57% of Perriello’s Gubernatorial Campaign Funds Come From Outside Virginia

Ralph Northam (with his wife Pam)  - the Best Choice for 2017

Democratic gubernatorial ticket would be spoiler Tom Perriello is billing himself as a grass roots, populist candidate versus Lt. Governor Ralph Northam who has the backing of both the Democrat establishment in Virginia and a huge grassroots network of his own.  Yet, a story in the Washington Post reveals that 57% of Perriello's contributions derive from out of state sources and  come primarily large donors.  In contrast, only 11% of Ralph Northam's funding comes from outside of Virginia.   The take away?  Perriello's is depicting himself as a grassroots populist but his campaign funding tells us otherwise.   If you want someone who will represent Virginians and their best interests in the Governor's mansion, Perriello is not your man. Sadly, Perriello is putting his ego ahead of Virginia's best interest.

On the issue of LGBT rights, I can only hope that LGBT Virginian's will not be duped by Perriello. Of the two, Ralph Northam - who I have known from the beginning of is state senate career - is the true LGBT ally and the right person to move Virginia forward.  In fact, in sharp contrast to Northam's campaign webpage, Perriello's campaign webpage mentions LGBT rights only in passing.  Here are highlights from the Post article:

Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam had almost twice as much campaign cash available as rival Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello two months ahead of the primary, according to data compiled Tuesday by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).

Northam had $3.3 million available as of March 31, compared with Perriello’s $1.7 million. But Perriello, a former congressman and State Department official, has outraised Northam since his unexpected entry into the race in early January, taking in $2.2 million to Northam’s $1.4 million.

Perriello’s haul was buoyed by several massive campaign contributions, with half of his money coming from four donors, while Northam was barred from fundraising during the 46-day General Assembly session that ended in late February.

Overall, 57 percent of Perriello’s money came from outside Virginia, compared with 11 percent out-of-state donations for Northam, according to VPAP. Perriello reported about 5,200 total donors, compared with about 11,000 total donors for Northam in the latest period, according to VPAP’s analysis of the numbers.

On the Republican side of the contest, the Post reports as follows:

In the Republican primary field, Ed Gillespie maintained his commanding financial edge in the three-person contest, raising nearly $1.9 million, which, combined with earlier fundraising, left him with just over $3 million on hand.

Gillespie’s donors reflected his former role as a top-level Republican consultant, with 49 percent of his money coming from out of state. Former president George W. Bush, who attended a Dallas fundraiser for Gillespie, kicked in $25,000, and strategist Karl Rove gave $20,000. Edward St. John, a real estate executive and philanthropist from Baltimore who gives heavily to GOP candidates, was Gillespie’s top donor in the most recent period at $50,000. Gillespie reported about 3,600 donors in total.

Corey A. Stewart, the Republican chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, had a little more than $400,000 available after taking in and spending about $300,000 in the first three months of the year. Frank Wagner, a state senator from Virginia Beach who also is subject to the fundraising ban during a legislative session, reported that his campaign treasury dwindled to $178,000 after he raised just $58,000 and spent more than $250,000.

Of the three mentioned Republicans, the only one event remotely LGBT friendly is Frank Wagner who I have known since 1994.

STUDY: Millennials Most Likely to Be LGBT or Accepting

Keeping his promises made to a who's who of Christian extremists in June, 2016, Der Trumpenführer is waging war on the LGBT community and has erased the LGBT community from the 2020 census, has rolled back discrimination protections put in place by President Obama, and has promised to sign the foul "First Amendment Defense Act" which would allow Christian extremists to discriminate at will against LGBT individuals, women who have had abortions, cohabitation unmarried couples, and potentially those who use contraception.  The good news is that many are not giving up the struggle for LGBT equality as exemplified by the Equality Virginia Commonwealth Dinner this past weekend. Even better news comes from a recent study (which can be found here) that found the Millennial s are the most pro-LGBT generation ever.  Indeed, 20% identified themselves as LGBTQ.  This contrasts sharply with aging white Christians who are anti-LGBT, but who are literally dying off.  The message?  Time is on the side of LGBT rights and, if the Republican Party continues its anti-LGBT jihad, the electoral consequences could be significant.  Here are highlights  from a piece in The Advocate:

Millennials are more likely to identify as LGBTQ and be accepting of LGBTQ people than older generations, yet overall lack of comfort with LGBTQ people remains substantial, according to a new GLAAD study.

The findings come in GLAAD’s third annual Accelerating Acceptance report, conducted for the organization by Harris Poll. Based on an online survey of 2,037 adults done in November, it was released Thursday.

It found 20 percent of Millennials — people age 18-34 — identify as LGBTQ, compared with 12 percent of Generation Xers (35-51), 7 percent of Baby Boomers (52-71), and 5 percent of Elders (72 and older). Millennials were more likely than others to use terms outside “gay/lesbian” or “man/woman” binaries, reporting they know people who identify as bisexual, queer, pansexual, or gender-fluid.

Among non-LGBTQ people, Millennials were the most likely to be allies. The study counted people as allies if they reported being very or somewhat comfortable with LGBTQ people in all situations. The figure was 63 percent for Millennials, 53 of Gen Xers, 51 percent of Baby Boomers, and 39 percent of Elders.

Thirty-four percent of respondents said they would be uncomfortable learning their child had a lesson on LGBTQ history in school, and 29 percent said they were uncomfortable seeing a same-sex couple holding hands. There was about the same level of discomfort with learning their doctor, their child’s teacher, or a family member was LGBTQ.

Still, there was much good news in the study, and acceptance among young people bodes well for the future, said GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “As the [Trump] administration begins to fulfill its pledges to move the country backwards, many are concerned about progress made in recent years for the LGBTQ community,” she said in a press release. “However, this report shows a remarkable new era of understanding and acceptance among young people — an inspiring indication of the future. Though laws can be unwritten, hearts and minds in America have been changed for the better — and that is a reality less easily unraveled.”

The Warlike Unity of Gay Americans Against Trump

A piece in the New Yorker looks at a possible strength that the LGBT community my have in helping to lead the resistance to Der Trumpenführer's animus fueled regime: the fact that we cross all races and economic levels, come from many religious backgrounds,  and span literally all other minority groups.  Add in our allies and we have a network that can help galvanize opposition to Trump's illegitimate presidency.   Other than Muslims, LGBT Americans will likely be among the most targeted groups under the Trump/Pence nightmare, especially given the ascendancy of the Christofascists among the regime's inner circle.  We have an obligation to ourselves and to the future of the nation to make sure that Trump/Pence goes down to rejection and, with luck, impeachment.  The people need to take back their country from the billionaires and would be modern day fascists.  Here are article excerpts:

We have faced institutional oppression for as long as society has existed,” Corey Johnson, a young, gay New York City Council member, said on Saturday afternoon. “Progress is not guaranteed.” He was speaking to the several thousand demonstrators who had gathered outside Manhattan’s Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the gay-rights movement. The last time such a large crowd converged on that spot, in June, it was to mourn: forty-nine men and women, many of them college-aged Latinos, had just been murdered at Pulse, a gay night club in downtown Orlando; the whole nation seemed to join in solidarity with its vulnerable citizens, even if Donald Trump, seizing on the shooter’s apparent allegiance to ISIS, tweeted that the murders proved him “right on radical Islamic terrorism.” Now, with Trump’s brand of hateful opportunism given the full force of law, the community came together again, to steel itself against threats to come and to protest the progress that has already been rolled back. As Johnson put it, referring to Trump’s anti-Muslim immigration ban, “We will treat injustices done against our neighbors as if they had been done against us.”

Trump’s ascension is driving the gay-rights movement to embrace its greatest natural strength: its extension across lines of race and class. Zeke Stokes, a vice-president at GLAAD, told me, “Our top priority is to make sure that we are locking arms with other parts of the progressive movement,” and Hari Nef, the trans actress and model, led her remarks at the rally with the legend of Marsha P. Johnson, a black trans woman who is said to have thrown the shot glass that started the Stonewall riots. . . . “They don’t know that we are Muslims, we are women, we are transgender, we are Mexican,” Carmelyn Malalis, the city’s commissioner on human rights, told the crowd. “They don’t know that we are united and never leave a brother or sister behind. Not ever.”

Such unity, loving and warlike, is the only defense against an Administration whose treatment of the vulnerable seems, like its whole agenda, to combine pernicious intentions with minimal planning.  . . . The left is sometimes ridiculed for its factionalism—its thicket of nonprofit support systems, its acronym for every gradation of identity. But when you shake one part of that structure, you learn how durably it is fastened to all the others.

The nationwide uprisings of the past weeks—from the Women’s March to the resistance to the immigration ban—have reminded us that, although the people’s power can be gathered by revanchist right-wingers and finance-friendly Democrats, it belongs ultimately to the people themselves.

Thomas Shuttleworth RIP: Virginia Marriage Case Attorney Dies

I have known the senior members of the Shuttleworth, Ruloff, Swain, Haddad & Morecocklaw firm, the firm that launched the challenge to Virginia's anti-gay animus motivated Marshall-Newman Amendment on behalf of fiends, Tim Bostic and Tony London, since the early 1980's.  We all originally belonged to the same law firm which in later years became a part of the Richmond based Williams Mullen mega firm.  Yesterday, Thomas Shuttleworth passed away after a battle with Parkinson's disease.  His obituary can be found here in the Virginian Pilot.    Back on May 15, 2014,  HRBOR's May Third Thursday event hosted by the law firm Shuttleworth, Ruloff, Swain, Haddad & Morecock.    It was moving hearing Tom speak at the event and I was very touched when he gave me a big hug.  I feel lucky to have known Tom. A piece in the Daily Press reviewed the beginnings of the lawsuit that brought marriage equality to Virginia.  Here are excerpts:

At their Norfolk home that June night, Bostic and London considered the pros and cons of pushing the issue in court. They came to their decision within 30 minutes, Bostic said. Just then, he said, a younger and less established gay couple walked past their home.

"If Tony and I wouldn't do it, who will?" Bostic said.

Meanwhile, Ruloff talked to Tom Shuttleworth, the senior partner at the Virginia Beach firm, Shuttleworth, Ruloff, Swain, Haddad & Morecock. Shuttleworth was quickly on board. "It's going to be a long, hard challenge, but if they're up for it, we're up for it," he said.

Over the next couple weeks, one of the Virginia Beach firm's associates, Charles Lustig — whom Ruloff called the law firm's resident "constitutional scholar" — researched the issue and drafted the lawsuit.

On July 18, 2013, Lustig walked into the U.S. District Court in Norfolk and handed the complaint to a counter clerk. Former Gov. Bob McDonnell, former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Norfolk Circuit Court Clerk George E. Schafer III were named as defendants.

Lustig wrote: "By denying those individuals the same 'marriage' designation afforded to opposite-sex couples … the Commonwealth of Virginia is stigmatizing gays and lesbians, as well as their children and families, and denying them the same dignity, respect, and stature afforded officially recognized opposite-sex family relationships."

A week after the suit was filed, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer, Matt McGill, learned of the case through news reports.

McGill works with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, an international law firm based in Los Angeles that was heavily involved in the push to legalize same-sex marriage in California. McGill then called Erik Porcaro, a childhood friend — and an attorney with the Virginia Beach law firm.

Bostic said he found it amazing that the lawyers involved on the plaintiffs' side are mostly "older straight white men."

"They don't have any dog in this fight," he said. "That they're willing to put themselves out there and support us, it's kind of awe-inspiring. It's humbling."

And yes, the husband and I were there when Tim and Tony got married thanks to Tom Shuttleworth's willingness to put himself out there for what was right.  Tom, you will be missed.  My condolences to Tom's family. 

LGBT Business Leaders Endorse Hillary Clinton

In 2007 I was a founder of Hampton Roads Business OutReach ("HRBOR"), the local affiliate chamber of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce ("NGLCC").  Since HRBOR's founding, its membership has grown and much has been done to educate the larger business community and to give the Hampton Roads region a more LGBT-friendly atmosphere.  Working with Hampton Roads Pride, this past HR Pride event saw Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia's largest employer outside of the military, participate as a presenting sponsor.  Democrats have been welcoming to HRBOR and its mission.  Republicans in sharp contrast, with a few exceptions, have not.  Now, at the national level, the  NGLCC has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.  I can think of few things more threatening to the LGBT community than the unholy alliances Donald Trump has made with leading Christofascists to win their backing.  NBC News looks at the endorsement: 

A national chamber of commerce representing LGBT business owners and leaders has put its support behind Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. This endorsement, a first by the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), was made at its summer convening in Palm Springs, California.

In a statement shared with NBC OUT, NGLCC co-founder and CEO Chance Mitchell shared that "the stakes have never been so high for the future of the LGBT business community. Hillary Clinton is the progressive champion our businesses and our families need to thrive."

NGLCC "looked at Hillary Clinton's record of both supporting the LGBT community and policy positions on cutting red tape and creating opportunities for small business," shared NGLCC spokesman Jonathan Lovitz "the choice for President was very clear. She has the record and the stated position that will ensure our communities continue to thrive."

"I am honored to have earned the first-ever endorsement of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce" the former Secretary of State said in a statement in response to the endorsement.

She agreed with Mitchell regarding the stakes of the LGBTQ's community future. "The stakes in this election could not be higher for LGBT Americans," said Clinton. "When Donald Trump says 'he'll make America great again,' that's code for 'take American backwards'."

"We don't want to see that foundation eroded by a President Trump who would absolutely ensure that LGBT businesses lose the ground they have made for economic opportunity," Lovitz shared.

Tim Kaine Is A Consistent LGBT Ally

As the Democrat National Convention gets underway some Bernie Sanders supporters continue to whine that Tim Kaine is not "progressive enough."  Personally, I believe that such views are the result of lack of knowledge about Tim Kaine - a man who is a household name in Virginia, especially among Democrats.  On the issue of LGBT rights, Kaine has been a consistent ally and has pressed for the advancement of LGBT rights and fought against the Christofascists in Virginia and elsewhere. GayRVA has a piece that gives a brief retrospective on Tim Kaine's efforts in the realm of LGBT rights.  Here are highlights: 

Tim Kaine was brought onto the Democratic Presidential ticket as Vice President last week and that’s good news for Virginia’s, and the country’s, LGBTQ population.

In Hilary Clinton’s intro speech she called Kaine “a progressive who likes to get things done” and commented on his “commitment to social justice” during his tenure in the Commonwealth. Mostly notable, however, was his commitment to LGBTQ issues as best he could in his role as Governor from 2006- 2010 as well as his more recent time in the Senate.

He took time in his first 2016 campaign speech to recall those efforts when he asked people to remember the importance of America’s “rainbow of cultural diversity that embraces all people…regardless of sexual orientation.”

Kaine’s first year as a Virginia Senator  earned him a score of 90 from the Human Right’s Campaign. He lost 10 points for failing to endorse the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools Improvement Act, but made up for it in other ways.

In 2015 he co-sponsored the Equality Act, which seeks a federal law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace and housing. And later that year he introduced  Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act which aimed to provide equal treatment for LGBTQ couples under federal tax laws.

Kaine’s support for LGBTQ rights stretches back before his time in the Senate.

When he was on the campaign trail in 2011, Kaine spoke out against a law which allows state-funded, private adoption agencies the right to deny adoptions to same-sex couples.

“I think the best interest of the child is a pretty hard standard to argue with and I think that ought to be the standard,’’ Kaine told the Washington Post. “I don’t think we should be putting artificial barriers in front of the judges who are sitting there with the family.”

It was during this interview he also told the post his views on same-sex marriage had changed and he now supported marriage equality.

But even before that, when he won in 2006 and became Governor of Virginia, one of his first executive orders was to provide protections for LGBTQ state employees.

Kaine also campaigned against the Marshall Newman Amendment, Virginia’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, which was put on the ballot the year he entered office.

“Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) urged Virginians to vote against a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions, saying the ballot question puts thousands of unmarried couples at risk of losing a slew of benefits,” read a Washington Post article published in a few months before the referendum.

[I]f his record over the last decade is any indicator of his views on these issues, he should make a great ally in the Whitehouse.

Corporate America: The LGBT Community's Most Powerful Ally

Here in Virginia corporations were not so long ago barred from offering domestic partner insurance benefits unless the corporations were large and basically self-insured.  What changed this?  Large corporations, including Capital One, demanding that the Virginia General Assembly repeal the ban and allow corporations to be competitive in recruiting the best talent and employees.  Another example of corporate America's blow back against anti-gay bigotry is the reason debacle in Arizona where GOP governor Jan Brewer was forced to veto a GOP backed bill.  Sadly, the Virginia GOP still has not gotten the larger message.  A piece in Metro Weekly looks at how corporate America has become, whether for the right reasons or not, become one of the LGBT community's most powerful allies.  Here are highlights:

While the debate over LGBT equality may continue to take place among the general electorate, that debate has reached its conclusion among corporate America. To be anti-gay increasingly means to be anti-business. 

According to Deena Fidas, director of the Workplace Equality Program for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the game-changing moment came when New York lawmakers approved marriage-equality legislation in 2011.

"That was really the first time there was a breakthrough of this being a relative fringe area of corporate support," Fidas tells Metro Weekly, noting that during the fight against Proposition 8 in 2008 only a handful of businesses weighed in. However, thanks to a collaborate effort by a number of LGBT-rights organizations, about 40 businesses from Wall Street to upstate New York publicly voiced their support for the state's same-sex marriage bill.

The tidal shift is apparent with adoption of nondiscrimination policies as well. In 2002, when HRC launched its Corporate Equality Index, which has come to serve as the national benchmark tool on corporate LGBT policies, only 13 businesses achieved a perfect score. In 2014 that number stands at 304 businesses. Among Fortune 500 companies, 91 percent have nondiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation and 61 percent include gender identity. Sixty-seven percent offer equivalent medical benefits between spouses and partners and 28 percent offer transgender-inclusive health care benefits, including surgical procedures. 

While the adoption of such inclusive policies has been on the rise, major corporations have also now begun to take their views on LGBT-rights out of the boardroom and into the public square. A month before the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act's federal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, in March 2013, nearly 300 businesses and city governments, including major businesses such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Twitter, Starbucks, Morgan Stanley, Google and cities from Baltimore to Los Angeles, filed a brief with the Supreme Court calling for DOMA be struck down as unconstitutional. The brief argued in part that DOMA hurts workplace efficiency and employee morale, and thus forces employers to participate in the injury of their own workforce morale.

[W]hile many of these businesses have expressed a desire to be on the right side of history, their decision to take action on issues of equality is just as much pragmatic.

"As they've learned, there are a lot of very practical implications for businesses when we have uneven laws. There were very material challenges they were having to reconcile with differing state and federal tax systems," Fidas says. "So while there's certainly a more social justice and equality case to be made, there were also these very real administrative costs that were going toward renovating these uneven laws and how they impact the implementation of things like domestic partner benefits." 

But perhaps the greatest example of how powerful an alliance the LGBT community has forged with corporate America came this past February when lawmakers in Arizona approved anti-LGBT legislation that would have effectively made it legal for businesses to turn away customers due to their religious beliefs.

Brewer isn't the first member of a party with deep ties to the business community to find herself siding with equality following pressure from the nation's most profitable companies. Hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, whose son is gay, has invested millions of dollars into forging GOP support for issues such as LGBT workplace protections and marriage equality. More than 120 leading U.S. employers have joined HRC's Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness supporting passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

"My interactions with business leaders have shown me that corporations want to attract the broadest pool of talent possible," says Angelo. "When there are exclusionary policies explicitly stated in state laws or constitutions, or the absence of inclusionary policies as part of company policy, they find less of a chance to attract talented workers who also happen to be LGBT."

Richmond Bound for the Commonwealth Dinner

We have the house/dog sitter lined up as we get ready this morning to drive up to Richmond for the 11th Annual Equality Virginia "Commonwealth Dinner" this evening.  The event is Equality Virginia's largest fund raiser and has become quite a political event given the number of elected officials - sadly, almost all Democrats - who attend.  I suspect once again, we will have U.S. Senators, members of Congress and a host of other members of the General Assembly and down the line in attendance.  It is always a fun event and it is one time each year when activists and allies from across the state get to interact.  The corporate sponsors are quite impressive and Republicans would do well to check them out here (scroll down) so that they know who their anti-gay policies may be alienating.

This year is a special treat - last November at the Legends Gala, the boyfriend was the high bidder on a silent auction package for tonight's event provided by Tysinger Motors that included  2 tickets to the dinner, a hotel room for the night, and use of a 2014 Mercedes E350.  We picked up the car yesterday, and it is amazing:

 

Sadly, we will not be buying one any time soon!  If any reader are at the event, I hope you will say "hello" if you see us!

Gaynette LaRue for Hampton City Council

In Virginia, elections seem to be non-stop what with alternating years on state and federal elections and city and county elections thrown in for good measure.  For those politically involved, it is sometimes exhausting and expensive if one puts their money where there mouth is.  Yet political involvement is crucial if we are to see the right people elected to office.  As LGBT voters are seeing at the state level, having Terry McAuliffe holding the governorship and Mark Herring serving as Attorney General makes for a sea change here in Virginia and I shudder to think what things would be like if instead we had Ken Cuccinelli as governor and the equally extreme Mark Obenshain as attorney general.  But politics doesn't stop at the state level.  Local elections are crucial as well.  Hence why the boyfriend - now fiance - are involved in city counsel level elections.  And that is why we will be supporting Gaynette "Gay" LaRue for Hampton City Council.  She is a strong LGBT ally and HRBOR member and, like us, wants to see Hampton move to the next level.  Here are highlights from the Daily Press on her announcement that she is running for office:

Hampton Planning Chairwoman Gaynette LaRue has announced that she will run for City Council this spring.  LaRue said she will focus on schools, job creation and neighborhoods.

LaRue, a Linden Avenue resident, is also leaning on her career as a Wells Fargo financial adviser and an accredited asset management specialist. She says her career – she's worked in the financial field for 25 years – helps her understand budgets and the "complexities of municipal finance."

LaRue is running for one of three full-term City Council seats on the ballot in the May 6 election. A fourth, two-year City Council term and mayor's seat will also be on the ballot.

LaRue was named chairwoman of the Planning Commission in October, a month after being appointed to a second four-year term on the commission. The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the City Council concerning the city's community plan, zoning ordinance and land use requests.

LaRue has said she has a significant interest in downtown redevelopment and thinks the historic courthouse on Kings Way should become a haven for artists after the new downtown courthouse is built. She hopes to see the city make its waterfront more of a destination for visitors.  She is the founding president of the Downtown Hampton Development Partnership.

I hope Hampton readers will join us in backing her candidacy and will turn out to vote on May 6, 2014. 

HRBOR January 2014 Third Thursday - MJ's Tavern

This Thursday is HRBOR's first Third Thursday of the new year!  The January Third Thursday  Business Networking event is at MJ's Tavern this week on January 16, 2014, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

For new readers, HRBOR isVirginia's only LGBT and Allied Chamber of Commerce.  John Childers (HRBOR Founding Member) and partner Mike Diaz opened MJ's Tavern in a less than perfect economy several years ago. When other businesses where closing their doors, MJ's Tavern has flourished and become a popular spot among many to include the LGBT and Allied community.  Here are complete event details:

HRBOR January 16, 2014

Third Thursday Business Networking 

MJ's Tavern, Norfolk VA

Host: MJ's Tavern, John Childers and Mike Diaz owners, 4019 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23504 757-648-8942 www.mjtavern.com

Featured Non-Profit: HRBOR (Hampton Roads Business OutReach) www.hrbor.org

 

Third Thursday Cost: Free to Members, $15 Guest Fee for Guests and Prospective Members

Invite friends and colleagues.

MJ's has flourished and become a popular spot for the LGBT and allied community. Come celebrate their success and share the importance of Virginia's only Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Why The Advocate's Choice of Pope Francis for Person of the Year is a Mistake

I will concede that compared to his predecessor the Nazi Pope, Benedict XVI, Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air.  But that is not to say that Pope Francis is the answer to the plight of gay Catholics, Catholics who have divorced and remarried, and/or Catholics who use contraception.  A change in tone does not equal a change in Church dogma.  Despite this reality and the fact that nothing has changed doctrinally (and that no one in the Church hierarchy who participated in the sex abuse cover up has been punished), The Advocate followed Time Magazine and named Pope Francis as it person of the year.   A column in Religion Dispatches rightly takes The Advocate to task for this mistaken choice.  Here are column highlights:

In case the editors of The Advocate did not notice, the Pope’s statement flying back from Brazil for World Youth Day was not a change in Catholic teaching, but in tone.

The Pope’s “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge” is not an encyclical, but a statement. Granted, it was a statement that shocked the world with its compassion, but the follow-up proved that it was not a change in church teaching.

What Pope Francis is doing is walking a tightrope. Instead of pushing dogma, he’s pushing a change in tone, not in substance. Because he is carefully eliding the church’s teaching and focusing on compassion, many liberals and media pundits—including The Advocate—believe that he is opening a door to a changed theology. That is not the case. What the Pope is doing is opening a door for discussion, but not necessarily change.

If a mere change in language can move The Advocate to make Pope Francis their Person of the Year over Edie Windsor, whose case helped DOMA to crumble, I’m stunned.

The disappointment that will come in the future when Catholic church teachings do not change will not be a surprise to those of us who know the history of the glacial pace of change in the Catholic church. Personally, unless Pope Francis calls a council on human sexuality, I very much doubt his papacy will change much about the corpus of Catholic teaching on homosexuality—defined by that tradition as ‘intrinsically disordered,”

While I very much appreciate the change in focus and tone from Pope Francis, I would caution everyone: “don’t get it twisted.” Pope Francis is still the Cardinal Bergoglio who opposed same sex marriage in Argentina.

As for a meritorious person of the year in the realm of religion, the column author says this:

If I had to pick my person of the year for the intersection of religion with LGBT justice, it would be a neighbor of mine, Rev. Frank Schaefer of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, who has decided not to give up his United Methodist credentials for performing a same sex marriage ceremony of his son earlier this year.

By refusing to give up his credentials, he is forcing the United Methodist church to perhaps take him to trial and strip him of his credentialing—simply because of his belief that the Methodist Book of Discipline is discriminatory.

Rev. Schaefer is not just talking, but he is walking the walk—standing up for his son, same sex marriage, and his deeply held beliefs. That is the mark of a person of the year. While I like Pope Francis as much as anyone, I need concrete actions to back up the sentiments. Until the dogma changes, talk is cheap.

Cory Monteith RIP - A Lost Ally

I've held off commenting on the unfortunate death of actor Cory Monteith of "Glee" until the cause was known.   Sadly, like other talented LGBT allies, Monteith died far too early from an accidental drug/alcohol overdose.   Despite my trials and tribulations while in the closet and then during my coming out journey I never resorted to illegal drugs like heroin, but I did use my share of anti-depressants and Xanax.  In fact, one of my failed suicide attempt involved taking a whole bottle of Xanax, so I cannot stand in judgment of anyone.   My thoughts and prayers are with Monteith's family and girl friend Lea Michele.  Queerty looks at Monteith's transition to outspoken LGBT ally.  Here are highlights:

With the news of Cory Monteith’s cause of death, we have another reason to be sad for the young actor’s too brief life and career. We’ve also lost an ally for gay civil rights. 

Before joining the cast of Glee in 2009, the Calgary native knew nothing in particular about gay folks, or musical theater. But he would learn to sing and dance, and go on to become a vocal proponent for gay rights and marriage equality, appearing at the GLAAD Awards, the HRC National Dinner with girlfriend and castmates Lea Michelle, Chris Colfer and Amber Riley, and adding his voice to the Straight But Not Narrow campaign in 2011, an effort to encourage young straight guys to show support for young gay guys.

He spoke eloquently in 2012 about his own gay rights education: “Being aligned with Glee has absolutely made me more aware of it. It’s one of the defining challenges at this point in our human evolution. This is the equivalent human rights struggle for our generation. We’re going to look back 50 years from now and be shocked that this is what we’re having to deal with.”

The article also looks at the untimely deaths of  other LGBT allies: Amber Riley, Amy Winehouse, Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger, John Ritter, Judy Garland, Kurt Cobain, Natasha Richardson, River Phoenix, and Whitney Houston.

Facing Down Hate and Homophobia

This blog has looked at writings of the blogger known as Amelia who has recounted her experiences as a mother of a young boy who seemingly is gay.  Her posts can make you laugh, cry and cheer.  She definitely calls things as she sees them and often doesn't mince her words.  Her writing style is wonderful as an added treat.  Until now, she has remained anonymous.  But now, she is "coming out" as "Amelia" - a fierce gay ally - and has been photographed by Adam Bouska of the NOH8 Campaign.  She's keeping her name confidential, but she's showing that she's a living, breathing person and a mother ready to do battle for her child.  In a post in the Huffington Post Amelia recounts her journey as a blogger and gay rights supporter and her decision to no longer remain anonymous.  We need allies like Amelia who are willing to face down haters and argue for LGBT equality.  Here are some post highlights:

When the first blog post I wrote went viral, I was shocked and overwhelmed. Being a blogger was never on my bucket list, and it was something I was completely unprepared for. I called my father to let him know what was going on. He was well aware of my son's crush on Glee's Blaine, so there was no surprise there. Instead, his reaction went like this:  "Are you anonymous?" he asked, his voice low and intent.  "Yeah, Dad, totally."  He continued in that same tone: "Good. Now I don't have to worry about you being shot."

I know that that might seem a little melodramatic, but I don't think my father's concerns were totally unfounded. In our society, being loud and proud in support of LGBT rights has, many times, led to violence. And here we were in a red state that will probably be the 40th or so to have marriage equality. Like my father, all I could think about was the safety of my kids. It made the decision easy: I started out anonymous, and I was going to stay that way.

That was over a year and a half ago, and I have learned a lot since then. Anonymity comes with a price. Although my close friends and family know I'm the blogger known as Amelia, most of the people I deal with every day don't. At first it was fine. I was so overwhelmed by the whole thing that it honestly helped to think of what was going on as though it were happening to someone else. 

[W]hen I talk to my friends about things happening with Amelia, they often stop me and say, "Hon, you are Amelia." And they are right. I am the one dealing with the hard stuff, the bad stuff. I am the one who loses sleep when I am up all night responding to emails from LGBT kids. I am the one reading the hate messages. I am the one who struggles to figure out what to say next. 

And as any LGBT person who has lived in the closet can tell you, being two people sucks. There is so much lying. It makes me crazy. I can't count the number of times someone has asked me why I look tired, what I did over the weekend or why I'm distracted, and the answer, the true answer, is on the tip of my tongue, and I have to swallow it back. I end up saying something like, "Things are crazy at home," or, "Things are nuts at work," when what I really want to say is, "I've been Amelia a lot lately." And the truth is that I've spent a lot of time being Amelia. Responding to the messages from LGBT kids and adults has become a huge part of my life, and a part I love. I often spend entire evenings online or on the phone with teens, LGBT adults or parents of LGBT or gender-nonconforming kids. And some of these people have become my very good friends. There are weeks when I spend more hours being Amelia than I do on the job that pays all our bills.

I get nasty comments and emails. People threaten to steal my son from me so that they can "make a man out of him." People tell me that they are waiting for the chance to "beat the fag out of him." This is my kid they are talking about, and it is my job to keep him safe. He is just a little boy. So no matter how difficult and annoying anonymity might be, I still think it is the right choice for my kid.

And here's where the difficult part comes in. I feel like complete anonymity is getting in the way of what my blog posts are all about: reaching out to people and being damn proud of my kid. But how proud can I really be if I'm speaking from behind a faceless headshot? I'm hiding behind a mask, and it feels wrong. I am so proud of my kid. I am so proud that I get to be his mom. And I am proud that I get to write about our life and share it with the readers of The Huffington Post.

So I've finally arrived at a compromise: I am going to continue being "Amelia," and the most I'll show of my kid is the back of his head. There are too many threats to my family for me to reveal everything about who I am. (The emails I get can be seriously nasty.) But I am not going to hide my face any longer. It is time for me to show some pride and give some real visibility to the woman, the mom, who is sharing our family's story. So, with the help of the fabulous guys at the NOH8 Campaign (something else I am so proud to put my face on), I have a photo to show. Here I am, tattoos and all. I am Amelia.  

Kudos to you Amelia.   Being a blogger who argues for LGBT equality and acceptance does bring the hate filled e-mails and on occasion death threats (which is why for a while I stopped allowing anonymous comments).  It is ALWAYS the "godly Christian" folk who write the horrible messages, dripping with hate and threats on violence.  

On the positive side, I also receive wonderful supportive e-mails and many "thank you" messages.  And like Amelia, I do speak on the phone with some readers, especially men coming out after marriage and kids who often just need a friendly listener or someone who can tell them that the CAN and WILL survive the journey no matter how arduous it may seem at times.

Lady Gaga's US Tour Will Combat Anti-Gay Bullying

Showing herself again to be an amazing LGBT ally - and nightmare to the Christofascists - Lady Gaga has announced that as part of her upcoming concert tour across the United States she will be engaged in a "Born Brave Bus Tour" that seeks to combat homophobia and anti-gay bullying.  The effort will also contain an educational component for LGBT youth and young adults.  Here are highlights via Towleroad:

Lady Gaga's upcoming sojourn across the United States will include a "Born Brave Bus Tour" to combat anti-gay and other forms of bullying.  The AP explains:

The singer announced Thursday that the Born Brave Bus Tour will tailgate outside her upcoming U.S. concerts and provide a space for 13- to 25-year-olds to learn more about local resources on anti-bullying, suicide prevention and mental health services. Her foundation focuses on youth empowerment and self-confidence. Organizations like The

Trevor Project, Campus Pride and the National Association of School Psychologists will assist on the bus. Participants will not need a ticket to the show to partake. The Born Brave Bus will be open a few hours before each show in the tour, which kicks off on January 14 in Tacoma, Washington.

Needless to say, Gaga's much needed work will not be welcomed by Christofascist who seek to bully and denigrate LGBT youth and adults without restriction.

Chris Kluwe: A Kick Ass Ally

I have written several times about Minnesota Vikings player Chris Kluwe's outspoken support for gay marriage and his condemnation of the Christofascists who through their anti-gay message and support for religious based bullying are responsible for untold gay teen suicides.   Now, Kluwe (pictured above) has been interviewed by Out Magazine where he further expounds on his pro-LGBT advocacy.   Here are some article excepts:

On September 7, you could sense the howls of laughter reverberating across the Internet after Kluwe’s excoriating letter to Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. was published on the sports fansite Deadspin and quickly went viral. A week earlier, in a letter brimming with self-importance, Burns had told the Baltimore Ravens to “order” linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo to cease advocating for same-sex marriage. Kluwe’s response was a master class in how to take down a pompous and wrong-headed ass.

“I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of Maryland’s state government,” Kluwe’s letter started, reasonably enough. “Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level.” Kluwe then went on to dismantle Burns’s position, point by point, culminating in a crescendo of wit and impishness -- and that now-fabled coinage. It’s worth running the penultimate paragraph in full, if only because it does such a good job of clarifying the issues:

“I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won’t even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population -- rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?”

“I’ve always relished breaking that stereotype of the dumb jock athlete because while I enjoyed athletics growing up, I also enjoyed reading and video games, and athletic sport is not what defines me as a person,” says Kluwe. “I think as more and more generations start rising through the NFL, a lot of these kids see that it’s OK to be something other than an athlete.”

But for Kluwe, taking a stand on gay rights is as instinctual as planting his foot into a ball. “It’s all about the Golden Rule,” he says. “Treat other people as you want to be treated. It’s that simple. It’s something that needs to be spoken about, and it’s something I can do while fulfilling my job as a football player.”

I'm not a sports follower in general, but I like Kluwe's style and intelligence - he can quote Voltaire or Ralph Waldo Emerson and reads voraciously - and I might just grow to be a Vikings fan.  As for the anti-gay Christofascists who Kluwe criticizes, I deem them to be one of the lowest and most vile forms of humanity.