Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in NYC. Today is the livestreamed controversial White House cocktail event commemorating the evening. But all eyes, today are on TEXAS, where, on Saturday night (the night before the 40th anniversary of the uprising caused by a violent police raid) Fort Worth's new gay bar, the Rainbow Lounge, was violently raided by police. 18 people were thrown face-down on the street and then tossed into a PADDY WAGON and arrested (sound familiar?). There are many pictures and video of the incident. Sunday--THE Pride day--protesters demonstrated in front of the bar, expressing frustration that gays and lesbians are STILL experiencing the SAME treatment and terrorism that existed 40 years ago. The strange thing is that pictures and video confirm that men dressed in uniforms reading "State Police" were recorded clearly on the scene--except that Texas doesn't have a State Police! Chad Gibson--a patron whose head was slammed so hard on the pavement that he received a closed head injury--is getting worse by the minute, and could be facing some very serious health problems. Apparently, the forces on hand there were investigating "possible code violations," alleged "groping" and found people publicly intoxicated... inside of a bar. This comes just days after a poll found a majority of Texans favor legal recognition for same-sex couples.In GREAT news, however, the Obama administration has announced they have taken steps to ensure the HIV+ travel ban is lifted by this fall. Though unfortunately, that LGBT DNC fundraiser last week raised record-setting amounts of money ($1M) for the DNC and sending the WORST possible message. The White House thanked us by announcing there will be no stop order on DADT. However, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton HAS IMPLEMENTED DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS FOR OFFICIALS ABROAD!
In IRELAND, Civil Partnerships are now available for all couples.
I really don't know who to toast today. I guess Roy, for a great weekend!
Comments