More on Gays

When a ship returns home it’s tradition for sailors to get a kiss; because Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed, on December 23, 2011 a kiss between 2 women was shown on TV. In January 2012, JC Penny took flack because they announced Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson. Ellen via JC Penny and others have been helping schools and average Americans – this should be commended, not ridiculed. (On May 4 ABC picked Ellen as their person of the week; 15 years ago on her sitcom she told the nation she was Gay; Oprah got crap for being the show’s psychiatrist and advertisers like JC Penney dropped their ads; there were death threats and the religious right condemned her; her mother continues to give her support saying she’s a good person; because of Ellen other shows have dared to have Gay parts and she’s #31 on Forbes’ list of the most powerful celebrities; her talk show has now been on for 10 years.) Because Cynthia Nixon of Sex in the City said she’s been straight and she’s been Gay and chooses to be Gay - it brought out some outrage and confusion among Americans. I wrote a lot about Gays in my December 16-22, 2011 - blogs (False Prophets - Gays and the Government).  

On February 7 the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals by a 2 to 1 vote overturned California’s Proposition 8. On June 5 MercuryNews.com reported - In a brief order the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reconsider its ruling this year that struck down Proposition 8, finding the 2008 law unconstitutional because it stripped gay and lesbian couples of the right to marry. The appeals court denied a request from Proposition 8 backers for a rehearing before a special 11-judge panel. Under the court's order, same-sex couples will not be allowed to marry during the 90 days Proposition 8 supporters have to appeal to the Supreme Court. That next step is inevitable. Andy Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, the measure's sponsor, vowed to "promptly" file the petition, saying supporters look forward to a "positive outcome" in the Supreme Court. As a result, the Supreme Court would jump headlong into the national debate over gay marriage in its next term which will begin on the eve of the November presidential election. The 9th Circuit's order comes less than a week after a federal appeals court in Boston found the federal government's 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional (the 9th Circuit is expected to hear a similar DOMA case in the fall) heightening the prospect the Supreme Court may be forced to consider both state and federal gay marriage restrictions. (On May 8 North Carolina voters passed legislation which defines marriage as strictly between a man and a woman.) If the justices take up the California legal battle they would be expected to hear arguments early next year and rule by June 2013.

On March 17 Dharun Ravi, the Rutgers student who posted the video of his roommate having a Gay encounter which led to his suicide on September 22, 2010, was found guilty on all counts; New Jersey Superior Court Judge Glenn Berman gave him 30 days in jail, ordered 3 years probation, 300 hours of community service, undergo counseling, pay a $10,000 fine that will go to an organization providing assistance to victims of bias crimes, and recommended that he not be deported. On April 20 students across America took a vow of silence for the day, some taping their mouths, to show support of Gays and Lesbians having to keep silent when bullied. On May 6 it was reported that an Indianapolis, Indiana mother gave her Gay son a stun gun to protect himself from bullies - said it was constant and intimidating and the school did nothing to stop the bullies; he used the stun gun one time when 6 students surrounded him and he felt threatened; he held it in the air and fired (never used it on someone) and the guys backed up and he went on to class; the principal said – if he dresses flamboyantly “kids are going to say whatever it is they want to say”; it’s against school policy to have a stun gun at school and the boy was arrested, immediately suspended and then expelled. Indianapolis WISH-TV reported May 14: After media reports on his expulsion Darnell ‘Dynasty’ Young ran into more trouble last weekend at the Circle Center Mall when a man recognized and attacked him. According to court documents, Khyran Delay, 34, accosted the teen in the food court while he was on break from work; Delay faces a charge of battery, a Class A misdemeanor. (The Indiana Youth Group held a silent rally at the Indianapolis Public Schools board meeting on May 15 in response to the expulsion of Young.)

In May the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) released its yearly assessment of hate violence against people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and HIV-affected (LGBTQH) and though rates of violence declined by 16% in 2011, the number of murders increased to 30, the highest total ever documented. Countering homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in laws, police forces, and communities at large can help reduce the risk factors for this community. On June 7 the NCAVP reported 1 murder and 16 incidents in May and is concerned by the violence impacting the LGBTQH communities across the US (incidents were reported in the media in Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

This discussion is not over but I’m going to side step to what’s been going on in California.