Join GLN at Tomorrow's

Huge Immigrant Rights March

 

The Gay Liberation Network is inviting all LGBT supporters of immigrant rights to join us at tomorrow's huge immigrant rights march. Aside from directly expressing solidarity with others in our society, LGBT people have specific reasons for wanting genuine immigration reforms:

 

1) We need the right to asylum for sexual minorities needing to flee repressive countries, and

 

2) Lesbians and gays in relationships where one person is a foreign national need the right to be naturalized so that couples aren't broken up or forced to emigrant in order to stay together.

 

So if you're not working tomorrow, join us at 11:30 AM in Union Park!  Look for the large purple banner, topped by Pride flags, which reads "Lesbians & Gays SUPPORT Immigrant Rights!"  Union Park is located on the southeastern corner of Ashland Avenue and Lake Street (take the Green or Pink line "el" train to the Ashland stop -- it will let you off right by the park).

 

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GLN to Host Nigerian Gay Leader

As Part of National Tour

 

Nigerian gay leader Davis Mac-Iyalla, an activist who has been organizing against church and governmental anti-gay repression in his country, will speak at a GLN-organized Pride month forum in Chicago.  The event will be at 7 PM, Friday, June 8th at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 621 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago.

 

Mac-Iyalla is currently living in Lome, Togo following death threats that forced him to leave his native Nigeria.  He is an outspoken supporter of gays and lesbians in the Anglican church of Nigeria, and is the founder of Changing Attitude Nigeria, an LGBT advocacy organization within the church (for info go to http://www.changingattitude.org.uk/home/home.asp).

 

Besides the GLN forum, Mac-Iyalla will also be speaking at a meeting of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, the US affiliate of the global Anglican Communion.  The bishops of the Episcopal Church recently voted to reject a compromise with anti-gay Anglicans led by the Nigerian archbishop, Peter Akinola, that would have ended consecrating openly gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions in the US church. 

 

Bishop Akinola also has been one of the foremost proponents of a draconian anti-gay bill which would prohibit not only same-sex marriage, but all gay gatherings, public displays of same sex affection, and advocacy of homosexuality, targeting heterosexual and gay Nigerians alike.  Following much international criticism, for the time being the Nigerian government has decided not to push the new law, but celebrations may be premature.  Christian and Muslim leaders have vied with each other to see who is the more anti-gay, and the bill could easily be resurrected in another session of Nigeria's legislature.

 

In addition to his June 8^th GLN forum, Davis Mac-Iyalla will appear on GLN's Chicago Access Network TV show at 6:30 PM on Friday, June 1 (cable channel 21 in Chicago), and besides several other media appearances to be announced.

 

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Protest Against

General Peter Pace

Marches Forward

 

More than two dozen LGBT and anti-war organizations organizations have joined together to support a student- and GLN-initiated protest against General Peter Pace set for 11 AM, Friday, May 18^th in front the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 E. Wacker Drive (about 1 block east of Michigan Avenue).  

 

Besides overseeing the Iraq war in his role as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pace is the infamous homophobe who said lesbians and gays are "immoral," compared us to adulterers, and used his "Christian" beliefs to justify employment discrimination against us in the U.S. military.  While perhaps not quite the Imus of the American military in his belligerence against gays, it takes some chutzpah to oversee a war which has killed hundreds of thousands, wreaked havoc on a whole country, and then turn around and call others "immoral"!

 

The University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business has invited Pace to speak to its students and guests at the Hyatt in spite of the University's claim to support "inclusion."  If the University were truly interested in inclusion, why not invite Pace to debate the military's discriminatory policy with a pro-gay speaker?  Because the University's talk of "inclusion" is just PR chatter.

 

University of Chicago students, including their organization Queers & Associates (http://qa.uchicago.edu/), have launched a petition drive to uninvite Pace to the U. of C.  Please take a moment to sign it at http://unaskpace.googlepages.com  According to an April 24^th Crain's Chicago Business article, "Comments by the nation's top military officer calling homosexual acts 'immoral' have ignited a firestorm at the University of Chicago where the Marine general is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at a management conference next month."

 

The irony of the leader of one of the most poorly run military operations in U.S. history advising business students on how to better run their enterprises is not lost on protest organizers.  What's next?  The Enron-endowed Chair of Business Ethics?

 

Besides the University of Chicago, Harris Bank is the fiscal sponsor of the management conference.  They apparently are already beginning to feel the heat, and have released a statement reading that "We do not support Gen. Pace's viewpoints.... We do not tolerate any form of discrimination against or from any group or individual."  Please take a moment to contact them and let them know how you feel about their sponsoring someone of Pace's low moral calibre.  Their general phone number is 1-888-340-2265 (Monday through Friday, 7 AM to 10 PM, and Saturdays, 8 AM to 5 PM) or drop them an email at onlineservices@harrisbank.com.  Their PR department can be contacted at (312) 461-6055.   Letters can be written to William Downe, President and Chief Executive Officer, BMO Financial Group, Harris Bank, 111 W. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603

 

To get downloadable pdf posters, handbills and pluggers to help promote the protest, go to the following URL: 

http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/77322/index.php

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Friendly Reminder!

 

GLN's next regular monthly meeting will be THIS Wednesday, May 2nd, 7-9 PM at Gerber Hart Library, 1127 W. Granville.  New members welcome!

 

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GLN Calendar

Tuesday, May 1 -- Huge immigrant rights march and rally.  All are welcome to join GLN's "Lesbians and Gays Support Immigrant Rights" contingent meeting at 11:30 AM at Chicago's Union Park (just south of the corner of Lake Street & Ashland Avenue).  Just look for our huge purple banner with the same message topped by two Pride flags.

 

Wednesday, May 2 - Monthly Gay Liberation Network general meeting. 7 PM at the Gerber Hart Library, 1127 W. Granville (just west of the "Granville" Red Line el station). We meet the first Wednesday of each month.

 

Friday, May 4 - Gay Liberation Network live call-in show on CAN TV, 6:30-6:55 PM on Cable Channel 21 in Chicago.  Tonight's show will preview the May 18^th protest against General Peter Pace.

 

Wednesday, May 9 -- Next meeting of GLN reading/discussion group -- non-members welcome!  The topic of this month's discussion group will be the lesbian and gay rights movement in early 20^th Century Europe.  We will meet at 7 PM at Chicago's LGBT library, Gerber Hart, at 1127 W. Granville.  To get access to the suggested readings, send an email with your contact info to LGBTliberation@aol.com.

Friday, May 18 -- Protest against homophobe General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  11 AM at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 151 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago (see details in notice above).

 

Friday, May 25 - Gay Liberation Network live call-in show on CAN TV, 6:30-6:55 PM on Cable Channel 21 in Chicago (extra show slotted in). 

 

Friday, June 1 - Gay Liberation Network live call-in show on CAN TV, 6:30-6:55 PM on Cable Channel 21 in Chicago.  Tonight we will feature Nigerian gay leader Davis Mac-Iyalla (see details in notice above).

 

Wednesday, June 6 - Monthly Gay Liberation Network general meeting. 7 PM at the Gerber Hart Library, 1127 W. Granville (just west of the "Granville" Red Line el station). We meet the first Wednesday of each month.

 

Friday, June 8 -- Special Pride Month forum featuring Nigerian gay leader Davis Mac-Iyalla.  7 PM at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 621 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago (see details in notice above).

 

Sunday, June 24 -- March with the Gay Liberation Network in this year's Pride Parade.  Meet us at 11 AM at the northeast corner of Halsted & Diversey.  For more info call 773.209.1187

 

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"Formed in response to three September '98 anti-gay bashings in the "Boy's Town" neighborhood...[we] respond to all serious hate crimes, no matter which scapegoated group is targeted. We will actively seek out and work with individuals and organizations in other communities to assist them in responding to hate crimes that target them. Only by the active involvement of grass roots people from all communities can we isolate the bigots and thus lessen hate crimes."                
-- from the GLN/CABN founding statement
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Gay Liberation Network
a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Direct Action Group
(formerly known as the Chicago Anti-Bashing Network)

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