By Peter Tatchell

Some homophobic discrimination will remain

London – While the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill is a welcome advance towards equal marriage, it is not full equality. The legislation has a number of shortcomings that sustain discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples.

Instead of bringing same-sex couples fully within the ambit of existing marriage law, the bill leaves some aspects of marriage law different for gay and straight married couples. Although these are relatively minor, they violate the fundamental principle of marriage equality for all.

The 1949 Marriage Act is the UK’s main marriage law. It does not stipulate that marriage partners have to be male and female. This requirement is only three decades old. Prior to the early 1970s, there was no ban on same-sex marriage. It was de facto legal. The prohibition was introduced in response to the emergence of the gay liberation movement and the fear that a lack of legal impediment would allow transgender and same-sex couples to marry.

Marriage between two people of the same gender is outlawed under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. The repeal of this legislation would make same-sex marriage legal again under the 1949 Act.

Unfortunately, the government bill includes various different rules for LGBT marriages. For married heterosexuals, non-consummation and adultery with an opposite-sex partner are grounds for annulment or divorce according to the 1949 Act. Under the current bill, however, non-consummation does not invalidate a same-sex marriage and adultery with a person of the same gender is not grounds for divorce. While this may be a progressive reform of marriage legislation, it makes the law unequal. If we want marriage equality, that’s what the bill should give.

With regard to pension schemes and inheritance on the death of a spouse, the bill does not grant LGBT married couples the same entitlements as married heterosexuals. It allows companies to limit same-sex spousal pension payouts to post-2005 contributions only, even if the deceased partner had been paying into their pension since 1970. This perpetuates the pension inequalities enshrined in civil partnership law, which some of us have long campaigned against.

For me, the campaign for same-sex marriage has always been premised on the principle of equality, rather than support for marriage per se. I’m no great fan of wedlock. I share the feminist critique and would not want to get married.

Indeed, I’ve proposed a radical alternative to marriage – a civil commitment pact – where a person can nominate as next-of-kin and beneficiary any ‘significant other’ in their life and where a couple can select from a menu of rights and responsibilities to create a partnership agreement tailor-made to suit their own particular needs. Given the huge variety of modern relationships and lifestyles, this flexible system of relationship recognition is much more appropriate than the one-size-fits-all model of marriage and civil partnerships. See here.

Despite my preference for this alternative, for 21 years I’ve also championed the right of LGBT couples to marry.

Together with my colleagues in the queer rights group OutRage!, in 1992 I organised five same-sex couples to file applications for civil marriage at Westminster register office. There was a comical moment when the horrified registrar realised the 1949 Act does not prohibit same-sex marriage. We had a mischievous giggle while she made a panicked phone call to the Home Office. The registrar was eventually informed, to her relief, that the prohibition is covered by the 1973 Act.

The current push for marriage equality was begun by the Equal Love campaign. In February 2011, it sponsored four gay couples and four straight couples to file a joint application to the European Court of Human Rights. Drafted by Professor Robert Wintemute of Kings College London, it seeks to overturn the twin bans on same-sex civil marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships. Three months after this case was launched, David Cameron agreed to support a review of the ban on LGBT marriage, which resulted in the current bill.

Regrettably, although David Cameron supports marriage equality, he opposes the legalisation of heterosexual civil partnerships. His Conservative backbench critics are the exact opposite: they support equal civil partnerships but oppose the right of LGBT people to marry. Both are inconsistent.

Banning same-sex marriage is homophobic discrimination and such discrimination is wrong. I resent being told that I’m not allowed to marry because I am gay. I want to be able to choose – and refuse. In a democracy, everyone should be equal before the law. This includes the right of same-sex couples to marry and be just as happy – or miserable – as married heterosexuals,” said Mr Tatchell.

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Peter Tatchell
Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation
Email: Peter@PeterTatchellFoundation.org
Web: www.PeterTatchellFoundation.org

By Michelle E. Brown

Even though some cities hold their PRIDE celebrations as early as April, Philadelphia’s Black Pride was held in April; June will always be the official kick-off month for PRIDE celebrations in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community.

This year we certainly have had a lot to celebrate. On the heels of a national election where LGBT rights were included as part of the larger issues facing all Americans by not just a national standard bearer but the President of the United States, it appeared as if our day had finally arrived.

Marriage equality had its day in court and as we await a ruling from the Supreme Court the number of states recognizing same sex marriage has grown to 12. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) might still be on the books but it’s on the ropes headed for a TKO if not by the courts then by individual states taking a stand for the rights of same gender loving couples and their families.

We’ve seen an east coast sweep of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware, and Maryland; in-roads to equality in the heartland states of Iowa and Minnesota; and the great state of Washington representing the west coast, as well as in the District of Columbia with Illinois waiting in the wings to welcome same gender loving couples.

Attitudes are changing. High profile personalities who are out like George Takei, Ellen Degeneres, Wade Davis, Anderson Cooper, Jim Parsons, Jim Nabors, and others to name a few and the recent coming out of Robbie Rogers, Brittney Griner, and Jason Collins have moved the dialogue forward immeasurably.

We looked like YOU. We were just like your sons and your daughters. We’d been your heroes on television, in the movies, on the grid iron, on the soccer field and on the basketball courts. And there was Oprah sitting on the couch with Jason Collins and his entire family saying it’s all right. A national aha moment “They’re here. They’re queer. So y’all just need to get over it.” (OK, Oprah didn’t say that but I bet she was thinking it.)

This June we really have something to celebrate as we have our PRIDE marches, picnics and various festivities but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

We, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans are still under attack, at risk and that we must never forget.

Last year thirteen Transgender Americans were murdered and the violence continues with even more deaths including the murders of Kayla Moore and Cemia “CiCi” Dove.

In February, Marco McMillian, a black mayoral candidate, who was also gay, was found on the Mississippi River levee murdered.

And as we prepare to kick-off a month of PRIDE, New York City has been rocked by a series of homophobic attacks including the murder of Marc Carson, a gay man.

Even though we have made advances on the marriage equality front, the greatest percentage of LGBT families lives in areas of the country with the least protections for their families. In a majority of states individuals can still be fired and/or denied housing for being LGBT or perceived to be gay and the fate of the reintroduced Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) remains uncertain.

Studies show that more and more Americans have evolved on LGBT marriage and equality (some demographic models indicating that if put up for a vote, same-sex marriage would become legal in all but six states by 2020) but it will take more than warm fuzzy feelings about us walking down the aisle and celebrity outings to stop the violence, stop the discrimination, stop the ignorance and put an end to homo and transphobia.

This year, as we begin celebrating our pride across the country, I am filled with not just the audacity of hope but the audacity to believe change is finally going to come. I can feel it. It’s in the air, in our conversations. It’s within our grasp.

But if we want it we have to embrace the good and the bad, the celebration and the outrage, the parties and the politics.

This June, this season of PRIDE, let’s be intentional. Let’s celebrate PRIDE with a purpose. A pride that goes beyond June’s 30 days. A pride, so compelling, so righteous, so just, so contagious, that our equality will no longer be denied.

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Michelle E. Brown is a public speaker, activist and author.

Read Michelle’s blog at http://mychangeiam.com/.

Follow Michelle at @MyChangeIAm

The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), in what is being widely seen as a compromise, voted yesterday to admit openly gay Scouts to its ranks, but kept in place a ban on gay Scout leaders.

By Nathan James

Roughly 61% of the 1,400 Council members voted to change the group’s longstanding, and highly controversial, prohibition on gays of any age from participating in Scouting. The ban on gays caused public schools and other government agencies to withdraw their support of Scouting because their policy was considered discriminatory.

The BSA will begin admitting gay youth on January 1, but opposition from some church and conservative groups is still strident and bitter. “Homosexual behavior,” said Southern Baptist Convention president Frank Page, “is incompatible with the principles enshrined in the Scout oath and Scout law. We are deeply saddened.”

BSA CEO Wayne Brock, however, countered, “while people have differing opinions on our policy, kids are better off when they’re in Scouting.” The policy shift comes at a turbulent time for the LGBT community. While three more states have legalized gay marriage in the past few weeks, and NBA star Jason Collins publicly came out of the closet last month, as the first major-league athlete to do so, there has been backlash.

A wave of gay-bashings and killings in New York City has continued unabated, and expressions of homophobia by public figures are still a recurring problem. Even as President Obama states his unequivocal support for the LGBT community, the Supreme Court grapples with the constitutionality of bans on same-sex marriage at the state and federal levels.

The BSA, which reached its 100th anniversary in 2010, has always refused membership to gays and atheists, citing the “morally straight” requirement embodied in the Scout Oath. But increasing public scrutiny of the organization’s practices and calls for change from LGBT-rights groups such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), caused the Executive Committee to revisit the issue.

The Scouts say their “traditional youth membership”–Cub and Boy Scouts–is now approximately 2.6 million, comprising about 100,000 Scouting units, administered by 1 million adult volunteers. A 2000 Supreme Court decision upheld the BSA’s right to exclude gays from its rolls.

Opponents of the policy change warned that admitting gays to Scouting could lead to “mass defections” of sponsors and donors.

After the initial shock and excitement dies down a million and one thoughts start to run through your mind. ‘

Do we want a spring or fall wedding?

Where will it be? Will all of my family travel?

Who are my bridesmaids?

What colors do I want to work with?

What style of dress do I want my bridesmaids in?

Dress? My dress …what kind of dress do I want to wear?’


By Charity Lynette
Curvy Chick Fitness

The moment you think of your dress whether you know the style you want or never have thought about it you immediately picture yourself in a dress. Then one of 2 things happen. One, you immediately get excited at the thought of being able to wear your dream dress that you have had picked out since you were 17, or two, your hands gravitate to your mid-section and grimace at the thought of squeezing into a wedding dress. Whether this is your thought process or not, most brides to be make the declaration to be somewhat smaller than what they currently are. My goal is to outline a few things that can help make this process a little less intimidating.

Start off by making your fitness plan a priority with all of your other wedding plans. If it not a part of your routine, you need to find a realistic time slot where it can go. You want to give yourself about 5 to 6 months before the wedding day to have healthy results. Remember, you’re not looking for a quick fix for a fitness plan you want to make sure that this is carried over into a lifestyle, vs. a crash diet just to fit in a dress. Incorporate this fitness plan in your budget.

If working out and nutrition are not your area of expertise, then you are going to have to hire someone or pay for a class of some sort that is going to give you knowledge in this area. Treat this as an investment for your well being. Some people are paying $1500 for a photographer but think that $500 is too much for personal sessions. We spend so much money on material items such as cars, phones, the best designer clothes but then we want to be cheap when it comes to healthier food and gym memberships.

Workout classes are a great way to get you started plus it allows you to get together with girlfriends and the bridal party to discuss a few plans and a great stress reliever at such a hectic time. Also with your fiance! That can be great couple time. You could even purchase a group package from a personal trainer that you and the girls could go in on together if being in front of strangers is too intimidating. Getting together for group walks/jogs is another option.

What ever route that you decide to go make sure you start two to three days a week. Get with the group once a week then the other two days do something different so that you don’t get bored with your routine. The moment you get bored switch it up. Eventually your going to want to incorporate strength training because that is going to burn fat faster. Experiment with different workouts do not do the same thing every time you work out. That will only maintain your weight, instead of helping you lose and tone.

Now that we have the workout component, naturally we have to talk about nutrition. The two go hand in hand. One with out the other can make the process longer than what it needs to be. Plus neither one has to be too strict if you find a good balance between the two. Here are some helpful nutrition tips that you want to start using along with your new fitness plan.

-Drink plenty of water everyday this will help with skin care and digestion
-Always eat breakfast even if it only a half an apple you have to get your metabolism jump started
-Snacks are your friend. Do not be afraid to snack just snack on good foods
*fruits & veggies, hummus, low-fat yogurt, nuts, protein drinks, natural peanut, almond, or soybutter
-lean meats like fish and chicken are easier to digest
-At dinner stick to a meat and a veggie. No pasta & bread at dinner time
-One cheat day a week!
-Stick to foods that grow from the ground that you have to cook. Processed and frozen foods only slow the process down
-Eggs work for any time of the day and a great source or protein
-Use the Internet! There are so many websites with healthier recipes on making your favorite foods

Planning a wedding, and preparing yourself to blend families and households with another person can be extremely stressful and emotional experience. Which can take a toll on your overall health you want to give your body the best foods as possible and exercise the body. Treat the inside of your body as well as you cover the outside. Don’t take the cheap route for your health. Even though you may be starting this journey because of the wedding, doesn’t mean it ends the day of the wedding. That’s why you want to start 5 to 6 months out so that it becomes a pattern and a habit to eat well and exercise. You only get one body and what you do with it is your choice. Choose a healthy lifestyle and blend that lifestyle with the groom to be, so that if children come into the picture you are passing down such a great message. Remember if you live in the New York City area feel free to contact Curvy Chick Fitness, so we can tailor a fitness package for you or your whole bridal party.

Twitter @curvychickfit @charitylynette
Facebook: Curvychickfitness
Model: Charity Lynette
Photo Credit: Kendra Martin
MUA: Brittany-Lee

By Nathan James
Photography by Ocean Morisset

Dan Contarino

Dan Contarino, the openly gay former promoter of Shaft Fridays at the popular Shampoo nightclub, was set upon late last night at the corner of Avenue D and East 4th Street, sustaining head injuries as he was kicked and beaten by an assailant yelling :faggot” as Contarino lay on the ground.

The unidentified attacker got away, even as “witnesses rushed to his aid,” said Josh Middleton, Contarino’s colleague. The NYPD has begin an investigation into the assault, even as the city announced a heightened police presence in the Village from now through the end of Pride Week next month.

This latest incident is the sixth gay-bashing in Manhattan over the past two weeks. After a gay couple walking arm-in-arm was pummeled by a group of up to eight attackers outside Madison Square Garden on the afternoon of May 5, attacks on gay men and couples have occurred in Midtown, Union Square, and in the Village, where a maniacal gunman pursued and shot Carson at the corner of West 8th Street and Sixth Avenue, taunting his victim with threats and anti-gay rants before firing his pistol at point-blank range into Carson’s head.

The murder sparked outrage among the city’s LGBT community, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn organized last night’s protests in reply. As thousands gathered at the NYC LGBT Community Center to join advocacy groups, elected officials and LGBT leaders, the seeds of another hateful attack were already being sown across town.

“They’re attacking us because we’re winning,” said Tym Moss, speaking onstage at the site of Carson’s murder. “They can’t stand it.” Echoing those sentiments was Harlem Pride CEO Carmen Neely, who made an impassioned, encouraging speech on the perseverance of the LGBT community.

Quinn, who is running for mayor as a Democrat, and in whose district two of the attacks–including Carson’s shooting–occurred in her district, and other political figures called upon city officials for more action to protect the LGBT community. “There was a time when gays and lesbians feared walking our streets holding hands,” Quinn observed. “We will not go back to that time.”

Contarino, who was treated at Beth Israel Hospital for his injuries, is said to be “badly shaken” by the ordeal. As many as twelve suspects from the rash of attacks are still at large, NYPD detectives say, and they urge anyone with information on any of them to call the city’s Crime Stoppers hotline at (1-800) 577-TIPS.

President Obama, on Sunday, delivered a rare, very personal commencement address at Morehouse College, the historically black, all-male insitution that is the alma mater of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Analysis by NPR

It was a short speech, but Obama did not shy away from the subjects of race and responsibility. We’ve embedded video of the address above, but here are two excerpts you should read. They are taken from his prepared remarks:

On Personal Responsibility:

“We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices. Growing up, I made a few myself. And I have to confess, sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down. But one of the things you’ve learned over the last four years is that there’s no longer any room for excuses. I understand that there’s a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: ‘excuses are tools of the incompetent, used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness.’ We’ve got no time for excuses – not because the bitter legacies of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they haven’t. Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; that’s still out there. It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with a billion young people from China and India and Brazil entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything you haven’t earned. And whatever hardships you may experience because of your race, they pale in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured – and overcame.

“You now hail from a lineage and legacy of immeasurably strong men – men who bore tremendous burdens and still laid the stones for the path on which we now walk. You wear the mantle of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, Ralph Bunche and Langston Hughes, George Washington Carver and Ralph Abernathy, Thurgood Marshall and yes, Dr. King. These men were many things to many people. They knew full well the role that racism played in their lives. But when it came to their own accomplishments and sense of purpose, they had no time for excuses.”
On Family:

“I was raised by a heroic single mother and wonderful grandparents who made incredible sacrifices for me. And I know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you. But I still wish I had a father who was not only present, but involved. And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father wasn’t for my mother and me. I’ve tried to be a better husband, a better father, and a better man.

“It’s hard work that demands your constant attention, and frequent sacrifice. And Michelle will be the first to tell you that I’m not perfect. Even now, I’m still learning how to be the best husband and father I can be. Because success in everything else is unfulfilling if we fail at family. I know that when I’m on my deathbed someday, I won’t be thinking about any particular legislation I passed, or policy I promoted; I won’t be thinking about the speech I gave, or the Nobel Prize I received. I’ll be thinking about a walk I took with my daughters. A lazy afternoon with my wife. Whether I did right by all of them.

“Be a good role model and set a good example for that young brother coming up. If you know someone who isn’t on point, go back and bring that brother along. The brothers who have been left behind – who haven’t had the same opportunities we have – they need to hear from us. We’ve got to be in the barbershops with them, at church with them, spending time and energy and presence helping pull them up, exposing them to new opportunities, and supporting their dreams. We have to teach them what it means to be a man – to serve your city like Maynard Jackson; to shape the culture like Spike Lee. Chester Davenport was one of the first people to integrate the University of Georgia law school. When he got there, no one would sit next to him in class. But Chester didn’t mind. Later on, he said, ‘It was the thing for me to do. Someone needed to be the first.’ Today, Chester is here celebrating his 50th reunion. If you’ve had role models, fathers, brothers like that – thank them today. If you haven’t, commit yourself to being that man for someone else.”

Remarks by the President at Morehouse College Commencement Ceremony

Century Campus
Morehouse College
Atlanta, Georgia

12:06 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Morehouse! (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. Please be seated.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you!

THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Laughter.) That is why I am here.

I have to say that it is one of the great honors of my life to be able to address this gathering here today. I want to thank Dr. Wilson for his outstanding leadership, and the Board of Trustees. We have Congressman Cedric Richmond and Sanford Bishop — both proud alumni of this school, as well as Congressman Hank Johnson. And one of my dear friends and a great inspiration to us all — the great John Lewis is here. (Applause.) We have your outstanding Mayor, Mr. Kasim Reed, in the house. (Applause.)

To all the members of the Morehouse family. And most of all, congratulations to this distinguished group of Morehouse Men — the Class of 2013. (Applause.)

I have to say that it’s a little hard to follow — not Dr. Wilson, but a skinny guy with a funny name. (Laughter.) Betsegaw Tadele — he’s going to be doing something.

I also have to say that you all are going to get wet. (Laughter.) And I’d be out there with you if I could. (Laughter.) But Secret Service gets nervous. (Laughter.) So I’m going to have to stay here, dry. (Laughter.) But know that I’m there with you in spirit. (Laughter.)

Some of you are graduating summa cum laude. (Applause.) Some of you are graduating magna cum laude. (Applause.) I know some of you are just graduating, “thank you, Lordy.” (Laughter and applause.) That’s appropriate because it’s a Sunday. (Laughter.)

I see some moms and grandmas here, aunts, in their Sunday best — although they are upset about their hair getting messed up. (Laughter.) Michelle would not be sitting in the rain. (Laughter.) She has taught me about hair. (Laughter.)

I want to congratulate all of you — the parents, the grandparents, the brothers and sisters, the family and friends who supported these young men in so many ways. This is your day, as well. Just think about it — your sons, your brothers, your nephews — they spent the last four years far from home and close to Spelman, and yet they are still here today. (Applause.) So you’ve done something right. Graduates, give a big round of applause to your family for everything that they’ve done for you. (Applause.)

I know that some of you had to wait in long lines to get into today’s ceremony. And I would apologize, but it did not have anything to do with security. Those graduates just wanted you to know what it’s like to register for classes here. (Laughter and applause.) And this time of year brings a different kind of stress — every senior stopping by Gloster Hall over the past week making sure your name was actually on the list of students who met all the graduation requirements. (Applause.) If it wasn’t on the list, you had to figure out why. Was it that library book you lent to that trifling roommate who didn’t return it? (Laughter.) Was it Dr. Johnson’s policy class? (Applause.) Did you get enough Crown Forum credits? (Applause.)

On that last point, I’m going to exercise my power as President to declare this speech sufficient Crown Forum credits for any otherwise eligible student to graduate. That is my graduation gift to you. (Applause.) You have a special dispensation.

Now, graduates, I am humbled to stand here with all of you as an honorary Morehouse Man. (Applause.) I finally made it. (Laughter.) And as I do, I’m mindful of an old saying: “You can always tell a Morehouse Man — (applause) — but you can’t tell him much.” (Applause.) And that makes my task a little more difficult, I suppose. But I think it also reflects the sense of pride that’s always been part of this school’s tradition.

Benjamin Mays, who served as the president of Morehouse for almost 30 years, understood that tradition better than anybody. He said — and I quote — “It will not be sufficient for Morehouse College, for any college, for that matter, to produce clever graduates… but rather honest men, men who can be trusted in public and private life — men who are sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society and who are willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.”

It was that mission — not just to educate men, but to cultivate good men, strong men, upright men — that brought community leaders together just two years after the end of the Civil War. They assembled a list of 37 men, free blacks and freed slaves, who would make up the first prospective class of what later became Morehouse College. Most of those first students had a desire to become teachers and preachers — to better themselves so they could help others do the same.

A century and a half later, times have changed. But the “Morehouse Mystique” still endures. Some of you probably came here from communities where everybody looked like you. Others may have come here in search of a community. And I suspect that some of you probably felt a little bit of culture shock the first time you came together as a class in King’s Chapel. All of a sudden, you weren’t the only high school sports captain, you weren’t the only student council president. You were suddenly in a group of high achievers, and that meant you were expected to do something more.

That’s the unique sense of purpose that this place has always infused — the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world.

Dr. King was just 15 years old when he enrolled here at Morehouse. He was an unknown, undersized, unassuming young freshman who lived at home with his parents. And I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t the coolest kid on campus — for the suits he wore, his classmates called him “Tweed.” But his education at Morehouse helped to forge the intellect, the discipline, the compassion, the soul force that would transform America. It was here that he was introduced to the writings of Gandhi and Thoreau, and the theory of civil disobedience. It was here that professors encouraged him to look past the world as it was and fight for the world as it should be. And it was here, at Morehouse, as Dr. King later wrote, where “I realized that nobody…was afraid.”

Not even of some bad weather. I added on that part. (Laughter.) I know it’s wet out there. But Dr. Wilson told me you all had a choice and decided to do it out here anyway. (Applause.) That’s a Morehouse Man talking.

Now, think about it. For black men in the ‘40s and the ‘50s, the threat of violence, the constant humiliations, large and small, the uncertainty that you could support a family, the gnawing doubts born of the Jim Crow culture that told you every day that somehow you were inferior, the temptation to shrink from the world, to accept your place, to avoid risks, to be afraid — that temptation was necessarily strong.

And yet, here, under the tutelage of men like Dr. Mays, young Martin learned to be unafraid. And he, in turn, taught others to be unafraid. And over time, he taught a nation to be unafraid. And over the last 50 years, thanks to the moral force of Dr. King and a Moses generation that overcame their fear and their cynicism and their despair, barriers have come tumbling down, and new doors of opportunity have swung open, and laws and hearts and minds have been changed to the point where someone who looks just like you can somehow come to serve as President of these United States of America. (Applause.)

So the history we share should give you hope. The future we share should give you hope. You’re graduating into an improving job market. You’re living in a time when advances in technology and communication put the world at your fingertips. Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African Americans that came before it.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have work — because if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that too few of our brothers have the opportunities that you’ve had here at Morehouse. In troubled neighborhoods all across this country — many of them heavily African American — too few of our citizens have role models to guide them. Communities just a couple miles from my house in Chicago, communities just a couple miles from here — they’re places where jobs are still too scarce and wages are still too low; where schools are underfunded and violence is pervasive; where too many of our men spend their youth not behind a desk in a classroom, but hanging out on the streets or brooding behind a jail cell.

My job, as President, is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everybody — policies that strengthen the middle class and give more people the chance to climb their way into the middle class. Policies that create more good jobs and reduce poverty, and educate more children, and give more families the security of health care, and protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence. That’s my job. Those are matters of public policy, and it is important for all of us — black, white and brown — to advocate for an America where everybody has got a fair shot in life. Not just some. Not just a few. (Applause.)

But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities. There are some things, as black men, we can only do for ourselves. There are some things, as Morehouse Men, that you are obliged to do for those still left behind. As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect — and that’s the power of your example.

So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address: Use that power for something larger than yourself. Live up to President Mays’s challenge. Be “sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society.” And be “willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.”

I know that some of you came to Morehouse from communities where life was about keeping your head down and looking out for yourself. Maybe you feel like you escaped, and now you can take your degree and get that fancy job and the nice house and the nice car — and never look back. And don’t get me wrong — with all those student loans you’ve had to take out, I know you’ve got to earn some money. With doors open to you that your parents and grandparents could not even imagine, no one expects you to take a vow of poverty. But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do. (Applause.)

So, yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and the powerful, or if you can also find some time to defend the powerless. Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business. We need black businesses out there. But ask yourselves what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood. The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent just on making money — rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed. (Applause.)

Some of you may be headed to medical school to become doctors. But make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too. For generations, certain groups in this country — especially African Americans — have been desperate in need of access to quality, affordable health care. And as a society, we’re finally beginning to change that. Those of you who are under the age of 26 already have the option to stay on your parent’s health care plan. But all of you are heading into an economy where many young people expect not only to have multiple jobs, but multiple careers.

So starting October 1st, because of the Affordable Care Act — otherwise known as Obamacare — (applause) — you’ll be able to shop for a quality, affordable plan that’s yours and travels with you — a plan that will insure not only your health, but your dreams if you are sick or get in an accident. But we’re going to need some doctors to make sure it works, too. We’ve got to make sure everybody has good health in this country. It’s not just good for you, it’s good for this country. So you’re going to have to spread the word to your fellow young people.

Which brings me to a second point: Just as Morehouse has taught you to expect more of yourselves, inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves. We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices. And I have to say, growing up, I made quite a few myself. Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down. I had a tendency sometimes to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is there’s no longer any room for excuses. (Applause.)

I understand there’s a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: “Excuses are tools of the incompetent used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness.” Well, we’ve got no time for excuses. Not because the bitter legacy of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they have not. Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; we know those are still out there. It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil — many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did — all of them entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything that you have not earned. (Applause.)

Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination. And moreover, you have to remember that whatever you’ve gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured — and they overcame them. And if they overcame them, you can overcome them, too. (Applause.)

You now hail from a lineage and legacy of immeasurably strong men — men who bore tremendous burdens and still laid the stones for the path on which we now walk. You wear the mantle of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, and Ralph Bunche and Langston Hughes, and George Washington Carver and Ralph Abernathy and Thurgood Marshall, and, yes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These men were many things to many people. And they knew full well the role that racism played in their lives. But when it came to their own accomplishments and sense of purpose, they had no time for excuses.

Every one of you have a grandma or an uncle or a parent who’s told you that at some point in life, as an African American, you have to work twice as hard as anyone else if you want to get by. I think President Mays put it even better: He said, “Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it any better.” (Applause.)

And I promise you, what was needed in Dr. Mays’s time, that spirit of excellence, and hard work, and dedication, and no excuses is needed now more than ever. If you think you can just get over in this economy just because you have a Morehouse degree, you’re in for a rude awakening. But if you stay hungry, if you keep hustling, if you keep on your grind and get other folks to do the same — nobody can stop you. (Applause.)

And when I talk about pursuing excellence and setting an example, I’m not just talking about in your professional life. One of today’s graduates, Frederick Anderson — where’s Frederick? Frederick, right here. (Applause.) I know it’s raining, but I’m going to tell about Frederick. Frederick started his college career in Ohio, only to find out that his high school sweetheart back in Georgia was pregnant. So he came back and enrolled in Morehouse to be closer to her. Pretty soon, helping raise a newborn and working night shifts became too much, so he started taking business classes at a technical college instead — doing everything from delivering newspapers to buffing hospital floors to support his family.

And then he enrolled at Morehouse a second time. But even with a job, he couldn’t keep up with the cost of tuition. So after getting his degree from that technical school, this father of three decided to come back to Morehouse for a third time. (Applause.) As Frederick says, “God has a plan for my life, and He’s not done with me yet.”

And today, Frederick is a family man, and a working man, and a Morehouse Man. (Applause.) And that’s what I’m asking all of you to do: Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man. (Applause.) Be the best husband to your wife, or you’re your boyfriend, or your partner. Be the best father you can be to your children. Because nothing is more important.

I was raised by a heroic single mom, wonderful grandparents — made incredible sacrifices for me. And I know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you. But I sure wish I had had a father who was not only present, but involved. Didn’t know my dad. And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father was not for my mother and me. I want to break that cycle where a father is not at home — (applause) — where a father is not helping to raise that son or daughter. I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better man.

It’s hard work that demands your constant attention and frequent sacrifice. And I promise you, Michelle will tell you I’m not perfect. She’s got a long list of my imperfections. (Laughter.) Even now, I’m still practicing, I’m still learning, still getting corrected in terms of how to be a fine husband and a good father. But I will tell you this: Everything else is unfulfilled if we fail at family, if we fail at that responsibility. (Applause.)

I know that when I am on my deathbed someday, I will not be thinking about any particular legislation I passed; I will not be thinking about a policy I promoted; I will not be thinking about the speech I gave, I will not be thinking the Nobel Prize I received. I will be thinking about that walk I took with my daughters. I’ll be thinking about a lazy afternoon with my wife. I’ll be thinking about sitting around the dinner table and seeing them happy and healthy and knowing that they were loved. And I’ll be thinking about whether I did right by all of them.

So be a good role model, set a good example for that young brother coming up. If you know somebody who’s not on point, go back and bring that brother along — those who’ve been left behind, who haven’t had the same opportunities we have — they need to hear from you. You’ve got to be engaged on the barbershops, on the basketball court, at church, spend time and energy and presence to give people opportunities and a chance. Pull them up, expose them, support their dreams. Don’t put them down.

We’ve got to teach them just like what we have to learn, what it means to be a man — to serve your city like Maynard Jackson; to shape the culture like Spike Lee; to be like Chester Davenport, one of the first people to integrate the University of Georgia Law School. When he got there, nobody would sit next to him in class. But Chester didn’t mind. Later on, he said, “It was the thing for me to do. Someone needed to be the first.” And today, Chester is here celebrating his 50th reunion. Where is Chester Davenport? He’s here. (Applause.)

So if you’ve had role models, fathers, brothers like that — thank them today. And if you haven’t, commit yourself to being that man to somebody else.

And finally, as you do these things, do them not just for yourself, but don’t even do them just for the African American community. I want you to set your sights higher. At the turn of the last century, W.E.B. DuBois spoke about the “talented tenth” — a class of highly educated, socially conscious leaders in the black community. But it’s not just the African American community that needs you. The country needs you. The world needs you.

As Morehouse Men, many of you know what it’s like to be an outsider; know what it’s like to be marginalized; know what it’s like to feel the sting of discrimination. And that’s an experience that a lot of Americans share. Hispanic Americans know that feeling when somebody asks them where they come from or tell them to go back. Gay and lesbian Americans feel it when a stranger passes judgment on their parenting skills or the love that they share. Muslim Americans feel it when they’re stared at with suspicion because of their faith. Any woman who knows the injustice of earning less pay for doing the same work — she knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in.

So your experiences give you special insight that today’s leaders need. If you tap into that experience, it should endow you with empathy — the understanding of what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, to know what it’s like when you’re not born on 3rd base, thinking you hit a triple. It should give you the ability to connect. It should give you a sense of compassion and what it means to overcome barriers.

And I will tell you, Class of 2013, whatever success I have achieved, whatever positions of leadership I have held have depended less on Ivy League degrees or SAT scores or GPAs, and have instead been due to that sense of connection and empathy — the special obligation I felt, as a black man like you, to help those who need it most, people who didn’t have the opportunities that I had — because there but for the grace of God, go I — I might have been in their shoes. I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed. I might not have been able to support a family. And that motivates me. (Applause.)

So it’s up to you to widen your circle of concern — to care about justice for everybody, white, black and brown. Everybody. Not just in your own community, but also across this country and around the world. To make sure everyone has a voice, and everybody gets a seat at the table; that everybody, no matter what you look like or where you come from, what your last name is — it doesn’t matter, everybody gets a chance to walk through those doors of opportunity if they are willing to work hard enough.

When Leland Shelton was four years old — where’s Leland? (Applause.) Stand up, Leland. When Leland Shelton was four years old, social services took him away from his mama, put him in the care of his grandparents. By age 14, he was in the foster care system. Three years after that, Leland enrolled in Morehouse. And today he is graduating Phi Beta Kappa on his way to Harvard Law School. (Applause.) But he’s not stopping there. As a member of the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, he plans to use his law degree to make sure kids like him don’t fall through the cracks. And it won’t matter whether they’re black kids or brown kids or white kids or Native American kids, because he’ll understand what they’re going through. And he’ll be fighting for them. He’ll be in their corner. That’s leadership. That’s a Morehouse Man right there. (Applause.)

That’s what we’ve come to expect from you, Morehouse — a legacy of leaders — not just in our black community, but for the entire American community. To recognize the burdens you carry with you, but to resist the temptation to use them as excuses. To transform the way we think about manhood, and set higher standards for ourselves and for others. To be successful, but also to understand that each of us has responsibilities not just to ourselves, but to one another and to future generations. Men who refuse to be afraid. Men who refuse to be afraid.

Members of the Class of 2013, you are heirs to a great legacy. You have within you that same courage and that same strength, the same resolve as the men who came before you. That’s what being a Morehouse Man is all about. That’s what being an American is all about.

Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union.

Congratulations, Class of 2013. God bless you. God bless Morehouse. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END 12:39 P.M. EDT

May 19, 2013, New York, NY – GLAAD, the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization, announced that on Monday, May 20, the organization will join community groups and public officials in a march and rally to speak out against anti-LGBT hate violence in New York City.

For more information visit this site

The march will begin at the LGBT Community Center of New York at 5:30pm ET and conclude at the site of a fatal shooting that took place on Friday, May 17. Speakers at the rally will denounce hate violence, call for justice, and mourn the death of Mark Carson, who was fatally shot in an apparent act of anti-LGBT bias. Friday night in New York’s Greenwich Village, police say a gunman, who is in custody, followed Carson, taunting him with anti-gay slurs and homophobic language, before fatally shooting him in the head. Carson is the fourth victim of anti-gay violence in New York City in the last several weeks, but the first fatality.

Wilson Cruz, GLAAD’s national spokesperson said: “Our hearts grieve for Mark’s loved ones. While our community has made progress, this is a stark and sobering reminder of the rife homophobia that still exists in our culture. These crimes are intended to scare and silence LGBT people. However as a proud New York native, I am confident that our community and our city will not be silenced, but will rather come together to stop this rash of senseless violence. Speaker Christine Quinn, other elected officials, and the New York City Anti-Violence Project continue to showcase strong leadership in addressing the safety of LGBT New Yorkers. Yet, we are reminded still that, until we rid our society of the discrimination that allows us to be seen as inferior and less than human, we will never truly be safe, even in one of the most accepting cities in the world.”

Other organizations and officials participating with GLAAD include: the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP), the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Bronx LGBTQ Center, Make the Road NY, the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, other community partners, and New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn.

Over the past few weeks, the Anti-Violence Project has been working with GLAAD and community members and have heard from many people who want to respond to and speak out about this violence. AVP will continue to work to create safety in all communities across New York City through a Friday Community Safety Nights that will begin on this Friday, May 24th. Every Friday night from May 24th through the end of June, AVP will be out on the streets doing outreach in neighborhoods affected by anti-LGBTQ violence to raise awareness and provide people with information and safety tips. AVP is looking for dedicated volunteers and concerned community members to join them.

By Nathan James

Mark Carson gun down on 6th Ave. near W. 8th St.

The incidents, all of which occurred in Manhattan, began May 5 outside Madison Square Garden, when a gay couple, walking arm-in-arm, was set upon and beaten by as many as eight men, all of whom the NYPD is still looking for.  On May 7, a young gay man was beaten in Union Square, and  another gay man leaving the popular bar, Pieces, was pummeled to the ground on May 8.

Then, on May 9, another gay couple was attacked at the W. 33rd Street PATH subway station, by two men who were caught in the act by Port Authority cops.   Finally, yesterday morning, 32-year-old openly gay Mark Carson was shot to death by a suspect bellowing anti-gay slurs in the Papaya Dog restaurant at West 8th Street and Sixth Avenue.

The march will begin promptly at 5:30 PM in front of the LGBT Community Center at 208 West 13th Street, and proceed to the site of Carson’s murder, where a rally and vigil will take place.  ”LGBT leaders, elected officials, community members and allies will be marching,” Quinn, a Democratic mayoral candidate, observed, “to demand an end to hate crimes against the community.”

As many twelve suspects remain at large in the various incidents, and anyone with information about any or all of these attacks is asked to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at (1-800) 577-TIPS.

An ongoing meningitis outbreak among gay men has prompted New York City officials to issue a new warning to local gay men, as the death toll from the illness continues to rise.  There have been seven fatalities and three dozen new cases in the Tri-State area, a third of them in the city, Health Department administrators said.

By Nathan James

The outbreak is especially prevalent in HIV-positive patients, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Chelsea) met with the organizers of Heritage Of Pride, which operates NYC Pride Week, to ask that attendees of the mammoth June 30 march and festival be made aware of the epidemic.  ”We urge all HIV-positive men, and any man having regular, unprotected sex with someone they don’t know well, to get vaccinated for meningitis, as soon as possible,”  warned Dr. Thomas Farley, the city’s health commissioner.

Cases of bacterial, viral and fungal meningitis have been reported all across the metropolitan area, and officials said they do not know the total number of those infected.  The signs and symptoms of meningitis, an inflammation of the protective covering around the brain and spinal cord, include a high fever, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, and confusion.

These symptoms usually present themselves one or two days after infection, and if left untreated, can lead to paralysis, hearing loss, kidney failure, and death.  Officials pointed out that although meningitis is contagious, it can almost always be effectively treated with early diagnosis.

The fourth attack in the past two weeks of a gay man or gay couple in New York City by homophobes, has ended in murder, NYPD detectives said today.  32-year-old victim Mark Carson, who was accosted by a group of people shouting anti-gay slurs, near the Gray’s Papaya restaurant on West 8th Street and Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village, just after midnight this morning, was shot once through the cheek by a suspect who asked, “do you want to die here?”

By Nathan James

Carson was rushed to Beth Israel Hospital on Second Avenue, where he was pronounced dead.   Police and witnesses said the suspect, who was arrested after surrendering several blocks away from the crime scene, yelled homophobic slurs at Carson and his companion, asking if the pair “were gay wrestlers” just before producing a .38-caliber revolver and firing once.

Earlier yesterday evening, the alleged shooter had been found urinating on the wall of a bar in the Village, and threatened the bartender with a “silver pistol” when confronted.  The suspect then joined two other men, and approached the victim near the all-night papaya stand.  Of the shooting, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, “This is clearly a hate crime.”  Kelly noted the gunman was carrying a fake ID when he surrendered, and threw his gun onto the ground and confessed, as cops approached him.  Because of the phony ID, the suspect has “not yet been conclusively identified,” investigators said.

Over the past two weeks, Manhattan has seen an alarming spike in gay-bashings, with one attack occurring in daylight near Madison Square Garden, a second at Union Square, and a third early-morning incident at a Midtown PATH subway station.  In that attack, Port Authority police caught suspects Asllan Berisha and Brian Ramirez, both 21, beating and kicking a gay couple.  Berisha and Ramirez were said to be part of a larger group that targeted the couple, who were holding hands, as were a couple attacked just five days earlier by as many as eight men.

Police have made no arrests in that May 5 incident, which occurred during a Knicks game at the Garden, but have released surveillance images of two of the possible attackers.  Then, on May 7, a gay man was pummeled in a Union Square beating, in which police also made an arrest.  The suspect in that case was heard to be shouting homophobic slurs at his victim by numerous passersby.

Today’s shooting comes just after a protest rally against hate crimes at MSG on Thursday, and the NYC LGBT Anti-Violence Project has announced a Community Safety Night event on Friday, May 24, in response to this latest attack.  City Council Speaker and Democratic mayoral candidate Christine Quinn–in whose district the shooting occurred–stated, “There was a time in New York City when two people of the same gender could not walk arm-in-arm on the street without the fear of violence and harassment.  We refuse to go back to that time.”  The NYPD says there have been 22 gay-bashings in the city so far this year, an increase of 13 from this time last year.

Anyone with information on any or all of these recent attacks, is asked to call the CrimeStoppers hotline at (1-800) 577-TIPS.