Tag Archives: Victory

Nikki Haley Says Florida's "Don't Say Gay" Law Doesn't Go Far Enough

LOUISIANNA’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill KILLED In Committee

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Louisiana’s version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation to bar classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity, was killed DEAD n the House Education Committee Tuesday.

The Louisiana Advertiser:

Louisiana House Bill 837 by Republican Haughton Rep. Dodie Horton would prohibit discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through eighth grades or teachers discussing their own sexual identity through the 12th grade. “Unfortunately, some teachers are interjecting their own lifestyle choices into the classroom,” Horton said. “(The bill) defines the line that has recently been blurred by some teachers to share their personal sexual identity and gender preferences with our children.”

Members of the House Education Committee voted 7-4 to keep the bill from advancing.

Coming Soon to the GOP Children’s Book Club: Dodie Horton Hears a Homo. by Dr. Allen Sues.

BREAKING NEWS: North Carolina LGBT Bigot Pat McCrory Finally CONCEDES Governors Election [VIDEO]

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pat-mccrory-concedes

 

Raleigh’s CBS affiliate reports:

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory has conceded to Attorney General Roy Cooper in the state’s gubernatorial race. McCrory released a video Monday where he congratulated Roy Cooper in his win. “I personally believe that the majority of our citizens have spoken,” McCrory says in the video. “And we now should do everything we can to support the 75th Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper.” The race was the closest margin in North Carolina history, with Democrat Cooper leading Republican McCrory by 10,250 votes.

As you all know EX-Gov. Pat McCrory (R) signed the hateful law HB2 into effect last March that, among other things would allow discrimination including service and public accommodations against LGBT people and would ban any city in the state of North Carolina the ability to provide LGBT discrimination protections. (It wasn’t all about bathrooms.)

Expect one of Governor-Elect Roy Copper’s first  moves in office to repeal the law.

 

Let the joyous news be spread! The Wicked Old Witch at last is DEAD!

 

BREAKING NEWS: Federal Government Kills Dakota Access Pipeline

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BREAKING NEWS: Federal Government Kills Dakota Access Pipeline

USA Today reports:

U.S. Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning has informed tribal leaders that the Army Corps of Engineers will halt construction on the controversial Dakota Access pipeline, the chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe said here Sunday.

Dave Archambault II said the Army has denied the permit to bore under Lake Oahe, the reservoir behind the Missouri River in North Dakota. Native Americans and environmentalists have camped out near the lake for weeks protesting the 1,172-mile pipeline, which is intended to carry crude oil from the Bakken oil region in North Dakota to a distribution hub in Patoka, Ill.

“I wanted you to hear it from me,” the chairman said as people banged drums, danced and cheered in glee at the snowy camp. The Missouri River portion of the pipeline was the only remaining contested portion. A federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C. is still pending.

For months, members of the Sioux tribe and their supporters have camped out, fighting the pipeline they say could be hazardous and damage the water supply of their reservation nearby.
“People have said that this is a make it or a break it, and I guess we made it,” Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, announced to a cheering crowd of protesters.

The easement marks a stunning victory for pipeline protesters in southern North Dakota.

MAIN Coalition, a right pro-pipeline coalition, called the move a “purely political decision.” “Unfortunately, it’s not surprising that the President would, again, use executive fiat in an attempt to enhance his legacy among the extreme Left,”

Ugandans Hold First Ever Pride Event After Draconian Anti-LGBT Law Overturned

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Uganda Pride

 

For the first time ever Ugandan activists held ta gay pride rally Saturday celebrating the overturning the heinous anti-homosexuality law sparked by religious extremist Scott Lively. 

The overturned law, condemned as “abominable” by rights groups across the globe  but popular among many Ugandans, called for “proven” homosexuals to be jailed for life and forced other Ugandans to denounce gays to the authorities for fear of jail.

There was little police presence, and no one came to protest the celebration, even if many in the town said they did not approve.

“This event is to bring us together. Everyone was in hiding before because of the anti-homosexuality law,” organizer Sandra Ntebi told AFP.

“It is a happy day for all of us, getting together,” Ntebi said, noting that police had granted permission for the invitation-only “Uganda Pride” rally.

But gay rights activists warn the battle is not over.

Lawmakers signed a petition calling for a new vote on the bill, and to bypass parliamentary rules that require it be formally reintroduced from scratch — a process that could take years.

If America is smart it will take away Scott Lively’s passport NOW.

Source:  Raw Story

 

How “Gay Power” Rose Up Like A Phoenix And Defeated Arizona’s Right To Hate SB-1062

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Gay Power

As we all know by now last night Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed Bill SB 1062 that would have allowed businesses and in some cases individuals to use bigotry through “religion” to deny service to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender customers

“I call them as I see them, despite the cheers or the boos from the crowd,” Brewer said, criticizing what she described as a “broadly worded” bill that “could result in unintended and negative consequences”

“To the supporters of the legislation, I want you to know that I understand that long-held norms about marriage and family are being challenged as never before. Our society is undergoing many dramatic changes,” she said. “However, I sincerely believe that Senate Bill 1062 has the potential to create more problems than it purports to solve. It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine and no one would ever want.

“Religious liberty is a core American and Arizona value. So is non-discrimination.”

The controversial measure faced a barrage of opposition from large corporations and athletic organizations, including Delta Air Lines, the Super Bowl host committee and Major League Baseball and all this happened because the LGBT community and its straight allies spoke out loudly and clearly against this his heinous bill which was nothing but a thinly disguised throwback to Jim Crow and was nothing more than a legal way to discriminate against LGBT individuals.

But we rose up together and fought back.

This was a major win for the LGBT community and one that was brought about the people itself and not by the LGBT organizations who claim that they represent us. “Gay Inc” as they are called said barely a word over Arizona’s hateful bill and only did after being openly criticized and called out for being silent.  But amazingly once Jan Brewer vetoed the measure a flurry of press releases flew fast and furious from the usual suspects. Within 10 minutes of the announcement The Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and the Task Force had already sent out releases applauding Brewers move despite the fact that they didn’t have a damn thing to do it and neglecting to mention the people who did and that would be all of us.

This victory belongs to the community at large and our LGBT allies. As soon as the Arizona Senate passed the hateful bill we jumped into action. We made phone calls, sent emails and took to social media. We reached out to businesses, travel agencies, and the mainstream media TOGETHER like in the olden days of gay activism and we fought SB 1062 side by side instead of depending on others lead the fight for us. We dropped the LGBT compartmentalization and were all “gay” once again. There were no special groups and personal issues getting in the way. SB 1062 affected all of us and together we stood side by side and fought it and we won.

Arizona’s SB 1062 has proven one thing. That by taking the lead and fighting together we can and will win.

We should do it more often.

Gay Marriage Passes In Minnesota House, Senate Floor Next Stop

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A bi-partisan vote of 75-59 vote in the Minnesota House has positioned that state to become the 12th in the country to allow would allow same-sex weddings beginning Aug. 1.

Hundreds of people on both sides of the issue rallied Thursday at the Minnesota Capitol, which was under tighter than usual security. Pro-marriage demonstrators filled the hallways outside the House chambers, some dressed in orange T-Shirts and holding signs that read, “I Support The Freedom to Marry.” Behind them, opponents held up bright pink signs that simply read, “Vote No.”

The Minnesota push for gay marriage grew out of last fall’s successful campaign to defeat a constitutional amendment that would have banned it by the religious right and extremist GOP members which now seems to have backfired on them.

That same election put Democrats in full control of state government for the first time in more than two decades, a perfect scenario for gay marriage supporters to push for legalization.

The state Senate is expected to consider the bill Monday, and leaders expect it to pass easily there. Gov. Mark Dayton has made clear that he will sign the  the bill it into law.

 

VICTORY! – DOMA Once Again Ruled Unconstitutional In BLAG’s Edith Windsor Ruling Challange

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Despite wasting over  $1.5 million dollars of tax payers money John Boehner and House Republicans have spent to pay private attorney Paul Clement, a former U.S. solicitor general under the Bush administration, to defend DOMA, again today they were dealt another loss as the U.S. Second Circuit of Appeals has upheld and earlier ruling in the Edith Windsor versus the United States of America that DOMA the Defense of Marriage Act is indeed unconstitutional.

Legally the case is about the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 While Windsor was treated as her spouse under New York State law, and she was allowed to inherit what her spouse had left her without being taxed, the same as any heterosexual surviving spouse.

But under federal law, it was a very different story. Under DOMA, the United States government does not recognize marriages between members of the same gender, and thus will not confer any legal spousal benefits to homosexuals, including the ability to sponsor a foreign partner, file taxes jointly, or bequeath property without taxation.  So Windsor was ordered by the IRS to pay  $360,000 by the IRS.

A federal district court agreed with them—one of five such district-court losses the anti-gay law has suffered—handing Windsor her first legal victory.

But House Speaker John Boehner instructed the (un) Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to defend the law in court and appealed it to the Second Circuit.

And today the Second Circuit applied heightened scrutiny, or “intermediate scrutiny” as they called it in the opinion to uphold the federal district courts finding that DOMA is indeed unconstitutional with one judge concurring in parts and dissenting in others, writing that the law would be constitutional if reviewed under the more lenient rational basis standard of review.

Note of interest.  Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs, who is one of the most conservative judges on the Second Circuit wrote the opinion.

The ACLU Press Release:

A federal appeals court ruled today that the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) unconstitutionally discriminates against married same-sex couples. In striking down DOMA, the court held that government discrimination against lesbians and gay men now is assumed to be unconstitutional and that DOMA’s defenders could not offer any good reason for treating married same-sex couples differently from all other married couples. This is the first federal appeals court decision to decide that government discrimination against gay people gets a more exacting level of judicial review, known as “heightened scrutiny.” The law had been challenged by Edith “Edie” Windsor, who sued the federal government for failing to recognize her marriage to her partner Thea Spyer, after Spyer’s death in 2009. Windsor and Spyer, who were a couple for 44 years, were married in Canada in 2007, and were considered married by their home state of New York. “This law violated the fundamental American principle of fairness that we all cherish,” said Windsor. “I know Thea would have been so proud to see how far we have come in our fight to be treated with dignity.”

In her lawsuit, Windsor argued that DOMA violates the equal protection guarantee of the U.S. Constitution because it requires the government to treat same-sex couples who are legally married as strangers. Windsor’s lawsuit was filed by the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union

View the ruling here.

Happy 45th Anniversary To The Victory Of Loving v. Virginia – VIDEO

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Today is the 45th anniversary of the victorious ruling in Loving v. Virginia, which struck  down the ban on interracial marriage

Watch below as Ted Olson and David Boies talk about how Loving v. Virginia set a  precedent for the battle for marriage equality and LGBT civil rights in a video which was recorded last year.

Hopefully within the next 46 years we will celebrate a ruling that DOMA was found unconstitutional.

Grand Slam! – Denny’s Restaurant Reverses Discriminatory Transgender Restroom Policy In Maine

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Denny’s restaurant corporation in Maine has reversed its current restroom policy and will  now permit all customers to use restrooms consistent with their gender identities.

The agreement, announced on Monday, is the result of a lawsuit brought by Brianna Freeman against the chain’s Auburn, Maine restaurant after Freeman was denied access to the women’s restroom.

In 2007, Brianna Freeman , was a regular customer of Denny’s restaurant. During visits there, she had regularly used the women’s bathroom without objection and had even met with the restaurant manager to explain her situation. But, that October, the manager told her that he’d gotten a complaint that she, a male, had used the women’s restroom.

The manager told Freeman that, since she had not yet undergone a transsexual operation and wasn’t considered a biological female, she would have to use the men’s room in the future.

Freeman filed a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission in 2009, claiming the restaurant had discriminated against her based on her sexual orientation. The agency’s investigator found reasonable grounds for the basis of the complaint and, when the two sides couldn’t reach agreement later that year, Freeman filed suit in Androscoggin County Superior Court.

Last year, Denny’s sought to dismiss the case but, in ruling against the restaurant chain, Justice William Brodrick wrote that the Maine Human Rights Act is aimed at preventing discrimination in public accommodation on account of sexual orientation, finding that Freeman had “adequately plead a claim that Denny’s prohibited her from using the women’s restroom because of her sexual orientation.”

Brodrick’s ruling cleared the way for the case to proceed to trial, and during the past year attorneys for Denny’s and Freeman, including Freeman’s local attorney Jeffrey Neil Young of McTeague Higbee in Topsham, worked to negotiate a settlement.

According to Brian Mesley, a spokesman for Rockport-based Realty Resources Hospitality, “we recognize and support Ms. Freeman’s gender transition over the past three and a half years.”

For Freeman, the bottom line is, “for me and other transgender patrons is that Denny’s has welcomed us to use the restroom that is consistent with how we live our lives. That makes good sense, any other rule is just not workable for anyone.”

Source: The Sun Journal

After Public Outcry Gay Police Officer WILL Be Allowed To Wear Uniform At Gay Pride Parade

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After a huge public outcry and threats of a lawsuit Officer Andrew Johnson, a California corrections officer will now be allowed to wear his uniform in the famous West Hollywood Gay Pride Parade.

Johnson who was originally told by his superiors at the women’s jail in Chino, Calif., that wearing his uniform in the parade would breach a regulations could “discredit” the department went public with the story yesterday and hired famed civil rights lawyer Gloria Alred to take on the case as charges were files with California State Authorities yesterday.

“It’s important to him because he’s not ashamed of being gay,” said Gloria Allred.  “He just wants to be treated equally. It’s just really about equality.”

Now, less than 24 hours later the California  Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has rescinded its refusal to allow  making way for Johnson to march proudly in uniform.

“The decision was made solely on an interpretation of an admittedly ambiguous section of the Department Operation Manual as it relates to unauthorized use of the CDCR uniform. Upon review, CDCR acknowledges that the DOM is outdated and requires careful revision. CDCR apologizes to Officer Johnson and any Californian who may have been offended by the original decision.”