Best of Missed Connections :: Week of 5/24

If you don’t check Craigslist’s missed connections, we’ve done the work for you to roundup some of the week’s highlights.  If you’ve ever met a missed connection, we’d like to hear about it.  E-mail us at gayrva@gmail.com.

Were you at the grocery store wearing a fanny pack?

You were in Krogers on West Broad next to Lowes between 2 and 2:30. You were wearing a black muscle shirt, black shorts, brown ball cap, black fanny pack, had a loaf of french bread in your cart…. you were well muscled and had dark eyes and shaved head – very hot –

Richmond is very couture.  Yes, fanny packs are all the rage in Europe.  Actually, they’re not.

Next up, two guys, one post.

guy number one, i saw you at target in the electronics area, you were tall like 6,2 ish, perfect body tatoo on your right arm, and wearing shades, i saw you shortly after that at american family you came up behind me to talk to a hot girl workin out on the eliptical.

guy number two, i saw you at american family when i finished my workout, when you walk in the lo0cker room you and i were in the first nook on the right, you put on some brown work boots and started talkin to a guy at the front desk on the way out,

And dissed at the Best Buy…

…they talked for about 30 minutes while i was there comparing pc specs. if you were interested, im sorry you got interrupted but the fact that you continued to chat for so long led me to believe you were not that into it, so i moved on and left. the guy you were talking with was cute, great personality, sorry i wasnt part of your chat.

He’s just shy.

Like most of these postings… it’s not really a missed connection, more like a missed opportunities to break ice.

We keep going to the same areas around town; Starbucks, Gold’s, various bars, etc. You have your cohort of friends that you meet up with and I’m a bit of a loner at the moment. I’ve been in town for almost a little bit but with professional school and work obligations have had little time to actually break in the gay social scene in Richmond.

I’m not cold… just shy. Not really sure how to break the ice when you’re in conversation with your peps. So if you see me around town, would love for you to interrupt my studies and say Hi.

This posting is incredibly vague; mainly because there are a ton of people that it can apply too!

She doesn’t like cats…but your’s is TOTALLY CUTE!

My friend and I looked at your house like a week ago, sorry to wake you.

My friend swears you all are gay and thinks you all were ridiculously cute.

I was dressed kinda like a boy with short brown hair and a hat, she has

blonde/brown shoulder length hair. probly wont get this but if you do, you

guys seemed totally cool, and YOUR CAT WAS ADORABLE…

and i don’t like cats.

Why were you in her house waking her up?

Arts Council Seeks Input While CAPS Attempts Cap on Progress

John Bryan, President of the Arts Council, invited local bloggers including GayRVA to a roundtable lunch discussing the Richmond Regional Cultural Action Plan.   Val at RVANews wrote a wonderful recap of the meeting.  The main point in all of this – the Arts Council (soon to be CultureWorks) wants the community engaged in keeping arts moving forward.

We were also given the challenge to come up with an issue within the arts community to champion.  With a show at Rumors being shut down earlier this month and a policing party patrol that seems to be in full force, this seems to be the issue du jour.

Style Weekly’s cover story on the city police department’s Community Assisted Public Safety program tackles this hot button topic.  The program started as a way to attack crime at its roots, but has since transitioned from solely targeting drug dens and abandoned buildings to art galleries, shops, and restaurants.  They hone in using code violations and fines for unpaid taxes.

CAPS has been using community tools for artistic growth against these businesses.

“We’d like to thank Style magazine,” says Michael Gleason, chief of tax enforcement with the city’s Department of Finance, also a member of the 4th Precinct team, referring to coverage of the local arts and culture community. He also credits the Richmond Times-Dispatch and a variety of alternative publications in the city for providing a convenient directory of potential violators among the arts and music scene.

The group hasn’t only been seeking out violators through print, but also social networking sites like Facebook.

Gleason says that they want to encourage the growth, have more venues, but only want to make sure that businesses are doing this correctly.  What are they doing to encourage this?  Instead of simply shutting down these businesses or asking them to pay up, CAPS method of enforcement needs to be education-based.  Like the health department coaches restaurants on food safety, coach these businesses on what they need to do.  Right now, going through the proper channels can be an expensive and slow process.  If enforcement is going to be so strict, these establishments need to be given the tools and support to empower them to make changes.

City Councilwoman Reva Trammell also suggests that the city is cracking down as a source of income in a time when finances are already tight.

“I know the city is looking for all the money it can get right now. The city, we’re in a struggle for our life right now.”

The article says Mayor Dwight Jones has a clear desire for vibrant nightlife, but CAPS actions seem to be slowly pulling the plug.

Discussion:  There has to be a balance here.  What can we do to keep nightlife vibrant while keeping the city safe?  What can we do to keep arts moving forward?

A Lot of Leftover Cake…

Join the Impact organizer Roland Winston sent this call to action out via Facebook regarding Tuesday’s rally.  Thoughts?

For weeks and weeks the wedding was planned. The venue was grand, the facility brand new. This was likely the first event to be held on the grounds. It was a convenient location and such a great deal. Now we were waiting only for the announcement by the Supremes.

Finally, the call came. The time previously set, now the date was confirmed, only a few detail still loomed. Security was verified and the minister confirmed. The only thing left to do, remind the guest to bring signs.

The family coordinated on who would do what. By email, txt, twitter, blog and phone calls the word went out. The media was alerted and politicians reminded,this is a must attend event.

Of 1,200 members, over 400 bailed, nearly 200 said maybe but over 300 never replied. Even of those who confirmed some never showed.

Sigh! Lets just say there would have been enough cake left over (if there had been a cake) for 1,160.

There is a facebook group called Gay Marriage Killed the Dinosaurs. I am a member along with 55,137 others. Its just for fun and to p**s off the Christian Dominionists

Join the Impact Richmond, and Repeal the Marriage Amendment in 2010 are ACTION groups.

We knew going into DOD that 1,200 members wasn’t a real number for potential participants, but how reasonable is it for the community to be so unpredictable that the estimates I gave to the Richmond Police, the US Marshalls, Gibson’s and the media was- ‘somewhere between 10 and 1,000’. Yeah, we’ve got our s**t together.

Some members are people or groups across the country that are following what is going on with the JTI Richmond group or Richmond is their home town. Even politicians follow what we are doing. They need to know if GLBT issues have traction in Richmond. Now, for those of you who live here, let me repeat you are a member of an ACTION GROUP, and CALL TO ACTION doesn’t mean scratch your a**.

A member posted, he would just be getting out of work and could not make it. HE WAS THERE. Someone told me it was regular date night with his partner so he could not make it. HE WAS THERE. A 19 year old not out to his parents WAS THERE, and by the time the news broadcast was over, he was without a home or transportation.

So, if you were not there it is OK. DOD is behind us. However, there are literally a hundred other things you can do to advance the cause of GLBTQ equality. If, however, you do not intend to respond to any CALL TO ACTION emails, PLEASE LEAVE THE GROUP.

Just in case it isn’t clear, even this is a CALL TO ACTION.

I am not Harvey Milk, but I am here to recruit you.

Here are your assignments.

1. Read The Dallas Principles thedallasprinciples.org

2. Load these numbers in your cell phone

White House 202-456-1414

Senator Warner 202-224-2023

Senator Webb 202-224-4024

Senator Harry Reid 202-224-3542

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (202) 225-4965

If you don’t know who your representative is find out and load his or her number also.

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml

While you are there, paste the email addresses of your representatives to your contact list.

3. Make regular calls asking what the president, senator, congressman, etc has done that week to advance legislation overturning DOMA and DADT.

4. Attend the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network meeting at the Gay Community Center on May 31 at 5 pm. If you cannot make it, follow up by checking SLDN.org, gayrichmond.com, or gayRva.com to see what you can do next. Whether you know it or not, we all know someone GLBT who is or was in the military.

5. Pick a candidate running for governor or lieutenant governor and volunteer on their campaign.

6. Contact Equality Virginia and volunteer to help with the petition drive. There is a push for signatures on primary day, but you can gather signatures anytime and anywhere equalityvirginia.org

7. Vote on June 9

8. Make a facebook friend request of Donald McEachin, Then post a thank you to the Senator for attending and addressing the DOD rally (even if you were not there).

We are very appreciative of you, but expect to be held accountable.

If you don’t care enough to work for Equality. Who do you think will?

Repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Focus of Sunday’s Community Meeting

What to expect at the meeting… When: Sunday, May 30, 5-6:30 PM Where: Gay Community Center of Richmond 1407 Sherwood Avenue Ben Mishkin, SLDN Grassroots Organizer & Policy Advocate, will share information about advocacy work the organization is engaged in and grassroots work that can be done. Darren Manzella, SLDN Policy Advocate, is an Iraq war veteran kicked out under DADT and will share his personal experience. Emily Heck, SLDN Legal Director, will talk about the legal services that the organization offers. The organization continues to help servicemen and women discharged under DADT. Tracy Thorne-Begland, Deputy Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Richmond, came out as an openly gay naval officer in the early 90s and was discharged from the Navy. He shares his story. A Q&A Session follows. On the web: RSVP via Facebook www.sldn.org www.gayrichmond.com

Since Obama took office, there have been 221 military discharges from “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  That’s a small fraction of the nearly 13,000 servicemen and women affected since the policy hit in 1993.

Ben Mishkin, grassroots organizer and policy advocate for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, says after eight years of a tough political climate regarding Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT), there’s a new energy surrounding the policy.  According to a July 2008 poll by ABC News and The Washington Post, 75% of Americans favor gays serving openly.

“I think a lot of people have high hopes for the Obama administration taking action on repeal,” Mishkin says. “Throughout the campaign and transition, the President was very clear on his commitment and reiterated that as he came into office.”

It’s repealing DADT that’s bringing Mishkin and the SLDN to the Gay Community Center of Richmond for a community meeting on Sunday night.

Mishkin says the only way to completely get rid of DADT is through new legislation.  A new bill is gaining cosponsors in the House – HR1283, the Military Readiness and Enhancement Act.  The section by section act would repeal DADT and replace it with non-discrimination so gay men, bisexuals, or lesbians can serve openly in the military.

They would be subject to the same codes of conduct as straight service people and could serve openly.

“Right now, as the legislation stands, if anyone is caught engaging in homosexual conduct they get kicked out,” Mishkin says.  “Under this new legislation, homosexual conduct on its own wouldn’t be grounds for discharge.”

In addition, the organization plans to put a bill into the Senate and is asking President Obama to lead the way to let people know he’d like to see the legislation move forward.

“We’re encouraging our supporters to reach out to their legislators back home to continue to build support so we can send a clear signal that this is bill that we want in action,” Mishkin says.

Godfrey’s Gay Prom Saturday

With Dale Smith’s one-man show Jesus Phreak playing the Gay Community Center, Fan Free Clinic’s Fondue night, and Godfrey’s Gay Prom all going on this Saturday, you have your pick.  More info on the prom via Facebook.

Start Time:	Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 7:00pm
End Time:	Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 2:00am
Location:	Godfreys
Street:	308 E. Grace St.
City/Town:	Richmond, VA

Godfreys is hosting our annual Gay Prom! Come out for a night of spectacular fun featuring our own Ms. Tiffany Devereaux, Ms. Esta Bunny, Ms. Alvion Arnell, and Ms. Angelica Spaulding. This event will feature all the fun of a normal Prom, including Spiked Punch (on special, and virgin punch for the minors), a Prom photographer to get your picture taken with your sweetheart, Prom décor, and door prizes. In a more adult theme we will also be featuring liquor specials, Jello Shooters, and a cash balloon drop at the end of the night! Our standard Saturday Night Drag Dinner will be exceptional, as we are offering special Prom packages. For those attending dinner it will be $35 per couple and $20 for singles. Featured in these prices is Soup, Salad, an Entrée, and a special dessert, as well as admission for Prom Night. For reservations please contact Kenny at (804) 549-9512. For those only attending Prom Night, it will be $10 at the door. Doors will be opening at 7 pm for Drag Dinner, and the show will start at 7:30 pm. Admission for Prom night will begin at 9 p.m. The second round of shows begins at 11:30 p.m. Our stunning bartenders David and Phil will be slinging drinks, and there will be complimentary hors douvres. This will be a night to remember, so dress your Prom best and make this the Prom you won’t wake up regretting and reaching for the morning-after pill. Cheers!

More J-Cade Backstory on Dating Craig

This week, Richmond.com’s dating blogger Jonathan Cade tells us about the rise and fall of his relationship with the illusive Italian Matteo.  From meeting at Ipanema, listening to Air Supply, and making love out of nothing at all, he tells the tale of moving to Italy for the boy.

We lived in an ancient apartment with marble floors his parents had bought for him. There was no air-conditioning.

I lived off the money from my student loans and the Honda I sold in the States. When the cash diminished, I took jobs as English teacher, tour guide and editor. I wrote English subtitles for television, edited a magazine and sat in a drafty cathedral above papal catacombs.

Read the rest of his dating blog here.

We’re still Chasing “Craig.” If you’ve seen this man about town around town, e-mail us at gayrva@gmail.com.

NBC12 Coverage of Tuesday’s Rally

If you didn’t get a chance to catch the news clip, you can view it online here.

Fondue for Fan Free on Saturday

Received via e-mail:

The Melting Pot has a heart for Richmond’s non-profit community.

They select a few non-profits each year to support in a very unique way and based on the recommendation of a member of the wait staff, Fan Free Clinic was selected to benefit this year! On Saturday, May 30, come anytime that evening and order the special Fan Free Clinic menu. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this special and delectable menu will be donated to Fan Free Clinic! From the 1968 (the date FFC was founded) Starter Cheese Fondue to the “Fan Free’s Special” Chocolate Fondue Dessert…we think you’ll enjoy it.

What a positively delicious way to support Fan Free Clinic!

DATE: Saturday, May 30, 2009
TIME: All evening
LOCATION: 9704 Gayton Road
MORE: (804) 741-3120

New York Deli to Host GayRVA Launch Party

GayRVA.com is coming out…to party.  New York Deli is hosting our official launch party on Thursday, June 11 at 10 p.m. as part of Poplab Thursday.  Enjoy drink specials throughout the night to a soundtrack of the funky musical delight that is Hiptronica. Go ahead, RSVP on Facebook.

Perhaps a GayRVAtini might be in order?  Hmm…what would go in that?

We have a few surprises planned throughout the evening, so stay tuned for more details.

New York Deli is located at 2920 W. Cary St. (map it).  After 10 p.m., the Deli’s 21 and up.

Supporters from Across Boundaries Unite at Rally

Rev. Dr. Robin H. Gorsline rallies the crowd outside the Federal Courthouse.

Today, the California Supreme Court ruled to uphold its ban on same-sex marriages in the state.  The court did rule in favor of allowing the 18,000 that did marry last year to have their marriages remain.  In Richmond, tonight at 6 p.m. a crowd of roughly forty locals gathered in front of the Federal Courthouse at 7th & East Broad Street in to show their support of gay marriage.

Rev. Warren Hammonds, Chair of the Board for People of Faith in Virginia, had prepared two separate speeches for the crowd.

After a speech from Rev. Warren Hammonds, Rev. Gorsline of the Metropolitan Community Church of Richmond asked if there were any couples in the crowd.  A young lesbian couple spoke up, saying that they had been together for one year, eight months.  Another lesbian couple spoke up.  Known each other 35 years.  A couple for 11.  Two gay men.  Thirty-seven years together.  A father spoke up on behalf of his son who had been in a committed relationship.  Twenty-four years.

“This is part of our story.  We need to tell people who we are,” Gorsline said.  “Whether or not it is recognized, we are married.”

"Will the law catch up with reality?" Gorsline said.

Gorsline did address the size of the crowd.  “I’m glad to see you all tonight, but we could have done a lot better.”

Joyce Scher of Mothers & Others speaks to the crowd.

Several community leaders spoke including Join the Impact organizer Roland Winston.  He asked the crowd to help spread the word to the community to support political leaders that are fighting for equality.  Senator Donald McEachin made an appearance to rally the crowd.

Sen. McEachin encourages the crowd not to give up explaining that they deserve the same rights that he and his wife are entitled to.

During Gorsline’s remarks, he left the crowd with the following – “Love has not been denied.  Love will not be deterred.”

We’ve got more photos in our Flickr Pool.  GayRVA readers can go and upload photos for possible use in future GayRVA posts. Register on Flickr, go here, and click “Join This Group” on the top right. Hit “send to group” on the photos you’d like to add. New photos added to the pool also show up on the right side of our homepage at GayRVA.com.