Say His Name: MARK CARSON

Hundreds of LGBT New Yorkers turned out tonight for a candlelight vigil held at the West Village corner where Mark Carson, 32, was murdered early yesterday morning. The event was organized by Adam Feldman and speakers included activists Eugene Lovendusky, Robert Pinter, and Brendan Fay. Among the local politicos in attendance were state Sen. Brad Hoylman, state Assemblyman Micah Kellner, and City Council candidate Corey Johnson.  Speaker after speaker exhorted the crowd: "Say his name!"  Everybody: "Mark Carson, Mark Carson, MARK CARSON!" 

NOTE: On Monday there will be a rally at the LGBT Community Center at 5:30PM, followed by a march to the scene of the murder.

PERSONAL:  Specials thanks go out to the many JMG readers who attended tonight. I just wish I'd gotten to meet you under better circumstances.

Queens: St. Patrick's For All

Here's a slideshow from today's LGBT-inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade in Sunnyside, Queens. It was a gorgeous day, almost t-shirt weather. Lots of well known folks and groups attended, from Mayor Bloomberg, Christine Quinn, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney (mine!) to activists Ann Northrop, Brandon Brock and the folks at Marriage Equality New York. (That's them in the green t-shirts towards the end of the slideshow.) Organizer Brendan Fay, the famous Irish/gay activist, hosted from the podium. Fun day, very small town "let's throw a parade and invite everybody!"

Today In Queens: LGBT-Inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade

It's a beautiful clear morning in NYC and later I'll be taking my 3/8ths Irish self to the LGBT-inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade in Queens. You can join Marriage Equality New York and Western Queens for Marriage Equality on the corner of 43rd Street and Skillman Avenue at 12:30pm for the parade. Subway directions here. DADT activist/hero Lt. Dan Choi emailed last night to note his attendance.

As you may know, gays are banned from taking part in Manhattan's St. Patrick's Day Parade by order of the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1995 ruled that the world's largest such parade, which travels down public streets and is protected by the NYPD and NYFD at public cost, is a private event. Manhattan's parade is "owned" by the Catholic group, the Ancient Order of the Hibernians. The parade in Queens was created by Irish gay activist Brendan Fay specifically as an "all are welcome" event.

Evening View - Queens Marriage Activism

Brandon Brock (far left), Brendan Fay (far right) and Astoria, Queens residents are holding nightly (5pm-8pm) vigils outside the office of Sen. George Onorado until the New York Senate has its vote on marriage equality.

(Photo via Manhattan Offender)

NYC: Protest At Iraq Mission Over Murders Of Gay Men In Iraq

Led by activist Brendan Fay, today a small group of LGBT activists protested in front of NYC's Iraq Mission over the recent spate of gay men murdered in Iraq. What would have been a relatively low-key demonstration turned somewhat ugly due to the NYPD, who at first refused to allow activists to stand on the public sidewalk in front of the Iraq Mission, then threatened to arrest anyone who attempted to ring the building's bell and deliver a formal letter of protest.

Reporter Andy Humm of Gay City News vehemently objected, shouting, "You can't ring a bell and deliver a LETTER in NYC?" Eventually two men appeared from inside and a man who identified himself as Yassar Mohammed accepted and read the letter but said he would have no official comment, as the Mission was observing "Great Friday." Below is my slideshow of the protest and my video of Brendan Fay's passionate speech in support of LGBT people in Iraq.

UPDATE: Wayne Anderson at World Of Wonder has his post up with more photos.

False Arrests Protest At Mayor Bloomberg's House

Today a group of LGBT rights and sexual freedom activists gathered just down the block from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Upper East Side mansion to protest the false arrests of gay men in NYC's adult bookshops. Robert Pinter, a victim of this campaign, gave interviews to a number of local and national newsmedia outlets as two dozen gay men marched with placards denouncing Bloomberg and the NYPD.

On hand were a number of familiar LGBT activists: Brendan Fay, Gilbert Baker, Ann Northrop, Father Tony, Eric Leven, John Weis and journalists Andy Humm and Duncan Osbourne. It was Osbourne's relentless pursuit of this story that brought the entire illegal campaign to light.

Also present were protest observers from the National Lawyers Guild and Susan Wright, the founder and spokesperson of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, with whom I had a chat about our mutual enemy, Peter LaBarbera. The NYPD was generally friendly and cooperative, although they did not allow the protesters within 100 feet of Bloomberg's home.

Curious passersby and tourists exiting Central Park took photos of the protest and were handed fact sheets about the action. Many of the men giving interviews to the press stressed that the entire "prostitution" campaign was in fact meant to close the city's adult businesses under nuisance abatement laws.

BELOW: Father Tony gets video of playwright George Tynan Crowley reading his special Valentine's poem to Mayor Bloomberg. Go to Father Tony's site for more on the rally, including photos and more video.

UPDATE: Robert Pinter tells his story to Eric Leven.

UPDATE II: The New York Times has published their coverage of the protest.

NGLTF's New York Leadership Awards

Last night Aaron and I attended the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's New York Leadership Awards at the new New York Times building, where although the honorees of the evening were filmmaker John Waters, Gov. David Paterson, and the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber Of Commerce, the night was really one long tearful goodbye to outgoing Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman.

BELOW: The evening kicked off with a two-song performance by Debbie Harry and Miss Guy. The second number was a great cover of Ace Frehley's New York Groove. I'll have a video clip of the performance up later today. BELOW: After accepting his award from Debbie Harry, who spoke about her role in Hairspray, John Waters launched into what has easily got to be one of the most raunchy speeches ever given at the podium of a gay rights event, touching on glory holes, back rooms, muff diving, and shrimping. It was classic John Waters. Waters also amusingly spoke about (paraphrasing here) reverse assimilation, saying instead of blending in with straights, we should work to make them gayer.BELOW: I ran into activist Brendan Fay and filmmaker Gréta Olafsdóttir, director of The Brandon Teena Story, who were there to film Gov. Paterson. I was so happy to be able to personally congratulate Brendan on he and his partner's recent public relations triumph over the president of Poland.BELOW: When the Task Force invited David Paterson to the awards, he was still Lt. Governor, so with the budget deadline looming in Albany, the governor was unable to attend. Accepting for Paterson was his openly gay First Deputy Secretary Sean Patrick Maloney, who you may recall ran for Attorney General of New York in 2006. Maloney introduced a hilarious video message from Paterson, which opened with: "Help! If you are seeing this video, please call the FBI or Interpol as I'm strapped to this chair with a gun to my head until we finish the budget!" If David Paterson wasn't a politician, he'd have a career in stand-up. BELOW: Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle and Task Force Board of Directors Co-Chair Mark Sexy Sexton, both of whom lauded Matt Foreman's legacy.
BELOW: Downtown scenesters Kenny Kenny and Patrick McDonald added flash to the room of power suits.BELOW: Matt Foreman and myself. While Matt leaves an enormous legacy of LGBT activism in New York, he will undoubtedly continue his trailblazing work at the Haas Fund, where he will oversee the largest grant program for LGBT rights outside of gay organizations. From the podium, Matt recognized his partner of 18 years, Frank De Leon, and spoke tearfully and eloquently about the battles both won and lost during his time at the helm at the Task Force. Speaking to critics who complain of "mission creep" in LGBT orgs, Foreman avowed that abortion rights are a gay issue and that racism is a gay issue and he pledged that after his departure the Task Force will continue to work with a broad coalition of progressive groups towards fairness and equality.In all, it was an inspiring evening, just being in the presence of so many people who have devoted their lives to LGBT equality. Aaron and I left feeling newly energized for the fight. On a personal note, while Matt Foreman's departure surely leaves a (temporary) void in an organization that has fought loudly and fiercely for all our LGBT brothers and sisters, I'm confident that his star will only continue to rise. I'm proud to call Matt Foreman my friend.

Backfired!

Remember last week when the Polish president used a video of American gay couple getting married as a warning to his nation on the evils of homosexuality? Well, this is a fantastic development:

A married gay New York City couple have become the darlings of the Polish media since arriving in the country on the weekend. Brendan Fay and Tom Moulton were unknown in Poland until it was discovered they were the couple whose wedding pictures were illegally used by Lech Kaczynski last week to warn that ratifying a European Union treaty would lead to the forced legalization gay marriage.

When Fay found that the pictures were used without his or Moulton's permission he filed a formal complaint with the Polish consulate in New York. Kaczynski used the pictures in his conservative Law and Order Party's campaign against the European Union's proposed charter of rights, called the Lisbon Treaty, during a national broadcast. Fey and Moulton were legally married in Toronto in 2003. It was not clear where Kaczynski obtained the picture.

[snip]

The trip to Warsaw was paid for by TVN - a private television station.Reporters and camera crews were on the ground when the plane landed and have been following them ever since in what Polish gay rights advocates say it is the biggest bonanza for LGBT in the country's history.

On Monday Fay and Moulton, met with Ryszard Kalisz, the head of the parliamentary committee on human rights in Poland and a leading member of the left of center coalition.At a news conference on Monday Moulton said that he and Fay were impressed with the reception they've received.

"I want to reiterate that we feel comforted by the Polish people who feel badly how our images have been used. We come here in the hope of opening a dialogue with a community that may have not had much voice and that will make Poland a better place. The issue here is about equality."

A huge round of applause to Tom Moulton and Brendan Fay!

Polish Prez Mocks Gay American Wedding

Speaking to a national television audience, the president of Poland played a video of two American men getting married in Canada as he mocked the EU's rules on same-same unions.

A gay man from the United States on Tuesday voiced outrage against Poland's President Lech Kaczynski for publicly using a video of his marriage to bash the EU's proposed charter of rights.

"Of course I am outraged that the president and his party would use images of Tom and I, of a very sacred moment for us as a couple," Brendan Fey told Poland's commercial Radio Zet broadcaster. Kaczynski used a prime-time televised address Monday to argue the EU's proposed Charter of Fundamental Rights, linked to the bloc's crucial reforming Lisbon Treaty, could allow homosexual marriage in Poland, a devoutly Catholic country.

A video of the couple's marriage in Toronto, Canada was broadcast nationwide to illustrate Kaczynski's presidential address. Fey and his spouse were not identified by name in the broadcast. "It is very sad for me when leaders of a nation such as the president of Poland urge people not to support the Lisbon Treaty because of the possibility of recognising equally same sex couples and our families," Fey told Radio Zet.

"Tom and I, we are both Catholic, in fact we met at church at Sunday mass," he added. Fey vowed to complain to Polish authorities that images of his wedding were "used in a derogatory manner."
Poland's liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk also slammed the president's address Tuesday.

"To scare Poles by saying that homosexuals and Germans pose a threat to the EU is stupid, indecent, contrary to our fundamental interests and very damaging to Poland's image abroad," Tusk said. Kaczynski had also said the charter could allow Germans to sue Poles for properties lost after World War II, when the Polish-German border was redrawn.

What Kaczynksi probably didn't realize is Brendan Fay is an internationally reknowned gay activist. Here are some photos I took of Fay at a protest at the Russian consulate last summer.

Rights Rally At UN: Noon Today

Human rights activists will gather at the UN's Dag Hammerskjold Plaza at noon today, marching through the plaza and laying a wreath at the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial. LGBT activists including Brendan Fay and Gilbert Baker are calling on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, to ensure the rights of LGBT persons are a “priority during the upcoming session.”

Gay Protest At NYC Russian Consulate

With Russian news cameras rolling, rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker and gay activist Brendan Fay poured Stolichnaya vodka into the street in front of New York City's Russian consulate in protest of the treatment of Russian gays by their government.

Under the wary eye of the NYPD (who did NOT want to be photographed) and U.S. State Department operatives (the earpieces are a dead giveaway), a small group of protesters marched on the sidewalk with placards. Brendan Fay attempted to deliver a letter of complaint to the consulate staff, but they did not come to the door.

I spoke briefly with the Russian news team, who seemed sympathetic to the cause and promised that their story will run on Russian satellite news later today. I will provide a link to their online streaming account of the event when it becomes available. Russian nationals waiting at the consulate were generally friendly, with one woman commenting that she worries for the safety of her gay cousin in St. Petersburg.

RELATED: SPI International, the Russian spirits manufacturer that has owned the rights to make and distribute Stoli since 1992, won an 18-month court battle against the Russian government in the U.S. District Court of Southern New York in April 2007, granting it the right to the trademark in the United States. Pernod Ricard, the international distributor of Stoli, acquired the brand last year when it bought Allied Domecq, a former co-defendant in SPI's case. When Russia stripped SPI's right to bottle and sell Stoli from Russian soil in 2002, SPI moved manufacturing to Latvia, despite continuing to label Stoli as "authentically Russian vodka". Pernod Ricard maintains the the vodka is merely bottled in Latvia and is shipped there in bulk from Russian distilleries, although that claim is disputed. The Russian state-owned import-export agency Soyuzplodimport continues to maintain that they alone hold the right to manufacture and sell Stoli, which is the 3rd largest selling vodka in America, with annual sales of $400 million.

UPDATE: Today's action at the Russian consulate is being criticized by some activists, who maintain that as a private (for now) brand that strongly supports gay events and causes, Stoli is not a correct target for a boycott. While I only heard of this boycott today, my understanding thus far is that Stoli was chosen due to its being the most widely-known Russian brand is the world, with the hope that the mainstream media would finally take notice of the plight of Russian gays. If the organizers of today's action would care to elaborate on Stoli's selection, I'll post their explanation here.

UPDATE II: The NY Blade used the top photo in today's cover story.