The Human Rights Campaign’s response to the call for a boycott appears to be to drop them from their Corporate Equality Index. Maybe. According to HRC’s Press Secretary Michael Cole “The recent political contributions by Target and Best Buy are cause for reflection on the criteria used for future editions of the Corporate Equality Index (CEI). While considering all of this, it’s important to keep in mind that the CEI has made a tremendous impact in the real lives of LGBT people in large part because it has been a predictable and transparent roadmap for companies to institute fair workplace policies. Instead of making capricious decisions about scoring criteria, we believe that a responsible consideration of all of the facts is the smartest way to move forward.”

MoveOn, which has shown some serious fortitude going after Target, has not been really joined by the HRC in their willingness to go all the way with the battle. Instead, the HRC seemed willing to use this to try and get some money out of Target for other causes rather than raising a hew and cry over the company’s support for a homophobic gubernatorial candidate.

The HRC is only now considering how to adapt their Buyer’s Guide, which uses the CEI, to cope with Citizen’s United. In June 2009, both Target and Best Buy scored 100% for their CEI. According to Cole “Because we understand the impact of leaving Target and Best Buy on the various products associated with the Buyer’s Guide, both companies will soon be removed from it. HRC will not encourage people to shop at either store and believes that consumers should make their own decisions after careful consideration of all of the information available to them.”

That is how you take on ‘the Man’. You threaten to possibly, maybe, potentially, do something which might make them look bad.

Of course, the issue was discussed between Michael Signorile on his radio show and the HRC’s Fred Sainz. Here is the portion of the interview relevant to the whole thing:

Signorile: My question is, how is the $150,000 that you’re donating…a punishment to Target?…What are you doing exactly to Target?…Are you joining the boycott? Moveon.org is calling for a boycott.Is HRC telling people they shouldn’t shop at Target?

Sainz: No, the organization doesn’t have an official position on the boycott. We think that consumers need to make their own decisions and that each person has an awful lot of choices today…And certainly this will inform consumers’ decisions on where they should make their purchases…

—-

Signorile:…The [Corporate] Equality Index is a position on the boycott, because the reason you give the equality index is to tell people where to shop…

Sainz: No, that’s not true.

Signorile:…and what companies they should support…

Sainz: No, no, that’s not true. The Corporate Equality Index is a measure of the workplace practices of companies. It was started as a guide of what the best employers are for LGBT people…It is not meant to be a statement on a company’s wholistic behavior. It is rather a measurement of the workplace practices of a company. That’s really–-

Signorile: HRC does tell people to shop at equality-friendly businesses, even has an app that is devoted to that.

Sainz: That is true.

Signorile: Okay, so the equality-friendly businesses are those that score high on the Corporate Equality Index.

Sainz: That is true…

Signorile: So right now, at this moment, Target still has a 100, and that means that’s a good place to shop.

So, the HRC is disappointed, but not willing to do much more than demand some money from Target for help overturning Prop 8 while others including the non-LGBT group MoveOn is ramping up a national campaign including protests and boycotts. Talk about spineless lobsters.

While many companies are more than willing to donate to politicians, there is a new cost to that now that the decision Citizens United has taken the cap off the limits on how much money can be funneled into a given politician’s coffers.  That cost is just how much of a risk of backlash are they willing to entail.  The laws that the Citizens United decision took down restricted companies with regards to direct contributions, but they could put out single issue campaigns all that they wanted.  Now, they have the ability to support a given candidate, and that can create more problems as they now have to support everything that particular candidate stands for, and in this case, that means supporting Emmer’s anti-LGBT stances as well as his so-called small government platform.

Tim Smith, a senior vice president at Walden Asset Management, stated “Imprudent donations can potentially have a major negative impact on company reputations and business if they don’t carefully and fully assess a candidate’s positions.”  He also cautioned about funding ballot initiatives, as several corporations have done, as they can also backfire.  Walden Asset Management is one of three management firms sponsoring a resolution for Target to restructure their donation policies.  They are joined by Calvert Asset Management, Trillium Asset Management, and may be joined by others.  Together, those three hold $57.5 million of Target’s stock.

Ola Fadahunsi, spokesman for New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who holds Target’s New York pension fund, stated “Target should have carefully considered the implications that direct political contributions can have toward shareholder value.  It’s troubling to think that they can fund controversial candidates without properly assessing the risks and rewards involved.”  They are also considering signing on to the resolution.

Target was not the only Minnesota company to donate to MN Forward, which is backing Tom Emmer.  Best Buy also donated to the group; however, Best Buy has been receiving less criticism than Target.  Jessica Carlson, spokeswoman for Target, refused to comment on the resolution.  Instead, she pointed to a statement from Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel that Target would “begin a strategic review and analysis of our decision-making process for financial contributions in the public policy arena.”  The investor’s resolution calls for a rigorous and specific review by independent board members and for disclosure of the company’s contribution policy.

Sue Busch Nehring, a spokeswoman for Best Buy, said that the company would review the resolution and that it had learned from this.  Both companies donated to MN Forward on the basis of economic self interest.  Steinhafel said in an email to his employees “The intent of our political contribution to MN Forward was to support economic growth and job creation.”

MN Forward bills itself as non-partisan, but it was only after the controversy blew up that they began spending money on a couple of Minnesota Democratic candidates.  Given that, the resolution is also asking retailers to consider how the donations look to the public and effect the company’s public image.

Equity Foundation of Portland, Ore, which deals through Trillium, has announced that it will be divesting its stock in Target forthwith.  They have already ordered Trillium to liquidate the stock that they hold because they are troubled by Target’s choice of politician to back.

Source

Meek stated “I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign.  I’ve been a strong defender of LGBT rights and am proud to continue working with the LGBT community in the fight for equality. From fighting against Florida’s ban on gay adoption to consistently opposing the military’s discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, I will continue putting the well-being of all Floridians before the politics of division as Florida’s next U.S. Senator.”

How much of an effect the endorsement will have is hard to gauge as the HRC is not universally supported by the LGBT Community.

HRC President Joe Solmonese stated “Kendrick is a leader who has stood on the front lines of Florida’s fight for equality. An outspoken opponent of the state’s ban on gay adoptions and a longtime advocate for equal protections legislation, Kendrick’s record shows he is a steadfast ally of Florida’s LGBT community. Floridians deserve leaders who take principled stands and aren’t afraid to fight for what they believe in. For years, Kendrick has fought for equality. Now, it’s time to stand with him.”

Meek has been a vocal supporter of LGBT rights.  He has vocally opposed the ban on gay adoptions in Florida, and believes that adoptive parents should be evaluated based upon their capacity to provide a loving home.  He was also opposed to Amendment 2, the 2008 ballot initiative which defines marriage in the Florida Constitution as being between a man and a woman, and outlaws recognition of any other form of partnership between couples.  In 2007, he was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

While the Human Rights Campaign has been called the largest LGBT group in the country, it has been heavily criticized over the last few years because of their ineffectual nature and their lack of willingness to get involved head on in the fight for LGBT rights.

Source

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2010/08/hrc-endorses-kendrick-meek-for-us-senate.html#ixzz0wz5DtRW8

Target has maintained that they made the donations out of economic self interest given that Emmer is advocating tax cuts in order to stimulate the economy even though that has been proven to be ineffective in practice. The company’s representatives have also maintained that it fully supports lesbians and gays in its workplaces and through corporate sponsorships. However, they want to keep their options open “given the current political and emotionally charged environment.” In other words, Target would rather give the bully its lunch money than resist the bully in the form of the Tea Party and actually do something noble and sane. Additionally, they have shown that they have less interest in the LGBT Community being equal than they do in just staying neutral.

The first explanation was better, honestly. Target went on to say in a statement “We believe that it is impossible to avoid turning any further actions into a political issue and will use the benefit of time to make thoughtful, careful decisions on how best to move forward.” Actually, it seems unlikely that it will be too huge of a political issue, but it could rectify the damage done to the company’s reputation.

The thirty second ad hits Target hard. It calls Target “one of the very first companies to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate cash in elections.” It also cites a poll showing that the majority of voters do not like corporate spending on political campaigns.

Justin Ruben, the Executive Director of MoveOn.org said in a statement: “Target’s refusal to acknowledge its customers’ outrage at their attempt to buy elections is scandalous. Americans have spoken: we don’t want corporations meddling in our democracy. Corporate money in elections is nothing more than political bribery and we’re not going to stop targeting Target until they stop trying to buy our elections.”

Joe Solmonese, Executive Director of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement that went out today:

“If that initial donation was a slap in the face, Target has now delivered a punch in the gut.

With your signatures in hand, HRC has been talking directly with Target for two weeks. In a shocking development, Target just told us that they won’t be taking ANY corrective action to repair the harm they’ve caused.

The stakes are too high in Minnesota to just sit back. The next governor will likely have the opportunity to either sign or veto marriage equality legislation – so HRC will devote $150,000 of our own resources to elect a pro-equality governor and lawmakers in this critical state.”

Of course, why the HRC is not devoting that money anyway, and not devoting a lot more, has not really been answered. The two groups, along with other LGBT groups have been pressuring Target regarding the company’s support of Emmer. The HRC had hoped to get Target to donate to pro-LGBT groups and causes.

The explanation that Target supports Emmer because of his supposedly pro-business credentials actually makes more sense than the statements from them regarding the current political climate. The money to MN Forward, which is backing only Tom Emmer, came from the company’s business account rather than from its internal political action committee. In the wake of complaints from both employees and outside groups, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel issued memos to the company’s workers to explain his motivation in donating to a man who is known to be anti-LGBT, anti-choice, and anti-contraception.

Source

The HRC will now devote $150,000 to helping elect a pro-marriage quality governor and legislature in Minnesota raising questions about why they were not doing this prior to this fiasco of a donation by Target. So far, Best Buy, which also supported MN Forward, the PAC supporting Emmer, has not responded to the HRC’s offer.

As a result of the Citizens United, corporations are able to donate unlimited amounts of shareholder money to certain PAC’s; however, it is not necessarily a good thing as this has caused a major backlash.

Of course, Joe Solomnese, president of the HRC, stated:

“All fair-minded Americans will now rightly question Target’s commitment to equality. If their initial contribution was a slap in the face, their refusal to make it right is a punch in the gut and that’s not something that we will soon forget. However, with full marriage equality hanging in the balance in Minnesota, regardless of Target, it’s important that we as a community send a message that we will work tirelessly to elect pro-equality candidates.

“Target and Best Buy have – and no doubt will continue to have – model employment policies for LGBT people. We will continue to support those efforts. But before they can regain that exalted status among their consumers, they need to make things right in Minnesota. The nation’s LGBT community has shown these two companies enormous customer loyalty. Now it’s time for that faithfulness to be returned.”

Source

Groups which were there were Stand Up Florida, Get Equal Now, Courage Campaign, Come Out Orlando, Florida Together, HRC, Queer Activist Coalition, ISO, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, MCC Church, and so many others.

According to Kirven: “Who would Jesus Hate? We had a victory in California and we are standing together for marriage equality today. This is not a battle between homosexual against heterosexual..this is a battle of justice against injustice. I would love to sit down with Dr. King who attended NOM’s Atlanta protest to begin a sisterhood between our communities. We must and will be free. Get Equal Now!”

Prejudice in all forms has the same roots, and it is often hard for those who seek to protect their prejudices and the status that those prejudices engender to confront the rationale behind their prejudice. Instead, they are willing to do anything that they can to uphold those prejudices and hatreds in order to protect their status as being better than another group. It is about a lack of empathy, and a lack of willingness to understand. Unfortunately, NOM’s supporters and organizers want to maintain their status even though it is painfully clear that their status is no longer as accepted by society as it once was.

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Vertolli is passionately in support of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and lobbied her ex-husband on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign. Vertolli is a member, donor and volunteer for the HRC. Still, Kirk voted against the DADT repeal, and as Vertolli stated “Therefore, he voted in favor of maintaining a discriminatory policy against gays and lesbians who are serving us in the military. I privately withdrew my support because to me that’s a basic human right. I will not support a candidate who upholds a policy that discriminates against gays and lesbians.”

Apparently, Kirk has stated that, when the issue comes up again, he will support overturning DADT.

According to Vertolli, the person who has the most influence over Mark Kirk is Dodie McCracken. According to her, McCracken is the central figure within his campaign team, and she wields an inordinate amount of influence over Kirk. Vertolli stated “No, I will not because there’s a person who is a very pernicious force on his team who is wielding a disproportionate amount of negative influence on him. As long as she’s there, I can’t be his moral conscience.”

About McCracken, Vertolli stated “there wasn’t enough room for the two of us to stay in Mark’s life.” Her statements make it almost seem as if Kirk and McCracken were involved in more than a professional relationship. McCracken did not stop working with Kirk after he and Vertolli were married. Vertolli stated “I think that if Dodie McCracken had not continued to be in our lives, we probably would still be married.”

About the rumors regarding Kirk being gay, Vertolli stated:

“That’s been going on since he first ran. It’s highly unusual for a man to have been married to a woman for eight years and not produced children. And it’s unusual for a man to have not been married until he’s 40 years old. [Kirk was 41]. So people get suspicious. It’s human nature. When we don’t understand something, we want to attach an explanation to it. It’s not an accurate explanation that Mark is gay, but nevertheless, that’s how some people choose to reconcile it.”

This is odd since Kirk has been known to visit several trendy gay nightspots is not brought into this. Still, given the possible relationship between McCracken and Kirk is something more than professional relationship, maybe there is some other reason he visits the gay bars.

Source

According to the letter written by the HRC to Target and Best Buy:

“Now, Americans are questioning their loyalty to your brands with word of significant
contributions to the political action committee MN Forward that hopes to install one of
the most strident opponents of equality in the Minnesota Governor’s mansion. With these
contributions, you have severely damaged those carefully cultivated reputations and violated
the spirit of the gold standards bestowed on you. In fact, the long-term effects on families
that shop at Target and Best Buy throughout Minnesota and the U.S. will be devastating.”

The full letter is below. The letter does not seem to call for a boycott, which is what is going on already, and does not seem to seek to punish either company in any way. Instead, the HRC just sounds a dire warning for the two companies to consider what the fallout will be. What the fallout will be is simple, people who believe in LGBT rights will not shop there. Of course, many Americans have been questioning these donations now for a week.

Of course, not everyone is being quite so. . .well, kind. Rapper Sean Chapin did a parody of Lauryn Hill’s “Lost Ones” targeting the two companies. He raps “You might win some, but you just lost one.”

The thing is, many companies put in a lot of money to political candidates who will offer them a little bit of a tax break or a tax incentive, but they will end up selecting candidates who will, ultimately, prove toxic to their company’s bottom line as people walk away. It will not be an open boycott. People will just not shop where they are not wanted.

Of course, the fact that the HRC took quite some time to get this letter out makes one wonder, did they have to translate it out of Ancient Egyptian or something?

Source

HRC Letter to Target and BestBuy

The following is the entire exchange between the Advocate reporter and Secretary Gibbs:

The Advocate: A growing number of people have started to call on the administration not to defend what the president refers to as the “so-called” Defense of Marriage Act — including Steve Hildebrand last week and the Human Rights Campaign, which is the largest LGBT community lobby and, quite frankly, it’s usually fairly favorable toward the administration, so it was a turnaround for them to call on the administration not to defend that law.

The president has called DOMA discriminatory. Does the president believe that a discriminatory law is constitutional?

Robert Gibbs: I don’t … the president hasn’t to the best of my … I have not heard the president intone what he believes the constitutionality of the law is. I know that he believes the law should be changed.

Legal decisions around next steps in that case, I believe, will be made at the Justice Department and I would point you over there to them.

Again, the president believes, in this case, and the president believes in the case of “don’t ask, don’t tell” that those are laws that he has believed for quite some time should be changed.

At the very least, it would be advantageous for President Obama, or at least Attorney General Eric Holder, to offer an explanation as to what their rationale behind defending DOMA in court is. While it is possible that Holder is pushing the defense in large part because, if they do not, other groups may come in to push a defense of DOMA that would be far more risky for the LGBT Community. So far, the Department of Justice has not offered a decent defense of DOMA.

She reached out to Jonathan Cole of Tennessee Equality Project. According to Cole “She essentially said that they were threatening to kill her. It’s scary and our city needs to stand up to this kind of ugliness.” Cole believes that the threats are just another example of intolerance in Memphis.

Cole pointed out that what is happening with Fullilove highlights the need for this ordinance. “You don’t have to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender to be a victim of homophobia or transphobia. If a city councilwoman — a prominent person in city government — can experience this kind of threat and intimidation, what about the individual employees who work for the city who may be work for sanitation, or police or fire?” Cole has stated.

The ordinance comes up for a vote in the city council on 10 August. Fullilove is the sponsor of the bill, and according to Cole “her position is unchanged. She still believes in what she’s sponsoring.”

Memphis and Tennessee have horrible track records on LGBT rights. There have been several unsolved murders of transwoman in Memphis over the last two years. A lesbian was denied a driver’s license change not long ago as well.

Of course, this ordinance would not be necessary if Congress would pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act with all due haste instead of sputtering around, or at least give a decent explanation why it is stuck. According to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it was either ENDA or Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal, but that seems rather far fetched. The reality is that many Democrats have not been willing to fight hard enough to get the bills through, or at least make a case why they cannot get them through right now. Unfortunately, while the Human Rights Campaign has dithered in trying to get any legislation through by ineffectively lobbying for it, groups like GetEqual have been more apt to engage in ineffective and even counter productive “direct action” targeting allies instead of undecideds or opponents to the legislation.

Part of the problem with getting ENDA through now is the fact that the Republicans in the Senate have done a stellar job of delaying everything to the point where there is a log jam and priority bills such as those that keep the government funded are being given top priority.

http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-fullilove-death-threats-gay-ordinance,0,509816.story

According to Aubrey Sarvis, the executive director of SLDN and a victim of DADT, “We need supporters to contact their senators and tell them to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and follow the lead of Chairman Carl Levin who will be managing the defense bill on the floor. It is critical that we beat back any filibuster threat, defeat attempts to strike repeal, and defeat any crippling amendments. Senators need to hear from us now, especially in the 10 key states where our combined SLDN and HRC field teams are working now.”

According to Joe Solmonese president of HRC “As we approach the waning days of this Congressional session, we must continue to demand immediate action on critical legislation. LGBT voters and our allies will be keenly aware of Congressional action or inaction as the November elections approach. “LGBT people and our allies can make a real difference by making their voices heard face-to-face and in the districts where they live. Many of us are frustrated with the pace of progress and this is a way to get involved to make change happen.”

According to the press release:

HRC and SLDN’s efforts will be specifically focused on 10 states with key lawmakers whose votes on DADT repeal are critical: Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Virginia. HRC will also engage the LGBT community and our allies in those states on ENDA in addition to on-the-ground work for ENDA in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas. Supporters of equality are encouraged to meet with Representatives and Senators while they are in their districts and states for the August Congressional recess.

To participate, individuals can sign up at countdown2010.hrc.org . There, they’ll find downloadable meeting toolkits, videos on in-district meetings and information on how to schedule a meeting and report back on how it went.

How effective the joint HRC-SLDN push will be is hard to calculate. Unfortunately, the problems of actions like the ones taken by GetEqual are usually far easier to calculate since the group has managed to throw and awful lot of sand into the gears of the political process. Yesterday’s action resulted in eight people being arrested. Word of the arrests sent the mainstream media into a snore. While the SLDN has some track record of success, the HRC has been fairly ineffective when it has come to pushing legislation such as the repeal of DADT and protecting LGBT marriage rights such as in California and Maine.

A Human Rights Campaign press release reports:

“The court’s ruling today is a significant victory for justice, the rule of law and the protection of all D.C. residents against discrimination,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “It’s time for the National Organization for Marriage to realize equality is here to stay no matter how much money they want to throw at turning back the clock.”

In its decision, the Court of Appeals, D.C.’s highest court, decided 5-4 that the Council properly exercised its authority under the D.C. Charter in establishing the requirement that a proposed initiative may not authorize, or have the effect of authorizing, discrimination prohibited by the D.C. Human Rights Act. The Court ruled unanimously that the proposed initiative would in fact impermissibly permit discrimination against gays and lesbians in the District.

via BREAKING: DC Court Rules Against Foes of Marriage Equality « Human Rights Campaign | HRC Back Story.

The HRC also notes that while Maryland’s Bishop Harry Jackson has been the face man in the effort to overturn same-sex marriage in the District, the real culprits behind the now-failed initiative were our old friends the Alliance Defense Fund and the Nation Organization for Marriage.

Soooo lets see Argentina… and DC all in one day…. Can’t wait to read the NOM blog to see what they have to say about all this later today. It should be very entertaining.

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The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has issued a press release urging lesbian and gay servicemembers not to participate because there is still too much of a risk that the information that they give could be used against them. In the press release, SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis stated:

“A number of service members have contacted SLDN to seek guidance on surveys concerning the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — the discriminatory law barring gay and lesbian service members from serving with integrity. At this time SLDN cannot recommend that lesbian, gay, or bisexual service members participate in any survey being administered by the Department of Defense, the Pentagon Working Group, or any third-party contractors. While the surveys are apparently designed to protect the individual’s privacy, there is no guarantee of privacy and DOD has not agreed to provide immunity to service members whose privacy may be inadvertently violated or who inadvertently outs himself or herself. If a service member still wishes to participate, he or she should only do so in a manner that does not reveal sexual orientation.”

The SLDN feels that there is too much risk of the information being given by the troops being used to out them and discharge them by the largely unfriendly military chiefs. Given that several of them are about to be replaced, it is possible that the tenor of how this will go will change in the very near future, but the clock is ticking on getting those men replaced before the 1 December deadline for the working group.

SLDN was not invited to consultations on the creation of the survey, and the Human Rights Campaign took the lead on that.

The surveys have already gone out, and it is not surprising that they are slanted towards keeping the law intact instead of repealing DADT. To date, the Pentagon has not offered immunity to any lesbian or gay soldiers interviewed in this process.

“I’ve gotten [shit] from other activists. I know a lot about initiations and traditions that people have to sort of pay your dues — in the military, there are procedures and protocols. You gain rank. Here, you don’t have that as much, but there are different traditional ways, that we have paid dues within the community, at least from what I’m understanding, and so a lot of people have pointed out that. I wouldn’t go to the point of saying that I don’t deserve to be in this role, but they say, “You sort of came out of nowhere,’” he is on record as saying.

Really? Well, we here at Lez Get Real kind of came out of nowhere and we have managed to make enemies from people on both sides. We have been hit with attacks from the Catholic Church and Liberty University. We are disliked by the Human Rights Campaign and Get Equal. We will call people out for being stupid if they do stupid things like handcuffing themselves to the White House fence.

Lt. Choi may be trying desperately to distance himself from Gay, Inc., but the reality is that he is already part of that machine. He is part of the ineffective disaster which constitutes the major LGBT groups. Get Equal, of which Lt. Choi is part, has leaders who pull down just shy of hundred thousand dollar salaries from a very wealthy gay man. Lt. Choi is, in effect, telling himself to shut up. Many of us who have gotten tired of his antics do not earn so much as a dime. We do not earn any money from the activism that we engage in, or if we do, it is hardly five or six figure salaries.

The problem for Lt. Choi is that the moment he started taking donor money to live off of, since all the information we have is that he has no job, he became part of Gay Inc. and not part of the netroots and grassroots movements. We, at least we here at LGR, certainly have not called on Choi to shut up. We have just called upon him to use his noggin a bit more.

I find it rather amusing that Lt. Choi is busy trying to distance himself from the people who make a fortune with their “advocacy” despite having speaking engagements and running around claiming how coming out to his parents was harder than going on Dr. Rachel Maddow’s show. This is on top of reports I have been given that Lt. Choi and his fellows at Get Equal constantly confuse Dr. Paula Brooks with me. I certainly understand the origin of the mix up since I do not get to DC very often and none of the people at Get Equal or the HRC know my face. Unlike Dr. Brooks, I suffer from a rather severe case of androphobia, a very specialized form of social anxiety, and find it painful to be in any large crowd and to be near men for any lengthy of time at all even singlely. I am not a social person the way Dr. Brooks is. While Dr. Brooks and I are often on the same page with regards to the world, we are not the same person, and any competent linguist would notice the differences in our speech and writing patterns. Dr. Brooks and I have certain similarities in our writing styles because we are both women and we are both academically trained; however, I retain a certain amount of British grammatical idiosyncracies that I learned from my mother. I also tend to be far more aware of the rhythm of my writing since I have a tendency to fall into the more natural iambic pentameter which underlies the English Language. My understanding of Greek is limited to one word, and I know that only because of its similarity to the Celtic word “sgatha”, and I am far more interested in learning Japanese since I am dyslexic/dysgraphic and it is easier to write in a syllabic alphabet than it is in a Latin scrpit.

Suffice it to say, Lieutenant Choi, we do not want you to shut up. We just want you to start being a strategist. A good strategist is one who knows her target, takes her armies to it via the best- not easiest- route, and is effective. Right now, sir, you remind me of the Major General in Pirates of Penzance. “I know more of strategy than a novice in a nunnery/when I can tell at sight a Mauser Rifle from a Javilin.”

According to FOXNews.com , The Greater Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce on Monday blasted out an e-mail to hundreds of its members along with two groups spearheading boycotts against the state — the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. The e-mail, which urged those two groups to “rescind” their boycott and chamber members to pester them until they do, came after the Phoenix chamber was unable to privately convince the national groups to cool their rhetoric.

“We feel the boycott of the entire state of Arizona is counter-productive to the issue at hand. Punishing Arizona businesses will not change the minds of any partisan legislature politician, including Arizona’s,” said the e-mail sent out Monday. “Our entire state has been miscast as racist, unsophisticated and dangerous in the worst of the ‘Wild West’ stereotypes.”

The groups e-mail urged those opposed to Arizona’s law to consider signing a statement denouncing it, rather than imposing a boycott.

The Arizona group has also accused HRC of trying to ingratiate themselves to Latino advocacy groups as well as the Service Employees International Union and expressing concern that the move will discourage gay and lesbian couples from visiting Arizona.

On June 16 the HRC issued a statement on it website defending its actions saying, “We understand that Arizonans stand on many sides of this issue. We have taken a principled stand that we believe is just as important to LGBT people as it is to Latinos and immigrants. The nature of our boycott is also quite limited. We encourage Arizona residents and visitors to patronize businesses that have supported the LGBT community and that are engaged in opposing SB 1070. Thank you for your continued support as we work through this issue.”

Addendum: Local HRC Arizona Area Representative Kathy Young had no comment on the issue and referred LGR to the Washington DC Hq of the HRC.

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• Human Rights Campaign Joins Fight To Repudiate Texas GOP’s Platform (lezgetreal.com)

At a time when Americans are looking for real solutions to the challenges we face, the Texas GOP decided to focus on propaganda, not policy:

“Homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases.”

“Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable ‘alternative’ lifestyle in our public education and policy, nor should ‘family’ be redefined to include homosexual ‘couples.’”

“We oppose the recognition of and granting of benefits to people who represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally married.”

They’re not just against marriage equality; they’re against basic equal rights. They think it should be 100% legal to fire someone for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). Even their word choice shows a possible anti-transgender bias, using the phrases “natural man” and “natural woman.” The list goes on – far beyond the usual Republican talking points on “traditional family values” and even the GOP platforms in other conservative states.

And they don’t stop with attacking LGBT citizens. They also call for evicting the United Nations from the U.S., requiring drivers’ licenses to indicate citizenship, opposing legislation to allow stem cell research, rescinding no-fault divorce laws, reversing Roe v. Wade, and shutting down the U.S. Department of Education.

Texas GOP’s platform is not based upon anything real, and is designed to get votes from the homophobic and racist core of their party without getting any moderate votes. It is also designed to try and force this nation into a Christian theocracy against the very will of the Founding Fathers. They seek to codify unconstitutional homophobia into the laws of Texas.

C.D. Kirven, co-founder of GetEqualNow has issued her own statement with regards to the petition started by the HRC.

“I’m happy to see that the HRC agrees with GET EQUAL NOW that the LGBT community needs to take a stand against the TX GOP 2010 platform because it’s anti-human rights. Please join the rebellion by signing HRC’s petition and coming to GEN’s TX GOP platform protest on July 8th in Dallas, TX because we believe in an inclusive Texas. Stand up for BP oil victims and now that Montana has adopted TX GOP platform we must all stand together against GOP’s plans to legalize homophobia.”

The push to repudiate the Texas GOP’s platform enjoys bi-partisan support with the Republican Liberty Caucus also calling for the politicians of Texas to repudiate the state Party’s platform.

Following the initial letter and this one, some twenty members of the HBR have distanced themselves from it and some have even come out in favor of civil unions. HBR’s Executive Director, Gary Kai, has continued to urge Governor Lingle to veto the civil unions bill without any real explanation for how he is suppose to be supportive of diversity.

Joe Solomnese of the Human Rights Campaign stated following this:

“Business leaders recognize that fostering an atmosphere of diversity and inclusion is the best way to attract, recruit and retain the best talent Hawaii has to offer. We urge Governor Lingle to do for the entire state of Hawaii what leaders of Hawaii’s top businesses are already doing for their employees and sign civil unions into law. We’re proud to have played a role in spurring the action of the Hawaii Business Roundtable today that was a direct result of weeks of hard work by local advocates including Equality Hawaii, the LGBT Caucus of the Hawaii Democratic Party, PFLAG (Oahu) and Pride Alliance, among others.”

Of course, the fact that the HBR has not retracted their letter or their call for a veto of civil unions in the state, it seems difficult for Somonese to claim any kind of victory with less than twenty business leaders breaking away from the HBR to back civil unions. Perhaps if pressure had brought about a complete reversal or a decision by the HBR to declare neutrality over civil unions, the victory would be more substantial.

Alan Spector, Equality Hawaii Legislative Affairs’ Co-Chair, stated:

“Following the original call for veto by Gary Kai and HBR, we knew we had to mobilize our friends within the business community. With the help of the Human Rights Campaign and their national network of supportive businesses, we were able to apply the appropriate pressure and turn a potential devastating blow into one of our strongest arguments. Businesses know that treating their workforce with dignity and respect helps their bottom line and we urge Governor Lingle to do the same for the state of Hawaii.”

What the HBR has stated is that they were only showing their concern about civil unions, but did not actually step back from it nor show their neutrality over the issue.

Despite the reservations of McGehee, who does not appear to have spoken to some of those invited, it appears that this reception is not just about the photo op, and many local leaders will be pressing legislation to help the LGBT Community.  Ian Palmquist, executive director of Equality North Carolina, is planning on pushing President Obama about the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  North Carolina does not have a law protecting lesbian, gay and transgender employees from discrimination.  He stated “I would like the president to publicly and vocally call on Congress to pass ENDA as soon as possible.  I believe that ENDA is the most important item on our agenda right now — and passing it would have a transformative effect on a lot of LGBT people in our country. . .I think I’d tell him about the impact that discrimination is having on people here in North Carolina and why it’s so important for him to stand up and ask that ENDA be passed as soon as possible.”  Palmquist hoped to get the opportunity to speak with the President, and it seemed fairly likely that he would.

Nadine Smith of Equality Florida hoped that the President would address the ban on adoption in her state.  “I would ask him to help us undo it.  It’s on the ropes; public support for it is eroding. We think him weighing in would be really helpful,” she stated.  Her greatest fear is that social conservatives will try to spread similar laws across the nation.

McGehee talked about holding a counter event, but gave no details.  The focus on the state groups may help in the long run given that it may make it easier for activists to get the President’s ear.  Doing this also means that the President avoids the perception of hobnobbing only with the large national groups who have begun to be called Gay Inc.  These include, but are not limited to, the Human Rights Campaign and GetEQUAL, both of which give large salaries to their core members.

There are reports that Jarrod Chlapowski was going to pull out of the HRC, but decided not to. It is impossible to determine the validity of this since any post regarding this has been pulled from his page.

Many lesbians, gays, transpeople, intersexuals, bisexuals, and others within our movement have been largely disappointed with the way that the HRC has conducted themselves with regards to the issues which effect our lives. There is a certain feeling that the HRC as well as the other major organizations within Gay Inc., as it is becoming known, are more interested in the money that they can make than in achieving equality. In the wake of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell compromise, there was a feeling that the Gay Inc. groups, and especially the HRC, had betrayed the movement and not done enough to adequately counter the military’s desire to put off repeal as long as possible.

If the reports are true that there are problems within the HRC it may signal a shift in how the organization moves forward in the future.

Anonymous sources close to the entire issue have stated that Chlapowski is unhappy with how the HRC has been pushing him aside when it came time to debate the repeal of DADT. Chlapowski is a veteran. The HRC has been disparaging of the veterans, according to this source, and not willing to let the veterans have a large say in the process of getting DADT repealed. Chlapowski is trying to extricate himself from the HRC. There is concern that the HRC might try to disparage and destroy Chlapowski should he leave.

O’REILLY: Alright, so look, they want to make a political statement selling burgers. They’re entitled to it. It will never run in the USA. They’ll never do that.

SKINNER: Part of an overreaching campaign called come as you are, which you saw at the end there. So they show people in different walks of life. This happens to be their gay friendly ad.

O’REILLY: OK. Do they have an al Qaeda ad, you know, come as you are? You know?

SKINNER: And how do you know it’s not coming to the States?

O’REILLY: I don’t know.

SKINNER: Never say never.

O’REILLY: No. That would not — I guarantee you that will not run here.

Huffington Post has posted a response from McDonald’s in France:

“We wanted to take a look at how French society is today. We’re very comfortable with the topic of homosexuality, there is obviously no problem with homosexuality in France today”. While the statement sounds a bit naive in a country where same sex couples cannot legally marry nor adopt, the idea was to give a positive image of the brand: “The point was not to show someone who is troubled, especially a teenager. We know it can be difficult for some people, but we wouldn’t have dared show someone who is struggling”.

Of course, given that there are parts of this country where a gay friendly ad being run on TV for any product would be a huge boost, say in Vermont or New York, it might not be a bad ad to run in certain parts of the country. Certainly the North East markets would be more amenable to the ad than, say, they are to ads from the National Organization for Marriage.

Of course, this comes on top of Orrin Hatch stating “Gays and lesbians don’t pay tithing, their religion is politics.” Well, maybe for Dr. Maddow who is a political wonk, but very few lesbians, gays and transpeople follow politics on a regular basis. Of course, Senator Hatch was discussing the lack of support the Republicans have been getting with regards to cohesion of late given the massive split between the Tea Party movement and the Mainstream GOP.

But, where to go. How would it be possible to put pressure on the Pentagon without harming the troops and hurting effectiveness? How is it possible to really upset the military while not actually harming people in the field?

The best way may be to put a hold on the promotions of a variety of generals and admirals. Apparently, all promotions for Flag Officers must go through the Senate in order to be confirmed to their new rank and often to their new assignments. All it takes is one Senator with enough courage and conviction to muck up the whole process while not actually hurting military readiness and operations on the ground. All it takes is one Senator who is willing to throw a monkey wrench into the works in the name of pushing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’s repeal.

One of the prime targets could easily be Navy Rear Admiral (lower half) Mark L. Tidd. Secretary Gates has nominated Rear Admiral Tidd to full Rear Admiral and to become the chief of chaplains across the military. He is currently the deputy chief of chaplains, and chaplain of the Marine Corps. Such a muddling of the promotion of Tidd and others would highly annoy the military structure.

Another prime target would be Navy Rear Admiral Michael H. Miller. Secretary Gates has appointed Rear Admiral Miller to become the next superintendent at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He has also nominated Miller to the rank of Vice Admiral.

While these targets might not seem important, the slowing down or derailing of them would cause major headaches for the military without actually hurting the military’s operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The joys of using the bureaucracy as a weapon against itself. The next question is always, which Senator would be willing to stand up and put the kibosh on these promotions via a hold on their nomination?

The most obvious Senators are Vermont’s Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy. Both men come from a state with few military ties. There are no full military bases in Vermont, and a few contracts that go through manufacturing in this state. Vermont also has one of the strongest anti-war sentiments in the nation due to the number of casualties that the state’s National Guard has incurred during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Vermont also has one of the highest percentages of LGBT Americans in the nation, and they are the largest minority in the state at five percent of the population (possibly more now). Both men are also strongly pro-LGBT and strongly in favor of repealing DADT. While Leahy is up for reelection this year, getting DADT back on the table and repealed would only endear himself to LGBT Vermonters instead of alienating them. In fact, pushing DADT’s repeal could actually throw Leahy’s opponent in the Senate race for a loop and force him to take an opposing stance which would be unpopular in this state. Sanders is not up for reelection this year.

Another possible Senator who could step up and monkey with the promotion schedule is Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. While he may not seem like the most natural of all choices given his hawkishness, he is also very much opposed to DADT. His recent stances have shown him to be more than willing to slow or even derail the agenda of the White House or the Democrats in the Senate.

Whoever is willing to step up to tear down DADT would become a hero in the eyes of the LGBT Community. With such action, it is also possible that the 2010 election may not turn into the bloodbath that so many Democrats fear and so many Republicans are already claiming will happen.

Roughly three hundred people attended the rally. Between six and eight chained themselves to the fence and were arrested.

Governor Howard Dean was at the rally. The advocate for LGBT Equality and Healthcare Reform stated “If somebody’s brave enough to take a bullet for the U.S., they deserve full equality.”

In the wake of Lt. Choi’s arrests, he has remained defiant even as the Pentagon and the White House appear to be pushing the timetable back further and further on repeal of DADT with a potential repeal not coming until 2013. His defiance and the defiance of the groups supporting him has not wavered about civil disobedience.

Last night, Get Equal along with Lt. Choi were invited by members of the Human Rights Campaign to crash the White House Correspondents’ dinner and reception afterwards. Lt. Choi chaining himself to Rahm Emanuel or Senator Scott Brown might have made national headlines, but they declined to do so. Instead, they decided to go for an event which was lightly attended and barely covered by the non-mainstream media.

Unfortunately, until more gays, lesbians and transpeople are willing to come forward and not only be willing to chain themselves to things, but just plain out be open about their sexuality, civil disobedience will not be effective.

In the efforts leading up to a final vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would ban job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in most employment situations, Capitol Hill insiders are saying they believe North Dakota Sens. Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, along with Sens. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) are likely to vote for passage of the ENDA.

The Human Rights Campaign, which is coordinating formal lobbying efforts for the bill, has said at least 53 senators were expected to vote for ENDA, but has also said it’s uncertain whether 60 senators can be lined up to defeat a filibuster, which Republican opponents were expected invoke to kill the bill.

According to the Washington Blade, while activists from West Virginia, are uncertain about how Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) will vote, since he has declined to say how he will stand on the bill, but they are hoping that Byrd might vote to defeat an ENDA filibuster, even if he votes against the bill itself.

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The Human Rights Campaign’s Michael Cole stated with regards to this statement “As we’ve been saying for a long time now, the time to repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law is this year, and it’s a positive sign to hear congressional leaders affirm that. We need pressure on the Congress, we need pressure on the White House, we need pressure across the board, and as we get into this critical period, signs like that are promising,”

Indeed, the signs are promising that there will be, at least, a vote, and a problem for the Republican Party if they filibuster it, or attempt to.

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, indicated that he had learned of the vote last week while speaking with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. “The hour for the president as well as for the leadership to become engaged is now. The reality is — particularly in the Senate Armed Services Committee — we are still short of some critical votes. We don’t have the votes today. We’re on the brink of getting them, and we need help from leadership on the Hill and from the president himself,” Sarvis stated.

Current polling shows that the majority of Americans support the repeal of DADT.

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• Is The White House Deliberately Slowing Down Don’t Ask Repeal? (lezgetreal.com)

We need Civil Disobedience YES – but  for a CIVIL RIGHTS AMENDMENT – not for piecemeal Legislation. What has happened to our movement? Where is the  LGBT PINK PRINT™

Breaking News – Lt. Dan Choi along with five other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) discharged veterans — Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, Petty Officer Larry Whitt, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cadet Mara Boyd, and Airman Victor Price — handcuffed themselves to the White House gates to demand that President Obama keep his promise to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell this year. The vets are concerned about mounting signs that the President is wavering on his promise to push for repeal this year.

Today’s action comes one month after Choi and Pietrangelo were arrested for a similar DADT protest at the White House in which they handcuffed themselves to the gates for a period of an hour, while hundreds of protesters looked on. The new LGBT activist group, GetEQUAL, coordinated both today’s action, and last month’s civil disobedience.

The group GET EQUAL  asserts this is the only way to get DADT repealed.

LGBT activists are at the point where civil unrest is an absolute must.  In fact we should all be chaining our good selves to the White House Fence; all for the same goal – the ultimate GOAL – CIVIL RIGHTS for LGBTQI – Gays and Lesbians – on every aspect of citizenry, across the Board. Bit not for DADT alone and Not in this exclusionary fashion.

Again I assert that this effort at piecemeal is  in fact a hindrance which I will illustrate below. .  Men and women in Uniform attached to the fence is certainly a powerful Image- however DADT has all the attention it needs and our Military – especially GAY military members should not deface the Military Uniform in this fashion- at great risk- in the name of one piece of LGBT legislation. They should be the ambassadors for our community and maintain the protocol – while supporting the legislation that attains full equality.The fragmentation of our movement could not be more clear than NOW!

Instead we should all betied to that fence asking for ALL CIVIL RIGHTS NOW! Repeal DADT is an aspect of that!

This brave (indeed) effort has the effect of excluding the rest of us who are being discriminated against – deprived of 1137 – federal laws- those who are  not in the military – it has the effect of detracting from the movement as a whole and creating enemies instead of allies – as we are trying to get our movement into first gear.

As I write this Choi and the others are being arrested – This is a prime example of fragmentation of our Cause- it takes us no further.  Of course DADT must go – if all efforts such a this were placed in CIVIL RIGHTS for LGBTQI  and Get Equality had taken that road to GET EQUALITY for ALL – then we would draw attention to our Movement, our needs – and maybe start building momentum for the BIG ONE – while DADT is going to rot until next year anyway.

The BIG one – Amend the Civil Rights Act to include LGBT gender and sexual orientation.

When Choi did this the first time- members of the Military, were outraged by the fact that Choi was wearing uniform at the time of his protest and civic arrest.

A Pentagon source informed me that the Choi stunt was highly offensive because of the uniform, causing the cancellation of a high level West Point Discussion Panel that included the Supt. of West Point and General Casey, Chief of Staff, thereby detrimentally impacting the advancement of the repeal of DADT. The study groups were being quietly held with representatives from the Human Right campaign, (HRC)

The Military is slowing the repeal down because they want out of Iraq first, due in part to morale and the unfavorable view of the troops in Iraq.  So the Military is resting their wait on a study report that was held up by the CHOI and GET EQUAL COUP.

DADT will not get repealed this year. It cannot happen.  It will not be included in the DOD Budget, which is what GET EQUAL is calling for. SO  get it together would be coup(ers) – let us direct our attention to  DOMA and stop beating the DADT drum – it is only derogating from the main task at hand.

Some say once DADT is repealed DOMA will fall. I say it is clearly the other way around.

Again I am pleading to all activists and our community instead of making enemies – lets show them we have a real movement. Let us band together as ONE and all chain ourselves to that fence – but it must be done in the name of CIVIL RIGHT EQUALITY for all – not in the name of DADT!

What concerns me is if the Military takes this on and charges CHOI with “conduct unbecoming”- maybe Get Equal thinks that is the way to all our Civil Rights.    Please find me a lil ol lady at the back of the bus!

by Melanie Nathan
nathanh@privatecourts.com

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• Is The White House Deliberately Slowing Down Don’t Ask Repeal? (lezgetreal.com)

Unfortunately, when uniformed high ranking officers such as Lt. General Mixon and Marine Commandant General James Conway denounce the repeal of the law openly and without caution, they risk a very real problem with repeal. Should this become a divisive issue within the military because of their vocal opposition, it could end up mobilizing the anti-repeal forces within the forces and result in the very thing that they fear- division between soldiers and reduced unit cohesion and readiness.

General Conway insisted that this issue had to be dealt with sans any politicization. Unfortunately, Generals Mixon and Conway seem intent upon ensuring the politicization of this process in order to benefit them while the Senate and House Armed Services Committees try very hard not to involve politics too much into this process.

Meanwhile, Jarrod Chlapowski, former Army specialist and Korean linguist, has begun a pushback against recent negative publicity regarding the repeal of DADT. Chlapowski is officially affiliated with the HRC, and is their military affairs consultant. Along with the Alex Nicholson’s Servicemembers United, Chlapowski and other members of the HRC are on a 26 city tour to highlight the need to repeal DADT and to get the message out. Current polling shows that the American public by a vast majority (up to 75%) want DADT repealed.

LGR Executive Editor Paula Brooks has stated that both Jarrod Chlapowski and Alex Nicholson are good men. She knows both men personally.

Lez Get Real is not directly affiliated with, nor particularly well liked by, the Human Rights Campaign.

No formal reprimand for general who pushed gay ban
The 26-City DADT Repeal Tour: Your Chance to Meet America’s Hottest Discharged Gays

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• HRC’s Coordinated Media Rebuttal to Dan Choi + Get Equal Begins With Army Vet Jarrod Chlapowski’s Attack (queerty.com)
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Let me explain in a very personal manner why I am critical of what Lt. Choi did. There are several reasons. Let us start off with the fact that, on that day, we had General John Sheehan up before Congress lying through his teeth. He not only was caught in a bald faced lie, but he came very close to causing a major diplomatic incident. He lied about when the Dutch integrated gays and lesbians into their military and lied about the effects it had on morale and unit cohesion. He was called out on that lie by the very man he had to coordinate with inside the Dutch military. Yet, this event and the subsequent days that followed were, unfortunately, drowned out by the arrest and activism of Lt. Choi.

I have no problem with civil disobedience. In point of fact, I support it. There is one caveat to that particular statement, however. I support it when it is time. Lt. Choi’s actions were noble, and justifiable; however, they were just as foolish. Lt. Choi had no support from the rest of the people behind him. Indeed, he did not have the support of enough people willing to follow his lead that all he did was make himself look bad to the people that he had to impress- the politicians and generals who control this process. One and even two people chaining themselves somewhere does not send a strong message- in fact it sends the opposite. What it showed was that Lt. Choi and Captain James Pietrangle have no broad support within the community- at least those who are willing to put their bodies on the line.

There are many bloggers who have written encouraging Lt. Choi- who now lives solely off of the donations of his backers- to engage in such behaviors, and yet, where were they? Some were at cocktail parties that night, but where they were not was there beside him being arrested. For those who may be wondering where I was, I would not have been there no matter what. I am, by my nature, a reporter, a chronicler, a storyteller. This is my job, and my mission. I would have sat right here where I write this op-ed and given the story of Lt. Choi and those that followed him to that fence and chained themselves there in detail and without bias. I would have provided analysis and commentary. I would have let the world know what was happening. Indeed, it is rare for me to break this wall between me and my readership and make a personal statement regarding a news story. Even in editorializing, I often write as dispassionately as possible. I do not go to parties. I do not shmooze politicians. I am a hairs breadth from being a recluse out there in the Vermont wilderness because unlike some transsexuals, I do not deal well with the presence of people and have a deep fear of people finding out about my deformity.

Unfortunately, the damage that Choi’s actions did was not just to himself, but to others. What Choi did damaged the efforts of those who are trying hard behind the scenes to get the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or at least most of them, behind the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. These efforts are now on hold specifically because of Choi’s actions. I am, unfortunately, not liberty to say specifically who due to the delicate nature of restarting future negotiations. In the end, what Choi’s ill timed civil disobedience did was cause more harm than good. In the end, it has given licence to men like General James Conway to speak out directly and attempt to derail the process towards repealing DADT. It has given other generals the ability to rationalize the breaking of their direct silence on the matter and try to push their own troops into supporting their bigoted, biased, and venomous positions simply because of what Choi has done.

Civil disobedience is not a bad thing. In fact, it can be incredibly useful. The problem is it cannot be done alone, and it cannot be timed badly. This is, if you want, a political war field. We are on one side, men like Conway are on the other. There are a lot of other “nations” out there who we have to convince to come to our side and help us fight. Meanwhile, men like Conway will be doing the same thing. What Lt. Choi did is analogous to what Lord Cardigan did in the Crimean War. He charged the enemy lines without support or planning. He did not think about how this would play out. He did not consider that the people behind him would not join him in his civil disobedience. He did not consider that, with the angry Tea Party protesters hanging around Washington at that moment, politicians would certainly not be worried about one or two lone protesters or their message.

What is more, he forgot Sun-Tzu. “Know your enemy as well as you know yourself”, to roughly translate the common saying. He did not take into account how men like General Conway, or even our ally in this Admiral Mike Mullen, would react to this kind of action. He did not consider how being kicked from the military for anything other than under DADT charges would play in the long run.

While some have praised him for what he did, Lt. Choi messed up and messed up badly. I know quite well that many people will find this op-ed horrifying and angering. I have had deep respect for what Lt. Choi did coming out on national television. I witnessed it in a manner that gave me a lot more understanding of what was going on than the average viewer who saw it on Rachel Maddow’s show, but there are, unfortunately, elements of what Lt. Choi did which, for me, strike badly.

Right now, we are in a delicate situation. We are not dealing with politicians alone, but generals. We are dealing with generals who find, quite honestly, chaos abhorrent, and many find change appalling. We have politicians who are, right now, under threat of assassination and violence because of the Tea Party and associated movements. The natural reaction for both groups when under threat is to hunker down. While the pace of change may be slow, right now, it has to be slow. I know that it is hard to say “wait for it”, but the need to wait is there.

In the here and now, we need to wait. We need to be patient. I am as disappointed by President Obama’s foot dragging as everyone else. I am as frustrated, if not more so sometimes, than others when it comes to Congress’ plodding pace. I am as tired as everyone else of small victories, large set backs, and constant demeaning from others. I am not going to say that we need to wait for change to happen at a glacial pace and hope it happens eventually. What I am saying is that we need to move only when we can from a position of strength and not weakness. We need to push forward when we are all organized and ready to march. We need to push forward when we are all angry enough to do what Lt. Choi did.

What Dan Choi did was noble. The problem is, it was so badly timed and badly executed it hurt our cause rather than helped us. A little bit of elemental strategy is called for now.

(This is my personal opinion and does not reflect the opinion of my fellow writers at LGR. This is also not an official stance of the blog. I have shut down comments on this post. I do suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder, and right now, I am not in the mental or emotional state to deal with comments, especially negative ones. This is my prerogative as both the author of this post and an editor at LGR. I understand that there are those who will disagree with me. All I ask is that you think over what I have written and consider what I have said.)

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Melanie Nathan, 3-24-10 San Francisco

Bono Mack was first elected to fill the remainder of her late husband Sonny Bono’s term.  Bono Mack is currently married to ‘uber-right-wing’ Florida Congressman Connie Mack.

Pougnet http://www.electpougnet.com/ is the sitting Mayor of Palm Springs.  He previously served on Palm Springs City Council.  After graduating from Michigan State University, Pougnet worked in the Colorado School of Mines as the Vice President and Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Michigan State University. Pougnet also worked in the non-profit world as the Associate Director of the National Corporate Leadership Program at the United Way. In addition to being Mayor, Pougnet currently co-chairs a number of Palm Springs city government committees and projects.

Mayor Pougnet and his husband Christopher, together for 17 years, were one the 18,000 same-sex couples married in California before the passage of Prop 8. They are the parents of 3-year old twins Julia and Beckham.   The Advocate notes that Pougnet could become the first openly gay congressman who is both a father and legally married.

Bilerico Project,   reports that  “Rep. Bono Mack’s record on LGBT issues can charitably be described as weak. She earned a 55% on the Human Rights Campaign’s congressional scorecard for the 110th Congress. Despite being the step-mother of Chaz Bono, she has failed to co-sponsor ENDA, DADT repeal, and the Uniting American Families Act.”

On the one hand it would not do his  campaign well nor his goals any justice, if we were to cast Steve purely as a ‘gay rights advocate’; that is a given.  For him to succeed this aspect of his private life ought to embolden his run but not define it.  His well rounded approach to governance must take center stage and his core values on issues will drive his campaign.

I was fortunate to enjoy a lengthy conversation with the Mayor last evening.  He was kind enough to chat on the phone and answer my myriad of gay and lesbian (LGBTQI) interest questions.  I found him to be informal, friendly and  resolved; while he will attend to the issues in D.C. that are most important to ALL his  constituents; he certainly has a keen eye on those that impact the LGBT community.

As my readers know, my advocacy priorities include, in order of importance, protecting sexual orientation in the Civil Rights Act, the urgent Repeal of DOMA, Immigration Reform and Equality (UAFA), Repeal of DADT and of course all LGBT legislation.  We discussed the plight of bi-national lesbians and gays and I have no doubt that we would have a very effective and vocal ally in Steve.

I asked the Mayor specifically if he would co-sponsor and push for  the Repeal of DOMA  – in the form of Jerold Nadler’s legislation RMA, The Respect for Marriage Act, as a priority for  LGBT equality, and he said he absolutely would.  This was an important question for me, and is of paramount importance for the LGBT community, because as you recall, being GAY and OPEN does not necessarily mean a Representative will always act in the best interests of the LGBT community.

For example, Congressman  Barney Frank refused to co-sign onto DOMA’s repeal, as previously quoted on LGR, “  until ENDA and DADT pass first.”  There is always the danger that a representative may choose to please the mainstream constituent at the expense of the LGBT community;  by applying  the strategy that we need the little legislation to pass so that we can slowly introduce America to our bigger need.  I for one can never subscribe to this strategy.

After spending quite some time discussing legislation and specifics I came out believing that Steve Pougnet would be the perfect first Gay married dad Congressman, apt to represent our interests with courage and without any ambiguity.

In this political climate it is imperative that National attention is drawn to regional representatives.    Steve Pougnet’s election is not a purely 45th District concern; and nor is it a pure Republican v Democrat endeavor.   It is a “we are equal, we are equal, we are a fact and not we must have legal recognition matter.”

The election of Pougnet, regardless of his politics, brings the face of  all gay families to Congress.  Imagine a member of Congress not having the right to adopt a sibling for his children, in the State of Florida.  Not having the right to complete a join federal Tax return. This visibility has untold positive attributes and it has to great deal to do with the Mayor’s unapologetic visibility, his public life has embraced his personal life and his work has been most effective, in tandem.  I have no doubt that this is his natural way and so it shall be when he is in Congress.

Most significantly is the fact that the DCCC named  Mayor Steve Pougnet to their Red to Blue program, their listing of the most competitive challenger races in the country:

There are approximately thirteen candidates that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified as likely to transform a seat from the red to blue.   Candidates named by DCCC to likely to succeed taking a GOP seat – according  to “ Roll Call,”  fit the  criteria for inclusion in the ‘Red to Blue’  program is that: “the candidates selected for the program this cycle must surpass “demanding fundraising goals” and demonstrate their political abilities before making the list. But now that these Democrats are in the program, the committee offers them financial, communication, grass-roots and strategic support.”

So with this great boost, many allies and the opportunity for a great Campaign, all Steve needs from you is your time and/ or your money.  In fact the LGBT community needs your time and money.   This  LGBTQI America  is for all of us. It must happen.  I do not ask for much but this I must insist upon. Join Steve Pougnet’s campaign on Face-Book, and Send $10.00.  We must get Steve Pougnet elected and make no mistake its will still be quite a task.

As a married lesbian mother of two,  also from California, and  also one of the 18,000 married in 2008, I will feel SO represented should I have a family like mine in Congress.  I will hope also for Steve to pave the way for many more in the future.

Given the resources success is in reach and so please look out for Fund-raising events and Calls for help in your area.

I plan to attend this event and hope to see you there:

Friday, March 26, 2010
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Geoff Kors, Stephen Adams, Clay Doherty, Joe Cotchett
Martin Skea and Christopher Mondini
The Honorable Mark Leno
The Honorable John Burton
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
(Host Committee in Formation)

Cordially Invite You to a Reception Honoring
PALM SPRINGS MAYOR STEVE POUGNET
Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congress, California’s 45th District

Steve Pougnet will be the first gay, legally married Member of Congress with young children. In 2007 Steve was elected Mayor of Palm Springs where he has proven himself as a bi-partisan leader. Steve is committed to sustainability and renewable energy initiatives will champion comprehensive health care and fight to reinvigorate the American economy. He is challenging Mary Bono-Mack – one of only a few Republican Members of Congress who is serving in a district that Barack Obama won. Just last week the DCCC named Steve to their Red to Blue program, their listing of the most competitive challenger races in the country.

Offices of Sterling, Bank and Trust – Seligman Western
The Transamerica Pyramid, 40th Floor
600 Montgomery Street (Enter through the Visitor’s Entrance)
San Francisco, CA 94111

Contribution Levels
$2,400 – Chair
$1,000 – Host
$500 – Sponsor
$250 – Supporter
$100 – Min. Suggested Contribution

By Melanie Nathan
nathan@privatecourts.com
@oblogdeeoblogda

Melanie Nathan pictured with Geoff Kors.

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A rally that was suppose to be held protesting Choi’s arrest produced little more than one lone reporter to cover it. In the end, Choi and Pietrangelo’s arrest did little to upset or excite the LGBT Community who are, on the whole, patient about this process so long as it keeps moving forward.

One active duty solder posting under the name Toujours Moins and serving in the Middle East wrote of Choi’s stunt:

The target of our efforts needs to be Congress and the senior leaders of the military who will use the stunt by Choi and friends to say ‘See, the homos can’t behave appropriately in uniform.’ I appreciate the call for civil disobedience, but I also appreciate that there are many people who wear the same uniform but do not support the same ideals. Regardless of what service’s uniform we wear, when we put it on, we should become (relatively speaking) colorless, genderless, and overall neutral. We should be judged not on the biological identifiers of gender, race, or sexual identity, but on the job that we do in defense of our nation. There aren’t many people in this nation who haven’t heard Dan Choi’s story. Him wearing his uniform to carry out this publicity stunt probably degraded our cause in the minds of many people whose attitudes we still need to change.

Regarding the testimony of General Sheehan, Toujours Moins stated “Much like Choi’s behavior being viewed as offensive to those who wear the uniform, Sheehan’s comments are equally offensive and damaging to those who have worked with our NATO and other military partners, in addition to the blatant insult to all gays and lesbians who have served in their nations’ armed forces.”

Lt. Choi was upset with the Human Rights Campaign after his arrest. He stated:

“If [HRC] thinks that having a rally at Freedom Plaza with a comedienne is the right approach, I have to wonder,” he said. “Don’t ask, don’t tell is not joking matter to me. To be at Freedom Plaza and not at the White House or Congress? Who are they trying to influence? I felt like they were just trying to speak to themselves. If that’s the best the lobbying groups and HRC can do, then I don’t know how these powerful groups are supposed to represent our community. Kathy Griffin and [HRC President] Joe Solmonese said they would march with me to the White House but didn’t. I feel so betrayed by them.”

The HRC people may, indeed, have promised to march to the White House, but it is doubtful that they, who had spent months working on lobbying Congress on LGBT healthcare reforms and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell would have supported Choi and Pietrangelo’s decision to handcuff themselves to the White House fence. In fact, Dan Choi did this action in conjunction with GetEqual.org.

There is a feeling among some, especially within the military, that Lt. Choi is more interested in media attention and fame than in forwarding the cause of DADT repeal. Certainly, Lt. Choi’s behavior and being arrested in uniform may end up with him discharged from the military under the laws of Military Jurisprudence instead of the ineffective, unjust, and costly policy known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

The battle over DADT repeal, and even LGBT rights, is something like one giant game of chess except that, unlike a chessboard where there are two players, there are hundreds of different sides vying for victory. It is a game that relies upon strategy and tactics, not stunts. Unfortunately, the feeling is that what Choi and Pietrangelo relied upon were stunts and not strategies. While they are right in their passion and desire to see DADT become part of the past, their efforts have been resoundly panned even within the wider LGBT Community. The time for these tactics may come. The day that LGBT Americans chain themselves to the doors of Congress may come one day. The key is knowing when. This was not the time. Not yet, at least.

“We are deeply disappointed that, after months of lobbying for their inclusion, important measures specifically addressing the needs of LGBT people and people with HIV – ending the unfair taxation of employer-provided domestic partner health benefits, permitting states to offer early HIV treatment under Medicaid, collecting critical health data on LGBT people and addressing discrimination in health care – are not a part of this bill.”

Up until yesterday, Representative Tammy Baldwin was certain that these provisions would remain within the final bill.

The bill did put back in provisions funding abstinence only education despite the fact that such programs are a complete failure and only delay teens having sexual relations by about a year over other sex ed programs. Unfortunately, because so many of them are unaware of contraception, the rates of pregnancy among teens in abstinence only education programs is higher than those in more comprehensive programs.

The bill is expected to be voted on this weekend.

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Several of Lt. Choi’s friends tried to get him to abandon his protest, which they saw as damaging the cause of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The controversy surrounding both his actions and the words of Kathy Griffin are being seen as damaging the potential passage of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act which is before the House and Senate right now. Critics of the bill point to actions not dissimilar to those of Lt. Choi as grounds to oppose repeal.

Lt. Choi has stated that he did not give Bravo, which is following Kathy Griffin, a heads up about what he was planning on doing, and it is unclear if the Human Rights Campaign were also informed of this. However, anyone who read LGR earlier today knew of the probability of this occurring.

Dan Choi Handcuffs Himself To White House In Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Protest

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Kathy Griffin’s remarks, which have become a major problem, are being seen as being fairly off putting and certainly not in line with the seriousness of the attempt to repeal DADT. Criticism for her remarks came from Capital Hill’s Roll Call:

Kathy Griffin might be a D-list diva, but she says House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) is royalty — of a sort. “I’m meeting with this big queen named Jim Clyburn,” Griffin, who is in Washington this week to lobby for an end to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, told HOH. “I’m going to be the first person to ever walk into his office and go, ‘Hey, girl!’” Griffin is also slated to meet with the chamber’s two openly gay Congressmen, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) (“Leave it to the gays to have two first names,” she joked) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) (“Jared’s a good gay name”).

Michael Triplett, from Mediate, stated

But in a town where even her gays don’t necessarily find Griffin’s shtick funny when it comes to politics, there’s been some blowback by the oh-so-serious LGBT power bloggers. Joe Subday at AmericaBlog said “I get that she’s a comedian (I’m a fan), but lobbying is actually serious business, especially on LGBT issues. Yes, it’s funny to you and me when Kathy Griffin insults members of Congress by calling them “big queens.” It’s a dumb way to lobby on DADT.”

John Aravosis, also at AmericaBlog, chimed in on the comment page of his blog, calling it ” idiotic to choose someone like her for a high profile job on a serious issue like this. Invite her to your dinner, sure. Don’t invite her to Congress to represent us. It smacks of either HRC self-promoting or desperately trying to show the community they’re doing something. Either way, not good.”

The remarks went against the seriousness of the occasion. Many politicians and generals who are overseeing this entire process may not like being portrayed as being “queens”, and certainly are not going to take that very well. Indeed, it is a fairly childish form of humor which might endear her to some, but not to all of the people who are looking to overturn Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell or the people who have the power to do that.

Rep. Cao (R-LA) to Cosponsor the Military Readiness Enhancement Act
DADT Controversy: Kathy Griffin Criticized For Calling Congressman A “Big Queen”

03/17/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

Kathy Griffin, comedian and longtime supporter of the LGBT community, is holding her own rally to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.  The rally is tomorrow, Thursday, March 18th at Freedom Plaza in D.C. Griffin released a statement about the rally:

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03/09/2010- by Natasia Langfelder

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Image via Wikipedia

Melanie Nathan;  2/28/10   -  Clay Aiken came out as Gay over a year ago.  now he is advocating for Gay rights.  If one wears the hat of celeb – and you come out as Queer — you have not come home until you use your talent and celebrity capital to come OUT FOR EQUALITY.

So yes it has been a year Clay Aiken, since you stepped out ( of the ‘fan-will -not -love -me- fear and oops-there go-my-CD/Itune-sales’ ) and embossed your sexuality with the risk of publicity.

Now we welcome Clay with gratitude as he has finally come home.  Your speech at HRC – for whatever it is worth – let me think -  mmm maybe a few lil ol lady crooner fans will awaken this Sunday to realize that the  nice quiet ordinary looking young man who can sing well and father kids is entitled to be treated by his country with respect.   Maybe HRC will spoil its coffers with some Clay money. Yeah Clay money – that is why HRC brought out the big guns for where?  For North Carolina, silly.   North Carolina?  Yes that is where HRC hosts its second largest annual fundraiser.

Who will watch this other than the Choir?  Will Clays Fans be truly informed or is this a sheltered piece of info for our friends only, Andy, Joe, Pam, et al…. hey put me in there too please, its Melanie….  Well anyway here it is and if your Mom happened to hear the speech please let me know…..  here is the Link:   CLAY AIKEN SPEECH  AT HRC.

Via Pam’s Blend – “What the hell took me so long? I was waiting like so many folks are waiting… for change,” Aiken said. “I realized the time for waiting has passed. The power of truth and living honestly is very liberating”.

Per Melanie Nathan :- Sorry Clay I do not buy it. Waiting for change to come out – is that another word for afraid to come out in a hostile climate?

Now let me ask this HoHum …what HRC is different about this: Looks the same ol same ol to me- oh ok its centered that is what is difference.

1. “We are going to eliminate the tax that you pay on domestic partner benefits. We’re going to get rid of that this year at long last.”

2. “We are going to extend domestic partnerships to federal employees.”

3. “We are going to get people living with HIV/AIDS treatment much earlier if they are on public assistance.”

4. “And finally, finally this year we are going to bring down the discriminatory policy known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’…once and for all.”

Grrrrrrrrrrrr – Stop being realistic all the time HRC – realistic and practical has got us nothing for years.  A civil rights movement cannot afford to be practical. What are these Galas about?  Keeping you in Jobs?  How about risky – Like – This year we are going to support the Repeal of DOMA – We are going to support Jerold Nadler’s Respect for Marriage Act, We are going to help Ugandan Gays and lesbians get the hell out of Dodge; We are going to ensure Bi-national LGBT spouses can live together in the USA.

My question is how do we win the hearts and minds (as Cliche’d as that sounds) of the ‘Lil Ol Ladies ‘ of America?  The ones that do not attend Human Rights Campaign Dinners. Any ideas out there?

By Melanie Nathan. www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com

@oblogdeeoblogda
www.privatecourts.com
nathan@privatecourts.com

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I would like to join them in this call urging the President and Congress to include provisions for the repeal of DADT in next years defense authorization budget bill, for DADT repeal this year is what we all want.

However in calling for action against the HRC, and demanding that they get on the President or else,  I get a sense Mr. Aravosis and the bloggers possibly do not to fully understand where our true challenges to repealing DADT may currently lay.

Yes, while President Obama is indeed the Commander in Chief, and we expect him to lead the repeal of Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell, just as we expect the HRC to be one of our voices in conveying those expectation to him, I would like to note, this debate has moved to a new place and among a very different set of people that the HRC or most of our community for that matter, has any real experience in dealing with.

This debate is not only in the Congress, on our televisions and in the pages of our websites; DADT is now also being actively debated in earnest among our very most senior uniformed military commanders in the Pentagon and in commands around the world.

These highly decorated military commanders have considerable weight inside the DoD when it comes to policy and most are very are pragmatic. They have been trained to do what they feel is best for our security and they strongly feel they should not just salute, say yes sir what ever you want Mr. President when it comes to defending the country. And some are more then determined to resist policies they feel would damage military effectiveness.

Image via Wikipedia

It is true that while our military is subordinate to civilian authority, one must realize with two wars being waged and with Congress and an American People worried about the security and defense of our nation; some of these officers have become quite adept at making end runs around that civilian leadership authority, and have gained substantial successes in promoting their views on policy in the decision making process on Capitol Hill, notwithstanding even the sometimes contrary opinions of their civilian and military superiors.

So while Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen have told Congress they believe DADT needs to come to an end, not all of the Joint Chiefs are in agreement with them, in fact the Chiefs the Army, Air Force and most vocally the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Conway, are for various reasons, opposed to changing the policy.

Repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a very important personal issue to me and I have been fortunate to have access to members of our military and to other people very close to the top Pentagon leadership, many of whom have shared their thoughts on the DADT issue.

But like I said, it is a very important personal issue to me.

You see the military has been my family’s business for a very long time. I am the daughter of an Air Force general, the sister of a Marine wounded in Iraq and the niece of a man with his name on the Vietnam Memorial. My late wife Debbie was at one time an officer and a pilot in the United States Navy. I grew up in the military family and I understand how that family thinks.

Debbie loved the Navy, lived to fly, and was, in the opinion of many of her peers and superiors, a credit to the Navy, an exemplary pilot, and a valuable asset to our nation. She gave that up for me, but she never gave up the fight to end the policy that made her choose between the woman she loved and the country she loved to serve.

A year ago in December, Debbie lost a long struggle with breast cancer, and in her final days, she spoke often of her service. Moreover in those last months with Debbie, I truly learned how important her Navy days and her service to this country had been, so in those last few days with her I made a promise that I would do all I could do to continue her fight against DADT.

Because of my family background and life experience, I know we have some formidable Pentagon personalities arrayed against repealing Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell. I know too there are also more than a few key senior uniformed military commanders still undecided where they will eventually stand on this issue, that the Pentagon figures opposed to repeal, are lobbying these fence sitters hard and that it is now key to make sure we don’t do anything to make those fence sitters join the opposition.

Until now, the arguments being used by the senior uniformed military officers opposed to Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell have been those same worn out emotional and religious objections used so much when LGBT rights are discussed by those who oppose them and that these pragmatic, but quite politically astute fence sitters had been generally taking those argument for what they are worth.

Nevertheless in the last few weeks, some officers opposed to repeal have apparently begun a new argument, that saying, LGBT troops and LGBT’s in general are ‘inherently undisciplined’, and we are being portrayed as petulant and spoiled children. These officers have pointed to the recent mis-communication by Lt. Dan Choi’s about his recall to active service as an example to that lack of discipline and called it showboating. I am told a now favored quote with these officers is an old Marine Corps adage about young officers that has been changed to say, “ the most dangerous thing on the battlefield is a Gay Lieutenant, who thinks he knows everything, about everything and who is going to tell us all about it.”

We must all understand who and what we are dealing with at this point in the debate.

We must too not lose sight of the fact that civilian control of our military is a sometimes awkward, but always situational process, which has always been an edgy partnership to reconcile diverging perspectives in pursuit of the common defense of our nation. We must also continue to remember the uniformed military leaderships understandings of the LGBT community is simply a reflection of larger societal understandings, even as actions taken by the military have in turn influenced American society as a whole.

And while I am no fan of the HRC, in this case I have to agree with the statement the HRC issued yesterday telling us we need to build diverse local coalitions; to increase public education; to activate grassroots contacts with members of Congress; to form an online hub for action on repeal; and to partner with other key groups working on repeal, especially Servicemembers United and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, who have a far better working relationships with contacts in the Pentagon, then does the HRC.

The Pentagon politics for and against the repeal of Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell will continue I am told, and I have been guaranteed that some very the senior uniformed military officers opposed to Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell are going to make that opposition known to Congress come hell or high water. And I know when those officer do that, we will need all the help we can get in Congress to mitigate any damage they might do, and it is working with the Congress where the HRC should be focused, because you can be sure these officers will present a very impressive image to the American public and to the Members of Congress and they are going to try to diminish our cause.

We must also all see that actions which may have in the past worked for us to get our elected official moving on DADT repeal are not likely to impress generals and admirals all that much, and that a mob of screaming LGBT’s, most of whom they view as having no concept of the military’s very unique culture and traditions, lead by an origination that has no historical working relationship with the DoD, demanding those generals and admirals fall into line with repeal will only have the opposite effect on the fence sitters and more then likely push them closer to the oppositions point of view.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has to be repealed this year and we all agree on that, but we don’t need to be acting like a divided bunch of spoiled children at this point. More importantly we cannot let those Generals and Admirals who are still undecided on this issue, see us acting as such and kicking each other out of our collective frustration would be doing just that.

Believe me, I understand the impatience and I can tell you as Debbie’s partner of 11 years; she would be as frustrated that repeal of DADT has taken so long, but know she would be dealing with that frustration like her military training taught her, with an understanding on how to get this job done as the member of a team, seeing clearly that now is the time for everyone to be on the same page and focused in a united effort, with everyone doing what he or she does best.

The success or failure for the repeal of Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell will be in all how we present this issue to the generals now and in a recent conversation with the HRC, I did not see them having a real handle on working with them yet, even though I could tell they are actively looking for ways to do that. So I don’t see wasting time harassing the Human Rights Campaign as a way to vent frustrations over the slow pace of ending the policy as a constructive way to keep my promise to my beloved Debs.

We are just too close to making my Debbie’s dying wish, reality, for me to do that.

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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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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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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.

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.

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.

“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.”

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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