3Way Episode 4:

Join the Impact

"Day Without A Gay"

Thanks to Kae who sent me the word....





Today, tomorrow in the mainland, is "Day Without A Gay".



http://daywithoutagay.wetpaint.com/

December 10 is 'International Human Rights Day' and the idea of 'Day Without A Gay' is for people to call in 'gay', rather than 'sick', and then volunteer and give to the community for the day.

Atticus Circle is one way to help get the word out. Check them out and join today. Send your friends and family the letter to help spread the word. This is one simple way we can help from behind the scenes. http://www.atticuscircle.org/index.htm

Island Dyke

Mainland gay marriage map

Curious how the U.S. state stands on gay marriage. Reference from: http://www.goodasyou.org/states2.jpg

Marianas LGBT

A new LGBT social web-site group has started. Check it out at.....
http://marianaslgbt.ning.com/profiles/members/

Island Dyke

Third State to Pass Gay Marriage

OK, I have been sleeping (actually studying, same thing)! Here we go with the snowball effect, yeah! October 10, 2008 the passing of gay marriage in the third state in the U.S..

"After four years of legal wrangling in the state court system, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that a ban on gay marriage constituted "cognizable harm" and infringed on a "fundamental right" of same-sex couples." AND "Connecticut was one of four U.S. states that permits same-sex civil unions that grant rights such as insurance coverage, tax benefits and hospital visitations. But these lack the full, federal legal protections of marriage." (Larson, 2008)

Go Connecticut !

Reference:

Larson, T (2008) Connecticut court allows gay marriage. Retrieved on October 21, 2008, from http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4996BE20081011

The Outhouse

OK, I know this has nothing to do with GLBT topics, however I just had to share. I was in Sacramento for my Niece's wedding last week. They had an outdoor wedding and hired a portable outhouse for the guests. Well it was nothing like the outhouses I grew up with or even the more modern style portable potties I am familiar with. In fact I would dare to say this portable potty was nicer than the majority of public bathrooms in Saipan. Check it out!

Island Dyke

Gay Lifestyle?

If I had a dollar for every time I hear gay lifestyle, I would be wealthy dyke! (As long as I didn't spend it all!)

HOWEVER, what is even more upsetting, oh did I mention this upsets me, anyway; it really upsets me when people say "lifestyle choice". Excuse me, like I would choose this?! Really, I am comfortable with who I am, but who really would choose to be considered not equal by society and be beaten and murdered for choosing to be gay? Please people, it is plain and simple: we are born this way, the only choice is if we live a lie.

"Lifestyle: This term is used to describe the way individuals lead their lives. For example, some people like living in the country; others like the city life. The word lifestyle is sometimes used incorrectly to describe a person’s sexual orientation: “She is living a gay lifestyle.” This usage is misleading because gay people live many different lifestyles. Being homosexual or bisexual, in and of itself, does not define the style of one’s life any more than being heterosexual does." (http://www.helpingout.ca/educators/definitions.html#Lifestyleducators/definitions.html#Lifestylegout.ca/educators/definitions.html#Lifestyleducators/definitions.html#Lifestyle)

Now if you want to talk about "gay lifestyle" it may be appropriate to use this term when discussing the Olivia lesbian housing development. Here is a new housing development that is going to be an exclusive lesbian community. Talk about gay lifestyle!

(http://www.365gay.com/features/081408-olivia-lesbian-community/)

Island Dyke

What do straight people know?

I was driving around thinking about how many straight people, who are not homophobic, know that gay people still do not have the same rights as themselves. It was popping around in my head as I was remembering a conversation with some colleagues at work when one of them said, "I thought you could get married, gay people can't get married?" To her surprise she learned that, yes, still in the day-and-age that gay people can not get married!

So yesterday I was in at Moylan's signing up for government life insurance. I needed to ask the lady a question about why they needed to know marital status and how was I to answer that. I then proceeded to tell her, and all the other people in the room (about 7) that I was in a same-sex relationship and although we have had a ceremony to signify our union, that we are not legally married because we can not get married. Ears popped open and people waited curiously to see what the lady would say.....some even gave glances of hey that's not right. We then moved onto the option to buy extra insurance to which she is explaining that if my spouse dies then I get $10,000. I questioned her as she had just told me I do not have a spouse as I can not legally marry her. Everyone nodded in agreement and some piped in saying, "yes miss you just said that"...and "that's not fair". I could however, add my children if I wanted, to which I replied that 10 grand wouldn't even begin to make up for their loss. Again a unanimous nodding of heads in agreement! God, I love this island! Even though gay marriage is not legal at this point and time, people here seem to think it is not right! I then apologized if I made anyone uncomfortable by talking so open to which, again, I got "no, it was OK miss", followed by "thanks for coming in today, and have a good day".

Thank you Saipan for the memories.

Island Dyke

Brad's helping fight for gay marriage in California

Just in from the Associated Press.....Brad Pitt donated $100,000 to fight against the people fighting to overturn California's state Supreme Courts decision that legalized same-sex marriage in June this year.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080918/ap_en_ce/people_brad_pitt


If Rosie O'Donnell can have a crush on Tom Cruise, then I can have a crush on Brad Pitt! What a hunk, huh guys?

Island Dyke

School is in session

Well our 4 y/o daughter is back to school. At this time in her life she struggles with with wanting me to be the daddy. All of her friends are from homes with straight parents. All of her videos she watches are straight characters too! It is a blessing to have the two books we have that tell a story for young children that offer GLBT characters for parents. There needs to be greater support though for the community!

To all the teachers in the CNMI I would like to say it is a new year with new challenges and I would like to share information with you on how to make your classroom a GLBT friendly site. I found a web-site called Colage which addresses issues for children who may have GLBT parents. Well there are not too many of us GLBT parents here is Saipan, however I found the same principles to hold true when welcoming GLBT students into the classroom as well. Read on....

"1. Always intervene whenever you hear or see anti-gay language or actions. At the beginning of the year, set classroom rules that include making it clear that racist, homophobic, sexist, etc. comments are not welcome in your classroom. Send a clear message that homophobia will never be tolerated. In addition, try to link homophobia to other types of oppression-teach students that hate in all of its forms is wrong.

2. Do not make assumptions about any student's background. Create a classroom where each student is able to share freely about their identity and families.

3. Visually show your support. On your walls include a poster about diverse families (perhaps the COLAGE poster) or other images that show you are an ally to LGBTQ people and issues.

4. Challenge heterosexism in your assignments. Some examples: In language classes asking youth to describe their families, often youth with LGBTQ parents have been reprimanded for using the wrong gender pronouns. However, often the fact that they are using he and he to describe two dads is correct. If you assign family origin or family tree projects, allow youth from alternative families to make their own decisions about how they portray their families, whether it is two parents of the same gender, or multiple parents who co-parent them, etc.

5. Include Topics about Diversity in your curriculum. Study different kinds of families and famous LGBTQ people (and when someone you are studying anyway is a LGBTQ person, mention that), have speakers, and use videos and books to show students that diversity is something to be celebrated. Perhaps use events such as National Coming Out Day, Pride Day, or a Unity Week as reasons to incorporate LGBTQ issues positively into your classroom.

6. Never out a student with LGBTQ parents. The only person who should make the decision to share about their family is the student when they feel safe and ready to do so.

7. Do not make assumptions about youth with LGBTQ parents. Youth from alternative families report that people often assume certain traits will apply to all youth with LGBTQ parents. For example, do not expect that a student who has LGBTQ parents will also be gay. Research shows that there is no higher incidence of homosexuality among people raised by LGBTQ parents.

8. Make your classroom accessible. Do not rely on forms that ask for signatures from mother and father. Instead use the terms Parent/Guardian. On Back to School night, or during parent teacher conferences, expect and welcome LGBTQ parents.

9. Work with your administration to make sure your school is safe for students with LGBTQ families. Suggest that the faculty at your school does an LGBTQ sensitivity training, or an in-service about LGBTQ and diverse families. Discuss protocols for dealing with anti-gay or anti-gay family harassment on school-wide or department levels so that all teachers are equipped to address homophobia.

10. Educate yourself. Learn more about LGBTQ families and issues. Not only will this allow you to be informed when students raise questions or need resources, but it will help you be better equipped to address incidents of homophobia in your school and to include LGBTQ content in your curriculum. As a starting point, use the resources at the back of this guide for suggestions of books, movies, websites and more.

11. Be involved. If your school has a Gay Straight Alliance or other type of club, attend meetings when possible to show your support. You can also offer to be the faculty advisor for such a club if students are trying to start one in your school. If you are involved in your school's GSA, Rainbow Club, or other diversity club, ensure that LGBTQ family issues are included and that youth from LGBTQ families are welcomed as participants. " (Colage, 2003)

Island Dyke

Reference:

Youth Leadership and Action Program of COLAGE (2003) Tips For Making Classrooms Safer. Retrieved on September 10, 2008, from http://www.colage.org/resources/safe_classrooms.htm

What is going on?

I was reading the Tuesday Mariana's Variety and saw a picture with caption, however it was missing a story. The caption mentioned a detail of an individual found not-guilty of attempted second degree murder. I was intrigued that there was a picture without a story and read it out-loud to a co-worker and they replied with the story that happened over a year ago. (A story that I looked in back archives and found only one article in the Saipan Tribune) The story I was told was one of two men that were jumped and beaten on by two other men as they were presumed to be gay (this was from my co-worker, not the article) and one of the men defended themselves with a box-cutter type knife which resulted in this individual being arrested due to one of the perpetrators being cut in the incidence and claiming they were the victims, rather than the perpetrators.

Several things about this story have me curious. First, how long will people not talk about GLBT issues openly here in Saipan? You have to know that there are serious events, such as this, that should be openly discussed. It is my opinion, that people should not be allowed to think that "gay bashing" is an acceptable thing here in Saipan! Secondly, how difficult is it to be openly gay living here in Saipan? I was openly gay before moving here and there was no reason to go back into the closet, therefore, I am curious about learning the difficulties that people have with growing up here and deciding to be out or in, the closet.

Island Dyke

Finding It Hard To Find Something To Talk About Thats Gay

Well, I have abondoned this blog for sometime as I hit a wall. Trying to find something to talk about that is GLBT has been almost impossible, especially as there are so many other things that seem soooooooo much more pressing, such as CUC power-outages and the other negative things going on lately in Saipan.

I have found myself, in iddle time, spending energy studying green options. In the July/August edition of Curve there was an article about a lesbian that bought an diesel Volvo with a veg oil system installed. With this vehicle she could run either diesel fuel or veggie oil. She named her car "Rudy" and it displayed the "greasecar.com decal stickers" from the conversion kit intalled on the car. She shares about the experience of how it took some time to become an expert in oil pouring and how "sticky" the process was at times. She is now on her second greasecar, a Benz she named Esmerelda. (Siegal, 2008)

To me it seems there is a little more involved in owning such a car than the norm, however, the pay-offs may be well worth it financially and saving the environment to boot. The only extra added skills needed is pouring oil with minimal spilling and finding an oil resource. The jury is still not out for me though as the air-compression cars are hitting the U.S. next year.

Island Dyke

Reference:

Siegal, E. (2008) Spreading the Gospel of Grease. Curve, Vol. 18, No. 6, pp. 77.

www.greasecar.com

Latest Ramblings on The L Word

Ok, I just want to complain about the series The L Word as it is wrapping up their show this next, only half a season in January. We have had some great get togethers for dinner and the show this past year with friends in our community here. And although the get-togethers will continue on, I will miss the complaining about "Jenny" and what a witch she is, even though she is pretty in an odd kind-of way.

A reader wrote into Curve Magazine complaining about how the writers give so much attention to The L Word show and they should write more about "real" lesbians in our communitites. Hmmm, I do not think our "real" dyke-a-drama is much different, EXCEPT, we make less money and do not look quite as "picture pretty". (all the make-up) And, as another reader wrote, they would like Curve to be like the 'lesbian cosmopolitan magazine'. I must say it is more like People with all the latest photo's of celeb's at the latest "Gay Gala's".

Island Dyke

Island GLBT Reading Resources

I finally took 15 minutes for myself to read the May issue of Curve. I am a little behind in my leisure reading from all the other activities in my life. However, even if I had all the time in the world, Curve is mailed out in "bulk mail" which means I get the issues after the fact due to it coming on a slow boat rather than "first class" airplane mail. This equates into reading advertising for past events, which leaves one feeling they 'really' missed out on the events even if it is in one's fantasy. And forget about reading the already passed horoscope of the month, unless it is just for kicks to see how well you did.

We have in the past, although that is limited and not available all the time, been able to purchase Curve at Saipan's Bestseller. I have found the resources for GLBT to be slim to nothing and one day I was discussing with Lori.... "Thank goodness for the internet", because I do not think we would still be here on this island if it weren't for the internet!

Island Dyke

Guam GLBT Groups

Ok, I'm back.....out of hybernation from studies once again. Missed you all.



I found some info for Guam...seems some of my friends have been moving there or are planning to move there in the near future.



Now granted this list was last updated in 1995.....hmmmm....maybe not so accurate, however, give it a try.



The Gay and Lesbian Community of Guam (GLG)c/o Michael CruzP.O. Box 26920GMFBarrigada, GU 96921USA(671)649-9454Email: michae.cruz@kuentos.guam.netThe umbrella group for Guam's gays and lesbians.



AND



Guam FriendsP.O. Box 1861Agana, Guam 96910A multi-racial, non-profit organization aimed chiefly at helping visitors discover "Gay Guam.



The link for these two references: http://www.geocities.com/westhollywood/heights/5010/guam.html



AND



Yahoo Groups: "GLBTMarianas" at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GLBTMarianas/#ans

Cheers,

Island Dyke

Guam, LA and Tinian rule Pride 2008

Revelers from Guam, Los Angeles and Tinian ruled the second annual CNMI LGBT Pride Dance Party last Wednesday at the premier party hub as they were voted to be the best dressed participant during the event.

Mike and Denny flew to Saipan from Guam and LA just to attend the Pride Party here on Saipan. The couple dressed as the Truth or Dare Madonna said the recently held party was the best Pride Party they have ever attended in a small town. “We had so much fun!” said the winning couple.

Another pair from Tinian, Chris and Jeff, also dressed up as Madonna’s Angels in her Erotica album in the 90’s. Saipan’s Linda Cullen won third place with her Vogue Madonna outfit. Despite the absence of some Saipan participants, five participants didn’t fail to show their best Madonna outfits and impersonation. Trends Salon’s Sunshine bested six other participants in the Madonna Lip Synch Contest. ASKS’ Sharmaine ranked second while Jaz of Trends Salon came in third.

For Saipan Grand Hotel’s Club V, Wednesday night was the best Wednesday night as another year of celebrating the Pride in the CNMI was once again a success. Over 150 partygoers made the slow Wednesday a night of dancing and revelry. The CNMI once again joined the rest of the nation in celebrating the pride.

This year's revelry celebrated the release of Madonna's newest album Hard Candy. The party gave away several raffle prizes including Madonna’s brand new album. Proceeds of the event went to Napu Life Foundation, a group that advocates HIV and AIDS awareness in the CNMI. Napu Life Foundation president Joaquin Sablan provided a brief speech about the group and its objectives for the year.DJ Tattinouk served as the guest disc jockey while Club V in-house band Remyx provided curtain music.

Non-profit groups Napu Life Foundation and RaveSaipan organized the event this year, in collaboration with Saipan Grand Hotel. Major sponsors were Traders Insurance, Carlsberg, Excel Insurance, Esolutions, Vargas Constructions, Cielo Jewelry, Genoveva's Hair Power, Labtech, Sun Palace Hotel, SaipanCell, Salon De Manila, and Wear-a-Marconi. (PR)

Review by : Marconi (Thanks honey!)

Gay Pride in Guam: TOUCHE'

Ok guys and gals, Mike from Guam gave me the word. Gay Pride in Guam this Saturday, June 28, 2008, at Club Euphoria, starting at 9 pm til almost the break of dawn. Sorry for such short notice.

EUPHORIA... Located @ Crown Intl. Plaza Iso N.Marine DriveParty Reservations or Advance Tickets AvailableCall: 671.646.7786 Email: Fredricklg@impulseblackberry.com

I googled our neighbor islands gay bar and found they have a "My Space" site. So direct from their site here is the history of "Touche'":

"For those unfamiliar with Touche'... ... It all started 10 years ago as a social club event for Guam's gay & lesbian community & their friends. It was a very successful gay pride club/dance party that occurred every last Saturday of the month from 1998 thru 2003. It was held at different venues throughout the Island, namely: G-Spot Ballroom, Planet Hollywood, Buddies, Denial, Reef Hotel Ballroom, Carmen's Cha Cha Cha, Mad Cow, Midnight Special, Kool World, to name a few. It was well anticipated & well attended by everyone - both young and old, gay, lesbian and straight. Part of the event usually included a drag show and a costume contest... This will be the last Touche'!!! " Reference link: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=229954492

We are so excited for our neighbors! Wish we could all be there.

Photo's from our Pride coming soon!

Cheers,
Island Dyke

CNMI's 2008 Gay Pride: Hard Candy

Ok, if you are having difficulty reading: The PLACE: Club V in the Saipan Grand Hotel
The DAY: Wednesday, JUNE 25, 2008
The TIME: 9 pm to 2 am
THEME: Madonna night, celebrating "Hard Candy"

Is society knowledgable about Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood?

An interesting situation is going on in the state of Maine. Judy Harrison (2008) tells a story of a 13 y/o boy who identifies as a girl and wishes to use the girl's bathroom at school. This story is the topic of much debate and possible lawsuits. After reading this article there were many posts of people giving their two cents worth of mostly, in my opinion, uneducated opinions on the topic. There was one individual's comments that stood out in my mind and worthy of sharing with all of you. Devin of Bangor, ME shares these words:

"While over sixty years of research has been unable to determine what causes gender identity disorder, certain findings have been established by the medical/scientific community: (1) gender identity disorder is an indisputable phenomenon affecting from 1% to as much as 5% of the population (uncertainty is due to the number who choose not to be identified); (2) gender identity disorder has nothing to do with chromosomal makeup, and chromosomal makeup includes xxy and xyy anomalies often resulting in intersexed conditions such as ambiguous genitalia and transsexualism; (3) gender identity disorder has nothing whatsoever to do with sexual preference; (4) gender identity disorder cannot be alleviated through psychotherapy; (5) gender identity disorder can be alleviated through corrective surgery; (6) suicide among transsexuals is believed to have been as high as 50% as recently as 1980. (That percentage has begun to decline dramatically with increasing cultural acceptance.) Translation: gender identity disorder isn?t a choice or a hoax or a perversion, and those who are born with it can find relief by assimilating into the gender with which they identify. Considering that anywhere from 3 million to 15 million Americans are transgendered and many are inclined to suicide, what responsibility do we assume for our fellow human beings when we castigate them for their differences and deny them the opportunity for self-actualization?" (Devin, 2008)

On the page with this article is a poll that asks "Should a 12-year-old boy who identifies as a girl be allowed to use the girls' bathroom at school?". I responded to the poll with a yes answer only to find that only 19.06% of individuals responded yes. The majority, at 80.94%, of responses said no. I find this disturbing. There is a general lack of knowledge in the general population to this topic.

Wikipedia identifies the following four criteria for Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood:

• "The individual is persistently and intensely distressed about being a girl/boy, and desires (or claims) to be of the opposite gender.
• The individual is preoccupied with the clothing, roles or anatomy of the opposite sex/gender, or rejects the clothing, roles, or anatomy of his/her birth sex/gender.
• The individual has not yet reached puberty.
• The disorder must have been present for at least 6 months. " (Wikipedia, 2008)

For those of you that are aware of children that may have this condition, please offer support to those in that childs life. For those that are aware of adults with Gender Identity Disorder, please be remindful that they are just like everyone else in that we all live and die and yearn to be loved. Be respectful of others despite our differences.

Ok, so I'll get off of the soap box, now I'm curious as to what you all think. Do you know of anyone in Saipan that is transgendered? How is life on this island for them?

Island Dyke

Reference:

Devin (June 11, 2008) Reader Comments on Grandfather plans rights suit over boy using girls bathroom. Retrieved on June 12, 2008, from http://bangornews.com/news/t/penobscot.aspx?articleid=165460&zoneid=183

Harrison, J. (June 10, 2008) Grandfather plans rights suit over boy using girls bathroom. Retrieved on June 12, 2008, from http://bangornews.com/news/t/penobscot.aspx?articleid=165460&zoneid=183

Wikipedia (2008) Gender Identity Disorder. Retrieved on June 12, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_identity_disorder

Do you know where to report hate crimes?

I was surfing the net looking for GLBT connections to Saipan and stumbled on a little finding. The U.S. Department of Justice offers a internet page for "Office of Victims of Crime" and their "Resources for Responding to Hate Crimes". And there you have it, when you scroll down about 3/4's of the page:

"N. Mariana Islands
Attorney General of N. Mariana Islands
Office of the Attorney General
Commonwealth-of the Northern
Mariana Islands
Saipan, MP 96950
(670) 322-4311 "

LINK: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/help/hbcfts.htm

I have not heard of any recent hate crimes, however there have been some in the past and it is always good to know where to report these crimes. We need to feel we can report hate crimes and feel like we will be taken serious.

Tell me if you think the AG's office will be able to process these crimes appropriately. Does anyone have a story they can share?

Island Dyke

June Mainland Pride: west coast

This weekend, Saturday June 7, is Pride in Fresno, California. Have you been to Fresno? My parents live there during the summer and fall months and go south during the cold weather seasons. (Not for long though as they are moving here in one month.) Fresno is farming country and one of the last places I would think of a Pride festival, however, the last time we were visiting my parents there several years ago, we read that the PSS Commissioner was an "out" lesbian and that Fresno had a fairly large gay community. LINK: http://www.fresnorainbowpride.com/newindexPride.html

Also this weekend, June 6-8, is West Hollywood's finest Pride event! LINK: http://www.lapride.org/

Portland, Oregon is the following weekend, June 14-15. LINK: http://www.pridenw.org/

Island Dyke : keeping you in the loop

Club Denial (The gay bar in Guam)

Ok, we finally got enough courage to venture off island without our children. It had been four years since our last shopping spree to Guam. We had went for Labor Day sales celebration when Lori was pregnant with Grace. We were in hog heaven nesting up cute baby clothes for the new little one on the way. Well, four years later I was catching up on restocking up on my work and play clothes. Most of my shorts have holes and stains from the years of wear and I was even walking on shoes with holes in the soles and picking up rocks as I walked along. We were delighted to find 50% off sales plus an additional 20% for opening a Macy's charge card.

We went on the late evening flight on saturday and came back monday morning early. It would have been alright, the early flight, except we were both sicker than dogs and it took every ounce within us to make it home. The good news though was that we just started coming down with this viral bug AFTER our shopping spree.

We stayed with our good friend who just moved to Guam and we had promised to take her out and hook her up in the gay dating scene. (she's shy) We went to dinner first at Ruby Tuesdays. Have you had their crab cakes? OMG they are to die for or should I say their sauce is to die for! Our waitress turned out to be the girlfriend of one of our good friends boyfriends Coast Guard coworkers. What a small world!

We were full and ready to hit the gay bar called Club Denial. We drive up and there was a big chain and padlock! Yikes, say what? It is sunday night and tomorrow is a holdiay, Memorial Day. Who ever heard of a bar being closed up on a holiday when everyone is usually out partying. We had heard so much about how the bars in Guam stay open until 4 am. and we find chain and padlocked door. Hmmm ...Well, we improvised and went down to TGIF, to which we find they are trying to close at 12:00. The bar tender tells us of a bar down the road called Bully's. After much manuevering it was a miss as well. So much for Club Denial. We will have to check them out the next time we are in Guam.

Island Dyke

Gay Pride in Ohio

Ok, are you wondering why I'm posting on pride in Ohio? Well, I have a colleague who is moving there very shortyly and he may be able to catch one of these events. It would be a great way to start out a new chapter in life, attending PRIDE.

June 14-15 In Cincinnati http://prideisalive.com/

June 21 In Cleveland http://www.clevelandpride.org/

June 27-28 In Columbus http://www.qasispride.com/

Best wishes T!

Island Dyke

2008 Queer Scandal: in Korea

Sorry for such short notice. The 2008 pride festival in Korea is happening May 31 - June 8. The main Parade is scheduled on June 2nd from 12 - 6 pm at Cheonggye Square-Berlin Square (Jongro). This year the parade route relocated to the new center of Seoul. Other events taking place is the Seoul LGBT Film Festival (SeLFF). This is the 8th year the Korea Queer Cultural Festival (KQCF) is producing this pride festival and they promise, no guarantee you'll remember it as the best fiesta of your life. Go Korea's queers! Link: http://www.kqcf.org/

How long is the flight to Korea?

Island Dyke

Legal Mumbo Jumbo

Ok, I'm no attorney, however, I thought I would share some ideas on the legal aspects of the recent passing of gay marriage in California. According to Yoshino (2008) there is a legal difference in the way the two states were able to legalize gay marriage. The state of Massachusetts used a "rational basis" where California used the "strict scrutiny". To many, and including myself, this is legal mumbo jumbo, hence my title to this blog. The difference in these two passages is that, unlike the "rational basis", the "strict scrutiny" results in invalidation of state policies. Hmmm, what does that mean? Yoshino (2008) tells us that basically "gays can now challenge any California state policy that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation." WOW! I have to say this is HUGE!

As usual there is a rush to get a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage for California's November 2008 ballot. This is very discouraging, however I do have more hope than in the past. I have sad memories of doing code calls to homes back in 2000 in San Diego, fighting proposition 22, which ended up passing by 61.4%. (In statistics that would be considered a moderate relationship to strength of correlation of those that oppose gay marriage. ) In 2000 I had held the voting booth in my garage for the second time. It was a hard days work but well worth it when I had children come and I would let them vote for Lincoln or Washington, I even let the neighbor's cat vote. I secretly had a "no on prop 22" hidden behind my closet door. Around that time the North County Gay and Lesbian center I did volunteer work at was having financial difficulties and was talking about closing down. The mood was gloom. That is how I left sunny San Diego to come to sunny Saipan.

Island Dyke

Reference:

Yoshino, Kenji (2008). Magisterial Conviction: Why the California Supreme Court did more than Leagalize Gay Marriage. Slate.com. Retrieved on May 21, 2008, from http://www.slate.com/id/2191530/

California Legalizes Gay Marriage

Hot off the presses, new news is new news, just since thursday May 15, 2008, mainland time, California's Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage. People have already started lining up at San Francisco City Hall to make appointments to get marriage licenses. In about a month they will be able to get legally married in California. California is the second state to legalize gay marriage after Massachusetts in 2004. Unlike Massachusetts though, California has no residency requirements for obtaining a marriage license. Although this may seem positive for those who wish to come and get married and return to their own states, they still may have difficulty since most states do not recognize gay marriage and neither does the federal government as of yet. With an estimate of 92,000 same-sex couples living in California, whats a few more? On a positive up-beat side we have the Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who has declared he respects the court's decision and "will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling". (Leff, 2008) Go Arnold!!!

Island Dyke (I hear wedding bells)

Reference:

Leff, Lisa. (2008). California's top court legalizes gay marriage. Asociated Press. Retrieved on May 17, 2008, from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080515/ap_on_re_us/gay_marriage

Our Ten Year Anniversary of Our First Date

Can you believe it? Ten years ago on May 6th my babe and I went on our "first date". Of course I had thought we had already been on a date when she had asked me to go with her to a women's business mixer party at one of the San Diego lesbian bars. She had a point though when she said it couldn't have been a date as we both were getting phone numbers from girls. Opps~ Besides for this "first date" I brought her flowers and we went to a restaurant for Sushi. After a wonderful delightful dinner we went down to the boardwalk in Carlsbad and romantically held hands and walked along the beach. At one point we stopped and sat on the wall and talked and ....(I'm not telling) When I dropped her off at her apartment, she later told me, she watched me return to my car from her window above and saw me twirling my self in a balarina move, and I'm not a dancer, from the happy feelings I had inside. Ahhh




And ten years later, we did Sushi again. Me looking dorky, but full. What a delicious meal Kuri-Ya served us. If you have not been there and you love sushi, you must go. It is located on middle road, if you are going south it is on the left side of the road in the Pacific Eagle building... I think.





By the way: the first date restraunt was Mikko - Japanese Cuisine, located on 1025 Carlsbad Village Dr. if you are ever in the area check them out. For take out fax (760) 434-2683....ok I'm just kidding with you all.

Just being giddy,

Island Dyke

Old News is New News for Me

Well you may have noticed I have been sleeping on this blog the better part of this year. Sorry, my studies have occupied a large part of my waking times and now that I am in an easier course, Clinical Quantitative Research, I have some free moments on my hands.

So the old news, at the beginning of this year, that I missed is that Benjamin Cruz won the senatorial election in Guam in January 2008. Pictured below as "may be the nation's highest-ranking gay judge" (Silva, 1997). At that time he was unanimously confirmed by Guam's judiciary committee on September 29, 1997 despite some "resistance due to his sexual orientation throughout his career". (Silva, 1997)


According to Queerty, Cruz had won the senatorial election by 41 percent of the votes this past January 2008. http://www.queerty.com/gay-politician-wins-big-in-guam-20080107/

I want to say congratulations Judge BJ, way to go!

First, I am just curious though if same-sex marriage has come up since his 1997 statement: "Cruz says he doesn't see any major gay issues coming before the high court soon. Guam, Cruz says, is relatively "good" regarding gay rights--the island has no sodomy laws. The hot issues of same-sex marriage and same-sex harassment have yet to catch fire in Guam, and he doubts he'll be addressing them in the near future." (Silva, 1997)

Secondly, there may not be sodomy laws however, the social climate may still not be supportive of the GLBT community at large. Evident by when people are afraid to come out of the closet! Is there an annual gay pride event; is there a GLBT center to support the community?

Island Dyke

Reference:

Silva, D. (1997) Cruz control: newly appointed Guam supreme court justice Benjamin Cruz may be the nation's highest-ranking gay judge. The Advocate, 11/25/1997. Retrieved on May 9, 2008 from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-20013295.html

Mainland Pride in May

PRIDE 08

Long Beach: May 17-18, 2008 "I am what I am"

Event planners esimate 100,000 attendees at this years pride in Long Beach, California. This is their 25th annual event held. The Main Stage lineup includes Sheena Easton, The Bangles, K.C. & Sunshine Band, and Debra Cox.
Check them out: http://www.longbeachpride.com/index.htm

And currently in progress is the Las Vegas PRIDE: May 2-3
A little late to attend unless your jet is on stand-by!
Check them out: http://www.lasvegaspride.org/

The summer is full of PRIDE celebrations. Cheers!

Island Dyke

Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival

This month is the 19th Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival, May 22-25, 31, 2008.
For a listing of the films scheduled check it out: http://rainbow.bside.com/2008/schedule

I'm still searching for Gay Pride events!

Island Dyke

The Month of MAY!

Ok here are some bizarre holidays for this month! Today, which is May 2, is "Fire Day". I am not sure if you are to start a fire or put one out...and what kind-of fire are we talking about?! In order for the next several days here is the following starting with tomorrow May 3: Lumpy Rug Day, National Candied Orange Peel Day, National Hoagie Day (should I mention Subway should get in on that day for Advertising), Beverage Day, and International Tuba Day along with Paste Up Day, and National Roast Leg of Lamb Day all falling on the 7th. (2886, 2nd)

Ok, I'm wondering if "Date Your Mate Month" and "Fungal Infection Awareness Month" go together? LOL I'm just saying.

Your probly wondering why I'm blogging this, well I was thinking about PRIDE as the summer is coming up and I was thinking of looking for the schedule of PRIDE in somewhat close distance to our little island and then my mind started wondering to this is the month of May and wondering what is being celebrated this month and that is when I found "Bizarre May Holidays".

Well cheers,
Island Dyke


Reference:

2886 2nd WWW MAY. May is...Better Sleep Month, National Good Cat Care Month, National Photo Month, National Salad Month, National Egg Month, National Babeque Month, Revise Your Work Schedule Month, Date Your Mate Month, National Hamburger Month, and Fungal Infection Awareness Month.
http://library.thinkquest.org/2886/may.htm

I'm not a lesbian.

Victimization

According to a research study that used the hierarchical linear modeling analyses, a significant predictor of lifetime victimization was sexual orientation. This study researched primarily European American individuals at the University of Washington. Lesbian, gay, and bisexuals reported more victimization in the following: childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault in adulthood, childhood psychological and physical abuse by parents, and partner psychological and physical victimization in adulthood. Also reported was a greater sexual victimization amongst men than women. (Balsam et al., 2005)

Several months ago there was a report of several men being stalked and beaten up. This occurred after being seduced which lead to “your place” and then being accused of sexual contact with a minor.

Every so often I feel the need to place warnings out there to all of you. If you are going out by yourself clubbing, tell your closest friends where you are before you go. Always have a cell phone. Never take strangers back to your place.

Be safe and have fun.

Island Dyke

Reference:

Balsam, KF, Rothblum, ED & Beauchaine, TP. (2005). Victimization over the life span: a comparison of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual siblings. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 477-87. Retrieved on April 16, 2008, from Pubmed.com.

Jet Skiing

Thought you might enjoy some humor.

Island Dyke

Gay isn't Natural?

How many of you have heard that one? (Gay isn't natural) Well here is a web-site that covers an exhibition on animal homosexuality that was open from October 12, 2006 until August 17, 2007 in Oslo, Norway. The title of the showing was "AGAINST NATURE? an exhibition on animal homosexuality.

They report that there are some entire species of animals that are bisexual, and in order to be able to join a pack they have to have homosexual relationships. I also found it interesting that many species have sex just to enjoy themselves and their partner rather than strictly for procreation.

For some awesome pictures and the link to this web-site: (check out the male whales that are penis fencing, under the "press" link, nature is simply amazing!)

http://www.nhm.uio.no/againstnature/index.html

Island Dyke

Lesbian? Gay?

I was reading my monthly Curve magazine and there was talk of a quiz on the net. I couldn't find the one I was looking for however, I found three on "how much of a lesbian are you" [check it out http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=1862N] and there were a ton of "how gay are you" [check it out http://quizfarm.com/quiz_repository/new/175421/]. If I only had more time to just surf!! I'm just killing time relaxing my brain cells as I am trying to go to sleep.

Cheers, hope all of you are having an awesome spring break.

Island Dyke

The Grand Amazing Showgirls

Finally, a chance to relax and enjoy a truffle, and I'm not talking about some ascomycetous fungi. I'm talking about the sinfully, delightful, soft chocolate ball lightly dusted with cocoa and layered in dark chocolate from Expressions and almost better than sex! (not quite) Oh, and let's not forget a nice cold margarita on the rocks. Ok, you must have guessed it, the work week is over and the kids are asleep. Here I am pulling up my photos of last weeks EVENT!

I and my lovely honey, Ms. Lori Serna, had the wonderful opportunity and pleasure to be two of the judges in the Grand Amazing Showgirls Lip Sync Competition. The evening’s events happened to fall on my lovely’s birthday and we enjoyed celebrating a night out watching a talented group of diva’s perform till nearly the stroke of mid-night.

Here is Angel, the Grand Champion and winner of the Best in Production Number trophy. Her final performance entailed ripping through a creative backdrop and somersaulting across the stage to pick up a rope and whipping the air as she danced across the stage to the thrill of the audience.

Monique was the third runner up, winner of PTI's Diva Star Grand Champion award for the most text votes, something like over 50,000 texts I seem to remember. She also won the Most Amazing Gown award. (Check the red gown out below, it knocks your socks off!)

The five finalists, we wish they all were grand prize winners as they all were winners. From the left we have Patricia, Lyka, Monique, Sharmaine, and Angel.


Here is Venus, the winner of Most Amazing Beauty. She is more than a beauty as she really out-performed in her dance routine. We hope to see more!

Here is Angel, in her first performance, showing us her creativity in design and also her winning stage presence as she captivated the audience with her smiles.

Here is Angel giving us another grand gesture as she danced down the stairs. Despite her gown slipping down to expose her nipples Angel instinctually incorporated a humorous re-adjusting that also proved her true ability to perform.

Several of the evenings judges posing with the MC's (Brad, Adam, Marconi, Jari, and Happy).

The MC's for the evening, Marconi and Happy (hugging up on the hunk Jari), made the evening a funny and delightful event. I was only yawning because it truely was past my bed-time and I had gotten up at 5:30 a.m. that morning.

THE most incredible gown!

Here is Lyka, the fourth runner up and winner of the Most Amazing Make-up and Miss Funny Valentine, showing one of her fabulous Las Vegas Showgirl style costumes.

Here is Patricia, second runner up and I'm not sure if I should mention the most incredible buns (what gym does she work out at?), performing her first solo stage performance. Was her hat decorated with broken glass? Another talented costume design.

The birthday girl, Lori, surrounded by diva's from the recent past and performing for the audiences pleasure.
Here is Sharmaine, the first runner up, who captivated the audience with her outstanding stage presence and performance. The croud went wild when she stood on that chair and placed her foot on the top of the chair back. Sharmaine had a dynamic stage connection with the audience.

Here is Venus showing her dance talent as she went from a slow song to taking off her gown and pop dancing across the floor.

Here is Jackielyn Bernabe, winner of Most Amazing Impersonator and Most Amazing Dancer. We hope to see more of Jackielyn's dance performance as she truely was captivating.

Here is Tammy, a true winner in our hearts, as she shined with an incredible stage performance.
There should have been an award for Most Amazing Hair all by its self!

Island Dyke

My Role Model Post

Here is part of my role model post for my health and wellness class discussion I mentioned. I found the American Psychological Association web-site to be very informative and positive when discussing sexual orientation and homosexuality.

• "The American Psychological Association (2004) reports that research show that individuals with positive attitudes toward gays, lesbians, and bisexuals (GLB) know one or more GLB as a co-worker or friend. Sharing one’s sexual orientation, known as “coming out”, is beneficial for one’s mental health and helps to higher self-esteem. Additionally, educating individuals within a community will likely diminish anti-gay prejudice. One may ask what the effects of anti-gay prejudice are. In a lifetime victimization study Balsam et al. (2005) they did a comparison study of LGB and heterosexuals in a primarily European American sample. They found that LGB individuals reported more occurrences of physical and psychological abuse by parents, more partner abuse in adulthood, more childhood sexual abuse, and more sexual assault in adulthood than heterosexual individuals.
  
  In the past few years it has been more challenging to get out into the community to promote health and wellness with being a new parent to two young ones, however I have found a way to get to the community from within the compounds of my home. This is through the wonderful world of blogging. In Saipan there is a social network of bloggers. In my blog, www.gayinsaipan.blogspot.com, I have addressed such issues as suicide for GLBT teens, “coming-out”, local events for GLBT support, GLBT health issues such as breast cancer and prostate cancer, disabilities and sexuality, GLBT equal rights issues, and more. In Saipan the GLBT community is mostly underground as 80-90% of the community is Catholic and the social atmosphere is similar to the militaries “don’t ask, don’t tell”. It is through my blog that I hope to share and bring awareness to the community about GLBT issues and promoting health and wellness. As our children get older, as a family unit and individually, I will become involved again in promoting health and wellness within our community from outside of our home."

Island Dyke

Reference:

Balsam, KF, Rothblum, ED & Beauchaine, TP. (2005). Victimization over the life span: a comparison of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual siblings. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 73, No. 3, pp. 477-87. Retrieved on February 28, 2008, from PubMed.

No author listed. (2004). Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality. American Psychological Association. Retrieved on February 28, 2008, from http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/article.php?id=31.

Health & Wellness

I am just finishing up with a six week course on health and wellness. I am down to the final discussion board post in which they ask how how am I serving as a role model in my community for promoting health and wellness. I am planning on sharing how in this blog I address issues about health and wellness that affect this local community as well as other communities as blogs are world wide access. It is not my only goal to raise community health and wellness issues but to also raise community awareness for GLBT issues.

One interesting aspect I would like to share from my class is five of the "Ten Warning Signs of Wellness:

• Episodic outbreaks of joyful, happy experiences
• A tendency to identify and communicate feelings
• The persistent presence of a support network
• Chronic positive expectations; the tendency to frame events in a constructive light
• An increased appetite for physical activity" (Insel & Roth, 2004, pp. 3)

And now for my 'Top Five Warning Signs of a Well GLBT Individual':

• Episodic bursts of jumping up and down to YMCA
• Non-stop talking about how one is sooooooo upset because so and so hurt their feelings, can you believe it?
• The presence of 'Queer as Folk' and 'The L-word' parties for GLBT network and support
• Flaming events under stage lights, beauty pagent positive expectations of being crowned
• An increased appetite for physical activity, baby!

Ok, I was just having a little fun. Come up with a better list. ;0)

Island Dyke

Reference:

Insel & Roth (2004). Core Concepts in Health. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., New York, NY, 10020.

Lesbo Connections in Saipan

The resources of lesbian networking in Saipan are limited. And although I love hanging out with my gay and straight friends I do need my intermittent fix of lesbian socializing. When we lived in San Diego we had our connection. It was a group of lesbians and bisexual women that met once a week for a social connection, we were called LINC (Lesbians in North County). Lately there has been a few new coming outs along with making some new connections which has helped improve our Saipan lesbian socializing. I wonder though how other lesbians on Saipan are fairing. Is there some other secret group that gathers?

Katie Peoples (2007, pp. 54) in Curve gives 10 recommended sites for lesbian social networking. These include: OurChart, MySpace, Linkedin, Imeem, GLEE, Olivia, Flickr, Facebook, Bebo, and FabFemme. She further states that "a recent Harris Interactive/Witeck-Combs survey showed that queer women use social networking sites much more than straight gals". Well if you live on a small island where the odds are severely limited I can definitely see why lesbians would be surfing these sites.

Reference:

Peoples, Katie (2007). Networking Lesbians Three women find the MySpace connection. Curve The best-selling lesbian magazine, Vol. 17, No. 10.

More on Gaydar

My friend the Rev sent me a link to an article on gaydar. Kaplan (2008) reports on a study done out of Tufts University in which they showed men and women faces of gay and straight men at various timed intervals between 33 milliseconds to 10 seconds. The result found that at a timed interval of 100 milliseconds the participants were correct 70% of the time. More time did not improve the identification correctly.

I am curious if I go back and take the gaydar test I posted previously and make an instant choice if I will improve my score. Here is the link if any one wants to try again. http://www.okcupid.com/gaydar

Ok I went and tried it out and I "suck". (50%) I tried answering instantly and see what I got, I did better taking my time and studying the photos as I had got an 80% then.

What do you think about the validity to such a study or what it's implications could mean?

Island Dyke

Reference:

Kaplan, Matt (2008) An Eye for Sexual Orientation. ScienceNOW Daily News. Retrieved on February 1, 2008 from http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/118/3?eaf.

WARNING: Boys on Saipan

Sorry to all my frequent viewers for being so delinquent in posting. My excuses are numerous and boring so I won't mention them, except for that one fantasy vacation on the set of the L-Word.

I have heard recently from a friend of a situation that is taking place in Saipan that is of utter most disgust. There is a young man of possible Pacific Islander descent that is stalking gay men on Saipan. This young man, after consentual sexual relations, has then told that he is under age and then demands a financial pay-off to keep his mouth shut. I have been told that this has happened to two gay men so far and that this young man is a stocker. He has gone to the extent of following his victims down and acting out aggressively in his demands.

Warning to all, check ID's before nooky nooky, and always wear your protection! And if you are having relations with a stranger, please make sure your friends know where you are going. Have fun and be safe.

Island Dyke