Georgia Elects Nation’s First Openly Lesbian African-American State Lawmaker
December 3, 2009
Georgia voters on Tuesday made history and elected Simone Bell to the state’s House of Representatives, making her the nation’s first openly lesbian African-American state lawmaker. Bell, who won the run-off election against Asha Jackson, will become the second LGBT congressperson in Georgia’s legislature, following Representative Karla Drenner also of Atlanta, according to the Victory Fund, a PAC that helps fund political campaigns of lesbian and gay candidates.
In an interview with EDGE, Chuck Wolfe, president and chief executive officer of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, said: “For more than 20 years, Simone has worked as an activist and advocate in Atlanta and across the south,” reported the Victory Fund, which endorsed Bell. “”This is a tremendous victory for LGBT Georgians,” he said. “Simone is a longtime leader in her community, and she will be a huge asset in the Georgia State House.”
According to the Associated Press: With all precincts reporting, Bell received 56 percent of the vote to Jackson’s 44 percent.
Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality issued a statement saying: “We are so proud of Simone Bell’s accomplishment. Even with all the odds stacked against her, she rolled up her sleeves and did the work of reaching out to voters in her district through an impressive grassroots effort. Having known and worked with Simone for over a decade, I know that she will be the sort of leader who will make all of Georgia proud.”
In an interview with The Sidney Morning Herald, Graham said: “I cannot recall a mayor’s race when there’s been so much attention placed on the gay and lesbian vote.”
“What is perhaps one of the most exciting outcomes of these campaigns is the fact that so many new LGBT activists of color, especially transgender individuals, became so involved in the canvassing, phonebanking and organizing that is needed for electoral victories such as these. Engaging and enabling new segments of our community to be involved in this work gives us all great hope for the future of our efforts to advance fairness, equality and safety for our community in the years to come.”
Atlanta voters also elected Alex Wan to its city council, making him the first Asian American and first openly gay man to hold that post.
Related Posts:A Personal Promise From President Obama On “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
May 7, 2009
Last night, I received a phone call filled with exciting news from a close friend to GLAAD, Second Lieutenant Sandy Tsao. Sandy is a Chinese American woman and army officer based out of St. Louis, Missouri. Sandy originally reached out to me last January as a result of her brave decision to come out as gay.
At the same time, Sandy also sent a heartfelt letter to President Obama urging him to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT).
Second Lieutenant Sandy Tsao
An excerpt from her original letter in January reads:
Today is Chinese New Year day. I hope it will bring good fortune to you and your newly elected office. Today is also the day I inform my chain of command of who I am. One of the seven army values is integrity. It means choosing to do the right thing no matter what the consequences may be. As a Christian, this also means living an honest life.
In closing, she wrote:
We have the best military in the world and I would like to continue to be part of it. My mother can tell you it is my dream to serve our country. I have fought and overcome many barriers to arrive at the point I am at today. This is the only battle I fear I may lose. Even if it is too late for me, I do hope, Mr. President, that you will help us to win the war against prejudice so that future generations will continue to work together and fight for our freedoms regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin or sexual orientation.
Obama's Letter (click to view larger image)
This past Tuesday, May 5, Sandy received a package from the White House. As Sandy unwrapped the thick envelope and looked inside, she tearfully fell to her knees. Protected between two pieces of cardboard, the parcel contained a handwritten note from President Obama.
The President, responding to Sandy’s letter, wrote:
Sandy – Thanks for the wonderful and thoughtful letter. It is because of outstanding Americans like you that I committed to changing our current policy. Although it will take some time to complete (partly because it needs Congressional action) I intend to fulfill my commitment. — Barack Obama.
Sandy and I have spent the past few months sharing her story in the media so others know about the unfortunate reality facing gay, lesbian and bisexual citizens in the armed forces. We began sharing her story with Asian Pacific Islander media, mainly because of their growing interest for more LGBT stories. We had also shared her story with mainstream media outlets, but received no response.
I initially pitched her story to Audrey, a magazine reaching more than 10,000 Asian American women across the country.
Click here for the full story by Sandy
Audrey’s Editor-in-Chief, Anne Kim, readily agreed to pick up Sandy’s personal account about coming out in the military. Her editorial can be found in the April/May issue that is currently on newsstands (or by clicking on the image to the left).
I also reached out to my contact at The World Journal, a Chinese language daily newspaper reaching nearly 350,000 readers. The reporter immediately interviewed Sandy and subsequently wrote a feature piece on DADT and its impact on openly gay, lesbian and bisexual service members.
Sandy’s last day in the army is May 19. She is being forced to leave the military, another service member discharged under the DADT policy.
Right now, she is preparing to rejoin everyday life as a civilian. But even though Sandy is sad to leave her dream job, she hopes her story will contribute to repealing the military ban. Sandy is even more encouraged by President Obama’s personal promise to allow others like her to serve openly in the military with pride and dignity.
The White House Web site
The debate over Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is still alive in the media landscape. Bloggers like Joe. My. God recently found the White House Web site had revised its language on President Obama’s commitment to lift the ban for openly gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans from serving in the military.
While the story of revised White House Web site language may fall out of the news cycle, we can be sure that DADT will continue to capture the media spotlight. The advocacy, reports and media coverage surrounding the ban have only expanded the public debate, scrutinizing the reasons and rationale for delaying the day when openly lesbian, gay and bisexual people can serve in the military.
The President’s personal reply extends beyond Sandy and her story. It’s a powerful message to the American people that one day everyone will be able to serve their country free from the fear of being discharged simply because of their sexual orientation. However, as the President’s note alludes to, the timeline to fulfill that commitment remains unknown.
My work with Sandy is one example from many that highlights the very reason why we need GLAAD’s Asian Pacific Islander Media Program. Whether we are providing a media training for LGBT community leaders from Mainland China to pitching a Seoul-based newspaper a hate crimes story, my work aims to harness the power of media with cultural competency. GLAAD’s commitment to the Asian Pacific Islander community and other communities of color is united by a simple belief that we must bring all of our experiences to the table when engaging in meaningful debate for fairness and equality.
Below, you can watch a clip from The Rachel Maddow Show which followed the story of the White House Website revising its DADT language:
And here is a collection of media coverage related to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:
Related Blog Coverage
Joe. My. God:
- White house fixes DADT Language on website, “repeal” replaces “change”
- White house restores LGBT rights promises on website (but changes DADT wording from “repeal” to “change”
- White house shrinks LGBT rights commitments list on official site
The Bilerico Project:
- Disrespecting the troops, one thousand officers at a time
- Obama hits pause on the repeal DADT button
- Robert Gates wants to “push” DADT repeal “down the road a little bit”
New PSA Speaks to API Transgender Women
December 3, 2008
In what media reports are calling a “seminal” event, a new public service announcement for the 20th observance of World AIDS Day was revealed yesterday. What makes this PSA stand out is that it’s the first one developed by and aimed at the wellness of the Asian Pacific Islander transgender community.
Medical News Today reports that the PSA is:
“The first of its kind to specifically address transgender women-particularly in the A&PI community-who are at higher risk for HIV infection and face discrimination for being transgender, of color, or both.”
The spot, produced by the non-profit organization The Banyan Project, will air nationally and online. The Banyan Tree Project is a national campaign dedicated to reducing HIV-related stigma in Asian Pacific Islander communities.
HIV is a prevalent issue in transgender communities. Just this year the Chicago-based publication Positively Aware, a bi-monthly magazine that reports on aspects of HIV/AIDS, dedicated the July/August edition to transgender issues. According to the article in Medical news Today, national studies suggest that 27.7% of transgender women have HIV. Two different 2004 studies conducted in San Francisco estimated that up to 27% of Asian Pacific Islander transgender women have HIV.
The PSA focuses on reducing stigma and shame related to discussing HIV and AIDS in the Asian Pacific Islander community. From the article:
“This community is often overlooked, and many of the outreach and prevention programs servicing transgender women are in danger of dissolution due to state and local funding cuts. This PSA is one way to continue the dialogue with an underserved, high-risk community in this historically unprecedented economic environment.”
The PSA features Tita Aida, Asia Vitale, and Erica Raney. Tita Aida is a long-time AIDS activst who was recently appointed to be the first transgender woman to sit on the Commission of Status of Women in San Francisco. Asia Vitale is well known for work in the 2006 documentary Beautiful Daughters, and Erica Raney currently serves as the peer leader for the Asian & Pacific Islander Transgender Empowerment program. Read the script below, or watch the PSA:
“I am in control of who I am and how I live my life. As Asian & Pacific Islander transgender women, we are at risk of getting infected with HIV. But we can change that. We can call the shots. Be in control of your health and life. Talk to your partner about using protection every time you have sex.”
Let California Ring Launches One of the Biggest Ethnic Media Ad Buys in History
September 24, 2008
One of the biggest public education efforts launched in California in recent years, Let California Ring is making waves with an innovative ad campaign for ethnic press, which features community leaders, LGBT couples and their families.
The print, radio and online banner ads are slated to run through the end of September in more than 150 API, Spanish-language and African-American outlets statewide.
All told this public education campaign is expected to reach more than 15 million people.
The campaign kicked off last fall with a TV commercial, media coverage of the campaign reaching more than 8 million people worldwide, and house parties where guests gained the tools to have conversations about marriage with their own friends, family and community members.
GLAAD has played a key role since the beginning of this exciting campaign. We’ve helped shape the ad campaign and generate media coverage, we’ve spokesperson trained LGBT couples and their families and we’ve been working diligently to provide media professionals with important resources.
The conversation about marriage is more important than ever since California state law now allows LGBT couples to marry.
Since the campaign launched we’ve seen an exponential spike in traffic to the website. People are talking about marriage, and those are the exactly the conversation that we know are changing hearts and minds about the issue.
Join the conversation, or share your story at www.LetCaliforniaRing.org. We want to hear from you!
Kenneth Cole Sets Trend for Inclusion
September 17, 2008
The below post was submitted by Andy Marra, GLAAD’s Asian and Pacific Islander Media Strategist.
Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. is known for setting the bar high when it comes to creative advertising to its customers. The fashion company has long tied its brand to social causes including advertising for the LGBT community and AIDS awareness.
Another ad featuring Log Cabin Republicans President Patrick Sammon
When Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian on the cover of Time magazine in 1997, Kenneth Cole used catchy ads to announce their support of her.
More recently, Kenneth Cole’s We All Walk In Different Shoes campaign has featured Log Cabin Republican President Patrick Sammon and LGBT families.
One of the newest ads in the campaign shows Nina Poon, a transgender woman of Chinese descent and her boyfriend Robert Jason about to kiss. The ad shares Nina’s story of growing up in Vietnam, coming to terns with her gender identity and how she now juggles being a successful illustrator, make up artist and girlfriend.
The new campaign features people from all walks of life, with its theme stemming from the company’s history of making footwear. Other people appearing as a part of the campaign include a punk evangelist, a survivor of ovarian cancer, an African American woman with albinism and a Hasidic reggae artist.
Hats (or shoes?) off to Kenneth Cole for providing the world great ads with an inclusive message.
Asian Pacific Islander LGBT Leaders Convene in Denver
September 11, 2008
The below post is from Andy Marra, GLAAD’s Asian and Pacific Islander Media Strategist about her recent trip to Denver, Colorado. (Click here for the Asian Pacific Islander Community Media Resource Kit)
A week after the Democratic National Convention was held in the “Mile High City,” I found myself on Frontier Airlines flying to Denver, Colorado. I was traveling to present a briefing and media training at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) Leadership Convening. The weekend-long event was developed for leaders of LGBT Asian Pacific Islander (API) organizations to network, learn about current issues, share strategies and build their infrastructure.
At the convening I found myself among more than 40 colleagues and organizational leaders from across the country. While I regularly travel to meet with these groups to provide media advocacy support and build their media relations and outreach capacity, it was an absolute pleasure to see everyone together in one place exchanging ideas and discussing future opportunities to collaborate.
Andy Marra briefs attendees at NQAPIA
On Saturday, I presented a briefing to the participants on where the API community is with its media visibility. The major theme – we’ve come a long away, but we still have much to do to in order to amplify our voices.
I also conducted a media training for about 15 new API LGBT leaders interested in developing communications plans for their organizations. Each participant received a package of our Media Essentials Toolkit, Announcing Equality report and palmcards about our work in the community.
The weekend also gave me a chance to sit down with various leaders of API LGBT organizations to hear updates on their work and how GLAAD assist them with upcoming projects. Many of the groups shared their plans for various advertising campaigns and new media projects. A few days back from the convening, I have already begun assisting some of them with their work!
Group Photo from NQAPIA
The convening in Denver was made possible with the help and support of both the Gill Foundation and Astraea Lesbian Action Foundation. Morris Price, a Program Officer for the Gill Foundation, was primarily responsible for making this event happen. It was great to catch up Morris, a good friend and colleague.
I owe a special thanks to my friends and NQAPIA founders Glenn Magpantay, Ben De Guzman and Mala Nagarajan for pulling this historic event together.
GLAAD has committed itself to being a resource for NQAPIA as it grows and develops. I am excited by their vision and plans to continue bringing the API LGBT community together.
