Via AmericaBlog Gay: Apologize!

Apologize!

Gay soldier being booed at Fox debate is now all over the news

UPDATE: Rick Santorum has now been forced to join Jon Huntsman in condemning the audience for booing at the GOP debate. But where are the other 7 GOP candidates who said nothing? Where is Bachmann and Gingrich and Romney and Perry?
________ 

Last night, during the Republican presidential debate, an American soldier serving in Iraq was booed by the audience simply for saying that he was gay, and for asking a question about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

And none of the GOP candidates on stage said a word in his defense.

Please sign on to the open letter by former Army Captains Tanya L. Domi, James E. Pietrangelo, II, Brenda S. "Sue" Fulton, Jonathan Hopkins, and former West Point cadet Katherine Miller, each of whom had a lead role in bringing down "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," demanding that all the Republican presidential candidates denounce the disrespect that was shown to soldier Stephen Hill during the Republican debate. The more signatures we get, the more the media will pressure politicians to stand up.

To the Republican presidential candidates:

Each and every one of you owes our American service members an apology.

Thursday night, during the Republican presidential debate in Florida, an American soldier serving in Iraq was booed by the audience simply for saying that he was gay, and for asking a question about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Nine of you were on that stage, and none of you said a word.

After the debate, one lone candidate, Jon Huntsman, had the decency to speak out in defense of the soldier, saying: "You know, we’re all Americans, and the fact that he is an American who put on the uniform says something good about him."

This isn't about politics, it doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat, and it has nothing to do with where you stand on the issue of gays in the military. This is about showing an American service member a basic level of respect for serving this country.

We urge each of you to speak out against the disrespectful way in which soldier Stephen Hill was treated during your debate.

Sincerely,

Tanya L. Domi, former Army Captain
James E. Pietrangelo, II, former Army Captain
Brenda S. "Sue" Fulton, former Army Captain
Jonathan Hopkins, former Army Captain
Katherine Miller, former West Point cadet
John Aravosis, AMERICAblog

Via AmericaBlog Gay: Catholic church flips out at Obama over DOMA, DADT - lectures him about racial discrimination

Yes, the Catholic church, not satisfied with oppressing its own flock, is now branching out and attempting to pressure the Obama administration into being more anti-gay on DOMA and Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

In a long letter, fraught with hyperbole, from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops - (a bigoted organization that oddly still sits on the board of the Coalition on Human Needs, a high-powered coalition of most of the largest progressive groups in Washington, DC - one wonders if an anti-black or anti-semitic organization would be permitted to sit on their board (actually, we don't wonder, I'm sure CHN has double standards for non-gay bigots) - here's CHN's Facebook page, feel free to say hi - oh yeah, they also have the Catholic Charities bigots on their board too) - really let loose at the President over DOMA and DADT.

A few of the highlights from the Catholic bishops' letter:

I believe therefore that you would agree that every child has the right to be loved by both a mother and a father.

And I believe that every child has the right to not be raped by a Catholic priest who was already known to the church leadership, but about whom the church leadership did nothing for decades. So if they want to talk about the children, let's talk about the children.

That is why it is particularly upsetting, Mr. President, when your Administration, through the various court documents, pronouncements and policies identified in the attached analysis, attributes to those who support DOMA a motivation rooted in prejudice and bias. It is especially wrong and unfair to equate opposition to redefining marriage with either intentional or willfully ignorant racial discrimination, as your Administration insists on doing.

First, of course they're filled with hate. Second, putting aside for a moment the irony of these men lecturing Barack Obama about race, what's particularly interesting is that they must think they know more about race than Coretta Scott King, who famously equated racial discrimination and anti-gay bigotry.

More from the bishops:

Our federal government should not be presuming ill intent or moral blindness on the part of the overwhelming majority of its citizen.

Yes, God forbid the federal government assumed ill intent or moral blindness on the part of its citizens when investigating hate crimes, or racial prejudice, or anti-Semitism. The very rationale behind civil rights is the need to protect the minority from the majority. The majority of Americans had a problem with race, and a lot of them still have a problem with gays (though in varied degrees, with a lot of it improving, such as on DADT where the overwhelming majority of the American public disagreed with the Catholic Church). Maybe someone should tell the Catholic Bishops not to presume that they're speaking on behalf of the majority of Americans, because they're not even close on DADT, and not really there on DOMA either.

And here comes the truly hysterical, over the top, mary moment:

Nor should a policy disagreement over the meaning of marriage be treated by federal officials as a federal offense—but this will happen if the Justice Department‟s latest constitutional theory prevails in court. The Administration's failure to change course on this matter will, as the attached analysis indicates, precipitate a national conflict between Church and State of enormous proportions and to the detriment of both institutions.

See, the underlying problem here is that the Catholic bishops are imputing their own hatred and bigotry on to the rest of us. They assume that since they wish to destroy our lives, that we will in return destroy theirs once we're fully free.

Yeah, it doesn't really work that way. Unlike Republicans, aka the Catholic Church, Democrats don't do the world domination thing very well. We tend to favor "live and let live" rather than "live my way or die."  (In other words, you're not going to find many Galileos in our closet.  Can the Catholic Church claim the same?  No they can't.)

It's also terribly disturbing to see the Catholic church do the very thing that we were told would never happen if a Catholic ever became president - try to impose its religion on all in the land.

The Catholic bishops are under the mistaken impression that they're my bishops too, and they're not. They represent their own church, and even there, we all know that most Catholics don't agree with much of what the church preaches on these kind of issues. But in any case, they have no right to dictate to an American president that he should make me, a Greek Orthodox, or you a Jew a Muslim or even an atheist live according to their church laws.

That's not a democracy. It's Vatican City (and also Tehran). And last time I checked, things weren't going so well in either capital.

PS I do have to hand it to the Catholic bishops. They wrote one hell of an Obama re-election pamphlet. I can just see the Obama campaign handing copies of this letter, and they will, to ever gay person who dares to suggest that the President hasn't done enough on our issues. I'm sure it wasn't their intent, but the Catholic bishops just made the President's campaign a lot of money and a lot of votes.

Via AmericaBlogGay: Anti- marriage equality crusader may have stolen money to pay for her wedding

Love it.

A state lawmaker who was a central figure this year in the drama over whether Maryland would approve same-sex marriage was charged Friday with stealing campaign funds to pay for her wedding. 

Charges brought by the Office of the Maryland State Prosecutor allege that Del. Tiffany T. Alston (D-Prince George’s) spent thousands of dollars of campaign contributions to pay for wedding expenses and for the salary of an employee in her law firm.

In several instances, Alston wrote herself checks from the account of “Friends of Tiffany Alston” and then cashed the checks for personal use, according to the prosecutor’s office.

First she was in favor of the marriage equality bill, then voted against it. Tool.

SeanChapin1 just uploaded a video:

Is The GOP The Big Anti-Gay?

"A gay soldier serves in the U.S.A. / And the crowd yells 'boo' because he is gay / And the candidates have nothing to say / Is the GOP the Big Anti-Gay"

My response video to the horrifically anti-gay atmosphere of the GOP Presidential debate in Florida on September 22, 2011, largely due to the crowd booing a gay soldier who recently became free from the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don'T Tell" (DADT) policy, and Rick Santorum's frightening response.

Video produced under the fair use policy by Sean Chapin More

ViaJMG: First GOP Rep Joins DOMA Repeal Fight

The battle to repeal DOMA finally has its first Republican co-sponsor. Via Freedom To Marry:

Today, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen announced that she would be the first Republican member of Congress to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 1116), sponsored by Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. "Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's support for this important bill confirms that equal respect for all marriages is a bipartisan, mainstream value,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide. “Working with Representatives Ros-Lehtinen and Nadler, and the Respect for Marriage Act's 124 co-sponsors, Freedom to Marry will continue to make the case to Republican and Democratic members of Congress that it's time to return the federal government to its proper role of honoring all marriages legal in the states -- without a gay exception."

According to above-excerpted press release, Ros-Lehtinen's support was gained with the help of the Log Cabin Republicans. She is the most senior Republican woman in the U.S. House and was first elected to represent Miami in 1989. (Her district includes South Beach and Key West.) She is also the only GOP member of the congressional LGBT caucus.

Labels: DOMA, Florida, GOP, LCR

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Keith Olbermann Rips Rick Perry's Anti-Gay Florida Campaign Leader

Olbermann takes on Rick Perry's Florida campaign leader, who says God sends natural disasters to express displeasure with gay marriage. She can also raise the dead! SRSLY. Glory! Praise Jeebus!



(Via - Good As You)

Labels: crackpots, GOP, Keith Olbermann, Rick Perry

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Frothy Mix: I Never Heard Any Boos

"I condemn the people who booed that gay soldier. That soldier is serving our country, I thank him for his service to our country. I’m sure he’s doing an excellent job. I hope he is safe, and I hope he returns safely, and does his mission well. I have to admit, I seriously did not hear those boos. Had I heard them, I certainly would have commented on them. But as you know, when you’re in that sort of environment, you’re focused on the question and formulating your answer. And I just didn’t hear those couple of boos that were out there. But certainly, had I, I would have said that that was — I would have said, don’t do that, this man is serving our country, and we are to thank him for his service." - Rick Santorum, speaking on Fox News.

Labels: DADT, debate watch, GOP, Rick Santorum

reposted from Joe

Via AmericaBlog:

Daniel,

Thursday night, during the Republican presidential debate, an American soldier serving in Iraq was booed by the audience simply for saying that he was gay, and for asking a question about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

And none of the GOP candidates on stage said a word in his defense.

Please join former Army Captains Tanya L. Domi, James E. Pietrangelo, II, Brenda S. "Sue" Fulton, Jonathan Hopkins, and former West Point cadet Katherine Miller in signing an open letter demanding that all the Republican presidential candidates denounce the disrespect that was shown to soldier Stephen Hill during the Republican debate.

Click here to watch the shocking video, and to read and sign the open letter.

The media is all over this story now, and everyone is talking about the tacit silence of the GOP candidates. If enough of you join Tanya, Jim, Sue, Jonathan and Katherine in signing the open letter, we have a real chance at publicly shaming each and every one of the candidates into doing the right thing.

As you already know, this isn't about politics, it doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat, and it has nothing to do with where you stand on the issue of gays in the military. This is about showing an American service member a basic level of respect for serving this country.

Please join me in signing the open letter, signed by four former military members and a former West Point cadet, asking the Republican presidential candidates to speak out against the disrespectful way in which soldier Stephen Hill was treated during last Thursday night's debate. Click here to watch the video and to sign.

Thanks so much,

John Aravosis, AMERICAblog

Via Ben Betz, People For the American Way:

Perhaps the only thing scarier than the Republican presidential candidates are the right-wing crowds at their debates. At last night's Fox News debate, the crowd actually booed a gay soldier who asked a question about Don't Ask Don't Tell! At the first debate, mention of Rick Perry's record-setting number of state executions as governor drew huge applause. And the crowd at the first official Tea Party debate cheered just as raucously for the suggestion that the way to deal with a sick person without health insurance is to "let him die." Of course, in all these instances, the candidates said nothing to dissuade the crowd.

 Don't let these people pick the next President! We need your help now to keep Perry, Romney and Bachmann OUT of the White House. Renew your support today and your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, DOUBLING your impact!

Via JMG: GOP Debates Recap

Three major GOP debates so far and what have we seen?

CHEERS for the death penalty.
CHEERS for letting people die without insurance.
BOOS for active duty gay soldiers.

All the blah-blah-blah from the candidates - almost ignored. It's the audience reactions that keep garnering the press. It's the unbridled gleeful hatred of the Tea Party that keeps earning all those cable news video clips.

Labels: 2012 elections, GOP, Tea Party

reposted from Joe

More homophobic hate from the Republicans

GOP presidential debate crowd boos gay US soldier serving in Iraq

'Barb' posted September 16, 2011 letter to U.S. National Spiritual Assembly regarding "homosexual lifestyle"

'Barb' posted September 16, 2011 letter to U.S. National Spiritual Assembly regarding "homosexual lifestyle"

Dear Baha'i Friends,

In your January 3, 2011 letter to the American Baha'is, you shared the following guidance from the Baha'i Universal House of Justice: 

The purpose of the Faith of Baha'u'llah is the realization of the organic unity of the entire human race, and Baha'is are enjoined to eliminate from their lives all forms of prejudice and to manifest respect towards all. Therefore, to regard those with a homosexual orientation with prejudice or disdain would be against the spirit of the Faith.

The term “homosexual lifestyle,” which has been used by both individual Baha'is and Baha'i institutions, exemplifies regarding homosexuals with prejudice and disdain, as it is always used in a negative sense. The term has no inherent meaning and makes no more sense than “heterosexual lifestyle.”

Consider the infinite variety of “lifestyles” of the heterosexual: bar-hopper or tee-totaler, sexually promiscuous or celibate, monogamous or advocate of free love, drug addict or avoider of even an aspirin, organic gardener or fast-food fan, greedy or philanthropic, convicted criminal or saint of church/synagogue/mosque, religious or atheist, hardworking or slothful, morally degenerate or of high moral fiber, etc.

It is apparent that the term “heterosexual lifestyle” has no meaning. The word “heterosexual” refers to one's sexual orientation, the word “lifestyle” to one's habit of living. The term “homosexual lifestyle” is just as meaningless, for the variety of lifestyles of homosexuals is just as great as for heterosexuals – it would make as much sense to refer to a “brunette lifestyle” or “left-handed lifestyle.”

In addition, the term “homosexual lifestyle” has the effect of making gays/lesbians feel as if their sexual identity is supposed to be something trivial which can be discarded at will, as one would a suit of clothes – it trivializes the identity of a significant segment of the world's population. It's like saying to Black or Jewish people that their identity is a trivial thing.

In summary, “heterosexual” and “homosexual” are terms denoting a person's sexual orientation, as the Universal House of Justice acknowledges. To associate one or the other with a particular “lifestyle” is unfair.

You should know that this letter will be posted on the website “Gay/Lesbian Baha'i Story Project” because it deals with a subject of interest to many of our readers, and that any reply will be posted as well, for the same reason.

Respectfully,

<http://www.gaybahai.net/discussion/post/1603936>

United States of Amnesia

When I cook, its very much like this...

http://www.adamandandy.com/

Via the Advocate: Where Gay Soldiers Serve Openly

The Advocate

Via JMG: Sesame Street Takes On Glee

Complete with at least one obviously gay character and a protest glittering at the end. SRSLY. Stand by for some outraged screeching from the professionally butt-hurt.



(Tipped by JMG reader Danielle)

Labels: GLEE, Sesame Street, television

reposted from Joe

Via AmericaBlogGay: Obama mentions gays during UN address in NYC

Yes, actions speak louder than words, but a US president speaking this way to an international body is actually quite significant.  Here's the relevant part of what he said: 

And to make sure our societies reach their potential, we must allow our citizens to reach theirs. No country can afford the cancer of corruption. Together, we must harness the power of open societies and open economies. That is why we have partnered with countries from across the globe to launch a new partnership on Open Government that helps ensure accountability and empower their citizens. No country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere. And no country can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs. This week, the United States signed a new Declaration on Women’s Participation. Next year, we should each announce the steps we are taking to break down economic and political barriers that stand in the way of women and girls. That is what our commitment to human progress demands.

http://gay.americablog.com/2011/09/obama-mentions-gays-during-un-address.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AMERICAblogGay+%28AMERICAblog+Gay%29

Daily Show on DADT repeal

Via JMG: Airman Randy Phillips Comes Out On YouTube To His Dad, Military

Via JMG: "Peace Is Hard" President Obama UN Speech To The General Assembly pt.3

AMAZING: "No country should deny people their rights, the freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but also no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere." - JMG

Via AmericaBlogGay: I heart Rob Reiner

http://gay.americablog.com/2011/09/i-heart-rob-reiner.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AMERICAblogGay+%28AMERICAblog+Gay%29

After today, our enemies can no longer claim we don't serve openly in our military, as well, when attempting to make the case we should be second class citizens. We are able to openly fight and risk our lives for our country in our nation's armed forces. We should be able to marry our spouses as well.

Via AmericaBlogGay: DADT: Lest we forget who the true villains were

President Clinton gets a lot of flack for instituting the policy of "Don't Ask Don't Tell," but I remember who the true villains of the day were. It is instructive to note that it was conservatives in the Democratic party, like Sam Nunn, who were instrumental in overturning Clinton's desire to openly integrate the military. 

I remember, as a submarine veteran, how horrified I was that conservative Senator Nunn had a press briefing onboard a submarine to prove how incompatible service would be for those of us who might be gay serving "in close quarters on a ship that spends lots of time underwater." I wish some of those press stenographers would have interviewed me, inadvertently serving as Protestant Lay Reader while proving gays could serve in any environment.

Why is this important? Easy answer. Our relatively progressive Democratic party is only as intelligent and strong as the most backwards conservative member of the Democratic caucus when it comes to social policies. The Democratic party cedes inordinate amount of power to conservative Blue Dogs who continuously undercut its ability to move our country forward, and provide the opportunity to more starkly contrast itself to the ultra conservative Republicans.

For instance, I remember the pathetic response from my Democratic representative in congress, Dan Boren, regarding open military service for gays and lesbians. Of course, Dan NEVER served in the military, but does serve on the House Armed Services Committee, and his conservative principals, and maybe all those persistent rumors about his dad, Senator David Boren, guided him to decide open service wasn't a good idea.

One needs to ask themselves, "How many times does President Clinton, instead of Senator Sam Nunn, get blamed for 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'?" and you will have your answer as to just how damaging it is to allow conservatives to craft policy.

Also, we would be remiss to not remind ourselves the overturning of DADT didn't happen in a vacuum. The gay blogs and activists were directly responsible for stopping conservatives from ruining the potential to finally realize this victory. It is instructive to google "slow walk AMERICAblog Gay DADT" to read the number of times, here, here and here, this particular gay blog PUSHED AND PRODDED the Obama administration to do the right thing while conservative "Chicken Littles," within the Obama Administration and Democratic caucus, pushed for Obama to back away from this obvious victory.

It would serve President Obama well, in the future, to use this example to note just how much attention needs to be paid to the conservative voices advising them to not move forward. If I were Obama, I would provide conservatives in the Democratic party attention indirectly proportional to the amount of noise they make while gnashing their teeth over any policy that would please his base and move this country forward. In fact, his reelection might just hinge on his finally ignoring the wrong way conservatives in his own party.

Filho assume a sua Heterossexualidade aos pais #MORRI

Via JMG: Tweet Of The Day - White House

Posted shortly after midnight.

Labels: DADT, LGBT rights, White House

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: LGBT Groups Celebrate DADT End

National Center for Lesbian Rights

"Today is not just the end of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ it is the beginning of a new era in which government policies that discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity are rightly seen as shameful and outmoded. We salute President Obama for his leadership in bringing this inexcusable discrimination to an end. We also honor the thousands of men and women who were harmed by this policy, including many who made great personal sacrifices in order to speak out against it. While more work lies ahead in the movement for full equality, today we should celebrate how far we’ve come.”

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

“While we observe this tremendous, hard-fought victory for lesbian, gay and bisexual service members, we recognize the journey is not over. Transgender service members are still being forced to serve in silence. This is unacceptable. All qualified, patriotic Americans willing to risk their lives for this country should be able to do so free from discrimination. In addition, the military still lacks explicit nondiscrimination protections, equal benefits and an inclusive equal opportunity policy for LGBT people. We will continue to work toward the day when full inclusion is a reality in the military.”

Lambda Legal

"This has been a long time coming. After 18 years and more than 13,000 people discharged based on their sexual orientation, the end of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law is here. Today, Lambda Legal celebrates with lesbian, bisexual and gay service members who for the first time in history will be able to serve their country openly," said Lambda Legal Executive Director, Kevin Cathcart. "We congratulate the many lesbian, bisexual and gay servicemembers who risked or sacrificed their careers to fight for justice, our colleagues at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Log Cabin Republicans and everyone who has valiantly helped bring the freedom to be out to those who fight for freedom for all," Cathcart said.

National Stonewall Democrats

The work of 17 years and untold sacrifice by many made this day possible. We thank Congress members from both sides of the aisle who passed repeal, helping President Obama keep his promise for open service. And, of course, many thanks are owed to President Obama for his leadership and commitment to the men and women who simply want to serve their country openly and freely. Today, we can hold our heads a bit higher knowing that our men and women in uniform have taken a giant step toward equality in service for all.

I'll add more to this post as the press releases arrive.

Labels: DADT, LGBT rights, NCLR, NGLTF

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: AFA Boycotts AARP

Two AFA boycotts in the same day. Remember, we're the fascists trying to tell people what to think and how to live their lives.

Labels: AFA, assholery, boycotts, hate groups, hypocrisy, religion, seniors

reposted from Joe

Viam JMG: NEW YORK: Buffalo Teen Kills Himself After Years Of Anti-Gay Bullying

Heartbroken Buffalo parents Tracy and Tim Rodemeyer say they found their 14 year-old son Jamey dead yesterday morning in a presumed suicide. Jamey had long complained of vicious homophobic bullying at the hands of his classmates.

Jamey Rodemeyer needed help. At 14, he was grappling with adolescent demons that could torment grown men. And when he was online, he wrote about it. "I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens," he wrote Sept. 9. "What do I have to do so people will listen to me?" Just over one week later, Jamey was found dead outside his home of an apparent suicide. In the months prior, he routinely blogged about school bullying and thoughts of suicide in between upbeat posts about his pop star idol Lady Gaga and the ordinary types of teen rants typical for kids his age. On Sept. 8, he wrote: "No one in my school cares about preventing suicide, while you're the ones calling me [gay slur] and tearing me down."

Much of Jamey's tormenting came via cyber-bullying. His parents, who say they discussed and supported Jamey's questioning of his sexuality, intend to carry on his campaign against bullies.

 

Labels: Buffalo, bullying, LGBT youth, New York state, suicide

reposted from Joe

Telling my dad that I am gay-LIVE

Quote of the Day:

“It is wrong that in the United States of America a teacher or a nurse or a construction worker who earns $50,000 should pay higher tax rates than somebody pulling in $50 million."

Anybody who says we can't change the tax code to correct that, anyone who has signed some pledge to protect every single tax loophole so long as they live, they should be called out.”

President Obama

OAB aprova proposta sobre diversidade sexual e destaca luta contra intolerância

Parabéns   OAB.

 

Com esta   aprovação OAB ( vide  abaixo)  mostra mais  uma  vez  seu  compromisso com os  princípios  da  igualdade  de  direito e  da  dignidade  humana  para  comunidade  LGBT . 

 

Uma grande  vitória    no  Brasil  contra  discriminação  e a violência  a  comunidade  LGBT.

 

É  fundamental as  parcerias  para  o enfrentarmos  deste  terrível  mal   que  é  a Homofobia.

 

Toni Reis

Presidente

 

 

 

 

OAB aprova proposta sobre diversidade sexual e destaca luta contra intolerância

Brasília, 19/09/2011 - O Pleno do Conselho Federal da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil aprovou hoje (19) em sessão plenária projeto de Proposta de Emenda à Constituição (PEC), que será encaminhado ao Congresso Nacional como contribuição da cidadania brasileira, visando o combate à discriminação e a intolerância por orientação sexual ou identidade de gênero. A aprovação foi saudada pelo presidente nacional da OAB, Ophir Cavalcante, que conduziu a sessão, como "a reafirmação de que incumbe ao advogado a luta pela paz social, pela defesa dos direitos humanos e dos princípios constitucionais de que todos são iguais perante a lei e, portanto, não podem ser discriminados". A PEC foi apresentada pela Comissão Especial da Diversidade Sexual do Conselho Federal da OAB e teve como relator o conselheiro federal Carlos Roberto de Siqueira Castro, do Rio de Janeiro.

 

Ophir Cavalcante destacou que, ao enviar esse projeto à apreciação do Poder Legislativo, a OAB expressa também seu apoio ao princípio constitucional e mundialmente reconhecido da tolerância. Dessa forma, segundo ele, o envio da proposta tem ainda o objetivo de manifestar ao Parlamento que a entidade exerce pressão legítima por uma demanda da sociedade, ao requerer aprovação de lei de proteção aos direitos de homossexuais, lésbicas, bissexuais, transexuais, travestis, transgêneros e intersexuais. Uma das principais mudanças é introduzida pela PEC ao artigo 3º, inciso IV da Constituição Federal, que trata dos objetivos fundamentais da República Federativa do Brasil. Hoje, tal inciso prevê: "promover o bem  de todos, sem preconceitos de origem, raça, sexo, cor, idade e quaisquer outras formas de preconceitos". A proposta da OAB inclui entre eles, "a orientação sexual ou identidade de gênero".

Quanto à legislação infraconstitucional que necessariamente deve se seguir à aprovação de uma PEC, nesse caso a OAB ficou de examinar em outubro próximo, um anteprojeto contendo as propostas de legislação que "consagram uma série de prerrogativas e direitos a homossexuais, lésbicas, bissexuais, transexuais, travestis, trangêneros e intersexuais e propõe também o reconhecimento das uniões homoafetivas". A Comissão Especial da Diversidade Sexual já apresentou proposta de um Estatuto regulando essas questões a partir da vigência da Emenda à Constituição. O Estatuto deve ser apreciado em sessão plenária da entidade dia 24 de outubro.

fonte http://www.oab.org.br/noticia.asp?id=22689