Well-known personality in the Dallas gay community, Venton Jones, became a key figure in the creation of two new organizations to the scene. Venton serves a full-time project coordinator for United Black Ellument, a community where young black men ages 18-29 become empowered about HIV/AIDS prevention, as well as President of DFW Pride Movement, hosts of a new Black gay pride in Dallas and I spoke with him about both here.

Speaking of DFW Pride Movement, if you missed The Movement’s keynote address presented by Christopher Bates, executive director of the President’s Council on HIV/AIDS, you owe to yourself to listen.

With the election of, and soon to follow inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama, a group of young activists under the moniker, Queer Liberation, became even more visible and controversial on the Dallas gay scene. Inspired by (though independent of) Join The Impact, Queer Liberation became a polarizing force urging local and national political figures to recognize gay marriage and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. I covered their protest for repealing DOMA in January here, and interviewed the group’s main founder, Blake Wilkinson, later in the year.

The weekly variety show, Lambda Weekly celebrated over 25 years on the air at KNON 89.3FM and now, with recently changes at Rational Radio 1360 AM being solely online due to lease non-renewal, they are not only the longest-running broadcast but they are only broadcast show in Dallas dedicated to queer issues. Listen to the interview with co-hosts David Taffet, Lerone Landis, and Patti Fink here. David Taffet also works for the Dallas Voice, who also celebrated 25 years of publication in 2009. Congratulations!

Actor, filmmaker, and social media expert, Q. Ragsdale also debuted her new media outlet, Q-Roc.TV in 2009, during the Queer Film Series at Black Cinematheque Dallas in the South Side Cultural Center. Check out her work at q-roc.tv.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, as well as a raid that took place in Ft. Worth hours earlier at the Rainbow Lounge, the individuals of Equality March Texas stepped on the scene with a march and rally in June. Citizens in the community were divided on the march (before learning of the Rainbow Lounge raid later that day) because some felt it was simply a duplication of the Alan Ross Freedom Parade which happens in September. However, for those who were like myself, it was fun and empowering (albeit, stupid hot-weather wise) experience. Watch my video below about the march.

Jesse Garcia, president of LULAC 4871, also known as the Rainbow Chapter of LULAC talks about how that chapter came to be and the upcoming immigration issues before Congress in the winter / spring of 2010. Catch our conversation here.

DFW BI-NET is back on the scene in big way this year, thanks in part to its new president, Matt Goodman, who shared his story of being Jewish and Bi here on the podcast.

Finally, yours truly has joined with local artist, actor, and all-around great guy, Harold Steward to being the work of Fahari Arts Institute. Proudly celebrating the Black gay artistic expression in all its forms, you can catch Harold and straight ally co-host and actress, Ashley Wilkerson at the monthly “Queerly Speaking” events at the Backbeat Cafe in downtown Dallas. Keep your eye on Fahari’s Facebook fan page to find out when the next events will be happening because we’ll be bringing a lot more than poetry in 2010.

Related posts:

1. Artists and LGBT advocates converge in Southern Dallas in March 2010
2. Podcast conversations from 2009 with LGBT authors
3. LGBT student scholarship events coming up in Dallas

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A key focus of the campaign and Monday night’s meeting was a report entitled, “At the Intersection: Race, Sexuality and Gender,” conducted by Lake Research Partners. The report presents internet and in-person polling results from individuals in African-American, Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander gay communities. Key findings of the research conducted from July to August 2007 were that race still mattered to gay communities of color and that religion still played a key role in prejudicial attitudes toward gays in communities of color.

Valiente member and new HRC steering committee member, Fernie Sanchez, admitted that some of his peers questioned his move to work with HRC, citing that the group, in their opinion. has not been friendly toward the gay Latino community. Several among the African-American attendees also spoke about situations where individuals may feel more at ease with their peers at Dallas Southern Pride (one of Dallas’ B/black pride events around early October) than the general Pride celebration held in September. Because of time constraints, the conversation stayed gay/lesbian-centric, verses diving into bisexuality or transgender discrimination.

For now, the hope is to continue the discussion quarterly to discuss these findings and the sources surrounding them and there is a national online chat happening at HRC’s website on Thursday, August 13 at 2pm C.S.T. In the meantime, perhaps we can have what Queen Latifah’s having in the following SNL skit.

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1. Legacy of Success Foundation, Valiente join forces for community discussion
2. UNT grad wants you to think again about marriage equality
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“Tell President Obama, it’s not just the GOP that’s on his butt right now. He now has some pissed gays and lesbians who are going to hold him just as accountable. … All I’ve got to say is, I’m tired of you leaving your promises on the night stand as you walk out the door after you’ve screwed me. Do something. Prove that you can make history to us. Don’t only be the first black president. Give equal rights to every American.”

A Politico article, recent posted at Yahoo! has this quote:

“People are far angrier than they’re saying publicly, because they don’t want to jeopardize [White House] relationships with the groups,” said John Aravosis, an openly gay blogger who speaks to gay leaders. “But everyone is feeling like we’ve entered a danger zone where the administration is backing away from us fast, and I can tell you that the professional gay crowd in Washington, D.C., to a person, feels a sense of impending betrayal.”

As President Obama actually is the first President of the United States to proclaim the month of June as Gay Pride Month, much to the chagrin of the religious right, and commits to “achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans” (you can read the full proclamation here), I wonder aloud if this heat against him is warranted. In fact, the proclamation goes on to say:

My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.

Sounds to me like his discussion here is no different than his original commitment to the LGBT community, which is also at the White House website.

So, what’s the real deal? Are these just knee-jerk reactions from previous Hillary Clinton supporters who’ve forgotten about our recession woes and bank troubles as President Obama as came into office a few short months ago? Or is President Obama really to blame for the progress in the states? How much more of that heat belongs on our own city and state elected officials and our own communities? Sound-off!

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The second thing I’ve realized is the personal fear that I’ve had around the word, “activist”. Yes, the denotation of the word is someone gets involved with intentional action to bring about social change, political change, economic justice, or environmental wellbeing. However, the connotation of the word brings images of counter-culture activities like dangerous protests that can threaten one’s livelihood or social standing, which may interest some of the young and restless but not so much those with families or solid careers with high visiblity. Of course, when you look at the history of African-Americans struggle for freedom, equality, and access in the United States, one has to ask when we’ve ever stopped being counter culture. That is a another blog unto itself, like one Terrance Heath wrote so well. Add to that struggle of acceptance, a personal realization that the”otherness” that you’ve felt all your life has the denotation of the term bisexual, or gay/lesbian, or transgender, and it can leave you wondering where home really is.

I believe that is the real personal fear: the possibility to having to detach from everything I know as humor, everything I know as joy, and everything I know as comfort. Yes, comfort, like the food that many African-Americans eat knowing well that it is unhealthy, but reminds them of better, perhaps safer times (even if it was only a period of ignorance). That may sound dramatic, but for me it was real. I didn’t want to be a solo representation of the gay community no more than I felt I was an ample representation of the black community. But that’s when something switched, and I began to ask my myself why I felt this way. Who says I can’t be a voice in this community, both black and gay, and an uncle and a active whole community member? Who says I must allow others to speak for me, while I benefit from their public scrutiny all because I just want to “live my life” and not make waves? Who says I must meet someone else’s criteria of being a community advocate or activist? A preacher told me a long time ago, speaking at a fun-raiser, that it’s not about equal giving, but equal sacrifice. His call was for individuals to rethink their giving in terms of personal contribution and not comparison with others.

So, why am I sharing my experience with activism? I believe that I can be active in many ways that still make a difference. Writing an email or several. Organizing or attend a rally/meeting or several. Helping with a $5 bill or several to organizations and artists (like playwrights, musicians, filmmakers, poets, and new media types (!)) who help build our sense of community. However, the equal sacrifice may best come with those who love and care for the most knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are indeed gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. I will say that was a turning point in my life that made all the difference. Being involved in the church as I was, the last thing I wanted was for anyone else to out me before I told my parents and sisters. Once they knew, as well as other friends who I cared about, it was like I didn’t have same reservations as before. It was like I knew I wasn’t comfortable with a rainbow flag or sticker around my door at the time, but seeing one up the street came me a strange feeling of (there’s that word again) comfort now. To be continued.

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1. Podcast: Why The Black in Black Media-A Roundtable
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