Category: politics & causes

Howard University Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Same Sex Marriage

Posted by – March 4, 2013

Wow, this is cool news. Howard University’s Law School has filed an amicus brief in support of same sex marriage. (An amicus brief is filed by an amicus curiae, or “someone who is not a party to a case who offers information that bears on the case but that has not been solicited by any of the parties to assist a court. . . a way to introduce concerns ensuring that the possibly broad legal effects of a court decision will not depend solely on the parties directly involved in the case.)

from the Summary of Argument:
Today, public debate over interracial unions ha sgenerally died since this Court’s Loving v. Virginia decision in 1967 such that we are now long past the time when anyone would seriously claim that race-based marriage equality threatens the moral fabric of our civilization, is contrary to nature, or is harmful to children. Yet these arguments, however discredited, have not disappeared altogether.Instead, they have been recycled to oppose same-sex marriage.

This brief demonstrates that there is nothing new about the arguments marshaled to oppose same-sex marriage; the very same arguments – eventually categorically rejected in Loving v.Virginia — were assembled in opposition to interracial marriage. As a society, we have rightfully come to embrace full human dignity for interracial couples and individuals. We should do no less for same-sex couples.

To which I can only reply: YES. This is especially cool, coming as it does, from an historically black university.

Victory Fund Endorses Mel Wymore

Posted by – March 1, 2013

Well isn’t this cool? The Victory Fund just endorsed Mel Wymore, a trans candidate running for NYC City Council on the Upper West Side.

(god love the Upper West Side, ha. My favorite story about it is when George Bush Jr. was touring the devastation of 9/11, and he and Giuliani were sharing a ride up Riverside Drive, and Giuliani turned to Bush while waving his hand at the numerous beautiful apartment buildings up there and said, “No one up here voted for you.” For those not from NYC – it’s where a lot of Columbia and CCNY professors live, along with many other overeducated liberals. It’s the kind of place you can get into a conversation about Pynchon while buying bagels and three other people in line join in just to clarify some obscure point about Lot 49.)

Anyway: cool a man who happens to be trans is running, and cool that Victory Fund endorsed him.

If you can donate – or vote for him – please do.

Vote Today, Wisconsin

Posted by – February 19, 2013

Here are Fair Wisconsin’s Endorsements for tomorrow’s vote:

Wisconsin Supreme Court: Ed Fallone

Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, District 2 Special Election: Khalif Rainey and Ravae Sinclair (dual endorsement)

Milwaukee Public Schools, Board of School Directors
District 6: Tatiana Joseph

Madison Common Council
District 2: Bryan Post and Ledell Zellers (dual endorsement)
District 13: Sue Ellingson
District 15: David Ahrens and Hawk Sullivan (dual endorsement)

Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education
Seat 5: Sarah Manski, TJ Mertz, and Ananda Mirilli (all endorsed)

& Here’s information on your polling place.

13 for ’13

Posted by – February 13, 2013

NCTE has a list of 13 achievable goals for 2013. They are:

  • The President should issue an Executive Order prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation by federal contractors.
  • The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission should issue enforcement guidelines for gender identity discrimination in the workplace.
  • The Department of Labor should issue guidelines for equal treatment of transgender people in all federal jobs programs, such as Job Corps and One-Stop Career Centers.
  • The Social Security Administration should update its gender change and other policies affecting transgender people, and remove gender data from all remaining data matching programs.
  • The Department of Health and Human Services should adopt regulations prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in all federally-funded health care facilities and programs.
  • The Department of Education should issue Title IX guidelines to ensure that transgender students can fully be themselves at school.
  • The Department of Housing and Urban Development should issue guidelines clarifying that homeless shelters must provide all persons with access to shelter consistent with their gender identity.
  • The National Center for Health Statistics shall release Model State Vital Statistics legislation that includes modernized standards for gender change on birth certificates.
  • The U.S. Senate should pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).
  • The U.S. Congress should pass immigration reform that protects LGBT families and asylum-seekers.
  • The U.S. Congress should pass an LGBT-inclusive Violence Against Women Act.
  • The President should appoint highly qualified transgender people to key positions throughout the Administration.
  • NCTE will support advancement of equality through new laws and policies at the state level.

Go donate $13 (or better yet, $1300) to help them do it.

Us @ the Fair Wisconsin Education Fund Gala 2/9/13

Posted by – February 11, 2013

I kinda love this one: me and my wife listening intently all fancied up.

Worth Watching: War on Drugs

Posted by – January 13, 2013

In one short hour, what you need to know about the drug war, all narrated by Morgan Freeman.

Some day we’ll come to our senses about this idiotic war on drugs, but I’m not holding my breath.

Still, I see the new legalization laws – especially Colorado’s – as a step in the right direction.

I will say, as a smoker, that culture in general still views addiction as some kind of moral failure — and we know better, except that what we know still doesn’t seem to inform policy.

Got Milk?

Posted by – November 27, 2012

“. . . let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country.” – Harvey Milk, speaking of his own future assassination & what our response to it should be. He was killed 34 years ago today.

My friend David Metille (muh till) posted this on Facebook. It is perfect.

34 years ago today, Harvey Milk was assassinated. He was only 48 years old, but he had managed to change the world.

From a taped recording made November 11, 1978 to be played in the event of his assassination:

“This is Harvey Milk speaking from the camera store on the evening of Friday, November 18. This is to be played only in the event of my death by assassination. I fully realize that a perso
n who stands for what I stand for, an activist, a gay activist, becomes a target or the potential target for somebody who is insecure, terrified, afraid, or very disturbed themselves. Knowing that I could be assassinated at any moment, any time, I feel it’s important that some people know my thoughts. And so the following are my thoughts, my wishes, and my desires, whatever, and I’d like to pass them on and have them played for the appropriate people.

I have never considered myself a candidate. I have always considered myself part of a movement, part of a candidacy. I considered the movement the candidate. I think that there’s a distinction between those who use the movement and those who are part of the movement. I think I was always part of the movement. I wish I had time to explain everything I did. Almost everything was done with an eye on the gay movement.

I ask for the movement to continue, for the movement to grow, because last week I got a phone call from Altoona, Pennsylvania, and my election gave somebody else, one more person, hope. And after all, that’s what this is all about. It’s not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power — it’s about giving those young people out there in the Altoona, Pennsylvanias, hope. You gotta give them hope.

The other aspect of this tape is the business of what should happen if there is an assassination. I cannot prevent some people from feeling angry and frustrated and mad, but I hope they will take that frustration and that madness and instead of demonstrating or anything of that type, I would hope they would take the power and I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay doctor come out, every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out, stand up and let that world know. That would do more to end prejudice overnight than anybody would imagine. I urge them to do that, urge them to come out. Only that way will we start to achieve our rights.

If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country.”

Thanks, Harvey.

ENDA Update

Posted by – November 16, 2012

Finally, someone new to take on ENDA!

A Colorado congressman who’s set to become the most senior openly gay member of the U.S. House is pledging to take the lead on perhaps the most high-profile piece of pro-LGBT legislation: the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
 
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) said during a Washington Blade interview on Tuesday that he intends to become the chief sponsor of ENDA following the retirement of gay Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who’s championed the bill since 2007.
 
“I plan on introducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the next session,” Polis said. “Across our country, gays and lesbians face discrimination in the workplace and lose their jobs and their livelihood. It’s wrong and it’s got to end. People shouldn’t be fired in this country just because of who they date in their private life.”

More

The Bullet We Dodged

Posted by – November 15, 2012

Romney explains why Obama won by saying he gave gifts to various minority constituencies:

“With regards to the young people, for instance, a forgiveness of college loan interest, was a big gift,” he said. “Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women. And then, finally, Obamacare also made a difference for them, because as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents’ plan, and that was a big gift to young people. They turned out in large numbers, a larger share in this election even than in 2008.”

The president’s health care plan, he added, was also a useful tool in mobilizing African-American and Hispanic voters. Though Mr. Romney won the white vote with 59 percent, according to exit polls, minorities coalesced around the president in overwhelming numbers — 93 percent of blacks and 71 percent of Hispanics voted to re-elect Mr. Obama.

You can imagine for somebody making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you’re now going to get free health care, particularly if you don’t have it, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity, I mean, this is huge,” he said. “Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus. But in addition with regards to Hispanic voters, the amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called Dream Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group.”

Bold is mine.

This guy is so deep in deep pockets he doesn’t seem to know the difference between doing stuff for the citizens of the country you lead and “giving gifts”. I am flabbergasted. Doesn’t it sound like he *just* realized that $10k in health insurance is huge to a family making $25-35k? It does to me.

Wow did we dodge a bullet. Wow. He’s talking about constituencies as if they’re lobbyists. Unbelievable.

Congratulations, Senator(-elect) Baldwin!

Posted by – November 12, 2012

& Wow did we need to keep Glass-Steagall. & We need it back.

But it was also a striking affirmation of Ms. Baldwin, 50, a soft-spoken but unflinching seven-term congresswoman who won over voters in her native state without moderating the starkly progressive views — including lonely votes against the invasion of Iraq and the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, a law that curbed commercial banks — that routinely rank her among the most liberal lawmakers in the country.

She has played down the historic nature of her win, befitting a race where Ms. Baldwin’s sexual orientation played little role. At her victory speech here on Tuesday, Ms. Baldwin did not get around to talking about it until halfway through, saying she was “well aware” that her victory was a milestone for gay rights.

After the enormous applause — the loudest of the night — died down, she added: “But I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference.”

^ From the NYT article about her and her win.

LGBT Voting: 90% for Obama

Posted by – November 9, 2012

CMI Election Poll:

• 90% of Gays and Lesbians Vote for Barack Obama

• LGBTs are second only to the African American community in support for President Obama

The Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) pre-election poll showed that 90% of gay men and lesbians voted for Barack Obama.

The election poll of 6,625 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) United States citizens was administered November 2-4, 2012 and responses were received from all 50 states. LGBTs represent an estimated 5% of United States voters and an overwhelming majority supported the coalition that produced Barack Obama’s victory.

90% support for Obama was seen in all Battleground States. The LGBT percentage was just below the level that Obama received from the African American community.

Demonstrating the importance of the election, 95% of LGBTs indicated that they would vote in the election and 41% indicated that the had already voted before election day.

Final data indicated that 90% supported Barack Obama, 6% for Mitt Romney and 4% a third party candidate.

41% of gays and lesbians gave money to the Obama campaign.

4 More Years: Forward

Posted by – November 7, 2012

It is so, so good to live in a country that makes sense to me. Thank you, all of you, but thank you so much to all the women of this country. We rocked it.

Rape apologists voted out, & a feminist President re-elected.

Wisconsin (woot!) elects the first openly gay U. S. Senator with Tammy Baldwin. New Hampshire now has a female governor and two female senators, which is pretty damned cool, too. & There were a ton of other victories for women all over the country in all kinds of races.

Maine votes in same sex marriage by ballot. Maryland approves same sex marriage too. (It’s leading in Washington, too, which would mean a total of 9 states would legally recognize same sex partnerships. That’s just about a fifth.)

Right Here, Right Now

Posted by – November 6, 2012

At 9PM, it’s looking like Obama took PA, NH, MI, & WI, and that Warren (MA) & Baldwin (WI) & Brown (OH) won.

So let’s hope it keeps on like this.

Let’s hope most of us voted for a compassionate, middle-class America.

VOTE! Do It! No Excuses!

Posted by – November 6, 2012

 

Or, as Gwen Moore put it at the Obama rally in Milwaukee:  “If you can’t think of any reason to vote, then vote because they don’t want you to.”

She was referring, of course, to the rash of Voter ID laws through the United States which ultimately seek to prevent some kinds of people from voting. (Sarah Silverman explains it best.)

But for women: really, you have absolutely no excuse not to vote today. We fought and died and went to jail for the right, and there are still people who would prefer that we didn’t. So go. Do it.

& Yes, I’d be happier if you vote for Obama. I think I’ve made that more than clear.

FOUR MORE YEARS!

But even if you don’t, vote.

Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Obama #1: Economics

Posted by – November 5, 2012

First off, don’t believe the hype. The United States has always done better economically with Demorats at the helm. Most recently, under Bill Clinton. Remember the surplus?

Second, Obama has not been the U.S.’ biggest spender, and not by a long shot.

Third, The Economist just endorsed Obama. The Economist! Neither Bloomberg nor The Economist are big old liberals. Both were somewhat reluctant endorsements: Bloomberg’s because he thinks Romney is too inconsistent, and The Economist’s vote was based both on Romney’s bad math and on Obama correcting the “scandal” of having so many people without health insurance in a country as rich as America.

Fourth, Mayor Bloomberg just endorsed him. If there’s a business guy in politics, it’s him.

#5: Global investors prefer Obama to Romney and see a second Obama term as good for American business: due both to the policy and the stability a second term brings.

#s 6, 7, & 8: Bill Gates, Paul Krugman, and Warren Buffet all endorsed him, and none of the three are lightweights in business and economics.

Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schulz fought Obamacare hard and still endorsed Obama.

Numbers 10 to a whole hell of a lot more: all of these other people!

 

Google Your Voter Info

Posted by – November 4, 2012

If you go to Google, you can input your address and get your voting information, just like that.

That is so cool.

 

Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Obama #2: Women & Choice

Posted by – November 4, 2012

(Okay, that’s two. But stick with me.)

Mitt Romney just made an ad for this guy Rick Berg. Rick Berg believes women who get abortions due to rape should be imprisoned.

So as much as we all might joke about “binders full of women”, the reality is that Romney and (most of) his cohorts and completely out of touch with women. (And for those who still don’t understand why the binders were funny, try this on for size: he knew plenty of men who were qualified to be in his cabinet. That he didn’t know any women who would be qualified tells us all we need to know about how “equal” he thinks women are.)

The next President gets to choose Supreme Court justices, and a shift to the right for the SC could mean the undoing of Roe V. Wade. That’s actually the plan.

Planned Parenthood, which provides sex and health information to women, as well as breast cancer screenings, regular pap smears and birth control, is on Romney’s chopping block. Women’s health is not just a woman’s issue. Women’s health impacts everyone.

Then there’s the global gag rule, forced vaginal ultrasounds for women choosing abortion, the “personhood” of gametes — and, um, no Republicans voted for the Lily Ledbetter Act, which allows women to sue if it turns out they have been paid less than men in the same position.

Ladies, let’s do this. I will personally thank any Republican  who gets out there & votes for Obama only because of the Republican Party’s sexist and misogynist ideas about women. You have absolutely no excuse not to vote today. We fought and died and went to jail for the right, and there are still people who would prefer that we didn’t. So go. Do it. Tell your husband or your boyfriend you’ll vote his way if that’s what it takes & then vote how you want. That’s the whole point of the anonymous thing.

Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Obama #3: The 47%

Posted by – November 3, 2012

Romney’s asserted that there are 47% of Americans “who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it — that that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. … These are people who pay no income tax. … [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

A friend’s mother, Polly Snodgrass, wrote this to Romney in response:

Dear Mr. Romney,

I am a senior citizen and long past the time when insensitivity towards me can ruffle my feathers. But insensitivity toward others is another story. I have waited to respond to your 47% tirade so that I could try to inform or maybe even educate instead of just having a swearing temper fit. Each of those 47% has a story. Here is mine.

I worked for more than 25 years in programs designed to give families the skills and supports necessary to become self sufficient and to raise healthy, happy children. I willingly worked 60 to 80 hours weekly because the need was great and the cause was worthy. My husband, a Republican, also worked long and hard in the corporate world and volunteered many hours on behalf of others, including as a Red Cross volunteer assisting those living near and affected by the 9/11 disaster. We paid our full share of taxes all those years, and never tried to take unfair advantage of “loopholes”. We saved and invested to supplement our social security. We insured ourselves and our children so that we could take care of our health. When we retired, I think even you would agree that we had earned our social security pensions and medicare.

Unfortunately, my husband’s health has not allowed us the retirement we hoped for but we are just grateful that he could receive the care he needed and that we could still remain in our home. In a span of five years he has had emergency heart surgery, lymphoma and prostate cancer. He received excellent care and has made an amazing recovery although his health is still fragile. Without Medicare, we could never have afforded his treatment and would have lost everything we owned trying to.

Now that he’s stronger, he volunteers at the cancer center where he received his treatment. I spend my “leisure” time working in animal rescue. But in good times and bad, we have never forgotten that those who have, no matter how they came to be the “haves”, owe something to the “have nots” . If compassion and empathy just aren’t part of your make up, then please consider that you are one of those who owe a debt for your good fortune. I don’t care how hard you may or may not have worked for it, you have it and that means you are in a position to do all you can to make sure others at least have the bare minimum. Your jobs programs, your small government ideas will not feed hungry children and will not take care of the sick, the elderly, and the impoverished.

If you won’t do your share, then please get out of the way so others, including the government (of the people and by the people) can do theirs. You have underestimated us. We care and we won’t vote for someone who doesn’t. You lost me when you put your dog on top of your car, but now you have lost many more of us than you realize. It’s not too late to do the right thing. It may not win the election for you, but it will be more satisfying than you realize.

Interestingly, it’s as if Chris Christie heard her argument more than Romney did.

Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Obama #4: Integrity

Posted by – November 2, 2012

I went to see President Obama speak in Green Bay yesterday, and was lucky enough to have a ticket that got me very close to the stage. It was on the tarmac of Green Bay’s airport, and Air Force One flew him in.

And after giving a very cool, new stump speech, he shook a few hands, including mine.

photo by Mary Lisa Carenza Keenan

And I thought, as I watched him continue around the circle of people who were clamoring to shake his hand, that I could not think of anyone, right now, who I admire more than him. (Here are some more pictures of that event.)

It’s an amazing thing to get to look your own president in the eye. More amazing still to feel him squeeze your hand. His warmth came across powerfully, and the smart in his eyes is unmistakeable. That man’s got a deep soul; he is, as people who believe in that sort of thing would say, an old soul.

But the source of my admiration isn’t all of that. It’s that he believes – and has put into place – policy that makes my life as a queer person and as the partner of a trans person one of dignity and respect. I feel actually equal and a little less scared living in a world where this White House gets to set policy on how I should be treated by my government and by the people around me.

He is the first president to say the word “transgender” in a speech. He got rid of DADT. He has refused to defend the hateful, unequal citizenship of DOMA. And after learning more about us queer folks, he changed his mind about same sex marriage for citizens of this country.

And that, in a nutshell, is why I believe in him as a president and as a leader. He has set a tone for this entire country that I am not to be less equal because of who I am or who I am married to.

And while I do understand that people are worried about economics, I only have this to say: economic decisions are always, also, moral ones, and this man has been stitching our social safety net for the four years he has been in office and has plans to make sure those stitches hold.

I’ll write more tomorrow about economics and their place in this election.

But I will say: if you believe that it is my citizenship and not my sexuality that should count, vote for Obama. If you believe that it is my humanity and not my gender that should count, vote for Obama. And if you believe that it is my patriotism, and my deep, deep love for a country where someone like me can live unafraid and proud of my love and my life, that matters, vote for Obama.

Top 10 Reasons to Vote for Obama #5: Obamacare

Posted by – November 1, 2012

Because people on Medicare saved more than $4 million because of Obamacare this year. 21 million people will receive free preventative medicine – which is, of course, the most cost effective kind, & the kind working class and poor people put off due to financial constraints.

Dependents can stay on their parents’ plans until the age of 25.

Birth control will be free or affordable – and birth control is, of course, preventative medicine: birth control decreases the rate of abortion 75%.

& Pre-existing conditions don’t exist anymore.

Here’s a nice 11-point list of all the other cool stuff it does.