NEWSBYALEX DAVIDSON

I’ve been wanting to write about the Real Housewives series for awhile now but, as a journalist, I didn’t have my lead – until I saw this headline: “Kim G. of the 'Real Housewives' to volunteer at LGBT Pride Festival in Jersey City.”

Before I go further, I just want to point out that Kim G. isn’t even a “real” housewife on the New Jersey version of the Housewives.

But now to my main point: gays are portrayed horribly on all the Real Housewives shows. Gay men (I don’t think a lesbian or trans person has even been on any of the shows. I’m happy to stand corrected though) are essentially jesters in the show. We are there for “our ladies” when their husbands aren’t there to tell them they look beautiful. We’re there when they need fashion advice. We’re there when they need a laugh. But are we ever portrayed in a dynamic way? As human beings? I have to say no.

Nearly all U.S. hospitals are now required to administer health care to LGBT people and their kin, effectively voiding discriminatory state and municipal laws.

The Joint Commission, the accrediting agency behind 80% of the nation’s hospitals, published a report Wednesday that requires the providers it supervises to, among other things, not discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

“The Joint Commission has taken the right position on many of the most important issues related to LGBT health. This is a huge step forward that has the potential to significantly improve the quality of care that LGBT people receive,” said Joel Ginsberg, former Executive Director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. Ginsburg was a member of a panel that helped the Joint Commission develop the new standards and guidelines.

“The impact may be exponentially larger if we can persuade other parts of the health care sector to follow the Joint Commission’s lead,” Ginsburg said.

The report, called Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care: A Roadmap for Hospitals, also mandates the following:

Professional sports and the LGBT community don’t usually mix, mainly because the sports teams don’t have an active policy of encouraging us to be out on the court/field, let alone be out and proud in the stands.

But that seems to be changing – a bit. You’d never think it, but it seems that professional sports teams are warming to the idea of having LGBT nights. When it comes to the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Golden State Warriors in California became only the third team to hold an LGBT-focused event earlier this year. The Toronto Raptors were first in 2004, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers.

I wanted to get a sense of what’s going on behind the scenes at a professional sports team. I got in with Lorrie-Ann Diaz, director of marketing communications and advertising for LeBron James’ new team the Miami Heat. Lorrie-Ann is out and proud and offered some great insight on what it’s like to work for a professional sports team and how “the straights” and she interact.

I want to know what your experience has been like as a lesbian working for a major sports team. It sounds like it has been a positive one. Can you tell me why?

I’m delighted to say that my experience as an out lesbian working for a major pro sports team has been a very good one. Perhaps it sounds cliché, but the HEAT’s business operation is a microcosm of our city. We are a very diverse workforce - at every level. And fortunately for those of us who work here, this diversity is welcomed and celebrated.

At the end of the day, we work in sports and entertainment: an industry that creates fun. As such, playfulness and fun is part of our professional DNA. Well, during my first year with the club, my then girlfriend sent me a bouquet of flowers. As I carried the bouquet back to my desk (our office is wide open, like a newsroom), my boss jokingly teased, “Ooh! Someone’s got a man!”

I smiled to myself and thought: “There’s no way I’ll be able to stomach more of that teasing! It will be too stressful and taxing to lie about who I am." So a few days later, I invited my boss (the EVP/CMO) out to lunch.

At lunch, when I disclosed my sexuality (and he apologized for his unwitting faux pas), he was incredibly kind, compassionate and very supportive. And I knew part of that compassion and understanding stems from his own life (he’s a minority himself and in an inter-racial marriage).  When I think back to that time - 2010/2011 will be my 11^th season - it was only about eight months into my employment with the HEAT. I knew I was taking an enormous risk. But his reaction exceeded my expectations and, as the fairytale goes, we've lived happily ever after!

My first thought after hearing Sarah Palin and Kate Gosselin were going camping together was: “Why wasn’t I invited?”

I have had enough drama in my life the last few weeks to pitch a reality show to TLC – the network that seems to be the modern day version of the traveling circus.

We were visiting my family in Los Angeles and, when driving back from the airport, my father told me he got a piece of wedding-related hate mail at his office that was “too graphic” to show me. This was followed up by a voicemail message venting the same hate written in the letter.

The icing on the cake was when my new husband and I went to board our return flight on United and, for some reason, we were told we could not board together even though I’m a frequent flyer with “boarding privileges.” Even after we told the agent we were married – in this case that might have made things worse – we still had to board separately after being humiliated in front of queued up passengers.

I think the above, edited appropriately, would make for at least one episode of “Alex & Richard Got Married: Now What?” on TLC. And we’d probably have some highlights left over for when the credits roll.

I got a lovely piece of hate mail last week at work. Some man named “Abe” sent me a postcard with two fish on the front facing opposite directions — “How does this person know I’m a Pisces? I asked myself. Then I read the message on the back:

“Alex — Found it hard to believe you would have a high profile wedding. FAGGOTS AGAINST MAGGOTS are to keep their heads down. ~Abe”

I was really taken aback. I immediately showed my straight co-workers, telling them this is the crap I have to deal with on a regular basis. Once I got over the anger in the message, I wanted to laugh about it, so that’s when I went to my fellow gays in the office and showed them.

After making the rounds to people, and reading and re-reading that message, I suddenly realized just how important same-sex marriage is to promoting LGBT equality — and why domestic partnerships just aren’t enough.

See, if I were to have had my announcement in the New York Times that I got domestic partnered (I have been twice leading up to my marriage), I don’t think Abe (oddly enough, my grandfather’s name) would have cared enough to write me such a nice postcard. It was that I could get married and that I was seen as equal to all the other couples on the “Weddings & Celebrations” page that made Abe so angry.

Victoria Kolakowski, a candidate for Alameda County Superior Court Judge, is aiming to be the first transgender judge in the judicial branch of the U.S. government. The New York born candidate, who now lives outside of San Francisco, finished first in her historic bid for a seat on the Alameda County Superior Court in last month's primary race. Voters will decide this fall whether to elect Kolakowski. She is currently an administrative law judge for the state Public Utilities Commission.

Alex Davidson had the opportunity to run a Q & A with Kolakowski. Check out her answers below, and stay tuned to see whether Kolakowski succeeds in breaking yet another LGBT glass ceiling.

1. This one's easy and just a clarification: if elected, you would be the first transgender trial court judge elected in the U.S., or first transgender judge of any court in the U.S.?

As far as we know, I would be the first openly transgender trial court judge in the U.S., or in more legalese jargon, judge of a court of general jurisdiction. I am presently an administrative law judge, which I argue is a judge, but this would be the first judge in the judicial branch of government.

2. How have you handled your spirituality in your practice of law? And how, if at all, would your spirituality affect your ability to be an effective judge?

My faith reinforces my understanding that each person has intrinsic worth and should be treated with respect, that we are all entitled to fair and equitable treatment under the law, and that integrity, honesty, and other virtues still have meaning and value in the world. It has given me compassion for the powerless and the oppressed, and an appreciation for the importance of justice. Also, it has made me sensitive to the fact that we all make mistakes, but that we nonetheless have to live with the consequences of our actions.

Beyond those sort of considerations, I do my best to separate my individual faith beliefs, as well as my political beliefs, from impacting my interpretation of the law. The judges who won’t make that separation, who place their own religious beliefs above the law, those are the activist judges, and they are as likely to be on the far right as on the left. That is contrary to what I value most about the law.

As an administrative law judge, I have never knowingly substituted my own preferences for the underlying laws that I am enforcing, even when I disagree with those laws.

Times are hard all around, and LGBT nonprofits are feeling it in their bottom line.

Foundations and other grant makers have had to cut back their giving as the economic meltdown dealt their portfolios a major hit. In more cheery news, a report from The Foundation Center warns that this year’s decline in giving has not only been worse than previously thought, but also will continue into 2010.

“The majority of grant makers responding to the survey believe that the nonprofit community in general was not sufficiently prepared to weather the economic crisis, although most think that the nonprofits that do survive will emerge stronger than before,” wrote Steven Lawrence, senior director of research, at The Foundation Center.

So what does that mean for already-struggling LGBT nonprofits? Administrative cutbacks, staff layoffs, and increased competition for limited sources of funding.

There is one bright spot: the recent launch of a $10 million endowment called the Palette Fund.

I knew this would happen: folks would blame President Obama for our loss in Maine last night. My response: it’s not his fault, it’s ours.

We were the people who came up with the commercials. We plotted the strategy. We met people on the ground, knocked on doors. So why, when we lose, do we blame someone who had nothing to do with our campaign?

If you’re angry that Obama didn’t support us, that’s one thing, but blaming him for our loss is another. That’s almost like saying then V.P. Al Gore would’ve won the 2000 presidential election had Ralph Nader not run; it just doesn’t make sense.

It’s time that the gay community started fighting the fight and not blaming others when we lose.

Garden State Equality’s decision to immediately run pro-marriage advertisements following the election of Republican Chris Christie is a great move. Get out first. Don’t wait and be reactive, on the defensive. Why should we be waiting until people challenge our rights in each state. Let’s get out there now and fight for our rights!

Guest blogger Alex Davidson attended a presentation by Newark Mayor Cory Booker this past weekend in New Jersey.  Booker, one of the nation's rising political stars, spoke to members of the New York chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker addressed everything from bias crimes to re-development issues this past weekend in a forum with journalists and community members organized by the New York chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

Booker started off the discussion by admitting that Newark has not historically been an “enlightened” community when it comes to LGBT issues. Although he did not note clarify his remarks, those in the audience knew what he was talking about: the 2003 killing of Sakia Gunn and the 2007 school yard shootings of three college students. Gunn’s murder was a hate crime but the school yard deaths were not, even though much speculation still circulates since that area was a known hangout space for LGBT youth.

The mayor addressed the need to get Newark’s police better trained on dealing with LGBT cases and people, and he asked those in the audience to help codify what the city should view as bias crimes. He said he also is still working toward creating a “safe space” in Newark where LGBT youth can congregate.

“The challenges are perverse and pervasive,” Booker said of the hurdles Newark faces in establishing equal treatment for its LGBT residents. “We’ve made some good progress over the last three years, but we have more to do.”

Booker conceded that he’s waging an uphill fight when it comes to championing the LGBT cause. He conceded that, “…in the city of Newark, it’s ok to be hateful.” That mindset means citizens, clergy and politicians do not have to treat LGBT residents as equal and thus the community is routinely marginalized.

Community residents peppered booker with questions about how he can improve relations between LGBT people and the Newark Police Department. Booker said his office is close to announcing the creation of a LGBT liaison position that will work with the LGBT community on discrimination. The mayor also said that he is looking for consultants to come in and train the city’s police force on how to deal with LGBT residents and crimes against the community.

To date, Booker conceded the police force has not been the most aware of issues in the LGBT community. “We recognized the problem and it’s a major concern of ours,” he said.

Booker asked Newark residents to help him find religious allies who support the LGBT equality cause. The city, he explained, has a lot of clergy railing against LGBT folks and the fair treatment they seek. Personally, though, Booker described himself as a Christian and said: “I’m so offended by the depth of hatred (against LGBT people).”

On the national level, the mayor echoed his support for President Obama but said that, as a citizen, he is frustrated at the slow pace of change in for LGBT Americans. “We should continue pushing and agitating for change,” he said. “As an American, I am very concerned where we are on issues of equality and justice.”

Still, Booker said he understands that the president, as an executive, has to deal with multiple, country-changing issues that must first be dealt with.

The last points Booker made were about the upcoming gubernatorial election in New Jersey and the re-development of Newark.

For the governor’s race, Booker said he’s still backing incumbent Democratic Gov. John Corzine because, if re-elected, Corzine will fully support equal marriage rights in the Garden State. He also said Corzine’s re-election is necessary because there are New Jersey Supreme Court appointments coming up.

As for Newark’s renaissance, Booker said new businesses and residents continue moving into the city, making it on of the fastest-growing cities in the northeast. Booker encouraged LGBT couples to move into Newark because they will create demand for LGBT-owned establishments that could transform the face of downtown businesses.

The second day of questioning in the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor is underway, and while there weren't any major fireworks in day one, there were some interesting moments for citizens concerned about the fate of the death penalty and over-sentencing in the United States.

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina both targeted questions on the death penalty to Sotomayor. Durbin asked Sotomayor whether she agreed with former Justice Harold Blackmun that the death penalty has been unfairly administered in the United States.

She answered with caution:

The state of this question is different today than it was when Justice Blackmun came to his views. As a judge, I don't rule in an abstract. I rule in the context of a case that comes before me and a challenge to a situation and an application of the death penalty that arises in an individual case.

I've been and am very cautious about expressing personal views since I've been a judge. I find that people who listen to judges express their personal views on important questions that the courts are looking at, that they have a sense that the judge is coming into the process with a closed mind, that their personal views will somehow influence how they apply the law. It's one of the reasons why, since I've been a judge, I've always been very careful about not doing that. And I think my record speaks more loudly than I can.