Queers have a history of being beaten, stabbed, set on fire, raped, shot, murdered (and worse), simply for existing. For loving – openly and honestly.

~
But it’s not funny.
~
~

• Violence is never funny.
• Creating a toxic atmosphere nationally where some citizens are constantly singled out and demonized through referendums and propositions on their own FAMILY is an AMERICAN SICKNESS; it needs to stop NOW!
• It is not funny, but sad that so many heterosexuals (as well as some gays) fail to consider how a lack of equal legal protection could adversely affect those who are considered “lower income” or poor. We’re not talkin‘ a financial inconvenience or two, but a total upheaval that ends in homelessness. I am not upset because I cannot wear a dress and have rice thrown at me; I am outraged and angry that NO ONE is protecting my family (in a way that actually produces effective results). Keep in mind that “heterosexually-identified” families like Larry Craig’s have access to civil marriage, yet we are denied civil marriage rights.
• It is tragic that young children in America (Land of the Free?) who are Queer or questioning have to learn about FEAR, HATRED, BULLYING, and PAIN at such an early age. It is part of our NATIONAL SICKNESS – legalized child abuse at the ballot box, that bleeds into the playground. Ask Lawrence King.

So here are some links to stories about the group BASH BACK. A lot of their actions sound misdirected and unorganized, but then again, surely I am considered the same by many! It is hard to judge any individual’s action, (despite how quickly I did it), since we never really know what course of events led a person to resort to violence as THE ONLY ANSWER AVAILABLE. But we need to hold our government responsible; it is feeding this crisis of neglect by ignoring the very real needs of the L.G.B.T.Q. community.

~

Guess what, America?

When it comes to civil rights and civil law,

If YOU need it, WE also need it!

Anyhoo – back to links:

From TOWLEROAD – Details Features Radical Trans/Queer Group Bash Back

An interesting hypothetical is asked over at NGblog – Bash Back Profiled

Windy City Times (Amy Wooten) - Bash Back!: A Radical Departure

Bash Back’s site - BASH BACK

BUT BOY-OH-BOY

!

“BASH THIS” in one of their posters.

By Rick Gunderman

Almost three years ago, back in high school (ah, the good ol’ days…) I joined up with a group called “Positive Space”. Positive Space was a gay-straight alliance dedicated to promoting rights and a safe environment for LGBTQ students.

I was one of the few straight males in the group and endured harassment for my involvement. Before I knew it, half of the school assumed I must have been gay – due in no small part, I’m sure, to my younger brother and his friends.

Positive Space was, truth be told, more of a club than an activist group. I can remember two major activities – we lobbied for and got a compulsory assembly early in the year where we introduced three guest speakers, and later in the year we organized a day of workshops centred on themes of sexuality. I’m sure far fewer people would have attended were the workshops not counted towards extra credit.

The rest of our time was spent with idle chatter, indignant rants against homophobia, and the occasional visit by one of the faithful to discuss our differences in beliefs.

The homophobia spilled out in full force when many of our posters around the school were found torn and in the garbage, and when the occasional tough-guy would shout “fags” into our meeting room and promptly flee before anybody had a chance to see his face*.

As per school rules, we had to have a teacher sponsoring and supervising our group. Our teacher-advisor was a strong-willed woman who was very knowledgeable and passionate about LGBTQ rights. A point of contention for me emerged over time, however, when her ideas about conducting the group’s activities became clear to me. The idea, we were told, was to “tear down walls”, “build bridges”, and other such care-bear tactics for putting an end to homophobia.

If we had an incident, we were not to rely on collective action and the strength of our group – we were to report it to the school authorities. There was no talk of demonstrations, protests, or even leafleting.

There is nothing wrong with reaching out to like-minded groups in order to strengthen a movement – in fact, that’s exactly how a movement succeeds. But there is a very big, very monstrous, machine-gun-armed-and-manned Berlin Wall standing between the homophobes and the rest of us. And they’re perfectly willing to fire off a 21-gun salute every time a gay teenager is called a fag, every time a lesbian couple is harassed for holding hands, and every time a trans student is left for dead after a severe beating.

Realistically, what chance does a movement that relies on offering “free hugs” to the Westboro Baptist Church have of truly overcoming homophobia? These thugs who prowl the streets looking to bash some gays would rather have their tongues nailed to a wooden table then have anything to do with LGBTQ people and their supporters.

For too long, the gay rights movement has relied on litigation, legislation and love-ins to advance their cause. And yet it was only a little over a year ago that Lawrence King was shot to death at his high school by a heterofanatic punk who couldn’t handle Lawrence asking him to be his Valentine.

Staring down the barrel of a handgun, was Lawrence King supposed to try to “break down a wall”?

The point is not that the gay rights movement hasn’t fulfilled many aspects of their mission. Quite to the contrary, they are one of the most effective movements in this day and age in terms of getting done what they need to get done. And truth be told, I don’t mean to single out gay rights activists any more than environmentalists, feminists, trade unionists, or secularists who engage in the same petit-bourgeois, formalized tactics rather than mobilizing their supporters to confront those who mean to do us harm.

If we want real, lasting changes to our social order to destroy the last vestiges of the moral absolutism that dictates conformity and obedience, we have to be willing to take a real stand. Activists of the world: don’t be afraid to fight when you know you’re right!

* I’m sure he and his skinny gym-class crew had a good laugh and a round of high-fives over this.

homophobia takes a toll on a lot of peoples lives–not just those people who choose to come out as members of the glbt community.

some high school age children (and adults depending on if they turn 18 before or after they graduate) may fear bringing glbt friends (or those who support glbt rights) home in fear that parents will be offensive to the friend. i know i personally avoided bringing any friends over until by own grad party was set to happen knowing a lot of friends supported glbt rights and one was openly bi. i already knew my own mother may make comments about how all gays were disgusting and going to hell (thanks to the age old “gays are an abomination) and may dad may come out with his same old “all gay people are in a gang” comment. being bisexual myself (and an avid gay rights supporter for many years) and growing up in this enviroment i felt uncomfortable enough being in this environment, none the less introduceing my friends to it.

for those being openly glbt they face even more discrimination about coming out of the closet. i know plenty of friends that are afraid to come out with their sexuality because of how people will react to a sexuality they cant change. with some of said friends i only know their being anything other than straight because i was already open about my own sexuality. some wouldnt even come out of the closet to a room of glbt rights activists (often meeting as gsa’s) in fear that even there they would be discriminated against despite the people being openly supportive of what the community goes through as a whole.

many often wont come out of the closet as glbt at all because of homophobia and hatred. they’ll be stuck in misarable marrages because they dont feel safe marrying (or dont have the right to marry the man/women of their dreams) the person they wish to. those that are trans may not feel safe getting the gender switch they want because of this hatred despite their ability to pay for the surgery. no one in this group is even safe from being murdered because of their sexuality. people like lawrence king, a middle school student murdered by a classmate for being gay and mentioning the other boy was “cute”, appear every year.

living in colorado i even know of trinidad, the sex change capitol of the world. even with this major city to the transsexual community existing in my home state their still major hate for them in this country. i already personnally know one person who is transgender who refuses to tell his family that he isnt his born gender and doesnt want to be called his original name because he already knows that telling them he wishes to chage to male would be a death sentence.

this is something many of us want to get rid of. its already something many hate groups keep us from being able to gain politically everywhere. there always seems to be one out there somewhere to hold us back. many of us wont be able to gain full marrage rights in our home state because these groups and people keep fighting to keep us from getting the equal rights we feel we deserve.

for those of you out there who have been helping our community gain the rights we deserve, thank you. you’ve helped us a lot. some of us you’ve helped emotionally more than you know.

for those of you against gay rights who possibly think about gays the way my parents do i have some questions id like you to honestly think about. what if the world and the law wasnt already in your favor? what if you couldnt marry your opposite sex partner because those who were glbtq didnt support heterosexual marraige? wouldnt you fight for what we are to?

Via the LA Times (link here)

After hearing testimony for three days, a judge Wednesday said a gay junior high school student in Oxnard was fatally shot in class “with the cold-blooded precision of an executioner” and that 15-year-old Brandon McInerney should stand trial for the crime.

[...]

On Wednesday, the judge also agreed to a newly added special circumstance that McInerney was lying in wait for King. The shooting took place 15 or 20 minutes into class. King was shot from behind.

After the hearing, prosecutor Maeve Fox said McInerney could face 53 years to life if convicted.

The Ventura County district attorney’s office has offered him a 25-year sentence in exchange for a guilty plea, but he has not accepted the deal. On Wednesday, Fox said the offer is still on the table.

McInerney’s attorneys would not discuss their client’s reaction to the plea-bargain offer. They said they are planning to ask appellate judges to order the case into Juvenile Court, where sentences are lighter and more rehabilitative services are available. Although California law allows 14-year-old murder defendants to be tried as adults, attorney Scott Wippert said Ventura County prosecutors had “abused their discretion” in charging McInerney.

—————

Cross-posted at Bird of Paradox

The LA Times continues its coverage of the pretrial hearing – link here.

Dan Swanson, a police detective and specialist in neo-Nazi gangs believes that “The evidence strongly indicates [Brandon McIrnerney] had been indoctrinated to some level” and went on to discount earlier testimony that McInerney had black and Latino friends at school, contending that white supremacists are accustomed to hiding their true beliefs.

Meanwhile the usual smear tactics are in play by the defense: Larry King was the aggressor, harassing Mr McInerney. But the most interesting quote comes from prosecutor Maeve Fox.

“Is the defense ‘gay panic’?” she asked. “This is just a fishing expedition to paint Larry King as someone who needed killing.”

Says it all, really.

Testimony is expected to conclude today.

—————

Cross-posted at Bird of Paradox

As testimony got under way on Monday in the pretrial hearing for Brandon McInerney , the Ventura County teen accused of murdering openly gay classmate Lawrence King (above pic) last year, his defense attorney argued that he was provoked by same-sex romantic overtures, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Defense attorney Scott Wippert reportedly questioned a witness from the Oxnard police department sharply at one point, asking, “Did you inquire if Larry King was making sexual advances toward McInerney … you do realize he’s charged with first-degree murder? That he was provoked?”

McInerney, now 15, allegedly shot King, who was 15, at E.O. Green Junior High on February 12, 2008. Witnesses at the hearing in Ventura County superior court testified that McInerney was annoyed by romantic overtures from King, and that the accused bragged about having access to guns at home, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The hearing, expected to resume on Tuesday, will determine whether the case should go to trial.

*** We aren’t sure how to feel.  A young boy took another boy’s life.  Everyone loses.  So sad.  Checkout the clip from Ellen from earlier this year.  Touching.

Via the Los Angeles Times (link here) I learn that the pretrial hearing has begun in the Larry King murder case. Brandon McInerney, accused of killing classmate Larry King, “faces a first-degree murder charge for allegedly taking out a weapon as class got underway Feb. 12, 2008, and shooting King twice in the back of the head”.

Needless to say, the defense attorney has already begun the victim-blaming, no doubt in preparation for wheeling out the ever-creakier trans panic defense.

Prosecutors say it was a hate crime. But on Monday, defense attorney Scott Wippert repeatedly suggested that King provoked violent behavior by flirting on campus with McInerney while dressed in women’s high-heeled boots, earrings and makeup.

The 4-foot, 11-inch King “sexually harassed” McInerney by openly declaring his affection for him and humiliating him with his attention, Wippert said.

However, whether this farcical attempt to shift the blame on to Larry King – who, let us not forget, can’t testify in person, on account of having been shot to death – will actually succeed when Mr McInerney has apparently already confessed, is another matter:

A few minutes after he allegedly gunned down his gay classmate, Oxnard junior high school student Brandon McInerney calmly allowed police to take him into custody, telling them, “I’m the one who did it,” the officers testified in a Ventura courthouse Monday.

[...]

“He said, ‘I’m sorry, I did it, officer. I shot him,’ ” said Officer Joe Tinoco, of the Oxnard Police Department.

As Tinoco and Sgt. Peter Freiberg patted McInerney down, the eighth-grader told them he had left his weapon behind in the classroom, Tinoco said.

In addition there are other testimonies which seem to suggest premeditation on the part of Mr McInerney:

One student, a female friend of King’s, reportedly told Oxnard Police Sgt. Kevin Baysinger that McInerney sought her out the day before the shooting. McInerney reportedly told the girl, “Tell Larry goodbye because you’re not going to see him again,” Baysinger testified.

One of McInerney’s friends told investigators that the youth said he was “going to kill” King. He told another friend that they should jump King and “shank” him.

The hearing continues.

—————

Note: There are two useful pieces discussing the trans panic defense in more depth:

• This link via Holly in comments at Feministe and,
• This link (Banning the trans panic defense) by Dr Jillian T. Weiss at The Bilerico Project

—————

Cross-posted at Bird of Paradox

April 17th, 2009 is this year’s official “Day of Silence” – the 13th such annual commemoration.

THIS IS AN ACTION DAY. Supporters are asked to observe a 24-hour period of silence and carry cards with them explaining to others why they are choosing not to speak on this day. The template for this card,as well as Activist Handbook, web badges, buttons and other helpful information can be obtained in English and Spanish versions at www.dayofsilence.org.

Here is what the cards say:

“Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence (DOS), a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by anti-LGBT bullying, name-calling and harassment. I believe that ending the silence is the fi rst step toward building awareness and making a commitment to address these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today.” 

Another suggestion has been to wear red on that day, especially for those who may not be able to observe the silence at their jobs. Videos are also being requested to be posted on YouTube. Please see my response video below.

This is a critical issue facing this country. The statistics regarding LGBTQ youth facing bullying and physical harm at school are staggering. THIS IS NOT JUST AN LGBTQ ISSUE! We are talking about our public (and private) schools. We are talking about basic Human Rights.

Tell your friends, family and co-workers. More information can also be obtained at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, www.glsen.org.

Talk to as many people as you can about this so that we can find solutions that will lead to SAFE SCHOOLS FOR ALL YOUTH.

On April 17th, STOP talking…and carry a card that educates people around you as to your choice.

NOTE: This video was produced by Deb Adler, author of MsQueer. I DO own the rights to this vid (woo-hoo!)

PLEASE GO TO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9cSelrTJk8 and leave comments and ratings. Thanks!

©2009 MsQueer.com. All rights reserved. [NOTE: content of Day of Silence card belongs to www.dayof silence.org. No copyright infringement intended.]

Stumble It!

[UPDATE: see also "Another 11-year old Commits Suicide over Bullying" post http://msqueer.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/another-11-year-old-commits-suicide-over-bullying/]

Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, an 11-year old boy attending the New Leadership Charter School in Springfield, Massachusetts, committed suicide Monday because of ongoing taunting and bullying endured from his classmates. This boy did not identify himself as Gay, but was taunted by others nevertheless. School officials allegedly refused to do anything after repeated appeals from the boy’s mother.

This insanity has to stop. America has settled on a “safe” prejudice, that of being anti-gay. “That’s so Gay” is a common insult heard as frequently from adults in a bar or at the workplace as it is from children in school. That hundreds of children every day face ridicule, verbal and in many cases physical assault from their peers in what has come to epidemic proportions reveals a cancer that is eating away at the decency of our society. So long as we believe that there is a “safe prejudice” – NO ONE IS SAFE!

April 17th, which would have been Carl’s 12th birthday, is the 13th annual Day of Silence. On this day students across the country will observe a day of silence to emphasize the critical problem of bullying of LGBTQ youth and others in our country’s schools. Cards explaining their observation of silence are available from LGBT organizations locally. For those who cannot take part in the day-long act of silence, you are being asked to wear red to show your support. For more information go to: www.dayofsilence.org.

Here is the complete press release from GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network):

“As was the case with Carl, you do not have to identify as gay to be attacked with anti-LGBT language,” Byard said. “From their earliest years on the school playground, students learn to use anti-LGBT language as the ultimate weapon to degrade their peers. In many cases, schools and teachers either ignore the behavior or don’t know how to intervene.”

Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT youth (86.2%) reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation, nearly half (44.1%) reported being physically harassed and about a quarter (22.1%) reported being physically assaulted, according to GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey (http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2340.html ) of more than 6,000 LGBT students.

In most cases, the harassment is unreported. Nearly two-thirds of LGBT students (60.8%) who experience harassment or assault never reported the incident to the school. The most common reason given was that they didn’t believe anything would be done to address the situation. Of those who did report the incident, nearly a third (31.1%) said the school staff did nothing in response. While LGBT youth face extreme victimization, bullying in general is also a widespread problem. More than a third of middle and high school students (37%) said that bullying, name-calling or harassment is a somewhat or very serious problem at their school, according to From Teasing to Torment. Bullying is even more severe in middle school. Two-thirds of middle school students (65%) reported being assaulted or harassed in the previous year and only 41% said they felt very safe at school.

Carl’s suicide comes about a year after eighth-grader Lawrence King was shot and killed by a fellow student in a California classroom, allegedly because he was gay.

GLSEN recommends four simple approaches (http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2263.html) schools can take to begin addressing bullying now.

Said Walker in the Springfield Republican: “If anything can come of this, it’s that another child doesn’t have to suffer like this and there can be some justice for some other child. I don’t want any other parent to go through this.”

About GLSEN
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Established nationally in 1995, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community. For information on GLSEN’s research, educational resources, public policy advocacy, student organizing programs and educator training initiatives, visit www.glsen.org.

A resolution was introduced into the House of Representatives April 2nd. GLSEN press release provides details:

NEW YORK – Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and 33 cosponsors introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (H.Con.Res. 92) to recognize and support GLSEN’s 13th annual National Day of Silence on April 17.

“GLSEN would like to express our gratitude to Representatives Eliot Engel, Tammy Baldwin and the 33 cosponsors who are adding their voice to the hundreds of thousands of students who will take a vow of silence on April 17,” GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said. “A week after GLSEN’s lobby day in Washington, D.C., we are already seeing the impact young people can have on our democracy.”

Students will take some form of a vow of silence on April 17 to bring attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from more than 7,500 middle and high schools participated in 2008.

“Sadly, violence and discrimination against LGBT youth is all-too-common in American schools,” said Rep. Engel, who along with Rep. Baldwin introduced a similar resolution last year. “It is a national disgrace that students feel threatened in school simply because of their sexual orientation. As a former public school teacher, I am proud to introduce this resolution. Americans need to know that thousands of children each day go to school deprived of a happy adolescence because of the insensitivity and cruelty shown by some fellow students, teachers, staff and parents.”

Added Rep. Baldwin: “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students continue to face pervasive harassment and victimization in schools. As students use their silence to demand safe schools, we in Congress must use our voices to support them.”

Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT youth (86.2%) reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation, nearly half (44.1%) reported being physically harassed and about a quarter (22.1%) reported being physically assaulted, according to GLSEN’s 2007 National School Climate Survey of more than 6,000 LGBT students.

Additionally 60.8% of LGBT students said they felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation, and nearly a third (32.7%) said they had missed a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe.

“It is tragic to have any child suffer and what makes this worse is that it is completely preventable,” Bullying and harassment of LGBT students stems from ignorance and can only be repaired with education. By helping other students, teachers, staff and parents understand the plight of LGBT students, we can help these students live a happier childhood and enable them to earn their education free from fear,” Rep. Engel said.

Charles Robbins, Executive Director of The Trevor Project, the nation’s only 24-7 Helpline for LGBTQ Youth issued this statement online and to email subscribers (of which I am one):

April 9, 2009 

In light of the tragic suicide of 11-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover in Springfield, Massachusetts, which was prompted by anti-gay bullying in his school, The Trevor Project has released the following statement from Charles Robbins, executive director and CEO: 

“We are saddened to learn that another valuable young life was lost this week as the result of a school environment that was not safe, accepting and inclusive of all students. We extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family and friends of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover during this difficult time. This unfortunate incident serves as further testimony to the necessity for all schools to mandate suicide prevention education programs in order to help young people understand the harmful and potentially life-shattering effects of bullying, discrimination and harassment. The Trevor Project remains at the forefront of providing lifesaving guidance and vital resources to parents and educators, including our Lifeguard School Workshop Program and Trevor Survival Kit – both of which help educators constructively facilitate discussions with students about issues surrounding suicide, gender identity, sexual orientation and the impacts of language and behavior.” 

To learn more about suicide prevention, warning signs and resources, please visit The Trevor Project’s Suicide Resources Web page. 

To make a contribution to The Trevor Project in support of its lifesaving youth suicide prevention programs, please click here. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/donation.aspx

A young You-Tuber, KrisFrom1992,  posted this video and called for others to post video responses in support and solidarity. His plea is simple and impactful. I salute his courage in speaking out.

Another passionate plea came last year, following the murder of 15-year old Lawrence King from talk-show host Larry King.

DON’T LET THIS DAY GO BY UNMARKED.

FIND SOME WAY TO SUPPORT “DAY OF SILENCE 2009″

-MsQueer

©2009 MsQueer.com. All rights reserved. (NOTE: Content of GLSEN press releases remain the sole property of GLSEN and content of Trevor Project’s press releases remain the sole property of The Trevor Project. No copyright infringement intended.)

Stumble It!

Jesus Before the Priests from The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision by F. Douglas Blanchard

by Kate Henley Averett

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

It’s Good Friday, I’m 11 or 12, perhaps. I love this day, not just because we get it off from school, but because there is just something so different about Holy Week, Friday being the strangest and most disorienting of them all. I know there must be something special about it if it’s the only day of the entire year that nobody celebrates Mass. As usual, I’m confused, and made somewhat uncomfortable, by the ritual of venerating the cross. We process forward and take turns kissing the wood, something that feels like it should be private yet is performed in public, sanctioned and affirmed by the assembly; some of the women are visibly crying. There’s almost a cultural disconnect – such open displays of emotion have been rare in my stoic Massachusetts upbringing. We sing this hymn, slowly and mournfully, that I love. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? It’s beautiful, but confusing too – of course I wasn’t there, and neither were any of these people who I watch kiss the cross my own lips had brushed moments earlier. But the women crying – do they understand somehow, what it was like to be there? I try to imagine the scene, to put myself there, to watch them crucify my Lord, nail him to the tree, lay him in the tomb, but it’s so hard to imagine. Still, as the song swells, waves of emotion I don’t fully understand break over me.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

My feet are aching as we stand for the long, long Gospel reading. I just walked 13 miles with other high schoolers in the youth group at the Greater Lowell Walk for Hunger, and I’ve got blisters and sore, swollen feet. I shift uncomfortably from foot to foot as I struggle to follow along in the Missalette so I know when to chime in with the rest of the congregation, playing the part of the crowd. “Release Barrabas,” we say, “We have no king but Caesar.” And then the part I hate: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Why do they make us say that? And why do some people say it so enthusiastically? We don’t want to see Jesus suffer, do we? We aren’t like those people in the crowd, right? And then it hits me – statistically speaking, anyway, if we’d been there, most of us would’ve been in the crowd. The way the story’s told there were only a handful of people who were supporting Jesus, and we couldn’t all be in that small group of women. Every year when we sing that hymn and I try to imagine being there, I’ve always seen it from a distance, like I’m watching a film. But if I’d really been there when they crucified my Lord, where would I have been? Would I have been in the crowd of people, shouting for him to be crucified?

Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Holy Week is rapidly approaching and the seven of us, students in HDS 2984: Passion Play: History, Theology and Performance, are working frantically to get our play together in time. It’s a different sort of play – non-linear, with shifting characters and perspectives – and we’re making it intentionally uncomfortable and disorienting for ourselves and our audience. There are moments in several of the scenes where I’m really working to embody Jesus as he’s presented in Mark’s Gospel. I chose Mark specifically because of how physical his descriptions of Jesus’ last days are – there are moments when I’m reading, especially about Gethsemane, when I know – really know, in my body – what Mark’s Jesus is going through, because the anxiety, the fear, the hurt and betrayal, I’ve felt it before, too. During Holy Week, as we perform, and there are moments when I’m overcome and I begin to tremble, even to cry. The question, “Were you there?” takes on new meaning as I place myself in a different “there” in the story – the “there” of Jesus’ experience.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

That same semester, in another seminar, I’m immersed in liberation theology. I’m practically living and breathing Gutierrez and Sobrino as my classmates and I wrestle with (and argue about) the ways that liberation theology is, or should be, being applied throughout the world today. I’m excited to finally have a forum in which to work academically on queer liberation theology, yet through all the theory and theology, my mind keeps being drawn to Lawrence King, an openly gay, gender non-conforming eighth grader, who was shot to death at school only weeks earlier. He’s a heartbreaking reminder to me that our Lord continues to be crucified every day, when societal injustice and institutionalized prejudice lead to unimaginable suffering and tragic death. And where are we? I realize that I don’t have to be in the crowds shouting “God hates fags!” or any other modern-day form of “Crucify him!” to find myself in the story. Just by being complacent – by not speaking up when I could – I’m there. Because really, is silence in the face of a racist or homophobic comment that different from Peter’s denial, “I do not know this man you speak of”? I realize that, for all its power and poignancy, “Were you there?” is only part of the question, and a further step is needed: Are you there when they crucify my Lord?

Kate Henley Averett is a big proponent of confusion, discomfort, and disorientation as sites of productive spiritual exploration, which is probably why Good Friday is her favorite day of the liturgical year.

The LA Times reports:

The father of an Oxnard teenager accused of gunning down a gay classmate who was romantically attracted to him has been found dead, Ventura County authorities said today.

Bill McInerney, 45, was found shortly before 8 a.m. in the living room of his Silver Strand home by a friend, said James Baroni, Ventura County’s chief deputy medical examiner. The friend was supposed to drive him to a court hearing in his son’s murder trial, Baroni said.

Very sad. Just at the time his son needs him the most. Whilst it’s unacceptable that Brandon should have killed Lawrence King, homophobia that violent does not come out of the blue. To try him as an adult is to continue the brutality his father may already have inflicted on his life, but it’s hardly surprising. The US still has not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – one of just two UN member states not to do so.

Here’s an interesting piece from The Times that reports on some fascinating research about the impact of mass privatisation in Russia following the collapse of Communism.

A recent piece in the Lancet by David Stuckler, Lawrence King and Martin McKee suggests that the rapid privatisation in a number of former Soviet and Eastern European states coincides with a spike in the death-rate of 18%. They suggest that the link between the two is unemployment, whose link to both stress and ill-health in a general sense and self-destructive behaviours like binge drinking is well-chronicled.

The report has caused a real storm, it appears.  In particular, it has brought forth a robust response from Jeffrey Sachs, the principal proponent of “shock therapy” to bring about irreversible capitalism in countries moving away from command economies.  But as the Times article says, the science looks pretty sound and the conclusion that key support networks risk being swept away in the name of economics is logical.

But most chilling is the fact that privatisation is only one type of economic shock. The toll of the extreme failure of market economics we are facing now could, on that basis, be a lot more than financial.

For far too long I’ve sat back and watched the events of Claifornia’s Prop8 grip the nation. With blatant audacity, a majority of citizens decided to legislate it’s morals on a hated minority. With a narrow margin, Proposition 8 denied the basic human right of marriage for homosexuals. With one vote, a group of people were told that they aren’t as important as heterosexuals, that they didn’t matter. With guns a’blazing the Latter-Day Saints poured countless millions to defeat homosexuals. Millions that could’ve spent on the impoverished and the homeless. Instead, the church told gays with a loud booming voice that they hated them. Far too long gays have been hated and ignored. In dark alleyways and fields gays have been the subject of crimes of hate an intolerance. Yet, in this country, a crime against a homosexual isn’t considered a hate crime. That measure being defeated in the National Congress. Enough! We need to be the voive of Matthew Shepherd, a college student who was tied to a fence, beaten, and left to die. We need to be the voice of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old boy who was shot by a classmate in cold blood. Nearly 20 years ago, the nation’s first gay lawmaker was elected to office. A few short months later, Harvey Milk was assassinated by a fellow city manager. What would Harvey Milk have to say for a society that still feels some empty threat by the sight of two men or two women happy and in love? How can this “threaten the sanctity of marriage” anymore than having been told since we were young gays are evil and are “wrong”? We’d would rather teach our children to ignorantly hate a fellow human being than to just accept a difference. Enough! Now, the fate of gay marriage in California rests in the hands of the California Supreme Court. They have the power to give basic human rights back to a hated minority. Yet, muckrakers and closed-minded, hypocritical people threaten to wage war on tolerance. It’s too those people I say, “wake up.” It’s a new age. People are loving people, yet, for the sake of conservative rhetoric, we decide to ignore that minority in order to get votes. Enough. Fred Phelps and his church of hate. Enough. Rick Warren and his money-driven purpose. Enough. We can’t be silent anymore. We won’t be silent. Robin Tyler delivered an argument against Proposition 8 today. Afterward, she said this, “If this court rules to uphold Proposition 8, there will be a million of us on the streets marching,” Tyler said. “We are not going away. We will not be invisible. We have had it.”

We have had it. Enough.

Suit Filed Over Killing of Teenager in Classroom – NYTimes.com.

If you can’t love your child when he’s dead, how much did you love him when he was alive? Hurt and grieving parents will lash out in any direction, but these parents are lashing out at their son’s seхual orientation and those who didn’t try to suppress it a year after he was murdered by a classmate for being gay.

As we mentioned, yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of Lawrence King’s tragic murder. In honor of King, CA Congresswoman Lois Capps issued legislation and spoke on the House floor, calling for an end to violence and harassment directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

A school district in Minnesota recently ended its anti-gay policy, which was enacted in 1995, and read: “Homosexuality [will] not be taught/addressed as a normal, valid lifestyle.”  The old wording was replaced with a policy that directs school teachers and staff to treat LGBTQ subjects “in a respectful manner that is age-appropriate, factual, and pertinent to the relevant curriculum.”

Two high schools in Florida sued their school board because they were not allowed to form a Gay-Straight Alliance. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed the suit Tuesday in federal court. The school district’s superintendent said in a statement that “a club highlighting sexual orientations will not be permitted as it would violate school board policy.”

Four people were arrested this week on charges of vandalism at the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth Center. Police have said it was an act of revenge and not a hate crime, as it was originally perceived to be.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, our friends at Empire State Pride Agenda passed along this very touching Valentine’s Day video, which captures the complex and enduring nature of love for everyone, including same-sex couples. The song in this video is called “End of the World,” and it’s by Matt Alber, an openly gay musician.

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at The Trevor Project!

Lawrence King

Today is the one year anniversary of Lawrence King’s murder, an eighth-grade student at E.O. Greene Middle School in Oxnard, California. He was shot by fellow classmate Brandon McInerney. The prosecution brief from the trial reveals that according to students, King was not, in fact, sexually harassing McInerney, as previously believed. McInerney was the aggressor, teasing the effeminate King for weeks and vowing to “get a gun and shoot” him. Multiple students provided accounts of a growing hostility between the two boys, the document shows.

The one-year anniversary of the shooting is being marked in Ventura County by a candlelight march and vigil organized by a local gay-rights group. Similar memorials are being planned across the state, said Jackie Downing of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network in San Francisco. King’s death struck a chord with parents, teachers, students and gay-rights advocates concerned that McInerney’s alleged bullying of King had been minimized by school authorities.

Since King’s death, teachers have sought training in how to identify gay and lesbian students who might be struggling with their sexual identity. Teachers also have asked for resources to help students who have already come out or who may be experiencing bullying.

For advocates working to end the bias, bullying and harassment directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in our schools, the murder of Larry King was the nightmare scenario come to pass. For years, GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), has sought to alert educators and the public to the daily reality of anti-gay language and harassment in our schools, and to the potential for this pervasive denigration to lead to more serious acts of violence. Nearly 75% of high school students report hearing “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school and more than one in five LGBT students has been assaulted at school.

According to an Op-Ed syndicated from GLSEN:

Some schools work hard to address name-calling, bullying and any kind of physical harassment. In the face of such an entrenched societal prejudice, however, targeted and specific action on anti-LGBT language and behavior is necessary to get these students back on an even playing field. Yet many state legislatures and school systems resist the need to specifically name sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories in their anti-bullying policies and statutes. Perhaps this is why, one year after Larry’s tragic murder, over 60% of LGBT youth continue to feel unsafe in school.

At The Trevor Project, our helpline counselors talk to youth in crisis every day.  We listen and understand without judgment.  If you are ever feeling depressed or alone, call The Trevor Helpline at 866.U.TREVOR, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

There are many candlelight vigils being held tonight across the country. Visit rememberinglawrence.org for details.

A year ago today, on February 12, 2008, Lawrence King, a 14-year junior high school student was fatally shot during class. The then 14-year old Brandon McInerney is accused of the shooting, apparently a hate crime. The Ventura County Reporter carries the following update:

For the past year, Brandon McInerney has been in the spotlight of the Ventura County courts. Nothing short of the standard, expensive, cinematic courtroom drama, McInerney’s trial, to some, has become less about the now-15-year-old murder suspect than about the attorneys, the egos, the endless appeals and the protracted proceedings that commonly define an embattled legal system.

“They’re really into it for the glory and the movie rights. They say they have the best interests of the child at hand,” says Jay Smith, executive director of the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance.

But ask Smith or any proponent of equal rights for the gay and lesbian community, and the biggest consensus may just be that the trial has shifted away from its intended focus, overshadowing the very victim it’s seeking justice for. Lawrence King was a 14-year-old junior high school student who was killed, allegedly, for expressing his blossoming identity as a homosexual teen.

King, whom McInerney is accused of murdering, will be remembered this week at an evening vigil in Ventura, one year to the day of his death. It was on Feb. 12, 2008, that King was shot twice point blank during class at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard; McInerney has been accused of pulling the trigger, presumably motivated by an emerging hatred towards gays.

Thursday’s event, Remember Lawrence: Year One, seeks not only to memorialize the Oxnard youth, who belonged to the Rainbow Alliance’s youth group, but also to raise greater awareness toward the acceptance of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Sponsored by the Rainbow Alliance, it stresses visibility in numbers. Following a procession to the Ventura pier, speakers are encouraged to share stories, conversations experiences and memories of King.

[...]

Approximately 500 people attended a vigil held last year following King’s death. Smith hopes for a similar turnout for this week’s event. “Perhaps people will come out and show solidarity and support,” he said.

The vigil begins at 6 p.m. at 856 E. Thompson Blvd., Ventura. For further information on the event, e-mail the Rainbow Alliance at info@lgbtventura.org

————

(Cross-posted at bird of paradox)

A colleague of mine commented in their blog yesterday that the lack of respect for, and derision towards, the local gay and lesbian community in the year following Oxnard teen Larry King’s murder is on par with the childish antics of a fifth grader.

I’d like to say today that the attorneys handling the trial of King’s alleged killer are just as childish, if not more. I’m not a lawyer, so maybe someone can chime in here, but to my eyes, I’ve seen too many high-profile courtroom cases that end up becoming more of a spectacle for preening attorneys and judges, than they are about serving justice.

The murder trial against Brandon McInerney, the 15-year-old being tried as an adult for the classroom shooting death of the openly-gay King, is the perfect example. Firstly, it begs the question: should a teen be tried as an adult?

Secondly: does a teen even understand the very adult charges and the very adult atmosphere that a court of law demands from people?

The lawyers in this case are articulate and top notch, yet manipulative. In today’s daily paper, the prosecutor is quoted as saying McInerney’s second round fired into King’s head was the “coup de grace” shot, in line with the boy’s “Racist, skinhead philosophies.”

If I was 15, I don’t think I would have understood half of what was being said here, much less the gravity of the charges. An attorney’s job, yes, is to persuade a jury to go down one of two paths: guilty or innocent. But would any conscionable juror, though, ever consider that the grandstanding and deliberation and legal posturing are really more about the lawyers’ images than the person on trial?

I would, and that’s why I would probably never make it past the first round of jury selection.

I’m reminded of the late judge Laurence Rittenband, who presided over Roman Polanski’s sex crime trial in the late 1970s. It became more of a sideshow about the judge’s self-important, Hollywood image than it did about bringing justice to the fore.

Where’s the real childishness on display here? Is it from the ego-stroking legal side? Or is it from the underage minor who committed a very adult act?

Just some queers and perceived queers who were subject to hate crimes and/or murder in 2008. Learn more about their stories by clicking on their names.

Taysia Elzy & Michael Hunt

Milton Lindgren & Eric Hendricks

Leeneshia Edwards

Ebony Whitaker

Duanna Johnson

San Francisco Lesbian

Simmie Williams

Jose Sucuzhanay

Lawrence King

Angie Zapata

Wayland Union High School Student

Nathan Runkle

Moses Cannon

Lance Neve

Tony Hunter

Jimmy Lee Dean

(“…suspects later admitted robbing Dean because they thought a gay man would make an easier target.”)

Here’s why hate crime legislation is necessary and not just an ‘empty gesture’ as some have called it:

1. When hate crimes against certain groups are reported as such, the data can be tracked, aggregated, trends followed, and problem areas specifically addressed.

2. A hate crime has more victims than the primary person(s) who experienced the violence and abuse. A hate crime has as its secondary victims everyone else who belongs to that category that made the primary victims into targets. A hate crime against an individual who is perceived as LGBT has the effect of putting the whole LGBT community in a state of heightened fear. It establishes a precedent of attacking LGBT people because of their perceived queerness for other homophobic individuals who might tend towards violence.  Therefore, a murder as a result of a hate crime has wider negative effects than a murder that was  not a hate crime.

3. The label of hate crime breaks the silence that often surrounds violence and abuse towards oppressed and marginalized groups in society. It publicly names this particular kind of violence for what it is, which is of course essential if we want to look for real solutions to stop it. This is discussed in some of the links above… Indiana has no hate crime law, so LGBT advocates don’t know how prevalent hate crimes are, or which crimes against LGBT individuals were motivated by their LGBT status.

Something else to note: location, race, and socio-economic class seem to have important effects. A disproportionate number of those killed lived in conservative communities, were people of color, and were low-income. These parts of the victims’ identities intersect with their queerness, perceived or real, to create an identity, a personhood, that marked them as targets. Do their killers and harassers figure that by choosing victims who are doubly- and triply-marginalized they will be able to get away with their crimes? They certainly have enough precedent to think it’s a good bet. Or does possessing intersecting marginalized identities just create so much hate in would-be attackers that where one “offensive” identity would have been bearable, two or more is just temptation too great to resist?

From the Brooklyn Eagle via Pam’s House Blend:

The vast majority of brutality against gays is carried out by young men, usually acting in groups, said Riki Wilchins, executive director of Gender Public Advocacy Coalition, a Washington nonprofit that works in schools to address discrimination.

Their victims most often are other young men with feminine demeanors or transgender women, said Wilchins. “These assailants are looking to eradicate and exterminate something that enrages them, and that is what makes them hate crimes,” he said.

AP:

Stapel attributed the increase in part to more people reporting incidents, but she believed there actually could have been more assaults because 2008 was an election year.

“Election years are always violent years for us because of wedge issues,” Stapel said, referring to ballot measures this year banning gay marriage in California and Florida. “With increased visibility comes increased vulnerability to LGBT stereotypes and violence. We’ve seen some of the most violent hate crimes that we’ve seen in a while.”

Do prominent anti-gay measures have the effect of creating more hate crimes against LGBT individuals? Do these measures send a message to society that queers are lesser people, second-class citizens, not quite as deserving of respectful treatment as “regular” folks? If we believe our laws are supposed to reflect our society’s values, then I would say that anti-gay laws definitely send a message that it is okay to treat LGBT people as “less than”. If we already have fewer rights before the law, some individuals inclined towards violence and hate will feel that violence against a gay person will be analogously less serious before the law than violence against a “regular” person.

Your thoughts please. Respect for the humanity of Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans people is a requirement if you want to post. If I missed any anti-LGBT hate crimes, please post them in the comments!

Check out these great resources: LGBT Hate Crimes Project and LGBT Hate Crime Reports

Many people have gotten upset when they hear the Gay Rights Movement compared to the Women’s Rights or Civil Rights movements, that it’s not the same. I agree that there are big differences between the three, but the similarities are striking. I’m going to talk about one of those similarities today, violence.

Throughout history, people who are different have been subject to all manner of offenses. From private and public vocal ridicule, to discrimination and violence. Sometimes you hear about them and they even catch the nation’s attention for a short time like Matthew Shepard. But most often you don’t ever hear a thing. for instance did you hear about fifteen year old Lawrence King? He was murdered just days after he came out publicly at school that he was gay in Oxnard, CA. This young boy was shot on Feb 12, 2008 by a 14 year old school mate in the computer lab of his school.

Sounds like a story you would have heard about doesn’t it? But you don’t, you don’t hear about the vast majority of these events, including here in Utah. Did you hear about David Bell and his partner Dan Fair? On July 4th, 2008 their neighbors through an all night party that kept up the party throwers kids. After several hours without sleep, the 2 children went to Mr. Bell and Mr Fair’s house next door looking for a quiet place to sleep. When the children’s parents realized where they went, they and several other family members and friends broke down their neighbors doors, took the kids and left both Mr. Bell and Mr. Fair close to death.

Now again, violence has struck in Utah. Early this morning, a 50 year old man left a bar/gym near 1400 W and 200 S that is well known for being gay-friendly. Before reaching his car, he was assaulted from behind, had several sexual-orientation slurs yelled at him, and beaten with a bottle.

This needs to be noticed!! We cannot let any of these hate crimes pass without our attention and involvement. When will the legislature step up and force the courts to hand out harsher punishments and stricter guidlines for hate-motivated crimes if we don’t voice our anger and resentment?

To see the story about Lawrence King, see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/23/us/23oxnard.html

To see the story about the 12/3/08 Utah bashing, see http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11128265

Mike Huckabee’s statements on The View show complete ignorance or apathy towards the violence gays and lesbians endure on a daily basis. He says that gays and lesbians haven’t been the victims violence the way that African Americans have. While the two civil rights movements are different, does this man not know of Matthew Shepherd, Lawrence King, and the thousands of other gays and lesbians who have been murdered and beaten because of the rampant homophobia in our society. Not to mention the thousands who have committed suicide. Just this past Friday an 18 year old was shot to death in Syracuse, NY because he was the victim of a homophobic hate crime. Mike Huckabee should be ashamed. Feel free to tell him yourself on his website, I know I will.

In my quest for information about homeschooling (update on that situation coming soon), I keep coming across the blogs of what I call “creepy homeschoolers”: the people who, like Raani Starnes, come right out and say that they homeschool their children to keep them away from homosexuals. And they accuse gays of being sex obsessed. Yeeaah, uh huh…

So, the other day I came across a blog called Mom Loves Being At Home. I can certainly relate to that, but that’s also where the camaraderie ends.

The post that got my attention was entitled This is one of the reasons we homeschool. Can you guess what the reason was? You guessed it: those dreaded homosexuals! They’re hiding behind every bush just waiting to sodomize anything with a pulse, I tell you!

I want to take a quick detour here to say how utterly weird this is to me; I honestly cannot get my head around it. Even at my most religious, I couldn’t bring myself to care about other people’s sexual preferences or activities. I actually felt guilty at one point, convinced that I was a bad Christian because I just could not work myself into a queer-hating frenzy.

Anyway, Mom Apparently Also Hates Telling the Truth. She wrote, in a comment under the above-linked post, that the Day Of Silence was “about promoting the homosexual lifestyle in the public school system”. I posted a comment correcting her, but she deleted it. This wasn’t totally unexpected, so I copied it to a draft for safekeeping.

This is the comment that was so offensive it had to be removed:

Lottie, on October 24th, 2008 at 1:02 pm Said: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

No it is not about promoting the homosexual lifestyle. It is about not bullying and harassing LGBT students. It was held in memory of Lawerence King, an 8th grader who was murdered because he was gay.

Do you not see the difference? Do you seriously oppose a non-violent, civil and very quiet demonstration that serves only to bring awareness to such a tragedy and attempts to put a stop to this kind of violence?

Is that what Christianity does to people?

Of course, the truth doesn’t line up with the homophobic propaganda she’s been sucking down from the American Family Association before regurgitating onto her own blog, so she simply deletes it, which means she is knowingly and deliberately promoting a lie. Nice values there. Can’t let the truth interfere with the agenda, though!

Those pesky little facts always seem to send the hate-mongering fundies into hiding (Raani Starnes’ blog is now open only to invited guests).

Another thing a lot of these creepy homeschoolers have on their blogs is Proverbs 22:6, which says:

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

It seems that hate, intolerance and dishonesty are all part of the training for these people.

As much as I feel sorry for the kids at this point, I’m also glad, in a way, that they’re being kept home. This way, they’re not running loose in the public schools spreading the hatefulness their parents are indoctrinating them with. As if we needed anymore of that…

UPDATE: More underhanded, dishonest maneuvers from Mom:
After deleting my comment from her blog and then posting a 417 word comment on mine, she also posted the same long-winded comment on her blog in response to my comment which she refused. While she’s perfectly within her rights to do this, it’s just another example of how dishonest she is, and how she’s more interested in promoting an agenda full of lies and bigotry than in having an honest discussion.

Posted by Lottie — Copyright © 2008 Rambling On

Popular Commedien and TV Talk Show Host Ellen DeGeneres who came out several years ago on her prime-time TV series, ELLEN, has filmed a public service announcement opposing the California “Proposition 8″ which would recind that states’s approval of Gay Marriage. To ensure that the PSA goes the distance in terms of getting seen, she is putting forward $100,000 for airtime.

See article from The Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid63964.asp

Here’s the PSA:

Ellen Opposing Proposition 8 on Leno Tonight:

LGBT People are beginning to win basic rights in some states, and the backlash is predictable. If you think what’s happening in California doesn’t affect you because you don’t live there – get real! This isn’t just a “gay issue” – it’s a human rights issue.

This week the California Teachers Association donated $1 Million to defeat the ballot initiative proposing to ban same-sex mariage.  According to the association’s President David Sanchez, “…its a civil rights issue. We don’t believe people should be treated differently.”

Admittedly, these recent donations are still dwarfed by the tremendous financial resources of the Conservatives and Church groups who supported getting the initiative to the ballot.

Whether you live in California or not, make a contribution to the defeat of Proposition 8 in California.  You can get more information from EQCA (Equality California) and contribute at their secured site. http://www.eqca.org/site/pp.asp?c=kuLRJ9MRKrH&b=4026385

Just click on the DONATE button on the homepage.

If you prefer, you can donate on the HRC website (Human Rights Campaign):

https://secure.ga3.org/03/caequalpac_homepage

The fact is many national LGBT organizations are focusing funds towards the defeat of this initiative, as well as numerous allied groups and organizations supporting civil rights for all. Find your favorite and HELP MAKE THE DIFFERENCE! -MsQueer

©2008 MsQueer.com. All rights reserved.