24th Annual High Heel Race

The 24th Annual High Heel Race in Washington, D.C., once again brought an enormous crowd of straight and gay people to 17th St. The street was shut down by police for the event which does not have an official owner, but is sponsored by a few local companies.

The District of Columbia's high heel race is well known, yet the purpose of the event to many in the city is misconstrued. When asked, both young and old members of the community who are not knowledgeable about the event assume that the participants are mainly women. Those who attend know better than that.

Michele Lee, a Northeast resident, believes that this event and similar ones are an excellent display of the presence of the gay community in the District. "I believe the entertainment and excitement also attracts people and makes it such a large event," says Lee.

Mayor Fenty attended the event. The city's mayor serves as the grand marshal every year for the opening parade.

With the amount of attention this annual event receives, it would be great to see it become impactful in other ways. Using it as a fundraiser for HIV and AIDS research would be a great way to make a difference in the community.

AIDS Organizations Scrutinized

The Washington Postwrote Tuesday, Oct. 20, that D.C. officials are going to begin scrutinizing AIDS organizations' expenses for their "inexcusably wrong" misuse of funds.

This is not a new issue. Cases of financial mismanagement by non-profit organizations have been seen in New York at the now defunct People of Color in Crisis(POCC), that allegedly still owes their employees thousands of dollars, and The COLOURS Organization, Inc. in Philadelphia, whose director was indicted on charges of using funding for plastic surgery, a cruise, and dog grooming.

Kenya Hutton, the coordinator for young adult programs at Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc. (UHU) in Washington, D.C., has years of experience in the non-profit, AIDS world. He understands firsthand how important it is to receive funding to continue work in the community.

"It's a shame that because of the tomfoolery of people in certain people in certain positions in these organization around the country that possible people that need the money are not going to be able to get it." He adds, "When you do these things, other people that are actually doing the work lose their money."

Hutton's work in the D.C. community has also shaped his opinion about the city's officials. He states that the homeless rate in the District is too high. As a New York native, he recalls how former Mayor Rudy Giuliani worked hard to create programs to prevent homelessness and to provide shelters for those who are. "People are homeless because they cant afford to live in the apartments they were in before, yet D.C. is building tons of new expensive condos."

When asked about the 2010 D.C. election for mayor, Hutton said, "It's clear that [Marion] Barry could be reelected he would be. The city prefers him. [Fenty] is not doing anything to benefit the black community here."

Tyra Banks Interviews Gay Exorcism Victim

On the September 22 airing of The Tyra Banks Show, Banks interviewed the 16-year-old victim of a shocking gay exorcism service conducted at Manifested Glory Ministries in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

In a shocking update to a story that made headlines, the young man subjected to questionable religious tactics appeared on the Tyra Banks Show to, for the first time, offer his thoughts about the situation. Jeffrey, as he was referred to, spoke timidly as he tried to convince Tyra Banks of the success of the "casting out of a spirit." Banks gently responded that she did not truly believe him.

Jeffrey visited the church after being invited by two friends. On one particular day he presented himself to the church for prayer because he no longer wanted to live a homosexual lifestyle. The "casting out", which was uploaded to YouTube and later removed, shows Jeffrey convulsing uncontrollably, being hit, and vomiting. According to him, he has been dealing with this issue since age five. While Jeffrey does claim he has been delivered, he struggled to explain why it is that he still deals with the temptation of attraction to the same sex.

The pastors of the church, Patricia McKinney and her husband, who refer to themselves as "The Prophet" and "The Overseer" joined Tyra along with Kamora, a mentor from True Colors, the family services group for sexual minority youth that helped Jeffrey. The conversation turned into a heated debate between both sides. Patricia McKinney voiced her beliefs that there is a gay demon. And whether a person is "practicing homosexuality" or is simply struggling with the thoughts but not acting upon them, they are going to hell. Kamora responded that she works with children that hear comments like these and consequently choose to disregard the law or hurt themselves because they have no hope. Pastor McKinney did not support her comments with any scriptural basis.

Kenneth Wiggins of Suitland, Md., commented, "The war against homosexuality has gotten to its most ridiculous point. No one ever wants to hear, 'This is who I am and how I was born.' This event shows the extremes people are going to to prove their point."

Tyra Banks ended this segment of the show by telling Jeffrey that he is beautiful, and that as long as he is respectful of others and follows the law he is a good person.

September 11

In a slight divergence from my blog's usual theme, I would like to take the time to remember this historic day in United State's history.

Everyone was affected by the events of this unforgettable day whether black or white, Jew or Gentile, straight or gay. I took the time to interview Ms. Tracey Johnson and ask her some questions relating to the September 11 attacks.

Seth: Were you personally affected by September 11?

Ms. Johnson: Yes, I lived near Quantico [a Marine base in Northern Virginia that conducts many secret military operations] and felt that it might be a possible target. I knew a lot of people that worked at the Pentagon, including my husband at the time, and I was unsure of their whereabouts. Cell phones were not working, and it took hours to contact anymone.

Seth: With all of the information we now have, how do you feel about the American people's immediate response to the attacks?

Ms. Johnson: I think we were in the dark about a lot of things. The information the government had beforehand could have helped to prevent this. We were naive to think that it could possibly be just a plane mishap, but I knew better than that from my past experience as flight attendant.

Seth: What do you think is the best way to remember those lost that day?

Ms. Johnson: I think it should be remembered every year. I watch the ceremony myself. We quickly forget things after they happen. The monuments and parks that serve as memorials are great, but a holiday is unnecessary and could lead to the event being desensitized. We must also continue to help the victims' survivors, especially the children.

Candidate Anthony Woods Loses Nomination

California congressional candidate Anthony Woods finished the September 1 special primary election in fourth place with 8.48 percent of the votes losing his chance to become the Democratic nominee.

Woods' campaign began after Representative Ellen Tauscher announced she would be vacating her seat to join the Obama adminstration. Woods lost the nomination to John Garamendi who claimed 26.15 percent of the votes. Fortunately for the gay community, Garamendi has expressed his support for marriage equality.

Harvard graduate, Iraq war veteran, and son of a single mother, Anthony Woods made history when he was honorably discharged after his decision to come out despite the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Woods felt the need to speak out against the injustice despite his promising military career. His campaign website claims that he is "a leader who has shown the courage to fight for his convictions."

Despite his loss, many still view this as the beginning for for the 29-year-old. California resident Brandon Barney said, "I think Woods has the juice to go far."

If Woods had been elected, he would have become the first openly gay, black Representative in Congress.