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Ah, summer! Yes, we've hit that time of the year when for two months or so, it doesn't snow, slush, or sleet, and days are spent lazily soaking in the sun. Of course, that means certain household items such as computers get ignored. However, if inclement weather puts a crimp in your plans to go the beach, here are some new and not-so-new Web sites for you to check out.
The NationalGayLobby.Org is a new organization of Internet users pushing for equal rights for the GLBT community. What is unique about this group is that it is almost entirely Internet-based. That means those who may not be comfortable taking on an activist role in public can do so via the Web. The site offers links to both state and federal government Web sites. There are also news updates about relevant legislation and Religious Right shenanigans. Chat rooms on the site allow for networking. The NationalGayLobby.Org is currently on a membership drive to attract at least 28,000 members to help raise $1 million for an advertising campaign prior to the 2000 elections.
The more established GLBT political organizations have a Web presence as well. The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force has just released a "comprehensive resource" on domestic partner benefits. It includes information on what companies and communities offer domestic partner benefits and the pros and cons of such benefits. You can download this publication at the NGLTF site.
Larry Hines is an HIV-positive gay man with a Web site. Big deal? As a matter of fact, it is. If you visit his site, you'll see why: he's running for the office of President of the United States in 2000. He's out, pardon the pun, for the Libertarian Party nomination, and that means going up against the party's 1996 candidate, Harry Browne. His heavily wired campaign already has the attention of the mainstream media and quite a bit of support from Libertarians.
The Millennium March on Washington is less than a year away and it has already attracted controversy on all sides, especially from those who question the necessity of the March itself. However, at the March's official Web site, such concerns are obviously absent. Instead, you have the opportunity to get discounts on hotels and restaurants in the DC area by signing up for the March as well as read up on the March itself.
The summer is usually the time when one curls up under the beach umbrella to read the latest potboiler from Danielle Steele or John Grisham. However, if your tastes are more, say, epicurean, then check out the Blithe House Quarterly site, an online literary journal for GLBT short fiction. Like most literary journals, you get your pretentious twaddle and failed experiments, but there are quite a few gems as well. Eight issues are available online for your perusal. You can also submit stories to the Blithe House Quarterly; submission guidelines are available at the site.
The inimitable Quentin Crisp is now online, and you can get a free email account at his site. If you sign up for an email account, you'll receive a Quentin Crisp lapel pin and be eligible for monthly draws for cartoon prints and t-shirts. Of course, the site is more than just free email - somehow, I can't picture Mr. Crisp spending his time on something as mundane as that. So, there's a gallery of Quentin Crisp pictures and sound bites, a guest book where one can submit a story about an encounter with him, and a schedule of personal appearances.
Here is where I am supposed to make a cute pun about surfing either on the Web or otherwise considering the time of year. Much to the relief of us all, I won't. I will, however, wish everyone an enjoyable summer!
NationalGayLobby.Org
www.nationalgaylobby.org
The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
www.ngltf.org/pub.html
Larry Hines' campaign site
www.gaywired.com/larryhinesin2000
Millenium March on Washington
www.planetout.com/mmow/front.html
Blithe House Quarterly
www.blithe.com
Quentin Crisp
www.guentincrisp.com
