AMERICANS FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Americans for Marriage Equality Launch Hosted by Calvin Klein Collection
Support for marriage equality nationwide has increased by almost twenty percent in the past 15 years. Today, about 53% of the American public supports equal marriage rights for same-sex couples, according to a number of nonpartisan polls, including Gallup, CNN, and Washington Post/ABC News. One of the main drivers for this dramatic change is the continued high-profile nature of the discussion. HRC’s Americans for Marriage Equality is a public engagement campaign aimed at continuing that conversation with the American people. Launched in October, the campaign will feature video testimonials by prominent Americans – ranging from professional athletes, film and music celebrities, to political and civil rights leaders – all in support of marriage equality.
Monday night, the Americans campaign was officially launched with an event hosted by the Calvin Klein Collection at the iconic brand’s Madison Avenue flagship store. The goal was to bring continued aware to this fundamental fight for equality from coast to coast. A prominent group of Americans including Julianne Moore, Anna Wintour, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld, Ronald Perlman, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, Jared Kushner, Jay McInerney, Sean Avery, Robert DeNiro and Grace Hightower, Renee Fleming, Justine and Jeff Koons, Courtney Love Cobain, and Speaker Christine Quinn, attended the event to lend their support. HRC president Joe Solmonese was also in attendance and offered remarks during the short program which featured Julianne Moore and Speaker Quinn.
The campaign has already featured videos by Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world, Oscar winner Mo’Nique, civil rights legend Julian Bond, Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo, and acclaimed Broadway playwright Katori Hall.
The campaign is the national expansion of the very successful New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign HRC ran in that state earlier this year. New Yorkers featured videos from over 50 prominent New Yorkers like Russell Simmons, Kevin Bacon, and Lucy Liu, and world class athletes like Steve Nash, and Michael Strahan. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Barbara Bush, and U.S. Senators Gillibrand and Schumer also lent their voices to the cause. (hrc.org)
For more information on the campaign or to see the featured videos, visit www.hrc.org/marriageequality.

ΜΑΥΡΟΒΟΥΝΙΟ. ΚΙ ΕΜΕΙΣ ΕΙΜΑΣΤΕ ΚΟΜΜΑΤΙ ΤΗΣ ΟΜΑΔΑΣ

1978. ΠΕΙΡΑΤΙΚΟΣ ΡΑΔΙΟΣΤΑΘΜΟΣ ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΙΛΩΝ ΣΤΟ ΠΑΡΙΣΙ

Εφημ. ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ, 3/1978

CONTRALUZ. ΜΕ ΤΗ ΜΑΤΙΑ ΤΟΥ JUAN GATTI

Juan Gatti: Contraluz
Sala de exposiciones Canal de Isabel II
Calle de Santa Engracia 125, Madrid
24/11/2011 - 01/04/2012

1978. ΖΗΤΟΥΝ ΑΠ' ΤΟΝ ΚΑΡΤΕΡ ΝΑ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΤΕΥΣΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΔΙΚΑΙΩΜΑΤΑ ΤΩΝ ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΙΛΩΝ

Εφημ. ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ, 1/1978

1861-2011. 150 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΩΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΟΣΗΜΩΝ

*****

TOM CULLIS

Tom Cullis (ΗΠΑ)

ANDREAS: MAKE LOVE

http://andreas.com.ua/en/about_me

Ο ΜΠΑΜΠΑΣ ΜΟΥ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΓΚΕΪ

http://gayfield.blogspot.com/2011/11/childrens-book-explaining-homosexuality.html

SAME DIFFERENCE

SAME DIFFERENCE
USA, 2010
DIRECTOR: Catherine Opie, Lisa Udelson
Among the cries of “What about the children?” during the debate over California’s Proposition 8, where were the voices of actual children? That’s the question posed in ‘Same Difference’, a collaboration between renowned photographer Catherine Opie and award-winning filmmaker Lisa Udelson. It’s an exploration of how modern American families are constructed, not only those within the LGBT community. Slashed together with vintage film clips to create irony and recognition of the historical representation of family, the piece challenges how we know what we know, and how our opinions can change. But the real stars of the film are children of same sex parents, ranging in age from two to eighteen. With humor, insight, intelligence, and passion, they speak about their lives and their families. With hope for the future, this smart commentary of the present “state of the family” is incredulous, though-provoking, and altogether human.

ΕΡΧΟΝΤΑΙ ΚΙΟΛΑΣ ΤΑ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ;

www.e-modusvivendi.com/

ZENNE DANCER

ZENNE DANCER
TURKEY, 2011, 35 mm, color, 101’
DIRECTOR: M.Caner Alper & Mehmet Binay
An unlikely trip, an unshakeable friendship and family boundaries that prove deadly to breach.
A feature film about an unusual trio: Daniel, a German photo-journalist in Istanbul without much knowledge about Middle Eastern values. Can, a flamboyant, out and proud male belly dancer with lots of love and support from his family, and Ahmet born to an eastern and conservative family whose quest for honesty and liberty results in a tragic end.
ZENNE Dancer has been inspired by the true story of Ahmet Yıldız, who was murdered for being gay at the age 26 by his own father in 2008.

1977. ΣΥΝΤΑΓΜΑΤΙΚΗ ΚΑΤΟΧΥΡΩΣΗ ΘΑ ΕΧΟΥΝ ΣΤΟ ΚΕΜΠΕΚ ΟΙ ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΙΛΟΙ

Εφημ. ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ, 12/1977

ΝΕΑ ΥΟΡΚΗ. 30-40% ΤΩΝ ΑΣΤΕΓΩΝ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΛΟΑΔ ΑΤΟΜΑ

Young, Gay And Homeless: Fighting For Resources
by Margot Adler (20/11/2011)
A number of studies of homeless youth in big cities put forth a startling statistic: Depending on the study, somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of homeless youths identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
It's largely because gay youths are more often kicked out of their homes than straight youths. And even if they are not kicked out, they may feel so uncomfortable that they leave.
In New York City, nearly 4,000 young people are homeless every night — many of them gay.
On the Christopher Street pier in Greenwich Village, where dozens of gay and transgender youths hang out, Carter Seabron and Elena Wood of Safe Horizon's Streetwork Project hand out snacks, condoms and information. The organization sends out several nightly teams to find homeless youths.
"Would you like a snack?" Seabron and Wood ask. Oreos, Rice Krispies treats and chewy bars are the favorites. They also give out information about Streetwork's drop-in centers, where young people can get showers, clothing and housing referrals.
Seabron, the outreach coordinator for the Streetwork Project, says that "for the most part, the majority of youth we see who identify as being homeless also identify as being LGBT."
Wood says not all of them are thrown out of their homes, although many are.
"The parent might not say, 'You have to get out now,' like, 'I am kicking you out,' especially since that is illegal if they are under 18," she says. "It's a fine line between what is their choice and what is not."
Each homeless young person has a different story.
Jeremiah Beaverly grew up in Wisconsin and Illinois.
"The day after my 18th birthday this year, my adopted parent kicked me out," he says. "At the time, I was really infatuated with this guy, and she was listening to my phone calls. She started telling my family, 'He is this, he is that, he is gay,' and talking about me as if I wasn't part of the family."
Beaverly was lucky — he had friends whose parents were more accepting. He stayed with them until he finished high school. Now, in New York City, he is in emergency housing — only available for 90 days.
"I went from shelters and couch-surfing to my own bed," he says. "I haven't slept in my own bed for almost a year, so it is really nice."
There are three organizations that cater to homeless gay kids in New York City.
Carl Siciliano is the founder and executive director of the Ali Forney Center, which he describes as the nation's largest organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. When he started the center almost 10 years ago, he says, "kids were dying in the streets; there was no shelter for gay youth; every couple of months, I would know someone who was murdered in the streets."
In the beginning, Siciliano's goal was just keeping kids safe. But as the years have gone on, he says, "it has become clear to me that we are living in a societal moment, where kids are coming out at younger and younger ages, and there are so many parents who can't be parents to their gay kids. They can't cope, they can't deal with it, their religion is in conflict with the reality of their kids' lives, and these kids are getting thrown away.
It makes sense if you think about it. Kids growing up today see gay people on television. They read about gay marriage in several states. If they think they are gay, they think they can come out of the closet at a younger age.
Tiffany Cocco grew up in East Harlem. She dropped out of school, did some drugs, was kicked out by her parents. She is now 23 and on a waiting list for housing. She's been homeless since she was in her teens. She says she has slept at friends' houses, couch-surfing, among other places.
"I lived on the streets," she says. "Literally, the A Train was my best ride: Waking up to the sunrise, gorgeous. I slept on stoops, park benches — then, finally, shelters."
Siciliano says he gay rights movement has not been good about dealing with the issue of homeless gay youth.
"The movement was articulated and thought out at a time when it was almost all adults coming out," he says. "We have framed our fight for equality in adult terms, and almost all the victories we have won only really benefit the adults in our community."
He also says the gay community hasn't really dealt with poverty and destitution.
Siciliano attended a recent rally in Union Square for gay homeless youths. A crowd of several hundred people chanted, "They're our kids; they're our kids."
At the microphone, Siciliano says it's a different kind of struggle to protect gay kids than the battles the movement has fought in the past.
"With adults, it's a fight for laws like marriage equality," he says. "It is not so much laws with the kids; it is economics. It's a fight for resources. That's what our community hasn't quite gotten yet; we have to fight for resources to protect our kids. How dare we say 'it gets better' to the kids if we are not willing to fight to make sure they have what they need."
There are only 250 beds for 3,800 homeless kids in New York City; waiting lists are huge. Facing a $10 billion deficit, Gov. Andrew Cuomo made compromises with the New York state Legislature. Budget cuts would have taken 100 of those beds away. The city council restored monies cut from both the city and state budgets, so no beds have been cut. A spokesperson said Cuomo asked all local governments to take more responsibility for their budgets by eliminating waste and prioritizing vital programs.
But Siciliano is still angry that homeless kids are not a priority. Of the governor, whom Siciliano describes as heroic in regard to gay marriage, he says, "It's tearing my heart in two. Here you have a political leader who is doing so much to help the adults of our community and is taking actions that harm and imperil the most vulnerable youth of our community. What do we do? What is our response to that?"
Siciliano hopes the rally in late October is the beginning of a real campaign for youth shelter. They're calling for 100 more beds for homeless youth each year until the need is met. But homeless kids don't have power, money or votes. It's hard to believe they will be at the top of many politicians' list in future city and state budgets.

Ευτυχώς που τα (ανύπαρκτα) greek statistics μάς επιτρέπουν να ζούμε με τη συνείδησή μας ακόμα ήσυχη ότι κάτι ανάλογο δεν συμβαίνει στην Αθήνα.

ΜΑΛΤΑ. ΤΑ 3 ΜΕΓΑΛΑ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΑ ΚΟΜΜΑΤΑ ΣΤΗΡΙΖΟΥΝ ΤΟ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΟ ΣΥΜΒΙΩΣΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΓΙΑ ΟΜΟΦΥΛΑ ΖΕΥΓΑΡΙΑ

PN sεeks rights for gay couples
timesofmalta.com, 19/11/2011
The Nationalist Party yesterday announced its intention – as part of its 2011 general council proposals – to press for legislation concerning non-married, including homosexual, couples.
Arguing that the state “cannot be blind” to the value non-married couples place on their personal relationships, the plan goes on to note that the state “must legislate wherever necessary to establish the rights and responsibilities of such relationships for both heterosexuals and homosexuals”.
If approved, the proposal will mean that all three political parties are in favour of legislation concerning gay partnership rights.

1977. ΦΡΙΚΙΑΣΤΙΚΟ ΕΓΚΛΗΜΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΘΗΝΑ

Εφημ. ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ, 11/1977