Politics: November 2010
Obama issues statement on Pentagon's DADT report
Filed by Bil Browning | November 30, 2010 6:00 PM |This just in from the White House... President Obama has issued a statement on the report from the Pentagon on the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. As Commander in Chief, I have pledged to repeal the "don't ask, don't...Read More
Pentagon Study Quick Analysis, Go!
Filed by Jarrod Chlapowski | November 30, 2010 3:30 PM |The Pentagon DADT study is out. Duhn duhn duhn. Read it. The study came out a little over an hour ago, and most are still analyzing. Reports that you'll see will be based mostly on the executive summary of the...Read More
Lady Gaga's DADT video
Filed by Bil Browning | November 30, 2010 2:30 PM |Lady Gaga sent a message out to her bajillions of followers on Twitter last night that included a link to a YouTube video she'd made about the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. A message from Gaga: Repeal #DADT http://youtu.be/McEbJPuLUIw...Read More
So he's not a magistrate
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 29, 2010 5:00 PM |I posted this weekend about Joe Rehyansky, a part-time magistrate in Tennessee who wrote a column that read like a long apology for raping lesbians and fearing/hating gay men. Carlo in the comments linked this article that says he actually...Read More
King of the Faggots
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 29, 2010 4:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger David Mixner is a former strategist and adviser to several presidential campaigns, including those for McGovern, Clinton, and Gephardt. He currently works as an activist for AIDS, LGBT rights, and wildlife. Not even going to attempt...Read More
DADT: What can you expect this week?
Filed by Bil Browning | November 29, 2010 2:00 PM |This promises to be a big week for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell so it seemed appropriate to put up a round up recent events and what you can expect this week. (Info courtesy of SLDN) For the...Read More
Gay vulture flap at German zoo
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | November 28, 2010 5:30 PM |This story pisses me off on several levels. German Zoo Forces Gay Vultures to Mate With Females First I strongly object to them even calling the birds gay. They are a bonded pair. Male-bonded pairs are a natural occurrence throughout...Read More
Accepting full body scans and groping is inevitable
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 28, 2010 1:00 PM |I've been thinking along the same lines as Jos at Feministing: Here's the thing: airport security has been problematic for a long time. Since 9/11 security checkpoints have become a major site for racial and religious profiling, something that is...Read More
When Does It Stop?
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 28, 2010 11:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Brody Levesque has spent most of his career keeping an eye on American politics as a wire service correspondent. He runs Brody's Notes and Scribbles, a daily news blog. Earlier this week, FRC was included in...Read More
CA Assembly Speaker John A. Perez: It Gets Better
Filed by Karen Ocamb | November 27, 2010 4:00 PM |Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez is the third most powerful public official in California. And as an openly gay man, he has been deeply moved by the rash of gay teen suicides - and the knowledge of how stressful the...Read More
Texas Bathrooms Have Transsexuals In 'Em
Filed by Monica Roberts | November 27, 2010 10:00 AM |As promised in a previous Bilerico post, I'm giving Projectors an early Christmas present in another one of my infamous song rewrites. I've actually done a rewrite of the ''Texas Has a Whorehouse in It' song from The Best Little...Read More
Family Research Council Deserves No Apology
Filed by Michael Hamar | November 26, 2010 4:00 PM |More crocodile tears and shrieks of victimhood are emanating from the deliberate and vicious liars at Family Research Council. Having followed FRC for over a decade, I can state first hand that the anti-gay tirades have always gone well beyond...Read More
Cutting HIV services in the name of responsibility
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 26, 2010 2:00 PM |As we've seen in the US, times are tough and we all have to make sacrifices to get through this recession. Finance-sector executives receiving record compensation may have to pay taxes at the already elite-friendly 1990 rates (if Congress can...Read More
The Rise of Victorian Feminism: 1905 photo
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | November 26, 2010 10:30 AM |The title of this French photo is "La Triomphe de la Femme" ("triumph of woman"). Dig that Victorian bodysuit, symbolizing nudity while protecting a lady's modesty. She looks like she means business but his little smirk bothers me. Wish I...Read More
Canadian Government Halts Funding of GRS For Trans Inmates
Filed by Mercedes Allen | November 26, 2010 8:30 AM |The Conservative government has ordered Correctional Services Canada to halt all medical coverage for gender reassignment surgery. The change took effect immediately, on Friday, November 19th. "The courts have ruled that CSC must provide essential medical services to inmates. However,...Read More
Risk doesn't matter in HIV non-disclosure prosecutions
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 24, 2010 12:30 PM |I can understand why the woman in this situation would want to sue for something after government officials watched her having sex with another woman while she was drunk and in a jail cell, but this doesn't seem to be...Read More
Welding Women: Vintage labor photo
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | November 23, 2010 4:30 PM |According to the vendor selling this estate rarity, these folks were welders. Looks like a World War II-era factory crew doing their bit back home, and happy to be part of the war effort. I wonder how many of those...Read More
No DADT discharges for a month
Filed by Bil Browning | November 23, 2010 11:30 AM |According to the Pentagon, they haven't discharged anyone under the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy since October 21. Multiple sources have said that's a first since the policy began. While that's good news, SLDN brings us back to earth: A...Read More
Chilean ad calls abusers "maricon"
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 23, 2010 10:30 AM |Here's an ad being run by the Ministry of Women's Services in Chile and promoted by the miners. It says "Faggot is one who beats a woman." Change.org has a petition, which was started by a Chilean LGBT group. Why...Read More
Why You Shouldn't Give to the Salvation Army This Holiday Season
Filed by Bil Browning | November 22, 2010 6:00 PM |This post has been updated for 2011 with more information. In case you've forgotten, the holiday season is fast upon us. That means the Salvation Army bell ringers will be out in full force dunning shoppers for donations meant to...Read More
AFA & FRC added to official hate group listing
Filed by Bil Browning | November 22, 2010 4:00 PM |The Southern Poverty Law Center has put out an update to their list of known hate groups operating in the United States and several of the organizations masquerading as "religious charities" have been added to the updated listings. The SPLC...Read More
Woah. Or, All Things Pentagon re: DADT
Filed by Jarrod Chlapowski | November 22, 2010 3:00 PM |Yay, Pentagon! Lots of weekend activity to report. Admiral Mullen participated in a couple Sunday roundtables, stating on This Week that Marine Commandant General Amos's sinister whispers of risks of repeal contradicted both the study which all the Joint Chiefs...Read More
Gender doesn't matter when it comes to airport pat-downs
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 22, 2010 2:00 PM |I'm back in the US but I haven't been subject to one of those full body scans yet. With a new invasion of privacy, a new piece of security state theatre meant to do nothing but force people to submit...Read More
Charges dropped in Rainbow Lounge raid
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 22, 2010 10:00 AM |It's weird to even say that this is a good thing, since the fact that the police put someone in the hospital while raiding a bar for no reason should have led to charges against them, not the victim. Still:...Read More
UN General Assembly Votes To Allow Gays To Be Executed Without Cause
Filed by Michael Hamar | November 21, 2010 2:30 PM |In a vote that makes a mockery of the concept of human rights, the United Nations General Assembly voted to voted to removed "sexual orientation" from a resolution that protects people from arbitrary executions. Driving the anti-gay vote were the...Read More
GetEQUAL's Robin McGehee Reports on Her Meeting at the White House
Filed by Karen Ocamb | November 21, 2010 11:30 AM |On Monday, Nov. 15, GetEQUAL co-founder Robin McGehee and 12 others were arrested (photo by Sean Carlson/Talk About Equality) after having chained themselves to the White House fence to protest the possible failure of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't...Read More
On The Day Of Remembrance
Filed by Rebecca Juro | November 20, 2010 6:00 PM |A few years ago, I wrote a Transgender Day of Remembrance post for Bilerico Project which connected the issues of employment rights and hate crimes. With today's economy and political situation being what they are, I think it's time to...Read More
TDOR Is A Memorial Event, Not A Party
Filed by Monica Roberts | November 20, 2010 10:00 AM |One of the things that I've heard over and over from some quarters of the trans community about today's worldwide celebration of the Transgender Day of Remembrance is that it's 'too somber' or 'depressing'. Um, hello! It's a memorial to...Read More
National Media Spotlights GetEqual In DADT Protests
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 19, 2010 2:00 PM |In reporting on the groundswell of protest over the delays and prevarications regarding the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, and the sudden, newfound confidence in Washington that there are enough votes to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell,...Read More
Phyllis Frye becomes Associate Judge of Houston Municipal Court
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | November 19, 2010 1:00 PM |Transgender attorney and activist Phyllis Frye was appointed yesterday as an Associate Judge on the Houston Municipal Court. Appointed by Mayor Annise Parker, Frye was unanimously confirmed by the Houston City Council. Right-wing spokespeople of course accuse Mayor Parker, an...Read More
HRBOR to Recieve NGLCC Rising Star Award
Filed by Michael Hamar | November 19, 2010 8:30 AM |When Christianna Flynn and I first began talking about forming some sort of LGBT business group back in August of 2006, little did we know that we were setting the ground work for what would become Hampton Roads Business OutReach...Read More
Standing Up for LGBT Families in This Congress, This Year
Filed by Steve Ralls | November 18, 2010 6:00 PM |As the 111th Congress moves into its final weeks, the LGBT community has rightly recognized that the window for legislative victory on issues important to our movement is quickly coming to a close. And yet, while repeal of the military's...Read More
Yelling at the TV
Filed by Amy Hunter | November 18, 2010 3:00 PM |I have to be careful when I watch cable news. If I'm not, I can find myself shouting - inexplicably - at the television, which does nothing of course except scare the cats. I don't know about you, but, I...Read More
DADT Repeal in Lame-Duck is On! (Kind Of)
Filed by Jarrod Chlapowski | November 18, 2010 9:30 AM |In case you missed it: Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) announced his intention to bring NDAA back to the floor after the Thanksgiving recess, a period which starts on November 29 and could potentially (but likely won't) continue until Christmas Eve....Read More
Deck chairs on the Titanic
Filed by Bil Browning | November 17, 2010 6:00 PM |Pardon me for being a little bit maudlin today, but three CNN Breaking News! alerts have come in to tell me that: John Boehner is the new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is the new minority leader Senator Lisa...Read More
Palestinian statehood vs the LGBT movement
Filed by Bil Browning | November 17, 2010 4:00 PM |Check out this interesting article today from the NY Time about Hillary Clinton's emerging role in the push for Palestinian statehood. While the original subject is fascinating, there's one point that can be expanded to also reference the LGBT movement...Read More
Palestinian statehood vs the LGBT movement
Filed by Bil Browning | November 17, 2010 4:00 PM |Check out this interesting article today from the NY Time about Hillary Clinton's emerging role in the push for Palestinian statehood. While the original subject is fascinating, there's one point that can be expanded to also reference the LGBT movement...Read More
Building Our Movement with Heart and Chutzpah
Filed by Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz | November 17, 2010 3:00 PM |Movements are supposed to move. They are supposed to be nimble enough to respond to what is happening at the grassroots level. After all, it's been proven that change historically takes place from the bottom up not from the top...Read More
Building Our Movement with Heart and Chutzpah
Filed by Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz | November 17, 2010 3:00 PM |Movements are supposed to move. They are supposed to be nimble enough to respond to what is happening at the grassroots level. After all, it's been proven that change historically takes place from the bottom up not from the top...Read More
Obama's Presidential Library
Filed by Bil Browning | November 17, 2010 10:30 AM |Contributor Andrew Belonsky has an interesting post up at Death and Taxes that looks at two colleges that want to be the future site of Barack Obama's presidential library. He gives a quick rundown on the history of the libraries...Read More
Upcoming Senate TSA Oversight Hearing
Filed by Tobi Hill-Meyer | November 17, 2010 8:30 AM |News about the TSA "grope" policy have been spreading like wildfire and many hope that they will be the subject of a Senate TSA Oversight Hearing today. In case you haven't heard, they've implemented bodyscanners that take naked pictures of...Read More
Freddy Phelps Is Comin' To Jersey
Filed by Rebecca Juro | November 16, 2010 6:00 PM |I mean literally, like practically in my own backyard. This Saturday, North Brunswick Township High School, which I attended here in central New Jersey, will be presenting a performance of "The Laramie Project". The Westboro Baptist Church has announced they...Read More
Jesus is King
Filed by Mike Rogers | November 16, 2010 2:30 PM |Please forgive me. I stole the idea from Rachel's show. Poland has a giant Jesus. There is some debate as to whether this is the tallest one or not. I think I know where they got the model from....Read More
IN Republicans will fight for marriage amendment
Filed by Bil Browning | November 16, 2010 1:30 PM |Fresh on the heels of a Republican sweep of Indiana's state legislature comes news that conservatives will once again try to push an amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Rep Chet Culver, long a proponent of anti-gay discrimination, has promised to...Read More
Me, my Tea Party friend, and gay marriage
Filed by Drew Cordes | November 15, 2010 7:00 PM |I am close friends with a Tea Party-attending libertarian. (I'll pause to allow gasps of shock.) Our friendship is sustained by the usual things -- common interests and hobbies, sense of humor, etc. We're both passionate about current events and...Read More
Gates Orders Probe Into Leak of DADT Survey
Filed by Karen Ocamb | November 15, 2010 4:00 PM |Defense Sec. Robert Gates is not happy that findings from the Pentagon's survey on the impact of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal were leaked and has ordered an investigation to find the source, according to the American Forces Press Service....Read More
Can We Collectively Refuse to Grandstand? There's Repealing to Get Done
Filed by Jarrod Chlapowski | November 15, 2010 1:00 PM |Jesus. So Friday afternoon HRC put out a press release demanding the Pentagon release its study. NOW. In all caps, in case you didn't pick up on HRC's anger. This is the same day Tony Perkins freaked out over leaks...Read More
Lame Duck Congress: Fulfill Your Promise On DADT Repeal
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 15, 2010 10:00 AM |Today is the first day of the "lame-duck" session of Congress, referring to the last Congressional session held before the newly-elected Congress is seated in January. It's expected to last about two weeks. Now is the last chance to see...Read More
Anti-discrimination statements aren't enough
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 14, 2010 4:00 PM |One of the many reasons that assuming an employer is LGBT-friendly based on their official statements will make an ass out of everyone is that employers lie. And saying that they're a lot better people than they actually are is...Read More
A Bullying Suicide Close to Home
Filed by Michael Hamar | November 14, 2010 1:00 PM |On November 9, 2010, I wrote on my blog Michael-in-Norfolkabout the bullying induced suicide of Christian Taylor, a student at Grafton High School in Yorktown, Virginia (pictured at left). The story hit home with me because two of my nephews...Read More
#SSS: All things 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal from DADT experts
Filed by Phil Reese | November 14, 2010 10:00 AM |The election has left the future of many Federal LGBT equality bills up in the air, but one particular legislative goal that has a chance is the repeal of the military's discriminatory ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual troops serving...Read More
Lessons from Massachusetts
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 13, 2010 2:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Kara Suffredini is the Executive Director of MassEquality. She is a seasoned LGBT movement veteran and has extensive background advancing laws that promote justice and fairness. It's the oldest play in the book: organized people and...Read More
Lessons from Massachusetts
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 13, 2010 2:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Kara Suffredini is the Executive Director of MassEquality. She is a seasoned LGBT movement veteran and has extensive background advancing laws that promote justice and fairness. It's the oldest play in the book: organized people and...Read More
The GOP's Pyrrhic Victory: Why It Won't Work, Pt. 4
Filed by Terrance Heath | November 12, 2010 3:00 PM |President Obama is right. The Democrats got a “shellacking” in the midterm election. But not from the people who voted. And in a sense, the pundits and prognosticators are maybe half right. The president and his party were sent a...Read More
Disillusionment & Consequences: Moving Equality Forward After Setbacks
Filed by Waymon Hudson | November 12, 2010 2:00 PM |Now that a little time has passed after the midterm elections, it's time for us to pick ourselves up and figure out how to move forward in a very different political climate. There has been much talk about voter disillusionment...Read More
Ten Little Suffragists: Suffrage memorabilia at Bryn Mawr
Filed by Gloria Brame, Ph.D. | November 12, 2010 10:30 AM |Thanks to a friend, I was directed to this sobering 10-card series of anti-suffrage propaganda (early 20th century), which manages to cram infinite sexist insults into its cutie-pie illustrations. You can see the full set of cards at Bryn Mawr's...Read More
Back In Power, Republicans Reclaim Anti-Gay Marriage Mantle
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | November 12, 2010 9:30 AM |With the rise of the Tea Party and fiscal conservatism, I truly hoped -- and believed -- that Republicans had moved on from divisive culture wars. I sincerely thought the days of forcing gay marriage bans was in the past,...Read More
Focus Rebrands "Day of Truth" As "Day of Dialogue." Should We Be Buying It?
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | November 11, 2010 7:00 PM |Exodus International left a gaping hole in the "Day of Truth," a conservative counter-protest to the LGBT-inclusive "Day of Silence," when they ended their sponsorship earlier this year. When Exodus, an "ex-gay" group, made the announcement last month, they specifically...Read More
The GOP's Pyrrhic Victory: Why It Won't Work, Pt. 3
Filed by Terrance Heath | November 11, 2010 3:00 PM |Not to pick on Kathleen Parker, but the “narrative” she suggested the Democrats take from midterm elections -- “You can’t sell people what they don’t want” -- is more likely to end up being the narrative the Republicans take from...Read More
Wedding Announcement Gets Lesbian Fired From Illinois Catholic University
Filed by Waymon Hudson | November 11, 2010 2:00 PM |Benedictine University doesn't mind you being gay. Really. As long as you don't tell anyone. Administrator Laine Tadlock, who was director of the education program at Benedictine, was forced from her job from the Catholic university in Springfield, Illinois after...Read More
Is GetEqual Relevant In The New Political Environment?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 11, 2010 1:00 PM |GetEqual, the nonviolent direct action organization that seeks to empower the LGBT community and allies to take bold action to demand full legal and social equality, sprang up at a particular time in history: March 2010. But the political environment...Read More
FRC, Rep. Cao and A Dehumanizing 'Sanctity of Life'
Filed by Andrew Belonsky | November 11, 2010 12:00 PM |Family Research Council has built its foundation on prohibitions. Whether about abortion, gay rights or even economic stimulus, the right wing organization tows the line on "conservative values," impeding people's hopes and dreams to further their own personal agenda. But...Read More
The GOP's Pyrrhic Victory: Why It Won't Work, Pt. 2
Filed by Terrance Heath | November 10, 2010 3:00 PM |It Hasn’t Worked Karl Rove actually gets it. Sort of. He at least understands that voters didn’t toss out the Democrats because they are “enraptured with the GOP,” when he tells Republicans that it’s “time to deliver.” It's just too...Read More
Social Security: They Want To Cut, We Plan To Fight
Filed by Don Davis | November 10, 2010 1:30 PM |So if you’ve been following my work lately, you know that there is a renewed effort underway to change Social Security, and that the fight officially began just this very morning. Now what’s supposed to happen is that a television...Read More
Barney Frank: LGBT issues are going nowhere
Filed by Bil Browning | November 10, 2010 12:30 PM |Barney Frank told The Washington Blade this week that LGBT rights issues has "zero chance" under a Republican controlled House of Representatives. Color me surprised. ...Frank also said he was confident that the Senate, of which Democrats retained control, would...Read More
The GOP's Pyrrhic Victory: Why It Won't Work, Pt. 1
Filed by Terrance Heath | November 09, 2010 3:30 PM |First, let’s just face it. For the next couple of years, at least, this is the end of any progress on jobs or the economy. Whatever legitimate gripes progressives had with the outgoing Democratic Congress, they got a lot done....Read More
Andrew Shirvell has been fired
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 09, 2010 12:30 PM |They say the delay is because of the investigation into his cyber-stalking, and, in all fairness, it would be kind of douchey to fire someone without at least taking a couple of weeks to see what happened. I know most...Read More
Iranian Trans Woman Hoping to Seek Shelter in Canada
Filed by Mercedes Allen | November 09, 2010 11:30 AM |Mahtab Mirghaderi and her partner, Saleh Shahsavar, are seeking asylum. Mahtab is trans, and the couple hails from Iran. Currently, they are in Turkey and in danger of being deported. The Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees and EveryOne Group are...Read More
Calm Down but Don't: The Continuing Adventures of DADT Repeal
Filed by Jarrod Chlapowski | November 08, 2010 4:00 PM |Word is via Wall Street Journal that Senator Carl Levin is in talks with McCain to discuss stripping the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) down to its barebones without any controversial issues attached, which presumably means anything mentioning abortions, the...Read More
Log Cabin's R. Clarke Cooper: The LGBT Community's New Inside Man
Filed by Karen Ocamb | November 08, 2010 2:00 PM |I am among the many trying to read the tea leaves of the Nov. 2 mid-term elections. Some, such as openly gay Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart, note that CNN's small exit polling sample indicated that 31 percent of...Read More
Police chaplains quit to protest co-worker's sexuality
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 08, 2010 12:00 PM |A lesbian minister joined the volunteer police department chaplain group and six other chaplains quit in protest. It shows what happens when a gay person enters the intersection of two decidedly worlds filled with anti-gay people: The chaplain said those...Read More
I'm sorry I'm the reason you didn't vote
Filed by Phil Reese | November 08, 2010 11:00 AM |I really didn't think I was being all that nuanced. I was, am and will be critical of crummy work, laziness and poor outcomes. I can't help it. My parents were whip-crackers. As a child, if I promised to do...Read More
Gays: Voting 'Straight' Republican
Filed by Bil Browning | November 08, 2010 10:00 AM |Michelangelo Signorile had an interesting show last week. He asked his listeners who voted for Republicans to call in to his show and explain why they voted that way. The responses were fascinating for their leaps of logic and incredible...Read More
Canada's Trans Rights Bill: Quick Facts and Answers to Opponents
Filed by Mercedes Allen | November 08, 2010 8:30 AM |The following is some things I've written previously at DentedBlueMercedes, with a bit of updating. This is free to distribute, far-and-wide, for anyone interested in presenting the facts of what Canada's Trans Rights Bill, C-389, proposes to do (it doesn't...Read More
Loving myself gay, loving myself fat
Filed by Rev. Emily C. Heath | November 07, 2010 7:00 PM |I stood stunned at the edge of the football field. Our touch football game had ended and I'd had a brief conversation with a woman who made a significant living off her public reputation as a feminist and LGBT activist....Read More
Did gay, lesbian, and bisexual people turn Republican since 2008?
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 07, 2010 5:30 PM |Not to pick on Jonathan Capehart because this number has been going around and he's not the only pundit using this exit poll question to argue that LGB's turned Republican in this past election, but here he is: Gay men,...Read More
Family Acceptance in China: Finding the Rainbow
Filed by Cathy Renna | November 07, 2010 1:00 PM |Editors' note: Dr. Caitlin Ryan is the Director of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University, a community research, intervention, education and policy initiative that studies the impact of family acceptance and rejection on the health and mental...Read More
Social Security: The War Begins Tuesday, and You Better Say...Oh, No!
Filed by Don Davis | November 07, 2010 11:30 AM |It is my job to bring to you not just the news that took place, but the news that has yet to happen. Today, that’s exactly what we have. There is a war coming to try to change Social Security...Read More
More conservative state supreme court judges could hurt LGBT family law
Filed by Nancy Polikoff | November 06, 2010 6:00 PM |By now everyone knows that the three Iowa Supreme Court justices up for a retention election all lost their bids to remain on the court, the result of a coordinated, highly financed campaign to send a message against their vote...Read More
After the Elections: Going Beyond Party
Filed by Jesse Monteagudo | November 06, 2010 10:00 AM |As everyone knows, the 2010 elections were not kind to President Barack Obama or his Democratic Party. Though the president was not on the ballot, many Americans expressed their displeasure with his policies by voting many Democrats out of office,...Read More
Victoria Kolakowski: A Judge, Or A Transgender Judge?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 05, 2010 4:00 PM |The New York Times reported yesterday that "Transgender Candidate Is New Judge." The The Oakland Tribune, a local paper, reported that "Alameda County has become home to the first transgender trial judge in the country as Victoria Kolakowski won the...Read More
Victoria Kolakowski: A Judge, Or A Transgender Judge?
Filed by Dr. Jillian T. Weiss | November 05, 2010 4:00 PM |The New York Times reported yesterday that "Transgender Candidate Is New Judge." The The Oakland Tribune, a local paper, reported that "Alameda County has become home to the first transgender trial judge in the country as Victoria Kolakowski won the...Read More
Anti-gay ballot initiatives hurt straight people too
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 05, 2010 1:00 PM |The only anti-gay ballot initiative that passed this week that I know of was in El Paso. Surprise surprise, it was poorly-worded and now everyone's getting benefits cut: By a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent, voters passed an...Read More
WA-Sen: Can Murray's Math Teach Democrats a Lesson?
Filed by Don Davis | November 05, 2010 12:00 PM |We now know the outcome, more or less, of the Washington State US Senate race--and it looks like it's going to be Patty Murray, D-(Actual No-Kidding Progressive), over Dino Rossi, R-(Guy Who Will Be Running Again For Something As Soon...Read More
Briar's Story
Filed by Tobi Hill-Meyer | November 05, 2010 11:00 AM |Last month I got the opportunity to visit New York and be a part of the Red Umbrella Diaries. It's a monthly storytelling series where people who've tangled with the sex industry tell personal stories about the complications that arise...Read More
Target Lost
Filed by Joe Mirabella | November 05, 2010 10:30 AM |When Target contributed $150,000 to conservative anti-gay Minnesota Candidate for Governor Tom Emmer, they quickly became a target of a boycott from the LGBT community and progressives. More importantly their $150,000 bought millions of negative impressions on social networks, and...Read More
Waiting for Rights Never Works
Filed by Waymon Hudson | November 04, 2010 6:00 PM |It's been a common mantra coming from the Democratic Party, the Obama Administration, large beltway equality groups like the Human Rights Campaign, and many others for years: just be patient and wait. We'll get to you and your basic civil...Read More
In Virginia the enthusiasm gap was very real
Filed by Michael Hamar | November 04, 2010 5:00 PM |In 2008, Virginia trended blue on the promise of hope and systemic change, which was the hallmark of Barack Obama's in retrospect completely disingenuous campaign. A number of Republican seats in Congress went Democrat and there was much talk that...Read More
Prop 8's author defeated at the polls
Filed by Karen Ocamb | November 04, 2010 4:00 PM |Though AP declared Democrat Richard Pan the winner Wednesday with 49 % to 46% and a 3,000-vote lead over antigay Prop 8 author Andy Pugno (pictured), the Republican still has not conceded the race in the traditional GOP 5th Assembly...Read More
Arizona: Fighting back against Mormon hate
Filed by Bobby Parker | November 04, 2010 3:00 PM |I answered the phone a few weeks ago and my friend was sobbing on the other end. He was calling in outrage and grief at the suicide of a young man in Houston whose photo became one of the faces...Read More
What Democrats Can Learn from Indiana's Election Results
Filed by Bil Browning | November 04, 2010 8:30 AM |The midterm election provides Democrats with plenty of lessons they can learn. Gullible pundits and conservative politicians will be throwing out advice like chickenfeed in hopes that media hens and party leader fowls will come peck in the dust at...Read More
What Democrats Can Learn from Indiana's Election Results
Filed by Bil Browning | November 04, 2010 8:30 AM |The midterm election provides Democrats with plenty of lessons they can learn. Gullible pundits and conservative politicians will be throwing out advice like chickenfeed in hopes that media hens and party leader fowls will come peck in the dust at...Read More
LGBT Candidates and Allies Win Big in California
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 03, 2010 7:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Geoff Kors is the Executive Director of Equality California. Last night's elections in California were full of victories for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. Meg "Civil Unions Are Good Enough" Whitman was defeated by pro-equality...Read More
LGBT Candidates and Allies Win Big in California
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 03, 2010 7:00 PM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Geoff Kors is the Executive Director of Equality California. Last night's elections in California were full of victories for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. Meg "Civil Unions Are Good Enough" Whitman was defeated by pro-equality...Read More
3 Things You Can Do After the Election to Move Us Forward
Filed by Austen Crowder | November 03, 2010 5:00 PM |I'm going to keep my election postmortem short. Look, it sucks that the Dems lost. It was expected, and in many ways necessary to put the Dems in check. But it's not all bad in the end; with conservatives slowly...Read More
The Impact of the Midterms on Repeal in the Lame-Duck
Filed by Jarrod Chlapowski | November 03, 2010 4:00 PM |I know, it's 4pm and everyone's exhausted discussing the results of last night. I won't make this long. Without going into too much detail, last night's election mattered in regard to DADT repeal in the lame-duck for four reasons....Read More
House now 33% gayer
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 03, 2010 3:00 PM |There will be four openly gay members of Congress come January. David Cicilline was elected last night. That means that we'll go from two out representatives in the 110th to four in the 112th. If we keep on doubling at...Read More
Some queer wins in Illinois
Filed by Phil Reese | November 03, 2010 1:30 PM |Okay, yes. Looking at the New York Times House election results map for Illinois you may see a big giant red blob. This is true. We lost three major allies in the US House of Representatives last night: Debbie Halvorson,...Read More
The Democrats will not get the message
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 03, 2010 11:30 AM |If America was sending a message to the Democrats in this election, it was "Care about the country instead of your own money." Sure, voting Republican isn't the best way to send that message, but considering how much disinformation there...Read More
Korea to end ban on gays in the military?
Filed by Bil Browning | November 03, 2010 10:30 AM |While American politicians and pundits are all atwitter this morning claiming that Democrats moved too far left, news comes out of South Korea - not exactly a bastion of liberal politics - that the country might end their ban on...Read More
Social Security Investment and Chile
Filed by Don Davis | November 03, 2010 9:30 AM |Those who support privatizing Social Security in this country often point to Chile as an example we could follow. In 1981, Chile adopted a privatized Social Security-like (pension) program that requires most workers to contribute 10% of their income to...Read More
Election Night Results thread
Filed by Bil Browning | November 02, 2010 6:45 PM |Okay, Projectors. The polls have closed in some states and results are starting to trickle in. I've already put out my predictions on how tonight will end. Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to keep leaving results in the comments...Read More
Is the economy doing badly?
Filed by Alex Blaze | November 02, 2010 11:30 AM |Buried in a Reuters article about the gay enthusiasm gap in today's elections is this interesting tidbit: Donations to federal candidates from gay interest groups have taken a hit this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Gay groups...Read More
Election Day Predictions & Open Thread
Filed by Bil Browning | November 02, 2010 10:30 AM |It's that time again. Get out and vote people. Every time a teabagger wins, God kills a kitten! All you have to do is remember, it may not be perfect yet but no one ever promised you "perfect." As with...Read More
Frustrated with the pace of change? Go vote
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 02, 2010 9:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Michael Mitchell is the Executive Director of National Stonewall Democrats. By the time you read this, many of you will have already voted, either by mail, at special in-person voting locations or because you made it...Read More
Frustrated with the pace of change? Go vote
Filed by Guest Blogger | November 02, 2010 9:30 AM |Editors' Note: Guest blogger Michael Mitchell is the Executive Director of National Stonewall Democrats. By the time you read this, many of you will have already voted, either by mail, at special in-person voting locations or because you made it...Read More
This Is Not Your Country
Filed by Terrance Heath | November 02, 2010 8:30 AM |This is not your country. Nor is it mine. That we were born here, along with our forebears hardly matters. This has been the message of the Tea Party since its incorporation -- and of conservatism itself for more than...Read More
Buying the 2010 Mid-Term Elections and Voters Guides
Filed by Karen Ocamb | November 01, 2010 7:00 PM |You might want to sit down for this bit of news: a record four BILLION dollars is expected to be spent on this year's midterm elections, according to an Oct. 27 estimate by the non-partisan watchdog group, Center for Responsive...Read More
Buying the 2010 Mid-Term Elections and Voters Guides
Filed by Karen Ocamb | November 01, 2010 7:00 PM |You might want to sit down for this bit of news: a record four BILLION dollars is expected to be spent on this year's midterm elections, according to an Oct. 27 estimate by the non-partisan watchdog group, Center for Responsive...Read More
No More Smear The Queer
Filed by D Gregory Smith | November 01, 2010 6:00 PM |In a short note to me this weekend, my friend and colleague Brody Levesque shared a personal thought about this election cycle that stopped me: "I just cannot get over how hateful some of the rhetoric is this time out....Read More
Why This Election Matters More Than You Think
Filed by Jerame Davis | November 01, 2010 2:00 PM |Sure, folks are pissed-off, disappointed, disaffected or just disillusioned right now. But, if you don't get out and vote on Tuesday, you're going to have a lot more to kvetch about for a lot longer than you might think. Here's...Read More
Why This Election Matters More Than You Think
Filed by Jerame Davis | November 01, 2010 2:00 PM |Sure, folks are pissed-off, disappointed, disaffected or just disillusioned right now. But, if you don't get out and vote on Tuesday, you're going to have a lot more to kvetch about for a lot longer than you might think. Here's...Read More
Why This Year Matters: Part 3
Filed by Amy Hunter | November 01, 2010 11:00 AM |Many people don't spend much time figuring out for whom to vote in local races. Some folks simply vote for the county commissioner or township supervisor whose name they recognize. Even state offices such as Secretary of State, Attorney General,...Read More
