The Fight Against Love

If there’s something I personally hate, it’s when people abuse their power to accomplish their own personal vendettas. When TV hosts, politicians and famous people use their social standing to attack topics they have no right or basis to speak about. Especially when that topic is love.

This is why it makes my blood boil when discrimination about marriage or sexuality comes into play. When someone beats their definition of marriage as ‘it was in the bible’ into law, knowing this because they are religious and white, it undermines the progress towards unity that we’ve made over the past 50 years.

Frankly, some of these people know about as much about ‘traditional marriage’ as Falcon “Balloon Boy” Heene knows about flying – basically nothing.

Nevertheless, bigots pushing their own dated views are nothing new. Let’s take a look at a Justice of the Peace who denies marriage licenses for interracial couples and a bunch of politicians who are calling for a Department of Education appointee to be kicked out because he is.. wait for it.. gay. Stay tuned, after the jump.
… Continue Reading

Posted by:

Steve Romain

Ain’t No Rain On The Pride Parade

If you were around Greenwich Village anytime during the end of June, chances are you caught glimpses of flashy colors, costumes and rainbow flags. Gay Pride festivities in New York span an entire week, with parties, parades, rallies, and festivals to celebrate and commemorate a landmark event in gay rights.

This year’s “Pride Week” was awe-inspiring not only in terms of the celebrations put on by the LGBT community, but also in the wider political context of this year’s festivities– especially the parade. With marriage equality a pivotal topic of contention between the gay community and conservatives, this year’s festivities were decidedly more pointed at the issues gays still face, rather than fun and frivolity. It was a widespread hope amongst the gay community that this year’s parade would sway some of the silent or indecisive voices on the issue of gay equality in their favor. The hope for change was even stronger this year than most; adding to the weight of the event was the 40 year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which took place on June 28, 1969, and spawned the Gay Rights Movement in The Village. The riots were, at the time, the gay community’s only response to continued police harassment and raids of known gay bars.
… Continue Reading

Posted by:

Moni'ca Brown

Keeping It Real: Gay Rights In The Year of Brüno

99Problems.org is founded on the principles of empowerment through open discussion and debate. We value open discussion that allows you, the reader, to see all sides of the issue. That’s why we’re introducing a feature we’d like to call..

(*drumroll please*)

This week, we’re covering the most controversial movie star in recent history: Sacha Baron Cohen and his movie Brüno, which is set to be released next week. Some think that Brüno’s release is going to have a huge detrimental effect on modern perspectives of the homosexual male. We asked our reporters this question:

Check out what they had to say, after the jump!

… Continue Reading

Posted by:

The Editor

Who Really Benefits From New Gay Benefits?

After months of waiting on Obama’s campaign promises, the gay community will finally observe a small victory tonight when President Obama announces the implementation of certain benefits for same-sex partners of government employees. But is it really a victory worth celebrating?

While on the campaign trail, Obama made countless speeches promising the gay community that he would extend full health benefits to same-sex couples. Tonight is the first time since his election that he will broach the topic, and health coverage is not on his list. This is huge: it’s an omission which has left many gay rights advocates screaming “WHAT THE %&*#?” … Continue Reading

Posted by:

Yolanda Clatworthy

Immigration And Gay Rights Reforms FTW!

In a sign that decency and honor might actually be on the rise in our fair country, Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont has proposed a bill that would allow legal immigrants in America to pursue residency for their same-sex partners if they are not yet citizens.

President Obama has immigration reform on his agenda, though the specifics of all the pending legislation is, of course, hotly contested.  Senator Leahy’s bill appears particularly ambitious with its union of immigration and gay rights, certainly two much talked about issues with massive energy on both sides.

… Continue Reading

Posted by:

Sam Patton

When Will They See That Separate Is Not Equal?

A few moments ago, in California, the decision to overturn Prop 8 was struck down. For gay rights activists, a sense of anger was in the air outside the California State Supreme Court today, as the CA State Supreme Court upheld a controversial ban on gay marriages that was voted in on November 4th. However, the court stated that those marriages that were enacted during the six month period of legalization before Prop 8 will remain legal, in a somewhat awkward state of limbo.

This does not mean the fight is over. This only means that those who fight must keep going. … Continue Reading

Posted by:

Steve Romain

Obama’s 100th Day: Action is the Price of Change

Posted by:

Heather Box

Join Columbus Short : we need HIV/AIDS action

LIFT THE FEDERAL BAN TO FUND SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS

* One third of people with HIV in the United States were infected through injection drug use.
* Blacks account for 50% of all injection drug users infected with HIV in the US.

Allen Kwabena Frimpong is the Outreach Coordinator for an adolescent HIV/AIDS prevention program for HIV testing and education in New York City. He also works as a consultant with the Harm Reduction Coalition, a national organization that works through advocacy and capacity-building efforts to promote the health and dignity of those impacted by drug use.

GET INVOLVED!  http://www.champnetwork.org/

Call your congressperson: 202-224-3121

Posted by:

Heather Box