Chris Kluwe Takes a Stand

[GLAAD’s 2013 “Outstanding Newspaper Article” Winner] How Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe became “football’s most aggressive straight ally to the gay rights movement”:

“Kluwe says he doesn’t see the issue of gay marriage as political. His philosophy on the subject goes back to the Golden Rule, and he believes an amendment that would constitutionally criminalize same-sex marriage amounts to institutionalized segregation.

“‘You see all these arguments against gay marriage, and they all kind of logically boil down to: “It makes me feel icky,”‘ says Kluwe. ‘That’s not a valid logical argument! Like, tell me that gay people getting married is going to cause someone to steal your garage door opener, or it’s going to cause your dog to poop in your front yard. I can argue against that!'”

Source: City Pages
Published: Oct 24, 2012
Length: 15 minutes (3,954 words)

Mille Lacs Ojibwe Fighting Violent Offenders with Banishment

To fight back against the warring gangs and violent offenders, the tribe has revived an ancient form of punishment: banishment. Legally called “exclusion,” it forbids the offender from entering the reservation’s trust land for at least five years.

When it was used centuries ago, banishment was a thinly veiled death sentence. Without the rest of the tribe’s support, an exiled member rarely survived for long in the wilderness.

But modern banishment means something entirely different.

“Where are they banishing them to?” asks Clyde Bellecourt, an Ojibwe civil rights leader. “They just come down to Minneapolis.”

Source: City Pages
Published: Nov 9, 2011
Length: 11 minutes (2,846 words)