Helen Boyd Kramer's journal on gender and stuff
politics, both trans & otherwise
WI’s governor Scott Walker is going to be in NYC tomorrow, and this NYer would love it if people could go protest for me. DC 37 is organizing a group, and has an event page on FB. Here’s the info:
Tuesday, June 28th, 4 – 7PM
Grand Army Plaza Park in Manhattan, 5th Avenue between 58th & 60th Streets (across from the Sherry Netherlander Hotel)
Please go if you can!
On the same weekend that New York made same sex marriage legal – with no residency requirement, no less! – I started working with Fair Wisconsin = a lovely way to spend the last weekend of Pride Month, no?
There are now more people living in states that support marriage equality than not. Someone’s on the wrong side of history, and it’s not me.
He’s there, of course, because Albany’s just about to make same sex marriage legal in New York State. Here’s a selection from what he said to an audience at the Sheraton:
What makes America great is not just the scale of our skyscrapers, or our military might, or the size of our GDP. What makes us great is the character of our people. Yes, we are rugged individualists and we are self-reliant, and that’s part of what makes us Americans. We don’t like being told what to do.
But what also makes us who we are is we’ve got faith in the future and we recognize that that future is shared — the notion that I’m my brother’s keeper, I’m my sister’s keeper. My life is richer and stronger when everybody in the country has some measure of security; everybody has got a fair shot at the American Dream. That’s what makes us great. That’s our vision for America.
It’s not a vision of a small America. It’s a vision of a big America; a compassionate America; and a bold and optimistic America. And it’s a vision where we’re living within our means, but we’re still investing in our future. And everybody is making sacrifices, but nobody bears all the burden. An America where we live up to the idea that no matter who we are, no matter what we look like, we are connected to one another.
That’s what led many of us to fight so hard, to knock on so many doors and maybe harangue some of our friends — this belief that it was up to each of us to perfect this union. It was our work to make sure that we were living up to a simple American value: We’re all created equal. We’re all created equal.
via Lambda Legal: Applying v. Doyle case summation, and the document of the actual ruling.
(Madison, Wisconsin, Monday, June 20, 2011) – Today, the Circuit Court, Branch 11 in Dane County Wisconsin upheld as constitutional the state’s Domestic Partner Registry.
Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge Daniel R. Moeser wrote, “Ultimately, it is clear that Chapter 770 does not violate the Marriage Amendment because it does not create a legal status for domestic partners that is identical or substantially similar to that of marriage. The state does not recognize domestic partnership in a way that even remotely resembles how the state recognizes marriage. Moreover, domestic partners’ have far fewer legal rights, duties, and liabilities in comparison to the legal rights, duties, and liabilities of spouses.”
“The law is clear—the domestic partnership law does not violate the Wisconsin constitution,” said Christopher Clark, Senior Staff Attorney in Lambda Legal’s Midwest Regional Office based in Chicago. “The research the court provided in its ruling today is a showcase of material proving that the proponents of the antigay marriage amendment repeatedly told voters in 2006 that the Marriage Amendment would not ban domestic partnership benefits.”
In June 2009, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle signed domestic partnerships into law, granting limited but important legal protections to same-sex couples, including hospital visitation and the ability to take a family medical leave to care for a sick or injured partner. Wisconsin Family Action, an antigay group, brought a lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court arguing that the domestic partnership law is a violation of Wisconsin’s constitutional amendment banning marriage equality. Shortly thereafter, Lambda Legal successfully moved to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of Fair Wisconsin and five same-sex couples.
“We are pleased that the Court upheld the limited protections provided by domestic partnerships because they are essential in allowing committed same-sex couples to care for each other in times of need,” said Katie Belanger, Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin. This is an exciting day for Wisconsin. Domestic partnerships marked our state’s first step toward full equality in nearly 30 years. Judge Moeser’s decision will ensure that we can continue advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Wisconsinites in the years ahead.”
Woohoo! Good news for Wisconsin!
The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted an historic resolution that seeks to give gays and lesbians rights equal to those enjoyed by heterosexuals. The resolution passed by a narrow margin and over the vigorous objections of African and Arab countries.
After a long debate, the critical vote was taken.
The overflow audience burst out into applause before the president of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, had a chance to announce the results of the vote. A giant video screen showed the final tally was 23 votes in favor of ending discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexual and transsexual people, 19 against and three abstentions.
The Obama administration has been a staunch supporter of the resolution, and U.S. Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe said the United States is thrilled by the outcome of what she called this simple but historic resolution.
Bold is mine, for emphasis. Oh yeah, that guy. Not only is he working for us on the domestic front, but he’s exporting some of our best ideas to the world. What a gift for Pride!
From The New Civil Rights Movement:
In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo today unveiled his marriage equality bill, with a possible 31 of 32 votes needed for passage. We already know the NOM, the National Organization for Marriage promised to spend $1.5 million to defeat the bill, and another $1 million to defeat any GOP Senator who votes for it. Your Senators need to hear from you?—?and you’ve got about 12 hours, because they are reportedly meeting Wednesday morning to discuss the bill. A vote could come any day, starting Wednesday, though we’ve heard reports of Friday.
Don’t let what happened in 2009 happen again. Not when we’re this close. It won’t happen again until 2013 if this fails?—?if then.
If you live in New York, we need you to make what could be the most important call of your life to these Senators, and tell them you want them to vote for the marriage equality bill.
It’s that simple.
Stephen Saland (845) 463?0840
Roy McDonald (518) 274?4616
Andrew Lanza (718) 984?4073
Greg Ball (845) 279?3773
Kemp Hannon (516) 739?1700
Charles Fuschillo (516) 882?0630
Betty Little (518) 743?0968Also, please call Senator Dean Skelos to make clear that the people of New York?—?58% at last count?—?want marriage equality in our state. As Senate Majority Leader he should make sure that equality for all New Yorkers is our motto.
Dean Skelos (518) 455?3171
You can also go online and contact your Senators:
http://?www?.nysenate?.gov/?s?e?n?a?t?ors
http://?www?.friendfactor?.org/?f?s?/?5?1?186
This could be the most-?important call of your life.
It’s not an Onion headline; it’s the despicable results of a city ordinance in Orlando that makes it illegal to deliver or serve food in such a way that will attract 25 people or more within an area of Orlando within 2 miles of City Hall – without a permit.
But the organization Food Not Bombs has been feeding people in these areas years before this ordinance was passed in 2006, and has applied for, and been rejected for, a permit.
The arrests of people attempting to serve food as they have in the past have been primarily members of the group Food Not Bombs, who have been sharing food in these areas since 2005.
What the hell is this country coming to when volunteers, on their own dime, want to feed hungry people and are arrested for it?
Here’s a list of Orlando officials to contact about these heartless arrests. Whatever happened to the right to free assembly? Does it say anything about the Constitution about people not being allowed to assemble if there is food involved?
Honestly, my mind is blown by this news. We have got our heads up our asses in this country in ways that make me ashamed.
Despite all the jokes about Weiner’s penis, the whole thing kind of makes me sad. Not just because he lied & used bad judgement: you can’t follow politics for 12 minutes without running into that; shoot, you can’t live 12 years without running into that. It’s more that I wish we could talk about politics instead of morality in this country. Not because morality isn’t important – it is – but the older I get, the more exhausting it is to hear the rounds of moralizing by professed Christians (who seem to forget that whole “cast the first stone” business) and by non-Christians who are mostly only critical of the guy’s logistical failings.
Sexting, I fear, falls into a gray area for most (monogamous) couples. Maybe that’s the kind of thing more people should talk about. Honestly, the whole thing just makes me a little more tired and a little more sad.
Still, it’s not like he voted against his politics. I prefer liars over hypocrites, but maybe that’s just me. That is, there’s a huge difference for me in guys who vote against civil rights for LGBTQ people who then go off seeking out anonymous same sex sex in public bathrooms. Just sayin’.
So, politicians: don’t lie. As a general rule, it’s kind of up there with don’t invade Russia in winter.
For Pride month, the White House launched an LGBTQ website. How amazing is that? It’s nice to know that we, as a country, occasionally still do something that shows some leadership. Nutty.
I’m not sure what it is about this “It Gets Better” featuring White House staff, but something really struck me about it. Maybe the cultural & racial diversity. Maybe that they are not all in the entertainment industry, or academia, or other “safe” places for LGBTQ people.
I find it remarkable.