Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Re: Will Comcast Make This The Last St. Patrick's Day Parade To Exclude Gays?

militants
who want to change the definition of marriage
---
it's already changed

beating a dead horse tenderizes the meat

On Mar 19, 5:16 pm, Keith In Tampa <keithinta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't have any issues with what one does behind closed doors now
> PlainOl.  As a matter of fact and record,  I have been involved in the
> legal defense of a number of individuals whose rights have been trampled
> upon because of their sexuality.
>
> That's not the case here,  and that is not the case with those militants
> who want to change the definition of marriage, but we've been down this
> road......
>
> On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 6:09 PM, plainolamerican
> <plainolameri...@gmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Since when did Gays, Lesbians and Transgender folks get banned from
> > marching in the St. Paddy's Day parade?
> > ----
> > the 1995 U.S. Supreme Court case Hurley vs. Irish-American Gay,
> > Lesbian, Bisexual Group of Boston,  ruled parade organizers do have a
> > legal right to decide who marches in the parade.
> > Join the Impact, another gay, lesbian and transgender group in Boston,
> > was also denied permission to walk in the parade this year. The Irish-
> > American group marched in the parade in 1992 after obtaining a court
> > order, but no gay or lesbian organization has walked since the Supreme
> > Court ruling;
>
> > militant secular spin lies and prevaricate hogwash from
> > again, the militant, homosexual agenda!
> > ----
> > find a deprogrammer fast!
>
> > That pretty much eliminates TommyTomTomForNews from marching,
> > probably
> > PlainOl too.
> > ---
> > gfy
> > I haven't posted on any of tommys gay posts because I don't want to
> > argue with you about homosexuality. I am not gay, don't care about
> > their plight, or think I'm right and you're wrong ... I just find the
> > religious right's position indefensible. Eventually, they are going to
> > accept homos ... it's just going to take time.
>
> > On Mar 19, 4:15 pm, Keith In Tampa <keithinta...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Since when did Gays, Lesbians and Transgender folks get banned from
> > > marching in the St. Paddy's Day parade?
>
> > > Once again,  more militant secular spin lies and prevaricate hogwash from
> > > again, the militant, homosexual agenda!
>
> > > The only restriction, against ANYONE or ANY GROUP,  is that this is a
> > > family parade, and there will be no nekkidness,  there will be no
> > > fornication,  there will be no one dressed in assless chaps,  or nekkid
> > > Statues of Liberty.
>
> > > That pretty much eliminates TommyTomTomForNews from marching,  probably
> > > PlainOl too.
>
> > > On Mon, Mar 19, 2012 at 11:59 AM, plainolamerican <
> > plainolameri...@gmail.com
>
> > > > wrote:
> > > > an embarrassment
> > > > in a state where we now have marriage rights
> > > > ---
> > > > Irish and African-American lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
> > > > queer (LGBTQ) communities have a lot in common when it comes to being
> > > > excluded from the iconic institutions in their communities.
>
> > > > For LGBTQ African Americans, it's the Black Church, and for LGBTQ
> > > > Irish Americans, it's the St. Patrick's Day Parade.
>
> > > > Unlike the Black Church, however, that has and continues to throw the
> > > > Bible at its LGBTQ community to justify their exclusionary practices,
> > > > the St. Patrick's Day parade committee uses the First Amendment,
> > > > debating that they are constitutionally guaranteed freedoms of
> > > > religion, speech and association, and the tenet separating church and
> > > > state.
>
> > > > In 1994 Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade was canceled over this
> > > > issue. The state's highest court ruled that the parade organizers
> > > > could not ban members of the LGBTQ community from marching. But in a
> > > > counter lawsuit, parade officials won, accusing LGBTQ Irish-Americans
> > > > of violating their rights to free speech under the First Amendment.
>
> > > > On Mar 19, 10:37 am, Tommy News <tommysn...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > > Will Comcast Make This The Last St. Patrick's Day Parade To Exclude
> > Gays?
>
> > > > > -by Michelangelo Signorile
>
> > > > > It's 2012, and in the state of New York gays and lesbians have full
> > > > > civil rights, including marriage equality. Moreover, gays are no
> > > > > longer banned in the U.S. military. But they are still banned from
> > > > > Fifth Avenue's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in an embarrassing
> > > > > throwback for everyone involved.
>
> > > > > It's frankly appalling that NBC, and now its parent company Comcast,
> > > > > still sells the broadcast rights (on its local affiliate, WNBC) to
> > the
> > > > > intolerant bunch that runs the parade (in 2007 that amount was
> > > > > $300,000) and then helps the organizers sell advertising to major
> > > > > companies. More than that, one of NBC's top executives, a man who
> > aids
> > > > > the organizers in getting those ad dollars, was chosen as this year's
> > > > > Grand Marshal.
>
> > > > > As David Mixner notes, most New York politicians who support equality
> > > > > won't march in the parade because of this bigotry. Last year, the
> > > > > Irish Foreign Minister condemned the parade, and the President of
> > > > > Ireland declined an invitation to be Grand Marshal. But Francis X.
> > > > > Comerford, Chief Revenue Officer and President of Commercial
> > > > > Operations for the NBC Owned Television Stations, has no problem
> > > > > leading the parade as Grand Marshal.
>
> > > > > Groups like the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
> > > > > have criticized NBC for its relationship with the parade since the
> > > > > early '90s. Other groups have protested the parade annually,
> > sometimes
> > > > > resulting in arrests, and this year the group Irish Queers will be
> > > > > demonstrating once again. For years it's all been to no avail.
>
> > > > > But with Comcast now in charge after the controversial merger with
> > NBC
> > > > > was finalized, 2012 could be the last year in which gays are excluded
> > > > > -- or the last year in which NBC is involved in the parade.
>
> > > > > There are a few reasons for this. One of them has to do with the
> > terms
> > > > > of the merger itself, in which Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of
> > > > > Comcast, testified before the House Judiciary Committee, where he
> > > > > vowed to adhere to diversity in every aspect of the company's
> > business
> > > > > dealings. From the company's own blog:
>
> > > > > Diversity: A few members of the Committee raised questions about
> > > > > diversity at Comcast (and NBCU). Brian reiterated the company's
> > > > > commitment to promoting diversity in everything the company does. To
> > > > > me, as Comcast's Chief Diversity Officer, this means, among other
> > > > > things, diversity in our workforce, in our programming lineup, in our
> > > > > supplier base, and in our community investments (philanthropy) -- and
> > > > > having results we can be proud of.
> > > > > Furthermore, the actual approval letter from the FCC states that
> > > > > Comcast must adhere to diversity rules for seven years or the merger
> > > > > could be undone:
>
> > > > > Protecting Diversity, Localism, Broadcast and Other Public Interest
> > > > > Concerns. The Commission is also imposing conditions and accepting
> > > > > voluntary commitments concerning a numbers of other public interest
> > > > > issues, including diversity, localism, and broadcasting, among
> > others.
> > > > > Sure, it's debatable whether selling the broadcast rights to a parade
> > > > > that admittedly excludes a minority group violates the FCC's
> > diversity
> > > > > rules. But it's certainly something that LGBT activists would argue,
> > > > > bringing a lot of attention to the issue. Comcast may not want that
> > > > > fight now.
>
> > > > > And that brings me to the other reasons. Comcast prides itself on its
> > > > > outreach to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
> > > > > community. Just take a look at this page, where the company touts its
> > > > > 95-percent score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality
> > > > > Index and brags of programming that reaches out to LGBT people.
> > > > > Comcast also sponsors the annual GLAAD Media Awards and, as the
> > > > > company describes, "partners with various LGBT community centers
> > > > > across the country that provide a range of services for the LGBT
> > > > > community."
>
> > > > > It's a different time than when the Ancient Order of the Hibernians
> > > > > began excluding gays from the St. Patrick's Day Parade in the early
> > > > > '90s. Netroots activism gets things done very quickly today. HRC, in
> > > > > part responding to pressure from other activists, lowered Target's
> > and
> > > > > Best Buy's CEI score after the retail chains gave money to a
> > political
> > > > > action committee that backed an anti-gay candidate. GLAAD withdrew
> > its
> > > > > support of the failed AT&T/T-Mobile merger after grassroots activists
> > > > > mobilized on the Web and raised concerns.
>
> > > > > Already, GLAAD is calling for the parade to be dropped moving forward
> > > > > if gays are not included. "The idea that a group of LGBT people
> > aren't
> > > > > allowed to participate in a parade in the middle of New York City in
> > > > > the year 2012 is completely out of touch with a majority of Americans
> > > > > and it is frankly indefensible," GLAAD spokesperson Herndon Graddick
> > > > > said in a statement. "GLAAD will be requesting to meet with WNBC to
> > > > > ensure that, if such discriminatory practices remain in place, the
> > > > > event isn't one associated with such an important and inclusive media
> > > > > outlet that should represent the full diversity of New York City."
>
> > > > > When LGBT activists have organized online and focused on companies
> > > > > that have supported homophobia -- companies that pride themselves on
> > > > > being pro-gay -- they've been enormously successful. Microsoft
> > > > > reversed course pronto in 2005 after it went neutral on a gay rights
> > > > > bill in the state of Washington, and that's just one example.
>
> > > > > The truth is, most LGBT activists weren't focused on the St.
> > Patrick's
> > > > > Day Parade all these years, with bigger fish to fry. But many are now
> > > > > looking at this as unfinished business -- as I said, an
>
> ...
>
> read more »
>
>  beating-a-dead-horse.gif
> 2212KViewDownload

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