I’m Missing My Gay Older Brother
Yes, that’s what Mike Kelley called himself when introducing me and my sisters to his friends and associates. Mike was a Democratic and GLBT activist, an artisan-quilter, and just the best brother I could have had.
Some of you might be saying, “a brother?” Well, our family had known Mike for years and we sort of adopted him. Or, he may have adopted us. When he first called us his “Mexican family,” I just thought it was funny. But when he traveled with us to my nephew’s performances, graduation, spent holidays with us, and introduced us as his brother and sisters, well, he was family. He was my big brother.
Yes, my family is better for having known and loved Mike, but this community is better because of Mike, too. It was long conversations with him about GLBT history, issues, and activism that made me first want to meld Latino and GLBT activism as a means of bringing together communities for a common goal–civil rights. And I will definitely continue that in his memory.
A memorial service honoring Mike will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11.
LaTeaNut Group Steals Trademarks “Republatino”
I can’t say I invented the word, but I’ve been using “republatino” since DosCentavos got started (2005). I received a comment from someone stating that the term was copyrighted. A quick search found that they just did it in December 2011 and seems to have first used it on some teabagger website targeted at Latinos. When I did a search on the e-mail, I traced it back to some North Texas teabagger group. Well, I coined the term in 2005, but I obviously do not use it for business purposes like the LaTeaNut group does. I just use it for fun. So, who infringed upon whom?
Anyway, any free copyright lawyers who can give me an opinion, please let me know. I don’t live off the “republatinos,” so I can always use RepubLatiNuts, RePendejos, etc. I can go on, but they just might steal trademark them all!
If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it.— Tennessee Williams
A Solution Hoping For A Problem?
Much like Voter ID is a solution in search of a problem, I’m of the opinion that the new Republican-created requirement that college admissions offices serve a “migra” office to remind Texas DREAM students to fix their immigration status is just a solution hoping for a problem–like self-deportation or worse, a student inadvertently turning themselves in to authorities. The only saving grace is this:
The Mexican American Legal and Educational Fund worked with state officials in tweaking the in-state tuition policy, said Luis Figueroa, a staff attorney at MALDEF.
An informal agreement will ensure “that a student who is not eligible for adjustment status would not be sent to a federal agency,” Figueroa said.
Ultimately, though, the THECB stated that they only did this because of the Republican debate, not taxpayer input. So, there you go. It’s a political decision that costs taxpayers more, in the end.
