(compiled by Michelle Aschenbrenner, Microsoft)
"We are all only here because of those who marched and bled and died, from Selma to Stonewall, in the pursuit of a more perfect union."--Michelle Obama, speaking at the DNC's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council, as quoted by The Associated Press
What is Gay Pride?
Gay pride or LGBT pride refers to a worldwide movement and philosophy asserting that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Gay pride advocates work for equal "rights and benefits" for LGBT people. The movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that sexual diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered. Marches celebrating Pride (pride parades) are celebrated worldwide. Symbols of LGBT pride include the rainbow flag, the Greek lambda symbol, and the pink as well as black triangles reclaimed from their past use.*
History of Gay Pride
The origins of Gay Pride month can be traced back to a turbulent weekend in New York City in June of 1969. On the night of June 27th of that year, the usual crowd gathered at the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village. New York Beverage Control Board agents and NYC police officers raided the bar to enforce an alcohol control law that was seldom enforced anywhere else in the city. Raids on LGBT establishments, however, were common at the time and were conducted regularly with little or no resistance; fearful patrons were physically forced out of their gathering places, often beaten, and/or arrested with no just cause. In fact, this raid was the second such raid at the Stonewall Inn that week. On the night of June 27th, LGBT citizens spontaneously fought back against police harassment for the first time. The crowd inside and outside the bar erupted into violent resistance against the officers as they singled out patrons to load into waiting paddy wagons. More police reinforcements were called in as local LGBT citizens united in enraged confrontation. Word spread quickly about the confrontation and large, outraged crowds gathered on ensuing nights to protest the mistreatment historically inflicted on the LGBT community.
These protests came to be known as the Stonewall Rebellion, and the uprising was the catalyst for the modern political movement for LGBT liberation - calling for gay pride and action to secure their basic civil rights. The event since then has been commemorated by an annual parade held each year in New York City and Los Angeles on the last Sunday in June, a tradition starting with marches on June 28,1970 marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. The Stonewall Inn was declared a national historical landmark in March 2000, cited as the birthplace of the modern LGBT civil rights movement. Now, Gay Pride events and parades are planned annually in the month of June all over the country as well as internationally. Gay Pride Month celebrates diversity and civil liberties and rights for all. Gay pride is also a symbol of solidarity and an opportunity to express the vivid personalities which reflect the diverse gay communities throughout the world. During this time (and in many places year round), the skies are covered with the gay pride flags and banners, the symbol of gay solidarity and freedom.
Meaning and History of The Gay Pride or Rainbow Flag
The gay pride flag was designed by Gilbert Baker and debuted at the 1978 San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. Read more about the origin of the gay pride flag! Also, Did you know that each color on the gay pride flag has a different meaning? See what each color represents here!
Historic Video Gives New Look Into LGBT Movement
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid56642.asp
New York’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center has released a new ‘Out at the Center’ episode in honor of Pride 2008 and the Center’s 25th anniversary. The two-part segment, hosted by Teddy Alexander Evans and Laverne Cox, details the challenges of being gay before the Stonewall uprising of 1969 and commemorates the people involved in the political movements that followed Stonewall.
Pride event resumes at DOJ
http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19114
For the first time in five years, DOJ Pride held a pride event at the Department of Justice's Great Hall in Washington, D.C., after Attorney General Michael Mukasey approved a nondiscrimination policy in January. The Bush administration previously had prohibited the event from being held in the Great Hall. Mukasey told the association for LGBT employees that they "have a right to be proud of who they are."
Thousands Attend Jerusalem Pride
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/06/062608jer.htm
(Jerusalem) More than three-thousand people attended Jerusalem's gay pride parade on Thursday but unlike previous marches police reported only minor homophobic incidents. Nearly 2,000 police officers were on duty along the parade route. At one point a small group of haredi, the ultra-Orthodox sect that disrupted pervious pride celebrations, were blocked by police from coming close to the parade route. One protestor was arrested.
Czech Government Bans Anti-Gay Protests
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/06/062508pro.htm
(Prague) Authorities have banned two anti-gay rallies that were to have taken place Saturday to coincide with an LGBT pride march in Brno, South Moravia. The parade is billed as the first gay pride march in Czech history.
Plans for Bulgaria's First Pride March Draw Fierce Opposition
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid56714.asp
Bulgaria's influential Orthodox Church on Friday called on authorities to ban the country's first gay pride march. The church argued the event would undermine the country's Christian traditions. "Bulgarian society needs healthy, strong, and moral individuals to build new life on the indestructible foundation of faith, prayer, repentance, honor, Christian culture, and morals," a statement said. Gays in Bulgaria face widespread hostility despite a 2003 antidiscrimination law that protects their rights.
World's biggest pride event is proven moneymaker
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7726.html
An estimated 5 million revelers on Sunday took part in pride festivities in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which claims to hold the world's largest pride event. The celebration reportedly attracted 330,000 visitors, and generated $115 million and helping create, both directly and indirectly, 13,500 jobs.
LGBT Equality Caucus formed by Baldwin, Frank
http://washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=18744
An LGBT Equality Caucus has been organized in Congress by out U.S. Reps. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Barney Frank, D-Mass., to function as a resource for federal lawmakers, staff members and the public. The 52-member caucus, according to Baldwin, is intended to be both "symbolic and substantive."
Rite of civil rights
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/17/EDBT11A42L.DTL
Four years ago, the weddings at San Francisco City Hall represented an act of civil disobedience. On Monday, the marriage of 87-year-old Del Martin and 84-year-old Phyllis Lyon was a legally sanctioned affirmation of a fundamental civil right. It was only fitting that Martin and Lyon were given the exclusive opportunity to make history at City Hall. These two women have been together for more than a half century. Their dignified presence was a poignant reminder of the long, difficult battle for marriage equality in this country.
Norway becomes sixth nation to allow gays, lesbians to marry
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jko_BIHizUFFqUtmEaUrAEoPXFWw
Norway has become the sixth country in world to grant equal marriage rights to same-sex couples. The new marriage law, approved by a vote of 84 to 41, also permits gay and lesbian couples to adopt children and allows lesbians to be artificially inseminated.
Brazil's leader backs civil unions and making homophobia a crime
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7922.html
Calling homophobia the "the most perverse disease impregnated in the human head," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, pledged to "do all that is possible" to enact civil unions and to make homophobia a criminal offense. Lula made his comments at the First National Conference of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals.
Interview Of Microsoft's Megan Wallent For The Radical Guy Show
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5569
A few weeks ago I participated with Ethan St. Pierre, Josh Cohen, and Dana Zircher to interview Megan Wallent for TransFM's The Radical Guy show. As many may recall, Megan was featured in early March on ABC's Nightline as the Microsoft executive who's transitioned from male-to-female. In the interview, Megan talks about everything from her family, details behind why she chose the name Megan, and her reaction to Microsoft spending more money on their browsers and much, much more. Podcast of the Radical Guy article and audio of interview: http://radicalguy.podomatic.com/entry/2008-05-20T08_08_16-07_00
Obama's wife says he'll fight for gay equality
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gF6i4iEHstfMbiVDziPEgI7m6pFAD91I5HF00
Michelle Obama, wife of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, in a speech on Thursday before the Democratic National Committee's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council, pledged the support of her husband in the fight for LGBT equal rights. "Barack believes that we must fight for the world as it should be, a world where together we work to reverse discriminatory laws," Michelle Obama said. The event brought in about $1.3 million and attracted an audience of about 200 donors.
Marriage now legal for all couples in California
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/us/17weddings.html?_r=2&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214627859-ouFdwuSoiYzns5BRxteryQ
Same-sex couples in California on Monday began to get married. Pioneering activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon held the first -- and only -- ceremony in San Francisco. Diane Olson and Robin Tyler, who were the original plaintiffs in a 2004 marriage lawsuit, had the honor of being first to be married in Los Angeles County. Officials anticipate an initial marriage rush, with some 2,303 couples in San Francisco alone with appointments to receive licenses in the next 90 days.
Ruling: Children of same-sex parents entitled to federal benefits
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid56172.asp
Children of same-sex couples are entitled to Social Security benefits, despite the federal Defense of Marriage Act's denial of benefits to gay and lesbian couples, the U.S. Department of Justice has determined. The ruling was made in a case involving a Vermont lesbian couple with a child; the nonbiological parent in 2005 started receiving benefits in the child's name, under a provision of the law that allows such benefits for children whose parents are on disability
New study raises old question of whether people are born gay
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/22/ST2008062202006.html
The scientific community is divided over a new study that claims to show major differences between the brains of gays and straights of both sexes, according to this article. Sandra F. Witelson, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at McMaster University in Ontario, said the study supports the theory that there are basic differences in gay and straight brains "right from the beginning," while William Byne, a professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said he was "skeptical" of the research, in part because of the "history of jumping to conclusions and overinterpreting findings in this field."
Trans man's pregnancy helps increase dialogue on cultural shift
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/fashion/22pregnant.html?ref=style
The public's fascination with Thomas Beatie, a trans man who has made headlines as the nation's first "pregnant father," is part of a larger cultural shift -- and corresponding conversation -- about gender roles and the definition of marriage. "When there's a lot of fascination around a figure like Thomas Beatie, it points to other changes already happening elsewhere in the culture," said Judith Halberstam, a professor of English and gender studies at the University of Southern California.
Congress holds first hearing on trans issues
http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2008/06/26/7
The first congressional hearing on transgender issues, addressing discrimination against trans people in the workplace was held Thursday. The historic hearing was a long time coming, said Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund. "For far too long, transgender people have lived with the fear of losing their job simply because of who they are," she said. "Today's hearing marks a critical step in addressing this travesty once and for all."
Heinz pulls ad showing men kissing
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jun/24/asa.advertising
Heinz has pulled a British TV spot for its Deli Mayo that showed two men kissing after the country's Advertising Standards Authority received 200 complaints about the ad. Heinz also issued an apology for the ad, which was the first from its new agency, AMV BBDO.
IN RESPONSE:
· Tabloid Newspaper Publishes Gay Kiss http://www.rainbownetwork.com/UserPortal/Article/Detail.aspx?ID=21591&sid=5
· Lib Dems Call For Gay Ad Reinstatement http://www.rainbownetwork.com/UserPortal/Article/Detail.aspx?ID=21605&sid=5
· Heinz Boycott Urged After Gay Ad Banned http://www.rainbownetwork.com/UserPortal/Article/Detail.aspx?ID=21561&sid=5
Kmart exec leaves corporate world to fight California marriage battle
http://washingtonblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19290
Bill Stewart, the out chief marketing officer for Kmart, is giving up his executive position for an unpaid job with the Equality for All campaign to defeat a California ballot measure to impose a constitutional marriage ban. The native Californian, now based in Chicago, was inspired to move back to his home state after attending a recent national board meeting of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in Los Angeles and concluding he needed to do "everything possible" to make sure equal marriage rights remain the law there.
Lesbian kisses at game ignite Seattle debate
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/05/seattle.kiss.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Most of the time, a kiss is just a kiss in the stands at Seattle Mariners games. The crowd hardly even pays attention when fans smooch. But last week, a lesbian complained that an usher at Safeco Field asked her to stop kissing her date because it was making another fan uncomfortable. The incident has exploded on local TV, on talk radio and in the blogosphere and has touched off a debate over public displays of affection in generally gay-friendly Seattle.
Canadians urged to support gay rights abroad
http://www.thestar.com/living/article/448431
Canadians have an obligation to try to promote their country's pro-LGBT-rights climate in places where homosexuality is not accepted, and to offer political asylum to those who are being persecuted over their sexual orientation, according to a panel discussion held as part of Toronto's pride celebration. "There are 86 countries in the world where we would be arrested just for being in this room. In 10, we would be executed," the Rev. Brent Hawkes of Toronto's Metropolitan Community Church said during the panel.
Facebook to Require Users to Specify Gender
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid56740.asp
The online hangout Facebook is getting more serious about grammar. No more should users see jarringly incorrect declarations such as "Debbie changed their profile picture." Users who haven't specified their gender in their Facebook profiles will be asked to do so in the coming weeks. That way Facebook doesn't have to default to "their" or the made-up word "themselves," as it had been doing. While not knowing someone's gender poses grammatical challenges in English, it has created even larger headaches as Facebook expands to other languages, where a gender-neutral option isn't available in plural form.
Patrick, Paterson helping bridge gaps between black, gay communities
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080616/OPINION03/806160319/1272/OPINION0310
Two prominent black elected officials -- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, whose 18-year-old daughter recently came out with her family's full support, and New York Gov. David Paterson, who recalled the gay couple who were close friends of his parents when discussing his decision to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages -- are helping to "counterbalance the often unaccepting messages from the black church," according to columnist Deb Price.
Lesbian denied visit with dying partner sues
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/06/062408fam.htm
(Miami, Florida) A lawsuit will be filed in Miami Wednesday against a hospital that refused to allow the partner of a dying lesbian to see because they were not considered family. Langbehn and Lisa Pond had planned to take their three children on a family cruise. The Olympia, Washington couple had been together 18 years and with their children were looking forward to the holiday. But just as they were about to depart on the cruise from Miami, Florida. Pond, a healthy 39-year-old, suddenly collapsed. She was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami with Langbehn and the children following close behind. Once Langbehn and the children arrived at the hospital the hospital refused to accept information from her about Ponds’s medical history. Langbehn says she was informed that she was in an antigay city and state, and she could expect to receive no information or acknowledgment as family. A doctor finally spoke with Janice telling her that there was no chance of recovery.
Starbucks Coffee Company...
Starbucks Coffee Company...
GSBA Scholars..... 
The return of the GSBA briefcase brigade.... 
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