Today, if all goes well, Governor Chris Gregoire (D) will sign into law full marriage equality for Washington State LGBT citizens. The state becomes the seventh state plus the District of Columbia to pass marriage equality.
One only has to think back to the year 2004 when the Massachusetts Supreme Court ordered marriage equality. At first it was viewed as a "Massachusetts anomaly" and most likely would not be duplicated elsewhere. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Today we officially have "The Magnificent Seven" plus for the first time ever a majority of Americans wanting full marriage equality for their LGBT neighbors.
In May it will be eight years since that Massachusetts decision, not even a decade, and look how far we have come. Just imagine what life will be like for us in 2020! Congratulations to the LGBT community in Washington. They did a spectacular job of getting this passed and signed. This is a very special day indeed.
Enjoy this remarkable video of Washington Republican Representative Maureen Walsh who voted for marriage equality. It is a lovely moment from that debate.
New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie loves to give the appearance that he is tough and often swaggers around loudly proclaiming his views. As he campaigns for the Vice Presidency on a Romney ticket he tells those that disagree how "things are done in Jersey." Wonder if the governor shares with those voters that the way a governor acts these days in Jersey is cowardly? Wonder if tells about a governor of the Garden State distorts history and advances division in order to advance his creeds with the right wing religious extremists who have taken over his party?
Bigotry is exactly what the cowardly Governor Chris Christie is currently practicing "Jersey style."
The New Jersey legislature is set to pass marriage equality and the governor promises to veto the civil rights bill. He wants a referendum on the issue and to allow the voters of New Jersey to vote on the rights of its neighbors. In pressing his case, he said that African-Americans would have loved the right to have the public vote on their rights in the 1960's.
What planet is he living on? Does he really believe African-Americans in Mississippi wanted the public to vote on their rights in the 1960's? Are you kidding me, Governor? African American leaders in New Jersey were the first to respond to this insanity. Mayor Cory Booker of Newark said,
"I shudder to think what would have happened if the civil rights gains, heroically established by courageous lawmakers in the 1960's, were instead conveniently left up to popular votes in our 50 states,"
The first African-American Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly, Shelia Oliver, was shocked and offended at the governor's suggestion and said,
“Governor, people were fighting and dying in the streets of the South because the majority refused to grant minorities equal rights by any method. It took legislative action to bring justice to all Americans, just as legislative action is the right way to bring marriage equality to all New Jerseyans.”
Even President Eisenhower and Republican Minority Leader Everett Dirksen opposed a referendum on civil rights for African Americans. Republican Minority Leader Dirksen said in 1959:
“Do we have legislative responsibility or don’t we?” he said during the debate on the Senate floor. “I’m ready to accept my responsibility. I’m not going to pass the buck to the people back home and say, ‘I’m thinking about the next election.' And they would say, ‘Haven’t you got any guts to stand up under the Constitution of the United States?’”
The governor pointed out that individual rights had been voted on before in New Jersey. In 1915, male voters in the states voted overwhelmingly to deny women the right to vote. Does Governor Christie really think this was a bright spot in New Jersey's history? That this vote was the right action to be taken in the suffrage movement?
Even The New Jersey Star-Ledger, a conservative paper, took on the governor's lack of courage in an amazing and powerful endorsement of marriage equality that must be read in its entirety but here is a powerful excerpt:
Imagine how different American history would be if this rule by referendums had carried the day from the start.
Take race relations. If Southern states could have held a referendum on free speech rights for Martin Luther King Jr., can anyone doubt how it would have turned out? How long would it have taken for voters in Mississippi to integrate its public schools?
Gallup has traced attitudes toward interracial marriage for decades. Note that when the Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s ban in 1967, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans supported the court’s position. If Christie’s philosophy had carried the day, the ban would have remained in place until the late 1990s.
The point is that minority rights should not be subjected to majority vote. That misses the gist of constitutional rights.
As James Madison put it in Federalist Paper 51: “It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. If a majority can be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure.”
Christie is not bothered by such niceties. He is a politician who sees this kind of restraint as an obstacle to be overcome, not a principle to be respected. He has even threatened to ignore Supreme Court rulings that he doesn’t like.
He is, in other words, exactly the type of politician that Madison had in mind when he drafted the Constitution’s restraints on majority power.
Americans must remember in this time of historic struggle for civil rights that Governor Chris Christie was nothing more than a coward, bully and horrible historian.
That is the great moral question facing the LGBT community. Our Seniors are living in fear, being abused, dying alone and being forced back into the closet in order to receive care and treatment. After years of working to come out and blaze a path for the next generation, they are quickly becoming forgotten by the very generation they helped be freer. Not only are our seniors losing the battle to spend their later years with dignity and honor, we are losing their stories and our history.
For are LGBT seniors, simply put, "It Gets Worse".
Those who are still able to live on their own are having to sell pocessions in order to pay the rent. This is the last generation that was forbidden by law to have children. Many of our seniors were rejected by their families. Almost all of them have lost many of their friends to HIV/AIDS over two decades ago. Some with increasingly health issues await that call or visit from someone as they sit and read or watch television alone night after night in their apartments. LGBT older generation yearn to have someone to share their life journey who will treat their stories with respect, awe and interest.
Those forced into assisted living facilities are often forced back into the closet in order to avoid abuse, being ignored or punished for their sexuality or having people constantly visit them to 'save them' for Jesus. Almost no one visits them from the community and there is little outreach to this generation. Sadly no one hears their plea for attention and assistance.
As Tom Brokaw would say, "This is one of our greatest generations". They have paved the path to freedom. They deserve to be treated with honor in their last days and not neglect.
An Associated Press story reveals the lack of facilities, resources and care for an increasing large number of LGBT seniors. With the Baby Boomer generation turning 65 this year, the story estimates that 1.5 million LGBT seniors will need housing, healthcare and counseling. There are unique circumstances with this generation because it is the one hit hardest by the HIV/AIDS epidemic so there will be special needs for this group - especially in the counseling arena. The specter of discrimination, bullying and hostile care workers looms over this pending crisis for the community as many seniors are forced to return to the closet to be safe.
From The South Florida News, here is an excerpt from the extremely important story:.
Experts say many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors fear discrimination, disrespect or worse by health care workers and residents of elder housing facilities — ultimately leading many back into the closet after years of being open.
That anxiety takes on new significance as the first of the 77 million baby boomers turns 65 this year. At least 1.5 million seniors are gay, a number expected to double by 2030, according to SAGE, the New York-based group Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders.
Recognizing the need, developers in Philadelphia have secured a site and initial funding for what would be one of the nation's few GLBT-friendly affordable housing facilities. They hope to break ground on a 52-unit, $17 million building in 2013.
Anti-discrimination laws prohibit gay-only housing, but projects can be made GLBT-friendly through marketing and location. And while private retirement facilities targeted at the gay community exist, such residences are often out of reach for all but the wealthiest seniors.
Census figures released last week indicate about 49 percent of Americans over 65 could be considered poor or low-income.
Gays are also less likely to have biological family to help out with informal caregiving, either through estrangement or being childless, making them more dependent on outside services. And that makes them more vulnerable, SAGE executive director Michael Adams said.
"They cannot at all assume that they will be treated well or given the welcome mat,"
As sure as the sun comes up in the east one thing is certain. LGBT citizens are great travelers and love adventure. Even with the budding family building taking place in the community new opportunities are even being created for LGBT family vacations. Places like P-Town have 'family weeks' and cruises are being created for LGBT families.
One of the most compensative reports so far on LGBT travel has just been released by Community Marketing, Inc. This is their "16th Annual Gay and Lesbian Tourism Report." Here are some of the key findings and you can find out incredible more details by clicking here.
-CMI’s annual destination rankings did not see much change from the previous year. However some cities did see a more significant increase. New York City has always been the number one LGBT destination in the U.S. and the city slightly increased its lead. New Orleans continued to gain visitors and is approaching pre-Katrina rankings. Miami also continued to trend upwards and has jumped back into the top ten for U.S. destinations on the survey.
-New York City scored the highest in all three key indicators; actual visits to the destination in past 12 months, most gay-friendly destination in the world and personal favorite destination. Las Vegas, San Francisco and London also scored well in all three indicators.
-Considering their size and number of hotel rooms, Provincetown, Key West and Palm Springs scored extremely well in all three indicators. If the data is analyzed by the number of hotel rooms in a destination, these three destinations would be the most popular in the U.S.
-LGBT travelers, and especially gay men, are much more likely to describe themselves as “urban core travelers” than “eco travelers” or “outdoor adventure travelers.”
-Survey results suggest the mid-range market is the biggest group among LGBT travelers, followed by economy/budget and then luxury.
-The LGBT economy/budget market is larger than often assumed. More LGBT travelers consider themselves to be “economy/budget travelers” than “luxury travelers,” indicating an opportunity for every tier of travel marketers
-Once gay men or lesbians have children, family-friendly travel preferences become more important than LGBT-friendly travel preferences by a 2-1 margin.
-Before booking a trip, gay men and lesbians compare on average three to four websites before making a purchase.
-Results indicate that gay men and lesbians are more likely to avoid a destination because of recent LGBT violence as compated to anti-LGBT laws.
-71% of gay men and 62% of lesbians own a smart phone, and 60% of LGBT smartphone owners use their smartphones during their trips to finds local tourism resources
There is little doubt that, at this point, the race for the Republican nomination for President is between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Now in this surprising year of numerous frontrunners we can't be surprised at any more changes. However, with the first vote to take place in Iowa in just 39 days it appears the battle between the two is in place. So where does "The Newt" stand on LGBT issues? Despite having a half sister, Candace, who is an out lesbian, he is simply awful beyond words. Here are some examples:
-He has been an active and vocal supporter of placing an amendment banning marriage in the United States Constitution
-He has called marriage equality an aberration!
- He supports the lawsuit by Congressional Republicans to defend DOMA.
-He is even opposed to domestic partnerships in private industry.
-He is absolutely against adoption by same sex couples
-He is against the passage of ENDA
-He has personally called homosexuality a sin and should be treated as such.
-He explained in a radio interview last week that “the secular world,” which advocated same sex marriage, was connected to the United State’s economic downfall.
“The concept of family being between man and woman and the concept of all these core values that grow out of 3,000 years of Judeo-Christian tradition,” he said on Catholic Radio San Diego, according to On Top Magazine. “This is a direct threat to the entire secular world.”
-In an Iowa Conservative Forum Newt indicated he would 'abolish' or 'ignore' courts that made marriage equality decisions.
Senator Kirsten Gillbrand (D-New York) has become the foremost champion for LGBT rights in the United States Senate. Not content to just vote right, she has become a fierce advocate and an effective strategist in fighting for full equality. Gillibrand was one of our most powerful allies on the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. She utilized the full force of her office to enable marriage equality to become reality in New York.
In an interview with The Advocate, she champions her latest effort on the rights of LGBT Americansto adopt. Here are some excerpts from "Gillibrand Keeps Up the Push for Equality" by Julie Bolcer.
"As 2012 nears, the roster of offensive and defense bouts for equality has never appeared more crowded, with state ballot measures, federal lawsuits, and a basket of legislative priorities all pending. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York represents a state that achieved one of the highest profile victories to date, and now she wants to expand what she calls the “consistent drumbeat of advocacy and persuasive narrative” to a new frontier with a bill to remove adoption barriers for LGBT families.
The Every Child Deserves a Family Act would prohibit federal funding for entities that discriminate against prospective adoptive or foster parents on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. In this way, the legislation uses the power of the government’s $8 billion child welfare purse to target discriminatory laws against LGBT couples and individuals in more than 30 states, and help children find homes. An estimated 400,000 children are in the U.S. foster care system, with over 100,000 waiting to be adopted.
“Every time a vote is called, every time there is an opportunity for a lawsuit to be heard, it moves our agenda forward,” Gillibrand said Tuesday in her first interview on the bill’s introduction. “Every battle we fight also creates more converts and more advocates who will support our cause."
The article continues:
"Gillibrand addressed the criticism by making a distinction between public and private adoptions. Proponents of her bill say that Catholic Charities, one of the country’s largest social service providers, is involved with less than 5% of public adoptions, which means the legislation would have a minimal impact on the agency.
“This law only deals with public adoptions,” she said. “The law has no impact on private adoptions and Catholic Charities, and other religiously affiliated organizations are free to continue to operate as they have in private adoptions. In states that already have nondiscrimination laws regarding adoption and foster care placements, religious organizations, such as Catholic Charities, are already required to comply with those laws, so our bill would not change that.” The bill arrives as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares for the historic markup Thursday of the Respect for Marriage Act that would repeal DOMA. Gillibrand, who is not a member of the committee, expects the panel to approve the bill, although with an uncertain Senate vote and opposition from Republican leadership in the House, she acknowledged that the growing body of federal litigation may provide a “more successful route earlier” than the legislative track."
The Senator discusses her role as a champion for LGBT rights and President Obama and full marriage equality:
"While she remains focused on garnering bipartisan support for her adoption bill, the senator said she expects to be an “aggressive” advocate on DOMA repeal as the legislation advances. Even with a marriage equality law in her state, not every member of the New York congressional delegation supports the Respect for Marriage Act, including a Republican who now represents her former upstate congressional district.
President Barack Obama has endorsed the Respect for Marriage Act, which would allow the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages but would not compel recognition from individual states. Gillibrand told The Advocate last May that she thought the president should support full marriage equality before the 2012 election, and she reiterated that position on Tuesday.
“I hope he does,” she said. “I think he should. I think he should be a president who supports full equality for all Americans.”
Already in 2011, there have been seven deaths as a result of domestic violence in the LGBT community. It is the problem no one wants to report or even discuss among ourselves. Thanks to the good work of the Anti-Violence Project (AVP) community members who are being abused by their spouses or partners have a champion.
There is real shame about being a survivor of domestic violence. No one tends to take seriously male on male or female on female domestic violence. Especially for men there is a particular difficulty in reporting that they have been beaten and abused by their partners. The community must work with the AVP to ensure that they know survivors have a safe place to seek help.
The National Anti-Violence Project has released its report for the year 2010 and the statistics are cause for concern.
-There were a total of 5,052 reports of domestic violence in our community which is an increase of over 38% from last year.
-There was also a dramatic increase in the physical violence directed at their partners. 55.4% of the survivors reported physical violence from their partners. This is an increase from 38.5% from the previous year.
-Six of our community members were killed by their partners in 2010.
-Over 44% of the LGBT survivors of domestic violence were turned away from traditional shelters!
-Over 54% of survivors who sought court order protection for same sex domestic abuse were denied them by the courts!
-A measurement of the dispair and isolation our survivors are feeling is that in 2009 we saw 22% of the survivors call the police. Last year we saw that only 7% of the survivors felt there was a solution in seeking protection from the police.
If you are a survivor of domestic abuse in the LGBT community, please contact the Anti-Violence Project immediately for help. This community wants to be there for you.
Sitting right there in the middle of our country, Iowa stands out like a sore thumb when you color in the states that allow marriage equality. Maybe that is why we haven't paid the attention we should in the Hawkeye State. When the State Supreme Court justices who ruled in our favor for marriage equality were on the ballot and fighting for their survival, the LGBT community just didn't rally nationally to protect them. Tragically, they lost their races.
In the last election, the voters elected a Republican governor and House. Democrats held on to the Senate by one vote. Because of this one vote, we have been able to stop efforts to repeal marriage equality or put it to a vote in the state. That is all now in jeopardy and we must step up our efforts and do it right this time around.
This past September Democratic State Senator Swati Dandekar resigned her seat and a special election has been called for November 8. Our LGBT organization on the scene, "One Iowa," is supporting pro-equality candidate Liz Mathis. Predictably, her Republican opposition wants to place marriage quality on the ballot for a vote. If we lose this seat, we could see marriage equality disappear in Iowa. That must not happen.
This situation cries out for national support for the efforts of One Iowa to support Ms. Mathis. The organization is going door to door, operating phone banks and getting new voters on the voting rolls. They need our help and they need our money. Just click here to make a donation now to protect marriage equality in Iowa. Don't sit this one out!
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