Equal Junction

For those of you who do not know who Harvey Milk is, we understand. Milk departed from this Earth before we were born. We have known of Milk’s history for years due to our own self-teachings of LGBT history. Please watch the following clip.

The first openly Gay politician (Supervisor Harvey Milk of San Francisco,CA) was a superhuman who let the pride flag wave.  Milk, along with Mayor Moscone, were assassinated by former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White in 1978. Milk’s final campaign manager, Anne Kronenberg once wrote the following regarding Milk, “What set Harvey apart from you or me was that he was a visionary. He imagined a righteous world inside his head and then he set about to create it for real, for all of us.”

Photos Via Wiki Commons and Wiki Commons

Great interview with the late Harvey Milk on the show News Talk shortly before his assassination.  This is over 30 years ago, and still, their conversation holds true to today’s politics

Remember there are people you do not even know yet who love you.  As you continue your life, may you love yourself and have fun learning about the ones you love and will love you in return.

No matter your sexuality, you are you, and you should never feel that taking your own life is the only way to escape bullying.

According to youthsuicide.ca.org, here are signs that one is considering suicide:

• Signs of depression or feelings of hopelessness
• Lack of interest or energy (or wild variations in energy levels)
• Changes in eating habits, sleep patterns, or personal appearance
• Increase in anxiety or anxiety related illnesses (head aches, stomach aches)
• Any dramatic changes in behaviour, actions, or attitude
• Being unusually quiet or unusually aggressive/angry
• Dropping out of hobbies, sports, school, or job
• Talking about death or cult figures who died by suicide
• Preoccupation with death, dying, or suicide * (includes joking about death or suicide, creative writing, poetry, artwork)
• A sudden elated mood following a time of depression*
• A previous suicide attempt *
• Serious talk of suicide*
• Talking about or making a suicide plan *
• Risk taking behaviour (driving recklessly, unsafe sex) *
• Increase in alcohol or drug use *
• Giving away prize possessions, saying good-bye, writing a will, writing farewell letters *

* Indicates the more serious warning signs

Things one may hear:

• “Nothing ever goes right for me.”
• “It’ll all be over soon.”
• “Whatever, nothing matters anyway.”
• “I might as well kill myself”*
• “I hate life” *
• “Everyone would be better off without me” *
• “I just can’t take it anymore.” *
• “I wish I was dead.” *

* Indicates the more serious warning signs

The Trevor Project is a great resource that is available 24/7 If you or someone you care about displays any of these warning signs, please do not hesitate to call The Trevor Lifeline at: 866-4-U-TREVOR(866-488-7386) to speak with a trained volunteer counselor. CALL BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!!

Photo Via

Tonight there will be a vigil for the LGBT youths who took their own lives after being bullied. May they rest in peace and teach us to respect one another.  If you or someone you know is having a personal crisis right now, please dial 911 or speak with a counselor at The Trevor Project or dial 1-866-4-U-TREVOR

VIGIL WILL BE AT THE WEST HOLLYWOOD PARK
JUST SOUTH OF THE ABBEY
OCT. 5TH 7PM-8PM

CANDLELIGHT VIGIL TO REMEMBER THE LIVES OF:

PLEASE JOIN US IN REMEMBERING OUR LGBT TEENS THAT WE LOST TO SUICIDE. LET’S SHOW SUPPORT TO OUR YOUTH……. SHOW THEM, THAT LIFE DOES GET BETTER! AND HOW BEAUTIFUL LIFE IS! PLEASE BRING A CANDLE, BRING A COMPANION, AND COME SHOW COMMITMENT TO END BULLYING, HATE. AND TO HONOR THE LIVES OF THESE INNOCENT LGBT TEENS!

Photo Via

October 4th, 2008. We became one and were married at the Sunset Marquis in Hollywood, CA. We cannot believe its already been 2 years, it has moved so quickly, and the politics and environment have done the same. Still, as evident by the recent losses of youth, we have a lot more to do.

We never thought our marriage as an ‘at last’, but a new beginning to be one of the pioneers for the future of our community. Yes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it will get better. We wish we could have the ears of every LGBT person and say things are going to be just fine. There will be some turbulence, but eventually we will land safely and arrive at a destination where RESPECT will be there to embrace all of us!

Keep on fighting, keep raising the bar, and cope and deal with the obstacles that may come our way.

In Pride,

The Cermak-Ochoa’s

If I remember correctly, when we used to live in Chicago, the Windy City times hit newsstands every Thursday.  This week marks their 25th anniversary and is Chicago’s oldest Gay & Lesbian newspaper.  The Windy City Times started in 1985 with a small voice, but a long-term dream that LGBT topics would not only come from The Windy City Times, but that their own newspaper would continue, as other media, to have our news stories and issues mainstream.

Co-founder and current publisher Tracy Baim says “25 years is an important milestone because the modern gay rights movement had just begun its strongest push in the 1960s and 1970s.”

She says now that gay issues are covered better in the mainstream media, niche publications are crucial for covering the community in more meaningful ways.

Check out their online site HERE

Photo Via Wiki Commons

This Sunday, we will be at the First and Hope Supper Club (photos above and below) where they have opened their doors to the ‘Friends of Project 10′.  On the 26th, Friends of Project 10 will hold an event “Broadway Matinee” in the Fedora Cabaret Lounge.  There will be live broadway performances and leaders who currently fight for the LGBT youth of Los Angeles.

Founded in 1984 by Dr. Virginia Uribe, Friends of Project 10 are dedicated to providing educational support services to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and questioning youth who attend public school campuses.  Project 10 currently has groups or contact people in the majority of LAUSD’s high schools. Over the years it has expanded to include middle and continuation schools. Portions of the Project 10 model are replicated in schools across the country.

First and Hope Supper Club is located at 710 W. 1st St. on Bunker Hill.  It features modern American comfort food, handcrafted cocktails, and live entertainment.

Having attended First and Hope Supper Club, its an artistic dinner experience. As soon as you walk in the supper club, you are transcended into the charm of art deco, musical delights, and food to comfort your hunger.

For more information, please contact Robert St. Genis at (213)-291-6971.

To learn more about project 10 CLICK HERE