I joined the LGBT boycott of Domino’s pizza last year after learning that founder and former CEO, Tom Monaghan, was a radically conservative social activist. Somethings irked me about the story though; there is a Domino’s right in Boystown(one of the world’s most concentrated gay ghettos) and the pizza itself is delicious and fast- not something I was keen to give up.
- Tom Monaghan left his role as CEO of Domino’s Pizza and is no longer involved with the company. [link]
- Tom Monaghan sold, if not all, nearly all of his shares in Domino’s and no longer reaps any significant financial benefit from the corporation. (Top 10 “other” holders: link] )
- Although the LA Times article previously mentioned stated that Monaghan would remain on Domino’s Board of Directors, he has since resigned that post as well. [link]
- Current Chairman-of-the-Board David Brandon has made financial contributions in excess of $200,000 to the Republican party, candidates, and PACs supporting the Republican party. link]
- Brandon did make a $5,000 contribution to The Ave Maria List PAC in 2002. This contribution was passed on to the likes of Bob Dole and John Thune, amongst others. This is the PAC that Tom Monaghan founded in order to promote Catholic ideals in US government. [link]
- Current CEO of Domino’s, J. Patrick Doyle, has likewise made $13,300 in contributions to the Republican party but there is no evidence of support for other anti-gay groups. [link]
- Neither Brandon or Doyle have made significant political contributions outside the Republican party.
- A Domino’s Pizza PAC has existed and distributed $61,500 to Republican candidates since 2002. No contributions have been reported since the 2006 election cycle, but the PAC collected an additional $10,500 that I was unable to account for and could presumably be used for future contributions. [link]
- Total contributions to Republicans and to conservative causes from Domino’s and its current top-two leaders total at least $274,800.
- Does Domino’s itself stand for equality?
- Is there a better alternative for a national pizza chain? (Thank you Adam for posing this question.)
I understand why young people are killing themselves.
When you are gay, who do you have to turn to?
No matter how supportive my family is and how many close friends I make, I still feel a constant loss and I still harbor incredible amounts of anger. Although I’ve surrounded myself with people who love me, I am still surrounded by the constant din of hateful rhetoric. Whether directed at me, or just mindlessly spouted into the collective, it hurts.
And who out there is watching out for me? I’m not asking who can I call that will tell me they love me or who can I go hug and share my anger with. I’m asking who, in a position of power, is watching out for me? Our “fierce advocate” Obama? Nope. His administration’s clear ambivalence to our plight and lack of action are evidence that his campaigning was little more than hollow, lifeless, careless promises. In my eyes the biggest policy decisions he has made about LGBT people is to defend the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the two harshest laws discriminating against us. Fair weather fan, I guess.
What about other elected representatives? Well considering Congress won’t even vote yes to debate something as simple and widely favored as Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, I guess I can’t turn to anyone there.
Perhaps I can count on the media. After all, it is the media’s responsibility to investigate and report. They’re the unwritten part of the system of checks and balances. When all branches of our government go haywire, we can count on reporters to set the record straight. Then, on Coming Out day, Washington Post publishes a vitriolic (and completely false) mess of hate speech. My face is still bruised from that slap.
Unfortunately I can’t turn to the country as a whole. Those are the people I need the government to protect me from.
We can tell clearly from NY Gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino that everyone is willing to reap the benefits of LGBT people, and nobody in the upper echelons is willing to stick their neck out for us. Despite leasing his properties to two gay bars in the past, one run by his son, he campaigned saying “I don’t want them [children] to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid and successful option.”
So when every day you are faced with wondering whether mentioning a bar you were at, or a song you were listening to, or the clothes you are wearing, or the name of someone you went on a date with will end in ridicule, or worse, violence, what would you do?
Well I get really angry and write about it. I know I’m preaching to the choir but it makes me feel a little better. Not everyone is that strong though. For some people, when faced with this level of discrimination, and given seemingly no way out, death seems like a better option. It’s not, but I can see where it might look that way.
The good news is there are places for gay people to go and be safe. If I wanted to get rid of this stress and hurt, I could just stop paying attention to the news and shuffle around some of who I follow on Twitter. Escape isn’t that far away and maybe that’s why I can handle it. I also know that within my lifetime the majority of these silly laws will probably be gone, and while gay people may not be seen as equals by all, it will be a heck of a lot easier.
I just wish everyone would see that while I’m different, I’m not different. The difference between gay and straight is no greater than the difference between brown and blond. And I wish that people realized that changing our laws to recognize that fact is no less urgent than ending our war in Iraq or balancing the budget or finding a cure for cancer.
There is an unspoken epidemic in this country. It’s not people being gay. It’s people who are gay who are depressed and angry and who have no remedy but to sit and wait while those in power decide when the appropriate time is to say “now you are equal.”
Lady Gaga asked for our video responses. Here is mine. Call your senator, ask them to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
Today is one heck of an amazing day. Why is that? Today is the National Equality March in Washington, DC. No longer sparse events scattered throughout the country fighting for equality, but one large gathering from all stretches of the nation on the footsteps of those who can take action against the gross discrimination that we as LGBT people endure.
Among them, our president.
Put aside whether you think he’s moved fast enough or not, the very fact that he showed up at the HRC dinner last night and spoke is monumental. To speak out in favor of equal rights as freely and openly as he did on video, broadcast around the world, is nothing short of brave and commendable. Keep in mind, the only power President Obama has to change laws is to influence Congress to pass laws. And he clearly sent that message last night.
Then there is Lady Gaga. This is a woman who has fought for her celebrity status for years and only just obtained it. And, unlike so many people in the spotlight, she is ready and willing to put everything she has on the line to see bigotry come to a halt. Could it be that she is the ideal we should all strive to be? Not in the pop-icon-weird-as-heck kind of way, but in that she defies labels. She steps over everyone who stands in her way. She does what she herself things is right and beautiful. Whether you like her style or her music, you cannot disagree that she is a force, and to many, a hero. Her rendition of John Lennon’s classic, Imagine, is a tear-worthy and appropriate update to one of the past century’s most gorgeous and touching songs. I’ve watched it a few times now, and every time she sings “And only Matthew in the sky” I begin crying. Can she license the track and release it? I would pay $20 just for the one song if I knew the money went somewhere worthy.
Thank you to everyone who is in Washington today, marching for the people I love.
Here in Chicago it’s not at all unusual to see a gay couple kiss on the street. In fact the only comments I’ve ever received when someone has seen me kiss another guy have been positive.
The story is somewhat different in the ultra-conservative and religious city of Salt Lake City where two gay lovers affectionately kissed each other on Mormon property that was once a public plaza owned by the city. The Mormon church has taken the stance that they don’t believe in any form of public affection, but check out this video that shows a straight couple walking by unbothered while the gay couple are arrested in quite an inappropriate manner.
Source:Â Dym Sum
As my American readers know, on this date in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed, officially proclaiming our nation free from the control of England. That very document said it almost perfectly – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
So many have fought to protect the right of Americans to continue living that dream. The sad and ironic part of this story is how our country has historically ignored the necessity to protect those inalienable rights for all citizens. How many black, asian, transgendered, and gay men AND women have fought to protect those rights only to return home to oppression? It’s a sickening culture that claims peace and justice for the majority and squanders those who are different.
While the days of slavery and internment camps are long past and women enjoy legal equality, there is still much work to be done. Racism is everywhere. Women are paid on average far less than men for doing the same job, if they can even get the job. Transgendered people are brutally killed and the murderers walk and talk show hosts get away with saying they deserved it. Gay men and women fight overseas to protect the safety of the very people back home who won’t allow them to marry their long time life partners. Heck, they can’t even talk about their relationship or show a picture of their lover to a fellow service member without being discharged.
While you enjoy celebrating our Independence today, remember the principles that this country was founded on, and remember that all of your friends and family members don’t necessarily share the same ability to pursue Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. I firmly believe equality is within grasp for everyone, but only if everyone works at it.
Pride this year was kind of special for me. Since coming out eight years ago, I’ve always stayed on top of politics and news relating to the LGBT community at least a little but since the release of Milk and the passage of Prop 8 I’ve dropped my old passive interest ways and become a bit more activist about things. So having the opportunity to march with the Gayglers and AIDSCare Chicago made the whole pride experience a lot more meaningful for me.
I think part of what really surprised me was the sheer volume of people that turned out. I’ve gone for the past few years and knew it was a big event but I don’t think it’s really possible to understand the scope without being in the parade. People were shoulder to shoulder the entire route and in many cases the crowd went so far back from the street that I wondered if everyone could even see the parade or if many were just there for the experience. For someone like me who grew up in a small town and didn’t know a single gay person until 17, that kind of gathering really has an impact.
I think my favorite sight from marching down that proud path was one woman with a picket sign that read “Proud to have two moms.” How great is that? There were a lot of these people out in the crowd, brandishing their signs of hope and support for our community. An old coworker of mine came with his wife and daughter. It was beautiful.
Of course after the parade it was back to the same celebrate and have fun drinking and eating amongst friends old and new, as it should be. But I wanted to take a moment of pause from the circulation of pictures and drunkeness to say thank you to everyone who participated in Pride 2009. For me, your presence was moving.