MILK WEEK!

Schedule for the Harvey Milk Week in St. Louis: (as of 5/14/10)

Schedule for the St. Louis Harvey Milk Week:
(see http://www.ShowMeNoHate.com/milk for details)

Sunday, May 16th
Central West End LGBT History Walking Tour #1
1:00pm -3:00pm
Meet in the Central West End
To RSVP please email queerhistorystl@gmail.com
(facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113342002023513)

St. Louis Style Kiss-In
3:00pm - 4:00pm
Meet at City Garden, Downtown St. Louis
Gay Invasion has answered the Committee for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia call for a Great Global Kiss-In, before the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. They are hosting the St. Louis Style Kiss-In at City Garden. Show your LOVE and get your Kiss On!
(facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114091878630774)

Monday, May 17th
Central West End LGBT History Photo Tour
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Meet at the Wine Press 4436 Olive Street St. Louis
Central West End LGBT History presentation of a pictorial version of the walking tour for those who cannot attend the Walking Tour for disability or personal reasons.
(facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=114735048561660)

Tuesday, May 18th
The Harvey Milk Week St. Louis History Talk
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Meet at Rustin's Place 625 North Euclid Avenue St Louis, MO 63108
Local LGBT leaders talk about St. Louis during the Harvey Milk era. Sponsored by the LGBT Community Center of St. Louis

Thursday, May 20th
Town Hall for Gender Identity / Expression
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Meet at Central Reform Congregation, 5020 Waterman Boulevard
TransHaven Missouri and PROMO, in honor of Harvey Milk, will host this Town Hall regarding the various aspects of Gender Identity / Expression and it's perception and impact within the Community. The Town Hall includes a Panel Discussion, chaired by community leaders and local politicians.
(facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118875514798855)

Friday May 21st
Eve of Harvey Milk's Birthday Party.
10:00pm - 1:30am
Meet at The Complex, 3511 Chouteau Avenue, St Louis
GlitterBomb welcomes NYC drag special guests Acid Betty and Epiphany Get Paid. This is a benefit show for Growing American Youth - Ages 18+.

Saturday, May 22nd
March for Harvey Milk
Meet at Novak's Bar and Grill, 4121 Manchester Avenue, St . Louis
9:00am - 10:00am
We will be walking from the Grove to the steps of City Hall. Following in the legacy of several historical marches related to Harvey Milk - including the White Night riots March from the Castro to San Francisco City Hall.
(facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110296572347267)

Rally for Harvey Milk
11:30am - 12:30am
St. Louis City Hall, Downtown St. Louis
Featuring Out Gay Alderman Shane Cohn and many other speakers!
(facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110296572347267)

The Times of Harvey Milk Documentary - FREE SCREENING
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Meet at The Complex, 3511 Chouteau Avenue, St Louis
Harvey Milk Documentary free screening.

Sunday, May 23rd
Growing American Youth Brunch
9:00am - 1:00pm
You can enjoy brunch and support LGBTQ youth at the same time! at MoKaBe's Coffee House, 3606 Arsenal street, St. Louis, MO 63116. Come hear youth present: "Am I the next Harvey Milk?"
(facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112812572090346)

Central West End LGBT History Walking Tour #2
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Meet in the Central West End
To RSVP please email queerhistorystl@gmail.com
(facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116435845041018)

NON-VIOLENCE STATEMENT

December 19th, 2009

Show Me No Hate (SMNH) would like to answer recent allegations and claims of "baiting arrests for media attention," surrounding the peaceful "Separate Church and Hate Rallies," outside the Cathedral Basilica on December 13th, 2009.

"We did not; nor want to be arrested for any media attention. Our message is a simple one: We want to use our Constitutional Rights to freely assemble and speak outside the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica Noon to 1:30pm. We want to publicly address our grievances with Archbishop Carlson regarding his $10,000 donation to help strip the ability of same-sex couples seeking to use the new marriage equality law in Maine." - Ed Reggi, founder of Show Me No Hate.

Show Me No Hate Statement on Non-violence

SMNH does not support or condone violence in any form. We believe that peaceful protest and civil disobedience are powerful forces for change in a democratic society, and we defend the rights of individuals and organizations to practice them.

SMNH deplores any government-backed efforts that, under the guise of anti-terrorism, attempt to squelch public dissent and curtail civil liberties by criminalizing the constitutional right to peaceful protest. The government’s use of taxpayer dollars to spy on environmental and social justice groups is fiscally and morally irresponsible, and sets a frightening precedent for all individuals wishing to effect social change.

To make it (again) perfectly clear to anyone reading the above statement:

"We are not planning to be arrested; willfully break the law; purposely upset the parishioners or schedule any civil disobedience actions during the peaceful rallies outside the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica. We expect no issues and no arrests on December 20th, 2009. If anything we will offer a lot of peace during this holiday season." - Ed Reggi, founder of Show Me No Hate.

A CALL TO WED: WHY CATHOLICS SHOULD CELEBRATE SAME SEX MARRIAGE

The following was taken from “The Call to Wed: Why Catholics Should Celebrate Same Sex Marriage” by Patricia Beattie Jung

Download Patricia's entire statement by clicking on this link here

Introduction
The contemporary debate about same sex marriage has created a wonderful opportunity for all Christians – whether gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or straight – to think about why we celebrate marriage. Only when we are clear about what it is that Christian couples do when they marry can we address the question of whether the church should continue to bless only heterosexual partnerships. Ultimately all decisions about the form(s) marriage should take hinge decisively on foundational judgments about the purpose(s) of marriage. For Christians, such normative claims about the purpose(s) of marriage are deeply embedded in our faith convictions about God’s designs for and work in the world. So at bottom our question is really quite clear: from a Christian theological perspective, what is marriage for?

I begin this inquiry by examining what Christians believe life in this world is really like. A review of the Christian outlook on human embodiment in general, and sexuality in particular, helps set the stage for understanding what is it that God is doing in the world. As God sanctifies what sin has rendered ambiguous, the faithful join in the work of transforming the world. The moral life from a Christian point of view amounts to sanctifying all our broken relationships by living in loving communion with each other and the earth with God’s gracious help. The model for these friendships is found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Just like Christ, everyone is called to live chastely. Spouses sanctify the sexual dimensions of their relationship by promising to be steadfast and sexually exclusive, and thereby to give their beloved the attention he or she deserves. Such fidelity serves their efforts to learn how to love one another, to serve life, and to embody God’s love for the world. When the church’s long-standing emphasis on the significance of procreativity to marriage is critically analyzed, it becomes clear that both the church and society should encourage all those so called – whether queer or straight – to wed.

Setting the Stage
It is important to place our inquiry into the purposes of marriage in the context of its roots among Christian convictions about life overall. Basically, Christians believe that God is drawing all creation away from sin and death and toward the fullness of life. That is what God is doing in the world. Jesus put it this way: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Christians believe that in Christ God inaugurated a “new creation,” wherein people are invited to enjoy a loving communion with God, with each other, and indeed, with all that is. The faithful are called to embody God’s sanctifying activity in the world by working here and now to transform their relationships with other people and the earth. The realities of sin and grace make the human existential experience of embodiment and sexuality ambiguous. Thus, the Christian tradition is ambivalent about the body in general and sexual desire in particular.

Check out more resources from http://www.dignityusa.org

RALLY AT THE CATHEDRAL BASILICA SUNDAY NOVEMBER 29TH

Tim Townsend of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on November 11th broke the story how the St. Louis diocese funded an anti-gay marriage ballot measure in Maine. (See article - "Carlson tapped archdiocesan fund to fight gay marriage in Maine." at http://bit.ly/6nRyHV)

The local Catholic money was used to pay for a ballot measure called, "Question 1," that asked Maine voters if they should take away the right of lesbians and gays to legally marry in their State. Unlike Proposition 8 in California, the right of marriage was already granted to same-sex couples by the Maine legislature and signed into law by Maine's (who is Catholic) Governor John Baldacci. This was a measure to take-away rights already granted.

Make no doubt, Saint Louis Archbishop Carlson, along with dozens of Catholic Bishops across the United States donated over $180,000 to the Maine campaign that erased Maine's new Marriage Equality law; furthermore, they donated the money during a time when the Catholic Church is cutting, slashing and closing down parishes.

It's time for St. Louis Catholics and non-Catholics; gay and straight community; to come together and peacefully tell the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, that there are better uses for the local $10,000 Catholic dollars.

Last November over 1400 St. Louisans stood on the steps of the Historic St. Louis Old Court House to show solidarity to all those affected in California after the passing of Proposition 8.

On Sunday November 29th from 11:30am to 1:30pm; in front of the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica steps, we are asking St. Louis again to stand for equality. We gather again in solidarity for those not only discriminated against in Maine - but we stand for religious tolerance and diversity in our community.

Sunday November 29th: there is no better date than the first day of Advent to rally for Equality. Sunday November 29th marks the first day of Advent, a time for Catholics and Christians to prepare or "make things holy," before the holiday. Advent literally translates to "coming" and we cannot think of any better time to "come-out" and "come-forward" as a community.

More articles on St. Louis Archbishop Carlson's spending local money on Maine ballot measure:

http://bit.ly/5ze7Sr - KMOX story

This rally is organized by:
Catholic Action Network, Holy Families Committee and Show Me No Hate

SPEAK OUT AMERICA!

Video montage of the speeches given at the rally following the National Equality March in Washington D.C. on Sunday, October 11, 2009 (on National Coming Out Day). Over 200,000 LGBT and Straight Americans descended upon Washington D.C. to demand equal protection under the law in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states, as entitled by the 14th Amendment to our United States Constitution.

The video includes speeches given by the following among others:

Staceyann Chin
Cleve Jones
David Mixner
Derek Washington
Cynthia Nixon
Lady Gaga
Richard Aviles
Rev. Troy Perry
Dustin Lance Black
Lt. Dan Choi
Judy Shepard
Sam Sussman
Mario Nguyen
Robin McGehee
Julian Bond
Bill Rosendahl

Video by Sean Chapin

SHOW ME YOUR CREATIVITY

Show Me No Hate is stepping up its goals and mission.



We are currently speaking with several local and regional organizations, politicians and activists on the idea of building a stronger Missouri Marriage Equality coalition. Show Me No Hate believes that Marriage Equality has gained so much ground in 2009 but we feel it will continue to gain support in 2010. We know Missouri was one of the first states where the voters accepted writing discrimination into our Constitution. A Marriage Equality coalition would help reverse that discrimination and the climate it has since created. There has even been talk about putting Marriage Equality back up to the Missouri Voters in 2012.

For any organization to tackle such an ambitious voter ballot iniative they need to be not only organized but focused with a clear plan to win. This takes money, time and lots of grassroots energy. We feel strongly in the possibility of building that energy now for a victory in 2012.

We are looking for some creative thinkers as we explore different ideas. Nothing is on or off the table other than building a strong Marriage Equality coalition in our state.

Are you ready to Show Us your creativity?

Please send us an email at ShowMeNoHate [at] Gmail [dot] com.

MONSTERS GET MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Grover explains marriage to young boy.

WHY DID WE PROTEST ON NOV 15TH 2008

Click the following links for our Press Releases and then make sure you send them out to your local newspaper, college newspaper, favorite blog, radio and television station.

SHOW ME NO HATE - JOIN THE IMPACT - PRESS RELEASE

SHOW ME NO HATE - CA PROP 8 HISTORY - PRESS RELEASE

SHOW ME NO HATE - MO AMENDMENT 2 - PRESS RELEASE

SHOW ME NO HATE - AR ADOPTION BAN - PRESS RELEASE

SHOW ME NO HATE - ARIZONA PROP 102 - PRESS RELEASE

WHY USE OLD COURTHOUSE

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The majestic Old Courthouse has remained over the past 150 years as one of St. Louis' most prominent architectural landmarks and lightning rod for two historic Civil Rights lawsuits.

In 1846 slave Dred Scott sued for his freedom in the building based on the fact that they had lived in free states. All of the trials including a Missouri Supreme Court hearing were held in the building. The case was to ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1856 Dred Scott v. Sandford which ruled against him in 1856. The decision was to polarize sides in the run up to the American Civil War.

In the 1872 Virginia Minor attempted to vote in a St. Louis election and was arrested. Her trials including the deliberations before Missouri Supreme Court were held in the building. The case was eventually appealed to the United States Supreme Court in Minor v. Happersett which upheld the male only voting rules.

Read the personal significance and historical meaning of the Old Courthouse to local community activist Flowing [Margaret Johnson].

Please check this link for PARKING SUGGESTIONS.

PERSONAL LETTER

I thought you might like a little history on LBGT protests at the Old Court House. When the Supreme Court supported the conviction of Hardwick for sodomy (Bowers vs Hardwick, June 30, 1986) we also held a protest at the Old Court House. We chose it because of the Dred Scott decision and connected the Hardwick decision to it.

But, the story of the protest is very different than this internet organized event. I heard about the decision on a news report in my car on my way home at 11 PM on the night of June 30. I was both outraged and dismayed. Outraged by the decision, of course, and then dismayed that I didn't even know the Supreme Court was hearing the case. That was the state of the Lesbian and Gay movement at the time - our oppression wasn't particularly news worthy.

I was an activist in a Lesbian direct action group called Women Rising in Resistance. When I got home I raged with my partner and then began calling the other activists. None of them knew of the decision. I also called some gay men (including Jim Thomas, editor of the Gay News Telegraph) and told them of it and they began calling friends. The next night we had over 100 people at the old courthouse protesting the decision. It was the one of the first actions protesting the decision in the country.

Later, I was part of the national organizing committee to organize a non-violent civil disobedience at the U. S. Supreme Court to protest the Hardwick decision. It was connected to a March on Washington held on Oct 11, 1987. The civil disobedience was on Oct 13, 1987. It was the largest arrest action since the Vietnam War, over 600 people were arrested, and we actually closed access to the Supreme Court building for an hour - the first and last time that has happened. Since then, the courts have overturned the Hardwick decision by other decisions.

Most of the media had ignored the March on Washington held two days before - it was a massive turnout but most media, including the St Louis Post Dispatch, Newsweek, etc ignored it. But, they could not and did not ignore the action at the Supreme Court. That action launched the Lesbian and Gay movement onto a national stage. (The lesbian and gay movement later added bisexual, transgendered, and questioning to our alphabet of oppression.)

See you Saturday,
Flowing ( Margaret Johnson)

WHY MARRIAGE

Borrowed from http://www.marriageequality.org/

The Practical
Marriage offers 1,138 Federal benefits and responsibilities, not including hundreds more offered by every state.

• In times of crisis, spouses have hospital visitation rights and can make medical decisions in event of illness or disability of their spouse.
• Employers offer spouses sick leave, bereavement leave, access to health insurance and pension
• The law provides certain automatic rights to a person's spouse regardless of whether or not a will exists.
• Married couples in elderly care facilities are generally not separated unless one spouse's health dictates hospitalization or special care.
• The dissolution of a marriage requires a determination of property distribution, award of child custody and support and spousal support. Absent divorce, there is no uniform system for sorting out the ending of a relationship.

The Finances
Financial issues are complex and challenging, no matter the couple. And when home ownership, kids and other assets are a part of the equation, planning for the present and especially the future is even more critical for greater security.

• Married couples are permitted to give an unlimited amount of gifts to each other without being taxed.
• The law presumes that a married couple with both names on the title to their home owns the property as "tenants by the entirety."
• A married couple, by statute, has creditor protection of their marital home.
• Many married people are entitled to financial benefits relating to their spouses, such as disability, pension and social security benefits.
• With marriage, a couple has the right to be treated as an economic unit and to file joint tax returns (and pay the marriage penalty), and obtain joint health, home and auto insurance policies.
• When a spouse dies, there is no need to prove ownership of every item in the household for taxable purposes.

Protecting Children

• A child who grows up with married parents benefits from the fact that his or her parents' relationship is recognized by law and receives legal protections.
• Spouses are generally entitled to joint child custody and visitation upon divorce (and bear an obligation to pay child support).
• The mark of a strong family and healthy children is having parents who are nurturing, caring, and loving. Parents should be judged on their ability to parent, not by their age, race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. To read more about this go to: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/1/349
  

The Healthy Advantage
Studies show that people who are married tend to live longer and lead healthier lives.

• For adults, a stable, happy marriage is the best protector against illness and premature death. Decades of research have clearly established these links. (Burman & Margolin, 1992; Dawson, 1991; Verbrugge, 1979).
• Studies on marriages have found that married people live longer, have higher incomes and wealth, engage less in risky behaviors, eat more healthily, and have fewer psychological problems than unmarried people. (Waite, Linda J. "Why Marriage Matters." Strengthening Marriage Roundtable. Washington, DC, June 1997)
• Research shows that unmarried couples have lower levels of happiness and well-being than married couples. (Popenoe, David and Dafoe Whitehead, Barbara, USA Today, July, 2000) A recent study shows that denying same-sex couples the right to marry has a negative impact on their mental health.
  

I Do, But I can't: The impact of marriage denial on the mental health of sexual citizenship of Lesbians and Gay Men in the United States (Herdt, G. & Kertzner, R. 2006). http://www.nsrc.sfsu.edu

WHAT IS PROP 8

California Proposition 8 (2008)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Proposition 8 was a California State ballot proposition that amended the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman. It overrode a recent California Supreme Court decision that had recognized same-sex marriage in California as a fundamental right. The official ballot title language for Proposition 8 is "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry." The entirety of the text to be added to the constitution was: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 raised $35.8 million and $37.6 million, respectively, becoming the highest-funded campaign on any state ballot that day and surpassing every campaign in the country in spending except the presidential contest. The proponents argued for exclusively heterosexual marriage while claiming that failure to change the constitution would require changes to school curriculum and threaten church tax benefits. The opponents argued that eliminating the rights of any Californian and mandating that one group of people be treated differently from everyone else was unfair and wrong.

[Original Article includes Charts and Demographic data]

Before the election some California county clerks announced that because it usually takes a month for election results to be certified as final, they did not plan to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples until they were directed by the state health department, which oversees marriage records.^[9] However, many counties, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yolo, Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, San Diego, San Bernardino, Sacramento, and Tuolumne, stopped issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on November 5, 2008, the day after the election.^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

Another pending legal issue is whether approximately 18,000 same-sex marriages already in effect would be retroactively annulled by the constitutional change, or whether they would be preserved. California Attorney General Jerry Brown said that existing same-sex marriages would be unaffected, but other legal experts have said challenges are likely.^[15] The 14-word constitutional amendment does not state explicitly that it would nullify same-sex marriages performed before the Nov. 4 election, although proponents say it will.^{[citation needed]}

On November 5, 2008, three lawsuits were filed, challenging the validity of Proposition 8 on the grounds that revoking the right of same sex couples to marry was a constitutional "revision" rather than an "amendment", and therefore required the prior approval of 2/3 of each house of the California State Legislature.^[16] Plaintiffs in the various suits included same-sex couples who had married or planned to marry in the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles and the county of Santa Clara.^[17][18][19] The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to join the lawsuit filed by the City of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Clara County challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8.^[20] Claims made on similar grounds with respect to other constitutional changes have in some cases taken years to be adjudicated, and almost all have failed.^[18]

More than one-third of California's lawmakers, forty-four members of the California Legislature, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of one of the three lawsuits seeking to invalidate Proposition 8. The brief argues that the same-sex marriage ban improperly usurped the state Supreme Court's duty to protect minority groups from discrimination. The Anti-Defamation League, the Bar Association of San Francisco and three other legal or civil rights groups also submitted letters supporting efforts to get the court to delay implementation of Proposition 8.^[21]

Continue the Wikipedia Article