Baldwin Optomistic About Gay Legislation

Saturday, Tammy Baldwin, the openly lesbian U.S. Representative from Wisconsin, told attendees at the 2009 International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference in San Francisco, California that she is holding on to optimistic expectations the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 (DPBO), which Baldwin sponsored, will reach the House floor this year. If enacted, the bill would provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. Baldwin also stated she expects The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that would prohibit workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity will be passed as well.

In regards to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the military’s ban on servicemembers serving as openly gay, she expects that will reach the house sometime next fall, and feels it will be attached to the military’s 2011 spending bill.

All three pieces of legislation is expected to gain the approval of the House of Representatives, which is considered more liberal than the Senate, but it’s also expected the bills will face tougher obstacles in the Senate, where Democrats hold a small majority.

Baldwin stated at the conference:

“I’m hopeful we will see those three pieces of legislation make it all the way, or damn close.”

The Leadership Conference was sponsored by The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that promotes the election of openly gay men and women into public offices.

Christians Beware: ENDA is the Enda of Your Job

Well, it would appear that the failed efforts to block adding LGBT tax-paying American citizens to the list of those protected under the federal hate-crimes law hasn’t stifled the religious zealots who insist upon shoving their “Christian” ideology down the throats of every American citizen.

The Family Research Council is now out begging for some tax-exempt money to help them fight against ENDA. That’s right, they’re using the same lies and scare tactics to guilt the ignorant, unknowing and weak-minded into donating money, so they can again, use tax-exempt dollars to assure their right to discriminate against “homosexuals” in the workplace.

Have a look below…it’s directly off their website, and stuff this crazy simply can’t be made up!

A grave threat to your traditional values and religious freedom is resurfacing.

Deceptively, it’s called the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). Truthfully, it should be called the “Discrimination Against Christians in the Workplace Act.”

I know that sounds far-fetched, but this is what ENDA will do . . .

ENDA will redefine your faith as illegal workplace bigotry . . . make the government a full partner in the homosexual rights movement . . . and force churches, small businesses run by Christians, and faith-based charities to hire nonbelievers or face federal investigation.

This law would punish anyone in the workplace who dares oppose homosexual behavior, cross-dressing and other unhealthy behaviors. The liberals intentionally want to define “discrimination” very vaguely so that their allies in the courts and federal and state agencies will have broad latitude to silence traditional moral viewpoints about sexuality.

Pro-homosexual members of Congress–with the administration’s complete support–would like to pass ENDA before it becomes an issue in the 2010 elections.

And that’s why we must act immediately.

Please send a financial gift to Family Research Council right now so we can sound the alarm about the disastrous impact this law will have on Christians.

Here is what ENDA’s champions in Congress and the administration are saying:

* Barney Frank, D-Mass., says passing ENDA is his “number-one” objective.
* A top administration official says ENDA is the “keystone” to overturning the military’s ban on openly homosexual behavior and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
* The appointed commissioner of the agency that would enforce ENDA promises she will use it to punish Christian “intolerance” in the workplace:
“I’m having a hard time coming up with any case in which religious liberty should win.”

Family Research Council helped preserve Christians’ freedom of religion from ENDA when it looked like the liberal-controlled Congress was going to pass it in 2008.

And we can do it again . . . but we need your immediate help. Will you please follow this link to our secure website and make a donation now?

We must act NOW . . . because ENDA’s champions are already hard at work.

Thank you for standing with FRC in this crucial fight for your faith, family, and freedom. And thank you for praying for FRC and for our country.

As someone who was fired from a job for being gay in 2002, and with no legal recourse, I speak from experience.  There needs to be protections against bias, hate, intolerance and bigotry.  No one should be hired or fired based upon physical characteristics that are NOT choices.  Now, even though the religion one follows is a choice, when was the last time anyone in this country was fired for being “Christian”?   Oh, I know, they make up lies about that too, but when it comes down to it, people are not fired for being “Christian”.  It simply does not happen!  They may be fired for telling a co-worker they’re going to hell for being gay.  They may also be fired for calling GLBT “deviants”, “fags” or “dykes” in the workplace.  But let’s face it, if someone is being abusive towards a co-worker, whether it’s calling them a ‘fag’, a “n”, or any other derogatory term, then they deserve to be put out.

Now, for all of you “Christians” who say you don’t want a “deviant” lifestyle shoved in your face at work, well, stop making out with your ‘opposite sex’ partner on the job….what, you don’t do that?  Oh, but gay people do…right?  Heck, let the gays have rights and they just may start having sex right on your desk…because after all, we know the ONLY attribute of a same-sex relationship is the evil “sex” part right?  Also, for all you good God fearing Christians…take the pics of your spouses and kids down off your desk, because God forbid a gay man or lesbian put a picture of their significant other up (after all, since we’re talking about homoSEXuals, it would be a pornographic pic anyway).

Now, I want to address one more point.  In the above plea to save your “Christian” job, you’ve included the statement, “This law would punish anyone in the workplace who dares oppose homosexual behavior, cross-dressing and other unhealthy behaviors.”

Well, as I said, if you call me a filthy fag, then yes, you should be fired, just as I should be fired if I call you a raging lunatic b*tch.  There’s no need for abuse in the workplace…EVER!  But more than that, I have to ask, how is homosexual behavior and cross-dressing  any more “unhealthy” than say having an extramarital affair, smoking cigarettes on your break, living a sedentary lifestyle?  In fact, exactly how is homosexual behavior or cross-dressing unhealthy?  Is there some disease associated with being a homosexual or cross-dresser I’m not aware of?  If you’re talking about HIV/AIDS…better look at stats sista…you don’t have to be gay to be positive!  Of course, these are decendants of the same God fearing people who used to say that masturbation would cause blindness, so we know they’re not a reliable source of what’s “unhealthy”.

So, if you choose to live your life in fear (which we all know is a product of ignorance) then go right ahead.  Fear God, fear homoSEXuals, ignorance is bliss!  But once LGBT tax-paying Americans are covered under ENDA, just don’t let that fear turn into verbal abuse.  As long as you don’t verbally or physically attack someone because you are too stupid to understand not everyone is like you, you’ll still be able to commit the deadly sin of glutony right at your desk…without the risk of losing your job.

ENDA Would ‘Level Playing Field’ for LGBT Workers

Tom Perez, the Justice Department’s Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, told senators Thursday a bill to prevent employers from discriminating against people on the basis of sexual orientation creates a “level playing field.”

Perez testified in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S. 1584) before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

The ENDA legislation has been proposed many times in the past, but this is the first time since 2002 it’s had a hearing in the Senate.

Perez disputed critics who say the bill would create a quota system for employers. That’s a “quintessential red herring” and “just dead wrong,” Perez said.

The Civil Rights Division regularly receive letters from individuals complaining of sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment, Perez testified.

“We cannot in good conscience stand by and watch unjustifiable discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals occur in the workplace without redress,” said Perez. “We have come too far in our struggle for ’equal justice under the law’ to remain silent or stoic.”

More at: Main Justice!

Last Night’s Lesson: It Aint Rocket Science

It’s not about accomplishing my personal laundry list of wishes. It’s about forward progress – or even effort – from the Oval office. The White House didn’t say one word about the Maine referendum to protect LBGT marriage equality. AG Holder even said last week that he didn’t “know enough about it” to comment, which was both a lie and a slap in the face. Obama hasn’t fought a lick for the pro-labor Employee Free Choice Act or the Employment Non-Discrimination Act known as ENDA. And please don’t mention on Afghanistan, Iraq or the Wall Street bailouts. Please don’t mention an economic policy geared toward socializing debt and privatizing profit. There is no effort coming from the White House that moves the people toward the direction that people rallied, campaigned, and voted for in 2008and that is an indictment of this administration. It also reveals something very bankrupt about the nature of our political system and the Democratic Party. The people spoke and it mattered little. Now we need to do more.

Read more at: huffingtonpost.com!

Forgive My Gay Politics for a Moment; Good news

Three pieces of potentially good news on the National Front for Gay Rights and AIDS

1. The US is poised to lift its travel and immigration ban on people with HIV. This means that people applying to live in the US or visit it will no longer be discriminated against solely because they have AIDS. Obviously, this is positive for more than just gay men, and will be a good thing for Africans and anyone else with HIV.

2. A vaccine in Thailand reduced HIV transmission by 31%. While this isn’t enough to market it as a vaccine yet, it is the first indication that an HIV vaccine is even possible.

3. Since 1994, Congress has been trying to pass ENDA, the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, which would prevent employers from discriminating based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity has the best chance yet of getting passed. In 29 states, it’s legal to fire someone because they’re gay and in 38 states, it’s legal to fire someone for being transgender.

Read more at: Ashely F. Miller!

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