Local gets cast in reality show

Shawnee Jean Harkins, a Long Beach trainer, has been selected to take part in a reality show for the Showtime network.

The show, dubbed Hydra Executives, puts eight American contestants against eight British contestants in a battle of the entrepreneurs. It takes place in the capital city of Abu Dhabi. Harkins will be highlighted on the show as the only openly gay contestant as well as the youngest.

The show is the first of its kind - - the first international English language reality televisions show filmed in United Arab Emirates.

Day of Silence

Orange County students along with millions across the nation will observe the Day of Silence on April 25 this year, dedicating it mainly to the young gay man killed in Oxnard this February.

The Day of Silence began 12 years ago on the University of Virgina campus to honor members of the LGBT community. In 2006, an estimated 450,000 students and more than 4,000 middle schools, high schools, and colleges participated in the observation. The main focus of the Day of Silence is to bring more awareness in LGBT discrimination and prejudice. It acts as a protest without any words at all.

Long Beach State student Christin Eitel is supportive because she sees that participation in the Day of Silence could help her campus. Not only would students take notice, it would also get them involved in discussion of the issues, leading to overall awareness.

April 25 will be the twelfth annual Day of Silence. Along with several community activities planned, hundreds of thousands of students and community members are expected to take part in the silence in memory of those who have been silenced over the years based on their sexuality or gender identification.

Last year's "speaking out" cards read as follows:
Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?

Same-Sex Couples Work to Cut Off Marriage Ban

Long Beach was one of more than 20 cities and municipalities fighting the California Supreme Court same-sex marriage ban in Washington D.C. on March 4.

Long Beach filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the legalizing of gay and lesbian marriage along with the most populous cities in California including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose. The brief is in response to a California Supreme Court appearance by 15 same-sex couples who filed lawsuits in March of 2004. After rulings and overturned rulings, these couples will get the day in court that they have long awaited.

In addition to cities, more than 250 organizations also filed friend-of-the-court briefs. The California NAACP and the California Council of Churches were among those that offered support.

City Council supports LGBT students

The Long Beach City Council sided with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in a meeting last Tuesday concerning young people and their school life.



In response to the shooting death of a transgender student by his fellow classmate in Oxnard last month, Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga proposed a recommendation in which the City Council would work with Long Beach Unified School District, the Teachers Association of Long Beach and gay support organization The Center Long Beach to better the student relations and education involving sexual orientation and identity. The main focus of this outreach would be to promote respect and understanding of diversity among students.

Several Long Beach students were in attendance to speak for the cause. Thalia Duran, a graduate student at Cal State Long Beach, spoke about the need for diversity education in city schools.

"Hate," Duran said, "I don't believe as a social worker, is an innate quality. It is a learned quality and therefore implies that it can be unlearned."

YouTube: Resource for Love

In this global digital age, website giant YouTube has revolutionized how Internet users communicate with one another. People can become virtual friends, leave messages in public forums, and, now, get lesbian love advice.

Long Beach resident A.J. has used YouTube as her own avenue of providing fellow lesbian YouTubers with lesbian dating advice. A.J. admits that she was not the first to use this particular outlet. She was originally a seeker of such advice when she realized that the topic was dominated by gay men. Wanting a lesbian perspective, A.J. took matters into her own hands and created her own YouTube channel.

On her page, A.J. answers questions from viewers all around the world in at least two videos a week. She makes it a point to keep humor in her videos, to keep things light, while she answers serious questions from her curious viewers; her most common questions revolve around how to come out to one's family.

Long Beach AIDS Foundation goes green

The Long Beach AIDS Foundation will celebrate its 20th annual AIDS walk this June along with the second anniversary of the foundation's "green" efforts.

In a movement that attracts followers with the call to "Become a Green Walker," the Long Beach AIDS Foundation had made an all-electronic alternative to its AIDS walk registration process. On the organization's site, any interested walkers are encouraged to "lead the change," and fill out all registration forms online. Other "green commitments" include using online pay methods and strictly email correspondence.