Clamour Underbridge

*Fairness to Announce Boycott of Woody*s Tavern * or Here we go again

This is a press release from The Fairness Campaign. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
Monday, October 5, 2009

*CONTACT: *Chris Hartman, Director, Fairness Campaign
                  502.640.1095 (cell); Twitter.com/FairnessCamp

*Fairness to Announce Boycott of Woody*s Tavern *
*Tuesday, Oct. 6, 4PM*
*
*
(Louisville) On the night of Monday, September 21, just one month after Woody*s Tavern owner David Norton*s public apology for racist and sexist remarks made one year earlier, Mr. Norton launched another tirade of prejudice and hate against customers in his bar. According to witnesses, a bar patron lifted the corner of a pool table to dislodge balls stuck inside, which prompted a yelling spree from Mr. Norton, who ultimately chased every patron out of his establishment. As he ejected them, he yelled after patrons, calling them *trashy faggots,* and then, referring to a
group of African American patrons, stated, *Look at their skin color. You know what's on the tip of my tongue.* Following these incidents, the Fairness Campaign Coordinating Committee has approved a public boycott of Woody*s Bar and Tavern, supported by the organizations listed below.

*Mr. Norton has now proven that not only was his public apology of a month ago empty, but that he refuses to change,* shared Fairness Campaign Director Chris Hartman. *We, at the Fairness Campaign, believe a stand must be made against this series of injustices, which will undoubtedly persist if Mr. Norton continues to operate his business. We demand Mr. Norton cease ownership and operation of Woody*s Tavern, or, if he will not, that its doors close.*

The Fairness Campaign and its supporters will regularly flyer potential bar patrons and the surrounding community to educate them about the boycott and encourage their participation. A public forum discussing these incidents and the public boycott is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28 at the University of Louisville. The boycott will also be discussed at the Fairness Campaign's monthly "Dismantling Racism" dialogue, Wednesday, October 7, 6PM at the Fairness office.
The Magnolia Bar and Grille, currently owned by Mr. Norton, will not be included in the boycott, as Fairness leaders have received report of its ownership changing this month. If, by the end of October, the Magnolia Bar and Grille ownership has not changed, it will be included in the boycott effort.

*WHAT:* Announcement of Fairness Campaign*s Boycott of Woody*s Tavern

*WHEN: *Tuesday, October 6, 4PM

*WHERE:* Corner of East Burnett and Brook Street, near Woody*s Tavern

*WHO:*
blkout
commonGround
Fairness Campaign
Jobs With Justice
Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
University of Louisville Office of LGBT Services, Brian
Buford, Director
W.E.N.C.H.
WIT (Women In Transition)
# # #

The Letter September 2009

The Letter September 2009

Novotny? You're not from around here, are you?

Actually.  He is.  It comes as a shock to no one but me that actor Hal Sparks, Queer as Folk's Michael Novotny, is from Franklin County.  You know, Frankfort--the place with great big marble government buildings and unbridled homophobia with a dash of the establishment of religion for one and all.  That's the one.  Straight boy from small town Kentucky plays gay boy on TV for five seasons and is really good at it.  Film at eleven. 

Well, actually not.  You'll need to rent Queer as Folk from Wild and Wooly if you don't own it already.  It's probably in reruns on Logo, Insight Channel 127, I think.  I don't have cable.  You'll have to look it up.  And you should.  You should watch Queer as Folk even though it's in reruns and all the actors have moved on to other projects and this is not a paid commercial endorsement. 

You should watch it because it's very, very gay.  Love it or hate it.  Despise the characters or decide they're just like the girls, or guys, you know at the bar or the gym or sitting next to you on the couch.  Wonder what it would be like to have a mom like Debbie Novotny or Jennifer Taylor.  Would you really want to date Brian?  Seriously?  How about Ben?  Queer as Folk gives you something to think about and there's eye candy.  Oh yes indeed there is eye candy.  It's a guy-centric show so you gals need to brace yourself for that.  I have to admit I haven't kept up with L Word so I get there are different dynamics at work.  All the boys are pretty; they spend a lot of time at the bar and the gym.  Money doesn't seem to be a problem for any of them and the mythical land of Liberty Avenue is lined with gay friendly and gay owned businesses and surrounded by a gay ghetto where you can swish down the sidewalk holding hands and know you're surrounded by other community minded folks.  That would be the queer community not the "live by our rules or go to hell" community that one keeps finding oneself unfortunately mired in here in Kentucky.  Queer as Folk is not exactly set in the real world. 

So you only watch things set in “the real world?”  Right. You might want to go back to your knitting.  Anyway, before Queer as Folk what exactly did we have?  Will and Grace?  Yeah.  OK, except that I get around more than Will and I'm a big fat queen with smart mouth and short attention span.  Big Gay Al from Southpark?  Tara and Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?  Willow started out with Oz.  Remember?  Here’s a little history lesson.  Queer as Folk hit the airwaves in the US in 2000.  The good citizens of Kentucky wrote gay marriage out of our constitution in 2004.  Voters in California wrote gay marriage out of their constitution in 2009.  Do you seriously think the real world is ready for us and we don't need a place like Liberty Avenue to at least think about? 

And that reminds me.  Queer as Folk had a life before it debuted on Showtime.  It’s actually a remake.  Queer as Folk was originally created for the BBC and started out there with a two series (as in seasons) run.  Their Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh was Canal Street, Manchester.  The names and some of the characters changed when they came across the Atlantic to the US but you can probably recognize everyone and the story if you set down and watch it.  The up-tight and prim were shocked by Queer as Folk UK.  I guess it was OK for Mr. Humphries to mince across the screen in Are You Being Served?  but Stuart and Nathan (their Brian and Justin) lock lips and the howls of outrage drowned out the chimes of Big Ben.  You can thank Russell Davies for all of this hoopla.  Mr. Davies went on to re-invent Dr. Who after creating Queer as Folk.  He also created Bob and Rose (a bisexual couple?  It's difficult to say), and, one of my favorites, Torchwood.  Does it matter that Russell Davies is openly gay and has a partner?  You bet.  The lead actor in Torchwood, John Barrowman, is also openly gay and had a civil union with his spouse in December 2006.  It's illegal in Kentucky but we wish him well anyway.  Barrowman's character, Captain Jack Harkness, is openly bisexual.  It's complicated.  You'll have to watch.

Hal Sparks was in Louisville in February of 2009.  He was the Valentine's Day headliner at the Improv Comedy Club in Fourth Street Live.  I missed it.  The good folks over at LEO, however, caught up with Hal and asked him how he was doing and what was going on in his life.  He's in a band.  He was going to skip out and visit his mom and sister while he was in town.  He doesn't play Louisville very much but has been in Lexington quite a bit.  I did some checking around to see what the other QAF alumni are up to.  Gale Harold (Brian) is in Desperate Housewives now.  Randy Harrison (Justin) and Scott Lowell (Ted) are doing theater.  Peter Paige (Emmett) is directing.  Life goes on.  I was surprised to discover that Russell Davies left the BBC in April 2009 and moved to Hollywood.  Who knows what he's cooking up.  I'll get back to you on that.

The Letter August 2009

The Letter August 2009

The Letter July 2009

The Letter July 2009

Photos from 2009 Louisville Gay Pride Parade and Festival

Must we talk about shame?

For shame deny that thou bear’st love to any.
William Shakespeare.  Sonnet X

Must we talk about shame during Pride?  Pride, Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender-Queer-Questioning-Allied-or Other, is all about knowing who we are, what we want and taking stock of our accomplishments (or lack there of) along the way.  Shame, however, is what some groups want to serve up anytime gay people get mentioned.  While most of us are having Pride month those wonderful people in the “nobody’s actually gay” or the “normal people aren’t gay”  or the “I’m a used-to-be homosexual and you can be one too”  movement are dishing out the shame and the guilt.  There are all kind of places you can go around Louisville or on the web to get a walloping dose.  I advise you to leave these folks alone, let them get on with their angst-ridden lives and be sure to point them out as the damaging, psycho-babble charlatans they actually are. 

Let’s start with Southeast Christian Church.  If you go to their website and search for homosexuality you will find their relationships/care ministries.  You see, at Southeast Christian Church, homosexuality is a disease.  You “recover” from homosexuality.  You’ll find, on their website, a quote from Bob Davies and his book When a Loved One Says, “I’m Gay.”   Since Bob Davies’ work is published by Focus on the Family you know it’s going to ignore most, if not all, of science, medicine and modern thought.  There’s a Women’s Group that “helps” you overcome “unwanted same-sex attraction and relationships.”  Change is Possible! Give me a break.  Southeast provides “helpful” links to dubious and oft-debunked “agents of change” such as Exodus International, Troubledwith (A Focus on the Family site), NARTH (National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality), New Direction Ministries of Canada (that link is broken BTW), Regen Books (another broken link and actually Exodus Books), Desert Stream, and Exodus Youth.  One and all a cock-and-bull (irony much?) collection of psychologically damaging and professionally disparaged gaggle of life destroying drek that does a great deal of harm and absolutely no good.  Southeast Christian and their recovery programs are all about the shame.  Get it while it’s hot and steaming. 

Then there’s Sojourner Church.  Their website is a little less blatant in the shame and guilt, ex-gay BS but still cleaving to the some tired old ox trail.  Sojourner’s Women’s Ministry is very well connected to the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) brought to you by the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Since CBMW is all about opposing feminist egalitarianism and other “errors” of modern thought you can bet they buy into the whole “ex-gay,”  “homosexuality is a disease,”  “there is only one sexual orientation” pack of untruths.  CBMW exists to stamp out “confusion” in the church (you know, the one holy absolutely not Catholic and by no means apostolic one) and bring an end to “acceptance of homosexuality,”  the “secular homosexual” influence on theology as well as “confusion…regarding maleness and femaleness.”  Oh yeah.  They’ve got the guilt and shame train coming in right on time.

The “desperately seeking rigid and coercive gender roles” crowd will do you wrong every time.  Trust me I’ve been there.  Don’t fall for it.  If you want to make a change then chose to be Proud.  You have only your shame to loose.

The Letter Pride Edition

The Letter Pride Edition has been published.  It's a web only issue so there is no pdf to download.  Hopefully The Letter will be moving to a twice-a-month print edition this Autumn.  Stay tuned for further information. 

Want to march in this year's Pride Parade?

It's time for the annual Louisville Pride Parade.  Progressive Pathways Fellowship (PPF) will be marching in the parade and you are invited to join us. 

Date:             Friday, June 19, 2009
Time:             Please arrive no earlier than 7 p.m.  The parade begins at 8 p.m. 
Where:          Tryangle's rear parking lot.  209 S Preston St Louisville, KY. 
Route:           We will be marching from Tryangle's to the Belvedere.  It should take about 45 minutes. 
Things needed:  
     Marchers--you, your family, friends and other supportive folks that want to be in the parade.  Costumes are optional. 
     Transportation--In the past we have ridden (or walked) with a small pick-up that we decorate with the PPF banner and whatever else strikes us as festive.  We would be happy to add your pick-up truck (full size or whatever) or your convertible or any other motor vehicle that lets us wave to the crowd and that can be decorated.
      Treats for the Crowd--if you have things we could distribute to the crowd (candy, toys, stuffed animals, etc.)  That would be very helpful.  It's a lot farther from the middle of the street to the side walk than you think when we throw stuff to the crowd. 

What else:       Wear a hat and sunscreen.  Bring water.

After the Parade:  There is a free festival on the Belvedere after the parade.   

Questions:  Send me an email (fatherjimppf@gmail.com). 

Here are a few pictures from last year's parade. 

The Letter June 2009

Letter June 2009 -