Obama Administration and Gay Rights
Hillary Clinton: The U.S. Will Curb Global Anti-Gay Violence
Published September 25, 2009 @ 11:43AM PT
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told folks at the Roosevelt Institute's Four Freedoms Medals Gala Dinner that the Obama administration will work hard to curb violence toward LGBT people around the globe.
"(We) must condemn violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In country after country after country, young men and women are persecuted, are singled out, even murdered in cold blood, because of who they love or just based on claims that they are gay."
South Africa. Jamaica. Brazil. Nigeria. The Gambia. Iran. Indonesia. Iraq. Senegal. Belarus.
And the list of countries guilty of LGBT violence goes on and on (not to mention the violence that happens rights here on this continent, in the U.S., Mexico and Canada). Though her words will need to be followed up with action, it's at least reassuring to know that this is on the U.S. State Department's radar screen.
"We are starting to track violence against the LGBT community, because where it happens anywhere in the world, the United States must speak out against it and work for its end," said Clinton. "Through our annual human rights report, we are documenting human rights abuses against LGBT communities worldwide. And we are seeking out partners at the United Nations such as Brazil, France, Sweden and the Netherlands to help us address these human rights abuses."
150,000 Married Gay Couples Walk Into the U.S. Census Bureau
Published September 21, 2009 @ 01:54PM PT
The U.S. Census Bureau has released figures today detailing the number of same-sex couples in the United States that identify as "married," showing that close to 150,000 gay and lesbian couples report themselves as in a marriage. That's just about as big as the population of Dayton, Ohio, and an indicator that the Obama administration did the right thing in deciding to include same-sex couples among the 2010 U.S. Census head count.
During 2008, same-sex marriage was legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut and California (for about six months, at least). And as AP notes, U.S. same-sex couples also can marry in Canada and other countries that recognize marriage equality.
While these numbers are smaller than they should be (imagine how high these numbers would be if all 50 states recognized marriage equality), they're still a pretty huge sign that the LGBT population is not invisible when it comes to the subject of marriage.
All told in the U.S., there are approximately 564,743 total gay and lesbian couples in the U.S. And for that number, forget Dayton, Ohio :) That's the size of Wyoming!
Should LGBT People Be Losing Patience With Obama?
Published September 08, 2009 @ 04:26PM PT
There's that leftover line from the 2008 Presidential campaign that "you campaign in poetry, but govern in prose." Lately for President Obama, it seems that his administration might have hit a streak of writer's block when it comes to the art of governing. And that's leaving some people -- including the openly gay man who ran candidate Obama's field operations - a bit frustrated. Especially when it comes to LGBT rights.
Steve Hildebrand, who by many respects helped launch Obama thru Iowa and into the heart of the primaries last year, said in an interview with Politico today that he's losing patience with the 44th president, and with Democratic leaders in Congress. "I am one of the millions of frustrated Americans who want to see Washington do more than it's doing right now," said Hildebrand. "I gave up a lot to elect Democrats, and I expect them to give it up for me. I'm going to speak loudly."
For many, Hildebrand is speaking truth to power here. There are countless people who think that Obama and Congress are taking too long to affect the type of change they were elected to make. They're seeing that on the issue of health care. They're seeing that on the issue of labor. And certainly they're seeing that on the issue of LGBT rights.
To his credit, Obama has made some changes. Under Obama's watch, the U.S. has signed onto a UN statement in support of the global decriminalization of homosexuality. His Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said that protecting the human rights of LGBT people worldwide would be a priority for this administration. Earlier this summer, Obama commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with a reception at the White House for scores of LGBT leaders and allies. And most recently, Obama awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom to two LGBT icons -- Billie Jean King and (posthumously) Harvey Milk.
But while these steps have been welcomed, many LGBT folks are seeing nothing but delays and Congressional hold-ups when it comes to some of the campaign promises Obama made last year. That includes passing a hate crimes bill, passing an Employment Non-Discrimination Act, repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and integrating the U.S. military, and overturning the "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA). To make matters worse, Obama's administration has tripped up a few times, most notably with the Justice Department's bizarre brief defending DOMA in U.S. courts.
Hildebrand allows the slow progress on LGBT rights -- as well as issues like health care -- to be shared all around. Yes, it's partly Obama, Hildebrand says. But it's also the Blue Dogs in Congress who try to compromise too much on the issues that Democrats were resoundingly elected over this past year.
"There's basically three different parties, and one of those parties tends to be the barrier to getting anything done — and that's the Blue Dogs in the House and the moderates in the Senate," said Hildebrand. "Change is not going to come by people in the Beltway deciding we should have change. It’s going to come because they’re feeling pressure from all over the country."
So who's to blame for the slow progress? Congress? Obama? Both?
Perhaps the biggest concern, one could argue, is that if these historic pieces of legislation can't make it through the 111th Congress - ending DOMA, repealing "Don't Ask," enacting hate crimes legislation and passing an employment non-discrimination bill - could they possibly be even more delayed in the 112th Congress? Especially, as experts ranging from Charlie Cook to Nate Silver point out, Democrats lose seats in 2010?
Now that's something that gets the blood pressure going. With control of the White House, U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House, there's a feeling that everybody is governing as if they're stuck in a big bowl of Cream of Wheat.
But moreover, how is it that the Bush administration, with a bare majority of Congress, was able to shove so much down our throats, but the Obama administration, with majorities not seen by any party in decades, is seemingly stuck?
Perhaps that's the source of the frustration. Both for those passionate about LGBT rights, as well as those working for better labor practices, a national health care system, and a whole host of progressive causes that have been largely dormat for more than eight years.
Barney Frank: The First Openly Gay Cabinet Secretary?
Published September 08, 2009 @ 09:09AM PT
Barney Frank is a lot of things to a lot of people. He's a Congressman from Massachusetts. The Chair of the House Financial Services Committee. The foil of Bill O'Reilly. And if Frank gets his own way, he might just end up being the country's first openly gay Cabinet Secretary.
Er, make that, the country's first openly gay, Jewish, left-handed Cabinet Secretary.
A new biography on Barney is hitting bookshelves this September, "Barney Frank, The Story of America’s Only Left-handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman," and in it, Frank says that he'd like to end his career by becoming a Cabinet Secretary in the Obama administration. Specifically, Frank wants to become Secretary for Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Why? Because he wants to get the federal government back into the housing business, and back into the game of helping to end U.S. poverty.
Of course, current HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan might not be too pleased with that idea (at least the part about him being replaced). Still, it is easy to picture Barney Frank in this role. So long as he promises, of course, to still give Bill O'Reilly hell.
A Transgender Political First
Published September 08, 2009 @ 04:21AM PT
A transgender political glass ceiling is about to be busted wide open this week, with the official appointment of Babs Casbar Siperstein to as a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Gov. Tim Kaine, the chair of the DNC, appointed Siperstein to fill one of the 75 at-large seats available on the DNC, making her the first openly transgender person ever to serve on a major national political committee.
Siperstein currently serves as President of the New Jersey chapter of Stonewall Democrats, and as a Vice-Chair with the New Jersey Democratic Party. Or, in other words, she's darn qualified to be nominated to this position.
Gov. Kaine made the announcement this past weekend, and in addition to Siperstein, he also nominated five other LGBT people for at-large seats on the DNC. Joining Siperstein will be Evan Low, a city councilmember from Campbell, California; Lupe Valdez, the sheriff of Dallas County, Texas; Earl Fowlkes, the President of the International Federation of Black Prides; Terry Bean, a real estate broker from Oregon and a former member of Barack Obama's National Finance Committee during the campaign; and Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers.
Damn. Talk about an all-star line-up of LGBT politicos. And what a great way to start the Fall, by smashing political glass ceilings and seeing that LGBT people will have more seats than they've ever had before on the DNC.
Getting a Real Fierce Advocate for LGBT Rights Into Barack Obama's Old Senate Seat
Published September 05, 2009 @ 07:11AM PT
The old Senate seat held by President Barack Obama is up for election in 2010, and at least one of the candidates running is taking a firm and concrete stand for equal rights. Alexi Giannoulias, who is currently serving as State Treasurer of Illinois, made some bold statements this week for equality. And if he's lucky enough to win next year, he's making it pretty clear that when it comes to being a fierce advocate for LGBT rights, he's your guy.
For many LGBT folks, getting a strong advocate for equal rights in Obama's old seat is a bit of a political coup. After all, despite Obama's campaign promises to work for the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, hate crimes legislation and an Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), LGBT rights has largely remained on the periphery of Obama's first year in office. Obama may have promised to be a fierce advocate for LGBT rights, but for many, it seems like he's being a far too patient advocate.
Giannoulias, on the other hand, isn't pulling any punches.
"While marriage as a religious institution should be governed by people's faith and the tenets of their religion, marriage as a civil institution should be governed by principles of fairness. Civil marriage should be equal for all people and provide the same protections under the law, with all legal rights and responsibilities."
Uh-oh. A statement that reasonable is bound to get the folks at the National Organization for Marriage, or the crazy folks at the Illinois Family Institute who compare LGBT people to Nazis, all up in a bunch.
Of course, the real test of Giannoulias's commitment to LGBT issues won't be on the campaign trail, but once he's elected to office. Fierce advocates for LGBT rights only remain fierce advocates when they keep their campaign pledges for equality once elected.
Students vs. the Defense of Marriage Act
Published August 22, 2009 @ 01:12PM PT
Activists working to dismantle the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) need all the help they can get. Enter a new entrepreneurship contest, which may just help one group of students with a $10,000 grant to organize for LGBT rights and nationwide marriage equality.
The National Marriage Boycott, a student-driven effort to encourage the Obama administration and Congress to repeal DOMA, is one of the finalists for a $10,000 grant from Ideablob – an entrepreneurial Web site that helps small businesses and organizations find the seed money they need to take their campaigns and initiatives to the next level. Now it’s a contest to see which of eight finalists will win $10K, and there’s just over one week left of voting.
As Nathaniel Whittemore, change.org's Social Entrepreneurship blogger, puts it, Ideablob's contest is yet another example of how the Internet is bringing activists together, regardless of geography, and making it easier than ever to organize passion. The end result for the National Marriage Boycott could be a huge chunk of change to take their campaign to the next level, and build the type of networks needed to hammer home change.
The premise behind the National Marriage Boycott is simple: don’t get married until everyone – straight folks and LGBTQ folks – have the same rights to civil marriage. It’s a campaign that started at Stanford, but it’s growing fast. This year organizers want to take the campaign to every state, and engage college campuses and young adults across the country to work for marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.
According to Boycott organizers, “Now is the moment in American history when same-sex couples have the opportunity to achieve equal rights under the law. However, in order for a minority group to achieve equal rights, progressive members of the majority must stand in solidarity with them.” What does that solidarity look like?
It looks like a pledge that activists can take that demands full equality now.
“President Obama has advocated for the repeal of DOMA, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages - and yet this discriminatory law still stands. Under this act, same-sex couples are denied more than a thousand rights, including the right to visit a dying partner in the hospital. To demonstrate our desire for an immediate repeal of DOMA, we choose not to participate in marriage until everyone can marry.”
In return for signing the pledge, folks also have the option of purchasing an equality ring to wear as a public show of support for the idea of civil marriage for all. Organizers hope these rings can serve as conversation starters for equality, as well as mobilize even more young people – straight and queer – to say “No” to the idea of marriage until everyone has access to it.
Now that sounds like a campaign worthy of $10,000. Here’s where you can vote on Ideablob for the National Marriage Boycott. To win they’ll need all the support from LGBT folks and straight allies that they can get. Help spread the word; and make sure to vote before August 31.
