Archive
Granting Equality Takes No Compromise!
Check out www.hrc.org/StandForMarriage to find out how you can be involved!
Related articles
- Marriage Equality All Over Facebook (lezgetreal.com)
- I support marriage equality (unchainedfaith.com)
- A Gay Dad, Republican Fathers and 4 Big Questions for Rob Portman (evolequals.com)
- 15 Marriage Equality GIFs To Spread The Progressive Word [Gallery] (collegecandy.com)
- Knowing A Gay Person More Than Doubles Support For Marriage Equality (buzzfeed.com)
- Why Do We March? (tasithoughts.com)
- Powerful Anti-Hate Ad Imagines What Harvey Milk, Matthew Shepard, and Others Would Be Like Today: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
- Why Bud Light Is Publicly Supporting Marriage Equality (thinkprogress.org)
- Beyoncé and Madonna come out in support of equal marriage (musingsofamildmanneredman.com)
- Paint The Town Red For Marriage Equality (eshcetera.wordpress.com)
Legal and Economic benefits of Marriage Denied to Same Sex Couples…
Marriage Equality (HRC)
On the eve of SCOTUS (The Supreme Court) hearing arguments on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, I thought it was important to share with people who may not know that the fight for same sex marriage isn’t just about the right to get married down the street from your home. There are daily and life changing legal and economic benefits to the federal government recognizing same sex marriage. Here a just a few of the 1400 rights not currently given to same sex couples:
- joint parenting;
- joint adoption;
- joint foster care, custody, and visitation (including non-biological parents);
- status as next-of-kin for hospital visits and medical decisions where one partner is too ill to be competent;
- joint insurance policies for home, auto and health;
- dissolution and divorce protections such as community property and child support;
- immigration and residency for partners from other countries;
- inheritance automatically in the absence of a will;
- joint leases with automatic renewal rights in the event one partner dies or leaves the house or apartment;
- inheritance of jointly-owned real and personal property through the right of survivorship (which avoids the time and expense and taxes in probate);
- benefits such as annuities, pension plans, Social Security, and Medicare;
- spousal exemptions to property tax increases upon the death of one partner who is a co-owner of the home;
- veterans’ discounts on medical care, education, and home loans; joint filing of tax returns;
- joint filing of customs claims when traveling;
- wrongful death benefits for a surviving partner and children;
- bereavement or sick leave to care for a partner or child;
- decision-making power with respect to whether a deceased partner will be cremated or not and where to bury him or her;
- crime victims’ recovery benefits;
- loss of consortium tort benefits;
- domestic violence protection orders;
- judicial protections and evidentiary immunity;
- and more….
- via Legal and economic benefits of marriage.
Related articles
- Taxes for same-sex couples (bankrate.com)
- Will The Supreme Court Repeal The Gay Tax? (ourfuture.org)
- Prop 8 and DOMA: There is Only One Correct Decision (thecrashculture.wordpress.com)
- What the SCOTUS Rulings on Gay Marriage Could Mean for NY (wnyc.org)
- Marriage Equality Discussed in the Court, On the Web (colinlpowellcenterblog.org)
- Same-sex marriage fate, part 1, now in Supreme Court’s hands; Tax-related DOMA arguments to be heard tomorrow (dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com)
- On Equality for Happiness (summerdavis95.wordpress.com)
- Businesses, public watch as Supreme Court takes up gay marriage (Video) (bizjournals.com)
- Eight basic questions to ask about redefining marriage (illinoisreview.typepad.com)
- SCOTUS Divided on Gay Marriage Ban (hispanicbusiness.com)
Breaking!: Release Dorothys Gay Agenda
LGBT RIGHTS
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the hottest topics of the day, PROP 8 and DOMA. Both, are paramount to LGBT community for good reason. It’s been a long struggle to get to the Supreme Court and momentum for Same Sex Marriage has never been stronger or more widely accepted in America. As I read article and commentary on PROP 8 and the Court, I think we’re missing a phenomenal opportunity to educate and raise awareness with our supporters. Acceptance of same sex marriage is important, but regardless of what the SCOTUS decides, our fight is far from over. Infact, this is really just the end of the beginning! Our plight is FULL equality. Exactly what is it? Well glad you asked. We at Release Dorothy have compiled a short but important list:
- Military Service and Benefits Equality
- Marriage and legal recognition of marriage in ALL 50 states
- Employment Non-Discrimination (in 38 states LGBT can be terminated with just cause for being… themselves!)
- Hate Crimes legislation
- Full medical rights
- Ability to Adopt and foster children in all 50 states
- Conjugal Visits
- Blood Donation (in 2013 LGBT are not ALLOWED to donate blood)
While this list is not exhaustive it’s a great set of talking points related to the struggle and inequalities LGBT American’s face.
Related articles
- SCOTUS Blog Seems Certain Prop 8 Going Down (lezgetreal.com)
- Marriage Equality: Celebs Weigh In on Prop 8 Debate at the Supreme Court (eonline.com)
- Marriage Equality Before the Supreme Court: Prop 8 and DOMA (blogher.com)
- The Justices Are Not Ready To Bring Marriage Equality To Alabama, And They Want Prop 8 To Go Away (thinkprogress.org)
- Gay Marriage Advocates Ask Justice Antonin Scalia to Recuse Himself From Prop. 8 Deliberations (blogs.sfweekly.com)
- Senator Baldwin, Rep. Pocan React To Supreme Court’s Prop 8 Arguments (lezgetreal.com)
- Prop 8: Transcript on SCOTUS arguments, tweets and images of this FABULOUS and historic day (freakoutnation.com)
- Prop 8 Lawyer Makes Surprise Remark (huffingtonpost.com)
- Marriage Equality Discussed in the Court, On the Web (colinlpowellcenterblog.org)
The Real Gay Agenda Republicans Don’t Want You to See
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws
—Amendment 14 Section 1 of the United States Constitution
Its time the Government abide by the law of the people of this great nation and the vision of our founding fathers that ALL American’s have equal protection for their rights under the law and strike down the Defense of Marriage Act.
Intel Ends Donations to Boy Scouts
The Boy Scouts of America has lost its largest corporate donor, Intel, whichannounced todaythat it will stop giving to the group unless it vows to stop discriminating against gay people.
Intel Ends Donations to Boy Scouts Due to Discriminatory Policies | Advocate.com.
Sutherland Institute Peddles Questionable anti-LGBT Family Study as Reputable
Choose The Dorothy!
University of Texas associate professor of sociology Mark Regnerus recently published a study that made several negative claims for the outcomes of children raised LGBT parents. Of course the local Uath based anti-LGBT hate group Sutherland Instituteand their BYU ‘educated’ staff jump at the chance to claim legitimacy for a study denouncing LGBT families. On You Tube Bill Duncan says:
Last week, a reputable scholarly journal published a key study showing there are significant differences among children raised by gay and lesbian parents when compared to children raised by intact biological families. Bill Duncan, Sutherland Institute’s Director of the Center for Family and Society, says this study makes some important discoveries.
Study on Children of Parents In Same-Sex Relationships – YouTube.
Billy boy, I’m sorry but you’re betting the farm on the wrong associate professor. Lets just start out with the fact that the study was funded by the Witherspoon Institute and Bradley Foundation ($695,000 and $90,000) respectively. Why is that important? It’s important because one of Witherspoon Institutes leadership members is fellow Robert P. George. Robby is the Chairman Emeritus for the National Organization for Marriage and sits on the Board of Directors of the Bradley Foundation. He used to sit on the Board of Directors for the Family Research Council. He’s dedicated his career to disparaging LGBT peopleand families. The only way a study that has funding from this man is going shed positive light on the LGBT community is when my gardenias bloom in the Arctic.
Critics have charged that Regnerus’ study is flawed because the study never bothered to answer the question of how children with LGBT parents fare in healthy, stable homes.
Critics also noted what it showed is that kids with at least one parent in a same-sex relationship didn’t fare so well in broken homes.
“An investigation is sorely needed to get to the bottom of how an inferior, politically loaded study found its way onto a mainstream campus at the expense of the institution’s academic integrity,” Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit organization that fights anti-LGBT extremism.
“What we are looking at with this study is the equivalent of an ugly push poll or a nasty robo call — with footnotes to give it a veneer of academic legitimacy,” Besen said.
So between the questionable intent of the funding and the inherent flaws in the study itself, Bill Duncan has done nothing more than to try and pass off pseudo-science as legitimate scholarly work. But, should we really expect anything less than that from the Utah based Sutherland Institute? In my opinion they’ve been trying to pass themselves off as a ‘think tank’ for years. So far the only thinking they’ve done is with their ass, which isn’t surprising since their collective heads are buried up the ass of the Utah Republican Party or the Mormon Church Leadership (oh wait… same thing).
Related articles
- Shameful Academe Twists Research To Attack LGBT Families (lezgetreal.com)
- Four major LGBT groups: Flawed study seeks to disparage lesbian and gay parents (miamiherald.typepad.com)
- Gay-Parenting Study Starts a War (thedailybeast.com)
- New Anti-Gay Snake Oil for Religious Right (religiondispatches.org)
- Romney says he is fine with gay couples adopting (fox13now.com)
What Does PRIDE Mean to You!
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- You: Pentagon announces gay pride ceremony in recognition of troops (guardian.co.uk)
- LGBT Pride Celebrations Around the World (newsfeed.time.com)
- Hull Pride 2012 – it’s back and it’s bigger than ever! (out-spoken.org)
- Inlaws & Outlaws To Be Shown At MT Pride 2012 (dgsmith.org)
- There’s Plenty To Do At Boise’s Pride Celebration (boiseweekly.com)
- Breakfast With Openly Gay Candidates And Officials During Pride (dgsmith.org)
- Where to Celebrate Pride Week in Boise (boiseweekly.com)
Idaho Media Brushes Boise Gay Pride Festival Under the Rug-Just like Idaho Legislature Brushes LGBT Rights Under the Rug
English: Boise Pride 2011 at the Idaho capitol. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It wasn’t enough back in February 2012 for Idaho’s anti-modern family and anti-human rights leaders in the
Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee to kill legislation which would have added protections for gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals in Idaho… much to the shock, anger and sadness to LGBT Human Rights supporters.
via Idaho Senate Committee Kills Legislation to Add Protections for Gay and Lesbian Citizens.
Today is the annual LGBT Pride Parade in Boise Idaho. But wait, where’s the media coverage of the event? Your guess is as good as mine. Local ‘breaking news’ websites such as KTVB mention nothing about the struggle for equality and first class citizenry so blatently disregarded in a state brimming with legislative bigotry and anti-equality values. They are happy to report on their community pages such marked events as the Dairy Parade.
Well, fortunately because of the internet, traditional media organizations such as KTVB of conglomerate BELO Companies no longer have control over the flow of information in their area.
Today is a courageous day. A passionate day, a liberating day, and a day of political will… A day for PRIDE. Today is the day where LGBT and supporters UNITE to show solidarity in common causes such as Same Sex Marriage, Equal Protections under the 14th amendment and the end of local “Jim Crow” laws. We gather and march to celebrate the defeat of legislated bigotry such as DOMA, DADT, and California’s Proposition 8. and a mark in time to remind Idaho and America that it’s time as a nation of people from various cultural, religious, ethic and social backgrounds to support individuals as they shed their fears and stand up for who they really are!
Here are photo’s of today’s Boise Pride Parade passed on by an LGBT supporter (Pat B.) and an outstanding show of support from one of Idaho’s largest local companies. SUPERVALU Inc. under the grocery Banner of Albertson’s had an amazing turnout and supported the equal rights causes of LGBT citizens across the state of Idaho.
As you can see there was a fantastic turnout of support from the community!
Oh, and by the way. If you’re frustrated about the lack of local attention this event is receiving contact the following traditional media outlets:
If you’re frustrated about the bigotry and anti-human rights record of the Senate State Affairs Committee here’s how you contact them as well:
Senate State Affairs Committee
Senator Curt McKenzie (R) - Chair E-mail
District 12, Nampa
412 W. Franklin St., Boise, 83702
Bus (208) 344-4379
FAX (208) 331-2150
Senator Denton Darrington (R) E-mail
District 27, Declo
302 S. Hwy. 77, Declo, 83323
Home (208) 654-2712
Senator Bart Davis (R) E-mail
District 33, Bonneville
2638 Bellin Circle, Idaho Falls, 83402
Home (208) 529-4993
Bus (208) 522-8100
FAX (208) 522-1334
Senator Brent Hill (R) E-mail
District 34, Rexburg
1010 S. 2nd E., Rexburg, 83440
Home (208) 356-7495
Senator Russell Fulcher (R) E-mail
District 21, Meridian
P.O. Box 1166, Meridian, 83680-1166
Bus (208) 332-1340
FAX (208) 332-1422
Senator Chuck Winder (R) E-mail
District 14, Boise
5528 N. Ebbetts Ave., Boise, 83713
Home (208) 853-9090
Bus (208) 866-0113
Senator Patti Anne Lodge (R) E-mail
District 13, Canyon
P.O. Box 96, Huston, 83630
Home (208) 459-7158
Senator Edgar Malepeai (D) E-mail
District 30, Pocatello
585 S. 19th, Pocatello, 83201
Home (208) 232-2702
Senator Michelle Stennett (D) E-mail
District 25, Ketchum
P.O. Box 475, Ketchum, 83340
Home (208) 726-8106
Related articles
- LGBT Pride Celebrations Around the World (newsfeed.time.com)
- Idaho Arts Commission Announces 2013 Grants and Awards (boiseweekly.com)
- Pride Parade Celebrates Growing Acceptance Of LGBT Community In Philadelphia (philadelphia.cbslocal.com)
- Mormons Prepare to March in LGBT Pride Parades Nationwide (religiondispatches.org)
8: A Play about the Fight for Marriage Equality
Dustin Lance Black (Photo credit: Paul Schreiber)
I just finished watching Dustin Lance Black‘s play “8″ which was streamed live on YouTube. Since the public has never had the opportunity to view the video footage of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals review of the Prop 8 trial (anti-civil rights organizations have fought to prevent it from being aired) this play is even more powerful. I especially liked the theme that they were putting “Fear and Prejudice on Trial”.
Streamed live on Mar 3, 2012 by AmericanEqualRights
Featuring an all-star cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Lynch, Kevin Bacon and others, “8″ is a play written by Academy Award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and directed by acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner. It is a powerful account of the case filed by the American Federation for Equal Rights (AFER ) in the U.S. District Court in 2010 to overturn Proposition 8 [LINK], a constitutional amendment that eliminated the rights of same-sex couples to marry in the state of California. Framed around the trial’s historic closing arguments in June 2010, 8 provides an intimate look what unfolded when the issue of same-sex marriage was on trial.
Here’s the full length play published on You Tube with video clips of the arguments.
Related articles
- Watch Party! Live Reading of Dustin Lance Black’s “8″ Tonight 7:45pt (my.firedoglake.com)
- Brad Pitt joins Dustin Lance Black’s ’8′ (pinkbananaworld.com)
- Watch a star-studded reading of the play ’8′ live on YouTube this Saturday night (youtube-global.blogspot.com)
- Dustin Lance Black: Full ’8′ Cast Revealed! (justjared.buzznet.com)
- George Clooney, Brad Pitt Team Up for Prop 8 Play [Live Stream] (inquisitr.com)
Higher Education Research Institute – 71.3 Percent of Incoming College Students are Pro Same Sex Marriage at UCLA
First-year college students’ political and social views shifted in a more liberal direction in 2011, according to the CIRP Freshman Survey, UCLA‘s annual survey of the nation’s entering students at four-year colleges and universities. Notable changes were seen in student views on same-sex marriage, affirmative action and access to higher education for undocumented students.
The survey, part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), is administered nationally by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies.
An unprecedented 71.3 percent of incoming college students indicated that same-sex couples should have the right to legal marital status, compared with 64.9 percent in 2009, a remarkable 6.4 percentage-point increase over a two-year period. While support for same-sex marriage is highest among female students and those who identify as liberal, a significant amount of conservative students (42.8 percent) and an increasing number of male students (64.1 percent in 2011 vs. 56.7 percent in 2009) expressed support for this issue.
Related articles
- National Poll: 7 Out Of 10 College Freshmen Support Gay Marriage (brandtstandard.com)
- Thomas A. Roberts: How Governors Are Leading The Way On Same-Sex Marriage (huffingtonpost.com)
The Smooch heard Around the World
After a 6 month deployment to Afganistan, Sgt Morgan embraced his new love for a homecoming kiss. It’s something seen every time marine comes home and is greated by their loved one. Only this time Its the smooch heard around the world and making photo headlines across the globe. Why? Because the Marine is kissing his same sex boyfriend. A year ago, it would have been the Sgt.’s job and a dishonorable discharge. Today, it’s a symbol of how far we’ve come, how much closer we are to ending second-class citizenry and achieving equality.
Congratulations to both of you and welcome to the rest of your life Sgt. Morgan!
Related articles
- Gay Marine Kiss Goes Viral (thedailybeast.com)
- Marine, partner reflect on gay kiss seen around the globe: ‘The world went away for a few minutes’ (miamiherald.typepad.com)
- Gay Marine And Boyfriend From Homecoming Kiss Speak Out (thinkprogress.org)
- Their First Kiss (alan.com)
- Gay Couple in Marine Homecoming Photo Talks More About Their Relationship: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
- Gay Marine’s Homecoming Kiss Goes Viral (PHOTO) (blippitt.com)
I Want to Know What it’s Like….
I Want To Know What It’s Like – YouTube.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE
I want to know what it’s like…
To be normal. To be accepted. To be human. To be equal. To be free.
I want to know what it’s like…
To be open. To be heard. To be loved. To be happy. To be me.
I want to know what it’s like…
To feel like I belong.
To feel like I am strong.
That who I am isn’t wrong.
I want to know what it’s like…
To know that I am here.
That Iʼll make it through the year.
To know I wonʼt disappear.
I want to know what it’s like…
To not have to fight.
To see an end in sight.
To make what is wrong right.
I want to know what it’s like…
To be able to believe.
In a higher power that doesn’t see.
Me as sin or sodomy.
I want to know what it’s like…
To have liberty & justice for all
To break down this dividing wall
To remove homophobia from the law
I want to know what itʼs like…
To have a feeling that isn’t sad.
To have something that I’ve never had.
To have a child call me dad.
I want to know what it’s like…
To not feel like Iʼm a freak
To not feel like I am weak
To not be silenced when I speak
I want to know what it’s like…
To live beyond a closet door.
To see my father once more.
To show him I’m not who I was before.
I want to know what itʼs like…
To donate the blood from my vein
But because Iʼm gay I must refrain.
Why does my sexuality pertain?!
I want to know what itʼs like…
To not BE expelled from school
To not be made to look like a fool.
How is homosexuality breaking a rule?!
I want to know what it’s like…
To undo what’s been done to me.
To give sight to those who cannot see.
That I am no lesser of a human being.
I want to know what itʼs like…
To not be considered a disease.
To not have a majority I have to please.
To freely express my individualiTY.
I want to know what itʼs like…
To live in a land truly of the free.
Not a land that excludes me.
This is not how itʼs supposed to be!
I want to know what itʼs like…
To not be the target of bigotry
To not have you question my sanity
To not succumb to your superiority!
I want to know what it’s like…
To overcome all of my fears.
To uncry these countless tears.
That have been shed over the years.
I want to know what it’s like…
To learn about gay leaders of the past.
In my high school history class.
Can somebody please tell me what is so wrong with that?!
I want to know what it’s like…
To have pride.
To not have to hide.
To not have to lie my whole life.
To not have my sexuality be denied.
I want to know what it’s like…
To not have to feel this hurt inside.
To not think these thoughts in my mind.
To not contemplate suicide.
I want to know what it’s like…
To have this pain in me subside.
To heal this wound that bleeds inside.
To get back the tears that I’ve cried.
To take back the years that Iʼve tried.
To bring back the life that has died.
To unite this world’s divide.
To make change with stride.
To not stand below, but beside.
I want to know what it’s like…
To have this choice you say is mine.
To have science & religion intertwine.
To have love be redefined.
I want to know what it’s like…
To have a government that won’t instate
Unfair laws that provoke hate
For fear society will disintegrate
I want to know what itʼs like….
To live in a world without hate.
A world that does not discriminate.
A world in which I can feel safe.
Whether I am gay bi or straight.
This is the world we must create!!!
These are the decisions we must make.
These are the actions we must take.
The time is now we cannot, we must not, we will not wait.
I want to know what itʼs like…
To have equal opportunity.
To know the feeling of full equality.
To be one collective humanity.
I want to know what it’s like…
To be treated equally by my peers.
To stand alongside every queer…
On the edge of a new frontier.
A frontier that no one will dictate.
A frontier where there will be no debate.
A frontier in which everyone can relate.
A frontier made up of love and not hate.
I want to know what it’s like…
To open your eyes so you can see.
The way this world is supposed to be.
We arenʼt so different, you & me.
Related articles
- And Equality For All (silverthoughts2.wordpress.com)
- On Being Gay: Fighting the False “Hate” Dichotomy (thecollegeconservative.com)
Bayard Rustin- An African American LGBT Forgotten Hero
A master strategist and tireless activist, Bayard Rustin is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil rights movement, and helped mold Martin Luther King, Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence.
Despite these achievements, Rustin was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a fiercely homophobic era.
Gay man in the Civil Rights Movement. – YouTube.
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