Monthly Archives: February 2009

Local direct action group calling LGBTs and allies around the country to hold events calling on court to overturn amendment

Blake Wilkinson

Queer Liberaction, the Dallas LGBT direct action group founded in the wake of the passage of Proposition 8 in California last November, is calling for rallies to be held across the country on Saturday, March 7 to demand that the California State Supreme Court invalidate the voter-approved amendment banning same-sex marriage there.

The California court issued a ruling last May declaring the state law banning same-sex marriage to be a violation of the state’s constitution. Voters, however, approved a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages on Nov. 4, sparking outrage and protests across the country.

Opponents of the amendment, known as Proposition 8, quickly filed suit claiming that the amendment created a significant change in the constitution and therefore could not be approved just by a popular vote. The Supreme Court agreed to put the lawsuit on the fast track, and will hear oral arguments in the case on Thursday, March 5. The court is required to issue its ruling in the case within 90 days of the hearing.

Queer Liberaction wants gay rights advocates around the country to stage simultaneous protests at 2 p.m., C.S.T., on Saturday, to once again focus national attention on the issue.

The Dallas event will take place on The Grassy Knoll in Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas.
Organizers said they hope turnout for the rallies will equal the numbers of people who participated in anti-Prop 8 rallies held simultaneously around the country on Nov. 15, organized largely online by the group Join The Impact.

"We need to have a rally equal to or exceeding the national rallies on Nov. 15 to show them that we are still watching, that we are still angry and that we are still fighting," said QL organizer Elizabeth Pax.

Blake Wilkinson, one of the group’s founders, added, "Marriage is a fundamental aspect of our fight to end our oppression and gain our equality. It has rarely been so important to take to the streets and fight as it is now. A united LGBT community across the country will send a clear message to the California Supreme Court that we demand that this hateful ballot measure has no place in a civil society."

Anyone interested in helping organize a rally in their city can contact QL by e-mail at lgbtliberaction@gmail.com. The Dallas organization is is encouraging everyone to check the Web site at www.queerliberaction.org to find out if there is already a demonstration set for their city or for more information.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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Only about 60 have signed up for 2-day Democratic event, but more than 300 are participating in Equality Texas Lobby Day

Jesse Garcia, pictured here with singer Sophie B. Hawkins at a Hillary Clinton campaign event in Dallas last year, will receive the Buck Massey Legacy of Leadership Award during the TSDC conference this weekend in Austin.

The Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus has brought in some big names for its first biennial statewide convention in Austin this weekend, including openly gay Congressman Jared Polis and longtime LGBT activist Matt Foreman, former head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

But Dan Graney of San Antonio, president of TSDC, said this week he’s a little disappointed thus far with the response from the caucus’ members.

Graney said only about 60 people had registered for the convention by Tuesday, Feb. 24, including only a handful from Dallas, which has the state’s largest Stonewall chapter.

"I’m just so surprised," said Graney, who conceded that the recession is likely a factor. "Our theme is ‘Creating Change,’ and there is change in the air for the LGBT community, and I think this is an opportunity for us to take stock of where we stand right now in Texas and what the opportunities are in the future. This is an opportunity for us to learn, to network and to be inspired."

Registration costs $75 and will continue online and at the door through the start of the convention, set for Saturday, Feb. 28 and Sunday, March 1, at the Doubletree Hotel. The registration fee doesn’t cover lodging, but does include two meals as well as admission to a cocktail party and fundraiser for Polis on Saturday night. To register or for more info, go to www.texasstonewalldemocrats.org.

TSDC, made up of Stonewall chapters from around the state, traditionally has met only during the Texas Democratic Convention every two years. However, the group opted to stage its own convention in 2009 after an unprecedented turnout for last year’s meeting.

"I think it’s actually all riding off the back of the Obama campaign," said Erin Moore, vice president of TSDC and president of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas. "We’re trying to ride those coattails and keep people interested and energized."

In addition to Polis and Foreman, other speakers at the convention will include Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie, Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns, Houston mayoral candidate Annise Parker, Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Dallas County District Clerk Gary Fitzsimmons, and Jon Hoadley, executive director of National Stonewall Democrats.

The convention will also include a TSDC executive board meeting and workshops on a variety of topics, such as building and managing local chapters. Jesse Garcia, former president of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, will be presented with the Buck Massey Legacy of Leadership Award.

The Stonewall convention will be followed by Equality Texas’ Lobby Day on Monday, March 2, at the State Capitol, which thus far has seen much better registration numbers.

Chuck Smith, deputy director of Equality Texas, said Tuesday that about 350 people had registered for Lobby Day, up from about 200 in 2007. Those who’d registered for Lobby Day included constituents from 85 of the state’s 150 House districts.

"We’ve got good coverage," Smith said. "I’m very excited. These face-to-face conversations, whether it’s with the actual elected official or with legislative staff, they are so vitally important to letting them know what constituents want."
To register for Lobby Day or for more information, go to www.equalitytexas.org.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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MAZON gives center $5,000 for pantry, hot lunches

The Resource Center of Dallas has received a $5,000 national grant from MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger in support of the center’s food and nutrition programs.

Bret Camp, associate executive director for health and medical services at the center, said the grant will provide "critical financial support to our long-standing pantry and hot meals programs" during tough economic times. "Many of our clients live on a fixed income and are unable to work, and the services we provide through these programs improve their health and quality of their life," Camp added.

The Resource Center of Dallas provides nutritional services through its food pantry and through hot lunches offered at the John Thomas Gay and Lesbian Community Center. The pantry, which began in 1985 with donated food kept in a cardboard box in a shop on the Cedar Springs strip, recently relocated to 5450 Denton Drive Cutoff and serves more than 800 clients each Monday through Thursday. The hot lunch programs began in the early 1990s, and the center is one of two agencies in Dallas County providing hot meals in a nonresidential setting to those living with HIV/AIDS. More than 100 clients a day eat lunch at the center each Monday through Friday.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is one of the largest privately supported philanthropic organizations addressing hunger in America.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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TONYVALADEZ.COM Malcolm Gage

Malcolm R. Gage Jr. of Irving has been elected to the board of directors of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a national organization formed to help elect LGBT candidates to public office at all levels of government.

"I’m proud to further my commitment to the Victory Fund’s mission of electing open, honest leaders by serving on its board," Gage said. "This is a unique organization within the LGBT movement and I hope to help grow its already impressive record of accomplishments."

Gage is new car sales manager for Park Place Motorcars, a premier luxury automotive organization. He is also a national ambassador for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a member of the Human Rights Campaign’s Federal Club and a member of the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce.

Gage previously served on the Victory Fund’s Campaign Board, a national body of community leaders that support Victory’s mission through fundraising and candidate recruitment and endorsement.

Last year, the Victory Fund endorsed 111 openly LGBT political candidates, including Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, Congressman Jared Polis of Colorado and Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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Jimmy Lee Dean still recovering 7 months after brutal robbery

Dean is shown two weeks after the attack.

Jimmy Lee Dean still hasn’t regained his sense of smell, and a procedure to straighten his drooping right eyelid was unsuccessful.

Dean, 43, is awaiting yet another surgery to repair and replace teeth, but perhaps the most devastating  impact of the brutal gay-bashing he suffered seven months ago has been psychological.

Once a very active, fun-loving person, according to his friends, Dean said he now has little energy and suffers from depression.

"Anybody who’s been around me before and gets around me now is going to realize that I’m different," Dean said recently.

Beginning Monday, March 2, one of two suspects accused of robbing Dean and beating him nearly to death on Dickason Avenue in Oak Lawn last July is scheduled to stand trial in Dallas County District Court.

Jonathan Russell Gunter, 32, is charged with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years in prison.

According to police reports, Gunter and 29-year-old Bobby Jack Singleton pistol-whipped Dean with a 9mm Glock handgun, then kicked and stomped his head, face and body as he lay motionless in the middle of the dimly lit street.

The attack, called the worst anti-gay hate crime in Dallas in recent memory, left Dean hospitalized for 10 days.

Gunter and Singleton, both of Garland, admitted to police they targeted Dean because they though it would be easier to rob a gay man. They also reportedly yelled anti-gay epithets before, during and after the attack, which occurred just a block from the Cedar Springs strip.

The Dallas Police Department classified the incident as a hate crime for FBI reporting purposes, but the District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute the case as a hate crime because under Texas law, such a finding by a jury couldn’t result in enhanced sentences but could force a greater burden of proof on prosecutors.

Jamille Bradfield, a spokeswoman for the DA’s Office, said this week that prosecutor Marshall McCallum is "pretty confident" Gunter’s trial, originally set for January, will proceed on Monday. Bradfield said a trial for Singleton, who’s also charged with aggravated robbery, is set for the following week.

Gunter’s defense attorney, Charles Humphreys, also said he’s expecting the trial to proceed Monday. Humphreys said he expects the trial to be complete by Wednesday. 

Both Humphreys and Singleton’s attorney, Edwin King, said they didn’t want to discuss the case in detail.

Michael Robinson, an eyewitness to Dean’s attack who’s since launched a hate crimes advocacy group, said he’s encouraging people from the LGBT community to attend Gunter’s trial beginning Tuesday morning, March 3. The trial will be in Dallas County’s  194th District Court, on the seventh floor of the Frank Crowley Courts Building at 133 N. Industrial Blvd. in Dallas.

Robinson, who was walking alongside Dean prior to the attack, has criticized the DA’s Office for failing to prosecute the case as a hate crime.

Robinson said he believes robbery was an afterthought, given the suspects didn’t initially brandish a weapon and took only keys and a lighter. And while a hate crimes enhancement wouldn’t result in longer sentences, since the charge is already a first-degree felony, Robinson believes it would send a message that anti-gay violence won’t be tolerated.

Robinson’s group, United Community Against Gay Hate Crimes, held a rally on the Cedar Springs strip in October to protest the decision by the DA’s Office not to prosecute the case as a hate crime. But Robinson said he opted against staging another rally outside the courthouse because he’d rather see people from the LGBT community attend the trial.

"They need to see what happened and how this process works with this hate crimes statute that we have and lend support for the victim in the courtroom," Robinson said. "I think the most important thing is to make sure these guys are convicted. If we have to settle for an aggravated robbery, I’ll still be disappointed with the indictment, but I’ll be glad they’re off the streets."

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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Gay leaders reviewing company’s employment policies in wake of CEO’s contribution to Yes on 8

Gay-rights protesters gathered in December outside Cinemark’s Legacy Theatres in Plano, where "Milk" was showing. DANIEL KUSNER/Dallas Voice

PLANO — Representatives from two local LGBT organizations said this week they’re pleased with the outcome of a recent meeting with the president of Cinemark Theatres to discuss the fallout from CEO Alan Stock’s contribution of $9,999 to Yes on 8, the campaign to outlaw same-sex marriage in California.  

But activists in Dallas who’ve been critical of the organizations’ approach indicated they aren’t satisfied and said they believe the LGBT community should continue to boycott the nation’s third-largest movie theater chain, which is based in Plano.

Tim Warner, Cinemark’s president and chief operating officer, met Feb. 17 at the company’s headquarters with representatives from the Collin County Gay and Lesbian Alliance, the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce and the Resource Center of Dallas, according to CCGLA President Morris Garcia. CCGLA had requested the meeting, which Garcia said lasted for nearly an hour, in response to the controversy involving Stock’s contribution.

Garcia said the group laid out their concerns during the meeting and requested details about Cinemark’s LGBT-related employment policies. He said they now plan to review the policies and try to schedule a follow-up meeting with the company’s vice president for human resources.

"It was a very, very cordial — and what I would consider positive — meeting," Garcia said. "We had some good dialogue, and we left offering all our organizations as a resource moving forward.

Garcia said in addition to himself and Warner, the meeting was attended by CCGLA member Jeanne Rubin; Cece Cox, associate executive director over LGBT programs at the Resource Center; and Tony Vedda, president of the GLBT Chamber of Commerce. Cox declined comment this week.

"Our goal is to open a dialogue with Cinemark and see if we could help guide them into the corporate world that supports equality, like so many of our other local corporations," Vedda said. "That was our goal, and we were successful in starting a dialogue. It was, I think, a very successful meeting, and we’ll be continuing to work with them."

Warner reportedly was out sick and unavailable for comment. Brad Smith, Cinemark’s VP for human resources, said Wednesday, Feb. 25 that in response to a request from Warner, he’d sent copies of the company’s LGBT-related employment policies to Garcia.

"If the outcome of their review of the policies is more dialogue, so be it, but I’m not sure if that’s on tap, truthfully," Smith said. "I guess I’m not in the loop enough to know where we’re going with this."

Smith told Dallas Voice that the company has a nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation. Asked if he knows whether the policy also includes gender identity, Smith said, "Not off the top of my head."

Smith also confirmed that the company doesn’t offer domestic partner benefits to employees outside California, where it’s effectively mandated by state law. And he said the company has no employee resource group for LGBT employees because no one has ever requested one.

Asked whether the company conducts diversity training for employees that covers sexual orientation, Smith said, "I have no wish to go down this road further," adding that he only returned the newspaper’s phone call because Warner was unavailable.

"Mr. Stock’s position was his position and not the corporate position," Smith added.

Cinemark isn’t currently listed in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index because the company wasn’t large enough to receive a survey from the organization until it joined the Fortune 1000 last year, according to Daryl Herrschaft, director of HRC’s workplace project. The Corporate Equality Index rates major corporations on a scale of 0 to 100 based on their treatment of LGBT employees. 

In response to the controversy involving Stock’s contribution, Cinemark issued a statement in November saying, "It would be inappropriate to influence our employees’ position on personal issues outside the work environment, especially on political, social or religious activities."

Stock is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which marshaled tens of millions for Yes on 8 from Mormons across the country last year.
In addition to calls for a boycott, Stock’s contribution prompted protests outside Cinemark-owned theaters in several cities nationwide, including Plano. But CCGLA, which reportedly has at least two members who work at Cinemark’s corporate offices, declined to formally endorse the boycott or protests, opting instead to pursue the meeting. 

The situation highlighted internal differences locally about what the LGBT community’s strategy should be in the wake of Prop 8.

Israel Luna, a gay independent filmmaker from Dallas who organized the protest outside Cinemark’s Legacy Theatres in Plano in December, said this week he doesn’t understand why CCGLA didn’t meet directly with Stock to question him about his opposition to same-sex marriage. Luna also said he doesn’t regret staging the protest, which coincided with the opening of "Milk," the Academy Award-winning film about murdered gay-rights activist Harvey Milk.

"If it kept them from making $200, I’m proud of that," Luna said. "So far it’s more than what they’ve [CCGLA has] done."

Both Luna and Blake Wilkinson of Queer Liberaction, who participated in the December protest, said they believe LGBT moviegoers should avoid patronizing Cinemark-owned theaters — at least until Stock makes a public statement or apology, and/or the company amends its employment policies.

"Had there not been activists in the streets making a stink over this, I don’t think that organizations like the CCGLA would be able to meet with executives from Cinemark and then be able to make any serious demands, because they would have nothing to go with," Wilkinson said.

Asked whether they support a boycott of Cinemark’s theaters, Garcia and Vedda said that for now, they’d leave the decision up to individuals. 

"The chamber’s not going to recommend that people do anything until we get to the end of this process," Vedda said.

Garcia and Vedda also said while they respect the approach of other LGBT activists and groups, they’re confident they’re on the right track.
"We’re all trying to get to the same place," Garcia said. "We just go about it differently."

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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First meeting to plan for NGLTF’s ‘Creating Change’ set for March 9

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s annual National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change is coming back to Dallas in 2010, and NGLTF leaders will be in town March 9 for the first of what is sure to be numerous planning sessions.

Sue Hyde, Creating Change director, and Russell Roybal, deputy executive director of external relations, will attend the community information meeting, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Resource Center of Dallas, Hyde said this week.

"We have a few different goals set for this meeting," Hyde said in a telephone interview this week. "The first of those is that Russell and I want to meet people from the Dallas-Fort Worth LGBT community and its organizations. Second, we want to tell people about this very important event that is coming to Dallas."

Hyde said that Creating Change is "an extremely unique event in the LGBT movement nationally; it is the only national annual gathering of its kind. It is a skills-building, strategy-creating leadership conference. We like to call it a one-stop shop for LGBT and allied activists."

The conference was first held in Washington, D.C., in 1988. It was last held in Dallas in 1994 at what was then the Southland Center Hotel. Next year’s conference will be held Feb. 3-7 at that same building, now known as the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.

Hyde said nearly 2,000 people attended the 2009 conference, held Jan. 28-Feb. 1 in Denver.

Hyde said conference attendees next year in Dallas will be able to choose from about 180 different workshops and training sessions over the course of the five-day conference. There will also be about four plenary sessions featuring well-known keynote speakers and a variety of "social gatherings and fun events," she said.

"There is always a lot of good work, lots of teaching and learning and training in fundamental skills to build the strength of our movement, and it’s always a lot of fun," Hyde said. "We are aiming to have the big keynote speakers lined up by summer time. In fact, we will be listening carefully at the March 9 meeting to hear what our colleagues and friends from the Dallas-Fort Worth area think about who would be good keynote speakers, about who are the people we should include from Dallas and Texas and the whole country."

Another primary goal for the March 9 meeting, Hyde said, is to begin the process of forming a D-FW host committee for next year’s conference. She said she is looking for between 40 and 75 people from all segments of the LGBT community who have "the skills and expertise to help with local promotion and outreach and volunteer recruitment."

The host committee will also raise money for a fund to help pay registration fees and other costs for activists who could not otherwise afford to attend, she added.

The host committee will also organize religious services, hospitality suites and more.

Hyde said the host committee typically has four co-chairs, and she hopes to get nominations for co-chairs at the March 9 meeting.
But the March 9 meeting is for everyone who is interested in learning more about the Creating Change conference and everyone who has information and ideas to share as the planning process gets underway.

Hyde said, "We want everyone with any interest at all to be there."

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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LGBTs, other minorities sought to possibly serve on grand jury
LGBT people and other minorities are being sought as applicants to serve on a Dallas County grand jury that will meet from April 1 through June 29.

Don Maison, executive director of AIDS Services of Dallas, has been appointed commissioner for the grand jury, meaning he’s charged with recruiting qualified applicants. 

To be eligible to serve on the grand jury, applicants must reside in Dallas County, be able to read and write English, and have a criminal record that’s free of convictions for theft or any felony, Maison said.  The grand jury will meet from 9 a.m. until noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Compensation is $40 per day.  Those interested in serving on the grand jury should contact Maison at 214-941-0523.

TCU student seeking bisexual women with substance abuse issues for study
Susan Harz, a social work student at Texas Christian University, is looking for bisexual women with a history of substance abuse to participate in a university-related research project. Harz will be conducting hour-long interviews through March 15 with participants. The interviews are completely confidential. Anyone interested in participating is asked to contact Harz by e-mail at s.s.harz@tcu.edu or by phone at 817-683-2693 to discuss the research project or set up an interview.

7th annual International Women’s Day Celebration set for March 15
The seventh annal International Women’s Day Celebration will be held on March 15 at The Women’s Museum: An Institute for the Future, 3800 Parry at Exposition in Fair Park from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Women’s Herstory Initiative in partnership with the Women’s Museum and features the presentation of the "Words of Women 2009 Essay of the Year" award and the Woman of the Year award, along with cultural displays, arts and crafts, booths by organizations and sponsors, unique refreshments, music and other entertainment.

Admission and parking are free. For information on participating as a volunteer, exhibitor, sponsor or entertainer, call 214-319-6696 or e-mail wordsofwomen@aol.com.

Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce holding ‘Texas Top Star’ singing competition
The Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce presents "Texas Top Star," a singing competition modeled after "American Idol," beginning March 19 at 5 p.m. The first night will offer 90 contestants 30 to 60 seconds to impress the judges. Then the top 20 will advance to the second night, on March 20, to compete for a grand prize that includes a large studio package.

Celebrity judges will include Celena Rae, a top contestant in the fourth season of "American Idol," and Grammy Award-winning performers Yarbrough and Peoples.

For more information call Kiyundra Armstrong at 214-943-4567 or e-mail her at occ@oakcliffchamber.org.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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Aaliyha is a 3-year-old Russian Blue. She’s calm, laidback and gentle. Aaliyha is quiet and undemanding and seems to be good with other cats. She’s a real sweetheart.

FLICKER

Flicker is a 7-month-old Golden Retriever mix. He’s a very friendly, happy fellow with lots of energy. Flicker has a great personality and loves to play. He’s a lively guy who needs an active person or family.

Flicker, Aaliyha and lots of other cats, kittens, dogs and puppies are available for adoption from the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center, located at 1818 N. Westmoreland at I-30, just minutes west of Downtown Dallas. The shelter is open 7 days a week: Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The cost to adopt is $85 for dogs and $55 for cats and includes spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchip and more. All dogs are negative for heartworms, and cats have been tested for FeLV and FIV. For more information, visit www.DallasAnimalServices.com or call 214-671-0249.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 27, 2009.

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