Homophobic Hate Letter in Bloomington

A homophobic letter attacking State Rep. Dan Larson in Bloomington's Senate District 63 is being left on residents doorsteps. Signed by an anonymous "Ken J," the letter criticizes Larson, and tells the reader to vote for the Republican candidate because "your children are at stake." The letter urges readers to visit the Minnesota Family Council for more information.

The letter attacks homosexuals, and uses fear-based language. The letter says: "Three years ago, I met a man and a woman at our State Capitol who were promoting same-sex marriage. During our conversation, they very candidly told me of their objectives...Their number one objective was to; eliminate all protection given to children. They want to make your children subject to them, not you...Children would suffer the most...Schools would have to teach that sodomy is normal. HIV and AIDS among school children would rise dramatically. (Virtually all homosexual men are HIV infected.)"

The letter close with: "If you consider yourself a Republican be sure to vote. If you consider yourself a Democrat, this year you need to vote for your Republican candidate. Your children are at stake."

The two page letter contains many falsehoods, and blatant attacks on the GLBT community and on Democrats. You can read the full letter here (PDF).

Larson's opponent knew nothing about the letter, and expressed some disappointment. "I'm really surprised. We just said in a debate...that we have pretty much stayed above the negative campaigning and focused in on the issues. Both of us agree that that's the way it should be done."

Tom Prichard of the Minnesota Family Council also was not aware of the letter that contained his organization's name, and added "We would generally disavow something like that. We don't condone it."

Bloomington resident, Adam Gamradt received the letter and would like to invite the writer to get to know his neighbors: "I ask that Ken J. contact me at anytime. I would welcome the chance to invite him or her to our neighborhood gathering."

St. Cloud Pride Flag Missing, Facebook Fanatics Suspected

It's GLBT History Month in America, and St. Cloud State University decided to fly a rainbow flag to honor that. Someone thought it was a very, very bad thing and stole it. The AP says it may have been members of a SCSU Facebook group called "Remove the GLBT Flag," but they don't have any proof. I looked, the group doesn't exist anymore.

Meanwhile, readers of the St. Cloud Times reveal why we really do need to be frightened of a Michele Bachmann win in the 6th Congressional District. Here are a few choice examples of "Minnesota Nice" from the comments on this story:

"Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgendered-and-Allies History and Awareness Month". I hope this includes the teachings of Leviticus and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. I am guessing probably not.

*** and why do they feel a need to constantly cram this down my throat? I do not go out of may way to infrom them of my bedroom activity...this is ridiculous!

*** it is not about being close-minded. Be as gay as you want to be, just SHUT UP about it. Who cares whose gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or an ally of any or all. Do hetrosexuals(sp?) have a flag that states there sexual preference? NO!!! The only flags that should be flown at a STATE university are the U.S. Flag, the STATE flag and the SCHOOL flag(if they have one).

*** [And here's my favorite..these calculations show some true insight into the minds of these folks...] Which Group is the Minority -- GLBTQQA or WMHCC? GLBTQQA calculations: presume ten percent of the population is either Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, or Allied individuals.

WMHCC calculations based on the following presumptions:

70% white 50% male 90% heterosexual 30% conservative 50% active Christian

.7 x .5 x .9 x .3 x .5 = .04725

So less than five percent of the population are white, male, heterosexual, conservative, Christians.

It seems as if the WMHCC is more of a minority group than the GLBTQQA. When is SCSU going to fund WMHCC and will they hoist a WMHCC flag soon?

[by that logic. 50% vote for Bachmann, 50% are Christian, 50% are conservative, 75% are white, only 9.4% are white christian conservative Bachmann voters. It's a dream world when we use bigot logic.]

Wisconsin Restaurant Brawl Over Anti-Same-Sex Marriage Amendment

Diners at a Wauwatosa, Wisconsin restaurant were discussing same-sex marriage on Monday evening when a homophobe got violent and assaulted 3 people.

Then the argument got physical. Surveillance video shows the man, who had just joined the debate. He throws "Jorryn" down to the floor and then punches another customer. The suspect continued yelling, throwing chairs and punching people.

He walked out of the restaurant with some restaurant patrons thinking he was going to get a weapon. He returned to the restaurant, not with a gun, but throwing ketchup bottles and anything else he could get his hands on and then he left.

It's been five days and noone has yet been arrested in the case, despite video surveillance of the restuarant. Wisconsin LGBT leaders are asking for the case to be identified as a hate crime.

DADT Protest

Since 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was adopted, over 11,000 servicemembers have been discharged as suspected or actual LGBT people. That number includes a number of gay Arabic language experts, the kind of experts that could be valuable in the search for terrorists. As AmericaBlog put it last week, "to the Republicans running our government, finding gays is more important than finding Osama."

The most recent discharge of a gay Arabic-speaking servicemember seems to have violated the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy:

Anonymous messages about the sergeant's private life had led to an eight-month investigation. Among other things, he was asked whether he knew any homosexuals - who doesn't? - and whether he was involved in community theater - which the Army apparently considers a sure-fire sign of deviance, despite the fact that armies of straight guys have joined such groups in search of comely female companionship.

While military service might not be the first choice for many LGBT people, it has important advantages to people who might not have the choice to seek higher education. Or for folks who simply want to serve their country. But when other countries have LGBT people serving openly with success, why doesn't the United States?

"It's like what Churchill said about democracy - it's the worst system possible, except for all the other ones," said Charles Moskos, a military sociologist at Northwestern University who helped craft the policy and coined the phrase "don't ask, don't tell." But, Moskos said, allowing openly gay service members would hurt the morale of the military rank-and-file and make many recruits uncomfortable.

Our soldiers are comfortable enough to shoot and kill enemy combatants, endure rigorous physical tests during basic training or witness the grotesque scenes of war, but simply can't stomach having an openly gay or lesbian person serving alongside them? Please, please shut it, Mr. Moskos. That's bullshit.

What can we do locally to protest DADT and bring an end to the discharges of LGBT troops or enable openly LGBT people to sign up for service? Soulforce's Jake Reitan invites folks to participate in this event on Wednesday:

"In May, Haven Herrin, Ezekiel Montgomery, Briget Schwarting, and Jacob Reitan tried to sign up for the Minnesota National Guard as openly gay people. After going through the appeal process they were each denied the Right to Serve. On Wednesday August 16th young adults from across Minnesota are going to return to the National Guard recruitment center that denied them to begin a sit-in. I want you to sit-in with us. Help us send a message that openly gay people deserve the right to serve.

You can register for the sit-in here.

Together, we can point out to the people of Minnesota the absurdity of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'"

Wednesday, August 16, 2006
11:00am - 5:00pm
Minnesota National Guard Recruitment Center
211 N. McCarron Blvd
St. Paul, MN

Twin Cities Taxi Cab Homophobia

MNspeak poster, go team!, got kicked out of a cab for making out with his boyfriend, and then again a few minutes later in another cab. And it's happened to other gays before. Has this happened to anyone you know? Is it time for a "Kiss In" night in Twin Cities cabs?

Pentagon Says Sorry Over Classifying Gays as Sick

Happy Pride Month! If you're gay, the military no longer considers you mentally ill.

"Homosexuality should not have been characterized as a mental disorder in an appendix of a procedural instruction," the Pentagon said in a statement on Wednesday. "A clarification will be issued over the next few days." [365Gay.com]

That's a great step. Kudos to the Pentagon for doing the right thing, something they don't seem to be able to do much of lately.

Pentagon Lists Homosexuality as Mental Disorder

Via AmericaBlog. Our tax dollars support the United States military and the Pentagon. It's not enough that we aren't allowed to serve our country openly, but we also are forced to pay for a military machine that considers GLBT people mentally ill.

Twin Cities Cab Drivers Discriminate Against GLBTs

WCCO is reporting that 3 gay men were kicked out of a cab on Friday night because two of them kissed. The driver apparently said that homosexuality violated his religious beliefs. This discrimination is against the law in Minnesota thanks to the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

This case appears to be one associated with Islam, but discrimination aganist GLBT people by taxi cab drivers is not limited to just one faith. Earlier this fall, my friends and I took a cab and the driver actually advocated violence against gay men, and even tried to get us to agree with him. He was from Florida and said that this type of gay stuff didn't happen there. He also said he was a Christian.

And I've also heard from friends who were denied a cab ride during Twin Cities Pride from Muslim cab drivers.

It's the responisbility of the cab companies to teach their employees about the law. Cab drivers cannot discriminate. Period.

If Minnesota continues down the road of allowing other peoples religious beliefs to be written into our Constitution, you better believe things like this will happen more often. It tells the landlords, cab drivers, and employers in Minnesota that GLBT people are less than straight people, and it's our own government that will be sending the message.

Anti-Gay Graffiti at the U of MN

WCCO reports that anti-gay hate messages inculding swastikas have been reported for the seventh time since January and it's the third time in several weeks. This comes at a time when more messages promoting hate against certain groups is on the rise at the U of MN. According to the Minnesota Daily:

"The incident is another in a growing number of reported hate or “bias crimes” — those motivated by bias against another group. There were no bias crimes reported in 2003, but there were five in 2004 and the Centennial Hall graffiti marks the sixth report this year."

And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the anti-gay culture that Michele Bachmann, and her aleged election-law violators at EdWatch are trying to create in Minnesota. Or nothing to do with aleged campaign-finance violators, Focus on the Family, whose main mission on Earth is to destroy the 'homosexual agenda.' /sarcasm

Maple Grove Teens Are Puppets for Homsexual Agenda

It is seriously frustrating that these "Christian" groups have all this time to sit around and dream up conspiracies, when perhaps they should take some time to tackle the larger problems in society. Maybe they could take some time to help out the homeless who will surely freeze to death in the harsh Minnesota winter, or maybe spend some time helping our new immigrants learn english. Perhaps they could teach young people about birth control, thereby preventing all those awful abortions they keep harping about. Nope. They'd rather sit around and dream up conspiracy and sex orgies in the high schools.

The latest in this incredibly intelligent Christian thinking involves Maple Grove Senior High and the gay-straight group that is suing for equal access. The title of the article is "Homosexual Activists Suspected of Pulling Students' Strings in GSA Lawsuit." Here's what Linda Harvey of Mission America has to say about the lawsuit and it's effect on students [via Pam's House Blend]:

"They will be introduced to college-age and adult homosexuals, and they will be fast-tracked right into the active practice of homosexual sex. What school ever wants to be in the situation of saying [that] homosexual sex is no problem for youth?"

Wow. There's a fast-track on homosexual sex? Sign me up, it's been a while! Here's more from Harvey:

Harvey believes Maple Grove High School can avoid trouble by not considering homosexuality to be a viewpoint, as the students claim. She argues that the Osseo School District need not accept Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) like SAGE in order to have "viewpoint equality" on the campus, because homosexuality is not a viewpoint -- rather, it is a dangerous, high-risk behavior. And the school, the Mission America spokeswoman would argue, has both the right and the responsibility to protect students from unhealthy or unsafe activities on its campus. "What's going to happen in these homosexual clubs," she asserts, "is that they are social venues where kids will meet other kids who are also inclined to homosexuality."

Does she actually think that the groups meetings will turn into an orgy or something? Because that's what she's alluding to. I think Ms. Harvey needs to put down the hardcore gay porn, and come back to reality.

Rochester Paper Responds to Criticism

Remember last week when we all called and emailed the Rochester Post-Bulletin to ask why they were so crabby when two dykes tried to have their fully-legal-in-Canada marriage printed? Well, they responded on their blog. Via Lloydletta:

"19 October 2005
Same-sex wedding notices

The P-B doesn't publish free same-sex wedding notices in our lifestyle news columns.

This is in keeping with most U.S. newspapers that still publish free wedding notices. Many metro-sized newspapers don't carry free wedding notices at all.

We do publish paid wedding notices for same-sex couples. Those run as "Celebrations" ads.

Our policy recently made news in a Twin Cities gay-lesbian magazine, and the story was picked up by KSTP-TV. Several readers have followed up with questions and comments.

Here's our rationale: We publish notices for marriages legally recognized in Minnesota. This allows for clarity and consistency in our wedding notices at a time when there's great disagreement and political controversy over same-sex marriage, and while marriage laws are evolving.

What do you think?"

Here's what I think. It's not even separate but equal. They're making same-sex couples pay more for something that is less. In Minnesota, it's been illegal (since 1993, I think) to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and that's exactly what this is.

And here's the link to the Post-Bulletin blog. Be sure to tell them what you think.

Discrimination at Maple Grove Senior High School

Two female Maple Grove, Minnesota students are suing the school district over discriminatory practices by school administrators. [Link]

"Members of Straights and Gays for Equality (SAGE) were consistently denied such requests, the lawsuit said. It contends a violation of the federal Equal Access Act, which holds that public schools must extend the same privileges to all student-organized, non-curricular clubs. The lawsuit, filed late last week in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, said other groups including the Spirit Council, the Asian Culture Group and the Chess Club were allowed to publicize meetings and events on the school's PA and video announcement systems, and with hallway posters and leaflets."

And good for them. When I was in high school, ages ago, we didn't have a school group. In fact, the 'gay-straight alliance' was pretty much me, a couple of my straight friends, and some weird bisexual girl named Allie. The idea that any of us could actually organize seemed rediculous at the time. This was 1994 in Central Illinois after all.

It's so encouraging to see high school students standing up to discrimination, especially in the suburbs. Whether people like it or not, it is these students right to organize on campus, and they should fight for that right every chance they get.

Minnesota to stop paying for gender surgery

Along with medications for sexual dysfunction, and circumcision, Minnesota will stop paying for sex-change operations (not really the most accurate term, but that's what the Strib and the State use).

Closing a 'loophole'

Minnesota has tried to end Medicaid payments for sex-change operations for 10 years. But activists have challenged the restrictions in court. As a result, two to three people a year have had their sex-change operations paid for by state programs, at a total cost of about $15,000 in state funds, officials say. The new law, which took effect Aug. 1, "completely closes the loophole," Geroux said.

State lawyers say they expect court challenges to continue. Phil Duran, a lawyer for OutFront Minnesota, an advocacy group, says he's appealing the department's denials to five patients awaiting sex-change surgery. "It's certainly our position that this is not about saving money," he said. "This is about imposing a [penalty] on politically unpopular people."

This is an issue that is very complicated, and I support what the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition has to say:

"The Right To Make One's Body Congruent With Gender Role

Given that each individual has the right to assume gender roles, it then follows that each individual has the right to change their body or alter its physiology so it better fits a gender role. These changes may be cosmetically, chemically or surgically induced, provided these changes are supervised by an appropriate licensed professional and the individual accepts sole responsibility for their actions in this regard.

Therefore, no person shall be denied their Human and/or Civil Rights on the basis that they changed or wish to change their body, cosmetically, chemically, surgically or any combination of these, to better fit a gender role."

I think I'm against what Minnesota has decided. Although I'm still not sure. I don't know enough about the issue to determine for myself whether it is medically necessary, but my gut says it is. I'd love to hear people's comments one way or the other: Should MInnesota pay for low-income citizens seeking to alter the gender of their bodies?