homophobia

An inspiring action from a dedicated public servant. Received via email.

On January 3, 2012 I resigned my position as Director of Elections for Harnett County, NC. I am extremely proud of the progress and accomplishments made to the voting procedures and polling places in Harnett County over the last eleven and a half years. I am especially proud that the Board of Election’s Office has always been operated in a fair, efficient and non-partisan manner during my tenure.

Unfortunately, recent actions of the North Carolina General Assembly made it impossible for me to continue as Director of Elections as speaking publicly about candidates or issues appearing on the ballot is prohibited. In September, the legislature passed a bill requiring a referendum be placed on the May, 2012 primary ballot defining marriage as a “union between a man and a woman”. I cannot and will not be a party to such actions.

Cross-posted from Facing South article by Bob Moser, Texas Observer

Bobby Beltran was already having a blue Christmas. Because of his job, the 26-year-old was missing his tight-knit family's celebration back home in Brownsville for the first time. After work on Christmas night, to cheer himself up, Beltran joined some friends and co-workers at Rain, a gay bar in downtown Austin. He was accompanied by Chris Ortega, an Austin native who'd recently returned to Texas' supposed beacon of tolerance -- and had, only weeks before, come out to friends as gay.

You have to admire Tom Fetzer's gumption. He'll stand in front of a room of grown adults and say whatever pops into his pretty little head, as he did on Saturday when he got all excited about his new BFF, New Bern Mayor Lee Bettis. (I suppose that makes them both switch hitters, but that's another story.)

For those of you who aren't regular readers of my blog, you might want to see the quality of the radical right whackjobs who read my posts, then foam at the mouth at their blogs, usually as a drumbeat to do a bit of fundraising. People like Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality are full-time, "professionals" who spend day and night doing "research" on The Homosexual Agenda, funded by misguided followers and wingnut welfare. Below the fold, a taste of what I deal with on a regular basis.

The GOP in North Carolina is exceptionally homophobic, populated and run by bigots with fossilized thinking. It's not surprising, then, that the first openly gay judge on the NC Court of Appeals, John Arrowood, is facing an anti-gay attack by his opponent Bob Hunter's supporters. Arrowood was appointed by outgoing governor Mike Easley back in August of 2007, to fill an unexpired term, and is up for election this year.

My good friend Mark Kleinschmidt is an anti-death penalty attorney and a twice-elected member of the Chapel Hill Town Council. He is also gay. This last fact qualified him for membership on a list that is making the rounds on hate sites called the "National List Of Openly-Homosexual Public Officials."

I'm passing on word about the great LGBT conference we're planning here in NC...in light of the news about Jim Neal, an out gay man, running against Liddy Dole, it's particularly good timing to talk about progress here.

On November 3, LGBT North Carolinians and allies will come together, share stories and strategize about how to advance civil rights in our state with the 2007 Equality Conference & Gala. It will held at the Duke University School of Law, and will feature workshops that bring together movement leaders, grassroots advocates, and LGBT citizens from across the state for a day of networking, skills-building, and learning. In the evening there will be a gala held at the Nasher Museum of Art in Durham.

According to the New York Times, Americans are increasingly identifying with progressive values. Americans ages 17 to 29 are drifting away from Republican hatred of immigrants and gays, and toward the Democratic vision of health care and economic opportunity for all.

Read the article here.

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Just got this in late. If I knew how to publish a pdf I'd show you the flyer.

The people who brought you God Hates Fags (to which I will not link) today plan to disrupt the funeral of Army Specialist Ward Linder who died by roadside IED in Iraq June 19: