Athletes Stand up for Gay Marriage
By Joe Solmonese

Editor's note: Joe Solmonese is president of the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

The times are certainly changing in the world of sports. New York Rangers forward Sean Avery, a guy more known for hard knocks than big causes, came out in support of marriage for committed gay and lesbian couples in New York earlier this month -- a professional athlete taking a very public stand in an arena too many in sports traditionally avoid.

While we salute Sean Avery for having the courage of his convictions, we probably shouldn't be surprised. A majority of the American public is now -- for the first time -- in favor of marriage equality, so it isn't really shocking that professional athletes would be as well.

What was even more telling, and refreshing, was the positive response to Avery's announcement by agents, players and fans that dwarfed the criticism.

Still, the ugly retorts predictably arrived -- even from Canada, where loving gay couples have been allowed nationwide to marry since 2005. Don Reynolds, the president of Uptown Sports Management, told Canada's National Post, "The majority, I think, of Canadians would say that they don't agree with gay marriage -- that man and woman were created to be married, not man and man or man and horse, you know?" Reynolds's son Todd, vice-president of the company, tweeted: "Very sad to read Sean Avery's misguided support of same-gender 'marriage.' Legal or not, it will always be wrong."

While many called on the Reynolds pair to retract and apologize for their deeply homophobic statements, it was sports agents and players who took them to task.

Agent Andrew Warren noted, "I felt the need to return to Twitter due to my distaste of @uptownhockey take on the issue of gay marriage." And NHL star Paul Bissonnette tweeted, "I agree with Sean Avery... If 2 people are happy together let them be happy."

This isn't just a story on the ice. Last month David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, fined Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant after he unleashed a slur toward a referee. (Bryant immediately and graciously apologized.)

Stern's swift action underscored the new reality: Professional athletes are role models and simply can't be permitted to utter hate speech under any circumstances -- and being anti-gay is not good for business. There's a reason why 89% of Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Still, cleaning up the sports world of homophobia won't happen overnight. Hockey commentator Barry Melrose went so far as to say this month on ESPN that the NHL having an openly gay professional hockey player would be "a problem that you hope doesn't happen."

Melrose is the exception in this day and age, where most people know lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as real people, as members of their family, or as their friends and co-workers. They know by experience that "being gay" has nothing to do with what matters most in life, like family values, character or work ethic.

Since Avery's video endorsement, the floodgates have opened. Phoenix Suns Chief Executive and President Rick Welts, a longtime NBA executive, told The New York Times he's gay. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said he had gay teammates and that he would "rather have a gay guy who can play than a straight guy who can't play." Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Donté Stallworth and his teammate, linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, tweeted their support of marriage equality, and this week the NBA's Steve Nash joined the chorus.

Slowly, as those in and around professional sports come out of their closet and embrace simple equality, the axis shifts just a bit more. It's a forward movement that even our staunchest opponents know marks a new beginning and a new conversation.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Joe Solmonese.

Campaign Still Growing with 100,000th Signature
By Melissa Sturtevant

May 12 marked the day that Caroline Kennedy became the 100,000th signer on a letter to President Barack Obama

The letter urges President Obama to allow committed gay and lesbian couples join in matrimony, according to a press release from the Freedom to Marry campaign.

The campaign is a nationwide effort trying to put a stop to "federal marriage discrimination," according to the campaign's website.

According to a Gallup.com poll posted on May 20, for the first time, the majority of Americans are in support of legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples. However, inflation of support on the issue was due to the changing view of Democrats and independents. Republicans did not have much of a change in viewpoint from the previous year.

According to the poll, in 2010 56 percent of Democrats thought same-sex marriage should be legal, and this year that number increased by 13 percent to 69 percent.

Independents went from 49 percent of the party's members supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2010 to 59 percent in 2011.

Republicans stayed the same at 28 percent saying same-sex marriage should be legal in both 2010 and 2011, according to the Gallup poll.

The poll's results also showed that as people get older, their support for legalizing same-sex marriage drops.

Terri Fredrick, a member of EIU Pride, said via email that she imagines that most people in the group would be in support of legalizing same-sex marriage. Fredrick also said that EIU Pride as a group hasn't taken a stance on any individual political issue.

The EIU Pride group will begin meeting regularly again the fall on Mondays.

Many celebrities have signed the letter urging the President to legalize same-sex marriage. Jane Lynch and her wife Lara Embry, Anne Hathaway, Sara Bareilles, and Lance Bass are among the celebrities to sign the letter.

The letter thanks President Obama for taking a stance, alongside the attorney general, by saying that discriminating against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

"You can offer hope to millions of young gay and lesbian Americans who are facing discrimination. You can tell them that their future is bright, that they, too, will be able to grow up and marry the person that they love, that the pursuit of happiness truly belongs to all of us," said the letter. "Marriage brings not only public respect and personal significance, but also a safety net of legal protections, rights, and responsibilities for which there is no substitute."

According to the Freedom to Marry campaign's press release, family members of gay and lesbian couples, the couples themselves and supporters will deliver the letter this spring along with stories about same-sex couples and family photos.

Melissa Sturtevant can be reached at 581-7942 or dennewsdesk@gmail.com

Church of Scotland Votes to Allow Gay and Lesbian Ministers

General assembly opens up prospects of church recognizing civil partnerships for same-sex couples

Scotland's largest protestant church has swept away centuries of tradition and voted to allow gay men and lesbians to become ministers, opening up the prospect of the church allowing civil partnerships for same-sex couples.

The Church of Scotland imposed a temporary moratorium in 2009 on admitting gay and lesbian ministers after Scott Rennie became the first openly gay clergyman in a homosexual partnership to be officially appointed as a minister in the church.

The church's general assembly, its law-making body, voted on Monday to lift that moratorium, officially officially allowing gay ministers to take on parishes for the first time since its formation 450 years ago.

The general assembly also allowed serving gay and lesbian ministers who have kept their sexuality private to openly declare their sexuality – a proposal bitterly resisted by evangelical and conservative ministers.

In one of the final votes, the general assembly chose by a small majority to lift a parallel ban on ordaining and training people who are in same-sex relationships, and gay and lesbians in civil partnerships. It called for a new report by 2013 on both proposals and on allowing ministers to bless gay and lesbian relationships.

The vote followed official warnings that allowing gay clergy could split the church, forcing traditionalists to resign and join more conservative churches formed after the last great schism, when 474 ministers resigned in 1843.

A commission set up in 2009 to investigate the implications of the Rennie affair predicted that up to a fifth of the church's ministers, deacons and elders and 100,000 worshippers could leave in protest.

It said that the issue was so divisive that another 1,800 church leaders and 40,000 parishioners had warned they would leave if gay ministers were not admitted. The church has 445,000 communicants, or active members, and around 50,000 less-active parishioners.

A leading critic of the proposal, the Rev Andrew Coghill, a conservative minister on the Isle of Lewis, warned the general assembly that allowing homosexual clergy would be devastating to the church. To applause from his supporters, Coghill said the proposal to allow gay ministers was "the hand grenade [and] we're being asked to pull the pin out, and it will blow the church apart."

However, the Rev Willem Bezuidenhout, a South African-born minister, urged the assembly to support the proposal. He likened opposition to homosexual ministers to South African pastors using the bible to justify apartheid.

"Some of the gay Christians I know will be much better Christians than I will ever be," he said.

Coghill was supported by a series of traditionalists, some of whom called for a final decision to be delayed. Ministers in Aberdeen said Rennie's ordination was so divisive it had "broken" the city's presbytery, its ruling body, leading to threats of violence against some members.

But in a clear indication of the general assembly's mood, the decision to allow gay ministers on principle went through unopposed, leading to the vote late on Monday to allow gay and lesbian ministers to be ordained and recruited.

In addition, the church has set up a commission to investigate the theological issues raised by the acceptance of gay clergy.

Delegates to the assembly, known as commissioners, narrowly voted down a proposal to delay final decisions until 2013 on whether gay and lesbian ministers had to be celibate, or whether they were allowed to be sexually-active and in long-term relationships.

They also rejected a proposal to prevent a minister who had not "come out" to their parishioners or presbytery before 31 May 2009, a cut-off date based on the general assembly's last debate on the Rennie affair, from declaring his or sexuality. That suggests gay and lesbian ministers who have kept their sexuality private could now openly declare it.

Gay Marriage Play Series Includes 'On Facebook'

The idea for Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright's short play "On Facebook" came from reading conversations about gay marriage on the world's most popular social network. His piece is part of a group of short works, “Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays.”

"I was stunned how in the relative safety of the Facebook format, people really let loose with their passions and were unafraid to say things that they might be ashamed to say face-to-face," says Wright.

The Facebook thread is something Wright says he vividly remembered. He made some changes to avoid legal issues and created "On Facebook."

"What's performed on stage is markedly the same in tone and content of what actually occurred in the thread," he says.

Wright and his partner are amount the 18,000 couples who got married before Proposition 8, outlawing gay marriage, was passed. "We made the loophole, and are now curiously married in some states and not in others. And if that isn't a governmental intrusion into our private life, I don't know what is. Whenever we arrive in a new state, the first thing we do is check our status."

He says it informs his writing. "It makes you passionate about the subject, certainly."

Wright pointed out what he sees as another irony. "I had some friends that asked me to become a marriage officiant in New York, so that I could marry them. They were a heterosexual couple. And so I'm licensed to marry others in New York, but can't get married myself. And these things lodge with you, and so writing about them I think is a very healthy kind of exorcism."

"Standing On Ceremony" is structured around nine shorts performed over 90 minutes. Wright says this presentation is a good thing for the gay marriage debate. "Even for people who may not be predisposed to go see an evening of theater on this subject, they see the degree of support that it's getting from the community, its visibility is heightened by the actors that choose to participate in it."

Wright says the theater can be an antiquated medium, "and I always think it's thrilling when suddenly the theater enters the public square and talks about current issues in a really vital and necessary way. Because not only does it make the issue of gay marriage relevant, but it makes that grand old invalid the theater relevant again too."

Doug Wright’s play “I Am My Own Wife” won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His short work “On Facebook” is one of several being performed Monday evenings this month and next at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s Renberg Theatre. Tonight’s cast includes John Glover and Jane Kaczmarek. The series includes works by other playwrights including Neil LaBute and Moises Kaufman.

‘Coming Out’: Gay Teenagers, in Their Own Words
By Sarah Kramer

The suicide of Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman who jumped from the George Washington Bridge last year after discovering that his roommate had secretly streamed his romantic interlude with another man on the Internet, captured worldwide attention. In the wake of his death, stories of gay youths being bullied and taking their own lives proliferated.

The subsequent outpouring of concern from parents, educators and those who had survived bullying themselves inspired “It Gets Better,” a campaign led by the columnist and author Dan Savage in which thousands of lesbian and gay adults shared their stories to assure all teenagers that society has a place for them.

Popular culture has reinforced this message of acceptance. For example, the hit TV show “Glee” has had three storylines involving gay teenagers this season, including the matter-of-fact courtship, with rare onscreen same-sex kissing, of characters played by Chris Colfer and Darren Criss. Lady Gaga has countered the antigay rhetoric that many young people hear in their churches and communities with the song “Born This Way,” increasing her already large fan base among gay and lesbian teenagers.

“The amount of attention that has been given to debates over L.G.B.T. issues in the last year is another sign of how deeply American society remains divided over L.G.B.T. issues,” said George Chauncey, a Yale University professor of 20th-century United States history and lesbian and gay history, referring to lesbians, gay men and bisexual and transgender people. “And it has made it clear to young people just how much opposition remains.”

The New York Times embarked on the project “Coming Out” as an effort to better understand this generation’s realities and expectations, and to give teenagers their own voice in the conversation.

The Times spoke with or e-mailed nearly 100 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender teenagers from all of parts of the country — from rural areas to urban centers, from supportive environments to hostile ones. The newspaper contacted them through various advocacy groups, as well as through social networking sites like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

The Trevor Project, which provides counseling to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths in crisis, among other services, posted a call for teenagers to tell their stories to The Times, resulting in nearly 250 responses. At times, young people led The Times to others.

The youths who participated were in different phases of coming out: some had come out only to themselves, some to people in certain realms of their lives, some to only one trusted friend or family member. Some had come out to their family or community, and then, realizing they lacked the support they needed, rescinded the declaration — and came out again a couple of years later. Others spoke of hating themselves in the process of accepting who they are.

Some flaunted their sexuality, while others adhered to traditional gender norms. In English, Ind., one boy said that when he first came out, he wore eyeliner and skinny jeans. “But then when I stopped it and decided to be myself, it was like I no longer fit the stereotypes,” he said.

In the face of competing messages, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths just want to be teenagers. While they envision a world where they can get married and have doors open to them, they do not want to be defined by their sexuality, regardless of how they are received by their community. It is just one part of their identity.

As Kailey Jeanne Cox, 15, said in her story: “I don’t want to have myself being seen by people as ‘Oh, she’s — she’s gay.’ I want them to see me as ‘Wow, she loves God, who cares what kind of people she likes? She is a Christian, she leads by example and she’s a wonderful person.’ That’s what I want people to think when they see me.”

Or Joel Brimmerman, 17, who cannot wait for the day he can begin the physical transition to male from female, summed it up this way: “I’d rather just get done with it and get on with my life. I mean, I have stuff to do besides transition.”

GFEST 2011 Selector: Marketing Oneself And One’s Work Is Perquisite Of 21st Century Life

London’s premier gay / LGBT cross-art fest, GFEST – Gaywise FESTival 2011 is open to receive FREE short films, performances and visual arts entries on website DEADLINE 27 June 2011.

One of the GFEST 2011 selectors James Rocarols is the Content Producer of Film Network, the BBC’s online showcase for short film and British filmmaking.

Q & A with James Rocarols:

How would you define good art or differentiate good art from bad art?

A difficult question, with all the resulting caveats about objectivity, etc. I would say it’s easier to define bad art than good art. It all depends on the viewer’s perception of the artist’s intention. If we perceive an artist has created with the wrong intentions (to plagiarizes, to indulge themselves, to promote an unpalatable ideology, for purely commercial reasons) then we are more likely to reject it.

What ingredients would make a work of art ‘innovative’ and ‘relevant’?

Sometimes originality is not just limited to new approaches and techniques, which it’s hard to be innovative with when so many people are creating art these days, seen instantly around the world. But innovation can simply come from an originality of tone. Sometimes we see something that on a purely descriptive level can sound unoriginal, but when you experience it it seems totally fresh. We are all unique people and if there’s a way of harnessing our unique take on the world and appropriately convey it, that goes a long way towards being innovative. Relevance is different and can really only be obtained by keeping abreast of popular culture.

Do you think ‘Queer / LGBT’ arts can benefit from ‘informed’ and yet sensitive critical vocabulary?

All artforms benefit from criticism, however agonizing artists find criticism to be. Queer/LGBT arts exist in a slightly different space to mainstream arts in this regard, in that there might be sensitivity and accommodation towards them simply because they are not the dominant culture. That’s why it’s essential the LGBT community is the most stringent critic of LGBT arts.

Are there any specific emerging artistic trends that you would like to mention for the benefit of practitioners?

My field is filmmaking and there are always new fads. The current ones are for shooting films on digital SLR cameras like the Canon 5D. That seems to be de rigeur these days. In the experimental side of things there is also a penchant for tilt-shift photography.

Should the artists or practitioners position their own work to help spread a word and get a wider recognition?

Marketing oneself and one’s work is perquisite of 21st-century life and imagine they will be teaching it in schools soon (if they don’t already). Social media is a great tool for promoting oneself, and the same rules apply as they did to the pre-social media age – you need to be upfront, confident, hitch yourself onto popular movements or brands (if that’s your thing), etc… There will always be some artists who are less comfortable with that side of things, and I don’t blame them. That’s what people like myself and organizations like Wise Thoughts who organizes GFEST, are for – to help promote and encourage artists.
Thank you James for your comments on some challenging points.

GFEST 2011 call for submissions on festival website: http://gaywisefestival.org.uk/ 

Deadline to receive the entry forms: 27 June 2011.

More info on London’s gay & lesbian / queer / LGBT / GLBT art festival: GFEST – Gaywise FESTival (GFEST for short) web: http://www.gaywisefestival.org.uk

Artistic Director: Niranjan Kamatkar

WISE THOUGHTS is an arts charity that organizes GFEST – Gaywise FESTival in venues across London.

GFEST web networks: http://www.wisethoughts.org  ~ http://www.gaywisefestival.org.uk  http://www.facebook.com/niranjan.kamatkar ~ http://www.gaywisefestival.blogspot.com/  http://twitter.com/gfest ~ http://gaywisefestival.wordpress.com/  http://www.yoursemotionally.com/ ~ http://www.myspace.com/interviewwithapolitician  http://www.flickr.com/photos/gfest/ ~ http://www.youtube.com/user/wisethoughts http://uk.linkedin.com/in/niranjankamatkar ~ http://www.myspace.com/gaywisefestival

The End of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell': A Gay Officer Offers An Inside View of the Military's Rush to Adapt

What a fascinating time to be a gay man in the U.S. military. This time last year, I was sure the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy was here to stay for the next 2 to 3 years. I never thought by now I'd be in a unit where almost everyone has received post-repeal training. While not entirely satisfied with the training process, I believe the overall message has started to stick: lesbian and gay troops are soon going to be open in the work place, and despite the commotion caused by this change in policy, it's really no big deal.

Enter my involvement in Time's Battleland blog. I have been given the opportunity to share my firsthand experiences from the inside as I watch the fall of a policy that is undeniably discriminatory. By "not asking" and "not telling," the people repressed by this policy have been robbed of their voice to speak out. As a result, the impact of such a policy doesn't hit close to home for enough families, friends, or coworkers. By blogging here, it is my goal to share the excitement felt by every gay and lesbian service member as this burden of lies, cover stories, and double lives is lifted.

As a young, gay officer who is currently serving on active duty, I have been waiting years for the day when I can show up to work and not have to lie about what I did on the weekend or the gay circle of friends I spend much of my free time with. As you can undoubtedly imagine, I was anxious to hear what my superiors had to say on the subject of the post-repeal military.

I held my composure as I stood in the back of a small but crowded room with standing room only. The formal briefing was a slightly awkward attempt at a conversation between one of my superior officers and the 40 or so of us squeezed in that room. He was clearly not used to talking about the topic of homosexuality as he seemed uneasy, but his overall message was a good one: "Soon you will be working around openly gay people. This change is akin to the integration of blacks into the military and the key to a successful transition is professionalism and mutual respect."

As with any other conversation about gays in a setting where I am not "out," I found myself reverting to old defense mechanisms. I tried to laugh, but not too hard. I listened intently while trying to look as if I was barely paying attention. I looked to see how everyone else was reacting only to mimic their posture, their level of attentiveness, and their own reactions to the conversation.

A good friend of mine, also gay, was standing next to me throughout the briefing. We barely looked at each other the entire time. His posture was much like mine, only he didn't laugh. He didn't smile. There was a cold emptiness in him which I had rarely seen before. I guess that was his way of not drawing attention to himself.

While the "training objective" was met that day, the real training did not take place in that room. In almost every instance since, when someone has made a homophobic comment, the problem has been self-policed. Someone usually makes light of the situation. Either the person making the comment has said "Wait, I can't say that anymore," or someone else has given them a sarcastic spot-correction.

Whether or not they mean it is a moot point. The fact is, the seed has been planted in their minds, and they know what they are saying is wrong — and probably have for a while. I'm sure this type of "humor" will linger even after DADT is no longer in effect, which is okay by me. Humor can still be used to correct people without making a big, unnecessary scene.

From my personal experience, the official training was probably unnecessary. The most important part was hearing a superior take a stand and lay out a policy and a plan of execution. Since that seed has already been planted, I can't understand waiting around for months before repeal takes place. After all, thousands of gay troops like me are being silenced when we would be much more effective if we could actually engage in the conversation about gays in the military.

When DADT is history, we will reach our desired level of military readiness. Until then, I will continue to stand against the wall in a crowded room, trying to blend in to a conversation without drawing too much attention to myself. I encourage you to tag along.

The Pink Demographic and Marketing
By Donovan Steyl

In many ways South Africa is a first world country. However when it comes to the marketing of brands and services to the gay community, South Africa is still in the stone ages.

In recent years, a number of major ad categories have targeted Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) markets around the world. These categories include travel, financial services, alcoholic beverages, automotive, entertainment, hair and skincare, luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, and fashion. (For example, American Airlines have launched a specific LGBT-targeted vacations website.) While over fifteen years old in the United States and Europe, LGBT marketing is a relatively new marketing phenomenon in South Africa.

The ABNSA Gay Consumer profile that was commissioned in 2008 is the largest of its kind in South Africa, its findings showed that roughly 10% of the South African population is gay. This amounts to just over 4.8 million people.

Of the 15 000 respondents that completed the survey, 76% of the respondents said they were more aware of advertisements that specifically targeted gay people. Plus, 96% of respondents paid more attention to gay ads and ads that identified with them as a market segment and 92.5% said they would consciously support advertisers who made use of gay publications or media.

The term ‘DINK' (Dual Income No Kids )was coined for this demographic. This means that the gay community tend to have more disposable income. They are also early adaptors, eager to try new brands and set trends. The ‘Pink Rand' is a considerable segment of the South African market and is known for its superior spending value.

So why then are corporates so afraid of this lucrative market? Various factors include: fear of the unknown, potential damage to brand image and alienating their heterosexual customers, negative stereotypes and then simply pure ignorance of the market and its potential.

I was recently asked by a strategist of a large media agency: "Why would one consider sexual orientation as a planning factor?" My response to her was: "Well, when you are deciding on a target demographic one would consider age, sex, psychographics, geographic, income, education etc etc...so why not sexual orientation?" This audience must be considered as an equal and viable market, just as you would any other.

This does not place gay consumers in a vacuum; they do form part of the community. I merely want to demonstrate that gay media titles should be considered as a ‘lifestyle' medium for possible advertising and marketing.

This being said, no consumer is more particular about the images and messages used in marketing than the gay community, which is why it is important to have the help of a knowledgeable niche media sales agency, such as Lunch Box Media, to assist with smooth integration and appropriate messaging. change the focus from sales to education in the hope that educating the media agencies and marketing/brand managers would lead to an increase in sales.

This has happened, but very slowly.

This kind of agency can provide clients with a comprehensive marketing mix of advertising. This includes print, online and social media; as well as unbiased advice and expertise as to how to enter this lucrative market.

Inside E R I  Jams

Presenting, promoting and preserving the artistic culture of our city along with the works of independent filmmakers, writers, artists and musicians in the Erie area.