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Gen Colin Powell Supports Same-Sex Marriage

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012

Gen. Colin Powell, a former U.S. Secretary of State and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday that he supports marriage equality for same-sex couples, at either the state or federal level.

Appearing on CNN’s “The Situation Room” Wednesday, Powell said he has “no problem with” gay marriage.

“I have no problem with it,” he said in the interview, which will air at 5 p.m. ET. “In terms of the legal matter of creating a contract between two people that’s called marriage, and allowing them to live together with the protection of law, it seems to me is the way we should be moving in this country. And so I support the president’s decision.”

READ ARTICLE AND SEE CNN VIDEO AT LGBTQ NATION

Posted in gay marroage, gay partner, marriage equality, same sex couple, same sex couples, same sex laws, same sex marriage, same sex partners, same sex rights | No Responses »
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NAACP Supports Marriage Equality

Saturday, May 19th, 2012

(Miami, Florida) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People today released a resolution supporting marriage equality. At a meeting of the 103-year old civil rights group’s board of directors, the organization voted to support marriage equality as a continuation of its historic commitment to equal protection under the law.

“The mission of the NAACP has always been to ensure the political, social and economic equality of all people,” said Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NAACP. “We have and will oppose efforts to codify discrimination into law.”

“Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law. The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people” said Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO of the NAACP.

The NAACP has addressed civil rights with regard to marriage since Loving v. Virginia declared anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional in 1967. In recent years the NAACP has taken public positions against state and federal efforts to ban the rights and privileges for LGBT citizens, including strong opposition to Proposition 8 in California, the Defense of Marriage Act, and most recently, North Carolina’s Amendment 1, which changed the state constitution’s to prohibit same sex marriage.

Below is the text of the resolution passed by the NAACP board of directors:

The NAACP Constitution affirmatively states our objective to ensure the “political, educational, social and economic equality” of all people. Therefore, the NAACP has opposed and will continue to oppose any national, state, local policy or legislative initiative that seeks to codify discrimination or hatred into the law or to remove the Constitutional rights of LGBT citizens. We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.  Further, we strongly affirm the religious freedoms of all people as protected by the First Amendment.

Brian Silva, Marriage Equality USA Executive Director, notes, “The NAACP has been a long-time ally in the fight for marriage equality. Today’s vote cements the bond of our common struggle to insure that all Americans are treated equally. We thank our friends at the NAACP for their action today.”

”The NAACP has an unbroken history of standing up for civil rights for all Americans, right up through their stand against the discriminatory Amendment 1 in North Carolina, and now today’s historic vote affirming marriage equality for all loving and committed couples,” said Stuart Gaffney, Media Director of MEUSA. “Standing together from coast-to-coast with allies such as the NAACP is what is going to make the dream of marriage equality for all loving and committed couples a reality.”

 

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Leading Pastor Defends Obama’s Support for Marriage equality

Saturday, May 19th, 2012

Rev. Otis Moss III of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ recently defended President Obama’s support for marriage equality.

“The question I believe we should pose to our congregations is, ‘Should all Americans have the same civil rights?,’” Moss asked his church members this weekend. “There is difference between rights and rites. We should never misconstrue rights designed to protect diverse individuals in a pluralistic society versus religious rites designed by faith communities to communicate a theological or doctrinal perspective.”

Moss replaced the controversial Jeremiah Wright as senior pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ. His recent words came as a sharp rebuke to other African-American pastors who expressed outrage at Obama’s marriage equality stance.

READ  more on The ADVOCATE

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President Obama The View | Seeks to Repeal DOMA in Second Term

Monday, May 14th, 2012

Somewhat buried in CNN’s story on Barack Obama’s fundraiser in New York is this little tidbit about his administration’s plans for marriage equality—

He also outlined goals he hopes to accomplish under a second term, including the repeal of the Defense Of Marriage Act, which the administration has already stopped defending.

This is the first time Obama has said that he will actively work to repeal the law.

At the fundraiser, hosted by openly gay pop star Ricky Martin, Obama called same-sex marriage the “right thing to do.” He also said that contrary to what many right wing pundits have alleged, marriage equality will help families.

I want everyone treated fairly in this country. We have never gone wrong when we’ve extended rights and responsibilities to everybody. That doesn’t weaken families, that strengthens families.

The President also touched on his freshly out same-sex marriage stance on The View. The segment, which he taped today, will air on ABC tomorrow.

According to some White House officials, Obama had intended to speak out in favor of marriage equality on the talk show, but he was spurred forward by Joe Biden’s early endorsement.

READ MORE at GAWKER

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Rev. Dyson Challenges Black Pastors who do not support Obama on Equality

Monday, May 14th, 2012

On Friday, May 11, Rev. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, guest host of MSNBC’s The Ed Show, challenged Black pastors who are critical of President Obama’s historic endorsement of marriage equality.

“Black leaders of faith should not use the Bible to suppress the rights of LGBT community just like the Bible was used to suppress the rights of Black Americans,” said Dyson.
If Black pastors tried to “take all the [gay people] out of the Black church, there wouldn’t be a Black church,” he added. “And I never heard of any pastors refusing tithes from gay people.”

Dyson joins numerous of Black pastors who have spoken out in support of the President’s freedom to marry stance.

READ MORE NBJC BLOG  

Read NBJC’s statement commending President Obama for his courageous leadership

Posted in gay rights, marriage, marriage equality, obama, Uncategorized | No Responses »
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Tony Perkins Marriage Equality Foe Knocked Out

Monday, May 14th, 2012

The Last Word
By Melanie Nathan, May 14,2012.

For years the anti- same-sex marriage lobby has taken the form of extreme right wing fundamentalists such as Tony Perkins and others who I am loathe to name.  At every turn and opportunity LGBT bloggers have fought their rhetoric and we have never considered them as ‘the experts’ worthy of the title of legitimate opposition to equality.   Yet they have been given a voice on mainstream TV as the opposing experts and have barely been challenged. Let us hope that with recent discredits we have seen the final round.

Now since President Obama has come out openly in support of same-sex marriage, main stream media has had the opportunity to call its ‘experts’ on the other side of the debate  and unfortunately all they can find, by virtue of years of an insidious overt presence on the issue, are the likes of Tony Perkins, who, together with his cronies, have yet to put forth a legitimate argument against marriage equality.

This time the deconstruction of their warped views are being elucidated with realistic force and vigor. It is akin to a boxing match. If a fighter keeps kicking below the belt he must be disqualified.  While Tony Perkins was recently caught doing just that, he was allowed to fight on – but was knocked out cold, in the ring!

Their views are just that – mere views – with no truth -neither based in science nor reality. They have re-written history and spewed their lies.

Perkins was on CNN with Piers Morgan, stating that his own kids are not likely to be gay, because “we are teaching them the right ways that they are to interact as human beings,” and “we are not allowing them to be indoctrinated by the education system.”

Chris Matthews invited Tony Perkins on to his CNN show Hardball, with Congressman Barney Frank and took Perkins to task on this statement.

To my wild eye it played out like a boxing match with the referee Mathews so incensed by the below the belt tactics of Perkins, he could all but take sides.  Perkins did not get away with a single old rhetorical trick.  When caught, Perkins tried to sidetrack, but Referee Mathews was not having any of that.

Mathews replayed what Perkins had said and Frank went in for the kill. The discussion was a round one knock out for Frank.  Perkins lay unconscious on the ground as referee Mathews instead of blowing the whistle and calling it a win, went for a stomp in the stomach.  Perkins lay writhing on the ground.   Now that should end Perkins’ career once and for all!

Well after the knock out Lawrence O’Donnell last night on the Last Word, had his go at it; notable Perkins and his lies not there – perhaps relegated to a different league now,no longer worthy of another main stream match, as O’Donnell recalled five thousand years of history on traditional marriage and finally someone on mainstream sets the record straight (ahem amen!) Not quite the right wing version fed to Americans by so called experts given voice by our mainstream Television media.

While I am one who usually prefers to not lend voice to these fringe lunatics, I came to realize I could applaud this one last round – a final knock out – rendering them unconscious in the hope that Chris Mathews Piers Morgan and others will now realize that Perkins and his type, with lies and misinformation, fully discredited.  They have lost and are banished to the lower leagues never to be seen or heard of in the center ring again!

So I suggest next time Chris Mathews, Piers Morgan or any mainstream and cable TV show wants an expert – find an expert who makes sense, who can truly put forth a counter argument, one based not on lies made up by divisive hate and hurtful rhetoric. I know that you will have to go a long way to find such – because there is no logical or fact based argument against equality – the only opposition, albeit illegitimate, is hate! I also suggest Barney Frank, Joe Solmonese, Andrew Sullivan et al, all refuse invitations to enter the ring with those unworthy of center ring.

Let this be the last we hear of these types as having any legitimacy forged by mainstream’s fever for ratings; they have been discredited loudly and clearly and any further voice by the likes of Mathews and Morgan will render these show nothing g more than Jerry Springer version 2.

Here is the Match : Barney Franks v. Tony Perkins Round 1- Knock out, Ref, Chris Mathews

SEE VIDEO   on GAY U.S.A.

 Lawrence O’Donnell has the Last Word

SEE VIDEO on GAY U.S.A.

By MELANIE NATHAN
nathan@privatecourts.com
twitter, melanienathan1

Posted in gay marrage, Gay Marriage, marriage, marriage equality | No Responses »
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Romney Denounces Marriage Equality at Anti-Gay University’s Commencement

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney reiterated his opposition to marriage equality for same-sex couples again Saturday morning while delivering commencement remarks at Liberty University, an anti-gay school that bans openly LGBT students from attending.

Romney, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, made his remarks at the private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Va., just days after President Barack Obama announced his historic support for marriage equality.

“The American culture promotes personal responsibility, the dignity of work, the value of education, the merit of service, devotion to a purpose greater than self, and, at the foundation, the pre-eminence of the family.

[...]

“As fundamental as these principles are, they may become topics of democratic debate. So it is today with the enduring institution of marriage. Marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman. The protection of religious freedom has also become a matter of debate.

“It strikes me as odd that the free exercise of religious faith is sometimes treated as a problem, something America is stuck with instead of blessed with. Perhaps religious conscience upsets the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government.”

Among those honored at Liberty’s commencement this morning was S. Truett Cathy, founder of the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, which has made significant financial contributions to anti-LGBT organizations.

Romney made his remarks hours after Rick Santorum called on the GOP nominee to use marriage equality as a “potent weapon” in his campaign.

READ the Article at LGBTQ Nation

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Anti-Equality Group, Minnesota for Marriage, Continues NOM-Like Campaign

Sunday, April 29th, 2012

Watch Misleading NOM- Like Video

“Actually, very few same-sex couples are raising children and many if not most of those couples involve children from a prior heterosexual relationship.” So says the anti- gay group, “Minnesota for Marriage” in its subversive attempt to sway Minnesotans to vote for an amendment to the State constitution that seeks to ban same-sex marriage.

They try to suggest that because not so many gays are raising children there should not be marriage equality. Is this a good reason to amend Minnesota’s constitution?

In a relentless campaign against marriage equality, the group launches weekly TV internet advertisements with questions such as this one which it posed this week:- “Shouldn’t marriage be redefined to accommodate the growing number of children of gay and lesbian couples?” According to my understanding of the English language, this makes absolutely no sense at all. Mission accomplished; confusion!

This insidious campaign smells like dirty rotten National Organization for Marriage (NOM) tactic; its a direct play from the recently exposed and discredited NOM handbook for opposing marriage equality.

The National Organization for Marriage, NOM received widespread exposure as their shocking tactics were made public through the release of previously sealed documents in an investigation by the Maine Ethics Commission.

It seems as if Minnesota for Marriage studied the blue print and decided to use the NOM strategy in their campaign to change the Minnesota Constitution to support defining marriage as between a man and a woman only.

READ MORE from GAY U.S.A. the Movie

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Scathing Response to Dustin Lance Black’s Threat to Withdraw Support for Obama

Sunday, April 29th, 2012

In an article entitled “Wise Up Dustin Lance Black“ on the LGBTQ Nation website, Melanie Nathan, Blogger and Activist,  hits back with a scathing response to Dustin Lance Black’s threat to withdraw support for President Obama:

The moment I saw Dustin Lance Black’s headline in the Hollywood Reporter all my admiration came a-tumbling.

While one cannot disregard the work of the screenwriter turned activist and its impetus on marriage equality, his latest critique of President Obama, and worse yet its luminous abode engorges like an unwelcome cloud on a sunny day. As an activist in the community, I want to clearly disassociate myself from the ominous loom of Black’s threatening blur.

The headline and byline present a pompous lead into an arrogant read: “Hollywood & Politics: Dustin Lance Black Blames Obama and Romney for the Mess of Gay Marriage (Opinion) — by Dustin Lance Black.”

In his article, Black attempts to connect President Obama’s record on LGBT issues to the non-record and vacillation, not to mention the irrelevance at this time, of Mitt Romney. Black says “both candidates are “up in the air” on the equal rights issue.” This trite and ill timed analogy is not only inaccurate but an insult.

Black throws a crumb or two with his cryptic mention of the Department of Justice and the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” yet his stance fails to elucidate on so much more that indicates Obama’s attitude towards LGBTI rights, both here in the USA and internationally.

When, in the article, Black throws a reckless “but after all the hope and change LGBT people were promised four years ago, many are frustrated with Obama’s sluggish, self-described “evolution” on the issue of marriage equality,” I hear words out of context and in shallow meaningless void, words that indicate a misunderstanding of the milieu and politics.

Black is absolutely incorrect in his assertion that President Obama has yet to “evolve” on the issue of marriage equality, as he buys into the rhetoric that died when the Respect for Marriage Act was introduced last year by Senator Feinstein, as repeal legislation for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Soon thereafter, Obama indicated he would sign the legislation into law.

Notably, The Washington Post headline read, “Obama backs bill to repeal Defense of Marriage Act” — how much more evolving could one do than that?

Read the Full Article – Click Here

Posted in gay man, gay mariage, marriage equality, marriage equality USA, obama, obama administration, president obama, presidential candidates, prop 8 | 4 Responses »
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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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