Peter's Place

Earlier today I received this e-mail response from a Hillary Clinton supporter who was in my contacts, listed as a media contact, in response to trying to promote one of my articles . It's disheartening that members of my LGBTQ community would respond in such a way, especially with respect to an issue I firmly believe is of great importance to the queer community. We cannot—and should not—allow anyone, for any purpose, to distort our history. This sort of response worries me a great deal. Certain members of our community are completely deaf to dissenting voices, afraid of damaging some fragile balance that must be maintained at all costs. The attitude that we all must fall in line, lock, step, and barrell, is more than troublesome. Our community used to celebrate our differences and value each other's uniqueness. When did we shift from celebrating our diversity to enshrining who we, the queer community, are in such a cookie-cutter definition? Further, when did we, as a ...

In an article penned by  Chris Johnson  of  The Washington Blade , Clinton surrogates NYS Senator Brad Hoylman (through his chief of staff, Peter Ajemian), former NYC Speaker Christine Quinn , and former conservative GOProud founder-turned-Clinton-lover Jimmy LaSalvia accuse Bernie Sanders of being against marriage equality because he signed a resolution in 1982 supporting "We Believe in Marriage Week": Resolution of the Board of Alderman of Burlington, Vermont   signed February 8, 1982   by Bernie Sanders, Mayor and [indecipherable] Wagner,  City Clerk The attack was initiated when  Jonathan Allen , who   first " reported " this "story," uncovered the resolution Sanders signed as mayor of Burlington, VT in 1982. Allen is a political lapdog of the Democratic Party establishment. He  worked for DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz , who was a co-chair of Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and co-auth...

I choose to be unstoppable. I am bigger than my concerns and worries. The strength of others inspires me daily. I focus on my goals. I trust my intuition and live a courageous life! As of today, 1 January 2016, I no longer am associated with the Bronx LGBTQ Center and have severed all ties to the organization. I shared this news with some of my closest friends about two weeks ago. I am the last of the co-founders to leave the Center, 3.5 years after it started -- which is fitting in a way as I was perhaps the first to organize the new organization. Having served as the Board Secretary since the Center's incorporation on 19 September 2012, my decision not to run for re-election and continue my tenure as an officer on the board of directors was announced at the annual membership meeting on 14 December 2015. This decision did not come lightly but leaves me time to work on projects that are bringing positive energy into my life. Of all the accomplishments during my te...

In 1985, +Bernie Sanders , then mayor of the City of Burlington , Vermont, granted protections to its citizens, including LGBTQ persons . This bold move was deemed to be political suicide and the end of his career in politics. But it wasn't the first time Sanders has supported LGBTQ rights. His 1970 letter advocating the repeal of laws against "deviant behavior" implies support for marriage equality Sanders's support for civil rights and of LGBTQ communities extends to the beginning of his career . Unlike others, he never had to "evolve" on his positions to support basic human and civil rights; it has been a part of his basic code of morals and philosophies from the moment his work in activism , civil rights , social justice , and ultimately, his career in politics , began. There are few individuals even in our own community who were fighting for LGBTQ equality in 1970 -- the risk for prosecution of homosexuality and imprisonment was far ...