Join the Wait... What?! Campaign today, and stand up for equal rights!
Did you know your friends can be fired in 29 states, just for being gay? Surprised? So are lots of folks; equal rights are farther from reality than many of us would like to believe.
Today is the annual celebration of National Coming Out Day. Thousands of people across the country are standing up for their gay friends’ rights. You can add your voice by turning astonishment into action.
Through viral sharing on Facebook and Twitter, thousands of new voices will chime in to bring attention to equal rights issues like employment and housing discrimination. The movement has made great strides over the past year, year with the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the passing of the marriage equality bill in New York, but there’s still much more to be done!
Friendfactor Founder Brian Elliot explains the campaign like this:
Not everyone realizes the full extent to which their gay friends are not equal: they can legally be fired and evicted in 29 states just for being gay. In 32 states, there’s zero protection from the law when gay friends are bullied. My straight friends are shocked when they learn these things, and we know other straight friends will be too. We believe there’s a tremendous opportunity to engage these friends and accelerate the pace of change for their gay friends.
With one share on Facebook or Twitter, you can join the team of celebrities — including Adam Lambert, Ke$ha, Cyndi Lauper, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Joan Rivers, Margaret Cho and Wendy Williams — who are standing up.
The Friendfactor blog may have been quiet this week, but the world of gay news certainly was not! (We promise, the radio silence will be worth it… keep an ear out in early October… ) Here’s your weekly cheat-sheet to catch you up for the weekend. In this edition: mostly stuff about TV. But lots of different kinds of TV!
Sports fans with gay friends can do a mighty big wave for this story: The NFL has added language to their anti-discrimination policy to protect folks from harassment based on sexual orientation! The league has made the move quietly, slipping the new protection in with the slew of other changes that came at the end of a collective bargaining marathon in the past few weeks. Homophobia in sports is, unfortunately, a pretty widespread problem. So we’re glad to see such an influential group taking steps to say it won’t be tolerated. Did you know there are currently no out, gay professional athletes in football, basketball, hockey or baseball in the US? Maybe this move will change things.
It’s hard to peg him as the comicbook king of controversy, but we’re about to see the third (third!) Archie wedding to make waves in recent news: the series’ gay character, Kevin, will be getting married after returning home as a war hero.
Interestingly, there hasn’t yet been any huge public outcry against the portrayal of a happy, healthy fictional gay character. Most of the news coverage seems to be hedging on the question of whether there will be controversy:
After a pair of straight weddings — both strangely involving Archie, though in his dreams — drew national attention, the publisher behind the popular stories has confirmed that it’s making room for someone else to walk down the aisle: Kevin Keller, the series’ first openly-gay character.
“Kevin followed in his father’s footsteps and is returning to Riverdale as a war hero, but that’s not all – It’s Kevin’s wedding day!” reads a news release from Archie Comic Publications, promoting an upcoming issue of “Life With Archie.”
In this offshoot series, which runs glimpse-into-the-future storylines based on the lives of Archie, Betty and Veronica, readers soon will be able to discover how Kevin met “Mr. Right.”
Archie holds a place of nostalgic Americana for many of us; I’ve seen both my mother and sixteen year-old sister reach for the latest double digest in the check-out line at the supermarket. Keeping in mind the changing attitudes of the country and growing acceptance of gay couples, it only makes sense to include this storyline in the wholesome series.
One could argue the gay character Kevin has a moral leg up on old Archie himself, who just can’t seem to settle down with one girl! Kevin’s will be one Archie wedding without the typical Maryanne/Ginger factious fighting — we can all get behind it. No controversy here, folks: look to every other Archie comic for that.
Take Action: Like this post as a reminder to buy the Archie wedding comic for someone you love! America supports Archie’s gay friend, just like all our other gay friends.
Words we never thought we’d read in the same sentence: Dick Cheney Gay Marriage Advocate. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as such a surprise; attitudes about gay rights are (to borrow a term from president Obama) “evolving” faster than any equal rights issue in the nation’s history, by some estimations. It was only a few months ago that support for marriage for gay couples inched over the line of becoming a majority position. A new AP Poll is now putting support at 53% across the U.S.
It’s not hard, with a little bit of empathy, to understand why marriage is so important to gay couples. The issue has been a political wedge for decades, but we’re seeing a heartening shift in the public dialogue: in the clip below, the Cheneys don’t talk about marriage in the abstract. They talk about their daughter, Mary, and her partner and children. As we continue to recognize that gay issues are really about the lives of gay people, more hearts and minds will change, paving the way for the legal equality we so desperately need.
What I see here are two loving parents and grandparents who have put politics aside because they see something more important happening. And what’s more, Cheney makes it clear that he hasn’t abandoned his ideology: for him, marriage equality is about the essential freedom all Americans are entitled to. A gesture like this has amazing potential to help this issue rise above partisan lines; if Dick Cheney can come out in support of marriage for gay couples, what’s preventing the rest of us?
Take Action: Share this post and video with your friends — let’s celebrate our culture changing to embrace marriage for all, and help the 44% still opposed see all we’re asking them to support is freedom and the gay people they already care about!
As we discussed last week, marriage for gay couples is an incredibly important issue in the gay rights movement in the USA. Not only does marriage confer more than 1,100 rights and protections, it allows our gay friends to participate fully in one of the most recognizable and important ceremonies in our adult lives. You have an opportunity to make a difference for North Carolina gay marriage laws, today.
Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook, has joined with his fiancé Sean Eldridge in pledging to donate $10 for every person who “likes” Equality NC’s Facebook page by Tuesday, up to $10k.
"Like" Equality NC to protect North Carolina gay marriage laws now!
The money will go to help Equality NC fight the marriage amendment, which [Hughes] says “is bad for business, bad for the perception of my home state on the national stage, and a far cry from job-creating legislation that North Carolina lawmakers should be focused on.”
Hughes’ letter says he knows what it’s like to grow up different in a small Southern town and that this legislation “will only perpetuate this stigma for a new generation of creative, talented youth, uninterested in second-class citizenship in a state they call home.
As The New York Times notes, NC is the lone standout in the Southeast without a constitutional ban on marriage for gay couples. In reality, the constitutional ban would only truly server as salt in a wound — state law already prohibits North Carolina gay marriage. Taking it to the constitutional level only further solidifies the legislating of discrimination. The state is widely considered more gay-friendly than others in the region, leading activists in the area to bring particularly vocal opposition to the proposed ban.
Take Action: “Like” Equality NC’s Facebook page now, and share this article so your friends can do the same. We only have til Tuesday, and a few seconds of your time can make a real difference for friends in North Carolina.
Gay marriage: you’ve read about it. Probably more than most other gay issues. Here’s why.
Gay or straight, we’ve all been brought up to understand that marriage is a central moment in our lives. Some folks may reject that premise in adulthood – and more power to them – but for a lot of us marriage is a major milestone, a change in identity to being a married person rather than still, in some sense, single. I’d put money down that you’ve put at least a little bit of thought into what your wedding might be like. Yes, you. But on top of all this cultural and spiritual meaning, marriage is an important legal status. Being married affects more parts of your life than you can shake a stick (or bouquet) at.
The freedom to marry is a big, big legal disparity to tackle for gay couples, but there are also lots of other incredibly pressing things that need to change in order for gay and straight folks to be equal under the law. This other stuff – employment discrimination, lack of housing protections, and second freedom from violence to name just a few – is vital for the health and well-being of gay Americans, and groups around the country are fighting for equality. Gay marriage is news largely because it’s an emotional issue. Love is a wonderful thing to rally around (getting fired for being gay is a real downer in comparison to potential weddings), plus there are 1,100 rights and protections associated with marriage. Your gay friends need them.
Marriage is the ultimate goal – not domestic partnerships or civil unions (more on these after the cut), and the Federal government and 44 states don’t recognize a gay couple’s right to marry. It has to change.
Imagine being half a decade past a difficult divorce. Imagine you’ve happily remarried, and finally feel you’re in a place to request a change in custody arrangements so you can spend more time with your kids. Now imagine a judge not only denying your request for more family time, but ruling that from now on your kids can’t be left alone with your new spouse, their legal step-father. This nightmare is happening to a gay dad, William Flowers, in Houston.
William and Jim were married on March 19 of last year in Connecticut, one of seven states which recognize same-sex unions. It was a second marriage for both.
When William and his ex-wife divorced in 2004, they agreed that their three children would live with her. Wanting to change the arrangement, William recently filed for custody in Harris County. A jury found that she should keep the kids, though his regular visitations would continue. Neither William nor his ex-wife alleged that the children had been abused or were in any danger of being abused.
Following the trial, Harris County Associate Judge Charley E. Prine, Jr. issued a ruling which included an injunction applicable only to William. It prohibits him from leaving his children alone with any male to whom the kids are not related by “blood or adoption.” So if, for example, William wants to visit his mother in the hospital (where she’s been for several weeks), he can’t leave his kids at home with his husband. As written, the injunction also prohibits male doctors, teachers and pastors from being alone with the children.
According to experts in Texan family law, this ruling is completely unheard of. There’s been no allegation of abuse on the part of any party. The judge didn’t even resort to similarly-ugly (but at least legal) measures such as a ban on romantic partners of a custodial parent being present after certain hours, which would have forced Jim to move out of his own house. And in case you missed it, this totally illogical ruling will essentially make it impossible for William to act as a father to his own children: he’ll never be able to be sure he isn’t leaving them alone with an adult male at school, the doctor’s office, or should he need a last-minute sitter. Unbelievable.
This is only one of a thousand ways in which DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), and the lack of coherent family law practices throughout the country, harm families and present opportunities to discriminate against gay couples. The salt on this wound is that William and Jim are legally married. But thanks to DOMA and a Texas law prohibiting recognition of unions performed elsewhere, that marriage means nothing in their home state. Stories like this leave every gay dad ajd mom in the US shivering in their boots.
Take Action: Share this story to raise awareness about the destructive effects of DOMA on families. And while you’re at it, check the Freedom Index to find out about the protections available to gay couples in your state.
We’re naming Jesse Tyler Ferguson gay best friend of the summer.
If you love Modern Family (and who doesn’t), surely you love Jesse Tyler Ferguson, gay actor playing a gay dad, as much as I do. That’s one ginger who knows how to make anxiety look fun – a skill your humble correspondent would do well to emulate. JTF is a particular star around Friendfactor HQ for headlining our Best. Wedding Gift. Ever. campaign. His short video helped spread the word about marriage inequality in New York and encouraged everyone who has a stake in the issue – meaning everyone with a gay friend or loved one – to get involved. Plus, he is hilarious!
If you haven’t caught the video yet, I’m a little jealous… you’re about to experience something awesome for the first time, friend.
More on Jesse’s adorable awesomeness and the NY marriage victory after the jump!
You certainly don’t have to have a prime-time standup special to help your friends win full legal freedoms… but it doesn’t hurt! On the two-month anniversary of New York legalizing marriage for gay couples, we wanted to give a shout out of sincere thanks to the comediennes and other inspiring stars who encouraged fans and friends to call legislators in the name of love.
Hey friends hey! Welcome to the first weekly installment of the Friendfactor Ffriday Link Roundup (for Ffriends, obviously). This is the place to come for the very most important stories affecting your gay friends’ lives this week, and a solid dose of just plain awesome info for folks who support gay folks. So without further ado…
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