Love Conquers Hate and Together We Have Strength

Sorted under GLBTQ, international on November 27, 2009

Miriam Mercado’s son, Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, was brutally murdered, dismembered, decapitated, and his remains were partially burned two weeks ago in Puerto Rico. News of this devastating hate crime has sparked outrage within and around the GLBT community and their allies throughout the world and earlier this week, candlelight vigils took place all across the United States. The photos and video footage of those candlelight vigils will be used in efforts for full prosecution in the case, as well as getting this case prosecuted as Puerto Rico’s first ever hate crime on the books.

On the day those candlelight vigils took place, Miriam Mercado spoke out against her son’s murder and she had a sound message to deliver to everyone–that love conquers hate and together, we have strength. I am so in awe of this woman’s strength and the compassion she has that she is sending to those around the world who know her story and keep the memory of her son alive today.

Transcript:
Keep in mind that this is a loose translation from Spanish to English, some sentences frankly don’t make a lot of sense but the tremendous message that love conquers hate and no person, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves to be treated any less than any other person is very much in tact.

Hi. My name is Miriam. I am Steven’s mom. My family and I are incredibly grateful for all the love, the unconditional support that you have given me. That’s what gives me the strength, in part, it gives me the force for me to bring a message: Love conquers hate. And this we have to shout to the world because… Steven was a human being. He was my son. He was a brother. I ask you and beg you, everyone in the world, that we should love everyone else no matter what’s there. Behind of what is there, there is a human being, just like my son, who did not deserve this. In the name of my family and my own, I offer my hand, I don’t have how to pay back every… the demonstrations and the love that I have received. So we are all going to bring a message: Love conquers hate. And together, we have strength.



This 10 Year Old Won’t Stand for a Country that Doesn’t Support its GLBTQ Population

Sorted under GLBTQ, politics on November 20, 2009

Will Phillips Will Phillips is an exceptionally bright 10 year old boy who recently skipped a grade in school and whose family had always taught him to be aware of what’s right, wrong, and what’s fair. The family has many friends in the gay community and they are allies for the community, having attended pride parades and standing up for the rights of their gay and lesbian neighbors, including their right to marry and to adopt. Will has always tried to analyze things (because he wants to be a lawyer) and it is that logic he uses when he hears the pledge of allegiance and has determined that we do not really live in a country that gives liberty and justice for all, which is why he has refused to stand up and recite the pledge of allegiance in school–after asking his parents if it was illegal to not recite it, of course.

The first time Will refused to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance he had a sub at school, a woman who had known his mother and grandmother. When he refused, this woman got angry and resorted to telling Will that she knew his mother and grandmother and that they would want him to stand up and recite the pledge of allegiance. Will is very, very lucky because he has a supportive family who raised him to respect and taught him about the unfairness that GLBTQ people are treated with by their own country. Of course this substitute teacher was incredibly out of line to tell him that she knew his mother and that she would want him to stand up and recite the pledge when if she truly knew his mother for the woman that she is, she would know that his mother lets him make his own decisions and come to his own conclusions with his analysis, and as long as he is not hurting anyone (and in this case he is actually extending love to others and standing up for the same people that are discriminated against) I do not see the problem.

There are undoubtedly people all across the country who have heard Will’s story and support him for exercising his right not to stand up and recite the pledge of allegiance, but where there are supporters, there are people who are condemning him and taking the completely close-minded ‘America: Love It or Love It‘ stance. One comment I saw on another blog that mimicked everything that we constantly hear from people who think they stand for the people of this country but really all they stand for is homophobia, bigotry and blind admiration for the country:

This kid doesn’t deserve to live in this country. We have soldiers overseas fighting to save his sorry *** and he can’t have the respect for the nation that he lives in to say a simple pledge? If he doesn’t support this country he can find someplace else to live because anyone who takes dislike to this country can feel free to take their ignorant selves elsewhere. I understand him supporting gay rights but first of all, the national government doesn’t even control laws about homosexuality because it was not a power given to them in the constitution; it is a right reserved for state legislation. If he is so knowledgeable in this area of politics he should also be aware that Arkansas, like most southern state, is a very traditional, conservative state and one that frowns upon homosexuality, in this case i could understand him not supporting his state because they do exactly what he is against. That being said, even if the national government did have control over issues like this, it’s still not an excuse to support the pledge. It’s very simple, if you don’t support the country than the country shouldn’t support you and you can find somewhere else to live like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Somalia etc. and then see how bad it is to live here! This kid has a lot to learn! He is being just as ignorant as the gay bashers that he is fighting against and if you’re supporting this your just as ignorant as that kid too!

I seriously love this kid and sticking to his convictions about the discrimination against GLBTQ people in this country. When the war in Iraq started I was in high school and I was (and still am, obviously) opposed to the wars that we are currently sacrificing our soldiers for. So in the mornings in home room, I refused to stand or recite the pledge of allegiance. Of course, just like in Will’s case, it caused quite a stir with my teachers who were offended by me and my refusal to “support my country.” I ended up having to get a note written by my father saying that it was fine for me not to stand and recite the pledge of allegiance and present it to the principal. Thankfully, my father has always respected my opinions and decisions, in life and my political stance, and because I have been gifted with my father’s sarcasm and sense of humor, he did write a letter to my principal… telling him that he does not remember having to write a note giving me permission to stand up and recite the pledge of allegiance in the first place. No, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Way to go Will, keep fighting the good fight!



Help Make Puerto Rico Prosecute the Murder of 19 Year Old Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado as a Hate Crime

Sorted under GLBTQ, international on November 19, 2009

Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado On November 14th the body of 19 year old Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was found on an isolated road in Cayey, Puerto Rico. His body was partially burned, both of his arms and legs, as well as his torso were dismembered and he was also decapitated. While giving a televised statement, the police officer on this case said that Mercado deserved what happened to him. But in what case would someone possibly deserve to be tortured like this? Well, because he was gay and if that wasn’t heart-wrenching enough, the suspected murderer in the case is claiming self-defense, which will undoubtedly be used to invoke gay panic throughout the communities where this case has spread.

The suspected murderer is 26 year old Juan Antonio Martinez Matos, who has confessed to the murder and torture of Mercado, whom he believed at first to be a female prostitute. When discovering that he was a man, Matos who also claims he had been molested at a young age, thus his immense homophobia and bigotry, stabbed, dismembered and decapitated Mercado; he then set the remains of the body on fire. Where the whole self-defense thing comes in is when he claims that he was almost stabbed by the victim.

The police officer on the case stated during his televised statement, “These types of people, when they enter this lifestyle and go out into the streets know that this could happen.”

Sadly, this police officer’s statement is the same way many Puerto Ricans still feel and never in Puerto Rico has a crime been tried as a hate crime. This is unacceptable; what happened to Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado is unacceptable and incredibly sad. Someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity is never to harm someone physically or emotionally. Luckily, someone is speaking out about the hateful comments made by the police officer in this case. Activist Pedro Julio Serrano said, (this is loosely translated from Spanish to English) “It is inconceivable that the investigating officer suggests that the victim deserved his fate, like a woman deserves rape for wearing a short skirt. We demand condemnation of this investigator and demand that Superintendente Figueroa Sancha replace him with someone capable of investigating this case without prejudice.” Well said.

Because this case has outraged many within the GLBT community and their allies and many have been speaking out about this case, candlelight vigils for Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado will be held throughout the United States. On Sunday, November 22nd a vigil ceremony will be held in New York at Manhattan’s Pier 45 at 5:00pm. The Manhattan vigil will take place in conjunction with satellite Sunday vigils in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Durham and many other American cities. The photos and video footage of these vigils will be used in efforts for full prosecution in this case, as well as getting this case prosecuted as the first ever hate crime in Puerto Rico.

You can also support the efforts of the prosecution of this case as well the family and friends of Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado by joining the Facebook page.



Obama’s Excuse for Not Overturning ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’–”It’s a Generational Issue”

Sorted under GLBTQ, politics on July 5, 2009

Barack Obama has been in the White House for six months now and in the minds of many Americans, Obama has transformed into two different people. On one hand, there’s Barack Obama the 2008 presidential candidate. He was the candidate who (obviously) most of the country was in awe of; who made our jaws drop and our hearts fill of legitimate hope for ourselves, for our families, and for our country every time we tuned in to watch a town hall meeting or debate, or when we heard clips of his speeches being played on the radio, or when we repeatedly listened to that damn addicting Yes We Can song from will.i.am. He was the person we woke up early to cast our ballots for on election day and whose name we repeated throughout the day when we excitedly proclaimed that we had voted for the person who we believed could repair our crumbling America.

On the other hand, there’s Barack Obama the President of the United States of America. He is a man who still retains much of the support he had when we were rushing to our local polling stations and picking up carloads of our friends and family to make sure that they could vote in such a historic and meaningful election and could be a part of the New America we had envisioned. But there are many who are tired; who are restless and who don’t glue themselves to the television every time he speaks anymore or get teary-eyed when they listen to his image of the ideal America. We have our own images of the ideal America; the America where each and every single American citizen matters and whose voice counts for something and we had entrusted Barack Obama to put an end to the Republican-coddling government that we were faceless, nameless, and voiceless sheep for. We have an image of an America where each and every single person is created equal, no matter what.

We have been a country lead by the Obama Administration for six months and we are very far from all Americans achieving equal rights and we are frustrated.

Obama talked a good game during his candidacy about the future of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He made it abundantly clear that he was morally and professionally against the ruling that strictly forbids openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving their country. Most notably recently, the US Army National Guard willingly lost Arabic linguist Lt. Dan Choi merely because he happens to be a gay American. While he may be the poster person for the push back of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell at the moment, Lt. Dan Choi is one of 12,500 Americans to be fired from their jobs because of who they are. Choi sent an open letter to Barack Obama and to every member of Congress asking them not to deny him the right to serve and protect his country but regardless of his efforts, he was fired and more Americans are dealing with the same circumstances because of a law that denies that America is the free and equal country that it claims to be. The America that our troops are serving and protecting right now is a lie and until every American has the right to excel in a career of their choice and to exist without having to hide who they are, the soldiers who we send overseas to protect our country will continue to serve in vain.

Below is a segment from the Rachel Maddow show (although Rachel Maddow is not present, boo!) about a recent speech that Obama had given regarding Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. His charisma attempts to cut through the thick air of waiting and frustration, and as he acknowledges that fact that he can’t tell the American people to be patient anymore, he merely… you guessed it, tells us to be patient.

But what’s the holdup regarding overturning the bigoted and hateful law that is Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?

Saying “We’re going to get this done” is yet another tactic used to ease people’s concerns at the present moment, satisfy them enough so they think they have received an answer, and you can move on to the next person to give them the same vague, unresponsive response.

Obama knows that about 75% of the American public supports the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and he is worried about the “generational issue” or “gap,” what’s the plan of action, then? Is Obama waiting for all of the older people who are offended by the fact that a gay man or a lesbian woman is protecting the country they live in die so he can have the support of all living American people who believe in equality? To state that there is a generational issue and that you need to convince these people that allowing people to serve in the military and also exist as the human being that they are is a cop out answer to me. There are going to be people who do not agree with your position but as the president, you have the power to stand up for the people who are looking to you for help and who are looking to you to stand up for what you believe in and know is right. If Bush could start two wars, royally screw the economy, and send the entire middle class into a downward spiral, can’t the president also repeal a law that is ruining the careers and the lives of the people who wish to serve their own country, or at the very least put something into effect that prohibits the discharge of gay and lesbian soldiers until we can completely overturn Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?



Video Montage of the Meet in the Middle 4 Equality Rally in Fresno, CA

Sorted under GLBTQ on June 1, 2009

The Meet in the Middle 4 Equality rally in Fresno, CA took place on Saturday, May 30, the first Saturday after the California Supreme Court upheld discrimination in the state by upholding Prop 8, eliminating the fundamental civil right to marry for thousands of same sex couples in the state.

Here is a video montage of the rally. 26 different speakers appear in the video below, including (but not limited to):

The LGBT equality march, March on Washington, will take place on October 10-11.



HIV Still Seen as the ‘Gay Man Disease’

Sorted under GLBTQ, health on May 28, 2009

I thought that the whole ‘only gay men have HIV’ hysteria had passed in the late 1980’s; that someone had educated the obviously sex-education-sheltered population at some point letting them know that sexually transmitted diseases and infections affect well, sexually active people… Male, female, of all sexual orientations. However, I recently learned that in the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, and Hong Kong, discrimination is still going strong–Even to the point of being eligible to advance the health of others.

If you are a gay male living in any of the above countries, you are prohibited from donating blood. Why? Because if you’re a gay male, you have HIV… And if you don’t have HIV, it will be a mere matter of time before you realize that indeed, you do.

I had no idea that this was going on. I have never donated blood in my life due to a severe, life-long phobia of syringes. You couldn’t pay me to go anywhere near a syringe for any reason short of laying on my death bed in need of a blood transfusion. And if it was suggested that I needed blood for any reason but would not die… Yeah, you’re going to have to convince me further because there is no way anyone is coming near me with a syringe. When I was a child, you had to promise me that we weren’t going to the doctor’s pretty much any time I had to leave the house during the day for a reason other than needing to go to school and if we did wind up at the doctor’s, I have been known to walk into the office, see the syringe, and immediately flee the building and refuse to go back in, clinging and grabbing onto anything as I was carried against my will back into the doctor’s office. This situation has not gotten any better in the years of adulthood.

While the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, and Hong Kong prohibit gay males from donating blood, even if you have not been sexually active in years, other countries are not doing much better on the discrimination poll. In South Africa and New Zealand, gay and bisexual men cannot give blood up until they have not been sexually active for five years, whether it was protected sex or not and in Argentina, Australia, Japan, and Hungary, the ban on gay blood resides until after one year of not being sexually active.

The reasoning behind this ban is said to be due to practicality and not intended to be discriminatory in a malicious manner.

“All donated blood is obviously tested carefully – but it can take a few months for the HIV virus to show up. So if you only recently contracted HIV and you then give blood, you can unwittingly inject the virus into the blood bank. Gay men are seven times more likely to contract HIV than straight men. So it has been judged that the risk is simply too great.”

Even given the statistics used here, there are so many statistics out there done by so many different organizations giving completely different information so what this could have been a product of is simply picking the statistic tha best fuels your reasoning for needlessly discriminating against a group of people for the sake of discrimination. Bottom line, people are dying because there are not enough people willing to donate blood and instead of taking the blood of the people who are giving it, health industries around the world are still fueled by bigoted politics, especially given the fact that all blood banks test the blood they receive. All of them. No matter what. Not one drop of blood comes from a blood bank to a person in need of that blood without it having been tested. Why? Because sometimes people honestly don’t know that they have contracted a sexually transmitted infection and HIV is not the only STI that can be passed through blood, there is also hepatitis B, syphilis, and herpes.

The only answer to this blatant discrimination of gay males is education. It is so important to be educated and to educate those around you in whatever way you can to raise awareness about important issues like safe sex, blood donation, and STIs. The more people who become educated about these issues the less people we will have still believing that HIV is strictly the gay male disease.

h/t Amplify



Prop 8 Decision Day: California Upholds Discrimination

Sorted under GLBTQ, random acts of activism on May 26, 2009

Prop 8

The California Supreme Court upheld the discriminatory Proposition 8 and has yet again told its same sex citizens that they are not worthy of equal protection under the law. While the 18,000 same sex marriages that were performed in the short amount of time that the state recognized gay marriage in 2008 will be upheld, the option of marriage for thousands of other same sex couples in the state will not be able to become a reality–At least not until Prop 8 is overturned.

While Prop 8 has won this battle, we cannot (and will not!) let it win the war. All couples deserve the same fundamental civil rights regardless of sexual orientation. Plans are already being formulated to overturn Prop 8 by bringing the question of same sex marriage back to the ballot in California.

The Courage Campaign is scheduled to hit the California airwaves within the next 72 hours with a 60 second television advertisement of Fidelity–The most-watched video ever in the history of California politics. They are also launching a new television ad in the spirit of Harvey Milk’s call to come out, wherever you are, and proudly tell the stories of the people most affected by the passage of Prop 8.

To find out where the Day of Decision rally is tonight in your town, text “RALLY” and your zip code to 27336 and you will immediately receive a text message with the event closest to your neighborhood.

The Feminist Majority Foundation has also put together a petition and needs supporters of equal rights to take the love and equality pledge that says we refuse to quit until all people are equal under the law.

Edited to Add: I was on my laptop when putting this up and didn’t get to see the video for the new Fidelity television advertisement from the Courage Campaign. Watch it below:



Prop 8 Decision Day

Sorted under GLBTQ on May 25, 2009

Prop 8 The California Supreme Court has recently announced that it will release its decision on the fate of Proposition 8–Whether it will uphold the Constitution and recognize equal protection under the law, or uphold discrimination by taking away fundamental civil rights from a minority–at 1pm on Tuesday, May 26.

At 1pm on Saturday, May 30, thousands of supporters of marriage equality for everyone, rather than just the majority of the Californian population–Both LGBT people and their allies–will “Meet in the Middle 4 Equality” to either celebrate the decision to give all people the same right to marriage, or to protest the ruling that in the eyes of Californian government, LGBT people are not the same as or as deserving for their marriages to be recognized by their state.

You can sign up to receive an email about the California Supreme Court’s decision the moment it is announced from the Courage Campaign by clicking here or you can get the Supreme Court’s decision texted to your cell phone. To sign up just text “DECISION” to 27336.



Happy Birthday Harvey Milk!

Sorted under GLBTQ on May 22, 2009

Harvey Milk Today would have been Harvey Milk’s 79th birthday. It also would have been an official day of significance in the state of California, had Governor Schwarzenegger not vetoed legislation to declare every May 22 as officially Harvey Milk Day.

Last year, the Governor stated that Harvey Milk was merely a local hero; not a man worthy of remembrance with an official day of significance. But we can officially say that this is not true–And an Academy Award proves it. Harvey Milk taught the people who surrounded and supported him the principles that he stood for and he never backed down from what he believed. He believed in being out in every part of one’s life, building coalitions as part of a broader social justice movement, and never settling for less than full equality. These principles are still true and needed today.

This year, on Harvey Milks 79th birthday, the Governor has another chance to sign the Harvey Milk Day legislation, authored by Senator Mark Leno, making Harvey’s 80th birthday and every birthday thereafter an official day of significance and remembrance in the state of California.

Sign the petition to be sent to Governor Schwarzenegger to urge him not to veto the Harvey Milk Day legislation. Make sure he knows that Harvey Milk is not only of local significance, but is an inspiration to all gays, lesbians, and allies who have had the distinct pleasure to learn of him and what he believed in and worked for to advance equality.



Third Grader Organizes Gay Marriage Rally

Sorted under GLBTQ, random acts of activism on May 21, 2009

This has me smiling. A lot.

As part of an independent class project, Ethan McNamee organized a same sex marriage rally in Colorado. His incredibly powerful speech is below. Now folks, this is what happens when you raise your children to think for themselves and to be a good human. I would also like to mention that Ethan doesn’t sound confused by same sex marriage in the least. Just sayin’…

h/t TakePart



Pages: 1 2 3 »5 Next