I recall that somewhere in America there is a document that proclaims that all people are created equal, yet we queers continue to be relegated to a second class status by a heterosexual majority with a reluctancy for change that is rooted deep in the past.

It is absolutely appalling that in 30 states we can still be legally discriminated against, fired from our jobs or denied housing simply because of who we are. Nineteen states refuse to include us in hate crimes law (39 if you are transgender) and 30 states have banned same-sex marriage.

These three issues, nondiscrimination, hate crimes inclusion, and marriage equality seem to be at the constant forefront of our fight and they stick in my craw like rusty fishhooks.  Not to be forgotten in our fight for equality we also face bans on same-sex parenting/adoption, along with the lack of partner rights regarding hospital visits, medical decisions, survivor rights, and taxation equality just to name a few.

Here in Pennsylvania, where there are no state-wide protections for queers, we have a Democrat for a Governor and the Democrats control the House yet we are still unsure if we will achieve equality anytime soon.   Because of this we need to increase our efforts in our quest for equality by each taking action to prove our resolve.  We should be calling the Governor and demanding that he use his political clout to finally advance equality in Pennsylvania.  We should also be contacting all the State's Representatives and Senators and demand the same from them.  We need action from them now and not just words!

With less than two years left in office Governor Rendell needs to prove that his words where not just empty campaign promises but reality.  After more than six years in office it seems that he has failed to secure any legitimate state-wide protections and rights that are inheritently ours.  The sad fact is that with all his promises, including marriage equality, we have nothing to show for it.  His words, visits and embrace of our community are empty if we are no more equal today then when he took office.  Sincerity is not enough!

This is now the time to get it right. Both nondiscrimination bill and an amendment to the State's hate crimes law that includes "sexual orientation and gender identity" needs to be passed now without delay.  It is only then that we can move on to the other issues which hold us back from being full and equal citizens.

 

 

This week's featured writer:  Lee Wind

 

When I was a closeted gay Teenager, I read all the fantasy and science fiction I could get my hands on.  But as much as I loved the escape and the adventures, there was never a gay character in anything.  (Okay there was the pedophile villain Baron Harkonnen in Frank Herbert's "Dune," but that wasn't helping matters.)

See, I grew up with a complete absence of any media-fed or real-life GLBTQ role models. 

The stories of Gay Teen fiction could have supplied me with new mental models so I could believe there would be a place in the world for quirky gay me.  So I could believe in the possibility of a future where a Prince could meet a Prince and live happily ever after.

But Gay Teen Novels didn't come OUT until years after I did.

Today there ARE books for Teenagers and younger kids with GLBTQ characters and themes.  It's still a drop in the bucket - about 200 books so far, and a number of those self-published - but the tide is shifting.  Just in 2008, there were 34 titles published that made the American Library Association's "Rainbow List!"

When I started looking, it drove me nuts that there was no comprehensive listing of Gay Teen Novels, anywhere.  Amazon and a number of libraries had lists with 30 or less books, but you couldn't tell which had major Queer content and which just had a passing reference to friend's gay brother. 

So I created a blogsite that would list all the Teen and Pre-Teen books that starred GLBTQ characters, with summaries by me and reviews by my readers.  In September 2007, I launched "I'm Here.  I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" and last year over 46,000 people came to find out what the Hell they could read.

These books are powerful.  Every myth about Gay people can be shattered by the simple act of reading a great story where it isn't true.  Can you believe in God and be Gay?  Sure, read Alex Sanchez's "The God Box."  Can you be a superhero and be Gay?  Sure, read Hayden Thorne's "Masks: Rise of Heroes."  Can you grow up and find love and have children someday if you're Gay?  There's even a picture book, written for 3-6 year olds, for that one.  "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, illustrated by Henry Cole, is the incredible true story of Tango, the first penguin in the New York City Central Park Zoo to have two daddies.  "Tango" was the most challenged book in America for the last two years reported because it creates new possibilities for children (and adults!) of what being Gay can mean.  

The world is changing.  And books are one of the levers that help people re-define possibilities for others and for themselves. That's why I write Gay Teen fiction.  And why I blog about it. And why I hope you'll read it.

Lee Wind is a writer who blogs about Gay Teen books, culture and politics at "I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell do I Read?" at leewind.org

[speakOUT on the Qt is a new opinion column, by guest writers. Do you have something to say that you wish to share with fellow QUEERtimes readers? Then submit your column by Tuesday, noon, for publication in the Friday of the same week. The publishers reserve the right to accept, decline or edit, for content, style, accuracy, and space, from what you submit. Anonymous submissions will be rejected without being read. A byline posting is required. Up to 450 word submissions accepted which must be accompanied by your personal contact information for verification.]  Send copy to james@QUEERtimes.net

 

  

Out Judge Dan Anders Needs Your Help!

Please consider volunteering a few hours during 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to collect signatures in Center City in support of placing Dan Anders' name on the ballot.
 
We will be based out of our new headquarters on the 1200 block of St. James St. in Center City, next to Pure Nightclub, on both days.

We'll have coffee, drinks, and snacks for all of our volunteers.

Please stop in at one of three designated times: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., or 3 p.m.

Bring a friend or two if you'd like.

Don't feel like walking . . . maybe you can help stuff envelops on Sunday.
 
Please RSVP to ricknaughton@gmail.com and let him know what time and what day you will be able to help.

Thank you for your support!