A Grand day out - At the Sacramento Pride Festival

My son Spencer is the greatest, M is in Brasil and so he joined me at the 2009 Sacramento Pride Festival. It is amazing, 20 years ago I remember being nervous bout attending a tiny little get to gether inthe park. We aren't 3.5 million, but by golly we were a couple of thousand! Viva!

The shots here are of the parade before we went into the Festival grounds... enjoy!

You have your Revolution-Do something with it.

Courtesy of Pam's House Blend

Quote of the Day

From Everybody Means Somebody

Both these sentiments are echoed in our own times by Bahá’u'lláh:

O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.

(The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic No. 68)

and

O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbour. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

(Ibid: Arabic No. 2)

If only most of us could live according to those two principles the world would be transformed. How many times must they be repeated before we get the point?

Thank you Everybody Means Somebody!

SF City Attorney Files Amicus Brief On Behalf Of Federal Marriage Suit

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera has filed the first amicus brief in support of Ted Olson and David Boies' federal marriage suit.

"The constitutional challenge to Proposition 8 in federal court persuasively argues that the measure's only conceivable purpose was to withhold honor and respect from the relationships of same-sex couples, and to do so to them alone," Herrera said. "This kind of discrimination against lesbians and gay men as a class has been remedied before in our federal jurisprudence -- in Romer v. Evans, in Lawrence v. Texas, and in other cases. The plaintiffs here make a compelling case for the federal courts to ensure that justice is done in California, and I am pleased to offer San Francisco's expertise to support their efforts." Herrera's brief additionally supports the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction, which if granted would immediately require local governments in California to resume issuing civil marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Two days ago California Attorney General Jerry Brown said that Prop 8 be kept legal until the federal suit is resolved.

DOJ To Meet With GLAD, Lambda Legal, Others Over DOMA Challenges

Courtesy of JMG for this:

More reaction from the Obama administration. The DOJ has agreed to meet next week with Lambda Legal, Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and other LGBT orgs to "hash out how to proceed with pending DOMA cases." Via Greg Sargent:

The Obama Justice Department has reached out to major gay rights organizations and scheduled a private meeting for next week with the groups, in an apparent effort to smooth over tensions in the wake of the controversy over the administration’s defense in court of the Defense of Marriage Act. Tracy Russo, a spokesperson for Justice, confirmed the meeting to me, after I posted below that top gay rights lawyers were miffed that administration lawyers had rebuffed their requests to meet and discuss ongoing litigation involving DOMA. At the meeting — which hasn’t been announced and is expected to include leading gay rights groups like GLAD and Lambda Legal — both sides are expected to hash out how to proceed with pending DOMA cases.

Keep up the pressure, it's working.

Who Could Vote for Hate?

Who Could Vote for Hate? Why, the Fundamentalists and the GOP Right Wing, of Course. -- A BuzzFlash News Analysis

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Christine Bowman

Congress and AG Eric Holder are Standing Up To Hate. Fundamentalists and GOP Disingenuously Ask, 'Hate? What Hate?'

Hate crimes are up -- especially against gays and Latinos. "There has been a documented rise in these threats of violence" which have been "stoked by extreme political rhetoric... sensationalism and irresponsibility that we've seen on talk-show radio and other forms of communication, like the Internet," Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, reports.

A new and broader hate-crime bill that should help address the issue passed in the House in late April [vote summary here], and it is slated to be taken up by the Senate before August. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the bill, and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Arlen Specter (D-PA) are cosponsors. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) called hate crimes "a unique brand of evil" that distresses entire communities.

Paraphrasing a summary by the Human Rights Campaign, the bill would give the Department of Justice (DOJ) the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence when the perpetrator selected the victim because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It would also let the DOJ aid state and local jurisdictions or take the lead in investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated, violent crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury. Finally, the bill would provide for grants to help state and local communities combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers or assist in investigations and prosecutions.

That is what is being done on the legislative side to keep America safe from ideologically-driven violence. Attorney General Eric Holder, too, is ready to fight back against crimes driven by hate. Tuesday, speaking before the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Holder was unequivocal in his support for the bill and vowed to use the full power of the DOJ to protect all Americans. Here's part of what he said:

Over the last several weeks, we have witnessed brazen acts of violence, committed in places that many would have considered unthinkable – a sacred memorial in the nation’s capital, a recruiting station for the nation’s armed forces, and a church in the nation’s heartland. The violence in Washington, Little Rock, and Wichita reminds us of the potential threat posed by violent extremists and the tragedy that ensues when reasoned discourse is replaced by armed confrontation. ...

But neither our respect for the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech, nor our earnest hope for common ground, can justify the violence we saw in Kansas. We will not tolerate murder, or the threat of violence, masquerading as political activism. So let me be clear, the Justice Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect the rights ensured under our constitution. And we will do all that we can to deter violence against reproductive health care providers and to prosecute those who commit such violence to the fullest extent of the law. ...

The violence we have seen during the last month may seem daunting to some. But I view these tragedies as a call to action. ... Let us commit ourselves – regardless of party affiliation or political viewpoint – to the difficult work ahead: building an America in which the kind of violence we have seen these last few weeks is but a distant memory. And building an America in which all of our Nation’s citizens, in equal measure, enjoy the fruits of our founding documents. [our emphasis]

http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090616.html

Holder also addressed voting rights: "Our commitment to Equal Protection -- and to full participation in our nation's elections -- will not waiver." (A case now before the Supreme Court of the United States challenges Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.) He said the DOJ's Civil Rights Division "is on its way to regaining its luster."

All that is music to progressives' ears, of course. Although Obama's attorney general has disappointed many in how he has continued some cases begun under the Bush Administration, he does stand up for principles, as when he argued for the release of the torture memos in April. And he told a West Point audience, "the strength of our nation has always been our ability to correct course ..."

Do not let it be said that the right wingers do not have their principles, too. They're just different. Ashley Horne, analyst for Focus on the Family Action, enunciated the do-nothing principle: "Hate-crimes laws are unnecessary in a civil society like ours based on the rule of law. ... Democrats in Congress who are pushing this legislation forward really just have a solution looking for a problem." Yes, the right stands firmly against "the homosexual agenda," as they put it, and against reproductive freedom. The recent hate-drenched shooters had principles, too. They just lacked certain others.

Hate crimes occur at least once every hour in the United States. Can the GOP come to grips with that? Can they cut loose their radical fringe and follow the lead of the "Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act" cosponsors Snowe and Collins? "Equal Protection" -- it's for all Americans.

Note: The bill's opponents identify the following as needing to hear from citizens:

x	Blanche Lincoln D- AR	202-224-4843
x	Byron L. Dorgan D- ND	202-224-2551
x	Herb Kohl D-WI	202-224-5653
x	James Webb D- VA	202-224-4024
x	Jon Tester D- MT	202-224-2644
x	Kay Hagan D- NC	202-224-6342
x	Kent Conrad D- ND	202-224-2043
x	Mark Pryor D- AR	202-224-2353
x	Mark Warner D- VA	202-224-2023
x	Max Baucus D- MT	202-224-2651

x	Michael Bennet D- CO	202-224-5852
x	Robert C. Byrd D- WV	202-224-3954
x	Russ Feingold D-WI	202-224-5323
x	Ted Kaufman D-DE	202-224-5042
x	Thomas Carper D- DE	202-224-2441
x	Tom Udall D- NM	202-224-6621

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

(OK, you've been warned)

Best response to all things homophobic. Viva la France! (thanks Dan)

Click here: YouTube - The GayClic Collab Against Homophobia (from France)

It's the French video response from http://www.GayClic.com readers to Stevie Bee Bishop's "Big Fat Gay Collab". Posted on the International Day Against Homophobia, May 17, 2009.

Conservatives Aren't Being Persecuted

Leonard Pitts Jr. | Conservatives Aren't Being Persecuted

http://www.truthout.org/061909O

Leonard Pitts Jr., The Miami Herald: "Modern conservatism is defined by an Alice-through-the-looking-glass incoherence: small government except when it is growing larger than ever, fiscal restraint except when we are spending like Michael Jackson in a Disney gift shop, foreign-policy pragmatism except when we are trying to transform the Middle East. Indeed, sometimes it feels as if it is no longer defined by principles at all, nor by energy and ideas, but rather, by a limitless ability to feel put upon and slighted."

Why the New iPhone Sucks

World Congress Latin American Development Fund

World Congress Latin American Development Fund

The World Congress Latin American Development Fund was created three years ago to help integrate our fellow gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Jews into the mainstream Jewish communities in Latin America.

During April 2009, we are continuing our Tzedaka work, helping underserved GLBT Jews around the world with a recommitment to the Latin America Development Fund. But we need your help.

Perhaps you are fortunate enough to be a member of an LGBT synagogue or Jewish community group that is welcoming to Jews of all sexual orientations. In many communities served by the World Congress, Jews are unable to fully participate in Jewish communal life. (Read a succesfull story)
Please be a facilitator for them and help move your community and your family toward this goal. Help us continue helping.

Click here to make a secure online donation.

Or please send your checks or money orders payable to the World Congress or WCGLBTJ. Memo: Latin America Development Fund 2009.
PO Box 23379 Washington, DC 20026-3379 USA
Or contact our treasurer treasurer@glbtjews.org

For more information about the program please contact coordinator@glbtjews.org

Yes on Gay Marriage

Gay Pride Month has been a great opportunity for volunteers to get involved with our Yes on Gay Marriage campaign. We are seeking 1,000,000 petition signatures to present to President Barack Obama during the National Gay March on Washington D.C. on October 11, 2009.

You can show your support by making a small donation and we will send you a Yes on Gay Marriage T-shirt, Yes on Gay Marriage Sticker, or both.

We are seeing new grassroots movement for equal rights, similar to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s. The young people in our community are hungry to get involved in this fight. They want their voices to be heard and they are angry that federal and state elected officials seem only to be paying lip service to their promises of fierce advocacy for equal rights for the gay community.

Yes On Gay Marriage Team Members are organizing petition drives at hundreds of local Gay Pride events and celebrations all over America. The new interest comes on the heels of the court’s decision to uphold Prop 8, a Justice Department brief comparing gay marriage to incest, the discharge of highly qualified and trained military personnel under the “Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell” policy and President Obama’s seemingly tepid support of equal rights for gays, a community that heavily backed his campaign for the presidency.

Happy Gay Pride Month!

Sincerely,

Dan Kirk

Gays in Great Danger in Iraq

Gays in Great Danger in Iraq

By Bill Berkowitz, Religion Dispatches, June 15, 2009


After months of silence, the U.S. State Department finally condemns the murders of 24 young men who were gay, or perceived to be gay.

In 2005, during the height of internecine violence and resistance to the U.S. occupation, the country’s most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali a-Sistani, issued a religious decree that said that gay men and lesbians should be “punished, in fact, killed.” He added, “The people should be killed in the worst, most severe way of killing.” According to the New York Times, “The language has since been removed from his Web site.”

When al-Sistani talks, some Iraqis listen!

In early April, the New York Times reported that “The relative freedom of a newly democratic Iraq and the recent improvement in security have allowed a gay subculture to flourish here. The response has been swift and deadly.”

In late May, ABC News reported that “Two gay men were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City slum, and police confirmed they found the bodies of four more men, all killed during a 10-day period after an unknown Shiite militia group urged a crackdown on homosexuals in the country.” A month earlier, commenting about two young men that had been recently killed, a Sadr City official who declined to be named, called the young men “sexual deviants [whose] … tribes killed them to restore their family honor," according to a Reuters report.

Reuters also noted that prior to the murders, “Sermons condemning homosexuality were read [in late March] at … Friday prayer gatherings in Sadr City, a sprawling Baghdad slum of some 2 million people [that] … is a bastion of support for fiery Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia.”

"This (homosexuality) has spread because of the absence of the Mehdi Army, the spread of sexual films and satellite television and a lack of government surveillance," said the office's Sheikh Ibrahim al-Gharawi, a Shi'ite cleric.

While homosexuality is prohibited nearly everywhere in the Middle East, homosexual acts are punishable by up to seven years in prison in Iraq.

ABC News reported that “The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs believes as many as 30 people have been killed during the last three months because they were -- or were perceived to be -- gay.”

A Human Right Watch Iraq country report 2009, pointed out that “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are also vulnerable to attacks from state and non-state actors.”

Amnesty International, in a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, called for "urgent and concerted action" to end the violence against the gay community, the group reported on its Web site.

In an interview with EdgeBoston, Scott Long, director of Human Rights Watch’s LGBT Rights Program who had been on a fact-finding mission to Iraq, responded to State spokesperson John T. Fleming's statement that “homosexuality is not a crime in Iraq,” by saying that Fleming’s statement "would be an interesting fact if the law, or the rule of law, mattered in Iraq.”

Wayman Hudson of the Bilerico Project recently pointed out that “While statistics have been hard to gather on the number of LGBT Iraqis killed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, it has recently been reported that at least 25 boys and men have been killed in Baghdad alone because they were either gay or believed to be.”

Now, after months of silence, the United States finally issued a sharply worded condemnation. When questioned by reporters, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said “In general, we absolutely condemn acts of violence and human rights violations committed against individuals in Iraq because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

This is an issue that we've been following very closely since we have been made aware of these allegations, and we are aware of the allegations. Our training for Iraqi security forces includes instruction on the proper observance of human rights.

“Human rights training is also a very important part of our and other international donors' civilian capacity-building efforts in Iraq. And the US embassy in Baghdad has raised, and will continue to raise, the issue with senior officials from the government of Iraq, and has urged them to respond appropriately to all credible reports of violence against gay and lesbian Iraqis.

Iraqi LGBT (http://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com/) (“a Human Rights group Supporting Iraqi lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people”) is in desperate need of funds “to assist … efforts to help other Lesbians, Gay, Bisexuals and Trans gender Iraqi's facing death, persecution and systematic targeting by the Iraqi Police and Badr and Sadr Militia and to raise awareness about the wave of homophobic murders in Iraq to the outside world.”

According to the website, “Funds raised will also help provide LGBTs under threat of killing with refuge in the safer parts of Iraq (including safe houses, food, electricity, medical help) and assist efforts help them seek refuge in neighboring countries.”

Less Unequal is Still Unequal -- Dump DOMA!

Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont now allow same-sex couples to marry and to enjoy the rights and responsibilities of civil marriage in those states. And thousands of same-sex marriages performed in California before the passage of Prop 8 ended equal marriage there are still valid according to a recent court ruling.

But in none of these places can someone in a same-sex marriage who has paid into the social security program collect survivors' benefits if his or her spouse were to pass away, nor receive the hundreds of other important federal benefits that heterosexual married couples are entitled to receive. This is because of the prohibitions contained in the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

DOMA is a looming roadblock to full legal equality for same-sex couples ... a roadblock that candidate AND President-elect Barack Obama pledged to remove.

People For the American Way is collecting the names of Americans willing speak out and tell both the president and congressional leaders that the time has come to DUMP DOMA, and that they should act to do so now.

Please add your name to the petition and to this historic movement now: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://bit.ly/2LyWq

Yesterday, President Obama announced that he is moving administratively to provide some benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. This is a very small step in the right direction, but it's really just a token, and tokens are no longer enough. What stands in the way of real progress for all same-sex couples is DOMA, which denies the most important benefits -- healthcare, retirement, health insurance and more -- to anyone but "spouses" under DOMA's definition of marriage (ie. married heterosexual couples).

And sadly, the administration has not lived up to the president's earlier calls to repeal DOMA.

Last Friday, the Justice Department filed a legal brief in which it went far above and beyond simply defending DOMA as a federal policy against a court challenge. The brief cited laws regarding incest ... it called DOMA a policy of government "neutrality" (which it is clearly anything but) ... and it justified the government's continued discrimination on the basis that it's cheaper than expanding fundamental rights and protections.

There is no defense for the Defense of Marriage Act. Tell the president and Congress it's time for DOMA to go. Tell them to DUMP DOMA now: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://bit.ly/2LyWq

Please speak up and remind our leaders now that less unequal is still unequal -- tell them to DUMP DOMA: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://bit.ly/2LyWq

-- Your Allies at People For the American Way

P.S. You can read PFAW's statement on today's administrative action by Obama here: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://bit.ly/17EDSP

It's Time To Repeal DADT

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: I Stand With Lt. Dan Choi, It's Time To Repeal DADT

I am firmly committed to repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. I plan to work with Lt. Choi to repair the damage to his career and spare thousands of brave men and women from the same injustice.

Religious right leaders say it is anti-Christian to oppose hate?

Religious right leaders say it is anti-Christian to oppose hate? Yes, you read that right!

Fred Karger sent a message to the members of Californians Against Hate

Read the whole story on: The Huffington Post

Fred Karger
Posted: June 17, 2009 02:28 PM

How to Win Back Same-Sex Marriage In California - Voter Registration

I spent three decades as a public affairs and political consultant. I spent a couple of hours at Los Angeles Gay Pride last Sunday.

Being heavily involved right now in our LGBT civil rights movement, it is important to observe what is going on out there. Several hundred thousand people attended the Sunday morning parade and the annual weekend festival. June is Gay Pride month, and there are literally dozens of cities in California that hold Pride weekends throughout June and all summer long.

Last year's Pride was particularity interesting, because much to our surprise, gay marriage had been made legal just weeks earlier, and it was going to take affect days later. What an exciting and historic time that was. What a difference a year makes.

I remember last year that there was no one registering voters the entire weekend of LA Pride. Odd I thought, since one year ago we knew in advance that Proposition 8 was very likely going to be on the November 4th ballot.

Voter registration is an essential element in all major political campaigns. Practically every campaign and every political party has conducted voter registration drives almost going back as far as George Washington. It's basic, nothing really new or innovative. The idea is, to register new voters who will vote with you in order to help your side get more votes than your opponents. Like I said, pretty basic.

This year I went into the Pride Festival to do a little test. I wanted to see what all was going on with voter registration.

I had assumed that our wonderful LGBT organizations (and they are incredible organizations) would have hundreds of people out registering LGBT voters and all our friends at LA Pride this year. I figured that they would be taking advantage of this mostly younger crowd, and get everyone at Gay Pride registered to vote. After all we very likely will be back on the ballot to repeal Prop 8 in less than 17 months.

As I went to my first LGBT political booth, I asked gently if there was a way to register to vote? A young bewildered volunteer said, "not really sure." I visited the over 20 more LGBT political booths, out of over several hundred at the festival. Sadly, I could not find one voter registration card! Not even one!!!

During my wanderings, I finally met a very nice girl who had heard that the Stonewall Democrats booth had some voter registration forms. She marched me right over there, and I was thinking bingo, but alas, after some searching around they first said "we ran out," then said, "sorry, we don't have any." Then the cute volunteer added, "good idea though."
200,000 to 300,000 LGBT individuals and so many of our friends were in one place, who all agree that marriage equality should return to California. You do the math. Talk about a missed opportunity!!!

I'm pretty certain that at least half of the mostly younger crowd at Pride is not registered to vote yet. Once they do register, they will be voting for let's say 70 more years on many more LGBT issues and for candidates who support us. That's a lot of Novembers and Junes. In California, all new voters have the option of checking a box to have an absentee ballot mailed to their home forever. Vote at home = very high turnout.

It's simple. Elections are won by who gets the most votes. We narrowly lost last year. Let's put on the biggest, most successful most fun voter registration program in California history. Let's give it a catchy name like "Milk the Vote" or "Register for Equality." Then brand it, use our massive volunteer force that has been and continues to be organized, and let's go get 600,000 new LGBT voters and our friends registered now. This new army should be everywhere the next 17 months where there is a gay event, rally, march, college campus and any place that there are more than 25 gay people assembled.

It's a lot of work, but if all our organizations and volunteers get behind "Milk the Vote," or whatever the name is, we can make up the 599,602 votes that we lost by and win next year's election to repeal Prop 8. Let's make sure that California once again leads the way on equality.
I appeal to all our very effective LGBT organizations to work together and make voter registration the number one activity between now and next October 18th (last day to register for the November 2, 2010 election).
Hell, people can even register on line: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.sos.ca.gov/nvrc/fedform/ and then just print out the form and mail it in.

We lost by only 4% of the vote last year -- 599,602 votes out of the over 13.4 million cast on Prop 8. What a change from just 8 years earlier when we lost by 23%!

Please, make this the last Pride in California, or anywhere in the country for that matter, where we are not registering voters.
It is the smartest thing that we can be doing now and for our future.
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