Pam Spaulding's Blog, page 108
January 14, 2011
Surprise, surprise - Rep. Duncan Hunter filing bill to halt implementation of DADT repeal
One of the authors of this particular flaming turd of a script is California Congressman Duncan Hunter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Did I mention he's a Republican? He is attempting to best serve his constituents' needs (I guess economic issues in the Golden State aren't top priority) by focusing on how to keep the soap from dropping in the showers if gays and lesbians are allowed to serve openly. The UNENDING SOAP-DROP CREEP SCRIPT.
This variation isn't even original, but it's predictable - get all of the service chiefs permission before signing off on repeal. Miss Mitch McConnell already tried and failed that stale script over in the Senate. (The Hill):
Hunter, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, is concerned that the bill passed in December repealing the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy "excluded the service chiefs from the certification process," said one congressional aide.One of the commenters at The Hill hit the nail on the head:The repeal bill, signed into law Dec. 22 by President Obama, requires only the OK of the president, defense secretary and Joint Chiefs chairman.
"The chairman technically speaks for the chiefs, but they should be included in the debate," said the aide. "The chiefs are the ones carrying the burden of combat on their shoulders."
Hunter's measure would require the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps chiefs to submit to the congressional defense committees "written certification that repeal ... will not degrade the readiness, effectiveness, cohesion and morale of combat arms units and personnel of the armed force under [each] officer's jurisdiction engaged in combat, deployed to a combat theater, or preparing for deployment to a combat theater," according to a copy obtained by The Hill.
If Repubs are now going to focus on moral and social issues it will be a short stay in the majority for them indeed. Budget, jobs, out of control spending, etc. are the issues Repubs were sent to fix; not our society!!H/t, Joe @ Americablog.
~~~~~
Related:
* Rep. Duncan Hunter's Concern With DADT Includes "Hermaphrodites" And "Transgenders"
For Blenders' consideration: GOProud Unveils 2011 Legislative Agenda
This just landed in my inbox. Submitted without comment, save I don't see anything that will help prevent discrimination against LGBTs in states where there are no state-level ENDAs or general anti-discrimination laws. You think the free market will fix the problems in those states? That seems more than a tad out of touch for those of us in "fly-over country." Anyway, I'm sure you will have plenty to say about it.
Today GOProud, the only national organization representing gay conservatives and their allies, unveiled their 2011 Legislative Agenda. “Historic wins by conservatives last November mean new opportunities to move forward on critical legislative priorities,” said Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director. “The stale failed big government agenda of the gay left is dead. Now is the time for the gay community and those who care about gay people to embrace conservative solutions to the challenges facing gay and lesbian families.”
In these past mid-terms, according to exit polls, 31% of self-identified gays and lesbians voted Republican. “The gay left would have you believe that gay conservatives don’t exist. The truth is that almost a third of self-identified gay voters cast ballots for Republican candidates for Congress in the mid-terms,” continued LaSalvia. “This should be a wake-up call for the out-of-touch so-called leadership of Gay, Inc. in Washington, D.C., which has become little more than a subsidiary of the Democratic Party. Your agenda has not only been rejected by the American people, it has been rejected by a substantial and growing portion of the gay community.”
...“It is time for a new approach for the gay community, which is why GOProud is unveiling our 2011 legislative agenda,” said Christopher R. Barron, Chairman of the Board. “We believe that this agenda offers common-sense conservative solutions that will improve the lives of all Americans, but especially gay and lesbian Americans.”
...“Our agenda is simple. We reject the big government approach of every other national gay organization,” said Barron. “We aren’t looking for special treatment or special carve outs for gay people – we support conservative legislative solutions that will help all American families – and that includes gay and lesbian families.”
“Our agenda is unlike that of any other national gay organization. We are unabashedly conservative and committed to the conservative movement. We look forward to convincing more Americans – gay and straight – of the need for real conservative policy solutions in the months and years ahead,” concluded Barron.
GOProud’s Conservative Agenda
The so-called “gay agenda” is defined by the left through a narrow prism of legislative goals. In contrast to the approach of the left, GOProud’s agenda emphasizes conservative and libertarian principles that will improve the daily lives of all Americans, but especially gay and lesbian Americans.
1 – TAX REFORM
– We support replacing the current tax code with the Fair Tax. Until then, we support death tax repeal; domestic partner tax equity; cuts in the capital gains and corporate tax rates to jump start our economy and create jobs; and a fairer, flatter and substantially simpler tax code.
2 – HEALTHCARE REFORM
– Free market healthcare reform. Allow for the purchase of insurance across state lines - expanding access to domestic partner benefits; emphasizing individual ownership of healthcare insurance – such a shift would prevent discriminatory practices by an employer or the government.
3 – SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM
– The only way to permanent solvency in the Social Security system is through the creation of inheritable personal savings accounts. Personal savings accounts would give gay and lesbian couples the same opportunity to leave their accounts to their spouse as their straight counterparts.
4 – RESPECTING THE PROPER ROLE OF THE JUDICIARY
5 – HOLDING THE LINE ON SPENDING
– Standing up for all tax payers against wasteful and unnecessary spending to protect future generations from the mounting federal debt.
6 – FIGHTING GLOBAL EXTREMISTS
– Standing strong against radical regimes that refuse to recognize the basic human rights of gays and lesbians, women and religious minorities.
7 – DEFENDING OUR CONSTITUTION
– Opposing any anti-gay federal marriage amendment. Marriage should be a question for the states. A federal constitutional amendment on marriage would be an unprecedented federal power grab from the states.
8 – ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY ENTREPRENEURSHIP
– Package of free market reforms to encourage and support small businesses and entrepreneurship. Such reforms would create jobs for all Americans – including gay Americans.
9 – REVITALIZING OUR COMMUNITIES
– A package of urban related reforms; expanding historic tax preservation credits; support for school choice.
10 – DEFENDING OUR COMMUNITY
– Protecting 2nd amendment rights.
The Corporate View, Part 4: Your Turn to Ask Questions
I hope what I've posted before has been useful or at least informative.
Part 1 - ENDA is the FloorPart 2 - A Useful ToolPart 3 - What the new CEI criteria meansPart 3a - Transgender Health BenefitsIf you've ever been to an Out & Equal Workplace Summit (and I encourage you to think about attending), you know how content-rich this topic is -- and the tactical ways of achieving workplace equality are as varied as is our community.
Taken from a decidedly business-oriented approach, however, certain broad themes do start to emerge:
The business case is there for LGBT equality in the workplace.LGBT visibility plays a critical part in making LGBT inclusion happen.Straight allies are one of our most valuable resources.Behavior shapes attitudes -- pinpoint and shape specific behaviors and shifts in people's attitudes will follow.Deliberate planning is fundamental for lasting success.Achieving an LGBT-inclusive workplace is a process, not an end-point (at least for the foreseeable future).
So, before posting any more information about the CEI or efforts to achieve inclusive work environments, I thought now would be a good time to pause and take questions. I'll do my best to respond over the week-end.
And (once again) for the record, I am not a plant or employee of HRC. I am a cisgender, gay, middle-aged, white male. I'm currently the co-Chair of Out & Equal Houston, and formerly the President of Chevron's global PRIDE Employee Network -- where (during my tenure) I helped get the company to implement trans-inclusive non-discrimination policies, authored the company's transgender guidebook, and garner Chevron's endorsement of a fully inclusive ENDA.
The views in these diaries are entirely my own and the materials and data I will be sharing come from my own files over the last 15 years and public records -- as well as data from HRC, various Out & Equal Workplace Summit workshops and resources garnered from networking.
The floor is yours! (And PHB TOS are still in effect.)
Oh Pot, Is The Kettle Truly Black?
Oh pot, is the kettle truly black?
Black lgbts shouldn't be seen as weak or invisible
If you want to see why it's so hard for lgbt of color to get any type of acknowledgment, then a situation in Schnectady, New York should give an indication.
Apparently some people there are not happy with the billboard seen above:
Billboards trying to drum up community support for gay black men were criticized Monday as a pastor, a daycare provider and a City Council member called for the billboards to come down.
The Rev. Alfred Thompkins, of Calvary Tabernacle, said the “I am gay” billboard message only encourages troubled youth to embrace homosexuality.
“A thirteen-year-old looks at these billboards and says, ‘That must be it, I must be gay,’ ” he said. “That goes directly against God’s purpose. As a resident of Schenectady, a pastor who works with young people, with families, frankly I’m really bothered by the message these send.”
The billboards offer three messages, showing gay men with their families, in church and on a basketball court. Each message starts with the announcement “I am gay,” in large letters, and concludes with, “We have always been a part of this community.”
They were designed by In Our Own Voices, a gay advocacy group in Albany. The state Department of Health paid for the billboards as part of an effort to find a more effective way to reduce the HIV infection rate, which has disproportionately hit gay and bisexual black men. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control said the epidemic had reached such a level that new methods must be found to encourage men to use condoms.
Our Own Voices says that the billboard is created to garner acceptance of homosexuality, which in turn will cause gay men to lead healthier lives. Others have voiced opposition to the billboards because they supposedly allow "inappropriate sexual expression," a reason which doesn't make any sense at all because there nothing on the billboards with anything having to do with sexual intercourse.
And probably the most insulting comment from one person (the same one pushing the ridiculous idea of "inappropriate sexual expression") is the belief that the billboards should be moved to "adult business zones."
The sad thing is that this controversy reveals the ignorance of some in the black community regarding lgbts of color.
I got news for Pastor Thompkins - 13-year-old lgbts already exist. The billboards' presence is irrelevant on that point. But the billboards are a much better message to these children than seeing a weak, flamboyant, oversexed gay man or an overly sexually aggressive lesbian, or a confused transgender out to "trick" a man to have sex with her - three stereotypes that are unfortunately prevalent in the black media these days.
And the idea that being an lgbt is strictly a lifestyle about sex is a huge lie. According to a report by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force which looked at data from the 2000 Census report:
Black same-sex households are nearly twice as likely as White same-sex households to include children. Black male same-sex households are twice as likely as White male same-sex households to include at least one child under 18, 36% versus 18% respectively. Fifty-two percent of Black female same-sex households are comprised of parents living with at least one child under 18, compared with 32% of White female same-sex households.
What this is about is the deliberate inability of the African-American community to acknowledge the presence of lgbts of color. And that inability leads to the ignorance that we are seeing here. It's really a catch-22 situation because while I am not happy with the nonsense these folks have expressed, I know what will happen when this issue is discussed by some members of the lgbt community.
It's going to be transformed into a back and forth argument on whether lgbts are racist or are African-Americans homophobic.
Meanwhile, lgbts of color - that's us folks in the middle - will be ignored or rather seen as a prize to be won by whichever group can prove that they suffered more than the other group.
Bottom line to me is this - the billboards are an excellent idea and those who agree with this point should not allow themselves to go off on tangents. The issue is about the safety and health of lgbts of color and that's where the issue should stay.
Hat tip to Joe.My.God.
Related post:
BET looks at lgbts of color, destroys myths about being gay
Black gays and lesbians shouldn't be seen as weak or invisible
If you want to see why it's so hard for lgbt of color to get any type of acknowledgment, then a situation in Schnectady, New York should give an indication.
Apparently some people there are not happy with the billboard seen above:
Billboards trying to drum up community support for gay black men were criticized Monday as a pastor, a daycare provider and a City Council member called for the billboards to come down.
The Rev. Alfred Thompkins, of Calvary Tabernacle, said the “I am gay” billboard message only encourages troubled youth to embrace homosexuality.
“A thirteen-year-old looks at these billboards and says, ‘That must be it, I must be gay,’ ” he said. “That goes directly against God’s purpose. As a resident of Schenectady, a pastor who works with young people, with families, frankly I’m really bothered by the message these send.”
The billboards offer three messages, showing gay men with their families, in church and on a basketball court. Each message starts with the announcement “I am gay,” in large letters, and concludes with, “We have always been a part of this community.”
They were designed by In Our Own Voices, a gay advocacy group in Albany. The state Department of Health paid for the billboards as part of an effort to find a more effective way to reduce the HIV infection rate, which has disproportionately hit gay and bisexual black men. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control said the epidemic had reached such a level that new methods must be found to encourage men to use condoms.
Our Own Voices says that the billboard is created to garner acceptance of homosexuality, which in turn will cause gay men to lead healthier lives. Others have voiced opposition to the billboards because they supposedly allow "inappropriate sexual expression," a reason which doesn't make any sense at all because there nothing on the billboards with anything having to do with sexual intercourse.
And probably the most insulting comment from one person (the same one pushing the ridiculous idea of "inappropriate sexual expression") is the belief that the billboards should be moved to "adult business zones."
The sad thing is that this controversy reveals the ignorance of some in the black community regarding lgbts of color.
I got news for Pastor Thompkins - 13-year-old lgbts already exist. The billboards' presence is irrelevant on that point. But the billboards are a much better message to these children than seeing a weak, flamboyant, oversexed gay man or an overly sexually aggressive lesbian, or a confused transgender out to "trick" a man to have sex with her - three stereotypes that are unfortunately prevalent in the black media these days.
And the idea that being an lgbt is strictly a lifestyle about sex is a huge lie. According to a report by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force which looked at data from the 2000 Census report:
Black same-sex households are nearly twice as likely as White same-sex households to include children. Black male same-sex households are twice as likely as White male same-sex households to include at least one child under 18, 36% versus 18% respectively. Fifty-two percent of Black female same-sex households are comprised of parents living with at least one child under 18, compared with 32% of White female same-sex households.
What this is about is the deliberate inability of the African-American community to acknowledge the presence of lgbts of color. And that inability leads to the ignorance that we are seeing here. It's really a catch-22 situation because while I am not happy with the nonsense these folks have expressed, I know what will happen when this issue is discussed by some members of the lgbt community.
It's going to be transformed into a back and forth argument on whether lgbts are racist or are African-Americans homophobic.
Meanwhile, lgbts of color - that's us folks in the middle - will be ignored or rather seen as a prize to be won by whichever group can prove that they suffered more than the other group.
Bottom line to me is this - the billboards are an excellent idea and those who agree with this point should not allow themselves to go off on tangents. The issue is about the safety and health of lgbts of color and that's where the issue should stay.
Hat tip to Joe.My.God.
Related post:
BET looks at lgbts of color, destroys myths about being gay
January 13, 2011
Homophobe of the day: Chicago's Cardinal Francis George on marriage
The Windy City Times:"No one has the right to change marriage, neither "the Church" nor "the state." While it is one thing "creating laws so that people don't feel persecuted, don't create a law that says apples are oranges. For a lawmaker to do so he "betrays his vocation to pass good law, especially problematic for a "Catholic lawmaker."Cardinal George then attempted to mitigate his bigotry by saying he has a nephew, who, despite being a homo, is a "fine man."-- Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, commenting on the Catholic Church's opposition to civil-unions legislation recently passed by the Illinois General Assembly. His "argument was not with Mother Church but with Mother Nature," adding that anyone who advocates same-sex marriage or its equivalent "has lost touch with the common understanding of the human race."
Obama DOJ files DOMA defense brief in First Circuit cases
The Obama administration announced its intention to defend DOMA in October of 2010 and today filed a brief arguing that "DOMA is rationally related to legitimate governmental interests." The government maintained that Congress enacted the law during an era of upheaval to maintain "uniformity on the federal level" and allow states the flexibility to expand the definition of marriage as they see fit:At MetroWeekly, Chris Geidner has more.By passing DOMA, Congress sought to preserve the status quo understanding of marriage in federal law as limited to opposite-sex couples while preserving the authority of individual states to engage in a period of evaluation of and experience with a new definition of marriage that is open to same-sex couples. Congress could rationally conclude that maintaining the status quo at the federal level during a period of change would allow states that wish to make changes in the legal definition of marriage to retain their inherent prerogative to do so, while permitting others to maintain their existing view, both by declining to authorize same-sex marriages in the first instance under their own laws and by declining to recognize such marriages that are approved under the laws of other states.
Pawlenty sharpening up anti-gay credentials with hate group
crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
just adding to Pam's excellent diary
As we all know, the American Family Assocation has been called an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and mostly because of comments made by Bryan Fischer.
Fisher has:
•Argued that we should“impose the same sanctions on those who engage in homosexual behavior as we do on those who engage in intravenous drug abuse." (2/3/2010)
•Wrote: “The inescapable conclusion is that gay sex is a form of domestic terrorism.” (6/10/2010)
•Said: “Hitler discovered that he could not get straight soldiers to be savage and brutal and vicious enough to carry out his orders, but that homosexual solders basically had no limits and the savagery and brutality they were willing to inflict on whomever Hitler sent them after. So he surrounded himself, virtually all of the Stormtroopers, the Brownshirts, were male homosexuals.” (5/25/2010)
However former Minnesota Governor and prospective presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty was only interested in playing nice with Fischer while appearing on his radio show today, even to the point of talking positively of reinstating Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
Let's be clear about something - if Fischer's comments had been racist or anti-Semitic, Pawlenty wouldn't have dared to come on his program.
But since they pertaining to the lgbt community, some folks may think that these comments and Pawlenty's appearance on the program of the person making then are both okay.
And it's par for the course for Pawlenty.
Ever since the buzz about his presidential aspirations was made public, Pawlenty seems to have been on a mission to establish his so-called "conservative credentials" on the backs of the lgbt community.
On May of last year, he vetoed a bill aimed at giving same-sex partners the same end-of-life rights as married couples.
In December of 2009, he backtracked from pro-gay legislation that he signed, claiming that the bill would led to third-graders being taught by "cross-dressing" teachers.
No doubt Pawlenty's mind is on the 2004 election, when anti-gay marriage amendments sent conservative voters to the polls and gave President Bush a second term.
Someone should inform Pawlenty that the lgbt community aren't exactly as compliant as we were back then. And we won't wait until someone uses us as scapegoats before we fight back.
In other words, if Pawlenty thinks he is going to get to the White House on the backs of the lgbt community, someone told him wrong.
Related posts:
Perhaps anti-gay hate groups should put a muzzle on Bryan Fischer
Family Research Council's 'we are not a hate group' campaign gets destroyed on two fronts
American Family Association will not confront reason why its considered a hate group
Hat tip to PFAW for providing the list of Fischer's comments.
In a Volatile Week, Refresh with Out Magazine's Love Stories
It's been a rather heavy week, hasn't it? If you need a break from the quite depressing news, check out Out Magazine's cover story, "Twenty-Three Love Stories."
http://www.out.com/slideshows/...
In general in the LGBTQ community, we spend so much time fighting for equal rights, the ability to serve in the military, and the right TO love that we often don't have a lot of time to take notice of all the love around us. Out's series takes a look at twenty-three different love stories, and uses the that phrase expansively - between gay men, lesbian women, and within mixed multi-generational families.
My own contribution is the story "Three Kids, Two Dads, One Uncle."
http://www.out.com/slideshows/...
Having known one of the subjects for years, I was delighted to write about them. David Christmas used to be my volunteer coordinator at God's Love We Deliver, where I chop vegetables on Wednesday evenings.
I'd always been fascinated by David's life. He's a great story teller, particularly about his days as an actor, when he was in "Dames at Sea" opposite Bernadette Peters, and about when he appeared in a screen test for the lead in "Myra Brickinridge." But David's greatest story of all was about how he ended moving in with his gay nephew Robert and his partner John, when they (somewhat unexpectedly) ended up with three new born children in just a few month's time.
You can read their whole tale here.
http://www.out.com/slideshows/...
It's not often we hear about gay men being parents and grandparents, especially in an intergenerational way, and I'm touched I could play a part in sharing these kind mens' story.
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