LGBTQ related
O'Reilly's, Lunch & St. Pats 4 All!
© Frank H. Jump
“Lunch, Soda, Lounge” – West 35th Street b/w 5th & 6th Aves.
Isn’t it about time the Ancient Order of Hibernians (the Fascist face of Irish Conservativism) get off of their high moral horses and include their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer and questioning bretheren and sistheren into the fold of Irish Pride as do their more enlightened European Irish predecessors on the other side of the pond?
LGBT Rights in the Republic of Ireland
It usually takes the US Immigrants of other countries a century or two to catch up culturally with their predecessors.
David Paterson – A Welcomed Change for LGBTQ Community – Paterson Strong Supporter of Same-sex Marriage
NY Daily News/Flickr
In a posting at G-A-Y (Good As You) on “Eliot Mess”
“What might have been,” indeed.
**And now we look forward to the future. Below is a statement on incoming governor David Paterson that the Empire State Pride Agenda‘s Alan Van Capelle has just issued:
“David Paterson’s leadership is a story of commitment to civil liberties and human rights. He believes in equality and justice for all New Yorkers and has demonstrated this time and time again—in both words and actions.
He has been a strong and consistent friend of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community ever since he was elected to public office in 1985. He worked hard as a State Senator to help pass hate crimes legislation in 2000 and, in his first weeks as Senate Minority Leader, worked to make sure that there were enough Democratic votes to pass the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) in 2002.
We are excited to begin working with him as Governor.”
Dance of a Lifetime
Gay Dancers (there are straight dancers?) Compete on New Lifetime Show
An old High School buddy, Silvano Merendi, tracked me down an told me about his performance on LIFETIME. Check it out! This was taken from GLAAD’s website spot Eye on the Media.
| February 28, 2008 |
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| Lifetime premieres its first dance competition series, Your Mama Don’t Dance, on Friday, February 29, at 9 PM. Three gay men – Silvano Merendi (48, pictured), Dante Puleio (31) and Jonathan Silva (19) – will be featured as contestants. Since openly gay performers are rarely showcased within a competition format, their presence is a remarkable degree of visibility.The program features ten young professional dancers who are each paired with one of their parents, a surprise that the young dancers are unaware of until the show begins. Each week, the three judges – actor Ben Vereen, choreographer Cris Judd and singer Vitamin C – will put the two teams with the lowest scores up for a vote, allowing the public to decide which team stays. The series will end with a live finale on Friday, April 18. Silvano will be paired with his daughter, Celia, whom he raised with the help of his partner in Miami, Florida. Dante, from New York, trained at Wilkes University and moved to England to study at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance. He will be dancing with his stepmother, Dolores. Jonathan, from Los Angeles, recently appeared in Bratz: The Movie and performed in Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. He will be paired with his mother, Rodilyn, a hairdresser. For more info on the show, visit: http://www.MyLifetime.com | |||||||||
Happy Anniversary Vincenzo! Lesbian & Gay Nuptuals Four Years Ago in Toronto on Valentine's Day
© Frank H. Jump
Enzo & Frank with Mayor David Miller of Toronto (courtesy of Dr. Erik Marzano).
“Happy Valentine’s Day: Love is For Everyone!”
Four years ago today when the rest of LGBTQ America was flocking to San Francisco to get married on that fateful Valentine’s Day Weekend, seven American couples decided to go to Toronto where the law was enacted and not likely to be rescinded any time soon. Although most of the SF same-sex marriages were later deemed null and void (sorry Rosie O’Donnell), the weddings still took place and the memories persist. Hopefully the relationships still do as well. Statistically, same-sex marriages last longer that opposite sex marriages. Vincenzo and I have been co-habitating for almost 18 years. This June is our anniversary for our first date.
Our marriage was televised live from Vancouver to Nova Scotia in the morning of February 14, 2004. The ceremony was conducted by The Honourable Judge Harvey Brownstone. Later, there was a reception at City Hall thrown by the Mayor of Toronto David Miller and his staff. We were followed all around town (even into our hotel room) by the local paparazzi. Click here for more pics from the AP news agencies.
The Kiss (photo by Mark Peterson)
Repent, For Allah Is Merciful – Egypt Accused of Torturing HIV+ Men
Recent arrests and trials in Egypt of HIV-positive men endanger human rights, an international watchdog said Wednesday and called on authorities to release those in custody and stop criminalizing AIDS. – The Advocate
LGBT Rights in Egypt & An Islamic Perspective on Repentance
When will the United States start cutting ties with countries who commit human rights offenses? We’d have to cut ties with ourselves.
