Trans woman runs for mayor in Texas

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
1 March 2011, 3:36pm

 

Sandra Dunn is running for mayor of Amarillo, Texas

 

A transgender woman is challenging an anti-gay pastor in the mayoral race in Amarillo, Texas.

Sandra Dunn, 53, said her friends encouraged her to go for the job after pastor David Grisham announced his candidacy last week.
Mr Grisham is director of Repent Amarillo, a religious, fundamentalist group. He has said that Houston should be boycotted because its mayor, Annise Parker, is a lesbian.
Ms Dunn, who previously served in the Army, is studying for a master’s degree.
She supports better sex education in schools and is against a smoking ban.
This week, she acknowledged that her trans status could overshadow her campaign.
“That was a concern when we thought about running,” she said. “We may gain national attention.”
Speaking to the Amarillo Globe-News, Mr Grisham said of his rival: “I’m not sure that’s who you want as mayor. If they’re indecisive about who they are, are they indecisive about other issues?”

Justin Bieber: being gay is a decision and abortion is wrong

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
17 February 2011, 1:34pm

 
Justin Bieber won best break through act at the Brit awards

Fresh from winning a Brit award, teenage pop sensation Justin Bieber has suggested that homosexuality is a choice and that abortion is wrong even when pregnancy is caused by rape.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he appeared to label homosexuality as a choice rather than something that is uncontrollable.He also spoke out against abortion even when pregnancy is caused by rape, saying “everything happens for a reason.”The interview for next month’s Rolling Stone magazine has been distributed via blogs.When asked what his views on homosexuality are, Bieber responded: “It’s everyone’s own decision to do that. It doesn’t affect me and shouldn’t affect anyone else.”

It is not clear whether he intended to label homosexuality as a lifestyle choice.
Bieber’s position stands in contrast with that of Lady Gaga who last year said: “there are some people in this world that believe being gay is a choice. It’s not a choice, we’re born this way.” Her single ‘Born This Way’ has been described as the new gay anthem by Sir Elton John.
In his interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Bieber went on to say “I think you should just wait for the person you’re … in love with,” when asked about abstinence.
Despite his strong Christian background he did not argue against pre-martial sex.
“I really don’t believe in abortion,” he told the magazine “I think [an embryo] is a human. It’s like killing a baby.”
He added that while it is “really sad” for a woman to become pregnant after being raped, he claimed that “everything happens for a reason.”
“I don’t know how that would be a reason,” he added. “I guess I haven’t been in that position, so I wouldn’t be able to judge that.”

Posted on Advocate.com February 16, 2011

Santorum's Gay Sex Problem

Antigay former U.S. senator Rick Santorum, a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate, has found the use of his name in connection with anal sex is a hyperlink that’s hard to break... thanks to Dan Savage.

By Advocate.com Editors

- (from left) Rick Santorum and Dan Savage

Antigay former U.S. senator Rick Santorum, a potential 2012 Republican presidential candidate, has found that the use of his name in connection with anal sex is a hyperlink that’s hard to break, Roll Call reports.
In 2003 sex-advice columnist Dan Savage was seeking to mock Santorum for his homophobic statements, such as remarks he made in an interview that year to the effect that legalization of gay sex could lead to recognition of “man on child” and “man on dog” relationships. Savage held a competition asking his readers to come up with a new definition for “Santorum,” and the winning entry referred to a by-product of anal intercourse. Now a Google search for “Santorum” will frequently turn up that meaning of the word.
Roll Call consulted technology experts, who said there was little Santorum could do to prevent Web searches from finding sites with that definition. The politician himself “sounded slightly defeated” when asked about his “Google problem” recently, the publication reported. “It’s one guy,” Santorum told Roll Call. “You know who it is. The Internet allows for this type of vulgarity to circulate. It’s unfortunate that we have someone who obviously has some issues. But he has an opportunity to speak.”
Santorum added, however, that the phenomenon is an indication of “incivility” in politics. “You want to talk about incivility,” he said. “I don’t know of anybody on the left who came to my defense for the incivility with respect to those things.”
In response to Santorum’s statements, Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund spokesman Dennis Dison told Roll Call, “I think that civility in politics is a fantastic goal. ... Speaking from the LGBT community, we wish he would practice it.”

Posted on Advocate.com February 09, 2011

Navy: DADT Training Done by June

By Michelle Garcia

Sailors aboard the USS Truman

The Navy announced Tuesday it will finish training all of its members on the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" by June 30.

Leaders from each of the military branches submitted their training plans to the Pentagon Friday, but the Navy made its plans public,  The Washington Post reports.

Each branch is required to train their personnel in three top-down intervals: first military chaplains, lawyers, and civilian public affairs officers, then commanding officers, and finally rank and file troops. April 30 is the goal date to finish commander training, and then rank-and-file sailors should be done with their training by June 30.
Because President Barack Obama, Defense secretary Robert M. Gates, and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen must certify that all members of the members of the military have been sufficiently trained before the ban is officially lifted, the earliest that full implementation could happen would be September, said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

Posted on Advocate.com January 21, 2011

Scalia, Thomas Accused of Conflict of Interest

By Advocate.com Editors

Two of the most conservative judges on the Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia (left) and Clarence Thomas, are being accused of a conflict of interest regarding their decision in the controversial Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case.
A government watchdog group wants the Justice Department to investigate whether Scalia and Thomas acted improperly by not recusing themselves in the Citizens United case — the high court ruling allowed huge corporate payments to be directed toward political campaigns. In the wake of the decision, businesses poured money into campaigns, including Target donating money to an antigay Republican candidate in Minnesota.
The watchdog group said Scalia and Thomas attended meetings sponsored by Charles and David Koch, conservative billionaires who often donate to political causes. A Supreme Court spokeswoman said the justices attended Koch-related events but not private strategy meetings.

Schwarzenegger's Mom Thought He Was Gay

Taken From Towleroad
01/19/2011 Schwarzenegger's Mom Took Him to the Doctor Because She Thought He Was Gay

Arnold Schwarzenegger tells the Austrian newspaper Krone that he had so many posters of oiled bodybuilders on his walls as a kid that his mom took him to the family doctor because she thought he was gay. The doctor tried to calm her down by reassuring her that at least he didn't drink and smoke.
Here's  the Google translation.
And a better translation by our commenter Chris (thanks!):
"(One) of of my favorite stories from when I was young. As a young boy my room was plastered with photos of bodybuilders. Naked, oiled male bodies. That got my mother so concerned, she asked our family doctor one day to take a look at that. 'Other boys put images of women on their walls, and mine does this!' She actually believed I was gay. Well, that's nothing wrong, but for her it was unimagineable back then. However, the doctor, a wise man, calmed her down. Everyone had idols, he said, others would hang up pictures of the Beatles, even though they were men as well. "Look at it like this, Mrs. Schwarzenegger: as an athlete he surely won't start to smoke or drink!" That assured her. Her worry lines stayed though."

Posted on Advocate.com January 13, 2011

Judge: Cop Doesn't Have to Out Officers

A county judge decided that a police sergeant in Roseville, Calif., will not have to out other gay and lesbian officers in a discrimination lawsuit three officers filed against the city last year.
The city of Roseville asked that Sgt. Darin DeFreece, one of the plaintiffs, release names to help it coordinate its defense. Judge Margaret Wells said disclosing such information would be in violation of those officers' right to privacy under the Fourteenth Amendment ro the U.S. Constitution, according to the Roseville Press Tribune.
"The court is hard-pressed to imagine any private information more sensitive than one’s sexual orientation." Wells wrote in her ruling Tuesday. "On the other hand, this is not a mere fishing expedition by defendants."

A trial in the case could begin in late April.

Johnny Weir Confirms He Is Gay In Memoir

Johnny Weir Confirms He is Gay in Memoir

Taken From Yahoo News
Updated: Thursday, 06 Jan 2011, 6:59 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 06 Jan 2011, 6:59 PM EST

(NewsCore) - After repeatedly dodging the issue of his sexual identity, US men's figure skater Johnny Weir confirms he is gay in his upcoming memoir, the website AfterElton reported Thursday.

In "Welcome to My World," Weir openly identifies himself as gay after previously dodging the issue, telling fans on his website in 2006 "I don't feel the need to express my sexual being...I can sleep with whomever I choose and it doesn't affect what I'm doing on the ice."

While Weir said he is "sexually gay" he does not completely rule out a relationship with a woman.

"In a sexual way, I'm gay," the 26-year-old "Skating with the Stars" judge wrote in his book.

"But I would marry a woman tomorrow if it struck me. I don't think sex and relationships necessarily have to go together," he added.

Known for his extravagant costumes and dramatic skating style, Weir is a three time United States Figure Skating champion.

it gets better-----a music video by rebecca drysdale

James Franco Says "Maybe I'm Just Gay"

Posted on Advocate.com January 05, 2011
Franco: "Maybe I'm Just Gay"
By Advocate.com Editors

JAMES FRANCO

James Franco has played a good number of gay roles, most recently in the movies Milk and Howl—where he portrayed Harvey Milk’s longtime boyfriend Scott Smith and poet Allen Ginsberg, respectively. As a result, he’s faced a lot of questions about his own sexual orientation.

The actor, who told The Advocate last summer that he is straight, is now raising eyebrows by suggesting otherwise in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“There are lots of other reasons to be interested in gay characters than wanting myself to go out and have sex with guys,” Franco tells EW. “And there are also lots of other aspects about these characters that I’m interested in, in addition to their sexuality. So, in some ways it’s coincidental, in other ways it’s not. I mean, I’ve played a gay man who’s living in the ‘60s and ‘70s, a gay man who we depicted in the ‘50s, and one being in the ‘20s. And those were all periods when to be gay, at least being gay in public, was much more difficult. Part of what I’m interested in is how these people who were living anti-normative lifestyles contended with opposition. Or, you know what, maybe I’m just gay.”

The 'Bishop Eddie Long' Gift Keeps On Giving

Monday, January 3, 2011
The 'Bishop Eddie Long' Gift Keeps On Giving
Posted by Timothy Beauchamp at 1/03/2011 03:00:00 PM

One of the things our community must do is to use every opportunity to point out how hypocritical the other side is when it comes to their endless false assertion that their relationships are somehow superior to ours.

One way to do this is to not allow the mainstream media to sweep big stories, like the Bishop Eddie Long fiasco, under the rug.

With little fanfare or news coverage, the four sexual coercion lawsuits confronting Bishop Eddie Long had the first hearing recently, with both sides opting for mediation to avoid a trial.

Why no major news outlet or editorial columnist has discussed the implications of such a move is nothing less than egregious in nature. Despite the initial media crush and coverage and the incessant analysis of Bishop Long's statement on his website and "sermon," there's been nary a peep in response to the quest for mediation.

Where is the mainstream media on Bishop Eddie Long's end-run? If a charismatic fundamentalist church leader publicly presents their marriage as superior and then resorts to mediation to settle gay sex allegations by young members of his flock then that is news. BIG NEWS.

Bishop Eddie Long agreeing to mediation of sexual coercion charges is an end-run around the universally accepted moral and ethical responsibilities of any ecumenical leader. Mediation of sexual allegation grievances is tantamount to an admission of "some" guilt, "some" form of ministerial misconduct. Innocent folk don't make deals if the claims against them are baseless and untrue. Mediation for the accused is a forfeiture of the right to ever claim innocence, and readers should be absolutely clear on this point.

It is important to use every gift of cognitive dissonance given us by the other side to prove they have no corner on human morality, and we deserve every single right they enjoy that they would gladly deny us while reminding all voters those rights are enshrined in our constitution.

Prop. 8-Loving Pastor Accused of Child Molestation

Posted on Advocate.com January 03, 2011
Prop. 8-Loving Pastor Accused of Child Molestation
By Advocate.com Editors

Tom Gene Daniels

The board of a church in Sacramento County, Calif., has issued a statement in support of a pastor arrested on suspicion of child molestation.

According to The Sacramento Bee, the board of Rio Linda Baptist Church expressed its support for pastor Tom Gene Daniels, who is charged with suspicion of a lewd or lascivious act with a child under 14 and engaging in three or more acts of sexual conduct with a child. Daniels was one of the most vocal supporters of California's Prop. 8.

"Until such time as the courts prove Pastor Tom Daniels guilty, we have an obligation to support him and his family," said the statement. The Bee reported that “the statement also said that accusations such as those facing Daniels need to be tried in the court and not the media.”

Daniels, 48, was arrested in December and is being held at the Sacramento County jail with bail set at $6 million. He has been employed as a foster parent and day care provider, according to the Bee.

Gay Newspaper Boxes Vandalized in Vancouver

Posted on Advocate.com January 02, 2011
Gay Newspaper Boxes Vandalized in Vancouver
By Advocate.com Editors

VANCOUVER

Police in Vancouver, Canada, are investigating the possibility of hate-motivated vandalism following damage to distribution boxes for the gay Canadian newspaper Xtra.

According to The Globe and Mail, no other publication boxes were vandalized, and a police spokeswoman said the damage against Xtra looks “targeted.”

“She said police are hoping surveillance video will provide some clues,” reported The Globe and Mail. “The newspaper boxes were primarily damaged in the city’s downtown core between Dec. 25 and Dec. 29. In most of the cases, the glass door was smashed.”

A senior manager for the newspaper said the vandalism would cost the free publication about $3,000. Xtra boxes were targeted in Ottawa in 2006 at a cost of more than $10,000.

Monument For Persecuted Gays To Be Erected In Barcelona

Monument for persecuted gays to be erected in Barcelona

Jonny Payne
news.PinkPaper.com
Friday, 31 December 2010
31 December 2010

Plans have been unveiled for a striking new monument in Barcelona that will recognise gays who have been persecuted and repressed “throughout history”.

The pink, triangular stone monument will be unveiled in February, and although the location has not yet been decided upon, the square surrounding Antonio Gaudi’s iconic Sagrada Familia church “is one location that has been proposed” according to a Barcelona City Hall spokesperson.


As reported by APF, a statement from the City Hall stated the monument would include the inscription: “In memory of the gays, lesbians and transsexual people who have suffered persecution and repression throughout history. Barcelona 2011.”


The announcement has been welcomed by gay rights campaigners in the city, who have sought recognition for historic crimes against gays in the city, particularly those committed under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco until his death in 1975.


The current government headed by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero sees gay rights as a major part of its agenda, and the country became only the third EU country to allow same-sex marriage when the government passed legislation in 2005.

North Carolina Politician Sticks To "Predators" Remark

Posted on Advocate.com December 31, 2010
N.C. Pol Sticks to "Predators" Remark
By Advocate.com Editors

A North Carolina politician says he’s standing by his statement that gay people are “sexual predators.”

“People are entitled to their opinion, and that includes me,” Mecklenburg County commissioner Bill James (pictured) told The Charlotte Observer Thursday. His remarks came in an e-mail earlier this week to fellow commissioner Jennifer Roberts, who proposed that county officials send a letter to members of the North Carolina congressional delegation who voted to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

“Homosexuals are sexual predators,” James wrote. “Allowing homosexuals to serve in the US military with the endorsement of the Mecklenburg County Commission ignores a host of serious problems related to maintaining US military readiness and effectiveness not the least of which is the current Democrat plan to allow homosexuals (male and female) to share showers with those they are attracted to.”

There have been calls, including a petition on Change.org, for a formal reprimand of James, who in the past has made offensive statements about African-Americans and illegal immigrants as well as gays. Said Roberts, however: “I just don’t know if it helps or hurts the end goal by making any kind of formal statement.”

Roberts added that since other commissioners have raised questions about a joint letter on DADT repeal, she will send one on her own. James, meanwhile, said he’s contacted police because of threats he’s received.

Federal Inquiry Into US Gay Teenager's Suicide

Federal inquiry into US gay teenager’s suicide
by Jessica Geen
22 December 2010, 1:05pm

Seth Walsh died in October

Federal education officials are investigating the suicide of a 13-year-old California boy who killed himself after suffering homophobic bullying.

Seth Walsh died nine days after hanging himself in his garden on September 28th. His family said he had endured years of harassment and abuse at school for being gay.

Last week, his mother Wendy accused the Tehachapi school district of ignoring her pleas to tackle the bullying.

She said his grades had fallen and that some teachers had even joined in the harassment.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Education Secretary Arne Duncan confirmed that federal education officials were investigating how the school district dealt with the issue.

Mrs Walsh said she contacted Department of Education investigators while her son lay in hospital in a coma before he died.

She said they spent two days in Tehachapi last week, interviewing teachers, administrators and students.

In October, the Education Department’s civil rights division told school districts that they must take steps to stamp out anti-gay bullying.

According to Associated Press, the department has the power to investigate school districts where bullying is said to be so severe, it has resulted in a “hostile environment” for students who are, or are thought to be, LGBT.

Mrs Walsh is being supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, which last week sent a letter to the school district on her behalf asking it to prevent another tragedy.

The ACLU says that at least 11 US LGBT teenagers have killed themselves after suffering bullying in the last few months.

MSNBC Takes on Thomas Full Time

Posted on Advocate.com December 21, 2010
MSNBC Takes on Thomas Full Time
By Advocate.com Editors

THOMAS ROBERTS

Thomas Roberts has been upgraded to full-time status at MSNBC, becoming an anchor during the network’s daytime programming hours.

Roberts has served as a part-time anchor for the network since April. Roberts filled in for Keith Olbermann last month after the Countdown host was suspended for making political contributions without prior approval.

Roberts previously served as host of The Advocate On-Air.

US Senate Votes To Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Ban On Gays Serving In The Military

US Senate Votes To Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Ban On Gays Serving In The Military
]by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
18 December 2010, 8:36pm



The US Senate has voted to end the ban on openly gay people serving in the military



The US Senate has voted 65 to 31 to repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, the ban on openly gay people serving in the military. Since the ban on openly gay people serving in the military was introduced in 1993, more than 13,500 LGBT service personnel have been dismissed from the military.

The bill will now be passed to President Barack Obama who has already confirmed that he will sign it into law.

In a prepared statement, President Obama said: “The Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’, no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.

“It is time to close this chapter in our history. It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valour and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed. It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly.

The repeal will take effect after a 60-day period to allow the US Defense Department to consider how best to implement the new policy.

“Don’t ask, don’t tell is wrong,” said Democrat Senator for Oregan, Ron Wyden, said earlier this morning. “I don’t care who you love. If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn’t have to hide who you are. You ought to be able to serve.”

“You don’t have to be straight to shoot straight,”‘ said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Republican Senator for Arizona and former US Presidential candidate John McCain warned that the end of the ban would be welcomed only by the “elites” in society without any thought to the military consequences of ending the ban. “I hope that when we pass this legislation that we will understand that we are doing great damage,” he said.”And we could possibly – and probably – as the Commandant of the Marine Corps said … harm the battle effectiveness that is so vital to the survival of our young men and women in the military.”

Mr McCain was referring to comments earlier this week by the head of the marines who said that repealing the ban would lead to the death of troops troops.

“When your life hangs on a line, on the intuitive behaviour of the young man … who sits to your right and your left, you don’t want anything distracting you,” said Marine Commandant General James Amos.

“I don’t want to lose any Marines to distraction. I don’t want to have any Marines that I’m visiting at Bethesda [hospital] with no legs,” he added.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted 250 to 175 in favour of repealing the ban. This put the Senate under pressure to vote on the issue today, before the ‘lame duck’ Congress goes into recess.

Senator Joe Lieberman, the lead sponsor of the bill said the ban on openly gay people serving in the military is “inconsistent with basic American values.”

“To force the don’t ask, don’t tell policy on the military is to force them to be less than they want to be — and less than they can be,” he said earlier today. “These people simply want to serve their country.”

Welcoming the vote this evening, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin said: “The ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy is a threat to our national security. Since 1994, more than 13,000 highly trained service members have been discharged as a result of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ In the last five years, while our country has been engaged in two wars, the military has discharged more than 800 mission-critical troops under this policy, including more than 50 Arabic linguists.”

She added: “I look forward to the expeditious implementation of all policies necessary to end discrimination against gays and lesbians who currently serve or wish to serve in the military. I will continue to work for full equality for LGBT Americans. In the United States of America, there is no place for irrational and insidious discrimination in any sector of society.”

Aubrey Sarvis, head of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group, said: “Until the president signs the bill, until there is certification, and until the 60-day Congressional period is over, no-one should be investigated or discharged under this discriminatory law.”

Sexuality Doesn't Matter On The Battlefield

Sexuality Doesn't Matter On The Battlefield
By Nathan Cox
Thursday, December 16, 2010; 8:00 PM
Washingtonpost.com

I am an active-duty U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer. I have deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan and have commanded infantry Marines in combat.

On Tuesday, Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, said he believes repealing "don't ask, don't tell" and allowing gay and lesbian Marines to serve openly could "cost Marines' lives" because of the "mistakes and inattention or distractions" that might ensue. I am not homosexual. And in this instance, I must respectfully disagree with my commandant.

The commandant cites the importance of cohesion within small combat units and warns against its disruption by allowing homosexuals to stop concealing their identities. In my experience, the things that separate Marines in civilian life fade into obscurity on the battlefield. There, only one thing matters: Can you do your job? People care much more about whom you voted for or what city you're from while on the huge airbase with five Burger Kings, or back in the States, than they do when they're walking down a dusty road full of improvised explosive devices in Haditha or Sangin.

In the end, Marines in combat will treat sexual orientation the same way they treat race, religion and one's stance on the likelihood of the Patriots winning another Super Bowl. I do not believe the intense desire we all feel as Marines to accomplish the mission and protect each other will be affected in the slightest by knowing the sexual orientation of the man or woman next to us.

In the recent Defense Department survey, 58 percent of combat arms Marines said they felt allowing homosexuals to serve openly would negatively affect their unit, but 84 percent of combat arms Marines who had served with a homosexual said that there would be no effect or that the effect would be positive. It seems obvious that if allowing homosexuals to serve openly degraded performance, rather than improved it, a majority of Marines who had served with homosexuals would oppose repeal. Yet this is not the case, and homosexuals serve openly in the militaries of Britain, Canada, Australia, Israel and others with no ill effect. This suggests that much of the opposition toward repeal within the Marine Corps is based on the politics of individual Marines and not any measurable military effect.

Repeal would undoubtedly produce some disruption, but if other nations' experiences are any guide, it will be so minimal as to be essentially nonexistent. Consider what is likely to happen if and when "don't ask" is repealed: Lance Cpl. Smith will be having a typical Marine conversation with Lance Cpl. Jones, and the topic will turn to women. Smith will remark on how much he enjoys their company. Jones will reply: "Actually, man, I like dudes."

Smith: "Really?"

Jones: "Yeah, man, really."

Smith: "Wow. I didn't know that."

Both will then go back to cleaning their rifles.

Is it really likely that lance corporals who know each other better than brothers, and may have saved each other's lives in split-second reactions during deployments, are suddenly going to refuse to serve in the same unit or quit the Corps because they have to share a shower?

Repeal will of course have many effects. Gay and lesbian Marines who are now barred from discussing their identities honestly with their superiors, peers and subordinates would be able to do their jobs free from the nagging knowledge that they are being less than honest with their brothers and sisters in arms. It is difficult to see how this could do anything but improve their job performance. Gay and lesbian Marines have long fought and died for a country that refuses to acknowledge their existence. Some are certainly among the Marines who have passed through Bethesda Naval Hospital and rest in Arlington.

I believe the reluctance many Marines feel about repeal is based on the false stereotype, borne out of ignorance, that homosexuals don't do things like pull other Marines from burning vehicles. The truth is, they do it all the time. We simply don't know it because they can't tell us.

It is time for "don't ask, don't tell" to join our other mistakes in the dog-eared chapters of history textbooks. We all bleed red, we all love our country, we are all Marines. In the end, that's all that matters.

The writer is an infantry captain in the Marine Corps.

Newsweek On GetEQUAL And The Quest For LGBT Civil Rights

Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Newsweek on GetEQUAL and the quest for LGBT civil rights
Posted by Joe Sudbay (DC) at 12/14/2010 05:43:00 PM

Great article from Newsweek's Eve Conant looking at GetEQUAL and the fight for LGBT equality. GetEQUAL's first meeting was held at the same place where Rosa Parks "studied" non-violent civil disobedience. Not everyone agrees with the use of the civil rights terminology. But, if people in this country aren't equal, civil rights are at stake:

As the fight over same-sex marriage and “don’t ask, don’t tell” rages in the courts, Congress, and the media, gay activists and their allies are invoking the language and imagery of the civil-rights battles of a half century ago. And their efforts are changing the tenor of the debate. Sen. Joe Lieberman, calling for repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” told a Connecticut reporter earlier this month that the fight for gay rights is the new “front lines” of the civil-rights movement. When President Obama included protections for gays and lesbians in federal hate-crime legislation earlier this year, the Associated Press called it “the biggest expansion of the civil-rights-era law in decades.” And at last week’s federal appellate-court hearing in San Francisco on same-sex marriage, one of the judges pointedly asked whether California voters, whose 2008 passage of Proposition 8 stripped gays of the right to marry, were entitled to reinstate school segregation. “How is this different?” Judge Michael Daly Hawkins asked the attorney defending the measure. Legal heavyweights Ted Olson and David Boies, representing the pro-gay-marriage side, wrote in their plaintiffs’ brief that the case tests the proposition whether gays and lesbians “should be counted as ‘persons’ under the 14th Amendment or whether they constitute a permanent underclass ineligible for protection under that cornerstone of our Constitution.” The 14th Amendment removed the clause once embedded in the Constitution that slaves equaled three fifths of a person.

The rhetoric has inspired gays and lesbians. But it has also galvanized their opponents, who say homosexuals are fighting for “special rights,” not civil rights.

Conant talked to a number of homophobes. I'm not going to include their quotes. You've heard it all before.

The organization is combining smart politics with its activism:

Working with recognized figures in the gay-rights fight like Dan Choi, a former Army lieutenant who was discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the members of GetEQUAL can often be found at the Washington, D.C., home of political strategist Paul Yandura, strategizing sit-ins and other nonviolent protests. Before their first “action” in March, when Choi and a fellow ousted soldier handcuffed themselves to the White House gates, the protesters were busy writing phone numbers on their arms and stomachs so they would have them at the ready for their designated phone call once arrested. In jail, Choi and the fellow discharged soldier recited passages from King’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” to keep each other inspired.

Even as they invoke the civil-rights struggle, GetEQUAL’s members are trying to be politic. Philanthropist Jonathan Lewis and his family, who have funneled a half-million dollars to create and support GetEQUAL’s efforts, says gays and lesbians are absorbing lessons and inspiration from the civil-rights movement, not taking away its importance. “Our movement is not the same,” he says. “Yes, it’s not life or death every day like the civil-rights movement was,” says Michelle Wright, who is African-American and became involved in GetEQUAL after coming out last year. “But it’s still discrimination, and therefore it’s wrong.” Now she and her fellow activists just need to get the rest of America to see it that way. So they will continue searching, however long it takes, for their movement’s own lunch-counter image.

I do think GetEQUAL has already changed the debate about LGBT equality. The photos of protesters on the White House fence have become iconic. And, those who purport to be our allies know we're words and party invitations aren't enough.

For the record, the "fellow ousted soldier" arrested with Dan Choi in March is our friend, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo.