The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Update


In the News: Time to say ‘bye bye’ to homophobic reggae lyrics Task Force presents Clarity Awards at American Psychological Association Annual Convention Actions speak louder than words Update in Cincinnati election fraud controversy Thank you, Ascension! Upcoming events Heads up on ENDA toolkit
Time to say ‘bye bye’ to homophobic reggae lyrics Buju Banton is a featured performer at this Saturday’s Reggae CariFest in New York City. Banton, a superstar on the Tommy Boy record label who gets sponsorship from major companies, has written an entire song about shooting gay men in the head. In our OutSpoken blog, Task Force Organizing & Training Project Director Zaheer Mustafa speaks personally and passionately about hateful reggae lyrics and the homophobia sometimes found in Caribbean culture. “Homophobia in the United States is sometimes too much to take, but if you’re lucky you can escape to some gay-friendly area where you can live openly and proudly. Imagine if you lived in a country with no such escape. Imagine if you were beaten or burned to death there. Imagine if your killer went uncharged. Worse yet, imagine the country’s popular entertainers actually glorifying your killer and celebrating your death ... ” Mustafa writes. “If you are gay and living in the Caribbean, there’s nothing to imagine — this is reality. And now the brand of entertainment that promotes the killing of gay men is coming to the U.S. in the form of Buju Banton ... ” [ Read and respond to the full blog entry ] [ Get details about related NYC-area protests ]
Task Force presents Clarity Awards at American Psychological Association Annual Convention The Task Force co-hosted an awards ceremony on Saturday in San Francisco along with the American Psychological Association (APA) on the occasion of the association’s annual meeting. The Task Force Clarity Award recognizes the achievements of leaders in key professions who pursue LGBT equality through everyday activism. Lori Greene, M.S, senior legislative and general affairs officer with the APA Public Policy Office, and Clinton Anderson, Ph.D., who serves as the director of LGBT concerns office within the APA’s Public Interest Directorate, were the recipients. Task Force board member Hans Johnson presented the awards. “The Clarity Award and its recipients, Clinton Anderson and Lori Valencia Greene, challenge all professionals to seize opportunities in their everyday lives to advance justice and fairness through individual and collective activism.” — Rea Carey, Deputy Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force [ Read the press release ]
Actions speak louder than words “Gov. Richardson has the opportunity to show he really cares, give a loud and clear apology and to use the bully pulpit of the campaign trail to speak openly and clearly in support of equality for LGBT people. He must let us know that in the future, like in his past, he will deliver on the promises of equality for LGBT people.” — Excerpt from an Aug. 15 op-ed by Task Force Communications Coordinator Pedro Julio Serrano that appeared in La Opinión, the country’s largest Spanish-language newspaper [ Read the Spanish / English version ]
Update in Cincinnati election fraud controversy A Cincinnati judge has renewed his call for Ohio state Rep. Tom Brinkman to be charged with election falsification over an unsuccessful bid in 2006 to repeal Cincinnati’s ordinance protecting LGBT people from discrimination, 365gay.com reported yesterday. In addition, two women who worked for Equal Rights Not Special Rights, headed up by Brinkman, pleaded guilty last month to election falsification. The women had been accused of knowingly placing fraudulent names on the petition. Equal Rights Not Special Rights asked the Cincinnati Board of Elections last August to remove its anti-LGBT referendum from the November 2006 ballot, an acknowledgment of fraud in its signature gathering and the likelihood of defeat at the polls. The Task Force, Inc., had invested heavily in the local campaign that was geared up to defeat the initiative. [ Read the 365gay.com story ] [ Learn more about our work in Cincinnati ]
Thank you, Ascension! Many, many thanks to Task Force board member Eric von Kuersteiner, his partner Tony Roncalli and their amazing team (a big shout out to Sean Patrick Ryan) in the Fire Island Pines for bringing us such an amazing Ascension event this past weekend. Proceeds from Ascension, which featured a VIP cocktail reception, the Float Pool Party at one of the prettiest homes in the Pines, and the Beach Party on the sands of the Atlantic on Sunday, benefit the Task Force and the Fund in the Sun Foundation, which in turn supports several other organizations. Great music, great friends, a great time.
Upcoming events The Los Angeles Leadership Awards is right around the corner. We look forward to seeing you at the event on Sept. 30 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. You can join us as a sponsor or table captain, buy tickets or purchase an ad in the event’s program journal at www.theTaskForce.org/lala. To RSVP or for more information, please e-mail Lindsay Bubar, special events manager, at lbubar@theTaskForce.org. Matt Foreman will be the featured speaker at the Aug. 26 Center Advocates’ Summer Garden Party in Milwaukee, Wis. Get more details here.
Heads up on ENDA toolkit The House of Representatives is likely to vote on ENDA in September, and its members need to hear from you about why they should vote for this bill. The Task Force, Inc., is going to provide everything you need in an easy-to-use toolkit — check our ENDA Action Center for the toolkit and details later this week!

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