The Power of Inclusion to Create Change
Harness the true power of social media: inclusiveness.
Here's the latest in the tag activism
post a commentToday blogger Andy Towle on his blog Towleroad put together a call to action for his readers to join a “blog swarm” to put pressure on President Obama by putting pressure on the Human Rights Campaign:
If the President is serious about keeping his promises to our community, now is his chance to prove it.
Publicly demand that President Obama take the lead in getting DADT repealed this year.
1) That means the President needs to state publicly that he wants Congress to repeal DADT this year; and
2) The President needs to take the lead in working with Congress to make sure the repeal happens.Call now: HRC Front Desk: (202) 628-4160
TTY: (202) 216-1572
Toll-Free: (800) 777-4723
And right after that, he’s put a very short list of blogs sponsoring the “blog swarm.”
Although we think it’s a great idea to leverage the power of new media to put pressure on politicians and political organizations, I’m left wondering why the list is so small.
Why not put together a page where all the participating blogs can be listed? Why make it exclusive instead of inclusive ?
As Cleve Jones told us in an interview, in the past, activists had a phone tree and called each other. It would be fun to see blogs take this time-spreading the word on this action and have their names included.
What this appears like to some is just another attempt to separate the haves from the have-nots. How about it? Open the action to everyone. A list of “official” blogs is exclusionary and counterproductive. Harness the true power of social media: inclusiveness.
As Ariana Huffington loves to say “Ubiquity is the new exclusivity” so why not spread it around? Plan ahead and get it everywhere.
Selected Video Clips from the “Day of Decision” Protest in Chicago
Jason Smith captured some video clips from the Chicago protest the decision of the California Supreme Court to uphold Proposition 8, a referendum to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry in the…
FOF #939 – Cleve Jones Dances with Madonna
Standard Podcast [44:43m]:
You saw him at the Oscars, now on today’s show we have longtime gay rights activist Cleve Jones talking about what it was like to walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards, dance with Madonna at the after-party and hold Dustin Lance Black’s hand during the momentous evening.
The Oscar win for the film Milk certainly gives the national gay rights moment a shot in the arm but can we leverage the movie’s success into a comprehensive bill that ensures equality for all Americans?
Here are some memorable quotes from the interview:
On being at the Oscars with Madonna and a room full of celebrities celebrating Milk:
“It was an odd sensation to be in a room full of people and the only face I did not recognize was my own!”
On what an average citizen can do to fight for equality:
“I always go back to Harvey Milk. The single most important thing that we must all do as individuals is to come out of the closet and reveal ourselves to our families, neighbors and coworkers and let people understand who we are. I think the greatest obstacle that remains that individual queer people have about coming out.”
“The second step is to finally demand that straight people really get with the program and show their support. I think Sean Penn’s speech was very helpful in that regard. Too long we’ve accepted compromise and allowed our own leaders to sell us out. This is what President Clinton did… we need to hold all our leadership accountable.”
Cleve shares with us his thoughts on President Clinton crossing the picket line.
The fishy biological origins of sex.
Here’s another reason for pushing marriage equality: the environment. If Australian Senator Steve Fielding is right and divorce is ecologically unsound, then allowing same-sex couples to legally marry just may save the earth.
American Idol Judge Simon Cowell clarifies the rumors of him wanting to be frozen upon death. For now he’ll just enjoy being icy in life, not in death, thank you very much.
The world’s most unfortunate names.
Check out the world’s most windowed office building. Isn’t it cute? It looks like some cubist block of swiss cheese. Wouldn’t it totally blow if you worked there and didn’t have an office with a window?
How ecologists use magnets to confuse crocodiles.
If you got a moment, please vote for Feast of Fools in the Chicago Reader best of Chicago awards. We’re hoping to win Chicago’s award for the Best Gay News Source.
The podcast enjoyed by most commie, homo-loving sons of guns- Feast of Fools.
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FOF #905 – Joining the Impact
Standard Podcast [1:02:23m]:
January is named after Janus, the Greek god of beginnings and endings. On today’s show we take a look back at last year and look forward to what’s to come.
Did we stop the hate in 2008? Will we take the time to be divine in 2009? Or can we just stop the whine in 2009? What’s the line for 2009?
Hunky actor Chris Evans outs his hotter gayer brother in an interview in the Advocate. Chris says his gay brother is darker, taller and gets a lot of action. Question is, where is he?
Scott Baio is back “in charge” as host of “Confessions of a Teen Idol” a new reality tv show that examines former teen hunks such as Christopher Atkins, David Chokachi , and Adrian Zmed and helps them overcome their addiction to fame. The show claims that each hour-long episode will provide a rare, never-before-seen look at fame and its consequences as the guys live together and form a unique and exclusive support group.
But, we really just want to see how they’ve aged like our friends on Facebook.
Listen to today’s show as we talk about drag shows in smalls towns, our trip through the Midwest and celebrating Christmas with friends, loved ones and big pitcher of sangria.
We have an interview with Amy Balliett, Co-Founder of Join the Impact, the LGBT political movement that quickly formed after the passage of Proposition 8 in California.
Amy tells us how the group came together to organize over 200 simultaneous actions all over the world, what the new generation of activism looks like and how the Internet and social networks are changing politics and activism. Plus, Amy quickly explains why Facebook is hot and MySpace is so not hot. (It has something to do with tables.)
We also bid a fond farewell to Eartha Kitt, the legendary actress and singer who died at the age of 81 on Christmas day. It seems like a fitting departure for a woman who was best known for her song Santa Baby. Goodbye Eartha.
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FOF #892 – The Real Life Cleve Jones
Standard Podcast [1:08:40m]:
How far have we come in the fight for gay, lesbian, bisexual ans transgendered rights since the 1970s?
Gus Van Sant’s new biographic film MILK brings forth a chilling timeliness with parallels to the anti-gay measures passed in the last election.
Have we come a long way baby, or have we only just begun?
On today’s show we have the real-life Cleve Jones, Harvey Milk’s protegee and friend portrayed by the hunky actor Emile Hirsch in the film. Since the 1970s, he has been working tirelessly for gay rights and union organization.
On the anniversary of the assassination of Harvey Milk, Cleve conceived the idea for the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the world’s largest community arts project and memorial to the lives of over 85,000 Americans killed by AIDS.
Cleve shares his experience with the film and his thoughts on boycotts and the fight against proposition 8. Cleve is asking for the gay community to boycott Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego because the owner of the hotel gave $125,000 to Yes on Prop 8 campaign. They are having a community forum on the boycott on December 6th at the Center on Halsted at noon. Call 773.472.6469 for details.
Will we ever see a political leader like Harvey Milk again, and where’s their Facebook profile? It seems Obama won the election online, maybe we’ll find the same success as the new generation of queer youth network and organize on the internet.
Join us as Cleve answers how accurate was the movie? Was it a mistake to release the film after the November election? Was Harvey Milk’s lover Scott Smith as attractive as actor James Franco? What was assassin Dan White’s sinister relationship to the San Francisco Police Department?
And does the potential for winning an Oscar help an actor kick it up a notch on the Kinsey Scale?
Find out, PLUS- we’ve got Cleve Jones for the hour plus questions from you, our listeners.
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Proposition 8 Protest
Frustrated with the anti-gay measures in the last election? Stand up and make your voice heard. Join us this Saturday for a fierce rally to protest Proposition 8 which took away existing same-sex marriage rights…
Frustrated with the anti-gay measures in the last election? Stand up and make your voice heard. Join us this Saturday for a fierce rally to protest Proposition 8 which took away existing same-sex marriage rights in California. As Keith Olberman beautifully put it, it’s not just a gay rights issue, it’s about the human heart.
Besides, it’s the ultimate gay mixer. There will be lots of smart, brave and good looking guys and gals fighting for marriage. Why wouldn’t you not want to go?
Proposition 8 Protest
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Time:
10:30AM WEST COAST
11:30AM MOUNTIAN TIME ZONE
12:30PM CENTRAL TIME ZONE – Chicago
1:30PM EAST COAST
Location:
Your local City Hall, but if you’re in Chicago, it’s at Federal Plaza at Dearborn and Adams. Here’s a map.
To learn more, visit: Join The Impact, Gay Liberation Network or the Facebook Event.
Our gay pride shouldn’t be something we celebrate one month out of the year. We need to fight for equality! There’s no bigger turn on than a passion for justice.
FOF #849 – Marching for Matthew Shepard
Standard Podcast [1:02:06m]:
It’s been 10 years since college student Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered in the town of Laramie, Wyoming.
How far have we come in creating laws to protect queer folks from violent crimes?
On today’s show we’ve got Wayne Besen- best known for Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, a tell-all book about the deceptive practices behind ex-gay groups and Andy Thayer from the Gay Liberation Network.
Wayne will be speaking in Chicago this Saturday Sept 27th for the 10th annual Matthew Shepard March protesting the murder of Matthew Shepard and all victims of hate violence. The rally starts at 8pm on the corner of Roscoe and Halsted followed by a march through the neighborhood.
The controversial induction of Fundamentalist Radio personality James Dobson into the Museum of Broadcast Communication’s Hall of Fame has a lot of people up in arms. Why would they ask him of all people? Is this just a cry for help from antiquated institution that isn’t even relevant anymore to secure money or is something else going on here?
Check out Dump Dobson to learn how you can protest against Dobson’s inclusion into the Hall of Fame.
Is the Bush administration a shop-o-holic? The chilly reception to the 700 billion dollar bailout and a deficit out of control shows us a Republican party struggling to handle their obsession with spending. Will somebody please hire Washington a therapist or get them to find a hobby other than spending money.
Mama’s Milk Ice Cream? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are putting pressure on the Vermont Ice Cream company Ben and Jerry’s to substitute human breast milk instead of cow milk in their ice cream.
The demand comes in the wake of news reports of a Swiss Restaurant which uses cows milk in three quarters of all the dairy products it serves. How about a Moma’s Mounds blizzard sundae?
Listen to today’s show as we talk about these topics and more. What’s the big deal over celebrities in glass closets and what happens if Obama wins the U.S. Presidenital Election. Will Obama solve all our problems?
Vote baby vote- Feast of Fools.
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