Over the past year, a parade of studies have all set out to test that assumption. What makes this latest one different was that, for the first time, research on the social development and psychological health of children was not based on the opinions of their parents alone but also of outside observers (teachers and care givers.) And, also for the first time, a control group of heterosexual families was used. The University of Virginia and George Washington researchers studied preschoolers who were adopted at birth by 27 lesbian couples, 29 gay male couples and 50 heterosexual couples. (Yet another groundbreaking aspect to this study was the number of gay men who were included; to date most of the research has been on lesbian mothers.)Read More...
What did they find? That it’s the quality of the parenting that creates a psychologically healthy child, not the sexual orientation of the parents.
The implication: From a public-policy stance, the study suggests there is “no justification for denying lesbian and gay prospective adoptive parents the opportunity to adopt children,” Patterson, the lead researcher, said.
Read More...
"We know that Speaker Pelosi has the political prowess and the political bandwidth to take on ENDA while the Senate is shepherding 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' through the legislative process," said Robin McGehee, co-founder of GetEQUAL. "We are pressuring Speaker Pelosi to move on ENDA because, while we know that she values the legislation, we have yet to see her show the leadership she's promised in taking ENDA out of committee and moving it through the House."GetEQUAL also posted the letter from the protesters to Speaker Pelosi. All they're asking is for people to keep their promises.
"We are following her advice to 'make her do it,' and to ensure that she and the rest of the House see that people's lives and livelihoods are on the line here," said Heather Cronk, managing director of GetEQUAL. "As we head into the August recess, we will take the energy of today's Rotunda action out into the states, and look forward to building popular support for the legislation in coalition with other LGBT organizations. We will concentrate on the districts where Representatives and Senators have not yet found the courage to step forward to support ENDA -- both Republicans and Democrats."
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees can be fired from their jobs in 29 states, and transgender or gender-nonconforming employees can be fired in 38 states. (My emphasis)
On Saturday at Netroots Nation, Speaker Pelosi repeatedly told progressive activists to "make her" pass progressive legislation like ENDA, comprehensive immigration reform, and a comprehensive climate change bill. GetEQUAL activists took up that challenge and today's action builds on prior actions that GetEQUAL has organized or co-organized, including sit-ins in Speaker Pelosi's offices in March of this year, a shut-down of the Las Vegas Strip last week targeting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and several rallies at Speaker Pelosi's district office in San Francisco, including one yesterday.
The protesters who were arrested were Orelia Busch of D.C.; Charles Butler of D.C.; Sean Carlson of Hyattsville, Md.; Shannon Cuttle of D.C.; Robert Diesu of D.C.; Erika Knepp of Edgewater, Md.; David McElhatton of D.C.; and Zack Rosen of D.C.And, some photos from the protest courtesy of Ian Goldin/GetEQUAL.
Read More...
Follow #GetENDA for #GetEQUAL action in #DC today - @USCapitol "this is the core - THE CENTER - of our experiment with political freedom!"And, from LtDanChoi:
Rotunda being shut down by Capitol police. 8 @getEqual protestors shouting with signs: "Pelosi this is your reminder."We'll have more as this unfolds.
The direct action group GetEqual staged a sit-in in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon as part of an effort to push House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to take a vote on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which would outlaw workplace discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.Read More...
“In March, GetEqual held a sit-in in Pelosi’s office asking her to bring ENDA to the floor for a vote. At that point, we said we keep coming back until it was voted on,” explained Heather Cronk, GetEqual spokesperson, who was participating in the protest. “So this is us making good on our promise, asking her to make good on her promise over the last few years on ENDA.”
The group of about 20 LGBT activists entered the Capitol as part of a routine tour through the Capitol. Upon reaching the rotunda, they sat down and pulled out signs reading, “Pass ENDA Now!” and “This Is Your Reminder.” Meanwhile, they began their signature chant, "I am ... somebody ... I deserve ... full equality." Eight to nine people were risking arrest in the action, according to Cronk, with the other half present to provide support including a couple legal observers.
First, LGBT issues should not be considered radioactive. Politicians ought to be held accountable for their promises and proudly support equal rights at all times. With the American people overwhelmingly in support of ENDA, there is no excuse for timidity. The time to end discrimination in the workplace is today.Let's face it. Even among are "friends," there are those who do think our issues are "radioactive." They want our political supports, especially the money, but, get freaky when we ask them to take votes on our issues. I call this "political homophobia." It's real. And, it prevents our equality. I think Wayne's post lays out several elements of political homophobia. We have to realize that elected officials aren't our "friends." They're politicians. Our job and the job of our advocacy organizations is to make sure they keep their promises. That hasn't happened -- and won't happen -- by playing nice. Read More...
Second, there will always be tough political battles and there seems to never be a convenient time for elected officials to take a stand. The LGBT community was told to wait its turn when Obama was elected because there were complicated issues -- such as the economy and two wars. But now, defenders of the status quo still say we should hold off to avoid causing waves during the contentious midterm elections.
If the Republicans win over one or both houses of Congress we will surely be told that nothing can be done because the Republicans are in charge. If the Democrats win, we might be asked to take one for the team because President Obama has a difficult reelection campaign in the near future. And if Obama wins, we may be informed that he does not have the power to act because he is a lame duck president?
There will always be excuses why apprehensive leaders, who gladly take LGBT money and votes, should not act. Meanwhile, as the politicians dither and justify inaction, more gay people are fired from jobs every day. And, an even larger number of workers remain closeted, fearful of losing their careers and facing financial ruin in this dreadful economy.
Third, there are those who claim that groups such as Get Equal should not be targeting "friends" of the LGBT community. I happen to agree with this logic, but believe one is only a true friend in the House or Senate if they are taking bold action to end discrimination. When Harry Reid moves ENDA through the Senate he will be amazed that protesters are no longer causing traffic jams in Las Vegas.
More than 3,000 same-sex couples have been married in South Africa, with about half of those couples including at least one foreigner, the government says. The law permitting same-sex marriage has begun to pave the way for greater tolerance of homosexuality, advocates contend, and the weddings have provided a shot in the arm to companies catering to those tying the knot.The article explains how there is growing acceptance of marriage in South Africa. Yes, there are hurdles. But, there can't be acceptance if it never happens.
“Apartheid suppressed tolerance, but once that was out of the way our society has moved so fast and most people just go with the flow,” said Mr. Brits, a nondenominational minister.
The weddings frequently take place on Table Mountain, the vast, flat-topped landmark that looms over the city, and at hotels like the 12 Apostles, a resort perched on a cliff above the sea where Arianne McClellan and her bride, both London police officers, said “I do” last fall. The couple chose Cape Town for its stunning natural beauty and gay-friendly culture.
The legal protections in South Africa stand in stark contrast to the antigay sentiment that has recently been on display elsewhere in Africa, whether in the trial of a gay couple in Malawi or the legislative proposal in Uganda to make homosexuality a capital crime in some cases.
Read More...
Many Obama voters, particularly among gays, will push for the administration not to appeal Tauro's rulings, said former Assistant Attorney General Robert Raben. But the administration could set a dangerous precedent if it does not continue to defend the law, he said.We destroyed that reasoning, as it applies to DOMA, in our previous post. But let's apply Raben's logic to the Miranda case in Dickerson. If Raben spoke the truth, then we would have seen George Bush do exactly what Raben predicted after Clinton refused to defend Dickerson in court.
"You want the Department of Justice to stop because you won a case; I understand that," said Raben, who worked at the department during the administration of President Bill Clinton, who signed DOMA into law.
"But you could have a conservative Department of Justice that won't enforce hate crimes, that won't enforce employment nondiscrimination acts, that won't enforce the Ryan White Act, that won't enforce all kinds of new protections for gays and lesbians because the attorney general doesn't agree with them. That's not a regime you want to live in."
In other Netroots news, one of Obama’s top 2008 campaign advisers, Steve Hildebrand, went on record for the first time saying he believes the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and that he’s “very perplexed” by the administration’s continued effort to defend the law in the courts.Obama has never said that DOMA is unconstitutional. We were told he hasn't spoken to that. He should. But, speaking isn't enough. Obama and his DOJ need to stop defend discriminatory laws. Read More...
“I’d like to see the president and Attorney General Holder announce that they will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act and to agree with the judge’s findings in the Massachusetts’ court case,” he said of U.S. judge Joseph Tauro’s ruling earlier this month that DOMA is unconstitutional.
Though we’re all aware of this decision, allow me to reiterate that Tauro found DOMA didn’t even meet the “rational basis” test for denying federal recognition to same-sex couples – in the legal world, that’s the most deferential test, or the easiest test, for a law to meet in order to pass as justifiable.
Hildebrand did not say this in my interview with him, but I would hazard to guess he believes this is precisely the type of situation where elections should have consequences. He backs the administration’s approach to ending DADT because he believes the law cannot be repealed without enlisting the support of the Pentagon.
By contrast, beginning to dismantle DOMA does not necessitate vote wrangling or building momentum or corralling 60 senators to overcome a filibuster. Instead it only requires an administration led by a man who has called the law discriminatory and ran on a platform of repealing it to come down on the side of equality.
In other words, it is one law that unnecessarily harms and targets an aggrieved minority that can be declared unconstitutional by the president because it is. Judge Tauro’s decision left no doubt of that.
Critics of this approach often say the Justice Department cannot pick and choose which laws it defends and that, if the Obama administration did so, it would set a terrible precedent for future administrations. But as Hildebrand noted, it is not the duty of the Justice Department to defend unconstitutional laws and, moreover, no future administration is going to sit around pondering what the Obama administration did before making key decisions. I somehow doubt that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney looked to the Clinton administration for guidance on major decisions at Justice. WWCD (What Would Clinton Do?) was clearly not their standard.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
© 2010 - John Aravosis | Design maintenance by Jason Rosenbaum
Send me your tips: americablog AT starpower DOT net
