It is vital that Americans are educated about the LGBT community and there is no better way than to teach our history in schools. This is one of the most significant moves towards equality in this country in a long while.
Source: elisetanner
I am so extremely happy about this: The first LGBT History Museum in the USA opens today in San Francisco. As someone who truly believes that power comes from having a recognized history, the LGBT community NEEDS this museum. All it takes is for one person, gay or straight, to walk into this place and acquire a huge breadth of information; because, the fact of the matter is, people are ignorant of the most basic LGBT historical facts. When was the Stonewall Inn Riot that sparked the Gay Rights Movement? (Have you even heard of the Stonewall Inn Riot?) This information MUST be disseminated in order for our movement to progress.
LGBT people need to know their history. We can’t go on being invisible.
1980
The first Black Lesbian conference to be held in the United States took place in San Francisco October 17-19, 1980. Nearly 200 Black women from across the country attended the historic event.
The conference was an outgrowth of the first National Third World Lesbian and Gay Conference held in Washington, D.C. in October of last year.
One of the stated goals was to address the varied needs of Black Lesbians and, “to provide the courage and strength necessary to make those needs felt in places where it becomes necessary.”
Two days of workshops addressed basic issues and problems relevant to Black Lesbians including, “Black women and Imperialism,” “Interracial Relationships,” and “Black Women and Feminism.” There was also a workshop aimed at teenage Lesbians.
Noted activist Angela Davis delivered the keynote address and called the conference, “a turning point in the women’s movement and an historic event for all Black people.”
Blacklight Vol. 2, No. 3 —1981Cold.
Love this!
Dana and I are engaged!
Now everyone is asking me when the wedding will be. And all we can say is that we have no idea…and we have no idea because, unlike heterosexual couples, we can’t just walk down to the courthouse and get a marriage license. We now have to worry about traveling to another state to get married, maybe even moving in order to do so.
We literally have to plan our lives around government sanctioned discrimination.
We have a long way to go before full equality for the LGBT community is granted in this country. But today, at long last, we have made some true progress.
The next steps: Senate is to vote once more on the issue (the same vote is expected) and then President Obama will sign the bill. After that, they have 60 days to implement the changes.
Ellen Degeneres, Kauai, Hawaii, 1997 by Annie Leibovitz
The Smithsonian Institute censored a video by David Wojnarowicz in its National Portrait Gallery exhibition “Hide/Seek” (which surveys same-sex themes in American portraiture) after pressure from conservative homophobic groups to remove the work for its “anti-Christian” hate speech.
Bullshit. The figure of Christ on the crucifix has been used in art throughout the entirety of art’s history, and these people choose this particular piece of work to finally cry “anti-Christian” hate speech?
This is, indeed, the culture wars all over again. And I’m sure Robert Maplethorpe is rolling over in his grave.
The New York Times Reports on this frustrating story: Gay Bashing at the Smithsonian
And here is the official website for the exhibition: Hide/Seek
A city councilman talks about the recent gay teen suicides and his own life story to the Fort Worth city council. It’s incredibly touching and worth the watch.
This story is incredibly horrific. It sounds like something straight out of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. I can’t believe this actually happened.
For all those people out there who claim LGBT people are safe from predators, that they are accepted by society and don’t need equal rights, senseless acts of hate like this would not happen if that were true.
Gang of 9 Captures, Tortures & Sodomizes 3 Gay Men…For Being Gay
