Gay Boycotts
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Uniting Gay Rights and Labor for One of the Best Boycotts Around
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Marriage Equality as a Small Business Innovator
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Live Nation Cancels Concerts with Artist Who Sings About Killing LGBT People
Live Nation Sponsors Artist Who Sings About Killing Gay People
Published August 24, 2009 @ 04:54PM PT
Generally speaking, if you hear someone sing about taking an uzi, holding it up to a gay person's head, and then blowing the trigger, you wouldn't anticipate that they would get a national concert tour sponsored by one of the leading music industry promoters in the world. That's not the case with Buju Banton, a Jamaican artist who has repeatedly called for the execution of gays in his songs, who is being promoted by Live Nation for a series of concerts at the House of Blues this October. Live Nation lists four concerts for Banton, in Chicago, Las Vegas, Dallas, and Houston. And they're all at House of Blues.
Banton's songs are laced with the type of violence toward LGBT people that one would expect from a terrorist, not an international music star. A sample:
Anytime Buju Banton comes
Faggots get up and run.
Boom (gun shot) bye bye (Goodbye, as in you're dead)
In a faggot's head
Rude boy don't promote any nasty (queer) man
They have to die...
Send for the automatic (gun) and
The Uzi (gun) instead
Shoot them, don't come (to help them) if we shoot them...
If a guy comes near me
Then his skin must peel
Burn him up bad like an old tire wheel
I'm curious what part of that song Live Nation most wants to promote? The part where he advocates shooting a gay person in the face? The part where he advocates pouring acid on a gay person's skin? Or the part where he wants to burn gay people like old tires?
Efforts to protest Buju Banton have been around for quite some time, and even led the singer to sign in 2007 a "Reggae Compassionate Act," which sought to root out homophobic lyrics in reggae music. Pink News, however, reports that Banton withdrew his support for the Reggae Compassionate Act and never signed it.
Whether he did or didn't, Banton has continued to use pretty vile language to define the LGBT community. He's called LGBT protestors of his music "stupid" and "ignorant," told them to "fuck" off, and continues to sing homophobic songs (like the one above). YouTube video of him singing the song above in Miami came out AFTER he made a pledge to stop singing the song. Banton also sang the song at a Guyana music festival, causing the ire of local LGBT activists.
If Buju Banton is going to renounce homophobia in his lyrics, he should make that commitment extremely public. Until then, by Live Nation choosing to sponsor his tour, it sends the message that singing about murdering gay people is not only appropriate, it's lucrative.
Let Live Nation and the House of Blues know what you think. He's got four dates scheduled on Live Nation's site. Gayliberation.net has even more dates listed for Banton.
Students vs. the Defense of Marriage Act
Published August 22, 2009 @ 01:12PM PT
Activists working to dismantle the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) need all the help they can get. Enter a new entrepreneurship contest, which may just help one group of students with a $10,000 grant to organize for LGBT rights and nationwide marriage equality.
The National Marriage Boycott, a student-driven effort to encourage the Obama administration and Congress to repeal DOMA, is one of the finalists for a $10,000 grant from Ideablob – an entrepreneurial Web site that helps small businesses and organizations find the seed money they need to take their campaigns and initiatives to the next level. Now it’s a contest to see which of eight finalists will win $10K, and there’s just over one week left of voting.
As Nathaniel Whittemore, change.org's Social Entrepreneurship blogger, puts it, Ideablob's contest is yet another example of how the Internet is bringing activists together, regardless of geography, and making it easier than ever to organize passion. The end result for the National Marriage Boycott could be a huge chunk of change to take their campaign to the next level, and build the type of networks needed to hammer home change.
The premise behind the National Marriage Boycott is simple: don’t get married until everyone – straight folks and LGBTQ folks – have the same rights to civil marriage. It’s a campaign that started at Stanford, but it’s growing fast. This year organizers want to take the campaign to every state, and engage college campuses and young adults across the country to work for marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.
According to Boycott organizers, “Now is the moment in American history when same-sex couples have the opportunity to achieve equal rights under the law. However, in order for a minority group to achieve equal rights, progressive members of the majority must stand in solidarity with them.” What does that solidarity look like?
It looks like a pledge that activists can take that demands full equality now.
“President Obama has advocated for the repeal of DOMA, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages - and yet this discriminatory law still stands. Under this act, same-sex couples are denied more than a thousand rights, including the right to visit a dying partner in the hospital. To demonstrate our desire for an immediate repeal of DOMA, we choose not to participate in marriage until everyone can marry.”
In return for signing the pledge, folks also have the option of purchasing an equality ring to wear as a public show of support for the idea of civil marriage for all. Organizers hope these rings can serve as conversation starters for equality, as well as mobilize even more young people – straight and queer – to say “No” to the idea of marriage until everyone has access to it.
Now that sounds like a campaign worthy of $10,000. Here’s where you can vote on Ideablob for the National Marriage Boycott. To win they’ll need all the support from LGBT folks and straight allies that they can get. Help spread the word; and make sure to vote before August 31.
Tim Hortons Pulls Sponsorship from Anti-LGBT Event!
Published August 10, 2009 @ 11:49AM PT
Folks, this is huge. In the past 17 hours, we've had more than 1,600 folks send letters to Tim Hortons, asking why a franchise in Rhode Island was sponsoring an anti-LGBT festival hosted by the National Organization for Marriage. Well, guess what? Tim Hortons has answered our emails, loud and clear. Here's the message that just came in from their company headquarters.
Tim Hortons responds to inquiries about Rhode Island event sponsorship
Recently, Tim Hortons was approached in Rhode Island to provide free coffee and products for a local event, as we do thousands of times a year across Canada and the United States.
For 45 years, Tim Hortons and its store owners have practiced a philosophy of giving back to the communities in which we operate. As a company, our primary focus is on helping children and supporting fundraising events for non-profit organizations and registered charities.
For this reason, Tim Hortons has not sponsored those representing religious groups, political affiliates or lobby groups.
It has come to our attention that the Rhode Island event organizer and purpose of the event fall outside of our sponsorship guidelines. As such, Tim Hortons can not provide support at the event.
Tim Hortons and its store owners have always welcomed all families and communities to its restaurants and will continue to do so. We apologize for any misunderstanding or inconvenience this may have caused.
Now that's the power of social media and social action! Please consider thanking the company in the comments section of this post. This is great news, folks, and thanks again for taking action.
Urge Tim Hortons to Stop Supporting Anti-LGBT Group
Published August 09, 2009 @ 04:29PM PT
Oh, don't you hate it when doughnuts decide to go homophobic? The Canadian mega-giant Tim Hortons (which in Canada is the largest coffee chain in the country), has decided to co-sponsor a rally in Rhode Island next week hosted by the National Organization for Marriage. Yup, the same National Organization for Marriage that is currently leading campaigns to take away the civil rights of gays and lesbians in Maine to marry, and the same group fighting marriage equality in places like Washington, D.C., New York, New Jersey and elsewhere.
Is this really the type of politics that Tim Hortons wants to support?
Michael Airhart at Truth Wins Out and the Providence Daily Dose were the first ones to point out that, indeed, Tim Hortons is not only sponsoring the anti-gay marriage event, but they've also allowed their logo to be plastered on the brochure for it. To be clear, this is an event hosted by an organization that has said gays and lesbians are a threat to children, and a group that openly promotes discrimination toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens.
Here's what the Providence Daily Dose wrote about Tim Hortons sponsoring this event. Take note, Tim Hortons says on their Web site that they don't support those representing religious organizations. Yet, despite that pledge, the restaurant chain is sponsoring the NOM event where a worship concert will take place, and supporting an organization that has consistently partnered with anti-LGBT religious groups.
What in the world [is Tim Hortons] doing sponsoring something like this? Their site says that they support “local initiatives that make a difference” — such as little leagues, Halloween safety, and the like. And that they sponsor community initiatives with a focus on “helping children and supporting fundraising events for non-profit organizations and registered charities.” But not “those representing religious groups [or] political affiliates,” such as.. well, how would you characterise a group like NOM?
Disturbing, right? Well, here's where you can take action, and tell Tim Hortons to get out of the business of sponsoring anti-LGBT organizations. We've got a petition right here at change.org that goes to the company's President & CEO, as well as to their Director of Public Affairs. Please consider signing this, and forwarding it to your friends.
As Truth Wins Out notes, one reason that this sponsorship may have gone through is that Tim Hortons allows its franchise owners to decide on donations and sponsorships. But that reason just isn't good enough when the restaurant's name gets attached to one of the most anti-LGBT groups in the United States. Remember when a Subway franchisee decided to give money to take away the rights of gays and lesbians? Activists fought the hell back, and not only got the donation to the anti-LGBT groupr rescinded, but also got Subway to change their corporate policies to incorporate equal rights for LGBT people.
Now that's the power of activism. And as far as Tim Hortons goes, it's ever-so important to know where they stand on the issue of civil rights for gays and lesbians. Tim Hortons currently has franchises in Maine, where anti-LGBT folks have put a ballot initiative on the slate for this year which could eliminate the rights of gays and lesbians to marry in the state. If Tim Hortons is going to take a position on same-sex marriage by sponsoring organizations like the National Organization for Marriage, LGBT folks and LGBT allies in places like Maine - as well as places like New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere where Tim Hortons are popping up - deserve to know.
UPDATE: For Canadian readers interested in signing the petition, please include both your city and province name in the field for "City," and select "CA" from the list of states. For our petition software, "CA" can act as both California and Canada. This should allow Canadian readers to sign the petition to change.org. Thanks!
On Poisoning Nancy Pelosi and Comparing Liberals to Nazis
Published August 06, 2009 @ 07:48PM PT
Wow, just when you think the state of the right-wing couldn't get any worse. First we had Laurie Higgins with the Illinois Family Institute openly compare LGBT people to nazis, and urging her Christian followers to stand up to the threat of homosexuality as if it were on par with the threat of nazism. Her group, incidentially, will be holding an annual conference with special guest Mike Huckabee, who apparently is all too willing to endorse this kind of rhetoric.
Then we had Rush Limbaugh doing what Limbaugh does best: using his platform as lead spokesperson for the Republican Party to call Democrats names. But this time it was in the form of manipulating Obama's logo, turning it into a swastika and accusing Obama of promoting a type of health care system that would be popular with the brutal Nazi regime.
Tasteless. Disgusting. Vile. Pretty much everything we've expected from Rush Limbaugh and the GOP.
But the latest ridiculous exploit from the right might just take the cake. And it comes in the form of Fox News's Glenn Beck, who in a not-so-funny sketch on his show joked about poisoning Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
No really. A mainstream commentator on Fox News just joked about killing the Speaker of the House. And yet again, the radical right wing in this country reaches a new low.
What does it say about the straits of a political party when some of their most active members are comparing LGBT people to Nazis, twisting the Obama logo and converting it into a Swastika, and threatening to poison the Speaker of the House? To this blogger, it says that the right-wing in this country have become so devoid of ideas, they can only resort to these kinds of tactics in order to get attention.
Thankfully, at least in the case of Glenn Beck, some advertisers are starting to pay attention. Already Proctor & Gamble, Lawyers.com, and Progressive Insurance have vowed to stop advertising on his program, a clear sign that Beck's hateful comments aren't playing well with everyone. And here at change.org, we've been encouraging the Crowne Plaza hotel in Chicago to avoid hosting a Fall conference from the Illinois Family Institute, at least until they're lead spokespeople stop comparing LGBT people to nazis.
Republicans deserve better than this. And while it's clear that these right-wing pundits won't stop their rather twisted words, it's great to see advertisers waking up. Companies should seriously think twice about spending their marketing budgets on a program whose host threatens to poison the Speaker of the House. Just like hotels should think twice about hosting conferences from organizations that rank LGBT people on par with nazis, who perpetrated the murder of more than six million people.
Family Group Compares Homosexuality to Nazism
Published July 27, 2009 @ 03:07AM PT
Wow. That's pretty much all I can think of as a response to this. But it's true...a staff member at the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) has penned a screed that not only compares LGBT people to Nazis, but urges the Christian Church to fight homosexuality as if it were akin to nazism or slavery.
The article, written by Laurie Higgins, IFI's Division of School Advocacy Director, describes how since the Christian Church acted too late in combatting nazism, it shouldn't be haste in acting to defeat homosexuals. After reading that, and reading Laurie Higgins's bio (where you'll see she's a former school teacher), I can only be thankful that someone with this much hate in their system isn't in charge of teaching children anymore.
Here's an excerpt, and prepare to be horrified:
What is alarming about the account of the German Evangelical Church's reprehensible failure [to fight nazism] is its similarity to the ongoing disheartening story of the contemporary American church's failure to respond appropriately to the spread of radical, heretical, destructive views of homosexuality. Don't we today see church leaders self-censoring out of fear of losing their positions or their church members? Don't we see churches criticizing those who boldly confront the efforts of homosexual activists to propagandize children and undermine the church's teaching on homosexuality? Aren't the calls of the capitulating German Christians for "a more reasonable tone" and a commitment to "honor different views" exactly like the calls of today's church to be tolerant and honor "diversity"? Don't pastors justify their silence by claiming they fear losing their tax-exempt status (i.e. government assistance)? Don't they rationalize inaction by claiming that speaking out will prevent them from saving souls?
What is even more reprehensible in America, however, is that church leaders don't currently face loss of livelihood, imprisonment, exile, or death, as they did in Germany, and yet they remain silent.
Someone give this "religious" writer a history book, and maybe let her know that LGBT people were also victims of the Holocaust. But beyond the historical point, isn't this disturbing? It's literally a call to action to churchgoers to combat homosexuality as if it were akin to the threat of one of the worst, most violent movements ever to exist in the history of the planet.
I say this goes beyond even the Fred Phelps level of hatred and anger toward LGBT people. And the scarier part? The Illinios Family Institute is relatively mainstream within the conservative movement. Note that former GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will be keynoting their fall 2009 conference in Chicago. Is it fair to say that Mike Huckabee thinks that homosexuality is as big a threat as Nazi Germany? I know Huckabee is conservative, but is he that crazy?
Here at change.org, we've started at action where folks can write the Crowne Plaza O'Hare - the venue where the Illinois Family Institute's Fall Conference with Mike Huckabee will take place - and urge them to refuse to host the IFI's conference. Political organizations will often stake out controversial positions on social issues. But does the Crowne Plaza O'Hare really want to endorse a conference by a group that actively compares homosexuality to nazism? Isn't that like hosting a conference by the Klu Klux Klan?
Please consider taking action, and sending the message that comparing homosexuality to nazism is not only disgusting, it's also dangerous. The IFI is entitled to hold whatever views it wants. But what Laurie Higgins does in her piece is fuel the fire for violence. And while she has the right to say it, we also have the right to let others (like the Crowne Plaza O'Hare) know just what we think of it.
Students Say No to Marriage Until Defense of Marriage Act Eliminated
Published July 14, 2009 @ 06:11AM PT
What do you do if you're stuck with laws that won't allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, and very few politicians seem willing to champion the cause on a national level?
Well, if you're a group of students from Stanford, you start a national campaign called the "National Marriage Boycott," and you make it your goal to take that campaign to every state in the country.
That's exactly what's happening, as in the wake of Proposition 8 a movement led by several undergraduate students at Stanford has begun to gain momentum. The idea is pretty simple: because not everyone is entitled to the same civil right to marriage, no one should get married.
Well, OK, that's a rough description. Why don't we let the National Marriage Boycott's pledge speak for itself:
Now is the moment in American history when same-sex couples have the opportunity to achieve equal rights under the law. However, in order for a minority group to achieve equal rights, progressive members of the majority must stand in solidarity with them.
The Obama agenda includes the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. Under this act, same-sex couples are denied more than a thousand rights, including the right to visit a dying partner in the hospital. To demonstrate our desire for an immediate repeal of DOMA, we choose not to participate in marriage until everyone can marry.
Stepping into the shoes of past conscientious objectors, boycotters and civil rights activists, we deliberately forego this privilege until it is truly a right for all. We the undersigned vow to boycott marriage until the United States government repeals DOMA.
We won't, until we all can.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
Signers of the pledge can also wear a black equality ring to show their solidarity. The black ring takes the place of, you might have guessed, a wedding ring.
Sound like the type of campaign you're willing to join? Already a few famous folks have lent their support, including Lt. Dan Choi (the openly gay military linguist who was recently fired by the U.S. government because of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy) and former California Assemblywoman Sally Lieber. And that's in addition to the growing support that the campaign is picking up throughout the country. As this Stanford Daily article describes:
Provided all goes well, in September National Marriage Boycott chapters will be launching at the University of California at Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Diego; California State University, Long Beach; San Diego State University; Santa Monica College; University of Colorado at Boulder; Florida State University; University of Idaho; Williams College; Columbia University; and High Point University in North Carolina. Individual pledges total 227 so far...
That sounds like momentum, and it sounds like some fine grassroots organizing for an innovative campaign that certainly requires a bold step (saying no to marriage), but one that hopefully yields a rich payout (the elimination of the Defense of Marriage Act).
For more information, check out their Web site here. And to sign the pledge, go here.
(Photo courtesy of National Marriage Boycott's photostream on Flickr. Which is also where you can see a very cool fashion shoot of folks supporting the black equality rings mentioned in the post above!)
