Anthony Woods to Attend Stonewall Event in Stockton
The Central Valley Stonewall Democratic Club (CVSDC) is honored to announce that national LGBT activist and Iraq veteran Anthony Woods will deliver the keynote address at their annual Carnival fundraiser. In 2008, Woods’s life was changed forever when he refused to live a life of lies and was discharged from the U.S. military. Mr. Woods impressed media pundits and the political elite with his East Bay ’08 congressional campaign, inspiring a grassroots movement that motivated the online, progressive, and youth communities. While former Attorney General and Central Valley native John Garamendi won the election, Woods continues to advocate in support of a rational policy towards gays serving in the military and common-sense civil rights equality.
Locally, Renée Hall of Stockton is one of many local residents discharged and denied the right to defend her homeland. “To serve and protect our nation is a great honor and a responsibility that I took very seriously. It’s unfortunate that some of militaries best men and women are denied the right to serve.” In a 2009 interview, Mr. Woods concurred, “We’re a country fighting two wars, having trouble recruiting, yet we want to turn away some of our most talented, most well-trained soldiers?”
CVSDC President Martina Virrey shares, “2010 is a year of discussion for the Central Valley and the LGBT community. We need to better understand why 67 percent of voters in Stanislaus County and 65 percent of voters in San Joaquin County voted against civil rights equality [Proposition 8, 2008]. At the same time, we need to remind family, friends, and neighbors that we don’t exist to deny or fight religious or cultural beliefs; we are simply asking not to be treated as second-class U.S. citizens.”
Date: Saturday, February 6, 2010
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Location: Bertha Knowles Auditorium, University Park
City/Town: Stockton, CA
Cost: $35 per person
To RSVP or purchase tickets for Carnival 2010, visit www.cvstonewall.org or call (209) 973-9038.
“This Saturday night a benefit show for the Matthew Shepard Foundation”
I hope the Central Valley comes and supports this very good foundation. Not only will it show that the Central Valley cares, but it will also show unity among all gay and lesbians, in the whole world that we do care about others not just ourselves. So please come support Empress 36 of San Diego and friends to raise money for a wonderful foundation all money that is raised will be given to the Matthew Shepard foundation. Hope to see you all there!!!!! 
Quote of the Week
Via Queerty:
“If you can tell me that heterosexual couples are able to feel and live with love more deeply than two people of the same sex (and substantiate your case) – I’ll suck your dick on national television. Now, before you get all hot about the blowjob, I get to counter you arguments. I will introduce you to Amy and Cindiman, Cheryl and Kate, Elisa and Megan. These are six women I’m very lucky to have in my life – and they’re lesbians.” —Blogger Erika Napoletano’s very special offer to Andrew Pugno, general legal counsel for ProtectMarriage.com who donated $35k to support Prop 8. Which is the appropriate non-emotional response for the guy who claims “nearly all of the [Perry] testimony has been strictly an emotional appeal to the court with testimony that, though moving, doesn’t relate to the legal issues.”
LGBTQ Scholarships Available
The eQuality Scholarship Collaborative awards scholarships to honor and encourage northern and central California students for their service to the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender community. Scholarships of $2,000 and $5,000 may be used for post-secondary education at approved institutions – colleges, universities, and trade schools. Some of the scholarships are specifically for nursing or medical school. Applications are due by February 16,2010.
For complete information, see eQuality Scholarship Collaborative.
LGBTQIA Conference- It Takes a Rainbow: Bridging the Mountains to the Bay 2010
Hello Everyone! I just wanted to let you all know about a wonderful even coming up at University of the Pacific in Stockton on Saturday, February 20. It’s an annual LGBTQIA conference called “It Takes a Rainbow: Bridging the Mountains to the Bay”. Yours truly, with the help of one of my colleagues, will be delivering a sexual assault prevention presentation as part of the conference’s schedule of events. The conference will also feature other informational sessions as well as featured speaker, Peter Paige, from “Queer As Folk” and entertainment from the lovely Miss Coco Peru. It should be an amazing day full of education and fun! You have until January 30 to register for the event for $20, and after that, registration will cost $30. Here is the link to the website for the event:
Hope to see you all there!
Lawsuits Abound
Recently California’s gay grassroots organization, Courage Campaign, decided to have a little fun with Protect Marriage by redesigning their “Yes on 8 – Protect Marriage” logo featuring your typical man, wife, kid 1, kid 1.5, into the icon for Courage Campaign’s Prop 8 Trial Tracker:
As you might expect Protect Marriage ain’t too happy about this – apparently it offends their heteronormative sensibilities – and sent Courage Campaign a cease and desist letter for what is clearly a fair use and derivative work. Oh copyright law, how you never cease to make things more interesting.
Help for Haiti
So if you haven’t heard already there is a great way to help the relief efforts in Haiti. You can simply text “Haiti” to 90999 on your cell phone and a $10 donation will be made to the Red Cross on your behalf and put on your cell phone bill. We just wanted to pass this information along. Kudos to the NFL for posting this information during every playoff game this weekend.
Sexual assult does not cause homosexuality
I have been working with victims of sexual assault and domestic violence for three years now, not only in California, but also in Texas. Throughout my time in this field, I have heard hundreds of stories of people’s struggles and what they have had to overcome as victims and survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Though every story is unique and powerful in its own right, it is impossible to remember every single one. One story, however, has stood out to me over the years. A teenage girl told me her story about the many times she had been sexually assaulted in her lifetime. The first time she was sexually assaulted was when she was five years old. She was forced to perform oral sex on her babysitter (who was also female). As shocking as this story was, it was not the story that had such an impact on me; it was that she told me that this sexual assault was the reason she believed she was a lesbian. I immediately had to tell her that being homosexual is never the result of such a horrific act, but it is who one is born to make spiritual and emotional connections with. What happened to this young girl and what happens to so many out there are forced acts. They are the result of abhorrent individuals wanting power and control over a more vulnerable human being. Sexual assault and rape are not the same as sex. Sex is a consensual act, an act of give and take that all parties involved want. Though this was the first time I had heard such a story, it has not since been the last. There are so many in the LGBT community who have had experienced similar things and share similar sentiments. The important thing to remember is sexual assault and rape are never the victim’s fault, and they certainly do not cause homosexuality. As always, The Women’s Center is here if you need help. Until next time!
The Women’s Center of San Joaquin County: (209) 941-2611
Round 3! Fight!
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Today marks the first day in federal court for Perry v Schwarzenegger. Which of course also means there were a bunch of queers protesting outside the courthouse.
I could delve into some of the back story but there’s an excellent piece in the New Yorker that does a much better job of providing exposition and context than I ever could so go read that instead.
This is the official opening of Prop 8: Round 3 so stay tuned for details, as I’m sure it’s going to be a hot story for the next while.
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Today in Self-Contradiction
“I hope this is just an example of Mr Downey’s black sense of humour. It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future. I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books.”
—Andrea Plunket, who holds the US copyright to the literary Holmes saga
I’m sorry but homoeroticism is effing everywhere in literature. Sure the Narrator and Tyler Durden in Fight Club may not be getting it on in the background but you can’t deny the bromance there. Likewise with Sherlock plus Rachel McAdams’ character is the closest thing I’ve seen to a fag hag in a period piece ever. Also: she’s not hostile to homosexual she just doesn’t want them on-screen or in any way associated with her whatsoever? Bitch, please.
As for the most recent incarnation of the book it’s pretty good. Holmes, as played by Robert Downey Jr., seems to have three skills: drinking, conducting science experiments whilst drinking and punching real good (again while drinking). Plus him and Jude Law do have pretty good chemistry, homoerotic or not, and the wisecracking is pretty enjoyable. Granted the movie itself doesn’t stay too true to the book but the upside of having a movie is that action scenes are much more enjoyable in moving picture form then they are in text, so I’m willing to forgive Ritchie for the artistic license.
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