Does Alaska Govenor Sarah Palin support gay rights?  Well according to an article in the Anchorage Daily News she sort of does.

Gov. Sarah Palin vetoed a bill Thursday that sought to block the state from giving public employee benefits such as health insurance to same-sex couples.

Sen. John McCain’s VP pick Sarah Palin was not exactly backing gay marriage with this veto.  Palin supported the 1998 constitutional amendment on gay marriage.

There are lots of things we do not know about her until the upcoming debates she will have with Joe Biden.  We will learn more then but it does not look like shes much of a gay rights advocate even though she supposedly “has good friends that are gay.”  She still has to keep her day job and I doubt she an keep that Republican name tag if she starts going up against the religious right.

How about this pic on the left of Sarah Palin.  Well actually its an entertainer at Charlie’s Chicago but it sure looks like the VP pick.  The fake Sarah Palin may be more gay rights friendly and be a true maverick.  And why is the VP pick called an Alaskan Maverick anyway? What exactly has she done that she has not flip flopped on - she even flip flopped on the bridge to nowhere!

Being young and queer is, regardless of family and school situations, hard. There is no way around this reality, and it is no surprise that suicide rates are horribly high among gay, queer and transgender youth. Coming out can be terrifying and remaining closeted is fundamentally no better. Having the right resources can help you sort out conflicting feelings, manage the challenges of being young and out, and can allow you to sort through the difficulties managing family, friends and relationships.

If you are still in school, bullying and basic physical safety may be a real concern. Gay and lesbian teens are much more apt to be bullied, and may not find the school administration to be helpful. Webmd.com offers more information on bullying and gay teens. Unfortunately, most of us are aware that bullying often leads to physical violence against GLBTQ teens. More and more schools are working to combat these issues and create a more welcoming environment. If your school has a Gay-Straight Alliance or participates in Day of Silence, dayofsilence.org, activities, these can be a good way to judge the overall environment of the school before coming out.

Coming out to family and friends can range from nerve wracking to devastating. While you should not underestimate the love of your family, assess what you know about their views before coming out. HRC.org offers some great information on coming out to family and friends. You might also consider providing your family with brochures and meeting times for PFLAG, or even just the website link community.pflag.org. If you believe that coming out puts your safety, shelter or emotional health at risk, waiting until you have moved out of your family’s home is valid and reasonable. While we all hope to be able to come out and be accepted, your physical well being may need to be a priority while you are young.

One of the serious issues facing our community is the rate of depression and suicide among gay youth. While it is not surprising that gay and lesbian teens struggle with bullying, acceptance and self acceptance, there is help available. If you have a local gay and lesbian center, they may offer a support group for teens or free confidential counseling. In many cases, if you need a ride or other assistance, they may be able to help. If you are suicidal or in crisis, call Trevor’s Hotline at 866-4-U-TREVOR or online at thetrevorproject.org. Trevor’s Hotline is staffed by trained volunteers and is a 24 hour hotline for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people.

Another issue that must be mentioned that effects all young people, but in today’s world of abstinence only sex ed is more critical than ever is just that. If you need honest, clear information about sex, and about sexual issues that impact queer youth, see scarleteen.com or goaskalice.columbia.edu.

Bullying is Still a Problem for Teens

Above you will find some resources for gay youth in time for the Fall school season.  London has many subway ads proclaiming that Being Gay is OK and not to bully.  More ads ran in the US might be useful in buses and subways.  It could be the smaller towns where we see it most and the more black prominent schools have always been worse with bullying even though they are considered a minority.

My solution to most bullying in highschool, middleschool, and elementary is to encourage a mandatory dress system giving students black and white clothes to choose from so you do not have brand bullying.  This would also include certain shoes since shoe brands are a big bullying problem.  Hair should not be mandatory and should be freedom of choice if someone wants to have a mohawk or have pink hair that should be their expression.

We all know this is a big issue in our community. How does it break down, and what’s happening in the states currently? What does it all really mean to you? If you have a partner, it may mean quite a lot in terms of health care, credit, benefits and your rights and responsibilities.

Only one state, Massachusetts, allows same sex partners to marry, issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples just as they would heterosexual couples. Domestic partnerships and civil unions offering all the rights accorded a married couple under state law are an option in California, New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Some legal protections are available as domestic or civil unions without all the protections of heterosexual marriage in Hawaii, Washington, the District of Columbia, and Oregon.

Many states that recognize same sex marriage or unions will recognize those granted in other states. Unfortunately, states without such unions as an option will not legally recognize such a union from another state. Furthermore, twenty-six states have constitutional amendments barring the recognition of same sex marriages, and some forty-three have statutes confining marriage to a relationship between a man and a woman.

Laws regarding same sex marriages and civil unions can impact each of our lives in ways we may not have considered. A Michigan Supreme Court ruling has recently deemed that the state cannot offer benefits to domestic partners in any way because of the state’s constitutional amendment banning recognition of same sex marriages and unions. There is worry that a similar amendment in Florida could create the same legal situation. While some institutions, like the University of Michigan, are responding by creating language that still allows for domestic partner benefits, this is a significant concern for many of us.

What can we expect to see in terms of laws regarding same sex unions in the foreseeable future? As you might imagine, that will largely depend upon the outcome of the 2008 election. Both Democratic candidates oppose same sex marriage, but support civil unions. They do, however, believe it is a matter best left to the states. Barack Obama supports a full repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) while Hilary Clinton only supports a partial repeal. McCain has flip-flopped on gay issues, including civil unions, but does not support a federal ban on gay marriage.

The realities: for a long time to come, unless you’re lucky enough to live coastal or are willing to move, you will be creating the legal aspects of your relationship with durable powers of attorney and commitment ceremonies in front of friends and family. Any hope of widespread legalized same sex unions of any sort is still a long way off.

It is, of course, an election year. While many of us are thinking about the presidential election, there are many seats in political office open this year and you can make a difference. Your own level of political action and involvement is personal, of course, and may be decided based on your own priorities, your time and more. You may want to volunteer for a local politician or work through your local gay and lesbian organizations in order to help publicize issues that matter to you. Not only might you want to consider who you’re voting for and who you’re working to get into office, but also the issues, including ENDA, don’t ask don’t tell, marriage legislation and more.

One of the best options for political action this year is to work locally. Working locally is often more motivating, more relevant and can allow you network within your community. You may find that there is a local political group that works specifically on GLBT issues and this can be a good jumping off point. Local activities sponsored by moveon.org can be another possibility within your community. You can also find information about the local organizations for the Democratic Party at democrats.org/local . Conveniently, working with these sorts of organizations on a local level can help you to stay informed about issues that may matter within your community specifically. Often, local organizations need help on the phones, in person, or even with tasks you may be able to work on from home when you have time.

If you live in a small town, are short on time or simply are looking for other options for political activity, there are some great possibilities for GLBTQ individuals. First, sign up for moveon.org to stay informed about political issues. You may even want to donate money if you are able. The Victory Fund at victoryfund.org is another possibility, whether you are looking for political information or would like to offer help to GLBT candidates. Stonewalldemocrats.org is another good source for information and another possibility in terms of donation, fundraising and political action. You may be surprised to find that even in a smaller community you can find ways you can take action, share your views and more.

Stay apprised of the issues in your community and the nation as a whole to make good choices with your time, money, and eventually your vote. Research the candidates and issues thoroughly, take the time to talk to candidates whenever you are able, and make your vote based on who you believe will act to the benefit of the GLBT community. When all else fails, vote for the candidate who will not promote or support legislation harmful to our community.

What issues are you for or against in this presidential campaign? For higher taxes, lower taxes, or a fairer taxing system?  Ending the War in Iraq with Obama or 100 years more of war with McCain?  Politics as usual with McCain? Gay Marriage and Gays in the Military are also some of the issues surrounding the 2008 campaign.

You may also want to examine local issues in some counties where you could be voting on things such as liquor drinking rights, judges, and house property taxes.

I was in a happy surprise today when searching my favorite search engine Google today.  I had noticed that on the word gay and several of the gay terms they are displaying a gay flag on the right side.  Big G is based near San Francisco so it could have to do with them celebrating gay pride but the flag is not coming up when I search for San Fran.  I think this is a historic event for them to help in celebrating gay pride.  It could also be that they are helping us celebrate couples marrying in California.   If there is a company we do not mind there being the leader on search it is a gay friendly one even though they do make some mistakes.

Happy Pride to everyone celebrating this weekend in Oklahoma City and those next weekend in San Francisco and New York City among many others!

The nations largest state today had an outcome from the top Supreme court that said gays could marry as soon as a month away. This is great news for gay rights across the nation and over 90,000 estimated same sex couples in California. California’s highest court ruled that denying same sex couples the right to marry is unconstitutional, granting loving, committed gay and lesbian couples the dignity and support their relationships have so long been denied.

While many in California and the nation are celebrating that gays can now marry in the state. Their is a possible backlash in the November election. Anti-gay groups such as Focus on the Family have gathered signatures to put the gay marriage issue on the November ballot. This could not only hurt the chance of Democrats in the white such as the stolen Bush election 7 years ago but it could overturn the Supreme court decision based on the constitution.

California’s secretary of state is expected to rule near the end of June whether the activists gathered enough signatures to put the gay marriage amendment on the ballot. Right wing groups are building up a 10 million dollar bomb to throw towards the November ballot issue. The National Organization for Marriage’s own web site is calling on their supporters to give $10 million so they can pollute the state with anti-gay messages in months ahead.

VoteYesMarriage.com, who seek to to amend the California Constitution to ban gay marriage are saying that the decision today is a bad role model for children to follow but they are not thinking of the basic rights of other tax paying humans sharing the planet with them. Same sex couples pay taxes and we have the right to marry just like your families and your kids.

What can you do to help? Donate to the Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org) or get a card that helps these causes just by making everyday purchases.

Conspiracy theories are not my thing but Reverend Wright has brought light to an issue that needs attention. If HIV and AIDS are not man made viruses then what is wrong with opening up an investigation into this matter. When you stop questioning things and learning then you really stop living. I am not saying to be paranoid but there are just so many unanswered questions in this debate.

Russia, China, the United States are just a few of the nations that have to constantly do research on war programs for protection. The pentagon has admitted many programs that use biological warfare after sometime. Some may even be needed to protect the U.S. in case some country decides to do the same. But this could just possibly be a case of an experiment gone wrong. It could also be many other factors.

I normally always question things such as who owns the drink sites that tell you that drinking corn syrup really is not that bad for you? hmm maybe Coca-Cola. It was on the main page of Yahoo.com one day advertising and at the time it did not have anything that resembled Coke on the site until I researched it. It now has a semi-Coke looking label. A web page owned and created by Coke called the Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness.

My point is that questions need to be asked sometimes.

I do not really see any gay blogs talking about this issue that Rev. Wright brings up. Sometimes it seems that the GLBT overall is scared to speak up about HIV/AIDS and just submit to "tests" every time they are told with no questions asked. With full trust of everyone involved for some reason even though we are the most discriminated group known to mankind.

Above is Hillary making a good point from a YouTube video. Rev. Wright may be on the racist side of things but he may have a point that needs to be looked into further. Not just blacks but gays and blacks could have been the target.

There are sites online such as EATG.org that point out some interesting details that never make it to the big media:

But an adviser to WHO who disclosed the problem, told The Times ‘I thought it was just a coincidence until we studied the latest findings about the reactions which can be caused by Vaccinia. Now I believe the smallpox vaccine theory is the explanation to the explosion of AIDS." the article stated, adding, "The greatest spread of HIV infection coincides with the most intense immunization programme… The article said about 14,000 Haitians who were involved in the vaccination program then brought the disease home to the Caribbean.

The literature on this site brings up thoughts that Smallpox, Hepatitis B, and Syphilis "vaccines" or experiments or tests could all be part of the main problem. I am not a doctor I just found it really interesting. I would like to know what the people over at theBody.com have to say about it.

Of course we have all heard about the Tuskegee experiment where black patients who were never told they had Syphilis all eventually died untreated. This went on for forty years with African-Americans in the medical community not saying a word.

Not saying I agree with all of this… Just saying some things need to be evaluated.

A Collin County commissioner decided to put this guys job on the line when an article was published in the Dallas Voice which mentioned his sexuality.   This commissioner wanted to fire a rising political star and person with no criminal record for being gay.  They claimed that he should not be working with children and had even discussed whether it was safe for a gay person to be working with children.

The person who has been dragged through the slaughterhouse lately by these religious radicals is Justin Nichols who just so happens to be gay and running for Plano City Council.  He recently appeared on the front page of the Metro Section of the Dallas Morning News three times this week, the front page of the Plano Star Courier, and the front page of the Dallas Voice.  People are watching how this battle goes, and we must win!  The fight is not over!

We have got to stand up to this bigotry and say NO MORE!!  It is going to cost money to fight the radical fundamentalists, and I need your help.  If you have already donated to the campaign, thank you!  If not, please click here and make a contribution today.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO 10 FRIENDS OF YOURS SO THEY CAN HELP TOO!

To give you an idea of what you donation can do, please consider:

$20 allows us to buy breakfast for volunteer who will knock on hundreds of voters’ doors.

$50 pays for 10 yard signs, or makes it possible to reach 100 voters by mail, or 500 voters by phone.

$100 pays for 4 large signs, makes it possible to reach 200 voters by mail, or 1,000 voters by phone.

Whatever the amount, your contribution will make the difference in this campaign.

Please join me in standing up against bigotry, intolerance, and equality for every person.  This isn’t about being Republican or Democrat, man or woman, straight or gay - this is about people taking a stand for what is right!

I never imagined taking on this fight so publicly and becoming the poster-child for discrimination in Collin County - but that is where I’ve been led, and I am ready to fight.  I say to those bigots, “BRING IT ON!”

Thank you for your consideration and support, and please remember to forward this on to your friends, whether they are in Plano or not, because this fight affects us all!  I remain

Very truly yours,

Justin Nichols

www.JustinNichols.net

Nichols has also been endorsed by the Victory Fund, and encourage you to visit their website.  

Hillary Clinton may be behind Barrack Obama in the polls but she is still helping the underdogs of society. While its cool lately to bash gays Hillary is taking a huge step in the right direction. Today a newspaper interview showed that she supports Gays and Lesbians more than ever.

Clinton said she opposes a measure that would ban gay marriage in Pennsylvania and proposed a few other great ideas:

• Eliminate her husband’s policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” that prevents gays from serving openly in the military. Asked if she could do so by a signing order connected to a military appropriations bill, Clinton said she didn’t think that is possible but she would look into it and do it if it were legal.

• Be “very strongly outspoken” against foreign governments that execute gays and use financial assistance and other leverage to prevent the killings.  (read our article on dangerous gay travel destinations regarding this)

• Support federal domestic partner legislation to extend rights to all same-sex couples.

• Support services for gay youth, including guidance for schools about the discrimination they face.

• Continue to support gay pride celebrations, to the extent that security would allow. “I don’t think the Secret Service let Bill walk in a parade when he became president,” Hillary said.

She also recently spoke on AIDS/HIV Issues. I love Hillary and hope she gets the Democratic nomination for president. I am sad that MoveOn.org had to support Obama in such an early state of the election. They clearly do not represent millions of progressive voters who are for Hillary.

Obama and McCain declined the interview with the Philadelphia Gay News.

The funny thing of this story is that Gary George sounds like Sally Kern’s to me for some reason. They sound like Pleasantville, USA fictitious names for some reason. They are living in a fictitious land filled with hate and karma will come their way. People like George and Sally are trying their hardest to silence us and make us feel lower than life so our self esteem will be “gay bashed.” Ellen was so right when she said that we are not going to sit here and remain second class citizens. We pay taxes, we vote, we should not have to shut up and we will not shut up. I hope Oregon voters tell Gary George to Shut up when they vote again though!

My advice to the gay community is SHUT UP, just don’t talk about it. If you walk around talking about what you do in the bedroom, you should be on the pervert channel. - State Senator Gary George of Oregon, (sen.garygeorge@state.or.us)

Here is what a friend (Floyd Martin) wrote on a myspace bulletion that I totally agree with:

Yeah, Senator George,
I will stop talking about it when you take down all pictures of your wife and children, and stop wearing your wedding ring, and flaunting your heterosexuality. I will stop talking about it when all Americans are allowed to serve their country if they so desire, and to have all the legal benefits that other American couples are afforded. I will shut up when bigots like you do not exist in the world anymore, and unfortunately, thats not going to happen for a long time. So, your desire is not our wish. I have an idea, why don’t you shut up, and resign, and go crawl under the rock you came from. Free Speech and civil rights are not only for those that you agree with, and are too small-minded to see reality. Shame on you. — FD Martin Oklahoma City, OK