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Salon Calls Out Mississippi
By Todd StaufferMost of the GOP's 2012 contenders are signing up to support "Personhood" initiatives that are similar to the one that Mississippi just overturned.
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Oxford, Miss., Passes Pro-LGBT Resolution, 3rd Mississippi College Town to Do So
By Donna LaddJust in, verbatim:
Oxford, MS Unanimously Passes Pro-LGBT Resolution
Third Mississippi city to pass resolution recognizing the role LGBT people play in thriving communities
WASHINGTON - Tonight Oxford, Mississippi unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the dignity and worth of all city residents - including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT). Oxford joins two other Mississippi cities - Starkville and Hattiesburg - which both passed similar resolutions earlier this year.
Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin issued the following statement:
“Like so many cities across America, Oxford, Mississippi has made clear that all its residents deserve to be treated with dignity, respect and equality, regardless of who they are or who they love. Today the Oxford Board of Alderman proudly affirmed the city’s support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and moved Mississippi forward on the road to equality.”
“Diversity is what made and continues to make this country amazing. It strengthens and enhances the experiences of everyone, to understand that it is our differences from which we learn and make us stronger,” said Alderman Jay Hughes. “At a time when signals from some parts of the State seem to be focused on exclusion, I am absolutely honored and proud to be in a community that embraces inclusion of everyone, to make Oxford the great place that it is. Tolerance and acceptance creates the strongest bonds between neighbors, and I am proud to be on the right side of history in reaffirming Oxford’s long-standing commitment to that most fundamental principle.”
Public opinion on equality in Mississippi is far ahead of law in the state. A poll conducted last summer found that nearly 60 percent of Mississippians under the age of 30 support marriage equality, while 64 percent of residents back workplace non-discrimination protections for LGBT employees.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
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[Lott] Open and Ready
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‘Passing the Trash'
Good job of reporting on that "Herding the Homeless" piece (volume 7, issue 29). I used to be a journalist, and I appreciate a clean, straight-forward story. But for years …
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WTF Is Zoogma?
Zoogma. It's a word that on the surface doesn't make a whole lot of sense. To some people, the word represents absolutely nothing. To others, it's a misspelling of the …
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‘Get Lost While You Can Still Be Found'
On Circus of the Seed's somber, fan-favorite track, "Rain," vocalist and trumpeter Stephen Phillips sings, "I hope that you can swim so that you don't drown/My broken heart is going …
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Cochran Bike Bill On the Ropes
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Beauty, Pain of Womanhood
Sometimes when people find that the play "For Colored Girls..." is going to be performed in their town, they think of the Tyler Perry adaptation. "I already saw the movie," …
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Man Shoes
Women. Love. Shoes. But we don't just love our own. We take notice in a guy's shoes, too. We get it when a fella is concerned about his kicks. I …
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Blues Marathon Growing Boon for City
When 2,000 people swarm Jackson streets tomorrow morning, they'll be bringing dollars and a growing sense of prestige to the city. Saturday's Mississippi Blues Marathon is only the fourth year …
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Step Up, Ledger
If you read the JFP's account of the Mayor Melton's "open" meeting with department heads this week (page 6), and then you read the Clarion-Ledger's online account posted Monday, you …
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DJP Proposes New Jackson Arena
Downtown Jackson Partner President Ben Allen is pushing the idea of a new arena in Jackson and wants to invest about $100,000 in a feasibility study to vet the endeavor.
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Big Fix Rig Needs Cats to Spay This Week
If you have a cat that needs to be fixed—you know who you are—the Big Rig Fix is doing low-cost spays and neuters in Jackson five days a month, and …
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Sundance Bound
Every year I gripe about the cold that chills my entire being when I'm in Park City, Utah, for the Sundance Film Festival. Despite the snow drifts and the messy …
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This Weekend: Music, Sweet Music
Tonight, Jackson Free Press editor-in-chief Donna Ladd performs during the Mississippi Opera's "Dance with the Stars fundraiser" (the event is sold out but you can still donate to the Mississippi …
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Isbister and Ladd to Host Radio JFP Friday Noon
Listen is as Laurel Isbister and Donna Ladd bring you Radio JFP this week on WLEZ-FM, 103.7. Listen to the live stream at here.
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Sweet Home Mississippi
It's no surprise that "Growing up in Mississippi," (University of Mississippi Press, 2008, $25), an edited short story collection of tales and reflections from famous Mississippians like Jimmy Buffett, former …
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Romance and Fly-fishing
Fly-fishing combines the joy of being outside with the gracefulness of casting a line so light that it takes multiple flicks of the wrist to keep it aloft until that …
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[Geek] Viva San Andreas!
A review of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas"
First, let me assure you that "GTA: San Andreas" is NOT for the immature. Parents, if your children show enough intelligence to separate real and unreal, there is little to …