AFER Calls It Quits

Last month Freedom To Marry triumphantly declared that it was "going out of business." Today we get the same news from the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Via press release:

Together, we made history. Nearly six years ago, the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) was created with the specific mission of arguing for marriage equality before the U.S. Supreme Court and to, while doing so, dramatically advance the American conversation on equality. And we accomplished that ... and so much more.

* We returned marriage equality to California—our nation's most populous state—and, later, to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

* With David Boies and Ted Olson as lead counsel, we smashed the partisan barrier that traditionally divided supporters and opponents of marriage equality. Namely, we brought prominent conservative voices to the debate and proved that marriage is not a partisan issue, but an American issue.

* We put equality on trial. For the first time ever, a federal court heard evidence as to why denying gay and lesbian Americans the right to marry is unconstitutional. And, more importantly, for the first time, we forced our opponents to make their best cases, under oath, as to why marriage bans based on fear and hatred should stand. And we shared that story with the world.

* But, perhaps, most importantly, we drew a line in the sand. We demanded that every American--whether a regular citizen, an editorial board writer, a member of Congress, or a Supreme Court justice--not only listen to the stories of Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, and Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo--the brave plaintiffs fighting for justice--but that they also take a side.

The statement goes on to urge support for former AFER leader and current HRC head Chad Griffin as the HRC moves forward on the just-launched Equality Act campaign.

Lambda Legal Head Announces Retirement

"I am proud of what we have accomplished together and the work will not stop over the next 10 months or the decades ahead. Our community deserves our best efforts, addressing the discrimination, violence, and inequality we still face. I plan to keep us moving forward until my last day at Lambda Legal and I have every confidence in the organization's staff and volunteer leadership -- as well as in the next generation of leaders. As with any major transition, this is an opportunity for Lambda Legal to look toward the future and continue building the capacity of the organization." -   Kevin Cathcart, announcing his retirement in 2016 after 24 years as Lambda Legal's executive director.

More from their press release:

Cathcart is considered by many to be the 'dean' of LGBT leaders, as the longest serving head of a major national LGBT nonprofit. Before coming to Lambda Legal, he served from 1984 to 1992 as the executive director of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) in Boston, New England's LGBT and AIDS legal organization. In all, Cathcart has been the Executive Director of a major LGBT and HIV legal rights organization for 32 years, a time period which encompasses most of the historic victories and advances of our movement. At Lambda Legal, he led the strategy to finally eliminate state anti-sodomy laws that criminalized sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex, leading to the thrilling and game-changing 2003 Supreme Court victory in Lawrence v. Texas.

While Lawrence and Obergefell were the most historic rulings secured during Cathcart's career, there have been many others that have built the jurisprudence we now rely on: Cammermeyer v. Perry (1994), successfully challenging the removal of a lesbian officer from the military; Nabozny v. Podlesny (1996), finding schools liable for failing to protect gay students from harassment; Romer v. Evans (1996), a Supreme Court victory making clear that antigay sentiment is not a valid basis for laws; Varnum v. Brien (2009), a unanimous ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court in favor of marriage equality; and Glenn v. Brumby (2011), a federal appeals court ruling that Georgia violated the Constitution when it fired an employee because she is transgender.

DC: Suspect Arrested In Subway Stabbing Death Of LGBT Activist Kevin Sutherland

Via the Associated Press:

Jasper Spires, the man suspected of stabbing and killing a 24-year-old at a Metro station Saturday afternoon, has reportedly been arrested. The victim, Kevin Joseph Sutherland of Northeast D.C., died after he was stabbed on a train approaching the NOMA-Gallaudet Metro Station Saturday at about 12:50 p.m. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued for Spires for first-degree murder in the case. Sutherland had recently started working for "New Blue Interactive," a political strategy firm. Co-worker Brandt McCool told ABC7, "We all really loved working with Kevin. He came on a few months ago and ever since he has been one of the best digital strategists in the country. He's a bright spot, a pleasure to work with. It's a terrible, terrible tragedy." Sutherland graduated from American University in 2013. He was twice elected Student Government Secretary.

More about Sutherland from the Washington Post:

He was known to enjoy the sunset at a Kenny Chesney concert with a cocktail in hand, and he decorated his student government office at American University — where he advocated for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights — with posters depicting glam shots of pop star Lady Gaga. On his Twitter profile, he led with the Latin words of the Connecticut seal, “Qui transtulit sustinet” — “He who is transplanted still sustains.” By all accounts, Sutherland lived by the motto. In photographs and videos Sutherland posted online, he showed reverence and adoration for D.C.’s monuments and the city’s history, highlighting what he considered the nation’s treasures.

Local Connecticut news reports on the crime.

(Tipped by JMG reader DC Dave)

Matt Baume: Final Marriage News Watch

Clip recap:

Only a few isolated locations in the country remain where same-sex couples can't get married. Those opposed to equality are getting increasingly desperate, with stall tactics and long-shot legal games. We're also likely to see renewed attacks on other civil rights, so there's still going to be a lot of work to do in order to protect equality. But the story of marriage is changing from something we're fighting to achieve to something we're actually living. That's why as of this week I'm wrapping up Marriage News Watch.

What a great run! Our huge thanks to Mr. Baume!

50 Years Ago In Philadelphia

Via the Associated Press:

Gay rights activists gathered in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July to mark the progress of their movement and pay tribute to those who launched it a half-century ago — but also made it clear that the fight for equality was far from over. "In too many communities, you can still get married on Sunday and then fired on Monday . Marriage equality was a critical milestone but not the final destination," said activist Aisha Moodie-Mills, referring to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriages nationwide. "If history has taught us anything, it's that no community's rights are one and done with a simple piece of legislation. . Equality is not set in stone," Moodie-Mills said. The event was part of a weekend-long celebration of some of the earliest gay rights marches, including a gathering of about 40 protesters calling for equality at the same location on July 5, 1965.

More from the Wall Street Journal:

Most people associate the beginning of the LGBT rights movement with the Stonewall Riots in 1969, when a police raid at the Stonewall Inn caused many patrons to fight back. But four years earlier, on July 4, 1965, a group of 40 activists, led by organizers Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings, held what was at the time the largest demonstration in support of gay rights in the world. This began what became known as the “Annual Reminders” demonstrations, strategically held each year at Independence Hall where the Liberty Bell then resided, reminding people of the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation of the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” After the Stonewall riots, Kameny and Gittings suspended the annual reminders to focus on organizing a demonstration to commemorate Stonewall, launching in 1970 what has since become known as NYC’s first-ever Pride Parade.

RELATED: From Philadelphia's tourism agency.

MEXICO: Activists Protest Istanbul Pride Attack At Turkish Embassy

On Sunday, police attacked Istanbul Pride attendees with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets, reportedly because the event fell during Ramadan. Yesterday about two dozen Mexican activists protested the attack with a demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in Mexico City. JMG reader Alex sends us his photos, noting, "A prayer for Ramadan was performed by a Muslim woman. She did it over a Pride Flag." (The woman was among the protesters.)

Quote Of The Day - Evan Wolfson

"I always believed we would win, but what a joy and relief it was when our victory came. As I read the Supreme Court opinion, as I followed the stories across the country of couples getting married, and as so many people wrote me with wonder, attaching pictures of their families, their kids, their weddings ... well, I cried and cried again.

"We won. We did it. The freedom to marry is now the law of the land throughout our whole country. At long last, loving and committed same-sex couples are able to share in the joy, the protections, the vocabulary, and the institution of marriage.

"We've been fighting this campaign for decades, and not a single step has come easily. To overcome the obstacles and to seize the opportunities, with stumbles and then successes, we built a machine that could guide and leverage a movement, driving a strategy — and machines take fuel. Without your support, this transformation and triumph would not have happened.

"And our win is America's win. Love won. We all did.

"Now — as Freedom to Marry prepares to wind down — we must remember that there's still much work to do in our own LGBT movement and in the broader movements we are part of.

"I am grateful to my incomparable Freedom to Marry team, our close movement colleagues, the entire family of supporters and partners in the work, our allies, and our country. How lucky we are to see our work rewarded with the change and victory we sought and deserved.

"All that's left is to say, with all my heart, is congratulations — mazel tov! — and thank you." - Freedom To Marry founder Evan Wolfson, via email.

Bilerico Project Calls It Quits

Long-running LGBT group blog The Bilerico Project has called it quits after eleven years. Founder Bil Browning writes:

Projects are meant to be temporary and so was Bilerico Project. After more than a decade, it's time to wrap up our experiment. The media landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade and so have our lives and the LGBT movement itself. It's time to turn the page and start something fresh in this new environment. My first post in 2004 was a quote from Margaret Meade. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." I think we've done our part to make the world a better place. This will be my last post on Bilerico Project. The site will be archived at bilericoproject.com so that all 31,000+ posts will still be available for readers. It's been a long strange journey and I've loved every single moment of it, but the time has come to end the project and call it a success.

In the early years of this here website thingy, there were only a handful of us doing LGBT news aggregation and commentary before behemoths like Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, and other major sites launched LGBT verticals. Bilerico now joins Mike Rogers, Pam Spauding, Andrew Sullivan, and John Aravosis in LGBT blogging history. Hail to the independents.

FINLAND: What Happens When An HIV+ Man Asks Strangers To Touch Him

Buzzfeed reports:

An HIV-positive man named Janne recently stood on the street next to a sign that read, “I’m HIV-positive, touch me,” to see if the negative stigma attached with HIV/AIDS still exists. The video isn’t in English, but actions speak louder than words. Finnish Broadcasting Company, Yle Kioski, and Janne collaborated to make a video that truly reflected HIV awareness and Pride week in Helsinki. In the experiment, the Finland native stood with his eyes closed and arms out next to the signs, and waited.

(Tipped by JMG reader Treg)

TRAILER: Larry Kramer In Love & Anger

Kramer tells TIME: "I don’t regret anything I’ve done or said. No matter what you say, some people are going to like it and some people aren’t. So it hasn’t shut me up at all. Inside I’m just as tempestuous."  The documentary debuts on June 29th at 9PM. Set the DVR now.

Pope Francis To Meet Married Gay Activist

Pope Francis will hold his first-ever meeting with a married gay activist during a visit to Paraguay next month.

The activist is Simón Cazal, executive director of the Paraguayan LGBT rights group SOMOSGAY, who married another SOMOSGAY activist, Sergio López, in neighboring Argentina in 2012. Though the pope has reportedly held pastoral meetings with some LGBT people, this meeting marks the first time he will publicly meet with an LGBT political activist. Cazal received an invitation on June 4 from the committee of the Paraguayan bishops’ conference to participate in a roundtable with the pope and civil society leaders. The invitation — provided to BuzzFeed News by SOMOSGAY — said it was extended in recognition of the “high impact of your organization on Paraguayan society.” The meeting will be held on July 11 in the capital, Asunción.

SOMOSGAY says the invitation to meet with the pope came as a surprise as they had not requested an audience during the papal visit. Paraguay currently does not offer any legal protections to its LGBT citizens and a constitutional ban on same-sex unions was enacted in 1992. Homosexuality has been legal there since 1880.

RUSSIA: Several Activists Arrested At Unauthorized Moscow Pride Event

Via Agence France Press:

Russian police Saturday detained several gay rights activists for attempting to stage an unauthorised pride rally in central Moscow, AFP journalists reported. Police officers seized the activists - one of whom tried to unfurl a rainbow flag - and loaded them into waiting vans as around 30 nationalist counter-demonstrators in camouflage hurled eggs at the activists and attacked them. Several of the Orthodox counter-demonstrators were also detained by police as a large crowd of Russian and international journalists looked on. "Arrested and beaten at 10th Moscow Pride. We are arrested! They probably broke my left hand finger," leading gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev wrote on Twitter, posting a photo of himself in detention. "The most brutal arrest at Moscow Pride ever!" Gay rights activists insisted on holding the event Saturday despite a court in Moscow banning it. Gays in Russia face regular harassment and requests to hold pride parades have been consistently rejected by authorities in the capital.

I'll add video to this post if any appears.

UPDATE: We've got video

NEW YORK CITY: Panti Bliss To Perform Five Shows At Irish Arts Center

Via press release:

On the heels of the recent Marriage Equality referendum in Ireland, Irish Arts Center is proud to present Ireland's High Queen, National Treasure, Performance Giant and Accidental Activist Panti in her smash-hit comedy show, High Heels in Low Places. Brought to New York City by Irish production company THISISPOPBABY, High Heels in Low Places runs at Irish Arts Center (553 West 51st St, New York) for five nights from Monday June 8th until Saturday, June 13th with an official opening on Tuesday, June 9th at 7:30 pm. Performances are Tuesday-Wednesday at 7:30 pm and Friday-Saturday at 8 pm. Tickets are from $15 and can be booked online or by calling 866-811-4111. [Photo credit: Conor Horgan]

High Heels in Low Places is Panti’s riotous stand-up show about life after “Pantigate,” which played to rave reviews and chock-a-block houses across Ireland. Critics called it “Hilarious” (Hotpress) and “a wickedly funny evening” (Irish Independent) with “impeccable one-liners” (The Evening Herald). Charting brushes with infamy, near misses with fame, and adventures in the seedy underbelly, the High Queen of Ireland invites you in to her ultra-padded, hyper-real, stiletto-shaped world, as she swaps stories from the gutter and trades secrets of the stars.

Get your tickets here. I'll be there on opening night.

Feds to Induct Gay Rights Pioneer Frank Kameny Into Labor Hall Of Honor

Via press release from the US Department of Labor:

Frank Kameny, who for decades fought to end discrimination in the federal workplace, will be honored by the U.S. Department of Labor in June with an induction to its Hall of Honor. Kameny's legacy as a civil rights leader has made a monumental difference in improving the lives of all workers all across America. A World War II veteran and Harvard-educated doctor of astronomy with the U.S. Army Map Service, Kameny was discharged and barred from federal government employment in 1958 after U.S. Civil Service Commission investigators asked if he was a homosexual.

Kameny fought the injustice, eventually taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which denied his petition in 1961. The setback led him to become a co-founder of the first gay rights organization in Washington, D.C., and began his tireless fight to force the nation's largest employer — the federal government — to end discrimination in its employment practices based on sexual orientation. "Frank Kameny was a groundbreaking leader in the LGBT civil rights movement. He fought tirelessly to live out his truth and to end workplace discrimination," said Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "At the Department of Labor we work every day to carry on his legacy and ensure that all workers, no matter who they are or who they love, have equal access to opportunity."

Kameny died at age 86 in 2011. Earlier Hall Of Honor inductees include Ted Kennedy, Bayard Rustin, Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, and the 9/11 Rescue Workers. Kameny's ceremony will take place on June 23rd and the Labor Department suggests the Twitter hashtag #ThankFrank. (Tipped by JMG reader Jeremy)

Panti Bliss: I'm Drunk On Yes

"Yes. It's such a little word but today it feels so big. YES. Has one simple syllable ever meant so much before? Not to me anyway. I've never asked anyone to marry me, but today it feels like I asked a whole country to marry me and they said Yes. And I'm delighted. Ecstatic. I'm over the gay moon and drunk on Yes, and like any happy groom on his wedding morning, I'm truly, deeply, madly in love. I am in love with the whole country.

"Groups of men and women all across the country - students with shaved heads and grandmothers with headscarves, indefatigable activists and groggy-from-night-work taxi drivers - knocking on the doors of their fellow citizens in the pursuit of a simple and beautiful idea: the we are all equally deserving of respect.

"On Friday, Ireland agreed with that simple proposition. Forty years after those first brave men and women stood up and said, 'no more', the people of Ireland said Yes, and what must have seemed impossible all those years ago has been achieved: Ireland's LGBTI citizens are full and equal citizens under the law." - Panti Bliss, writing for the Sunday Independent.

Happy St. Panti's Day!

Wow. @PantiBliss arrives and the crowd chants Panti! Panti! Panti! #MarRef pic.twitter.com/IP7YISn0u3

— Ty Wesley Cobb (@tywesleycobb) May 23, 2015

@PantiBliss media scrum as she arrives at #dublincastle for #MarRef result. #Yes #YesEquality pic.twitter.com/oQhwPJ5Ayb

— Bobby (@bobbysands81) May 23, 2015

.@PantiBliss feeling the love #MarRef pic.twitter.com/DbhCa40XGN

— Conor Humphries.ie (@reutersConorH) May 23, 2015

Quote Of The Day - Evan Wolfson

"With a nationwide landslide in favor, Ireland now becomes the first country in the world to pass the freedom to marry by popular referendum, as well as the 21st nation and the 10th predominantly Catholic country in which same-sex couples can marry. Our Irish colleagues at Yes Equality ran a magnificent campaign and Freedom to Marry is proud to have shared what we’ve learned in our own campaign here in the US. The global momentum for the freedom to marry reflects and reinforces the progress we are making here in the United States – and we look now to the Supreme Court to bring our country to national resolution, following Ireland’s good example." - Evan Wolfson, head of Freedom To Marry, via press release.

Activists Send Message To Russian Subs: "Welcome To Sweden. Gay Since 1944."

Via The Local Sweden:

A Swedish peace society has come up with a new way of fighting off Russian submarines in the Stockholm archipelago: a subsurface sonar system called 'The Singing Sailor', which sends out Morse code and features the message "Welcome to Sweden. Gay since 1944". In a video published on their website on Monday, they demonstrate their new 'Singing Sailor Underwater Defence System', which they lowered into the sea east of Stockholm on April 27th. Any submarines lurking in the capital's waters will come across an animated neon sign of a dancing sailor in boxer shorts along with the message "Sweden – gay since 1944" (referring to when Sweden legalized homosexuality). The sign also sends out the Morse code: "This way if you are gay". The tongue-in-cheek move is designed to scare off military vessels from Russia, which does not share Sweden's tolerant attitude to homosexuality.

From the group's spokesman: "If there is a submarine down there beneath the Baltic waves and the crew should happen to see or hear the Singing Sailor they are welcome to join us in the Stockholm Pride Parade on August 1st." Word of the Singing Sailor has been picked up by the Russian state news agency Sputnik, which launched six months ago.

(Tipped by JMG reader Paolo)

Activist "Punks" Iranian Officials: "What's Your Favorite Way To Hang Gays?"

David Keyes, executive director of Advancing Human Rights, attempted to "punk" the New York City visit of Iran's foreign minister last week by staging a giveaway of ice cream and balloons to "celebrate" the 1000th hanging by the Iranian government. Via The Blaze:

Keyes said he uses comedy and satire to highlight human rights abuses, because “dictators fear humor.” Though Keyes didn’t get up close to the foreign minister, he did approach – armed with festive helium balloons in the red, green and white colors of the Iranian flag – Iran’s deputy foreign ministers Abbas Araghchi and Majid Takht Ravanchi. “Guys, how are you going to celebrate 2,000 hangings,” he asked as he walked alongside them. “What’s a favorite way to hang gay people, you think?” The Iranian officials appeared momentarily flustered by the display and apparently walked around the block in a circle, Keyes said. Keyes extended his hand for handshakes, but the Iranians didn’t take him up on the offer. As they entered their SUV, Keyes saw someone inside taking his picture. “Snapping pictures of me, that’s a little terrifying,” Keyes said.

(Tipped by JMG reader Gene)

#Pizza4Equality Raises $160K For Cyndi Lauper's Homeless LGBT Youth Fund

Clip description:

In the 26 days leading up to #40ToNoneDay, #Pizza4Equality has raised $160,000 from 4,224 donors! The campaign began with very high goals but low expectations. The support exceeded expectations and provided not only a lot of money but a statement of where our values lie. We're wrapping up soon but wanted to release this thank you video for everyone! (Enjoy the music from Cyndi Lauper's Tony-award winning musical, Kinky Boots!) In it you can get glimpses of the people and programs associated with True Colors Fund. We encourage you to stay in touch with them and help their educational and advocacy efforts to end youth homelessness.

This is the work of activist Scott Wooledge! Donations continue to be accepted at the link above.