Robert Goodis | Blog

Tell Burlington County (NJ) to end the campaign of homophobia and book-banning

Robert Goodis — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:46:48 +0000

Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology is edited by Amy Sonnie. The 188 page anthology was published in October, 2000, by Alyson Books and features submissions written by and for “queer youth.”

Revolutionary Voices

The Booklist magazine said:

Gr. 9-12. “This is for the idea that I am only a sexual being. . . . This is for the idea that queerness only has to do with sex.” Jason Roe’s prose poem opens this anthology with words that get in your face and under your skin. Not all of the young writers featured here may be revolutionaries, but they all embrace a queer youth culture that is about gender, race, and class as much as it is about sexuality. The voices are raw and sometimes unpolished, and the language is passionate, powerful, and only occasionally graphic. What holds these selections together is the writers’ urgent need to define themselves in their own terms. In “Impossible Body,” Lisa Lusero confesses that she purposely cut her hair so people would know she was a lesbian: “Passing for straight makes me feel invisible. And I hate that. I want to be seen clearly and explicitly for who I am. Don’t assume your world is mine. Then again, don’t assume it isn’t.” These are classic YA voices. Randy Meyer
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Amazon.com’s editorial review says:

This groundbreaking, multicultural collection of stories by the queer and young should be required reading for every jaded adult–teachers, parents, politicians–and anyone who fears for the future of our country. In fact, 22-year-old editor Amy Sonnie should run for Congress. Her introduction to this touching, funny, and sometimes sad anthology is smarter and more thoughtful than any political rhetoric this old queer has heard lately. While the work is wildly diverse (one of my favorites involves a mother who bakes a cake to help her queer daughter celebrate Ellen DeGeneres’s coming-out), all of it speaks to the isolation and fear of being queer and young. A boy lies awake at night practicing to be more masculine. An intersexed gay boy comes out to his high school. A butch girl tells of years of daily bashing. Fear, though, is not the overriding emotional tone to this collection. The contributors exhibit a belief in themselves, a well-placed youthful confidence that speaks as loudly as the most poignant writing. Their determination to survive and thrive despite a homophobic society comes through loud and clear. It’s the perfect antidote to adult cynicism about youth. –Jack Connolly

The book has been praised and welcomed for its unique insight into a difficult topic. Young writers delicately balance the questions of sex and sexuality while addressing issues such as coming out to friends and family and facing discrimination, hatred, and abuse.

Though it had been in circulation for some time, the book was recently removed from circulation at Rancocas Valley Regional High School in Mount Holly (Burlington County, New Jersey), as well as from all Burlington County public libraries. It was removed as a result of the protest of one woman, Beverly Marinelli, a member of Glenn Beck’s 9.12 Project. Marinelli decried the book as “pervasively vulgar, obscene, and inappropriate” and convinced the library director that the book was “child pornography.”

All copies of the popular book were withdrawn and banned from circulation without any hearing or opportunity for the public to weigh-in on the issue. The library system has a formal process for addressing controversial library materials; however, this process was circumvented with the help of a member of the library commission, who is also a member of the 9.12 Project alongside Marinelli:

The School Library Journal reports that the Burlington County Library System has a formal process for removing books from the library:

BCLS’s formal process for handling controversial materials, as found in documents obtained by the ACLU, states that patrons must fill out a Request for Reconsideration form, and then a “committee of staff selectors as designated by the Library Director will review the material in question.”

…In the case of BCLS’s removal of Revolutionary Voices, an informal, rather than formal written request appears to have been made. In addition, Sweet’s email indicates that the committee was made up of her and one other person. Assistant director Margaret Delaney confirmed that she is the “Marge” mentioned in Sweet’s email as also recommending the book’s removal, but she’s not allowed to talk about the situation.

A key player in circumventing the formal process appears to be Patrick Delany, a member of the library commission. He has also been identified by the National Coalition Against Censorship as being a member of the same local 9.12 group as Beverly Marinelli, the woman who lodged the informal complaint.

(Box Turtle Bulletin http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/07/28/24741)

For more in-depth look at the scenario, check out this article.

To view copies of original emails between Marinelli and library staff, follow this link.

Please consider taking action by contacting the following officials in Burlington County:

Mr. Michael R. Cormier
President, Rancocas Valley Board of Education
mrcormier@verizon.net
c/o RVRHS
520 Jacksonville Road
Mt. Holly, NJ 08060

Other members of the Board of Education

Dr. Michael D. Moskalski, D.Ed.
Superintendent and Principal
Rancocas Valley Regional High School
email
520 Jacksonville Road
Mt. Holly, NJ 08060
609-267-0837

Gail Sweet, Director
Burlington County Library System
email
5 Pioneer Boulevard
Westampton, NJ 08060
609-267-9660, ext. 3021

Burlington County Department of Cultural Affairs and Tourism
CulturalAffairs@co.burlington.nj.us
PO Box 6000/Smithville Road
Eastampton, NJ 08060
609-265-5068

Mr. Tim Tyler
Burlington County Clerk
ttyler@co.burlington.nj.us
Courts Facility – 1st Floor
49 Rancocas Road, PO Box 6000
Mt. Holly, NJ 08060
609-265-5122

Unidentified Man – Saugerties, Ulster County, New York – 1970

Robert Goodis — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:42:00 +0000

For my PDF, click here. For the PDF in Portuguese, click here.
For NYSP information, click here.

Basic Information
Name	Unknown	Sex		Male
Race	White	Height & Weight		5’ 3” and approximately 155 pounds
Age	Approximately 35-45 yrs	Hair		Dark brown, wavy with bald-spot on crown
Additional Info:	He was wearing a grey, European-style suit over pajamas, an Omega gold watch from a company in Portugal, and a gold ring with a red stone made in Portugal.
Remains Found:	Date: 02/01/1970 Location: Saugerties, Ulster County, N.Y. off a public highway, not far from the NYS Thruway

NIC Case # U954749934
If you have any information, please contact:
New York State Police, Troop F SP Kingston 1791 Route 209 Kingston, NY 12401 United States			Telephone: +1 (845) 338-1702 Email: nysvicap@troopers.state.ny.us Anonymous tips are welcome.

Unidentified Man – East Fishkill, Dutchess County, NY – 1992

Robert Goodis — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:34:30 +0000

For the PDF I created to make this information accessible, click here.

For the original NYSP information, click here.

Basic Information
Name	Unknown	Sex		Male
Race	White	Height & Weight		5’ 6” – 5’ 10”; weight unknown
Age	Approximately 35-50 yrs	Hair		Dark brown
Additional Info:	Wearing JC Penney blue jeans, denim jacket, brown work-boots size 10.5, green overalls, and a Dickey shirt with “Walgren Tree Experts” on the back in yellow. Person had one gold-capped tooth. Dental information is available.
Remains Found:	Date: 07/22/1992 – remains believed to be at location for 3-15 years Location: Found in wooded area off Stormville Mt. Rd., ¼ mile east of SR 52 in the Town of East Fishkill, Dutchess County, New York

Please note that the artist’s facial reconstruction above may not be accurate; it should only be used as a rough guide.
If you have any information, please contact:
New York State Police, Troop K Box 96 BCI Stormville, NY 12582 United States			Telephone: +1 (845) 223-7898 Email: nysvicap@troopers.state.ny.us Anonymous tips are welcome.

NIC Case # U580043844

What are human rights? – A video by United for Human Rights (UHR)

Robert Goodis — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:24:01 +0000

The following video, What are human rights?, was prepared by the United for Human Rights (UHR) group. It is available at humanrights.com and Youth for Human Rights International™. The historical references made in this video are very scattered, contentious and incomplete, but the video is well-done overall. This is a great very basic introduction to human rights.

The Goodis Center is still waiting on funding and video-specialists to prepare our own video-introduction to human rights. Stay tuned for updates on that project, or contact us at projects@robertgoodis.org to volunteer your assistance.

Beta Israel: Ethiopian Jewry, Diaspora and Homeland (2008)

Robert Goodis — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:03:45 +0000

This is an essay I prepared for a history class in 2008 that was in the Jewish Studies program. The class discussed Diaspora and Homeland. My research paper focused on Beta Israel, the Ethiopian Jewry.

Beta Israel: Ethiopian Jewry, Diaspora and Homeland – by Robert Goodis (2008)

The research discusses various accounts of history and possible explanations for the community of Jewish Ethiopians, who are a community possessing a non-Hebrew Torah and certain Jewish traditions predating the dedication of the Second Temple in Biblical times. While the Beta Israel community maintained its Jewish faith and has faced persecution in Ethiopia, groups in the global Jewish community have questioned the true Jewishness of the Beta Israel group. Without Ethiopia and without Israel, do the Beta Israel have a homeland? Are they in Diaspora? Have they always been in Diaspora?

A Study in Behavior Modifcation: Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir, President of the Sudan (2006)

Robert Goodis — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:37:16 +0000

This is a paper I wrote in 2006 for a social studies class at my high school. The purpose of the paper was to present a hypothetical study in behaviorism, which places strong emphasis on psychological, biographical and historical information to suggest the personal actions and reactions of al-Bashir involved in his historical rise to power, and to propose what his likely reactions would have been to given circumstances. This paper looks at Omar al-Bashir (also spelled Umar al-Bashier or al-Bechir), the military and political leader of the Sudan, and incorporates briefly his involvement in anti-Zionist and anti-Israel wars, as well as his involvement in the Sudanese Civil Wars and the war in Darfur. The historical information in this paper is true; however, the rest of this paper is hypothetical conjecture. Unfortunately, I wrote this according to a special format that was assigned to my class which was in response to specific questions and hypothetical situations and I no longer have that prompt information. Also, this paper was written (for reasons I cannot remember or conceive) without a bibliography. Keep in mind that only a portion of this paper is historical fact, and the rest is behaviorist hypotheticals.

A Study in Behavior Modifcation: Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir, President of the Sudan (2006)

Since writing this paper, an arrest warrant has been issued for President al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court.

Acceptance and Action: If not now, when? – (2004)

Robert Goodis — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:41:32 +0000

I prepared this short speech in 2004 for my religious confirmation at Temple Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in York, PA.

Acceptance and Action: If not now, when? – by Robert Goodis (2004)

Topics include Israel/Palestine and the fence, Iraq, Afghanistan, domestic policy, human rights, social justice, activism, racism, homophobia, gay marriage, and other general social issues that have plagued society for the past decade at least.

Representations of Tibet: The Model and Language of Human Rights (2009)

Robert Goodis — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:10:12 +0000

I wrote this paper, Representations of Tibet: The Model and Language of Human Rights, for a class in the spring of 2009. The discussion is focused on the Sino-Tibetan dispute – comparing the claims of both China and Tibet for control over the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

Representations of Tibet: The Model and Language of Human Rights – by Robert Goodis (2009)

After the bibliography, I’ve included the comments I received from my professor to show what this paper still needs and a basic response to the arguments I’ve presented. This paper is in excess of 9000 words and, in standard academic format, it stretches about 30+ pages including a bibliography.

Censorship and Dissidence: Media in a Totalitarian State (2008)

Robert Goodis — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:46:28 +0000

Another rushed, unrevised essay – I wrote Censorship and Dissidence: Media in a Totalitarian State in mid-2008 for a human rights class on Dissent and Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe. Again, this is not the best essay, but it has some interesting points for critical thinking & discussion.

Censorship and Dissidence: Media in a Totalitarian State – by Robert Goodis (2008)

“…it is fair to say that European dissidence in the 20^th century competently summarizes the greater part of dissident movements through time and around the globe, and serves to illustrate the relation between censorship and repression and dissidence in general.”

Confronting Conflict in the Sudan (2008)

Robert Goodis — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:29:54 +0000

I wrote this academic essay in early December of 2008. This was a rushed paper, as usual, and I have not gone back to revise it since I turned it in for academic credit. The information in this paper is limited to circumstances pre-2009. However, while some specifics in the circumstances in Darfur and the rest of Sudan have changed, the general conclusion of this paper remains applicable.

Confronting Conflict in the Sudan – by Robert Goodis (2008)

Overall, this paper address the social, cultural, and political structure that allows for neverending wars. This is a discussion of human rights, of genocide, of regional and global politics, of worldwide political structure and institution, of civil and transnational war, of the tragedies of the past and of the prospects for change.