In celebration of the 20 year anniversary and Frameline DVD release of a landmark film in the history of LGBT cinema, One in Ten presents a rare public screening of Tongues Untied.

Marlon Riggs's portrayal of homophobia and racism caused controversy during Tongues Untied's original 1991 airing on PBS's P.O.V. series and contributed to the national debate about the National Endowment for the Arts funding for art with nudity, gay themes, and pointed political commentary.
 

Post Screen Discussion "African-American and Gay: 20 Years Later" Featuring Ron Simmons, PhD - Executive Director Us Helping US and Cast Member Tongues Untied Sylvia Rhue - Director of Religious Affairs, NBJC Earl Fowlkes - President, Int'l. Federation of Black Prides Moderated by Earl Plante, NBJC and One in Ten

Presented in collaboration with   National Black Justice Coalition,  DC Black Pride  and Sixth & I Synagogue,  600 I St. NW  Don't miss Riggs' landmark and controversial film! March 26     7 pm - $10

For information: One in Ten

For tickets: Sixth & I Synagogue

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Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has always spoken out against gay marriage, defining marriage as a sacred institution between "a man and a woman." With that in mind, he recently admitted to cheating on his wife by having an extramarital affair. If I were speaking out on how marriage should be between a man and a woman, I wouldn't be sleeping with another person outside of my marriage like Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick was allegedly spotted at a luxury resort with a woman identified as Carmen Slowsky, reports GayWired.com. This is almost like "the pot calling the kettle black", the hypocrisy of this man is insurmountable.

This is the second time that the mayor was under fire for cheating on his wife. The first time was earlier this month when text messages between Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff Christine Beatty were uncovered by state officials. According to freep.com, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former chief of staff Christine Beatty were charged in a 12-count indictment with perjury, , conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice, misconduct in office and conspiracy because of their conduct in last year's police whistle-blower trial, Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced. Kilpatrick who is 38, is charged with eight felonies and Beatty is charged with seven.

Worthy said the perjury charges accuse the two of lying during a whistle-blower lawsuit about the firing of Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown and about their romantic relationship.

"Lying cannot be tolerated, even if a judge and jury can see through it and doesn't buy the line," Worthy said at a packed news conference.

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According to the Washington Post,  Raina Johnson was convicted this week of shooting her ex-girlfriend in the neck in September of 2007.

Raina Johnson

The 35 year old Washington DC woman was handed a 28 year prison sentencing. According to the Post that sentence was 12 years more than the maximum outlined in the voluntary sentencing guidelines for such charges.

The victim, Toni Brown, 32, is not paralyzed from the neck down because of the injuries she endured from the shooting.

According to the Washington Blade the women started dating in 2006
Whether or not Brown knew about Johnson past is unknown. Johnson started displaying a violent side towards Brown

The mother of four had a history of domestic violence charges involving former lovers (boyfriends and girlfriends).
Brown had obtained a civil protection order against Johnson. The shooting occurred outside the Safeway on Columbia Road N.W. Washington D.C., where Brown worked, about 12:15 a.m. on Sept. 25.

Johnson pleaded guilty to the charge in December.

She expressed penitence in court, the Post said.

She apologized to Brown and her family.

"I am deeply sorry for my actions," the Post quoted Johnson as saying. "I want to apologize to Brown, her family, the court and society."

Brown told the Post the first nine months of her relationship with Johnson were "good," but arguments led to Brown's decision to move out of the residence they shared last summer. Johnson had threatened to kill Brown if she left, the Post said.

You are a beautiful individual. I remember speaking to you on the phone wondering what good we could do for the schools in Washington DC. We laughed about what we were going to wear for the White Attire Affair.

We giggled at each other at the Ummah Foundation Meetings. We kept in contact all year round even when the summer events were over. I can say that I miss you brother and I love you. I some how wished I could have been there in greater force to help you.

Good bless you.

By Sr Journalist, Justin Smith

According to the Dallas Observer a Texas preacher has been spanking, beating and raping woman for more than 20's The Dallas Observer spoke with an anonymous woman named Joy. She recalls her story on how she first met the abusive preacher. Joy remembered the way he crept up behind her in her bedroom and touched her on the side, startling her just before he shoved her facedown onto the bed. She also remembered excruciating pain as he jammed a 3-foot club into her rectum and asked repeatedly, "Does it feel good? Does it feel good?" 

Preacher Sherman Allen -  "Spanky"

The reverend was unknown in May 1983, when Joy told Fort Worth police that he beat her with a paddle and raped her anally with a wooden club. Then, she claims, he sodomized her, slapping his hand over her mouth and cursing at her when she tried to cry out to God. 

When he was finished, the woman says, the preacher propped her up in front of a bathroom mirror, pried her eyes open so she was forced to look at herself and called her a bitch, a whore, a prostitute, a cokehead. "God told me to do this to you," she recalled him saying. And there was more. 

He allegedly told her, no one would ever believe her. But if she was stupid enough to tell, he'd come back and do the same thing to her 4-year-old daughter. As she hunched naked on a love seat in her apartment after the attack, numb with pain, hating this God he invoked and hoping she would die, the preacher handed her two rolls of toilet tissue. He kissed her on the forehead and walked out the door. Time to add a name to the face.

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By Sr Journalist, Justin Smith

Being Gay has pressures all its own. Well think back to when you were in adolescence. Think of all the pressure that you had to face. Whether it was thinking that someone would suspect you're gay or that you were openly gay, you still had pressure on you. Well again I say think back to all those insecurities and add 50 pounds.

A new study It turns out more and more boys are falling victim to eating disorders, whether it is Binge Eating, Bulimia, or Anorexia. Boys are dieting purging and exercising more than ever. But also there

Men account for 25 percent of adults with anorexia or bulimia and 40 percent of binge eaters, according to a 2007 Harvard University study

The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition executive director Riki Wilchins had this to say in a public statement "We used to associate eating disorders and body issues with young girls," . "But now, boys are getting similar messages that you have to be perfect - buff, sculpted and muscular - to be attractive. And the result is boys are dieting, purging and becoming depressed about their bodies."

Of the men who have eating disorders, a substantial number identify themselves as gay or bisexual. It has been estimated that around 5 percent of the male population considers themselves to be homosexual, and yet some estimates say that up to 15 percent of these males have suffered from an eating disorder or symptoms of it at some time in their life, according to the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

This is not just a women's disease. Men are in more and more danger because men are less likely to go the doctor for treatment for anything. If you need it seek help.

David Patterson has been in the dark too long. He is now front and center in the spotlight

Since Former New York Governor Spitzer has resigned. Paterson has become the first African-American to be Governor of the state and the first blind Governor in US history.

"David Paterson is a terrific, progressive guy, extremely LGBT-friendly," Ethan Geto, a Democratic analyst and LGBT activist, told The Advocate.

"He is somebody who would absolutely follow through on the commitment of the senate Democratic conference to pass gay marriage."

Paterson, said this to the New York Blade, "I'm not going to be in that fight, I am going to be in front of that fight because my first day as (state Senate Minority Leader) was the day we passed the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act".

"One of the reasons we need same-sex marriage is because the statistics for heterosexual marriage are so bad; that might be a way to upgrade some of the success rates."

In 1985 Mr Paterson was elected to represent Harlem in the state Senate and in 2002 was elected minority leader, the first non-white legislative leader in New York's history.

In 2004 he became the first visually impaired person to address a Democratic National Convention.

Paterson earned his bachelor's degree in history from Columbia University and got his law degree from Hofstra Law School in 1982.

Paterson is a leading advocate for the visually and physically impaired. His 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention marked the first time a visually impaired person addressed the convention. He is a member of the American Foundation for the Blind, serves as a member of the Democratic National Committee and is a board member of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

According to the National Governors' Association, previous African-American governors were P.B.S. Pinchback, who served as acting governor of Louisiana for 36 days in 1872-73 while the sitting governor was being impeached; L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, who became the nation's first elected black governor in 1990; and Deval Patrick, the current governor of Massachusetts. He lives in Harlem with his wife, Michelle Paige Paterson, and their two children, Ashley and Alex

Paterson has been fighting for Gay Rights for two decades.

By Sr. Correspondent, Justin Smith

Bareback sex: Wikipedia defines Bareback as a term that originated in gay slang to describe acts of unprotected sex, especially anal sex. The term's usage, however, has crossed-over to more mainstream slang to describe any type of penetrative sexual act without the use of a condom.

According to the BBC three gay pornographic films have been pulled from the shelf because it showed men having sex with each other with no protection (barebacking). The DVD's were pulled after a British show called, "Newsnight", revealed that 4 out of 8 of the young men having unprotected sex in the video were diagnosed as being HIV positive.

One of the featured models or porn stars in the film had said to BBC he was distressed that footage which he believed showed him becoming infected had been put on sale.

In another case, British producer, Rufus Ffoulkes, was imprisoned for child pornography.

The 48 year old put a 16-year-old boy in a gay porn film, in which he had unprotected sex.

The young men for his homemade porn films were from the website Gaydar.

Ffoulkes paid the teenager 500 pounds, which is $992.85 dollars, to take pictures then put him in a bareback porn film.

According to edp24.co.uk, the prosecution's attorney, Miranda Bevan, told the court, "Distasteful though this sort of activity is, the reality is that the gay pornography industry is sizeable and apart from the age of this young man, is legal"

"Unprotected sex is standard in the gay porn industry."

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The Reverend Charles Lanier, 51, was last seen Feb. 15 when he went shopping. Officials with the San Diego police said they have confirmed reports with the Mexican State Judicial Police that Lanier's body was found Wednesday in an apartment in Tijuana. The Reverend was said to have a friend in Tijuana, that he may have been visiting or contacting.

According to NBC News Tijuana State Police Department said the body was found in the Tijuana red-light district. There were no signs of trauma to his body, which was later taken to the Tijuana morgue.

A Tijuana homicide detective found items in the room that may lead authorities and investigators to believe that Lanier's death could be the cause of an overdose. We are not sure at this time what the Tijuana Police found in the apt that may lead them to believe this. But we will keep you posted

Lanier's family reported him missing three days after he was last seen. His 2007 black four-door Cadillac CTS with chrome rims and California license plate number 5YED361 was found on Feb 21 at a parking lot in San Ysidro. San Diego police said an attendant at the lot called to have the car towed and that the towing company reported the car to the police.

San Diego police, Lt. Manny Guaderrama told NBC 7/39 that when Lanier's family members called his cell phone over the weekend, a voice they did not recognize answered the other line.

"His family attempted to call him on Sunday," Guaderrama said. "A Spanish speaker answered the phone and said he was in Tijuana. That person said he purchased the phone at a bar in the U.S. and then traveled to Tijuana."

The family is traumatized by the news but are grateful to have closer. The family was notified by the office manager and not the police.

Anybody with information about the case is being urged to call the police at 619-929-9242 or 619-531-2000.

In Philadelphia twins, Taleon and Keyontyli Goffney, were arrested on February 21st, for stealing $2,000 from an ATM in the Moon's beauty shop at 9th and Washington Streets.

According to Philadelphia's CBS3 (video see below), detectives said the siblings "broke into the store by crashing through the roof" and allegedly stole about $2,000 from the machine. The Philadelphia Police arrested Keyontyli at the scene, but, his brother Taleon escaped and was found in a nearby parking garage a time later.

Police say the terrible twosome, are suspects in as many as 50 similar burglaries in the tri-state area (Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware).

According to NBC News the store owner Young Moon gave this statement "Just over there, they made the hole right here, he took money from the register, and change, too. He left only pennies," Moon said. Authorities said once they robbed Moon's store, the twins went back through the roof to the Wings and More Store next door. The twins stole money from a register, and an ATM machine.

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Reverend Charles Lanier

More information has surfaced regarding the disappearance of Reverend Charles Lanier, a Black openly gay pastor with the Unity Fellowship Church Movement in San Diego.

According to the City News Service:

SAN DIEGO -- A car owned by a City Heights clergyman who went missing last week was found near the U.S.-Mexico line Thursday, leading authorities to speculate that he may have crossed the border and failed to return for unknown reasons.

Charles Lanier, 51, a reverend at Unity Fellowship Church on University Avenue, has been unaccounted for since Friday, according to San Diego police. His family reported him missing several days later.

This morning, investigators got word that the North Park resident's black 2007 Cadillac CST had been impounded in a parking lot in the 700 block of East San Ysidro Boulevard, just north of the Baja California border.
The sedan showed no signs of being tampered with or evidence that Lanier had been harmed, SDPD Capt. Manny Guaderrama said.

The car was parked in an area mostly used by visitors to Mexico, Guaderrama said. Lanier reportedly has at least one friend south of the border, but authorities have yet to track that person down.

San Diego have asked Mexican authorities to be on the lookout for the clergyman, the captain said.
Lanier's family and friends have told police it would not be in character for him to take an extended trip and not let anyone -- not even his congregation -- know where he was going and when he was to return.
Lanier was supposed to host a barbecue last Saturday, Guaderrama added.

Officials urged anyone who knows of the missing man's whereabouts to call SDPD communications at (619) 531-2000.


Click below for video news report:

 

By Justin B Smith, Sr.Journalist

J.C. Carter

My friend Ty Lattimore granted me an interview a couple of months ago and I was so excited. In the interview one of my questions to him was about other porn actors and he mentioned one of my favorites, Mr. J.C. Carter. Ty hooked me up with J.C's e-mail, but I was pleasantly surprised by J.C's phone call. This muscular 5'6, brown skinned beautiful man was a gentleman and a scholar. He was very exuberant to accept the interview as I was to give it. I told J.C. that I had been a fan of his since I discovered that I was gay. His hazel eyes and beautiful caramel muscular framed man always had my attention. I never knew whether it was his shaved head, tattoos, or beautiful smile that drove men crazy but he seemed more than that. I was impressed with his poise and intelligence especially when he told me he is a Criminal Justice major with a minor in Psychology and enjoys bodybuilding and traveling. At the end of the interview I said to J.C, "What can I call you since I know J.C. is not your real name?" He said, "You can call me friend but my real name is _______". He told me to call him anytime I was in town so we could hang out and I can't wait.

JC Carter is a hot, defined black gay porn star who made movies in the late 1990s and beyond. He grew up on the South side of Chicago, attended a catholic grammar school and was raised as a catholic.

He has done over 40 videos and won the 1998 Grabby Awards Best Ethnic Performer of the year for his efforts.

JC Carter has become a true great Black American superstar. Watch for his new upcoming video project with http://www.forbiddenfunk.com/ due to begin filming in March 2008.

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By Justin B. Smith, Sr. Correspondent

Connecticut State Representative Jason Bartlett (2nd District Connecticut) made history when he publicly came out as gay. He is now the highest ranking openly gay African American politician in the country. In addition, for the past 13 years he has owned and operated his own mortgage company while raising two young sons to be model adult citizens.

Recently Bartlett co-chaired Senator Hillary Clinton Connecticut Steering Committee. Barlett has many political accomplishments and goals under his belt. He is the embodiment of the American dream. A quintessential politician, we can be assured that this gay black man is not finished with helping the Black LGBT community at large.

Justin: Where were you born and raised?

Jason Bartlett: I was born in Middletown, CT and raised in the greater Danbury area.

Justin: Was it a diverse community?

Jason Bartlett: No, I grew up in the suburbs that were predominantly white and I now represent the same area the state legislature.

Justin: When you were growing up, how did your community, church, and family receive/perceive homosexuals/gay people? Were you aware of any "gay community"?

Jason Bartlett: I had gay aunts and uncles. I remember my parents having a positive attitude towards them. I always felt it was safe to come out to my parents.

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More young people are claiming the basic right to express their gender authentically, but fatal violence against them keeps occurring.

Lawrence King, 15, the victim of a school shooting and supposed hate-crime, was pronounced dead on Wednesday February 13th. King was shot in the head Tuesday by another eighth-grader near the end of first period in a computer lab. He was pronounced brain-dead Wednesday afternoon shortly after being shot and was taken off of his ventilator that night after having his organs removed for donation, according to senior country deputy medical examiner Craig Stevens.

The shooter, 14 year old Brandon McInerney of Oxnard, CA. faces charges of murder and use of a firearm in commission of murder

Due to the heinous nature of this crime McInerney faces up to 50 years in prison. It also appears that this heinous crime was caused by his hostility to King's wearing high-heels, makeup, and jewelry, and his being gay.

The shooting occurred near the end of the first period, during an English class that had moved from a classroom to the computer lab, said Jerry Dannenberg, superintendent of the Hueneme School District. Dannenberg said 22 other students were in the lab at the time. The one-story campus, which includes grades six though eight, does not have metal detectors.

McInerney, 14, reportedly told peers that Lawrence was "having his last day,"

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I get many emails inquiring about casting opportunities on the Noah's Arc movie. Well casting is now underway, but unfortunately we cannot accept submissions from actors with no agency representation. But if you're a professional actor- preferably based in L.A. or NYC- with a reputable agent, then here's your shot. We are casting one role for a 19-20 year-old black male.

 

 

The casting notice has gone out through the casting breakdown service. Before you ask me what the casting breakdown service is, it's the service that networks and studios use to inform all the talent agents of casting opportunities. So if you're a professional actor with an agent AND you can play 19-years-old, then tell your agent to find the Noah's Arc casting notice in the breakdowns and submit your headshot and resume for consideration. That's all the info I can provide, so before you email me a bunch of questions, re-read this post, lol.

Patrick Ian Polk MySpace Page

Patrick Ian Polk's Blog

According to the Gay Network Logo, Noah's Arc will be made into a movie. The rumor mill has been chatting this up since the last season of Noah's Arc aired on logo. Noah's Arc is a story of a group of gay African-American friends navigating through life and love in the city. This showed gay men of color in a new light. Noah's Arc gave black gay men a new visibility and life outside of the confines of the DL lifestyle or being HIV positive.

The show was cancelled, to much dismay, leaving audiences wondering what was going to happen to "Noah's Arc". The main characters of the show are Noah, a writer and his three friends Alex, Ricky and Chance.

Also according to Logo the film's working title is set to be Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom. Obviously, there should be a wedding in this film, but who's wedding? I guess we will just have to find out.

Supposedly the movie will start where the series left of where Noah's X- boyfriend Wade, Jensen Atwood, was in a bad car accident and was thrown from the car with Noah rushing to his aid.

Production begins in March and openly gay lead Darryl Stephens (Noah), Doug Spearman (Chance), Rodney Chester (Alex) and Christian Vincent (Ricky) are set to return, with other casting to be announced soon.

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Atlanta, January 3, 2008- The Board of In The Life Atlanta, Inc. has voted to take legal action against its former treasurer, Michael Slaughter, for his embezzlement of organization funds.

The action comes after an investigation into ITLA's bank statements and records found that Slaughter abused his privileges as treasurer. Upon Slaughter's own admittance to financial impropriety and the discovery of missing funds from ITLA's treasury, the board assigned an independent external auditor to review and strengthen its internal controls to ensure that funds entrusted with the group are properly used.

The board voted to press charges against Michael Slaughter to send a clear message that In the Life Atlanta, Inc. will not tolerate such behavior from its board members or volunteers. It should be noted that Slaughter is in the process of making restitution payments to the organization.

ITLA board members are currently working with vendors to pay off invoices generated during its successful 2007 Black Pride celebration while continuing to implement a strategic restructuring plan that will increase efficiency and produce viable programming options that meet its mission to promote pride, unity and self-empowerment among the city's Black LGBT community.

This has been a trying time for ITLA, and we thank all of our community supporters for their patience and understanding. The current Board and Planning Committee is looking forward to moving past this challenge to plan events for Black Pride 2008. We look forward to working with other community leaders, organizations, volunteers, and sponsors in this new year.

David Wilhelm

According to one of Barack Obama's aides Former National Manager for the Bill Clinton 1992 Presidential Campaign is backing Senator Barack Obama.

The Obama aide had told the Associated Press that David Wilhelm had planned to divulge to reporters that he believes Obama and build up support amongst Democrats, Republicans and Independents to win the Democratic candidacy for the general election.

It is believed that with Wilhelm, and uncommitted superdelegate, help Obama's race for more delegates. Obama has already had a clean sweep for the primaries in Maryland, Washington D.C and Virginia.

Clinton is still ahead in superdelegates. Superdelegates, which are party officials, elected officials and others who can vote however they choose at the nominating convention, are vital at this stage in the race. But Obama leads the delegate race with 1,224 to 1,198 to Clinton, according to the latest count by The Associated Press.

"She has to win both Ohio and Texas comfortably, or she's out," an anonymous superdelegate who currently supports Clinton told the New York Times. Those two states, as well as Rhode Island and Vermont, hold primaries on March 4th. Bill Clinton's former chief strategist Orlando Sentinel told CNN, "Make no mistake," "If she loses either Texas or Ohio, this thing is done." Please comment below on what you think the outcome will be and why?

Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia registered voters have spoken. All three states have screamed Obama, Obama, Obama from the roof tops of the polling stations.

Obama had this to say Tuesday night as he claimed victory "The change we seek swept through Chesapeake and over the Potomac," Obama told supporters. Tuesday night.

"We won the state of Maryland. We won the commonwealth of Virginia. And though we won in Washington, D.C., this movement won't stop until there is change in Washington, D.C, and tonight we're on our way."
Polls in Virginia closed at 7pm and in Washington at 8pm. A Maryland judge extended it's polling for an extra 90 minutes due to icy roads and heavy turnout.

Obama has 1,195 delegates to Clinton's 1,178. To secure the Democratic nomination, a candidate must get 2,025 delegates. Obama had led in pledged delegates, but Clinton had held the lead when superdelegates were factored in. Superdelegates are not required to make their votes public and are free to change their minds. Obama has now won eight consecutive contests.

 

 

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Here are the most recent Race Result and delegate count between Obama and Clinton: Source CNN






 

Hillary Clinton	Barack Obama
Delegate Total*	Delegate Total*
Pledged: 525 Superdelegates: 193	Pledged: 553 Superdelegates: 106

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