2015Place.com

Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:37:00 +0000

ON OUR GAYDAR â" News, notes, clicks, and quips from around the web. → Are gay marriage opponents in Maine receiving death threats from radical activists? CONTINUED Â» Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: adam lambert, chris colfer, Dallas, Daniel Nardicio, death threats, drake labry, Glee, healthcare, HRC, Joe Solmonese, Levi Johnston, Maine, NYC, On Our [...]

How much weight can we really give to Miley Cyrus's lyrics, even when she's the one singing them? After all, she admitted that despite mentioning "a Jay-Z song was one" in her single "Party in the USA," she, laughably, has never heard a Jay-Z song. So at Louisville concert when she changed the lyrics of [...]

Has Michael Lucas ever tried being politically correct? Didn't think so. This is a guy who, after all, has sex with identical twins at the same time. So it's a little amusing to see the porn entrepreneur begin his latest Middle East manifesto with a note reminding readers "this is not written to be politically [...]

Hey – did you see this? Applebee’s is giving away a free entree to all veterans and active duty military on Veterans Day. Â Let’s spread the word – give a huge ‘thanks’ to all who served (gay or straight), support the program, and pass it on!Â

When: This Wednesday, November 10th, starting at 8:00 p.m. (registration ends at 8:30 and then the fun begins!) 3$ Well Drinks 8$ Buy in Where: The Red Lantern, 4618 E Belmont Ave., on the south side of the street, just east of Maple. A special award will go to the team with the most clever name. So show up [...]

Glory be -- this announcement follows meetings between Lou "The Brown Menace Is Upon Us" Dobbs and Faux News Channel's Roger Ailes. He made his intentions known during his 7PM ET show, talking about his "honest" commentary and how he will "pursue other opportunites." (NYT):

Lou Dobbs, the longtime CNN anchor whose anti-immigration views have made him a TV lightning rod, plans to announce Wednesday that he is leaving the network, two network employees said.

A CNN executive confirmed that Mr. Dobbs will announce his resignation plans on his 7 p.m. program. His resignation is effective immediately; tonight's program will be his last on CNN. His contract was not set to expire until the end of 2011.

Mr. Dobbs informed his staff members of his intentions in a meeting Wednesday afternoon. He did not immediately respond to a telephone call seeking comment.

Media Matters grabbed the video:

See ya, don't let the door catch you in the posterior on the way out!

Sing it, Blenders...

Via the Washington Blade:

If you really want to erase that bile from your mind, remember this WWII veteran -- 86-year-old Mainer Philip Spooner -- a patriot and supporter of equal rights for all.

"The woman at my polling place asked me do I believe in equality for gay and lesbian people. I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. Finally I asked her: what do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?"

Love it -- no matter that the child-raping priests and fornicators are welcome, the homos shouldn't darken the door of the Vatican:

ETN asked the Bishop [Janusz Kaleta of Holy See, the Apostolic Administrator of Atyrau] if the Vatican's stand was clearly against [gay] tourism, and the Bishop answered: "The church teachings ar e from the Bible. If we change this teaching, we will not be the Catholic Church. Don't expect the Catholic church to change these issues, because it is our identity." When asked if the Vatican is open to dialogue about welcoming such homosexual groups of tourists in the future, Bishop Kaleta responded that "such demonstrations are just not ethical."
Publisher Steinmetz clarified that what was meant by gay travel was traveling for the purpose of a visit, not as a demonstration. To this the Bishop replied, "I consider if someone is homosexual, it is a provocation and an abuse of this place. Try to go to a mosque if you are not Muslim. It is abuse of our buildings and our religion because the church interprets our religion that it is not ethical. We expect respect of our church as we expect to respect that a person does not have to belong to the Catholic Church. If you have different ideas, go to a different location."

In the days leading up to my departure for Maine, I wasn't sure what to expect from the people I'd meet here. I'm no stranger to ballot campaigns; we've had our share of those in Oregon. I rode on Tuesday to a suburb outside of Portland, Maine with another volunteer staff to meet with nine high school students about their interest to get involved with the No On 1 campaign. Our goal was to start a âFriends and Familyâ Volunteer Recruitment Phone Bank with them on the spot, and to organize a few times when they and their friends could volunteer together, canvassing door-to-door th friends could volunteer together, canvassing door-to-door the weekend before Election Day. We rolled up to their neighborhood Starbucks at about 3 o'clock and met the students inside. They'd come straight after school, and had heard about the campaign at an all-ages concert, where they'd been watching their favorite local band. Three of the youth were band members! A few of them had worn their No On 1 buttons to school that day, and mentioned that they'd started conversations with other students about the issue, and what it meant to them. After introducing ourselves and briefly describing the state of the campaign, we read through a script and role-played it, making sure to arm the students with the facts needed to express to their friends and family members how much this means to them and why we need their help in the last two weeks of the campaign. When we asked the students to get out their mobile phones and start calling to sign their friends up for volunteer shifts with the campaign, they excelled at the task! After about a half hour, the students made a plan to gather together with their newly signed up volunteers for a morning canvass on Halloween, knocking on doors to get out the vote. None of the nine students were affiliated with the Gay Straight Alliance at their school, (and none mentioned that they identified as LGBT,) but all shared a sense that whoever you are and whomever you love, couples deserve to be recognized equally under the law.

We are 11 days away from the November Election. The Portland, Maine office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food provisions for all the other volunteers. The first day we had homemade chili, yesterday egg salad sandwiches, and this morning someone brought in some carrots from their own yard. Mainers are chipping in any way they can. My time has been spent in the office working in the communications department while Travis Prinslow and Meleanie Altaras have been adounications department while Travis Prinslow and Meleanie Altaras have been adopted into the Data and Campus Outreach departments. We work 9 to 9, when we're lucky and have been working on a variety of projects. From confirming volunteers, to getting people to vote early and in person volunteer recruitment. The amount of work that goes into a campaign is astounding. You walk into any office and you hear typing, people on the phone, stapling, paper shuffling and people being directed. It's a small preview of what Oregon will be dealing with soon enough. However, Oregon's fight will be much larger-- Maine's population is a third the size of Oregon's. I'm grateful that Basic Rights Oregon is starting early and getting all our ducks in a row before we enter our own fight. Maine's latest YouTube celebrity goes by the name of Phillip Spooner. Mr. Spooner is 85 years old, a WWII vet, and a lifelong republicanâ"he is also in favor of marriage equality. Click here to watch his testimony in April during the Marriage hearings. His video has officially gone viral, with close to 500,000 views. Mainers are excited to have someone like Mr. Spooner speaking up for equality, so much so that he has unofficially become the face of the campaign. Click here to watch a segment of Mr. Spooner being interviewed about his views on Marriage Equality. The opposition is using children to scare voters into voting against equality. They are running ads claiming that "gay sex education" will be taught in schools. Fortunately, the Maine campaign has been very diligent about countering their ads and has caused a stir by featuring a French catholic woman who supports her son's right to get married. Yolande Dumont is also a Maine celebrity and has inspired Catholics and other religious denominations to come out and support the No on 1 campaign. Of course the Catholic DIoces is bankrolling the opposition's campaign along with National Organization marriage and Shubert Flint of prop 8 fame. When Yolande first came on the airwaves the Catholic Diocese was up in arms and started to spend resources countering Yolande's message. This is exciting because the opposition is now on the defensive. Not only do they have to counter multiple legislators, and educators on the whole "Teaching gay in Schools" issue, now they have to make sure that other fair minded Catholics reject Yolande's message. If the No on 1 Campaign wins on Election Day it will be a model on how to defeat the oppositions' vitriol and lies. Although, Maine is literally the farthest place from Oregon in the country, their efforts will have a huge impact on our work. They need all the help they can get. If you have not donated to the NO on 1 campaign you can do so by clicking here. If you cannot afford a donation but have some extra time on your hands you can phone bank from Oregon with their Call for Equality Program sign up here. I'm going to get back to work now but feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions about getting involved in the Maine campaign. In solidarity, Alejandro Juarez Communications Coordinator Basic Rights Oregon (503) 222-6151 x 105 alejandro@basicrights.org

âYou Have Always Been Welcome Hereâ here Presented by PFLAG Pendleton in cooperation with Communities of Welcoming Congregations & The Drama Queens Â Â - âYou Have Always Been Welcome Hereâ portrays the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relationships to family, gender, Christianity and spirituality. Â Rev. Tara Wilkins, executive director of Community of Welcoming [...]

November 11th — Remembrance Day: Today I’m thinking about my post in July on Gays in the Canadian Forces During WWII… I’m also thinking about the fact that the servicemen who were “dishonourably discharged” still have blemished records and no veteran’s benefits. And I’m also thinking about how our politicians won’t respond or do anything [...]

Monday’s Entertainment Gossip & News Post: Gay men & chat shows; South Park Controversy; Gala for Gay Teens; Calgary’s queer film fest; Michael Kearns Latest Projects; Elton John’s Status; And Adam Lambert. Events: Bloomberg: Gay Teens Count on Hetrick-Martin Gala to Boost Funds for Haven Film: Xtra: New festival director at Calgary’s queer film fest — Jessica [...]

Listen to www.GayTalkRadio.org

GLBT News Headlines (T4T-6)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:38:00 +0000

New Research Shows Openly Gay Service Not Linked to Unit Cohesion

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins is proud to announce publication of LGBTQ Cultures: What Health Care Professionals Need to Know About Sexual and Gender Diversity, written by Michele J. Eliason, PhD, Suzanne L Dibble, DNSc, RN, Jeanne DeJoseph, CNM, PhD, and Peggy Chinn, RN, PhD. The book is available online only at www.NursingCenter.com/lgbtq and addresses health care disparities among the gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

NEW YORK, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Is homosexuality a choice, or is it part of our biological makeup? In the last few decades the topic has raged around the world from dinner tables to courtrooms. There have been very few scientific studies dedicated to identifying whether there is "gay gene" or attempting to clarify a scientific standard in this debate.

This is the first blog post in what weâre calling âLife, Liberty & the Pursuit of Familyâ — a series of conversations and blog posts celebrating National Adoption Month. This post comes from Ellen Kahn, HRC Family Project director: November is National Adoption Month, an opportunity to celebrate adoptive families, to educate the broader community about [...]

This post is from Ty Cobb, HRC legislative counsel: Today the American Medical Association (AMA) made two significant announcements regarding LGBT rights. Its members voted to joi to join the effort to repeal the militaryâs âDonât Ask, Donât Tellâ law and declared that bans on same-sex marriage result in health disparities for LGBT couples and families. The AMA said [...]

HRC’s Sultan Shakir — who is at the DC Council Committee’s mark-up of the marriage bill — reports that the committee has passed the amended bill 4 to 1!Â It now goes to the full council which is expected to take an initial vote on December 1 with a final vote by the end of [...]

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - As ABC 4 News first reported, the LDS Church made a statement Tuesday night in front of Salt Lake City Council endorsing the employment and housing non-discrimination act for gay and lesbian members of the church. At Tuesday night's Salt Lake City Council meeting, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement showing its support of the city's ...

A French court on Tuesday allowed a lesbian woman to adopt a child with her partner after 11 years of legal battle, in what gay rights campaigners said was an unprecedented victory.

The Bill allows gay and lesbian couples to create their civil partnerships through a legally-binding ceremony before friends and family."This legislation is another step along the road to full equalit...

Listen to www.GayTalkRadio.org

Gay News Magazine Headlines (T24T-2)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:52:00 +0000

By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade

The effort to repeal “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” will likely come next year as an amendment to the Defense Department spending bill, rather than through a standalone bill, according to gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

Frank said in an interview with the Blade that repealing the 1993 law barring gays from serving openly in the military would happen as part of the fiscal year 2011 defense authorization bill.

“The House will take up and the Senate will take up ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal,” he said. “That will again, like hate crimes, even more so, will have to be done, I believe ...

By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade
The New York State Senate has delayed voting on a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state, according to the New York Times.

New York Gov. David Paterson (D) called the New York Legislature into a special session on Tuesday and included a bill to legalize same-sex marriage on the agenda.

However, the Senate is not required to vote on items the governor puts on the agenda, and lawmakers reportedly decided not to take up the measure on Tuesday.

The Times reported that lawmakers decided t ...

By LOU CHIBBARO JR, Washington Blade
D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) released Monday a revised draft of the same-sex marriage bill that removes language that would have phased out city registration of new domestic partnerships.

Mendelson, who chairs the Council committee that has jurisdiction over the bill, also broadened the bill's exemption for churches and religious organizations to allow them to refuse to rent facilities or provide services for same-sex marriage ceremonies, even though such facilities and services are available to the general public.

The bill's original version was written by Council member David Catania (I-At La ...

The American Medical Association (AMA) passed on Tuesday a resolution calling for full repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. With overwhelming support from its membership and virtually no opposition, even from the uniformed services representatives...

Candy is dandy. This year's event, "Artrageous 22: Sweet Imagination," will dive into the kid-friendly, richly colored world of Willy Wonka on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Two years into its successful operation, the Rymer Gallery is proof that advance planning pays off.

Governor Paterson announced Tuesday that Senate leaders have agreed to vote on a gay marriage bill before the end of the year

The Mormon Church announced Tuesday it supports a gay protections law approved by city leaders

Being gay is â" and is not â" at the heart of Sacha Sacket's music

Governor Paterson announced Tuesday that Senate leaders have agreed to vote on a gay marriage bill before the end of the year

The Mormon Church announced Tuesday it supports a gay protections law approved by city leaders

Being gay is â" and is not â" at the heart of Sacha Sacket's music

Listen to www.GayTalkRadio.org

International Gay News Headlines (T25T-3)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:39:00 +0000

The House of Commons voted last night to reject an amendment which would protect free speech in a bill designed to protect gays and lesbians from homophobic hatred.

A bill in Uganda which would see gay people being executed has led to protests and public calls for it to be rejected. A demonstration was held on Saturday outside the country's embassy in London.

A lesbian couple in France have won their 11-year battle to adopt a child. An administrative tribunal in the eastern town of Besancon granted the couple the right after they had been turned down by regional authorities.

Itâs huge in Japan and the United States. Now the subcultural phenomenon of Cosplay has finally arrived in Australia and the first ever Australian Cosplay Grand Final is on this weekend. Meet your 5 State finalists who make it a true artform.

Over the last 15 years Spencer Tunick has documented over 75 large scale temporary installations of naked people around the world. He tells Same Same why he believes gay and straight people should be lying naked in public together.

As I sit down to write this review, against my better judgement, I have to say that 2012 actually doesnât suck!

Steve Rothaus
MiamiHerald.com
... Rothaus covers gay and lesbian issues in South Florida. Steve joined The Herald in 1985, while a journalism major at Florida International University. ...

and more »

BELL: Looks For Friday The 13th To Bring Good Luck At Phoenix International ...
TruckSeries.com
Crew Chief Rick Gay on Phoenix International Raceway âOur flat track program has been going really well this year. We qualified second at Iowa and fifth at ...

and more »

NCAA Basketball Isiah Thomas' Shot at Redemption
FanHouse (blog)
According to Johnson, Thomas spread rumors during the 1990s that he was gay or bisexual after he confessed to having HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. ...

and more »

Extra Newspaper

Reeling 2009: The 28th Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival
Metromix Chicago
Opening weekend highlights: Casper Andreas' new film "The Big Gay Musical" kicks off the fest Nov. 5; additional highlights include Alison Reid's Canadian ...
Reeling in this year's LGBT International Film FestivalGapers Block (blog)
You've Got a Busy WeekendChicagoPride.com
Queer film invades Fort Lauderdale for FLGLFFSouth Florida Blade
Austin 360
all 12 news articles »

A reggae singer notorious for lyrics which incite the murder of gay people has been invited to perform at Auckland's Big Day Out music festival in January.

The NZ AIDS Foundation's permanent presence in the Waikato is being scaled down towards eventual closure in February as the NZAF reapportions its resources towards Auckland and the internet.

An announcement that rapid test HIV kits will not now be distributed to sex on site venues has been hailed as a positive but insufficient move by the NZ AIDS Foundation.

Listen to www.GayTalkRadio.org

Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:23:00 +0000

Pop plaything Lady Gaga dropped this video on pop culture today, and we may never be the same. CONTINUED Â» Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Lady GaGa, Music, Music Videos

ON OUR GAYDAR â" News, notes, clicks, and quips from around the web. → Rhode Island's Gov. Don Carcieri vetoes a bill that would've added domestic partners to those able to make funeral arrangements for their partners. Why? Because "this bill represents a distributing trend over the past few years of the incremental erosion of the [...]

Often viewed, accurately, as an extension of the Democratic party, the Human Rights Campaign has gone back and forth with how much criticism it's willing to levy on the White House and members of Congress. But now that members of the indie (read: non-Gay Inc.) activist scene are boycotting the Democratic National Committee, where will [...]

Come out and celebrate with us!

It's an open thread! Pleeeeease feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread...

So below is what my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob & I have been looking at so far this week.

• Are you Trans? Do you live in New England? Have healthcare system related issues? Well, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders's (GLAD's) Please Share Your Story; Thank you for telling us about your experience with health care coverage related to your transition.:

GLAD is collecting stories about people's experiences with health insurance coverage related to gender transition, to help us determine how we can best address legal concerns in this area.
Please note: because GLAD's work is focused in New England, we are specifically interested in stories from people in the six New England states.
Thank you for sharing your story. All information you provide to GLAD will be kept completely confidential. We do ask that you provide contact information so that we can follow up with you if necessary.
If you would rather not fill out this survey online but would like to tell us your story, you can call GLAD's Legal InfoLine at 617-426-1350, and talk to someone on the phone...

So, follow this link to take the survey, or call the number above!

• The New York' Complications Grow for Muslims Serving in U.S. Military:

...Thousands of Muslims have served in the United States military -- a legacy that some trace to the First World War. But in the years since Sept. 11, 2001, as the United States has become mired in two wars on Muslim lands, the service of Muslim-Americans is more necessary and more complicated than ever before.
In the aftermath of the shootings at Fort Hood on Thursday by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan of the Army, a psychiatrist, many Muslim soldiers and their commanders say they fear that the relationship between the military and its Muslim service members will only grow more difficult.
On Sunday, the Army's chief of staff, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., said he worried about a backlash against Muslims in the armed forces and emphasized the military's reliance on those men and women.
"Our diversity, not only in our Army but in our country, is a strength," General Casey said Sunday on "Meet the Press" on NBC. "And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse." ...

Good read. Highly recommend the whole piece.

• San Francisco Chronicle's Study: Fiddler crabs exchange sex for survival:

In the world of fiddler crabs, the best form of protection for females is, apparently, having sex with the neighbors, according to an Australian study published Wednesday.
Researchers from The Australian National University in Canberra found male fiddler crabs will happily defend a nearby female against intruders - partly because the females will dole out sex in return.
"The fact that the neighbor comes over and helps to defend another territorial individual is pretty unusual," said Michael Jennions, who helped conduct the study, the results of which were published in the journal Biology Letters.
"This study shows, for the first time, that in exchange for sex and other benefits, males protect their female neighbors from territory-seeking male intruders...

This must say something about my sexuality -- Reading this article, the first thing that came to my mind is Krabby Patties.

• FWD/Forward's Reclamation: thoughts from a fat hairy uppity lame bitch:

Wheelchair Dancer extends our understanding of crip/gimp reclamation in a wonderful post about gender and embodiment that is difficult to encapsulate in a pullquote -- read the whole thing at "Butch/Femme -- Crip":
A while back in this post, I spoke of bones and muscle. I'd like to go back to that place. I am drawn there as a dancer and as a sexual person. The bones of my body hold true for me; my muscles are what my body has given me. So even when my joints are unstable and my muscles torque and spasm, I recognize in these places parts of my deepest self. I strive to hold on to these selfs in every day life and in dance. I strive to bring them to the street and to the stage. Does desiring muscle and bone make me butch and deny me femme as positions from which I can navigate the world?
This, I think, is crip, is gimp. It is an understanding of the sexuality of the deepest and rawest parts of the body -- it is not so much a focus on gender presentation and on responses to gendered roles. It is an answer to the call of the fibres, the sinews, the fluids, and the infinite structure of the bones.

Moving on from these words for physical disability, you can delve into the reclamation of pejorative terms for neurologically atypical people. The most striking example is possibly Mad Pride, a movement that fights for the rights of people labeled with psychiatric illnesses and affected by abusive mental health systems. Ira Socol argues (somewhat controversially) for "Retard Theory", at SpeEdChange.

Thought provoking stuff in that blog on the convergence of disability and feminism, for sure.

• Los Angeles Times' VW bus stolen 35 years ago is found in shipping container bound for Europe; Customs agents inspecting a load bound for the Netherlands discovered a 1965 van that disappeared from a Spokane repair shop in 1974. CHP investigators are searching for the thieves.:

When U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Port of Los Angeles opened a shipping container bound for the Netherlands, they discovered a 1965 Volkswagen bus stolen in Washington state 35 years ago.
Far out, man!
The unusual seizure of the bus on Oct. 19 came during a routine inspection of several Volkswagens that were being shipped by an Arizona restorer to customers in Europe. The vehicle identification number of the bus, which was swiped in Spokane on July 12, 1974, was still in police computers.
"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" customs spokesman Jaime Ruiz said Thursday when the find was announced...

Wow!

• Our Wiener Story Of The Day: Bloomberg's Mini-Hot Dogs With Brown Sauce Boost London's W8: Richard Vines:

Sometimes, a dish may stop you in your tracks for the right reasons: cutting through the small talk, pulling your wandering eye back to the plate and causing an involuntary movement that returns wine glass to table.
Game consomme with bacon cream and a small game hot dog --a starter at Philip Howard's informal new west London venue, Kitchen W8 -- take a bow. (The kitchen is headed by Mark Kempson of the Vineyard at Stockcross, so he should take one, too.)
The consomme comes in a mug, and I confess I've asked the restaurant what's in it, rather than just identifying through taste the grouse, venison, pheasant and mallard that have gone into it. It's topped with thick and creamy bacon foam.
The texture is like an old-fashioned Irish coffee. It's richly flavored and comforting on a cold day and the gourmet mini-hot dog served on the plate alongside the mug may raise a smile. It's venison, hare and pork and comes with a sweet-and- sour brown sauce with onions, spices, malt vinegar and beer...

So...wiener soup? Sounds interesting! Now if I ever get to London...

So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you thinking about today, or what books or articles have you been reading the past few days? Wanna share?

And again, please feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread because...it's an open thread! Woo-hoo!

Unbelievable-that we are even HAVING these votes on peoples' rights in this country is shameful.

An opponent of same-sex marriage, Governor Carcieri has vetoed a bill that would have added "domestic partners" to the list of people authorized by law to make funeral arrangements for each other.
The bill, also sponsored by state Sen. Rhoda Perry and state Rep. David Segal, would add "domestic partners" to the list, in current law, of people who can legally make arrangements for a deceased person's funeral, cremation or burial to include domestic partners if the deceased person left no pre-arranged funeral contract.
The legislation defines a domestic partner as someone who was in an "exclusive, intimate and committed relationship" with the deceased and had lived with him or her for at least a year prior to the death; is at least 18, not married to anyone else, not related by blood and who was financially "interdependent'' with the deceased as evidenced, for example, by a joint mortgage, shared credit card or domestic partnership contract.
According to its sponsors, the legislation is designed to provide rights to domestic partners regardless of whether they are of the same or opposite sexes.

The governor justified his veto with a released statement, which reads in part:

"If the General Assembly believes it would like to address the issue of domestic partnerships, it should place the issue on the ballot and let the people of the state of Rhode Island decide."

Yeah- we just saw how well THAT went over in Maine!

Carcieri cited at least two other reasons for his veto.
As written, he said the bill would allow the decisions of a "partner" of a year to take precedence over "traditional family members," and he believes a "one year time period is not a sufficient duration to establish a serious bond between two individuals...[relative to] sensitive personal traditions and issues regarding funeral arrangements, burial rights and disposal of human remains."
Carcieri said he was also uncertain "how it would be ascertained in many circumstances whether [a couple] had been in a relationship for a year" since there is "no official or recognized form" of domestic partnership agreement in Rhode Island.
He called this proviso "vague and ill-defined."

Yet a hetero couple that marries drunkenly in Vegas for 5 minutes like, say, Britney Spears, is automatically granted that privilege, among many others... but silly me, I'm talking about Nevada.

What about Rhode Island? Is there any requirement put upon a het couple that their NONE of their legal rights as a newly married couple don't kick in until a one year "waiting period" or "honeymoon phase", if you will, including funeral arrangements?

Feh. Need I tell yotell you Carcieri's a Rethug? And an especially busy one today, as he vetoed 22 bills today alone.

But some interesting reading when one clicks on the Rhode Island marriage law link... let me summarize:

$24 for a marriage license.
Under age 18 or under control of a legal guardian, the individual must complete a "Minor's Permit To Marry".
For a groom under age 18 or a bride under age 16, that individual will need "court permission" to marry.
There are NO restrictions preventing first cousins or siblings or otherwise related individuals from marrying.

So let's consider some scenarios. Since there is no lower limit, if someone could get a court to actually APPROVE it, children as young as 15 can marry! Hell, 8 year olds! A father can marry his daughter- a mother her son! Hey, as long as they are "het", any possible combination of results is possible!

But "heaven" forbid 2 responsible adults of the same sex be able to decide the funeral arrangements and burial of their life partner...

Anyone else see the major problems with Carcieri's thinking and the current state of Rhode Island's marriage laws?

Reaction of Marriage Equality RI:

"It is absolutely unconscionable that Gov. Carcieri would step in the middle of people being able to take care of their loved ones at such a sorrowful time," said Kathy Kushnir, executive director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, which advocates for gay marriage.
"Why would he make it more difficult? I just don't get it."

Joe at Bessemer Opinions has pictures from yesterday's teabagger rally in Birmingham's Kelly Ingram Park, as does Bradford Daly via flickr. I have a few below the fold - forgot my real camera. Joe notes, and I second, the irony of a bunch of over-privileged white people bemoaning their "oppression" on the site of real civil rights struggles. My skin is still crawling from what I saw and heard.

We were treated to a Sarah-Palin-wannabe proclaiming herself a "Christian-American" and railing about the oath to defend our country from enemies “foreign and domestic”. We all know who those domestic enemies are. Lots of talk of “taking;taking our country back”, as if they are the only true citizen patriots of the US. Plenty of caveats that they’re talking about the 2010 elections, but reality is some of these people would relish a coup. Plenty of soul-stirring music about our country turning into the "USS of A" if we don't do something NOW.

The birthers didn’t come out till near the end. One woman wanted support of her birther lawsuits and announced a forthcoming Continental Congress. If Democrats had done anything similar under Bush, I truly believe there would have been arrests for sedition.

The program wrapped up with a plug for a local radio station that carries Rush Limbaugh (half-hearted cheers from the crowd) and Glenn Beck (more enthusiasm from the crowd). They were shilling for Sarah Palin's book signing (even bigger cheers).

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James was in attendance, and I saw quite a few of his campaign signs. None for Roy Moore, but some featuring the Ten Commandments.

There were a couple of African-American speakers on hand in an attempt to defuse charges of racism, but the 99% white crowd belied those efforts with caricatures of Obama and their ugliness toward the largely African-American counter-protesters.

Several teabaggers tried to pick fights, walking past the counter-protesters and yelling at the top of their lungs, "Obama's a communist!" over and over. One (pictured below) did his best to start an argument with the people representing civil rights foot soldiers. He insisted his t-shirt was just a play on words and not a criticism of Obama. Yeah, right.

Joe recounts:

There were a few people there who were protesting the protesters. The woman holding this sign [it reads "Yes, We Must Have a Public Option] had been denied a procedure by Blue Cross Blue Shield, and now she doesn't have insurance. Her husband was threatened by one of the teabaggers, who told him he could "make him need some healthcare" after making fun of his weight. Classy.

I was on hand for that lovely display as well. The teabaggers were angry because they ran over the time allowed by their permit and the police asked them to wrap it up. Instead of announcing that, one of the speakers said, "They're saying we have to leave," without specifying who "they" was, inciting the crowd to turn around and roar at the counter-protesters.

As the event wound down, a white man walked by the civil rights banner, smirked, and said to an older black men, "If we didn't leave, would the dogs get called on us?" I'm still trying to pick up my jaw off the ground over that one. Was he just being ugly, or does he really think he has common cause with someone who lived through the dogs, the fire hoses, the bombings, and the assassinations?

More pictures below the fold:

&1">

He looks so proud of his bigotry

Nothing like a little eliminationism in the mix

Non-partisan teabagger

Spelling-challenged teabagger

In the days leading up to my departure for Maine, I wasn't sure what to expect from the people I'd meet here. I'm no stranger to ballot campaigns; we've had our share of those in Oregon. I rode on Tuesday to a suburb outside of Portland, Maine with another volunteer staff to meet with nine high school students about their interest to get involved with the No On 1 campaign. Our goal was to start a âFriends and Familyâ Volunteer Recruitment Phone Bank with them on the spot, and to organize a few times when they and their friends could volunteer together, canvassing door-to-door the weekend before Election Day. We rolled up to their neighborhood Starbucks at about 3 o'clock and met the students inside. They'd come straight after school, and had heard about the campaign at an all-ages concert, where they'd been watching their favorite local band. Tavorite local band. Three of the youth were band members! A few of them had worn their No On 1 buttons to school that day, and mentioned that they'd started conversations with other students about the issue, and what it meant to them. After introducing ourselves and briefly describing the state of the campaign, we read through a script and role-played it, making sure to arm the students with the facts needed to express to their friends and family members how much this means to them and why we need their help in the last two weeks of the campaign. When we asked the students to get out their mobile phones and start calling to sign their friends up for volunteer shifts with the campaign, they excelled at the task! After about a half hour, the students made a plan to gather together with their newly signed up volunteers for a morning canvass on Halloween, knocking on doors to get out the vote. None of the nine students were affiliated with the Gay Straight Alliance at their school, (and none mentioned that they identified as LGBT,) but all shared a sense that whoever you are and whomever you love, couples deserve to be recognized equally under the law.

We are 11 days away from the November Election. The Portland, Maine office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drElection. The Portland, Maine office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food provisions for all the other volunteers. The first day we had homemade chili, yesterday egg salad sandwiches, and this morning someone brought in some carrots from their own yard. Mainers are chipping in any way they can. My time has been spent in the office working in the communications department while Travis Prinslow and Meleanie Altaras have been adopted into the Data and Campus Outreach departments. We work 9 to 9, when we're lucky and have been working on a variety of projects. From confirming volunteers, to getting people to vote early and in person volunteer recruitment. The amount of work that goes into a campaign is astounding. You walk into any office and you hear typing, people on the phone, stapling, paper shuffling and people being directed. It's a small preview of what Oregon will be dealing with soon enough. However, Oregon's fight will be much larger-- Maine's population is a third the size of Oregon's. I'm grateful that Basic Rights Oregon is starting early and getting all our ducks in a row before we enter our own fight. Maine's latest YouTube celebrity goes by the name of Phillip Spooner. Mr. Spooner is 85 years old, a WWII vet, and a lifelong republicanâ"he is also in favor of marriage equality. Click here to watch his testimony in April during the Marriage hearings. His video has officially gone viral, with close to 500,000 views. Mainers are excited to have someone like Mr. Spooner speaking up for equality, so much so that he has unofficially become the face of the campaign. Click here to watch a segment of Mr. Spooner being interviewed about his views on Marriage Equality. The opposition is using children to scare voters into voting against equality. They are running ads claiming that "gay sex education" will be taught in schools. Fortunately, the Maine campaign has been very diligent about countering their ads and has caused a stir by featuring a French catholic woman who supports her son's right to get married. Yolande Dumont is also a Maine celebrity and has inspired Catholics and other religious denominations to come out and support the No on 1 campaign. Of course the Catholic DIoces is bankrolling the opposition's campaign along with National Organization marriage and Shubert Flint of prop 8 fame. When Yolande first came on the airwaves the Catholic Diocese was up in arms and started to spend resources countering Yolande's message. This is exciting because the opposition is now on the defensive. Not only do they have to counter multiple legislators, and educators on the whole "Teaching gay in Schools" issue, now they have to make sure that other fair minded Catholics reject Yolande's message. If the No on 1 Campaign wins on Election Day it will be a model on how to defeat the oppositions' vitriol and lies. Although, Maine is literally the farthest place from Oregon in the country, their efforts will have a huge impact on our work. They need all the help they can get. If you have not donated to the NO on 1 campaign you can do so by clicking here. If you cannot afford a donation but have some extra time on your hands you can phone bank from Oregon with their Call for Equality Program sign up here. I'm going to get back to work now but feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions about getting involved in the Maine campaign. In solidarity, Alejandro Juarez Communications Coordinator Basic Rights Oregon (503) 222-6151 x 105 alejandro@basicrights.org

âYou Have Always Been Welcome Hereâ here Presented by PFLAG Pendleton in cooperation with Communities of Welcoming Congregations & The Drama Queens Â Â - âYou Have Always Been Welcome Hereâ portrays the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relationships to family, gender, Christianity and spirituality. Â Rev. Tara Wilki as they explore their relationships to family, gender, Christianity and spirituality. Â Rev. Tara Wilkins, executive director of Community of Welcoming [...]

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GLBT News Headlines (T4T-6)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:38:00 +0000

Marriage unique institution between one man, one woman, say bishops; Defense of marriage does not ae does not allow 'unjust discrimination' against homosexual persons; Marriage must be strengthened, not redefined

This post is from Ty Cobb, HRC legislative counsel: Today the American Medical Association (AMA) made two significant announcements regarding LGBT rights. Its members voted to join the effort to repeal the militaryâs âDonât Ask, Donât Tellâ law and declared that bans on same-sex marriage result in health disparities for LGBT couples and fs and families. The AMA said [...]

A French court on Tuesday allowed a lesbian woman to adopt a child with her partner after 11 years of legal battle, in what gay rights campaigners said was an unprecedented victory.

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Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:22:00 +0000

Pop plaything Lady Gaga dropped this video on pop culture today, and we may never be the same. CONTINUED Â» Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Lady GaGa, Music, Music Videos

Fresno Stonewall Democrats will meet on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at Carrow’s Restaurant located at 4280 N. BlackstoneÂ on Ashlan in Fresno. Dinner and social 6:00 P.M. and meeting at 7:00 P.M.Â Â We will continue to discuss the “Restore Equality 2010 Campaign” and nomination of officers for an election to be held at the December meeting.Â Fresno [...]

The Fresno Gay Men’s Choir will be having their annual Advent Lessons and Carols on November 29th at 5 PM on 519 Douty Street in Hanford, CA. This is a traditional service of readings, carols and choral pieces. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Kyle Anderson at saviour_sercretary@sbcglobal.net [...]

The perennial complaint about Fresno is that there’s nothing to do. Yet in my experience that’s only true if you don’t know about the Fresno Beehive, The Fresnan or Fresno Famous and of course Queer Fresno.Â Between the lot of us I think we have every night here in the valley covered three times over. [...]

It's an open thread! Pleeeeease feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread...

So below is what my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob & I have been looking at so far this week.

GLAD is collecting stories about people's experiences with health insurance coverage related to gender transition, to help us determine how we can best address legal concerns in this area.
Please note: because GLAD's work is focused in New England, we are specifically interested in stories from people in the six New England states.
Thank you for sharing your story. All information you provide to GLAD will be kept completely confidential. We do ask that you provide contact information so that we can follow up with you if necessary.
If you would rather not fill out this survey online but would like to tell us your story, you can call GLAD's Legal InfoLine at 617-426-1350, and talk to someone on the phone...

So, follow this link to take the survey, or call the number above!

• The New York' Complications Grow for Muslims Serving in U.S. Military:

...Thousands of Muslims have served in the United States military -- a legacy that some trace to the First World War. But in the years sinars since Sept. 11, 2001, as the United States has become mired in two wars on Muslim lands, the service of Muslim-Americans is more necessary and more complicated than ever before.
In the aftermath of the shootings at Fort Hood on Thursday by Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan of the Army, a psychiatrist, many Muslim soldiers and their commanders say they fear that the relationship between the military and its Muslim service members will only grow more difficult.
On Sunday, the Army's chief of staff, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., said he worried about a backlash against Muslims in the armed forces and emphasized the military's reliance on those men and women.
"Our diversity, not only in our Army but in our country, is a strength," General Casey said Sunday on "Meet the Press" on NBC. "And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that's worse." ...

Good read. Highly recommend the whole piece.

• San Francisco Chronicle's Study: Fiddler crabs exchange sex for survival:

In the world of fiddler crabs, the best form of protection for females is, apparently, having sex with the neighbors, according to an Australian study published Wednesday.
Researchers from The Australian National University in Canberra found male fiddler crabs will happily defend a nearby female against intruders - partly because the females will dole out sex in return.
"The fact that the neighbor comes over and helps to defend another territorial individual is pretty unusual," said Michael Jennions, who helped conduct the study, the results of which were published in the journal Biology Letters.
"This study shows, for the first time, that in exchange for sex and other benefits, males protect their female neighbors from territory-seeking male intruders...

This must say something about my sexuality -- Reading this article, the first thing that came to my mind is Krabby Patties.

• FWD/Forward's Reclamation: thoughts from a fat hairy uppity lame bitch:

Wheelchair Dancer extends our understanding of crip/gimp reclamation in a wonderful post about gender and embodiment that is difficult to encapsulate in a pullquote -- read the whole thing at "Butch/Femme -- Crip":
A while back in this post, I spoke of bones and muscle. I'd like to go back to that place. I am drawn there as a dancer and as a sexual person. The bones of my body hold true for me; my muscles are what my body has given me. So even when my joints are unstable and my muscles torque and spasm, I recognize in these places parts of my deepest self. I strive to hold on to these selfs in every day life and in dance. I strive to bring them to the street and to the stage. Does desiring muscle and bone make me butch and deny me femme as positions from which I can navigate the world?
This, I think, is crip, is gimp. It is an understanding of the sexuality of the deepest and rawest parts of the body -- it is not so much a focus on gender presentation and on responses to gendered roles. It is an answer to the call of the fibres, the sinews, the fluids, and the infinite structure of the bones.

Moving on from thesom these words for physical disability, you can delve into the reclamation of pejorative terms for neurologically atypical people. The most striking example is possibly Mad Pride, a movement that fights for the rights of people labeled with psychiatric illnesses and affected by abusive mental health systems. Ira Socol argues (somewhat controversially) for "Retard Theory", at SpeEdChange.

Thought provoking stuff in that blog on the convergence of disability and feminism, for sure.

When U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Port of Los Angeles opened a shipping container bound for the Netherlands, they discovered a 1965 Volkswagen bus stolen in Washington state 35 years ago.
Far out, man!
The unusual seizure of the bus on Oct. 19 came during a routine inspection of several Volkswagens that were being shipped by an Arizona restorer to customers in Europe. The vehicle identification number of the bus, which was swiped in Spokane on July 12, 1974, was still in police computers.
"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" customs spokesman Jaime Ruiz said Thursday when the find was announced...

Wow!

• Our Wiener Story Of The Day: Bloomberg's Mini-Hot Dogs With Brown Sauce Boost London's W8: Richard Vines:

Sometimes, a dish may stop you in your tracks for the right reasons: cutting through the small talk, pulling your wandering eye back to the plate and causing an involuntary movement that returns wine glass to table.
Game consomme with bacon cream and a small game hot dog --a starter at Philip Howard's informal new west London venue, Kitchen W8 -- take a bow. (The kitchen is headed by Mark Kempson of the Vineyard at Stockcross, so he should take one, too.)
The consomme comes in a mug, and I confess I've asked the restaurant what's in it, rather than just identifying through taste the grouse, venison, pheasant and mallard that have gone into it. It's topped with thick and creamy bacon foam.
The texture is like an old-fashioned Irish coffee. It's richly flavored and comforting on a cold day and the gourmet mini-hot dog served on the plate alongside the mug may raise a smile. It's venison, hare and pork and comes with a sweet-and- sour brown sauce with onions, spices, malt vinegar and beer...

So...wiener soup? Sounds interesting! Now if I ever get to London...

So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you thinking about today, or what books or articles have you been reading the past few days? Wanna share?

And again, please feel free to chat, blogwh;blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread because...it's an open thread! Woo-hoo!

Unbelievable-that we are even HAVING these votes on peoples' rights in this country is shameful.

An opponent of same-sex marriage, Governor Carcieri has vetoed a bill that would have added "domestic partners" to the list of people authorized by law to make funeral arrangements for each other.
The bill, also sponsored by state Sen. Rhoda Perry and state Rep. David Segal, would add "domestic partners" to the list, in current law, of people who can legally make arrangements for a deceased person's funeral, cremation or burial to include domestic partners if the deceased person left no pre-arranged funeral contract.
The legislation defines a domestic partner as someone who was in an "exclusive, intimate and committed relationship" with the deceased and had lived with him or her for at least a year prior to the death; is at least 18, not married to anyone else, not related by blood and who was financially "interdependent'' with the deceased as evidenced, for example, by a joint mortgage, shared credit card or domestic partnership contract.
According to its sponsors, the legislation is designed to provide rights to domestic partners regardless of whether they are of the same or opposite sexes.

The governor justified his veto with a released statement, which reads in part:

"If the General Assembly believes it would like to address the issue of domestic partnerships, it should place the issue on the ballot and let the people of the state of Rhode Island decide."

Yeah- we just saw how well THAT went over in Maine!

Carcieri cited at least two other reasons for his veto.
As written, he said the bill would allow the decisions of a "partner" of a year to take precedence over "traditional family members," and he believes a "one year time period is not a sufficient duration to establish a serious bond between two individuals...[relative to] sensitive personal traditions and issues regarding funeral arrangements, burial rights and disposal of human remains."
Carcieri said he was also uncertain "how it would be ascertained in many circumstances whether [a couple] had been in a relationship for a year" since there is "no official or recognized form" of domestic partnership agreement in Rhode Island.
He called this proviso "vague and ill-defined."

Yet a hetero couple that marries drunkenly in Vegas for 5 minutes like, saike, say, Britney Spears, is automatically granted that privilege, among many others... but silly me, I'm talking about Nevada.

Feh. Need I tell you Carcieri's a Rethug? And an especially busy one today, as he vetoed 22 bills today alone.

But some interesting reading when one clicks on the Rhode Island marriage law link... let me summarize:

$24 for a marriage license.
Under age 18 or under control of a legal guardian, the individual must complete a "Minor's Permit To Marry".
For a groom under age 18 or a bride under age 16, that individual will need "court permission" to marry.
There are NO restrictions preventing first cousins or siblings or otherwise related individuals from marrying.

But "heaven" forbid 2 responsible adults of the same sex be able to decide the funeral arrangements and burial of their life partner...

Anyone else see the major problems with Carcieri's thinking and the current state of Rhode Island's marriage laws?

Reaction of Marriage Equality RI:

"It is absolutely unconscionable that Gov. Carcieri would step in the middle of people being able to take care of their loved ones at such a sorrowful time," said Kathy Kushnir, executive director of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, which advocates for gay marriage.
"Why would he make it more difficult? I just don't get it."

We were treated to a Sarah-Palin-wannabe proclaiming herself a "Christian-American" and railing about the oath to defend our country from enemies “foreign and domestic”. We all know who those domestic enemies are. Lots of talk of “taking our country back”, as if they are the only true citizen patriots of the US. Plenty of caveats that they’re talking about the 2010 elections, but reality is some of these people would relish a coup. Plenty of soul-stirring music about our country turning into the "USS of A" if we don't do something NOW.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James was in attendance, and I saw quite a few of his campaign signs. None for Roy Moore, but some featuring the Ten Commandments.

Joe recounts:

There were a few people there who were protesting the protesters. The woman holding this sign [it reads "Yes, We Must Have a Public Option] had been denied a procedure by Blue Cross Blue Shield, and now she doesn't have insurance. Her husband was threatened by one of the teabaggers, who told him he could "make him need some healthcare" after making fun of his weight. Classy.

As the event wound down, a white man walked by the civil rights banner, smirked, and said to an older black men, "If we didn't leave, would the dogs get called on usd on us?" I'm still trying to pick up my jaw off the ground over that one. Was he just being ugly, or does he really think he has common cause with someone who lived through the dogs, the fire hoses, the bombings, and the assassinations?

More pictures below the fold:

He looks so proud of his bigotry

Nothing like a little eliminationism in the mix

Non-partisan teabagger

Spelling-challenged teabagger

We are 11 days away from the November Election. The Portland, Maine office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food provisions for all the other volunteers. The first day we had homemade chili, yesterday egg salad sandwiches, and this morning someone brought in some carrots from their own yard. Mainers are chipping in any way they can. My time has been spent in the office working in the communications department while Travis Prinsle Travis Prinslow and Meleanie Altaras have been adopted into the Data and Campus Outreach departments. We work 9 to 9, when we're lucky and have been working on a variety of projects. From confirming volunteers, to getting people to vote early and in person volunteer recruitment. The amount of work that goes into a campaign is astounding. You walk into any office and you hear typing, people on the phone, stapling, paper shuffling and people being directed. It's a small preview of what Oregon will be dealing with soon enough. However, Oregon's fight will be much larger-- Maine's population is a third the size of Oregon's. I'm grateful that Basic Rights Oregon is starting early and getting all our ducks in a row before we enter our own fight. Maine's latest YouTube celebrity goes by the name of Phillip Spooner. Mr. Spooner is 85 years old, a WWII vet, and a lifelong republicanâ"he is also in favor of marriage equality. Click here to watch his testimony in April during the Marriage hearings. His video has officially gone viral, with close to 500,000 views. Mainers are excited to have someone like Mr. Spooner speaking up for equality, so much so that he has unofficially become the face of the campaign. Click here to watch a segment of Mr. Spooner being interviewed about his views on Marriage Equality. The opposition is using children to scare voters into voting against equality. They are running ads claiming that "gay sex education" will be taught in schools. Fortunately, the Maine campaign has been very diligent about countering their ads and has caused a stir by featuring a French catholic woman who supports her son's right to get married. Yolande Dumont is also a Maine celebrity and has inspired Catholics and other religious denominations to come out and support the No on 1 campaign. Of course the Catholic DIoces is bankrolling the opposition's campaign along with National Organization marriage and Shubert Flint of prop 8 fame. When Yolande first came on the airwaves the Catholic Diocese was up in arms and started to spend resources countering Yolande's message. This is exciting because the opposition is now on the defensive. Not only do they have to counter multiple legislators, and educators on the whole "Teaching gay in Schools" issue, now they have to make sure that other fair minded Catholics reject Yolande's message. If the No on 1 Campaign wins on Election Day it will be a model on how to defeat the oppositions' vitriol and lies. Although, Maine is literally the farthest place from Oregon in the country, their efforts will have a huge impact on our work. They need all the help they can get. If you have not donated to the NO on 1 campaign you can do so by clicking here. If you cannot afford a donation but have some extra time on your hands you can phone bank from Oregon with their Call for Equality Program sign up here. I'm going to get back to work now but feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions about getting involved in the Maine campaign. In solidarity, Alejandro Juarez Communications Coordinator Basic Rights Oregon (503) 222-6151 x 105 alejandro@basicrights.org

Monday’s LGB17;s LGBT News: Updates from Africa; A Gay Hero; Quiet Voices; Invisible Voices; Gay Marriage Battle Fate; Squandering Ballot Votes; Parenting and more… Africa: - TIME — In Fight Against AIDS, Kenya Confronts Gay Taboo - GayUganda: Reflections on life Black Voices: – Black, gay … and invisible — It’s time for black communities to wake up â" and [...]

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GLBT News Headlines (T4T-6)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:37:00 +0000

New Research Shows Openly Gay Service Not Linked to Unit Cohesion

This post is from Ty Cobb, HRC legislative counsel: Today the American Medical Association (AMA) made two significant announcements regarding LGBT rights. Its m. Its members voted to join the effort to repeal the militaryâs âDonât Ask, Donât Tellâ law and declared that bans on same-sex marriage result in health disparities for LGBT couples and families. The AMA said [...]

A French court on Tuesday allowed a lesbian woman to adopt a child with her partner after 11 years of legal battle, in what gay rights campaigners said was an unprecedented victory.

The amount of gay and lesbian characters and subject matter is increasing exponentially on network and cable TV, and Mediaweek.com has noticed. So, we called on our video correspondent Alan Frutkin to investigate.

A vote on a pair of nondiscrimination ordinances that would provide housing and employment protections for gay and lesbian...

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Canadian Gay News Headlines (T13T-4)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:10:00 +0000

A proposed bill in Uganda seeks to completely outlaw homosexuality and its promotion, and it even includes the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality." This would be defined as gay sex with anyone under 18 or with a physical disability — regardless of consent — or...

With a distinctive earth-shattering vocal range (think Sleater Kinney's Corin Tucker meets Karen Dalton), political-minded and queer-centric songs, and a sweet but tough persona, Toronto's Emma McKenna is the ultimate rebel girl. "I ...

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Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Pop plaything Lady Gaga dropped this video on pop culture today, and we may never be the same. CONTINUED Â» Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Lady GaGa, Music, Music Videos

We were treated to a Sarah-Palin-wannabe proclaiming herself a "Christian-American" and railing about the oath to defend our country from enemies “foreign and domestic”. We all know who those domestic enemies are. Lots of talk of “taking our country back”, as if they are the only true citizen patriots of the US. Plenty of caveats that they’re talking about the 2010 elections, but reality is some of these people would relish a coup. Plenty of soul-stirring music about our country turning into the "USS of A" if we don't do something NOW.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James was in attendance, and I saw quite a few of his campaign signs. None for Roy Moore, but some featuring the Ten Commandments.

Joe recounts:

There were a few people there who were protesting the protesters. The woman holding this sign [it reads "Yes, We Must Have a Public Option] had been denied a procedure by Blue Cross Blue Shield, and now she doesn't have insurance. Her husband was threatened by one of the teabaggers, who told him he could "make him need some healthcare" after making fun of his weight. Classy.

More pictures below the fold:

He looks so proud of his bigotry

Nothing like a little eliminationism in the mix

Non-partisan teabagger

Spelling-challenged teabagger

More "Hurry Up And Wait" for marriage equality...

The State Senate delayed a highly anticipated vote on same-sex marriage on Tuesday, putting off the issue indefinitely as gay rights supporters continued to lobby for additional votes.
Republicans and Democrats said that as of Tuesday afternoon, the measure was still several votes short of the 32 necessary for approval. About five Democrats remained either opposed or noncommittal, meaning that Republican votes were needed to secure passage.
But not enough Republicans have committed to voting yes, legislators said. The Democrats have a 32-30 majority in the Senate.
It was unclear when the Senate would take the issue up.

NYCLU released the following statement:

NYCLU: Failure to Vote on Marriage Bill a Missed Opportunity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2009 - The New York Civil Liberties Union today expressed disappointment about the State Senate's failure to vote on legislation to give lesbian and gay couples the ability to marry in New York State.

"The senators missed an opportunity to make history and embrace fairness for all New York families," said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. "Marriage is a defining civil rights issue of our day, and unfortunately, the State Senate has taken a position of 'no action' on it."

The State Assembly passed the marriage bill in May, and Governor Paterson had pledged his support for it. The bill includes a religious exemption to make clear that it only impacts marriage as a civil institution - clergy will not have to solemnize marriages should the Senate approve the bill.

"The time for our senators to stop the political maneuvering and lay their cards on the table is long overdue," Lieberman said. "Do they support fairness and protecting families or not?"

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont and Iowa have legalized marriage for lesbian and gay couples, but New Yorkers remain unable to get married in their home state.
In June, the NYCLU launched www.MarriageNY.com, a website featuring a dozen New York couples explaining why the right to get married matters to them.
~~xxx~~

With few votes left to count and Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed reporting an ever-increasing approval percentage for Referendum 71 (currently 53% to 47%), it is clear that the Washington electorate has APPROVED Referendum 71. Washington is the first state in the nation to approve full domestic partnerships at the ballot box. Starting December 3, 2009, when the law challenged by the referendum goes into effect, Washington will have domestic partnerships fully parallel to civil marriage in state law. Over 6,300 pairs of Washington State Registered Domestic Partners can begin to enjoy virtually all of the state-level rights, responsibilities and obligations that married couples do.

From the beginning, the radical-right evangelicals behind Washington state's Referendum 71, have had the shared delusion that God takes sides, and favors them. Oregonian Gary Randall said on July 1, 2009: (emphasis mine)

With your hard work and God's blessing, I believe we will succeed.

On Wednesday, July 22, 2009 as Randall and Stickney embarked on their campaign to hobble families:

Please join in prayer today that God will bless the effort and give us the needed signatures to put this issue on the ballot.

Upon subsequently obtaining a sufficient number of raw signatures to submit the Referendum 71 petitions to the Secretary of State, Randall jumped to this arrogant conclusion on Tuesday, July 28, 2009:

We are grateful to all of you who worked so hard and to God for His help.

On September 4, 2009 he said

I have an abiding sense that God is leading in all things.

In recruiting people to circulate campaign fliers he said, on September 11, 2009:

I am certain God is in control

And finally, on October 21, 2009 just before the election, Randall said:

...this effort has been blessed...

And finally, on November 6, 2009 when it was clear that R-71 would be approved, Randall deployed God in the pursuit of his new anti-gay project:

I believe God has called me to this and I believe He will guide us and provide the necessary funding. Please consider a tax deductible donation to Faith and Freedom Foundation. Thank you and God bless you.

Randall was joined by Mr. "God will get all the glory!" Ken Hutcherson, who undeservedly (and painfully prematurely) wrapped himself in the cloak of God's favor, saying on Monday, July 27, 2009:

Thank you for praying for Washington state! Enough signatures have been gathered to try and repeal SB5688 (Everything but Marriage).
God proved He doesn't need certain shepherds from certain churches to get His will done!

Larry Stickney, Gary Randall's Washington operative, apparently also believes that God was a deciding factor in the referendum effort:

"We're believers. We're gonna pray this one in."

And indeed, Stickney literally exhorted his followers to "pray in a victory" after early returns showed that R-71 was heading towards approval.

As you may know, we have seen amazing things happen at every critical juncture of this campaign. Please join me today in getting down on our knees to lift up this effort to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Let's pray the REJECT R-71 effort across the finish line! Every family and church in Washington now and for years to come will benefit from our efforts if we win! Pray that we are in the lead by the end of today's counting!

As I said at the time, for God to influence the election after ballots have been cast would require God to change people's votes. Thus, Stickney wanted God to tamper with ballots. Apparently God isn't into felonious activities, since He did not deliver unto Stickney such ill-gotten gains. I wonder why Stickney has deleted that post from the Protect Marriage Washington website.

If God really does take sides, and given that Randall & Stickney (not to mention Rep. Matt Shea & Sen. Valera Stevens) lied that the referendum was about civil marriage and not about domestic partnerships, the take-away message from the Referendum 71 experience is this:
God endorses marriage equality, and has spurned those who would twist His word into an instrument of judgment and vindictive hate. Perhaps Pastor Joe Fuiten was on to something when he said:

God is not coercive...The idea that people ought to be free to live their life and live the way they want to - I don't object to that.

Too bad Fuiten ultimately turned his back on Him a few weeks before the election by endorsing the referendum Rejects. If you ask me, Fuiten is a lost and conflicted soul to be pitied.

Now that God has eschewed hate and endorsed civil equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples, Gary Randall and his colleagues have a choice. They can either accept God's endorsement of marriage equality, or turn their back on their Creator and continue to scorn his beloved children.
Update: Here're Larry Stickney's and Gary Randall's concession messages. Odd that there's no mention of God, just the usual flinging of feces at Teh Homosexshuls.

Stickney:

REJECT SB 5688 Effort Comes up Short
Arlington, WA, November 9, 2009 - I write today to acknowledge that our amazing campaign to turn back SB 5688, has, sadly, come up short. While the last of the votes are still being counted, we are at a point where we simply cannot prevail over the slight majority of Washington voters (mostly residing in King County) who have voted to Approve SB 5688.
We were greatly outspent and dragged through numerous signature counts and courts by our opponents and not one editorial board that I know of backed the REJECT R-71 effort! Yet we determinedly carried forward our mission to defend marriage in Washington - and progress has been made in spite of the loss!
Click here to read an interesting article from Sunday's Everett Herald "Gay marriage issue can wait, say Referendum 71 partisans".
As one of our campaign spokesman, Bob Struble noted in the Catholic Exchange today:
"Although we lost narrowly in the Evergreen State, we did give our opponents a run for their money - several times more money than our backers were able to raise. We won 29 of 39 counties, notwithstanding that most politicians, big corporations, and mainstream media were arrayed against us. We lost by only about five percentage points in a state where, due primarily to Seattle's King County, the political climate is foul - possibly the worst environment for cultural conservatives among the 50 states. Last year, some 58% of Washington voters approved an assisted suicide law, and in 1998 a ban on partial-birth abortion was rejected by 57%."

While we ended up losing the popular vote, we have succeeded in many, many ways. We won nearly 48% of the vote, defying a hostile state political establishment and liberal media machine! Without question, people of faith and social conservatives have been revived as a political force in Washington.
With a grassroots campaign short on money but big on heart, we did much with little as we focused our limited campaign funds on yard signs, campaign literature, radio and cable television ads. The courageous Bible-believing churches and organizations that we worked with performed magnificently.
As we noted in our November 3rd press release, "R-71 has identified upwards of 200,000 people who are willing to take action to protect marriage, the family and children. It has also identified a legal team that has won victory after vifter victory, a team that will now defend R-71 petition signers and their right to anonymous political speech before the United States Supreme Court."
We continue to believe that we can and will win future battles decisively if we continue to persevere even in the face of adversity. It is obvious that much work remains to be done here in Washington, especially in King County.

Randall:

One more thought as we move forward
As the vote count winds down on R-71, the implication of the many events surrounding the campaign will linger. And we will put it all in perspective---proper perspective.
As we attempt to properly do so, words are not adequate to express my personal gratitude to all who worked tirelessly and gave so much of themselves to this effort. Your email of personal support, particularly over the past 24 hours, are deeply appreciated. I am honored to have worked with you and look forward to doing so in the near future as we move forward.
Among the many active in the R-71 campaign is Robert Struble, Jr. Bob passed out flyers and participated in 10 debates. He is a published author, with a history of political experience.
He has written an article giving his perspective on R-71, what we did, what it means and what we must do as we move forward. His article was published yesterday in the Catholic Exchange, titled, "Defending Traditional Marriage: Washington State vs. Maine".
In it he says, "Informed observers now expect that the Washington State Supreme Court will mandate marriage licenses as well on constitutional grounds. The 'Justices' will draw the newly enacted bill from their jurisprudential quiver to kill the concept of marriage affirmed throughout history. Thus they will continue the deconstruction of our Judeo-Christian heritage."
"Because," he says, "Washingtonians cannot amend our constitution directly, we the people cannot overturn constitutional rulings by the Court."
Many of us who worked together on this effort are preparing for the next step. I strongly recommend you read Struble's article for a healthy perspective of what happened in R-71 and what it means moving forward.
__________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom

We are 11 days away from the November Election. The Portland, Maine office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food provisions for all the other volunteers. The first day we had homemade chili, yesterday egg salad sandwiches, and this morning someone brought in some carrots from their own yard. Mainers are chipping in any way they can. My time has been spent in the office working in the communications depthe communications department while Travis Prinslow and Meleanie Altaras have been adopted into the Data and Campus Outreach departments. We work 9 to 9, when we're lucky and have been working on a variety of projects. From confirming volunteers, to getting people to vote early and in person volunteer recruitment. The amount of work that goes into a campaign is astounding. You walk into any office and you hear typing, people on the phone, stapling, paper shuffling and people being directed. It's a small preview of what Oregon will be dealing with soon enough. However, Oregon's fight will be much larger-- Maine's population is a third the size of Oregon's. I'm grateful that Basic Rights Oregon is starting early and getting all our ducks in a row before we enter our own fight. Maine's latest YouTube celebrity goes by the name of Phillip Spooner. Mr. Spooner is 85 years old, a WWII vet, and a lifelong republicanâ"he is also in favor of marriage equality. Click here to watch his testimony in April during the Marriage hearings. His video has officially gone viral, with close to 500,000 views. Mainers are excited to have someone like Mr. Spooner speaking up for equality, so much so that he has unofficially become the face of the campaign. Click here to watch a segment of Mr. Spooner being interviewed about his views on Marriage Equality. The opposition is using children to scare voters into voting against equality. They are running ads claiming that "gay sex education" will be taught in schools. Fortunately, the Maine campaign has been very diligent about countering their ads and has caused a stir by featuring a French catholic woman who supports her son's right to get married. Yolande Dumont is also a Maine celebrity and has inspired Catholics and other religious denominations to come out and support the No on 1 campaign. Of course the Catholic DIoces is bankrolling the opposition's campaign along with National Organization marriage and Shubert Flint of prop 8 fame. When Yolande first came on the airwaves the Catholic Diocese was up in arms and started to spend resources countering Yolande's message. This is exciting because the opposition is now on the defensive. Not only do they have to counter multiple legislators, and educators on the whole "Teaching gay in Schools" issue, now they have to make sure that other fair minded Catholics reject Yolande's message. If the No on 1 Campaign wins on Election Day it will be a model on how to defeat the oppositions' vitriol and lies. Although, Maine is literally the farthest place from Oregon in the country, their efforts will have a huge impact on our work. They need all the help they can get. If you have not donated to the NO on 1 campaign you can do so by clicking here. If you cannot afford a donation but have some extra time on your hands you can phone bank from Oregon with their Call for Equality Program sign up here. I'm going to get back to work now but feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions about getting involved in the Maine campaign. In solidarity, Alejandro Juarez Communications Coordinator Basic Rights Oregon (503) 222-6151 x 105 alejandro@basicrights.org

Monday’s LGBT News: Updates from Africa; A Gay Hero; Quiet Voices; Invisible Voices; Gay Marriage Battle Fate; Squandering Ballot Votes; Parenting and more… Africa: - TIME — In Fight Against AIDS, Kenya Confronts Gay Taboo - GayUganda: Reflections on life Black Voices: – Black, gay … and invisible — It’s time for black communities to wake up â" and [...]

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GLBT News Headlines (T4T-6)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:38:00 +0000

New Research Shows Openly Gay Service Not Linked to Unit Cohesion

This post is from Ty Cobb, HRC legislative counsel: Today the American Medical Association (AMA) made two significant announcements regarding LGBT rights. Its members vobers voted to join the effort to repeal the militaryâs âDonât Ask, Donât Tellâ law and declared that bans on same-sex marriage result in health disparities for LGBT couples and families. The AMA said [...]

A French court on Tuesday allowed a lesbian woman to adopt a child with her partner after 11 years of legal battle, in what gay rights campaigners said was an unprecedented victory.

A vote on a pair of nondiscrimination ordinances that would provide housing and employment protections for gay and lesbian...

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GLBT News Headlines (T4T-6)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:37:00 +0000

New Research Shows Openly Gay Service Not Linked to Unit Cohesion

Challenge Could Raise Questions ofQuestions of Civilian Control of Military

Check out the New York Times’ story, “Potentially One Less Tax Penalty for Gay Couples” profiling the provision we’ve told you about in the House version of health care reform that would end the unfair taxation of domestic partner health benefits (similar benefits offered to married spouses are not taxed): This also means that whenever today [...]

This post is from Jarrod Chlapowski, a U.S. Army veteran who recently joined the Human Rights Campaign to consult on ending the militaryâs Donât Ask, Donât Tell policy. Having been trained as a Korean linguist and cryptologic voice interceptor, he served in Korea, supporting the 3rd Military Intelligence Battalion on more than 300 sensitive reconnaissance [...]

Today, the Human Rights Campaign joined leaders and advocates among the LGBT community today in the launch of Our Families Count (www.ourfamiliescount.org) — a new voluntary public education initiative promoting LGBT visibility and participation in next yearâs U.S. Census.Â The new 2010 Census education project is a collaborative and unique strategy to unite disparate populations [...]

A French court on Tuesday allowed a lesbian woman to adopt a child with her partner after 11 years of legal battle, in what gay rights campaigners said was an unprecedented victory.

A vote on a pair of nondiscrimination ordinances that would provide housing and employment protections for gay and lesbian...

As Catholic bishops prepare for a conference to discuss how to fight gay marriage, on-the-ground gay activists are thinking of ways to beef up the struggle

Listen to www.GayTalkRadio.org

Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:22:00 +0000

Well isn't Boston College's School of Law becoming the epicenter of the gay marriage debate? First White House Domestic Policy director Melody Barnes tells a standing room-only crowd she sympathizes with gay Americans who can't marry (and live in a country whose chief isn't in favor of letting them), and on Monday NOM's Maggie Gallagher [...]

Is it easier for us to love America's bigots than to rip them to shreds? The Washington Post already apologized for fawning over NOM's "smiling bigot" Brian Brown. New York magazine produced a glowing profile of New York Archbishop and leading faith-based terror Timothy Dolan. And now the Sacramento Bee has fallen head over heels [...]

Marriage is a curious institution that, at one point, didn't represent any type of freedom or liberty. But over the course of history, heterosexuals have redefined the M-word to create its current form: the willing union of two people in love (or convenience). CONTINUED Â» Permalink | 1 comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Dan Savage, Marriage

I left a comment for a Facebook photo wall photo:

My first job out of High School in 1977 was working at the Northridge, California Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor -- I have fond memories. Before that, I had many fond memories of Farrell's from being a customer of the business as a child.
So, I'm pretty disappointed with the FARRELLS ICE CREAM PARLOR comment of 1:54 PM on Saturday, November 7th for this photo. Frankly, Farrell's is telling me by highlighting Pastor Warren on this Facebook page -- given Pastor Warren's public statements just last year about people in my community -- that I'm not really the kind of or customer (or former employee) that Farrell's wants anymore. I can't imagine Farrell's highlighting someone who is known for racist, sexist, or anti-religious commentary, so seeing a photo up of someone who's made derogatory statements about people in a another class protected by California state law is a huge disappointment. Seeing that this photo is remaining on this Facebook page with the "official" commentary that Pastor Warren is a celebrity seems to me to be a very less than satisfactory response.
What a way to now despoil the pleasant memories of my first real job, as well as of one of my favorite restaurants as a kid. Posting this photo of Pastor Warren, with a tacit endorsement of his book in how the book is prominently displayed by an employee, was really unnecessarily divisive.
I was planning on visiting the Mission Viejo parlor on m y next trip up from San Diego -- not anymore.

Well as I said, I left that comment on the Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor - Wall Photo that highlights lying homobigot Pastor Rick Warren at the Mission Viejo opening of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.

Do you remember what Rick Warren said during the Prop 8 Campaign? ...

[What Pastor Rick Warren said during the Prop 8 Campaign, links to where he lied about what he said, and Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor's "official" response posted on their Facebook page.]

Rick Warren: But the issue to me is, I'm not opposed to that as much as I'm opposed to the redefinition of a 5,000-year definition of marriage. I'm opposed to having a brother and sister be together and call that marriage. I'm opposed to an older guy marrying a child and calling that a marriage. I'm opposed to one guy having multiple wives and calling that marriage.
Steven Waldman: Do you think, though, that they are equivalent to having gays getting married?
Rick Warren: Oh I do...

And then, of course, this homobigoted Pastor lied about ever making the comparison between same-sex/same-gender relationships to incest, pedophilia and polygamy.

That's right, a Farrell's manager is squarely holding up a written product from Pastor Rick Warren -- it looks to me that when a uniformed Farrell's employee is squarely and intentionally holding a copy of Pastor Warren's book, he's tacitly endorsing the Pastor and the book on behalf of Farrell's. It's visual endorsement of written product from a Pastor who compared same-sex/same-gender relationships to incest and pedophilia.

This is the "official" response found on the Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor's page for the Facebook photo.

Dear Farrell's Fans:
This Farrell's Facebook site was designed to allow everyone to post memories of their past and to see what Farrell's is doing to make it's return. The posting of Rick Warren's visit was made NOT as an endorsement of him or his book. The book happened to be in the photo as one of the management just had the book signed then the photo was taken. Farrell's is a happy place for EVERYONE! There is no political agenda and everyones views and opinions are their own. Certain political view posts, both positive and negative are being removed as this site is not intended to be a political blog. Everyone is welcome at Farrell's. We don't judge and we appreciate not being judged by who comes in for a sundae. We apologize to anyone who might have taken the photo posting as anything other than what it was intended to do, share a memory of a Farrell's fan. Thank you

So, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor posted a picture of a homobigot who visited their store, with one of the Farrell's managers in the picture holding the homobigot's book squarely as if he's advertizing it, and Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor doesn't see a problem with posting this picture of this "celebrity" with their staff. Everyone may be welcome, but someone who compares same-sex/same-gender relationships to incest and pedophilia is so welcome he gets his picture po sted and his book tacitly endorsed.

Farrell's really was my first job out of High School, and is a place I have had fond memories of. I actually did plan on visiting the new Mission Viejo Farrell's the next time I drove up in the direction of Los Angeles -- the hell with that. My memories have been soured.

Despite what Farrell's may say with words, with the action of posting a homobigot's picture as a "celebrity" photo while a manager is tacitly advertizing the homobigot's book, Farrell's is telling me that people like me apparently aren't really welcome at their business establishments. They apparently prefer the business of homobigots.

UPDATE: link to live stream of NY State Senate HERE.

Start spreading the news...

New York's Legislature is meeting in extraordinary session to confront a $3.2 billion deficit and possibly hold a landmark vote to provide final legislative approval of same-sex marriage.
However, there were no agreements Monday that were certain to be part of Tuesday's session.
The Senate may also take up a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Even if the issue comes to a vote, it remains unclear whether 35 senators would give it the support needed.

After last week, it would be tremendous news. But the marriage bill's fate is uncertain.

Advocates on both sides of the issue lobbied senators over the weekend, but it was still unclear whether the measure could earn the 32 votes needed for approval. Democrats hold a shaky 32-to-30 majority in the Senate -- and the measure does not have full support across the party line.
Those who favor the bill believe now might be the best time to try and push through the measure, as all 212 seats in the Legislature and the governor's post are up for election in 2010. &l t;p>The possible vote will come just a week after Maine narrowly rejected its own version of a same-sex marriage bill.
According to The New York Times, supporters of the bill in Albany believe they can count on about 25 votes for the legislation at this time.

"The stakes are much higher now, following Maine, and it would be an enormous boost to the movement to prevail in New York," said Matt Foreman, a gay rights advocate who has served as the head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Empire State Pride Agenda, New York's leading gay rights group told the Times.
But, he added, "if we don't win marriage in New York in this special session, it's going to be a very hard lift next year."

crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Next week, there will be a "challenge" to the new lgbt-inclusive hate crimes bill recently signed by President Obama. The "challenge" is being led by the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission:

On November 16th, CADC, along with other pro-family leaders and ministers, will go to Washington DC for a Rally for Religious Freedom. It will occur immediately in front of the Department of Justice.

Ministers, from various denominations, will preach the truth of the Word of God, especially the “politically incorrect” truth of the sin of homosexuality! We will challenge U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to charge this group of peacefully assembled clergy with a hate crime for simply preaching the Bible.

We will clearly establishing that this law cannot and will not silence God’s servants. We will continue to declare the whole counsel of God both publicly and in our pulpits. If we are arrested, we challenge the law in court.

This bold, public stand for Christ and freedom of speech will cost thousands of dollars. We need to pay for permits, rent a sound system and generators. We will need to send out press releases and get the word out to as many pro-family leaders and ministers as possible. There will be travel expenses and we also need to cover our ongoing overhead.

For those who need a reminder, the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission is that group which defends churches trying to exorcise lgbt children.

It's that same group which defends anti-gay hate groups run by discredited researchers who accuse gay men of molesting children and wallowing i n feces.

In short, the CADC is a colossal joke.

And that is how we should treat its protest.

Hate crimes legislation protects free speech and religious freedom. And I don't think that the CADC or any other group who will participate in this protest are actually dumb enough to advocate violent action against lgbts.

At least I hope not.

What CADC and the other groups are doing is ridiculous grandstanding.

However, I think that these groups are attempting to exploit the lgbt community's anger. I think that they are counting on some of us to be there at their "protest." They are counting on us to be extremely angry and extremely vocal. They arey are counting on us to shout them down so that they can portray themselves as innocent Christians beset by "evil homosexuals."

The solution to this reminds me of a story told to me about when the Ku Klux Klan came to a small town. The community leaders got together and organized a boycott. When the Klan came, no one was there to greet them, shout at them, or allow themselves to be exploited by the ugly words emanating from the hate group.

Certainly I am not saying that we should be absent when the CADC and their allies come to the Justice Department. What I am saying is that we should let them wallow in the filth of their own ignorance.

Everything is on our side here. If they advocate violent action against lgbts, then their Christian guise is eliminated. If they merely speak as to what they say are "Biblical words" about homosexuality and nothing happens to them (which it won't), then there is egg on their faces.

And if any of us is there when the latter happens, I think we should not only take note of the egg on their faces but also remind the nation of it every chance we get.

Related posts:

Christian Anti-Defamation Commission defends exorcists and hate groups from the 'scary gays'

We are 11 days away from the Nove-align: center">

We are 11 days away from the November Election. The Portland, Maine office is humming with volunteer activity. Every day, volunteers drop off food provisions for all the other volunteers. The first day we had homemade chili, yesterday egg salad sandwiches, and this morning someone brought in some carrots from their own yard. Mainers are chipping in any way they can. My time has been spent in the office working in the communications department while Travis Prinslow and Meleanie Altaras have been adopted into the Data and Campus Outreach departments. We work 9 to 9, when we're lucky and have been working on a variety of projects. From confirming volunteers, to getting people to vote early and in person volunteer recruitment. The amount of work that goes into a campaign is astounding. You walk into any office and you hear typing, people on the phone, stapling, paper shuffling and people being directed. It's a small preview of what Oregon will be dealing with soon enough. However, Oregon's fight will be much larger-- Maine's population is a third the size of Oregon's. I'm grateful that Basic Rights Oregon is starting early and getting all our ducks in a row before we enter our own fight. Maine's latest YouTube celebrity goes by the name of Phillip Spooner. Mr. Spooner is 85 years old, a WWII vet, and a lifelong republicanâ"he is also in favor of marriage equality. Click here to watch his testimony in April during the Marriage hearings. His video has officially gone viral, with close to 500,000 views. Mainers are excited to have someone like Mr. Spooner speaking up for equality, so much so that he has unofficially become the face of the campaign. Click here to watch a segment of Mr. Spooner being interviewed about his views on Marriage Equality. The opposition is using children to scare voters into voting against equality. They are running ads claiming that "gay sex education" will be taught in schools. Fortunately, the Maine campaign has been very diligent about countering their ads and has caused a stir by featuring a French catholic woman who supports her son's right to get married. Yolande Dumont is also a Maine celebrity and has inspired Catholics and other religious denominations to come out and support the No on 1 campaign. Of course the Catholic DIoces is bankrolling the opposition's campaign along with National Organization marriage and Shubert Flint of prop 8 fame. When Yolande first came on the airwaves the Catholic Diocese was up in arms and started to spend resources countering Yolande's message. This is exciting because the opposition is now on the defensive. Not only do they have to counter multiple legislators, and educators on the whole "Teaching gay in Schools" issue, now they have to make sure that other fair minded Catholics reject Yolande's message. If the No on 1 Campaign wins on Election Day it will be a model on how to defeat the oppositions' vitriol and lies. Although, Maine is literally the farthest place from Oregon in the country, their efforts will have a huge impact on our work. They need all the help they can get. If you have not donated to the NO on 1 campaign you can do so by clicking here. If you cannot afford a donation but have some extra time on your hands you can phone bank from Oregon with their Call for Equality Program sign up here. I'm going to get back to work now but feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions about getting involved in the Maine campaign. In solidarity, Alejandro Juarez Communications Coordinator Basic Rights Oregon (503) 222-6151 x 105 alejandro@basicrights.org

LGBT Life Posts for Tuesday: ‘Precious’ Film notes; Gay Film Censorship; High school cross-dressing; Fleeting flirting; Another Larry Johnson Update; And Richard Hatch’s Latest Interview… Dating Scene: Fleeting flirting provides possible hurdle for LGBTQ Film: - “Precious” is About Women I Know. - Gay sex on film? No problem. Baring political rifts, problem. Live and let live in Thailand. [...]

Tuesday’s LGBT Headlines Include: A boycott of the DNC; Sweden’s Lesbian Bishop; The Dutch View on Marriage; Socialism and the gay struggle; A Survey on Gays in the Military; And more from Uganda. Marriage: Dutch Views on Same-Sex Marriage Military: Survey raises doubts on ‘don’t ask’ policy Religion: An update — Sweden’s Lutheran church ordains first openly lesbian [...]

198 Monday’s Entertainment Gossip & News Post: Gay men & chat shows; South Park Controversy; Gala for Gay Teens; Calgary’s queer film fest; Michael Kearns Latest Projects; Elton John’s Status; And Adam Lambert. Events: Bloomberg: Gay Teens Count on Hetrick-Martin Gala to Boost Funds for Haven Film: Xtra: New festival director at Calgary’s queer film fest — Jessica [...]

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GLBT News Headlines (T4T-6)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:36:00 +0000

As we reported over the weekend, the House passed its version of health reform legislation on Saturday, including a number of key provisions for the LGBT community.Â However, this process is far from simple, and far from over.Â Before final passage, a last-minute anti-choice amendment, offered by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joe Pitts (R-PA), [...]

The fight for marriage equality has been filled with twists and turns, and everyone in New York is ready to see a vote on this important piece of legislation.Â Tomorrow, Tuesday November 10th, the New York State Senate is being called back to Albany in an extraordinary session called by Governor David Paterson. HRC and [...]

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Combined Gay News Headlines (T5T-1)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:23:00 +0000

MORNING GOODS â" Well don't we have a Zac Efron thing going on with 19-year-old Netherlands model Rogier Warnawa? Hell, we would've settled for a Lucas Grabeel lookalike. CONTINUED Â» CONTINUED Â» Permalink | Post a comment | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Models, Morning Goods, Photos, risque, rogier Warnawa

ON OUR GAYDAR â" News, notes, clicks, and quips from around the web. → Cleve Jones has no idea how many Equality Across America groups are set up in the nation's federal congressional districts. Two hundred-ish? CONTINUED Â» Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Brad Walsh, cleve jones, Creationism, Equality Across America, Gay Bashing, nicholas cage, [...]

We didn't have many expectations for Wanda Sykes's new Saturday night chat show on Fox. But we did expect it to be funny. It wasn't. CONTINUED Â» Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us Tagged: Television, Wanda Sykes

The 2009 Courage Awards were an inspiring event, and it was humbling to be honored as one of the citizen journalists (the glamour word for bloggers, don'tcha know, since we didn't have PJs on). For an organization that handles calls 24/7 in support of those who need some place to turn to when they are the victim of bias crimes, the NYC Anti-Violence Project should be hailed for its essential work for the community.

NYC AVP Courage Awards Blogger Acceptance Speech
Bil Browning (The Bilerico Project), Joe Jervis (Joe.My.God.), Andy Towle (Towleroad), and Pam Spaulding (Pam's House Blend). Award presented by Michelangelo Signorile.
As prepared, November 9, 2009 (Andy Towle); delivered by Pam Spaulding.
Because crimes against LGBT people are seldom reported on a national basis, and covered mostly in local papers, if at all, we have a valuable opportunity to raise awareness about how severe and widespread these crimes are, and the frequency at which they occur. As one of the few forums, and perhaps the most effective, that exist right now to communicate these crimes to other gay people and our heterosexual allies, we can inspire them to take action.
We will never stop standing up for my fellow LGBT citizens when they are struck down by hate, and never ease the pressure on those who would choose to strike us down, whether by words or by fists. Whether it be a young trans woman in Colorado referred to as "it" by a lover she thought she trusted and struck down in a rage, or a bar goer who beats a gay man with his fist to the surface of a parking lot late at night after a night of drinking in South Carolina, or a man who decides he doesn't like the look of a lesbian couple in Provincetown so he decides to push them through a plate glass window, or two deadbeats in Laramie, Wyoming who decide to mete justice on a young gay man by beating him and leaving him to die on a frigid fence, we will continue to report each and every story.
We are humbled and challenged by the ability to communicate the amount of information we have regarding hate crimes to such a wide audience, and we will continue to be vigilant in my continuing coverage of violence against the LGBT community. It's a vigilance that would not be possible without my fellow bloggers Andy, Joe, and Bil. We cast a wast a wide net and I am proud to be honored alongside them.

Also honored this evening was Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner, who delivered a humorous, engaging speech (I'll have the transcript soon).

BTW, Tony Kushner also delivers wonderful spontaneous bear hugs, since I was almost tackled by him while I was videotaping actor B.D. Wong as he was finishing up his intro just before presenting the award to Kushner. (reason: he was enthusiastic after the acceptance speech (mostly written by Andy Towle, btw) I delivered. You can catch the amusing POV bowl-over on the right as my camera tilts wildly; on the left is B.D. Wong's introduction.

One of the highlights of the evening for me was to have my pic taken with B.D. Wong since Kate and I are addicts of L&O: SVU. I managed to get two shots with him, one before and one after I delivered the acceptance speech for the group. Those shots are below the fold.

But of course I wasn't the only fan...(Joe and Bil joined in the fun as well):

The full image and video gallery is here. A slideshow:

The Daily Princetonian has a piece up, entitled Student files suit against U.:

Diane Metcalf-Leggette '13 is suing the University for refusing to grant her extended time on examinations, the New Jersey Law Journal reported on Tuesday. Metcalf-Leggette, who filed the suit on Monday, claims that she should be given extra time on tests because of her learning disabilities.
Metcalf-Leggette, who is a varsity soccer player, requested a preliminary injunction to coincide with midterms, but the motion was denied by U.S. District Judge Anne Thompson in Trenton earlier this week. Metcalf-Leggette argued that poor midterm exam grades would cause her "irreparable harm," but Thompson said the University could deal with any issues after administering the tests.
...Metcalf-Leggette's complaint asserted that she has four learning disabilities, which were diagnosed in 2003: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mixed-receptive-expressive language disorder, disorder of written expression and developmental coordination disorder. The conditions, according to the complaint, hinder her ability to focus, process information and communicate in writing...

She's asked for an accommodation that's been granted previously to at least one other student:

The suit comes after a series of meetings with school officials during which Metcalf-Leggette sought accommodation for her disabilities. The University currently accommodates Metcalf-Leggette's disabilities by offering her a "reduced distraction testing environment," a limit of one exam per day and a 10-minute break each hour, the law journal reported.
Metcalf-Leggette's complaint also notes that her older brother, David Metcalf '08, also had learning disabilities and received 100 percent time extensions on University exams. The complaint states that this accommodation was approved by the former director of the Office of Disability Services and was left in place "as a courtesy" by Eve Tominey, the current director, after she took over the position. Tominey declined to comment for this article.

As someone who has invisible disabilities, and who's blogmistress Pam has disabilities that are becoming more visible, this story hits a nerve for me.

The rub of the piece is found in some of the online comments:

[The usual stupidity one sees in unmoderated, anonomous comments beleow the fold.]

• Ok, really?
Disorder of written expression has the following symptoms:
Errors in grammar and punctuation
Poor handwriting
Poor spelling
Developmental coordination disorder is "a childhood disorder marked by poor coordination and clumsiness."
Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder is diagnosed when a child has problems expressing him-or herself using spoken language, and also has problems understanding what people say to him or her.
These three are all CHILDHOOD disorders, meaning they occur in people usually ages 3-6
How can a functioning adult have these disorders? This seriously seems like psychiatric bullshit, no offence
• the whole case of learning disabiities is very interesting. aside from how disability is defined afined and whether it bars you from performing at an academic level at a place like princeton, it also brings up the issue of class. to be able to get a diagnosis of having a learning disability, to be able to take it to the university counsel and sue based on perceived discrimination has something to do with a person's economic mobility or, put in another way, their financial ability. i wont even get into the issue of entitlement.
• so how did she get into princeton if she can;t express herself or learn? aren;t those the two main components of being smart?
oh yeah, she's an athlete
come on shirley T, this is a explitive joke
• I have to wonder what Diane expects to happen after graduation. Does she expect her future employer to grant her special "time" to complete an assigned task? Will she even include on her resume her specific problems? Life isn't fair. Deal with it, but don't expect society to be accomodating, for it will not.
She should not be granted additional time. She should do the best she can under the same circumatances that others have to operate under. This is not a case of needing a ramp or a special desk. It is a case that effects her mental ability to perform in the real world at an expected level. Feel sorry for her - "yes". Ignore her deficiences - "no".

There's a word for this in disability communities: Ableism (also spelled ablism). Merriam-Webster defines ableism as discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities. It seems to me that it's the family of prejudices and hates that people express towards all peoples whose status, condition, or human experience they don't share.

How is it that those who embrace their ableism, homophobia, racism, transphobia, sexism, etc. seem to lack empathy or sympathy for others that are too different from themselves? I'm never going to get that kind of inability to give deference to others' needs and concerns on the same level that one would want others to give one's own needs and concerns.

We've talked about the fatigue of being jerked around as a constituency, now several of my fellow bloggers have had enough and I've signed on to the effort launched by Joe Sudbay and John Aravosis of Americablog. (FYI (Tues., 3:58 ET: Joe caught me on my cell Monday as I was leaving the cell-free zone in hospital in Brooklyn, so that's why I didn't get on the endorsement list until later in the day).

The boycott is cosponsored by Daily Kos, Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake, Dan Savage, Michelanichelangelo Signorile, David Mixner, Andy Towle and Michael Goff of Towle Road, Paul Sousa (Founder of Equal Rep in Boston), Pam Spaulding, Robin Tyler (ED of the Equality Campaign, Inc.), Bil Browning for the Bilerico Project, 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.

Why should hard-earned LGBT dollars go to a party fast to line up with its palms outstretched to whisper sweet nothings in our collective ears, then turn away and tell us equality will have to wait until "X" occurs first. We're not stupid. We just want our funds to go to the people in office or running for office who will focus on passing legislation that the "fierce advocate" can sign, since he's stated numerous times he'll sign it if it makes it to his desk. Well, put up or shut up.

Interestingly, one would expect a response to this effort by the HRC to be negative. To the contrary, it looks like a tacit endorsement (FDL):

“Individual donors should always make their own careful assessments of how to spend limited political contributions. We all need to focus on the legislative priorities identified by AmericaBlog and with whatever tactic individuals decide to employ, the ultimate objective needs to be securing the votes we need to move our legislative agenda forward.”

David Dayen notes that "HRC hasn’t given to the DNC this year, as per the policy put in by Obama after his election that the Party cannot accept contributions from organizations structured as a C(4)." And if you read the whole post, other progressive blogs, equally dissatisfied with the powers that be straying from progressive causes, are about ready to call a boycott of donations to the DCCC and the DSCC.

FAQs are below the fold.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is this?
We are asking voters to pledge to withhold contributions to the Democratic National Committee, Organizing for America, and the Obama campaign until the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is passed, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) is repealed, and the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is re) is repealed -– all of which President Obama repeatedly promised to do if elected.

Why are you asking people to take this pledge?
Candidate Obama promised during the campaign to be the gay community’s “fierce advocate.” He and the Democratic party have not kept their promise.
Can you give examples of how the President and Democrats have not been fierce advocates for the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans?

- Asking a religious right activist who claims to have been “cured” of his homosexuality to headline campaign events in South Carolina. Then letting the anti-gay bigot spend half an hour, on stage, haranguing gays at the Obama event.
- Refusing for months to interview with LGBT newspapers during the campaign, while his opponent did repeatedly.
- Flubbing question on whether gays are immoral.
- Inviting anti-gay activist Rick Warren, who helped pass Prop 8 in California, to give the invocation at the inaugural.
- Inviting a gay bishop to the inaugural festivities, then not beginning the TV broadcast until the gay bishop has finished and left.
- Refusing to appoint an openly gay Cabinet member.
- Abolishing the LGBT outreach position at the DNC and never reinstating it.
- Refusing to re-establish the White House Office of LGBT Outreach and the White House LGBT Liaison (which was a Special Assistant to the President at one point).
- Continuing to discharge two gay servicemembers a day, even though he could stop it immediately by issuing a stop-loss order immediately.
- Asking for a study on “whether” repealing DADT would hurt national security, rather than a study on how to repeal it, as promised.
- Deleting his gay civil rights promise from the White House Web site.
- Changing his commitment to “repeal” Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, to “changing DADT it in a sensible manner.”
- Repeatedly defending DOMA in court, including just a few weeks ago, even though he didn’t have to.
- Making jokes about marriage equality, which President Obama claims he doesn't support,&nb even though he once did.
- Comparing gay relationships to incest and pedophilia in a Justice Department brief.
- Joking about gay protesters upset about the DOMA brief.
- Refusing to provide health care benefits to the partners of gay employees, and then claiming that DOMA precludes it, when it does not.
- Refusing to meet with gay legal groups to discuss how toprovide such health benefits within the confines of DOMA.
- Claiming that health benefits for partners of federal employees were new, then being caught in a lie.
- Showing visible discomfort when asked about gay civil rights.
- Suggesting he won’t get to DADT, DOMA or ENDA until his second term, if ever.
- Refusing to suspend implementation of anti-gay laws, like DADT and DOMA, while suspending laws that hurt others.
- White House staffers worked against amendment proposed by Rep. Alcee Hasting (D-FL) to defund Don't Ask, Don't Tell investigations
- Saying won’t repeal DADT until wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have finished.
- Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid had to beg President Obama to help on DADT repeal.
- A White House official referring to gay civil rights advocates, marching on Washington, as part of “the Internet left fringe” whose opinions don’t matter.
- Saying he won’t touch DOMA in his first term.
- Refusing to release list of gay attendees at hate crimes reception.
- Refusing to mention Maine or Washington state, or anything of substance, in his speech to the Human Rights Campaign dinner.
- Saying gays are “naïve” for wanting the president to keep his promise.
- Refusing to issue a statement specifically opposing anti-gay ballot measures in Maine and Washington state.
- Attorney General Eric Holders flubs question on Maine, twice -- once while in Maine.
- DNC/OFA emailed supporters in Maine and Washington state, but didn't ask them to vote against anti-gay ballot measures, then lied about it.
- Senator Durbin (D-IL), a very close ally of Obama, says Senate probably won’t repeal DADT in 2010, as promised.
- Senior DNC official accuses gays and lesbians of “helping Republicans” by simply asking Democrats to keep their gay civil rights promise.
- Refusing to publicly endorse marriage equality for gays.
- Continuing to dawdle over DADT.
- Refusing to this day to interview with the gay press.
- Refusing to apologize for any of these slights.

But won’t your pledge hurt Democrats?
It never hurts Democrats to keep their promises to the voters. The American people respect strong leaders who have the courage to stick to their beliefs. And it will only help Democrats in the next election to stand by their commitments to a core constituency. If Democratic voters aren't motivated, they won't vote. We are concerned that the President's failure to fulfill his promises may suppress voter participation not only from gay Democrats, but from our families, friends and allies. In a very real way, this is an effort to ensure that we get-out-the-vote in 2010, 2012 and beyond.

But if you don’t give money to the DNC, won’t that help elect Republicans who are even worse on gay issues, and other issues Democrats care about?
We are not calling for a boycott of donations to the DNC. We are simply calling for a pause until the party follows through on its campaign promise to repeal DADT and DOMA, and pass ENDA. The party will get the same donations it would have gotten, when the promises are kept. The Democrats could choose to make good on their ptheir promise today. And by doing so, they will only further motivate the Democratic base to again turn out for the next election, a decidedly good thing.

You have to admit, gay rights is controversial – wouldn’t it be political suicide for Democrats to push gay rights?
Democrats should not have promised to support gay civil rights rights in exchange for our votes if they never intended to keep the promise. If we're not controversial during the campaign, when politicians are happy to accept our votes and our money, we cannot accept being labeled controversial after our candidates win. We kept our part of the bargain, we voted for Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress. It’s entirely reasonable for us to ask our elected officials to keep their part of the bargain too.

What's more, gay rights are not controversial. Americans favor allowing openly gay men and lesbian women to serve in the military by a margin of 69% - 26%. By a margin of 57% - 37%, "A clear majority of Americans (57%) favors allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into legal agreements with each other that would give them many of the same rights as married couples." That can't happen if DOMA is the law. And in fact, if these civil rights promises were controversial, they would have hurt candidate Obama at the polls. But, he proudly and loudly proclaimed his support for LGBT equality, and he won.

No matter how disappointed you are, aren’t Democrats still better than Republicans?
The Republican party is terrible on gay issues. That doesn’t excuse the Democratic party breaking specific promises to the gay community made in exchange for our votes. We didn’t break our promise at the ballot box, the Democrats shouldn’t break theirs after we helped put them into office.

President Obama has only been in office less than a year, why the rush?
In less than a year, serious damage has already been done to the President’s commitments to the gay community. The problem isn’t only that he hasn’t been quick enough to fulfill his promises, it’s that he has actually backtracked on his promises and hurt the cause of civil rights and our community, as detailed above.

But aren’t there bigger priorities than gay rights for the Democrats to deal with, like health care and the economy?
Would President Obama, the DNC and the Congress tell other minorities that their civil rights aren't important? The suggestion is that Democrats have more important things on the table. When won't Democrats have more important priorities than the civil rights of gays and lesbians? Will there ever be a day, a year, an administration, when the President and the Congress won't have serious crises to deal with? Suggesting that gay Americans and their friends and families wait until the President and Congress have nothing else to do is not only insulting, it's a recipe for never. And regardless, we trust that this President, unlike the previous, can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Who is behind this effort?
John Aravosis and Joe Sudbay, two longtime political operatives in Washington, DC, and the editors of AMERICAblog.com. AMERICAblog has raised over $300,000 for Democratic candidates and progressive causes, including nearly $50,000 for then-candidate Barack Obama, supported by AMERICAblog early in the primaries.

The boycott is cosponsored by Daily Kos, Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake, Dan Savage, Michelangelo Signorile, David Mixner, Andy Towle and Michael Goff of Towle Road, Paul Sousa (Founder of Equal Rep in Boston), Pam Spaulding, Robin Tyler (ED of the Equality Campaign, Inc.), Bil Browning for the Bilerico Project, and soon others.

You can contact us at: dncboycott@gmail.com

How can I help?
Sign the pledge, tell your friends about this campaign, read the blog, and stay tuned for updates and action alerts on how you help make sure that the President, the Congress and the Democratic party keep their promises to the LGBT community, our families, our friends and our allies.

This is an excellent sweep of top progressive and LGBT bloggers and activists who have signed on right at the outset and many readers are backing this - are you ready to send the party hacks and WH foot-draggers a me$$age?

In the days leading up to my departure for Maine, I wasn't sure what to expect from the people I'd meet here. I'm no stranger to ballot campaigns; we've had our share of those in Oregon. I rode on Tuesday to a suburb outside of Portland, Maine with another volunteer staff to meet with nine high school students about their interest to get involved with the No On 1 campaign. Our goal was to start a âFriends and Familyâ Volunteer Recruitment Phone Bank with them on the spot, and to organize a few times when they and their friends could volunteer together, canvassing door-to-door the weekend before Election Day. We rolled up to their neighborhood Starbucks at about 3 o'clock and met the students inside. They'd come straight after school, and had heard about the campaign at an all-ages concert,about the campaign at an all-ages concert, where they'd been watching their favorite local band. Three of the youth were band members! A few of them had worn their No On 1 buttons to school that day, and mentioned that they'd started conversations with other students about the issue, and what it meant to them. After introducing ourselves and briefly describing the state of the campaign, we read through a script and role-played it, making sure to arm the students with the facts needed to express to their friends and family members how much this means to them and why we need their help in the last two weeks of the campaign. When we asked the students to get out their mobile phones and start calling to sign their friends up for volunteer shifts with the campaign, they excelled at the task! After about a half hour, the students made a plan to gather together with their newly signed up volunteers for a morning canvass on Halloween, knocking on doors to get out the vote. None of the nine students were affiliated with the Gay Straight Alliance at their school, (and none mentioned that they identified as LGBT,) but all shared a sense that whoever you are and whomever you love, couples deserve to be recognized equally under the law.

âYou Have Always Been Welcome Hereâ here Presented by PFLAG Pendleton in cooperation with Communities of Welcoming Congregations & The Drama Queens Â Â - âYou Have Always Been Welcome Hereâ portrays the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relatn Welcome Hereâ portrays the lives of four transgender people as they explore their relationships to family, gender, Christianity and spirituality. Â Rev. Tara Wilkins, executive director of Community of Welcoming [...]

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Canadian Gay News Headlines (T13T-4)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:10:00 +0000

The Edmonton-based Queer Allied Network (QAN) has given the Alberta Progressive Conservative government a "work list" of demands. The activist group's list highlights three issues that they say need to be "properly and respe...

Created in 2002, the Sobey Art Award is Canada's preeminent award for contemporary Canadian art. Selected by a nation-wide jury of curators and academics, this annual prize of $50,000 USD is given to an artist under the age of 40. While the award's shortlist recognizes several artists' exceptional ...

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LGBT News Headlines (T26T-5)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:54:00 +0000

NJ.com

NY Legislature convenes over deficit, gay marriage
Newsday
November 10, 2009 By AP ALBANY, NY - ALBANY, NY (AP) â" New York's Legislature is meeting in extraordinary session to confront a $3.2 billion deficit and ...
New York Gay Rights Foe Sees Nuance in His StandNew York Times
After Maine, the Battle Lines Over Gay Marriage HardenTIME
Gay marriage activists seek momentum in New YorkReuters
On Top Magazine -Philadelphia Daily News -New York Daily News
all 142 news articles »

New York Daily News

Paterson to Lawmakers: Pass Gay Marriage This Week
NBC New York
Paterson stepped up his call for Albany to act on legalizing gay marriage on Monday, saying in a rare midyear address to a joint session of the Legislature ...
Paterson urges vote to OK spending cuts, gay marriageNewsday
Paterson calls for action on gay marriage, deficitThe Associated Press
NY governor calls for gay marriage voteAFP
WBFO -abc7.com -Gay Socialites (blog)
all 463 news articles »

Los Angeles Times

Gay slurs cost Chiefs' running back a team record and his job
Examiner.com
The Chiefs cut Johnson on Monday, "two weeks after Johnson belittled coach Todd Haley in a series of Twitter posts and used gay slurs with reporters in the ...
Kansas City Chiefs Fire 2x Pro-Bowler Larry Johnson for Anti-Gay SlursHispanicBusiness.com
Chiefs Release RB Larry Johnson over Gay SlursTheCelebrityCafe.com
KC Chiefs drop Larry Johnson following gay slurChicagoPride.com
Sports-Odds.com -Chicago Sun-Times -USA Today
all 656 news articles »

Dallas Voice

Fort Worth leaders can't avoid LGBT issues
Fort Worth Star Telegram
City Manager Dale Fisseler created the task force in July, responding to issues raised by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, Fort Worth ...
Protest at Fort Worth city council meetingDallas Voice

all 5 news articles »

New York Times

House passes LGBT-inclusive health care bill
Bay Windows
But there was virtually no attention given to the LGBT-related provisions in debate over the bill. The Human Rights Campaign praised the legislation for ...
Health Care Bill Passes House, Includes vital protections for LGBT familiesSeattle Post Intelligencer
Health Care BillExaminer.com
Are Obama and Gay Inc planning to roll women under the bus to get a win on ...Lez Get Real
Metro Weekly -Ms. Magazine -The Moderate Voice
all 12,429 news articles »

LGBT activists have been upset with President Obama for moving slowly on their ...
Salon
LGBT activists -- not to mention plenty of other people in the community -- have never been particularly impressed with President Obama's ...
Should LGBT People Stop Giving Money to the Democratic National Committee?Tips-Q GLBT News (blog)
DNC Gets Boycotted Over Gay RightsAtlantic Online (blog)
Don't Ask, Don't GiveAMERICAblog (blog)
Politico -Daily Kos (blog) -Towleroad (blog)
all 9 news articles »

GLBT hate crimes on the rise in the UK
Sydney Star Observer
âThese UK statistics are a powerful illustration of why it's vital that the GLBT community report homophobic attacks first and foremost to police, ...

Seattle Post Intelligencer

Gay marriage, GLBT rights fall victim to the voters
South Florida Blade
Other GLBT-related races saw setback across the country. In the race for Virginia's governor, Republican candidate Bob McDonnell beat his Democratic rival, ...
Who's to Blame for Maine?EDGE Boston
Withers: Why no race blame game after the Maine loss?365Gay.com
Tony Perkins and Evan Wolfson Debate Maine Marriage VoteTowleroad (blog)
Durham News -Progress Illinois (blog) -Windy City Times
all 3,316 news articles »

Gay rights a focal point in 2010 race
Minnesota Daily
... have now established, in a 2008 panel discussion on MSNBC he called for full GLBT civil rights based on the principle of separation of church and state. ...
A small update, er, backdate, on gay marriageMinnPost.com (blog)

all 2 news articles »

PFLAG Board member Rev. Gil Caldwell will be the featured guest tonight on OutQ radioâs âDerek & Romaine Showâ on Sirius 109/XM 98. Gilâs portion of the show will begin around 7:00 p.m. ET.

Last week, Derek and Romaine discussed statements made by Pastor Joel Osteen on âThe Viewâ talk show, where Osteen said, â"What I believe the scripture teaches is that homosexuality is not God's best.â Tonight, Rev. Gil Caldwell will respond to Osteenâs comments and provide a broader view of faith communities as part of the LGBT movement. Listeners are welcome to participate by calling 866-305-6887. For those who don't subscribe to Sirius, a free online trial is available at www.Sirius.com.

Below is a letter from Rev. Caldwell to Pastor Osteen.

Dear Pastor Osteen,

I am writing to you as one pastor to another, as a follower of Jesus who shares with you the Christian walk, and as one who believes that, too often, the Bible is used to demean and diminish people.

I have seen the video of your appearance on âThe Viewâ on November 3, 2009, where you say that âhomosexuality is not Godâs best,â and that, while God loves all people, for LGBT people âtheir sexuality is a flaw.â I am disappointed that you would use your position and prominence to perpetuate the idea that God made a mistake in creating those whose sexual orientation or gender identity are different than your norm.

I am dismayed that you and others continue to use the Bible to justify prejudice toward and denial of rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. The Bible was once used justify the reprehensible enslavement and segregation of persons of African descent. Even the Ku Klux Klan, with their white robes and burning crosses, found justification in the church for their acts of hatred and violence against black people and communities. Following the words from the pulpits, the KKK sought to punish and diminish black people, whose âflawsâ made them ânot Godâs best.â

Do you understand, Pastor Osteen, how your negative statements about LGBT people provide substance to misguided and violent groups?

I was a foot soldier in the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr., and his words and actions have served as a model for my life and ministry. In Strength to Love, Dr. King wrote: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.â

We know that this is a time of change and controversy related to equality and equal equal access for LGBT people. Lawmakers in Washington have not yet resolved the irrational and illogical Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy of the military; the state of Maine has just become the 31st state to deny marriage to same gender couples; and yet, 11 years after the beating death of Matthew Shepard, Congress has finally added sexual orientation and gender identity to its hate crimes provisions.

If we are to measure a man by where he stands during this time in our history, then your words have made you an accomplice to those who deny equality to LGBT people and their families.

This is a new century, Pastor Osteen, and I have faith that the God in whom we both believe expects us to cease using the Bible to support bias and hatred.

I have no national prominence as you have. You have never heard of me and it is likely that our paths will never cross. But, in the spirit that is at the heart of our faith, and as a fellow American who believes that the genius of our nation is our commitment to become one out of many, I felt compelled to share these words with you. I hope this letter finds you strong in faith.

Sincerely,

Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell
Asbury Park, N.J.

Friday's Bilerico Project had a fascinating article Chaz Bono's representation in the media. Here is an excerpt:

Chaz Bono, the child of Sonny of Cher, paraded before the nation in the frilliest dresses as a child, separated from parents after coming out as gay, losing a father in a tragic accident, and finally reconciling with his mother as he battled his way through addiction and denial before finally starting his transition at 40, is an interesting case.

Anyone who doubts that his presence and involvement in Hollywood was and is significant forgets that he has access to some of the most powerful people in the media, for Hollywood is absolutely part of the media, and these people, entertainers, inform the world in ways that people generally don't even want to know about, let alone think on.

His work with GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has helped them to have a reach that might have been difficult otherwise, and his background involvement with projects is often rumored to be somewhat critical.

It doesn't hurt that his mother is somewhat moreat more than revered by many gay and trans folk across the world, either.

In coming out as Trans, he gives us an outstanding case to look at how far the media, and those who get involved with the media, has come, and how far it has to go.

One example is the recent piece selected by the local press here for their story on him. Rather than have a local person write it from several different stories, as the Arizona Republic usually does with what they perceive to be controversial stories, they chose (an active action on their part) to go with the stringer version from "BANG Showbiz", a London based entertainment news agency who's "clients include all the major British tabloid newspapers, European magazines, commercial British radio stations and a galaxy of top entertainment outlets".

This article is quite surprising from a trans point of view. It starts off with "Cher's Daughter" - something that Chaz can probably expect to hear for the rest of his life, and one example of why the relationship that transfolk have with their families can often be complex - the fame and visual remainders will haunt him as reminders of privilege lost - cissexual privilege.

They respect, however, his name - which is notable. He is not called Chastity throughout it. This may have something to do with the Gender Recognition Act in the UK - I don't know, but that is about as far as the respect goes.

So why, one might wonder, does a Gannet owned, Phoenix, Arizona based newspaper go to a story from outside the country? Perhaps because other American sources for Chaz aren't as insulting in their somewhat more respective use of the proper pronouns? Or maybe its because this BANG Showbiz group is cheaper, or possibly even could it be that there aren't any local US stories about?

To read this entire story at The Bilerico Project, click here.

According to this New York Times article, same-sex couples who identify as married are similar to straight spouses in terms of age and income, and nearly one-third of them are raising children, according to Census data released Monday that provides a demographic snapshot of gay families in America.

The study released by a think tank based at UCLA also found that Utah and Wyoming were among the states with the highest percentages of gay spouses in 2008, despite being heavily conservative states with no laws providing legal recognition of gay relationships.

The data from the annual American Community Survey showed that nearly 150,000 50,000 same-sex couples in the U.S., or more than one in four, referred to one another as ''husband'' or ''wife,'' although UCLA researchers estimate that no more than 32,000 of the couples were legally married.

The couples had an average age of 52 and household incomes of $91,558, while 31 percent were raising children. That compares with an average age of 50, household income of $95,075 and 43 percent raising children for married heterosexual couples.

''It's intrinsically interesting that same-sex couples who use the term spouses look like opposite-sex married couples even with a characteristic like children,'' said Gary Gates, the UCLA demographer who conducted the analysis. ''Most proponents of traditional marriage will say that when you allow these couples to marry, you are going to change the fundamental nature of marriage by decoupling it from procreation. Clearly, in the minds of same-sex couples who are marrying or think of themselves as married, you are not decoupling child-rearing from marriage.''

Gates said the report is the first to reliably compare same-sex couples who identify as married with gays who say they're in unmarried partnerships and with married opposite-sex couples.

To continue reading this article, click here.

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GLBT News Headlines (T4T-6)

Tom@2015Place.com (Tom) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:36:00 +0000

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