Update: Decorated Air Force Sergeant Was Our Attacker
Sunday, January 24, 2010 1:42PM
"Go ahead, try telling the cops, they won't do anything... you can't touch me." That's what US Air Force Staff Sgt. Benjamin Ford told us after physically attacking us on 9th Avenue. He threw punches and anti-gay slurs. "Faggots." "Homos." "Get AIDS and die you f***ing queers."
One dented car, two eyewitnesses, and at least 5 cops later we expected him to be punished. But that night, he was right. He walked away without a report even being filed.
But this past week, we moved a step closer to justice. Under pressure from city officials, the NYPD stepped up shortly after the incident and have done a stellar job of identifying this guy and building a case against him.
He's currently based in London. He defuses bombs. He's done tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. To America, he is a hero. But that night, he was the farthest thing from it.
And he's finally being forced to answer for his violent outburst of ignorance.
Due to the difficulty of getting him back in time to face trial before a 90-day limit passes, the DA and the three of us have agreed to hand the case over to the military to dole out punishment.
This is a risk; can we depend on the US Air Force to punish one of their own for an anti-gay attack? Especially when the entire US Military has anti-gay rhetoric on the books with laws like Don't Ask, Don't Tell? We hope so, and have been reassured they intend to make an example of Sgt. Ford.
This case, more than anything, has highlighted the importance of repealing anti-gay laws like Don't Ask, Don't Tell. How can we open the minds of our brave military heroes until we open the laws to include gay and lesbian servicemen and women?
Now we wait for word from London on Sgt. Ford's punishment. We're also waiting for the NYPD to announce disciplinary action for the officers who gave Sgt. Ford a free pass on the scene. Luckily, surveillance camera footage captured Sgt. Ford showing the officers what we assume was a military ID.
We'll keep ya posted.
President Obama's "full plate" is no excuse to postpone equality.
Monday, January 11, 2010 6:07PM
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal."
They are the very words on which this country was founded; and yet for more than two centuries, Thomas Jefferson's promise has gone unfulfilled.
President Lyndon B. Johnson quoted those words in a speech on July 2nd, 1964, after signing the 1964 Civil Rights Act into law. It was one of the most important steps in achieving equality in America.
At the time, Johnson didn't have an easy job. Racial tensions were high. 19% of Americans were at or below the poverty level. 5,000 more US troops were being sent to Vietnam to risk their lives. The risk of nuclear war loomed closer as the USSR pushed forward in the race for arms. We faced not only the threat of weapons, but anti-American extremist politics. We had to win not only battles, but minds.
46 years later, history has repeated itself.
Americans are again struggling to put food on the table. The war has moved from Russia and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. And the battle for civil rights has changed from an issue of race to an issue of sexual orientation.
Like Johnson, President Obama doesn't have an easy job. His Press Secretary has reminded us of this countless times: "He has a lot on his plate." But when Americans are facing discrimination at work, at home, in the military and at the altar, there is nothing -- including economics or war -- that is more important than fulfilling the promise made to us 234 years ago: That all men are created equal.
There is no one more appropriate to take a role of leadership in the fight for equality than President Obama. He is one of the greatest examples of the true "American Dream," defying the bonds of racism and discrimination to ascend to the most powerful office in the world.
Now, like Johnson, it's his turn to speak out and become an advocate for equal rights. Many of us supported Mr. Obama during his campaign, and like Thomas Jefferson, he made a hopeful promise to end discrimination against LGBT Americans. Yet after one year in office, we have seen no movement on issues like Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act.
In a speech to members of the Human Rights Campaign, President Obama urged us to pressure him on these issues, and we must continue to do so.
We can no longer accept the excuse of a "full plate." Abraham Lincoln was patching a torn country together when he advanced Civil Rights in 1864. A full plate didn't stop Johnson in 1964, and it should no longer be a viable excuse for President Obama in 2010.
(If you want to join the equality army and accomplish weekly assignments to stand up for our rights.... enter your email at http://blakehayes.com/equality)
Open Letter to NJ State Senators: YES ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 7:06PM
To the State Senators of New Jersey:
I hope you will be voting in favor of Marriage Equality. I may not be one of your constituents, but I have friends in New Jersey who will be impacted by your vote. I hope you will choose to honor their love by voting YES on the Marriage Equality Bill.
The people of New Jersey are not the only ones who will be impacted by your decision. Somewhere in America there is a kid growing up in a household that regularly uses words like "fag" or "homo." He's 17, and doesn't know what to say when his dad pesters him about not having a girlfriend. He might get abused, or kicked out of his home if he tells the truth -- that he's actually attracted to the boy who sits next to him in math class.
You have an opportunity to give that kid hope; to tell him that in New Jersey, he is equal. He can grow up, fall in love, and marry the man he wants to spend his life with, because in New Jersey, he is the same as the rest of us.
For that kid, and the thousands like him, I urge you to vote YES. For the 2,424 LGBT Americans victimized in hate crimes last year, I urge you to vote YES. For my friends, who deserve an equal marriage under the law, I urge you to vote YES.
The 13th Amendment was not just about slavery; the 19th Amendment was not just about voting. This bill is not just about marriage.
I hope you will send a message of acceptance and equality when you cast your vote.
With Love. Pride. Equality.
Blake Hayes
Join the Equality Army to learn small weekly actions you can take to achieve Equality HERE.
My Favorite Day of 2009
Friday, January 1, 2010 6:43PM
Big week on the radio...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 12:03PM
Busy week!
Filling in for my boss and mentor Scott Shannon on his syndicated True Oldies Channel... almost all day on 68 stations across the U-S-of-A!
Chicago, San Francisco, Tampa, Atlanta, New Orleans, Austin, Knoxville, stations in WI, MN, ID, KY, AL, WA....
And in NYC 10am-3pm on 95.5 'PLJ filling in for Jeff on the Midday slot.
Busy week!!
True Oldies Channel Website
95.5 WPLJ Site
MP3 Sample from True Oldies
Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 25, 2009 10:53AM
"Christmas, my child, is love in action."
~ Dale Evans
As children across the country and around the world open presents this morning and experience the magic of Christmas, there's one little boy in particular I'm thinking about.
His name is Jansen. He's two years old. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his loving parents David and Chad, close friends of my aunt.
Chad, who grew up in the south, remembers coming out to his mom. She wrote him painful letters, saying she had convinced herself he would die of AIDS and burn in hell. Chad loved kids and wanted to be a dad, but felt his only option was to pretend to be straight and get married.
David, who grew up with a father who frequently canceled visitation visits, wanted to be the kind of dad he wanted himself. But like Chad, that only seemed an option if he lived a lie.
They met over a decade ago, and after a few years, decided they wanted kids. Four years later, after three surrogates, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a heartbreaking death of premature twins, David and Chad experienced a miracle.
It was an 8-pound, 2-ounce miracle born at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Jansen turned 2 in October. Though David and Chad don't know which of them is his biological father, they swear he looks like both of them, and my aunt agrees.
I'm sure Jansen has been absolutely spoiled by Santa and his extended family today. They adore him beyond belief. Both David and Chad have become the fathers they wanted -- and wanted to be. They've become the role models they so desperately needed when they were coming out: two dads with a normal, happy, loving family.
This Christmas, remember: every conversation you have, every action you take, every single thing you do for equality continues to make this world a more loving and accepting place for families like Jansen's. A conversation can change a mind, a heart, and a vote. And changed minds, open hearts, and votes for equality will change this country.
"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect."
~ Oren Arnold
Have a warm, safe, and very merry Christmas!
Love. Pride. Equality.
Blake
To sign up for the Equality Army and get weekly assignments to achieve Equal Rights in America, JOIN HERE
Open Letter to NY's Anti-Gay State Senators
Saturday, December 12, 2009 10:22AM
This week's Equality Army assignment was to send this letter to as many NY State Senators who voted NO as possible. If you want the list of their contact info, email equality@blakehayes.com
Dear Senator,
I’m disappointed you voted against marriage on December 2nd. I’m disappointed you voted against civil rights, against human rights, and against me. Why?
I may not be one of your constituents, but I am a gay New Yorker, so I am impacted by your vote that day. You haven’t even met me. How can you decide that I – and my friends, my family – don’t deserve to get married?
When countries like Uganda, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia are putting gays to death, you were given an opportunity to send the message that in New York, so often the spokes-state of America, gays are equal under the law. And you said NO.
In a time when one in three teenage suicides is caused by anti-gay bullying, you were given an opportunity to send a message that those kids the same as the rest of us. And you said NO.
When 2,424 gay Americans are victimized in hate crimes yearly, 29 of them murdered, you were given an opportunity to send a message that they deserve the same rights as you. And you said NO.
The 13th Amendment was not just about slavery; the 19th Amendment was not just about voting. They were about equality, and the rights long-owed to these segments of the American population.
Your vote on December 2nd was not just about marriage. It was about equality, acceptance, and family. And you voted against all three.
And you voted against me. And I’d like to know why. If you had the courage to stand up before saying “NO” in Albany and explain your vote, I wouldn’t have to ask. But you didn’t. So please tell me.
Thank you,
Blake
Join the Equality Army to get one simple assignment per week and inspire change.
New Yorkers respond to Marriage Equality Defeat
Monday, December 7, 2009 1:46PM
A quick look at the protests in Times Square and Union Square after the NY State Senate rejects the Marriage Equality Bill.
Featuring State Sen. Tom Duane, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Gilbert Baker, creator of the rainbow pride flag.
Reporting for OurSceneTV
World AIDS Day Marked in NYC
Saturday, December 5, 2009 10:38AM
Susan Sarandon, Naomi Watts, Kenneth Cole, and others gathered in New York City's Washington Square to mark the 22nd World AIDS Day.
Reporting for OurSceneTV
Sen. Ruben Diaz vs. Founding Fathers
Friday, December 4, 2009 4:55PM
One of the 8 Democrats in the New York State Senate to vote NO and help defeat the Marriage Equality Bill was Bronx Senator Ruben Diaz.
He's also a Reverend. And apparently forgets which text he's supposed to uphold when he wears the title of "Senator."
From NBC: In the debate itself, the only opponent to speak in the chamber, Ruben Diaz Sr., criticized other senators who said that religion should not be a factor in deciding who can legally marry in New York. Said Diaz: “You should carry your Bible all the time.”
I wonder how this bible-thumper would consider other legislation?
I hope Sen. Diaz is also backing the law to increase the penalty for adultery. (It should be the death penalty, right? Leviticus 20:10.)
And I hope he doesn't let women speak in his church. (Corinthians 14:34)
Actually... we should probably arrest Sen. Diaz and apply the death penalty. After all, he worked to pass the NY State Budget last Sunday. According to Exodus 35:2, he should be put to death for working on the Sabbath.
Sen. Diaz, maybe you should put down your bible, as all politicians should, and reach instead for the documents that ACTUALLY govern us as Americans. I know you've at least read the 1st Amendment, because you exercise your right to preach and practice your religion daily.
But you ought to read the 14th Amendment too, which guarantees all of us -- gay, straight, black, white, agnostic and Christian -- equal protection under the law.
And maybe after that, Sen. Diaz, you should return to your bible, and open it to any of the references to the 'golden rule.' Leviticus 19:18 for example.
And love your gay New York neighbors as thyself.