Finnie's Halloween Balls

One of the things I was fascinated to discover when I started perusing the digital copies of EBONY and JET magazines that are now online thanks to Google's deal with Johnson Publishing Company was that they covered the Finnie's Halloween drag ball in Chicago and another affair at the Rockland Palace in New York.

Finnie's Ball got its start in 1935, and quickly became a must attend event for gay and straight South Side denizens.   It blew up to the point that it was attended by thousands of people and was featured in a 1952 EBONY magazine article on it and a similar event in New York.

Through the 50's, 60's and 70's if you peruse the issues of JET published in November it was almost a given that pictures of the drag kings and queens from the Finnie's Ball would be appearing on its pages.

Alfred Finnie didn't live long enough to see the ball he started grow to become the elaborate must attend Halloween event it did and garner the media coverage it did for decades.   

But seeing these pictures of Halloweens past is making me wonder if they will be having any type of ball on the South Side tonight? 

U of L Pride Week 2010

Won't be there, seeing the wonderful folks I got to know on campus or taking part in this one, (maybe next year) but the annual student-driven celebration of LGBT contributions to the University of Louisville campus and greater community kicks off later today.

The Pride keynote speech on Thursday will be given this year by Kate Clinton.

In addition the the keynote speech, it features a host of fun, educational events open to everyone! Whether you're LGBT or just interested in learning more about this community, join us for Pride 2010. Sponsored by the Vice Provost for Diversity and International Affairs, Information Technology, the Women's and Gender Studies Department, the Human Resources Department, and the School of Medicine.


Monday, September 20

11:00 am
Pride Flag Raising Ceremony with BlkOut
Clocktower, West Lawn

Noon
Pride Kickoff Cookout hosted by commonGround, LGBT Services, and BlkOut
Music, food, LGBT vendors, Pride shirts, dunking booth, and more!
West Lawn, Red Barn

7 pm
Film and Discussion, "Freeheld"
Presented by the Kentucky Fairness Alliance
Hosted by Faculty and Staff for Human Rights
Chao Auditorium

Tuesday, September 21

Noon
Brown Bag Lunch: Domestic Violence and LGBT Relationships
Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice

4 pm
Field Day/Gay Games with commonGround
West Lawn

7 pm
Louisville is Burning: Exploring Ball Culture
Sponsored by BlkOut
Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library

Wednesday, September 22

11:30 am
International Tea/Lunch
LGBT Issues Abroad
Cultural Center

7 pm
Parents Night with PFLAG
Hosted by commonGround
Cultural Center, Multipurpose Room

Thursday, September 23

Noon
Pride Interfaith Service
Interfaith Center

4-5:30 pm
Queer Women's Health Caucus
Hosted by Campus Heatlh Services
Light dinner included.
Multipurpose Room, Cultural Center

6 pm
LGBT Alumni Reception
The Intersection, Red Barn

Kate Clinton 7 pm
Pride Keynote Address by Kate Clinton
"Lady Ha Ha Does Louisville"
Comstock Hall, School of Music

Parking for Kate Clinton keynote: Choose the red parking lot next door to the School of Music, the blue lot at 3rd and Brandeis, or the Speed Museum's parking garage on 3rd Street. Directions are available here.

8 pm
After Party for Kate Clinton
The Monkey Wrench (21 and over)
1025 Barret Avenue



Friday, September 24

7 pm
Pride Rally to Honor LGBT and Ally Women
Red Barn, West Lawn

8:30 pm
Pride Rally After Party
Hosted by BlkOut
Wick's Pizza
975 Baxter Avenue
Saturday, September 25


9 am
Statewide Fairness Summit
Floyd Theatre, Student Activities Center

9 pm
Pride Dance
Hosted by CommonGround
Red Barn

Sunday, September 26

11 am
Pride Service
Community Empowerment Center
1036 Euclid Avenue

1 pm
Louisville AIDS Walk
The Belvedere, Downtown Louisville
Onnembo

On Display

Ekstrom Library will be displaying books and memorabilia from its LGBT collection all week. Stop by anytime to the display and learn more about the resources available on campus.

Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit Rapidly Approaching

The Second Annual Texas Transgender Nondiscrimination Summit is rapidly approaching.

It's underwritten by the Hollyfield Foundation and sponsored by the Texas A&M GLBT Resource Center, Starbucks, Transgender Foundation of America, Rice University, Frye and Associates, and Equality Texas.

The event is free and is being held on the campus of Rice University in Houston July 20-21. Both sessions in the Kyle Morrow Room of the Fondren Library start at 10:00 AM CDT and end at 4:00 PM CDT.

The registration deadline has passed, but I've been advised by the event organizers you can still register and are encouraged to come. If you do, be advised your food and parking are on your own dime.

The TTNS is a strategy sharing summit in which you can learn what works and what doesn't in terms of changing policies on campuses to protect transgender faculty, staff, and students.

It will also be an opportunity to make connections with persons already doing this work, learn about their successes and failures, and help you get up to speed and involved in the struggle to make Texas college campuses more trans friendly.

The TTNS Organizing Committee is pleased to note that 78 people are already registered to attend the summit from over 18 colleges and universities in Texas.

Here's the map for those of you driving. Rice University is accessible on the METRORail Red Line via the Hermann Park/Rice U station at Fannin and Sunset or the Memorial Hermann Hospital/Houston Zoo Stations.

The library's address is 6100 Main Street on the Rice University campus.

Looking forward to getting reconnected with and seeing many of my fellow Texas TBLG activists next week.

All Trans Cast Film 'Bella Maddo' Premieres At Outfest 2010

One of the things the trans community has long complained about is having cispeople playing trans roles in films and not getting the opportunity to do the reverse.

Now we have a groundbreaking film that not only features an all trans cast of men, women and children, they have flipped the casting script and the trans actors are all playing non trans roles.

"There are very limited roles for transgender actors in film and television," stated Bella Maddo' director Janice Danielle. "By making this film I am hoping to expand acting opportunities and increase the visibility of the trans community."

The short film by Danielle is called 'Bella Maddo' and it opened last night at the 28th annual Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.





"We are proud to premiere this witty, entertaining and ultimately ground-breaking film," said Outfest Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer. "Bella Maddo really demonstrates Janice Danielle's range as both an actor and a director."

"Bella Maddo" has appeared at the Cannes Film Festival 2010 in the Short Film Corner and is currently in development as a six part mini-series.

Some of the notable people in the all trans cast is my sis Isis King and transkid Miss Jazz from the Barbara Walters 20/20 report on trans children.

It premiered at Outfest last night and will run again July 15th as part of the comedy shorts program called "From Uranus to Titicaca". It will be part of a July 17th special event called "Transpolitics Then and Now: from Queens at Heart to Bella Maddo."

Outfest 2010 started July 8 and will continue through July 18.

Looking forward to seeing the film and hopefully the miniseries.

Not Feeling The Equality March

We are guaranteed equal protection by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. Free and equal people do not bargain for or prioritize our rights, so we are coming to DC this October 10-11 to demand equal protection in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Now.

The march is not our final destination. It is our first step toward building a national grassroots network that will continue organizing until we have achieved full equality.

The Equality March is fast approaching. It's amazing how fast this has been put together, the number of sponsors compiled, and the long list of prominent activists, GLBT bloggers and organizations that have declared their support for the march that will take place October 11-12 in our nation's capital.

You'll notice that I'm not one of them.

I think the Equality March is a good idea. I just question its value and whether it will achieve its goal of full equality.

It also depends on what the organizers definition of 'full equality' is as well.

There's a group in Kalamazoo, MI battling the Forces of Intolerance that could use some major help, volunteers and cash in keeping their GLBT law on the books.

But what do you see when you click on the NEM website? Links to the No on 1 Maine campaign and none to One Kalamazoo.

So as I suspect, I'm anticipating and willing to put money on is that the majority of the messages we'll hear on that day will overwhelmingly pertain to and be about marriage equality.

That has led to my ambivalence about this march.

My ambivalence is fueled by several factors. It's being timed for a weekend in which Congress is on a holiday recess. Translation; there will be no congrescritters in town.

I understand the planners wanted to mark the 30th anniversary of the first national march on Washington for LGBT Rights and National Coming Out Day. But we have pending ENDA and hate crimes legislation being considered in Congress right now that could have benefited from a swarm of GLBT citizens hitting the Hill to speak to congressmembers about it

It's legislation that unlike marriage equality will benefit a wide spectrum of the GLBT community.

It is diverting scarce community financial resources in the midst of a recession.

“We will continue this fight in every state, in every county, every city and every town, but we are now determined to take this fight to the federal government, to our President Barack Obama, to the Congress and the Supreme Court of the United States.”

NEM organizer Cleve Jones, May 31, 2009, Fresno, California

Reading that quote, noting the action alert on the NEM website soliciting support of Rep. Jerrod Nadler's DOMA repeal bill and the silence on ENDA and hate crimes legislation has only crystallized that impression, not dispelled it.

“The Constitution’s promise to all citizens certainly extends to LGBT Americans-particularly the Fourteenth Amendment’s promise of equal protection of the laws.” President Barack Obama

While I agree with the concept of emphasizing the 14th Amendment to overturn anti- GLBT laws, I think the major thrust of this movement should be a cause that covers the broadest section of our coalition, securing ENDA and hate crimes legislation.

Marriage equality, while its a laudable goal, doesn't meet that test.