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Elizabeth Edwards Calls Ann Coulter

Elizabeth Edwards announced her support for legalized gay marriage at SF Gay Pride

http://origin.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_6223612

Bill Richardson on LGBT Pride Month

Governor Bill Richardson released the following statement regarding Gay Lesbian Bisexual & Transgender Pride Month:

"I am very pleased to join my friends in the GLBT community and Americans across the country in celebrating Pride Month. This month is a deserved commemoration of the contributions of GLBT Americans to the United States and a welcome symbol of how far we have come as a nation.

"We must also acknowledge that we are in the midst of a difficult struggle for basic human rights and we have a long way to go. This month is a worthy symbol of our progress towards full civil rights for every American, but we cannot ignore the challenges we still must conquer before we can truly move forward and create a better society.

"I have been a strong, dedicated, and proud supporter of the GLBT community throughout my time in public service. In Congress, I voted against the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. I continue to believe that it is wrong, shamefully wrong. This policy is not only detrimental to GLBT Americans, it is harmful to the security of every American, as badly-needed military personnel are discharged for no other reason than that they are gay or lesbian.

"As Governor of New Mexico, I have led the charge for equality in my state. We expanded anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity. We provided state health insurance for domestic partnerships. And I signed into law the state's first hate crimes legislation for crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I have fought hard for a Domestic Partner Rights Act in New Mexico and I will not stop fighting until the legislation is passed.

"As President, I will not rest until we have fulfilled America's most basic promise -- that every human being is created equal and that every American is due certain basic, inalienable rights. I know that until the human rights of every American are guaranteed, the rights of all Americans are demeaned."

Mayor David Cicilline Endorses Hillary Clinton

The Clinton Campaign today announced the endorsement of Providence Mayor David Cicilline and named him a Co-Chair of Hillary's Rhode Island campaign. Cicilline, an openly gay man, was endorsed by the Victory Fund.

"Hillary Clinton understands the challenges facing our cities, and she has the experience and vision needed to lead this country from her first day in office," Cicilline said.

Cicilline has made a name for himself as reform-minded mayor intent on modernizing city government and improving neighborhood schools. Under his leadership, Providence's crime rate has dropped to its lowest level in 30 years due to an innovative community policing program, and fiscal integrity has been restored as evidenced by straight-A bond ratings.

Prior to his election as Mayor, Cicilline served four terms as a state representative, championing ethics reform and gun safety. His dedication to transparency and accountability in government earned him Common Cause's #1 ranking.

"Mayor Cicilline is an exciting young leader who has turned Providence around and restored faith in city government again," Clinton said. "I'm honored to have his support as we take our message of change across Rhode Island."

Cicilline distinguishes Providence as the largest U.S. city with an openly gay Mayor.

Edwards Continues to Gain Support from LGBT Community

Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Senator John Edwards' campaign to transform America continues to gain momentum in the LGBT community. Today, the campaign announced the support of several prominent community leaders from across the country. In April, the campaign announced the support of 25 national LGBT leaders, which can be read at http://www.johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/200700410-lgbt/.

“As a first-generation college graduate from rural North Carolina, I come from a similar background to Senator Edwards and believe he understands on a gut level issues of justice and equality” said New York based activist Kevin Jennings.

Northern California activists Jeff Soukup and Jeff Anderson said “We are proud to add our voices to the growing chorus of LGBT leaders from across the country who are enthusiastically endorsing John Edwards for president.”

The LGBT leaders endorsing Edwards for president are:

Kevin Jennings, New York LGBT Community Activist

Jeffrey Davis, New York LGBT Community Activist, Managing Director of Lehman Brothers

Gregory G. Simoncini, Commissioner of Illinois Human Rights Commission, former Board Member of National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, former Board Member of Lambda Legal

Stephen Handwerk, Board Member of National Stonewall Democrats and Co-Chair of Louisiana Stonewall Democrats.

Jeff Anderson, former Co-Chair of John Kerry for President National LGBT Finance Committee

Jeff Soukup, Board Member of Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, former President and COO, PlanetOut Inc., and former Co-Chair National Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund

Pam Cooke, Board Member of National Stonewall Democrats

Barack Obama Answers HRC Questionaire

Barack Obama has responded to a presidential candidate survey from the Human Rights Campaign.

click here to see Barack Obama's responses (pdf file)

John Edwards Answers HRC Questionaire

John Edwards has responded to a presidential candidate survey from the Human Rights Campaign.

click here to see John Edward's responses (pdf file)

Beyond Shame: Democrats Sell Out Youth

From rhrealitycheck.org: Today, the House Democrats will waltz into the mark-up of the Labor HHS Subcommittee and proudly present a bill that puts their stamp of approval on domestic abstinence-only-until-marriage programs—an ideological boondoggle that threatens the health and well-being of America's youth.

The most appalling aspect of this sell-out is that that the Democrats will not only fully fund the worst of the failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs—they'll give them a $27 million increase—the first in three years!

Shame on Congressman David Obey for brokering this "deal;" shame on Congresswoman Nita Lowey for agreeing to it; and shame on the other Democrats on the Appropriations Committee who have already promised not to offer any amendment that would cut funding for abstinence-only programs and thus "upset" the deal.

In one inglorious motion, the Democrats have sold the health and well-being of young people down the proverbial drain, delivered a public slap in the face to evidence-based public health, and made a mockery of their "prevention first" message.

Consider this irony. The first domestic policy the Democrats will endorse on the prevention front will be to fund abstinence-only-until-marriage programs for young people up to the age of 29! Good work, gang. You make me proud to be a Democrat—NOT!

And consider this second irony. The Democrats will now become one of the largest funders of an ultra-conservative network that is clearly hostile to its policies and candidates (See an in-depth article in The Nation.)

The funding of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs represents the worst of cynical, "inside-the-beltway" deal-making. Whose interests were protected at the expense of young people's health and lives? Whose politics were advanced by including this "sweetener" for conservatives in an appropriations bill threatened with a Presidential veto? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Now is the time for advocates to hold these Democrats accountable. It would be the height of hypocrisy to go mute when this kind of damage is done to young people because "our friends" are in power.

We cannot afford to play the "never mind" game.

Never mind the Society of Adolescent Medicine report that stated abstinence-only programs "threaten fundamental human rights to health, information and life"; never mind the congressionally-mandated Mathematica study released in April showing that abstinence-only programs simply do not work; never mind the research showing that young people who take "virginity pledges" are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Should we really ignore it all because these Democrats are "our friends" and we shouldn't publicly criticize our "friends?"

To hell with that! Over the next few weeks we need to mount a campaign to reverse this policy even if it means publicly dinging our "friends." After all, with friends like these, who needs conservative Republicans?

I urge everyone to take action. Tell the Democratic leadership that it is time to END funding for failed abstinence-only programs today!.

- Jame Wagoner

Hillary Clinton Answers HRC Questionare

Hillary Clinton has responded to a presidential candidate survey from the Human Rights Campaign.

click here to see Hillary Clinton's responses (pdf file)

Chris Crain: Edwards is Frontrunner on LGBT Issues

Former editor of the Washington Blade and Blogger Chris Crain has a new post, calling John Edwards the frontrunner on gay issues.

Crain writes "There may be three Democrats in the "top tier" of presidential candidates, but on gay issues we now have a clear frontrunner. Now that we can see in complete form the "campaign statements" issued by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama last week on gay issues, it's clear that rival John Edwards is willing to go further and is much stronger on the specifics."

Crain also comments on Edwards strength on transgender issues. Commenting on the recent HRC questionaires filled out by Edwards, Obama, and Clinton, Crain writes: "It's also noteworthy that only Edwards commits to inclusion of "gender identity" in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, although both he and Clinton (but not Obama) back a similar category in federal hate crime laws."

Statement from Senator Clinton on LGBT Pride Month

"As we celebrate Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, I want to commend the LGBT community on a historic year that brought our country closer to equality and closer to ending discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Just a year ago, I worked with my Democratic colleagues in the Senate as well as with LGBT leaders to defeat the divisive and discriminatory Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA). Since then, we not only defeated FMA, but we have been able to make real progress in achieving fairness for all Americans. In fact, since June 2006, New Jersey and New Hampshire became the third and fourth states to adopt civil unions and Washington and Iowa were added to the list of states that outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. A similar bill in Colorado is expected to be signed into law soon. And in Congress, we are finally on the verge of passing the Matthew Shepherd Act, which would expand hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity. What a difference a year makes.

"The start of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month is a great time to celebrate these recent victories but also to reflect on all the work that still needs to be done. Unfortunately, while this is the first time in years that hate crimes legislation has a strong chance of passing both houses of Congress, President Bush has already signaled that he would veto this landmark bill. The truth is we will see little progress for the LGBT community at the national level until we have a new Democratic president. For six long years, the Bush Administration has only seen the families that matter to them. It's been a government of the few, by the few, and for the few. And no community has been more invisible to this administration than the LGBT community.

"I'm running for president to replace the divisive leadership of the past six years -- leadership that views no issue and no family above the reach of politics. America deserves a president who appeals to the best in each of us, not the worst; a president who values and respects all Americans, gay and straight; a president who treats all Americans equally no matter who they are or who they love.

"I'm proud of my record standing up for the LGBT community during my years as First Lady and as a U.S. Senator. But when I take office in January 2009, we'll finally be able to define success by more than the bigotry we stopped and the bad decisions we prevented. America will finally have a president who moves this country forward. When I am president, we will work together to make sure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits and that nothing stands in the way of loving couples who want to adopt children in need. We're going to finally expand our federal hate crimes legislation and pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It is just plain wrong that in the year 2007, people who work hard and do a good job every day can still be fired because of who they love. And finally, we will put an end to the failed policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice -- the traits that define our men and women in uniform -- have nothing to do with sexual orientation.

"I am honored to have the support of so many people in the LGBT community and look forward to working with the community closely throughout the campaign. Together, we can continue the journey America has been on from the very beginning -- to form a more perfect union and realize the goals and values we believe in. That's the promise of America -- and that's why I'm running for president."

Barack Obama on Pride Month

CHICAGO , IL-- U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today released the following statement to commemorate Pride Month.

"Pride Month is a reminder that while we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do."

"Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. 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."

"It's time to turn the page on the bitterness and bigotry that fill so much of today's LGBT rights debate. The rights of all Americans should be protected -- whether it's at work or anyplace else. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" needs to be repealed because patriotism and a sense of duty should be the key tests for military service, not sexual orientation. Civil unions should give gay couples full rights. And those who commit hate crimes should be punished no matter whether those crimes are committed on account of race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation."

"This Pride Month, let's make our founding promise of equality a reality for every American."

Democrats Mark 2007 Pride Season

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today joined Massachusetts Democratic Representative Barney Frank and Wisconsin Democratic Representative Tammy Baldwin in issuing the following Proclamation marking the start of PRIDE Month:

"Today, we join Democrats across America in celebrating PRIDE month and honoring the contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans have made to our society.

Our Party’s commitment to protecting the fundamental right of every American to live in dignity with equal rights and protections under the law has never been stronger. Since the American people entrusted Democrats to lead our nation last November, we have stood up and shown that ours is the Party that truly values all families. This year, instead of fighting back divisive, discriminatory and politically-motivated attacks in the Republican Congress and Republican state houses across the country, together we are making tremendous progress toward building a more fair and just America. Our new Democratic majority in Congress is leading the way toward enacting important hate crimes protections and passing ENDA, while new Democratic state legislatures are passing important family protections.

But our work has barely begun. We must work together to protect and expand our Democratic majorities in Congress, elect more Democratic governors and state houses, and put a Democrat in the White House in 2008. If the accomplishments of the last six months show us anything, they show that our country and our communities are stronger under Democratic leadership. As leaders of the Democratic Party, we stand proudly with the LGBT community and commit ourselves to working together to build an America that is inclusive of all Americans, rejects the politics of fear and division, and renews our commitment to ending discrimination in all its forms.

Paul Yandura Weighs in on DNC Controversy

Below is a response to a post by Andy Tobias who responded 'unoficially' to concerns stated by Donald Hitchcock after his departure from the DNC
Dear Editor:

DNC National Treasurer and chief fundraiser Andy Tobias in his personal, not-to-be-confused-with-an-official-DNC, response to my partner Donald Hichcock’s letter confirms and agrees with two of Donald’s three substantive points. (Donald’s letter and Andy’s response follow this letter and I urge you to read both and decide for yourself.) To be fair, Andy views both incidents differently, but does not dispute the facts.

1.) He agrees that the Democratic Party, despite claming to have a strategy, gave very little money to fight the ballot intiatives, and

2) He agrees the community lost two outreach positions inside the Party.

More interesting than the personal attacks and attempts to focus on trivial points, are the substantive points the DNC chooses to ignore:

* They ignore the fact that the two GLBT outreach positions that were abolished were effectively merged into the finance department—for a total of FOUR GLBT positions currently.

* They ignore the fact that over the last year the DNC has valiantly tried to convince the community that the GLBT outreach positions had been merged into the American Majority Partnership (the new DNC constituency operation) like all of the other constituency groups that lost outreach positions. I guess the community has not been convinced so they have stopped using that talking point.

* They also ignore Donald’s substantive point concerning Dean’s statement that there was no exit-polling numbers for GLBT voters available for the 2006 elections. We are almost three months past the mid-term elections and the exit-polling is not only available but widely reported upon. I guarantee Dean knows the exit-polling for evangelicals which the DNC was proud to court over the last election.

I know that this may sound strange, but as a loyal Democrat for over 20 years I believe that the Party belongs to all of us and it is our obligation to make it better and more inclusive for all. The DNC Treasurer is being disingenuous, however unintentionally, by trying to paint my partner Donald and I as insiders with an agenda. Not because that’s not true, but because he has his own agenda: to raise as much money for Democratic Party priorities as possible. Donald and I’s agenda is to see the Party treat our community with dignity and respect and to help advance GLBT equality priorities. Sometimes those two agendas will not be in synch and, sometimes, our agenda will be counterproductive to his. But, even so, both Donald and I have refused to make this personal no matter how much easier it may be than discussing the substance.

Before contributing another gay dime you have to ask yourself two questions:

“If my ultimate goal is GLBT equality, will paying for Democratic Party priorities or GLBT equality priorities help me achieve it?

“Is it ok for our friends to just not act like our enemies, or should we demand that they act like our friends?”

I think that this discussion is of utmost importance for the GLBT community to be having.

Paul Yandura
Washington, DC

Press Release on Lawsuit Against DNC

Former Employee Sues Democratic National Committee For Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Defamation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Donald Hitchcock, former employee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), filed a lawsuit charging the DNC with violating his rights as an openly gay man, and Governor Howard Dean, DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias and DNC Deputy Finance Director Julie Tagen with defamation.

“As a lifelong, loyal Democrat I am filing this complaint against the DNC because the road to social justice sometimes demands that our political family and friends be held accountable when they do not act for the common good.”

Attorney Lynne Bernabei of the civil rights firm Bernabei & Wachtel, PLLC stated, "Mr. Hitchcock was an outstanding employee for the DNC. Unfortunately, because of his sexual orientation, he was relegated to second class status within the DNC, silenced when he raised Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community grievances internally, denied access to DNC resources and participation in DNC politics and ultimately fired after his partner voiced political criticisms of the DNC. After Mr. Hitchcock was terminated the DNC tried to silence him by knowingly making false statements about his character and performance.”

LGBT groups have criticized the DNC for failing to recognize and promote the human rights of LGBT Democrats. Among other things, they have charged that the DNC has been more concerned with keeping LGBT money flowing into DNC coffers than treating Democratic LGBT employees and constituents with the same respect given to other constituents. The DNC now has fewer openly gay and lesbian members than before the 2004 election.

Donald Hitchcock Sues Howard Dean & the DNC

Donald Hitchcock, former Director of the DNC Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council, has filed suit against Howard Dean and the DNC (Democratic National Committee claiming "discrimination and retaliation on the basis of his sexual orientation."

Hitchcock, as you may remember, was fired from the position shortly after his domestic partner Paul Yandura made public comments criticizing the DNC.

The Lawsuit makes three central claims, all of which seem to have substantial merit.

First, Hitchcock says that he was fired because of comments made by his domestic partner Paul Yandura, and that in doing so his relationship was treated differently than heterosexual employees, who historically have not been held responsible for the actions of a husband or wife. Hitchcock backs this up with specific examples of heterosexual employees who were not held to the standard he says was applied to him.

Second, Hitchcock claims that LGBT employees including himself, were paid less than their heterosexual counterparts for equal jobs with equal responsibilites. Hitchcock backs this up with two specific examples of LGBT employees being paid less than their heterosexual counterparts.

Third, Hitchcock claims that in order to justify his unjustifiable firing to fellow DNC staff members, the leadership of the DNC spread false rumors about the reason he was fired including completely fabricated charges that he made racist comments in the workplace. Hitchcock has as evidence of this DNC staff members who were told these false rumors which damaged reputation.

All in all, the facts of the case as laid out carefully in the lawsuit are compelling.

Hitchcock wrote earlier tonight on Americablog: "I expect my party to embody the Democratic values of fairness and honesty. It is important that the DNC be able to acknowledge its failings and live up to its promise to protect the human rights of the LGBT community as we move forward. To help attain this goal, I cannot remain silent on matters of policy and substance."