Gay conservative group GOProud's participation in the CPAC conference has caused controversy among conservatives. Will the participation of the Youth for Western Civilization (a White Supremacy group) cause the same stir?
The nationwide student group is among the exhibitors at this year's CPAC conference. The following is their mission statement, according to their website.
"We have the self-evident right and duty to work for the survival of our own culture and civilization. There is no reason to believe that the advances of modernity and the political freedoms we enjoy will endure with the extinction of the civilization that allowed them to exist. Western Civilization is our civilization and in spite of the continual assault and hatred it endures from the radical left, we wish to revive the West, rather than see our civilization be sent to the graveyard of history."
Watch a video interview with the founder here.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Antigay Rep. Chris Lee Resigns
“It has been a tremendous honor to serve the people of Western New York," he said. "I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents. I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness. The challenges we face in Western New York and across the country are too serious for me to allow this distraction to continue, and so I am announcing that I have resigned my seat in Congress effective immediately.”
The married, socially conservative (and antigay) Republican congressman reportedly sent flirtatious messages and a sexy picture of himself to a woman he met on Craigslist.
The woman, a 34-year-old government employee from Maryland, had placed a personal ad on Craigslist in January, seeking “financially & emotionally” secure men, website Gawker reports. She received a reply from a man using Gmail address belonging to Rep. Christopher Lee of western New York State. The correspondent identified himself as Christopher Lee and described himself as a “very fit fun classy guy,” age 39 (seven years younger than Lee’s actual age), a lobbyist, and divorced. He went on to provide a photo of Lee, shirtless.
The woman ended contact with Lee after she searched online for him and concluded he’d lied about his age and occupation, then forwarded the e-mail exchanges to Gawker.
A spokesman for Lee confirmed to Gawker this week that the e-mail account belonged to the congressman but said Lee had not sent the messages and believed his account had been hacked. “That could, theoretically, be true,” Gawker’s Maureen O’Connor observed. “But the evidence suggests otherwise.”
She also noted that Lee’s “support for ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and vote to reject federal abortion funding suggests a certain comfort with publicly scrutinizing others’ sex lives.”
Thursday, February 10, 2011
In an effort to teach a 7-year-old boy named Malcolm the importance of improving the world around him, he was given $140 to donate to the charity of his choice.
After hearing a story on the radio about the mistreatment of gays and lesbians, he selected two charities — the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
In a letter to the center, Malcolm wrote, “I am sending you this money because I don’t think it’s fair that Gay people are not treated equally.”
Maggie Gallagher’s Testimony Convinces A Senator To Vote FOR Marriage Equality
Senator James Brochin (D) was one of the few Democrat Senators who was opposed to gay marriage. But after listening to testimony from Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization For Marriage (NOM), he’s said that her “demonization” of gay families has convinced him that he should side with marriage equality.Freedom To Marry Buys National Ads
Freedom to Marry has announced the launch of Why Marriage Matters, a $10 million national public education campaign that will use TV ads to increase majority support for marriage equality over the next three years.
The largest effort of its kind to date, the campaign will launch this Monday on Valentine’s Day during Freedom to Marry week with an initial national cable buy on CNN. Watch a preview of the ad, which features a diverse array of couples discussing their marriages.
According to a news release, “Freedom to Marry analyzed over 85 data-sets representing 6 years of research to develop messages that are proven to be effective in swaying public opinion around marriage. In particular, the data showed that people who have had conversations with their gay and lesbian friends about why marriage matters to them are more likely to support the freedom to marry. By shifting the conversation from a focus on rights to a conversation about shared values of love and commitment, support for the freedom to marry grows. In partnership with local and state groups, the Why Marriage Matters campaign will include a variety of mixed media advertising, including TV, radio, and online ads.”
The public education campaign is part of a significant expansion announced by Freedom to Marry at a high-profile fundraiser in New York City last month. Plans include launching a presence in Washington, D.C. as the group works toward its goal of increasing Americans’ majority support for marriage equality from 52% to as high as 58% over the new three years while federal litigation heads toward the Supreme Court.
“We believe we have cracked the code on the language, the messages, the messengers, and the time it will take to engage people and move them along and we want to put that campaign forward,” said Freedom to Marry executive director Evan Wolfson in January.
The largest effort of its kind to date, the campaign will launch this Monday on Valentine’s Day during Freedom to Marry week with an initial national cable buy on CNN. Watch a preview of the ad, which features a diverse array of couples discussing their marriages.
According to a news release, “Freedom to Marry analyzed over 85 data-sets representing 6 years of research to develop messages that are proven to be effective in swaying public opinion around marriage. In particular, the data showed that people who have had conversations with their gay and lesbian friends about why marriage matters to them are more likely to support the freedom to marry. By shifting the conversation from a focus on rights to a conversation about shared values of love and commitment, support for the freedom to marry grows. In partnership with local and state groups, the Why Marriage Matters campaign will include a variety of mixed media advertising, including TV, radio, and online ads.”
The public education campaign is part of a significant expansion announced by Freedom to Marry at a high-profile fundraiser in New York City last month. Plans include launching a presence in Washington, D.C. as the group works toward its goal of increasing Americans’ majority support for marriage equality from 52% to as high as 58% over the new three years while federal litigation heads toward the Supreme Court.
“We believe we have cracked the code on the language, the messages, the messengers, and the time it will take to engage people and move them along and we want to put that campaign forward,” said Freedom to Marry executive director Evan Wolfson in January.
Georgia GOP Rep. Bobby Franklin Compares Gays to Thieves, Adulterers, and Unrepentant Drug Dealers
Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin (R-East Cobb) has some Biblically-based reasons for opposing gays in the military:"The Bible says (homosexuality is) a capital offense. You want someone [in the military] with unrepentant criminal behavior? And it's not just that, neither should adulterers, neither should thieves, neither should a lot of things. The church is full of sinners, but we're told in 1st Corinthians it rattled off the homosexual, the adulterer, the thief, the liar, and such were some of you, but you've been washed, you've been justified and so forth. It's not what you were. You're not punishing a thought. But do you want an unrepentant drug dealer in the military? Same thing."
The Georgia Voice writes that "according to his official biography, Franklin 'has been called ‘the conscience of the Republican Caucus’ because he believes that civil government should return to its biblically and constitutionally defined role.'"
N.H. Wants to Keep Marriage Equality
While efforts ramp up to repeal marriage equality in Iowa, a supermajority of residents in New Hampshire are happy to keep gay marriage on the books, according to a new poll.
A telephone poll conducted in January and February queried 520 people in New Hampshire on marriage equality — only 29% want same-sex marriage repealed, while 64% said they wanted to keep marriage rights for gay couples.
Republicans took over New Hampshire's legislature in November, but state leaders have decided to delay action on marriage until 2012.
A telephone poll conducted in January and February queried 520 people in New Hampshire on marriage equality — only 29% want same-sex marriage repealed, while 64% said they wanted to keep marriage rights for gay couples.
Republicans took over New Hampshire's legislature in November, but state leaders have decided to delay action on marriage until 2012.
Hawaii House to Decide Civil Unions
Hawaii's house of representatives will soon vote on a bill to legalize civil unions after the house judiciary committee approved the legislation with an 11-2 vote Tuesday. Read More >
The Straight Married DADT-Loving Congressman Whoring Himself Out On Craigslist
It's Rep. Christopher Lee, the Republican from New York, who voted against repealing DADT, and who has been (allegedly!!) sending out shirtless pictures to at least one woman on Craiglist and pretending to be a divorced lobbyist when in fact he's way worse: a married lawmaker.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Gay Ally Rep. Jane Harman to Resign
California representative Jane Harman, an early supporter of gays and lesbians serving openly in the military and one of the few Congress members to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, will step down from her post, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
Iowa senator stands his ground on marriage vote
Iowa Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, in an interview with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register, said he would not give in and allow a vote in the Senate on the civil rights of gays and lesbians. Gronstal has blocked a vote on a constitutional amendment that would end marriage equality in the state. "I don't think it's appropriate to put your rights to a vote of the popular will of the people. I believe that's what the constitution is there for, to protect everybody's rights and to avoid the tyranny of the majority," Gronstal said.
Maryland's 7 out lawmakers influence marriage debate
With its first hearing set for Tuesday in the state Senate, supporters of Maryland's marriage equality bill are on the hunt for a few more votes, and the Legislature's seven openly gay and lesbian members could provide a reason for fence-sitting colleagues to vote yes. "They realize, wow, you guys really are the same. Our marriage is just as wonderful and mundane as everybody else's," said Maryland State Sen. Richard Madaleno, who has introduced his colleagues to his husband and children.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Transgender Americans face multiple challenges
Many transgender Americans face intolerance in almost every aspect of their lives, contributing to high levels of homelessness, unemployment and despair, according to a comprehensive survey being released Friday.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality say their survey of 6,450 transgender people is the largest of its kind. It details discrimination encountered “at every turn” – in childhood homes, in schools and workplaces, at stores and hotels, at the hands of doctors, judges, landlords and police.
“Their lives are just a crapshoot,” said Rea Carey, executive director of the task force. “They don’t know from one interaction to the next whether they will be treated with respect and dignity. It’s not the way people should be living their day-to-day life.”
The report comes at a sobering time for transgender community.
While their gay-rights allies celebrated the recent Senate vote that will enable gays to serve openly in the military, transgender people were left out of the debate and remain barred from service.
Efforts to pass a federal law barring workplace discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation failed in the previous Democratic-controlled Congress – gender identity was a key stumbling block – and the new Republican-led House is considered more hostile.
Uncertain of prospects for progress at the federal level, activists hope to make headway through lawsuits, corporate diversity programs, local anti-bias ordinances, and public education efforts. They hope the survey will buttress those efforts; some of the data had been released in preliminary reports, but the final version contains new details and is prefaced by an emotional plea for Americans to rethink their attitudes.
“It is part of social and legal convention in the United States to discriminate against, ridicule, and abuse transgender and gender non-conforming people,” the survey says. “Nearly every system and institution in the United States, both large and small, from local to national, is implicated.”
According to the survey, 41 percent of respondents reported attempting suicide, 26 percent said they had lost a job due to being transgender, and 19 percent reported being denied a home or apartment. Almost one-fifth said they’d been homelessness at some point.
The survey found that complaints of discrimination were particularly pronounced among blacks.
In an e-mail, Ja’briel Walthour of Hinesville, Ga., detailed the difficulties of growing up in the 1980s and `90s as an African-American boy in the South who began to identify as a female. Neither her church nor rural community offered acceptance, she said.
“I felt there was not an ounce of compassion or empathy for individuals who may be displaying atypical gender roles,” and by 17 she was contemplating suicide, she wrote.
“I got into a place where I wanted to just not be here anymore,” she said.
Walthour, now 34, eventually became a school bus driver while deciding to transition to female and pursue a degree in social work.
Transgender activists say future progress for their cause may depend on more people like Walthour choosing to speak out.
“We need more trans people telling their stories,” said Diego Sanchez, a transgender aide to U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., at a forum last weekend. “We need to represent ourselves, and not let others represent us.”
The forum was convened to address the frustrations of some transgender people who feel marginalized within the broader gay-rights movement. The movement has for years adopted the initials LGBT – lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender – but transgender activists at the forum wondered if the “T” instead meant “token.”
“We’ve become second fiddle, maybe third fiddle to LGB rights,” said Meghan Stabler, a transsexual businesswoman. “We’re a minority inside of a minority … Right now, we’re a small `t’.”
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said the LGBT movement – by sheer force of numbers and financial support – was inevitably going to focus on the agenda of gays and lesbians rather than transgender people.
“But the relationship has helped out,” she said. “We have a shared history, shared friends and enemies.”
Looking long term, Keisling expressed optimism.
“The people who just plain hate us – they’re dying out,” she said. “There is not a reasonable person left in United States who doesn’t understand that transgender people exist, that it’s a legitimate aspect of the diversity of nature.”
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality say their survey of 6,450 transgender people is the largest of its kind. It details discrimination encountered “at every turn” – in childhood homes, in schools and workplaces, at stores and hotels, at the hands of doctors, judges, landlords and police.
“Their lives are just a crapshoot,” said Rea Carey, executive director of the task force. “They don’t know from one interaction to the next whether they will be treated with respect and dignity. It’s not the way people should be living their day-to-day life.”
The report comes at a sobering time for transgender community.
While their gay-rights allies celebrated the recent Senate vote that will enable gays to serve openly in the military, transgender people were left out of the debate and remain barred from service.
Efforts to pass a federal law barring workplace discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation failed in the previous Democratic-controlled Congress – gender identity was a key stumbling block – and the new Republican-led House is considered more hostile.
Uncertain of prospects for progress at the federal level, activists hope to make headway through lawsuits, corporate diversity programs, local anti-bias ordinances, and public education efforts. They hope the survey will buttress those efforts; some of the data had been released in preliminary reports, but the final version contains new details and is prefaced by an emotional plea for Americans to rethink their attitudes.
“It is part of social and legal convention in the United States to discriminate against, ridicule, and abuse transgender and gender non-conforming people,” the survey says. “Nearly every system and institution in the United States, both large and small, from local to national, is implicated.”
According to the survey, 41 percent of respondents reported attempting suicide, 26 percent said they had lost a job due to being transgender, and 19 percent reported being denied a home or apartment. Almost one-fifth said they’d been homelessness at some point.
The survey found that complaints of discrimination were particularly pronounced among blacks.
In an e-mail, Ja’briel Walthour of Hinesville, Ga., detailed the difficulties of growing up in the 1980s and `90s as an African-American boy in the South who began to identify as a female. Neither her church nor rural community offered acceptance, she said.
“I felt there was not an ounce of compassion or empathy for individuals who may be displaying atypical gender roles,” and by 17 she was contemplating suicide, she wrote.
“I got into a place where I wanted to just not be here anymore,” she said.
Walthour, now 34, eventually became a school bus driver while deciding to transition to female and pursue a degree in social work.
Transgender activists say future progress for their cause may depend on more people like Walthour choosing to speak out.
“We need more trans people telling their stories,” said Diego Sanchez, a transgender aide to U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., at a forum last weekend. “We need to represent ourselves, and not let others represent us.”
The forum was convened to address the frustrations of some transgender people who feel marginalized within the broader gay-rights movement. The movement has for years adopted the initials LGBT – lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender – but transgender activists at the forum wondered if the “T” instead meant “token.”
“We’ve become second fiddle, maybe third fiddle to LGB rights,” said Meghan Stabler, a transsexual businesswoman. “We’re a minority inside of a minority … Right now, we’re a small `t’.”
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said the LGBT movement – by sheer force of numbers and financial support – was inevitably going to focus on the agenda of gays and lesbians rather than transgender people.
“But the relationship has helped out,” she said. “We have a shared history, shared friends and enemies.”
Looking long term, Keisling expressed optimism.
“The people who just plain hate us – they’re dying out,” she said. “There is not a reasonable person left in United States who doesn’t understand that transgender people exist, that it’s a legitimate aspect of the diversity of nature.”
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad Wants 'To Treat Everybody With Fairness,' But That Doesn't Include Gays Marrying
—Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who went from refusing to comment on the Iowa Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling to railing against it, makes it clear he does not include gay Iowans in his version of equality
Bush Cancels Visit To Switzerland Due To Threat Of Torture Prosecution
Former U.S. President George W. Bush has cancelled a visit to Switzerland, where he was to address a Jewish charity gala, due to the risk of legal action against him for alleged torture, rights groups said on Saturday.
Bush was to be the keynote speaker at Keren Hayesod's annual dinner on Feb. 12 in Geneva. But pressure has been building on the Swiss government to arrest him and open a criminal investigation if he enters the Alpine country.
Criminal complaints against Bush alleging torture have been lodged in Geneva, court officials say.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Indiana GOP to Ban Marriage?
Joint Chiefs Chair Admiral Mike Mullen Tells Jon Stewart Why He Testified Against 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Exclusive - Mike Mullen Extended Interview Pt. 2 | ||||
| ||||
Mark Foley Reaches Out to Young Republicans
Former Congressman Mark Foley launched a comeback this week, reaching out to a group of young Republicans, which, ironically, is what sent him packing in the first place.
Hawaii House to Consider Civil Unions
Hawaii's House Judiciary Committee will consider a civil unions bill during a Tuesday public hearing, the Associated Press reports.
The legislation is near-identical to a bill passed last year by the Hawaii legislature, only to be vetoed by outgoing Republican Gov. Linda Lingle. Gov. Neil Abercrombie has said he supports civil unions.
The state senate passed a bill last month that would allow couples to enter into civil unions. In 1998, Hawaii voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing the legislature to limit marriage to heterosexual couples.
The legislation is near-identical to a bill passed last year by the Hawaii legislature, only to be vetoed by outgoing Republican Gov. Linda Lingle. Gov. Neil Abercrombie has said he supports civil unions.
The state senate passed a bill last month that would allow couples to enter into civil unions. In 1998, Hawaii voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing the legislature to limit marriage to heterosexual couples.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Sarah Palin Files Name Trademark
Sarah Palin has filed applications to trademark her name and the name of the her daughter, Bristol.
It's hard for an individual to trademark their name, but it's not without precedent. Pop singer-songwriter Billy Joel has done it, for example. If Palin's applications are granted, many politicians seeking to keep tighter commercial control of their images may well follow suit.
It's hard for an individual to trademark their name, but it's not without precedent. Pop singer-songwriter Billy Joel has done it, for example. If Palin's applications are granted, many politicians seeking to keep tighter commercial control of their images may well follow suit.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Marriage Equality Sign Vandalized At Hollywood UMC
Reverend Kathy Cooper-Ledesma was greeted with an ugly sight when she arrived at the Hollywood United Methodist Church on Monday morning. One of the church's banners in support of gay marriage was defaced--pranksters had carefully cut the word "equality" out of the poster. It now read, "All Are Precious In God's Sight. This Church Supports Marriage."
That morning, she took to the church's facebook page and posted a message to parishioners about the act. She said:
"As a church we do believe in marriage. But until everyone -- and that means everyone -- has the right to marry the one you love, regardless of gender, we will proclaim with our hearts and souls and yes, our banners that we believe in marriage equality. That's what it means to be peacemakers; to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God."
Utah state representative introduces anti-gay ‘Family Policy’ bill
The language includes the State affirming marriage as “ordained by god” between a man and a woman:
“As the public policy of Utah, that a family, consisting of a legally and lawfully married man and woman and their children, is the fundamental unit of society; and requires that publicly funded social programs, government services, laws, and regulations designed to support families be carefully scrutinized to ensure that the promote the family.”
And as if we needed any more proof that Christensen and his Sutherland Institute cronies have never actually read the constitution, it also says;
“Marriage and family predate all governments and are supported by and consistent with the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, the Creator and Supreme Judge of the World.”
Maryland Senate Republican and 'Strong Follower of Jesus Christ' Allan Kittleman to Support Marriage Equality
Maryland GOP State Senator Allan Kittleman says he believes in equal rights and will support marriage equality legislation, the Washington Post reports:Kittleman said he plans to testify next week at a scheduled hearing on the bill.
In addressing reporters and in a statement, Kittleman referenced his late father, former state Sen. Robert H. Kittleman (R-Howard).
"I was raised by a gentleman who joined with others in fighting racial discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s," Kittleman said. "Watching him fight for civil rights instilled in me the belief that everyone, regardless of race, sex, national origin or sexual orientation, is entitled to equal rights."
Kittleman said that he is a "strong follower of Jesus Christ" and belongs to a conservative church, but added: "I really believe as a legislator, I don't vote based on my faith."
Read more: http://www.towleroad.com/#ixzz1Cvpj1YGg
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