LGBTQ* Internet Flash Mobs Going On At The Moment

Red Support - HRC & the Stand for Marriage

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Who’s wearing red tomorrow  (Tuesday)? Show your support for marriage equality — make your profile image red for tomorrow and check out www.hrc.org/StandForMarriage for more ways to get involved!

LGBTQ* USA Laws and Enforcement You May Not Know

10 States That Illegally Make Sodomy Illegal – And The 4 That Do Only If You’re Gay

by DAVID BADASH on MARCH 9, 2012

Despite the landmark Supreme Court Lawrence v. Texas case that invalidated anti-sodomy laws and, therefore, essentially made sodomy legal, there are still 14 states in the country where sodomy is on the books as “illegal,” plus an additional four where sodomy is illegal only if you’re gay.

Mother Jones notes: All Sodomy Outlawed: Idaho, Utah, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana Just for gays: Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas.

“Texas isn’t the only state that’s still legislating bedroom activity,” Tim Murphy wrote atMother Jones last year. “Fourteen states currently have laws on the books outlawing anal sex between two consenting, unrelated adults—referred to variously as ‘deviate sexual conduct,’ ‘the infamous crime against nature,’ ‘sodomy,’ and ‘buggery. And it’s taken a concerted effort to keep those laws on the books. Since Lawrence, efforts to formally repeal laws in Montana, Kansas, Utah, Louisiana, North Carolina, and, most notably, Texas have all faced resistance before fizzling out in their respective state legislatures. Conservatives in those states know they can’t enforce the laws, but by keeping them in the code, they can send a message that homosexuality is officially condemned by the government.”

Andrew Sullivan on Thursday offered two short related clips which are worth the quick read, including Barry Deutsch’s:

For me, the fact that Lawrence and Garner hadn’t actually been having sex when they were arrested perfectly illustrates the real meaning of anti-sodomy laws. The cops didn’t really witness any sex going on, but they did recognize that the men were gay, and that was reason enough for the cops to arrest the men. This is sodomy laws at their most pure: It’s not about stopping sex, it’s about criminalizing existing while homosexual.

And that’s exactly the problem: The radical right — which isn’t that many people, but they are the ones who hold the power — still believe we are criminals and sinners. Because their Bibles tell them we are.

Image via Mother Jones

LBGTQ* Signs and Slogans

LBGTQ* Maps and Charts

OkCupid’s Chart of “Gay Curious USA & Canada”

**OkCupid.com is a free online dating/meeting site. It recognizes sexuality as “gay/lesbian/bi/straight” and gender as “male/female.” It can be assumed that the data from the map above was collected from the series of survey questions members of the website fill out in order to find a more compatible match. Graph from 2011.

LBGTQ* Art and Mural History

Oil Painting Mural from Gold Coast bar, 1973, by Dom “Etienne” Orejudos.

The Gold Coast bar opened in 1958, making Chicago the first city in the country to have a leather bar.

from: www.chicagoist.com

LGBTQ* Political Cartoons

1st Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

LGBTQ* Statistics We Can No Longer Ignore

Irish school polls find 1 in 5 lbgtq* students skip school because they are bullied(picture above)

It is estimate 160,000 students skip school in the US each day because of bullying

LGBTQ* Equality in the United States of America

DID YOU KNOW? —

(Yes, you can be fired for being LGBTQ* in the workplace.)

29 States DO NOT Offer Protection To Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual* Employees.

35 States DO NOT Offer Protection To Trans* Employees.

ONLY 15 STATES (!) ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.

(picture from blogger: buckmire )

Florida is the ONLY state in the USA that says gay adoption is illegal.

However,  Colorado, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah all make adoption by same-sex couples difficult because only married couples can adopt children. Other states have voted extensively in the last years about adoption proceedings (such as Arkansas in 2008). These laws are continuously being challenged by both sides of the argument.