For decades, Spanish speakers in many parts of the Western Hemisphere recognize the word ambiente — literally meaning “atmosphere” or “environment” — as a coded reference. Queer Latinas and Latinos have used the word to identify themselves, their distinctive cultures and their spirit of resistance.
“Noche de Ambiente” curators Ángel Rafael “Ralph” Vázquez-Concepción (left) and Juliana Delgado Lopera
The term is at the heart of a new exhibition that will debut October 28 at the GLBT History Museum: “Noche de Ambiente.” The show opens a window into the meanings of ambiente as reflected in Latino drag performance and LGBTQ and AIDS activism in San Francisco from the 1970s into the 1990s.
Curated by Juliana Delgado Lopera and Ángel Rafael “Ralph” Vázquez-Concepción, the exhibition brings together documents, images and videos from the GLBT Historical Society’s archives as well as materials contributed by community members.
“Growing up in Puerto Rico, the word ambiente was familiar; I heard it a lot when I was a kid in the ’80s,” says Vázquez-Concepción. “Later I came to understand the shielding effect it has. Like a spell, it turns the space it refers to into Latinx queer domain.”
A sampling of the Adela Vázquez papers documenting San Francisco’s LGBTQ Latino scene from the 1980s and 1990s; collection of Juliana Delagado Lopera. Courtesy GLBT Historical Society.
Delgado Lopera first learned the word from the woman she sees as her queer mother, Adela Vázquez, who told Lopera stories that opened an underground world of queer Latinidad invisible to the public eye. Through Vázquez she met many queer Latinas and Latinos active during the 1980s and 1990s, some of whom formed her chosen family. “I’m committed to the unearthing and preservation of their stories because they’re part of me, they created openings for me to exist,” Lopera says.
“Noche de Ambiente” opens on Friday, October 28, with a public reception set for 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th St. in San Francisco. The curators will make brief remarks to inaugurate the show. Wine and light refreshments will be served. Admission is $5.00; free for members. The exhibition will be on display in the museum’s Front Gallery through February 2017.
Equality California Friday announced the endorsement of three strong LGBT allies for state legislature. The candidates are as follows:
Raul Bocanegra
Raul Bocanegra (Assembly District 39 currently represented by Democrat Patty Lopez of San Fernando.) During his time in the California Assembly, Raul Bocanegra proved himself a strong LGBT ally, earning an Equality Score rating of 100 percent from Equality California each year. He supports LGBT cultural competency training programs for health professionals, LGBT-specific anti-bullying programs in California schools and has backed legislation like AB 1266 protecting the right of transgender people to use facilities and participate in programs based on their gender identity. He also supports legislation, such as the recently passed SB 1146, requiring state-funded private colleges and universities to follow California non-discrimination laws.
“Raul has already proven himself a reliable ally of the LGBT community,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “He has voiced his commitment to supporting potentially controversial pieces of public policy, because, as matters of social justice and civil rights, it’s the right thing to do. He has supported our community and we are pleased to support him for California Assembly District 39.”
Josh Newman
Josh Newman (California Senate, District 29 – currently represented by Republican Bob Huff of San Dimas.) Josh Newman is the founder and executive director of ArmedForce2Workforce, a non-profit dedicated to helping servicemembers make the transition from military service to working life. Newman himself served in the US Army for 14 years, where he was aware of and supported openly-LGBT servicemembers before the overturning of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Newman has indicated that he will “proudly and unequivocally” continue his support of the LGBT community if elected to Senate.
“Josh demonstrated his support for LGBT servicemembers despite a government policy forcing them to live in hiding,” said Zbur. “We are confident that he will show the same courage and commitment to the LGBT community as a state legislator.”
Eloise Reyes
Eloise Reyes (California Assembly, District 47 – currently represented by Democrat Cheryl Brown of Rialto.) Attorney Eloise Reyes features her LGBT civil rights platform prominently on her campaign website. She has voiced strong support for laws requiring state-funded private universities to adhere to California LGBT anti-discrimination protections. She has also indicated her commitment to be a “champion” for LGBT civil rights, and to ensure that existing civil rights laws are enforced.
“Eloise believes strongly in diversity, inclusion and equality,” said Zbur. “Her passion for these issues will make her an outstanding advocate and ally for our community in Sacramento.”
HRC Friday released its Congressional Scorecard measuring support for LGBTQ equality in the 114th Congress. The scorecard shows continued strong support for LGBTQ equality from Democrats and growing bipartisan support for LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections. The 114th Congress saw a record number of Republicans vote at different times to affirm President Obama’s executive order prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
“LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections gained important bipartisan support in the 114th Congress. Unfortunately, despite those gains, the 114th Congress failed to advance any pro-equality legislation and remains an impediment to progress for the LGBTQ community,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Today, a majority of Americans — Republicans, Democrats and independents — all believe that LGBTQ people should be able to live their lives free from fear of discrimination and be protected from discrimination. It’s long past time that Congress reflects the opinion of the majority of fair-minded Americans.”
With 190 Democrats in the House and Senate receiving perfect 100 scores, pro-equality legislation received exceptionally high levels of support from Democratic lawmakers. In comparison, one House Republican and one Senate Republican earned perfect scores.
“Building on our incredible support from Democratic elected officials, gaining ground with fair-minded Republicans is important next step to win the support we need to pass important legislation like the Equality Act,” added David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director. “Winning 62 Republican votes in the House is a historic achievement that can help lay the groundwork for future success.”
Members of Congress were scored based on their votes and co-sponsorships of pieces of legislation that are key indicators of support for LGBTQ equality. Despite the 114th Congress failing to enact any legislation to protect the LGBTQ community, majorities emerged in both chambers on key LGBTQ issues.
In the House, a historic 62 Republicans voted at different times to affirm President Obama’s executive order prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity — nearly double the total from Republicans on previous LGBTQ non-discrimination votes. And in the Senate, bipartisan majorities voted for amendments supporting spousal benefits for same-sex couples, non-discrimination protections in runaway and homeless youth programs, and non-discrimination protections in education.
For more information on the HRC Congressional Scorecard go here.
Today Log Cabin Republicans announced its Board of Directors has issued the first wave of endorsements for its federal political action committee (PAC) in the 2016 election cycle, including two candidates — Paul Babeu and Clay Cope — who are poised to make history as the first openly gay non-incumbent Republicans to be elected to the United States House of Representatives.
“These candidates for elected office represent the future of the GOP — strong, pro-equality Republicans with a winning message and a viable path to victory in November,” Log Cabin Republicans President Gregory T. Angelo stated. “LCR PAC will be working from now until Election Day to ensure these common-sense conservatives take their rightful place in the GOP congressional caucus as part of an inclusive Republican majority.”
“I’m honored to earn the support of Log Cabin Republicans, since they stand for personal liberty, less government, and support free market principles that will create jobs.” —Sheriff Paul Babeu.
“I’m very proud to receive the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans, the largest group of gay and lesbian conservatives in the country. My campaign for Congress is now endorsed by the Republican Party of Connecticut, the Independent Party of Connecticut, the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, and the Log Cabin Republicans.” —Clay Cope.
Back in August, Cope declared that he supports Trump and Pence because “they don’t believe in discrimination.”
Last month Babeu was endorsed by Dr. Ben Carson. Babeu earned his first mention here on JMG years ago when he was outed via his Adam4Adam profile. Last month he was endorsed by gay former GOP US House Rep. Jim Kolbe, who was outed in 1996 after his vote for DOMA, although in 2013 Kolbe was a signatory to an amicus brief in support of the repeal of Prop 8. Babeu has stated that marriage should be left for the states to decide. Earlier this year the Phoenix New Timesreported that Babeu is currently living with a 22 year-old whom he met in 2012. In March 2012 the Mexican national ex-boyfriend of Babeu sued him for $1M, alleging that Babeu had threatened to have him deported if the boyfriend were to out him. Babeu’s run for the US House fizzled shortly thereafter, but not before it was revealed that he had spoken at an event staged by a group that wants to end illegal and most legal immigration and wants to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States.
Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced the latest push in the organization’s largest get-out-the-vote effort in its more than 35-year history. It’s a multi-state targeting campaign that for the first time reaches well beyond the nation’s nearly 10 million LGBTQ voters to mobilize the growing ranks of allies and others with a history of supporting equality.
“Our new model allows us to reach out directly to hundreds of thousands of voters not yet affiliated with HRC, but who have demonstrated an openness to creating a more equal and fair society,” said HRC President Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin). “LGBTQ equality is no longer a wedge issue, but one embraced by a clear majority of Americans, and particularly younger Americans. In fact, being anti-LGBTQ is now a liability.”
HRC’s dynamic new model, developed with the elections data firm Catalist, makes possible some of the most sophisticated targeting ever of potential pro-equality voters. It allows direct outreach to hundreds of thousands of potential pro-equality voters in crucial swing states through both new and traditional means.
In North Carolina alone, HRC expects to reach more than 400,000 voters through phone calls and an online persuasive advertising campaign unprecedented for the organization. Potential pro-equality voters have been identified using years of HRC polling, public voter files and other available data. HRC is initially targeting five states — North Carolina, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, with more to come.
This historic targeting effort is part of an unprecedented #turnOUT campaign that HRC launched earlier this year, which includes massive voter mobilization efforts across all 50 states and deployment of more than 100 staff members to battleground states and races. The targeting campaign announced today represents a new dimension of HRC’s work, and is expected to be replicated in years to come as the organization mobilizes the nation’s growing ranks of equality voters to help fuel ongoing efforts to ensure full equality for LGBTQ people.
A married conservative politician from Louisiana has been outed for allegedly having a teenage boyfriend, local New Orleans news station WWL-TV reports.
According to his Twitter profile, Republican Mike Yenni is “the President of Jefferson Parish and happily married with one daughter.” But according to the several unnamed sources, he’s a closet case who has been sending some rather racy texts to a teen boy he met at a Catholic high school function while on the campaign trail last year.
40-year-old Yenni and the teen, who was 17 at the time and whose name has not been released, were allegedly connected with each other by a mutual friend. The teen says he and Yenni, the former mayor of Kenner at the time, the city neighboring New Orleans, would talk on the phone and text one another regularly.
As Yenni and the teen’s relationship deepened, he says the politician would occasionally visit him at his job at a mall food court. Once, he says, they met in the mall bathroom where the teen says Yenni gave him a pair of designer underwear. Afterwards, they shared a kiss.
The texting continued, becoming more and more explicit as time progressed. In one of the texts, Yenni allegedly told the teen that he “wants him naked.” In another, he asked if he’s worn the underwear he gave him, then says he would like him to model it for him. And in a third, he said he wanted to perform a sex act on the teen that night.
While Yenni doesn’t appear to have much of a record when it comes to being for or against LGBTQ rights, he is a member of the political party that, in its most recently adopted platform, officially defines marriage as “between one man and one woman,” calls pornography harmful “especially on children,” and wants to police which restrooms trans people use in an effort to protect women and children from sexual predators. So it’s ironic, to say that least, that he would send dirty texts to a teenage boy then make out with said teenage boy in a mall bathroom. But we digress.
The texts were provided by the teen to WWL-TV on the condition that they not be directly quoted. The station verified that they did, indeed, come from Yenni’s personal cell phone, which is not billed to taxpayers.
The teen, now 19 and in college, tells WWL-TV that over time the texts started to make him uneasy, particularly one that suggested they have a threesome with the mutual friend who initially connected them.
“He asked me to go with him to his house in Oxford (Mississippi),” the youth said. “Also, the way he would describe the sexual things he wanted to do to me. And he asked me to be a secretary or assistant in his office; that way I could be with him and not be questioned.”
In June, he says he finally broke the affair off with Yenni.
According to WWL-TV, under Louisiana law, the age of consent is 17, so any sexual activity between Yenni and teen would not be illegal; however, the sexts may violate a federal law that bars the use of any telecommunications device to engage in “obscene” conversation with anyone under the age of 18.
California Gov. Jerry Brown Friday signed Senate Bill (SB) 1146, authored by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) and sponsored by Equality California. The bill requires private universities receiving public funds to publicly disclose if they discriminate against students with respect to gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Senate Bill 1146 requires universities that are granted a Title IX exemption to notify the California Student Aid Commission and disseminate the information to students and staff.
“No university should have a license to discriminate, especially those receiving state funds,” said Sen. Lara. “Those that do will now have to inform incoming students of their Title 9 exemption. This law represents a critical first step in the ongoing efforts to protect students from discrimination for living their truths or loving openly.”
At the federal level, Title IX prohibits discrimination based on gender, including sexual orientation and gender identity, in education programs and activities that receive federal funding. However, if a university believes compliance with Title IX would conflict with its religion it may submit an exemption request to the U.S. Department of Education. The department has very little discretion and most requests are granted.
Many students are unaware of the exemption and what the potential consequences might be in the event their sexual orientation or gender identity does not align with the university’s discriminatory policies. Students and staff across the country have reported learning of an exemption only after being expelled from school or fired from their jobs. Over the last three years there has been a significant increase in the number of universities that apply for and receive an exemption to Title IX. Only one school was granted an exemption in 2013. Today, some 43 schools nationally have received exemptions, with at least six of them in California. Currently, universities that have Title IX exemptions do not have to disclose them to students or staff.
“The public needs to know which schools have licenses to discriminate against LGBT people and to ignore California’s civil rights protections,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “This law will give fair warning to students, staff and faculty members before they accept enrollment or employment at a university with a license to discriminate.”
Right-wing opponents fought fiercely against the bill, which they claimed was an attack on religious freedom. They raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for their campaign and bombarded lawmakers with phone calls, emails and in-person, often-hostile protests.
“What opponents of this bill try to hide from the public and the press is that SB 1146 applies only to private colleges that use taxpayer dollars,” said Zbur. “It is the longstanding policy and law of the state of California that state taxpayer dollars cannot be used to discriminate against LGBT people. If these colleges and universities want to continue to discriminate against LGBT students and employees, with cruel and harsh consequences for their lives, they should not expect California taxpayers to fund it.”
“President James Buchanan will join 30 other living and deceased lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Icons as part of this year’s LGBT History Month starting October 1st,” said Malcolm Lazin, Equality Forum’s Executive Director, the nation’s leading organization on LGBT history. “The LGBT community is the only community worldwide that is not taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious institutions. LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community and makes the civil rights statement about our extraordinary national and international contributions.”
From Indian Gay Pioneer Ashok Row Kavi to Supreme Court marriage plaintiff Jim Obergefell, each of the 2016 LGBT History Month Icons will be featured in a free, online (www.LGBTHistoryMonth.com) video, biography, bibliography, downloadable images and other resource materials for use in classrooms, educational institutions, community groups and other venues worldwide.
2016 LGBT History Month Icons include:
Malcolm Forbes – American entrepreneur and publisher of Forbes magazine
Janet Mock – New York Times bestselling author and transgender rights activist
Diana Nyad – Long distance swimmer and the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida
Ellen Page – Academy Award nominated actress
Tammy Smith – First openly lesbian United States military General
Jose Antonio Vargas – journalist and immigration rights activist
In July of this year, the California State Board of Education voted unanimously on a new History-Social Science curriculum that includes “a study of the role of contributions” of minority groups, including “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans”, making California the first state in the country to teach LGBT history in public school classrooms.
Also this year, President Obama designated the Stonewall National Monument, the first-ever national monument dedicated to the LGBT civil rights movement in the United States. The monument marks the historic site of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City where in June 1969 LGBT people rioted against policy brutality and harassment.
Each year 31 LGBT Icons, living or dead, national and international are selected for achievements in their field of endeavor; for their status as a national hero; or for their significant contribution to LGBT civil rights. Equality Forum solicits nominations from the public. Nationally prominent professors Lillian Faderman and Paul Farber, 2016 LGBT History Month Co-chairs review all nominations and recommend the annual Icons.
Equality Forum is currently accepting nominations for LGBT History Month 2017. The deadline to nominate an Icon for next year’s LGBT History Month is Friday, December 9th, 2016. You can submit your nomination online, here.
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About the Equality Forum
Equality Forum coordinates LGBT History Month, produces documentary films, undertakes high-impact initiatives and presents the largest annual national and international LGBT civil rights summit.
Equality Forum is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to advance national and international lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights with an educational focus. For more information on the Equality Forum, please visit: www.equalityforum.com
A San Patricio County jury has returned a guilty verdict against David Strickland for the 2012 shootings that killed Mollie Olgin and critically wounded Kristene Chapa. Prosecutors were not pursuing the death penalty, therefore the defendant was given an automatic life sentence.
Following the verdict, Kristene Chapa spoke to KRIS 6 News. “I was very shocked at first. I didn’t know what to expect exactly, I was hoping that they (the jury) would see all the evidence that we had and they would go our way. (It was) very emotional.. I wanted to just burst out in tears,” said Chapa.
She told reporter Caroline Flores that she’ll always carry the mental and physical scars of the attack and suffer from the loss of her girlfriend, Mollie. Megan Olgin, Mollie’s sister, said, “She was only 19. She didn’t get to live her life. He took that away from her.” Olgin went on to say, “I’m just happy that it’s finally over. The jury saw the evidence and now finally there’s justice. It doesn’t bring her back. But at least he can pay for what he did.”
Mollie and Kristene were approached by a masked man in the middle of the night in June 2012. He ordered Kristene to place duct tape over her girlfriend’s eyes, then did the same to her, before sexually assaulting both, and shooting them in the head. It was hours later when a couple out for a birdwatching trip found the couple. Mollie Olgin could not be saved, but Kristene underwent years of intense therapy to get back to where she is now.
In closing arguments, Strickland’s attorneys tried to convince the jury that the first suspect in the case was the gunman, claiming there was more evidence indicating he was involved, not Strickland. There was also more commentary about the police interrogation video in which the defendant admitted to the crimes, then told a Texas Ranger he was making it all up. Attorneys also cast doubts on the handling of evidence in the case, highlighting that officers in Portland were fired or demoted as a result of the investigation.
The Prosecution countered with an admission that the first suspect was a strongly considered, until a letter was dropped off two years after the shootings. The letter contained details never released to the public. The fact that portions of the letter were found on Strickland’s personal computer left little doubt as to the origins. A ballistics expert also told the court that bullet fragments found at the crime scene match samples taken from Strickland’s .45 caliber Glock.
Kirstene Chapa was the last to testify, stating she was convinced Strickland is the person who attacked her and Mollie Olgin in June 2012 at Violet Andrew Park in Portland, Texas. However, there was testimony that she did not identify Strickland in a photo lineup provided by officers.
Prosecutors acknowledge that may appear to be a weak link in their case, but point out the attacker was reportedly wearing a mask, plus Chapa suffered a traumatic brain injury from being shot in the head. An attorney stated Chapa was doing everything she could to help investigators find the person who killed her lover and left her for dead.
Although talking about some of the details about that night was difficult for her, Chapa says it didn’t bother her to face Strickland in court. When asked why, Chapa responded, “Because he’s a coward.” she went on to say, “David Strickland put his head down and wouldn’t look at me, so what does that mean to you? Did you see him in the courtroom? He didn’t do anything.”
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore should be removed from office for defying the U.S. Supreme Court on gay marriage, a lawyer for a disciplinary commission argued on Wednesday.
R. Ashby Pate, a lawyer for the Judicial Inquiry Commission, said marriage equality was settled law in all 50 states when Moore told Alabama’s 68 probate judges in January that they remained bound by his court’s order to refuse the licenses to same-sex couples.
A federal judge had already clarified this for Alabama’s judges, citing the Obergefell vs. Hodges ruling in an injunction telling them to drop the state’s ban, Pate said.
“His order sowed confusion. It did not clear it up. He urged defiance, not compliance,” Pate told the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. “He ordered each and every subordinate probate judge to defy a federal injunction.”
The outspoken Republican jurist could be removed from office for the second time in 13 years if found to have violated the state’s canons of judicial ethics. He was ousted in 2003 for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments statue from the state’s judicial building, but was later re-elected in a popular vote.
Testifying under oath before the court on Wednesday, Moore called the latest charges “ridiculous.”
He said his January memo simply provided a status update to judges who had questions because the Alabama Supreme Court had not acted to reverse the state ban, even after the federal rulings.
“I don’t encourage anyone to defy a federal court or state court order,” Moore said. “I gave them a status in the case, a status of the facts that these orders exist. That is all I did.”
Moore did acknowledge in a testy cross-examination, however, that he told probate judges to follow the very same state court order that a federal judge specifically said they could no longer enforce.
The nine-member court has 10 days to rule on whether Moore violated judicial ethics, and what punishment he should face if so. A decision to remove him from the bench must be unanimous.
Moore stands accused during a season of political upheaval Alabama. The house speaker was removed from office this summer for ethics violations, and a legislative committee will decide if evidence supports impeaching Gov. Robert Bentley after he was accused of having an affair with a top staffer.
Before the hearing began, rainbow flags and Christian music competed for attention outside.
“The truth is homosexuality is wrong,” said Donna Holman, who traveled 12 hours from Iowa and carried a sign saying “It’s not OK to be gay.
“Equal marriage is the law. Love will always win,” countered Madison Clark of Montgomery.
