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The Repeal of DADT is Mission Incomplete

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Melanie Nathan at Mission Incomplete GetEQUAL Rally in the Castro

Calling on the Repeal of DADT Supporting Senators to Co-Sponsor the Repeal of DOMA -

On September 20, 2011, while the LGBT community celebrated the activation of the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy, which had prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, activists, including myself, attended GET EQUAL rallies across the country to protest “ Mission Incomplete.”

I was emphatically reminded of  this incomplete mission,  when I noticed on television, that out of the six senators attending a news conference hailing the historic DADT repeal, only three have signed on to “The Respect for Marriage Act” (RFMA) the legislation that supports the repeal of the “Defense of Marriage Act,” (DOMA.)

The repeal of DADT is a milestone, in that gays and lesbians can now serve openly. Yet, other than drawing attention to the iniquities suffered by openly gay members of the military, it does nothing to further equality for LGBT servicemembers. Certainly not until all enjoy marriage equality and the protections provided by ENDA.

Transgender people still serve in silence and LGBT Servicemembers  are denied marital benefits in parity with straight members of the military.

Accordingly, activists and advocates ought to use the DADT repeal activation as an opportunity to enter what is clearly now an historically wide open door. Until this time, we have been tip toeing around legislation always knocking at the back door.   The opening is a view to the offensive inequality suffered by all LGBT members of our American society, whether in uniform or not.

The DADT repeal serves to highlight the discrimination because even though gay and lesbian  servicemembers can serve openly, they are still unequal in the eyes of the law.  Serving openly is not equality. That is why the fight has truly just begun.

The three senators who are co-sponsors of the marriage equality legislation attending the news conference for DADT, on Capitol Hill included Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.); and the three, standing next to them, who have yet to sign on to the repeal of DOMA and who were supporters of  the DADT repeal include Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

By standing at the conference and celebrating the conclusion of DADT, the latter three senators are definitely MIA – they are missing in action and ought to show up for equality – not merely the right to exist in the military or the right to exist in society for that matter. De facto existence is a given – yet de jure equality remains elusive!

It would be hypocritical for Senators Lieberman, Levin and Collins, at this point, to remain silent on DOMA and I hope their constituents will call them on this serious omission.  When they show up on the Respect for Marriage Act,  they will provide the votes needed to have the Senate repeal of DOMA. Of course the House has a long way to go; but the Senate will provide an advance trend favoring full equality for same-sex partners.

Nothing short of full equality will suffice. There is no excuse for anything less; that means the repeal of DOMA, the passage of ENDA and an Equality Bill – an omnibus of sorts – that spells out to the individual States in the US  that even though they are free to create their own laws, they are not free to discriminate.  It is un-American to discriminate.  The most basic of American values is equality and freedom. Now is the time for all to share in the magnificent intent of the Constitution.

So like the folks at GetEQUAL have asserted through the rallies, the “mission is incomplete” –  and  it is up to us as a movement to define and lead and compel the mission.   Let’s do it….  DOMA must be repealed immediately.

By Melanie Nathan.
melanie@gayusathemovie.com
www.visualcv.com/melnathan

Senators Co-Sponsoring  DOMA’s repeal:

1. U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI)

2. U.S. Senator Michael Bennett (D-CO)

3. U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)

4. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

5. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

6. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

7. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

8. U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-OH)

9. U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)

10. US. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)

11. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

12. U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN)

13. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

14. U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)

15. U.S. Senator Dan Inouye (D-HI)

16. U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA)

17. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

18. U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI)

19. U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)

20. U.S. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

21. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

22. U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

23. U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)

24. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

25. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

26. U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

27. U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)

28. U.S. Tom Udall (D-NM)

29. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

30. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

1. U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI)

2. U.S. Senator Michael Bennett (D-CO)

3. U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)

4. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

5. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

6. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

7. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

8. U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-OH)

9. U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)

10. US. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)

11. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

12. U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN)

13. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

14. U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)

15. U.S. Senator Dan Inouye (D-HI)

16. U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA)

17. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

18. U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI)

19. U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)

20. U.S. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

21. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

22. U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)

23. U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)

24. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

25. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

26. U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

27. U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)

28. U.S. Tom Udall (D-NM)

29. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

30. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Posted in activist, don't ask don't tell, Gay Marriage, gay rights, marriage equality, same sex marriage, senate, straight couple, transgender | No Responses »
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FL: Leon County Passes Gay Rights Law

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Facing a packed chamber of opponents, yesterday Florida’s Leon County, home to the state capital, passed a sweeping LGBT rights law.

In a 5-2 vote, the Leon County Commission approved the controversial changes to the county’s current human-rights ordinance. The changes are designed to deter discrimination and include more protection for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community.

Full Story from Joe.My.God

Click here for gay marriage resources in Florida.

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Posted in florida, gay rights, gay rights legislation, lgbt | No Responses »
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Australia: 5,000 Gather in Sydney for Naked Photo Shoot in Equality Protest

Monday, March 1st, 2010

More than 5000 people have gathered in front of the Sydney Opera House to be photographed nude in the name of art and diversity today. A pregnant woman was among the first group of Australians to take their place on the steps of the Opera House just after dawn in photographer Spencer Tunick’s latest installation, Mardi Gras: The Base.

Mardi Gras festival executive producer Danielle Harvey said 5200 people, including sportspeople, doctors, teachers and retirees, had lined up to take part. “We were expecting 2000 or so … we’re absolutely thrilled,” Ms Harvey said.

Tan lines were the most prominent feature of the Australian line up, which whooped and cheered its way onto the Opera House forecourt in lines in cool, cloudy conditions.

Full Story from the Sydney Morning Herald
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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Posted in australia, diversity, Gay Marriage, gay rights, marriage equality, naked, nude, photoshoot, same sex marriage, sydney | No Responses »

Lithuania: Anti Gay Law Takes Effect March 1st

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Amnesty International has called on the authorities of Lithuania to remove all restrictions on the distribution of public information relating to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people decreed in a new law. The controversial “Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information” enters into force next Monday, 1 March.

“This law will violate the freedom of expression and will directly discriminate against people on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said John Dalhuisen, expert on discrimination at Amnesty International.

“It will stigmatize gay and lesbian people and exposes advocates for their rights to the risk of censorship and financial penalties. This law is an anachronism in the European Union.”

Full Story from Amnesty International
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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Posted in anti gay law, gay rights, lithuania | No Responses »

Macedonia: EU Tells Parliament to Protect Gay Rights or Be Denied Entry into Union

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Ulrike Lunacek, the MEP who is co-president of the European Parliament’s all-party ‘Intergroup’ for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, today told Macedonian politicians that there was no opting-out from fundamental human rights as Macedonia continues the process of accession to the European Union.

She was speaking to members of the Committee for Protection of Freedom and Rights of the Parliament of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia during a public debate on a proposed anti-discrimination law. This proposed law falls short of European Union standards, notably for its omission of sexual orientation as a ground of discrimination.

The public debate attracted strong interest from national media and civil society representatives, and focused on the proposed anti-discrimination law in the context of the country’s accession to the European Union.

Full Story from UK Gay News
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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Posted in anti discrimination bill, EU, European Union, gay rights, Macedonia | No Responses »

India: 16 Groups Petitioning Supreme Court to Reinstate Anti Gay Law

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Using fresh arguments that range from imperiling India’s defence to making its people delusional, 14 new organisations have joined the final legal battle against the decriminalisation of homosexuality. On Saturday, the number of petitioners in the Supreme Court – challenging the July 2009 decision of the Delhi High Court to strike down an anti-sodomy law – stood at 16 from the original two.

Two Christian church coalitions, three Muslim NGOs, two Hindu astrologers, a disciple of yoga guru Baba Ramdev, an NGO run by a former Delhi police officer, and an environmentalist, will be among those in the Supreme Court when it hears an appeal next month against the overturning of the Indian Penal Code’ section 377.

Only one person, film director and Rajya Sabha MP Shyam Benegal, has quietly joined the original petitioner, Delhi NGO Naz Foundation, in support of gay rights in the Supreme Court. With the government saying it will not oppose the Delhi High Court judgement, which experts consider legally strong, the new opponents are readying a range of fresh arguments:

· “Medical opinion” that only the vagina has the muscles required for sex, not the anus (Utkal Christian Foundation, Cuttack)

· Expanding the constitutional right to non-discrimination to include sexual orientation could lead to demands for job reservations (Apostolic Churches Alliance, Thiruvananthapuram)

Full Story from the Hindustan Times
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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Posted in anti sodomy law, appeal, gay rights, high court, india, supreme court | No Responses »

USA: Interfaith Group Launching "Believe Out Loud" Campaign Sunday

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

LGBT folks can expect to get some love not only from their romantic partners this Valentine’s Day but also from a perhaps unexpected source — mainline Protestant churches.

The Believe Out Loud campaign, an interfaith effort launching Sunday, calls on church members and clergy who support LGBT equality to become more vocal and visible, and make it clear that the religious right does not speak for all Christians.

“We want more [LGBT-friendly] people of faith speaking publicly about what they believe,” says Michael Adee, executive director and field organizer for More Light Presbyterians, the LGBT-supportive group within the Presbyterian Church USA, and one of the groups involved in the effort. They need to speak out not only about church policies but also but also civil matters like marriage equality, employment policies, hate crimes, adoption rights, and many others, he says.

Full Story from the Advocate
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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Posted in believe out loud campaign, Gay Marriage, gay rights, interfaith, marriage equality, religion, same sex marriage | No Responses »

Malawai: Catch 22: Being Anonymous Illegal, But So Is Being Open About Gay Rights

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

The Malawi authorities have told gay activists who put up posters and distribute leaflets on the streets anonymously to “come out in the open”. Government official Kingsley Namakhwa said it was against the law to mount such campaigns anonymously. But he also pointed out that homosexuality was illegal, and anyone promoting it would be prosecuted.

Rights groups have recently criticised Malawi for prosecuting two men who got engaged to each other.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza, believed to be the first gay couple in Malawi to start the marriage process, have pleaded not guilty to charges of public indecency. Their trial is due to start soon.

Full Story from BBC News
Click here for gay marriage resources.
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Posted in anonymity, gay rights, malawi, prosecution | No Responses »

UK: Likely Next Prime Minister Supports Gay Rights

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

There was a time when Britain’s conservative party was much like it’s American counterpart: harshly denunciatory and punitive toward gays, and prone to justifying its stance on dubious notions such as the claim that homosexuality is a “lifestyle choice” that might lead to gays trying to “corrupt children.” Indeed, for a quarter-century, a British law–Section 28–made it a criminal offense for schools to “promote” homosexuality or gay and lesbian families–what the law slammed as “pretend families.”

But David Cameron, the Tory politician who is viewed by many as the likely next Prime Minister of Britain, has made it his mission to reach out to gay and lesbian voters, reckoning that plenty of gays share his party’s conservative views–at least, the ones that are not flagrantly anti-gay.

But how sincere is Cameron about wanting what his U.S. counterparts would call a “big tent” that includes GLBT constituents? In an interview published in gay magazine Attitude, journalist Johann Hari asked the question, recalling that until its repeal a decade ago, Cameron was an ardent champion of Section 28. Indeed, in the interview with Cameron, which Hari posted at his own site, the journalist put the question directly to Cameron, who told Hari, “I think now looking back you can see the mistake of Section 28,” a measure that Cameron called “an insult” and “finger-pointing.” Added Cameron, “There’s only one thing worse than making a mistake and that’s not putting your hands up and admitting it.”

Full Story from Edge Boston
Click here for gay marriage resources in England.
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Posted in conservative party, david cameron, Gay Marriage, gay rights, marriage equality, same sex marriage, uk, united kingdom | No Responses »

Uganda: Even Anti-Gay Churches Think Proposed Law Goes Too Far

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

The country’s Anglicans yesterday added their voice against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Like the Catholics before them, the Church of Uganda officially rejected the Bill. They proposed that instead of the death penalty for gays who seduce boys – as the Bill put forward by Ndorwa West David Bahati demands – the law should be changed to ensure that vulnerable boys are properly protected.

Archbishop Luke Orombi, in his first public comments on the controversial Bill, however said they do not recognise homosexuality as “a human right”. “The Church of Uganda believes that homosexual practice is incompatible with the Scripture,” the prelate said in a statement issued yesterday, citing a resolution of the 1998 Lambeth Conference in Britain.

He added: “At the same time, the Church of Uganda is committed at all levels to offer counseling, healing and prayer for people with homosexual disorientation, especially in our schools and other institutions of learning.”

Full Story from the Daily Monitor
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To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook – just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you’ll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We’re also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

Posted in 8uganda, anglican church, anti gay bill, church of uganda, gay rights | No Responses »

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