Free to Love Equal Rights

Just last week, North Carolina voters passed a bill strictly defining marriage as between a man and woman. The day after, President Obama stated that he personally agreed with same-sex marriage.

Last year, my friend, Tom Bridegroom, suddenly died. He was gay and had been living with his partner for several years in California. They had promised to marry as soon as it was legal. Tom’s family never agreed with his homosexuality, and after his sudden death, they decided to cut all contact with his partner, Shane. After an entire year, Shane decided to speak through a YouTube video, about his experience with not only Tom’s family, but with the laws as they currently are.

For some insight on the state of the marriage equality fight, I spoke with LGBT advocate with Milwaukee’s Pathfinders, Julie Brock, about her reaction to the ban in North Carolina, the President and the video, “It could happen to you.”

“I was sad North Carolinians passed the ban, but not surprised,” Brock said. “Oppression is institutionalized in America.”

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Ife

California Passes Law to Teach LGBT History in School

America is considered to be the “melting pot” of the world. Though times have changed and people are able to move around, America still has the widest variety of people, cultures and lifestyles. We come from all walks of life, sharing a common purpose, to achieve the so-called American Dream of success and happiness.

On Thursday, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill requiring all public schools in the state to teach students about the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans, as well as providing instruction on the role of people with disabilities. Even though there is a lot of controversy surrounding the issue and this bill is a first for the nation, I do agree with Gov. Brown when he said, “History should be honest.”

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Ursula Brantley

Fulton, Mississippi holds a fake prom for its famous lesbian

le sigh. I haven’t been doing a great job lately staying up on my home state Mississippi news, but just saw this factoid which is a couple days old though my outrage feels fresh:

After a federal judge ruled in her favor, Constance McMillen, a lesbian student at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, MS, took her girlfriend to the big event last Friday. Only problem: The big event was a sham. McMillen, along with only five other students, two with learning disabilities, was tricked into attending a “fake prom.” As documented on Facebook, the rest of the senior class held a secret parent-organized prom some 30 miles away.

Constance McMillen, you may recall from Biko’s earlier post, is a very brave young woman who happens to be a lesbian in an area of the country that is struggling to adopt its traditional (archaic/bigoted, yes, sometimes) family values to the realities of life today.

I still love you, MS, but listen: the future of our state is in the black and white and brown and yellow hands of the young gay and straight and undecided men and women and transgendered people who by blood and birthright call you home.

Wake Up!

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Sam Patton

Ricky Martin is so gay!!

Ricky Martin is no longer denying the rumors: He’s confirming that he is gay.

In a statement posted via Twitter in both Spanish and English, Martin said: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”

For many, Monday’s announcement will come as no surprise; the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer’s sexuality has been speculated about for years. But the Puerto Rican star, who got his start as a child in the teen group Menudo, never directly addressed it and was usually seen at events with beautiful women on his arm.

Martin, 38, said he decided to reveal the truth after working on his memoirs helped him realize that he had to be free with himself, and not keep any more secrets.

jacked via here

Posted by:

The Editor

Lesbian teen sues to force Miss. district to reinstate prom

JACKSON, Miss. (jacked via The Associated Press) — A lesbian student who wanted to take her girlfriend to her senior prom is asking a federal judge to force her Mississippi school district to reinstate the dance it canceled.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi yesterday filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oxford on behalf of 18-year-old Constance McMillen, who said she faced some unhappy classmates after the Itawamba County School District said it wouldn’t host the April 2 prom.

“Somebody said, ‘Thanks for ruining my senior year,’” McMillen said of her reluctant return yesterday to Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton.

The lawsuit seeks a court order for the school to hold the prom. It also asks that McMillen be allowed to escort her girlfriend, who is a fellow student, and wear a tuxedo, which the school said violated policy.

The district’s decision March 10 to cancel the prom came after the ACLU demanded that officials change a policy banning same-sex prom dates because the group said the policy violated students’ rights. The ACLU said the district violated McMillen’s free-expression rights by not letting her wear a tux.

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The Editor