Tag Archives: coward

Gay History – July 19, 1993: President Bill Clinton Unveils Disastrous “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy

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July 19, 1993 -President Bill Clinton Unveils “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Policy:

Let me say a few words now about this policy. It is not a perfect solution. It is not identical with some of my own goals. And it certainly will not please everyone, perhaps not anyone, and clearly not those who hold the most adamant opinions on either side of this issue.”

These are the words said by then President Bill Clinton on this day in 1993 as he unveiled a new policy on gays and lesbians in the military, which he called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue.”

This new policy according to Clinton was as a “compromise “ therefore breaking his campaign promise to overturn the military’s ban. “Because [the military] is a conservative institution, it is right for the military to be wary of sudden changes…it is also right for the military to make changes when the time for change is at hand.” Clinton said.

Clinton’s original plan for repeal was fought by Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA), chair of the powerful U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. With the support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Congress began the process of rushing through a federal law to reinforce the Pentagon’s then-existing policy of total exclusion. Clinton instead of fighting immediately worked on a compromise , and so on July 19, at a speech at the National Defense University at Ft. McNair Clinton unveiled DADT

I have ordered Secretary Aspin to issue a directive consisting of these essential elements: One, service men and women will be judged based on their conduct, not their sexual orientation. Two, therefore the practice, now 6 months old, of not asking about sexual orientation in the enlistment procedure will continue. Three, an open statement by a service member that he or she is a homosexual will create a rebuttable presumption that he or she intends to engage in prohibited conduct, but the service member will be given an opportunity to refute that presumption; in other words, to demonstrate that he or she intends to live by the rules of conduct that apply in the military service. And four, all provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice will be enforced in an even-handed manner as regards both heterosexuals and homosexuals. And thanks to the policy provisions agreed to by the Joint Chiefs, there will be a decent regard to the legitimate privacy and associational rights of all service members.

Sen. Nunn and other opponents of lifting the ban altogether accepted this so-called compromise, and it was attached to the Defense Appropriations Act of 1994 and passed later that year. But put to the test it was a major failure. Service members were discharged based solely on evidence of sexual orientation, recruits were asked about their sexual orientation as part of their enlistment procedure, and any hint that a service member was gay — even if that hint did not come from the service member himself — resulted in an immediate investigation with the goal of discharge from the armed forces. Over the next eighteen years that the policy remained in effect, 14,346 gay and lesbian soldiers, sailors and airmen/women were discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” until it was finally repealed by President Obama in 2011.  Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was a total disaster.

“In retrospect, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ was an astonishing act of political cowardice,” Matt Taibbi wrote in Rolling Stone magazine. “Telling gay men and women that they had to hide who they were in order to earn the privilege of getting shot at for our idiot military adventures was almost worse than open bigotry. It essentially institutionalized the closet.”

After DADT the Clinton Administration entered a phase of deep reluctance to tackle substantive gay-rights issues on the national stage. Although Clinton made a number of first-ever, high-profile appointments of gay leaders to his team, any kind of gay-rights policy agenda seemed stalled as a result of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

On September 21, 1996 President William Jefferson Clinton would blindside the LGBT community once again for his own political gain by signing the Defense of Marriage Act into law,

Hate Groups Claim Victory, Praise Evan Lowe For Shelving Anti-Gay Conversion Therapy

CA Assemblyman Evan Low Pulls Gay Conversion Therapy Ban Bill Because Religious Leaders “Upset”

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Gay California Assemblyman Evan Low author of a bill to declare gay conversion therapy a fraudulent business practice has cowardly abandoned his effort for this year after a an outcry from the state’s “religious community”.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Low acknowledged his decision was unconventional, when he almost certainly had the votes to win final approval. “Some would say this is crazy,” he said. “Why would you pause when you don’t need to, when you’re in the driver’s seat?”

Low said he had no signs of opposition from Gov. Jerry Brown. Neither did Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California, the LGBTQ advocacy group that co-sponsored the bill, who expressed confidence that Brown — whom he called “the most pro-LGBTQ governor in the state’s history” — would sign it.

Zbur said he believed the bill clearly would not ban the Bible or otherwise impede religious practice, as opponents had feared. Still, he said additional time would let them “tinker with the bill to make very clear that these false assertions the other side is making are not accurate.”

Tweeted Low: “It is my obligation as a Legislator to make this difficult decision in the interest of finding common ground. The path towards full equality is a long journey, but a journey best traveled together. Will you join me?”

Matthew Rettenmund of the Boy Culture website responded: “Child abuse” is what you called it. Now you’ve gone on a listening tour with child abusers and seek common ground. An utter betrayal of all gay people, and your asinine quote about ‘why not keep going when you’re in control?’ Is exactly why so many are disillusioned with Democrats.

Lowe is up for re-election in November of 2018. 

Connect the dots.

Heartbreaking Video: Gay Couple Gets Denied Marriage License AGAIN In KY, Governor and A.G. Too Cowardly To Act.

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Nathan Davis Kim Davis

 

Earlier we reported about the o Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis and her office who were continuing to turn away requests for marriage license from same-sex couples despite a federal judge’s ruling that Davis and her office must comply with the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

A video of David Moore and David Ermold, the gay couple who were humiliatingly turned away in their first attempt after same-sex marriage of their second attempt less than 24 hours after after a district court judge ordered Davis and her office to comply and issues the licenses. This time once again they were turned down.  (By Davis’ son who works in the office no less)

 The video-taped incident is jaw-droppingly sad and anger inducing.  Made more-so by the fact that a KY judge also would not issue the marriage license and the fact that BOTH Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, and the states Attorney General Jack Conway, both Democrats are now refusing to get involved. (Beshear’s son is running for political office in the next election and Conway is running for Governor.)

 

 

According to FBI Statue – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242
Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law:


This statute makes it a crime for any person acting under color of law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom to willfully deprive or cause to be deprived from any person those rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution and laws of the U.S.

This law further prohibits a person acting under color of law, statute, ordinance, regulation or custom to willfully subject or cause to be subjected any person to different punishments, pains, or penalties, than those prescribed for punishment of citizens on account of such person being an alien or by reason of his/her color or race.

Acts under “color of any law” include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within the bounds or limits of their lawful authority, but also acts done without and beyond the bounds of their lawful authority; provided that, in order for unlawful acts of any official to be done under “color of any law,” the unlawful acts must be done while such official is purporting or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. This definition includes, in addition to law enforcement officials, individuals such as Mayors, Council persons, Judges, Nursing Home Proprietors, Security Guards, etc., persons who are bound by laws, statutes ordinances, or customs.

Punishment varies from a fine or imprisonment of up to one year, or both, and if bodily injury results such as a Every one should contact the FBI and register a complaint against Kim Davis, and the entire Rowan County clerk department.

FRC’s Tony Perkins Refused To Debate Jeremy Hooper 1 on 1 During Fox New’s Duck Dynasty Segment

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FOX Tony Perkins

LGBT Blogger, activist, author and GLAAD spokesman Jeremy Hooper and hate group leader Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council appeared on Fox News with Megyn Kelly Thursday night to discuss Phil Robertson and A&E’s suspension of him from their hit (fake) reality show Duck Dynasty after Robertson made anti-gay and racial comments during a GQ Magazine interview.

Media Matters recaps:

Hooper challenged Kelly to hold Perkins accountable for his anti-gay record and vile rhetoric, to which Kelly promised, “What specifically? Because I’ll ask him.”

But Kelly never asked Perkins to explain his extreme stances against the gay community, nor did she acknowledge that the FRC is a designated hate group. Instead she merely identified FRC as “a group whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and culture from a Christian world view”–a description that continues Fox’s trend of referring to anti-gay extremism as Christianity. Perkins went on to defend Robertson as upholding “biblical morality” and attack homosexuality as “sexual immorality.”

Perkins blasted Robertson’s suspension earlier on Thursday:

“A&E’s suspension of Phil Robertson shows Hollywood wants to avoid reality. The reality is that the Robertson family are Bible-believing Christians who don’t cherry pick what the Bible teaches.

“Phil Robertson has been targeted simply because he expressed his religious beliefs but there is a clear double standard that is being applied. Nothing was done when homosexual activist Dan Savage screamed profanities at Christian high school students and called them ‘pansy-(expletive deleted).’ However, when Christians simply say homosexuality is wrong and they don’t agree with it, there are demands that they be fired and silenced.  

“We have also seen wedding florists, bakers, and photographers hauled into court, fined and even ordered to violate their religious beliefs by participating in same-sex weddings. It is time for all Americans to take a stand against the cultural elites who want to destroy the livelihood of people and remove God and His truth from every aspect of public life.

“The increasing awareness of this collateral cultural and religious carnage that accompanies the redefinition of natural marriage will continue to cause the debate over same-sex marriage to intensify, not abate, despite the media’s relative silence and homosexual activists increasing campaign of intimidation,” concluded Perkins.

What Media Matters didn’t touch on was the bizarre interview style that Kelley took with the two men as they never appeared on screen together directly talking to each other.  Kelley interviewed each man separately back to back with two very different interviewing styles. She interrupted Hooper repeatedly, and challenged the things he said, but she allowed Tony Perkins go on and on, and seemed almost apologetic and knit-browed when asking him questions.

But why was the interview done this way without the two men interacting on questions?

According to an unnamed sourced Perkins demanded that the structure of the interview be set up that way and that was the only way that he’d do the interview together with Hopper.

Hooper’s web-blog Good As You has been following the anti-gay ramblings and exploits of Perkins, the FRC and many other rabidly anti-gay groups for the past 11 years.  Was Perkins afraid that in cross talk Hopper would bring up some of his biggest anti-gay lies  and propaganda and also his “possible” *cough* ties to white supremacist groups before his core audience? Whatever the reason this is proof that Perkins is nothing more than a bigoted coward who is not man enough or strong enough to defend his own words when challenged one on one.

Retired Maine GOP Senator Olympia Snowe NOW Supports Gay Marriage Of Course

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Olympia Snowe supports gay marriage

Former Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) now says that she supports gay marriage  and  she also now opposes DOMA, which she voted for in 1996:

“I think obviously this has evolved over time on the whole issue for the whole country and the nations,” Snowe, a moderate Republican, told CNN. “We’ve seen a sea change in society’s whole attitude on this particular issue and it’s only natural for government to be responsive to those changes.”

“The time has come,” she continued. “I think what we’re seeing is, I think, changing societal conventions, that ultimately you see the transformation of society’s gradual thinking and evolving on issues. I think we’re seeing those sea changes on this particular question.”

Very brave words Olympia now that you are retired and have absolutely no power to make things happen.

But to be fair Olympia Snowe once a very strong-willed independent Republican who reached across the aisle more than a few times in her career but she lost her steam and her freewill the last 4 years of her term becoming nothing more than another GOP lemming voting along the new Reich Rights extremist hard line something she despised and which is why she retired and let office.

Sen. Mary Landrieu: I Support Gay Marriage Personally NOT Publically, I Might Get Voted Out Of Office

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Marie Landreau won't backgay marriage

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) stated publically today that while she personally supports same-sex marriage she won’t in the Senate until the voters of her state also evolve, so she won’t be be backing the issue with her Senate vote if a repeal of DOMA comes up for vote

Translation: I won’t do whats right because I might be voted out of office.

Landrieu told CNN National Political Correspondent Jim Acosta in an interview Friday that she personally believes “people should love who they love and marry who they want to marry,” but that her obligation rests with the people of Louisiana who elected her. “My state has a very strong constitutional amendment not only against gay marriage but against gay partnerships. So I’m looking at the people of Louisiana trying to represent their interests,” she said.

Landrieu might as well just said “I’m perfectly willing to vote against your civil rights as long as I get to keep my job.”

Who needs spineless Democratic politicians?

The DNC really needs to clean its own house and replace hacks like Landrieu with stronger Democratic candidates who can do whats right and still win elections.

Bigoted Christian Soilders Are Attempting To Recieve Conscientious Objector Status To Get Out Of The Military If DADT Repeal Is Implemented

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Ms. J.E. McNeil, is a Quaker lawyer the executive director of the Center on Conscience & War and is committed to helping anyone with valid legal grounds get out of the military.  But when the House of Representatives voted May 27 to allow the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, paving the way for gay men and lesbians in the military to be open about their sexual orientation, Ms. McNeil got a hot-line call that raised a new issue: the caller said he considered homosexuality an abomination and wanted to be a conscientious objector because he could not serve in the military alongside gay soldiers.

“I told him I wasn’t trying to criticize, but he was already serving with gays, since there’s lots of gays in the military now.. “He said, ‘Yes, but now if they come out, they can be forced out. But if homosexuality is actually allowed, I will be housed with somebody who’s sexually attracted to me.’
 
The next day, while Ms. McNeil was thinking through the legal ramifications, the center got an e-mail message raising the same issue. “This is just the beginning,” Ms. McNeil said. “When the other shoe drops and the policy actually ends, I think we’re going to get a lot of these.”

In the “don’t ask, don’t tell” cases, Ms. McNeil concluded that there was no legal basis for a conscientious objector claim. The legal standard, she said, is that the person must be conscientiously opposed to participating in war in any form, based on a sincerely held religious, moral or ethical belief. And the person must have had a change of heart since joining the military, when the person signed a form saying he or she was not a conscientious objector and did not intend to become one. “In the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ situation, they’re not opposed to participating in war, they’re opposed to who they’re participating with,” Ms. McNeil said.

At the Bay Area G.I. Rights Network, Bob Jolly has had three inquiries, one from a staff sergeant on behalf of one of his men. “The soldier is a very devoted Christian who believes that practicing homosexuality is a sin,” the staff sergeant wrote. “With changes in the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy, he is concerned that he will have to bunk and shower with homosexuals. He is concerned to the point that he is asking about ways to get out of the Army.”

In my opinion it’s too bad bigotry isn’t a punishable or dischargeable offense.

Queen Latifah Comes Out Of The Closet……Well Not Really.

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In a recent interview with Upscale Magazine, Queen Latifah stood in the doorway of her luxurious walk-in closet and said:

“I don’t have to explain anything. I don’t have to confirm anything. Look, I need my time. I need my life. You know, I was looking at something the other day. A magazine with Jennifer Aniston on the cover. That’s a strong woman right there. All of these people in her business-who is she dating? Angie this. Brad that. They come up with so much stuff. That’s a tough situation to be in.

My situation is small compared to that. But still, I don’t feel like I need to explain. I’m the one living it. You write about it. You go ahead and speculate. I’ll just live it. I don’t feel like I need to explain things to a perfect stranger. The people who matter know. And they love me for Dana. I don’t have to tell Joe Blow. Joe, you worry about who YOU sleeping with.”

I’m sorry Dana but that doesn’t wash with me.  Right now, after that I do admire your talent but you, not so much.  Bluntly I think you are being cowardly and selfish by not being open and honest about sexuality. You want to be a celebrity but not have any of the responsibility it entails

Nothing says “I’m a lesbian” like going on about how you absolutely will not say “I’m not a lesbian”. And I don’t get how she thinks the very public relationship she has with her girlfriend — to the point that they now own a house together — is somehow a private matter. God forbid she be proud of her woman or the long-term relationship they’ve built together.

But the worst part of this is that it’s not only about YOU Dana.  You are a public figure, a strong black woman.  But being a strong black PROUD lesbian woman would make you a role model, and especially LGBT youth need someone like that as a role model especially facing all the blacklash, oppression and discrimination they face today.
 
“The people who matter know.”  Thats not really true at all Dana and you need to realize that.

The downtrodden, oppressed, gay kids who need your guidance matter. And they don’t know.

Homo Say What? – UFC Fighter and Mr. T Wannabe: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Responds To Upset Gays: "EVERYBODY LIGHTEN THE FUCK UP!"

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Rampage Jackson. The Ultimate Fighting Championship star who plays Mr. T in the new A-Team movie
wants everyone to lay off him because he compared acting to being gay.

“EVERYBODY LIGHTEN THE FUCK UP! LET’S HAVE FUN! THAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO RIGHT NOW! THERE’S TOO MUCH NEGATIVITY IN THIS WORLD, SO LET’S JUST FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE THINGS AND I GUARANTEE IF WE DO THAT THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER!

Jackson goes on to totally try to write himself out of any blame in a rambling post on his blog and comes off even as a BIGGER asshole.

Now I got my life back together from all that doing positive things, trying to be the best role model I can be. Instead of the media congradulating me from this obstical, it chooses to paint a picture of me as a gay basher. Let me teach you a little something about me cause I know y’all don’t really know me. I am a black man from Memphis Tennessee who grew up in the south where I faced discrimination my whole life. I know very well how it feels for someone to judge you for something you have no control over so having gone through that I know how it feels. I took a vow that I didn’t even have to say that I would never discriminate against anybody for anything other that how they treat me or others around them. So not only DO I NOT HATE gay people, I actually accept them for who and what they are. They always seem happy and most of them I met are very kind and nice individuals. Yes, and like most straight guys I joke around with the whole gay thing and I see it as comedy, not saying that’s right or wrong but I don’t do it out of hate. I don’t hate fat girls but I make fun of them too.

I wonder if he makes fun of the handicapped to boot.

When I did that interview I didn’t even know I was being interviewed. I was on the set of shooting the movie the A Team and my friend that worked on the set brought the interviewer to my trailer. As he did so, he made fun of me for a poster that was made of me promoting a UFC event at my homegirls bar in Vancouver. The poster was a picture of me with a rainbow flag on the poster somewhere. This girl has been a friend of mine for 7 years and never used me as a meal ticket and if I would die for one friend it was nothing for me to help a friend promote business. So I offered to help promote her bar not knowing that the poster would make its way back to the set and I would be made fun of for going to a gay bar. But I have to say that I visited her bar several times before this event. Not only did I enjoy myself but I was relieved that the guys at this bar did not hound me once. No one offered to buy me a drink. Not once did anybody try to take pictures with me with their arms all around me or do the what I call the ‘prom date picture’.. taking a picture while holding your lower back.. which is my pet peeve by the way

So, accorfing to Jackson it’s the interviewer’s fault for quoting the words coming out of your mouth. Got it. Meanwhile, how can anyone accuse Jackson of being a homophobe when he lets homosexual men (with no taste) fawn all over him? And besides, everything was taken out of context!

This being said, when I did this interview the interviewer witnessed my friend giving me shit and calling me gay. I was so embarrassed and didn’t want my ego tainted because I’m a big tough fighter. So yes, I got quite defensive and I’m known to be the best shit talker in my business and a fighter in all aspects in life. So I made fun of him back, calling him gay. Only reason why I got a bad report from it was because this guy who was making fun of me and has been my friend on set for about four months (time spent working on the movie) and was gay for real and the reporter being the type of guy he is chose to make THAT his story not knowing that the guy and I were only shit talking like we did everyday. OR DID HE KNOW WE WERE SHIT TALKING OR NOT AND JUST WANTED A HOT SCOOP?

Dude this is REALLY sad.

MASSIVE FAIL!