Brody's Notes... Advocate Correspondent Presses White House Press Secretary On DADT

Kerry Eleveld    Photo By Metroweekly DC

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 31 | The Advocate magazine's senior White House correspondent, Kerry Eleveld, pressed White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in the daily briefing yesterday on the apparent lack of proactive guidance to the Defence Department on the process to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," as well as a formal stance with the Congress in the direction the President would like to see both houses take on this issue:

Eleveld: Over successive weeks, Congressman Barney Frank has asked the White House to clarify whether it would like to see legislative action taken this year on “don’t ask, don’t tell.” He’s said that direction from the White House has been “muddled,” and then at one point said that you guys were actually sort of “ducking” whether or not you wanted to see legislative action taken on repeal. Would the President like to see that law?

Gibbs: Well, Kerry, I would just say this, I don’t think what Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates have enunciated on this appears muddled to anyone. I don’t -- there is a process that’s in place to move forward on the President’s commitment to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

 I don’t -- Admiral Mullen is the first chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to sit up in front of Congress and say that the law ought to be repealed -- not somebody who is retired, not somebody who is long past their commitment of serving their country, but somebody who sat up there and said that. And Secretary Gates and the commission at the Pentagon have taken some important steps.

We’re following that process. We’ll see where the legislative road takes us as we continue to build support to keep the commitment that the President has made.

Eleveld: So the President would feel perfectly comfortable letting the next Congress take that up?

Gibbs: Well, again, we’re going to follow the process and the path that are underway with the clear direction that the President has given to repeal this.

Brody' Notes... Rachel Maddow to U. S. Senator Scott Brown: 'STOP LYING!'

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)   Photo By UPI 

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 31 |  Scott Brown (R-MA) elected to replace Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy who passed away last year in a special election, has been engaged in a war of words with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow over what Maddow refers to as a blatant lie.

Sen. Scott Brown continues to tell people that he needs money to fight his coming campaign battle against Rachel Maddow even though Ms. Maddow has repeatedly and very publicly denied any desire to run against him in the upcoming regular election.

Brown through his staff, has sent several campaign letters to the Republican Party faithful nationwide, soliciting money to add to his campaign war chest, telling potential donors that he needs their financial assistance to combat the threat of Ms. Maddow's far liberal left agenda. One particular letter cited the fact that the Massachusetts Democratic Party leadership have actively pursed a campaign run against him by Maddow, who is a resident of the state, which the news commentator has denied numerous times on-air during her show's broadcasts. In a statement caught on tape yesterday at a political event in Western Massachusetts, the Senator was heard to remark that Maddow was trying to boost her ratings.

Last night on her show, Maddow aggressively & emphatically said to him; 

"Senator Brown, you are lying. Stop it. Stop it now."

Brody's Journal... A New Feature For Stuff That Isn't LGBT Related But Interesting

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 31 | I have the greatest job in the world folks. Not only do I have the opportunity to present all of you, my loyal readers, with timely & pertinent information and stories regarding the greater global LGBT community, but in bringing these articles to you, I also get to sift through massive amounts of information...The World Wide Web!

That means I run across items daily that have absolutely nothing to do with the struggles, the defeats, and the successes that LGBT folk have across the world, but are simply entrancing, fascinating, or purely aggravating in some cases.

Starting today, periodically, I will publish these round peg-in-square-hole bits as I like to refer to them in a new segment entitled 'Brody's Journal.'  To kick-off the inaugural debut of Brody's Journal is an article by Matthew Davis, a 23 year old writer who lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee and describes himself as a "Student, journalist, worker, triathlete, people watcher and socialite. I am interested in everything."

Winston The BullDog Is Going Home

Owner will make sure dog who attacked Patrol Car Doesn't get out again

By Matt Davis (Chattanooga, Tennessee) Mar 31 |  Winston the Bulldog who attacked a city patrol car is going home. A deal was worked out in City Court on Thursday morning in which the Emerling family will keep Winston at their Mann Welding Company on Workman Road near Rossville Boulevard. Winston's owner, Michael Emerling said, 

"We'll make sure that Winston doesn't get out. We will use a chain on the fence rather than a nylon cord."

The case in which McKamey Animal Trust had asked that Winston be declared a potentially dangerous dog was passed for six months on Winston's "good behavior." But the case will be treated as if he had been declared a potentially dangerous dog. The owners will have to take Winston through two obedience classes. The family was set to pick up Winston this afternoon.

Karen Walsh, McKamey Center executive director, said she was glad the case has this resolution and that the owners had taken responsibility for Winston. She said, 

"Winston was reserved when he first got to the center. But he has settled down and been playing around."

City Court Judge Sherry Paty cautioned the Emerlings that there cannot be a repeat incident like the one that gained worldwide publicity. She said it would have been devastating had the attack been on a person - especially a child. The judge said, 

"I don't even want the remote possibility of that happening."

In the incident, an officer was running radar on Workman Road when Winston charged out through the gate and began shaking the patrol car. Winston munched on the tires and ate the front bumper. He also attacked other patrol cars that were called in as backup. Officers tried to pepper spray Winston, then to tase him, but nothing calmed him down.

Michael Emerling said the family is grateful that the officers did not shoot Winston. He said, 

"In other areas near here, police have shot dogs for much less."  

Mr. Emerling said Winston showed up as a stray at the family's welding business when he was about two months old in October of 2008. He noted that prior to the attack on the patrol car,  Winston had never showed such aggressiveness. 

"We had no idea. If we had, we would have taken steps to make sure he could not have gotten out." 

Brody's Notes... Chaz Bono Petitions California Court To Change Name & Gender

Chaz Bono  Photo By Ida Mae Astute  ABCNews
By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 30 |  ABCNews has confirmed that 40 year old Chastity Bono filed a petition yesterday, Monday, March 29th, in the Los Angeles County, California Superior Court to legally change his name and gender. 
According to the Transgender Law Center's Kristina Wertz in Los Angeles, Bono, who has completed all of the necessary legal requirements, made the move to change his name to more accurately reflect who he is becoming—or, in Bono's own words; "Who he's always been."

"He is legally changing his name from Chastity to Chaz Salvatore Bono as part of his gender transition." Wertz told ABCNews.

Bono has been open about his ongoing process, telling ABCNews' Good Morning America in the fall of 2009 that:

"Gender is between your ears, not between your legs. I've felt male as far back as I can remember. As a child it was really clear. I felt like a boy."

Wertz said that a hearing on the request is set for May 6th in Los Angeles.

Brody's Notes & Scribbles... Op-Ed: The Poisoning of National Political Discourse & Debate

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 30 | The Harris poll released last Wednesday, March 24th, found that a majority of Republican respondents believe that President Obama "is a socialist," "wants to take away Americans' right to own guns," "is a Muslim," "wants to turn over the sovereignty of the United States to a one world government," and "has done many things that are unconstitutional." The findings follow a year of such smears and attacks on Obama by conservatives. 

According to the poll, conducted of 2,320 adults between March 1 and March 8, a majority of Republicans believe Obama is a socialist (67 percent), wants to take away Americans' right to own guns (61 percent), is Muslim (57 percent), wants to turn over the sovereignty of the United States to a one-world government (51 percent), and that he has done many things that are unconstitutional (51 percent). Large minorities also believe Obama was not born in the United States and is therefore ineligible for the presidency (45 percent), is a racist (42 percent), and is doing many things Adolf Hitler did (38 percent). 

In the past two years, conservatives in the media have advanced many of these false claims, including that Obama is in fact a Muslim and not a Christian, wants to take away Americans' guns, and was not born in the United States. They have also advanced numerous smears that Obama is a socialist, a racist, and has policies and beliefs similar to Hitler's.

From my experience of the weekend prior to the poll's release during the protests by  the so-called Tea-Partiers and fringe element of the Republican Party who shouted the racial epithet Nigger at two respected members of the U, S. House of Representatives, to yet another incident where Rep. Barney Frank was called a faggot while walking with his husband through the corridors of the Longworth House Office Building. Its not a huge stretch to see where these attitudes and morally corrupt behaviours are stemming from.

The LGBT movement and Gay Equality rights especially Gay Marriage has also suffered at the hands of these very commentators in the conservative media.

Media Matters, a Washington D. C. Media watchdog group, today released this video compilation of some of the more blatant smears & falsehoods foisted on the American public by these media outlets:

One American observed:

"This is just another example of how their rhetoric has poisoned our national discourse. We shouldn't have to waste our limited debate time debunking this nonsense, but we either have to refute it or let it stand unchallenged!!! And that's not right. Our nation deserves better. Our nation NEEDS better. We've never had such a toxic atmosphere until Grover Norquist, Lee Atwater, and Karl Rove teamed up."

Another railed against the 'poverty of the humanity of the right'  and Republican opposition to efforts to pass major health care reform as well as socially just legislation by stating:

"Laws are being eroded and taken away step by step we are becoming poorer and sicker. go to the downtown's of any major city and you will see shanty towns,increasing homelessness,child poverty on the level of many third world countries. You will see people sleeping in their cars and showering at public parks before they go to work. That's right, living in their cars yet they are working. In-fact the fastest growing sector of homelessness and poverty are children and working people. I know ,I know personal responsibility,but that will not solve the structural problems in this economy or society that is making harder and harder for more and more people who are just surviving. Please note that I didn't just say black people I mean people of all colors but it's true today and historically that when America gets a cold black people get pneumonia and the economic facts support me."

Incivility now seems to be an American pastime, and if the ultra-right commentators and Tea Party types have their way, apparently America will once again only be for those that are lily white and pass the acid test of being a solid 'Christian' and Patriot. Oh, and definitely NOT an immigrant or LGBT it seems.

The fact that the Harris Poll showed these types of numbers & skewed thoughts is alarming, but given the sources...

Brody's Scribbles... 450,000 Signature Avaaz Petition Against Kill The Gays Bill Massively Ignored By Uganda

By Tim Trent (Devon, UK) Mar 30 | It was always going to be ignored. Quite a lot of it is the fault of The British Empire, we can't lay the blame completely at the feet of the asinine US fundamentalist christians who went to Uganda to encourage the idiot David Bahati to create this evil bill. We created the first legislation that outlawed homosexuality there, in our colony. We set the initial agenda. 

Today I received a newsletter from Avaaz telling me what happened when the petition was delivered: 

[Avaaz] delivered, with church leaders and human rights activists, a 450,000-strong petition to the Speaker of Uganda's parliament in an hour-long meeting, in an unprecedented show of public opposition to a proposed law that would sentence gay Ugandans to death.

And the news was covered in several places. Avaaz contrasted two. First, the BBC:

BBC East Africa correspondent Will Ross says the fact that the vast majority of the signatures were from outside Uganda is significant, as the MPs would be more likely to take notice of Ugandan rather than international opposition to the bill. 

He says Uganda, like many African countries, is deeply conservative and Ugandan voices opposed to the bill are few and far between.

(The second paragraph above is the most important.)

Next, the second story is from the Daily Monitor. Significant in it: 

The Speaker [of the Ugandan Parliament] said: "We cannot withdraw the Bill at this stage; it’s already a property of Parliament and MPs on the committee to handle this will give an opportunity to all the sides and a report will be presented for debate."

He added: "It’s perfectly okay to express dissent. Otherwise to accept or to reject this Bill will be decided by Parliament. A lot of time is going to be given to the committee to study and scrutinise this Bill and all your views will be discussed in detail." 

Yeah, right. In other words it's going to go through despite global opposition. And a genocidal event will be created. They could have withdrawn it, of course they could, but they chose not to. And now they are using 'process' as an excuse to push this evil bill through their parliament. 

There's still time. Each individual voice can make a difference. So sign he petition still, write to your elected representative if you haven't done so yet, and by all means at your disposal, oppose this evil bill!

Brody's Notes... Andy Towle-Towleroad & JoeMyGod's Joe Jervis: Catholic League Of NYC Defends Pope, Claims Priests Who Molested Were Gay

Bill Donohue  Photo Courtesy Of Towleroad

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 30 | In today's edition of Towleroad, Andy Towle reports that Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, an organization Kathy Griffin once described as one man in a room with a computer, has taken out a quarter-page ad in the New York Times today defending Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church from allegations of sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy.

In recent weeks the paper has published well-researched articles documenting the abuse, including, 200 deaf boys at a school in Wisconsin, hundreds of cases in the German church (so many that the Vatican can't handle the workload), the abuse of altar boys on video by Brazilian priests. And just today, some new allegations out of Miami regarding a Cuban priest. The Vatican tried to cover up this case as well.

Donohue attempts to deflect blame on the church by, among other things, once again bringing up the disproven canard that it's somehow the fault of gays. Donohue writes: 

"The Times continues to editorialize about the 'pedophilia crisis,' when all along it's been a homosexual crisis. Eighty percent of the victims of priestly sexual abuse are male and most of them are post-pubescent. While homosexuality does not cause predatory behavior, and most gay priests are not molesters, most of the molesters have been gay."

Towle comments: 

"Sorry Bill, pedophilia has nothing to do with homosexuality, and the Catholic church should be ashamed of its ongoing efforts to cover up the epidemic of abuse that has been inflicted upon innocent children."

Joe Jervis in his JoeMyGod Op-Ed wrote:

"Do you understand? The New York Times, SNAP, and thousands of molestation victims around the world are not screaming their heads off because the Catholic hierarchy and the Vatican enabled, abetted, and shielded a mind-numbingly uncountable numbers of child fuckers. What they REALLY want is to get the Catholic Church to back off on gay marriage. OK! Got it, Bill!"

Brody's Notes... University Of Michigan Gay Junior Becomes Student Body President

Chris Armstrong (Centre) Celebrates Election As Student Body President Of The University Of Michigan

Photo By Samantha Trauben The Michigan Daily

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 30 | The Michigan Daily, the campus newspaper of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, reported last week that University of Michigan junior Chris Armstrong, who is majoring in sociology, was elected as the incoming Michigan Student Assembly president. Armstrong and his running mate,  Business School junior Jason Raymond, won by more than 1,000 votes in an election with a student voter turnout of 14 percent, the highest it’s been in years.  According to Daily Staff Writer Elyana Twiggs; 

Throughout the campaign Armstrong promised to establish a more unified student government where students can see direct results yielded through representative’s passion and advocacy. His opposition Ian Margolis's platform was focused on achieving what Margolis called “tangibles” for students by offering events like pep rallies or concerts. Armstrong who is openly Gay also had pledged to support gay rights on campus; he previously helped bring the 2011 Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference to the University of Michigan. Armstrong was an intern at the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 2009.

Twiggs also reports that after hearing the results, Armstrong’s satisfaction could be heard in a jittery phone interview;

“I am overwhelmingly astonished,” Armstrong said. “I am so humbled by the fact that the student body voted for us. It’s really hard for me to put into words how incredibly elated I feel. The significance of this event really demonstrates the diversity of this University," Armstrong said. "The ability of this campus to elect an openly gay president to lead them is something that students should be proud of, and the LGBT community should be proud of."

Brody's Notes... Sheehan Apologises To Dutch Royal Army

Gen. John Sheehan, USMC (Ret)   

Photo Courtesy of Bechtel International

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 30 | A written letter to retired General Henk van den Breemen, former Dutch chief of the defence staff, by retired USMC General John Sheehan, apologised to him and the Dutch Army for remarks he made during recent Senate testimony;

"I am sorry that my public recollection of those discussions of 15 years ago inaccurately reflected your thinking on some specific social issues on the military."

Sheehan had made his controversial remarks during a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 18, in which he argued against plans to end the 'DADT' ban on allowing Gays to serve openly in the U.S. military. He told Senators that Gen Van den Breemen had told him that Gay soldiers were seen as "part of the problem" which contributed to the massacre of up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces after Dutch UN peacekeepers failed to prevent the fall of the Srebrenica, Bosnia in 1995. Sheehan told Van de Breemen;

"To be clear, the failure on the ground in Srebrenica was no way the fault of individual soldiers."

A spokesman for the Dutch Defence Ministry said General Van den Breemen was satisfied with the apology.

In a related statement, a spokesperson for the "Pink Army", a group representing Gay Dutch soldiers, said that the organisation has withdrawn its threat to take Gen Sheehan to U. S. Federal Court & sue him for slander.

"It is quite something for a senior military man to admit he was wrong and say  that he is sorry," said the spokesman.

Brody's Notes... British Royal Army Regiment Gives Nod & Congrats to Newly Married Soldier

Civil Partnership Ceremony Of Lance Corporal James Wharton, Of The Household Cavalry, & Thom McCaffre In London

Photo By David Sandison The Independent UK

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 27 | In sharp contrast to the official policy and regulations of less than a decade ago, when being Gay would cause servicemen interrogation and expulsion from Her Majesty's armed forces if discovered, on Saturday, March 27th, the famed royal escort regiment, The Queens Household Calvary, hosted a wedding reception at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment's Knightsbridge barracks for one of its own newlywed troopers & his husband.

The Independent UK's London based correspondent Terri Judd reports:

"Surrounded by silverware and paintings commemorating great battles, Lance Corporal James Wharton, 23, and his new husband enjoyed their first dance to Tina Turner in the warrant officers' mess of the most prestigious regiment in the land. The Household Cavalry, famed for escorting the Queen during state occasions and the fact that it counts both her grandsons among its officers, celebrated its first gay wedding in style. L/Cpl Wharton was joined in a civil partnership with his boyfriend, the Virgin air steward Thom McCaffrey, 21, surrounded by members of L/Cpl Wharton's regiment, the Blues and Royals."

Wharton told The Independent UK;

"The entire regiment has been really supportive," he said. "When I went to ask the Squadron Leader, Major Nana Twumasi-Ankrah, for permission to get married, he just said 'This is fantastic, congratulations'."

Compared to the current debate in the United States Congress &  U. S. Defence  Department senior leadership over the proposal by the Obama administration to repeal "Don't Ask-Don't Tell," the Royal Army has had success in implementing policies of open acceptance of Gay & Lesbian servicemembers. Judd further notes:

"The legal change allowing homosexual men and women in the services took place in January 2000 after a two-year legal battle involving three gay men and a lesbian, who had been discharged from the Royal Navy and RAF after being found to be gay.

The case went all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, which rejected the Government's argument that the military should be treated as a special case because of the "close physical and shared living conditions together with external pressures such as grave danger and war", and ruled that the Ministry of Defence's policy was not sustainable.

Despite predictions of doom and gloom from some quarters, the lifting of the ban was welcomed by most with few hitches."

Senior Regimental Military personnel in attendance at the reception after the nuptials included Wharton's commanding officer, Lt-Col Crispin Lockhart MBE, who said:

"The Household Cavalry has a fine tradition of leading from the front, so it is unsurprising that we continue to represent the face of the modern Army. We recognise and value individuals from diverse backgrounds who bring fresh ideas, knowledge, experience and talent to the regimental family."

Brody's Scribbles... Florida Minister Says Homosexuality Hates Free Speech

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 29 | Apparently, the associate pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center, a Gainesville, Florida church known for its controversial stances on Islam and homosexuality, took offence at his video being removed from YouTube as reported on by the University of Florida student newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator.  

In a video that was originally posted on YouTube, Wayne Sapp, a pastor with the Dove World Outreach Center, made the case that the city of Gainesville cannot afford to have a gay mayor in what has turned into a hotly contested  runoff election to be held on April 13th;

“Here in Gainesville, they’re getting ready to have a run-off election between two candidates, and one of them is openly a homo, gay, fag — whatever you want to call him,” Sapp said. “We got one running for mayor of Gainesville, trying to convert Gainesville into Homoville. We can’t have it" 

Yesterday, Pastor Sapp posted this response to his video being removed:

Brody's Notes... University of Illinois at Chicago Student Using Westboro Baptist Church As Fundraiser

UIC Students Counter-Protest Against WBC

Photo By The UIC Chicago Flame Newspaper 

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 29 | Fred Phelp's Westboro Baptist Church holding another protest in the church's long running campaign of harassment of Queer groups, Jews, military families and others, conducted a tour of Chicago recently. at one of the entrances to the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago. UIC students and supporters held a counter demonstration directly across the street using humorous and satirical signs to mock WBC. 

But with a rather unique twist on countering the Phelp clan's usual vitriolic hate-filled diatribes, UIC student Jason Connell used appearance of the hate group to raise money for queer rights groups such as Human Rights Campaign, International AIDS Foundation and Chicago based Jerusalem Open House. Donations were named in honor of the Westboro Baptist Church and community thank you cards will be sent from the non-profits to WBC leader Fred Phelps. Connell called it a, "Lemons to Lemonade" situation.

Kurt Esslinger Lee, an Presbyterian ordained minister from the UIC Agape House Christian Campus Ministry said, 

"We don't care so much about this group of hate, we know that they are not going to listen to anything we say. What we are care about is the closeted, afraid LGBTQ students around UIC who are are taught to hate themselves to think that god is also loathing them, so we reaching out to them to break through that ignorance."

Brody's Notes... Belgian Physical Education Teacher Wants To Change Sex

By Brody Levesque (Bethesda, Maryland) Mar 28 | A physical education teacher in an elementary school located in Le Province du Brabant Wallon near Brussels, Belgium, has informed the school's director [Principal] that he wishes to transition to female and undergo gender reassignment surgery. The school's administrators have since met with the instructor's colleagues informing them of the situation and have sent a letter to parents of 240 children enrolled in school, inviting them to a meeting set for March 30th.
Belgian Newspaper Le Soir correspondent Hugues Dorzée reported in the March 27th Saturday edition that;

"It is the extraordinary story of an elementary school in Brabant (which we will not mention the name deliberately) is facing an unprecedented situation: the physical education teacher, call him Vincent, is convinced he is a woman. In recent months, he decided to change his sex. The principal has officially been informed of the transformation project and is attempting to best manage this delicate situation which is causing a stir in this institution of 240 students in the free network funded non-denominational institution."

During a press conference, Belgian French Community & Education Minister, Marie-Dominique Simonet, explained: 

Marie-Dominique Simonet   Photo By Le Soir

"The instructor has been on good terms with the school's Director and the case is being handled at the local school level."

However Ms. Simonet noted that at the request of the school's director, mobile teams, composed of specialists from outside the school, have been rushed to Brabant Wallon. Their mission is to assist and oversee staff and students. An information meeting with parents is scheduled for this Tuesday, March 30. She also added that the situation remains complex.
For now, Vincent must now manage this "coming out" and prepare for gender reassignment surgery with all that that it implies in terms of personal, social and medical issues. His colleagues, who are anxious to avoid any form of discrimination and the parents, all are facing the impact that the transformation of the teacher could have on the children who will soon be called Madam person they call today Sir .

"We try to manage the issue," the director insists. "But I feel a lot of worries, for all the questioning that is inevitable and the ramifications. We are also challenged to properly address the legal aspects as well as the psychosocial impact. This meeting called with parents will help us to streamline things. "Address a lot of taboos"

On one side are the rules: A teacher who wishes to remain in that institution is protected by several provisions of Belgian and European laws governing rights and anti-discrimination against LGBT persons including the EU's anti-discrimination order of December 12, 2008. 
On the other hand, there is the reality of management of the situation navigating unfamiliar territory for the school staff, administrators and pupils: The future identity of Vincent, the impact of her being transsexual on students, pressure from parents who have already announced their intention to withdraw their child if the teacher remained in place, etc..

"It is the organizing body to best manage the issue in the general interest", reacts Lise-Anne Hanse, Belgian Ministry of Education's Director of Compulsory Education referring to the French Community & Education Ministry.

Yet, as shown by a study 'Being Transgender in India,' conducted in 2008 at the request of the Institute for Equality between women and men, Vincent is far from unique:

"Once the announcement, many find themselves in trans sick leave, leave their jobs or are forced to do, says Sandrine Debunne, coauthor of the study , "There are still a lot of fears and taboos."

A school in Canada recently faced the same situation. In that case, a teacher was fired in 2009 by a Catholic school (St. Albert, Edmonton) after informing the board of his decision to become a man. The teacher's union of the teacher has since filed a complaint of discrimination against the governing body (school board) of the school. A large group of parents has also voiced support for his reinstatement.
The school board justified its decision by the need to protect students from sexual confusion that are transgender. They also relied on the teachings of the Catholic church that a gender a person is born with is determined by God, people can not change sex. Lawyers for the school board offered the teacher a job where he would not be in contact with young people, which the teacher refused. Lawyers for the school board offered the teacher a job where he would not be in contact with young people, which the teacher refused. The principal argument was cited as:

"Your sex change might create confusion among our students and their parents."

The Brabant Wallon school's teachers have expressed their desire to accept their colleague's decision to transition to a female although reactions of parents has been mixed as it seems that a small minority of parents have already expressed their intention to withdraw their child from the school.
In Belgium, a teacher who wants to match his/her physical his/her psychic identity is protected by law as the federal, state communities, and regions have enacted laws and decrees prohibiting discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. (Including anti-discrimination decree of December 2008 in the Belgian French Community). Under Belgian Law, the administrative changes of name and designation of sex on the identity card are governed by an Act of May 10, 2007.
In 2006, the Belgian Ministry of Education had distributed to all of the country's schools a teaching & educational manual entitled 'Tackling Homophobia,' which specifically addresses homophobia, lesbophobia and transphoie (Fear of transgender people.) issues and how to handle the situations as they occur.

Brody's Notes... Dustin Lance Black & Clint Eastwood Team With Imagine Entertainment-Produce Biopic On FBI 's Hoover

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover    

Official Photo By The U. S. Department Of Justice- FBI

By Brody Levesque (Bethesda, Maryland) Mar 27 | From his appointment on May 10th, 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge as Director of the Bureau of Investigation-predecessor to the modern day FBI- and credited with being instrumental in restructuring the scope and nature of the Bureau's work and purpose as its powers were broadened and it was re-named the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, J. Edgar Hoover ran the FBI as an increasingly controversial figure until his death on the morning of May 2nd, 1972.
Often referred to as a petty tyrant behind his back but never to his face out of fear of retribution owing to his considerable power and influence as FBI Director, Hoover's reach extended past the confines of the Bureau and the Department of Justice, touching into the lives of political leaders, celebrities, and ordinary Americans in  a remarkable career that spanned forty-eight years as Director.

Hoover was noted as sometimes being capricious in his leadership; he frequently fired FBI agents, singling out those whom he thought "looked stupid like truck drivers" or he considered to be "pinheads." He also relocated agents who had displeased him to career-ending assignments and locations.

Hoover is credited with building the FBI into a large and efficient crime-fighting agency, and with instituting a number of modern innovations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories. It is because of Hoover's long and controversial reign that FBI directors are now limited to 10-year terms by law. 

Earlier this month it was announced that Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer had signed Academy Award winning Director & Actor Clint Eastwood to direct a film based on a screenplay that was written by Oscar award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black tentatively entitled 'Hoover,' covering the period of the FBI Director's life from 1935 to his death in 1972.

Entertainment sources are quoted as saying that Eastwood's Production company, Malpaso Productions, will co-produce the film with Imagine Entertainment, although it’s still unclear what studio will land the project, which was originally set up at Universal. It will likely move to Warner Bros., which has produced and financed the majority of Eastwood’s work.

Clint Eastwood Photo By Malpaso Productions

In a bit of historical irony, during the later part of his career, Hoover was a consultant to Warner Brothers for a 1959 theatrical film about the Bureau entitled; The FBI Story, and in 1965 on Warner Brothers' long-running spin-off television series, The F.B.I. Hoover personally made sure that Warner Brothers would portray the FBI more favorably than other crime dramas of the times. 

In an interview with screenwriter Dustin Lance Black on March 25th, New York Post's entertainment reporter Jarett Wieselman, writes in the intro: 

"One of my favorite movies as a child was "Clue," and throughout the 1954-set film countless references are made to J. Edgar Hoover. I had no idea who that was until one character said he was "the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation." But even with that minor description in place, it wasn't until a high school American History class that I fully grasped the power of his life story. I mean, this man created the F.B.I and instituted the fingerprint database that is still used today.
So I'm surprised it's taken this long (he died in 1972) for the man, the myth, the legend to earn a big screen biopic. But perhaps Hollywood was just waiting for the right duo to delve into his life."

Dustin Lance Black  Photo By Focus Features

Black tells Wieselman in the interview:

"It's weird that it's just gotten out in the press because it's been going on for a long time," "It's a really important project to me and I'm super excited that Clint has signed on. He's the perfect director for the project."

There has been speculation as to the question whether the film will delve into the FBI Director's long rumoured closeted homosexuality and cross-dressing. When Wieselman asked, Black replied:

"Well, look who you're talking to. I wrote the script ... what do you think?"

Since the middle of the 1940s, unsubstantiated rumours have circulated that Hoover was Gay.  It has been suggested that Clyde Tolson, Associate Director of the FBI, who was Hoover's  number two man at the Bureau and his heir, may also have been Hoover's lover. Hoover described Tolson as his alter ego: the men not only worked closely together during the workday, but also ate meals, went to night clubs, and vacationed together.This closeness between the two is often cited as evidence that they were lovers, although former FBI employees who knew them, said that the relationship was merely "brotherly."

Tolson inherited Hoover's estate and moved into his home, having accepted the American flag that draped Hoover's casket. Tolson is buried a few yards away from Hoover in the Congressional Cemetery. Attorney Roy Cohn, an associate of Hoover during the 1950s investigations of Communists and himself a closeted homosexual, opined that Hoover was too frightened of his own sexuality to have anything approaching a normal sexual or romantic relationship.

In his 1993 biography, 'Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J Edgar Hoover,' journalist Anthony Summers quoted a witness, "society divorcee" Susan Rosenstiel, (who later served time at New York City's Riker's Island prison for perjuring herself in a 1971 case) who claimed to have seen Hoover engaging in cross-dressing in the 1950s; she claimed that on two occasions she witnessed Hoover wearing a fluffy black dress with flounces and lace, stockings, high heels and a black curly wig, at homosexual orgies.

During his lifetime Hoover hunted down and threatened anyone who made insinuations about his sexuality. He also spread destructive, unsubstantiated rumours, and his notorious extensive secret files contained surveillance material on American political figures and others, speculated to be acquired for the purpose of blackmail. 

Nearly twenty years after the Director's death, the opening of Soviet KGB archives revealed evidence that there was a Soviet campaign which used allegations of homosexuality to discredit Hoover during the Cold War.

Since the Hoover film project currently isn't set up with a studio, there's been no tentative production schedule released.

Brody's Notes... Gainesville Florida Church Slams Gay Candidate For Mayor

Craig Lowe   Photo By The City Of Gainesville, Florida

By Brody Levesque (Bethesda, Maryland) Mar 27 | The City of Gainesville, Florida is preparing for an elections run-off for the office of mayor. Gainesville City Commissioner, Craig Lowe,  after having won first place in a five-way race, will continue on to a runoff election on April 13th.

Commissioner Lowe, who is openly Gay, has wryly noted that this campaign season has been plagued by people whom he describes as;

“...want[ing] to drive a wedge in the political community.” He has faced a slew of personal attacks, mostly pertaining to his sexual orientation. “None of this would come up without the attacks,” Lowe said. “There’s no reason for it.”

One of the most glaring examples were fliers distributed across the city claiming that the Commissioner was directly responsible for allowing men in women’s restrooms. The fliers purported to be sponsored by “concerned citizens of Gainesville.” Another, attempted to mimic one flier from his campaign. The pink flier mockingly advocated for the support of a “gay agenda.”
More recently, the Dove World Outreach Center, a local church known for its controversial stances on Islam and homosexuality, has made it clear it will not support nor tolerate Lowe as an openly gay mayor. 

Lowe was first elected to represent the 4th District in the Gainesville City Commission in 2003 when the commission was expanded to include seven members. Lowe was re-elected in 2004 and 2007. During his near-seven-year tenure on the commission, Lowe has consistently been an outspoken supporter for equal opportunities for all of Gainesville's citizens which includes the student body, faculty & staff of the University of Florida which is located squarely in the midst of the city. UF Students have actively campaigned and worked for Lowe's campaign to become the city's mayor. The University's newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator, reported:

In a video that was originally posted on YouTube, Wayne Sapp, a pastor with the Dove World Outreach Center, made the case that the city of Gainesville cannot afford to have a gay mayor.

“Here in Gainesville, they’re getting ready to have a run-off election between two candidates, and one of them is openly a homo, gay, fag — whatever you want to call him,” Sapp said. “We got one running for mayor of Gainesville, trying to convert Gainesville into Homoville. We can’t have it. “

“We feel it’s our obligation to speak out that homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle,” said the Rev. Terry Jones, the church’s senior pastor.

According to Jones, all videos put online that feature Pastor Sapp or himself  have been endorsed and approved by  the Dove World Outreach Center church. The video was later removed for violating YouTube's terms of service.

According to legal experts, statements such as those could infringe upon Section 501c3 of the IRS tax code, which regulates political involvement by religious groups. Mike Dobzinski, the IRS spokesman for the state of Florida, could not comment on the church’s specific case but did note that any political participation by a religious organization may jeopardise a church’s tax-exempt status.

The Gainesville mayoral race has attracted considerable national attention attention in the LGBT media and especially in the blogosphere. Prominent LGBT Advocacy and News website, The Bilerico Project's Deputy Editor, Waymon Hudson, has been covering the race since the beginning. In an Op-Ed published today Hudson said:

"I refuse to let these nasty attacks and the people behind them win. We can rally behind a good candidate and help him prevail so we can protect the human rights ordinance and the large LGBT community there. A Lowe victory would also have a huge impact on the young people attending the University of Florida in Gainesville, helping create an atmosphere of acceptance and equality for a whole new generation."

Hudson on the video, released by Pastor Wayne Sapp that rails against Commissioner Lowe personally and attacks him politically as well, notes: 

"Well the pastor of Dove Ministries has released a video ranting against Craig Lowe and the LGBT community in general. It's painful to sit through..." 

Brody's Scribbles... Against Equality Launches Book Project

Yasmin Nair   Photo Courtesy of The Bilerico Project

By Yasmin Nair (Chicago, Illinois) Mar 27 | The Against Equality editorial collective is excited to announce our first book project, Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage. This pocket-sized anthology of writing compiles many of the essays in the marriage section of our digital archives. We are self-publishing this book and it will soon be available through a small handful of independent distributors.

The essays will be published along side striking visuals specially commissioned for the anthology and our hope is that releasing them as a published book allows our critiques to reach a greater audience. The cultural lives of books are very different from that of online texts and the credibility that comes with printed matter still far exceeds the weight of blogging. We are also particularly interested in reaching people with little or no access to high speed Internet browsing like people in prison, older generations, and those living in rural areas.

Edited by Ryan Conrad and with an introduction by Yasmin Nair, this first book focused on gay marriage is just the beginning of our publishing projects! By making as many of the texts in our digital archives available in printed editions, we hope to create even more time and space to have critical dialog about our most radical queer futures and to revive the queer political imagination.

Cover Design By  Chris Vargas

Yasmin Nair is a Senior Editor & founder of Against Equality, a web-based archive of material that interrogates the mainstream gay movement and explores queer possibilities for a radical new future. While the internet offers seemingly endless possibilities for movement-building, it is limited in its access and while web-based conversations can be a starting point, they are no substitute for real-time conversations and organizing.  Nair also is a frequent contributor to The Bilerico Project and may be reached at: yasmin@bilerico.com