2008 Canadian Blog Awards

Well, the first of two voting rounds for the 2008 Canadian Blog Awards has concluded, and I am happy to report that Gay Persons of Color has advanced to the final round and is among the top five nominees in the Best GLBT Category.

If you have enjoyed reading Gay Persons of Color in the past year, please take a few seconds to vote for the site here.

I write about issues that surround gay people and people of color, and at the same time, I attempt to address the larger concerns of civil and human rights and peaceful, secure coexistence in our sometimes volatile world. I hope for the day when we will all value mutual acceptance, respect, and diversity.

Thanks so much for your support!

James

Madonna, I Am Because We Are, Documentary Film, AIDS in Malawi

Madonna's new documentary film I Am Because We Are about AIDS in Malawi will have its television premiere on the American Sundance Channel at 21h00 EST Monday 1 December, World AIDS Day.

Directed by Nathan Rissman and written, narrated and produced by Madonna, the film premiered at the 7th annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York on 24 April 2008 and at the 61st annual Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2008.

Here is the trailer that begins with the poignant statement:

If you are walking somewhere and find somebody on the road lying helpless, you might want to ask yourself a question, "If I stop, what will happen to me?" That's the wrong question. The question should be, "If I do not stop what will happen to him?"



We all belong, and what hurts the one affects the others as well.
Desmond Tutu

Wisdom.

Read more.

It's My Party, Eric Roberts, Gregory Harrison

Get a hankie for this one.

In keeping with World AIDS Week, I've decided to post this clip of the last few minutes of It's My Party, a 1996 American film, written and directed by Randal Kleiser, which chronicles a two-day party hosted by architect Nick Stark (played by Eric Roberts), who has been diagnosed with Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML). Rather than fall into a state of mental lapse lasting for months until inevitable death, Nick chooses to die with dignity and commits suicide at the conclusion of the party by taking an overdose of the barbiturate Seconal. In the end, he is coached through his final moments by his ex-lover Brandon (played by Gregory Harrison).



This is actually one of my favorite movie scenes. The convincing depiction of love between Nick and Brandon is a rarity on the big screen for two gay male characters. Also, the powerful sounds of grief, particularly those of Nick's mother (played by Lee Grant) well reflect the intensity of the situation.

The film, which also includes Paul Regina, Olivia Newton-John, Margaret Cho, Marlee Matlin, and Bruce Davison, is based on the true events of the death of Harry Stein, architect and designer, who was also director Kleiser's ex-lover. Stein's farewell party was held in 1992.

It's My Party addresses AIDS on a post-prevention level reminding us that sometimes our own fears of loss and desperation are less important than making sure the people we love feel comfortable, secure, and dignified.

In The Life Media, Public Health Solutions, NYU, MANHUNT collaborate on HIV Is Still A Big Deal series

Despite decades of traditional HIV-prevention campaigns and messages aimed at heightening awareness of the undiminished danger of HIV infection, a new generation of young, gay men still believe that getting infected with HIV is no longer a serious threat. And for those who can’t stand the limitations of either dancing shirtless in a noisy club or sitting uncomfortably at the bar in a local pub, an increasingly more acceptable option for meeting is via the Internet. Yet, as in the traditional gay gathering places, online hookups come with the possibility of having to face eventual issues like unprotected sex, HIV testing, and disclosure of HIV status.

In response to the rising rate of new HIV infections in communities where men have sex with men, researchers at New York City-based Public Health Solutions and New York University have collaborated to produce an innovative web-based campaign that tells the story of Josh, a young gay man in New York City who meets sex partners online. HIV Is Still A Big Deal combines the popularity, reach, and interactivity of online video with the power of research-based learning strategies. In fact, when 500 men were surveyed three months after viewing the serial's first episode, they indicated that they were 3 times more likely to disclose their HIV status and about 1.5 times more likely to get tested for HIV.

Fantastic!

The project was promoted on the social networking site, MANHUNT, which supplied most of the research participants and offered free banner space to support the multimedia event.

In The Life Media, producer of IN THE LIFE, the longest running television show documenting the gay experience, hopes to widen awareness of this campaign to over 74 million households, and through the IN THE LIFE website.

HIV Is Still A Big Deal was directed by documentary filmmaker Todd Ahlberg (Meth, Hooked). The broadcast program will begin airing nationally in the United States on public television stations on World AIDS Day, 1 December. It will be available to view or download for free by going to the IN THE LIFE website, starting 2 December. The first two episodes are now available on the HIV Is Still A Big Deal website, as well on YouTube, MySpace, and other popular social networking sites that host online video.

Hooray for using the Internet to fight HIV!

Bjorn Borg launches Love For All dating site

Well, online US dating service eHarmony has finally agreed to set up a website for gays and lesbians seeking partners after a discrimination complaint was filed against the company three years ago by Eric McKinley, a gay match-seeker from New Jersey. After a court battle and settlements comprising $5,000 USD to McKinley and $50,000 USD to the Division on Civil Rights of New Jersey's Attorney General's Office to cover investigation-related administrative costs, I can't help but think how much easier it would have been for eHarmony to have simply been inclusive when it first launched in 2000. Businesses, take heed. Discrimination can be expensive.

But, this is not the case for the fashion house of Swedish tennis great Bjorn Borg, whose new dating site offers opportunities for all to find true love. One of the site's promotional ads (below) features a delightful church wedding with a twist.



Priceless.

And the Band Played On...Fifteen Years Later

And the Band Played On is a 1993 Emmy Award-winning American docudrama based on the best-selling 1987 non-fiction book And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts.

The film, starring Matthew Modine as Don Francis and Alan Alda as Robert Gallo, is an extensive chronicle of the research, bureaucracy, and politics surrounding AIDS in the early 1980s. The cast also includes Ian McKellen, Lily Tomlin, B.D. Wong, Phil Collins, Steve Martin, Richard Gere, and Anjelica Huston.

Not without controversy was the characterization of Gaëtan Dugas, an Air Canada flight attendant from Quebec City identified as one of the first persons to be diagnosed with AIDS in North America. The reference to Dugas as 'Patient Zero,' in both the book and the film, however, was unfortunately misconceived as an indication that it was he who introduced HIV into North America, a myth debunked by later clarifications and studies, the most recent of which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1 November 2007.

But controversy aside, the movie is in itself a touching memorial for a time when it was feared that the AIDS epidemic would become the global pandemic it is today. The last moments of the film (below) well represent the tone of an era that seems, at once, unforgettable, yet strangely forgotten.

Chantell Gregg loses a Pride Parade, but gets a Rally for Social Justice

Well, thanks to religious biases, a Facebook group managed to quash a Pride Parade, originally planned and organized by sixteen-year-old Chantell Gregg in Abbotsford, British Columbia, a city that lies just 72 km (43 miles) from Vancouver, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

But thanks to a little help from John Kuipers of the University of the Fraser Valley pride group, a social justice rally will be held in place of a parade in conjunction with other social justice groups to create a more inclusive event.

Good idea, I think, to unite groups with the theme of social justice. I'm all for a Pride Parade, but it bothers me when the event appeals to just one separate group of people in society, i.e. "the gays." Granted, "the gays" have to be more inclusive in their event planning, as Chantell and John are being, and "the straights" have to be more open to attending an event that reaches out to include them.

So thanks Facebook group that trashed the Abbotsford Pride Parade. Because of you, a better idea emerged, one that could more appropriately combat the kind of hatred you display. And congratulations, Chantell, for not giving up in the face of homophobic adversity. You're a star!

Read more.

World AIDS Week, Red Ribbon Project, Red Möbius Strip

The Red Ribbon Project was created by the New York-based Visual AIDS Artists Caucus in 1991 with the intention of expressing compassion for people living with AIDS and their caregivers. The visual symbol of the Red Ribbon was inspired by the Yellow Ribbons honoring American soldiers serving in the Gulf War. The color red was chosen for its "connection to blood and the idea of passion -- not only anger, but love, like a valentine."

Some facts from the Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2008, August 2008:

- An estimated 33 million people [30.3 – 36.1 million] were living with HIV in 2007. - There were 2.7 million [2.2 – 3.2 million] new HIV infections and 2 million [1.8 – 2.3 million] AIDS-related deaths last year.
- Globally, women account for half of all HIV infections—this percentage has remained stable for the past several years.
- The number of new HIV infections continues to outstrip the advances made in treatment numbers—for every two people put on antiretroviral drugs, another five become newly infected.
– Discrimination remains a barrier to prevention access for most at risk populations; while conversely, countries which protect these populations from discrimination tend to reach more of them with HIV prevention programmes.

World AIDS Week for 2008 is from Monday 24 November to World AIDS Day, Monday 1 December. I have placed an image behind this blog's title above that is actually not of a Red Ribbon, but of a detail of a Möbius Strip, that mathematical one-sided loop with a half twist.



Named after the astronomer and mathematician August Ferdinand Möbius who invented it in 1858, the never ending Möbius Strip seems to me like another appropriate symbol of enduring compassion. And like the global challenges to increase HIV/AIDS prevention, public awareness, research, and treatment, the Red Möbius Strip illustrates a continuum in which we are all connected within a larger whole that is humanity.

Read more.

Dutch on Dutch Homophobia, Right Wing Finger Pointing, Divide and Conquer Media Strategies

Police figures from a new system for reporting hate crimes in the Netherlands have revealed that in the first six months of this year, only 16% of the 150 reports of verbal or physical violence against native Dutch gay men and women were carried out by non-whites. This goes against the belief, held by some white Dutch right wing MPs, that Muslims are to blame for most of the homophobia in the country.

Yes, high-profile attacks on gay people by members of ethnic minority groups have occurred in the past year in the Netherlands, but, as the statistics now show, the political finger pointing from the right is misdirected.

But these right wingers aren't alone. Perhaps less flagrant yet equally divisive are the media outlets who only too willingly "racialize" stories for increased ratings or readership. For instance, how many articles came up about the Californian "black vote" after the passage of Proposition 8? Many. And in a state where a mere 6.2% of the population is African-American, the "black vote" coverage was highly disproportionate to that of the other factors that played a role in the outcome of the referendum.

Dramatic divisions form a large part of what we call "the news." Often they comprise only two components, i.e. black/white, us/them, gay/straight, just two sides of an issue from which we can choose and then form an opinion on. But really, isn't life far more complex than just two sides of a particular news story?

Read more about the violence by native Dutch men on native Dutch gays and lesbians in the Netherlands here.

Day Without a Gay in the USA to coincide with International Human Rights Day

Day Without A Gay is an excellent grassroots Internet initiative that encourages American gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders to "take a historic stance against hatred by donating love to a variety of different causes." Hence, LGBTs and allies are encouraged not to call in sick, but to call in "gay" on 10 December 2008 and volunteer for the day at a local LGBT organization. Opportunities will be available in all 50 states. And for those who simply can't call in "gay," the event website lists other ways that people can lend a hand and a voice in the fight for gay equality without missing work.

Why is it called Day Without a Gay? The name was inspired by the 2004 film A Day Without a Mexican and the 2006 nationwide strike known as A Day Without Immigrants that protested proposed US immigration laws.

Day Without a Gay appropriately coincides with International Human Rights Day, the date that honours the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

This year's Human Rights Day theme - "Dignity and justice for all of us."

Positive steps and inspiring community mobilizing.

Read more.
And, join the Facebook event page here.

The New Twenty, Image + Nation Montreal Film Festival

Here is the trailer of another film of potential interest for gay persons of color at the Image + Nation Montreal Film Festival.



The New Twenty features the stories of five friends in their late 20s who face soul searching questions as they move into the next phase of their lives in New York City. With ethnically and sexually diverse characters, the movie just might be one of the more interesting ones at the festival.
Saturday 29 Nov. 21:30

You can join the movie's Facebook page here and MySpace page here.

Supreme Court of Nepal grants equality to LGBT citizens

While civil rights remain an elusive goal for many gays, lesbians, and transgenders in the United States following the recent passing of discriminatory propositions, across the globe the Supreme Court of Nepal gave full rights and protection to its gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex population, a group now defined as "natural" persons with their physical growth, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression all part of the natural growing process. And if that weren't enough, the Nepalese government will soon introduce a same-sex marriage bill.

Congratulations Nepal!

Read more.

Piao Lang Qing Chun (Drifting Flowers), Sikil (Unspoken Passion), Image + Nation Montreal Film Festival

Here are two trailers for films featured at the Image + Nation Montreal Film Festival that runs from this Thursday 20 November to Sunday 30 November 2008.

Piao Lang Qing Chun Drifting Flowers



Drifting Flowers recounts tensions in the Taiwanese family comprising Jing, a masseuse-cum-singer, her eight-year-old sister Meigo, and her female partner Deigo.
Friday 21 Nov. 19:15

Sikil Unspoken Passion (sorry, no subtitles)



Unspoken Passion tells a story of friendship and love between Enzo and Adong from rural Philippines to the crowded streets of Manila.
Saturday 22 Nov. 15:00

Check out the full schedule of the festival here.

Boyzone, Stephen Gately, Better

Boyzone, the Irish boy band who had huge success in the 1990s but split up in 2000, have reunited this year.

Exciting? Maybe. But the brand new video for their forthcoming single Better is groundbreaking in that it features band member Stephen Gately openly showing affection for another man, while each of the other group members, who are straight, are accordingly paired off with women. This normalizing of a same-sex relationship is a great step forward in the realistic portrayal of gays in popular mainstream culture.

As Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian writes:

"This isn't just the first time that Gately, who came out in 1999 and is in a civil partnership, has been allowed openly to express his sexuality in a video - it's the first time any boyband star has done so."

And, the song is nice too!

Enjoy the video here.

Read more.

Prop 8 Protests - Philadephia, Denver, Atlanta, Seattle

Philadephia and Denver


Atlanta and Seattle

Prop 8 Protests - Chicago, Portland, Dallas, Boston

Chicago and Portland


Dallas and Boston

International Protest in Solidarity with US LGBTQs and Allies - Why Protest?

As I get ready to walk in the Montreal protest in solidarity with American counterparts, I thought I would just mention one of the major reasons I have chosen to do this.

This international event carries with it important notions that cannot be easily dismissed. The passing of recent American Propositions are examples of homophobia that launch the message to LGBTQs that they do not deserve equal rights.

The implications of this on young LGBTQs are particularly relevant, in that but a few months ago in February, fifteen-year-old student Larry King was killed at a California school, a hate crime, just one instance of widespread homophobia in educational institutions across the United States. The passing of Proposition 8 in California, while not directly promoting hate, does nothing to combat homophobia and the kinds of violence that young LGBTQs face today across the globe. You can imagine the bullying that is potentially happening now with taunts, teasing, and ridicule in the form of "Ha! Ha! You can't get married. You're not like us," or "I told you so, you freak," or whatever. Kids are cruel. You get the point. As we know, some of us only too well, the number of gay teen suicide attempts are significantly higher than that of heterosexual youth.

The international protest today against the American Propositions, at the very least, shows to young, silently suffering LGBTQs that they are not alone, and that some people in the world beyond high school, will, in fact, stand up for their rights and give them hope for a safer future.

Nationwide American Protest now an International Event

The nationwide American protest scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 15 November 2008, against propositions passed in the country's recent elections has now become an international event!

In addition to rallies in every American state, demonstrations will be held across Canada (Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Windsor, Sault Ste. Marie, Montreal) and in other countries including Australia, Japan, the UK, and the Netherlands.

Thank you to the Join The Impact team for getting the ball rolling up this momentous hill.

Stellar!

Prop 8 Protest - New York City Mormon Temple

Next protests Saturday 15 November 2008.

In Montreal, the path can be found here, and check out the Facebook event here.

For more info, contact the Queer McGill Political Action Coordinator at: political.qm@gmail.com.

To participate in an American protest close to you, click here.

Gay matrimony begins in Connecticut

Congratulations to the same-sex couples in Connecticut who for the first time in the state's history became legally allowed to exchange vows beginning today.

This is a momentous occasion in U.S. history, as well as some welcome and hopeful news for gays and lesbians across the country. Connecticut joins Massachusetts as the only two states that currently allow same-sex couples to legally marry.

And when Proposition 8 is overturned in California (and it will be), that state's government will resume granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Read more.

Montreal Protest in Solidarity with U.S. LGBTQ Groups

Queer McGill, the organization that provides social and political information and support services for LGBTQ students at McGill University, is inviting all Montrealers to join a peaceful demonstration on 15 November 2008 to protest the passing of referendums banning gay marriage in California, Florida, and Arizona and outlawing same-sex couples from adopting in Arkansas.

The Montreal protest will be in solidarity with the American nationwide protest on the same day in which every major city in the United States will be host to similar demonstrations.

The Press Release from Queer McGill:

Though the world is rallying around "change" thanks to the election of Barack Obama, November 4th was a bittersweet night for many LGBTQ Americans and their allies. California, Florida, and Arizona all passed public referendums banning gay marriage. The state of Arkansas dealt a bitter blow when it passed a referendum effectively outlawing same-sex couples from adopting. The worldwide queer movement views this as a fundamental step backwards for civil rights, equality under the law, and lifestyle opportunities. Montreal, which houses one of the most vast and inclusive queer communities in North America, is rallying in solidarity with LGBTQ Americans who experience societally-sanctioned prejudice.

On Saturday, November 15, Queer McGill invites all Montrealers (queer or not) who care about civil liberties and equality under the law to join the peaceful demonstration against these reactionary outcomes. The gathering will begin in front of McGill's Roddick gates and will conclude in front of the American consulate at René-Lévesque and St-Alexandre. Though Canada granted same-sex unions equality under the law in 2005, Canadian queers recognize that the struggle for recognition and respect continues, and that "change" cannot truly advance if entire groups of society continue to be oppressed.

When: Saturday, November 15th at 1:00pm
Where: Start---McGill's Roddick Gates (rue Sherbrooke and ave. McGill College)
End--- The United States Consulate (1155 rue St-Alexandre)

Political Action Coordinator


For those of you attending the Montreal protest, the path can be found here.

For more info on the Montreal event, contact the Political Action Coordinator at: political.qm@gmail.com.

To participate in an American protest close to you, click here.

And, check out the Facebook event here.

Needless to say, this is an important event across North America. Our civil rights are at stake. Spread the word!

Keith Olbermann on Proposition 8 and Love

If there is one video you watch today, watch this one. It kicks butt to no end!



Thank you, Keith Olbermann, for saying it as it is.

Obama Ohana

So I thought I'd go further west today, beyond California and into the Pacific Ocean where lies one of my favorite spots in the world - Hawaii. One thing I love about the state is Ohana, that notion of family in an extended sense of the term, where community, blood relatives, and circles of friends cooperate with, care for, and remember each other to the exclusion of no one.

American President-elect Barack Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961, and he spent much of his adolescence in the melting pot of 1970's Oahu before moving to the mainland to pursue his university studies in Los Angeles, New York City, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Subsequently, he settled in Chicago, and very soon he'll be moving into the White House in Washington DC.

From the Pacific to the Atlantic, Barack Obama has been fortunate enough to appreciate many different kinds of America, and it is this type of life experience that gives me hope that he can make a difference and add that spirit of Ohana to the diverse fabric of American society in which, ideally, every citizen will have equal protection under the law.

Prop 8 Protest - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Footage of Proposition 8 protest from Sunday 9 November 2008 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the first American city to begin legally issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples on 17 May 2004.



Solidarity.

Read more.

George Takei and Brad Altman on Proposition 8 - A Civil Rights Issue

What if redheads lost their freedom of speech?



This a women's issue because lesbians and bisexuals are women, and their rights are being taken away.

This is a men's issue because gays and bisexuals are men, and our rights are being taken away.

This is a race issue because lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders are of all races, colors, and ethnic origins, and our rights are being taken away.

This is a civil rights issue.

More Prop 8 Protests - San Diego, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City

San Diego and Long Beach


Los Angeles and Salt Lake City

Mass Mormon Resignation Planned in response to Proposition 8

A mass resignation is being planned from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you are a Mormon, you can go to the website Signing for Something, which will be collecting names of people who wish to protest or resign from the Church over Proposition 8 related issues.

Also, check out the site Mormons Stole Our Rights for information about how for the past six months Mormon volunteers misled Californians about the effects of marriage equality in the state.

Christina Aguilera, Melissa Etheridge, George Takei, Ellen DeGeneres, Pete Wentz, Madonna, and more voices against Prop 8

Some high profile celebrities spoke out against Proposition 8. Click on their names below to read what they had to say.

Christina Aguilera

Melissa Etheridge

George Takei

Ellen DeGeneres

Pete Wentz

Madonna

This video shows more voices in San Francisco against the discriminatory Proposition.



As the videographer says, "It looks to me like a civil rights movement."

It is.

Proposition 8 is about unjustly revoking civil rights from a particular minority group in society, and the implications of this make me feel extremely vulnerable. It's as if the value of diversity has been removed from society, thus destabilizing the foundation of something that was initially built with diversity in mind.

No on Prop 8 San Francisco City Hall Candlelight Vigil - Yes, We Can

Candlelight vigil and rally in support of marriage equality held in the aftermath of the apparent voter approval of Proposition 8.






Click here to sign the Re-open Proposition 8 for California petition online.

Click here to join the Facebook group 1,000,000 Strong to Overturn Prop 8.

Latter Days, Gays, Mormons, and Proposition 8

Well, Proposition 8 seems to have passed, but three gay-marriage proponents filed three court challenges yesterday, arguing that the Proposition was actually a 'revision' of the California Constitution, rather than a simple 'amendment,' and should have first passed the Legislature before going to the voters. So, by no means is the struggle towards equality over.

In the meantime, I came across the trailer for the 2003 film Latter Days, in which Aaron Davis (Steve Sandvoss), a closeted young Elder (Mormon missionary), meets Christian Markelli (Wes Ramsey), an openly gay non-Mormon.



I haven't seen the movie, but the premise somehow seems appropriate for today. It's easy to blame homophobic groups of people for what happened yesterday, but I think it's more interesting to just think about tomorrow and understand that we still have lots of exciting challenging work, both collectively and individually, to be ambassadors of who we are as human beings who happen to be gay. I have had to do this all my life as a human being who happens to be gay in a straight world, of color in a white world, anglophone in a francophone world, and, I might as well mention, left-handed in a right-handed world (I'm just sayin' - Did you know that lefties die younger than righties?). In any case, I have had to convince people that I deserve an equal place in 'their' societies. And I am learning, albeit slowly, that equality is not the biggest key to happiness. Don't get me wrong. I'll always fight for equality, but my happiness also involves something else that comes from a place that only I can shelter.

I hope that all of those distraught human beings in California and beyond can somehow understand and appreciate that the next few days and weeks just might be among their happiest because sometimes the worst of suffering elicits the most loving moments ever.

Barack Obama wins presidency, gays and lesbians still in the battle for rights

Today reminds me of a moment in an episode of that old show Thirtysomething where Nancy (Patricia Wettig of current Brothers & Sisters fame), who was struggling for her life against cancer, learns that she is in remission and is celebrating with her friends when suddenly Michael (Ken Olin, producer of Brothers & Sisters and husband of Patricia Wettig) is informed of the death of Gary (Peter Horton), who was supposed to be with them rejoicing at the hospital.



As much as I want to cheer the milestone event that is Barack Obama's ascent to the American presidency, I am greatly saddened and offended that approximately fifty percent of the voters in California have supported Proposition 8, an epic invalidation of same-sex couples in the most populous state in the union.

As Nobel Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu said last year, in comparing anti-gay discrimination to apartheid in South Africa:

"To penalise someone because of their sexual orientation is like what used to happen to us; to be penalised for something which we could do nothing [about] — our ethnicity, our race."

Same-sex marriage became legal in South Africa on 30 November 2006.

If passed, Proposition 8 would be a huge civil rights setback. California's constitution will be amended to specify that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized, and the right of same-sex couples to marry in the state will be eliminated.

Current results show Proposition 8 supporters ahead by about 400,000 votes, but, if the reported 3 million absentee ballots still to be tallied end up counting for the No side, than this morose post is merely a bump in the emotional road towards marriage equality, about which I'll laugh later in life. If on the other hand, the Proposition is passed, well, then the road is a bit ruined. But let's remember, our feet are strong (as long as we stay away from heels), and the next steps we take will still be towards progress and equality. Yes, we can...

Americans, Vote!

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Snoop Dogg, Harrison Ford, Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, Justin Timberlake, along with Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat, Zach Braff, Colin Farrell, Neil Patrick Harris, Scarlett Johansson, Shia LeBeouf, Tobey Maguire, Ryan Reynolds, and Jason Segal, are featured in a second of a series of public service announcements to encourage American youth to vote in partnership with Google, YouTube, Declare Yourself, and MySpace. The non-partisan PSAs, produced by DiCaprios Appian Way, were created to engage and inspire young people to vote and participate in the upcoming election.

Proposition 8, California, Pace v. Alabama, Loving v. Virginia

So tomorrow is the US election and I can't overemphasize how nervous I am about the whole situation. On 15 May 2008, the Supreme Court of California overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage, thus granting marriage equality to gay, lesbian, and transgender persons in the state. Proposition 8, however, a proposed constitutional amendment titled 'Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry Act,' is on the California general election ballot. Recent polls show the race between the Yes and No sides is tight.

I'm still finding it hard to believe that this is even happening. Over 40 years ago, in 1967, the United States Supreme Court, in its ruling of the landmark American civil rights case, Loving v. Virginia, declared that Virginia's anti-miscegenation statute, the 'Racial Integrity Act of 1924,' was unconstitutional, thereby overturning the 1883 case, Pace v. Alabama, and ending all race-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States.

Hypothetically speaking, what if a group of people thought that the Loving v. Virginia ruling was wrong, got a few hundred thousand signatures to bring it to the ballot, and called it 'Eliminates Right of Couples To Marry Outside Of One's Racially Or Ethnically Defined Group Act'? That would be preposterous, and so is Proposition 8.

If passed, Proposition 8 would be a monumental step backwards in American civil rights history, a source of extreme disappointment for those of us who believe in progress, and a massive invalidation of gay, lesbian, and transgender persons in the most populous state in the union.

For the last time, please Californians, NO on Prop 8.

Steve Young trumps Jeff Kent in gay marriage battle on Proposition 8

I love sisters who support their gay brothers.

Barbara Young, sister of a gay brother, is fighting against Proposition 8 even though she is a member of the Mormon church, which has donated 80% of the 75 million dollars in support of the Proposition. She is married to National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, the great-great-great grandson of Brigham Young, the second president of the Mormon church.

The Young family is reported to have donated $50,000 to defeat Proposition 8, a nice canceling out of the $15,000 donated in support of the Proposition by Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Jeff Kent.

Thank you Young family for believing in equality and taking a stand against the Mormon church's discriminatory view of the matter.

You know what I'm going to say...Greatness!

Read more.

Gay Marriage, the NHL, Breakfast with Scot, Prop 8

Three things are on my mind right now. The Montreal Canadiens' 100th season is in full swing. Breakfast with Scot, the movie about a gay retired hockey player turned television sportscaster (Tom Cavanagh) and his sports lawyer partner (Ben Shenkman) who become legal guardians of an 11-year-old boy (Noah Bernett), can now be seen in select American cities. And, finally, the US election is going to happen very soon.

These three items reminded me of a blog post I had read a few years ago that included quotes from legendary hockey commentator Don Cherry, and former right winger star Brett Hull, who recently was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame. Both men were commenting on the issue of same-sex marriage in Canada.

From the Daily Kos:

For those of you are [sic] who are non-Canadian, Don Cherry is the very redneck, rightwing loudmouth shnook who hosts Hockey Night in Canada. He spends most of his time bashing Quebecois and European players as being "softies" who don't get into enough fights!

Anyways, today Cherry weighed in on same sex marriage. He said: "I don't have any problem with it... Does it cost me any money - NO, so why should I care"

Meanwhile hockey star Brett Hull also commented on equal marriage on Saturday Night Live two weeks ago.

POEHLER: Brett, you're Canadian. What do you think of this new gay marriage law passing in Canada?

BRETT HULL: Well, that's what happens in Canada when there's no hockey. Guys have more time to hang out, talk about their feelings, next thing you know they're in love with each other. I've got nothing against it, but I'd rather be playing hockey.

POEHLER: You heard it hear first folks: Brett Hull would rather play hockey than marry a dude.

The above post comes from 21 December 2004, about seven months before same-sex marriage became legal nationwide in Canada on 20 July 2005. The next year on 7 December, the Canadian House of Commons effectively reaffirmed the legislation by a vote of 175 to 123, defeating a Conservative motion to examine the matter again.

So for the past three years, thousands of gay men and women have been getting married in Canada. This has neither damaged Canadian society nor made the country a hostile place in which to live.

With the US election almost upon us, obviously I hope that Californians will vote NO on Proposition 8. Human rights equality is at stake in a country that is supposed to be committed to the principle of liberty. Fingers crossed.