Don't Ask Don't Tell Repealed

Finally, the egregious ban on lesbians and gays serving openly in the military is gone. Instituted during the Clinton years, Congress recently passed -- and on Wednesday President Obama will sign -- a bill repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell!

In 1993, while working for NOW, I helped organize a protest of the ban on lesbians and gays in the military, in front of the White House. A few of the protesters took part in an act of non-violent civil disobedience, which resulted in their arrest. Among those arrested were NOW Action Vice President Rosemary Dempsey, and lesbian Army Captain Tanya Domi.

Domi, who will be present as President Obama signs the new law, recounts her years of advocacy against DADT here.

Since late last night I have been posting thank yous on Facebook, friends and colleagues who have worked days, weeks, months and years in our effort to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This is a moment we have worked toward for decades–the toil, the frustration, the agony, the sadness and great sacrifice, suffering in silence from the closet, removed from traditional sources of emotional support, as we served in defense of our country.

My tears began welling up this morning as I received and exchanged so many heart felt expressions of support and gratitude from around the country during the Senate discussion led by Senator Joe Lieberman, who reminds me of the time honored assertion that inside the beltway there are no permanent enemies. His leadership also symbolizes the internalized social justice values of the Jewish community, who have always been there for us–stood with us– since the beginning of this fight so many decades ago.

We stand on the shoulders of many who have not lived to see this day: Leonard Matlovich, Karl Cropsey, Copy Berg, Thomas Paniccia, Randy Shilts, Alan Stephens, Tom Stoddard, Gerry Studds, Perry Watkins and so many others. But I am so happy that Frank Kameny was alive to see this repeal come to pass, as Frank began his courageous advocacy on the military’s gay ban in the 1950s–during the age of the Philistines.

Wednesday marks the beginning of a new day for lesbian and gay Americans as we celebrate the an end to the ban on lesbians and gays in the military.

Maddow to President Obama: "Stand up for what is right because you know it is right"

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I couldn't agree more. Why are we wasting these people's talent, and the investment we have made into their careers?

In Memoriam – Dr. Dorothy Height

We have lost a legendary figure in the civil rights movement with the passing of Dr. Dorothy Height. For more than six decades Dr. Height was at the center of the struggles for school desegregation, voting rights, employment opportunities and public accommodations. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Dr. Height, and to hear her speak.

Dorothy I. Height, 98, a founding matriarch of the American civil rights movement whose crusade for racial justice and gender equality spanned more than six decades, died early Tuesday morning of natural causes, a spokesperson for the National Council of Negro Women said.

Ms. Height was among the coalition of African American leaders who pushed civil rights to the center of the American political stage after World War II, and she was a key figure in the struggles for school desegregation, voting rights, employment opportunities and public accommodations in the 1950s and 1960s. [...]

Ms. Height was president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, relinquishing the title in 1997. The 4 million-member advocacy group consists of 34 national and 250 community-based organizations. It was founded in 1935 by educator Mary McLeod Bethune, who was one of Ms. Height's mentors.

As a civil rights activist, Ms. Height participated in protests in Harlem during the 1930s. In the 1940s, she lobbied first lady Eleanor Roosevelt on behalf of civil rights causes. And in the 1950s, she prodded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to move more aggressively on school desegregation issues. In 1994, Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

In a statement issued by the White House, President Obama called Height "the godmother of the Civil Rights Movement and a hero to so many Americans."

"Dr. Height devoted her life to those struggling for equality . . . witnessing every march and milestone along the way," Obama said. "And even in the final weeks of her life -- a time when anyone else would have enjoyed their well-earned rest -- Dr. Height continued her fight to make our nation a more open and inclusive place for people of every race, gender, background and faith."

In the turmoil of the civil rights struggles in the 1960s, Ms. Height helped orchestrate strategy with movement leaders including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Roy Wilkins, A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young, James Farmer, Bayard Rustin and John Lewis, who later served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia.

Ms. Height was arguably the most influential woman at the top levels of civil rights leadership, but she never drew the major media attention that conferred celebrity and instant recognition on some of the other civil rights leaders of her time.

In August 1963, Ms. Height was on the platform with King when he delivered his "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial. But she would say later that she was disappointed that no one advocating women's rights spoke that day at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Less than a month later, at King's request, she went to Birmingham, Ala., to minister to the families of four black girls who had died in a church bombing linked to the racial strife that had engulfed the city.

"At every major effort for social progressive change, Dorothy Height has been there," Lewis said in 1997 when Ms. Height announced her retirement as president of the National Council of Negro Women.

Dr. Height was a champion for women's rights before the second wave of the women's rights movement began in the U.S.

She was . . . energetic in her efforts to overcome gender bias, and much of that work predated the women's rights movement. When President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963, Ms. Height was among those invited to the White House to witness the ceremony. She returned to the White House in 1998 for a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of that legislation to hear Clinton urge passage of additional laws aimed at equalizing pay for men and women.

"Dorothy Height deserves credit for helping black women understand that you had to be feminist at the same time you were African . . . that you had to play more than one role in the empowerment of black people," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) once said.

Thank you Dr. Height for the inspirational leadership you provided us.

The White House Parties Like it's 1999...

I loved this headline so much I stole it from Pam's House Blend. The lesbian and gay community has reason to be at least a little disspointed with our new president. Yes, he's had a full plate, but some of the things he could have done immediately wouldn't take much more than the stoke of a pen. And there's always that bully pulpit!

Here is what waymonhudson posted at Pam's House Blend:

Yesterday, President Obama hosted a "celebration of Stonewall" at the White House, the first of its kind. While it may have been the first time a President spoke on LGBT rights in the White house for 20 minutes, I couldn't help but be surprised by the reaction of the cheering crowd and by people online.

The speech wasn't anything really different from his campaign promises: repeal DADT and DOMA (legislatively), we need respect for each other, we're all equal, etc. It was more words with very little action to back it up.

Yet part of me was moved by the President speaking these words from the White House, acknowledging us and our struggles. That's when I realized this reaction was part of what has given cover to our political leaders for years now, allowing them to lag behind the general public in regards to our rights and equality.

There was time when that speech might have been enough, but that time was years ago- before out elected officials, marriage equality in some states, employment protections from top companies, and a general trend towards inclusion.

It was a speech for 1999, not 2009.

In fairness, there are usually always at least two sides to every story. For another perspective on the day read: Welcome to Your White House, by Cathy Renna posted on The Bilerico Project Facebook page.

The title of this post is one of the first things President Obama said yesterday at the Stonewall commemoration at the White House yesterday. Were there cocktails? Yes. But this was not a typical cocktail party. Were there many "A-listers?" Yes. But this event should not be easily dismissed as an "A-list gay event."

In the past few weeks, there has been a firestorm of debate and discussion about how we move our community forward under the current leadership. I have personally been very vocal about how our impatience should be a motivator, something to be channeled in a smart, assertive and effective manner.

Yesterday was another opportunity to do that the best way I could, so I did. Want to get past the sounds bites and headlines, as well as what I think is the less productive intra-community attacking that is happening? [...]

I had the singular honor or working with some of the White House staff to secure some Stonewall veterans for this event. Through our firm's work with SAGE and other groups and individuals, we have spent the past few months doing a lot of work related to the 40th anniversary. We were fortunate and thrilled to have two real Stonewall veterans step forward and attend - Jerry Hoose and Tommy Lanigan-Schmidt.

They are decidedly not A-listers, but got treated better than the A-listers and with tremendous respect by all.

Their contributions were recognized by the President - along with others like Dr. Frank Kameny, who was also present.

Leah and I were even asked to take them back to meet with the President and First Lady prior to the speech.

It was, in the words of Jerry (pictured with me on the left), "one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life."

For someone who helped get this pioneer and still involved activist - who by the way got into the White House using his government-issued Food Stamp ID - it meant a lot to us to be part of helping make that happen.

No Justice, No Peace

This happened more than a year ago ... so why am I so angry?

Could it be because there has been no true resolution, and therefore no justice? You bet.


Here are a few other links that will make you want to yell at someone.

Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami says they don’t have to allow their patients visitors

Lesbian mom fights for justice in partner's death. Mother and kids denied visitation with dying partner in Florida hospital

And finally, a link that provides some hope.

Lambda Legal Sues Florida Hospital for Mistreatment of Deceased Lesbian’s Family

Eric Holder Confirmed as Attorney General

Another milestone was reached today with the confirmation of Eric Holder as the nation's first African American Attorney General.

The Senate this evening confirmed Eric H. Holder Jr. as the nation's first African American Attorney General in a vote of 75 to 21, opening a new chapter for a Justice Department that had suffered under allegations of improper political influence and controversial policy decisions on wiretapping and harsh interrogation practices.

Holder, 58, will arrive at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington tomorrow for a swearing in ceremony and to greet some of the department's 110,000 employees.

"The need for new leadership at the Department of Justice is as critical today as it's ever been," said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the Judiciary Committee chairman, on the Senate floor this afternoon. "This confirmation is going to do a great deal to restore the morale and the purpose throughout the department."

So what's up with Republicans? Clearly, raising the obstructionist bar three fold during the previous Congressional term wasn't enough. Glad they weren't successful.

HIV/AIDS Crisis Discussed at Creating Change

Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men's Health Crisis, Dr. Marjorie Hill, led a panel discussion titled: "HIV/AIDS Crisis: This Is What We're Doing About it!"


In the spirit of full disclosure I must confess that I've had a crush on this woman for at least a decade.

The second speaker, Kenyon Farrow, delivered a powerful message.


What I appreciated the most about Kenyon is how feminist he is. As he spoke I kept thinking "this guy has a fabulous mother."

The presentation that brought me to tears was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder. You will only hear a snippet of her fabulous address here and I can only say I hope at sometime those who didn't have an opportunity to be in Denver can hear the whole thing.

‘State of the Movement’ Address at Creating Change

The following is from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rae Carey, as she outlines the 'State of the Movement':

Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey delved into the challenges and offered new hope for the LGBT community with her “State of the Movement” address in front of 2,000 LGBT activists at the 21st National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Denver, Colo.

Carey talked about the gains made during this past year, including Connecticut joining Massachusetts in becoming a freedom-to-marry state, more than 20 localities across the U.S. that passed and held onto nondiscrimination laws or partner recognition benefits, and the record 450 out elected officials who are serving in local, state and federal offices. She also noted the setbacks and challenges, most notably losing the fundamental right to marry in California, as well as the passage of anti-LGBT ballot measures in Arizona, Arkansas and Florida.

But clearly, she said, there is much reason for optimism in this new political climate. Watch the YouTube video excerpt and post a comment.

Later, she expressed ways the movement should move forward in this new era. Watch the YouTube video excerpt and share your thoughts.

And, she offered this call to action: Watch here.

On the road again ...

As mentioned earlier I'm in Denver, what I didn't tell you is that I'm here attending the Creating Change conference. Celebrating 21 years, Creating Change is the largest gathering of LGBT activists in the country. More than 2,000 are expected.

The conference theme is "Power is sexy" and "Action is HOT" and the opening plenary was certainly hot, hot, hot.

MC Kate Clinton warmed up the crowd by leading a group cleansing to rid the country of any bad energy left behind from eight years of Bush & Co. Kate then introduced a true champion of grassroots organizing, Dolores Huerta. If you are not familiar with her work, I strong suggest you Google her name and check it out!

Dolores has worked for more than four decades to make this a better country. She, along with Cesar Chavez, organized the United Farm Workers Union, and Dolores has been involved in many civil rights movements over the years, the most recent to try and defeat California's Prop 8.

In a lighter moment Dolores talked about her first meeting with candidate Barack Obama, where he mentioned that he had stolen her signature line (and one she coined a few decades ago) "Yes We Can." Her responds to him was: "Yes.You.Did!"

I've known Dolores for nearly 20 years, and she never ceases to amaze me every time I hear her speak.

This is my eighth Creating Change, so it's also fun to reconnect with friends from around the country -- and make new friends. More later.

Unanimous Supreme Court Decision Protects Employees

Yes, you read the headline correctly. Could this be a payback from Chief Justice John Roberts for flubbing the presidential oath? If it is, great!

The Supreme Court today unanimously held that federal anti-discrimination laws protect employees from retaliation when they cooperate with internal investigations of alleged harassment.

The court sided with Vicky S. Crawford, who said she was fired from her longtime job in charge of payroll for the Nashville school system after she answered questions about what the court termed the "louche goings-on" involving her boss.

The supervisor, Metro School District employees relations director Gene Hughes, was not disciplined for the alleged actions, but Crawford and two others who testified against him were later fired for unrelated charges.

Lower courts said Crawford was not protected under the federal anti-retaliation law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, because she had not "instigated or initiated" the complaint, but merely answered questions in a case already underway.

The Supreme Court said the district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit misread the law.

"Nothing in the statute requires a freakish rule protecting an employee who reports discrimination on her own initiative but not one who reports the same discrimination in the same words when her boss asks a question," Justice David H. Souter wrote.

The case is Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.

What also must be noted is the gender difference in reporting this decision. CBS Network news airs before NBC in the DC area, so if I'm home I try to catch both. CBS anchor Katie Couric reported the story. Guess who didn't? That's right the male anchor Brian Williams on NBC.

The minute I read the report of this in the Washington Post I knew it would probably have greater impact, and meaning, for women. Looks like Couric agrees.

Call In Gay!

I was just listening to Sean Hetherington on "Culture Shocks with Barry Lynn" talk about an action taking place all across the country tomorrow. Sean is encouraging people to "Call in Gay!"

We've reacted to anti-gay ballot initiatives in California, Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas with anger, with resolve, and with courage. NOW, it's time to show America and the world how we love.

Gay people and our allies are compassionate, sensitive, caring, mobilized, and programmed for success. A day without gays would be tragic because it would be a day without love.

On December 10, 2008 the gay community will take a historic stance against hatred by donating love to a variety of different causes.

On December 10, you are encouraged not to call in sick to work. You are encouraged to call in "gay"--and donate your time to service!

December 10, 2008 is International Human Rights Day. CLICK HERE to join us, and search or add to the list of human rights organizations that need our help RIGHT NOW.

Hey, you don't have to be gay to call in gay ... go for it!

Hey Newt ... Which Marriage Are You Protecting?

Your first, second or third?



Newt Gingrich has been married three times. His first wife, Jackie Battley, was his former high school geometry teacher. He married her when he was 19, she was 26. They had two daughters. In 1980, Newt served Jackie with divorce papers while she was still in the hospital undergoing treatment for cancer. What a guy!!

Six months after his divorce from Jackie was final, Newt wed Marianne Ginther. He remained married to Marianne until 2000, when they divorced. Funny thing about this one is that Newt was having an affair with a young woman on his staff at the same time he was leading the charge to impeach Bill Clinton. As Alanis Morissette would say "Isn't it ironic."

So soon after his SECOND divorce, Newt married Callista Bisek. Maybe third time is charm for ol' Newt, but if Callista likes being married to the guy she better never leave him alone with another woman!

Oh, and a fun aside to this marriage is that during the time Callista worked in Newt's congressional office she received a couple of pretty healthy salary increases, around $19,000 one year, without the benefit of either a promotion or title change. Looks like the taxpayers were paying for this dalliance!

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AFA's McDonald's Boycott: Demonizing for Dollars

Donald Wildmon's American Family Association (AFA) -- if it's got the word "family" in the title look out!! -- has launched a boycott against McDonald's. It seems the group is just not lovin' it that McDonald's is so gay-friendly.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State's blog The Wall reports:

McDonald’s is officially under boycott from Donald Wildmon’s American Family Association (AFA). The AFA, a Mississippi-based Religious Right outfit best known for obsessing over sexual content on cable and network television and its vociferous opposition to the “homosexual agenda,” has been going crazy lately because McDonald’s has made it clear that its family-friendly policy includes gay families.

Like a lot of corporations these days, McDonald’s is aware that American society is increasingly diverse. In recent years, the company has launched outreach efforts targeted toward African-Americans and Latinos. Now it’s aiming one at gays. Part of this includes allowing a McDonald’s executive to join and work with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

So it boils down to this: McDonald’s is interested in getting as many people as possible to eat in its restaurants, and as part of this effort, is reaching out to targeted audiences. Most people would not see this as a big deal.

To the homophobes of the Religious Right, it’s the end of the world. Wildmon and his crew have been carping about this for months, and the right-wing media is all atwitter. (I did get a kick out of this rather lurid headline from WorldNetDaily: “McDonald’s profits help fund naked homosex-fest.” It sounds like a tagline for porn spam.)

To its credit, McDonald’s has told Wildmon to go stick his head in a deep fryer. In a May 29 letter, Pat Harris, global chief diversity officer for McDonald’s, wrote to Wildmon, “We treat our employees and our customers with respect and dignity, regardless of their ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or other factors. We support our employees’ personal involvement in organizations of their choice.”

Continued Harris, “McDonald’s is associated with countless local and national affinity groups here in the United States. We have a well-established and proud heritage of associating with individuals and organizations that share in the belief that every person has the right to live and work in their community free of discrimination.”

As is noted in this post, previous AFA boycotts against Target, IKEA and Disney "didn't exactly bring those firms to their knees" -- which brings me to my point.

Actions like these are little more than fundraising tools for the religious right. When collection plates just aren't enough the religious right pulls out THEIR "gay agenda" ... demonizing for dollars.

Whether it's demonizing for dollars or for votes -- to elect candidates supportive of their narrow world view -- it spells bad news for everyone else!

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Day of Action

Activist faces felony charges for distributing flyer

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to spend time with Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida. I've known Nadine for a number of years, and consider her one of the leading voices in the nation for LGBT civil rights.

Nadine is a thoughtful, and almost disarmingly soft spoken activist. Her strentgh is apparent to anyone who spends a few minutes in her company, but I can honestly say that in the 10 years I've known her I've never once heard Nadine raise her voice.

This is the major reason I find it hard to believe she is facing felony charges in connection with a peaceful demonstration at a Largo, Florida, city council meeting.

Nadine was there in support of former city manager Steve Stanton, who was dismissed from his job after telling supervisors of his plan to transition from MTF.


From Pam's House Blend ... always steamin'

Nadine was arrested for simply attempting to hand a piece of pink paper to someone who had requested it. The paper was a flyer that said "Don't Discriminate."

If you live in Florida, contact the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office and ask them to investigate the incident and immediately drop the charges against Nadine.

The nation's two leading LGBT organizations have come to Nadine's defense:

“We condemn this outrageous and unprovoked attack on one of our community’s leading advocates,” said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. “This directly associates the Police Department of Largo with the appalling bigotry expressed by the hundreds attending the poisonous hearing attacking an outstanding public servant, Steve Stanton. We honor Nadine’s courage and dignity through this ordeal.”

“HRC joins the Task Force in condemning these actions by Largo police. Arresting a community leader for simply handing out a flier is disgraceful,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “The city’s bigoted action against Steve Stanton was shameful in and of itself; its treatment of a citizen standing in support of Stanton is doubly appalling. We hope actions are taken immediately by city leaders to remedy both intolerable situations.”

For more about Nadine Smith visit the Equality Florida web site.

Save Civil Rights Protection in Head Start

HEAD START VOTE THIS WEEK:

OPPOSE CIVIL RIGHTS REPEAL!

In March, the Head Start reauthorization bill (H.R. 1429) passed the House Education and Labor Committee by a 42-1 vote. The committee-passed bill leaves in place a crucial civil rights provision, which has been a cornerstone protection in Head Start programs since 1972. That provision has, for decades, protected more than 213,000 Head Start teachers and staff, and more than 1,360,000 parent volunteers, from employment discrimination based on religion in federally-funded Head Start programs.

The bill is expected to be on the House floor this week and we anticipate an attempt to repeal these critical civil rights provisions through either a “Motion to Recommit,” which would send the bill back to committee with instructions to repeal the provision, or an “amendment” to the bill which would immediately repeal the anti-discrimination language before final passage.

URGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO REAUTHORIZE HEAD START AND REJECT ANY ASSAULT ON CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS IN FEDERALLY-FUNDED PROGRAMS.

It is critical that this measure pass with no amendments. To send a message click here.

MLK remembered

"The arc of the moral universe is long,
but it bends toward justice."

Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15, 1929 to April 4, 1968

Gays of Our Lives

I've decided to "out" myself ... but not for what you think. Yes, I'm a lesbian ... but if you've visited Yikes! before you probably already know that. What you might NOT know is that I'm a closet "Days of Our Lives" fan. Yep ... watch it every day when I get home from work.

The program starts with a recap of what you just saw the day before, and then a hint of what's to come. I'm not familiar with other soaps, but the hint is usually enough for Day's fans to know the story line -- almost line-by-line -- for the rest of the show ... but I digress.

As the shows signature graphic appears you hear the voice of Dr. Tom Horton -- actually MacDonald Cary, who passed away about a decade ago or so (no actually dies on Days, unless they die in real life ... but I digress once again). Anyway, Dr. Tom says ... "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of our Lives" ... music UP!

Over the years I've sort of adopted this as a way to reference things that take place within the LGBT community. You know ... the Gays of Our Lives!

Like the story of two lesbians kicked out of an I-Hop for kissing. Not the type of lesbian kissing seen in really bad B movies ... the kind of lesbian kissing where if you didn't know they were lesbians you might think it was someone kissing their sister. I'm sure there is a joke in there somewhere, but it's getting late.

“It was a kiss I would share with my uncle,” Blair Funk told me. Except it wasn’t her uncle she kissed. It was her honey, Eva Sandoval.

What makes me crazy about this is WHO CARES if two women -- or men -- exchange a peck on the cheek. Did the earth suddenly stop revolving? That they were tossed out of a public venue also makes me crazy, because in Grandview, MO -- as in most states -- there is no legal protection for lesbians and gays from this type of discrimination.

These days it’s rare for gays and lesbians to be denied service in restaurants for acting like who they are. Blair assures me that she and Eva did nothing that wouldn’t have been appropriate for a man and a woman to do at a dinner date. No heavy makeout. No groping.

However, incidents like this one are not unheard of, and the people affected often can do nothing about it.

There is no federal law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Neither Kansas nor Missouri are among the few states that protect gay people from being discriminated against in areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.

Kansas City does have an ordinance protecting gays, as do St. Louis, Columbia and University City. But if you’re anywhere else in Missouri and you’re gay, you can legally be denied service in restaurant. Landlords can refuse to rent you a place to live.

You can even be canned from your job on the suspicion that you’re romantically inclined toward members of your own sex.

“Many people are shocked to hear that people can be fired from their jobs for being gay or being perceived to be gay,” says Julie Brueggemann, executive director of the Missouri gay rights group Promo.

There was an incident a few years ago in Indiana, my home state, where an employer fired one of their employees, the employee tried to challenge the firing, and the employer said the person was fired because he is gay. Who knows whether or not the person ACTUALLY WAS gay, but the employer knew that if he made that charge the person fired would have NO LEGAL RECOURSE.

These incidents point to why we need a federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

++ Size Matters

They say everything is bigger in Texas. Well guess who has the BIGGEST GAY CHURCH in the country? You've got it ... TEXAS!

... the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas makes one Texas-sized claim that few would expect in the conservative Bible Belt state -- it says it is the world's biggest gay church.

"I think this shows that God has a tremendously great sense of humor," said senior pastor and rector Jo Hudson.

On a more serious note, she says the church, affiliated with the United Church of Christ, is a spiritual refuge for gay people of faith in a region associated with more conservative brands of Christianity.

"Because we are in the Bible Belt we have a lot of people of tremendous faith," she said in an interview.

"But a lot of them have been alienated and rejected by their faith community, which is fundamentalist, so they hanker for a place where they can encounter God," she said.

The United Church of Christ -- one of the 'good guys' -- has 1.3 million members in 5,725 U.S. congregations. UCC is known for its traditions of diversity and pioneering action on social justice.

The Republican party and their Religious Right supporters, on the other hand, have a "gay agenda" of their own. Groups like Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, the Christian Coalition and Falwell's (im)Moral Majority have all used gays and lesbians to demonize for dollars. And you can tell it's about time for another election when Republicans roll out state and federal marriage amendments. (It's amazing that evangelicals haven't realized that Republicans only care about the sanctity of marriage in even numbered years ... 02, 04, 06, 08.)

But enough of all this, what I really want to know is will Shawn and Belle ever get back together? Is the evil Stefano really alive? And, where's John?

Women's Equality - Women's Lives

March 8 is International Women's Day. The fact that it's just one day should give you a clue about the status of women in the US and internationally.

The information below was provided by the National Council for Research on Women, (www.ncrw.org) and the Girls, Women & Media Project (www.mediaandwomen.org).

• Missing inaction: the Bush administration continues to engage in a pattern of omission, distortion, and spin when it comes to information about women and girls. (Is anyone surprised?) Data on the Department of Labor website has gone missing and the FDA continues to block approval of Emergency Contraception despite research findings that support its use.
  
• Buddy can you spare a dime: Women earn only 77 cents to every dollar earned by men. (Former MA democratic Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy is doin great things to shake this up…check out www.womenaregettingeven.org) Are 1 million women against WalMart be hallucinating? I doubt it!
  
• It's not rocket science: Despite substantial gains in the number of women pursuing graduate degrees in the sciences, women are still massively underrepresented. Women currently earn only 20% of all PhDs in computer science, less than 27% in physics, and only 17% in engineering.
  
• Ivy league discrimination: There are too few female tenured professors. Despite the fact that women have been at least half of all college undergraduates since 1978, women represent only 36% of all tenured faculty nationwide, and only 13% of doctoral granting universities boast women presidents.
  
• A seat at the table: Women are underrepresented in corporate leadership. Women have made up more than 40% of the workforce since 1977, and are currently almost 50%, yet only 9 women are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
  
• Courting discrimination: Too few women lawyers make partner. Women have been 40% of all law school students since 1995, and over half since 2001, but are only 15% of partners in law firms nationwide.
  
• And that's the way it is: Men dominate the airwaves, music industry, and film industry. Women comprise only 11% of the Sunday morning political talk show experts. No major record label is headed by a woman. Most major film studios are headed by men, and nine out of ten music videos are produced by men. Women direct only 5 - 7 % of major Hollywood films.
  
• Absolute poverty: Women constitute about 70% of the world’s absolute poor – those living on less than a dollar a day. In the United States in 2004, there were 20.1 million women living below the poverty level. Worldwide, women’s access to resources and education still lags behind men and boys.
  
• SOLD: Estimates range from 800,000 to nearly 4 million people trafficked (bought and sold as property) every year. The majority are women and girls.

You know my mantra ... don't agonize, organize!

Marriage Equality - check it out

Gay Marriage Is Just Like Yours Only Gayer

February 28th, 2007 from jockohomo datapanik

The Chicago firm of Young & Rubicam with HSI director Max Vitali have filmed three new commercials void of stereotypes for EqualMarriage.org, a group that lobbies for support of civil marriage rights for same-sex couples. The message: Gay couples are just like straight couples or vise versa, with the tagline “Gay marriage is just like yours. Only gayer.” Funny, sweet and on target.