Via HRC:

Dear Daniel, On the heels of Argentina becoming the tenth country to achieve marriage equality (and the first in South America) Wednesday night, there was yet another important victory closer to home. On Thursday, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled against foes of D.C. marriage equality. Our opponents had wanted to use a ballot initiative to repeal D.C.'s equal marriage law, which the D.C. Council overwhelmingly passed in 2009. Because D.C. law prohibits ballot initiatives that would abridge civil rights, the Board of Elections and Ethics refused to put the discriminatory measure on the ballot. This week, the District's highest court said that the people cannot, by a popular vote, rob their neighbors of basic civil rights. We applaud that decision, which is a victory both for fairness and for common sense. The D.C. marriage decision teaches us so much. The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Act of 2009—the statute under attack—was the result of a long and coordinated effort among elected officials, grassroots activists, civil rights organizations, communities of faith and others. This achievement remains today because of expert legal work of skilled advocates and because of fair-minded city leadership. You cannot point to one single day, or one actor or one tactic that made the difference. Doing it ALL made the difference. LGBT civil rights progress through thousands of channels. Across the nation—in localities, states, the federal government and the private sector—many actors, many rules, many policies, and many people have profound impacts on our lives. We have to make a mark on all of them. In some instances, the multiple facets of a civil rights problem are obvious. As we work to repeal DOMA, we know that repeal will not mean that every couple has access to the many state rights and benefits that marriage affords—so the push for marriage equality remains urgent. And as marriage equality has taken hold, we have still seen that hospitals are not yet according our community equal respect—something that we can remedy both with direct advocacy and through the upcoming federal regulations protecting us. Other policy goals are less immediately obvious. As ENDA proceeds through Congress, we are faced with many other discriminatory policies that it does not directly address—such as barriers to same-sex parents using time off from work under the Family and Medical Leave Act to attend to an adoption or care for a sick child. In the past year, we've been successful in dismantling several of these regulatory problems, which has made life better for real people. There are many more of them, and they are in our sights. For a community that is frequently outspent by opponents of equality, and sometimes drowned out by their grassroots, it could seem unwise to focus on more than one or two priorities. I don't believe so. In fact, I believe that by engaging government actors and making tangible and visible progress, we are positioning ourselves better for the high-profile battles. We're showing that it can be done. Our community has a great track record of speaking up for our civil rights. It might seem more difficult to make a difference when you're not trying to persuade an elected official. I encourage you to read our Blueprint for Positive Change and speak out on an issue that matters to you. Have a great weekend. Joe Solmonese President, Human Rights Campaign

Via JMG: GEORGIA: Gay Teen Launches Group To Help LGBT Youth In Crisis

Georgia teen Derrick Martin has partnered with the Trevor Project and other groups to create Project Life Vest, an organization meant to assist LGBT youth facing discrimination after they come out. You may recall that Martin was kicked out of his home in March after attending his high school prom with his boyfriend.

“My situation and the attention it has drawn have provided me a unique perspective and opportunity that I feel I cannot pass up”, Martin noted. “Young people who, like myself, have been disadvantaged because of discrimination, hate, or ignorance need somewhere to turn for help. GLAAD was my life vest, and I plan to be a life vest to as many others as I can. I only want those who face obstacles like mine to know that they are not alone, for everyone has the right to love regardless of sexual orientation.” Project LifeVest’s mission is simple: “To be a helping hand, a life vest, to as many LGBT teens and adults as possible. We will carry out this mission through the establishment of safe places in as many cities as possible; through a call center with a qualified team of counselors who can give advice where needed; through screening a network of families who can, when need arises, host rejected teens while they finish schooling or find a new home.”

Project Life Vest is accepting donations. reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach: I Still Don't Know If I'm Being Kicked Out

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: That's Gay: Homo-Villains In The Movies

reposted from Joe

How Dummies Protect Marriage

Found on JMG: Behind Argentina's Marriage Vote

pp

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Via JMG: NOM's Hate Bus Uses Fake Families

Good As You's ever-resourceful Jeremy Hooper has shown that the families depicted on the sides of NOM's Hate Bus don't actually exist, they're just actors ripped out of generic stock photos. We know NOM is having a hard time getting people to show up for the Hate Tour, but seriously, they couldn't find ONE real homo-hating family to pose for their bus? reposted from Joe

Via Freedom to Marry:

Daniel, To most of us, Love + Commitment = Marriage. Not to the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage (NOM). NOM has launched a national tour promoting marriage discrimination against gay and lesbian couples. In advertising their anti-gay bus tour, NOM referred to supporters of the freedom to marry as those who 'pillage the values of our Nation.' NOM is escalating its anti-gay attacks and Freedom to Marry is meeting them head on. To counter NOM's fear-mongering and to show America what being FOR marriage really looks like, Freedom to Marry and local and state equality groups have teamed up for Summer for Marriage, a series of pro-marriage events across the country in July and August. Find information about Summer for Marriage Tour events in your area: http://www.freedomtomarry.org/summer-for-marriage To challenge NOM's anti-gay rhetoric, Freedom to Marry is: Working with partner groups on a nationally coordinated campaign to push back on NOM's anti-gay attacks Engaging in effective media outreach to show how marriage discrimination hurts same-sex couples. Mobilizing Freedom to Marry supporters to participate in on-the-ground actions with local, state, and national partners. This is the kind of on-the-ground action we need to change hearts and minds. State-by-state and city-by-city, Freedom to Marry and it's partner organizations are making the case that all loving and committed couples should be free to marry. Join us - because we cannot allow NOM's distractions, distortions, and discriminatory agenda to go unanswered http://www.freedomtomarry.org/summer-for-marriage Thanks for all you do, Michael Crawford Director of New Media, Freedom to Marry

Via JMG: BREAKING: Argentina's Senate APPROVES Marriage Equality 33-27!!!!

Argentina's Senate has voted 33-27 to APPROVE marriage equality! The bill now goes to the president who has vowed to sign it at once. The debate, which Rex Wockner notes went on for 14 hours, lasted past 4am Buenos Aires time. Shortly after the vote, a massive and delirious crowd outside the chamber broke into dancing and singing. I'll update this post shortly with official news reports. Among those staying up all night to follow the debate was Ricky Martin, whose tweets on #matrimonio pushed the issue onto Twitter's top trending topics.First out with a U.S. reaction was Freedom To Marry, whose executive director Evan Wolfson writes:

"Today's historic vote shows how far Catholic Argentina has come, from dictatorship to true democratic values, and how far the freedom to marry movement has come as twelve countries on four continents now embrace marriage equality. Argentina's vote for the freedom to marry marks an important advance for fairness and family values as more couples around the world will now share in marriage, with families helped and no one hurt. Today's vote adds momentum to the international movement to secure the freedom to marry for all loving and committed couples. Key to Argentina's human rights achievement was strong leadership from legislators and the president. It is time we see more of our own elected officials standing up for the Constitution and all families here in the United States. America should lead, not lag, when it comes to treating everyone equally under the law."

OOPS, yesterday Slaggie Gilamonster foresaw the future! A future which is spreading across the globe in a lovely dark blue. See the already updated Wiki-map below. reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Divorce Ban Pranksters To Start Collecting Signatures For 2010 CA Ballot

Last September I told you about Rescue Marriage, the prankster group that claims to want to ban divorce in California. Yesterday the state granted permission for the group to begin gathering the required 694K signatures to place the issue on the 2010 ballot.

Rescue Marriage founder (and straight ally) John Marcotte said last year, "People who supported Prop 8 weren't trying to take rights away from gays, they just wanted to protect traditional marriage. That's why I'm confident that they will support this initiative, even though this time it will be their rights that are diminished. To not support it would be hypocritical."

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Glenn Greenwald

"Argentinian politicians acted in the face of 'polls showing that nearly 70 percent of Argentines support giving gay people the same marital rights as heterosexuals.' That's what is most striking here: this is not happening in some small Northern European country renown for its ahead-of-the-curve social progressivism (though gay marriage or civil unions are now the norm in Western Europe).

"Just as is true for Brazil, which I've written about before with regard to my personal situation, Argentina is a country with a fairly recent history of dictatorships, an overwhelmingly Catholic population (at least in name), and pervasive social conservatism, with extreme restrictions on abortion rights similar to those found on much of the continent. The Catholic Church in Argentina vehemently opposed the enactment of this law. But no matter. Ending discrimination against same-sex couples is understood as a matter of basic equality, not social progressivism, and it thus commands widespread support. The contrast with the U.S. is quite instructive and depressing." - Glenn Greenwald, writing for Salon. reposted from Joe

Via JMG: NATE SILVER: 250 Million People Live In Jurisdictions With Full Marriage Equality

Nate notes this about his graph:

The big spike you see in 2008 is California recognizing gay marriage through the courts, and then un-recognizing it through the passage of Proposition 8. Right now, it's possible to marry your same-sex partner in Buenos Aires, in Mexico City, in Ames, Iowa, and in Pretoria, South Africa, but not in San Francisco. With countries like Argentina and Portugal now recognizing same-sex marriages, however, the global trajectory has returned to its slow-but-steady upward pace.

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: WASHINGTON: House Democrats Pledge LGBT-Inclusive Immigration Reform

U.S. House Democrats held a joint press conference with major LGBT and immigrant groups this morning to restate their support for a comprehensive immigration reform bill that provides for the equal treatment of LGBT couples.

Democrats from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus were joined by a coalition of 37 immigration, LGBT, and faith advocacy groups in support. The Congressional speakers, particularly Luis Gutierrez (IL), Jerrold Nadler (NY), Jared Polis (CO), and Mike Honda (CA) expressed confidence that a bill that included equal treatment of LGBT bi-national couples would be passed this term. According to Immigration Equality, 36,000 bi-national couples in the United States face imminent or future separation because the US citizen of same-sex couples cannot, like those in heterosexual married couples, sponsor their partner for citizenship.

The top three evangelical groups say they support immigration reform, but will block any attempt to include LGBT provisions. The Southern Baptist Convention, the National Association of Evangelicals, and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference all vow that they will derail any reform bill that incorporates the Uniting American Families Act, which provides immigrant status to the partners of gay American citizens.

REACTIONS

Immigration Equality:

"Every day that Congress fails to take action, American families are separated or forced into exile, including more than 17,000 families raising young children," said Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality. "For those families, and their loved ones, today's clear call to action, from key Congressional champions, could not be more welcome or more timely. We are proud to stand with those leaders, and with immigrants and their families across our country, in working to fix our broken immigration system. The LGBT community can be a steadfast partner in that effort, and Immigration Equality is proud to mobilize allies in support of inclusive immigration reform."

Equality California:

“We are grateful that this powerful coalition is standing together to help fix our broken immigration system. California’s elected leaders have already endorsed the Uniting American Families Act, urging our U.S. Congressional leaders to act quickly to end the grave inequities facing binational couples and their families. We hope this vital legislation passes soon, so that no more families headed by same-sex couples are torn apart.”

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force:

“The U.S. has 12 million undocumented immigrants, including at least half a million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Thousands of binational same-sex couples and their families have been kept separated or forced to live abroad. This discriminatory practice is unfair and inhumane. No one should ever have to choose between their partner and their country or be denied the freedom to be with their families. UAFA is consistent with U.S. immigration law's existing policy of keeping families intact. We thank the members of Congress standing for equality today and for supporting the inclusion of LGBT families in all future comprehensive immigration reform efforts.”

Human Rights Campaign:

“Our nation should bring families together, not tear them apart, yet same-sex, bi-national couples are too often forced to separate because the government views them as strangers under the law. For far too long, leaders have ignored the devastating real-life consequences for these couples imposed by our current immigration policies. Family reunification is a primary goal of our immigration system but our government fails to accomplish this basic objective for thousands of loving same-sex couples.”

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: VIDEO: Argentina Vote Reactions

Joe says, "Even though I only speak "disco Spanish," as I watched the live video stream of the endless debate all through the night, I was amused at my ability to pick out the familiar figures - the earnest progressives and the hectoring Christianists - so often seen in our own battles. If the bottom clip doesn't make you tear up a little, you are worse than Hitler."


preposted from Joe

Ohh Ducky!

Via JMG: U.S. Army Published Instructional DADT Comic Book In 2001

Boing Boing reports that the U.S. Army apparently published an instructional comic book in 2001 meant to direct soldiers on how to handle gay troops. Boing Boing speculates: "The publication was very likely as a test document with little distribution." Click over to read the entire thing. reposted from Joe

Via JMG: STATEN ISLAND: Hate Crime Victims Speak Out To City Leaders

At a meeting attended by state reps, city council members, and the NYPD, yesterday two gay men spoke out about about being the victims of an anti-gay assault at a Staten Island restaurant.

Luis Vieira, 47, and his partner, Richard Vieira, 39, addressed a meeting organized by the Staten Island LGBT Center, Tompkinsville, in response to the brutal beating to which they were subjected last week by a large group of African Americans at the White Castle restaurant on Bay Street. The NYPD is investigating the early-morning July 7 attack as a hate crime. In the presence of 70-plus supporters, the couple of 13 years' standing held hands and overcame some initial discomfort. Richard Vieira's eye was blacked and his arm was in a sling. "There are a lot of questions that need to be answered" in respect of the assault, said Luis Vieira, who noted that he grew up in Alabama when pro-segregationist George Wallace was governor. "[Do] you honestly think you can intimidate me or my partner to not put our face out there and let it be known what is going on in the community?" he asked rhetorically. The outrage has lit a fire under the LGBT community. "The fact we can still have hate crimes based on race, gender, ethnicity and sexuality -- it's disturbing," said Imani Rodriguez of Stapleton. "It is disturbing that my children are growing up in these times that I still have to watch my back and the back of my lesbian lover."

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Obama Unveils New AIDS Strategy

This afternoon President Obama unveiled a new strategy for fighting HIV/AIDS, saying that he hopes to cut the number of annual new infections 25% by 2015. The new plan includes a meager $30M in additional federal funding

In addition to slashing the infection rate, the strategy calls for increasing patients' access to care so that 85 percent of those infected will receive care within three months of being diagnosed, compared with 65 percent who do so now. It says that 90 percent of all people who have HIV or AIDS should know they are infected, up from the current 79 percent. A further goal should be to reduce the HIV transmission rate by 30 percent. The report says the twin aims of cutting new infections and increasing the number of patients who receive care will advance Obama's goal of making the United States "a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination." The strategy does not call for a massive spending increase.

REACTIONS

Human Rights Campaign:

“President Obama has put forward a bold and historic framework for addressing HIV and AIDS in the United States. The Strategy importantly acknowledges the continued impact HIV/AIDS has on LGBT people, as well as the failure to put adequate attention and resources toward addressing the epidemic in our community. But the goals and timetables laid out in this document cannot and will not be achieved without strong leadership and robust resources,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “All of us – including the administration and Congress, state governments, service providers and advocates – must commit to ensuring that the bold vision of this plan is fulfilled, and ‘[t]he United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.’”

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force:

This plan offers much-needed relief by focusing on high-risk communities, directing money to states with the highest need based on reported cases of HIV/AIDS, and by recognizing the unique needs of affected populations. The administration has taken a historic step today in the fight against HIV/AIDS. However, the plan doesn’t yet go far enough in ending new infections and helping those already coping with the disease to manage it. The government must make available the necessary resources and life-saving medicines for those in need. Adequate attention to and funding for implementation as well as aggressive timetables are essential to the success of this plan. This ongoing national tragedy requires an immediate, potent and cohesive federal response that is appropriately funded.

Housing Works:

“The president’s plan is so flawed that it might actually represent a step backwards in combating HIV and AIDS in the United States,” said Housing Works President and CEO Charles King. “Since his days on the campaign trail, President Obama has repeatedly said that he wants to lead the fight against AIDS. Unless he commits significant new resources intended to make major inroads against the spread of HIV, he will be regarded as a leader who did next to nothing about the most devastating epidemic of our time.” The president’s plan sets insufficiently ambitious goals for reducing the number of annual HIV infections in the U.S. while, at the same time, the plan fails to provide adequate funding to reach even the modest HIV prevention and treatment goals that it sets out.

Joe says, "I don't see anything in the plan about addressing the ADAP crisis. Note that even the Democratic lapdogs HRC are clapping half-heartedly." reposted from Joe

Today in Fotos ripped off from Facebook: