OUTscene: Photos from the Portland Dyke March!

Portland's Dyke March on Saturday, which was actually pretty well attended, despite the rain and the eternal question…what time is the Dyke March?! Our partners, QPDX were there, Click for more Photos!

Space Needle Releases Statement: We Will Proudly Fly the Pride Flag!

Seattle, we will have our Pride flag on the Space Needle this year! In a statement released to the public on Wednesday, the Space Needle shared:
We are thrilled to report that since Monday we have raised more than $13,000 towards our goal of $50,000 for LGBT charities.

The Needle has turned down 8 requests this year alone, but it is because of the overwhelming support for this cause that created the opportunity for us to lead the fundraising for these organizations. Again, our sincere intention is to reach out to the LGBT community to help raise money for these important organizations and to proudly fly the Pride flag on the top of the Space Needle. Please join us!

Our sincere intention is to reach out to the LGBT community to raise money for these important organizations and to proudly fly the Pride flag on the top of the Space Needle. We are on our way to our fundraising goal and will be just as excited as the community to see the Pride flag raised on the Space Needle. Please join us in this effort to raise $50,000 or more for the GSBA Scholarship Fund, Lambda Legal, It Gets Better, and Mary's Place!

This is not the first time the Space Needle has organized fundraisers for the community. We had a competition between the Huskies and the Cougars in which the school with the most donations was honored with their flag on the Space Needle. We raised more than $160,000 for the Habitat for Humanity during this fundraiser in less than 14 days. We have challenged many charitable organizations to raise money for humanitarian causes such as our Tree for All holiday project to light our tree at the base of the Needle.

This current fundraiser is a way to raise money for people in the LGBT community who especially need it, such as helping LGBT students pay for college, giving LGBT youth the support they need to keep from contemplating suicide, providing homeless women a safe LGBT friendly place, and providing legal representation to LGBT persons and causes. This was a way the Space Needle could not only raise the Pride flag, but give back even more to the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender community.

If you would like to contribute towards the $50,000 fundraising goal, you can contribute here.

PRIDE: Space Needle Agrees to Fly Pride Flag if Community Raises $50,000 for LGBT Charities!

In a dramatic change of course, Seattle’s Space Needle has announced that they will fly the Pride flag again this year during Seattle Pride Weekend, if the community can help raise $50,000 for four organizations that support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, according to Joe Mirabello on his Seattle P-I Blog. The news comes after 9,000 people signed a Change.org petition started by Seattle resident Josh Castle.
 

The Space Needle‘s $50,000 fundraising challenge will benefit four different organizations that support the LGBT community: the Greater Seattle Business Association (the GSBA) LGBT and allied scholarship fund; the It Gets Better Project, which supports the Trevor Project; Lambda Legal; and Mary’s Place, a trans inclusive women’s shelter in Seattle.

On June 3, the Space Needle told Seattle’s LGBT community they would not fly the Pride flag again as the organization did last year for the first time. Lifetime Seattle resident (and OUTview Friend) Josh Castle wanted to urge the Space Needle to change their mind, so he started a petition on Change.org asking the Space Needle to, “Please raise the Pride flag during Seattle Pride weekend.”

LA Pride Parade recap: Johnny Weir a proud grand marshal; Margaret Cho proud of LGBT community

The Following was Posted by Greg Hernandez on his Site, Greg in Hollywood. 

 

Attorney Gloria Allred, a parade regular who this year rode the route flanked by a posse of “Glorias,” first appeared before the press with her client, California corrections officer Andrew Johnson.

 

Johnson had complained very publicly that his department would not allow him to attend LA Pride in uniform. But once Allred got on the case, much publicity ensued. The department ended up reversing its decision and allowed Johnson to wear his uniform.

 

The furor over comedian Tracy Morgan’s recent homophobic rant during a stand-up act was on the minds of some of those involved in the parade – especially his remark that he would stab his son to death if he were to find out he was gay.

 

Rodney Scott, President of Christopher Street West, the organization that organizes LA Pride, grew emotional when he talked about it. He stood next to a 16-year-old gay male and said tearfully: “Can you imagine him coming home, telling his parents that he is gay, and his father stabbing him?”

He added: “Tracy, you owe this entire community an apology. To make a statement that you would stab your own child. It’s not acceptable.”

(LA Gay Pride) Johnny Weir on being grand marshall!

Weir with Liberman at HRC Dinner in Seattle, 2010

Johnny Weir was grand marshal of today’s L.A. Gay Pride Parade in West Hollywood.
 

The openly gay three-time U.S. figure skating champion talked to OnTheRedCarpet.com about the honor.

“This is actually my first gay pride parade ever,” he said. “I don’t know what to expect, I would assume lots of glitter and lots of six packs – it is Los Angeles.”

“I never dreamt of being the grand marshal of a gay pride parade, simply because it took me a long time to find my pride,” he added. “I always was focused more on my sport and making something of myself other than being gay and being born that way. That was just something I was born with, the same with me being white, so I always wanted to do extra, do more.”

“In the last couple years, with so many people having trouble and me being in the spotlight more than ever in my life, I realized that I am proud!” Johnny said. “I am so happy to be me and I’m so happy for all the things that I was born with. And I need to show that to the world, that it’s okay to be different, it’s cool to be this amazing addition to society… And for our brothers and sisters who can’t celebrate pride around the world, like one of my favorites, Russia. Their pride parade in Moscow got shut down and that egged me on even more to be here and be supportive of my community.”

TAKE a BOW: Schrammie awarded to Space Needle for NOT flying the Pride Flag!

When you struggle for recognition, acceptance and justice, being denied and ignored really hurts, Ken Schram of KOMO.

So if the shareholders in the Space Needle Corporation would ride that bronze elevator back to Earth, I’d like them to come on down.

The Space Needle folks say they will not fly a Gay Pride flag at the top of the 605-foot symbol of the city. Having raised the rainbow symbol during last year's gay pride festivities, the Needle's rationale is that doing so again would go against a suddenly discovered policy to not make a habit of flying flags on a recurring basis.

In the way of a mea culpa, the Needle promises to work with the gay community on a major fundraiser.

A generous gesture to be sure, but one that fails to sends the strong public message that flying the Gay Pride flag would send: We are a diverse city that accepts everyone.

Gay rights activists have noted that flying the pride flag from the top of the Needle last year offered a powerful symbol of hope. They could use a little more of the same again this year.

Nothing says Seattle like the Space Needle. What a powerful, positive message to send by having the gay pride flag flutter from there.

If not, take a bow space needle folk, because this “Schrammie” is for you.

FOOD: The Gay Cupcake Debuts in Seattle for a Cause!

Cupcake Royale unveils "The Gay," a rainbow-chip cupcake honoring Gay Pride Month, Eater Seattle reports. Half the proceeds from this month's sales will go to the It Gets Better Project, a support website for LGBT youth started by Seattle based sex columnist Dan Savage and his partner, Terry Miller.

Seattle Out & Proud Announces Pride Parade Marshalls

On June 26, Seattle's LGBT community and its allies will take to 4th Avenue in a display of expression, allegiance and excessive glitter. The parade, which is one of the Northwest's most attended events, is put on by Seattle Out & Proud (SO&P), an all-volunteer non-profit that organizes many of the area's inclusive and LGBT events. 

Each year, they select and invite a handful of "Marshals" to attend the parade. The parade marshals are individuals or organizations who "consistently demonstrate commitment to the goals of human rights, equality, tolerance, engagement, empowerment and a better understanding within the LGBT community of itself and in relation to the non-LGBT community."

This year's picks include George Bakan, Editor-in-Chief of the Seattle Gay News, author and Vietnam vet Armistead Maupin, Force 10 Hoops LLC, who own the Seattle Storm and are super-empowered women and Daniel Hernandez, the aide who rushed to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' side after she was shot in January.

OUTview Online will be there with Exclusive Coverage as Media Sponsor!

GRANTED: Gay Corrections Officer Gets Permission to March in Pride Parade!

Following yesterday's press conference led by attorney Gloria Allred, a gay corrections officer from Chino, California whose department said that marching in West Hollywood's Gay Pride parade in uniform would "discredit" the agency, will now be allowed to march after an abrupt change of tune by the department, TMZ reports: The Department now says, "CDCR acknowledges that [its policy] is outdated and requires careful revision. Therefore, Correctional Officer Andrew Johnson will be allowed to wear the CDCR uniform in the upcoming Gay Pride Parade..." 

Allred had filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation.

BANNED: Dept. Won't Let Gay Cop March in Pride Parade!

A gay police officer has enlisted Gloria Allred's legal help—so you know we're about to report on a buzzy lawsuit. The unnamed cop is filing a discrimination complaint against his department, which he says denied his written request that he be allowed to march in uniform during Sunday's West Hollywood Gay & Lesbian Pride Parade. And in its response, the department apparently wrote that such a move would bring "discredit" to his employer. A press conference is scheduled for this afternoon, reports KTLA; the department's name has not yet been announced.

No PRIDE: Catholic School Bans Rainbows!

One Canadian Catholic school went a step further than banning the word gay: It banned rainbows at a recent anti-homophobia event. “We brought signs and posters with rainbows, and we were told that we can’t put them up,” the founder of St. Joseph Catholic Secondary School’s unofficial gay-straight alliance tells Xtra. The district school board “said rainbows are associated with Pride. There’s so many other things that a rainbow could be. It’s ridiculous.” Student organizers found a way around the ban, however, by baking rainbow-colored cupcakes. 

Even then, the controversy wasn’t over: The cupcakes raised about $200 for charity, which the students wanted to donate to an LGBT youth line. But the school board “said no,” the founder says, and instructed them to donate it to a Catholic homeless shelter instead. The board had also rejected many of the materials provided for the event by political action committee Queer Ontario, including anti-homophobia booklets and an AIDS Committee of Toronto flyer. “We proposed a whole bunch of resources and only about four got approved, and the ones that were approved were censored,” the founder says.

LIAR: Virginia delegate Bob Marshall regarding Anti-Rainbow Flag Mess!

Virginia delegate Bob Marshall, who wrote a letter to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond condemning the bank’s decision to raise a rainbow-striped gay pride flag, has been chastised by the LBGT Democrats of Virginia for lying about gay and lesbian people.

Marshall claimed in his letter that “homosexual behavior ‘celebrated’ by your Richmond’s Federal Reserve Bank . . . undermines the American economy, is a class six felony in Virginia, shortens lives, adds significantly to illness, increases health costs, promotes venereal disease, and worsens the population imbalance relating to the number of workers supporting the beneficiaries of America’s Social Security and Medicare Programs.” He then asked Lacker to remove the flag.
 

NO GO: Space Needle will NOT be Flying Pride Flag this Year!

After the Space Needle made waves by flying a gay pride flag for the first time last year, it has announced the rainbow flag will not make a reappearance for this month’s gay-pride festivities.

“(We) are not flying the flag this year,” Space Needle spokeswoman Mary Bacarella said in a statement Friday.

“We don’t make a habit of flying flags on top of the Space Needle and we make an effort not to fly any flags on a recurring basis,” she said.

Bacarella said the Space Needle is giving the flag to the group, Seattle Out & Proud, which will be marching with it this year.

“Though we are not flying the flag this year, the photos of it flying last year continue to be a source of pride for everyone in our community,” she said. ” We are also working with Seattle Out and Proud on a major fundraiser to benefit the LGBT community.”

The decision has upset many gay-rights advocates, who celebrated the needle’s decision to hoist a giant pride flag during last year’s gay-pride parade and parties. There’s now a change.org petition to lobby the company to change its mind.

“It brought hope,” LGBT advocate Joe Mirabella wrote on his blog, of seeing the rainbow fluttering atop Seattle’s most prominent symbol.
I strongly believe, the Space Needle just needs to hear how important it is for us to see the Pride flag on the Space Needle,” Mirabella wrote.

GLAM SHOCK: Adam Performs In Moscow, Reacts To Violence at Gay Rally!

Lambert performed at the Maxidrom Festival in Moscow yesterday, the same day that Dan Choi and 17 other gay rights activists were attacked and arrested near the Kremlin.

He tweeted: "So shocked that this happened today at the same hour and same city as I was performing in."

Choi saluted Lambert via Twitter today.

WEAR with PRIDE: Old Navy To Release LGBT Pride T-Shirts!

Old Navy has decided to turn it up a notch on all those anti-LGBT haters by releasing a special line of Pride wear for those that love rainbows, equality and PRIDE.

The new rainbow-themed line will have four designs in all the sizes Old Navy has to offer (women, men and babies). Pricing will range from $7.50 – $14.50 (have to love Old Navy prices), so you can buy every shirt to complete your fabulous summer wardrobe.

Gone are the days when you had to go to a more “upscale” store to purchase LGBT themed clothing with a price tag to match. It is nice to see a recognizable clothing company step out promoting quality.

To those who are fans of Dan Savage and his “it Gets Better” project, 10% from each shirt sold will go towards the organization.

The rest of the shirt designs can be seen here.

SILENCED: More than 30 arrested at Moscow gay rights demos!

(AP) — Moscow police arrested more than 30 people trying to hold two unauthorized gay-rights demonstrations in the capital on Saturday.

Opponents of gay rights scuffled with the demonstrators and with police. A police spokesman, Maxim Kolosvetov, told Russian news agencies that 18 gay activists and 14 opponents were arrested.

Moscow authorities routinely ban gay rights demonstrations. Although homosexuality was decriminalized in post-Soviet Russia, anti-gay sentiment is high and authorities justify the bans on the grounds of trying to prevent fights.

Activists tried to hold a demonstration at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the Kremlin and later outside the mayor's office.

The attempted demonstration at the first site appeared aimed at connecting gay rights with the Soviet Union's stand against Germany in World War II, which remains a cornerstone of Russian national pride.

The demonstration ban "is particularly shocking because during the Second World War, Muscovites stood against the Nazis who thought to exterminate Jews, homosexuals and Communists, but now the mayor of Moscow is colluding with new-Nazis," said Peter Tatchell, a British gay rights activist who has taken part in several demonstration attempts in Moscow.

Russian Activist Nikolai Alexeyev Storms Off Live TV Show During Homophobic Debate

Russian gay activist Nikolai Alexeyev stormed off the stage of a TV show after an unfair debate stacked against him with Russia's version of Maggie Gallagher and a homophobic host.

Here's some of Chicago activist Andy Thayer's first-person account: Alekseev was debating Alexander Hinstein, a deputy in the State Duma (parliament) and member of Vladir Putin’s United Russia Party. The last straw was when Solovyev, host of the nationally broadcast show, Poednivo (roughly “The Dual” in English), called on an audience member who accused gays of physically threatening her young daughter.

Alekseev tore off his microphone and walked off as the cameras rolled. Shortly thereafter, the LGBT members of the audience also walked out.

Johnny Weir named L.A. gay pride grand marshal

Johnny Werr and Martin Liberman at HRC NW Dinner
Sept 2010.

"Pop Star on Ice" and "Skating With the Stars" judge Johnny Weir has been named grand marshal of the 2011 L.A. Gay Pride Parade, Reuters reports.


The openly gay three-time U.S. figure skating champion and star of "Be Good Johnny Weir" has been an advocate for gay rights and will oversee the June 12 parade as it travels along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.

"Johnny lives a life with a defined purpose, is dedicated to helping young people and is not afraid to be himself, sometimes not always an easy thing for a world-class athlete," said Christopher Street West board president Rodney Scott.

Said Weir: "I'm not ashamed to be me. More than anyone else I know, I love my life and accept myself. What's wrong with being unique? I am proud of everything that I am and will become," the two-time Olympian said.

The 41st annual Los Angeles Pride Parade draws more than 400,000 people to West Hollywood for a weekend of events celebrating gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender visibility. It is organized by Christopher Street West, the group that produced the first LGBT Pride Parade.

Previous grand marshals have included Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, Chelsea Handler, Cyndi Lauper and Kathy Griffin.

OUTscene America (PRE-view) San Diego Gay Pride lands Margaret Cho for festival performance!

The famously blunt and unapologetic comedian Margaret Cho will headline at the San Diego Pride Festival this year, taking the main stage at Marston Point in Balboa Park on July 16, 2011 as the final act in a full-day performance roster.


Cho, who recently appeared on season 11 of Dancing with the Stars and is gearing up for a U.K. tour touting her 2011 Grammy-nominated comedy album, Cho Dependent, has long endeared herself to the LGBT community thanks to her fierce stance against homophobia, anti-gay political movements and LGBT bullying.

A professional comedian for nearly 20 years, Cho got her start on late-night television and made it big with hits like her 1999 Broadway show, I’m The One That I Want and the 2008 VHI series The Cho Show.

Tickets for San Diego Pride are $15 a day or $25 for a two-day ticket if purchased before June 30, and $20-$30 thereafter. Find out more about the festival at http://www.sandiegopride.org/

Deja Vu: Moscow Officials Ban Gay Pride Rally, Again!

Moscow officials marked the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia today by banning a Gay Pride rally scheduled for May 28, UK Gay News reports:

The reasons given by the deputy mayor of Moscow, Ludmila Shvetsova, is because of “the impossibility to provide security” – and a high number of letters of protests received by the City Hall against this event.

“The reasons for banning the Moscow Pride this year are exactly the same reasons used in the past years – and for which the European Court of Human Rights judged against Russia for violating the European Convention on Human Rights, Pride chief organiser Nikolai Alekseev.

“Russia has decided to mark the Day Against Homophobia by showing, once again, its homophobic policy towards its LGBT citizens.

He revealed that an application would now be made directly to the Russian President.

Organizers plan to hold the rally anyway.