Partners
Browse by tags
Home » All tags » commentary ( RSS)
-
Thursday, May 15
|
Source: Washington Blade CA marriage case by Kevin Naff, Washington Blade editor The last five years have been a wild ride for gay and lesbian Americans. There was euphoria in 2003, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas and the Massachusetts high court mandated gay marriage. But those celebrations were tempered by the crushing disappointments a year later when a slew of states approved constitutional bans on marriage. Then the New York and Maryland high courts -- in sometimes harshly written opinions -- rejected arguments for marriage rights. And now the California...
|
-
Wednesday, April 09
|
by Robin Evans, seaQwa editor Philadelphia Gay News last week made a splash not only by printing an interview with Sen. Hillary Clinton, but also with a strongly presented editorial criticizing Democratic party frontrunner Sen. Barack Obama for failing, so far, to talk to local gay papers during the primaries. see Qnews summary: In interview with gay paper, Clinton says she'd defend gay rights as president; Obama silent The paper headlined its web-page story on the Clinton interview, "Clinton talks; Obama balks." Its criticism was even more pointed in the paper edition. PGN highlighted...
|
-
Wednesday, March 26
|
Source: Guardian's 'Comment is free' by Peter Tatchell [Peter Tatchell is a human rights campaigner, and a member of the queer rights group OutRage! and the left wing of the Green party. He is the Green Party's parliamentary candidate for Oxford East.] George Galloway, the Leftwing member of Parliament from the Respect party, has been accused of making allegations that border on paedophile smears and play to homophobic prejudice. He claims that the boyfriend of gay Iranian asylum seeker Mehdi Kazemi was executed for "committing sex crimes against young men". The insinuation...
|
-
Tuesday, March 25
|
Source: Salem Statesman-Journal by Todd Simmons Oregon voters may well face two issues this fall that many people probably think were resolved some time ago: the state's new anti-discrimination and domestic-partner laws. Although some are trying to characterize those potential ballot measures as solely "moral issues," both undoubtedly have economic implications that voters would be well advised to consider. First, a little background. During its 2007 session, the Oregon Legislature passed both pieces of legislation with relative ease and Gov. Ted Kulongoski quickly signed both into...
|
-
Monday, March 24
|
Source: Variety , Seattle Times SEATTLE -- This past week at Seattle's ACT Theater, Uzbekistan's Ilkhom Theater company presented a production of "White White Black Stork." The play involves murder, mystery and the redemptive power of art -- much like the remarkable story behind Ilkhom's current five-city U.S. tour. The idea for the tour was hatched three years ago, when ACT artistic director Kurt Beattie traveled to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, one of Seattle's sister cities. "I was there for about two weeks," says Beattie. "And one thing that struck...
|
-
Friday, March 21
|
Source: Southern Voice by Ryan Lee IMAGINE YOU ARE WALKING THROUGH A FOREST and you come across a giant oak or maple tree lying on its side. Besides the tree stands an unremarkable looking man, who loudly huffs and puffs as he pounds on his bare chest and flexes his muscles. “I ripped this big maple tree up out of the ground with my own two hands,” the barechested man says. “I pulled the roots out of the dirt, threw the heavy bark across my shoulders, and then body-slammed this beast onto the ground.” If you’ve got any intelligence, you may look around for signs to let you know if the man is telling...
|
-
Friday, March 21
|
Source: Observer-Reporter Well, the miniseries "John Adams" has gotten under way on HBO and, from all indications, it won't be branded a flop. The saga of our second president has received mostly solid reviews and its premier episode drew 2.7 million viewers, numbers that make it "moderately successful," according to the journal Advertising Age. So if "John Adams" is successful enough for the TV powers that be, we could be in for copycat series, sequels and spin-offs. And when you consider that television has 42 other presidents to work with, there's plenty...
|
-
Monday, March 10
|
Source: Ashland Daily Tidings Oregon partnerships We feel more sadness than outrage at the news that several Oregon Republican legislators have filed initiative measures to repeal basic civil liberties granted to gay and lesbian couples in this state. Sad because we know this means the state is in for yet another of the divisive and nasty campaigns that have torn us apart over the past decade and a half. Sad because we see no reason to overturn measures that harm no one while providing human dignities to tens of thousands of Oregonians. Sad because a Jackson County legislator, Sal Esquivel, is...
|
-
Sunday, March 09
|
Source: New America Media by Manuela Albuquerque , former Berkeley city attorney CA marriage case Over the extremely enlightening and lively three-hour oral argument in the gay marriage cases before the California Supreme Court, all theories and defenses were discussed in detail, with all justices asking pointed questions. Yet, the subsequent media coverage was about as clear as mud. Instead of grumbling to myself, I decided to weigh in. Hence this analysis - designed as a lay person’s guide to the gay marriage cases’ legal terrain and the import of the justices’ questions. First, the bottom line...
|
-
Sunday, February 24
|
Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer by Anthony B. Robinson In recent years, some conservative Christian churches have been having a "men's movement" -- putting new emphasis on men and faith. The guy emphasis has been prompted in part by the perception that too often churches work better for women than for men. As evidence they note that women often outnumber men in church, sometimes by as much as 2 to 1. (Note to single men: Check out church!) Personally, I have no problem with the effort to make church work better for men or challenging men to step up and do something with their lives...
|
-
Sunday, January 13
|
Source: Annapolis Capital by Eric Hartley Here's how inevitable gay marriage is in Maryland, in one form or another. There was a debate on the issue last week in Annapolis, and the supporters didn't even bother speaking. True, it wasn't actually a debate over a marriage or civil union bill; it was a General Assembly committee hearing about insurance regulations, not ordinarily one of the more scintillating shows in town. But make no mistake, this was about gay marriage. By a 12-4 vote, a joint Senate-House committee approved inserting a definition of "domestic partner" into...
|
-
Sunday, January 06
|
Source: St. Petersburg Times Our sensible "live and let live" Republican governor has done it again, governing from the middle rather than allowing himself to be dragged into the ideological extremes of his party. Gov. Charlie Crist is telling those who are intent on pushing a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage that he isn't interested in their cause. He has the serious business of the state to attend to. A mean-spirited constitutional amendment that essentially repeats what is in state law is about the last thing this state needs. A campaign to ban same-sex marriage...
|
-
Monday, December 31
|
Source: American Chronicle by Dave Muskera, M.A. Anti-gay crusaders like the Fred Phelps group (above) prompted wide-ranging discussions of gay life photo: Maxim Ryazanski Like most of us who grew up in the 40s, 50s and 60s in rural America, you can bet your sweet bippy we rarely heard positive words about homosexuality anywhere - on TV, in newspapers or in any discussions or debates at city hall. In the 90s and later, raging public debates did in fact occur in city halls across the nation over the passage of gay rights anti-discrimination laws. Such events were often attended by bus loads of angry...
|
-
Sunday, December 30
|
Source: Daily Star (Beirut) by Christopher Davidson Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- By the close of 2007, contributions from non-oil related sectors of the Dubai economy will account for an estimated 95 percent of the emirate's gross domestic product. As a result, Dubai's is now very much a "post-oil economy" and, on paper at least, would seem to be succeeding with its diversification strategies. Dubai's recent reforms upset the cultural and religious resources of the ruling bargain. With accelerating foreign ownership, and with foreigners beginning to make profits out of activities...
|
-
Sunday, December 30
|
Source: Concord Monitor On Jan. 1, same-sex couples will be able to demonstrate their commitment to each other by entering into a legally sanctioned civil union. The state of New Hampshire will recognize this union and respect the bonds that it creates. In the course of two decades, our country has moved from criminalizing adult consensual sexual behavior to, if not embracing it, at least coming to terms with it. On this historic occasion, let's take a look back at the legal landscape we have traversed. In 1986 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Georgia statute that made it a criminal offense...
|
-
Monday, December 24
|
Source: Greeley Tribune by Rick Proctor It is no secret that the holidays put a lot of stress on the family, and that these are not always times of peace and joy in every household. Whether because of serious illness or recent death in the family, or perhaps because of substance abuse or marital strife or other dysfunctionality, many or maybe most families at Christmas don't bear much resemblance to a made-for-TV movie. One group of families that may feel particularly isolated and stressed are those that struggle to accept family members who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and their...
|
-
Monday, December 10
|
Source: Salon by Michael Scherer The first thing you tend to hear about former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is that he is a new kind of evangelical political leader -- he's not mad, he lacks the fire and brimstone of damnation, and he tends to speak more about alleviating suffering than identifying sin. Furthermore, he is able to pull off this new attitude without abandoning the core values of his conservative faith. He remains adamantly against abortion, he favors teaching creationism alongside evolution, and he supports a federal amendment to ban gay marriage. How does he pull this off? Mostly...
|
-
Sunday, December 02
|
Source: Chicago Tribune by Sid Smith They constitute an awesome assembly of mid-20th Century artists. "Did others better evoke Americans' joys and pains than Tennessee Williams in 'The Glass Menagerie' (1945) and 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1947) or Thornton Wilder in 'Our Town' (1938)? Did they exceed Aaron Copland in evoking spacious plains, cowboys and rural life, or Samuel Barber at conveying loss in Adagio for Strings (1938)? Who bettered Leonard Bernstein in his musical 'On the Town' (1944) at expressing wartime exuberance or urban energy, or Cole...
|
-
Friday, November 30
|
Source: allAfrica.com by Melanie Judge It is hard not to feel pessimistic when it comes to 16 Days of Activism. The killers of Sizakele Sigasa and Salome Masooa, two lesbian activists murdered in Soweto in July, have still to be brought to book. The murder of Thokozane Qwabe in Ladysmith remains unresolved. And, as I write this, another two lesbian women have been targeted for attack at a township gay bar, followed, and then shot: one of them fatally. These recent violent attacks and murders have left many of us deeply saddened and enraged. Many more are non-plussed. Yet, these attacks on lesbian...
|
-
Friday, November 30
|
Source: Bay Area Reporter by David Lamble In his evocative new film Kurt Cobain About a Son, A.J. Schnack strips away the spin, the buzz and the dead skin of tabloid TV, and essentially reintroduces us to a guy who for an all-too-brief moment allowed some of us to fall back in love with rock n roll. The core of the film consists of audio chats between the singer/songwriter and Rolling Stone editor Michael Azerrad, illustrated with a soundtrack of the bands that make up Cobain's musical roots, illustrated with a Koyaanisqatsi -like montage of everyday moments gathered in the three cities (Aberdeen...
|
-
Monday, November 26
|
Source: Washington Post by Charles Kaiser Tom Brokaw's sprawling new book about the 1960s has a striking cover, and it includes interviews with 50 people, many of them recognizable names from the era, like Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie , Andrew Young and Gloria Steinem. Combining oral history with the author's own memories, this 662-page tome touches on nearly all the major events of that extraordinary time. Unfortunately, it tells us nothing new about any of them. The same abilities that made Brokaw a great anchorman don't serve him well in this venture. On TV he was pleasant and affable...
|
-
Thursday, November 22
|
Source: The Daily (U Washington) by Chris Kaasa The American public has a new hobby -- cheering the downfall of gay Republican politicians. I’ve heard some people call it ironic. Really, it’s just disgusting. The “sex scandals” are those surrounding Republican lawmakers Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho, famous after 33 years in public service for his restroom foot-tapping, and state Rep. Richard Curtis of Washington, who resigned Oct. 31 after being caught paying off a gay prostitute. Just a little more than a year ago on the HBO program Real Time with Bill Maher, I heard the openly gay Democratic Rep...
|
-
Tuesday, November 20
|
Source: Virtue Online by Albert Mohler The moral landscape of the culture usually shifts slowly, with barely perceptible changes that accumulate over a long period of years. This is not the case in our own times, for the pace of moral change now defies the imagination. This is especially true when it comes to the issues related to sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular. The pace of moral change is now accelerated to the point that it is clearly visible and undeniable. Evidence for this is found in a recent article by reporter Alison Lobron published in The Boston Globe Magazine. Entitled...
|
-
Sunday, November 18
|
Source: Outsports.com By Cyd Zeigler jr. In the latest example that the collective "gay community" has completely lost its sense of humor, Lakers coach Phil Jackson is being called on the carpet for an hysterical comment he made after his team got beaten by the San Antonio Spurs, 107-92. The Spurs had hit 13 three-pointers, and Jackson was asked if the Spurs' penetration was leading to their open outside shots. Jackson replied: "We call this a Brokeback Mountain game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts." I don’t know about the kickouts part, but it’s funny...
|
-
Saturday, November 17
|
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer The disappointing failure of an experimental [ see Qblog posts ] AIDS vaccine will provoke reflection on future research. It should also spur wider use of established tools for containing infectious diseases. In the vaccine test, HIV infections unexpectedly appear to have increased among those receiving the vaccine rather than a placebo. Early speculation has centered on the possibility that a version of the cold virus used in delivering AIDS genes could have played a role. Scientists may learn valuable lessons for vaccine formulation. We hope vaccine research...
|
-
Thursday, November 15
|
Source: New York Daily News by Juan Gonzalez Adriano Espaillat, the state assemblyman from Washington Heights, was touring the storm-ravaged Dominican Republic when he got a telephone call from Gov. Spitzer. It was late Tuesday and the governor told him that he was abandoning his plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in New York State. After two months of relentless pounding from Senate Republicans and television pundits like Lou Dobbs, and after a firestorm of public opposition against his plan, Spitzer was conceding defeat. "This is tragic," Espaillat said yesterday...
|
-
Wednesday, November 14
|
Source: NewsDesk AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- After a 19-year-old man of Moroccan descent was run down and killed by a Dutch woman driver trying to recover her stolen purse, mourners blamed Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk for the death. Gathered at a makeshift memorial here earlier this winter, the mourners said Verdonk's tough immigration reforms have increased Dutch xenophobia against Muslims, spurring the woman's violent reaction against the alleged purse thief. Though the Dutch are famous for allowing euthanasia, gay marriage and soft-drug use, it is ironically their tolerance that may...
|
-
Tuesday, November 13
|
Source: Common Dreams [[ ed. note: This commentary was originally published February 12, 2002 in Common Dreams. (Click "source" for full version.) It becomes relevant again because of recent reports from Missoula and because it demonstrates that the community has a support network in place that many other towns do not.]] by Richard Wachs Last week [Feb. 2002], terror reared its ugly head here in western Montana, in a series of deeply disturbing incidents. First, two anonymous letters containing white powder were mailed to homes in Missoula. A few nights later, an arsonist tied a gasoline...
|
-
Monday, November 12
|
Source: Chicago Sun-Times When students at Waukegan High School voted for the senior pair they wanted as their yearbook's "Cutest Couple," Brandy Johnson and Lupe Silva were a sure thing. Johnson and Silva are well-known throughout the school for their bubbly, outgoing personalities -- and for being "out" and proud of their homosexual relationship. While Johnson and Silva were celebrated by their peers for their boldness and honesty, many young homosexuals do not have the same experience. A University of Washington study found that gay teens are three times more likely to...
|
-
Sunday, November 11
|
Source: Crosscut by Knute Berger The state of Indiana has just apologized for passing the first modern eugenics law in 1907. Indiana was the leader of the progressive pack in adopting measures to sterilize, without consent, poor, mentally disabled, and so-called "undesirable" citizens in the name of improving humanity's breeding stock. We're generally horrified by that idea now -- especially following the full application of eugenics practices by the Nazis -- but in the early 20th century, the idea not only had mainstream support, including the endorsement of the U.S. Supreme...
|
1 2 Next >
Drill down
Items above also use the following tags. Click to filter further.
|