Obama's Victory Day is a Sad One for Equal Rights

Amidst all the hoopla surrounding Obama's success in becoming the first African-American president, I am perhaps one of the few who find little celebrate. Yes, I was a supporter of Hillary Clinton, even going so far as to contribute to her campaign and even volunteered during the primary season. I made endless telephone calls and even showed up in PA for one weekend to canvass voters. But that to me is now all irrelevant. What saddens me is that in CA, AZ, and FL voters turned back the clock of progress on gay rights on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. It is truly ironic that in my home state, FL, Obama carried the state by a small margin but voters by more than 60 percent accepted Amendment 2. I guess voters can look past race, but gay, no. November 4 will go down in history as a sad day for gay Americans--it was when mainstream Americans once again treated gays as second-class citizens.

Blacks Might Sway Amendment 2's Vote

Read the article below about how African Americans hold the key for this Amendment 2 vote. It is unfortunate that so many black Americans in this state are so prejudicial toward the GLBT community. They lobby for civil rights all the time, but are ever so ready to deny them to another minority group. It makes no sense to me.

The line snaked across the parking lot, down the block and around the corner on the last day of early voting Saturday at the College Hill Library in Tampa, Florida. Voters in this primarily African American community waited for as long as three hours to cast their ballots. Massive voter registration drives and excitement over presidential candidate Barack Obama are expected to lead to record turnout in this election…And this year’s higher than average African American turnout could make a controversial amendment to the state constitution more likely to pass. WMNF’s Emily Reddy reports.

[Ice cream truck music.] The majority of voters at the College Hill early voting site wore Obama shirts, pins, and stickers. Vendors sold ice cream, barbecue, and bootleg T-shirts. Candidates shook hands and their supporters waved signs. Pastor Ernest Braxton walked back and forth beside the line carrying a sign reading “YesOn2.”

[Yes on 2…Vote for Obama and Yes on 2]

If Amendment 2 passes, the definition of marriage as “one man and one woman” will be added to the Florida state constitution. Pastor Braxton has been working the College Hill voting place every. He and many other religious leaders throughout the state support the amendment, saying Amendment 2 would protect so-called "traditional marriage" and that children are better raised by a married mother and father.

The opponents’ argument -- that the language of the amendment is so broad it would threaten unions similar to marriage, like domestic partnerships -- doesn’t carry any weight with Braxton.

"We feel that God created marriage as the first institution. And we believe that man and woman should get married. You know, if a person been with a person 30 years, they should get married. Why not get married? If you love a person, and committed to them, get married. But we oppose same sex marriage, that’s it."

Click here here for full article.

Hate Crimes in Tampa

The article below reminds me once again how life in Tampa at times can be such a challenge. Though there are plenty of pockets of progressivism, hate is never too far away. I saw that a lot of times in my own classrooms, though in a less virulent manner.

Tampa logs 13 hate crimes for '07, most in state

Tampa leads the state in the number of reported hate crimes, according to an annual report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said that while Tampa's number may seem high compared with other agencies, it is more indicative of the agency's sensitivity to the issue of hate-motivated crime. "We have a very aggressive policy that we report all possible and borderline hate crimes," she said. In 2007, Tampa police investigated 13 crimes they thought fit the description of having "evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity," in accordance with the 1990 Hate Crimes Statistic Act that requires such annual reporting.

Click here for full article.

"Long-Term Relationship" (Film Review)

It has taken me forever to get my hands on this film, originally made for the gay cable channel, Here! Apparently, this is a favorite movie among some Blockbuster customers as it is always checked out. Last night I finally got to watch to it. Long-Term Relationship(97 mins.) is billed as a romantic comedy and for the most part, it does deliver that much and a little more.

Glenn (played by Matthew Montgomery, a so-so attractive guy) has been doing what some 30-something gay men do: "whoring" around, going from one meaningless fling (if you can even call it that) to another. Then, one day, he decides he has had enough of the single scene in Los Angles. How he arrives at this moment of epiphany left me confused as there is little explanation for this turning point. I guess that is the "beauty" of this genre of films--the contrived becomes uncontrived. So Glenn next consults the personals, hoping to find his soul mate.

Glenn soon meets Adam (played by hunky Windham Beacham--is there anything about him a gay man would not like?). who conveniently is a true southern gentleman who has just moved from Atlanta. Glenn falls for Beacham, but then complications arise. Beacham has a secret--one that shocks Glenn and his skeptical friends. The secret is also good for a few laughs. But the next complication seems even more of a greater hurdle and it raises the eternal question--are they compatible with each other?

The movie throws in a very progressive set of parents for Adam that surprises Glenn. In contrast, some of Glenn's friends are distant from Adam, creating some tension along the way. Both Adam and Glenn must navigate these relationships in order to sort out their own budding love affair.

The film overall is sweet, though thankfully not saccharinely so. It has some funny lines, even though others are pretty corny. I would recommend watching this film with a romantic date, though never with a one-nite stand unless you want to undermine the agenda for the evening later on.

Adoption & Marriage: Gay Demonization Continues

The excerpt from a US News & World Report article reminds me why living in Florida, notwithstanding its sandy beaches and year-round pleasant weather (minus the hurricanes of course!), can be such a torment for motherly or fatherly inclined gays. Never mind the thousands of kids anxiously awaiting to be adopted by loving gays. And never mind that these children would be shuttled from one foster parent to another if they don't get adopted. And who cares about the psychological trauma inflicted on these formative minds as they struggle to comprehend the never-ending rupture of family bonds. After all, saving "family values" is more important than what happens to these innocent, unwanted children.

Emerging Gay Adoption Fight Shares Battle Lines of Same-Sex Marriage Debate
By Amanda Ruggeri
Posted October 31, 2008
In less than a month, two little boys in Miami will learn if their foster father can become their adopted dad—or if they'll continue to be wards of the state. Frank Martin Gill has fostered the two since 2004, but his petition to adopt them has turned into an emotional court battle. In a worst-case scenario, they could be removed from his home. The hitch? His homosexuality, which, according to a 1977 state law, prohibits him from adopting children.

While Florida allows gay individuals to become foster parents, it is the only state to explicitly ban them from adopting. Even so, it's hardly alone in attempting to restrict placements to more "traditional" families. Mississippi bars same-sex couples from adopting. Utah prohibits both adoption and fostering by unmarried partners who live together, a de facto ban for gay couples. And in Arkansas, conservatives got the 61,794 signatures needed for a ballot initiative in November on a law like Utah's.

Gay adoption hasn't sparked a full-blown culture war—yet. The private nature of the process and piecemeal adoption laws have allowed it to be overshadowed by its hot-button cousin, same-sex marriage. But across the country, the issue is bubbling up. From courtrooms in Florida to the Arkansas ballot to the Tennessee legislature, gay rights advocates and conservative family values groups are fighting it out.

Click here to read the full article.