Go West? The Arizona Issue ~ Part Two

Merv Koehle lived in Arizona in the 1980s, moved back east, then returned with his wife, Tracey, in the 2000s. He explained, "In 1990, the '93 Super Bowl XXVII was originally scheduled to take place in Arizona. However, the Governor at that time, Evan Mecham, cancelled the Martin Luther King Day holiday ["saying that King did not deserve a holiday," according to Wikipedia, "and that black supporters of the law should have been more concerned about getting jobs."]. The NFL consequently pulled out of Arizona and moved Super Bowl XXVII to Pasadena."

Super Bowl XLIX is currently slated for the University of Phoenix in Glendale in 2015. Jan ("The Wicked Witch of the West") Brewer, described by people I know as "bat shit crazy," should decide where she stands on this matter cautiously. She has already expressed sympathy for the so-called "religious freedom" argument the bill uses as an excuse for hatred, discrimination and obstructionism.

I was wondering what people outside the United States think about this very un-American activity of attempted segregation. So, I asked international dance-music diva, children-and-animal-rights activist and friend, Karin Nagi, to share with us her view from Holland.

"I think it is a disgrace that we still have the prejudice outbursts. Don't care what country," Karin replied, frankly. "We are all human beings and have the right to live in peace and harmony on our beautiful Mother Earth. I will never accept any negative remark against about gender, color, nationality or religion. I will fight till my last day for every living being. Justice for all!"

Finally, I asked another dancefloor diva (whose new club tune, "Dominate My Love," is now available on-line) and friend, Amber Dirks, to weigh in on the matter as she and her family reside in Arizona. Here's what Amber told me:

"I feel using religion to try to mask the true reasoning behind this bill -- which is to allow for discrimination -- is unconstitutional. It's truly not only about the LGBT community, while a major part of the hate laced law is, it's about anyone with a business who will be allowed to pass judgements on people for whatever reasoning they deem fit and hide behind religion as the cause. It's a coward's way of trying to get around the law.... 

"This bill is encouraging business owners the right of refusal [to serve anyone] for any reasons. I.e., I walk into a business wearing purple, they can say that color [purple] is against their religion and, for that reason, they can have the right to refuse service! This law will also allow for assumptions beyond a reasonable doubt and this law will protect these business owners to make their assumptions. 

"Arizona is known for trying to make statements against people's rights and it's time for people to stand up against what's wrong, and this is ethically and Biblically wrong!! Last I heard, God is the only power to pass judgements, not man...! Maybe those businesses that oppose this pro-discrimination law should be given the right of refusal of servicing those members of congress, state legislators, etc. that voted to pass this into legislation, and these businesses should be covered by the "Bullying Law" and "Harassment Law" since they are bullying and harassing groups of people... whether gay, straight, orange, yellow, black, brown, clothing choice, shoe choice, car choice, etc. This is 'Unethical', 'Unconstitutional', 'Inhumane', 'Unfathomable' and completely 'Discriminatory' which is against our [nation's] laws and they are using religion to justify this injustice!"

"Arizona's right-to-discriminate bill is drawing fire from Apple, American Airlines, Marriott Hotels, the NFL, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, and both of the state's Republican senators," The Rachel Maddow Show posted on-line today. "So what is Gov. Jan Brewer... going to do?" 

Jan, we've got the divas on our side, honey. Get a clue.

Go West? The Arizona Issue ~ Part One

Last Friday, CNN revealed: "Arizona's Legislature has passed a controversial bill that would allow business owners, as long as they assert their religious beliefs, to deny service to gay and lesbian customers.

"The bill, which the state House of Representatives passed by a 33-27 vote Thursday, now goes to Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican and onetime small business owner who vetoed similar legislation last year but has expressed the right of business owners to deny service."

This legislation would certainly be challenged at the federal level but, meanwhile, it has raised quite a bit of ire, not only among Arizona's LGBT community but among the state's business community. Today, it was reported that a few supporters of this discriminatory hate bill are already back-peddling away from it and Senator John McCain Tweeted: “I hope Governor Brewer will veto [the bill]”.

Huffington Post reported on February 25 that Marriott Hotels and American Airlines sent letters to Arizona Brewer requesting she veto the pending legislation.

"George Takei fired a virtual photon torpedo Friday at Arizona in a scathing letter addressing legislative passage of an anti LGBT law allowing for discrimination in services," wrote Raw Story last week.

"This 'turn away the gay' bill enshrines discrimination into the law," Takei wrote on his blog. "Your taxi drivers can refuse to carry us. Your hotels can refuse to house us. And your restaurants can refuse to serve us. … You’re willing to ostracize and marginalize LGBT people to score political points with the extreme right of the Republican Party. You say this bill protects ‘religious freedom,’ but no one is fooled. When I was younger, people used ‘God’s Will’ as a reason to keep the races separate, too. Make no mistake, this is the new segregation, yours is a Jim Crow law, and you are about to make yourself ground zero."

"Takei notes in his letter that his husband Brad Altman and he have strong ties to Arizona. Altman was born in Phoenix, and the couple vacation in Show Low," Raw Story notes. "Governor Jan Brewer’s signature stands between the bill and its enactment. Brewer has yet to comment on her intentions.

"If  [Governor Jan] Brewer signs the bill, make no mistake. We will not come. We will not spend. And we will urge everyone we know–from large corporations to small families on vacation–to boycott. Because you don’t deserve our dollars. Not one red cent,” Takei insisted.

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen, investigative cub reporter, decided to ask Tracey and Merv Koehle, close friends who moved from Connecticut to the greater Phoenix area, only to move back again after a few years way out west, to share their thoughts on the controversy.

"I see the recent attempt at legislation just one in a line of others that passed in Arizona and that I find regressive," said Tracey. "Like carrying unconcealed guns into establishments such as bars. Hearing about this new proposed legislation confirmed my feelings that our moving back to Connecticut was the best option for us."

"I loved Arizona because it was such a beautiful state in terms of the natural landscape," she added, "but we found the governing sources are too conservative and too heavily influenced by the fundamentalist, right-wing 'religious' element."

[Continued in Part 2]

Elton John Speaks Out Against Rampant Homophobic Injustice in Russia Ahead of the Winter Olympics

"Pop singer Elton John spoke out on Wednesday against Russia's ban on homosexual propaganda, saying the law legitimized homophobia and provided legal cover to extremists," reported Reuters news service today.

"Everyone shared stories of verbal and physical abuse - at work, in bars and restaurants or in the street - since the legislation came into force last June," said the 66-year-old international pop star.

"Russia's law bans the dissemination of 'gay propaganda' among minors, and has become a focal point of criticism by the West and human rights activists who say the law is discriminatory and represents a crackdown on rights and freedoms under Putin," Reuters explained.

Last week, a pro bono legal document from a prominent international, corporate law firm crossed my desk. It was the testimony of a young man with HIV who was from Russia, currently living in the USA, but threatened with deportation. His story of the injustices, brutality and lack of any equal, basic human rights in his native country shocked me because it was so far beyond what we even read in the news and are aware of in this country and perhaps in most of the world. It was a nightmare and I can't even imagine living that kind of life where unprovoked physical, emotional and psychological brutality as well as the most extreme forms of discrimination against an individual, a citizen, are sanctioned by the authorities. This man's story is corroborated by what Elton heard from the LGBT community in Russia.

Elton John's statement, quoted in its entirety, in today's Rolling Stone on-line:

I am deeply grateful for the support of the Russian people who have welcomed and accepted me in their country ever since I first visited in 1979.

On my last visit, in December 2013, I wondered whether the new legislation banning "homosexual propaganda" might have changed that. It hadn't. I still felt the same warmth and welcome from the audiences that I have felt every time I have been in Russia.

On that trip I met with members of the LGBT community in Moscow. Although I was still welcomed as an openly gay foreigner, I wanted to really understand at first-hand what difference the legislation had made to Russian LGBT in their own country. What I heard reinforced all the media stories that have been circling since the propaganda bill became federal law: that vicious homophobia has been legitimised by this legislation and given extremists the cover to abuse people's basic human rights.

The people I met in Moscow – gay men and lesbians in their 20′s, 30′s and 40′s - told me stories about receiving threats from vigilante groups who would 'cure' them of homosexuality by dousing them with urine or beating them up. One young man was stalked outside a gay club by someone posing as a taxi driver who tried to garrotte him with a guitar string because he was a "sodomite". Everyone shared stories of verbal and physical abuse – at work, in bars and restaurants or in the street – since the legislation came into force last June. And, some of the vital work providing HIV prevention information to the gay community has been labelled "homosexual propaganda" and shut down.

It was very clear to me that, although foreigners like myself who are visiting Russia are not affected by this new law (and President Putin has recently confirmed this), it is a very different story for those living inside the country. As Maria Maksakova told her fellow Russian MPs last month: "We are seeing extremely negative consequences as a result of this law, with the growth of hate crimes."
President Putin asserts that this was not the intention, but it is undoubtedly the effect that this law has had by promoting misunderstanding and ignorance. In particular, it is very disappointing that the law explicitly links homosexuality with child sex abuse, which countless studies have shown to be conclusively wrong.

The people I met in Moscow were decent, kind, patriotic men and women who had no thought of forcing their sexuality on anyone. Whatever the intention of Russia's homosexuality and paedophilia propaganda laws, I am absolutely clear from my own personal experience that it is proving deeply dangerous to the LGBT community and deeply divisive to Russian society. I would welcome the opportunity to introduce President Putin to some Russians who deserve to be heard, and who deserve to be treated in their own country with the same respect and warm welcome that I received on my last visit.

Don't Boycott Stoli, Please

In light of current human rights abuses against the LGBT community in Russia, Stolichnaya vodka wants us to know: Don't stop drinking our product!

Writes RIA Novosti: Stolichnaya, one of the most popular vodkas in the United States, came out swinging at the Russian government Thursday with a message of support for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community worldwide.

“Stolichnaya Premium Vodka stands strong & proud with the global LGBT community against the actions and beliefs of the Russian government,” the company said on its Facebook page.

Val Mendeleev, Stolichnaya’s chief executive office, issued an open letter to the LGBT community on Thursday, in which he said the “recent dreadful actions taken by the Russian Government limiting the rights of the LGBT community and the passionate reaction of the community” had prompted the letter.

Mendeleev said Stoli was “upset and angry,” and “has always been, and continues to be a fervent supporter and friend to the LGBT community.”
 
He listed a number of programs and campaigns Stoli has launched in support of the LGBT community, and appeared to be backing away from the company’s long-established connection to Russia.

“The Russian government has no ownership interest or control over the Stoli brand that is privately owned by SPI Group, headquartered in Luxembourg in the heart of Western Europe,” he wrote, adding, “Stoli’s production process involves both Russia and Latvia. Stoli is made from Russian ingredients (wheat, rye and raw alcohol) blended with pure artesian well water at our historic distillery and bottling facility in Riga, Latvia.”

Stolichnaya has long been listed among the top-selling vodkas in the United States.

And Stoli has long targeted its gay clientele through openly gay-oriented ads.

So, it's all right, sweetie dahlings. Get your Stoli in whatever flavor, with whatever mixer and enjoy! Frankly, it's fabulous.

In further news from Russia, however, four Dutch tourists shooting a film about gay rights in Russia were arrested earlier this month outside the northern city of Murmansk, the first foreigners to be detained under the new law.  Meanwhile, actress Tilda Swinton gets into the act:

 The struggle continues.

Russia: Sexcrime

Looking over my audience stats for today, I would say virulent anti-LGBT discrimination in Russia has dampened my blog's viewership in that country, as Russia is normally in my daily Top 5 in terms of where my global readership originates. Nonetheless, views from Ukraine still remain strong.

To my gay readers in Russia and the territories under its rule, the international community is with you. We support you and share your struggle. Protests are being mounted, like the boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics. I'm certain diplomatic efforts are going to be made. This will not stand.

Despite civil rights gains in the USA, the LGBT community remains under attack by haters. Our united fight against inequality, hatred and suppression continues.

To all my brothers and sisters in Russia, my comrades, remain strong and know the international gay community is involved in your struggle. Our struggle is one and united we are strong. Love and lifestyle are not sexcrimes, even when a despot declares it so.

Dance; it's hopeful; it's evolutionary and revolutionary.

Russia: Dance Your Pain Away with Dj Buddy Beaverhausen

"This is not a good time for gays in Georgia, Ukraine, Russia or — presumably — other parts of the former Soviet Union," said the Dallas Voice today. "The glasnost, or openness, that was supposed to come with the breakup of the megastate has faded on many fronts. Not the least of them is the freedom for which LGBT people had hoped and planned."

I am concerned for many of my readers in those countries, and wish them the best through these dark and troubling times. Remember, you have support globally, my friends!

AmericBlog stated: "Vladimir Putin’s Russia continues its decline into third world dictatorship and despotism today with the passage of legislation in the lower house (the State Duma) which bans the public display of anything pro-gay, including words.

"The law would also permit the government to jail foreign visitors for up to two weeks before throwing them out of the country." Jail! Isn't deportation enough already?!

Well, now, Mother Russia's a Mutha Fucka! And isn't this a violation of human rights? International law? The timing of this homophobic persecution, of course, came shortly after the US Supreme Court's historic decision on gay marriage. Holy hysteria, Batman!

So, kindly cancel my vacation plans to visit Vladivostok for the time being. I shall boycott Beluga! So long, Stoli! Down with Putin and up with pettin'!

If short-term memory serves me (doesn't always), I think Russia recently sued Lady Gaga and Madonna for making pro-gay statements. THAT is the last straw!

Even domestically in the States, the dark forces gather to oppose the Supremes' decision. Indiana just passed a law. On July 1 of next year, same-sex couples applying for a marriage license in that state will have  committed a felony punishable by 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine. (Hey, Texas Senate was confiscating women's Tampons today! Bloody hell! ps: handguns are permitted. Cancel my plans to visit that state! (Oh, wait, I had none!))

But we shall overcome, my friends.

I offer my readers this song. We are one! And we will be victorious in our civil rights struggle. As for right now: Dance Your Pain Away with this hot 7th Heaven remix of the new Agnetha Faltskog song posted below.

Love you all! Peace, Love, Happiness, Justice, let's work for a Better Tomorrow and -- most of all -- hold on to your Pride!

To Russia with Love

привет, Russia!

I am so happy and thrilled with the high number of views I've had over the past weeks from your great country. I know you are struggling, even more than we are in the USA, with equality for gay men and women. Our struggle is one and the same and we are united. Keep up the good fight! I humbly hope to entertain you through your time of  making progress against repression. Through the struggle there must be joy. Time is on our side, remember.

любовь! ~~ Dj Buddy Beaverhausen

Dance for progress. I leave you with this song from Donna, remixed by Almighty in the UK.

мир!