Petition: Appoint An LGBT Youth Advisor

Caleb Laieski, a courageous young man who left school at the age of 16 in order to become a youth advocate for LGBT teens, has taken his crusade against bullying all the way to Congress.  When I first met Caleb, he was getting ready for the day to lobby Congresspeople for anti-bullying measures.

Now he's handing around an online petition urging the President to appoint an LGBT Youth Advisor at the White House in order to work on issues that specifically affect high-school age LGBTs:

Urge the Obama Administration to appoint a youth advisor to work with the administration on the everyday emotional and complex issues that LGBT youth face. 

In the past couple of years, our country has seen a tremendous swing in regards to the acceptance of minority groups, but research and statistics still show that LGBT youth are going through personal struggles both at school and at home. Some of these struggles consist of bullying, drug abuse, homelessness, isolation and even suicide. 

According to PFLAG, approximately 30% of gay and lesbian youth drop out of school due to hardships from physical and verbal abuse. This statistic is caused by the lack of support and intervention for LGBT students by teachers and school administrators. Additionally, the few teachers that would like to intervene often do not have the proper training on how to intervene in anti-LGBT bullying.

So click here and sign it!

"Are You Saying That Society Should Let Him Die?"

Ron Paul, during tonight's debate on CNN, suggesting that if someone doesn't have insurance due to the exorbitant cost of premiums, we should let them die if unforeseen medical catastrophes ensue:


The "YES!" and applause on Wolf Blitzer's shocked question turns my stomach.

UPDATE:  Alan Grayson, a congressman who famously said two years ago "Republicans want sick people to die quickly," had this to say to the Huffington Post:

My speech was about the fact I had been listening to the Republicans for months, and they literally had no plan to help all those millions of people who can’t see a doctor when they’re sick. So I said, in sort of a wry manner, that their plan was "don’t get sick." All I really wanted to do was just call attention to the stark absence of a Republican plan. But Fox, trying to take the heat off Joe Wilson and Sarah Palin I guess, transmogrified that into a charge that Republicans want to kill people. 

What you saw tonight is something much more sinister than not having a healthcare plan. It's sadism, pure and simple. It's the same impulse that led people in the Coliseum to cheer when the lions ate the Christians. And that seems to be where we are heading -- bread and circuses, without the bread. The world that Hobbes wrote about -- "the war of all against all."

I agree, it seems that this farce is quickly devolving into nothing more than a circus without substance.

Absolutely NOTHING COULD GO WRONG

I am astounded by some people's ability to make the worst decisions possible.

Mike Harmon, for instance!

The Kentucky House Committee has overwhelmingly approved HB 370, a bill which would prohibit any and all bullying on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or religion.  That's great, right?

Not everyone thinks so.  Harmon, a religious Republican lawmaker in that state, wants to amend the bill before it is brought to a vote making provisions that allow children to condemn another student's sexual orientation as sinful in order to protect Christian students' right to be true to their religion.  In essence, he wants Christian kids to be able to bully, thus invalidating the entire scope of the bill.



 Not only would he want to allow continued bullying against gay students, but he also wants an amendment permitting the carrying of concealed firearms on school campuses.  What could go wrong?

The Free Market At Work: Bank Of America To Cut 30,000 Jobs In Upcoming Years

At a time when Americans are desperate for jobs, one of the top lenders in the country has decided to bolster their boom profits by firing 30,000 people in the next few years in cost-saving measures:

The reductions, equal to about 10 percent of the firm’s workforce, are part of the first phase of an overhaul that aims to remove about $5 billion in annual costs by the end of 2013. Moynihan’s plan, dubbed Project New BAC, included a management shakeup last week that elevated Thomas K. Montag and David Darnell to co-chief operating officers and left Sallie Krawcheck and Joe Price without jobs.

“We don’t have to be the biggest company out there, we have to be the best,” Moynihan, 51, said today at an investor conference in New York. “We can get out of things we don’t need to do, make the company leaner, more straightforward, more driven.”

I find this not just horribly sad but ridiculously ironic.  Keep in mind of course, that Bank of America didn't pay a red cent last year in taxes and reported boom profits for the fiscal year.  This news may surprise you, but don't let it.  These sorts of tax cuts, ensuring that wealthy corporations don't contribute to social programs, are the cornerstone of the modern GOP.

Here's the kicker, though... those tax cuts that Republicans are so dead-set on protecting?  Are supposedly there to create jobs.  The Reagonomically-inspired party line is that if a company saves money on taxes, they will put that money towards growth of the workforce and hire more people.  The fallacy of this argument, of course, is that corporate America is not concerned with putting people to work, but instead dedicated to making more money.

So tell me, GOP, is your plan working?

The Search For The Cure For AIDS: Glowing Green Cats Edition

Scientists, tirelessly continuing the search for a cure for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, have come up with an inventive new method for tracking HIV resistance in monkey species: by genetically engineering cats to include resistant genes.  The cool factor?  They have included bio luminescent genes from jellyfish to easily identify the newly resistant cells.  The result?  Cats that glow green:

The study, published Sunday in the journal Nature Methods, involved inserting monkey genes that block the virus into feline eggs, or oocytes, before they are fertilized. 

The scientists also inserted jellyfish genes that make the modified cells glow an eerie green color — making the altered genes easy to spot. 

Tests on cells taken from the cats show they are resistant to feline immunodeficiency virus, or FIV, which causes AIDS in cats. 

"This provides the unprecedented capability to study the effects of giving AIDS-protection genes into an AIDS-vulnerable animal," Dr. Eric Poeschla of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.

I'm a big cat person, so I think it's rad that my kitty friends are helping to cure my disease (yes, I said kitty friends.  I'm that bad).  Plus?  I want a mutant green cat, RIGHT THE HELL NOW.

Thanks to reader Houston C. for the tip.

Um, This Happened And It's Kind Of Awesome

Last week, a video went viral, the subject matter being Madonna's hate of hydrangeas.  You see, she accepted the flower in question from a worshipful fan and then was caught immediately afterward foolishly exclaiming her hatred for hydrangeas:


While I don't really care what the Material Girl thinks of hydrangeas, what I find more loathsome is her fake British accent.  Whatever, I digress.

Well, she responded to the incident with a silent video mocking people's uproar over her perceived cattiness:


While this seems another slap in the face to well-meaning fans who love hydrangeas, it mocks the uproar caused by her comments and seems to say:  Get over it.  Some of us hate hydrangeas.

Dear OAQ fans, all two of you: I prefer lilies.  Roses are acceptable as well.

Today In Smiting-- Joplin Tornado Was Caused By Barack Obama

This whackjob, coming via Right Wing Watch, blames Israel's eroding position in the Middle East, a hypothetical rise in racism which will rival 1967's struggle, and the tornado that destroyed a good portion of Joplin, Missouri on one thing: Barack Obama's speech in May 2011 calling for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by bringing Israel's borders back to the defined limits before expansion in the late 60s.

Right.

Regardless of this loon's religious background, he clearly is mixing religion with politics in the worst kind of way: by blaming a deadly, tragic weather event on a political stance-- then saying that God was punishing Joplinites for that political stance.  That's more than crazy, it's outright disgusting and this man should be ashamed of himself.  I can think of a few Joplinites that would take umbrage over this crackpot's assertions.

Gay Iranians Come Out On Facebook

Iran recently executed three men for the crime of sodomy, which is defined as "sexual intercourse between men," which is in sharp contrast to President Ahmadinejad's assertion that Iran doesn't have gay people.  With this hypocritical departure to the official Iranian stance, gay Iranians have decided to take matters into their own hands and tell the world in a manner that brooks no disagreement: gay Iranians exist.

A group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Iranians have posted videos of themselves on Facebook in a campaign to highlight the discrimination against sexual minorities in Iran where homosexuals are put to death. 

Hundreds of Iranians in and outside the country have joined a Facebook page, called "we are everywhere", which encourages members to share their personal stories online. Members of the campaign in Iran have posted audio messages or videos which do not reveal their identity while some outside talked about their sexual orientation freely.

I perused the wall and photos, and they are filled not just with proud statements of Iranians, but statements of support from all over the globe.

Congratulations to the citizens of Iran, and Iranians elsewhere in the world, on taking a stand against homophobia in your home country.

What In Trans Hell Is Going On In Washington DC?

Since July, a rash of armed attacks has broken out in our nation's capital, with the third shooting of a transgender person taking place this morning at 2AM, resulting in serious injuries and a hospitalization for the victim.  From the Washington Post:

Police are investigating the shooting of a transgender person early Monday morning in Southeast D.C. 

The shooting took place just before 2 a.m. in the 2300 block of Savannah Street SE, police said. The attack appears to be non-fatal; the victim was conscious when transported to the hospital.

This appears to be the only information released thus far about the victim, with neither the name of the individual nor his or her gender stated in any articles I've seen.

This could perhaps signify a disturbing trend in DC for violence against trans residents of the District, with two shootings, one fatal and one not, popping up just 11 days and 1 block apart from each other in July:

On July 20, 23-year-old Myles Mclean was shot about 4:30 a.m. in the 6110 block of Dix Street. Police said two men approached Mclean and one asked a question. Then, before waiting for an answer, one of the men pulled out a semiautomatic handgun and opened fire. Mclean, who was also known by friends as Lashay, was killed. 

On July 31, at about 2:45 a.m., a man approached a transgender person in the same neighborhood, asked for change and pulled a semiautomatic handgun without waiting for a response.

Please note that Myles Mclean was Lashay's birth name, which clearly indicates the Post needs to revise their policy in reporting on trans issues.  Regardless, police and LGBT residents are wondering if these attacks are related, with another story of anti-trans violence surfacing in an August incident where an off-duty police officer assaulted and fired on transwomen:

In addition, an off-duty D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer has been arrested for an Aug. 29 incident in which he got into an argument with a group that included two trans woman. He later stood on the hood of the group’s car and fired multiple times through the windshiled. One man in the car — said to be the brother of one of the trans women — was injured in the attack. 

The officer, 20-year veteran Kenneth Furr, is alleged to have been drunk at the time of the attack, and trans advocates who spoke to the victims said the argument started when Furr propositioned one of the trans women and then got angry when she turned him down.

While the officer's misconduct appears to be unrelated to the other attacks on trans people in DC, now is certainly a scary time to be trans in the District.  Be safe, friends, especially after dark.

Taiwan Hearts Michele Bachmann

Not really.

Continuing with silly videos about Ol' Crazy Eyes, Taiwanese animation sensation Next Media has given Bachmann the funny treatment with this video rundown of her candidacy, ending with speculation echoed by many of the pundits stateside: Rick Perry's introduction into the race for the GOP nomination has sunk her ship, leaving her nothing but the veep spot to hope for:

Michele Bachmann Will Do Anything For Press Coverage

Found via JoeMyGod:



I can't decide which is funnier, Michele Bachmann screaming "boobies" or Marcus saying "I know, what they hay?!"

Life And Love: Lessons Learned From 9/11

10 years ago today, the Twin Towers and Pentagon were attacked, and things have been different for the US, and much of the world, ever since.

For the past decade, the meaning of this event has been debated and discussed at length, with some elements of our political factions politicizing the tragedy and some elements capitalizing on the attacks in order to further their own agendas. Whether justified or not, 9/11 has lead to two wars for our country and changed the political landscape of Washington and elsewhere. Even now, politicians and pundit make use of that day to launch themselves into the limelight (or, in Sally Kern's case, sell books).

9/11-- three otherwise meaningless numbers-- as a word has taken on a complex and meaningful soul, being a catchphrase now to stand for complicated feelings and ideas. 9/11 for some means "terrorism." 9/11 for some means "take action." 9/11, for most of us, means "tragedy," and that, to me, is what today really means.

Today is no longer, for me, a day that I use to justify or explain our country's actions. It was ten years ago, after all, and many of the perpetrators of that dastardly attack have been brought to justice, to include the mastermind of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. Did his death finish the saga started by his choice to murder thousands of Americans (and foreign nationals at the site of the attacks)? No. But it did signal a change in meaning for many of us.

Today I remember the people who have died as a result of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Many of my colleagues choose to put the gay victims of that day in a position of prominence, and I don't fault them. People like Mychal Judge, a gay FDNY chaplain who died administering Last Rites to a victim in the Towers hold a special place in my heart. No-one can argue that Mark Bingham, the gay passenger on United Flight 93 who helped to crash the plane that was destined to kill many more, is a hero. Today is indeed a time to remember them.

I want to remind everyone to remember those that have died in the conflicts since that day. After all, had not bin Laden slaughtered thousands of innocents in order to terrorize the West, a man I knew named Joe Nolan would likely not have been killed in an IED attack. His story is not unique. Many Americans, Iraqis, citizens of Afghanistan, and countless others have died in the conflicts wrought by the War on Terror, and they deserve mention.

So, today, go to a memorial if you choose, or stay at home and think. But, please, today is not a time for divisive rhetoric or politicized grandstanding. Today is merely this: Ten years ago today, a lot of people died and it was really really sad. Since then, thousands more have died and that's even sadder. Honor those people, respect their deaths, give thanks for their sacrifices, and most of all? Just be good to each other.

For in the end, that's what went wrong ten years ago today. People turned aside from their essential humanity and decided to hurt, maim, and kill. That day, and in the years since, many people have chosen to express their rage, dissatisfaction, and malcontent through the unforgiving recourse of war and death, and that is the real tragedy.

So be kind to each other, love each other, and have peace with each other, friends. Life is really short, and because of 9/11, many of us no longer get the luxury of love and peace. But never fear, friends, these simple extensions of compassion are unassailable to the tenets of hatred and murder.

So that's what I learned from 9/11, so long ago. I went to war because of the tragedy, and it has taken ten long years for me to understand this simple and invaluable lesson: We are all human, and we do our human family grave injustice if we resort to violence, hatred, bigotry, and merciless war.

Peace, friends. Peace to you and yours, and peace to the souls of those who have passed.

Sally Kern: Gays Are Worse Than Terrorists

The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is tomorrow, meaning the usual jokers are taking the opportunity to amp up the crazy in the usual hateful rhetoric and feverish claims about terrorism.

While 9/11 is typically the time for right-wing nutjobs to claim that Sharia law is taking over American government and advocate for the senseless slaughter of Muslims, Sally Kern has instead decided to use what has become a sacred day of remembrance for many Americans to bash LGBT Americans.  In a radio interview with Peter LeBarbara (the head of the SPLC certified hate group Americans for Truth About Homosexuality), Kern claimed that gays are far worse than terrorists by comparison.  Why?  HIV:

You know if you just look at it in practical terms, which has destroyed and ended the life of more people? Terrorism attack here in America or HIV/​AIDS? In the last twenty years, fifteen to twenty years, we’ve had maybe three terrorist attacks on our soil with a little over 5,000 people regrettably losing their lives. In the same time frame, there have been hundreds of thousands who have died because of having AIDS. So which one’s the biggest threat? And you know, every day our young people, adults too, but especially our young people, are bombarded at school, in movies, in music, on TV, in the mall, in magazines, they’re bombarded with ‘homosexuality is normal and natural.’ It’s something they have to deal with every day. Fortunately we don’t have to deal with a terrorist attack every day, and that’s what I mean.
…
It’s more dangerous, and yes I think that it’s also more dangerous because it will tear down the moral fiber of this nation. We were founded as a nation upon the principles of religion and morality, if we take those out from under our society we will lose what has made us a great nation, we will no longer be a virtuous people, which we see happening already. And without virtue this nation will not survive.

Of course, terrorists choose to kill and maim, while gay folk do not choose to "murder" people with HIV, so her statement is not only guilty of the worst sort of propagandist assertions, but is entirely nonsensical to the topic at hand.   Sadly, we've come to expect this level of crazy from Kern, who in 2009 created and signed the "Proclamation for Morality," a document that blames all the economic ills on our country not on Wall Street, but instead consensual relationships between gay adults. 

I found this story on Facebook, ironically right next to another 9/11 story.  The story of Mark Bingham is a sad one, but tells of an American hero who intervened in on flight United 93 on that day, preventing possibly thousands of more deaths by storming the cockpit with other passengers and crashing the plane which had been intended to strike yet another target.  Mark Bingham was gay.  Was he worse than a terrorist? 

Or what about FDNY chaplain Mychal Judge, who died while giving last rites to a firefighter during the fall of the Twin Towers?  He was the first recorded victim of 9/11 and was gay.  Is he worse than a terrorist?

Dear Sally: I know you are really trying to drum up publicity for your new book about the horrible liberals who victimize you, "The Stoning of Sally Kern," but if you really gave a shit about what happened 10 years ago, you would stop slandering the good names of these and other American heroes who were, incidentally, gay.  While they are dead and probably don't care, you dishonor the memories others have on them and worse?  You dishonor yourself with such despicable rhetoric. 

Travis Tritt Cancels 9/11 Memorial Amid Tornado Relief Scandal

After my brief sojourn to Joplin, Missouri, I found a warm, welcoming community still reeling in the aftermath of the E-5 tornado that devastated much of its town.  Everyone I talked to seemed a bit shell-shocked, recovering not just their homes and belongings, but attempting to recover from the deep emotional scar left in the tornado's wake.

Since May, thousands of people have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to help this community revive.  While the people are hopeful and optimistic for the future, a large portion of the Missouran city is in ruins.  Driving from one side of town to the other, I was struck by the still-standing hollow shells that used to be homes and the twisted, shattered remains of the once-tall trees that used to fill out the lush Joplin landscape.  Now, the path of the tornado looks more like a World War I movie.

So you would think that those thousands of dollars would be going towards rebuilding the town, yes?

Unfortunately, the City of Joplin had other ideas.  Joplin's government, having since the tornado attracted national attention with its city's plight, wanted to put the community "back on the front page" by throwing a country music concert in memoriam of the victims of 9/11.  Travis Tritt, a country star, was hired to headline the festival which would include a ceremonial honoring of the 9/11 National Flag.

What the City didn't really bandy about, of course, was that the event was paid for with tornado relief funds, $60,000 of which was borrowed in an emergency loan at the behest of the City Manager.

A public outcry against the move has erupted in Joplin, and Tritt has now withdrawn his participation from the concert, stating in a note on Facebook:

This afternoon, I was informed that any reimbursement of expenses that would be incurred as a result of my participation would come from monies previously donated for the victims of the tornados that ripped through Joplin in May. I was also told this afternoon that the city of Joplin hoped that the funds would be reimbursed by sponsorship money. However, that hope is not good enough for me.

First of all, it is inappropriate and wrong to take contributions that were given to help victims of the tornados and use that money for any other purpose. I was not aware nor would I have even contemplated accepting the city's offer had I known where the money was coming from.
Consequently, and regrettably, I have chosen not to participate or perform this Sunday in Joplin, Missouri. As an American, I remember all too vividly the way I felt ten years ago on September 11. I will not have any part of any memorial service or remembrance that is not based in the truth or could hurt other victims.

As Tritt stated, the city government hoped to reimburse the funds through sponsorship and increased donations as a result of the concert, but many felt it was an irresponsible use of vital funds intended for use in rebuilding. People are still waiting for their homes to be rebuilt, and this is no time to gamble the money on possible sponsorship and donations.

The Joplin Independent, a local publication, appears to disagree with myself and many of the residents of Joplin.  They rather cattily remarked on their update about the concert:

We wonder if the people who spoke up against Tritt's appearance now feel a sense of empowerment.

Of course, the Independent makes no reference in the article as to the reason for the cancelled concert.  Sour grapes?  

One City Council member, Melodee Colbert Kean, was quick to denounce the perceived act of fiscal malfeasance, stating on her Facebook page:

As one council member, I totally agree that this designation of funds from a tornado relief fund should never have been utilized for the cost of securing a talent for Joplin, no matter if it was to be reimbursed or not. There are too many uses that these funds are needed for in helping our affected families. A sincere apology goes out to ALL Joplin residents, and area and state people who have generously donated to different funds to help Joplin.

Joplin has been through enough trial and heartache without additional scandal.  That money was given to help the citizens of Joplin, not to gamble on country concerts capitalizing on 9/11.  I hope with Tritt's cancellation and ensuing furor, the City Manager's office has learned its lesson.