Video of Prop 8 LGBT protest in Pinellas: “Am I not a citizen?”

David Warner — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:01:19 +0000

A small but vocal group of protestors, both gay and straight, stood at the busy corner of 66th St. and 49th Ave. N. in Pinellas Tuesday night, armed with handmade signs and the passionate conviction that the California Supreme Court decision upholding the Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage was a slap in the face to gays and lesbians everywhere. With storm clouds gathering above, they stood their ground and talked to CL.

Beth Fountain, a writer and former lawyer, questioned the dense language of the decision, in which the court essentially contradicted its position from a year before.

Like Fountain, musician Lisa Noe of the band Karmic Tattoo wondered why gay marriage could be “OK one minute, then it’s not OK the next.” And Rick Boylan, president of the Pinellas chapter of Stonewall Democrats and the secretary of the state Democratic party, pointed out that, even with the setback in California, the state is still years ahead of Florida in its recognition of gay rights: “We’re still dealing with issues that are left over from Anita Bryant days.”

More interviews after the break.

Not everyone at the protest was gay; Jack Crepeau, a volunteer with Equality Florida and Stonewall and a sociology professor, had just returned from his wife’s ultrasound; they’re having their first child. Crepeau’s sign: “Only divorce hurts marriage.” And Fountain’s sign — “Am I not a citizen?” — intentionally referenced the slogan of African-American protestors during the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike in 1968: “I am a man.”

Pinellas Stonewalls endorse Simpson and Hackworth

Wayne Garcia — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:07:58 +0000

From the LGBT wing of the Democratic Party, the Pinellas Stonewalls today announced a slate of endorsements in a handful races. Most interesting is the dual endorsement in Congressional 10, for Dunedin Mayor Bob Hackworth and activist Samm Simpson. Here’s the entire list:

U.S. House District 9 ………………………………………………….. Bill Mitchell
U.S. House District 10 ……………………………….. Bob Hackworth and Samm Simpson
County Commission At Large District 3 …………………………. Darden Rice
School Board At Large District 1…………………………………… Janet Clark

Download the Pinellas Stonwall Democrats announcement here in .pdf.

The Political Whore » Stonewall Democrats

Video of Prop 8 LGBT protest in Pinellas: “Am I not a citizen?”

Pinellas Stonewalls endorse Simpson and Hackworth