Category Archives: Politics

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE NOW LEGAL IN THE ENTIRE U.S.A.

November 2, 2013 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

Honolulu, Hawaii (EMBARGOED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE) – Both supporters and opponents worldwide have expressed amazement at how quickly same-sex marriage became legal in all of the United States. Immediately after the Hawaii legislature approved the bill legalizing same-sex marriage, the following news flash appeared in almost all media outlets in all continents : “50th U.S. State Approves Same-Sex Marriage.”

The International Business Times, Japan Times, Manila Daily Bulletin, The Times of India, The Paris Register, The Berlin Times, The London Enquirer and many other publications were unanimous in applauding the United States for the speed in which the number of U.S. States where same-sex marriage is now legal went from 15 to 50, not including the District of Columbia. It all happened within a matter of months. Illinois was the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Gay rights activists praised Hawaii for “sealing the deal” to make same-sex marriage legal in the entire U.S.A. Many pointed out that it was appropriate for Hawaii to be the state to earn this distinction. “After all,” they said, “the U.S. movement to legalize same-sex marriage all but started in Hawaii when the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled in the early 1990’s that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. It was a landmark case (Baehr vs. Lewin) that set off the marriage equality movement in the U.S. Mainland.

Hawaii became the 50th state of the U.S. on August 21, 1959.

Politics, Religion

GROUPS REVOLT AGAINST HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

October 31, 2013 Pol Pinoy Leave a comment

San Francisco, California – The San Francisco-based, upscale retail store Pottery Barn has apologized for selling a Halloween costume of a sushi chef and a kimono that an Asian American Civil Rights group had complained were culturally offensive. The retailer confirmed that it had removed the items from its website, saying it did not mean to offend anyone with the Halloween attire.

Asian American civil rights activists spoke out after the store began selling the products, a kimono and a sushi chef outfit featuring the Rising Sun of the Japanese flag. The activists demanded the immediate removal of the clothing and requested an apology, saying that the problem is not with the attire itself; it is with the fact that Pottery Barn is marketing these outfits as costumes.

Following the announcement by Pottery Barn, other groups also began demanding that retailers like Walmart, Walgreens, Target, K-Mart, Amazon.com and HalloweenCostumes.com remove clothing items from their Halloween inventory:

Texas Governor Rick Perry and governors of other Southwest states asked the retail outlets to remove cowboy hats from their shelves; the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops demanded that businesses stop selling nuns’ and priests’ habits; and a group representing the Irish community in New York City asked that the sale of kilts be banned during Halloween season. A South Asian activist group in Berkeley went a step further by petitioning the city to shut down stores selling the Indian sari during the entire Halloween week. In San Francisco, Mayor Ed Lee appealed to drag queens to wear only race-neutral dresses on Halloween night.

The protesting groups joined in the chorus by saying that their traditional attires are not costumes; rather, they represent cultures and religions. To market the clothing items as Halloween costumes is offensive and can trigger racial or religious violence, they claimed.

Meanwhile The Adobo Chronicles learned from reliable sources that there is a growing movement in many U.S. liberal states that aims to abolish the Halloween holiday altogether. “This way, no one will ever be offended again by costumes that mock countries, peoples and religions,” the movement’s spokesperson said.

Business, Festivals, Politics

HALLOWEEN IN THE CASTRO RETURNS IN 2014!

October 28, 2013 Pol Pinoy 10 Comments

San Francisco, California – It was an agreement four years in the making, oftentimes marred by shouting matches among city hall officials, representatives of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, merchants and homeowners. But the Halloween party in San Francisco’s gay Castro district finally returns in 2014.

It will be recalled that the Halloween bash attracted as many as 500,000 each year and has become a major tourist attraction, second and third only to the Pride parade and Folsom Street Fair. Stabbing and shooting incidents, believed to be perpetrated by straight revelers, prompted city officials to permanently ban the event beginning in 2010.

As part of the agreement, the “new” Castro Halloween will be open only to members of the LGBTQ community who will have to register with city hall and be included in a “gay registry.” Registrants, who will take an oath admitting that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning, will be issued special identification cards linked to the official registry. The IDs will be the only accepted pass to gain entry to the Halloween event. ID’s will be scanned at entrances to the event to confirm that individuals are listed in the official registry.

Get ready to say “Boo!” Again.