Saturday night, Ledcat and I caught a local performance of The Vagina Monologues at the City Theater. It was bloggers night. I snatched two tickets as soon as word hit the Internet. Clearly, this was the perfect occasion for Ledcat and I to see the show that pretty much defines your feminist street cred.
Overall, it was a good experience. The performers were engaging, the venue was comfortable and the crowd was energetic. They built up the tension by alternating humorous skits with soulful monologues. The piece about the use of rape in war zones was very sad. The piece that pushed the envelope involved a survivor of childhood sexual assault describing the healing she found at the age of 13 when she was "seduced" by a 24 year old woman.
That was tough and several of us chatting afterward agreed that there was just no way that was gonna fly. While you feel this empathy and appreciation that the child found solace and comfort being treated with gentleness, the fact remains that the 24 year old woman seducing a child is little better than the grown man who raped her at the tender age of 10. I was angry that the child's earlier experience made the "seduction" seem less of a violation.
You can catch the Vagina Monologues at the City Theater through Feb. 17th and if you mention "blog" when you call you can save $5.00. The number is 412-431-2489. (I learned that calling versus purchasing tickets online will save you a few extra dollars.)
After the show, we toodled up to Cambod-ican Kitchen which was packed. We caught a table in the corner and enjoyed one of favorite meals. If you like Asian food, I highly suggest you swing by sometime.
Sunday we met up with Gab Bonesso for a late breakfast at the Square Cafe. She and John McIntire have a show coming up on January 25 at the Club Cafe. We'll blog more about that later. Suffice to say that this show will be minus the clump of shlubs from her last show. Plus, one of our favorites, Jason Kirsch, will be performing.
Breakfast with Gab is a good time. She's one of the best hanger outters I know. Admittedly, I have low standards ... coffee and witty banter are my bailiwicks ... but throw in some bacon,and references to sixteen obscure bands that Ledcat loves and it is a heck of a morning.
Mellon fired an employee, in part due to his disrespectful treatment of his LGBTQ coworkers and in part due to his inappropriate work behavior. The employee, Avraham Schwartzberg of Squirrel Hill, filed a lawsuit claiming he was discriminated against because of his religion; he's an Orthodox Jew.
He was a member of the company's group for people with disabilities, known as HEART, and in May 2005, like all other Mellon employees, he received an e-mail inviting him to a luncheon hosted by the Mellon's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employee group with Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Five days later he received a reminder from the head of the group for disabled employees about the luncheon.
His trouble at work started two days later when he sent a note back to the head of the disability group saying it should not be lumped in with other groups of workers. His note included the line, "If you happen to be black or purple or green, etc. or happen to have this sickness called gay or lesbian, just do your job."
The head of the group sent the note to the Human Relations department and later testified the e-mail showed a lack respect for other individuals. The company agreed and called Mr. Schwartzberg in for a meeting where he was told his e-mail reply was offensive and that while the company respected his opinion, he was required to treat all co-workers with respect. He replied later with a religious postcard and a note that said in part, "the true friend of gays and lesbians is the one that points them to help."
A US District Judge tossed the religious bia suit out.
Previous decisions at this level have tossed out claims that religious freedoms allow discriminatory behavior targeting gays in the workplace.
It sickens me when people in the workplace assume that homophobia must be tolerated as an outgrowth of Christian, Jewish or any other belief system. That's bullshit. You come to work, you leave a little bit of your personal freedoms at the door when they conflict with the personal freedoms of other individuals.
"That's a good thing, right?" responds Ledcat to my plaintive wail that there is nothing to blog about. "No one is smearing local bar owners or other crap like that, right?"
She's got a point.
OUTrageous Bingo is debuting at its new Oakland home of Rodef Shalom. 7 PM Saturday. Be there or be (an Iron City) Square! I amuse only myself with that one. You, however, should go to Bingo and win big.
I'm heading over to City Theater on Saturday to catch the "bloggers special" performance of The Vagina Monologues. Stay tuned for a full review as only your lesbians can provide it.
An interesting twist on your typical gay bash. A 16 year old Dublin boy attacked and beat up a heterosexual couple after mistaking them for a gay couple (the woman had a masculine haircut). She and her boyfriend have both recovered from their injuries.
Theresa Sparks, the trans woman recipient of the HRC's 2004 Equality Award, has returned the award in protest of the organization's continued support for a version of the ENDA that is not transinclusive. Follow the link for more details.
Ledcat and I spend more time than you'd imagine reading magazines. We have three weeklies, a biweekly and more than five monthly magazines. I get the trifecta of feminist magazines -- Ms., Bitch and Bust. I'm considering adding Curve and, after reading the feature on Lance Bass, The Advocate. Rumor has it that Lance Bass might roll into town sometime this spring. I'm more interested in reading his book than I expected. Seriously.
My favorite magazine? A tie between Bitch and The Week with a slight edge for Bitch.
The former Mellon Financial Corp. was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, as one of the "Best Places to Work for GLBT Equality." Last year, Mellon merged with the Bank of New York, which did not make the list (http://www.hrc.org/issues/best_places_to_work_2008.asp). ...
Is your company on the list? Mine is too small. Neither is my insurance agency, my cell phone provider, or my car manufacturer. The good news is that my credit card company and the manufacturer of my computer are listed. Plus, Starbucks - my guilty pleasure.
Here are the specifics on Mellon. Let's hold our breath and hope that the merger will pull Bank of New York up to this level next year.
Also, the 4th Annual Pittsburgh NaviGAYtour is due out this spring. Get it -- a gay and lesbian tour guide. Does that mean there's a separate issue for queers, bisexuals and trans men and women? Anyway, this little PG story is basically a giant soliciation for gay friendly restaurants who want to be included in the tour guide. Make sure you tell your favorite local business. Somebody call the Square Cafe!
On the national front, Governor Bill Richardson is ending his Presidential campaign. Richardson is by all accounts a progressive candidate on LGBT issues ...here's what Pam has to say.
* He signed legislation expanding New Mexico civil rights laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity. (At the time, only three other states had included transgender protections.)
* He signed a hate crimes law that included actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
* He signed an executive order in 2003 extending health insurance and other benefits to the same-sex domestic partners of N.M. state employees.
* He's on record backing full-fledged civil unions and (unlike John Kerry) opposes state-level constitutional amendments banning gays from marrying.
* While in Congress, Richardson backed military service for out gay men and lesbians. That means, unlike Al Gore, John Kerry, John Edwards, Hillary and the rest, he was anti-Don't Ask, Don't Tell when it was very uncool to be.
I'm still pulling for Edwards even though I was not pleased with his comments about Hillary Clinton's demonstration of emotion. I just can't get excited about Obama given my concerns about his pandering to religious interests. Gussied up in lefty politics, it is the same marriage that makes Mike Huckabee so unpalatable. Obama's affiliation with ex-gay zealot Donnie McClurkin is cause for concern, too.
This ties into yesterday's post about joining the Steel City Stonewall Democrats.
If the frontrunning Democratic candidate for President can be (in either case) pretty weak on LGBT issues ...
If the Mayor of Pittsburgh can publicly oppose gay marriage AND gay civil unions without losing any of his gay support ...
If the County Chief Executive can publicly oppose domestic partner benefits for County employees and hide behind "the budget" while planning to run for Governor ...
If, If, If ... then we need to make sure our voices are being heard in the Democratic Party. Steel City Stonewall Democrats needs to be accountable for and accountable to the LGBT community. You can make that happen.
Earlier today, someone apparently hacked into the website of the Steel City Stonewall Democrats and sent a very strange rumor out that a local LGBTQ businessowner is a rightwing Republican along with the thinly veiled suggestion that patronizing those businesses would fill the coffers of George Bush. Something like that.
It took me about two minutes flat to debunk that rumor. First, the message itself was poorly written and included a recommendation to visit MY site if the Steel City site went down. That's odd, especially as I have no content up about that individual at all. Second, I hit the City Paper website and found evidence that the individual had contributed to the Bruce Kraus campaign. Kraus is not a Republican. He is not a rightwinger. He wasn't even endorsed by the local Dems.
Finally, I asked Steel City for the heads up. They have issued a statement:
Early this morning a message was sent out to a large number of addresses in our database from treasurer @ steel-city.org by some unauthorized person who hacked into our system or somehow obtained a password. We regret this unfortunate incident, and we are investigating the matter at this time.
The message pertained to a business owner in our community.The business owner in question has in fact generously supported our community, including efforts by the Stonewall Democrats and the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. We apologize to this individual and to everyone who received the message.
Kris Rust
Co-Chair
I'm amazed at how many people came to my site in response to this rumor. I'm further amazed how many times it was posted on livejournal. My God, people, think! What if someone posted an anonymous rumor implying you were betraying your community with no evidence to back it up?
Ledcat thinks it is the handiwork of Diane Gramley or another wingnut. Regardless of the source, we have to think before we pass along rumors. Steel City Stonewall is a good organization that makes things happen on our behalf. They deserve better than to be punked for a personal vendetta.
So if you think this sucks, surf on over and do the best thing -- join. Become a member and do your part to be part of building a strong local LGBTQ wing of the Democratic party. We cannot afford to take things for granted here in Western Pennsylvania as far too many of our elected Democrats are social conservatives and shelter their homophobia behind the Catholic Church. It is very important that the people we elect remember the LGBTQ in "we" especially as we head into the next Gubernatorial election (hi Dan O.), the 2009 Mayoral Election (Luke doesn't support gay civil unions, remember?) and so forth.
The only valuable lesson is the reminder to think twice before spending your money in establishments that are hostile to your own self interest. Put your gay dollars where they count. Start with Steel City Stonewall Democrats. Ledcat and I belong. All the cool homos do.
For those of you who want to stay in the loop of what's happening at Pittsburgh's Gay & Lesbian Community Center, check out the new GLCC email blast. You can subscribe.
Another great email resource is the Queer Events List with over 500 subscribers. Join both! Sure, you'll get some duplication, but it is worth it to keep up with all the cool stuff happening in Pittsburgh's queer scene.
Speech given by Bruce Kraus, Pittsburgh's first openly gay City Councilmember, upon his swearing in on January 7, 2008.
?All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don?t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.? Robert Kennedy
These words, spoken by Robert Kennedy some 40 years ago, are still significant today, in what they can teach us.We are not the first to have lived through turbulent times.
The recorded journals, safely housed within our City Clerks? office, are filled with the transcripts of thousands of past Council sessions, and tell the story of the challenges and opportunities we have faced in our 250 year history.
But, through these difficult times, and because of the strength and character of the people of this great City, our resiliency in the face of adversity, and by the grace of God, we are here, today, to begin recording the journal of this new Council.One which will tell our story of the challenges we will face, the opportunities we will seize and the celebrations of our strengths and accomplishments, as we set Pittsburgh on the path to another 250 years filled with promise.
The stories we tell speak of the journeys we take. And as it is with many of life?s journeys, ours was one shared by friends and loved ones alike, too numerous to mention by name, and yet in your hearts, you know who you are. Your love, unwavering support and unshakable belief in me, now brings us to this final step of our first journey together, and onward to the first step of a new and exciting adventure, full of the hope and promise of everything that can be. Without you, I would not be standing here today, and so from the deepest parts of my heart, I say ?Thank You.? You have entrusted me to be your voice and to carry your cause. For that, I am genuinely humbled.I pledge to use this confidence you have placed in me, to help lead this great city of ours into the future, with integrity, grace and compassion.
Once in a lifetime, a great leader comes along, whose courage and moral compass will not allow them to stand idly by, while fear and prejudice remove thousands of American citizens from having a voice, in our democratic process. Such a man was, City of San Francisco Board Supervisor, Harvey Milk, who on November 27, 1978, paid the price with his life, so that one day, some 30 years later, ones orientation would no longer be a factor in determining their ability to serve as an elected official.And so today, I honor his memory and I thank him for his courageous and selfless sacrifice that cleared the way for so many of us.
Pittsburgh?s history is filled with leaders who faced daunting tasks, and yet found the courage to answer their ?call to action?. David Lawrence led a coalition of government and business leaders to build the Golden Triangle and, in the process, forever transformed Pittsburgh?s ?smoky city image.? Richard Caliguiri provided the stable and effective stewardship that laid the groundwork for Pittsburgh?s renaissance, into one of our nation?s most livable cities. Sophie Masloff and Tom Murphy had the vision and foresight to see the value in the revitalization of our NorthShore and our riverfront properties. And, after the much too early passing of ?everybody?s mayor?, Bob O?Connor, Luke Raverstahl accepted the challenge to lead us into a new renaissance, as Pittsburgh is, once again, named as our nation?s most livable city.
And now, how will we, this new council, answer our call to action?
It is my belief, that our greatest strength and most valuable resource is our diversity. Pittsburgh is this wonderful hodgepodge of humanity.We come from every segment of society and culture, and yet share in one great commonality; our deep love for, and desire to safeguard and nurture, the neighborhoods in which we live. Our ethnic heritages, deep spiritual traditions and unmatched work ethic are an immeasurable wealth of riches. Our varied neighborhoods, world-class cultural venues, winning sports teams, lush parks and internationally acclaimed universities and hospitals, are all assets that are the envy of many metropolitan areas, and provide us with the tools to continue Pittsburgh?s transformation, into one of America?s truly great urban centers.
So with all of these resources at hand, what will we choose to make the signature achievements of this new council, now so full of promise and endless possibility?What will history record about the time we will serve the people of this great city?
My hope is that we would work to provide an open, transparent and public process that reestablishes trust and confidence in government.That we could envision for our future, a city where even the most vulnerable among us are safe and well provided for.A city that sets the standard, for what a clean city can be. One where parks and recreation facilities flourish, and our commitment, to leading the nation in Green building, and responsible management of our natural resources, is stronger than ever.Where our children attend first-rate schools and have every opportunity for the very best education possible; whose futures are financially secure, because we have been responsible stewards of the people?s money.
I see a city where every neighborhood will see the fruits of real economic development, and with it, have access to living wage jobs that will sustain home ownership and provide for young families.
But mostly, my hope is for a city, where all people are invited to our great common table, to share in an equal voice and have every opportunity to participate in, the stewardship of their futures, and have access to every resource that will lift them and their loved ones up, to their very highest quality of life.
And so, once again, I will find my voice within words, so eloquently spoken, by Robert Kennedy and put forward this challenge to us, this new council of the City of Pittsburgh for the year 2008, by saying:
?Some men see things as they are and say why.I dream things that never were and say, why not.?
Michael Kerlin's "In Search of Peace?" (Dec. 30 Forum) was filled with more than its share of animus. He reported trembling at the "implications" of the pope's peace message, "The Human Family, A Community of Peace"; suggested parallels of genocide and secret informers; and mentioned those hair-raisers: inquisition, torture and paranoia. It sent me scurrying to the text.
Scurrying, huh? Well, that's an interesting word.
Mr. Kerlin's major discontent, however, has to do with his perception of the pope's "implicit" anti-homosexual agenda. True, Pope Benedict's message does speak of the natural family as a community of love and life -- of the love of a man and woman whose union produces children. Schoolchildren know that conception or fertilization is the result of the union of egg (female) and sperm (male). To call pointing to that reality homophobic defies reason.
The union of male and female, alike but different, points to the creative force, the yin and yang of life. Achieving that integration of differences is at the heart of harmony and peace. Anything that circumvents the ability to learn to integrate those differences undermines the ability to learn to live in peace for the entire community.
It is kind of amusing that she references schoolchildren and sexual education to defend the Pope. I doubt His Holiness was resting on a fundamental biological arguement; there was plenty of "sacredness of life" infused.
Here's my question Dolores. The Catholic Church has had, let's say, 1200 years to integrate the male and female differences and, thus, generate harmony and peace.
How has that been working out? I mean this is the City which had to publicly debate how to protect the womenfolk connected with a predominantly Catholic police force, is it not?
Peace that is achieved without the trials and tribulations of finding that convergence is hardly worthy of the name. At best it is acquiescence; at worst -- apathy.
What the heck does this mean? I can speak only for myself in saying that stepping away from a life trying to force myself into convergence with men has brought me more peace than anything else in my life. I can also speak only for myself in saying that when I was struggling with poverty and illness, it was pretty clear what would have brought me some peace.
My good friend Cat Specter has photoshopped herself from girl-next-door-in-jaunty-beret to come-hither-girl-in-jaunty-beret. It is like watching Betty Crocker's image change in fast-forward.
Sigh.
Her obsession with the 'go girl attitude' has mellowed a bit, but she still comes across as a woman trying to hard to be relevant, witty and wise without breaking a nail. It is probably a trap any 'advice columnist' would struggle to resist, especially in a City this size. I just feel kind of sorry for this woman because I read her as trying to get the cool girls to like her. Tony Norman likes her, so there must be some substance underneath all the family connections and privilege and Sarah Jessica Parker worship.
Is she ever revisits the awful advice she gave about witnessing racism, I'll know she's making some progress.
I suppose we should be grateful she's not wearing a pink Steeler man-dress and waving a "I Heart PittGirl" banner. <Yes, I referenced coopting PittGirl as a symbol of the distorted you go girl attitude. Yes, I read PittGirl. I'm relevant. Whatever.>
