Category Archives: Poltics

My good friend wrote a call to action blog post earlier this week in reaction to the violence in Orlando last weekend and I wanted to share it.

Read and share: You Think You Know.

FACT: One of the survivors of the Orlando shooting could be fired from their job or kicked out of their apartment simply for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Throughout most of Florida, it is legal to fire someone or deny them access to housing or public accommodations because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).

This follows the 4th Circuit’s decision that denying restroom access to trans students is sex discrimination under Title IX of the Civil Rights Act.

Learn more here.

The Republican Party is too media savvy to openly admit that they are using LGBT rights as a wedge issue but just because Republicans aren’t saying “we hate the LGBT community”, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. My parents always told me that actions speak louder than words.  And one needn’t have the deductive reasoning skills of Sherlock Holmes to realize that the Republican Party sees targeting the LGBT community as a way to rally their fracturing party.

My parents always told me that actions speak louder than words.

Two weeks ago I wrote, Why the LGBT community still needs pride, after watching several southern states pass discriminatory legislation specifically targeting the LGBT community (many under the guise of  “religious freedom”). At the time I wrote, “It seems like the South has declared war on the LGBT community.” Now I realize I was naive to blame this solely on the South. While the exact number of anti-LGBT legislation introduced in states in 2016 is up for debate, the trend cannot be disputed and it is happening all over the country.

This is troubling for me to watch, and I would imagine horrifyingly frightening for a young man or woman struggling to come to terms with their sexuality or gender. The Wisconsin Gazette recently published a state-by-state overview of anti-LGBT bills. You can check out what is happening in your state, here.

Anti-LGBT legislation seems to almost always be initiated by Republican state legislators. The chances of those bills becoming laws are increasingly likely if there are Republican majorities in the state house and a Republican governor. Since Massachusetts started recognizing same sex marriages in 2004 the Republican party has used marriage rights as a wedge issue – initially with a great deal of success but in recent elections to a lesser extent.

The 2015 US Supreme Court ruling recognizing our marriage rights coupled with the death of Justice Scalia has rallied conservatives who are using “Religious Freedom” as an excuse to legalize discrimination and to play on unfounded fears that the transgendered community is a bunch of predatory sickos who want to take over public restrooms – when the reality is more Republican politicians have been arrested for sex acts in public restrooms than trans people.

Last night transgender activists booed Gov. Charlie Baker off stage because of his lack of support for a pending bill designed to prevent bias against their community in public spaces. The bill in question, known as the public accommodations bill, would prohibit bias against transgender people in restaurants, shopping malls, and other public areas.

Baker was the keynote speaker at the 10th Annual Boston Spirit LGBT Executive Networking Night at the Marriott hotel in Copley Place. The annual event draws more than 1,000 LGBT business leaders and earlier in his speech he drew applause when he told the crowd that “we should not discriminate against anyone in Massachusetts.”, but according to The Boston Globe he infuriated many when he hedged on the question of the public accommodations bill. Rather than declare support, he said he would “make sure I talk to all parties involved” if the legislation comes to him. The crowd voiced their displeasure with boos.

You can read the full article in The Boston Globe here.

Despite significant progress there has been an ugly backlash directed at the LGBT community over the past year. The #NOH8Worldwid movement returns to W Boston on Saturday, April 23rd from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Based on past experience, plan on arriving early as this shoot always attracts a large crowd.

More Information About The Open Photo Shoot for NOH8 Campaign

PHOTO COST:
Single/Solo Photos: $40 — Couple/Group Photos: $25 per person

TIPS:
Come camera-ready
Wear a white shirt
Have fun

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
E-mail info@noh8campaign.com with your contact information.
Please be sure to indicate you’d like to volunteer for the Boston shoot.

Here are some photos I took when I went to the NOH8 photo shoot in Boston back in the spring of 2011. Despite the long lines, we had a lot of fun.

Dear North Carolina LGBT Community,

A lot has been written about the mean-spirited legislation your State Legislature passed and Republican Governor, Pat McCrory recently signed into law. Without going into the details, we all understand the message: The LGBT community is not welcome in North Carolina and those who wish to discriminate against the LGBT community can now do so freely with the blessing of the state.

While North Carolina is a beautiful state, home to many wonderful people, it is hard for me to understand how a state can categorically write-off their LGBT community.  The LGBT community has been instrumental in revitalizing neighborhoods like the South End in Charlotte and comprise a growing professional demographic that the state needs if they are to continue to court new employers to relocate to the area.

“If you do not feel welcome in North Carolina anymore many states will welcome you with open arms; Massachusetts included.”

Massachusetts is familiar with bigotry in all its forms but I suppose we are lucky to live in a state where the LGBT community is celebrated and not shunned. Our own governor (a Republican no less) is a staunch supporter of gay rights. I don’t write this to brag – I write this to let you know you deserve to be respected and would be welcomed with open arms in many states; Massachusetts included.

I applaud those who choose to stay in North Carolina and fight to change the law and the hearts of those who supported it, but for those who want to live in a state where the LGBT community is celebrated; not perceived as a social ill, come visit us in Massachusetts. From Northampton to Provincetown — Massachusetts has communities large and small where the LGBT community is viewed as an asset. If you come to the area to visit this spring or summer, let me know and I’ll be the first to buy you a drink and say, “Welcome to Massachusetts“.

With all my love,
BosGuy