Via JMG: House Democrats Pressure White House Over LGBT Immigration Rights

Yesterday House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and a coalition of 81 House Democrats issued a call for the Obama administration to make it official policy that the foreign partners of LGBT Americans will not be deported. Chris Geidner reports:

Pelosi — along with Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Mike Honda, the lead sponsors of two bills aimed at addressing LGBT inequalities in the immigration system, and 81 other Democrats — called on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to "issue a written field guidance or a memorandum to explicitly state the policy of your August 18, 2011 announcement which would direct DHS personnel to consider LGBT family ties as a positive factor for the exercise of prosecutorial discretion."

The House members — including out gay Reps. Barney Frank, Jared Polis and David Cicilline — go on to say that "[a] written policy is the best way to ensure that the decision by President Obama and DHS to recognize LGBT family ties for immigration purposes will be implemented so that families will remain together."

Calling the letter "a true show of congressional force," Immigration Equality spokesman Steve Ralls told BuzzFeed, "It is a simple action, but also one that will have a real impact on real people and families. We hope Secretary Napolitano will heed the advice of those who signed the letter, and take this important step toward protecting some of the most vulnerable individuals within the immigration system from deportation."

Labels: DOMA, immigration, Immigration Equality, Nancy Pelosi, Obama administration, U.S. House

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 2, 2012

Deep Listening, Deep Loving

Our training begins with learning first to listen to ourselves until we know our deepest aspirations, shortcomings, sufferings, and joys. Next, we must learn to listen deeply to our partner and family. Right speech prompts us to ask our loved ones: 'What could I do to make you happier?' and then to listen to the reply without judging or reacting. Right speech prompts us to say, 'Thank you for being here for me. Your presence enriches my life. Please tell me how I can love you better.'

- Sister True Virtue, "The Fourth Precept: Right Speech"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 4th, 2012
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Via Towleroad: Amtrak's Beautiful New Gay Family Ads: PHOTOS

http://www.towleroad.com/2012/08/amtraks-beautiful-new-gay-family-ads-photos.html

Via FCKH8.com FB:

Via Muito axé FB:

Via JMG: NH Chick-Fil-A To Sponsor Gay Pride

The only New Hampshire Chick-Fil-A franchisee has signed on as a sponsor of this LGBT Pride Fest. Via LGBT Nation:

The announcement by franchise general manager Anthony Picolia came as a surprise to Pride Fest organizers in light of the ongoing public relations debacle over the negative remarks by Chick-Fil-A’s President last month regarding same-sex marriage. Picolia, in an email to LGBTQ Nation on Tuesday, confirmed that his franchise will sponsor the festival, writing:

“In both my personal and professional life, I have had and continue to have positive relationships with family, friends, customers and employees in the LGBT community. It would make me sad if someone felt that they were not openly welcomed into my life or restaurant based on their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender,” In a statement issue by Pride organizers, Picolia added that his Chick-fil-A franchise “has gay employees and serves gay customers with honor, dignity and respect.”

The event takes place next Saturday.

Labels: bravery, fast food, gay Pride, New Hampshire

Reposted from Joe

Via AmericaBlog Gay:

Another federal judge strikes DOMA down

I remember a while back when the religious right kept saying that no court had ever found DOMA unconstitutional.  Oops.

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 1, 2012

Letting Go

It is hard to let go of things, harder to let go of ideas, and even harder to let go of spiritual pretensions. Over time, as we familiarize ourselves with the many subtle twists and turns of letting go, we begin to be more savvy about how ego steps in to appropriate the entire process. In the millions of mini-decisions we make day by day and moment by moment, we are challenged each time either to let go or to re-solidify.

- Judy Lief, "Letting Go"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 3rd, 2012
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Vi JMG: House GOP Demands And Gets DOMA Response Delay From Supreme Court

The GOP's House Bipartisan (snort) Legal Advisory Group has requested and received a delayed deadline for when they must respond to two pending DOMA suits before the Supreme Court. As always, super-reporter Chris Geidner gets to what the request was really all about.

The deadline extension, which lawyers familiar with the cases say could cause up to a one-week delay in when in the fall the Supreme Court justices would consider when to take the cases, won't likely have any long-term effect on how and when the cases might be considered by the justices. The new deadline, however, means that House Speaker John Boehner's lawyers could take the chance to take aim at the Obama administration, which stopped defending DOMA in early 2011, following the conclusion of the Republican National Convention on Aug. 30 and before the start of the Democratic National Convention the next week.

Labels: Democratic convention, DOMA, GOP, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe

Via Obama for America:

Via FB: This is not a Church

Via JMG: Yet Another Court Strikes Down DOMA

Via press release from GLAD:

Today, a U.S. District Court Judge ruled that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional as a violation of equal protection guarantees. Her ruling comes with respect to claims brought by six married same-sex couples and one widower from the states of Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont who were denied federal tax, social security, pension and family medical leave protections only because they are (or were) married to someone of the same sex. Under the ruling, the plaintiffs’ marriages must be accorded the same federal protections and responsibilities as those of other married couples. The ruling by Judge Vanessa L. Bryant, an appointee of President George W. Bush, stems from the lawsuit Pedersen et al v. Office of Personnel Management et al, filed by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) in November 2010 in the Federal District Court in Connecticut.

“Section 3 of DOMA obligates the federal government to single out a certain category of marriages as excluded from federal recognition,” Judge Bryant wrote, “thereby resulting in an inconsistent distribution of federal marriage benefits as all marriages authorized by certain states will receive recognition and marital benefits, whereas only a portion of marriages authorized by other states will receive federal recognition and benefits.” “Judge Bryant’s ruling is very clear: married people are married and should be treated as such by the federal government. There is no legitimate basis for DOMA’s broad disrespect of the marriages of same-sex couples,” said Mary L. Bonauto, GLAD’s Civil Rights Project Director. “We are very pleased that the Court recognized that DOMA’s creation of second-class marriages harms our clients who simply seek the same opportunities to care and provide for each other and for their children that other families enjoy.”

Labels: DOMA, feds, GLAD, LGBT rights

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: More Chicken Wars News

Eat Mor (Gay-Friendly) Chikin

Opportunism? Corporate pandering? Just good business? From their Facebook page:

Help us support Marriage Equality. Throughout the month of August, we will donate $1.00 from every purchase of a Schnipper’s Chicken Filet Sandwich to Marriage Equality USA (a non-profit whose mission is to secure legally recognized civil marriage equality for all). A truly good Chicken Filet Sandwich would always be in favor of Marriage Equality. Ours is the best you’ll ever have since its made from fresh chicken breasts and hand dipped to order in our seasoned corn flour blend and buttermilk. It’s super crispy and it’s gluten free! The sandwich is tasty – Marriage Equality is timely.

Schnipper's locations are in Hell's Kitchen and Madison Square. (Tipped by JMG reader Ian)

Labels: fast food, marriage equality, NYC, restaurants

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: More Chicken Wars News

Eat Mor (Gay-Friendly) Chikin

Opportunism? Corporate pandering? Just good business? From their Facebook page:

Help us support Marriage Equality. Throughout the month of August, we will donate $1.00 from every purchase of a Schnipper’s Chicken Filet Sandwich to Marriage Equality USA (a non-profit whose mission is to secure legally recognized civil marriage equality for all). A truly good Chicken Filet Sandwich would always be in favor of Marriage Equality. Ours is the best you’ll ever have since its made from fresh chicken breasts and hand dipped to order in our seasoned corn flour blend and buttermilk. It’s super crispy and it’s gluten free! The sandwich is tasty – Marriage Equality is timely.

Schnipper's locations are in Hell's Kitchen and Madison Square. (Tipped by JMG reader Ian)

Labels: fast food, marriage equality, NYC, restaurants

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: SCOTUS Gets Prop 8 Overturn Appeal

In addition to the DOMA-related cases that landed on the desks of the Supreme Court this month, today they received an appeal on the overturn of Prop 8. Chris Geidner reports:

Supporters of California's constitutional amendment banning same-sex couples from marrying, Proposition 8, have asked the Supreme Court to hear the ongoing challenge to the law in order to reverse an appeals court decision from earlier this year that struck down the amendment as unconstitutional.

Specifically, they ask the court in a filing today to decide "Whether the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits the State of California from defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman."

Arguing that "[u]nique recognition of a unique relationship in no way disapproves or dishonors other relationships that the State has chosen to recognize differently," the Proposition 8 proponents ask the court to take the case to correct the "manifest errors" of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and "to return to the People themselves this important and sensitive issue."

Geidner notes that AFER has 30 days to respond to the filing. The Supreme Court is on summer recess and will not announce which cases it will review until this falls.

Labels: California, hate groups, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Proposition 8, Protect Marriage, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe

Via Gay Politics Report:

• Democrats back freedom to marry in platform draft
   
• A draft of the Democratic Party platform includes support for allowing same-sex couples to marry, a development that caps the party’s rapid evolution on the issue in the past few years. "The fact is, by every action that should be taken, the Democrats in Washington have repudiated DOMA,” said Rep. Barney Frank, a member of the platform drafting committee who said the vote to include support for marriage equality was unanimous. Other LGBT-related language in the draft rejects the Defense of Marriage Act and supports passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Washington Blade (7/30), The Huffington Post (7/31)     

VIa Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 31, 2012

A Little "Aha!"

Our whole spiritual transformation brings us to the point where we realize that in our own being, we are enough.

- Ram Dass, "Little 'Aha!'s"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through August 2nd, 2012
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Via America Blog Gay:

Draft Democratic party platform includes marriage equality

From Chris Johnson at the Blade: The Democratic Party platform drafting committee approved on Sunday language endorsing same-sex marriage in addition to other pro-LGBT positions as part of the Democratic Party platform, according to two sources familiar with the drafting process. Retiring gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who sits on the committee, told the Washington Blade on Monday that the...

Via JMG: New Zealand PM Backs Equal Marriage

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has endorsed marriage equality and says that he will vote for the bill about to be presented in the national parliament.

Mr. Key told RadioLive NZ he would use a conscience vote to vote in favour of Labour MP Louisa Wall's marriage equality bill, pulled from parliament's ballot last week. "My view has been that if two gay people want to get married then I can't see why it would undermine my marriage to Bronagh," he said. "There will be plenty of people in our caucus who will be deeply opposed - particularly the very religious ones, and I can understand that." Asked whether his conscience would change in the bill's third reading, he said: "No".

Key will not have the full support of his party on the vote.

Controlling 59 of the 120 seats at the House of Representatives, Mr Key’s centre-right National Party is expected to have a diverse range of voting intentions. News.com.au indicates that 14 Green MPs have committed their support and most of the 34 Labour MPs should back a change in the law too. A poll in 2011 reported by the New Zealand Herald had found 60 per cent in favour of equal marriage rights for gay and straight couples and 34 per cent opposed. Support for such a measure rose to 79 percent among those aged 18 to 34.

RELATED: The American band Train said via Twitter yesterday that it is working to have one of its songs removed from the website of New Zealand's anti-equality movement.

Labels: LGBT rights, marriage equality, New Zealand

Reposted from Joe