The FBI has released their detailed report on hate crimes in America for 2008. Crimes against LGBT people increased by 11% nationwide.
Indiana is one of a handful of states without a statewide hate crimes law. Instead, we have a hate crimes reporting law that requires law [...]
Sad news this morning from Out Word Bound bookstore as the 11 year old business announces it will be closing immediately after Christmas.
The closing of Indy's only LGBT bookstore is a huge loss for our community. It will leave a' [...]
While this week brought news that ENDA has been delayed for a few weeks, we didn't let that stop us from bringing you a ton of popular posts about almost every aspect of our community. Here are the best from this week.
Sunday The sexual politics of a hug Filed' [...]The marriage equality drumbeat has rumbled on with news that several states will be attempting to re-examine their state constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and/or civil unions. Surprisingly, this hasn't received as much attention as I assumed it would in the LGBT blogosphere.
Last week, Jerame and I traveled to NYC where I was honored to receive the NYC Anti-Violence Project's Courage Award alongside fellow LGBT bloggers, Joe Jervis (Joe.My.God.), Pam Spaulding (Pam's House Blend), and Andy Towle (Towleroad). The honor is two-fold: the AVP [...]
The House Committee on Education and Labor, which was due to mark up the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on Wednesday of this week, has announced that it is postponing its markup. A terse statement on the Committee's website states simply that "This markup has been postponed."
I had posted [...]
According to One News Now the American Medical Association (AMA) is ignoring health facts in homosexual advocacy with it's passage of a resolution that opposes "don't ask, don't tell" and declaration that gay marriage bans contribute to health disparities:
Elaine Donnelly, the never served in the military but president of [...]
While I took a few vacation days this week to travel to NYC, the Editorial Team kept things plugging right along and the great contributor content didn't stop for an instant. These posts really stood out this week:
Sunday Fellatio in fruit bats Filed by: Gloria Brame Ph.D.Over the past few years working here at Bilerico, I've become something of a free speech fundamentalist. A few years ago I was all in favor of "safe spaces," etc., but now it all seems quaint and counterproductive. I guess helping several dozen people who disagree with you express themselves' [...]
No rhyme or reason, just some stuff I felt like sharing...
Boy George twittered a link to Phil Reese's post about the Top 10 Out Gay Male Pop Stars. He protested Phil's description of him. While I was mad that AirTran canceled me and Jerame's flight to NYC for [...]It's that time again.
This year's Transgender Day of Rememberance activities include a presentation of "TransActions," a play exploring the emotions and realities of being transgender in this day and age. It's a wonderful play, and a wonderful way to pay respects to those who lost their lives for simply [...]
This post will stay at the top of the page until midnight. New posts are underneath this one.
Projectors,
I know I was lucky enough to win the NYC Anti-Violence Project's Courage Award last night along with fellow contributor Pam Spaulding (for her own fantastic site, Pam's House Blend), Joe Jervis [...]
I should be hopping on a flight to New York around the time this goes live on the site. Flying has never scared me; snakes, spiders and rodents don't really bother me either. Instead, there's one thing that will send shivers of' [...]
When the House of Representatives passed their version of health care reform last night, sexual orientation and gender identity were defined [pdf] as groups likely to "experience significant gaps in disease, health outcomes, or access to health care." Hat tip to Jill for pointing it out.
''Subtitle G--General Provisions
16 [...]
Thanks to this week's election night open thread and our liveblog of the Senate ENDA hearing, this was the highest traffic week ever on Bilerico Project. While those two posts were two of our highlights, out of the many posts published this week, here are some of the [...]
I was actually gone on vacation for the earlier part of this week in Seville, since French vacations don't line up with American elections... but I've been catching up and most of what I wanted to say about the elections on Tuesday has either been covered by a contributor on [...]
Last night's loss in Maine for marriage equality was very disappointing, losing by about 5 percentage points, but the ENDA-like non-discrimination ordinance won in Kalamazoo by an amazing 30 percentage points. The Kalamazoo ordinance covers housing and public accommodations, in addition to the workplace, so its win indicates [...]
Tonight is a big night for LGBT rights and issues- Marriage Equality in Maine, Relationship Recognition in Washington State, and a Human Rights Ordinance in Kalamazoo. Add that to the openly gay candidates (Annise Parker in Houston) and races that effect our movement (the New Jersey [...]
When my son first came out, one of my initial thoughts was that our family was not a "typical, normal" American family. I, too, thought that a family consisted of parents, children, and grandchildren. Since my son was gay, I thought, he would not have children and I wouldn't have' [...]
As we've seen in the recent spate of hate crimes in New York City - and not just LGBT folks - there's still a lot of work to do around preventing violence based on arbitrary prejudices. The NYC Anti-Violence Project has been working on the issue for years, but it's [...]
I think this was one of Bilerico's best weeks ever. Not only did we have some highly popular emotional and entertainment posts this week, but our political coverage was spectacular. What other LGBT site covered the hate crimes bill signing - and gave you personal posts from contributors who [...]
All of the health care reform debate is really confusing to me and I'll admit that I'm not that well versed in the intricacies. By the time you throw Congressional procedures and protocols, insurance practices lingo, and a bunch of legal and medical terms into a mix, like a majority [...]
As we're redesigning the Bilerico properties, we've been wondering about our crossover traffic. Please take a moment to answer this brief question (no sign in or account needed) to help us better serve your needs.
Which Bilerico version do you read most often?(online surveys)Feel free to leave any suggestions [...]
President Obama has just signed the first ever piece of pro-LGBT federal legislation into law.
The Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act was attached to the Defense Authorization Bill and added gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability to existing hate crimes laws.
We have a long [...]
On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009- less than a week away- there will be critical votes on on LGBT equality in three states: Washington State, Maine, and Michigan. With so much attention devoted to other issues in the political realm, bloggers have banded together with the Courage Campaign to [...]
Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana is concerned about supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act because of potential impacts on small businesses. Fortunately, he has said, in his letter to constituents on the issue: "I will continue to listen to thoughtful arguments about the bill." That's good, because [...]
Update 10/28/09 5:30pm: Trevor has been found. Thanks everyone!
MISSING
Trevor Garcia, age 17
5'7" tall, 130#, brown hair, brown eyes
Saturday night the Damien Center of Indianapolis held their 22nd annual Grande Masquerade, the premier fundraising event for the city's primary HIV/AIDS support center. I was privileged to be one of many volunteers to help this event run smoothly, and it was great. For two' [...]
Okay, gang. I need your help. I'm tired of always being the bridesmaid and never the bride... We've come in second place in the Best LGBT Blog Awards for two years running after barely missing first place by a few votes each time. This time I want to win [...]
A crisp artistic style, engaging storylines, and good ol' trans melodrama. It's a combination that can't really go wrong, and "Between the Lines" proves it.
The comic details the lives of young transsexuals at different moments of time as they come to terms with their [...]
The past week has been huge for forward progress in LGBT political news. Between the administration's clarified definition of "family," HHS's announcement of the creation of an LGBT senior resource center, HUD's new study on LGBT discrimination in housing, and the Senate's passage of hate crimes legislation, the [...]
Lord Farquaad
Okay, gang. I need your help. I'm tired of always being the bridesmaid and never the bride... We've come in second place in the Best LGBT Blog Awards for two years running after barely missing first place by a few votes each time. This time I want to win [...]
Okay, I have two confessions to make.
One, I went to one of the two remaining all-male colleges left in the country, Wabash College. (I know of exactly one other alumna from my alma mater: you may know her already.) You may have heard of the [...]
As expected, the Senate passed the defense authorization bill this afternoon on a bipartisan vote of 68-29. Hate crimes legislation has already passed both houses of Congress, but the entire bill had to be voted on again after differences in the two versions of the defense bill were worked out.
The [...]
"Everybody is supposed to be equal in this country. By voting NO on question 1, I'm casting a vote for equality and a vote for my son."
"Americans have shown the world again and again that we can figure out how to take all kinds of different people and live together'" [...]
I must say, Glee star Corey Monteith is a lot nicer than my "Husband That Doesn't Know He's a Husband" Neil Patrick Harris. Neil didn't even send me a birthday card, but Corey? He makes videos for my blog.
Oh who am I kidding? Neil, call me. We can work [...]
It must be hell to be the publisher of an advertising circular masquerading as a community newspaper these days. With all the competition from bloggers and social media, the days of the Indiana Word are probably numbered.
One of the biggest complaints you hear about the birdcage [...]
Tonight, I was reading back over some of the Bilerico articles when I came across Bil's article about the kids at North Central putting on "The Laramie Project" and the intentions of Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church to picket North Central High School. Since [...]
Several Projectors write and ask what we send to our e-mail list. Each night at midnight, we round up all of the day's posts and send them out to subscribers. We only include the front page portion of the post (same as our' [...]
The boys of raannt went behind the scenes with Porn Super Star Jeremy Bilding.
1. Are you gay or straight? Ah Ha! The question that everyone always wants to know. It always seems to arise everywhere that I show up. Fellow performers typically always want to know, viewers [...]
Last Sunday October 11, the same day as the National Equality March, the Indiana Stonewall Democrats held their 2009 Leadership Awards ceremony. Honored were Congressman Andre Carson and activist Joe Miller.
Since neither Bil nor I could be there, our good friend Abdul Hakim Shabazz, from Indiana Barrister and WXNT morning [...]
From our extensive coverage of the National Equality March to meeting our goal of raising $5000 for No On 1/Protect Maine Equality by the last day of the reporting deadline (we raised almost $5600!), last week was killer for Bilerico Project. Here are the best posts from the past [...]
Recently, the boys of raannt were able to, well, get deep with porn star Josh Griffin and find out what's going on, behind the scenes, so to speak...
Josh Griffin
1. Are you gay or straight? LOL, nope I am gay and have a great boyfriend in my life. [...]
Gang,
Once again, a generous donor and Bilerico reader has offered to match donations to our ActBlue Maine Page up to $1000 to help protect marriage equality for all families! The deadline is in six hours!
We need your help, though! Our donor will only match if at least 12 [...]
Last week, on March 11, 2009, I had the opportunity to attend the March for Equality in Washington, D.C. When I first heard about the March, I knew I had to be a part of this historical coming-together of [...]
It was great to see Stonewall Democrats board member Aaron Schaler at the National Equality March in Washington DC last weekend. Aaron marched with the Bilerico contingent and was also featured in a video mashup we did asking participants why they were marching.
[...]One of my favorite memories from the National Equality March is standing around and waiting to start marching and looking at all of the people in sheer amazement. From the NGLTF float, you couldn't see the beginning of the march; it stretched for blocks. Since we were really close to' [...]
Today we're going to help you double your investment in under 48 hours--your investment in equality!
Once again, a generous donor and Bilerico reader has offered to match donations to our ActBlue Maine Page up to $1000 to help stop the discriminatory' [...]
While I was gone to Washington DC for the National Equality March, local activists were taking to the streets of Indianapolis in solidarity.
Way to go Indianapolis! It's always great to get a local angle on LGBT issues so the local community can relate and even the more conservative veteran they [...]
For one brief shining moment, I got to stand on the main stage of the National Equality March to be recognized as an Executive Steering Committee member instead of working as press backstage. Even then, I couldn't help snapping pictures from the stage to share with Projectors.
Video of that section' [...]
Just as everyone returns home to settle down from the National Equality March in Washington D.C., Indy spices up the rainy days with fall flavor, turning out several events this week to keep everyone busy, busy, busy.
Fashion capitols of the world; Paris, Milan, New York, [...]
Bilerico Project contributors Phil Reese and Jerame Davis pose with Rea Carey, Executive Director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, backstage at the National Equality March. Photo credit: Bil Browning for bilerico.com
[...]
I attended my second ever protest this past Sunday. This one really was more of a celebration, just as it was billed. Any anger was channeled into inspirational rhetoric, and the short speeches were effective.
I arrived about 45 minutes after the starting time. (I work on [...]
Bilerico Project co-owner Jerame Davis takes a break from shooting videos at the National Equality March. Photo credit: Bil Browning for bilerico.com
Excited LGBT activists at the National Equality March. Photo credit: Perry Bindelglass for bilerico.com Click to enlarge.
[...] 
A big "thank you" goes out to everyone that participated in the AIDS Walk & Ride this year. Nearly $156,000 was raised to help Hoosiers living with HIV and AIDS!
Rain and clouds gave way to sunshine and pleasant temperatures setting the stage for the perfect day [...]Editors' note: We don't post works of fiction much, but we hope you'll enjoy this short story from Austen.
Funny how the therapist drains the words right out of you.
All the way here the words echoed in your head, over and over, like some long-lost mantra from a battlefield. But' [...]
Bil's in DC at the National Equality March, so I'm giving you all the list of what you need to read this week on Bilerico.
Bilerico Nation Indiana Family Institute = Westboro Baptist Lite by Bil Browning (Bilerico-Indiana)Here's our "From the George Bush version of reality" moment for today, folks. Over on the Indiana Family Institute's blog Public Policy Director Ryan McCann links to the podcast from my recent appearance on Abdul Hakim Shabazz's morning radio show. The segment focused on Westboro Baptist Church's recent [...]
Have anything on your mind regarding the upcoming 2010 legislative session? A recent email message from Indiana Senator John Broden relates the Indiana Senate Democrats are open for questions.
Want an opportunity to sound off now to the Indiana Senate Democrats?
You're in luck. Senator Broden tells you' [...]
Do you know how much it breaks my heart that my "He Just Doesn't Know It" husband won't be in DC for the National Equality March? This means he won't be at my birthday party tomorrow night to give me his present!
[...] If you're going to the National Equality March or live in DC, I'd like to invite you to a very special Bilerico Project blogger meetup - it'll be my birthday party too! The Helix Hotel is an awesome venue for a meetup/party; it's one of DC's hippest hangouts for young' [...]
The staff at Bilerico was tipped off to a wonderful workshop happening in a few weeks at the University of Indianapolis. It's good to see workshops on these issues; I've heard stories that GLB issues are occasionally seen as unimportant by some up-and-coming therapists. While it's not a huge' [...]
National Coming Out Day is this Sunday, October 11 and there are lot's of great events going on over the National Coming Out Day Weekend.
Saturday October 10 at 11AM is the Indiana AIDS Walk & Ride. I've participated in this event many times. I'm not part of a group this [...]There are now 8 Senators* who I believe are likely to be supportive of ENDA. If we add them to the confirmed yes votes**, we would have 57 yes votes. That would communicate volumes to the Senate leadership, because it would bring us within 95% of the votes we need. [...]
Holy crap! Indiana State Representative Jackie Walorski is seriously being considered as a credible Republican candidate to challenge incumbent Congressman Joe Donnelly? Perhaps the RNC likes having fringe candidates running in that spot - like last election cycle's Tony Zirkle who spoke in favor of segregation and was the [...]
Indiana Stonewall Democrats will honor Congressman Andre Carson and local businessman and philanthropist Joe Miller for their work on LGBT issues on October 11. The Frank O'Bannon award will be presented to Congressman Andre Carson for legislative leadership on LGBT issues. Joseph Miller will be recognized for' [...]
After reading Nate Silver's prediction that rightwingers attempts to overturn Maine's same-sex marriage law would likely fail, I found this list by state of the last year voters would pass a marriage amendment. Nate says that by 2015 Indiana voters wouldn't pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Recently, after talking about all of the interesting people we have met in Indy who contribute to the fluid, social vibe that we encounter, we decided we would dedicate a weekly interview to "local celebs" who contribute to this vibe, and really try to understand the person behind [...]
Are you going to the National Equality March or live in DC? If so, don't forget about the Bilerico Project blogger meetup (and my birthday party!). We'll be having our bash Friday Oct 9 at the Hotel Helix lounge; there will be alcohol served, but you don't have to be' [...]
Hey Folks... We are the boys of raannt, and we are the new gossip columnists for Bilerico-Indiana! We are extremely excited about this new endeavor and hope to serve the LGBT community with honest and alluring information about the social scene of Indianapolis. Just to be clear from the beginning, [...]
If you're going to the National Equality March or live in DC, I'd like to invite you to a very special Bilerico Project blogger meetup - it'll be my birthday party too! The Helix Hotel is an awesome venue for a meetup/party; it's one of DC's hippest hangouts for young' [...]
Editor's Note: Contributor Marla Stevens was the first person to join Bilerico as a contributor in April 2005. Neither she nor her wife, Phyllis Stevens, have donated any money to Bilerico Project.
UPDATED AT THE END OF THE POST
Phyllis Stevens, chairperson of' [...]
Indiana State University's student newspaper is reporting that a sizable contingent of ISU students will be marching in DC next weekend.
Members of a campus LGBT-awareness group will travel to Washington, D.C. next month for the National Equality March, part of a nationwide campaign for gay rights.
Advocates for Equality [...]
Craigslist may be full of creeps, but it can also be a source of unexpected joy. I'm not sure if the latest ad that's been doing the rounds is written by a real mom wanting to make some extra cash despite her naivete or by some comedian in' [...]
Anyone remotely tuned into the same-sex marriage debate has heard of Maggie Gallagher. Most know her from the national stir she has created as President of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy.
Recently, there was flurry of blog chatter after Maggie showed [...]
When Indy Impact was first founded almost a year ago - the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) community was suffering from a massive blow from the passage of Proposition 8 in California. In a matter of 10 days, grassroots LGBT groups sprung up around the country in order to [...]
A friend of mine from Wabash once summed up the gay experience at Wabash with a single shirt. He distributed it to all his friends, who wore the shirt with a proud sense of irony. The joke, in plain white text: "Why do gay men go to Wabash?" The [...]
Let's take a trip in the Wayback machine to 2005. Same-sex marriage started in Massachusetts in May of 2004. In January of 2005, a legal challenge to Indiana's DOMA law brought by the ACLU on behalf of [...]
Our ENDA coverage this week was the best online. Dr. Jillian Weiss's liveblog of the ENDA Congressional Committee hearing (plus her advice on how to use the opposition's arguments going forward) was the highlight of the week. A few hundred Projectors participated and other bloggers and activists' [...]
Editor's Note: Guest blogger Anjala Batchfield lives in Indianapolis with her husband of almost 12 years, Dillan, their dog Cedar, and two cats, Emma and Gato. When Anjala isn't protesting in the rain, she likes to crochet, read, watch TV with her hubby, and hang out with her friends and' [...]
"How bad could this video be?" you might ask. It is, without a doubt, the worst YouTube video ever. It's so bad I'm putting it after the jump...
There's so many things wrong with this video that it's hard to know where to start. There's the rhythmically-challenged unattractive older guy in' [...]
While Democrat Melina Kennedy has already announced she'll be seeking the party's nomination for the 2011 mayoral race, yesterday's endorsement of her campaign came as a mild shock. The Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 120 (Indianapolis) announced their support of Kennedy's [...]
Last December when local trans woman Taysia Elzy was murdered, several local reporters used offensive language to describe Taysia and her relationship. While the Indianapolis Star did a training session with their staff after the incident, NBC's WTHR-13 reporter Steve Jefferson got named "Worst in the Nation" [...]
On Oct 11th: Take action in DC or take action locally.
We stand at the brink, at a moment of unprecedented possibility in the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality across America.
All our legislative victories so far have come at the state and local level where we have [...]
Ah, Indiana. We're #1! In divorced people!
Wayne County - home of Richmond - made the top spot for the highest proportion of divorced residents in the United States. Floyd and Madison counties also made the top ten list.
So the next time you' [...]
This morning's meeting on ENDA was crucial to the bill's passage. Thankfully, the witnesses really knocked the ball out of the park; hard facts, touching stories, and legal implications were all handled in turn. Rep. Barney Frank's testimony and its final focus on transgender issues really says it all:
Let [...]
C E Quandt, Principal of Indianapolis' North Central High School, has e-mailed students, faculty and parents asking them to refrain from counter-protesting at the school Thursday afternoon. Westboro Baptist Church members (aka Fred Phelps' family) will be protesting outside the high school from 2:55pm - 3:30pm.
The hate group is known [...]
Indiana Stonewall Democrats will honor Congressman Andre Carson and local businessman and philanthropist Joe Miller for their work on LGBT issues on October 11. The Frank O'Bannon award will be presented to Congressman Andre Carson for legislative leadership on LGBT issues. Joseph Miller will be recognized for' [...]
A lot of Projectors write and ask what we send to our e-mail list. Each night at midnight, we round up all of the day's posts and send them out to subscribers. We only include the front page portion of the post (same [...]
Congratulations to Russell Brown, the new Lawrence Township Trustee. Russell replaces Mike Hobbs an openly gay politician who was forced to resign the position after pleading guilty to stealing $500 from the Township fire department to pay his rent.
Russell is a longtime friend - he used our front porch [...]
This shit will never die:
An Elk Grove Village gay bar popular with cross-dressers now requires them to show a valid photo ID that matches their "gender presentation." Put another way, they now need a photo ID that shows them in drag.
Hunters Nightclub reluctantly imposed its new ID requirement because [...]
Do you live in the Washington, DC area or are you going to the National Equality March? If so, you're invited to help me celebrate my birthday with tons of other contributors and Projectors!
Bilerico Project Meetup & Bil's Birthday Party Helix Hotel Lounge
Indiana can be a lonely place to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, but the internet has done wonders to connect our community around the state. When I started bilerico.com as a local blog in 2004, there were only three other LGBT blogs in the entire state. [...]
There will be an extremely important Congressional hearing on ENDA this Wednesday, September 23, at 10:00 am ET. It is before the Committee on Education and Labor. It will have a lot to do with whether ENDA succeeds or not. But of the 49 committee members, 15 have voted against, [...]
Looking for a way to keep up with all of our great posts when you can't visit the site every day? Do you spend all your time on the main site and forget to check in on the state-level sites? Do you have a' [...]
One of the major underlying and often-unstated arguments against ENDA, in addition to concerns about pedophilia, fear of loss of religious freedom a sudden flood of litigation and concerns about gay quotas, is transphobia - an irrational fear of transgender people.
In simple terms, this is the "yuck" [...]
We had some fantastic guest posts by LGBT leaders this week on Bilerico Project. Toni Broaddus, Executive Director of the Equality Federation, penned an open letter to Cleve Jones about the federal vs state approach to LGBT rights. Kip Williams and Robin McGehee, Co-Directors of the National Equality March, [...]
Alex made an excellent post about the use and potentially offensive qualities of the word "cisgender" in queer communities. He's covered all his bases there, and I highly recommend reading for a further exploration of the debate. Instead, I want to take a step back and look at the [...]
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