ARIZONA STATEWIDE GLBT & ALLIES TOWN HALL AT TEMPE ASU

The first ever, Arizona Statewide GLBT & Allies Town Hall meeting will be held tomorrow on the ASU campus in Tempe.

According to organizers, there will be large group sessions, break-out workshop sessions, activism and organizing training sessions and a lot more.

Equality Arizona reported today that over 400 people have already signed up so if you're interested in attending, reserve a seat by registering at: http://eqfed.org/ahrf/events/townhall08/register.tcl?

Judging from the response so far, this looks like it's going to be an exciting, groundbreaking event. And, considering that Governor Napolitano is going to Washington and republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer is taking over, giving us a TOTALLY REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED GOVERNMENT, it's even more important for us to get organized and get active!

Here are the details:

Location:
Arizona State University - Life Science Building A, Room 191, Tempe, AZ

Parking:
SPECIAL NOTE: Tempe Art festival is also this weekend so DO NOT attempt to drive down Mill, you'll only be redirected into the middle of nowhere.

The best place to park would be in the Fulton Bldg. garage on College Avenue. The entrance is on the east side of College Ave., north of University and just past the first bus stops. After you park, just walk south to University. ASU's entrance is right across the street and the Life Sciences Lecture Hall is behind the "Old Main" landmark bldg. See ASU map.

UPDATE...
Below is a much more dtailed updated listing of the events schedule that I just got from Equality AZ:

Town Hall Schedule

Keynote Address: (10:00-11:00 Main Lecture Hall)
Peri Jude Radecic, Executive Director, Arizona Center for Disability Law

Brainstorm Session: Marriage, Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships (11:00-12:30 Main Hall)
Panelists: Barbara McCullough-Jones, Jason Cianciotto, Frankie Reynolds, Ken Jacobs, Cynthia Leigh Lewis; Facilitator: Elizabeth Burden
Join in a dialogue with community leaders from across the state with opportunities for questions and answers. This is time for healing and looking forward, a time to address and voice concerns from the past election, and a time to turn our eyes to the future.

Brainstorm Session: Campaign Strategies (1:30-3:00 Main Lecture Hall)
Facilitators: Barbara McCullough-Jones Equality Arizona, Ken Jacobs Pima County Democratic Party
How do national campaigns affect local issues? Are national issues like "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and ENDA affecting our state political structure? Join this discussion to discuss the ramifications of national political issues and how they affect Arizona.

Brainstorm Session: Politics and Religion (1:30-3:00 Classroom 1)
Facilitators: Julie Roberts, Equality Arizona, Steve Wayles, First Congregational UCC
Opening level planning session designed to organize a statewide interfaith coalition to openly approach Equality through communities of faith. We will look at what has happened in the past, both successes and failures and look to the future in Arizona. We want to create an effective and unified campaign to activate our allies and engage in productive discussions to change the hearts and minds of the more conservative and less inclusive communities of Faith in Arizona.

Workshop Session: Being a Citizen Lobbyist (1:30-3:00 OR 3:30-5:00 Classroom 2)
Presenter: Sam Holdren, Equality Arizona
A workshop designed to lead a personal activist through the twists and turns of the Legislature. Discover effective methods to influence legislative ideas and actions. Learn how one person can make a difference.

Workshop Session: Families You Know (1:30-3:00 Classroom 3)
Presenter: Jason Cianciotto, Wingspan
The Families You Know? campaign profiles families in which one or more members is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Families where children, siblings, parents, grandparents and friends are loved, respected, cared for and nurtured. By utilizing social media, this campaign is community-focused and community-driven. Its goal is to raise awareness, confront prejudice, and begin a conversation where all families are respected, valued, and not exploited for short-term political gain.

Brainstorm Session: Hate Crimes (1:30-3:00 Classroom 4)
Facilitators: Nathan Treanor, HRC, Mikho Jenamie, Wingspan, Tambra Williams, City of Phoenix Police Department
Hate Crimes affect not only the victim but the community as a whole. Do you have ideas about effective responses to hate crimes? What measures for prevention do you think are important? Is the answer legislation, prevention or enhanced community response?

Brainstorm Session: Engaging Our Allies (1:30-3:00 Classroom 5)
Facilitator: Nora Ranney, ACLU
Do you have ideas for building bridges into the Allied community? Are you a straight ally looking for opportunities to get involved? Join this conversation to help identify new partnerships or ways to think outside the box.

Brainstorm/Workshop Session: Legal Protections for Partners and Families (Main Hall 3:30-5:00)
Presenter/Facilitator: Kathie Gummere, Esq.
A discussion regarding current alternatives to marriage, with an eye towards short term or existing family protections such as second parent adoption, hospital visitation and medical power of attorney. Workshop portion is a Q&A with Kathie.

Brainstorm Session: Transgender Inclusiveness-(3:30-5:00 Classroom 1)
Facilitators: Abigail Jensen, Attorney and Transgender activist, Steven Tran, Equality Arizona
Join a discussion about current issues affecting the transgender community, how those issues are different from and similar to the issues affecting the larger LGBT community, and how and where to focus our efforts to achieve change in Arizona.

Workshop Session: Engaging Youth (3:30-5:00 Classroom 3)
Presenters: Matthew Heil , GLSEN, Micheal Weakley , 1N10
We will come from the two perspectives of youth and youth activism to educate the participants on how to best interact with LGBTQ youth and youth leaders, their rights and abilities within GSA's in schools, how faculty and non-faculty can get involved with LGBTQ youth leaders and the progress and needs of LGBTQ youth leaders from our community.

Brainstorm Session: Equality Through the Arts (3:30-5:00 Classroom 4)
Facilitators: Julie Roberts, Equality Arizona, Aaron Wilder, Sandra McCullough-Jones
Got a song to sing? A dance to dance or a poem to be read? Turn your talent toward Equality and bring together all the arts for a sharing and collaborative planning session to see what path we are on, the paths we want to continue down and what new paths we can forge together to create new ground.

Bring your guitars and your dancing shoes, creative & collaborative ideas, and your willingness to learn, share and grow together as an artistic community for Equality!

Brainstorm: Health Issues (3:30-5:00 Classroom 5)
Facilitator: Hilllary Pinney, Planned Parenthood
Which LGBT health issues are currently under-addressed or underserved? How are LGBT people being excluded? Do you have ideas about engaging the health care community to create better policies or practices for the community?

The event is being hosted by Equality Arizona, 1n10, the Amancio Project, ACLU of Arizona, GLSEN Phoenix, Human Rights Campaign, Northern Arizona Pride Association, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, Prescott Pride Center, and Wingspan.

This is your chance to have a voice in shaping the future of Arizona's equality movement so come on over and help us make a difference.

LESBIAN MAY BE NAMED SECRETARY OF LABOR

According to PageOneQ.com, long-time labor activist Mary Beth Maxwell is in the running for Barack Obama's Secretary of Labor.

Maxwell is the founding Executive Director of American Rights at Work. Its mission is to modernize and reform the United States’ labor laws to better meet the needs of 21st century employers and workers.

Mary Beth's work has garnered national news coverage in the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and countless other news outlets. She is credited with dramatically altering the public debate about the need for employers and workers to have access to a fair collective bargaining process. She is also widely acknowledged as the leading voice for improving the effectiveness of the National Labor Relations Board.

Her previous positions have included National Field Director for Jobs with Justice and Deputy Field Director for NARAL Pro-Choice America. She also sits on the Board of Directors for American Families United and The Discount Foundation.

If appointed and confirmed, Mary Beth would be the first openly gay cabinet secretary ever to serve in the history of our government.


A Great Star-studded Video...

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

VATICAN ADVOCATES FOR HOMOSEXUAL DEATH PENALTIES

This has got to be one the most twisted and disturbing things the Catholic Church has ever done!

According to an article posted at Lez Get Real, the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations said the Holy See would oppose a resolution that would protect gays from being killed just because they are gay.

Their extraordinarily twisted reasoning is that the resolution would "add new categories of those protected from discrimination" and could lead to reverse discrimination against traditional heterosexual marriage.

This is far beyond any conceivable concept of a religion that is supposedly founded on the benevolence, compassion and unconditional love of a God they purport to believe in. A God that, according to their own bible, commanded, "Thou shalt not kill."

The resolution, to be proposed this week by the French delegation and introduced to the UN on behalf of the European Union, recommends protecting Gays and Lesbians from being jailed or killed for no other reason than their sexual orientation.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore said that if the resolution were adopted, it would create “new and implacable discriminations" and that states which do not recognize same-sex unions as 'matrimony' will be pilloried and made objects of pressure.

However, the fact is that the French resolution, supported by all 27 members of the European Union, says absolutely nothing about gay marriage. It is about ending jail and death penalty sentences that gays face in more than 85 countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen where you can still be legally murdered just for being gay.

An editorial in Italy's mainstream La Stampa newspaper said the Vatican's reasoning was "grotesque." Another editorial in Rome's La Repubblica newspaper said the Vatican's position "leaves one dumbstruck."

Gay rights activist’s in Italy and in other European Union countries said that the Vatican’s reasoning smacked of "total idiocy and madness" and what the Vatican really feared was a "chain reaction in favor of legally recognized homosexual unions in countries, like Italy, where there is currently no legislation."

How can anyone in their right mind support and even contribute money to a church that advocates the murder and torture of any human being? Especially when that advocacy is based solely on bigotry and/or, at best, gross misunderstandings that would unquestionably lead to death?

This time the Catholic Church has gone way over the edge and they should be taken to task for that inhumane and psychotic decision.