The Coup

Ride the Fence

Party Music (2001)

Thanks to Alvin of QWB for sharing this video with us. "No Fence Ridin'" rings or should ring loud and clear to all of us. If not this special work by The Coup should get everyone in the mood and off the fence.

Remember----"You can't change shit by ridin' the fence."

A bill that mandates paid sick leave SB 217, An Act Mandating Employers Provide Paid Sick Leave To Employees is now in the Senate and deserves our support. Many of us, the working poor, do not have paid sick days along with 75% of our sisters and brothers. Add that to all of us who do not have health insurance. Where I work in a receptionist, security position if my co-workers get sick its stay home with no pay or come in and be sick at work. Most of us being low paid to start with come in to work. More often than not then the whole crew gets sick and we have a mess on our hands. None of us should have to go to work sick risking our health and infecting others. This same scenario is played out daily all around Connecticut. It makes me angry to think what the CEO’s of CT. companies are making, what the managers, the presidents, the owners of companies are making and I am sure they all have sick days. I know my boss does. He gets 5 a year and if not used the days are added to the 5 for next year. His insurance doesn’t cap out for anything and he is only an account manager for a Security company. For some very good information on payed sick leave see: www.everybodybenefits.org or www.ct-workingfamilies.org. For the text of the Senate bill see here. [Read more →]

FADGE–Feminism, Autonomy, Diversity and Gender Expression–brought together 50-100 people over the course of the day Saturday at Charter Oak Cultural Center. The afternoon was filled with workshops, including: Street harassment/radical cheerleading, self-defense, radical parenting, anarchism & feminism, art as therapy, radical menstruation and feminism for boys. Far from being an anti-sausage fest, there were many men and male-bodied people in attendance, as well as trans folk. The discussions were all down-to-earth but spirited, and touched on common, everyday issues that people of different backgrounds and identities deal with. [Read more →]

note: Poem by T.E.D, Winter 69-70                                                   

My Shrink Is A Fink

My shrink is a fink

   I think.

He tells me I’m schizo;

          SCHIZO!!!?????

                          SCHIMITZO!!!!!

     He’s full of beans.

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A visual time-line celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual and queer rights and history in our state during the last 15 years, highlighting the evolution of True Colors, Inc., an  LGBTQ organization established 15 years ago to provide support and services to sexual minority youth and family in Connecticut. [Read more →]

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This is the first installment in Queers Without Borders Music for a Multi-Issue People/Movement. We invite everyone to send in suggestions or to post some music that you wish to share. We will be posting on Tuesdays by 8:00 pm EST. So join us as we listen to Patti Smith perform the song "People Have The Power." Let us remember that means all of us, we do have it, but we have to use it.

At 4:10 PM Monday the Judiciary Committee voted in favor of HB 5723–An Act Concerning Discrimination, to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.  The final Vote Tally sheet will be posted to the CGA site late this evening, though the vote was approximately 32 in favor and only 6 against with strong bipartism support.  And importantly there was no teacher amendment raised.  The bill now moves to the House for consideration. 

Please take a moment to thank your legislator in the Judiciary for their positive vote in support of this bill. For a list of Judiciary members click here.  Most importantly please drop a special thank you to Ranking member and Chairs: Senators John Kissel (R), Andrew McDonald (D) and Rep. Michael Lawlor (D). Without their leadership, this bill would have died today in Judiciary with the other over 100 bills not making the Judiciary JF deadline of 5 PM today!

Please visit ourwebsite at ConnecticutADC.org for full details on this legislative effort.  

QWB note: Way to go Jerimarie and all the folks who worked on this bill. Onward to pass this bill into law.

Dear Friends,

As many of you may already know, I am running for congress outside of the two-party system. A system that a growing number of Americans have found to be bought and paid for with wealth and large corporate influence. Changing the nature of this electoral system is one of my major campaign planks; I feel that apolitical system where candidates must raise money from private interests in order to be heard is inherently undemocratic. It leaves those without disposable income without a representative voice.

I support equal media access for candidates on our publicly owned airwaves and equal campaign funding. Only this form of campaign will force candidates to discuss the real issues effecting all of us and in turn truly gauge the will of voting constituents.

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Statewide Anti-War Student Conference & Rally @ Wesleyan University

WHEN: Saturday, April 12th — 10am - 5pm

WHERE: Wesleyan University — Middletown, CT
Campus Map [Read more →]

April, 2008April 1: Issues regarding Incarceration are critical to the Trans community and TransAdvocacy fully supports the  CT PARDON TEAM who will host a free forum “Providing Information and Tools to Help Change Lives” at the Hartford Library - 500 Main Street - Hartford, CT 5:30 to 7:30 PM.  Register by calling (860) 251-3810 or via website at connecticutpardonteam.org

April 19th: Second Annual Transgender Lives: Intersection of Health and Law Conference, UCONN Health Center, April 19, 8:30 til 5 PM (Details to soon be posted at transgenderlives.org).  Please contact jerimarie if interested in being on the conference organizing committee.

June 7 2008
New England’s first ever Transgender Pride March and Rally.  Ct TransAdvocacy is a proud sponsor of this event.  The march will step off at noon on June 7 at  Bridge Street School in Northamapton, MA. 

Full details at TransPrideMarch.org   Join their yahoo group

TransAdvocacy Community Meeting, Thursday March 28th, 6 PM

Our next open community meeting for CT TransAdvocacy is on Thursday March 28th and the meeting takes place at the MCC Chapel, 155 Wyllys Street Hartford

. NOTE the change in venue! The meeting will be held down and in back of the Colt Memorial Parish House of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in the MCC Chapel.
 
The meeting starts at 6:00pm and will end at 8:00.
 
 The agenda is:
 
    * Legislative update
    * Trans Health and Law Conference
    * Fundraisers: Photographic fundraiser and Fashion Show
    * Moving our Community Meetings to the MCC chapel on Wyllys Street

    * Other business

We encourage all to attend to be a part of and contribute to the work that TransAdvocacy is doing these days!  As well as a great way to meet other folks in the community.

The Travelers Cos. rewarded its chief executive, Jay Fishman, with an $8.86 million pay package for 2007, plus $7.5 million in equity-related grants that could be worth another $7.5 million in the future. Travelers’ filling also say Fishman could get $42.4 million of payments if he leaves the company voluntarily for a good reason or if he’s terminated without cause.

Today I have been the anti-war corespondent for Matt who runs the “The War Stops Here Blog” and is a member of SDS and Queers Without Borders. I began calling Matt in DC this am and have at this time one more post to do. See here

Check out the bog at www.thewarstopshere.wordpress.com.    

STOP THE WAR!

BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

The Judiciary public hearing on HB 5723–An Act Concerning Discrimination, is Wednesday, March 19, at 12PM. The hearing will be held in room 2-C, 2nd floor in the LOB. This bill will prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. HB 5723 clarifies and updates Connecticut’s’s non-discrimination laws to ensure that they clearly and uniformly protect all people regardless of their gender identity or expression by simply adding the phrase “gender identity and expression”, as defined in Connecticut’s “Hate Crimes law” to all statutes that address discrimination. Support is critical and needed to protect transgender and gender non-conforming individuals from being fired, denied basic housing, denied credit and most basic services.

To take action: www.lmfct.org/transequality

For full details visit” www.ConnecticutADC.org .

Note: As the anniversary of the 5th year of the invasion by the United States and the start of the war against the people of Iraq is marked on Wednesday March 19, I would like to offer this piece to read. Written by Leslie Feinberg and published in the series “Lavender and Red” the article is titled, “Life better for gay and lesbians Iraqis under Hussein.” Its number is 119. This article was published on Jan. 27, 2008. Another article of intrest  is article number 120, “British Colonialism Outlawed ’sodomy’ in Iraq.” Fienberg’s Lavender and Red series is just a click away on our sidebar. There is some amazing articles in the series.

‘Life better for gay & lesbian Iraqis under Hussein’

The New York Times—an imperialist mouthpiece—admitted in a mid-December article that social life was better for those who it described as “gay and lesbian Iraqis” under the secular government of Saddam Hussein. The Times also confirmed that sanctions, war and occupation crushed that social progress and ushered in death-squad terror.

The Dec. 18 article was a political feature, not based on breaking news. The original headline summed up: “Gays Living in Shadows of New Iraq: Violence Replaces Tacit Acceptance.” [Read more →]

http://20six.fr/trans-ftm-gay

Two years after the brutal murder of Gisberta, in Oporto, another transsexual woman was murdered and her body placed in a rubble dumpster in the Lisbon area last month.

Other crimes followed, shocking the country. However, the surge of violence cannot hide neither the victims nor the nature of these crimes. This is the case of Luna, 42, partially deaf, of Brazilian origin, for many years resident and worker in Portugal, prostitute at Conde de Redondo area (in Lisbon).

Two years after Gisberta, transsexual people are still targets for hatred and violence based on prejudice and ignorance. The crime is under investigation and under justice secret, so we know very few about its circumstances or about its motivation; we hope the investigation undertaken by the Police can provide answers. [Read more →]

Great report from our comrade Steve visiting Oslo

Hi all, just thought I would drop you a line from Oslo.  Got sent here by US Labor Against the War at the request of the Norwegian Peace Initiative, their nationwide anti-war group.  Although they have unions in the coalition, they are struggling to involve more grassroots folks from the labor movement.  It seems like they are doing a pretty good job, though, without my help. The president of the Peace Inititative, Thomas Tallaksen, is 28 years old. [Read more →]

From our comrade Cornell Lews

I traveled to the University of Connecticut in Storrs to attend a conference. When your place of employment makes conferences mandatory, it is a surprise as to the content of such conferences. The shindig on the campus of U-Conn was hosted by an organization called True Colors. Workshops were designed to discuss issues dealing with LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) and how society is reacting to open displays of sexuality among so called queers. I read a headline on a document “True Colors XV: A Global Perspective” and a listing of interesting workshops on LGBT concerns. [Read more →]

 ”1 LGBT Person has been murdered every 8 days so far this year and these are only ones we know about.” …Fight Out Loud

On May 15, 1988 Richard Reihl a gay man from West Hartford was murdered by two teenagers. By June 7th gays and lesbians of The Connecticut Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights formed a committee called the Anti-Violence Project in response to the murder. The Project’s mission was to monitor the Reihl murder case and assist the prosecution, educate the community on how to protect ourselves from violence and to combat hate crimes in Connecticut. An organization called Speak Out was formed to educate people by talking directly to many different groups about our lives. The only remaining active part of the original Anti-Violence Project is now called the Stonewall Speakers Bureau. The Bureau mainly goes into the schools for speaking engagements. [Read more →]

Come to Hartford on Monday to show support for
Marriage Equality!
RSVP if you think you can attend and if you are submitting written testimony

On Monday, March 17 beginning at 12noon in Room 2c in the Legislative Office Building, the Judiciary Committee will hear testimony about the problems that couples are facing with civil unions and the need to give same-sex couples FULL equality by passing marriage legislation.

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Propaganda of the deed,’ the lazy person’s direct action

By m(A)tt, The War Stops Here

The NYPD is alleging that a small bomb caused minor damage to the military recruiting center in Times Square, New York City this morning. The AP is reporting that police have video footage of a hooded bicyclist riding away from the scene, and that several congressional offices have recieved envelopes with photos and manifestos claiming responsibility.

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An Anti-War resolution passed City Council last evening in a vote of 7-0, with two council persons abstaining. One council person while being against the war stated that it was not up to the council to be a forum for foreign policy. 

Go to http://www.the40yearplan.com/article_031108_Anti_War_Resolution.php.

We at Queers Without Borders thank the Working Families Party members Larry Deutsch and Luis Cotto for bringing this resolution forth. 

For the reading of the full Resolution go to  www.hartfordimc.org/blog.  Hartford Undercurrents blog. 

Queers Without Borders thanks the Hartford Undercurrents for posting this information. Check out their site if you haven’t. All of us in Hartford would be alot poorer as far as receiving information and the exchanging of ideas if they were not among us. Thanks to all. 

This just in:  Dave Iono of Vet’s for Peace has published an eyewitness account of the council meeting over at the Undercurrents blog.

Late last week we learned that the Judiciary Committee has scheduled a public hearing on the transgender equality bill that the Connecticut TransAdvocacy Coalition is supporting in collaboration with CWEALF, Love Makes a Family and others in the Connecticut Anti-Discrimination Coalition.Last year, this bill (SB 1044) won strong approval in four legislative committees (Judiciary, GAE, Education, Higher Education) and passed in the Senate with a total vote tally of 111 in favor and only 13 opposed. Additionally a teachers amendment in Higher Education failed by a vote of 14 to 1. We need our voices to be heard to ensure that this bill passes through all of its committees quickly and without any harmful amendments! Take action : http://www.lmfct.org/transequality,  post on your blogs,  The Judiciary public hearing on HB 5723–An Act Concerning Discrimination, is Wednesday, March 19, 12 PM. See below regarding submitting your story for the Public Hearing. Fact sheet on HB 5723 Q&A on HB 5723 Please visit ourwebsite at ConnecticutADC.org for full details on this legislative effort. Your Stories and Testimony are Needed Today! For the March 19th Judiciary public hearing

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By X357733

Introduction

The reasons for doing this event are simple enough. Having attended various fundraisers over the years, I had some idea which approaches were the best at bringing in a fairly large sum of money. A few hundred dollars from a punk rock show, for example, is always nice for non-emergency situations. But the situation with the IWW Food and Allied Workers Union 460/640 was, and continues to be, very serious. I have been watching that campaign for some time, but was not spurred into action until I became aware of the fact that the IWW grassroots had not adequately stepped up to raise the tens of thousands of dollars necessary to win perhaps our most important campaign in the latter part of our history to date.

In Connecticut, we have seen many raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which we hoped would bring more people to this event. Whether or not that was successful isn’t clear; however, the events that have followed the benefit might lead one to believe that perhaps we were on to something. The union hall that hosted us was raided two weeks later by ICE, and arrested one of their staff people. The union in question has always had a large immigrant membership, but people like Judi Bari and Martin Luther King Jr. might tell you that the forces of repression always hone in on the people who are building the connections between different movements and organizations.

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“The Vatican and Muslim leaders agreed to establish a permanent official dialogue to improve relations and heal wounds still open from a controversial papal speech in 2006. A joint statement said the first meeting of “The Catholic-Muslim forum” will take place on November 4-6 in Rome with religious leaders and scholars from both sides.” 

IN WARNING, IN WARNING, TAKE HEED EVERY MORNING.

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From The War Stops Here blog… 

A nationwide call has been put out by United for Peace & Justice (UFPJ), as well as the No War No Warming coalition, to converge in Washington DC on the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to take nonviolent direct action against the war machine.

This is NOT a march.

For the first time, UFPJ is calling for autonomous direct actions on a weekday, so instead of chanting at empty congressional buildings, we’ll be interrupting business as usual for those promoting and profiting from war in Washington DC.

Let us know you’re coming! If you are an SDS member, or want to be involved in our action, Sign up here on the UFPJ website , make sure to put “SDS” in the space for “Organization” and it will come straight to DC SDS. Also, be sure to fill out this form so that DC SDS can best meet your needs in March.

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This panel on the War on Terror is sponsored by Amnesty International-on campus of Saint Joseph College. On the panel will be one of QWB’s and the progressive communities good friend and comrade Peter Goselin.  

Date: Tuesday March 11th, 2008

Location: Crystal Room, Mercy Hall, Saint Joseph College, 1678 Asylum Ave. W.H.

Time: 7:00 pm.

Panelists:

Peter Goselin, Esq. will be talking about government surveillance, Habes Corpus and the right to dissent.

Rabia Chaundry, Esq. will be focusing on the Islamic perspective of conducting war, as well as post-9/11 treatment of Muslims and immigration practices.

Stephen Kobasa, will concentrated on the Christian perspective of civil liberties and torture.

This program is free and open to the public. For information contact, wcabrera@sjc-edu. The main number of Saint Joseph College for information about the campus and directions to Mercy Hall call: 860-232-4571.

Gather 11:30 am at Joe Lieberman’s Office, 1 Constitution Plaza, corner Market and Kinsley St.  

    Then on to

Lamentation and Protest

12:00PM to 01:30PM

Hosted by Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice

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Hey, some of us all around the world are doing that now. Cough, and Choke, headache from the smell, Sinus clog up. All sorts of medical issues.  Exhaust smells bad. So let me begin with this—

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Join us at the
Supportive Housing Lobby Day
March 4, 2008
10am-3pm
Old Judiciary Room
State Capitol in Hartford

The Socialist Party will be joining dozens of other groups and concerned citizens to lobby congress to fund 650 new units of affordable housing. This Supportive Housing has been promised and the promise must be kept in order to help combat homelessness and provide necessary treatment for people with disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, suffering from HIV/AIDS and recovering from chemical addictions. Find out more at: www.ctreachinghome.org [Read more →]

QWB celebrates International Women’s Day standing tall with/for our sisters all around the world.

CALL OUT!!

For an end to the violence against women and girls across all social, economic, cultural, religious and historical contexts.

There can be no human rights without women’s rights.

End all violence against women by the state, its agents, by family members or strangers.

Hold all perpetrators of violence against women and girls accountable.

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