Status: Single
City: Marienville
State: Pennsylvania
Country: US
Signup Date: 8/15/2006
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
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National Call In Days for ENDA: Act Now!
Today
is our National Call-In Day for Equality--- these call-in days are a
coordinated effort by scores of organizations to flood Capitol Hill
offices with calls as we move closer to a House vote on the Employment
Non-..Discrimination Act. Congressmembers.. tell us that what
influences them most are calls and emails from people back home. Make a
difference, call Capitol Hill now. And get your friends and family
members to call too!
Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Give your zip code and ask to be connected to your Representative.
Say: My name is _____ and a proud resident of (your city, state). I am calling in support of the Employment Non-..Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017), to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from job discrimination... Please pass ENDA before the end of the year. I can be reached at _______ (give your phone number). Thank you.
Or, send an email by filling out the form at
http:../../..eqfed...org/..campaign/..ENDA_..CongressionalCa..mpaign_..ntlcallinday
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
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Current mood:  anxious
Category: News and Politics
Just got a call from Kane Republican, they are running an article i wrote, it should be in the paper Nov 17 2009
but think it may be this one i wrote for vets day..I personally would like to thank all the Vets and Military Personal,
for helping make this country free, however did you know that many of
our vets and retired military personal that are gay, lesbian and even
transgender and many who want to work cant.. Just because of whom they
are... Some can’t even take care of their families in today’s
recession, why you may ask... Did you know in 29 states, it's
legal to fire otherwise-qualified employees because they are lesbian,
gay, or bisexual In 38 states, it's legal to fire otherwise-qualified
employees because they are transgender. These are people who would love
to keep their jobs and help get this county out of its recession,
Current federal law protects workers against discrimination based on
their race, gender, religion, national origin, and disability, but NOT
based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017) would make it illegal to fire,
refuse to hire, or refuse to promote employees based on their sexual
orientation or gender identity. Remember this country was founded upon
the principle of equal opportunity. Our government must continue to
uphold this value for all Americans, whether they're black, Christian,
Native American, disabled, gay or transgender. ...
So
please remember this is NOT about special treatment. It simply gives
these workers the same rights and protections as their colleagues. It
comes down to ensuring that employees are judged for their performance,
not for who they are.
Contact your representatives for this, and thank youbut than they could run the other one but wont know which one they will run till morrow Tues Nov 17 and how bad they chop it so ill keep you posted on which one when the print version comes out at 3 am lol
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Friday, November 13, 2009
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Lawmakers defy church pressure on DC gay marriage
WASHINGTON – The Catholic
Archdiocese of Washington is threatening to stop providing social
services, including management of city
homeless shelters, unless
lawmakers change a proposal to legalize same-sex marriages.
So far, most city council
members have refused to do that.
Catholic Charities has
city contracts to provide services to about 68,000 people. The marriage bill
would not require churches to perform same-sex weddings, but because Catholic
Charities uses city money, the archdiocese fears it would have to offer employee
benefits and adoptions to married same-sex couples.
The marriage legislation is expected to pass next month and has the mayor's
support.
Jane G. Belford, the chancellor of the Washington archdiocese, wrote
Councilman Phil Mendelson
on Wednesday asking for an exemption to protect the church's religious freedoms.
The church wants to be exempt from any measure that would require it to extend
benefits to same-sex couples or allow gays and lesbians to adopt children.
Council member Tommy Wells
said it would be dangerous to let the
Catholic church start
writing D.C. laws, a sentiment expressed by Mendelson and other members.
"Allowing individual exemptions opens the door for anyone to discriminate
based on assertions of religious principle," Mendelson said. "Let's not forget
that during the civil rights
era, many claimed separation of the races was ordained by God."
Archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Gibbs said the law would require city
contractors to ignore their religious principles.
"We are not threatening to walk out of the city," Gibbs said. "The city is
the one saying, 'If you want to continue partnering with the city, then you
cannot follow your faith teachings.'"
Catholic Charities, one of dozens of nonprofits that partner with D.C.
government, manages city-owned shelters that serve about one-third of
Washington's homeless population. The group's contracts totaled $8.2 million in
the past three years, according to the city council.
Council chairman Vincent Gray
said Thursday the city would have to find another group to provide social
services if the church backs out. He said he didn't see any room for compromise.
Council member Jim Graham
said the church hasn't abandoned social services in New Hampshire,
Connecticut or Vermont
after those states began recognizing same-sex marriages.
However, Catholic Charities halted its adoption programs in 2006 in Boston
because banned discrimination against same-sex couples who want to adopt children.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joanne's Corner
Jeopardizing Tax-Exempt Status All IRC section 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches and religious organizations, must abide by certain rules: ■ their net earnings may not inure to any private shareholder or individual, ■ they must not provide a substantial benefit to private interests, ■ they must not devote a substantial part of their activities to attempting to influence legislation,
■
they must not participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign
on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office, and
■ the organization’s purposes and activities may not be illegal or violate fundamental public policy.
Substantial Lobbying Activity
In
general, no organization, including a church, may qualify for IRC
section 501(c)(3) status if a substantial part of its activities is
attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying). An
IRC section 501(c)(3) organization may engage in some lobbying, but too
much lobbying activity risks loss of tax-exempt status
Legislation
includes action by Congress, any state legislature, any local council,
or similar governing body, with respect to acts, bills, resolutions, or
similar items (such as legislative confirmation of appointive offices),
or by the public in a referendum, ballot initiative, constitutional
amendment, or similar procedure. It does not include actions by
executive, judicial, or administrative bodies.
A church or
religious organization will be regarded as attempting to influence
legislation if it contacts, or urges the public to contact, members or
employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing,
supporting, or opposing legislation, or if the organization advocates
the adoption or rejection of legislation.
Churches and religious
organizations may, however, involve themselves in issues of public
policy without the activity being considered as lobbying. For example,
churches may conduct educational meetings, prepare and distribute
educational materials, or otherwise consider public policy issues in an
educational manner without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status.
if you find that a church is not abiding to the rules set forth you may file a complaint with the IRS see page http://www.irs.gov/individ..uals/article/0,,id=106778,..00.html and download http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs..-pdf/f3949a.pdf
You may fill out Form 3949-A online, print it and mail it to:
Internal Revenue Service
Fresno, CA 93888
If
you do not wish to use Form 3949-A, you may send a letter to the
address above. Please include the following information, if available:
Name and address of the person you are reporting
The
taxpayer identification number (social security number for an
individual or employer identification number for a business) (if you
have it)
A brief description of the alleged violation, including how you became aware of or obtained the information
The years involved
The estimated dollar amount of any unreported income
Your name, address and daytime telephone number
Although you are not required to identify yourself, it is helpful to do so. Your identity can be kept confidential.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Friday, November 13, 2009
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Erie PA Event... At THE ZONE...
For ,more info see
http://www.thezonedanceclub.com/
Other upcoming GLBT Events
(Frank G Pogue Student Center, Edinboro University, Edinboro, PA) 7 PM. NWPA NOW
Announces Showing of For The Bible Tells Me SO
The Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Organization for Women
will present the film For The Bible Tells Me So on Wednesday, November 18 at
7:00 PM in the Multipurpose room of the Frank G. Pogue Student Center on the
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania campus.
This award winning documentary focuses on five Christian families and how
each handles the knowledge that one of their members is gay or lesbian. Their
stories are juxtaposed with reflections from major biblical scholars as the film
explores the intersection of religion and homosexuality in America today.
Following the screening there will be a discussion with audience members and
a panel that includes Dr. Jerra Jenrette, chair of EUP's History and
Anthropology Department, The Reverend Randolph Edwards, pastor of the United
Methodist Church of Edinboro; and Dr. Richard McCarty, Associate Professor of
Religious Studies at Mercyhurst College.
Refreshments will be served.
This event is being co-sponsored by The NWPA Chapter of the American Civil
Liberties Union, and Iota Iota Iota, the Women's Studies Honor Society at EUP.
Also see Resource entry for
Edinboro University. Also see Resources for the
Erie County PA area. Weather for
Edinboro PA area.
(The Link Bar, 91 Wendel Road, Herminie, PA 15637) 10:30 PM. Shows every
Wednesday at 10:30 PM and midnight. Party hostess is Miss Jezebel d'Opulence,
Miss Gaylife 2009. No cover charge. $2.25 drafts, $3.25 Captain Morgan products,
$1 off all Bomb Calls. Phone: (724) 446-7717. Browse to
http://www.thelinkbar.com/.
Also see Resource entry for
The Link Bar. Also see Resources for the
Butler, Mercer counties and area near Pittsburgh PA area. Weather for
Herminie PA area.
More Events can be found at
at
http://www.eriegaynews.com/
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Monday, November 09, 2009
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Well Just
wrote and article to the local papers , the Kane Republican and the
Bradford Ere.. wounder how bad they will chop it up or not even publish
it at all...
The unpublish, unchopped version..
Hello I has come to My
attention that nothing was ever published in your paper about the New
Federal Hate crimes Law The new law adds acts of violence against gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to the list of federal hate
crimes signed into law Oct 28 by Pres Obama, The measure also extends
protections to those attacked because of their gender or disability. It
saddened me the other day to read in your police report section about
the people who are always being harassed and even having bottles thrown
at them just because of who they are and being called "freaks" when
they cant help the way they were born into this world, maybe now the
police may be able to do something about these people who continue to
harass this couple , but who knows...
But there's another
pressing issue that also hits home.. everyone talks about getting jobs
and taking care of their family's ... Did you know in 29 states, it's
legal to fire otherwise-qualified employees because they are lesbian,
gay, or bisexual. In 38 states, it's legal to fire otherwise-qualified
employees because they are transgender. These are people who would love
to keep their jobs and help get this county out of its recession, some
say but that's not right they cant fire someone there are laws against
that, unfortunately No that's not true, Current federal law protects
workers against discrimination based on their race, gender, religion,
national origin, and disability, but NOT based on sexual orientation or
gender identity....
However
there is something that trying to change all that and allow these
people to continue working and supporting their family's and yes
helping the country ..
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R.
3017) would make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to
promote employees based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
inst it about time to stand on what this country was founded on ?
remember
This country was founded upon the principle of equal opportunity. Our
government must continue to uphold this value for all Americans,
whether they're black, Christian, disabled, gay or transgender.
So
please remember The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is NOT about
special treatment. It simply gives these workers the same rights and
protections as their colleagues. It comes down to ensuring that
employees are judged for their performance, not for who they are. isn't
it about time ?
Thanks
Joanne Lynn
So we will see iffn they even publish it at all or how bad its been mutilated ill post the article here if and when its publish for comparable copy
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
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Obama signs first major federal gay-rights law
By Margaret Talev, McClatchy Newspapers
Margaret Talev, Mcclatchy Newspapers
2 hrs 51 mins ago
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
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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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/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
|
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
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Thursday, October 08, 2009
|
Obama picks openly gay lawyer for ambassadorship
By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer
Philip Elliott, Associated Press Writer –
Wed Oct 7,
9:46 pm ET
..
WASHINGTON –
President Barack Obama said Wednesday he planned to nominate an openly
gay lawyer as the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. If confirmed by
the Senate, David Huebner would become the third openly gay ambassador in U.S.
history and the first pick by this administration. In a statement released
from the White House,
Obama said he looked forward to working with Huebner and is confident he will
represent the United States well in the Pacific region. Huebner is based in
Shanghai, where he handles
international arbitration and mediation cases for a U.S. firm. A
graduate of Princeton University
and Yale Law School, he
is also the
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's general counsel and
previously served on the group's board.
He also has chaired the
California Law Revision Commission, served as president of the
Los Angeles Quality and
Productivity Commission
and taught at the University of
Southern California's Gould School of Law.
Obama's announcement is a gesture just days before he speaks to a gay
rights fundraising dinner on Saturday and gay activists
march on Washington on
Sunday.
Obama's relationship with gay activists has been rocky since his election.
Gays and lesbians objected to the invitation of evangelist
Rev. Rick Warren's to
participate in Obama's inauguration because of Warren's support for repealing
gay marriage in California. Obama responded by having Episcopalian
Bishop V. Gene Robinson,
the denomination's first openly gay bishop, participate at another event.
As president, Obama hasn't taken any concrete steps urging Congress to
rescind the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allows gays and
lesbians to serve in the military as long as they don't disclose their sexual
orientation or act on it. Some former chairmen of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff
have acknowledged the policy is flawed.
The office of the current chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, signed off on a
journal article that called for lifting the ban, arguing that the military is
forcing thousands of military members to live dishonest lives.
Obama
also pledged during the campaign to work for repeal of the
Defense of Marriage Act,
which limits how state, local and federal bodies can recognize partnerships
and determine benefits. But lawyers in his administration defended the law in
a court brief. White House
aides said they were only doing their jobs to back a law that was
already on the books.
Officials said Obama's slow and incremental approach to the politically
charged issues has produced some gains.
"The president made commitments on those issues — not just, quite frankly,
in a presidential race but ran on some of those commitments in a Senate race,"
White House spokesman Robert
Gibbs said. "They are commitments that are important to him and he is
intent on making progress on those issues and is working with the
Pentagon to ensure, at
least in 'don't ask, don't tell,' that we make progress on it."
Obama has expanded some federal benefits to same-sex partners, but not
health benefits or pension guarantees. He has allowed State Department
employees to include their same-sex partners in certain embassy programs
available to opposite-sex spouses.
On Wednesday, Gibbs said the administration was working with the
Office of Personnel Management to expand those benefits.
But that remains far short of his campaign rhetoric.
"At its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans," Obama said a
2007 statement on gay issues. "It's about whether this nation is going to live
up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with
dignity and respect." source
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091008/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_gay_ambassador
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Thursday, October 08, 2009
|
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/
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