Joel Diaz, Mikey's Late Night Slice make the Huffington Post

To contact us Click HERE


The post is here
From Joel Diaz:

This past weekend I was a part of something incredible that happened in my community of Columbus, Ohio. After a fun night out in the Short North, my friend Ethan and I ventured down the street to a popular pizza truck called Mikey's Late Night Slice. As a frequent late night visitor to the truck I knew the requisite wait in line is part of the process for securing an insanely good slice of pizza. It was really cold so Ethan and I were holding hands and standing close together to keep warm, we were laughing and joking about all the fun we'd had that night, when all of the sudden the guy in front of us turns around and tells us to cut our "gay shit" out.I was a bit startled by his words but I didn't expect what happened next. Almost every single person in that line made it known to him it was not OK for him to speak to us like that. By happenstance my friend John, who is also gay, was standing in front of him and as he continued his rant about being disgusted by us we both let him know that this was our city too and that we were not about to stand down to his bigoted ideas, especially not in one of the gayest neighborhoods in town. As he continued it was actually the straight people in line who spoke up that were so awesome.I didn't expect to see allies so willing to chime in and let this guy know that his hate speech wouldn't be tolerated. The best part though was as he grew more irate and vocal the guys who work the truck stopped what they were doing and leaned towards the window and told him they would not serve him because he was spewing hate. They said they support everyone in our community and that he should get out of line because they would not be serving him. He begrudgingly got out of line and walked away escorted by a friend who had been hanging back.As I walked away with my pizza all I could think about was "THAT'S IT!" Every person who spoke up to defend us including the pizza guys representing their business was doing their part to make hate a thing of the past. I've been involved for a number of years with our movement for equality having co-chaired the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Columbus and being involved as a community organizer but I had never witnessed such a public display of support. It was incredibly moving.The next day I typed up a post on Facebook and shared it thinking my friends that read it might enjoy the display of courage of those that stood with Ethan and I that night and appreciate a local small business standing up for us as well. What I did not expect was the post to go viral and the responses from people all over the country regarding the story. It has been shared over 900 times since Sunday morning and a version with a fantastic response from Mikey's Late Night Slice was posted to reddit with over 266,000 views to date.I think the story was so powerful because we as an LGBT community don't hear these types of stories where our allies and businesses speak up against oppressors. I think the fact that the story takes place in Ohio also has something to do with it. The state doesn't have the best reputation for LGBT rights but Columbus is a very progressive city in our state. We have a very large active gay population and we are the home of the largest pride festival in the Midwest. The city just celebrated its bicentennial and is known as a smart and open city, which is a testament to the diversity of our community here.I think stories like this shared by our LGBT friends and allies are important because it gives people hope and courage. It shows that the arc of the moral universe does bend towards justice and we are not alone in this struggle. I ended my post by saying we must never forget to speak up and make our voices heard no matter where we find ourselves. I firmly believe this is how we will continue to change hearts and minds across this country and in the world but we can't do it alone, we need everyone to take up our mantle for equality and drive it forward. I'm inspired and amazed at what has transpired with what started off as a simple post in appreciation of people who stood up for us and am grateful for the opportunity to share a little bit of Columbus with the world.

Outlook - Equality Ohio, HRC, NGLTF Start Their Own Campaign

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The story is hereTwo LGBT civil-rights groups that oppose efforts to put a marriage-equality measure on the Ohio ballot this fall said today that they’re joining together to fight instead for anti-discrimination and anti-bullying legislation.Equality Ohio and two national groups — the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force — announced a statewide coalition this morning that they called “an unprecedented effort to achieve equality in Ohio.”They said their goals include “ultimately, marriage equality,” but they didn’t say when they might push to undo a 2004 state constitutional amendment that bars gay and lesbian couples from getting married.“Ohioans share some pretty basic values. We believe everyone should be free to live without fear of discrimination at home, at work and in their community. We believe all students should be free to go to school without the threat of harassment or violence. And we believe all loving couples, including same-sex couples, should have the freedom to marry the person they love, including loving, living and marrying right here in the Buckeye State,” the groups said in a news release issued by Equality Ohio.Together the three organizations claim 75,000 members in Ohio.Alluding to efforts by a campaign called Freedom Ohio to collect the 385,000-plus signatures needed to place a proposed marriage-equality amendment on the statewide ballot, Equality Ohio and its partners said: “Our work in other successful coalitions around the country has taught us important lessons. In order for this effort to succeed, we must work in transparent partnership, we must have integrity in our leadership and we must have the resources necessary to win. We must be thoughtful, assemble a large coalition, and undertake the research and polling necessary to craft a winning message.”Equality Ohio officials have criticized Freedom Ohio on those very points. They say founder Ian James has raised little money so far for the effort but stands to collect a hefty paycheck if his political consulting firm is hired eventually to run the campaign. Others have criticized James for his work against the 2004 amendment that banned gay and lesbian couples from getting married in Ohio. He left the campaign days before the election after questions about how donations and expenses were reported.(A story in the March issue of Outlook, which will be available on newsstands later this week, will explore the division within the LGBT community about a marriage-equality campaign in 2013.)Freedom Ohio has yet to react to the new Equality Ohio/HRC coalition, but James has criticized them in the past for being too cautious on the issue of marriage equality in Ohio. He has told Outlook that the LGBT community stands a better chance with Ohio voters than it does with an extremely conservative legislature.In its announcement this morning, Equality Ohio and its partners called on Freedom Ohio’s supporters to join their efforts:“We understand that there will be and are other efforts to do similar work in Ohio, including repealing Ohio’s constitutional amendment banning marriage equality. While we believe that many hands make light work, we also know that acting prematurely or without the expertise of other like-minded groups can create dramatic setbacks. Our coalition’s broad focus and our understanding of the current Ohio and national landscapes have led us collectively to the conclusion that our path is the right one at this moment in time. We encourage others who may be interested in achieving similar results in a collaborative manner to lend their resources and expertise to this effort as the coalition grows over the coming months.”To sign up for the Equality Ohio campaign, click here.

Equality Ohio, Human Rights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Form Coalition

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Equality Ohio, HumanRights Campaign, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Form CoalitionCoalition will bringunprecedented effort for equality
Today, Equality Ohio joined with the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gayand Lesbian Task Force to announce the start of a new statewide coalition.Ohioans share some pretty basic values. We believe everyone should be free tolive without fear of discrimination at home, at work and in their community. Webelieve all students should be free to go to school without the threat ofharassment or violence. And we believe all loving couples, including same-sexcouples, should have the freedom to marry the person they love, includingloving, living and marrying right here in the Buckeye State.

That’s why our organizations have come together to form an historic statewideeffort to stand up for these values here in the Buckeye State. By bringingtogether our resources and expertise, we will join with our state and nationalallies to launch an unprecedented effort to achieve equality in Ohio. Buildingon what we learned from last year’s campaigns in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota,and Washington, we will activate our combined memberships of over 75,000Ohioans to fight for passage of the Equal Housing and Employment Act, statewideanti-bullying legislation and ultimately, marriage equality.

Most of all, we are committed to strategic work that has victory as itsultimate goal. Our work in other successful coalitions around the country hastaught us important lessons. In order for this effort to succeed, we must workin transparent partnership, we must have integrity in our leadership and wemust have the resources necessary to win. We must be thoughtful, assemble alarge coalition, and undertake the research and polling necessary to craft awinning message.

We understand that there will be and are other efforts to do similar work inOhio, including repealing Ohio’s constitutional amendment banning marriageequality. While we believe that many hands make light work, we also know thatacting prematurely or without the expertise of other like-minded groups cancreate dramatic set-backs. Our coalition’s broad focus and our understanding ofthe current Ohio and national landscapes have led us collectively to theconclusion that our path is the right one at this moment in time. We encourageothers who may be interested in achieving similar results in a collaborativemanner to lend their resources and expertise to this effort as the coalitiongrows over the coming months. To join us as an individual, visit our equality petition andsign-on!-###-

Joel Diaz, Mikey's Late Night Slice make the Huffington Post

To contact us Click HERE


The post is here
From Joel Diaz:

This past weekend I was a part of something incredible that happened in my community of Columbus, Ohio. After a fun night out in the Short North, my friend Ethan and I ventured down the street to a popular pizza truck called Mikey's Late Night Slice. As a frequent late night visitor to the truck I knew the requisite wait in line is part of the process for securing an insanely good slice of pizza. It was really cold so Ethan and I were holding hands and standing close together to keep warm, we were laughing and joking about all the fun we'd had that night, when all of the sudden the guy in front of us turns around and tells us to cut our "gay shit" out.I was a bit startled by his words but I didn't expect what happened next. Almost every single person in that line made it known to him it was not OK for him to speak to us like that. By happenstance my friend John, who is also gay, was standing in front of him and as he continued his rant about being disgusted by us we both let him know that this was our city too and that we were not about to stand down to his bigoted ideas, especially not in one of the gayest neighborhoods in town. As he continued it was actually the straight people in line who spoke up that were so awesome.I didn't expect to see allies so willing to chime in and let this guy know that his hate speech wouldn't be tolerated. The best part though was as he grew more irate and vocal the guys who work the truck stopped what they were doing and leaned towards the window and told him they would not serve him because he was spewing hate. They said they support everyone in our community and that he should get out of line because they would not be serving him. He begrudgingly got out of line and walked away escorted by a friend who had been hanging back.As I walked away with my pizza all I could think about was "THAT'S IT!" Every person who spoke up to defend us including the pizza guys representing their business was doing their part to make hate a thing of the past. I've been involved for a number of years with our movement for equality having co-chaired the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Columbus and being involved as a community organizer but I had never witnessed such a public display of support. It was incredibly moving.The next day I typed up a post on Facebook and shared it thinking my friends that read it might enjoy the display of courage of those that stood with Ethan and I that night and appreciate a local small business standing up for us as well. What I did not expect was the post to go viral and the responses from people all over the country regarding the story. It has been shared over 900 times since Sunday morning and a version with a fantastic response from Mikey's Late Night Slice was posted to reddit with over 266,000 views to date.I think the story was so powerful because we as an LGBT community don't hear these types of stories where our allies and businesses speak up against oppressors. I think the fact that the story takes place in Ohio also has something to do with it. The state doesn't have the best reputation for LGBT rights but Columbus is a very progressive city in our state. We have a very large active gay population and we are the home of the largest pride festival in the Midwest. The city just celebrated its bicentennial and is known as a smart and open city, which is a testament to the diversity of our community here.I think stories like this shared by our LGBT friends and allies are important because it gives people hope and courage. It shows that the arc of the moral universe does bend towards justice and we are not alone in this struggle. I ended my post by saying we must never forget to speak up and make our voices heard no matter where we find ourselves. I firmly believe this is how we will continue to change hearts and minds across this country and in the world but we can't do it alone, we need everyone to take up our mantle for equality and drive it forward. I'm inspired and amazed at what has transpired with what started off as a simple post in appreciation of people who stood up for us and am grateful for the opportunity to share a little bit of Columbus with the world.

Congressmen Of Ohio

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Joel Diaz, Mikey's Late Night Slice make the Huffington Post

To contact us Click HERE


The post is here
From Joel Diaz:

This past weekend I was a part of something incredible that happened in my community of Columbus, Ohio. After a fun night out in the Short North, my friend Ethan and I ventured down the street to a popular pizza truck called Mikey's Late Night Slice. As a frequent late night visitor to the truck I knew the requisite wait in line is part of the process for securing an insanely good slice of pizza. It was really cold so Ethan and I were holding hands and standing close together to keep warm, we were laughing and joking about all the fun we'd had that night, when all of the sudden the guy in front of us turns around and tells us to cut our "gay shit" out.I was a bit startled by his words but I didn't expect what happened next. Almost every single person in that line made it known to him it was not OK for him to speak to us like that. By happenstance my friend John, who is also gay, was standing in front of him and as he continued his rant about being disgusted by us we both let him know that this was our city too and that we were not about to stand down to his bigoted ideas, especially not in one of the gayest neighborhoods in town. As he continued it was actually the straight people in line who spoke up that were so awesome.I didn't expect to see allies so willing to chime in and let this guy know that his hate speech wouldn't be tolerated. The best part though was as he grew more irate and vocal the guys who work the truck stopped what they were doing and leaned towards the window and told him they would not serve him because he was spewing hate. They said they support everyone in our community and that he should get out of line because they would not be serving him. He begrudgingly got out of line and walked away escorted by a friend who had been hanging back.As I walked away with my pizza all I could think about was "THAT'S IT!" Every person who spoke up to defend us including the pizza guys representing their business was doing their part to make hate a thing of the past. I've been involved for a number of years with our movement for equality having co-chaired the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Columbus and being involved as a community organizer but I had never witnessed such a public display of support. It was incredibly moving.The next day I typed up a post on Facebook and shared it thinking my friends that read it might enjoy the display of courage of those that stood with Ethan and I that night and appreciate a local small business standing up for us as well. What I did not expect was the post to go viral and the responses from people all over the country regarding the story. It has been shared over 900 times since Sunday morning and a version with a fantastic response from Mikey's Late Night Slice was posted to reddit with over 266,000 views to date.I think the story was so powerful because we as an LGBT community don't hear these types of stories where our allies and businesses speak up against oppressors. I think the fact that the story takes place in Ohio also has something to do with it. The state doesn't have the best reputation for LGBT rights but Columbus is a very progressive city in our state. We have a very large active gay population and we are the home of the largest pride festival in the Midwest. The city just celebrated its bicentennial and is known as a smart and open city, which is a testament to the diversity of our community here.I think stories like this shared by our LGBT friends and allies are important because it gives people hope and courage. It shows that the arc of the moral universe does bend towards justice and we are not alone in this struggle. I ended my post by saying we must never forget to speak up and make our voices heard no matter where we find ourselves. I firmly believe this is how we will continue to change hearts and minds across this country and in the world but we can't do it alone, we need everyone to take up our mantle for equality and drive it forward. I'm inspired and amazed at what has transpired with what started off as a simple post in appreciation of people who stood up for us and am grateful for the opportunity to share a little bit of Columbus with the world.

Joel Diaz, Mikey's Late Night Slice make the Huffington Post

To contact us Click HERE


The post is here
From Joel Diaz:

This past weekend I was a part of something incredible that happened in my community of Columbus, Ohio. After a fun night out in the Short North, my friend Ethan and I ventured down the street to a popular pizza truck called Mikey's Late Night Slice. As a frequent late night visitor to the truck I knew the requisite wait in line is part of the process for securing an insanely good slice of pizza. It was really cold so Ethan and I were holding hands and standing close together to keep warm, we were laughing and joking about all the fun we'd had that night, when all of the sudden the guy in front of us turns around and tells us to cut our "gay shit" out.I was a bit startled by his words but I didn't expect what happened next. Almost every single person in that line made it known to him it was not OK for him to speak to us like that. By happenstance my friend John, who is also gay, was standing in front of him and as he continued his rant about being disgusted by us we both let him know that this was our city too and that we were not about to stand down to his bigoted ideas, especially not in one of the gayest neighborhoods in town. As he continued it was actually the straight people in line who spoke up that were so awesome.I didn't expect to see allies so willing to chime in and let this guy know that his hate speech wouldn't be tolerated. The best part though was as he grew more irate and vocal the guys who work the truck stopped what they were doing and leaned towards the window and told him they would not serve him because he was spewing hate. They said they support everyone in our community and that he should get out of line because they would not be serving him. He begrudgingly got out of line and walked away escorted by a friend who had been hanging back.As I walked away with my pizza all I could think about was "THAT'S IT!" Every person who spoke up to defend us including the pizza guys representing their business was doing their part to make hate a thing of the past. I've been involved for a number of years with our movement for equality having co-chaired the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Columbus and being involved as a community organizer but I had never witnessed such a public display of support. It was incredibly moving.The next day I typed up a post on Facebook and shared it thinking my friends that read it might enjoy the display of courage of those that stood with Ethan and I that night and appreciate a local small business standing up for us as well. What I did not expect was the post to go viral and the responses from people all over the country regarding the story. It has been shared over 900 times since Sunday morning and a version with a fantastic response from Mikey's Late Night Slice was posted to reddit with over 266,000 views to date.I think the story was so powerful because we as an LGBT community don't hear these types of stories where our allies and businesses speak up against oppressors. I think the fact that the story takes place in Ohio also has something to do with it. The state doesn't have the best reputation for LGBT rights but Columbus is a very progressive city in our state. We have a very large active gay population and we are the home of the largest pride festival in the Midwest. The city just celebrated its bicentennial and is known as a smart and open city, which is a testament to the diversity of our community here.I think stories like this shared by our LGBT friends and allies are important because it gives people hope and courage. It shows that the arc of the moral universe does bend towards justice and we are not alone in this struggle. I ended my post by saying we must never forget to speak up and make our voices heard no matter where we find ourselves. I firmly believe this is how we will continue to change hearts and minds across this country and in the world but we can't do it alone, we need everyone to take up our mantle for equality and drive it forward. I'm inspired and amazed at what has transpired with what started off as a simple post in appreciation of people who stood up for us and am grateful for the opportunity to share a little bit of Columbus with the world.