Constance McMillen, LGBT America’s prom queen, was invited to the Pride Reception at the White House hosted by President Obama.
We hope that this reception will change the conversation, not just be an honor party, but a party where conversations and minds will be changed for a greater good.
According to the Advocate, the White House will hold a reception on June 22 in honor of Pride month. There really are no facts on who is invited, if the President and First Family will be in attendance, and White House staffers are keeping silent.
The heckler in SF was GetEqual’s Kip Williams, who was arrested after confronting President Obama at the Barbara Boxer event.
Kip Williams had this to say:
“President Obama’s response was disheartening. As the police detained and escorted me out of the room, he told the crowd that I don’t read the newspapers. Otherwise, he said, I would know that he’s been working with Congress to move on the issue very soon. But I do read the newspapers, and while it is imperative to pass this bill, it just doesn’t go far enough. As long as lesbian and gay servicemembers are being discharged, we still have a problem – and this bill doesn’t tell us if or when those discharges are going to stop.”
President Barack Obama was speaking at a fundraiser for Senator Barbara Boxer of California. During his speech, several DADT protesters interrupted by shouting “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. This interruption lead to him to confront those protesters and reaffirm that DADT will be repealed and also acknowledged that Senator Boxer was NOT in favor of DADT and did NOT vote for it when it was passed in 1993. Watch the clip and tell us your thoughts…
Pinknews did a story about an indescribable occurrence that is happening to Gays and Lesbians in Zimbabwe. This story made me weep as we read about the ‘corrective rape’ that is being done to Zimbabwe’s Gays and Lesbians in order to ‘cure’ them. Some of the rape is being done by their own family members. Heterosexual marriage is being forced on to them as well. “Some families reportedly subjected men and women to corrective rape and forced marriages to encourage heterosexual conduct.” this was stated by Amanda Porter, political officer at the US Embassy in Harare. Porter has also stated that misconduct to homosexuals is not reported because police and politicians side with the idea that homosexuality is madness and wrong.
The one Gay & Lesbian group in Zimbabwe (GALZ) has informed that Gays and Lesbians live in fear and are being forced to live secretly, basically having to closet themselves and become outcasts of their own country.
This is unacceptable! We feel that matters like these are why we fight. We as a country and a community can not only send our love to the LGBT community of Zimbabwe, but we must urge our leaders, especially President Obama-our president whose father was from the African country of Kenya. For his African families’ neighbors in Zimbabwe, we must be steadfast in creating equality and making sure that there is no reason for homosexuals to be looked upon as second, lower class citizens. These beautiful, innocent people must be protected.
What to expect? Well for a couple who are born in the LGBT world, we will put it in these words: its like Christmas eve when you don’t celebrate the holiday. We still give well wishes for this bill to pass so that MORE people will benefit from this healthcare reform…but LGBT’s definitely got the piece of coal. We have to do better, there is the art of the possible.
Let’s first thank Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) for fighting for her/our rights as the only openly Lesbian congresswoman who, like all of us, want equal tax treatment of domestic partner benefits and provisions that would make healthcare more accessible and affordable to our community. Unfortunately, the House has abandoned those provisions and they will NOT be included in the final healthcare bill. HOWEVER, not a total loss yet, the healthcare bill will assist ALL Americans (and yes, that includes our community). Important reforms that will take place are:
The elimination pre-existing condition limitations
expansion of Medicaid that will positively impact people living with HIV and AIDS.
OK, so lets pass this healthcare bill-reform is needed. Lets continue making a more perfect union.
In 1996, when we were very young high schoolers in Chicago, Obama was a candidate for Illinois State Senator. While we were getting our learner’s permit, Obama was figuring out his stance on same-sex marriage and back then, his decision was this: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriage, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”
This statement was made in Outlines-a Gay newspaper, which was later acquired by Windy City Times.
Now, one would figure that his ‘96 statement would hold so that a 21st century president would progress to equality, but as Obama stated to the Windy City Times in 2009, the newspaper quoted him as saying he no longer supported same-sex marriage “primarily just as a strategic issue,” and not because he had changed his philosophy.
Constance McMillen, LGBT America’s prom queen, was invited to the Pride Reception at the White House hosted by President Obama.
According to the Advocate, the White House will hold a reception on June 22 in honor of Pride month. There really are no facts on who is invited, if the President and First Family will be in attendance, and White House staffers are keeping silent.
Pinknews did a story about an indescribable occurrence that is happening to Gays and Lesbians in Zimbabwe. This story made me weep as we read about the ‘corrective rape’ that is being done to Zimbabwe’s Gays and Lesbians in order to ‘cure’ them. Some of the rape is being done by their own family members. Heterosexual marriage is being forced on to them as well. “Some families reportedly subjected men and women to corrective rape and forced marriages to encourage heterosexual conduct.” this was stated by Amanda Porter, political officer at the US Embassy in Harare. Porter has also stated that misconduct to homosexuals is not reported because police and politicians side with the idea that homosexuality is madness and wrong.
There are 32,000,000 smiling faces now that the House has passed healthcare reform. Congratulations to the Obama Administration!
What to expect? Well for a couple who are born in the LGBT world, we will put it in these words: its like Christmas eve when you don’t celebrate the holiday. We still give well wishes for this bill to pass so that MORE people will benefit from this healthcare reform…but LGBT’s definitely got the piece of coal. We have to do better, there is the art of the possible.
Let’s first thank Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) for fighting for her/our rights as the only openly Lesbian congresswoman who, like all of us, want equal tax treatment of domestic partner benefits and provisions that would make healthcare more accessible and affordable to our community. Unfortunately, the House has abandoned those provisions and they will NOT be included in the final healthcare bill. HOWEVER, not a total loss yet, the healthcare bill will assist ALL Americans (and yes, that includes our community). Important reforms that will take place are:
In 1996, when we were very young high schoolers in Chicago, Obama was a candidate for Illinois State Senator. While we were getting our learner’s permit, Obama was figuring out his stance on same-sex marriage and back then, his decision was this: “I favor legalizing same-sex marriage, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”
