GLBT

Shock-jock Baker: Media to blame in murder of transgender person

KTLK radio’s Chris Baker followed up his Nov. 14 comments about a transgender person being a “mutilated lesbian” with a tirade in which he blames the media — and transgender people themselves — for the murder of Latiesha Green in Syracuse, New York. He says “a majority of the blame does not lie with” the killer, but with the media who “enable people who need serious psychological counseling.” Now activists from Soulforce Q are trying to get on Baker’s show to discuss the issues.

KTLK’s Baker calls transgender man ‘mutilated lesbian’

The day before protests nationally and locally against Proposition 8, the California constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage, right-wing radio host Chris Baker took to the airwaves to call a transgender man a “mutilated lesbian.” KTLK’s Baker called Thomas Beattie, a trangendered man who’s pregnant, “a freak” on Nov. 14 as well. Baker’s contributions to [...]

Slideshow: Prop 8 protests in Minneapolis

On Saturday, thousands of people across the country — in cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington and New York — marched in protest of California’s Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that overrode a state Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex couples to marry. Here in Minnesota, rallies were held in Duluth, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Around 1,000 people gathered near the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis (curiously, the Star Tribune’s story estimates the crowd size at 700, while its subhead put the count at 500). Speakers included OutFront Minnesota’s Kelly Lewis; Jeremy Hanson, an aide to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and Minneapolis City Council Member Gary Schiff, among others. Photographer Tony Webster was there and gave us permission to publish a slideshow of the rally.

Gay and lesbian equality advocates see gains in Minnesota

Tuesday’s election brought advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality a few steps closer to making gains in the Minnesota Legislature while Minnesota sent a less supportive delegation to Congress. While there is much for them to celebrate, advocates say the path to equality is still an uphill battle. “Change” is on the lips of everyone post election, but what kind of change can LGBT Minnesotans expect at the local and national level?

Did KSTP tip Paulsen on results of Survey USA’s new re-do poll?

A new Survey USA poll shows for the first time a spread between the two leading candidates in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District that’s greater than the margin of error. It’s a sudden swing that Survey USA suggests might be due to a TV ad that darkens Democrat Ashwin Madia’s skin. But if so, the effect would seem to arise more from recent news reports about the ad than from the ad itself, which came out a full week before the first of Survey USA’s latest pair of back-to-back polls. Another way Republican Erik Paulsen’s ahead: KSTP gave Paulsen’s campaign an early preview of the poll results, according to Joe Bodell. And David Dillon’s camp says the poll is a re-do because the Survey USA left the Independence Party candidate’s name off last time.

The Ashwin Madia example: Veterans fighting for equality in tough districts

For decades, Republicans have won the battle on wedge social issues at the polls in suburban districts, while Democrats quietly tried to shoo those wedge issues away. But Democratic candidates in tough districts are slowly coming to openly support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and they are being led by a new crop of unlikely pioneers — military veterans. DFLer Ashwin Madia is one such candidate.

Religious right leader James Dobson embraces Erik Paulsen for Congress

Erik Paulsen has diminished his record on a number of issues and present himself as moderate, so much so that any mention that he’s running as a Republican is absent from his campaign website. But his past is catching up with him: Focus on the Family’s James Dobson is throwing his support behind the candidate based on Paulsen’s conservative record on controversial wedge issues.

Religious Right Watch: Obamageddon is nigh!

The religious right never goes down without a fight, and given the dwindling chance that their candidates, Sarah Palin and John McCain, can win the White House, they’re taking the fight to extreme new levels. Prominent figures are comparing supporters of Sen. Barack Obama to the Nazis, warning that God will condemn Americans if they don’t vote for McCain, accusing Obama’s family of witchcraft and foretelling a future when Christianity is criminalized by an Obama administration. Are you prepared for Obamageddon?

Religious Right Watch: Bachmann allies slam Republican committee

With a week to go until the election, Minnesota is seeing a flurry of activity by religious right figures. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council is blasting Republicans for not standing up for their favored candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann, while the Council is using MnIndy’s reporting to attack DFL candidates. Right-wing bloggers are up in arms over the cancellation of a speech by pro-life activist Bay Buchanan at the College of St. Catherine, and a national anti-abortion group is flooding Minnesota mailboxes with anti-Obama literature.

Legislative race: Bachmann-like Judy Lindsay squares off against Sterner in MN House race

One of the most stark contrasts in any state legislative race this year lies in the House District 37B face-off between ultra-conservative Republican Judy Lindsay and moderate DFLer Phil Sterner. The southeastern metro district trends moderate and has overwhelmingly supported retiring moderate Republican Dennis Ozment. But two years ago Amy Klobuchar carried the district, and districts to the north and west have elected DFLers to the House and Senate. So in a big picture sense, the district appears to be on the expanding edge of recent DFL advances (or Republican losses).