Press Release: Norman Man Claims Gay Bashing by Tulsa Police

Press Release
For Immediate Release

Contact: Keith Kimmel
Ph: 405.795.3800
E-mail: keithontap@gmail.com

(Norman, OK) Keith Kimmel, the man who filed a lawsuit earlier this year against the State of Oklahoma’s Tax Commission to secure a personalize license plate, says he was the victim of a gay bashing at the hands of the Tulsa, Oklahoma Police Department this weekend and has filed a complaint.

On Monday March 29, 2009, he filed a complaint by US Mail with the Internal Affairs Department of the Tulsa Police Department, claiming that he had been dragged across a parking lot, punched in the testicles and verbally assaulted by officers of The Tulsa Police Department after being involved in a fight at a Tulsa gay bar. The complaint included pictures of injuries Kimmel sustained in the incident. The complaint was filed by mail after Kimmel was unable to reach the Internal Affairs Department all day by telephone to find out how it could be faxed or e-mailed. “I would like to get this information into the hands of the Internal Affairs Officers as early as possible, but I have tried calling all day and have been directed to voicemail. I tried calling various other offices within the department, but they continually redirect me back to the Internal Affairs number that no one answers”, Kimmel said.

Kimmel says he isn’t sure if the incident comes as retaliation for his earlier suit against the state. “I do not know if someone in the Tulsa Police Department has taken it upon themselves to dole out justice in their own way because of the suit, but what I do know is there has been alot of media coverage about the case in Tulsa, and I think its something that should at least be looked into. Regardless of why it happened, it was completely unacceptable and unprofessional. I am currently seeking the advice of an attorney on the matter and will pursue the internal complaint procedure of the Tulsa Police Department to the fullest extent possible in the meantime.”

In the complaint, Kimmel asks the Tulsa Police Department to utilize the recently passed federal hate crimes legislation to ask the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help investigate the incident, despite the fact that Oklahoma State Senator Steve Russell has recently introduced legislation designed to allow Oklahoma to “opt out” of the new law. “Senator Russell may belive that the protections of the new federal hate crimes law are not needed here in Oklahoma, but I think I have just learned how sorely they are needed in a very personal way. This is not an issue where TPD should be allowed to investigate itself, an unbiased party should be brought into to examine the incident throughly and through an unbiased lens.”

A copy of Kimmel’s complaint may be downloaded in Adobe PDF format (6.17 MB) by going to: http://files.me.com/keithkimmel/l4g041.

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Mommy, My Head Hurts!

I have not been blogging (or doing much of anything else) as I have been suffering from a bout of toothaches and headaches lately. I think I may have an impacted tooth, which means a visit to Dr. Drill n Fill is in my future soon. Those are always fun. Not.

I just finished up an interview on Sirius/XM for The Jay Thomas Show, which was kind of a crazy, but fun show. We talked about the plate case and they had callers suggest plates I could get and we also kinda had a “Ask the Gay Guy” segment. They had a caller come and ask me if I had ever gotten poo on my wong, which was kinda disgusting. Thats why you always check your boys before you do them, folks. Always, always inspect that ass. Hey, this advice goes for you straight boys, too. Always look before you insert your roll of quarters in the vending machine.

Its St. Pattys Day, so tonight I’ll be going to End Up in Tulsa to hand out with my boy (hes dancing tonight, gotta support the home team) and I bought a new green shirt just for the occasion. The fun starts at 8 PM, hope you to see some of you there. I know Chris and Gary will be there.

So in other news, The Oklahoma Supreme Court has admonished the legislature yet again for seeking to enact and enforce unconstitutional legislation. You’d think they would have gotten the hint after the first dozen times. I also finally got tired of answering e-mails from folks asking about the plate case, so I posted an update to the site for the plate case. I wasted about twenty minutes of my life and read the drivel on The Advocate about the train wreck that is Johnny Weir. I think he is really is a brat. A cute one, though.

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Free Speech at Risk in SCOTUS Westboro Baptist Church Case

I really wish I didn’t have to make this post, but unfortunately, I do. Unlike many folks I encounter, I have a code of ethics and morals and I believe in true equality. Many folks seem to have this hypocritical habit of supporting things like free speech and equality only when it suits them or their interests, or only when the topic in question is not too controversial or only so long as certain people they place upon pedestals don’t object. This is not the mark of a patriot, a freedom fighter, an independent or someone worthy of support. Its the mark of a coward, a hypocrite, an imbecile and folks who ought not to have the right to inhabit our country.

I don’t hate very many people or organizations, but The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is one fundamentalist Christian organization I do reserve a special spot in the deep, dark bottom of my cold, dead heart for. WBC is better described as a cult and its a disgusting little organization run by a deranged lunatic who appointed himself to be a preacher named Fred Phelps. The flock is comprised mostly of members of his family. I truly hate this organization, its membership, its leaders and what it stands for.

Being a gay homosexual myself, I am one of the groups of people they have targeted. So far, I have had a couple of run-ins with this organization, the most recent of which was when they came to Moore, Oklahoma and decided to picket Moore High School. Moore has alot of gay youth, as one friend of mine so politically incorrectly observed, “Moore is where all the bottoms come from.”. There is a video about the protest that I got involved in on my YouTube channel.

Now word comes that The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is going to hear an appeal regarding a lawsuit filed against him Phelps for WBC’s activities. One fine day in 2006, Phelps decided to picket the funeral of a dead US solider in Maine with their usual vile message of hate. The family sued WBC and Phelps and was awarded the family over $11 million in damages for emotional distress. The judge reduced the award to $5 million, then a federal appeals court threw out the award all together. The family now appeals to SCOTUS to reinstate the damages.

This is an important case because we are about set a key precedent. That family deserves the money, that I will tell you. But unfortunately, if they are awarded those funds, it will come at great expense to all of us. Because the case will not just decide if they get the money, it will decide if free speech extends to funerals. While most decent people know that a funeral is no place to make a political statement, this is not about decency – of which Phelps has none – this is about freedom of speech. As we should all be aware, the right to speech in this country includes the right to speak at times when it is not socially acceptable (at a funeral) and also the right to say unintelligent, disagreeable, stupid things (as WBC does early and often). As we should also be equally aware, rights are have often been lost by taking a well-meaning step towards silencing a highly offensive message in the name of cleaning up the public forum.

Fred Phelps is an old man, soon he will be in the ground dead and no longer voicing his hatred for all. WBC has not been very successful in recruiting new members, either. When his family dies off, so to will his church and its vile message of hate. While the message Phelps and WBC have for the world is annoying and undoubtedly painful for those who have to hear it, it is not worth gutting the first Amendment over to rid ourselves of it! If we start saying that objectionable or offensive speech is not allowed at funerals, we have just set a dangerous precedent that you can bet will be promptly extended to other areas – like churches and other religious gatherings. Will it be illegal for homosexuals to protest WBC while they are in session if SCOTUS decides in favor of the family? Thats a real possibility if SCOTUS finds in favor of this family.

Many people are going to argue that funerals are off-limits and that no one has the right to come into a funeral and make a statement. In other words, SCOTUS should find in this family’s favor because the ends (stopping people from being assholes through speech at funerals) justify the means (making it illegal to be an asshole through speech at places where such conduct is prohibited by law). In one way, they are correct. Funerals are closed events and there should be a legal right to exclude undesirables. Funerals, when held on private property as they usually are, are off-limits to anyone who does not have permission of the real property owner to come onto that private property. All that is needed is for the property owner to tell the Phelps that they are not welcome and ask them to leave. If they don’t, a phone call to the police will result in an arrest for trespassing.

But if they stand beyond the property line on public property or on the property of someone who allows them to be there, then that’s fair play. Legally, there is no sound argument to be made for silencing WBC so long as they stand beyond the property line. That wont keep them from sending their message, and the best thing to do would to be to use a very large piece of property, so that the property line is far enough away that the Phelps are out of sight and out of mind. If this case is about protecting the privacy and sanctuary of funerals, this will be an adequate fix to the problem. But I suspect alot of people want to see this family win to silence the Phelps and thats not an action that should be undertaken.

I must say that in this case, I support the right of WBC to speak because it’s a right granted to all citizens of this country – even at funerals and even when the message being spoken is morally repugnant and devoid of value. I hope that SCOTUS, with its conservative makeup, makes this connection. True conservatives tend to understand these types of arguments and will see them under the Castle doctrine, so there is hope that common sense will prevail.

We must resist the temptation to take feel-good actions in extreme cases that have far-reaching consequences. Part of not being a hypocritical coward is having the courage to defend people you truely hate when their ability to remain equal is threatened. In this case, the equality of WBC and Phelps is being threatened in a manner that threatens our collective right to free speech. This I cannot and will not be a part of supporting.

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Elections Held Today: My Thoughts on Oklahoma City and Norman Results

I promise you what I am about to say is true: I don’t take the unpopular side of every issues just to be a douche.

I know that making a statement like that is an odd way to begin a blog post, but we are going to be talking about local politics and specifically Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal, so in light of these circumstances, I felt it might be appropriate. Plus, I am preparing to go on a tirade here of epic proportions and I wont be mincing words, so use of the word “douche” in the first sentence was the most thoughtful way I could think of to fire off the opening salvo.

I should also warn you that this is the scene in my hotel room right now. Well, more specifically: this is the scene as it applies to this post. Yep, thats 190 Proof (95% pure alcohol). Its a generic version of Everclear. In other words, I’m quickly on my way to becoming drunk. Don’t ask me why I am calling a hotel my residence until I find a new place that meets my very particular requirements in Norman. Lets just say the lease on my last place ended on February 28th and I elected not to renew and got lazy about finding a new place.

Anyway, first up is the election results in Norman. Mayor Cindy Rosenthal was re-elected, carrying 53.65% (6,798) of the vote and two spending measures passed as well. 64.72% (8,170) of the voters decided to spend $19 million on roads and infrastructure projects, while 62.07% (7,814)of the voters decided to spend $2.5 million on expanding the warning siren system. I voted against both spending measures and against Mayor Cindy.

I voted against the spending measure because the roads within the city limits of Norman are fine. There is nothing wrong with them. Oklahoma City roads are far worse. I voted against expanding the warning siren system to cover the entire city way out into the boonies of Lake Thunderbird because (and this is another reason I voted against the infrastructure bond, too) while it is something that should be looked at in the future, we are in a recession and money is tight for alot of people. City government should be tightening its belt with the rest of us, not continuing the frivolous spending spree that has gone unchecked in Norman for quite a while. The area that will be served is sparsely populated and because most tornadoes stay on the ground for less than a mile, the risk of a tornado hitting and doing serious damage to many homes (as opposed to one or two or a few homes) is very small. Those who are concerned should buy emergency weather radios (which receive the same signal that the sirens receive to activate and sound an alert locally), not force the cost of government-funded sirens on a struggling population.

I voted against re-electing Cindy Rosenthal because she is a liar. She campaigned on a platform of reducing government waste and making Norman city government efficient. Throughout her time in office, she has consistently reaffirmed this mission and used as her central theme at times. Being fiscally conservative, you might wonder why I have a problem with someone who takes this platform. The reason I opposed her is because she did not follow through. That is, she said one thing while doing another. Last year, she worked to get a $50 million spending measure passed to build a new city library. While I am in favor of education, I believe in delivering education in an educated manner and what Cindy did was just stupid. Less than three miles from The University of Oklahoma, which has one of the state’s largest and best libraries by any measure (size or depth of collections, number of items, computers, resources, hours of operation, staff, etc) she wants to spend $50 million bucks to build a new library to serve the exact same population. This is a massive waste of money. In a flyer supporting the most recent two spending measures, mailed at taxpayer expense (of course) city officials forced their agenda down our throats on these two issues. The fact that these things are even allowed to happen on her watch prove that she is incompetent as a mayor.

Now, we go to the Oklahoma City mayor’s race, where homophobe and parasite Mick Cornett was – according to The Daily Oklahoman – “comfortably re-elected, with 58.3% (14,073) of the vote favoring another term. This really pissed me off because this guy is a complete louse and I cannot understand for the life of me why every queer in the city limits is not out marching in the streets right now. Well, actually I do know why the queers are not doing anything about him, but thats another topic for another day.

For those who think our pal Mick is still an all right guy, lets look at what makes him who he is, shall we?  First off, there is the disturbing little incident which no one seemed to notice except Gossip Boy (its worth noting that this news outlet is really run by a nutcase, but on occasion, even nutcases say things that are relevant and spot on, this was one of those incidents) whereby Cornett tried to pack the library board with anti-gay religious nuts. Perhaps it was an isolated incident, but a look at his connections suggests that this was no mere coincidence.

Mick is tied to organizations that are unfriendly to homosexuals. Mick is not just the mayor, he is also the Executive Vice President of Ackerman McQueen (AM), a powerhouse of an ad agency. AM manages publicity for OPUBCO, which publishes The Oklahoman, also known as America’s worst daily newspaper according to The Columbia Journalism Review. AM also manages public relations for The Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. What a shock that The Oklahoman, The OKC Chamber of Commerce and Mick all just happened to come out in favor of MAPS 3. AM clients have helped further Mick’s agenda in the past before, for instance Taco Bell (which is owned by Yum Brands – whose public relations are, you guessed it, managed by AM) came out in support of Mick’s This City is Going on a Diet campaign to encourage weight loss. The diet campaign is not a bad thing for the most part, but this level of corporate involvement in politics is rarely a good thing.

MAPS3, well, now thats another matter entirely. Most people are well aware of the fact that I don’t believe in corporate welfare or the abuse of imminent domain. As such, I was mostly opposed to MAPS3, which Mick managed to pass by a narrow margin. I say “mostly opposed” because there was a small nugget of useful, responsible spending on public transportation. However, if I were an Oklahoma City voter, I would have voted against the proposal because spending a few million in a responsible manner in a spending bill that has a pricetag of $777 million and contains reprehensible amounts of pork and corporate welfare is complete and utter bullshit. Just because a  bill has one redeeming aspect does not mean it should be passed, and alot of people voted for this bill solely because of the inclusion of public transit which folks have been clamoring for over the course of many years.

Before Mick became mayor, he used to own a company called Mick Cornett Video Productions, which provided production services to the commercial and legal sectors. He has worked in the media as a reporter, anchorman and manager. He has worked in nearly every aspect of media and he knows how to spin an issue and manipulate people like a master. This is evidenced by the passage of MAPS3, which had lots of opposition, but not enough to stop it. All of these facts come down to this: Mayor Mick Cornett is as slick and as dangerous as they come. His political career needs to be terminated before he makes a run for the governor’s office and wins, bringing his special, seductive brand of homophobia and fiscal irresponsibility to the rest of the state from it’s highest office.

So is there a point to all of this, or am I just trashing Cornett? Yes, there is a point – and I am going to make now and do so directly to my fellow queers. With another four years of Cornett, as sure as the sun will rise in the morning, there will be another MAPS proposal. This time, we should be smart and make sure that we get something out of the deal. By we, I mean us queers. More than anything else, Oklahoma City needs a comprehensive queer community center that serves the needs of the queer community exclusively. That should include not only a center that provides comprehensive programing and services like Tulsa’s Oklahomans for Equality but it should also provide shelter services for homeless and struggling queer youth. You might be surprised to know how many queer youth in this city are homeless or abandoned by their family. Further, the center should provide educational services and job training.

We should must work together and send a message to Cornett that reads as follows:

Dear Mr. Cornett,

You have been re-elected. We’d rather you were not, but you are. We’re going to make the best of it, but we have a condition.

If you want to tax us further for one of your fancy little urban renewal projects, i.e. MAPS4, then you’re going to stop taking our money and spending all of it on amusements for straight rich people in Bricktown. You’re going to spend some of that money helping us, providing basic services that we need to enjoy a quality of life.

We’re tired of you taking our queer money and not providing us basic services. It amounts to taxation without representation. We’re not taking it anymore. Either play ball, or we will shoot down your next project.

Sincerely,

The Oklahoma City Queer Community

Will we rise to the occasion and come together for something that this city desperately needs? Or will we continue to be more interested in doing nothing particularly useful and playing the victim? Time will tell. Cornett’s re-election is bad for us, but we can and should turn it into something useful. Cornett is one of those people that could careless that queer youth live on our streets. As long as he gets his MAPS proposals passed, he is happy damn us all to hell. The only thing he will understand or heed is a direct promise to torpedo his proposals (and by extension, his political career) and then he will play ball.

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Plate Case Gonna Get Real Intresting Soon

So this past Friday, I appeared on The American Heathen Radio Network’s talk show. We had a great time talking about the issues, and we also made an announcement. There is going to be a second lawsuit regarding vanity plates in Oklahoma in the near future. The host of the show, RJ Evans has previously been granted a tag reading “ATHEIST” by the OTC. However, the OTC has in the past denied the tag “GODLESS”. Evans is going to apply for the GODLESS tag later this week and when it is denied, bring suit against the OTC for the improper denial.

This is particularly disturbing (while at the same time being quite amusing) because it shows the highly subjective manner in which the OTC grants and denies tags. Simply put: the manner in which the OTC adjudicates applications is both arbitrary and capricious. Atheist means godless. The idea that the word atheist is not offensive but godless is offensive is pure poppycock. Whats more, it shows that the OTC is not even consistent in denying one side of a single issue the right to speak. While they have (as far as I know) kept all the gays from getting plates that could express their gayness, they clearly haven’t done the same for the atheists. No doubt, they’ll claim that this was another one of those plates that “slipped through”, but its been issued for over three years. As the Administrative Law Judge pointed out in the administrative hearings phase of the protest, each year a plate is renewed was an opportunity to deny such renewal and correct any plates that had “slipped through” and the OTC, in all of the examples that were considered at the hearing, elected not to do so.

So now we have the two biggest hot button issues in on this fight. We have religion and we have homosexuality. As RJ has astutely pointed out, this a separation of church and state issue as much as its a free speech and gay rights issue. We have a government agency which has claimed for itself the right to exclude certain people from the conversation that is taking place on about 56,000 vanity plates in the state based on criteria that is neither written nor specific. Who gets and plate and doesn’t get a plate is up to the personal prejudices of the individual encoder examining the application. When you let some people on one side of an issue talk and deny that right to others, its viewpoint-based discrimination. In Cimarron Alliance v. City of Oklahoma City, Ok, 290 F.Supp.2d 1252 (W.D. Okl., 2002), the federal Courts took a definitive stand against viewpoint-based discrimination.

While this started out being about me getting a license plate I wanted to express myself, it has quickly become about so much more. Its no longer just about me or my plate and its not even about gay rights. While all of these are components and motivating factors, This is about free speech and separation of church and state. Two of the most fundamental rights we as citizens of the United States hold to be of paramount importance. If the Oklahoma Tax Commission gets away with its conduct in this case, this signals a huge change in our rights. It will be the dawn of a new era in which the 1st amendment is void where prohibited, restricted or taxed by law or administrative rule. This case will set precedent and change the direction of free speech in this country.

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Tim Pope is Dead: Plant Him Deep

I have been crazy busy these last few days to my regret, have not really had time to keep up with local news.  Whats up with Jim Pope? Well, our Republican friends did a great job of summarizing his accomplishments. Tim Pope was an enemy of the people. He worked to undermine equality. As a human being who gives a shit about this kind of stuff, I am glad he is dead. I hope they dig the hole post haste and plant him deep so that he can begin making the world a better place post-death (something he failed to do while he was alive) by fertilizing a cemetery plot.

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I’m Gay Plate Lawsuit Becomes National Story

Well, I expected that the local Oklahoma City-based media would pay attention to the lawsuit I filed against The Oklahoma Tax Commission. I figured some outlets from around Oklahoma would also pay attention. I even thought that I might get a few “Attaboy!”s from a few concerned homos across state lines. But I did not expect CNN to call me about Nancy Grace possibly being interested in the case nor did I expect celebrity gossip blog Dlisted to turn the case into a referendum on my fashion choices by naming me “Hot Slut of the Day”. But all of those things have happened today, and many others.

Something else has happened as well. I have received dozens of communications from folks telling me what kinds of plates they have seen around or had issued to them. Its become a discussion about license plates and the phenomenon. I am convinced now – more than at any other point in this whole fiasco – that the OTC has lost this case. They may as well tape all applications up on the wall and throw darts at them to decide who gets a plate and who doesn’t. Its all based on, well, who knows what its based on. I don’t even think they know.

Here are two observations from those communications:

• A fellow Norman resident called to tell me they granted his tag “ATHEIST”. Odd, since they have denied “GODLESS” and others. So not only do they engage in viewpoint-based discrimination, they are not even consistent in their discrimination within a single topic.
• From a comment on the News 9 Story: “I don’t see anything wrong with the tag. There is a guy in Norman that has a tag that reads NOFTCHX. Which means NO FAT CHICKS, he can have that but an outwardly gay man can’t have an IM GAY tag. Get real people whatever happened to freedom of speech???”

Oh, and last – but certainly not least – there is this:

Media coverage in the case has apparently reached a nationwide level already, as I have some lonely, single (presumably, gay) guy who thinks I am cute and wants to get to know me in a really hurry. He is 22 years old, works at Sams Club and is from some town I have never heard of in New York. He found my cell number somewhere (probably the damned press release) and started texting me telling me he wanted to be friends on Facebook. I approved the friend request he sent and he immediately started chatting me up.

I was on the phone with a reporter when all this happened, so I had to ask him to stop messaging me on my Facebook chat like a dozen times so I could concentrate on my call and not sound like a stuttering idiot to the reporter on the other end who was trying to get me to come on his radio show (which I will be appearing on this Friday from 7 to 10 PM, I am sitting on the entire show). He would stop for about a minute and then start back in and ask me if I am still there and such. He was half groveling and half worshiping me, while asking what I thought of him looks wise.

It was a bit over the top and I finally snapped and swore at him out of frustration (and immediately felt bad for doing it, how was he supposed to know I am not a patient person) and told him I was looking for the block button on Facebook. He asked why and I told him, point blank: he was annoying the hell out of me. He then freaked out and begged for forgiveness and for me not to block him. It was at this point that I realized a measure of humility was needed here.

Honestly, I felt sorry for the guy. Clearly, he was happy to have found a friend. He doesn’t have many on Facebook and I wonder if I am the only gay guy he knows or who will talk to him. The world is a cruel place for a homosexual when you are all alone. Even when you are around folks who understand and support you, its not much less cruel. Some of the things being said about me in the comments sections of various news sites are completely uncalled for. There are areas of New York that are every bit as conservative as Oklahoma, so I can understand and appreciate some of what he is facing. Hell, I was there not so long ago.

I don’t know his situation, but I’ll try to find out and help if I can. He’s offline now and the reporter is off the phone. I just hope he doesn’t kill himself or something. He did strike me as perhaps a little unbalanced and/or desperate for human contact and he said something about him having ADHD. The way society treats gay people, its a wonder that they manage to survive at all, much less some of them become truly awesome. Bigot Sally Kern once made light of how gay kids have high suicide rates. I wonder if it ever occurred to her that maybe thats the case because society – led by people like her – so often treat these people like utter trash to the point that they as human beings just shut down and lose all desire and reason for living.

Overall, I feel very good about where this case is headed. The media is covering this story fairly and accurately, which surprises me a little bit. I figured we’d have some outlet come out with a hatchet job of a story, spun around to fit some biased viewpoint. But they don’t seem to be doing that. The Oklahoman ran a factual story, followed closely by The Associated Press’s take on it. I take that in and of itself as a sign of progress. We’re going to open some doors in Oklahoma with this one. Now, some folks are not going to want them opened, but they will be opened none the less.

I say all this is all a good thing. We’re moving forward. Attitudes are changing here.

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Press Release: Oklahoma Taxpayer Sues Tax Commission to Return Free Speech to Vanity Plates

On February 10, 2010, I – through my attorney Brittany M. Novotny – filed a civil lawsuit against The Oklahoma Tax Commission in The Oklahoma County District Court. The case seeks to have certain sections The Oklahoma Administrative Code (specifically, sections of O.A.C 710:60-3-150) dealing with the content and issuance of personalized license plates declared unconstitutional. You can follow the case on it’s Facebook page.

The press release issued upon filing was as follows:

For Immediate Release
Contact: Keith Kimmel, 405.886.5095, http://tinyurl.com/otcplatecase

Oklahoma City, OK – An Oklahoma taxpayer has filed a civil lawsuit in Oklahoma County District Court against the Oklahoma Tax Commission, continuing a battle for freedom of speech on vanity license plates. The suit seeks to have part of the Commission’s rules regarding the issuance of personalized license plates declared unconstitutional.

Keith Kimmel, who filed the suit through his attorney, provided the following statement: “The Oklahoma Tax Commission is continuing to subject Oklahomans to a subjective decision making process in issuing personalized vanity license plates. Under our state Constitution, all Oklahomans enjoy the right to freedom of speech and an equal opportunity to express their viewpoints. Previous testimony in the administrative proceedings held on this matter have shown that the Commission is selectively granting and denying applications based on Commission employees’ own personal prejudices and viewpoints. The Constitution requires that state rules are viewpoint neutral, with an objective standard that puts the taxpayer on notice of what is legal and what is not. This suit is intended to put an end to the Tax Commission’s unconstitutional practice of subjecting taxpayers to the whim of individual employees.”

The case is Keith Kimmel v. State of Oklahoma, ex rel, Oklahoma Tax Commission, Oklahoma County Case No. CJ-2010-1072.

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ENDA – NOT DADT – Should Be Priority #1

If one was looking for things to be unhappy with the advocacy establishment for, we can look to the recent Dont Ask, Dont Tell show for plenty of ammunition. The manner in which the gay advocacy organizations are attacking this issue is ineffective and wrong from a moral standpoint, an intellectual standpoint as well as a logistical one. No one seems to be calling for any major changes, however. This shouldn’t be entirely surprising, considering that the same the Gay, Inc. coalition of mega advocacy outlets gets it wrong early and often.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) affects millions of people in states like this one, where it can be impossible for a queer person to get and hold a job due to the bias against them. ENDA would make firing a queer illegal and make it illegal to refuse to hire them, too. Just like you can’t refuse to hire and can’t fire people because of their sex or race.

We’re going after Dont Ask, Dont Tell (DADT) first because its patriotic and no one wants to appear remotely non-supportive of our veterans and no other reason. That’s poor advocacy. The mission should always be to help the most people simultaneously, when its not possible to deliver service to everyone at the same time. Just like in a hospital emergency room. A guy with a heart attack gets seen before the lady with the tooth ache.  The ER is better run than the Gay, Inc. advocacy groups. At least in an ER, the triage staff ensures that the ER treats people in the order of severity of their medical needs instead of who is screaming the loudest, who is most sympathetic or whoever has the most family members advocating for them. Draw the similarities between this example and the DADT lobby.

The DADT lobby is the loudest, it has lots of friends and its very sympathetic. Its also less worthy of our attention and resources when compared to ENDA. Protecting our veterans is important – no one is arguing this point. But under the manner we are currently operating, we are guilty of using the same tactics we decried of the Bush administration: using fake, phony patriotism to push an agenda. It’s the same agenda that got Bush’s Patriot Act onto the books. It’s dangerous and its pursuit is ignorant. Moreover, its at the expense of millions of Americans for the benefit of an incredibly small group of people.

For starters, there are honestly not that many queers in the military. Sure, there are plenty, I am sure. Supposedly 10% of the population is gay, so that means that 10% of the military should be gay. Based on current numbers, there are about 2.6 million people in the military (including all services and the reserves) we are talking about 260,000 people at the most. Of course, you can slice and dice the numbers any way you want. Anyone who has been through a college level statistics course or a political campaign knows you can create a number to support any argument, no matter how ludicrous. No one has numbers on how many gays there are in the military right now because they aren’t allowed to declare their status, thats the whole point, remember? So all of these numbers on how many people are effected are just best guesses, not hard facts despite the fact that you’d never know as much by the way they are relied upon and cited.

Now, let us keep in mind that being in the military is a want, not a need. People may want to serve their country, but they wont die if they don’t. They will, however, die if they are unable to provide for themselves in the way of food and shelter. This is not just my opinion and common sense, I have scientific research to back this up. American Psychologist Abraham Maslow came up with “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” to explain a human’s needs and what order they come in and he expressed this in a pyramid. At the base are things most important, towards the top are things that are still important, but cannot exist without a foundation and therefore we consider them more important because other things depend on them. We find things like food, water, shelter, employment on the  bottom two levels of the pyramid. While membership in the military is not specifically mention, a reasonable argument can be made that it would fall under “Love/Belonging” and “Esteem/Achievement” categories. Therefore, being in the military is less important than being able to obtain gainful employment and the things that come from it. This is high school stuff, kids — not rocket science.”

It is true that queers kicked out the military under DADT face a variety of challenges, including the inability to find work. You’d think this would cause folks to see the ability of queers to be employed to be a more significant issue. It impacts more people and one problem goes a ways towards solving the others. If we took care of the ENDA issue, at least queers kicked out of the military could return to the states and obtain gainful employment. But our current approach has us pursuing protections for a special interest group with limited success. Meanwhile, there is some queer somewhere sleeping under a bridge because no one will hire them.

To build a strong queer community, we need to strengthen our foundations. We need to focus on the basics before we take that larger leap forward. Under our current approach, we are trying to put queers on the moon when none of them can even pass the NASA entrance exams. Something is wrong with this, obviously.

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Fuck the FDA and its “No Fag Blood Products” Policy

One thing that is really ripe for activists to target is the FDA’s ban on blood products from men who have had sex with other men since 1977. For those unaware, when you donate blood or blood products, you are asked a series of screening questions. One  of them is if you have had sex with another male since 1977. If you answer yes, your information will be added to a nationwide registry of people banned from ever giving blood or blood products. The supposed reason for this is because us fags are supposedly at increased risk for HIV infection.

I’m so sick of hearing about this, I’m considering taking legal action to bring about an end to the practice. I think from a legal standpoint, a case could be pursued against the FDA using a variety of tactics. I wont discuss my strategy ideas just yet, as my attorneys and I still reviewing them. But this is part of a greater cause. The FDA is one of the only government agencies that is actively discriminating against gays openly, proudly and without apology. They are doing this by libeling homosexuals as group and saying that we are more likely to carry a disease than another group of people when there is no truth at all in the statement. Of course, this is having the effect of reinforcing homophobic public opinion.

Those who know me and read this might find this funny, since most are aware that I am currently engaged in a subversive campaign of donating anyway by lying about my sexual orientation at the screening booth each time I go in. Well, I am considering telling the truth one of these times when I go through the screening booth and letting them go ahead and ban me. Then the fun will begin – and y’all thought my gay license plate lawsuit was the only ace I had up my sleeve? Oh please. I’m just getting started.

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This Week in Faith-Based Fear Mongering

First up, we have American Family Association radio show host Bryan Fischer asking us to send all homosexuals to prison. He explained his position to a viewer who complained about his rhetoric as follows, in pertinent part:

It might be worth noting that what I actually suggested is that we impose the same sanctions on those who engage in homosexual behavior as we do on those who engage in intravenous drug abuse, since both pose the same kind of risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. I’d be curious to know what you think should be done with IV drug abusers, because whatever it is, I think the same response should be made to those who engage in homosexual behavior.

If you believe that what drug abusers need is to go into an effective detox program, then we should likewise put active homosexuals through an effective reparative therapy program.

Now isn’t that lovely? I have a better idea. Lets put straight people who have HIV in reparative programs to make them gay. They are just as much of a risk to spreading the disease as the homos and it makes just as much sense. If the lunacy these people come up with wasn’t so damned damaging, it might be funny.

In other news, CBS confirmed that it will be rejecting the Mancrunch Superbowl ad, which was designed to counter the recent Focus on the Family ad featuring Tim Tebow.  The network said it was willing to work with its client on alternative placements. Some have assumed this means ones with fewer displays of homosexuality, while others say that allowing the Christian ad and denying the queer one is hypocritical. Well, duh. Also, this is not the first gay-themed ad CBS has kicked to the curb, they rejected an ad by GoDaddy.com featuring a retired footballer who launches a panty line. Funny how we have heard more about the ads this year than the game itself. I guess the real battle will be fought during the intermission.

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Letter Received from Union School Board, Response Filed

This is the third update to a developing story I’ve been following for a while now. See the first two parts here and here. The following letter was received from Ed Payton, a member of the Union School District’s Board who voted in favor of keeping “Buster’s Sugartime” on shelves at the school’s libraries, a move which is now making national news. The e-mail was sent from the celebrityattractions.com domain, which appears to be a Payton family business in Tulsa that includes a theater.

Here is the message I received this morning:

This email is being sent to everyone who communicated their opinion to me regarding the recent Union Board of Education decision about the book, ‘Buster’s Sugartime’.

This process reminded me how fortunate we are at Union to have Administrators who clearly demonstrated their commitment to our students and their respect for Union parents.

I was one of three board members who voted to retain the book in our library. I did so because, after careful consideration, I did not believe it was a book advocating any illegal behavior, or particular lifestyle. Rather, it was a book that provided an opportunity for new readers to improve their reading skills, while expanding their understanding of the world around them.

I would like to correct a perception expressed by a few of you who made remarks in your email about the parents who request the book’s removal (‘homophobic’, ‘narrow-minded’, ‘censors’, etc). From my direct experience with these parents during the hearing, those criticisms do not apply. The parents were reasonable individuals, who presented their concerns in a respectful and thoughtful manner. Their concerns did not appear to emanate from a religious or political agenda, but rather from practical parenting. They felt it inappropriate for a kindergartener [sic] to be able to check out a book which contains references to a same sex couple living in a civil union when such a union is illegal in Oklahoma. While I disagree with that position, I can still appreciate their concernn [sic]. Nothing in their presentation indicated that these individuals are homophobic, book banners or book burners. In fact, they stated that this book would be totally appropriate in any state where civil unions or gay marriages were recognized.

If we are ever to move beyond the rancor and raised voices that too often accompany discussions related to this and other ‘hot-button’ issues, we must all learn the respect, civility and good manners that were exhibited by the Union Administrators and the Parents in this situation.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I am more convinced than ever that the Board made the correct decision, and am equally convinced that the kindergartner [sic] in this matter is fortunate to have parents as engaged as these two.

Ed. L. Payton

The following is a response that I filed with Ed by e-mail:

Hi Ed,

First off, thanks for voting to keep the book in the Union school
libraries. I’m glad that you did the right thing. Second, thank you for writing and providing those of us who could not attend the Board Meeting with insight into the thoughts behind your votes.

I agree with you wholeheartedly where you stated that we are fortunate that the Board has folks on it now who listened to students, teachers and others who commented on the item in question. A few years ago, there is a good chance we might not be where we are today and the school district might find itself on the business end of an expensive lawsuit. I’m glad to see that we have made such progress, it gives me hope for a state that some consider hopeless.

However, I’d like to point out that while the parents may indeed have presented their concerns in a professional and respectful manner, the concern they presented was indicative of a homophobic point of view. They were asking you and your fellow board members to remove from view a display of homosexuality that they found offensive for no reason other than the fact that it was homosexual in nature. That, by definition, is homophobia.

There are two types of homophobes: those who are uneducated and scream at the top of their lungs about how the sodomites must be removed from society, that they are going to hell, ad nauseum. The second group is quite educated and presents their homophobia in a much less obnoxious manner. Its the kinder, gentler homophobia and its much more dangerous because those people are smart enough to pass their homophobia off as
a legitimate concern. It looks to me like the parents in this
situation fall squarely into the second group.

The legality or lack thereof of same-sex unions in Oklahoma is
irrelevant to the matter at hand. This is an attempt to tie
homosexuality to an illegal act in an effort to distract from the
issue at hand while demonizing homosexuals. Our Supreme Court has already spoken on this issue and they were quite clear. Homosexuality is not illegal and the people who practice it (regardless of whether folks believe its a choice or the way they are) are not second class citizens. They are entitled to the same rights and the same exposure in the media as everyone else, including the books found in public school libraries.

Not all viewpoints are equal and some are just plain wrong. How can one tell the difference? Simply substitute “same sex” and “homosexual” (and other similar terms) with “mixed race couple” and “African American”. If this same parent came to your Board and asked for this book to be removed because it depicted an African American and a Cacasion being together, would the parents have even been given the time of day by the District? I highly doubt that they would have.

This is how to look at something and find out whats really behind the concern. People often say one thing while doing and meaning another. Its human nature to be manipulative and use false fronts to achieve our goals in life. So were the parents in this case really worried just about protecting kids from indecent material, or making sure that their kids never learn that homosexuality exists and has a legitimate place in our society?

If you have further questions about my comments here, or the ones I filed initially, please feel free to call me anytime at 405.886.5095. As one of the thousands of homosexuals who call Oklahoma my home, I’m always happy to reach out to our elected and appointed leadership to increase understanding of and on issues that are important to me.

It is interesting to note that because of the manner in which the e-mail was sent, I was able to ascertain the e-mail address of each recipient of the letter.  There were a mere 31 people that Ed sent his letter to. So, if he sent it to everyone who e-mailed a comment and since its unlikely there was time for replies to be sent in by mail or delivered personally to the Board, it looks like only those who e-mailed were heard from by the board. The Board did not accept in-person comments at its meeting.

A mere 31 letters were enough for this district to get the message loud and clear. That further assumes that all of the letters were in favor of our position, which its unlikely that they all were. So in this case, the time 31 people took to write a letter to their elected officials, forever changed Oklahoma for the better. I’m proud to know at least two of those people personally, as I recognize their e-mail addresses amongst the recipients.

I’m very proud of our community right now, thanks for everyone who took the time to write in. It very clearly did make a difference!

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E-mails Compel Union School District to Do the Right Thing

The blizzard of e-mails to the Union School District produced results this evening, as the district voted to keep copies of “Buster’s Sugartime,” by Marc Brown on shelves. Special thanks to the fine folks at Oklahomans for Equality for getting the word out about this.

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Union Public School District of Tulsa County Moves to Ban Same-Sex Parent Depicting Book

Just got the following urgent message from Oklahomans for Equality, I’m passing it on here as a public service. Lets go, go, go – we only have a couple of hours to get e-mails in!

Oklahomans for Equality is monitoring a possible book banning issue developing in the Union Public School District of Tulsa County.

The book is “Buster’s Sugartime” by author Marc Brown which was on an episode of the “Postcards from Buster” series on PBS.

The school board will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Union Public Schools Education Service Center located at 8506 E. 61st St. The board will decide whether to remove the book or possibly limit access to it. This will not be a public forum where people can speak. No public comments will be allowed.

The Board of Education is addressing the situation after a parent brought their concerns to the district’s Materials Review Committee. The committee chose to keep the book on library shelves. The parent was opposed to the depiction of a child with two parents of the same gender. The parent has appealed the committee’s decision to the Union Public School Board.

Nancy McDonald president of PFLAG Tulsa says ” Our society embraces all kinds of families. Those “families” take on many different combinations such as, opposite sex, single parent, grandparents, same-sex and those families can be made up of different races, religions, cultures, ages, and sexual orientation. It is so important that young children have opportunities to see “their” families displayed in reading materials, movies, plays, print, and to know that the most important thing is that they are loved, cared for, and valued no matter what their family structure is.”

Please contact the Union Public School Board Secretary Beverly Thummel by emailing thummel.beverly@unionps.org. Your email will be shared with the Union School Board so be polite and respectful in your tone. If you are in the District 9 Independent Union School District please include that in your correspondence. Please refrain from calling the District’s office.

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SCOTUS Campaign Finance Decision: Enough Stupidity, How It Can Help Queers

Like most Americans, I was shocked when I heard that the Supreme Court decided to obliterate the regulations that kept corporations from directly spending money to influence elections. At first, this decision looked like a flaming disaster for liberty from the perspective of the average person. I was ready to call for assassinations and do all of my usual rantings, but I stopped to think about this for a little while and what it meant. This case is very far-reaching, on the magnitude of Roe v. Wade. It’s hard to imagine a recent case with implications that are more broad or far-reaching. If you’re wondering where various groups stand in all this, The Washington Post did an admirable  job of compiling the opinions of the various factions in a succinct format for all to digest in a single page. This is the last time I’ll praise the Post herein, though – as you’ll soon see.

The first reality check we need to get through to understand this issue is to realize that corporations have always influenced elections in this country. There was never a moment in time when they didn’t and I’d be wiling to stake my life on the fact that there never will be. This is not a new revelation, one would have to have been living under a rock to have missed this memo. But judging by the uneducated opinions I have been hearing on this topic, its pretty darn clear that more than just a couple of folks did – in fact – miss the memo.

Under the old law, a corporation had to form a PAC in order to run ads on an issue. The PAC allowed the corporation to basically hide its involvement in a given message. Either that, or the managers or directors of a corporation had to use their own salary to put a message out there, after taxes were taken out. The former option is time-consuming, chock full of red tape and expensive, which ensures that only the largest corporations (which are usually the most conservative) undertake the effort. The latter requires directors to sacrifice after-tax pay to do engage in activism, which for many smaller managers and directors at smaller corporations is a deal breaker. Both allow the corporation doing the influencing to hide their involvement to all but the most knowledgeable researches who know their way around FEC campaign finance databases.

Even after the decision, corporations still cannot give money directly to campaigns for specific candidates. However, they can now use their money to buy airtime and target those unfriendly to their causes and they can do it easily, without having to invest in the infrastructure and deal with the red tape of setting up a Political Action Committee (PAC). They still have to mention which corporation is behind the message, just like they had to identify the PAC sponsoring a media blitz. Under the new rules, it will be easier to see who is behind the message and associate them with the source of the money.For instance, instead of having ads by some generic-sounding industry lobby group named something like “The Plastics Council” running ads which could be coming from any number of plastics manufactures, we might now see that Dow Chemical sponsored an ad.

While its likely that the use of PACs will not fall out of favor anytime for this very reason – they allow companies with the resources to set them up to divorce their name and brands from a message which they hold but may offend certain customer segments – there is another effect of this decision that’s worth considering – and celebrating. Most small companies – and yes, a lot of them are incorporated – don’t have the time, money or resources to start a PAC to fight for interests near and dear to them or their leadership. Until now, they were locked out of the process. Completely. That’s obviously changed with this decision, so what we may see is a surge of involvement by small businesses on a level never seen.

As for how this can help us queers, we outright control lots of corporations – most of them the ones described above who until this decision have been locked out of the process. Many of us own stock in various corporations even if we don’t own controlling stakes, and that gives us a chance to make our voices heard. Most people are completely ignorant of how corporations came to exist, ignorant of how they work, ignorant of the all-important rule of the shareholder, ignorant of the value of voting with dollars and ignorant of how corporations stand with the law. Not surprisingly, they therefore misconstrue this as the handing over of Democracy to the corporations and fail to recognize that this is a new tool for us activists to add to our arsenals.

Often times, the queer community seems to take Democratic party positions, even when doing so is not in their own best interest. Barak Obama’s recent attacks on the Supreme Court over this decision are downright foolish. For someone who is supposedly one of the smartest people in the country, he sure is failing to miss several key advantages of the decision. Of course, in the typical hypocritical fashion popularized in US politics, Obama and the Democrats have chosen to bitch, moan and groan – while at the same time plotting as to how they will make use of this latest so-called “loophole” to eviscerate and destroy their opponents. Gee, what a surprise. American politics aren’t called hypocritical for no reason.

But while the Democrats are acting like idiots, this time they have friends on the conservative side, too. The Washington Post, well-known for its apologetically conservative commentary, ran a piece blasting the Court that contained this little nugget of stupidity: “It was the height of activism to usurp the judgments of Congress and state legislatures about how best to prevent corruption of the political process.” This brings me to one of my favorite pieces of caselaw of all time. I am not sure if it is still “good” caselaw (as in it has not been overturned since being written way back in 1886) or not, I don’t honestly care. The wisdom expressed in it is as irrefutable as it is easy to understand.

“An unconstitutional act is not a law; it confers no rights; it imposes no duties; it affords no protection; it creates no office; it is in legal contemplation as inoperative as though it had never been passed.” — Norton v. Shelby County, 118 U.S. 425 (1886)

The Post piece also decries the fact that the Court went further than the Plaintiffs asked them to in striking down laws – laws that Congress passed. So what? Nearly all petitions for relief include a phrase similar to “… and for all other relief as the Court may find just, proper or equitable.” as part of the standard boilerplate. Even if this particular petition did not, the Court always has the right to grant relief on its own motion. Obviously, a majority of the Court felt it was just and proper to do what it did. Its the job of SCOTUS to strike down laws that are unconstitutional, and a court that is doing its job is by definition not engaging in judicial activism, its just being judicious. Its still their job even when (and I’d argue especially when) Congress passes laws. Just because you disagree with a decision does not mean that judicial activism has occurred or that legislation is being passed from the bench. This entire concept is often lost on the folks who cling to the lower runs of the intelligence ladder in our society.

But love it or hate it, the ruling is already having an effect in Oklahoma, as the Ethics Commission met to revise its rules to comply. “We don’t really have a choice. This is the decision of the Supreme Court,” Ethics Commissioner Karen Long astutely observed. While the Supreme Court’s ruling applied only to candidates for federal office, the Constitution (and the Constitutional issues that SCOTUS dealt with and decided) applies to all elections for all offices and all speech. Therefore, its likely Oklahoma and other states that have laws abridging corporate speech are similarly unconstitutional. I do have to say its breath of fresh air to see Oklahoma officials complying with the decision rather than taking the approach Steve Russel (HD – R) did with Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (an approach which Democrats loudly decried – as did I). Of course, not everyone is happy. All of the usual Democrat groups in the state are hymning and hawing at the notion of changing the rules so soon, most likely hoping that Congress can cook up some sort of bill to effectively opt out of the new way of doing things. Its not hard to see the irony in this latest approach if you have even a small amount of intelligence.

You know who I blame for all of this symphony of stupidity? Teachers. That’s right, red apple toting, teachers union card carrying, my union rep will sue the school district if you try to make me accountable public school teachers. After all, they are the ones graduating kids these days who clearly don’t even understand the basic role of The Supreme Court in the process of running our government. Its really scary to see that one of them has gotten himself elected as our president, right after another idiot who couldn’t read or talk who pulled off the same feat. If you want to change the world, invest in education.

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Christianity is Disease (Or, Why I Don’t Like/Trust So-Called “Queer Friendly” Churches)

Its been happening in the queer community for a while now – and it disturbs me on several levels. I have watched as various Christian churches setup shop in our community, claiming to welcome and embrace all. In Oklahoma City, we now have a so-called “affirming” Church right next to our bars, on the main drag in the gayborhood. For the most part, they do embrace all as far as I can tell. But by us accepting them, we are sending a message to the younger generation that Christianity is an acceptable belief system by which to pattern your life after. By allowing these establishments into our community, we are legitimizing them and saying that a belief in them is OK.

Anyone who has spent any time reading the Bible (any version, take your pick) knows that said book is full of hatred for women and minorities of nearly every stripe. Further, Christianity is a life blueprint, its followers are expected to follow the plan laid out in the Bible in all aspects of their lives. The fact that several generations of holy men have worked tirelessly to present a gentler, kinder face for Christianity does not change the fact that its roots are in the barbaric practices of racism, sexism and hatred for those not like them. As such, Christianity is irreconcilably incompatible with values most of us in the queer community hold up: equality, freedom to personal belief, etc.

Let me be direct: Christianity, or more specifically – a belief in it, is a mental defect. If you believe in Christianity, you have a mental illness. Pure and simple. Why do I say this? Because belief in Christianity requires belief in things that you can neither see, nor prove exist. If someone talks to themselves and claims to see things that no one else sees, we call this person retarded, insane, mentally defective or whatever the current politically correct term is at the time. Why do we allow Christians a free pass on this?

The practice of Christianity has resulted in more bloodshed worldwide than every war humanity has ever fought combined. The queer community has suffered more unpleasantries at the hands of so-called men of the cloth than from all other sources combined. This is a fact that most do not dispute. Those who do dispute it are unable to provide any convincing evidence to the contrary. When someone espouses a hatred for or disapproval of homosexual/queer conduct, the justification for spewing forth that hatred or disapproval is overwhelmingly the spewer’s belief in Christianity. If you, as a fellow queer, recall all of the times you have been verbally assaulted for being who you are and then think of what justification the person who assaulted you had, 9 times out of 10 you’d find that you were dealing with some flavor of Christian religious nut.

I guess I am somewhat biased when it comes to this matter, for I do not believe in Christianity. I don’t believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, nor do I believe that there is a man in the sky who made the world in seven days. I don’t believe that I can be struck dead when said man chooses and I firmly believe that (except when I am drunk or high) I and I alone am in control of my actions, my life and my destiny. Numerous challenges to prove the existence of the Christian god have went unfulfilled. No one has ever proven beyond reproach that he even exists. This being the case, why do we allow our community to be taken yet again by Christianity? Haven’t the queers collectively suffered enough at the cruel hands of Christianity?

Friends don’t let friends become Christians. If you or someone you know is being taken in by the Christ lie, please help them see the light. And by see the light, I mean see reality. There is no god. Jesus never existed. And Christian churches exist solely to take money from the community and keep the queers in line so that they don’t become a force for good. As long as we allow Christian churches into our communities, we will always be oppressed. Only when we can rise up and call the Church on its bullshit beliefs, will we have a shot at truly being free.

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Taking a Stroll Down Memory Lane… Remembering Queer as Folk

Most people who know me know I have a special place in my heart for Showtime’s Queer as Folk. It was a show that changed lives, my life for one. When I was a wee little boy in an Indiana home, I knew I was different. I didn’t understand it all, I just knew I didn’t like the icky girls like everyone else and not just because they were icky, either. Most kids have that phase, but I never outgrew it. I never was attracted to girls. While most boys have the “Eww, girls are icky!” phase, they usually don’t have a “Mmm, that guy is hot!” phase. So I always knew I was different, but I didn’t really understand it or what it meant.

My parents didn’t have cable, they were too cheap to subscribe to it. Grandma did though. Trips to Grandma’s house were to be looked forward to for that reason. Grandma has free cable – and not because she sent her grandson to the top of the pole to tap the line. When they were cabling the Midwest, the cable company needed to put a pole in Grandma’s yard. There is no easement where she is, so they had to get her permission. She refused to give it. They finally offered her free cable for life  and she consented to it. The deal allows her to have two movie channels, too. One of the networks she choose was Showtime.

So one fine evening, while getting ready to go to sleep I was channel surfing and found Queer as Folk on Showtime. Of course, like most, I watched for the sex but stayed because it was a fun show. Of course, it was the first time that I had ever encountered gay people in any format. For all I knew, I was a freak, a victim of some government experiment gone awry that had escaped the lab. QAF helped open the door for me to eventually come out and be a proud homosexual, proud of who I am, proud of what I am and proud of what I do.

So QAF has a special place in my heart. I have listened to all sorts of opinions on the show which range from breathtaking and revolutionary to accusations that it glorifies everything wrong with gay culture. For me, it will always be appreciated for the superior acting that it was and the celebration of gay life – as the actors say – warts and all. So today I have been watching the special DVD-feature for season five that ran before the last episode. Its the actors talking about what the series meant to them and how it affected them.

Take a watch: Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV.

So today I read a few QAF shooting scripts. Yes, I have them all in PDF – for every episode – saved to a thumb drive. Since I have lots of free time today, I decided to do absolutely nothing important. I’m going to share with you some of my favorite lines of dialogue I have run across in some of the scripts.

Brian Kinney: I don’t believe in love; I believe in fucking. It’s honest, it’s efficient. You get in and out with the maximum of pleasure and minimum of bullshit. Love is something straight people tell themselves they’re in so they can get laid, and then they end up hurting each other because it was all based on lies to begin with.

Debbie: Now, you’d better get out of here before me and my fag friends beat the living shit out of you!

Ben: Michael, we can’t tell him not to use drugs if we do it ourselves!
Michael: Of course we can! That’s what being a parent is all about!

Justin: I should have told you about him.
Brian Kinney: And taken all the fun out of it? So how big’s his dick?
Justin: That has nothing to do with it.
Brian Kinney: Since when? You love cock, you love it down your throat, you love it up your ass, you love riding it, and after you cum, you love to fall asleep when it’s still inside of you.

Brian Kinney: The first time you came here, you didn’t know anything about me. I could have done anything to you.
Justin: I was pretty sure you were gonna fuck me.

Michael: Well, if it isn’t Little Mary Sunshine.
Emmett: Little Mary Sunshine died. I’m Little Mary Go Fuck Yourself.

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In My Own Words: The Sarah Palin Book Signing Visit

If I were the media, this is how I would have written the story. In fact, this is how I wrote the story for The Norman Queer Alliance’s Queer Zine. I submitted the copy today.

(Norman, Oklahoma) — On December 3rd, 2009 Sarah Palin rolled into the Hastings in Norman in her big blue bus to sign copies of her book “Going Rouge”. Complete with a DJ playing a variety of music from rock to country, the event had a rock concert type of atmosphere. With temperatures below freezing and a brisk north by northwest wind of 6 to 15 MPH, it was a an event for those committed to a viewpoint. Estimates of the crowd size vary wildly depending on who you talk to, but most peg the number of supporters present as being more than a thousand and possibly as many as two thousand.

David White, a Palin supporter from Stillwater, Okla. told NewsOK’s Damon Fontenot “…shes done so much for the party, rejuvenating the base, and its been one of the greatest things we have had since Regan”. Many of the other supporters interviewed in various media seemed to echo White’s sentiments. At one point, supporters unveiled a large tarp that had messages written on it that encouraged Palin to run for the presidency in 2012. It was signed by several people. Some supporters held signs saying “We Love Sarah Palin” with red lipstick kiss.

Sarah Palin was expected to speak at the event, and at one point there was a small platform erected for her to speak from, but upon arrival she shook a few hands and went inside without a word. NewsOK stated that the several protesters holding signs may be to blame for Palin’s decision to dispense with the speech. Most estimates as to the number of protesters put the number somewhere between several dozen and as high as seventy-five. The protest received coverage from a number of news outlets across the state including News 9, KOCO-TV, Tulsa World, The Oklahoma Daily, The Oklahoman, News OK, Gossip-Boy and an iReport on CNN. Also present were documentary film makers producing an upcoming documentary called The Reddest State about the status of politics in Oklahoma.

The Oklahoman reported “A group of about 12 protesters lined up on the west side of Hastings and held signs in the air…” in a December 4 piece entitled For Sarah Palin fans, a signing bonus”. In a memo on his Facebook account, protest organizer and Norman Queer Alliance member Keith Kimmel pointed out that there were far more than a dozen protesters shown in NewsOK’s own footage and accused the paper of “…continuing old traditions of marginalizing homosexuals.”. Kimmel stated that he and other attendees are drafting a letter to the Daily Oklahoman to call them on the inaccurate reporting.

Victor Gorin, reporter and ad sales rep for publisher StarNews, Ltd. which publishers the regional queer newspaper MetroStar News was interviewed by KOCO-TV’s Mark Opgrande. Gorin was quoted as saying “Well, the mood is pretty upbeat on both sides…” and added “…overall, I’m glad to see people being involved.” Gorin held a sign “Lesbians United Against Hate” with a picture of Palin. Catlin Frazier was interviewed by News OK and said “Well, its not nearly as cold as the inauguration, so I am happy to stand out here. And represent that even though I live in Oklahoma, and every county here went for McCain/Palin, that there is still liberals in this state, and our voices have been outshouted frequently and I’m here to represent those people.”

The protesters included everyone from a group of guys from Norman High School to college students to older folks. Signs held include “Don’t Palin My Norman”, “Gay is OK”, “Palin – Limbaugh’s Favorite Parrot”, “Shame on Sally KKKern”, “Go Home, Take Sally With You”, “Palin Hates Equality”, “Ignorance is Bliss” and “Gay Pride”. References to Sally Kern were made because the Oklahoma representative from House District 84 was among those in line to get a book signed by Palin. Kern, well known for her publicly made homophobic remarks, is almost universally disliked in the gay community and some media coverage suggested that the protest was as much about protesting Sally Kern as it was Sarah Palin.

The event resulted in no arrests or citations and except for a couple of incidents of name calling, it was a peaceful event that ended without incident. It is, however, likely that more than one attendee succumbed to frostbite.

Update: A version of this post appeared in the January, 2010 edition of Metro Star News as a story. I was credited as the author.

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This is Why They Call ‘The Daily Oklahoman’ America’s Worst Newspaper

For those unaware, The Daily Oklahoman was named America’s Worst Daily Newspaper by the Columbia Journalism Review in 1999. I believe I recall hearing that they have won this distinction more than once. Read the article for a laundry list of reasons why this is the case. You’ll read the history of how the paper has fought to be led into the ground by its ownership and the manner in which the Gaylord family smears its name all over the front page regularly for non-newsworthy events like a child smears feces on a wall. In fact, the newspaper is often refereed to locally as The Daily Disappointment.

Well, I have one more reason to add to the pile of why The Daily Oklahoman sucks: they lie their asses off in news coverage. In recent coverage of Sarah Palin’s visit to Norman to sign her book, they said:

A group of about 12 protesters lined up on the west side of Hastings and held signs in the air saying “Winners never quit, quitters never win” and “Gay is OK.”

Now – as those who were there know – there were about seventy-five protesters at the Sarah Palin picket that I recently organized. Did I count them? No, I did not. It could have been sixty-five, or even fifty-five. But hell, you can count more than twelve faces and signs in the Oklahoman’s very own news video coverage which they published! It wasn’t about a dozen. Not even close. Hell, every other photo of this event I have seen shows far more than a dozen people present.

This has to be one of the best examples I can find of coverage that was purposefully skewed by this paper. I forgave KOCO-TV for their story, so why is it different with the Daily Oklahoman? Because TV news is made on the fly and once you run a story, you can’t update it and you can’t go back and redo it to present a better angle. But in the newspaper business, you have all night to get the story right until newsroom deadline anyway. And obviously, they weren’t at deadline when there were clearly more than a dozen folks there as evidenced by their other conflicting coverage. This story wasn’t published until the day after the protest.

I think this is just another example of how the Daily Bigot (as I call it) is continuing old traditions of marginalizing homosexuals. If none of the other media had mentioned that gays were picketing, they wouldn’t have either. But since every other outlet ran with the story, they had to say something. So they just minimized it to the greatest possible extent, by saying that only about a dozen homos came out. If you can’t ignore it, then minimize it. I and other event attendees will be writing a joint letter to the editors of The Daily Oklahoman calling them on their mistake in the near future.

But not to worry, folks. Today, The Daily Disappointment ran a story which began as follows: “New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas L. Friedman was awarded Monday the Gaylord Prize for Excellence in Journalism and Mass Communication.” Oh, boy. I’d really be worried if that was me. I think thats Mr. Friedman’s career dissipation light flashing.

P.S. – Special thanks to Victor Gorin for bringing this matter to my attention.

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A Big Lesson I Learned from Organizing the Sarah Palin Picket

Some might be surprised to learn that the Sally Kern/Sarah Palin picket was the first major event that I have single-handedly organized without any real assistance. Sure, there were those who helped get the word out and print our signs, but as far as making the decisions, this time I did it all by myself.

To be sure, this event kept me awake several nights worrying. Would it rain? Would it be cold? Would it be too windy? Would it rain while being cold and windy? Would the police give us issues? Would a riot erupt? What would I do if a riot erupted? How can I make sure it remains peaceful? Will there be trouble-starters and if so how will they be dealt with? Have I done everything that I can to ensure participant safety? How can I generate positive, favorable media coverage for the event?

These are some of the questions that weigh on you when you organize an event. Keep in mind, this event was not anything elaborate, it was a picket with signs. Show up, hold signs. We didn’t have to feed anyone, put on a concert or anything else. All we had to do – for the most part – was show up. Not that making that a reality was any small undertaking as anyone who has been any part of anything in Oklahoma will tell you.

Like most intelligent people doing something for the first time, there is always that one big lesson that you take away from the whole thing. Something that you recall and say “Ya know, if I could do it all over again, I sure as hell would change [insert lesson here].” My lesson for this one was as follows: never, ever show up to your event numerous hours early and make yourself available for the press. I decided to show up at about 4:30 PM for an event scheduled to begin at 7 PM to catch any stragglers and early birds. Since the media was already there, I gave interviews and lots of them. Having nothing else to do, it seemed like a good idea.

A few hours later, I would learn the error of my ways. I gave an interview to KOCO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City. They ended up running a lengthy little piece on me, in which I was painted as the lone wolf holding a sign, despite the fact that 75 people or so came out. While I don’t mind being the only one to attend an event (if I put an event on, if no one else shows up, the show still goes on) when the interview closes with the anchor mentioning that its a one man show, it does tend to discredit the event in the eyes of the public.

Moreover KOCO’s reporters never came back to get footage of us massing as they said they would. Now, I am not claiming that KOCO tried to skew coverage, because they do have pictures of many protesters in the form of stills in a gallery on their website. I think they never got back to us with the camera because they only had one cameraman and anchor and a small support staff, I think they were too busy shooting images of Palin and such which arguably was the larger story at that time. But what ran on TV presents the illusion of one nutjob coming out and waving a sign.

So the lesson here is to not talk to the press until the event is in full swing. That way, the story they get and run with matches whats really going on in the field. This is an error in judgment that I wont be repeating.

P.S. – I actually admire the way KOCO covered this event. It was innovative. Thats to say, they went two levels back. They have an anchor and a camera man producing the video, then they have someone else taking stills of that going on. Its like having reporters reporting on reporters. For this event, they had a Live Blog on their website so folks could stay at home (where it was much warmer) and watch whats going on in real time. Unfortunately for me, they published a photo of me giving the interview described above (with a caption underneath reading “The image you see is Reporter Mark Opgrande and [Paul Harrop] interviewing Keith Kimmel. Keith is a protester who says he organized a group of folks on facebook who aren’t happy to have Sarah Palin in Norman.”) so I now have a permanent reminder of this lesson learned.

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