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Dear Friend,
Every day, there are important developments that impact the Black LGBT community. As part of our mission, the NBJC E-Digest is designed to be a "one-stop shop" to keep you alerted to the issues, people and events that you need to know about. It is our hope that this resource becomes a valuable part of raising awareness, empowering change and fostering an environment that is free from bigotry and hatred against our community. This first issue is a month-in-review. Going forward, we will offer Weekly E-Digests. Take a look at our articles, click the links and share the NBJC E-Digest with friends and family. There is power in knowledge and numbers, and we invite you to Take Action with NBJC!
NBJC Executive Director Featured at City Club of Cleveland (AUDIO)
 Lettman-Hicks recently spoke at the City Club of Cleveland about the need to value all Black children, especially our LGBT babies. Established to encourage new ideas and a free exchange of thought, The City Club is the oldest continuous free speech forum in the country, renowned for its tradition of debate and discussion.
GET THE PODCAST HERE
NBJC on MSNBC for One Nation Working Together Rally (VIDEO)
 Lettman-Hicks promotes NBJC’s Get out The Vote message during the One Nation Working Together (ONWT) Rally. The National Black Justice Coalition, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Stonewall Democrats and Pride At Work co-convened the "LGBTQ Table" for ONWT, a new progressive movement demanding secure jobs, justice and quality education. LGBTQ groups joined with thousands of progressive allies in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 2 for the rally.
SEE THE VIDEO HERE
Executive Director celebrates one year at NBJC
 “It has been one year since I started in my role as NBJC’s Executive Director, and as I reflect back, there is one thing I need to say most: Thank you! You have given me the chance to embrace the challenges of a vibrant, vital movement, and I feel truly blessed for the love and support that you’ve shown me and NBJC as we re-image 2010 and beyond. “ – From Sharon Lettman-Hicks’ Anniversary Message
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Sharon Lettman-Hicks Featured on WPFW's Inside OUT (AUDIO)
In case you missed Sharon Lettman-Hicks on WPFW 89.3FM's Inside Out with Sheila Alexander Reid, you can hear the archived interview by scrolling down to "Inside Out 10-11-10 Comp" and clicking "Play."
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Eddie Long scandal blows hinges off church's closet doors
 “As a result of the allegations made against Bishop Eddie Long, guilty or innocent, this is an opportunity for the black church to deconstruct the hypocrisy of clergy and persons in religious authority who preach homophobia and lead secret lives,” said Sharon Lettman-Hicks.
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Make Election 2010 Count For LGBT African Americans!
 In this crucial election, the stakes are particularly high for LGBT voters. Minnesota, New Hampshire, California and New York have become battlegrounds for marriage equality. Rhode Island and California candidates are seeking to become the fourth and fifth openly gay members of Congress. There are 435 U.S. House of Representatives seats, 37 U.S. Senate seats, and 37 gubernatorial seats hanging in the balance.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION!
Take The It Gets Better Project Pledge
ItGetsBetterProject.com is a place where young people who are gay, lesbian, bi, or trans can see with their own eyes how love and happiness can be a reality in their future. It’s a place where LGBT adults can share the stories of their lives, and straight allies can add their names in solidarity and help spread our message of hope.
Take the Pledge: We are the kids who have been bullied for being gay, lesbian, bi or trans. We pledge to stay open and strong. We are also the friends, family members, teachers, mentors, and allies of anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t fit in, gay or straight. We pledge to talk to the kids in our lives to put an end to the hate, violence, and tragedy — and to offer advice on coping, strategies to make it better, and to remind kids that It Gets Better.
UPDATE:
President Obama Joins the Project!
As part of the It Gets Better Project, President Obama shares his message of hope and support for LGBT youth who are struggling with being bullied.
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRESIDENT'S VIDEO
Post comments of support at Essence.com
 Essence magazine is featuring the wedding of lesbian couple Aisha C. Moodie-Mills and Danielle Moodie-Mills. Please celebrate their love by posting your supportive comments and reporting any instances of defamation.
Bridal Bliss: Love at First Sight
When Aisha's dear friend Rashad accepted a job in NYC, he invited her and another close friend over to help him pack and reflect on his life in Washington D.C. But when Danielle walked through the door, Aisha put down the cardboard boxes and the packing tape and focused on the vision of love in front of her. It was love at first sight.
READ MORE
Second Gay Teen This Month Takes His Life
Terrel Williams, a 17-year-old native of Beverly Hills, CA, took his life on October 13, just hours after being attacked by five other high school students, and pushed and thrown into a brick wall at Clover Park High School in Lakewood, WA
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Howard Group Discusses Being Gay and Greek
 NBJC’s work with HBCU’s is mentioned along with student testimonies about being gay and greek on Howard’s campus.
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What Would You Do If Your Son Wanted To Be A Princess?
What would you do if your 5-year-old son decided he wanted to dress up like a girl or your 5-year-old daughter wanted to be a tomboy? It's an issue that some parents may be grappling with as Halloween approaches. The Internet is still abuzz about how Dean and Cheryl Kilodavis responded when their youngest son began displaying an affinity for girls clothing.
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'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Hurts African American Women the Most – TheRoot.com
Black women and other people of color have been disproportionately affected by the policy — and as one woman's story illustrates, just the threat of discovery can take a terrible toll.
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New Tea Party Report From The NAACP
Tea Party Nationalism is a new report by Devin Burghart, Leonard Zeskind and the Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights that exposes the connection between numerous Tea Party leaders and racism.
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LGBT Teen Suicide
 It just won’t stop. Blogger Rod 2.0 points out today that 19-year-old former Howard University student Aiyisha Hassan committed suicide late last week. She appears to be the seventh LGBT teen to make the headlines for committing suicide in the past five weeks.
READ MORE
Mean Girls of Morehouse – Vibe.com
 Within the openly gay community at Atlanta’s Morehouse College, there’s a subgroup: gender benders who rock make-up, Marc Jacobs tote bags, sky-high heels and Beyonce-style hair weaves. Can a man of Morehouse be gay? Absolutely. But can he be a woman? Meet the plastics.
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Lt. Dan Choi, Openly Gay And Excited To Rejoin Military In Face Of Possible DADT Repeal (VIDEO)
Since last week's court decision, in which a federal judge ordered the military to immediately stop enforcing Don't Ask Don't Tell, the Pentagon announced yesterday that recruiters must open their doors to openly gay and lesbian applicants.
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UPDATE:
Court Keeps Military Gay Policy for Now
In response to an emergency request from the government, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, issued a one-page order late in the day allowing the Pentagon to continue enforcing the "don’t ask, don’t tell" law, which bars openly gay, lesbian and bisexual service members.
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Pastor arrested on sexual abuse charges
 Yet another pastor in the rabidly anti-gay Church of God in Christ—the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States and the second largest African-American denomination—is accused of sexual misconduct against teenage boys. A Las Vegas pastor was arrested on 11 sexual abuse charges … five years after a similar case against him was dropped, reports the Las Vegas Sun.
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UPDATE: Church Pastor Pleads Not Guilty to Sexual Abuse of Teens
A pastor of a Las Vegas church on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of sexual abuse. Billy Eckstine McCurdy, 58, was arrested by North Las Vegas police following an eight-month investigation into allegations that he sexually assaulted teen boys at his home.
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Ninth arrest in Bronx beatings
Ruddy Vargas-Perez was arrested Monday by members of the Bronx violent felony squad at a relative's house after his attorney had told authorities he would be surrendering to police on Tuesday. The 22-year-old had failed previously to show up as promised.
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Justice Department to appeal DOMA ruling
 "The Justice Department is defending the statute, as it traditionally does when acts of Congress are challenged," said Department of Justice spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler. "As a policy matter, the president has made clear that he believes DOMA is discriminatory and should be repealed. The Department of Justice has a longstanding practice of defending federal statutes when they are challenged in court, including by appealing adverse decisions of lower courts."
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Gay sex vs. Straight sex
 Gay issues have been in the news a lot lately, from the debate over same-sex marriage in Congress to a sickening rash of gay-bashing here in New York City. We see a lot of emotion out there, instead of information, and we wanted to provide some data-based context on sexuality so that people might make better choices about what they say, think, and do. We run a massive dating site and therefore have unparalleled insight into sex and relationships. Here's what we've found, in numbers and charts.
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