The WW II dockside kiss:

Now, for the first time ever in America, the dock side kiss includes gay and lesbian troops:

It is such a small thing, and yet for history it is huge. Back in ancient times the Greeks recognized the value of gay soldiers in the super elite Theban "Sacred Band" which was composed of homosexual couples and was one of the most effective fighting forces of the time.

So America is just now catching up to ancient Greece on this issue.

"I don't understand why NYC Democrats aren't willing to fight a Tea Party candidate in their back yard."

That is what a friend said to me recently, referring to this year's Sept. 13th special and primary elections. Few are paying attention, and yet we are at risk of losing Anthony Weiner's former seat to a Teabagger extremist, we are at risk of losing an Assembly seat to an anti-gay, anti-choice right winger, and we are at risk of letting a civil court seat go to a corrupt crony of the Vito Lopez machine.

Three critical races that are being largely ignored.

We have to win as many of these as we can. They are particularly critical for LGBT rights.

PLEASE SUPPORT:

DAVID WEPRIN FOR CONGRESS
CHERYL GONZALES FOR KINGS COUNTY CIVIL COURT JUDGE
JESUS GONZALEZ FOR ASSEMBLY

details below  read more »

This comes from Democracy for NYC, the local affiliate of Howard Dean's Democracy for America:

Democracy for New York City Endorses Jesus Gonzalez For State Assembly District 54 in Brooklyn

New York, N.Y., July 26, 2011 – Democracy for New York City (DFNYC) is pleased to announce the organization’s official endorsement of Jesus Gonzalez for the 54th Assembly District race in Brooklyn. The election will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011.

“We are excited to have endorsed Jesus Gonzalez in this important special election,” said DFNYC President Josh Silverstein. “Jesus is a committed progressive activist and has worked for years to help improve his community. The members of Democracy for New York City are ready to help him win this race and represent the district up in Albany.”

The 54th State Assembly District encompasses Bushwick, East New York, Cypress Hills, and part of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. The seat was vacated when Assemblyman Darryl C. Towns joined the Cuomo administration three months ago. ...  read more »

Brooklyn is a fucked up place for Democrats. Seriously. And this is largely due to the insane, selfish and greedy machinations of the party leader Vito Lopez.

The most recent insanity that Vito Lopez's machinations have delivered to us is the candidacy of a horrible, anti-choice, anti-LGBT candidate for Assembly named Rafael Espinal. This guy is so awful that the Conservative and Republican Parties of New York wanted to endorse him. The only reason that the Republicans cannot endorse him is that he screwed up the paperwork, so can't be on the Republican line.

Opposed to this corrupt sleazebag are two candidates. First there is the useless candidate of the long-standing political Towns dynasty Deidra Towns. And then there is the REAL Democratic Candidate, Jesus Gonzalez, who is running on the normally corrupt and sleazy Working Families Party line, but this time seems pretty kick ass.  read more »

Center for Anti-Violence Education Punch-a-thon
June 5th from 10:30am – 12:30pm
In Prospect Park near the Lincoln Road/Ocean Avenue entrance to Prospect Park

My wife has been training at a local Brooklyn Karate Dojo for many years. She is, in fact, now in training to be a teacher there. The Dojo is unusual in that it is only for women, children and transgendered people. The Dojo is called the Center for Anti-Violence Education and here is their statement of purpose:

The Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE) works as a catalyst for change in the lives of women, LGBT people, teen women, children, and other communities especially affected by violence. CAE’s programs are designed to develop participants’ skills, knowledge, and awareness to enable them to heal from, prevent, and counter violence. We do this work to actively create a peaceful, just, and equitable world.

Every year the Dojo raises money for their efforts through a punch-a-thon. My wife and son are participating in this fundraiser and I ask you to contribute to their excellent efforts through their pledge page (my son is the team leader).

Where Your Money Goes:

* $25: Enrolls a low-income child in an hour workshop on bullying and conflict de-escalation.
* $50: Provides a homeless LGBT young person with a two hour workshop in violence prevention.
* $100: Teaches self-defense and empowerment strategies to a pre-teen girl in our two-week course.
* $250: Provides a full 5-week Self-Defense Course for a survivor of intimate partner violence.
* $500: Reaches 20 survivors of domestic violence with strategies for self-defense and violence prevention.  read more »