Monday, August 30, 2010

Memorial set for slain Atlanta Black Gay Pride Organizer


The wake for Durand Robinson, 50, a key organizer for Black Gay Pride and partner of Traxx nightclub will be Tuesday with a memorial service set for Wednesday.



Durand was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Aug. 25. Police do not yet have suspects or a motive for the shooting.



The wake will be at 7 p.m. at Donald Trimble Mortuary on Tuesday. On Wednesday a memorial service will be at 11 a.m. at Beulah Baptist Church. The repass, a gathering for friends and loved ones to eat, will immediately follow the memorial service and will be held at Traxx nightclub.



More than 100 people gathered at Traxx on Aug. 28 for a candlelight vigil for the man known by many as “Uncle Durand.”



Many people shared their memories of the man who they said was humble, giving and always involved in making sure his family — both immediate and extended — were cared for.



Jermaine Heslin, 26, of Atlanta, said he remembered hanging outside Traxx when he was 15 with other teens when the club was located on Marietta Street.



“He never let us in the club but would let us hang out outside and dance around,” he remembered at the vigil.



Heslin said that when he was old enough to get into the club, Robinson encouraged him to be honest with himself as a gay man.



“He really brought me out of my shell.”



With Robinson’s encouragement, Heslin became a J-setter, a popular dance style.



“[His death] was a shock, because it was so sudden. I don’t think it’s hit me yet. But when I start dancing, and getting in the moment, I think that’s when I’ll know,” he said.



Wake

Tuesday, Aug. 31

7 p.m.

Donald Trimble Mortuary

1876 2nd Ave., Decatur, GA 30032



Memorial service

Wednesday, Sept. 1

11 a.m.

Beulah Baptist Church

2340 Clifton Springs Road, Decatur, GA 30034



Repass

Wednesday, Sept. 1

Immediately following memorial service

Traxx Nightclub

1287 Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA 30032

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Sarah Palin Confrontation, "Worst Governor Ever" sign




It's pretty rare, given all of her handlers, to catch Sarah Palin in an unscripted exchange with a critic. But here's an uncomfortable clip showing Palin confronting an Alaskan teacher who'd welcomed Palin's crew with a "WORST GOVERNOR EVER" sign.
Palin was in Homer, Alaska to shoot parts of her Discovery Channel documentary/travel show, Sarah Palin's Alaska. A local teacher named Kathleen Gustafson caught Palin's attention there with her "WORST GOVERNOR EVER" sign. The audio can be difficult to hear — especially with Todd Palin and another flack comically trying to block the videographer for a while — but here's a transcript of the first part (via Think Progress):
GUSTAFSON: You swore on your precious Bible that you would uphold the interests of this state, and then when cash was waved in front of your face, you quit.
PALIN: OH, you wanted me to be your governor! I'm honored! Thank you!
GUSTAFSON: I wanted you to honor your responsibilities. That is what I wanted. I wanted you to be part of the political process instead of becoming a celebrity so that you could (inaudible). And if that's the best you could do, then good for you. If that's the best you could do.
PALIN: Here's the deal. Here's the deal. [...] That's what I'm out there fightin' for Americans to be able to have a Constitution protected so that we can have free speech…And also there…
GUSTAFSON: In what way are you fighting for that?
PALIN: Oh my goodness!
GUSTAFSON: In what way?
PALIN: To elect candidates who understand the Constitution, to protect our military interests so that we can keep on fightin' for our constitution that will protect some of the freedoms that evidently are important to you too.
GUSTAFSON: By using your celebrity status, certainly not by political status.
Many folks who've seen this clip are focusing on the moment when Gustafson tells Palin that she's a teacher, and Palin supposedly "rolls her eyes." It's hard to tell if that's specifically what she does, but she definitely gives Bristol Palin a knowing look of some sort, like this explains everything. Sarah Palin is a child.

Sunday, August 01, 2010

No-Talent Paris Hilton Nazi Salute?

SO SAD- Brian Pumper and "Chip-D" Fishburne (Lawrence Fishburne's 18 yr old daughter)

Dont spend your money at Target Stores!!



Target Boycott Movement Grows Following Donation to Support "Antigay" Candidate






Revelations that Target Corp. donated $150,000 to a group that is running ads backing conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who opposes same-sex marriage, continue to generate calls to boycott the company.


Groups such as this one - "Boycott Target Until They Cease Funding Anti-Gay Politics" - have spring up on Facebook, where those upset with the donation are encouraged to contact Target to let them know what they think.
Meanwhile, a woman by the name of Randi Reitan, who has a gay son, has posted a video to YouTube showing her cutting up her Target card and returning merchandise in protest. (Watch above.)
"The Target I know was a Target that embraced its gay employees," she says in the video before discussing how she told a store manager about why she returned the items she had purchased.
"I shared with her why I had bought each item, who they were for, and why that person wouldn't want me to have bought them at a Target store," she says. "The items were for my grandchildren, and they love their uncle Jake so much, and Jake is gay, and they wouldn't want to have things coming from a store that contributes to a campaign that would have a governor candidate with the antigay views that Tom Emmer has."
Target, which is based in Minnesota, has defended its donations to the group, called MN Forward, by stating that they were tied to Emmer's positions when it comes to creating a positive environment for businesses, not his stance on social issues.

Customers shop at a Target store in Lombard, Ill. in this Dec. 6, 2007 file photo. 
(Credit: AP)
"Target's support of the GLBT community is unwavering, and inclusiveness remains a core value of our company," Chief Executive Officer Gregg Steinhafel said. The company has also said that its political action committee has split donations evenly between both parties this year. (PAC donations involve money from employees and shareholders, as opposed to the corporate funds used to donate to MN Forward.)
Target is not the only retailer to have donated to MN Forward - electronic retailer Best Buy Co. gave the group $100,000 - but it has been the primary target of anger in large part because it has long been seen as an ally by the gay rights movement.
"A lot of people feel betrayed by this place where everybody goes to shop and you get to see them at Pride and you feel good that you're supporting a corporation that's giving back to the community," Monica Meyer, interim head of the gay rights group OutFront Minnesota, told the Associated Press.
On his website, Emmer writes that "I believe marriage is the union between one man and one woman."
"As a legislator, I have consistently supported the constitutional marriage amendment that protects traditional marriage," he adds.
Target was reportedly able to make the donation because of the Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United decision which greatly expanded corporations and unions' ability to spend unlimited money on campaign advertising. The DISCLOSE Act, which would have brought greater transparency in such advertising, was blocked by Senate Republicans yesterday.


Click BOYCOTT TARGET to join the Facebook community!




President's Weekly Address- Republican Obstruction, Failed policies of the past