Friday, March 18, 2011

Via AMERICAblog Gay: So much for fiscal issues, half of House Teabagger caucus are blatant homophobes

Thursday, March 17, 2011

So much for fiscal issues, half of House Teabagger caucus are blatant homophobes


Yesterday, we posted the list of the 97 biggest homophobes in the U.S. House. They're the sponsors of the anti-DOMA resolution. And, it sure looked like a lot of the GOPers are teabaggers. I wrote:
This list pretty much comprises the biggest homophobes in the U.S. House of Representatives. As of now, they're all Republicans. The list is also an indication that the newly elected teabaggers are not just focused on fiscal issues. A number of the cosponsors are freshmen (for example, Sean Duffy (WI), Kristi Noem (SD), Tim Scott (GA) and many more.) So, yeah, the teabaggers are hard-core right-wingers on social issues, too. We'll update the list when and if more cosponsors are added.
Today, we've got confirmation that the teabaggers are homophobes. Carlos Maza from Equality Matters compared the list of anti-DOMA sponsors to the Tea Party Caucus:
Of the 52 members of the House Tea Party Caucus, 26 have already signed on as co-sponsors to the bill, including Tea Party favorite Rep. Michelle Bachmann.

While traditional Republicans might be expected to support the bill, such a powerful endorsement from the Tea Party Caucus is puzzling because it contradicts two of the Tea Party's core principles: Limited government and focus on fiscal responsibility.

The Defense of Marriage Act is a classic example of federal intrusion into states' rights. DOMA explicitly prohibits the federal government from adhering to state definitions of marriage in instances where the state chooses to sanction the marriages of same-sex couples.
Yep, homophobia and legislative gay-bashing trump "principles."

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

SASSY GAY FRIEND - Macbeth

Via jmg: Anti-Gay Money Gingrich Sent To Iowa Went To American Family Association


Last week the Los Angeles Times revealed that thrice-married serial adulterer Newt Gingrich had arranged for $200K in donations to unseat Iowa's pro-gay state Supreme Court justices. Now it's been learned that Gingrich sent $125K of that money directly to the anti-gay hate group, the American Family Association.
Gingrich, the former U.S. House speaker who has aggressively courted the conservatives who dominate Iowa's lead-off presidential caucuses, raised the money for the political arm of Restoring American Leadership, also known as ReAL. That group then passed $125,000 to American Family Association Action and an additional $25,000 to the Iowa Christian Alliance — two of the groups that spent millions before last November's elections that removed three of the state's seven state Supreme Court justices. The court had unanimously decided a state law restricting marriage to a man and a woman violated Iowa's constitution. The financial transfers, which appear to comply with campaign finance laws, were part of a steady flow of cash into Iowa from conservative groups such as the National Organization for Marriage and the Family Research Council.
Newt Gingrich would like to remind everybody that that marriage is between one man and one woman whom you abandon riddled with cancer on her hospital bed while you fuck the shit out of your mistress whom you later marry and cheat on with a third woman while screaming with Godly moral outrage about the infidelities of the president.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post mistakenly named Focus On The Family as the recipient of Gingrich's efforts. My apologies. That's what I get for working on multiple posts at the same time. /facepalm


reposted from Joe

Via JMG: House & Senate Get DOMA Repeal Bills


The Respect For Marriage Act, which would repeal DOMA, was introduced today in both the House and Senate. The Task Force reacts via press release:
“It is shocking that in 21st-century America, legally married same-sex couples are being singled out and selectively denied fundamental rights by their own federal government. This is an outrage. The Respect for Marriage Act does just that — it respects and protects the rights of legally married couples to live free from this government-sanctioned discrimination. Today’s introduction marks an important step toward recognizing our common humanity and ending an egregious injustice against thousands of loving, committed couples who simply want the protections, rights and responsibilities already afforded other married couples. We thank the many House and Senate members who recognize that DOMA has no place on the books and support its full, swift repeal. DOMA has only served to belittle our country’s deeply held values of freedom and fairness. It has only served to hurt families, not help. This must end now.”
Plaintiffs in one of the federal suits to overturn DOMA appeared at a DC press conference this morning.
Nancy Gill and Marcelle Letourneau joined other married same-sex couples at two Capitol Hill press conferences today in support of a bill filed to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act. They were accompanied by GLAD Civil Rights Project Director Mary L. Boanauto, who is representing them and other Massachusetts couples and widowers in the DOMA Section 3 challenge Gill et al v. OPM. “Marcelle and I have been happily together for 30 years and happily married for five,” said Nancy Gill, a federal postal employee for 23 years. “We’re raising two kids. Unlike my married co-workers, I can’t put Marcelle on my health insurance because of DOMA. Our family should be treated the same as the families of our co-workers, and our children should be just as secure as theirs
While the Respect For Marriage Act has numerous cosponsors in both chambers, the bill is considered to have little chance of success.


reposted from Joe

Via Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that hate groups in the US topped 1,000 in 2010, a 7.5 increase in one year. Even worse this marks a 66% rise since 2000

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Via Belirico: Written in the Stars: Gays and Astrology

Filed by: Jesse Monteagudo

March 15, 2011 3:30 PM

I first knew there was something queer about astrology back in my teen years, when I first saw Walter Mercado on television. waltermercado.jpgThough Mercado's homosexuality has never been established, this flamboyant, androgynous, perfumed, bouffant, heavily-made up psychic seemed to me to be gayer than a screaming parrot on top of a banana bush.

Today, the indefatigable Mercado (now known as Shanti Ananda) continues his psychic mission on Spanish-language TV and newspapers, though now with enough cosmetic surgery and Botox to put both Joan Rivers and Amanda Lapore to shame.

Walter Mercado was not the first gay/androgynous/gender variant to succeed in the field of astrology, nor would he be the last. In fact, LGBT people's interest in astrology goes back to the beginning. "Gay people love astrology," Matthew Pizzuti recently wrote in outfrontcolorado.com, "After fleeing from their parents' homophobic Christian churches at puberty, they delight in coming across a spiritual system that has no god to judge you and no priest or minister to say that you are intrinsically corrupt. In astrology the key figures are planets, which are unconscious and therefore do not nag you about promiscuous sex, sodomy or tithing."

Continue reading "Written in the Stars: Gays and Astrology" »

Via JMG: Friendly Voices - Jennifer Lopez


"It’s OK to be out. I do think it is. I do think it’s acceptable for people to be who they are. I am a huge advocate of that. In that sense, that’s the only way we can truly love ourselves, it’s by accepting who we are and letting everybody know who we are. So, I’m very proud – you know – I’m friends with Ricky [Martin] and I’m very proud of him and support him in everything he does. And all these people who have been... who want to step forward and tell the world who they are… I think that’s awesome." - Jennifer Lopez, in an interview with gay Latino blogger Andres Duque.


reposted from Joe  

Via JMG: Canada Citizenship Guide Adds Gay Rights

A new edition of Canada's citizenship guide includes the message that gay rights are upheld there, although a mention of same-sex marriage was removed from the draft version.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney showed off the guide to new citizens yesterday in Vancouver, but said he didn’t personally order the information removed. Other new additions to the booklet add forced marriage to a list of gender-based crimes that aren’t tolerated in Canada, and a paragraph that says “violent, extreme or hateful prejudices” aren’t tolerated here. The study guide was last updated 15 years ago.
(Tipped by JMG reader Paul)


reposted from Joe

Via JMG: POLLS: Majority Of Americans Oppose DOMA, Denounce GOP Plan To Defend


Via the Human Rights Campaign:
51 percent of voters oppose DOMA while 34 percent favor it. Independent voters, who were instrumental in the Republican House takeover, oppose the law by a 52 percent to 34 percent margin. Additionally, when read statements for and against defending DOMA in court, 54 percent of voters oppose the House Republicans' intervention, while only 32 percent support it. Given a list of issues important in determining their vote for President, voters ranked the economy and jobs (54 percent), Medicare and Social Security (23 percent) and education (19 percent) as most important with only 5 percent of respondents saying marriage was most important to them. Finally, when presented with the actual benefits from which married same-sex couples are excluded, voters overwhelmingly support extending those benefits.

reposted from Joe

The Partisans: For Those With Vaginas

Via JMG: House Committee Passes Bill Discouraging Financial Aid To Anti-Gay Nations


The U.S. House Financial Services Committee today approved Rep. Barney Frank's budget amendment that would discourage the granting of foreign aid to nations that engage in the "physical persecution" of their citizens on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identify. Michelle Garcia reports at the Advocate:
The text of the amendment reads: "The Committee urges Treasury to advocate that governments receiving assistance from the multilateral development institutions do not engage in gross violations of human rights, for example, the denial of freedom of religion, including the right to choose one’s own religion, and physical persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity." Frank cited Uganda, a beneficiary of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries program, as an example of a country that openly abuses its LGBT citizens. “The United States has a fairly influential voice in the development area," Frank said Tuesday. "And we should not be supportive of providing multilateral bank development funds going to the governments of countries which engage in the physical persecution of people because of their religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
Frank's amendment will be added to the bill that describes the budgetary priorities of the Financial Services Committee. While it was passed out of committee with "nearly unanimous" support, it's unclear how the amendment will fare with the GOP House majority, many of whom already oppose foreign aid to some countries for differing reasons.


reposted from Joe

Via AmericaBlog: Coretta Scott King on the ties between racism and homophobia

With the current discussion about the role of black churches in the loss of marriage in Maryland, I think it's more important than ever to remind people of the words of Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King's widow (see her extensive quotes, below). For reasons I can't fathom, you don't hear anyone quoting Coretta, ever, when dealing with the issue of homophobia in the black community, and the larger claim that somehow homophobia is less repugnant, less worthy of fixing, than racism.




I have my own thoughts - namely, that it's exactly the same thing. Racism is the same thing as homophobia, and they're the same thing as anti-Semitism, as bigotry against the Irish during the 1800s and beyond, as America's appalling treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, of America's appalling treatment of Muslim-Americans following September 11, and the Republicans appalling treatment of Latinos to this day.

It's absurd for one group to make the claim that they suffered more than others, thus other claims for equal rights are somehow less valid.
[Maryland] Del. Emmett C. Burns saying "Those who want to ride on our coattails are historically incorrect; gay people had not endured the struggles of blacks, had not had crosses burned on their lawns or been thrown in a police wagon."
Actually, gay people have been thrown in police wagons - some during Stonewall, and others fighting alongside Martin Luther King (Coretta mentions this fact below) - and had the bigot from Maryland bothered studying his civil rights history, he'd have known that. Not to mention... show of hands if your people were rounded up and thrown into camps by the Nazis during the Holocaust? I see gay hands up, and rightly so, but oops, not so fast, Delegate Burns. We each have our unique cross to bear. It doesn't make any of us better than, or less human than, the other.

But there's a larger logical fallacy to the bigot Burns' ramblings. No one owns a patent on bigotry: Prejudice didn't start in the 1960s, and slavery didn't even start in the 1400s in Africa. In fact, slavery goes back at least to 1700BC. But you don't find anyone claiming that Del. Burns is riding on the coattails of all the slave populations that came before his own, and rightly so. Because to do so would make you look like a bit of a bigoted ass.

Prejudice and bigotry is a bad thing. And it's motivated by the same hatred, regardless of the skin color or sexual orientation of the perpetrator or the victim. So the next time you're confronted by an anti-gay bigot like Delegate Burns, or anyone who claims that somehow racism is more evil than homophobia, quote the words of Coretta Scott King, when talking about racism and homophobia. And then tell them to STFU, unless they want to now claim that they know more about civil rights than Martin Luther King's widow.

Here's my earlier post about Coretta's statements, reprinted below. Read it, save it, and use it.
This is an important post that every civil rights advocate should copy and keep handy.

I was at CNN yesterday, taping a segment for Howie Kurtz's Sunday show (should be on around 10:15am-ish Eastern time Sunday morning). The segment was about all the recent gay marriage victories, and whether the media was giving them enough coverage. I was debating conservative talk radio host Dennis Prager.

Prager made several rather telling points, while complaining about the fact that the American people are rising up with pitchforks against the recent onslaught of civil rights. He complained that if you oppose gay civil rights you're accused of being a bigot (I told him "that's because you are"), he then said that gay civil rights advocates would even compare your opposition to gay civil rights to those who opposed the civil rights of blacks. Well, yes Dennis, they do. That's because it's the same thing. Don't listen to me. Listen to Coretta Scott King, who I will quote extensively below. (And I researched all of these quotes myself - they're real, you can do a Lexis search if you need to find the originals.)

The religious right is terrified that Americans might notice the obvious similarities between the African-American civil rights battle and the fight for equal rights by gay and lesbian Americans. Spokespeople for fundamentalist extremist groups often denounce anyone who might equate the two struggles, as the following recent press release from the bigoted men at the Concerned Women for America (CWA) illustrates:
"To compare rich, privileged homosexual lobby groups allied with transsexuals and sadomasochists to brave civil rights crusaders — who risked their lives to advance freedom — insults every black American who overcame real injustice and poverty,” said CWA President Sandy Rios... "It’s time for the homosexual lobby to stop co-opting the black civil rights struggle. The [National Gay and Lesbian] Task Force’s agenda of promoting perversion — including public homosexual sex, sadomasochism and bisexuality — would offend the vast majority of African-Americans who understand the difference between God-designed racial distinctions and changeable, immoral behavior.” - CWA press release, 9/9/02
Ah yes, those terrible rich and privileged Jews gays.

Of course, there's a reason the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force links the issues of African-American civil rights and gay civil rights: Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King's widow, told them to. In a remarkable address before the Task Force's annual meeting, on November 9, 2000, Mrs. King gave a forceful statement on the importance of gay rights to the overall civil rights struggle (read Mrs. King's entire speech here.)

And this was not the first time Martin Luther King's widow made clear that groups like the Concerned Women for America have no idea what they're talking about when they try to speak on behalf of African-Americans about civil rights. Excerpts of Mrs. King's numerous public statements in favor of gay civil rights are posted below. Please feel free to cite any of the following quotations the next time a far-right extremist dares to speak on behalf of Martin Luther King and America's African-American community. We need to continually jam these quotes down their throats:

Make Room At The Table for Lesbian and Gay People
Coretta Scott King, speaking four days before the 30th anniversary of her husband's assassination, said Tuesday the civil rights leader's memory demanded a strong stand for gay and lesbian rights. "I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice," she said. "But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'" "I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people," she said. - Reuters, March 31, 1998.
Homophobia is Like Racism and Anti-Semitism
Speaking before nearly 600 people at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Coretta Scott King, the wife of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Tuesday called on the civil rights community to join in the struggle against homophobia and anti-gay bias. "Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood," King stated. "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group." - Chicago Defender, April 1, 1998, front page.
MLK's Struggle Parallels The Gay Rights Movement
Quoting a passage from her late husband's writing, Coretta Scott King reaffirmed her stance on gay and lesbian rights Tuesday at a luncheon celebrating the 25 anniversary of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a national gay rights organization. "We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny . . . I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed to be what you ought to be," she said, quoting her husband. "I've always felt that homophobic attitudes and policies were unjust and unworthy of a free society and must be opposed by all Americans who believe in democracy," King told 600 people at the Palmer House Hilton, days before the 30th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination on April 4, 1968. She said the civil rights movement "thrives on unity and inclusion, not division and exclusion." Her husband's struggle parallels that of the gay rights movement, she said. - Chicago Sun Times, April 1, 1998, p.18.
Mrs. King is Outspoken Supporter of Gay and Lesbian People
"For many years now, I have been an outspoken supporter of civil and human rights for gay and lesbian people," King said at the 25th Anniversary Luncheon for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.... "Gays and lesbians stood up for civil rights in Montgomery, Selma, in Albany, Ga. and St. Augustine, Fla., and many other campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement," she said. "Many of these courageous men and women were fighting for my freedom at a time when they could find few voices for their own, and I salute their contributions." - Chicago Tribune, April 1, 1998, sec.2, p.4.
Sexual Orientation is a Fundamental Human Rights
We have a lot more work to do in our common struggle against bigotry and discrimination. I say “common struggle” because I believe very strongly that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are equally wrong and should be opposed by right-thinking Americans everywhere. Freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation is surely a fundamental human right in any great democracy, as much as freedom from racial, religious, gender, or ethnic discrimination. - Coretta Scott King, remarks, Opening Plenary Session, 13th annual Creating Change conference of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Atlanta, Georgia, November 9, 2000.
We Need a National Campaign Against Homophobia
"We have to launch a national campaign against homophobia in the black community," said Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the slain civil rights leader. - Reuters, June 8, 2001.
Justice is Indivisible
For too long, our nation has tolerated the insidious form of discrimination against this group of Americans, who have worked as hard as any other group, paid their taxes like everyone else, and yet have been denied equal protection under the law.... I believe that freedom and justice cannot be parceled out in pieces to suit political convenience. My husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” On another occasion he said, “I have worked too long and hard against segregated public accommodations to end up segregating my moral concern. Justice is indivisible.” Like Martin, I don’t believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others. So I see this bill as a step forward for freedom and human rights in our country and a logical extension of the Bill of Rights and the civil rights reforms of the 1950’s and ‘60’s. The great promise of American democracy is that no group of people will be forced to suffer discrimination and injustice. - Coretta Scott King, remarks, press conference on the introduction of ENDA, Washington, DC, June 23, 1994

Monday, March 14, 2011

GLEE - "When I Get You Alone" Performance from 2/8!

Via JMG: Celebs Pressure Obama On Marriage


A coalition of openly gay celebrities and their allies have issued a public letter to the president, asking that he complete his "evolution" and come out publicly in support of same-sex marriage. The letter reads, in part:
Like so many Americans, you have spoken of your personal journey toward support for the freedom to marry. You have talked about the gay and lesbian people in your life, their commitment to each other and care for their kids, and their families that aren’t so different from any other family.

We ask you now for your leadership on ending the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, an exclusion that harms millions of Americans each day. Whether to end discrimination in marriage is a question America has faced before, and faces again today. With so many Americans talking it through in heartfelt conversations, it is a question that calls for clarity from the President.
Among those signing the letter: Ellen DeGeneres, Anne Hathaway, David Geffen, Martin Sheen, Eric McCormack, Lily Tomlin, Scott Fujita, and Julian Bond.


reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Press Release Of The Day


"I am equally committed to the full and meaningful implementation of Equal Employment Opportunity policies for all HHS employees and applicants. My goal is to create an environment within HHS, free of discrimination, where all employees may work without fear of reprisal or discriminatory harassment; where qualified employees and applicants with disabilities receive reasonable accommodations; and where all employees are recognized for their individual performance and contributions to HHS, without regard to race, national origin, color, age, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), sexual orientation, disability (physical or mental), status as a parent, genetic information, or other non-merit factor. I fully expect all employees and supervisors to adopt these goals. With your support and participation, we can ensure workforce diversity and equal opportunity are two of our greatest strengths." - Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, via press release.

(Tipped by JMG reader Nicholas)


reposted from Joe

Via JMG: CALIFORNIA: Teacher Accused Of Writing "S" For Sinner On Gay Student's Hand


Gay students at a southern California public high school have gone to the ACLU with complaints about a pattern of harassment from their teachers.
In one instance, a Paloma Valley High School student alleged a teacher wrote an "S" on her hand and called her "a sinner." In another, a student group says it was barred from doing an activity for gay and lesbian history month, though an ethnic student group could. An openly gay senior says he was unfairly disciplined after a dispute with a classmate who he says harassed him. Teachers and students took their concerns to Paloma Valley administrators, the school board and the ACLU. District officials say they are addressing the complaints. "We take them very, very seriously," said Leslie Ventuleth, spokeswoman for the Perris Union High School District and its chief human resources officer.
The school has held recent anti-bullying assemblies and says it has disciplined the "sinner" teacher, whose name is being withheld due to employee confidentiality rules.


reposted from Joe

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Via Belirico: Invisible at Death

Death Certificates in Washington State do not count gay, lesbian, bisexual deathcert.jpgor transgender people, and Washington is not alone. There is not a single state in this country recording this data. This is problematic for several reasons.
For example: Local, state, and national governments get a huge amount of data from death certificates. Trends become clear by gender, age, location, etc from causes of death when the data is available. Is cancer higher in women in Washington State than men? Are older people more likely to die from the flu? Do seat belt laws prevent automobile accident deaths? The list goes on and on.

For LGBT people, it is incredibly difficult to make those conclusion because they are invisible at death. Death certificates do not include any information about sexual orientation or gender identity.
This is a public health issue. Are gay people more likely to commit suicide? Do lesbians have the same heart disease rates as heterosexual women? Are committed gay couples more likely to live longer? Do states with more inclusive laws have healthier LGBTs than states that discriminate? What are the murder rates of Trans people?

These questions need answers, but if we do not have the data how can we even begin to tackle the solutions?

In Washington State, LGBT folks are a protected class. We are supposed to be included equally throughout our legal framework. We can begin to gather the data by adding two markers on the death certificate, "sexual orientation" and "gender identity". It is a simple fix that should be completed as soon as possible.

At a national level, the CDC needs to issue a requirement to states to collect data on LGBT deaths, so localities that do not recognize LGBTs under law will find it far more convenient to change their death certificates than to continue to ignore us.

It is bad enough that some of us remain invisible during parts of our lives, we should not be re-closeted for our eternal rest.