About Jason Landau Goodman

Jason Landau Goodman is a law student at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress. A recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Jason is a fifth generation Pennsylvanian from Lower Merion, PA.

Scranton Native to Lead Outserve/SLDN

Allyson Robinson has just been selected to become the new Executive Director of Outserve/SDLN.

The two largest organizations working on behalf of LGBTQ servicemembers is set to merge this month. Following the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the groups see a stronger future together as one force.

Allyson is a native of Scranton, PA and has become a visible leader in the national LGBTQ equality movement. She recently finished a several year post at the Human Rights Campaign as the Associate Director for Diversity.

Allyson was the keynote speaker last year for TransCentral PA’s Keystone Conference in Harrisburg. Also a Scranton native is Mara Keisling, who is the founding Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. Allyson has now become the first trans person to be the Executive Director of a national LGBTQ organization that is not trans-specific.

We sincerely appreciate the groundbreaking leadership on the national level by Pennsylvanians. There is important work to be done to secure the equal access and safety of all servicemembers – certainly with the advocacy ahead to allow trans members to serve openly and with pride. With Allyson at the helm, we look forward to great progress ahead.

Here is Allyson’s welcome video – featuring several national LGBTQ leaders including HRC’s Chad Griffin and Sue Fulton of Knight’s Out: http://youtu.be/9I4Ny1RrXSk

Jason Landau Goodman is a student at the University of Pennsylvania and the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition. He can be reached at jgoodman@pennsec.org.

DADT Repeal One Year Later

Posted by Victoria Martin
West Chester University, Class of 2015

One year ago, the United States repealed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, putting an end to years of silence among lesbian, gay, and bisexual soldiers who have served, and continue to serve our nation.


The history of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell began with the administration of former President Bill Clinton, who signed the policy into law in October of 1993. Before the passage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell there was an explicit ban on homosexual soldiers serving in the military in any capacity. The policy allowed lesbian, gay, and bisexual soldiers to serve in the military, provided they did not disclose their sexuality or engage in any “homosexual activities” while in the service. The policy did not forbid heterosexual service members from openly disclosing their relationships, or engaging in romantic and sexual activity. Additionally, the policy was to forbid inquires into the sexual orientation of a service member. However, in the fifteen years the policy was in effect, an estimated 13,650 soldiers were discharged after being “outed” in some capacity. Soldiers discharged due to sexual orientation were in some cases subject to receiving less than honorable discharges, despite their service records, and were not allowed to reenlist.


President Barack Obama said that he was favor of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell while campaigning for President in 2008, and confirmed that he would work to end the ban during the 2010 State of the Union Address. This position was backed up by several government and military officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates.


Opponents of allowing lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members serve openly claimed that morale would be lowered, cohesion would be threatened, and the military would see a mass exodus of heterosexual service members. A statement from a group of 1,167 retired admirals and generals claimed that, “Repeal… would undermine recruiting and retention, impact leadership at all levels, have adverse effects on the willingness of parents who lend their sons and daughters to military service, and eventually break the All-Volunteer Force.”


President Barack Obama signed the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in December of 2010, and after the military underwent training programs in preparation, the act was officially repealed on September 20, 2011 . Contrary to the beliefs of opponents of the repeal, open service has reportedly been a non-issue. A study released by the Palm Center, conducted by both military and private civilians, found that there had been no negative impact upon the military upon allowing lesbian, gay, and bisexual soldiers to serve openly. In fact, retention of personnel, readiness, and cohesion were found to be entirely unchanged, and there was no net change found in service member morale. Service members reported that they felt allowing their fellow soldiers to serve openly had not affected the way the military operated in any capacity. The Palm Center study concluded that the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has had very little impact in the daily activities of the military, apart from increased trust and openness among soldiers.


While the military had made great strides in the rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual service members in the past year, there is still much progress to be made. Under the Defense of Marriage Act, same-sex spouses of service members are not entitled to full military benefits. Service members discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell have been unable to receive compensation from the government for benefits they would have been entitled to had they not been discharged, or had they received an honorable discharge.


Trans citizens are currently unable to serve in the military. The military treats identifying as trans* as a mental illness, and thus denies admission into the armed forces to those who are not cisgender. Policy also forbids enlistment by anyone who has undergone surgery on the genitalia, thus barring post-operative trans* individuals from serving. “Cross-dressing” is considered grounds for denying enlistment, or discharge. Recently, veteran Ashley Ackley, whom previously identified as John Ackley while serving in the National Guard, petitioned to be reenlisted. Ackley served in the military for six years, and her service included a tour in Iraq. Ackley sought the help of several military recruiters, before she was definitively denied readmission, under the policy on mental illness and gender reassignment surgery. Ackley is currently a member of the Inactive Reserve, though in an interview with CNN, she expressed the opinion that it would be unlikely for her to be called into service from the reserve.


The consequences of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell have proven to be positive for both service members, and the military at large. The first same-sex marriage of a service member was held on midnight of September 19, 2011, by Navy Lt. Gary Ross and his husband, a civilian. Military chaplains are allowed to officiate same-sex marriages, in states which they may be held. Service members discharged under the policy have been able to reenlist, and return to their jobs serving their country. Soldiers no longer need to live in fear of being discharged simply for being who they are. While great progress has been made in a single year, the nation must continue to work forward to a military where citizens of all sexual orientations and gender identities can serve their country openly.

Further Resources:

The Palm Center: One Year Out
http://www.palmcenter.org/publications/dadt/one_year_out


Ashley Ackles interview with CNN
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2012/06/06/transgender-veteran-on-frontlines-of-change.com

The New Normal – Student Review


















The pilot to The New Normal starts with the augmented chord of an Apple Computer’s error tone. Compared to many television shows portraying the LGBT community, so far this sitcom has relatively few errors. (Well, okay, there may some errors in the family matriarch’s statement “I am extremely tolerant to all peoples: when they opened that Chipotel [sic.] here I was the first of my friends to go, and that is Spanish food.”) Perhaps the most complex character in the pilot episode, she is a strong and powerful woman who has been dealt challenging life experiences. She is also–as her great-granddaughter puts it– a bigot.

I’m not sure whether the target audience of this sitcom is LGBTQ and allied youth. I personally cannot yet relate to any of the characters. Certainly not the upscale gay couple (sweet as they are) with their spoiled pooch having a baby, or their first pick for a surrogate mother who tries to blackmail them, or the single mother with the precocious daughter. Moreover, not all of the jokes worked for me.

A significant problem is that all of the characters—gay and straight—have relatively stereotypical personalities. We have the wealthy gay couple with the effeminate and the masculine partner the precocious quirky child born into the dysfunctional family (a la Lisa Simpson et al), the struggling small-town single-mother, and the politically-backward elder.

That said, this show looks to be one of the better recent portrayals of a gay family in a major network sitcom. It could become stronger with development of the existing characters, and hopefully exploration of class and gender struggles that could grow organically from the pilot. As the first prime-time sitcom on a major network in which the gay couple are the main characters, rather than taking a supporting role, if The New Normal shapes postive public views of same-sex parents that probably would not be a bad thing.

The pilot had an estimated 6.9 million viewers, which is considered decent since many saw the episode online in advance. NBC’s Utah affiliate elected not to carry the program citing the possibility of overly crude content. One Million Moms [not surprisingly] is boycotting the show.

So far, the reaction to the pilot on Facebook has been mixed. Leaving aside the homophobic posts, some viewers found it “witty” and “charming” while others expressed concerns about lack of racial diversity in the cast as well as cliché characters. Indeed, there is nothing particularly original or deviant about the storyline so far. Then again, this is not The New Deviant; it is The New Normal.

-Ben Safran, Haverford College ’13

Opinion: Looking up at the Stars

Tomorrow, Zach Wahls, a young icon for LGBT equality, will address the Democratic National Convention. It’s a great moment for the LGBT rights movement to have the child of a same-gender parent home to address a national political convention.

However, I pause at the channels that promoted his rise to stardom.

Since I began organizing in this movement, I’ve seen a cult of personality form around young LGBT heroes. Like clockwork, once a year, adult leaders seem to let catapult one youth into national stardom. I am humbled that some of these youth are friends of mine, but I want to dig deeper at the way the LGBT movement works to embrace individual leaders. I believe that in the best contexts, celebrities can provide inspiration, but at its lowest, display shallowness. Too often today, we are presented with individual icons talking about themselves – rarely with leaders representing movements of people.

In 2010, we welcomed Katie Miller to the stage. She boldly resigned from the military at West Point just before DADT was repealed. She became a fixture on national news programs speaking out as a young person against discrimination in the armed forces. Since then, she has articulated a message of inclusion she shares at events across the county.

In 2011, we celebrated Daniel Hernandez. While he asserts that he was not an LGBT activist, he happened to be gay and a student intern with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at the time she and others were attacked. His quick support of the congresswoman proved to be a great help to her survival – and Daniel has since been hailed as a hero across the United States and accepted numerous honors.

This year we come to Zach Wahls, who rose to fame with his passionate testimony defending marriage equality on the Iowa House floor. He has written a book about growing up in a same-gender parent household and spoken at many large forums. Moreover, Wahls has embraced activism in opposition to the boy scouts’ ban on gay members.

Generally, these young icons come from privileged backgrounds, or come to fame because they are close to channels of political power. We can only ponder if they would all be regulars on CNN if Katie had not come from a prominent military background, if Zach was not as charismatic, or even, if Daniel worked for a conservative congresswoman. Would even their stories be heard? We can be excited and sure they have bright futures ahead in politics and leadership.

Looking at the stars of the LGBT community, what is a young, transgender youth of color supposed to look up and see? We can only hope one day for a reflection.

The pattern of LGBT youth heroes seems to send the message that primarily white and privileged youth are the ones who deserve to be promoted to the national stage, literally. I write this intentionally as a white, gay student, in solidarity with all the stories buried and forgotten.

The Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s grappled tremendously with this issue. Leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Roy Wilkins would regularly draw thousands of people to hear them speak. Mostly they were male and successful community leaders.

Ella Baker, a proponent of forming the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the major student-run arm of the civil rights movement, believed that a community should lead together, instead of being the followers of a few charming individuals.

In a biography of Ella, former SNCC participant Joanne Grant writes that she “believed strongly in the importance of organizing people to formulate their own questions, to define their own problems, and to find their own solutions…she held firmly to the concept of group-centered leadership rather than a leadership-centered group.”

I am concerned that spending so much time honoring celebrities over humbling ourselves to local advocacy can further LGBT community stratification. At least, it would be nice for us to push the larger LGBT movement to give the spotlight more to ordinary folks we can believe in too.

In the end, civil rights movements have seen their greatest successes when normal, everyday people banded together to realize their power. It wasn’t by carrying anyone else’s autograph – but by becoming our own heroes.

Zach Wahls clearly deserves this speaking engagement. And I will definitely watch and cheer him on. But in my mind, I’ll be waiting for the day a national political convention invites a queer youth to the stage to tell her story of fighting for the lives of others – and not just commentating on it with a few calculated talking points from an agent.

How long should I hold my breath?

This opinion post was written by Jason Landau Goodman, a student at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and can be reached at jgoodman@pennsec.org.

Anti-Bullying Musical in Gettysburg

The Victim, a musical on bullying, becomes an agent of change in Gettysburg.

The Victim, a moving musical centered on school-based bullying, premiered last weekend in Gettysburg. Hundreds of members of the local community filled the Gettysburg Community Theater (GCT) with two completely sold out shows. The musical was conceived, written, and co-directed by Hanover High School student Zachary David Terrazas. The show featured an all youth cast who delivered commanding performances exploring social violence, relational aggression, and domestic abuse.

PSEC, Pennsylvania’s statewide LGBTQ youth organization, happened to have our summer convention at Gettysburg College the same weekend of the show and we were able to send student representatives from across Pennsylvania to the closing night run. Local leaders from the Gettysburg community were throughout the audience, including Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs. With a strong musical score, Terrazas gives us a deeply personal story that shows bullying through the lens of a victim in which no one, not bully nor victim, is a winner.

The Victim not only reminds us of the perils of bullying; it also reminds us of the resilience and talent of Pennsylvania high school students and the importance of listening to their voice. The production—which has been featured on national news—was brought to life with a spirited, heartfelt performance through the GCT. The theater’s Executive and Artistic Director, Chad-Alan Carr, was kind enough to treat PSEC leaders to meet the full cast backstage, and we were also able to talk to Zachary David Terrazas. The cast members thanked PSEC for working on safe schools advocacy. The performing arts and activism have long been intertwined. For example, in classical music, prominent gay composers whose music has inspired social change with political themes include Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. We are proud to see this tradition continue right here in Pennsylvania with The Victim, a work with huge potential to shape the culture of the communities where it is presented.

The Victim in the News:
Hanover student writes musical about bullying July 27, 2012 (The Evening Sun)

York County teen writes, directs musical about bullying August 4, 2012 (York Daily Record)
Teen’s bullying musical to premiere in Gettysburg August 5, 2012 (AP)

This post was written by Ben Safran, Haverford College ’13.

Chick-fil-A and PA LGBTQ Youth Action














Chick-fil-A’s susceptibility to controversy continues to reach new boiling points.

Post-gaffe, the chicken-centric juggernaut’s CEO has refused to revoke his unpopular remarks made last month disapproving of same-sex marriage, instead opting to focus on pumping-up the company’s “family-oriented” business model, which also happens to be unabashedly religious judging by the meat of its $5 million worth of anti-gay donations. (And those are just the ones we know about.)

But sadly for the company – and fortunately for LGBT supporters everywhere – its business model is proving to be remarkably tragic, with its brand name rating sinking from a score of 65 to 46, based on survey results from the Top National Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) Sector.

This could be because some of the most divisive political figures (see: Sarah Palin and Rick Santorum) are endorsing Dan Cathy’s comments, or it could be because media-savvy youth are unwilling to let the viral story hit a wall.

Chick-fil-A memes, trending topics on Twitter, online petitions – these are just a few of the more subtle ways youth have taken action. But to say the social media movement is merely a “Kony 2.0” course of action might be underestimating the political astuteness and boycotting capabilities of youth.

Youth in Pennsylvania have been rallying against the chain restaurant since controversy first sparked from a restaurant location in Mechanicsburg, Penn. in 2011, resulting in statewide protests from university students more than eager to publicly voice their discontentment.

“When a business is actively working to deny rights to a marginalized group of people, it should be considered discriminatory – regardless of the ‘free speech’ argument,” said William Lukas, co-president of Drexel University’s FUSE.

Lukas, along with other students from the organization, organized a protest in May countering Drexel’s decision to allow Chick-fil-A to participate in a prominent university-sponsored leadership conference, despite what Lukas called otherwise “progressive” steps forward toward improving diversity at the school. The protest consisted of student leaders representing Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia University, PSEC and more, eventually resulting in Drexel organizing an open-forum LGBT event held prior to the leadership conference.

The protest, among others in the state, was considered a success in a digital era where social media has been undermined to the point of giving youth the bad rap of being lackadaisical in their activist aspirations.

“I certainly think that Chick-fil-A came out of a progressive LGBT blogosphere that now has become mainstream – the story has become a phenomenon,” Lukas said. “So, essentially, with the way we communicate in organizing and activism, [social media] has been huge in connecting people and raising awareness about issues people may not otherwise know about,” Lukas said.

Luis Medina, former GSA president from Bloomsburg University, co-organized a student protest against the presence of Chick-fil-A on Bloomsburg’s campus in the winter of 2011, which eventually garnered attention from a local ABC news station and made waves in their Student Government and the surrounding area.

“Chick-fil-A became a big debate on-campus because of a Facebook group we created; freshmen in particular made an effort to become involved,” Medina said. “The message we really hit home was, ‘Would you eat here if [Chick-fil-A] supported the KKK?’”

These relatively small protests in the past – including a youth-led peanut-butter and jelly sandwich protest held at the University of Pittsburgh in winter 2011 and an unthinkable Pride Week sponsorship from Penn State’s Hub Dining Chick-fil-A —have become amplified two-fold by increased awareness on the Internet since Chick-fil-A’s original round of controversy. Now, nearly two years later, youth are more prepared than ever to turn-out in large numbers in support of equal rights. Eight of the 59 Chick-fil-A locations in Pennsylvania are on university campuses.

Though conservatives across the country reportedly filed into their local Chick-fil-A’s to support the company’s “traditional” values, social media-savvy youth are already being alerted about another counter-protest being organized online by GLAAD : “National Same-Sex Kiss Day.”

“I hope [National Same-Sex Kiss Day] serves as a wake-up call to the rational-minded people out there, who aren’t yet strong LGBTQ allies,” said Ed Coffin, campaign director for Peace Advocacy Network. “In Pennsylvania, it’s legal to fire someone for their job, or evict them from their home for being gay — what’s going on is appalling and LGBTQ folks can’t do this alone.”

Onlookers eagerly await the turn-out of today’s protest, which stands out as one heavily-highlighted example of youth-led and supported bouts of activism, potentially setting the stage for even grander endeavors in the future.

This post was written by Brandon Baker, a student at Temple University. He can be reached at bbaker@pennsec.org.

Gov. Ridge Supports Gay Tolerance

Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, of Allegheny County, spoke at the Federal Enforcement Security Foundation awards gala Tuesday night in New York City.  Following his tenure as the first Director of the Department of Homeland Security, Gov. Ridge continues significant involvement in politics and homeland security advocacy.

During the award event, Gov. Ridge stated the following remarks (via The Wall Street Journal Blog):

“I think, as a party, we sometimes come across as very judgmental and very self-righteous, and that doesn’t play well to a lot of people,” he said. “Not just on political grounds, but in terms of the culture. We accept diversity in many different ways, and we need to be more clear about that and careful to express that.”

In particular, Ridge urged a more expansive approach to what he termed “the gay community,” noting that increased familiarity with gay people tends to lead to less judgmental politics. “I think that’s the right way to be,” he said. “Younger Americans on both sides of the aisle are saying, ‘Live and let live.’ ”

Asked about same-sex marriage, Ridge said he had no particular point of view. “It’s one of those situations where I’d leave it up to the state.”

GSA given greenlight in Central PA

 

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
ENOLA, PA— A GSA at East Pennsboro Area High School was approved in a unanimous  vote (7-0) this evening by their local school board. Earlier this month, the East Pennsboro Area School District Board of Directors voted down (4-4) the formation of a GSA at EPA HS.

Realizing what they had done, and following a media firestorm, it was predicted that at the meeting tonight they would approve the formation of the student group.

East Pennsboro Area School District is located on the West Shore region in Central Pennsylvania – directly across the river from our capital city of Harrisburg. East Pennsboro Area High School LGBTQ and ally students have had  an informal group for several years.

PSEC Co-Founder Jason Fluke,  who is a student at Penn State – Harrisburg and recent graduate of East Pennsboro Area School District, was present at the vote this evening with other  supporters from the community. Fluke said “this is a small victory for the queer community, but a larger victory for any individual who does not fit the caucasian, heterosexual norm.”

Today, the Patriot-News published an incredibly supportive editorial in favor of the GSA’s establishment:
Gay Alliance – East Pennsboro should get it right this time.

There was minimal discussion by the Board members before the final vote. They had a greatly positive dialogue  this evening in contrast to just a few weeks before.

Following the meeting, Fluke said “with the public establishment of Coexist, hopefully now the students will feel safe and empowered to find their voices.”

We couldn’t agree more.

The East Pennsboro Area School District Board of Directors before the final vote to approve the GSA.

Trans couple issued subpoenas in Pitt bomb threat case

The US District Attorney’s office issued subpoenas on Thursday to two former Pitt-Johnstown students. The couple, Seamus (22) and Katherine Anne (56), of Cambria County, have been identified by the FBI as people of interest in the case of bomb threats at Pitt.

Over the past two months, over 30 bomb threats against buildings on the main campus have greatly disrupted university life. Seamus was an honors student at Pitt-Johnstown last fall, but was arrested and later expelled by the university for continuing to use the bathroom facilitates of the gender he identifies with – defying the university’s policy of only allowing students to use bathrooms which correspond with the sex on their birth certificates. Both Seamus and Katherine Anne identify as transgender. While the bathroom discrimination case is making its way through the university, this recent development comes as a surprise to many Pitt students. In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article published today, Seamus and Katherine Anne deny any involvement with the bomb threats.

Seamus and Katherine Anne will appear on Tuesday before a grand jury. We will post more information as it becomes available.

More information with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

KSV Launched!

Today, April 12, 2012, we are officially launching The Keystone Student Voice! This online news blog will have the latest breaking information from across the state and nation as it relates to the PA LGBTQ youth community. All content will be written and posted by Pennsylvania LGBTQA youth and updated regularly. If you are interested in being a contributor, please contact Keystone Student Voice’s Executive Editor, Brandon Baker, at bbaker@pennsec.org. The Keystone Student Voice is an independent outlet sponsored by the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition, PA’s statewide LGBTQ youth organization.