Category: Memphis Gaydar

According to news website OneNewsNow.com, Memphis-based FedEx has added “gender identity” to its company-wide policy banning discrimination of employees. “Sexual orientation” was already included in the FedEx policy.

“FedEx has always had a strong policy regarding discrimination, and we felt the language was inclusive,” said spokesperson Sandra Munoz. “But we were asked by some shareholders to be more specific.”

Earlier this year, FedEx scored a 55 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index because it does not offer benefit for same-sex partners company-wide. Such benefits are only offered at FedEx Kinko’s and the company’s California locations, where it is required by law.

On October 11th, thousands of LGBT rights activists will gather in Washington, DC for the National Equality March. The brainchild of longtime activists like California gay marriage proponent Robin Tyler, author David Mixner, and Names Project AIDS quilt founder Cleve Jones, the march is intended to be a full-on fight-for-all-your-rights style rally.

Among the demands on the table: the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the passage of the national Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and the passage of an inclusive hate crimes bill.

Locally, a District 9 group is organizing their efforts to take part in the march. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14th at 6:30 p.m. at the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center (892 S. Cooper). Those interested may also join the local group’s Facebook page.

Earlier this week, Jonathan Cole of the Tennessee Equality Project, a statewide gay rights organization, posted a notice of an upcoming anti-gay meeting of the Family Action Council (FAC) in Memphis.

Cole received an e-mail message from FAC president David Fowler regarding a July 10th lunch meeting for FAC followers at a Memphis restaurant. The meeting is intended to let FAC supporters know about the group’s activities in the Tennessee General Assembly, including “legislative victories, and challenges, that relate to our core values: the institution of marriage, family values, the sanctity of life, and religious liberty.”

Also in the e-mail was this tidbit from Fowler: “…everyone in Shelby County needs to know about looming local attempts to further the national gay rights agenda that could affect employees of Memphis City government as well as businesses, churches and other private employers.”

According to Cole, FAC will also be in town to promote “The Truth Project”, a program designed by the national anti-gay industry’s Focus on the Family to misrepresent American history and culture and establish special rights and privileges for the far-right.

Cole is hoping to organize a group of gay rights supporters to peacefully attend the July 10th meeting. Interested folks (or those interested in making a donation to help someone else go) should send an e-mail to ShelbyCounty@tnequalityproject.com.

Yesterday, I got this flyer in my e-mail inbox from Backstreet’s mailing list:

I didn’t pay a lick of attention to the hot shirtless man pictured. I did think to myself, “It’s been too long since I’ve paid a visit to Backstreet. I should go on Fridays for the cheap beer.”

If I was more of a film buff, however, I would have noted that the hot shirtless man was none other than Fantastic Four‘s Chris Evans. Radar Online noticed and had this to say about Backstreet’s use of Evans’ image:

It may be his brother who is gay, but it’s Fantastic Four’s Chris Evans who is getting the most attention on the gay bar scene. In a flyer obtained by RadarOnline.com, a photo of the shirtless actor is front and center in the promotion for Memphis bar Backstreet.

With a jacket slung over his shoulder and a simmering glare, we can see the appeal!

A rep for the actor has yet to comment.

Hmmm…..I wonder if his brother is that hot….

Homicides against LGBT people nationwide rose 28 percent last year and, according to a report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs released earlier this month, anti-gay killings are at their highest rate in 10 years.

A blog posting on Change.org cites a few high-profile LGBT murders, including the murder of local transgender woman Duanna Johnson in Memphis last fall. Johnson was found dead near Hollywood Street in North Memphis. Though no ones knows the motive or even the killer responsible, many have theorized that her gender identity could have come into play as it did earlier in the year when she was beaten by a Memphis Police officer.

Why the increase in anti-gay murders? Sharon Stapel, director of the New York City anti-violence project, told the Associated Press (AP) that it could have something to do with backlash over gay rights fights — same-sex marriage debates, non-discrimination legislation, and the fight to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

“The more visibility there is, the more likely we’re going to see backlash, and that’s exactly what we see here,” Stapel told the AP.

Does that mean gay rights advocates should back off? Absolutely not. Though it’s tragic that homophobia is causing an uptick in gay killings, the sooner equal rights are established, the more likely that homophobia will wane. It may not happen the day after gay marriage is legalized, but after a generation of kids grows up in a society that treats LGBT folks as equals, homophobia will go the way of racism and sexism. That’s not to say that racism and sexism no longer exist, but both ways of thinking are far less acceptable in mainstream society than homophobia.

South Main becomes Castro Street tonight during the monthly Art Trolley Tour. LGBT-supportive businesses in the arts district will be proudly displaying rainbow flags, thanks to the Center City Commission. In honor of Gay Pride Month, the commission passed out small flags to gay-friendly businesses. The trolley tour runs from 6 to 9 p.m. along South Main.

Here’s a little Gay Pride trivia: Pride is celebrated in June in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots, a series of violent demonstrations by gays and lesbians in response to a police raid at Greenwich Village’s Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. Stonewall is considered to be the first large uprising by the gay and lesbian community against government-sponsored homophobia.

In other news, Representative Steve Cohen was one of 120 sponsors of a fully-inclusive federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act filed in Congress Wednesday night. The bill would provide federal workplace protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees. Gender identity and expression were struck from an earlier version of this bill in 2007.

Year after year, the Mid-South Pride celebration never disappoints. Sure, it’s not NYC Pride with thousands of long-lashed drag queens, bare-cheecked leader daddies, and rainbow mohawk-sporting grannies (check out NYC Pride’s webpage for picture proof the amazing ‘hawk). But Memphis’ annual Pride parade and festival is something the city should be, well, proud of.

Why? Because small as though our LGBT community may be, there’s a cohesiveness that comes out on Gay Pride Day. All the catty quarrels and pointless disagreements are put aside for a day to show the city of Memphis “we here, we’re queer, get used to it.” Memphis Police block off streets to traffic and local LGBT groups show off their flashy floats and wave rainbow flag after rainbow flag in the annual Saturday parade.

After the parade, hundreds of people file into the almost-too-small Peabody Park for cold beer, karaoke, funnel cakes, and freebies (by the way, Whole Foods had the best giveaways this year — Rawolution energy bars and reusable totes!). In a much-needed nod to racial unity, Mid-South Pride joined the African-American gay pride group, Memphis Black Pride, for a picnic in Overton Park on Sunday.

I’ve never seen an anti-gay protester at a Mid-South Pride celebration. That’s not to say that Memphis doesn’t have it’s share of homophobes, but for some reason, they tend leave the community alone on Pride Day. And so the Mid-South Pride celebration is rarely wrought with controversy or tension.

I’d bet larger Pride celebrations across the country suffer from more protests and inner-LGBT community strife than our little Mid-South Pride celebration does. The lack of negativity on Pride Day in Memphis makes the local LGBT community appear strong and unified, both necessary qualities for a community attempting to gain civil rights in these changing times.

When the gay community appears strong and determined, the straight community is more likely to listen and sign on with their support. Memphis seems to have that part down pat. Now if we could only drag Wyatt Bunker down to next year’s parade, maybe he’d see the light.

None of the anti-gay legislation on the table during the 106th Tennessee General Assembly was adopted before the body adjourned Thursday night, but several of the bills remain on hold until next session. A few pro-LGBT bills were also stalled. Here’s a rundown:

* The “Don’t Say Gay” Bill – Knoxville representative Stacey Campfield’s bill that would have banned public school teachers from discussing homosexuality was sent to the state board of education for study. That board must report back to the General Assembly by March 2010.

* Adoption Bill – The bill banning unmarried, cohabiting couples from adopting children didn’t make it through this session.

* Voter ID Bills – Bills that would require new photo identification to vote (and would likely have disenfranchised transgender voters) did not pass either. One such bill was passed in the Senate but voted down in the House.

* Hate Crimes Bill – Senators Beverly Marrero and Representative Jeanne Richardson’s bill that would add gender identity or expression to the Hate Crimes Penalty Enhancement Act of 2000 was rolled until January 2010 to gather more support.

* Birth Certificate – A bill, also sponsored by Marrero and Richardson, that would repeal Tennessee’s ban on gender changes on birth certificates didn’t make it to passage this session, but advocates aim to continue pushing in 2010.

“Until January 2010, we get a reprieve from attacks on our adoption rights, voter I.D. bills that disenfranchise the transgender community, and the absurd Don’t Say Gay bill,” said Tennessee Equality Project president Chris Sanders on the group’s Facebook page. “Unfortunately the hate crimes and birth certificate bills didn’t pass this year. But we can expect all these bills—negative and positive—to be back in January.”

On Saturday, former U.S. Army Sgt. Danny Ingram will lead the annual Mid-South Pride parade along Cooper Avenue. He was one of the first soldiers discharged under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Ingram’s presence is fitting as this year’s Pride theme, “Our Rights Are Civil Rights,” addresses the need to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as well the need for equal marriage rights, LGBT-inclusive hate crimes legislation, and domestic partnership benefits from employers.

Danny Ingram

The Pride Parade kicks off at 4 p.m. at First Congregational Church and ends at Peabody Park, where the gay pride festival will be ongoing. Check the Mid-South Pride website for a full schedule.

The Flyer ran a short story this week on Ingram’s involvement with American Veterans for Equal Rights and the fight to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Here’s the entire interview:

Weren’t you one of the first discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”?
My discharge was already underway when all of the talk started up about ending the ban of gays in the military. So they put everything on hold. I think it was in the fall of 1993 that they finally decided they were going to do implement “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” So my discharge started back up again. I was discharged in April 1994.

Does that mean your commanding officer knew you were gay before the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was in place?
My commanding officer asked if I was gay and I replied. But since that was before “Don’t Ask, Don’t tell” was implemented, they began my discharge process.

Now you’re involved with American Veterans for Equal Rights. What kind of work do they do?
We provide support for our troops that are overseas, and we’re working to make sure that everybody gets their benefits. That’s particularly difficult considering that [gay people] can’t always talk truthfully and honestly about what’s going on in their lives.
One of the things we’re most concerned about is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For gay soldiers who have the added stress of having to maintain a double life, they’re likely to suffer from “double PTSD.” In order to get help for that, they have to be truthful with a counselor. Because they can’t be honest about who they are, then they probably won’t even seek that help. That’s very unfortunate.
Let’s say someone comes back from serving overseas in Iraq, and they’re still active duty. They’re having problems, as so many people do. But they can’t really get help because they can’t be truthful about who they are. They can’t bring their spouse into the effort because they can’t let anyone know they have a spouse. It’s much less likely that they’ll get the help they need with PTSD.

How do you help gay people get their military benefits?
With someone going to the Veterans Administration to try and get their benefits, it’s very hard to go through all the paperwork. A lot of people will go to groups called veteran service organizations, like the American Legion and the VFW, to get help with that. Gay people are less likely to do that because they fear they won’t be welcomed or get the help they need in those groups.
We are a veteran service organization, a 501-C19 and we hope to be able to fill that gap, to make sure that every soldier gets the benefits they’re supposed to get when they arrive home.

Do think President Barack Obama will eventually change the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy?
Changing the policy isn’t really up to Obama. He can provide leadership, but Congress has to make the change. There is a bill in Congress called the Military Readiness Enhancement Act and it would lift the ban. I think it will pass.

Hasn’t Obama come under fire from the LGBT community lately for not stopping the military’s discharges under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”?
Obama has not stopped the discharges and I don’t personally understand that. But there is a case in California that went to the federal court there, and that court ruled that the ban is unconstitutional. Normally, at that point, the Justice Department would step in and appeal that decision so it would go to a higher court. Obama’s Justice Department chose not to appeal, therefore allowing that court decision to stand. So they’re making progress in more quiet ways.

What problems does the policy create for the military?
To me, the biggest issue is how many American soldiers have to die on the battlefield because the medic that could have saved their lives was kicked out under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
The way the military works now is very much teamwork. Teamwork is critical to the success of the mission. If you remove a member of the team, you jeopardize the success of the mission. Particularly with translators and the medical corps. A lot of people have been kicked out of those areas.

Do other countries have similar bans for their military units?
Everybody else now has gotten rid of their bans — the British, the Australians, the Canadians, the Israelis. A lot of the British military said they would walk off if the ban was lifted, and then one day, they flipped the switch, the ban was gone, and nothing happened. I don’t believe the American service members are any less professional than our British service members.

What reason does the U.S. military give for maintaining the policy?
The military says they have this policy because they believe it would damage morale and unit cohesion if troops knew there was a gay person in their unit. Yet if they really believed the presence of a gay person would damage unit cohesion, you’d think they’d immediately get rid of gay people when they find out while serving overseas. But they don’t do that. They wait until the person comes home from Iraq with the rest of the unit to kick them out. That goes to show that the military itself doesn’t believe that gay people are bad for unit cohesion. They know they’re an important part of the team. There’s no valid excuse anymore. It’s past time that it needs to repealed.

What will you be doing at Mid-South Pride?
I’ll be leading the parade as the color guard. Then, after the parade, I’m going to play Taps. We lost a member of our own organization in Baghdad last year, Major Alan G. Rogers. He was buried at Arlington. We know he was gay because we knew him. We will honor him by playing Taps at Pride celebrations around the country.

Is there a local Tennessee chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights?
I would like to start one while I’m in Memphis. We need five people to start one. I will be at the festival signing people up. We don’t encourage active military to join, but rather veterans.

For more information on American Veterans for Equal Rights, check out their website.