African Americans protest Bahati’s US tour to promote “kill the gays” in Uganda

Bishop Zachary Jones (L) Pastor Joseph Tolton(C) Frank Mugishi(R) Photo Credit: Ocean Morisset

By Nathan James

GBM News Correspondent

As Ugandan Member of Parliament David Bahati, the sponsor of a Draconian new bill making homosexuality a capital offense in his country, came to the United States this past week, seeking support for the legislation, an “Emergency Town Hall Meeting” was held Saturday, in New York City. Organized by the Black Faith Alliance for Global LGBT Justice, the event at Rehoboth Temple Christ Consciousness Church in Harlem featured a keynote address from Frank Mugishi, of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). At issue was the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Act, whose provisions include life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of homosexual relations, and execution for anyone having previous convictions for homosexuality, is HIV-positive, or has gay sexual relations with a person under 18. In addition, the bill also makes failure to report a “known homosexual” to the authorities a crime, punishable by 7 years in prison, and creates an extradition process for Ugandans who are caught having gay relationships anywhere in the world. This extraordinarily harsh legislation against gays also highlighted, according to the meeting’s organizers, the involvement of the Christian Right here in the United States in the bill’s development.

Citing the “continued efforts of the religious right in turning blacks and gays against each other”, Bishop Zachary Jones of the Unity Fellowship Church spoke of how the Christian right in the US was heavily engaged in California’s Proposition 8, which overturned gay marriage in that state, and on the use of Uganda as a “lab” in which the effects of anti-gay legislation could be observed. “The religious right,” Jones stated, “Is using Africans as pawns in a global chess game.” Jones was joined at the pulpit by Pastor Joseph Tolton, Rehoboth’s own presiding cleric, who read out the “call to action” on Uganda, imploring the United Nations and the US State Department to make decisive moves to address the plight of Uganda’s gays. Tolton cited a right-wing, Republican-based, American evangelical group, “The Family” with “exporting hatred to Africa, with a direct threat to the LGBT community in Uganda, by funding and sponsoring the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.” Tolton linked the situation in Uganda with American gays, saying, “We know that the freedom of our brothers and sisters in Uganda is clearly connected to our freedom here at home in the United States.” Pastor Tolton was followed by Frank Mugishi, who recounted in chilling detail the suffering of gays and lesbians in his home country.

Frank Mugishi, of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) Photo Credit: Ocean Morisset

Mugishi described forced hiding for gays and lesbians, “corrective rape” programs for lesbians, and the outright publication of the names and hometowns of gays and lesbians in local newspapers, creating a mob atmosphere in which gays feared being hunted down and beaten or killed. Mugishi stated that Uganda was “determined” to use all possible means to remove gays from its society, and the Anti-Homosexuality Act enjoyed broad public support. Mugishi and his organization have been operating underground in Uganda, and with the possible passage of Bahati’s bill, feared a catastrophic wave of anti-gay killings. GBM News asked Mugishi about the extradition clause in the Anti-Homosexuality Act. Mugishi confirmed that this would leave Uganda’s gays “little chance of escape”.

In a televised interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, MP Bahati cited “God’s Law” as justification for the proposed bill, and told viewers that “children were being recruited into homosexuality” by gay men in Uganda. When pressed to provide evidence of his claims, Bahati demurred, repeating only that “homosexuality is not of [Ugandan] culture.” While in Washington, Bahati stayed at a residence on C Street, also shared by numerous Republican members of Congress, and found receptive ears in several right-wing Christian organizations for his rhetoric. In Uganda, Bahati has gained the support of powerful allies such as Pastor Martin Ssempa, who showed scatological pornography as his “example” of gay sexual practices, and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has said he will not oppose the bill if it passes Parliament. Bahati himself, in the documentary Missionaries of Hate, aired last summer on Current TV, stated that he would not hesitate to have his own daughter put to death under the law he authored, if she were found to be a lesbian.

In final statements at the Town Hall meeting, Pastor Tolton called upon all closeted gays and lesbians to “come out, wherever you are”, because “now is the time”. He urged gays of color to engage in a “sustained response” to homophobia, decrying the “spiritual colonialism” of the “religious right”. The approximately fifty attendees were brought to the pulpit as a show of unity, singing We Shall Overcome, recalling the civil-rights struggles of the 1960s. An appeal was made for donations to help Mugishi spread his message about the Ugandan situation, and to support Uganda’s imperiled gay population. Whatever lies ahead for Uganda’s gays in the coming months, it was clear that this critical, complex issue involving the efforts of a modern state government to exterminate a minority within its population, will continue to call to the hearts and minds of the LGBT community the world over.

The Global Justice Institute, GLAAD, GLO TV Network, GayByGod.net, The Fellowship, MCC New York & Rehoboth Temple join efforts to mobilize the community.

CALL TO ACTION

The Christian Right is Killing BLACK Gay People in Uganda

The Human Rights THREAT in Uganda effects ALL OF US

Rachel Maddow- -Kill the gays- bills U.S. supporters

An Attack On Us All by Nathan James

This past Wednesday morning, employees of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in New York's Greenwich Village arrived for work and were met by a frightening sight.  A Rainbow Flag outside the building had been set of fire during the night.  Although surveillance cameras recorded the attack, and the NYPD's detectives are investigating, I was still deeply disturbed when I learned of this incident.  This ws not just an attack on one of our most precious institutions, this was an attack against us all.  This was a person or persons so filled with anger and hatred towards us, that they came in the night with fire and venom.  While we slept, or sang, or worked, or even made love, the flames of bigotry arose to burn us all.  We already walk in fear during the ordinary course of our lives; we never know if the price we might pay for being out and proud will be a beating, unemployment, eviction, ostracism, or even death.  We walk the streets of our cities and towns, wondering when we'll hear the mocking voice of hatred: will it be in church, as the pastor demonizes us from his pulpit?  Will it be on television, when a commentator says we are undeserving of basic human rights?  Will it be in our schools, when administrators deny us participation in the gatherings of our classmates?

All these things and more, we think about whenever we assess who we are as members of the LGBT community.  But to see a place like the LGBT Center, a place of our own, where we are free to express who we are in safety and comfort, attacked like this, is to witness hatred on a whole new plane.  Those who came in the night with fire in their hands and hearts, knew full well the symbolism and meaning of their acts.  By their attack they say "This is what we want to do to you."   Their message is very clear.  They came to take away any illusion that by merely entering a building we can delude ourselves into believing we are safe from the fears and attitudes of a very homophobic society.  That our place of peaceful assembly and culture was attacked with violence tells us how deeply held the hatred is.  When we talk about the progress we've made as a community--passage of same-sex marriage laws, achieving visitation rights in hospitals, the decriminalization of homosexuality--we also need to remember that there are those who will try to hurt us for that progress.

The attack on the LGBT Center was, by extension, an attack on all of our progress, all of our hopes, all of our dreams.  That's why we, as a dynamic, complex, diverse, and beautiful culture need to address this evil act by reaffirming ourselves.  Our community makes priceless contributions to society every day, even as its more hateful elements try to burn us back into the closet.  I well remember being told over and over again, how I was "inappropriate", "socially unacceptable", "deviant", and many other hurtful labels.  It surely kept me from living as the person I truly was, for a very long time.  Fear of social sanctions prevented me and countless others from realizing their total selves, and the flag-burning at the Center is naught but an attempt to reassert that old fear in all of us.  We cannot fall back, we cannot run, we cannot hide, though they approach us with fire.  We may and must respond by expressing ourselves as human beings, as we are, for all to see.  We cannot let the flames of hatred burn our beautiful village down.

Historical Gay Artists Of Color: Billy Strayhorn

In 1940, a young composer rode the new NYC-owned Independent Subway System to a meeting of musicians in Harlem. The composer's name was William Thomas (Billy) Strayhorn. Inspired by his trip on the new subway cars, he composed Take The A Train in 1941, which became the signature song of the legendary Duke Ellington and his famous jazz orchestra. The timeless melody has, over the years, become identified with that subway route and service, and changed the style and rhythm by which jazz tunes were arranged. It was a masterwork for a composer who, despite a three-decade long collaboration as Ellington's composer and resident musical genius, was little noted during his lifetime.



Strayhorn's career spanned the 1930s to the 1960s, but he was not recognized for his contributions to American music until the late 1990's, almost 30 years after his 1967 death. He was born in 1915 in Dayton, Ohio, showed a gift for music at a very early age, and ultimately arrived in NYC during 1938, where the composer met jazz master Ellington for the first time. Ellington eagerly took the young Strayhorn under his wing, accepting the writer into his home. But just a year later, Strayhorn did something incredibly bold for Depression-era New York: he moved in with fellow jazzist and lover Aaron Bridgers. Living together on Convent Avenue in Harlem, the couple stayed together for ten years, until Bridgers moved to Paris to escape persistent homophobia in New York. The couple never made any secret of their sexuality or relationship, but it cost Strayhorn dearly. Because of he was known to be openly gay, he was kept in the background, rarely sharing the limelight with Ellington for his compositions. Although Strayhorn composed for other musical greats like Lena Horne who sang several of Strayhorn's classics, such as A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing, Strayhorn descended into alcoholism, brought on by not receiving credit for his works because he was openly gay.



Strayhorn was repeatedly advised to keep his relationship with Bridgers a secret, but he refused, believing in the ability of love to overcome all. Still, as the years went by, with Strayhorn composing ever-greater songs for Ellington, Horne, and their contemporaries, it wasn't unti, 1957--two decades after Strayhorn's career began--that he received full credit for a song. This was A Drum Is A Woman, and it highlights the difficulties faced by gay artists of the pre- and post-war era, in achieving recognition for their work. Billy Strayhorn bacame a political activist in his later life, attending the 1963 March On Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King and noted gay men of color James Baldwin and King confidante and March organizer Bayard Rustin. By this time, the onset of esophageal cancer was beginning to take its toll on Strayhorn, and he passed away four years later, on May 31, 1967, aged 53. During his short life, Billy Strayhorn introduced the world to a whole new method of making jazz music, and lived as an out, proud gay man of color in an era when the personal and professional costs of doing so were staggering. He is one more great figure in the pantheon of gay and lesbian artists whose legacy touches us to this day.

A Modern-Day Holocaust In The Making?

While we all gathered with family and friends yesterday to celebrate Christmas, halfway around the world in the East African nation of Uganda, there is a modern-day Holocaust in the making. The Ugandan Parliament, backed by Uganda's President Yoweri Musaveni, is about to pass legislation which would impose the death penalty against HIV-positive gays and lesbians, and mete out life sentences to anyone convicted of having gay sex. In addition, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill Of 2009 includes provisions for the mandatory imprisonment, for seven years, of any friend or relative of a gay or lesbian person, who does not turn that individual in to the authorities.



Uganda already has the most severe anti-gay laws on the books anywhere in Africa, and homophobia among the populace there is so rampant that Uganda's Ethics Minister warned gays and lesbians to leave his country in 2007. The current, pending anti-gay legislation is "likely" to pass, and despite earlier reports, President Museveni will not try to "soften" the bill's harshest measures. This is real-world terror, sponsored and encouraged by a contemporary state government, against gays and lesbians of color just like many of you who read The FUTURE. Alas, however, it is neither new, nor unique to the African continent. Several states, such as Texas, have anti-gay laws on the books, in spite of the Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court ruling making them unconstitutional. Texas' statute, (which it is known to be enforcing despite its unconstitutionalty) reads:

Sec. 21.06. Homosexual Conduct.

(a) A person commits an offense if he engages in deviate sexual intercourse with another individual of the same sex.

This clearly demonstrates that state-sanctioned persecution of the LGBT community isn't limited to faraway lands. It's not an abstraction. Nor is the growing trend of anti-gay legislation over the past several years. Again, it's a very old story. When Adolf Hitler took over Germany's government as the last democratically elected Chancellor before WWII, one of the first things his Nazi government did was to criminalize homosexuality, and demonize Germany's gays, making them easy targets for extermination under the Final Solution.



Almost two million gays and lesbians perished under the Nazi regime, both in Germany and in the countries Germany occupied in WWII. The modern-day symbol of gay pride and the gay-rights struggle, the Pink Triangle is, in fact, the symbol gays were forced to wear, for easy identification and removal by the Nazis. In light of the recent developments across the globe (and indeed, here at home, with gay-marriage bills either being defeated or once passed, overturned) the question arises: is history about to repeat itself? No argument about Uganda being a "backward" or "primitive" nation will hold currency here; Germany before WWII was the most advanced, well-educated society on Earth, and they still planned and carried out the Final Solution when they (of all cultures) should have known better. What can we see in a future that includes mandatory executions for us in some countries? Rwanda is right behind Uganda in its adoption of anti-gay laws. Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Russian Federation, and Jamaica, W.I. all have severe anti-homosexuality laws on their books. On top of all this, Utah, Kansas, and, surprisingly, New York State have all seen recent movements to recriminalize homosexuality appear.

I want to end this article with a famous quotation, attributed to Rev. Martin Niemoller, a Protestant minister sent to the concentration camps by the Nazis:

"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

WE must always speak up, NOW more than ever, or we will one day wake up, and find ourselves where Rev. Niemoller found himself one very cold, dark morning. It's time.

The 2009 Out Music Awards

Once again, the time came on Tuesday night to honor outstanding achievements by entertainers from our own LGBT community. The annual Out Music Awards were held at Webster Hall in New York City. It is always a special thing to see our community come out to recognize our artists in an official and symbolic manner. This year, the OMA's, headed by executive director Diedra Meredith began with a Red Carpet which showcased all the magnificent talent the LGBT community offers. Flasbulbs were popping as our stars of sight and song entered Webster Hall for their night of basking in the limelight. Making certain everything went smoothly was The FUTURE's own Waddie Grant who worked tirelessly to pull everything together. Waddie was a big reason the OMA's happened, and I was thoroughly impressed with his businesslike, no-nonsense demeanor. Another FUTURE personality who brought the OMA's to us was Rick Pelzer, and the Lil' Mogul made everything shine.



Follwing the Red Carpet came the Pre-Show hosted by Shirts And Skins star DeMarco Majors and comedienne Julie Goldman. Before a packed room, they made the first award presentations of the evening, among them Best R & B Artist, which was won by Nhojj, who also performed "Love Is" later in the show. There was plenty of press coverage, including video crews from LGBT TV and The Rainbow Collective. The OMA's will also be broadcast in their entirety on the gay/lesbian LOGO network. Reporters from every conceivable LGBT magazine, newspaper, and blog were also out in force.



There were so many familiar faces among the nominees and presenters, including Kevin Aviance (the Lifetime Achievement Award winner), Village Voice columnist Michael Musto, Da Doo-Dirty radio host DJ Baker, performance artist and ballroom notable Lee Soulja, plus Christopher Street TV creator and FUTURE series Dating Dwight star Dwight Allen O'Neal and his CSTV cast. It was like "old home week" as I reconnected with many friends I'd not heard from in a while, as well as those I see all the time. I was overcome with a sense of the richness our community brings to the arts, and to be under one roof with so many wonderful creative people was a lifetime moment. After the Pre-Show ended, I was shown upstairs to the VIP balcony, where we had a great vantage point for all the festivities.



The Master Of Ceremonies for the OMA's was the irrepressible actor and comedian Reginald L. Barnes whose deep, commanding voice had everybody paying attention. Our hosts were Rodney Chester who played Alex on the LOGO series Noah's Arc and longtime political humorist Kate Clinton. There were musical performances by various artists and groups, and a stunning suspended-wire ceiling dance that mesmerized the full house. Following the Awards, an afterparty was held at the Grace Hotel in Midtown, in a duplex lounge, complete with swimming pool! It was there that I had my LOGO moment with Kevin Aviance (!), and enjoyed the opportunity to party and network with all the "industry people". I salute all the OMA winners and nominees, as well as the fantastic OMA staff who labored so long to make our night a memorable one. It was our music, our night, our time.

Photos: Taylor Siluwe

Fight AIDS Dec. 19 At Da Doo Dirty Show Benefit!

New York City's incomparable Billie's Black Restaurant is hosting a live benefit broadcast of DJ Baker's Da Doo-Dirty Show to support the Campaign To End AIDS. This star-studded event is sure to chase away winter's chill as I join DJ and a veritable who's who gathering of luminaries from the LGBT community. The Campaign To End AIDS is working hard every day to prevent the preventable and bring the modern-day plague of HIV/AIDS to a close forever. As the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) reports, the epidemic is devastating minorities--gay, straight, male and female alike--at a rate previously unknown in the modern world. The crisis is worsening, and the time to act is now. You can purchase your tickets to this fabulous event here, and make a difference in a struggle that affects us all. See you there on December 19th. Billie's Black is located at 271 W.119th Street, take a B or C train to 116th Street. The shows begin at 7 and 9 PM.

Outrage And Shame In Albany!

This past Wednesday, after a long, emotional debate on New York's Marriage Equality bill, which would have legalized gay marriage here, the State Senate defeated the legislation, 38-24,in a shocking display of intolerance and homophobia. Despite some very eloquent testimony appealing to common sense and human decency, invoking historical examples of persecution and poignant stories of the experiences of Senators' gay family members, the State Senate--YOUR State Senate--chose instead to continue your separate, unequal status as second-class citizens in New York State.



The issue of same-sex marriage goes beyond the right of gays and lesbians to marry. It speaks to the core of our democracy. Same-sex marriage challenges us, as a nation, to see if we can live up to the principles enshrined in our living Constitution, particularly those spelled out in Article IV, Sectuion I, and the 14th Amendment. Article IV, Section I of the Constitution includes the "full faith and credit" clause, which says that every state is bound to respect and honor the laws of every other state. This is why extradition works in the United States. But, curiously, this seems not to apply in cases of gay marriage. The federal Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) defeats the Constitution by allowing states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages performed in states where it is legal. The Act goes on to specify marriage as between a man and a woman only. This, like Jim Crow laws before it, is a pernicious example of a government passing laws to specifically persecute a minority of its population.



Compounding the injury to the LGBT community in this, is the willful disregard of the 14th Amendment to our Constitution, the well-known Equal Protection Clause. Passed by Congress in 1868, the 14th Amendment says "No State shall deny to any person, the equal protection of the laws." But the illegality of gay marriage in 45 states, does, in fact, contravene the 14th Amendment very explicitly. Like the 1967 Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court case that invoked the Amendment in overturning laws against interracial marriage, we are again faced with the moral imperative posed by our Founding Fathers. Neither personal nor religious belief may interfere with Constitutional law, as has been held by our courts time and time again. Yet, I was astonished to see many State Senators, particularly rabidly homophobic Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., a Pentecostal minister, invoke religious belief to justify voting against gay marriage. Faith-based bigotry has no place in any legislative body, or, indeed, in modern society. Your legislators were not elected to set their religoius beliefs on all of us, they were elected to REPRESENT all of us. By using religion as a legislative influence, these Senators blur the line between Church and State, and move us dangerously closer to theocratic rule.

The entire New York State Senate is up for re-election next year. True to form, no Republicans voted for the Marriage Equality Act. But what's really shocking, is that eight Democrats, (the eight whose "Yes" votes could have passed this bill) voted against it as well. I urge you, one and all, to remember their names and vote them out of office next Fall. They are: Joseph Addabbo (D-Rockaways), Darrel Aubertine (D- Cape Vincent), Ruben Diaz (D-S. Bronx), Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica), Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn), Hiram Monserrate (D-Elmhurst), George Onorato (D-Astoria), and William Stachowski (D-Buffalo). They have shown themselves unconcerned with our Constitution, our humanity, and our right to live with and love whomever we choose. They have reaffirmed their beliefs that we have no value to them as human beings, and are undeserving of the equal protections of our laws. I therefore submit that they are undeserving of the privilege of continuing to represent us. Go tell it, and keep fighting for our rights! As gays and lesbians of color, we should settle for nothing less.

"Where Are The Activists?"

That's the question asked this week by well-known black gay blogger Rod McCullom, who was lamenting the absesnce of activist voices in the wake of the recent rash of gay-bashings and killings around the country. I was pondering that question over Thanksgiving dinner, and it occurred to me that while not always visible, the activists Rod seeks are there. It's true that visible leaders like Harvey Milk or Don't ask/Don't Tell protestor August Provost are few and far between, but still, there are plenty of "activists" out there. These people would be you, you, and you. Think about it: would history remember Harvey Milk, Dr. Martin Luther King, or Mohandas Gandhi, if not for the tens and hundreds of thousands who marched, spoke and agitated with them? Their words, their calls to protest, and all the social changes they achieved would have gone for naught if not for people like you.



Speaking of social changes, another question I hear fairly often, from gays and straights alike, is, "why is gay marriage such an important issue?" With all the rampant gay-bashing, and the military's official policy of discrimination against gays, and the 30-year, ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic, gay marriage seems a minor concern, at best, to many people. Yet, gay marriage is a critical issue for the LGBT community, not least because there are profound issues of how gays and lesbians are seen as people, and whether the United States is following its long, rich history of Constitutional democracy. The Fourteenth Amendment to our Constitution begins with these words: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Yet, gays and lesbians do not now enjoy, nor have we ever enjoyed the "equal protection" of the laws. The anti-gay marriage laws on the books in 45 states, and the federal Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) are a direct assault on the Fourteenth Amendment, and yet people believe the gay-marriage issue is "minor"?




The gay-marriage issue speaks directly to our long-held, long-enforced status as second class citizens, and all the other ills which assail us in the LGBT community--gay-bashing, DADT, HIV/AIDS--are inextricably linked to this. The only way these challenges to our lives will ever be overcome, is through public activism. That means YOU doing all the things which bring about social and political change: voting in every election, participating in public discourse on LGBT issues, and if necessary, taking to our streets to say by our numbers "Here are the gay activists--each and every one of us!" Just something to think about while you're recovering from Thanksgiving dinner.

Literary Review: "Love Yourself First"

Every so often, I come across a book that I describe as a good "train book". That's a book like black, gay author Delvon Johnson's debut novel, Love Yourself First. It's a smart, funny, fast-paced story that just might cause you to become so engrossed in its drama, that you miss your station on your way home. Set in the high-stakes, fabulous fashion world, the story centers on executive Dwight Jones, who has teamed up with his best friend, Issiah, to open up their own fashion-consulting agency, Vondel. As the business partners chase their dreams among the glitterati of fashiondom, they meet shoe designer Joan Marks, an ambitious career woman looking to stake her claim to high society and fashion. Seeing opportunity in Dwight's consulting business, she signs on with Vondel and sets her sights on fame and wealth, regardless of cost or ruined lives. Along the way, we meet other memorable characters such as Joan's fiancee Ron, who is set to marry her, but his head and his heart differ sharply on who he wants to share his future with, and Corey, who adds love and passion to Dwight's busy life.



Delvon Johnson credits the late, iconic writer E. Lynn Harris as one of his literary influences, and he sees himself as fulfilling the legacy Harris left behind for gay authors of color. Johnson hosted a Gala tribute to E. Lynn Harris last month, in which he reaffirmed his commitment to Harris' vision and works. Looking forward to the future, Johnson strives to continue the advancement of the black gay genre, to which Love Yourself First is a worthy addition. The story deals with some up-to-the-minute slices of life in the gay world, including the controversial "down-low" issue, violence among and against gay men, jealousy, and the complexities of dealing with one's own sexuality and self-acceptance. Johnson reveals the glittering, but treacherous, world of high fashion, and shows us how some people will ruthlessly crush and claw their way to the top of the industry--then suddenly realize their avarice has a heavy price.



Another aspect of Johnson's book which brought a smile to my face, were the scenes from well-known places in NYC's famous Greenwich Village. Such familiar spots as Chi-Chiz and dining favorite Manatus give authenticity and local flavor to Love Yourself First. There are some hysterically funny moments in this book, and Johnson makes the most of them. Like all good gay-genre stories, drama abounds as the divas get crazy and the fashionistas becoime fierce. There are also some very tender, human moments which give Johnson's characters depth and meaning. His exploration of the complexities we often face in our relationships as gay men is telling, yet honest. I give this first novel by a promising young author four stars. A sequel is in the works, according to Johnson, but Love Yourself First will be a tough act to follow. It's available on Author House and at Amazon.

Winter

The sun hangs low over the horizon,
The wind resists our forward passage over snow-covered streets,
Still we press on, you and me, past sparkling ice-covered trees,
Down frozen avenues, in the gathering twilight.

We hurry past the foggy storefronts, ignore the hissing cars as they wheel through the slush,
For though the night brings deeper cold, we feel no chill,
Because we are together.
The holiday lights twinkle as the sun slips away,
our house beckons us still, ever nearer,
as finally we reach our own doorstep.

Casting off the garb of the darker months, we settle in by the fireplace with summer's sweet wine,
Flickers of the fleeting day dance across our faces,
and as if defying the ice and snow outside,
you take me into your embrace.

The wonder of a spring morning fills me as you follow the line of my face with your fingers, and I caress your strong, hard musculature,
I let my robe fall away as though on a tropical beach,
ever closer to you, no fire hotter than the one you bring forth inside me.
No wind, no storm, no depth of snow,
can take me from you now...

Still we press on,
Exploring each other,
as the wind moans and the snow falls outside,
In this dark, cold winter, we are warm, and safe,
We are together in love.

The sun rises low over the horizon...

Censorship Of Gay Art And Literature: Unacceptable!

In recent months, largely unnoticed by the "mainstream media" or the public at large, there has been a disturbing trend towards censorship of gay art and literature, both in the United States and across the globe. Suppression of gay artistic and literary expression is nothing new. Lately, however, the specter of "acceptable standards" for art and literature has reared its ugly head once more, this time with renewed venom. Consider the Web marketing giant Amazon, whose book division was caught earlier this year quietly de-ranking every LGBT book in its catalog, while leaving straight eotic or romantic titles alone. When Amazon was called out on this by gay and lesbian authors and artists, they blamed a "glitch" in their system for the abrupt change. Of course, the "glitch" was working just fine, thank you.



In addition to the attempts at silencing gay and lesbian authors, the works of gay artists have also been quashed. Witness, for example, the closing of an art exhibit at Brigham Young University. The project, by a local photographer, consisted of pairs of (fully clothed) pictures of men, side by side. One was gay, the other straight. The exhibit (and the artist) won't tell you which is which, hence the theme and the challenge of the exhibit. This was too "unacceptable" for the Salt Lake City Mormon community, which promptly had the exhibit shut down.



As more and more homophobic people, organizations, and government agencies continue to appoint themselves the arbiters of what is "correct" and "acceptable" in art and literature, it's perhaps well to remember where that slippery slope leads to. In 1933, shortly after Adolf Hitler came to power, his Nazi regime began the full-time, wholesale burning of books considered "politically dangerous", as well as those written by Jewish and gay authors. This was merely prologue to the cultural "cleansing" of paintings and sculpture, more book burnings, and finally, the systematic executions of fifteen million human beings. We in the 21st century can scarcely imagine willingly following a government which engaged in these atrocities. Yet, 60 million Germans followed Hitler, and co-signed his policies of censorship and murder. It still happens in modern times, particularly in countries where draconian laws against homosexuality still exist.



It was anti-gay legislation that ultimately led to the demise of Provocateur Magazine, a showcase of gay erotic and classical artistic photography. During the early '90s, the magazine was circulated at newsstands and bookstores nationwide, until local bigots began complaining. Although "straight porn" magazines could be openly displayed on magazine stands, Provocateur drew fire from conservatives for its cover images of scantily-clad men. Citing "decency" and local anti-gay laws, they succeeded in getting the magazine pulled from shelves everywhere. Never mind that "fitness" magazines with shirtless men such as Exercise and For Men Only continued to be sold, Provocateur was relentlessly hounded by self-appointed judges of "acceptable" art. While the editors repeatedly stated their magazine was protected by the First Amendment, it didn't prevent widespread censorship of Provocateur from eventually killing the magazine. This is what we still face today in the LGBT community. So the next time you hear someone say "that's dangerous artwork", or "that book is inappropriate", run, do not walk, to get that book or see that artwork, because if they don't want you to see or read it, you should!

Your (Literary) Entree!

I made myself quite busy,
Preparing your literary delicacy
I had purchased the choicest noun cutlets,
tossed up a mean verb salad,
and braised the adjective slices to the peak of their quiescent flavor.

Hurrying to get the alliteration soup just right,
I threw the onomatopoeia chips together with the pronoun fritters.
Then I whipped up some metaphor stew to balance the meal out,
garnishing it with oxymoron tails and double-entendre sauce.

After all this cutting, and chopping, and brioling and frying,
After all this steaming and basting and simmering,
(No potboilers for me...this was going to be a gourmet banquet)
I finally emerged from my keyboard kitchen with my piece de resistance...

My story, cooked up just for you!

Enjoy.

But For a Little Support, What Might Have Been?

Here's the man who would have been the Mayor of New York City if things had been just a little bit different on Election Day. In a contest widely believed to be a battle already won by Mayor Bloomberg long before Tuesday, outgoing Controller Bill Thompson searched far and wide for some real backing from his own Democratic Party after winning the primary race on September 15. Thompson received help from some local officials, including Public advocate-elect Bill De Blasio (D-Park Slope) and Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-Sheepshead Bay), who said after Thompson's defeat, "a lot of Democratic donors who sat on their wallets are kicking themselves tonight." But, believing Thompson already defeated, many prominent Democrats proffered only tepid support (or none at all) for Thompson's campaign. even the pollsters were predicting a blowout victory for Bloomberg, but something funny happened to Mike Bloomberg on the way to his landslide: Thompson almost upset him out of office.



Defying the talking heads and naysayers, even those within his own party, Thompson built on voters' anger over Bloomberg's brazen power play in repealing term limits, and the mayor's heavy-handed campaign style and lavish spending, to gain nearly half the city's votes. When President Obama managed only a "half-hearted" endorsement of the Controller, it was seen as a "bad sign". Many Democrats were leery of backing Thompson, because they feared alienating the "politically powerful" Bloomberg. But Thompson had the support of the voters, who went for him in numbers far exceeding even the expectations of his campaign. The relevant lesson for gays and lesbians of color is, imagine where we'd be today if we just supported each other a little more.




To cite just one example of what I mean by this, consider Finding Me: Truth. This sequel to the successful Finding Me movie is stalled in production for the want of adequate funding. Here is a movie (disclosure: I participated in the making of this film) which should be "in the can" by now, a story for and about gay men of color, and yet it languishes on the shelf. Part of the reason for this is lack of community support. Gays of color are quick to cite the wildly popular Noah's Arc television series as evidence of how the community supports our artists. However I look at it another way: Noah's Arc is a good example of what can happen when we do support our creative people. By extension, how readily do we support those we know in their pursuits? It seems to me that the "crabs in a barrel" syndrome is a recurring theme in our world.




This was certainly reflected in Thompson's near-miss, when it was evident that some who should have been in his corner, tried to tear him down instead. Just think how different New York City history would have unfolded if Thompson had the support he needed. The salient point here is that Thompson was left out in the cold by his own party, and this is something we do to our artists and leaders in the LGBT community all the time. Just imagine how much more visible we'd be, how much more seriously we'd be taken, if we gave our support to those who work so hard to put a human face on all of us before the world. Our community is teeming with talented people looking to enrich our lives through their activities and their art. We need to recognize and encourage them all, so we won't be like H.G. Wells' lost time traveler, "haunted by those two most terrible words: 'what if'?"

Victor, Oscar, Thomas, Edward!

This Tuesday is Election Day in America, and those four guys in the title of this post spell VOTE, which is exactly what you need to do. Voting is one of the most important things you do as an American citizen, and voting is still the most powerful expression of your voice in the affairs of our government. Last year, voters made history in electing Barack Obama to the Presidency, amid the greatest voter turnout of the past 50 years. We in the LGBT community are now seeing benefits from that election, as just a few days ago, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Act into law, granting federal hate-crimes protections to gays and lesbians. Obama became the first President to sign legislation specifically for the LGBT community, because YOU, the voter, put him in the White House to do it.



It's worth remembering that President Obama began his political career at the local level, as a Chicago community organizer. This bears out the oft-repeated (and little-noted) maxim that all politics are local. City Councilmen become State Senators, State Senators become Governors and Congressmen, Governors and Congressmen go on to become Presidents and high Cabinet officials. It all starts at the local level, which is why those seemingly "boring" local elections are of critical importance. The LGBT community in particular is dependent on local elections, especially in New York City, where four LGBT candidates are in the running for City Council seats. I will focus on the NYC election here, but wherever you live, it's always important to vote every year. Elect the candidate of your choice, as is your right.




New Yorkers are voting for most of the major Citywide offices, as well as City Council seats in Districts 1 through 18, or one-third of the Council. Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R-UES) is running for a third term, something only Mayor Koch and the legendary Fiorello LaGuardia have accomplished. LaGuardia is widely considered to be the greatest of all the NYC mayors, (he was offered a chance for a fourth term, but demurred) and both his and Koch's tenure evoked the qualities of the "quintessential New York City mayor". Despite two referendums retaining term limits, Bloomberg used the power of his high office and masive wealth to cajole the City Council into revising the New York City Charter to repeal term limits. He is opposed by NYC Controller Bill Thompson (D-Harlem).



Thompson, the city's chief fiscal officer since 2001, is running on a platform which, like his opponent's, includes a strong plank of support for LGBT community issues. However, the record shows Thompson has demonstrated a greater level of involvement and commitment with the gays and lesbians of the city. He is a frequent speaker at marches and rallies against homophobic violence, and lobbies City Hall for greater City support of the LGBT community. This is in sharp contrast to Mayor Bloomberg, who, while he has advocated legalizing gay marriage and marched in the Heritage Of Pride Parade, has been conspicuously absent from other LGBT rallies, marches and functions. Both Bloomberg and Thompson have not yet stated their position on the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) or on the afotementioned Shepard-Byrd Act. As of this writing, Thompson was said to be enjoying a 17-point lead among gays and lesbians, over Bloomberg on these and other issues of the day. Mayor Bloomberg, however, has a 15-point lead over Thompson citywide. Other Mayoral candidates on the ballot include Stephen Christopher (C-Park Slope), Francisca Villar (Socialist Liberal, West Fordham), Dan Fein (Socialist Workers, Inwood), Billy Talen (Green-Coney Island), Jimmy McMillan (Rent Is Too High, Bed-Stuy), and Joseph Dobrian, Libertarian, Kip's Bay).

The number-two office in NYC government is that of the Public Advocate. In the event that the Mayor dies or cannot fulfill his duties, the Public Advocate becomes mayor, until a mayoral election can be held. The Public Advocate is your watchdog in City Hall. Acting as a kind of ombudsman, his or her job is to call attention to issues raised by New Yorkers, and make sure the city fathers address them in a timely and correct fashion. The candidates running for Public advocate this year from the major parties are Bill De Blasio (D-Park Slope)and Alex Zablocki (R-Great Kills). Both candidates indicate strong support for such crucial issues as mass-transit improvements, strengthening the Rent Control Board, and better funding for the Police and Fire Departments. On other city issues, such as Charter reform and accountability of City officials, the candidates differ along Party lines. DeBlasio has been a consistent LGBT supporter, and is well-known for his efforts as a City Council member in pushing for greater recognition of LGBT rights, as well as better housing and senior-citizen care. Zablocki's record on LGBT issues is less clear, but he "maintains a concern for the rights and freedoms of all New Yorkers."



The final citywide office on the 2009 ballot is for Controller, the city's chief accountant. The Controller manages funding for all of the city's departments and agencies, oversees municipal bond issues, and advises the Mayor and City Council on the fiscal health of the City. With sums running into the hundreds of billions of dollars, the monster New York City budget is bigger than that of many states, and some small countries. Competing for election to this daunting task are City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) and longtime securities analyst Joe Mendola (R-Greenwich Village). Councilman Liu is a vocal proponent of fiscal reform in lean economic times, and has been pushing for greater frugality in City spending while representing Flushing in the City Council. His GOP opponent Mendola brings the experience of his long career in finance to bear in addressing the City's fiscal woes. The Controller's office is a critical post in City government, because this office affects everything the City does, from the price of a subway ride to the functioning of city services we all depend on. It's not a race to be taken lightly.



Other major elections on the New York City ballot include five judgeships in The Bronx, the Bronx Borough President, and 18 City Council races. It should also be noted that participation in government is not limited to voting. We are the government, and running for public office is also available to us. In City Council District 8 (Spanish Harlem), incumbent Melissa Mark-Veverito (D-Harlem) is running unopposed. While she boasts an excellent record representing her District, the fact that she runs alone points to a lack of interest in political affairs in that area. That's a shame, because when we don't vote, run for office, or otherwise pay attention to who is in our government and what it is doing, we often end up with the government we don't want. On Tuesday, get over to the polls and cast your vote, no matter where you live. Your government arises out of your choices, so don't let others make that decision for you!