The guy obviously is a smooth politician. He refuses to come out and say he supports the ban on gays serving openly in the military, even though his scorecard from the anti-gay Massachusetts Family Institute says otherwise.

As unsurprised as I am by a Republican not supporting LGBT rights and equality, the thing that worries me most about this type of non-commitment to an issue, is that as so many times, using the the “religious right” as an example, those who take a stand against LGBT equality, don’t do it directly, but rather they tend to blame their homophobia and/or bigotry on a higher power, or in the case of the religious right, God. Anti-gay people tend to blame their dislike of LGBT’s on things outside of their own character.  They don’t want to label themselves as a “bigot” so they rely on outside influences to pardon their intolerance.  In this case, Brown appears to be saving his “reason” to support maintaining the ban on the higher power of military leaders.

In his interview with Walters, he states he’s going to leave the decision of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” up to leaders in the field…almost as though he has a blatant disregard for the fact he serves as a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army National Guard.

My direct impression is Scott Brown, simply put, is a coward, not wanting to admit his stance against LGBT equality and looking for a “reason” to display his homophobia. There’s not a lot of gray area here, either you believe LGBT deserve the right to serve openly in the military or you don’t. Waiting for others to exhale your intolerance shows a lack of character and integrity. My direct impression is that Scott Brown is no different from any other anti-gay Republican politician, seeking others to blame his homophobia on. I think it’s time for Scott Brown to “man-up” and come on out of the anti-gay closet. He needs to go on record as another Republican who hates the gays. He may become a little more respectable if he’s honest.

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From Queer The Census:

We know it’s a little clichéd – but here’s what we want to tell the census: We’re here. We’re queer. And we want you to ask us about it.

It’s crazy – the U.S. Census Bureau wants an accurate count of everyone in the country – but there’s no question in the survey that asks if you are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

You read that right: LGBT people are basically invisible in the survey that is supposed to reflect the diversity of America’s population – and that’s a big problem.

The data collected impacts issues critical to every American – like our health care, our economic stability, and even our safety. And when LGBT people aren’t counted, then we also don’t count when it comes to services, resources … you name it.

It’s past time to Queer the Census! Sign the petition (BY CLICKING HERE) to demand that the census ask the question and count everyone!

Source Text:

www.gayagenda.com

Courtesy of Democrats.org:

Today our nation will commemorate the life and work of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Over 40 years ago, Dr. King’s words inspired Rep. John Lewis to join the civil rights movement — and sparked an amazing journey.

This year, Rep. Lewis has recorded a short message about what Martin Luther King Day means to him — and to all Americans.

Watch Rep Lewis’s message and share it with friends and family.

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Make it happen!

From 365Gay.com:

Portugal’s Socialist government has drawn up a proposal that would make Portugal the sixth European country to allow gay marriage.

The law is almost certain to pass, as the center-left Socialist government has the support of all left-of-center parties, who together have a majority in Parliament. Right-of-center parties oppose the measure.

The proposal changes Portuguese law to remove references to marriage being between two people of different sexes, Cabinet Minister Pedro Silva Pereira told a news conference Thursday, adding the government will send its proposal to lawmakers for a debate, probably in January.

If approved by Parliament, the proposed law goes to Portugal’s conservative President Anibal Cavaco Silva, who can ratify or veto it. A veto can be overturned by Parliament.

If there is no presidential veto, the first gay marriage ceremonies could take place in April – a month before Pope Benedict XVI is due on a four-day official visit.

Gay marriage is currently permitted in five European countries – Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Norway.

Source Text:

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Washington DC - there's hope!

Today, D.C.’s Council made it official and same-sex marriage is now legal in the district by a final vote of 11-2!

The victory for equal rights prompted public witnesses in the Council chambers to cheer and applaud.

The bill, which may be signed into law by D.C.’s mayor as early as tonight, will go before Congress for a review period of 30 legislative days before it becomes law.

Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) stated:

“Today is the final step in a long march toward equality.”

Source Text:

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Purple identity

Here’s a simple, yet perhaps effective method of gaining equality. Visibility is key and the more people who realize they actually know (and maybe even love) someone who is LGBT, the faster acceptance and inclusion will come to our community.

According to a post on news-journalonline:

Experts estimate 5-10 percent of the population is gay.

Assuming that’s about right, there should be somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 gay people walking around Volusia County.

Because they don’t slap on special nametags when they go out or announce their sexual orientation as a standard greeting, they blend in.

But Gordon Phillips has come to believe more visibility could be a good thing, and the Holly Hill man is vice president of a new group that’s fighting to gain more of a voice and more rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

“If every one of us were purple, we would have had our equal rights already,” said the 65-year-old Phillips. “Blacks got their equal rights because they couldn’t hide.

“We need to stop hiding. Some of my closest friends are not out. We’re close to as big of a minority as blacks were, but only about 35 percent of us are out.”

Source Text:

www.gayagenda.com

Just Married

Last Wednesday, as the New York State Senate voted down a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in New York, they were, in essence, voting to require discrimination in the State of New York. That they did it, in part, with the guiding hand of the Catholic Church–who called the defeat, incredibly, “a victory for the basic building block of our society”–only serves to outline both the violation of principle that constitutes religious meddling in U.S. law, and the wider question the measure raises: Why on earth is something as basic to our democracy as full civil rights coming up for a vote at all?

Much like the ham-fisted revision of California’s constitution that took place earlier this year, in which some 52% of voters, via Proposition 8 (call it “Prop Hate”) were able to gut the Golden State’s constitutional protection of equal rights by disallowing legal marriage for its gay and lesbian citizens, the New York ruling throws the greater movement for civil rights in this country back by some forty years, certainly at least to 1967, when it was still illegal in most states for inter-racial couples to marry, because of so-called “anti-miscegenation” laws. This Wednesday’s vote made a very similar kind of legal discrimination mandatory in the State of New York.

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Tom Duane

Openly gay New York Senator Tom Duane has become angry over the state senate’s “Not one Goddamn Republican voted for our right to married” – and wouldn’t say why because there is no reason! This is what I’m talking about. This is the kind of anger we all need to release. The anti-gay movement is NOT playing fair, and we need to stand up and get angry. We do not ever need to become violent, but we need to be angry and be loud!

Source text:

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Gay marriage rights

From the NY Times:

An Argentine couple’s attempt to unite in Latin America’s first gay marriage was thwarted Tuesday when city officials decided to block the wedding because of conflicting judicial rulings.

Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre showed up at the Buenos Aires civil registry office despite a national judge’s ruling late Monday that overturned a city court’s decision to permit them to wed. The first judge ruled again Tuesday that they could wed.

The couple, dressed in black suits, silver ties and a red band symbolizing AIDS awareness, waited for hours in the municipal office as officials debated which judge to obey. They were surrounded by supporters and a swarm of media.

”It’s hard to have to spend this day waiting for a right that should have been ours,” said Freyre, as he fought to hold back tears.

In a twist of events, the final decision fell to Mayor Mauricio Macri, who had originally given the green light to the wedding. Among cheers and chants in what felt like the final seconds of championship game, the lawyers came out to announce the news: The city would not allow the marriage until the Supreme Court has ruled on the case.

Gay rights groups expressed anger at the decision and said they would march to city hall in protest.

Source Text:

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Same-sex Marriage Button

FOR LESBIAN, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Rhode Islanders, the law is a fickle creature.

While the state does not have a “defense of marriage” act on its books, it still does not grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples even though, according to a decision issued by Attorney General Patrick Lynch, marriages performed out-of-state are recognized by Rhode Island. If, however, these out-of-state gay and lesbian married couples wish to get a divorce, the Family Court Act of 1967 defines divorce as an act between a man and a woman.

It was precisely this kind of legal confusion that prevented Mark Goldberg from being able to claim the body of his partner of 17 years, Ron Hanby, after he committed suicide. The couple had a marriage license from the state of Connecticut, but for 32 days, Goldberg was not allowed to claim his partner’s body and carry out his final wishes.

To correct this terrible injustice, a bill was introduced in the Rhode Island General Assembly that would have allowed domestic partners to make funeral arrangements for each other. The bill, which passed nearly unanimously, was then vetoed by Gov. Donald Carcieri, who said that it was a “disturbing trend towards redefining marriage.”

Source text:

http://www.gayagenda.com