A Curious Eye

Do you know what each color of the rainbow flag represents? Did you know that the Stonewall Inn was owned by the Mob at the time of the revolutionary riots in 1969?

At least 24 LGBT community leaders and activists have signed on to the following statement in support of Bradley Manning as a Pride grand marshal.

The queer Army intelligence officer won’t be able to attend because he’s been in prison for three years for his role in the Wikileaks scandal.

When we fail to honor, respect and celebrate our community’s diversity, the enemy is us. Last year, a troubling story came to my attention, a story that illustrates the perils of becoming too concerned with acceptability by heterosexual standards and conforming to so-called family values.

After receiving over1000 signatures on her petitionto have MUMC fly the Transgender Flag at Harvey Milk Plaza for Transgender Day of Remembrance, Veronika Fimbres has received approval from MUMC to fly the flag on November 20th. MUMC will also be organizing a committee to reassess their flag policy after the first of the year.

According to Fimbres, an anonymous benefactor is paying for the Castro’s first Transgender Flag which will measure 20′ by 30′.

The iconic flag pole at Market and Castro in Harvey Milk Plaza that flies the rainbow Pride flag, the Bear Flag and the Leather Pride flag is administered by our local business association, the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro. It is a private membership organization that holds it’s monthly meetings in private.

In early September, a local, black, trans, HIV-positive woman named Veronika Fimbres submitted written and verbal requests to the MUMC to fly the Transgender Pride flag for Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th.

TDOR is a day to honor and pay respect to all of the transgender victims of violence, harassment and prejudice around the world. The MUMC responded to her request on Monday in writing saying,

“The MUMC Board has thoroughly reviewed, discussed and considered the request, and we appreciate your patience while that was done. The request is not approved and there will be no change in the Rainbow Flag display on November 20.”

Keep reading at Back2Stonewall.com

The Supreme Court of Russia has ruled that the “gay propaganda” law passed in St. Petersburg earlier this year is constitutional, but carved out narrow guidelines for how it can be applied. According to the ruling, it can only be enforced against direct appeals to minors to engage in homosexual activity, meaning that gay pride parades, gay rights demonstrations, and basic education about sexual orientation are all still legal. Since its passage, the law has been used to arrest participants in pride parades. A similar law is advancing in Ukraine’s legislature.

As part of the culture of this wondrous city, I have met people of many different sexual identities.  The thing I admire most about the LGBTQ community is how proud they are.  A sign I saw for LGBTQ rights included the phrase, “Out, loud, and proud!” and I found it incredible appropriate.  More than once, I have met a gay man and learned if he is a “top” or “bottom” during sex within the same conversation.  I don’t mean to generalize or stereotype because certainly not everyone so flamboyantly wears their sexualities on their sleeves, but more often than not, some kind of bold sense of self-awareness is present.  If someone identifies as gay, that means they have already had to “come out” to declare their sexuality.  Because of this, they exude a certain kind of confidence about who they are.  We need to be educated about ourselves in aVagina Monologuessort of way—verbalize it, sing it, scream it.  Sex, sexuality, our private parts are there for a reason.  Why not talk about it, be educated about it, and be proud of it?

Being heterosexual, you don’t have to explain or declare to anyone why you’re attracted to the opposite sex.  Because there is never a need for this verbal announcement, I think a lot of people still feel uncomfortable talking about what goes on with their “private parts.”  What heterosexual people need to learn from the LGBTQ community is that sex should not be a taboo topic.  We all know what goes on behind closed doors, so don’t ignore it: celebrate it.  Isn’t that what Pride is all about?

Keep reading at InOurWordsBlog.com