Tag: LGBT Politics

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/on-our-radar-mayor-elect-alex-morse/politics/2011/11/12/30053?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNewCivilRightsMovement+%28The+New+Civil+Rights+Movement%29

When Dennis Kucinich was elected mayor of Cleveland, Ohio they called him the “Boy Mayor.” He was 31. This week, a 22-​year-​old dynamo named Alex Morse was elected mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, an economically challenged old industrial city of about 40,000 citizens. That is a political feat that would be quite enough to bring him on anyone’s radar.

Oh, did I forget to mention Alex Morse is gay?

If I did, it is because Alex won without “gay” ever becoming a campaign issue, pro or con. Yes, there was some trash talk. It was a political campaign after all. His 67-​year-​old opponent lodged a dismissive “Tell him to graduate college first” comment. Alex punched back with an “Out with the old, in with the new” jab. There was an argument over bringing gambling to Holyoke. (His opponent was for, Alex was against.) And there was talk of what to do about Holyoke having the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the state. There was even a campaign sign stealing fiasco near election day I thought for sure would turn out to be some anti-​gay group acting out. But nope. No gay talk. Not a drop.

 

The fight for gay rights won important victories in the past few months. In July, it became legal for same-sex couples to marry in New York State. September saw the official end of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prevented gay people from serving openly in the military. On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, the law that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

If only this were the whole picture. But this remains a country where discrimination against gays is enshrined in most state constitutions. While all the Democrats on the Senate committee supported repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, the chances of repeal anytime soon are very slim. And even if Congress got rid of the act, the ban against same-sex marriage — a denial of equal rights to an entire group of Americans — would still be the law in most parts of the nation.

SILVIO BERLUSCONI isn’t comfortable with English. Brett Ratner, I’m guessing, hasn’t mastered Italian. What a pity. They’d probably get along like a palazzo on fire.

They could thumb-wrestle for first dibs to hit on the cocktail waitress. Collaborate on an Italian-English dictionary of homophobic slurs. Maybe shoot a movie: “Rush Hour 4: Silvio Drives Italy Off a Cliff.” Can’t you just see him, taut face behind the wheel of a Lamborghini tumbling toward the Adriatic? Unless, that is, Ratner got a better product-placement deal from Toyota. Then Berlusconi would have to plummet in a Prius.

Neither man is riding so high right now, after a week in which Berlusconi agreed to let go of the Italian government and Ratner surrendered the Oscars, which he was supposed to help produce. And there’s undeniable satisfaction in that.

Daniel O’Donnell, New York State Assembly Member The fact that New York passed same-sex marriage is partially because of the tireless efforts of key politicians. The first openly gay man in the New York State Assembly, O’Donnell has represented various neighborhoods of Manhattan known for their liberal views (and happens to be Rosie O’Donnell’s brother), but his years of diligence finally paid off in the landmark legislation for equal rights.

http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/out100/2011/11/03/17th-annual-out100#slide-12

Thomas Duane, New York State Senator The Senator represents a hefty portion of Manhattan (including gay-centric Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen) and became the Senate’s first openly gay and openly HIV-positive member when elected in 1998. Duane has advocated for health care and housing protections and reform, and he was instrumental in the push to legalize same-sex marriage in New York. “The challenge remains to come out all the time,” he says. “It’s something we all must do in our personal and professional lives — come out every day and not shy away from it.”

http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/out100/2011/11/03/17th-annual-out100#slide-13

Ken Mehlman, Politician Call Ken Mehlman the stealth activist. In 2004, onThe Daily Show, Mehlman won laughter by inviting Jon Stewart to donate to the Bush-Cheney re-election bid, for which he was campaign manager. Six years later, he became the most influential Republican in history to identify as gay and went on to play a quietly instrumental role in winning support for marriage equality in New York State, lobbying politicians in Albany and raising money for New Yorkers for Marriage Equality. “As someone who came out late in life, I can attest to the fact that it gets better,” he says. “For a state as big and iconic as New York to be able to have accomplished marriage equality with a bipartisan approach was a momentous event, and one I was honored to play a small part in.” Next, he’s determined to help other states follow New York’s example, starting with California, where he’s been instrumental in his role as board member on the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which is fighting to have Proposition 8 repealed.

http://www.out.com/out-exclusives/out100/2011/11/03/17th-annual-out100#slide-14

J. Paul Oetken, Federal Judge On July 18, with a vote of 80-13, J. Paul Oetken became a district judge for the southern district of New York state and the first openly gay federal judge. In his speech following Oetken’s confirmation, Senator Charles Schumer — a champion of his nomination — said, “He will give hope to many talented young lawyers who, until now, thought their paths might be limited because of their sexual orientation. When Paul becomes Judge Oetken, he will be living proof to all those young lawyers that it really does get better.”

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http://www.towleroad.com/2011/11/election-results-highlights-and-stinkers.html

 

Overall, LGBT candidates and causes scored huge wins in yesterday’s elections. Here’s a round-up of some of the highlights and stinkers. Apologies if I’ve missed any. Please add them in the comments section.

Liz Mathis beat Cindy Golding in Iowa’s special election holding off what might have been a legislative threat to marriage equality in the state, and keeping Democrats in control of the Senate. This is a HUGE loss for NOM and other anti-gay groups, which poured money into the state to defeat Mathis and used hideous robocalls.at the last minute.

Iowa Independent: “Liz Mathis, 43, won a clear victory in a special election Tuesday by earning 13,184 votes or 55.8 percent support, according to the Linn County Auditor’s Office. Cindy Golding, her Republican opponent garnered 10,283 votes or 43.52 percent support. The Constitution Party’s Jon Tack earned 151 votes and just under 1 percent support from voters in the 40 precincts that currently comprise Senate District 18.”

Adam Ebbin has been elected to the Virginia state senate, and is its first openly gay senator: “Ebbin defeated Republican challenger and political newcomer Timothy McGhee by a margin of 64 percent to 35 percent. He ran in a district with a solid Democratic majority that includes parts of Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax counties.”

Houston Mayor Annise Parker was reelected by enough of a margin that she has avoided a run-off.

 

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http://www.kgan.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kgan_vid_8632.shtml

MARION, IA (KGAN) — A last minute attack ad has surfaced in the race for Senate District 18 in Marion. The ad comes as a phone call and a number of voters called CBS 2 & FOX 28 about the messages. With the election on Tuesday the ad comes just in time to try and swing votes. Andrea Jilovec was one voter who received the call.

“I was shocked, I was dismayed, and I think it’s one of the worst phone calls I have ever received,” she says.

The caller says the message is sponsored by the Citizens for Honesty and Sound Marriage in Iowa and it targets Liz Mathis and her stance on same-sex marriage.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/03/service-academy-gay-cadets_n_1070094.html?ir=Gay+Voices

WASHINGTON — At the nation’s service academies, gay cadets and midshipmen are now free to live the same out lives as their friends at civilian schools. But even as the academies express firm support, the future officers are taking only cautious steps in an environment they say is still challenging for the openly gay.