Ad Drags Local Campaigns into the Toilet
Eric Fried, who "wishes Dobson would get his mind out of the toilet," writing in Fort Collins Now[2008-07-17]
The HIV Travel Ban Is Repealed
Love has never been in the equation as our lives have been stripped of humanity and dignity...
K. Foula Dimopoulos
[2008-06-16]
"disgusting..."
anonymous
[2008-05-25 with 1 reply]
"suggestive"
DH in Greeley
[2008-05-25 with 1 reply]
Inappropriate Dan Savage column
anonymous
[2008-05-25 with 1 reply]
National Masturbation Month
PhnxBoi1312
[2008-05-25]
Sheriff Alderden’s right wing opinions linked from the Larimer County WebSite
Paul Hesson, Masonville
[2008-04-12]
A Boy the Buillies Love to Beat Up, Repeatedly
Dan Barry, New York Times columnist
[2008-03-24]
LGBT Activist: HIV is a 'Gay Disease'
from The Human Rights Campaign
Joe Solmonese, President
[2007-12-21]
'Tis the Season
Homosexuality & the Salvation Army
PFLAG supports, educates parents and allies
Larry and Beverly Webber an editorial in the Coloradoan [2007-10-02]
LBT women face unnecessary barriers
Hits and Misses at the LGBT Candidate Forum
Episcopal priest Rev. Susan Russell, Senior Associate for Pastoral Life at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena and President of Integrity USA, blogging at The Huffington Post[2007-08-13]
to the National Democratic Convention
ummm, no... this is anti-gay "TERRORISM" in Israel
Gary Rechnitz
[2007-06-21 with 1 reply]
Thumbs Up...
Proclamation for 2007 Pride in the Park
as signed by Mayor Hutchinson and read to the City Council
[2007-06-05]
Retribution would be nice, but...
Gary Rechnitz
[2007-05-22]
'Gay Agenda' is struggle for equality
Ar Foster, Fort Collins resident, in a " Coloradoan" editorial [2007-04-12 with 1 reply]
answering a letter to "A Grateful Mother"
Sigmund Freud in 1935
[2007-04-10]
Breast Cancer in the Lesbian community
Gay-kiss photo goes too far
John Bailey, Fort Collins, from the Coloradoan[2007-03-21 with 3 replies]
last Halloween in Fort Collins involving two 17-year-old boys
comments from one boy and his mother
[2007-03-01]
Gay rights advances likely in Congress [pessimists abound]
Police Abuse of Authority
Refugees from Amerika: A Gay Manifesto
Carl Wittman, one of the leaders of the radical left-wing Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), this writen December 12, 1969, shortly before the Stonewall Rebellion. The article becomes a guide to gay activism and is used by the Gay Liberation Front as a manifesto
[2006-12-22]
Salvation Army Lobbies for Religious Discrimination
angry-biscuit.livejournal.com
[2006-11-22 with 2 replies]
Not a 2nd-class citizen
Megan Skeehan
[2006-11-14 with 1 reply]
'An example must be set' — but which one?
Rev. Benjamin Broadbent, senior pastor, First Congregational United Church of Christ of Colorado Springs
[2006-11-11]
Thank you, to all of my dear supporters!
Angie Paccione
[2006-11-09]
"Purge of the Pervets": How the Foley scandal is leading to a 1950s-style witch hunt
David K. Johnson
[2006-10-24]
Vermont mother speaks out
Sharon Underwood
[2006-10-21 with 1 reply]
TO: The Honorable Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign
[2006-10-13]
Backward logic in the courts
Ellen Goodman
[2006-08-13]
But I had a Previous Engagement
Dan Savage, NY Times OpED
[2006-08-13]
Note to Republicans: The party's over
Ineptness has ruined the GOP
Garrison Keillor
[2006-06-11]
Dean needs to take responsibility for his actions on the DNC's Gay Outreach Program
Andy Szekeres
[2006-05-23 with 1 reply]
Addiction Support Group
Kathleen Kruse, RN, NP-C
[2005-12-20]
Heterosexual Questionnaire
unknown
[2005-10-20]
Like an old woman who needs to learn discretion in using too much lipstick...
Brandon W. Ater
Citizen at Large
[2005-09-22 with 16 replies]
Regulations governing "adult content"...
Tom
[2005-06-24]
Oxford Hotel Sells Out the Community
Christiano Sosa
[2005-05-23]
Texas Representative addresses the State House
Senfronia Thompson
(D-Houston)
[2005-05-08]
29 Reasons Opposing Gay Marriage
Unknown Dripping Sarcasm
[2005-04-28]
An Apology for Intolerance
Alan Kesselheim
[2005-03-08]
Making Marilyn Accountable
Christiano Sosa
[2005-03-01]
James Dobson & Focus on the Family
Keith Neuroth
[2005-02-09 with 3 replies]
Gay marriage won't harm family, society
Madi Sol Esparza
[2005-01-31 with 1 reply]
Faith Groups not required to mimic Civil Law
Beth Lechleitner
[2004-12-23]
From Strength to Strength (Or... Be a Queer for Four More Years)
Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon, Metropolitan Comm. Church
[2004-11-10]
Dear Friends...
Dean Bakopoulos
[2004-11-03]
"Democracy for America" Supporters
Governor Howard Dean
[2004-11-03]
"Dear friend of the family"
Marilyn Musgrave
[2004-10-14]
Esteemed members of the GLBTA community - help Stan Matsunaka
Adam Bowen
[2004-09-21 with 1 reply]
Why I will vote for John Kerry for President
John Eisenhower
[2004-09-09]
Increase Voter Turnout!
VoteForAmerica.org
[2004-09-08]
Dear Mr. President
Cheryl Jacques, President Human Rights Campaign
[2004-08-30]
A SECOND Primary Vote ??
Bob Kinsey
[2004-08-02]
Kinsey - the REAL alternative to Musgrave
Tyler Kinkade
[2004-07-13 with 6 replies]
Bob Kinsey vs. Rep. Musgrave
Tyler Kincade
[2004-06-27]
The Real Impact on Our Region's Farmers, Ranchers, and Consumers
Bob Kinsey
[2004-06-26]
Wine and Wafer as Weapons?
The Politics of Holy Communion
Rev. Dr. Troy D. Perry
[2004-06-25]
Gay Pride: Celebration is about fun, commonality
Lucas Walker
[2004-06-20]
RE: Musgrave
Stan Matsunaka
[2004-06-15 with 3 replies]
Musgrave & Stan Matsunaka are in a DEAD HEAT!
Richard Payne
[2004-06-13 with 1 reply]
To Run Against Marilyn Musgrave!
Stan Matsunaka
[2004-05-31 with 1 reply]
You Just Can’t Leave It To The Legislature
Jeremy Nathan Marks
[2004-05-27]
Homosexuality & Christian Scripture
Rev. Mark Lee, MCC Family In Christ
[2004-05-17 with 1 reply]
Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse
Michelle Indianer
[2004-05-01]
Republican opposition to Musgrave
Bob Faust
[2004-04-30]
Kinsey for Colorado Congress
Hollie Kopp
[2004-04-29]
Strong Moral Leadership for Colorado
Jeremy Nathan Marks
[2004-04-22]
I now pronounce you ... equally protected
Barbara Catbagan
[2004-04-12]
Come Together & Build Strength
Jennifer Geraci
[2004-04-11 with 1 reply]
Musgrave Unopposed
Jeremy N. Marks
[2004-04-10 with 3 replies]
The Blue & the Red States...
[unknown]
[2004-01-24]
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Ad Drags Local Campaigns into the Toilet —Eric Fried, who "wishes Dobson would get his mind out of the toilet," writing in Fort Collins Now [2008-07-17]
The smear season in state elections is already off and running, thanks to James Dobson's Focus on the Family Action (FOFA) blanketing local radio stations with potty talk.
If you haven't heard the ads attacking local legislators over the non-existent “Bathroom Bill,” you're lucky. Here's the gist of this twisted tale:
The 2008 Colorado legislature passed a bill adding sexual orientation to a long list of factors (race, gender, age, et cetera) for which you cannot discriminate against people in public accommodations. Last year they passed a similar bill on employment. These bills make it illegal to fire someone, toss them out of their house, or refuse them service in a restaurant or store just for being gay. We're not talking gay marriage, civil unions, or anything particularly controversial. SB 200, like bills passed in 19 other states, is pretty straightforward, and fair to the core. And yes, the bills do specifically exempt churches that mistakenly think God wants them to persecute homosexuals.
We all know by now how badly homosexuality gets Dobson's knickers in a knot. The wily, rich and powerful media mogul knows he can't just come right out and say he thinks it's OK to fire, evict or discriminate against people for being gay, since that's hardly a mainstream position. So he twisted and spun the facts until they were barely recognizable, and—voila!—SB 200 became the “Bathroom Bill” to allow sexual predators easy access to our kids in public bathrooms, complete with misleading ads in the Coloradoan and all over the airwaves specifically attacking Sen. Bob Bacon and Reps. Randy Fischer and John Kefalas.
(Disclosure ad nauseum: I have volunteered on Kefalas's past and current campaigns, and think he is a great state rep for our community. So are Fischer and Bacon.)
Dobson, who has stated homosexuality “will destroy the Earth,” claims non-discrimination in public accommodations means the end of gender-specific restrooms. However, according to Duane Gall, senior staff attorney for the legislature's non-partisan Office of Legislative Legal Services, "I do not see any basis whatever for an assertion that SB 200 requires that men be admitted to women's bathrooms or vice versa."
Here's a news flash: People already sometimes use the bathroom meant for the opposite gender. Since the lines at women's bathrooms tend to be much longer, when nature's call is urgent, or intermission at the game or the show is nearing its end, women sometimes invade the men's room. There's nothing perverse about it, just taking care of business.
Nothing in existing state law specifically requires men to use the men's room, and women the women's room. We just do. Sexual predation is already illegal, and harshly punished, as it should be. Nothing in the new law changes any of that. If a pervert wants to use a bathroom of either gender to troll for sex, they can already do that. Does the name Sen. Larry “Wide Stance” Craig ring a bell?
Asked to name a single instance of a bathroom attack in any of the states with a non-discrimination law, the Dobson crowd comes up completely empty.
Why does Dobson hate (or fear) gays so much that he is spending big bucks to attack Democrats across the state? Maybe he is simply following the example of Jesus, who had this to say about homosexuality: absolutely nothing. Search the gospels, and you'll find sermon after sermon calling for feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and promoting pacifism, but not one word on homosexuality. Listening to the Christian Right you'd think Jesus was all about banning gay marriage, outlawing abortion and cutting the estate tax. In reality, Jesus was a bleeding heart liberal who would not recognize his teachings in the work of Focus on the Family. He'd probably toss Pharisee Dobson from the temple personally.
Dobson may want a refresher course on the Ninth Commandment: Thou Shall Not Bear False Witness.
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The HIV Travel Ban Is Repealed —Andrew Sullivan, columnist and blogger for The Atlantic.com [2008-07-16]
I'm not usually speechless but I'm ecstatic to report that the Senate just passed PEPFAR without the Sessions amendment, and Senator Biden, who managed the bill, just said they will probably avoid a conference with the House and send the bill forthwith to the president's desk. Barring some unforeseen event, the HIV Travel Ban - a relic of the days when HIV was a source of fear and stigma and terror - is finally over.
Obviously, the bigger achievement in PEPFAR is the funding for continued help for those with HIV and AIDS in the developing world - people whose plight is unimaginably worse than mine or so many others trapped by this HIV law. Bush's legacy in this is one for which he is rightly proud. But for those of us who have long dreamed of becoming Americans, and have been prevented by 1993 law from even being able to enter or leave the US without waivers or fear or humiliation, this is a massive burden lifted.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's one of the happiest days of my whole life. For two and a half decades, I have longed to be a citizen of the country I love and have made my home. I now can. There is no greater feeling.
Thanks go to many, many people, chiefly Senators Kerry and Smith, who made this a bipartisan priority. Gordon Smith proved how Republicans can reach out to those in genuine need, even if some are gay. All of us with HIV and with spouses or loved ones with the virus are in his debt. But also: Rob Epplin and Alex Nunez, Smith's and Kerry's amazing staffers, who made this possible. The Human Rights Campaign came through too, with insistent, diligent lobbying and a last-minute member email blitz. Immigration Equality, the group that does all the heavy lifting on LGBT and HIV immigration issues, were indispensable. Thanks, Rachel and Adam in particular. A word too to Senators Lugar and Biden, who shepherded the bill forward. I'm grateful too for those behind the scenes, Democrats and Republicans, who helped enormously: Carl Schmid and Jeff Trandahl, in particular. I will not forget Yuval Levin's support. And a word to my friend, David Kuo, who helped me through some of the bleakest days I experienced because of this law. My closest friends know who they are and they know what they've done.
I've lived with this awful sense of insecurity, of fear of leaving the country, of visiting my family, of the lingering sense that my virus rendered me potentially deportable, that any roots I put down might be dug up suddenly one day - for fifteen years. The lifting of this threat - the sense that I now have a home I know will be secure for me and my husband - is indescribable.
And thank you, too, especially. Dish readers really helped - emailing your Senators and telling your stories. This blog can be really draining and a little exasperating. But the sense of support I've gotten these past few weeks has been amazing. It really is like family. And now you've made it possible to make an honest American out of me. Maybe you'll regret it soon enough.
But you're stuck with me now.
I'm gonna celebrate now, so no promises on the timing of my next post.
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Love has never been in the equation as our lives have been stripped of humanity and dignity... —K. Foula Dimopoulos [2008-06-16]
I don’t remember when I first discovered the activist work of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyons. I don’t remember when the Daughters of Bilitis rolled off my tongue like some long lost refuge I had once known. I don’t remember where I was when they first initiated their desire to marry one another, and subsequently became one of the leading plaintiff groups that ultimately led to the latest California Supreme Court to rule that marriage – not civil unions – was for everyone and that anything less was in fact, discriminatory. In the years that have transpired since hundreds of couples lined up in California, our lives and loves have been devalued, denigrated, demonized. We have heard, loud and clear, that who we share our bodies with matters more than the quality of our relationships and the depths of our love. Yet, these are not the voices resounding in my ears this morning.
Today, across thousands of miles, and a country’s topography that remains as diverse as it is divided, I can hear the rush, thrush, of people and lovers readying themselves to make vows to one another. I can hear the excited hushed voices of friends smiling with their hearts outward. I can taste the salt of the sea, feel it on my skin, as the ocean roils amongst itself, reminding many of the fluidity of life. In the midst of this excitement, I have a picture of two of my heroes, whom I have met once, readying themselves for yet another time to become beacons of a decades long love affair with one another.
While I do not think or feel that marriage is the ultimate freedom, or that it should be, I am thankful that in yet another state, many of our relationships are viewed as just as valid as opposite sex couples. The rhetoric our communities is continuously bombarded with continues to be one concerned with how we share our bodies, and with whom – not love. Love has never been in the equation as our lives have been stripped of humanity and dignity. So many of the people whose shoulders I stand on have fought – and continue to fight – to have our lives, bodies, and relationships seen in totality. One of our many gifts as a community to the world has been our struggle to wrestle with the dialogues of the body, the discourse on sex, and the revolution of relationship. The marriage debate has sought to exclude many within our very communities. Ironic that marriage brings together people. However, on this day, may we set aside our differences – not petty to be sure – and be reminded of those who we admire, those we seek to emulate, those who share the kind of relationship we want to have or perhaps do have – regardless of whether the relationship is constructed polyamorously or monogamously. May we surround ourselves with those we love, those we share a connectedness with. May we live our lives, to the extent we choose and are able, as loud and proud as Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. As Audre Lorde. As Jewelle Gomez. As Pat Parker. As Deke Law. As James Baldwin. As Harvey Milk. As Amber Hollibaugh. As Kinnie Starr. As Sylvia Rivera. As Dorothy Allison. As Loren Cameron. As Kate Bornstein. As all of those who have served as our mentors, heroes. As all of those who have been our partners, our lovers, our friends. May we find that place of love where communion springs eternal.
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Editorials