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The U.S. has faced harsh criticism internationally for having one of the most restrictive immigration policies for HIV+ foreigners.  It prompted a boycott of the U.S. by prominent AIDS advocacy and research groups, which have not held a major international conference in the U.S. since the early 1990s.

Even if Congress removes the anti-HIV language from the immigration law, it would fall to Health and Human Services to decide whether HIV should remain on the list of diseases that bar entry to the U.S., which include tuberculosis, leprosy and gonorrhea. 

According to U.S. State Department statistics, 938 immigration applicants were denied admission to the U.S. in 2007 because they had a communicable disease. The U.S. does not require HIV tests for all foreign visitors — only for people planning to immigrate permanently. However, short-term visitors are asked in the visa application process whether they have a communicable disease.  People who don’t disclose their status have been known to be stopped in customs when found with HIV meds and refused entry.

Bush has said he supports the ban remaining in place, even though he recently got a special waiver for Tatu Msangi, a nurse and single mother from Tanzania, from this horrific ban just to parade her as an example of how much they care during his last State of the Union.

I hope Congress and HHS have the intelligence to end this draconian and bias-based ban that is used to keep hundreds of HIV+ individuals from visiting the U.S. every year.  Bigoted bans like this only further serve to instill misinformation and fear about people living with HIV.  Getting rid of it is long overdue.

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Waymon Hudson, the Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the GLBT community to fight discrimination and hate.  www.fightOUTloud.org

Also posted on the Bilerico Project

Beatie is transgender, legally male, and legally married to his wife Nancy.    His wife had undergone a hysterectomy and was unable to carry a child, so Beatie stopped taking his testosterone injections and got pregnant. 

The situation has sparked legal, political, and social opposition. The couple has been turned away from doctors due to religious objections.  Even family and friends have abandoned them, with Beatie’s brother even telling him after his first pregnancy turned out ectopic, “It’s a good thing that happened. Who knows what kind of monster it would have been.”

But this amazing man has kept an incredible outlook, saying:

“How does it feel to be a pregnant man? Incredible. Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am… I will be my daughter’s father, and Nancy will be her mother. We will be a family.”

I applaud Beatie and his wife.  They are defining for themselves what is “normal” and doing what they must to have a family. 

This once again shows that our community knows better than anyone what family means.  We can truly lead the way in our society, breaking down gender barriers and making it safer for every type of family.

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Waymon Hudson, the Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the GLBT community to fight discrimination and hate.  www.fightOUTloud.org

The latest fundie to join the McCain bandwagon is Janet Folger, the former national director of the Center for Reclaiming America, the ultra right-wing religious group started by the late Rev. James Kennedy.  She is currently head of Faith2Action, whose focus is “stopping the criminalization of Christianity by the homosexual agenda.”

Let’s take closer look at crazy-bigot Folger, shall we?  Pander away, McCain!

Baaa Baaa, Janet, have you any morals?

Until just recently, Janet Folger was squarely against McCain.  Folger made it perfectly clear that only “sheep” would support McCain, while the principled “shepherds” were intent on backing Huckabee.  She prayed for bad weather to keep voter turnout down and launching a front-group to attack Mitt Romney and John McCain.  She went on record saying:

“Sheep follow the pundits, the polls, political expediency and promised perks. Shepherds follow principle.”

But what has Folger done now that McCain has secured the nomination and Huckabee has dropped out?  She has abandoned all her talk of sheep and shepherds and declared that the principled thing to do is to vote for John McCain.

She does this with a crazy analogy about a burning building full of kids, saying that “the vast majority of those kids are going to be carried out alive with his (McCain’s) pro-life policies and judges.”  She goes on to say:

“And Clinton or Obama will deadbolt the fire exits and rip out the sprinklers. They will then lock arms and prevent any of us from entering the building to rescue the children inside. They will also prevent notification of parents whose children are about to be burned alive.”

Way to pull the wool over your own eyes, Folger. 

“Anita Bryant was right”

Let’s take a quick stroll down Janet “The Sheep” Folger memory lane, shall we?

Folger is the author of “The Criminalization of Christianity.” In the book she says:

 “The biggest threat to our religious freedoms today, bar none, is the homosexual agenda!  There is a war going on for the future of our country. Most people know that. What they may not know is that if Christians lose this war, the result won’t merely be enduring public policy we disagree with–it will be a prison sentence for those who oppose it.”

Folger uses this stance to oppose hate crimes legislation, support sodomy laws (I guess sending gays to prison is better than sending Christians there), and oppose gay adoption, among many other anti-gay stances.

The book is dedicated to Anita Bryant, with the inscription reading: “To all those with courage to speak the truth in the face of ridicule, blame, assault, censorship, and the threat of being criminalized: Including Anita Bryant …”

Read more in her mind-numbing column “Anita Bryant was right.” 

Folger and Naugle: A match made in bigot heaven

Folger reached her hate-filled heaven this past summer when she teamed up with Mayor Jim Naugle of Fort Lauderdale. 

Janet “The Sheep” Folger gave Naugle her “Protector of the Family” award for his attacks on the gay community and co-founded the Naugle support group called “Healthy Public Places” with a collection of extremely anti-gay religious-right groups including Americans for Truth, Concerned Women for America, and Coral Ridge Ministries.  Great company to keep, huh?

But she has even better friends.  In her column supporting Naugle, Folger uses “research” from a Dr. Fields saying:

“The problem (of gay sex in public restrooms) is worse than they are willing to admit, and it’s not just in Ft. Lauderdale. Dr. E. Fields, in his book ‘Is Homosexual Activity Normal?, reveals ‘41 percent of homosexuals say they have had sex with strangers in public restrooms.’”

Edward Fields is a chiropractor who has spent the last 55 years involved with various neo-Nazi organizations in the United States.  Great sourcing, Janet.  A Nazi chiropractor is definitely someone you want to get scientific information from.

Will McCain shepherd his flock?

So I wonder if McCain will come out and denounce Folger and her endorsement?  He seems to have the sheep falling in line as he panders to the right-wing base.  I guess his talk of America being a “Christian nation” has really gotten the fundies in line. 

Pander on, McCain!  Pander on…

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Waymon Hudson, the Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the GLBT community to fight discrimination and hate.  www.fightOUTloud.org

Also posted on the Bilerico Project

To put it simply: It is a must see.

While I have always been a fan of ITL, this episode is especially interesting and timely.  I found myself glued to my computer watching the entire show.

The episode features 4 separate stories each one focusing on a completely different aspect of the LGBT experience.

And Tango Makes Three

My favorite by far was the piece focusing on the “controversial” children’s book  And Tango Makes Three.  Topping the American Library Association’s list of the most challenged books in 2006, this book, based on a true story, tells the tale of how two male penguins, Roy and Silo, hatched an egg all of their own.

Like other penguins, they share a nest, they cuddle, and, in zoological-speak, “pair-bond” with one another.  But when they bring an egg-shaped rock into their nest and try to hatch it, they’re met with little success, until an observant zookeeper decides they deserve a chance at the real thing and switches the rock for a real egg.  What follows, is the charming story of how these two fathers nurture, and eventually hatch, the egg and welcome their new daughter, Tango, into their nest.

It is full of great insight and first hand interviews showing how the kids that hear the story have no issue with the two boy penguins having a loving relationship and a family.   It is moving and poignant, especially in light of the recent violence against LGBT youth.  Maybe if we had more books and lessons like Tango, we could stop some of this violence.

Coming Out in Poland

Another amazing story is the piece on being LGBT in Poland.  In Poland, a former Soviet state, and one of the largest and most recent ones to join the European Union (EU), social acceptance of LGBT people is still lagging far behind that of its other EU neighbors. Profiling a leading radio personality, who came out during the filming of the story, and a lesbian couple, where one of the partners lost her job as a teacher, the segment examines what it was like to come out in Poland between 2005-2007, and during the ultra-conservative rule of the Kaczynski brothers.

It is an amazing look at what many gays and lesbians must go through in Poland and other conservative European countries.  A definite highlight that should not be missed.

Camp Oneida

Camp Oneida looks at the tight-knit communities that develop at rural gay campgrounds. It’s a trend that’s blossomed over the past few years, with nearly 100 camps around the country.  Through the personal stories of five men, this story explores body image, finding community away from the city, aging, and love.

It is a fun, insightful piece about finding community and family in unexpected places.

Kathleen Turner interviews playwright Edward Albee

There is also an interesting interview with Kathleen Turner and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee.  It is interesting to watch (and not just because Kathleen Turner seems like she has been soaked in Bourbon for about 50 years and smoked her way through about millions of cigarettes). 

These two theatrical workhorses dish about themselves, and talk about Albee’s plays, the reviews, his sources of inspiration, and what he considers the emerging “commercialism” of Broadway theatre.  All-in-all an entertaining interview.

Where to catch it

I definitely encourage everyone to catch this episode.  Like all of the IN THE LIFE series, it covers a lot of ground and has something for everyone.

IN THE LIFE can be seen on American public television stations (like LOGO), and is available on the Web for streaming and as free downloadable podcasts.  To learn more about when Challenging Convention will be airing in your area, or to watch past episodes, go to: www.inthelifetv.org.

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Waymon Hudson, the Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the GLBT community to fight discrimination and hate.  www.fightOUTloud.org

Also posted on The Bilerico Project

It was called “A President to be Proud of.”  Ugh.

The column asserts that our community should look past McCain’s long anti-gay history (he supports “don’t ask, don’t tell” and DOMA, and opposes adding sexual orientation to the federal hate-crimes bill and ENDA) and instead focus solely on his “courageous stand” against a federal marriage amendment.

Kirchick contends that this shows that McCain is on our side.  Really?  So he speaks out against one issue, but actually votes in a consistently damaging way and we should applaud?  “Believe what I say, not what I do”??  Not hardly. 

Kirchick also says that McCain has always stood against the religious right, like when he called Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson “agents of intolerance” and “corrupting influences on religion and politics.”  Then Kirchick makes the most ridiculous statement of all:

“Sure, McCain spoke at Falwell’s Liberty University in 2006, but he didn’t pander.”

That’s not pandering??   Think that would be the definition of it, Jamie.

His argument continues to spiral into stupidity when he somehow makes the claim that McCain’s support for the Arizona Marriage Amendment is no big deal (I guess that wasn’t pandering either…).  He argues:
 
“McCain backed a proposed 2006 amendment to the Arizona constitution that would have not only prevented gay marriage but denied government benefits to unmarried couples. While McCain’s support for this measure is regrettable, ultimately, what a senator or president thinks about a state-level constitutional amendment is less relevant than where he stands on a federal one.”

I just don’t understand how anyone can argue these points.  If you want to argue about fiscal policy or the war, sure, we can have a logic based discussion.  But to somehow try and paint McCain as good for the LGBT community is ridiculous and based in pure partisan lies.

I had written off the Advocate long ago for becoming a stop for celebrities to come and get LGBT dollars (because we all need one more straight celebrity on the cover saying how they “love the gays” while doing nothing for our issues).  It seems they have moved beyond that to become a mouthpiece for the right.

Well I can assure you, the magazine and Jamie Kirchick do not advocate for our community or our rights.

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Waymon Hudson, the Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the GLBT community to fight discrimination and hate.  www.fightOUTloud.org

Four years before the Stonewall riots, in 1965, Barbara Gittings and 25 other gays and lesbians marched in front of the White House to protest employment discrimination in the federal government. The sign she carried — “Sexual preference is irrelevant to federal employment” — is now at the Smithsonian, a gift to the nation last October by fellow activist Frank Kameny.

Gittings passed away in 2007, but her memory and drive lives on. A special thanks to those who have come before us and continue to set an example of how we should continue to fight for our rights…

The keynote speaker at the prayer breakfast was Jim Daly, president of the ultra right-wing religious organization Focus on the Family.  FOTF is among the most aggressive opponents of the gay rights movement and one of the primary backers of an expansive anti-gay marriage amendment that goes before voters this November in Florida.

Activists from Fight Out Loud and Gay American Heroes, as well as supporters from several Fort Lauderdale churches, said Daly’s appearance at the breakfast is an example of how Naugle is using his office to inflame hatred and violence towards the gay community.  All of this comes only weeks after a string of anti-gay violent crimes in Fort Lauderdale.

Naugle has yet to speak out against these acts of violence in South Florida, including the murder of 19 year old gay youth Simmie Williams and the brutal gay-bashing of a couple at a popular tourist hot spot.  The mayor has remained silent on these acts and continued to inflame anti-gay hatred.

Instead of trying to diffuse the dangerous atmosphere that many see as building in Fort Lauderdale, Naugle has time and time again tried to paint the local gay community as predators, disease carriers, and a danger to children.  His most recent push was when he used the city newsletter to spread his message of hate.  The group Fight OUT Loud responded immediately and his mayor’s message was permanently stripped from the newsletter.  Now he has invited Focus on the Family to come and spread their hate in the city as well.

Our community must continue to stand up against bigots like Naugle and Sally Kern.  We cannot allow their virulent anti-gay rhetoric to go unchallenged and further create an atmosphere of hate and violence in our communities.  It was an honor to stand in the picket line and fight back against this kind of mindless hate.

I hope you all join me on the front lines in this fight.

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Waymon Hudson, the Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the GLBT community to fight discrimination and hate.  www.fightOUTloud.org   

Check out the video HERE…

I have actually enjoyed the show.  It is very light-hearted and doesn’t seem to care who a person is, as long as they give good TV.  There are the same silly challenges and fights that make other reality shows so addicting, but with a new, gender-queer bent.  Sexuality and gender are literally thrown to the wind, something I always think is a great message.

I wanted to blog about it because I am curious as to what everyone else thinks.  Some of my thoughts after the jump…

One of the things that does make me slightly uncomfortable is Calpernia’s background.  If the name sounds familiar, it is because she is the woman at the center of the “A Soldier’s Girl” story.  Her military boyfriend, Barry Winchell, was brutally gay-bashed and murdered by a fellow marine because he was dating a transwoman. 

I’m having a hard time putting that out of my head and just enjoying the show for what it is.   I can’t help but think of that as I watch her suitors strip down in a gender-bending Goth bar and dance for her.  It seems to be like two worlds colliding that don’t mesh at all.

But maybe that’s where the strength of the show is.  It shows how Calpernia, and our community as a whole, can suffer horrible losses but still keep their heads high as we try to find a piece of happiness in a world that is against us and often tries to literally beat us down.  It shows that not only are we able to survive, but thrive. 

Could there be more to the program than just being a silly reality show?  Could it be a testament to our community and who we are, just with pudding wrestling challenges and witty one-liners instead of picket signs and legislation?

I’m curious what everyone else thinks of the show.  Is it good?  Offensive?  Moving? Ridiculous? 

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Waymom Hudson, The Homo Politico, is founder and President of Fight OUT Loud, a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the LGBT community to fight discrimination and hate. www.fightOUTloud.org