Meet Wicked Jezebel, the Wammy Award-winning "all-female, all-gay party band"

From reader Mickey Dehn of Baltimore (Click photo to enlarge):

Steve,
I am a member of Wicked Jezabel, the Baltimore-DC area's only all-female, all-gay party band.  We played at Baltimore Pride's block party last year, as well as DC Pride's festival, and continue to play at local venues year-round.  I would like to announce that on Feb 17, 2008, we were awarded the "Wammy Award" for "Best duo/group in Hard Rock" category for 2007 by the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA).

---------------------------

Quote from the Metroweekly: Published on February 21, 2008

Forget the Grammy Awards. In D.C., it's all about the Wammies, the Washington Area Music Awards (WAMA), which recognize significant career achievements by area musicians. On Feb. 17, the 22nd Annual Wammies honored the six women who comprise Wicked Jezabel. They are: Davi Anson-Dross, Pauline Anson-Dross, Ginger Starling, Mickey Dehn, Sandy Dumas and Meri Schaefer. The big-haired, all-women cover band won in the category of ''Best Hard Rock Duo/Group,'' against a handful of local bands.

''We really made some Washington history here,'' says Pauline Anson-Dross, who sings and plays guitar with the band. ''We're probably not only the first all-female band to win a Wammie, but we're the only all-lesbian band to win a Wammie in 22 years.''

Anson-Dross says in addition to ''rocking the Mid-Atlantic,'' Wicked Jezabel plans to release its first CD sometime this year. The band currently has demos and music available online. ''We're in the process of putting something together,'' Anson-Dross says.

LGBT Latinos for Obama

From Blabbeando:

You might have seen the new ads that the Barack Obama campaign is running in some LGBT media. This particular version is a "generic" take on the ad that was provided exclusively to Towleroad by the Obama campaign yesterday. The ad will be slightly different for each targeted market to reflect specific information on how to vote for Obama in states like Ohio and Texas.

Earlier today the Obama campaign also released an "Open Letter from Barack Obama to the LGBT Community" which has been posted at Bilerico.

What follows is small compared to those two announcements but I hope that it contributes to the Obama campaign as we head into the rest of the primary season and on to the presidential election.

I am grateful to the friends who agreed to sign this statement in a short time's notice. It might be a small list for now but it includes some amazing activists and personalities from New York, Texas, Minnesota, DC, California and Massachusetts. I am also grateful to the wonderful and openly gay Latino actor Wilson Cruz for signing on (he has a MySpace blog post on the letter here). The letter will soon be cross-listed over at Gloria's blog and Lorenzo's blog as well.

It's an open letter so you are welcome to ad your name. See information at the bottom on how to do this.

LGBT LATINOS FOR OBAMA

CONTACTS:
Gloria Nieto & Andres Duque
lgbt.latinos4obama@gmail.com

Thursday, February 28, 2008

An Open Letter to the Latino LGBT community:

Like many of you out there, we are thrilled at the opportunity to bring meaningful and lasting change to the White House by exercising our right to vote during this historic presidential election.

As LGBT Latinos and Latinas who happen to be immigrants or descendants from immigrant families we are sick and tired of seeing our lives and values be misrepresented by those who seek to drive wedges in our communities as a means to split our vote and gain power through division.

We saw it when the right wing used same-sex marriage to rile up the conservative vote for President George W. Bush and we are seeing it again with immigration being blamed as the source for all the nation’s ills.

We know that these are the politics of fear and that those same politics only served to elect one of the worst presidents in US history.

This is why we believe that, in this presidential election, there is one clear choice.

BARACK OBAMA

On the LGBT community: Senator Obama continues to include us in his speeches without prompting or regardless of his audience. He has spoken of his desire to lead all Americans - and has specifically mentioned the LGBT community as being part of his vision of America - during the televised primary debates as well as during presentations in African-American churches as well as Latino gatherings in California.

Senator Obama has said that he supports gender inclusion in a federal bill that would ban discrimination against our communities (as has Senator Hillary Clinton), but, unlike Clinton, he has also said he would repeal ALL of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), signed into law by President Bill Clinton, which allows states to discriminate against same-sex couples by only recognizing partnerships between a man and a woman (Clinton has said that she would only repeal part of the bill).

On immigration: At a time when even “respected” news media such as CNN use immigration bashing in order to drive up ratings and the Republican presidential candidates try to outdo each other in anti-immigrant fervor, we have been moved by Senator Obama’s consistent overtures to immigrant communities, his rejection of using immigrants as a scapegoat and his efforts to shatter stereotypes that African-American communities won’t stand up for immigrants or that Latinos will not vote for a black presidential candidate.

Unfortunately we have been dismayed by the efforts of some Clinton campaign associates to play down the importance of the African-American vote for Obama in South Carolina and other states in which the Illinois Senator has carried the African-American vote by wide margins – and won the states; and by comments from Latino pollster Sergio Bendixen implying that Latinos will not vote for Obama because of his skin color.

Economic tensions do exist between different communities of color, particularly at a time when the economy seems to be heading into a recession which might disproportionally affect our communities. But we need a president that will do his or her best to address the issues that are driving down this economy and not a president that will take advantage of those tensions for political gain.

We believe that the right person for the job is Senator Obama.

He offers a true vision of hope. A vision that values every single person who lives in the United States and not just an elite few.

A vote for Senator Obama provides an opportunity to change our country’s values and embrace our strengths and diversity - and to turn back the onslaught of hate and discrimination we have seen over the last eight years.

For that reason, we would like to ask you to ad your signature to this letter and to simply say:

“We step forward to claim our voice as LGBT Latinos in support of Barack Obama for United States President.”

En comunidad,

(List in formation: If you would like to ad your name to this statement please send your name, city and state of residence to lgbt.latinos4obama@gmail.com)

• Chris Aguilar Garcia, Los Angeles, CA
• Noel Alicea, New York, NY
• Miguel Ayala, Washington, DC
• W. Brandon Lacy Campos, Minneapolis, MN
• Wilson Cruz, Los Angeles, CA
• Andres Duque, Queens, NY
• Gael Guevara, New York, NY
• Lorenzo Herrera y Lozano, Austin, TX
• Jorge Irizarry, J.D., Bronx, NY
• Wilfred Labiosa, Boston, MA
• Roberto Martinez,Brooklyn, NY
• Gloria Nieto, San Jose, CA
• Felicia A. Ramos, Chicago, IL
• Martha Ramos Duffer, Psy.D., Austin, TX

CoralGaybles mixer to be March 5 at Nexxt

From CoralGaybles.com (click to enlarge):

The Nicole Henry Band performs tonight upstairs at Van Dyke, 546 Lincoln Rd.

News release:

Tonight!
Friday, February 29th 8pm to midnight
Edison Farrow presents
The Winter Party Cocktail Party
Starring
The Nicole Henry Band
No Cover Charge
Upstairs at Van Dyke Cafe
846 Lincoln Road Miami Beach
$1 per drink to benefit
Winter Party/National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

Activists join sad vigil for a slain teen

BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ, dmoskovitz@miamiherald.com

About 150 people gathered on an empty lot along Fort Lauderdale's Sistrunk Boulevard on Thursday in memory of a boy that most never knew yet felt they needed to honor.

Flowers were woven into the wire-mesh fence, and stuffed animals lined the top of it. State and federal flags were raised; a rainbow flag waved from a street sign at the corner of Sistrunk and Northwest 10th Avenue.

Several in the crowd -- including the boy's mother, Denise King -- clutched pictures of the teen, his hair in dreadlocks and mouth hinting a smile.

''It is out of bravery that Denise is here to stand with us,'' said Michael Emanuel Rajner, one of about a half-dozen people to speak. Rajner, like many who were at the ceremony, is active in the gay and lesbian causes: He is a national community organizer for the National Association of People with AIDS USA.

The boy the crowd came to honor was 17-year-old Simmie Williams. He was gunned down on Friday while wearing women's clothing in an area known for prostitution. Thursday's brief but poignant ceremony was held at a spot near where he lost his life.

The slaying of Williams is one of two recent events that have rocked Fort Lauderdale, especially its gay and transgender community.

One day after Williams died, a man was beaten up, possibly for being gay, outside the popular Floridian restaurant on Las Olas Boulevard.

Police are still investigating both cases and looking into the possibility that they were hate crimes.

Simmie's death, and the subsequent beating at the Floridian, had prompted many to organize the memorial. It was followed by a town hall forum that more than 200 people attended at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in Fort Lauderdale. Among those who took part was Carole Benowitz, who came from Delray Beach for the event.

She never knew Simmie -- but felt she had to come.

''It made me very angry,'' said Benowitz, who is part of the group Parents, Families and Friends of Gays and Lesbians. ``It needs to stop. The hate needs to stop. We're all human beings.''

In the auditorium, Simmie's family sat in the front row. His mother was introduced, followed by a two-minute standing ovation.

''Whoever killed my cousin should be a man and step up because you took our loved one away from us,'' Simmie's 19-year-old cousin, Andrea West of Fort Lauderdale, told the crowd.

Among those who attended the memorial and forum were Pat and Lynn Mulder. They are the mother and stepfather of Ryan Skipper, 25, who was stabbed 20 times and dumped on a roadside in Winter Haven in March last year. His death was labeled a hate crime.

Any with information about either crime is asked to call Broward County Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 954-493-8477.

Main caption: Honoring Simmie Wiliams Thursday are his mother, Denise King, and Adam Hopper of Melbourne. Photo by Charles Trainor Jr.

HRC's Featured member & activist of the month: Fort Lauderdale's Stephan Lampasso

HRC news release:

Stephan has been an HRC member since the summer of 2007 and he certainly deserves the spotlight this month. On February 12 Stephan represented HRC urging the Broward County Commission of Florida to include gender identity and gender expression in an amendment to the Broward County Human Rights Ordinance. Along with Stephan members of the transgender community offered testimony to their struggles and need to have this legislation.

And we are proud to announce the Commission passed the amendment by a vote of 9-0. As Stephan recounts "the vote was met with a standing ovation and applause. The transgender community in South Florida has worked for years to see this day become a reality."

Stephan is just one of the many vital & dedicated volunteers that work everyday with HRC to ensure equality for GLBT Americans. To get involved and volunteer in your community please visit www.hrc.org/volunteer.

Miami study: Anti-syphilis social-marketing campaign failed with gay men in South Florida

Abstract from American Journal of Public Health:

William W. Darrow, PhD and Susan Biersteker, Drs

William W. Darrow is with the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Robert R. Stempel School of Public Health, Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus, North Miami. Susan Biersteker is with Behavioral Research and Evaluation Consultants, LLC, Miami Beach, Florida.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to William W. Darrow, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st St, TR–7, North Miami, FL 33181–3600 (e-mail darroww@fiu.edu ).

Objectives. We carried out an independent short-term impact evaluation of a social marketing campaign designed to reduce syphilis infections among men who have sex with men in south Florida in 2004. 

Methods. Venue-based surveys were conducted shortly after the campaign began and 6 months later to assess changes in exposure to campaign materials, awareness, knowledge about syphilis, perceptions of risk, sexual behavior, clinic visits, and testing and treatment for syphilis among participants. 

Results. Exposure to social marketing campaign materials increased from 18.0% at baseline to 36.5% at follow-up (P< .001). Awareness of syphilis and perceptions of risk increased among Broward County residents but not among Miami–Dade County residents. Risky sexual practices and patterns of recreational drug use did not change. No significant increases in knowledge, clinic visits, or testing or treatment for syphilis among participants were detected over the 6-month study period. 

Conclusions. None of the campaign objectives were fully met. The interventions were insufficient to produce a significant impact among men who have sex with men in south Florida.

Lesbian magazine cover censored

From PinkNews.co.uk:

A sensual cover image featuring a lesbian embrace has been censored after objections from a major retailer.

DIVA, Europe's leading lesbian glossy, had chosen the photo, a homage to a legendary cover of Rolling Stone magazine featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono, for the cover of their SEX issue.

Jane Czyzselska, editor of DIVA magazine, said:

"The cover image of Yoko and John taken by Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone magazine in 1981 is one of the most iconic of our time.

"DIVA's sensual SEX themed issue was inspired by and created as an homage to Leibovitz and her outstanding and enduring cultural contribution."

A spokesman for Millivres Prowler Group, who own DIVA said:

"At the eleventh hour we received notification that the magazine couldn't run with the iconic cover.

"Unfortunately, we were forced to censor the cover because one major retailer objected to it. They didn't explain why."

The Leibovitz cover was to be the last photograph taken of Lennon and was recently ranked the top magazine cover of the last 40 years by a panel of magazine editors, artists and designers.

Last July another Millivres title, GT, ran a cover that proved too racy for London Underground, who asked that the image be substituted for one more sedate.

Tube bosses rejected the image for use in an advertising campaign because they felt that one of the models was in a state of undress.
The offending cover of GT ironically marked the 40th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality.

The April issue of DIVA magazine will be available from March 6th.

Episcopal bishop's secret life revealed

From New York Post's Page Six:

MANY Episcopalians are reeling from the news in this week's New Yorker that the late Bishop Paul Moore — the 6-foot-5 patrician whose political activism drove many parishioners from the church — was a closeted homosexual who had a gay lover for the last 30 years of his life. While the Episcopal Church has embraced gays and ordained lesbian priests, Moore's secret life came as a shock. Moore — who made the cover of Newsweek in 1972, when he took over the Archdiocese of New York — died in May 2003. His daughter, Honor Moore, the eldest of nine children he had with his first wife, Jenny McKean, writes that six months after his death, "the telephone rang. [The caller] had a confident voice. Andrew Verver (as I'll call him) was the only person in my father's will whose name was unfamiliar." When Honor asked "Verver," who had traveled with Moore to the Greek island of Patmos the summer before, about her father's sexual life, he replied, "I was his sexual life," and, "Of course, there were other men." Then, Honor describes bringing "Verver" on a touching visit to Moore's grave in Connecticut.

Lauderdale restaurant offers award in gay attack

BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ, dmoskovitz@miamiherald.com

The Floridian is offering $5,000 to the tipster who leads to the arrest of the person who attacked a gay man outside the restaurant.

The reward was announced on Wednesday, three days after Melbourne Brunner, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, was beaten up outside the popular restaurant at 1410 E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale.

Police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

Norm Kent, lawyer for the restaurant, said the reward was meant to send a message.

''The Floridian isn't going to tolerate violence against any of its patrons,'' Kent said, ``particularly violence targeted because of a person's sexuality.''

On Sunday, Brunner, his partner Mitchell Mart and a friend were sitting down to breakfast at 3 a.m. at an outdoor table when a man got out of his pickup truck and yelled slurs at all three.

When the men left, the attacker followed, punching Brunner several times, Fort Lauderdale police said.

Brunner fell to the ground, striking his head. He had severe bruising but no broken bones.

Police described the attacker as about 35, 5-feet-10 and 165 pounds. He was seen driving a green Toyota Tacoma pickup with a truck bed cover and a roll bar.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Robyn Christophers 954-828-6558 or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.