A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
University Of South Carolina Erases Dr. George Rekers From Their Site
Whoops, who used to occupy this faculty page for the University of South Carolina? Man overboard! Box Turtle Bulletin's Timothy Kincaid asks:
I’m curious as to the exact criteria for removing any mention of Dr. Rekers. Was it because the University of South Carolina was delighted to have an anti-gay activist as a respected and privileged emeritus professor, but not so delighted to have a man who was revealed to be engaged in behavior that is homosexual in nature?
Hit the above link for the original pre-scandal image.
A new online inbox that enables servicemembers and their families to comment anonymously about the impact of a possible repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law has gone live. The inbox will enable servicemembers and families to offer their thoughts about how a repeal of the law that prohibits gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military might affect military readiness, military effectiveness and unit cohesion, recruiting and retention, and family readiness, a defense official explained. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates created an intradepartment, interservice working group to conduct a fair, objective, comprehensive and dispassionate review of these issues, the official said. The online inbox is one method the group will use to systematically engage with the force and their families. A non-Defense Department contractor will monitor comments made through the inbox and eliminate any identifiable information inadvertently submitted to ensure anonymity, the official said.
The site is located here, but seems to be inactive at the moment, so we can't yet tell how it will screen out anti-gay non-military commenters.
Late Friday afternoon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Congress in a letter that it would be "damaging" to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" before the Pentagon studies it further.
While this presents a major challenge, it is not insurmountable. I've never seen my fellow veterans – both gay and straight – so determined to repeal this law. This challenge can mean only one thing: we need to push harder.
That's why I'm traveling to D.C. for an unprecedented Veterans Lobby Day with over 300 fellow veterans on May 11.
We're going to need all hands on deck this Tuesday – even if you aren't joining us in person, we're still counting on you to back up our message:
·Set aside a few minutes to make a call to Congress. Help us flood the Congressional switchboard (202-224-3121) with calls this Tuesday, May 11. Put a reminder in your calendar or on your phone today so you won't forget!
·Join the conversation on Twitter and call for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by including #DADT in your tweets between now and Tuesday. (It's easy to sign up for a Twitter account if you don't already have one.)
oHRC Field Organizer Adrian Matanza's post from Indiana, where volunteers are organizing a free bus to D.C. for veterans in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.
May 11 will be a milestone in my own three-year campaign to share my story and help repeal this discriminatory law. And I've seen first-hand how important this campaign is to hundreds of my fellow veterans.
Your voice on Tuesday can add strength to ours.
I hope you'll stand with me, and with all my brothers and sisters in uniform, as we fight to end this injustice once and for all.
Sincerely,
Eric Alva Retired Marine Staff Sergeant
Veterans Lobby Day Volunteer
A few months ago there was a lot of hand-wringing among LGBT progressive activists over the possibility that comprehensive immigration reform might not include same-sex partner sponsorship. If it benefits LGBT immigrants but doesn't include same-sex partner sponsorship, do we support it? What a conundrum!
Well, looks like the opposite is happening. The Democrats released their framework for immigration reform last week, and it includes binational, same-sex families:
Included in the "framework" are key provisions of the Uniting American Families Act. The legislation was previously offered as a standalone bill by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont in the Senate and Representative Jerrold Nadler in the House. The measure would allow gay Americans to sponsor an immigrant partner for citizenship.
Argentina's House Of Deputies (similar to the U.S. House) has just voted 125-109 to approve same-sex marriage. The debate now moves to the Senate, where opposition is expected to be strong. I watched the last few minutes of the House vote via a livestream and even though I speak little Spanish, it was quite amusing to me to identify the Argentine counterparts of the familiar players we see here. (The blowhard ranting homophobe, the slightly too-smug liberals, etc.) But when the result was gaveled into officialness and rainbow banners unfurled from the gallery to ecstatic cheers and singing, well, hello, hand me una Kleenex, por favor.
Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) will represent eight married same-sex couples and three widowers tomorrow in their Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) challenge against the federal government. Via press release:
Represented by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the plaintiffs in Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management, all married in Massachusetts, have each been harmed by DOMA treating them as unmarried. Gill was filed on March 3, 2009, and has been called the case with the greatest potential for national impact by the National Law Journal.
“Every day DOMA is hurting couples and families – not just by denying them benefits and rights, but by denying that their marriages exist,” said Mary L. Bonauto, GLAD’s Civil Rights Project Director. “Under our Constitution’s equal protection guarantees, there is no justification for this.” Bonauto will be arguing on behalf of the plaintiffs before U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro.
Judge Tauro will hear GLAD’s motion for summary judgment as well as the federal government’s motion to dismiss. The hearing will address the issue of whether DOMA Section 3 is constitutional six years after the first same-sex couples in the country started marrying in Massachusetts, the result of GLAD’s groundbreaking marriage case, Goodridge v. Department of Public Health.
Joy Behar's new show on the HLN network was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award, and Behar would "rather have it than [the Emmy]." Seriously. In one of the comedian's markedly abundant moments of sincerity, she confirmed her claim by noting that the GLAAD award seemed to privilege the "heartfelt" and deep-rooted appreciation for entertainers and media makers catering to and being open supporters of the LGBTQ and other communities grossly underrepresented by much of mainstream media. This is indeed a far cry from the now-cliché "favorit[ism]" of many other awards and ceremonies entrenched in American popular culture.
Joy Behar is incredibly popular; yet, she consistently roots for the "underdog" -- or, persons in the "minority" who are often silently subject to "majority" opinions and restrictions. Hers is a powerful allied voice for a number of marginalized communities; she supports LGBTQ-identified persons especially.
Even with the remarkable reach and impact of her voice in media and culture, Joy Behar appreciates the dialogue and discussion elicited by persons of divergent opinions sitting together in the same room. This has been her experience on the Emmy-winning talk show The View, and it is an experience she values greatly, particularly because there isn't "any pretense on the panel": each voice on The View, including Ms. Behar's, knows its own tones and timbre. Each voice appreciates the musical and productive conversation made possible by the collection of diverse sounded opinions, and each voice knows when silent, engaged listening is best for the development of an idea or for the voice's understanding.
It is the exchange of knowing herself, listening to others, and voicing her concerns -- as they are filtered through her personal experiences and careful reading of others' particularities -- that combine to make Joy Behar such an engaging and resounding presence. We, as humans, have our personal histories/pasts, our ears, and our words. They are tools which become very powerful when used in combination to promote productive discussion in constructive spaces. Clearly, when Behar speaks, others listen.
Somewhat overlooked in Friday's furor over the Democrats' biometric ID proposal was the fact that the bill also slips in immigration rights for the partners of gay U.S. citizens. Christianists have picked up on that and are, of course, outraged.
Not surprisingly, the move has been hailed by gay rights groups and condemned by Catholics. "Today's inclusive framework is an historic step forward for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender binational families," said the executive director of Immigration Equality, a group that advocates for binational gay and lesbian couples. But the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged lawmakers not to include such language when they write legislation. "While we support the general direction of the framework .... we strongly oppose extending marriage-like immigration benefits to same-sex relationships," the bishops said in a statement. "This proposal threatens to undermine the opportunity to bring together the Congress and the American people around a common solution to the important challenge of immigration reform."
The bill includes key provisions of the Uniting American Families Act. The pertinent section of the bill reads (in part): "The proposal will eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by permitting permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status." It's unclear from the linked story how "permanent partners" would be defined under this bill.
TMZ has broken the news that the big celebrity coming out scheduled for this week by PR king Howard Bragman is country star Chely Wright, who has a memoir and new album both debuting this Tuesday. I never heard of her until today, but apparently she's a big deal and has had a lot of hits, including the below, which went to #1 on country in 1999. I was really hoping it was to be Queen Latifah, dammit.
Whoops, who used to occupy this faculty page for the University of South Carolina? Man overboard! Box Turtle Bulletin's Timothy Kincaid asks: 
Sincerely,
