General: April 2004 Archives

I really feel for this young man. He has a lot of heart and courage. I wrote about this on April 27th. It turns out that he came in last in the election. I'm sure he's very disappointed by that, but I hope he knows that if nothing else, he has made people think about this issue.

Update: April 29, 2004

All I wanted to do was be open about who I am and let other students know that if they elect me president I'll welcome and accept diversity and a variety of ideas. I'm ready to fight for the rights of students at my school, but I didn't expect to have to fight for my own rights first. - Jarred Gamwell

My friend Jon told me about this story in email. I read it last night and was really blown away by it. I am also very proud of this young man. He's only 17 years old, but displays amazing courage. If this is the character of our young gay men and women, I think the future is looking up.

It is good to see so many gay high school kids being open these days who let their peers see them as equals. Things were a bit different when I went to high school. If I had done that, I would have been strung up for sure.

This is the story of Jared Gamwell, a 17-year-old junior who hopes to become an English teacher. He attends James Baxter Hunt, Jr. High School in Wilson, North Carolina, and he is running for senior class president. To help with his election efforts, he put up two posters on April 20.

On Tuesday, April 20, Jarred put up some campaign posters, as all the candidates are allowed to do, and went to his Honors Band class. When his class ended, Jarred discovered two of the posters -- one with the slogan “Queer Eye for Hunt High” and another reading “Gay Guys Know Everything!” -- had been taken down. Jarred went to school administrators and discovered that it was Principal Bill Williamson who had ordered the removal of the posters.

The next day, Jarred met with Williamson and asked why the posters were taken down. The principal refused to answer, so Jarred left a list of questions about why the posters had been removed and asked for a response in writing. Williamson let Jarred take the posters when he left. On Thursday, Jarred asked again, but Williamson again refused to answer any questions about the incident, telling Jarred that principals don't have to explain their actions to students. No other candidates’ posters have been taken down by school officials.

This prompted a response from the ACLU asking that Hunt High School do two things to correct its violation of Jarred’s rights:
Permit Jarred to put the two posters back up immediately

Allow Jarred to convey the messages that were kept from the student body and talk about the censorship that has taken place in his campaign speech, scheduled along with the other candidates for tomorrow afternoon.

This seems to me to be a very clear case of discrimination, not because Jarred happens to be gay (and I of course am very sympathetic to what it's like to be discriminated against on that basis), but because he wasn't treated equally to his peers. His posters were the only posters that were taken down. All of the other competitor's posters remained intact.

Principal Bill Williamson refused to give Jarred an answer to why his posters were taken down, telling Jarred that principals don't have to explain their actions to students. Fair enough. But the principal should be trying to set an example of fairness to all students and not be a symbol of bigotry. The fact that Jarred was singled out when his peers were not targeted demands an answer from that principal!

As it turns out, Jarred lost in court. On April 27, after ACLU went to court seeking an injunction forcing the posters back up, the court denied the motion without explanation. Superior Court Judge Dwight Cranford issued the decision after 40 minutes of arguments by both sides.

But did Jarred really lose this case? I don't think so. He may have lost in court, but his determination to seek justice and ultimately being denied justice speaks volumes about the process of seeking equality and fairness in this country.

Jarred wants to be a teacher some day. I think that he has already started his career as a teacher. He has taught valuable lessons to his peers and I'm sure has given the teachers, the principal, and perhaps even Judge Dwight Cranford, who couldn't even tell Jarred why he didn't deserve equal consideration, something to think about.

First my principal took down my posters without explaining why, and now this judge has ruled against me, also without explaining why, so of course I'm disappointed. But the support I got from other students at my school today about this was amazing. People cheered for me in the halls and students who have never spoken to me came up to tell me how great they think it is that I'm fighting this. - Jarred Gamwell

Story also covered over on morons.org.

This was the full letter from the ACLU to Principal Bill Williamson at Hunt High School:

April 26, 2004

By Facsimile
Principal Bill Williamson
James Baxter Hunt Jr. High School
4559 Lamm Road
Wilson, North Carolina 27893
Fax: 252-399-7897

Re: Jarred Gamwell

Dear Principal Williamson:

I am writing on behalf of Jarred Gamwell, a junior at Hunt High School, regarding the censorship of posters he displayed as part of his campaign for president of the Student Government Association (“SGA”).

"If I were Hispanic, Gay, Black or Asian, would you still be friends with me? Everyone is different. End the hate."

That was the slogan on the T-shirts that Maria Rosenberg and Gary McLain wore to their New Jersey high school. The school responded by suspending the students for two days.

After the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey got involved, the suspensions were dropped and the student's records were expunged. (source)

Follow-up story

After two days of absence, Gary McLain Jr.'s return to school yesterday felt like a victory. "You would have thought I came home from a war," McLain said. "I got like a hero's welcome."

The junior at Pinelands Regional High School in Little Egg Harbor was suspended along with Maria Rosenberg for shirts they wore that read, "If I were" on the front, and "gay would you still be friends with me?" on the back. The back also read: "Everyone is different. End the hate."

Other students wore several similar shirts, which used the words "Asian," "Hispanic" or "Black" in place of "gay" but apparently were not suspended. (source)

Isn't it interesting that the students who wore similar shirts without the word "gay" on them did not get suspended?

Some Nebraska Families Pull Kids From Orlando 'Gay Days' Band Trip (story).

They are from Nebraska.... what'd you expect? All I can say is, when I was traveling from California to Connecticut, I wasted no time getting across "middle America". Their attitudes scare me.

This is a really cool story about one young man who is straight, who is confronting bigotry. His mother is in a long-term relationship with another woman.

On March 20, 2004, I wrote about the commissioners from Dayton, Tennessee who passed a measure making it illegal to live in Dayton if you are gay. A few days later, after talking with the country attorney, they rescinded their action, saying that it was all a "misunderstanding".

Now they are blaming the media for lying. In response, Annette M. Gould, Publisher of The Watts Bar Lake Observer, is stating that the commissioners are lying about saying that the media is not being truthful.

Let me be perfectly clear. THE MEDIA IS NOT lying, BUT THE Rhea County Commission is.

The transcript of the recording of the Rhea County Commission's March 16 meeting is perfectly clear. They voted to ban homosexuals in Rhea County. They did not vote to back a state move to ban homosexual marriages. They were completely sure of what the issue was and THEY LAUGHED after they did it.

Their own words are choking them no matter what spin they try to adopt.
In this issue of the Watts Bar Lake Observer I am including a copy of the petition to make them resign.

Other links about this
Rhea County Website
Tenn. county backtracks on banning gays
May 8 Gay Day in Rhea County
Gay pride event planned in county that tried to ban homosexuality
Rhea Gay Day Organizer Says Event To Boost Dayton Economy
Gay Day In Rhea County Could Lead To Gay Bashings
May 20, 2004 - Metro Pulse Online - Politicians tried to define Rhea County by banning gays, but their definition didn’t match reality
Saturday, May 8, 2004 - First Rhea County Gay Day
Gay Day shows gay pride in Rhea County
06/10/2004 - Rhea Co. commission to consider gay marriage ban again
06/14/2004 - Rhea County Drafts New Gay Marriage Resolution

I'll tell you what. To be fair to the commissioners, I'm going to post part of the transcript from the actual meeting here. You decide if the media made this whole thing up, or if the commissioners got caught with their pants down.

PORTION OF TRANSCRIPT - RHEA COUNTY COMMISSION MEETING MARCH 16, 2004

FUGATE: Number two. I called the attorney today and tried to get a way to word this and he told me I couldn’t say it the way it should be said. But what it is pertaining to is these homosexual marriages that is going on across our country. I would like to make a motion that those kind of people cannot live in Rhea County or abide in Rhea County. If they are caught in Rhea County living together as such – that they be tried for crimes against nature.

You know, I really do try to take the high road. I do try not to lose my cool about issues and resort to what most people would call "name calling". But for me, it's time to call this jerk what he is. The governor of Massachusetts is a Grade A, Class 1 HOMOPHOBIC BIGOT (bigot; n. One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition).

I'm sick and tired of him making lame ass excuses for why he doesn't agree with gay marriage, and why he thinks that gay marriage is bad for the state, and that he wants to keep gay marriage from spreading to the rest of the states.

You know Governor, it wasn't that long ago that members of the Mormon Religion (your religion) advocated and encouraged polygamy. Over time, the practice was outlawed. You are a fine one to talk. All you can do is use your position to espouse your personal beliefs to push your own agenda.

From what I have seen, the people of Massachusetts are basically fair-minded people. How they ever came to elect a moron like you is quite beyond me. Maybe it's to show that people can overcome bigotry and prejudice when it comes to minority issues, despite what their governor believes.

You sir have an obligation to represent THE PEOPLE, and whether you like it or not, that includes citizens who just happen to be... homosexual. It's time for you to put aside your personal prejudices and start doing your job, or resign from your position.

BOSTON - Gov. Mitt Romney said Thursday he will seek emergency legislation aimed at forestalling gay marriages, which are scheduled to become legal in Massachusetts on May 17.

The legislation would allow Romney to appoint a special counsel who would ask the state's highest court to delay its ruling on gay marriage. The governor said it would allow him "to protect the integrity of the constitutional process."

"Fundamentally, I believe this is a decision which is so important it should be made by the people," Romney said. "I would like the right to be able to represent the people and my own office before the courts in Massachusetts."

More Information...
Massachusetts House Speaker Backs Away from Gay Marriage Fight
Romney warns clerks to heed old law
Marriage licenses will be issued to out-of-state gays

This isn't any surprise to most of you who have been reading the news for the last six months. For me, there are different ways that I look at all the awful stuff happening in this country that is eroding the freedom that gay people, gay couples, gay parents, and transgendered people have left.

On one level, I'm disgusted that people who say that they are Christian can do so many hateful things. Here are a few examples:

Kentucky Lawmakers Pass Amendment to ban gay Marriage
Oklahoma anti-gay adoption amendment approved
Iowa Senate rejects gay man for school post
Gay Hate Leaflets Flood College Campus in Kentucky
Transgender teen was 'executed'

And that's what came out in the news just today. It's frightening. At some point, I would think that truth and justice would prevail and that these people would be able to see what they are doing to other human beings. But fear and ignorance are powerful enemies, and they are everywhere.

Today, the California Supreme Court was wondering how it should treat the 4,000 same-sex couples who were wed before last month's halt to the spree. The justices asked for a briefing for the first time on whether they should invalidate the same-sex marriages San Francisco City Hall performed here if they rule Mayor Gavin Newsom did not have the authority to issue the same-sex marriage licenses.

According to a new report released by the Human Rights Campaign, an unprecedented number of anti-gay measures swept state legislatures in some 44 states this year, evidence of a growing anti-gay legislative backlash against gay and lesbian civil rights. More than 200 separate pieces of gay legislation were put forward in 2003-2004. Gay- related marriage legislation was taken up in 37 state houses.

"We are not fighting for our lifestyles, we are fighting for our lives." On April 15, activists for gay rights will be standing in front of post offices across the country to protest the discrimination in the tax code against same gender couples who cannot get married. From Washington state to Texas, from Massachusetts to Florida, from States all over the nation and in every city in California, activists will be demanding same-sex marriage. For a complete list of cities and states go to http://www.dontamend.com -- tax day protests. "The government takes our tax money but then refuses to treat us as equals before the law," says Robin Tyler, executive director of DontAmend.com - The Equality Campaign. "We are protesting at post offices around the country to highlight the extra pain we feel on tax day when the federal government forces many of us in committed relationships to enter into a legal fiction of being single -- when we are actually couples, many in long-term relationships. We demand equal respect for our relationships, and are angry that the government which taxes us refuses to grant us the marriage rights that others take for granted."

Today is spaghetti day in Eagleville with the group of guys that we've met. Actually, you can have anything that you want, but Wednesday is all you can eat spaghetti for $4.00. It's become so popular with the group, that the restaurant calls Wednesday "Gay Spaghetti Night". We didn't go today. Today was rough for us and we are tired, so we've decided to stay in tonight. I suppose it's just as well. It's still raining here.

Tomorrow is tax day, as we all know. The Human Rights Campaign has a suggestion for all us. We should all send letters to our representatives in Congress about the unfairness in the tax laws for gay citizens. Here's a bit of a sample:

Dear Representative/Senator__________:

I just paid _________ in taxes to the federal government for 2003, and am happy to be a tax-paying citizen. However, while I pay taxes and work just as hard as my neighbor, I am treated differently under the law. Please don’t let this unfair treatment make its way into the United States Constitution.....

They have samples for same-sex partners, a single gay person without a partner, a person with an opposite-sex partner, and a straight ally. The letters can be found on the HRC website.

Hummm, I was finalizing my vacation awhile back and wondering just where the best place would be for a nice one week vacation around the first of June.

I came up with Ogunquit, Maine or the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. I chose Ogunquit, and lucky for me. This was on the web this morning! Of course, maybe this doesn't apply to tourists? It's kind of like saying, "It's illegal to be black.", to me at least.

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, April 14 (UPI) -- The Tanzanian island of Zanzibar passed a bill Wednesday to make homosexuality illegal.

The island's parliament passed a bill that mandates 25 years in prison for those in gay relationships, the BBC reported. Lesbians will get 7-year sentences. Those found guilty of sodomizing minors will be given life sentences. The tourist island is overwhelmingly Muslim.

The attorney general of the island said the bill was needed to prevent Zanzibar's culture from being corrupted. The bill still has to be approved by President Amani Karume, who is expected to give it his assent.

Both the ruling party and the main opposition supported the bill.

Poll: Most Americans Oppose Gay Marriage

And the point is?

I assume they are insinuating that we should go by polls to determine who in society is equal in terms of what rights different citizens receive.

What a fucked up way to look at people. You are equal or you are not. It's that simple.

On a different topic, we did yard work all day long. God am I sore. I have muscles I didn't even know I had.

It's 2004, not 1980. You would think by now that people have more to think about than some gay guy appointed to a state school board was going to "promote a 'gay agenda' in public schools". What are they so afraid of? That some gay guy is going to make all their kids queers?

They seriously need to get over it and GET A LIFE. I guess you could say, "Well, it IS Iowa that we are talking about here", but I would like to believe that in 2004 people weren't so damn stupid. (story)

Apparently, prison life isn't agreeing so well with Russell Henderson, one of the men convicted of the murder of Matthew Shepard five years ago. Both he and Aaron McKinney were each given two life terms. According to the prosecutor, that would ensure that neither man would see freedom again.

Now, Mr. Henderson wants his sentence reduced because he says he wasn't the one who actually killed Matthew. He simply tied him to the fence so that Aaron McKinney could deliver the 18 blows to Matthew's head with the butt of a gun. Mr. Henderson then watched while Mr. McKinney beat Matthew to death. I read a report from the examiner at the scene who stated that the ropes around Matthew's wrists were tied so tight that they had trouble cutting them off.

They are both animals and they deserve exactly what the got. My only hope is that they think of Matthew every day for the rest of their lives.

Indepth link

Now don't get too pissed off, but a report from US Newswire detailed the benefits of marriage versus civil unions in economic terms. Part of the report is given below (highlighting is my own).

You can read the entire report here.

On an up note, read about a country who really has it's act together!

From the report:

One of the couples profiled in the report, Donna Triggs and Donna Moore, both 54, pay $2,177 (13 percent) more in each year in state and federal income taxes than a married couple earning the same amount because they cannot file a joint return. The analysis also finds that if Ms. Triggs died as a result of an injury at work, her spouse would receive $884 per week ($45,968 per year, up to a maximum of $207,722) in workers' compensation benefits. Because Ms. Triggs and Ms. Moore cannot now marry, however, Ms. Moore would receive zero workers' compensation benefits. [...]

I read this over the weekend. I covered it a bit earlier, but it merits attention. It's an old argument and one of my biggest gripes about equality.

It's all fine and well that we are stuck with this Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the military, but if it's going to be used to get rid of highly qualified people who happen to also be gay, it should apply to both wartime and peacetime.

It seems that the discharges from military service for gay personnel are at a low right now because the military is looking the other way and not processing discharges for homosexual military personnel. They need more people for the war, so for the time being, they are relaxing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

Wasn't this policy to preserve "unit cohesion" that would supposedly be harmed by having homosexual personnel from serving openly along side straight personnel?

I guess unit cohesion is different in times of war. We are qualified to die and suffer injuries for our country just as long as we lie about what we are. It makes me proud to be an American!

Letter: An insulting waste

"I want you discharged from the military - but not just yet.'' That's the message Uncle Sam has these days for gay men and lesbians who serve in the military. Under the decade-old "don't ask, don't tell'' policy, the number of patriotic Americans kicked out of the military for their sexual orientations rose steadily from 1994 through 2001.

Recall effort over San Jose, CA decision to recognize same sex marriage

Incensed by the city of San Jose's decision to recognize same-sex marriages, a group of evangelical Christians has hired a well-regarded Sacramento consultant to explore a recall effort or ballot initiative to overturn the action.

Montanna's new anti-gay initiative

HELENA - The Montana Family Foundation said Tuesday it plans to launch an initiative to amend the Montana Constitution this year to prohibit gay marriages.

Foundation President Jeff Laszloffy said in a news release that the amendment would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman "to provide the state courts direction on the issue of marriage."

"Courts throughout our nation are becoming increasingly activist in nature, and many are now actually making laws and setting public policy, a role constitutionally reserved to legislatures," Laszloffy said.

Gee, Mr. Laszloffy must have the same speech writer as President Bush.

And now out in Oregon, a newly formed conservative group has begun a campaign to recall Benton County Commission Chairwoman Linda Modrell over her decision to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Modrell said Tuesday that her oath of office justified her actions.

"Public officials have to uphold the Constitution first and foremost," Modrell said. "Hard decisions by definition tend to be controversial."

Multnomah County, home to Portland, began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples earlier this month but the state has refused to register them until the legality of gay marriage is determined by a court.

FBI probes Denver anti-gay mailings

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force has begun investigating a wave of anti-gay hate letters sent to gay people and gay-rights supporters in Denver, the Rocky Mountain News reported Tuesday.

In the past four years, someone identified as "The Watcher" has sent approximately 50 letters, most of which are two-sided fliers that criticize gay rights as "a bold-faced lie" and quote dozens of Bible verses about "abominations," "sodomites" and "evil." Some letters have included handwritten notes saying, "We know where you live," or "I will enjoy watching you die."

Nice.