In an act of unethical despiration, presidential hopeful and outgoing Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney is threatening to hold back pay for state legislators until there is a vote on banning gay marriage in Massachusetts. The man is on a damn crusade to take the rights and protections away from children and their families.

With time running out opponents of same-sex marriage are massing a major campaign aimed at forcing Massachusetts lawmakers to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would bar gay and lesbian couples from tying the knot.

Outgoing Gov. Mitt Romney is threatening to tie up pay raises for the legislature if it does fails to act and the group behind the amendment says it will seek bar sanctions against attorney's at the legislature if the vote is not held.

The opposition mentioned above are part of the same people who attacked a woman at a rally. She was counter-protesting in favor of keeping the current pro-equality marriage laws already on the books in Massachusetts. The leader (story here) tackled the woman, shoved her face into the concrete and threatened her. Oh-and he is from the Catholic Church. It's so wrong-on so many levels.

On November 10 the legislature, meeting in a special joint session to consider the proposed amendment, recessed until January 2, without taking a vote.

The proposed amendment was the result of a signature gathering campaign mounted by conservative groups. More than the required number of names were collected, sending the issue to the Constitutional Convention where it needs only the support of only 50 lawmakers - 25 percent of the House and Senate - in two constitutional conventions for it to be put to voters in 2008.

If the convention fails to vote on January 2 - the final day of the current session - the proposed amendment would die and supporters would have to begin collecting signatures all over again in an attempt to place it before voters in 2010.

Even if the measure were to pass on January 2 it would need a second round of approval in the new session of legislature.

Romney, who leaves office in January and is expected to announce his candidacy for the GOP nomination for president, is reportedly preparing to play his final card in the battle over the amendment vote - refusing to sign automatic pay raises for lawmakers.

We shall see what happens. They really only have one day left, next Tuesday.

For more on the woman assaulted by the Catholic demonstrator:
Cathlolics Turning to Violence to Stop Equality
Update: The Violent Catholic

Labels: constitutional amendment, discrimination, gay rights, marriage, Massachusetts, mitt romney

Early next year, Rep. Marty Meehan (D, Mass.) announced that he will reintroduce legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

Rep. Meehan said that 112 Members of Congress from both parties have signed on to co-sponsor the bill, called the Military Readiness Enhancement Act. It is also important to note that, as we reported earlier, 3 out of 4 soldiers have no problems serving side-by-side with gay or lesbian soldiers.

"I will also be asking for the first Congressional hearings on gays in the military since 1993. I know that when my colleagues see and understand the evidence against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," they will be motivated to join me in the fight for repeal," Meehan said in a statement released by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

"We cannot afford to keep losing the talent and contribution of patriotic, gay Americans who want to serve. Our military success depends on having the best and brightest Americans in our armed forces. The best and brightest includes lesbian and gay Americans, too."

Since the ban on gays serving openly was implemented a decade ago more than 11,000 men and women have been dismissed under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" according to the Government Accountability Office.

The number of gays and lesbians who have attempted to enlist and rejected because they said they were gay is not known.

A study conducted last year for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network concluded that the U.S. military could attract as many as 41,000 new recruits if gays and lesbians in the military were able to be open about their sexual orientation.

We'll follow this one as it would be one of the largest positive changes at the federal level in a long, long time.

Labels: DADT, Massachusetts, military

Today the Governor's Task Force on Equality released its recommendations to the public. These recommendations, in theory, we'd assume will be put into legislation for the 2007 legislative session.

From the Basic Rights Oregon Blog:

BRO Applauds Recommendations of Governor's Task Force on Equality

Basic Rights Oregon applauded the recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Equality contained in a report made public by Governor Kulongoski today. The report summarizes the work of the Task Force this year and recommends two major changes to State policy: State law should prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and should provide a framework for legal recognition of same-sex relationships.

"The work and recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on Equality are meaningful because they reflect a growing recognition of the problem of discrimination and a call for full equality from a broad spectrum of community leaders across the state," said Aisling Coghlan, Basic Rights Oregon Interim Executive Director. "This report reinforces what we already know is true: most Oregonians already believe that discrimination is wrong and ought to be reflected in the laws we live by."

In a statement released by the Governor's office, Governor Kulongoski said, "This is about basic questions of fairness and equity under the law," said the Governor. "We must continue to strive to make Oregon a state of economic and social opportunity for all of our citizens, regardless of race, gender, religion, age or sexual orientation."

"We commend the Governor for his continued leadership on issues of equality and thank the Task Force members for their service on this important and historic work," said Coghlan. "We look forward to working with lawmakers in the House and Senate and with the Governor's office to make the Task Force's recommendations a reality under the law."

Read the full report here (pdf).

Labels: discrimination, gay rights, kulongoski

Minister Jay Bakker, son of Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker, shares his views on gay rights and the Ted Haggard scandal.

And just for fun, after watching this clip, I'd recommend reading a recent post... The Far-Right's Distortion of Research

Labels: evangelical, marriage

Via 365gay.

Same-sex couples in New Jersey will be able to enter civil unions beginning Feb. 19 under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Jon Corzine, but how many couples will take advantage of the new law remains unclear.

Many gay and lesbian couples in the state say the new law is only a step toward full marriage rights. Garden State Equality, New Jersey's largest LGBT civil rights organization says it believes marriage will be legalized within two years.

One couple, Donna Harrison and Kathy Ragauckas, of Asbury Park, have been together for nine years. They told the Associated Press on Thursday they're disappointed the legislature did not legalize marriage but say they will probably get a civil union certificate anyway.

"Although I think they provide some benefit, it is a different treatment of human beings," she said.

The legislation came about as a result of an October ruling by the New Jersey Supreme Court that same-sex couples should have access to the same rights and benefits as married couples. Whether to call those rights marriages, civil unions or something else was left up to lawmakers.

The legislature opted for civil unions. The bill passed the New Jersey Legislature last Thursday afternoon.

It offers couples who register most state benefits and protections currently available to opposite-sex couples, including the right to health insurance through a partner's employer.

But it does not provide any of the benefits of marriage under federal law, and it still could cost same-sex couples more than marriage couples for health insurance.

Corzine said he had some concerns about the new law.

Like laws involving marriage mayors are not obligated to conduct civil union ceremonies. Corzine said he is worried some mayors will use the provision to refuse to unite gay couples.

Already a number of mayors have warned they won't take part in civil unions. Legal experts have told the governor that although mayors can refuse to perform ceremonies if they conduct marriages but refuse civil unions they could be prosecuted under the state's human rights law.

The law contains a provision establishing a commission that will investigate how civil unions fall short of marriage and report back to the legislature in six months.

Lambda Legal, which represented same-sex couples in the legal battle that led to the new law, is also setting up a monitor on how the law is applied.

Lambda on Thursday announced it is launching 'Civil Union Watch'.

"The law isn't even in effect yet and already we're seeing news reports of mayors planning to discriminate against same-sex couples," said David Buckel, Senior Counsel at Lambda Legal and lead attorney on the lawsuit.

"In the two years that the domestic partnerships have been in place we've seen the hardships faced by some same-sex couples, and we're prepared to continue to help couples navigate the pitfalls of a government-sanctioned second-class status," he said.

Buckle also noted that for New Yorkers, it might be better to legally marry in Canada than cross the river to New Jersey for a civil union.

"Outside New Jersey, it might surprise same-sex couples in New York to know that they may be far better off taking a plane to Canada to get married than hopping a train to New Jersey for a civil union. In New York there has been widespread respect for same-sex couples' marriages entered in Canada, but far less respect for civil unions putting couples who are seeking protections at greater risk for hardship," Buckel said.

Same-sex marriage is legal only in the state of Massachusetts and is limited to residents of the state and of Rhode Island.

New Jersey is the third state to legalize civil unions after Vermont and Connecticut. California has a domestic partner registry which provides some of the state benefits of marriage. The California Supreme Court will hear arguments next year in a case involving same-sex marriage rights.

Labels: civil union, new jersey

Researchers who have had their studies used by the far-right wing in a distorteed manner are speaking out (video below). With the help of Truth Wins Out, researchers are coming forward to condemn Focus on the Family's James Dobson for distorting their research to make false claims about same-sex parenting.

In an article by Paul D. Thacker from Inside Higher Ed :

When academics feel that their work has been distorted in the press, they frequently have to settle for griping to colleagues or writing a letter to the editor. But for Carol Gilligan, a prominent psychologist and author of In a Different Voice, a mere letter did not suffice. When she was alerted that James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, referenced her work in a Time magazine column, she denounced his interpretation of her research - posting her views Monday in a video on YouTube.

In his magazine piece, Dobson criticized Mary Cheney’s decision to become pregnant. "The majority of more than 30 years of social-science indicates that children do best on every measure of well-being when raised by their married mother and father," he wrote last week. Dobson backed up his claims by citing Gilligan's work. Gilligan is a renowned expert on gender and human development and is a professor of education and law at New York University.

"I was stunned to hear that James Dobson quoted me in Time magazine," Gilligan says in the video (see video below). "I had no idea. I was mortified." She says that there is nothing in her research that would lead anyone to agree with Dobson's claim that same-gender families are unhealthy for children.

In a statement released by Focus on the Family, the organization said, "In his Time essay, Dr. Dobson does not represent Professor Gilligan as supporting or opposing same-sex parenting, but only that her work shows that men and women stress different elements in moral teaching."

The video was commissioned last Friday and quickly edited over the weekend by Wayne Besen, the executive director of Truth Wins Out, an advocacy group for gay rights. Besen said that he has grown weary of Dobson mangling science to advance a political agenda against gay families. Last summer, he started contacting researchers to alert them whenever Dobson cited them in his writing.

"None of them know this is going on," Besen said of the academics. "That's how [Dobson] gets away with it." This certainly holds true for Gilligan. In the video, she states that she learned of Dobson's article after Besen notified her. While Gilligan does not appear to dispute any specifics in Dobson's article, she says that Dobson distorts the meaning of her work which does not support his conclusions.

Another professor highlighted in the video and in Dobson's article is Kyle Pruett, a professor of child psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and author of Fatherneed: Why Father Care Is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child. Citing Pruett, Dobson wrote, "The fact remains that gender matters - perhaps nowhere more than in regard to child rearing."

After he was contacted last week by Besen, Pruett sent a letter to Dobson asking him to stop citing his research. The letter is posted on Besen's Web site.

"I pointed out that gay or lesbian relationships do not at all compromise childhood," Pruett said in an interview. He added that Dobson's analysis of his research on fathers was "destructive and highly prejudicial," and cherry-picked information. When people start spinning science, Pruett said, you have to respond.

"Journalism used to handle this, but not anymore," he said. "So it's bounced back to become the responsibility of the people doing the research."

In response, Focus on the Family stated, "While Pruett has tried to distance himself politically from the use of his scientific conclusions, those conclusions still remain."

Besen said that he has contacted other professors who Dobson has cited, and he plans to release more videos with academics countering Dobson's claims. "They're getting defined by Dobson who has the President on speed dial," he said. "They're reluctant to get involved. But in the name of academic credibility, they step forward."

The recent incident with Dobson is not the first time that academics have grumbled that Focus on the Family perverts science. Last summer, Elizabeth Saewyc, an associate professor with the school of nursing at the University of British Columbia, accused the group of "hijacking" her study on suicide rates among bisexual youth.

She said that she would not have learned that Focus on the Family was distorting her research unless Besen had contacted her. Her study found a link between homosexuality and risk for suicide, but she said that Focus on the Family blamed the high suicide rate on pro-gay activists. Saewyc said in an email interview that her study found only a correlation and was not designed to find causation.

"What was more surprising were the conclusions they drew from the information," she said of Focus on the Family.

SEE VIDEO BELOW:

Labels: evangelical, focus on the family, james dobson, mary cheney

Today President Bush signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act, a critical life-line for over half a million low-income Americans living with HIV/AIDS. For years, the Ryan White CARE Act has been instrumental in the fight of HIV/AIDS, giving hope to those living with HIV and AIDS by providing care, services and access to lifesaving medication.

HRC President Joe Solomnese stated:

"We are pleased that a bipartisan Congress and the President were able to come together and agree on the reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act and officially sign it into law today," said Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign. "This critical life-saving piece of legislation will help over a half million low-income Americans living with HIV/AIDS continue to receive the medical care they so desperately need. However, as we head into a new year and a new Congress we will aggressively push to ensure that the years of insufficient funding of this program be corrected. If our government is serious about combating this epidemic we must not allow rhetoric to mask itself as real action."

Speaker-elect Pelosi said in a statement:

"But our work is not yet done. We must remain vigilant in our fight against HIV and AIDS, recognizing that the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act is only one of the many steps we must take if we are to make HIV and AIDS a distant memory. Funding has not kept pace with the number of people with AIDS or with inflation, dropping 35 percent per case since 2001. It is long past time we provide additional funding, and next year, under a Democratic Congress, we will reverse that decline."

Labels: AIDS, bush

This is an update to "Cathlolics Turning to Violence to Stop Equality".

Police have filed a criminal complaint against the executive director of Boston-based Catholic Citizenship on allegations he pushed a female counter-demonstrator to the ground and pushed her face into the concrete during an anti-gay marriage rally Saturday outside City Hall.

Detective Capt. Edward J. McGinn Jr. said police yesterday filed an assault and battery complaint in Central District Court against Larry Cirignano, 50, of 15 County Lane, Canton, who heads the Catholic Citizenship group, which opposes gay marriage. Continue here

I think that it is high time people start asking Raymond Flynn and Cardinal O'Maley what actions they intend on taking in this matter. Cirignano already publicly admitted to "escorting" Mrs. Loy, which amounts to assault. Unauthorized touching of another person is illegal, and he has made it clear he crossed that line, so the witnesses testimony will only serve to prove how far things went. Personally I would expect a man of Larry Cirignano's position to have a better understanding of the law than to put his hands on anyone at a rally like this when there were police there to control the crowd. Now he will have to face the consequences of his actions, whether he comes clean on the truth or not.

via TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF and Live, Love, and Learn

Labels: Catholic, constitutional amendment, crimes, Massachusetts

Direct from the soldiers on the ground... According to an October Zogby poll of 545 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan:

Nearly three in four troops (73%) say they are personally comfortable in the presence of gays and lesbians.

Of the 20% who said they are uncomfortable around gays and lesbians, only 5% are "very" uncomfortable, while 15% are "somewhat" uncomfortable.

Only two percent of troops said knowing that gays are not allowed to serve openly was an important reason in their decision to join the military.

Of those who know a gay or lesbian peer, 27% said it has a negative impact on the morale of their unit.

Nearly three out of four troops said in the Zogby poll that they usually or almost always take showers privately - only 8% say they usually or almost always take showers in group stalls.

In combat units, 21% said they know for certain that someone in their unit is gay or lesbian.

In combat support units (25%) and combat service support units (22%) know and work alongside gays and lesbians.

One in five troops (20%) in other units said they know for certain someone is gay or lesbian in their unit.

Nearly half (45%) say there are people in their unit they believe to be gay or lesbian, but they don't know for sure.

Slightly more than half (52%) say they have received training on the prevention of anti-gay harassment in the past three years;

However, 40% say they have not received this type of training, which is mandated by Defense Department policy.

The full report from Zogby is here (pdf).

Hat tip to Pam's House Blend.

Labels: DADT, military, poll

After the New Jersey civil unions bill passed both chambers last Thursday, New Jersey's Governor, Gov. Jon Corzine, said today that he is concerned about some of the aspects of the new civil unions bill that was expected to be signed this week. He is concerned, but not in a negative way.

Some mayors have expressed that they will not recognize civil unions. Like laws involving marriage mayors are not obligated to conduct civil union ceremonies. Corzine said he is concerned some mayors will use the provision to refuse to unite gay couples.

Legal experts have told the governor that although mayors can refuse to perform ceremonies if they conduct marriages but refuse civil unions they could be prosecuted under the state's human rights law. Gov. Corzine Monday said he still has concerns.

Corzine said Monday he expected that review to be completed by Thursday. It offers couples who register most state benefits and protections currently available to opposite-sex couples, including the right to health insurance through a partner's employer. BUT it does not provide any of the benefits of marriage under federal law, and it still could cost same-sex couples more than marriage couples for health insurance.

The bill also contains a provision establishing a commission that will investigate how civil unions fall short of marriage and report back to the legislature in six months.

If the New Jersey Legislature would have passed marriage equality in the first place, the state wouldn't need to waste so much time and money "investigating" how civil unions fall short of marriage.

Labels: civil union, marriage, new jersey

Sarah Loy, 27, went to a rally organized by VoteOnMarriage in front of Worcester City Hall, west of Boston, on the weekend. The demonstration was one of several behind held on weekends throughout Massachusetts aimed at pressuring the Legislature to vote on the proposed amendment.

At a lectern Larry Cirignano, leader of the Boston-based Catholic Citizenship group had just finished leading the Pledge of Allegiance when he spotted Loy near the front of the crowd with other supporters of gay marriage staging a counter protest.

Loy was carrying a sign reading "No discrimination in the Constitution". Other members of her group were yelling “You lost, go home, get over it," at the crowd.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that Cirignano rushed from behind the lectern and tackled Loy to the ground. "You need to get out. You need to get out of here right now," he allegedly told her as her head was pushed into the concrete sidewalk.

As Loy lay bruised and bloodied on the sidewalk Cirignano reportedly returned to lectern, joining other leaders of the protest in condemning same-sex marriage and demanding the proposed amendment be put on the ballot.

Other members of her group helped Loy from the scene. Loy who is straight and a supporter of same-sex marriage, had gone to the protest with her husband David.

Police have interviewed Loy and others on the both sides of the marriage issue and charges may be laid.

Gay activist Tom Lang said this rally seemed to have a different component from others the groups held in previous weeks. "The Catholic Citizenship/VoteOnMarriage supporters seemed to be angry and aggressive," he said.

Lang operates KnowThyNeighbor.org which has listed the names of the 170,000 people who signed petitions in support of the proposed amendment.

Most of the speeches attacked lawmakers who voted to recess a joint session of the House and Senate to consider the amendment.

"Catholic Citizenship volunteers then handed out 'Wanted Posters' to onlookers which were printed out with Legislator's photos and home phone on them," said Lang.

Last weekend people who attended a VoteOnMarriage rally in Springfield were told they could not gather in front of city hall because they did not have a license. An LGBT civil rights organization had applied for a license and was granted one.

VoteOnMarriage was forced to hold its protest across the street while MassEquality staged its pro same-sex marriage demonstration at city hall.

Last month lawmakers refused to vote on the proposed amendment. The Legislature meeting in a special joint session called a Constitutional Convention recessed until January 2, without taking a vote.

January 2 is the final day in the current session and it is expected no vote will be held, effectively killing the measure.

Gov. Mitt Romney has asked the state's highest court for an order placing a proposed amendment that would ban same-sex marriage on the ballot without the approval of the legislature.

The case will be heard by the full Supreme Judicial Court on Wednesday.
Unless Romney is able to convince the court to force the legislature to act the proposed amendment is likely dead.

Meanwhile, VoteOnMarriage, made up of the Roman Catholic and evangelical church groups, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the lawmakers of violating their constitutional duty when they voted to recess the Constitutional Convention.

via 365gay.com

Labels: Catholic, crimes, Massachusetts, violent

Paul Branes, the senior pastor of an Evangenical Colorado megachurch has resigned following a phone call to the church outing him.

The Rev. Paul Barnes of Grace Chapel in South Denver announced in a video taped message to his congregation Sunday that he was stepping down.

"1 have struggled with homosexuality since I was a 5-year-old boy," Barnes said in the video according to the Denver Post which was allowed to view the tape.

"...I can't tell you the number of nights I have cried myself to sleep, begging God to take this away."

In the video Barnes is seen sitting with his wife.

The church's associate pastor, Dave Palmer, told the Post that the church got an anonymous call last week from a person who said he had overheard a conversation in which someone mentioned "blowing the whistle" on evangelical preachers engaged in homosexuality, including Barnes.

Barnes founded Grace Chapel in his basement 28 years ago and saw it grow to be one of the biggest churches in the state.

His resignation comes a month after Colorado Springs pastor Ted Haggard was outed by a former male prostitute.

Barnes preached that homosexuality is a sin, but unlike Haggard neither he nor his church took a stand on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage that was approved by voters last month.

In the video Barnes said he became a Christian at age 17 and felt it would help him give up homosexuality, but the feelings never went away, he said.

Still, he said he cannot accept that a person is "born that way," adding that he believes sexuality is influenced by childhood experiences.

Barnes said in the video that he has been in counseling three times but never found anyone he could talk to.

His wife also appeared in the half-hour video the Post reported, saying that she didn't know about her husband's struggles until he confided in her last week. The couple has two daughters in their 20s.

via 365gay

Labels: evangelical

The discriminatory bill is 63 pages long all to avoid the one word that does the job - marriage.

At the conclusion of the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing today on Assembly Bill A3787, a civil union bill, the members voted to send the measure to the full Assembly for a floor vote.

Lambda Legal, the organization representing plaintiffs in a lawsuit which resulted in the New Jersey Supreme Court decision in October, called the measure discriminatory.

"If passed, this huge civil union bill will become one of the largest forms of statutory discrimination ever created by the New Jersey Legislature," said David Buckel, Marriage Project Director at Lambda Legal and lead attorney on the New Jersey marriage lawsuit. "The discriminatory bill is 63 pages all to avoid the one word that does the job--marriage."

"There can only be one reason for this bill, and that is to say that same-sex couples' relationships are unworthy of marriage. The Court gave the legislature 180 days to do it right-let's not rush and do it wrong," added Buckel.

In its October decision the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously found that same-sex couples in New Jersey must have equal protection under the law and be granted the rights and responsibilities of marriage, but gave the legislature the opportunity to correct the violation. If the legislature chose civil unions over marriage, the Court left open the question of whether or not that choice would be constitutional, reasoning that the legislature should have the chance to explain its decision. The Court's deadline expires on April 23, 2007. Garden State Equality organized an array of constituents to provide testimony at today's hearing.

via Lambda Legal

Labels: civil union, new jersey

Immaculate Conception or a turkey baster? We may never know... unless she writes another senseless book.

Mary Cheney, the openly gay daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, is pregnant.

Mary Cheney, 37, and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, 45, are expecting a baby, said Lea Anne McBride, a spokeswoman for the vice president. The baby is due in late spring.

"The vice president and Mrs. Cheney are looking forward with eager anticipation to the arrival of their sixth granddaughter," McBride said.

The vice president's other, older daughter, Elizabeth Cheney, is on leave as deputy assistant secretary of state after having her fifth child with her husband in July.

Mary Cheney was an aide to her father during the 2004 campaign, as was Elizabeth, and now is vice president for consumer advocacy at AOL.

McBride declined to elaborate on the circumstances of Mary Cheney's pregnancy. Mary Cheney and Poe moved from Colorado to Virginia a year ago to be closer to the Cheney family.

Does anyone elese find it very ironic that the very administration that Mary Cheney worked so hard to get elected is the same adminisation rallying support to make life harder and less secure for her and lots of other people just like her? It's pathetic. Mary needs to grow some balls and stand up to the constant anti-gay bigotry in this country.

Labels: lesbian, mary cheney

Lance Bass and Reichen Lehmkuhl have ended their relationship, Bass's spokesperson has confirmed to PEOPLE.

"We remain the best of friends," the pair said in a joint exclusive statement to PEOPLE. "Please respect our privacy as we try to work things out during this difficult time."

Recent speculation that the pair had broken up began after Bass was spotted without Lehmkuhl at a party on Friday at Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas.

Bass, 27, first revealed his relationship with Lehmkuhl, 32, when he admitted he was gay on the cover of PEOPLE in July. "I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life," Bass said at the time. "I'm just happy."

In July, the former 'N Sync star said that he and Lehmkuhl had been dating for a few months, and that the two were friends first. "Actually, it's funny, he was my real estate agent," Bass told PEOPLE.

Lehmkuhl, a model-actor-Amazing Race winner, was equally enthusiastic - and supportive of Bass's decision to come out and publicly discuss their relationship. "I'm just really proud of Lance and the decision he made," he told PEOPLE. "He did it all on his own and I just stood by and supported him. It's just been great."

Despite rumors that the couple were having problems, Bass told PEOPLE in August, "We are very happy."

During their relationship, the two made many public appearances together, including red-carpet events and Lehmkuhl's book release party for his memoir Here's What We'll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, in which he writes about his experience of being gay in the military. "I was the first one to read it," Bass told PEOPLE last month.

via People

Labels: celebrity, lance bass

As many of you will remember California passed a bill via the legislature that would have created full marriage equality for same-sex couples. This bill was AB 849 (click here for past coverage by us). AB 849 passed in both chambers, yet Governor Schwarzenegger Vetoed the bill.

Equality California, California's largest GLBT advocacy organization, had a record 14 pro-equality bills passed this year. A truly amazing amount of fantastic legislation and some very momentous milestones for California's GLBT community.

Assemblymember Mark Leno, in conjunction with Equality California will be introducing the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act at the start of the 2007-2008 session. This bill is identical to AB 849 from the last go around.

So why now? Schwarzenegger vetoed it last time, so why would this time be any different? Well there are a few reasons. The first and probably largest factor is that Schwarzenegger will not be seeking re-election. Second, sources tell us that in a meeting between gay families, Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver, Shriver leaned to Arnold and urged him to support this legislation with some very, very encouraging words. Third, California's voters sent the state's most GLBT-friendly legislature in the state's history to be sworn in on December 4th, 2006.

California has everything going in their favor at this point-except one. A constitutional amendment that has been proposed for the 2008 ballot.

So stay tuned and we will keep you up-to-date as any news comes our way. 2007 could prove to trump 2006 when it comes to pro-equality milestones in California.

You may be interested in:

Governor Ahhhhnold, We're Calling Bullshit.

Previous Posts Regarding CA's Fight for Equality

AB 849 - Will of the People?

Gov. Schwarzenegger Slaps Constituents in the Face

California Makes History as The First Legislative Body In Nation To Pass Equal Marriage Rights Legislation For Same-Sex Couples

Schwarzenegger Vetoes California Gay Marriage Bill

Labels: california, marriage

Twenty-five years later and the United States continues to get failing response grades in the areas of prevention, care and treatment, research and Ending AIDS-Related Stigma/Discrimination. 25 YEARS LATER and where is our government?

The Human Rights Campaign today released their report card for 2006 on the response--or major lack thereof by the United States government.

The 2006 report card is as follows:

Prevention: F
The Bush administration and the Republican congressional leadership continued to pursue policies that undermine effective prevention strategies on HIV/AIDS. The only federal funding stream for sex education in our schools remains limited to unproven and medically inaccurate abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that fail to teach youth how to protect themselves from HIV. This year, congressional leaders jettisoned language unanimously passed by the Senate mandating that these programs be medically accurate.

Furthermore, the Bush administration added additional restrictions to these federally funded abstinence-only programs mandating that "the term 'marriage' must be defined as 'only a legal union between one man and one woman as a husband and wife,' and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife." This new anti-gay restriction illustrates that these programs are not driven by public health concerns, but rather by narrow right-wing ideology.

Care and Treatment: D
Years of inadequate funding levels for the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act turned this year's reauthorization of this crucial program into a zero-sum game pitting states with newer and emerging HIV/AIDS epidemics against those that have been the traditional epicenters of the disease. States with newer and emerging epidemics have traditionally been short-changed by the Ryan White CARE Act and are in desperate need of more funding to provide life-saving treatment and care. However, since Congress has effectively flat-funded the program for six years, new formulas that would give these states critically needed funds would inevitably result in deep and possibly destabilizing cuts for the communities with the plurality of current cases. The Ryan White CARE Act, the payer of last resort, is a crucial part of our nation's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and it is extremely disappointing that the program's reauthorization deteriorated into a formula fight, pitting low-income Americans with HIV/AIDS against each other depending on where they live.

Research: F
Last December, Congress approved a Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill that gave less than a 1 percent funding increase to the National Institute of Health, the smallest percentage increase since 1970. In February of this year, the president released his fiscal year 2007 budget which proposed flat-funding NIH, specifically cutting $15 million for AIDS research. Meanwhile, Congress plans on passing a continuing resolution instead of passing a Labor-HHS appropriations bill for fiscal year 2007, which means cuts for NIH. Furthermore, the House of Representatives passed a bill to reauthorize NIH that capped funding increases at 5 percent each year, which is barely enough to keep up with the inflation index for biomedical research and development.

As people living with HIV/AIDS around the world hope for the development of microbicides and other crucial preventative and treatment options-and one day a cure-cuts to AIDS research and to NIH mean that new funding for this crucial research will be extremely limited.

Global AIDS
The Bush administration and Congress have made significant steps in raising awareness and dedicating funding to fight the global AIDS pandemic. Unfortunately, many of these important initiatives have come with ideological strings attached.

In April, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report reviewing the expenditure of HIV prevention funds through the President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief. Current law mandates that 33 percent of PEPFAR prevention funds must be dedicated to abstinence-until-marriage programs. The GAO found that the abstinence-only restriction hindered the ability of HIV/AIDS organizations respond to local prevention needs. The earmark forced many programs to cut spending for mother-to-child transmission prevention, contributed to a lack of understanding of cultural norms and reduced the ability to appropriately target vulnerable populations. Instead of outsourcing our failed prevention policies overseas, U.S. global AIDS policy should allow local organizations flexibility to provide the most effective HIV prevention possible.

Ending AIDS-Related Stigma/Discrimination: F
The 2006 UNAIDS Report on the Global Epidemic asserts that understanding that homophobia is one of the key "drivers of the epidemic" is "absolutely fundamental to the long-term response to AIDS." According to these experts, ending the AIDS pandemic "will depend largely on changing the social norms, attitudes and behaviors that contribute to its expansion" through the enactment of "laws and policies that directly challenge gender inequality and bias against... men who have sex with men." This year, we add a new category to HRC's World AIDS Day report card dedicated to evaluating the government's performance in this realm.

In June of this year, on the 25th anniversary of the day that the first AIDS case was reported by the Centers for Disease Control, President Bush held a press conference to call on Congress to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would permanently ban same-sex couples from enjoying equal rights and protections of marriage. The president, surrounded by some of the most virulent anti-gay and homophobic voices in the nation, told the amendment's proponents, "I'm proud to stand with you."

And last spring, Congress stripped out of a child safety bill a provision passed by the House of Representatives by a wide, bipartisan margin to give law enforcement tools to confront hate violence against GLBT Americans, calling it "a poison pill." When our nation's leaders use same-sex couples as political scare tactics and deny law enforcement resources to confront violence driven by anti-gay violence, it is clear that they do not understand the implications that fueling homophobia has on creating a culture that is up to the task of ending HIV/AIDS.

In a message from The Human Rights Campaign regarding World AIDS Day:

"We are hopeful that with a new congressional leadership the failed policies of the past will not continue to be repeated," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "Since we began this report card three years ago, the Bush administration and congressional leadership's response to this global pandemic has been grossly inadequate. The American people sent a message in these midterm elections that they want to see real actions on issues affecting people's lives, and we are optimistic that their voices will be heard in relation to the efforts to combat this disease."

Since the Human Rights Campaign issued its first World AIDS Day report card in 2004, the grades have continued to fall well below passing. The 2004 grades were: Prevention (F); Care and Treatment (D); Research (C); and Global AIDS (C). The 2005 grades were: Prevention (F); Care and Treatment (F); Research (D); and Global AIDS (C).

"As in years past, this report card does not take away from the extraordinary work that has been done by many outspoken champions fighting to put real policies in place to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS," said Solmonese. “Unfortunately, too often in the past their courageous work has been overshadowed by a government leadership that was more focused on allowing ideology to drive our response to HIV and AIDS. As the new members of Congress are sworn in, we look forward to working with a leadership that will seek real, scientific solutions to protect the well-being of all Americans."

Labels: AIDS