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Writing in 1951, when gay people were being locked up and lobotomized, the brave pioneers of the Mattachine Society adopted this earnest, forward-looking mission statement:

“(T)housands of homosexuals live out their lives bewildered, unhappy and alone – isolated from their own kind and unable to adjust to the dominant culture. …A major purpose of the Mattachine Society is to provide a consensus of principle around which all of our people can rally and from which they can derive a feeling of ‘belonging.’

I’m proud to be a lesbian because I love women.

I’m proud to be a lesbian in a world that fears difference, hates women and does everything possible to squelch our independence.

Thirty years after the start of the AIDS epidemic, we are still struggling with stigma, misinformation and fear of those infected with HIV. Just this week, while drinking with friends and colleagues, I was reminded of how much more work we have to do when it comes to educating the public. We ordered a huge drink (bucket sized), one that came complete with six fun neon straws. Folks were chatting, laughing and having a grand ole time. As the evening progressed, people began to forget which straws were theirs. One person exclaimed, “It’s OK if I drink from someone else’s straw – I’m not sick, it’s not like I have AIDS or anything!” That comment struck me like a lightening bolt: “Thirty years into this epidemic, and still, there are people that think HIV can be transmitted by drinking from the same glass or straw.”

HIV can only be transmitted by specific fluids: blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk.  And with the help of anti-retroviral therapy, an HIV-positive person with a non-detectable viral load has only a 4 percent chance of passing on the virus.

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” The African-American spiritual could be the anthem of the religious services taking place at PrideFest.

Our community will gather to let our light shine at the Friday evening interfaith prayer service, 6:30 p.m. on the Stonewall Stage, and also at the celebration of relationships at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday on the Stonewall Stage.

The Milwaukee Pride Parade would like to take the opportunity to speak up about all the great things we have done in the past year to ensure that the Pride Parade is better, safer and more family-friendly than ever in 2011.

The Pride parade has had to overcome a lot of logistical problems in its seven years of operation, including uninsured vehicles in the parade, non-registered units joining the parade, alcohol on the route and nudity/graphic images in and on units. All of these things are not just a safety concern but also are huge insurance liabilities and in some cases are outright illegal.

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, heresy is in the eye of John Boehner.

Last year U.S. Rep. Boehner, now the speaker of the house, protested a Smithsonian exhibit featuring a film by David Wojnarowicz. The film, “Fire in My Belly,” created in the mid-1980s, generated controversy because of a scene showing ants crawling over a crucifix.

When a Republican legislator in Alabama switches parties to protest the GOP’s attacks on teachers, you know there’s a progressive backlash a-coming.

As legislatures across the country adjourn, it’s clear that voters are not pleased with the right-wing genie they let out of the bottle last fall. Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s approval rating dipped to 29 percent after only four months in office. A recent Ohio poll showed that Tea Party Gov. John Kasich would lose by 25 points if he faced his November 2010 opponent today.

The slogan for the Milwaukee Pride Parade this year is “Filling the streets with pride.” It is a great slogan and it seems particularly poignant in our state’s current political climate.

Months ago we witnessed unprecedented activism in Wisconsin streets and inside our Capitol. The LGBT community should certainly take pride in the role it played in this activism both inside the Capitol and out.

The process of liberation is never linear.  A step forward is often followed by a step sideways – or even backwards.

The faltering progress that LGBT Americans have won in the past four decades is about as good as it gets. While we’re still some distance short of full social inclusion, we have arrived at a time and place when the question is no longer “if” but “when.”

None of the six Republican state senators facing recall this summer are friends of the LGBT community. That is clear in their repeated votes for the 2006 marriage ban and in their votes against the state domestic partnership registry in 2009.

Usually when there is so much hostility toward the LGBT community a healthy dose of hypocrisy is not far behind. One particularly glaring example of this involves Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay.