Politics: June 2009
Three observations about ENDA
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 30, 2009 6:00 PM |Observation 1: DOMA will not be repealed before ENDA gets passed. Of the four main pieces of LGBT legislation that the Administration said it wants to pass - hate crimes, ENDA, DOMA, DADT - repealing DOMA will be the hardest....Read More
Three observations about ENDA
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 30, 2009 6:00 PM |Observation 1: DOMA will not be repealed before ENDA gets passed. Of the four main pieces of LGBT legislation that the Administration said it wants to pass - hate crimes, ENDA, DOMA, DADT - repealing DOMA will be the hardest....Read More
A "Penultimate Step" in the Fight to End the HIV Travel Ban
Filed by Steve Ralls | June 30, 2009 4:30 PM |In a move that closes the gap between two White House administrations, numerous government agencies and a year-old act of Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued regulations that would end the United States' decades-old HIV travel...Read More
A "Penultimate Step" in the Fight to End the HIV Travel Ban
Filed by Steve Ralls | June 30, 2009 4:30 PM |In a move that closes the gap between two White House administrations, numerous government agencies and a year-old act of Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued regulations that would end the United States' decades-old HIV travel...Read More
Obama and the Democrats Still Don't Get It
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 30, 2009 3:00 PM |Perusing the coverage of what some have described as President Obama's "Gay Uncle Tom" event at the White House yesterday (in alleged commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots) leaves me thinking that Obama and Congressional Democrats truly...Read More
Obama and the Democrats Still Don't Get It
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 30, 2009 3:00 PM |Perusing the coverage of what some have described as President Obama's "Gay Uncle Tom" event at the White House yesterday (in alleged commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots) leaves me thinking that Obama and Congressional Democrats truly...Read More
Pink Saturday: Party or police state?
Filed by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore | June 30, 2009 2:30 PM |Okay, so I actually kind of like Pink Saturday, the night before pride when the Castro gets blocked off to traffic and people wander around getting smashed and dancing to terrible music blasted from sound stages in the street. I...Read More
Welcome to Your White House
Filed by Cathy Renna | June 30, 2009 12:00 PM |The title of this post is one of the first things President Obama said yesterday at the Stonewall commemoration at the White House yesterday. Were there cocktails? Yes. But this was not a typical cocktail party. Were there many "A-listers?"...Read More
Take a Straight Person to Lunch
Filed by Kate Clinton | June 30, 2009 11:00 AM |The philandering politicos John Ensign and Mark Sanford, the Iranian revolution, the death of Michael Jackson. And you were all worried what I would do without George Bush! On this the 40th anniversary of Gay Liberation, it's one big sexual...Read More
The White House Parties Like it's 1999...
Filed by Waymon Hudson | June 30, 2009 9:30 AM |Yesterday, President Obama hosted a "celebration of Stonewall" at the White House, the first of its kind. While it may have been the first time a President spoke on LGBT rights in the White house for 20 minutes, I couldn't...Read More
Fort Worth Gay Bar Raid: Stonewall Redux
Filed by Waymon Hudson | June 29, 2009 6:00 PM |Over the weekend, Fort Worth police raided a new gay bar in a move reminiscent of the Stonewall Raid that sparked the modern gay rights movement in 1969. The newly opened Rainbow Lounge was hosting a birthday celebration for Todd...Read More
Reagan's revenge
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 29, 2009 5:00 PM |Ronald Reagan, for years while he was in office, refused to even recognize the existence of the HIV epidemic. The sluggish response to thousands of people dying probably made the epidemic worse than it needed to be. And now that...Read More
Hate crimes fate tied to F-22 fighter jets
Filed by Bil Browning | June 29, 2009 4:00 PM |Last week I sent out an urgent update to Projectors to save proposed hate crimes legislation from being attached to a defense spending bill in the Senate. A source on Capital Hill and a federal lobbyist both contacted me with...Read More
Introducing Krystal Ball
Filed by Juan and Ken Ahonen-Jover | June 29, 2009 2:00 PM |A wife and mother supports equality... ...and she is running for Congress! Straight allies of the LGBTQ community are critical to the success of achieving equality. And there can be no stronger ally than this 27 year old wife and...Read More
Federal Prop 8 Test Happens Thursday
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 29, 2009 11:30 AM |After all the outrage, protests and promises to put same sex marriage back on the ballot in 2010 following the California Supreme Court's May 26 ruling upholding Prop 8, the struggle over marriage equality is now back in the courts...Read More
Federal Prop 8 Test Happens Thursday
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 29, 2009 11:30 AM |After all the outrage, protests and promises to put same sex marriage back on the ballot in 2010 following the California Supreme Court's May 26 ruling upholding Prop 8, the struggle over marriage equality is now back in the courts...Read More
Sitting About the Gay Campfire of History
Filed by Cathy Renna | June 29, 2009 9:30 AM |I quipped to a friend about 2 hours into one of last week's events, a reunion of the Gay Liberation Front; All we need is a small fire and some marshmallows. This is like a gay campfire, ghost stories included....Read More
Church Chat: Sunday Morning Roundup, Beltway Style
Filed by John Shields | June 28, 2009 8:00 AM |Here's what's coming up for the major network morning news shows today. In chronological order - broadcast channel-wise, in D.C. - that means 4, 5, 7 and 9. That would be NBC, FOX, ABC and CBS. Check channels and air...Read More
U.S. Military Veterans March on the White House
Filed by John Shields | June 27, 2009 8:00 PM |Active-duty and retired members of the United States Military from around the globe, as well as family and friends, participated in today's March on the White House, organized by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. According to a press release issued...Read More
U.S. Military Veterans March on the White House
Filed by John Shields | June 27, 2009 8:00 PM |Active-duty and retired members of the United States Military from around the globe, as well as family and friends, participated in today's March on the White House, organized by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. According to a press release issued...Read More
Click Here To Email 50 ENDA-Shy House Dems Now
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 27, 2009 3:30 PM |The bad news is that 218 votes are needed for passage of ENDA in the House, and that's just if you want a very bare majority. There are only 197 probable yes votes now., according to my calculations. (Others in...Read More
Click Here To Email 50 ENDA-Shy House Dems Now
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 27, 2009 3:30 PM |The bad news is that 218 votes are needed for passage of ENDA in the House, and that's just if you want a very bare majority. There are only 197 probable yes votes now., according to my calculations. (Others in...Read More
Where Is persiankiwi?
Filed by Brynn Craffey | June 27, 2009 1:30 PM |As the Iranian government and entities around the world with various vested interests begin to pronounce the Iranian "crisis easing," what is happening on the ground in Tehran is anybody's guess. Iranian authorities continue their brutal suppression of dissent: killing,...Read More
Being Gay in D.C.
Filed by Ben Finzel | June 27, 2009 9:30 AM |I'm a gay man and a resident of the District of Columbia. Q: Which of these two facts makes me a minority? A: Both of them. When LGBTQ people talk about identity, we often consider sexuality, gender and related issues....Read More
Being Gay in D.C.
Filed by Ben Finzel | June 27, 2009 9:30 AM |I'm a gay man and a resident of the District of Columbia. Q: Which of these two facts makes me a minority? A: Both of them. When LGBTQ people talk about identity, we often consider sexuality, gender and related issues....Read More
South Bend Council Members Henry Davis Jr. & Oliver Davis Do Not Support Equal Rights For GLBT?
Filed by Donna Pandori | June 26, 2009 6:00 PM |Many in South Bend are praising Mayor Steve Luecke for his executive order issued Wednesday that bans GLBT discrimination of city employees and prospective workers. However, council members Henry Davis Jr. (district 2) and Oliver Davis (district 6) are not....Read More
IMO, This Says It All
Filed by Brynn Craffey | June 26, 2009 4:00 PM |In case you missed this, the BBC interviewed Dr. Arash Hejazi, who tried to save Neda Soltan's* life on the streets of Iran. By speaking publicly, and very eloquently, he has effectively exiled himself from his homeland....Read More
Harrah's instrumental in Nevada DP victory, but what about Darlene Jespersen?
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | June 26, 2009 2:00 PM |Last night, Harrah's Entertainment hosted a Las Vegas victory party for the passage of Nevada's new domestic partner law. By all accounts, Harrah's also deserves much credit for lobbying Nevada legislators to pass the new law and then to get...Read More
The "New" NJ Trans Drivers License Regs, Part 2: Buying My Identity
Filed by Rebecca Juro | June 26, 2009 1:00 PM |The first part of this story can be found here. Shortly after my first unsuccessful attempt to take advantage of the new, less stringent regulations regarding changing gender markers on drivers licenses in New Jersey, I met with a gender...Read More
Delaware's Lesbianism 101
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 26, 2009 11:00 AM |Delaware just passed a nondiscrimination bill, and it's now waiting for the governor's signature, although he's said he'd do it: "It protects the most basic activities of human life -- moving about the world, earning a living, keeping a roof...Read More
DNC Fundraiser? LGBTQ to boot? Really? I Didn't Hear a Thing...
Filed by John Shields | June 26, 2009 9:30 AM |OMG. There is sooo much news to talk about~! Where do I start? Farrah Fawcett died yesterday ~ as did lots of people, legislative "things," and stuff just plain disappeared, without a trace. Dammit~! She was the first 'poster' that...Read More
Atty General Eric Holder statement on hate crimes legislation
Filed by Bil Browning | June 25, 2009 6:30 PM |Attorney General Eric Holder testified before before the Senate Judiciary Committee today in favor of hate crimes legislation. Complete text below and after the jump or you can download a .pdf version. STATEMENT OF ERIC H. HOLDER, JR. ATTORNEY GENERAL...Read More
I'll Be Debating Gay Marriage on the Radio
Filed by Yasmin Nair | June 25, 2009 6:00 PM |I will be debating gay marriage at 2 PM, CST, Friday, June 26, with Gay Liberation Network's Bob Schwartz, on Vocalo, the locally-focused Chicago Public Radio outlet at 89.5 FM WBEW. You should be able to listen to it on...Read More
New ad for real health care reform
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 25, 2009 5:00 PM |The Act Blue has a great ad that they want to run in local markets to go after Democratic Senators who oppose the public option. For some reason that I just can't figure out, the Democratic Senators who oppose real...Read More
Why You Should Sign Up To Meet With Your Legislator Now
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 25, 2009 4:00 PM |It's finally happened. H.R. 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives with 117 original co-sponsors. According to Mara Keisling, head of the National Center for Transgender Equality, this bill has twice as many co-sponsors...Read More
Why You Should Sign Up To Meet With Your Legislator Now
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 25, 2009 4:00 PM |It's finally happened. H.R. 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives with 117 original co-sponsors. According to Mara Keisling, head of the National Center for Transgender Equality, this bill has twice as many co-sponsors...Read More
Don't Be Played for a Sucker, Again
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 25, 2009 4:00 PM |Following various blogs and e-mails, the grass roots LGBTQ fury at the Congressional Democrats and President Obama seems to be continuing to escalate, and rightly so. Obama courted the gay and lesbian vote in his campaign for the presidency but...Read More
Don't Be Played for a Sucker, Again
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 25, 2009 4:00 PM |Following various blogs and e-mails, the grass roots LGBTQ fury at the Congressional Democrats and President Obama seems to be continuing to escalate, and rightly so. Obama courted the gay and lesbian vote in his campaign for the presidency but...Read More
Thanks, Frank!
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 25, 2009 3:30 PM |Editors' note: Jaime Grant is the director of the Policy Institute at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. She holds a Ph.D. in Women's Studies from the Union Institute and has offered a course in social movements at Georgetown...Read More
Don't Cry For Mark Sanford, Argentina
Filed by Terrance Heath | June 25, 2009 2:00 PM |Yikes. At least the story about hiking the Appalachian Trail (on Naked Hiking Day) was kinda interesting. But what the fuck was Mark Sanford doing in Argentina? Sanford’s whereabouts had been unknown since Thursday, and the mystery surrounding his...Read More
Turn Your DNC Dollars to "Reel" Grassroots Support
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 25, 2009 1:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest bloggers Erin Mara and Henriette Fourcade are the owners of Homebody, outfitters of contemporary living located on Capitol Hill. Joe Biden's shindig for the DNC is blacklisted, but you can still make a difference for the LGBT...Read More
Apology Accepted
Filed by Cathy Renna | June 25, 2009 10:30 AM |You know you are at an official political event when there are no less than four American flags on stage. But I could not have been prouder to be an American yesterday when Dr. Frank Kameny received a long-overdue apology...Read More
Virginia Court Rules Executive Order 1 (2006) Gives Gays No Cause of Action
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 24, 2009 11:30 PM |The Circuit Court for the City of Martinsville has ruled in Michael Ware Moore v. Virginia Museum of Natural History that Executive Order 1 (2006) signed by Virginia Governor (and DNC Chair) Tim Kaine provides no cause of action to...Read More
Virginia Court Rules Executive Order 1 (2006) Gives Gays No Cause of Action
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 24, 2009 11:30 PM |The Circuit Court for the City of Martinsville has ruled in Michael Ware Moore v. Virginia Museum of Natural History that Executive Order 1 (2006) signed by Virginia Governor (and DNC Chair) Tim Kaine provides no cause of action to...Read More
Tracking Mark Sanford
Filed by Storm Bear | June 24, 2009 8:30 PM |click to enlarge After today's presser, I think the strip stands clearly on its own feet - ok, that was a bad pun! Today's strip is dedicated to Darrin Bell, creator of Candorville for teaching me the proper use...Read More
US Government apologizes to Frank Kameny
Filed by Bil Browning | June 24, 2009 7:00 PM |One of the skills I don't practice often enough is the ability to apologize. But how often does a government apologize for anything? The US Government apologized to Dr. Frank Kameny today for dismissing him from his job 52 years...Read More
Raise LGBTQ & HIV Voices in Health Care Reform
Filed by Simon Aronoff | June 24, 2009 6:00 PM |I am as pleased as the next guy that President Obama has made health care reform a priority. In the last few weeks, we've seen the House and Senate release draft reform bills, and the profit mongering executives of HMOs...Read More
Breaking: South Bend Mayor To Protect LGBT City Workers
Filed by Donna Pandori | June 24, 2009 4:30 PM |From WSBT Newstalk South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke is issuing his first Executive Order and it will prohibit discrimination against city employees who are gay, bisexual or transgender....Read More
TransLondon back in Pride
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 24, 2009 4:00 PM |I posted about a month ago that TransLondon pulled out of Pride London because of issues with representation (the theme for the transgender float was "Priscilla"), a bathroom incident in which security asked transwomen for Gender Recognition Certificates, and an...Read More
Mourning a lesbian among the DC Metro crash victims
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | June 24, 2009 3:00 PM |No doubt everyone knows by now about the horrific crash of two Metro trains in Washington, DC on Monday. Amid the details about the nine people who died in the crash is a Washington Post remembrance of Mary "Mandy" Doolittle,...Read More
Indiana Marriage Amendment - Action Alert
Filed by Donna Pandori | June 24, 2009 1:00 PM |Indiana Equality just released an action alert that the Marriage Discrimination Bill was officially introduced during special legislative session on Tuesday (yesterday), Proponents Fundraise at the Expense of Hoosier Taxpayers The Marriage Discrimination Amendment - House Joint Resolution 3 -...Read More
You say you want a revolution....
Filed by Brynn Craffey | June 24, 2009 10:00 AM |(Please note: The video linked to the Guardian article below, while not the complete video of Neda Soltani's death, is shocking, and I urge caution in viewing it.) I'm surprised there hasn't been more (any?) discussion here about the dramatic...Read More
Obama's upcoming hush-hush damage control meeting with LGBTQ leaders
Filed by Rev Irene Monroe | June 23, 2009 5:30 PM |The President has been an Obama-nation on LGBTQ issues since he's taken office. The political carrots Obama dangled before us as campaign promises are now looking like merely empty rhetoric that was used to court our votes and to collect...Read More
Apologists Need Not Apply
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 23, 2009 3:00 PM |Editor's Note: David Badash is a regular contributor to Bilerico-DC. He is a writer and the founder of The New Civil Rights Movement, a blog focused on gay rights and gay marriage. My, how far we've come! Time was, a...Read More
Next Action Steps on ENDA
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 23, 2009 2:00 PM |The Employment Non-Discrimination Act juggernaut is slowly moving forward, set to be introduced, so I hear, on Wednesday. I call it a "juggernaut" because the size and number of pieces to be managed is truly daunting. Almost hardly noticeable among...Read More
Next Action Steps on ENDA
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 23, 2009 2:00 PM |The Employment Non-Discrimination Act juggernaut is slowly moving forward, set to be introduced, so I hear, on Wednesday. I call it a "juggernaut" because the size and number of pieces to be managed is truly daunting. Almost hardly noticeable among...Read More
Traditional Marriage Threat Alert - Brownsburg, Indiana
Filed by Donna Pandori | June 23, 2009 11:00 AM |The sanctity of traditional marriage (i.e. Marriage = Man + Woman) was under attack Sunday in Brownsburg, Indiana as a husband stabbed his wife to death while she was in bed. No comments have been forthcoming from the folks over...Read More
Access v. Progress
Filed by John Shields | June 23, 2009 9:30 AM |Many things have been said, spoken and written about whether the LGBTQ community should attend the "gay" fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. this Thursday. While President Obama's overtures - and non-overtures - to our community may...Read More
Access v. Progress
Filed by John Shields | June 23, 2009 9:30 AM |Many things have been said, spoken and written about whether the LGBTQ community should attend the "gay" fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. this Thursday. While President Obama's overtures - and non-overtures - to our community may...Read More
Sam Adams cleared of sex with minor charges
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 22, 2009 5:30 PM |Hey, remember when the Oregon media called for Portland mayor Sam Adams to resign because he had consensual sex with another adult male? And remember how they said that the two possibly had sex when Beau Breedlove was 17, and...Read More
DNC = Do Not Contribute
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 22, 2009 3:00 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Stephen Zollman is a lawyer who works for the San Francisco Public Defender's Office and is passionate about youth issues, access to quality/affordable health care, education, and a cleaner environment. A lot has been written and...Read More
DNC = Do Not Contribute
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 22, 2009 3:00 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Stephen Zollman is a lawyer who works for the San Francisco Public Defender's Office and is passionate about youth issues, access to quality/affordable health care, education, and a cleaner environment. A lot has been written and...Read More
Democracy Now: Former Army Secretary Calls for End to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Filed by Steve Ralls | June 22, 2009 3:00 PM |Bloomington group to hold sit-in for equality
Filed by Bil Browning | June 22, 2009 2:30 PM |Wow. I'm torn on this one. Gay Recruiters, a Bloomington-based gay rights group, is planning a protest on July 2nd. The group says the sit-in is being held to condemn a possible constitutional ban on same-sex marriage or civil unions....Read More
The Gays are Getting Uppity, Mr. President
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 22, 2009 2:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Terry Leftgoff formerly served as the highest ranking openly gay officer of the California Democratic Party. He is currently an Environmental & Government Relations consultant living in West Hollywood. TO: President Barack Obama FROM: The Gays...Read More
Transgender rights, the President's memo and legal history
Filed by Nan Hunter | June 22, 2009 12:30 PM |I've gotten so many questions about legal issues related to federal employees in the past week of Obummer-ness that I thought it might be useful to provide a bit of historical context. In my blog's post about the memorandum that...Read More
Transgender rights, the President's memo and legal history
Filed by Nan Hunter | June 22, 2009 12:30 PM |I've gotten so many questions about legal issues related to federal employees in the past week of Obummer-ness that I thought it might be useful to provide a bit of historical context. In my blog's post about the memorandum that...Read More
Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Now. It is Well Past Time.
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 21, 2009 6:30 AM |Living in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia with its huge military population, Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) is an ever present blight on the LGBT community. I personally know numerous gay and lesbian couples where one of the partners...Read More
Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Now. It is Well Past Time.
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 21, 2009 6:30 AM |Living in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia with its huge military population, Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) is an ever present blight on the LGBT community. I personally know numerous gay and lesbian couples where one of the partners...Read More
Live-blogging at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 20, 2009 6:30 PM |Bill Clinton's speech: The eloquence differential between him and Bayh is remarkable. Starts by thanking Bayh: I personally think he can do any job in the United States, and I hope we see him do a few more. There ya...Read More
Live-blogging at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 20, 2009 6:30 PM |Bill Clinton's speech: The eloquence differential between him and Bayh is remarkable. Starts by thanking Bayh: I personally think he can do any job in the United States, and I hope we see him do a few more. There ya...Read More
Live-blogging at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 20, 2009 6:30 PM |Bill Clinton's speech: The eloquence differential between him and Bayh is remarkable. Starts by thanking Bayh: I personally think he can do any job in the United States, and I hope we see him do a few more. There ya...Read More
Whose "Equality"?
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 20, 2009 4:00 PM |Editor's Note: Mitchell Halberstadt is a 59-year-old writer, lifelong activist, and gadfly who sometimes makes Michael Petrelis and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore look (by comparison) like pillars of the community. He lives in Oakland, CA. Chris Crain writes: It's "patently irrational...Read More
IL Rep Jan Schakowsky: Open letter to the LGBT community
Filed by Bil Browning | June 20, 2009 2:00 PM |Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, released the following open letter to members of the GLBT community and supporters of the movement for equality yesterday afternoon. The letter provides Rep. Schakowsky's assessment of the movement's progress. I hate to nitpick, but why...Read More
Everything is NOT Slavery
Filed by Terrance Heath | June 20, 2009 10:00 AM |Finally, somebody said it. It's been on my mind to say for a while now, but I never got around to it. Finally now, somebody else has said it. So all I have to do is say, "Amen." After months...Read More
Anthony Woods: One of Our Next Generation of Heroes
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 20, 2009 9:30 AM |Editor's Note: Adam Williams is a public relations professional who lives in Washington, DC, and has been active in Democratic politics since the age of 16, helping elect progressives from the Midwest to the Atlantic seaboard. The LGBT community is...Read More
Hate Violence Report Sites the Changing Face of Crime
Filed by Keri Renault | June 19, 2009 4:30 PM |Violence against the LGBT community was up in 2008. So says the 2008 Hate Violence Report released June 16th by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects (NCAVP). A 2% national increase follows a 24% spike in violence reported in 2007....Read More
Hate Violence Report Sites the Changing Face of Crime
Filed by Keri Renault | June 19, 2009 4:30 PM |Violence against the LGBT community was up in 2008. So says the 2008 Hate Violence Report released June 16th by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects (NCAVP). A 2% national increase follows a 24% spike in violence reported in 2007....Read More
The latest on the flailing gay DNC fundraiser as more attendees drop out
Filed by Pam Spaulding | June 19, 2009 4:00 PM |I've been out of the loop for the last 24+ hours, so a lot has happened regarding 1) the blowback on the DOMA brief, and 2) the meltdown of the gay DNC fundraiser next week, as the list of those...Read More
Major Networks Fail Gay Service Members
Filed by Donna Pandori | June 19, 2009 2:00 PM |Major media networks frequently honor our military service members by providing news about the sacrifices they are making to keep us safe at home. Sadly, the news stops short when it comes to the additional human sacrifices made by gay...Read More
For Love AND Country: Immigration & The LGBT Community
Filed by Steve Ralls | June 19, 2009 12:00 PM |In 1999, when I first began working for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the question I heard most often - from friends, colleagues and the media - was "why?" Why did I, having never served in uniform, care about...Read More
For Love AND Country: Immigration & The LGBT Community
Filed by Steve Ralls | June 19, 2009 12:00 PM |In 1999, when I first began working for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the question I heard most often - from friends, colleagues and the media - was "why?" Why did I, having never served in uniform, care about...Read More
White House Looks to Include Same-Sex Unions in Census Count
Filed by Waymon Hudson | June 19, 2009 10:30 AM |Big news out of the White House today. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Obama Administration is turning its back on a Bush interpretation of the Defense of Marriage Act that they said prohibited the release of the...Read More
Indiana Equality: No stranger to controversy
Filed by Bil Browning | June 19, 2009 9:45 AM |While Indiana Equality's opposition to the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) has raised eyebrows nationally about the organization's leadership, the state equality group isn't new to controversy. The organization, led by Republican fundraiser and organizer Kathy Sarris, has been perceived...Read More
Maine gets Schubert Flint
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 19, 2009 9:30 AM |The famous publicity firm who won California Prop 8 and who then won Pollies for their successful campaign will be helping out in Maine: Gay marriage foes in Maine have hired the public relations firm that led the successful Proposition...Read More
And We Are Not Saved: The Opposition To ENDA From The Left Is Mistaken
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 18, 2009 7:00 PM |The more I read the position of those who oppose ENDA on the grounds that it does not fully protect us, the more I am reminded that my field of professorship is Law AND Society. Too many people see law...Read More
And We Are Not Saved: The Opposition To ENDA From The Left Is Mistaken
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 18, 2009 7:00 PM |The more I read the position of those who oppose ENDA on the grounds that it does not fully protect us, the more I am reminded that my field of professorship is Law AND Society. Too many people see law...Read More
NOM threatens primaries in New York
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 18, 2009 5:00 PM |How can they even think over the deafening dissonance in their heads? In order to prevent people from being distracted with same-sex marriage in New York, NOM is pledging $500K to make it the #1 issue in the 2010 Republican...Read More
One small step...
Filed by Cathy Renna | June 18, 2009 3:30 PM |The past few days have been a whirlwind for the LGBT community, but for those of us in DC particularly so. Working with the Family Equality Council, whose Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler attended the Oval Office signing of the Presidential...Read More
AMERICAblog, interrupted
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 18, 2009 1:30 PM |I was originally going to do a post trying to respond to a few of the misleading statements AMERICAblog has been making about the DOJ DOMA brief, because even though I agree that the brief is offensive and homophobic, misrepresenting...Read More
A Personal Reflection on President Obama's Step Towards Equality for LGBT Americans
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 18, 2009 12:30 PM |Editors' note: Leonard Hirsch works for the Smithsonian on international environmental issues. He also has been active in the LGBT Political Science Caucus, the Network of Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Associations, and is one of the founders and President of...Read More
A Personal Reflection on President Obama's Step Towards Equality for LGBT Americans
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 18, 2009 12:30 PM |Editors' note: Leonard Hirsch works for the Smithsonian on international environmental issues. He also has been active in the LGBT Political Science Caucus, the Network of Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Associations, and is one of the founders and President of...Read More
Obama Signs Landmark Action to Extend Gay Rights
Filed by John Shields | June 18, 2009 9:30 AM |Breaking News: WASHINGTON, D.C. At an unprecedented early morning briefing, White House Press Secretary Robert L. Gibbs, outlined the Obama administration's rationale behind the low-key June 17th rollout of the "Memorandum on Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination, and Support of the...Read More
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Has The Promise Of Obama Been Broken For Now, Or Forever?
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 17, 2009 9:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger David Badash is a regular contributor to Bilerico-DC. He is a writer and the founder of The New Civil Rights Movement, a blog focused on gay rights and gay marriage. Part I: That Was Then They...Read More
Ask Not
Filed by Donna Pandori | June 17, 2009 7:20 PM |I tuned into "Ask Not" Tuesday night on my local PBS station. What a powerful film about the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy! It's a must see. The film did an eloquent job exposing the failures of DADT and the...Read More
Obama to act on anti-trans civil service discrimination, has no timeline on DOMA
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 17, 2009 7:00 PM |I moved this update up to its own post to make discussion clearer. Video of the ceremony and a transcript after the jump. Earlier today I was on a conference call with the director of the Office of Personnel Management...Read More
Today's Presidential briefing covers LGBT concerns
Filed by Bil Browning | June 17, 2009 6:00 PM |Lots of LGBT issues discussed in the Presidential briefing today... From Obama's planned announcement on federal benefits to LGBT employees to DOMA and DADT, the reporters kept Robert Gibbs hopping. After the jump, I've cut out the pertinent parts in...Read More
Tyler is 'Divorcing' the 'Abusive' Democratic Party
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 17, 2009 4:00 PM |Lost amidst all the whoopla over President Obama's memorandum about limited benefits to same sex partners of federal employees was the historic anniversary of the legal marriages in California. Equality California and California Faith for Equality co-sponsored a community celebration...Read More
Tyler is 'Divorcing' the 'Abusive' Democratic Party
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 17, 2009 4:00 PM |Lost amidst all the whoopla over President Obama's memorandum about limited benefits to same sex partners of federal employees was the historic anniversary of the legal marriages in California. Equality California and California Faith for Equality co-sponsored a community celebration...Read More
Speaking Washington's Language: Money and Media
Filed by Waymon Hudson | June 17, 2009 2:30 PM |It seems the silence from the Obama Administration might be coming to end. Maybe. Well, at least they're being forced to respond. After the increasing outrage from all sides in the LGBT community over not leading on ENDA, DADT, Hate...Read More
Anyone satisfied with half a loaf?
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 17, 2009 1:30 PM |Update from after the conference call, with info about DOMA and transgender nondiscrimination. Updates and White House press release after the jump. Ben Smith is reporting that Obama will be issuing a memorandum to give some benefits to same-sex partners...Read More
Take Action on Department of Justice Brief
Filed by Bo Shuff | June 17, 2009 11:30 AM |The ACLU posted on their Facebook page that the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday at 10:00am entitled "Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice." This would be a great time for Attorney General Eric Holder to answer...Read More
2009 Pride was More than a Capital Affair
Filed by Keri Renault | June 17, 2009 9:30 AM |Capitol Pride wrapped its 2009 festival Sunday with balmy blue skies and high-flying spirits that eclipsed the temps along Pennsylvania Avenue. What a sight to see for the first time. As a relative newcomer to the DC scene, I've witnessed...Read More
Indiana Equality opposes ENDA: Calls it "segregation"
Filed by Bil Browning | June 17, 2009 9:30 AM |In a stunning and controversial move, Indiana's statewide LGBT organization, Indiana Equality, has publicly called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) "a new form of segregation," and will not support the proposed federal legislation. Instead, the group will only accept full...Read More
Indiana Equality opposes ENDA: Calls it "segregation"
Filed by Bil Browning | June 17, 2009 9:30 AM |In a stunning and controversial move, Indiana's statewide LGBT organization, Indiana Equality, has publicly called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) "a new form of segregation," and will not support the proposed federal legislation. Instead, the group will only accept full...Read More
He's Not Your Daddy, or: Obama and the Personal Politics of Gay Marriage
Filed by Yasmin Nair | June 16, 2009 8:00 PM |As I've written countless times before, I think gay marriage is the wrong cause and should be dumped immediately. So I didn't think I'd care much about the recent Department of Justice move to dismiss the Smelt case against DOMA....Read More
Senator Harry Reid Attempts to Clarify, but Future of DADT Repeal Still Unclear
Filed by Sean Bugg | June 16, 2009 7:30 PM |Think Progress has a new statement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), clarifying his remarks yesterday that he had no plans to introduce a bill to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, and attempting to kick the ball back to...Read More
Senator Harry Reid Attempts to Clarify, but Future of DADT Repeal Still Unclear
Filed by Sean Bugg | June 16, 2009 7:30 PM |Think Progress has a new statement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), clarifying his remarks yesterday that he had no plans to introduce a bill to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, and attempting to kick the ball back to...Read More
Paper and Clocks: Reflecting on the First Anniversary of California's Marriages
Filed by Kate Kendell | June 16, 2009 6:30 PM |Some interesting trivia (courtesy of Wikipedia and About.com): Paper is the traditional gift to celebrate a first year wedding anniversary, with clocks being the modern twist. In the United Kingdom, couples celebrating their 60th, 65th, or 70th anniversary can receive...Read More
New Equality California marriage ad
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 16, 2009 5:30 PM |Equality California has a new ad out meant to change the hearts and minds of African Americans on the issue of marriage. What do you all think?...Read More
In DC, We Don't Put Civil Rights Up for a Vote
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | June 16, 2009 3:30 PM |Maybe you know that DC is a colony. Congress can write our laws if it wants to. We have no voting representation in Congress. Our license plates say "Taxation Without Representation." But we know that civil rights for the minority...Read More
Obama: Where's the Leadership?
Filed by Sara Whitman | June 16, 2009 3:00 PM |So the Obama administration thinks supporting DOMA is a good thing... I am not sure what to say. The Obama administration is not asking and not telling about the Nazis and skinheads, not to mention rapists and arsonists, who are...Read More
An Equality Speech Obama Could Deliver
Filed by Juan and Ken Ahonen-Jover | June 16, 2009 2:00 PM |In recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion, many people anticipate that the White House will announce a significant package of LGBT equality measures and that the President will deliver a speech on equality in front of a...Read More
Marriage anniversary in California
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 16, 2009 12:00 PM |It seems apropos that today, in a week filled with LGBT news, is the one-year anniversary of California starting to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples. On that day, Bilerico hosted a photo album put together by professional photographers and...Read More
Recap: DC marriage equality twists and turns
Filed by Michael Crawford | June 16, 2009 10:30 AM |The twists and turns in our efforts to win marriage equality in Washington, D.C. have been worthy of any soap opera. John Shields, the new managing editor of Bilerico-DC, has asked me to write a recap of recent events. So,...Read More
The Obama Administration, The Democratic Party, and Civil Rights
Filed by John Shields | June 16, 2009 9:30 AM |I once wrote an article about being overwhelmed by events, and how the LGBTQ community needed to take into account the realities on the ground while also shaping the "news cycle" to our advantage. Boy, was I naive. In the...Read More
The Obama Administration, The Democratic Party, and Civil Rights
Filed by John Shields | June 16, 2009 9:30 AM |I once wrote an article about being overwhelmed by events, and how the LGBTQ community needed to take into account the realities on the ground while also shaping the "news cycle" to our advantage. Boy, was I naive. In the...Read More
Capital Pride Spotlight: National Black Justice Coalition
Filed by Michelle Marzullo | June 15, 2009 10:30 PM |The election of Barack Obama rocked America last November. Therefore, I think it is only fitting to highlight an organization that bridges the concerns of the LGBTQ and African American communities: the National Black Justice Coalition. NBJC is a Washington,...Read More
Capital Pride Spotlight: National Black Justice Coalition
Filed by Michelle Marzullo | June 15, 2009 10:30 PM |The election of Barack Obama rocked America last November. Therefore, I think it is only fitting to highlight an organization that bridges the concerns of the LGBTQ and African American communities: the National Black Justice Coalition. NBJC is a Washington,...Read More
Cleve Jones Responds: 10 Reasons Why a March Isn't a Bad Idea
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 15, 2009 7:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Cleve Jones is a long-time gay rights activist devoted to AIDS awareness and education. He co-founded the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and is the leading force behind the planned march on Washington scheduled for this...Read More
Political Stars Newsom, Villaraigosa Talk DOMA, Prop 8 at LA Pride
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 15, 2009 6:00 PM |Too often at the close of the annual Christopher Street West Pride parade in West Hollywood, politicos lament that the crowd is only into the party and misses the larger point - the ongoing struggle for LGBT liberation and full...Read More
Political Stars Newsom, Villaraigosa Talk DOMA, Prop 8 at LA Pride
Filed by Karen Ocamb | June 15, 2009 6:00 PM |Too often at the close of the annual Christopher Street West Pride parade in West Hollywood, politicos lament that the crowd is only into the party and misses the larger point - the ongoing struggle for LGBT liberation and full...Read More
Gay dad gets a good ruling from the Georgia Supreme Court
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | June 15, 2009 5:00 PM |With all the attention to lesbian and gay couples having children through donor insemination, surrogacy, and adoption, it might be easy to forget the legal issues that affect gay parents who come out after having children within heterosexual marriages. In...Read More
IE discovers new marriage amendment attempt via anti-gay group
Filed by Bil Browning | June 15, 2009 2:45 PM |While the right-wing org Indiana Family Institute (IFI) was trumpeting the re-introduction of legislation to amend Indiana's constitution to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions Thursday night, Indiana Equality (IE) finally released a statement on Sunday afternoon. Apparently, they found...Read More
Tony Kushner gets political
Filed by Bil Browning | June 15, 2009 1:30 PM |Playwright Tony Kushner of Angels in America fame gave an interview to CNN recently that focused on Minneapolis's three month long "Kushner Celebration." While most of the piece is on his plays and the upcoming festival (which includes his new...Read More
Capital Pride: Was it All About Same-Sex Marriage?
Filed by John Shields | June 15, 2009 12:00 PM |Either I must be missing something or the Washington Post sent exactly one reporter to cover Capital Pride and he stood for precisely 10 minutes on a single spot during the week of events, commemorations, parades and festivals. It's been...Read More
Capital Pride: Was it All About Same-Sex Marriage?
Filed by John Shields | June 15, 2009 12:00 PM |Either I must be missing something or the Washington Post sent exactly one reporter to cover Capital Pride and he stood for precisely 10 minutes on a single spot during the week of events, commemorations, parades and festivals. It's been...Read More
40-year-old table
Filed by Eric Leven | June 15, 2009 11:00 AM |On Saturday The Ali Forney Center hosted a panel discussion on the involvement of queer youth during the 1969 Stonewall Riots. The panel consisted of two actual Stonewall Riot participants, Martin Boyce and Tommy Lanigan Schmidt as well as Ali...Read More
God, Guns and Gays: Far Right Slams McCollum as too Moderate on Gay Issues
Filed by Nadine Smith | June 15, 2009 11:00 AM |The Gainesville Sun reports that Republican Bill McCollum is moderating his political views and appealing to the Charlie Crist voters in his run for Florida Governor. The article points out that McCollum's support for including sexual orientation in Hate Crimes...Read More
Was Jesus Gay? The Detective Story Continues
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | June 14, 2009 2:30 PM |This subject has fascinated me for many years. Most of us agree on the importance of claiming some great historical figures, provided there is evidence. But with Jesus, what some of us view as "evidence" is that heart-throbbing incident in...Read More
Yelling "Stop!"
Filed by Terrance Heath | June 14, 2009 1:00 PM |I've been working on a post about the murder of Dr. George Tiller for most of the week, and since it isn't a four-paragraphs-a-link-and-a-blockquote kind of post, it's taken that long. Then in the middle of it, the shooting at...Read More
Yelling "Stop!"
Filed by Terrance Heath | June 14, 2009 1:00 PM |I've been working on a post about the murder of Dr. George Tiller for most of the week, and since it isn't a four-paragraphs-a-link-and-a-blockquote kind of post, it's taken that long. Then in the middle of it, the shooting at...Read More
Capital Pride Festival - It's Time to Shake Up "The System"
Filed by John Shields | June 14, 2009 10:00 AM |From New York City to San Francisco to our nation's capital, I've been to - and in - many Pride parades and festivals across this country. Arguably the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ movement, New York City has to lay...Read More
GLBT Peeps, If You Want Your Rights, Fly This Flag
Filed by Monica Roberts | June 14, 2009 10:00 AM |The gay community has gone through post mortem after post mortem in terms of dissecting why the Prop 8 fight in Cal-ee-forn-ia was lost last year. But I doubt anyone thought about one simple change that will help immeasurably in...Read More
GLBT Peeps, If You Want Your Rights, Fly This Flag
Filed by Monica Roberts | June 14, 2009 10:00 AM |The gay community has gone through post mortem after post mortem in terms of dissecting why the Prop 8 fight in Cal-ee-forn-ia was lost last year. But I doubt anyone thought about one simple change that will help immeasurably in...Read More
End This Sneaky Way To Rig Elections
Filed by Nadine Smith | June 14, 2009 9:00 AM |Q: With public support for equal rights at an all time high, why doesn't the Florida Legislature move quickly to ban anti-LGBT discrimination? A: Gerrymandering. A funny word to describe an ugly political trick and our biggest obstacle to...Read More
From Whence We Came: The Importance of Pride in Establishing Gay Heritage
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 13, 2009 11:30 AM |Editor's Note: Kasey M. Dunton is an attorney and lobbyist in DC, focusing primarily on civil rights, employment, and First Amendment issues. Most of us remember our first Pride - where it was, who they went with, how they felt....Read More
Indiana's marriage amendment is back
Filed by Bil Browning | June 12, 2009 7:30 PM |Rep Eric Turner (R - Marion) and Rep Dave Cheatham (D - North Vernon) introduced HJR-3 yesterday on the opening day of the legislative special session. The bill is a proposed amendment to the Indiana constitution to ban same-sex marriage...Read More
Pride? Yes. Prideful? No.
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 12, 2009 7:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Keri Renault is a broadcast writer/producer credited with creating & distributing two PBS-oriented television series, and blogs on the power of self advocacy in personal & relationship transitions. The burgeoning LGBTQ community has much to celebrate...Read More
Obama administration to defend DOMA in court
Filed by Bil Browning | June 12, 2009 6:00 PM |Updated at the end of the post The Department of Justice filed a motion asking a federal court to dismiss a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) today. President Obama ran for office with a promise to repeal...Read More
An Example of Left Wing Violence
Filed by Storm Bear | June 12, 2009 4:30 PM |click to enlarge I find it laughable when the likes of Rush Limbaugh and other neo-con side-shows claim von Brunn was a leftist. They further their train of thought to claim this was left wing violence. In today's strip......Read More
Don't Miss "Ask Not" Tuesday on PBS
Filed by Father Tony | June 12, 2009 4:00 PM |At the opening of Ask Not, a startling film to be aired nationally on PBS on Tuesday, June 16th, three generals are asked if homosexuality is compatible with military service. Each one closes in on the mic and says "Incompatible"....Read More
Farewell to LGBT Services?
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 12, 2009 1:30 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Greg Varnum is the Executive Director of NYAC, the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. As news of marriage equality in New Hampshire dominated the headlines, I got word of another story unfolding in New Hampshire that is...Read More
Happy Pride. Be Proud. Every Day.
Filed by John Shields | June 12, 2009 11:30 AM |It's June - which means LGBTQ Pride parades, festivals and street fairs are happening in cities and in nearly every state across this nation that we call the United States of America. From Capital Pride in Washington to Boston Pride...Read More
Town Hall Meeting - Tonight~! "The State of Marriage Equality"
Filed by John Shields | June 11, 2009 3:30 PM |There is a Town Hall meeting (isn't that just cool to say in the 21st Century?) tonight at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters in the District of Columbia. Details to follow, but it's 6:30pm TONIGHT. Be there or be square....Read More
Town Hall Meeting - Tonight~! "The State of Marriage Equality"
Filed by John Shields | June 11, 2009 3:30 PM |There is a Town Hall meeting (isn't that just cool to say in the 21st Century?) tonight at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters in the District of Columbia. Details to follow, but it's 6:30pm TONIGHT. Be there or be square....Read More
Town Hall Meeting - Tonight~! "The State of Marriage Equality"
Filed by John Shields | June 11, 2009 3:30 PM |There is a Town Hall meeting (isn't that just cool to say in the 21st Century?) tonight at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters in the District of Columbia. Details to follow, but it's 6:30pm TONIGHT. Be there or be square....Read More
An Important Step for LGBT Equality in Wisconsin
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 11, 2009 3:00 PM |[Editor's Note:Katie Belanger is the Legislative Director with Fair Wisconsin, an organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Wisconsin through education, advocacy, grassroots organizing and electoral work.] Wisconsin is poised to be...Read More
An Important Step for LGBT Equality in Wisconsin
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 11, 2009 3:00 PM |[Editor's Note:Katie Belanger is the Legislative Director with Fair Wisconsin, an organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Wisconsin through education, advocacy, grassroots organizing and electoral work.] Wisconsin is poised to be...Read More
Breaking News: The Legality of a Referendum on Same-Sex Marriage in D.C.
Filed by John Shields | June 11, 2009 1:30 PM |This just in from informed sources regarding the legality of a voter referendum to suspend what is called "The Jury and Marriage Amendment Act of 2009." The Act, approved by the D.C. City Council, recognizes as "valid any marriage legally...Read More
Breaking News: The Legality of a Referendum on Same-Sex Marriage in D.C.
Filed by John Shields | June 11, 2009 1:30 PM |This just in from informed sources regarding the legality of a voter referendum to suspend what is called "The Jury and Marriage Amendment Act of 2009." The Act, approved by the D.C. City Council, recognizes as "valid any marriage legally...Read More
Breaking News: The Legality of a Referendum on Same-Sex Marriage in D.C.
Filed by John Shields | June 11, 2009 1:30 PM |This just in from informed sources regarding the legality of a voter referendum to suspend what is called "The Jury and Marriage Amendment Act of 2009." The Act, approved by the D.C. City Council, recognizes as "valid any marriage legally...Read More
U.S. State Department Condemns Anti-Gay Violence in Iraq
Filed by Waymon Hudson | June 11, 2009 12:30 PM |Yesterday, the United States officially condemned the increasing violence towards the gay community in Iraq, which has spiked since the beginning of the Iraq War. The US Embassy in Baghdad has also raised the issue with Iraqi government officials. The...Read More
BREAKING NEWS: City of Miami Approves Domestic Partnership Ordinance
Filed by Nadine Smith | June 11, 2009 12:00 PM |In a 5-0 vote, the City of Miami has approved a Domestic Partnership Ordinance that offers health benefits to its employees and their declared domestic partners. Thanks to Equality Florida members who attended the hearing early this morning to support...Read More
One lone vote on the NC Jesse Helms resolution
Filed by Matt Comer | June 11, 2009 9:30 AM |When the North Carolina General Assembly took up voting on a resolution honoring the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC) on Wednesday, June 10, only one legislator had the courage to vote no. N.C. Sen. Julia Boseman (D-New Hanover), my...Read More
Marriage Plans and Insurance Plans: How Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage Can Affect LGBT Health
Filed by Dan O'Neill | June 11, 2009 9:30 AM |LGBT Americans currently find themselves at the nexus of two major political debates that are raging within the state and federal legislatures: same-sex marriage and healthcare reform. As a result, it's especially important that we consider how these issues are...Read More
DC Elections Board Considers Harry Jackson's Demand for Referendum Against Marriage Recognition Law
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 10, 2009 7:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Peter Montgomery is a D.C.-based writer, editor and communications consultant. He is a Senior Fellow at People For the American Way Foundation and authored its recent report on Harry Jackson, Point Man for the Wedge Strategy....Read More
DC Elections Board Considers Harry Jackson's Demand for Referendum Against Marriage Recognition Law
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 10, 2009 7:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Peter Montgomery is a D.C.-based writer, editor and communications consultant. He is a Senior Fellow at People For the American Way Foundation and authored its recent report on Harry Jackson, Point Man for the Wedge Strategy....Read More
Suffering in Silence, Part 2.
Filed by John Shields | June 10, 2009 5:30 PM |And I thought I had a personal story to tell about Don't Ask Don't Tell... This video just in from the New York Times op-ed online pages. Yep, there's a commercial beforehand - but someone's got to pay the bills...Read More
Is D.C. Mayor Fenty Our Friend?
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 10, 2009 3:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Tim Newman is a DC-based activist working primarily on economic justice and global justice issues. Gay pride month has a particularly important significance this year as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots on...Read More
Is D.C. Mayor Fenty Our Friend?
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 10, 2009 3:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Tim Newman is a DC-based activist working primarily on economic justice and global justice issues. Gay pride month has a particularly important significance this year as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots on...Read More
Watch one progressive bus run over Rachel Maddow and the LGBT community
Filed by Pam Spaulding | June 10, 2009 3:30 PM |I don't know how many of my readers surf around the general progressive blogosphere regularly, but you can get a taste of the blowback the LGBT community is receiving for deigning to ask why the Obama administration has been silent...Read More
And the terrorists won
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 10, 2009 1:30 PM |The reason George Tiller was killed wasn't because of him so much but more because the rightwing knows that there would be no negative repercussions to the larger movement and that it would be the absolute most efficient way to...Read More
97 and Homeless in L.A.
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | June 10, 2009 9:30 AM |Several times now, two colleagues of mine have seen this elderly woman at a busy intersection in central Los Angeles. She's been there in her wheelchair, with her cardboard sign, for a couple of weeks now. Her middle-aged son, also...Read More
97 and Homeless in L.A.
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | June 10, 2009 9:30 AM |Several times now, two colleagues of mine have seen this elderly woman at a busy intersection in central Los Angeles. She's been there in her wheelchair, with her cardboard sign, for a couple of weeks now. Her middle-aged son, also...Read More
Transtastic in The District
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 09, 2009 3:00 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Laura McGinnis is a staffer at Renna Communications. This past weekend, hundreds of transgender, queer, and trans-tastic allies descended upon the Loews Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C. to celebrate Capital Trans Pride. By all accounts, it...Read More
Transtastic in The District
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 09, 2009 3:00 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Laura McGinnis is a staffer at Renna Communications. This past weekend, hundreds of transgender, queer, and trans-tastic allies descended upon the Loews Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C. to celebrate Capital Trans Pride. By all accounts, it...Read More
Join Our Inclusive ENDA Campaign on Facebook
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 09, 2009 12:00 PM |Last week, Rep. Barney Frank stated in a Washington Blade interview that he is going to re-introduce ENDA this month in the House and the vote will take place in the fall. I experienced a vivid flashback to November 2007:...Read More
LGBT Pride organizer attacked in San Diego
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 09, 2009 11:30 AM |Didn't this guy get the memo? It's gays who intimidate and use violence to make their point, not the other way around. Duh. I was waiting for the Equality Torch Relay to come by Main and Broadway and standing in...Read More
I'm Done Asking. It's Time to Tell. No, make that "Demand."
Filed by John Shields | June 09, 2009 10:30 AM |I'm sick and tired of "asking" for our civil rights. I am appalled at LGBTQ kids getting murdered or committing suicide because they are "queer" to their classmates. I am more than disgusted at having the "voters" decide who I...Read More
That's some constitution you have there, California
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 08, 2009 3:30 PM |Herndon Davis posted yesterday about some of the major budget problems California is facing right now. Obviously, I'm not the best source on this topic, but can I just throw out there that of course no one wants to increase...Read More
LGBTQ Leadership: Going The Way Of America's Automakers
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 07, 2009 12:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger David Badash is a writer and the founder of The New Civil Rights Movement, a blog focused on gay rights and gay marriage. Remember the Big Four Automakers? Who are now the Big Three Automakers. Maybe...Read More
LGBTQ Leadership: Going The Way Of America's Automakers
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 07, 2009 12:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger David Badash is a writer and the founder of The New Civil Rights Movement, a blog focused on gay rights and gay marriage. Remember the Big Four Automakers? Who are now the Big Three Automakers. Maybe...Read More
Anti-abortion and Anti-gay: It's Terrorism That Works
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | June 06, 2009 2:00 PM |While the nation reverberates with the gunshots that assassinated activist abortion doctor George Tiller, many Americans are finally, reluctantly having a long-overdue discussion about hate speech, admitting that it leads to hate deeds. But the anti-abortionists are not interested in...Read More
Dunedin latest Florida city to ban anti-gay, anti-transgender discrimination
Filed by Nadine Smith | June 06, 2009 1:12 PM |"Some ignorant comments have been posted on the St. Pete Times page. Stop by and leave your thoughts."Click here Dunedin prohibits transgender discrimination Dunedin City commissioners unanimously approved adding "sexual orientation and gender identification or expression" in the local anti-discrimination...Read More
Employees Turn Threats into Action
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 06, 2009 12:00 PM |[Editor's Note: Julie Beach is Associate Director, Career Development, for Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. She joined the organization in the spring of 2008 as Career Development Manager. Responsible for launching Out & Equal's web-based LGBT career development program, Julie...Read More
Introducing Annise Parker
Filed by Monica Roberts | June 05, 2009 12:30 PM |One of the first mayoral elections I was eligible to participate in back home after I turned 18 the previous year was the historic 1981 one in which we elected city controller Kathy Whitmire our first female mayor. The road...Read More
Discussing the federal case for same-sex marriage
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 05, 2009 11:30 AM |While I'm not fond of George Will, George Stephanopoulos annoys me to no end. No, his politics aren't bad, since he doesn't really have any. The problem I have with him is how vapid he is and how he doesn't...Read More
Only the Coldest Heart Can Dismiss a Child's Tears: Cue Up Republican Senator Jeff Sessions and Roll The Tape
Filed by Sean Bugg | June 05, 2009 9:30 AM |As if we didn't have enough proof that far-right Republicans are lacking in empathy, and possibly actual human hearts, comes this charming vignette from Wednesday's Senate hearing on the Uniting American Families Act. Shirley Tan, the 43-year-old mother of twins...Read More
Only the Coldest Heart Can Dismiss a Child's Tears: Cue Up Republican Senator Jeff Sessions and Roll The Tape
Filed by Sean Bugg | June 05, 2009 9:30 AM |As if we didn't have enough proof that far-right Republicans are lacking in empathy, and possibly actual human hearts, comes this charming vignette from Wednesday's Senate hearing on the Uniting American Families Act. Shirley Tan, the 43-year-old mother of twins...Read More
How did the gay partners get in immigration reform?
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 04, 2009 2:00 PM |Like an ever-expanding mushroom cloud of diversity, every few years another diverse group of people want to enter the United States. It has created a complicated history in which there are many people who are different in the US. In...Read More
Suffering in Silence - A Personal Tale of DADT
Filed by John Shields | June 04, 2009 1:00 PM |As a former Air Force officer before Don't Ask Don't Tell was even a twinkle in the eye, I was "in" the US Military when Ronnie was king, Nancy was queen and friends and family were dying by aircraft crashes...Read More
Really, Right-wing? "Homosexualizing"?
Filed by Waymon Hudson | June 04, 2009 12:00 PM |It's not the first time I've seen it, but for some reason it jumped out at me in a recent press release I was reading from some nutty, fundie, right-wing group (insert some combination of "America" "Traditional" and "Family" and...Read More
Kamikaze Gay Liberation in Iraq
Filed by Michelle Marzullo | June 04, 2009 9:30 AM |In the recent New York Times story entitled "Iraq's Newly Open Gays Face Scorn and Murder,", Timothy Williams and Tareq Maher detail the murders of many gay men as well as the generalized tyranny these Iraqis toil under on a...Read More
Intimidation is not an effective tactic
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 04, 2009 9:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Dorian Davis starred on MTV's morning show, MTV Hits, before switching to the other side of the camera to research and develop Iraq coverage for MTV News. Now a freelance writer, Davis is published in Architectural...Read More
The "New" NJ Trans Driver License Regs: A Step Forward, If You Can Afford To Take It
Filed by Rebecca Juro | June 03, 2009 6:00 PM |Last Friday, I drove down to New Jersey Motor Vehicle Department headquarters in Trenton and tried to take advantage of the new, less oppressive identity regulations for gender markers on New Jersey driver licenses. I got a pretty rude awakening...Read More
Hybrid Explosion
Filed by Donna Pandori | June 03, 2009 5:00 PM |Pam Spaulding has a good post up, "Are bailed-out banks about to cause another mortgage meltdown?", over at Pamshouseblend.com Is there a new mortgage meltdown on the horizon? I believe the mortgage beast discussed in Pam's article is actually a...Read More
New Hampshire passes same-sex marriage
Filed by Bil Browning | June 03, 2009 4:30 PM |New Hampshire legislators just passed a marriage equality bill. The measure passed the state senate 14-10 and the house of representatives 198-176. The bill now goes to Governor John Lynch for his signature. Since Lynch asked for changes to include...Read More
Workshop: how to engage on the topic of race and LGBT civil rights
Filed by Pam Spaulding | June 03, 2009 3:30 PM |A reader of my blog named Kevin wrote me the other day to say that he is interested in building bridges with people of color (POC) about race and equality but doesn't know how to engage when the conversation turns...Read More
That which does not kill us
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 03, 2009 10:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Elsbeth Goff is presently unemployed and learning of the trials and tribulations of an out transwoman trying to find a job. A recent stroke has further complicated her life, but then without it, things would be...Read More
An Unlikely Heroine, Making History in the Senate
Filed by Steve Ralls | June 03, 2009 9:30 AM |Later this morning, the United States Senate will make history as it convenes the first-ever hearings on lesbian and gay binational couples. At 10am today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will meet to discuss The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), a...Read More
An Unlikely Heroine, Making History in the Senate
Filed by Steve Ralls | June 03, 2009 9:30 AM |Later this morning, the United States Senate will make history as it convenes the first-ever hearings on lesbian and gay binational couples. At 10am today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will meet to discuss The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), a...Read More
Human Rights Ordinance - South Bend and Goshen
Filed by Donna Pandori | June 03, 2009 9:00 AM |Just received this in my inbox from Indiana Equality: Efforts are currently underway to seek an amendment to local Human Rights Ordinances in Goshen and South Bend to include LGBT civil rights so that they are protected in employment and...Read More
Nitpicking Obama's Pride proclamation
Filed by Bil Browning | June 02, 2009 5:00 PM |Yesterday the White House released President Obama's proclamation in honor of gay pride month. (Complete text after the jump.) Within hours online activists and soothsayers were picking it apart and reading between the lines. First came the claims that the...Read More
UAFA (Uniting American Families Act): Facts and Fiction
Filed by Yasmin Nair | June 02, 2009 2:30 PM |This piece originally appeared on Queercents.com and reappears here with some changes. An account of what transpired there can be found at "Yasmin Nair: Eat This!" Or: How to Leave Comments Without Going up In Flames." No matter how much...Read More
Gay Americans and Canadians on Israel/Palestine
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 02, 2009 1:30 PM |The Israel/Palestine conflict is a fraught issue in the American LGBT community, but I don't think we've discussed it here on Bilerico to any extent. Here's a video interview xtra (Canada's fag rag) put out with Canadian filmmaker John Greyson,...Read More
What would Justice Sotomayor do with a transgender plaintiff?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | June 02, 2009 11:30 AM |I was tired; I was wearily correcting the proofs of a long academic article that I have finally, after three years, shepherded to publication, when the news of Justice Souter's resignation came. My article discussed the question of what the...Read More
More on Civil Disobedience: The Need for Informed Consent
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | June 02, 2009 10:30 AM |The first case of a protester being persecuted that I personally witnessed was that of a gay student activist that I met during my tenure as a commissioner in Los Angeles Unified School District. I'll call him Chase. I knew...Read More
More on Civil Disobedience: The Need for Informed Consent
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | June 02, 2009 10:30 AM |The first case of a protester being persecuted that I personally witnessed was that of a gay student activist that I met during my tenure as a commissioner in Los Angeles Unified School District. I'll call him Chase. I knew...Read More
Virginia GOP Selects Violently Anti-Gay Slate
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 01, 2009 8:30 PM |As expected, the Republican Party of Virginia tapped Robert "Taliban Bob" McDonnell (pictured right) as the party's standard bearer for the race for Governor of Virginia. Adding to the ticket's extreme anti-gay tilt is Ken Cuccinelli - who I view...Read More
Virginia GOP Selects Violently Anti-Gay Slate
Filed by Michael Hamar | June 01, 2009 8:30 PM |As expected, the Republican Party of Virginia tapped Robert "Taliban Bob" McDonnell (pictured right) as the party's standard bearer for the race for Governor of Virginia. Adding to the ticket's extreme anti-gay tilt is Ken Cuccinelli - who I view...Read More
The Leading Edge
Filed by John Shields | June 01, 2009 5:30 PM |First off, let me state for the record that the newspaper, as we now know it, will cease to exist in the next few years. I'm thinking it's going to hit - or actually not hit - your driveway or...Read More
Those Goddamn Activist Judges
Filed by Guest Blogger | June 01, 2009 1:00 PM |Editors' note: Al Hausman is an Economics student at the New College of Florida in Sarasota, Fl. He works as a policy analyst for the United States' Government and is dedicated to improving the quality of public debates in this...Read More
Codenamed "Not even trying"
Filed by Alex Blaze | June 01, 2009 12:00 PM |This is a bit old, but projector boi polloi sent this in. The Herald-Sun wrote an article about a transboy who, at age 17, got a court order for a double mastectomy. Not really news, but if they were going...Read More
Dr. George Tiller Shot Dead: A Painful Reminder to Us All
Filed by Sara Whitman | June 01, 2009 9:30 AM |Yesterday, while walking into church, Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed. He was one of the few doctors left in the country who would perform late term abortions. Contrary to the propaganda of the Right to Lifers, late term...Read More
