LGBT: Blog of New Orleans, Gambit

House committee strikes down bill banning discrimination of gay state workers

Alex Woodward — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:20:02 -0500

Louisiana's House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs failed to pass a bill which would "prohibit discrimination in state employment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression."

Authored by State Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, who in 2011 introduced a bill to protect gay students from bullying, House Bill 85 would allow gay state employees who were discriminated against to appeal to the state Civil Service Commission. Current law allows discrimination appeals based on discrimination of political beliefs, sex or race and, provides for hearings and decisions in those cases.…

Not Enough Fest kicks off tonight at The Big Top

Alex Woodward — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:30:00 -0500

Making its debut tonight, along with seven brand new bands, is Not Enough Fest, a production of No More Fiction. Since 2009, the group has supported and produced LGBTQ and feminist punk rock and DIY bands with shows typically benefiting local nonprofits.…

And then there were four: Sen. Landrieu among Senate Democrats opposing same-sex marriage

Alex Woodward — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:55:00 -0500

Last month, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu addressed her position on same sex marriage as the U.S Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. U.S. Senate Democrats had only a handful of marriage equality opponents — Landrieu among them.…

Southern Rep to stage reading of Dustin Lance Black's 8

Will Coviello — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:26:00 -0500

Playwright and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black's work 8 will be given a staged reading at the Civic Theatre Sunday, April 21 at 7 p.m. The reading is presented by Southern Rep and the Forum For Equality.…

Y@ Speak: A very gay Easter

Lauren LaBorde — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:42:00 -0500

I told you it was the Gay Easter Parade! Awesome!…
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Steve Gleason, Scott Shanle and other athletes announce support for marriage equality

Alex Woodward — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:15:02 -0500

Minnesota Viking Chris Kluwe and Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo announced a long list of supporters co-signing a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting marriage equality and challenging California's Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage.

In a statement, former New Orleans Saint Scott Fujita said, "Football is a macho sport, but we've found many players to be accepting.…

Michelle Shocked to discuss anti-gay comments on Internet radio

Kevin Allman — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:26:00 -0500

UPDATE: Shocked has released a statement to Fox News, which says in part, "When I said… ‘Michelle Shocked says God hates f**s,’ I was predicting the absurd way my description of, my apology for, the intolerant would no doubt be misinterpreted. But I am damn sorry.…

Report: Michelle Shocked tells concert audience "God hates fags," denounces same-sex marriage

Kevin Allman — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:28:00 -0500

Folk singer and former New Orleans resident Michelle Shocked created a firestorm at a San Francisco concert last night when she delivered a homophobic tirade from the stage, according to observers:

The crowd had come, presumably, to hear songs like “Come a Long Way” and “On the Greener Side,” which got airplay on MTV back in the day. (“Greener Side” was even up for a VMA against Madonna’s “Vogue.”)

Instead they were treated to a tirade that allegedly included Shocked announcing “God hates fags.”

Matt Penfield, who was live-tweeting the show from onstage called her rant, delivered during her second set, “totally sincere [and] super anti-gay and hateful.”

We’re still trying to get the full text of her speech, but apparently she told fans “you can go on twitter and say Michelle Shocked said ‘God hates fags.’”

Another Twitter user posted that Shocked “said she lives in fear that the world will be destroyed if gays are allowed to marry.”

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New survey suggests Baton Rouge one of nation's worst cities for LGBT protection

Kevin Allman — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 20:31:00 -0600

Members of the Baton Rouge LGBT community are raising questions about the “2012 Municipal Equality Index,” a new report from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

The HRC, the country’s largest LGBT advocacy organization, gathered data on more than 100 U.S. metro areas on their laws and policies regarding gays and lesbians, and presented each city with a score from 0 to 100.…

Chick-fil-A strongly supported by East Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce

Kevin Allman — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:51:07 -0500

Dan Cathy, president of the fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A, made news last month when he told the Baptist Press that the company supported “the Biblical definition of the family unit” — in other words, that it opposed same-sex marriage legislation. Some Democratic mayors, including Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel and Boston’s Thomas Menino, issued statements they would oppose the chicken chain’s expansion in their cities (the legal justification behind such a move wasn’t spelled out, though the mayors got the press they sought).…

Rep. Jeff Landry's stand on LGBT issues criticized by his brother

Kevin Allman — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:39:00 -0500

This fall, Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, will be facing off against fellow Rep. Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, in the race for the newly carved-out Third Congressional District seat. Landry, a freshman who’s a favorite of the Tea Party wing of the GOP, has shown a knack for grabbing national headlines, whether it’s referring to the U.S. Department of the Interior as “the Gestapo” or holding up a sign reading DRILLING = JOBS during President Barack Obama’s September 2011 address to Congress.…

HIV rates in the South the subject of Dan Rather program

Alex Woodward — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:47:00 -0500

In this week's Gambit, I look at women's health organization Women with a Vision as it recovers from an arson at its office in Mid-City.

One of Women with a Vision's primary focuses is HIV education and prevention, and its executive director Deon Haywood is a guest at this year's International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C.…

New Orleans Pride Week starts today

Will Coviello — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:30:00 -0500

New Orleans Pride Week kicks off today with the screening of Vito at the Contemporary Arts Center, sponsored by the New Orleans Film Society. The week-long celebration includes another film screening, book signings, parties, family events, including Family Day in Washington Square (1 p.m.-5 p.m.…

Film Society screens Vito and Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same

Will Coviello — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 17:59:58 -0500

The New Orleans Film Society screens two films in conjunction with NOLA Pride Week. Vito screens at 7 p.m.…

Production company seeks gay dads for reality show

Lauren LaBorde — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:28:57 -0500

We know about the reality show that aspires to be the real-life Will & Grace, and now another series wanting to be the unscripted version of a show about hilarious gay people is in the works. World of Wonder Productions, the same production company behind Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys (the aforementioned Will & Grace-esque series), is working on a show called My Modern Family that wants to be — you guessed it — the reality TV version of the ABC hit Modern Family.…

Y@ Speak: Post-Jazz Fest depression edition

Lauren LaBorde — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:34:51 -0500

What a weird, sad week! Besides feeling devoid of energy and purpose after two weekends of Jazz Fest, this week was replete with many sad and confusing moments.…

Obama endorses same-sex marriage

Kevin Allman — Wed, 09 May 2012 14:41:40 -0500

In an interview this afternoon with ABC News' Robin Roberts, President Barack Obama said his position on same-sex marriage is no longer evolving, and with one very long sentence, Obama became the first sitting president to endorse same-sex marriage:

"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married."

On Sunday's Meet the Press, Vice President Joe Biden also expressed his support of both same-sex marriage and the sitcom Will and Grace.

In 2004, Louisiana voted to amend its Constitution to explicitly say marriage is "the union of one man and one woman."…

NO/AIDS Task Force to open center on St. Claude Avenue

Alex Woodward — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:00:00 -0500

The NO/AIDS Task force, a longtime presence in the fight against HIV/AIDS in southeast Louisiana, will open a new HIV prevention office, funded through a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dubbed The Movement (4005 St. Claude Ave.), the community center will feature HIV prevention activities for young black gay/bisexual men between the ages of 13 and 29.…

"Bully bill" pulled from Legislature

Alex Woodward — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:08:35 -0500

State Rep. Pat Smith, D-Baton Rouge, sponsored House Bill 407, which proposed strengthening existing anti-bullying legislation for Louisiana schools. It included language meant to protect all children, with a clearer definition of bullying, and would require schools to train faculty to identify bullying in and out of the classroom.…

Bully documentary will be released unrated and unedited

Alex Woodward — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:55:15 -0500

In this week's Gambit, I look at proposed anti-bullying legislation — and speak with families of bullied teenagers, some who killed themselves after constant torment from classmates, in school and online. Most recently, 17-year-old Louisiana student Tesa Middlebrook was found hanging from her school's bleachers on March 2, a school day, hours after her death — her family insists she was driven to suicide from relentless bullying, and demands answers from the school and the authorities.…

Lesbian daughter = "Katrina hitting New Orleans"

Kevin Allman — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:19:23 -0500

By now we've all heard plenty of bizarre Hurricane Katrina-related similes, metaphors and comparisons, but this was a new one on me.

It seems Minnesotans will vote in November on a Louisiana-style constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and a group called the Public Insight Network is gathering voter opinions and putting them on YouTube. That's the background of this clip from a fellow named Mark Hayes:

"My response to one of my daughters being a lesbian would be — would be a lot like Katrina hitting New Orleans."

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Ellen DeGeneres, Bill O'Reilly, One Million Moms ... and the Metairie JC Penney

Kevin Allman — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:51:00 -0600

Last week we told you about One Million Moms, a group that was threatening to boycott JC Penney because the store has hired Ellen DeGeneres to appear in its commercials — and, you know, she's gay. (DeGeneres, a New Orleans native, has mentioned her first job was at the JC Penney in Metairie.)…

Group threatens JCPenney boycott because of Ellen DeGeneres

Kevin Allman — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:36:00 -0600

So native New Orleanian Ellen DeGeneres is now the new spokesperson for JCPenney:

"One of my first jobs was at a jcpenney in Metairie, Louisiana. You know what — I don't think I ever clocked out on my last day.…
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HUD announces ruling against LGBT discrimination

Alex Woodward — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:01 -0600

Following this month's conference of U.S. mayors announcing support for the Freedom to Marry initiative, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week announced new provisions to "ensure that its core housing programs are open to all eligible persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."

HUD secretary Shaun Donovan said "the Obama Administration has viewed the fight for equality on behalf of the LGBT community as a priority and I’m proud that HUD has been a leader in that fight. With this historic rule, the Administration is saying you cannot use taxpayer dollars to prevent Americans from choosing where they want live on the basis sexual orientation or gender identity — ensuring that HUD’s housing programs are open, not to some, not to most, but to all.”

Provisions to protect LGBT communities in public housing previously only fell into the Fair Housing Act's considerations.…

Jonathan Vilma Twitter drama: "Grown men should NOT hav female tendencies. Period."

Kevin Allman — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:22:00 -0600

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma stirred up some Twitter drama Wednesday night when he posted this:

Well, OK. Apparently this particular Saints fan has some explaining to do:

Under the jump: some reactions, and Vilma explains he wasn't targeting gay men, but rather straight guys with "female tendencies" ...

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