LGBT POV

LGBT POV is joining with The Bilerico Project in a blogswarm today with

Daily Kos,
Open Left,
Towleroad,
Pam’s House Blend,
Joe My God,
Michelangelo Signorile,
David Mixner,
Daily Gotham,
Culture Kitchen,
Taylor Marsh,
PageOneQ,
Dan
Savage, and others.

Bloggers are asking readers to contact Speaker Nancy Pelosi and ask that she move the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (HR 3017) to a floor vote. Contact info at the end of the article.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, first introduced in 1994, would prohibit job discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But LGBT people have never been able to achieve the enactment of the bill, known by the acronym of “ENDA”.

Please click inside for an article written by Jillian Weiss for The Bilerico Project with the necessary contact info.

Openly gay politico Steve Hildebrand, who was deputy national campaign manager for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, told CNN in an exclusive interview Tuesday that he may mount a primary challenge to South Dakota Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin if she votes against health care reform this week – something a spokesperson for the Democratic congressmember said she would do.

Please click inside to read more of Hildebrand’s interview.

Oh, that NOM. The National Organization for Marriage just launched a $500,000 campaign to “expose” Tom Campbell – a Republican candidate seeking to unseat US Senator Barbara Boxer in her re-election bid. He’s a – gasp – RINO!!!!! That means – “Republican in Name Only.”

In a fundraising email, NOM’s Brian Brown – who calls Boxer “one of the most notorious uber-liberals in the Senate” – says:

This powerful new campaign is a continuation of NOM’s aggressive leadership to expose liberal pro-same-sex marriage Republicans. NOM helped lead the effort to derail the candidacy of Dede Scozzafava in New York’s 23rd Congressional District last November. Scozzafava was so discredited as a result of NOM’s effort and that of other groups that she was forced to withdraw from the race.”

Click inside to see how this might help Boxer – plus reaction from Campbell’s campaign and EQCA’s Geoff Kors.

The annual Human Rights Campaign gala is generally a night for gay politicos to schmooze with HRC President Joe Solmonese (pictured here with HRC board member Alan Uphold and his partner Jeff Olde) about the DC gossip and pending legislation.

So it uncommon for a self-proclaimed “D-List” celebrity to make more news than the politicos. But comedienne Kathy Griffin’s call to protest the antigay military policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Thursday at noon at Freedom Plaza in DC) was a significant highlight at the Human Rights Campaign gala March 13 at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel. Actress Portia de Rossi was also a hit with the story about her political evolution.

Please click inside to read excerpts from remarks by Griffin, US Sen. Barbara Boxer, HRC’s Joe Solmonese, and Portia de Rossi.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina honored Cecilia Estolano as “Woman of the Year” for Molina’s supervisorial district at a luncheon Tuesday at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.

Molina said:

“Cecilia’s service to the public and especially to underrepresented communities make her the ideal candidate for this award. She has a track record of success in creating high-paying jobs and in building more affordable housing—two things the City of Los Angeles direly needs—while simultaneously demonstrating a solid commitment for the environment.”

Please click inside to see why I think this might be more than just a well-deserved pat on the back.

The Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert just announced that California Republican state Sen. Roy Ashburn has come out as gay:

Sen. Roy Ashburn: ‘I’m gay’

Republican Sen. Roy Ashburn, who has been on leave from the Senate since his DUI arrest last week, confirmed today that he is gay.

“I’m gay,” Ashburn told KERN radio host Inga Barks in an interview this morning. “Those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long.”

Ashburn’s announcement follows reports that Ashburn was leaving a gay club before he was arrested for driving under the influence last week.

The Bakersfield Republican, who has consistently voted against gay-rights measures, said his votes were a reflection of how the majority of voters in his conservative district would have wanted him to vote.

Ashburn, who is divorced, has been on personal leave in the Senate since last week’s arrest. He is expected to return today.

Please click inside to read reaction from EQCA’s Geoff Kors.

Sunday night’s Academy Awards show is shaping up to be a battle between Best Picture nominees “Avatar,” the wildly expensive technically innovative and now most popular (ticket sales) film in history directed by James Cameron versus the incredibly powerful and haunting and controversial indy war film “Hurt Locker” directed by Cameron’s ex-wife, Katherine Bigalow, who, like Cameron is also up for Best Director. If she wins that one, she would become the first female director to win in Oscar’s history.

The other fixation – at least in Hollywood, where entertainment is big business – is how the Academy Awards will do in the ratings. Will energetic gay showman Adam Shankman, the brilliant director of “Hairspray,” gay-up the show to make it tasteful, irresistible fun and yet still relevant?

And then there’s the Oscar dark horse – “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” about child abuse and self esteem and believing in hope when circumstances suggest that’s insane. The film and its openly gay director Lee Daniels and extraordinary cast have been winning awards outside the mainstream.

Two openly gay directors – Adam Shankman and Lee Daniels – front and center for their work. Now that’s political. Please click inside to read what else makes this show so political.

Here’s an interview with Daniels by the Los Angeles Times – which has blanket coverage of this big event.

(Editor’s note: My story on John Perez’s swearing in will appear in Frontiers In LA on Monday. Longtime lesbian Latino organizer Gloria Nieto, who blogs for the San Francisco Chronicle and LGBT POV, wrote the following post to commemorate this historic event. Please click inside to read the whole post and information about the swearing in ceremony in LA on Friday, March 12. – Karen Ocamb)

The World Has Changed

By Gloria Niego

The world has significantly changed this week for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population. Some significant events to note:

Wedding licenses were issued to same sex couples in Washington D.C.

Mexico City allowed same sex marriages to begin there.

John Perez was sworn in as Speaker of the California State Assembly, the first openly gay person to occupy this top of the food chain position not only in California, but in the country. Add the Latino part and you have a Latino gay man leading the Cal Assembly.

The world has changed……

Here’s some history to make your LGBT heart swell. This is John A. Perez being sworn in as the first openly gay Speaker of the California Assembly. Please click inside to see videos of John’s acceptance speech, a transcript of his remarks, and photos.

Attorney General Jerry Brown just sent out this email to supporters announcing that he is formally running to be California’s next governor. Right now he seems to have the Democratic nomination locked. The Republicans have a primary fight between millionaires Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner. Here’s Brown’s email:

Today, I am formally announcing my candidacy for the office of Governor of California, to deal head-on with the challenges facing this state I love. I have lived in California all my life, and I believe the obstacles in our path are substantial, but not insurmountable. If we have a Governor who will truly commit to dealing personally with the tough choices facing our state, and who will get in the trenches side by side with legislators, we can get California working again.

This campaign will not be easy. I will face an opponent with nearly unlimited personal resources to pour into television ads and attacks. I am counting on your support, and your hard work over the next nine months. I believe I have the experience, the understanding of State Government, and commitment required to move California forward. I look forward your help in this important campaign.

Sincerely,

Jerry Brown

Openly gay Assemblymember John Perez (D-Los Angeles) is making history Monday as he is sworn in as the new Assembly Speaker. He is taking over from Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), who is running for Congressmember Diane Watson’s seat.

Longtime political columnist Rick Orlov notes that Assembly Speaker is considered “the second-most powerful job in California politics.” He writes:

“In a ceremony being compared to an inauguration, Perez will outline his priorities – jobs, jobs, jobs and perhaps a bit on education and, oh yeah, that multibillion-dollar budget problem. He is expected to be speaking to a full house, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Gov. Gray Davis and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – Perez’s cousin.”

Also attending will be many of Perez’s longtime LGBT friends, including Eric Bauman, the openly gay vice chair of the California Democratic Party. Please click inside to read more about Perez’s swearing in and a comment from Equality California’s Geoff Kors on this history-making day. UPDATE from Bauman at 12:50p: “The Gay Mens Chorus has the house in tears with a medley of America the Beautiful and America… To be followed by It’s a Brand New Day from the Wiz… Go boys, turn them out!”

UPDATE: LA Times reports Perez sworn in at 12:56.

UPDATE: West Hollywood City Councilmember John Duran in the Capitol Gallery says: “The Assembly Chambers were filled with the spirits of the thousands of LGBT activists who strolled the Capitol halls for more than 40 years demanding justice on sodomy laws, hate crimes, discrimination and AIDS. Much blood was shed to get us here.”

UPDATE: EQCA’s Geoff Kors just emailed comments, including this: “Like Harvey Milk, Speaker Pérez proves that being LGBT does not preclude a person from achieving greatness or making the world a better place for others.”

California Republican Tom Campbell, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, appeared on the KNBC TV public affairs show “News Conference” Sunday and was forthright about his support for marriage equality and abortion rights. However, describing himself as a social “moderate,” not a social “liberal,” Campbell also said he opposes the courts’ involvement in deciding the fate of Prop 8, the voter-passed initiative that stripped away marriage rights for same sex couples.

Campbell, a longtime friend of the Log Cabin Republicans,wrote an Oct. 28, 2008 opinion piece against Prop 8 for Reason magazine calling for an end to marriage discrimination in the state. But in this interview, he says he doesn’t believe marriage rights for same sex couples are found in the US Constitution:

“I believe the people of California should be allowed to decide this decision – make this decision. I believe people should be allowed to be married –whether they’re gay or straight but I do not believe that the courts should find this somehow when the Constitution is obviously silent on it.”

Campbell was running against gazillionaire Meg Whitman for the GOP nomination in the California gubernatorial race but dropped out to run for U.S. Senate against fellow GOP candidate Carly Fiorina – most famous now for the horrendous devil—in-sheep’s-clothing ad – who does not support marriage equality.

Not shown in this portion of the KNBC interview is Campbell’s take on the economy. He holds a Ph.d in economics from the University of Chicago and his faculty advisor was Milton Friedman. If Campbell wins the Republican nomination, he will face incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer – and marriage equality could be rendered a non-issue in favor of fixing the economy. Please check out Campbell’s website to read about this positions.

Meanwhile, Boxer is the featured speaker at the Sunday, March 13 Human Rights Campaign gala in Los Angeles honoring actress Portia de Rossi and comedian Kathy Griffin.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video.

As the 2010 campaign season heats up and pundits pontificate on congressional, gubernatorial and state legislative candidates – other races might get lost in the cacophony. So meet Joe Shaw, an openly gay candidate for the Huntington Beach City Council, who is endorsed by the Orange County League of Conservation Voters and the Elections Committee of Orange County (ECCO, Orange County’s LGBT PAC, among others.

On Sunday, Long Beach City Councilmembers Robert Garcia and Gerrie Schipske are hosting a fundraiser for Joe from 4-6 p.m. at the Metro Q Club, 19092 Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach. For more info, visit www.joeshawforhb.com.

But Joe Shaw is not just any regular Joe. In many ways, he embodies the maturation of the LGBT community – from Oklahoma boy to AIDS activist in Los Angeles (getting a second education from ACT UP activist Wayne Karr while at LA City College) to businessman with his life partner seeking to change the way business is done in Huntington Beach. I asked Joe to write about himself and why he’s running for city council. Please click inside to read his moving story.

Be your own Rachel Maddow! Fans of the brilliant MSNBC commentator know that one reason Maddow is so popular is because she confronts lies with the truth. Now LGBTs and their allies can do the same thing when it comes to the debate about the military’s antigay policy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

On Wednesday, the watchdog group Media Matters for America – founded by openly gay politico David Brock in reaction to the “Republican Noise Machine”– published a special report correcting the myths and lies perpetuated by biased or ignorant journalists – or reporters who slant coverage to keep access to powerful sources. That’s what many of us suspected was the agenda behind NBC’s Lisa Meyers’ devastating coverage of the original gays-in-the-military story in 1993. (See the video of Meyers report as part of this story. )

Consider, for instance, the February 23 edition of Fox News’ Special Report where Bret Baier uncritically reported that Gen. George Casey stated that repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy “might … adversely affect readiness.”

Lest anyone shrug this off as just another Fox News-Republican spin machine story, remember that the father of modern political conservatism – the late Arizona Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater – also called for lifting the ban against gays serving openly, crystallized in this famous quote: “You don’t have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight.”

It’s one thing that the Fox News reporter didn’t know about Goldwater. But he should have known and reported that Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, appeared two days earlier (Feb 21) on NBC’ Meet the Press and was asked whether “soldiers on the ground in the field care one way or the other if their comrades in arms are gay or lesbian.” Petraeus said: “I’m not sure that they do….I served, in fact, in combat with individuals who were gay and who were lesbian in combat situations and, frankly, you know, over time you said, ‘Hey, how’s, how’s this guy’s shooting?’ Or ‘How is her analysis,’ or what have you.”

Please click inside to read more and see how you can help.

Lots of chatter Tuesday about Politico’s story on how Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele’s lavish spending is upsetting major GOP donors.

But Democrats shouldn’t get too gleeful. Political handicapper Charlie Cook told the National Journal, posted here via The Fix’s Chris Cillizza, that it is “very hard to come up with a scenario where Democrats don’t lose the House.” And, given all the problems the Republicans and Democrats have these days – he’d pick the GOP’s troubles any day.

Cillizza also notes that: “Stu Rothenberg, another noted political handicapper in Washington, has pegged Democratic House losses as between 24 and 28 seats. He writes: “We currently expect Republicans to fall short of the 40 seats they would need.”

Here’s Charlie Cook:

(Editor’s note: Dana Miller is my colleague at Frontiers In LA, where he is a popular columnist who often raises controversial issues. He also lives in and loves West Hollywood where he has produced successful AIDS fundraisers and challenged the LGBT community and WeHo public officials to do better. This post is intended to spark civic discussion well in advance of the next city election – March 2011 – to hopefully increase the usually low voter turnout. Of particular interest to a national audience is that John D’Amico, a respected WeHo politico, calls for the ouster of longtime gay politico John Heilman, past co-chair of the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials, in this email interview with Dana. – Karen Ocamb)

JOHN D’AMICO – DISSIDENT, CHALLENGER OR BOTH?

By: Dana Miller

A sleepy West Hollywood City Council meeting woke with a jolt during public comments the other day. John D’Amico, who sat on the West Hollywood Planning Commission for five years, took to the stage to declare it was high time for Mayor Abbe Land and Mayor Pro Tem John Heilman to go. This isn’t some kook rattling about. D’Amico is a well-respected, highly credible gent who has fired a shot heard round the hamlet. I caught up with John D’Amico a few days after his assault.

Dana Miller: Why did you specifically focus on Heilman and Land for ouster?

John D’Amico: Mayor Land and Councilmember John Heilman as 16 and 25 year incumbents [respectively], are regarded by nearly everyone as having a complete lock on power and by direct extension, most critical decision making…..

Please click inside to read the rest of Dana’s interview with John D’Amico.

It’s one thing when a big guy like Keith Olbermann makes irate or snarky comments about Glenn Beck – the weepy, often wrong conservative talk radio and Fox TV commentator who has a “gazillion” followers. But when skinny PDd lesbian geek Rachel Maddow talks about getting death threats from Beck groupies, calls him out for lying about her and then tells Beck to “back off! – something’s happening here. I wonder if this might be the beginning of the “spinal transplant” Howard Dean has been calling for. Watch for yourself.

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

Despite support from President Barack Obama, Sec. of Defense Robert Gates, top Pentagon leaders and former Vice President Dick Cheney for a repeal of the military’s antigay policy “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the Associated Press reports that a repeal “is probably years away.”

That’s not good enough, says a coalition of LGBT and straight bloggers who want readers to call HRC to pressure the Administration, Congress and the military to move faster.

Please click inside for more info, including who’s swarming, why and other ways to respond to DADT. UPDATED with new information and resource.

The Democrats may have an even harder time retaining control of Congress with the news that Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh is retiring and will not run for a third term. And this may make it even harder to secure LGBT rights this year.

Bayh is expected to announce his decision at a press conference at 2 p.m., Eastern time, 11:00am Pacific.

UPDATE: Indiana politico Jerame Davis has a post up at The Bilerico Project on Bayh’s unimpressive record on ENDA and “don’t ask, don’t tell” and what Bayh’s retirement might mean for LGBT rights.

As Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors notes in his remarks at EQCA’s Awards gala Saturday night, last year was an amazing legislative year for LGBT bills and resolutions in California. EQCA sponsored an unprecedented 63 pieces of legislation and among the 11 bills that passed was state Sen. Mark Leno’s Harvey Milk Day bill which created the first ever annual day of recognition for an openly LGBT person.

Please click inside to read Kor’s remarks.