Sexual Justice and Arizona's Immigration Policy

Wednesday, April 21th, 2010

Sexual Justice and Arizona's Immigration Policy

I just wanted to take a minute to point out this great post from sexologist and minister Debra W. Haffner, Arizona Immigration Policy: Why It Matters To A Sexual Justice Advocate. At its core, my strong faith commitment to the dignity and worth of all persons means that I do not think any person is "illegal" or unworthy of equal treatment. But, these issues also intersect in more practical ways. What's going to happen to Hispanic women in labor in Arizona when they go to a hospital? What about when they visit a public health clinic for birth control? What happens to gay and lesbian Hispanic immigrants who live with U.S. citizens in families but because there is no marriage equality are denied immigration status that their straight married friends have? There are many such questions where these issues intersect. Make sure to check out the whole thing.

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Take Back The Night Back Lash News

I'm reprinting an email (with permission, of course) that I received from Rutgers student Jess Trusiani about something that happened last night at the school's Take Back the Night march. I felt that it was important to post, especially in light of ladychrist's Community post about the police harassment at DePaul University's march. This shit is why we need Take Back the Night. I'm a rape survivor and this was my second Take Back The Night. Last year's Take Back The Night at Rutgers meant the world to me. I was in denial about my three sexual assaults for a long time. Being able to get up there and tell my story really showed me how far I had come. It was pretty upsetting to have these jackasses act this way this year. But we didn't let it ruin our night. I'm really not sure what their intentions were but it definitely proved to me even more just how important Take Back The Night is. Here's what happened: I'm not entirely sure how many guys it was. I think it was about four. They were at the rally at Cooper Green and appeared supportive. They had bandannas covering their faces which I had assumed was a form of protest. I thought maybe it symbolized being forced to remain silent about abuse. No one really questioned it. The rally finished at Cooper Green and we marched down George Street saying the usual Take Back The Night chants. When we reached the Starbucks on George Street and chanted, "No more silence, no more violence," I almost got hit with a trash bag. My friend and I looked over on the side of the street and the guys with the bandannas were laughing and tossing trash bags at the marchers.

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Why We Love & Cheat

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Little Monsters Unite! Lady Gay Gay Shirt Wins the Day!

VIA Blog of Rights If you're like my colleague Mandy, and you follow Lady Gaga's Twitter feed, you might've seen this tweet on April 7: Been in the studio for days and hours of record after record, and when I hear that a little monster was discriminated against* BY TEACHERS It turns out that Lady Gaga herself was speaking out against the censoring of a gay high school freshman in Tennessee, who was sent home on April 5 for wearing a T-shirt that said "I [love] Lady Gay Gay." The student, Cole Goforth, and his mother Julie Gordon contacted the ACLU of Tennessee and Lambda Legal after he was sent home. School officials told him that wearing a pro-gay T-shirt was "disruptive" and that he "had brought [harassment] on himself by coming out." The school, in negotiations with the ACLU of Tennessee and Lambda Legal, hasagreed to stop censoring him from wearing this T-shirt. The school will also provide training on its anti-bullying policy to staff and students to ensure that it is clear that harassment of any student, regardless of sexual orientation, is not acceptable.

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Student Sent home for 'Lady Gay Gay' Shirt

VIA ADVOCATE.COM by Julie Bolcer Greenbrier High School in White House, Tenn. sent a student home Monday on the grounds that his “I (Heart) Lady Gay Gay” T-shirt caused a “disruption,” prompting allegations of a free-speech violation. The shirt refers to gay icon Lady Gaga. According to NBC affiliateWSMV-TV in Nashville, “Cole Goforth's mother said the school is violating her son's freedom of speech and expression rights because kids who wear religious shirts and rebel flag shirts aren't sent home. The school said a shirt he wore is a disruption.” Julie Gordon said she believes her 15-year-old son is being singled out. “I think they are singling him out, I really do, and they've made statements that if he wore this in California, he'd fit in just fine,” she told WSMV-TV. While shirts with the word “gay” on them are not specifically banned, the Robertson County School Board leaves it to principals to interpret the dress code. Administrators said they feared an escalation in the tense atmosphere sparked by a recent fight. The school invited Julie Gordon to appeal the dress code.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Its Abuse

Throughout my life, I've been around and in abusive relationships. Regardless of which partner is doing the abusing, relationship abuse is often silenced and rarely addressed amongst all age groups. It is sometimes a misunderstood concept as well. Sometimes referred to as intimate partner or domestic violence, it is known as the assaultive and coercive behaviors used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over one other partner in an intimate relationship (Itsabuse.com). Relationship abuse isn't limited to violence either. When one partner in the relationship is humiliated, ridiculed, harassed, or subjected to controlling behavior its abuse, and it is wrong. ItsAbuse is campaign that provides peer support to break the silence about abuse on college campuses. The website states the campaign goals:

Raise awareness among students of the warning signs of physical, verbal, and emotional relationship abuse; it's all about control;

Educate students about maintaining healthy relationships now, and throughout their adult lives; it’s all about respect;

Generate awareness of campus and community resources for victims (and perpetrators) of relationship abuse.

The Its Abuse campaign has expanded to Ohio State, Captial University, DeVry University, Columbus State, and Ohio Dominican. Setting up weekly group meetings to help college students in abusive relationships. Ohio Dominican University begins their weekly Relationship Abuse Groups on February 11th and it will continue every Thursday from 1:00PM to 2:30PM. Please visit ItsAbuse.com to learn more, or set up a chapter at your university.

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Thursday, January 7, 2010

Post my Bra Color on Facebook? No Thanks. I will though if..

Its apparently been all the rage for women all over the facebook world to inform their friends via status update what color bra they are wearing. This trend has derived from intent to raise Breast Cancer Awareness. I understand the purpose for good cause, but I am having a hard time accepting that this hasn't become more of a promotion for sexual promiscuity than it is a call for actual awareness. Instead of protesting or ignoring this huge trend, I've decided to take it a step further and refuse to expose the color of my bra until we take a little action. I, the official Galliegirl of galliegirl.com will appear, photograph, and edit a 12 month calendar if and only if a sum of at least $5,000 is raised. The calendar will appear in PDF form and may be available for print upon request depending on the success of this project.  $5,000 may seem like a lot, but if all of my facebook friends simply donate a mere $2.00 we will be more than halfway there. Lets get to it! Updating a facebook status is effortless. Lets actually make a difference. Donate any amount big or small. All donations will go to The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Click below to help! Accepting all major credit cards. *Checks, cash, money orders are accepted--inquire at megan@galliegirl.com for snail mail details

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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

First HIV+ Man Set to Legally Visit U.S.

By Kerry Eleveld

Clemons Ruland may become the first known HIV-positive person to legally visit the United States after he filed papers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Monday, the day the HIV travel and immigration ban was officially lifted after 22 years of barring HIV-positive people from entering the U.S.

Ruland (pictured right), a Dutchman who will travel with his HIV-negative partner, Hugo Bausch, from the Netherlands, is scheduled to land Thursday at New York’s JFK International Airport. According to the Netherlands-based NGO AIDS Fonds, which is sponsoring Ruland’s travel to the U.S. after he won an essay contest, Ruland and Bausch simply plan to spend a week touring New York, shopping, and visiting friends. Paul Zantkuijl of AIDS Fonds said his organization has been working alongside others to change the policy for years and wanted to celebrate their success by sending an HIV-positive person to the states. “We all had to be patient, but finally this discriminatory and stigmatizing ruling has ended!” he said. President Barack Obama announced in late October that the Department of Health and Human Services would be eliminating all travel restrictions tied to a person's HIV status starting in 2010. The ban, first implemented in 1987 and codified into law by Congress in 1993, prevented non-U.S. citizens who were HIV-positive from traveling or immigrating to the United States without an official waiver. President George W. Bush signed the policy reversal into law in the summer of 2008, but his administration was unable to finalize the change before his term ended.

Ruland, now 45, was diagnosed with HIV in 1997 after being infected by an ex-lover in New York. He has been on an antiretroviral regimen since and the virus remains undetectable. [Below] is the poem Ruland wrote as part of his entry in the contest to win a trip to the U.S.

Positive No more lies No more pretending No more hiding In the crevices of exclusion Honesty to the land where once lay my destiny in one viral load Free I am Free to travel To hug, share, love And once more be united Alive and proud I turn to you, America America, here I come Come as I am HIV+

Original Post Here

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Monday, December 14, 2009

Isabel Allende tells tales of passion | Video on TED.com

This is absolutely beautiful.

Isabel Allende tells tales of passion | Video on TED.com

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Theresa Flores at Ohio Dominican University

Tonight Theresa Flores a trafficking victim will speak at Ohio Dominican from 7-9 pm in the Griffin Student Center Room 260. Theresa will talk about her experience being sexually trafficked as a teen in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Human trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal industry in the world next to drug use and distribution. Since Ohio's geography, extensive highway system, minority populations, and poverty make Ohio a prime state for recruiting victims, we need to educate one another on this issue and work toward preventing and breaking this repulsive and horrific trend in America. More information here.

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

New accessories by Melody Ehsani

The lookbook for is out for Melody Ehsani's new fall accessory collection. "Final Frontier" Dopeness. See it here.

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