It is a timely discussion, as we still see these arguments being used in debates and discussions over LGBT rights.

Video and more after the jump.

Constitutional Law Professor Olympia Duhart sits down to discuss how race and LGBT issues connect, how lack of visibility for LGBT people of color hurt both their rights and the movement as a whole, and how we combat cynical efforts from opponents of equality to divide minority communities in the effort to stop the march towards equal rights.

The commonalities between the struggles for equal and civil rights among all communities have come into sharp focus recently - thanks in large part to the historic speech from President Barack Obama on his second inauguration. In his speech, the president not only called for equality for LGBT Americans, but also included the Stonewall Riots, seen as the start of the modern LGBT rights movement, in a list of historic civil rights moments with Seneca Falls and Selma.

This inclusion of the LGBT rights struggle as part of the larger, shared American experience of fighting for civil rights among women and people of color highlighted the intersections and commonality many minority groups face when seeking equality under the law.

But beyond the shared historic fight, talk of racial and LGBT equality often seeks to discuss the two struggles as separate, completely ignoring the fact that LGBT people of color exist. It is that separation that can cause real harm to LGBT people of color, who are often harder hit by discrimination and more marginalized in their needs due to the combined exposure to antigay and/or anti-transgender policies, and institutionalized racial discrimination.

Video and more after the jump.

To be sure, having our President call for full equality for gay Americans in what is one of the biggest and most viewed speeches of his Presidency is monumental. "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law," Obama said on Monday before cheering crowds, "for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well." This was said not only before the entire nation, but mere feet away from the Supreme Court justices who are deciding two historic cases for marriage equality this term, the Prop 8 case and the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act.

But beyond the meaningful, and not to be downplayed, name check of gay equality, was a more far-reaching inclusion of the struggle for LGBT equality in the civil rights history of the United States itself.

Without a doubt, election night was a landslide victory for equality. Watching the historic results roll in on issues and candidates that matter to the progress of civil rights for LGBT people was truly a snapshot of just how much, and how quickly, this country has changed on social issues.

Throughout the episode, I discuss the huge wins for equality around the country-- and how the LGBTQ community can move forward with the momentum witnessed for civil rights.

Obviously the re-election of President Obama is a huge win for LGBT equality. Bringing back the first sitting President who not only came out in support of marriage equality, but also signed comprehensive hate crimes legislation and ended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", proved that supporting and legislating equality isn't the political suicide opponents said it would be.

In fact, out-of-touch views on social issues like LGBT rights was actively used as an attack on the defeated Mitt Romney, who was endorsed by groups like the bigoted National Organization for Marriage. The President's re-election proves that vocal support for our rights can now be seen as a political plus and regressive policies about equality are damaging.

I am seriously running out of ways to express my incredulity at this election...

It seems people have given up even trying to defend Mitt Romney's ever-changing stances and are just saying, "You don't like this current Romney? Don't worry, he'll change into whatever you want after the election and be GREAT! Trust us!"

They can't defend his views because they can't nail any of them down without them changing the next day.

If his constant flip flopping and contortions during the campaign are any indication, his presidency would be a rubber stamp for dangerous, regressive policies put forward in this year's Republican Party Platform-- which literally had the sections on social issues written by Tony Perkins, leader of the hate group the Family Research Council.

This danger of a malleable Mitt Romney has been a common theme this election cycle. And for good reason. Romney has proven that whatever his core values are, they aren't strong enough to buck the rightward trend of his party.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender office holders are our clearest and most convincing champions for true equality.  As leaders in government, they become the face and voice of our community.  They challenge the lies of extremists and speak authentically about themselves, their families and our community.

One of the most effective organizations working to achieve that goal is the Victory Fund, a nonpartisan organization that helps LGBT leaders win elections and then serve effectively. Since it's inception in 1991, the Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBT candidates win election to local, state and federal offices.

And then you get a letter in the mail reminding you of just that.

My husband, who I legally wed in California prior to Proposition 8 passing (thereby being grandfathered in to a state of pseudo-marriage equality limbo), got a letter from TIAA-CREF Financial Services in the mail entitled "Notice Regarding Civil Unions in the State of Illinois." The letter, like a slap in the face, laid out in stark terms exactly how the patchwork of rights created by the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) impacts same-sex couples in ways many don't even consider.

The letter states:

"Pursuant to Section 3 of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA"), same-sex couples and civil unions are not recognized for the purposes of federal law. Therefore, the favorable income-deferral options afforded by federal tax law to an opposite-sex spouse under Internal Revenue Code sections 72(s) and 401(a)(9) and "spousal continuation" rights are currently not available to a party in a civil union."

This is what discrimination looks like, even when it comes in a form letter. There on a page, in black and white, is a reminder to same-sex couples that their relationships aren't viewed as equal in the eyes of their government. I'm not sure many heterosexual couples can imagine what it's like to open your mail and get a letter like this out of the blue - a written dig at your life and family.

Copy of the letter and more after the break.

One vote being cast in a sea of millions may seem insignificant, but when we step back to look at the tumultuous history of voting rights in our country, the real world effects of voting, and the current efforts to suppress certain groups of voters, it becomes clear that voting is a vital right and an act that intersects with every aspect of the issues we care about.

After the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United, money poured into elections with the creation of the Super PAC - political action committees that can raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations, and individuals, then spend unlimited sums to overtly advocate for or against political candidates.

While the vast majority of that unlimited money has been flowing directly to conservative groups and causes, like Karl Rove's "CrossRoads GPS", progressives are trying to play catch up to the new, no holds barred rules of campaign finance. And it is certainly an uphill battle. Conservative super PACs have far outpaced their liberal counterparts in 2012, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. Liberal Super PACs spent a total of $31.1 million dollars through the end of July while conservatives spent $137.1 million dollars-- over four times as much.

While it may be an easy talking point for some to say "I'm not a single issue voter... LGBT issues aren't all that matter," the actual truth about the intersection of LGBT rights and economic justice is inescapable.

It's hard to believe it has been ten years. Looking back at the terrorist attacks of September 11th, it's easy to see it as the event that has shaped politics and the direction of our country, for good and bad, for an entire generation. For me, however, it is a highly personal experience and one that is not easily boiled down into a bumper-sticker or a stump speech talking point. Back in my pre-political life, I was a flight attendant and was in the air on September 11th, 2011 working a flight from New York City to Florida.

I worked for an airline that has live TV's in every seat, so we were some of the few people in the air that actually watched the horrors of that day unfold live. It all started normally enough. The crew of 6 met for the early morning flight, expecting a short trip to Tampa and back. The plane was full of people and we had a quiet, low-key service, chatting with the few passengers who were awake.

Then it happened.

Yet the rhetoric, with mindless sound bites and talking points flooding the airwaves, has somehow muddied the water, especially when it comes to the reality of each candidate's record. That rhetoric has at times obscured, and other times purposefully obfuscated, what that choice really means - especially when it comes to basic equality, civil rights, and social issues.

It's a telling lineup for a party trying desperately to sell the talking point that they are all about "jobs, jobs, jobs." Highlighting these truly radical speakers and elevating once fringe figures with extreme views highlights what the Republican Party of 2012 has truly become - a party taken over by far-right zealots who distract with tax and deficit talk as they seek to legislate their own narrow definition of "morality."

And therein lies one of the most important, and under-reported, problems of a Mitt Romney candidacy. Romney doesn't lead as much as follow the loudest voices in his party.

To help break down the issues of biphobia, bi erasure, and bi history in the LGBT movement, the episode features an in-depth discussion with bisexual activist, Brother Michael Oboza, an activist monk and Michael Page, who founded the New Liaison for Bisexual programs at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. The discussion looks at the issues that face the bisexual community from both anti-equality forces and from within the gay and lesbian communities.

Video and more after the break.