Adventures in Urban Living

Link: Protect Marriage, Protect Children, Prohibit Divorce

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:32:16 -0800

I hope they are trying to get this on the ballot, I'd love to see this ad on tv.

"This proposition would keep the very meaning of marriage from being transformed into nothing more than a contractual relationship between two adults. Prohibiting divorce between heterosexual married couples will keep the interests of children and families intact."

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Link: Obama says daughters will do chores in White House (AP)

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:44:34 -0800

With the election over, we seem to be getting a sense of how the president-elect thinks on a much wider range of issues. That he and Michelle Obama plan to give their kids chores around the White House says a lot to me about their work ethic and their values. He also touched on everyone needing to do their part in the climate crisis and the example he wants to set,

"The president-elect said he plans to sit down with the chief usher for the presidential mansion and do an evaluation of its energy efficiency. 'Part of what I want to do is to show the American people that it's not that hard,' Obama said."

Speaking of the first family's house, the History Channel premiered a good White House documentary tonight.

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Link: Feinstein recalls the murders in City Hall (SF Gate)

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:56:46 -0800

Tomorrow will be the 30th anniversary of the murders of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. Then president of the Board of Supervisors, Diane Feinstein spoke in an interview about it.

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Link: Tyranny of the majority (SF Bay Guardian)

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:04:53 -0800

"The founding principle is that basic rights -- such as the freedoms of speech, religion, and association -- are not subject to majority approval and can't be taken away by a simple popular vote. So the question now before the judges is whether the right to marry, which the court ruled had been unconstitutionally withheld from same-sex couples, is among those core rights."

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Link: Miami judge rules against Florida gay adoption ban (AP)

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:13:31 -0800

"Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman said the 31-year-old law violates equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents, rejecting the state's arguments that there is 'a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their children.'"

The plaintiff in this case was seeking to adopt two brothers, ages 4 and 8, he's raised since 2004. In her ruling, the judge wrote, "A child in need of love, safety and stability does not first consider the sexual orientation of his parent. The exclusion causes some children to be deprived of a permanent placement with a family that is best suited to their needs."

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Link: The "broken windows theory" now a proven fact (The Economist)

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:08:31 -0800

It's believed that leaving minor damage unfixed and showing that at least some crime will be tolerated, has a way of encouraging more crime. New York famously reduced crime overall on the subway system by focussing on removing graffiti. Now it's been put to the test. University of Groningen researches created, "a series of experiments designed to discover if signs of vandalism, litter and low-level lawbreaking could change the way people behave. They found that they could, by a lot: doubling the number who are prepared to litter and steal."

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Is boycotting Cinemark a step toward equality?

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:58:29 -0800

The news that Cinemark Theaters CEO Alan Stock donated $9,999 to the Yes on Prop 8 campaign has sparked talk of boycotts. No MILK for Cinemark is one campaign trying to keep Cinemark from making a profit off the film about the assassinated gay right's icon while the CEO is helping strip away equal rights.

In an opinion piece for 365gay.com yesterday, Cinemark Theaters vice president Bob Shimmin writes about the controversy. As you'd expect he comes to the defense of his company,

"During my job interviews, I discovered that Cinemark has an LGBT liaison for community outreach; Cinemark provides domestic partner benefits for California team members; Cinemark hosts the annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival..."

Plenty of companies are happy to slap a pride rainbow on their logo if it will attract more customers, I'm really not impressed with this kind of marketing... er, I mean "community outreach". What really caught my attention, and that of most those who commented, was the part about offering domestic partnership benefits to California based employees.

If Cinemark actually had a commitment to treating their GLBT employees fairly, they would provide domestic partnership benefits to all employees, not only in California where they are legally required to. If actions speak louder than words, what they're saying is if they could legally do less for their GLBT employees, they would.

Shimmin provides a concrete example of the second class treatment GLBT employees receive from Cinemark, and the importance of truly equal marriage rights, in explaining how he and his partner had to give up their domestic partnership benefits in order to work for Cinemark,

"Two years ago, I was hired by Alan Stock, and my life partner and I relocated to Plano, Tex., from the San Francisco bay area. Moving to Plano and effectively leaving behind our cherished Domestic Partnership document, signed by California's Secretary of State, took much consideration."

As a vice-president, I'm guessing the salary made up for added costs like his partner not being covered under Cinemark's health care. What about those lower down on the corporate ladder? Is it right to deny employees outside California the same benefits their heterosexual colleagues have because they are gay?

I'm even more committed to boycotting Cinemark knowing how they treat their GLBT employees who don't have the same legal protections we have here in California.

"Be angry. Fight for change. We will win the battle for equality. But the battle will be won by cultivating support and understanding; not through blacklisting and misguided boycotts."

I agree with Bob Shimmin, let's be sure we don't unfairly boycott businesses who are committed to equality, but he's made it pretty clear Cinemark is not one of them. No MILK for Cinemark has links to find non-Cinemark theaters who will be showing MILK. I'm looking forward to seeing it at Castro Theater myself.

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Link: Obama's Use of Complete Sentences Stirs Controversy (Andy Borowitz)

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:19:03 -0800

"According to presidential historian Davis Logsdon of the University of Minnesota, some Americans might find it 'alienating' to have a president who speaks English as if it were his first language."

After 8 years of President Bush and a summer of Sarah Palin, I don't know how comical this really is.

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