press release from christine quinn

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
CITY HALL
NEW YORK, NY 10007
(212) 788-7116
**For Immediate Release**
May 4, 2007
Contact: 212-788-7116
Release# 042-2007
Statement by Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn
Re: Passing of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act
Yesterday, the United States House of Representatives passed landmark legislation creating federal hate crimes protections that extend to members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. With nearly one out of every six hate crimes relating to sexual orientation or gender identity, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 sends a powerful message that we, as Americans, will not tolerate discrimination or violence against the LGBT community.
The passing of this legislation is a testament to the ongoing existence of hatred, intolerance, and ignorance in our country. Furthermore, the tragic death of Michael Sandy reminds us that as New Yorkers and as Americans, we must come together to condemn such violence and renew our efforts to build a place where tolerance, understanding and respect guide us.
I applaud Speaker Pelosi and members of the House for focusing on an issue that affects all American citizens: the right to live in a society free of persecution and free of hate. I urge the U.S. Senate to pass this vital legislation, and urge the President to sign it into law.

shame on those who choose to not see SHAME

tonight tiff and i saw the new york city premiere of shame in chelsea. ironic that they premiered a documentary about the fight for human rights in chelsea, as the fight continues for basic freedoms daily there as it is known as a gay haven of new york city. in choosing the films that we were going to see, we compromised on seeing one of the shorts since it was on tiffs list, a celebrity movie, and one that i was passionate about. i got to choose the last since i compromised with the shorts and let her chose the celebrity movie.

as we chose movies weeks ago, i hardly remembered what we were going to see tonight. all i knew was that it had something to do about rape, a cause which i feel strongly about and would consider myself rather knowledgeable about here in the united states. little did i know that we were about to walk into the documentary made about the life of mukhtaran mai, a pakistani woman who was gang raped as punishment for her brother’s alleged affair with another woman of an upper village caste.

i remember reading about the story in the times a few years back and even seeing a feature article in glamour magazine about mukhtaran mai, as they named her one of glamour’s most courageous women. what i failed to read about was that there was a documentary being made about not just the initial trauma she faced because of the gang rape in her village but her progression through the following six years.

although critics would say the documentary lacked technical expertise, that is the filming and the editing, i would say it rather suited the story, the environment and the perspective of the film. the shaky camera filming the village intensified the images of impoverished children, mud brick houses, and the lack of modern day civilization, and just how something like this could happen in this century. the audience was brought from the urban center of the world to a village in the middle of an underdeveloped country, giving perspective to the crime.

what troubled me most about mukhtaran mai’s story, was not just that she was a victim of gang rape and governmental manipulation and fraud, but that she seemed to harbor no resentment or bitterness towards her family who failed to protect her and stand up for her. she never seemed to mention how her relationship with her family was changed after the rape. i have to assume that when that happens one would question their mother or father’s love for them. when everyone was asking questions during the q and a regarding how she moved past her depression from being raped, i wanted to stand up and scream that yes although that is honorable and courageous, what about how she continued to live and support her family despite their apathy the night she was raped, despite their knowingly giving her to the rapists, despite their obvious over concern for the perception of themselves rather than her mental health?
how did she continue after the faith in her family and their love disappeared?

and oh fyi, my ballot was for excellent, and the film will be aired on showtime on may 31st at 9pm.

capturing moments

this is how they do it in newark

"shove it"

i read the rosie blog pretty regularly and admit that i pay most attention to the questions and answers section. my favorite by far (the response that is):

keri writes:
Why do you only answer questions that make you lookl good?e.g., sycophants that praise you. Or inarticulate attacks. You’re so intellectually dishonest that you won’t print an intelliglble critique!
(rosie writes:)
shove it keri

i wish i had the cojones to say that every time i was under attack… my new phrase of the week, “shove it”.