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VIDEO: Brendon Ayanbadejo on "Face the Nation", "HuffPost Live"

Love it. Brendon Ayanbadejo continues to use his celebrity in the fight for equality. The Baltimore Ravens linebacker appeared on Huff Post Live this afternoon and CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday morning in advance of this week's Supreme Court arguments around Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act.

Ayanbadejo, Minneapolis Vikings punter Chris Kluwe and Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita are among the hundreds of legislators, politicians, employers and government agencies who submitted briefs to the Supreme Court opposing Proposition 8.

"My colleagues and I want to make sure that everyone is treated equally—and that includes the LGBT community," Ayanbadejo said on CBS News. "Being biracial, I know what it's like to be treated differently and discriminated against. ... This is a natural evolution from civil rights, equal rights and women's rights."

The Family Research Council's Tony Perkins also appears on FTN and—wait for it!—lies about how many states how voted for pro-marriage laws. The number is actually four. Watch both segments AFTER THE JUMP ...

NFL's Ayanbadejo and Kluwe File SCOTUS Briefs Opposing Prop 8

Very nice. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo and Minneapolis Vikings punter Chris Kluwe are perhaps two of our strongest straight allies in the fight for equality. The two pro football players are among the hundreds of legislators, politicians, employers and government agencies who submitted briefs to the Supreme Court opposing Proposition 8. The Obama Administration has also submitted an amicus brief.

The brief reads in part:

"In short, just as application of the labels “gay” and “queer” in derogation indicate that one class of people is inferior, deprival of the label and status “married” equally indicates that the class is inferior. Even a fifth grader knows that words have very serious meaning, and even a fifth grader can see that the proponents of Proposition 8 provide no reasoned, evidence-based rationale for taking away that label and that all-important status. In America, there truly is no freedom until we’re equal."

And:

"When we advance the idea that some people should be treated differently because of who they are, demeaned in public as lesser beings, not worthy of the same rights and benefits as others despite their actions as good citizens and neighbors, then we deny them equal protection under the laws. America has walked this path before, and courageous people and the Court brought us to the right result. We urge the Court to repeat those actions here."

The brief can be read HERE.

On March 26, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the challenges to California's Proposition 8, the voter-approved same-sex marriage ban passed in November 2008. The court will also hear a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA oral arguments begin March 27.

Brendon Ayanbadejo announced that he would leverage his appearance at the Super Bowl into a platform for equality. Looks like he has more than delivered. Kluwe has also been a strong supporter for equality and was a vocal advocate in the successful fight against Minnesota's proposed marriage amendment.

Brendon Ayanbadejo Coverage on R20:
Ayanabdejo to Speak Out for Equality at Super Bowl [EBONY]
Brendon Ayanbadejo Models Nipple Rings on the Field
Ravens LB Brendon Ayanbadejo Supports Marriage Equality
WaPo on Brendon Ayanbadejo's Support for Gay Marriage
Ravens LB Ayanbadejo for Maryland Marriage Equality
Ayanbadejo: "Being Gay is No Big Deal"

EBONY: Ayanbadejo to Speak Out for Equality at Super Bowl

Our latest at EBONY: An analysis of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo's announcement that he will advocate for equality at the Super Bowl. Here's a snip:

Ayanbadejo "has totally squashed the ‘dumb jock’ stereotype,” former pro-basketball player DeMarco Majors told EBONY.com.

Wade Davis played for the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks.  Davis has come out as openly gay after retirement."It's extremely important that Brendon is Black and supporting [gay rights] because of the false perception that the Black community is more homophobic than others," said Davis.

Public opposition to gay rights and same-sex marriage is rapidly eroding—but the locker rooms and clubhouses of the four major pro-sports leagues remain among the last bastions of homophobia. There are no openly gay players in basketball football, hockey or baseball.

Despite evidence to the contrary—such as numerous surveys or voting patterns—the “perception” of pervasive homophobia in the Black community has morphed into a media narrative. A number of Black professional athletes have emerged in recent years to counter the stereotype—such as Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Michael Strahan, Robert Griffin III, Donte Stallworth and others.

Read the full piece HERE.

You may recall that I interviewed Wade Davis, DeMarco Majors and Will Sheridan on "Coming Out in the Locker Room" for the newish anthology For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Still Not Enough. Keith Boykin is the editor.

Brendon Ayanbadejo to Use Super Bowl as a Platform for Equality

Very nice. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo wants to leverage his upcoming appearance at the Super Bowl into a platform for gay rights and marriage equality. That's according to an email Ayanbadejo sent to New York Times columnist Frank Bruni only hours after his team won the AFC Championship.

He tapped out an email to Brian Ellner, a leading marriage-equality advocate with whom he had worked before, and Michael Skolnik, the political director for Russell Simmons, a hip-hop mogul who has become involved in many issues, including same-sex marriage.

Ayanbadejo wrote: “Is there anything I can do for marriage equality or anti- bullying over the next couple of weeks to harness this Super Bowl media?” The time stamp on the email was 3:40:35 A.M.

The weeks leading up to Superbowl XLVII in New Orleans will be key to building Ayanbadejo's "super" platform.

Throughout his week, Ayanbadejo has been—and will be—talking to gay-rights advocates about how to seize this moment. For example, he’s been swapping emails with Hudson Taylor, the founder and executive director of Athlete Ally, a group dedicated to ridding sports at all levels—high school, college, professional—of homophobia. "He’s so excited and ready to take a stand in whatever way he can," said Taylor. "He is leveraging the biggest sports stage in the world."

He’s also in conversations with Ellner and Skolnik specifically about marriage equality. Said Ellner: “He understands that as a straight biracial player in the Super Bowl, he can have a huge impact on the future of this issue.”

Ayanbadejo says his ultimate goal is to bring his message—and a Super Bowl Ring—on Ellen Degeneres' show.  Yaassss.

Ayanbadejo has emerged as one of the most articulate supporters of gay rights in professional sport. The three-time Pro Bowler—who became an internet phenom due to a few strategically-placed accessories—was profiled by the Washington Post for his strong support of gay rights.

Maryland voters made history last November when they chose to uphold the state’s same-sex marriage law. Brendon Ayanbadejo was a vocal advocate for the pro-equality side. Same-sex couples can now legally marry in nine states and the District of Columbia.

Brendon Ayanbadejo Coverage on R20:
Brendon Ayanbadejo Models Nipple Rings on the Field
Ravens LB Brendon Ayanbadejo Supports Marriage Equality
WaPo on Brendon Ayanbadejo's Support for Gay Marriage
Ravens LB Ayanbadejo for Maryland Marriage Equality
Ayanbadejo: "Being Gay is No Big Deal"

EBONY: Black Voters Help Pass Marriage Equality in Maryland

Our post-election analysis for EBONY. The Black vote and "Maryland Voters Approve Same Sex Marriage Law":

The shift also marks a change in demographics. Both sides targeted African-American voters —"who were expected to make up 25 percent of the state electorate Tuesday," reports the Baltimore Sun. Black voters tend to be more religious and have historically have been slow to accept gay marriage. But national and regional polling has suggested that Black support for equal marriage has dramatically increased after President Obama and the NAACP's historic announcements supporting the position.

Nowhere was the battle for Question 6 fiercer than in suburban Prince George’s County—more than 65% Black and home to the nation’s largest Black middle class. PGC also boasts a sizeable and affluent Black LGBT population similar to that found in the adjacent District of Columbia.

Question passed with a "nearly 2-to-1 lead" in the neighboring largely White and upscale Montgomery County but "trail[ed] slightly in Prince George’s," reports the Washington Post. The unofficial tally in PGC was "131,619 votes for and 137,626 votes against." Blacks were split almost evenly on the measure.

"We’re ecstatic that Question 6 passed. We want our love to be acknowledged and cannot wait to get married," ShaDonna Jackson told EBONY.com last night. Jackson and her partner Lakisha Smith will celebrate their fifth anniversary in March. They are both Black—just like Tonya Parker and her partner—and live in PGC’s Hyattsville. 

Read the full article HERE.

BALTIMORE: Openly LGBT Rappers Challenge Hip-Hop's Homophobia

Will rap and hip-hop ever be ready for a successful openly gay or lesbian artist? The question has been asked repeatedly ever since Jay-Z and other leading hip-hop artists came out for equal marriage ... but said nothing about hip-hop's entrenched homophobia.

A number of openly LGBT artists in Baltimore are challenging that, reports the Baltimore Sun. Baltimore-based rapper DDm says he was inspired by "Omar Little", the Black gay homothug and stickup artist on HBO's gritty drama The Wire.

Omar, like DDm, was raw, aggressive — and gay. DDm saw enough in common with Omar that he named his mixtape, which drops next month, "The Omar Tape." "Omar was, of course, homosexual — but was respected and feared in a lot of cases, and I feel such a correlation in terms of that," said DDm, who performs on the main stage at the Baltimore Pride Block Party on Saturday. "Because there are a lot of artists here who talk about me behind my back, but they have yet to battle me. They have yet to try me."

30-odd years after hip-hop debuted, there are virtually no mainstream gay rappers. But the 24-year-old DDm, whose given name is Emmanuel Moss, is one of a small but growing number of gay Baltimore hip-hop artists hoping to change that stereotype. ... [It] is still an uphill battle for LGBT hip-hop artists. For several local rappers who are out, there are still stereotypes — boxes they are placed in because of their orientation. There are lingering stigmas and other obstacles to being accepted by some of their peers.

When appearing in music videos, DDm remembers instances where people have walked away from him on the set because they don't want to be seen or associated with him. He said rappers have asked him to contribute to tracks in the studio, only to cut his verses from the final record, which he suspects has more to do with other people coming in and questioning his inclusion than the quality of his rhymes.

There was also a recent panel discussion on homophobia and hip-hop in New York, reports EBONY.

Host of the Da Doo Dirty Radio Show, DJ Baker, sat down with Hip Hop artists’ Baron and Go DDm, CEO of Digiwaxx Media Corey Llewellyn and cultural critic/writer Greg Tate to discuss the growing LGBT movement in hip hop. The panel addressed a range of issues from stereotypes within hip hop culture to the lack of intellectual coverage on the topic in mainstream media. ... As DDm expressed during the panel, would Jay be willing to sign an openly gay rapper? And is Beyonce taking a transgendered MC out on tour? Not yet. In fact it seems no one is.

DJ Baker spoke with me last month for EBONY in my report on hip-hop and homophobia. "We still have to address hip-hop’s negative attitudes toward homosexuality," he said. "Why can’t we be successful in hip-hop besides being a wardrobe stylist or a closeted producer? Why aren’t their openly gay rappers on major labels?"

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Killer of Baltimore Gay Teen Sentenced to Life without Parole

There is an update to the tragic case of Jason Mattison, the openly gay 15-year-old Baltimore student brutally murdered in November 2009. The ex-convict who previously served time for murder and confessed to killing the teen has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, reports the Baltimore Sun.

Dante Parrish, a convicted killer freed from prison with the help of the Innocence Project in a 1999 murder, was sentenced to life without parole Tuesday for murdering a 15-year-old Baltimore boy less than a year after his release.

Baltimore Circuit Judge John Addison Howard quoted an old Scottish prayer when handing down the sentence, which included a second life term for attempting to sexually assault Jason Mattison Jr. before suffocating the teen with a pillowcase, slashing his throat and stuffing him in a bedroom closet in November 2009.

"From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night, good Lord deliver us," Howard recited. "To me," he told Parrish, "you are every bit as frightening and more, because you are real."

The circumstances surrounding Mattison's death remain unclear. Mattison was a star student at the Vivian T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy and hoped to become a pediatrician. But he was not living with his mother at the time of his death. The teen was living in his aunt's boarding house.

Reports indicated that Parrish forced Jason into a sexual relationship. Some family members and/or their tenants may have been aware and looked the other way. It also remains unclear why family members allowed a man with Parrish's background around children.

Mattison's mother now claims that she did not throw him out of her home, adds WBAL.

The victim's sexuality ran as an undercurrent of this case, said Miller. At the trial, prosecutors said he had to shuffle from one home to another because he was gay. Through a relative reading from a statement, Mattison's mother used the hearing to respond to the rumors, saying, "My son was never homeless. I did not put him out because of his sexuality."

Jason Mattison's murder happend during a rash of violence against Black and Latino gay youth in late 2009. Mattison's murder happened the same week a gay high school student was attacked by metal pipe-wielding classmates in Houston. Also that week: A substitute teacher in suburban Atlanta was arrested for allegedly soliciting another student to kill an openly gay 16-year-old student who was gay. And of course the Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado tragedy happened in Puerto Rico only two weeks before Mattison's death.

An awful and horrible story.

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Indictment in Murder of Baltimore Gay Teen
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VIDEO: Baltimore Ravens' Brendon Ayanbadejo for Marriage Equality

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has emerged as one of the most articulate supporters of gay rights in professional sport. Earlier this year the three-time Pro Bowler—who became an internet phenom due to a few strategic accessories—was profiled by the Washington Post and released a PSA encouraging Marylanders to join him in supporting marriage equality.

Ayanbadejo has released his second video supporting equal marriage, watch it WHEN YOU JUMP ...

"Wire" Actress 'Snoop' Pearson Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

Actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson of the hit HBO series The Wire has plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin. The plea came one day before her trial was set to begin. Pearson was one of several dozen people arrested last March in a massive drug ring accused of distributing heroin in Baltimore.

Prosecutors say Pearson was captured on audiotape making drug buys—an ironic imitation of The Wire.

The judge accepted the plea deal and suspended a seven-year sentence with credit for time served, reports the Baltimore Sun.

"I have things to do, I have to move on with my life," said Pearson, 31, explaining her decision to take a deal. She repeatedly said she would have been found "not guilty" at trial, but that she couldn't wait for the proceeding, which could have been years in coming.

A statement of facts read aloud by a prosecutor Monday claims that Pearson sometimes allowed two heroin dealers to use her downtown apartment to store drugs and money in exchange for payment, that she occasionally sold the drug herself and that another member of the conspiracy — who was kidnapped by rival drug dealers — stopped by Pearson's place to pick up his own ransom.

Pearson has a very troubled history. At 14-years-old, she was convicted of second degree murder and released from prison after serving a six-and-a-half year sentence. She was arrested in 2010 for  refusing to testify in a murder trial, reports the Washington Post.

The Wire ran from 2002 to 2008 and was filmed in Baltimore, putting a spotlight on the city's struggle with drug violence. Pearson's character—also named "Snoop"—was a hardcore killer for a drug gang. "Snoop" was one of several Black gay characters in the series—homothug and stickup artist Omar Little became a pop culture icon—and Pearson attracted a cult following for playing television's first unapologetic Black, butch lesbian. "Snoop" was famously killed off by actor Tristan Wilds, who played a reluctant young assassin.

Pearson was then described as "one of [the] rare openly gay Black actress in Hollywood." Unfortunately she displayed an amazing lack of awareness on LGBT issues. In a 2008 interview with Jasmyne Cannick, Pearson said she "really wouldn’t know" anything about homophobia or discrimination" in Hollywood or the Black community because it "never" affected her.

You May Have Missed:
"Wire" Actress 'Snoop' Pearson Denied Bail
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Ravens WR Donte Stallworth Tweets Support for Gay Rights

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Donte' Stallworth sent a series of messages from his Twitter account to support gay rights and same sex marriage, as well as criticize anti-gay politicians.

Some of the messages that Stallworth sent to his 67,000 thousand followers:

Sad that people are ridiculed for their sexual orientation in this age... and leave religion out of this, God loves ALL!!! #hyporcrites

These politicians that use religion to deter gay marriage are same ones doing dirty under the table ish & war mongering #WheresYourReligion

Wanda Sykes: "If you don't believe in same sex marriage, don't marry the same sex." #EnoughSaid

Stallworth also tweeted his support to CNN's Don Lemon, who recently came out publicly this week. "Lots of courage you have my brother... Live your life the way it makes YOU happy! @donlemoncnn #GodBless."

Stallworth is the third member of the team to publicly come out for LGBT rights and marriage equality. Former Ravens safety Will Demps voiced his support in 2006 before he was traded to Houston. Since 2009, teammate Brendon Ayanbadejo has been a vocal ally for LGBT rights and marriage equlity.