Monday, November 9, 2009

Sign this Petition

Don't Ask, Don't Give

Joe and I are launching today a donor boycott of the DNC. The boycott is cosponsored by Daily Kos, Dan Savage, Michelangelo Signorile, Paul Sousa (Founder of Equal Rep in Boston), Pam Spaulding, Robin Tyler (ED of the Equality Campaign, Inc.), Bil Browning for the Bilerico Project, Jane Hamsher and soon others.

It's really more of a "pause," than a boycott. Boycotts sounds so final, and angry. Whereas this campaign is temporary, and is only meant to help some friends - President Obama and the Democratic party - who have lost their way. We are hopeful that via this campaign, our friends will keep their promises.

So please sign the Petition and take a Pledge to no longer donate to the DNC, Organizing for America, or the Obama campaign until the President and the Democratic party keep their promises to the gay community, our families, and our friends.

jump to the full post here


Portugal To Approve Marriage Equality

Sources in the administration of Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates say that one of the first plans for his new government will be to approve marriage equality. Via Bay Windows:
"The measure is part of the official program of the party and according to government sources, the move will be done as soon as [formation of] the government is complete," writes correspondent João Paulo from PortugalGay.pt. Sócrates’ Socialist Party captured 97 of Parliament’s 230 seats. With 31 additional votes from members of the Left Bloc and the Communist Party, both of which support gay marriage, Sócrates should be able to pass the bill easily.
Since 2001 Portugal has had a civil unions law for gay and straight couples that have lived together for at least two years.

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great news lifted from JMG

Important post from JMG: Please read Joe's advice when posting

Peter LaBarbera: The Liberty Counsel Has Called The FBI Over JMG Commenters

According to arch homophobe Peter LaBarbera, the Christianist legal firm Liberty Counsel has called the FBI to report "terrorist threats" made by JMG commenters.

Dear Readers,

Homosexual activist blogger Joe Jervis of “Joe.My.God” website contains a post attacking AFTAH founder Peter LaBarbera followed by a reader comment suggesting that “domestic terrorism” against pro-family leaders who oppose the homosexual agenda is justifiable.

In the post, titled “Haters vs. Haters: Peter LaBarbera Attacks Maine’s Stand for Marriage” — which has been live online since last Wed., Nov. 4 — a reader named “Fritz” writes:

“What I fear is that once gay and lesbian people give up hope of achieving equality through nonviolent means, there will be radicals who will begin to hunt down haters like LaBarbera and [National Organization for Marriage founder Maggie] Gallagher.

“All [it] will take is a small group of radical zealots who are willing to kill for their cause….”

Responding to Fritz’s suggestive “warning,” “Tex” writes:

“Fritz … you say this like it’s a bad thing?

“Maybe a bit of well-organized terrorism is just what we need, er, I mean ‘civil disobedience.’”

More coming …. We will reproduce all the offensive comments on our website. The pro-family Christian defense organization Liberty Counsel has contacted the FBI regarding the threatening post.
The two comments excerpted by LaBarbera don't pass the laugh test as a "terrorist threat." The first, by Fritz, expressed concern that any violence against anti-gay activists would HURT our cause. Which it would. The second, by Tex, is clearly a joke. Nevertheless, I've taken that post down for the time being.

But please let this obvious attempt to intimidate me and my readers serve as a warning to you all. The Christianist right monitors this blog and what we all say very closely. They read every post and every comment, clearly. Please don't post anything, even in jest, that you wouldn't mind saying in a signed letter to your local newspaper. Nothing is truly anonymous on the internet, ever.

Courts have held that bloggers, newspapers, and other online forums are not responsible (PDF) for libelous or threatening comments made on their sites. But cases have been brought, although rarely successfully, against commenters whose identities can be determined. Especially, you must never post the home addresses or personal phone numbers of any public or private persons. Calls to action that include links, addresses, and phone numbers for government agencies, advocacy groups, and businesses are perfectly legal.

According to figures provided by JS-Kit, the commenting service provider for this blog, the volume of commenting here is in the hundreds of thousands per year. Obviously, I cannot monitor them all, so I ask that if you see a comment posted here on JMG that you feel incites to violence, violates someone's personal privacy, or otherwise puts its author in legal jeopardy, please email me at JoeMyGod@gmail.com and I'll investigate.

UPDATE: Raw Story has posted an email from Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber, in which he compares the Fort Hood massacre to "terrorist threats" from JMG commenters.
A prominent social-conservative activist group is using comments made by readers on a gay-rights Web site as "evidence" that the LGBT movement is mulling using "organized terrorism" against Christians. The Liberty Counsel released a statement on Monday linking Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged shooter in last week's Fort Hood massacre, to the gay-rights movement.

"In the wake of the horrific act of Islamic domestic terrorism at Fort Hood Texas, it has been learned that militant homosexual activists recently made similar online postings to those of Nidal Malik Hasan, threatening additional acts of terrorism against Christians," stated an email from Matt Barber, Liberty Counsel's director of cultural affairs, as well as an associate dean at Liberty University Law School. Barber's email continued:
In response to Maine’s natural marriage victory last Tuesday, “gay” activists have directly threatened to retaliate with “terrorism” and the “killing” of Christians on the popular homosexual activist JoeMyGod weblog. Liberty Counsel notified the FBI which is investigating the matter. As of this morning, the offending blog entry had been removed. Matt Barber commented: “All potential threats of terrorism and murder are very serious business. As we learned just last week, there are ideologically driven terrorists who walk among us. After passage of Proposition 8 in California we saw that many homosexual activists are capable of threats, vandalism and even violence. Those who either threaten or attempt to incite terrorism must be immediately brought to justice. Churches and Christian leaders around the country need to be on high alert. These threats of homosexual activist terrorism must be taken very seriously."
I guess Barber is really upset about his book reviews. So like any dissed author, he called the FBI.

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a heads up from JMG

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Proud! Play it Loud!

Interactive Map

Go the Wall Street Journal article for an interactive map displaying the status of legally recognized same-sex relationships in each state.

Sir Ian McKellen's Grudge with Leviticus

Sir Ian McKellen's Grudge with Leviticus

Ian McKellenHow's this for the premise of X-Men 4: Magneto decides that instead of seeking world domination, he's just going to wage battle against radical right-wing religious folks who use the Bible as a means of beating up on LGBT people.

Jump here to the article




Sugar-Coated Homophobia

Sugar-Coated Homophobia


Pastor Joel Osteen is one of the most popular preachers in the country, and the author of several best-selling books that help people achieve "their best life now." Gay Rights blogger Michael Jones writes that while Pastor Osteen has made a name for himself selling a friendlier version of religion, there's still a sour dose of homophobia that lies at the core of his sugar-coated message. It reared its ugly head this week, when Pastor Osteen boldly claimed that "homosexuality is not God's best." On the contrary, we humbly suggest to Pastor Osteen that homophobic preachers are not likely to be a loving God's best. (Read more)


Bil Browning sent a message to the members of The Bilerico Project.

Weekly Reader: Gay Geeks, Election Night, & Equality March Controversy

Thanks to this week's election night open thread and our liveblog of the Senate ENDA hearing, this was the highest traffic week ever on Bilerico Project. While those two posts were two of our highlights this week, out of the many posts published this week, here are some of the best:

Sunday
Guess Who Just Played the Gay Card?
Filed by: Adam Bink
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/guess_who_just_played_the_gay_card.php

Apples and Androids [Gay Geeks]
Filed by: Nathan Strang
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/apples_and_androids_gay_geeks.php

Monday
Why gay marriage IS the End of the World (or the queer world, at least)
Filed by: Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/why_gay_marriage_is_the_end_of_the_world_or_the_qu.php

Lessons for the marginalized
Filed by: Amy Hunter
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/lessons_for_the_marginalized.php

Tuesday
Equality March Co-Directors Resign; Group Reorganizes Amid Controversy
Filed by: Bil Browning
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/equality_march_co-directors_resign_group_reorganiz.php

How Do You Just Watch a Rape?
Filed by: Terrance Heath
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/how_do_you_just_watch_a_rape.php

Wednesday
The Day After a Hard Night
Filed by: Kate Kendell
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/the_day_after_a_hard_night.php

Update: Statement on Gender Identity Disorder and Transvestic Fetishism in the DSM-V
Filed by: Kelley Winters
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/update_statement_on_gender_identity_disorder_and_t.php

Thursday
Speaker Pelosi (and all your Democratic friends): I'm not waiting anymore.
Filed by: Kip Williams
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/speaker_pelosi_and_all_your_democratic_friends_im.php

Marriage after Maine
Filed by: Nan Hunter
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/marriage-maine-gay-lgbt-election-results.php

Friday
The Top 10 Best Ballot Questions Ever
Filed by: Alex Blaze
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/top-ten-10-politics-list-poll-survey.php

WWJD? Incite Hate Crimes Against LGBT People, according to this "Pastor"
Filed by: Waymon Hudson
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/wwjd_incite_hate_crimes_against_lgbt_people_accord.php

BONUS:
Election Night Results Open Thread: Maine, WA State, Kalamazoo & Beyond
Filed by: Waymon Hudson
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/election_night_open_thread_maine_wa_state_kalamazo.php

Liveblogging the Senate ENDA Hearing
Filed by: Dr. Jillian Weiss
http://www.facebook.com/l/ee4ec;www.bilerico.com/2009/11/liveblogging_the_senate_enda_hearing.php

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Saturday, November 7, 2009

HLN's Joy Behar & Panel Talk Carrie Prejean's Sex Tape & Gay Rights

Dear Friends –

A year ago, Marriage Equality USA asked you to share your personal stories about the Prop 8 campaign, its harm, and our hopes for the future. We received over 3,000 responses and produced a series of reports using your feedback that you can find on our website (http://www.marriageequality.org/index.php?page=polls-and-studies). These reports have influenced organizations as they reflect on how they run their campaign operations and have been used in many forums to illustrate the harm that come from these anti-gay campaigns.

Last Tuesday evening, it was déjà vu again as we witnessed same-sex couples in Maine having their fundamental right to marry stripped from them by a mere majority of voters. But Marriage Equality USA and dedicated volunteers will not stop, we will continue to reach out to more and more Americans to share our stories on why marriage matters and why these campaigns are so destructive. We know that marriage equality will be a reality, it is just a matter of time and we ask you to continue to stay engaged on this journey.

As follow up to last year’s survey, Marriage Equality USA is launching a stories project. We want to encourage same-sex couples, their families, straight allies, and other community members to share their experiences on the impact and importance of extending the freedom to marry to all loving, committed couples. The stories we collect will be presented through a digital stories project that we will release during February's Freedom to Marry month.

If you could take 15 minutes to sit down and share your story we would appreciate it and we will use it. To facilitate this effort, we have created an on-line survey at: http://www.marriageequality.org/marriagestories/

The diversity of our experiences is important to share because there are so many people to reach. We must reflect the reality that we are truly everywhere, in every community and demographic. No one will do this for us, we must be the change we want to see in the world and it begins with sharing our truth. Your story may be the one that will make a difference for some conflicted but potential marriage equality supporter. So send in your story today and please spread the word.

Thank you and take care,

Pamela Brown and all our dedicated volunteers at Marriage Equality USA

Pastors will test Matthew Shepard Act by "inciting hate crimes"

31112 Religious conservatives still outraged over the passing of hate crimes legislation have decided to test the limits of the new law with a publicity stunt involving incendiary hate speech directed at gays and lesbians. In order to "prove" that their God-given right to harass LGBT folk is being threatened, a group of pastors plan to travel to the nation's capital and ratchet up the rhetoric in hopes of getting themselves arrested. (Can you believe this shit? And these zealots have the audacity to refer to hate crimes legislation as the "Hate Christians Law.")

You can't miss the irony here. Christianity is supposed to be all about "Love Thy Neighbor" and "Do Unto Others," right? So in order to challenge the new law, a posse of homobigots led by Pastor Gary Cass (president of the so-called Christian Anti-Defamation Commission) is heading to Washington DC on November 16th where they will assemble outdoors and shout hatred and even foment violence against gays - y'know, to see how far they can go before being arrested under the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Jump to the rest of the distressing story here

Friday, November 6, 2009

Top Ten Signs that You're a Christian

10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of your god.

9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from lesser life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Trinity god.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" -- including women, children, and trees!

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loop-holes in the scientifically established age of the Earth (4.55 billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by pre-historic tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that the Earth is a couple of generations old.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects -- will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet you consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving".

3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to prove Christianity.

2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many Atheists and Agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history -- but still call yourself a Christian.

jump here to go to the original


Human Rights Campaign

Dear Daniel,

FREE No Excuses T-Shirt!!

Watch for your letter to be published in your local newspaper and then send a scanned copy or online link of the published letter to noexcuses@hrc.org and receive an offer for a FREE No Excuses campaign t-shirt!

Shipping and handling not included.

It's still true, and it's still appalling: in 29 states, it's legal to fire someone because they're lesbian, gay, or bisexual; in 38 states, it's legal to fire someone for being transgender.

But most people in Sacramento – even many LGBT people – aren't aware of this outrageous injustice.

Building strong, vocal support for workplace equality in places like Sacramento will be crucial as we fight for a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in Congress. And with the Senate holding hearings on the bill just yesterday, and the first important House vote coming in the weeks ahead – now is the time to make sure citizens in Sacramento are informed and activated.

Writing your letter is easy – we'll help, with facts and talking points! And it's one of the best ways to build momentum against workplace discrimination so that ENDA passes once and for all.

This is one of the next big battles facing our movement. And it's going to be even tougher than passing the hate crimes bill was. Right-wing groups loudly claim that measures like ENDA grant "special rights" to LGBT people and take away the freedoms of people of faith. It's absurd; it's wrong; we need lawmakers like Rep. Doris Matsui standing up for what's right.

If there's one thing the hate crimes victory showed us, it's that Congress can move at a glacial pace. There's only one thing that speeds up the process: direct, sustained pressure from ordinary people like you. And speaking out in the media is critical.

Thousands of people like you have already sent letters to Congress, demanding that our leaders put an end to the second-class treatment of LGBT workers.

Now, you can help us make sure everyone in your community knows the facts, too. With your help, we can get the story told in every corner of the country.

With your help, we can push our nation's leaders to support ENDA's common-sense protections, and make the workplace safe for all.

Thank you.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
Joe Solmonese
President

This link is specific to you, so please make your donation to this campaign before you forward to your friends. Having trouble clicking on the links above? Simply copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar to take action today: http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/site/LteUser?lte_id=1

© 2009 The Human Rights Campaign. All rights reserved.
Human Rights Campaign | http://www.hrc.org/
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-3278
Phone: 202/628-4160 TTY: 202/216-1572 Fax: 202/347-5323

Lobster Crackpot

The New York Times ran an article yesterday about Linda L. Bean, granddaughter of LL Bean and an heiress to his vast fortune. For the past several years, Linda L. Bean has been executing on a business plan to “mass market Maine lobster the way Perdue does chicken” (here). Because it takes a kooky woman to make a cheap lobster.

I’ve never bought anything from LL Bean, and in fact I’ve been consciously boycotting the company for the past 5 years, precisely because of Linda Bean, who was previously known as Linda Bean Folkers but has either divorced or decided to market herself better. Linda Bean is a notorious figure in Maine, a “deeply religious, conservative Republican” who has tried to unsuccessfully buy her way into politics in two failed bids for Congress. She uses her fortune to fund right-wing causes like anti-gay rights campaigns, and is known to fraternize with televangelists and Christian cult leaders. But what really burns me about Bean: She once dismantled a 60-year old camping shelter on her vast Maine property, and constructed a barrier on a town-owned road that lead to the property and hiking trails, because she was upset over campfires and trash on her land. You’d think a women who lives off the largess of outdoor activity would try to find a more amendable solution.

jump to read the rest of the post here

FROM JMG

Archdiocese of Portland employee and Stand For Marriage spokesdouche Marc Mutty says the vote in Maine "had nothing to do with hate."

"It definitely had everything to do with hate. The Yes On One campaign trafficked in vicious anti-gay stereotypes throughout the entire campaign. Their whole campaign was premised upon the... notion that allowing same-sex couples to legally marry meant teaching gay sex to children in schools at some sort of mandatory anal sex assemblies for third graders." He adds that Obama was "AWOL" in the battle and that the president "is a fierce advocate on gay rights the same way I'm a ladies man." - Dan Savage


Washington: Referendum 71 APPROVED

Washington state's battle to preserve their new domestic partnerships law has been won.
The tally Thursday afternoon saw the vote to approve R-71 widening its lead 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent. That lead now appears insurmountable. The Secretary of State's Office estimates another 500,000 to 600,000 ballots statewide are still outstanding, with about half expected from King County, where the measure is being approved by slightly more than 2 to 1. "Voters across the state listened to the personal stories of lesbian and gay families and the challenges they faced and sent a strong message that we want to see all families treated equally under the law in our state," said Anne Levinson, chairwoman of Washington Families Standing Together, which worked for the measure's approval.
Protect Marriage Washington is refusing to concede, saying it's still possible that enough votes will come in to make up their deficit. However news outlets and the Associated Press are all calling the race over.

Congratulations to Washington Families Standing Together for a well-run, truthful campaign.

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this great news courtesy of JMG

Quote of the day

“If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nailbiters.”

- Anita Bryant

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my marriage cancelled sign

Dear Daniel,

The results of Tuesday's elections in Maine, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Washington were a mixed bag but there are some clear lessons we can learn.

  • Voters rejected right-wing radicalism.
  • Democrats who fail to stand up for Democratic and progressive principles fail in elections.
  • The Right's lies still work.
  • Despite the stinging loss for marriage equality in Maine, evidence elsewhere shows voters moving towards support of equality for all Americans.
  • The Far Right strengthened its grip on the Republican Party.
  • We have a lot of work to do to educate people, expose right-wing lies and counter the resurgent Right.
  • The scattered results of yesterday's elections were not a referendum on President Obama and his policies.

Keep reading for a recap of Tuesday's results and more on these important lessons.

The Democratic candidate for governor in Virginia did everything he could to ensure that progressives stay home on Election Day (like saying that as governor, he would opt Virginia out of the health care "public option"). So it comes as no shock that he lost to an ultraconservative Republican who, despite being a product of Pat Robertson's Regent University and having a history of radical views, effectively portrayed himself as mainstream, barely even a Republican never mind a right-wing ideologue.

In New Jersey, embattled Governor Jon Corzine was unsuccessful in defending his incumbency against many of the problems and challenges that his state has faced.

In Maine, the still-painful wound from last year's passage of Proposition 8 in California was reopened when a majority voted to repeal legislature-passed marriage equality, relegating members of same-sex couples to second-class citizens. But in Washington, voters reaffirmed the State's domestic partnership law, protecting the rights of same-sex couples. And some smaller, but nonetheless important, victories for equality were won. In Kalamazoo, MI, an anti-discrimination ordinance was passed and openly gay candidates won local races in several good-sized cities around the country.

And in the much-watched special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District, which has had constant Republican representation going back to the 19th century, Democrat Bill Owens beat Conservative Party candidate and unabashed right-wing extremist, Doug Hoffman. The Republican candidate had to drop out of the race because her views were too moderate for national Republican leaders like Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty, and opinion leaders like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh (not to mention right-wing groups like the Club for Growth which dumped $1 million into the race to help Hoffman).

The takeaways:

  • Voters rejected right-wing radicalism when it was on full display by the "tea bagger" candidate -- supported by the likes of Beck, Limbaugh and Palin -- in the NY-23 special election. Republican statewide candidates in Virginia were certainly representative of the Religious Right, but they successfully masked that fact, running very non-partisan, non-ideological campaigns in what seemed more like a personality contest than a critical election based on the issues. However, the Republican victory can also be attributed to the Democratic gubernatorial candidate's conservatism and unwillingness to stand up for progressive values. The campaign was not effective on many levels, but the progressive base was alienated to say the least... which brings us to the next lesson....
  • Democrats need to stand up for Democratic and progressive principles. Values on the ballot drive voters to the polls, and this is particularly important in off-year and mid-term elections where base turnout is the name of the game.

With regard to the fight for LGBT equality, we can see some very specific trends.

  • The Right's lies still work. In Maine, the same ridiculous scare tactics and outright lies the Right used in the California to pass Proposition 8 last year worked again.
  • Voters want to support equality for all Americans, although the Right is still effective and misleading people about the marriage issue. We saw this in Washington State, as well as in: Chapel Hill, NC, which elected a gay mayor; Houston, TX (America's fourth largest city), where the leading candidate for mayor in the runoff election is openly gay; Kalamazoo, MI, which voted to protect LGBT people from discrimination; and more localities around the country.
  • Much work is needed to expose the Right's fear-mongering lies AND to educate the public about why civil marriage is the only true measure of equality for same-sex couples.

And, finally, it's worth mentioning that the scattered results of yesterday's elections were not a referendum on President Obama. In fact, Obama enjoys very high approval ratings in both Virginia and New Jersey, well above the national average and well above the percentages he achieved in his election last year.

You can read a somewhat more detailed analysis of this week's election results here.

Thank you for your continued support for People For the American Way's work to expose and counter the Right.

-- Michael B. Keegan, President



donate  - convio red

Thursday, November 5, 2009

President Obama and Gay Rights: Forgetting the Lessons of the Campaign

How does Obama the President compare to Obama the candidate on gay rights? It's no secret that GLBT advocates have expressed disappointment and frustration with decisions by the White House to avoid pressing for gay rights during the first year of the administration. No executive order to halt the discharges of gay troops; no bold leadership on passing non-discrimination legislation; no mention of a ballot initiative in Maine to reverse marriage equality that might have made a real difference in the loss there Tuesday. We helped elect him with our votes, money, and time because we were promised change. But in our lives as GLBT people, that's not what's being delivered.

jump here to read the rest on HP