Breaking: President to speak at HRC Annual Dinner held during the National Equality March weekend

This great news courtesy of PHB

High Price of Being a Gay Couple Mostly an Effect of DOMA

Courtesy of PHB

Group Rescues Gay Men Targeted In Iraq

Audio for this story from Talk of the Nation will be available at approx. 6:00 p.m. ET

Read Matt McAllester's article, "The Hunted"

October 5, 2009

Reports of death squads and torture of gay men in Iraq have been on the rise. In an article for New York Magazine, Matthew McAllester describes the wave of attacks against gays in Iraq, and how a few New Yorkers have built an underground railroad to rescue them.

From the Office of Congresswoman Matsui

From: Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 7:53 AM

To: Orey, Daniel C
Subject: From the Office of Congresswoman Matsui

October 5, 2009


Dear Daniel:


Thank you for contacting me regarding the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important civil rights issue.


As you know, the Respect for Marriage Act, H.R. 3567, repeals the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to ensure that valid same-sex marriages are respected under federal law. Specifically, H.R. 3567 repeals Section 2 of DOMA to restore the ability of the states to determine whether to recognize a marriage for purposes of their law. Additionally, the legislation affords legally married same-sex couples the benefits of marriage under federal law by repealing Section 3 of DOMA. I am an original co-sponsor of this important piece of legislation because now, more than ever, we must promote and encourage equality while also working to end discrimination.


The opportunity to marry and create a family is something sacred to every American, deserving of the utmost respect. As a member of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, I have continuously supported efforts that seek to promote civil rights and encourage equality, and I will continue working with my colleagues in the House of Representatives to repeal DOMA. Please know that I will keep your thoughts in mind should this legislation reach the floor of the House for a vote.



Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me with your views on DOMA. To learn more about my work in Congress, or to sign up for periodic e-mail updates, please visit my website at www.house.gov/matsui.



Sincerely,
[http://www.matsui.house.gov/images/stories/signature.gif]
DORIS O. MATSUI
Member of Congress


Note: Please do not respond directly to this e-mail. To serve my constituents most effectively, I have dedicated a portion of my website to constituent e-mails. To write me, please visit http://matsui.house.gov/email.asp.

Wear a White Knot

5 Things You Can Say...
when someone asks you why you are wearing a White Knot
or when you have the opportunity to talk about Marriage Equality.

1	I wear a White Knot because I support Marriage Equality. Everyone should have the right to tie the knot.
2	Marriage is about committed couples—all committed couples—who want to make a lifelong promise to take care of and be responsible for each other. This can only strengthen family and society.
3	Denying committed couples the security and legal protections of marriage hurts them; it’s wrong to make it harder for committed couples to take care of and be responsible for each other.
4	People can have different beliefs and still treat everyone fairly. That’s why our constitution exists to protect everyone equally, including minorities.
5	What if you were told that you couldn't marry the person you loved? What would that do to you? And what if you got married, and someone tried to take it away?

One Small email: To Our Love Rally Friends

From: Facebook page

Hello brothers and sisters this message is very brief and please excuse me for a quick interruption. We (People Against Clergy And Politicians Who Preach Hate!) will be having our another one of our "Love Rallies" tommorrow (Sunday, October 4th, 2009) at 10:00AM until 12:00PM by the Church whose minister openly prays for the death of our president, the suffering of his children and for the death penalty of all gay people-(genocide).
We know that most of you cannot physically attend but we feel it is no less important to ask you to please pray for our Love Rally to change the heart of this man from hate to love or to be there in spirit with us.

The address is at: 2707 W. Southern Ave. The major crossroads are: 48th Street and Southern.
One last thing: we will be on an Internet radio show called the Progressive Coalition broadcast out of Phoenix from 5:00PM until 6:00PM Pacific Standard Time. So, if you are in the Eastern United States that would be several hours earlier. We would really like to hear from you, the website it will be broadcast on is:
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;thejefffariasshow.com
We will have a toll free number: 1-800-385-1566
and the local number is: 602-275-4130.

Thank you, all very much for your love and spiritual support in our quest to take on Religious extremism and Political extremism hea with Love, Peace and Humanity so that one day, "America Can Be America Again".

Leonard Clark
founder of: People Against Clergy And Politicians Who Preach Hate!
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Bilerico: Weekly Reader: Roman Polanski, funny bracelets and old perverts

Are you going to the National Equality March or live in DC? If so, don't forget about the Bilerico Project blogger meetup (and my birthday party!). We'll be having our bash Friday Oct 9 at the Hotel Helix lounge; there will be alcohol served, but you don't have to be 21 to get in the door. You can RSVP on Facebook. I hope to see you there - how great would it be to celebrate my birthday with hundreds of friends?

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=150102307520&index=1

Bilerico Nation
Congresswoman Norton Issues Statement on DC's Marriage Equality Bill
Filed by: Michael Crawford (Bilerico-DC)
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;dc.bilerico.com/2009/10/congresswoman_norton_issues_statement_on.php

Maggie Gallagher's husband not welcome at NOM event?
Filed by: Donna Pandori (Bilerico-IN)
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;indiana.bilerico.com/2009/09/maggie_gallagher_-_raman_srivastav.php

Gay Bar Raids: A Double Standard
Filed by: Jesse Monteagudo (Bilerico-FL)
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;florida.bilerico.com/2009/10/jesses_journal_gay_bar_raids_a_double_st.php

Sunday
A woman's life was simpler in sexist ads
Filed by: Gloria Brame Ph.D.
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/09/a_womans_life_was_simpler_in_sexist_ads.php

Zipster on old, gay perverts
Filed by: Alex Blaze
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/09/zipster_on_old_gay_pervs.php

Monday
Gay military billboard destroyed in Memphis
Filed by: Alex Blaze
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/09/gay_military_billboard_destroyed_in_memphis.php

Why Polanski, After All These Years?
Filed by: Brynn Craffey
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/09/why_polanski.php

Tuesday
Banned Books Week -- 10 LGBT Books to Keep Unbanned
Filed by: Patricia Nell Warren
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/09/banned_books_week_--_10_lgbt_books_to_keep_unbanne.php

Hanging citizen journalists out to dry: shield-law amendment excludes unpaid bloggers
Filed by: Pam Spaulding
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/09/hanging_citizen_journalists_out_to_dry_shield-law.php

Wednesday
When Is a Bracelet Not a Bracelet?
Filed by: Prince Gomolvilas
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/09/when_is_a_bracelet_not_a_bracelet.php

Injustice for Florida Family
Filed by: Dana Rudolph
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/09/injustice_for_florida_family.php

Thursday
Marriage Equality Bill Introduced in Illinois Senate: Matches House Version
Filed by: Phil Reese
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/10/marriage_equality_bill_introduced_in_illinois_sena.php

He's 20 And He's Worried
Filed by: Father Tony
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/10/hes_20_and_hes_worried.php

Friday
UPDATED: Prominent Midwestern LGBT Activist Accused of Embezzling $5.9 Million
Filed by: Bil Browning
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/10/prominent_midwestern_lgbt_activist_accused_of_embe.php

The things you find on Craigslist: closet contortionists
Filed by: Gloria Brame Ph.D.
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.bilerico.com/2009/10/the_things_you_find_on_craigslist_closet_contortio.php

Don't forget:

Subscribe to the Bilerico Project Report to get all of the previous day's posts sent to you every night at midnight.
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=BilericoProject&loc=en_US

Follow Bilerico Project on Twitter for links to new posts, breaking news and contest opportunities.
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Subscribe to the Bilerico Project RSS feed to read posts via a feedreader like Google Reader or Bloglines, or include the feed in a customized homepage like My Yahoo! or iGoogle.
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Quote of the Day

"Obama believes the Republican Party is a party when in fact it's a mindset, like Hitler Youth, based on hatred - religious hatred, racial hatred. When you foreigners hear the word ‘conservative' you think of kindly old men hunting foxes. They're not, they're fascists."

- Gore Vidal

A message from Joe Solmonese

Look back on high school. Who do you remember? The kids who stuffed someone in a locker or the dozens or hundreds who were horrified when they learned about it in the cafeteria? Look back on college. Did those few people who were more than generous with their self-important opinions set the tone? Or was it the ones who patiently waited for a turn to speak that never came? The people who express themselves, however unacceptably, make an impression that lasts. When it comes to our views on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality, we often hear more from those who dislike us than from those who could be our friends, if we only knew.

That is why many LGBT people experience a world that is much less welcoming than you'd expect by reading poll numbers. Young people overwhelmingly recognize that we are equal, yet we also know that LGBT youth experience harassment in schools and experience depression at a high rate. Where are the affirming voices to counterbalance the hostile ones?

Americans strongly favor workplace protections, but many LGBT people who are out to friends are not out at work. We hear the shouts of condemnation. We hear about the parade of horribles that will befall society if we treat LGBT people as the human beings that we are. But most people don't agree with that. Where are you? And many LGBT people, regardless of how privileged we are, don't tell our straight friends about what our community faces. Where are you? In the age of Twitter, when you can instantly learn which celebrity is eating a bagel, the silence is incomprehensible.

This is the great irony of our time in LGBT rights history. If you watch enough TV, you'll think that you can't even become a beauty queen, much less an elected official, if you oppose our rights. But if you hear a United States senator call the Hate Crimes bill the "Pedophile Protection Act," if you hear your classmate say "that's so gay," it feels different. It takes over a decade to persuade your government—which already has a law protecting police dogs—to pass a law permitting the Department of Justice to step in when LGBT people are attacked and killed for who they are. It feels like you can't get an education without being reminded daily that to some of the people around you, you're a living insult.

As we prepare to celebrate National Coming Out Day on October 11, I'm reminded that this time for LGBT people and our allies to be open and honest is a process that never ends, and never ceases to benefit ourselves, our neighbors, and our families. At this point in our history, National Coming Out Day has a new significance. We are closer than we've ever been to protecting our rights, but it won't happen if we are the quiet ones, waiting. Every one of us needs to set the tone. Every one of us needs to speak up.

To my LGBT friends, the odds are that your neighbor, your sister, and your grocery checkout person think highly of you. The odds are also that they have no idea what you are facing. They don't know that even though some of us can marry, we still don't get as much out of Social Security. They don't know how many of us have missed out on a job, lost a relationship with a family member, or feared for our lives because we are LGBT. We need to tell them. And we need to tell them that our lives are still good—that we're nobody's victim. Then we need to answer their questions—even if they use the word "lifestyle." Even if the question starts with "so how do you…."

To the majority of non-LGBT people out there who would welcome us into your lives if you only knew how, and knew that we want you to: we want you to. And it doesn't matter if you know how. It doesn't matter if you've never said "lesbian" out loud. Practice in front of the mirror, if you'd like. Or not. Your LGBT co-worker or neighbor will understand that for you, this is the beginning of coming out. Too many people don't get to the beginning. If you think you're not outgoing enough, if you think you're not knowledgeable enough, if you think, heaven forbid, that you're not fabulous enough, speak up anyway.

To get the conversation going, HRC released videos of LGBT people and their families, friends, teachers, and other allies talking to one another about the experience of coming out and communicating as LGBT people and allies. They aren't actors and they aren't professional civil rights leaders. They are people who are ready to talk. I hope that you enjoy watching them, and feel inspired to join them.

Sincerely,

joe_solmonese_signature_150
Joe Solmonese
President, Human Rights Campaign

Mario Nguyen's Speech

Play it loud!

Quote of the Day

I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones.

John Cage
US composer of avant-garde music (1912 - 1992)

Today's Double Post

ABOUT VELVET REVOLUTION

Velvet Revolution is a term coined to describe the peaceful road to change in countries where governments ignored the inalienable rights of the people. A few inspiring Velvet Revolutions occurred in the former Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, South Africa, and of course, most recently in Ukraine. The citizens of those countries, tired of corruption and arrogant power, joined together by the millions in a sustained campaign of opposition – they demonstrated, boycotted, petitioned, and engaged in strikes until the pillars of power were replaced by the halls of the people.

Prop. 8 Supporters Subpoena Activist Who Revealed Contributors

By Matthew Pordum Daily Journal Staff Writer

SACRAMENTO In its continuing efforts to protect the identity of those who bankrolled the campaign to pass Proposition 8, lawyers for The National Organization for Marriage have issued a subpoena for one of the leaders behind the opposition, Californians Against Hate founder Fred Karger, who led boycotts and created websites outing top contributors.

The subpoena compels Karger to produce the group's financial records and all communications and documentation regarding affiliated websites and the dissemination of donor information. It also directs him to appear for a deposition on October 13th.

"This is harassment and they are trying to silence me," said Karger, who points out that he's not a party to the case. "I'm a citizen activist, and my organization is just me, funded entirely by myself versus the power of a group who has millions and millions of dollars behind it."

The subpoena, served over the Labor Day weekend, stems from a lawsuit filed in federal court in Sacramento in January by The National Organization for Marriage against California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, Attorney General Jerry Brown and FPPC Chairman Ross Johnson. ProtectMarriage.com v. Debra Bowen, 09-0058.

The group referred a reporter to its lawyer, Illinois-based James Bopp Jr. of Bopp, Coleson & Bostrom. Bopp did not return several calls seeking comment.

According to court records, the group is challenging the constitutionality of campaign finance disclosure requirements, claiming donors to Proposition 8 have been ravaged by e-mails, phone calls, postcards and even death threats.

In the suit, Bopp claims that the requirements of California's Political Reform Act of 1974 are unconstitutional by virtue of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Karger's website, www.californiansagainsthate.com, currently lists the names, addresses and donation amounts for the top 12 contributors to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign, under the heading "Dishonor Roll."

The Yes on 8 campaign raised nearly $30 million and won the ballot battle over gay marriage last November by a vote of 52 percent.

Karger contends the subpoena is simply an act of revenge for the complaints he filed with the Fair Political Practices Commission against the Mormon Church for its alleged failure to report non-monetary contributions to the Yes on 8 campaign.

"This is all part of the PR [public relations] offensive being carried out by the Mormon Church," Karger said.

The Utah-based church did not directly donate to the campaign, but its members provided millions of dollars to it.

The Mormon Church is not a party to the January lawsuit.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown is defending the political reform act, arguing in court that disclosure requirements assist the state in detecting efforts to hide the identities of large donors and illegal spending of political funds for personal use.

"Political democracy demands open debate, including prompt disclosure of the identities of campaign donors," Brown said in a prepared statement.

The most recent action in the case came on Jan. 28, when U.S. Eastern District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. turned down the Yes on 8 group's request for a preliminary injunction exempting the group from campaign disclosure laws, saying that he was not persuaded that the threats were serious enough.

The group's subsequent report, made public Feb. 2, included its first disclosure of "major donors" who had given more than $10,000 to the campaign since June 30, 2008.
The Sacramento case is not the only effort by anti-gay rights groups to roll back campaign finance disclosure laws.

Bopp filed suit against the Washington Secretary of State July 28 to prevent the state from releasing the names and addresses of more than 138,500 Washington citizens who signed a petition in favor of Referendum 71.

The ballot referendum asks voters in Washington this November whether they want to expand domestic partnership rights and obligations in the state's originally limited domestic partnership legislation.

Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed off on an expansion of rights for domestic partners in May, but opponents of that move rounded up 137,689 signatures to have the issue brought to voters this year.

In an enormous win for the group, a federal district judge ruled on Thursday that Washington officials were not allowed to reveal the names of those who signed the petition.

matthew_pordum@dailyjournal.com

Posted by Californians Against Hate at 1:39 AM

Same-Sex Marriage Activists Seek Repeal of California’s Proposition 8

http://www.truthout.org/092709T?n

Daniel B. Wood, The Christian Science Monitor: "The battle is on to repeal California’s Prop. 8 — which activists hope starts a national domino effect in the nearly 30 states that have banned same-sex marriage. A coalition of 40 groups has taken the first legal step for voters to be able to overturn the measure in November 2010. Thursday, the groups submitted ballot language that will place the measure on the ballot in the state’s next general election. Within weeks they intend to be canvassing the state to gather 700,000 valid signatures needed by April to qualify the measure for the ballot."

Help pass hate crimes legislation once and for all.

The new battle in California

Society protects and defends the rights of prisoners, who have been stripped of most of their civil rights, to enter into a civil marriage. Those who argue that homosexuality is a “lifestyle choice” are willfully ignoring the American Psychological Association and of the science of psychology, that homosexuality is an orientation. It is not a choice anymore than being heterosexual is a choice. On which calendar date did you sit down and chose your sexual orientation? Most of us discovered our orientation when we went through puberty. Some of us experienced discrimination, hatred, verbal, emotional and physical abuse in addition to the general angst, which marked that stage of development. Prop 8 legalized discrimination against a minority group into the California State Constitution and in so doing, promotes bigotry and social stigmatization of persons who have a same sex orientation.

Being a Christian is a choice, yet no one would dream (so far) of placing the rights of people to freely choose their religion up for a public vote. Regardless of one’s religious views, we all live in a pluralistic civil society. The only way that such a society can function peacefully is for all citizens to respect each other’s civil rights. Stripping any minority of its civil rights, which is precisely what Prop 8 accomplished, threatens the civil rights of every minority group in our society.

Several religions, many theologians, the APA and almost all international Psychological Associations agree that homosexuality is not a choice, but like heterosexuality, an orientation. Laws, such as Prop 8, which target a minority group and strip away their civil rights, are born of ignorance, prejudice and they promote discrimination and bigotry. I am honored to be one of the proponents of a ballot initiative, which will restore the right to a civil marriage to all Californians regardless of their sexual orientation. This new proposition will also write into our State Constitution the right of religious groups to deny religious marriage to same sex couples. This new proposition restores and protects civil marriage for all Californians while simultaneously protecting the rights of religious groups to deny religious marriage to same sex couples.

courtesy of Father Geoff Farrow

Quote of the day

Found on JMG, in the discussion re: Ann Coulter's ridiculous comments

Elvis Costello lyrics come to mind immediately:

"So when they finally
put you in the ground
I'll stand on your grave
and Tramp the Dirt Down."

Bill Clinton Explains Why He Now Supports Same-Sex Marriage