December 3, 2010

NBJC News

December 3, 2010

NBJC E-Digest

Have something to share? Email info@nbjc.org to submit ideas for the NBJC E-Digest.

Take Action!

Tell the Senate to repeal 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' now

NBJC Media Hits

POV: Pope on Condoms Half Right Church, Still Wrong Pew

Highlights of the Week

Rosa Parks' legacy endures decades later

Civil Union Bill Passes in Illinois Senate

World AIDS Day Doesn't End at Midnight

World AIDS Day 2010 Proclamation from Obama

Black AIDS Institute on World AIDS Day 2010

Heroes in the Struggle

Black, Gay and Twentysomething: HIV and Me

Gay Choir Directors 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in Black Church

The Demise of Don't Ask Don't Tell

Sound Off: In Defense of our Sisters in the Military

Group of Bed-Stuy men, escorts pedestrians in wake of robberies

Resources

World AIDS Day 2010: 7 Books You'll Want To Read

The Global HIV/AIDS Timeline

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Mission Statement

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. NBJC's mission is to eradicate racism and homophobia

Dear Friend,

Greetings and Happy Holiday Season.

In this week's E-Digest, we honor the 55th anniversary of Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of the bus, we issue an action alert to contact your U.S. Senators about supporting the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and we mark the 22nd anniversary of World AIDS Day.

Contact your U.S. Senators to express support for the Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

edigest-nov12-DADT2 Right now, critical discussions are underway among Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, Ranking Member Sen. John McCain and other senators about voting on the defense budget during the Senate's lame-duck session that would include language on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". Please contact your senator to express support for the repeal.

POV: Pope on Condoms Half Right Church, Still Wrong Pew – cherrygrrl.com

oct29-edigest-Michelle-Brown From NBJC Board Member Michelle E. Brown: My Catholic upbringing said sex was for making babies, contraception was a no-no, condoms fell somewhere on the sin chart, and homosexuality is an abomination. The adult me, actually the teenage me, rejected all this a long time ago. Sex isn't just about having babies. It feels good. We are sexual beings and we are going to have sex. So out comes this report that Pope Benedict, in his new book, said that the use of condoms can be justified in some cases, such as for male prostitutes seeking to prevent the spread of AIDS.

Rosa Parks' legacy endures decades later – CNN

[object Object] Wednesday marked the 55th anniversary of the civil disobedience on December 1, 1955. Rosa Parks did not intend to get arrested as she made her way home from work that day. Little did the 42-year-old seamstress know that her acts would help end segregation laws in the South.

Civil Union Bill Passes in Illinois Senate

ms logo The Illinois Senate passed the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act. The bill allows same-sex couples to enter into civil unions and attain some of the same benefits enjoyed by married couples, such as the right to visit a partner in the hospital and the right to make decisions about the partner's medical care.

World AIDS Day Doesn't End at Midnight – TheBody.com

World AIDS day graphic Over the years, World AIDS Day has become a global phenomenon that has prompted massive media coverage, raised awareness, encouraged people to get involved and amplified the voices of those living with HIV/AIDS. But how we can get people to care about HIV/AIDS after Dec. 1?

World AIDS Day 2010 Proclamation from Obama

Today is World AIDS day. And while we appreciate that the world stops to reflect and recommit itself to the fight against HIV every December 1st, every day is World AIDS Day at the Black AIDS Institute because ending AIDS requires work each and every day.

Black AIDS Institute on World AIDS Day 2010

One way to feel better is to try to stay in touch with friends and partners, even if you aren't physically with them. Get on the phone, go online, even write an old fashioned letter, if it helps you find some comfort during a tough time. You should also know where you can get outside support if you are feeling bad. For example, the Trevor Project a GLBT teen suicide hotline, is there to help teens 24/7.

Heroes in the Struggle – VIDEO – NoMoreDownLowTV

NBA Legend Magic Johnson, For Colored Girls star Omari Hardwick, Undercovers Boris Kodjoe, Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams, Loretta Devine and more featured in NoMoreDownLow.TV coverage of "Heroes in the Struggle" on World AIDS Day 2010.

Black, Gay and Twentysomething: HIV and Me – AfterElton.com

I am an HIV negative man. There, I said it. I’m neither proud nor ashamed of the status itself, but I’m proud that I know my status as yet another World AIDS Day has come and gone. Whether I would be bold enough to reveal the status if it were the other way around, I don’t know. But if I’ve learned anything from the past few days, it’s that combating HIV/AIDS stigma starts with talking a bit more honestly and openly about it.

Gay choir directors 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in Black Church

At one time, the black church was the home of unity, love, and acceptance. It was the black church that served as the home of the civil rights movement. It was the black church that helped strengthen the black community. But then the obsession with sexuality made its way into the church — thanks to the influence of some conservative capital. Who a person slept with and how they lived became a cause of critique — that is, except when it came to the choir director or minister of music, in many cases.

The Demise of Don't Ask Don't Tell – Washington Post

After nearly a year of review, the Pentagon is set to release its report on ending the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military. It was not easy getting here. President Obama and his administration worked at its own deliberate pace to lay the groundwork that saw a Defense Department that recoiled in horror at a similar effort in 1993 openly embrace the change 17 years later.

Sound Off: In Defense of our Sisters in the Military – Essence.com

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" poses an imminent threat to gay and straight black women. So, where is the outrage? Black women have taken up arms alongside their male counterparts for decades, dedicating their lives to defending our freedoms even at the expense of their own. Today, however, our sisters in the military are under attack, not just from ominous enemies abroad but by discriminatory practices at home that put them in harm's way and lead to career-ending discharges.

Group of Bed-Stuy men, We Make Us Better, escorts pedestrians in wake of robberies NY Daily News

They're not part of a political club, they don't come from any one church and they've never been particularly active in the community – until now. After a spate of recent muggings and robberies, a group of 20 Bedford-Stuyvesant men started escorting people home as they got off the train and are walking through the neighborhood reaching out to young men.

World AIDS Day 2010: 7 Books You'll Want To Read (PHOTOS) Huffington Post

In honor of the effort to raise awareness, the Huffington Post has gathered a list of the best books about HIV/AIDS. Here are 7 books about the history and impact of the disease on the world.

The Global HIV/AIDS Timeline Kaiser Family Foundation

The Global HIV/AIDS Timeline is intended to serve as an ongoing reference tool for the may political, cultural, scientific and community developments that have occurred over the history of the epidemic.