constance McMillen, the young girl in Mississippi who asked to take her lesbian girlfriend to the prom, resulting in the school cancelling the event completely, I was left feeling defeated. Many recent events concerning LGBT civil rights have resulted in organization simply "pulling the plug". It was evident recently when the Catholic Church changed their policies in reaction to same sex marriage becoming legal in Washington DC. They abandoned their foster care program and removed health coverage for employee spouses. Now we have a bill in Oklahoma which hopes to ignore the recently instituted Federal Hate Crimes Legislation. And the Virginia Attorney General told colleges they can't provide protection for LGBT students.
What's it coming to when we now live in a country that for the most part won't vote in our equal rights as citizens, but which is now working to remove protections already on the books and simply abandoning programs if we become involved? Aggression against LGBT Americans is on the rise, and becoming more prevalent each day.
So it was comforting to hear that the ACLU has now filed a lawsuit against the Mississippi school that cancelled the prom in fear of seeing a lesbian couple out in the open, wearing, GASP!, tuxedos. I hope they kick their butts and bring shame where it belong, to the school board of this small, Mississippi community.
After the recent story about conservatives in the Oklahoma legislature debating whether the government should be allowed to intrude on traditional marriage (while having zero problem with the government intruding on same sex relationships) here comes another stunner from the state.
Now, Republican Senator Steve Russell has taken a bill aimed at looking into secondary school education and inserted language to exempt Oklahoma from complying with the recently signed federal hate crimes bill. Basically, it would allow the state to not only ignore the federal law, but to destroy records in hate crimes cases which did not end in conviction.
From Russell...
"We just don’t want the pendulum to swing too far the other way,” he said. "This protects people to do or say whatever they want, as long as it complies with local ordinances.”
The bill has already passed the Oklahoma senate by 39-6 and now heads to the House.
It's bad enough that the courts aren't stepping in when the established equality of LGBT Americans is simply voted away by the populace, as in Maine, but now are we going to see the states literally thumbing their noses at FEDERAL laws, just to protect and continue to enshrine BIGOTRY into our lives? Why does the law only apply to heterosexuals where they "feel" it should apply, while the rest of us are daily being restricted more and more.
David Boies and Ted Olson, attorneys in the CA Prop 8 case, sat down with Adam Liptak, Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times, at the newspaper's Manhattan headquarters last night to discuss the landmark case.
The two were filled with optimism as well as reality, discussing their return either later this month or in early April to give their closing statements. They feel the case went extremely well and have confidence in Judge Walker, who may issue his ruling as early as June. Let me just say that it will be quite a celebration if Walker issues a ruling in our favor in June, national Gay Pride month...
VIDEO: Saudi Man Jailed After Innocent Video Surfaces
While we occasionally consider political actions in regards to protesting the lack of equality for LGBT Americans that may end up with us being arrested to prove a point, those ideas can't even be entertained in many, many other countries.
A young Saudi man decided to make a brief, YouTube video with a friend of his. Sitting in a car, dressed in a police uniform and brandishing a weapon, the young man pretends to check the other's license, finds its not proper, then puts on some music and moves about seductively. There's nothing more than that, nothing obscene or close to exposure, just a couple of young men fooling around and having fun. Unfortunately, the video caught the attention of the authorities and the man has been sentenced to a year in jail as well as physical punishment for "impersonating an officer" and "homosexuality".
As far as we still need to go in America to overturn the oppressive and constitutionally illegal denial of equal rights to LGBT citizens, consider for a moment what it's like to have any variation on what other consider to be a "normal and proper gender and sexuality".
Officially Approved Same Sex Ceremonies in Mexico City
In the first same sex ceremonies to be approved with legislative authority, Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard officiated five same sex marriages, despite continued criticism from the Catholic Church and other campaigning against the recent change in the laws. It's yet another area from around the world where acceptance of same sex marriage seems unlikely, and somehow astonishing considering how the United States seems to be moving backwards on this issue.
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spokesman Pedro Julio Serrano cheered the milestone. "People in the United States can look up to Mexico City and see a courageous legislature taking a stand," he said. "It's a model to follow."
A prom is an event that most high school students look forward to, both for its excitement as well as its sense of passage. All that ended in a Mississippi school recently when a lesbian student asked to bring a girl to the dance, and to, god forbid, wear a tuxedo.
Constance McMillan's request to take her girlfriend to the prom resulted the entire event being cancelled by the school district. They chose that option rather than risk problems when the ACLU got involved. It's a small, conservative town of about 4,000 in Itawamba county in Mississippi, so conservative in fact that nearby, ten years ago, school officials were sued over student led, daily intercom prayer.
Constance has returned to school after the decision and faced some verbal retaliation from other students who are disappointed in the prom's cancellation. Her parents support Constance, even pushing her to get right back to school and stand up for who she is. Chances of a privately sponsored prom don't seem likely.
The Give A Day Get A Disney Day volunteer program through the Disney Parks has come to an end. Gay Central Valley would like to thank all those who volunteered for our organization. Your help was generous and well needed and we hope that you consider volunteering in some way in the future, outside of the Disney Program. Disney issued the following statement regarding the end of this very successful program...
The overwhelming support we received for the "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day." program has helped us reach our goal of inspiring one million people to volunteer a day of service to their communities. The program has now ended. Although you can no longer register and sign up for volunteer opportunities on this site to earn a free Disney Theme Park ticket, you can still continue to give back to your community by locating and signing up for volunteer opportunities through HandsOn Network.
Gay Central Valley is happy to once again help sponsor The Fresno Skittles, a local LGBTQ (and allies) softball team . The skittles play other teams locally at the Regional Sports Complex , located 1707 West Jensen, on Jensen just past West Avenue. Games are an hour in length, played weekly on Wednesdays.
Their current schedule is as follows:
(all in field 4)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010: 6:00 PM Wednesday, March 17, 2010: 8:00 PM Wednesday, March 24, 2010: 9:00 PM Wednesday, March 31, 2010: 6:00 PM Wednesday, April 07, 2010: 8:00 PM Wednesday, April 14, 2010: 7:00 PM Wednesday, April 21, 2010: 7:00 PM Wednesday, April 28, 2010: 7:00 PM Wednesday, May 05, 2010: 6:00 PM
We encourage all to come to the games to show support for this local LGBTQ (and allies) team.
Restaurant Review - New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant
Though I am into healthy eating, I never thought I liked vegetarian food much. That was until I found New Stars Vegetarian Restaurant at Champlain and Perrin, near Woodward Park. It is a little out of my traditional haunting grounds, but I have since acquired a new job in the area, and have been exploring the nearby restaurants.
New Stars is stylishly decorated with white table cloths, and a lot of wood work. The place has a country feel. The ambiance is very nice, but the food is superb. The first item I tried was the Garden Burger. I have never had much respect for Garden Burgers, making it a good test. The vegetables were very fresh. The veggie patty was a different experience for someone not used to vegetarian food. It is very flavorful and has a texture a little lighter than ground meat. The fries are fried to a crisp golden brown. Instead of fries you can order a green salad composed of a very fresh mixture of salad greens, with a slightly sweet plum infused dressing. I did not know that soy meat existed, but their soy chicken comes very close to the real thing, but with a softer texture. New Stars only uses the highest quality soy meat.
They serve a very enjoyable tropical fruit tea as well that has a natural fruity sweetness. It is just the perfect choice to keep you awake for the afternoon’s work.
The service is very prompt and your glass stays full. All in all it is a different experience in the city of Fresno. New Stars is a good pick for those who like to try something new, whether you are vegetarian or not. New Stars is proof that you can be healthy and enjoy eating at the same time.
Hello and welcome to my article on the current events that are taking place in our valley.
I am sure you all know of the town of Hanford. It is not too far from the city of Fresno and is a rather cultural place to visit. Especially on the first week of every October where the yearly renaissance fair is held. It is aimed to recreate the era of King Henry the Eighth , and it does a very fine job at that I might add. It is a great event for history buffs and also very fun for the family. I strongly recommend all try and make the time to go see it as it only takes place on the first week of October, and another thing that is wonderful is it is totally free of charge! Hanford also has the Kings Symphony Orchestra for those that love classical music. They are very talented and I also recommend them to people that take an interest in classical pieces. They also stray aside and play more modern things as well to please more of an audience. Sadly they only play four times out of the year which sort of makes it more special since it is a rare occurrence. Hanford also has things to do that occur more often and not a few times of the year. The Kings art center has a very wide variety of art ranging from water colors, Pottery, Textiles and photography among many other forms of art. It also teaches classes on how to paint and make pottery on top of many other subject regarding art. Hanford is a very cultural place and has interesting things to do, yet sadly it also infamous.
Many notice right away that Hanford's water has a rather disturbing smell to it. This because of Hanford's water system. You see the wells that supply Hanford with ground water bring up Hydrogen Sulfide along with the water. Hydrogen Sulfide exists deep in the earth and Hanford just so happens to be below a pocket of the Hydrogen Sulfide gas which is also known as H2S which has the smell of rotten eggs. If you ask anyone who works on an oil rig they will cringe in fear at the word H2S. That is because while the machinery is pumping up oil it sometimes gets H2S along with it, which in major levels can be very deadly and leads to death upon breathing it in. They of course have an alarm system that detects it as it is coming up but unfortunately not everyone is so lucky to make it safety on time. H2S gas is also in swamps and volcanoes and “wells”. Luckily there is nothing to fear though as it is in very small amounts and only gives a rotten egg smell in Hanford's water supply.
On December 7th 2009 the city of Hanford was relieved to know that the dangerous levels of arsenic which is a very deadly poison. Has been eradicated from the wells. This was fixed by drilling new wells to replace the ones that were tainted with the dangerous levels of arsenic. They now meet the federal standard of only 10 micrograms of arsenic per liter of water and is now safe for public use. So now that we are all more educated on the fact that Hanford's water is safe we can all have one less thing to worry about.
In more entertaining news I would like to talk about an interesting web comic by the name of “Blur the Lines”. It is a hilarious web comic about two gay men by the names of Rick and Drew who are a couple. It is very clever and is just simply awesome. The artwork of the comic is also pretty good and is made up of short yet very funny skits that range from day to life, pop culture and some odd events that Rick and Drew face. Do not just take my word for it though. Here click the link and give it a try yourselves http://www.blur-the-lines.com/ . I especially suggest that you read this comic on the recent fiasco where a school had given students laptops with built in video cams to spy on them at home. http://www.blur-the-lines.com/?p=224. A very controversial case in the courts I might add.
Well that concludes this news column on recent valley events. I hope you all benefit from it and I look forward to bringing to the next column. Good day and stay safe.
I haven’t many good things to say about the sequel, other than the young lean bodies of young guys was hot, but the storyline didn’t follow thru with the first. The first one actually went with parodies of other teen movies but in gay format. Part two wanted to be like “Gays Gone Wild” was more like Narcoleptics go to sleep. It had no substantial humor as the first. The attempt was there but, no, it just didn’t happen. There were no references to teen sex movies or T.V. shows as the previous movie. There was a mixture of religion and they (writers) tried to tie it in with humor but were seen more to me like the writer thumbing his nose to my religious beliefs. It’s a movie, that if you’re curious about seeing then do; but your time and money are spent better on something else.
The boys are back and they are horny as ever! Packed with celebrity cameos and total gross-out humor, this outrageous follow-up to another gay movie centers around the spring break adventures of Andy, Nico, Jarod, Griff when they enter Fort Lauderdale “Gays Gone Wild” contest ) a contest to see who gets laid the most). The frisky foursome becomes entwined in all sorts of sexual misadventures in this scandalously funny un-PC comedy.
-- “The gay teenage sex comedy of your dreams!” – Time Out
New York
-- “The most hilarious gay spoof ever made!”—Gay.com
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The Give A Day Get A Disney Day volunteer program through the Disney Parks has come to an end. Gay Central Valley would like to thank all those who volunteered for our organization. Your help was generous and well needed and we hope that you consider volunteering in some way in the future, outside of the Disney Program. Disney issued the following statement regarding the end of this very successful program...
