LGBT POV

Kevin Jennings, the openly gay Assistant Deputy Secretary at the US Department of Education, will issue “a call to action for a comprehensive national effort to address bullying during the 2010-2011 school year by all summit participants” on Thursday, according to a press release from the Department of Education.  The call to action will close out a two-day summit in Washington DC, the goal of which is “to engage governmental and nongovernmental partners in crafting a national strategy to reduce and end bullying.”

Bullying has lead to so many suicides there is now a new term for it – “Bullycide.”

CORRECTED AND UPDATED.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan addressed the summit Wednesday morning, saying “No school can be a great school until it is a safe school first.”

Please click inside to read excerpts of Duncan’s address – The Myths About Bullying: Secretary Arne Duncan’s Remarks at the Bullying Prevention Summit

Duncan was joined at the first-ever bullying summit Wednesday-Thursday, Aug. 11-12, at the Washington Hilton Hotel, by governmental and nongovernmental representatives to craft “a national strategy to reduce and end bullying, the release said.

Please click inside for more info on who’s there and what the goals are. Lest we think bullycide only impacts the families of the kids who commit suicide – here’s a video by a 14 year old identified as pinkmints who “understands the pain” of the young people who would rather die than endure another day of bullying.

(Editor’s note: London-based Peter Tatchell may be the hardest working LGBT/human rights activist in the world. A quick scan of his website www.petertatchell.net barely hints at the degree of grassroots activism Tatchell has either lead or inspired personally or through the direct action group Outrage,  often getting beaten or arrested.  His clarion calls for justice have also helped save lives, as in the case of the two Malawi men who wanted to marry. He has also drawn attention to the terrible human rights violations against LGBT people – such as these two gay teens hung in Iran in 2005. Now he is trying to draw attention to an 18 year old who faces hanging in the Iranian city of Tabriz, even though the accuser said he was pressured and has withdrawn his accusation and despite the country’s Supreme Court twice rejecting the lower court’s guilty verdict.

It is sobering to know that while we gays in LA nervously await Judge Vaughn Walker’s decision about whether same sex couples can again legally marry in California, there is an 18 year old boy who faces a horrible fate because a judge thinks he’s gay – and that’s enough to kill him. Please read Tatchell’s account and help, if you can. Thank you. This story was cross-posted from the Evening Standard with Tatchell’s permission. – Karen Ocamb)

Iranian judges defy their Supreme Court to hang teen

URGENT ACTION:

At the end of this article, see the action you can take to help save Ebrahim

Must a man hang because he is accused of being gay?

By Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner

Evening Standard - London – 6 August 2010

Eighteen year old Ebrahim Hamidi has been sentenced to death by a court in the Iranian city of Tabriz, on charges that he sexually assaulted another man. His accuser has since withdrawn the assault claim in a sworn affidavit, admitting that he lied under parental pressure. But Ebrahim is still scheduled to hang.

Two years ago, the alleged sex attack victim was caught by Ebrahim damaging his father’s crops. There had been a history of feuding between their families. A fist fight ensued, involving Ebrahim and some friends. During the fracas, the accuser’s trousers slipped down 20cm, which he claimed was evidence of a sexual assault.

Two hours later, Ebrahim and three friends were arrested on sodomy charges and tortured in a detention centre for three days. Ebrahim was hanged upside down by his legs and badly beaten. To stop this abuse, he signed a confession.

There is no evidence that Ebrahim is gay or that a sexual assault took place; just the word of one person against another and a confession under torture, which was later retracted.

(Editor’s note: GetEqual made some news this weekend at Netroots Nation – stopping traffic on the Strip in Las Vegas and threatening to upstage Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid to the point that someone had to negotiate a truce: ENDA was the first question asked of Pelosi. Then came what I felt was a transcendent moment between Reid and discharged Lt. Dan Choi.

But apparently, that was not the outcome Choi intended. In a letter to his supporters Tuesday, Choi wrote:  “As Joan [the moderator] explained to Sen. Reid, I did not give the ring as a gift — I gave it to him as a reminder of the career that DADT destroyed last week. Although that ring represents an earned symbol of my time at West Point, at this moment it means NOTHING without repeal. I have no use of a ring that reminds me of the homophobia written into our laws — written into the laws of a country that I have fought for and that many of my friends have died for.” Choi asked that people help him hold Reid accountable: “Join me in demanding the repeals of DADT this year: www.getequal.org/returnthering”

But all the whoopla – especially challenging Reid, who is in a surprisingly contested race against a Tea Party radical, prompted a heated discussion between Reid supporters Derek Washington (on left in the photo) – also generally a fan of GetEqual – and GetEqual’s Robin McGehee.  That generated so much conversation within the LGBT community that Derek offered his own thoughts – and some friendly advice to his friends at GetEqual. This was initially posted on a private political listserv – but Derek gave me permission to post it here for you to see. – Karen Ocamb)

Some (Respectful) Advice for GetEqual

By guest blogger Derek Washington

Chairman, Stonewall Democratic Club of Southern Nevada

First let me say that Netroots was an amazing event and my getting to know Mike Rogers and everyone else I met will always be something I remember and cherish. Probably the best part of all of this is that Robin/Get Equal and I (along with many in the local LGBT community) were able to disagree with one another forcefully and then party with each other Saturday night. We love each other and support one another in most things.

I would not be an activist today were it not for Robin. I consider Dan a friend whom I wish I had more time with socially. I think, as an act of civil disobedience, you can’t say that Get Equal didn’t knock one out the park by shutting down the Strip. Honestly, I’m surprised the local press hasn’t picked up on Metro not arriving for twenty minutes. Someone should be fired, what if that had been a hostile or violent situation?

I completely disagree with GE attacking Harry Reid (they feel they “targeted”, as a Harry Reid supporter it felt like an attack here. Semantics.), however, who else was making news for our issues before the National Equality March and Get Equal? I mention the two because one begat the other. Notice, EAA has just died a dull death by socialism. No action, no publicity (and we do need publicity), no mojo, GE has, at least, gotten our issues out there. Along with Queer Rising, GE is often accused of being “Fame Whores”. Fame on my brothers and sisters, fame on. When Gay Inc was the only show in town the activist community was lulled into a sorta nowhere land. It was not in The Firm’s best interest to shake up things, they might be sent back to the fields from the comfort of the Big House. Now, like an aircraft carrier trying to make a left turn, Gay Inc has been left behind by an inflatable with a group of insurgents who are grabbing the attention.  So be it.

Please click inside to read Derek’s advice for GetEqual.

This sweet McDonalds ad airing in France is at the center of a huge controversy after Bill O’Reilly asked , “Do they have an al-Qaeda ad?” Media Matters is all over it.

Timothy Kincaid over at Box Turtle Bulletin has a good story on the new IRS rule change regarding domestic partnerships in California. Because California has such an extensive domestic partnership law, this state treats DPs as if the same sex couple is married, including filing of state income taxes. But because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the federal government has required DPs to file as individuals, which often means gays pay more.

BTB reports that “the IRS has issued a memorandum revising its position on the reporting of income from domestic partnerships in California and providing an interpretation that will result in returns that are both easier to prepare and file and also which are more fairly taxed.”

Please click inside to read more about the IRS rule change and President Obama’s Executive Memorandum expanding benefits to federal employees.

Wednesday was Day 44 of the worst environmental disaster in US history and Rachel Maddow flew to New Orleans for a first-hand look at the BP oil gush. During the show, she accessed President Obama’s new push for a clean energy policy and interviewed California Sen. Barbara Boxer, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, who provides new information on what the Bush Administration said in 2007 about the risks of a spill drilling so deeply for oil.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rachel also spent some time in the wetlands 15 miles outside of New Orleans – wetlands that are at risk of getting oil during hurricane season.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors heard hours of contentious public testimony Tuesday before voting 3 to 2 to boycott Arizona over SB 1070, the state’s controversial “Papers, please” illegal immigration law that requires law enforcement to ask anyone they “suspect” of being an “illegal alien” to produce documented proof of American citizenship.

LA County joins a growing list of California cities and organization opposing the Arizona law, including West Hollywood, Santa Ana, LA City, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and El Monte. The decision is significant since it is believed that if LA County were a nation, its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would rank among the 20 largest countries in the world. The motion, brought by Supervisors Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky (this photo shows Supervisors Mike Antonovich, Don Knabe, Gloria Molina, Mark Ridley-Thomas, Zev Yaroslavsky) not only calls for a boycott of Country business travel – but also calls for divestiture of all County investments, in effect treating Arizona like South Africa in the days of apartheid. The motionalso keeps the ban in place until SB 1070 is suspended or repealed.

Please click inside to read about testimony at the public hearing, including the entire comments delivered by Lambda Legal Proyecto Igualdad Coordinator Francisco Duenas on the impact of Arizona’s law on LGBT people.

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria broadcast an interesting photo Sunday morning: Iranian president (right) Ahmadinajad kissing another man!!!

Zakaria framed the kiss in terms of his friend Maziar Bahari, a Newsweek reporter with dual Canadian and Iranian citizenship who was imprisoned for four months for covering the Iranian crackdown after the disputed presidential elections. He was released on bail and on May 11, he was sentenced in absentia.

On his GPS show Sunday morning, Zakaria reported:

“Maziar Bahari, Newsweek’s man in Tehran, was imprisoned following the Iranian elections and put on show trial. He was recently sentenced in absentia to 13 years, 6 months, and 74 lashes.

Fareed asks, “why the 6 months?” 

The answer is surprising – it has something to do with the picture that the Iranian regime doesn’t want you to see.”

Zarkaria noted that at least 11 gays have been hung for homosexuality – a point gay journalist Doug Ireland made so poignantly five years ago with the story about two gay Iranian teenagers publicly executed for the “crime” of homosexuality.

Such cruel hypocrisy. This is the man who said there are no gays in Iran:

The BBC reports that Malawi President Bingu Wa Mutharika has pardoned Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, the same sex couple who were convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts for the crime of getting engaged to marry last December. The couple was sentenced to 14 years hard labor in prison.

The plight of the couple sparked international attention about the country’s ultra-conservative views about homosexuality and that the law upon which they were tried was an antiquated law from British colonial rule. Complaints were sent to the Malawi government and to the donor governments upon which Malawi replies heavily.

Mutharika announced the pardon and the immediate release of the couple during a visit by UN chief Ban Ki-moon. The BBC quotes Ban’s decision as “courageous,” adding, “This outdated penal code should be reformed wherever it may exist.”

Mutharika said the pardon was based on humanitarian grounds. “These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws,” he said. “However, as the head of state I hereby pardon them and therefore ask for their immediate release with no conditions.”

Intense criticism of the Malawi government for human rights violations followed the sentencing, including from England, the country’s biggest donor, and the United States, which called the sentence a backward step.

The BB reports that international rock star and AIDS activist Sir Elton John wrote a letter to Mutharika published Saturday in the Guardian pleading for the couple’s release: John wrote: “Their trial and harsh sentencing will have a perilous effect on our continuing efforts to combat Aids in Malawi and potentially reverse the gains we have achieved.”

Gift Trapence, from the Centre for the Development of People, said, “We’re very happy and we praise the president for his maturity, but there is still a long way to go to end the culture of hate.”

Peter Tatchell, the British human rights campaigner who has championed Steven and Tiwonge’s case and support them personally, arranging prison visits, food parcels and medicine, said

“Our thanks to President Bingu and Ban Ki Moon for ending this terrible injustice. Steven and Tiwonge should never have been arrested, let alone jailed for five months, convicted and sentenced to 14 years hard labour. They love one another and have harmed no one.

I hope the government of Malawi will now show true humanitarian leadership by repealing the criminalisation of homosexuality and enacting laws to protect gay people against discrimination and hate crimes, as South Africa has done.

As someone who supported the people of Malawi in the 1970s and 80s, when they struggled against the dictatorship of Dr Hastings Banda, I urge the Malawian government to continue the transition to democracy and human rights by ensuring equality for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens.”

UPDATE; THE WHITE HOUSE ISSUED THIS STATEMENT:

The White House is pleased to learn of President Bingu wa Mutharika’s pardon of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza. These individuals were not criminals and their struggle is not unique. We must all recommit ourselves to ending the persecution and criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity. We hope that President Mutharika’s pardon marks the beginning of a new dialogue which reflects the country’s history of tolerance and a new day for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in Malawi and around the globe.

If repealing the odious antigay Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell wasn’t so deadly serious, the effort could be compared to riding a rickety Coney Island roller coaster. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who is championing the compromise repeal amendment attached to the Defense Appropriations Bill in the House, was upbeat on Rachel Maddow’s show – even as Roll Call wrote, “Prospects for a repeal of the military’s ban on openly gay service members remained very much in doubt Tuesday as Senate Democrats met resistance for the move on the Armed Services Committee and House Democrats faced defections of their own amid nearly unified Republican opposition.”

The Washington Blade also noted the rocky ride before Thursday’s debates – despite compromises to the amendment such as built-in delays, a required “certification” from the President, the Secretary of Defense and the chair of the Joints Chiefs that the implementation plan passed muster with the military before taking effect, and the non-discrimination clause stripped out to make it more palatable to congressional holdouts. That was apparently not enough for Senators Scott Brown (R-MA) and Jim Webb (D-VA), who said they would vote against the DADT repeal.

Then Wednesday morning, Adam Bink at Open Left reported that Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson was a “yes” vote. Bink wrote: “Big, big, big news. As I reported last night, Sen. Bayh is a “soft yes”, and if he fully commits, we will have the votes in hand on the [Senate] Armed Services Committee.”

The ups and downs of playing politics with LGBT equality is prompting some to consider sitting out the November mid-term elections.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama” is a new media campaign launched to underscore the urgent need for congressional action and presidential leadership at this critical point in the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Every weekday morning as we approach the markup of the Defense Authorization bill in the Senate, SLDN and a coalition of voices supporting repeal, will share an open letter to the President from a person impacted by this discriminatory law. The Defense Authorization bill represents the best legislative vehicle to bring repeal to the president’s desk. It also was the same vehicle used to pass DADT in 1993. By working together, we can help build momentum to get the votes! We ask that you forward and post these personal stories.

Please click inside to read the letter from former Marine Corporal Juan C. Perezortiz: “Mr. President, thank you for supporting repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” I hope that, with your leadership, no other service member will have to go through the persecution I endured in order to serve our country.”

Lt. Dan Choi, Cpl. Evelyn Thomas and the GetEqual crew issued the following press release about the proposed compromise Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal introduced Tuesday by Rep. Murphy. The press release seems in response to calls by many in national LGBT leadership is accept the proposal as a good first step.

Please click inside to read the entire GetEqual press release. Here’s Lt. Dan Choi:

During a follow-up endorsement meeting for the June 8 primaries, Stonewall Democratic Club of Los Angeles, which has been around since 1975, also voted on whether or not to endorse the proposed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal amendment introduced in the House Tuesday. They voted to support the repeal – but with a huge caveat: “any policy, bill, compromise, or executive order that does not ensure that our service members are able to serve fully, openly, and equally is not acceptable to our community and should not be to our elected officials either.”

Please click inside to read the full statement, plus a followup with Stonewall President John Cleary.

CORRECTED: President Obama is flying back to California Tuesday night to appear at two fundraisers in San Francisco for Sen. Barbara Boxer’s re-election campaign. MSNBC describes Boxer as an “imperiled incumbent” as she seeks her fourth-term. The last time Obama stumped for Boxer, he was confronted by GetEqual protesters calling for an immediate repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell through an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill. Late Monday, Obama signed off on a compromise repeal amendment that would repeal the law, but not take effect until after the Pentagon’s study on Dec. 1 – as well as a host of other conditions that have since cause concern.

Rep. Patrick Murphy introduced a repeal DADT amendment to the DOD bill Tuesday – he’s scheduled to appear on Rachel Maddow’s Tuesday night to discuss the repeal. Murphy’s amendment is expected to be debated on Thursday, as is a similar DADT amendment, introduced in the Senate Armed Services committee by chair Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. Joe Lieberman.

(CORRECTED) A number of activists are “VERY displeased and are tired of being a political football” – saying the compromise repeal amendment is “far from equal and removes any accountability to the people.” Please click inside to see their call to action to protest this compromise repeal DADT amendment.

“Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama” is a new media campaign launched to underscore the urgent need for congressional action and presidential leadership at this critical point in the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Every weekday morning as we approach the markup of the Defense Authorization bill in the Senate, SLDN and a coalition of voices supporting repeal, will share an open letter to the President from a person impacted by this discriminatory law. The Defense Authorization bill represents the best legislative vehicle to bring repeal to the president’s desk. It also was the same vehicle used to pass DADT in 1993. By working together, we can help build momentum to get the votes! We ask that you forward and post these personal stories.

Please click inside to read former Capt. Beth Schissel’s letter, in which she says: “While in medical school, I fell in love with my best friend. While most people are thrilled to have found their true love, their soul mate, I agonized over it. That’s because my friend, my love, and my soul mate was a woman.”

The White House announced late Monday that President Obama has endorsed a compromise on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This is in response to a letter from Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, along with Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) asking for Obama to weigh in.

Their letter said they “have developed a legislative proposal for consideration by the House and Senate that puts a process in place to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ once the working group has completed its review” and the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs “certify that repeal can be achieved consistent with the military’s standards of readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention.”

Please click inside to read more about what’s happening on the DADT repeal front.

Last Thursday, May 20, I was among many who reported on the horrendous sentence of 14 years hard labor in prison for Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, arrested last December for simply holding an engagement ceremony. This started out last year as a remarkable story about a same sex couple who wanted to marry so badly, they knowing put themselves at risk by holding an engagement ceremony in a country that abhors homosexuality.

Along the way, I noted that Tiwonge Chimbalanga identified as a woman. While I didn’t call Tiwonge “gay” in the body of the recent story on their sentencing – I did write “Malawai gay couple” in the title because that’s how most reliable sources upon whom I depended for information identified the couple. Last January, for example, The international Times online headlined their story: “We have been beaten in jail, say first openly gay couple in Malawi. The Huffington Post’s story last Friday , written by Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was entitled “Malawi sets grave example with conviction of gay couple.” The New York Times titled their story, “Gay Couple in Malawi Get Maximum Sentence of 14 Years in Prison.”

So truthfully, I didn’t think about any other way of identifying the couple. Until I read this comment on my blog post:

“Tiwonge identifies as a woman. I am not sure why I keep seeing this reported as if her and her husband are two gay men. their treatment by the court is still cruel and unacceptable either way… but this does not justify erasing her identity in the press (particularly the gay press).”

I thought the person who left the comment made an excellent point so I immediately contacted Peter Tachell, the longtime London-based gay human rights activist who has been trying so hard to help Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga.

Please click inside to read more – as well as Peter’s response and how you can help the imprisoned couple.

Kerry Eleveld at The Advocate reports that “concurrent meetings took place Monday morning at the White House and on Capitol Hill that could help clear the way for “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal to be attached to the Department of Defense authorization bill later this week.”

Kerry’s report is pretty optimistic – obviously welcome news. I summarized the debate up to this point in a story I posted over the weekend. But truthfully, I was angry at President Obama for failing to use his platform speaking before the graduating class at West Point to make clear he wants DADT repealed this year – meaning before Democrats possibly lose seats in the November election. I also wrote about how no one seems to be linking the spike in military sexual trauma and suicide rates to DADT – borrowing an old ACT UP slogan to say Enforced Silence = Death.

Servicemembers United is also on the optimistic side – strongly urging you to GIVE ‘EM HELL – TODAY!

This is our LAST CHANCE to flood congressional offices with phone calls to send the message that support for repealing DADT is overwhelming.

We are no longer asking. We are DEMANDING that DADT be repealed THIS YEAR. We all have worked long and hard for this time to come. Now that it’s here, we cannot let the opportunity slip. Please join us on Monday, May 24th and help us flood our congressional offices with phone calls demanding repeal of DADT immediately.

Step 1) Call the DC offices of each of your state’s two Senators.

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Step 2) Call the DC office of your district’s federal Representative.

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml

Step 3) Post a comment on this page letting us know how it went.

And finally, to all those still serving on active duty under the cloud of DADT, KEEP FIGHTING FOR US AND WE’LL KEEP FIGHTING FOR YOU.

“Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama” is a new media campaign launched to underscore the urgent need for congressional action and presidential leadership at this critical point in the fight to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Every weekday morning as we approach the markup of the Defense Authorization bill in the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, SLDN and a coalition of voices supporting repeal, will share an open letter to the President from a person impacted by this discriminatory law. We are urging the President to include repeal in the Administration’s defense budget recommendations, but also to voice his support as we work to muster the 15 critical votes needed on the Senate Armed Services Committee to include repeal. The Defense Authorization bill represents the best legislative vehicle to bring repeal to the president’s desk. It also was the same vehicle used to pass DADT in 1993. By working together, we can help build momentum to get the votes! We ask that you forward and post these personal stories.

Please click inside to read former Lieutenant Junior Grade Jenny Kopfstein, who writes: “I also earned my Surface Warfare Officer pin. During my pinning ceremony, the Captain removed his own pin — off the chest of his uniform — and pinned it on mine. That was one of my proudest moments.”

This one was for you, Constance McMillen and all the other fine young Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning people out there! – An appreciation by Joe Mannetti

On Friday, May 14, Friends of Project 10 produced its outstanding annual LGBTQ Youth Prom at The Friendship Auditorium in the Los Feliz area just off of Riverside Drive! It was a night to remember as LGBTQ youth and their adult allies gathered together for a delicious dinner, dancing, limitless non-alcoholic beverages, and tons of fun in a safe and supportive environment.

Times have been tough for everyone. The economy has forced many non-profit organizations to take a beating or, even worse, close down in retreat entirely. But the band played on this year at the LGBTQ Youth Prom. Despite funding cuts and hard times, the spirit of the youth in attendance was not diminished. The resilience that they displayed helped breathed new life into the adult volunteers in attendance that night!

Please click inside to read the rest of Joe’s appreciation and see more photos.