In what may be some of the best news of the current political season for Pittsburgh's queer community, long time ally and media pundit Lynn Cullen will be back on Pittsburgh's airwaves on March 9, 2009. 
 Cullen has long been known as Pittsburgh's “Lone Liberal” and was recently fired from her long time home on WPTT AM when the station flipped to an all business format.  A listener and fan based campaign responded to rumors that WAMO AM 860 was considering adding the host to their line up, which includes The Bev Smith Show, the nation's only national African-American Nightly Talk Show. 
WAMO management is expected to release a press release confirming the addition of Cullen on Monday.  Close friends of the host say her show will run nightly from 5-7 PM. 
 For a rundown of Lynn Cullen's contributions on LGBT issues, click here.
 

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In March of 2007, Ryan Skipper was stabbed 19 times and left to die on a dirt road in rural Polk County, Florida. He was only 25.  His killers drove around in his blood-soaked car, bragging how they had killed a gay man.
One of the two killers, Joseph Bearden, was found guilty of second-degree murder and robbery this week.  The other killer, David Brown Jr., is still awaiting trial.  
During the trial, a prosecution witness revealed that shortly after the killing, Bearden said,

He felt he was doing the world a favor by getting rid of one more faggot.

Most of you know by now that talking about hate crimes are hard for me.  They always hit a very personal place- from Lawrence King to Simmie Williams to Sanesha Stewart to all the other lives lost to hate.    
But Ryan's murder hits close to home because I have gotten to know his family here in Florida.  I worked with them on LGBT various projects, hugged them as I've wept when they've told their story to crowds of people, and held Ryan's picture at memorials for them.  Through them and their love, I've gotten a glimpse of Ryan, who he was and what a huge loss his murder is for all of us.
Ryan's family members have been amazing pillars of strength and outspoken activists.  They have been advocates for stronger federal hate crimes legislation, as well as traveling the country to speak on the need for acceptance of LGBT people. They have been active in lobbying for the Matthew Shepard Act.
I know this decision won't bring them justice.  I also know it won't stop the work they do to bring attention to hate against LGBT people.
Whenever I write about Ryan or talk about his murder, my mother always calls me crying.  She tells me she sees me in the picture- in the smiling face, the hope in his eyes.  It's a story echoed by families I meet across this state and country when they see not only Ryan, but the love his family has for him. Like in any crime motivated by anti-LGBT bigotry, it could be any one of us in that picture.
I'd like to thank Ryan's family for sharing him with us, and for sharing their grief, anger, and indomitable spirits with the world.  I know that for as long as I have breath, I'll be right beside them whenever I can, fighting for change and for Ryan's memory.
Watch the trailer for “Accessory to Murder: Our Culture's Complicity in the Death of Ryan Skipper” and go to the website to purchase the video:

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A week or so ago, I posted about an article that profiled several teen children of LGBT parents. For my column at 365gay.com this week, I wrote about how we need to position LGBT rights as being in the best interests of the children, rather than let the ultra-conservatives control the “think of the children” argument.
Now comes a great short video featuring 12-year-old Noel and Dakota, the children of lesbian mom Gina McNally-Malanga, talking about the way homophobia impacts them. They say it with much more impact than I ever could.
I also find it notable that they bring up the subject of “coming out” as the child of an LGBT parent, regardless of one’s own sexual orientation. That’s a process that doesn’t get nearly as much discussion as it should, IMHO. Noel also talks about the special understanding between her and a lesbian girl at school; again, I think that’s a bond that is not often recognized.
Thanks to Noel and Dakota for their honesty and their willingness to share their feelings with us.

As always, you can browse the Mombian YouTube channel for more positive videos by, for, and about LGBT families.

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This won’t be long I just wanted to get some quick feedback from you girls…
The best way to set the scenario I’m currently in up is, the typical friend falling for a friend thing… the not so typical part is that my friend is married. She told me she was interested in me and she’s always calling me and texting me throughout the day, we also work together so we see each other a lot. If we go out, she’s very affectionate and always reminds me of her attraction towards me, and I just have a fantastic time with her. If she were just married, it would be one thing but she has kids, that’s the part that scares me. I like this girl more and more each day, but I am so hesitant about making any type of move because of her family, I don’t know what to do.
I obviously don’t think there will be any type of long term commitment here, but I so badly want to hook up with her. What should I do? Also, with her being married and it being a huge secret from anyone we hang out with I would love to have any type of tips on how to tell when the right time would be to make a move if any. Thanks for taking the time to help me out!

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http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping

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I apologize, but real life has managed to capsize internet life this week. I haven’t slept in approximately 48 hours, and little flashing lights are starting to appear when I stare at the ceiling. They’re intriguing but not very conducive to productivity on this blog.
There is a backlog of posts, and we will hopefully slap up the new content starting Monday. Also, we would like to introduce a new writer, Grace Jersey, who is also AfterEllen’s reader of the week. In the meantime, go read Nouveau Butch and Life, Scripted.
Oh, and one more thing… don’t go to law school. Start a prostitution ring or a ponzi scheme instead.

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The Fed has just given eminant domain of the US as collateral to China on our debt to them
 
http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=2638&posts=2

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Add some new groups to the equal marriage supporters in Maine: innkeepers, tourism and the local wedding industries.

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An east Texas man has been ordered to stand trial for the 37-year old murder of a gay man in San Diego, California.
Gerald Dean Metcalf was arrested Oct. 14 in Texas in connection with the 1971 slaying of Gerald Jackson, 27, a Vietnam veteran who worked as a U.S. Postal Service carrier and bouncer at the Barbary Coast nightclub in San Diego. Jackson’s body was found Jan. 2, 1972, in the bedroom of his apartment on Hornblend Street.
The case remained unsolved until last year, when investigators with the San Diego Police Department linked Metcalf to the slaying through modern fingerprint analysis and DNA testing.
If convicted, Metcalf could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Frank Brown heard testimony from several witnesses - some of them police officers and criminalists who worked on the case 37 years ago - and determined that prosecutors presented enough evidence for Metcalf to be tried.
Authorities believe Jackson was killed the night of Dec. 28, 1971, or the next morning. He had 61 stab wounds on his body, including his throat, chest and back, according to the testimony.
Two observations come to mind.  First, this is a prime example of cold case justice moving too slow for the good of its victims and their friends and families.  Gay victims of violent crimes especially tend to suffer from habitual foot-dragging because of dated mindsets and biases ingrained within police forces and attorneys involved with the prosecution and/or defense of these particular attacks.
Second, I think that there’s little doubt that the infamous gay panic defense will be used in defense of Mr. Metcalf’s actions.  (And completely off-topic:  the ‘gay panic’ Wiki entry which I have linked needs a lot of work.  Some of us Blenders are probably more qualified than most to help, so let’s pitch in where we can.)  He does claim, after all, that Mr. Jackson “had tried to rape him.”  Knowing that, stabbing someone over sixty times is a perfectly reasonably response, right?  Case in point:  ”Gary Gibson, a deputy public defender, indicated outside the courtroom yesterday that the trial will probably focus not on whether Metcalf stabbed Jackson, but whether his actions constitute murder.”  I think we all know what exactly that means.

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