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Transsexual Faces Charges

wiserose — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:08:37 +0000

An Eldorado transsexual has been charged with impersonating a police officer by stopping a car on Interstate 25, police say.

Randey Michelle “Mikeh” Gordon, 60, is a former male high-school art teacher in Westchester County, N.Y., who caused a stir in 2000 when she took the school year off with pay to have a sex-change operation.

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale - Torco (Offer 2)

OCDiesel — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:15:36 +0000

Looking for a great line of diesel oil and lubricants? Then try Torco Oil & Lubricants for your diesel. Once you’ve tried Torco Oils & Lubricants you won’t go back to just any brand out there.

Please Note: Black Friday – Cyber Monday Weekend Long Sale at www.OCDiesel.com on November 27, 28, 29, 30th of 2009 ONLY.

I can hear the hounds in the distance

wiserose — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:43:10 +0000

Laura Hope describes the ‘hounds’ in her life:

I can hear the hounds in the distance

In the last 2+ weeks i have had more thrills out and about that i could have imagined, while doing almost nothing remarkable – just living.

But since I went into this essentially full time mode, the pressure at home has been dialed up to 11. Whether it’s well meaning relatives telling me to “put my pants on” (she’s a sweetheart, but she thinks she’s thinking of what’s best for my family)…

or in-laws who stand a 24 hour watch waiting for her call to be rescued from “this mess”…

or her repeating the same discussion every night that veers wildly from “I don’t see how we can make it” to “it’ll all work out” and from “I didn’t marry you for a sister” to “if we’re going to be roommates we can take the rings off” (which is to say, a lot of conflicting and contradictory statements and signals within the same conversation)…

or the most recent tactic of saying “I ask the kids how they felt and they don’t like it either” (they won’t talk to me about it) and “they need a daddy, you are taking their daddy away from them”…

it all makes me think of myself as an escapee who’s not really and truely free because the bloodhounds can be heard in the distance.

It’s like being a runaway slave – even though I’m “free”…I keep thinking the bounty hunter is just around the next corner, ready to put the chains back on.

What’s worse, I can feel myself tiring of the pursuit….my knees getting weak. Feeling the temptation to just lie down in the ditch and let them find me. Drag me back to the cell. Worse, throw me in “the hole” for even attempting escape (i.e. go through life knowing everyone not only knows what’s inside, but knows I’m so weak i can’t even follow through on such a blatant coming out)

the main argument I’m making to her now is that even if she thinks i broke it, the peices don;t go together anymore – I might have been able to muddle through the next 20 years never knowing how good this feels – but now i know.

she and the rest of them would certainly have gone on thinking I was a rather drab and unremarkable little man of no accomplishment – but now they know I’m a “freak” (in their view) and they can’t “unknow” that. The only thing worse is to see me give up and quit because it’s too hard (all the while telling me what a noble deed it was to “put my family first”)

I don’t fear anything that this coming out brings my way, whether it’s being killed by a hater or rejected by everyone I know – except one thing. I fear discrediting everything I’ve accomplished so far by accepting defeat and de-transitioning.

I’m not sure how long I could keep getting up n the mornings if I did that.

But….I can hear them…and my legs are getting very tired.

Laura Hope

Cinnamon Found in Dead MtF

wiserose — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:30:54 +0000

From philly.com comes the story of a transgender death:

Hamilton, 20, a male-to-female transgender from Little Rock, Ark., died during a spiritual cleansing inside the home of a Camden County voodoo priest on July 10.

Yesterday, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said that Hamilton’s death had been accidental, resulting from the combined effects of “physical exhaustion, ambient room temperature and an oxygen-depleted atmosphere.”

The only substance found in Hamilton’s system, her mother said, was cinnamon.

SRS Timeline

Ris — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:00:26 +0000

With Kara’s suggestion, I will try to write a daily entry about my surgery, if there is internet in

Lambert's AMA performance on target

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:42:03 +0000

Adam Lambert’s performance on last night’s American Music Awards may have been a lot of things, but inappropriate isn’t one of them.

The performance of Lambert’s latest single featured about three seconds of Lambert shoving someone’s face into his crotch, as well as a passionate kiss with a band member. And this was the closing number of the night – viewers could see worse on other shows that typically take that time slot. Much ado about nothing.

No one cared when Lady GaGa wore a flesh-toned body suit – one that made it look like she was wearing a strap-on at that – and broke liquor bottles on stage when she performed. No one said a word about Rihanna’s rings of clothing that left little to the imagination or when she entered the stage bound up BDSM-style. But when a fully clothed gay man mimics a few seconds of fellatio all hell breaks loose. Lambert’s number wasn’t inappropriate, it was right in line with the other outrageous performances of the night.

Lady GaGa at the AMAs. Photo from Google Images (TheSuperficial.com).

Rhianna at the AMAs. Photo from Google Images (TheSuperficial.com).

After all the press about it, I expected to see Lambert on stage with his pants open and a partner gleefully pleasing the pop star for a vast majority of the song, so when I watched the clip for the first time, I completely missed the controversial act entirely.

And trust me if GaGa – or even Britney – had done it, no one would even bat a false eyelash.

But Lambert’s new album drops tomorrow. I’m sure his camp isn’t all that upset about the hype.

Adam Lambert performs “For Your Entertainment at the AMAs

Lady GaGa performs “Bad Romance” and “Speechless” at the AMAs

Rihanna performs at the AMAs

Carrie Prejean parody makes for laughs

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:08:40 +0000

“I imagine if our lord and saviour Jesus Christ had a cell phone, he would have sent Mary Magdalene a little something-something to show her.”

UC Transgender Day of Remembrance

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:58:04 +0000

Today members of GenderBloc, a radical queer organization on the University of Cincinnati’s campus, observed Transgender Day of Remembrance by placing white flags on McMicken Commons, one for each person who dies yearly because of hate crime perpetrated against a transgender person. The students also chalked messages explaining the flags and denouncing hate.

Texas eliminates marriage for everyone

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:42:11 +0000

From Google Images.

The Miami Herald is reporting that a technicality in the wording of the Texas Defense of Marriage Act may actually ban all marriages, not just those pesky homo ones.

In the state constitutional amendment it states, “Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman.”

But the huge issue is in following statement meant to block civil unions and domestic partnerships: “This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.”

“You do not have to have a fancy law degree to read this and understand what it plainly says,” said Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general. She also said the language effectively “eliminates marriage in Texas.”

Of course this language will not result in an overnight cancellation of all marriages in Texas, it is still quite hilarious. It seems that whomever wrote the Texas DOMA amendment was so worried about gays finding some sort of equality in civil unions or domestic partnerships that they accidentally eliminated marriage for everyone. Talk about irony.

Cue the cynical laughter.

Coming Up: Transgender Day of Remembrance

genderanarchy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:20:44 +0000

Transgender Day of Remembrance is coming up this Friday (and we’re also holding a vigil at VCU on Thursday night with Queer Action).

I keep trying to blog, but I’m having trouble finding time lately. I’ve been super busy with registering for classes next semester (not to mention trying to manage with the current ones), dealing with a flat tire, working, and preparing for VCU Drag Ball (which is this Saturday, and which I’m performing in as a Dragstreet Boi…get it), etc.

Though. I would like to share a song I heard on the way home from chemistry this morning. I believe many meanings can be found from the song, but I know I personally think that it’s very appropriate for TDoR.

Trans Awareness Week Nov. 16 - 20

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:49:36 +0000

Photo from Google Images.

Nov. 16 – 20 marks Transgender Awareness Week, culminating in Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday. Cincinnati and Columbus have planned candle light vigils for the victims of transgender hate crimes and GenderBloc, a radical queer organization on the University of Cincinnati campus, will be placing flags on the commons to represent the amount of transgender people killed annually.

Prepping for SRS

Ris — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:01 +0000

I have been rather delinquent with my blogging. I have been working on a new project at my company

'BigLover' hates their mother

wiserose — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:00:49 +0000

From a well-known transgender website:

I hate my mother… and I want revenge…because she wanted a son. She got what she wanted and then has a problem with me being transgender. How it all began…

She first found out that I wanted to be a girl back in December 2004. I wrote a sexual fictional story and in the story I was a female. I had my ideal body and the way my life was then is just how it went in the story, except I was a female. I didn’t get to finish the whole thing as I didn’t have a computer back then and I would write a portion of it each night, so I only finished half the story. So anyway, she found the papers, the sexual pictures I’ve drawn. She has tormented me with them… she knew I was embarassed when I found out she found it. She has read the papers and the stories allowed to me, KNOWING that I was embarassed about it. I even stated several times that I was embarassed about it and said that she knew so I can stop saying it.

I think it was before that actually. In November, I can’t really say how, but let’s just say she caught me wearing her bra, pretending I have boobs. My mother would often tell me, “All done in the dark God will come out in the light,” and this would anger me to an endless degree because I always felt God was working against me. But that is until now… I finally realized that we are the creators of our reality.

My mom won’t let me be modest of my chest

I’ve already opened up a thread about this but that wasn’t the first time we’ve had that conflict. My mother, God be my witness, is so inconsiderate to me. She doesn’t care if I’m transgender. She’s such a gender Nazi and because she sees only what she wants to see, I’m forbidden to be modest of my chest. If I don’t want to remove my shirt she doesn’t understand that that’s my right and it’s always a problem, saying “Oh! You’re a boy and you think you’re a girl!” I know for certainty that if she was in my position that she would want to be modest about her chest.

She deserves a slap across the face for all that. I know as her child, I shouldn’t hit my mother, but don’t you people think she deserves it? I think so if no one else agrees. I don’t care if I’m in my own house, she won’t take her shirt off in front of me so why would she want me to take mine off in front of her? She has stated that in front of my female cousin that they would be free to change in their proximities because they’re women. But she knows I want to be a woman and won’t treat me like one anyway! GRRRRR! I will make her pay for this!

She acusses me of self-hatred

First off, transgender doesn’t nessasarily mean the person hates themself, and I am a perfect example. I mean, I can look into the mirror and like what I look at. When I tell her that I do love myself despite being transgender she says that I’m not making any sence. Secondly, the point I’m trying to get across here is that you can LIKE somebody and still not want to be them. She would always torment me and mock me… saying “You are a MAN!” Me… being a man… doing MAN things… NEVER! She would always tell me to do this that and the other thing because it’s a part of being a man! >:(

Isn’t being a man more than just looks anyway?

She always wanted me to do male things

I don’t wanna do anything like a man. I don’t wanna watch ANY movies that relate to manhood or read any books that cater to such a topic. I can’t raise the pitch in my voice or “it sound creepy.” I can’t be modest about my chest. One time when she was trimming my hair, I had my nail polished (I had my own nail polish) and she made a big deal of that and had the polish removed from my fingernails, AND she threw my nail polish away! By the way, the polish that I had, it was of a clear transparent color, so it was only barely noticable if you looked closely at my nails. I can’t say what I just want to do to my mother. If I did, most of you would think I’m psychotic and I would be banned.

She would always torment me wth the statement that “You are a MAN!”

The “rank”

This would go under the “How it began” section of this post but after reading the note i wrote, she tried to explain to me the whole Adam and Eve theory. I don’t care if God made men first and made Adam first and put Eve and the other women here to help the men. Women don’t really care about the whole Adam and Eve thing and if they did, they would want to be men so why should I give a crap? >:(

I could careless if women are at a lower rank then men, if it means being demoted. DEMOTE ME, please! I don’t care. I want to be a woman! >:(

I don’t even have to hope because Karma’s Law is on my side but I’ve been hoping that in her next life she come out born a M2F transgender just so she can live through all the Hell that I went through here. I stress again, my life as as a Male2Female transgender was flatout hell, even more so how my mother treated me.

Right now, I’ve been using her tampons. I would only take a few each month to pretend I’m menstruating, since that cycle is a part of womanhood. I’ve always wondered her reaction if she finds out but I don’t think that’ll be happening. I mean, there’s like a box full of ‘em, so how is she going to notice it’s a few of them missing? But in any case, if I do get busted, I’ll be ready to put up a good fight… and WIN!

Thank you all who took the time out to read this long post! ;D
~~BigLover

Ohio seems more liberal than ever

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:30:59 +0000

Photo from Google Images.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Ohioans elected 10 public officials from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, bringing in a record number of progressive LGBT voices, with positions ranging from school board to municipal court judge.

“The Ohio Democratic Party is proud to have recruited and groomed candidates across Ohio who reflect the great diversity of our party and our state,” Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern said.

Amanda Armstrong, a third-year student at the College of Wooster, was elected to the Medina Educational Service Center Governing Board. Voters chose Kevin Johnson for Portsmouth City Council Ward 1. Nickie Antonio was picked for Lakewood City Council. Dayton City School Board will receive a new LGBT member Joe Lacey. Mark Tumeo was voted into Cleveland Heights City Council. Eric Resnick was elected to Canton City School Board. Bexley City School Board will welcome Carol Fey. Akron received a double dose of LGBT public officials in Sandra Kurt forAkron City Council Ward 8 and Jerry Larson for Akron Municipal Court. Jim Sands will join the Athens City Council.

“Democrats helped elect candidates young and old, male and female, gay and straight, from all geographical areas and of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds,” Redfern said. “Ohio Democrats fielded an unprecedented number of openly gay and lesbian candidates this year and achieved historic success by electing 10 of these candidates to office. We celebrate that success.”

The Victory Fund, which supports any out LGBT candidate running in an election for a position that he or she is qualified to hold, called the recent elections the most successful year for LGBT candidates outside of a national election.

Are the conservative tides changing for Ohio? It did go blue for Obama this same time last year. Cincinnati’s recently re-elected mayor is a dem. The representative for most of Hamilton County is Steve Driehaus, another democrat. Sen. Sherrod Brown, yet another democrat, was a co-sponsor of the Matthew Shephard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Protection Act, which toughened hate crime legislation already in place and brought LGBT people in as a protected class. Five Ohio representatives are co-sponsors of the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Cincinnati’s representative in the Ohio House, Tyrone Yates, introduced a resolution to repeal the state’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Even Ohio’s governor plays for the blue team.

Again, why are Cincinnati and Ohio notorious for being conservative?

Ohioians even legalized gambling this year. Around this time every year,an issue is on the ballot about legalizing gambling in Ohio, and every year it gets voted down: We wouldn’t want the Cin City to become the next Sin City, now would we? Why the change of heart?

Is it the economy? Were republicans responsible for dwindling pocketbooks? Why has this historically red state, a state that twice voted for George W. Bush as president, has had such a radical change recently?

Ohio has been all Reaganomics and family values. Now it has an equal housing and employment act in the works to protect LGBT people; the bill was already passed by the Ohio House.

Maybe the Buckeye State is seeing an upturn in liberal candidates and legislation. Let’s just sit back and see how the backlash pans out.

Action alert: NCTE's ENDA petition

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:57:28 +0000

The federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act is entering its final stages before it sees a House vote. Call the capital switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to speak to your representative’s office.

A sample of what to say would be: “I am calling in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H. R. 3017/S. 1584), which will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination. No one deserves to be fired from their job because of who they are. Please vote yes for ENDA.”

You can call 24/7 and leave a message – they count just as much as actually speaking to someone.

You may also sign the National Center for Transgender Equality’s ENDA petition here.

UC flash mob local media roundup

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:30:37 +0000

The Advocate: Ohio flash mob for gay marriage

The Cincinnati Enquirer: Flash mob for marriage equality video

The News Record: Flash mob protests Maine legislation

Out Gay Life: Flash Mob Protests Maine Gay Marriage Repeal

And some other videos onlookers made:

UC marriage equality flash mob video

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:29:51 +0000

UC Marriage Equality Flash Mob

Xavier silent protest Monday, Nov. 16

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:30:07 +0000

From the event’s Facebook page:

“Maine’s passage of Question 1 – stripping away existing rights from lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer citizens – made it clear that homophobia, transphobia and hatred are still allowed to permeate the American political sphere. Question 1 sought to silence the queer community’s voice by characterizing our relationships as second class and unequal.

“Although Question 1 was only decided by Maine voters, it is an assault to all people who believe in universal dignity and equality.

“Join Xavier Alliance Monday, Nov. 16, as we make it clear that no one is a second-class citizen.

“Meet in the Atrium of the Gallagher Student Center at 11:30 a.m. to watch a short video produced by members of Xavier’s Alliance. From there, Alliance members will distribute “I am not a second-class citizen” and “My friend is not a second-class citizen” posters and duct tape.

“We will then line up outside of Gallagher Student Center at 12:15 p.m., with posters in hand and duct tape over our mouths, making a statement to all of campus that each and every Xavier student is equal, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

“None of us can be passive observers of oppression – it’s time for all of us to demand equality.”

Action alert: transwoman denied visa

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:30:41 +0000

Activist Silvia Martinez of the Trans Network of Nicaragua (REDTRANS) was denied permission to travel to the United States. Martinez has been issued visas in the past to other countries and MADRE, an international women’s rights group and mother-type group to REDTRANS, has previously been allowed to bring other activist speakers to the United States. MADRE also cited that Martinez met the eligibility requirements for a U.S. visa.

MADRE believes Martinez was denied a visa because she is transgender: “This discrimination constitutes a violation of internationally recognized human rights, which the US is obligated to uphold.”

The organization is urging people to write the U.S. embassy in Nicaragua through a convenient action alert, located here.

UC flash mob scheduled for Tuesday

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:27:27 +0000

It has been five years for Ohio, one year for California and one week for Maine. Citizens in these areas have been stripped of their rights under the guise of defending marriage. It’s time to change that.

For Tuesday, Nov. 10, University of Cincinnati students have planned a flash mob and silent protest in response. A flash mob is a brief assembly of people, from seemingly out of no where, who freeze in a position that represents what that particular issue means to them.

This is not your ordinary protest. Beginning at 10 a.m., between Steger Student Life Center and Swift Hall (A map of UC’s campus can be found here.), students will meet to put tape on their mouths and pick up speaking cards explaining why they have chosen to stay silent. The silent protest lasts all day. Participants will also where white, writing “Are you listening?” across the front and how marriage inequality affects them as individuals on the back.

At 12:15 p.m., as classes are changing, students will reconvene for the flash mob. Whistles will blow promptly at 12:20 p.m., signaling the beginning of the protest. In the heart of campus, between Steger Student Life Center and Tangeman University Center. students will freeze in whatever pose represents how marriage inequality affects them. After five minutes, the whistle will be blown again and students will resume as if nothing happened.

UC flash mob tutorial

Keep in touch: R.S.V.P. to the Facebook event.

Sorry, Sex-Positive Transwomen: I'm Not Buying What You're Selling. At All.

factcheckme — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:16:34 +0000

sex-pos transwomen–if i were born male, like you were, i might be “sex-positive,” too. you know: exhibitionist, pro-porn, and squeeee!-fully sexually available to men. if only….

i had been lavished with male privilege since the day i was born, and taught that the only thing that mattered was my wants, my feelings, that i was entitled to turn my desires into reality, no matter how trite, fleeting, or bizarre. if i grew up with an entirely misogynist view of women, instead of one interspersed with actual, lived, female experience. like you, believing that girls and women were emotional manipulators, that just have to cry big, black tears to get “their way“–and merely the sum of their fleshly and artificial parts–as observable by men. the clothes, the eyelashes, and always, always how fuckable they are. if i had no cramps, and no fear of pregnancy. you know, all the things you obviously think constitutes “woman” as well as the things that you dont think about, at all, which make your interpretation of “female” so deeply problematic. if i had been taught to stick my dick into anything that moved from day one, and to enjoy it.

if i had to have regular intercourse with men, on advice from my sex-reassignment surgeon, literally on pain of death: lest i lose my “use-it-or-lose-it” neo-vagina or experience life-threatening complications from (gasp) not being fuckable enough! (oh, thats rich. and how “pleasing” to men generally must one be, to ensure oneself of regular access to their sex?)

in other words, if i had grown up a man, like you, i might be as inclined as you are, to tell women that they should be having sex with men. if i literally had to have regular intercourse with men or DIE, that would color my perspective, as well. but guess what? i wasnt, and i dont.

now, there are all kinds of things to be said about transwomen more generally. about their residual male privilege. about their co-opting feminism and the language of social justice to achieve their own dubious ends (born-women are privileged over men because we arent seen as sexual predators, and men are? boo-fucking hoo). about the fact that there are others out there who share the inexplicable desire to amputate healthy body parts, in order for their bodies to conform to “the way they’ve always seen themselves” but *those* people are seen as mentally ill.

while the T’s in GLBT have all the political power and protection that comes from co-opting the GLB movement. crazy + powerful = “eccentric,” doncha know! and “eccentric” is f-u-n, which is about all it takes to be wrapped in the teeny-tiny bosom of the twenty-something fun-fems. without regard, apparently, for the fact that they are spending precious feminist resources on men, and mens problems. radfems are a little more discerning about who they allow into the fold, as it were. (and radfems eat blueberries, therefore they are transphobic!) the trans-identified have also co-oped the movement of the intersexed, by claiming (and hoping!) to be intersexed, even when they arent.

and dont even get me started on the fallacy of cis-privilege, or the fact that mainstream feminism has embraced the trans-phenomenon so completely, to the detriment, i believe, of feminism, and to women as a sexual class, when women all over the world are having not only their female gender but their heterosexuality enforced upon them as certainly as their born-sex. or that transwomen are exercising not only their male-privilege in insisting that their dreams be made into reality, but exercising their first-world privilege as well, by tying themselves to the medical establishment literally forever, to get their hormones, dilations, and emergency treatments when something “goes wrong.” (ask yourselves, feminists: would a 12-year old child bride in ethiopia care about this? is the feminist treatment of the trans-identified helping women around the world, at all? if so, how? if not, why not?)

while i do not accept transwomen as women, and i absolutely grieve for what transwomen have been allowed to do to our movement, its the sex-pozzies that really get under my skin. leave it to born-men to *encourage* women to be exhibitionist, sex-workers, porn-actors, and above all, sexually available to men. how, exactly, is that *different* from what men have been telling women forever?

nothing new under the sun.

h/t to miska of fab-matters.

if i had a candy bar, and you wanted it, i would not have “candy-bar privilege”. if i had a nice dog and you wanted a nice dog like mine, i would not have “dog privilege.” you cant just say that any old goddamn thing i have that you want is a privilege. privilege means that there is *power* there, and girls and women dont possess any kind of gender-based power. exactly the opposite.

graphic used with permission, and originally published here.

Bouncer uses unnecessary force to remove gay man at guerrilla queer bar

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:46:13 +0000

This month’s Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar event took place at Million’s, sibling bar to Mount Lookout Tavern. Not unlike queerings past, women were allowed to dance on the stage or poles but men were not, resulting in the use of force against a gay man.

Many men were asked to leave the stage and were pulled down by a bouncer. Some tried to resist, but it wasn’t until a pair refused to leave the stage that the situation began to escalate, as evidenced in the video below.

The man was escorted out of the bar, but was quickly allowed back in by the manager, giving the man and his companion complimentary shots. After this, no more men were escorted off the women-only dancing stage.

When questioned, a man who identified himself as one of the managers of the bar said, “It is just the policy of bars in this area [to not allow men on the stage].”

That translates to, “The stage is reserved for the objectification of women.”

Bouncer slams gay man at straight bar

Ohio welcomes 10 LGBT public officials

Stuff Queer People Need To Know — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:54:58 +0000

Ohio has a lot to celebrate after this election. Not only will casinos finally be built in the Buckeye State, but 10 LGBT candidates were elected to office. Maybe the conservative tide in Ohio is turning.

Below is the welcomed list of new public officials:

Amanda Armstrong: Medina Educational Service Center Governing Board
Kevin Johnson: Portsmouth City Council Ward 1
Nickie Antonio: Lakewood City Council
Joe Lacey: Dayton City School Board
Mark Tumeo: Cleveland Heights City Council
Eric Resnick: Canton City School Board
Carol Fey: Bexley City School Board
Sandra Kurt: Akron City Council Ward 8
Jerry Larson: Akron Municipal Court
Jim Sands: Athens City Council

Those elected were mostly from the more northern areas, with Akron receiving a double queering.

“Democrats helped elect candidates young and old, male and female, gay and straight, from all geographical areas and of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds,” said Redfern. “Ohio Democrats fielded an unprecedented number of openly gay and lesbian candidates this year and achieved historic success by electing 10 of these candidates to office. We celebrate that success.”