All Politics All the Time

I received my first taste of the political saturation which has transformed the mostly pastoral New Hampshire landscape during my trip to my home state over the weekend. A number of my parents' neighbors have John McCain signs outside their homes while a huge homemade sign outside the apple orchard where I bought apples on Saturday advertised Michelle Obama's upcoming visit. Her husband spoke to voters on a series of spots on Boston-based media markets during my stay in the South End. The primary remains more than two months away. But the political insanity has already begun in the Granite State.

LGBT issues remain at the bottom of most voters' list of key topics upon which they will base their endorsement. The Human Rights Campaign opened an office in Concord late last month in an attempt to solidify their influence on the candidates traversing through the state (New Hampshire's civil unions bill takes effect on Jan. 1). New Hampshire ranks among the most progressive states in the country but the primary, which remains an economic juggernaut for the state, remains staunchly first. Voters will almost certainly remain focused on the War, health care and the economy. Marriage (and LGBT issues in general) remain far behind despite what activists within the movement for LGBT rights may claim. Granite Staters are an independent lot who almost always view outsiders with a certain sense of skepticism (and even disdain). Activists within the movement for LGBT rights must prove themselves to New Hampshire voters if they are to be taken seriously. Anything less will result in certain failure at the expense of donors who support them and their organizations with their money.

A Pink Outing in the Hub

Marriage for same-sex couples has been legal in Massachusetts since May 2004. Thousands of gays and lesbians have exchanged nuptials in the Commonwealth despite former Gov. Mitt Romney and other vocal activists who have unsuccessfully attempted to block them through proposed Constitutional amendments, legislative lobbying and even fire and brimstone speeches and rallies on Beacon Hill. My aunt, who lives in the tony South Shore suburb of Milton, is not among these figures. She professed her support for these marriages as she waited for one of her customers to return from the dressing room inside Sachs Fifth Avenue in the Prudential Center.

My aunt epitomizes the over-caffeinated woman in her early 50s who says what she wants with no apologies: In other words she's simply fabulous! Most of her co-workers at Sachs are rather obviously gay. She's friendly with them and made sure I knew which ones were gay as we chatted during my surprise visit earlier today. My aunt's unprovoked support of marriage for gays and lesbians frankly caught me off guard. I have never told her that I am gay. I did mention during our conversation today that I reported the first marriages outside Cambridge City Hall after the Goodridge decision took effect. My confession prompted her quick response before she walked me around the floor to introduce me to her fellow co-workers. National Coming Out Day was yesterday but the conversation with my aunt on marriage, which lasted less than 30 seconds, heralded one of my last 'coming outs' with my own family. It was a great outing in the Hub indeed!

Greetings from a Gloomy Boston

Today marks the first day of my annual October swing through New England. I'm working out of my friend's apartment in the South End of Boston. It's a typical cool and drizzly October morning outside. The leaves have begun to change slowly but surely despite the recent warm weather.

The last few days have been quite busy for the movement for LGBT rights. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act debate continues to rage with almost daily updates from the National Center for Transgender Equality and opposing statements from Congressman Barney Frank [D-Mass.]. Equality Alabama board member Howard Bayless won his bid to secure a seat on the Birmingham Board of Education. Khadijah Farmer, a New York lesbian who was thrown out of a popular West Village restaurant, appeared on "Today" this morning with lawyer Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund. And Connecticut activists are eagerly awaiting their state's Supreme Court ruling on a lawsuit seeking marriage for same-sex couples. Journalists (and bloggers alike) will certainly remain busy over the next several weeks!

Lesbian Sues NYC Restaurant After Bouncer Allegedly Kicked Her Out of Restroom

Boy in Bushwick blogged extensively in July on lesbian New Yorker Khadijah Farmer's claim against the Caliente Cab Company bouncer who allegedly kicked her out of a women's restroom inside the restaurant while she, her girlfriend and a friend had dinner after gay Pride. Farmer has now sued the West Village restaurant alleging discrimination because her masculine appearance with 'societal norms' of gender identity.

Farmer's lawyer, Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, told the Times the lawsuit is important because it could potentially set a legal precedent for cases involving sex stereotyping. The city's human rights law includes gender identity or expression but the legal argument surely matters little to Farmer as she seeks justice for what she said happened to her inside the restaurant's restroom. Caliente Cab maintains it did nothing wrong but its position that Farmer simply wants money is absurd at best. The way in which the bouncer allegedly mistreated Farmer, especially after gay Pride, remains extremely unfortunate considering the throngs of LGBT people from across the world who descend upon Manhattan each June to attend the parade. The idea of gender identity and expression may seem a far too academic concept which many people may fail to understand. Humanity and dignity, on the other hand, are basic rights to which everyone is entitled.

ENDA Debate Continues

The movement for LGBT rights remains divided over the future of a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Human Rights Campaign board member Donna Rose resigned last week with a scathing criticism of the organization's apparently neutral stance on the controversy despite their pledge to only support an inclusive bill. Former Washington Blade editor Chris Crain and others have supported U.S. Rep. Barney Frank [D-Mass] in his decision to introduce two versions of ENDA which separate sexual orientation from gender identity and expression.

The current debate remains a classic liberal vs. conservative ideological battle within the movement for LGBT rights. The addition of transgender or 'T' to the ubiquitous LGBT acronym in the late 1990s remains a rather politically charged development in the broader movement. National organizations remain committed, at least in their public statements, sound bites and talking points, to advance transgender equality as part of their overall missions. Some of their actions (or inactions) may arguable indicate their actual intentions but the reality remains: Transgender activists (vis-a-vis transgender Americans) continue to gain more visibility. The ENDA debate only confirms it.

NYC Schools to Teach Respect for All

Anti-LGBT bullying in New York City's public schools remains a serious problem which local lawmakers and activists continue to address. The Dignity in All Schools Act, which the City Council passed in 2004 despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto, has yet to be implemented. The issue remains a rather contentious one as my article in the Blade this week indicates. The 2009 mayoral election (and posturing ahead of it) remains the underlying backstory to almost anything that comes out of City Hall these days [Call me a cynic if you will!]. But this issue remains arguably one that should transcend politics because students well-being and potentially lives remain at stake.

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced a new initiative on Sept. 27 to protect LGBT students in the city’s public schools from harassment and other bullying based on their sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

The plan, already in effect, is called Respect for All and has been endorsed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. It provide two-day training sessions and other professional development workshops to teams of teachers and counselors at more than 700 middle and high schools across the city. Workshop curriculum is based on recommendations of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Educators Network, the LGBT Community Center and other organizations.

Respect for All is a joint initiative with the Department of Education (DOE) and contains three broad objectives: to promote inclusion, to serve a resource to the LGBTQ students and to serve as a resource to faculty.

Quinn said DOE has already begun to implement the initiative this month. She added Respect for All sends a message that both the City Council and New York City government will not tolerate bullying against LGBT students.

“We think it’s a great step forward,” Quinn said. “We think it will be a really good resource for our schools.”

Bloomberg readily agreed in a statement.

“Our administration has zero tolerance for intolerance and we have worked to ensure that this important value—respect for others—is a part of everything we do,” he said. “This new initiative will bolster our efforts to ensure that every school offers an inclusive environment and teaches the importance of tolerance and respect.”

Klein announced the initiative to principals in a letter last week. He added the DOE remains committed to tackling harassment against LGBT students in the city’s public schools.

“Promoting respect for diversity is central to our mission as educators and leaders,” Klein said in a statement.

Phyllis Steinberg, president of the New York City chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG), praised the initiative as a positive step toward creating a safer environment for the city’s LGBT students.

“All children need a safe and secure educational environment in which to thrive [and] to ensure they achieve their full potential,” she said.

New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy chair Pauline Park is skeptical that that DOE is serious about helping its LGBT population. Park was among the coalition of activists who lobbied the City Council to pass the Dignity in All Schools Act (DASA) in 2004. The bill protected all New York City K-12 public school students, faculty, volunteers and visitors from bullying, harassment and discrimination on the basis of real or perceived race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability.

Bloomberg maintained the bill violated state law and vetoed it (the New York State Senate struck down a proposed statewide DASA bill last year). Quinn, then-Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Upper East Side) and other Council members blasted the mayor’s opposition to DASA, and the City Council overrode Bloomberg’s veto in a 44-3 vote. Because the legality of the bill is still contested, it has not been implemented.

Park remains critical about the DOE because, she said, it doesn’t even follow existing state laws that mandate it fully disclose incidents of violence in general. An audit by New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson, who will likely mount his own 2009 mayoral campaign, of 10 city high schools found the DOE did not in fact fully disclose violence and other incidents as mandated under state law. The law doesn’t require schools to specify whether incidents are LGBT-related.

Thompson’s spokesperson, Jeff Simmons, pointed out that the Comptroller supports DASA. He added his office remains “extremely troubled” by the DOE’s apparent failure to report these incidents.

“The flawed reporting makes it difficult for parents, the public and government officials to honestly assess whether a school is safe,” Thompson concluded.

Brian Ellner, senior counsel to schools chancellor Klein, defended the DOE’s record, saying that the agency remains committed to combating anti-LGBT bullying in city’s schools.

“The Chancellor has made it abundantly clear to make sure every school system is safe for all kids,” Ellner said. “The commitment is absolute.”

Quinn remained confident in Respect for All.

“[We] look forward to continuing to work with the DOE and the [Bloomberg] administration to provide school leaders with the tools to create positive, supportive environments,” Quinn said.

A Momentarily Reflection

Today is day four of my EDGE editorship and I'm finally beginning to get a feel for what to expect and how to work with my writers. My other deadlines continue unabated but my mother pitched a story to me earlier this week about her company's grant to enhance the Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project's hot line to Rhode Island and Connecticut. Parents are often... well... parents but my mother's pitch confirmed how fortunate I am to have loved ones who are comfortable with their son's sexual orientation. New York City remains a bubble in a country which remains largely uncomfortable with talking about sexual orientation (and gender identity and expression). The movement for LGBT rights arguably focuses on the political implications of these conversations without acknowledging the basic humanity behind it. My mother's pitch once again acknowledged my humanity but confirmed much, much more. Thanks Mom!

Trans Victory in Delay of U.S. Employee Non-Discrimination Bill

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.] delivered LGBT activists a hard won victory late yesterday after she postponed final debate on an amended Employment Non-Discrimination Act which does not include gender identity and expression. These activists expressed outrage over concerns among Democratic House leadership the long-sought ENDA would not pass a final vote based on trans-specific language. The debate will obviously continue as the movement for LGBT rights continues to solidify support for the inclusive ENDA on Capitol Hill. But it remains imperative transgender Americans remain part of the overall purview of ENDA despite any possible political wrangling to the contrary.

In an apparent victory for LGBT activists and their supporters, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.] postponed final debate on an amended Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The bill has come in for criticism from gay organizations because it does not include transgender-specific protections.

The House Committee on Education and Labor was scheduled to approve the latest version of the bill on Tuesday before sending it to lawmakers for a final vote. Pelosi said in a statement that the hearing will now take place later this month.

"This schedule will allow proponents of the legislation to continue their discussions with members in the interest of passing the broadest possible bill," she said.

Pelosi’s announcement came only hours after the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Black Justice Coalition and 87 other national and statewide LGBT organizations sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to postpone debate on the amended ENDA. The Human Rights Campaign and the NGLTF also signed onto a similar request spearheaded by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

NGLTF executive director Matt Foreman applauded Pelosi’s postponement. He expressed hope an inclusive bill would pass the House during an Oct. 1 telephone press conference.

"We do believe congressional leaders want to do the right thing," Foreman said.

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, agreed. She added her organization received an outpouring of support from across the country after Congressman Barney Frank [D-Mass.] announced last Thursday he would separate sexual orientation and gender identity and expression into two bills. Keisling remains confident House members will support ENDA with trans-specific protections.

"We worked like hell to get it passed," she said. "We think it can still be done."

The Senate voted 60-39 in favor of ENDA last Wednesday as part of the Defense Authorization Act while the House passed it in May.

Frank co-sponsored the bill in the House alongside Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin [D-Wisc.]. He introduced separate versions of the bill after Pelosi and other Democratic House leaders became concerned it would not withstand a final vote with trans-inclusive language. Baldwin refused to endorse the revised ENDA.

NBJC executive director H. Alexander Robinson maintained his organization would only support an inclusive bill.

"It is unconscionable for us to think we would support cutting transgender protections out of ENDA," he said.

PFLAG executive director Jody M. Huckaby said more than 12,000 members of his organizations wrote postcards to Congress over the last five days in an attempt to lobby lawmakers to oppose the amended bill. He added he will remain opposed to any attempt to remove gender identity and expression from the bill.

"It is not a strategy to leave out some of our loved ones," Huckaby said. "A strategy would keep our families together... and keep them protected."

The HRC, which is the country’s largest LGBT advocacy organization, has remained relatively quiet on the current ENDA controversy outside of a handful of critical statements published in the Washington Blade late last week. Transgender activists had previously criticized the organization for endorsing a version of ENDA without gender identity and expression. The HRC changed course in 2004 after it announced it would only support transgender-inclusive legislation.

Foreman refused to answer questions about HRC’s current strategy [Pelosi is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at its annual Washington gala on Oct. 6.]. He maintained he and other activists will continue their lobbying efforts ensure lawmakers pass an inclusive ENDA.

"We must signal loud and clear to every member of Congress: We are one community, and we demand protections for all of us, and nothing else will suffice," Foreman stated.

The Price of Political Expediency

The debate and outcry over the removal of gender identity and expression from the Employment Non-Discrimination Act continues inside the movement and on Capitol Hill. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force has scheduled a conference call later today with other organizations to discuss the current situation (and to reaffirm their positions). The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation references the controversy on its Web site while the Human Rights Campaign, which one can easily conclude has the most at stake in this debate, fails to do so.

The question remains: Will ENDA move forward at the expense of transgender Americans? Politics is more or less a series of calculated compromises designed to find the path of least (political) resistance. President Bush has already promised to veto the legislation. But the current debate highlights a number of possible truths. Some within the national movement continue their token transgender activism in the name of maintaining the image of inclusion. These figures arguably back down upon political pressure. Others -- wealthy white gay men for argument's sake -- are invested in issues which only affect them and their interests. Yet more may fail to understand the underlying oppression transgender Americans encounter on an almost daily basis.

ENDA is a step towards remedying these injustices but is certainly not the panacea some may conclude. The movement has a responsibility, however, to insure all of those on whose behalf it claims to advocate are included. These constituents certainly include transgender Americans who expect nothing less than their gay and lesbian brothers and sister. Anything less is simply unacceptable.

A Transgender-Exclusive ENDA?

The collective movement for LGBT rights barely had time to celebrate the historic passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the U.S. Senate before details emerged that House Democrats have reportedly proposed dropping gender identity and expression from the bill. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Parents, Friends & Families of Lesbians and Gays, the Anti-Violence Project and other organizations immediately blasted the proposal in an hastily prepared statement.

"If media reports from the last 24 hours are accurate, it is unconscionable that Congressional leaders would rush to a decision to strip protections for transgender people at the same time as states across the nation are adding these protections at an unprecedented pace," it read.

The Washington Blade first broke this possible development on Sept. 26. The Human Rights Campaign expressed its deep disappointment over the alleged move but did not comment beyond that in an interview with the paper yesterday. The HRC faced scathing criticism after it initially refused to endorse a trans-inclusive ENDA. It changed course in 2004 after transgender activists protested outside their Washington headquarters.

The apparent discomfort over a trans-inclusive ENDA reflects a broader concern among the so-called movement for LGBT rights that its leaders, many of whom are wealthy white gay men, include the T [transgender people] at their collective table merely to appear inclusive. This cynical concern is reflected among many activists here in Bushwick, in New York and elsewhere with whom I regularly speak. The movement contains a myriad of hard-working, passionate and persistent activists who remain deeply committed to the advancement of fairness and equality. The current debate will highlight who stands with transgender Americans or who simply delivers good sound bites to appear inclusive.

GOP Candidates Shift to the Right

Politics seems the bread and butter of my writing these days as this article for EDGE clearly indicates. It focuses on former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and others who have largely abandoned their previous pro-gay overtures on the campaign trail. Candidates, especially on the Republican side, certainly veer to the right in the months leading up to the first caucuses and primaries. But the question remains: Will this strategy actually work? The answer to that query remains largely in doubt.

Leading Republican candidates seem to have one thing in common: They’re all eager to highlight their credentials as social conservatives. And the first item on that list almost always is that mysterious "gay agenda."

Although the first caucuses and primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire still loom more than four months away, observers maintain that the GOP White House hopefuls are falling all over themselves to establish--or re-establish--their conservative bona fides. In the case of at least a few of them, that means apparently backtracking form previous pro-gay stances that, they fear, are coming back to haunt them.

Primary among these former pro-gay politicians are former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Of the two, Romney arguably has the most to lose. He continues to position himself as the leading conservative GOP candidate despite apparent flip-flops on the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" military ban, the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act and especially same-sex nuptials, which roiled the state during his last years in office.

Log Cabin Republican president Patrick Sammon told EDGE in a recent interview from Boston that the GOP remains largely skeptical of Romney because of his flip-flops on gay rights, abortion and gun control. He added these arguably politically calculated strategy will ultimately fail.

"You can’t trust what he says," Sammon said. "Mitt Romney is trying to use the Karl Rove playbook from 2004... and that’s a strategy for defeat in the general election."

Romney has had a lot of explaining to do to the party’s right. He described supporters of a Federal Marriage Amendment that would write a Constitutional ban on same-sex marriage as "extremists" during his failed campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy in 1994. And Romney even famously proclaimed he would advocate for gay rights more than the long-time Democratic incumbent, who was and is one of the most pro-gay senators in Washington.

Romney heavily courted gay Republicans during both his Senate his gubernatorial campaigns. He handed out pro-gay fliers throughout Boston’s Back Bay and South End neighborhoods during the city’s 2002 Pride celebrations that read, "All citizens deserve equal rights regardless of their sexual preference."

Romney all but abandoned these public statements after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its landmark Goodridge ruling which extended marriage to same-sex couples in the Commonwealth. He largely spearheaded Beacon Hill rallies and other efforts in support of a proposed Constitutional amendment to overturn the decision.

These efforts failed earlier this year after they did not garner sufficient legislative support. But that hasn’t stopped him.

Romney has brought his message onto the Iowa campaign trail, where he launched a radio ad last week which highlights his support for the FMA. The spot further points out that Romney remains the only leading GOP candidate who supports the proposed amendment.

"As Republicans, we must oppose discrimination and defend traditional marriage: one man, one woman," he said in the ad.

The spot debuted just days after a Polk County judge found the Hawkeye State’s ban on marriage for gays and lesbians unconstitutional (a decision that was quickly stayed, but not before one couple did, in fact, tie the knot). Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson [R-Tenn.] all oppose the FMA.

Romney, who has campaigned heavily in Iowa, continues to court the state’s influential conservative voting bloc ahead of its caucuses early next year.

The Log Cabin’s Sammon said that his organization will not endorse any candidate until the caucuses and primaries are over. He did, however, applaud Giuliani’s gay rights record.

The former federal prosecutor maintains his opposition to gay and lesbian nuptials on his campaign Web site but activists applauded Giuliani in 1998 after he signed the city’s domestic partnership bill, which extended benefits to same-sex partners of city employees, into law. The former mayor’s personal travails, however, remain New York tabloid fodder.

He moved into a wealthy Manhattan gay couple’s apartment after he and his second wife Donna Hanover separated. Giuliani made even more colorful headlines after he tried to seduce real estate mogul Donald Trump while in drag during a 2000 charity event.

Social conservatives took note of the former mayor’s gender-bending but Sammon once again defended his record.

"The tone of his campaign is one on focusing on core Republican issues and not divisive social issues," he said. "He’s trying to unite all Republicans."

Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, applauded Giuliani’s gay overtures during an interview with the Washington Post last month. But he and other gay activists criticized him in April for his opposition to a New Hampshire bill which extended civil unions to same-sex couples. Giuliani sparked further controversy in June after he appeared to back away from previous statements in support of the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" during a debate held at Saint Anselm College in Manchester.

Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson remains highly critical of Giuliani and other GOP presidential hopefuls. He announced in an e-mail last week that he would not endorse Thompson’s campaign because of his positions on marriage, campaign finance reform and other traditionally conservative issues. Dobson took a similar stance against McCain earlier this year because he opposes the FMA.

Dante Scala, associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire said marriage--and gay issues in general--will not receive much attention during the campaign. He added Romney and Giuliani’s apparent shift to the right is a politically calculated strategy that could potentially backfire.

"They don’t need one more issue on which to cross the base," Scala said.

Human Rights Campaign spokesperson Brad Luna agreed. Social conservatives suffered a stinging defeat at the polls last November after former U.S. Sens. Rick Santorum [R-Penn.], George Allen [R-Va.] and other anti-gay incumbents lost their re-election bids. The gay rights movement quickly spun the results as a rejection of their anti-gay rhetoric. Luna further pointed to the FMA vote last June as an attempt to deflect attention from what he described as the Republican Party’s own failures.

" Their stance on these issues is not guided on some held deeply held belief but rather political expediency," he said.

Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, remained particularly critical of Romney and Giuliani. He also singled out Democratic candidates who fail to support marriage for same-sex couples on the campaign trail.

"Inauthenticity and evasion actually harm candidates," Wolfson said. "This is true whether they are a Democrat or a Republican."

Sammon remains optimistic. He maintained attempts to drive social conservatives out to the caucuses and primaries will fail.

"If James Dobson isn’t happy; then that’s definitely a good sign for our side," he said.

Iranian President Mocks Reason at Columbia

Provocative, rambling and even stupid are three of the many adjectives pundits and observers used to categorize Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's long-anticipated speech at Columbia University in New York yesterday. He implored the need for more research with regards to the Holocaust while he denied his country's alleged development of nuclear weapons. But Ahmadinejad truly mocked reason with his denial of homosexuality.

"In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country," he said through a translator. "In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon; I don't know who's told you we have this."

Really Ahmadinejad? The 'petty and cruel dictator' lost any shred of potential credibility as evidenced by the immediate laughter and jeers which broke out among the audience. The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Campaign immediately weighed in to condemn the Iranian President's comments while newspapers, radio, television and even blogs carried the sound bite around the world. The question remains, however, as to whether anybody remains surprised that Ahmadinejad would make such a preposterous claim. Probably not. He has repeatedly denied the Holocaust, he advocates for the destruction of Israel and even yesterday he maintained women enjoy unparalleled freedom inside his country. Ahmadinejad's denial of homosexuality is an abomination to many within the movement for LGBT rights and within human rights circles -- and should be labeled as such. His categorization arguably remains nothing more than the latest of a series of statements which do little more than mock reason and intelligent thought.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Appears on a Global Stage

New York City remains abuzz today with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's appearance at Columbia University. A vocal faction of New Yorkers -- and commentators across the country -- have expressed disgust at the notion that a so-called sponsor of state terrorism would have an opportunity to appear, let alone speak, on American soil. Others welcome Ahmadinejad's appearance as a rare opportunity to directly hold him accountable for his regime's many human rights abuses.

Tehran continues to persecute LGBT Iranians at an alarming rate the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and other media outlets have documented over the last several months. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly sparked outrage over his Holocaust denials, his country's nuclear ambitions and his regime's alleged support of Iraqi insurgents. American anti-Islam sentiment and the legacy of the Iranian hostage crisis, among other things, continue to provide obvious folder to vilify Ahmadinejad's government. The Iranian president remains a pariah on the broader global geo-political scene. His visit to New York, however, provides the world (an Iranians themselves by virtue of association) an opportunity to hold him accountable for his human rights abuses on a worldwide stage.

Health Care Emerges As An Electoral Issue

All things apparently come up politics these days as the presidential campaign kicks into high gear. Health care is certainly no exception but the question among many LGBT activists remains: How does HIV and AIDS factor into this equation? Most quickly conclude the current administration's policy with regards to the epidemic in this country has failed as I detailed in this article for Gay.com yesterday. The candidates on both sides of the aisle have, for the most part, failed to address the epidemic in their stump speeches and various health care proposals. An estimated 1.2 million people live with the virus in this country while more than half lack access to basic health care. The math arguably speaks for itself.

As health care continues to emerge as a dominant domestic issue in the 2008 presidential campaign, a coalition of activists and organizations across the country has called upon the federal government to reform its overall AIDS policies.

More than 100 HIV-prevention and public health agencies released a statement Sept. 18 calling on Washington to implement a "successful national AIDS strategy."

The document urges the federal government to increase funding for programs specific to gay men, people of color and others disproportionately affected by the virus. It calls for "ambitious and credible" prevention and treatment goals in addition to the expansion of research initiatives.

The Gay Men's Health Crisis and AIDS Action spearheaded the creation of the coalition to coincide with the campaign. The coalition distributed copies of its recommendations to candidates on both sides of the aisle last month, but the content became public the same day U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., unveiled her long-anticipated health care plan during a campaign stop in Iowa.

Clinton's proposal does not include AIDS-specific proposals, but campaign spokesperson Jin Chon told Gay.com in an e-mail that the senator's plan reflects her commitment to fight the epidemic.

It "will be particularly important for people with HIV/AIDS," he wrote. "Hillary Clinton's plan will make sure that all Americans living with HIV and AIDS have access to the health insurance they need."

Not to be outdone by his Democratic rival, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina announced a number of specific recommendations earlier this week to fight the domestic AIDS epidemic. These include the expansion of Medicaid to cover people with HIV, the repeal on federally funded needle exchange programs and the creation of a Cabinet-level position to coordinate domestic efforts to reduce new infections among blacks and Latinos.

Robert Bank, chief operating officer for the Gay Men's Health Crisis, applauded these efforts. He added that the campaign provides an opportunity for his group and others to shine a renewed spotlight onto the epidemic.

"We saw this as a synergistic moment to catch the country's interest in AIDS once again, through demands to the presidential candidates to do for America what Congress requires of other countries," Bank told Gay.com. "It is critical to say to this new president that what we have is not good enough."

Nearly half the estimated 1.2 million people with HIV and AIDS in the United States lack access to health care. Bank added that a lack of mental health and other psycho-social services aggravate the problem.

"That's too high for a country that has absolute access to the best medication in the world to treat this disease," he said. "We are a country that has access to the best treatment for AIDS, and we have half a million people who are not getting it."

AIDS Action executive director Rebecca Haag, who is also a member of Clinton's LGBT advisory committee, echoed Bank. She applauded the Bush administration's efforts to combat the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa and in other parts of the developing world. Haag quickly concluded, however, that the White House has largely failed to address the epidemic in the United States.

"We don't think we're doing a very good job in this country in addressing our own AIDS crisis," she said.

AIDS has remained a political hot potato since the Centers for Disease Control made the first diagnoses in New York and San Francisco in 1981. Clinton specifically addressed the epidemic's toll among young black women during a debate held at Howard University in Washington in June.

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., opposes the Bush administration's abstinence-only approach to HIV and AIDS prevention. He has remained largely silent on how to specifically address the domestic AIDS epidemic.

A number of black LGBT activists remain critical of Obama's apparent overtures to the black church, the broader evangelical movement and other religious institutions. He raised more eyebrows in December with his appearance alongside GOP presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., at the annual Global Summit on AIDS and the Church in southern California.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, on the other hand, continues to address the AIDS epidemic on the campaign trail. He attended the dedication of the Wall-Las Memorias AIDS memorial in Los Angeles this month. Richardson, who created New Mexico's first commission to review state HIV and AIDS policies during his governorship, has also indicated he would appoint his vice president to lead the Presidential Advisory Commission on HIV and AIDS.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other Republican candidates have remained all but silent on the issue.

Haag said the candidates will continue to promote their health care proposals as the first caucuses and primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire draw closer. She remained adamant that HIV and AIDS should be part of any comprehensive plan.

"We are asking them to commit that under their presidency they will lead the nation to solve this crisis," Haag said.

Bank agreed.

"At a minimum, any presidential candidate who would be seriously considered for leading this country should address -- publicly -- the crisis of AIDS in the United States," he said. "If that person who has the privilege of leading this country talks about AIDS, then AIDS becomes a serious issue."

Health Advocates Ponder How to Curb Rising HIV Rates Among Young Gay Men

The fight against AIDS continues to dominate my journalistic palette with this latest story for EDGE which chronicles reaction to the New York City Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene report which indicates a spike in new HIV infections among young gay and bisexual men. Black and Latino men under 30 showed disproportionately high numbers of new infections in comparison to their white counterparts. The causes are arguably obvious: poverty, racism, homophobia, machismo and even the Spanish-to-English language barrier. The first cases of what became known as AIDS appeared in gay Meccas across the country in 1981. The epidemic has evolved, and more importantly, devastated countless lives and even communities over the last quarter of a century. Something certainly needs to be done to reduce new infections through new and innovative intervention, prevention programs and other initiatives. The stark reality remains, however, is that the epidemic continues to disproportionately impact young gay and bisexual men of color with little end in sight of significant changes to current policy don't take place. People's lives remain at stake. They will remain at stake as long as the status quo continues.


More than 25 years after the Center for Disease Control reported the first cases of a mysterious cancer and pneumonia appearing among gay men in New York and Los Angeles, HIV conversion rates are skyrocketing among young men who have sex with men (MSM).

On Sept. 11, the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene released a report that found new HIV infections had risen 33 percent among MSMs under 30 years old. The report, which covered the years 2001 to 2006, indicated that twentysomethings and younger account for nearly half of all new diagnoses reported in the city.

Officials added that the epidemic continues disproportionately to affect young MSMs of color. More than 90 percent of MSM under age 20 diagnosed with HIV in 2006 in New York were either black or Latino. Black MSMs received twice as many diagnoses as their white counterparts, according to the report. Latino MSMs were 55 percent more likely to contract the virus than gay or bisexual white men.

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said every neighborhood except suburban Staten Island experienced an increase in new HIV infections among MSMs under 30 since 2001. Perhaps not surprisingly, he reported that the most gay-friendly neighborhoods in Manhattan--Harlem, East Harlem, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen--saw the most significant increases there. In Queens, a semi-suburban area of the city, there was a 49 percent increase.

"We’re headed in the wrong direction," Frieden said in a statement.

Theories abound to explain the upsurge in new infections among young gay and bisexual men. These include so-called AIDS amnesia among those born before the epidemic broke in 1981, ineffective safer-sex curricula in public schools and the growing popularity of barebacking (sex without condoms) in the gay porn industry and in young MSMs.

Frieden did not acknowledge any of these possible causes. He did, however, urge MSM to reduce their number of sexual partners and to use more condoms. "We must ask all New Yorkers to accept some responsibility for helping our young people protect themselves," he urged. "We cannot drift backward."

Even as public health officials continued to sound the alarm, this report only confirmed a stark reality many HIV prevention activists and others continue to see on the ground. The Centers for Disease Control released the findings of a controversial--and some argue hyped--2005 study which concluded 46 percent of black MSMs in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco were HIV positive. The report further said gay and bisexual men of color were twice as likely to contract the virus than other MSMs.

Michael Roberson, executive director of the Brooklyn-based People of Color in Crisis, bluntly scoffed at those who expressed surprise at these statistics. He added the lack of local, state and federal funding specific to black gay and bisexual men remains what he called "genocide by neglect."

"Those of us who do this work and those of us who are black and have sex with men are not surprised," he told EDGE. "I don’t know why it’s a shock."

Roberson might find support for his thesis in inner cities like Detroit, where blacks are a large majority. The Motor City, long mired in decline, suffers from Michigan’s highest HIV and AIDS rates. Hank Millbourne, deputy executive director of AIDS Partnership Michigan, blamed poverty, a lack of health care and even low literacy rates for enhancing the epidemic’s spread in Detroit.

Milbourne further singled out the Bush administration’s abstinence-based HIV prevention initiatives as an additional and glaring failure to reduce new infection rates among young gay and bisexual men in his city. "There’s a whole political climate that works against us," Millbourne said.

Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano, of the national LGBT advocacy organization Unid@s, agreed. The Austin, Texas, activist added immigration status and even the Spanish language barrier pose additional hurdles to many gay and bisexual Latino men who seek access to health care, prevention programs and other services.

Victoria Arellano’s death in a Southern California federal detention center in July highlighted the plight many immigrants with HIV and AIDS face. Immigration & Customs Enforcement officials allegedly denied the transgendered Mexican national an antibiotic necessary to curb the virus’ many side effects.

Her family plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit against ICE in the coming weeks. Many activists point to Arellano’s death, the hundreds of Puerto Rican men with AIDS who languished for months on waiting lists in the American territory earlier this year to receive medications and other cases they feel highlight bureaucratic neglect that only enhances the epidemic’s devastating effects.

Roberson further singled out homophobia within the Black church and other social institutions. "It’s amazing that the neglect that continues to happen with black gay men," he concluded. "When this data is released it’s like ’Oh my God its crazy. What are we going to do.’"

The United Fellowship Church remains the largest denomination within the black church to minister to the LGBT faithful. Many congregations operate HIV and AIDS ministries and other related outreach across the country. Millbourne said other churches outside the UFC have begun to follow suit but he remained somewhat skeptical.

"They can’t come as saviors because they’ve talked about these people," Millbourne said. "They need to come with bowed heads and an apology on their lips."

As the chief executive officer of New York’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Dr. Marjorie Hill heads the nation’s largest private AIDS service organization. She sees the elimination of homophobia within the Black church as a key component of what her organization and others need to do in order to curb the epidemic among young gay and bisexual men of color. Traditional prevention and outreach initiatives must continue in addition to efforts to eliminate societal and especially cultural stigmas, she added.

Millbourne would only add that the Black church, HIV-prevention organizations and especially young MSM themselves all share a responsibility to reduce new infection rates. "Everybody’s got to own a piece of this," Millbourne said.

Maryland Court Rejects Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

A divided Maryland Court of Appeals ruled yesterday against eight same-sex couples and a gay widow who sought the right to marry in their state. The court, in a 4-3 decision, upheld Maryland law which maintains marriage is an institution between a man and a woman. It added current law does not deny gay and lesbian couples their Constitutional rights through the denial of marriage.

The decision overturns Baltimore Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock's January 2006 ruling which found the marriage ban for gay and lesbian couples unconstitutional. The Court of Appeals ruling, which obviously came as a shock to those who sought marriage in their state, remains part of a much more broad trend that indicates judicial strategies to secure full marriage for same-sex couples by and large have failed. Massachusetts remains the only state where gay and lesbian nuptials came about through a direct judicial mandate and that ruling sparked a widespread backlash that stung the movement for LGBT rights to the core during the 2004 presidential election.

Fast forward nearly four years and the situation has certainly evolved. Connecticut's civil unions law took effect in October 2005. New Hampshire lawmakers passed a nearly identical bill earlier this year which is slated to take effect in January. Senator Hillary Clinton [D-N.Y.] and other Democratic White House hopefuls have expressed support for civil unions -- or even marriage for same-sex couples in a handful of cases. Lawmakers in California, Vermont and a handful of other states, such as New York, have debated the marriage question in various forms over the last few months. Same-sex couples should certainly have the right to marry if they choose. The movement for LGBT rights arguably has a responsibility recognize the current political and judicial climate which exists in most states if it hopes to secure tangible advances on this issue. It also must manage expectations among those who tirelessly devote their time and energy to expand marriage rights in this country. Nothing happens within the bubble that often is the movement for LGBT rights. Judicial defeats, such as that which took place yesterday in Maryland, are certainly no exception.

HIV Prevention and the Hillary Affect

Senator Hillary Clinton [D-N.Y.] finally released her long-awaited health care platform at a press conference in Iowa. The White House hopeful, who remains all too aware of the political debacle she led during her husband's first administration, appeared more nuanced as she again urged universal health care for all Americans. Her critics predictably criticized the plan as Hillary care, Part II, but a coalition of more than 100 organizations coincidentally used Clinton's announcement to urge her and other presidential candidates to address ending the epidemic in their health care platforms.

One can easily argue that continued bureaucratic wrangling -- and even neglect -- has enhanced the virus' impact in this country. People of Color in Crisis executive director Michael Roberson described this as 'genocide by neglect' in a recent interview to describe AIDS' devastating impact among communities of color in which he and his staff work. [Bushwick has one of New York City's highest rates of HIV and AIDS] The lack of local, state and federal funding for appropriate prevention and outreach efforts is another facet of this multidimensional problem while underlying poverty, racism, homophobia and even machismo add fuel to the fire. The epidemic is more than 26-years-old. It remains a devastating plague which continues to ravage entire communities and even countries around the world.

So-called special interests will obviously continue to seek to influence the policy agendas of those who seek to win the White House next November. It remains unclear as to rather this coalition of HIV prevention organizations will succeed in their mission. The problem of HIV and AIDS remains an issue which the candidates need to address much sooner than later because lives remain at stake. Let's hope Clinton and her counterparts shed light on this critically important issue.

Larry Craig's Continued Titillation

Soon-to-be former U.S. Sen. Larry Craig [R-Idaho], to the deep chagrin of the movement for LGBT rights, continues to titillate gay and straight audiences alike as details -- and even stories -- about his June arrest in a Minneapolis airport restroom continue to emerge. The latest salvo in this salacious saga came with an Associated Press article yesterday which found travelers in the busy Northwest hub want to see the now infamous men's room. Las Vegas police arrested OJ Simpson after an alleged botched robbery over the weekend but Craig's alleged toe-tapping is indeed far more interesting.

Perhaps the social conservative's abrupt fall from grace remains an all too tragic spectacle of which Americans simply can not get enough? Perhaps there remains an 'ick factor' which causes instant repulsion from those who view gay sex as an abomination? Perhaps those in the Heartland simply have too much time on their... um... hands? I will stop the early morning speculation at Craig's expense. The one certainty that remains, however, is that more details will emerge from this baffling case. Craig maintains he plans to fight his plea. He also seeks to clear his name. It's arguable too little, too late on both fronts but the movement for LGBT rights will undoubtedly continue to wish the former GOP stalwart will simply ride into the Idaho sunset once and for all.

Panel Dissects Racism, Poverty & AIDS in Post-Katrina Forum

The legacy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast remains one of this country's most embarrassing failures more than two years after the storm made landfall. Large swaths of New Orleans remain uninhabitable. New Orleanians continue to suffer poverty, racism and overall bureaucratic neglect as they attempt to rebuilt their homes and their lives. Politicians continue to point fingers at each other for their collective failures before, during and after Katrina. Panelists discussed the impact of these realities last Thursday at the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York as it relates to the spread of AIDS in the Big Easy and the Big Apple. I covered the forum for both EDGE [see story below] and the Blade but I left the forum shocked and angry. How could the United States fail an entire region? The panelists arguably answered that question loud and clear as they laid out possible solutions to this decades-long neglect of one of the country's most culturally rich regions.

Before August 2005, Jimmy Chase, like others in New Orleans, went to his job every day, in his case as a New Orleans AIDS Task Force peer support specialist. Then came Hurricane Katrina, and, like everyone else in the Big Easy, his life became much more complicated. But Chase’s attempts to return to normal in the wake of America’s greatest natural disaster was made even more difficult by the fact that he was living with AIDS.

Chase evacuated his apartment on the city’s West Bank just before Katrina barreled down upon the city in 2005. He returned to New Orleans nearly six months later. Chase has since moved into his own home and remains an outreach worker.

But he quickly points out he remains more lucky than other New Orleans residents. "I went back because I have a job and I have a house," he said. "I was fortunate to go back."

Chase has also lived with AIDS since 2002. He shared his experiences at a panel in New York City. Chase was one of four panelists who participated in the "Lives at Stake--Poverty, Race and HIV-from New Orleans to New York" forum at the Gay Men’s Health Crisis’ offices in Chelsea. The conference coincided with the second anniversary of Katrina’s landfall. The panelists sought to examine the intersection of a disaster like Katrina, AIDS, and poverty, racism and homophobia.

Katrina only exacerbated many problems that already existed in New Orleans, Chase said. Only 20 percent of New Orleanians remain uninsured, but rents--where people can find housing at all--have increased 45 percent since the storm. The lack of an extensive public transportation system and other basic infrastructure are continuing to plague his clients at the AIDS Task Force.

"Katrina really affected minority communities," he said. "When the news says New Orleans is back, that’s just in the tourist area."

Louisiana was already suffering disproportionately from the AIDS epidemic. The state has the third-highest rate of new HIV and AIDS infections in the country. The number of cases of gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases also ranks among the highest in the United States. Chase said his agency and others in New Orleans, meanwhile, are struggling to meet the needs of their clients because the federal government continues to slash their funding.

"We’re fighting an uphill battle on top of Katrina," he lamented. "The agencies are doing the work but their hands are tied because of the funding loss."

Break the Chains seeks to reform federal and state sentencing guidelines for drug-related offenses. Executive Director Deborah Peterson Smalls was more pointed in her assessment of the city’s problems. She believes lawmakers failed New Orleanians of color long before Katrina.

"What really happened is not because of a hurricane," she said. "We have to remember what happened there were levees breaking, the flooding of the city. The majority of disasters that affect our community are not natural but political."

Smalls further argued that what she described as the "racialization of poverty" continued to impact disproportionately people of color, not only in New Orleans, but also New York and other major metropolitan areas. "The ultimate goal of all racist policies is to produce premature death," Smalls argued. "These policies are designed to destroy us."

Dr. Mindy Fullilove, professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York, knows something about what AIDS has done to low-income communities. She began researching the impact AIDS has had on New York’s historically black and Latino neighborhoods way back in 1986. She also accused bureaucratic neglect, racism and more recently gentrification of enhancing the epidemic’s impact among people of color.

"Sept. 11 and Katrina help us understand it," Fullilove said. "What happens in New Orleans happens to us; what happens in New York happens to them."

New York City Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene HIV Prevention Specialist Chris Jacques sees post-Katrina gentrification in New Orleans as mirroring Brooklyn, Harlem and Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. Over the last three decades, minorities in New York have been pushed aside for wealthier residents. The argument was buttressed by a just-released U.S. Census report that showed that, for the first time in decades, the influx of whites to New York City increased, as did the number of blacks leaving.

"Public health is personal," Jacques said. "The notion someone will come to save you is jive. It is accomplished through day-to-day and minute-to-minute decisions you make for yourselves and for your family." He advocated taking personal responsibility for health maintenance. But he hastened to add that community-based organizations, public health advocates and bureaucrats alike have a responsibility to advance the well-being of their various constituents.

"This business of organizing to maintain our communities is real," he said. "We need to organize and conduct our business in a way that tells people to put health on their agenda."

GMHC organized the forum after Chezia Carraway toured New Orleans’ lower Ninth Ward in May during the HIV Prevention Leadership Summit. The Women’s Institute associate director for HIV Prevention & Community Development told EDGE that her visit to the devastated neighborhood evoked memories of Sept. 11. The tour also brought home how much poverty contributes to the spread of AIDS. "It’s not enough to stop HIV and AIDS but to rebuild communities," she said.

GLAAD After New Post-Again-For 'Toe Tapping'

I have to acknowledge my former GLAAD colleagues for their recent consistency in their attempts to hold the New York Post accountable for their arguably homophobic and clearly sensational coverage of many LGBT-related stories. I wrote this story for EDGE earlier this week after the media watchdog criticized the tabloid for its use of 'toe tapping' to describe former CNN Headline News anchor Thomas Roberts in relation to an alleged Manhunt profile in which he posted explicit pictures of himself. Gossip is gossip until proven otherwise but the question remains as to whether GLAAD's efforts to go after the Post will actually generate any concrete results. Many activists have blasted the media watchdog for their apparent lack of protocol to the Post -- or at the very least a slow response to problematic coverage. Others remain highly skeptical. These points of view arguably remain valid. The question remains, however, as to whether attempts to reign in the Post are worth the time. New York activists founded GLAAD in 1985 in direct response to the tabloid's highly problematic coverage of the AIDS epidemic so the media watchdog has an added charge, if you will, to handle this situation correctly.

The New York Post, which is a must-read for many Manhattanites for its Page Six gossip coverage, has landed itself in hot water for a perceived anti-gay slur. It’s far from the first time the newspaper, which has positioned itself as a national tabloid in the tradition of London’s Sun and News of the World--both also owned by press lord Rupert Murdoch--has been cited for its coverage.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD is up in arms over the Post’s description of an openly gay former CNN Headline News anchor in an article published in Page Six on Sept. 7. The gossip column reported now Insider co-host Thomas Roberts posted explicit pictures under his profile on the popular gay cruising site Manhunt. Manhattan blogger Kenneth Walsh had posted them on his blog Kenneth in the 212. The pictures contain full-frontal and nude back pictures but do not display the man’s face.

GLAAD took issue with the tabloid’s description of Roberts as a "toe-tapper." The term refers to outgoing U.S. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), who was arrested last month by undercover police in a Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport restroom for allegedly soliciting sex. The police officer reported an elaborate ritual for soliciting sex that involved Craig putting his foot into the officer’s stall and tapping his foot, an action that quickly became fodder for late-night comics.

GLAAD Director of Media Strategy Paul Karr told EDGE in a prepared statement that the Post continues its homophobic reporting through the use of the slur. "What we’ve got is a paper that’s stuck wallowing in the prejudices of the 1980s," he said. "The stereotypes the Post clings to so desperately might have seemed novel two decades ago, but today they’re just vulgar, cheap and tired."

Rubenstein Public Relations, the high-powered New York firm that serves as the Post’s and Murdoch’s New York mouthpiece, did not return EDGE’s requests for comment.

The Post has a long history of tempestuous relations with the gay community. In fact, it helped contribute to the founding of GLAAD itself. New York activists founded GLAAD in 1985 in response to what they deemed the tabloid’s homophobic and salacious coverage of the AIDS epidemic in the city.

GLAAD further blasted the Post last October after it published two cartoons by Sean Delonas, the cartoonist whose viciously satiric jabs usually appear on Page Six. One featured openly gay former New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey comforting former Florida Congressman Mark Foley with the caption "Look on the bright side Foley, you’ll have a best-selling book." Another featured a veil-clad man holding a sheep outside a marriage license window following the New Jersey Supreme Court’s ruling that extended civil unions to same-sex couples in the Garden State. (There was no explanation as to what the relevance was, since the sheep was not a ram, and thus female, as many bloggers pointed out.)

GLAAD also named the Post one of its 2006 Anti-Gay Defamation Offenders in a list it released on January 3. These efforts seemed in vain, however, after the tabloid published yet another Delonas cartoon in July that featured McGreevey threatening Miss New Jersey Amy Polumbo in light of the blackmail scandal which nearly forced her to surrender her crown.

The media watchdog again publicly criticized the Post, but a number of activists and even media professionals remain highly skeptical as to whether these efforts have generated tangible changes in its coverage of LGBT-related stories. Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute categorized the tabloid as the "worst of the worst" of what she described as "frat house humor" in an interview with EDGE.

She quickly added GLAAD and other organizations face an uphill battle each time they publicly criticize the Post. "I seriously doubt the Post is going to change," McBride said. "They’ve identified a market and this use of language and treatment of sexual orientations fits within that identity."