I'm angry

I'm angry today.

I'm agonizing over yet another suicide of a young gay teen in Tennessee. It's the second loss in as many months. Phillip died because he could not escape the endless bullying from his peers. He died because he lived in a world where being gay made him a target. He died scared, hopeless and alone. 

Will Batts is the Executive Director of the
Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center.

I feel a rage building inside me. This is not the world we want for our kids. This is not an environment where LGBTQ kids can prosper and succeed. You know what it's like. Those of you who grew up gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer...you know what it's like to be afraid, to be bullied, to be ridiculed, to feel alone. Some of us had it worse than others. But most of us have felt that knot in the pit of our stomachs when someone finds out we're not straight. We all remember the anxiety the first time we said to another person "I have something to tell you" or "I have a secret." Many of us remember feeling afraid for our safety. Some of us have survived damaging abuse. I can only imagine the pain that led Phillip and too many others to want an end to their suffering. But WE CANNOT let that be the end of the story. We CANNOT let suicide be the way that our kids find relief. 

All of us who work for LGBTQ equality in Tennessee want this to end. We want a better world for our kids and our friends. But this is not about us today. This is not a request to donate to MGLCC. This is a request for your voice and your presence. 

We have a legislature that actively targets the LGBTQ community. We have a legislature that wants us to be hidden and silent and ostracized. We have a legislature that wants to give religious exemptions to bullies. We have a legislature that wants teachers prohibited from even acknowledging our existence. These horrific laws must be stopped. Their passage means a perpetuation of the dangerous environment where our kids find no relief or refuge. 

YOU have an opportunity to make a difference. See...part of the problem is that we don't have enough folks raising their voices and shouting that this must end. I know it can be scary to take a stand. Doing so might threaten our jobs, our position in the community, or simply make us uncomfortable. But somewhere in Tennessee, in a small town of 2,000 people, there is a little kid who needs each one of us to stand up to our legislators and say "STOP! Stop targeting our community. Stop making it easier to hurt our kids. Stop denying us equal protection. Stop attacking our right to live in peace!" 

Tennessee Equality Project coordinates a day for us to speak one-on-one to our legislators. This is the 8th year for Advancing Equality Day on the Hill. The date is Tuesday, March 13, in Nashville. I am asking each one of you to show up that day and respectfully demand that our legislature stop targeting our community. We have people in our city, and in small towns all over this state, who are looking to us to lead. They are praying for some kind of relief. They need our help. We won't be able to stop this overnight. But neither can we wait for a better time to fight. The attacks on our community must end.

Signed,

Will Batts

Executive Director

Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center 

Reprinted with permission.

Ask your friends and family to make the onePLUS! PLEDGE

The Tennessee Equality Project invites you to participate in the onePLUS! campaign. TEP's Shelby County Committee officially launched the campaign at the Memphis premiere of 8: The Mormon Proposition at MGLCC's Outflix yesterday, but the entire state of Tennessee can participate!

The onePLUS! campaign provides every member of the LGBT community the opportunity to increase the visibility of our community and the support we receive from our straight allies.

We are each one vote, plus every family member, friend, coworker, and employer who supports our right to equal protection under civil law. We are each ONE, PLUS!

Make a personal list of family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers who support you. Then send this link to each person on your list to ask them to pledge their support for LGBT equality in your community.

With your help we can increase awareness and increase support for the advancement of equality and fairness.

TEP's Shelby County Committee needs volunteers to help gather onePLUS! pledges at this Saturday's Cooper Young Festival to prepare for the return of a employment non-discrimination ordinance in the City of Memphis. Click our Facebook event to volunteer .

Justice delayed is justice denied for Duanna Johnson

The trial of Bridges "Sutton" McRae, the former Memphis Police Officer charged with beating Duanna Johnson in February of 2008, ended in mistrial today. All but one of the twelve jurors voted to convict McRae. The dissenting juror did not believe the prosecution had proven that McRae had acted "willfully." All twelve jurors had to agree that Duanna's civil rights had been violated to convict McRae.

The trial result is disappointing to say the least. We can try to take comfort in the fact that eleven out of twelve jurors agreed with the evidence. McRae hurled transphobic and homophobic slurs at Duanna and was then captured on camera beating her senseless. Five witnesses testified that McRae's attack was unprovoked. It's unfortunate that Duanna herself was not here to give her testimony in person (she was killed in the street in late 2008 in a still unsolved and open investigation). Would the result have been different?

The prosecution has the option of retrying the case. Both sides interviewed jurors after the outcome today to learn what worked and what didn't work. Today's result will not be the last word. Justice is still possible.

Hope still lives and we must tend the flames of that hope so that Duanna's brave pursuit of justice was not in vain. On Tuesday night, the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center's Raise Your Voice committee will hold a vigil in Duanna's memory at 6:30 PM at Civic Center Plaza in downtown Memphis. We must speak for Duanna and the untold numbers of other transgender persons who suffer violence in our community. We must raise our voices so that our city is not defined by the fear and ignorance that led to Duanna's assault.

Some candles will be provided, but supplies are limited. Bring a candle from home and bring friends and loved ones. Let's show this city and the world that Memphis must become a place that welcomes and protects all its people.

- Jonathan Cole

More from myFOX Memphis:

LGBTQ community may have some recourse with the TN Human Rights Commission

The Tennessee Human Rights Commission board of Commissioners held a listening session for citizens of Memphis and Shelby County last night at Bridges.

The Tennessee Human Rights Commission is an independent state agency which investigates allegations of discrimination in housing, employment, Title VI and places of public accommodations. Complaintants may report discrimination based on race, color, gender, disability, national origin, religion, creed, familial status or age (40 and over).

Noticeably absent among the unlawful bases for discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations is sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Last night, I brought copies of the latest cover article from the Memphis Flyer to the commissioners about the efforts of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center to provide emergency housing services to lesbian, gay, bi and trangender youth to highlight the fact that these youth are being underserved and actively discriminated against when attempting to access emergency housing and shelter.

I also shared a personal story from a few years ago in which a friend and I tried to find shelter for one of these youth who called the center for help. The center's Youth Empowerment Services were not available at the time. The 18-year-old caller had just been kicked out of her family's home in Fayette County because she was transgender. We tried to find temporary housing for her in area shelters. But she was only allowed to stay over for one night before she was told she could not stay at these shelters. Shelters turned her away for "religious" reasons or told her that they could not ensure her safety. We were finally able to find a place for her to stay at a local church that welcomes all people.

The commissioners present at the listening forum were sympathetic, but they and I knew that they have no mandate under current Tennessee law to investigate or prosecute such claims of discrimination. Commissioner Jocelyn Wurzburg hoped that the commission would be able to investigate such claims in her lifetime, but she felt it would be a difficult task to expand the commission's mandate in the current legislative climate.

There was one bright spot though. The Regional Coordinator for the Memphis office of the TNHRC, Linda Reed, suggested that discrimination based on gender expression may be covered by the commission in some circumstances. Reed stated that similar claims of discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations have been successfully prosecuted under the category of gender. While the mandate of the commission's authority still falls short, such an interpretation may offer recourse to some LGBTQ citizens of Tennessee on a case by case basis.

If you have endured discrimination in the above areas within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act, learn more about how to file a complaint with the commission on their website.

An accountability moment for the lives of our LGBT youth

Ahem. This post is addressed to the Tony Perkins, the "Rev." Steve Gaines, the "Rev." Alton Williams, "Bishop" Harry Jackson, David Fowler, . . . . . the list goes on. All of the above spoke, attended or supported the Stand for the Family Rally last Monday at Bellevue Baptist Church.

Your actions or lack of action have real consequences.

The lead story of the Memphis Flyer released today features the Youth Empowerment Services program of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center. MGLCC is meeting a need previously unmet by the social safety net, churches and shelters of our community. They are rescuing the lesbian, gay, bi and transgender youth of our community who were kicked out of the homes of their families before they could provide for themselves. These are families who heard and continue to hear the same messages as delivered at last Monday's rally (See here, here, & here).

The moral failing of our society to love and cherish ALL of our children is clear. Any pastor, church, lobbyist, or talking head who calls homosexuality or gender variance sin in our society shares responsiblity for the homelessness of these youth. That message is breaking the lives of children and their families.

Let's give thanks for heroes like Deb & Steve Word, Elokin CaPece, Mark Brown, Mary Parks, Bob Loos, Mike LaBonte, Lisa Kurts-Crume, and Will Batts. They are helping to undo the sins of this cruel world.

Stand for ALL Families in Shelby County

In collaboration with the Raise Your Voice Committee of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center, TEP invites you to participate in a rally to Stand for ALL Families at Neshoba Unitarian Universalist Church (7350 Raleigh-Lagrange Rd. in Cordova) on Monday, March 29. The rally will begin with a light supper at 6 PM followed by a diverse group of speakers at 7 PM celebrating loving families that include all people whether they are gay, lesbian, bi, straight, or transgender.

The occasion will directly confront a decidedly anti-family message given just a few miles from Neshoba on the same night. Bellevue Baptist Church is hosting Tony Perkins, a nationally known anti-gay activist, to commemorate the opening of Family Action Council of Tennessee's office in Cordova. The event is called “Stand for the Family: a rally to celebrate and promote traditional families.” Supporters of this event would like you to believe that “traditional” families are under attack. The reality is that “FACT” and their supporters are spreading an anti-family message of irrational fear and misinformation.


So, who is the Family Action Council of Tennessee and why are they coming to Shelby County?

FACT is a statewide organization that lobbies against fairness and equality that is struggling to establish a foothold in our back yard. FACT actively seeks to prevent loving families from adopting children (particularly gay, lesbian and other unmarried parents), opposes stable relationships and marriages for gay and lesbian couples, promotes LGBT discrimination in the workplace and seeks to dehumanize the lesbian, gay, bi, and transgender citizens of Tennessee.

Last year, a broad and diverse community of people gathered in support of local legislation that secured LGBT-inclusive workplace protections for Shelby County employees. The passage of the legislation sent a message statewide that Shelby County is an inclusive community that welcomes all people regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity and all people should be able to make a living and support their families without the fear of unfair discrimination in the workplace. Our local efforts caught some by surprise including the Family Action Council of Tennessee.

By inviting nationally-known anti-gay activists from outside Tennessee to Monday's event at Bellevue, FACT and their supporters plan to send an exclusive message to elected officials that only certain families that meet their narrow definition should be supported and protected. It's time to raise your voice and rally to celebrate every loving family in Shelby County.

Our message is one of inclusion: ALL parents and families want the same chance as everyone else to earn a living, be safe in their communities, serve their country, and take care of the ones they love.

Join us on Monday night and stand up for ALL families.

Is Herenton using the Gay community?

Former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton -- who frequently supported the gay community while in office – is now trying to use the gay community to score political points in the race for the 9th Congressional District.

In a March 1 letter to pastors in Shelby County, Herenton wrote, “As pastors, I hope you will join me in my opposition to same-sex marriage and the legalization of marijuana,”

With these words, Herenton casts a dark shadow over his previous record of supporting the GLBT community in Memphis.

On September 25, 2000, Herenton appeared at Calvary Church in Memphis beside Judy Shepard (the mother of slain hate crime victim Matthew Shepard) to proclaim the day “Memphis Against Hate Crimes Day". During his proclamation, Herenton said:

"I'm here tonight because this great city of Memphis ought to stand tall and protest vehemently against hate crimes . . . . This should be a city where people don't have fear because of the color of our skin or the religion we practice or the person we choose to love."

Within the same year, Mayor Herenton participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the grand opening of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center in the Cooper-Young Neighborhood.

In January 2009, Herenton pledged his support for a Non-Discrimination Ordinance that would protect employees of the City of Memphis and City contractors from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression to leaders of the Tennessee Equality Project’s Shelby County Committee.

Voters in the 9th Congressional District should hold Herenton to his own words:

This should be a city where people don't have fear because of the color of our skin or the religion we practice or the person we choose to love.

It sounds like fear is all Herenton has to offer the intended audience of his March 1 letter.

-Jonathan Cole

Commissioner Mulroy receives Movers and Shakers Award from MGLCC

Len Piechowski (right), President of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center, presented Shelby County Commissioner Steve Mulroy (District 5) with a 2009 Movers & Shakers Award at today's community center board meeting. Mulroy sponsored legislation last spring that established workplace protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees of Shelby County government.

Steve's pioneering efforts challenge the Nashville Metro Council and the Memphis City Council to pass similar legislation. TEP expects workplace protections for LGBT employees to grow in all areas of Tennessee.

Steve Mulroy is the only elected official to receive this award after successfully passing legislation designed to protect the rights of LGBT citizens in Shelby County.

Congratulations Steve! You earned it!

Will Shelby County government embrace fairness and equality for all?

In 2008, Shelby County was “ground zero” for many of the most publicized hate crimes perpetrated against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens in Tennessee. Most prominent among these crimes was the transphobic police beating of Duanna Johnson at the Shelby County Justice Center. A video of the incident exposed a violent bias against GLBT minorities in Memphis and Shelby County. Before the beating began, police officers called Duanna a “faggot” and a “he/she.” Shelby County Justice Center staff did nothing to intervene as Duanna endured blow after blow.

The violence suffered by Duanna was abhorrent and served as a “wake up” call for reform in our community. The time for reform is now.

On Wednesday, May 6, the Shelby County Board of Commissioners will begin reviewing a Non-Discrimination Ordinance in its General Government Committee that will prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity/expression in facilities like the Shelby County Justice Center. The ordinance also calls for fair treatment of employees of Shelby County Government, contractors with Shelby County Government, and businesses in unincorporated areas of the county regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

It’s time to reclaim Memphis and Shelby County as a community that welcomes diversity, values safety and security, and promotes fairness and equality for all. Take a moment to contact the Shelby County Board of Commissioners in support of this legislation.

Call the Shelby County Board of Commissioners at 901-545-4301 and send a message to tell them you support fairness and equality in Shelby County.

To learn more about the Non-Discrimination Ordinance and how you can help advance the cause with the Shelby County Board of Commissioners be sure to attend at least one of the special information and strategy sessions led by the Shelby County Committee of TEP.

Information sessions are scheduled for 2 PM on Sundays for the following dates: May 10, May 31 and June 14. All sessions will be held at the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center at 892 South Cooper Street in Memphis. For more details contact TEP's Shelby County Committee at ShelbyCounty@tnequalityproject.com.

MGLCC at Memphis St. Patrick's Parade

Participants in the 35th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade on Beale Street included the grand krewes of Carnival Memphis, the Tiger Blue Fire Crew, the Gallowglass Bagpipers, the Dead Elvis Society, and many other regulars.

The Beale Street Merchant's Association invited the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center to enter the parade this year for the first time. Since GLBT groups are prohibited from entering St. Patrick's Day Parades in other cities like New York City, the invitation was a big deal.

MGLCC entered as a walking group of about 20 people and carried a banner and rainbow flag. Having never attended this parade in the past, I was surprised to see such a large crowd lining the streets of Beale Street on either side. MGLCC's walking group was warmly received with only one "boo" reported from the crowd. The booing boor was chastised by other members of the crowd.

I am no stranger to marching in gay pride parades in Memphis, but this was a different experience. When people come to a gay pride parade they know to expect several GLBT groups and organizations in the procession. People who came to the St. Patrick's parade probably did not expect to see us yesterday. So I was pleased that MGLCC gained some welcomed visibility in the festivities. Maybe there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Memphis mourns Duanna Johnson

More than 50 people gathered in front of the flagpole at the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Center on Sunday night to remember Duanna Johnson who was savagely murdered one week ago. The crowd lit candles and processed in silence down Cooper Street to the front steps of First Congregational Church. The Rev. Cheryl Cornish reminded the crowd that Duanna - like so many Biblical figures in the Old Testament - only lived to see the promise of justice from a distance without ever experiencing it. Only those that followed the old prophets experienced the promise.

I gave a short remembrance following the Rev. Cornish:

We gather here tonight to pay our respects to a brave woman whose life was cut short. Who cried out for justice, but never saw it. On the steps of this church, I met Duanna Johnson this past summer after the abuse she suffered was revealed to the public. I was struck by her gentle spirit and the gratefulness she expressed as members of our community stepped forward to support her struggle.

Duanna had the courage to demand respect from those who did not understand her and abused her. She galvanized our community by calling attention to the verbal and physical violence inflicted on people because of race, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We can all learn from her life. We know that she did not have great means, but she never let anyone take away her dignity. She stood up for herself. She forced our city to reflect on the awful violence and ignorance that plagues our city. Her life moved our city’s leaders and the police to re-examine how it treats people who live at the margins of our society. More importantly, she gave us hope.

She gave hope to young children everywhere and in this city who wonder if there is anyone else out there like them who’s struggled with questions about gender or sexual identity. Children who have quietly endured suffering when no one hears their cries. They know they are not alone and that others have gone before them to pave the way to greater respect, dignity and freedom.

In Jewish tradition, it is said that one can give no greater gift than to bury the dead because it is a gift that can never be repaid. In fact, people from all over our nation have contributed to her family’s funeral expenses. But we can give more. Her life will mean even more to us if we dedicate ourselves to making Memphis a safe place for all. All of us - black and white, gay and straight, rich and poor, transgender or not - must continue her struggle by pressing our government and law enforcement agencies to treat all people with respect, fairness, and dignity.

Duanna is no longer with us in life. But her light will cast out the darkness if we tend the flame.

Amy Livingston of the Midsouth Peace and Justice Center, who organized the vigil, provided closing remarks for the evening with a challenge to remember Duanna by taking action for justice in our community. Those who gathered ended the evening with a tearful "We Shall Overcome."

May Duanna rest in peace and may justice be served to those who murdered and persecuted her.

Check TEP's Facebook page for more vigil photos.

UPDATE! Local media coverage of the vigil:

WMCTV5

Commercial Appeal

Eyewitness News 24/30

Outreach to the next generation of law enforcement

Last night, I had the privilege of making a presentation on LGBT hate crimes to two Victimology classes from ITT Technical Institute. The presentation included national and state hate crime data, real stories of LGBT hate crimes locally and nationally, and a review of current federal and state hate crime laws.

Approximately 40 students attended the presentation at First Congregational Church in the Cooper Young Neighborhood. Most of the student are criminal justice majors who will likely go on to serve in law enforcement in our area. I was pleased by the inquisitiveness of the students. Many expressed their appreciation for learning something they did not know.

After the presentation, Professor Lt. Stacy Cunningham invited the class to walk up Cooper Street to visit the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

My sincere thanks goes to one of the class instructors, Lt. Cunningham (who is also a new instructor with the Memphis Police Department Training Academy) for extending the invitation to speak. I also want to thank Amy Livingston for arranging space for the class and the people at First Congo for allowing me to speak.

More local coverage of Memphis transgender homicide

Eyewitness News interviewed me in the developing story about transgender homicide victim Ebony (Rodney) Whitaker.

WMCTV5 interviewed Will Batts, Executive Director of the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center, in their updated coverage.

MGLCC supports Duanna Johnson and Community

A chorus of many speaks with one voice. The Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center issued this statement today:

The MGLCC board of directors has been following the events surrounding the brutal beating of a transgender woman by two Memphis police officers. We find these events unacceptable and we hope the police department will continue taking appropriate corrective action beyond the firing of the police officers involved. This kind of behavior can never be tolerated and must be addressed in a comprehensive way.

We have been in contact with and support the lead of local organizations such as Tennessee Equality Project, Women's Action Coalition, and the Midsouth Peace and Justice Center, who've made and continue working on several requests for change and accountability.

On Monday, June 23 these groups along with many people from the community met at First Congregational Church to discuss a plan for action. Many of our board members were in attendance.

MGLCC plans to be actively involved in helping formulate the next steps by having representatives attend and be supportive at the next meeting.

The 2nd Community Assembly will be held next Monday, June 30th at 6PM at the First Congregational Church. We strongly encourage our community to come show their support for this GLBT and civil rights injustice.

The Old Testament Prophet Amos said it best: "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." - Amos 5:24 NRSV

Triangle Journal Movers and Shakers

The Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center held a kickoff for its HOME membership campaign at the Center for Southernn Folklore last night. During the reception the community center recognized the 2008 Triangle Journal Movers and Shakers which included a few of Tennessee's legislators and the two Co-Chairs of the Shelby County Committee:

Dr. Marty Acree

Sean Alexander

Terryl Buckner

Jeff Childress & Rick Johns

Congressman Steve Cohen

Jonathan Cole & Tommy Simmons

Allen Cook

Casey

Susan Mackenzie

State Senator Bevery Marrero

The Rev. Tim Meadows

Carmen Mills

Bianca Phillips

Darian Porter

State Representative Jeanne Richardson

Wendi C. Thomas

Shane Trice

Dr. Herb Zeman

Felipe Zuvichaux

Learn more about the 2008 Movers and Shakers in the April 2008 issue of Triangle Journal.