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Latina Lesbian Democrat Mary Gonzalez Voted into Texas House of Representatives

abbey-o:

by gabrielle at Autostraddle.com

This week El Paso Texas voted in Democratic candidate Mary Gonzalez to the Texas House of Representatives. Why is this important? Because she is a woman and a lesbian, and those are two things that frighten most people into voting for the exact opposite person just because. But El Paso backed Mary with an overwhelming majority of the vote. Polls put her ahead by 53%, and this morning her lead turned into a win. According to the Advocate, “Gonzalez’s victory in the Democratic primary all but secures her seat representing the state’s District 75.” Gonzalez is someone to keep our queer eyes on.

They’re calling her the “gay candidate,” which is ridiculous on so many levels and highlights the limited scope in which mainstream media explores the various backgrounds and intersectionalities of people of color, but it’s better than her not being any kind of candidate at all. She’s been living her life out in the open since day one. Gonzalez serves her all of her communities with equal care. She is co-chair on the Board of Directors for allgo, Texas’ QPOC organization, and serves as the National President for Kappa Delta Chi, which is a service-based Latina-driven sorority that provides leadership and development for professional Latinas. Oh, and Gonzalez is also currently undertaking a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction on Cultural Studies at the University of Texas.

Putting all of her accomplishments together creates a blueprint for how to exist in a world that is othering you. Gonzalez honors her Mexican heritage, takes pride in being queer and is studying ways to properly educate and empower others. The combination all of these things makes her more than a candidate; she’s part of a movement. Mary Gonzalez at this point in her career epitomizes seamless intersectionality through openness and action, with layered and purposeful work in all areas of her life. They might be calling her the “gay candidate” but she is a complex woman with so much more to offer the world than just a queer voice. Mary Gonzalez never has to out herself or be outed because she lives openly; she’s a new kind of politician, one who sees queer identity as a strength, not something that needs to be hidden for a successful career. (Texas also has an openly gay mayor, Annise Parker of Houston.)  Mary

Gonzalez’s life’s work showcases the change that can occur in our political world, and at the local level, in the community. Her passions for education, activism and politics perfectly blend all the areas of her life, and it’s about time that someone’s dedication to those issues isn’t eclipsed by their sexual orientation. She is someone I want to be like and I never feel that way about politicians. EVER. So already, Mary Gonzalez is taking down the House in all of the good ways. She’s only twenty-eight, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

(via mickyalexandria)

Gay Green Lantern

theanimalblog:

An orphaned cygnet swims in a trainer pool at the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton, south-west London. The national waterfowl sanctuary lies on the site of an old gravel pit and consists of a hospital wing complete with operating theatre, a heated intensive care section and a recovery area with an exercise pond. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters

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Manny Pacquiao, Filipino Masculinity, and Homophobia

fascinasians:

In the matter of two days, Manny Pacquiao has managed to alienate himself from significant parts of his fan base by stating some rather eyebrow-raising opinions about queer men and same-sex marriage. Firstly, he criticized President Obama’s beliefs about same-sex marriage. Next, it’s now been reported by the LA Weekly that he believes queer men should be put to death.

The responses I’ve seen have gone along the lines of “Pacquiao should just stick to boxing and keep his nose out of other people’s business–particularly if his own marriage could use some work.” Honestly though, it feels a little too easy to put Pacquiao on the whipping stand. It feels like this is a golden opportunity for Filipino and Filipino American LGBTs to expose the homophobia, transphobia and sexism that is in our cultures and educate our communities.

For many Filipinos and Filipino Americans, it’s easy to box us LGBTs into neat little boxes that go along the stereotypes: the effeminate male hairdressers, the butch women who insist on being called “pare” (or brother), etc. I struggled with my sexual identity within this cultural context. I wasn’t fem enough for my family to be comfortable with my sexual identity; I had no desires to be a hairdresser either. At the same time, I bristled against the homophobic, transphobic and heterosexist ramblings done by my male relatives whenever queer men were seen on popular Filipino TV shows and movies. Queer men and women in Filipino TV shows and movies are often seen as predatory, incapable of maintaining healthy relationships with their partners, and are just used for comic relief. Very few representations exist where we are seen through a more human lens.

When I was coming out 20 years ago, I thought that there really was no one like me, Filipino American, queer and comfortable with my masculinity. I often thought of suicide growing up because I didn’t want to burden my family with the stigma of me being gay; never mind that I’m one of the more successful people in my generation now.

Partly because of that reason, this feels like it’s an opportunity for my fellow Filipino and Filipino American LGBTs to not only put Pacquiao to task–but our cultures as well. We have to stop turning the other way when we see homophobic, transphobic and heterosexist representations of ourselves in the media. We need to start showing our side of the story; how we’ve struggled to fight through these stereotypes and be who we are, and proud of who we are.

Yes, what Pacquiao said is extremely fucked up. But his opinions are the product of a culture that promotes this homophobia and transphobia. We need to educate ourselves and those in our community that this is something that will no longer be tolerated.

(via ladyurduja)

pag-asaharibon:

Filipinos join massive protest against NATO in Chicago; demand for US troops of out the Philippines

Over 230 Filipinos from across the US and the Philippines joined over 15,000 more last Sunday in downtown Chicago to march in protest against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit taking place just blocks away in McCormick Place. It was the largest outdoor anti-war demonstration in the US in years.

The Filipino contingent was led by BAYAN USA, a US-wide alliance of 18 Filipino social justice organizations and a founding member of the Coalition Against the NATO & G8 War and Poverty Agenda (CANG8), the main organizer of last Sunday’s demonstration against NATO. Founded in 2005, BAYAN USA is the oldest and largest overseas chapter of BAYAN Philippines.

BAYAN USA joined the ranks of the 500+ marching contingent of the US chapter of the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS-US), which included Palestinians and Puerto Ricans projecting the role of national liberation struggles as key in the fight against the US-NATO agenda.

“Filipinos are here today because the US-NATO agenda seeks to intensify militarization in the Asia-Pacific region,” stated Bernadette Ellorin of BAYAN USA at the opening noon rally in Grant Park. “As I speak, the US is sending drones, nuclear warships, nuclear submarines, and more US troops to engage in military exercises in the South China Sea. They say this is to contain the threat of China, but that is a distortion.”

Ellorin spoke of the worsening global economic crisis driving US-NATO powers to secure critical economic investments in the Asia-Pacific region, where the US export position accounts for approximately $1 trillion of the US economy. Therefore, the US-NATO military pivot to Asia is to enforce a new free-trade agreement– the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA)– that would ensure US economic dominance in the region.

Responding to the recent high-level talks in Washington DC between US Secretary Hilary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin regarding the Philippines strategic role in the US military shift to the Asia-Pacific region, BAYAN USA also participated in a speaking panel on US bases one week prior at the People’s Summit, presenting the social impact of over 114 years of US military presence in the country.

Since its founding in 2005, BAYAN USA has campaigned consistently against continuing US militarization in the Philippines, including cutting US military aid to the country. It has worked in alliance with Philippine and US-based human rights organizations in drawing clear links between increased US military presence and increased human rights abuses in the country.

In 2009, BAYAN USA founding member Melissa Roxas was abducted by elements of the Philippine military while on a medical mission in a rural community in Tarlac, Central Luzon and subjected to 6 days of blindfolded secret detention and torture before surfacing. BAYAN USA spearheaded the Justice for Melissa Roxas campaign and continues to fight for justice.

(via ladyurduja)

(via genderanarchy)

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Jeffrey Smith

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