Tuesday 09 February

Top Headlines

Peoria Pride Sun Sept 13

The inaugural Peoria Pride Festival took place Sunday, September 13, 2009 at the CEFCU Center Stage on the Peoria Riverfront. Over 1,700 people attended and participated in the event. View photo galleries on the website at www.peoriapride.com.

Advertise with O&A

For more information about advertising with O&A, click the "Advertise" link in the menu bar above, or call us at (309) 669-6901 or e-mail dave@outandaboutillinois.com. AD DEADLINE FOR THE OCTOBER ISSUE IS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 18!

Out & About Magazine Jan/Feb Issue

The January/February Issue of Out & About Magazine is now available in PDF format and will be available most locations below by 1/27/2010! Click title for more information. If YOU would like to distribute O&A magazine from your business or organization, call us at (309) 669-6901 or e-mail...

All Events

<< February 2010 >>
Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28

January 23, 2010
October 30, 2009
October 16, 2009
September 11, 2009
August 13, 2009

Archive of ALL newsletters

To receive our e-Newsletters, use the form below.
It's FREE!!

Take Our Poll

How likely are you to get married if it becomes legal in Illinois?

	We'll be first in line
	Not sure yet
	Never in a million years

...on Jacob as an LGBT candidate for a Federal office

Phil Reese January 23, 2010For Dane Tidwell, one of Jacob Meister’s outreach directors, getting the LGBT voice to the Senate floor will be crucial to have our rights get a fair hearing.

“People who have not been through our issues are not going to understand our issues. Until you have been made fun of for being gay, or until you’ve been afraid to hold someone’s hand in public, you can’t understand what it means to be gay. For a straight elected official to say they know where we’re coming from, it’s a little condescending. Jacob’s experienced our issues first hand. From the political strategy side of it—what do you do when you have two constituency groups to choose between? Politicians pick the larger constituency and that won’t be LGBT. We always get the backseat.”

“I’m not running BECAUSE I’m gay. I’ve been surprised that the LGBT aspect has taken on greater significance than I originally anticipated.” Jacob Mesiter said on the historical nature of his run, “I’m getting much more of a sense that sending someone to the Senate is really important for the LGBT community. It’s a civil rights barrier that needs to be broken. We’ve become very accustomed in the LGBT community to elected officials making promises that aren’t kept.” He discussed broken promises that some allies—including those in the Illinois Senate—have left us with. “There’s a very significant part of the LGBT community not willing to stand up for that stuff because they’re entrenched in the existing system and don’t want to shake things up. I’ve been experiencing it even myself. There’s a fair number supporting Alexi, because he’s a known quantity and they’re comfortable accepting the status quo.”

“Its disturbing that the leadership within the LGBT community is so tolerant of political pandering that’s been going on, and there’s not more of a movement to hold elected officials accountable to punish enemies and reward our friends. And so as I’m going through the campaign I’ve realized how important it is—not only in Illinois, but nationally—for LGBT people to have someone on the floor of the Senate to provide perspective that isn’t currently there.”

“The big question is: do we care enough to really help turn voters out and make the effort that its going to take to rack up the votes. There’s still an amazing opportunity because there’s almost 50% undecided. Particularly downstate.”

For Loren Linder, campaign Finance Director, its about more than just Jacob’s sexual orientation, “the opportunity to have someone openly gay speaking for us on the senate floor is amazing. My greatest desire is to be a father, and watching the state-by state events of the last year—especially in Arkansas with the adoption amendment—infuriated me. To have the opportunity to have someone like Jacob to bring our issues to the Senate floor and speak for us just speaks volumes to me.” Linder, however, insists he’s “not a single issue voter.”

“The opportunity to have a progressive Democrat from Illinois is of great interest to me. To not be a part of the political machine or have special interest in his back pocket is important to me so he can truly be the voice of Illinois and the voice of the people.”

“Jacob is part of so many communities,” Karen Craven, Meister’s media director explains. “I hope to God we capitalize on the lessons we’ve learned from Obama’s election. For the betterment of our state and our country.”

CHECK BACK SOON FOR MORE ABOUT JACOB MEISTER IN THE WORDS OF HIS ADMIRING CAMPAIGN TEAM!

Add your comment

Lambda Legal Freedom to Marry Reception Feb 18

Lambda Legal Freedom to Marry Reception

Phoenix Center Trivia Night Feb 27

Phoenix Center Trivia Night

Add your comment

January Letter from the Editor

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. And now that the holidays are over, it’s already time for the Illinois primaries on Tuesday, February 2.

OA Cover Jan 10 This past month, I had the opportunity to speak with Jacob Meister, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. Jacob is running a hard race in the primaries to be held February 2 in Illinois. After speaking at length with Jacob, and reviewing all of his positions and opinions, I am very pleased to endorse Jacob Meister for the U.S. Senate and I hope that you will agree!! The full story and interview with Phil Reese is on pages 4-5, so I won’t repeat all that here.

It’s easy to sit back and complain about what is going on in Washington. The gridlock and endless political games have many of us upset with Democrats and Republicans alike, and everyone seems to be wary of politicians. But, then I met Jacob, a successful lawyer who isn’t afraid to speak his mind, and who has a remarkably firm grasp of ALL the issues. Of course I am concerned with LGBT issues, but let’s be honest and admit that those are not the only, or the most important, issues facing America today!!

I encourage you to please take a look at Jacob’s website at www.meisterforsenate.com and learn his positions on all the issues facing our country. Then head out on Tuesday February 2 and VOTE ... it only takes a couple of minutes and it’s the only way that we can elect someone to the U.S. Senate who will represent us responsibly and intelligently. And before you start with the “it’s just one vote, it doesn’t really matter” routine, just consider how many political races in recent history have been separated by only a few votes!!!! Every vote DOES count.

The LGBT community has come quite a ways, but there is still a long road to travel to gain the equality we deserve. When we have the chance to elect someone of Jacob’s caliber, it’s our duty to make that trip to the polls and cast our vote.

We have the chance to make history here!!! Please stand with me at the polls on Tuesday February 2 and vote for Jacob Meister, a candidate who I believe will help bring the changes we so desperately need to the U. S. Senate!!

We all want to leave the world a better place for future generations. Now we have the chance to help a committed gay candidate get elected to the U.S. Senate and really help those changes happen!!

See you at the polls!!!

Until next month,

Dave Barker
Publisher, Out & About Illinois

Add your comment

We Won't Back Down

Aaron Schock votes NO on Hate Crimes Bill

Last week, when the House passed the Matthew Shepard Act in a bipartisan vote of 249 to 175, we moved one step closer to federal hate crimes protections.

With the active support of President Obama and Attorney General Holder, we have our best chance ever to secure enactment of this important legislation.

But Rep. Aaron Schock voted "No" – folding under pressure from the radical right. Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) even sunk to a new low when she claimed on the House floor that the brutal hate crime that took Matthew Shepard's life was a "hoax." And she said it in front of Matthew's mother.

Please take 30 seconds to express your disappointment to Representative Schock – this is just as important as the emails and calls you made before the vote!

Our lawmakers need to know that we notice when they fail to stand up for equality.

Follow up messages mean a lot to legislators: they show that constituents are engaged, and they encourage lawmakers to rethink their positions in the future.

When you let your representative know that you're disappointed in their vote, you're not only helping us build momentum for the Matthew Shepard Act, you're laying the groundwork for the next fight.

Please take 30 seconds to send your note today.

Want to make even more of an impact? Make a quick call to Rep. Schock's office at (202) 225-6201. Tell them you're calling to express your disappointment that the representative voted "No" on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act.

The staffer will take down your name and thank you for calling, and you've done your good deed for the day!

Source: Human Rights Campaign

10 Years - Judy Shepard Calls for Hate Crime Law

Help pass hate crimes legislation once and for all!!

More Articles...

e-Newsletter

Sign up for our e-Newsletter so we can let you know about updates to the site and of coming events in Central Illinois! All you need to do is complete and submit the registration in the right column.

Send Us News!

Send us links and stories to LGBT related news in Central Illinois and we will post it in the appropriate place on this website. Send to dave@outandaboutillinois.com.

Please attach photos if you have them.

Help with the O&A Project

Out&About is a collaborative project that needs YOUR HELP?

If you can help with story ideas, photos, event listings ... or if you have a new idea or suggestion that we might not have thought of yet ... please give us a call or send an e-mail to dave@outandaboutillinois.com.