Feature Archives

On December 18th, Bush said, “If necessary, I will support a constitutional amendment which would honor marriage between a man and a woman, codify that, and will - the position of this administration is that whatever legal arrangements people want to make, they're allowed to make, so long as it's embraced...at the state level. Let me tell you, the (Massachusetts) court I thought overreached its bounds as a court...” Bush is under pressure nationwide from the religious right and same-sex marriage advocates, so that his position will be clear during the 2004 election campaign. Canadians began to celebrate gay marriage in 2003.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has called for civil disobedience in response to the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment.

10/4/2003: A year can pass by in a seeming heartbeat. For family members of a slain child, though, a year can seem an eternity. On the first anniversary of her Gwen Araujo's murder, Sylvia Guerrero sat with approximately fifty family members in the front row of the Newark Memorial High School auditorium during a memorial to her daughter.
About 150 people gathered on Saturday, October 4th, for a mix of music, poetry, and speeches centering on the loss of Gwen Araujo and on the senseless killing that continues unabated. Several of Gwen's friends attended the memorial alongside government representatives, transgender activists, and other Newark citizens, including members of the anti-hate group "Not in Newark," formed after her death. Read More...

Gwen Araujo was also remembered October 3 2003, in Hollywood CA as around 50 candlelight marchers paraded through "Tranny town", down Santa Monica Blvd. from Highland Ave. to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery where she was eulogized by LA Transgender activists such as Maria Roman of Bienestar, Shirley Bushnell of Transgender Menace, Alexander Yoo of FTM Alliance and Talia of SCHA-LA.

From the IMC Newswire (past and present): Family And City Remember Gwen, October 3rd. Photos, “Shallow Grave” an illustration, Accused Murderer Seeks Bond, Remembering our SISTER GWEN ARAUJO and Equality for California's Transgender Citizens!.

From the Web: AUDIO (streams fast), “gendertalk” interviews Shelly Prevost, independent film maker and video activist, on the aftermath of Gwen Araujo’s murder and her short film "Isn’t It Obvious". Also interviewed, Seth Kilbourne, National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign, on their national strategy for trans inclusion.
One Year Later… by Jaime Ray

Media Coverage: San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News

In November, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that Massachusetts should allow same-sex marriages. Gay Marriage will clearly be an issue in the 2004 US presidential campaign, but it has already been a hotly debated topic for years in the United States. The Defense of Marriage Act would state that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Mayor Willie Brown hosted several same sex weddings in San Francisco. The Freedom to Marry site is an example of the many pro-gay marriage websites that exist. Interestingly, another website details a conservative view of gay marriage as leading to polyamory.

Jan 29, 2001: Members of the SF AIDS dissident group ACT UP surrendered to police, following a press conference at the Hall of Justice on Monday. One week after a CBS News/60 Minutes report on deformities and death caused by anti-HIV drugs, San Francisco's District Attorney issued arrest warrants for four industry whistleblowers, including three ACT UP members and one website operator who have publicly criticized AIDS funding abuses and corruption within the pharmaceutical industry.

On May 11 2001, police raided a Cairo dance club and arrested the Egyptian nationals who were inside on suspicion of being gay. The 52 men were reportedly tortured and beaten following their arrest and are still being held awaiting trial in the Emergency State Security Court on August 15. Demonstrations will be held in San Francisco and other cities around the world on August 15 to let the Egyptian government know that the oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people is not acceptable. SF Demonstration is at the Egyption Consulate at 3pm.

On September 6, 2003, Marine Reservist and Conscientious Objector Stephen Funk, who declared his CO status publicly, "was acquitted by a military court of desertion, but convicted of unauthorized absence and sentenced to six months at the Camp Lejeune brig in North Carolina, reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of two-thirds pay for six months, and a bad-conduct discharge."
Funk has spoken out against war as a gay man after having witnessed first-hand the anti-gay culture of the military, and how it is used to desensitize and dehumanize those deemed "in need of killing."
"It is scary to confront the military, because the military teaches you to submit to orders even when you object. I may not be a hero, but I know that it takes courage to disobey. I know that it demands courage to say "no" in the face of coercion."
Various groups around the country continue to organize around his case and those of other conscientious objectors.NION | Jeff.Paterson.net. | Chicago Anti-Bashing Network | LGBT Contingents At SF Anti-War Demos | SNAFU | Refusing to Kill

10/24/2003 Gay Shame and others gathered at Geary and Mason Streets at 5pm on Friday to protest outside of a Gavin Newsom for Mayor fundraiser.
Pictures: 1 2  

Gavin Newsom’s brutal Proposition M, the “Aggressive Solicitation Ban,” would put people in jail for panhandling. In effect, this punishes poor people for trying to satisfy their basic needs and violates basic rights to free speech. Like last year’s Prop N, “Care Not Cash,” Prop M criminalizes homeless people rather than providing desperately needed services.