September 2nd, 2010
 

365 Gay: News

Thurs. Watercooler: New York fights back

, 365gay.com

Keeping track of gay marriage legislation is a complicated endeavor. While Wikipedia and Freedom to Marry have great maps, a new site just launched that keeps track not only of the current legislation, but also the views of the state’s lawmakers. Statesthatallowgaymarriage.com launched recently and has information on all 50 governors, 100 United States senators, and 435 United States representatives and their positions on gay marriage.

The site’s founder Michael Zuyus said, “We want to make it easy for people to get the information they need in order to support candidates who will vote for marriage rights in their state.”

New York state senator and Pentecostal minister Ruben Díaz is running for reelection, but Fight Back NY is trying its hardest to ensure that Diaz does not succeed. Fight Back called Díaz “New York’s most notoriously anti-gay state senator.”

To campaign against Díaz, Fight Back is looking to hire political researchers to search through Ruben’s “murky past,” in an effort discover information about the senator that would discourage voters from selecting his name on the ballot.

Two of Díaz’s brothers are gay, as is his granddaughter. Díaz was one of the 38 senators who voted against same-sex marriage in NY, and is adamantly opposed to homosexuality, but he says he still loves his gay family members.

Díaz was forced to resign from the Civilian Complaint Review Board when he suggested that the Gay Games would spread HIV; in 2003 he tried to shut down Harvey Milk High School, a NY public school safe haven for LGBT students.

CBS, embarrassed by its low score on the GLAAD ratings, is adding more gay characters to its shows.

“We’re not happy with ourselves,” said CBS president Nina Tassler. “We’re adding a few characters this season because we’re very disappointed in our track record so far.”

GLAAD gave CBS a failing grade for two consequtive, with 7 percent LGBT-inclusive hours of primetime programming.

Tassler announced gay characters will be added to The Good Wife, S*** My Dad Says and Rules of Engagement.

CBS is also starting a new talk show hosted by celebrity moms, including lesbian Sara Gilbert.

A thousand people in Enid, Okla. celebrated Pride earlier this month. Enid Pride started in 2009 with a turnout of 300 people, the largest first-time turnout for a Pride in Oklahoma. Approximately 48,000 people reside in Enid, but the Pride events were targeted to all of northeast Oklahoma.

Photo credit: Michelle Posey

The second Enid event had over three times the number of festival-goers as it did last year.

The week of celebrating included a vigil, forums and discussions, film screenings, an interfaith service, and of course, the festival. While the gay community in Enid used to rely on small-town gay bars, the community now flocks to its new community center. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays hosted the event.

Oklahoma has a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, but Tulsa recently adopted an anti-discrimination policy for city employees, and a transgender woman is running for a state senate seat.

Only 10% of the 400,000 surveys distributed by the Defense Department were returned. The surveys ask servicemembers their opinions on permitting gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, in an effort to explore troops’ views on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The deadline for the return of the surveys is August 15.


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  • Ralph Vendegna Said: July 29th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
    • No Way In Hell should this idiot be re-elected. Talk about homophobic and discriminatory, Especially a African American?

  • Rumple Said: July 29th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
    • I would agree that he should not be re-elected but we should be careful about digging up that dirt unless it is to do with a secret gay life or a well investigated homosexual sexual indiscretion, which I suspect there may be more than one. I would not be too quick to sling any other dirt around because it may backfire and cause his supporters, many of who may also have had to overcome similar “life mistakes,” rally around him and make him a shoe-in or even more of an heroic figure. We want gay dirt, and if you ask me, the fact that he has so many gay relatives should be enough to use against him in a shame campaign. How could anyone claim to love his gay relatives and then show that love by closing their safe haven High School, or have them kicked out of a job, or an apartment!? That makes no sense and it makes no sense that we are not exploiting that information RIGHT NOW! Maybe one or more of his gay relatives would like to be the one to campaign against him, or even challenge him!

  • Nyssa M. Cruz Said: July 30th, 2010 at 4:37 am
    • I am sorry. I am hispanic and gay yet they have this no way jose y jose. I do not think so. We as gay legal us citizens deserve our rights. And how dare they shut down prop 8. How dare they ask for rights when we have none? How dare they shut it up in New York State? How dare they throw us a Judas or Brutus in our face as far as having gay immigration part of the immigration reform? How dare they? I will not bulge into these so called humanitarians when they are bloody lying self loathing egotistical politicians? How dare they use the bible and GOD and Jesus and the flying tortillas in our faces? How dare they deny us our rights when love is a contract not the priest and two people? How dare he run for office? I really hope he loses as well as the other bigots in all of the US as in us United States of America. Until we get our rights we will not help you period.

  • Rhey Said: July 30th, 2010 at 7:10 am
    • I’m not surprised so few DADT surveys have come back. Even if you’re straight, and speak out against gay discrimination, you’re putting yourself at risk of being a target. Especially for those service-members who are depending on the military to provide them with education and a livelihood to support themselves, there’s risk involved.

 
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