Hero of the Month: Queen Calafia

The name California comes from a sixteenth century conquistador fantasy of a formidable island inhabited by free-loving black Amazons. They were led by a brave queen:

Know th[ere] . . . exists an island called California . . . populated by black women. . . [L]ike the Amazons was their style of living. The[y] were of vigorous bodies and strong and ardent hearts and of great strength; the island itself the strongest in steep rocks and great boulders that is found in the world; their arms were all of gold . . . [W]hen they had peace with their adversaries, they intermixed . . .

There ruled on that island of California, a queen great of body, very beautiful . . ., desirous in her thoughts of achieving great things, valiant in strength, . . . Queen Calafia. (from Dora Beale Polk, The Island of California, U. of Neb. Press, 1991)

California’s founding myth derives from a siege on sexual and racial diversity. Despite the state’s reputation as a stronghold for live-and-let-live tolerance, its tolerant spirit has been contested and has suffered as many shameful defeats as victories. Whereas the state attracts people who are drawn by the promise of social freedom and possibility, it also draws those who mainly seek riches and wind up trying to domesticate and dominate the spirit that others cherish.

I like to think of Calafia as the avenging defender of sexual minorities, feminists, native peoples, blacks and sexual, ethnic and racial diversity in general. I imagine her with the suffragists when California women won the right to vote in 1911. I picture her guiding the California Supreme Court when the state was among the first to repeal its anti-miscegenation law in 1948. I see her taking over Alcatraz with Native American students and marching with Cesar Chavez. She would have been by Harvey Milk’s side when he led the defeat of the Briggs initiative, and with Gavin Newsom when he recognized same-sex unions in 2004.

Calafia has suffered a number of defeats over the years, too, of which Prop 8 is the most recent. The laws robbing Chinese of their constitutional rights and the internment of Japanese-Americans are just two examples.

This election suggests that Calafia has regrouped and might once again be on the ascendancy. November was a good month for California LGBTs, anyway. Gavin Newsom won his race for Lieutenant Governor. Barbara Boxer, one of only fourteen senators who voted against DOMA in 1996, won her senate race. Jerry Brown, the attorney general who refused to defend prop 8, won the governorship, and our new attorney general, Kamala Harris, has vowed not to defend it. Victoria Kolakowski became the first openly transgender judge in the country. Perhaps most satisfying of all, the author of prop 8, Andrew Pugno, lost his race for state assembly. These victories demonstrate that it is possible for politicians to fight for principle and win. With the Prop 8 hearings scheduled on December 6, 2010, I’m hoping that Calafia is at peak strength. Read More...

SLDN blasts Senate GOPers for holding Defense bill hostage to tax cuts: 'This is unprecedented and it is shameful'

SLDN just sent out this statement:

“It is unprecedented that a tax reduction bill must pass before the Senate can act to fund our troops and the nation’s defense. We need to be clear about what’s happening here: the defense bill is being held hostage until Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and John McCain get the tax bill they want to pass. This is unprecedented and it is shameful. The National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the repeal provisions, must be called up in the Senate, debated, and passed before Congress leaves for the year. If the 42 GOP senators -- including several who support repeal of 'Don't Ask' -- put process and procedure and tax cuts first, their continued delays and political jockeying will be an endorsement of the discrimination that has cost 14,000 men and women their jobs and threatened our country's national security by discharging mission-critical service members,” said Aubrey Sarvis, Army veteran and executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

Sure sounds like SLDN has had it with the games. And, they should be. Read More...

Majority Leader Reid explains how the Senate is going to move forward

I used C-SPAN's video tool to embed this video of Majority Leader Reid announcing plans for moving forward. C-SPAN let's one clip only the relevant video one wants.

The Senate wants to adjourn on December 17th. That's less than two weeks from now. And, they've got a lot to do. He addressed the Defense bill after prompting from Senator Levin. Transcript of those remarks is below. Bottom line is that time is still our enemy and we'll need to see a lot of cooperation if the DADT language is going to pass this year.

You have to click on the start button (black triangle) to begin the video.


Here's the language, from the transcipt on Defense Authorization:

AND THE OTHER THING THAT I'VE INDICATED -- IN FACT I HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS, BIPARTISAN IN NATURE, YESTERDAY -- WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A TIME TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL. THE ISSUE ON THAT, MADAM PRESIDENT, IS WHAT WE DO WITH AMENDMENTS. AND WITHOUT BELABORING THE POINT HERE, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO CONSIDER DOING A NUMBER OF AMENDMENTS, IF WE HAVE TIME AGREEMENTS ON THOSE AMENDMENTS. BUT JUST TO HAVE AN OPEN PROCESS, AT THIS STAGE, I DON'T SEE HOW WE CAN DO THAT. BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH MY FRIEND, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE, AND OTHERS INTERESTED, BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, RECOGNIZING HOW IMPORTANT THAT LEGISLATION IS.
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Justin Elzie: From 'Marine of the Year' to DADT activist

Last night, DC's local Fox affiliate interviewed Justin Elzie, an amazing activist, an American hero and a very good friend of AMERICAblog. Justin was the first Marine discharged under DADT back in 1993 -- and fought his way back in. Justin served openly as a Marine for four years. Last month, he was one of the thirteen activists who got arrested at the White House.

(photo courtesy of GetEQUAL)

Justin has written a book, Playing By the Rules. We're going to host a livechat with Justin soon to discuss the book and his long career of activism.

On Fox5, Justin, who was in DC for the DADT hearings, talked about the prospects for ending the law and about "Playing By the Rules":
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Childhood friend of John McCain's: Time to end DADT

After reading what John McCain has in common with Beth Coye and for him to still oppose allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve, one can only come to the conclusion John McCain has little to no conscience.

Then:

ALMOST 70 years ago, Johnny McCain and Beth Coye, ages 5 and 4, played together on the sands of the Panama Canal Zone. Their mothers, Roberta and Betty, were part of the Navy's submarine family and no doubt were discussing the possibility of their husbands going off to war as the children frolicked in the sands.

Now:

Today, they are leaders on opposite sides of the debate over repealing "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT), the 1993 law that prohibits gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. armed forces. Sen. McCain argues the policy "works well for the military" and to repeal it is far too risky, especially in the middle of two wars. A retired naval commander, Coye, argues with equal conviction the policy undermines the ability of the armed forces to accomplish its mission effectively due to the enforced discharge of top-performing soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and coasties who happen to be gay or lesbian, as well as the integrity of individual service members — both gay and straight.

John is ranking member of the Senate's Armed Services Committee. I am Beth, who served most of my naval career as a closeted lesbian. Since then, I have been a political-science professor, an author, and an unpaid but ardent advocate for why DADT must be repealed. Last spring, I edited "We Are Family Too," a book of 37 powerful letters written by former or retired military personnel who are gay or lesbian. The book reached the highest offices in our government.

The experts have spoken time and again in our favor. The majority of the American people are on the side of fairness and equality. John McCain needs to honestly ask himself how much of this battle is about a bruised ego from his failed attempt to become our nation's commander-in-chief, and how much is honestly about the rational and logical decision to support our nation's security by repealing the odious and unconscionable DADT law. Read More...

If gays were poker chips....

We've been told that "time is our enemy" on getting DADT repealed because the Senate has so many other crucial issues to focus on during this lame duck session - issues more important than the national defense bill, apparently.

We've already learned that one of those issues is the impeachment of a judge that probably none of you have ever heard of, and can wait until next year. Well, another crucial issue has arisen that is also more important than our national defense (and our civil rights) - online gambling.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing behind the scenes for lame-duck legislation that would allow poker games over the Internet but restrict initial licenses to casinos and racetrack operators that have been in businesses at least five years.

Some of the biggest casino operators in Reid's home state of Nevada are eager to get a piece of the online gambling industry, which generates an estimated $5 billion a year for offshore operators.

I'm sure the ability to gamble online will be comforting to all the gay kids thinking of killing themselves because our government continues to tell them that they're not equal. Read More...

Elated McCain kisses generals at DADT hearing

More from Satirewire. Read More...

Prop 8 court case watching party in LA Monday

UPDATE: We'll be hosting a live chat during the arguments before the Ninth Circuit. We will be joined by our own Liz Newcomb and USC Law Professor David Cruz. The arguments begin at 10:00 AM PT. We'll start at 12:30 PM ET/9:30 AM PT.

Televised Viewing of 9th Circuit Prop 8 Challenge to be Hosted by
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Lambda Legal on Dec. 6

(Los Angeles, November 30, 2010) — On Monday, Dec. 6, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, the federal lawsuit challenging the validity of California’s Proposition 8.

The L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, together with Lambda Legal, will host a free viewing of the televised proceedings, on a large screen in the Center’s Renberg Theatre, for all who are interested in watching.

Following the arguments, LGBT leaders will be available for interviews with the media, including: Jon Davidson, Legal Director of Lambda Legal who will provide legal analysis, and the Center’s Senior Policy Counsel, Sky Johnson. Francisco Dueñas, coordinator of Lambda Legal’s Proyecto Igualdad,will be available for Spanish-language interviews.

WHEN: 9:30 a.m., Monday, December 6, 2010

Hearing begins at 10 a.m. and is expected to last approximately two hours

WHERE: L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
The Village at Ed Gould Plaza
1125 N. McCadden Place
Los Angeles, CA 90038

WHO: Sky Johnson, Senior Policy Counsel, L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center

Jon Davidson, Legal Director for Lambda Legal

Francisco Dueñas, Lambda Legal Proyecto Igualdad

**Limited street parking available**
###

Contact: Jason Pérez Howe/Lambda Legal, Office: 213-382-7600 ext.247; Cell: 415-595-9245
Stevie St. John/L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, Office: 323-993-7622

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Sargent: What about the gay service members?

An excellent point, and piece, by Greg Sargent over at the Washington Post:

One thing that's been oddly missing from the debate in the Senate over repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell is any discussion of the moral and human dimensions of this story. The discussion has mostly been bone dry: It's all about what the statistics in the Pentagon report actually reveal and whether Robert Gates will implement repeal on a sufficiently flexible timetable.

Indeed, when Senator James Webb today asked the Service Chiefs a simple question about the human beings impacted by this discriminatory policy, everyone at the hearing acted a bit startled. Webb asked: What should we do with patriotic Americans who have already served our country for years, and want to lead free and open lives? Everyone looked uncomfortable, as if Webb had gone way off topic,

Greg has a lot more. Read it. Read More...

IL State Senator blasted the hypocrisy of opponents of the civil unions bill

This video has been making the rounds for the past couple days. It's amazing.

I would love to hear someone in Congress give this speech. Because, there's a ton of hypocrisy on Capitol Hill, too.

Senator Rickey Hendon knows voting for the civil unions won't send him to hell.
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GOP Senator Scott Brown will support DADT repeal

This is great news, and it helps shift momentum our way. Specifically, it puts more pressure on other GOP moderates like Snowe and Collins, and also on Dem conservatives. What remains to be seen is whether Brown supports cloture on the defense bill itself (there are various cloture votes). He could support cloture on DADT but not support it on the bill, thus taking DADT down anyway. So more details need to come out. But still, this is good news.

"I have been in the military for 31 years and counting, and have served as a subordinate and as an officer. As a legislator, I have spent a significant amount of time on military issues. During my time of service, I have visited our injured troops at Walter Reed and have attended funerals of our fallen heroes. When a soldier answers the call to serve, and risks life or limb, it has never mattered to me whether they are gay or straight. My only concern has been whether their service and sacrifice is with pride and honor.

"I pledged to keep an open mind about the present policy on Don't Ask Don't Tell. Having reviewed the Pentagon report, having spoken to active and retired military service members, and having discussed the matter privately with Defense Secretary Gates and others, I accept the findings of the report and support repeal based on the Secretary's recommendations that repeal will be implemented only when the battle effectiveness of the forces is assured and proper preparations have been completed."

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Live chat for Day 2 of Senate hearings on the Pentagon's DADT report

UPDATE from John: While you're watching this hearing, and watching Marine Corps Commandant James Amos spew an incredible amount of homophobia, and undercut his own commander in chief on national television, keep one thing in mind. President Obama just appointed this guy. He took over the Marine Corps a whopping 6 weeks ago. And he's already undercutting one of the President's alleged top priorities, and more generally, is making a fool of the commander in chief.

So, the question is, who exactly in the White House came up with the idea of picking a new Marine Commandant who was violently opposed to the repeal of DADT? Not to put too fine a point on it, but are you people stupid or something? Shall we buy you a "My First Presidency" doll for Christmas, so you can learn how to be the leader of the free world?

Sarcasm aside, how the hell do you pick someone for a job and not pay attention to the fact that he is violently opposed to a top priority of your boss, to the point that he's willing to publicly embarrass you, not just six weeks after he takes the job, but actually his second week on the job.

Either the White House is filled with the Keystone Cops of politics, or the President simply didn't give enough of a damn about the repeal of DADT to pick a new Marine Corps head who was for repeal, or even just loyal enough to keep his F'g mouth shut.

This is why the President Obama has overseen an absolute meltdown in relations between the gay community and Democratic party. Not because he's been 99% ineffective at accomplishing anything significant with regards to our civil rights, but rather that he repeatedly seems to not even be interested in trying. This was a huge gaffe, picking Amos. An idiotic, sophomoric gaffe. Or worse, the President knew exactly what he was doing.

Just an astoundingly stupid decision. Was this your doing, Jim Messina?

PS One final point. Does the White House not understand how weak this makes the President look, having all of his service chiefs publicly rebuking him, like he's some child? Why reinforce that meme, that the President is weak, that you can undermine him with impunity? This was an incredibly dumb decision on so many levels, far beyond its impact on DADT.

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Jon Stewart on DADT and John McCain

The second round of Senate Armed Services Committee on the Pentagon's DADT report begin at 9:00 AM ET. We'll set up another livechat. Today's hearings could be intense. Secretary Gates has said several times that the expects the Service Chiefs to be more "sanguine" about the report. And, the Service Chiefs are John McCain's last line of defense. Which brings me to Jon Stewart. Watch him eviscerate McCain. It will help you get through today's hearing.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Gaypocalypse Now
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor The Daily Show on Facebook

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Mullen and Obama

A friend writes:

Did you see what Adm. Mullen said when McCain challenged him on his testimony on DADT saying that he was not in command of troops? Or at least not in direct command?

He said this:

"With all due respect, Mr. Chairman and Sen. McCain, it is true that, as chairman, I am not in charge of troops. But I have commanded three ships, a carrier battle group and two fleets. And I was most recently a service chief myself. For more than 40 years I have made decisions that affected and even risked the lives of young men and women.

"You do not have to agree with me on this issue. But don't think for one moment that I haven't carefully considered the impact of the advice I give on those who will have to live with the decisions that that advice informs. I would not recommend repeal of this law if I did not believe in my soul that it was the right thing to do for our military, for our nation and for our collective honor."

If the White House sends this guy out with a mission, and he doesn’t just follow orders, but reaches into his own heart to explain why those orders are right, and stands up to a hypocritical bully, and they throw him under a bus, no one in the world has enough money to bribe me to vote for Barack Obama again.

I will just tune out and wait for you to advise me on who to support in the Democratic primary that I will be pissed off if we do not have.

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Cranky John McCain

Wonderful write up on the ass John McCain made of himself at today's Senate Armed Services DADT report hearing. From HuffPost Hill:

McCain really brought the cranky at today's hearing: First he complained that there wasn't enough time to adequately address the issue. In an effort to placate his colleague, committee chair Carl Levin added an extra minute to each senator's allotted time and Robert Gates pledged to stay an extra half-hour. Then McCain used his extra time to question Gates about the Wikileaks controversy, moments after whining about the cramped schedule. Despite an opening statement that accused the Pentagon report on gays and lesbians in uniform of being flawed, McCain cited a section showing opposition to DADT repeal among Marines. We don't know who forgot to put raisins in John McCain's oatmeal this morning but...yeesh...that is one cantankerous senior citizen. May God be with the pimply checkout clerk that has to deal with John McCain and an expired coupon book.

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