Showing posts with label GLBT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GLBT. Show all posts
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Lonely Death of Lisa Pond
By Caleb T. Maupin
Published Oct 8, 2009 10:37 PM
Like much of the media, the government and other voices of the wealthy ruling class at the top of U.S. society, the Jackson Health System says it does not discriminate against or oppress gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people. This profiteering enterprise that treats ill people who can afford to pay for it, says that they have “taken great pride in serving everyone who enters ... regardless of race, creed, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.” (Miami Herald, Sept. 29)
Like the capitalist-controlled government, the capitalist-owned media, and every other voice that claims that the oppression of the LGBT community does not exist, the Jackson Health System was lying and distorting the truth.
They made this statement after being sued by Janice Langbehn. When Langbehn’s partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond, was dying of a brain aneurysm, Langbehn and the couple’s three children were not allowed to visit her. Pond died in her hospital bed at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, alone. Jackson Health Systems was protected by the capitalist courts when they recently dismissed the lawsuit brought against the hospital.
“The hospital took the position that we thought was pretty extreme—that it has no duty, no legal obligation, to allow visitors [of any sort] in the hospital. The court agreed,” said Beth Littrell, a staff attorney for Lambda Legal, a national gay-rights group representing Langbehn.
Lisa Pond and Janice Langbehn certainly loved each other just as much as any legally married couple, but in Florida, like in so many other states, this love is considered second-class. The couple did not follow the unwritten rules that capitalist social relations impose on LGBT people in patriarchal society. They did not deny their sexual feelings in order to satisfy the dictates of this profit-based society.
Pond and Langbehn loved each other, and even though they could not legally marry, or even make love in some states until 2003, they did not deny this love. They lived together and were the parents of three children. When Pond was struck with the fatal aneurysm, they were preparing to leave on a vacation cruise exclusively for lesbian and gay couples and their families.
For their rebellion against the established patriarchal family structure, mandated by the system of private property, Pond and Langbehn were punished severely. Pond died alone in her bed. Langbehn lived on, having been unable to spend the last few hours with her loved one before she died.
This case should raise several questions in people’s minds. What exactly did Langbehn do to deserve to lose the love of her life in this horrific way? What did Pond do to deserve to die alone in the hospital, away from her partner? What kind of system do we live under that basic human rights and dignity are denied to LGBT people? How many others must die alone?
Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Published Oct 8, 2009 10:37 PM
Like much of the media, the government and other voices of the wealthy ruling class at the top of U.S. society, the Jackson Health System says it does not discriminate against or oppress gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people. This profiteering enterprise that treats ill people who can afford to pay for it, says that they have “taken great pride in serving everyone who enters ... regardless of race, creed, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.” (Miami Herald, Sept. 29)
Like the capitalist-controlled government, the capitalist-owned media, and every other voice that claims that the oppression of the LGBT community does not exist, the Jackson Health System was lying and distorting the truth.
They made this statement after being sued by Janice Langbehn. When Langbehn’s partner of 18 years, Lisa Pond, was dying of a brain aneurysm, Langbehn and the couple’s three children were not allowed to visit her. Pond died in her hospital bed at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, alone. Jackson Health Systems was protected by the capitalist courts when they recently dismissed the lawsuit brought against the hospital.
“The hospital took the position that we thought was pretty extreme—that it has no duty, no legal obligation, to allow visitors [of any sort] in the hospital. The court agreed,” said Beth Littrell, a staff attorney for Lambda Legal, a national gay-rights group representing Langbehn.
Lisa Pond and Janice Langbehn certainly loved each other just as much as any legally married couple, but in Florida, like in so many other states, this love is considered second-class. The couple did not follow the unwritten rules that capitalist social relations impose on LGBT people in patriarchal society. They did not deny their sexual feelings in order to satisfy the dictates of this profit-based society.
Pond and Langbehn loved each other, and even though they could not legally marry, or even make love in some states until 2003, they did not deny this love. They lived together and were the parents of three children. When Pond was struck with the fatal aneurysm, they were preparing to leave on a vacation cruise exclusively for lesbian and gay couples and their families.
For their rebellion against the established patriarchal family structure, mandated by the system of private property, Pond and Langbehn were punished severely. Pond died alone in her bed. Langbehn lived on, having been unable to spend the last few hours with her loved one before she died.
This case should raise several questions in people’s minds. What exactly did Langbehn do to deserve to lose the love of her life in this horrific way? What did Pond do to deserve to die alone in the hospital, away from her partner? What kind of system do we live under that basic human rights and dignity are denied to LGBT people? How many others must die alone?
Articles copyright 1995-2009 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Marat/Sade: A Relevant Debate
Peter Weiss' classic verse play, which I first read as a teen, is all the more relevant today. The play is a debate between Jean-Paul Marat, the agitational journalist of the French Revolution, and Marquis de Sade the pornographer locked away in a mental institution.
The subject of the debate is whether Charlotte Corday was justified in murdering the leader of the French Revolution in the hopes of causing an end to the bloodshed of the infamous "reign of terror."
The debate is thus:
Marquis de Sade: Revolutions are bloody, violent, and oppressive. They are based on idealistic notions of a perfect world. Ultimately all we can do in this "dog-eat-dog" world is weaken the oppressive apparatus of the state, and try to survive.
Jean-Paul Marat: The "dog-eat-dog" world has no chance of improving unless the people take up arms to change it. People dying is sometimes necessary for history to march forward. Until there is a perfect world, the duty of people is to constantly be at war.
Essentially, as society crumbles, should we rise up and try and build a better world, or just try and survive as long as we can?
Full Film Youtube Playlist
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Protest Against "Ex-Gay" Speaker at Baldwin-Wallace College
The B-W Chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ invited an "Ex-Gay" speaker to preach about why homosexuality is a "disease" that must be "cured." Nearly 30 students protested the event, with only about 50 attending in support.
The Picket Line Outside of the Event
A Leader of Campus Crusade for Christ Gives Anti-LGBT and Anti-Woman Rant saying women exist simply to "help men."
A Lesbian B-W Student Challenges the Speaker
Interview with Lesbian Student After the Event is Over
The Picket Line Outside of the Event
A Leader of Campus Crusade for Christ Gives Anti-LGBT and Anti-Woman Rant saying women exist simply to "help men."
A Lesbian B-W Student Challenges the Speaker
Interview with Lesbian Student After the Event is Over
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Sexual Freedom and Enjoyment: West Germany v. East Germany
Do Communists Have Better Sex? (2006) Andre Meier, First Run/Icarus Films English Subtitles
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Book Review: Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" (SARCASTIC)
By Staff Writer Caleb T. Maupin
From the Latest Issue of Maelstrom Magazine
Jonah Goldberg hit the nail on the head. Liberals are fascists. He made a book with a cool picture on the cover, convincing us that y‟all were wrong when you thought fascism was right-wing. Goldberg lets us know that fascism is really a liberal idea.
His basis for this? A number of well thought out, logical points. For example, Hitler was a vegetarian. So are a lot of liberals.
It gets better. He argues that because in Nazi Germany there were bullhorns shouting orders and state propaganda at people all the time, that Hillary Clinton is a fascist, because in her book It Takes A Village she advocates television programs that give parenting advice being shown in public places.
Thank goodness we have great intellectuals like Jonah Goldberg. You see, people seem to have forgotten that Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini were really into tolerance and equality. Hitler loved people with different religions, sexual orientations, and races so much he gassed 14 million of them. That‟s what liberal tolerance is all about.
Adolph and Benito were really big on worker‟s rights as well. That‟s why they made trade unions illegal, and killed all of their lead-ers.
Oh, and just in case you wondered, Communism and fascism are the same thing, Mr. Goldberg reminds us. Sure the first group Hitler banned was the Communist Party, and he had millions of communists shot and executed. General historical rule: usually when one group totally wipes out another group and promises to wipe another group off the face of the earth, they are exactly the same.
Oh, and Goldberg also argues that be-cause leftists oppose Zionism and Hitler was anti-Semitic, they are the same. Yes, I‟m sure Hitler‟s disagreement with Judaism was based on compassion for brown-skinned Palestinians being persecuted in Israel, a country which wasn‟t created until after he died.
You see, Mr. Goldberg is doing what more people should be doing: convincing conservatives that what they already think is right. Were you a bit confused when your political science professor told you that Hitler was a staunch nationalist, militarist, sexist, homophobe, and racist, you know, kind of like Rush Limbaugh x1000? Don‟t worry, Jonah Goldberg will solve your confusion by reminding you that Fascism/Nazism, like all things that are bad, is the spawn of leftism, liberalism, tolerance, and compassion.
REPRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE MAELSTROM STAFF
From the Latest Issue of Maelstrom Magazine
Jonah Goldberg hit the nail on the head. Liberals are fascists. He made a book with a cool picture on the cover, convincing us that y‟all were wrong when you thought fascism was right-wing. Goldberg lets us know that fascism is really a liberal idea.
His basis for this? A number of well thought out, logical points. For example, Hitler was a vegetarian. So are a lot of liberals.
It gets better. He argues that because in Nazi Germany there were bullhorns shouting orders and state propaganda at people all the time, that Hillary Clinton is a fascist, because in her book It Takes A Village she advocates television programs that give parenting advice being shown in public places.
Thank goodness we have great intellectuals like Jonah Goldberg. You see, people seem to have forgotten that Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini were really into tolerance and equality. Hitler loved people with different religions, sexual orientations, and races so much he gassed 14 million of them. That‟s what liberal tolerance is all about.
Adolph and Benito were really big on worker‟s rights as well. That‟s why they made trade unions illegal, and killed all of their lead-ers.
Oh, and just in case you wondered, Communism and fascism are the same thing, Mr. Goldberg reminds us. Sure the first group Hitler banned was the Communist Party, and he had millions of communists shot and executed. General historical rule: usually when one group totally wipes out another group and promises to wipe another group off the face of the earth, they are exactly the same.
Oh, and Goldberg also argues that be-cause leftists oppose Zionism and Hitler was anti-Semitic, they are the same. Yes, I‟m sure Hitler‟s disagreement with Judaism was based on compassion for brown-skinned Palestinians being persecuted in Israel, a country which wasn‟t created until after he died.
You see, Mr. Goldberg is doing what more people should be doing: convincing conservatives that what they already think is right. Were you a bit confused when your political science professor told you that Hitler was a staunch nationalist, militarist, sexist, homophobe, and racist, you know, kind of like Rush Limbaugh x1000? Don‟t worry, Jonah Goldberg will solve your confusion by reminding you that Fascism/Nazism, like all things that are bad, is the spawn of leftism, liberalism, tolerance, and compassion.
REPRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE MAELSTROM STAFF
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Two Wars At Once
Printed in the Exponent Campus Newspaper under the title "Two Wars"
By Caleb T. Maupin
Contributing Writer
There is a lot of talk about the war in Iraq and the horrible things that are occurring in the Middle East. The war in Iraq should be ended as soon as possible. But it is not the only war that is going on. Right now in this country, there is another war, a war against the people.
Workers are losing so much. Wages are going down. People are losing their benefits. This year there are record evictions. Countless people are losing their homes due to the trickery of the bankers, and the bad state of the economy. So many jobs are disappearing, and workers are being forced to compete with people in the third world who will work for nearly nothing.
What more, a war against black Americans is taking place. Look at what is happening in Jena, Louisiana. Look at the amount of poverty there is in the inner cities. Look at how often we hear about police brutality and killings of black people.
A war against immigrants is occurring. In an effort to divide us, the media is whipping up anti-immigrant bigotry. They never mention that the reason so many immigrants are coming to this country is because the same corporations that are screwing us, have done horrors to the people of countries like Mexico and El Salvador. They never mention that in Mexico if workers seek a better life through organizing for it, the U.S. backed government is happy to suppress them with sheer brutality.
Gay people continue to be demonized 24 hours a day on “Christian” broadcasts, where Bible thumpers preach that gay people are “sinners” and will “go to hell”.
There is clearly a war against the people going on at the same as the war in Iraq. The big corporations, the people own the banks, factories, and oil wells are supporting the U.S. in dropping explosive and sometimes even chemical bombs in Iraq, at the same time they are dropping economic, racist, anti-immigrant, and homophobic bombs on us.
But we are fighting back. On Sept. 29th, there was a huge march of students, trade unionists, black nationalists, immigrants, and many others demanding “Stop the War at Home and Abroad.” Just like the Iraqis are fighting to win a better life for themselves by throwing the U.S. invaders out of their country, we must fight for ourselves by demanding that the robber barons and greedy exploiters who grip power be put in their place by a strong movement of the people.
I think we can do it. All power to the people!
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF EXPONENT CAMPUS MEDIA
By Caleb T. Maupin
Contributing Writer
There is a lot of talk about the war in Iraq and the horrible things that are occurring in the Middle East. The war in Iraq should be ended as soon as possible. But it is not the only war that is going on. Right now in this country, there is another war, a war against the people.
Workers are losing so much. Wages are going down. People are losing their benefits. This year there are record evictions. Countless people are losing their homes due to the trickery of the bankers, and the bad state of the economy. So many jobs are disappearing, and workers are being forced to compete with people in the third world who will work for nearly nothing.
What more, a war against black Americans is taking place. Look at what is happening in Jena, Louisiana. Look at the amount of poverty there is in the inner cities. Look at how often we hear about police brutality and killings of black people.
A war against immigrants is occurring. In an effort to divide us, the media is whipping up anti-immigrant bigotry. They never mention that the reason so many immigrants are coming to this country is because the same corporations that are screwing us, have done horrors to the people of countries like Mexico and El Salvador. They never mention that in Mexico if workers seek a better life through organizing for it, the U.S. backed government is happy to suppress them with sheer brutality.
Gay people continue to be demonized 24 hours a day on “Christian” broadcasts, where Bible thumpers preach that gay people are “sinners” and will “go to hell”.
There is clearly a war against the people going on at the same as the war in Iraq. The big corporations, the people own the banks, factories, and oil wells are supporting the U.S. in dropping explosive and sometimes even chemical bombs in Iraq, at the same time they are dropping economic, racist, anti-immigrant, and homophobic bombs on us.
But we are fighting back. On Sept. 29th, there was a huge march of students, trade unionists, black nationalists, immigrants, and many others demanding “Stop the War at Home and Abroad.” Just like the Iraqis are fighting to win a better life for themselves by throwing the U.S. invaders out of their country, we must fight for ourselves by demanding that the robber barons and greedy exploiters who grip power be put in their place by a strong movement of the people.
I think we can do it. All power to the people!
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF EXPONENT CAMPUS MEDIA
Friday, September 7, 2007
Battle Continues to Rage
Same-sex marriage rights won for an instant in Iowa
By Caleb T. Maupin
Published Sep 6, 2007 7:56 PM
The firmly established order represented by both the Republic and Democratic parties which says that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people should not enjoy the same rights as others, was cracked for a brief moment in Iowa on Sept. 29.
A judge in Polk County declared same-sex marriage legal, overruling the reactionary law which the state legislature had passed, euphemistically called “in defense of marriage.”
As soon as the announcement was made, LGBT people began to pour into the county to receive marriage licenses.
Normally those licenses require a waiting period of three business days before the marriage can be performed. But Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan, students at the University of Iowa, didn’t wait. They found a loophole in which a couple can avoid the waiting period with permission from a judge.
District Judge Scott Rosenberg made it possible for the couple to become spouses in the complete legal sense. When asked if he was making a political statement by signing for the speedy matrimony, Judge Rosenberg told the Des Moines Register: “I think had I not signed it, that would be a political statement. If I’m going to grant it for couples that are male and female, then why all the sudden should I change because a couple is the same sex?”
But the powers that be soon stepped in. After 21 licenses were signed, the ruling was put on hold; more couples were turned away.
Gregory Mathis and his partner didn’t make it to Polk County quickly enough.
Mathis told the Cedar Rapid Gazette: “It’s very disappointing, but I guess it’s not new. In the 1970s I didn’t get custody of my child because I’m gay. In the 1980s I was excommunicated from my church because I’m gay. I’ve had a lot of walls thrown up at me because I’m gay, this is just one more.”
It is the movement in the streets that has won the LGBT progress that has been made, and it is in the streets that an end to state discrimination against same-sex couples will be won.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Articles copyright 1995-2007 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
By Caleb T. Maupin
Published Sep 6, 2007 7:56 PM
The firmly established order represented by both the Republic and Democratic parties which says that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people should not enjoy the same rights as others, was cracked for a brief moment in Iowa on Sept. 29.
A judge in Polk County declared same-sex marriage legal, overruling the reactionary law which the state legislature had passed, euphemistically called “in defense of marriage.”
As soon as the announcement was made, LGBT people began to pour into the county to receive marriage licenses.
Normally those licenses require a waiting period of three business days before the marriage can be performed. But Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan, students at the University of Iowa, didn’t wait. They found a loophole in which a couple can avoid the waiting period with permission from a judge.
District Judge Scott Rosenberg made it possible for the couple to become spouses in the complete legal sense. When asked if he was making a political statement by signing for the speedy matrimony, Judge Rosenberg told the Des Moines Register: “I think had I not signed it, that would be a political statement. If I’m going to grant it for couples that are male and female, then why all the sudden should I change because a couple is the same sex?”
But the powers that be soon stepped in. After 21 licenses were signed, the ruling was put on hold; more couples were turned away.
Gregory Mathis and his partner didn’t make it to Polk County quickly enough.
Mathis told the Cedar Rapid Gazette: “It’s very disappointing, but I guess it’s not new. In the 1970s I didn’t get custody of my child because I’m gay. In the 1980s I was excommunicated from my church because I’m gay. I’ve had a lot of walls thrown up at me because I’m gay, this is just one more.”
It is the movement in the streets that has won the LGBT progress that has been made, and it is in the streets that an end to state discrimination against same-sex couples will be won.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Articles copyright 1995-2007 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
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