Tag Archives: Baltimore

Gay History – January 2, 1857: Martha Carey Thomas Feminist Lesbian Educator and Suffragist Born

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Martha Carey Thomas was born in Baltimore, Maryland January 2, 1857.

Thomas an American educator and suffragist went on to become the dean and later president of Bryn Mawr University.

Growing up, Thomas was strongly influenced by the staunch feminism of her mother and her mother’s sister Hannah Whitall Smith who became a prominent preacher in their Quaker religion. Her father, a physician, was not completely happy with feminist ideas, but his daughter was fiercely independent and he supported her in all of her independent endeavors. Though both her parents were orthodox members of the Society of Friends, Thomas’ education and European travel led her to question those beliefs and develop a love for music and theater, both of which were forbidden to Orthodox Quakers.

Thomas went to Sage College, a women’s school at Cornell University.

She graduated from Cornell University in 1877.  Cornell offered her both the position of professor of literature and dean of Sage College, but she did not consider either.

She did graduate work in Greek at Johns Hopkins University but withdrew because she was not permitted to attend classes. She did further graduate work at the University of Leipzig, but that university did not grant degrees to women. She then went to the University of Zurich and earned a Ph.D. in linguistics, summa cum laude, in 1882 for her dissertation which was a philological analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This dissertation continued to be highly regarded by specialists eighty years later.She was the first woman and the first foreigner to receive such a doctorate from the university. She then spent some time in Paris, where she attended lectures by Gaston Paris at the Sorbonne, and then went back home to the United States.

In 1882, Thomas wrote a letter to the trustees of Bryn Mawr College, requesting that she be made president of the university. However, she was not granted the position as the trustee were concerned about her relative youth and lack of experience.  Instead, Thomas entered in 1884 as the dean of the college and chair of English.

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Is Baltimore Set To Get An 8 Foot Tall Statue of Divine Complete With Bronze Dog Poop?

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Divine

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that an 8ft bronze statue of the late, great Divine might be coming to Baltimore with the blessing of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who “ looks forward to seeing more details on the proposal”

Via Flavorwire:

The corner of Read and Tyson Streets in Baltimore will forever bear the glorious ghost of an iconically filthy moment: Divine (aka Harris Glenn Milstead), as Babs Johnson in John Waters’ Pink Flamingos, asserting her status as the “Filthiest Person Alive” by watching as a dog poops, approaching the poop, and then eating the poop.Soon — Kickstarter gods willing — this moment will be commemorated with an eight-foot-tall monument at that very street corner. No, it’ll no longer be a ghost people step through unawares (incidentally, much like dog poop), but rather a gargantuan, unmissable work of art, homage, and filth. And apparently Baltimore’s mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, is completely down

The monument, which estimated costs is to be between $50,000 and $100,000, would rest on the side of a house at the corner of Read and Tyson streets, on the western fringe of Mount Vernon. The actual scene, according to those who were there, was shot on a lot alongside a house in the 800 block of Tyson St. The proposed site is actually across the street from the house, at a location (a blank wall) its designers thought would work better.

 

Hey Baltimore! – Westboro Baptist Church To Picket Maryland Courthouses Over Gay Marriage

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Calling all Marylanders who are sick and tired of the Westboro Baptist Church loons

Tomorrow January 2nd, the WBC will descend on 2 Baltimore area courthouses to picket same-sex marriage in Maryland.

They’ll be at The Circuit Court for Anne Arndel County, 7 Church Circle, Annapolis, MD  8:00am – 9:00am and then at the Baltimore County Circuit Court,  401 Bosley Ave  Towson, MD from 10:00 am – 10:45am. (I wonder if Bishop Harry Jackson will with them?)

Make sure you give them a warm Maryland welcome.

May I suggust the pelting of them with imitation crab meat?  The real stuff is too good for them.

 

WBC Sched-vertClick image to embiggen

Anti-Gay Maryland Democrat Emmett C. Burns Jr Wants To Censor Pro Gay Marriage Ravens Football Star Brendon Ayanbadejo

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CLICK TO READ THE FULL LETTER – Emmett-Burns-letter-over-Brendon-Ayanbadejo

Maryland Democratic Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. (D-Baltimore County) is shocked and upset that  Baltimore Ravens  linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, publically supports s gay marriage.  So upset in fact that Burns recently wrote a letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti telling him that he should make Ayanbadejo “inhibit such expressions and he be ordered to cease and desist such injurious actions.”

Burns went on in his “hate letter” (on “official” House of Maryland Delegates stationary no less) that Ayanbadejo should “concentrate on football and steer clear of dividing the fan base.” and that “Many of my constituents and your football supporters are appalled and aghast that a member of the Ravens Football Team would step into this controversial divide and try to sway public opinion one way or the other,”

Burns an African-American and Democrat also happens to be the pastor and founder of the Rising Sun First Baptist Church, which was one of the full-time petition drop-off and training centers for anti-gay-activists who want to overturn Maryland’s nascent gay marriage law that goes into effect in 2013 by putting the law on the November ballot, and giving voters a chance to overturn it.

Not only is it appalling that a Maryland Democratic Delegate would write such a letter to the Baltimore Ravens demanding the tarts someones freedom of speech be taken away.  Buts whats even more appalling is that Burns uses his church as an anti-gay training ground without suffering any political ramification from inside the Democratic party and the Maryland House of Delegates.

Baltimore MD FOX-TV Affiliate Helps Anti-Gay Activist Gather Names To Repeal Same Sex Marriage

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Kevin Naff at the Blade is reporting that Baltimore Maryland’s television station  WBFF FOX45 is helping anti-gay activists gather signatures for a voter referendum on marriage equality by having a link on its banner on same sex marriage that links to another WBFF FOX45 page which in turn links to MD Petitions and the site which is/will gather signatures to get a referendum placed on the ballot at Maryland’s next election to overturn the new law that Governor O’Malley plans to sign today.

Writes Naff:

So much for “fair and balanced.” I wonder what the gay employees of Fox News and its affiliates — like anchor Shepard Smith — think about the company endorsing this referendum. 

A WBFF employee who works on the website told me that the link did not originate with the local web staff and was posted by “corporate.” The number for that office is 410-568-1500. The person who answered that number referred me back to the local station.

Back2Stonewall did indeed go to the site and follow the links and it is true.    WBFF is actually helping anti-gay activist recruit support.

Asked about the links FOX45 replied.

“As part of our effort to drive viewers to our website, we frequently tag our stories with an invitation to get more information on a subject. We take every opportunity to engage the viewer in this interactive process. The link for the petition drive against same sex marriage is just one of many examples of this interactive engagement. This is by no means an endorsement. All of our stories on this topic have been thorough and fair. Our objective is to inform our viewers and make them aware of the latest development with this piece of legislation. If our viewers want to have a voice in this debate, they can take action. We are only making them aware of the movement to fight the legislation.”

It is far beyond time that we as a community start challenging and fighting back against the networks  And not just FOX but supposedly “friendly” stations as well who continue to host hate group leaders such as Tony Perkin’s and his likes as experts.  It’s time to stop being lazy and start  letter writing campaign and to boycott station sponsors.  All broadcast stations must meet basic requirements of service to the community they serve. We need to fight back and challenge licenses with the FCC and make noise about returning to the “Fairness Doctrine” and “Equal Time” laws that strike fear into the hearts of the broadcast media because it holds them accountable for their actions.