Mr. President Please Push For Russian LGBT Equality At G-8 Summit!

 

 

"Russian LGBT activists have no voice and President Obama can give them one!"

Next week the G- summit will be held in Belfast with the usual topics of trade, terrorism, Syria, transparency and finance. The agenda has been in place for months. British Prime Minister David Cameron is hosting the summit and has the power to add or subtract from the topics to be discussed with the eight world leaders.

President Putin will be attending and after this past week in the DUMA, LGBT equality should be added to the agenda.

The situation in Russia for LGBT equality is as grave as any of the recent legislation in African nations.

Last week, without dissent, Russian legislators voted to ban any public display of LGBT rights, any mention of the issue and any issue that is 'offensive' to the Russian Orthodox Church. Without question, Russia has become the most repressive society among the major nations attending the Summit and for that matter anywhere in the world.

From the Associated Press here are some of the measures included in the bill that passed the DUMA without one 'no' vote.

The legislation will impose hefty fines for providing information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to minors or holding gay pride rallies. Those breaking the law will be fined up to 5,000 rubles ($156) for an individual and up to 1 million rubles ($31,000) for a company, including media organizations.

Foreign citizens arrested under the new law can be deported or jailed for up to 15 days and then deported. European gay rights activists have joined Russians in trying to hold gay pride rallies in Moscow in recent years.

The leaders of the free world must demand that Russian LGBT citizens be treated equally and with respect. That the violence directed toward them by the Russian people AND police be brought to a halt.

President Obama must personally bring the plight of Russian LGBT citizens to the attention President Putin and the world.

Right now in Russia when activists for equal rights speak out they are either attacked by mobs with police assistance or rounded up and place in jail. Russian LGBT activists have no voice and President Obama can be one for them!

VIDEO: "Born This Way" Is Story Of Raw Courage

 

 

The official trailer for the documentary Born This Way has been released. This documentary is a 'must see' by every LGBT American and their allies. The story is one of raw courage of African LGBT citizens living in Cameroon. That African nation has arrested more people for being an LGBT person than any other country.

Watch this and renew your own courage. When the documentary is released take your family and friends to see it. Support it with all your heart.

President Obama's Trip To Africa Comes Critical Time For LGBT Africans, Wildlife, Trade And Fighting Terrorism

 

 

 

On June 26 , President Obama will leave for a seven day, three nation tour of Africa. Included in the stop will be Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. Once again, he will bypass Kenya which is his ancestral home. The main reason appears that President Uhuru Kenyatta is scheduled to go on trail by the International Criminal Court for violence in the nation in 2007-2008.

There are five urgent matters facing the President on this trip:

1.  The status of LGBT African citizens. Nation after nation in Africa are passing hideous repressive laws against their LGBT residents. Some proposed laws call for the death penalty or life imprisonment.

2. The increase in civil wars and terrorism in Western Afrcia

3. The number of nations that are on the verge of being 'failed nation states' including Africa's largest - Nigeria.  Sixteen of twenty the 'most likely to fail states' are in Africa.

4. The prospect that Africa's wildlife could disappear within a decade.

5. The Chinese has dominated trade in Africa with their 'resource diplomacy'

Like Secretary Clinton's extraordinary Geneva speech linking American foreign policy to LGBT human rights, the President must give a speech on his three nation tour solely discussing the plight of LGBT Africans. To avoid this issue is literally to sentence thousands to persecution and death.

The most easiest of these to resolve is the threat to African wildlife. The President should be prepared to do the following:

1. Give a major speech demanding that the market for wildlife products be shut down

2. Pledge finances, equipment, training, personnel and drones to the nations on the front lines of the battle against the 'poaching syndicate'

3. Appoint a Wildlife Czar or an Ambassador - At - Large to coordinate the all the efforts not only in the United States government but also with other nations. The President should give real power to this newly created position.

Regarding trade the President must work with American business to open up new markets in Africa which has a huge emerging middle class. America can no longer yield that marketplace to the Chinese.

The most difficult situation is terrorism and potential of more failed nation states like Somalia, Mali and others. In some, we must be realistic and understand the boundaries established for nations after World War I can no longer contain such diverse population and tribes. On the other hand, if a nation like Nigeria heads into another bitter civil war or disintegrate, we must be prepared with a response that is in our national interest.

DARKEST RED STATES ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE FAILED NATION STATES

Nigeria: Fourteen Years In Prison For Same Sex Marriage

 

 

The situation in Africa for LGBT citizens continues to deteriorate with Nigeria being the latest nation to impose severe penalties for being LGBT. After having passed the Senate, the national Assembly pass legislation that would have horrendous impact on its LGBT citizens. The AP reports:

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Lawmakers in Nigeria passed a bill Thursday banning gay marriage and outlawing anyone from forming organizations supporting gay rights, setting prison terms of up to 14 years for offenders.

Nigeria's House of Representatives approved the bill in a voice vote, likely sending it immediately to President Goodluck Jonathan for him to potentially sign into law in Africa's most populous nation. Whether he will approve it remains unclear, and both the United States and the United Kingdom raised concerns over a measure that could put foreign funding for AIDS and HIV outreach programs in jeopardy.

Nigeria's Senate previously passed the bill in November 2011 and the measure quietly disappeared for some time before coming up in Thursday's session of the House. Under previous versions of the proposed law, couples who marry could face up to 14 years each in prison. Witnesses or anyone who helps couples marry could be sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Other additions to the bill include making it illegal to register gay clubs or organizations, as well as criminalizing the "public show of same-sex amorous relationships directly or indirectly." Those who violate those laws would face 10-year imprisonment as well.

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Gay sex has been banned in Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people, since colonial rule by the British. Gays face open discrimination and abuse in a country divided by Christians and Muslims who almost uniformly oppose homosexuality. Across the African continent, many countries already have made homosexuality punishable by jail sentences.

Nigeria's proposed law has drawn the interest of European Union countries, some of which already offer Nigeria's sexual minorities asylum based on gender identity. The British government recently threatened to cut aid to African countries that violate the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. However, British aid remains quite small in oil-rich Nigeria, one of the top crude suppliers to the U.S.

A spokesman for the British High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, could not be immediately reached for comment.

The measure also could affect HIV and AIDS outreach programs funding by USAID, an arm of the U.S. government. Nigeria has the world's third-largest population of people living with HIV and AIDS. A spokesman at the U.S. Embassy could not be immediately reached

Is Marriage Equality Is In Trouble In England?

 

 

After surviving initial votes in the House of Commons , a resurgent anti-LGBT movement among Conservatives is placing marriage equality in jeopardy. Prime Minister David Cameron is unrelenting in supporting marriage equality despite over 100 members of his Conservative Party pushing back.

While it is important for the Conservatives to push on with marriage equality, it is equally important that the Labour Party not hurt our chances by being 'too cleaver for their own good'. They must not sit on the sidelines and allow the Prime Minister to twist in the wind on this issue. Labour MP's must speak up and fight hard for marriage equality. Silence is an enemy in this case.

The BBC reports:

Nick Clegg has warned against attempts to "hijack" proposals to legalise same-sex marriage in England and Wales ahead of key votes in the House of Commons.

Tory critics have tabled an amendment saying heterosexual couples should be allowed to have civil partnerships, if gay couples are allowed to get married.

Ministers say the move, which Labour may back, would delay the whole bill.

Mr Clegg said he backed extending civil partnerships in principle but would not allow the bill to be "derailed".

And Downing Street played down any suggestions the bill would be dropped, saying the government "has a legislative programme and it is getting on with it".

The Marriage Bill was approved by a 225-vote majority when it was last debated by MPs in February, but nearly half of all Tories voted against it and many party activists remain deeply opposed to it in principle.

The legislation returns to the Commons on Monday amid other divisions within the Conservative Party on Europe and attitudes towards the party's grassroots.

David Cameron has said equal marriage would help build a stronger and fairer society, and the bill also has the backing of the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour Leader Ed Miliband.

But according to ministers, reconsidering the status of civil partnerships would delay the introduction of same-sex marriage by two years, as it would prompt a fresh consultation period and possibly have a knock-on effect of adding as much as £4bn to pension liabilities.

MPs get a free vote on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill because it is considered an issue of conscience.

Tim Loughton is among a group of Tory MPs who will try to amend the bill, with a plan to extend civil partnerships to heterosexual couples.

BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue said some in Westminster - including some Tory MPs - were saying the amendment was an attempt to "wreck the bill" because it could delay its passage beyond the 2015 general election.

READ ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE>>>>

European Union Survey Shows 25% Of LGBT EU Citizens Have Been Subjected To Attacks or Violent Threats

 

 

 

Not long ago an LGBT American citizen could travel to Europe and hear their European friends lecture them that they didn't have a problem with LGBT rights in Europe. Continental gays claimed that everything is fine. This morning they should be deeply disturbed by a new survey which shows that 25% of European Union citizens have been victims of attacks or violent threats.

 

BBC is reporting:

A quarter of gay people surveyed in a major EU poll say they have been subjected to attacks or violent threats in the past five years.

Poorer and younger respondents were more likely to face discrimination due to their sexuality, the survey found.

The EU's Fundamental Rights Agency surveyed 93,000 people in the EU and Croatia for what it calls the most comprehensive survey of its kind.

Friday marks the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.

The EU LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) Survey shows some worrying trends, says the BBC's Anna Holligan in The Hague, where some 300 politicians and experts are gathering to discuss shaping new European Union policies to stamp out homophobia.

FRA Director Morten Kjaerum said "big challenges" remained when it came to battling discrimination against LGBT people across the EU.

The online survey asked lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender respondents whether they had experienced discrimination, violence, verbal abuse or hate speech on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The survey found

-Some 26% of respondents (and 35% of transgender respondents) said they had been attacked or threatened with violence in the past five years

-Most of the hate attacks reported took place in public and were perpetrated by more than one person, with the attackers predominantly being male

-More than half of those who said they had been attacked did not report the incident to the authorities, believing no action would be taken

-Half of respondents said they had felt personally discriminated against in the year before the survey, although 90% did not report the discrimination

-Some 20% of gay or bisexual respondents and 29% of transgender respondents said they had suffered discrimination at work or when looking for a job

-Two-thirds of respondents said they had tried to hide or disguise their sexuality at school.

SEE ENTIRE REPORT HERE>>>>

Capitol Hill 'Roll Call' Wonders If LGBT Inclusion Will Kill Immigration Reform

 

 

In Roll Call, journalist Alexander Bolton writes about the fears on Capitol Hill that including LGBT Americans in the proposed immigration reform will kill the legislation. Republicans are vowing to kill it in the House of Representatives if an amendment by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is included which would add LGBT Americans to the bill.

Of course, House Republicans have already indicated that they are likely to kill immigration reform if it includes a path to citizenship! Guess they are just looking for a good scapegoat!

Bolton reports:

A proposal to expand gay rights is threatening to splinter a fragile, bipartisan agreement on immigration reform and kill a pillar of President Obama’s second-term agenda.

The Senate Gang of Eight, which crafted the immigration legislation, pledged to fight off “poison pill” amendments that would derail the bill. But one controversial proposal has already divided the group.

An amendment sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) would allow U.S. citizens in long-term same-sex relationships to sponsor foreign partners for green cards.

It is potentially the most troublesome amendment of the more than 300 proposed changes that have been filed by members of the Judiciary panel.

Republican members of the Gang of Eight have stated bluntly to their Democratic partners that this will sink the bill if adopted during the committee’s deliberations.

The markup begins on Thursday, which is the one-year anniversary of Obama’s decision to embrace same-sex marriage.

“If that’s in the bill, that will kill the bill,” said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the gang. “This bill has got to get broad support to have a chance in the House, and with that provision it will not have broad support. A lot of the coalitions that are behind it will go away, and so I think that’s pretty much understood.”

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), a Democratic member of the group, declared Tuesday he is a strong supporter of the amendment but stopped short of saying how he would vote if it comes up in committee. “I support it and hope we can find a way to resolve it. It’s a fair thing to do,” Durbin said.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a Reid lieutenant and another member of group, is a co-sponsor of legislation that served as the template for the amendment, the Uniting American Families Act.

Durbin and Schumer are members of the Judiciary Committee and either one could strike down Leahy’s amendment by voting with Republicans against it.

Democrats control 10 seats on the panel to the Republicans’ eight. The other Democratic members of the panel are expected to back the Leahy measure.

Leahy also filed an amendment exempting the immigration status of same-sex couples from restrictions established by the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) if a state or another country recognizes their unions.

Durbin and Schumer are leading contenders to someday replace Sen. Harry Reid (Nev.) as Democratic leader. They have come under pressure from prominent Democratic fundraisers and gay-rights advocates to support the Leahy legislation.

“It will be interesting how Durbin and Schumer vote because they have huge [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] constituencies and citizens in their states, and I can’t imagine them not supporting the Leahy amendment,” said David Mixner, a prominent Democratic fundraiser and political strategist. “Since when do we separate a whole group of American citizens and say, ‘These rights apply to everyone, but not LGBT citizens.’”

Mixner said it would be a “moral outrage” if the Senate passed immigration legislation that discriminated against same-sex couples.

Leahy is one of the biggest allies of gay-rights advocates, who do not want him to succumb to colleagues who would prefer the amendment not come up for a vote.

READ ENTIRE COLUMN HERE........

Unionists In Northern Ireland Kill Sinn Fein's Marriage Equality Bill

 

 

The pro-British Unionist Party blocked marriage equality from becoming a reality in Northern Ireland. The Sinn Fein Party sponsored the equality legislation which also was supported by The Green Party, SDLP and the Alliance Party.

Irish Central reports:

However the combined unionist vote of the Democratic Unionist Party and the Ulster Unionist party defeated the bill by 50 to 45.

Pro-gay marriage advocates now expect a court challenge against the ban in both Britain and at the European Court on the grounds that it is allowed elsewhere in the United Kingdom, reports the Guardian. Amnesty International stated the prospects of a gay couple taking a legal case to the European Court of Human Rights is now a distinct possibility.

Sinn Féin Assembly member for South Down Caitriona Ruane stated: "Attitudes in Ireland are changing because people do not want to see people discriminated against.

"The gay community has said enough is enough. They are standing up for themselves and their communities."

She claimed young gay people were turning to suicide because of rampant discrimination and bullying. "If they don't have an alternative voice to the vitriolic gay-bashing they will internalise it," she said.

All the main churches, Protestant and Catholic, opposed the bill. But the gay Christian lobby group “Changing Attitudes Ireland” condemned the unionist veto.

Church of Ireland minister Canon Charles Kenny, the secretary of Changing Attitudes Ireland, stated: "The year is drawing nearer when the love and justice expressed in the gospels will win out and sweep away the faith-based prejudice against gay and lesbian couples."

Democratic Unionist finance minister Sammy Wilson said the unionist parties would always vote to defeat "reckless" legislation.

TWO VIDEOS: Fantastic And Hilarious Speech And Parliament Breaks Into Song As Marriage Equality Passes In New Zealand

 

 

Thanks to Towleroad.com for bringing to my attention this marvelous video. Many of you have already seen it but for those of you who haven't seen it, watch it now.

The second video shows the legislature breaking into an indigenous Maori love song in the New Zealand Parliament after the vote.

Thank you to all of our straight allies around the world!

Marriage Equality Update: The Sweep Is International Now

 

 

 

Advocates in New Zealand

After sweeping changes in the United States, the marriage equality movement has gained momentum around the globe. Here are the latest updates:

-Uruguay has passed full marriage equality.

-New Zealand beats Australia and passes full marriage equality. Over 1,000 Aussie couples are heading to its rival nation to marriage.

-Next week should see the final vote and marriage equality become the law of the land in France. (Also that includes adoption rights).

-Columbia is voting on marriage equality this week.

<-The Irish Constitutional Convention passed a resolution setting up a referendum in Ireland on marriage equality where over 70% of the people currently support it.!

-In Illinois, the efforts are focused on the final vote in the State House in an efforts to get the remaining four or five votes needed. An all out effort is taking place to convince legislators to get on the marriage equality train.

-Delaware has taken the first moves to pass marriage equality and the Governor is strongly backing its passage.

-Rhode Island will hold its first hearings in the Senate side after passage by the House. There could be a vote in the State Senate within the month. The Governor has promised to sign it.

-In New Jersey, a new Rutgers/ Eagleton Institute Poll shows an amazing 62% of the voters of the Garden State supporting marriage equality. Are you listening Governor Christie? -

The map below is from Freedom to Marry.