It's not easy being green

"When green is all there is to be,
It could make you wonder why.
But why wonder, why wonder?
I am green, and it'll do fine.
It's beautiful,
And I think it's what I want to be."

Think about it...

Earth Hour - Turn Off Your Lights

Earth Hour is an international event that asks households and businesses to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour this evening at 20:00 to promote electricity conservation and thus lower carbon emissions.



Don't make pandas angry.

Learn more.

Israel grants gay Palestinian temporary visa

Pinknews is reporting that a gay Palestinian has been granted an Israeli temporary residential visa, after claiming he faced persecution and possible danger if he remained in the West Bank. The 33-year-old plans to reunite with his Israeli partner in Tel Aviv.

A real life alternate ending for Eytan Fox's The Bubble.

Read more.

Bloggers in Greece fight discrimination

From Pinknews, over 200 blogs have joined an initiative called Greek Bloggers Against Discrimination to campaign against a proposed domestic partnerships legislation that excludes same-sex couples.

Read more here and here.

Racism. Stop It! - Canada Video Competition - March 21st - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

March 21st is designated by the United Nations (UN) as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and marks the tragic event that took place on March 21st, 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa when 69 peaceful demonstrators were killed during a protest against apartheid.

The Racism. Stop It! National Video Competition is part of Canada's March 21st campaign against racial discrimination.

Ten videos, created by students between 12 and 18 years old, were chosen as winners. Here is one of them, entitled Believe, from Clayton Heights Secondary School, Surrey, British Columbia.



Learn more and see the other winning videos here.

Gay sex allowed in Netherlands park

Man and nature.

GayNZ reports that councilors have agreed to permit gay sex in the public area of Amsterdam's Vondelpark.

With a view to tolerating gays in order to protect them from violence, the legislation also calls for strict rules, including the clearing away of condoms and the limiting of sexual activity away from children's playgrounds and only in the evening and nighttime.

Good clean fun!

Read more.

Norway Proposes Legislation to Allow Same-Sex Marriage

Pinknews is reporting that the Norwegian government has introduced legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry and have joint custody over children.

Norway already allows gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil partnerships, but LGBT rights groups "have long complained that the current arrangements create two classes of citizenship - one for heterosexuals and another for the LGBT community."

If passed, the bill would make Norway the 6th country in the world, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, and South Africa, to legalize same-sex marriage.

Read more.

Keith Olbermann on the missteps of Geraldine Ferraro, Hillary Clinton

Hat Tip to Nunc Scio!



Stellar.

Check out more politics, media, and culture at Nunc Scio.

For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield

From January 1967, the Buffalo Springfield classic For What It's Worth.



"There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind
It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down"

Over 41 years ago, and we still can't figure things out.

Moveon.org - Obama in 30 Seconds Contest

MoveOn.org has a message for all filmmakers, writers, directors, actors, editors, composers, graphic artists, and animators:

"Whether you're a total amateur or a total pro, now is the time to use your creativity to help Barack Obama win. We're launching an ad contest: 'Obama in 30 Seconds.'"

Important Dates

- March 27th: Submission Period Begins
- April 1st: Submission Period Ends
- April 4th: 1st Round Voting Begins
- April 9th: 1st Round Voting Ends
- April 10th: Finalists Announced
- April 11th: Judging Panel Begins
- April 17th: Winners Announced

The Judges include Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, John Legend, Moby, Oliver Stone, Julia Stiles, and Naomi Wolf.

Learn more.

LOGO's Lawrence King PSA

The LGBT-oriented television network Logo, in partnership with GLSEN, created this public service announcement in response to the recent murder of openly gay junior high student Lawrence King in California.

The 60 second video features community activist, writer, and actress Calpernia Addams (Logo's Transamerican Love Story), Andre 3000 (OutKast), R&B artist Ashanti, singer/songwriter Sarah Bareilles, actress Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development, Nip/Tuck), international performer Estelle, singer/actress Janet Jackson, actor T.R. Knight (Grey's Anatomy), R&B artist Little Sister, actor Darryl Stephens (Logo's Noah's Arc), and singer/songwriter Taylor Swift.



"None of us are safe until all of us are safe."

HIV in Japan

From Xinhuanet, the number of people newly infected with HIV in Japan hit a record high in 2007. Most of the new cases are men in their 30s.

Read more.

John Amaechi - Don't Hate Me Because I'm A Big Man

One of my faves, gay ex-NBA star John Amaechi, on being different.

Homosexuality, Pashtuns in Kandahar, Afghanistan

From Javno comes a story of an ancient homosexual custom among the ethnic Pashtun people in Afghanistan.

An excerpt:

"In the city of Kandahar, which is considered the gay capital of Southern Asia, there is an ancient custom among the ethnic Pashtun people. An adult man picks a young boy, a teenager, called an 'ashna' and gives him money and presents in turn for sexual favours. This Pashtun tradition is even represented in their poetry, in odes written about the beauty of young 'ashnas'. This is a tradition that is present in all facets of society, practiced by the rich and poor alike."

The report contains some firsthand accounts of British and American military personnel who had returned from the region:

"- It was hell. Every village we went into we got a group of men wearing make-up coming up, stroking our hair and cheeks and making kissing noises – 20-year-old Corporal Paul Richard uttered."

Read more.

Barack Obama, the World, and Yes We Can, by will.i.am - reprise

The thing about blogging and most news media is that we writers often forget the most significant posts and stories not long after we click "publish" and move on to research new posts and stories. I have decided to publish will.i.am's Yes We Can video again because I believe that Barack Obama is the Democratic candidate who will best represent gay persons of color. While I am Canadian, politics south of the border profoundly impact what happens not only in North America, but also in the rest of the world where gay persons of color face varying amounts of challenges and hardships.

When I walk into a room, I still automatically make a mental count of how many individuals are of color, sometimes to feel less alone, sometimes to feel more secure. But always, I do this before I try and figure out how many of the people are gay.

In much of the world, darker skinned men and women continue to be placed at the bottom of corrupt and constructed hierarchies, and if Barack Obama does end up winning the Democratic leadership race and subsequently becomes the President of the most powerful nation in the world, a global change for the better will occur. A man with enormous responsibilities on his shoulders will solidify his position as a role model for all people of color. And this is just one of many significant reasons to say, "Yes, We Can," in the United States, in Canada, and across the universe.



"We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change. We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics that will only grow louder and more dissonant. We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."

Gay in Botswana

Check out this interesting article and short interview posted at Queerty about a Botswanan trans-lesbian, Prisca Mogapi,who prefers to be called Skipper.

An excerpt:

"While we would have loved to sit down with Skipper, we had to settle for a brief, yet informative, email exchange in which Mogapi gabs about growing up in Botswana, how homophobic laws leave a lot of guess work and why the grass isn’t necessarily greener in gay-inclusive South Africa."

Learn more.

Gay and living with HIV in Tunisia

From Reuters comes the story about a Tunisian gay man living with HIV.

An excerpt:

"Smiling and self-assured, the healthy looking Tunisian says his peace of mind comes from accepting what he cannot change, living in the moment and taking care to present a normal face to the world...Karim, one of 1,428 Tunisians who live with HIV, has learnt to keep his status a tightly guarded secret in a society where fear, prejudice and ignorance about the disease prevail."

Learn more.

IGLHRC Announces 2008 Felipa de Souza Award Winners

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) announced yesterday that it would award its 2008 Felipa de Souza Award to two outstanding nominees - the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO) and Chilean trans activist Andrés Ignacio Rivera Duarte.

The Felipa de Souza Award recognizes "the courage and effectiveness of groups or leaders dedicated to improving the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) and other individuals stigmatized and abused because of their sexuality or HIV status."

Each winner receives a $5,000 stipend.

Congratulations!

Read more.

IN THE LIFE - Voices of Sisterhood - March 2008

From Lisa Moore's determination to find a way to express the lives of African-American gay men and lesbians through the written word, to lesbian activism in the Philippines, the segments of this month's IN THE LIFE celebrate Women's History Month in the United States with a collection of stories honoring the struggles, triumphs, and art of LGBT women around the world.

Check out IN THE LIFE here.

Barack Obama on Equality and LGBT Rights

Read more.

Travel and Racism

I am excited about another great post from Wendi Muse at Racialicious that recounts her experiences as a woman of color visiting Paris and Madrid and includes some important tips for all travelers of color.

An excerpt:

"It’s amazing how many things travel guides leave out when it comes to the treatment a person of color may receive in a certain country, how to react to incidents of racism, or even whether or not what you are experiencing has nothing to do with race and all to do with cultural miscommunication."

Read more.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and gay voters

GayNZ sums up how gay Americans might be increasingly supportive of Democratic candidate Barack Obama:

"Clinton and Obama both oppose same-sex marriages but support civil unions. However, it is becoming significant that Obama supports full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act which Bill Clinton signed under pressure from a Republican-dominated Congress and which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages and permits states to also outlaw them. Clinton supports rolling back only part of that law."

Read more.

Barack Obama, We Are The Ones, by will.i.am

For those of you who haven't yet heard enough of American politics in the media, here is the song, "We Are The Ones," by will.i.am, endorsing Barack Obama as the democratic leader in the USA.

Celebrities, including Jessica Alba, John Leguizamo, George Lopez, Ryan Phillippe, and Kerry Washington explain why they support Obama, while others chant "O-BA-MA" to the melody.



I too endorse Barack Obama. Why? Because more achievements in this world have arrived through hope than through policy.