· The Oregon House approves an anti-bullying bill 50 to 9 "with all no votes coming from minority Republicans." The bill now moves to the Senate. Meanwhile in Minnesota, an anti-bullying bill advances in the Senate.
· Dhani Jones reflects on his role as cultural ambassador in his new television series Dhani Tackles the Globe. "[Jones] recalled that in Cambodia, a group of kids kept calling him 'Mr. Obama.' 'There
are some places where the people haven't seen many people of color or
people with hair like mine, so they want to touch it,' said Jones. 'Part
of Dhani Tackles the Globe is my experience of the different nuances
of different countries and people, and hopefully, it can make an
amazing experience for the next person.' " (Thanks RevKev!)
· The stalled civil unions bill has effectively been killed in the Hawaii Senate. "A motion to pull the Hawaii civil unions bill from the deadlocked Senate Judiciary Committee failed this afternoon 18 to 6, effectively killing the measure," reports HRC Backstory. The legislation passed the House of Representatives by a
33-17 vote on February 12. The AP quotes Senate Judiciary Chairman Brian Taniguchi who says the bill could be amended and revived .... but that probably cannot happen until
next year.
· President Barack Obama appoints a Latina lesbian as an Associate Judge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Marisa Demeo currently works as a Magistrate in the Criminal Division of the
Superior Court. The judge has worked for numerous public interest groups such as the AIDS Service Center of Lower Manhattan and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fun. (Thanks Andres!)
· New York City changes birth certificate policy for lesbians. Legally married lesbian couples will now have both names on the birth certificates of their children
· Kobe Bryant and wife sued by former housekeeper and accused of verbal abuse and humiliation. Among many other things, Vanessa Bryant is accused of
forcing the employee to "put her hand in a bag of dog feces to retrieve
the price tag" for a blouse that she had accidentally ruined. Kobe says
the claim is "outrageous."
· Venezuela: Legislature will fast-track a bill that "would grant same-sex couples legal recognition, including shared patrimony and inheritance rights."
· Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan will no longer cover gender reassignment surgery. A broad coalition of organizations—including the ACLU and National Association of Social Workers—condemn the decision.
Of course that's how they answer the complaint...what are they going to say..."yes, Vanessa is a huge beotch and all must bow at her feet because her HUSBAND (not her) is famous!"
Posted by: A. Martinez | 25 March 2009 at 21:19
I've seen Dhani's show and LOVE IT!
It's programmed into my Tivo now, thanks!
Posted by: Raheem | 25 March 2009 at 21:25
I believe the maid, Kobe's wife Vanessa looks like she could and can be a TOTAL you know what.
Posted by: Devin | 25 March 2009 at 21:28
That's interesting we have two bullying bills going forward at the same time. Thankfully more people recognize the extreme damage bullying can do to children of all races and sexualities. I was bullied as a child and in high school because of my voice and I would cut school to avoid the harassment. Hopefully less students will have to experience that trauma.
Posted by: Silva | 25 March 2009 at 21:32
Take heart, Ms. Jimenez. If you were working for Divine, she probably would've made you eat that dog s__t.
Posted by: Macy | 25 March 2009 at 21:35
Keeping Vanessa around has sure cost Kobe alot of money, but i guess it's still less than HALF!!
Posted by: Not a Lakers Fan | 25 March 2009 at 21:37
Hey! Let's hear it for the Latina lesbians! Thanks for the love Rod. And don't you love Andres at Blabbeando?
Posted by: Celia Ruiz | 25 March 2009 at 21:42
BAM!
That pic of Dhani is just busting all out lol That man is sexy
Posted by: devereaux | 25 March 2009 at 21:45
Rod and everyone else...
I'm new here first time commenting after reading for a few weeks. I'm a 21 year old college student in Chicago and appreciate the topics and discussion. Just thanking folk for opening up a young brotha's eyes ....
Posted by: Jai | 25 March 2009 at 22:29
The failure of civil unions in Hawai‘i is truly sad. And make no mistake: This failed because of the so-called “moderate,” “love-the-sinner-not-the-sin” Four Square Pentecostal mega-church here. It sent out its congregation by the thousands to protest the existence of gay people.
They all came to the State House uniformed in bright red shirts. Is it mere coincidence that the Red Shirts are the white supremacist organization that was fiercely active in the South for decades after the Civil War and who protested in South Carolina as recently as 2006 against the NAACP and the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday?
It is a sad irony that many of the people wearing those red shirts are themselves Filipinos or other brown-skinned folks, whom their soulmates in bigotry back in South Carolina see as only one small step up from the African.
It is always an amazing thing to me how many recent immigrants try to fight the discrimination they experience every day, not by fighting their oppressors, but by trying to prove to their oppressors that they can be as evil as they are.
Posted by: Jim | 26 March 2009 at 00:49
I've DVR'd an episode of his show but I haven't watched it yet. I'm sure it's good.
Posted by: S. Flemming | 26 March 2009 at 11:06
Rod, an update on Venezuela:
Guys. Thanks so much for linking up to my original blog post. An update:
Ms. Matute's assertions have been refuted. According to the Presisent of the legislative commission, Marelys Pérez, there is no such language in the current draft of the bill. Pérez says that Assemblymember Matute was speaking as an individual and not as a member of the Commission....
http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/2009/03/venezuela-same-sex-unions-are-not-being.html
Posted by: Andrés Duque | 26 March 2009 at 15:16