By TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press Writer Timberly Ross, Associated Press Writer – Sat Mar 13, 6:32 pm ET
Jene Newsome played by the rules as an Air Force sergeant: She never told anyone in the military she was a lesbian. The 28-year-old’s honorable discharge under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy came only after police officers in Rapid City, S.D., saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told the nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base.

Newsome and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against the western South Dakota police department, claiming the officers violated her privacy when they informed the military about her sexual orientation. The case also highlights concerns over the ability of third parties to “out” service members, especially as the Pentagon has started reviewing the 1993 “don’t ask, don’t tell” law.

“I played by ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” Newsome told The Associated Press by telephone.

“I just don’t agree with what the Rapid City police department did. … They violated a lot of internal policies on their end, and I feel like my privacy was violated.”

The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy has come under renewed debate after Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for a sweeping internal study on the law earlier this year.

As the review is under way, officials were also expected to suggest ways to relax enforcement that may include minimizing cases of third-party outings. In particular, Gates has suggested that the military might not have to expel someone whose sexual orientation was revealed by a third party out of vindictiveness or suspect motives.

The Rapid City Police Department says Newsome, an aircraft armament system craftsman who spent nine years in the Air Force, was not cooperative when they showed up at her home in November with an arrest warrant for her partner, who was wanted on theft charges in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Newsome was at work at the base at the time and refused to immediately come home and assist the officers in finding her partner, whom she married in Iowa — where gay marriage is legal — in October.

Police officers, who said they spotted the marriage license on the kitchen table through a window of Newsome’s home, alerted the base, police Chief Steve Allender said in a statement sent to the AP. The license was relevant to the investigation because it showed both the relationship and residency of the two women, he said.

“It’s an emotional issue and it’s unfortunate that Newsome lost her job, but I disagree with the notion that our department might be expected to ignore the license, or not document the license, or withhold it from the Air Force once we did know about it,” Allender said Saturday. “It was a part of the case, part of the report and the Air Force was privileged to the information.”

He said his department does not seek to expose gay military personnel or investigate the sexuality of Rapid City residents.

Allender said the department was finishing its internal investigation and has determined the officers acted appropriately. They have not been placed on leave during the investigation.

Newsome’s partner is currently out on bail on one felony and three misdemeanor counts of theft stemming from an incident last year, court officials in Fairbanks said. More information was not immediately available, and Newsome said she didn’t know the status of the case and didn’t provide more details about it.

In the complaint filed last month with the department, ACLU South Dakota said police had no legal reason to tell the military Newsome was a lesbian and that officers knew if they did, it would jeopardize her military career.

Newsome, who was discharged in January, said she didn’t know where the marriage license was in her home when police came to her house on Nov. 20 and claims the officers were retaliating because she wouldn’t help with her partner’s arrest.

“This information was intentionally turned over because of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ and to out Jene so that she would lose her military status,” said Robert Doody, executive director of ACLU South Dakota. The ACLU is focusing its complaint on the police department, not the military, and Newsome said she and her attorney have not yet decided on whether to file a lawsuit.

“The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ piece is important and critical to this, but also it’s a police misconduct case,” Doody said.

A U.S. Air Force spokesman, Senior Airman Adam Grant, said Ellsworth follows all laws set out by Congress and the Defense Department, and he would not comment specifically on Newsome’s discharge, citing privacy policy.

More than 13,500 service members have been discharged under the law since 1994, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which is lobbying for its repeal. Kevin Nix, communications director of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, couldn’t speak about Newsome’s case, but said when “someone is outed by a third party, which it sounds like this was, or by a police officer, then, yeah … I’m not surprised the person was discharged.”

Though rare, third-party outing can be especially damaging to service members who wanted to keep their sexual orientation hidden, experts say.

Even though 80 percent of “don’t ask, don’t tell” discharges come from gay and lesbian service members who out themselves, third-party outings are “some of the most heinous instances of ‘don’t, ask, don’t tell,’” said Nathaniel Frank, a research fellow with the Palm Center think tank at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a New York University professor.

Newsome, who is originally from Harrisburg, Pa., is currently on the road, driving to Alaska. She said she’d been looking forward to the time when the military would alter its policies regarding gays and lesbians. But that change didn’t come in time to save her career.

“I felt like it was getting close,” she said. “I was really hopeful.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDQdFIrrM7Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlGyzfUWKg0

Meanwhile, in another part of our country:
JACKSON, Miss. – A northern Mississippi school district will not be hosting a high school prom this spring after a lesbian student sought to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.

so bascially, they’ll ruin it for everyone just cuz they don’t like what one gyrl is doing. seriously? the hate runs that deep. they don’t stop marriage cuz some(most) couples get divorced. but they’ll shut down a prom cuz they don’t want one gay couple 2 b there. un-freakin-believeable!

prior 2 seeing it, i had been hearing and participating in a lot of conversations with people condemning the movie for its subject matter. some didn’t want to put that image of black folks out there. a sentiment that makes very little sense to me. other just don’t like 2 face such a serious topic. some are avoiding the movie due to personal emotional constraints. at some point, the band aid has to come off. it’s not gonna feel good and it’s not gonna be pretty underneath. but it has to come off. and as Mo’nique said in her acceptance speech: “it’s now time to tell. and it’s okay.”

i remember being on a message board once and the topic of coming out stories was presented. someone starts a story about being 13 or 14 and having sex with a 27 year old woman. another story gets posted about someone being 15 and having a sexual encounter with a woman in her 30s. and the stories continued on and on. i was shocked and frozen. these were not coming out stories. these were stories of molestation. a few other posters were as appalled as i was and stated as such. many of these womyn who recounted these tales responded with anger and insult. they seriously didn’t feel that they were taken advantage of. i really am saddened 2 realize that u actually have 2 tell someone that they were molested. they not only didn’t know. but thought these situations were ok. they retold the tales with pleasant reverie. almost boastfully. i worried. if they thought that it was ok, then who’s 2 say that they won’t in turn at the age of 36 or 40 go by some high school and find themselves a girlfriend in hopes of creating a “coming out story” for someone else. they didn’t come out. their sexuality wasn’t realized at that moment some unscrupulous adult touched them in their private place. they don’t know that. and i know that ignorance is bliss sometimes. but not in this instance. not when there’s a strong possibility that the cycle will be repeated. it is not ok for grown folks to touch children! period. only cuz it didn’t hurt. or only cuz it was woman on woman. or only cuz someone is a teenager who thinks they’re grown doesn’t make any of those stories ok. i hate 2 b the bearer of bad news. folks always kill the messenger. that’s why Precious got so much shit. why so many people wanted to avoid the movie like the plague.

i’m glad Mo’nique got that award. i’m glad 4 as much attention as possible 2 be given to a movie like this. i hope all the Preciouses of the world see this and know that it’s not cool. break the cycle. don’t do 2 others what has been done 2 u. it’s painful to watch. and i’m sure 4 some, it’s even more painful to admit. but time heals all wounds. the wounds won’t heal properly underneath that dirty band aid. brace yourself. rip it off and get better. now’s the time to tell and it’s okay.

now on 2 the year at hand. i’m preparing for the last celebration of the holiday season. my daughter’s birthday. and while standing in the checkout line i see the latest edition of the Ebony magazine. and who’s on the cover? ms. Wanda Sykes. whuuuu? u mean to tell me an out, black, lesbian can grace the cover of a non-gay magazine? clutch the pearls. the sky didn’t fall. the black community didn’t crumble. all lil black kids aren’t turning up gay suddenly and black churches aren’t empty.

sorry for the drama. but the way folks would tell it, black gays are in the closet cuz blacks are the most homophobic group there is. now, let’s keep it real. there is a lot of homophobia in our community but from the looks of it a black woman comin out of the closet isn’t an automatic death sentence. according to my tally, she’s the only openly gay celeb we got going 4 us. right? please correct me if i’m wrong. so far her career is doing well. and she appears 2 b in good health and happy. which gives me hope that more celebs and public figures of african decent can follow suit without fear of reprocussion. black gays are in serious need or more representation in the media. in society in general.

i’m not tryin 2 hear any excuses for 2010. there is no reason 2 b in the closet. it can be done. and it should be done. thank u Wanda for opening that door. now who’s next 2 follow?

MEXICO CITY – Mexico City lawmakers on Monday made the city the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage, a change that will give homosexual couples more rights, including allowing them to adopt children.

The bill passed the capital’s local assembly 39-20 to the cheers of supporters who yelled: “Yes, we could! Yes, we could!”

Leftist Mayor Marcelo Ebrard of the Democratic Revolution Party was widely expected to sign the measure into law.

Mexico City’s left-led assembly has made several decisions unpopular elsewhere in this deeply Roman Catholic country, including legalizing abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. That decision sparked a backlash, with the majority of Mexico’s other 32 states enacting legislation declaring life begins at conception.

The conservative Nation Action Party of President Felipe Calderon has vowed to challenge the gay marriage law in the courts. However, homosexuality is increasingly accepted in Mexico, with gay couples openly holding hands in parts of the capital and the annual gay pride parade drawing tens of thousands.

The bill calls for changing the definition of marriage in the city’s civil code. Marriage is currently defined as the union of a man and a woman. The new definition will be “the free uniting of two people.”

The change would allow same-sex couples to adopt children, apply for bank loans together, inherit wealth and be included in the insurance policies of their spouse, rights they were denied under civil unions allowed in the city.

“We are so happy,” said Temistocles Villanueva, a 23-year-old film student who celebrated by passionately kissing his boyfriend outside the city’s assembly.

Only seven countries allow gay marriages: Canada, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. U.S. states that permit same-sex marriage are Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Argentina’s capital became the first Latin American city to legalize same-sex civil unions in 2002 for gay and lesbian couples. Four other Argentine cities later did the same, and as did Mexico City in 2007 and some Mexican and Brazilian states. Uruguay alone has legalized civil unions nationwide.

Buenos Aires lawmakers introduced a bill for legalizing gay marriage in the national Congress in October but it has stalled without a vote, and officials in the South American city have blocked same-sex wedding because of conflicting judicial rulings.

Many people in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America remain opposed to gay marriage, and the dominant Roman Catholic Church has announced its opposition.

“They have given Mexicans the most bitter Christmas,” said Armando Martinez, the president of the College of Catholic Attorneys. “They are permitting adoption (by gay couples) and in one stroke of the pen have erased the term ‘mother’ and ‘father.’”

City lawmaker Victor Romo, a member of the mayor’s leftist party, called it a historic day.

“For centuries unjust laws banned marriage between blacks and whites or Indians and Europeans,” he said. “Today all barriers have disappeared.”

Born Bernice Ruth Reed in Ohio, Alaina Reed began her career in early 70s theater, appearing in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions such as Chicago, Hair, and Eubie. In 1976 she landed the role of Sesame Street’s Olivia. From then until 1988 Reed presented children with one of the earliest depictions of positive black womanhood, demonstrated the warmth of adult sibling relationships with her brother Gordon, and straight up taught us letters and how to count. In 1985 Reed joined the original cast of 227 as Rose Lee, one of my favorite black sitcom characters ever. Rose was sassy but sensitive, responsible but mischievous, and always good for showcasing Reed’s excellent singing voice through some wacky plot device like a church choir solo or random sing-off that would somehow keep everyone in the buidling from being evicted.

Kevin Peter Hall (the 7′2? actor who portrayed Harry in Harry and The Hendersons and Predator in the movies of the same name) guest starred as Rose’s love interest on 227 and in 1988 the two began a real-life relationship, marrying both on the show and in real life. Sadly, he passed away in 1991 from complications of AIDS contracted through a blood transfusion. 227 was canceled that same year but the now Alaina Reed Hall continued to act until her death, steadily appearing on sitcoms such as A Different World, Friends, Ally McBeal, and making the best of a recurring role on the short-lived series Cleghorne. She also returned to her theater roots with a one-woman show, “Alaina at the Bijou.”

Largest Bikini Parade-Kellogg Company sets world record

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa–287 bikini-wearing South African women paraded down 1,690 meters of Melrose Arch Boulevard-setting the new world record for the Largest Bikini Parade.

With high spirits the women led by SABC1’s Live presenter Bonang Matheba celebrated their femininity by making a difference in creating awareness for breast cancer in South Africa, as Special K® made a donation to the non-profit breast cancer awareness group, Pink Link.

Other local celebs there were 5FM’s Grant Nash with his radio co-host Anele Mdoda there to show the girls their support.

“As a brand, Kellogg’s® Special K® understands the importance of assisting women to look good and feel fabulous, no matter what their shape or size.
We were delighted to see tall, short, boyish, curvy, pear and apple-shaped women all have the confidence to do things ‘their way’, and participate in the Largest Bikini Parade,” remarked Sarah Mansfield, corporate spokesperson at the Kellogg Company of South Africa.

“We decided to front this initiative to break the Guinness World Record™ for the Largest Bikini Parade as we believe in the celebration of women and their bodies, and all the participants most certainly celebrated their femininity, whilst making a difference for breast cancer in South Africa.” concluded Mansfield.

The previous world record for the Largest Bikini Parade held by America stood at 281, but Kellogg’s Special K and cancer awareness group Pink Link managed to attract 287 women in bikinis to Melrose Arch in northern Johannesburg.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get something like this going on here in Chicago?;)

today is the first time i’ve been able to even access my account. so i thought i’d hurry up and give everyone an explanation of my absence. so, everything is making a come back and u all will hear from me soon.

while i’m updating and expanding some changes that we’ll have this year is a model gallery. more pics of the lovely Hard Candy models in the gallery as well as some of the sexy ladies that aren’t in the calendar. i’ve had so many inquiries from models all over the world, i thought i’d b a shame that everyone couldn’t see the submissions that i have. another feature u guys can look forward 2 is freebies. we’re starting a monthly give away for those who sign up for the newsletter and or leave feedback for the website. and of course, there will b new poetry and art. so check back often and check back soon.

and thank you so much for your support!

so far today is my third photo session for the 2010 calendar. but i still don’t have a single shot for the calendar. false starts. just a bunch of false starts. i’ll give u guys the back stories later. just having trouble wrangling up the gyrls is all. no biggie. just the way the cookie crumbles. my first shoot didn’t go down cuz my femme couldn’t make it. i really didn’t want that to slow it down, so i jumped in. Tina, shown in the pic with me was a great sport. always down 2 do whatever needs 2 b done. but because i didnt’ want to be all up in my calendar, i simply made it a promo piece. so she’ll have 2 come back for the real shoot with another model.

2010 Hard Candy Stud Calendar

i was fantasizing that this year would go smoother than last year’s but no such luck. not that there’s any drama or serious issues. i’m just extremely anxious to shoot the calendar and get it out. i love starting new projects and i’m geeked to get it completed.

the response has been greater than that of last year and there’s just as much enthusiam in the models as there is in me which is more than i can ask for. but even with all of our willingness, schedules just aren’t working in our favour. eh, c’est la vie.

this is going 2 b my obsession for the next few months. i’ll keep u guys posted on it’s progress. hey, that’s what this blog was originally started for anyway. LOL so i’m back on track.