Politics: July 2010
Our Politics of Powerlessness
Filed by Terrance Heath | July 31, 2010 10:00 AM |In the metro-D.C. area, if it isn’t electricity it’s the water. The wind shifts direction or a simple summer storm is all it takes to knock out one or the other -- and, many times, both. But we don’t just...Read More
GOProud, NOM, Grover Norquist: A conservative family photo
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 30, 2010 3:00 PM |Grover Norquist is a conservative hit man who has absolutely no values other than helping the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. So it was an interesting move last month to put him on the board...Read More
Telling Your Story of Workplace Discrimination And Harassment
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 30, 2010 1:00 PM |At Netroots Nation, a bunch of us got together to talk about why ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, has fallen to the bottom of the barrel. One of the points we noticed is that the campaign to put soldier's stories...Read More
State will not investigate police shooting of man in cruising area
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 30, 2010 12:30 PM |Last week I posted on the fatal police shooting of Dean Gaymon and said that the orgs working on that were asking for a federal investigation. Shortly after Bill Dobbs emailed to correct me - they were asking for the...Read More
New Gay Street Beat Podcast (Featuring Me!) Talks About DADT, Music, Target, & More!
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 30, 2010 12:00 PM |I was back on the new LGBT podcast "Gay Street Beat" this week for their latest edition and wanted to share it with all of you! Be sure to download it free on iTunes or listen to it on the...Read More
New Gay Street Beat Podcast (Featuring Me!) Talks About DADT, Music, Target, & More!
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 30, 2010 12:00 PM |I was back on the new LGBT podcast "Gay Street Beat" this week for their latest edition and wanted to share it with all of you! Be sure to download it free on iTunes or listen to it on the...Read More
A Deserved Legal Victory, a Story Told Too Often
Filed by Michael Adams | July 29, 2010 5:00 PM |In my former life as a gay rights lawyer, I learned that lawsuits in response to tragedy can be a double-edged sword. I witnessed a familiar pattern no matter what the circumstance of discrimination: court action squeezes some justice out...Read More
A Deserved Legal Victory, a Story Told Too Often
Filed by Michael Adams | July 29, 2010 5:00 PM |In my former life as a gay rights lawyer, I learned that lawsuits in response to tragedy can be a double-edged sword. I witnessed a familiar pattern no matter what the circumstance of discrimination: court action squeezes some justice out...Read More
Interview with NOM's Maggie Gallagher
Filed by Bil Browning | July 29, 2010 4:00 PM |While I made a video combining the highlights from my interviews with NOM president Maggie Gallagher and Ryan McCann from the Indiana Family Institute yesterday, I thought I'd also put up the raw footage from my interview with Maggie. You...Read More
An Opportunity in Disguise in Baton Rouge, LA
Filed by Bruce Parker | July 29, 2010 2:00 PM |On the morning of July 29, 2010 I awoke to a text message from Adrian, the vice-president of the LSU's LGBTQ student organization (SPECTRUM) that I informally advise. He told me to read page 13 of The Advocate, Baton Rouge's...Read More
Congress app for Android puts the Legislature in the palm of your hand
Filed by Nathan Strang | July 29, 2010 8:30 AM |Caught in a political discussion and want to immediately recall your Senator's voting record? There's an [Android] App for that. Released out of beta on July 27th, 2010, the 'Congress' App for Android leverages the power of Sunlight Congress API...Read More
School Boards Essential to Gay Progress
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 28, 2010 8:30 AM |Netroots Nation wasn't just socialization and Dan Choi's promise ring. There was also some serious strategizing on how to move our cause forward. Yes, people suggested lobbying legislators, joining progressive campaigns and reaching out to other groups, like Greenpeace or...Read More
What I Learned At Netroots Nation
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 27, 2010 5:00 PM |There were many lessons for me at Netroots Nation, few of them learned in a seminar room. As a transgender woman, who grew up in a very straight environment, and not attuned to gay life by virtue of any early...Read More
Indian university lets students choose M, F, and TG
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 27, 2010 2:30 PM |Last year I posted about India allowing people to choose "Other" on voter registration when it comes to gender and Pakistan legally recognizing hijra as a third sex. Now Bangalore University will allow students to apply as "TG" for transgender,...Read More
The DownRIGHT Crazy
Filed by Guest Blogger | July 27, 2010 10:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Matt R. Salmon is an ASU Graduate with a Bachelor's in Psychology. He works in clinical research and is the chairman of the Arizona Log Cabin Republicans. Growing up in a political, conservative, religious family instilled...Read More
Dan Choi's Promise Ring and Humanist Activism
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 26, 2010 4:00 PM |To say that Netroots Nation got emotional would be an understatement: I cannot count how many times I saw tears, screaming arguments and a few outbursts that looked more like a breakdown than progress. These fervent outbursts are understandable: fighting...Read More
Senator Jim Webb - A Soon to be Convert to the GOP?
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 26, 2010 2:00 PM |Having already done his utmost to alienate LGBT voters by his refusal to support DADT repeal, now Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb is working hard to alienate the minority vote by stating that affirmative action programs for racial minorities need...Read More
Senator Jim Webb - A Soon to be Convert to the GOP?
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 26, 2010 2:00 PM |Having already done his utmost to alienate LGBT voters by his refusal to support DADT repeal, now Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb is working hard to alienate the minority vote by stating that affirmative action programs for racial minorities need...Read More
Judge says no to discrimination in Arizona
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 26, 2010 12:00 PM |The state legislature and the governor of Arizona decided last year that the state's budgetary shortfall could be solved by cutting domestic partner benefits for state employees. Since they don't cost more than benefits for married employees, it only makes...Read More
Have we squandered our moment in Illinois?
Filed by Phil Reese | July 25, 2010 7:00 PM |I'm here at Netroot Nations in Las Vegas this weekend, learning about strategies and tactics on organizing in the Progressive field. Progressives are still excited, we're still fired up, and we still have the right plans and the right ideas....Read More
Response to 'An Open Letter to Louisiana's LGBt Organization, Forum for Equality'
Filed by Guest Blogger | July 25, 2010 5:30 PM |Editors' Note: This guest blog comes from the Forum For Equality in response to Wesley Ware's post "An Open Letter to Louisiana's LGBt Organization, Forum for Equality." Dear Mr. Ware, Thank you for your open letter and expressing your concerns...Read More
AIDS2010 in Vienna: A Final Look
Filed by Mark S. King | July 25, 2010 12:00 PM |Life is such an arbitrary thing; I was born here, you were born there, she was born over there... and that simple geography equation will mean virtually everything when it comes to our human rights, our access to basic health...Read More
SameSexSunday 8: Troop survey, gay candidates, Vienna, Argentina, and strategies the LGBT movement can learn from others
Filed by Phil Reese | July 25, 2010 10:00 AM |This is a special SameSexSunday from the Democracy For America's Netroots Nation conference in Las Vegas, the largest Progressive blogger and online organizer conference in America, and we took advantage of the availability of outstanding leaders and thinkers gathered here...Read More
Pelosi at Netroots re ENDA: "Make Me"
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 24, 2010 3:00 PM |Today at Netroots Nation, Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to a large, supportive audience. She spoke about many important issues, and in general I enjoyed it. But I didn't enjoy her answer to the first question, sent in by Netroots Nation...Read More
Pelosi at Netroots re ENDA: "Make Me"
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 24, 2010 3:00 PM |Today at Netroots Nation, Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to a large, supportive audience. She spoke about many important issues, and in general I enjoyed it. But I didn't enjoy her answer to the first question, sent in by Netroots Nation...Read More
Pervers/Cité: Montreal's answer to boring corporate pride events
Filed by R Conrad | July 24, 2010 12:00 PM |Montreal queer and trans activists have announced this year's schedule of events for the community based, collaboratively organized annual pride celebration Percers/Cité. Taking place from August 5th to 15th, the festival offers up a little bit of everything that the...Read More
AIDS2010: The Art of AIDS
Filed by Mark S. King | July 24, 2010 10:00 AM |Everywhere you look at AIDS 2010 (the international AIDS conference happening in Vienna), HIV is being expressed artistically. It's as if the disease is so profound that simple words can't communicate its meaning. In my video blog entry from Vienna,...Read More
Same-Sex Seven Sue Big Sky State
Filed by D Gregory Smith | July 23, 2010 4:00 PM |Another reason why Montana matters: Seven committed same-sex couples and the ACLU are suing the State of Montana for 'failing to offer legal protections to same-sex couples and their families in violation of the Montana Constitution's rights of privacy, dignity...Read More
Florida GOP AG Candidate Jeff Kottkamp: Gays Shouldn't Adopt
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 23, 2010 1:00 PM |In a video interview with the Sun Sentinel editorial board, Republican Attorney General candidate Jeff Kottkamp says he fully supports Florida's ban on gays and lesbians adopting. Kottkamp is the current Lieutenant Governor under Charlie Crist. He goes on to...Read More
Creating Change or Creating Chains? A Fierce Look at the Non-Profit Industrial Complex
Filed by R Conrad | July 23, 2010 12:00 PM |Gay Shame is one of the most interesting and relentless queer political groups to be making noise in the United States these days. They have consistently deployed some of the fiercest political satire, unmatched theatricals feats, and a commitment to...Read More
The Conservation of Activist Mass...
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 23, 2010 11:00 AM |Few things are certain when it comes to gay activism: polls can be misleading, the right can be shrewd and what seems like a sure thing can crumble without a moment's notice. For example, remember when Proposition 8 seemed like...Read More
The Conservation of Activist Mass...
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 23, 2010 11:00 AM |Few things are certain when it comes to gay activism: polls can be misleading, the right can be shrewd and what seems like a sure thing can crumble without a moment's notice. For example, remember when Proposition 8 seemed like...Read More
In Defense of Same Sex Marriage
Filed by Guest Blogger | July 23, 2010 9:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Dr. Carlos T Mock is a native Puerto Rican who resides in Chicago, IL and Three Oaks, MI. He has published four books and is the GLBT Editor for Floricanto Press in Berkley, CA. Since Same-sex...Read More
In Defense of Same Sex Marriage
Filed by Guest Blogger | July 23, 2010 9:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Dr. Carlos T Mock is a native Puerto Rican who resides in Chicago, IL and Three Oaks, MI. He has published four books and is the GLBT Editor for Floricanto Press in Berkley, CA. Since Same-sex...Read More
AIDS2010: Human Rights March with Annie Lennox
Filed by Mark S. King | July 23, 2010 8:30 AM |The AIDS2010 theme, "Rights Here, Right Now," took center stage on day three, with speakers, seminars and events focused on how important human rights are the the AIDS equation. Access to health care and treatment is a human right. Women...Read More
Lt Dan Choi's discharge papers
Filed by Bil Browning | July 22, 2010 6:00 PM |Lt Dan Choi was officially discharged by the military in late June. Unfortunately, he wasn't told that the paperwork had finally gone through; he found out about it when Gay City New and Newsweek contacted him for comment. In a...Read More
NN10: Marriage equality panel minutes
Filed by Nathan Strang | July 22, 2010 5:30 PM |Sudbay, sudbay sudbay sudbay.... sudbay sudbay.. sudbay sudbay bink. Bink bink bink. Michael cra...bink sudbay.... Oh! And Joe Sudbay said Bilerico! I thought the idea of a moderator was a to moderate and not to steal the show... Poor Michael...Read More
4 AM In Vegas
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 22, 2010 5:00 PM |It's 4 am in Vegas, where I'm attending the Netroots Nation conference. Starbucks is closed, and I'm dying for a cup of coffee, having crashed last night at 10 (1 am for the Eastern time zone programmed into my Circadian...Read More
More on the reality of a gay candidate
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 22, 2010 4:00 PM |This is why I don't put much stock in abstract polls that show X percentage of Americans would vote for a gay candidate. Sure, Scott Galvin has already won an election (he's on the city council and he's running for...Read More
AIDS2010 Day Two: The Wisdom of Youth
Filed by Mark S. King | July 22, 2010 3:00 PM |Today was a blast, because I spent it with my intellectual peers -- puppets, show people and youth! In this video blog entry from AIDS2010 in Vienna you'll meet some amazing young people from around the world who are making...Read More
Netroots Virgin: Liberally Exhausting
Filed by Nathan Strang | July 22, 2010 2:00 PM |What happens in Vegas... gets blogged. So far, Its been a stimulating overload of new faces, old friends, and some overhashed discussion. I love it though and I couldn't be more happy to be be here at Netroots Nations with...Read More
Police kill man, accuse him of cruising
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 22, 2010 1:00 PM |In case the problem with getting generally homophobic men who are armed to the teeth who aren't meaningfully accountable to the law to go and arrest men cruising in parks wasn't obvious enough, here's a story that shows what can...Read More
Personalizing the Immigration Debate...
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 22, 2010 9:30 AM |As you likely know, scads of LGBT bloggers and activists have gathered in Vegas ahead of the Netroots Nation conference, which officially starts tomorrow. We've spent our day discussing a host of issues, like the seemingly eternal ENDA debate, HIV/AIDS...Read More
Trailer for New Uganda "Kill the Gays" Bill Documentary: Killing in the Name
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 21, 2010 5:00 PM |A trailer has just been released for a new documentary about Uganda's odious "Anti-Homosexality Bill" that prescribes the death penalty and other harsh punishments for LGBT people and their allies. The film is by Dominique Mesmin and if the trailer...Read More
The ex-gay agenda
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 21, 2010 4:00 PM |Look what Wayne Besen turned up (trigger warning): I disagree - honest perversion is a whole lot better than what they're describing in that interview. There's nothing wrong with getting some kink on - where this crosses the line is...Read More
Dan Choi Now Officially Discharged Under DADT
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 21, 2010 12:30 PM |Lieutenant Dan Choi's National Guard unit has notified him by mail and phone he has been fully disachrged and is no longer serving as an American solider. According to Gay City News: Choi lost his battle with the Pentagon on...Read More
Hate Is Hate But Love Is The Answer!
Filed by Davina Kotulski | July 21, 2010 11:30 AM |Hate is hate no matter whose side it's coming from. In fact, I can not see the love from "our side" from this NOM video as their t-shirts ask. Here is a video that the anti-gay group NOM produced. Here's...Read More
Protest NOM's "Summer of Marriage" At A Town Near You
Filed by Michelle Marzullo | July 21, 2010 8:30 AM |The National Organization for Marriage known as NOM is conducting a "Summer for Marriage" tour starting in July and culminating with a rally in Washington, DC on August 15, 2010. Click here to find out about the counter-protest to NOM's...Read More
Protest NOM's "Summer of Marriage" At A Town Near You
Filed by Michelle Marzullo | July 21, 2010 8:30 AM |The National Organization for Marriage known as NOM is conducting a "Summer for Marriage" tour starting in July and culminating with a rally in Washington, DC on August 15, 2010. Click here to find out about the counter-protest to NOM's...Read More
LGBT group gets consultative status at UN
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 20, 2010 8:00 PM |The IGLHRC finally got into the UN, with the US voting in favor of their consultative status: On July 19, 2010, the full United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted in favor of a US-led resolution to grant the...Read More
Vodka Shooting: A Tale of Fluid Gay Hate
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 20, 2010 5:00 PM |By now we're all too familiar with hate crime reports: an attacker hates gays or imagines a gay advance and takes it out on an LGBT person or persons. Anti-gay attacks, however, are much more malleable, less rigid; just consider...Read More
America's False Promises
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 20, 2010 10:30 AM |I often note on my personal blog the vast difference between what the USA claims to stand for - especially in terms of religious freedom - versus the sad reality of what citizens actually experience. Indeed, I wonder at times...Read More
David Mixner: An Oral History of DADT
Filed by Bil Browning | July 19, 2010 8:00 PM |When I was in New York City in early March, fellow contributor Phil Reese and I met veteran activist David Mixner at his favorite restaurant for brunch. David was incredibly generous with his time and after we ate I broke...Read More
Homophobic Conscientious Objection and The Irony of Lifestyle
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 19, 2010 7:00 PM |For all its anti-war origins, conscientious objection proves to be surprisingly volatile, not to mention unstable. Once associated with scruffy hippies and peaceniks, military protest has been co-opted by conservative soldiers who object to the forthcoming Don't Ask, Don't Tell...Read More
AIDS2010 Begins with Sex, Drugs, and Annie Lennox
Filed by Mark S. King | July 19, 2010 3:00 PM |Wendy Knerr from The Pleasure Project really, really wants me to put a female condom inside my rectum. She keeps coaxing me, as if I'll go running to the men's room to try it on like a Ralph Lauren pullover....Read More
Caster Semenya Is Back on the Track
Filed by Patricia Nell Warren | July 19, 2010 2:00 PM |Last week in Finland, the much-discussed South African runner, now 19, kicked away from the field to win her first race after a year of absence from women's competition. On Thursday, she won the 800-meter at the Lappeenranta Games. But...Read More
An Open Letter to Louisiana's LGBt Organization, Forum for Equality
Filed by Guest Blogger | July 19, 2010 1:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Wesley Ware has been fighting for the rights of LGBT individuals from Atlanta, GA and New Orleans, LA for over ten years. He now works as an advocate for incarcerated youth in Louisiana, including LGBT youth,...Read More
Happy 17th Birthday, DADT!
Filed by Bil Browning | July 19, 2010 12:00 PM |Seventeen years ago today, the Clinton White House announced a new policy they were going to advocate to solve the "problem" of gays in the military. ABC News brought us the story of the new "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy...Read More
Netroots Nation: Online Activism Camp
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 19, 2010 11:00 AM |Tomorrow I leave for "Netroots Nation," a yearly conference for progressive activists. This is my maiden voyage at the conference, first organized in 2006 by readers and writers of the highly-influential progressive blog "DailyKos." The question I leave with is...Read More
Same-Sex Marriage Among the Carnivores
Filed by Jesse Monteagudo | July 19, 2010 10:00 AM |The Argentine Republic's legalization of same-sex marriage July 15 came as a complete surprise to those of us who think of Argentina as the land of machismo meat-eaters - Argentines are the world's biggest carnivores, consuming 70 kilos (154 lbs.)...Read More
'Gay Day' at AIDS2010 in Vienna!
Filed by Mark S. King | July 19, 2010 8:30 AM |In this, the first of daily video blogs from AIDS2010 in Vienna, I'm taking you along to meet leaders from the gay response to HIV/AIDS. You'll hear from Michel Sidibe of the United Nations, saying that a world in which...Read More
Robyn Deane: McDonnell's Transgender Former Brother-in-Law Speaks Out for LGBT Rights
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 18, 2010 5:30 PM |I've met Robyn Deane - we had a nice talk at the Commonwealth Dinner back on May 1, 2010, and she reads this blog - and, candidly, I thinks she's terrific. She also has a unique perspective on Virginia's current...Read More
21st Century Leadership: Queers and Interdependence
Filed by Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz | July 18, 2010 4:00 PM |I want an LGBT movement that is visionary, bold and unafraid of difference. I want an LGBT movement that represents the full breadth and depth of our communities without hesitation or compromise. In the words of Audre Lorde, I want...Read More
Democrats lay out the agenda for the midterms
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 17, 2010 4:00 PM |Democratic senators have been frustrated to see splits between Democrats on Capitol Hill and the administration emerge during some legislative debates. "We discussed a need to better coordinate our message, to simplify our message and to repeat it as...Read More
World's Craziest Conservatives?
Filed by Terrance Heath | July 17, 2010 10:00 AM |It would be funny, if only it wasn’t reality. That’s what I thought when I came across this while perusing videos on my iPhone recently. It’s a pretty good compliation of the recent insanity. It’s good political satire. If it...Read More
Why were Choi's charges dismissed?
Filed by Bil Browning | July 16, 2010 12:00 PM |Why were Lt. Dan Choi's charges dismissed this week? Metroweekly writer Chris Geidner got to the bottom of the mystery by contacting DC Mayor Adrien Fenty's communications director, Mafara Hobson. Hobson wrote that the Criminal Section of the D.C. Attorney...Read More
Republicans side with Islamic fundamentalists against gays
Filed by Joe Mirabella | July 16, 2010 11:00 AM |Apparently the Republicans have more in common with Islamic extremists than they care to admit when they talk about "terrorism." This little nugget arrived in my inbox from a friend. It is a stark reminder what a Republican majority might...Read More
Georgia GOP Candidate Is Against Gay Adoption, Just Because
Filed by Dana Rudolph | July 16, 2010 9:30 AM |Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, now seeking the Republican nomination for Governor, told local NBC affiliate 11 Alive that not only does she disapprove of marriage equality or domestic partnerships, she would also consider outlawing adoption by gay...Read More
Felicidades Argentina!! Happy Marriage Equality!
Filed by Davina Kotulski | July 16, 2010 8:30 AM |Yesterday Argentina became the first Latin American country to grant same-sex couples the right to marry. This is a huge victory! Now on every continent but Asia, same-sex couples know that their relationships are legal and valued in at least...Read More
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy: A Milestone in the History of the Epidemic
Filed by Dan O'Neill | July 15, 2010 8:00 PM |During his 2008 Presidential campaign, Barack Obama stated, "If elected, during my first year in office, I will develop and implement a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) that includes all federal agencies." He continued, "That strategy will reduce HIV infections,...Read More
The War on Intellectualism Pt. 2: Mainstream Media Madness
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 15, 2010 7:00 PM |When I last touched on the issue of the intentional dumbing down of the American Public, I took aim at the Republican Party during 2008's Presidential election. It seemed the new "culture war" or wedge issue in the election was...Read More
The War on Intellectualism Pt. 2: Mainstream Media Madness
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 15, 2010 7:00 PM |When I last touched on the issue of the intentional dumbing down of the American Public, I took aim at the Republican Party during 2008's Presidential election. It seemed the new "culture war" or wedge issue in the election was...Read More
There will be no popular vote on marriage equality in DC
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | July 15, 2010 3:00 PM |The DC Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, ruled this morning that the marriage equality legislation enacted last year by the DC City Council is not a proper subject for the initiative or referendum process. That means there will be...Read More
Why aren't there more regular LGBT people in the media?
Filed by Davina Kotulski | July 15, 2010 1:00 PM |Has anyone else noticed a preponderance of LGBT people selling out the community? I thought closeted LGBT people like Haggard and Craig were bad for our community, but lately it has been "out" LGBT folks that seem to be doing...Read More
Rachel Maddow on Pentagon's comic book
Filed by Bil Browning | July 15, 2010 12:00 PM |The US Army published a comic book in 2001 meant to teach soldiers and officers the finer details about Don't Ask Don't Tell. The unintentionally hysterical work of great literature includes three "stories" to illustrate the "Homosexual Conduct Policy" in...Read More
Thank you Mr. President for helping to dissipate the cloud of AIDS-stigma
Filed by Michael Emanuel Rajner | July 15, 2010 8:30 AM |Few Americans are offered the opportunity to attend an official event at the White House. This past Tuesday, I was one of those few Americans privileged to roam about the White House with a glass of champagne in hand while...Read More
Can There Be Gay Dignity Without Equality?
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 14, 2010 7:00 PM |Social conservatives and their ilk come up with the most clever ways of justifying their anti-gay politics. The most common defense, of course, comes as "hate the sin, love the sinner." It's a quaint sentiment, although one that's almost entirely...Read More
Can There Be Gay Dignity Without Equality?
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 14, 2010 7:00 PM |Social conservatives and their ilk come up with the most clever ways of justifying their anti-gay politics. The most common defense, of course, comes as "hate the sin, love the sinner." It's a quaint sentiment, although one that's almost entirely...Read More
One of the most deranged fundie e-mails ever
Filed by Bil Browning | July 14, 2010 5:00 PM |After seeing so many breathless missives I've become inured to the bleatings and lies of the religious right, but this fundie action alert takes the crazy to a whole new level. The Citizens for Community Values of Indiana has taken...Read More
This is what a fierce advocate looks like
Filed by Bil Browning | July 14, 2010 2:00 PM |Argentina is the latest country to consider same-sex marriage rights; the legislature is set to debate the issue today. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner supports the legislation and gave this interview to a Chinese news crew while visiting the country...Read More
Choi & Pietrangelo beat charges: Case dismissed
Filed by Bil Browning | July 14, 2010 11:30 AM |Just got a text from Lt. Dan Choi telling me that he and Cpt James Pietrangelo beat the charges against them for chaining themselves to the White House fence. The two had pled not guilty using the defense that President...Read More
Beyond Gay Marriage: the mainstreaming of the Gay Marriage Movement
Filed by R Conrad | July 14, 2010 10:30 AM |KPFA's Lisa Dettmer takes another shot at the prioritization of gay marriage over all other issues in an updated and extended version of her original radio piece Beyond Gay Marriage that I posted last March. So in case you missed...Read More
The White House LGBT Communication Gap
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 13, 2010 10:30 AM |The issue of a communication gap between the LGBT community and the White House was raised at the LGBT White House briefing two weeks ago with Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy...Read More
Off to the White House for 2 incredible events!
Filed by Michael Emanuel Rajner | July 13, 2010 8:30 AM |Over the weekend I decided to take a short break from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program crisis and spent the weekend ocean kayaking in a BlackBerry-free zone, the Atlantic Ocean. I have a few more ADAP Stories from the Hill...Read More
On A Pair Of Victories, Part Two, Or, DOMA Ruled Unconstitutionally Irrational
Filed by Don Davis | July 12, 2010 2:00 PM |We are back, just a bit late, to wrap up the discussion we began about the pair of rulings issued in Boston by Federal District Judge Joseph Tauro this week that declare the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional....Read More
Message heard: "The gAyTM is closed." So what now?
Filed by Joe Mirabella | July 12, 2010 11:00 AM |I stepped in it big time when I suggested it was not the right time to close the gAyTM in a post that I shared widely last week. I got a taste of the anger our community generally directs at...Read More
Who's afraid of equality?
Filed by Chuck Wolfe | July 12, 2010 10:00 AM |If you follow LGBT politics closely, you know the polling numbers by heart. Two thirds of Americans believe same-sex couples deserve legal protections in the form of civil unions or marriage. About 75 percent believe gays and lesbians should be...Read More
Why We DO Need to Close the "gAyTM"
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 12, 2010 8:30 AM |Joe Mirabella had posts on Pam's House Blend and here at The Bilerico Project entitled "Don't Close the "gAyTM" that garnered high volumes of comments (65 comments on Bilerico and 197 comments on Pam's blog). Joe's argument - after reviewing...Read More
Why We DO Need to Close the "gAyTM"
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 12, 2010 8:30 AM |Joe Mirabella had posts on Pam's House Blend and here at The Bilerico Project entitled "Don't Close the "gAyTM" that garnered high volumes of comments (65 comments on Bilerico and 197 comments on Pam's blog). Joe's argument - after reviewing...Read More
Disaster Capitalism's Catastrophic Success in Ireland ... And America
Filed by Terrance Heath | July 11, 2010 2:30 PM |In American politics, especially in post-9/11 politics, what most desperately needs saying is often banished to the realm of the unsayable. It’s either too impolite or too impolitic to utter. This tends to apply more to the left than the...Read More
Tell Virginia's Senators to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" this year
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 11, 2010 11:30 AM |As most readers know, repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell is very high on the list of legislative items that I personally want to see accomplished this year. Living in Hampton Roads with its huge closeted military service member population, I...Read More
Same Sex Sunday: DOMA decision, the Today Show, Hawaii Veto, and more
Filed by Joe Mirabella | July 11, 2010 10:00 AM |Last week was a roller coaster ride for the LGBT community. We started off with more than disappointing news that Hawaii's Governor Lingle vetoed the civil union law. On Same Sex Sunday we interview Lambda Legal's Jenny Pizer who will...Read More
Another Big Step Forward
Filed by Marc Solomon | July 10, 2010 2:00 PM |Yesterday's news out of Massachusetts was historic. A federal district court judge ruled that the federal government cannot treat same-sex married couples differently from heterosexual married couples if their state allows both to marry. This means that marriage is marriage,...Read More
Don't Close the "gAyTM"
Filed by Joe Mirabella | July 10, 2010 12:00 PM |The LGBT community is understandably upset by the lack of movement towards full equality at the federal level. The Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would make it illegal for someone to be fired for being LGBT is still not...Read More
The limits of Tentherism
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 09, 2010 3:00 PM |The right can be expected to have a hissy fit over the decisions that came out of the federal court in Massachusetts yesterday that rejected parts of DOMA. And, as always, their complaints will be about judicial activism, since a...Read More
Why DOMA? The "What The Heck?" Defense
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 09, 2010 2:00 PM |In my last post, I discussed how the concept of equal protection works. I explained that the government, if they're going to treat a group unequally, must have a rational basis for doing that. Congress had come up with four...Read More
On A Pair Of Victories, Part One, Or, "I DOMA Think Congress Can Define Spouse Anymore"
Filed by Don Davis | July 09, 2010 11:00 AM |I have to work fast over the next two days to get you this story, but it is a good one. We are all aware of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), championed by former Congressman Bob "I'm A...Read More
What The Massachusetts DOMA Decisions Mean
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 09, 2010 9:30 AM |As you undoubtedly know by now, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued two opinions last night finding that the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" is unconstitutional. Why two different opinions? The first one, Gill v....Read More
We Won! Two big marriage victories today
Filed by Bil Browning | July 08, 2010 6:00 PM |Big news on the marriage front today. Marriage equality advocates won two court battles challenging the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court. Judge Joseph Tauro of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts handed down decisions in...Read More
Learning not to share: Feeding homeless people bothers the family values crowd
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 08, 2010 5:00 PM |I post often enough here about gay sex stings in parks, so much so that I've gotten accused of being a bathroom-trolling queer (which is funny, because my sex life is boring and the most public sex I've ever had...Read More
Military starts surveying troops on DADT
Filed by Bil Browning | July 08, 2010 3:00 PM |Please circle one: Do you find queers to be icky? a) Yes b) No What ridiculous bullshit. The military started sending out surveys to servicemembers yesterday to find out their feelings about ending the discriminatory "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy....Read More
Glenn v. Brumby: Judge Story Makes Hamburger Out Of Perfectly Good Steak
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 08, 2010 12:00 PM |As I discussed yesterday, the Glenn v. Brumby lawsuit is premised on the Equal Protection clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment (No state shall deny to any person the equal protection of the laws), rather than the federal civil...Read More
IN Senator Lugar won't oppose DADT repeal
Filed by Bil Browning | July 07, 2010 7:00 PM |The Washington Blade that Republican Indiana Senator Richard Lugar won't support a motion to strike the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell from this year's defense authorization bill. He also wouldn't support John McCain's threatened filibuster over DADT's inclusion. Asked...Read More
New Questions Around Uganda Beheading, but Situation Remains the Same
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 07, 2010 3:00 PM |It appears that some of the details about the motivation behind the violent beheading of Pasikali Kashusbe and his connection to LGBT rights group Integrity Uganda are still very much in question. A story that some connected to the beheading,...Read More
Hawaii doesn't get civil unions
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 07, 2010 2:00 PM |Hawaii's Republican governor Linda Lingle vetoed a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions: "This is a decision that should not be made by one person sitting in her office or by members of the Majority Party behind closed doors in...Read More
Georgia Federal Court Rules For Trans Woman on Sex Discrimination Claim
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 07, 2010 9:30 AM |The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ruled late Friday that the Georgia General Assembly illegally discriminated against a transgender woman by firing her when she announced her plan to transition from male to female. In so...Read More
Fred Karger: Quixotic Hero, Game Changer or Both?
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 06, 2010 7:00 PM |It would be an understatement to say that the Republican Party has found itself at a crossroads. The traditionally established bases like Evangelicals and social conservatives are being uprooted by the more fiscally-minded Tea Party, leaving the GOP struggling to...Read More
Gay camp is probably more fun than Christian camp anyway
Filed by Alex Blaze | July 06, 2010 3:30 PM |An Australian Christian camp site barred a gay youth group from using its facilities, and now it's arguing that it should be exempt from anti-discrimination legislation because it's not discriminating against gay people, just the promotion of homosexual activity. But...Read More
Why Montana Matters
Filed by D Gregory Smith | July 06, 2010 2:30 PM |I've been getting some exposure over my post Montana Republicans Are Now Officially Homophobes and Bigots. Andrew Sullivan linked to my blog. Outrage was expressed on the Montana GOP's Facebook page. Another Facebook page wants to "Tell MT Republicans to...Read More
A Call for Violence Answered in Uganda: Gay Activist Found Beheaded
Filed by Waymon Hudson | July 06, 2010 1:30 PM |There's disturbing and sad news out of Uganda today. The severed head of Ugandan LGBT rights activist Pasikali Kashusbe was found in a latrine on a farm in Uganda. Pasikali and his partner Abbey are youth workers with Integrity Uganda,...Read More
Did you barbecue pig or pug this 4th?
Filed by Rev Irene Monroe | July 06, 2010 12:30 PM |What did you put on your grill this 4th of July? Pork ribs? Beef burgers? Farm-raised chickens? Or domesticated dogs? No, not hot dogs? Dogs! The ones we walk on leashes, send to be groomed, dress up in clothes, and...Read More
What Full Equality, Quite Frankly, Will Require: White House
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 06, 2010 9:30 AM |The interview at the White House with Melody Barnes last week lasted over an hour. The full transcript would be quite long and quite dense, so I've broken it into a series of more digestible pieces. These are quite revealing,...Read More
Obama, Congressional Democrats and The Pink Beltway
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 06, 2010 8:30 AM |There were two great posts up on Pam's House Blend - one by Pam Spaulding and the other by Autumn Sandeen, both of whom I got to know at the December 2008 LGBT Blogger Summit. Neither post holds its punches...Read More
The American Equality Bill: An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 05, 2010 7:00 PM |The American Equality Bill is a proposed federal law that will amend all existing federal civil rights laws to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity". Drafted by Karen Doering, an attorney who has been involved in some of the most...Read More
A Belated Independence Day Message from the Founders
Filed by Michael Hamar | July 05, 2010 3:00 PM |Locally here in Virginia both the Virginian Pilot and the Daily Press - and I suspect many, many other newspapers across the nation - carried the text of the Declaration of Independence as their main editorials. The Daily Press also...Read More
More White House Briefing: A Strong Administration, Or A Weak Administration?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 05, 2010 1:00 PM |I have discussed some of the things said in the White House briefing last week, but there is more that I was not able to get to. One of those items I didn't yet discuss was a question from Lou...Read More
Homophobia and Israel/Palestine or, What's political about "Queer?": Some thoughts
Filed by Yasmin Nair | July 05, 2010 11:00 AM |Jasbir Puar, who wrote Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times, has been writing for The Guardian's "Comment is Free" column. Her latest piece, "Israel's gay propaganda war," offers some interesting political analysis of claims made by Israel and many in...Read More
Roundtable: Holiday Weekend Version of SameSexSunday!
Filed by Phil Reese | July 05, 2010 10:00 AM |For our second weekly politics round table, we discuss Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Google's gay partner salary bump, future Justice Elena Kagan's Senate hearings, Lt. Dan Choi's curious subpoena and why we weren't part of the President's first speech on...Read More
Hate Crimes Reported in Hollywood
Filed by Karen Ocamb | July 05, 2010 8:30 AM |Dominic Montelongo was shaking when he told his story to LAPD Chief Charlie Beck at a recent police forum at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center. Between 1:30-1:45 a.m. on April 20 after leaving Mr. Black, a club at Bardot...Read More
White House Briefing on LGBT Issues: What The White House Has Done For Us
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 02, 2010 12:00 PM |It was an honor to attend yesterday's White House briefing on LGBT issues. Many subjects were discussed, and I think all are worthy of discussion, so I'm going to take them one at a time. Yesterday I discussed the question...Read More
Tony Perkins testifies against Elena Kagan
Filed by Bil Browning | July 02, 2010 11:00 AM |The Family Research Council's head homobigot, Tony Perkins, testified against Elena Kagan's nomination to the Supreme Court yesterday. Of course, he railed about same-sex marriage and Kagan's stance on repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. Perkins full testimony as prepared for...Read More
Rick Scott's Anti-Gay "Liberal" Attack Runs Aground
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | July 01, 2010 8:00 PM |Politics makes strange bedfellows. It makes even stranger attack ads, especially when we gays are brought into the mix. If you need any proof, look no further than Florida gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott, a Tea Party backed Republican who's currently...Read More
Montana Republicans Are Officially Homophobes And Bigots
Filed by D Gregory Smith | July 01, 2010 5:00 PM |Alex beat me to the punch in breaking this story, but I felt there were a few things left to say... In their newly unveiled 2010 Platform, the Montana GOP has included a plank (under "Crime") which states: We support...Read More
Today's White House Briefing on LGBT Issues: The President Is "Very Supportive"
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | July 01, 2010 4:00 PM |The White House Office of Media Affairs today held a briefing for LGBT media with Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes. The subject was the Obama Administration's activities around LGBT issues....Read More
Massachusetts: What's Next?
Filed by Sara Whitman | July 01, 2010 3:00 PM |I know I haven't written in a while- I had to wait until I had something good to say. Something positive. Hopeful. No negative Nancy comments. I had the distinct pleasure of sitting in a conference room for the last...Read More
Rep Jackie Speier: ENDA Within 5 Years
Filed by Bil Browning | July 01, 2010 2:00 PM |Is this something new and unusual in Washington? A Congressperson who's willing to state the bluntly obvious without couching it in terms meant to keep the LGBT community's support while not moving forward on our issues? Rep Jackie Speier, D-CA,...Read More
