Okay People Lets get it together this has been a hot topic for years. 

When it comes to the N word there are people of all races that don't like it, even if it has an a on the end. Black people have used it as a term of endearment for each other. But a lot of people say, why put a positive spin on a racial slur?

It is a powerful word and it brings up emotions that range from hate to compassion.

Nigger is a derogatory term used to refer to dark-skinned people, mostly those of Black African ancestry. As an English variant of negro, it was once in common usage, but in recent times, in most contexts, it is considered a racial slur. However, modern variants such as nigga are used as a synonym for "person" in a controversial effort to reclaim the word for general use.

Recently on the view Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd both justify their use of the "N word" by saying that black people have turned the N word around and use it now as a term of endearment.  Goldberg also goes onto say that we have taken it out of the hands of those people that have used the word against us to now use the word for a different meaning.

The other three ladies Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Barbara Walters and Joy Behar asked questions like, why they cannot use it? does it mean something different if they use it because they are white?

 

Goldberg and Hasselbeck both have very good points.

Goldberg points out that black and white people don't live in the same world. It very different being black in America than being a white person

Hasselbeck also makes a good point when she says how can we have equality when we bring back a word that represents hate and then expect harmony.

What do you think people? Feel free to comment

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The Republican dummy, I mean presumptive nominee was asked about his opinion on Gay Adoption in an interview published last week in The New York Times. McCain and his wife have adopted a girl from Bangladesh. He said he supports adoption for people that are a "traditional couple"

After McCain made this outrageous statement many LGBT organization responded to the negative report about Gay Adoption.

 

John McCain opposes gay adoption

"He's completely out of touch," said Kara Suffredini, public policy director for the Family Equality Council. "There's no reason, except for the sake of red meat for his base, to throw up screens in the way of children in foster care getting homes."

Jody Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said McCain's comments were especially dismaying because more than 100,000 children are in foster care waiting to be adopted.

"Sen. McCain would deny loving homes to children who desperately need them simply because of an outdated prejudice about what a family may look like," Huckaby said. On Tuesday, as criticism of McCain's comments spread, his campaign elaborated on the candidate's views.

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The California Supreme Court has refused to hear a case seeking to keep an initiative that would ban gay marriage off the November ballot.

The state's supreme court justices' decision not to hear the case means that the unconstitutional Proposition 8 would stay on the ballot, to which nobody can take any further act.

Proposition 8, also known as the Limit on Marriage Amendment or the California Marriage Protection Act, is an initiative measure proposed for the 2008 California General Election ballot that, if passed, would amend the California State Constitution to affirm that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California, thus prohibiting same-sex marriage.

Having this law on the books would not let same sex couples exchange vows. Any law in the past would be overturned.

A petition was filed last month by Equality California, that this initiative was misleading

Source: The Washington Blade

According to the Washington Blade Vilma Artis Butler was found dead in her home in Bowie, Maryland. Her neighbors called Police around 4:45 am the June 24th reporting that her home was on fire, they also said that they heard loud popping noises shortly before the fir started.

Vilma Artis Butler, a lesbian who lived in Bowie, Md., was found murdered in her home June 24. She was shot and the house set afire. (Photo courtesy of MCC)

When firefighters showed up at the Butler's house they quickly controlled the fire but found Butler's body badly burned. Even though her burns were severe that wasn't the cause of death. After an autopsy was performed on Butler's body it was concluded that she died of a gunshot wound.

Corp. Clinton Copeland, a Prince George's County police spokesperson, said police homicide investigators have no suspects in the case and are still seeking to determine a motive for the slaying.

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She should give a fig


Jasmyne Cannick and I have had our differences of opinion on several issues but seldom have I found her views to be as troubling as her perspective on the importance of marriage for lesbian and gay couples.

In a recent opinion piece "Jasmyne Cannick Doesn't Give a Fig about Marriage" published by The Advocate, Cannick suggests that she has changed her views on the significance of Black LGBT engagement in the fight for marriage equality.

"What did change for me was my willingness to actively engage myself in a struggle that's been from the beginning, and continues to be, elitist."

Can anyone tell me how efforts to end discrimination in marriage are elitist?

The people that are involved in the struggle for gay marriage are rich, poor and in between. They are men and woman, black and white, Hispanic, and Asian. They support marriage equality regardless of social or economic status.

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My name is Justin B Smith, I'm a Black Gay man living in Baltimore Maryland and I am HIV+. I've decided to share my story because I feel it's important that people who have unprotected sex know what they might be getting themselves into. People have asked me why I am doing this, why have I put my personal business out like this. I tell them it is to help educate people, to make them aware and to make them think twice about having unprotected sex. This is my personal journey that needs to be told to help the community

In 1999 I joined the U.S. Air Force; it was one of the best times of my life. I met my then partner in 2003 when I was still in the military. I was stationed at Dover AFB and he was living in DC. I moved to DC and within 2 years my relationship with him would come to its conclusion. I ended up living in a studio apartment in SW DC at the Waterfront. My behavior then was erratic and out of control. I started doing things that just really weren't me. At the later part of 2006 I would often get sick and I didn't know why. I had to call into work several times because I was so under the weather and I almost lost my job. I knew something was wrong with me and I knew I needed to get checked for HIV. One morning I woke up and got sick 5 times. I had flu like symptoms but I didn't feel I had a reason to have the flu. I decided to call my best friend Bryan and have him meet me at Us Helping Us People Into Living Inc. (UHU). UHU is where people can get tested for the HIV virus in the Washington DC area. They provide certain services that people with HIV/AIDS need to survive. I had felt comfortable being at UHU because I used to work there and still had friends who were employed there.

I ended up getting there before my best friend and decided to go get tested. I was administered the Orasure Test which can come up with the results within 20 minutes. I was so nervous. I honestly didn't think that I had the HIV virus. I came up with excuses and said things to myself like, "I don't feel sick now, nothing could be wrong with me", "I'm 26 I couldn't be HIV+". By the time the test was ready I had smoked about 10 cigarettes. I walked back into the HIV testing room and the reader asked me, "Are you ready to hear your results, Mr. Smith?" I said, "Yes I am". She said, "Mr. Smith you've tested positive for the HIV virus". I was devastated I couldn't believe it. The first thing I thought was I can't have any children. My second thought was what am I going to tell my parents, they would be destroyed. Then the final thought is I'm going to die. Bryan arrived at the clinic and saw it in my eyes. He held me tight as I wept in his arms. I felt comfort and security in his arms. Bryan and I then went to the bar to decide what I might want to do next. I decided to fight, to fight to stay a live. When I told my parents they handled any way parents can handle their son telling them he has HIV, but my father and my mother are strong. I told them, "Not to cry for me be strong with me" After about 2 ½ years of being HIV+ I was forced to go on meds with a T-cell count of 261 and Viral Load of 77,000. Now I am in a polyamorous relationship and all my family and friends know about my status. They have given me the love and strength to help me through this journey and to make this journal. This journal is to tell people that being HIV+ is not a piece of cake. People need to know what they might have to endure if they decide to put themselves at risk. HIV is neither glamorous or a rite of passage. Watch the Journal and think twice. In the words of Pedro Zamora, "I'm not dying. I'm living with it"

In the words of Pedro Zamora, "I'm not dying. I'm living with it" Feel free to e-mail Justin Smith at jsmithco98@hotmail.com Photography by: Don Harris Donharrisphoto@gmail.com http://www.modelmayhem.com/donharrisphoto http://www.flickr.com/photos/digital_don/

 

By Justin Smith, Sr. Correspondent

Former soccer star Pele was robbed at gun and knife point. The 67 year old was in his car with his chauffeur when his car became caught in bumper to bumper traffic near Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Pele was being driven in Santos, on the coast near Sao Paulo.

Pele and David Beckham

The car was then in the middle of an onslaught by assailants who Pele described as Youths.

Pele was forced to hand over a watch, a gold chain and a mobile telephone to the 10-strong gang that surrounded his car.

The sporting legend yelled out "It's Pele!" to his assailants as they beleaguered his vehicle, hoping they would let him go. Instead they hit the car and ordered him to hand over his possessions.

The crime occurred two weeks ago and no one has been arrested.

This just proves the lack of respect a lot of our younger counterparts have for hero that have broken racial barriers for people of color.

Retired Brazilian soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, is among the greatest and most celebrated sports superstars of his era. Even in the United States, where enthusiasm for soccer is eclipsed by the popularity of American football, Pelé's name is synonymous with his sport. Having made his first appearance in the prestigious World Cup championship competition at the age of 18, the record-breaking inside left forward thrilled the sports world with his on-field agility throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

He repeatedly led his national team to victory in international championships, wowing audiences with his near- impossible plays and his uncanny ability to anticipate the moves of his opponents. At one time the highest paid athlete in the world, he ended his soccer career in 1977 with 1,280 goals, a record surpassed only by fellow Brazilian Artur Friedenreich.

Brazil is an enormous country in eastern South America, taking up nearly half of the continent's land mass. Claimed by the Portuguese in 1500 AD, it became an independent state in the nineteenth century. Although the Portuguese influence remains in Brazil--it is the largest Portuguese-speaking nation in the world--its population is multiracial, with an ethnic mix of Portuguese, Italian, German, Japanese, Amerindian, and Black peoples.

By Justin Smith, Sr. Correspondent

Tyra Banks: One of the world's top supermodels in the 1990s and into the millennium, Tyra Banks quickly eclipsed the boundaries of that often times limited career to become an actress, philanthropist and television personality with two series under her wing - the reality show "American's Next Top Model" (UPN/CW, 2003- ), and "The Tyra Banks Show" (syndicated, 2005- ), her own daytime talk program. Both were considerable hits among young female viewers, though the latter show struck a chord with a broader audience, due to Banks' emotional and personal approach to female-related issues such as body image and gender roles.

Born Tyra Lynne Banks in Inglewood, CA on Dec. 4, 1973, she was the daughter of fashion consultant and medical photographer, Carolyn London, and computer programmer, Donald Banks. Her childhood was filled with emotional challenges, beginning with her parents' divorce in 1980. She also suffered ridicule at the hands of her brother and classmates for her looks - the future face of countless magazine covers and product lines was a tall, thin and awkward pre-teen. Banks apparently overcame this phase sometime in her mid-teens, deciding to explore modeling as a career. Like many aspiring models, she struggled to land a contract with an agency until she was accepted by the Elite Agency at the age of 17. Although she was slated to attend Loyola Marymount College, she abandoned her plans for higher education, relocating to Paris to explore the high fashion world.

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In the know: Gay people reflect on 'when they knew' in new documentary

By Justin Smith, Sr. Correspondent

When growing up one has to come to the realization that "one of these people is not like the others" namely them. As a gay man or lesbian you have to quickly adapt to the feelings that might want to hide from you family, or come out of the closet with.

Fred (stretched out) and his family talk about Fred realizing he is gay in the new documentary, 'When I Knew,' which features similar testimonies from dozens of gay men and lesbians. (Photo courtesy Cinemax)

"It's that moment when you realize that the world around you isn't really designed for you," says Fenton Bailey, one of the producers of the documentary "When I Knew," tells the Southern Voice.

The documentary is the latest project from Bailey and Randy Barbato, the award-winning filmmakers behind "Eyes of Tammy Faye," "Party Monster" and "Inside Deep Throat." The two producers have there own personal struggles when they came out themselves.

"For many of us, it is the moment we learn to hide and to lie about ourselves," Barbato says. "It can be a frightening and lonely time."

"When I knew" is filled with gut wrenching testimonies, stories and tears.

Julie, a 27-year-old social worker, didn't realize she had romantic feelings for women until she was two months pregnant. Her belly was full, but her soul was "empty" after ending a friendship with another female.

"I couldn't understand why a friend, a broken friendship, would cause me so much heartbreak and loss," Julie says in the documentary.

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According to the Associated Press a citizen's initiative campaign to repeal Maine's gay rights law and seeking roadblocks to gay marriages is being dumped.

Michael Heath, The Christian Civic League of Maine

Michael Heath from The Christian Civic League of Maine said the evangelical group that led the push is pulling out.

Heath said the group collected only a third of the number of voters' signatures it wanted during the June 10th primaries and failed to draw the volunteer support it had hoped for.

Besides wiping Maine's law protecting gays from discrimination off the books, the initiative sought to bar the use of state funds by the attorney general's office for its civil rights teams and reaffirm Maine's law that restricts marriages to one man and one woman.

Looks like someone forgot to tell these people to start small when fighting against civil rights. Maybe they should start by protesting a Gay Pride or something.

By Justin Smith, Sr. Correspondent

According to the Washington Blade, a Columbia S.C. high school principal resigned over a formation of gay club.

The school board of Columbia will meet in the city Irmo to vote whether or not the formation of this club is helping gay youth that have been displaced or is it an area where immoral sexual ambiguity can run rampant.

Both sides have voiced there opinions and are prepared to take this issue to the school board meetings where their voices can be heard.

The opposition wants a ban on Gay-Straight Alliances all together. They claim that a high school is no place where students should have to deal with sex, especially not in a conservative state where abstinence is promoted.

The supporters of Gay-Straight Alliances say that such organizations likes theirs provides a group where Gay Youth can feel supported and accepted. Feeling accepted in high school is needed just about every high school student but it is especially needed for gay students.

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By Justin Smith, Sr. Correspondent

County Clerk Greg Smith declined to offer many details on employees.

After California struck down the marriage ban in California, gay rushed to get in line to tie the knot. But something went wrong paperwork was a little slow and sometimes stagnate.

The reason why is because at least 14 employees who raised religious objections to performing same-sex weddings had been picking and choosing between marriage applicants.

Clerk Greg Smith had told workers earlier that those who object on religious grounds wouldn't have to perform the ceremonies, but 14 employees refused which, held up work in the office. Even though 30 employees say they performed wedding with no issue it still effected the work flow of the office.

The Blade has learned that Smith's office says in an e-mail to the 14 workers that refusal "would unfairly burden other employees and would directly compromise the services we provide to the public."

Employees who refused to perform gay wedding ceremonies at the San Diego County Clerk's Office are facing reassignment within the department or even the county. The 14 were told from the beginning that there would be a chance they would be reassigned if any employee refused to marry anyone on the basis of sexual orientation.

Former Mr. DC Eagle collapses at home bar

By Justin Smith, Sr. Correspondent

Wayne M. Nesbitt, 45, of Capitol Hill, died in the early hours of Saturday, June 14, after collapsing at the D.C. Eagle, 639 New York Ave. NW, while socializing with friends.

Nesbitt was the first black Mr. D.C. Eagle, holding the title for the 1997-1998 cycle. He also served as a judge for the 2007 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) contest. While a fixture of the leather community for many years, he was not a member of any of the leather-community clubs. Wayne Nesbitt touched every one of us in the leather community around the country.

Glenn Carpenter, Nesbitt's partner for 15 years, died in November 2006.

Wayne Nesbitt will be sorely missed by every one who knew him. He was a friend and young men in the leather community definitely looked up to him and admired his leadership and poise. We actually both interviewed with the Metro Weekly in Washington DC about the generation gap in the leather community. The article was called, "The Next Generation", I am a leathermen of color and I can say we've lost a truly good man. His spirit will live on in the future generations of leathermen. We will be remembered for his good deeds and service to the community at large.

RIP Sir Wayne Nesbitt

Clinton Supporters So Angry they might support McCain?

After hours of deliberating the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws panel made a sound decision over the Florida and Michigan Delegate Controversy. The debate came with Florida and Michigan held its conventions earlier than DNC rules permitted. By doing this both state were penalized, in that neither of there state delegates would be seated.

The Rules committee ultimately upheld modified versions of a Florida delegate proposal presented by Jon Ausman, and the Michigan Leadership Plan developed by Democratic officials in that state.
All delegates from both states both pledged and superdelegates, will be seated, but each will only be able to cast half a vote. Florida's delegates were split the decision adds 313 new delegates, but only 156.5 votes, to the summer convention, and raises the number of delegates required to win the nomination to 2,118.

The Florida proposal was passed unanimously by the panel - but faced a rockier reception on the Michigan plan, which employed a complicated and controversial delegate allocation formula that awarded a 10 delegate, 5 votes to Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Feedback from both Barack Obama and Clinton supporters was instantaneous.

Obama supporters cheered while Clinton supporters were so upset they chanted, "Don't steal my vote!" and "Let's go, McCain!"

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By Justin Smith, Sr. Corespondent

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise Norton Little, was a homemaker occupied with the family's eight children. His father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Earl's civil rights activism prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization Black Legion, forcing the family to relocate twice before Malcolm's fourth birthday.

 

Regardless of the Little's efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929 their Lansing, Michigan home was burned to the ground. Two years later, Earl's body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks. Police ruled both incidents as accidents, but the Little's were certain that members of the Black Legion were responsible. Louise suffered emotional breakdown several years after the death of her husband and was committed to a mental institution. Her children were split up amongst various foster homes and orphanages.

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By Justin Smith, Sr. Correspondent

Lee Hayes is the author of the bestselling novels Passion Marks, and A Deeper Blue: Passion Marks II and The Messiah, was released. On May 20, 2008, Mr. Hayes will release his fourth book, an anthology of gay erotic short stories entitled Flesh to Flesh.

Mr. Hayes is a southern native, born and raised in Tyler, Texas, a small town approximately ninety miles east of Dallas. He graduated from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. In the summer of 2005, Mr. Hayes completed his graduate studies and received a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York.
Mr. Hayes understands and truly believes in the exceptional and profound power of words to delight, to heal, to entertain as well as to elicit change in lives of readers. It is his sincere hope that by reading his words that people will come to understand that actions yield real consequences which will affect their lives for better or for worse. He hopes that we all choose wisely. He also hopes that readers realize the innate value of their existence and that they dare dream to become more than they ever thought possible.

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California has lifted the ban on gay marriage. California Supreme court’s decision comes nearly two weeks after the passing of Mildred Loving. 

Mildred Loving, a black woman whose anger over being banished from Virginia for marrying a white man led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling overturning state miscegenation laws, died on May 2 at her home in Central Point, VA of pneumonia. She was 68.

Mrs. Loving stopped giving interviews and issued a statement in 2007 on the 40th anniversary of the announcement of the Supreme Court ruling, urging that gay men and lesbians be allowed to marry.

At the age of 17-year-old Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving, a 23-year-old white construction worker, drove 90 miles north to marry in the District of Columbia.

At the time Mrs. Loving was pregnant with the first child.

The Lovings’ returned to Central Point, Va., between Richmond and Spotsylvania, to begin their new life together.

In the morning of July 11, 1958, the police burst into their bedroom and shined flashlights in their eyes. A threatening voice demanded, “Who is this woman you're sleeping with?”

Mrs. Loving answered in a confused tone, “I'm his wife.”

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This letter was given to NBJC (National Black Justice Coalition) supporters by Mr. Alexander Robinson CEO and Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition, in lieu of the recent decision to lift the ban on Gay Marriage for the state of California. 

 

Dear Friend,

Today is a joyous day for the millions of us who have been denied equality our entire lives. After years of hard work the California Supreme Court struck down California's discriminatory marriage laws and allow loving, same-sex couples to marry.

Civil Rights leaders such as the late Coretta Scott King, Representative John Lewis, NAACP Chair Julian bond, and Reverend Al Sharpton have long supported equal protection under the law for LGBT individuals and communities. 

In fact, John Lewis filed a friend-of-the court brief in the Massachusetts case that led to the state becoming the first in the country to legalize marriage equality.  In the state of California, we have been working with the California State NAACP to file an amicus brief as did the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in New York City.

"The African American community has been at the forefront of many struggles to secure right for disenfranchised groups and communities" stated Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco.  "It is my belief that this is our fight too", Brown continued.

Please join the National Black Justice Coalition in fighting this assault on our families. http://ga4.org/nbjcoalition/join.tcl

Then help us win this fight by contributing to NBJC's Action Fund.  https://secure.ga4.org/01/nbjc_donate

On behalf of the entire NBJC team we would like to thank everyone who donated to or volunteered with our campaign to keep this amendment off the ballot. Because of that effort we have already talked to over a hundred thousand Californians about this initiative and the harm it could cause for millions of California families.  

Thousands of people volunteered and over 76,000 voters signed up to oppose the initiative. We built an incredibly strong network of opposition to this amendment, but we have to expand it even more between now and November. 

Some have called this campaign "the single most important battle we have ever seen in the LGBT rights movement." Such an unprecedented battle will require an unprecedented commitment from all of us. With your continued support we will defeat the right wing extremists and ensure equality for all.

The stuggle is not over!! A pending November ballot initiative threatens to overturn our victory in California.  Howver, Equality For All has been at the forefront of the fight for fairness and equality. In fact the coalition has talked to hundreds of thousands Californians about this initiative and the harm it could cause for millions of California families.  NBJC asks that you please donate to Equality For All in order to strengthen their efforts within California.

Sincerely, 

 H. Alexander Robinson, CEO

NBJC and NBJC Action are the only two black lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organizations in the country. Our unique perspective and targeted focus will allow us to successfully reach our constituency through culturally relevant GOTV efforts and to access our voting blocs—heterosexual African-American voters and African-American SGL/LGBTQ voters. NBJC provides a credible voice on LGBT issues within Black communities and among African-American elected officials. 

On May 6th, 2008 Lawrence Webb became the first openly gay black man to take public office in the commonwealth state of Virginia.

Virginia has long been a state that has voted and prided itself on being conservative. This is a complete and pleasant surprise to all of us in the Black LGBT community. On July 1, Webb will be sworn into one of the three of the Falls Church Councilmember seats. Webb came in third place after Nader Baroukh and incumbent Robin Gardner. Webb beat out the next candidate by 39 votes. In the past Webb has always been apart of the political arena. He became the first black student elected to serve as president of student government at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va.

Webb's love of Virginia --  and love of his partner, Clifton Taylor -- may be complicated by Virginia voters approving in 2006 arguably the most restrictive constitutional amendment of any state in the union, barring any and all recognition of same-sex couples, but not to the point that he would consider leaving, he says. After all, if he can win a local election as an openly gay man, he may be one of the keys to the state's progress.

''There are things that have made me think about moving to other states,'' Webb says. ''I've thought about it. But when all is said and done, I still love where I live. I still love Virginia.'' Webb adds that while his sexual orientation did not seem to be an issue with Falls Church voters, he's emphatic that race never was.

Instead, he thinks voters appreciated his endorsement by the nonpartisan Citizens for a Better City (CBC) group, as he plans to concentrate on measured, thoughtful development for the city. Webb also had a lot of support from some of our own LGBT organizations. The D.C.-based Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, with a mission to back qualified GLBT candidates for public office. The Democrat will also be also working as an assistant dean of administration at the University of Mary Washington.

Webb gives Metro Weekly this statement

"My agenda is to make sure that as we move forward with development, we're careful, making sure we bring the right sort of development. We're primed for the small, eclectic businesses, not necessarily the big-box stores. Boutique-type stores are more of a direction we could go in. Maybe bringing in some of the bigger retail -- but being very selective."

The mayor of District Heights, Md., pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges of soliciting a male prostitute.

Mayor James L. Walls

On April 24th, the mayor of District Heights, Maryland was arrested for allegedly propositioning an undercover officer posing as a male prostitute

James L. Walls Jr., 30, was arrested at 12:30 a.m. at Sixth and F streets NW and charged with solicitation for lewd and immoral purposes, according to police.

Walls is an ordained Baptist minister, according to the District Heights Web site. He is the former assistant pastor of Greater Light Missionary Baptist Church and is the associate pastor of Forestville New Redeemer Baptist Church.

Walls was elected mayor in May 2006, the youngest person to ever serve as the city's mayor, according to the site. His term runs until 2010.

He is a graduate of Bowie State University and works for the Town of Fairmount Heights as the town administrator, according to the District Heights Web site. Walls will remain out on bond. He is set to appear in court again on June 19.