Politics: November 2009
FAIL: Rick Warren tries to take a neutral position on Uganda's 'execute gays' bill
Filed by Pam Spaulding | November 30, 2009 5:30 PM |Pastor Rick Warren attempts to straddle a volatile issue -- Uganda's legislation that calls for the execution of gays -- and commits a double twist, backflip FAIL by saying "As a pastor, my job is to encourage, to support. I...Read More
UK judge explains how people's rights are trampled in cruising cases
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 30, 2009 4:30 PM |A UK judge had some stern words those who use their power to intimidate those who cruise for sex into giving up their rights. Only two news sources covered the proceedings, and this is all they published from the judge,...Read More
Is the DC Police Gay and Lesbian Liasion Unit Being Dismantled?
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 30, 2009 12:43 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger David Phillips is a poly Leather shaman, kink evangelist, and Queermen's health advocate living in Arlington, VA. A survivor of relationship abuse, David co-founded the Rainbow Response Coalition, addressing intimate partner violence among LGBTQ people in...Read More
The things one finds on eBay: CBT for sale
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | November 30, 2009 11:30 AM |Seems the softening in the economy has forced an unknown UK sex-toy vendor into bankruptcy -- prompting a wholesale liquidator to snap up a lot of chastity devices. Hard times call for desperate measures. Male Chastity Device Heavy Chrome From...Read More
How To Get ENDA Moving Again
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 30, 2009 10:30 AM |The Employment Non-Discrimination Act bill (ENDA), which was originally planned for a House vote in September or October, then November, now looks like it's headed for a February landing. That's problematic because it puts ENDA into the Senate during an...Read More
How To Get ENDA Moving Again
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 30, 2009 10:30 AM |The Employment Non-Discrimination Act bill (ENDA), which was originally planned for a House vote in September or October, then November, now looks like it's headed for a February landing. That's problematic because it puts ENDA into the Senate during an...Read More
On Stimulating The Future, Or, "It's The Ytterbium, Stupid!"
Filed by Don Davis | November 30, 2009 9:30 AM |We're diving deep into "geek world" today with a story that combines economic hardball, the periodic table of the elements, and a barely noticed provision of the Defense Authorization Act that seeks to break a monopoly which today gives China...Read More
HIV/AIDS forum receives White House support, but where is the local community?
Filed by Michael Emanuel Rajner | November 30, 2009 9:00 AM |Fort Lauderdale hosts community discussion on HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS forum receives White House support, but where is the local community? For years, national AIDS activists and advocates have been demanding that the President of the United States and Congress develop a...Read More
Conservative Rapper's Delight
Filed by Terrance Heath | November 29, 2009 5:30 PM |I now extend my request for Levi Johnston to these guys. The Christian side hug, for the unaware, is the Christian version of the standard "full frontal hug," which is a sinful abonimation and should be avoided until marriage (I...Read More
What's the common thread between Sen Ensign, Reps Stupak & Pitts, & the death penalty for homosexuality in Uganda?
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | November 29, 2009 4:00 PM |The answer is "The Family," the right-wing Christian organization with a terrifying idea about power and an ideology as far right as can be. Fans of the Rachel Maddow show have been hearing about The Family for months, as she...Read More
Stupak, Pitts, and the Classist, Sexist "Sin Tax" Amendment
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 29, 2009 11:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Louisa V. Hill is an MFA candidate at the University of Iowa's Playwrights' Workshop. LGBT folks and their allies know all too well that their human rights are often the first to be sacrificed under the...Read More
Boldface State Dinner
Filed by Kate Clinton | November 28, 2009 4:00 PM |Some have asked, "How did you get invited to the White House State dinner?" The incredulity of the question implies we were like the reality couple that crashed the dinner. They were the first couple we saw when we arrived...Read More
New and Improved Strategy: End the War
Filed by Sara Whitman | November 28, 2009 2:00 PM |Comprehensive new strategy in Afghanistan will be unveiled by the President soon. You know what this will mean? More troops, and the war will now be his. No longer Bush's mistake. Eight years. How many more? Two? Ten? I want...Read More
Register For ENDA In Jeopardy: Emergency Conference Call Tues
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 27, 2009 10:30 AM |I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. A nation-wide community conference call has been scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1st, at noon EST to discuss actions we can take to push a vote on ENDA now. It will last...Read More
Register For ENDA In Jeopardy: Emergency Conference Call Tues
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 27, 2009 10:30 AM |I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. A nation-wide community conference call has been scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1st, at noon EST to discuss actions we can take to push a vote on ENDA now. It will last...Read More
Una vigilia del amor que vence al odio...
Filed by Pedro Julio Serrano | November 27, 2009 9:30 AM |En Puerto Rico celebramos una vigilia en contra de los crímenes de odio, a raíz del vil asesinato del joven gay Jorge Steven López Mercado. Fue una vigilia del amor que vence al odio, de la esperanza que resurge del...Read More
Harvey Milk and the holidays
Filed by Adam Bink | November 25, 2009 2:00 PM |Awhile back, I wrote a piece at my home blog, OpenLeft.com, looking at the map of results in Maine, and noted the results in small towns where we lost badly. A colleague of mine at OpenLeft, Mike Lux, who has...Read More
Chairman Miller, Don't Reach For That Turkey Yet!
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 25, 2009 10:30 AM |An Open Letter to Chairman George Miller of the House Committee on Education and Labor, where the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is stalled while awaiting markup. Dear Chairman Miller: I know Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and that you are back in your...Read More
Chairman Miller, Don't Reach For That Turkey Yet!
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 25, 2009 10:30 AM |An Open Letter to Chairman George Miller of the House Committee on Education and Labor, where the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is stalled while awaiting markup. Dear Chairman Miller: I know Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and that you are back in your...Read More
The Horrible Truth About Gay Marriage
Filed by Diane Silver | November 24, 2009 7:00 PM |The minute voters ripped the right to marry away from same-sex couples in Maine, the call rang out across LGBTQ America: Let's give up on marriage. The defeat in Maine was horrible in itself, but it was even more galling...Read More
Let's Tell Chairman George Miller to Move ENDA
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 24, 2009 10:30 AM |Representative George Miller is the chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor. His Committee was supposed to markup the Employment Non-Discrimination Act last Wednesday and move it to the House floor for a vote. Instead, he has decided...Read More
Let's Tell Chairman George Miller to Move ENDA
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 24, 2009 10:30 AM |Representative George Miller is the chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor. His Committee was supposed to markup the Employment Non-Discrimination Act last Wednesday and move it to the House floor for a vote. Instead, he has decided...Read More
FBI: LGBT hate crimes increase but Indy doesn't report any
Filed by Bil Browning | November 23, 2009 7:30 PM |The FBI has released their detailed report on hate crimes in America for 2008. Crimes against LGBT people increased by 11% nationwide. Indiana is one of a handful of states without a statewide hate crimes law. Instead, we have a...Read More
Window collapse came with staggering debt
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 23, 2009 6:30 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Matt Hennie, a product of the legacy media, both gay and otherwise, launched Project Q Atlanta to cover LGBT Atlanta in September 2008. Like a one-two punch only a heavyweight fighter can deliver, gay news consumers...Read More
Vegas trans activists move to merge with Reno group
Filed by Cassandra Keenan | November 23, 2009 3:00 PM |Sometimes, history happens right before your very eyes. Saturday seemed like one of those instances. That's when a group of Las Vegas trans activists took some of their first steps toward formally organizing, as well as joining forces with upstate...Read More
ENDA: Reading the Tea Leaves
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 23, 2009 10:30 AM |It was a surprise to most people that the markup of ENDA, scheduled for last Wednesday morning at 10 am, was abruptly postponed on Monday night at 6:30 pm, heralded by a terse red notice on the House Committee on...Read More
ENDA: Reading the Tea Leaves
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 23, 2009 10:30 AM |It was a surprise to most people that the markup of ENDA, scheduled for last Wednesday morning at 10 am, was abruptly postponed on Monday night at 6:30 pm, heralded by a terse red notice on the House Committee on...Read More
Illinois' Jacob Meister aims to be the first openly gay Senate candidate [Part II]
Filed by Phil Reese | November 22, 2009 11:30 AM |Last week I had a delightful conversation with Jacob Meister, the openly gay Chicago lawyer who has high hopes for winning the Democratic primary and seeking the seat previously held by President Barack Obama and Carol Moseley Braun before him....Read More
Why ENDA Matters: True Stories of Anti-LGBT Employment Discrimination
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 22, 2009 10:00 AM |Editors' Note: To illustrate why Congress must pass the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal law that would ban discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the workplace, we will be posting the firsthand accounts of people...Read More
Florida Competitive Workforce Bill Filed To Add Anti-Discrimination Protections Statewide
Filed by Nadine Smith | November 21, 2009 12:00 PM |I applaud the filing of the Competitive Workforce bill in the Florida House of Representative. House bill 391, filed by Rep. Kelly Skidmore, would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Florida's civil rights statues. Currently, it is legal to...Read More
Ken Hutcherson targets Microsoft for contribution to Approve 71 campaign
Filed by Joe Mirabella | November 21, 2009 10:00 AM |Rev. Ken Hutcherson made an appearance at Microsoft's annual shareholder's meeting on Tuesday. As usual, Hutcherson was there representing the interests of Thomas Strohbar, founder of numerous anti-birth control, anti-choice, and anti-gay financial organizations. Strohbar's road to financial security has...Read More
From the Washington Blade's Ashes Comes DC Agenda
Filed by Michael Crawford | November 20, 2009 3:28 PM |I was as shocked and saddened as anyone on Monday when it was revealed the Washington Blade (along with other Windows Media publications) had been shut down on Monday. But, the great news is Kevin Naff and the former Blade...Read More
Protect the sanctity of Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 20, 2009 3:00 PM |Maybe the folks working to end DADT ought to draw attention to the folks who abuse DADT. This is from a lesbian in the military: Looking for a way out of the service isn't a new idea. Since 9/11, soldiers...Read More
Interview w/NGLTF Exec Dir Rea Carey (part two)
Filed by Adam Bink | November 20, 2009 2:00 PM |TThis is part two of an interview with Rea Carey, the Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Part one focused on the No On 1 campaign in Maine, the push to repeal Prop 8 in 2010...Read More
Sarah Palin-style: Tom Tancredo goes rogue
Filed by Bil Browning | November 20, 2009 1:00 PM |Sarah Palin madness is sweeping through the teabagger jet set and the latest victim appears to be Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo. As Palin's new "autobiography" (put in scare quotes because she didn't really write it herself and memoirs are usually...Read More
Historic Declaration of Christian Conscience?
Filed by Donna Pandori | November 20, 2009 12:00 PM |Today at noon national religious leaders will be releasing a 4,732-word statement signed by Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical leaders, The statement dubbed Manhattan Declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that...Read More
Reject 71 campaign tries to spin history
Filed by Joe Mirabella | November 20, 2009 11:00 AM |You would think the Reject 71 campaign won in Washington from their first message to supporters after their resounding defeat by the Approve 71 campaign. In the Reject 71 Campaign Manager Larry Stickney's typical truth bending style he wrote: Not...Read More
ND's Senator Kent Conrad: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 20, 2009 10:30 AM |North Dakota is a key state in the fight for ENDA. North Dakota's Senator Kent Conrad may be a supporter of ENDA, but his vote is unconfirmed. Please call him today to ask for his support of S.1584. Facts and...Read More
ND's Senator Kent Conrad: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 20, 2009 10:30 AM |North Dakota is a key state in the fight for ENDA. North Dakota's Senator Kent Conrad may be a supporter of ENDA, but his vote is unconfirmed. Please call him today to ask for his support of S.1584. Facts and...Read More
Interview w/NGLTF Exec Dir Rea Carey and Dir of Organizing & Training Dan Hawes (part one)
Filed by Adam Bink | November 20, 2009 9:30 AM |I've been writing a lot on what happened in Maine (most recently this piece yesterday in Frontiers in LA magazine), and where our movement should go from here. NGLTF had run much of the field program in Maine, as well...Read More
Interview w/NGLTF Exec Dir Rea Carey and Dir of Organizing & Training Dan Hawes (part one)
Filed by Adam Bink | November 20, 2009 9:30 AM |I've been writing a lot on what happened in Maine (most recently this piece yesterday in Frontiers in LA magazine), and where our movement should go from here. NGLTF had run much of the field program in Maine, as well...Read More
Good news or bad ideas? KY, MI, OH, TX re-examine marriage amendments
Filed by Bil Browning | November 19, 2009 7:30 PM |The marriage equality drumbeat has rumbled on with news that several states will be attempting to re-examine their state constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and/or civil unions. Surprisingly, this hasn't received as much attention as I assumed it would in...Read More
What will President Obama do about that pesky federal Prop 8 suit?
Filed by Phil Reese | November 19, 2009 6:30 PM |While the federal Proposition 8 lawsuit continues its battle in federal court, leaders in the LGBT community are casting a suspicious eye on the White House, asking whether or not our 'fierce advocate' up there is going to come to...Read More
BREAKING NEWS: Tampa Adds Gender Identity Protections
Filed by Nadine Smith | November 19, 2009 12:30 PM |The Tampa City Council should be commended for expanding non-discrimination protections to those who live, work and visit the city. Tampa is the latest city in Florida to add "gender identity" to its human rights ordinance that bans discrimination in...Read More
Florida's Senator Bill Nelson: ENDA Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 19, 2009 11:30 AM |While we stand around, twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the doorman to check his clipboard and open the velvet rope to let ENDA inside the House for markup, we have some extra time to pull out our cellphones and dial...Read More
Florida's Senator Bill Nelson: ENDA Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 19, 2009 11:30 AM |While we stand around, twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the doorman to check his clipboard and open the velvet rope to let ENDA inside the House for markup, we have some extra time to pull out our cellphones and dial...Read More
Alex Sink Becomes Top Florida Official to Oppose Anti-Gay Adoption Ban
Filed by Nadine Smith | November 19, 2009 9:30 AM |Fantastic news from our Equality Florida Broward Gala. Last Sunday's gathering of Equality Florida activists, donors, elected leaders and volunteers was our biggest event of the year and smashed through all of our previous fundraising records. The event has triggered...Read More
On Determining Impact, Or, How Stimulative Is Stimulus?
Filed by Don Davis | November 19, 2009 9:30 AM |We strive to be, if anything, a participatory space around here, and I've had a question come to my inbox that is very much deserving of our attention. To make a long story short, our questioner wants to know why,...Read More
Lambda Legal sues because health care isn't a luxury
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 18, 2009 6:00 PM |A few months ago, saying they needed to cut spending, the state of Arizona rescinded domestic partner benefits for same-sex partners of state employees. They seemed to forget that it would have saved a whole lot more money if they...Read More
Illinois' Jacob Meister aims to be the first openly gay Senate candidate
Filed by Phil Reese | November 18, 2009 5:00 PM |Jacob Meister and his campaign manager, Lowell Jaffe, were standing outside of a CVS Pharmacy on DuPont Circle, in Washington DC the morning of the National Equality March. Jaffe stuck his hand out as I passed and they started a...Read More
Queer Maine - a very different anti-marriage postscript
Filed by Father Tony | November 18, 2009 4:00 PM |When you have fifteen minutes to devote to this, I urge you to have a listen to this articulate anti-assimilationist queer as he constructs an excellent economic reframe of Maine and gives voice to a point of view that was...Read More
DC Board of Elections rejects marriage ballot initiative... a model for America?
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 18, 2009 2:00 PM |HRC's blog reports that there won't be a ballot initiative on marriage in DC: Today, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics announced their ruling [pdf] that for a second time that a proposed ballot measure that would undermine marriage...Read More
Stephen Colbert on DC Gay Marriage
Filed by Michael Crawford | November 18, 2009 10:43 AM |Stephen Colbert takes on the DC marriage equality issue in the way only he can. The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30cThe Word - Skeletons in the Closetwww.colbertnation.comColbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorU.S. Speedskating...Read More
Today Is National Call-In Day for ENDA
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 18, 2009 10:30 AM |United ENDA, a coalition of hundreds of LGBT groups across the nation, has designated today as National Call-In Day for ENDA. They are asking us to call our U.S. legislators today -- your Representative and your two Senators. The idea...Read More
Today Is National Call-In Day for ENDA
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 18, 2009 10:30 AM |United ENDA, a coalition of hundreds of LGBT groups across the nation, has designated today as National Call-In Day for ENDA. They are asking us to call our U.S. legislators today -- your Representative and your two Senators. The idea...Read More
Don't Ask, Don't Tell: "Jess, Bend, Oregon, 2009"
Filed by Jeff Sheng | November 17, 2009 7:30 PM |First same-sex couple to marry in Latin America will be from where?
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 17, 2009 4:30 PM |Argentina, of course. Since I'm the only person of Argentine heritage I can think of in the American LGBT blogosphere, it'd be a shame if I didn't mention this story. A judge in Beunos Aires last Friday ruled in favor...Read More
NOM's answer to "ban gay marriage" talking points: Chatty Cathy
Filed by Donna Pandori | November 17, 2009 3:30 PM |It's difficult to make it through an entire video clip of NOM's executive director Brian Brown anymore but when I can I get a horrible déjà vu of Chatty Cathy. Somebody PLEASE stop pulling that string! Mr. Brown's "ban same...Read More
Michelle Obama - What a Woman!
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 17, 2009 2:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Roberta Raeburn is a photographer who lives Staten Island, NY and is a Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE) client and volunteer Imagine my surprise when Catherine Thurston, Deputy Director for Programs at SAGE called...Read More
The Recession and LGBT Communities: A Series
Filed by Michelle Marzullo | November 17, 2009 12:00 PM |The global economic recession has been rolling over the world full force for over a year now. We have seen the markets flowing in red, homeowners being turned out at a rate not seen since the great depression, and the...Read More
Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 17, 2009 11:30 AM |While news of the postponement of ENDA is still fresh, and there is no word on when ENDA might get back on track, that is no excuse to slack off. It will get back on track sooner or later, and...Read More
Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 17, 2009 11:30 AM |While news of the postponement of ENDA is still fresh, and there is no word on when ENDA might get back on track, that is no excuse to slack off. It will get back on track sooner or later, and...Read More
BREAKING: ENDA Postponed
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 16, 2009 6:30 PM |The House Committee on Education and Labor, which was due to mark up the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on Wednesday of this week, has announced that it is postponing its markup. A terse statement on the Committee's website states simply...Read More
BREAKING: ENDA Postponed
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 16, 2009 6:30 PM |The House Committee on Education and Labor, which was due to mark up the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) on Wednesday of this week, has announced that it is postponing its markup. A terse statement on the Committee's website states simply...Read More
Rocky Horror and the Holy Grail, or: The Problem with Defining to Exclusion
Filed by Mercedes Allen | November 16, 2009 4:00 PM |As communities rise from the margins, they undergo a process of introspection, microscopic self-examination and self-definition. It's a process of healing, throwing off the ill-fitting definitions that had been imposed previously by a majority that didn't experience and most often...Read More
Another Catholic Church Red Herring
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | November 16, 2009 3:00 PM |Yesterday I wrote that legislation allowing same-sex marriage will have no impact on the issue of the church's provision of foster care and adoption services, because providing those services is already subject to DC's anti-discrimination laws. The church makes one...Read More
LGBT Resistance to the Coup in Honduras
Filed by Jessica Hoffmann | November 16, 2009 2:00 PM |On Saturday I attended a talk by Indyra Mendoza, an activist with the LGTB Coalition Against the Coup in Honduras, who was in LA for a speaking tour. Her message was simple and powerful: Murders of trans women and gay...Read More
Weekly ENDA Update: Could A House Vote Be Next Week?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 16, 2009 10:30 AM |U.S. Representative George Miller, Democrat of California's 7th Congressional District, is the Chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and a supporter of H.R. 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. He will be presiding over the mark up of...Read More
Weekly ENDA Update: Could A House Vote Be Next Week?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 16, 2009 10:30 AM |U.S. Representative George Miller, Democrat of California's 7th Congressional District, is the Chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and a supporter of H.R. 3017, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. He will be presiding over the mark up of...Read More
Why Are So Many Gay Men Grateful They Got HIV?
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 15, 2009 4:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Mike Alvear is the author of Attract Hotter Guys with the Secrets & Science of Sexual Body Language, host of HBO's The Sex Inspectors and writes a sex advice column syndicated to the gay press. He...Read More
The DC Catholic Church's red herring
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | November 15, 2009 2:30 PM |To hear the Catholic Church tell it, if same-sex couples can marry in DC they will have to stop providing social services here. At least that's their threat, as reported earlier this week in the Washington Post. I heard the...Read More
The history maker's historian: Jon Knoll on Jim Madigan
Filed by Phil Reese | November 15, 2009 11:30 AM |Illinois has had its share of making history lately, but we have the opportunity to make history once again with an unprecedented number of openly gay candidates going into this Spring's primaries. Cook County (Chicago) is leading the pack with...Read More
Should Heterosexuals be allowed to serve openly in the military?
Filed by Donna Pandori | November 15, 2009 10:30 AM |According to One News Now the American Medical Association (AMA) is ignoring health facts in homosexual advocacy with it's passage of a resolution that opposes "don't ask, don't tell" and declaration that gay marriage bans contribute to health disparities: Elaine...Read More
Putting on the brakes: An apology
Filed by Austen Crowder | November 14, 2009 4:00 PM |As Antonia said in my last post's comments, "My dear, you certainly stepped into it." It has come to my attention that my counterpoint article on trans exclusion/inclusion has made the rounds on e-mail lists, forums, and the desks of...Read More
John Aravosis' "Don't Ask/Don't Give" has the wrong focus
Filed by Phil Reese | November 14, 2009 12:00 PM |Let me preface this by reminding everyone that my first Bilerico post ever was a critique of the President's LGBT record. That was this past Spring. We are now getting on into Winter, and I still believe the President has...Read More
Maine anti-marriage leader tied to several pro-gay companies
Filed by Bil Browning | November 13, 2009 4:00 PM |Schubert Flint Public Affairs, a Sacramento, Calif.-based consulting firm, worked extensively on California's Proposition 8 and Maine's vote to overturn the new marriage equality law. Two companies listed in the HRC's Corporate Equality Index with excellent scores, however, are currently...Read More
Video WH 'held for review': Obama official Melody Barnes' support for marriage equality
Filed by Pam Spaulding | November 13, 2009 1:00 PM |This story is so weird; it exemplifies the paranoia over at the White House over anything G-A-Y, particularly regarding the President's current illogical-but-politically safe position on marriage equality. We have to roll the story out before getting to the meat...Read More
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 13, 2009 10:30 AM |This past Wednesday, I posted about a possible slow-down of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. I have to admit I was very concerned, though others counseled that ENDA was on track. Yesterday afternoon, thankfully, the House Committee on Education and Labor...Read More
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 13, 2009 10:30 AM |This past Wednesday, I posted about a possible slow-down of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. I have to admit I was very concerned, though others counseled that ENDA was on track. Yesterday afternoon, thankfully, the House Committee on Education and Labor...Read More
For marriage victories, we must face and use religion
Filed by Matt Comer | November 12, 2009 7:30 PM |The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., is saying it might not be able to continue its social services programs if a marriage equality bill is passed by the D.C. Council. The Washington Post reports that Archdiocese officials say the proposed...Read More
I've signed on to Don't Ask, Don't Give (and you should too)
Filed by Bil Browning | November 12, 2009 6:30 PM |Conservative Democrats don't want to move forward on Don't Ask, Don't Tell after the last elections. There are concerns about the future of ENDA. No one in Congress is going to do anything about DOMA anytime soon. (If the votes...Read More
The Importance of "Straight Allies"
Filed by Michael Hamar | November 12, 2009 3:00 PM |As the recent lost on marriage equality in Maine demonstrates, the GLBT community will never achieve full equality under the civil laws without the help of our "straight allies" who may in some cases be better able to open hearts...Read More
ENDA: not a done deal yet
Filed by Phil Reese | November 12, 2009 2:00 PM |According to Dr. Jillian Weiss' Congressional ENDA spreadsheet, we seem to have enough "supporters" in the House to pass an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act once and for all. That does not mean ENDA will pass. Dr. Weiss' spreadsheet shows 214...Read More
Michael Crawford: One of Advocate's People of the Year
Filed by Bil Browning | November 12, 2009 1:00 PM |Congratulations to Bilerico-DC managing editor Michael Crawford for being named one of Advocate magazine's "People of the Year." In a city that is more than 50% African-American, Michael Crawford has been leading the charge on an issue often used to...Read More
Delaware's Sen. Tom Carper: ENDA Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 12, 2009 11:30 AM |How will Delaware's Senator Tom Carper vote on S1584, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act? We don't know, since he hasn't yet indicated his position. Delaware's other Senator, Senator Ted Kaufman, just recently co-sponsored the bill. In understanding the strategy for the...Read More
Delaware's Sen. Tom Carper: ENDA Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 12, 2009 11:30 AM |How will Delaware's Senator Tom Carper vote on S1584, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act? We don't know, since he hasn't yet indicated his position. Delaware's other Senator, Senator Ted Kaufman, just recently co-sponsored the bill. In understanding the strategy for the...Read More
Attacking Tax-Exemptions for Churches a Lose-Lose Proposition
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 12, 2009 9:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Sam Ritchie is a writer and activist who lives with his husband of twelve years in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. He writes, edits and manages online content for the American Civil Liberties Union's LGBT & AIDS Projects....Read More
Counterpoint: trans-inclusion is distracting to LGB legislation
Filed by Austen Crowder | November 11, 2009 6:00 PM |Author's note: this piece is a point-counterpoint, academic discussion of issues currently circulating in the LGBT community. These points in no way represent my personal beliefs on the issue: as a transwoman and LGBT activist I want to see solidarity...Read More
Everything is not marriage
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 11, 2009 5:00 PM |I'm more accustomed to calling out the idea that same-sex marriage will solve every problem that queer people face. No, it won't end school bullying, it won't give us all access to health care, it won't make our relationships any...Read More
Rumors of ENDA Slow-Down In The House
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 11, 2009 12:00 PM |Congressional offices are closed today for Veterans Day, so we can take a break from calling our Senators. As you know, we have been working on moving the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the U.S. Senate, where the real fight is...Read More
Rumors of ENDA Slow-Down In The House
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 11, 2009 12:00 PM |Congressional offices are closed today for Veterans Day, so we can take a break from calling our Senators. As you know, we have been working on moving the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the U.S. Senate, where the real fight is...Read More
LDS Changes Sides on Salt Lake City Human Rights Ordinance?
Filed by Bil Browning | November 10, 2009 5:45 PM |Tonight's Salt Lake City city council meeting to pass a fully inclusive human rights ordinance might come with a pleasant surprise from the Mormons. The LDS church previously opposed the ordinance, but according to my sources they will announce at...Read More
On Paying for Immoral Things; or: Is Stupak on to Something?
Filed by Don Davis | November 10, 2009 2:00 PM |There has been a great wailing and gnashing of teeth over the past day or so as those who follow the healthcare debate react to the Stupak/Some Creepy Republican Guy Amendment. The Amendment, which is apparently intended to respond to...Read More
A Rally in Albany
Filed by Father Tony | November 10, 2009 1:00 PM |New York blogger bud Gavin contacted me with this report about yesterday's marriage rights rally in Albany, New York.. Just when I thought we were all burned out from Maine and Washington, looking at these photos made me feel hopeful...Read More
Please Thank Senators Paul Kirk and Ted Kaufman: ENDA's Newest Co-Sponsors
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 10, 2009 11:30 AM |Senator Paul Kirk of Massachusetts and Ted Kaufman of Delaware have signed on as the newest co-sponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, S. 1584. Just as it is important to ask for support, it is also important to say thank...Read More
Please Thank Senators Paul Kirk and Ted Kaufman: ENDA's Newest Co-Sponsors
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 10, 2009 11:30 AM |Senator Paul Kirk of Massachusetts and Ted Kaufman of Delaware have signed on as the newest co-sponsors of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, S. 1584. Just as it is important to ask for support, it is also important to say thank...Read More
Our Families Count Launches Website
Filed by Jerame Davis | November 10, 2009 10:30 AM |In July, I wrote about a project I've been involved with that aims "to educate and motivate all LGBT Americans and households to be visible in 2010, and to take part in the 2010 U.S. Census." At that time, Our...Read More
TAKE ACTION: End Anti-LGBT Job Discrimination in Florida
Filed by Nadine Smith | November 10, 2009 10:00 AM |The Florida Competitive Workforce Bill adds "sexual orientation and gender identity and expression" to Florida's civil rights law that bans discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. End Anti-LGBT Job Discrimination in Florida Endorse the Florida Competitive Workforce Bill Even...Read More
Exclusion of GLBT dialogue in schools hurts all children
Filed by Donna Pandori | November 10, 2009 9:30 AM |We've seen in California and now Maine how far religious fundamentalists will go to prevent same-sex couples from obtaining the civil right of marriage. The successful theme continually used which resonates with their supporters is "homosexuals will indoctrinate your children...Read More
Vegas still casts desert mirage of equality
Filed by Cassandra Keenan | November 09, 2009 5:00 PM |It's the sex and gambling capital of the world - a place where anything goes, right? Wrong. As far as I'm concerned, Las Vegas generally has a bogus reputation for being socially liberal, including when it comes to LGBTQ liberties,...Read More
Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Filed by Jeff Sheng | November 09, 2009 3:00 PM |For almost all of us, this past week has been crushing due to the results from Maine. Almost an equal disappointment for myself is that I am reminded how President Obama was elected a year ago, and change still seems...Read More
The time to demand unequivocal Progressive support
Filed by Phil Reese | November 09, 2009 2:00 PM |I think everyone's already put their two cents in on 'Maine'--including myself and Maggie Gallagher. Certainly we're not all on the same page on marriage, but what happened in Maine was a demoralizing defeat for a lot of people. The...Read More
Weekly ENDA Update: What Did The Senate Hearing Accomplish?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 09, 2009 10:30 AM |The Senate held hearings to a nearly empty Committee chamber last week regarding the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Only five Senators showed up, all Democrats, including the Chair of the Committee, Senator Harkin, the lead sponsor, Senator Merkley, and three other...Read More
Weekly ENDA Update: What Did The Senate Hearing Accomplish?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 09, 2009 10:30 AM |The Senate held hearings to a nearly empty Committee chamber last week regarding the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Only five Senators showed up, all Democrats, including the Chair of the Committee, Senator Harkin, the lead sponsor, Senator Merkley, and three other...Read More
Roundtable on Kalamazoo, Washington, and Maine's ballot initiatives
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 08, 2009 4:00 PM |Below is a roundtable I just recorded on the ballot initiatives in Maine, Washington, and Kalamazoo. In on the discussion were Joe Mirabella, the LGBT community blogger for Seattle Post-Intelligencer and worked as a social networking consultant for the approve...Read More
Elizabeth Edwards helped my breaking heart
Filed by Gloria Nieto | November 07, 2009 4:00 PM |While living in New Mexico, I heard many folk stories. Tales of emergence, creation stories, even UFO sightings. One in particular has always had a profound impact on me, the story of Apache tears. The story says that some Apaches...Read More
Take a tip from the Lions: or why I don't like the marriage fight
Filed by Austen Crowder | November 06, 2009 4:00 PM |Thinking of gay marriage reminds me of Detroit. Here was a team that did everything wrong; up until the third game of this season they hadn't won a game since 2007. The stadium rarely filled up. The sportscasters used them...Read More
The Top 10 Best Ballot Questions Ever
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 06, 2009 2:00 PM |If "Let the people vote!" is now the dominant, deeply-considered political philosophy, I don't see why we can't all dream about what we want to see on the ballot. There's no cow too sacred, so add in your ballot initiative...Read More
Ok... So, now what?
Filed by Amy Hunter | November 06, 2009 1:00 PM |It's funny, Tuesday afternoon, after watching the noon news, inside my head, I was willing to entertain the idea that we could lose. I mean actually lose! The local newscast had ended with a piece about ballot question 1856--the non-discrimination...Read More
Ok... So, now what?
Filed by Amy Hunter | November 06, 2009 1:00 PM |It's funny, Tuesday afternoon, after watching the noon news, inside my head, I was willing to entertain the idea that we could lose. I mean actually lose! The local newscast had ended with a piece about ballot question 1856--the non-discrimination...Read More
Delaware's Senator Ted Kaufman: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 06, 2009 10:30 AM |Interesting doings yesterday at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which you can view here. I congratulate the Committee and witnesses on doing a wonderful job of addressing business and religious objections...Read More
Delaware's Senator Ted Kaufman: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 06, 2009 10:30 AM |Interesting doings yesterday at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee's hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which you can view here. I congratulate the Committee and witnesses on doing a wonderful job of addressing business and religious objections...Read More
Tampa City Council Votes Unanimously to Add 'Gender Identity and Expression' to Human Rights Ordinance
Filed by Nadine Smith | November 06, 2009 9:30 AM |An amendment to add "gender identity and expression" to the Tampa Human Rights Ordinance passed first reading and will come to the council for a final vote in two weeks. The council voted unanimously 7-0 to move the measure to...Read More
Marriage after Maine
Filed by Nan Hunter | November 05, 2009 7:30 PM |As heartbreaking as it was for the people on the ground and as callous as this may sound, Maine 09 was just another move in the two steps forward, one step back dance that social change movements are. The overall...Read More
We can't deny the fact that you hate us right now, you hate us!
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 05, 2009 6:30 PM |I was actually gone on vacation for the earlier part of this week in Seville, since French vacations don't line up with American elections... but I've been catching up and most of what I wanted to say about the elections...Read More
Maggie Gallagher (NOM) attended pro gay marriage rally in DC
Filed by Donna Pandori | November 05, 2009 4:30 PM |Metro Weekly, Washington DC's GLBT magazine, is reporting Maggie Gallagher attended a pro gay marriage rally in Washington, DC, the night following Maine's vote on same-sex marriage. A protest rally held in Dupont Circle tonight brought together same-sex marriage supporters...Read More
Prop 8 anniversary in LA draws 150 and a Police Commissioner
Filed by Karen Ocamb | November 05, 2009 3:30 PM |Openly gay Los Angeles Police Commission Rob Saltzman was among about 150 people of all ages who rallied at the Metro station at Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Ave Wednesday night marking the one year anniversary of the passage of...Read More
And Now, Two Steps Forward
Filed by Kate Kendell | November 05, 2009 3:00 PM |Even as we took the sucker punch of losing marriage equality in Maine by popular vote, we saw history made and in the making in Kalamazoo, Michigan and--hopefully--Washington State. In Kalamazoo voters strongly backed an ordinance which protects lesbian, gay,...Read More
"Obedience" -- Bigotry at Work in Maine
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | November 05, 2009 2:00 PM |I've said it before, and I'll say it again. When we go head to head at the polls with an ideological enemy who is more numerous than we are -- who has more money than we do to spend on...Read More
Steve Kornell Wins St. Pete City Council Race!
Filed by Nadine Smith | November 05, 2009 1:30 PM |We did it! Tuesday night, Steve Kornell won his historic race to become the first openly gay person to win a seat on the St. Petersburg City Council. In a contest widely praised for being a clean race that focused...Read More
Are We Listening?
Filed by Rebecca Juro | November 05, 2009 1:30 PM |It's times like these when, even though you're proven right, you take no joy in it. Back in February, I wrote that same-sex marriage is overall a loser issue in this country right now and that our community would be...Read More
Liveblogging the Senate ENDA Hearing
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 05, 2009 9:45 AM |First, some good news this morning! Senator Kirk of Massachusetts has signed on to co-sponsor ENDA! Let's all call to thank him at 202-224-4543 (Toll free DC Capitol line: 866-220-0044). And while you're at it, use this handy-dandy form from...Read More
Liveblogging the Senate ENDA Hearing
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 05, 2009 9:45 AM |First, some good news this morning! Senator Kirk of Massachusetts has signed on to co-sponsor ENDA! Let's all call to thank him at 202-224-4543 (Toll free DC Capitol line: 866-220-0044). And while you're at it, use this handy-dandy form from...Read More
GOP Christian Taliban Ticket Sweeps Virginia
Filed by Michael Hamar | November 05, 2009 9:30 AM |Fighting the urge to vomit, last on Tuesday, I watched Creigh Deeds concede to Taliban Bob McDonnell (Pat Robertson's anointed candidate) in the race for Virginia's next governor. Obviously, there are a number of lessons to be learned from Deeds'...Read More
Speaker Pelosi (and all your Democratic friends): I'm not waiting anymore.
Filed by Kip Williams | November 05, 2009 9:00 AM |Early November last year, I stayed up into the wee hours one morning obsessively refreshing my web browser. The incoming precinct results for Prop 8 confirmed that my rights were being stripped away from me. I should have been celebrating...Read More
Senate ENDA hearing: Where are the trans witnesses?
Filed by Bil Browning | November 04, 2009 7:00 PM |Tomorrow morning the Senate will hear testimony on S. 1584 - the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The legislation would provide employment protections for LGBT people. In a strategic move endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign and other prominent leaders and activists,...Read More
Mourn the losses... Celebrate the Victories!
Filed by Phil Reese | November 04, 2009 6:00 PM |Today is not a day to be sad. Anger is a different story. We have a lot to be angry about with our community's razor-thin defeat in Maine. Its a hard pill to swallow. I've given quite a bit of...Read More
Our Muddled Electoral Mess
Filed by Diane Silver | November 04, 2009 4:00 PM |Anyone who says they know exactly what yesterday's election results mean for the future of LGBTQ people is a blowhard and a liar. Yesterday's results were decidedly muddled. Marriage equality lost yet again, this time in Maine. For anyone who's...Read More
Our Muddled Electoral Mess
Filed by Diane Silver | November 04, 2009 4:00 PM |Anyone who says they know exactly what yesterday's election results mean for the future of LGBTQ people is a blowhard and a liar. Yesterday's results were decidedly muddled. Marriage equality lost yet again, this time in Maine. For anyone who's...Read More
The Day After a Hard Night
Filed by Kate Kendell | November 04, 2009 3:00 PM |Déjà vu is welcome when it flashes us back to a welcome or happy memory. Today déjà vu is not so pleasant. The loss of marriage rights in Maine is a traumatic reminder of our Prop 8 fight in California....Read More
The Day After a Hard Night
Filed by Kate Kendell | November 04, 2009 3:00 PM |Déjà vu is welcome when it flashes us back to a welcome or happy memory. Today déjà vu is not so pleasant. The loss of marriage rights in Maine is a traumatic reminder of our Prop 8 fight in California....Read More
Justice for Ryan and Something More
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 04, 2009 1:00 PM |Editors' note: Brian Winfield is the Equality Florida Communications Director. In March of 2007, Ryan Skipper was stabbed 19 times and left to die on a dirt road in rural Polk County, Florida. He was only 25. His killers drove...Read More
Indiana's Senator Evan Bayh: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 04, 2009 10:30 AM |Last night's loss in Maine for marriage equality was very disappointing, losing by about 5 percentage points, but the ENDA-like non-discrimination ordinance won in Kalamazoo by an amazing 30 percentage points. The Kalamazoo ordinance covers housing and public accommodations, in...Read More
Indiana's Senator Evan Bayh: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 04, 2009 10:30 AM |Last night's loss in Maine for marriage equality was very disappointing, losing by about 5 percentage points, but the ENDA-like non-discrimination ordinance won in Kalamazoo by an amazing 30 percentage points. The Kalamazoo ordinance covers housing and public accommodations, in...Read More
Jesse's Journal: Kevin Jennings and the antigay witch hunt
Filed by Jesse Monteagudo | November 04, 2009 10:00 AM |In May 2009 President Barack Obama appointed Kevin Jennings to the post of Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education and Director of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education (the so-called "safe schools czar.") The...Read More
Election Day
Filed by Kate Clinton | November 04, 2009 9:30 AM |At 7:30 yesterday morning, we walked to our local polling place in the elementary school, past the "Vote Aqui" signs, past the bake sale moms, the cellophaned chocolate chip Frisbees and into the voting area. The elderly near-sighted, hard-of-hearing, darling...Read More
Election Night Results Open Thread: Maine, WA State, Kalamazoo & Beyond
Filed by Waymon Hudson | November 03, 2009 6:30 PM |Tonight is a big night for LGBT rights and issues- Marriage Equality in Maine, Relationship Recognition in Washington State, and a Human Rights Ordinance in Kalamazoo. Add that to the openly gay candidates (Annise Parker in Houston) and races that...Read More
Election Night Results Open Thread: Maine, WA State, Kalamazoo & Beyond
Filed by Waymon Hudson | November 03, 2009 6:30 PM |Tonight is a big night for LGBT rights and issues- Marriage Equality in Maine, Relationship Recognition in Washington State, and a Human Rights Ordinance in Kalamazoo. Add that to the openly gay candidates (Annise Parker in Houston) and races that...Read More
New study of gay marriage from Census data
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | November 03, 2009 6:00 PM |First of its kind: a demographic analysis, based on new Census Bureau data, comparing statistics on married same-sex couples, unmarried same-sex couples, and married different-sex couples. The Williams Institute for Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at UCLA Law issued...Read More
A little marriage bill moves ahead in D.C.
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 03, 2009 5:50 PM |Editor's Note: Guest blogger Bob Summersgill is a long-time GLBT rights activist in the District of Columbia who has successfully led numerous human rights efforts. Lost in the aftermath of the D.C. Council hearing on the marriage bill and in...Read More
In York, Maine Today: No on One!
Filed by Sara Whitman | November 03, 2009 5:00 PM |My friend, and fellow board member of Mass Equality, Pete and I hit the road this morning to knock on doors. Specifically, we were in Kittery. The campaign was set up at the York Harbor Inn, and set up with...Read More
How Do You Just Watch a Rape?
Filed by Terrance Heath | November 03, 2009 4:00 PM |NOTE: TRIGGER WARNING, VIDEO BELOW DEPICTS GRAPHIC RAPE SCENE FROM A MOVIE. WTF is wrong with people? How do you just watch a rape?...Read More
Maine, Obama and the LGBT Community
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 03, 2009 3:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger, author, political strategist, civil rights activist and public affairs advisor David Mixner writes about his passions: progressive politics, foreign policy, LGBT rights and wildlife advocacy. Once named by Newsweek as the most powerful gay man in...Read More
Maine, Obama and the LGBT Community
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 03, 2009 3:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger, author, political strategist, civil rights activist and public affairs advisor David Mixner writes about his passions: progressive politics, foreign policy, LGBT rights and wildlife advocacy. Once named by Newsweek as the most powerful gay man in...Read More
Maine, Obama and the LGBT Community
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 03, 2009 3:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger, author, political strategist, civil rights activist and public affairs advisor David Mixner writes about his passions: progressive politics, foreign policy, LGBT rights and wildlife advocacy. Once named by Newsweek as the most powerful gay man in...Read More
Voting on marriage equality in DC
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | November 03, 2009 2:00 PM |The hearing on marriage equality in DC continued today before the City Council Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary. Last week there were theatrics by those opposing marriage equality, but there was also a common theme. They want the...Read More
WV's Senator Jay Rockefeller: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 03, 2009 11:30 AM |Big news! The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has just announced its witness list. It's an interesting list that raises hope and questions, and I've uncovered some facts about the witnesses that you can see after the jump....Read More
WV's Senator Jay Rockefeller: Legislator of the Day
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 03, 2009 11:30 AM |Big news! The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has just announced its witness list. It's an interesting list that raises hope and questions, and I've uncovered some facts about the witnesses that you can see after the jump....Read More
DC marriage hearings end with a proposal
Filed by Michael Crawford | November 03, 2009 9:30 AM |Monday was the second day of the marathon hearings on the DC marriage bill. Over 250 people signed up to testify for or against legalizing marriages between same-sex couples over the two days with roughly 80% of the witnesses supporting...Read More
Equality March Co-Directors Resign; Group Reorganizes Amid Controversy
Filed by Bil Browning | November 03, 2009 12:30 AM |Kip Williams and Robin McGehee, Co-Directors of the National Equality March, have left Equality Across America citing differences about the direction the new group should take. The march, held less than a month ago, attracted about 200,000 LGBT people to...Read More
Low Blows In The NJ Governor's Race
Filed by Rebecca Juro | November 02, 2009 6:00 PM |Here in New Jersey, politics is a contact sport and the participants are not shy about drawing blood. It's been this way throughout my adult lifetime and I don't expect it will ever change. It's just the way politics is...Read More
Is Alan Grayson a politician, a rock star, or a nut job?
Filed by Phil Reese | November 02, 2009 5:00 PM |Florida Rep. Alan Grayson is making a lot of waves on Capitol Hill over health care, and his words seem to be resonating with folks--and enraging others. This video comes directly from Grayson's own Rock-star-like YouTube channel. How does a...Read More
If you don't vote, it's all your fault!
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 02, 2009 3:00 PM |Editors' Note: Having grown up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, guest blogger Steve Publicover worked for fifteen years in the non-profit field of consumer credit education and advocacy and has written newsletters, educational materials and numerous articles for a...Read More
Why gay marriage IS the End of the World (or the queer world, at least)
Filed by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore | November 02, 2009 2:00 PM |I organized a sassy roundtable for the queer issue of Maximum Rocknroll, which was the October issue -- the issue is now off the stands, but here is the roundtable for your viewing pleasure -- it's a bit long, but...Read More
Lessons for the marginalized
Filed by Amy Hunter | November 02, 2009 1:00 PM |Kalamazoo will vote tomorrow. Should the city reinstate and keep on the books a transgender inclusive non-discrimination ordinance? Nearly all of these local initiatives ultimately stand or fall on two issues, "reverse discrimination", leveled at L,G,B and T and the...Read More
Weekly ENDA Update: Senate Hearings!
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 02, 2009 10:30 AM |Now that the hate crimes bill has been enacted into law, the Next Big Thing is ENDA. That's the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the bill to stop job discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity. I'll continue to post a...Read More
Weekly ENDA Update: Senate Hearings!
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 02, 2009 10:30 AM |Now that the hate crimes bill has been enacted into law, the Next Big Thing is ENDA. That's the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the bill to stop job discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity. I'll continue to post a...Read More
Down To the Wire
Filed by Adam Bink | November 02, 2009 9:30 AM |Last month, Bil asked you to chip in to send me to Maine to write at my home blog, OpenLeft, about the campaign to protect marriage equality, and to build a broader movement of non-LGBT activists. Many of you generously...Read More
Guess Who Just Played the Gay Card?
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 01, 2009 10:00 AM |Editors' 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
Guess Who Just Played the Gay Card?
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 01, 2009 10:00 AM |Editors' 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
