Historic LGBT Rights Bill Becomes Law

From Equality California:

On January 1, three new pieces of legislation expanding rights and resources for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will go into effect in California. Among the new laws, each sponsored by Equality California, include a bill that recognizes the marriage of thousands of same-sex couples regardless of when or where they were married, a bill increasing services to LGBT survivors of domestic violence and a third recognizing the contributions of slain civil rights leader Harvey Milk.

The Marriage Recognition and Family Protection Act, introduced by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), holds that same-sex couples married in any state or nation anytime before the passage of Proposition 8 must be recognized as married spouses in California, regardless of whether they married in California or in another state or nation. In addition, the new statute also confirms that same-sex couples married outside of California after November 5, 2008, must be given all of the rights, protections and responsibilities of married spouses under California law, with the sole exception of the designation of “marriage.”

“This vital bill will provide much needed protections for same-sex couples who have legally married out of state, or will in the future, and who deserve to be treated like any other married couple,” said Geoff Kors, executive director of Equality California. “This bill will allow same-sex couples to get married in other states and countries and ensure they are treated equally under the law when they return to California. Ultimately, however, restoring the freedom to marry is the only way to ensure that all Californians receive the dignity and respect that come with marriage.”

Also becoming state law is the LGBT Domestic Violence Programs Expansion Bill, which was authored by Speaker-Elect Assemblymember John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles). The bill expands access for LGBT service providers to a state fund within the California Emergency Management Agency, which supports LGBT-specific domestic violence programs across the state. The fund, originally established as part of another EQCA-sponsored bill in 2006, is subsidized by a $23 fee on domestic partner registrations. The new bill would also allow for more than four organizations to apply for programmatic funding each fiscal cycle and eliminates the requirement for providers to offer shelter – impediments to many smaller LGBT organizations that inadvertently keep several California communities from providing any services for LGBT survivors of domestic violence.

Harvey Milk Day, which will be celebrated on May 22, 2010, marks the first time in the nation’s history that a state will officially recognize and celebrate the contributions of an openly LGBT person with an annual “day of special significance.” The bill was also introduced by Senator Leno.

“We are grateful to the LGBT Caucus, our allied lawmakers, and the Governor for making these landmark measures the law in California, as these bills will dramatically improve the lives of LGBT Californians and their families,” Kors said. “We look forward to the year ahead and to advancing our mission of achieving true and full equality for LGBT Californians.”

For more information about EQCA’s legislation, visit http://www.eqca.org/legislation.

Parents of Gays & Lesbians Demonstrate at Bill Signing

Courtesy of Equality Forum:

Parents of gays and lesbians, teachers and activists carrying photos of hate crime murder victims including Harvey Milk and Matthew Shepard will demonstrate in front of the White House on Wednesday, October 28 from noon to 2 p.m. prior to the President signing the Matthew Shepard Amendment. The amendment adds gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disabilities to the federal hate crimes act.

The demonstration is organized by Equality Forum, a national and international GLBT civil rights organization with an educational focus.

According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, there were 29 hate crime murders of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT) Americans among the 2,424 GLBT hate crimes in 2008. Since 1998, when Matthew Shepard was murdered, there have been over 16,000 hate crime victims, on average, about 1,450 GLBT hate crimes per year.

“Homophobia has fueled carnage since Matthew Shepard’s murder 11 years ago,” stated Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of Equality Forum. “The Matthew Shepard Amendment is the beginning not the end in recognizing, addressing and eliminating homophobia in our schools, workplaces, neighborhoods and culture.”

“We applaud those in Congress and President Obama who support the Matthew Shepard Amendment,” stated Susan Wheeler of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, the mother of James Wheeler. “My son took his life after being repeatedly harassed in high school. He was surrounded in the locker room and urinated on. Jim never recovered from that humiliation.”

“We demonstrate as a reminder of the over 16,000 hate crime victims since Matthew’s brutal murder,” stated Michael and Barbara Klinman of Havertown, Pennsylvania, who are parents of a gay son. “These crimes are intended to intimidate the GLBT community and their ferocity impacts the soul of America.”

“As we carry the photos of murder victims of GLBT hate crimes, we stand-in for those whose lives have been silenced,” stated Carol Watchler, GLSEN Central New Jersey Co-Chair. “We demonstrate because we are concerned about the safety of youth. We want to ensure that gay and lesbian children are not hate crime statistics and can live without fear of homophobic violence.”

Equality Forum produced “Jim in Bold,” an award-winning documentary film about the impact of homophobia on GLBTQ youth. The annual Equality Forum includes the James Wheeler National Youth Panel. Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, has been featured at the annual Equality Forum.

People Still Crying Over Spilled ‘Milk’

A bill has passed both the House and Senate in the state of California that would set aside one day out of the year as a day to remember Harvey Milk.

In that bill, there are no mandates which dictate anyone has to take part in day of recognition, rather it “encourages” people to do so.  In other words, if you and your church hate fags, then you don’t even have to acknowledge that Harvey Milk even ever existed.

But, if you believe in equality for all Americans, and want to commemorate the life of the greatest LGBT leader to date, then you would have the opportunity to do so.

No big deal right?  Wrong!

All those Republicans out in Cali who previously said they were only against same-sex marriage, not LGBT rights, are letting their true colors shine through. And just as I suspected, it’s not same-sex marriage they’re so worried about, it’s the whole part of being LGBT.  They simply hate the gays and in no way, shape or form want to acknowledge that we too, as tax-paying American citizens, should be equal in the eyes of the law.  They want LGBT people to remain second class citizens…perhaps only to feel better about their own pathetic lives, but regardless of the whys, they’re ready to fight for their right to keep LGBT people in their place…a place beneath all other Americans.

According to Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com (which should be SaveCaliforniafromthegays.com), and a leader in the Prop 8 campaign:

“The bill is so broad it could encompass all kinds of things. Remembering the life of Harvey Milk could allow for gay pride parades on campus or mock gay weddings or cross-dressing. There is no prohibition of what the bill calls ‘suitable commemorative exercises.’ The sky’s the limit.”

Oh my, mock weddings! Parades! How dare those fags celebrate the life of someone who pushed for equality! Before you know it, gays just might have the same rights as everyone else which means the whole world will turn gay, stop spinning, and everyone will be thrown off and the earth will cease to exist.

This crap has simply gotten out of hand. Can’t we vote to take away rights from Randy Thomasson so he gets a taste of his own medicine?

But it’s not just Randy who hates the gays, according to the Governor’s office, they have received more than 100,000 calls about the bill, and most were against the bill.

Governor Schwarzenegger hasn’t stated whether or not he will sign bill, but he did veto a similar version of it last year, on the grounds that Harvey Milk should be commemorated in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lived and worked.

even though a veto is a strong possibility, some who support equality are hopeful the Terminator will have a change of heart based on the fact that he, along with his equality supporting wife, Maria Shriver, recently inducted Milk into the California Hall of Fame.

Time to Demand Full Equality

The National Equality March, Jones pointed out, has a single demand of “full equality for all LGBT people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states. Now.” The narrowing of expectations to only individual piecemeal rights, Jones said, actually represents a failed strategy that he and other believe needs to be shifted.

With a broadening left and public opinion moving in favor of LGBT rights, he said, this is “prime time” for the movement to demand full equality.

Jones recalled the fight to defeat the Briggs Initiative in California in 1978–an attempt to ban gays and lesbians from working in public schools. The victory was won by a grassroots movement that shifted public opinion by going door to door in communities across the state and marching in the streets demanding equal rights.

Read the entire post at: SocialistWorker.org!

Lessons In Hope and Inspiration From Harvey Milk

Is it possible to have too many days that exist to officially send the messages of hope and inspiration? Is it possible to have too many days that exist to honor lives of people who have died in the name of that same message of hope, inspiration, and equality for all human beings?

Harvey Milk was a man who offered hope to millions of people in the LGBT community and beyond, spreading the message of love and equality. When he became the first openly gay elected official as a San Francisco supervisor, equality became the most palpable it had ever been for gay people everywhere.

Read more of this post by Jason Mannino at the Huffington Post!

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