Bay Windows
The year in queer
What a year. From the anti-gay animus of MassResistance, the Boston Archdiocese and VoteOnMarriage.org to the victory over an anti-gay marriage amendment -from the angst over ENDA to the messiness of presidential politics, 2007 was interesting. Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights.
House Speaker Sal DiMasi: ’I’ve never had a vote like that before’
No matter what we’ve tagged our heroes over the years - "Person of the Year," its plural, "People of the Year" or more recently, "People Who Made a Difference," only House Speaker Sal DiMasi has the distinction of making our list for two consecutive years.
The year in queer
What a year. From the anti-gay animus of MassResistance, the Boston Archdiocese and VoteOnMarriage.org to the victory over an anti-gay marriage amendment -from the angst over ENDA to the messiness of presidential politics, 2007 was interesting. Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights.
2007 in Review :: Courage Under Fire
The 11 legislators who had an 11th hour change of heart on the anti-gay marriage amendment and thus secured its defeat on June 14 have been picketed, pilloried and crank-called by angry opponents of marriage equality. None of these legislators has publicly voiced regret over his or her vote. In fact, it seems just the opposite.
$6M settlement reached in Big Dig death
After weeks of negotiations, the family of a woman killed when a Big Dig highway tunnel collapsed on her car has reached a $6 million settlement with the epoxy supplier blamed for the accident, family representatives and company officials said.
Get in the spirit
Last week,
Out in print
Two new books just in time for Christmas. Check these out if you’re still looking for that great new read for someone you love!
The devil’s in the details: our guide to the candidates
With the Iowa caucuses (Jan. 3) and the New Hampshire primary (Jan. 8) just around the corner, you can’t flip on the television, pick up a newspaper or log on to YouTube without encountering images of a weepy Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton trying to soften her edges or Rudy Giuliani perusing holiday tchotchkes at a barn in New Hampshire.
SpeakOut announces plan to be debt free by April
Last month SpeakOut, the LGBT speaker’s bureau, was on the brink of collapse. Faced with declining revenues, IRS debt, the resignation of more than half of the organization’s board members and decreased demand for SpeakOut’s services, co-chair Bernadette Smith put forward a motion to dissolve the organization. News of Smith’s motion brought longtime supporters and former volunteers out of the woodwork, and on Nov. 14, the night of the board meeting to vote on dissolution, they convinced the board to vote to allow the organization to continue.
MassEquality formalizes changes to mission, board of directors
The MassEquality Board of Directors approved changes to the group’s by-laws and articles of incorporation at its Dec. 12 meeting, thereby formalizing its decision in November to expand the organization’s mission to encompass LGBT issues beyond marriage. The board also approved a resolution that dissolved the organization’s coalition style of governance. The votes were taken in the aftermath of the resignations of two members of the 18-member board.
LGBT youth describe harassment, bullying
About 35 high schoolers from Brockton, East Bridgewater, Fall River and Weymouth met with members of the Massachusetts Commission on GLBT Youth Dec. 17 at Brockton High School to give them a glimpse of life inside the region’s public schools. The bottom line? They said that in many classrooms homophobic bullies seem to be running the show.
Gifted and challenged
Every week, Bay Windows is deluged with press releases from lazy publicists who have no idea of what we actually cover in our paper. The inappropriate pitches get downright surreal around the middle of November, as PR flacks try to push all manner of bizarre products on us as "the perfect holiday gift." After scanning through scores of these tree-wasters, we’ve figured out what we don’t want for Christmas.
Duddy returns to post at Dignity/USA
After an absence of several years, Marianne Duddy-Burke of Hyde Park is once again taking over as the executive director of Dignity USA, a national organization of LGBT Catholics. Duddy-Burke will begin her duties on Jan. 3 at Dignity USA’s new headquarters in Boston.
MTPC wins Boston Foundation grant
The Boston Foundation last week awarded the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC) a $25,000 grant. MTPC co-chair Holly Ryan said much of the funding will go towards paying for a first for the organization, a paid staff member.
Out on DVD
Brian Jewell gives us the "Dirt" on what’s new in DVD’s, reminding us that although there was a time when watching "Naked Boys Singing" in the comfort of your own home was "Once" just a dream, but now it’s a dream come true!
Clothing drive announced for MassResistance
As our design team sorted though some archived photos, something struck them as queer about the images from the previous hearing in the case of Parker v. Lexington on February 7, 2007. It wasn’t the comparatively low turn out of pro-Parker activists this time around, nor the seeming lack of any pro-Lexington support. Rather, it was the striking reappearance of a lapis full-length quilted coat and faux leopard hat.
Out in print
Brian Jewell from Bay Windows in Boston takes a look at two new novels!
NH Freedom to Marry Coalition backs Edwards
The New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition has endorsed John Edwards in the Democratic presidential primary, which takes place in the Granite State on Jan. 8. On top of that, Edwards got a personal nod from the group’s executive director Mo Baxley, who is also a state representative. Take that, Oprama!
Star69 Records’ DJ/Remixer Hector Fonseca plans an ’Epic’ Saturday night
Living in the cultural shadow of New York City, we Bostonians can be a bit territorial about our arts and music scene ("We don’t care how they do it in New York," as the T-shirt says.) That’s just fine with hot New York-based DJ Hector Fonseca, who returns to Boston this weekend to spin at Epic at The Roxy.
Mass. Youth Commission to meet in Brockton
The Massachusetts Commission on GLBT Youth will meet Dec. 17 at the Holiday Inn in Brockton, the latest in a series of meetings held in different regions of the state to conduct commission business and meet with local youth and advocates to assess the situation of LGBT youth in Massachusetts. Thus far the commission has held meetings in Boston, Hyannis and Worcester, and in March the commission will hold a meeting in Springfield.