Showing posts with label LGBT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LGBT. Show all posts

11/8/21

First Out Australian Footballer Joshua Cavallo just scored against the LGB Alliance

Joshua Cavallo
Joshua Cavallo made history this year when he announced that he is gay, becoming the first major league Australian footballer to do so.



The LGB alliance, a motley group of TERFs sought to cement an alliance with Cavallo, but he would have none of that. Cavallo in a reply to the LGB alliance stated it quite succinctly: 

 

I learned about this because I follow Terra Field, the Netflix engineer who was briefly suspended for bringing attention to the oppressive and transphobic conditions at her workplace: re TERF Dave Chappelle 

 And to be honest as a member of the unwashed masses I had to look up praxis, which in this case means translating an idea into practice.

 Very nicely done all. #lgbwiththet #LGBT

4/21/09

Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial: Pink Vibrator With Only Andrade's DNA Entered Into Evidence


Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial: Pink Vibrator With Only Andrade's DNA Entered Into Evidence
by: Autumn Sandeen Originally posted Tue Apr 21, 2009 at 07:22:00 AM EDT on Pam's House Blend. Reposted with permission from Autumn Sandeen in an our effort to to bring national attention to the murder trial of Allen Ray Andrade for the death of Angie Zapata.


When I was a teen, I acted shamefully. I had a friend, who's name was Brett, who I ended up shunning when he came out as a gay teen. I was a closeted trans person who's church -- I was raised a Pentecostal. I didn't want to hang out with my effeminate gay friend because I was afraid people would be able to tell I was trans -- or believe I was gay -- if I was seen in the company of a gay peer.


As many of us remember doing, some of us in the gay community go beyond shunning when we were in the closet -- we were homophobic and transphobic bullies. We were the ones who were the worst at calling individually out lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trans (LGBT) people, or gender variant people (effeminate males and masculine females) as "faggot," "fairy," "dyke," "it," and "that thing." Many of us, when we were closeted, were physically violent against those who were out as LGBT, or who were gender variant.

We were so often afraid of being discovered as LGBT ourselves that we called others names, and/or became physically violent to out LGBT individuals because we were afraid that if we were seen as not being bullies against out LGBT individuals and gender variant people, we would be discovered as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender ourselves.


In court yesterday, three things that I thought were very significant were entered into evidence. To me, these explain this crime is a way many in the LGBT community "get."


The first thing is that Allen Ray Andrade, according to his ex-girlfriend, was seen browsing the bisexual pages of the social networking website Mocospace.


The second thing is that hat Allen Ray Andrade, according to his ex-girlfriend, was a "snap cat" (or "snap cat"). He was called this because he was often quick to snap to anger. The ex-girlfriend also testified that he literally hit himself sometimes when he got angry at himself.


Lastly, a pink vibrator was entered into evidence that was collected from Angie Zapata's apartment. When DNA tested, only Allen Ray Andrade's unidentified DNA (as in it was with scientifically certainty that this was his DNA, but it wasn't as being his semen -- not sure identifiable as which part of the body the DNA came from), was on the vibrator. The defense was trying to argue that this could be "touch" DNA from someone who was particularly sweaty, but the DNA testing expert stated that "possible, but not probable." This is because of the amount of Andrade's DNA was on the pink vibrator.


Paraphrasing he DNA expert, she explained that her studies and experience in DNA that would lead her to a reading amount of 3.19 measuring units of DNA if he had put the pink vibrator in his mouth, but he had 19 point something units of measuring units of his DNA on the pink vibrator -- in other words, more than six times the DNA material expect if he had sucked on the pink vibrator. The Deputy DA who was questioning the DNA expert asked if this large amount of DNA could be explained by putting that pink vibrator up an anus, and the DNA expert said yes, this would be one of the ways one could expect to find that much DNA material on the a pink vibrator.


In other words, the Deputy DA was essentially making the case Andrade had sexually used the pink vibrator in his anus.


Today, we're going to hear a jailhouse telephone call between Allen Ray Andrade and his ex-girlfriend. In that phone call, he is going to be heard saying:


.............Gay things must die........

I go back to how I treated my friend Brett in high school. It was self-hate that motivated me to act homophobicly.


I'm only speculating, but it sounds like to me that we had a self-hater who killed someone whom he regretted that he spent time with. We in our community who have been in-the-closet homophobic bullies on the way to accepting our own sexual orientation, or own gender identity, know what that this not only is possible, but in this case probably probable.


By circumstantial evidence, the prosecution is showing that he went to traffic court on July 15th, 2008 with Angie -- the day before he admittedly killed Angie. He allegedly heard the court refer to Angie by her male name approximately 36-hours before he killed her.


And, we heard the testimony last Friday that Angie's sister Monica literally saw Angie "always" out herself to strangers -- especially male strangers that were hitting on her. Frankly, Angie was young and gorgeous, so she was hit on "a lot" by men. And yet, she had the habit of outing herself to men.



In my mind...by my speculation...this wasn't a crime of passion. Allen Ray Andrade very likely knew Angie was trans many hours -- more than a day -- before he admittedly killed her. It looks to me that a publicly homophobic, closeted gay or bisexual man killed a woman he saw as trans and gay because he didn't want to be identified as gay himself. In my mind, this reads as a crime of angry regret instead of a crime of passion. The gay panic, trans panic strategy that Andrade's defense is using seems to me to be a convenient ruse to violently attempt to hide his own sexuality. This would be no excuse for killing Angie -- the young woman that he, after admittedly killing her, referred to as "it."


Not he, not she, but "it."

So, let me backtrack a bit -- back to my story about Brett.


Brett, if you're reading this piece, I'm so sorry. So, so, very sorry. I was a closeted, homophobic fool. I regret so deeply being an emotional bully to you -- just so I wouldn't be discovered as a gender variant, trans person. It's my greatest regret in life -- shunning you. You were my friend, and yet I behaved so wrongly to you. I'm so, so very sorry.

Original post found at Pam's House Blend by Autumn Sandeen :: Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial: Pink Vibrator With Only Andrade's DNA Entered Into Evidence


10/28/08

India's police response to LGBT activists cries for mercy “Stop us if you can.”

According to the Human Rights Watch there is a crisis in India's Girinagar neighborhood of Bangalore. GLBT activists are being detained without being allowed to rest, access to food, water or the use of bathrooms. GLBT activists are being verbally, physically and sexually assaulted by police.

On October 20, 2008, police arrested five hijras (working-class, male-to-female, transgender people), detained representatives of a nongovernmental organization trying to negotiate their release, and subsequently attacked a group of peaceful demonstrators protesting the arrests. A total of 42 people were detained. The negotiators later informed Human Rights Watch that police officials told them higher-level authorities had ordered a campaign to arrest hijras on serious charges.

The response by police is "Stop us if you can"

We will stop you.
Girinagar Police Station phone 6721016

bangalore police stations

Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations
235 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017
Telephone: (212) 490-9660/9661/9662/9663/9664/9665
Telefax: (212) 490-9656/9658
E-mail: india@un.int, indiaun@prodigy.net

8/12/08

Stonewall Democrates proposed party platform to be brought to Denver


The Stonewall Democrats were in Pittsburgh this weekend to work with members of the Democratic Platform Committee as we pressed for - and passed - the most pro-LGBT proposed platform in Democratic Party history.

Here is what the proposed platform calls for:
- A united, comprehensive strategy on ENDA that includes both sexual orientation and gender identity.

- An end to the failed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy

- Security in adoption rights for all caring parents

- More inclusive Census reporting

- Passage of Hate Crimes legislation

- A National HIV/AIDS strategy

- Opposition to the "Defense of Marriage Act" and similar initiatives

- Opposition to voter ID laws which unfairly target transgender voters

Those are just some of the policy areas addressed. More importantly, for the first time the platform amends the Democratic Party's description of family to include same-sex couples. This enables Democrats to reflect their commitment to pro-equality positions in host of areas including health care, retirement, family care and medical decisions.

In just two weeks, Stonewall Democrats will gather with LGBT delegates from across the country at the Democratic National Convention. There, we will show delegates, party operatives and elected officials how our inclusive platform translates into a winning strategy and successful public policy. Through briefings, press events and lobby visits, our members and delegates will use this opportunity to push our party forward to victory in November. But, we need your help to make that happen.

You've seen our success this summer. The largest number of LGBT delegates in history. The most pro-LGBT party platform ever. Strong statements from our candidates on issues of equality.

Take this moment to keep our momentum going. Don't let it stop in these closing weeks of summer. We need your support to push our efforts through August and on to victory in November.

Please take a moment and click the post title to donate towards the political success of our community in its bid to include a fair representation of all LGBT concerns in the national agenda.