Ameriqueer

OK, folks, I really want to get to Netroots Nation 2010 in Las Vegas (#NN10) so that I can hone my online organizing skills a bit more. However, I'm broke-ass-broke! YOU KNEW THIS! I am a graduate student with no summer funding (I don't even know how I'll pay RENT, let alone attend a conference in Vegas!), I've donated hundreds of dollars to the UPCenter of Champaign County and I get paid for NONE of this blogging/writing/networking/organizing stuff. You can help. You can vote for me on the site , and you can also donate money through their site to send activists like me there . I am already the hardest working LGBT activist you know--help me be one of the smartest and most effective too! Help send me to #NN10

Rep. Deb Mell announces her same-sex engagement in Illinois state House : "Chicago Representative Deb Mell announced the engagement to her long-time girlfriend on the floor of the Illinois state house in Springfield with this emotional, heartfelt speech. We share her disappointment that she has to cross the Mississippi into Iowa to marry rather than marry her partner here where she grew up. Hopefully her plea will sound a chord with the other lawmakers." Congratulations Deb!

LETTER FOR FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2010: “ Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama ” is a new media campaign launched to underscore the urgent need for congressional action and presidential leadership at this critical point in the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Every weekday morning as we approach the markup of the Defense Authorization bill in the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, SLDN and a coalition of voices supporting repeal, will share an open letter to the President from a person impacted by this discriminatory law. We are urging the President to include repeal in the Administration’s defense budget recommendations, but also to voice his support as we work to muster the 15 critical votes needed on the Senate Armed Services Committee to include repeal. The Defense Authorization bill represents the best legislative vehicle to bring repeal to the president’s desk. It also was the same vehicle used to pass DADT in 1993. By working tog...

Check out my latest at Lundon-Calling.net and meet the most amazing transactivist I know, and learn where Ace, Lance and Phil stand on the Arizona immigration bill. Wherein Lance and Phil facepalm: Episode 69. : "That’s right! Its show SIXTY NINE! You KNEW it was going to be coming! What did we serve up for this very special show? We brought transactivist and star of stage & screen: Andrea James! Andrea has appeared in the movie TransAmerica and the LOGO original series TransAmerican Love Story with the STUNNING miss Calpernia Addams. Not only has she done all of this, as well as produce and star in the first ever all-trans version of the Vagina Monologues, but she also co-founded Deep Stealth Productions with Calpernia Addams, and runs the tsroadmap.com website to help trans youth sort their way through the complexities of transitioning..." Visit Lundon-Calling.net to continue my blog about Episode 69, listen to this wild episode, find out why Lance and Phil were o...

This post has been cross-posted at the Politics blog at FeastofFun.com as Stories from the front lines: letters to Barack Obama from gay soldiers. Please support FeastofFun in all that they do to try to bring knowledge, awareness and entertainment to the LGBTIQA community. In order to try to raise awareness about the heartbreak brought on by the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't pursue," law and to garner support for the Military Readiness Enhancement Act which would repeal it, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has asked me to participate, along with dozens of other blogs, in posting daily letters from gay soldiers--discharged, or fearing discharge--to the President. I plan to post these letters daily at my blog, http://ameriqueer.blogspot.com . Get the tissues ready. LETTER FOR THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010: “Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama” is a new media campaign launched to underscore the urgent need for congre...

Learn the history of gays online and a new social network on my latest piece on the217.com Reese’s Pieces » Blog Archive » Aren’t I Fabulis? Anatomy of a gay social networking fad. : "Ever since Al Gore invented the internet, gay men have pwned the medium and harnessed its powers like nothing else. Being a mostly invisible minority throughout the seventies and eighties, gay men could only connect to one another locally in their neighborhood bars–which meant they had to live in a city that had a gay bar. There they could stay connected on news, politics and gossip on the local level, but very rarely anything beyond city limits. There was little national gay media in those days, so national LGBT political groups like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign couldn’t really connect the dots between the major gay centers. Instead, local gay communities were generally only abreast of what was happening locally, rather than nationally, and that news was gene...

In addition, yesterday I wrapped up the entire ordeal and helped disseminate a press release from H.E.R.O. You can also check that out on Feast of Fun. So… what happened at Senator McCain’s office? : "Today at 5:00pm in Phoenix Arizona, there is going to be a rally at Senator McCain’s office in support of the five activists who were arrested today at noon, Phoenix time, protesting Senator McCain’s stance against repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Meg Sneed, Jimmy Gruender, Lee Walters, (Lonnie) Allen Howard-Stidham and Luisa Valdez went into custody around noon Phoenix time, were processed and released. There isn’t much more that I understand about what happened today. Today in the early Phoenix morning, five activists from the Human Equality Rights Organizers (H.E.R.O.)–possibly inspired by the amazing actions of Dan Choi and GetEQUAL–entered Senator McCain’s office and stayed, until they were arrested. Here is their press release..." Read the rest at the Feast of Fun blog.

It didn't end up very big, and most of the major media ignored it (as is typical--I mean if it had been 5 Teabaggers there there would have been satellite trucks galore) but I was kind of beaming yesterday because--not only did a direct action group rightfully target Senator McCain on Don't Ask, Don't Tell--but I got to break the story on the Feast of Fun blog first. AND I did all of those updates will sitting through a class lecture. Triple sweet. BREAKING: More civil disobedience–sit in in McCain’s office : "MAJOR UPDATE: WE NOW KNOW THAT THE ACTIVISTS SITTING IN AT MCCAIN’S OFFICE ARE FROM A GROUP KNOWN AS H.E.R.O. If you’re in the Phoenix area today at 5pm, please join H.E.R.O. and their supporters for a rally at McCain’s office! Apparently the Equality Across America organization, born out of the National Equality March, has been inspired by GetEqual. According to a few sources trickling out of Phoenix, five activists are staging in a sit in at McCain’s office t...

This week, GetEqual, a new 'direct action' group in the LGBT community headed up by Kip Williams and Robin McGehee--cochairs of the National Equality March--made headlines by holding high profile actions in LA and DC on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. This week in Out & About Illinois Magazine, I give the rundown. GetEqual's Shenanegans last week. : "Check out the national LGBT leadership's townhall from last Thursday: http://www.signorile.com/2010/04/full-audio-path-forward-lgbt-leadership.html On Monday, April 19, the new Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender 'direct action,' nonviolent civil disobedience organization--Get Equal--popped up at a Barbara Boxer fundraiser where President Obama was speaking, and disrupted his speech to demand action on the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' Activists David John Fleck, Dan Fotou, Laura Kanter, Zoe Nicholson and Michelle Wright paid their way into the event and then repeatedly shouted at Oba...

Check out my latest From the Feast of Fun blog: GetEqual White House Six stand before a judge, new trial for Choi, Pietrangelo : "After chaining themselves to the White House fence on Tuesday morning to protest slow movement on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the GetEqual White House Six appeared in court for their hearings this morning. Veterans Autumn Sandeen, Larry Whitt, Mara Boyd, and Evelyn Thomas all agreed to “post and forfeit” to avoid pleading guilty and were released after paying a $100 fee each. Lt. Dan Choi and Cpt. Jim Pietrangel–already awaiting a trial for their “not-guilty” plea stemming from the mid-March White House action where they chained themselves to the White House fence the first time–have had their trials for both counts now rescheduled for July 14..."

My latest, breaking Feast of Fun post. BREAKING: GetEqual disrupts House Education & Labor Committee–third action in as many days : "For the third time in as many days, GetEqual has brought attention to the LGBT concerns that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the disaster of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” won’t be dealt with in this Congress. According to GetEqual’s Twitter account, they were lined up by Capitol Police outside the committee hearing getting arrested at about 10:00 a.m. EST." Links and Twitter screen captures in the post.

My late breaking Feast of Fun post about the White House Protest today. PHOTOS: Choi Chained Part Two: The Revenge! : "In case you missed it, Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo are once again in jail this afternoon. Once again its for chaining themselves up to the White House Fence. However, this time, they had company. Our GetEqual super-activists were joined at the fence by Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd, and Cpl. Evelyn Thomas–all handcuffed. That’s right, Autumn Sandeen, the super trans-activist of Pam’s House Blend fame. They were all removed and arrested, and according to a tweet from GetEqual’s Twitter account, they will be arraigned at 2 p.m. tomorrow. One of the most shocking aspects of the story is that the mainstream media showed up to cover the protest from Layfayete Park, which faces the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, but the White House ordered the park closed, and the media were asked to leave." See ph...

Check out my latest VERY LINKY post at The Feast of Fun blog! Get Equal “Kanyes” The President : "Last night six activists from GetEqual–who you’ll remember from such hits as Dan Choi getting arrested chained to the White House and the ENDA sit-ins in Nancy Pelosi’s offices in San Francisco and DC–set up at a Barbara Boxer fundraiser that President Obama was speaking at and demanded answers about the slow down repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”"

Mombian » Blog Archive » Breaking: Judge Strikes Down Arkansas Adoption Ban : "A circuit judge today struck down Arkansas’ ban against unmarried couples adopting or foster-parenting children. The Arkansas law was approved by voters in November 2008, during the same election that in California saw the imposition of Prop 8, which halted the previous legalization of marriage for same-sex couples. The news must be particularly galling to former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who last week affirmed support for the law and said we should not “experiment” with children by letting them grow up with same-sex parents. Huckabee also announced this week that he was registering to vote in Florida—the only state that explicitly bans gay men and lesbians from adopting..." Links in the post, very informative. Thanks Dana Rudolph, Mombian!!

I have some great links in this post--you're going to have to go to Feast of Fun's page to check them out! There's a link to a really hilarious blog post about Aaron Schock, so go check it out! Another California lawmaker outed–Lindsey Graham; Aaron Schock fidget nervously. : "While Peoria’s US Representative Aaron Schock sticks his hands in his pocket, looks down and shuffles his feet while whistling out of tune, yet another closeted gay lawmaker is outed. This time, once again, in California. Last month, Republican Roy Ashburn and a male companion were pulled over in Ashburn’s car, and Ashburn received a DUI after leaving a Sacramento-area gay bar. Since then, Ashburn has confessed that he is, in fact, gay. On Monday night, openly-Democrat Mike Davis was outed as gay by a close friend and LGBT-ally at the Los Angeles Stonewall Democratic Club. Straight ally Jimmie Woods Gray let the “open secret” slip during a debate about whether or not to endorse Davis as pro-LGBT...

GayPolitics.com » BREAKING: Gainesville, Fla. elects gay man mayor : "Gainesville, Florida elected its first openly gay mayor tonight in a remarkably close and closely-watched race that saw blatant anti-gay attacks in the days leading up to a runoff election. City Commissioner Craig Lowe will become the first openly gay mayor in the northern Florida, and one of fewer than 30 openly LGBT mayors serving in the U.S., if he survives an automatic recount, triggered by the winning margin of just 35 votes. Gainesville joins municipalities as diverse as Houston, Texas, with 2.2 million residents, and Dillon, Colorado, population 800–both of which have elected openly LGBT mayors in the past year."

Check out my latest contribution to the Feast of Fun blog--what do you think of Mike Huckabee's statements on queer people? Does it gel with his view that he'd be happy with an "honest atheist President?" Mike Huckabee says of adoption by same-sex couples: ‘go get a puppy.’ : "While the President of the United States mulls having the Supreme Court adopt a lesbian, Mike Huckabee has been sure to reaffirm that he does not believe that a lesbian should raise kids. Right after relaying the message that tolerating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is “like saying, well, there are a lot of people who like to use drugs, so let’s go ahead and accommodate those who want to use drugs. There are some people who believe in incest, so we should accommodate them. There are people who believe in polygamy, so we should accommodate them,” The Huck goes on to blast same-sex couples who want to raise kids: He also affirmed support for a law in Arkansas that prohibit...

She might be late out of the gate, but what counts is her finish. Evangelical Minister Joyce Meyer Condemns Uganda's Kill the Gays Bill | Gay Rights | Change.org : "Joyce Meyer is one of the world's most prominent evangelical leaders, selling out basketball arenas and filling book stores to dispense advice on God, charity, and self-esteem. She's an evangelical powerhouse, certainly in the same league with Rick Warren and Joel Osteen, with ministry offices around the globe, from Missouri to Australia to Uganda. That's right, Uganda, the country that is currently debating a piece of legislation that would sentence many LGBT people to death, and sentence many more to prison. The bill would even jail straight people who support gay rights. Joyce Meyer, despite her work in Uganda, had been silent on this piece of legislation, officially known as the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. That is, she was silent, up until now, thanks to the emails of hundreds of Change.org members who...

Check out my latest at Out & About Illinois Magazine's blog--if you click you can also get a hyperlink to the PDF of the latest issue of Out & About which includes my latest column! Dan Choi and Get Equal walk the walk. : "To follow up on my latest Out & About Illinois Politics column 'Getting Arrested For Your Rights,' I wanted to share some video with you. First Rick Sanchez covering Lt. Choi and Capt. Pietrangelo's arrest at the White House gate: (GO TO SITE TO SEE VIDEO!) At the end of the video, Rick is showing a screen capture of Dan's tweets featuring Get Equal's website where you can learn more about the issues facing LGBT Americans. I do think that Get Equal needs to make the website a little more dynamic and update the content daily, but I totally believe in Get Equal's mission of full Federal equality in all 50 states, and their belief in national grassroots efforts and direct action to get it done. This is old fashioned, old sch...

I'm Today's guest at the Feast of Fun Podcast! How FUN! FOF #1169 – A Wicked Little Town – 04.08.10 : "On today’s show blogger and activist Phil Reese joins us to take a look at the bigot’s prom and all the hot news stories. Phil joins the Feast of Fun as politics and activism contributor, so be sure to say hi on the site and give him a warm welcome!" Listen to it if you're my friend!

I'm really enjoying my stint over as Politics contributor over at FeastOfFun.com I do think these are two great guys in the LGBT community! I've always loved Cyndi, and this just makes me love her more. Cyndi Lauper “Gives a Damn” about LGBT Youth; will open shelter : "The Goonies may have been “Good Enough” for Cyndi Lauper, but the pop music icon thinks the world of her lesbian sister and the whole LGBT community. After using her Celebrity Apprentice stint as a platform to promote her True Colors Fund and her new Give A Damn Campaign to promote awareness of LGBTQ issues, she’s now announced that she is going to be opening a new LGBTQ homeless shelter in Harlem..." Check out the rest of the details on my Feast of Fun Blog .

Pulling double duty today (and hopefully avoiding incurring the wrath of my editors) I published the deets on Turn It Up over on BOTH my the217.com blog and my outandaboutillinois.com blog today. If you're in town Thursday night, and you don't come... I hate you. Turn It Up will turn it out! : "Turn It Up will turn it out! Phil Reese 4/6/2010--This Thursday at 7pm at the Champaign-Urbana Independent Media Center, get ready to be blown away by the first major local concert event of the season. The UnitingPride Center of Champaign County--the brand new LGBTQA Community Center initiative--is presenting Turn It Up April 8th at 7pm at 202 S. Broadway, in Urbana. Its the old Post Office, Y'all, you can't miss it! Ticket and refreshment sales will benefit the UP Center for securing a space and generating new programs vital for our youth and underserved populations. If you don't go, you're a meanie. Bands will include local sensations Vanattica and Tom Miebach...

Its not Politics as usual, but I consider it a big political deal. Constance McMillan has been deceived by the "grown-ups" at her school in every which way. And as my first post at the new Politics Editor at the Feast of Fun Blog (if you have an iPod, please subscribe to their fabulous Gay Fun Show ) I posted about Constance. You can read some of the text here, but to see some semi-exclusive pictures from the fake-prom, click the link and visit the Feast of Fun blog . Please comment as well so that Fausto and Marc know just how much you love and/or hate me! …And in that secret location, they slow-danced to “Lying Eyes”: How Itawamba screwed Constance McMillen. : "Lisa Derrick of FiredogLake thinks Itawamba is the MEANEST TOWN IN AMERICA. Why? Federal Judge Davidson avoided forcing the Mississippi school to reinstate the Prom after school administrators told him that Constance–the high school lesbian originally banned from prom for wanting a girl-date–was re-invited....