She's been toying with the idea of reviving her LiveJournal again, and at about the same time, I was already wondering about this place, Rainbow Ark. Yes, for now it's officially just an archive, and yes, most of you (me included) have moved on into other parts of social media and abandoned lj for newer, spiffier things.
There is one aspect which makes this feasible as long as there is the desire among a few former Arkers to return, and it's that about 99% of you kept your journals to this present day. I don't know if you were saving it as some ace in the hole, or you simply abandoned your lj and forgot to close it, but we wouldn't have to start all over again with trying to build a community like we did in 2004-6 timeperiod. Plus there's no push to try to get numbers back up to anything like they were. If there are just 6 or 8 people, that's more than enough to have meaningful conversations--just a place to come and relax and know we're with friends.
Other parts of the Internet are so noisy and vulnerable to trolls and bots. You're limited by how many characters you can type, and you have to always be looking over your shoulder with one thing or another. This media is kind of quiet anymore and under the radar.
I don't know, do any of you check in and are reading this?
All this could come to an end anyway. I know there were rumors at the first of this year that the ruskies were maybe thinking about deleting all non-ruskie accounts. I just figure while we're here and our 22-year history is all here, why the hell not use it?
● 1649.03 — The first known conviction for lesbian activity in North America occurs when Sarah White Norman is charged with “Lewd behaviour with each other upon a bed” with Mary Vincent Hammon in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Hammon was under 16 and not prosecuted.
● 2009.03.05-08 — A “Gay Agenda” workshop takes place in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, hosted by Pastor/Evangelist Scott Lively, ‘Ex-gay’ Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Exodus International board member Don Schmierer. The themes: How to make gay people straight; how gay men often sodomize teenage boys and how ‘the gay movement is an evil institution’ whose goal is ‘to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity’. The conference is attended by thousands including police, members of parliament, and pastors.
● 1972.03.06 — The American Bar Association passes a resolution recommending that consensual sex acts between people of the same sex be decriminalized.
● 1987.03.07 — Archbishop O’Connor of New York demands that the Jesuit church in Manhattan that has offered a special mass for Dignity members since 1979 stop doing so. The 1,000 member group holds its last service two days later, but several members protest the decision by wearing lavender armbands and standing silently during Archbishop O’Connor’s sermon at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
● 2000.03.07 — California voters approve Proposition 22, a preemptive measure stating that California will not recognize same-sex marriages, even if the marriages take place in states that permit them.
● 1778.03.11 — Lt. Gotthold Enslin is the first U.S. soldier to be dismissed for homosexuality.
● 2012.03.14 — The lawsuit Sexual Minorities Uganda v. Scott Lively is filed.
● 1971.03.18 — Idaho repeals its sodomy law, then re-instates it because of outrage among Mormons and Catholics.
● 1995.03.18 — The Archbishop of Canterbury issues the following statement: “We reject homophobia in any form.”
● 2004.03.23 — Benton County, Oregon bans all marriages—gay and heterosexual—until the state decides who can and who cannot wed.
● 1975.03.26 — A county clerk in Boulder Colorado issues a marriage license to two gay men shortly after the local district attorney’s office ruled that there were no county laws preventing two people of the same sex from marrying.
● 1977.03.26 — Focus on the Family is founded by James Dobson.
● 2015.03.26 — Indiana Senate Bill 101, titled the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is approved by a 40 to 10 vote and signed into law by governor Mike Pence. The opposition is swift and widespread and its ultimate defeat sends a strong message to other states that anti-LGBTQ sentiment is bad for business.
Tomorrow, it will be 20 years.
Just thinking about all the times we've had.
Quite a journey! <^.^>
Rainbow Ark
2004 - 2024
This past Sunday I pointed the final homepage for the Rainbow Ark website, denoting the organization's closure in early 2024.
The Facebook account has been marked for deletion in the next 30 days. Done
The LiveJournal and FurAffinity accounts will be deleted in March 2024. Actually, at the suggestions of several Arkers we will keep the LiveJournal and FurAffinity accounts open for archival purposes, but we'll make clear that after March, RainbowArk is no longer an active organization.
The Twitter account is in the process of being abandoned for BlueSky. Done
The BlueSky handle of @RainbowArk will be changed likely before the end of the year. Done
Website hosting for MyRainbowArk.com will not be renewed when it comes up for renewal in March/April 2024. Members who have email accounts should take measures if necessary to save any of their content before March. Email accounts will begin to be deleted near the end of February as the first phase of site closure. The website consists of well over 100 web pages and is best browsed by conventional desktop/laptop. Please feel free to save any of the data you wish while the site is still up. Visit the "Site Map" there to help in your navigation.
It's been a great run: 20 years! Thank you all for being a part of Rainbow Ark. Others will come along and make better social media, resources, and content for the newer generations.
Today is Rainbow Ark's 19th birthday, although the most recent 9 or so have been mostly quiet years.
