Tag Archives: Kristen Gillibrand

Kirstin Gillibrand Does Damage Control: Defends Call For Franken To Resign

Kristen Gillibrand Doubles Down on Al Franken: “My decision was not to remain silent.”

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CNN reports:

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand defended her decision to call on former Sen. Al Franken to resign after allegations of unwanted touching and kissing were made against him, earning praise from a friendly audience of Iowans in Sioux City on Friday.

Gillibrand said Friday that she made the decision to help push him out because “my silence meant I was defending him and carrying his water, which I was unwilling to do.”

“Enough was enough,” Gillibrand said twice, arguing the tipping point in her decision was the eight allegations leveled against Franken. “Al Franken is entitled to whatever process wanted, if he wanted to say and wait six months for his ethics hearing. His decision was to resign. My decision was not to remain silent.

But one should notice how Gillibrand kept silent on the whole Jim Jordan/Ohio State Wrestler scandal because male sexual abuse doesn’t count. 

Especially if it does not include a potential 2020 Presidential campaign threat. 

NYC Gay Rights Activist Alan Bounville Goes On Hunger Strike Demanding Gays Be Added to the Civil Rights Act

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New York City gay activist Alan Bounville who has been trying to  persuade Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to file a bill adding gays and lesbians to the 1964 Civil Rights Act has gone on a hunger strike.

Bounville has been trying to to persuade  Gillibrand, a staunch supporter of marriage equality and a proactive advocate of DADT repeal, to file the bill for weeks by holding daily vigils in front of her campaign office to no avail.  So on election day Bounville began his hunger strike.

On Oct. 11, the vigil was expanded to a 24-hour protest and ended early Tuesday morning when Bounville started his hunger strike at an undisclosed location.

On Tuesday night, 18 hours into the fast, Bounville spoke to DNAinfo over the phone.

“I have a bit of a headache,” he said. “What’s keeping me going is these visualizations of Tyler Clementi jumping off that bridge. I keep replaying that in my mind.”

“The issue is full civil rights right now,” he explained, in contrast to the more narrow, targeted battles favored by many mainstream LGBT advocacy groups such as marriage equality, the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and anti-bullying bills.

“None of this piecemeal, convoluted stuff,” he said.

But even within the LGBT community, many believe that a campaign like Bounville’s should wait for a time when there is broader congressional support.

“You can count on one hand the number of members of the Senate that supports this idea,” Richard Socarides, a Chelsea-based gay and lesbian civil rights attorney and former White House advisor to President Clinton, said at the start of the vigil.

“Senator Gillibrand has been probably our strongest advocate for gay and lesbian civil rights in the entire federal government,” he added

As for Socarides that whole “wait till more are on board” is a such a disastrous plan because we will be waiting forever.  The whole point is to write up the bill and THEN get people to support it.  make deals, exert pressure. We march, picket, rally.  Did none of these people ever take a Political Science Class?

And for all of you out there going but Kristen is our friend.  Yea maybe she is.  But whats the harm in writing up the Bill?  There is none. 

I admire his passion and there’s certainly room for radicalism (which also makes the left of center look more centrist). And while he’s certainly correct that our representatives are our employees, just like other employees they are people and they respond to relationships.  But there is a point when you have to scream at every friend to do something or make a REAL STAND for you.

LGBT Election News Round-up: The Good, The Bad, and the UGLY

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*  It’s official.  Kentucky is now the most embarrassing laughable State in the Union and it elects Rand Paul as State Senator over Jack Conway. 

*  Neil Abercrombie has won the Governor’s race in Hawaii. He’ll sign the civil unions bill, which the current Governor, Linda Lingle, vetoed

*   All three Iowa Supreme Court Justices lost their bids for retention after NOMS heinous attack on the gay judges who set a precedent for gay marriage in Iowa.  My path for life is clear.  DESTROY BRIAN BROWN AND MAGGIE GALLAGHER.

*  Harry Reid defeated Sharron Angle.  Hopefully Harry will realize now that he needs to grow a backbone and rule the Senate with an IRON FIST for the next two years.

*  Anti-gay self loathing closet case Mark Kirk won the Illinois Senate seat held by Barack Obama. Kirk, who voted against DADT repeal in May, will become Senator immediately, meaning he’ll serve in the lame duck.  But really he’s a lame fuck.

*  Independent Lincoln Chafee has been elected Governor of Rhode Island — and he supports marriage equality.  Which is quite a change since the Governor he will take over for was a bible thumping homophobe

*  Rep. Patrick Murphy, the House sponsor of its successful DADT repeal bill, lost tonight to Tea Party candidate Mike Fitzpatrick. Another champion of LGBT rights bites the dust.

*  The Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), an ardent opponent of repealing DADT, lost . Not really feeling bad about that one. Fuck you Ike!

*  Jerry Brown beat crazy illegal hiring bitch Meg Whitman!  Yea for Jerry!  Fuck you Meg!

*  Progressive Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, a strong supporter of marriage equality, was defeated.  I hope that Russ takes this opportunity to re-evaluate and run on a Progressive Democrat platform for President in 2012 or 2016.

*  Openly gay  David Cicilline  wins U.S. House of Representatives seat (RI-1)  You go girl!

*  Barney Frank re-elected, as if that REALLY does us a lot of good.  But on the bright side GOProud wastes THOUSANDS of dollars on his TeaBagging Republican opponent Sean Bielat.  SUCK IT GOPOUD!

*  Lexington, Kentucky elects openly gay mayor  Jim Gray.  REMARKABLE achievement for the LGBT community in Lexington. Maybe the HRC should ask for pointers

*  Andrew Cuomo was elected NY Governor tover homophobe Carl Paladino who immediately went to find a Gay pride parade to go grind in.

*  Dickwad Republican Marc Rubio wins in Florida.  Rubio is the classic example of a minority bigot who hates homo’s

*  Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Win easily in New York State

*   New Hampshire. Governor John Lynch, who signed the marriage bill into law last year, was reelected. NOM put money in this race to defeat Lynch..  At least there was ONE massive #NOMFAIL

* Chris Coons beat that whack job witch Christine O’Donnell.  Now begone Christine before a house falls on you too!

*  Pro Gay Marriage Governor Martin O’Malley wins re-election in  Maryland.  O’Malley has vowed to sign a marriage bill should it reach his desk. Big win for LGBT rights!  And he’s kinda hot.

*There will be more updates and opinions as the day goes on.  Fasten your seatbelts.

Human Rights Campaign Releases DADT Road Map – B2S.com Calls For Joe Solmonese’s Resignation – JOE MUST GO!

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The Human Rights Campaign today released one of its much-discussed, never-seen “road maps” to equality. This one explains how HRC is going to help repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. It notes “the pressure must increase on all fronts to abolish this discriminatory law.” Which is hysterical, because the only ones feeling pressure right now are HRC’s leaders and not the lawmakers thanks to all of you and the recent Blog Swarm.

The HRC has released a whole five bullet-points on the DADT repeal so lets take 10 seconds and have a look.

• Congressional Action in 2010
• Gates/Mullen review
• Strategic Partnerships
• Voices of Veterans
• Continued Presidential Leadership (*Chortle*)

And not surprisingly, they are all things we’ve heard before and extremely vauge. (I can here Joe now….”We need to cover our asses we have our North Carolina Gala coming up!”)

In a nutshell, todays plan this is just plain old bullshit. And the same ole bullshit that has obviously been sitting on a shelf and is being brought out and dusted off to try to appease the many of us who are criticizing HRC.

Well it’s not going to work this time.

It’s becoming crystal clear that HRC’s problem isn’t its lack of transparency. But that the real problem is that legislators don’t care much about what HRC has to say. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand made that clear already in her independent move on DADT. And Rep. Barney Frank, the gay congressman who has the closest ties with HRC continues to dump on the Org’s gadfly public image.

HRC is such a joke that it stands by and applauds President Obama for merely talking about DADT while all those around him drag their feet and have created a DADT quagmire.

HRC isn’t only misleading supporters; it’s now outright lying to them. In today’s “road map” release, the organization insists, “The path forward has always been the Department of Defense Authorization bill — which was the birthplace of DADT in 1993 — and it will move through Congress as early as April and be on the President’s desk by year’s end.” EXCUSE ME? Whose path forward “has always been” the Defense bill? Because HRC and the rest of us only found out about it in November!

In a nutshell the HRC is a joke. And it always has been. And if never noticed it before the proof has been presented today through this release. The Human Rights Campaign is the same organization that, under the leadership of Elizabeth Birch, decided it must sit on its hands about all LGBT equality legislation until the Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed. Yes, the same Employment Non-Discrimination Act that
HRC was willing to support without transgender protections. Yes, the same Employment Non-Discrimination Act that Joe Solmonese, the $350,000.00 a year man stands accused of advising Obama to push forth before even touching DADT. And yes, the same Employment Non-Discrimination Act that has yet to pass and has been postponed…….indefinitely

It’s time for us to demand that HRC change. Change its tactics, its leadership, and its asskissing ways.

And that change must start somewhere. And its always best to start at the top and work down.

Back2Stonewall publically calls for Joe Solmonese’s immediate resignation along with the HRC’s current Board of Directors.

Change must happen and happen soon at the HRC because its now hit the point that its causing more harm than good. .