Obama signs first major federal gay-rights law

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed the first major piece of federal gay rights legislation, a milestone that activists compared to the passage of 1960s civil-rights legislation empowering blacks.

The new law adds acts of violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to the list of federal hate crimes. Gay-rights activists voiced hope that the Obama administration would advance more issues, including legislation to bar workplace discrimination, allow military service and recognize same-sex marriages.

Congress passed the hate crimes protections as an unlikely amendment to this year's Defense Authorization Act. Obama, speaking at an emotional evening reception with supporters of the legislation, said that more than 12,000 hate crimes had been reported the past decade based on sexual orientation.

He spoke of President Lyndon Johnson signing protections for blacks in the 1960s and said this was an extension of that work. "We must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones but to break spirits," Obama said. "No one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love."

Legislation barring firms from firing employees on the basis of their sexual orientation could win passage in the House of Representatives by year's end, gay-rights advocates said. More than half of U.S. states currently allow employers such freedom.

Obama has promised to push Congress to repeal the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy that prohibits being openly gay while serving. A Senate panel is expected to hold a hearing on that issue next month, and legislation could be debated next year.

Gay-rights activists also hope for repeal next year of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which would give federal legitimacy to gay marriages recorded in states that allow them.

The amendment signed into law Wednesday was named partly for Matthew Shepard , a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming who died after a 1998 beating targeting him because he was gay, and whose parents were instrumental in leading the fight for such legislation. The law also was named for James Byrd Jr. , a black Texas man dragged to his death in a racially motivated killing the same year.

The measure also extends protections to those attacked because of their gender or disability.

Federal hate crimes law already covers race, religion and national origin. The new law strengthened it substantially however, by removing a requirement that a victim must have been participating at the time of the assault in some federally protected activity, such as voting, for it to apply.

Matthew Shepard's parents joined Obama for the bill signing, as did the family of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts , who until his death in August was deeply involved in pushing the legislation.

The Shepards' fight took a decade. With recent elections adding more lawmakers who are supportive of gay rights, by 2007 the Congress had sufficient votes to pass the legislation, but then- President Bush indicated that he'd veto it.

Obama, campaigning last year, promised to sign it.

Judy Shepard issued a statement saying that she and her husband, Dennis, "are incredibly grateful to Congress and the president for taking this step forward on behalf of hate crime victims and their families, especially given the continuing attacks on people simply for living their lives openly and honestly."

She also called on Americans to look beyond legislation and work in their own lives to advance acceptance of gays.

Critics of the legislation, including several Republican congressional leaders, argued that an attack against another person is an attack, regardless of motivation and that no special categories are appropriate.

Many also voiced concerns about "thought police" and fears that the new legal protections could curb free speech if those who oppose gay rights fear they could somehow be prosecuted for publicly voicing their thoughts. The law punishes acts, however, not thoughts.

Gay-rights advocates said that the legislation will enable the Justice Department to step in when states can't or won't, and will make extra federal money and resources available to local law enforcement officials who need help preventing or prosecuting such attacks.

They also predicted that it would affect American society in a meaningful way.

"It sends a number of messages across America: that hate will not be tolerated, that this Congress and administration value all Americans," said Joe Solmonese , the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay-rights advocacy group.

Malcolm Lazin , the founder of another advocacy group, Equality Forum , said the legislative progress comes at a time when reported violence against gays is on the rise. Last year, he said, 29 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender Americans were killed because of their sexual orientation.

"This is really the first federal gay rights bill," Lazin said. "So it is a literally historic moment. This is America acknowledging homophobia as a social problem."

Lazin, who helped organize a demonstration outside the White House on Wednesday calling for more protections, said the legislation "really is the beginning of a process of addressing homophobia in our schools, our communities, our culture. We learned from the black civil rights movement: In 1964, there was the Civil Rights Act, but that didn't mean it ended violence or created equality. It was the beginning of a process that's ongoing. That's how we view the Matthew Shepard Act."

source http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20091028/pl_mcclatchy/3343585

10/28/09: President Obama has signed federal LGBT-inclusive hate crimes legislation into law.

Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey had this to say about the signing of the bill:

"Laws embody the values of our nation, and through the enactment of this hate crimes law, our country has — once and for all — sent a clear and unequivocal message that it rejects and condemns all forms of hate violence, including crimes motivated by hatred of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people."

To read the full statement click here.

Thirty organizations, including the Task Force, issued a joint statement titled History in the Making, about the historic signing of the hate crimes bill.

And Sue Hyde takes time out to highlight the Task Force's role over the years leading up to this victory.

Learn more about the Task Force’s long history of working on hate crimes legislation here.

.. ..

About Hate Crimes:

Anti-LGBT leaders argue that hate crimes laws punish unpopular but constitutionally protected thought and speech. But hate crimes laws are designed to punish actions, not thought or speech. Hate crimes send a message of terror to an entire group and are therefore unlike a random act of violence. For example, the brutal murder of James Byrd, who was chained to the bumper of a truck and dragged down a street in Texas, sent a chilling message to African-Americans that racial violence and murder remain continued threats. Likewise, LGBT people wonder whether they will be the next Matthew Shepard.

Those who murder police officers face higher penalties than people who murder civilians, and terrorists who target federal buildings face higher penalties. In 1999, Congress passed a law that created harsher sanctions for countries that persecute religious freedoms. Such laws are not viewed as valuing some lives more than others. Instead, they send a message that certain crimes that strike at this country’s core values, such as the freedom to live free of persecution, will be punished and deterred by both enhanced penalties and federal involvement in the investigation and prosecution of the crime.

source : // http://www.thetaskforce.org/issues/hate_crimes_main_page/

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Obama inks defense bill with hate crimes provision

WASHINGTON – Trumpeting a victory against careless spending, President Barack Obama on Wednesday signed a defense bill that kills some costly weapons projects and expands war efforts. In a major civil rights change, the law also makes it a federal hate crime to assault people based on sexual orientation.

The $680 billion bill authorizes spending but doesn't provide any actual dollars. Rather, it sets guidance that is typically followed by congressional committees that decide appropriations. Obama hailed it as a step toward ending needless military spending that he called "an affront to the American people and to our troops."

Still, the president did not win every fiscal fight. He acknowledged he was putting his name to a bill that still had waste.

The measure expands current hate crimes law to include violence based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. To assure its passage after years of frustrated efforts, Democratic supporters attached the measure to the must-pass defense policy bill over the steep objections of many Republicans.

The White House put most of its focus on what the bill does contain: project after project that Obama billed as unneeded. The bill terminates production of the F-22 fighter jet program, which has its origins in the Cold War era and, its critics maintain, is poorly suited for anti-insurgent battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates targeted certain projects for elimination, putting them at odds with some lawmakers. The same spending items deemed unnecessary or outdated by Pentagon officials can mean lost jobs and political fallout for lawmakers back in their home districts.

"When Secretary Gates and I first proposed going after some of these wasteful projects, there were a lot of people who didn't think it was possible, who were certain we were going to lose, who were certain that we were going to get steamrolled," Obama said. "Today, we have proven them wrong."

In another of several examples, the legislation terminates the replacement helicopter program for the president's own fleet. That program is six years behind schedule and estimated costs have doubled to more than $13 billion.

Yet the legislation still contains an effort by lawmakers to continue development — over the president's strong objections — of a costly alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Air Force's fighter of the future. A vague White House veto threat about that never came to fruition.

"There's still more fights that we need to win," Obama said. "Changing the culture in Washington will take time and sustained effort."

Obama signed the bill in the East Room, adding some fanfare to draw attention to his message of fiscal responsibility and support for the military.

He spoke more personally about the new civil rights protections. A priority of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., that had been on the congressional agenda for a decade, the measure is named for Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student murdered 11 years ago.

Obama acknowledged Shepard's mom, Judy, and remembered that he had told her this day would come. He also gave a nod to Kennedy's family. Going forward, Obama promised, people will be protected from violence based on "what they look like, who they love, how they pray or why they are."

"This is a landmark step in eliminating the kind of hate motivated violence that has taken the lives of so many in our community," said Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

The expansion has long been sought by civil rights and gay rights groups. Conservatives have opposed it, arguing that it creates a special class of victims. They also have been concerned that it could silence clergymen or others opposed to homosexuality on religious or philosophical grounds.

On the military front, the legislation approves Obama's $130 billion request as the latest installment of money toward the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The far-reaching law also prohibits the Obama administration from transferring any detainee being held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba to the U.S. for trial until 45 days after it has given notice to Congress. Guantanamo prisoners could not be released into the U.S.

Source :// http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091028/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_defense

 

Hi,

I'm not sure if you've seen this video of an anti-gay beating caught on tape in New York, but it's pretty disturbing:

I just sent the video to my senators, and I hope you will too. The Senate is about to cast its final vote on a hate crimes bill that would protect to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people against attacks like this.

We can't wait a day longer for them to send the bill to President Obama for signature.

On this page, you can send an automatic message to both of your senators with the video in it.

https://secure3.convio.net/hrc/site/Advocacy?id=598&pagename=homepage&autologin=true

Thanks so much,
Joanne Lynn

Obama picks openly gay lawyer for ambassadorship

..

source http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091008/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_gay_ambassador

Women more likely to be expelled under 'don't ask'

SAN FRANCISCO — Pentagon statistics obtained by University of California researchers show that women are far more likely than men to be kicked out of the military under the "don't ask, don't tell policy" banning openly gay servicemembers.

Every military branch dismissed a disproportionate number of women in 2008 under the policy banning openly gay servicemembers. But the discrepancy was particularly marked in the Air Force, where women were a majority of those let go under the policy, even though they made up only 20 percent of personnel.

Across the military, women represented about one-third of the 619 people discharged based on sexual orientation. They account for just 15 percent of servicemembers.

The data was released Thursday by the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pentagon statistics obtained by University of California researchers show that lesbians were discharged under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy at a much higher rate than gay men.

Every military branch dismissed a disproportionate number of women in 2008 under the policy banning openly gay servicemembers. But the discrepancy was particularly marked in the Air Force, where women were a majority of those let go under the policy, even though they made up only 20 percent of personnel.

Across the military, women represented about one-third of the 619 people discharged based on sexual orientation. They account for just 15 percent of servicemembers.

The data was released Thursday by the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Source :// http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20091008/US.Military.Gays/

Hi,

Thanks to a string of exciting victories, tens of thousands of loving, same-sex couples across the country have finally been able to join in marriage!

Yet the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a hateful law enacted in 1996, prevents the federal government from recognizing a single one of these unions.

Will you join me in helping to repeal DOMA?

Just click the link below to send a message urging Congress and the president to advance legislation to repeal this backwards law.

http://www.RepealDOMAnow.org

This hurtful and discriminatory law is denying millions of Americans the full federal rights of marriage including Social Security survivors' benefits, equal treatment under U.S. immigration laws, the right to take family and medical leave to care for a spouse, and much more.

There's no time to lose! Legislation to repeal DOMA is closer than ever to being introduced.

Now is the time to let Congress and President Obama know that DOMA must go. Please join me in sending a message urging them to push forward legislation to repeal DOMA.

http://www.RepealDOMAnow.org

Once you've sent your message to Washington, please help get the ball rolling by forwarding this message to your friends and family and asking them to join you.

Thanks for your help!

..HTML clipboard......

Building the case against DOMA

Madonna booed in Bucharest for defending Gypsies and Homosexuals

U.S. singer Madonna, center, performs during her concert in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. The concert is part of Madonna's Sticky and Sweet Tour. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania - At first, fans politely applauded the Roma performers sharing a stage with Madonna.
Then the pop star condemned widespread discrimination against Roma, or Gypsies — and the cheers gave way to jeers.

The sharp mood change that swept the crowd of 60,000, who had packed a park for Wednesday night's concert,
underscores how prejudice against Gypsies remains deeply entrenched across Eastern Europe.

Despite long-standing efforts to stamp out rampant bias, human rights advocates say Roma probably suffer more humiliation
 and endure more discrimination than any other people group on the continent.

Sometimes, it can be deadly:
 In neighboring Hungary, six Roma have been killed and several wounded in a recent series of apparently racially motivated attacks
 targeting small countryside villages predominantly settled by Gypsies.

"There is generally widespread resentment against Gypsies in Eastern Europe.
They have historically been the underdog," Radu Motoc, an official with the Soros Foundation Romania, said Thursday.

Roma, or Gypsies, are a nomadic ethnic group believed to have their roots in the Indian subcontinent.
 They live mostly in southern and eastern Europe, but hundreds of thousands have migrated west over the past few decades in search of jobs and better living conditions.

Romania has the largest number of Roma in the region. Some say the population could be as high as 2 million, although official data put it at 500,000.

Until the 19th century, Romanian Gypsies were slaves, and they've gotten a mixed response ever since:
While discrimination is widespread, many East Europeans are enthusiastic about Gypsy music and dance,
 which they embrace as part of the region's cultural heritage.

That explains why the Roma musicians and a dancer who had briefly joined Madonna onstage got enthusiastic applause.
 And it also may explain why some in the crowd turned on Madonna when she paused during the two-hour show — a stop on her worldwide
 "Sticky and Sweet" tour — to touch on their plight.

"It has been brought to my attention ... t
hat there is a lot of discrimination against Romanies and Gypsies in general in Eastern Europe," she said.
"It made me feel very sad."

Thousands booed and jeered her.

A few cheered when she added: "We don't believe in discrimination ... we believe in freedom and equal rights for everyone."
 But she got more boos when she mentioned discrimination against homosexuals and others.

"I jeered her because it seemed false what she was telling us. What business does she have telling us these things?" said Ionut Dinu, 23.

Madonna did not react and carried on with her concert, held near the hulking palace of the late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Her publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said Madonna and other had told her there were cheers as well as jeers.

"Madonna has been touring with a phenomenal troupe of Roma musicians who made her aware of the discrimination toward them
 in several countries so she felt compelled to make a brief statement," Rosenberg said in an e-mail. "She will not be issuing a further statement."

One Roma musician said the attitude toward Gypsies is contradictory.

"Romanians watch Gypsy soap operas, they like Gypsy music and go to Gypsy concerts,"
 said Damian Draghici, a Grammy Award-winner who has performed with James Brown and Joe Cocker.

"But there has been a wave of aggression against Roma people in Italy, Hungary and Romania, which shows me something is not OK," he told the AP in an interview.
 "The politicians have to do something about it. People have to be educated not to be prejudiced. All people are equal, and that is the message politicians must give."

Nearly one in two of Europe's estimated 12 million Roma claimed to have suffered an act of discrimination over the past 12 months,
according to a recent report by the Vienna-based EU Fundamental Rights Agency.
The group says Roma face "overt discrimination" in housing, health care and education.

Many do not have official identification, which means they cannot get social benefits, are undereducated and struggle to find decent jobs.

Roma children are more likely to drop out of school than their peers from other ethnic groups.
Many Romanians label Gypsies as thieves, and many are outraged by those who beg or commit petty crimes in Western Europe,
 believing they spoil Romania's image abroad.

In May 2007, Romanian President Traian Basescu was heard to call a Romanian journalist a "stinky Gypsy" during a conversation with his wife.
Romania's anti-discrimination board criticized Basescu, who later apologized.

Human rights activists say the attacks in Hungary, which began in July 2008, may be tied to that country's economic crisis
 and the rising popularity of far-right vigilantes angered by a rash of petty thefts and other so-called "Gypsy crime."
Last week, police arrested four suspects in a nightclub in the eastern city of Debrecen.

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia also have been criticized for widespread bias against Roma.

Madonna's outrage touched a nerve in Romania, but it seems doubtful it will change anything, said the Soros Foundation's Motoc.

"Madonna is a pop star. She is not an expert on interethnic relations," he said.

___

AP Writers Alison Mutler in Bucharest, William J. Kole in Vienna and Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York contributed to this report.

The Property Rights Newsletter

August 21, 2009 - Issue #536

"The mind is like a parachute - it works only when it is open."
- Frank Zappa

Medical News: Nicotine improves brain function in schizophrenics.
Mohammed Shoaib, a psychopharmacologist from the University of Newcastle, in the north of England,
commented that nicotine-based therapies would offer a significant advancement over current treatments,
which do little for the cognitive problems seen with the disease.

Medical News: Popular Insect Repellent Deet Is Neurotoxic.
Corbel said, "We've found that deet is not simply a behavior-modifying chemical
but also inhibits the activity of a key central nervous system enzyme, acetycholinesterase, in both insects and mammals."

From The International Mailbag

Africa: Nigeria Banking Industry. Executives have become richer than their banks.
Bahrain: MORE than 14,000 people have been caught smoking in public places since a ban came into force last year.
Canada: Injured parties invited to join lawsuit. Lawyers for the New Tobacco Alliance Committee
 filed a claim for $500-million against the Province of Ontario and the federal government.
Germany: Herfing in Hamburg – cigars, a Moveable Feast.
UK: Happy 104th Birthday, Beatrice Langley... smoker.
UK: "I won't be giving up." The number of people managing to stop smoking with NHS help in England has fallen slightly in the past year
- despite a huge increase in funding.
UK: Smoking Fun At Smokers Music Festival. Friday August 28th to Monday 31st, at The Jolly Brewer on Broadgate, Lincoln.

From The USA Mailbag

FL: Here we go AGAIN... Mayor Beeler, Cocoa Beach Alert.
KS: Fundraiser fails when students don't show up at dance.
KY: County smoking ban violates private property rights.
NY: State drops collection of taxes on Indian cigarettes. Writes off revenue from reservation sales.
In June 2008, the state raised its excise tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1.50 to $2.75.
That gives an Indian retailer who does not charge the tax a built-in price advantage of $27.50 per carton.
USA: The petition. Congressional Hearing Request from Opponents of Ohio Bans.
WE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE are tired of being pushed around.
We want our Constitution back. Our government has gone too far in its scope of duties.

Ban Damage Hurts Everyone

IL: Casino Tax Revenues Down $200 Million, due to State Smoking Ban.
“Casinos aren’t the only businesses to suffer with legislated smoking bans.
 And when business goes down, employees are eliminated or the businesses close.
That means loss of jobs and loss of tax revenues. Nobody wins.
 

 

WATCH: Dreaming of America
By FireBug. Hey there Mr. and Mrs. Congressman, making all the rules down in Washington...
can't you hear me hollering out in the streets with my bull horn?

Join FREE - Home - Events - Forum - Videos - Please Help -

Note: to read the full articles click on the hyperlinks
 example Medical News:  .....blah blah :)

Looking for an alternative to cigarettes,
 Try Geensmoke today..

You don't realize how much you miss or depend someone till they are gone...Life is indeed precious !!!

Well its been a rough couple of weeks
My grandmother passed away on  April 29, 2009, I received the call from my mother at about 5:00pm from my mother,
 about my grandmother passing.
I feel to the floor crying, yes my grandmother and I were close,
She supported through most of my life even my transition to female and didn't judge anyone,
no matter if they were TLGB or not,
She was very happy that I have someone very special in my life named Alanna
She gave us both her blessing and she would even talk with Alanna on the phone,
 When Alanna asked about us coming up if there would be a problem
my grandmother told her" my door swings both ways, if anyone has a problem they can let themselves out."
I am so glad my grandmother at least had a chance and a good talk with both alanna and I before she went
and it means so much more that she gave us both a blessing.
She was happy that I had someone like Alanna in my life.  We will miss her dearly.

She was laid to rest Saturday May 2nd 2009 unfortunately there was no way from me to go to Huntsville Alabama at that time,
but someday Alanna and I do plan a trip to see my grandfather and the rest of my family.

You can view he details at http://obits.al.com/obituaries/huntsville/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=126764943

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Than on Thursday, May 7, 2009 one of friends  I know in oil city passed away, He name is Franklin Eugene Hayes,
I met him through a friend that worked with Him,
We soon met and became close friends,
 He was a very wonderful person to get to know..

I and a good friend of mine named Chuck got to see one of his shows at the Fox and coon club near Franklin Pa,
I wont ever forget "Heavenly Divinely" and the show that night. The first drag show I ever attended.
I did try my best to stay in contact while He had to go away for a while,
He used to send me letter in hand drawn Garfield envelopes which almost all of them have been lost in my many moves,
 iffn I can find one of them I will try to scan it in and display them on a website or ??
but not sure if I still have any of them at this time, so don't get your hopes up to much,
Not long after he got back Home, Franklin did get to meet another friend of mine , that I was dating at that time,
He also soon learned about Joanne, and was supportive and even concerned about me.

We kept in contact some after I moved to Kane with a girl I was dating at that time, after that ended,
 I moved to Pittsburgh and lost contact totally with him,
 Didn't hear anything about him till the other day my friend Chuck called me and told me about Franklin passing ..
and that he would bring up the clip the next time he came to visit Alanna and I.

I decided to look up the Obituary in the paper in Oil city and found the clip in the Derrick...
http://www.thederrick.com/

Obituary - Franklin Eugene Hayes Jr.

 

Franklin Eugene Hayes Jr., 48, of 211 Washington Ave., Oil City, departed to be with the Lord at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, 2009, at Titusville Area Hospital, surrounded by his loving mother and sisters.

Born Aug. 23, 1960, in Oil City, he was the son of Jeanette Owens Hayes of Oil City and the late Franklin Eugene Hayes Sr.

He was a 1978 graduate of Oil City High School. After graduation he proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1978 to 1981.

Franklin was a life-long resident of Oil City and had worked at the Senior Center and Telereach and was last employed at Reese Brothers until an illness forced him to retire.

Franklin was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Oil City.

His hobbies included drawing and painting, and he enjoyed catering weddings and banquets.

Franklin is survived by his mother, Jeanette Hayes, with whom he made his home in Oil City; two sisters, Daphne L. Nealy and her husband, Lenward, of Chambersburg, and Jennifer R. Hayes of Virginia; three nephews, Joshua E. Hayes, Akeem Robinson and Isaiah Nealy; two nieces, Jasmine Robinson and Jenea Nealy; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his father.

Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday in the Hutchinson Funeral Home, 201 Bissell Ave., Oil City.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Trinity United Methodist Church, 2 Center St., Oil City, with the Rev. Tom Phillips, pastor, officiating.

Mr. Hayes will be laid to rest in Grove Hill Cemetery in Oil City.

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Franklin you are missed, sorry i wasn't always around when you needed me -Love ya

 

Life is indeed  precious !!!