Obama Administration and Gay Rights
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The Highest Ranking White House Official for Marriage Equality
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Should LGBT People Stop Giving Money to the Democratic National Committee?
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President Obama is Not to Blame for Marriage Equality's Loss in Maine
Obama's Best Gay Week Ever
Published October 30, 2009 @ 09:11AM PT
The last week of October certainly looks like it's going to go down as President Obama's best week yet in regards to LGBT rights. While it's not high time to call up the Vh-1 casting department to pitch a new 'Best Week Ever' show, this week has finally seen some progress on issues at the heart of the LGBT rights movement -- most notably hate crimes legislation and the imminent end of the HIV travel ban.
History was made this week when President Obama signed expanded hate crimes legislation into law, which will now include protections for sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability status. It's a law that has been fought over for more than ten years, and a law that despite its fierce opposition by the radical right -- notice Pat Robertson's freak out about the law, saying that it will place a noose around the necks of right-wing Christians -- becomes the first piece of civil rights legislation signed in a pretty long time.
President Obama earned some brownie points this week for delivering a hell of a commentary as he signed the law. "We must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits — not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear," Obama remarked during the signing ceremony. "No one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability."
<chills>Wow. Such a good line.</chills>
With hate crimes legislation finally passed, it's now time for other important LGBT rights measures to move their way to the head of the class. Today, we could get a second piece of extremely good news: word has it that the Obama administration is about to lift the HIV travel ban, which for years has prevented non-U.S. residents from traveling to or immigrating to this country if they were HIV-positive.
After Ten Years, Hate Crimes Legislation Finally Signed Into Law
Published October 29, 2009 @ 05:06AM PT
It's been a long decade, spanning Matthew Shepard (the University of Wyoming student killed in 1998 for being gay) to Jack Price (the 49-year-old Queens resident who was beaten into a coma two weeks ago by thugs who targeted him for being gay). But finally, LGBT rights advocates got to watch yesterday as President Obama signed expanded federal hate crimes legislation that includes protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability.
As a result, civil rights took a major leap forward yesterday, and the federal government has finally done something to curb the rising statistics of hate crimes committed toward members of the LGBT population.
Obama gave a short speech after signing the bill into law (the bill itself was attached to a larger defense spending measure), where he said that nobody in America should ever feel afraid to walk down the street holding the hand of the person they love. And though the President has been hit or miss on many of the issues facing the LGBT world, the man had his game on yesterday in his comments.
"We must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits -- not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear," Obama said. "No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability. At root, this isn't just about our laws; this is about who we are as a people. This is about whether we value one another -- whether we embrace our differences, rather than allowing them to become a source of animus."
Hate Crimes Legislation Heads to the President's Desk
Published October 22, 2009 @ 02:38PM PT
It's been more than a decade in the making, but finally expanded hate crimes legislation including protections for sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability will head to the President's desk for signing. With this, as CNN dubbed it earlier today, the first piece of federal civil rights legislation will become law for LGBT Americans. And it passed overwhelmingly, with a vote of 68-29 in the U.S. Senate.
It's hard not to think first and foremost of Judy and Denis Shepard in the wake of this news, given that both Judy and Denis have tirelessly worked for expanded hate crimes laws since their gay son, Matthew, was killed in a hate crime in Wyoming in 1998. According to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, more than 7,000 hate crimes happen each year, many against people who are or are perceived to be LGBT. Finally, these folks have some federal protections that will deter violent crime.
Folks at the Family Equality Council noted that with Congress's blessing, hate crimes laws will make civil rights history in the U.S.
Twenty Senate Democrats Still Haven't Co-Sponsored ENDA. That's Embarrassing.
Published October 18, 2009 @ 11:26AM PT
Earlier this summer, Senators Jeff Merkley, Susan Collins, and Olympia Snowe introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the U.S. Senate, a bill that (if passed) would prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. It's a bill that LGBT rights activists have pursued for more than a decade, and the general consensus is that the bill stands its best chance of passing during this session of Congress than at any other time in history.
Which is why it's downright surprising -- not to mention a little disappointed -- that 20 Democrats in the U.S. Senate haven't ponied up to support the bill. Among those Democrats include some of the stars of the progressive netroots, including Sen. Claire McCaskill, Sen. Jim Webb, Sen. Kay Hagan, and Sen. Jon Tester. They oughta know better.
Chris Geidner over at LawDork breaks down the 20 U.S. Senators who haven't signed on to support the bill, and notes that it's disappointing more of these folks haven't joined the ENDA club. That includes Senators from states as blue as Wisconsin and Delaware.
It's no secret that LGBT issues make Democrats in some parts of the country squeamish. But come on, there's nothing squeamish about standing up against discrimination in the workplace. And if Senators like Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who come from some of the reddest territory in the country, can support ENDA, then there's no reason Claire McCaskill or Kay Hagan or any of the like can't, either.
Check out the 20 U.S. Senators below who've not come through on this issue yet, and if you haven't already, sign this petition on change.org encouraging the U.S. Senate to pass ENDA legislation this year. Passing ENDA is a priority for the Obama administration. But the U.S. Senate has to come through for the White House first, and it's our job to pressure them to do so.
(The 20 U.S. Senators, and their phone numbers, who have yet to sign on as a co-sponsor of ENDA.)
- Baucus, MT – (202) 224-2651
- Bayh, IN – (202) 224-5623
- Begich, AK – (202) 224-3004
- Byrd, WV – (202) 224-3954
- Carper, DE – (202) 224-2441
- Conrad, ND – (202) 224-2043
- Dorgan, ND – (202) 224-2551
- Hagan, NC – (202) 224-6432
- Johnson, T., SD – (202) 224-5842
- Kaufman, DE – (202) 224-5042
- Kohl, WI – (202) 224-5653
- Lincoln, AR – (202) 224-4843
- McCaskill, MO – (202) 224-6154
- Nelson, Bill, FL – (202) 224-5274
- Nelson, Ben, NE – (202) 224-6551
- Pryor, AR – (202) 224-2353
- Rockefeller, WV – (202) 224-6472
- Tester, MT – (202) 224-2644
- Warner, M., VA – (202) 224-2023
- Webb, VA – (202) 224-4024
An Outspoken Champion of Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the U.S. Senate
Published October 17, 2009 @ 04:20AM PT
There are plenty of U.S. Senators that oppose "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the discriminatory military policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the Armed Services, and fires those soldiers that do come out of the closet.
Senators from Harry Reid to Kirsten Gillibrand have blasted the policy as a relic from the 1990s that hurts our national security and undermines military credibility. Joining them this week was Sen. Mark Udall, the freshman Senator out of Colorado, who not only forcefully condemned "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but said that if Obama wanted him to, he'd be willing to be an outspoken champion for repealing the failed military policy.
Sen. Udall fired off a letter to President Obama this week that said, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell is antiquated and no longer reflects the reality of our society."
That's good...but is there more? Yup, and it hits even harder.
"As we fight in two wars, it's counter-productive - and frankly, expensive - to discharge men and women who have critical skills we need to win those wars, just because they're gay," Udall wrote. "[It is] past time to repeal this failed policy. We need to take steps now so we can replace 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' with a policy that prevents discrimination against service members based on their sexual orientation."
The White House also met with Sen. Joe Lieberman this week to see how far he'd be willing to go in championing the cause of a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal. So while it may be slow, it FINALLY looks like the White House and Congress are turning the wheels toward an eventual repeal of this bad policy. Now it's just our job to make sure they do it faster than the pace at which Democrats and Republicans usually get things done in Washington.
(Photo courtesy of the National Guard's photostream on Flickr.)
Obama and the First Openly Lesbian U.S. Marshal
Published October 14, 2009 @ 07:29AM PT
Obama's relationship with LGBT activists may be complicated, but this administration does deserve credit for creating quite possibly the most diverse federal government we've seen in regards to hiring openly LGBT people. Another example comes this week, with Obama nominating openly lesbian Policewoman Sharon Lubinski to become a U.S. Marshal.
The nomination is historic because there's never been an openly LGBT U.S. Marshal. But it's not her sexual orientation that gets her this job. It's the depth and breadth of her experience as an Assistant Minneapolis Police Chief that makes her well qualified.
"Assistant Chief Lubinski has dedicated her career to the noble cause of protecting her fellow Americans. She has displayed exceptional courage in the pursuit of justice, and I am honored to nominate her today to continue her selfless work as a U.S. Marshal for the District of Minnesota," said President Obama.
An official White House press release also championed, "She has served in the Minneapolis Police Department for 20 years, 10 of those years in command positions. Prior to joining the Minneapolis Police Department, she spent eight years with the Dane County Sheriff’s Department in Madison, Wisconsin."
Sounds like someone completely qualified for this position. Can't wait to see Fox News and Glenn Beck fail in vain to take her down.
A Moneybomb For Marriage Equality in Maine
Published October 13, 2009 @ 05:00AM PT
Well, it turns out that the Ron Paul presidential campaign was good for something -- it gave us the term moneybomb. And now LGBT activists are seeking to take the word and use it for marriage equality in Maine.
Before 11:59pm on October 15, activists are hoping to raise as much money as possible to support the No on 1 campaign and their efforts to beat back a ballot measure that will repeal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples in Maine. With the National Equality March now over, all eyes can literally turn toward the two states that are fighting ballot initiatives -- Maine, and Washington (which has Referendum 71 it must pass to retain full domestic partnership benefits).
MoveOn has helped raise money for No on 1. Thousands of other people have already given, too. But October 15 is a critical date that we can't afford to miss. It's the first day of early-voting in Maine, and also the last day for which campaigns have to report fundraising numbers. Imagine the momentum we'll have going into the full blast Get-Out-The-Vote efforts if we've got the kind of money that winning campaigns need.
As Joe Sudbay at Americablog writes, "The netroots and online community have been extremely generous...Let's wrap this one up big." He's right. We deserve to close strongly in Maine, so that we can take a victory there to every state in the country. If you can, donate through Americablog's ActBlue page, OpenLeft's ActBlue page, or Pam's House Blends ActBlue page now. Or better yet, hit up all three :)
And lastly, if you want to see the No on 1 campaign's latest ad, here it is:
