UPMC Mans Up, No Thanks to Luke

UPMC has bowed to public pressure over their generous "donation" to Pittsburgh Promise, which they made contingent on receiving future tax breaks if necessary and ceasing to contribute their annual pithy amount that they currently voluntarily give up. Understandably, city council members got pissed about that and thankfully didn't just bend over and take it. It should be noted, though, that UPMC isn't relenting on its demands all around, just what city council has to approve, which I assume means it will still be taking that tax break from the school district.

I would like to point out very plainly that this turn of events is in no way due to Lukey, who--rather than looking out for the city's best interests--scolded city council like school kids for taking offense to UPMC's demand, basically asking them how they dared look this beautiful gift (Trojan) horse in the mouth.

Really, I don't even want to comment further on that line, and go into how our cherubic mayor is at worst downright corrupt, and at best a starry-eyed kid caught up in rubbing elbows and being chums with the big money. Or about how this city clearly needs to be run by someone with the resolve and maturity to stand up for his city, not someone who will use his poise and position to con it into a bum deal. Or about how it's just sad that this kid got re-elected in the first place, and is a classic example of why what boils down to a single-party system is doomed to failure.

So all I'll say is that I'm glad city council isn't as firmly tucked into UPMC's pocket as Lukey is.

Baby Steps

Like most folks confronted with blatant discrimination against GLBTQ people, I've often wished there was a magic wand I could wave that would just wipe out all the homophobia, bigotry and misunderstanding (or, in my less graceful moments, all the homophobic and bigoted people). Legally speaking, I've often had the same wish; one fell swoop to give the GLBTQ community the same rights that heterosexual and gender-conforming people enjoy. Let's just jump to the dramatic legislative victories already!

But that's not reality. The dramatic legislative victories aren't going to come less than four years after the issue of gay marriage brought conservative voters to the presidential election in droves, at a time when the current Republican golden boy puts out an ad blatantly touting his Christianity and appealing to belief in a Christian god in order to attract voters.

So what is reality? Reality is baby steps. Reality is education. Reality is the building of understanding and comfort, and the reduction in fear, that can't come from anywhere other than familiarity. This familiarity comes from asserting ourselves into mainstream everyday life in whatever meaningful ways we can achieve, whenever we can achieve it. Making ourselves seen and known AND ACCESSIBLE to the people who don't yet understand, in the hopes that little by little the unknown and dangerous becomes less so, and the things we're asking for become less outlandish to them. You push the envelope, and eventually the edge is no longer the edge.

I was happy this past week to see one such case, where legislation is being introduced to include domestic partner benefits for federal employees. A couple people that I've talked to have had the reaction of, "Well, it's not like legal protection, and it only helps people who work for the federal government." But, I think it would do more than that. It used to be that asking for domestic partner benefits in an interview was enough to not get you hired. Nowadays, domestic partner benefits are widely recognized as a legitimate request, and necessary to remain competitive in the employment market.

Being able to put the federal government on the list of leading employers that recognize our relationships and grant us more the same access to benefits and health coverage as heterosexual couples, would be a pretty good step. It would be one more step along the road to formalizing and legitimizing GLBTQ relationships, having them formally recognized by yet another entity...and a fairly significant one at that.

Of course, this all certainly doesn't mean we should not push for the dramatic legislative victories, and instead accept what is handed to us. It just means that if those victories don't come, these baby steps can still eventually lead to something great.

What a Coincidence

Everyone remember over the summer when UPMC dropped $9,000 for it's share to send Lukey golfing with a bunch of bigwigs and famous people? So who is surprised that, if the city gets the ability to tax nonprofits, Lukey is calling for tax breaks for UPMC for money it donates to Pittsburgh Promise.

Now, somewhat of a break I can understand; give UPMC some additional business incentive to help the very worthy cause that Pittsburgh Promise represents. But Luke is calling for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. This could equate to up to $10 million each year. Call me crazy, but that's a pat on the back I don't think this city can afford to give. And if it can, why not spread it around a bit to encourage donations from other, smaller foundations and corporations that couldn't otherwise afford to give much of a contribution?

If UPMC truly wants to help city students achieve the dream of going to college, it should actually be willing to pay something, not require tax credits that result in no financial sacrifice but happy warm and fuzzy brand development. No financial sacrifice beyond Luke's golfing fees, that is.

Mmm... Xenophobia!

Horror of all horrors, Kennywood has been bought by a bunch of dirty Spaniards. Shame on the previous owners for selling out to foreign interests--as if we don't already have enough people who refuse to learn how to talk English good, now we're probably going to have to ride the "Venganza del Fantasma" instead of the Phantom's Revenge, and get burritos and sopapillas instead of burgers and waffle cones. The "You Must Be This Tall to Ride" signs will now probably be in centimeters, the "Guess Your Weight" thing will probably be in kilograms. And don't they know that after the terrorist bombings in Madrid the Spanish government is actually a puppet front for Osama?

... ????

OK, a bit of reality now. I read the news about Kennywood being sold with nothing more than mild interest and didn't think twice about it, until of course I made the mistake of looking through the Post Gazette public forum about it. Holy pathological xenophobia, batman. Here are some choice quotes:

One of the few simple things left, and now that is gone too. It is just so sad.

Ummm...you know it's still open, right?

So much for keeping America, America. Let's look at the bright side... At least it was not sold to the Chinese.

Ooohh...classy! Just spectacularly classy! And of course, what's xenophobia without a little conspiracy theory?

I believe that our government and big business are selling us out only for money in their hands now. They don't care where it can lead the country. IT'S ALL ABOUT MONEY AND THEY ARE TAKING IT FROM US.

I would really like to know how many of these people knew jack shit about Kennywood's ownership before reading about the sale. I sure didn't. Well, actually I take that back--Pittsburgh is the kind of place where I wouldn't be surprised if most "true Pittsburghers" did know about it.

Not wanting to do a disservice to all residents of the area, there were a fair number of comments that were more thought out and decried the hate mongering and small-mindedness. But really, this situation perfectly illustrates why even though I love Pittsburgh, it often drives me downright nuts. The truth is that, at the risk of advocating a stereotype, most well-established Pittsburghers fear and hate change, anything that isn't like them and anything that isn't what they grew up with. Different automatically equals bad.

This attitude has significant impacts on the region. The good-old-boy political network is nauseatingly unshakable, even after it sent the city to the brink of bankruptcy. The city elects an immature and ethically questionable mayor because people refuse to vote for a Republican. The region could save tens millions of dollars by consolidating services between the city and county, or some of the 127 municipalities in this county alone, but every step on that road is a struggle and a fight. And yes, there is absolutely truth to the fact that it is hard for someone from outside Pittsburgh to establish social connections here--with one exception (significant though it may be) all of my closest friends are not originally from Pittsburgh.

But the really sad thing is that the fear and hate mongering here is by no means limited to Pittsburgh. Just today I got a forwarded email loaded with surprise and outrage at the fact that Barack Obama has a Muslim background and his middle name is Hussein. It very clearly implied that he is an agent for violent radical Muslim groups, trying to infiltrate America for the purpose of attacking it. Now, I have no idea who I'm going to vote for yet, but COME ON!! I'll reserve my outrage for the guy who wanted to quarantine everyone with AIDS, thanks.

At any rate, these two events on one day are just a sad reminder of the closed-minded hatred that pervades our world, driven by fear of the unknown and a stubborn refusal to learn and accept.

Hey, look on the bright side--maybe the Spanish will try to reinstitute some kind of Inquisition, and Kennywood can become the center of a new, truly God-fearing fundamentalist Christian nation. That's fine, just so long as they leave the yellow arrows up.

Do It Right

Over the past month we've seen two pieces of hate crime law that we thought were making ground wiped out--one at the Pennsylvania state level, and one at the national level. Understandably, a lot of people are upset about this; I certainly am not thrilled.

However I have to admit that I understand the reasons why they were wiped out--I can't argue against it. In the case in PA, the law actually was passed but was later overturned by the courts because of the manner in which is was passed; it had been tacked on as an amendment to a bill that dealt with agricultural vandalism. The court ruled that the amendment substantially changed the bill so that it bore little or no resemblance to its original purpose. At the national level, the hate crime piece was tacked on as an amendment in the Senate to a Department of Defense authorization bill, resulting in people on both sides being committed to opposing it; conservatives because of the hate crimes portion, and liberals because of the DOD portion.

I understand the political strategy, I do. Put legislation that others are opposed to in a bill with things that they want, to increase your chances of passing it. I just don't agree with it. Even though in this case it was attempted in order to pass something I think is very necessary and worthwhile, I don't agree with it. I'm always irked when I hear about someone advancing an extreme or wasteful agenda by riding on the back of otherwise worthwhile legislation. Legalize the ritualistic beating of kittens by adding it to a bill outlawing murder. Yeah!

So, yeah--another reason why I could never be a politician. Just vote on things and attempt to get them passed on their own merit. If you have to trick people into voting for them, maybe something isn't quite right. And as we saw here in PA, you just leave the door open into getting it tossed out and having your cause accused of using underhanded political strategy.

I have to wonder, though, about the closed mindedness of the group that challenged the PA law in court, resulting in it getting thrown out. I don't think we would be friends.

Don't Blog Angry

So, I had to let a few days pass after election day to cool off. I say grr to voters.

I think the option to cast a blanket vote for one party or another should be completely outlawed. If you want to be an ass and give no actual thought to who you're voting for, and put unqualified/unethical/otherwise unfit people on the public payroll just because of the labels that appear under their names, you should at least have to expend the energy of pushing a button/flipping a lever for each one.

In the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, there were four open seats, and five candidates. Four candidates won either the Democratic nomination or both the Democratic and Republican primaries, one only won a Republican nomination. Of the four listed under the Democratic nominations, one was rated as "Not recommended at this time," by the state bar association, and the Post Gazette had this to say, "Ms. Bigley, the third candidate with dual nominations, could win next month -- but only if the voters don't pay attention. "

Well, they didn't pay attention. The four listed as Democrats won. Ironically, the fellow who only got the Republican nomination and therefore lost, is actually a Democrat and was endorsed by the Democratic Party in the primary.

Talk about your shit luck. And don't even get me started on Lukey's re-election. Hell, apparently we should just forego elections and give all the races to whatever party has more people registered.

Health Care Conondrum

I got pretty sick last week and ended up in a local city health center on Thursday. You could tell by the waiting room that it served mostly lower-income patients--Medicare, Medicaid, uninsured or underinsured, etc.; it had the feel that you unfortunately would expect to have at a run-down, inner city health center. I am fortunate enough to have pretty good insurance and my own car, so I could have chosen from any number of doctor's offices in any number of areas, but that was the first place I found that could take me that day, and my throat was really unhappy so I took the appointment there.

First I was seen by doctor-in-training flying solo, who decided I didn't have an infection, just a really really swollen tonsil, and didn't need antibiotics, just an anti-inflammatory. They would take blood and do a blood test to check my white blood cell counts, and if the anti-inflammatory didn't help I would be referred to an ear-nose-throat specialist who would perform a scope through my nose to get a better view of my renegade tonsil.

The overseeing actual doctor came in later and did his own brief exam and said there was a decent chance I had strep, but they weren't sure. I was sent off with prescriptions for an anti-inflammatory and an antibiotic, with instructions to begin the anti-inflammatory, and call the next day for the results of a throat culture; if it was positive then I should start taking the antibiotic at that point. (And I suppose if it was negative, to just take the anti-inflammatory and pray or something.)

The next morning, the anti-inflammatory hadn't done much for me, so I decided to hell with it, I went ahead and got the antibiotics and started taking them. If the culture was negative I would stop, but if it was positive I wanted the head start. Unfortunately I slept all day and failed to call the office in time to get the results, so I kept taking the antibiotic. The next day was Saturday, but they had Saturday office hours so I figured I could call.

On Saturday, they didn't answer their phone. I was starting to feel a little better, albeit supplementing the anti-inflammatory with ibuprofen and acetaminophen, so I kept taking the antibiotic.

Today is Monday, four days after I felt horrible enough to decide to go to a doctor. I called this morning shortly after they opened, someone took my info and said they'd call me back. I called back at lunch, someone took my info and said whoever I had talked to that morning was working on it and would call me back. Three times being a charm, I called just before they were closing, and was told they didn't have the results yet, they might have them tomorrow, and someone would call me tomorrow. Forgive me if I'm not holding my breath.

So, if I had followed their instructions, I would be sitting here four days later writhing in pain with a still-rampaging infection, no closer to an answer or to feeling better than I was last Thursday, but with the very real chance that I would have attempted to remove my tonsil with my bare hands in a fit of pained frustration.

What's the point of this very long-winded rant? I'm feeling a lot better, so hopefully all's well that ends well. And next time, I'll know to exercise my other health care choices, which are open to me thanks to my insurance. But what about all those other people sitting in that waiting room? Most of them would probably read this whole thing and roll their eyes and say, "Well yeah that's typical of health care," because the only options that have ever been available to them have been overworked, understaffed health centers with outdated, inadequate facilities and slow lab arrangements. They don't have the same options for better care next time because they don't have the same little insurance card that I have.

I have my insurance because of my job. I have my job because I worked and did well in school. And I have a big part of me that believes in the simple idea of self-responsibility; everyone is their own person, makes their own decisions, etc. But I also know that I have that belief as a white person from the American suburbs who grew up in a good school district and an environment supportive of "success" as defined by dominant American culture. Two of my sisters' kids spent their early years living in condemned houses and have severe learning disabilities as a result of lead poisoning and other factors. Their chance for "success" was taken away from them just as mine was given to me, through sheer luck of the draw.

It leaves me so torn and with so many questions. I know there are some people out there who are on disability, welfare and Medicaid who don't have to be, who are bilking the system. But I also know there are a lot of people who never had the choice. Should people be doomed to shitty health care because of their social lot in life? Should good health care be treated as a pure commodity, the same as nicer cars and bigger houses? I'm sure there are levels of health care I can't fathom available to those with more money than I'll ever have. Is it right for one person to have a personal doctor who makes house calls and only has perhaps 20 patients, while someone else has to go to a clinic that has difficulty diagnosing strep throat?

I don't know jack shit about state-run health care vs. private health care, or how bad or good things could be if we had universal health care. I'm not an expert; I'm not advocating or condemning a choice. I'm just voicing my frustration that it seems to me that something is seriously fucked up here.

Do You Know Who You're Donating To?

Maybe I just wasn't paying close attention to WHY its call sign is WDUQ, but I honestly didn't realize before that DUQ was operated completely under the umbrella of Duquesne University, including financially. So, I was surprised and disappointed to see that Pittsburgh's primary provider of NPR is not accepting underwriting from Planned Parenthood, because Duquesne says no.

Of course, realizing the connection betwen WDUQ and Duquesne, I'm not surprised; Duquesne doesn't exactly have a progressive reputation. But I do have to wonder if the administration is very aware of the social leanings of the main demographics that tune in to NPR. Are they similarly unwilling to accept donations from liberally-minded individuals who support options other than abstinence?

I also have to wonder how many of those liberally-minded members realize that when they are donating to WDUQ, they are pretty much donating to Duquesne. I, personally, am supportive enough of NPR that I don't think I will reconsider my decision. However, it did give me pause to realize the connection. A good reminder to always be sure you know just who you're donating to.

Very Well Said, Luke

To quote our adorable cherubic mayor, "That's what 27-year-olds do and I shouldn't be any different."

This is also why 27-year-olds are generally not the mayors of large cities. Or any cities.

I Hate Patriot Day

In the current climate of our country, I hate looking at the calendar and seeing September 11 being marked as "Patriot Day". It makes my stomach churn when I think of the connotation of that phrase in this day and age, and how much it runs counter to the ideals of so many people who proudly called themselves patriots in past times.

These days, too many people assert that being truly patriotic means to not question and not criticize what our leaders do, and most frighteningly, not restrict what they can do in the name of protecting and advancing our supposed interests. In order to be patriotic today, you must view our country and our leaders as infallible. You must blindly accept that because some 230 years ago we fought a war for our own freedom, every war that we fight today has that same virtuous cause.

I happen to love this country a lot. It will surprise a lot of people, but for many years I wrestled with the question of whether to join the military; I felt a very strong call to do so. I don't like a lot of the things our country does or the things that a lot of people in it say and do, but I also see much good here that I love. It is my home, and to me it is worth fighting to change the things I don't like to make it a better place.

I consider myself to be very patriotic, and I bristle at accusations that because I do question, I do criticize, and I don't blindly trust, that I am less of an American or an enemy of our country.

I saw an article in the Post Gazette today about teaching children who were very young six years ago about the context and meaning behind the 9/11 attacks. I read it with great interest, but was disappointed that it did not actually address what schools or teachers planned to discuss with students. So what will we teach our children? Will we talk with them about how our actions in other parts of the world are causing friction and increasing instability? Will we explain how our refusal to understand other groups' cultures and belief systems, and work within those contexts, was tantamount to playing a dangerous game of chicken that we lost on that ugly day? Will they get an inkling that the almost unrestricted detainment of "enemy combatants" with little or no rights are the same tactics employed by governments that Americans shed blood to overcome?

Sadly, I doubt it. Somehow I think it gets boiled down to, "Bad guys killed 2,000 innocent people."

My Delinquency

(Editor's Note: I spent this evening watching gay flicks, complete with sex scenes and breasts, completely out in the open on Flagstaff Hill. It was an awesome experience and I was happy to have been there to help. That's what I meant to post about tonight, but when I logged in and saw how long it had been, this came out instead. My apologies to Monica, Jessie and Sena for not giving them their full due. Pink Party, you guys rock.)

A rare more personal post for this blog...holy hell it's been something like half a month since I posted. A lot of it is that I have been busy, but to be honest, I've fallen into a little rut on here, disheartened a bit by the apathy of folks I see around me.

There is so much energy and talent in the gay community; we are so passionate about the things we love, we can organize crazy and amazing things out of nothing. In order to be ourselves we all have already had to give some part of the world some measure of "fuck you," so through that shared experience we have a strength that allows us to overcome any obstacle we put our minds to.

But what makes me sad is seeing the things that for the most part we don't put our minds to. For example, I was hard pressed to meet any family who watched the HRC candidate debate on Logo. I know more people who didn't vote in the last presidential election than who did. I doubt many of my friends could tell me who Joe Salmonese is, or what ENDA is, or who any of their local, state or federal government representatives are.

I don't consider myself to be a huge political buff, but this stuff is important! Not just from the point of view of the GLBTQ community, but society in general. Our state legislature voted themselves a 16% pay raise in the middle of the night, yet they can't get their act together enough to avoid laying off 22,000 state employees because of budget disagreements. Our president is guilty of demanding some of the most disastrous groupthink in the history of our country. People in the rest of society can barely afford to ignore these things; when you add on the additional struggles and concerns that our community has, ignoring these things amounts to social and legal suicide.

It drives me crazy when people rail against the US, the government, and "the system," yet remain willfully ignorant of what is going on. The beauty of a democratic country is that if you don't like something you can work to change it. Not liking the way the system works is a piss poor reason to refuse to try to help fix it. I'm not telling people to stage a military coup, but come on...at least pull a lever to vote for someone who isn't a pay-grabbing, dissent-silencing, intolerant bigot.

I don't know. Maybe my perception of our community's involvement in these things is skewed by the people I happen to come into contact with on a day-to-day basis. Or maybe not.

Pittsburgh PD Continues to Shine in Attitude Towards Women

The Pittsburgh PD got another, more minor, black eye in the area of its attitude towards women, as a female officer claims she was passed over for off-duty security detail for the Steelers because she is a woman. Her supervisor agrees with her and has also filed a formal complaint.

Is this nearly as serious as the promotion of three officers with abuse allegations in their histories? No, certainly not. And, it appears that neither the department itself nor the Steelers stipulated that female officers could not be used for this detail. Rather, it looks like it was the opinion of the individual officer scheduling the detail, Officer Kevin Head, who decided that he would not schedule women for it.

So, it was not an official action by the department, but to me it is continuing evidence of the old-fashioned, patriarchal attitudes that seem to persist within the ranks of the PPD.

MD School System Close to Making a First in Gay Ed

Three cheers for school administrators in Montgomery County, Maryland. Barring a last-minute injunction, Montgomery County schools will be the first in the country to provide lessons on homosexuality as part of their sex ed.

County educators should be commended not just for having the idea and agreeing to it, but for actively sticking with the fight to make it happen. The board of education first approved of this effort in the fall of 2004. To no surprise, it has faced lawsuits and other challenges continuously since then. It would have been very easy for them to abandon the effort, but they held strong to what they felt was right, and now after several years appear to be successful.

Education in areas like this can accomplish so much, providing an open dialog about things that otherwise are taboo topics, snickered at and shied away from by kids who don't understand. Just having this small "official" recognition of their feelings could do so much to validate the experience of gay students. It can promote tolerance and understanding of everyone involved, reaffirm the feelings of gay and questioning youth, and just generally open minds to new possibilities. Despite many clear road signs, I wasn't lucky enough to figure out my sexuality until several years after college--I often do wonder how much I could have realized, and how much things could have been different, if more of an open dialog had existed.

Buh-bye Karl

The only tears I'm shedding over Karl Rove's departure are that it took this long, and that his pal Dubya gets to stick around for another year-plus. Of course, if Dubya left that would put Cheney in charge, which is a much scarier thought for me.

At any rate, I found the phrase, "moving on down the road" to be an odd choice. At the horse farms I worked on when I was younger, that's how we always referred to a horse who had died. So now Rove is moving on down the road, and Dubya says he'll "be on the road behind you here in a little bit."

Uh oh, do Dubya and Karl have a secret death pact? Let the rumors start here!!

We Talked About the Trannies, I Swear!

I noticed that in the build up to the debate, the producers kept plugging the promised inclusion of transgender issues. Now, they do get kudos for realizing that in the greater discourse, transgender issues get lost easily and often. But when push came to shove, the actual debate fell far short of the hype. Unless I missed something, the only direct trans-related question was a complete softball question to Edwards, asking how he would react if someone in his office came out to him as being trans.

Honestly, I'm not surprised at the failure of the debate in this area. Twenty minutes with each candidate just isn't a great deal of time, and while it sucks, the fact still remains that most people in the GLBTQ community have their attention fixed elsewhere. I will be honest and admit that until I began examining my own identity I didn't truly stop to consider the additional issues that face the trans community. So no matter how many times the organizers insisted that trans issues would not be an afterthought, I didn't hold out much hope.

But I really got pretty pissed at the post-debate commentary. They pulled out this ridiculous scripted question-and-answer bit about how we really got to see trans issues addressed with the candidates for the first time ever. Um...was I watching a different debate? Did I miss the discourse on classification of transgendered identity as a medical disorder? On requiring a medical diagnosis in order to undergo transition? On discrimination in the areas of employment, health care, and family law? On the treatment of transgendered people in insitutions such as schools, jails and the military?

Like it or not, I do comprehend the mechanics of how the best intentions of addressing trans concerns fell through in the actual content of the debate. But for crying out loud, do not sit there and insist that these things were finally addressed. Don't insult the viewers' intelligence by insisting on something that is obviously not true. Saying it doesn't make it so.

And by the way, Edwards gets extra bonus points. Not only did he have the privilege of getting the token trannie question, but he answered it without actually spitting out the word "transgender".

We Know Who and What...What About HOW?

For the most part, coming into the HRC candidate debate, we already knew the WHATs of each candidate--their stances on different positions were fairly well known, and nobody said anything very surprising. Down with Don't Ask Don't Tell, up with stronger hate crime laws, up with protection against employment discrimination. (Except maybe for poor Richardson...talk about putting your foot in your mouth.)

What we missed out on are the HOWs. How do they plan to go about changing the things they want to change? Aside from the issue of civil union vs. civil marriage, each of the candidates wants the same things, but which ones actually have a plan to deliver? When push comes to shove, that's really what needs to differentiate these candidates for us.

This debate missed out on a golden opportunity to try and get the heart of this, and try to find out who can actually help us. Questions like, "How would you react to a transgender person on your staff?" and "How are you going to bring our country together?" aren't going to give us anything real to make a decision on. Too much time was spent basking in the glow of hearing candidates love the GLBTQ community, and not enough was spent figuring out how to turn that love into something concrete. Emotion is great, but as a group we need to move ourselves past the pull of emotional support and on to the question of execution.

Time to Wake Up and Smell the Candidates

I'll admit that so far for this presidential election, I haven't been watching things really closely as of yet. Of course, for me that's still closer than it is for most of the population at large, but I see that as more of an unfortunate commentary on our society than any great achievement of mine. (Can't people even read the headlines?)

Anyhow, I haven't been paying super close attention yet because while it's constantly in the news, we are still a long ways away from even the first primary, let alone any conventions or the actual election. But, my campaign interest is getting a good kickstart tomorrow night with the presidential candidate debate being held live on Logo.

In case you haven't heard of it, they've rounded up some of the leading candidates in the race thus far (all Dems, unless I'm mistaken) and are having a debate centering purely on GLBTQ issues. Contrary to popular belief, this isn't actually the first such debate--there was one for the 2004 election--but it is the first one to be carried live on a national network.

Quite flatly, this is huge. It's one thing to read a candidate's responses on a filled-out issues questionnaire, or hear soundbites and read quotes after the fact. It's entirely different to be able to watch it unfold. You can tell so much more about a candidate's response seeing it happen--is it believable, does it seem thought out or an automated response, do they look like they even know what the hell they are talking about? You can't get these things from paper, and this is a rare opportunity to see their in-the-flesh reactions to issues that squarely affect the GLBTQ community.

Everyone out there, I urge you to find a way to watch. If you can't get to a TV with Logo, it's also being shown live online at http://www.logoonline.com/.

A Little Less Sad and Disgusted

OK, I've been very glad to see sanity and compassion take the front seat in the case of Rachel Booth. As the process has unfolded, it appears she is on her way to getting the help that she needs, to try to rebuild herself and her life.

Following the story after the initial incident, I realize that my outrage at her being initially held as an adult was a bit misdirected at the local folk involved. For certain crimes, including homicide, there isn't much choice in the initial process that must be followed. I hate to think that this child's trauma was added to by the process that is prescribed for these things, but understand that the people involved had their hands largely tied.

And I'm heartened to see that it appears on all counts, as soon as the folks involved were able to soften the situation for her, they did so immediately.

In my mind, though, while it is closer to justice it certainly doesn't make up for all the ways in which society and the community failed this poor girl. Abuse that drives a child to this extreme is incredibly difficult to hide completely. Somewhere, someone knew or suspected, but said nothing.

I am sad and disgusted

I generally don't put the same post on both of my blogs, but seeing this story has broken my heart, and I just have to.

Words cannot express the dismay and sadness. This girl was not just abused by her father, she was apparently abandoned by an entire neighborhood. All these people are coming out of the woodwork with stories of how terrible the situation was, how widespread knowledge of the abuse was. Where were they when they could have done some good?

One person could have opened their mouth and saved this girl. Instead they did nothing. They knew what was going on, and did nothing. They heard her screams, and they did nothing.

Now she stands held as an adult, for taking the only option she could see available to end her terrible pain. Unless the authorities rethink this one, she will be victimized yet again.

My heart is broken. My heart is crying and broken for this poor girl.

Please, read about this and take this story to heart. I hope nobody has to be confronted with such a situation, but if you ever find yourself in the same place as these people, I beg you, have the courage to do what is right. Too many children are helpless victims to the people who are supposed to care for them and protect them. You may think it's none of your business, or be afraid of getting mixed up in something. But you can be that child's hero. If the people with the knowledge and ability to save them don't, then no one will.

Fox Tries to Have Morals?

It's been a busy week so I'm a little late on this one. A lot of people are picking on Pittsburgh since our local ABC and NBC affiliates have refused to air Trojan ads for which Pittsburgh was selected as a test market. But I think it's a lot more fantastic that Fox and CBS have rejected the ad nationally altogether. Apparently you're allowed to use Viagra to get it up, just don't slap a rubber on it.

I can rant and rave all day about the hypocrisy of any distributer of modern popular culture being worried about offending public sensibilities. There are commercials on TV these days that I am uncomfortable seeing in the presence of my mother. But rather than dwell on that angrily, I'm going to laugh for a moment at the fact that one of these is Fox.

Yeah, Fox!

This is the network that brought us Married...with Children, Temptation Island, and however many things along the lines of When Animals Attack and Eat the Faces of Innocent Babies, or something. Suddenly these people are worried about sending an appropriate message? For those of you who forgot about it in all it's highbrow glory, Temptation Island was the reality show where they took a bunch of unmarried couples and put them on an island with a bunch of single people to see if they could get them to cheat on each other. I wonder if they let them use condoms in the process.

My Hot & Cold Relationship with Fast Eddie

A few people in the last couple days have asked me about my fairly cynical stance towards Governor Rendell, affectionately known in these parts as Fast Eddie. The truth is, there are some things I like about the guy, and some things I just can't stand.

I can't deny that he has always been a supporter of GLBTQ rights, and takes a positive stance for us on a number of issues. He generally does so quietly, but he still does so, which is more than you can say for some other politicians. And, there are a lot of other areas where I agree with his general ideas--the ends that I think he aims to reach. I did vote for the guy. For these reasons, whenever I mention him in a somewhat harsh light, a few people challenge me on it.

But, try as I might, I just can't get past a sort of smarmy salesman feel that I get from him. I may agree with a number of his ends, but his means give me the creeps half the time. In the recent budget/furlough situation, for example--do I think a lot of the issues he was trying to move forward are worthwhile? Certainly. Do I agree with how he and the Dems went about it? Certainly not. The whole slots issue has the feel of...I dunno...maybe not quite something so sinister as a pyramid scheme, but something close to it. "Free money! Reform property taxes! Bail out public transportation!" Has anyone else felt like they're buying a tonic off the back of a wagon? Step right up, folks--it's the cure for what ails ya.

He just has too much of a sleight of hand, slick grin, bait and switch feel about him for me to really be comfortable. I voted for him, I appreciate the support he has given the community, and I like a lot of the goals that he has. But I can't help but feel like I need to constantly check for my wallet.

-----Update, 7/18 2:21 PM-----
Of course, the day after I post this the guy's wife is in a car wreck. Sorry she got hit, glad she's OK, but I'm still checking for my wallet.

Good Will Is Nice, but Business Is More Powerful

Great news on the benefits front--faculty at the 14 universities run by the PA State System of Higher Education will receive domestic partner benefits under a tentative new contract!

It's always great to see advances such as these. What I think is even better, however, is that the extension of these benefits didn't come after protracted protests and threatened lawsuits, as has happened at other universities. (Although there was a tenuous contract situation in general, it did not revolve primarily around this issue.) With the previous contract the university system agreed to consider domestic partner benefits, but only if they were extended to other unionized state employees. That has not happened, but the university system decided to add these benefits anyway.

The great thing to see is the continued evidence that such previously "outlandish" things as domestic partner benefits are becoming more and more essential to any attractive benefits package. These benefits were not extended out of good will and harmony, but because it is good business sense to offer these things. It's not exactly new, but it's great to see these trends continue and strengthen.

Hate Crime Bill - Go bug people about it!!

I really have no idea if the Senate could actually vote on this within the next day, as the HRC claims it might, but oh well. The federal hate crimes bill has been presented to the US Senate and could be up for a vote soon, having already been passed comfortably in the House.

What's disturbing to me is that if you run a search on Google News about this, the only stuff you will find are articles about protests against this--coverage of protests, columns denouncing it, etc. etc. That really says to me that us folks who are for this thing are doing a lousy job of making that be known!

The HRC is urging everyone to bug their Senators. Absolutely we should, that is step one. But we can't stop there--bug other people too!

Bug your local and state politicians, urge them to contact your US Senators on behalf of their constituents. Bug your local media, let them know that you care about this issue and want to see it covered. In this day and age, visibility is a huge key to success. Balanced media coverage is essential to informing those reasonable, everyday folks who make up the bulk of society (and voters) and getting their support. Bug your friends. Get them to bug people.

Stop being so lewd, mom

I was very happy to see that Pennsylvania mothers can now breastfeed their babies without fear of being kicked out of wherever they are. On the other hand, it's kind of sad that we have to pass laws that specifically protect this.

Truly, American society is such a mixed bag of paradoxical values, mores and ideals. So lenient in some areas, so regressive in others. We have such a popular culture of sexuality and promiscuity, yet at the same time mothers actually fear getting publicly punished for feeding their children.

I guess it's comparable to how I'll never really escape some aspects of that fantastic Catholic childhood...in many ways America just can't shake those Puritanical roots. Man that sucks.

Well thank goodness we saved the booze

Much to everyone's shock and surprise, Fast Eddie and the GA didn't get it done so the furloughs have taken effect. Too bad these workers didn't have the good fortune to work in an area with as much pull as the casinos. Granted, I'm happy for the guy sweeping the casino floor, but it's nice how we can overlook a little thing like the law in order to keep the cash cows open.

Speaking of cash cows, it's very enlightening to see which state services made the "essential" list, and which did not. Out of the following, which do you think should be candidates to be considered essential, and therefore remain open?

- Inspector General investigations and prosecutions
- Highway department road maintenance
- Driver license centers

...or...

- Liquor stores
- Lottery
- Casinos

OK, I know nobody is going to die because they can't get their driver's license today, but it's the principle of the thing. Combating public fraud is nice and all, but dangit, there's just no money in it.

I love Tony Norman

Don't send me hate mail. Sarcasm, people!

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07187/799724-153.stm

Oh, and completely unrelated... A quick thanks to Kevin McClatchy for keeping our Buccos around (even if they are lousy), and to Bob Smizik for the reminder. Of course, I'm also the only person in Pittsburgh who doesn't boo Jagr every time he touches the puck.

So How Many Other Questions Did He Miss?

Some schmuck in Massachusetts failed the Mass. bar exam and has decided to blame the gays.

I wonder, is he suing because the question is there, or because he flunked? If he had passed, would he still sue? The question still would have been there, persecuting away, but maybe the sting would not have been so great...say only $5 mil or so.

Perhaps more pressing, is he later going to sue himself for defamation of character? He certainly is ruining whatever career he might have left by very publicly letting the world know he can barely pass the bar. (This assumes, of course, that he knew the answer to the question and would have passed if he had answered it.)

But just when I lose all hope for those in my future profession, I find these reactions:

"David Yas, editor of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, said the suit was 'idiotic' and that Dunne was 'completely missing the point about what it means to be a lawyer.'"

And even better:

Lee Swislow, executive director of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders: "The bar exam was a test of whether he knew how to apply domestic relations law, and he refused to answer. Now he's suing, and I think that makes him a loser."

The article also says that he's representing himself. Let's suppose for a moment that he would have passed if he had answered. Tell me, would you want to be represented in court by someone who passed the bar exam by only one question?

Furlough Rant Part Deux

I know I just posted about this budget crap the other day, but I'm really pissed. First of all, and this is a minor point, but I'm perplexed at how little media coverage there is. Every other year the media are on this weeks ahead of time, screaming about how government will collapse and children will be starving in the streets. This year it actually looks like a furlough may happen, and there's hardly anything. Maybe it's just locally because everyone is focused on Lukey's latest antics (don't get me wrong, that sucks too, but Luke going golfing isn't going to cost 24,000 people their paychecks...yet).

Anyway, what got me re-pissed-off was reading about Fast Eddie comparing this situation to a transit strike in Philadelphia back in the 90's, as reported by the PG's Tracie Mauriello.

OK. Growing up in the dying industry of northeastern Ohio, I know unions and strikes come with their own political quagmires--don't get me started on how many times I've seen everyday workers get crushed between the dualing machines of business and unions. But let's take a gross oversimplification for a second and look at what a strike is: Party A and Party B do not agree, so Party B chooses to not work and not get paid.

How in the world is this situation comparable? Party A and Party B can't agree, so Party C is not allowed to work or get paid. 24,000 people who presumably would be more than willing to go to work on Monday and earn their paychecks will be told they can't, and won't get paid, and there is not a damn thing they can do about it.

Sorry Ed--those are not the same thing, not by a long shot, and shame on you for saying that they are. At what point do these people accomplish little enough that we can declare them to be not "essential to public health, safety and welfare," and furlough them, too?

Note To Harrisburg: People Depend on You

My friend's husband works for the state as a historian at Fort Pitt. With all the state budget mess--which I'm surprised hasn't been covered a bit more in the news--they are preparing for him to get furloughed temporarily come next Monday, because no one has much faith that the General Assembly and Fast Eddie will remove their collective head from their collective rear end by then.

What I've gathered from the minimal news coverage is, Fast Eddie and the Dems want to use budget negotiations as leverage to address other, non-budget issues, whereas the Pubs refuse to
address those issues until later. My translation: Both sides are engaged in a political pissing contest, with 24,000 state employees on the receiving end of all those golden showers.

Really, Harrisburg, why don't you just whip 'em out and measure already, so you can get back to the business of keeping this state up and running? In case you forgot, that is your damn J-O-B.

My friend and her hubby should be fine financially, but there are a lot of people who won't be in the event of a furlough. How much breathing room do you think the guy working the counter at the PennDOT license center has in his savings account? What about the guy sweeping the floor at one of the new casinos? (Oh, sorry--yeah that 24,000 number is only state employees, it doesn't count the people who just got their casino jobs a few months ago.)

Right now there are 24,000 Pennsylvanians out there thinking, "If I don't do my job, I get fired. So if these guys don't do their job....I get fired. WTF???"

The Tragic Situation in Duquesne

If anyone out there has any doubt that Pennsylvania needs an overhaul covering everything from property taxes to the fractured and inefficient nature of its municipal subdivisions, look no further than the current plight of the students from Duquesne High School. Just a few quick editorial/article links below, but by all means please inform yourself further...Google will do you fine.

http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_150081231.html
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07164/793496-109.stm
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_414649.html


Last year, Duquesne High had 14 staff members. No foreign languages. No AP courses. The only extracurricular activities were basketball and football. Certainly the state has recognized that this situation cannot continue, but the choices of what to do are so crappy that this saga will likely drag out all summer; currently the kids from this school have no clue where they will go in the fall.

The only sure bet is that even if they go to different school districts, it will be other districts bordering on distressed, and that will have had little time to prepare for the sudden influx of students. Meanwhile, we have other areas building multi-million dollar football stadiums with press boxes and giant scoreboards. Equality in education my ass.

New Blog! Woo!

Hello, all who may have stumbled on over here. Allow myself to introduce.....myself. My name is Cheri, Cheryl, C, Hey You, whatever. I'm a big ol' queer here in the 'Burgh by way of Ohio and New Jersey, but have spent my first 8 years in Pittsburgh hiding behind relationships and being pretty much completely disengaged from the community here. Any community here. Gay, straight, queer, political, neutral, whatever. Oh, except for women's hockey. I'm all up in Pittsburgh women's hockey business.

But I digress. I woke up this past month and realized I actually have opinions about stuff. So I thought, hey, I should stop being such a recluse. So here I am.

For a blog of a less political/activist and more personal nature, you can also stop by Ruffian706.