My new YouTube obsession has, coincidentally, coincided with this past Sunday’s Pride Parade in Chicago. My boyfriend recently introduced a series of YouTube videos called “Katie’s Corner,” with actress Alexandra Billings playing a manic Katharine Hepburn as she tries her hand at pumpkin pancakes, making a paper rose, or the topic of concentration. Little did I know that is was Alexandra Billings who was the Grand Marshal of Chicago’s Pride Parade. In (late) celebration of this, I wanted to link to two of her very amusing videos: one in which Billings herself tells her Bea Arthur story, and the other my personal favorite of the “Katie’s Corner” videos so far, “How to Make a Christmas Ornament.”
We must stop giving Barack Obama the benefit of the doubt. It is time to show him that we will not support a second term, that we will not support the Democratic Party, if this continues. We will not give a dollar of our money. We will not give an hour of our time.
We will Stonewall him and his administration. The time for being treated as the equal Americans we are has come, and we will not be pushed aside.
Jonathan Capehart makes the good argument that Congress is where the laws are made and, in the case of DADT and DOMA must be unmade – and that we should focus our efforts there. And he is surely right about that.
But what we need is leadership, and when it comes to that, Congress is no match for the President. As an institution, Congress follows, it does not lead. Nancy Pelosi and particularly Harry Reid are cautious administrators of their party’s interests, and neither is in a league with the President when it comes to sheer political oratory.
But as the world could see from the Cairo speech, oratory comes from understanding, and I am not convinced Obama yet has anything but rhetoric on gay equality, the glib and uncritical soundbites that go no deeper than political convenience.
What this suggest to me is that we, just as we did on June 28, 1969, have lost that wounded look. When will Obama, like the police on that night 40 years ago, realize that we have lost that wounded look. Now we are pissed. NO. MORE. CRUMBS.
GLAAD’s initial response to the violence = 33 out of 149 words or a mere 22% of the response dedicated to addressing the VIOLENCE done to Hilton.
The follow up from our friends at GLAAD = 197 words…28 words or a mere 14% responding to the VIOLENCE done to Hilton.
In the first response, GLAAD reveals what it cares most about: words. The notion that because Hilton used the word faggot (a strategic move that revealed a great deal about will.i.am) everyone will think that word is acceptable to use in any and every context is absurd.
In the second response, good ole GLAAD realized the mistake - said something about violence first, and then extended it’s remarks re: the use of a word, faggot. Again, we know where GLAAD’s priorities are.
Sticks and stones (and fists) may break my bones but words will…never hurt me.
So yea, GLAAD = THE WORST ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD…and GLAAD, really, what a terrible name.
The Black Eyed Peas are losers (I mean, wow, will.i.am is so profound…I guess freedom of speech takes a back seat to respecting will.i.am = loser). If this is how they deal with criticism, then perhaps we should stop buying their stuff. I regret that I have used their music in the podcast.
I do think Perez is totally annoying - but I do not approve of getting rough with someone who is critical of one’s work nor do I approve of the police taking their merry time when responding to violence against gay persons…that’s so 1960.
This is the very long and very entertaining Pride Podcast 4! In this podcast, Tony, Michael, Teddy, and Jeremiah talk neighborhood politics, review some pre-Stonewall history, chat about the Stonewall riots, think about how the riots might inform our politics, and chat about what makes us angry; we also think about what Jesus might say about the riots, and we remember our first Pride Parades….Listen - it’s good, fun, interesting stuff.
The post-Stonewall mentality: The following is the speech of James Fouratt, given at a meeting sponsored by the Mattachine Society, July 16, 1969:
“Sweet! Bullshit! There’s the stereotype homosexual again, man! Soft, weak, sensitive! Bullshit! That’s the role society has been forcing these queen to play, and they just sit and accept it. We have got to radicalize, man! Be proud of what you are, man! And if it takes riots or even guns to show them what we are, well, that’s the only language that the pigs understand!”
A special thanks to David Carter, for his book Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2004) - the above speech and its larger context can be found in Carter’s book, p 216.
The podcast is yet another way we broadcast our point of view - take it, leave it, start a discussion…
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Stonewall and Obama
by Tony on June 24, 2009
in Act Up, Bi/Partisan Politics, Posts by Tony, Queer Politics, Social Commentary, Social Justice
I am sure you know that Obama has invited certain gay folks to the White House…for a kind of celebration. Interesting.
I am glad to see words like this coming from around the internets:
Jennifer Vanasco, June 20 @ Independent Gay Forum:
David Link, June 21 @ The Independent Gay Forum
What this suggest to me is that we, just as we did on June 28, 1969, have lost that wounded look. When will Obama, like the police on that night 40 years ago, realize that we have lost that wounded look. Now we are pissed. NO. MORE. CRUMBS.
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