Hate Crimes Bill On Verge Of Passage

Barney Frank defends attaching hate crimes act to defense bill (10/06/2009)



This from JMG:

Last night the House of Representatives voted down a GOP motion to strip the hate crimes act from the defense authorization bill to which it's attached. The vote was 234-178, virtually exactly along party lines. Tomorrow the House will see a final conference vote on the bill, after which the Senate will see a conference vote before the bill lands on Obama's desk. That may not happen until next week, but there appears to be a chance that President Obama may have something very nice in his pocket when he appears at the HRC dinner on Saturday. Below, Barney Frank defends attaching the hate crimes act to the DOD authorization.

Two interesting links re: Cultural Studies from my son

http://chronicle.com/article/Whats-the-Matter-With/48334/

and the reaction:

http://crookedtimber.org/2009/09/28/they-call-it-theory-monday/

Obama's Big Gay Speech

If I were advising President Barack Obama, I would tell him to pay as much attention to the ornery jeers from protesters outside the Human Rights Campaign's October 10th Washington dinner as the cheers coming from inside the ornate ballroom.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wayne-besen/-obamas-big-gay-speech_b_311964.html

ABC7 on Rev. Eric Lee

Quote of the Day

"Or consider the Bahá’ís who assert as a central tenet of their religion the interanimating harmony of religion and science comparing them to the two wings of a bird, each essential if the bird is to take to the air the Bahá’ís explicitly reject as any religious teachings that are at odds with the scientific revelation of God's truth. Surely the Bahá’ís have something here; science ought to be regarded as the close friend of true theology, for it is enormously helpful in ridding of superstition."

- Mark Johnston

CNN Anderson Cooper's Heated Debate: "Gays In Military"

Alert! Protect marriages of same-sex couples in California

Share

Sat at 9:00pm

Dear supporter,

The same people who passed Prop. 8 are now flooding the Governor with calls about Equality California's legislation authored by Senator Mark Leno that will recognize the marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states and countries.

They claim we are trying to circumvent the law, undercut the Constitution and disregard the will of the people.

Once again, they are lying in an attempt to deny us equality.

Help counter their lies and set the record straight. Call the Governor today and express your support for SB 54, the Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act (Leno, D-San Francisco).

Capitol Office (automated line)
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fresno Office
Phone: 559-477-1804
Los Angeles Office
Phone: 213-897-0322
Riverside Office
Phone: 951-680-6860
San Diego Office
Phone: 619-525-4641
San Francisco Office
Phone: 415-703-2218

The Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act would ensure that California recognizes marriages performed out of state in a way that is completely consistent with state law and the Supreme Court ruling upholding Prop. 8. But, that hasn't stopped the extreme right-wing hate mongers from trying to strip away the rights the Court ruled we were entitled to and deserve.

Please, call the Governor right now to express your support for SB 54 so legally married couples who were married out of state will have their marriages recognized in California. Also, if you haven't yet, email the Governor using our Action Center.

http://www.eqca.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=kuLRJ9MRKrH&b=4025663&aid=12583

The bill can be signed or vetoed at any moment. There is no time to waste.

Thank you,

Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California

Leonard Matlovich Memorial - National Equality March

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!
--------------------

To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=1257174906374&mid=1319c0eG2c4faed8G2b62a82G0

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.
http://www.facebook.com/l/293b5;www.twitter.com/bilericoproject

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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--------------------

To reply to this message, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?inbox/readmessage.php&t=1165190064303&mid=1315c24G2c4faed8G0G0

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

Quote of the day

"we need government to do things the private sector can't or won't." - Ken Burns

Origin of Stupidity

HomoQuotable - Larry Kramer via JMG

"We get what we fight for. And we are not fighting. Every single one of us is not fighting. They fight better than we do. There is a concerted and never ending vein of hate in this country and in this world dedicated to keeping us in our place. It is evil to force people to be what we are not -- free. We are not free.

"I love being gay. I love gay people. How can I say this without offending everyone else, I think we're better than other people. I think we are smarter. I think we are more talented. I think we are more aware. I think we make better friends. I think we make better lovers. I think we're more tuned in to what's happening, tuned into the moment, tuned into our emotions, and other people's emotions.

"Yes, I think that gay people are better than other people. I think the only thing we are not so good at is fighting back. I hear talk of the new generation of gays and the old generation of gays, and how different we are. That is not true. We are all one generation. We are all related. We are all each other's brothers and sisters. We are all one family, the gay family. And I passionately and desperately want all my brothers and sisters to stay alive and well and on this earth, with total equality with every straight person. Being gay is the most important thing in my life. I love being gay. I hope you do, too." - Legendary gay/AIDS activist and author Larry Kramer, telling the audience at Dallas Pride to fight harder.

(Via - Rex Wockner)

another great find lifted from JMG

Viva Barney!

Deb Price | Uncle Sam Should Respect All Marriages

http://www.truthout.org/092309U?n

Deb Price: "Listen to the voices crying out for Congress to end the federal government's mistreatment of legally married gay couples. Listen to McKinley BarbouRoske of Iowa. She displayed a confidence well beyond her 11 years when she spoke up for her moms at a recent news conference in front of the US Capitol. McKinley's parents were finally able to wed in their home state two months ago - after nearly two decades as a couple. Now they quite rightly want Uncle Sam to recognize their marriage."

HomoQuotable - Ellen DeGeneres

"Apparently, there's a lot of debate going on right now, whether I'm qualified or not to be the new judge on American Idol... I'll tell you right now, how I know I'm going to be a great judge -- because I've spent my whole life being judged. So, I know what it's like. So, I will be kind. I will be compassionate. I will be empathetic, and I will be truthful. I will be an honest judge without being mean." - Ellen DeGeneres, defending her selection as Paula Abdul's replacement.

lifted once again from JMG

Click and Join!

Obama Care in 4 Minutes

I Support The Dallas Principles

The following eight guiding principles underlie our call to action. In order to achieve full civil rights now, we avow:

1.Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now. Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.

2.We will not leave any part of our community behind.

3.Separate is never equal.

4.Religious beliefs are not a basis upon which to affirm or deny civil rights.

5.The establishment and guardianship of full civil rights is a non-partisan issue.

6.Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged.

7.Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.

8.Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles.

for more info see: Dallas Principles

Religious intolerance cuts deep in gay community, Gold says

From the Pendulum at Elon University

by Laura Smith, April 14, 2009

SmallerLarger
• 

  Mitchell Gold speaks to the Elon community on injustice of religious persecution toward the gay community.

• 
  

On Tuesday, civil rights activist, Mitchell Gold spoke to the Elon community at the Elon School sharing what he described as "such an incredibly painful memory."

Gold is the current CEO of the Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams furniture business, founder of Faith in America (a non-profit organization aimed at educating people about how religious-based bigotry is used to justify discrimination against homosexuals) and is now the author of his book, "Crisis."

"Crisis" was published in September 2008 and is a compilation of stories from those who have experienced religious intolerance and persecution as a result of growing up gay in America, something Gold felt quite a bit himself.

"People use the Bible to marginalize and dehumanize people," Gold said.

Growing up Jewish, Gold knew what it meant to be an oppressed minority. He also saw the discrimination towards black Americans that took place in the 1950s and 1960s.

He did not know how much he would one day experience that same intolerance for being gay.

"It's a problem because it's not acceptable," Gold said on realizing he was gay as a young teenager.

Gold described how he lived in fear every day of how his family would react if they knew he was gay. He feared getting beaten up at school, being seen as an outcast and not getting a decent job.

"I don't want one more kid to go through what I had to go through during my teenage years," Gold said.

He even contemplated suicide and saw a psychiatrist for help, who helped him learn to live being gay.

"I was lucky," Gold said of being able to get help and gain happiness.

Gold later moved to New York City, where being gay was commonplace and openly accepted. He got a job at Bloomingdale's, where several of the employees were gay. He even met someone he could settle down with, his current business partner, Bob Williams.

He even got to meet actor Richard Chamberlain, whom he discovered was gay as well.
"I got really comfortable," Gold said.

But all of this changed in 1988 when he moved down South to North Carolina.

"It's interesting to see how being naïve can be a good thing," he said of not realizing the difference of homosexual social acceptance in the South.

Gold began hearing conversations from co-workers and employees who described marriage as only being between a man and a woman.

"I started realizing there was a real movement afoot," Gold said of seeing how large of an intolerant sentiment there was toward gays.

He then realized this persecution was no different than what he had seen as a child.
"The same kind of discrimination that was used so horribly against black people was being used against gay people," he said.

Gold began his personal movement to create awareness of religious intolerance towards the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.

"This country has a sad history of segregation," Gold said. "I wanted to go out and teach people and remind them of that. Most decent people in America don't want to be a part of that history. Most decent people don't want to continue that hatred."

"Crisis" was compiled with contributors such Chamberlain, U.S. Congressman Barney Frank, Major League baseball player Billy Bean, TV actor Alec Mapa and former tennis champion Martina Navatilova. All are gay and openly talk about the struggle and pain of being a gay teenager in the book.

Gold is happy to be living in North Carolina, where there is currently no federal ban on gay marriage.

"In the state of North Carolina, we have the chance to be the shining light of this country," Gold said.

Gold said he hopes Americans will see the harm that intolerance toward the LGBT causes.

"Anybody who is oppressed has the right to confront their oppressor," he said.

Proceeds from "Crisis" go toward seven national gay advocacy programs for teens.

For those in Phoeniz, AZ:

Len Clark sent a message to the members of People Against Clergy Who Preach Hate !

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Subject: This is a very short email from the Love Rally,thanks for your patience.

Brothers and sisters I hope you will be with us in spirit if you can't make it to the Love Rally tommorrow in front of Steven Anderson's church who openly prays for the death of our president and advocates the killing of gay people by the use of guns. The scary thing is many of his congregation carry guns into his service.

For those of you that might be mad that I have sent this email, I'm sorry, but we need to let everybody know about the Love Rally in Tempe, Arizona tomm and we are making sure to only send one email per week. Please, be patient with us. Thanks.

Well, I hope you can make it to the Love Rally tommorrow, (2707 W. Southern Ave., major cross-roads are: 48th street and Souther, Tempe Arizona).

Oh, one last thing: I hope you'll tune into our internet show today (The Progressive Coalition) to call in (Sunday, 5:00 PM Mountain Pacific Time) about our Love Rally at:
http://www.facebook.com/l/ae424;thejefffariasshow.com

Please, call in with your ideas. 602-275-4130 or 1800-385-1566, I sure would like to hear from you.

Leonard Clark
founder of: People Against Clergy Who Preach Hate!

This makes it easy, just click the image and go... do it!

GLAD Challenges DOMA Section 3

We can quote the Bible too...

Courtesy of Dan Savage via JMG

Quote of the Day

“Holding to the letter of the law is many times an indication of a desire for leadership. One who assumes to be the enforcer of the law shows an intellectual understanding of the Cause, but that spiritual guidance in them is not yet established.”

Abdu'l-Baha

Important Message from PFAW

The signs speak for themselves: See more signs here.

Dear Daniel,

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of right-wing activists rallied in Washington, DC with signs that challenged President Obama's citizenship, accused him and Democratic congressional leaders of everything from Nazism to communism, promoted paranoia about "death panels" and euthanasia, and declared support for figures like Sarah Palin and Rep. Joe Wilson.

Of course, right-wing commentators like Michelle Malkin tried to report that the number of protesters was as high as two million, but officials estimated the crowd to be about 60,000. Significant, yes, but not indicative that these people are anything more than a vocal minority representing the views of only a small portion of Americans.

A PFAW staffer who showed up to check out the scene talked to many participants, and when she asked why they showed up, an overwhelming number gave the same answer: "Glenn Beck sent me."

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon, when the House of Representatives voted on a resolution of disapproval rebuking Rep. Joe Wilson for shouting "You lie!" at President Obama in the middle of his address to Congress. The vote put members of the House on record as to where they stand. The resolution passed, but nearly every Republican (all but seven) voted against it -- and with Joe Wilson and Glenn Beck's brand of extremism.

It is shameful that the GOP would give someone like Glenn Beck that sort of power. The Rush Limbaughs and Glenn Becks of the world have been pulling the strings of the Republican Party for too long. But it's getting even worse than that.

At the end of this month, some of the most fringe players on the Radical Right are hosting a conference called How to Take Back America and currently scheduled to speak are five Republican members of Congress and, according to polls among Republicans, one of the most popular expected GOP presidential candidates, Mike Huckabee.

When I say that the people hosting this conference are on the outer fringe, that's actually something of an understatement. Some of the scheduled workshops at the conference are titled, "How to recognize living under Nazis and Communists," and, "How to counter the homosexual extremist movement."

Here's a little about just two members of the Host Committee:

Joseph Farah has been the most ardent and vigilant leader of the "Birthers," yet has also made the astonishing claim that President Obama's maternal grandmother might really be his mother. He recently eulogized Sen. Ted Kennedy by calling him "a rotten man -- a wicked man, an 'enemy within'" and wrote that President Obama was secretly advocating the destruction of the Jews. His web site WorldNetDaily is the epicenter of countless right-wing lies and conspiracy theories and routinely serves as a forum for zealots to espouse anti-gay hysteria.

Janet Porter has helped to promote some of the most paranoid conspiracies out there, like claims that the Obama administration is setting up internment camps for conservatives and plotting to commit genocide against Americans through the use of the swine flu vaccine. Before the election, she said that supporting Obama was akin to supporting Nazis and declared that anyone who voted for him would go to hell. She's also an active participant in spreading Birther lies.

Americans need to be aware of the resurgent Radical Right as well as its growing influence on government officials and the Republican Party. People For the American Way is working hard to expose the Right and its influence, and to hold accountable those in our government who choose to ally themselves with extremists instead of the vast majority of Americans and the country's greater interest.

We can do it with, and because of, your continued support. And I thank you for it.

Sincerely,

Michael B. Keegan, President

P.S. The need for our vigilance against extremism has been disturbingly evidenced by gun-toting protesters outside of town hall meetings and Obama speeches. One such protester was part of an Arizona church congregation whose pastor, Rev. Steven Anderson, screams about "faggots running this country" and advocates the death penalty for gays, who he says "recruit through rape" and "molestation." Rev. Anderson is an extreme example, but extreme examples like him are becoming more and more commonplace. We need to fight back.

365 GAY ASK THE EXPERT: MONEY & REAL ESTATE

The Game Show Network’s Newlywed Game will make history this year--by adding same-sex celebrity pairs to their format.

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WENN

The network is in the midst of producing special Celebrity Newlywed Game episodes, one of which will feature the first gay contestants ever: George Takei (Sulu from the original Star Trek series) and longtime partner Brad Altman.

The duo married in September 2008 in Los Angeles, Ca., just before the state's Proposition 8 approval banned same-sex marriage.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/09/exclusive-newlywed-game-adding-same-sex-celeb-couples

A Message from Cleve Jones

Dear Friends:

It has been over 30 years since my friend and teacher, gay rights activist Harvey Milk, was assassinated. Today, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have won limited rights in a handful of states, but we are still second class citizens throughout the United States.

Harvey once said, "It takes no compromising to give people their rights."

This morning, Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced a bill in Congress to repeal the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act." If passed by the Congress, Rep. Nadler's legislation would be a real step forward in the march for full equality and we applaud his efforts, but LGBT people must stop settling for compromises and half measures.

Send a message to your Representative demanding full equality now!

Equal rights are not a "gay" issue. They are about our shared human rights: safety in our schools and jobs, equitable healthcare and housing, and protection for our families, to name a few.

Like all other Americans, LGBT people are guaranteed equal protection under the law by the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Free and equal people do not compromise, and that's why we're marching on Washington next month with one simple demand: Equal protection for LGBT people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Now.

Please ask your Representative to co-sponsor this legislation as an important first step, and remind them that there are no fractions of equality.

When Harvey spoke at Gay Freedom Day at San Francisco City Hall in 1978, he invoked the words of the Declaration of Independence: "All [people] are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words."

No more compromises. We are equal.

- Cleve Jones

The Grim Truth

Our American churches may condemn us, but they don't murder us outright.

Let's not, however, take much pride in this one higher rung on the ladder of civilized behavior. If the extreme homophobes in our churches thought they could get away with murdering us, as do the Islamic extremists who, according to the report, in the course of just this year, have murdered at least 130 gay men in Iraq, they would do the exact same thing. Here, we have police protection and legal recourse against homophobic religious extremists. Without it, we would probably have been tortured and murdered as were these men. It's a chilling thought.

courtesy of Father Tony of the Farmboyz

The 50 Best Gay Movies (2009)

via After Elton

Gay-friendly church launches anti-discrimination campaign.

A liberal church movement based in Texas has launched a campaign that is “designed to ask people whether Jesus would discriminate against others,” according to PinkNews.

The Would Jesus Discriminate? movement launched its campaign on the web by quoting a series of Biblical passages suggesting Jesus never discriminated against gays.

The DFW Metropolitan Community Churches, which have five chapters in the Texas area, say they provide an alternative to the perceived discrimination and intolerance from “religious institutions [which] have used their interpretation of the Bible to justify discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, and people with a different sexual orientation and/or identity issues.”

courtesy of 365

Why I like KCRW... its not even on ITunes yet...