It Gets Better, Massachusetts Congressional Delegation

It Gets Better!

The Climate of Hate - Krugman in the NYT

via New York Times, by Paul Krugman

Excerpt:

The point is that there’s room in a democracy for people who ridicule and denounce those who disagree with them; there isn’t any place for eliminationist rhetoric, for suggestions that those on the other side of a debate must be removed from that debate by whatever means necessary.

And it’s the saturation of our political discourse — and especially our airwaves — with eliminationist rhetoric that lies behind the rising tide of violence.

Where’s that toxic rhetoric coming from? Let’s not make a false pretense of balance: it’s coming, overwhelmingly, from the right. It’s hard to imagine a Democratic member of Congress urging constituents to be “armed and dangerous” without being ostracized; but Representative Michele Bachmann, who did just that, is a rising star in the G.O.P.

And there’s a huge contrast in the media. Listen to Rachel Maddow or Keith Olbermann, and you’ll hear a lot of caustic remarks and mockery aimed at Republicans. But you won’t hear jokes about shooting government officials or beheading a journalist at The Washington Post. Listen to Glenn Beck or Bill O’Reilly, and you will. 

Read the rest.

Gay intern helped save Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' life; Tucson sheriff calls out vitriolic hate speech (video)

via ChicagoPride.com

"When I heard gunshots, my first instinct was to head towards the congresswoman to make sure that she was OK," Daniel Hernandez Hernandez told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.

"I had to lift up the congresswoman, because she was severely injured, and I wanted to make sure that she was able to breathe OK because there was so much blood," he said. "We had to grab whatever we could. And because we were outside of a grocery store, the employees from the grocery store brought out smocks that are used by the meat department that were clean, so that we may use them as bandages, because that was really the only clean cloth that we had."

Read it all.

Senate Democrats vow to block health care repeal

via Associated Press

Top Senate Democrats are warning House Speaker-elect John Boehner they'll block any Republican effort to repeal President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Citing better Medicare prescription coverage and other changes in the new law, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his top lieutenants say the overhaul "is too important to be treated as collateral damage in a partisan mission to repeal health care."

The letter says repeal would have "unintended consequences" for the part of the law that gradually closes the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap, as well as for other popular consumer benefits. Also signing the letter are Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Charles Schumer of New York and Patty Murray of Washington.

A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press.

Bill Introduced to Amend Fair Housing Law to Include Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York introduced a bill yesterday that would ban housing discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or source of income. The bill would amend the Fair Housing Act to include these categories and would impact the sale and rental of housing, home financing and brokerage services.

"Transgender people urgently need protection from discrimination in housing. It is unconscionable that people are being forced out of their home and onto the streets because of prejudice," noted NCTE's Executive Director Mara Keisling.

A survey of transgender and gender non-conforming people conducted by NCTE and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force last year found that 19% of the 6,450 respondents reported having been homeless at some point in their lives because of their gender identity. People of color reported even higher rates, with an alarming 41% of African Americans and 29% of Latina/os in the study having been homeless because of bias.

Read the rest at NCTE.

Why The LGBT Community Doesn’t (or Shouldn't) Believe Anything Democrats Say Anymore

Via Trans Group Blog:

Did you catch Tim Kaine’s new video, supposedly about the progress the Democratic Party is making on LGBT issues? Like a lot of what comes out of official Democratic Party channels these days, it’s simply unbelievable. Not amazing, exciting, or surprising, but quite literally not believable.

Most notable is Kaine’s assertion that Democrats are “working hard” to pass ENDA. Really? Current whip counts (our own) show that there’s more than enough support to pass ENDA in the House at least, but despite this well-known reality it’s delayed, and delayed, and delayed, until it seems it’s once again fallen off the calendar entirely. Even more ridiculous is Kaine’s statement that “LGBT equality can’t be achieved overnight.”. Has this guy been living in the same country or even on the same planet as the rest of us for the last four or five decades?

................

Simply put, Tim Kaine is not a credible spokesperson or advocate for progress on LGBT rights. History teaches us that Kaine and other fair-weather “progressives” in the Party are not the solution, but rather one of the biggest obstacles to achieving real equality for LGBT Americans.

Read the rest...

Health Bill to Collect LGBT Data Moves in House

The Energy and Commerce Health subpanel recently referred 16 public health bills to the full committee with recommendation for passage during markup next week.

All but one, requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to set up voluntary data collection on the sexual orientation and gender identity of people who apply for HHS services or respond to its surveys, garnered unanimous bipartisan support. The measure's author, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans are ill-served by a "lack of cultural competency" among federal officials that leaves the U.S. with "gaping holes in our knowledge on LGBT health."

Read the rest.

To obtain rights, gays must step up pressure

by Douglas Marshall-Steel, via delaware online.

We must remind ourselves that civil rights never came to anyone who just meekly asked for them.

Gays, increasingly frustrated by Democrats' inaction on their civil rights issues, are pushing back and setting a new standard for what is acceptable in their political leaders.

It all started with whose campaign promises included ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," pushing for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, overturning the misnamed Defense of Marriage Act and addressing other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender priorities. Gay people, already strongly Democratic, jumped aboard with much campaign support. "The fierce urgency of now" suggested the end of advising gays to exercise infinite patience.

More than a year later, the president has signed only one piece of LGBT legislation, the hate crimes bill, which was part of a must-have war funding bill.

Read the rest.

Monday Morning Perk-Up [Onion Obama Hit on]

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Rep. Seeks Retroactive Immunity For Anyone Who Hit On First Lady Last Night

Dems move forward with DADT Repeal

Via HuffPo -

Congressional negotiators and White House officials are moving forward with plans to add the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell to the upcoming defense authorization bill, Democratic sources tell the Huffington Post.

In Congress, members are being whipped to ensure that the votes will be there for passage, should the legislation be placed in the bill. At this juncture, aides say, the prospects look good. Meanwhile, a source close to the White House says the president has instructed the Defense Department that he believes the repeal of DADT should be placed in the authorization bill.

Read the rest...

What Are Your Top Ten Issues To Watch in 2010? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

via NASTAD

Each year, NASTAD (the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) tries to inspire and spur action by talking about what it sees as the overarching issues likely to impact HIV, STD and viral hepatitis prevention programs in the coming year. 

Moving forward, this snapshot will be a major complement and source of comparison to what is actually taking place around the country and in Washington.  For example, there’s little doubt that health reform, should it be signed into law, will have a major impact on how all prevention and care and treatment takes place in this country in the future.  But what will impact be?  It is also likely that many readers would come up with other key trends or issues that are likely to impact the way we do business in 2010.  Before we try and guess, we’d like to hear from you!

Please leave a comment to let us know what you think are the top HIV, STD and viral hepatitis issues to watch in 2010.

Barney Frank - Skip the March, Advocate Instead!

Reddit.com recently interviewed Barney Frank about the importance of down and dirty advocacy. Wanna see gay rights move forward, how about health care reform? Then call, write, and pester your legislators.

Hate Crimes Bill with Gender Identity Passes Senate, Obama to Sign!

(October 22, 2009, Washington, DC) In an historic move, the United States Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which will be the first federal law to include gender identity and transgender people. Once signed by the President, this law will add sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability to the categories included in existing federal hate crimes law and will allow local governments who are unable or unwilling to address hate crimes to receive assistance from the federal government. President Obama has indicated that he will sign the bill into law.

Read the rest at the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The Real Lesson from Health Care Reform - The Language of Morals

If we are to actually win and secure healthcare for all, it is precisely the moral argument that needs to be front and center.

via Huffington Post, by William A. Smith

In my decade-plus of working in Washington on policy matters, I've followed more bills than I care to remember. But this time around, the healthcare reform debate strikes me as different. Maybe it is what it says about what we as a people value...or don't. With the Senate Finance Committee having finally voted out a bill that seems the source of consternation for many, a fundamental lesson is emerging from the entire spectacle that warrants our attention.

Read the rest.

Who's that Queer?

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Representative Barbara Jordan (D-Texas) was the first African-American woman elected to Congress from a southern state. She was known as an outstanding orator and Constitutional scholar.She served as a congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979.


Jordan campaigned for the Texas House of Representatives in 1962 and 1964.Her persistence won her a seat in the Texas Senate in 1966, becoming the first African American state senator since 1883 and the first black woman to serve in that body. Re-elected to a full term in the Texas Senate in 1968, she served until 1972. She was the first African-American female to serve as president pro tem. of the state senate and served one day, June 10, 1972, as acting governor of Texas.

In 1972, she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, becoming the first black woman from a Southern state to serve in the House. She received extensive support from former President Lyndon Johnson, who helped her secure a position on the House Judiciary Committee. In 1974, she made an influential, televised speech before the House Judiciary Committee supporting the impeachment of President Richard Nixon.

Jordan was mentioned as a possible running mate to Jimmy Carter in 1976, and that year she became the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Her speech in New York that summer was ranked 5th in "Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th century" list and was considered by many historians to have been the best convention keynote speech in modern history until the 2004 keynote by Barack Obama. Despite not being a candidate Jordan received one delegate vote (0.03%) for president at the convention.

In 1973, Jordan began to suffer from multiple sclerosis. She had difficulty climbing stairs, and she started using a cane and eventually a wheelchair. She kept the state of her health out of the press so well that in the KUT radio documentary, Rediscovering Barbara Jordan, former president Bill Clinton stated that he wanted to nominate Jordan for the United States Supreme Court, but by the time he could do so, Jordan's health problems prevented him from nominating her.

Jordan's companion of close to 30 years was Nancy Earl. Jordan met Earl, an educational psychologist who would become an occasional speech writer in addition to Jordan's partner, on a camping trip in the late 1960s. Jordan never publicly acknowledged her sexual orientation, but in her obituary, the Houston Chronicle mentioned her long relationship with Earl, interpreted to confirm her being a lesbian. However, Jordan biographer Mary Beth Rogers, author of "Barbara Jordan: American Hero," found no conclusive evidence to suggest that the former senator was a lesbian. After Jordan's initial unsuccessful statewide races, advisers warned her to become more discreet and not bring any female companions on the campaign trail.

Source: Wikipedia

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand: Repeal DADT Now!

Check out New York's junior senator imploring Obama and Congress to move on Don't Ask, Don't Tell at HuffPo.

Since 1994, almost 13,000 gay servicemen and women have been discharged from the military based not on their performance but on their sexual orientation. In 2009 alone, we've had more than 400 of our brave men and women leave the military under Don't Ask Don't Tell. This is simply unacceptable. It is time to repeal this outdated and immoral policy once and for all and end the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly and honestly in our armed forces.

To that end, I've secured the commitment from Senator Carl Levin, Chair of the Armed Services Committee, to hold the first hearing on the policy since it began 16 years ago. Chairman Levin expects to hold the hearing soon and it's my hope that it will be instrumental in demonstrating the level of support that exists for repeal not only throughout the country -- where polls consistently indicate that solid majorities oppose the policy -- but within the military itself.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-kirsten-gillibrand/the-right-time-to-repeal_b_310352.html?alacarte=1

Read the rest at HuffPo.

Insurance Companies Need Your Help!

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

House Permits Needle Exchange Program Funding

The House voted Friday to lift a ban on using taxpayer dollars for needle exchange programs intended to prevent the spread of HIV and other diseases.

The vote to lift a longstanding ban on federal aid for such programs — in place since 1988 — came after a brief but passionate debate on an amendment by Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., to keep the ban in place. His amendment failed by a 211-218 vote.

See how your Representatives voted on the Souder Amendment here.

Rep. Mark Souder

Souder said HIV is spread chiefly through sexual activities and that needle exchange programs don't have a proven record of success (LL note: this is BS). According to Souder "providing needles acts as a way for drug users to sustain and support their intravenous drug use and does not address the primary illness of the drug addiction."

But Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., said the scientific evidence is indisputable and that needle exchange programs put addicts into contact with social services agencies, opening the door for them to seek treatment.

"Needle exchange is not about promoting drug use," said moderate Democrat Alan Mollohan of West Virginia. "It is in fact about preventing disease."

The vote came as the House approved, by 264-153, a massive spending bill for health, labor and education programs for the upcoming budget year, cementing big spending increases for a wide swath of social programs.

Read the full article here.

Help Lt. Dan Choi: Send an E-Mail to Nancy Pelosi before July 4

Lt. Dan Choi is being fired from the military for refusing to lie about who he loves

Help him keep fighting by signing this letter to Speaker Pelosi asking her to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

This Independence Day, please visit the Courage Campaign website to help Dan keep his job by pushing for the en of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

HIV travel ban to be lifted?

via Advocate.com, by Kerry Eleveld

The first step to ending the HIV travel ban in the United States has been taken by the Obama administration. The Office of Management and Budget posted a notice on its site Friday afternoon indicating that the department of Health and Human Services could move forward with steps to change a regulation that has restricted HIV-positive people from gaining entrance into the United States.

Read the rest.