Marriage Equality Supporters Camp Out At Supreme Court Days Before Oral Arguments
WASHINGTON — When waiting for marriage equality, make sure you bring binder clips.

On Sunday afternoon — still two days away from the Supreme Court’s oral arguments on whether there’s a constitutional right to marriage equality — nearly 50 people were already in line to secure some of the coveted tickets given to the public to get into the courtroom.

Many of the people in line were paid placeholders. Most refused to reveal how much they were making, but one said they generally received between $10-$35 an hour.

Kathleen Perrin from California and Jason Hewett from Georgia were the first non-placeholders in line, in the 14th and 15th spots. To get that far up, they had to arrive Friday morning at 8:00 a.m. and endure a Saturday night of cold rain. They said a water-resistant tarp was a must, as was a sleeping bag, a comfortable chair, an umbrella, sunscreen, a flashlight, clean clothes, snacks, a phone charger and … binder clips.

“Binder clips! That’s the secret to line-standing,” said Perrin, showing off her gear. “Especially if you have to have a tarp, the tiniest bit of wind blows it up. So you can secure everything.”

This binder clip pro tip was gleaned from past experience waiting in line for marriage equality. Hewett said he befriended Perrin in 2013, when they were trying to get tickets for the oral arguments against the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8.

“I met a girl the last time we were here,” said Hewett. “The first thing she did was sat down, put her tarp out and grabbed a giant bag of binder clips. I said, ‘You win, I’m with you.'”

Perrin runs the popular Equality Case Files Twitter account and has been tweeting updates about life in the line.

At night, in rain, #InScotusLine pic.twitter.com/ktIUWMq6V1

— Equality Case Files (@EQCF) April 26, 2015

She was a bit of a celebrity, with one passerby stopping and asking for a photo when he heard who she was.

“Oh my gosh, are you Equality Case Files? I follow that all the time! It is my No. 1 source,” said a starstruck Patrick Scarborough, who was in town from Birmingham, Alabama, with his husband, C.A. Lee III, and their neighbors, Jason Turner and Robert Listerman. Scarborough and Lee have been together for 14 years and married in Boston in 2013. Turner and Listerman have been together for 19 years and married about a year and a half ago, right on the steps of the Supreme Court.

“There are a couple of things that come with marriage equality. It’s important at birth, it’s important at death and important for securing yourself for the unknowns of the future,” said Scarborough, discussing what it’s like to have a marriage that many officials in his state don’t recognize.

The line in front of the Supreme Court was a reunion for many people there. Perrin and Hewett were catching up with Frank Colasonti Jr. and James Barclay Ryder from Birmingham, Michigan, who were also there two years ago and were Nos. 17 and 18 this time.

Colasonti and Ryder married last year after 26 years together. They were the first couple to get married in Oakland County on March 22, 2014, when same-sex marriage became legal in the state.

The two of them were some of the lucky ones. After just a few hours, an appeals court halted same-sex marriages in the state and later upheld the state’s ban, leading to the Supreme Court case Tuesday.

Colasonti and Ryder, however, were part of the group that sued the state of Michigan to recognize their marriage. A judge ruled that the state had to recognize the 300 same-sex marriages performed during that brief window of opportunity and in February, Gov. Rick Snyder (R) announced he would not be appealing the ruling.

“That’s why we’re here, to continue to show support for everybody else. It’s not just about us,” said Ryder.

Even though many of the people in line had been there for days, they seemed far from tired and bored — especially since Sunday turned out to be warm and sunny, a nice break from the rain the previous evening.

The pop-up community largely operated on a trust system, although one of the placeholder organizers was keeping a list of where everyone was in line to prevent cutting. People would occasionally take breaks to use the restroom, visit family or go get some food, and it was up to their neighbors to save their spot. Some people in line had rented rooms nearby where they would run and take a hot shower now and then.

Well-wishers frequently came by with food, and Tracy Hollister, a longtime marriage equality advocate, said she was surprised by how little time she has had to simply relax and read a book.

“I’ve had probably 16 offers of free food. People keep feeding me!” she said. “We’re doing well with the food.”

Hollister, who was No. 20 in line, said she’s thrilled to see the momentum marriage equality has had across the country and wanted to come to the Supreme Court to “celebrate our success.”

“I am going to be taking copious notes in the courtroom. … I’m just going to be soaking it up,” she said.

The folks in line or hanging out nearby seemed to be overwhelmingly there to support marriage equality, with the exception of one woman standing alone on the steps of the Supreme Court, holding up a sign that read, “Warning! God draws a line on gay marriage. … Woe to those who cross it!”

On Saturday, anti-marriage equality protesters marched by for the National Organization for Marriage’s rally. Many of the people in line stood by Eddie Reynoso’s Pride Constellation flag, which he made to track each state that legalizes same-sex marriage with a pink star.

“Yesterday, when NOM was here, we used it as a shield from the hate,” said Reynoso, who was No. 35 in line. “We were able to open it up and stand our ground and remind them that we have a consecutive 37 victories of winning this. And we’re not far away. We have 13 states to go, and we’re not going to leave until we gain those 13 states. It’s just become a symbol of marriage equality”

Reynoso, like the others, has been overwhelmed at the support he’s received. He tweeted Sunday morning that they were hungry and wanted some pizza for lunch. The result? The California-based group Out in the Vineyard, which organizes LGBT-friendly wine tours, responded and sent over 16 pizzas.

Hey Eddie. just ordered 16 pizzas for you. Thank U Eddie Rey and all the supporters for #MarriageEquality @ILoveEddieRey

— Out In The Vineyard (@OutInVineyard) April 26, 2015

Want more updates from Amanda? Sign up for her newsletter, Piping Hot Truth.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/27/marriage-equality-supreme-court_n_7152854.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Two Gay Teen Athletes Share High School Prom Pics, Melt Hearts

There was a time not too long ago that coming out in high school meant facing certain doom, and now we’re seeing more and more brave students standing up to speak their truth only to find acceptance from their families, friends and communities. And it’s a beautiful thing.

Related: Straight Teen Asks His Gay Best Friend To Prom

The latest examples are the impossibly sweet prom photos shared recently by senior Michael Martin and his boyfriend Logan Westrope.

You might remember Michael, the all-state soccer goalie for Musselman High School in West Virginia who also played on the school’s football, tennis and swim teams, from his inspiring coming out story we shared last December.

Related: High School Jock Comes Out By Slow Dancing With The Homecoming King

Well that was so five months ago, or five years in teenage-time.

Michael’s been dating Logan for four months, and the two seem to have had the gay fairytale prom that so many older LGBT folk could only dream of.

Just try not to beam, we dare you:

“I asked Logan to the prom after his work. I gave him a bag with a chicken sandwich inside and asked, ‘Are you a chicken or will you go to the prom with me?’ ” Michael told OutSports. “He easily and gladly said yes.”

“We knew this would be a night to remember,” Logan said. “We walked in, checked in with our tickets, and were off to have fun!  At first we were both a little hesitant to hold hands, not knowing how the rest of the student body would react. But after a short while, we were always next to each other and danced together the whole night.”

“Some of the slow songs we danced to were ‘Stay With Me’ (Sam Smith), ‘See You Again’ (Wiz Khalifa), and ‘All of Me’ (John Legend). At the moment when the slow songs played, we would just stare into each other’s eyes and would think of how lucky we are to have each other.”

“We didn’t hear any negative comments about Michael and I. A lot of people would come up to us (especially the girls) and say, ‘You both are so cute!’ or ‘You guys look great!’  Once we left the prom, I remember Michael saying to me in the car, ‘Logan, this is our last prom and I’m so glad I got to spend it with you.’ I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night.”

“Most everyone knows that I am gay and for the most part everyone that I work with there accepts me for who I am,” Logan said. “I was extremely nervous to tell my fellow employees but then realized I wasn’t afraid to show the real me.”

 

 

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/gRy8l-I1_ZY/two-gay-teen-athletes-share-high-school-prom-pics-melt-hearts-20150427

How Gay Guys Signal Each Other When There Are No Straight People Around: WATCH

Charles Pulliam-Moore

www.towleroad.com/2015/04/how-gay-guys-signal-each-other-when-there-are-no-straight-people-around-watch.html

$1 Million Gift to Journalism School Will Go Toward LGBT Education

A University of Missouri School of Journalism alum had a lot to give his alma mater last week.

read more

Raffy Ermac

www.advocate.com/politics/media/2015/04/27/1-million-gift-journalism-school-will-go-toward-lgbt-education

You Can't Sit With Us
Fire Island is a magical place.

After my first trip out to the Pines a decade ago, I remember describing it as “Wonderland” to those friends who had yet to experience it. The moment the ferry slowly pulled into the harbor, I was smiling ear to ear as I watched a sanctuary reveal itself before me. Men were walking hand in hand with no fear of a dirty look or dangerous encounter. Pride flags blew in the breeze from every rooftop. You could dance the hours away into the night and then feel the ocean breeze whip across your face as you traversed the boardwalk home. I came as a 23 year old with a day bag hoping to find a friend to crash with, progressed into a customer of the notorious Botel (a place everyone needs to experience and check off the gay bucket list) and now find myself a share holder in my mid-thirties. I’ve watched friends become property and business owners and I see the enhancements they bring to our fabled paradise. I hear the laughter of my friends as we have one too many Planter’s Punch cocktails at Low Tea and I feel the sadness of an era of men who saw their final sunsets right on the very dunes that I walk on.

It’s hallowed ground and pleasure island. It’s the lifeblood that gets many of us through the arduous New York City winters.

“So what if slushing ice is pummeling my face, in only a few months I’ll be in short shorts on the boardwalk… I can make it… I can make it!”

Throughout my 10 years going to the Pines, the businesses that make up the harbor have seen a number of different owners. Every year, there are new changes and new ideas, and for the most part, I see tremendous improvement and intelligent ideas that draw younger crowds out which will only help the longevity of the island.

Enter Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass. These men own the Out Hotel in NYC and the adjacent XL Nightclub, which in all honesty I have no real familiarity with. I live in the city and so have no need for a hotel and XL nightclub opened its doors with a fairly steep entry fee (an asinine move, if I may say so) and so I never found a need to walk through those doors. I do not know a thing about Weiderpass and all I really know about Reisner is that he left the scene of a car accident that occurred while he was supposedly under the influence, and that a 23 year old bar manager overdosed and was found dead in his bathtub. Do I know the details of either of these incidents? No. Yet, as the old adage goes, where there’s smoke…there’s fire. Both men also own a decent sized share in a majority of the bars, restaurants and nightclubs that make up the Pines harbor area.

Reisner and Weiderpass found the media spotlight basically blinding them last week when they pulled the ultimate “What were they thinking?” move. The two men hosted a dinner and fireside chat for the notoriously anti-LGBT senator Ted Cruz. Both men claim to have just wanted to bend his ear on marriage equality, yet one can’t quite wrap their heads around why they would even entertain a breath that this modern day Anita Bryant would utter. Cruz has not only just recently presented a new bill that would protect states that ban gay marriage but he has also led the fight on basically anything that would make an LGBT citizen feel even an iota of equality in this country. The man is one of the most reviled and dangerous figures in our community. How they were able to physically stomach a meal while in his midst is a complete mystery to me. Many have laid claim that the two men have lobbied numerous anti-LGBT politicians in the past, in order to protect their own wealth and finances.

Well, actions have consequences, and these two have now found themselves and their properties in the midst of a massive boycott. Numerous organizations, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, have pulled events from both the OUT Hotel and XL Nightclub. A Facebook page has garnered thousands of likes in only a few days. I myself have jumped onboard and vowed to not give any money to any establishment that these two men have a stake in.

Here’s my problem though…these two men have a stake in my summer paradise. These two men have a stake in what has been a sanctuary to so many. Half of my brain thinks that I need to just stick to my guns and boycott these businesses on Fire Island…which let’s face it, are most of them. Half of my brain thinks that I am hurting so many people that have worked so hard to sustain this island and furthered it for the better.

This is basically my gay Sophie’s Choice, and I loathe being put into this predicament, but I have arrived at a thought that I think may be our best way to find success within this mess that these fools have created.

We have to boycott these businesses. We have to stand unified and not drop a cent on a vodka soda or 10 dollars on a mediocre hamburger. We have to understand that our dignity costs more than a cocktail or a dance on the dock. The men that built that paradise that we now frequent, fought and died so that we could be afforded the freedoms we have. The soul of the island goes deeper than a tea dance. Every groove on that boardwalk holds our history. Every grain of sand on that beach holds our struggle. We would be spitting in the face of all those who have come and gone before us.

I’m also not a fool and understand that every boycott has to have an endgame. More so, an achievable goal if we are to succeed with this plan.

I am not ready to let these two men ruin this place for me, and so I call for a simple plan of action.

Boycott these establishments within the Pines until the other owners force Mr. Reisner and Mr. Weiderpass to sell their stake in the businesses and get the hell of our island.

We recently saw how powerful a boycott could be with the situation in Indiana. Within just a few days we not only saw them reverse their anti-LGBT laws, but also saw other states mulling the same idea, running for the hills and retracting any language that could be seen as discriminatory.
I don’t know about you, but I had no plan within my calendar to visit Indiana anytime soon, but I fought for her and my community within her, as if she were my home state.

Now we must do what feels like the unthinkable. We must boycott the businesses in the place we love and call home, so that we can prove our own self dignity. How can we eagerly await a Supreme Court decision granting marriage equality and also buy a drink/eat a meal that funnels itself monetarily into the pockets of those who do us such harm.

Pressure works. We see it every day. Put pressure on these owners to force Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass to take their money and shares off of our paradise. Bring a “roadie” of booze with you as you head to tea, throw more house parties, anything that allows us both the fun of summer on the island and a clear conscience.

Share this article on all of your social media, make this a part of the conversation and watch how fast Mr. Reisner and Mr. Weiderpass are handed a one way ferry ticket back to the main land before we’re even close to Memorial Day.

Then we can sit on the dock, Planter’s Punch in hand and watch those gorgeous sunsets knowing we’ve kept our sanctuary safe not only for ourselves, but for the next flock of 23 year olds with a day bag ready to experience “Wonderland.”

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-ulloa/you-cant-sit-with-us_b_7147694.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Watch: HRC & Morgan Freeman team up to say #LoveCantWait

HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/watch-hrc-morgan-freeman-team-up-to-say-lovecantwait?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

WATCH: Preview of Tomorrow's Supreme Court Argument

It’ll go by fast, but tomorrow’s oral argument will change the course of American history.

read more

Matt Baume

www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2015/04/27/watch-preview-tomorrows-supreme-court-argument

Will Bruce Jenner’s Transition Tarnish Our Golden Transgender Moment?

Note: Per GLAAD, this article uses the name and pronouns Jenner prefers at time of publication. Actually, this article uses no gendered pronouns to demonstrate how easy it is.

This needs to be said first: Anyone who discussed Jenner’s possible transition in the media for any reason before April 24, 2015 is part of the problem. That includes trans people. The “teaching moment” could wait, the scolding of the press could wait. The mocking or slamming of Jenner for how this transition is unfolding on TV could wait. That was all just feeding the trolls, and the trans people doing it were essentially engaging in self-promotion. But now that we have an announcement, let the games begin!

This needs to be said second: Coming out as gay, lesbian, or bi can certainly be stressful and challenging, but transgender people face an extra layer of challenges because we often change our appearance, name and other fundamental ways we interact with others. If a trans person enjoyed any amount of pre-transition notability, the process is even more difficult. Arguably, no one as famous as Jenner has ever announced a gender transition, so there’s intense scrutiny not only from the press, but from the trans community concerned about what effects the announcement and upcoming reality show might have. Any trans people who think they can second-guess what Jenner should or shouldn’t do based on their own transitions under far less famous circumstances don’t know what they’re talking about.

How famous is Jenner? Since we live in a society where our collective memory ends at page two of TMZ, and because I was nine years old in 1976, let me try to explain the significance of Jenner for those who aren’t sports fans or ladies of a certain age. America’s bicentennial was an orgiastic celebration of all things America, and it felt needed. We’d just come out of Vietnam. Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon for Watergate and was bumbling through the rest of Nixon’s term. Inflation was spiraling out of control, and gay rights was in that hedonistic sweet spot between being de-listed as a mental illness and the onset of the AIDS epidemic.

Jenner became America personified after winning the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics. It’s hard to overstate how that win restored pride in our country that everyone could rally around. Here’s this clean-cut, charismatic, yet humble superstar athlete who embodied everything we wanted to be as a nation.

Jenner’s ascent as a media celebrity came quickly after. Perhaps my favorite was this fabulous turn in the Village People schlockfest Can’t Stop the Music:

However, the late 1970s also ushered in a massive political backlash against transgender people, driven in no small part by the transition of ophthalmologist-turned professional tennis player Reneé Richards. By the time Ronald Reagan’s 1980s were underway, the gay community was in crisis mode, and trans people found it harder and harder to get health services.

Jenner is part of what I call the Lost Trans Generation: those who had to endure regressive “gender clinics” that tried to control access to trans health services. These clinics turned away most applicants; the most regressive of these was in Toronto, now called the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. They turned away up to 90 percent of all applicants, allowing them to select for the types they wanted to serve. An entire generation suffered in silence because they lacked the acceptance and resources. Most people who transitioned in the 60s through the 80s disappeared after transition, going “stealth” rather than dealing with the nonsense that out trans people had to endure.

It wasn’t until the dawn of USENET and later the world wide web that trans people were able to regroup and begin the arduous road toward the level of acceptance we enjoy today. We currently live in an internet bubble of transitions which will not happen again. It’s very similar to the coming out bubble that happened with gays and lesbians earlier. Gay, lesbian, and bi people now routinely come out in middle school or high school, where the median age for transition is still probably somewhere around age 40. That will drop precipitously from here out, but for now we will see more and more folks who put off transition and coming out until it was a little more safe and acceptable.

Trans people have every reason to worry about safety and acceptance, especially famous trans people. The media has a terrible track record with speculating on the transition status of notable figures, and then putting them through the wringer once they transition. They gleefully speculated on Chelsea Manning as the legal case moved to trial, and they continue to use Manning’s transition to score political points. Other lowlights include when Vanity Fair contributor Steve Garbarino badgered The Deer Hunter director Michael Cimino about transition rumors in 2000:

I tell him I have heard that many transsexuals regret it or simply go mad… I say to Cimino, “So you aren’t a pre-op transsexual?” He puts his hands up in disbelief and smiles a rare smile, as if to say, “What did I just tell you?”

Then came the disgraceful 2006 Rolling Stone piece by contributor Peter Wilkinson, speculating on The Matrix co-director Lana Wachowski and publishing rumors so lurid and defamatory that Rolling Stone has sent the piece down the internet memory hole, unavailable on their site.

It’s a pattern familiar to anyone who followed the Jenner speculation this year. The feeding frenzy in the Jenner case was just as repugnant. Everyone was waiting for the one publication willing to cross the line, and when In Touch obliged with their PhotoShopped cover, that was the flimsy excuse everyone else needed to start openly speculating about Jenner. They could claim they were writing about the cover, but they were in fact using that as an excuse to badger everyone who knows Jenner, and even those who don’t, with questions about the rumors behind the cover. All those scumbags should give In Touch a cut of their ad revenue, since they’re all part of the same parasitic swarm.

Each trans person who was a public figure before transition has chipped away at the monolithic idea of what it means to be trans. Entertainers and authors like Chaz Bono, actors like Alexis Arquette, and musicians like Wendy Carlos or Laura Jane Grace have each done a remarkable job of transitioning in the public eye. It’s Jenner’s transition, and we need to respect that. Many people who recently transition and find themselves in the spotlight quickly run afoul of the community because they say or do the “wrong” thing. While it’s true that a public transition carries a certain weight and responsibility, no one is obligated to toe the trans community’s company line on what they can or cannot say. Jenner is in an interesting situation where money and fans are not really an issue, so I imagine we are going to hear some refreshingly candid things that many of us wouldn’t dare to say because of the possible political or financial consequences.

I personally feel the most interesting thing about Jenner’s announcement is that it confirmed the longstanding speculation that our newest trans celebrity is a conservative Republican. Kim Kardashian had outed both parents as such at the 2012 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but we’d never heard it directly from Jenner until the Diane Sawyer interview.

When gay and lesbian people began coming out as Republicans or conservatives, it was a sign that we had reached a new level of mainstream acceptance. I am delighted that we now have more and more out conservative transgender politicians and celebrities, even if I don’t agree with many of their positions. Pretty much any extended family has a mix of political beliefs and parties, and we need to learn to find common ground regardless of our differences.

Is this media frenzy a good thing or a bad thing? Mostly good, I think. No one person is going to make or break a movement this big. Whatever happens, I didn’t think I could ever be more proud of Jenner than I was when I was nine. I was wrong.

Andrea James is a writer, director, producer and activist based in Los Angeles.

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/CGzi34o5L3c/will-bruce-jenners-transition-tarnish-our-golden-transgender-moment-20150427