Category Archives: Communities
We are clergy and missionaries shepherding our congregations to welcome everyone into their hearts, openly and without judgment. We are veterans who have fought for the freedom of others across the ocean and who will continue to fight for basic human rights on our own native soil. We are citizens who believe in everyone’s right to pursue their own happiness.
Ally Profile: Keith Haring’s Ghost
Over the past few months, we have been highlighting Keith Haring Ghost’s (KHG) work, from around the city. Some believe the artwork to be vandalism – we do not agree. Throughout history, art has been used as a means for expressing the things that we cannot or are not always allowed to share through spoken word. Keith Allen Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing concepts of birth, death, sexuality and war…concepts that were considered taboo at the time.
Keith Haring was an openly gay man and a strong advocate for safe sex. However, his life was cut tragically short on February 16, 1990, due to AIDS. Before his death, he established the Keith Haring Foundation in 1989, its mandate being to provide funding and imagery to AIDS organizations and children’s programs, and to expand the audience for Haring’s work through exhibitions, publications and the licensing of his images. Haring enlisted his imagery during the last years of his life to speak about his own illness and generate activism and awareness about AIDS.
Inspired by his advocacy work, KHG told Queerty, he “has been beautifying the electric box eyesores of Jacksonville, Florida with images inspired by the late, great Haring as protest to the city failing to pass an equal rights ordinance that would have granted workplace protection based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
KHG’s work can be found all around Jacksonville, we have also highlighted his pieces on our Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest pages, but the artwork is now being called into question by some city leaders as vandalism. These officials have demanded the removal of the murals, from around the city, with the possible arrest of KHG. As allies of the LGBT movement, and proponents for full equality for every person in our community, we stand in solidarity with Keith Haring’s Ghost. Furthermore, we implore our city leaders to leave his artwork in place and focus their energy, instead, on passing a comprehensive Human Rights Ordinance in Jacksonville, Florida.
Ally Update: On March 19, 2014, Keith Haring’s Ghost was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for ‘felony’ vandalism charges for the beautiful ‘graffiti’ he has created around the city of Jacksonville. Keith, aka Chip Southworth, was later released on bond, but he has an arduous road ahead as he has to answer in court for the work he has created to not only beautify the city, but to help get the message out about being more loving and tolerant of others. We Are Straight Allies will be advocating on Chip’s behalf for charges to be dropped, but in the meantime, there are legal (and medical) expenses his family will face – his wife is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Great minds are coming together to not only help Chip, but also send a message to the city that intolerance will no longer be tolerated. Beautifying the city of Jacksonville is a necessity, both physically and in the hearts and minds of its citizens. We hope you will join us and donate to the ‘Chip in for Chip’ fund.
We Stand in Solidarity
We Are Straight Allies will be standing in solidarity with the six openly gay Olympians competing in the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, along with the openly gay members of the delegations attending this year’s games. It is our hope that Russia will remain respectful of the Olympic Charter that states, “The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”
All beings everywhere have the right to be happy and free and we are inextricably bound to aide in the happiness and freedom for others. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” We find the the level of intolerance, injustice, violence, hate, anger, and fear that the LGBT community faces around the world, as well as at home, inexcusable. The Olympics creates the opportunity to bring Russia’s anti-LGBT policies center stage so the world can see and, hopefully, demand change. While we are fighting for the fair treatment of LGBT people here at home, we have a greater responsibility to the global community to help stop the mistreatment of human beings everywhere.
Movements take time, some faster than others, but none happen in a vacuum. If we can help make lives better for our local communities, that creates momentum for change on a global scale. Please join us in this cause and help us affect change in the hearts and minds of people everywhere.
“Gay rights have taken center stage at Sochi, thanks to Russia’s own targeting of the LGBT community. In June 2013, the Russian government banned dissemination of pro-gay “propaganda” that could be accessible to children. The law’s vagueness, activists note, could prohibit almost any pro-gay expression, such as public statements, rallies, rainbow flags, rainbow nesting dolls, or same-sex hand-holding. Violators can be fined or jailed up to 14 days. Foreigners can be expelled.
Then in July 2013, Russia made it illegal for foreign gay and lesbian couples to adopt Russian children, and in October 2013, the government proposed legislation that would remove Russian children from their LGBT parents. The proposal is now withdrawn.
Over the last seven months, Russia has introduced or amended at least 13 laws restricting freedom of expression, association and assembly of non-governmental organizations, particularly those that receive foreign funding — a violation of international human rights law, says Amnesty International.” —Global Post, February 5, 2014
Ally Profile: Hope McMath
I am Hope McMath. I am an arts administrator, an artist, a wife, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a friend, and someone who is passionate about my community.
I am a Jacksonville native and had the great fortune of growing up in an Arlington neighborhood where my schools and “my block” were diverse in every way. It was a world of connections rather than divisions. There was also the strong influence of my mother who has always been a nurse. so care, compassion, humility and hard work have always been the expectation.
I have been involved in the arts since I can remember. From being the kid always designing the classroom bulletin boards to being a student of art and art history in college I knew that I would work, live and breath art. I have been fortunate to have worked in the arts for over 20 years as an educator, connector, creator, and community builder. To make sure my immersion was complete, I fell in love and married the most amazing artist, art educator and human being. I live a fulfilling, love-filled, artful life.
Why does all of this matter to me in my role as a straight ally? My childhood and my path through the arts has taught me that an inclusive, compassionate community is the only way to go. There is no room for hate, intolerance, or discrimination. No room for closed doors.
The arts are an example to learn from. The fields of music, visual art making, theater, and literature have historically embraced diversity and individuality. Even in times of incredible injustice those individuals sharing their personal expressions through the arts could find acceptance. More importantly art has always provided a platform to share the world through new and varying lenses. I think about James and Rosamond Johnson writing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” or the great jazz musicians playing on stages in the segregated south or the painters of the Harlem Renaissance creating a new way of seeing…all find acceptance within the artistic community and changing the world through their art.
I also think of LGBTQ artists who haved shared their life experiences with all of us and made our world more beautiful, more interesting. Painters like Cy Twombly, Frida Kahlo, and Keith Haring…photographers like Adi Nes, Gilbert & George, and Annie Leibovitz…mixed media masters like Hannah Hoch and Robert Rauschenberg…ALL have been accepted and celebrated. As an artist it is hard for me to imagine a world without the presence of their creative bodies of work.
Throughout my life, I have been surrounded by, been loved by and have loved LGBTQ inidividuals. Best friends, colleagues, fellow artists…I can’t imagine my life without. Many now live too far away as the moved to places that would embrace them as full citizens… a personal loss and a loss for my city. I have an incredible desire for everyone to have all of the same rights, privledges and recognitions that I have in the eyes of the law and in the heart of our city. Again, there is no room for hate, intolerance, or discrimination…not in my life or the life of my city. It is essential to follow the road to love and acceptance that the arts have paved and pass a fully-inclusive Human Rights Ordinance, opening the doors for all of our citizens. When we do our city will be more like the environments of my mother’s living room, my elementary classroom, artists’ studios, theater stages, and the galleries of our great museums…caring, dynamic, compassionate, beautiful, creative, hard working, loving, and moving forward.
ALLY ACTION ALERT! Contact City Council
As allies, it is important that we stay engaged with the Jacksonville City Council to continually remind them we demand passage of a comprehensive Human Rights Ordinance for the protection and fair treatment of our LGBT community. Below is a sample letter you can use to let them know we expect them to pass HRO legislation in the city of Jacksonville immediately. TAKE ACTION today and contact the city council representative in your district.
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Dear [City Councilmember XXXX],
As a concerned citizen and straight ally, I believe that our city has a responsibility to treat all people equitably. Currently, Jacksonville does not afford the same workplace and housing protections to its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of our community as to their non-LGBT counterparts. This is unacceptable.
Ensuring equality for all is the right thing to do and good for the bottom line. This lack of local legal protection for gays and lesbians hurts the city’s ability to attract talented workers at a time when Jacksonville is competing with other cities for businesses. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), among Fortune 500 companies, 88-percent have sexual orientation non-discrimination policies and 57-percent have gender identity non-discrimination policies. Additionally, more than 90 companies have joined the Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness, a group of leading U.S. employers that support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. A poll by Small Business Majority shows two-thirds of small business owners support a federal law prohibiting discrimination against LGBT workers and job applicants.
In addition, I believe that we have a human responsibility to view each other as equals and that nothing is more important than our humanity. I urge you to support the expansion of the human rights ordinance to add protection for members of the community.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address and Contact Information]
**If You Hear Back from your Council Person
Make sure to be gracious and civil. If the council person apologizes or wishes to learn more about the We Are Straight Ally campaign, be sure to direct them to our website: www.wearestraightallies.com.
We Are Allies 