NY's Out People of Color Political Action Club endorses Barack Obama

[NOTE: I believe this is the first LGBT political organization in New York to endorse Obama]

PRESS RELEASE

Out People Of Color Political Action Club

CONTACT: info@outpocpac.org

Barack Obama Endorsement

New York, NY/Feb. 28, 2008--The Out People of Color Political Action Club (OutPOCPAC) unanimously endorsed Barack Obama's bid for President of the United States.

“We are confident that Senator Obama will lead this country in a new and needed direction," said Doug Robinson, OutPOCPAC co-president. "The Bush administration's policies have failed us, with millions of Americans without healthcare, a disastrous war in Iraq, and the gap between rich and poor growing larger every day. We strongly believe that Senator Obama will unite this country bringing gay & straight, black & white, old & young, Republican, Independent & Democrats, disabled & able-bodied, and all other communities together to rebuild our great country.”

OutPOCPAC has pledged its resources to help bring an Obama administration to the White House in January of 2009. OutPOCPAC is reaching out to club members and their families to make individual contributions to this important presidential campaign. We will also be organizing efforts to mobilize volunteers in remaining primary states, including Pennsylvania.

The Out People of Color Political Action Club is a New York City-based non-partisan political club of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and two-spirit (LGBTTS) people of color. For more information about OutPOCPAC, please contact info@outpocpac.org.

Write a Check to Obama Campaign: OutPOCPAC strongly believes that Senator Obama will change the course of direction in our country. We urge you to write a check or make an online donation to help Senator Obama win this important election. In addition, we want the Obama campaign to know that our OutPOCPAC dollars are supporting his campaign. Please contact me if you want to send a contribution to his campaign.

Volunteering for Obama Campaign: Please consider volunteering for the Obama campaign. We need volunteers to make phone calls, register voters and being visible in our communities.

Most important is the upcoming Pennsylvania primary where volunteers are needed to help Senator Obama win. The campaign will provide free buses to volunteers in this key state primary. We will be sending more detailed information in the upcoming weeks.

Please contact us if you can volunteer! If you have questions or want more information, please e-mail Doug at doug@outpocpac.org

Gay City News: 2006 Progress Reports

The online edition of this week's Gay City News has just popped out of the oven. It includes their first annual "Progress Report" in which they have asked 16 community leaders to write essays on "where we are, what our challenges are, the opportunities we must avail ourselves of, and where we are headed."

Highlights include:

• "What We Should Expect from Our Friends," an essay by Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Directo Alan Van Capelle on public accountability by our elected representatives.
• "Serving the City and Continuing the Community's Battles" by New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
• "Our Family, Past and Present" by Doug Robinson on raising two sons with his partner Michael Elsasser.

Other essays on court battles, religious movements, arts, homeless LGBT youth, workplace issues, business enterprises and HIV prevention and transmission can be read here.

I was also honored to ne asked to submit an essay by the paper's editors. You can read my essay here:

• "Putting Resources into People of Color Grassroots Efforts"

Thoughts and reactions welcome.

Gay City News launches First Annual Progress Report

On Thursday Gay City News will publish their "First Annual Progress Report" on LGBT issues facing New York City.

This year they have chosen to focus on "community movers and shakers" and have requested opinion pieces from several community leaders including OutPOCPAC Co-chair Doug Robinson, Stonewall Democrats of New York Board of Governors Co-chair Bob Zuckerman, Michael Adams from the ACLU, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle, amongst others.

I was also honored to be asked to contribute to the issue and have written a piece on the need to engage local Latino LGBT grassroots organizations in efforts to get community support for the right for same-sex couples to get married.

I'm sure there'll be a few interesting pieces in the bunch so tune in on Thursday. I'll post a link to my piece once the issue is out.

OutPOCPAC hosts Jonathan Tasini

Jonathan Tasini, center, meets with members of OutPOCPAC

Tonight, the Out People of Color Political Action Club (OutPOCPAC) held a general club meeting and had New York Senate candidate Jonathan Tasini as the night's guest. Though not an endorsement meeting, it was my feeling that Tasini wowed the club and could end up wowing some of the other LGBT political clubs in the city as well. This could be significant as he is challenging incumbent New York State Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has not necessarily been great on LGBT issues.

Margarita Lopez on Bloomberg, Ferrer and her campaign

On Wednesday I wrote about a meeting taking place last night at the LGBT Community Services Center and hosted by Latino Gay Men of New York, one of the oldest Latino gay organizations in the country. The topic was city politics and the invited guests were members of the Out People of Color Political Action Club (OutPOCPAC) - of which I am a proud member - and former Manhattan Borough President candidates Margarita Lopez and Brian Ellner. OutPOCPAC was the first LGBT political club to endorse Fernando Ferrer during the primaries; both Brian and Margarita had recently announced that they were endorsing current Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Considering the amount of flak that has been directed at both Margarita and Brian for endorsing a Mayor who has appealed a decision granting marriage rights to same-sex couples in New York; vetoed the Equal Benefits Bill which would require that businesses with a budget of $100,000 and above provide insurance to same-sex partners of their employees if they also do for heterosexual couples; and vetoed the Dignity for All Students Act, which would require schools to monitor harrassment against youth who are or appear to be gay, I was a little skeptical that either of them would accept the invitation.

So give Margarita credit for showing up: During almost an hour, she spoke about the mayoral race, her Bloomberg endorsement, her relationship with Ferrer, her thoughts on proposition 1 and proposition 2 and recent news of an ongoing battle between Margarita and the Campaign Finance Board. Alas, it was off the record and I cannot give details of the conversation.

What I will say is that members of the group, though respectful, were not necessarily receptive to the reasons she gave for endorsing Bloomberg.

I do know that - as this is the last City Council term for Margarita - we are losing a progressive representative who staunchly fought for the improvement of the Lower East Side, which she represented; who sought and got increaced funding for HIV prevention services; who was instrumental in quickly mobilizing the city council to approve emergency funds for crystal meth use awareness and prevention for gay men in this city; and stood up to other members in the city council who did not move quickly to censure the sexual misconduct of one of its members.

Personally, I was grateful for her support in the work I have done on the issue of marriage rights for same-sex couples. On March 4th, 2004, as news of the Massachussetts decision allowing same-sex couples to marry began to have a national impact, Margarita joined us for a Latinos Against a Constitutional Amendment press conference at City Hall. Aware that some Latino political leaders might be weary of advocating for the issue, we were asking them to support marriage rights or, if they were not able to, at least to denounce President Bush's intent to push an amendment to the constitution (I believe it was the first Latino specific response in the country). Well, Margarita not only vouchered for the right to marry but pushed powerful New York State Assemblymember Peter Rivera from the Bronx (chair of the statewide legislative Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force) to also take a stand in favor of same-sex marriage.

I still remember how she took over the press conference and announced that she would be seeking a City Council appointment as a "marriage officer" that same day and, if granted, pledged to start officiating weddings. Then she proceeded to lead speakers, on-lookers and press to the City Council offices where nobody knew what do do with her request.

So, while I know that certain friends are hurt and surprised that Margarita might have endorsed Mike Bloomberg, it is hard for me to feel angry with her when she got such a raw deal during her failed campaign for Manhattan Borough President and when her work as a City Council member will leave lasting benefits for the community in general.

The one thing I regreted last night is that, although she did take some hard questions from group members and responded just as candidly, she did not stay to hear the other side argue their reasons to support Fernando Ferrer.

Margarita Lopez, Brian Ellner at LGMNY's First Friday Forum?

Should all the invited speakers show up at this Friday's Latino Gay Men of New York forum (they hold forums on the first Friday of the month at the NYC LGBT Community Services Center), it should certainly prove to be an interesting night. The night's topic is "Political Education on the Mayoral Election & Issues Important to the Latino LGBT Community" and the focus is the current mayoral race. Invited guests include Out People of Color Political Action Club co-presidents Doug Robinson and Gerard Cabrera on the pro-Ferrer side and openly gay former Manhattan Borough President candidates Brian Ellner and Margarita Lopez on the pro-Bloomberg side.

Both Brian and Margarita have drawn tremendous flak from LGBT advocates for endoorsing Mike Bloomberg despite his record on LGBT rights and I am not so sure they would want to participate in a forum like this just before the election. Nevertheless, I hope they do show up and honor the request from one of the oldest Latino gay organizations in the city.

By the way, the political forum, which is set to start at 8pm, will be followed by a holistic health workshop at 9pm. Just in case the speakers need it afterwards. I'm just saying...

The primary is not over: Jass Stewart for Mayor!

Primaries might be over in New York City but, as long as we’re talking politics, might as well urge you to contribute to the Victory Fund-endorsed Brockton Mayoral Candidate Jass Stewart (Brockton is in Massachussetts and will be holding its primaries on September 20^th, 2005). I met Jass at “Naming Our Destiny: Training for Political Power,” a four day workshop for LGBT people of color interested in running for political office or in doing campaign work, which was sponsored by OutPOCPAC and the Empire State Pride Agenda back in 2004. As others, and yet others will attest, the man is smart, full of great ideas, and will definitely make a great mayor if elected.

The New York Blade’s navel-gazing

So our fridge blew a fuse (or something) two days ago and, since I like my morning coffee with some milk, I had to go out and buy a cup of ‘regular’ from the neighbor deli instead of brewing some at home – and get back home before the refrigerator repairman came (yes, if others can navel-gaze, so can I). Saw the Blade’s box at 35^th Avenue and 75^th Street corner and picked up the spanking new issue with the “Blogstar Confidential” cover (a purported look at the city’s gay power bloggers – whoever they are).

Well, damn if I didn’t nearly spit out that first sip’o’java and not just because it was scolding hot: Just below the lead story graphic there was a photo of Fernando Ferrer and a title that read “Primary Results: Did gay votes matter?”

Lead sentence? “When the Democratic Primary smoke cleared, one thing was certain: Endorsements from gay political organizations seem to be the kiss of death when it comes to mayor.”

Huh? Was the Blade implying that Ferrer had no gay political club endorsements? That gay clubs didn’t pull enough muster to keep Ferrer out of the nomination’s reach? That gays didn’t help Ferrer capture the nomination? That Ferrer wasn’t a viable candidate for the LGBT community?

Well, actually: In the article, various political operatives are interviewed at some length about Anthony Weiner, Gifford Miller and C. Virginia Fields and the endorsements they got from LGBT political clubs - which the Blade alleges did not count for much (though they do quote someone as saying that without an exit poll it’s pretty hard to ascertain how gays voted anyway, club endorsement or no endorsement).

This being the lead article on the primary election you would think that they would also talk about the Ferrer campaign and why they won. Strangely enough, the article basically says nothing other than the fact he won (though Baruch College professor Douglas Muzzio is quoted as saying “all of the Democratic candidates for mayor had a legitimate claim to the gay vote”).

Finally, the article also fails to say that Ferrer was actually endorsed by the Out People of Color Political Action Club (OutPOCPAC), which sorta' coulda' gone against the grain of the article’s main argument which could have proven a bit inconvenient, wouldn’t you say?

This has not been Ferrer’s best campaign and the hope is that he can find the fire and clarity of vision in what is left until the general elections. But he does have some momentum on his side, a gay political club endorsement and gay voters who are willing to give him a chance come election day.

If anything, the article betrayed a lack of knowledge of Ferrer’s past history of support for the LGBT community, his long-standing support for same-sex marriage; the fact that while he was Bronx Borough President he hosted the first LGBT community services center at a Bronx city hall office; and that he was among the persons who initiated, supported and marched down the Grand Concourse for the Bronx’ first gay pride parade.

Or simply it betrays the Blade's on-going inability to cover anything or anyone that comes from any borough outside of Manhattan.

Fernando Ferrer Press Conference Photos

Today Fernando Ferrer received the support of all the other major mayoral candidates in the wake of Tuesday's primary election. I believe the Out People of Color Political Action Club (OutPOCPAC), a group I am a member of, was the only LGBT political club that endorsed Ferrer before the primaries. That's Club Co-Chair Gerard Cabrera holding the rainbow flag. More photos here.