Rep. Sestak wants DADT repeal included in Defense bill

In the post below, we posted the live chat from Pam's House Blend with Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), who is running against Arlen Specter in the Democratic primary, and Lt. Dan Choi, who recently endorsed Sestak. I asked Sestak about the possible repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell next year. Sestak is a former three-star admiral so really understands the military leadership. He's a strong advocate for repealing DADT. Here's my question:

[Comment From Joe Sudbay:]

Question for Rep. Sestak: Are you hearing whether repeal of DADT will be included in the 2011 Defense authorization -- and does that strategy make sense to you?

And here's his answer:

Joe Sestak:

Joe, while I wish it was this year, it makes perfect sense to be in next year's Defense Authorization Bill. I've heard some limited discussion on that. I honestly believe everyone should be pushing hard for that and I intend to lead the effort.

It does make perfect sense. For one thing, if the language is included, the Senate will need a filibuster-proof majority to remove the repeal language.

But, the language has to be a real repeal, not some kind of convoluted change to the law. It has to be a full repeal. Read More...

Join The Blend's live chat with Senate Candidate/Rep. Joe Sestak and Lt. Dan Choi

Pam is hosting Pennsylavania Congressman Joe Sestak, who is also running in the Democratic primary against Arlen Specter, and leading DADT advocate, Lt. Dan Choi:
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Houston's Mayor-elect Annise Parker on MSNBC

Annise Parker was all over the news today. I saw her on CNN earlier. And, she also appeared on MSNBC and the first questions were gay-related questions:

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

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Where is our fierce advocate?

As Joe wrote this morning, Congressman Jared Polis, who is gay, just can't seem to get the Department of Defense to treat his partner with any respect. They refused to let him fly on a CODEL with the other "spouses," and then tried to charge him for it, when the other spouses flew for free.

Who's the commander in chief of the military again? Oh that's right, Joe Lieberman. Or is it Olympia Snowe? It's so hard to keep track of who's president nowadays.

All kidding aside, where is President Obama on this? This is his administration? Why is a gay member of Congress having to go through hoop after hoop after hoop to have the Obama administration recognize him as equal to a straight spouse? Or is that the problem - is our President afraid to help Congressman Polis, lest someone accuse him of treating gay spouses like straight spouses? Or maybe they'll claim DOMA precludes it (I understand DOMA precluded us from finally withdrawing from Afghanistan too, and passing the public option.)

Where's our fierce advocate?

Hopefully this is the last time Cong. Polis blindly defends the President's stonewalling on gay issues. Read More...

Lt. Dan Choi and Rep. Joe Sestak will be talking "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" at Pam's House Blend tonight

At 8:00 PM (Eastern) tonight, Pam's House Blend will be hosting a live chat with Lt. Dan Choi and Congressman/Senate Candidate Joe Sestak (D-PA). In addition to three years in Congress (so far), Sestak has a long and distinguished military career, including achieving the rank of 3-star Admiral. Pam posted statements from Choi and Sestak in advance of the chat. We'll post the Blend's CoverItLive forum at 8:00 P.M. for all those who want to participate. Read More...

Whoopi gives Obama a C+ for not doing enough for gays

Tweeted by Jeremy at Good As You:

Wow, good 4 Whoopi. Said she'd have lowered president's self-grade to a C+ (from B+), largely b/c he hasn't acted fully enough on gay issues

This was in response to news today that President Obama gave himself a B+ for his first year, and an A- if he gets health care reform. Read More...

Annise Parker missed Obama's call

The President called the mayor-elect of Houston, but she missed the call:

President Barack Obama called Parker personally to congratulate her on her mayoral campaign victory, but Parker told FOX 26 News that she was conducting an interview when the call came in and was not able to answer it live.

Parker says she is sorry she missed President Obama's call, but that she treasures the fact that she has his message on voicemail.

I'd think the mayor-elect of the nation's fourth largest city can get a call back. Read More...

American evangelicals spreading homophobia in Africa

From the Guardian:

As far as gay rights are concerned, it would appear that much of Africa is going backwards. Nigeria has a similar bill waiting to reach its statute books and already allows the death penalty for homosexuality in northern states, as does Sudan. Burundi criminalised homosexuality in April this year, joining 37 other African nations where gay sex is already illegal. Egypt and Mali are creeping towards criminalisation, using morality laws against same-sex couples....

But many suspect that it was outsiders who inspired this bill in the first place. In March, Bahati met several prominent anti-gay US Christian activists who attended a conference in Uganda where they pledged to "wipe out" homosexuality. The conference featured Scott Lively, president of California's anti-gay Abiding Truth Ministries and co-author of The Pink Swastika, a book claiming that leading Nazis were gay. Also there was Don Schmierer, on the board of Exodus International, which promotes the "ex-gay" movement, believing people can change their sexuality and be redeemed. The third extremist evangelical to attend was Caleb Lee Brundidge, who is linked to Richard Cohen who believes that psychotherapy can "cure" homosexuality.

Bahati's bill was drawn up within weeks of the conference, but it has only just begun to cause waves within America's powerful evangelical community. Legalising killing gay people has triggered a bad press for the bill.

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Partners of gay members of Congress face unequal treatment, too

It's not easy being the significant other of a member of Congress as the partner of Jared Polis recently found out. Kerry Eleveld broke the story:

When the partner of freshman Colorado congressman Jared Polis went to get his Congressional Spouse ID last February at Member Services, he thought the new administration had dawned a new day for same-sex partners of Congress members.

“They just snapped my picture and wrote ‘spouse’ on it,” recalled Marlon Reis, who celebrated his sixth anniversary with Polis in September, though the couple is not legally married. “It took all of five minutes — it was so easy that it gave me the impression of a semipermanent policy change.”

But the 28-year-old’s attempt to join Polis in June on a congressional delegation (known as a “CODEL” in Hill-speak) was a different story entirely.

We all thought a new day had dawned. But, it's been a much different story. Reis was supposed to be on that June trip. But, the Department of Defense wouldn't include him -- and wanted to charge him. That wasn't the case for spouses of other members. There was a bit of a scene when Reis showed up to get on the bus. Another member had to intervene on his behalf.

There seems to be a bit of a blame game pinging back and forth between the Speaker's Office and the Pentagon:

According to a spokesman for the speaker’s office, Nancy Pelosi has had an ongoing dialogue about the issue with DOD ever she first became House speaker in 2007.

“She made a request of the Defense Department to treat any spouse of a lesbian or gay member of Congress the same as any congressional spouse. That means a domestic partner would be treated just as a congressional spouse,” said Drew Hammill. “That in effect, has been our understanding and what we've been told will take place.”

A Department of Defense official said congressional spouses are authorized to travel with a member for protocol purposes when stated in the committee or leadership authorization letter to the secretary of Defense. Who is in included in that authorization letter is up to the speaker’s office, according to the DOD.

As for Reis, he is holding on to his Congressional Spouse ID, which expires in February of 2011, a little more tightly. Not long ago, he misplaced it and Branton was told by Member Services that they had issued it in error and would have to replace it with a Designee ID, which is the classification reserved for unmarried partners of members of Congress.

Perhaps the people who run the Department of Defense could stop these games and insure that Pelosi's policy is enacted. Would that be too much to ask?

Of course, repealing DOMA is the best solution -- even for gay members of Congress and their spouses/partners. Read More...

Parisians hold gay kiss-in

They're so damn cute. I really need somebody to put me in touch with gay activists in Paris. Oh, and quick fashion tip, note the fedora - they're quite big in Paris right now.


(Hat tip Joe My God) Read More...