02/09/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Word has come down via Bilerico that Lt. Dan Choi has been called back to duty. This is an unusual event given that Lt. Choi is openly gay, and it has been recommended that he be discharged from the military for being so. Unlike Colonel Victor Fehrenbach, Choi’s homosexuality was personally disclosed instead of him being outed by a third party. Lt. Choi has been a vocal advocate for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and has been featured on The Rachel Maddow Show and recently introduced Senator Kirsten Gillibrand before her speech to the Human Rights Campaign’s New York Gala. Choi is a member of the New York National Guard, which means that he is not full time military. He is currently based in Manhattan.

Lt. Choi is an Arabic translator. His skills in the current conflicts are vital to mission success, especially given the startling fact that so many of the military’s Arabic languages linguists are gay or lesbian and that many have been discharged under DADT. Lt. Choi has the full support of his commanding officer who did not push for him to be discharged from the military. Instead, the Army National Guard ultimately had to go around his commanding officer to serve Choi with his discharge notification. Choi appealed, and while the recommendation is that he be discharged under DADT, the military has not finalized his discharge. It remains to be seen whether or not they will finalize the discharge before Choi is deployed again.

As it currently stands, a bare majority of service members, some fifty-one percent, support keeping Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in place. The rest either support its repeal or do not feel strongly enough about this issue to have a stated opinion on it. This is a dramatic drop from the sixty-three percent of service personnel who supported DADT in 2003. Part of the political push to end DADT is that the policy forces the military to replace able bodied soldiers in a time of war, thus upping the number of people who have to be recruited every year. This in turn costs the tax payer more money as there are recruitment bonuses, training costs, and discharge costs associated with removing and replacing a gay or lesbian soldier from the military. In some cases, replacing soldiers such as Colonel Victor Fehrenbach and Lt. Choi can be almost impossible due to their skill sets and experience.

Lt. Choi’s redeployment came to light when he was not able to attend the NGLTF Creating Change conference where he was suppose to lead a Knights Out workshop.

Photo via Wikipedia

02/07/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Jason Mraz, the well known pop-rock singer/songwriter, best known for his hits “The Remedy” and “I’m Yours” has come out as a straight ally. Jason Mraz posted on his facebook page:

Jason Mraz’s Notes

As a straight man I really have nothing to gain by standing up for equal rights for Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual, and/or my Transgender friends. Except for the fact that I have many friends who are still subjected to hurtful comments by a society that hasn’t yet embraced fully the nature of… nature.Supporting a limiting system of rules for specific people to follow is prejudice. It’s the Antithesis of Christ Consciousness and (like smoking) it’s Soooo last century.

Allowing love to freely flourish will only enhance the life experience – For All.

Imagine telling cyclists to stay off the road. “These roads are for cars only! Those who dare to pedal on the shoulder will most likely get hit! Drivers will not expect to see you. It will not be the drivers’ fault if you get hurt.”

Yet, by sharing the road, the same rules get to apply to all of us. And surprisingly, we all get somewhere.

No one has to sit at the back of the bus.

A Marriage is a powerful commitment by any two people who are committed to each other’s lives being great. The God that is present in ceremony is looking itself in the eye in the form of the two worthy participants. Their commitment is the divine expression “love loving itself.” Any interference from the outside world be like a bear coming out of the woods and mauling the two lovebirds in front of the entire wedding party, the family and invited guests. Interference is messy and downright rude.

Hosting closed minded thoughts or making lewd comments about the intimate affairs of someone else does not make life great. In fact, it clogs up the judicial system, diminishes entire communities, and turns the clock backwards to our ultimate realization that we are all One – living in harmony with the Earth, with the cosmos, and with great things unseen. Thinking that others are a ‘particular way’ rather than reinventing them as new everyday makes you separate and disconnected from the really easy, peaceful solution.

Life is too short. The age of interfering with someone’s natural rights (and natural born gifts) are over.

Love is too powerful to resist. I think the whole world would be better if we just got out of our own way. It would certainly be sexier.

I understand many people who stumble onto this blog are already dialed in and ready to transform the world. Much of my community is too. But there are some who still don’t care one way or the other about the ways of being in the world. Thereby, it’s up to us to share our positive outlook on our favorite issues.

To learn more about how you can be a part of the Epic Movement for Equal Rights. Visit The Human Rights Campaign at http://www.hrc.org/ and support the True Colors Fund.

This Year I Resolve to Join the Conversation on Equality. I will Stand Up and be outspoken about Same Sex Marriage and Let Freedom Sing.

Jason Mraz is using his celebrity power for a good cause. The LGBT movement could use the support of more celebrity men who are secure enough in their sexuality and their fame to voice their support.

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The following is the press release from HRC regarding the new legislation introduced by Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO).

Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2010 Introduced in U.S. House

Measure would prohibit discrimination against public school students on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, applauded today the introduction of the Student Non-discrimination Act of 2010 (SNDA), H.R. 4530, which would prohibit discrimination against any public school student on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.  In addition, the SNDA prevents discrimination against any public school student because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of a person with whom that the student associates or has associated.  The bi-partisan SNDA

was introduced by Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) and has 60 co-sponsors.

“Hatred has no place in the classroom,” said Congressman Polis.  “Every student has the right to an education free from harassment and violence.  This bill will protect the individual freedoms of our students and enshrine the values of equality and opportunity in our classrooms.”

Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity contributes to high rates of absenteeism, dropout, adverse health consequences, and academic under achievement among LGBT youth.  When left unchecked, such discrimination can lead, and has led to, life-threatening violence and suicide.

“Our public schools are mandated to support all students in their pursuit of academic achievement and social stability.  LGBT students have historically been alienated, harassed, and bullied in their schools,  with little or no intervention from school personnel.  And far too many have underperformed or ‘dropped out’ in response to the lack of safety and support,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.  “No student should have to be fearful when walking through the doors of their school, and this legislation would require immediate and appropriate action to stop the discrimination that our youth have endured for far too long.”

Federal statutory and/or constitutional protections expressly address discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex and disability, but do not expressly address sexual orientation or gender identity.  As a result, students and parents have limited legal recourse to redress for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The SNDA is closely modeled after title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. §§ 1681-1688), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and provides legal recourse to redress such discrimination.

The SNDA is has broad support from over 15 civil rights and education organizations, including: The American Association of University Women, American Civil Liberties Union, American Counseling Association, Gay-Straight Alliance Network, GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders), GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Center for Lesbian Rights,  National Center for Transgender Equality, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund, National Women’s Law Center, School Social Work Association of America, and Transgender Law Center.

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

12/09/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
The decision of Larry Grard to attack the Human Rights Campaign for their statement which they released after the defeat in Maine would not have been a problem had it not been that Grard is a reporter. Despite using his personal account, Grard, emailed the HRC media contacts directly stating “who are the hateful, venom-spewing ones? Hint: Not the yes on 1 crowd. You hateful people have been spreading nothing but vitriol since this campaign began. Good riddance!” He did this in response to the statement by the HRC that the loss in Maine was largely due to the hateful advertisement that came from the Christian groups. Grard’s view of the matter, of course, is colored by his own Christian beliefs as the Yes on 1 Campaign often used borderline hate speech and heavy distortions to attack the LGBT Community during the campaign.

Larry Grard was fired after the HRC contacted the Morning Sentinel. At no time did Trevor Thomas, Deputy Director of Communications at the HRC, ask for Grard to be fired, and there does not appear to have been any pressure for him to be fired. In all likelihood, the decision by the HRC to bring this to Morning Sentinel editor Bill Thompson was likely intended to bring about pressure not to do so again. Thomas sent Thompson the following “I received the below email this morning after our national media release was sent to your team. … It’s frankly, just not acceptable coming from a news organization the morning after our defeat.”

According to Grard “They said the Yes-on-1 people were haters. I’m a Christian. I take offense at that. I e-mailed them back and said basically, ‘We’re not the ones doing the hating. You’re the ones doing the hating.’ I sent the same message in his face he sent in mine.”

According to Grard, Thomas demanded that he be fired, though Thomas denies that. The management team at the Morning Sentinel, however, did tell Thomas that they had policies in place with regards to these issues and that they would inquire into it. According to Thomas, he did not know that Grard had been fired until he was asked for a comment upon it.

Grard is busy blaming his dismissal upon his religion rather than upon the merits or the fact that he was using personal email while on the job, something he states is common for journalists.

To be blunt, the probability is that he was dismissed for unprofessional behavior.

Maine Reporter: I Was Fired Over Anti-Same-Sex Marriage E-mail
Maine Reporter Fired For Personal Email Against Marriage Equality

  Blogged by Melanie Nathan.  The statement below my comment was released today by the undersigned LGBT organizations;   an expression of the frustration felt by the leadership on behalf of the organizations which they represent.   I agree with what they express but at the same time I would be remiss if I failed to communicate what I believe to be the true grass root question – perhaps somewhat rhetorical and then the sentiment: Why are you able to come together in this fashion when things do not happen and unable to do so to form a multi-organizational PINKPLAN to address our entire movement.  Why do we not all move toward a CIVIL RIGHT ACT AMENDMENT and from that everything would flow? 

My opinion is that these expressions of frustration are a result of a fractured leadership, where organizations struggle to survive through their specific micro-causes, at the inextricably detrimental shot in the toe to our movement as a whole.  The other part of the problem are the grassroots – who when asked to write letters to congress, tell their stories etc, fall so way low of what we could achieve.   It is time to wake up LGBT community we are being thrown to the wolves on every issue, by everyone- all we have is us and there are 2 ways to get this done-

1. Forget the fragnmented micro legislation as an emphasis for victory – DEMAND leadership conference and establish a PINKPLAN with the ultimate goal 1. Civil rights amendment and 2. Repeal of DOMA

2. Get out on the Streets and stand on corners

3. Boycott everything and everyone anti gay

4. That would include the US Government; “I refuse to pay tax from this moment on!”

5. Law firms come out to help us!

6. All Gay closeted folk – now is when you should show us who you are. You should come out in the name of equality

7. ALL members of the military COME OUT ON THE SAME DAY in defiance of DADT- how about TAX day? April 15^th – that will give you time to get your savings accounts in order

8. Call on our friends in Congress to take the helm and push for us: I specifically name:

Reps and Sens:  Kristin Gillibrand, Chuck Schumer,  Jerrold Nadler, Zoe Lofgren, Lynn Woolsey. Jackie Speier, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Sestak (wants Specter’s Senate seat),  Patrick Leahy, Barbara Boxer (up fro reelection) and please feel free to add to the list.

9. Go to your corporate employers and ask them to take a stand

10. LGBT non profits – risk your status and stop paying payroll taxes for your employees. 

THIS IS THE STATEMENT THAT TRIGGERED MY COMMENTS:

In light of continuing delays in the House of Representatives, we must state clearly and unequivocally: Passing basic job protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people must happen now.

At a time when our government is deeply focused on the critical issue of employment, it is inexcusable to delay action on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Each and every job lost to prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity needlessly compounds the unemployment challenges facing our nation. We call on Congress for the immediate passage of ENDA.

For decades now, we have called upon Congress to pass legislation to address the basic right of LGBT people to work free from discrimination at our jobs, and now Congress tells us we must wait another year. In 29 states, it remains legal to fire people based on sexual orientation and in 38 states, discrimination based on gender identity remains legal. In failing to take swift action to pass ENDA, our government allows unfettered bigotry to go unchecked, leading to the loss of jobs, fear in the workplace, economic instability, and personal hardship, while allowing employers to lose competent experienced workers. ENDA is urgently needed by our communities.

The majority of Americans consistently state their support for employment protections and voters have affirmed similar state and local measures. There is absolutely no reason for Congress to continue to delay this non-controversial bill or drop LGBT issues to the bottom of their agenda. We will not be denied basic rights any longer. Nothing is more important than protecting people’s jobs, so ENDA must pass now. Further delays are absolutely unacceptable.

Those who signed the Statement:

Matthew Coles & James Esseks, Co-Directors, American Civil Liberties Union LGBT Project

Terry Stone, Executive Director, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

Toni Broaddus, Executive Director, Equality Federation

Jennifer Chrisler, Executive Director, Family Equality Council

Lee Swislow, Executive Director, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders

Jarrett Tomás Barrios, President, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

Joe Solmonese, President, Human Rights Campaign

Rachel B. Tiven, Executive Director, Immigration Equality

Earl Fowlkes, President/CEO, International Federation of Black Prides, Inc.

Kevin Cathcart, Executive Director, Lambda Legal

Christian Berle, Director of the Log Cabin Republicans National Office

Sharon J. Lettman, Executive Director/CEO, National Black Justice Coalition

Kate Kendell, Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights

Mara Keisling, Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality

Rebecca Fox, Executive Director, National Coalition for LGBT Health

Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund

Michael Mitchell, Executive Director, National Stonewall Democrats

Gregory Varnum, Executive Director, National Youth Advocacy Coalition

Selisse Berry, Founding Executive Director, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates

Jody Huckaby, Executive Director, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) National

Jo Kenny, Interim Director, Pride at Work AFL-CIO

Masen Davis, Executive Director, Transgender Law Center

 Blogged by Melanie Nathan

11/12/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
When Representative Kirsten Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate to fill the seat recently vacated by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, the Senate gained an incredibly strong voice regarding LGBT issues. The Human Rights Campaign has endorsed Senator Gillibrand regarding the next election. As an appointed Senator, Gillibrand must run for office in 2010. In endorsing Gillibrand, HRC President Joe Solmonese stated “Senator Gillibrand has emerged as one of the strongest advocates in the Senate for full equality for the LGBT community. From her personal lobbying of the New York legislature in support of marriage rights to helping garner support for a Senate hearing on repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ Gillibrand has time and again stood for fairness for all.”

Senator Gillibrand stated, in accepting the endorsement, “I am very honored to once again have the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign. Equality, civil rights, and equal justice for the LGBT community must be a clarion call for our party and our generation. This is the civil rights march of our generation. We must continue to push every day to repeal DADT, repeal DOMA, and provide equal protections in the work place for all Americans. There is far more support for our cause than people realize. Let’s continue working together to write a new chapter of equality in this country.”

Senator Gillibrand has been a strong advocate for LGBT rights, including being willing to sponsor the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law. She is also supportive of repealing the Defense of Marriage Act. She added her name to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and to the Matthew Shepard Act.

11/10/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Representative Lynn Woolsey has called upon the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in the creation and passage of the Stupak Amendment in a brief article at Politico. “The amendment makes it basically impossible for private insurance companies that participate in the new system to offer abortion coverage to women. This will effectively block women from using their own personal funds to purchase an insurance plan with abortion coverage,” according to the Human Rights Campaign statement on this amendment.

According to Rep. Woolsey:

I expect political hardball on any legislation as important as the health care bill. I just didn’t expect it from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Who elected them to Congress? The role the bishops played in the pushing the Stupak amendment, which unfairly restricts access for low-income women to insurance coverage for abortions, was more than mere advocacy. They seemed to dictate the finer points of the amendment, and managed to bully members of Congress to vote for added restrictions on a perfectly legal surgical procedure.

Rep. Woolsey stated that churches in her district are careful to keep their activities non-political. Many LGBT-Americans would wish that were completely true. The recent battle in Maine showed just how willing the Catholic Church is to get involved in political matters if it regards the social agenda that they are pursuing.

Rep. Woolsey pointed out that the US Council of Catholic Bishops is a tax exempt entity. As such, the USCCB acted in a political manner without actually paying taxes.

In calling for an investigation of the RCC, Rep Woolsey has added her voice to that of LGBT-Americans who have been calling for an investigation into the campaign involvement of the Roman Catholic Church for some time now. Perhaps, as a politician, Rep. Woolsey can get further than the LGBT Community has in getting that investigation.

11/10/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
The Human Rights Campaign today released a statement calling for the Senate to strip the upcoming healthcare reform bill of the Stupak Amendment. According to the story that they released “before final passage, a last-minute anti-choice amendment, offered by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA), was adopted by a vote of 240-194. The amendment makes it basically impossible for private insurance companies that participate in the new system to offer abortion coverage to women. This will effectively block women from using their own personal funds to purchase an insurance plan with abortion coverage.”

The amendment has been marketed as being about keeping Federal funds from being used for abortions, but the bill already has that language. The bill, without the Stupak Amendment, would have maintained the status quo on the issue of abortion funding. Instead, this bill goes beyond that. The HRC pledged to work with their pro-choice allies to have the Senate strip this amendment from the bill.

The HRC is also hoping to add in some provisions to the reform package which would directly benefit Americas LGBT citizens. What this may entail is difficult to determine. Likely, this will include the right of same-sex couples to the benefits of their partner.

11/9/09-by Paula Brooks
President Barak Obama expressed confidence Sunday that the Senate will “take the baton” and approve sweeping health care reform legislation, after the House narrowly passed its version Saturday night.

In brief remarks from the Rose Garden yesterday, the president said the 220-215 House vote brings the country closer than it’s ever been to a health care overhaul and stated the “historic” passage of the House version of the Health Care Bill marked a “courageous vote” for many representatives, given the toxicity of the debate surrounding the bill, and predicted that lawmakers will view the eventual signing of the legislation as their “finest moment” in public service.

“Now it falls on the United States Senate to take the baton and bring this effort to the finish line on behalf of the American people. And I’m absolutely confident that they will,” said Obama.

Conveniently however, Obama made no reference to the Stupak-Pitts amendment in his remarks.

The Stupak-Pitts amendment will prohibit federal funds from being used for abortion services in any health exchange, public or private and prevents private insurance companies from receiving government subsidies if they cover abortions.

Many Health Care bill advocates, in an effort to bamboozle woman in to supporting this bill, are currently trying to sell a line of BULL CRAP saying that federal funding of abortion is already covered in current law and this amendment changes nothing.

But this is NOT the truth, as currently most private insurers cover reproductive health related services and that practice would cease if Stupak’s amendment remains in a finalized version of any legislation.

Those advocates are also saying that women could purchase a separate, single service rider to cover abortion related expenses. But no woman plans for an UNPLANNED pregnancy or one that has serious complications that would ultimately call for an abortion.

Under the mandates of the House version of the Health Care Bill all American citizens will be FORCED to participate, but women who are currently covered with reproductive health services under their current policies will now be FORCED to pay more for those services. This despite President Obama repeatedly saying, “If you like your health plan, you can keep it, the only thing that will change is that you’ll pay less.”

Right-wingers are hailing the passage of the Stupak measure “as a victory for the pro-life Americans across this country who have flooded Congress this week with the message that abortion does not belong in health care.”

The Human Rights Campaign is taking no notice of at all of the passage of Stupak on it web site and is saying the House Bill “a tremendous advance for the health needs of LGBT people,” conveniently ignoring the fact the “L” in LGBT are women who are being stripped of rights by this “tremendous advance.”

There are rumors on Capitol Hill that President Obama promised Henry Waxman Saturday that he will “personally” work to remove the Stupak language in conference…

From experience… I am sure Obama will “personally” work on Stupak the same way he has so far “personally” worked on the repeal of DOMA and DADT.

Over the weekend I have talked to many in the LBGT community trying to enlist their support in defeating Stupak… Unfortunately most have told me that while they don’t like Stupak and think it is wrong, they are willing to accept Stupak if it gets them a health care bill and a win for Obama ….

Many have told me I need to look at the bigger picture on this issue

Easy enough to say since many of those folks saying this will never have a need of or even the possibility to need any of the services being taken away from women by Stupak. And they need me to pay for THEIR health care.

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11/03/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Joe Solmonese appeared on Andrea Mitchell Live in order to discuss the vote in Maine. Mr. Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign is on the ground in Maine. The turnout in Maine has been high, according to some reports, and the voters younger than the recent PPP poll had anticipated. What does it mean for the outcome, well, neither Mr. Solmonese nor Chris Cillizza are totally certain.

Should Maine, which according to one recent study, has more gay and lesbian couples than any other state in the Union, and only slightly less than the District of Columbia, uphold marriage equality, it will become the first state to do so. Both sides poured in a lot of money, but the No on 1 campaign had nine times as many individualized donors as Yes on 1, which relied almost exclusively on funding from the National Organization for Marriage and the Roman Catholic Church in Portland.

10/25/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Despite claims to the contrary, Yes on 1 in Maine has gotten the bulk of their money from outside the state rather than from within. In fact, according to Nate Silver of Fivethirtyeight.com, Yes on 1 has gotten close to three quarters of their total funding from outside Maine while No on 1 has gotten closer to a fifty/fifty split. While the majority of the money on both sides is from outside the state, No on 1 has gotten only 53% of their funding from outside Maine compared to Yes on 1’s 70%.

It also gets worse for Yes on 1. The majority of their instate donations have come from big amounts. The average instate donation to Yes on 1 has been $1,064 compared to No on 1’s average donation being just over $500. That means that for every one person that is enthusiastic enough to donate to Yes on 1, there are two people who are willing to donate to No on 1, at least on average. In truth, Yes on 1 has had a total of 422 instate donors while No on 1 has had 3,766 donors.

Yes on 1 has also not garnered a great deal of donations from outside the state either. In total, they have had 225 donors from outside Maine. No on 1 has had 6,259 donors from outside the state. The average amount donated, though, is drastically different with Yes on 1 getting an average of over $8,000 per donor from outside the state compared to the average non-Maine donation for No on 1 being $368.

Yes on 1 is also heavily dependent upon two donors- the Roman Catholic Church in Portland and the National Organization for Marriage. Again, according to Nate Silver, those two represent over ninety percent of the contributions given to the Yes on 1 campaign. While No on 1 has certainly benefitted from large donations such as those by the Human Rights Campaign and several Hollywood celebrities, it amounts to around 36% of their total donations.

The numbers provided by Mr. Silver are similar, though more detailed, than the breakdown on this issue that I did earlier. It also points to an enthusiasm gap between the two sides as it comes into the final stretch. While many Mainers might have the intention to vote to overturn the recent law granting marriage equality to the state’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents, those who are on the Yes side may be far less willing to head out and disrupt their day than their day than those who are willing to vote No. Making matters more complicated is the weather. If it is cold and rainy, those who are not enthusiastic about this may chose not to vote at all.

That, of course, does not mean that there should be complacency regarding a vote to prevent this veto from occurring. The grassroots machine is going to be trying to get every No vote to the poll, and will likely continue to need money to do that.

10/24/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Those whose cause is righteous and whose motives are pure need not fear the light. Those who advance causes which are not righteous and whose motives are impure find every means to operate from the dark. Those who are afraid of the consequences of their actions seek to hide behind anonymity, but those who fight for what they believe in with all their heart will not hide for they will risk whatever they have in order to win.

When the signers of the Declaration of Independence did so, they did not sign ‘anonymous’ to the document, but rather they signed their names. They let the Crown and Parliament of England know not only their grievances, but their identities. They did not hide behind masks to remain anonymous like some rogue afraid to be seen in the daylight. Instead, they let the world know who they were and what they stood for.

The donors to the National Organization for Marriage are afraid to take the consequences of their actions. Should they be found out, they might face boycotts, taunting and even threats. They would face the very actions that every lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender person in this country faces every day. They would face the anger of a people who do not agree with them, but, if their cause was right and pure, they would be more than willing to undertake that risk. They would declare openly that they gave to this cause because they believe with all their heart that it is right.

Instead, they slink back to their dens to hide and throw stones at people in passing. They crave the darkness and the anonymity that it offers. They decry what they see as sin, but are unwilling to openly declare themselves opposed to it. They hide knowing that what they seek to do is rob another, and they do not want that known.

If the National Organization for Marriage believes in their cause, they should open their donor lists and let it all be known. Let us see who donates to them. Let us be sure that it is not some Hugo Chavez seeking to influence the American people through anonymous funding, but rather see who believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Let them declare themselves openly without hiding from the world. If their cause is right, then they should not fear.

The Human Rights Campaign is a multi-state organization who has not hidden away their donor lists in hopes that they can continue to be funded by anonymous sources. Instead, they are willing for their donors to be seen in the daylight.

A Celtic Queen once told the wife of Augustus Ceaser “we make love to our best in the light while you are debauched by your worst in the dark.” In the darkness, sin happens. The sins of greed, lust, debauchery, you name it. Only with the light can we see what things are. They hide in the darkness. They hide in their sinful, prideful, hateful dens hoping that people will not see them. They are afraid to stand for what they believe in.

If they have nothing to hide, and their cause is right, then they will stand in the light and let those who oppose them call them names and threaten them. If, however, they are afraid of the light…if they are somehow beholden to those who seek nefarious ends…if they are taking money from those who do not have the best interests in the nation at heart…then they will remain in the dark. They will hide away from the world and hope that no one sees their true face, and their true heart.

10/13/09-by Paula Brooks
Speaking from the Equality to End HIV/AIDS Rally and Vigil held this past Saturday evening in Washington DC, gay columnist Andrew Sullivan slammed Joe Solmonese and called for the President of the Human Rights Campaign to resign.
Said Sullivan of HRC’s leadership…

“They are so out of touch. They are so out of touch with the young generation. They are so out of touch with what America actually is and could be. They are full of fear and self-loathing, and we have to stand up to them.”

In his Daily Dish Column this weekend, Sullivan also said that Solmonese leadership of the HRC appears to have left the nations largest gay rights organization with “battered wife syndrome.”

From Melanie Nathan
To Joe Solmonese

October 11, 2009

Dear Joe,

This morning, as expected, I received your email, Joe Solmonese from HRC, and your promise “ In the days and weeks ahead we’ll move quickly to capitalize on this momentum?” What momentum may I ask? What did the President say that provides this so called momentum? Are you asking me to accept a campaign speech as momentum?

Last night was an amazing accomplishment having the President speak at your fundraiser dinner; his speech was supportive, motivating and awe inspiring and I was quite moved by the validation, especially after being so let down by President Clinton signing DOMA into law and the passage of Prop 8 here in California. After so many years of fighting, we get a resounding nod out of Washington. SADLY though, the validation for those 37 minutes was short lived as when the ‘rah rah’ was over the reality set in; words, words and more words- and what about marriage?

While writing my BLOG last night, I found myself being both critical and grateful at the same time entitled I AM HERE WITH YOU IN THAT FIGHT and yet I give as much as the law allows?) Tossing and turning between the emphatic stance and the inadequacy of the detail, it left me wondering… how does this all translate into action? Where will it go? Any quicker than thus far and what about the big cop-out, the part that the pundits, activists, bloggers, commentators seem to have missed this weekend or have chosen not to mention= the OVERT no to marriage equality cleverly embedded in the speech. The fob off that you call momentum?

We wanted to hear it all – he gave a tidbit and you call that momentum? Was I the only one who hears those words “as much as the law allows?” Joe the LAW DOES NOT ALLOW! and you call that momentum? Now we hear lets wait and see what happens when we look back in 2017? Joe, do you expect us to sit back and wait for your timetable and only get as much as the law allows -the big and constant zero?

Joe, the chutzpah! You brazenly center your˜DONATE NOW” button on the email you sent me – as you ask for mysupport for you to, in your words ˜capitalize on this momentum.” You are asking us to pay you to condone the most significant and yet painful aspect of the speech “where the President expressly pronounced us ˜separate but equal!

that this speech worked in direct contradiction to our champion Jerrold Nadler’s recent introduction of the respect for marriage Act?

Joe, what momentum? One where we agree to no marriage? Carpe Diem everyone – look what we got out of our dinner comfirmation – NO MARRIAGE ! Lets celebrate and give HRC more money yeah…. is that what you are sking us to do Joe?

I certainly hope not. Before you ask for our money can you tell us your plan and your thoughts and where you think this is going? Lets see if we agree. Lets see if the community at large agrees with your strategy. Can you please tell us what you think of this Domestic partners Act as a condition for our federal benefits.

Unless you go for the ALL and consult grass-root communities about strategy, and become more inclusive in your process, ” you will not get my money! I am spending my money to get to D.C. myself, to lobby for what I want for me, my family and my community and that is nothing short of full equality, one where my marriage is legal and respected, and which will grant me the exact benefits that all heterosexual married couples in US receive. I do not want to be a victim of “as much as the law allows.” I certainly will not endorse the underlying qualification that if we accept anything less than marriage equality, we are in fact endorsing no boundary between church and state. I simply refuse to do that!

I challenge all of you who are inclined to donate to the patronizing promoters of anything less than FULL equality, to take those hard earned dollars and some hours or days of your working time and to show up in D.C. at the offices of your own Representatives to tell them what you want. We must tell out stories ourselves and stop depending on these self appointed leaders who purport to speak for us all. We must go to DC now and ask for the unconditional REPEAL OF DOMA, during this 111^th congress through the Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by Jerrold Nadler last month. We finally have our vehicle and I have yet to hear HRC strategy on this one.

There were about 250,000 people at the March. Can you imagine the impact if another 250,000 of us showed up at the doors of our respective reps asking what they are doing about DOMA and RMA? My experience in D.C. has taught me that the organizations are viewed for the most part as ‘nudgers’ and with some disdain, while constituents are the most important people to the congressional representatives. They want your stories and they need your stories. So get creative and get out there ” yourselves, individually or in groups. Cause mayhem if need be! Its enough! Its enough!

FYI Joes email to me and probably you too
” Original Message “

From: Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign

To: nathan@privatecourts.com

Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2009 7:13 AM

Subject: Obama speaks at HRC last night: watch the video

Dear Melanie,Just hours ago, President Obama took the podium at HRC’s National Dinner to talk directly to the LGBT community and our many friends and allies. Find out what Obama said ” and be sure to share the news with your friends Today, thousands of people are marching on Washington to demand LGBT equality.And last night, President Obama told LGBT Americans that his commitment to ending discrimination in the military, in the workplace and for loving couples and their families is œunwavering” He made it crystal clear that he is our strongest ally in this fight, that he understands and, in fact, encourages our activism and our voice even when were impatient with the pace of change.And we heard unequivocally about the repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell:I am working with the Pentagon, its leadership and members of the House and Senate to end this policy. I will end Don Ask, Dont Tell. That is my commitment to you.Finally, we heard something quite remarkable from the President: You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men and two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman.It was an historic night when we felt the full embrace and commitment of the President of the United States. It’s simply unprecedented.In the days and weeks ahead we’ll move quickly to capitalize on this momentum. But right now, please watch what President Obama had to say, share this email with your friends, and know that your commitment means that were much closer to attaining real equality and protecting millions of Americans: http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/site/Ecard?ecard_id=1061 Thank you for being part of this historic fight with us. Warmly, Joe Solmonese President

Blogged by, MELANIE NATHAN, CEO of Private Courts, Inc. – Consulting, mediation & private advocacy ; motivated by injustice, I blog about family law/mediation, politics, news and LGBT equality and anything that ‘tickles my fancy.’ Otherwise blogging as O-blog-dee-o-blog-da. Websites and blogs include: http://www.privatecourts.com; http://www.divorcemediators.us; www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com. CONTACT:- nathan@privatecourts.com

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10/11/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
Last night, President Barack Obama gave the keynote speech at the Human Rights Campaign dinner. For those who are interested, the video follows. “For nearly 30 years, you’ve advocated on behalf of those without a voice. That’s not easy. For despite the real gains that we’ve made, there’s still laws to change and there’s still hearts to open. There are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors, even loved ones — good and decent people — who hold fast to outworn arguments and old attitudes; who fail to see your families like their families; who would deny you the rights most Americans take for granted. And that’s painful and it’s heartbreaking.”

President Obama in his speech told the LGBT Community as a whole that it is not his place to tell us to be patient any more than it was the right of others to tell the African-American community to be patient half a century ago.

Not missing an opportunity to point out that the administration is working on those issues that touch upon our lives that are not directly related to the shared identity of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual. He also pointed out that “And while progress may be taking longer than you’d like as a result of all that we face — and that’s the truth — do not doubt the direction we are heading and the destination we will reach.” Though, as pointed out by Jon Stewart recently, some of the LGBT issues seem trivial and easily handled when compared to the enormity of the other issues facing the country.

He singled out the loss felt by the Shepards, and announced quite clearly that he will sign the bill named for their son, Matthew. “Together, we will have moved closer to that day when no one has to be afraid to be gay in America. When no one has to fear walking down the street holding the hand of the person they love.”

Speaking of the Employee Non Discrimination Act, President Obama stated frankly that he wants that bill passed, and made mention of recent attacks on a gay member of his staff by saying, “and it’s for this reason that if any of my nominees are attacked not for what they believe but for who they are, I will not waver in my support, because I will not waver in my commitment to ending discrimination in all its forms.”
The President went on to state that he has called upon the Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (his words).

President Barack Obama made the same point that I once made to a professor when he made this point “But these issues also go to the heart of who we are as a people. Are we a nation that can transcend old attitudes and worn divides? Can we embrace our differences and look to the hopes and dreams that we share? Will we uphold the ideals on which this nation was founded: that all of us are equal, that all of us deserve the same opportunity to live our lives freely and pursue our chance at happiness? I believe we can; I believe we will.”

The fight for rights is about empathy, as President Obama mentioned, but he also called upon us to continue to pressure him and others to change the laws. Because they are laws, of course, President Obama and his staff can lobby for those changes, but he is, of course, limited to what a President can do regarding them. He closed with this: “day by day, law by law, changing mind by mind, that is the promise we are fulfilling.”

Below is the speech, please give it a listen. It is a long video.

Early this morning the Human Rights Campaign building was vandalized. Early police reports say that around 4am this morning the building was defaced. According to police the vandals used either paintball guns or balloons filled with paint. It appears to have been a drive by and the police have no suspects.

The vandalism occurred after HRC’s Annual National Dinner fundraiser where President Obama spoke. This was the most publicized dinner HRC has held because of the President’s appearance. Obama’s speech was televised live on Cspan and also covered by CNN.

Today is also the National Equality March where thousands of LGBT people will be marching for equal rights.

LGR will be following this story and will provide updates from the police as they come in.

Leslie Ewing

At 4:30om EST today a group claimed responsibility by leaving a comment here on this post. Calling the act “glamdalism” the group states in their message that “a crew of radical queer and allied folks armed with pink and black paint and glitter grenades. Beside the front entrance and the inscribed mission statement (of the HRC building) now reads a tag, “Quit leaving queers behind.”

Here is the full message

Communique from the Forgotton:

Human Rights Campaign HQ Glamdalized By Queers Against Assimilation

HRC headquarters was rocked by an act of glamdalism last night by a crew of radical queer and allied folks armed with pink and black paint and glitter grenades. Beside the front entrance and the inscribed mission statement now reads a tag, “Quit leaving queers behind.”

The HRC is not a democratic or inclusive institution, especially for the people who they claim to represent. Just like society today, the HRC is run by a few wealthy elites who are in bed with corporate sponsors who proliferate militarism, heteronormativity, and capitalist exploitation. The sweatshops (Nike), war crimes (Lockheed Martin), assaults on working class people (Bank of America, Deloitte, Chase Bank, Citi Group, Wachovia Bank) and patriarchy (American Apparel) caused by their sponsors is a hypocrisy for an organization with “human rights” in their name.

The queer liberation movement has been misrepresented and co-opted by the HRC. The HRC marginalizes us into a limited struggle for aspiring homosexual elites to regain the privilege that they’ve lost and climb the social ladder towards becoming bourgeoisie.

Last night, Obama spoke at the HRC fundraising gala and currently the HRC website declares, “President Obama underlines his unwavering support for LGBT Americans.” The vast amount of organizing resources the HRC wastes on their false alliance with the Democratic party leaves radical queers on the margins to fend for themselves. Our struggle has always had to resist the repression of conservative tendencies in government and society to gain liberation in our lives.

The gourmet affair was sponsored by 48 corporations including giants Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, and Wachovia Bank. At $250 dollars a plate the HRC served our movement a rich, white, heternormative atmosphere that purposefully excludes working class queer folks.

REMEMBER THE STONEWALL RIOTS! On the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, pigs raided a queer bar in Texas, arrested and beat our friends, and we looked towards politicians and lawyers to protect us. This mentality is what keeps the money flowing to the HRC and their pet Democrats, and keeps our fists in our pockets.

Most of all we disagree that collective liberation will be granted by the state or its institutions like prisons, marriage, and the military. We need to escalate our struggle, or it will collapse.

~~Love and Solidarity~~

Photo by DB King via Flickr (Click image for more NEM photos)

LGR is staying on top of this story and will bring more updates as they come in.

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

10/11/09-by MELANIE NATHAN

I was skeptical about President Obama’s speech and yet hopeful. The short version of this post is that I was generally pleased. Of course I could highlight what was left out and the uncertainties that remain for our full equality, yet my ‘glass half full’ beckons and I succumb? Admittedly, the strongest language yet from this President and anyone ever in this office, it felt good to me personally. Alas I must go on..

Whereas I thought I may write about the context, the atmosphere, the protests, but that would fail the invitation by President Obama, to align in a joint endeavor and nothing I say in this post derogates from that obligation and committment on my part as a lesbian who wants equality for self, family and country. As a critic noting the slow progress and an advocate for thereality of our daily lives, I am concerned that the speech, although emphatic, serves as yet another delay – a call in essence for patience. I miss my equality NOW and that is why I want a timeline from the President. I wanted to hear something different. I wanted to hear more – how about the immediate repeal of DOMA – the law that discounts our very essence.

The President acknowledged that same sex relationships are just as admirable and just as real as heterosexual relationships. He said that he will get rid of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ (DADT.) He specifically mentioned ENDA and noted it will pass, as well as the Mathew Sheppard hate Crimes Act which he said he would sign into law.

However as the crowd’s enthusiasm escalated in familiar Obama engendered excitement, I could feel the expectation and the tacit drum roll as the President announced that he would see to it that “ LGBT couples would receive as many federal benefits and federal rights as the law allows”… the crowd went crazy… I think they thought he was heading on a path of overt commitment to the repeal of DOMA – and acknowledgment of our right to marry; but unfortunately he did not, instead he concluded this right to benefit by referring to “domestic partners act” and did nothing new or different to endorse our right to marry under the civil law. The problem with saying “as the law allows” creates a contradiction – DOMA ensures that the “LAW DOES NOT ALLOW!” So my mind was begging –“Mr. President please tell us how, when, you will ensure the repeal of DOMA – it is the Key – I do not want Federal benefits “as much as the law allows” because that is a big zero and I will get none.

Overall, it was a really good speech and crafted to illustrate the President’s alliance as if in tandem in the fight for equality… the skill in the speech is that he took the heat of what HE could do and replaced it with what WE need to do. All in all positive and uplifting in its general message but fell short on specific details. The value is it definitely sets a different tone for acceptance and normalization of the LGBT community and our relationships.

I now note my disappointment at the limitations in language –because he could have gone all the way. Yet at the same time I realize that we still have to be patient and in our patience we have to fight for ourselves, everyday, because of the big mechanism and machinery involved in, as the President said with the need for “ laws to change and hearts to open,” and that is not going to be an easy task.

So As LT. Dan Choi, said on CNN tonight, what he was left with was when the President asked us as a community to continue to hold his (the President’s) ‘feet to the fire’ and for us to tell our stories, urge our representatives and educate our communities. So I urge our readers, our leaders, our LGBT community, our families and friends to take the challenge. Please do not for one minute think that this alliance with the President invoked tonight by his historic and moving declaration “ I AM HERE WITH YOU IN THAT FIGHT” is a call to rest. It is a call to action like never before, firstly of those damning words “AS THE LAW ALLOWS” and because we have an ally thereby our need to effect change sooner than process and time can allot.

Because the President did not, I want to give a special mention (ok, hardly any compensation) to my binational friends either in exile, in detention, in hiding or waiting in terror for visas to expire and to remind the American conscience as it concerns itself with basic human rights, that the LAW DOES NOT ALLOW same-sex American citizens or residents to sponsor their spouses/partners for visa, residency or immigration to the USA. We have 98,000 (in my crude estimation) Binational couples, almost tripling the 2000 census. Unfortunately your plight went unnoticed in tonight’s speech, because even if we recognize Same sex relationships, even if OBAMA’s plan (as we have it) for our equality, respect and right to the “same admiration” as straight relationships, you are not included in any of tonight’s promises under the Immigration and Naturalization Act, until repeal of DOMA or passage of stand-alone legislation such as the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) or Comprehensive Immigration reform that includes LGBT, same-sex couples.

Blogged by, MELANIE NATHAN, CEO of Private Courts, Inc. – Consulting, mediation & private advocacy ; motivated by injustice, I blog about family law/mediation, politics, news and LGBT equality and anything that ‘tickles my fancy.’ Otherwise blogging as O-blog-dee-o-blog-da. Websites and blogs include: http://www.privatecourts.com; http://www.divorcemediators.us; www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com. CONTACT:- nathan@privatecourts.com

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10/6/09-by Paula Brooks

photo by Andrew Ciscel via flickr

Chicago Gay Rights Activist Andy Thayer says he is planning a protest at this Saturday night’s Human Rights Campaign dinner at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center that will be  featuring President Obama as it’s keynote speaker.

Pointing out the many slights to the LGBT community by the Obama Administration, Thayer said in a press release, “The time for talking is over. This President promised to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), he promised to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, he promised to pass the pro-LGBT Employment Non-Discrimination Act and a whole host of other things. Instead, he’s delivered on nothing while embracing anti-gay bigots Rick Warren and Donnie McClurkin. The last thing we need is more flowery rhetoric in front of rich, self-effacing gays and lesbians dressed up like penguins.”

Thayer, an office manager for a Chicago law firm, is a chief organizer for Chicago’s Gay Liberation Network.

Andy Thayer is no stranger to high visibility protests; he was found not guilty in a felony trial last spring on charges of “aggravated battery on a police officer” for his part in an anti-war action during a 2008 visit of President George W. Bush to Chicago.

Thayer also was arrested and fined $500.00 after he lead some 5,000 protesters through Chicago’s Loop, in violation of a permit issued for last November’s protest organized in response to the passage of California’s Proposition 8 in that city. He was, in addition, one of a group of 40 activists arrested in Moscow this past May during a brutal police crackdown on the Moscow Pride parade in Russia.

The protest at the HRC event is being organized via Facebook and is cosponsored by the Dallas-based direct action group, Queer Liberaction, the group that played a leading role in organizing an effective community response to the violent police raid on a Fort Worth bar earlier this year.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159278506521&ref=share
http://www.gayliberation.net/

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10/5/09-by Paula Brooks
According to an article in the New York Times today, President Obama will be speaking this weekend at the HRC’s annual dinner in Washington DC… the night before thousands are expected to show up for the National Equality March in that city.

Obama’s appearance will make only the second time a sitting president has spoken to the Human Rights Campaign… Bill Clinton was the first in 1997.

While the president has signaled his support for overturning the ban on gays in the military and he has called the law that precludes federal recognition of same-sex marriages discriminatory…. his Justice Department is still defending in court, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which rules out federal recognition of same-sex marriages, and his National Security Advisor, General James Jones, saying is Obama has too much on his plate right now to repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell, which bans gays from openly serving in the military…

So one can only wonder what the Chief Executive will have to say to this crowd.

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10/2/09-by Sue Kerr

In what has to be one of the strangest branding strategies in recent memory, a local donut shop Peace, Love and Little Donuts has opened up in Pittsburgh’s Strip District with a sort of hippie/love/peace theme.

Meanwhile, the owner, Ron Razete, has been blogging about his very conservative, Christian-based, anti-gay views. He’s also opposed to the welfare state, Democrats, liberals, welfare, President Obama, the concept of systemic racism, and pretty much the rest of what’s often referred to as the “wingnut” social position.

A sample of his post-Inaugural blogging:

This crowd will not rest until Homosexuality is mainstream; until the Second Amendment is done away with; until abortion on demand is as common and accepted as going to the dentist; until sexual images and strip clubs line our streets and suburbs; until government education is started in the womb; until disagreement with their political party is “hate speech” and becomes a crime; until they pass the Fairness Doctrine and rid the county of Conservative talk radio; until they transfer our sovriegnty to the UN, etc. etc. etc.

This contradiction has caught the attention of Pittsburgh’s LGBT community via a local “queer events” discussion list where commenters shared a common disguest for the underlying hypocrisy of a bait and switch lure to secure progressive dollars, particularly pink dollars. List members and allies began blogging, commenting on his blog and basically spreading the word using new social media to educate the rest of Pittsburgh.

Several local queer women went to a restaurant review site, The Urban Spoon, to share their thoughts on the business. Almost immediately, the site owners began removing these comments, including those of this writer. The Urban Spoon’s Janet Becquey commented:

We prohibit certain things from reviews, including profanity, personal attacks, and legal issues. It’s possible that your review was in violation of one of those things. Negative reviews are perfectly fine, however – so we encourage you to re-post your review (after re-wording to avoid violating our policies).

The Urban Spoon terms of service. Ms. Becquey has thus far declined to comment on the allegation that the site is targeting comments originating from the LGBT community.

Mr. Razete has privatized his blog. The cache is here and indicates that Mr. Razete is aware of the criticism and continues to post. One can’t help but wonder how he is reacting to the attention. His rating on The Urban Spoon has sunk from an approval rating of more than 70% to the mid-40s, no doubt a reflection of the community response to his branding scam.

The issue is complicated. Certainly, some of the very members of the LGBT community crying “foul” are guilty of patronizing businesses that would not make the HRC’s Top 100 for their gay friendly practices. Others contribute to the coffers of hate mongerers with world views similar to Mr. Razete, perhaps unknowingly to be fair. Is it fair to target a small business owner, even a self-styled elitest who clearly devalues the most basic civil rights of his customers?

A better strategy for Pittsburgh’s LGBT community might be to focus our money and word of mouth efforts to promote LGBT owned and allied businesses. The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh has plans to produce an updated print version of Pride Direct, a local pink pages. Several local sites maintain lists of these companies. We can utilize everything from the email list to Facebook to get referrals.

When it comes to donuts, in fact, there is an ally owned bakery across the bridge with a wide array of baked goods who has proven to be a friend to the LGBT community over the years.

Photo by wickeden via flickr

Gay philanthropist Bruce Bastian has pledged $100,000 for next months National Equality March in Washington DC.

Bastian is the co-creator of the word processing program WordPerfect and the co-founder of the WordPerfect Corporation. He is also an ex-member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prior to this, Bastian, a resident of Utah and a former native of Twin Falls, Idaho, donated $1 million to the Human Rights Campaign to help counter the effort pushing Proposition 8 last year.

In an interview with the Washington Blade yesterday, Bastian said he strongly believes his donations will jump-start the LGBT rights movement.

The money will be used to help provide port-a-potties and other infrastructure for the march.

While the march has not received the universal endorsement of the LGBT community it has received support from such main stream LGBT rights groups such as the HRC, and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force amongst others.

During the conference call on Monday, March organizer Cleve Jones said the march and a related conference for LGBT activists on Oct. 10, to be facilitated by the Human Rights Campaign, is attracting “incredible support” from the grass roots and noted that many of the people expected to join the march are promoting the two-day event through Internet social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

While organizers of the march have declined to predict how many people would be joining the event, a check by LGR of hotel and motel booking in the DC metro area last week shows that they are significantly up for the weekend of the scheduled Oct. 11 event and a contact with the U.S. Park Service Police here in DC says that agency is gearing up for an excess of 100,000 marchers

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09/15/09-by Melanie Nathan

Gotta Love the Name -

This morning at a press conference on Capitol Hill, Members of Congress led by Reps. Jerry Nadler of New York, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jared Polis of Colorado will introduce legislation to repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  The bill is titled the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) and would restore the rights of all lawfully married couples — including same-sex couples — to receive the benefits of marriage under federal law. The bill also provides same-sex couples with certainty that federal benefits and protections would flow from a valid marriage celebrated in a state where such marriages are legal, even if a couple moves or travels to another state.  We’re talking about rights like Social Security survivors’ benefits, medical leave to care for an ailing spouse and equal treatment under U.S. immigration laws along.  In fact a GAO report cites 1,138 instances in federal law in which marital status is cited.  see HRC post at http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/09/momentum-building-for-doma-repeal/  .

A Poll questioning priorities revealed that lack of Immigration Rights for binational couples is not a priority on the list of  hardships.   The latter refl;ecting the typical – “if it affects me then I will consider it attitude.”  One may note that the fight for Immigration equality has been left to the “victims” of the inequality.   The Binationals! 

Human Rights Campaign asked ” which effects of DOMA are most harmful to same-sex married couples and their families (allowing people to choose up to three).  No Social Security Survivor Benefits: 64.3% / Unfair Inheritance Taxation: 53.4% / Denial of surviving mothers’ and fathers’ benefits for children of same-sex parents: 45.1% / Unfair health plan taxation: 40.0% / Being strangers under federal law: 36.2% / Not being allowed to take family medical leave: 32.1%.”

Jerrold Nadler has finally provided us with the Vehicle legislation for UAFA.  I believe this is a bettetr horse to back than Comprehensive Immigration Reform as a means to getting Immigration rights for binational couples.  If RMA passes it seems we will indeed have our path to immigration and the Right wing Sessions of the World can stop worrying that UAFA is a backdoor to marriage – because we will indeed have our front door.  Well done HRC and all the advocates – mostly big thanks to  Jerrold Nadler, Tammy Baldwin and Jared Polis their dedicated staffers.

Calling on Senators for a Senate Version!

  Blogged by MELANIE NATHAN, CEO of Private Courts, Inc. Consulting, mediation & private advocacy ; motivated by injustice, I blog about family law/mediation, politics, news and LGBT equality and anything that ‘tickles my fancy.’ Otherwise blogging as O-blog-dee-o-blog-da. Websites and blogs include: http://www.privatecourts.com; http://www.divorcemediators.us; www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com.

09/10/09- by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
When the Community Issues Council, which include Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, FL, decided it was time to join with the American Family Association and boycott Pepsi products, they made the switch to Coca Cola. In doing so, they went from a relatively LGBT friendly company to a really LGBT friendly company. Coca Cola has consistently scored higher on the Human Rights Campaign’s list of LGBT friendly businesses.

The furor started when Pepsico donated money to groups such as PFLAG and the HRC. Furthermore, AFA is upset that Pepsico supports Pride Parades including the one that they do not sponsor in Atlanta, GA. For the record, Coca Cola sponsors the Pride Parade in Atlanta, GA. They do sponsor, via Frito Lay, Cleveland, Ohio’s pride parade.

Of course, the AFA and CIC are both furious with Pepsico over their diversity training, which is actually not quite as good as Coca Cola’s, and their work place support of LGBT individuals, which is not quite the same level of support as seen in Coca Cola Corp.

The CIC was formed to protect Judeo-Christian values, and to promote their beliefs in what those are, which typically relies more heavily upon the Christian and less on the Judeo side of that. According to their head, Terry Kempell who is a member of Bell Shoals Baptist, “This year, they [Pepsico] pumped millions of dollars into organizations that opposed California’s same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8. There are a lot of corporations that have diversity programs, but Pepsi goes far beyond.” He also stated that they came to the United States for religious liberty and not sexual liberty. Also joining the boycott are Kings Avenue Baptist Church in Brandon and Plant City Church of God.

Kempell pointed to other boycotts such as the one against Kmart, Circle K, and Ford Motor Company as examples of how effective the boycott can be despite the fact that the only boycotts that actually worked were against 7-Eleven and Circle K. Even Ford only pulled back on their advertisements in LGBT magazines. The AFA stated that they were boycotting McDonalds they had a director on the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, but dropped the boycott after they received a memo ensuring their ‘neutrality’ in the culture wars. The director was not dropped, however.

In fact, the AFA has been boycotting Pepsico largely since the Madonna “Like a Prayer” tour in 1989 because they objected to the video. They never officially called off the boycott apparently.

It should be noted that, while Pepsi has made inroads into the Southern market, it is still dominated by Coca Cola, and that may be why the AFA, CIC and the three churches involved in this boycott are able to justify this. In Brunswick, GA, there is still the old Coca Cola distribution center. Coca Cola is available everywhere.

Including at Atlanta Pride.

Picture via Wikipedia
AFA Pepsi Boycott Pledge
Tampa Tribune Article Brandon Baptist Church Pulls Plug On Pepsi Products

8/12/09 10:41 PM- by Paula Brooks
The Human Rights Campaign, has delivered a check today for $50,000 to Maine’s ’No On 1 – Protect Marriage Equality’ campaign… bringing the HRC’s total contributions to the campaign to $75,000.

They have also dispatched staff members to Maine to assist with the campaign, which intends to keep the new law allowing Maine’s same-sex couples to wed off the ballot this November.

This past spring, the Maine state Senate voted in favor of legislation that would permit same-sex couples to marry under state law. The state Senate voted 21-14 in favor of the measure. The state House voted 89 to 57 in favor of the measure on May 5. One day later, Gov. John Baldacci signed the legislation.

The new law was scheduled to become effective in mid-September 2009; however, Stand for Marriage Maine, opponents of marriage equality in that state are seeking to repeal the new law by gathering signatures in support of a petition to put the question of marriage equality before voters on the ballot and have delivered more than 100,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office last week as part of their effort to force a November referendum on the issue. The Secretary of State’s office has until Sept. 4 to certify at least 55,087 of the signatures. If it does so, voters will be asked on Nov. 3 whether to repeal the law.

Marriage Equality opponents have also hired the California firm which ran publicity for Proposition 8 and received a heavy influx of donations… nearly $350,000, including a donation of $160,000 from the National Organization for Marriage and $100,000 in cash contributions from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Focus on the Family, which announced today it was experiencing a budget shortfall, has also donated $31,000 in cash contributions.

Marty Rouse, National Field Director for the Human Rights Campaign, said, “We don’t need to match our opponents,” and added. “But we do need to raise significant funds. This campaign is a grassroots campaign and we feel confident this campaign will be won by the grassroots, but we must try as best we can to raise a significant amount of money.”

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8/12/09

In a recent interview with U.S News and Weekly Reports Dan Gilgoff, Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, said he has been some doing looking into Barack Obama’s soul…

“I’ve had the chance to visit with the president personally both during the campaign and since he’s been in the White House. I don’t really know what’s at the heart of his opposition. It’s hard for me to believe that in his heart he’s truly opposed to same-sex marriage. Maybe it’s something he’s working to get his head around. When you look at who he is and what his life experiences are and who he surrounds himself by and the transformative political figure he is, it’s hard to imagine he genuinely opposes it.”

As president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights organization, Joe Solmonese is LGBT community’s top liaison to the Obama White House. So his job comes with huge responsibilities and a pretty substantial paycheck too, but I have to think Joe sounds a bit like George W Bush when he said of Vladmir Putin… “I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul.”

Now while Solmonese isn’t the first in our community to doubt the Presidents Obama’s unfriendliness to gay marriage, despite the fact the White House has asked the Supreme Court to not review a case on DOMA in a rather abrasive fashion that compared same-sex marriage to incest, one has to hope Joe has better “soul vision” then GW did.

Incidentally, last week Putin parked two nuclear powered attack submarines, which normally come equipped with cruise missiles off the East Coast of the United States not too very far from where I am sitting…

Just saying here …

PhotoJoe Solmonese, HRC on Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

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The following is a Breaking News Press Release from The Human Rights Campaign:

Measure would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, hailed today the bipartisan, historic introduction of an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the U.S. Senate. The bill would create federal protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The lead sponsors of the measure are Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

“The introduction of an inclusive employment non-discrimination bill in the U.S. Senate is an important and historic step in ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “No American, and that includes LGBT Americans, should have to worry about their livelihood being taken away from them simply for being who they are. The overwhelming majority of the American people are in favor of this legislation and now is the time for our community to visit their representatives in Congress to let them know we need this passed into law.”

“There is no place in the workplace for employment discrimination,” said U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley. “No worker in America should be fired or denied a job based on who they are. Discrimination is wrong, period. I’m proud to join Senator Kennedy, who is a civil rights legend, and Senators Collins and Snowe, both champions for equality, in taking this next step in our ongoing effort to create a more perfect union and guarantee every American, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, the right to earn a living.”

“The promise of America will never be fulfilled as long as justice is denied to even one among us,” said U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy. “The Employment Non-Discrimination Act brings us closer to fulfilling that promise for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens. I’m proud to join Senators Merkley and Collins in introducing this important legislation.”

“Similar to the current law in several states, including Maine, and the policies of many Fortune 500 companies, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act would close an important gap in federal civil rights laws by making it illegal to discriminate in employment,” said U.S. Senator Susan Collins. “I am pleased to join Senators Merkley, Kennedy and Snowe in introducing this important legislation which affirms the principle that individuals should be judged on their skills and abilities, and not by who they are.”

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would address discrimination in the workplace by making it illegal to fire, refuse to hire or refuse to promote an employee based on the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. An inclusive ENDA was also introduced in the U.S. House on June 24 of this year. The legislation reflects the values, shared by the vast majority of Americans, that employment decisions should be based on a person’s qualifications and work ethic.

Today, HRC launched a nationwide email action alert targeted specifically towards garnering support for the ENDA bill introduced today in the Senate. Members and supporters can go to www.PassENDANow.org to email their U.S. Senator and express their support for this fully-inclusive ENDA legislation.

Also, last week, HRC launched a national, grassroots campaign called “No Excuses” to demand action from Congress on key issues of equality, including ENDA. Designed to take advantage of the congressional summer recess, when members are in their local offices and meeting with constituents, “No Excuses” will mobilize HRC’s 750,000 members and their allies to meet directly with lawmakers and push for federal legislative change. Members and supporters can get involved by visiting: http://noexcuses.hrc.org.

According to the recent State of the Workplace report by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, 85% of Fortune 500 companies include sexual orientation in their equal employment policies, and more than one-third also include gender identity. More than 60 companies have joined the Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness, a group of leading U.S. employers that support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. To view a list of the companies and learn more about joining the coalition, visit: http://www.hrc.org/issues/business_coalition_workplace_fairness.htm.

“Nike has been a long time supporter of the passage of ENDA and is very encouraged that under the leadership of Senators Kennedy, Merkley, Collins and Snowe we are moving a step closer towards passage of this essential piece of legislation,” said Orson Porter, U.S. Director of Government and Public Affairs, Nike Inc. “Diversity and inclusion at Nike is about respecting our differences, leveraging our strengths and maximizing opportunity for all. These values make Nike a better company, ardently supportive of our employees, respectful of our consumers and more competitive in our industry. In supporting ENDA, you support the conviction that every American deserves a chance to complete and prosper on a level playing field.”

“We applaud Senator Merkley, Kennedy, Collins and Snowe for their leadership in creating an all-inclusive bill that will create more workplaces like Nationwide’s,” said Steve Keyes, Vice President of Associate Relations & HR Policy. “This legislation would simply and fairly extend the fundamental right to be judged on one’s own merits, without placing excessive burdens on employers. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act merely embodies the principle of non-discrimination that already enjoys the wide support of the American people.”

ENDA is supported by a broad range of civil rights, religious, civic and professional organizations, including the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, NAACP, AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union, AFSCME, National Education Association, National Employment Lawyers Association, Anti-Defamation League, Religious Action Center, Unitiarian Universalist Association, United Church of Christ, American Civil Liberties Union, and many others.

Currently, federal law provides legal protection against employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, age and disability, but not sexual orientation or gender identity. In 29 states across America, it is still legal to fire someone based on his or her sexual orientation, and in 38 states, it is still legal to fire someone for being transgender.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

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I was on the freeway and I saw some girl riding a scooter and I thought, “that’s hot.”

As she passed me by, I noticed that she was representing with a Human Rights Campaign sticker; it was a perfect photo opportunity.

During the Vermont campaign to extend marriage benefits to all Vermonters, the accusation was leveled that the bulk of the money which was being used to get the bill through the Legislature was coming from outside the state. New numbers released seem to indicate otherwise. The bulk of the money spent on the campaign came from Vermont Freedom To Marry, a local organization. While the head of the group Take It To The People, Craig Benson, seems to think that a 100 to 50 vote on the final passage of the bill was close, the reality is that the only real hurdle in the vote was Governor Jim Douglas with both the original vote and the vote to override his veto being by substantial margins. In his statement to the Rutland Herald, Benson stated, “They should be embarrassed they had to spend all that money to achieve that success, and that it was as close as it was”. This is despite the fact that the bill passed comfortably in the Senate 26-4 in favor, and the Assembly voted 95-52. Those are actually hardly ‘close.’ In fact, the margin increased on the vote to override the veto to 100-50. Apparently two-thirds of the Legislature is ‘close’.

Of the groups supporting marriage equality, Vermont Freedom To Marry spent the most money. Their entire amount came to just under $300,000. The two local anti-marriage groups, Take It To The People and Vermont Renewal, both spent just over $10,000 each.

Only one out of state group spent any money on the campaign for marriage equality. The Human Rights Campaign spent just under $3,500. The anti-marriage equality groups Focus on the Family and National Organization for Marriage both spent some money in Vermont with FotF spending $11,500, and NOM $7,500. The $7,500 was likely part of the rather fizzled Gathering Storm advertisement buy.

Beth Robinson of Vermont Freedom To Marry gave this statement. “We were determined to do everything we could, from writing every letter we could write to knocking on every door we could knock on to raising every dollar we could raise,” Robinson said. “You never know, in the end, which pieces mattered how much.”

Vermont’s marriage bill takes effect 1 September. There is expected to be a lot of happy couples celebrating that day.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Human Rights Campaign are apparently at odds over the Matthew Shepard Act, which was attached to the Defense Reauthorization Bill. According to several sources, the ACLU is objecting to the bill on the grounds that it may impact freedom of speech. On 17 July, an ACLU spokesperson issued a statement objecting to the Senate version of the hate crimes bill because it lacked strong language protecting freedom of speech. This, of course, recalls the various objections that many Conservative groups have to the hate crimes bill. While the ACLU may be more interested in protecting the rights of individuals, many of the Conservatives speaking out on this issue regard this as being more about preventing the bill from passing. In a statement offered to the Washington Blade, ACLU senior legal council Chris Anders stated, “Fierce protection of free speech rights has historically created the space for the improvement of civil rights protections. Unless amended to block evidence of speech and association not specifically related to a crime, the Senate hate crimes amendment could chill constitutionally protected speech and association.”

However, HRC Vice President David Smith issued the following statement regarding the bill, and in rebuttal to what Mr. Anders said:

“The Matthew Shepard Act applies to violent acts motivated by prejudice. Both the House version of the bill and the Senate version passed as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill contain explicit language protecting speech and association. Each version approaches the important matter of First Amendment protections differently, but both do it effectively. The Senate bill contains an explicit provision stating that the bill does not limit constitutionally-protected speech, expressive conduct, or activities. As demonstrated by Attorney General Eric Holder’s Senate testimony in support of this version of the bill, it withstands constitutional scrutiny and safeguards our civil rights.”

Four amendments were added to the Matthew Shepard Act. One of them, according to the HRC, was an attempt to derail the legislation by including the death penalty to the act. Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions of Alabama offered up three of the amendments. The first was the death penalty amendment, and it was countered with an amendment by Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts which limited when exactly the death penalty could be imposed. The last one that was germane to the actual bill involved the requirement that Attorney General Eric Holder create guidelines establishing “neutral and objective criteria for determining whether a crime was motivated by the status of the victim,” according to the HRC press release.

Of course, the Republicans on the Hill are already crowing over this division between the two trying to get some traction on the idea that even the ACLU says that the Matthew Shepard Act will violate freedom of speech. Of course, they are refusing to point out that they are not objecting to the bill itself, but to just the Senate’s version.

The final amendment regarded assault on service members and their families, and would create a new category of Federal crimes with regards to those assaults. Legislation following the Oklahoma City Bombing and in the PATRIOT Act established specific criminal penalties above and beyond the normal class of criminal offenses with regards to the Federal workforce.

According to their press release, the HRC opposes these amendments.

The funding for the F-22 was struck down during the session as well. The Pentagon’s position on this is that the F-22 was created for use in a war against the Soviet Union. Given that the USSR is no longer in existence, and even many countries such as Russia lack the military technology to keep up with the current American arsenal, the money that was going to the F-22 seemed wasteful. It was also a sticking point with President Obama. It was expected that Obama could have vetoed the bill, as he had threatened to do, if it came to him with the funding intact. The big impact may be in trying to find other work for the people who were making the planes.

Hate crimes bills are often attempts to ensure that justice is done. Too often defenses like the “panic defense” mean that individuals who murder or assault individuals get off with light sentences.

There is a perception among many gays and lesbians that the national groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force are ineffective, especially when dealing with the situation on the ground, as it were. According to Queerty, only one person even rated the HRC. Now, Queerty admits that there may be some biases built into their methodology, but there is a bit of an issue when it comes to many of these big groups. Indeed, I had heard of Vermont’s local groups long before I had even heard of HRC and was not aware that HRC was an LGBTI advocacy group until a few months ago. Many local advocacy groups are focused upon either a broad spectrum of local issues or on one or two very narrow ones.

There are many people who want to donate to LGBTI advocacy groups and are unaware of either their local groups or the groups which are available in the local areas. Sometimes this has to do with names which do not include LGBTI markers in them such as RU12, a Vermont based LGBTI youth advocacy group. To that end, LezGetReal is going to be profiling many of these small advocacy groups in order to raise awareness of them, and hopefully help get them funded via donations.

Recently, Kentucky was involved in a nasty attempt to write into law a ban on gays and lesbians adopting or fostering children. The bill was aimed at any couple who was not married so that it did not give the appearance of being biased towards gays and lesbians, but the intent was obvious despite this attempt at subterfuge. This attempt was done behind the backs of many of the legislators, and was introduced into their Legislature in a very underhanded manner since it did not have enough support to really move forward. Throughout that bitter battle was the Fairness Campaign. Indeed, through the tireless advocacy of their director Chris Hartman, they were able to turn back that bill and put an end to the attempt to prevent gays and lesbians from providing loving homes to children in need of families.

The Fairness Campaign has also been supporting a local minister, Reverend Todd F. Eklof, who was fired from his Farm Bureau job for supporting marriage equality in 2005. Reverend Eklof, though straight, was demoted at the job that he had held for six years after he had stated that he would no longer be performing marriage ceremonies for anyone until all citizens were allowed to get married under the law. He did not make these statements at work, but rather outside of work and in relation to his Calling as a Unitarian minister. The Fairness Campaign held a fundraiser for Reverend Eklof to help support his legal costs.

The Fairness Campaign has also been instrumental in getting McDonald’s to require LGBTI sensitivity training for their employees. The Fairness Campaign worked with the American Civil Liberties Union or ACLU to file a complaint after a Louisville McDonald’s employee used a string of anti-homosexual slurs at two openly gay customers. Only one person, a cashier, tried to stop the abuse.

The Fairness Campaign is working to ensure the rights of all gays, lesbians and transpeople in Kentucky. Often times the work is grueling and thankless. It is also expensive. During the adoption bill battle, Chris Hartman drove back and forth between Louisville, where the group is based, and Frankfort, the capital, to ensure that the bill was defeated. While it is often hard to see any work being done by the national groups, the local groups are constantly in motion. Donations to the Fairness Campaign are more than welcome, and they would be going to a state which is sorely in need of help regarding LGBTI rights.

For more information and to donate to the Fairness Campaign, please clink on their name for the link.

Information about the national campaigns via: Queerty

When President Barack H. Obama appointed New York Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton to be his Secretary of State, that left an opening in the Senate that resulted in a strange political show culminating with Governor David Paterson appointing Representative Kirsten Gilibrand to the Senate. Today, LGR has learned that Senator Kirsten Gilibrand is exploring action which would bring the fight over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to the US Senate this week. To do this, she is considering introducing an amendment to the Defense reauthorization bill that would call for an 18-month moratorium on the discharge of gays serving in the military.

This amendment would skirt the usually lengthy legislative process involved in repealing DADT. Should the amendment pass the Senate, Capitol Hill insiders say that it would stand a strong chance of being approved in the House and could be signed into law by President Obama by the end of July. Senator Gilibrand is still not final on this amendment, and may not ultimately introduce it.

“Senator Gilibrand is working with Senator Kennedy’s office to garner support for a repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ and this would be part of an ongoing effort to repeal this policy,” said Gilibrand spokeswoman Bethany Lesser.

Last week, Rep. Patrick Murphy announced he is trying to build support for a bill that would repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” already introduced in the House. He appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show to discuss this issue recently with guest host Alison Stewart.

The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has become the LGBT litmus test of Obama sincerity to his campaign promises regarding issues impacting the community. During the election, Senator Obama made several statements concerning LGBT rights, and even spoke of being a “fierce advocate” for those rights. This has lead some commentators to label President Obama the “Fierce Advocate”. Obama was unambiguous about ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during the campaign, causing many in the LGBT community to question why he has delayed its abolition during his first few months in office.

Presidential Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has been regularly asked about the DADT repeal in his daily press briefings, and has repeatedly said, “The only and best way to do this repeal the ban is through a durable comprehensive legislative process.” Unfortunately, unlike Representative Murphy, Gibbs has been reluctant to explain the political and legal ramifications of President Obama passing a moratorium on DADT dismissals. Representative Murphy has implied that President Obama could step on many toes in the Congress if he were to try and change DADT through executive action, especially after the way in which President George W. Bush largely ruled through executive order and memoranda.

Senator Gilibrand faces an election for a full term in 2010. Coming from a largely conservative district in upstate New York, she has to try and court the Manhattan and Long Island votes where not only a large portion of the state’s population resides, but the typical voter leans far more liberal than her previous record indicates her support to lie. New York City’s Greenwich Village has long been the center of the state’s LGBT community. Early this year, Lt. Dan Choi came out on The Rachel Maddow Show. A member of the New York National Guard, Lt. Choi is slated to be expelled for being openly homosexual. Senator Gilibrand has become a strong supporter of Lt. Choi, an Arab linguist, and a fierce opponent of DADT. Last month she promised to help repeal the ban.

Until now, Gilibrand has not had the strongest of records on LGBT issues, and is facing a strong primary challenge in 2010 where these issues and the support of the Human Rights Campaign could be influential in her retaining the seat. Many observers on the Hill believe that she is making this move in order to bolster her support from the LGBT community as a buffer against other interest in the state where she has remained closer to the conservative end of the political spectrum.

According to a Gallup poll conducted in May, 69 percent of Americans favor gays openly serving in the military.

In the midst of the anger from LGBT community over the DOJ DOMA defense brief that equated same-sex marriage with pedophilia and incest and the inadequate response to that anger by the Obama Administration and that Administrations total lack of substantive action on concrete LGBT issues … LGBT broadcaster Michelangelo Signorile and Blogger John Aravosis are reporting that it sounds as if gay leaders have been invited to a party at the White House thrown just for them at the end of this month and are warning that leadership it would be unwise for them to attend.

Aravosis, who has been particularly vocal in his criticism of the Justice Department brief and the Obama Administrations lack of action on LGBT civil right issues, said yesterday…

It’s clear that the purpose is two-fold. First, the White House is trying, again, to surround the president with A-list gays in order to show how “gay friendly” he is – he’s even willing to give a speech in a room full of them for a full 8 minutes! And second, the White House hopes that a little champagne and fancy food will convince the A-listers to throw the rest of you overboard. Because, after all, what’s two gay service members discharged a day and an ongoing effort to legally label you as akin to pedophilia and incest, when there’s champagne to be served.

Signorile, saying that while LGBT leaders attended last weeks White House signing of the memorandum by the president to give some benefits to some federal employees was business, a cocktail party with Obama is “schmoozing and sucking up, and it’s all about buying off gay leaders by seducing them, very cheaply, so the White House can help get the DNC fundraisers back on track.”

“I believed it was appropriate for Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign to be there, along with other LGBT leaders. It was business: The president was signing an order to benefit some LGBT people (in addition to a few partner benefits for some gay and lesbian federal workers he signed an anti-discrimination order banning discrimination in federal hiring based on gender identity). I think they should be there, be cordial, and let the president know it’s not nearly enough…. But now, a cocktail party? No, that’s not business,” said Signorile.

Both Signorile and Aravosis are saying until the administration addresses such issues as ENDA, DADT and DOMA, it would not be a wise move for gay leadership to be seen partying with the president.

“The White House isn’t stupid. They know that a lot of our leaders would rather die than turn down cocktails at the big House, regardless of how many gay service members’ lives are destroyed, regardless of how many marriages are compared to incest. But we’re not stupid either. And leaders who sell out for a cocktail don’t remain leaders for long,” Aravosis said.

Signorile echoed that sentiment and said, “What we need now is real action. Not these crumbs, whether it be the census inclusion or some benefits for federal employees. We need something big, and until then, the DNC fundraisers should continue to be threatened, and nobody among the gay leadership should be partying with this president.”

So far President Obama and Democratic Congressional leadership have been play a game of hot potato with LGBT issues… Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said that he is waiting on a legislative proposals from the White House before moving on theses matter, and needs “presidential leadership and direction” on the issues…. while President Obama has repeatedly said it is Congress that need to take the lead and has so far remained conspicuously low keyed in his advocacy of LGBT issues, despite his campaign promises to be a “fierce advocate” for these issues during the last election.

http://www.signorile.com/2009/06/gay-leaders-to-be-feted-at-white-house.html

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-white-house.html

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According to the Washington Post… President Obama is mulling over the nomination of an openly gay man to a top civilian Pentagon post.

Obama, who is under pressure to live up to campaign promises he made to the LGBT community to end Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell, the military’s ban on openly gay and lesbian service people, is considering nominating William White to a top civilian post in the Pentagon.

The Washington Post did not disclose the post being considered, but White, the former chief operating officer of New York’s Intrepid Museum Foundation, was once though to be considered for the position Secretary of the Navy… a move that had met with approval of top retired military leaders and both Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

While heading the Intrepid, White has accumulated extensive contacts in the armed forces, and in 1996, he was awarded the Meritorious Public Service Award for his work with the Navy.

At the time, Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay and lesbian rights advocate, said the appointment would be a “concrete demonstration” of Obama’s commitment to serving all Americans.

However, Obama eventually, passed on White for the job, opting instead to appoint Ray Mabus to that position.

As LGBT community leaders, including the Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay civil rights group in Washington, pull out of a Democratic National Committee LGBT fundraiser planned for next week in Washington, last night White House officials said President Obama will announce later today that he is extending some federal benefits to include unmarried domestic partners of federal workers, including same-sex partners.

The State Department last month announced a similar gesture for State Department employees.

However, because the Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the federal government from extending health and retirement benefits to same-sex couples, health benefits do not appear to be among those that are planned to be extended.

Most in the LGBT community are greeting the move with skepticism this morning, as the order appears to be one of several lower level moves the administration had already promised gay groups were coming earlier this month. The timing of the announcement also appears to have been made last evening make sure it hit MSNBC Rachel Maddow show, which is widely viewed by members of the LGBT community.

It is doubtful that this move will silence many of Obama’s LGBT critics who are incensed over his inaction on gay rights issues as promised during his campaign and his Justice Departments defending in court the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal benefits to same-sex married couples, and by the administration’s linkage in that defense of same-sex marriages to marriages between cousins or children.

Fierce Advocates reluctance to repeal the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gay service members … after Obama promised during the campaign to repeal it … has also been a sore point among LGBT activists. The order Obama is to sign today would not apply to military men and women in uniform.

Most in the LGBT community are now demanding that Obama go beyond the small potato issues and toward the substantive issues of ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act and supporting Marriage Equality and most are saying his announcement last night will not be enough to save next weeks fund raiser.

Politco’s Ben Smith quoted the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, Alan Van Capelle, as saying, “Welcome to 1999. How revolutionary of the White House to give benefits to same-sex couples, when two-thirds of conservative Wall Street are already doing it. What an achievement. It’s just one of the things that should have been done in January. If the President makes the announcement tomorrow, it will still fall short of what LGBT people are expecting from this administration.”

Van Capelle, is among those dropped out the Biden event.

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It was just thirteen word. They stated simply that the President is to sign an executive order extending federal benefits to all same-sex couples within the Federal government. That is, for the gay, lesbian and transgender employee partners. He shall be doing so at 5:45pm on Wednesday. This comes at a time when the upcoming LGBT fundraiser is becoming a lonely affair. The departure of Andy Towle (Towle Road), David Mixner and Pam Spaulding (Pams Houseblend), and supposedly large groups such as the Human Rights Campaign are threatening to mean that Vice President Joe Biden will be giving his speech before an empty room.

It is not just the growing flack concerning the wording in the Department of Justice’s brief asking for the dismissal of Smelt v. United States, a defense that made Rush Limbaugh go blue in the face out of joy in trying to explain to us ‘boys, girls, and confused’ that Obama was on our side. A defense that may have been little more than a great big snafu (please refer to the enlistedman’s definition of that word), and little more than a cut and paste job by a hold over from the Bush Administration. It is the growing frustration in the administration that the President has not been pushing for an end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell despite stating that he wants to put it to an end. There is a strong feeling that the pressure is building.

What makes it worse is that this particular briefing comes at a time when we are learning that hate crimes against gays, lesbians and transpeople are on the rise. They are at their highest since 1999 in terms of murders, and it is clear that this is getting worse. This kind of briefing simply just adds to the fire rather than damping it down.

But will this be enough to quiet the growing descent in the Democratic base? Unfortunately, it more than likely will not be. While this grants those benefits to the federal employees, it would be far better to simply push for an end to DOMA so that this executive order, which incidentally does go against DOMA, would not be necessary. It is like taking a thimble and hoping that much water will be enough to stop the leak. It is time for President Barack Obama to take bold action and ask Congress to pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act and to repeal DOMA or at least not defend DOMA in the courts.

It is a small step. It is a welcome step, but it is not likely to appease those who are growing frustrated with not only the President, but Congress as well.

Twitter was all a buzz yesterday over a new Orbitz commercial. The commercial is set on a golf course and one of the golfers is wearing a shirt with an HRC logo on it. The logo looks to have been enlarged so that it really stands out. Those commenting on the internet wondered if the logo was intentional

The inclusion of the HRC logo was confirmed by Brian Hoyt, Orbitz’s vice president of corporate communications and government affairs.

This is not the first time Orbitz has marketed to the gay community. In June 2002, Orbitz launched www.orbitz.com/gaytravel within its main Web site. Going to the address you will find information about gay-friendly destinations and events.

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

Remarks by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and HRC President Joe Solmonese at a press conference on hate crime laws on Capitol Hill

The following is a letter from Joe Salmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign addressing the issue of the Department of Justice’s brief in the recent Defense of Marriage Act case.

June 15, 2009

President Barack H. Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I have had the privilege of meeting you on several occasions, when visiting the White House in my capacity as president of the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization representing millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people across this country. You have welcomed me to the White House to express my community’s views on health care, employment discrimination, hate violence, the need for diversity on the bench, and other pressing issues. Last week, when your administration filed a brief defending the constitutionality of the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act,”[1] I realized that although I and other LGBT leaders have introduced ourselves to you as policy makers, we clearly have not been heard, and seen, as what we also are: human beings whose lives, loves, and families are equal to yours. I know this because this brief would not have seen the light of day if someone in your administration who truly recognized our humanity and equality had weighed in with you.

So on behalf of my organization and millions of LGBT people who are smarting in the aftermath of reading that brief, allow me to reintroduce us. You might have heard of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. They waited 55 years for the state of California to recognize their legal right to marry. When the California Supreme Court at last recognized that right, the octogenarians became the first couple to marry. Del died after the couple had been legally married for only two months. And about two months later, their fellow Californians voted for Proposition 8.

Across this country, same-sex couples are living the same lives that Phyllis and Del so powerfully represent, and the same lives as you and your wife and daughters. In over 99% of U.S.[2] counties, we are raising children and trying to save for their educations; we are committing to each other emotionally and financially. We are paying taxes, serving on the PTA, struggling to balance work and family, struggling to pass our values on to our children—through church, extended family, and community. Knowing us for who we are—people and families whose needs and contributions are no different from anyone else’s—destroys the arguments set forth in the government’s brief in Smelt. As you read the rest of what I have to say, please judge the brief’s arguments with this standard: would this argument hold water if you acknowledge that Del and Phyllis have contributed as much to their community as their straight neighbors, and that their family is as worthy of respect as your own?

Reading the brief, one is told again and again that same-sex couples are so unlike different-sex couples that unequal treatment makes sense. But the government doesn’t say what makes us different, or unequal, only that our marriages are “new.” The fact that same-sex couples were denied equal rights until recently does not justify denying them now.

For example, the brief seems to adopt the well-worn argument that excluding same-sex couples from basic protections is somehow good for other married people:

Because all 50 States recognize hetero-sexual marriage, it was reasonable and rational for Congress to maintain its longstanding policy of fostering this traditional and universally-recognized form of marriage.

The government does not state why denying us basic protections promotes anyone else’s marriage, nor why, while our heterosexual neighbors’ marriages should be promoted, our own must be discouraged. In other words, the brief does not even attempt to explain how DOMA is related to any interest, but rather accepts that it is constitutional to attempt to legislate our families out of existence.

The brief characterizes DOMA as “neutral:”

[DOMA amounts to] a cautious policy of federal neutrality towards a new form of marriage.

DOMA is not “neutral” to a federal employee serving in your administration who is denied equal compensation because she cannot cover her same-sex spouse in her health plan. When a woman must choose between her job and caring for her spouse because they are not covered by the FMLA, DOMA is not “neutral.” DOMA is not a “neutral” policy to the thousands of bi-national same-sex couples who have to choose between family and country because they are considered strangers under our immigration laws. It is not a “neutral” policy toward the minor child of a same-sex couple, who is denied thousands of dollars of surviving mother’s or father’s benefits because his parents are not “spouses” under Social Security law.

Exclusion is not neutrality.

Next, the brief indicates that denying gay people our equal rights saves money:

It is therefore permitted to maintain the unique privileges [the government] has afforded to [different-sex marriages] without immediately extending the same privileges, and scarce government resources, to new forms of marriage that States have only recently begun to recognize.

The government goes on to say that DOMA reasonably protects other taxpayers from having to subsidize families like ours. The following excerpt explains:

DOMA maintains federal policies that have long sought to promote the traditional and uniformly-recognized form of marriage, recognizes the right of each State to expand the traditional definition if it so chooses, but declines to obligate federal taxpayers in other States to subsidize a form of marriage that their own states do not recognize.

These arguments completely disregard the fact that LGBT citizens pay taxes ourselves. We contribute into Social Security equally and receive the same statement in the mail every year. But for us, several of the benefits listed in the statement are irrelevant—our spouses and children will never benefit from them. The parent who asserts that her payments into Social Security should ensure her child’s financial future should she die is not seeking a subsidy. The gay White House employee who works as hard as the person in the next office is not seeking a “subsidy” for his partner’s federal health benefits. He is earning the same compensation without receiving it. And the person who cannot even afford to insure her family because the federal government would treat her partner’s benefits as taxable income—she is not seeking a subsidy.

The government again ignores our experiences when it argues that DOMA § 2 does not impair same-sex couples’ right to move freely about our country as other families can:

DOMA does not affect “the right of a citizen of one State to enter and to leave another state, the right to be treated as a welcome visitor rather than an unfriendly alien when temporarily present in the second State.”

This example shows the fallacy of that argument: a same-sex couple and their child drives cross-country for a vacation. On the way, they are in a terrible car accident. One partner is rushed into the ICU while the other, and their child, begs to be let in to see her, presenting the signed power of attorney that they carry wherever they go. They are told that only “family” may enter, and the woman dies alone while her spouse waits outside. This family was not “welcome.”

As a matter of constitutional law, some of this brief does not even make sense:

DOMA does not discriminate against homosexuals in the provision of federal benefits…. Section 3 of DOMA does not distinguish among persons of different sexual orientations, but rather it limits federal benefits to those who have entered into the traditional form of marriage.

In other words, DOMA does not discriminate against gay people, but rather only provides federal benefits to heterosexuals.

I cannot overstate the pain that we feel as human beings and as families when we read an argument, presented in federal court, implying that our own marriages have no more constitutional standing than incestuous ones:

And the courts have widely held that certain marriages, performed elsewhere need not be given effect, because they conflicted with the public policy of the forum. See e.g., Catalano v. Catalano, 170 A.2d 726, 728-29 (Conn. 1961) (marriage of uncle to niece, though valid in Italy under its laws, was not valid in Connecticut because it contravened public policy of th[at] state.” [3]

As an American, a civil rights advocate, and a human being, I hold this administration to a higher standard than this brief. In the course of your campaign, I became convinced—and I still want to believe—that you do, too. I have seen your administration aspire and achieve. Protecting women from employment discrimination. Insuring millions of children. Enabling stem cell research to go forward. These are powerful achievements. And they serve as evidence to me that this brief should not be good enough for you. The question is, Mr. President—do you believe that it’s good enough for us?

If we are your equals, if you recognize that our families live the same, love the same, and contribute as much as yours, then the answer must be no.

We call on you to put your principles into action and send legislation repealing DOMA to Congress.

Sincerely,

Joe Solmonese

[1] Smelt v. United States of America, Case No. SACV09-00286, Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss and Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support Thereof (June 11, 2009).

2 Gates, Gary G. and Jason Ost. The Gay & Lesbian Atlas. District of Columbia: Urban Institute Press, 2004.

3 In fact, in the majority of relevant cases, courts have recognized the out-of-state marriage. See e.g. Pearson, 51 Cal. 120 (1875) (recognizing the marriage of a white man and black woman entered into in Utah that would have been invalid under California’s anti-miscegenation statute), see also McDonald v. McDonald, 58 P.2d 163 (Cal. 1936) (recognizing in Nevada marriage between a husband and his wife although the husband was only eighteen, a violation of California marriage laws).

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, organizer Cleve Jones has said permits have been secured for the National March for Equality, also known as “Meet on the Mall for Equality,” for October 10-11, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Jones said, “We should be saying, ‘Enough of this, we demand full equality under civil law.’ We should be marching, engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience every day. We have a window, but it’s already starting to close. If you think you’re going to get anything out of Obama in the second half of his term, you don’t know anything about political history. In a year, he’ll be in full re-election mode.”

Jones conceived of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt which has become, at 54 tons, the world’s largest piece of community folk art as of 2009. In 1983, at the onset of the AIDS pandemic Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation which has grown into one of the largest and most influential People with AIDS advocacy organizations in the United States.

Jones is not the only activist who’s called for a march on Washington. David Mixer, a gay Democratic activist, has called for a march for marriage equality in D.C. in November.

Robin Tyler, plaintiff in the California marriage lawsuits, has also been calling for a Washington march for some time, but previously said she thought that 2010 would be a more suitable year because it would give participants more time to prepare and put pressure on Congress before the mid-term elections.

Nevertheless, Jones said the march should take place this year because he wants Congress and the administration to advance on LGBT issues before the end of 2010.
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said recently, “we shouldn’t wait” for a march in October “to do the critical grassroots organizing that can happen today.”

“As we understand it, the purpose behind the call for a march is to organize grassroots representation from every congressional district in the country and encourage people to organize in their home districts,” he said. “We encourage such efforts, but believe that organizing can’t wait until October, in fact, it can begin today.”

Solmonese said HRC has already been engaging in this kind of grassroots work in congressional districts.

This will be the fifth march on Washington for LGBT rights. The first was in 1979 and drew 75,000 people. The second, in 1987, drew half a million and was a reaction to the Reagan administration’s lack of action on HIV/AIDS. The NAMES project AIDS Memorial Quilt (an idea conceived by Jones) was displayed for the first time during that march. The third march in 1993 and the Millenium March in 2000 drew a million people each.

President Obama and the Democratic leaders of Congress have turned their backs, forgotten their promises and betrayed our community’s trust. They give us platitudes like inviting us to Easter Egg Hunts and telling us they support Pride month, all the while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi states that repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act is “not a priority,” and The Obama Justice Department issues homophobically worded briefs in its defense.President Obama promised to end the Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell policy during his election campaign, yet he ignores the appeals of brave American warriors serving in our military as his Department of Defense drums out them of the services for being gay or lesbian. Yet all the while Obama and the Democratic National Committee treat our community as if we their ATM and temporary labor service, coming to us time and again for money and election workers.

Personally, I think a combination of both approaches is necessary… We should be calling out the Administration, our congresspeople and the DNC everyday… by phone… e mail… and by setting up face to face meetings with them, both here in Washington DC and when they are in their home districts, to discuss our issues… and when they wont give us those meeting… we should protest them, stop sending them checks and actively oppose any other legislative agenda items supported by them at every opportunity presented till they do meet with us and address our concerns.

But we also need to show our numbers, strength and unity in the streets… to the Congress, the Administration, the media and the American public … and the Jones March would be the prefect vehicle to do this.

A promotional video… Watch:

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• ‘Count me in for another March on Washington – let’s just make sure the HRC building is included on the protest route’ (queerty.com)

Press release from the Human Rights Campaign.

“We call on the President to send legislation repealing DOMA to Congress,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, issued a statement today regarding the Obama Administration’s decision to defend the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a gay couple who married in California. Arthur Smelt and Christopher Hammer, who were married in California on July 10, 2008, filed a suit in federal court in December challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Administration responded yesterday.

“The Administration apparently determined that it had a duty to defend DOMA in the courts. The President has just as strong a duty to put his principles into action, and end discrimination against LGBT people and our families,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “We call on the President to send legislation repealing DOMA to Congress,” he added.

Since taking office in January, President Obama has taken bold steps to deliver on principles and promises he articulated during his campaign. In just his first six months in office, President Obama has signed the Lily Ledbetter Act into law, paved the way for life-saving stem cell research, eliminated barriers to women’s health and reproductive care abroad, expanded insurance coverage for millions of children, ended the torture of detainees, and called for the notorious prison at Guantanamo Bay to be closed. However, this community is frustrated by the Administration’s silence, until today, on a critical matter that the President voiced support for during his campaign—repealing DOMA.

“President Obama must see that this extraordinary record of commitment to the public good at last be extended to end discrimination against LGBT people,” said Solmonese. “Mr. President, you have called DOMA ‘abhorrent’ and pledged to be a fierce advocate for our community. As we approach the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, it is time for you to use your leadership to translate these principles into meaningful action.”

HRC also has grave concerns about the arguments that the Administration put forth in this case, arguments that simply do not reflect the experiences that LGBT people face or the contributions that they make. The Administration’s brief claims that DOMA is a valid exercise of Congress’s power, is consistent with Equal Protection or Due Process principles, and does not impinge upon rights that are recognized as fundamental. The brief further claims that DOMA is a “neutral” federal position on same-sex marriages, and permits the states to determine on their own whether to recognize same-sex marriages. The most alarming argument, grounded neither in fact nor in law, reads as follows:

[DOMA amounts to] a cautious policy of federal neutrality towards a new form of marriage. DOMA maintains federal policies that have long sought to promote the traditional and uniformly-recognized form of marriage, recognizes the right of each State to expand the traditional definition if it so chooses, but declines to obligate federal taxpayers in other States to subsidize a form of marriage that their own states do not recognize.

“Same-sex couples and their families are not seeking subsidies,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “We pay taxes equally, contribute to our communities equally, support each other equally, pay equally into Social Security, and participate equally in our democracy. Equal protection is not a handout. It is our right as citizens,” he said.

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

Episode 7 of “Thoughts From A Lezzymom” is now available FREE on iTunes. You can subscribe and listen to it here. Please use the tell your friends link in iTunes and spread the word about the show. If you don’t have iTunes use the player at the end of this post to listen to the show.

In this episode of the podcast I discuss the latest in LGBT news. Some of the topics discussed are the California Supreme Court’s decision on Prop. 8 and what’s happening in NY with the Senate mix up and what it has to do with marriage equality. Also I interview Steven and Zeniff Vanderran about the discrimination they are facing from their HOA. They have been told they can no longer fly their rainbow flag.

Listen to their story and then take action. Contact the Cambria HOA President at cambria.president@yahoo.com and the secretary at cambriahotline@aol.com.

Our song of the show is by Adrina Thorpe and is called “Midnight” from her Album Halflight & Shadows which is her second album. I found Adriana on the Podsafe Music Network. You can find more information about her music at halflightandshadows.com.

Our featured interview is with Jennifer Chrisler the Executive Director from the Family Equality Council. We discuss their great work in helping LGBT families achieve equality. They provide amazing education on many topics for LGBT families as well as help push public policy. Some of the hot topics we discuss are the federal lawsuit filed against Prop. 8, adoption rights moving backwards, and how the movement is missing out on LGBT families as stong activists. Jennifer also talks about Family Week which is an annual event held by the organization.

Finally I give my thoughts on the recent attacks on the Human Rights Campaign made by The Daily Beast. HRC called the report “an outright lie and recklessly irresponsible.” I discuss not only the facts and what happened after the attack but how HRC may have been able to avoid the attacks in the first place.

Thanks for listening and remember you can send me comments and show ideas by emailing me at lezzymom@gmail.com.

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The Human Rights Campaign has organizers on the ground in New York trying to salvage the marriage equality bill that has been making its way through the Senate’s committee process. The HRC issued a statement that they do not believe that these defections had anything to do with same-sex marriage, and neither of these men are staunchly opposed to marriage equality. Senator Espada is currently under investigation for corruption in regards to a medical business that he was running up until recently. Senator Monserrate is currently under investigation for slashing his partner, Karla Giraldo, in the face with a broken wine glass. If he is convicted, he will be automatically expelled from the Senate.

Shortly after this parliamentary coup occurred, Senator Espada was installed as the Senate President which makes him the acting Lt. Governor of New York. According to NY1, Espada is in favor of the marriage equality bill, but Monserrate is undecided.

The courts have been asked to rule on the legality of this parliamentary coup since it occurred after adjournment and not before. The other problem is that neither Espada nor Monserrate have changed parties. Instead, they are still Democrats, but voted with the Republicans to replace Malcolm Smith with Dean Skelos. Senator Skelos has stated that he intends to vote against marriage equality in New York, but that he will demand that the Republicans in the Senate vote with him. What is unclear is whether or not Skelos, as Majority Leader in the Senate, would be willing to even let the bill come to the floor.

According to HRC Field Director Marty Rouse, this puts the New York legislature completely in flux. Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell appears to be optimistic that this bill will pass. Most polls show that New Yorkers are in support of marriage equality currently. These polls show a great deal of support in Upstate New York, which is typically more conservative than the area around New York City.

How this plays out will depend a lot on the courts. What this may end up doing is just disrupting the New York legislature and ultimately revert control back to the Democrats who will undoubtably end up putting both Espada and Monseratte on the lowest level committees available to them.

http://wcbstv.com/local/senate.gop.albany.2.1037014.html

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/06/assemblyman_daniel_odonnell_i.html

We’re about ready to storm the castle, and no, this time it isn’t just a few people and Andre the Giant. Right now, many gays, lesbians and transpeople are furious over President Barack Obama’s administration’s slow pace on LGBTI rights. While there have been a few gestures in our direction, they have not addressed the issues head on, specifically the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. It has been uncomfortable for Joe Solomnese of the Human Right’s Council. The fired up LGBTI base are pressing him on these issues, and he is finding a difficult time getting anything through Congress. The effectiveness of the HRC’s lobbying efforts have been brought into question. Recently, Solomnese appeared on Hardball along side Lorri Jean to discuss the growing impatience that the LGBTI community is showing towards President Obama.

I was very troubled by the report that came out from The Daily Beast yesterday. I found the report was trying to attack the Human Rights Campaign but not really having any substance to it. The only thing that was mentioned was that the reporter, Jason Bellini, claims that Sen. Chuck Schumer “let it slip” that “the Human Rights Campaign told him “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is not the White House’s priority.” This statement it seems could not be verified by the reporter since the report stated Sen. “Schumer’s office didn’t return calls seeking comment. HRC however did respond saying, “HRC has never said anything like that. as far as we understand, repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a priority for the White House and they, in our view, have a plan to get that done.”  Apparently they should have waited for a statement from the Senators office.

Statement from U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer’s Office:

“Senator Schumer has never said the White House didn’t consider the repeal of ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ a priority, and he never said the Human Rights Campaign struck some quote-unquote deal on this issue. Any rumors to the contrary are flat-out wrong,” said Brian Fallon, spokesperson for U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.

The funny thing is the report also had clips of the President’s National Security Advisor, Jim Jones stating while speaking with the President he, “advised him not to add another controversy to his already full plate. The President, Jones said, took his advice. I have already reported that an unnamed source in the Pentagon has told me that Jones is a strong enemy for us on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. He has a strong influence over the President on this issue. I would imagine the members of Obama’s team have much more influence over this issue than a lobbying group like HRC.

Also in the video was openly gay Rep. Tammy Baldwin. She is also one of the Chairs of the LGBT caucus. This group helps set the pace in Congress for what LGBT legislation will be worked on. They also work to gain support to pass legislation or to defeat anti-LGBT legislation. In the video Baldwin explains their plan stating, “We want to start with measures that there is a fairly widespread understanding among members of Congress, they voted on it before. We can’t bring something to the floor of the house until we have the votes and we have done the education necessary to pass…” While Bellini is correct that this method is not sitting right with many of the activists in the community it still doesn’t mean that HRC has made deals or by any means is setting the pace of what legislation is introduced.

So with no proof and two very influential people stating that they are the one’s setting the pace all headlines still managed to point to HRC telling Obama to wait on DADT. I am always amazed at how quick members of the community are to attack HRC without getting the complete story. HRC has released this statement regarding the article,

“This story is not only an outright lie, it is recklessly irresponsible. HRC never made such a deal and continues to work with congress and the administration on a full range of equality issues including a swift end to the military’s shameful ban on lesbian and gay servicemembers,” said Brad Luna, communications director for Human Rights Campaign.

I too am frustrated with the Obama administration’s lack of visibility on our issues. I just wish that there were more calls of action to call the White House, the members of the LGBT caucus, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid instead of attacking HRC.

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

Today on the Daily Beast, writer Jason Bellini revealed that “gay leaders” here in Washington DC have possibly made a deal not to push the repeal of Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell until sometime next year.

Bellini says that the HRC wants to focus on a federal hate crimes bill and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) first…. And let Obama and Congress off the hook on DADT for now…

DADT has become our community’s litmus test for this administration with regard to how well it will keep its promises to the LGBT population and if this is true, the folks at the HRC need to get in touch and reconnect with the desires of their community’s grass roots…

But just to get our “gay leaders” attention…. maybe it is time we in the grassroots LGBT community stop sending the money that pays the rent on that nice shiny HRC office in Dupont Circle and those 6 figure executive salaries of theirs till they do….

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• The first 100 days and the LGBT community… Don’t think we’re not keeping score, brother (lezgetreal.com)

Sherwood Ross, a Media Consultant to the Massachusetts School of Law writes:

“Two years before the 9/11 attacks on America, George W. Bush told a Houston journalist if elected president, “I’m going to invade Iraq.”

Bush made the comments about starting an aggressive war to veteran Houston Chronicle reporter Mickey Herskowitz, then working with Bush on his book “A Charge To Keep,” later brought out by publisher William Morrow.

This disclosure was uncovered by Russ Baker, an award-winning investigative reporter when he interviewed Herskowitz for his own book, “Family of Secrets” (Bloomsbury Press) about the Bush dynasty. However, Baker says, when he approached The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times with the potentially devastating story to President Bush prior to the 2004 presidential election, they declined to publish it.

In a new book, “Media In Crisis”(Doukathsan), Baker quotes Herskowitz as telling him: “He (Bush) said he wanted to do it(invade Iraq), and the reason he wanted to do it is he had been led to understand that you could not really have a successful presidency unless you were seen as commander-in-chief, unless you were seen as waging a war.”

Bush told Herskowitz that his father (President George H.W. Bush) knew that from Panama and (President Ronald)Reagan knew that from Grenada and…(UK Prime Minister)Maggie Thatcher knew this from the Falklands.”

According to Baker, Bush told Herskowitz, “The ideal thing was a small war, and this is why Bush said nobody was going to be killed in Iraq because he thought it would be a small war.”

Of course, the author tried to break this story earlier, but was rejected by major outlets like the LA Times, and the Washington Post in 2004. Why let out such controversial information about the Commander in Chief while the country was at war, right? Its not like anybody would care to know about this before they vote to re-elect him, right?

You know, if the papers do all go bankrupt, and the government takes control of them too, I don’t think we’ll see a difference. I think they’re just telling us out in the open what’s already going on if that happens. They already tell the media what to say, how to say it, and when to say it, and we all know it. We have to start looking through the mass amounts of propaganda they have shoved down our throats. It is obvious that we have been lied to for at least a decade, if not half a century by lying bank controlled politicians and media talking heads.

I’ve had enough! I’m not going to swallow their bullshit anymore. I’ve officially disconnected, and canceled the cable. I don’t need it, it’s crap; there’s never anything on, the commercials are constant and unbearable, they charge too much for it anyway, and its all lies and I’m sick of it.

The Guerilla News Network also reported on the story. The blogs are really lighting up fast on this one:

“Herskowitz also revealed the following:

-Bush admitted that he failed to fulfill his Vietnam-era domestic National Guard service obligation, but claimed that he had been “excused.” ~ Russ Baker is an award-winning independent journalist who has been published in The New York Times, The Nation, Washington Post, The Telegraph (UK), Sydney Morning-Herald, and Der Spiegel, among many others.

Research support for this article was provided by the Investigative Fund of The Nation Institute.”

What’s going on with the cops? New videos of really odd police brutality are popping up every day on youtube. Look at these too:

What’s going on here? Did they start giving the cops steroids or something? I’m very worried that as the economy drops, our government is preparing to contain riots, and I guess us in general. Couple this upsurge in police brutality with the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to pretty much decimate the 6th amendment on the same day Prop 8 was upheld, and you can color me deeply concerned about what’s happening.

“Certainly our decision in Jackson did not mandate such an odd rule.” From Justice Steven’s dissenting opinion. Please read the entire ruling yourself in a pdf. here, and see what you think about it. Let me know. I care; I’ll listen to your opinion. I’d also Really, REALLY like to Sonia Sotomayor’s opinion on this subject. We better let our representatives know we want it asked!

Please also check out this Pdf. of the Ammicus Brief from 19 former judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials, arguing strongly against overturning Jackson.

“Law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, and trial judges will have to start anew in developing a common law from particularized decisions reflecting inherently subjective assessments of the tactics as well as the intent of investigators, the timing as well as the content of interrogations, and the understanding as well as the free will of defendants.”

Their brief also argues that the purpose of the Sixth Amendment goes beyond merely preserving the adversary process and that the Jackson rule protects crucial Fifth Amendment due process protections that help ensure a fair trial and public confidence in the integrity of the criminal justice system:

Third, Jackson links two key criminal procedural rights — the Sixth Amendment right to counsel under Gideon v. Wainwright and the Fifth Amendment rights of an accused under Miranda — which are fundamental to the adversary process and maintain public confidence in our criminal justice system. Discarding Jackson would undermine both rights. Allowing the police to initiate interrogation of a represented defendant and to use any resulting statements would strip away protections the attorney can provide, interfere with the relationship between counsel and client, and undercut the integrity of criminal trials…To abandon a rule that safeguards them would erode the public confidence they foster. It would signal that enduring legal principles and important constitutional rights are no longer so enduring nor so important.

Just another example of the Obama administration adopting Bush administration positions and undermining constitutional protections.” Ed Brayton, Science Blogs, May 31, 2009.

And here’s your new ID card America. Papers Please!, a blog chronicling the increasingly Orwellian control grid that’s being forced upon us.

“As of today, June 1, 2009, even U.S. citizens are officially prisoners in the USA, or exiles barred from entering our own country without the government’s permission.

We are now forbidden by Federal regulations from leaving or entering the USA, anywhere, by any means — by air, by sea, or by land, to or from any other country or international waters or airspace — unless the government chooses to issue us a passport, passport card, or “enhanced” drivers license (any of which “travel documents” are now issued only with secretly and remotely-readable uniquely-numbered radio tracking beacons in the form of RFID transponder chips), or unless the Department of Homeland Security chooses to to exercise its standardless “discretion” to decide — in secret, with no way for us to know who is making the decision or on what basis — to issue a (one-time case-by-case) “waiver” of the new travel document requirements.

If you’re in the USA without such documents — even if you were born here, or are a foreigner who entered the USA legally without such documents (a Canadian, for example, who entered the USA by land yesterday when no such documents were yet required), or your document(s) have expired or have been lost or stolen — you are forbidden to leave the country unless and until you procure such a document, or unless and until the DHS gives you an exit permit in the form of a discretionary one-time waiver to leave the country — but not necessarily to come home, unless they again exercise their discretion to “grant” you another waiver.”

As the rules go into effect people are being allowed to pass through the border with a notice that the rules have changed. MSNBC is reporting that 90% of people crossing are already complying with the new rules. I think that they don’t actually have a right to do this. We have a constitutional right, as well as a human civil right to travel due to international treaties that the U.S. has signed, to free travel. Its a human right. Why people are just shrugging and saying “no big deal”, I just don’t understand. Why are we so complacent as our government usurps the rule of law on a daily basis?

Suddenly I find myself in a country that seems to think I’m a terrorist. I think it’s time the people in power be reminded that it is us, the “little guys”, that keep this country running. I’m tired of taking my shoes off at the airport,  of not being abled to take my goddamn drink through security, of having to be frisked and even have fingers of some strange TSA agent in the waistband of my jeans, I don’t even know what that air poof booth at SFO was doing to me, and being treated like a goddamned criminal. These dragnet type policies are making rules based on the exceptions, not on what’s best for you and me.

Its about controlling us, getting us to submit to control grid of biometrics, and destroying any semblance of privacy left in our lives. I’m sick of it. I’ve had way more than enough. We’ve got to start standing up for ourselves, things are spiraling out of control.

The Human Rights Campaign released a statement and started a new campaign called “We Won’t Back Down.” The following statement was released after the decision from the CA Supreme Court and includes their new video.

CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT TAKES STEP BACK FROM EQUALITY
Nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights group responds to court ruling

HRC President Joe Solmonese: “We will not give up until marriage equality is restored in California.”

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, responded to the California Supreme Court’s split 6-1decision today ruling that Proposition 8, the narrowly approved measure which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry, is valid. As a result of the court’s decision in Strauss v. Horton, California becomes the first state in the nation to strip away marriage rights for same-sex couples. As same-sex couples and allies from across the country react to the news, HRC is releasing an online, YouTube video set to the song “I Won’t Back Down”: www.HRC.org/California.

“Today’s ruling is a huge blow to Americans everywhere who care about equality. The court has allowed a bare majority of voters to write same-sex couples out of basic constitutional protections,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “This ruling is painful, but it represents a temporary setback. There will be a groundswell to restore marriage equality in our nation’s largest state, and HRC will not give up until marriage equality is restored in California.”

One significant effort already underway is a strategic partnership between HRC and California Faith for Equality (CFE), a statewide group established to educate, support and mobilize faith communities on LGBT equality. The partnership joins CFE and its 6,000 supporting faith leaders with both HRC’s Religion and Faith Program expertise as well as HRC’s National Field Department to broaden, diversify and deepen religious support for marriage equality in California.

“This ruling couldn’t be more out of step with what’s happening across the country,” said Solmonese, pointing to recent marriage victories in Iowa, Vermont and Maine. “We have no choice but to return this basic question of fairness for the estimated 1 million LGBT Californians back to the voters.”

“While we are relieved that the 18,000 couples who married before the Prop 8 vote will still have valid marriages, it does not in any way remove the sting of this ruling,” added Solmonese.

Over the past decade, public acceptance of marriage equality for same-sex couples has changed dramatically. For the first time, more Americans say they support marriage for same-sex couples (49%) than oppose it (46%), according to the latest Washington Post/ABC poll released in late April.

WHERE MARRIAGE STANDS TODAY:
Twelve states plus Washington, D.C. have laws providing at least some form of state-level relationship recognition for same-sex couples. Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont (as of September 1, 2009), and Maine (as of mid-September 2009, pending possible repeal effort) recognize marriage for same-sex couples under state law. Five states—California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington (as of July 26, 2009, pending possible repeal effort)—plus Washington, D.C. provide same-sex couples with access to the state level benefits and responsibilities of marriage, through either civil unions or domestic partnerships.

Hawaii provides same-sex couples with limited rights and benefits. New York recognizes marriages by same-sex couples validly entered into outside of New York. Legislatures in New Hampshire and New York are considering marriage legislation that would permit same-sex couples to marry in those states, and the D.C. Council has passed legislation that would recognize marriages by same-sex couples legally entered into in other jurisdictions (that legislation is going through a Congressional review period).

IMPORTANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

For an electronic map showing where marriage equality stands in the states, please visit: www.HRC.org/State_Laws.

For a summary of the history of the case and for a comprehensive listing of HRC’s work in California on Proposition 8, please visit:www.HRC.org/California.

A breakdown of the ruling and interpretation by the HRC legal team will be available shortly on HRCBackStory.org: http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/05/prop-8-decision-analysisprop-8-decision-analysis/

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

The following is a press release from the Human Rights Campaign:

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, announced today a new strategic partnership with California Faith for Equality (CFE), a statewide group established to educate, support and mobilize California’s faith communities on LGBT equality.

The partnership joins CFE and its 6,000 supporting faith leaders with both HRC’s Religion and Faith Program expertise as well as support from the National Field Department to broaden, diversify and deepen religious support for marriage equality in California. The partnership comes on the eve of an expected decision by the California Supreme Court on Proposition 8 which stripped away the right of same-sex couples to marry.

“This is a strategic partnership to not only expand and diversify CFE’s impressive statewide work, but to ensure that California voters know that many people of faith support same-sex marriage,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Religion was too often used as a weapon against us in California, and we know whatever the court’s decision, this is critical work in achieving full equality.”

The Human Rights Campaign will lend significant resources both on-the-ground and collaboratively to California Faith for Equality. Religion and Faith Director Harry Knox and HRC field staff will assist CFE build capacity for a sustained, locally-driven public education campaign led by California clergy and supported by their congregants.

“We must harness this opportunity and help local clergy build advocacy for marriage equality into their routine work in congregations and train participants to utilize low-cost, high-impact public education that extends their justice ministries,” said Harry Knox, Director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program.

“At the core of many people’s objection to same-sex marriage is religion,” said Rev. Roland Stringfellow, Bay Area Coalition of Welcoming Congregations. “This collaboration facilitates open and constructive dialogs within faith communities about the inherent worth and dignity of all of God’s creation and the shame that is created when people are forced to live without integrity when their lives and loves are not valued.”

“The partnership between the Human Rights Campaign and California Faith for Equality is good news to all who are committed to equality,” said Rev. Abel Lopez, All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena CA. “I look forward to the work we will do together as we combine our energies to reach across differences toward the goal of liberty and justice for all.”

The elements of the partnership include:

–Develop a religious declaration of support for marriage equality that multiple faith leaders can endorse, and use it as a coalition-building tool to attract and build CFE’s membership and voice.

–Prioritize those counties where Prop 8 passed or failed by seven percent or less, and build new coalitions while strengthening existing ones.

–Train clergy and lay leaders how to build advocacy for LGBT equality into their routine work with their congregations. Additionally, create a specific tool kit to help people of faith build support beyond their places of worship, and into their families and neighborhoods.

–Identify key religious spokespeople relevant to a local community and give visibility to those clergy and their congregations endorsing marriage equality.

–Create culturally-sensitive as well as denomination-specific material to help religious leaders and people of faith to talk about why supporting marriage equality is consistent with the tenets of their faith. This includes identifying and building coalitions and ties with faith communities of color.

–Work with progressive communities of faith to become volunteers and leaders if a marriage campaign is launched. HRC and CFE believe that communities of faith have much to offer in expanding that statewide, volunteer network.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

The mission for California Faith and Equality is to educate, support and mobilize California’s faith communities to promote equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and to safeguard religious freedom.

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

Yesterday I participated on a media call regarding the release of the 3rd edition of HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index. The call was very informative and featured some of the high performers from the index. On the call was a transgendered person that ran into discrimination time and time again when interacting with doctors in the healthcare profession.

The press release from the Human Rights Campaign is below:

Report Shows Healthcare Industry Lags in Addressing Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Patients

Transgender community especially vulnerable to discrimination, says report issued by Human Rights Campaign Foundation and Gay and Lesbian Medical Association

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, the nation’s largest association of LGBT healthcare professionals, today released the third annual Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), a national report that sets benchmarks and highlights best practices in healthcare facility policies for LGBT Americans. The release coincides with the annual observance of National Hospital Week. To view the report, visit: www.hrc.org/HEI.

“While many facilities are leading the way in fairness for LGBT patients and their families, on the whole, the healthcare industry is failing to adequately address the needs of our community,” said Human Rights Campaign Foundation President Joe Solmonese. “But tools like the HEI can turn this trend around. By helping to remove barriers and create truly welcoming healthcare environments, we can build a stronger, healthier community.”

A key finding in the 2009 report is the dramatic disparity between the number of patient non-discrimination policies inclusive of sexual orientation and those inclusive of gender identity. Less than seven percent of participating facilities protect patients from discrimination based on gender identity, while nearly three-quarters of participants provide these protections based on sexual orientation. This finding is symptomatic of the healthcare discrimination faced by transgender Americans every day, from the explicit denial of healthcare services to insensitive remarks by medical staff.

“Tragically, the importance of protecting transgender patients and their families from healthcare discrimination is made clear to us time and time again when we hear stories of discrimination,” said transgender health advocate and HEI Advisory Council Member Dr. Rebecca Allison, a cardiologist practicing in Arizona. “As healthcare providers, we have the responsibility to ensure that all of our patients are given the culturally competent care they need and the respect they deserve. The policies and practices highlighted by the HEI provide a starting point for ensuring transgender competence.”

Ten of the 166 participants answered “yes” to each of the survey’s main criterion which applied to them, thereby establishing a set of model policies that will serve the entire healthcare industry. The participation of all facilities is appreciated and seen as indicative of a commitment to furthering healthcare equality for LGBT patients and employees.

“We believe the growing level of participation we’re seeing by hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country reflects a genuine interest in the healthcare industry to better understand and address the specific needs of LGBT patients.” said Jason Schneider, MD, President of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. “We’re encouraged by this level of participation, and believe that the HEI is moving the healthcare industry toward policies, standards, and training that will ensure equal treatment for the LGBT community.”

“We at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston are thrilled to have participated in the HEI survey in 2009, and we vigorously embrace the commitment to inclusion and diversity in healthcare that it embodies,” said Dr. Michael Gustafson, BWH’s senior vice president for Clinical Excellence. “And while we are proud of our perfect HEI score, we are equally gratified that the process of self-assessment has stimulated significant new quality improvement activity to further bolster our care policies and practices for both LGBT patients and our LGBT staff.”

Other key findings of the HEI include:

· Visitation Policies. The HEI survey has identified model visitation policies that are explicitly inclusive of the LGBT community. These model policies will set the standard for credit on these questions in the future.
· Advance Healthcare Directives. All HEI-participating facilities have compliance policies requiring the honoring of legally-valid advance healthcare directives. Unfortunately, LGBT individuals come forward with tragic stories of hospitals failing to recognize these directives, reflecting a disconnect between the existence of written policies and the actual implementation of these policies on the part of all personnel. Future HEI surveys will focus on staff training related to advance healthcare directives as a means to eliminating this disconnect.
· Cultural Competency Training. Seventy-two percent of participating facilities provide cultural competency training addressing sexual orientation and healthcare issues relevant to lesbian, gay and bisexual community. Seventy-one percent of participating facilities provide cultural competency training addressing gender identity and healthcare issues relevant to transgender community.
· Employment Non-Discrimination Policies. Ninety-eight percent of the participating facilities bar employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, while only 63 percent of those policies include “gender identity or expression” or “gender identity.”

The report is based on responses to an online survey, conducted October through December 2008, addressing patient non-discrimination and visitation policies; cultural competency training; recognition of legal documents between same-sex partners; and the protection of LGBT employees through fair employment policies. The responses in the HEI 2009 report represent the policies of 166 facilities from across the country, including 93 hospitals and 73 clinics.

“We thank the participating facilities for their willingness to review their policies affecting the LGBT community, and laud them for the remarkable work they’ve already done,” said Solmonese.

In addition to the report, the HRC Foundation is releasing a new resource for healthcare lawyers and administrators entitled, “Breaking Down Barriers: An Administrator’s Guide to State Law & Best Policy Practice for LGBT Healthcare Access.” Included in the document is an explanation of the issues most relevant to the equal treatment of the LGBT community, including hospital visitation access and medical decision-making rights. The document provides model policies and best practice recommendations, as well as a review of the hospital policies submitted by HEI participants and research into relevant state healthcare law. The document is available for download: http://www.hrc.org/issues/12668.htm.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association has been working since 1981 to ensure equality in healthcare for LGBT patients and healthcare providers, through advocacy, education, research and patient referrals.

Lezzymom has two kids and a wonderful partner. Her political commentary has appeared on C-Span and CSPAN.org. Visit her Lezzymom blog for more of her insights.

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