LGBTQ

If you haven’t met Jazz…

Brianne Bilyeu, 557 Comments

I’m very late to this party, but damn. This is Jazz. She’s incredible. Her parents and siblings are incredible. It makes me very emotional to see a transgender girl who has been so loved and supported. Her parents have fought for her right to be herself, and they’ve raised her with such an apparent sense of self-worth, happiness and self-acceptance. If you haven’t met Jazz, do.

You can see more videos by and about Jazz on her Mom’s YouTube channel. Jazz’s family started the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, an organization that provides inspiration and education about issues affecting transkids and transyouth.

If you haven’t met Jazz…
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If you haven't met Jazz…

Brianne Bilyeu, 697 Comments

I’m very late to this party, but damn. This is Jazz. She’s incredible. Her parents and siblings are incredible. It makes me very emotional to see a transgender girl who has been so loved and supported. Her parents have fought for her right to be herself, and they’ve raised her with such an apparent sense of self-worth, happiness and self-acceptance. If you haven’t met Jazz, do.

httpv://youtu.be/AelO2L4HneE

httpv://youtu.be/bJw3s85EcxM

You can see more videos by and about Jazz on her Mom’s YouTube channel. Jazz’s family started the TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, an organization that provides inspiration and education about issues affecting transkids and transyouth.

If you haven't met Jazz…

Ugandan Kill the Gays Bill

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , 482 Comments

Well…that was a crappy way to start the morning. Thanks, Jessica at Friendly Atheist!

By the end of 2012, Uganda’s internationally contentious “Kill the Gays” bill will become law.

The highly religious, highly Christian country has been trying to get this bill passed since 2009, and it faced a great deal of criticism on an international level along the way: several European countries threatened to reduce aid to the country if the bill was passed.

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga described the bill’s passing as a “Christmas gift” for the Ugandan people.

Passing a bill that would kill or imprison for life homosexuals in Uganda – just in time for Christmas! Dead gay Ugandans – the perfect Christmas gift to celebrate Christian love and compassion!

The bill can be seen in it’s entirety at Box Turtle Bulletin. It’s some scary stuff. And boy oh boy have they spent a lot of time thinking about all the ways one can do teh gay.  Aside from all of the usual fun involving penetration or sexual stimulation of the anus, mouth, or sexual organs via penis, sexual contraptions or “objects”, according to the bill one can “commit the offense of homosexuality” if  “he or she touches another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.”

Nope, no way that could go wrong.

Joe.My.God picks out more idiocracy from the bill (bold is mine):

Box Turtle Bulletin notes that according to Clause One of the act, a “serial offender” is defined as a someone who has “previous convictions of the offence of homosexuality or related offences.” In other words, a second conviction brings the death penalty.  And those “related offenses” include renting a room to a gay person or failing to inform the government that someone they know is gay, meaning that a straight person could also suffer the “gay death penalty.”

I hope the international outcry deafens us all. Again, from Joe.My.God:

In 2009 the European Parliament threatened to end aid to Uganda should the bill pass.  Last year (soon to be former) Rep. Barney Frank said that the United States should do the same: “If the bill before the Ugandan parliament becomes law, it must be the policy of the United States government to oppose any aid to Uganda from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, or any other international financial institution of which we are a member.”

Jason Thibeault from Lousy Canuck has an article up with information on how to contact your local MP (if you’re in Canada) to ask for an end to Ugandan aid  from Canada.

Ugandan Kill the Gays Bill

Why I’m Voting No

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , , 522 Comments

Ben from TheSweatervest blog invited me to write about why I’m voting no to the Minnesota Marriage Amendment this November for his 42 Days of No project, which is highlighting “Why I’m Voting No” stories by Minnesotans (he started it 42 days prior to this November’s vote). This piece was submitted for that project.

I am voting NO on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment because a yes vote is a vote for discrimination. I don’t want to hear one more story about gay families being denied hospital visitation, bereavement rights or control of their possessions or children because they were not afforded the same legal protection that straight couples receive. The Minnesota Marriage Amendment is a Hail Mary pass supported by bigots that is intended to delay the inevitable; gay marriage WILL be legal in my lifetime.

I am voting NO because the Minnesota Marriage Amendment is a ploy by Republicans who are trying to win support from religiously-motivated voters. It is a cheap trick and dirty politics, and I don’t support it.

Vote No Jeep

Vote No Jeep parked outside of the YWCA in Uptown, Minneapolis.

I have a coworker who told me that she’s voting yes because the bible implies that gay marriage is wrong. She says she respects gay people, and that voting yes doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love her gay friends and family.

Bullshit.

If you love your gay friends and family, help protect them against inequitable representation in the legal system. If you are voting yes in November, you are spitting in the faces of people who need your help. You are telling them that you think they are wrong, that you know who they should love and marry better than they do.

Vote No Car in Front of Uptown Theater

 Vote No Car stopped in front of the Uptown Theater in Minneapolis

I have an acquaintance who doesn’t believe the government should be involved in marriage at all. He says he’s going to vote yes because he thinks this will send a message that government shouldn’t have any say over marriage at all.

That is an incredibly fucked up viewpoint.

The Minnesota Marriage Amendment would exert more government control over marriage, not less. It would be so bold as to define who can and can’t get married. What right does government have to make that call? For right or wrong, the government does have some say in marriage and in the rights of married people. If it is going to exert that control, it should at least do so without preference to one set of people over others.

It is my honor and duty to vote, and I am voting NO on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment because I will not stand quietly aside as discrimination is codified into our constitution. Neither god nor politics has a place in the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, and I will not let arguments to either of these blind me to the fact that voting yes to this heinous, sorry excuse of a proposed amendment would harm my fellow Minnesotans.

Why I’m Voting No

Why I'm Voting No

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , , 507 Comments

Ben from TheSweatervest blog invited me to write about why I’m voting no to the Minnesota Marriage Amendment this November for his 42 Days of No project, which is highlighting “Why I’m Voting No” stories by Minnesotans (he started it 42 days prior to this November’s vote). This piece was submitted for that project.

I am voting NO on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment because a yes vote is a vote for discrimination. I don’t want to hear one more story about gay families being denied hospital visitation, bereavement rights or control of their possessions or children because they were not afforded the same legal protection that straight couples receive. The Minnesota Marriage Amendment is a Hail Mary pass supported by bigots that is intended to delay the inevitable; gay marriage WILL be legal in my lifetime.

I am voting NO because the Minnesota Marriage Amendment is a ploy by Republicans who are trying to win support from religiously-motivated voters. It is a cheap trick and dirty politics, and I don’t support it.

Vote No Jeep

Vote No Jeep parked outside of the YWCA in Uptown, Minneapolis.

I have a coworker who told me that she’s voting yes because the bible implies that gay marriage is wrong. She says she respects gay people, and that voting yes doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love her gay friends and family.

Bullshit.

If you love your gay friends and family, help protect them against inequitable representation in the legal system. If you are voting yes in November, you are spitting in the faces of people who need your help. You are telling them that you think they are wrong, that you know who they should love and marry better than they do.

Vote No Car in Front of Uptown Theater

 Vote No Car stopped in front of the Uptown Theater in Minneapolis

I have an acquaintance who doesn’t believe the government should be involved in marriage at all. He says he’s going to vote yes because he thinks this will send a message that government shouldn’t have any say over marriage at all.

That is an incredibly fucked up viewpoint.

The Minnesota Marriage Amendment would exert more government control over marriage, not less. It would be so bold as to define who can and can’t get married. What right does government have to make that call? For right or wrong, the government does have some say in marriage and in the rights of married people. If it is going to exert that control, it should at least do so without preference to one set of people over others.

It is my honor and duty to vote, and I am voting NO on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment because I will not stand quietly aside as discrimination is codified into our constitution. Neither god nor politics has a place in the Minnesota Marriage Amendment, and I will not let arguments to either of these blind me to the fact that voting yes to this heinous, sorry excuse of a proposed amendment would harm my fellow Minnesotans.

Why I'm Voting No

Vote No: Halloween Edition

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , 429 Comments

This lovely household in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis has taken the Minnesota Vote No to Marriage Inequality campaign down a wonderfully thematic path:

Photo shows a front yard with Halloween decorations: spray-painted foam/cardboard/wood gravestones, plastic pumpkin trick-or-treat buckets. The centerpiece is two life-size skeleton ghouls dressed in white under a “wedding” trellis, with two ghouls as attendants. In front of them is the Minnesotans United for All Families orange “Vote No: Don’t Limit The Freedom To Marry” yard sign. In the background is a huge hand-made sign that says “VOTE NO” in string lighting on a wood frame.

Don’t limit the freedom of ghouls to marry!

Photo shows the entire front yard in all of it’s Halloweened glory.

The idea that this amendment might pass makes for a very scary story, indeed.

Vote No: Halloween Edition

Gaylaxicon Fun

Brianne Bilyeu, , , 738 Comments

This weekend I’m at a GLBT Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention called Gaylaxic0n. It’s a national event, and it’s being hosted in Minneapolis this year. It’s a smaller, more relaxed convention; I’d guess there are about 300 attendees tops, and there are three panels per time slot. Guests of Honor include Gary Russell, Lyda Morehouse, Kyell Gold and Barbara Schulz.

Continue reading “Gaylaxicon Fun” →

Gaylaxicon Fun

Road Trip to UM Duluth for Loren Cameron

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , 656 Comments

I’m leaving work  a little early this afternoon to road trip up to Duluth. Loren Cameron, a photographer and transgender activist, is doing a talk at the University of Minnesota-Duluth called “Transgender Images”. There is a lot of fugly, slimey reporting about Cameron’s presentation (google “University of Minnesota Duluth Loren Cameron”) because it will have NAKED PICTURES OF A TRANS MAN ZOMG ZOMBIESEARTHQUAKESFLOODSLOCUSTSDEADBABIES, and over the fact that the campus GLBTA student group is spending $4000 of oh crap that’s my tax money in action Jesus is gonna be so pissed at me for funding teh gay agenda their club money to bring Mr. Cameron here.

Imma go see what all the fuss is about. I’ll probably do some live tweeting, so please follow me at @abiodork if you’re interested in that.  And I’ll do a write up and post it here in the next couple of days (it may not be tomorrow as all of my writing time will be spent in transit tonight). If you’re going to be at the event I’d love to meetcha, so feel free to come say hello. Cameron’s talk starts at 6pm at the UMD Kirby Ballroom.

Road Trip to UM Duluth for Loren Cameron

Chris Kluwe's Letter to Maryland Delegate

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , 522 Comments

I will definitely cheer for the hometown team for this one!

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe posted an open letter defending gay marriage and the right of free speech. It contains a fantastically entertaining mix of logical arguments and a buttload of vulgarity.

See, this other football player, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, is a long-time supporter of legalizing same-sex marriage and he said some stuff about that. And then some state delegate from Maryland was all like – and this is paraphrased here, but I think I captured the essence of the letter  -Waaaaa! You can’t say that! Hey, you – Ravens owner – your employee supports same-sex marriage and, like, you should make him stop saying that stuff! Here I wrote it on my official letterhead so you know I’m totes credible!”

Continue reading “Chris Kluwe's Letter to Maryland Delegate” →

Chris Kluwe's Letter to Maryland Delegate

Chris Kluwe’s Letter to Maryland Delegate

Brianne Bilyeu, , , , 691 Comments

I will definitely cheer for the hometown team for this one!

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe posted an open letter defending gay marriage and the right of free speech. It contains a fantastically entertaining mix of logical arguments and a buttload of vulgarity.

See, this other football player, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, is a long-time supporter of legalizing same-sex marriage and he said some stuff about that. And then some state delegate from Maryland was all like – and this is paraphrased here, but I think I captured the essence of the letter  -Waaaaa! You can’t say that! Hey, you – Ravens owner – your employee supports same-sex marriage and, like, you should make him stop saying that stuff! Here I wrote it on my official letterhead so you know I’m totes credible!”

Continue reading “Chris Kluwe’s Letter to Maryland Delegate” →

Chris Kluwe’s Letter to Maryland Delegate