Queer Stockton

In the grand history of regressive social policy pushed by the GOP this is a real keeper: The State Attorney General for Virgina issued a letter recently to universities and colleges which, in part, read:

It is my advice that the law and public policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia prohibit a college or university from including ’sexual orientation,’ ‘gender identity,’ ‘gender expression,’ or like classification as a protected class within its non-discrimination policy absent specific authorization from the General Assembly.

So basically it’s alright to discriminate against those queers and social deviants because the legislature hasn’t said anything yet. Disregard your own moral codes or the executive order issued by the previous, Democratic governor because there’s a new sheriff in town and that stuff doesn’t matter anymore.

Give me a break.

Cross-posted at Can’t Win for Losing.

The Haggin Museum, located at 1201 N. Pershing Ave in Stockton, California is hosting guitarist George Benson with Sacramento jazz artist Steve Holman this Thursday, March 4th. So come out, enjoy the music, the art and the history with a glass of free wine! The performances begin at 7:00 p.m. and complimentary drinks and light refreshments will be provided.

So go visit them this Thursday and let them know Queer Stockton sent you. Oh and have some wine for us, cause free wine is something no good queer can pass up!

The San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF), the annual flagship festival of the San Joaquin Film Society and California Central Valley’s most prestigious festival of cinema, is: a showcase of new, innovative, and award-winning works from emerging talents and seasoned artists from the Americas and the World. The 3rd San Joaquin International Film Festival takes place February 18-27, 2010 in the home base of Stockton and two days in Modesto.

SJIFF3 will feature:

• New independent American and International films
• Cultural and national focuses
• Educational programs, interactive

discussions, and film arts classes

• Guest celebrities, entertainment luminaries, and filmmakers from around the nation and the world
• Festive receptions and parties
• Diverse programs for all ages

As February’s most anticipated cultural arts and entertainment event in the Valley, SJIFF3 brings in a multifarious group of people from the home base of the Stockton-San Joaquin region, with audiences from the Sacramento Valley, Stanislaus-Fresno Counties, the Great San Francisco-Bay Area, and Southern California. In addition, expected guests will be flying in from around the world, along with media exposure, news, reviews, and information broadcasted in various formats near and far.

For tickets and more information, please call (209) 423-4719

Via.

Don’t forget the LGBTQIA conference at University of Pacific this Saturday. Here’s the rundown of what’s going to be happening:

The LGBTQIA Conference at University of the Pacific promises to offer one of the most robust programs ever seen in the central valley, or anywhere, with workshops on the history and philosophy behind the Gay Games (from a participant in the 2006 Chicago Gay Games!); a talk on race and sexuality called Leviticus Faggot: Being Black and Gay; as well as presentations on Defining the Difference Between a Hate Crime and a Hate Incident; Your Value and Place with Community PRIDE Centers; We Are Family! Adding children to the mix; Between the Mountains and the Bay: Rural Activism; PFLAG-Support for All; The T is Not Silent: Coming Out Transgender; HIV 101; Politics in Contemporary Lesbian Fiction; Spiritual Not Religious; Building a State of Equality; Sexual Assault/Rape Prevention and three films: Were the World Mine (2008); Fish Out of Water (2009) and Two Spirits (2009).

Registration is $30, includes meals and t-shirt, keynote by Queer as Folk actor Peter Paige and performance by Miss Coco Peru! Register online at http://lgbtqia.pacific.edu

Hate crimes are criminal actions intended to harm or intimidate people because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or other minority group status.  Rape and other forms of sexual assault are often used as tools to perpetuate hate crimes.  This is something that has been occurring in our country for hundreds of years.  In the 1800’s, the KKK often raped African-American women.  This is important to the LGBTQ population because approximately 10% of hate crimes toward the community involve sexual assault.  These numbers are most likely higher as many sexual assaults are not reported, and it is sometimes difficult to discern whether a person is being attacked because they are a lesbian/transgender woman, or just because they are women. There is often a pre-conceived notion with lesbians that they can be “changed” by their attacker. Just a year ago, a lesbian woman in Richmond, CA was gang-raped by four males in her car, driven to another location, and was raped again before being left naked and battered in an apartment complex.  She was said to have been targeted for displaying a rainbow symbol on her car, and throughout her attack, her assailants yelled anti-gay slurs at her.  Being raped or sexually assaulted causes severe psychological distress in its own right, but evidence has shown that LGBTQ victims of hate crimes report more symptoms of depression and traumatic stress than victims of any other crime.  Hate crimes are not just crimes against an individual, but against a whole community of people.  Please do not be afraid to step forward for fear of being judged.  As always, The Women’s Center is here to help. (209) 941-2611

When the whole “hiking the Appalachian trail” story broke out, I felt a tremendous amount of sympathy for Jenny Sanford, the wife of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. The sordid and private details of her life splayed across the headlines for all to see. Having to watch her children bear the brunt of it. The very public and painful separation. So on and so forth.

Except now  all my sympathy has gone out the window. In particular because of this little tidbit from, you guessed it, her upcoming book:

Jenny Sanford, wife of  South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, says her husband insisted before their marriage on removing from their wedding vows the clause promising to be faithful.

Two things come immediately to mind: 1.Only in America can you make a serious effort to capitalize on your personal misfortune by making the media circuit after cramming out a memoir in year and 2. If the person you’re marrying refuses to utter vows of fidelity when you get married I don’t know how shocked you can get when you find out he’s cheating on you…

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.