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21 Jun 2011 16:22

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Politics: Fervor over gay marriage vote grows in NY as state senate stalls

  • Still waiting on history: Protests and passions have continued to flare as the New York state senate has still not yet resolved the gay marriage bill before it. The AP is reporting that Wednesday might be the decisive day, but it’s not certain — legislative schedules change dynamically, as they did last week when it rumors swirled that Friday would bring a vote for the bill. Also of note in this video is the New York Giants’ Super Bowl hero of a few seasons ago, David Tyree, giving one of the most common, irritating arguments against gay marriage; if marriage is one way for a long time, why change it? This argument’s been used in other cases, of course — ones which most people now view as pretty dubious. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Jun 2011 14:23

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U.S.: NY gay marriage bill to set a precedent about the issue

  • This is not about religion, this is about civil rights.
  • Sharon Baum, a protester for gay marriage in New York • Describing her take on the gay marriage situation. (Another take, from 80-year-old Ginny Winn: “If this passes, we will become Sodom and Gomorrah.”)Tension is growing as the bill to legalize gay marriage hits in a critical stage — one that requires at least some Republican support to make it happen. It’s a key battleground state for the gay rights movement: If gay marriage passes in New York, there’s a good chance it will set a precedent that other states will follow the Empire State’s lead. A large number of people on both sides of this bill have come forward to protest a decision that could go either way at this point. Keep an eye on this today, guys. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jun 2011 18:00

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Politics: District court chief: Prop. 8 Judge Walker is impartial

  • The mere fact that a judge is in a relationship with another person — whether of the same sex or the opposite sex — does not ipso facto imply that the judge must be so interested in marrying that person that he would be unable to exhibit the impartiality which, it is presumed, all federal judges maintain.
  • U.S. District Court Chief James Ware • Explaining his ruling that retired Judge Vaughn Walker, a gay man who ruled against California’s Proposition 8 in court, should not have had to remove himself from the case. This is a major victory for gay-rights advocates, and the legal opponents of Proposition 8; its supporters had argued that Walker’s long-term relationship with another man biased his judgment in the case, as he might want to get married. Walker’s ruling against Prop. 8 is still on hold pending a circuit court appeal. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Jun 2011 19:41

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Politics: GOProud chairman sticks by Herman Cain despite “sin” remark

  • The truth is that Herman Cain is running on a campaign centered on conservative policies that would improve the lives of all Americans – including gay Americans.
  • GOProud Board President Chris Barron • Responding to remarks made by Herman Cain, which we mentioned earlier. His defense is that though he disagrees with Cain on homosexuality, Cain supports things (such as the Fair Tax and repealing the Affordable Care Act) that he believes will benefit all Americans, homosexuals included. Here’s our issue with that: If you believe Cain was speaking honestly, and believes in the Bible unequivocally as he seems to suggest, he believes not only that homosexuals will literally burn in hell, suffering for eternity, but that this would be just — all God’s judgments must be rejoiced, after all. We don’t think he actually feels this way, nor do people just because they’re Christians. But condemning homosexuality as a “sin” is beyond the pale, and should be denounced in much stronger terms than Barron seems willing to. Focusing on real-world issues is fine, but it’s never good to soft-sell bigotry. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jun 2011 14:21

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Politics: The San Francisco Giants say “It Gets Better”

  • A wonderful step: The San Francisco Giants have become the first professional sports team to join the “It Gets Better” campaign, with the release of this video. With this, the Giants are leading a charge in baseball similar to the Phoenix Suns in the NBA, meaning LGBT fans everywhere can now ask why their team hasn’t followed suit — likely the absolute best way to get more franchises on board with this message, and affect positive change. Incidentally, this isn’t the first time the Giants have set the example on a progressive social issue; back in 1993, they were the first team to give proceeds to AIDS research with “Until There’s a Cure” day. Enormous thanks to Barry Zito, Matt Cain, Sergio Romo, Andres Torres, and Hensley Meulens for doing this. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 May 2011 17:50

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Culture: Charles Barkley lauds gay equality in sports, marriage

  • Any professional athlete who gets on TV or radio and says he never played with a gay guy is a stone-freakin’ idiot. I would even say the same thing in college. Every college player, every pro player in any sport has probably played with a gay person. … I’ve been a big proponent of gay marriage for a long time, because as a black person, I can’t be in for any form of discrimination at all.
  • Charles Barkley • The Hall-Of-Fame power forward speaking out about homosexuality in sports, in the wake of Phoenix Suns President and CEO Rick Welts coming out in an New York Times story over the weekend. Barkley’s comments are earnest and worthy of notice, especially in recent weeks that have seen sexual orientation become a focal point in the NBA. The impetus of it all, to some extent, was the very public stance the league took when Kobe Bryant hurled a slur at an official. Bryant received a stiff fine, and to his credit to some extent, he later partnered with a gay rights group for public education. Then, Phoenix Suns players Grant Hill and Jared Dudley shot a PSA denouncing the use of “gay” as a playground insult (a move that invariably and depressingly got them called “gay” a lot via Twitter). It was on this recent foundation that Welts came out. Courage like this brings us ever closer to a more enlightened society, so simply, thank you. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 23:19

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U.S.: A majority of Americans support same-sex marriage

  • YES polling indicates majority support for gay marriage
  • In 1988, 10% of Americans supported equal marriage rights. Now, after twenty-three years of rather intense political struggles, proponents of gay rights can plausibly claim a mandate. Polling over the last eight months strongly suggests that a majority of Americans—51% in the latest CNN poll—support same-sex marriage, and while public policy regrettably hasn’t caught up with public opinion yet, this is nonetheless a huge milestone for the gay rights movement, and civil rights as a whole. The aforementioned CNN poll was the fourth in eight months implying majority support.
  • 2009 two years ago, opponents of gay marriage outweighed supporters by 11%
  • 2012 in a year and a half, gay marriage advocates will outnumber opponents by 16% (if current trends continue)
  • 4% per-year increase in support for gay marriage since 2008; usually, it’s usually around 1-2% per year source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

21 Jan 2011 00:08

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U.S.: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal will save taxpayers money

  • some think it will make us unsafe. We think (in addition to not making us unsafe) it’ll save taxpayers money. While the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a done deal, the Government Accountability Office nevertheless conducted a study on the fiscal impact of the program. After reviewing all cases of expulsion under the program over the last six years, they found that maintaining the program was quite costly (and we don’t mean from an emotional standpoint).
  • $193 million to implement the program over six years
  • $52k cost of expelling each service member (this includes finding and training replacements)
  • 39% of those expelled either spoke a foreign language, or held a “critical occupation” in the military source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Nov 2010 20:13

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Culture, U.S.: Depressing: Plurality against children for same-sex couples

  • 43% think same-sex parents are “bad for society” source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Sep 2010 12:43

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Politics, U.S.: Sen. Susan Collins votes her conscience. Just kidding!

  • then Susan Collins, the moderate Republican Senator from Maine, previously voted to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell when the bill was in committee.
  • now Collins still opposes the policy, but because Sen. Harry Reid, the Majority leader, won’t allow unlimited amendments on the bill, she’ll be filibustering the repeal effort.
  • “I think it’s the right thing to do.” That’s how Collins feels about repealing DADT, the controversial policy that prohibits openly gay citizens from serving in the military; ending it is “only fair,” she said today. But Reid is limiting the number of amendments that can be added to the bill containing the repeal, and so she’s voting against it. Funny; if you think the bill does “the right thing,” shouldn’t the procedural stuff be a secondary consideration? After all, you came to the Senate to enact effective policy, not uphold Senate procedure. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 2 Comments • Permalink
 
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