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| News Archive: January 2009 |
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- 01/27/09:
Foreign Policy Workers Ask U.S. To Back Benefits for Gay Partners
Excerpt: "The issue achieved prominence in 2007 when a respected ambassador, Michael Guest, resigned after 26 years in the Foreign Service to protest the rules and regulations that he argued gave same-sex partners fewer benefits than family pets. Guest said he was forced to choose "between obligations to my partner, who is my family, and service to my country," which he called "a shame for this institution and our country."
Guest was a member of Obama's State Department transition team.
In the letter, which was organized by the group Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, the signatories wrote, "We believe that no colleague of ours is a second-class colleague, and no colleague's family is a second-class family." Many of the disparities could be resolved with an order from Clinton's office, the letter said, though some would require legislation. "
[Washington Post]
- 01/27/09:
Married or not, let couples adopt
Excerpt: "With so many kids needing homes, it is shocking that a growing number of states now prohibit unmarried couples -- gay and straight -- from adopting or serving as foster parents. In November, Arkansas joined a growing list of states that ban such adoptions, including Georgia, Oklahoma, Utah and Mississippi.
My partner, Dan, and I hope to adopt one day. (Gay adoption is legal in California.) And if we do, it will be out of a conviction that kids deserve a better chance than I had for a permanent, loving home.
I'm confused by people who call themselves pro-family yet would prefer to see children bounce from home to home -- or worse, to be raised in an institution -- because there aren't enough foster homes to go around."
[LA Times]
- 01/26/09:
No on 8: 'We messed up'
Excerpt: ""When I look at what was the biggest mistake, when I lie awake at night prepping my e-mails I'm going to send to all of you and I think about the biggest mistake that we made, it's that we've turned everything over to political experts and political consultants," said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors. "And I would never ever do that again. You know, when we started Equality California, everyone was, like, 'Hire professional lobbyists to go lobby on LGBT issues,' and I was, like: 'You gotta be kidding. We're going to do our own lobbying because it's about our lives and we know what we're talking about and we know how to do this.' One thing, you know, that I would never do again ... we should have been in the strategy room and part of those (consultants') conversations, and that was a huge mistake.""
[Rex Wockner]
- 01/25/09:
Prop. 8 replay not a sure bet for 2010
Excerpt: "Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said she understands the urgency gay marriage supporters feel. But ultimately, a decision on timing would have to be based on "what makes the most strategic and political sense" and "a full appreciation of the enormity of such an undertaking," she said.
Apart from the practical mechanics, another factor to consider is whether it would be possible to raise enough money for a serious campaign in a poor economy, Kendell said. Spending for and against Proposition 8 exceeded $75 million, making it the most expensive ballot fight on a social issue in the nation's history.
David Binder, a San Francisco pollster who conducted a postelection analysis of why voters supported Proposition 8, said aiming for November 2010 has several advantages for same-sex marriage supporters.
For one, the disappointing outcome of the Proposition 8 fight has energized a lot of gay marriage supporters and the momentum could be lost by waiting two more years, Binder said. Also, California voters will be going to the polls next year to elect a new governor to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger, so turnout is likely to be high."
[SF Gate]
- 01/22/09:
Lawyers argue Ohio Constitution bans gay co-parenting
Excerpt: "Rita Goodman and her then-partner Siobhan LaPiana planned to have a family. LaPiana gave birth to two children, now aged 11 and 8.
Both women equally parented the boys, who love and rely on both of them as their mothers ,according to court documents filed by Lambda Legal which represents Goodman.
Before the birth of the first child, Goodman and LaPiana drafted and signed a parenting agreement detailing their intent to share all responsibilities of parenthood.
After the couple ended their 10-relationship, LaPiana began restricting Goodman's time with the boys.
In February 2007, Goodman filed a lawsuit, and in August 2008, the trial court ordered visitation for Goodman.
LaPiana appealed, arguing among other things that Ohio's antigay constitutional amendment prevents courts from entering orders permitting former lesbian partners to share custody, and that the court's order unconstitutionally infringed on her right to autonomy as a parent."
[365Gay]
- 01/17/09:
Briefs Filed In Legal Challange To Calif.'s Prop 8
Excerpt: "This week, women's rights groups, religious organizations, civil rights groups, and labor unions, California municipal governments, children's welfare organizations, bar associations, and leading legal scholars collectively urged the California Supreme Court to strike down Proposition 8. These briefs argue, among other things, that Proposition 8 drastically alters the equal protection guarantee in California's Constitution, and that the rights of a minority cannot be eliminated by a simple majority vote; that writing inequality into the constitution is bad for business; that Proposition 8 is invalid because it is a constitutional revision rather than amendment; that the rights of all Californians to equal treatment under the constitution would be compromised, and that union members' rights could be in jeopardy if Proposition 8 were held to be valid; that Proposition 8 prevents the courts from exercising their essential constitutional role of enforcing the equal protection rights of minorities; and that Proposition 8 poses a serious threat to religious freedom."
[American Constitution Society]
- 01/16/09:
World, Hold On: Activist Network Launched for Global LGBT Youth
Excerpt: "The LGBT Youth World List is a project of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organisation and the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. What do they promise? Well, the largest network of LGBT young people and activists, willing to share their thoughts on LGBT rights and campaigns. As Nanna Moe, a Communications Officer with the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association said: "This will create a global conversation about LGBT rights, allowing young people to make contact and work together in an international fight for respect.""
[Change.org]
- 01/15/09:
Clinton Pledges Review of LGBT Policies at State Department
Excerpt: "Sen. Hillary Clinton said Tuesday during her confirmation hearing for secretary of State that she intended to review the department's policy of not extending benefits to partners of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender foreign service officers. But Clinton stopped short of giving a specific commitment to make partner benefits available, saying she needed more information on the existing policies.
Beyond being deprived of health care benefits, same-sex partners of foreign service personnel are currently unable to access other services available to heterosexual spouses, such as subsidized relocation, language training, employment opportunities, on-site medical treatment, and evacuation aid in emergency situations.
Democratic senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin posed the question to Clinton after he noted that addressing these inequities was a natural outgrowth of the need to build a more robust diplomatic corps."
[Equality Network]
- 01/15/09:
Religious and Civil Rights Groups, Legislators, Bar Associations, Labor, Businesses, and Legal Scholards Urge Court to Overturn Prop 8
Excerpt: "Google, California Council of Churches, California NAACP, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and California Rural Legal Assistance among groups submitting friend-of-the-court briefs "
[NCLR]
- 01/10/09:
All Protests Are Valuable Except for the Ones That Aren't
Excerpt: "If ERW wants the event to be a success--or even avoid a spectacular embarrassment--then ERW needs to plan it, or provide the resources to make sure it's not a flop. Likewise, the national organizer, Jointheimpact.com, needs to make sure the groups that volunteer to produce a protest know how to make the event a success. The function of a march and rally is to demonstrate the movement's gravity in numbers. That requires excellent promotion, credible speakers, banners with a clear message--and the wisdom to not hold an event if you can't draw a big crowd.
"We decided to let every organization have a voice," says Amy Balliett, founder of Jointheimpact.com. "Queer Ally Coalition wanted to plan this." While allowing upstart activists to try their hand at organizing is valuable--it's how movements get new leaders--those new organizations need guidance. ERW, Jointheimpact.com, and other leaders in Seattle's gay-rights community need to direct this movement. Ragtag events, where the greatest presence is the International Socialist Organization (a parasitic group that shows up at every damn event to sell sanctimonious books), will cause the resurging gay-rights movement to atrophy and die--at least in the public eye."
[The Stranger]
- 01/04/09:
Equality on Campus Day
Here's some info about an upcoming event:
EQUALITY ON CAMPUS DAY!
STUDENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY JOIN TOGETHER IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT TOWARDS LGBT EQUALITY.
On January 27th, 2009, high school and college students across the country will wear the same shirt to school as a way to show unity within the community in the fight towards LGBT equality, particularly marriage equality. This is a visibility/fundraiser event geared towards achieving the following goals:
* Get students more involved in the fight towards LGBT equality.
* Raise the visibility of the LGBT movement towards equality by having everyone wear the same shirt on the same day. Students are encouraged to take group photos of everyone at their school wearing the Students for Equality t-shirt. Locations and time suggestions for group photos should be emailed to Eric Ross at eross - at - studentsforequality dot com for better coordination. Students for Equality is encouraging students to submit the group pictures to their school yearbooks and newspapers.
* Have the event one week after the inauguration to remind Obama that we are not going away. We are expecting him to address same-sex marriage, and LGBT rights in general.
* Raise money towards fighting for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the courts. Students for Equality will be donating a portion of the proceeds to Lambda Legal since they are currently fighting the state of California to repeal Proposition 8. Lambda Legal has also fought for LGBT equality in many other cases, including overturning sodomy laws in the United States on a federal level. To see more landmark cases fought by Lambda Legal, go to http://www.lambdalegal.org/our-work/in-court/cases/landmark-cases.html.
"The younger generation was very involved in the election this year," says Eric Ross co-founder of Students for Equality. "This event is a way for them to stay involved in political activism, and not just unite in the fight for marriage equality, but for LGBT equality as a whole."
Designs for the shirt were submitted by students and voted on by visitors of the Students for Equality website. The winning design was announced on January 1st, 2009 and people wishing to buy one of these shirts to raise money in the fight of revoking Proposition 8 can do so by going to http://studentsforequality.com/. People can also go to the same website to find out information about future events sponsored by Students for Equality.
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Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.
- Obama
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contact - at - stop8.org