Santa Ana, CA police shrug when someone hangs noose outside gay civil rights office

I'm not even sure the staff of the office fully get how heinous this was. This isn't just someone making a possible joke about gay teen suicide. This is a noose hung outside an office dedicated to advancing civil rights. It doesn't take a history major to get the historical "joke" that's being played on the office. It's intimidation of a minority for exercising their constitutional rights, and for striving for additional civil rights. If that's not an area that should perk up law enforcement, then maybe some at the DOJ needs to give Santa Ana a call. The civil rights implications are clear.

That is, if DOJ can spare someone from their veritable task force devoted to undercutting our entire civil rights agenda in the courts.

It's hard work channeling 1950s bigots. Read More...

Clint McCance has family to consider...

A reporter interviews Clint McCance, and relays that McCance is concerned about blowback because he "has a family to consider." That, of course, is the same family the Midland school board member referred to when he said he would disown his children if they were gay.



More from Anderson Cooper. Read More...

Gays not enthused this election, case study CA

NYT's Bay Citizen on the lack of gay voting enthusiasm, and how it's affecting the races in California.

Proposition 8, the referendum that ended same-sex marriage in California in 2008, is not officially on the ballot again this Election Day. Gay rights advocates say it might as well be.

The results of two statewide races on Tuesday — governor and attorney general — could affect the pending court appeal over the constitutionality of the referendum. But there appears to be little passion exhibited by either side on the issue.

In the gay and lesbian community, which arguably has the most at stake, “there’s no doubt there’s less enthusiasm,” said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California, the organization that campaigned against Proposition 8.

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Leaks indicate DADT Troop survey finds gays are OK

NBC's Richard Engel on Rachel disclosed what he's learned about the study:


Color me one of the first gay veteran surprised that the leaked survey's findings were positive. I do NOT mind and am actually excited about being wrong on this one. The indirect pressure that I thought would have been placed on troops to answer questions in the negative was an overestimation. Especially dismaying was the way the questions were worded and the use of the term "homosexual" to describe gay troops. Well, according to anonymous sources, the results of the survey are in our favor!

An internal Pentagon study has found that most U.S. troops and their families don't care whether gays are allowed to serve openly and think the policy of "don't ask, don't tell" could be done away with, according to officials familiar with its findings.

The survey results were expected to be used by gay rights advocates to bolster their argument that the 1993 law on gays could be repealed immediately with little harm done to the military. But the survey also was expected to reveal challenges the services could face in overturning the long-held policy, including overcoming fierce opposition in some parts of the military even if they represent a minority...

...The officials who disclosed the survey's findings spoke on condition of anonymity because the results had not been released. NBC News first reported the findings Thursday.

It is also important to note, as reported by Toweleroad back in August, that the response or return rate for the mailed out surveys was a dismal 27.5% which might emphasize our argument that troops and their families are concerned about a lot more important things than the sexual orientations of their fellow troops.

I might add I am quite sure I was not the only one to be wrong about the results of this survey, and the conventional wisdom was the results would be negative. With the poll coming in positive it adds new weight to our criticism that the Obama Administration over learned the lessons of the Clinton years, and had not factored in twenty years of social evolution. Although wrong about the survey, I still think Obama will pay a measurable cost, and stand by some of my previous analysis, over his passivity on our civil rights and the results of this survey portends a bad omen for his administration's legacy on gay civil rights issues.

The Obama Administration has woefully underperformed regarding movement on civil rights issues like DADT, ENDA and gay marriage. Passively waiting for tentative civil rights change for our LGBT community is not what we voted for two years ago. Anyone, in the Obama Administration, who thinks we are satisfied with the passive glacial pace and political triangulating is underestimating us. Our capacity to question the validity of claims made by the Obama Administration that they have made progress on specific promises to us proves they have made the miscalculation under performing on our issues will prevent a measurable cost. The strategists in the White House have not taken into consideration many in our community evolved from our LGBT civil rights politics of the past twenty years, as well, and our patience is not limited. It isn't just about them and what they supposedly learned from the Clinton years. It is absolutely about us, gay American citizens, and whether we are willing to wait another twenty years for those who exaggerated, or outright lied, they were our "Fierce Advocates" to get our vote and support.

It shouldn't have taken a $4.5 million dollar survey to get Obama to tell the conservative military leadership and Republican Senators he was going to boldly move forward with or without their buy in. Especially when Republicans and conservatives are all about the absolute need to cut wasteful spending. The results of this survey hammer home just how important it should have been for Obama to have threatened Republican Senators who didn't support the Defense Authorization bill and crystallizes just why he is experiencing an enthusiasm gap among his base. I'm quite sure we would have had another Democratic Presidential candidate had he campaigned on the slogan he shared with Jon Stewart, "Yes, we can... but its not going to happen overnight." President Obama, yes, we could have... had we had a proper gay civil rights "Fierce Advocate" in the White House. Read More...

School board bully Clint McCance resigned

Last night, Clint McCance resigned from his position on the Midland School District in Arkansas. He made the announcement on Anderson Cooper's show.



Now that he has experienced the nasty blow back from his hateful comments on a national scale, instead of expected local snickering support, he has absolutely disowned his comments.

"I would never support suicide for any kids," he said. "I don't support bullying of any kids."

"I'd like to extend apologies to those families that have lost children, for all those children who feel that suicide is the only way out, especially for the five families who have already lost children," he said, referring to a rash of recent suicides by gay teens. "I brought more hurt on them... they didn't deserve that and I do feel genuinely bad for them."

Though he disapproves of homosexuality, McCance said that "I give everyone a chance and try to love everyone."

Hmmmm... I think I'll let the readers take a stab at analyzing how Mr. McCance gives everyone a chance and tries to love them?

I don't live that far from Pleasant Plains, Arkansas, and I know plenty of "Mr. McCance's." Their hate is supported by local extremist Talibangelical preachers, and their followers, as evidenced by the preacher in the article who absolutely agreed with all of Mr. McCance's words. Also, we can't forget that until the LGBT community is treated as equal instead of second class citizens in this country then we will continue to be used as a convenient scapegoat. Read More...

DC's annual Halloween drag high heel race

VIDEO: It's a tradition that's been going on in Washington, DC since I first came out. The Drag High Heel Race. You gotta be in drag, and I think you have to be wearing at least 3 inch high heels. Then you run down a 2 block stretch of 17th street, the ancestral home of DC's gay community (and there's a pretty good prize, as I recall). It was always a hoot, and now has turned into a HUGE affair, attracting thousands of people every Halloween - and a ton of straight people too, with kids in tow. It's a total hoot. Enjoy this video of this year's race, from MW.

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The Gay Men's Chorus of LA sings an 'It Gets Better' message

Found this video via Andy Towle who wrote "Chills. Tears." He's right:

We're seeing the LGBT community come together to take care of its youngest members. Not many of us had people to tell us "It gets better." But, it does -- and the next generations need to know that. And, I think the outpouring since Dan Savage launched this project shows an understanding that we have to be the support we need.

We're not going to let deranged homophobes like Tony Perkins allow more LGBT kids to die. Read More...

Iowa Hatefest: Santorum and Tony Perkins team up to thwart justice and equality. Help stop them.

Yesterday, I posted about the election measure to retain judges in Iowa. Basically, marriage equality is on the ballot, even though it's not, thanks to the work of the gay haters. Next week, Iowa's voters will decide whether to retain three State Supreme Court Justices. It's usually a perfunctory thing. And, the homophobes are trying to hijack and undermine the state's judiciary -- because of the same-sex marriage decision.

NOM is spearheading the effort -- and Arisha Michelle Hatch has been tracking them across Iowa. And, you really need to know is that Santorum and Tony "gay kids know they are abnormal" Perkins were campaigning out there with NOM this week. They cannot win.

The Fairness Fund has an ActBlue page. Donate. Every dollar will help increase their online ad buy. Polling shows that this is very close. So, every vote will matter.

Spare something to stop NOM, Santorum and Tony Perkins.

And, if you live in Iowa, or have friends or family there, make sure they vote YES, YES and YES to retain the Supreme Court Justices. Read More...

Key U.S. Senate races for the gays

Chris Johnson has a rundown in the Blade. It's long, just go read it. Read More...

SU explains the path forward on Defense Authorization and DADT

Alex Nicholson explains the process and the players if the DADT language is going to pass "this year":
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WH spokesman Gibbs gets asked about gay marriage

More fall out from Joe's interview with the President yesterday. Read More...

Obama and the constitutionality of DADT

During Joe's interview with the President yesterday, Joe asked Obama whether the President, as a constitutional scholar, thought DADT was unconstitutional.

Q We’ve been more than willing to offer that. We’ve certainly been more than willing to offer that from AMERICAblog, particularly on issues related to the LGBT community, which, you know, there is a certain amount of disillusionment and disappointment in our community right now.

And one of the things I’d like to ask you -- and I think it’s a simple yes or no question too -- is do you think that “don’t ask, don’t tell” is unconstitutional?

THE PRESIDENT: It’s not a simple yes or no question, because I’m not sitting on the Supreme Court. And I’ve got to be careful, as President of the United States, to make sure that when I’m making pronouncements about laws that Congress passed I don’t do so just off the top of my head.

Off the top of your head? Yeah, because no one's brought the issue up to you before. This is the first time you've ever heard of this thing called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and it's not like the major media has been trying to get your staff to answer this question for months. That was disingenuous of the President.

And, it's not a simple yes or no question? You taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School - one of THE top law schools in the nation. You regularly asked your students about the constitutionality of various fact patterns, yet when asked what you think about a particular case, you respond that it's not a simple question because you're not on the Supreme Court? You'd have failed a student who gave you that answer.

I think we're seeing two things here.

1. The Obama shuffle. The President has a habit of trying to shuffle difficult issues, potentially controversial issues, off to someone else. Health care reform - he gave it to Baucus and the GOP to figure out, and didn't come back to help until a good year had passed. Immigration reform - the President has used the same excuse for immigration advocates as he uses with gay rights supporters - he's not a Senator, so he has little power to get things done in that body. The idea is that someone else is responsible, not him. Thus, the Supreme Court decides what's constitutional, not a lowly leader of the free world.

2. The President has also been counseled, I'm sure, that if he answers the constitutionality question, then it might force him not to appeal the case. After all, how could he in good faith defend a law in court that he himself has said is unconstitutional.

But there's a larger problem with what the President told Joe yesterday. If he has to be sitting on the Supreme Court in order to decide if a law is constitutional or not, then why has the President repeatedly issued statements about the constitutionality of various law?

For example:

One part of the provision says the Interior Secretary must appoint members to the commission “based on recommendations from each member of the House of Representatives” whose district encompasses the canal corridor. But in his signing statement, Mr. Obama said that it would be unconstitutional to force him or his Cabinet secretary to limit their appointment choices to a list pre-approved by individual members of Congress.

Or this:

In the statement — directions to executive-branch officials about how to carry out the legislation — Mr. Obama instructed them to view most of the disputed provisions as merely advisory and nonbinding, saying they were unconstitutional intrusions on his own powers.

“This provision,” Mr. Obama wrote, “raises constitutional concerns by constraining my choice of particular persons to perform specific command functions in military missions, by conditioning the exercise of my authority as commander in chief on the recommendations of subordinates within the military chain of command, and by constraining my diplomatic negotiating authority.”

Funny.  He didn't need to be on the Supreme Court those times. Read More...

Mark Kirk, who has served for 21 years, doesn't know anyone gay in the military? Really?

Igor Volsky posted the video from last night's Senate debate in Illinois. During the debate, Kirk, who has served for 21 years, said he doesn't know anyone gay in the military. Kirk has a history of lying. And, frankly, that answer about not knowing anyone gay in the military just seems implausible. As Igor noted:

Interestingly, prominent generals — like Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen and General David Petraeus — who have admitted to serving alongside gay servicemembers are actually more supportive of repealing the ban than Kirk. As Mullen put it, “I have served with homosexuals since 1968….Everybody in the military has, and we understand that. So it is a number of things which cumulatively for me, personally, get me to this position.”

Everybody has, except Mark Kirk.

And, I bet Mark Kirk is going to read every word of the Pentagon's DADT report. I imagine Lindsey Graham will, too. Read More...

Anderson Cooper blasts Arkansas School Board Member Clint McCance

Anderson Cooper wants us to know the face and name of Clint McCance -- and he blasted him. Anderson is becoming quite the activist. He wants McCance to come on his show, but that won't happen. McCance is a tough guy on Facebook, wishing death on young gay kids. But, he couldn't stand up to AC. This is definitely worth a watch:

Via The Advocate. Read More...

Bronx gay bashing update: 4th gang member cleared

Update on Horrific story: NYC man tortured as punishment 'for being gay.'

Four of the eleven gang members accused in the attack have been cleared and released due to lack of evidence. The victim's family, of course, is furious.

Dennis Piters, 17, became the latest teen freed from jail yesterday after the District Attorney's Office admitted there was "insufficient evidence" against him.

"How can they let them go after what happened to these poor people?" said a cousin of a 30-year-old gay man who, with two 17-year-olds, was viciously beaten and violated inside a dilapidated apartment in Morris Heights.

"Their friends sodomized them with a damn stick. These guys should be held responsible for the parts they played that day," the relative said. Let go Tuesday were Bryan Almonte,17, Steven Carabello, 17, and Brian Cepeda, 17.

Let's hope better justice is served to the rest of the Latin King Goonies involved in this hate crime. Read More...