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I attended the Louisiana Rally Against the War on Women today in Baton Rouge and was impressed by the speakers who addressed many facets of women's rights--from violence against women and victim blaming to reproductive choices; from abortion to the Equal Rights Amendment. While the numbers of those gathered did not break a hundred, it was great to be a part of a nationwide movement to unite women against the attacks from religious extremists and legislators. For more information on the movement, go to http://www.unitewomen.org. The Facebook page for the Louisiana Unite Against the War On Women is: http://www.facebook.com/groups/CAJUNWOW/

I also gave a speech on…

Recently Chris Hedges made ripples through the Left with his article that demonized the (incredibly passive and mild) Blac Block anarchist tactics of direct action. Well, Chris ain't seen nothing yet. The divide between the rich and poor is expanding at an ever increasing rate as the wealthy and upper-middle class sit on-top of the labor of working class and poor people. As a radical Communist queer, I have to ask myself, what types of actions against this 'State' of affairs are useful to the causes of the working class, the poor, the unemployed?

I don't presume to know a set of parameters for people's resistance, but rather would like to 'come out' (early) in defense of certain tactics. 

(1) Bank robberies are useful (but very risky) ways for people to resist capitalism. Banks themselves are 'robberies' against the people, and I therefore support any action taken to rob banks, give aid and shelter to bank robbers and their families. Bank…

Introduction

Human rights treaties do not specifically mention sexual orientation. However, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation has been determined to be incompatible with adherence to the the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reflected in all other universal and regional human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.[1] The African Charter, and the International Convention on Social Economical and Cultural Rights. In their preambles,the treaties ‘recall that human rights are universal and shall apply to all individuals, and stressing therefore its commitment to guarantee the equal dignity of all human beings and the enjoyment of rights and freedoms of all individuals without discrimination on any ground’ .However, despite being signatories to  the treaties ,Many African states retain criminal sanctions for same-sex relationships…

To say that an oppressor class doesn’t exist is unnecessary bourgeois mysticism. However, it is definitely harder to define what is ‘oppression’ and an ‘oppressive class’ when the mechanisms of repression and control have been swung into every corner. The little priest and the little king and the little colonizer run rampant into the synapses and cells. New contusions, new painful reactions, physical, psychical, emotional and transcendental confront us. A barrage of ‘opportunities and choices’ beats us daily – so many that they have become hallow, in Image and Reality. Shall we all head off to the ashram? Into the television? Into the sunset? The sunset on the television? But, which channel? Or, Do we fight? What does it mean to fight? How much do we fight? Who do we fight? And wow, we may or may not even have the privilege to ask this question (which is important to remember!). It is perhaps here that Occupy Wall Street (OWS) offers some great clarifying Events and Discourses of…

I don't know what about all this gay marriage, committed monogamous love, serving in the military, being "born with it," or raising up normal non-gay babies that has gay people all excited.

And I'm not against two people of the same sex, whatever that means, getting married to each other. But I've never thought that to be "married," I needed to have an official of the church or state preside over that ceremony. So I have never felt limited or saddened by my legal inability, as a queer person, to marry whomever I want. I want to get as far away from the State as possible. But if legal marriage is helpful to some people, I'm okay with that.

But an emotional issue it is not. Under normal circumstances, no one can take away your ability to love and make a lifelong commitment to another person. That is marriage, if such a concept is useful, and I think it can be.

Despite my lukewarm and not necessarily radical position on gay marriage, I have become more radical…

My coming out days were lived out in Chicago, Illinois (1965-1982). I also came out prior to HIV/AIDS being part of our everyday lives.

During my time in Chicago, the gay community was party central but also a close-knit community. Over the years I developed close friendships with a group of people that at its peak

numbered fifteen.

We all hung out together, spent time at the clubs together and I guess by today’s standards could have had a reality TV show made about us.

We compared notes on our boyfriends, went to parties, gossiped about straight people, got jobs, participated in the community and marched for our rights.…

by Mary Griggs

This year, two hundred and twenty one people paid the ultimate price for being themselves. That isn’t just a number--those were 221 human beings who were targeted and murdered in 2011 because of their gender identity or gender expression. Two hundred and twenty one lights have gone out and their passing has left the world a darker place.

Most people have a gender identity of man or woman that is consistent with the sex they were assigned at birth. Some people, however, feel their assigned sex at birth is not consistent with their own gender identity. Still others express their gender in a way that does not conform to traditional gender stereotypes of what men or women should look like or how they should…

Sunday is a day of mourning. It is not a day that is on the national calendar. In fact, with the exception of a small percentage of people in this country, this day of

mourning will pass completely unnoticed.

If these words I write look familiar, they are because nothing has changed since I last wrote them, except some people are more aware.

 …

Tragic news came out of the Lake Charles area with the report that bullying may be a contributing factor to teenager Hannah Pauley's recent suicide. Her father, Len Pauley, stated: "Honestly I don't believe I would want any child to be charged with anything...If those kids can just step up to the plate and admit that they were wrong, make a positive out of this--then absolutely not--because they have to live with this for the rest of their lives now."



Stopping bullying from happening and appropriately responding to it when it happens is critical to the academic success and overall safety of our students. It is up to all of us -- the students, the teachers, the administrators, concerned citizens, the school board and our state legislators -- to do all we can to promote the health, safety and overall well being of our young people. We must create school climates that welcomes,…