Category: Memphis Gaydar

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Memphis Gaydar News

Tennessee Court Becomes First to Rule in Favor of a Gay Marriage Ban

Russell E. Simmons

  • Russell E. Simmons

Of course Tennessee would be the state to break the winning streak for the pro-equality movement.

Yesterday, Roane County Circuit Court Judge Russell E. Simmons became the first judge to rule that a state’s gay marriage ban was constitutional since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal Defense of Marriage Act in June 2013.

Simmons of Kingston, Tennessee, ruled that the state’s ban does not violate the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause. His reason?

“Marriage simply cannot be divorced from its traditional procreative purposes. … The promotion of family continuity and stability is certainly a legitimate state interest,” Simmons wrote.

Yep, Simmons upheld the state’s gay marriage ban on the basis that marriage should be about having babies. Nevermind that gay couples have babies all the time, whether through artificial insemination, co-parenting with someone of the opposite sex, or adoption. Nevermind that plenty of straight couples either opt not to have children or, because of a medical issue, cannot procreate. And nevermind that Simmons’ decision contradicts at least 30 other court decisions, including two federal appeals court decisions, ruling against same-sex marriage bans.

The case involved Frederick Michael Borman and Larry Kevin Pyles-Borman, a couple who legally wed in Iowa but lived in Rockwood, Tennessee. The pair later decided to divorce, but in Iowa, residency for a certain period of time must be established before divorce is allowed. And since gay marriage wasn’t legal in Tennessee, they couldn’t get divorced in this state either. That’s how the case wound up in Simmons’ court.

Last week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals heard a Tennessee same-sex marriage case seeking recognition for three couples that legally wed in states with marriage equality but live in this state. One of those couples is from Memphis. That three-judge panel hasn’t issued a ruling yet, but some believe it also might rule against same-sex marriage.

If that happens, it could force the issue into the U.S. Supreme Court, where the high court would be tasked with solving the issue once and for all.

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Memphis Gaydar News

Tennessee Marriage Equality Case to Be Heard in Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura

  • Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura

The largest number of marriage equality cases to be heard in a single day will include a case from Tennessee and will be taken up by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on August 6th.

Other cases heard that day will include two cases from Kentucky, one from Michigan, and two from Ohio. The Tennessee case is Tanco Vs. Haslam, which seeks to recognize the same-sex marriages of three couples from Tennessee. One of those couples — Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura — is from Memphis (read more about their story here).

This will be the fourth argument to be heard by a federal circuit court since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) last summer. Since that decision last June, every court that has considered marriage equality cases has ruled in favor of freedom to marry for same-sex couples. Those courts include federal and state courts in Utah, Ohio, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Oral arguments will begin at 1 p.m. (Eastern time) at the Potter Stewart Courthouse in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Memphis Gaydar News

Friends for Life Art Dash

It sounds like the premise for a reality TV show challenge: Put a bunch of art lovers in a room with just as many pieces of art, serve them cocktails and snacks, and then set them loose to dash for their favorite pieces. Everyone gets to take home a piece of art, but whether or not the contestants get their favorite depends on how fast they are.

That’s basically the idea for the first-ever Friends for Life Art Dash. For the $100 ticket price, each participant will have their shot at grabbing their favorite piece of art, all of which was donated by local artists. Everyone who purchases the $100 ticket is guaranteed to leave with a piece of art.

Those who would like to attend but can’t spare the $100 ticket price can get an Art Dash Friends ticket for $25. Both the $100 and the $25 tickets come with complimentary hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beer.

All proceeds will benefit Friends for Life’s work to provide education, housing, food, transportation, and healthy life skills training to people living with HIV/AIDS.

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Tickets may be purchased here.

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Memphis Gaydar News

TEP Ice Cream Social

For 10 years, the Tennessee Equality Project has been lobbying for equal rights in the state, and over the decade, the organization has garnered a number of wins, including the passage of non-discrimination ordinances in Memphis and Shelby County and several other Tennessee cities.

TEP will be celebrating 10 years during its annual Ice Cream Social this Sunday, July 20th at Neshoba Church (7350 Raleigh Lagrange). For $10 per individual or $25 per family, guests can enjoy all the ice cream they can eat.

For the kids, Magic Mr. Nick will be onsite twisting up balloon animals and swords.

For more information or to RSVP, check out the event’s Facebook page.

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Memphis Gaydar News

Town Hall Meeting with Trans Equality Advocate Mara Keisling

Mara Keisling

  • Mara Keisling

On Sunday, July 20th at 6 p.m., Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, will speak at the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center (MGLCC) about the need for trans-inclusive equality legislation.

Keisling, a transgender woman and parent, founded the National Center for Transgender Equality in 2003. She is a graduate of Penn State University. She did her graduate work on American government at Harvard. Keisling has almost 25 years of professional experience in social marketing and opinion research.

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Memphis Gaydar News

Chef John Currence’s Big Gay Mississippi Protest Dinner

John Currence

  • John Currence

Buzzfeed posted a lengthy article by Wyatt Williams yesterday chronicling Oxford, Mississippi chef John Currence’s recent Big Gay Mississippi Welcome Table dinner in New York City.

You can read the full article here, but here’s a little background. Last month, the James Beard Award-winning chef from Oxford’s acclaimed City Grocery restaurant was invited by Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant to cook in New York City for a lunch meeting between the Mississippi Development Agency (MDA) and site selectors for major corporations. The goal of the luncheon was to woo these corporations to move some or all of their operations to Mississippi.

But Bryant had recently signed into law Mississippi’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which went into effect on July 1st and provides “that state action shall not substantially burden a person’s right to the exercise of religion.” Critics of the bill fear it will be used to protect business owners who choose to discriminate against LGBT customers by claiming that serving those customers would violate their religious freedom.

Currence has been outspoken about the bill. In a New York Times article, Currence was quoted as saying, “The law sends a terrible message about the state of consciousness in the state of Mississippi. We are not going to sit idly by and watch Jim Crow get revived in our state.”

But rather than turn down Bryant’s invitation to cook for the MDA dinner in New York City, Currence went through with lunch. But he, Memphis chef Kelly English, and a handful of other celebrity chefs scheduled a protest dinner called the Big Gay Mississippi Welcome Table the next day in New York City. The Buzzfeed story recounts that affair (hint: Morgan Freeman made an appearance) in splendid detail.

According to Williams’ story, when Bryant got word of Currence’s Big Gay Welcome Table, he wasn’t pleased. Here’s an excerpt:

The response from the governor’s office was swift. The morning the news broke about the Big Gay Mississippi Welcome Table, Currence said, “I got a phone call, a dressing down by the governor’s office — they wanted to know why I would embarrass the governor like this. And then it fucking dawned on me: You assholes don’t fucking talk to me like a sixth-grader in the principal’s office, I’m a 50-year-old man. More to the point, I’m on the right fucking side of this thing. All you assholes have to do is come to dinner.”

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Memphis Gaydar News

Millington Naval Base Will Hold LGBT Pride Event

For the first time since the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the entire military will be celebrating LGBT pride month this year. But it’s the second year for a pride celebration at the naval base in Millington. In fact, the Millington base was the first-ever command outside of the Pentagon to host an LGBT Pride Month event last year.

June is nationally recognized as LGBT pride month, although the official city celebration isn’t held until October. But on Thursday, June 26th, Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South will host their second annual “Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Month” event at 12:30 p.m. at the Helmsman Club on-base.

The keynote speaker will be retired Master Chief Petty Officer Tim R. McVeigh, the first active duty military member to succeed in judicially challenging his “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” removal. The celebration will also recognize the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Vocalists from the Navy Band Mid-South will perform.

The event will take place inside the gated installation, so it is only open to military members.

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Memphis Gaydar News

Third Annual Outbid To Benefit Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center

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Whether you’re the quiet silent auction type or an aggressive bidder in live auctions, Outbid has an auction for you.

The annual fund-raiser for Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center (MGLCC), now in its third year, will feature a silent auction at 6:30 p.m. and a live auction at 7:30 p.m. Plus, there will be food from Off the Square Catering, cocktails, and live jazz by the Randy Ballard Jazz Collective.

The event takes place at Opera Memphis (6745 Wolf River Greenway) on Saturday, June 21st. Tickets are $50 for singles, $90 for couples, and $350 for a table of eight.

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Memphis Gaydar News

Memphis Has Highest Number of Single Lesbians

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All the single ladies (who like ladies) call Memphis home, according to the Vocativ’s first-ever Queer Index, which puts Memphis in the number-one slot for highest number of single lesbians.

The index looked at 100 U.S. cities and ranked them on LGBT-friendliness, fewest hate crimes, number of LGBT businesses, and even availability of hook-ups.

Memphis didn’t appear to make any other lists, as far as we can tell. Los Angeles was the most LGBT-friendly city, but Chattanooga, the only Tennessee city to place in the top 35, came in at number 21.

If you’re looking for a hook-up, New York is the place to go since the Big Apple topped both the “Hottest for Hook-ups” list and the “Easiest to Pay for a Lay” list. Providence, Rhode Island has the fewest hate groups, and Chattanooga ranked again for having the highest number of LGBT politicians. New York and L.A. have the most gay bars, and Chicago has the most influential LGBT media.

The Queer Index sources 32 data sets publicly available online (deep web, open databases, public sites and social network) to analyze the above-mentioned lifestyle metrics, according to a press release from Vocativ.

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Memphis Gaydar News

Cherry’s Celebrates “Memphis In Gay”

The monthly “Cherry” party for lesbians and their friends is closing out Memphis In May with “Memphis In Gay.”

The party kicks off at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 31st at Earnestine & Hazel’s and will feature burlesque and drag performances by Requi Emma, Macc Onner, Kissame Suga, Will Ryder, and Goldie Davenport. Shows will begin at 9 and 10:30 p.m., and in between performances, there will be dancing to the jukebox and an impromptu ghost tour.

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