On A Pale Horse

Labels: 1928 births, 2010 deaths, activist, actor, cancer, military

From all accounts that I've read about Andrew Anthos it's completly obvious that this man wasn't about to live his life as everyone else wanted him to. He's been described as passionate, eccentric, a little crazy and a goal of his was to have the Lansing, MI capital dome lit up in red, white & blue to honor the military, police and firemen. There was actual talk of doing so for awhile but it wasn't a finiancially sound idea.
Mr. Anthos was riding on a Detroit bus on February 13, 2007 when he was approached by a stranger that was annoyed by his singing and questioned his sexuality. Not being ashamed of who he was Mr Anthos admitted he was gay and shortly thereafter exited the bus and helped a wheelchair bound man through the snow. The stranger followed Mr. Anthos and hit him on the back of the head with a metal object and left him for dead. Mr. Anthros remained in the hospital for 10 days and appeared to be recovering although he could barely speak and was paralyzed. On Wednesday, February 21st his condition deteriorated rapidly and he eventually passed away on February 23rd, 2007.

RIP


Detroit Freepress
Craines Detroit - March 12, 2007
365gay

Labels: 2007 February deaths, activist, murder

Ok, Tim Hardaway, what's the big f-ing deal. So someone's different then you... so what? But it's not really my place to judge him like that... isn't this America, freedom of speech, as long as it's not in a burning theater? Whatever, the world is so fractured at this point it's going to take a lot more then me bitching on an itty bitty blog. I mean really, what the hell can I do? What the hell can anybody do?
Barbara Gittings didn't feel like that. She was one of the pioneering lesbian activist in the United States. During her first year at Northwestern she became close to another female student, this prompted her to examine her own sexuality. In 1958 she founded the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis. Later she became an editor of The Ladder, a lesbian newsletter. During the 1970's she joined the movement to have the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality as a mental disorder. Ms. Gittings also championed the movement to include gay literature in the American library; in 2003 she was made a honorary member of the American Library Association.

Ms. Gittings passed away from breast cancer. She was with survived by partner of 46 years, Kay Tobin Lahusen and her sister.

July 31, 1932 - February 18, 2007
RIP

sources:
Philadelphia Citypaper
GLBT History Month

Labels: 1913 births, 2007 February deaths, activist, cancer

I stand for nothing. Hell, it even says it at the top of this blog. I do have the deepest admiration of people that have strong convictions; that have ideals that are for the good of all humans. There are many things out in the world that bother me but I've never really taken a public firm stance. I did march in an anti-war rally back in college but I'm not sure if that counts, I just did it because everyone else on my dorm floor was going. It was the strangest thing though. I was on the side that shouted "Support our Troops. Bring them home!" the opposing side was shouting "Give peace a chance". I guess we wanted the same thing we just couldn't agree on the right slogan.
Congressman Gerry Eastman Studds D-Mass was one of those guys that stood up for many things; most importantly his constituents in the fishing industry, an important economic base in his home state. He was the Chairman of the Fish and Wildlife Subcommittee and was ranking member of the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans. His passion continued even after his retirement from political life in 1997. In 1996, Congress named a 842-square-mile parcel of land after him in recognition of his work protecting the marine environment. The Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in Providencetown, MA is devoted to research and education of marine wildlife.
He was the first openly gay Congressman which he admitted during a 1983 sex scandal involving a 17 year old page. His lifestyle and this scandal did not hurt his political career and was re-elected to Congress even after being censured.
Mr Studds collapsed while walking his dog. It was determined that he had a blood clot in his lung. While he did regain consciousness his condition soon deteriorated after a second blood clot. He is survived by his husband of 2 years whom he married in a ceremony in Massachusetts after the state legalized homosexual marriage.

May 12, 1937 - October 14, 2006 RIP

Labels: 1937 births, 2006 October deaths, activist, blood clot, political

One of my least favorite traits in people is the name dropping, glomming on to friends of famous friends to get a chance to schmooze with celebrities. If you had enough talent, skills or personality you could be a true friend/associate rather then using a family member or friend. I've ran into a few people like this in my life, too bad, such a waste of sperm.

I know the story is that Patricia Kennedy's' brother, John F., introduced her to her husband Peter Lawford but I think that this introduction was a way to solidify his connection to the Rat Pack and closer to his alleged mistress Marilyn Monroe. But maybe that's my imagination working overtime. I've been accused of that before.

She worked with her brothers, John, Robert & Edwards political campaigns. After her divorce from Peter in 1965 she moved to New York and worked with the Committee of Literary Arts, the Kennedy Library and the National Center of Addiction.

She passed away due to complications of pneumonia.

May 6, 1924 - September 17, 2006 - RIP

Labels: 1924 births, 2006 September deaths, activist, pneumonia, political, related to someone famous

I have a thing for transvestites. Transvestites, sweaty men, and leather, great combination, huh? I think that the first vanilla transvestite that I and most of the Mid-West suburban Gen-X'ers knew of was Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari on "Bosom Buddies". I had such a mad crush on Hildegarde, and I know he/she was pretty matronly but there was something about him/her. The one thing I loved about that show was Amy, she was such a good friend to those two dorks. My love of Amy spilled over the 30 minutest that the show was on and I learned her name and subsequently since 1980 have screamed "WENDIE JO SPERBER" any time she was on TV to delight (ha) of boyfriends, friends and family. The woman was in a lot of things, especially 1941, Used Cars, Moving Violations, The Bachlor Party, and most recently guest starring on Will & Grace and 8 Simple Rules.

In 1997 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. By 2002 the cancer had spread through her body, she reached out to the breast cancer community and found the group weSPARK.
On November 29th she lost her battle with cancer and passed away.

September 15, 1958 - November 29, 2005

Labels: 1958 births, 2005 November deaths, activist, actor, cancer

In the summer of 1985, while away at summer camp, I had my one and only big sister. Her name was Laurie and she had to be the sweetest person I’d ever met in my whole life with an incredibly angelic voice. I wrote my mom and dad about her and they wrote back that they couldn’t wait to meet her. You can’t imagine how excited I was when Parents Day rolled around and I pointed her out when she sang the National Anthem at the Swim Show, I didn’t realize my parents’ jaws could drop that low. To me Laurie was the best-est person in the whole world; to my parents she was black.

The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 just 8 years before I was born. I know attitudes don’t change over night but every once in awhile my parents or grandparents will say or do something that blows my mind and that at one time in America it was all perfectly normal. It’s just the color of skin we’re not that different underneath it all.

Right down the road we’ve got The Henry Ford Museum that proudly displays the Rosa Parks Bus and patrons can walk through and see that a little place like that made a huge difference in the lives of so many people.

As a side note, I was in Atlanta on Monday for business. A co-worker, from Michigan, and her date, a local resident, were giving me the nickel tour showing me the sites. One thing that kept on coming up was that the city was still really segregated, and even some of her date’s comments were archaic. Pretty mind blowing.

Mrs. Parks made her home in Detroit in 1959 and worked for Congressman John Conyers. She passed away Monday, October 24th

February 13, 1913 - October 24, 2005
RIP

Labels: 1913 births, 2005 October deaths, activist, historical, natural causes, political

Once upon a time I was proud of the fact that I walked along lonely downtown Detroit street and came back alive. I'm a suburbinite, I fear the seedy underbelly of a busy metropolis. My parents have long told stories of people that go to the big city but never come back the same. But at age 17 I was a bad ass. Oh how things change, now a days I spend my time searching the trecherous world wide web from the comfort of my hand-me-down desk. I AM FIERCE!
I don't think I could live the lifestyle of Tobias Schneebaum. In the 1950's Schneebaum lived amoung cannibals in the Amazon jungle and later wrote the book Keep the River to Your Right
which was turned into a documentary in 2000. Later in life, he wrote, that his passion for exploration derived out a need for community. He found that with the Arakmbut, a cannibal tribe, that his homosexuality was not looked down upon as it had been in the States in the early 1950's.

In addition to exploration Mr. Schneebaum was an artist, anthropologist and an AIDS activist.

Mr Schneebaum passed away from complications of Parkinson's disease.

March 22,1922 - September 20, 2005 RIP

Labels: 1922 births, 2006 September deaths, activist, author, Parkinsons