RC Weekly Update from Joe Solmonese Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign President [hrc@hrc.org]

Dear Daniel,

As we note the historic passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, we remember the lives of these and countless other victims of hate violence:

Angie Zapata, beaten to death because she was transgender. Her murderer referred to her as "it." She was twenty years old.

Balbir Singh Sodhi, age 52. A Sikh American, he was shot to death by a man who, thinking that he was of Arab descent, took private revenge for the attacks of 9/11.

Jose Sucuzhanay, murdered at age 31 by men who saw him walking arm in arm with his brother and assumed that he was gay. The assailants added anti-Hispanic and anti-gay slurs to the violence they inflicted on him.

Matthew Shepard, age 21, was taken to a remote area by two men and was severely beaten, then tied to a fence and left to die because he was gay.

James Byrd, Jr. was chained to the back of a pick-up truck and dragged for three miles. His killers left evidence inscribed with "KKK" to show their intent. Byrd was 49 years old.

We mourn their loss, celebrate their lives, and share their friends' and families' grief.

Passing this legislation honors the lives of these good people whom we lost too soon. But we must not mistake it for a monument to them, or a plaque commemorating distant history. The hate crimes law is necessary because the scourge of hate violence that took these lives has not ended.

Dr. King often quoted the Book of Amos, saying that we must not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

In passing this bill, Congress has unleashed the power of justice to combat hate. And it has done more.

Senator Edward Kennedy once said that this legislation sends "a message about freedom and equality that will resonate around the world." This marks the first time that we have as a nation expressed—explicitly, and with teeth—that LGBT people are to be protected. And this law sends a loud message that perpetrators of hate violence against anyone will be brought to justice.

This message, and this powerful tool in combating hate crimes, will erode the very foundations of the hatred that has taken so many lives already. From the justice that this Act provides—the righteousness, and the end of violence, will necessarily flow.

Sincerely,

Joe Solmonese
President, Human Rights Campaign

Visit www.loveconquershate.org to learn more about the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Anderson Cooper & Panel Discuss Obama's Gay Rights Record & Hate Crimes Act

Soupy Sales Dead At 83

Legendary 60's comic and children's show host Soupy Sales has died at the age of 83.

As the star of "The Soupy Sales Show," he performed live on television for 13 years in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York before the program went into syndication in the United States and abroad. Ostensibly for children, the show had broad appeal among adults who found Sales' puns, gags and pratfalls deliciously corny and camp. His cast consisted of goofy puppets with names like White Fang, Black Tooth and Pookie, and a host of off-camera characters, including the infamous naked girl. The high point of every show came when a sidekick launched a pie into Sales' face. Sales once estimated that he was hit by more than 25,000 pies in his lifetime. The gag became more than hilarious; it evolved into a hip badge of honor. Frank Sinatra was first in a long line of celebrities who clamored for the privilege to be cream-faced, including Tony Curtis, Mickey Rooney, Sammy Davis Jr., Dick Martin and Burt Lancaster.

Soupy's show was a big part of my childhood, partly because I could only watch it at my grandparent's house in Newark as we didn't get it in North Carolina. Watching Soupy was a big holiday tradition for us whenever we were in town. My dad thought he was the funniest man alive - until Flip Wilson came along.


thanks to JMG for this...

Yay!

The inclusive hate crimes bill has crossed its last hurdle in Congress! President Obama has vowed to sign it by the end of this month.

Today's victory marks a truly pivotal moment in our fight for LGBT equality. It happened because of the dedication of people like you and the families of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., for whom the bill is named.

More here

Phot of the March

Courtesy of Lotus Opening

Quote of the Day

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?

~Heather Small

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO ENSURE INCLUSION OF THE LGBT COMMUNITY IN HUD PROGRAMS

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Shaun Donovan, Secretary
Office of Public Affairs, Washington, DC 20410
HUD No. 09-206 FOR RELEASE
Brian Sullivan Wednesday
(202) 708-0685 October 21, 2009
http://www.hud.gov/news/index.cfm

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO ENSURE INCLUSION OF THE LGBT COMMUNITY IN HUD PROGRAMS
Commissions first-ever national study of discrimination against members of the
LGBT community in the renting and sale of housing

WASHINGTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced a series of proposals to ensure that HUD's core housing programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

"The evidence is clear that some are denied the opportunity to make housing choices in our nation based on who they are and that must end," said Donovan. "President Obama and I are determined that a qualified individual and family will not be denied housing choice based on sexual orientation or gender identity."

The initiatives announced today will be a proposed rule that will provide the opportunity for public comment.

Charlene Strong: Approve Referendum 71

Christianists Call For California School Boycott Over Harvey Milk Day

Christianist outfit Save California has issued a call for parents to "boycott" California's public schools over last week's approval of Harvey Milk Day by Gov. Schwarzenegger. Via the American Family Association's "news site" OneNewsNow:

Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, tells OneNewsNow he is calling for a boycott over a law designed to force students to honor a deceased homosexual activist. "With Harvey Milk Gay Day now the law for California government schools, and a handful of sexual indoctrination laws already existing that are in effect throughout the entire school year, parents have to at least boycott Harvey Milk Day or days or week," Thomasson urges. The boycott, he says, needs to be established by parents to protect their children, but also to drive home a point that they do not want their children indoctrinated with a pro-homosexual philosophy. Thomasson feels that taking students out of the government school system is the only way to accomplish this protection. He adds that parents also need to be aware of the quality of education their children are receiving in California. Thomasson reports that "on the academic chart, California is among the lowest academically in the country. On the sexual indoctrination chart, California leads the pack with Massachusetts following."

Thomasson believes that Harvey Milk Day will strike so much terror into parents that they will begin home schooling or send their kids to private religious schools.

Courtesy of JMG

Heritage Foundation, Part of Right Wing Infrastructure, Defends 30 Republican Senators Who Enabled Rape

• BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

By Mark Karlin

For BuzzFlash, when it comes to enabling rape, the Republican think tank-media-political infrastructure sticks together: a bunch of white guys -- primarily from the South -- who believe corporate criminal personhood trumps the rule of law when it comes to gang rape.

I have written two pieces on the extraordinarily shocking and ethically sick vote of 3/4s of the GOP Senate delegation who voted not to cut off the contracts of defense contractors who prohibit employees from suing them for job-related rape.

Sure enough, the right wing Heritage Foundation -- who, along with the American Enterprise Institute, is a favorite of the "respected" RWNJs --wrote a convoluted defense of the 30 GOP Senators who claimed that not interfering with Halliburton/KBR and other leeches on the government was more important than holding them accountable for preventing rape in the workplace.

The Heritage Foundation managed to, in the same "defense of rape" article, argue that because the federal courts held that Halliburton/KBR could not prevent a rape victim from suing, there was no need to punish them for trying to prevent such a suit (still trying by the way). Heritage also managed to blame the whole idea of allowing a lawsuit for rape against the likes of Halliburton as a stealth tactic by attorneys to launch frivolous lawsuits that would result in the creation of fewer jobs.

Excuse us, we are talking about rape here.

So now we are discussing the vast right wing infrastructure created over three decades supporting rape. If you are a woman, how can you vote Republican? It's a question of backing a party that enables rape, period, whatever specious defense they cook up.

A satirical site posted the photos of all 30 GOP Senators who voted for corporate noblesse oblige privilege over rape prevention and accountablity. You can view the rape rogues gallery, with a pink frame for any Republican Senator from a state where both Senators voted for rape.

I guess if you're in the GOP, rape and racism are as American as apple pie and a noose.

Didn't they used to lynch black men for just looking at a white woman the wrong way?

These are some twisted, perverse minds in the GOP, and enablers of crime.

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

Technorati Tags: EditorBlog Rape GOP Heritage Foundation

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Philip

Quote of the Day

"I made the mistake of not having sex until I was 23! I loved being with another man and felt relieved that I finally knew who I was. I made the mistake of falling in love too soon because I was naive and romantic. My advice to you is to never chase love. It will find you when you least expect it. Have fun, have lots of safe sex and enjoy your sexuality. Be proud of who you are. I made a lot of mistakes. Stay away from drugs, they’re a waste of time. Stand up for every human being’s rights. Be loving, kind and strong. Set an example. You’re going to have one hell of a life!”

- Elton John, from a coming anthology titled Dear Me: A Letter To My 16 Year-Old Self.

House Bill Would Cut Funding To States That Oppose LGBT Adoption

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) has introduced a bill that would restrict federal child welfare funding from any state that discriminates against LGBT people attempting to adopt.

Stark said in an interview that he introduced the legislation, H.R. 3827, in part because thousands of children each year "age out" of the child welfare system without finding homes. "We got 25,000 kids a year maturing out of the welfare system without permanent foster care or adoptive care, and the prospects of those children having a successful adult life are diminished greatly," he said. "These are kids who end up in the criminal justice system, or end up homeless."

States with explicit restrictions on adoption that the pending legislation would affect are Utah, Florida, Arkansas, Nebraska and Mississippi. Florida, for example, has a statute specifically prohibiting gays from adopting, and in Arkansas, voters last year approved Act 1, which prevents unmarried co-habitating couples, including same-sex partners, from adopting children. The legislation, Stark said, also would restrict funds for states where restrictions are put in place by agencies, individual social workers or judges, or where restrictions are part of the common law of the state. For states that don't comply with the law, federal officials could withhold from the states funds provided to them for child welfare services. The bill also calls for a Government Accountability Office study within five years to examine how states are complying with the new rules.

Stark rates the chances of his bill passing as "pretty good," but no hearing is yet planned. A spokesman for the HRC said they'll get behind the bill if it gains traction in Congress.

Courtesy of JMG

20% Of Polled Identify As Republicans

From a story about an ABC News/Washington Post poll about attitudes on health care reform comes this little nugget: "Only 20 percent of adults identify themselves as Republicans, little changed in recent months, but still the lowest single number in Post-ABC polls since 1983."

Courtesy of JMG

Subject: Stay off FOX

It's about time Democrats stood up to FOX! The White House communications director said FOX is a "wing of the Republican Party...let's not pretend they're a news network."

To draw attention to its biased coverage, President Obama will not appear on FOX for the rest of this year.

I signed a petition urging Democrats to support President Obama's stance by staying off FOX as long as he does. Can you join me at the link below?

http://civic.moveon.org/foxobama/?r_by=17603-538505-1HB2w4x&rc=paste

Thanks!

National Equality March: "Imagine"

"IMAGINE" featuring Eva Cassidy (music available on iTunes) National Equality March, October 11, 2009 Washington DC (additional pics from the Prop 8 March and DADT Rally in Washington DC)

SNL Spartans

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
CNN Leaves It There
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

Another great find from JMG