January 19: Zhou Dan, Pioneer Chinese Gay Activist

b. January 19, 1974

Law and policy always involve compromise and sometimes being a progressive means taking things one step at a time.

One generation removed from the persecution of gays under the People's Republic of China, Chinese gays encounter different obstacles than their American counterparts. Many Chinese believe that homosexuality exists only in the western world. The absence of legal protection and the threat of social isolation keep most Chinese GLBT individuals in the closet.

GLBT activist and attorney Zhou Dan came out to his friends in 1998 and the media in 2003. A champion of GLBT rights in China, Zhou writes articles on Chinese gay and lesbian Web sites. Although many GLBT Chinese use pseudonyms, Zhou uses his real name. After revealing his sexuality to a Shanghai newspaper in 2003, Zhou appeared across China in newspapers and magazines and on television. Earlier that year, he established the Shanghai Hotline for Sexual Minorities.

In 2004, Zhou attended Yale Law School's China Law Center as a visiting scholar. In 2006, he taught China's first graduate class on homosexuality at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Bibliography

“Zhou Dan.” Yale Law School: The China Law Center. July 3, 2007

Beech, Hannah and Susan Guangzhou. “Changing the Game in China.” Time. June 20, 2005. July 3, 2007

Related articles

• GLBT History Month 2010 (mlp.org)

John A. Pérez , State Legislator

b. September 28, 1969

"Yes I’m gay, and I’m a politician. It’s a descriptor. I don’t think it’s a definer."

John A. Pérez is the openly gay speaker of the California Assembly. He is the first GLBT person of color to hold such a position and only the third out leader of a legislative body in United States history. 

Pérez was born in working-class Los Angeles, the son of Felipe, a Mexican immigrant who was disabled from a workplace accident, and Vera, who directed a community clinic. At age 14, Pérez became politically active, motivated by government cuts in disability payments to his father and in government subsidies to his mother’s clinic.

After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, Pérez spent several years as a labor organizer in Southern California. He served as political director for the United Food and Commercial Workers in Orange County.

Before he held an elective office, Pérez was actively engaged in public service. He was integral in founding California’s statewide GLBT organization, now called Equality California. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush appointed him to the President’s Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS.  Pérez was a gubernatorial appointee to a panel charged with reforming California’s initiative system and a mayoral appointee to the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency.

Pérez was elected to the California Assembly in 2008, winning 85 percent of the vote in his Los Angeles district. Two years later, he was selected as speaker by members of the Democratic Party and formally elected by the Assembly. Assemblywoman Fiona Ma said, "He’s someone who sends a signal to the nation that being gay is no longer a barrier to greatness."

Pérez is a fan of classical music, art museums and the Los Angeles Dodgers.rs.

Bibliography

"3 Questions for Assemblyman John Pérez." SFGate. 3 January 2010.

Bailey, Eric, and Shane Goldmacher. "Politics is part of John Pérez 's DNA." The Los Angeles Times.17 December 2009.

Bajko, Matthew S. "Political Notes: Gay Latino labor activist set to make history." The Bay Area Reporter Online. 10 April 2008.

Dolan, Jack. "John Pérez Sworn in as Assembly Speaker.” The Los Angeles Independent. 1 March 2010.

"John Pérez sworn in as Assembly speaker.” PolitiCal. 1 March 2010.

Zahniser, David. "Villaraigosa's cousin enters Assembly race." The Los Angeles Times. 23 February 2008.

Article about John A. Pérez

Huffington Post Biography

Videos of John A. Pérez

New California Speaker John A. Pérez

Speaker Pérez Discusses His Commitment to Job Creation, Reforms

Assemblymember Pérez Discusses Democratic Caucus Speakership Vote

Websites

Speaker of the Assembly John A. Pérez

Pérez for Assembly

18 October: Tim Gill, Activist/ Political Donor

b. October 18, 1953

Tim Gill founded the highly successful computer company Quark, Inc. and created the Gill Foundation, one of the first major foundations to benefit the GLBT community.

" This fight is not just for the long haul. This fight is forever. "

Tim Gill got hooked on computers when his high school acquired its first computer. It wasn't long until he taught himself to create complex programs. Instead of following in his father's footsteps as a physician as he had originally planned, he majored in applied mathematics and computer science at the University of Colorado.

In 1981, Gill borrowed $2,000 from his parents and started Quark, Inc. The road to success was not without obstacles, but in a few years' time the company became a leader in desktop publishing software. Gill established a reputation for innovative, socially conscious business practices. His name appeared on the Forbes 400 list of the nation's wealthiest people.

Gill began to speak out publicly as a gay man in 1992 when Colorado voters passed Amendment 2, which banned laws designed to protect GLBT people from discrimination. In 1994 he established the Gill Foundation with the mission of securing equal opportunity for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.

In 2000, Gill sold his interest in Quark in order to devote his energies to the foundation. In 2004, the Gill Foundation endowment was $220 million.

Bibliography:

• Dennis, Anita, "For Position Only: You Go, Guy," creativepro.com, Nov. 9, 2000.
  
• Gill Foundation Web site

Related articles

• The Lame 'Dirt' Fight Back New York Found on NY Sen. Ruben Diaz (queerty.com)

Cleve Jones, AIDS Activist

Founder of NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt

b. October 11, 1954

"If AIDS had taught us anything, it was that we must be true to ourselves if we are to survive."

In 1983, Cleve Jones cofounded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, making him among the first to respond to the epidemic. In 1987, he conceived the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, which produced the world’s largest community artwork.

Born in Lafayette, Indiana, Jones studied political science at San Francisco State University. He began his career as an intern in the office of openly gay San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, who was subsequently assassinated.

He conceived the idea for the AIDS Memorial Quilt at an annual candlelight vigil remembering Harvey Milk. AIDS loomed over the gay community. At the vigil, hundreds of names of people who died of AIDS were written on cardboard scraps and taped to the San Francisco Federal Building. The cardboard reminded Jones of the pieces of fabric his grandmother quilted together.

The quilting of pieces of fabric memorializing loved ones became the world’s largest piece of community art. In 1987, 1,920 panels were exhibited on the National Mall in Washington, and were viewed by more than 500,000 people. The AIDS Quilt became a symbolic funeral service since many who died were denied memorial services.

Since 2005, Jones has spearheaded efforts to diminish homophobia in the hospitality industry with a project called UNITE HERE. He was instrumental in the Sleep with the Right People campaign, which encourages gay tourists to stay at hotels that respect employees’ rights.

Jones was awarded honorary doctorates from Haverford College and the Starr King School for the Ministry. His memoir, “Stitching a Revolution” (2000), was a best seller.

By 2006, the AIDS Quilt had  memorialized more than 44,000 lives.


Bibliography
Christensen, Jen. “A Rip in the Quilt.” The Advocate. February 28, 2006
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2006_Feb_28/ai_n16107743/print?tag=artBody;col1
“Cleve Jones” Gerber/Hart Library. July 2, 2008
http://www.gerberthart.org/jones/html
Jones, Cleve. “The AIDS Memorial Quilt.” The Advocate. November 12, 2002
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2002_Nov_12/ai_94598298/print?tag=artBody;col1
“Memorial Quilt Rolls Out.” The New York Times. October 12, 1987
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE2D9143FF931A25753C1A961948260
Articles
Bass, Sharon L. “Panel by Panel, a Quilt Commemorates the Victims of AIDS.” The New York Times. March 12, 1989
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=950DE1DB1F3EF931A25750C0A96F948260&scp=1&sq=panel%20by%20panel,%20a%20quilt%20commemorates&st=cse
Bishop, Katherine. “Denying AIDS Its Sting: A Quilt of Life.” The New York Times. October 5, 1996
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DC143AF936A35753C1A961948260
Dunlap, David W. “AIDS Quilt of Grief on Capital Mall.” The New York Times. October 13, 1996
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C06E4D61E3EF930A25753C1A960958260&scp=1&sq=aids%20quilt%20of%20grief&st=cse
Books
Stitching a Revolution (2000)
http://www.amazon.com/Stitching-Revolution-Activist-Cleve-Jones/dp/0062516426/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214939962&sr=1-1
Other Resources
The Aids Memorial Quilt
www.aidsquilt.org
UNITE HERE
www.unitehere.org/about
Websites
Official Cleve Jones Website
www.clevejones.com

Zhou Dan, Chinese Gay Pioneer

b. January 19, 1974

Law and policy always involve compromise and sometimes being a progressive means taking things one step at a time.

One generation removed from the persecution of gays under the People's Republic of China, Chinese gays encounter different obstacles than their American counterparts. Many Chinese believe that homosexuality exists only in the western world. The absence of legal protection and the threat of social isolation keep most Chinese GLBT individuals in the closet.

GLBT activist and attorney Zhou Dan came out to his friends in 1998 and the media in 2003. A champion of GLBT rights in China, Zhou writes articles on Chinese gay and lesbian Web sites. Although many GLBT Chinese use pseudonyms, Zhou uses his real name. After revealing his sexuality to a Shanghai newspaper in 2003, Zhou appeared across China in newspapers and magazines and on television. Earlier that year, he established the Shanghai Hotline for Sexual Minorities.

In 2004, Zhou attended Yale Law School's China Law Center as a visiting scholar. In 2006, he taught China's first graduate class on homosexuality at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Bibliography

“Zhou Dan.” Yale Law School: The China Law Center. July 3, 2007

Beech, Hannah and Susan Guangzhou. “Changing the Game in China.” Time. June 20, 2005. July 3, 2007

Related articles

• GLBT History Month 2010 (mlp.org)

Tim Gill, Activist/ Political Donor

b. October 18, 1953

Tim Gill founded the highly successful computer company Quark, Inc. and created the Gill Foundation, one of the first major foundations to benefit the GLBT community.

" This fight is not just for the long haul. This fight is forever. "

Tim Gill got hooked on computers when his high school acquired its first computer. It wasn't long until he taught himself to create complex programs. Instead of following in his father's footsteps as a physician as he had originally planned, he majored in applied mathematics and computer science at the University of Colorado.

In 1981, Gill borrowed $2,000 from his parents and started Quark, Inc. The road to success was not without obstacles, but in a few years' time the company became a leader in desktop publishing software. Gill established a reputation for innovative, socially conscious business practices. His name appeared on the Forbes 400 list of the nation's wealthiest people.

Gill began to speak out publicly as a gay man in 1992 when Colorado voters passed Amendment 2, which banned laws designed to protect GLBT people from discrimination. In 1994 he established the Gill Foundation with the mission of securing equal opportunity for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression.

In 2000, Gill sold his interest in Quark in order to devote his energies to the foundation. In 2004, the Gill Foundation endowment was $220 million.

Bibliography:

• Dennis, Anita, "For Position Only: You Go, Guy," creativepro.com, Nov. 9, 2000.
  
• Gill Foundation Web site

Related articles

• The Lame 'Dirt' Fight Back New York Found on NY Sen. Ruben Diaz (queerty.com)

Mara Keisling, Activists, LGBT, GLBT, queer, National Center for Transgender Equality, Transgender

"What's important is that transgender people are respected as members of the community—that they are safe from discrimination and violence and disrespect."

b. September 29, 1959


Mara Keisling is a leading transgender activist. She is the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, the largest transgender rights organization.

One of seven siblings, Keisling grew up as Mark in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His father was the governor’s chief of staff. Mark was a reticent boy. "During junior high, I was shy to the point where I feared giving a book report in front of the class," Keisling says.

Keisling became more extroverted after joining the school's Model U.N. Club, where he found his calling in the political arena. He graduated from Penn State, and pursued post-graduate work in American Government at Harvard University.

In the 1990's, after Keisling told friends and family he'd felt like a woman since childhood, he began his transition to Mara. Keisling soon turned to activism after seeing the discrimination transgender people face. Keisling co-chaired the Pennsylvania Gender Rights Coalition and served on the steering committee of the Statewide Pennsylvania Rights Coalition.

In 2003, recognizing the need for a cohesive voice in Washington for transgender people, Mara Keisling founded the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), a social justice organization dedicated to advancing equality through advocacy, collaboration and empowerment.

Keisling and NCTE were among the leaders of UnitedENDA, a coalition of more than 400 GLBT organizations lobbying for a trans-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Keisling has over 25 years of professional experience in social marketing and opinion research. In 2005, Harvard University named Keisling Outstanding LGBT Person of the Year.

Bibliography

Bugg, Sean. "Mara Keisling, Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality: We Won, We Lost. What's Next for 2009?” Metro Weekly. 13 November 2008.
Linthicum, Kate. "Transgender Rights Advocates See a Gradual Series of Victories.” Chicago Tribune. 18 June 2010.
"Mara Keisling." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 18 June 2010.
"Mara Keisling." National Center for Transgender Equality. 18 June 2010.
Article about Mara Keisling
Metro Weekly Interview
Video of Mara Keisling
Mara Keisling on CNN
Websites
TransEquality Blog
Faces For Equality: Mara Keisling (NCTE)
Mara Keisling’s Social Network
Mara Keisling’s Twitter Page 

Related articles

• Mara Keisling's 2010 Assessment: 'I Failed. The Movement Failed. Organizations Failed. The President Failed' (queerty.com)