"Everybody's Free" - Rozalla - 1992
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Keeping The Conversation Going - The DOMA Protest
About 300 people turned out in Miami Beach for the Join The Impact protest to remind President-Elect Obama of his commitment to the GLBT community, and in particular his promise to push for a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. We began the evening by having supporters and passers-by sign the Join The Impact petition that will be sent to our new President.
Then, local celebrity Pussila, and Miami Beach mayor Matti Herrera-Bower, gave a great introduction to the event, and together led the crowd on a march down Ocean Drive, and across 11th Street to the "Old" City Hall building, which was lit up blue and lavender by the City of Miami Beach, as a symbol of equality and solidarity with the GLBT community.
There are an awful lot of tourists going back home in a few days with discussions of marriage equality as a souvenir. Mission accomplished.
There are an awful lot of tourists going back home in a few days with discussions of marriage equality as a souvenir. Mission accomplished.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Join The Impact Miami!
JOIN THE IMPACT NATIONAL PROTEST FOR THE REPEAL OF THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT!
WHEN? January 10th, 2009. From 5:00pm until 7:00pm
WHERE? Miami Beach's "Old" City Hall at 1130 Washington Avenue in South Beach.
WHAT IS IT? This protest, which will be coordinated with other protests around the country, will focus on the Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA is the 1996 law which bans the federal government from recognizing same-sex relationships as marriages, and which also means that same-sex marriages that are legal in one state do not have to be recognized by any other. Republicans wrote it, Clinton signed it into law, and Obama has said he will repeal it. LET'S HOLD HIM TO THAT PROMISE!
WHAT WILL WE BE DOING? Cities all over California will be lighting up their city hall buildings blue - the color blue as a symbol of equality. The City of Miami Beach will be joining California, and will light our "Old" City Hall blue! We will gather in Lummus Park (at 12th Street and Ocean Drive) and then march to the Old City Hall. Bring your signs, banners and slogans!
FOR MORE INFO: JOIN THE IMPACT MIAMI!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
And The Oscar Goes To...
Tony, Jody and I saw "Slumdog Millionaire" last night. I don't want to give any of it away, or hype it beyond reasonable expectations...but it really is one of the best movies I have EVER seen. I thought we were going to have to take Tony out of the theatre on a stretcher.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Bring On 2009!
2008 will be remembered as a year of "challenges" - global climate change, the never-ending War on Iraq, the collapse of the American economy, genocide in Darfur, the exponentially increasing rate of species extinction, the exponentially increasing rate of population rocketing past 6.5 billion, Sarah Palin, Proposition 8 and Amendment 2, the rise of Nancy Grace, the War in Afghanistan, Bernie Madoff, "Drill Baby Drill", Bailout Bonuses, Joe the Plumber, massive foreclosures, the loss of Estelle Getty, Heath Ledger and Tim Russert, chaos in Pakistan, Fred Thompson, the floating island of toxic plastic trash in the Pacific, oil speculation, Britney's meltdown, melting ice caps, and rising sea levels.
In spite of the headlines, 2008 was, without a doubt, one of the best years of my life.
In January, Tony and I went to see Kathy Griffin - one of my true personal heroes. And we caught great performances of Sweeney Todd, Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps, and Altar Boyz.
In February, we had a really great time in Atlanta. So much so, that we've been very seriously considering moving up north, to the Deep South, ever since. We climbed Stone Mountain, hiked Sweetwater Creek State Park, took the CNN tour, visited the awesome Georgia Aquarium, and generally had fun with Stimpy.
In March we really enjoyed Monty Python's Spamalot at the Performing Arts Center. We both totally loved the movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," and we saw a just-ok performance of Footloose at the Actor's Playhouse.
Stimpy came to visit it April, and we took a little road-trip to the "Happiest Place on Earth" for the weekend. Stimpy and I loved, loved, loved "Expedition Everest" at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Tony's more of an "It's a Small World" kinda guy.
In May, we finally got to see Avenue Q - and it was awesome! And, we spent the long Memorial Day weekend visiting my family in Pittsburgh, and had a fun time at Kennywood with Betty and Patrick.
June. Hmmm. June. What the heck did we do in June? Oh yeah. We went to Gay Disney, the defining moment of which was seeing the long line of bears waiting to get in to the Country Bear Jamboree.
July was the month of Fanny Pak. And the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Possibly the best thing I've ever seen on television. And we saw "WALL-E." Possibly movie of the year.
August was fucking hot. Like really fucking hot.
September was action packed! We road-tripped to Atlanta, with Olga, for a long, fun Labor Day Weekend. I had the time of my life with Tony in Italy. And, the Rachel Maddow Show premiered and made me wonder if I actually am a lesbian.
In October Tony and I headed to Pittsburgh for the Growing Alternative Youth 20-year reunion, which coincided with the Pittsburgh 250th Anniversary / almost Beijing fireworks display. It was really nice to see some old friends, and to visit the old stomping grounds, after so many years.
In November, we watched with joyful hearts and tearful eyes, as Barack Obama gave his victory speech. Until the day I die, I will never forget the feeling of hope that I felt at that moment. The next weekend we took a trip to visit Tony's family in Syracuse - and I got to finally meet Lisa - one of Tony's long-time friends. Then I got sick, and that totally sucked. On November 15th, we attended the Join The Impact protest, and became a part of Stonewall 2.0. A few days later, Tony asked me to marry him. I said ok. Then Tony got sick, and that sucked too. I had a great birthday at my favorite Indian restaurant. And we saw "Milk." Did I mention that Tony asked me to marry him? Yep, he did.
We had lots of fun in December too. We saw Gutenberg! The Musical at the Actor's Playhouse, with Olga, and we laughed our asses off. Really, really good show. Tony, Jason and I organized Miami's Light Up the Night for Equality event, and met a bunch of good people in doing so. Stimpy came to visit for the holidays, and Tony's friend, Bill the Cat, came for a quick overnight. The four of us went to the Corteo production of Cirque Du Soleil - one of the best Cirques that I've seen.
And 2009 started off with this...
It's a good life.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Out Of The Darkness
Last night was extraordinary.
Here, in a city much more known for its after-hours clubs and celebrity spottings than for progressive activism, a couple of hundred people came out to stand up for fairness and equality at our Light Up the Night for Equality demonstration. We stood, united, in the heart of South Beach, and we all did our part to keep the conversation going.
And, as a bonus, I had the pleasure of meeting superstar activist / blogger Eric Levan, who encouraged Miami to RAGE ON!
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Light Up The Night For Equality
The Join the Impact protests brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets, last month, in nearly every city across the nation, and marked the beginning of the next era of activism in our community. The next big action is a national candlelight vigil - in remembrance of the civil marriage rights that were lost, and in honor of the future of equality that is to come. Tony and I have stepped up to help organize the Miami event...so, I probably won't have much time to spend around here until after the 20th.
In the meantime, please watch this video, check out the event in your city, and help get the word out.
See you soon!
Friday, November 28, 2008
The Reason For The Season
'Tis the season for re-posting my annual updated anti-Black Friday post.....
The malls here in Miami began decking the halls 2 months ago, and had Santa's train installed just as the last back to school sales were ending. I know it's cliche at this point to feel nostalgic for the days when the holy season of giving gently revealed itself shortly after Thanksgiving. Today, a 5am scuffle in the line outside of Best Buy on Black Friday merely marks the halfway point in the season of stress and artifice.
Again, this year, I'm committing to honoring the reason for the season - the winter solstice - and celebrating this beautiful time of year by spending quality time with the people that I love, and sharing meaningful socially-conscious gifts instead of spending time fighting the crowds, so I can check people off my list with cheap plastic crap from Walmart and iPod iPhone accessories.
Of course, this year, there will most likely be less in the way of shopping hordes, thanks to the collapse of the trickle-down economy, and that only means that every dollar you spend will have more power to bring about a better world. This season, each holiday gift that you purchase, will have an impact. Amidst all of the news of frozen credit and layoffs and golden parachutes, is the opportunity to help build our communities, bring about more peace, and protect the world around us, just by putting a little thought and a little heart into where we place our dollar power.
So, for the like minded, here are a few ideas...
ENVIRONMENT
Care2: Shop and Help the Planet
The Jane Goodall Institute Store
Zappos Eco-Friendly and Vegetarian Shoes
Equita Essentials for Ethical Living
GAY COMMUNITY AND CULTURE
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
The Human Rights Campaign Fund - Designer Tees
Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida
Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
ANTI-DRUG WAR
The Center For Cognitive Liberty and Ethics
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
PROGRESSIVE AMERICAN VALUES
Syracuse Cultural Workers Gifts
Amnesty International Gift Shop
HIV/AIDS/Cancer
Artists for a New South Africa
Pets are Loving Support Atlanta
ANIMALS
ART
HOLIDAY CARDS AND ECO-DECORATING
Tools for Change Holiday Cards
Have a Peaceful, Stress-Free and Meaningful Holiday!
Friday, November 21, 2008
We Will Keep Falling In Love
I know I've been a bit on the "militant homosexual" tip lately, but majorities of Americans - my neighbors and co-workers and family members - in state after state, continue to go out of their way to deny legal recognition of our marriages and to vote against treating me as an equal member of this society, all while taking my tax money to pay for services for their families....it's just maddening. Sister Unity Divine of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence speaks so well for so many of us that are just too damned angry to speak.
We will keep falling in love, and we will wear two-foot long eyelashes if we want to, and there's not a fucking thing that Focus on the Family or any other the other "Christian" hate groups can do about it.
* Video sampled from Emerald City Guy at My 2 Cents.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Power Of Love
Miami Beach was all sunshine and love today, as we joined in the nationwide call to Join the Impact. It felt so good to get out, and let the country know that we will not go down quietly. I am so excited by the number of young people and straight people that showed up and the passion that is in their hearts. We really are going to win this thing in the long run. Oh, and one person showed up to protest the protest, and as you can see in the photo, he is totally insane.
Now, we have to keep the momentum going. If you live in the Miami area, SAVE DADE will host a "town hall" to discuss where we, as a community, go from here. For details, click here.
If you have photos, or a post about the event in your city, please leave a comment with a link. I'd love to see and hear about it!
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