Please make sure to visit us at our new home: http://www.blog.gayrightswatch.com

Might be going through a bit of what could be a disaster. I kid, I kid. Well hopefully. We're making the switch to Word Press.

We hope that the transition is smooth, though it is possible there will be a little interruption. If all else fails we'll put the back up site back up and it will look like nothing ever happened. With any luck we'll be back up in no time.

Visit us at our new home: http://www.blog.gayrightswatch.com

Labels: holy shit we're scared

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who built a national reputation pushing cutting-edge -- and controversial -- policies on same-sex marriage, healthcare and other issues, launched an exploratory bid for governor Tuesday.

His move placed the 40-year-old, two-term mayor out in front of a large Democratic field eyeing the race to succeed Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is barred by term limits from running again in 2010. Newsom said he expected to decide by year's end whether to proceed with a full-fledged candidacy.

[...]

In an interview Tuesday, Newsom said he was mindful of the city's somewhat eccentric reputation and alluded to the "values" issues -- political code for gay rights and other left-leaning positions -- that opponents may try to use to his political detriment. "Bring that on," he said after signing the papers creating his campaign committee.

"We're about civil rights and equal rights, you better believe it," Newsom said. "I'm proud of that; I'm not going to hide from that.... So now let's talk about healthcare, education, the environment. Let's have a conversation about your kids and what you want this state to look like five, 10 years from now."

Newsom, who blends movie-star looks with a wonkish devotion to public policy, faces other impediments apart from the strong competition.

via LA Times

Labels: 2010, gavin newsom, san francisco

This comes to us from the UK where Heinz ran this very funny commercial. Sadly, they pulled it after complaints which is ridiculous. They knew it would be controversial, so why not stick to your guns? Video below.

Labels: advertising, corporate

Sounds like a joke huh? It's not. Disgraced Republicans David Vitter (Louisiana) and Larry Craig (Idaho) both signed on as sponsors for another attempt on a federal marriage amendment which I believe has already failed 3 times in previous years.

OK, so it's not news that politicians are hypocrites. But, my goodness. This just takes the hypocritical cake. As reported by PageOneQ.com, two infamous senators have signed on to the bill of Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker to establish a constitutional amendment codifying marriage as between a man and a woman.

You probably only need two guesses as to which two senators announced they were co-sponsoring the bill today -- David "John" Vitter and Larry "Wide Stance" Craig. The actual wording of the amendment and the status of Vitter and Craig as co-sponsors can be seen here.

I mean, really now. How much further down the rabbit hole can we go? A man who pleaded guilty to lewd conduct in propositioning an undercover police officer for anonymous sex in a bathroom, and a man who allegedly has a diaper fetish exerting their moral authority over the rest of us. How can it have come to this?

Get the rest of the story here.

Labels: another disgraced Republican, constitutional amendment, dick of the week, federal, marriage

The Army has discharged a decorated medic who was deployed to Iraq despite acknowledging he was gay.

Darren Manzella, 30, said he revealed his sexual orientation to his military supervisor in August 2006, and was redeployed to Iraq anyway. He has since spoken out publicly several times about being a gay service member.

Manzella was discharged this month for "homosexual admission." His commander's discharge recommendation included a transcript of an interview he gave to television show "60 Minutes" in December 2007, in which Manzella said he is gay.

He did the same in a number of other interviews and even at a Washington news conference. The military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibits active-duty service members from openly acknowledging they are gay or lesbian.

The discharge was effective June 10, a spokesman for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network said in a news release. Manzella was traveling and not immediately available for comment.

The Army press office declined comment by phone Friday, but requested an e-mail query, which was submitted and awaiting response.

Manzella first told a military supervisor about his sexual orientation in August 2006 while he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and working in division headquarters. Three weeks after Manzella made the revelation, his battalion commander told him an investigation had been closed without finding "proof of homosexuality."

A month later, Manzella was redeployed to Iraq. Manzella and his supporters have said his case demonstrates how the military has been arbitrarily enforcing its "don't ask, don't tell" policy during the war.

Manzella enlisted in the Army in 2002. In Iraq, he provided medical care to other soldiers and accompanied his unit on patrols. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge.

via 365gay

Labels: DADT, military

A quickie from Oregon politics that aren't related to the gays. House Majority Leader Dave Hunt issued a statement today in regards to Oregon Republican lawmakers spreading fear about the state of our economy and attempts to devalue the strong leadership from our newly Democratically controlled legislature. The press release is below. Majority Leader Dave Hunt was instrumental in passing Oregon's Domestic Partnership and Anti-Discrimination bills in 2007 and continues to lead progressive policy to make Oregon a better places for all her citizens.

You've got to admire the strong words and truth from the release.

Hunt Responds to Republicans: "The Sky is Not Falling"

“Oregon has fared well when compared with the economic troubles in the rest of the nation, so it is ironic that Republicans are suddenly so concerned about fiscal responsibility and the economic future of our state. Truth is, if it weren’t for the failed economic policies of the Bush Administration, and the loss of timber payments, piled on top of $4 gas and rising food prices, we might very well be the most secure place to live in the United States.

We’ve got almost a billion dollars in reserve, including over $450 million in the school stability fund. Our school funding is stable. We’ve got $340 million in the Rainy Day Account we Democrats created last session, and we’re poised to put another $139 million in there at the end of the biennium.

That’s stark contrast to years of Republican control of the Legislature, when session after session they refused to create a Rainy Day account and refused to support critical economic development legislation like last session’s transportation package which would have created jobs and helped businesses in Oregon without raising the gas tax.

Instead, Republicans have chosen to spread a message of fear, despite the fiscal restraint we showed last session and the efforts we made to promote jobs and economic development.

Our investments in renewable energy are spurring great growth, bringing good, green jobs to the state. We are poised to become a national leader in this sector and we’re making some additional investments in renewable energy this e-board session.

We have to invest in our future, and we have to act now to help Oregon's families who have been hurt by the Bush Administration's inability to manage the economy and its unwillingness to help working families.

That’s why we are also releasing $25 million in special purpose funds to add more at-risk children to early intervention programs like Head Start. We’re also putting $500,000 into aid for coastal communities hammered by floods and the salmon closure; we’re putting money into OSU to research why our bee population is declining, a grave threat to the $457 million fruit and berry industry that depends on pollination; and we’re continuing our efforts to eradicate sudden oak disease.

But even with these targeted investments, our E-Board fund will still have over $25 million when we finish here today.

We are also releasing money from the special purpose fund we set aside last year for salaries that have already been negotiated and inked. We held onto that money last February to make sure our economy didn’t worsen. Thankfully -- because of our smart planning – we are able to release those dollars and ensure that higher education and other state agencies don’t have to make cuts. We won’t be cutting college courses or releasing prisoners. It’s not going to happen.

Truth is, we’re a whole lot better off than most other states.

Republicans can run scared, but what they are really running from is their President’s failed economic policies and not the action of this legislature. We have been fiscally smart… and conservative. We’ve made the right investments and our economy is holding steady.

Frankly, while we know these are uncertain times for Oregon families, there’s no other place in the country I would rather be than right here in Oregon."

Labels: democrat, legislature, oregon, republican

"In papers filed four days after the legalized same-sex weddings began around the state, advocacy groups argued that the measure would change the state's Constitution so profoundly that it would amount to a revision. Under the law, the Constitution cannot be revised by initiative alone - a two-thirds legislative approval is also needed before the measure goes to the voters. 'If enacted, (the November initiative) would eviscerate the principle of equal citizenship for gay and lesbian people and strip the courts of their authority to enforce basic constitutional guarantees,' said Stephen Bomse, lawyer for the groups."

via SF Gate

Labels: california, marriage, supreme court

A poll from Gallup reveals some interesting numbers when it comes to American's thoughts on the "morality" of our gayness.

Americans interviewed in Gallup's 2008 Values and Beliefs poll are evenly divided over the morality of homosexual relations, with 48% considering them morally acceptable and 48% saying they are morally wrong.

While similar to last year's results, current attitudes are more affirming of gays than what Gallup found at the start of the decade when the majority said such relations were morally wrong.

Still, homosexuality emerges as the most divisive of 16 major social and cultural issues measured in the May 8-11, 2008 survey. Only doctor-assisted suicide and abortion come close to it in splitting public opinion.

Labels: poll

And let me tell you, the anti-gay woods are a very dark and scary place.

So we've all heard now that Oregon's Tennessee's Arizona's... Let's try this again. Ech hem.

So we've all heard that out-of-state (though parading around as Oregonians) anti-gay groups have called it quits on attempts to repeal Oregon's Domestic Partnership and Anti-Discrimination laws. Obviously great news as no one was looking forward to another six million dollar ballot measure campaign, the bad news great news is that they're bringing it back for a 2010 ballot initiative. And to be clear, I would never welcome a ballot measure campaign, but given that repeated polling indicates that the majority of Oregonian's honestly don't give a shit about committed gay and lesbian couples getting domestic partnered and also indicates that Oregon's overwhelmingly support Oregon's anti-discrimination law, bring it on.

Because if Oregonian's care little about repealing our Domestic Partnership law now, in 2010 these out-of-state religious zealots will be viewed as an even more hostile threat to our society than even now. So bring it.

The Actual Bad News
The one thing that could come to bite us in the ass very soon is the Lemons v. Bradbury case. Pro-equality Oregonians won the first battle, but the Arizona based 'Alliance Defense Fund' has appealed and it will now be heard by a three judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral arguments will be heard in Portland on the morning of Tuesday, July 8. It's simply just another round in the legal battle, though if lost, could have serious consequences by putting at least of of these laws on the ballot in November 2008.

Lemons v. Bradbury was brought on by the 'Alliance Defense Fund' late last year after attempts to put the DP and AD laws on the ballot. They failed at collecting enough signatures after making their way through the verification process. For more on Lemons v. Bradbury visit Basic Rights Oregon's site here.

That's all for now folks.

Labels: anti-discrimination, basic rights oregon, domestic partnership, oregon

Right folks - that says Bust a GUT. Get your mind out of the gutters.

It's here! That one day of the year (Thursday, June 19th) when we can eat out all day long and not feel ashamed of our bloated selves is right around the corner. Why should you eat out all day long? Because 15% of all profits from the these restaurants and bars across the entire state of Oregon are being donated to Basic Rights Oregon to support and uphold historic legislation and to further to cause of equality for gay, lesbian, bi and trans folks.

It's Bites For Rights Time!!
It's simple, you eat delicious food (or drink) from any number of these fair-minded businesses and 15% of it goes right back to the community. And no excuses people. You are never too lazy to eat.

Here is where I'll be headed throughout the day...

Breakfast: Vita Cafe (NE 31st and Alberta)

Lunch: Paragon Restaurant & Bar (NW 13th and Hoyt)

Drinks @ 3pm (ech hem) Hobo's (NW 3rd between Davis and Couch)

Dinner: West Cafe (12th and Jefferson)

By this point I will have for sure busted a gut and will probably have to call a cab from the booze that may or may not be consumed at all these places. Think about it - 15% of your Jack and Diet goes directly to the cause of equality. Now that's a nice buzz.

What about our dear friend Recovering Straight Girl? Where will she be going? Find out over at her blog. Bust a gut RSG! Tag you're it!

For an entire list of locations across the state visit BRO's website here.

Labels: basic rights oregon

With GOP and other right-wing lies coming across email chain forwards, FOX news, blogs and other mediums, Barack's campaign has launched "Fight the Smears". With a simple list of attempted smears and manipulations Barack's campaign shows the actual truth - sometimes with video proof of the truth.

Check it out at www.FightTheSmears.com

Here's an example:

THE SMEAR: Barack Obama Won't Say The Pledge of Allegiance/Won't Put His Hand Over His Heart
LIE: Barack Obama won't say the pledge
LIE: Barack Obama won't put his hand over this heart during the pledge of allegiance

THE TRUTH: View video of Barack leading The Pledge of Allegiance in the United States Senate below...

Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, barack obama

Check out my article in the Portland Mercury's 'Official Pride Guide'.

Here's a tiny snippet:

As Portland's gay pride festivities loom on the horizon, and a large portion of our community plans to come together-be it only for a few days-what about Oregon's anti-gay crowd? What are their plans for Pride?

"I respectfully decline the offer to be interviewed for your publication," Representative Kim Thatcher, co-sponsor of an initiative that would repeal Oregon's new anti-discrimination law, wrote in response to my email inquiry.

After many attempts to talk to those in charge of recent efforts to deny essential humanity to Oregon's GLBT folks, no calls were returned, so we're left to speculate on the whereabouts of the anti-gay cheerleaders during Pride. My best guess is they'll be at church on that fine Sunday. (Though with all the gays at Pride, one has to wonder who will be singing in their choirs.)

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE over at the Portland Mercury's site or pick up a copy on the streets.

Labels: portland