How Kurt Coba Fought For Gay And Women's Rights

Contents:

• Y, KURT COBA WAS A GNGE IN. HE WAS ALSO A GAY RIGHTS HERO.
• KURT COBA'S 1993 ADVOTE COVER STORY: 'I'M GAY SPIR'
• ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
• MIZI ONCE AGA SAYS GAY RIGHTS AI: THE SOMNIUM FIL NIRVANA INIATIVE
• LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
• CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SOCIAL STUDI TEXTBOOKS THAT CLU GAY RIGHTS AFTER WARNGS OM ERNOR
• GAY UNSELOR'S FIRG BY INDIANAPOLIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL PERMTED BY FERAL APPEALS URT
• HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
• LOOKG BACK AT KURT COBA’S ADVOCY FOR THE EQUAL RIGHTS OF GAYS AND WOMEN

Y, KURT COBA WAS A GNGE IN. HE WAS ALSO A GAY RIGHTS HERO.

In 1992, the state of Oregon voted on an famo ballot amendment known as Measure 9, which attempted to forbid the state ernment om fundg the promotn, enuragement or facilatn of “homosexualy, pedophilia, sadism or masochism, ” addg that all levels of ernment should set a standard to teach kids that “the behavrs are abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse and they are to be disuraged and avoid.

5%, but ls known is the fact that legendary gnge band Nirvana played a “No on 9” benef ncert 1992 to help feat the homophobic, kk-shamg law. As for that homophobic Oregon ballot measure, the nservative group that tried to pass , the Oregon Cizens Alliance, failed, as did s siar bills troduced later years.

KURT COBA'S 1993 ADVOTE COVER STORY: 'I'M GAY SPIR'

Though the anti-gay alliance was able to pass siar measur on lol ballots areas of the state that supported Measure 9, the state ernment eventually overled the measur.

The activists who rose up to feat Measure 9 1992 formed a re that would eventually jumpstart the state’s LGBTQ rights movement, and this Nirvana gay rights ncert was part of that. Coba is the Gen X in who popularized alternative mic and culture, but on the 25th anniversary of his ath this week, I cherish another aspect of his legacy much more: his nsistent and vol support of gay rights.

ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL

Coba’s “oh well, whatever, never md” attu about sexual inty, exprsed lyrics and terviews, changed the urse of my Coba might not be the first name you thk of when to gay rights, his band was never shy about s polics, pecially where LGBTQ issu were ncerned. In 1992, Nirvana played a “No on #9” benef ncert and issued a public statement opposg Measure 9, a statewi anti-gay cizen ballot iative Oregon that would have required “all ernments” the state to treat homosexualy as “abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse.

MIZI ONCE AGA SAYS GAY RIGHTS AI: THE SOMNIUM FIL NIRVANA INIATIVE

” And the ler not of their album “Inctici, ” released that December, they warned: “If any of you any way hate homosexuals, people of different lor, or women, please do this one favor for — leave the f--- alone! ” The ler not to their next album, “In Utero, ” echoed that admonn: “If you’re a sexist, racist, homophobe or basilly an a--hole, don’t buy this CD.

In a 1993 terview wh the Advote, which I remember readg breathlsly a Borrs bookstore wh the ver fold over so no one uld tell what I was holdg, Coba lled himself “gay spir” and revealed that as a teenager, he often qutned his sexualy and sprayed “God is gay” graffi the small town of Aberen, Wash., where he grew up.

All this played out the early ’90s, when AIDS jok and the word “fag” were mon, ias about allowg gays to openly serve the ary were nsired radil, and policians were wagg culture wars over “fay valu.

LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

The ia that you uld make mic that was aggrsive, hard and loud and be an ally to the gay muny seemed revolutnary, pecially for me, a closeted prep school graduate om Detro’s suburbs.

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTS SOCIAL STUDI TEXTBOOKS THAT CLU GAY RIGHTS AFTER WARNGS OM ERNOR

The men were proudly sexist and homophobic (Skid Row's Sebastian Bach famoly wore a T-shirt that read, "AIDS Kills Fags Dead"), on the other hand, was sensive and effemate -- someone who regularly spoke out for mori and lled out racism, misogyny, and homophobia.

While many remember Coba and his Nirvana bandmat wearg drs and kissg vios and live performanc, virtually fotten is the fact that Nirvana performed at a gay rights benef Oregon promotg Nirvana's late-1992 pilatn album Inctici -- which clud the followg statement s ler not, "If any of you any way hate homosexuals, people of different lor, or women, please do this one favor for : leave the fuck alone!

In the Advote article, Coba displayed fort speakg wh an LGBTQ publitn and a faiary wh gay culture, often g terms like "homophobia" and "misogyny, " appreciatg the scriptn of Love as a "fag hag, " and rellg the time he saw the Village People are some of the choict quot om the terview wh journalist Kev Advote: I read the ler not you wrote on Inctici. I n talk about those issu terviews -- I thk 's pretty obv that we're agast the homophob and the sexists and the racists, but when "Teen Spir" first me out, mastream dienc were unr the assumptn that we were jt like Guns N' were his words: "You shut your bch up, or I'm takg you down to the pavement. " [Lghs]You know, you were probably takg money om people who were votg y on 9 [an antigay ballot measure] -- but they really wanted to see Nirvana.

GAY UNSELOR'S FIRG BY INDIANAPOLIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL PERMTED BY FERAL APPEALS URT

And I've always been a really sickly, feme person anyhow, so I thought I was gay for a while bee I didn't fd any of the girls my high school attractive at all. Vcent and the Grenad, where gay sex is still homelsns to ongog physil and verbal abe, the gay muny the small natn of some 100, 000 people says is unr nstant threat. ”Human Rights Watch terviewed more than 20 members of the island’s LGBTQ muny who shared their stori but were not intified to protect them, notg that lol police are often openly discrimatory toward gay people who seek help.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT

Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir suici.

LOOKG BACK AT KURT COBA’S ADVOCY FOR THE EQUAL RIGHTS OF GAYS AND WOMEN

Many also stggle to fd jobs amid a high unemployment rate and said they face discrimatn, cludg a 19-year-old gay man who said he has rorted to beggg: “Sometim I am so hungry. ”González wh Human Rights Watch noted that 2019, the ernment held a workshop for public employe on the importance of rpectg gay rights, a rare move for a nservative Caribbean natn.

Vcent, anal sex is punishable by up to 10 years prison, while “gross cency” wh another person of the same sex is punishable by up to five years, acrdg to lonial-era laws that are mon the socially nservative Caribbean rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimize hostily and abe agast gay people. Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir also stggle to fd jobs amid a high unemployment rate and said they face discrimatn, cludg a 19-year-old gay man who said he has rorted to beggg: “Sometim I am so hungry. Image source, Getty ImagIn the latt sign of risg homophobia different Ain untri, a Kenyan opposn MP is leadg a mpaign for parliament to further crimalise the untry's small LGBTQ muny.