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Neil Abercrombie, former congressman and a Democratic
gubernatorial candidate, addresses his supporters at his
campaign headquarters on Saturday.
Hawaii Democrats on Saturday nominated former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie in their bid to retake the governor's office from the GOP in President Obama's birth state. Republican Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona coasted to his party's nomination.
Both will be seeking to succeed Gov. Linda Lingle, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits, in what is shaping up to be a classic liberal-vs-conservative battle between two veteran politicians. Democrats hope to regain control of one of the most heavily Democratic states in the country, which gave Obama 72% of the vote.
Abercrombie was defeating ex-Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, 60 to 38% with 240 of 242 precincts reporting. The pair waged a spirited primary that may have turned on a flier Hannemann sent voters that highlighted the candidates' birthplaces, the universities they attended and their wives' ethnicities.
"This is a great evening. This is the night that we go toward a new day in Hawaii," said Abercrombie, wearing a floral Hawaiian shirt and a maile lei.
The former congressman took the stage for his victory speech after being introduced by Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng and actress Kelly Hu. An energized Abercrombie said that in 2008, "a great wave came across Hawaii" with the election of Obama.
"Now in 2010, a new wave of hope and change is coming to Hawaii, and it starts tonight," he said. "This is about the people of Hawaii and a new vision for Hawaii's future."
Hannemann said he will support Abercrombie.
"I love the opportunity of being mayor," Hannemann said. "I love the opportunity that I had to run for governor. I love being in public service. And all this means is that the people of Hawaii have spoken and say 'Mufi, this is not your time.' And I abide by that decision. And I also abide by what Heavenly Father has in store for us in the future."
The Defendant-Intervenors in the Proposition 8 trial ( Perry v Schwarzenegger ) submitted their opening brief in their appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court late Friday night.
And what a brief it is! The brief goes to great length to insult and denigrate 'The District Court' (aka Judge Vaughn Walker). Here's the first of its notable takedowns.
THE DISTRICT COURT'S KEY "FACT" FINDINGS ARE DUE NO DEFERENCE AND IN ANY EVENT ARE UNRELIABLE AND ULTIMATELY IRRELEVANT.
This week there was a show on Oprah that sent me into a spin. Wishing I could change the channel, I was riveted as part of the "decade of darkness" unfolded before my eyes again. In celebrating her last year, Oprah returned to a Williamson, West Virginia where she had originally filmed a town meeting on HIV/AIDS in 1987. A young man with HIV had decided to take a swim in the town pool and set off a storm of protest, hate and anger. That hate, anger and sheer viciousness of the town folks were captured live.
Anyone who lived through those times and watched this show remembers it well. And how I wish I never watched it this week. Even writing this column, I am struggling to remain focused and share with you feelings that have been so suppressed for over 15 years.
The years between 1980 and 1995 were years of such contradictions. I call them the 'dark years' of my life. On one hand I lost over 300 friends to HIV/AIDS, gave 90 eulogies for young men mostly under 40 years of age and lost the gay men in my life who I loved deeply. My story is not unique. Anyone in the LGBT community who made it out of these dark years has their own trail of tears. At the same time, never have I seen more individual courage and a community more determined to live and be free in the face of massive hatred, discrimination, anger, violence and governmental criminality.
Like Nero, our leaders fiddled as we died. Undertakers would not bury us. Dentist and doctors would not treat us. Some hospitals refused us entrance and others insisted on a separate HIV/AIDS section. People stopped inviting us to their homes, Those who did, would serve us dinner on paper plates while giving the rest of their guests china. We were blamed publicly and often for bringing on this disease to ourselves because of our "disgusting, shameful and repulsive lifestyle choices." Insurance companies refused to cover us initially since it was a "self inflicted" disease. Home healthcare workers refused to walk into our homes.
Most of us were only in our 20's and 30's and just couldn't believe what was happening to us. Leaving the period of hope and dreams of the 1970's into a time of total darkness and feeling very, very alone. Weekends became Saturday morning funerals and Saturday night disco to dance the pain away.
The other day I was having a very casual conversation about the 'dark years' just rolling off the statistics and a glimpse into those times. The young man asked me, "How did you get through those horrible times of death and hopelessness? How can you laugh now?" My respond was a simple "We had no choice. We just did it. Our very lives were at stake." And then I shared stories with him of the unbelievable courage by both members of the community and our straight allies. We never became victims.
What I didn't share with him was the intensity of what those years really were about for me. The prime of my life, my 30's and 40's were spent fighting this disease, taking care of my friends and burying them. Never was there any let up. One would be buried and then that afternoon we would visit others in the hospital. Taking our break to get away from it, we would encounter intense hate, discrimination and lack of love in the outside world. Oprah's West Virginia show reminded me of the intensity of that hatred.
What I realize now is that for the last decade and a half as I grow old without my gay male friends from youth, I have taken those years, put them in a neat little box inside of myself and refused to allow anyone to open it. Watching Oprah reminded me the importance of living for now and leaving that damn box alone. It is just too damn awful and painful to relive.
Melody Dranch & Kathy Kushnir of MERI;
& Rhode Island Representative Peter Martin.
The second annual Newport Brunch was held on Sunday, Sept. 12. All proceeds of the lavish brunch benefited Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI) and MassEquality, two members of the Rhode Island Marriage Coalition.
Four Winds owner Esmond Harmsworth strolled under glittering chandeliers wearing a name tag that read "Macy Gray" in an effort to generate buzz for MassEquality’s Sept. 30 benefit featuring the songstress. Gilded picture frames, sparkling silverware, and delicate china plates greeted guests, along with a spread of fine brunch cuisine.
Rhode Island legislators Rep. Deborah Ruggiero and Rep. Peter Martin were among the first to arrive. Martin, who has introduced a "gay divorce bill" in Rhode Island -- which would allow same-sex couples who tied the knot in other states to have their marriage dissolved in Rhode Island -- spoke about the importance of separation of church and state. People who are against gay marriage, he said, "rant and rave and hold up religious symbols" as evidence to their cause.
Smooth jazz played at a low volume in every Four Winds room, as well as on the porches. A towering nude Grecian warrior stood, protective, on an enclosed back porch. Aside from marriage equality, of course, the statue was the brunch’s hot topic of conversation. A yellow Labrador retriever strolled, tail wagging, between brunch attendees.
Kathy Kushnir, MERI’s Executive Director, told Bay Windows that it was "wonderful for Esmond and [partner Jim Richardson] to open their home to us." Harmsworth and Richardson also hosted last year’s Newport event, which was held in the evening. Interrupted by kissing cheeks and shaking hands with passers-by, Kushnir described the current efforts in Rhode Island to attain legal recognition of same-sex marriage, and her hopes for the governor. "[Carcieri] was not an equality supporter," she said of the state’s current Gov. Don Carcieri. A legislative bill must pass the House and Senate with simple majorities and be signed by the next governor to legalize statewide recognition of same-sex marriages, and Kushnir had high hopes for seeing marriage equality in 2011. "Our chances are excellent," she said.
MERI has teamed up with MassEquality to expand canvassing efforts. Kushnir said that the organizations have knocked on 30,000 doors since last year, and that Sunday’s Brunch was meant to honor the canvassing team, as well as to provide volunteers and employees a chance to socialize and relax, while furthering the Coalition’s mission of "putting together a community we can be proud of."
MassEquality Executive Director Kara Suffredini said that MassEquality is providing support to MERI via the Rhode Island Marriage Coalition. "Our role is to provide whatever training, coaching we can to the MERI team," she said. "We’re following their lead."
The recent development of the MERI Political Action Committee guided voters to equality-friendly candidates during Tuesday’s primary election. MERI celebrated the House victories of Christopher R. Blazejewski, Maria E. Cimini, Rep. Anastasia P. Williams, Rep. Scott A. Slater, Rep. Arthur Handy, David A. Bennett, Rep. Eileen Slattery Naughton, Teresa A. Tanzi, Jeremiah T. O’Grady, Rep. J. Patrick O’Neill, and Richard P. Morrison, as well as the Senate victories of Sen. Juan M. Pichardo and Sen. Frank A. DeVall, Jr.
Among our nation's most famous pieces of poetry is that which underlies the song, "America the Beautiful". On several occasions, it has been proposed to replace "The Star Spangled Banner" as our national anthem. Its author was a young Wellesley College English professor named Katharine Lee Bates.
Almost everbody in this nation knows the words. Few know that she was a lesbian. This is her story.
Bates was born to a poor family in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and later moved to Grantville, near Wellesley. Wellesley was soon to be the home to a new women's college, and attending the school became Katharine's goal in life. She took advanced courses and started teaching at the high school to build up credentials, ultimately becoming accepted into their second graduating class. She excelled in the school, but in no field more than poetry. Her favorite activity was to retire to the Browning room and study the works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Three years after graduating as class president, she was accepted to teach English at Wellesley.
In 1893, at age 33 and now English department chair, Bates took a train ride from Wellesley, Massachusetts to Colorado Springs, Colorado to teach a summer school session at Colorado College. She marvelled at the countryside as she travelled.
One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse.
Twelve days ago, I encountered the following comment by a well-known member of Daily Kos.
What exactly is the medical condition that is treated by transgender surgery? Is it vanity? Something is not right about drastic alteration of a healthy body. I feel the same way about plastic surgery, by the way.
Transgender is an acquired condition, a choice, unlike homosexuality, and I don't think it deserves the same protections.
I've let it steep and marinate, trying to come up with a way to address the comment. And during that time, I've wondered how many people of like mind inhabit DK. Given the number of anti-trans bigots that respond to general news story blogs in regards to stories about people who are trans, I'm willing to bet the commenter who made that comment is not flying solo.
So how should I approach it? I decided that a trip back in time might fit the bill.
A commemoration service is held on Veteran's Day for gay veterans at the grave of Leonard Matlovich, a Vietnam vet who single-handedly led the charge for recognition of gays in the military in the late 1970s. Ret. Navy Captain Mike Rankin hangs a flag at Congressional Cemetery to help direct people to the service put on by the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
It's been 17 years since Congress enacted the law known as "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT), and the Senate will finally vote on its repeal this week. Public figures from Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Lady Gaga have said it's time for the policy to go. A federal judge in California weighed in this month as well, finding that the law undermines unit cohesion, wastes money and leads to a loss of critical military talent. It is also patently unfair and, according to the court, unconstitutional. On the long path to regulations that treat all troops equally, a number of myths have cropped up surrounding the law.
1. DADT was created to promote unit cohesion and military readiness.
DADT has never had anything to do with those goals. In 1993, President Bill Clinton tried to compel the Pentagon to eliminate the ban on gays in the military. The Pentagon formed a working group to figure out how to respond, and admirals and generals in that group, which ultimately helped create DADT, acknowledged to historian Nathaniel Frank that the policy was "based on nothing."
But that is not the full story. According to historian Anne Loveland, the architects of DADT knew they could not argue that the law should be based on their personal morality, so they used the unit cohesion argument instead. In her work on evangelical chaplains in the military, Loveland discovered a behind-the-scenes debate as the policy took shape in 1992-93. Though the chaplains and evangelical groups wanted to present a case that gays and lesbians are abominations, polls showed that most of the public didn't share their moral concerns; they knew would have a better chance if they talked about military necessity.
As recently as 2007, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace was asked why the military still had a ban on gays, and he said he believed that DADT was necessary because homosexual conduct is immoral. He later clarified that he was stating his "personal moral views" and that he should have stuck to personnel issues. His comments spurred a group of retired generals and admirals to urge the repeal of the policy. But the problem really wasn't that Pace spoke out of turn. It was that he told the truth about a rationale that was supposed to remain unspoken.
2. Repealing DADT will be complicated.
Opponents of repeal are trying to depict the transition to an inclusive policy as a fragile and complicated process. The Center for Military Readiness, a nonprofit organization whose president supports DADT, claims that lifting the ban will lead to logistical headaches over housing, benefits and nondiscrimination policies. This echoes the obstructionism of former senator Sam Nunn, who on the Senate floor in 1993 asked more than 40 "thorny questions" that gay rights advocates would have to answer before he would support allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly. (One particularly memorable example: What would happen if a gay soldier brought a partner to a military ball?)
But the shift to an inclusive policy is not rocket science. Research by the Rand Corporation shows that the Pentagon needs just three things to ensure a smooth transition: The military must have a standard of nondiscrimination that mandates equal treatment for everyone. There must be a single code of conduct that applies equally to gays and straights and does not mention sexual orientation. And military leaders at all levels must show their support for the policy.
All of these steps are simple, which is why the militaries of Britain, Israel, Canada and other U.S. allies have had such an easy time getting rid of their bans. At a recent summit at the Brookings Institution, Canadian Lt. Gen. Walter Semianiw said, "There has been no impact to reflect on operational effectiveness by having men and women of any sexual orientation fighting together."
3. The integration of women and African Americans into the military offers useful comparisons.
The debates over gays, women and blacks in the military seem quite similar in many regards. Just as some people claimed that white enlisted personnel would not follow black officers, for example, others say that straight troops will not follow gay commanders.
Yet it makes little sense to compare the current situation to the previous integration of women and racial minorities. Operationally, the end of "don't ask, don't tell" will be a cakewalk compared with racial and gender integration, which took many years and faced huge logistical obstacles. In this case, a majority of troops already say that they know or suspect that they know gay peers and are comfortable serving with them.
Symbolically, the comparison is wrong as well: It conflates homophobia, racism and sexism, which are distinct phenomena.
4. The troops oppose repealing DADT.
It is true that when asked their policy preferences, more troops say they favor DADT than allowing gays to serve openly. But there are several caveats: First, the margin is small, and a large number of troops say they have no opinion. Typically, polls find that about 40 percent of troops prefer DADT, 30 percent prefer open service, and 30 percent have no opinion. Second, the vast majority of troops say they are comfortable working with gays and lesbians. Third, even among those who have an opinion, very few feel strongly about it.
Military leaders have expressed their support for repealing DADT as well. Mullen has said that eliminating the policy "would be the right thing to do," and his view is reflected, in large part, in the opinions of the troops. I have made more than 25 visits to service academies and military universities over the past decade, and I have noticed a remarkable shift. Among those gays and lesbians who are out to their units, very few are encountering problems these days. The gay troops who experience the most difficulties are the ones who remain in the closet. Their peers know they are hiding something, and that perception of secrecy does undermine cohesion.
5. DADT is a losing issue politically.
More than a dozen polls in the past five years have found that roughly two-thirds of the public supports repeal. Majorities of regular churchgoers and Republicans now support allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly. The political risk for the Obama administration and the Democrats is in not following through on their pledge to repeal the policy.
Some people believe that Clinton tried to push the country too far to the left when it came to gays in the military. But Clinton's key mistake was allowing himself to get pushed around. That is why he lost the respect of the military and its supporters.
Aaron Belkin is an associate professor of political science at San Francisco State University and the director of the Palm Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Charlene Strong and Hans Johnson at a screening of the film “for my wife…” .
After 14 years, a federal law that violates most every principle Americans profess to hold dear is finally coming under sustained political fire. The Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, would be a farce if its corrosive influence on law and lives weren’t so far-reaching.
One person who has felt that harm firsthand is Charlene Strong [pictured here with Hans Johnson]. Now a human rights commissioner in Washington state, Charlene was denied access to the hospital room of her wife of 10 years following a flash flood that hit their Seattle home in December 2006. A funeral director later snubbed her while she arranged to lay her wife to rest.
Their justification? Not next of kin, she had no legal standing to make decisions. It’s a conclusion DOMA reinforces. Charlene’s story is the subject of the award-winning documentary film “for my wife…”.
The simple and profoundly upsetting experience–and Charlene’s willingness to recount it–are major reasons why Washington state lawmakers passed comprehensive domestic partnership protection now covering more than 7,000 families. Her face and voice, echoed by her brother and sister-in-law, are also a major reason Washington state voters did, on a much leaner budget in 2009, what Californians didn’t manage to do a year earlier: defend such protection at the polls.
Many in and outside California criticized the No on 8 campaign in 2008 for failing to show state voters true stories of the injury and injustice that denial of marriage equality inflicts on same-sex couples and their families. Nor was fluency in the diverse languages of the state a feature of what storytelling did occur.
Still, immigrant and people of color groups did some heroic, instructive, and trend-setting work on shoestring budgets. Similar efforts are now a priority for organizations such as the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and Honor Fund, alongside Equality California.
In a recent oped in the Seattle Times, Charlene and I go at the craziness and cruelty of DOMA. It selectively ignores loving relationships, licenses and contracts, our lives, and reality. Its repeal needs to be a focus of not only LGBT advocacy, but also our many allies’. That was the message of President Obama at the White House on June 22. He led by example.
Indeed, it is allies’ stories of anger and bewilderment–seeing same-sex couples protected in one state suddenly stripped of recognition and dignity in another–that may succeed most in undermining the law. Such a groundswell of criticism will be needful, should DOMA crumble in court, so that any lawmaker tempted to revive it will draw deserved scorn.
Beyond the cruelest, intolerant fringe, there will be no tears for DOMA’s demise. There have been enough already. Public outcry and storytelling about its private havoc only hasten the day its reign of error ends. Hans Johnson is president of Progressive Victory, a political consulting firm, and a board vice chair of the Task Force, where Charlene Strong endowed the Kate Fleming Memorial Internship in Movement Storytelling in memory of her late wife.
The Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that the city government of Jerusalem must provide funding to the Jersualem Open House, the city's lgbt community center, in that same way that it funds other similar centers. By contrast to Tel Aviv, which has long had such a center and provides much greater support to lgbt activities, the much more religious (i.e. Orthodox) dominated Jerusalem had refused multiple times to support Open House.
The verdict marked the end of a years-long process of legal challenges, victories, setbacks, and appeals. Open House had sought legal redress by going to administrative court, and had gotten funding for 2003, 2004, and 2005. But when the city denied Open House funds for subsequent years and the court sided with the city, Open House took the matter further. Finally, the Supreme Court weighed in with a judgment in favor of the LGBT community center and an order for the city to pay Open House $120,000. Moreover, the court required that funding policies be revised to that similar community centers will also receive municipal funds.
"The history of the relationship between the sides reveals that the appellant’s hand reaching out for support has met time and time again with the miserly hand of the municipality," the opinion handed down by the judges read. "We cannot but express hope that the municipality will not behave stingily again and that the sides can shake hands without further involving the court."
On his own, Justice Hanan Melcer wrote that the sort of thinly disguised discrimination the city showed toward the community center "has no place in the 21st century."...
Israel is a democracy politically, but socially the country is influenced by religion. Conservatives point to their faith as a justification for anti-gay prejudices. Gay pride marches in Jerusalem have been beset by protests and violence, mainly from adherents of the Ultra-Orthodox tradition... Five years ago, Jerusalem Pride was marred by a knife attack in which an Ultra-Orthodox protester stabbed three marchers.
Broadway opened its season this year by honoring one of its most talented and beloved icons. The 1,055-seat venue on West 43rd Street (formerly named after Henry Miller) was renamed "Stephen Sondheim" on Wednesday night and had its marquee lit in Sondheim's honor. Stephen Sondheim attended the ceremony along with Broadway royalty such as Nathan Lane, Patti LaPone, and John Weidman.
Sondheim, who turned 80 in March, is not only a genius composer and lyricist — he's also a theatrical legend and openly gay man whose songs have become anthems for two generations of GLBTs. Deeply move by the honor of having a Broadway house named after him, Sondheim told the crowd gathered to watch the event "I'm deeply embarrassed. I'm thrilled, but deeply embarrassed. I've always hated my last name. It just doesn't sing." But despite not liking his name, Sondheim still flashed a delighted smile when he threw the switch and saw it in lights over his new theater.
Several of the attendees gave speeches expressing their admiration for Stephen Sondheim, including Nathan Lane, who joked "I have to say — don't take this the wrong way — this is so much more moving to christen a theater the Stephen Sondheim as opposed to the British Petroleum Playhouse or the McNugget."
Sondheim has received several tributes this year, including a birthday concert by the New York Philharmonic and revival productions of A Little Night Music and Sondheim on Sondheim. Fitting accolades indeed for the man who almost single-handedly reshaped America's musical theater.
The new Stephen Sondheim Theater recently underwent an extensive renovation where is was, among other improvements, turned into a environmentally friendly building while retaining its neo-Georgian architecture. The already-sold-out The Pee-Wee Herman Show will be the first production in the new theater, followed by a revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes.
Some highlights from Wednesday's festivities:
Just goes to prove what I've always said: There's good, there's great, and then there's Sondheim. Congratulations Stephen!
That's what a supporter of Sally Kern says in the video to the left...and his purported lack of safety is in reference to Sally Kern's opponent in the race for the representative of Oklahoma House district 84, Brittany Novotny. And why does he...and by extension, all of you as well, have to fear from Brittany?
Brittany is a transwoman. The fact that she is an Oklahoma City attorney focusing on employment and civil rights law can be conveniently discarded. The fact that she is ready, willing and able to work for the citizens of her district means nothing. She's a transwoman...and her opponents judge that to be a "moral issue".
Our lives...our existences...are not issues, moral or otherwise. We are people.
Has Russian gay activist Nikolai Alekseev actually been released? And is he really in Minsk? These are questions being asked by Belarusian gay activists in Minsk this afternoon – and by UK Gay News.
It is true that the most recent messages that Mr. Alekseev has sent to his partner today have said that he is free and is fine. But these messages were sent by SMS. Was it Mr. Alekseev who sent them? And if it was him, was he under any sort of pressure?
The first hint that all might not be well came late this morning when a reliable gay activist in Minsk alerted this Website that Interfax Belarus had posted an article today saying that Mr. Alekseev had applied for political asylum in Belarus – and that “[i]n connection with the pressure on me, I decided to withdraw the complaints to the European Court about the bans on gay prides in 2006, 2007 and 2008 by the Moscow authorities." [This Interfax Belarus report can be read HERE] This, the gay community in Minsk suggest, is so out of character. Additionally, Mr. Alekseev has not been seen in Minsk by activists, nor has he made any contact with anyone. It is not as though Mr. Alekseev does not know anyone in Minsk. He does – he helped to organise Slavic Pride in the Belarusian capital this year, and sevarl were in Moscow for Gay Pride.
“The situation that has evolved around the disappearance of Nikolai Alekseev is very strange,” a leading gay activist told UK Gay News this afternoon. “Reliable information about where he is, if he is free, and whether or not Nikolai himself sends SMS messages that are mentioned in the media is not known. “At the same time, the media has played in every possible way on this incident and not tried to understand what is written and what happening. "At the moment, I personally have great concern about the safety of Nikolai because in two days no one has had a single phone call, neither his friends nor the media. “SMS messages can be sent by anyone, not just Nikolai,” he pointed out.
Until Mr. Alekseev actually contacts someone by “voice” telephone and says where he is – and that he is a free many, concerns will remain. But at the present time, there are serious doubts.
At the end of the day, the Belarus authorities are a law unto to themselves. Human rights are mainly ignored. And to a lesser extent, it is the same in Russia. And the authorities in both countries indeed have a lot to answer for. When Mr. Alekseev is reported as saying that he was pressured into withdrawing his complaints to the European Court of Human Rights, then the justices in Strasbourg may well have something to say on the matter and a question or two. The gay activists in Minsk are right to be concerned. As veteran openly gay New York–based journalist Doug Ireland says: “Knowing Nikolai, it is inconceivable to me that he would request political asylum in Belarus.”
My friend Andy Harley of UK Gay News, with whom I've been cooperatively working this story, now reports that none of the gay activists in Minsk have heard from Nikolai, which, if he is truly at liberty, is quite surprising--Nikolai knows them well personally, having co-organized Slavic Pride with them and visited Minsk previously on several occasions.
I am once again very concerned about Nikolai's safety, all the more so as efforts to reach his boyfriend by telephone today have been unavailing so far. We will try to have more and accurate news as soon as possible (thanks to Andy Harley of UK Gay News for the tip about the Interfax article today -- the direct link to the article in Belarusian. ... and the link for a Google translation to English is here.
WHAT THIS MEANS is that worldwide continued expressions of concerns to Russia's foreign ministry and embassies by governments, organizations and especially by journalists must not let up -- only if Putin and his agents, and indeed the Lukashenko dictatorship in Belarus, know the whole world is watching can we help Nikolai in his hour of travail. There is the serious possibility that Nikolai is today the victim of collusion between Lukashenko's political police and Putin's.
For background on the reasons for Nikolai's arrest last Wednesday at Moscow Airport, see this article retransmitted from gayrussia.ru (the website, founded by Nikolai, was simultaneously attacked by hackers, presumably from Putin's government, the day after Nikolai's arrest and is not available or updateable) by UK Gay News.
-- Doug Ireland, International Affairs Editor, Gay City News (New York City)
We can hardly believe that it's been six months since we launched GetEQUAL -- and now we need your help to keep it going.
Born out of the passion and people-powered action following Proposition 8 in CA and last October's National Equality March, GetEQUAL has worked to engage a nationwide network of activists across the country to send a strong message to President Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other national leadership -- we're done with excuses and "politics as usual," and we demand equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people.
Six months ago, we received a luxury that many organizers would do anything for -- seed funds to help us hit the ground running. We are extremely grateful for that gift, but it shouldn't be left up to a handful of donors to fund this renewed way of demanding our rights. We've used this initial seed money to train volunteers, organize actions, and pay travel/legal costs for activists who are arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience. We've been able to hire some great organizers and we've put technologies in place to help bring people together as we work to build within a movement. Now we need our base -- fair-minded people who want to continue demanding their equality and who are frustrated with the lack of progress for equal rights -- to step up and keep this thing going.
Here's a brief list of the things we're most proud of from the past six months:
Launched a video with Will Phillips that has had over 121,000 views, leading to the start of a narrative calling for courageous action
Called the President to account at a California fundraiser for Barbara Boxer, leading to an email from a reporter on Air Force One indicating that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was all anyone was talking about on the flight back to DC
Protested at the White House with servicemembers from multiple branches of the military, leading to a revitalization of the conversation around "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Staged a simultaneous sit-in at Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco and Washington offices, leading to promises (now broken) on when an inclusive ENDA would pass
Shut down Las Vegas Boulevard in Senator Reid's home state, leading to calls from Reid's office in DC asking how they could prevent future action
Coordinated direct questions at Netroots Nation to House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid, leading to unforgettable media moments and increased opportunities for accountability
Called Speaker Pelosi to account in the Capitol Rotunda by "beating the drum" that she told us needed to happen for ENDA to pass, leading to an increased possibility of resurrecting ENDA from the dead
Launched the "ENDA Summer" campaign, leading to distributed actions in areas of the country that have not previously been mobilized
Confronted Senator John McCain at a Senate Armed Services Committee with the specter of his tainted legacy, leading to a slight shift in his position on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
If you care about the rights of Americans who are in relationships with non-US citizens, specifically, same-gendered ones, now is the time to step up and make calls. Not "now" as in 2010. I mean now, today, and then make every effort you can muster to spread the word to everyone you know.
For over a decade, Out4Immigration (O4I) and other groups have been trying to pass the Uniting American Famlies Act, or UAFA, which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act so that we can sponsor our foreign partners for legal residency, as straight people have long been able to do. This extends a single federal right to us, though a crucial one if you believe in self determination and strengthening community. The bill also provides for the consequences of fraud and makes clear that if the relationship ends, the foreign partner’s status would come up for review.
Queer US citizens who fall in love with someone from another country have the same menu of choices they’ve had for as long as we can remember, and the fare is unsatisfying to say the least: a) try to survive the emotional and financial drain of a long distance relationship, and hope your partner is not harassed or barred from trying to visit the US too often; b) move abroad to a country that acknowledges your relationship; or c) be one of the relatively lucky whose partner can qualify to reside legally in the US through visas related to work and education--a status that is not guaranteed and often comes to and end. Clearly, none of these are ideal options, unless you’ve always wanted to renounce life in the US to take up residency in the land of your foreign partner. Beyond that your only other choices are: break up, which is an inevitable and heart-wrenching outcome for many; or just as difficult, you and your partner may find yourselves in the ranks of the undocumented, and all the challenges and pitfalls--not to mention searing uncertainty and possibility of harsh consequences--which comes with that. This is certainly not an ideal way to live, and most of us don’t have the wherewithal or means to pull this one off. But some do, and it certainly happens. Something to think about next time you find yourself involved in a conversation where "illegal aliens" come up.
So, we have struggled long and hard to muster both enough co-sponsorship in Congress, as well as the political will, to move this bill out of committee, where it has been languishing during each session of Congress since 2000, when Jerrold Nadler (D)-NY, authored and introduced it in the House for the first time. After President Obama’s election, we had high hopes that this would be the last Congress in which the bill would have to be introduced. And long before that election and since, we have been told ad nauseum that the UAFA would only stand to pass as part of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). Most of us as citizens care deeply about social justice and the importance of immigrants to our history, economy, and national soul. Still, it is difficult to see our ability to choose our path in life and love tied to immigration reform. While we were cautioned in the past that the introduction and passage of the UAFA as a stand-alone bill is a non-starter, it makes sense to those of us who would stand to benefit. And until now, we thought CIR was a no-go in 2010, and possibly not until after the 2012 cycle.
As you likely know by now, there is a chance that Senator Reid will bring a Defense Authorization Bill (DAB) to the floor next week, with a DADT repeal attached. Well, two days ago, a story broke on Politico.com, stating that Senator Robert Menendez is preparing to introduce a CIR bill in the coming month, to pair with the bill drafted by Representative Luis Gutierrez last fall. Folks: this presents us with the best chance we’ve had in a long time to see a new protection extended to all of our families. After many years of calling, letter writing, speaking out, and visiting our representatives, this spring the Senate unveiled draft legislation for CIR--and it included the language of the UAFA! If CIR is to be our path, we must fight to stay included, and to that end, I implore you to contact Senator Menendez’ office and make sure he gets the message that the UAFA must be included in his bill. Additionally, us O4I’ers are trying to lobby Senator Reid to include the language of the UAFA in the DAB next week. Please help us avail ourselves of not one, but two opportunities to bring this chapter of discrimination to an end!
If you pick up the phone and call your Senators to let them know you wish to see UAFA language in the DAB, I will love you and thank you forever! And if you would call Senator Menendez and help us shut down his lines with the message that we must be considered in his CIR bill, that would make you one of the most awesome people in the Universe, as far as I’m concerned. Senator Menendez’ DC office can be reached at 202.224.4744. Senator Reid’s office is 202-224-7327. Please help!
And as always, if you or someone you know is in a bi-national relationship, or if you see the potential injustice to anyone in our community who desires a family of their own, please visit O4I at their website, by joining their listserv on yahoo.groups, and by visiting their blog and Facebook page. You can also follow them on Twitter. Our time is now! Make those calls, and please pass it on!
By Karen Ocamb-
Attorney Earle Miller, part of the White & Case legal team representing Log Cabin Republicans in the federal challenge to DADT, filed a proposed judgment and permanent injunction order with Judge Phillips Thursday afternoon, per Phillip’s Sept 9 ruling that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is unconstitutional. The Department of Justice now has seven days to object.
Meanwhile, Kerry Eleveld at The Advocate reports that the legislative repeal of DADT may be “held hostage” over partisan disagreements in the Senate. Eleveld writes:
“Democrats must find 60 votes to break the filibuster the GOP is threatening to mount, meaning they will likely need to sway at least one or two Republicans to vote against their party. But Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are playing a game of chicken over how many amendments Republicans will be allowed to offer once the Defense authorization bill reaches the floor, putting moderate GOP senators like Senator Susan Collins in a bind.”
Thursday was also a mega-lobbying day on the Hill to try to convince congressmembers to support DADT repeal. Perhaps attention should now be turned to lobbying President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to NOT appeal or object to the federal DADT ruling. Long shot, I know – but worth some energy.
Here’s the text of the LCR proposed judgment and permanent injunction:
This action was tried by Judge Virginia A. Phillips without a jury on July 13- 16 and 20-23, 2010. The Court filed a Memorandum Opinion on September 9, 2010 (Doc. 232), and Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. For all the reasons set forth therein:
IT IS ORDERED that the statute and policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” codified at 10 U.S.C. § 654 and implemented by regulations comprising Department of Defense Directives 1332.14 (1993), 1332.30 (1997), and 1304.26 (1993), as modified by Department of Defense Instructions 1332.14 (2008) (incorporating March 29, 2010 changes) and 1332.30 (2008) (incorporating March 29, 2010 changes), are declared to infringe the fundamental rights of United States servicemembers and prospective servicemembers and violate (a) the substantive due process rights guaranteed under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and (b) the rights to freedom of speech and association and to petition the Government for redress of grievances guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the defendants the United States of America and the Secretary of Defense, their agents, servants, officers, employees, and attorneys, and all persons acting in participation or concert with them or under their direction or command, are permanently enjoined from enforcing or applying the statute and policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” including any implementing regulations, against any person under their jurisdiction or command, and from taking any actions whatsoever, or permitting any person or entity to take any action whatsoever, against gay or lesbian servicemembers, or prospective servicemembers, that in any way affects, impedes, interferes with, or influences
their military status, advancement, evaluation, duty assignment, duty location, promotion, enlistment or reenlistment based upon their sexual orientation; and they are further ORDERED to immediately suspend and discontinue any investigation, or discharge, separation, or other proceeding, that may have been commenced under 10 U.S.C. § 654 and/or its implementing regulations on or prior to the date of this Judgment.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the plaintiff Log Cabin Republicans may apply to recover from the United States its attorneys’ fees pursuant to the Equal Access to Justice Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2412, in accordance with the provisions of that Act.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the plaintiff Log Cabin Republicans shall recover its costs of suit herein to the extent allowed by law. IT IS SO ORDERED.
PRESENTED BY: WHITE & CASE LLP
By: Earle Miller Earle Miller
Attorneys for Plaintiff Log Cabin Republicans
This week, the ACLU of Washington is before the U.S. District Court in Tacoma representing Maj. Margaret Witt, a decorated U.S. Air Force Flight nurse who was dismissed under the discriminatory and counterproductive policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). This is a dispatch from the trial.
Testimony from former members of Maj. Witt’s unit, the 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, filled the third day of the trial. Leading off was Jill Robinson, who spent 23 years in the Air Force. Inspiring her service was a recruiting poster for the Air Force Reserves that featured Maj. Witt on the cover.
Robinson testified that she saw Maj. Witt as a mentor in the 446th, and that her discharge was like “extracting a parent from the family.” Robinson said she found the entire process “crude” and unfair. There was no dialogue or any process. “One day she was just gone,” Robinson said. She added that she had apologized to Maj. Witt for the discharge, feeling sorry that she (Robinson) was “part of an institution that did this to her.”
The day’s second witness was Heidi Smidt, who testified that upon hearing of Maj. Witt’s initial suspension, her immediate thoughts were that “the loss of Witt was devastating to the Air Force and to the unit.” She believed that the “squadron (was) losing a very valuable member.” (Read her written declaration.) (PDF)
Former flight nurse Judith Krill, the next witness, served as a unit deployment manager in the 446th. In this position Krill observed families separating as servicemembers left for deployment. Krill testified that at these departures, she saw heterosexual couples and gay and lesbian “roommates” alike separating with the same emotions. Krill said she was horrified to learn that Maj. Witt had been discharged because she “was the epitome of what you want (crew members) to be.” (Read Krill's written declaration.) (PDF)
The final testimony of the day came from Faith Mueller, now Assistant Fire Chief in the Tacoma Fire Department. Her career provided insight on how different government agencies deal with housing people. Mueller testified that in most Tacoma firehouses, all firefighters sleep in one large room, irrespective of gender and orientation. When Mueller was deployed as a Federal Emergency Management Agency volunteer at Ground Zero after 9/11, she slept in a large conference room with hundreds of other volunteers — again of all genders and sexual orientations. And she observed that housing in the Air Force provides much more privacy than that of FEMA or the Fire Department. When Maj. Witt was suspended, Mueller felt that “a grave injustice had been done.” Since 1993, more than 13,000 service members have been discharged due to their sexual orientation. At least 240 of those service members have been discharged since President Obama took office. The Senate will debate DADT as early as next week. Join the ACLU in urging Congress to act this year to finally end DADT once and for all.
Today, Dan Woods, the plaintiffs' attorney in Log Cabin Republicans v United States of America, a court case which challenged the constitutionality of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and won, submitted their proposal for relief to Judge Philips asking Philips to end the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy now, everywhere in the United States and abroad via an injunction.
"We want her to block any further enforcement or application of 'don't ask, don't tell' wherever we have military operations -- not just in California, not just in this country but wherever we have military bases anywhere in the world," Log Cabin Republicans attorney Dan Woods told NPR...
The attorneys furthermore requested that all current investigations or discharges of gay service members under DADT be immediately suspended and discontinued.
The US Government has a week to respond.
This morning, GETEQUAL sat in on a Senate Armed Services Committee Meeting with John McCain present, holding up signs which read, in part
"Senator McCain repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, do you want to be the next George Wallace?"
and
"Senator McCain repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, it's not too late to change your legacy."
And Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid filed for cloture today on the Defense Authorization Bill, which contains DADT repeal provisions. That should allow a cloture vote on Tuesday, but whether there are sixty votes is still up in the air.
DADT might not end today, or next week, but the momentum is building. And if Congress is not up to doing it, the courts just might finish it off.
Besides Log Cabin Republicans, there a number of other significant court cases regarding LGBT equality pending, being heard, or on appeal. What of them?
Below is a summary status of seven cases involving the Defense of Marriage Act, , Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and same-sex adoption. All important cases that challenge the constitutionality of discrimination against people with non-traditional sexual orientation. And all but one of which have already had an initial ruling stipulating that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in and of itself is unconstitutional.
Russia’s best known gay rights activist was arrested last night at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport. And there are concerns as, so far, officials are not giving out any information about his whereabouts.
Nikolai Alekseev was about to board Swiss Air Lines flight for Geneva and had passed through passport control when he was arrested by Russian border police at about 7pm Moscow time.
No explanation has yet been given by officials as to why he was arrested.
He was taken to a closed room at the airport.
However, he was able to get messages out by mobile telephone of his arrest before his handset was confiscated as he was speaking with other activists at GayRussia.ru Website.
A group of three fellow activists, led by Nikolai Baev, immediately headed for the airport to assess the situation.
But airport police refused to give any further comment apart from saying that “Alekseev is not here”.
One police man did, however, suggest that Mr. Alekseev might have been transferred to the FSB, formally the KGB, headquarters on Lubianska Square in Moscow.
Ludmila Alekseeva from the Moscow Helsinki Group called the Main Office of the Moscow Police and was told that there is no track of the activist in their system.
Yesterday, activists from GayRussia announced that they had applied to stage a picket against the Moscow Mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, on September 21 on the occasion of his birthday. The theme of the picket was “Luzhkov – gomiki”.
Recently a Russian court confirmed that when the Mayor of Moscow called gays “gomiki” in the media, the term was not offensive. Gomiki is the translation of “faggot”
Twelve days ago, I encountered the following comment by a well-known member of Daily Kos.
But the shift to an inclusive policy is not rocket science. Research by the Rand Corporation shows that the Pentagon needs just three things to ensure a smooth transition: The military must have a standard of nondiscrimination that mandates equal treatment for everyone. There must be a single code of conduct that applies equally to gays and straights and does not mention sexual orientation. And military leaders at all levels must show their support for the policy. 
