The Ulfian (The Art of Ulf): May 2015

Sunday, May 31, 2015

It's Sunday...Time To Worship

Gay Couple Attacked In West Virginia, Issue A Statement

"My partner, Casey Williams, and I politely and respectfully ask the officials at Marshall University responsible for making the decision as to the future status of Mr. Stuard Butler to continue their support of diversity, inclusion, and acceptance and refuse – wholeheartedly – his appeal to reinstated as a student.

"While Casey and I believe that everyone makes mistakes and they should ultimately be forgiven for those mistakes. We also believe that actions have consequences and, in this case, the consequences should be severe. Aside from the physical assault that occurred that night, Mr. Butler’s actions were nothing less than a hate crime acutely focused on Casey and I solely because of our sexual orientation. His actions were completely unprovoked. Casey and I were minding our own business and said nothing to Mr. Butler at all. His actions were based on, at best, his homophobia and – at its worst - his intolerance, lack of acceptance, and personal hatred of those different from himself.

"During a walk back to our hotel in Huntington that night, Casey and I shared a brief and simple kiss on the street. Mr. Butler, witnessing that act from a passing car, shouted anti-gay slurs before having the driver stop the vehicle so that he could exit the car to attack us. He both physically and verbally abused both Casey and I again solely because we are gay. We were both punched in the face and were fearful for our collective safety. Had Mr. Butler’s friends not convinced him to get back into the car, I believe the beatings would have continued and been even worse than they were. Both Casey and I are appreciative that at least Mr. Butler’s friends were aware that his actions were horribly wrong and they, in the end, convinced him to stop and move on.

"As an adult gay man, I am saddened to admit this is not the first time I have experienced this kind of hate. It is, perhaps, because of my past experiences that I almost instinctively began to record the attack on my cell phone. Had I not had the presence of mind to do that, I’m not sure anyone would believe what occurred that night on the streets of Huntington, West Virginia.

"I would hope that the officials at Marshall University, in full recognition and acceptance of the heinous nature of this crime - a crime currently being investigated by the US Department of Justice’s Hate Crime Division - would join Casey and I in deploring this kind of behavior. Actions such as this are not indicative of the student body as a whole and, we believe, it is critically important that a message be sent that behavior such as this is simply not accepted and the consequences for anyone engaging in such will be both swift and severe.

"Very much like many of you I suppose, I wish that none of this had happened and that Mr. Butler’s and our paths had not cross that night. The reality is, our paths did, in fact, cross and it has scarred both my partner and I more than you can imagine.

"Simply put, Casey and I respectfully ask that you deny Mr. Butler’s appeal in an effort to clearly demonstrate your support of the LGBTQ community and send a message to the Marshall student body that hate crimes of any kind will not be taken lightly regardless of one’s position within the University."

Just to make some corrections from the news report, the female reporter wrongfully stated that there were racial slurs, neither of the gay men made any racial slurs.
Also, the counter charges by the football player that he was defending himself was completely bogus, his own friends stated he just flew into a rage at seeing them kiss and went after them just for that.

Thousands Rally For Marriage Equality In Australia

Thousands of people attended a rally in Sydney, Australia ahead of the introduction of a gay marriage bill.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten is expected to introduce his legislative proposal on Monday.

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek was among the politicians who spoke at the rally.

She told the cheering crowd that there was a high likelihood of passage if members of Australia's ruling Coalition were allowed to vote as they choose on the issue.

“Bipartisanship is so very important for this issue to succeed,” she said. “I know there are other Liberals and Nationals who are supporters of marriage equality.”

Christine Forster, a local politician and the gay sister of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, an opponent of marriage equality, introduced to the crowd her “beautiful fiance” Virginia Edwards.

“Why wouldn't I marry this beautiful woman as soon as I possibly could?” Forster said.

Lawmakers in 2012 rejected a similar bill.

Shorten announced his plans shortly after Ireland became the first nation to approve marriage equality through a popular referendum.

The Irish vote has put pressure on other governments to follow suit, especially in nations – such as Australia – where support for such unions runs high.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Give Me Fur

Stonewall Inn on track to be named historical landmark

Next week, the Stonewall Inn begins the process of being New York City's first overtly LGBTI historical landmark.
According to the New York Times, on Tuesday (2 June) the city Landmark Preservation Commission will vote to add the building to its calendar. Once a property is put on the commission’s calendar, the road to landmark status is virtually assured.
The establishment is located on Christopher Street, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood. 'The agency has been working on this for some time and LGBT pride month is an ideal occasion to recommend this iconic cultural landmark,'
Meenakshi Srinivasan, the commission’s chair, said in a statement, according to the New York Times The bar is listed on the federal National Register of Historic Places.
The Stonewall Inn is seen as the epicenter of the modern LGBT rights movement. In 1969 June, the Mafia run bar was raided by city police. Tired of constant harassment, such raids were common, patrons fought against the officers causing riots and marches that lasted days. A year later the first pride parade, sponsored by the Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee, was held.

Illinois Senate Approves Bill Protecting LGBT Youth From Conversion Therapy

The Illinois Senate on Friday approved a measure that prohibits therapies that attempt to alter the sexuality or gender identity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth (LGBT).

Currently, three states – California, New Jersey and Oregon – plus the District of Columbia have approved similar laws.

House Bill 217 cleared the Senate with a bipartisan 34-19 vote on Friday, 10 days after House members overwhelmingly (68-43) approved the bill.

The legislation now heads to the desk of Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, who has not said whether he will sign it.

Spearheading support for the bill were the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and Equality Illinois.

“By passing this important legislation, Illinois lawmakers on both sides of the aisle stood up for equality and against a dangerous practice that uses fear and shame to tell young people the only way to find love or acceptance is to change the very nature of who they are,” HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement. “Psychological abuse has no place in therapy, no matter the intention. We urge Governor Rauner to sign this bipartisan legislation into law and protect the state’s youth from this harmful and discredited practice.”

Opponents have challenged similar laws in California and New Jersey. But the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review lower court decisions upholding the bans.