Hold on to your hope
When the tide rushes in and the water’s all around,
You feel as though you just might drown.
when the winds blow so hard
and try to knock you to the ground.
Hold tight to your hope
Look beyond just those days
When you feel all your facing
Is the darkest of nights.
When it feels like you’ll
Never find the light.
Hold on to your hope,
Look beyond those days.
Look beyond those days,
And keep moving on
Look beyond those days,
You will soon find your dawn.
The sun will shine,
You must stay strong.
Hold on to your hope,
Look beyond those days.
Hold on to your hope,
It will show you the way.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Revisions Verse amendments
Revisions Verse amendments
I find it very interesting that AFD talks about Civil Liberties and How California Voters have spoken. I go back to the position that Prop 8 never should have been on the ballot. It should not have been allowed to be an Amendment it should have had to be brought forth through the revision way process. Here’s the thing the religious and conservative right that wants to deny us this Civil Right would at this time been unable to get it in this way so while someone was sleeping at the switch they got it through and now they are upset that we want to get it repealed through the courts? This is how it is suppose to be done at this point through the courts. We as LGBT have to go to the courts (there are pending cases to do this) and get our rights back. You can view this link http://fora.tv/2008/09/02/How_Gay_Marriage_Changes_Californias_Constitution
And it will explain why this should have been done the revision way and then you'll have a better understanding of why they chose not to and in the process Hi-jacked the Californian Constitution
Russ B.
I find it very interesting that AFD talks about Civil Liberties and How California Voters have spoken. I go back to the position that Prop 8 never should have been on the ballot. It should not have been allowed to be an Amendment it should have had to be brought forth through the revision way process. Here’s the thing the religious and conservative right that wants to deny us this Civil Right would at this time been unable to get it in this way so while someone was sleeping at the switch they got it through and now they are upset that we want to get it repealed through the courts? This is how it is suppose to be done at this point through the courts. We as LGBT have to go to the courts (there are pending cases to do this) and get our rights back. You can view this link http://fora.tv/2008/09/02/How_Gay_Marriage_Changes_Californias_Constitution
And it will explain why this should have been done the revision way and then you'll have a better understanding of why they chose not to and in the process Hi-jacked the Californian Constitution
Russ B.
StoneWall Riots
Stonewall was a pivotal point in LGBT History. It charged and solidified or resolve and the message it was speaking would both bring our community and together and divide it. We now look at Stonewall as our first call to arms. Out of the Stonewall rights came many great organization and leaders who have dedicated there lives to lgbt rights. Below is the story of Stonewall
Stonewall Riots
by David Bianco
Among gay organizations today, there's everything from the Stonewall Democratic Club to the Stonewall Chorale; there's even a bottled water called Stonewall. The word has taken on mythic proportions in lesbian and gay culture. But its widespread appropriation doesn't dilute the importance of what happened in the summer of 1969 in New York City. The event is still a hot topic of debate in gay circles, with much disagreement about what actually precipitated the violence and who took part in it. One legend holds that Judy Garland's funeral, held June 27 in Manhattan, fanned the flames of gay rage. Other versions of the story claim that dozens of sequined drag queens and a mysterious, unidentified butch lesbian were at the forefront of the street rebellion. But a few facts seem certain. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a dingy, Mafia-run "private club" on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village with a predominantly gay clientele. The charge was illegal sale of alcohol. It was the second time that week the bar had been targeted by the police, and other gay bars had also been raided in prior weeks. Police officers lined up the Stonewall's 200 patrons to check identification. Most were free to leave, but the staff, as well as three drag queens and two male-to-female transsexuals, were detained. Eyewitnesses recalled that the scene outside the bar was at first campy and festive. Patrons were joined by tourists and passers-by, and everyone cheered when a gay person emerged from the bar, dismissed by the police. But when a paddy wagon arrived and the police loaded the bar's staff and the three drag queens inside, the crowd on the street grew surly. One person threw a rock through a window, and eventually garbage cans, bottles, and even a parking meter were used to assault the building. Someone set a fire with lighter fluid. By newspaper accounts, 13 people were arrested and three police officers sustained minor injuries in the confrontation. Later that night and into Sunday morning, a crowd again gathered in front of the ravaged bar. Many young gay men showed up to protest the flurry of raids, but they did so by handholding, kissing, and forming a chorus line. "We are the Stonewall girls," they sang, kicking their legs in front of the police. "We wear our hair in curls./We have no underwear./We show our pubic hair." Police cleared the street without incident this time, but another street altercation occurred a few days later. Even more significant, though, was what happened later in the summer. At the end of July, gay activists circulated copies of a flyer calling for a mass "homosexual liberation meeting." The headline of the flyer read, "Do you think homosexuals are revolting? You bet your sweet ass we are!" The alliance that formed from the meeting held on July 24 adopted the name Gay Liberation Front (GLF); among its demands were not only an end to police harassment, but job protection for gay employees, the repeal of sodomy laws, and local and national anti-discrimination laws. Soon, numerous other organizations and a host of gay liberation publications emerged, first in New York and then across the country. Estimates suggest that, at the time of the riots, there were a few dozen gay organizations in the United States. Within a few years, the number had risen to more than 400.
Stonewall Riots
by David Bianco
Among gay organizations today, there's everything from the Stonewall Democratic Club to the Stonewall Chorale; there's even a bottled water called Stonewall. The word has taken on mythic proportions in lesbian and gay culture. But its widespread appropriation doesn't dilute the importance of what happened in the summer of 1969 in New York City. The event is still a hot topic of debate in gay circles, with much disagreement about what actually precipitated the violence and who took part in it. One legend holds that Judy Garland's funeral, held June 27 in Manhattan, fanned the flames of gay rage. Other versions of the story claim that dozens of sequined drag queens and a mysterious, unidentified butch lesbian were at the forefront of the street rebellion. But a few facts seem certain. In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a dingy, Mafia-run "private club" on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village with a predominantly gay clientele. The charge was illegal sale of alcohol. It was the second time that week the bar had been targeted by the police, and other gay bars had also been raided in prior weeks. Police officers lined up the Stonewall's 200 patrons to check identification. Most were free to leave, but the staff, as well as three drag queens and two male-to-female transsexuals, were detained. Eyewitnesses recalled that the scene outside the bar was at first campy and festive. Patrons were joined by tourists and passers-by, and everyone cheered when a gay person emerged from the bar, dismissed by the police. But when a paddy wagon arrived and the police loaded the bar's staff and the three drag queens inside, the crowd on the street grew surly. One person threw a rock through a window, and eventually garbage cans, bottles, and even a parking meter were used to assault the building. Someone set a fire with lighter fluid. By newspaper accounts, 13 people were arrested and three police officers sustained minor injuries in the confrontation. Later that night and into Sunday morning, a crowd again gathered in front of the ravaged bar. Many young gay men showed up to protest the flurry of raids, but they did so by handholding, kissing, and forming a chorus line. "We are the Stonewall girls," they sang, kicking their legs in front of the police. "We wear our hair in curls./We have no underwear./We show our pubic hair." Police cleared the street without incident this time, but another street altercation occurred a few days later. Even more significant, though, was what happened later in the summer. At the end of July, gay activists circulated copies of a flyer calling for a mass "homosexual liberation meeting." The headline of the flyer read, "Do you think homosexuals are revolting? You bet your sweet ass we are!" The alliance that formed from the meeting held on July 24 adopted the name Gay Liberation Front (GLF); among its demands were not only an end to police harassment, but job protection for gay employees, the repeal of sodomy laws, and local and national anti-discrimination laws. Soon, numerous other organizations and a host of gay liberation publications emerged, first in New York and then across the country. Estimates suggest that, at the time of the riots, there were a few dozen gay organizations in the United States. Within a few years, the number had risen to more than 400.
Visibility
Visibility
As we continue to fight for our civil rights. The right to marry the right to adopt, equal employment protection for all and, census inclusion. Visibility is key. People need to know who we are. I understand what a struggle it can be to come out to those around you. Some of those people will stand right with you others will walk away. Here is the thing if you do not make yourself visible, then who you are not visible. If we want our civil rights, we have to be visible. We cannot hide in our closets and expect change to happen.
We all need to get involved and fight for our rights and we cannot do this anonymously. If we stand up together, show who we are and get those around us to see who we are then we can make that human connection. When we make that human connection, it is difficult for those we make that connection with to see us as invisible.
We need to get those who believe we do not deserve these rights because of religion to see that this is not a religious issue but a civil issue.
Those who feel we should not adopt need to see that a loving home is a loving home whether there are two moms’ two dads or a mom and dad.
Those who feel we should not marry because marriage is a religious right need to see that it is first and foremost a civil right and that love is love.
We need to be counted we need to be part of the American census report. We need our employers to see us whether we are gay, lesbian or, transgender. We all need to be counted.
Equal protections under the laws that govern America are being denied us and what are we doing about it? Are we letting those who are already visible get the message out or are we making ourselves visible, making ourselves heard, being counted?
We cannot rely on others to get our message out we must put it out there ourselves. When we do not participate in those things that impact our lives, we cannot expect our lives to be impacted the way we want them to impact our lives.
If we remain invisible, we stay invisible until we decide to make ourselves visible. There is no flying under the radar with civil rights. Flying under the radar keeps us invisible.
Get out there make yourself visible. Participate and fight for the civil rights you deserve.
Stop feeling that you do not deserve these civil rights because that is self-hatred. Stop saying I will never have children so adoption rights do not matter. Stop saying I have no desire to get married so marriage equality does not matter to me.
We should never say to ourselves it is not our concern. It is always our concern. If we stop making our civil rights our concern then we say to everyone we do not matter, you can walk over all over me.
We need to make our voice heard our strength felt, our faces visible and, our civil rights guaranteed.
As we continue to fight for our civil rights. The right to marry the right to adopt, equal employment protection for all and, census inclusion. Visibility is key. People need to know who we are. I understand what a struggle it can be to come out to those around you. Some of those people will stand right with you others will walk away. Here is the thing if you do not make yourself visible, then who you are not visible. If we want our civil rights, we have to be visible. We cannot hide in our closets and expect change to happen.
We all need to get involved and fight for our rights and we cannot do this anonymously. If we stand up together, show who we are and get those around us to see who we are then we can make that human connection. When we make that human connection, it is difficult for those we make that connection with to see us as invisible.
We need to get those who believe we do not deserve these rights because of religion to see that this is not a religious issue but a civil issue.
Those who feel we should not adopt need to see that a loving home is a loving home whether there are two moms’ two dads or a mom and dad.
Those who feel we should not marry because marriage is a religious right need to see that it is first and foremost a civil right and that love is love.
We need to be counted we need to be part of the American census report. We need our employers to see us whether we are gay, lesbian or, transgender. We all need to be counted.
Equal protections under the laws that govern America are being denied us and what are we doing about it? Are we letting those who are already visible get the message out or are we making ourselves visible, making ourselves heard, being counted?
We cannot rely on others to get our message out we must put it out there ourselves. When we do not participate in those things that impact our lives, we cannot expect our lives to be impacted the way we want them to impact our lives.
If we remain invisible, we stay invisible until we decide to make ourselves visible. There is no flying under the radar with civil rights. Flying under the radar keeps us invisible.
Get out there make yourself visible. Participate and fight for the civil rights you deserve.
Stop feeling that you do not deserve these civil rights because that is self-hatred. Stop saying I will never have children so adoption rights do not matter. Stop saying I have no desire to get married so marriage equality does not matter to me.
We should never say to ourselves it is not our concern. It is always our concern. If we stop making our civil rights our concern then we say to everyone we do not matter, you can walk over all over me.
We need to make our voice heard our strength felt, our faces visible and, our civil rights guaranteed.
The Journey I must travel
The Journey I must travel
The journey to love is what led me to you
Though the road wasn’t always easy it was what I had to do.
The journey to liberty may take awhile
But I am willing to travel this long mile
The journey to balance the scales may sometimes unravel.
But it is a road I must travel.
The Journey to marriage cannot be complete
Until scales are balanced and liberty I meet
The journey to love is what led me to you
Though the road wasn’t always easy it was what I had to do.
The journey to liberty may take awhile
But I am willing to travel this long mile
The journey to balance the scales may sometimes unravel.
But it is a road I must travel.
The Journey to marriage cannot be complete
Until scales are balanced and liberty I meet
Our History - StoneWall Riot
Stonewall was a pivotal point in LGBT History. It charged and solidified or resolve and the message it was speaking would both bring our community and together and divide it. We now look at Stonewall as our first call to arms. Out of the Stonewall rights came many great organization and leaders who have dedicated there lives to lgbt rights. Below is the story of Stonewall
Stonewall Riotsby David BiancoAmong gay organizations today, there's everything from the Stonewall Democratic Club to the Stonewall Chorale; there's even a bottled water called Stonewall. The word has taken on mythic proportions in lesbian and gay culture. But its widespread appropriation doesn't dilute the importance of what happened in the summer of 1969 in New York City.
The event is still a hot topic of debate in gay circles, with much disagreement about what actually precipitated the violence and who took part in it. One legend holds that Judy Garland's funeral, held June 27 in Manhattan, fanned the flames of gay rage. Other versions of the story claim that dozens of sequined drag queens and a mysterious, unidentified butch lesbian were at the forefront of the street rebellion. But a few facts seem certain.
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a dingy, Mafia-run "private club" on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village with a predominantly gay clientele. The charge was illegal sale of alcohol. It was the second time that week the bar had been targeted by the police, and other gay bars had also been raided in prior weeks. Police officers lined up the Stonewall's 200 patrons to check identification. Most were free to leave, but the staff, as well as three drag queens and two male-to-female transsexuals, were detained.
Eyewitnesses recalled that the scene outside the bar was at first campy and festive. Patrons were joined by tourists and passers-by, and everyone cheered when a gay person emerged from the bar, dismissed by the police. But when a paddy wagon arrived and the police loaded the bar's staff and the three drag queens inside, the crowd on the street grew surly. One person threw a rock through a window, and eventually garbage cans, bottles, and even a parking meter were used to assault the building. Someone set a fire with lighter fluid. By newspaper accounts, 13 people were arrested and three police officers sustained minor injuries in the confrontation.
Later that night and into Sunday morning, a crowd again gathered in front of the ravaged bar. Many young gay men showed up to protest the flurry of raids, but they did so by handholding, kissing, and forming a chorus line. "We are the Stonewall girls," they sang, kicking their legs in front of the police. "We wear our hair in curls./We have no underwear./We show our pubic hair." Police cleared the street without incident this time, but another street altercation occurred a few days later.
Even more significant, though, was what happened later in the summer. At the end of July, gay activists circulated copies of a flyer calling for a mass "homosexual liberation meeting." The headline of the flyer read, "Do you think homosexuals are revolting? You bet your sweet ass we are!" The alliance that formed from the meeting held on July 24 adopted the name Gay Liberation Front (GLF); among its demands were not only an end to police harassment, but job protection for gay employees, the repeal of sodomy laws, and local and national anti-discrimination laws.
Soon, numerous other organizations and a host of gay liberation publications emerged, first in New York and then across the country. Estimates suggest that, at the time of the riots, there were a few dozen gay organizations in the United States. Within a few years, the number had risen to more than 400.
Stonewall Riotsby David BiancoAmong gay organizations today, there's everything from the Stonewall Democratic Club to the Stonewall Chorale; there's even a bottled water called Stonewall. The word has taken on mythic proportions in lesbian and gay culture. But its widespread appropriation doesn't dilute the importance of what happened in the summer of 1969 in New York City.
The event is still a hot topic of debate in gay circles, with much disagreement about what actually precipitated the violence and who took part in it. One legend holds that Judy Garland's funeral, held June 27 in Manhattan, fanned the flames of gay rage. Other versions of the story claim that dozens of sequined drag queens and a mysterious, unidentified butch lesbian were at the forefront of the street rebellion. But a few facts seem certain.
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a dingy, Mafia-run "private club" on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village with a predominantly gay clientele. The charge was illegal sale of alcohol. It was the second time that week the bar had been targeted by the police, and other gay bars had also been raided in prior weeks. Police officers lined up the Stonewall's 200 patrons to check identification. Most were free to leave, but the staff, as well as three drag queens and two male-to-female transsexuals, were detained.
Eyewitnesses recalled that the scene outside the bar was at first campy and festive. Patrons were joined by tourists and passers-by, and everyone cheered when a gay person emerged from the bar, dismissed by the police. But when a paddy wagon arrived and the police loaded the bar's staff and the three drag queens inside, the crowd on the street grew surly. One person threw a rock through a window, and eventually garbage cans, bottles, and even a parking meter were used to assault the building. Someone set a fire with lighter fluid. By newspaper accounts, 13 people were arrested and three police officers sustained minor injuries in the confrontation.
Later that night and into Sunday morning, a crowd again gathered in front of the ravaged bar. Many young gay men showed up to protest the flurry of raids, but they did so by handholding, kissing, and forming a chorus line. "We are the Stonewall girls," they sang, kicking their legs in front of the police. "We wear our hair in curls./We have no underwear./We show our pubic hair." Police cleared the street without incident this time, but another street altercation occurred a few days later.
Even more significant, though, was what happened later in the summer. At the end of July, gay activists circulated copies of a flyer calling for a mass "homosexual liberation meeting." The headline of the flyer read, "Do you think homosexuals are revolting? You bet your sweet ass we are!" The alliance that formed from the meeting held on July 24 adopted the name Gay Liberation Front (GLF); among its demands were not only an end to police harassment, but job protection for gay employees, the repeal of sodomy laws, and local and national anti-discrimination laws.
Soon, numerous other organizations and a host of gay liberation publications emerged, first in New York and then across the country. Estimates suggest that, at the time of the riots, there were a few dozen gay organizations in the United States. Within a few years, the number had risen to more than 400.
KNBC rejects our ad and claims the National Football League (NFL) excluded PSA as “advocacy
KNBC rejects our ad and claims the National Football League (NFL) excluded PSA as “advocacy,” yet other advocacy ads air.
GetToKnowUsFirst.org learned today during the Super Bowl broadcast that the NFL aired "advocacy" ads, despite rejecting our ad.
Late Friday afternoon, KNBC told our ad agency that the NFL Legal Department had viewed our ad and rejected it, explaining they planned to show no "advocacy" ads during their entire day of programming, from Road to the Superbowl at 9:00 am through the end of the game.
It became clear to us while watching the broadcast, that a number of such ads were playing in rotation.
Things you can do:1. Read our media release.2. Forward this to others who would be interested.3. Post this story on related blogs, news websites, Facebook.4. Contact KNBC to express your feelings: Craig Robinson, General Manager KNBC4 3000 W Alameda Ave # 2201 Burbank, CA 91523 (818) 840-4444 comments@nbc4.tv
You can also view all five PSAs, as well as Behind the Scenes videos THE SHOOT and THE PRESS CONFERENCE: http://www.gettoknowusfirst.org/
Thanks for your support!
-John Ireland Project Organizer
P.S.--Pass this along to friends and family who you think would be interested in following our campaign! That's how viral marketing works, so you will be amplifying our success with the click of a button. :-)
Visit Coachella Valley Marriage Equality Coalition (CVMEC) at: http://desertnoh8.ning.com/
GetToKnowUsFirst.org learned today during the Super Bowl broadcast that the NFL aired "advocacy" ads, despite rejecting our ad.
Late Friday afternoon, KNBC told our ad agency that the NFL Legal Department had viewed our ad and rejected it, explaining they planned to show no "advocacy" ads during their entire day of programming, from Road to the Superbowl at 9:00 am through the end of the game.
It became clear to us while watching the broadcast, that a number of such ads were playing in rotation.
Things you can do:1. Read our media release.2. Forward this to others who would be interested.3. Post this story on related blogs, news websites, Facebook.4. Contact KNBC to express your feelings: Craig Robinson, General Manager KNBC4 3000 W Alameda Ave # 2201 Burbank, CA 91523 (818) 840-4444 comments@nbc4.tv
You can also view all five PSAs, as well as Behind the Scenes videos THE SHOOT and THE PRESS CONFERENCE: http://www.gettoknowusfirst.org/
Thanks for your support!
-John Ireland Project Organizer
P.S.--Pass this along to friends and family who you think would be interested in following our campaign! That's how viral marketing works, so you will be amplifying our success with the click of a button. :-)
Visit Coachella Valley Marriage Equality Coalition (CVMEC) at: http://desertnoh8.ning.com/
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