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Showing posts from 2008

Congress gets a little more lavenderer while Austrailia turns pink!

Its going to be a good weekend for the staff over at the Victory Fund . With over 45% of the vote , out and proud super-millionaire Jared Polis has defeated former state Senate President, Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald and secured his party's nomination in Colorado's heavily democratic 2 nd District, representing Boulder, after a heated three-way race. Jared is not expected to face much opposition in the General Election, and will likely join Reps Tammy Baldwin and Barney Frank as Congress’s third out lawmaker.   Meanwhile, down under, the Australian Capital Territory’s new Civil Partnership law is  taking off faster  than the lawmakers who crafted it expected.  True, only about 25 couples have registered, but they were only expecting 15, so things are going much better than expected. Finally, give it up for Top Model, who are brave enough to give not one, but two  trans  contestants  a chance at being America’s Next Top Model.   I’m watching  this story  to see what this school’

California ballot proposal to go forward worded as is.

Its a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The people that put together the ballot proposal to write discrimination into the California Constitution are giving up on forcing the state to reword the ballot proposal. Their original submission merely stated something to the effect 'to limit marriage to one man and one woman' and was written before May 15th, 2008, when the California Supreme Court struck down the California ban on same-sex marriage. The State Attorney General's office reworded the ballot language to say it would eliminate the right to marriage for same-sex couples, and that it may result in the loss of tens of millions in tax dollars for California. The Project Marriage Coalition quickly brought the Attorney General's office to court accusing the office of twisting the language to turn voters against the ballot proposal, however, Friday Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley ruled that there was nothing inaccurate about the descri

Out and Proud in the People's Republic...

AfterEllen.com posted this great article about the out lesbian athletes in Beijing this summer in the Olympics. Sure, most are there for softball, handball and soccer--no big stereotype breaker there--but these ten out and open women are a breath of fresh air for this nation that tends to sweep all LTBG issues under the rug. Strangely, and unrelated, 365gay.com has this article about the record number of openly gay delegates to the Democratic National Convention . I have it on good word that there are plenty of gay men at the Republican National Convention as well, but that the majority are NOT openly gay. Two friends who attended the last convention said that there was a STRONG undercurrent there. So why are they out at the DNC and not at the GOP ? I'm not saying there are no closeted men at the DNC either, but I find it curious that so few of the gays at the RNC are open about it. What could bring the "Big Tent" party around to finally fulfilling that role? P

2009: What will the "big issues" be?

As we round the bend here in 2008, we know what we've got ahead of us for the next few months: possibly one of the most important elections in America in the last decade. However, win or lose this November, what are the big issues going to be for the LTGB community in 2009? Will it be immigration equality? Gender Identity issues? Military openness? What about tax reform for domestic partnerships? Could it be housing or employment non-discrimination rights? Or could it be Hate Crimes legislation? We have hundreds of issues that we individually face every day. For example, being that my partner and I are a bi-national couple, I find immigration equality is a big one for me. We are constantly praying that this year's entry into the 'Green Card lottery' is the one that's going to finally be picked. There are many issues we face because of this--we can't go to California or Massachusetts to marry because that may compromise his Visa , as it may be seen as

Ameriqueer--sitting at the kiddie table for over 232 years!

America: The greatest country in the world and the place where dreams come true. Of course, if you're a straight white protestant male. What about the black Buddhist lesbians, though? OK, OK. This complaint is so old its a total cliche. However, even though we repeat it like a constant mantra, we still don't have a place at the table. This is a new kind of blog. I'm seeking to dissect the sources behind what's slowing us down in our race for equality. This blog seeks to answer HOW AND WHEN we in the queer American community can finally start getting a space at the table. Stay tuned as I delve into our crazy, glorious and bizarre nation to try and pull away the ugly bits from the shiny parts.