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In the News: LGBT families lobby Congress
Submitted by matty on Fri, 2012-05-18 12:13
from CNN.
Washington (CNN) -- Tommy Starling and Jeff Littlefield say they've slowly been changing minds of people in their community when it comes to what a family looks like.
The gay couple from Pawleys Island, South Carolina, traveled to the nation's capital with their 5-year-old daughter, Carrigan, to share their story and help members of Congress understand the issues they face.
"Everything is a gradual process," Starling said. "Now that we have Carrigan in our lives, people's minds are changing. They see her; they see us in the PTA functions; they see us in the community, going to the school, so we have a different group of friends, and everybody's hearts and minds are opening to seeing that we are a family just like theirs."
The family joined other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their children from across the country to lobby for marriage equality on Capitol Hill on Thursday and to discuss other issues of concern like safe schools, adoption and foster care. The families scheduled meetings at the offices of about 50 representatives and senators from their home states.
The Family Equality Council's trip to the capital was scheduled before President Barack Obama's historic announcement last week of his own support for same-sex marriage. Organizers said the goal of the meetings on Capitol Hill was both to thank members of Congress who support gay rights and try to encourage others to open their minds.
The Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act law that denies same-sex couples recognition at the federal level, topped the agenda of issues the families planned to discuss with lawmakers.
Zach Wahls, 20, whose emotional speech before Iowa lawmakers about LGBT families went viral last year, was among the group.
"The fact is that not all people who are opposed to same-sex marriage are bigots or hateful or ignorant," Wahls, who wrote a book titled "My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength and What Makes a Family," told CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. "Likewise, not all people who support marriage equality are godless, colonizing sodomites. So I think if we can move past some of these stereotypes on both sides, we're able to have this real conversation and understand that at the end of the day, my family isn't looking for some radical change to the law, we're looking for due process and equal protection."
Wahls said he had several meetings scheduled with Iowa lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
In the News: Grassley--Same-sex marriage will not trump economy in election
Submitted by matty on Fri, 2012-05-18 12:08
from Southwest Iowa News.
Despite all the attention given to same-sex marriage recently, the economy will continue to be the main issue in the presidential campaign, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said Wednesday.
Granted, some votes may swing on the gay marriage views of the presidential candidates, he said, but social issues like this don’t carry much weight during these hard economic times.
“If you look at any survey, social issues might be in the top 10, but they won’t be in the top five,” Grassley said during his weekly telephone news conference.
It’s the loss of jobs, the deficit and the economy in general that will make people vote, he said.
“This economy is going to be what is on everybody’s minds.”k
Read the full article from Southwest Iowa News.
Read more In the News.
In the News: State organizations using marriage momentum for ballot campaigns
Submitted by matty on Fri, 2012-05-18 11:24
from Freedom to Marry.
Four states facing 2012 ballot campaigns concerning the freedom to marry are gearing up for November's election, using the momentum from last week's historical announcement from President Obama to galvanize supporters. In Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington, the 2012 ballot will ask voters to decide on the state's freedom to marry policy. While state-wide organizations working toward the freedom to marry in each state are preparing for the initiatives differently, it's clear that all of them will be intensifying their efforts over the next several months. Here are some updates out of each state:
Maine
Mainers United for Marriage has been leading the campaign for a ballot initiative in November that would approve the freedom to marry.
Yesterday, the organization announced a major donation and the launch of a fundraising matching challenge. Chris Hughes and his fiancé, Freedom to Marry senior adviser Sean Eldridge, have pledged up to $100,000 to the organization as part of a four-week dollar-for-dollar matching gift challenge. The campaign began yesterday and ends on June 7.
...Mainers United is fully committed to covering the entire state to get the word out about the ballot campaign. This week, they open up a new field office and launch a comprehensive canvassing program.
Maryland
Equality Maryland and Marylanders for Marriage Equality are committed to defending the freedom to marry, which Governor Martin O'Malley signed into law in March. Opponents of the bill are pushing for a referendum to put the law up to a vote.
...Last week, Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer, the Minority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, announced his support for the freedom to marry, stating, "I believe that extending the definition of marriage to committed relationships between two people, irrespective of their sex, is the right thing to do and will not, in any way, undermine the institution of marriage so important to our society nor impose a threat to any individual marriage." His endorsement, paired with President Obama's affirmation last week, should go a long way in the state's campaign to defend the freedom to marry.
Minnesota
Minnesotans United for All Families has been working hard to get the word out about a proposed constitutional amendment to ban the freedom to marry, asking voters to reject the amendment at the ballot box. In one of the most energetic grassroots campaigns that Minnesota has ever seen, supporters of the freedom to marry have been joining the Minnesotans United for All Families campaign in droves.
Yesterday, a new poll released by SurveyUSA demonstrated for the first time in the state that a majority of Minnesotans supported the freedom to marry for all couples. The survey asked voters a wide range of questions, but one focused on President Obama's statement from last week that same-sex couples should be able to get married. 52 percent of those surveyed said they agreed with President Obama and only 42 percent said they disagreed. This represents an enormous increase in support from last November, when a poll indicated that 43 percent of respondents supported the freedom to marry.
...Washington
Washington United for Marriage, a coalition of organizations committed to the freedom to marry, has been working this year to defend the freedom to marry, which the state's governor, Gov. Christine Gregoire, signed into law in February. Anti-gay activists from Preserve Marriage Washington have been collecting signatures to place Referendum 74 on the ballot, which asks voters to affirm or reject the freedom to marry. Preserve Marriage Washington has already collected more than 89,000 of the 120,577 signatures it needs.
Washington United for Marriage is working to collect signatures as well to demonstrate that supporters for the freedom to marry are just as powerful as anti-gay activists. Washington residents should take the pledge to approve Referendum 74 and stand for the freedom to marry for all couples.
Read the full article from Freedom to Marry.
Read more In the News.
In the News: Senate Takes Significant Step With Domestic Partnership Benefits Bill
Submitted by matty on Thu, 2012-05-17 15:39
from Think Progress, written by Ben Harris.
Yesterday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed legislation that extends health insurance and other benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced the bill, called the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligation Act, which if passed into law would extend health insurance and a number of other workplace benefits to federal employees and their same-sex partners.
Because of discriminatory laws like the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), gay federal employees do not have full access to benefits currently afforded to straight federal employees and their spouses. Without access to health insurance through their partners, many gay individuals must either purchase costly insurance plans in the private market or forgo health insurance, a considerable financial risk should be they become seriously ill. Yesterday, the Senate committee advanced a bill that would significantly alleviate that risk and bolster economic security for gay couples in the federal workforce.
Passing this bill out of committee is long overdue. Not only does this mean equal treatment for gay employees in the federal workforce, it also ensures that we attract the best and brightest workers into public service. When it was introduced back in November, Senator Collins remarked :
COLLINS: This change is both fair policy and good business practice. The federal government must compete with the private sector when it comes to attracting the most qualified, skilled, and dedicated employees. Today, health, medical, and other benefits are a major component of any competitive employment package. Indeed, private sector employers are increasingly offering these kinds of benefits as standard fare.
She’s right. Eighty-six percent of Fortune 100 companies offer equal health care benefits to employees with same-sex partners, according to the Human Rights Campaign. And research shows that when you treat gay workers equally on the job, what results is a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce.
Some, like Governor Rick Snyder (R) of Michigan, who recently vetoed a bill to extend domestic partner benefits to state employees, oppose equality in the workplace because they say it costs too much. They’re wrong . The take-up rate for domestic partner benefits is extremely low and it is likely that the boon from attracting a more talented and productive workforce outweighs any costs of providing equal benefits to gay couples.
What’s more, passing laws that extend workplace benefits to gay employees is politically popular. A whopping 8 in 10 Americans believe gay employees should be given equal benefits on the job. Even Mitt Romney agrees. Just last week, after restating his opposition to marriage equality, he voiced his support : “My view is that domestic partnership benefits, hospital visitation rights and the like are appropriate.”
Conservatives and corporations should take a cue from the American people: workplace equality is critical to fostering a more efficient and effective government.
Read the full article from Think Progress.
Read more In the News.
In the News: Presidential Memorandum -- Implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act
Submitted by matty on Thu, 2012-05-17 14:09
from The White House.
Sexual violence, against any victim, is an assault on human dignity and an affront to American values. The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) was enacted with bipartisan support and established a "zero tolerance standard" for rape in prisons in the United States. 42 U.S.C. 15602(1).
My Administration, with leadership from the Department of Justice, has worked diligently to implement the principles set out in PREA. Today, the Attorney General finalized a rule adopting national standards to prevent, detect, and respond to prison rape. This rule expresses my Administration's conclusion that PREA applies to all Federal confinement facilities, including those operated by executive departments and agencies (agencies) other than the Department of Justice, whether administered by the Federal Government or by a private organization on behalf of the Federal Government.
Each agency is responsible for, and must be accountable for, the operations of its own confinement facilities, and each agency has extensive expertise regarding its own facilities, particularly those housing unique populations. Thus, each agency is best positioned to determine how to implement the Federal laws and rules that govern its own operations, the conduct of its own employees, and the safety of persons in its custody. To advance the goals of PREA, we must ensure that all agencies that operate confinement facilities adopt high standards to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse. In addition to adopting such standards, the success of PREA in combating sexual abuse in confinement facilities will depend on effective agency and facility leadership and the development of an agency culture that prioritizes efforts to combat sexual abuse.
In order to implement PREA comprehensively across the Federal Government, I hereby direct all agencies with Federal confinement facilities that are not already subject to the Department of Justice's final rule to work with the Attorney General to propose, within 120 days of the date of this memorandum, any rules or procedures necessary to satisfy the requirements of PREA and to finalize any such rules or procedures within 240 days of their proposal.
This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with the requirements of Executive Order 13175 of November 6, 2000 (Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments).
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
BARACK OBAMA
Read the article from The White House.
Read more In the News.
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