The Bilerico Project Is Ending

For over five years - actually almost six years - I have had the privilege of being a contributor to The Bilerico Project, an LGBT blog that the Washington Post once described as an LGBT version of the Huffington Post.   Now, as Bilerico founder and my friend Bil Browning explains, The Bilerico Project is shutting down.  In many ways this makes me very, very sad.  At the same time, I completely understand the burn out that comes from writing and or overseeing a blog.   My friend Pam Spaulding- whose writing skills I continually seek to emulate - closed down Pam's House Blend a few years ago.  Similarly, Andrew Sullivan closed down the Daily Dish more recently.   Seemingly, nothing has sprung up to replace these amazing blogs.  Truthfully, I wonder at times how much longer this blog (which dates back to April, 2007) will continue given the hours everyday that are consumed to keep it going.  Labors of love can be exhausting.  Meanwhile, the upside of gays being increasingly "mainstream" is that our own unique news outlets and cultural icons are steadily fading away.  Here in Hampton Roads gay clubs increasingly struggle as the younger generations go to all inclusive venues.   But I digress.  Here is Bil's final post:

Almost 11 years ago, I turned my personal homepage into a blog covering Indiana politics and LGBT issues. A few years later as more and more folks signed up to join me here, we turned our focus national and Bilerico Project was born.

We wanted to cover what was lacking on the big blogs at the time - real political and cultural analysis provided by LGBT movement leaders and everyday activists. We wanted diversity not only in our writers, but also their views. "What's the worst that could happen?" we thought. "No one likes the new format so we go back to our roots?" Thankfully, readers loved the expanded coverage and we were off to a roaring start.

Together we've covered a multitude of important stories. From George W Bush's election to the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, we've brought the best news and analysis we could. We've made a change in the Salvation Army's anti-LGBT policies and ensured an innocent HIV+ immigrant was released from prison to die surrounded by loved ones. Together, our writers and readers have made a difference.

Projects are meant to be temporary and so was Bilerico Project. After more than a decade, it's time to wrap up our experiment. The media landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade and so have our lives and the LGBT movement itself. It's time to turn the page and start something fresh in this new environment.

My first post in 2004 was a quote from Margaret Meade. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." I think we've done our part to make the world a better place.

This will be my last post on Bilerico Project. The site will be archived at bilericoproject.com so that all 31,000+ posts will still be available for readers. It's been a long strange journey and I've loved every single moment of it, but the time has come to end the project and call it a success. 

Personally, I'm going to take two weeks off to relax, look for a job, and work on my upcoming book. I will use bilerico.com as my personal blog again when I come back and I have a few ideas for starting something new and different. The spirit of Bilerico Project will live on and I plan on tapping into it as I move forward. I want to go back to my roots.

You'll be able to find essays and longform writing here and, of course, you can find my biweekly column in several LGBT newspapers, a daily news piece at advocate.com, and freelance writing all over the web. You can also like my Facebook fan page for updates on what I'm up to, what I'm writing, and how my ideas for bilerico.com are progressing.

It's been a long and amazing journey to get to this place, but I wouldn't change a thing about the past decade. It's been an honor to share it with all of you. I hope you feel the same.

I want to thank Bil for the honor and privilege he afforded me to be a Bilerico contributor.  I like to think that collectively, we helped to make a difference. Bilerico certainly assembled an amazing group of LGBT bloggers, many of whom I continue to count as friends (many of uds met in person at the LGBGT blogger summit in December, 2008, sponsored by Microsoft and Progressive Insurance). I hope as time goes by we can remain connected via Facebook and other means.  These people hold a special place in my heart.  Bil, thank you so much!

Goodbye Pam’s House Blend After 9 Years

One of the things that I have enjoyed most is the wonderful people that I have been privileged to meet via this blog, particularly the other attendees at the 2008 LGBT Blogger Summit in Washington, DC, financed in significant part by Microsoft and Progressive Insurance.  Among those - and there were many - I was privileged to meet and come to call a friend was Pam Spaulding, the blog mistress of "Pam's Hose Blend."  Indeed, for me Pam became a model of what I hoped to achieve as an LGBT blogger.  Often her wit, charm and amazing use of language made me break out laughing out loud.  Now, after nine (9) years of blogging, Pam is calling it quits for a number of reasons, some of which I well understand, especially the amount of time involved in trying to post meaningful information 365 days a year.  Here are excerpts of how Pam explains her decision:

All good things must come to an end, even after numerous awards and accolades, it’s time to acknowledge that I cannot continue to run on fumes alone. The Blend could continue limping along, but my health and well-being come first; over the last few years burning the candle at both ends with a full-time offline job and PHB. It has taken a severe toll — most readers have learned that I am dealing with chronic pain conditions — fibromylagia, and in the last couple of years, aggressive rheumatoid arthritis.

My decision to close the blog is just as reality-based as its content has been. If I cannot produce material at the frequency or with the same level of quality, enthusiasm and effectiveness, it’s really time to close the doors to this coffeehouse — and work to ensure it continues to have a life as an archive, a snapshot in our digital political history. Pamshouseblend.com will redirect to archives.

Looking back, I churned out pieces at an incredible pace — up to ten posts a day– many long-form pieces, commentary, curating news articles I thought my audience should check out, and occasionally (and increasingly) doing citizen journalism at news events and conferences. All of this while holding down a full-time day job with no connection to politics or activism. And most of of those posts were done in the wee hours, so I didn’t get much sleep over the lifespan of this blog.

Political blogging changed mainstream journalism in many ways. Save for a few who were able to monetize their blogs or who were cherry picked to help traditional outlets get their feet wet in new media, the vast majority of citizen journalists and opinion-makers toiled with little hope of quitting that day job. The LGBT movement was energized by the speed and reach of new media, and at times appeared quite threatened by it — mostly because it was a venue where Beltway orgs, and even the White House, didn’t see any possible way to co-opt or control what was being produced by this first generation of online political rabble rousers and activists. I’ve made a lot of great friends and met a lot of people along the way, and hopefully opened a few eyes, particularly with my posts about the intersection of LGBT and race.

The Blend sat in a unique place in all of this — I brought the perspective of a black lesbian living in the South to the dialogue — broadcasting a voice certainly not represented in the power structure of the LGBT movement. It was the first major blog to feature a transgender contributor, and it was important to me to bring talent to the blog from under-represented regions and voices.

By the way, I’m not disappearing into complete obscurity (though that would be OK as well), I’ll continue to be active on social media and make time to mentor folks as I can. It’s just time for someone else to pick up the ball and run with the daily activist grind, and forge new ground in an ever-shifting new media.

Speaking of which — on FDL, a rebranded blog will debut on the channel with my talented current contributors Laurel Ramseyer, Alvin McEwen and Autumn Sandeen. Look for more information on that effort soon.

I’ll have a “goodbye” post on July 1 that takes a look at some of PHB’s nine-year history.

Pam will always be one of my heroines and I hope she knows how much I love and respect her and all that she has done.  For non-bloggers and activists, it is hard to convey the intensity of some of the cyberspace friendships that can be made.  I myself have thought of shutting down this blog, but so far cannot quite let go of it.  I wish Pam the best of everything and I want to convey how much she will be missed, not only in her posts but quick and dirty advice when e-mailed and asked for information or her take on things.

HRBOR April Third Thursday Networking Event

This month's Hampton Roads Business OutReach ("HRBOR") business networking event will be this Thursday at the beautiful facility of Hampton House Auctions in downtown Hampton. The boyfriend and I attended Hampton Mayor Molly Ward's re-election kick off event at this beautiful facility and help set the wheels in motion to recruit Hampton House Auctions as a HRBOR member and a Third Thursday sponsor. I hope local readers will make an effort to attend. Here are details on the event:

WHERE: HAMPTON HOUSE AUCTIONS, a division of Antique Works LLC, one of the finest auction company in Southern Virginia, and offering a full range of services in the estate sale and auction arenas. From a single piece to entire home representation, Hampton House has handled some of the finest antiques, furniture, decorative art, fine art, jewelry and collections from New England to Florida. A full line appraisal service is also available for estate settlement, insurance valuation and charitable gifting. 197 West Queen Street, Hampton, Virgini 23669

When: Thursday, April 19th, 2012 6pm - 8pm

Parking: Ample parking at the host

Featured Non-profit: American Theater

Food and Beverage Sponsor: Geneva Perry of McDermott & Ward Law Offices

Cost: Free to Members; Guests $15.00

RSVP HERE

Peter LaBarbera Stoops to a New Low - Even By His Disgusting Standards

Back in December 2008 I had the very good fortune to meet Jeremy Hooper, editor of Good As You at the LGBT Blogger Summit in Washington, D.C. Jeremy is smart, witty, honest and willing to take the battle to defeat anti-gay lies to the Christianists who disseminate them. In contrast, Peter LaBarbera who I have interacted with at times over the years is, in my opinion, a self-loathing closet case who can't stand the fact that some gays have moved past their religious brainwashing and refuse to live an unhappy lie like LaBarbera is doing himself. Worse yet, from my dealings with LaBarbera he is a pathological liar who has made a career bouncing from one anti-gay "family values" organization. Now, after leaving - being fired? - a string of organizations, LaBarbera runs the disingenuously named "Americans for Truth About Homosexuality." I say disingenuously named because truth is one thing that is wholly missing when it comes to LaBarbera.

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Getting back to Jeremy, when he and his partner got married he posted about the wedding - which was a beautiful event and ultimately was featured in the 2010 Martha Stewart Weddings - to show the world the beauty of same sex love. Now, Peter LaBarbera has applied graffiti to one of Jeremy and Andrew's wedding photos in an attempt to making it into something ugly (see below). Jeremy may not want to attack LaBarbera in anger, but I have no such reticence. Porno Pete, you are disgusting and continue to be living proof of why one might be well advised to avoid self-congratulatory Christians like yourself and Christianity as a whole. The only perversion that I see is you, Porno Pete.

The Benefits of Gay Blogs for the LGBT Community

Admittedly, there are days when I feel like letting this blog die. It's a major time commitment and it's an effort to try to find interesting and at times different thought provoking things to write about. Search agents help, but it still takes time - as does finding male beauty photos which are still a lure for some readers (yep, Don, I'm thinking of you) who by the way do claim to read the articles as well. On the plus side, writing is good therapy for me and since I cannot afford to be on meds and seeing a therapist, blogging fills a void. Of course, the biggest plus is when I receive a wonderful message from some reader whom I unwittingly have touched. An article at Ezines Articles has identified other benefits of gay blogs - even if LGBT blogs are none too popular with the Obama crowd at the White House. In fact, the article makes the proposition that gay blogs help gays worldwide. Here are some highlights:
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In the information age, blogs have become important and popular tools that are instrumental to distributing knowledge and news to wide and diverse populations. As such, blogs are necessary tools for any group wishing to keep its members abreast of new information and developments. While blogs are important to any group, because of the way the LGBT community is spread out around the country and the world, gay blogs are even more important in making sure that all are kept up to date on items that are relevant and vital to LGBTs.
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One important benefit of gay blogs is that they promote greater awareness of issues that are important to the LGBT community. . . . Data about progress in one area could provide a way for others to push forward in another area.
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Another benefit of gay blogs is that they provide a way for LGBTs to meet other people and to discuss trends that they see occurring within the community or greater societal happenings that could ultimately cause an impact on other LGBTs.
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While news about progress and trends are helpful, blogs can have an even more tangible plus. As LGBTs are still often victims of discrimination and violence, blogs can have the very real impact of warning others about specific incidents and rallying people to fight institutions that continue to promote discrimination.
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Every day, LGBTs win more battles for equality and host more events that celebrate its members and their contributions. As a result, blogs can help spread news of these victories, which can serve as inspirations to others, and promote knowledge of and attendance at these events, so that they can achieve the greatest degree of success.
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A final important advantage to gay blogs is to raise funds and support for gay causes and LGBT friendly politicians. Every success for the LGBT community requires money and manpower to drive it further. Blogs are vital tools in rallying these resources and increased readership of gay blogs can help to form a more vibrant and engaged social force.
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Gay blogs have a vast potential to drive change, promote awareness, and mold a greater sense of family for LGBTs everywhere. Perhaps the greatest benefit of all is that gay blogs remind LGBTs that they truly are a community.

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I can personally state that blogging HAS made me feel more of a part of a larger community, both in terms of interactions with other bloggers and also in terms of knowing that others are enduring and battling along with me for the day when anti-gay bigotry and homophobia will be largely a thing of the past. Making a difference for the better is something I very much want to do.

Mike Rogers - Portrait of a Friend and Activist Mentor

Between starting to blog in 2007 and unanticipated involvement in situations involving the exposure of hypocrites harmful to the rights of of other gay citizens in 2003 and 2004 - i.e., ex-gay fraud Michael Johnston and former Congressman Ed Schrock - I unexpectedly was fortunate enough to get to know two activists who are never ceasing in their efforts to win full legal equality for LGBT Americans. One was Mike Rogers with whom I collaborated on the Ed Schrock story. While there are those who do not agree with Mike's campaign to "out" closeted politic ans who vote against their fellow LGBT citizens even as they solicit secret trysts for gay sex. I on the other hand applaud Mike's effort. If someone wants to remain in the closet, that's their decision - UNLESS they are actively seeking to impair my rights as a citizen and the rights of other gay Americans. Metro Weekly has a profile piece on Mike Rogers that looks at the many other things Mike does for the LGBT community in our struggle. The piece also looks at how Mike has mentored budding activists and helped create an amazing network for communications between activist, journalists and others via the invitation only list-serv that he maintains. Between putting together the 2008 LGBT Blogger Summit in Washington, D.C., which I was lucky enough to attend, and inviting me to the list-serv, Mike has helped me and my desire to make things better for our community to a huge extent. I hope everyone will read the full Metro Weekly piece. Here are some highlights:
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He's not much of a grandstander. In person, he's unassuming. He can laugh heartily, but he's otherwise fairly soft-spoken. His roots are in suburban New York, where he was raised in a two-parent household with two older siblings. And this is the guy the Washington Post dubbed ''the most feared man on the Hill?''
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Blow the whistle on a few closeted gay politicians and political operatives who are working to counter LGBT equality, and the title sticks. But while some corners of Washington may hate Rogers, he in turn loves the city.
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METRO WEEKLY: What's your involvement with Netroots Nation, exactly?
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MICHAEL ROGERS: I've been involved in Netroots Nation now going on my fourth year. The short of it is it's the national convention of new media, bloggers, activists – kind of the whole progressive left has been coming together at this convention that started out as more of an online blogger kind of thing. I do a number of things related to it. I run the LGBT caucus.
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I'm the director of the [independent] National Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative. We raise money and send LGBT bloggers to these conferences. On this one, we're doing $16,000 in scholarships. I'm also running the first pre-convention day for the LGBT community. The 25 recipients of our scholarships will be there. Representatives of LGBT organizations are coming in – everyone from Get Equal to HRC, across the spectrum.
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In 2008, with Netroots and bloggers, I brought together 60 bloggers here in D.C. for a long weekend of training, support, education, networking. We also did some joint events with the Victory Fund conference that coincided with it. We took that and said, ''We have this whole bunch of people who've been reading each other.'' But nobody knew each other. What's key here is taking ''online'' and bringing it ''offline,'' bringing that connection.
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There's a great gain in that. Look at voices like Pam Spaulding. Where would Pam be without the blogosphere? Here's a woman in the Raleigh-Durham [N.C.] area, working at a university, and now she's a really important voice in the community.
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MW: Although the outings can get pretty nasty – McKelway's interview, for example – there's another platform you're involved with that I've also seen get pretty nasty. You manage a listserv with hundreds of LGBT activists, journalists, movement leaders, etc. Sometimes that list gets pretty contentious.
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ROGERS: The reason I created the list was because no one knew who I was. I was looked at as, ''Who the hell is this? Who is this guy, showing up and dragging people out of the closet?'' I realized that in the movement there were so many people that don't understand what they're doing, where they come from.
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[The list] is a wonderful thing for the various parts of our community. . . . When I founded the list, my goal was to bring together all of these different viewpoints and perspectives. You have some viewpoints that are more liberal, some are relatively conservative. But I'm more interested in perspectives. What makes the list really unique is not only does it have activists and leaders of professional things, but it also reaches into every state. . . . It's really a response to a need to have a rapid-fire communication system.
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MW: So you're an organizer at heart?
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ROGERS: I'm a change agent at heart. Yes, organizing is a huge piece of that, but so is reporting and telling the truth. So is fundraising.

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Mike, thanks for all you have done to help me do more to try to make things better. Keep up the great work that you do.

More DADT Protests at The White House

I am a little behind the curve on this story since we had dinner with friends from the Netherlands this evening who have been stuck in the USA due to the airline flight cancellations in Europe because of the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland. That said, this afternoon proved newsworthy as six (6) LGBT activists - Lt. Dan Choi, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd, and Airman Victor Price - chained themselves to the White House gates in protest over Barack Obama's do nothing approach to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell which codifies religious based discrimination against gay service members. Among those who chained themselves were Dan Choi who I had the pleasure to speak with last year as well as Autumn Sandeen who writes for Pam's House Blend and who attended the LGBT Blogger Summit in 2008 with me in Washington, D.C. Today's action followed up activists heckling Obama as he spoke at a fundraiser last night for Senator Barbara Box. The White House reaction to the protests have been troubling for several. The first is Obama's pretense as to why he cannot understand why the LGBT community is not happy with him. Andrew Sullivan summed it up well on his blog this morning:
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Because, Mr President, it is not enough to be "supportive" of ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." When you have the presidency and your party controls both Houses of Congress, it's a matter of having the political will to end it. Not all gay people are HRC-fundraisers. Some are even risking their lives every day for this country, in uniform, only to be treated like second class human beings and citizens by their own government. Their own government? That means you, Mr President and Senator Boxer.
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More troubling is the fact that the Obama White House closed Lafayette Park in an apparent effort to keep the news media from reporting on what is obviously an embarrassing protests that calls out Obama for lying about his "support" for LGBT equality. I continue to believe that for all of the GOP's nastiness and dysfunctional aspects, Obama runs the risk of leading the Democrats to a debacle in November if the Democrat base is apathetic and stays home on election day. Virginia's 2009 elections ought to be a loud alarm bell to Congressional Democrats, but they and Obama act as if they are all stone deaf. Here are highlights from Pam's House Blend:
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In a move that suggests the White House is feeling the heat on its slow-motion approach toward repealing DADT, it's now resorted to trying to stop press coverage of direct actions. As Ben Smith of The Politico notes in his post "Most transparent White House ever...", closing Lafayette Park to the public during a demonstration is almost unheard of. Until now, when LGBT military veterans, including barista Autumn Sandeen, chained themselves to the White House fence today.
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Police chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park today in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members in full uniform handcuffed themselves to the White House gate to protest "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." People who have covered the White House for years tell me that's an extremely unusual thing to do in an area that regularly features protests.
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Personally, I am about over Obama's constant games and failures to deliver on his campaign promises. At some point it is difficult not to feel that his whole campaign - especially as pitched to the LGBT community - was not much more than a calculated lie. Dan Choi summed it up as follows:
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“We are handcuffing ourselves to the White House gates once again to demand that President Obama show leadership on repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ If the President were serious about keeping his promise to repeal this year, he would put the repeal language in his Defense Authorization budget. The President gave us an order at the Human Rights Campaign dinner to keep pressure on him and we will continue to return to the White House, in larger numbers, until the President keeps his promise to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ this year."

Three Year Anniversary Retrospective

Yesterday was the three year anniversary of the day that I began seriously blogging on a regular basis and talking about my own coming out story and whatever else struck my mind on this blog. A lot has happened in that period - my divorce finally became final, I managed to survive a series of court hearings before typically homophobic judges - one even opined in writing that sexual orientation is a choice - a suicide attempt, the launch of HRBOR, the end of one relationship and the beginning of a new and wondrous one, the law firm has managed to survive so far despite the horrific economy, I attended the LGBT Blogger Summit in December 2008 and the National Equality March last October, the boyfriend and I have lived through the flooding of our home last November 12th and the repair and renovation saga (which hopefully will be over next week), I was initiated to Key West, I became a contributor to The Bilerico Project, my youngest daughter began working for me at the firm, and I followed my son's progress on the Appalachian Trail. The list goes on and on. Through it all, this blog and my readers have been a source of therapy and support beyond measure. I want to thank every one of my almost 170,000 visitors and hope you will continue to stay with me on the journey.
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I also want to thank the boyfriend for his support and understanding of my blogging. He calls this blog his only serious competitor. Blogging takes a part of each morning and an hour or more each evening, yet he supports my efforts and the blog has introduced both of us to interesting people and experiences. Thank you to all of you.

Join Us Wednesday Night On Gay Agenda BlogTalkRadio

UPDATE: We had an enjoyable hour and a half wide ranging conversation on Blog Radio. If anyone has an interest in hearing the show, you can do so by going here and clicking "play" on tonights episode. Thanks James for hosting.

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This blogger and host, James Hipps of Gay Agenda, as well as Lyndon Evans of Focus on the Rainbow, and others bloggers will be talking about gay issues and the community Wednesday night, December 16 between 8 PM and 9 PM (ET). Lyndon is one of my first blogosphere friends and James was also an attendee at the LGBT Blogger Summit last December in Washington, D.C.

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NOTE – Because there may be some other LGBT bloggers joining tonight’s open forum, the show will be extended to 9:30 PM.
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It will be an open forum of any topics that come to mind. You can listen, call-in to talk or join the chat at Gay Agenda on BlogTalkRadio.

Pam's House Blend Makes Technorati's Top 50 U.S. Politics Blogs

I want to extend sincere congratulations to Pam Spaulding and her group at Pam's House Blend for making the top 50 political blogs in the USA (the Blend landed at #40). It's a well deserved achievement and we should all be proud of what the Blend has become. Getting to know Pam at the LGBT Blogger Summit last December was a real treat and her wit, passion and willingness to call things as she sees them are an inspiration. The Blend is definitely one of my must read blogs every day. The amazing thing, of course, is that bloggers like Pam make a difference without the huge funding available to the MSM which in comparison is too often lazy, unwilling to do more than parrot BS handed to it, and never willing to call folks bigots and liars. Here's some of Pam's reaction:
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[W]ritten by unfunded politically-minded, coffee-stained, PJ-wearing baristas, competing on the list against corporatized, institutional, media-backed and think-tank blogs on that list. If you removed all of those funded political blogs like The Politico, CNN's Political Ticker, Think Progress, et. al., the Blend would be in the top 25 political blogs in the nation.

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That's quite terrifying to me on some level to see the blog's reach and influence; after all, 1) it's not generated from inside the Beltway or a major media market; 2) it's a diverse roster of contributors; 3) it's run by a black lesbian with a lot of LGBT and race-focused content. I wonder what has been the reason for this success? I really don't have a clue when you see the Blend stacked up against all those other influential blogs.

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Oh, just so you know, I've never been approached by any media entity or institution to "buy out" or fully subsidize PHB, so I doubt you'll see that happening any time soon, despite the ranking. It sits in an odd niche, has a quirky collection of voices, and no one would want to see it radically change even if that meant stability and guarantee of sustainability. Of course that also means it could just go away at any time due to its current model of flying by the seat of your independent pants.

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In my view, Pam is far too modest. She is an amazing person and a role model for those of us who are frustrated part time journalists and columnists. Again, congratulations Pam and crew!!

Gay is NOT the New Black

At the Blogger Summit on the weekend of December 5-7, I had the privilege of meeting Rev. Irene Monroe (pictured at left) who was one of the summit attendees. Rev. Monroe is a Ford Fellow and doctoral candidate at Harvard Divinity School. One of Monroe's outreach ministries is the several religion columns she writes - "The Religion Thang," for In Newsweekly, the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender newspaper that circulates widely throughout New England, "Faith Matters" for The Advocate Magazine, a national gay & lesbian magazine, and "Queer Take," for The Witness, a progressive Episcopalian journal.

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As a black minister she had some unique perspectives on what the larger LGBT community needs to do to build a more cohesive coalition to further the cause of LGBT rights. While I do not necessarily subscribe to all of Irene's views, she is on point on some issues and her views are worth considering. Pam's House Blend has a diary written by Irene and here are some highlights:

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The Proposition 8 debate has brought much consternation and polarization between white LGBTQ communities and African Americans. . . . . But here's an example that defused the tension in much of the heterosexual African American community when it was publicly arguing that same-sex marriage is not a civil rights issue: In commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Loving v. Virginia in the June 12, 1967 historic Supreme Court decision that advanced racial and marriage equality in this country, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., marked the anniversary by stating the following: "It is undeniable that the experience of African Americans differs in many important ways from that of gay men and lesbians; among other things, the legacy of slavery and segregation is profound. But differences in historical experiences should not preclude the application of constitutional provisions to gay men and lesbians who are denied the fight to marry the person of their choice." And in April of 2006, NAACP LDF filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case brought by New York same-sex couples challenging their exclusion from marriage.

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But the Marriage Equality movement neither extends its reach beyond its concerns within its community nor outside of it. How the marriage debate should have been framed -- in a way that speaks truth to various LGBTQ communities of color and classes -- has not been given considerable concern.

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And with no public language to adequately articulate the unique embodiment of LGBTQ communities of color and classes within the same-sex marriage debate, this has become contentious. The dominant white queer languaging of this debate, at best, muffles the voices of these communities, and, at worst, mutes them. In other words, in leaving out the voices of LGBTQ communities of color and classes, the same-sex marriage debate is hijacked by a white upper class queer universality that not only renders these marginalized queer communities invisible, but -- as it is presently framed -- also renders them speechless.

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If African American LGBTQ people are not included in the history and in the decision -making issues involving queer life, how then can the movement expect our participation, let alone the rest of the African American community? Sadly, if racism continues to go unchecked in the Marriage Equality movement it won't only cost California's LGBTQ community the right to marry, it will cost us all.

LGBT Blogger Summit - Initial Reflections

This past weekend I attended the LGBT Blogger and Citizen Journalist Initiative in Washington, D.C., and the only way to describe the experience is that it was AMAZING!! We had approximately 83 attendees and/or presenters and in addition to being very informative and educational, the event provided an amazing opportunity to meet other bloggers in person, build connections and friendships and hopefully set the stage for increased collaboration to move forward the struggle for full LGBT equality under the law. A partial blog roll can be found here and Pam Spaulding has several posts on the event at Pam's House Blend which give an overview of the sessions, and posts can also be found at Gay Agenda, Joe My God (which includes a photo of yours truly with the boyfriend and Adele, a blogger from Richmond), Andres Duque, and Father Tony (of Billerico Project).

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Another unexpected surprise was that we were able to attend a special showing of the move "Milk" which was followed by remarks by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin and a panel question and answer discussion which included Milk contemporary Clive Jones, screen writer Dustin Lance Black, and producer Bruce Cohen. The movie is very moving and for those who are too young to remember the time period it will bring to life an era that has parallels to what is happening currently with the Christianist/Mormon jihad against equality for LGBT citizens.

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I will be posting further reflections and why I believe the summit - and hopefully future summits - was important over the next few days . The energy and intellect assembled in the group was truly amazing. I am most grateful to Mike Rogers for organizing the event and Jonathan Lewis, Microsoft, Bolthouse Farms, and others who helped make the event possible.