LA LGBT GREENS/OUT AGAINST WAR NEWSLETTER, SEPTEMBER 2014

[shane que hee]

LOS ANGELES LGBT GREENS/OUT AGAINST WAR, 923 Levering Avenue Unit 102, Los Angeles CA 90024. Editor:Shane Que Hee. Phone: (310)208-1624; lgbtg...@hotmail.com; oa...@hotmail.com 

Other: www.cagreens.org/lacounty; www.gp.org; www.losanglesgreens.org; www.campusgreens.org; www.cagreens.org; www.greens.org; www.lavendergreens.org;

lavende...@green.gpus.org; lavender-...@green.gpus.org
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LA LGBT  GREENS/OUT AGAINST WAR  NEWSLETTER  SEPTEMBER 2014  Volume 14  #9

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Note: Scene is the Cleveland equivalent to LA Weekly

SAME SEX MARRIAGE:
   Utah and Virginia will appeal their same sex marriage cases to the US Supreme Court  but Florida wants to defer to the Supreme Court’s decision (LAT Aug 6 A7;Aug 7 A7;Sep 2 A10; Gay People’s Chronicle Aug 8 p7(2);Scene Aug 6 p13)  The Supreme Court put same sex marriages in Virginia on hold on Aug 20 (LAT Aug 21 A9).  Florida also rejected its ban on same sex marriage on Aug 21 (LAT Aug 22 AA2). Arguments by Indiana and Wisconsin to keep bans on same sex marriage were met with skepticism and their bans were nullified on Sep 4 (LAT Aug 27 A9;Sep 5 AA2).  The Louisiana same- sex marriage ban was upheld on Sep 3 (LAT Sep 4 A14). Decisions on the matter for Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Hawaii, Nevada, and Idaho are in process.  Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have same sex marriage.
    The defrocking of the United Methodist Church pastor Rev Frank Schaeffer, 52,  for marrying his son in a then banned 2007 same-sex ceremony and his subsequent redemption by having that decision reversed in June 2014, was capped by moving from Lebanon, Pa, to his new church in Isla Vista near Santa Barbara at the University Church (LAT Sep 4 A12). An appeal against his reinstatement is to be heard in October.
 Other:  Out Sep p24; FILA Aug 21 p15;Sep 4 p12;
 
 
LGBT  NEWS
INTERNATIONAL  
.  The Gay Games occurred in Cleveland, Ohio  Aug 9-Aug 16­the editor attended to play tennis (Gay People’s Chronicle Aug 8 p1,2,6,8; Scene Aug 6  p18,21,29,33,35).  Former US Olympic diver Greg Louganis was the major Gay sports celebrity present, and Lance Bass sang.  Some 6,000 athletes registered (FILA Aug 21 p14,16(photo)).
  Diver Tom Daley, amour of writer Dustin Lance Black, took gold at the 10-meter platform event at the Commonwealth Games on Aug 2 (Gay People’s Chronicle Aug 8 p7;Scene Aug 6  p18,21,29,33,35). Openly Gay Australian diver, Matthew Mitcham, also took gold with Domonic Bedgood in the pairs competition.
   Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel , 41, is a conservative but an openly Gay one who may be married soon to his Gauthier Destenay now that his country OKed same sex marriage in June (LAT Aug 20 A1). The deputy prime-minister Etienne Schneider, 43, is also openly Gay.
 
 NATIONAL
   The Fall Intelligence Report contained reports on LGBT discrimination on p 6,7(3),8,10,11, 48(3).
   Jose Antonio Vargas was interviewed about his impending trial after he “came out” about being undocumented (LAT Aug 6 A13).
   Banning Gay male blood donors is still a cause for contention (LAT Aug 18 A1).
   Immigration of  LGBTs and their treatment in jails were discussed in Gay People’s Chronicle Aug 8 p5.
   Drag Queens were interviewed in Out Sep p90.
   The actors of Love Is Strange, Alfred Molina and John Lithgow, about a Gay couple to plan to marry after 39 years of being together, were interviewed in LAT Aug 20 D1 and discussed in FILA Aug 21 p53.
   To Be Takei, a documentary on George Takei, 77, Sulu of Star Trek fame, was warmly reviewed in  LA Weekly  Aug 22 p3 and  Time Sep 1 p50.  The 3 major themes covered were his feelings relative to the 4-year time he and his family spent in a US concentration camp in California during World War II and the subsequent period on skid row; the long process that culminated in his 2005 coming–out statement; Star Trek; and his 2008 marriage to his current beloved Brad Altman (William Shatner did not appear in spite of being invited). He has popular Facebook and Twitter sites. His continuing feud with Shatner was noted in FILA Aug 21 p13.
  Laverne Cox of Orange is the New Black, the 1^st openly transsexual actress to be nominated for an Emmy, did not win an award at The Emmys on Aug 25 (but was quoted at LAT Aug 26 D5)  and neither did her show (LAT Aug 26 A1,D1(2), D2,D3,D4,D5(2); FILA Aug 21 p56;Sep 4  p14). However Larry Kramer’s great AIDS-era play The Normal Heart won for Best TV Movie (HBO) and best makeup for its producer-director Ryan Murphy (LAT Aug 26 D5 (photo); FILA Sep 4 p14),  though Kramer was edged in the writing award. Other LGBT wins were Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory, Uzo Adubo for best guest actress in a comedy series, and Modern Family.
  Gay classical and other genre organist Cameron Carpenter was profiled in LAT Aug 27 D3.
   Transgender candidate Paula Sophia, 48, a Dem, lost by just 22 votes in Oklahoma’s 88^th legislative district primary runoff on Aug 26 (LAT Aug 30 A10). Kay Floyd who is retiring from the seat, was the 1^st openly Lesbian lawmaker in Oklahoma when she was elected in 2012.  Her predecessor, Al McAffrey, was the state’s 1^st openly Gay representative when elected in 2006.
    The 1^st openly-Gay NFL draft pick, Michael Sam, a defensive linesman, was cut by the St Louis Rams on Aug 30 and was invited into the Dallas Cowboys practice team on Sep 3 (LAT Aug 31 C12;Sep 4 C3; FILA Sep 4 p12).   
   The on-line gay male comedy series Where The Bears Are was depicted in LAT Sep 3 D1.
   The radio program El Show de Piolin of Piolin (Eddie Sotelo), 43, was canceled by satellite radio giant Sirius XM after one year from his dismissal for allegedly molesting a male employee at Univision Radio on his program Piolin por la Manana.
   Actress-comedienne Lily Tomlin,75, was named as a recipient of one of the 5 Kennedy Center Awards for 2014 (LAT Sep 5 D4).

CALIFORNIA
   Executive Director Rick Zbur’s vision for Equality California was provided in FILA Aug 21 p18 now that same sex marriage has prevailed in California, with its $3 million budget, and 800,000 contact names. He was coy, but identified fighting anti-LGBT legislation and immigration issues of same sex partners and foster parents.
  The political acumen and efforts of former Assembly Speaker John Perez were eulogized in LAT Aug 31 A21.
   The case of accused deliberate HIV infector Thomas Guerra of San Diego was classified as a misdemeanor rather than a felony (FILA Sep 4 p11).

LOS ANGELES
    The alternative night scene received coverage (LA Weekly Aug 8 p64; Aug 15 p66;Aug 22 p52;Sep 5 p62).
      LGBT foster youths appear to face more problems in foster care in LA County than straight youths (LAT Aug 27 AA1; FILA Sep 4 p16).
   An HIV carrier is being tried for misleading his male sex partners (LAT Sep 1 AA3).

LGBT PASSINGS
Robert Pershing died  in Aug  in Los Angeles. He was a gourmet chef and proprietor of Good Eats Catering, a business he operated for decades with his predeceased life partner, Chris Christiansen. He served in the US Army 1958-60.

Christophe Buerger, 37, manager at Rhino Entertainment and formerly publicist at Miramax Films, died of brain cancer on Aug 13 in Hollywood, Los Angeles. He was an avid tennis player and won a D-level Consolation Final at the annual Palm Springs GLTA tournament of 2012. He obtained a degree in journalism at the U Minnesota.

Clinton Bounds, 62, was killed on Aug 22 by a car on a WeHo crosswalk near Santa Monica Blvd and Hancock. He retired from the LA County Registar’s office in 2008. His death sparked  public demonstrations about crosswalk safety in WeHo.

Carl Strickland, 40, was killed on Aug 22 in a boating accident on Lake Tahoe, leaving his partner of 17 years, Bruce Lindstrom, the other co-founder of the Point Foundation.  He completed his degree in International Business from the University of San Francisco in 1999. During college he also managed and operated the start-up of two surgical practices in San Francisco before becoming Director of Information Systems for the international legal consulting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa (formerly Major, Hagen & Africa). In 2000, he moved to Lake Tahoe with his partner where he founded a real estate investment and development company, the Tahoe Zephyr Group, LLC. In 2001, Bruce and Carl founded Point Foundation, the national LGBTQ scholarship fund. He served on the Board of Directors of several private companies

Other: Doonesbury (LAT Aug 22 D17).
 
 
GREEN PARTY NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
   The state of remedial actions at Fukushima was reviewed in Time Sep 1 pp32-39.
   Proponents of free market actions in Venezuela have been replaced or moved to other positions in the government (LAT Sep 4 A3).

NATIONAL
   The deficit of $506 billion for 2014 produced much spin (LAT Aug 28 A10).
   ObamaCare began shedding its uninsured applicants (LAT Aug 6 A9;Aug 25 A11;Sep 3 B1;Sep 4 A7;Sep 5 AA2).
   Marijuana laws caused confusion (LAT Aug 6 A1(cartoon);Aug 7 AA3;Aug 31 A19;Sep 1 A1).
   Immigration reform is still stalled (Time Sep 1 p10;  LAT Aug 9 AA3;Aug 22 AA3;Aug 23 A6;Aug 24 A23,A24;Aug 28 AA1;Aug 30 A8;Aug 31 A8; Sep 2 A10;Sep 3 AA2;Sep 4 B6;Sep 5 A1;Sep 6 A1,AA5).
   The Aug 11 shooting of unarmed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo caused a national furore as enforcement changed from local to state control (Time Aug 25 p15;Sep 1 p5,22-30,60 ;Sep 8 p18;  LAT Aug 18 A6(2);Aug 19 A2,A6,A10,A11(2);Aug 20 A6(2);Aug 21 A7(2),A8;,AA2;Aug 22 A3;A10,A12,A17,AA2,Aug 23 A9,AA2;Aug 24 A9,A10;Aug 25 A6(2);Aug 26 A5;Aug 27 A11,A13,D1;Aug 28 A8,AA2;Aug 29 A10;Sep 2 AA2;Sep 4 A11,AA2;Sep 5 A6;   LA Weekly Aug 29 p52 (Henry Rollins column); Daily Bruin Aug 25 p1; FILA Aug 21 p13; Jewish J  Aug 29 p12).
   Botched executions continued (LAT Aug 29 A10;Sep 5 A8).
   Agitation for raising the minimum wage has assumed national proportions with nationwide protests and meetings (LAT Sep 5 B1).

CALIFORNIA
   Drought and water were on many minds (LAT Aug 6 A12;Aug 9 AA1;Aug 18 A2;)Aug 19 A1;Aug 20 A11,AA1;.Aug 21 A1;Aug 22 A1;Aug 28 AA3;Aug 29 A17,AA6;Aug 30 AA1;Sep 2 AA3;Sep 3 A7).
   The fracking wars continued (LAT Aug 18 A1;Aug 29 AA1;Sep 3 A7).
   The California Highway Patrol July 1 treatment of Marlene Pinnock continued to cause news (LAT Aug 21 AA1).
   The death penalty in California was criticized (LAT Aug 24 A23).
   The bullet train route by a tunnel under the Los Angeles National Forest has been proposed (LAT Aug 24 A27).
   The state has been urged to close down its last functioning nuclear reactor at Diablo Canyon (LAT Aug 26 AA3).
    Illegal immigrants comprise about 10% of the workers in the state (LAT Sep 4 AA1).
    The San Onofre nuclear plant shutdown $4.7 billion deal may be changed in favor of consumers (LAT Sep 6 AA1). The current deal has consumers paying 70% of the costs. SoCal Edison is to respond by Sep 19.

LOS ANGELES
  Whether civilian oversight of the Sheriff’s Department is necessary was debated as the previous management was criticized (LAT Aug 6 AA1;Aug 7 A14;Aug 8 A1;Auh 30 A1)
   More corruption was unearthed and also punished (LAT Aug 6 AA2;Aug 26 AA6)
  The homeless were the butt of jokes as hospitals continued to use skid row as a dumping ground (LAT Aug 6 A1,Aug 20 A10;Aug 22 AA1;Aug 24 A27;Aug 25 AA3;Aug 28 AA3;Aug 31 A21).
  LAPD Chief Beck’s quest for another term was evaluated (LAT Aug 9 A2;  ). There was a protest at LA City Hall on Aug 21 to stop LAPD spying and to oppose LAPD use of drones (LAT Aug 22 AA6(photo);Aug 26 AA1;Sep 3 A15).
. Thousands on Aug 17 outside the downtown police station protested the shooting death of unarmed Ezell Ford, 25, in Florence and many attended his Aug 30 funeral (LAT Aug 18 AA1;Aug 20 AA1;Aug 28 A1;Aug 29 AA1;Aug 31 A25).
   There were still cases of police shooting unarmed citizens or ignoring a prisoner’s fatal condition (LAT Aug 21 A1;Aug 23 A1).
   Very few came forward for free blood lead tests around the Exide Plant (LAT Aug 21 AA1).
   Transit continued to be a bone of contention (Daily Bruin Aug 25 p4; FILA Aug 21 p32,41).
   The Irwindale sriracha factory appeared to have survived in spite of residents’ complaints about smells and tearing eyes (LAT Aug 23 AA1).
   Violent hate crimes in Orange County rose in 2013 (LAT Aug 23 AA3).  Some 7 such  incidents based on sexuality occurred.
    Mexico Pres Enrique Pena Nieto visited Los Angeles on Aug 25 had some protesting privatization of Mexico’s oil and gas resources (LAT Aug 26 AA3;Aug 27 AA1,AA3,B1).
    Mayor Garcetti continued to be in the news, especially relative to hiking the minimum wage in stages (LAT Sep 2 A1,A11;Sep 3 B1;Sep 6 AA3;  Daily Bruin Sep 2 p4;  Jewish J  Aug 29 p24 ).
 
 

OUT AGAINST WAR
    Regular rallies continued at the Westwood Federal over Gaza and Israel, most with both sides being present (Jewish J  Aug 29 p23). Bill Kaiser attended several with his Velcro banners.
 
WAR NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
  Violence continued in Iraq as US planes made their 1^st bombings since the US troop departure  and as longtime prime minister Nouri al-Maliki resigned under pressure to be succeeded by Haider al-Abadi as 2 US journalists were beheaded for US bombings and the US vowed to respond (Time Aug 25 p5,25,26;Sep 1 p8;Sep 8 p16;  LAT Aug 6 A5;Aug 8 A1,AA1,Aug 9 A1(2),A6;Aug 18 A1;Aug 19 A1;Aug 20 A1,A3;Aug 21 A1,A18;Aug 22 A1, A3,A4,A16;Aug 23 A4;Aug 24 A7;Aug 25 A3(2);Aug 26 A3,A4,A13 (cartoon),AA2;Aug 27 A1;Aug 28 A4;Aug 30 A3;Aug 31 A4;Sep 1 A3,A4,AA2;Sep 2 A1;Sep 3 A1;Sep 4 A3(2),A18,B5;Sep 6 A1,A4; Jewish J  Aug 29 p8,19).
  A US Major General Harold J Greene, 55, who had recently arrived in Afghanistan, was assassinated on Aug 5 by an Afghan soldier at the Afghan equivalent of West Point, Marchal Fagim National Defense University (LAT Aug 6 A1,A5;Aug 7 A3;Aug 19 A1;Aug 21 AA2). Kerry had to visit to referee continuing counting squabbles in the Presidential election (LAT Aug 8 A3;Aug 9 A4;Aug 29 A2;Aug 31 A4;Sep 5 A4,AA1).
   Pakistan continued to experience violence (LAT Aug 20 AA2;Aug 22 A6;Sep 1 A4;Sep 2 A3; Sep 3 AA2).
   The power struggles in Syria are getting to complicated to follow (LAT Aug 7 A1;Aug 19 A4;   Aug 20 A10;Aug 21 A4;Ayg 22 A6;Aug 23 A1;Aug 25 A1,A4;Aug 26 A3;Aug 27 AA2;Aug 28 A3,A4; Aug 29 A3;Aug 31 A7;Sep  4 A2(photo);  Jewish J  Aug 29 p6).
   Violence continued in Egypt (LAT Sep 3 A5;Sep 5 A5).
    Islamist militants seized the international airport in Tripoli Libya on Aug 24 after months of fighting, the abandoned US embassy on Aug 31 and Tripoli on Sep 1, there now being 2 competing parliaments one in Tobruk and the other in Misurata (Time Sep 8 p12;  LAT Aug 25 A3;Aug 26 AA2;Aug 27 A3;Sep 1 A3;Sep 2 A4;Sep 5 A5).
   Militants in Somalia were targeted by the Pentagon (LAT Sep 3 A3).
   Some 88 Al Qaeda suspects were arrested in Saudi Arabia (LAT Sep 3 AA2) and a new branch of Al Qaeda opened in India (LAT Sep 5 A3).
   The use of Iran’s nuclear capabilities were still being discussed as it shot down an Israeli drone on Aug 24, as negotiations resumed on Sep 4  (LAT Aug 18 AA2;Aug 25 A4;Aug 30 A7;Sep 5 A4).
   Israel and Hamas continued their deadly dueling after the 72 hr truce until another ceasefire began on Aug 26 (Time Aug 25 p10;Sep 1 p9;Sep 8 p13;  LAT Aug 6 A1;Aug 7 A3;Aug 8 A3;Aug 9 A3(2);Aug 18 A3;Aug 19 A3; Aug 20 A3;Aug 21 A3;Aug 22 A3,A17; Aug 23 A3;Aug 24 A3,A24;Aug 26 A3;Aug 27 A1,A12;Aug 28 A3;Sep 1 AA2;Sep 2 A2; Daily Bruin Aug 25 p2; Jewish J  Aug 29 p14,15,16).
  The sanctions on Russia as a result of the Ukraine War are beginning to bite and caused economic retaliation by Russia as a ceasefire was implemented on Sep 5 (Time Aug 25 p5,8;Sep 1 p5;Spe 8 p13;  LAT Aug 6 A3;Aug 7 A1,AA2;Aug 8 A4 (2);Aug 9 AA2;Aug 18 A4;Aug 19 A3;Aug 20 A4,A11;Aug 21 A3;Aug 22 A6;Aug 23 A3;Aug 24 A3(2);Aug 25 A4; Aug 26 A3;Aug 27 A3;Aug 28 A3;Aug 29 A1,A4; Aug 30 A1;Aug 31 A7;Sep 1 A3;Sep 2 A3;Sep 3 A3,A14,A15;Sep 4 A1,A4,A5;Sep 5 A3;Sep 6 A3(2)).

NATIONAL/STATE/LOCAL
  LAT Aug 6 A12 called for public release of the CIA torture report that was produced by the Senate Intelligence Committee 1.5 years ago.( LAT Aug 6 A1,AA2).
  Russia has allowed Edward Snowden to stay 3 more years (LAT Aug 8 A4).
  Reining in the NSA  was discussed (LAT Aug 18 A13).
  The Boston Marathon terrorism case continued (LAT Aug 22 A11;Aug 28 AA2).
  The 5- Guantanamo Bay prisoner swap for Bob Bergdahl was illegal according to the General Accounting Office (LAT Aug 22 AA3).
   Individual rights versus security was explored in LAT Sep 1 A13.
 
 
OCCUPY
NATIONAL
Bank of America had agreed to a $16.65 billion settlement related to the mortgage meltdown of 2007-09,  a record US settlement (LAT Aug 22 A1).
CALIFORNIA
The University of California released the identification numbers of its police officers who pepper-sprayed students at the 2011 UC Davis Protest staged to support the Occupy movement (LAT Aug 23 AA3).


LAVENDER GREENS MISSION STATEMENT(June 24 2003): 
The National Lavender Green Caucus (NLGC) is the Green Party's advocacy group on gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (GLBTIQ) issues. NLGC works for the elimination of heterosexism and all its manifestations such as homophobia, violence, prejudice, and injustice against GLBTIQ communities. NLGC also works for the elimination of racism and sexism and all their manifestations in GLBTIQ communities and in society as a whole, and our work is centered in ten key values and four pillars of the Green Party of the United States. The caucus recognizes that freedom and social justice for GLBTIQ individuals will only come with the liberation of all people, and we actively view ourselves as a part of a broader movement for social justice.


EVENTS:
ANTIWAR VIGILS: Fridays 5-7p at Vista Theater at Sunset Bl./Hollywood Bl./Hillhurst Av./Virgil Av. junction; Echo Park, intersection of Glendale/Alvarado, S of the #2 freeway entrance; 5-6p at Pico/La Cienega; 6.30-7.30p at Mar Vista Park at Palms/McLaughlin.
ARLINGTON WEST MEMORIAL AT SANTA MONICA PIER BEACH: Sundays until Troops Come Home, 7:30-9:30a to 6:00-7:00 p at Santa Monica Pier (North Side)
OCCUPY LOS ANGELES GENERAL ASSEMBLIES, Mon, Wed, Fri 7:30-10:30p; Sat 4p-7p, Pershing Square. www.occupylosangeles.org
OCCUPY VENICE GENERAL ASSEMBLIES, https://www.facebook.com/OccupyVeniceCA
HELP CHELSEA MANNING: Sign the Chelsea Manning Presidential pardon at http://pardon.privatemanning.org
Write a letter for clemency for Chelsea Manning.  Directions and information are at http://www.privatemanning.org/featured/write-a-letter-supporting-pvt-mannings-request-for-clemency .   The letters must be printed, signed, then scanned (so that they have the signature) in pdf format, and e mailed to nat...@privatemanning.org . 
 
We also recommend general support of Trayvon Martin and anti-Syria and anti-Iraq War related actions.