Politics: August 2009
"Senator Kennedy did not go to England"
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | August 31, 2009 7:00 PM |It was inevitable that some lamebrain conservative would try to make political lemonade with the lemons of Ted Kennedy's death. So Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women For America, stepped into the lemonade stand. She just pointed out that when...Read More
Can you feel the ENDAmentum?
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 31, 2009 6:00 PM |The AP's optimistic about ENDA. Considering the fact that 90% of Americans support job protections for LGB people and 65% of Americans support such protections for trans people, we shouldn't have to be waiting for the stars to align when...Read More
Vermont Marriages to Begin at Midnight
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 31, 2009 2:30 PM |The first same-sex marriages for Vermont are set to begin tomorrow (just after midnight tonight), Tuesday September 1st. Congratulations Vermonters!! There isn't expected to be a large rush of marriages in the first days, like there were when Vermont became...Read More
Risking death to discuss sex in Saudi Arabia
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | August 31, 2009 2:00 PM |Horrifying story from the Middle East. Will anyone there come to this poor fellow's defense? Surely he must have known the risk he was taking. So why did he take it? From this POV, he's either a madman or a...Read More
Cruising crack-down in China
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 31, 2009 1:00 PM |I saw this scanning headlines this morning, from China Daily: Homosexuals clash with police in park The words "homosexual," "police," and "park" together in a headline make me think "cruising" (and, of course, "police abusing their power and discretion to...Read More
Click Here To Email 18 Crucial Senators on ENDA
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 31, 2009 10:30 AM |We're almost there, kids. We have 95% of the gas we need to get there in the House, but only 80% of what we need in the Senate. Face it, you're going to have to get out and push at...Read More
Click Here To Email 18 Crucial Senators on ENDA
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 31, 2009 10:30 AM |We're almost there, kids. We have 95% of the gas we need to get there in the House, but only 80% of what we need in the Senate. Face it, you're going to have to get out and push at...Read More
Washington gays file suit in petition signature count
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 31, 2009 9:30 AM |I've been scanning headlines about how the signature count is going in Washington for R-71, which would ban roll-back the everything-but-the-M-word domestic partnerships law the legislature enacted this past year (damn those activist legislators!). Washington Families Standing Together (pro-DP's) thinks...Read More
What if you had to ask 600,000 people for permission to marry?
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 31, 2009 9:30 AM |That would be the reality if anti-equality activists are able to force a ballot fight over gay and lesbian couples being able to marry in DC. As I wrote in a post last week, The National Organization for Marriage and...Read More
Bob McDonnell Disingenously Claims His Christianist Views on Gays, Etc., Have Changed
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 30, 2009 1:30 PM |I nearly choked to death on my morning coffee when I saw a headline on the Washington Post website that read as follows: A Different Side of McDonnell Va. candidate says views changed since '89 thesis critiquing working women, gays,...Read More
Bob McDonnell Disingenously Claims His Christianist Views on Gays, Etc., Have Changed
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 30, 2009 1:30 PM |I nearly choked to death on my morning coffee when I saw a headline on the Washington Post website that read as follows: A Different Side of McDonnell Va. candidate says views changed since '89 thesis critiquing working women, gays,...Read More
Church Chat, Bilerico Style
Filed by John Shields | August 30, 2009 10:00 AM |Here's what's coming up for the major network morning news shows today. In alphabetical order, that would be ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC. Check channels and air times for a station near you. Following the recent death of the...Read More
Why America Pretends to Separate Church and State
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | August 29, 2009 4:00 PM |The other day, the Washington Post carried a seemingly innocuous little story about Brian Brown, head of NOM, who is now establishing his organization in the nation's capital. The newspaper actually tried to make the point about how "sane" and...Read More
Why America Pretends to Separate Church and State
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | August 29, 2009 4:00 PM |The other day, the Washington Post carried a seemingly innocuous little story about Brian Brown, head of NOM, who is now establishing his organization in the nation's capital. The newspaper actually tried to make the point about how "sane" and...Read More
Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart Signs on to Letter Supporting Extension of the Ryan White Act
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 28, 2009 2:00 PM |Our friends over at SAVE DADE, along with Bilerico Florida contributor Michael Rajner, passed along this great bit of news about Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart becoming the first Florida member of Congress to sign on in support of an extension for...Read More
Gays United? Not so much...
Filed by Bil Browning | August 28, 2009 11:00 AM |Well, sometimes you just can't live up to a good group name. Fresh in the inbox this morning is a press release from The Gays United Network announcing they've changed their mind about when California's LGBT community should return to...Read More
Tennessee's Corker and Alexander: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 28, 2009 10:30 AM |Tennessee's Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander are very conservative members of the Senate. It would almost seem like an automatic slam dunk that they would be happy to march into the Senate chamber and vote against any gay rights bill....Read More
Tennessee's Corker and Alexander: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 28, 2009 10:30 AM |Tennessee's Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander are very conservative members of the Senate. It would almost seem like an automatic slam dunk that they would be happy to march into the Senate chamber and vote against any gay rights bill....Read More
Know the Enemy: Christian Family Coalition thinks Gays are "High Risk"
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 28, 2009 10:00 AM |Not surprisingly, the case fought by the ACLU moving through the appeals court that would strike down Florida's onerous ban on gays and lesbians adopting has brought out the very worst, and very false, so-called "Christian" groups in force. These...Read More
Anti-gay laminated pouches in New Zealand
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 28, 2009 9:30 AM |A gay guy in New Zealand saw this message on a package of laminated pouches: Here's the text: It's a beautiful day And it's good to play Then I met a gay Suddenly the clouds turn grey. It sounds more...Read More
3 things you can do to protect equality in Maine
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 28, 2009 8:30 AM |In just over three months the LGBT community and its allies in Maine will face one of its toughest fights ever. And, they need our help. Here are three things you can do to help preserve marriage equality in Maine:...Read More
WWDD? - What Would Del Do?
Filed by Kate Kendell | August 27, 2009 5:00 PM |Today marks the one-year anniversary of Del Martin's death. Even writing that sentence is hard. Yes, Del lived a full and amazing life. Yes, she accomplished more than most people ever dream. Yes, she had 54 years of love and...Read More
No HIV/AIDS Vigil for the October March?
Filed by Dustin Kight | August 27, 2009 4:00 PM |Seth Hemmelgarn at the Bay Area Reporter is reporting that organizers of the National March for Equality have dropped a vigil for people living with HIV/AIDS: It appears that a vigil for people living with HIV/AIDS will not be part...Read More
Kentucky Judge says Homeland Security isn't Dependent on God
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 27, 2009 2:00 PM |In a story that is sure to get Dick Cheney out of his undisclosed location, a Judge in Kentucky struck down a 2006 state law that required the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security to stress: dependence on Almighty God as...Read More
Update: police searching for killer of trans woman
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 27, 2009 1:00 PM |Editor's Note: There will be a candlelight vigil for the trans victims tomorrow night (Friday) at 6:30pm 209 Q ST NW. Wash, DC. Here's an update my post yesterday about the stabbings of two transgender women in DC. One woman...Read More
South Dakota's Johnson and Thune: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 27, 2009 11:30 AM |The passing of Senator Kennedy is a sad day for the nation. It is also a sad day for ENDA, and for all progressive legislation, such as health care reform. The Massachusetts law does not allow the appointment of a...Read More
South Dakota's Johnson and Thune: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 27, 2009 11:30 AM |The passing of Senator Kennedy is a sad day for the nation. It is also a sad day for ENDA, and for all progressive legislation, such as health care reform. The Massachusetts law does not allow the appointment of a...Read More
Ted Kennedy's Life is a Parable
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 26, 2009 7:00 PM |It was mid-December 2007 when longtime politico Steve Smith beseeched me to go hear fledgling presidential candidate Barack Obama speak at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City. He's the real deal, Steve insisted. To Baby Boomers like us, saying someone...Read More
Breaking: two trans men stabbed; one dead
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 26, 2009 5:31 PM |From the DC Fox News affiliate: Police are at the scene of a double stabbing in Northwest Washington that left one man dead and another injured. Police say two people were stabbed in the 200 block of Q Street Northwest...Read More
Moni's Ah Kua Show Commentary
Filed by Monica Roberts | August 26, 2009 4:00 PM |I was surprised when I received an e-mail from Leona Lo, my sis in Singapore, a few months ago with a request. She asked me to compose a comment for the program of her Ah Kua Show she was putting...Read More
Sen. Kennedy on LGBT Equality
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 26, 2009 2:00 PM |Here is Senator Ted Kennedy talking about his commitment to LGBT equality at the HRC 2008 Equality Convention. h/t HRC Backstory...Read More
Sen. Kennedy on LGBT Equality
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 26, 2009 2:00 PM |Here is Senator Ted Kennedy talking about his commitment to LGBT equality at the HRC 2008 Equality Convention. h/t HRC Backstory...Read More
The Tyranny of the Tantrum
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 26, 2009 1:00 PM |Being a parent of a small child — who is apparently entering the “terrible twos” a few months early — I tend to put things in that context sometimes. You’ve been warned about the “terrible twos,” but you may be...Read More
Bob "Dubya" McDonnell - Virginia's Future Governor?
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 26, 2009 12:30 PM |As an activist and political junkie, to date the race for Governor of Virginia is leaving me on the verge of being despondent. The reasons are many, but the principal ones are A lack luster Democrat candidate in the form...Read More
Bob "Dubya" McDonnell - Virginia's Future Governor?
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 26, 2009 12:30 PM |As an activist and political junkie, to date the race for Governor of Virginia is leaving me on the verge of being despondent. The reasons are many, but the principal ones are A lack luster Democrat candidate in the form...Read More
Florida's Gay Adoption Ban Headed to Appeals Court
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 26, 2009 12:00 PM |The archaic and discriminatory ban on gays and lesbians adopting in Florida is headed to a state appeals court. Attorney General Bill McCollum is leading the state's appeal of the November 2008 decision from Miami-Dade County Judge Cindy Lederman that...Read More
Stuart Milk: Hall of Fame isn't good enough for my uncle
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 26, 2009 11:00 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Stuart Milk is the out nephew of slain civil rights hero Harvey Milk. This month I had the privilege to meet and talk with President Obama who bestowed the nation's highest honor upon my uncle for...Read More
North Carolina's Hagan and Burr: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 26, 2009 10:30 AM |In North Carolina, there is another Senatorial split. One Senator is more likely than the other to vote yes on S1584, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Yet neither has confirmed support for the bill as of yet. They are both in...Read More
North Carolina's Hagan and Burr: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 26, 2009 10:30 AM |In North Carolina, there is another Senatorial split. One Senator is more likely than the other to vote yes on S1584, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Yet neither has confirmed support for the bill as of yet. They are both in...Read More
How much of Obama's approval rating dip is because of the gays?
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 25, 2009 7:00 PM |While I was gone for the latter part of last week (thanks for filling in on QMF, John!), two interesting polls came out and I couldn't let them go without mention on this site. Both a Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll...Read More
Kicking our allies to the curb
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 25, 2009 3:30 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Adam Bink is the Online Strategy Manager at Progressive Strategies, LLC, and manages design and advertising at OpenLeft.com, a blog covering national progressive politics. He is a Dupont Circle resident and enjoys cooking, cycling, ultimate frisbee,...Read More
Black Female Athletes: An Ongoing Meme of Ignorance
Filed by Monica Roberts | August 25, 2009 3:00 PM |One of the depressingly tired memes of elite level athletic competition is that almost every time a Black woman rises to become the best at her sport, she is either dissed, suspected of cheating or has her gender identity questioned....Read More
Members of Congress, 6 weeks left to Save Ryan White!
Filed by Michael Emanuel Rajner | August 25, 2009 1:00 PM |Congress has less than 6 weeks to take action and extend the Ryan White Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 before it sunsets on September 30, 2009. Failure for Congress to act in a timely manner will have a devastating impact...Read More
Anti-gay DC minister: "We are going to force an initiative on the city."
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 25, 2009 12:30 PM |A recent meeting called by Ward 5 ANC Commissioner Robert King to build support for a Prop 8 style ballot measure in DC may have had low turnout, but that's no reason to let our guard down. The National Organization...Read More
St. Pete's Next Mayor- LGBT Champion OR Anti-Gay Crusader?
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 25, 2009 10:30 AM |In as little as 2.5 hours you can make a real difference!! I received this email about the upcoming St Pete elections from Rick Boylan, President of the Pinellas Stonewall Democrats, and wanted to pass it's important message along to...Read More
Missouri's McCaskill, Bond and Luetkemeyer: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 25, 2009 10:30 AM |Oh my god, it's August 25 already. Two weeks from now Congress will be back in session, and we'll be gearing up for an ENDA vote. It takes a while to put a head of steam on an issue in...Read More
Missouri's McCaskill, Bond and Luetkemeyer: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 25, 2009 10:30 AM |Oh my god, it's August 25 already. Two weeks from now Congress will be back in session, and we'll be gearing up for an ENDA vote. It takes a while to put a head of steam on an issue in...Read More
Gay Tax Planning: Lowering Your Income Tax By Creating Artificial Losses
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 25, 2009 9:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Gideon Alper publishes the Gay Couples Law Blog. The blog discusses new developments in same-sex family law and estate planning. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and you can email him at gideon@galperlaw.com or follow him on...Read More
Anti-gay group to use its $6 million budget to ban marriage in DC and defeat repeal of DOMA
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 25, 2009 9:30 AM |I wrote last week that the National Organization for Marriage had opened an office in DC to spread its anti-gay message. Now in an interview with the Washington Blade NOM's executive director Brian Brown reveals the truth behind their new...Read More
Help Protect Marriage Equality in Maine
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 24, 2009 7:00 PM |One of the big gay takeaways from Netroots Nation was the critical importance of defending marriage equality in Maine. The same team that brought us Prop 8 in California is now trying to strip away marriage from same-sex couples in...Read More
Help Protect Marriage Equality in Maine
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 24, 2009 7:00 PM |One of the big gay takeaways from Netroots Nation was the critical importance of defending marriage equality in Maine. The same team that brought us Prop 8 in California is now trying to strip away marriage from same-sex couples in...Read More
Cynthia Neff - Gay Friendly Candidate for the 58th District
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 24, 2009 3:30 PM |Cynthia Neff, the Democratic candidate for the 58th District in the Virginia House of Delegates is a courageous progressive who doesn't flinch from answering tough questions - including stating that she supports marriage equality for LGBT Virginians. The 58th...Read More
Cynthia Neff - Gay Friendly Candidate for the 58th District
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 24, 2009 3:30 PM |Cynthia Neff, the Democratic candidate for the 58th District in the Virginia House of Delegates is a courageous progressive who doesn't flinch from answering tough questions - including stating that she supports marriage equality for LGBT Virginians. The 58th...Read More
No on 1 TV ad in Maine
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 24, 2009 3:00 PM |From GLAD, here's the first No on 1 (pro same-sex marriage side) ad in Maine. FYI, Maine is over 98% white. [Update: Patrick in the comments points out that this ad is for marriage generally, not for the specific, up-coming...Read More
Stonewall Dems ask DNC for $25k for Maine marriage fight
Filed by Bil Browning | August 24, 2009 2:00 PM |Stonewall Democrats Interim Executive Director, Kyle Bailey, sent a letter last week to the Democratic National Committee formally requesting that the DNC donate $25,000 to Maine's No On 1 campaign [PDF]. The DNC donated $25,000 to California's Prop 8 battle...Read More
Stonewall Dems ask DNC for $25k for Maine marriage fight
Filed by Bil Browning | August 24, 2009 2:00 PM |Stonewall Democrats Interim Executive Director, Kyle Bailey, sent a letter last week to the Democratic National Committee formally requesting that the DNC donate $25,000 to Maine's No On 1 campaign [PDF]. The DNC donated $25,000 to California's Prop 8 battle...Read More
Wisconsin Attorney General won't defend domestic partnerships
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 24, 2009 11:00 AM |I don't really get why so many people were calling the DOJ's brief in the Smelt suit to overturn DOMA paradoxical or incoherent two weeks ago - I thought that we had already been through the explanation before that, just...Read More
Louisiana's Landrieu: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 24, 2009 10:30 AM |Louisiana is not generally considered a liberal state, and its Senators are considered quite conservative. However, one of those Senators, Mary Landrieu, is more likely than the other, David Vitter, to vote for ENDA, making Louisiana a very important state...Read More
Louisiana's Landrieu: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 24, 2009 10:30 AM |Louisiana is not generally considered a liberal state, and its Senators are considered quite conservative. However, one of those Senators, Mary Landrieu, is more likely than the other, David Vitter, to vote for ENDA, making Louisiana a very important state...Read More
DADT Strategy Shortsighted Because We're Only Playing One Hand
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 24, 2009 9:30 AM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Justin Elzie was the first US Marine to come out in 1993 and then discharged under DADT. He was later temporarily reinstated where upon he served 4 more years openly gay. As a former United States...Read More
CNN: President Obama and LGBT rights
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 23, 2009 10:40 PM |Via Jeremy from Good As You: Michelangelo Signorile and Charles Moran of Log Cabin Republicans talk with Don Lemon about President Obama and LGBT rights on CNN. Try not to laugh at the self-righteousness of the Log Cabiner....Read More
Message to Obama: Keep Marriage. Give Us Marriajuana!
Filed by Father Tony | August 23, 2009 5:30 PM |The New York Times describes the battle between the growers of marijuana in the mountains of California and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department. In eighteen raids, the officers have netted 225,000 plants but have made zero arrests. Recently, illustrating...Read More
The Gender Police Strike Again
Filed by Brynn Craffey | August 23, 2009 2:30 PM |A South African runner, Caster Semenya, 18, is being forced to prove that she is, indeed, a young woman and not "a man," as her detractors allege. Semenya, whose athletic performance recently improved greatly and who, it seems, was a...Read More
Church Chat, Bilerico Style
Filed by John Shields | August 23, 2009 10:00 AM |Here's what's coming up for the major network morning news shows today. In alphabetical order, that would be ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX and NBC. Check channels and air times for a station near you. Being the dog days of August...Read More
5 must read DC blogs
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 22, 2009 2:09 PM |The New Gay Famous DC Anti-Real World Blog...Read More
National Marriage Boycott Gains Traction
Filed by John Shields | August 22, 2009 2:00 PM |The National Marriage Boycott, a student-driven movement to urge President Obama to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, is gaining traction and is now up for an $10,000 award to further their efforts. To win, however, they need your vote....Read More
National Marriage Boycott Gains Traction
Filed by John Shields | August 22, 2009 2:00 PM |The National Marriage Boycott, a student-driven movement to urge President Obama to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, is gaining traction and is now up for an $10,000 award to further their efforts. To win, however, they need your vote....Read More
Metro Weekly profiles The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 22, 2009 12:30 PM |Sean Bugg, a Bilerico-DC contributor, has an wonderful interview with the amazing Kerry Eleveld in Metro Weekly. Kerry is the Washington correspondent for The Advocate. Her weekly column View to Washington is indispensable reading for anyone wanting to know what's...Read More
Victory Garden: Backyard Fruit Made Simple
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | August 22, 2009 12:00 PM |Late summer is the biggest fruit time - a good time to talk about preserving all that wonderful taste. If you take some of my suggestions, you can keep part of your refrigerator stocked with a few containers of simple...Read More
Anti-gay beating raises concerns about violence in Kalamazoo
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 21, 2009 6:00 PM |Editors' note: Todd Heywood is a professional journalist for the Michigan Messenger. Activists and leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community are raising a red flag of concern about the potential for violence following the attack on a...Read More
Unintentional funny of the day
Filed by Bil Browning | August 21, 2009 3:30 PM |Now that I'm back from galavanting all around the eastern seaboard, I've had a chance to check in on the recent developments in Goshen. While I was cruising around catching up, this quote from an opponent of expanding the town's...Read More
The Bride Wore Red
Filed by Eric Leven | August 21, 2009 1:00 PM |In an unlikely twist, the California Gay community now stands an even greater chance of hearing wedding bells ring in their name. Theodore Olson, the Republican Lawyer who helped steal argue George Bush's election, could now be same-sex marriage's strongest...Read More
In Praise of Long Engagements
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 21, 2009 12:00 PM |I’ve always been a fan of long engagements. Even before I met the hubby, I had a strict rule that I imposed on myself while dating: No matter how much I liked the guy, how great he was, etc.,...Read More
Delaware's Carper and Kaufman: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 21, 2009 10:30 AM |How will Delaware's Senators Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman vote on S1584, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act? We don't know, since they have not yet indicated their positions. Please call them and ask them to co-sponsor S1584. Contact info and more...Read More
Delaware's Carper and Kaufman: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 21, 2009 10:30 AM |How will Delaware's Senators Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman vote on S1584, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act? We don't know, since they have not yet indicated their positions. Please call them and ask them to co-sponsor S1584. Contact info and more...Read More
Is Social Media Saving the Public Option?
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 21, 2009 9:30 AM |Editor's note: Guest blogger Jake Kaskey is a queer activist, organizer, lobbyist, rabble-rouser, and social media enthusiast living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He blogs at http://jakekaskey.com and can be found tweeting away @jakekaskey. Last weekend, liberals had little to be excited...Read More
When do protests work?
Filed by Diane Silver | August 21, 2009 9:30 AM |Twenty, thirty, or forty years from now I suspect we'll look back on these confused, exciting moments in LGBTQ life and think about the role we played -- or didn't play -- in the revolution. These are times of transition....Read More
I Was There: Clinton, Don't Ask Don't Tell, & Wiggle Room
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 20, 2009 5:30 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Gloria Nieto lives in San Jose, Cal with her spouse and pack of animals. She is waiting anxiously for hockey season to start. With all the latest discussions about the history of Don't Ask Don't Tell...Read More
NAACP's Julian Bond Endorses the National Equality March
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 20, 2009 4:30 PM |NAACP Board Chairman Julian Bond has joined other high-profile people endorsing the the National Equality March on October 11th: GLBT rights are civil rights; there are no 'special rights' in America. Everyone has rights - or should have - and...Read More
Rise of hate groups in Virginia
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 20, 2009 3:30 PM |I have written about the rise of hate groups and also anti-Semitic vandalism in this area previously. Now one of the local television stations has opened its eyes to the phenomenon - which is a timely story in as much...Read More
Rise of hate groups in Virginia
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 20, 2009 3:30 PM |I have written about the rise of hate groups and also anti-Semitic vandalism in this area previously. Now one of the local television stations has opened its eyes to the phenomenon - which is a timely story in as much...Read More
Fort Lauderdale's Richard Gray given 'Gay+ Award for Achievement in Making Our World Gayer' from LOGO
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 20, 2009 1:00 PM |The folks over at LOGO have announced their first ever TripOutGayTravel.com Awards and one of the winners is Fort Lauderdale, FL travel Guru Richard Gray. Also named for "Best Ultimate Luxury Hotel/Resort (Global)" is the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami and...Read More
From the Buckeye State - A Bigot for Sec of State?
Filed by Bo Shuff | August 20, 2009 1:00 PM |Here in the Buckeye State we are gearing up (already) for the 2010 elections. So far we have a contested U.S Senate primary between one fully LGBT supportive candidate, Jennifer Brunner and one who "is open to the idea" -...Read More
Colorado's Sen. Michael Bennet
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 20, 2009 11:30 AM |Today's legislator of the day is a friend of the LGBT community. He is a likely yes vote, but has not yet confirmed his support. I'm sorry this post is a little sparse this morning. Lots happening here, and I...Read More
Colorado's Sen. Michael Bennet
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 20, 2009 11:30 AM |Today's legislator of the day is a friend of the LGBT community. He is a likely yes vote, but has not yet confirmed his support. I'm sorry this post is a little sparse this morning. Lots happening here, and I...Read More
Goshen approves inclusive Civil Rights Amendment, will South Bend follow?
Filed by Donna Pandori | August 20, 2009 11:00 AM |Breaking news in Goshen: Dozens of people Tuesday night passionately pleaded for and against the addition of sexual orientation language to Goshen's Community Relations Commission ordinance. In a 4-3 vote the Goshen council voted in favor of the amendment that...Read More
How we win marriage in DC
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 20, 2009 9:30 AM |Much has been made of the external challenges we face in DC as we build a movement to win and keep marriage for same-sex couples including the possibility of a Prop 8 style ballot fight and potential intervention from members...Read More
Prop 8 Court Challenge: Judge says San Fran In, LGBT Orgs Out
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 19, 2009 6:00 PM |Judge Vaughn Walker has denied the request of several LGBT legal groups, including the ACLU, Lambda Legal and NCLR, to join Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8. He also approved the City of San Francisco's...Read More
Prop 8 Court Challenge: Judge says San Fran In, LGBT Orgs Out
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 19, 2009 6:00 PM |Judge Vaughn Walker has denied the request of several LGBT legal groups, including the ACLU, Lambda Legal and NCLR, to join Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8. He also approved the City of San Francisco's...Read More
How the National Equality March Could Undermine LGBT America
Filed by Diane Silver | August 19, 2009 5:00 PM |There are no villains in this post. Please note that fact before reading farther. I don't believe that the wonderful folks who are organizing the national march are evil or stupid, but I am worried that we could be marching...Read More
How the National Equality March Could Undermine LGBT America
Filed by Diane Silver | August 19, 2009 5:00 PM |There are no villains in this post. Please note that fact before reading farther. I don't believe that the wonderful folks who are organizing the national march are evil or stupid, but I am worried that we could be marching...Read More
Justice Department Hires New LGBT Liaison
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 19, 2009 1:00 PM |The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has hired Matt Nosanchuk, a former staffer for Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), to serve as a a senior counselor and a representative to the LGBT community. Nosanchuk, who is openly gay, has worked for...Read More
Barney Frank to woman comparing President Obama to Nazis: "On What Planet Do You Spend Most Of Your Time?"
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 19, 2009 12:00 PM |Rep. Barney Frank may be a controversial figure on Bilerico, but for his response to a woman comparing President Obama to Nazis for pushing universal healthcare he deserves two thumbs up. The exchange occurred at a town hall meeting on...Read More
Barney Frank to woman comparing President Obama to Nazis: "On What Planet Do You Spend Most Of Your Time?"
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 19, 2009 12:00 PM |Rep. Barney Frank may be a controversial figure on Bilerico, but for his response to a woman comparing President Obama to Nazis for pushing universal healthcare he deserves two thumbs up. The exchange occurred at a town hall meeting on...Read More
Long-Shot #2: Nevada's Ensign - Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 19, 2009 10:30 AM |As I have discussed recently, we are close, but not there. After our devastating loss by one vote in the Senate the last time ENDA showed up there, we must be prepared to look for love in all the wrong...Read More
Long-Shot #2: Nevada's Ensign - Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 19, 2009 10:30 AM |As I have discussed recently, we are close, but not there. After our devastating loss by one vote in the Senate the last time ENDA showed up there, we must be prepared to look for love in all the wrong...Read More
Your Gal in... Kalamazoo?
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 19, 2009 9:30 AM |Editor's Note: Ms. Amy Hunter is Director of Operations for One Kalamazoo and sits on the Boards of Directors for Michigan Equality and the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center. Amy loves sharing a home in the woods near Kalamazoo...Read More
North Carolina upholds second-parent adoption!
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | August 18, 2009 4:30 PM |The South is the region with the worst laws in the country for gay and lesbian parents. Well today add North Carolina to the list of states that approve second-parent adoption. Today's decision from the North Carolina Court of Appeals...Read More
Anchorage Mayor Vetoes LGBT Rights Ordinance: The Power of Privilege
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 18, 2009 1:30 PM |It looks like we won the battle against discrimination and no one bothered to tell us! At least that seems to be the opinion of Mayor Dan Sullivan of Anchorage, Alaska. Sullivan has vetoed an ordinance that would ban discrimination...Read More
National Organization for Marriage Comes to DC
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 18, 2009 12:30 PM |As if DC residents didn't have enough to deal with, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is bringing it's anti-gay storm to the District. You remember NOM, right? They're the group responsible for the hysterically over-the-top anti-marriage ad The Gathering...Read More
Rep. Alcee Hastings Speaks Out for Gay Iraqis
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 18, 2009 12:00 PM |Rep. Alcee Hastings of Miramar, Florida has issued a scathing statement against the extreme violence against gays and lesbians in Iraq. The Human Rights Watch has released a 67 page report detailing a wide-reaching campaign of extrajudicial executions, kidnappings, and...Read More
One More Time...Marriage Is Not a "Church-based Tradition"
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | August 18, 2009 12:00 PM |Back in 1957, when I was 21 and closeted, I tied the knot with a heterosexual European guy named Yuriy. We did the deed at City Hall in New York City. My mother had wanted to see me walk down...Read More
ENDA support...but can you please drop the transgenders?: Florida's Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 18, 2009 10:30 AM |The Employment Non-Discrimination, one of the only LGBT protections likely to be put in place this legislative session, is haunted by a giant shadow of the sordid past. That shadow is the effort by our "leaders" to pass ENDA in...Read More
ENDA support...but can you please drop the transgenders?: Florida's Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 18, 2009 10:30 AM |The Employment Non-Discrimination, one of the only LGBT protections likely to be put in place this legislative session, is haunted by a giant shadow of the sordid past. That shadow is the effort by our "leaders" to pass ENDA in...Read More
I pray that God doesn't tell Michelle Bachman to run for President
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 18, 2009 9:30 AM |I can't be the only one hoping that God is too busy to be one of the voices in Rep. Michelle Bachman's head. In a recent interview with the conservative World Net Daily Rep. Bachman was asked if she would...Read More
We Said No Special Rights Dag Nabbit!
Filed by Donna Pandori | August 18, 2009 9:00 AM |Patrick Mangan, Executive Director of the Citizens for Community Values of Indiana (CCV) submitted a scathing "opinion" in the South Bend Tribune about South Bend Mayor Steven Luecke's recent executive order. Luecke's executive order bars discrimination on the basis of...Read More
DoJ sings new tune on DoMA
Filed by Nan Hunter | August 17, 2009 4:00 PM |The Department of Justice has just filed a new brief in the Smelt case that defends the constitutionality of DoMA, but also states the Obama administration's opposition to DoMA as a policy matter and explicitly repudiates anti-gay arguments based on...Read More
On Disarmament, Or, How Congressman Larsen Made A "Town Hall" Work
Filed by Don Davis | August 17, 2009 3:00 PM |We've all been hearing the "Town Hall Meeting" stories the past few days, and the images presented have been of gatherings where you might see some current or former official "death panel" for the benefit of the crowd, where the...Read More
Orlando Sentinel Poll: 68% of Floridians Think Gays Should be able to Adopt
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 17, 2009 12:00 PM |The Orlando Sentinel, the major paper for Central Florida, did a poll recently asking readers: "Should Florida allow gay individuals to adopt children?" The results are impressive, especially coming out of the more conservative area of Central Florida: We asked...Read More
Alaska's Murkowski: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 17, 2009 10:30 AM |By my calculations, we now have 47 confirmed Senate votes for ENDA, with another 11 likely. That's 2 shy of the 60 we need to overcome the probable filibuster. In the House, I estimate that we have 172 confirmed House...Read More
Alaska's Murkowski: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 17, 2009 10:30 AM |By my calculations, we now have 47 confirmed Senate votes for ENDA, with another 11 likely. That's 2 shy of the 60 we need to overcome the probable filibuster. In the House, I estimate that we have 172 confirmed House...Read More
Resurrecting Arizona Stonewall Democrats
Filed by Bobby Parker | August 16, 2009 11:30 AM |Steve Brittle has been described, probably by himself, as a 'hell-raising environmentalist.' People refer to me as a gay rights activist. Together we have decided to use our network of friends and acquaintances, Steve's political savvy, and our combined organizational...Read More
Stories from the Helpline
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 15, 2009 10:00 AM |E ditor's Note: "Stories from the Helpline" is a recurring feature on The Bilerico Project, bringing in the personal accounts of Helpline counselors from The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide...Read More
Why Did Anchorage OK a Gay Rights Ordinance?
Filed by Father Tony | August 14, 2009 7:00 PM |As reported in the Anchorage Daily News: By a 7-4 vote, the Anchorage Assembly Tuesday approved a compromise ordinance that bans discrimination in Anchorage on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The vote capped two months of public...Read More
On Being American, Or, "A Hybrid? Not Unless It Has Tail Fins"
Filed by Don Davis | August 14, 2009 6:00 PM |It's great to see that people are starting to think about hybrid vehicles, but so far, they really haven't been for me. You know why? Because for the most part, they have no...style. The Prius? If you look at it...Read More
From the Ameriqueer Archives: Maine bigots make it official - The time to start fighting is now
Filed by Phil Reese | August 14, 2009 3:00 PM |This post appeared on my blog, Ameriqueer, on July 8, 2009, but as people are making decisions about whether or not to book tickets out to the National Equality March in DC in October, I thought it'd be just as...Read More
Fighting on Our Own Terms
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 14, 2009 2:00 PM |[Editor's Note: Veteran LGBT activist and environmentally-friendly entrepreneur Diane Abbitt has helped lead campaigns against anti-LGBT ballot initiatives since Prop 6. She was the first female co-president of the Municipal Elections Committee of Los Angeles (MECLA), a founding member of...Read More
Fighting on Our Own Terms
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 14, 2009 2:00 PM |[Editor's Note: Veteran LGBT activist and environmentally-friendly entrepreneur Diane Abbitt has helped lead campaigns against anti-LGBT ballot initiatives since Prop 6. She was the first female co-president of the Municipal Elections Committee of Los Angeles (MECLA), a founding member of...Read More
Florida's Nelson, Boyd and the Diaz-Balarts: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 14, 2009 10:30 AM |Florida has 25 Congressional Representatives and 2 Senators. Well, one Senator, as Republican Senator Mel Martinez has announced his resignation. According to the Herald Tribune, Gov. Charlie Crist, who announced in May his intention to run for that Senate seat,...Read More
Florida's Nelson, Boyd and the Diaz-Balarts: Legislators of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 14, 2009 10:30 AM |Florida has 25 Congressional Representatives and 2 Senators. Well, one Senator, as Republican Senator Mel Martinez has announced his resignation. According to the Herald Tribune, Gov. Charlie Crist, who announced in May his intention to run for that Senate seat,...Read More
Call for DC "Public Vote" on Marriage is an Attack on Gay Families
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 14, 2009 10:00 AM |Let's be clear: the push by Ward 5 ANC Commissioner Bob King for a public vote on the definition of marriage is nothing more than an attack on same-sex couples disguised as democracy. King has sent a letter to DC's...Read More
Fundie Kissimmee, FL Commissioner Art Otero Wants 'God' in City Logo to Combat the Gays
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 14, 2009 9:30 AM |City Commissioner Art Otero of Kissimmee, Florida is moving forward on an effort to add "In God We Trust" to the city logo. He proposed the idea because he feared the city and entire country was moving toward "liberal postures...Read More
Reconsidering the Merits of an Army of Lovers
Filed by Father Tony | August 13, 2009 5:00 PM |While touring the decommissioned military installation on Governor's Island (in the East River, New York) last weekend, I kept seeing the ghosts of the soldiers who once lived and worked there. I found myself thinking about our nieces and nephews...Read More
Urge Florida Democratic Members of Congress to Support LGBT-Inclusive Legislation
Filed by Waymon Hudson | August 13, 2009 1:00 PM |The Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus is calling on its supporters to schedule in-district visits with Senator Bill Nelson and Members of Congress during their summer recess to urge them to support LGBT-supportive legislation and ask them to become a co-sponsor....Read More
Sonia Sotomayor es boricua, pa' que tú lo sepas
Filed by Pedro Julio Serrano | August 13, 2009 11:30 AM |Hay momentos que tocan la fibra más profunda de nuestro ser y la llegada de Sonia Sotomayor al Tribunal Supremo de los Estados Unidos es uno de esos momentos que se adentran en el corazón de un@. Como puertorriqueño, me...Read More
A Golden Opportunity
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 13, 2009 9:30 AM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger 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. Seldom in...Read More
Legislators of the Day: Arkansas' Pryor, Snyder, and Lincoln
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 13, 2009 9:30 AM |Arkansas is another key state in the fight for ENDA. There are three votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump....Read More
Legislators of the Day: Arkansas' Pryor, Snyder, and Lincoln
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 13, 2009 9:30 AM |Arkansas is another key state in the fight for ENDA. There are three votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump....Read More
Equality California: Let the 38-month campaign begin
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 12, 2009 4:00 PM |I just got off a conference call with Equality California's Geoff Kors and Mark Solomon. They've decided to go ahead and push for a ballot initative to overturn Prop 8 in 2012, not in 2010, for the following reasons: They're...Read More
Matthew's Story
Filed by Steve Ralls | August 12, 2009 1:00 PM |For "Matthew," next year can't come soon enough. The American citizen, who is featured in the September issue of The Advocate, chose the pseudonym to honor the memory of Matthew Shepard. He cannot use his real name because doing so...Read More
Matthew's Story
Filed by Steve Ralls | August 12, 2009 1:00 PM |For "Matthew," next year can't come soon enough. The American citizen, who is featured in the September issue of The Advocate, chose the pseudonym to honor the memory of Matthew Shepard. He cannot use his real name because doing so...Read More
Legislators of the Day: Montana's Baucus and Tester
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 12, 2009 10:30 AM |Montana is a key state in the fight for ENDA. There are two votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump....Read More
Legislators of the Day: Montana's Baucus and Tester
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 12, 2009 10:30 AM |Montana is a key state in the fight for ENDA. There are two votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump....Read More
Terry Wolverton Interviews Cheryl Klein about Lilac Mines
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 12, 2009 9:30 AM |[Editor's Note: Terry Wolverton is author of seven books, including The Labrys Reunion, a novel; Embers, a novel-in-poems;and Insurgent Muse: life and art at the Woman's Building, a memoir. She is the founder of Writers At Work, a creative writing...Read More
California Budget Cuts: It's Apparently Okay to Kill People If You Don't Know Who They Are
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | August 11, 2009 4:00 PM |The other day, two L.A. friends of mine visited the Hollywood Forever cemetery and stopped dead in their tracks when they noticed a gravestone with this epitaph: "My son had no medical insurance, that's why he's here today." They went...Read More
California Budget Cuts: It's Apparently Okay to Kill People If You Don't Know Who They Are
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | August 11, 2009 4:00 PM |The other day, two L.A. friends of mine visited the Hollywood Forever cemetery and stopped dead in their tracks when they noticed a gravestone with this epitaph: "My son had no medical insurance, that's why he's here today." They went...Read More
Legislators of the Day: North Dakota's Conrad, Dorgan and Pomeroy
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 11, 2009 10:30 AM |North Dakota is a key state in the fight for ENDA. There are three votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump....Read More
Legislators of the Day: North Dakota's Conrad, Dorgan and Pomeroy
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 11, 2009 10:30 AM |North Dakota is a key state in the fight for ENDA. There are three votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump....Read More
Indiana's vetting as a swing state
Filed by Austen Crowder | August 11, 2009 8:43 AM |For the longest time I joked that Indiana would vote red even if Saddam Hussein was on the GOP ticket. Then we voted for Obama and the joke never rang the same again. In all seriousness, though, Indiana's legislative efforts...Read More
Steve Hildebrand's Mission to Sell 2010
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 10, 2009 6:30 PM |Steve Hildebrand, who gained fame as Barack Obama's deputy campaign manager, is stopping in as many LGBT spots as possible to advocate going back to the ballot in 2010. Sarah Reece, the expert field organizer for the National Gay and...Read More
Steve Hildebrand's Mission to Sell 2010
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 10, 2009 6:30 PM |Steve Hildebrand, who gained fame as Barack Obama's deputy campaign manager, is stopping in as many LGBT spots as possible to advocate going back to the ballot in 2010. Sarah Reece, the expert field organizer for the National Gay and...Read More
Will the Repeal Prop 8 Campaign Look Like No on 8 After All?
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 10, 2009 1:00 PM |It was a breathtaking moment. Courage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs introduced Steve Hildebrand, the deputy campaign manager for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and the cavernous dance hall at Jewel's Catch One Disco filled with about 150 marriage activists fell still...Read More
Will the Repeal Prop 8 Campaign Look Like No on 8 After All?
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 10, 2009 1:00 PM |It was a breathtaking moment. Courage Campaign founder Rick Jacobs introduced Steve Hildebrand, the deputy campaign manager for Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and the cavernous dance hall at Jewel's Catch One Disco filled with about 150 marriage activists fell still...Read More
Legislators of the Day: Ohio's Voinovich, Austria and Tiberi
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 10, 2009 10:30 AM |Ohio is a key state in the fight for ENDA. There are three votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump....Read More
Legislators of the Day: Ohio's Voinovich, Austria and Tiberi
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 10, 2009 10:30 AM |Ohio is a key state in the fight for ENDA. There are three votes in play here. Please call them today to ask for their support. Facts and contact info after the jump....Read More
Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Reaffirms Support for Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Filed by Nadine Smith | August 10, 2009 10:00 AM |Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has issued a statement reaffirming her strong opposition to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. She also encourages us all to focus our efforts on those who have not yet signed. Constituent messages are particularly valuable for her colleagues. To...Read More
The Terminator Wreaks Havoc of Epic Proportions
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 10, 2009 9:30 AM |[Editor's Note: Jeffrey King is the founder and director of In The Meantime Men's Group in Los Angeles. The group is dedicated to developing discussion groups and programs devoted to the health and wellness of same gender-loving African American men....Read More
The Terminator Wreaks Havoc of Epic Proportions
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 10, 2009 9:30 AM |[Editor's Note: Jeffrey King is the founder and director of In The Meantime Men's Group in Los Angeles. The group is dedicated to developing discussion groups and programs devoted to the health and wellness of same gender-loving African American men....Read More
John Duran's Moving Summation of a Generation
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 09, 2009 7:00 PM |At first glance, someone 49 years old seems too young to be receiving a "Lifetime Achievement Award." But openly gay and HIV positive West Hollywood City Councilmember John J. Duran has been fighting for civil rights since he was 18....Read More
The Town Hall Debacle: Whatever Happened to Robert's Rules of Order?
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | August 09, 2009 5:30 PM |I'm baffled by the "successes" of Republican disrupters as they shout down efforts to discuss healthcare reform at town halls across the country. It's time for somebody to ask the obvious question. Why is parliamentary procedure not being enforced at...Read More
We May Win, but at What Cost?
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 09, 2009 1:00 PM |[Editor's Note: Alain Dang is a marriage activist based in Cupertino, CA (Silicon Valley), and is currently working to build support for marriage equality in communities of color. Prior to moving back to California, he was a policy analyst with...Read More
Vladimir Putin Shirtless, Again
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 08, 2009 12:00 PM |I was wondering why this post was suddenly getting so many Google search hits. Now I know....Read More
21 same-sex couples part of new D.C. marriage campaign
Filed by Michael Crawford | August 07, 2009 3:00 PM |Now that DC recognizes same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions we are preparing for the next step: marriages legally performed in DC. The Washington Blade has a great story about a new public educational campaign DC for Marriage. DC for Marriage...Read More
Maine!!
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 07, 2009 2:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Lorri L. Jean is nationally recognized as one of the most seasoned and effective leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ("LGBT") civil rights movement. An LGBT activist for 30 years, Jean currently serves as...Read More
Ft. Worth gay bar raiders didn't file the right paperwork
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 07, 2009 12:30 PM |Well, it's something: Among other things, the report said that Aller and Chapman had taken part in the raid without agency approval; failed to file the paperwork to investigate the club for possible lewd conduct and sales to intoxicated customers;...Read More
Most ENDA Bang for your Buck: Indiana's Lugar, Bayh, Buyer, Donnelly, Ellsworth, and Visclosky
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 07, 2009 10:30 AM |Here's the biggest bang for your buck on the fight to win ENDA, America: Indiana. These are the Legislators of the Day. Call them today! After an extensive analysis of who's who and what's what on ENDA, I've organized the...Read More
Most ENDA Bang for your Buck: Indiana's Lugar, Bayh, Buyer, Donnelly, Ellsworth, and Visclosky
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 07, 2009 10:30 AM |Here's the biggest bang for your buck on the fight to win ENDA, America: Indiana. These are the Legislators of the Day. Call them today! After an extensive analysis of who's who and what's what on ENDA, I've organized the...Read More
The Clock is Ticking on DADT
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 07, 2009 9:30 AM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Paul DeMiglio is the Senior Communications Manager for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a national, non-profit legal services, watchdog and policy organization dedicated to ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The time to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"...Read More
TERI Commends US Senators for Introduction of Inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act
Filed by Father Tony | August 07, 2009 9:00 AM |Fort Lauderdale FL - TERI-Transgender Equality Rights Initiatives applauded Senators Jeff Merkley (OR-D), Susan Collins (ME-R), Edward M. Kennedy (MA-D) for introducing an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees from workplace...Read More
Britain's first openly gay Prime Minister?
Filed by Bil Browning | August 06, 2009 1:30 PM |Is Great Britain ready for its first openly gay Prime Minister? British politics is, to put it mildly, different than American politics. The formation of British governments and their dissolutions is something few Americans understand, but there is growing buzz...Read More
S 1584, the Senate Version of ENDA - What's the Math?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 06, 2009 11:30 AM |Yesterday, as reported here, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, S 1584, was introduced into the U.S. Senate by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, along with three other co-sponsors, two of them Republicans. It has been widely noted in press releases that it's...Read More
S 1584, the Senate Version of ENDA - What's the Math?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 06, 2009 11:30 AM |Yesterday, as reported here, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, S 1584, was introduced into the U.S. Senate by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, along with three other co-sponsors, two of them Republicans. It has been widely noted in press releases that it's...Read More
Be Who You Are
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 06, 2009 9:30 AM |School will soon start again, and countless LGBT youth will return to classrooms all over the country. Some will return to schools where they find support and protection from harassment -- where administrators and teachers work together to ensure a...Read More
Be Who You Are
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 06, 2009 9:30 AM |School will soon start again, and countless LGBT youth will return to classrooms all over the country. Some will return to schools where they find support and protection from harassment -- where administrators and teachers work together to ensure a...Read More
Are Obama, National Democrats and Deeds Setting Up to Lose Virginia?
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 06, 2009 9:30 AM |Last month the Washington Post reported Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia, Creigh Deeds, has purportedly picked up endorsements from seven Republican members of the General Assembly: Most were familiar names, Republicans who have previously expressed disenchantment with their party's...Read More
Are Obama, National Democrats and Deeds Setting Up to Lose Virginia?
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 06, 2009 9:30 AM |Last month the Washington Post reported Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia, Creigh Deeds, has purportedly picked up endorsements from seven Republican members of the General Assembly: Most were familiar names, Republicans who have previously expressed disenchantment with their party's...Read More
Birthers Blues, Pt. 1
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 05, 2009 4:30 PM |Has there been anything on the political scene, in recent memory, as amusing or disturbing as the “Birthers”. Birther – A racist sore loser who can’t deal with having a black president so they make up absurd conspiracy theories about...Read More
'Voices of Honor' Tour Comes to Norfolk, Virginia
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 05, 2009 3:30 PM |I have written a great deal about the need for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, particularly because of the damage it does in the Hampton Roads community with its very large number of military personnel - and...Read More
'Voices of Honor' Tour Comes to Norfolk, Virginia
Filed by Michael Hamar | August 05, 2009 3:30 PM |I have written a great deal about the need for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, particularly because of the damage it does in the Hampton Roads community with its very large number of military personnel - and...Read More
Inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act Introduced in U.S. Senate
Filed by John Shields | August 05, 2009 2:30 PM |For the first time in history, an Employment Non-Discrimination Act prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity has been introduced into the United States Senate. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and...Read More
Inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act Introduced in U.S. Senate
Filed by John Shields | August 05, 2009 2:30 PM |For the first time in history, an Employment Non-Discrimination Act prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity has been introduced into the United States Senate. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and...Read More
Why "Sex Change" Surgery is Medically Necessary
Filed by Mercedes Allen | August 05, 2009 1:30 PM |The panic machine is in full swing, from far-right conservatives trying to terrorize Americans out of wanting universal health care. There are half-truths, such as the story of Ontarioan Shona Holmes who had to abandon Canada's public health system and...Read More
Judy Chu - An Ardent New Ally in Congress
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 05, 2009 12:00 PM |On July 24, Dr. Judy Chu was sworn in as California's 32nd Congressional District's newest representative after winning a special election to fill the seat left vacant when former Democratic Rep. Hilda Solis became Secretary of Labor. Chu becomes the...Read More
Judy Chu - An Ardent New Ally in Congress
Filed by Karen Ocamb | August 05, 2009 12:00 PM |On July 24, Dr. Judy Chu was sworn in as California's 32nd Congressional District's newest representative after winning a special election to fill the seat left vacant when former Democratic Rep. Hilda Solis became Secretary of Labor. Chu becomes the...Read More
The Washington State ENDA Game: Who IS this man?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 05, 2009 10:30 AM |A vote on ENDA, HR 3017, is rapidly approaching in September sometime, and where are we? According to my calculations over at the Facebook Inclusive ENDA House spreadsheet, we're at 205 confirmed votes, and we need 218. That's close, but...Read More
The Washington State ENDA Game: Who IS this man?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 05, 2009 10:30 AM |A vote on ENDA, HR 3017, is rapidly approaching in September sometime, and where are we? According to my calculations over at the Facebook Inclusive ENDA House spreadsheet, we're at 205 confirmed votes, and we need 218. That's close, but...Read More
The Great Nationwide Kiss-In!
Filed by David Badash | August 05, 2009 9:30 AM |San Antonio. El Paso. Salt Lake City. Three cities. Three same-sex couples. All harassed and detained or arrested - for kissing. You've heard the stories. You've read the news. The lesbian couple arrested last December. The two men who kissed...Read More
Obama's classy birthday
Filed by Bil Browning | August 04, 2009 6:00 PM |Happy Birthday to President Obama. The leader of the free world took a moment today to also honor veteran journalist Helen Thomas as well. What a class act. Aren't you glad to have a President who's willing to honor a...Read More
Lu's Womyn-Born-Womyn-Only Policy: The Ongoing Discussions
Filed by Mercedes Allen | August 04, 2009 5:00 PM |On July 6th, I noted the story of Lu's: A Pharmacy for Women, operated by the Vancouver Women's Health Collective (VWHC) , and noted how the Vancouver pharmacy's policy to serve only "women who were born as women and live...Read More
If You Work for a Private Employer in DC, You Want to Know This
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | August 04, 2009 3:00 PM |If you are a District of Columbia government employee, you have been able to get health insurance for your registered domestic partner for many years. If you are a federal government employee - well, you are out of luck unless...Read More
Death, Dishonesty & The GOP
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 04, 2009 11:00 AM |In an effort to defeat universal health care, conservatives are engaging in a campaign of lies that will ultimately cause more families to suffer needlessly at a most painful time. As someone who worked for years with end-of-life care issues,...Read More
Bart Stupak of MI: U.S. Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 04, 2009 10:30 AM |Today's LEGISLATOR OF THE DAY * * * drum roll * * * Bart Stupak (MI-D-01) Rep. Stupak is in a very conservative District, which he wrested from the Republicans in 1992. He is one of several pro-life Democrats, but...Read More
Bart Stupak of MI: U.S. Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 04, 2009 10:30 AM |Today's LEGISLATOR OF THE DAY * * * drum roll * * * Bart Stupak (MI-D-01) Rep. Stupak is in a very conservative District, which he wrested from the Republicans in 1992. He is one of several pro-life Democrats, but...Read More
LGBT Teenagers Slaughtered by Tel Aviv Gunman
Filed by Guest Blogger | August 03, 2009 6:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Susan Ferman-Austin is a writer, blogger and LGBT rights activist. She has served on the Board of Directors of Washington State Stonewall Democrats and the Moscow-Pullman LGBT Pride Festival. Susan is married to Phyllis Austin and...Read More
Census will release raw data on same-sex marriages
Filed by Alex Blaze | August 03, 2009 5:00 PM |w00t, the Census is at least going to release the raw data on same-sex married couples for 2010: "Later in 2011, the Census Bureau will release detailed tabulations from the 2010 Census, including counts from the relationship question," said a...Read More
What Were You Doing 25 Years Ago?
Filed by Nadine Smith | August 03, 2009 4:00 PM |As a college student I helped to found the International Gay and Lesbian Youth organization along with a team of amazing activists aged 15-24. This past week IGLYO celebrated 25 Years with a huge conference in Amsterdam that brought the...Read More
Stonewall Dems Ex Dir Jon Hoadley resigns to lead Kalamazoo ballot fight
Filed by Bil Browning | August 03, 2009 3:00 PM |Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Jon Hoadley will be stepping down at the end of August to be the campain manager for Kalamazoo, Michigan's ballot initiative over an LGBT-inclusive human rights ordinance. Opponents of the ordinance turned in enough signatures last...Read More
Greg Walden: U.S. Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 03, 2009 10:30 AM |Today's LEGISLATOR OF THE DAY * * * drum roll * * * Greg Walden (OR-R-02) According to Wikipedia, Rep. Walden, a Republican, has been reelected with wide margins five times. His district contains some liberal-leaning communities such as Ashland,...Read More
Greg Walden: U.S. Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | August 03, 2009 10:30 AM |Today's LEGISLATOR OF THE DAY * * * drum roll * * * Greg Walden (OR-R-02) According to Wikipedia, Rep. Walden, a Republican, has been reelected with wide margins five times. His district contains some liberal-leaning communities such as Ashland,...Read More
Ever thought of adopting your partner?
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | August 03, 2009 9:30 AM |Ever thought of adopting your partner? Not likely. But in times past -- sometimes not so distant -- that was the mechanism some couples chose to establish a legally recognized relationship. A few appellate court opinions on the subject have...Read More
Q: What Does Plaxico Burress, Senator John Thune and DOMA Have in Common? A: States Rights
Filed by John Shields | August 02, 2009 4:00 PM |Fomer New York Giants wide-receiver Plaxico Burress testified before a grand jury in Manhattan last week to explain his rationale for carrying a concealed handgun into a New York City nightclub. You may remember it as the "Sweatpants Shooting," as...Read More
REAL Women Selectively Oppose Human Rights?
Filed by Mercedes Allen | August 02, 2009 2:30 PM |Before being deposed by the current minority Conservative government, the federal Liberals began work on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, to be built in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As the building is underway and the Advisory Committee is being developed to...Read More
"Banana-Eating" "Jungle Monkey"?
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 01, 2009 2:00 PM |Tell me again that "race had nothing to do with" the arrest of Henry Louis Gates. We've gone from "gorillas in the mist" to "banana-eating" "jungle monkey." Officer Justin Barrett, 36, who is also an active member of the National...Read More
"Banana-Eating" "Jungle Monkey"?
Filed by Terrance Heath | August 01, 2009 2:00 PM |Tell me again that "race had nothing to do with" the arrest of Henry Louis Gates. We've gone from "gorillas in the mist" to "banana-eating" "jungle monkey." Officer Justin Barrett, 36, who is also an active member of the National...Read More
