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queerVOICE
Joe Sestak for U.S. Senate
James Duggan
copyright 2010
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When it comes to queer
equality Arlen Specter is no Joe Sestak! Sestak has consistently been a strong
and leading advocate for queer civil rights, unlike Specter, his opponent in
the Democratic primary, who, at best, has been a moderate on our equality.
Specter's current positions on our equality must be viewed through the prism of
political expediency to save his political career for the Republican turned
Democrat.
Sestak, on the other hand, has always held the position that our community
deserves full equality and has put himself out there as one of our strongest
political allies in our battle for that equality.
Recently, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) endorsed Sestak calling him, "a man
who has been committed, in an effective way, to the things the Democratic Party
stands for at its best." This includes advancing queer civil rights
through the legislative process.
It has been said that while Specter has walked around the issues of our
equality as if walking on eggshells, Sestak is a "bull in a china shop,"
standing firm as a leading advocate of our rights in Congress.
Sestak, a retired three-star Admiral, has become one of the leading voices for
military equality and has cosponsored the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a
bill to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It also needs to be noted
that as an Admiral in the U.S. Navy Sestak never investigated nor
discharged any sailor under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." His is an
impressive record.
"Failing to treat everyone with the same level of dignity is counter to our
national values and to the concept of brotherhood and sisterhood that is
essential to the spirit of our armed forces. How can we say someone who went to
war for his country doesn't deserve equal rights?" said Sestak.
Along with the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell," Sestak supports the
repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and supports full marriage equality.
Sestak also was an original cosponsor of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act,
a proposed bill in the U.S. Congress, which would prohibit discrimination
against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Military equality, marriage equality, employment equality, and every other
issue that is on our agenda, Sestak not only supports but actively advocates on
our behalf. They include the following:
Cosponsor of the Domestic Partnership Benefits Obligations Act, which
would provide all federal civilian queer employees with the same partnership
benefits that are currently offered to all spouses of federal employees,
including participation in applicable retirement programs, compensation for
work injuries, and life and health insurance benefits.
Cosponsor of the Tax Equality for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act, which
ends the federal tax inequities for employer-sponsored health coverage provided
to domestic partners, and other non-spouse, nondependent beneficiaries.
Cosponsor of the Family Medical Leave Inclusion Act, which permits an employee to
take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave from work if his or her domestic
partner or same-sex spouse has a serious health condition.
Sestak also believes that any immigration reform must "ensure that same-sex and
heterosexual couples are treated equally."
"I promise to be accountable, accessible, honest and working hard for the
interests of everyone equally. The GLBT community does not have equal rights
and simply we have to have that. This country stands for equal rights, and I
want to fight for that principle every day," Sestak recently announced in the
Philadelphia Gay News.
With Sestak, we get a proven ally in our battle for equality!
That's why we proudly endorse Joe Sestak for the United States Senate for Pennsylvania.
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What It Looks Like From Here
Thom Cardwell
copyright 2010 |
 I'm Mad as Hell and I'm
NOT going to take this any more! Of late, that refrain from the news
anchor, played by Peter
Finch, in the now classic film, "Network," directed by Sidney Lumet, resonates in most of us more than ever.
When Finch's character (Howard Beal) candidly tells the television public that
"he's tried of all the bullshit," the ratings for the evening news show rise
quickly overnight. Faye Dunaway
(Diane Christernsen), playing the
evening entertainment programmer, suggesting sitcoms and series that are, now,
in retrospective, strangely akin to the current Reality TV craze, wants to take
over the division because Finch "has captured the angry mood of the American
populace."
"What's wrong with becoming an angry spokesperson for the rage that the people
feel," asks Finch.
In the satirical screenplay by Paddy
Chayefsky, the struggle between news reporting as was the status qou is
suddenly transformed into more down and dirty offerings from what is an
essential madmen portrayed by Finch.
One of the high points of the film is when Finch rebel rouses the masses,
encouraging them, to get out of their chairs, open their windows, and yell, as
loud as they can, "I'm Mad as Hell and I'm NOT going to take this any
more!" Within minutes, people all over the country, from Portland,
Maine to Los Angeles,
from Chicago to New Orleans,
from Memphis to Salt Lake City, are parroting what Finch has
encouraged.
The message of "Network" is that rage is absolutely everywhere.
Well, art sometimes, as they say, imitates reality. The opposite can also be
true.
In today's society, you can easily point to rage. I mean rage on a higher and
grander level and scale than what we've all come to live with as "road rage."
Two weeks ago, Frank Rich wrote
about the rage that motivates the frighteningly skyrocketing popularity of the Tea Party, in The New York Times. He predicted that the
kamikaze style suicide of the enraged man who deliberately flew his airplane
into an IRS office in Texas
was just the beginning of the type of rage we'll be seeing a lot more of and a
lot more often.
This week, Maureen Dowd, expressed
her rage at the Pope and the church hierarchy's failure to deal honestly and
openly with the sexual abuse scandals, in The New York Times, where she titled
the column, "A Nope for Pope," just in case anybody wasn't getting the message.
Returning to Frank Rich, his column in The New York Times (March 28, 2010),
actually was called "The Rage Is Not About Health Care."
He began: "There were times when last Sunday's great G.O.P. health care
implosion threatened to bring the thrill back to reality television. On ABC's
"This Week," a frothing and filibustering Karl
Rove all but lost it in a debate with the Obama strategist David Plouffe."
Finally, there it was, in black and white, "Mad As Hell, And. . . ." was the
large-lettered headline for Benedict
Carey's column on "Rage's DNA".
"What is the nature of public anger anyway, and can it be manipulated as easily
as that? Is it possible for tough guy talk to prompt any more than an
occasional nasty outburst or can it indeed sustain and amplify anger to the
point of organized mayhem," writes Carey.
And he continues: "It's true that anger is contagious, just as most
emotions are--probably even more so. At the basic level, people subconsciously
mimic the expressions of a conversation partner and in the process 'feel' a
trace of the other's emotion, recent studies suggest."
What are you ready to rant and rage about?
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News on the Qt
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Kravitz Defeats Opponent's Ballot Challenge
Gregg Kravitz  | Philadelphia, Pa
- Gregg Kravitz, Democratic candidate for State Representative in
the 182nd District last week achieved a major victory over the forces seeking
to deny him access to the ballot. David Zega, campaign manager for
Kravitz's opponent Babette Josephs, filed a court challenge to Kravitz's
nominating petitions, certainly on behalf of his candidate.
Kravitz
Campaign attorney, good government advocate, and former City Council
member Dan McElhatton insisted that the challenge be withdrawn before the
hearing date because the Challenge was baseless and legally deficient.
When confronted by this evidence, Zega withdrew his meritless
challenge. Kravitz will be on the Democratic Primary ballot on May 18,
2010 despite the efforts of the entrenched incumbent to deny the voters a
choice.
Kravitz
Campaign Chair Justin Groen expressed his disappointment with the "wasteful and
frivolous tactics," of the Josephs' Campaign, further noting that "the public
wants honest debate and positive results from their lawmakers, not
obstructionist tactics. In a time of scarce judicial resources, I'm glad
the incumbent made the decision to unburden an already underfunded and
overworked court system and hopefully change her focus to engaging in a fair
and honest debate of the issues." Groen, himself an attorney, concluded
"there was no legal basis for this challenge. As a lawmaker, Babette
Josephs should know better."
The
Kravitz Campaign continues to build momentum and is hopeful that Babette
Josephs will accept Kravitz's challenge to a series of public debates on the
issues, including an April 29th debate sponsored by the Center
City Residents Association.
comments@QUEERtimes.net
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Thom's Table on the Qt!
Thom Cardwell
copyright 2010
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 It's that time of year again-and spring is truly in
the air as the sixth annual Saké
Fest returns on April 14, 6 to 8:30 p.m., in the Millennium
Ballroom at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market St., Center City,
Philadelphia, as part of the Subaru Cherry
Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia, with
tickets at$59.50
per person in advance online and $69.50 when purchased at the door for cash
only, and includes a souvenir tasting cup. Sorry but all participants must be
21 years or older to purchase tickets and attend the event.
Each year more and more foodies and beverage
aficionados are in attendance for the samplings of rare and premium saké while
also learning how to pair the
traditional Japanese drink with a wide variety of food, including cheese,
desserts, chocolate and a wide range of fusion, Asian and continental cuisines.
In fact, Saké, as versatile as wine can be paired
with everything, from cheese to chocolate (and there will be vendors offering
such tasting experiences) has rapidly become "the new drink of choice to be
served with various types of cuisine."
"Participants will discover dozens of saké varieties, taste the finest Japanese and American
brands of saké, and will learn how to pair it with any type of food," explained Marnie Old, Saké Fest spokesperson and internationally renowned
wine educator and sommelier.
The wide variety of saké, similar in profile to
wine, will be given value for its fragrance,
impact, sweet or dry finish, acidity, presence and complexity. (Last year I
was impressed to learn about a relatively new movement for organic saké that is
being led by producers in the State of Oregon
and other spots in the American Northwest.)
"Participants will also taste both premium and several rare sakés will be
available, as will regionally micro brewed "jizake", which means
small, regional saké brewer," said Old.
Several of the
city's and region's prominent chefs from restaurants and catering
facilities will prepare and serve a selection of appetizers and foods that
complement different types of saké in addition to an assortment of cheeses will
also be paired with the sakés.
For everyone interested in the culinary arts, Saké
Fest really is a not-to-be-missed event.
I'll see you there!
For more information,
call 610.649.6330; visit sakefest.com
 The folks at
Tavern 17, 220 South 17th
St. at Locust, at the Radisson-Warwick Hotel, just off of Rittenhouse Square, isn't just for
travelers to Philadelphia.
In fact,
their way of demonstrating that these days is by offering an incredible Happy Hour deal, nightly,
from 5 to 7 p.m., at the inviting lounge and restaurant, including al fresco
drinking, networking and dining, when weather permits it.
The deals for libations and food almost can't
be beat right now with slivers offered at $1each, $2,00 draft beers, $3,00
cocktails, $4.00 glasses of wine, and $5.00 for a pound of peel and eat shrimp.
With these prices, you can even invite your enemies out and pay their bill,
right?
For more
information, call 215.790.1799; visit tavern17restaurant.com
 Well, we all
want to receive a good return on our tax filing this year but Morton's Steakhouses, in Philadelphia, King of Prussia and Atlantic City, are actually
celebrating Morton's CPA Appreciation Day on April 16 at all three regional locations.
The restaurant chain is claiming that "the unsung heroes of the tax season are those certified public
accounts" and as a way to honor and thank them, Morton's is "offering CPAs
the chance to "file" for a complimentary Steak and Seafood Dinner for two that
will be awarded to one lucky CPA and a
guest at each location on that date at the steakhouse to celebrate the end
of the tax season."
All the CPAs
have to do to enter the contest is call Morton's locations, in Philadelphia
(215.557.0724), in King of Prussia (610.491.1900) and in Atlantic City (609.449.1044) and submit phone
number and email address before April 14.
The lucky CPAs
and their guest will then enjoy Morton's Steak and Seafood Dinner for Two
(valued at $99) on April 16. The only real catch: winner must bring in proof
that they are a CPA (a state-issued certificate; a business card with their
name and a CPA title on it; or their CPA license card.)
For
more information, visit mortons.com
comments@QUEERtimes.net
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What They Said and Did!
Thom Cardwell
copyrighted 2010
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On making small (but important) inroads for queer
right in today's Russia, activists who can't even give their last name for fear
of reprisals, are working hard to monitor what is happening to their own LGBTQ
community in the face of an apathetic and uncaring government:
 "Government
officials are responsible to make reports about various kinds of discrimination
(of all kind of minorities) in Russia,
but they don't. We survey the problems around the country, compile the data,
and give it to them. It's difficult to gather information about anti-gay
violence, but we do our best . . . during the Soviet era, religion played no
official role in politics or society, but now the increase of power and
influence of the Russian Orthodox Church has in general made the gay/lesbian
issue worse. The new patriarch recently said negative comments about gays. . .
. There's gossip that the new patriarch is actually gay himself."-Max, The Russian LGBT Network, as
told to Bill Strubbe (Passport. March 2010).+
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On having the courage
to finally come out of the closet as a queer Latino/International pop star,
queer father of twin boys, busily writing his own memoir, and being honest with
his loyal fans, posting the news on his own on his web site:
 "For many years, there has been
only one place where I am in touch with my emotions fearlessly and that's the
stage. Being on stage fills my soul in many ways, almost completely. It's my
vice. The music, the lights and the roar of the audience are elements that make
me feel capable of anything. This rush of adrenaline is incredibly addictive. I
don't ever want to stop feeling these emotions. But it is serenity that brings
me to where I'm at right now. An amazing emotional place of comprehension,
reflection and enlightenment. At this moment I'm feeling the same freedom I
usually feel only on stage, without a doubt, I need to share. . . .I got very close to my truth. And this is something worth celebrating."-Ricky Martin (The
Huffington Post, March 30, 2010)
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On taking a stand, sacrificing our own personal
rights in order to fight for full federal equality for all men and women
serving in the United States Armed Services, when acting is the only
alternative to talking and getting nowhere on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and we
admire the act of "putting yourself on the line," even handcuffing yourself to
the gates of the White House (along with Army Captain Jim Piertrangelo), after
their arrest and in the courtroom before a judge:
 "Being in chains, for me, matched what was in my heart the whole time I was
serving and was closeted. Harriet Tubman once said she had freed 1,000 slaves
but could have freed so many more if they only knew that they were slaves.
People don't always know that they are in fetters. Even my feet were shackled
so I could only take small steps forward. To me that symbolizes what it is to
live under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the only law that enforces shame. Those
chains symbolized how my country is trying to restrict my movement, how we are
only allowed incremental, tiny steps."-Lt. Dan Choi (Newsweek, March 18, 2010)
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