What a wonderful surprise! Nine years of online activism and one award that I never expected to receive is a sexual freedom award. Does the content my former labor of love, Pam's House Blend's rate that honor?
Established in 2010, the Vicki is named after Victoria Woodhull, the namesake of the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance. Ms. Woodhull was an American suffragist born on September 23, 1838, who was described by Gilded Age newspapers as a leader of the American women's suffrage movement in the 19th century. She became a colorful and notorious symbol for women's rights, free love, and spiritualism as she fought against corruption and for labor reforms. A strong advocate for collaboration and for full equality rather than "just" individual rights, Woodhull was generations ahead of her time.
I am in terrific company. From the press release:
The 2014 Honorees
Carol Queenis an American author, editor, sociologist and sexologist with a doctorate in sexology who is very active in the sex-positive feminism movement. The founding director of the Center for Sex & Culture in San Francisco, Queen serves as Staff Sexologist at Good Vibrations, where she’s worked since 1990. Read more here.
Cory Silverberg has developed and facilitated workshops for hundreds of agencies and organizations serving both youth and adults across North America on a range of topics including sexuality and disability, sexual pleasure, sexual communication, sex toys, and sex and technology. Cory has also delivered keynotes, lectures, and interactive public talks for professional conferences and student groups.Read more here.
Pam Spaulding considers herself an accidental activist. The founder, editor and publisher of Pam’s House Blend, a startling honest and astute blog focused on the LGBT community, Pam has guest posted/contributed to Americablog, Pandagon, Firedoglake, The Rude Pundit, The Bilerico Project, Glenn Greenwald’s Unclaimed Territory on Salon, and written for The Independent Weekly. Read more here.
The event will be a rare occasion for me these days - traveling, due to impact on my RA. Woodhull and its Executive Director Ricci Joy Levy have been very accommodating re: my need for rest and recovery. It's sad I have to live by the clock for meds and such these days. But I'll go down fighting.
1) If you're a same-sex couple and live in CA, you can marry.
2) If you live in NC (or any other state with a "marriage protection amendment") and were legally married elsewhere (in my case, Canada), your marriage is not recognized in terms of filing joint state taxes (or anything else), I guess I can file jointly fed taxes and see what happens. (I asked this question on FB and below you'll see a legal response).
3) We can still be fired for being LGBT in most states, including NC.
What today means is that there will be beaucoup "full faith and credit" clause legal challenges flooding those state courts.
The Supreme Court victory on June 26, 2013 in United States v. Windsor striking down the discriminatory federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) affirms that all loving and committed couples who are married deserve equal legal respect and treatment from the federal government. The demise of DOMA marks a turning point in how the United States government treats the relationships of married same-sex couples for federal programs that are linked to being married. At the same time, a turning point is part of a longer journey, not the end of the road. There is much work ahead before same-sex couples living across the nation can enjoy all the same protections as their different-sex counterparts.
Some of Chris's comments:
Chris: Married couples who live in states that do not respect their marriage should be eligible for some but not all federal benefits.
In states where a same-sex couple has a legal marriage but reside in a state with a marriage amendment, the answer is some of those 1000+ benefits may be available to them, but it depends on how the Obama Administration will implement new policies in each department and agency. Then I asked: There is a bit of confusion about recognition of legal international marriages vs USA marriages. Does the law treat these differently?
Chris: For the most part, there is no difference between international marriages and domestic marriages. Federal programs either determine marital status according to whether the state you live in recognizes your marriage (in which case you are out of luck if you live in NC, regardless of where you got married) or whether the marriage was valid in the state or country in which it was entered into (in which case you get benefits, no matter whether you got married in Canada, DC, NY, or anywhere else it is legal). But it depends on the rules of the specific federal benefit or program.
Everyone at the apartment of Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer who argued Edith Windsor’s successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, exploded in screams and sobs when the ruling came down. Kaplan called her mother and said, “Total victory, Mom: it couldn’t be better.” Windsor said, “I wanna go to Stonewall right now!” Then she called a friend and said, “Please get married right away!”
Same-sex married couples in states where there is marriage equality
Binational couples -- now the foreign partner will be able to apply for a green card with his/her spouse as a sponsor.
Semi-winners:
Same-sex couples in states with marriage amendments: they will receive some fed benefits (to be determined), but no legal recognition inside their home state.
Losers:
The religious right, haters, bible beaters and the homo-obsessed. They are already cracking up.
Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association believes the U.S. Supreme Court is 'doing to us what the Nazis did to the Jews' (via Good As You):
Via Little Green Footballs, Texas dumb-@ss Louis Gohmert is apoplectic, concluding that the ruling dooms civilization:
"In today’s episode, Texas wingnut par excellence Louie Gohmert says the Supreme Court’s DOMA decision is “against the laws of nature and nature’s God,” and now America’s really in for it. We’re talkin’ total collapse of civilization, people. It’s bad."
And Bam Bam Barber, you have to read his Twitter feed to believe it. He's foaming at the mouth.
"A part of me held back and tried to reconcile the tension I still felt with the historic moment in LGBT history. And I knew after a few moments what it was. “We are not finished yet. We haven’t even begun to fight.” Maybe that’s why my mood became muted. Because the Supreme Court did not rule completely in our favor as I’d hoped, even with how unlikely that outcome. It made me feel like an outsider because I was holding back on celebrating with passion so many of my friends were exuding.
And then I was angry. Angry at myself because despite the fact that it was not a sweeping victory it was all the same a monumental step forward so I felt this emotion was taking away from the joyous occasion that so many in this community are celebrating. It was giving me a migraine because that phrase kept coming to mind. So I laid down to calm my thoughts and asked why I felt this way. But my feelings were grounded in truth. Is it because I know that in the remaining 37 states in this country, including my home state of Tennessee has a very long, hard battle ahead now that it is truly up to the states to decide the rights of millions of Americans. That the couples living here in the rural south that have worked their entire lives and entered long-term relationships for decades still do not have those federal rights that the New Colony states now have. Can still be denied the legal right to call the love of their life their husband or wife."
Whew. That was one rotten Saturday lost to med side effects. MTX dose had me in bed with headache, nausea and chills. Better this AM, just still really tired. Will have to record MHP re: PHB today. Need to rest up b/c I am scheduled to narrate a concert program later today see below.
It's sad that weekends are now largely deep-sixed in order for me to function at all during the week. Every RA drug I've tried has at least 1-2 days where I am sick, with 5 or so decent days where my pain is not gone, just down to about a 4 out of 10 (10 being unbearable pain).
Those TV commercials extolling biologic RA meds leave the whole sick time thing out. But at least they do mention underneath the soaring music that cancer, stomach rupture, and death by severe infections are potential side effects, lol.
I will have my knee braces on and will head over to Pilgrim United Church Of Christ here in Durham at 3PM to serve as the narrator at the performance of the Triangle Gay Men's Chorus -- "When I Knew: A Musical Presentation of Our Journeys of Self-Realization." More information on Facebook.
TRIANGLE GAY MEN’S CHORUS
PRESENTS:
When I Knew
A Musical Presentation of our Journeys
SUGGESTED DONATIONS
$15.00 adults - $10.00 students/children
Save $5.00 on each adult ticket by purchasing in advance on-line at www.tgmchorus.org
OK. I'll only give you five full descriptions from his list; you can surf over to read about the rest. David Mixner's no stranger to power lists. The best-selling author, civil rights and AIDS activist, political strategist and former advisor to Bill Clinton was once named by Newsweek as the most powerful gay man in America.
With that in mind, here's how he conjured up his selections, meant for generating fun discussion.
Oh, this posting will be fun and sure to result in some debate. Often very powerful and influential political Lesbians are left off the usual national LGBT publications lists. No doubt many will question some of my choices and rankings. Others will question why a male is putting together such a list. You can have fun debating both of those points in the comments section.
To create this list, I eliminated anyone from the entertainment and sports community and focused totally on national politics and grassroots. So that leaves off such influential but not exclusively political heavy weights like Kate Clinton, Cynthia Nixon, Melissa Etheridge and Ellen DeGeneres. Some such as Nancy Sutley, who has a major position in the Obama team is lower in the list because she is not that active in LGBT issues or politics despite her powerful position.
Who do you think made the top 5? Oy, here you go...
1. Rachel Maddow: Who can argue with this influential and powerful commentator being number one? With her MSNBC perch, she reaches millions and doesn't shy away from being a Lesbian and covering LGBT stories. Her own journey is an amazing story and gives new definition to LGBT power.
2. Congresswomen Tammy Baldwin: Having been in Congress for a decade as an open Lesbian, she has developed a significant power base and respect in the United States House of Representatives. Representing Wisconsin's second district, she has become a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and is a major point person in the House on LGBT legislation.
3. Hilary Rosen: Without a doubt, one of the most powerful behind the scenes political power brokers in Washington, DC. Rosen's list of friends reads like a "who's who" in American politics both in Washington and the entertainment industry. As a television commentator, she has earned the respect of many in the nation's capital. Is there anyone she doesn't know?
4. Pam Spaulding: Charismatic, kind and powerful are the words to describe Pam Spaulding. Her site, Pam'sHouseBlend.com, has become one of the most well-read and influential blogs in America. Quick with breaking stories, unapologetically liberal and a champion of Transgender rights, she is known for her lack of patience in freedom for LGBT people. Her influence will only grow.
5. Randi Weingarten: As president of the American Federation of Teachers, she is the most powerful open LGBT person in American labor. She is known to be a fierce advocate for her members and fighting for LGBT rights in the American labor movement.
The rest of the top 20 makes me squirm uncomfortably because many of them certainly should rank higher than your blogmistress. And no, I didn't slip David some scratch; in fact we have yet to meet.
6. Speaker Christine Quinn 7. Mayor Annise Parker 8. Rea Carey 9. Urvashi Vaid 10. Dr. Marjorie Hill 11. Kerry Eleveld 12. Robin McGeehee 13. Torie Osborn 14. Nancy Sutley 15. Kate Kendall 16. Sheila Kuehl 17. Karen Ocamb 18. Elizabeth Birch 19. Lorri Jean 20. Coya Artichoker And congratulations to David, btw, who will receive the Point Legend Award from The Point Foundation in NYC on Monday.
The Point Legend Award is presented to an individual who has, through the course of their lifetime, achieved greatness in their professional career and unapologetically supported the LGBT community. David Mixner has been a force within the LGBT community for many, many years. In celebrating 50 years of community organizing and volunteerism, Point is humbled that he’s graciously agreed to be recognized with the Point Legend Award. He continues to be a source of inspiration to society and more importantly, our youth. He is a shining example of the type of leaders Point scholars strive to be.
'Taking the stage at Pride' is a short write up on what happened at NC Pride when I keynoted before a festive crowd, despite the rain. A snippet:
More than 4,500 people showed up to take in the speakers, entertainment and all the vendors. The crowd spanned all ages, races and religions. The many open and affirming local houses of worship far outnumbered the few tired protesters who showed up with their "turn or burn" signs.
In fact, one of the men who showed up with a giant sign saying "3 gay rights: AIDS, HELL, SALVATION" was an import from Primrose, Ga. -- Pastor Billy Ball, who has sent me repeated barely-tethered-to-reality hilarious e-mails over the years because of my blog, so his presence was for my benefit, I suppose. He wasted who knows how much gas driving up here for an hour-long parade.
...I talked about the LGBT community's inability to handle its own discomfort in dealing with race and religion, and the self-segregation that goes on that prevents mutual understanding. One good sign I saw was the many people of color who were present at Pride, particularly black and Latino members of the community.
1. Rachel Maddow: Who can argue with this influential and powerful commentator being number one? With her MSNBC perch, she reaches millions and doesn't shy away from being a Lesbian and covering LGBT stories. Her own journey is an amazing story and gives new definition to LGBT power. 
And congratulations to David, btw, who