Will LGBT Groups Protest Scott Levenson Over Anti-Gay Attack Ads ?

The Advance Group, providing political consulting services for "free" to Melissa Mark-Viverito, was paid to defeat LGBT City Council Candidates

Sign our Change.org Petition : Bill de Blasio : Do not attend NYCLASS fundraiser to benefit Scott Levenson

WATCH : Will LGBT Groups Protest Scott Levenson for Anti-Gay Attack Ads ? (YouTube)

@boldprogressnyc @HRC @maslowsneeds Are you asking if Democrats overlook behavior in Democrats for which they'd pillory Republicans? Yes : (

— Charmian Neary (@CharmianNeary) November 21, 2013

The Advance Group, which is providing unpaid consultants to Mark-Viverito, worked for the City Action Coalition PAC, which lists 'traditional marriage' as its platform and supported opponents of gay City Council candidates. (The New York Daily News)

Did Scott Levenson sabotage LGBT civil rights attorney Yetta Kurland's political campaign ? (Scott Levenson : Biggest Loser Of The Week * NY Pop Culture & Politics)

E-mail me if you would like to plan a protest against Scott Levenson : louisflores (at) louisflores (dot) com

… the Advance Group's work on behalf of City Action Coalition-backed candidates conflicted with its work for two of its own council clients. And the outside work for the teachers union raises another potential conflict: the Advance Group not only produced mailers promoting Manhattan council candidate Yetta Kurland for the NYCLASS independent expenditure, but Strategic Consultants produced mailers touting her opponent, Corey Johnson, that were paid for by the teachers union. Mr. Johnson won the primary. (Teachers union paid $370K to fake consultant * Crain's Insider)

Why aren't the LGBT civil rights activists protesting against Scott Levenson and his "anti-gay agenda" ? And how can LGBT civil rights activists stay quiet while Ms. Mark-Viverito uses a political consulting operation that hires itself out to work against candidates specifically based on their identity ? This is discrimination and prejudice. How can Mr. Levenson and Ms. Mark-Viverito call themselves "progressives," yet enable bigotry ?

Who is Richard Socarides ?

Neoliberal openly-gay attorney helped to enable "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy under Clinton administration

Richard Socarides is an LGBT political operative, who worked for the Clinton administration, authoring talking points to help defend President Clinton's discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. He is also a trustee of the State University of New York (SUNY), being one of the trustees that have enabled Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Wall Street banker Stephen Berger to close Long Island College Hospital.

• Richard Socarides Blames The Military, Not Himself + Clinton, For Making Don’t Ask Don’t Tell So Terrible (Queerty)
• Oops, Richard Socarides Again Forgot to Mention He Was a Party To Creating DADT (Queerty)
• The Irony of Richard Socarides’ Disbelief Over Team Obama Defending DOMA (Queerty)
• Gay City News : Socarides Wrote DOMA/DADT Talking Points for Clinton (The Petrelis Files)

Socarides Same Sex Marriage Talking Points by Paul Schindler

Man Nails Ball Sack To Red Square Cobblestones To Protest Government's Political Crackdown

The Russian artist Pyotr Pavlensky was hospitalised Sunday after stripping naked and nailing his ball sack to the crevice between cobblestones in Moscow's Red Square in protest against the Kremlin's crackdown on political rights. The following video shows Mr. Pavlensky sitting naked outside Lenin's Mausoleum when police officers arrive and take Mr. Pavlensky into custody.

"The state-run RIA Novosti news agency said Pavlensky was taken to a police station after being treated in a central Moscow clinic," The Huffington Post is reporting. See also : Naked artist nails his scrotum to square in anti-Putin protest

Queer Nation NY protests against Russian LGBT discrimination enablers continue, this time at Carnegie Hall

Activists from the LGBT group Queer Nation NY organized a demonstration at Carnegie Hall on Thursday night, October 10. Activists demonstrated outside of the famed concert hall while some activists jeered Putin supporter Valery Gergiev, who was conducting an orchestra that evening. LGBT advocacy groups like Queer Nation have been organizing boycotts and protests of Russian businesses and other interests ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun a crack-down on LGBT's in Russia.

• RELATED : If Mylène Farmer was a real gay icon, she would denounce the Russian government's violent crackdown against LGBT community

See Also : WQXR Blog : Gay Rights Protesters Follow Gergiev to Carnegie Hall

The protest at Carnegie Hall last night was preceded by another protest a few weeks ago at the opening night gala at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center.

Five More GetEQUAL TX Activists Arrested For Blocking Traffic For Job Protections

From The Dallas Voice :

Five GetEQUAL TX activists were arrested this evening for blocking traffic near the state Capitol while protesting for LGBT nondiscrimination in the workforce.

Holding a sign that read, “We Work Together,” the group blocked the intersection at 11th and Congress in Austin, calling for the Texas Senate to stop blocking the progress of SB 237, which was left pending in committee. This is the second set of arrests in as many weeks for activists protesting SB 237.

The Austin action was part of a new national GetEQUAL campaign that launched today to urge Congress to pass the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which was recently reintroduced. In Washington, D.C., activists held light panels on the grounds of Congress, reading “PASS ENDA NOW.”

The campaign, “Workplace INclusion: Winning LGBT Workplace Protections (WIN),” kicks off a week of action across the country to draw attention to need for workplace protections for LGBT employees. The actions will end May 14, the anniversary of Bella Abzug’s Equality Act of 1974, which was the first piece of pro-LGBT legislation in the U.S. ....

Christine Quinn Too Cozy With Michael Bloomberg ; Condom Arrests Continue

Speaker Quinn Uses Bloomberg Events To Fluff Campaign, Turns Back On Bloomberg-NYPD Discrimination Against LGBT Community

Christine Quinn's mayoral campaign is increasingly seen as desperate, since her poll numbers are beginning to fall, now that more and more voters are tuning into her dismal political record -- and to her close relationship with the unpopular mayor, Michael Bloomberg.

• For the second time in a week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has allowed Christine Quinn to take center stage at a big announcement by his administration. More and more, Speaker Quinn has come to be seen as interchangeable for Mayor Bloomberg during big policy announcements. “The mayor, without officially endorsing her, is helping her with his administration,” said George Arzt, a Democratic consultant. The strategy is a calculated risk: much of the criticism leveled at Ms. Quinn has been about her coziness with Mr. Bloomberg, particularly her support of the mayor’s successful effort to overturn the city’s term limits law and run for a third term. (Bloomberg Helping Quinn's Fledgling Mayoral Campaign With Media Events : NYTimes)
• Meanwhile, as Christine Quinn uses Bloomberg administration press conferences to help rescue her sinking mayoral campaign, the Bloomberg administration continues its attack on safe sex. Advocates say too many New Yorkers land in jail after cops confiscate condoms. Clara Sierra was falsely arrested her and charged with prostitution by police, after she was found carrying condoms. She served 10 days in Rikers. On this serious issue, which affects the LGBT community, Christine Quinn sides with Mayor Bloomberg, so that she won't jeopardise his backroom support for her mayoral campaign. Speaker Quinn puts her own political ambitions over the needs of the LGBT community. It hasn't been the first time, and it certainly won't be the last. (Transgenders Face Discrimination, False Arrests By NYPD : Metro)

People Have The Power Marriage Equality PSA feat. Sharon Needles and AlaskaThunderfuck

Christine Quinn No Show At Jackson Heights Mayoral Forum

Several activists stood outside the Jewish Center in Jackson Heights tonight, to protest Christine Quinn's dismal record on LGBT equality, NYPD discrimination, and restrictions on the use of birth control.

Tonight's protest, which had been announced well in advance, was a success, activists said, because Christine Quinn cancelled her appearance at this forum.

Tonight's mayoral forum was sponsored by the New Visions Democratic Club, by the Lesbian Gay Democratic Club of Queens, and by City Councilmember Daniel Dromm.

Activists distributed over 300 flyers outside of tonight's mayoral forum. In their interaction with passers-by and with the attendees at tonight's mayoral form, activists often mentioned how Christine Quinn was primarily responsible for extending term limits to allow Mayor Michael Bloomberg to steal a third term, how Christine Quinn's use of slush funds creates a culture of corruption in City Hall, and how Christine Quinn has failed to hold the NYPD accountable for discriminating against innocent New Yorkers.

LGBT activists question why Christine Quinn, who is the highest elected openly LGBT politician in New York City politics, does not stand up to the NYPD. The NYPD have demonstrated a pattern of discriminating and falsely arresting innocent LGBT New Yorkers if they carry condoms. Police claim that if LGBT New Yorkers carry condoms, then the condoms are evidence that LGBT New Yorkers are engaged in prostitution.

Protest against @chriscquinn's inaction against NYPD condom criminalization today at 6:30 pm facebook.com/events/1650544… twitter.com/stopchrisquinn…

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) April 11, 2013

Activists displayed a banner, which portrayed a condom locked in a handcuff to represent how NYPD are trying to crack down on safe sex practices -- forcing us to return to backward Victorian times.

How can Christine Quinn support this kind of crackdown on the use of prophylactics, if the fact that prophylactics and birth control because legal in 1965 only after decades of attempts by Planned Parenthood to make it legal for people to use contraception.

But that's not all. The NYPD policy on stop-and-frisk also deliberately targets transgenders ; meanwhile, Christine Quinn does not hold the NYPD for discriminating against the LGBT community. The stop-and-frisk program discriminates, and, as a consequence, the City of New York ends up paying hundreds of millions in damages for violating the civil rights of innocent New Yorkers.

#NY’s Stop-and-Frisk #Election: In 2011 alone, #NYC paid out over $180 million in lawsuits against the #NYPDbit.ly/Zc7YX3

— BQ Brew (@BQBrew) April 11, 2013

Here is one of the flyers, which activists distributed tonight :

2013-04-11 Christine Quinn Stop and Frisk Condom Flyer

What a disgrace for the NYPD to menace the LGBT community like this. In an article in The New York Times last week-end, it was notable that no LGBT leader in this city was quoted here to denounce the institutional discrimination by the NYPD of LGBT New Yorkers. Most notable was the absence or silence by Christine Quinn, the highest elected LGBT official in New York City politics. She is somebody, who has a sensibility of what it means to be treated different because of her identity as a woman and as a lesbian. And yet she has said nothing about how the NYPD treats others in the LGBT community solely based on their identity. And in all the articles about how stop-and-frisk is used by the NYPD against communities of color and other minority groups, there has remained a radio silence about how a municipality can discriminate against people in public spaces based on sex, race, and other factors that are expressly prohibited by the Civil Rights Act. When were municipalities given the option of not enforcing the Civil Rights Act ? And how can the NYPD deliberately violate Griswold v. Connecticut, the landmark case that legalised the use of contraceptives in the United States ? When did carrying contraception or prophylactics become a criminal behaviour ? How can this be ?

Lt. Dan Choi DADT Trial Update

• Related : Are Ronald Machen, Angela George, and Sanjay Sola helping President Obama politicize the US DOJ ? (Lt. Dan Choi FOIA Request Update)

Lt. Daniel Choi was found guilty in trial almost three years after DADT protest :

Update : Lt. Daniel Choi was found guilty and fined $100, which news reports indicate that Lt. Choi promises not to pay -- perhaps setting up another showdown with the Department of Justice, which seems intent on prosecutorial overreach as it is..

Demonstration In Front Of The White House Before Commencement Of Today's DADT Protest Trail Against Lt. Dan Choi :

Below are two pictures of the demonstration, which took place just minutes ago, with the White House in the background. In the first picture, dozens of activists demonstrated in support of Lt. Dan Choi, and, in the second, Lt. Dan Choi salutes the President of the United States, who resides in the White House.

About three dozen supporters stood in solidarity on Thursday, March 28, 2013, with Lt. Dan Choi, a U.S. Army veteran, who faces an unjust prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice for a protest in which he participated against the military's former policy of ''Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'' Legal observers describe the government's case against Lt. Choi as an instance of prosecutorial over-reach by the Department of Justice.

Three years after Lt. Choi's DADT protest, which triggered his arrest and the resulting prosecution, the U.S. Attorney's Office refuses to dismiss the charges against him. The Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela S. George has been accused with waging an over-zealous prosecution against Lt. Choi, who is a notable LGBT civil rights activist. Under the Obama administration, other notable activists have been being prosecuted under worrisome attacks on demonstrations, curbs on Freedom of Speech, and growing restrictions on Freedom of Expression.

Related : Lt. Dan Choi Still on Trial Over 2010 Military Gay Ban Protest

The above photos were posted to Facebook this morning by Robin GetEqual McGehee.

DADT Trail Update From Lt. Dan Choi :

From Lt. Dan Choi :

On Thursday morning, March 28th in Federal Criminal Court, I stand trial for protesting back in 2010 against "Don't Ask Don't Tell."

The federal prosecutor has fiercely pushed this case for three years now, demanding the maximum punishment: 6 months in federal prison. To date, the government lost 5 of 6 protest cases against me, but they refuse to drop this one. Even after the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell," this seldom-used criminal charge against me remains: "Failure to Obey." My applications to re-enlist in the army were denied solely because of this trial. Whether it is to "teach me a lesson," or prevent my reinstatement, or bully those who practice free speech, the prosecution will not give up.

Nor will we. I ask you to please stand with me on this final lap, Thursday morning, March 28th.

The government is smart, powerful, intimidating and well resourced. But I stand on the principles learned in Basic Training: Defend freedom. Tell the truth. Never give up. Please join me, my fellow freedom fighters, international LGBT civil rights activists and people from all across the country who are flying in to send a clear message to the government: We will never stop defending our freedom to speak, serve and love.

Please let me know if you'll be there! I'll keep you updated about special gatherings and organizing.

Facebook Event: RSVP for ''USA v Lt. Dan Choi, DADT'' on Facebook

Even if you can't, please spread the word and forward this message, or consider writing a letter to the judge !

USA v. Lt. Daniel Choi
E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse
United States District Court
333 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20001

8:00 AM on Courthouse Lawn -
Yoga Meditation and Interfaith Prayer

9:00 AM in Courtroom 6, (Second Floor) -
Trial

Love is still worth fighting for.

Sincerely,
Lt. Dan Choi

Christine Quinn Looks Other Way As NYPD Arrests LGBT New Yorkers With Condoms

Are NYPD violating Griswold v. Connecticut ?

Please sign our petition : Commish Kelly : Stop arresting people for carrying condoms !

Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965), is a landmark case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Constitution protected a right to privacy. The case involved a Connecticut law that prohibited the use of contraceptives. (Wikipedia) This case overturned the 1879, Victorian era law in Connecticut that banned the use of prophylactics by couples. Fast-forward to 2013, and we find the NYPD is arresting people for carrying prophylactics. What's going on here ?

Are NYPD violating Griswold v. Connecticut ? christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/2013/03/Would-… Police arrest LGBT for carrying condoms. @glaad@nationalnow @nytimes

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) March 11, 2013

Discriminated Against and "Profiled" by NYPD, Transgenders in New York Fear Carrying Condoms. Would Heterosexual New Yorkers be Arrested for Carrying Birth Control ?

Please sign our petition : Commish Kelly : Stop arresting people for carrying condoms !

The NYPD profiles average law-abiding New Yorkers based on age, gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation. That's nothing new.

We already know that the NYPD targets transgenders for stop-and-frisks at more than double the rate of rest of the population in some neighborhood.

The harassment of innocent people carrying condoms has now reached absurd levels that some claim that the NYPD's discriminatory use of stop and frisk and arrests over the carrying of birth control may pose a risk to public health.

"Those who have been targeted by the police, or who know people who have, are so afraid of carrying condoms that they often don't," The Village Voice has reported.

"In a 2012 study by the Sex Workers Project and the PROS Network, a New York City coalition of sex workers, organizers, and service providers, close to half of the participants reported not carrying condoms at some point out of fear of police repercussions. Among participants who identified as either transgender female or another gender identity besides male or female, the rate was a staggering 75 percent," The Village Voice has reported.

"The New York City Department of Health has been giving away free condoms since 1971, and has made condom distribution a centerpiece of its public-health program over the past six years," added The Village Voice.

"The Department of Health is flooding the city with free condoms, and the police department is using those very condoms to make the quality-of-life arrests that are clogging the courts. It is difficult to avoid the impression that the NYPD is deliberately seeking to increase quality-of-life arrests—perhaps even meet quotas—with arrests that are blatantly at odds with the city’s own public-health policy," The Village Voice has reported.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn looks the other way, because she wants to stay in good standing with Police Commish Raymond Kelly. She puts political expediency over privacy and civil rights.

Related : SCOTUS justice Antonin Scalia suggests women have no right to contraception

Read more : Christine Quinn Betrays LGBT New Yorkers

Christine Quinn no longer advocates for LGBT liberation from de jure discrimination

Man who claimed cops beat him during gay pride party says police made multiple return visits to his home and conducted illegal searches of his apartment.

Christine Quinn, the openly lesbian Speaker of the New York City Council, used to be the director of the Anti-Violence Project. Back when she was head of AVP, Ms. Quinn used to advocate on behalf of victims of violence.

But now that Speaker Quinn is running for mayor, she is afraid to aggravate her close relationship with Raymond Kelly, the commish of the NYPD.

If LGBT New Yorkers get beat up by haters, you can count on Speaker Quinn to elbow her way in for photo opportunities. But if the haters are NYPD officers, you can count on Speaker Quinn to look the other way.

From The New York Daily News :

Jabbar Campbell — a Crown Heights man who claimed cops disabled his apartment’s security camera before beating him during his gay pride party in January now says 77th Precinct cops have since made multiple return visits to his home.

Campbell, who had already filed a notice of intent to sue the city, said plainclothes cops illegally searched his place last week. Campbell said he turned over the footage to investigators.

The Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating both incidents, police said.

Related : Crown Heights man : Cops raided my pride party and assaulted me with fists and anti-gay epithets (NYDN) * Jabbar Campbell files paperwork to sue the city for what he says was a hate crime at his gay pride party Sunday (NYDN)

Read more : Christine Quinn Betrays LGBT New Yorkers

1,000 days in jail for Bradley Manning ; 1,000 days of silence from Christine Quinn

1,000 days in jail for Bradley Manning ; 1,000 days of silence from Christine Quinn

Today, LGBT Army PFC Bradley Manning marked his 1,000th day imprisoned without a trial, reported Raw Story. PFC Manning is "suspected" of being the source of making government transparency disclosures to WikiLeaks.

PFC Manning is an LGBT service member, and many groups and leaders have been advocating for justice for PFC Manning. But New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been eerily silent.

"It has taken him from the desert of Iraq, where he was arrested at a military operating base outside Baghdad, to a prison tent in Kuwait. From there he endured his infamous harsh treatment at Quantico Marine base in Virginia, and for the last 14 months he has attended a series of pre-trial hearings at Fort Meade in Maryland, the latest of which begins next week," reported Raw Story.

Among the violations of due process, government transparency, torture, and other charges, the government's prosecution of PFC Manning includes blatant acts of censorship.

No statement of support from LGBT leader Christine Quinn, who has her own murky history of redacting government documents.

What kind of an LGBT leader is Speaker Quinn if she remains quiet about the government's violations of PFC Manning's constitutional rights ?

Transgender teacher fired from Queens Catholic school

Sign the petition : St. Francis Preparatory High School: Formally Apologize to Mark (Marla) Krolikowski for Sexual Discrimination

From WABC Eyewitness News :

Transgender teacher fired from Queens Catholic school
By : Sarah Wallace, Eyewitness News
Web produced by Cristina Romano, Eyewitness News

QUEENS (WABC) -- Meet Marla Krolikowski. She no longer has any reason to hide. For 32 years, Krolikowski lived a dual life, teaching at St. Francis Prep School in Queens as a man, Mark, who professionally dressed in a suit and tie.

"I valued the job so much that I was willing to internalize everything, because the job met so much to me," said Krolikowski.

Krolikowski says she did start to add more feminine touches over the years, but claims no one seemed to mind. There are plenty of yearbook photos of her like that.

"I noticed it was a bit more feminine, but I mean, I didn't think it was anything to write home about," said former student Christina Guarino, "so it didn't matter, no."

Apparently, a parent did care. Krolikowski says in October of 2011 that school officials brought her in and confronted her.

"They said, 'are you a drag performer, are you a female impersonator?'" Krolikowski said, "they gave me all these different things, so finally I said 'I'm transgendered and I identify as a woman. Then everybody's jaw dropped, and then, I said, 'Oh God, what did I do?'"

Krolikowski said that someone told her "it sounds like you're worse than gay", and it took all her strength not to cry.

Krolikowski claims she was told to tone down her appearance, and did, but was fired anyway.

When September came, she was not going back to school for the first time in 32 years.

In a statement denying the allegations, St. Francis said: "Mr. Krolikowski's employment was terminated for entirely appropriate and professional reasons, and in no way discriminatory."

"All he wanted to do was to be judged by who he is and not what he is, and it's a horror that in this day an age, the school has chosen to judge him by what he is and not who he is," said Krolikowski's attorney, Andrew Kimler.

"My time is running out. I'm 59 years old and I want to live the way I was intended to be," adds Krowlikowski, "which is as a woman."

Krowlikowski has had breast implants, has started hormone treatments, and plans to have more surgery. She says she doesn't want people to look at her as a freak, because she didn't get to do all the things that girls got to do.

Krowikowski says she has been overwhelmed by support from thousands of current and former students who have signed an on-line petition on change.org. She doesn't have long-term plans but does have an immediate goal - to attend Lady Gaga's Born Brave bus tour that is coming to New York later this month.

Sign the petition : St. Francis Preparatory High School: Formally Apologize to Mark (Marla) Krolikowski for Sexual Discrimination

Political Spouses, Gender Roles, And Heterosexism

From City & State :

Earlier this month, a miniscandal erupted over a story with a lurid headline: “The Lesbian Past of Bill de Blasio’s Wife.” The central thesis seemed to be that Chirlane McCray (a.k.a. Mrs. de Blasio) is somehow duplicitous, because as a married woman with two children, she once identified as a lesbian.

Anyone who lived through the sexual revolution or received a liberal arts degree in the last 30 years might have failed to grasp the inherent conflict. Nevertheless, the sensational article strongly implied the existence of a public fraud.

Read more : Mrs. De Blasio And The Pigeonholing Of Political Spouses

Political spouses and the roles some of us want them to play : @agrenell @hunterw cityandstateny.com/mrs-de-blasio-… #LGBT #sexism #bias @chirlane

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) December 23, 2012

Hunter Walker Responds To LGBTQ Critics ; Stays In Denial

Does Hunter Walker's response to LGBTQ critics reveals that he's a heterosexist in denial ?

@ddasilvacornell @jakebgoodman @lgbtcivilrights @maslowsneeds @gays4change @ljoywilliams @sarahrodeo @squarepeg_dem twitter.com/hunterw/status…

— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) December 6, 2012

Following a barrage of comments questioning the motivations and competency of Hunter Walker's article, Mr. Walker posted an inadequate response to his critics. Consider firstly how Mr. Walker claims that he wrote his story about Ms. McCray as a "political figure in her own right," but notice how Ms. McCray was subjugated as "Bill de Blasio's wife" in the original article's headline. Secondly, Mr. Walker avoids expressing any arguments as to why Ms. McCray's exploration of her sexual orientation should be political news in respect of the 2013 mayoral race. How did he intend to use "news" about Ms. McCray's sexual orientation ? What was his purpose to focus so much attention on Ms. McCray's marriage to Mr. de Blasio ? What do you think ?

Mr. Walker criticises the de Blasio-McCray marriage because of Ms. McCray's lesbian writings, but Mr. Walker never explains what kind of conforming wife a lesbian should be, to make her suitable for marriage ? Do you think that Mr. Walker comes across as a heterosexist in denial ?

From : "The Lesbian Past of Bill de Blasio's Wife" :

This article has generated many responses, including from some who have suggested it was inappropriate to cover this or that I have displayed a misunderstanding of human sexuality and the fluidity of sexual identity. One of the main issues raised by those who were not pleased with this story is that it is somehow not newsworthy and/or that family members of politicians should be "off limits."

There is no question in my mind that this story is news. Ms. McCray is a political figure in her own right. She is a top advisor on her husband's campaign, regularly speaks at his events, has taken a leading role on many political initiatives with him and writes regularly on the campaign site. Additionally, both Ms. McCray and Mr. de Blasio regularly write political columns together and have given several interviews about political aspects of their personal life. She has chosen to be a public, prominent figure on his campaign and in the New York City political world in general.

Furthermore, this story is not about digging into her private life. As outlined in this article Ms. McCray's past life as a lesbian involved being a fairly prominent lesbian activist. As this story notes, Combahee River Collective was a landmark group. It is incredibly interesting that Ms. McCray and her husband's campaign have (rather actively) omitted mentioning this aspect of her past including the characterization of the CRC as simply a "feminist" group. I do not think there is any question that identifying the past activism of a prominent political figure is news. It adds to her biography and raises interesting questions about why she and her husband's campaign have strenuously avoided noting this part of her past.

Critics of this story have cited the sentence where I said, "It is unclear how she transitioned from a self-described lesbian who was confident that she 'had always been more attracted to women, both emotionally and physically, than to men' to a political wife in a heterosexual marriage." It has been suggested that this displays some fundamental misunderstanding of the fact that people's sexual identities are often subject to change. That is not the case at all. Most people have evolving and individual concepts of their sexuality. I would have loved to discuss this with Ms. McCray and to have heard about how her identity evolved directly from her. I made many attempts to do this and would still be very interested in a conversation. Without speaking to Ms. McCray, making any definitive statements or assumptions about the evolution of her sexual identity would not have been respecting the fluid and changing nature of human sexuality. It would have been the exact opposite.

Lastly, and I debated whether to even dignify this with a response and give it further attention, some people have suggested this article is somehow "shaming" Ms. McCray and/or criticizing her and her husband. I defy anyone to point to any passages here that imply in any way that there is anything wrong about being homosexual. Those who would suggest that pointing her past activism and self-identification out is somehow "shaming" her are the ones implying being gay is something to be ashamed of, not me.

Many dissenting messages were also delivered to Mr. Walker via Twitter. Check out his @hunterw Twitter feed for the period of December 5-7, 2012.

Hunter Walker Tabloid Story On Mayoral Candidate's Wife's Sexual Orientation

Bill de Blasio's wife met her first female lover when they bonded over wishing they had a joint as college freshmen nyob.co/SyrGYR

— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) December 5, 2012

The reporter Hunter Walker from The New York Observer wrote an article that was published today that sensationalises Bill de Blasio's wife's sexual orientation. The tabloid headline was : "The Lesbian Past of Bill de Blasio's Wife." Mr. Walker seems to want to make an issue of Chirlane McCray's exploration of her sexual orientation. Why does Mr. Walker believe that Ms. McCray's sexual orientation is a campaign issue ? In Mr. Walker's small mind, is Ms. McCray's sexual orientation an impediment for Mr. De Blasio to do his job, or to run for public office, or to continue his work for the citizens of New York City ?

@lgbtcivilrights Where in my article do I imply her sexuality would impede his ability to do his job?

— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) December 6, 2012

Mr. Walker seems to have forgotten that marriage equality is now the law in New York State. He also seems to think that sexual orientation can only fit into a false social construct of a binary world of either heterosexual or homosexual. How does Mr. Walker's binary worldview inform his discriminatory and sensationalistic writing ? Do bisexuals not deserve to get married and have children ? You decide.

@hunterw How does your article about wife of @deblasionyc lead to #informedvoting ? What are you informing ? What informs your article ?

— LGBT Civil Rights (@lgbtcivilrights) December 6, 2012

Look at some of the hate that Mr. Walker's article has already inspired : "Born That Way" -- Not !

@azipaybarah a) my concern is not his campaign but how we talk re LGBT issues. b) not directly. @hunterw's sensationalist msg feeds a fire..

— Jake Goodman (@jakebgoodman) December 6, 2012

Will Hillary Clinton Speak Out On The "Kill The Gays" Bill In Uganda ?

Why isn't Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talking about the Uganda "Kill The Gays" Bill ?

Time is running out for thousands of Ugandans, who face the death penalty or life in prison if "convicted" of being gay.

It's time for the United States to escalate its diplomatic efforts to protect the human rights of LGBT Ugandans.

Forward the link to this blog post to your friends, and then sign and share these to petitions :

Our allies on the ground tell us that if Pepsi, which has a huge presence in Uganda, speaks out against the "Kill The Gays" Bill and the harmful effect it would have on investment and economic development in Uganda, it would force Ugandan officials to put the bill on hold -- or even pull it entirely. Sign the Pepsi Petition.

Citibank and Barclays -- two of the largest banks in the world -- have major operations in Uganda. Ask Citibank and Barclays to publicly condemn Uganda’s “Kill The Gays” Bill, and send a loud message to Ugandan legislators that criminalizing homosexuality with lifetime prison sentences and the death penalty won’t be supported by major international businesses. Sign the Citibank and Barclays Petition.

Meanwhile, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has no opinion about whether Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should escalate diplomatic efforts to protect the human rights of LGBT Ugandans.

Christine Quinn Betrays The LGBT Community

Christine Quinn Betrays Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgenders :

What measurable, real, and tangible actions have openly lesbian City Council Speaker Christine Quinn taken in respect of LGBT civil rights ?

Let's examine the following examples of LGBT civil rights violations, to which City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a high-profile openly lesbian politician, has been spineless in her response :

• When over 30 men where being entrapped and were the targets of sexual orientation profiling by the NYPD, what did Christine Quinn do ? That's right, she did nothing to hold the NYPD accountable for their systematic discrimination of LGBTQS men.
• In the interest of public health, New York City hands out free condoms, and then NYPD arrests LGBT New Yorkers for carrying condoms. And Speaker Quinn looks the other way, of course. Read more : New York City's Condom Bait-and-Switch
• Look at the case of Jabbar Campbell. If LGBT New Yorkers get beat up by haters, you can count on Speaker Quinn to elbow her way in for photo opportunities. But if the haters are NYPD officers, you can count on Speaker Quinn to look the other way.




• In her YouTube video announcing her mayoral campaign, Speaker Quinn did not say that she was a lesbian, and she did not mention her wife. Is this another case of self-hate or internalised homophobia ?
• Each year, Speaker Quinn allocates taxpayer money to support hate groups that discriminate against LGBT New Yorkers. Ask yourselves : What is an openly lesbian politician doing by funding groups that discriminate against LGBT New Yorkers ?
• On the evening when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the historic marriage equality bill into law, the NYPD raided the Eagle Bar in yet another demonstration of sexual orientation profiling. What has Speaker Quinn done to hold the NYPD accountable for their systematic discrimination of the gay men patrons of the Eagle ? That's right, she's done nothing.
• Before New York State enacted its historic marriage equality law, Speaker Quinn was already being non-committal about fighting all the way to win, which is her usual strategy on everything.
• After the Obama administration violated the due process rights of an LGBT whistleblower, what did Speaker Quinn do ? She turned the other way and pretended not to look.
• When one of her own staffers, Tony Simone, dropped the F-bomb on gay rights leaders Allen Roskoff and Donny Moss, what did Speaker Quinn do ? She did nothing.
• When Mayor Michael Bloomberg appealed the 2005 landmark marriage equality ruling by Judge Doris Ling-Cohan, what did Christine Quinn do ? BINGO ! She did nothing.
• Speaker Quinn's position of Paid Sick Leave has ramifications for the LGBT community.
• Even though the stop-and-frisk policy of the NYPD targets the transgendered New Yorkers, Speaker Quinn supports NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who is adamant about maintaining the unconstitutional police program.
• When former Mayor Ed Koch passed away, lesbian NYC mayoral candidate Christine Quinn released a statement calling Koch a 'great mayor' and a 'great man,' even though Mr. Koch was mayor during a period of time during which the AIDS epidemic broke out -- a crisis that many have said Koch essentially ignored during his time in office. Many AIDS activists found Speaker Quinn's statement tone deaf and dismissive of the tens of thousands of local AIDS deaths attributable to the former mayor.
• Related : Two gay men explain their beef with Christine Quinn

With an LGBT record like this, LGBTQS New Yorkers would do good to question Speaker Quinn's integrity and commitment to LGBT civil rights.

Make a pledge today to support Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn on Kickstarter.

Aaron Schock Denies He Is Gay Again

Republican Congressman Aaron Schock of Illinois has been running away from rumors that he is gay ever since he took office in 2009, and last week he denounced new questions into his sexual orientation as “inappropriate and ridiculous” and not “worthy of further response,” the writer Michelangelo Signorile wrote in The Huffington Post.

Read more : GOP Rep. Aaron Schock Responds To Gay Rumors, Anti-Gay Voting Record

Never thought a pic of me w/ my shirt on would go viral.Learned my lesson and burned the belt.

— Aaron Schock (@repaaronschock) June 14, 2010

Dead Father Tortures Gay Son From Grave : Get Married To Woman Or Lose Inheritance

Businessman's will orders gay son to marry woman, or else son will lose $180,000 inheritance. How's that for de factor LGBT discrimination ?

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2190595/Frank-Mandelbaum-death-Businessmans-orders-gay-son-marry-surrogate-mother-grandchild.html

The late Frank Mandelbaum's dying wish was that his son marry the mother of his grandchild. Only Robert Mandelbaum, 47, a Manhattan Criminal Court Judge, is already married - to a man. Robert Mandelbaum is now fighting to overturn his father's will, arguing that the only 'mother' his two-year-old son knows is his longtime partner Johnathan O'Donnell, 39.