Time to Act

Call your Senator, showing your support for repealing DADT. It passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, May 27th.

Let us be grateful McCain did not become our President, as his behavior on DADT is worthy of a dishonorable discharge.

Honesty is the Best Policy: Time to Kill DADT

Looks like there are enough votes to repeal the discriminatory, lie-inducing policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It's an outdated law who time has come to go. Though some people say it needs to be studied more, I think "more studies" can just be a form of delay.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, said yesterday that he would expect service members to question any policy that unfairly forces troops to lie.

"Few things are more important to an organization than people who have the moral courage to question the direction in which the organization is headed and then the strength of character to support whatever final decisions are made."

The House is expected to vote as early today on a proposal by Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Penn., an Iraq War veteran, that would repeal the 1993 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.

Also the Senate Armed Services Committee was expected to take up an identical measure, proposed by Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.

Sad Update From Malawi

Lovers Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza have been sentenced to 14 years prison with hard labor, after being convicted of "unnatural acts and gross indecency." In a statement, the SA Municipal Workers' Union said: "Homosexuality exists in all of our societies. It is a reality, however difficult it is for some to accept this simple fact. Incarcerating innocent couples who just happen to be of the same sex serves no purpose other than to feed the cancer of discrimination".
It's a sad day in Africa, for both equal rights and the battle to combat HIV. Gay sex remains illegal in 37 countries in Africa and is widely vilified.

Straight Couples Want Civil Partnerships

The number of straight French couples opting for civil partnerships or PaCS (pacte civil de solidarite) or "civil pacts of solidarity" has grown, and the number of marriages has shrunk to the point that there are now two couples entering into a PaCS for every three getting married. In fact, 95% of couples taking up the PaCS in 2009 were heterosexual! PaCS are a sort of marriage-lite, with all the tax benefits, but are much easier to disolve & do not include options like adoption or fertility treatment.

Some in the U.S. have argued that we should all just have civil unions and do away with marriage -- but marriage is too engrained in our collective national life dreams. In France, however, civil unions for all is not too far from the emerging reality.

And this demand for what gays have is not unique to France. Get this: a straight Austrian couple are now fighting a legal battle for the option of entering into registered partnership. Helga Ratzenboeck and Martin Seydl say they don't want a traditional marriage and insist that the law should be blind to gender and sexuality. And this: British couple Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle said they want to challenge "discriminatory" UK laws which restrict civil partnerships to same-sex couples as they feel "alienated from the patriarchal traditions of marriage". Emily Thornberry, UK Member of Parliament, said: "They have not been to see me yet but I do support them fully. I can see no reason why they can't have a civil partnership and gay people can't get married in the same way. The first opportunity I have I will be raising this in Parliament."

Straight couples fighting for equal rights, or entering into arrangements made for gay couples, can only help the cause for equality. Soon enough societies will realize that the only thing equal is true equal rights for all.

Pucker Up!

May 17, 2010 is the Great Global Kiss-In, in honor of the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia. Anyone who believes in love and equality can join in. If you do not live near an actual live event, video your kiss & submit it!

A Bush For Equality!

Now this is refreshing...

Really, It's Time to Abolish Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Klinger from M*A*S*H would have been so proud. Looks like US troops would have no problem serving with gay comrades. This looks like a rehearsal for a pride show!