Friday, July 25, 2008

Thanks to all the great gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses that helped make our Instinct Blind Date a success

It took a lot of planning and preparation and I had to deal with a couple of flakes before settling on the two guys who eventually became the Instinct Blind Daters but it is finally over with and it was a huge success. Thanks to the daters who really put themselves out there for this. A blind date is a pretty nerve-wracking thing, let alone when it's going to be photographed and written up for a national magazine. They were great.





And I couldn't have done it without the good folks at:
Melt
Starz/Cinema Q
Hamburger Mary's
El Potrero
BoyzTown

Thanks so much!

Cinema Q: A Jihad for Love

In a time when Islam is under tremendous attack from within and without, A Jihad for Love is a daring documentary filmed in twelve countries and nine languages. Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma has gone where the silence is loudest, filming with great risk in nations where government permission to make this film was not an option.

A Jihad for Love is the world's first feature documentary to explore the complex global intersections between Islam and homosexuality. Parvez enters the many worlds of Islam by illuminating multiple stories as diverse as Islam itself. The film travels a wide geographic arc presenting us lives from India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa and France. Always filming in secret and as a Muslim, Parvez makes the film from within the faith, depicting Islam with the same respect that the film's characters show for it.

A Jihad for Love plays August 1-7 at Starz FilmCenter as part of Cinema Q.

Queer Lives. Queer Voices. Queer Visions. The Denver Film Society is proud to present them in all their diversity via one of the only regular showcases for GLBT cinema in Denver. Don't miss limited first-run releases like Le Temps Qui Reste or encore presentations of genre pioneers such as Gus Van Sant's Mala Noche.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Squirrel eating a tortilla

Equal Rights Action

Equal Rights Action is a new small donor committee dedicated to supporting candidates for the state legislature and statewide offices that support equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Equal Rights Action is a powerful tool for highlighting the political contributions of the GLBT community in Colorado and rewarding those incumbents and candidates that support our issues.

“Small Donor Committees” are a special kind of political action committee under Colorado law. More and more groups are creating small donor committees to take advantage of their favorable treatment under state laws regulating political campaign contributions. Small donor committees may accept individual contributions of no more than $50 per calendar year. Unfortunately, contributions are not tax deductible, and contributions from corporations, unions or other political committees are prohibited. But small donor committees are authorized to give contributions to candidates that exceed the dollar limits that individuals or PACs may give. Just as the name suggests, small donor committees take small contributions and bundle them together into something much larger than any other entity is legally permitted to give. Small donor committees empower ordinary people to make an extraordinary impact in political fundraising.

Equal Rights Action is a non-partisan organization. It will support candidates that support the GLBT community, regardless of party affiliation. The group will be very judicious in determining which candidates to support, with a bias toward supporting only a handful of candidates each election cycle with contributions larger than other individuals or entities are permitted to give. The number of candidates and size of contributions depends in large part upon the number of small donors that make an annual gift of $50 to Equal Rights Action.

Please consider making a $50 donation to Equal Rights Action today. If you’d prefer to give $25 now and $25 later, that would also be appreciated. But by making a $50 donation to Equal Rights Action, you’ve “maxed-out” for the year and the group can’t ask you for another gift until January. $50 per year is a small price to pay for the significant impact our combined contributions can have.

There are other ways for you to support Equal Rights Action. The group is in the process of forming a board of directors and finance committee. If you would be interested in serving on the board or committee, email pat@mendezsteadman.com. Responsibilities include annual fundraising and making decisions about which candidates to support in the election year.

Please send your $50 donation to:

Equal Rights Action
c/o Pat Steadman
1370 Pennsylvania St. #400
Denver, CO 80203

GLAAD responds to Focus on the Family's James Dobson being named to the Radio Hall of Fame

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) recently responded to the announcement that the anti-gay Focus on the Family ministry, headed by James Dobson, has been voted into the Radio Hall of Fame.

The National Radio Hall of Fame (RHOF) and Museum is part of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, Ill. Inductees to the museum are nominated by the National Radio Hall of Fame & Museum Steering Committee (RHOFSC), which includes radio executives, academicians, trade journalists and others interested in radio's history. James Dobson and Focus on the Family ministry won in the category of "a broadcaster who has made at least a 20-year contribution to the radio industry and has distinguished him/herself at the local and/or regional level."

"For 20 years James Dobson has used his expansive, well funded media platform to perpetuate false and misleading information which contribute to putting gay and lesbian families in harms way," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "GLAAD urges the media to scrutinize and shed light on Dobson's record of inaccurate claims about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and include an in-depth analysis of his distorted and defamatory statements."

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Murder in Greeley: "All she wanted was to be beautiful."

On Thursday, July 17, Angie Zapata, an 18-year old Latina transgender woman was found murdered in her home in Greeley, CO. It appears that there may be anti-transgender motive in this brutal crime.

It is believed that the suspect has stolen Angie's sister's car, a very dark forest green 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser with the Colorado license plate number 441ORN. There is a hubcap missing on the front passenger-side tire and there is paint missing on the front bumper on the driver-side, under the headlight. Anyone with information about the car is asked to call the Greeley police through the communications center, 970-350-9600.

"We want to get the whole community involved to find this person who hurt my sister and to let everyone be aware that all she wanted was to be beautiful. We want this violence to end. Transgender people deserve to be treated with respect," said Angie's sister Monica.

Read more after the jump.

The family encourages community attendance at Angie Zapata's service this evening with visitation from 6-7 p.m. followed by a prayer service at 7 p.m. at the Healing Place, 17801 E. 160th Ave. (Bridge Street), Brighton. In addition, community members may support the family by making contributions to Angie Zapata's memorial fund. Contributions may be made at Academy Bank in Wal-Mart, 60 W. Bromley Lane, Brighton or checks made payable to Monica Murquia may be mailed to CAVP at P.O. Box 181085, Denver, CO 80218.

Community organizations have pulled together to both support the victim's family after this shocking attack and respond to a community reeling from the brutality of the hate crime. Hate or bias related crimes, such as physical assault, hate speech or vandalism, are crimes that are motivated by hostile feelings against an identifiable social group.

"Hate crimes differ from other crimes motivated by economic gain or personal animosity. They are message crimes that are meant to instill fear and a sense of vulnerability in an entire group, in this case the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community," said Crystal Middlestadt, Director of Training and Education of the Colorado Anti Violence Program (CAVP).

"A hate crime like this serves to intimidate and disrupt an entire community," added Kelly Costello, Director of Victim Services at CAVP. "No one should ever live their lives in fear and intimidation regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. While we work to show everyone the gravity of hate crimes and the importance of preventing their reoccurrence, we also work towards building a world where everyone enjoys human rights and the ability to live with dignity and respect."

The 2007 Hate Violence Report released by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs indicated that there were 19 reported murders across the nation that exhibited anti-LGBTQ motives. In the state of Colorado, CAVP documented 118 incidents of bias-motivated violence in 2007.

The Colorado Anti-Violence Program has been dedicated to eliminating violence within and against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities in Colorado, and providing the highest quality services to survivors since 1986. CAVP provides direct services including crisis intervention, information, and referrals for LGBTQ victims of violence 24 hours a day. CAVP also provides technical assistance, training, and education for community organizations, law enforcement, and mainstream service providers on violence issues affecting the LGBTQ community. The most common types of violence they respond to are hate crimes and partner abuse, as well as cases that involve random violence, sexual assault, and HIV-motivated violence. LGBTQ victims or witnesses of violence are encouraged to call our 24 hour free and confidential hotline at 303-852-5094 or 1-888-557-4441 or visit their website at COAVP.org.

Sordid Lives: The Series premieres tonight

Del Shore's Sordid Lives: The Series finally comes to the small screen. Starring Olivia Newton-John, Rue McClanahan, Leslie Jordan, and Caroline Rhea, this new series tells the story of a Bible-thumping, beer-swilling bar trash Texas town whose residents must learn to love the family they have instead of the one they want. Don't miss the series premieres tonight at 10/9c.

Head to LOGOonline now for exclusive behind the scenes interviews, music videos, bonus clips and more.

An informal MileHighGayGuy poll says that 'Sordid Lives' is far and away the most favoritist gay movie of all time and the clips I've seen of the tv show look even better.

Plus, I love me some Caroline Rhea.

HRC liveblogs 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' hearing today at

Today at noon, Eric Alva, the first American soldier wounded in Iraq, will testify before Congress to speak out against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which forces people in the military to be dishonest about their personal lives or face losing their jobs. HRC Back Story will be liveblogging the hearing the hearing at HRC Backsgtory.





You can also watch the live webcast at CPSAN3.

For HRC’s special page on the need to repeal “ Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” click here.

With so many GLBT Americans serving courageously in Iraq and Afghanistan, momentum is rapidly building against this unfair, unsound policy. The law is exacting huge costs to the nation's best interests, even as it has dwindling public support:

• Nearly 800 specialists with critical skills have been fired from the military under DADT, including several linguists who speak Arabic.

• U.S. taxpayers have paid $250 million to investigate and root out patriotic servicemen and women under DADT and as much as $1.2 billion in lost recruiting and training costs.

• More than two-thirds of civilians support allowing gays to serve openly in the military. And despite the fear-mongering about unit morale, nearly 3 in 4 troops say they are personally comfortable serving side-by-side with gays and lesbians.

GayGadget.com

Got Gadgets? Got an addiction to gadgets that you can’t seem to shake? Well so does tech-junkie and self-professed gay guy, Serge Gojkovich, the mastermind behind gaygadget.com, the new website set to officially launch Aug. 1st.

It is a well-established fact that gay men have traditionally been trendsetters and early adapters of technology and now there is a site that not only celebrates such savvy behavior but also encourages it.

With an eye towards keeping the gay male consumer up-to-date on the latest developments from the world of technology, gaygadget.com offers regular reviews about a variety of the hottest and most innovative new high tech products coming to the market. Gaygadget.com will also be providing “gadget” content for LGBT media across the US and Canada, servicing a market niche that has largely gone untapped before now.

From the latest gadgets for your car and/or business to the most cutting edge advancements for your mobile phone or home, gaygadget.com will be the first word on the best of the digital world and beyond with a gay point of view. And just how could gadgets get a gay point of view? Simply by combining specialist and customer reviews with familiar gay lifestyle, humor and our own community’s insider tips on new products.

Additionally, businesses interested in reaching gay men will now have a unique tool to help promote upcoming product releases. Perhaps best of all, visitors to the website will have opportunities to register to win giveaways for some of those items on a regular basis.

The world of gadgets just got a few Gigs gayer and that is a very good thing.

Joan Rivers to entertain at 25th Folsom Street Fair

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Joan Rivers as our entertainment for the upcoming 25th Folsom Street Fair formal gala,” says Andy Copper, Folsom Street Events Board President. “We are both ecstatic and just a little frightened to witness Joan Rivers in the same room with 350 members of the leather community,” adds Copper.

The formal gala will help kick off San Francisco Leather Week (September 20th – September 28th, 2008). The week itself will offer an expanded range of social, artistic, historic, and cultural options for the community. “The gala is the first of its kind for us. We’ve never produced a formal event so we are anticipating a superb turnout,” declares Demetri Moshoyannis, Executive Director. Formal attire is required to attend the event, including formal dress leather and high-fashion kink wear. Tickets may be purchased exclusively online at the Folsom Street Events Shop.

The formal gala will take place in the luxurious Regency Center’s Sutter Room. Included in the ticket price is a specially designed menu from Small Potatoes, an open bar, and, of course, a very special and intimate performance with Joan Rivers. A display of selected pieces from the GLBT Historical Society’s exhibit of “25 Years of Folsom Street Fair” will be on hand at the gala, too. The event is likely to sell out as the space can only accommodate 350 people.

The added festivities will lead up to the historic 25th Folsom Street Fair, offering 250+ exciting and sexy exhibitors and vendors, hot food and cold drinks, and tons of artistic and cultural entertainment. The event hosts two live stages with 16 live alternative acts, a huge dance area with internationally renowned DJs, a dedicated area for women (“Venus’ Playground”) and a newly inaugurated artists’ area. This year, the Fair hopes to attract a famous and fun, top-name performer or two that will excite everyone in attendance. Previous performers have included Imperial Teen, Ladytron DJ Tour, Bob Mould, and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult among others.