Black History Month lgbts of color - Nell Carter

After the situation with Gary Glenn regarding "criminalizing the homosexual lifestyle," (I think I whipped his behind), I feel like showcasing something positive, so it's time for another Black History Month LGBT Hero:

Nell Carter:

 From the Encyclopedia of Alabama: 

Birmingham native Nell Carter (1948-2003) first came to public attention as a Broadway performer, but she achieved her most lasting fame as the star of the television series Gimme A Break! The diminutive but commanding Carter overcame a difficult and traumatic childhood to achieve a successful career as a singer and dancer in several theater productions in New York during the 1970s, including her most acclaimed show, Ain't Misbehavin'. She then reinvented herself as a television star, taking on the role of the brash housekeeper on Gimme A Break! Plagued by health problems and a turbulent private life, Carter died at the age of 54 while preparing for a new theatrical role. 

Nell Carter was born Nell Ruth Hardy in Birmingham on September 13, 1948, to Horace and Edna Mae Humphrey Hardy. She was one of nine children. Nell displayed an early love for music and began singing in her local church choir. She soon progressed to appearing on a local radio show and performed with gospel groups as well. Early misfortunes would set the tone for Hardy's later life. Her father was electrocuted after stepping on a power line when she was a child, and at age 15, she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint and bore a child, who she named Tracey, as a result of the rape.

After graduating from Birmingham's Parker High School, Hardy continued to perform locally but soon moved to New York City to pursue better opportunities. It was around this time that she changed her last name to Carter. She performed in a variety of venues, including cabarets and nightclubs in the evenings, and from 1970 to 1972 also studied at the School of Drama established by basketball player turned actor Bill Russell. Also during this time, Carter earned a small part on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. After appearing in several Broadway productions, Carter traveled to London, England, for more theatrical training.

Lgbt youth facing problems in San Diego and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Golden gays get some more - Shhhh! Don't tell Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council. Elderly lgbts aren't supposed to exist.
Oak Park Library's pioneering effort gets national nod - The library received an award for its section on the transgendered community. Congratulations!

Sex trafficking plagues San Diego's LGBT youth - Our lgbt youth faces another problem that folks like Glenn will no doubt blame us all for.

Did the Anglican Church of Uganda Endorse Criminalization With Death Penalty? - You be the judge.

AFA's Gary Glenn makes desperate attempt to justify his call to 'criminalize homosexal behavior'

Yesterday, I wrote a post about how the American Family Association of Michigan's Gary Glenn publicly said he thinks that "homosexual behavior" should be criminalized.

Naturally what I wrote totally disagreed with his premise. Glenn didn't exactly like what I wrote so he wrote me back.

What ensued is a back and forth, which I think demonstrates just how folks like Glenn will attempt to manipulate facts and figures for their own purposes.

A summary is the following: Glenn lists reasons why "homosexual behavior" should be outlawed, but his reasonings are either studies taken out of context or work which specifically places the blame on homophobia for  the health issues in gay men (of course Glenn omits the lesbian community). When this is pointed out to him, Glenn refuses to retreat but engages in what seems to be a version of  "Pickett's charge." And like the original Pickett's charge, his desperate push is destroyed. His comments are in rude and mine are in blue.

Glenn:

Hi Al,

Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm happy to directly address precisely what I mean when I said that homosexual behavior is proven to be a threat to public health and safety.

I was referring to the dramatically increased incidence of mental illness, substance abuse, eating disorders, STDs, life-threatening diseases such as AIDS, cancer, and hepatitis, and premature death by up to 20 years among individuals who engage in homosexual behavior.

My sources for the references above would be the Journal of the American Medical Association, Oxford University's International Journal of Epidemiology, the Centers for Disease Control, the Lesbian and Gay Medical Association, the (homosexual) Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition, the Canadiam Medical Association Journal, etc., etc. -- none of whose researchers, far as I know, are named Cameron.

I was also referring to "Life in the Bushes," the propensity of an apparently sizeable segment of individuals who engage in homosexual behavior to engage in multiple on-the-spot anonymous sexual encounters in city parks, highway rest stops, public rest rooms, "gay" bookstores, etc. -- a practice advertised and promoted any any number of "gay" websites.

For example, as the Royal Oak (Mi.) Daily Tribune reported March 23, 2000, regarding a police raid on one such location:

"(Hazel Park City Manager Joseph) Young also said the Oakland County Health Department had been called to check the business after suspected 'bodily fluids' had been found there. 'Essentially it revolves around conditions existing in the building that we feel make it unsafe,' said (Hazel Park Police Chief David) Niedermeier."

Or as the Detroit Free Press reported March 24, 2000:

"Investigators said gay sexual activity was common at seven of the adult bookstores raided Wednesday. The seven bookstores had so-called buddy booths, which let patrons masturbate while watching one another, said Ypsilanti Police Det. Sgt. Craig Annas. Some of the booths had portals that allowed sexual activities to take place between partners in different booths, Annas said. 'The result is that male semen gets all around these rooms,' endangering the public through possible exposure to infected bodily fluids, he said. ...But Jeff Montgomery, executive director of Detroit-based Triangle Foundation, a gay-and-lesbian-rights group, defended the bookstores and said the raids were politically motivated harassment of gays."

Or as openly lesbian Detroit News columnist Deb Price commented regarding such public health-threatening activity in her weekly homosexual advocacy column:

"The Los Angeles County Health Services found half of HIV-positive men were having sex in public places without telling their sex partners of their status and often not using condoms."

That's what I was referring to, Al, when I said homosexual behavior and the homosexual lifestyle are a "proven threat to public health and safety."

No weaseling or Camorenesque talking points required.

Me:

Actually Mr. Glenn, while you didn't refer to Cameron per se, you did use his distortive (sp) techniques. For example:

You mentioned the so-called short life span of gay men. Now if I am not incorrect, you got that citation from the Oxford University's International Journal of Epidemiology. And you are referring to a 1997 study done by Canadian researchers. What you omitted was the fact that in 2001, those same researchers went on record complaining about how their work was being distorted by people like yourself .

Now in your other examples, you mentioned incidents having to do with such things as substance abuse, eating disorders, STDs, and mental illness. HOWEVER, you make a inaccurate implication that these things are indicative of the lgbt orientation.