ECCOPAC 27th Annual HERO Awards

ECCOPAC, one of California’s oldest LGBT Political Action Committees, invites you to join us for our 27th Annual Community HERO Awards Dinner at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa.
This event, attended by 300+ of Southern California’s most active LGBT community members, suporters and activists, is an opportunity for us to honor our community HEROs from politics, community advocates, arts & entertainment, education, and businesses.

This year ECCOPAC honors:

• Crystal Chappel and Kim Turrisi, of the web series "Venice" and "Days of Our Lives"
  ECCOPAC Arts & Entertainment HERO Award
  

• The Honorable John Perez, Speaker of the California Assembly
  Joe Dunn Award for Political Leadership

• The Honorable Gerrie Schipske, Long Beach City Council Member and Executive Director, Democratic Party of Orange County
  ECCOPAC Leadership HERO Award
  
  
• Dr. Max Schneider and Ron Smelt, LGBT Community Activists
  ECCOPAC Lifetime HERO Award
  
  
• Stephen Jimenez, Project 10 Specialist, Office of General Council, Los Angeles Unified School District
  ECCOPAC Educational HERO Award
  
  

Each of this year's recipients has demonstrated integrity, leadership, and has distinguished themselves in their life and profession. We proudly salute each of these HEROS.

We look forward to sharing this evening with you.


Tickets prices are:
$150 (Reception and Dinner)
$200 (VIP Reception and Dinner)

ECCOPAC 2010 Califonia Primary Voter Guide

Subscribe to ECCOPAC updates & endorsements and receive our voter guide as an email as soon as it is published.

Gay rights group demands apology from Newsweek

AP – FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2010 file photo, 'Glee' creator Ryan Murphy arrivse at the InStyle/Warner Bros. …
By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen, Ap Entertainment Writer – Wed May 12, 10:12 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – A gay rights group is demanding an apology from Newsweek magazine for a recent story that the group says suggested gay actors can't play straight characters.

"An actor's personal life should not be a factor in their believability in a role," said Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "That would be tantamount to audiences not buying Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl as lovers in their upcoming film 'Killers' because the two are happily married to different people in real life."

GLAAD spokesman Rich Ferraro said the magazine has not offered the apology sought by the group, but that the topic was discussed with Barrios and Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Milk," during a Q&A with Newsweek on Wednesday. He said he believed that discussion would be published in the next issue.

Some Hollywood stars blasted the magazine and writer Ramin Setoodeh for an April 26 story that said it was OK for straight actors to play gay roles, but "it's rare for someone to pull off the trick in reverse."

In the story, Setoodeh criticized Sean Hayes' latest leading-man performance on Broadway, writing that the openly gay actor "comes off as wooden and insincere, like he's trying to hide something, which of course he is."

Ryan Murphy, creator of the hit Fox series "Glee," called for a boycott of the magazine until it apologizes to its gay readers, Hayes and "and other brave out actors who were cruelly singled out in this damaging, needlessly cruel and mind-blowingly bigoted piece."

Kristin Chenoweth, who stars opposite Hayes in "Promises, Promises" on Broadway, defended her co-star and denounced the Newsweek article in a letter to the editor.

"No one needs to see a bigoted, factually inaccurate article that tells people who deviate from heterosexual norms that they can't be open about who they are and still achieve their dreams," she wrote.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, however, defended the magazine and its writer in an essay published Wednesday by The Huffington Post website.

Sorkin blamed the tabloid-fueled drive to know every detail about performers' personal lives and the institutionalized homophobia found in the American military, and national marriage and adoption laws.

Newsweek did not respond to a call and e-mail seeking comment Wednesday.
___
Online:
Newsweek, http://www.newsweek.com

ECCOPAC announces candidate endorsements

~ ECCOPAC is PROUD ~

~ to endorse the following candidates for public office ~

We invite you to join with us and vote for

these candidates who support our community!

Phu Nguyen for 68th California Assembly District

Dave Jones for California Insurance Commissioner

Jordan Brandman for Trustee, Anaheim Union High School District

ELECTION OF DELEGATES FOR 2010 CAMPAIGN

OCTOBER 2009

Orange County Town Hall / Regional Representative Election

October 6, 2009

6:30 PM

Teamsters Hall

140 S. Marks Way

Orange, CA 92868

Help elect YOUR representatives to the statewide Grassroots Council. At the Town Hall you will elect YOUR Orange County Regional Representatives (or perhaps be elected!) to the Statewide Advisory Panel of 'Restore Equality 2010.' It is vital that all of us get involved to make our voices heard.

This will also be an informational meeting on the plan and progress to date of the 2010 ballot effort.

Rules:

1. Every attendee has the right to vote.
2. Orange County has been divided into 3 regions from which we will elect our 3 Regional Representatives.
3. A candidate may run for only one Regional Representative position.
4. The candidate must have community ties to the area and must either live or work in the region.
5. The candidate may not be part of the IAG Responsibilities of elected Regional Representatives

Responsibilities of elected Regional Representatives

1. The elected Regional Representative will be the district field organizer for all the local signature hubs created in their district.
2. The Regional Representative will be the primary contact for their local hubs.

OC has been allotted 3 Regional Representative positions, dividing the county into 3 regions;

• Region 1 - North OC: West of the 55,5 and 57 freeways;
• Region 2 - Central OC: East of the 55,5, and 57 and West of 133, 241 and 91 freeways;
• Region 3 - South OC: East of the 133, 241, and 91 freeways Maps will be posted to the group page shortly.

If you are interested in being a delegate or hosting a hub, it is recommended that you read the Davis Plan

http://www.restoreequality2010.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/The_Davis_Plan.pdf

If you are going to run for a delegate position, it is recommended that you post your info to the facebook group page and share a little bit about why you believe you will make a good rep for Orange County.

Please come out and support this effort, find out why it these groups are going back to the ballot in 2010, learn how you can help, and/or run for a regional representative position.

To see more details and click RSVP or follow the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/n/event.php&eid=290074080602&mid=12bd1c1G4c9a077cGee4807G7

26th Annual ECCO Awards Dinner

Join ECCO as we honor our community's finest!
ECCO's 26th Annual Awards Dinner
TICKET PRE-SALE EXTENDED TO OCT 1, 2009

ECCO is proud to announce that this year's honorees* include:

• Joe Dunn Political Leadership Award: Hon. Jose Solorio, CA State Assemblyman
• GLBT Community Visionary Award: Eric Bauman, CA Democratic Party Vice-Chair
• Political Courage Award: Lt. Dan Choi, West Point graduate and Iraq veteran
• Social Justice Award: Reverend Wilfredo Benitez, Rector of Saint Anselm
• Community Spirit Award: Reverend Lillian Lobb, Founder of Christ Chapel of Laguna
• Lifetime Achievement: Marc Solomon, EQCA Marriage Director and former MassEquality Political Director

In addition, we are privledged and fortunate to have as our keynote speaker Torie Osborn, author, longtime activist, Durfee Foundation Stanton Fellow, Former Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington DC, former Executive Director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, former senior advisor to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and current Chief Civic Engagement Officer for United Way of Greater Los Angeles.

Event Details:

• Saturday, October 3rd from 6-10 p.m.
• Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa CA 92626.
• Ticket prices are $175 - but act now and you can get your tickets at the pre-sale price of $150.
• Tickets are available for purchase direct from ECCO or by either using the PayPal or ActBlue
  

RSVP to 949-975-0866 or eccodinner@yahoo.com

*Nomination for an ECCO award does not necessarily constitute endorsement of ECCO

ECCO
Announces New Organizational Structure,
Seeks New Board Members

Santa Ana, CA - September 21, 2009 - As ECCO prepares for its annual awards dinner and fundraiser, the organization elected its leadership structure for 2009-2010, and announces it is seeking applicants to fill existing vacancies.

2009-2010 Board of Directors:

• Chair - Jim Rogers
• Eugene Hedlund - Vice-Chair
• Scott Miller - Treasurer
• Secretary - Marisa Thomas
• Bryan Choate - Development Director
• Eric Dills - Donor Relations Director
• Misha Houser - Public Affairs Director

A new Political Director will be announced at the October 3rd "Don't Stop Believing" Community Awards Dinner on October 3rd. Assemblyman Jose Solorio, Lt. Dan Choi, California Democratic Party Vice Chair, Eric Bauman, Equality California Marriage Director Marc Solomon, Rev. Wilfredo Benitez, and Rev. Lillian Lobb will be honored.

The dinner will be held at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, 92626, 6-10 pm. Tickets may be purchased through the ECCO ActBlue webpage or PayPal [links also available at www.eccopac.org] or sent directly ECCO at:

ECCO
2321 E 4th Street, #C438
Santa Ana, CA 92705

ECCO Chair Jim Rogers commented, "We're excited at ECCO about what the future holds. We're preparing for what we hope will be our most successful Annual Dinner ever! This reorganization better reflects the strengths and interests of the Board Members and the future direction of ECCO. We are dedicated to increasing ECCO's influence and impact while serving our diverse communities."

ECCO is already gearing up for the next election cycle, the issues we will confront, and the candidates who will be seeking our support and endorsement.

About ECCO:

ECCO is California's oldest and ONLY Federal and State LGBTQ Political Action Committee whose mission is to locate and educate local politicians and candidates on issues of importance to the LGBTQ community, including Civil and Human Rights, HIV/AIDS, as well as Women's, Progressive and Labor issues.

ECCO's Statement of Principles:

ECCO's Board practices principles of transparency and good governance. We meet regularly to discuss and deliberate issues and candidates that affect our community. Decisions are made only after a through vetting of the issue and candidate's support and knowledge of our core issues. Board members having personal or financial interest or perception of a conflict of interest, are precluded from deliberations on those issues or candidates in which they may have a stake.

FROM CALIFORNIANS AGAINST HATE

August 13, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Fred Karger @ 619-592-2008

Letter Sent to Maine Election Officials
Warning of Money Laundering by National Organization for Marriage (NOM) & Others

LOS ANGELES, CA / AUGUSTA , ME – Californians Against Hate founder Fred Karger sent a letter today warning top Maine election officials of possible money laundering by opponents of same-sex marriage.

The organization trying to overturn Maine ’s same-sex marriage law, Stand for Marriage PAC recently turned in 100,000 signatures to place the question on the November ballot. These gay marriage foes hope to repeal LD 1020 -- the law passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor allowing same-sex marriage in Maine .

Of the $343,689.50 raised to pay the Brighton, Michigan based National Petition Management, Inc. to collect the signatures, only $400, or a mere .001 of that total came from individuals. The remaining $343,289.50 was given by various religious organizations and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) gave nearly half of that total, $160,000. The remainder came from Catholic organizations ($150,000) and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family ($31,000).

“It sure looks like they are trying to hide the donors in their latest effort to strip away marriage equality,” said Fred Karger. “ There is no way these organizations like NOM and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland had all this money sitting in their treasuries (except for possibly Focus on the Family). They went out and raised it expressly for this campaign. It’s very expensive to hire these signature gathering firms to collect 100,000 signatures in a short period of time.”

Let the Money Laundering Begin

NOM is a Mormon Front Group

There is an ongoing investigation into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC Case #08/735). The FPPC is looking into both the Church’s lack of reporting its non-monetary contributions to Prop 8, and also whether NOM was, in fact, established as a front group by the Salt Lake City based Mormon Church. The Mormon Church has used this tactic in several states beginning in Hawaii in 1996.

Warning Maine Officials

In a letter to Jonathan Wayne, Executive Director of the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Elections Practices (letter copy below), Karger warned of suspected money laundering by the major donors to Stand for Marriage PAC.

It begs the question; are they directing all contributions to their existing organizations, who in turn then give the money to Stand for Marriage PAC?,” Karger asked in today’s letter. “We are very familiar with how this coalition operates, and we want to warn the political leadership and the residents of Maine to beware.

The coalition has also hired the highly regarded Schubert, Flint Campaign Management firm of Sacramento , California .

Who are the Victims Here?

These major backers of Stand for Marriage PAC will do their best to play the poor victim. They like to say that their contributors are being targeted simply because they give money to “preserve marriage.” That’s what they did in California after running a very nasty campaign and spending $40 million to take away marriage equality from millions of Californians.

Let’s be clear. They are NOT the victims here. The Mormon Church and its coalition have qualified and passed Constitutional Amendments in 30 states to yank away civil rights from gay and lesbian Americans.

The Mormons began this fight in 1988. They have been destroying lives, intimidating people and demonizing an entire class to solidify their base and raise millions and millions of dollars.

After two decades of assaulting the LGBT Community, we are now fighting back with our talent, our numbers, our friends, our money and our purchasing power. They are not the victims in this equation, and even the best PR by all of their consultants cannot rewrite history.

Our hope is that as young people discover that they are LGB or T, they do not feel any less of a person because Maggie Gallagher (NOM $160,000 to the Maine campaign), Bishop Richard Malone (Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, ME $100,000 to the Maine campaign) Knights of Columbus (Catholic Church’s Political Arm $50,000 to the Maine campaign) or James Dobson (Focus on the Family $31,000 to the Maine campaign) gave so very much money to bully them and take away their rights.

Copy of Letter To Maine Election Officials


August 13, 2009

Mr. Jonathan Wayne
Executive Director
Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and
Elections Practices
135 State House Station
Augusta , Maine 04333

Re: Money Laundering -- Stand for Marriage PAC

Dear Mr. Wayne:

We have reviewed the very first finance report which was recently filed by Stand for Marriage PAC, the group trying to repeal Maine ’s same-sex marriage law.

It appears that there are already questionable activities.

Stand for Marriage PAC reported raising $343,689.50 during the period April 1 to July 5, 2009. We found it very suspicious that of that total, only $400 was given by individuals. The balance of $343,289.50 was contributed by various religious organizations and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.

That means that individual contributions to repeal gay marriage in Maine are only .001% of the total raised.

Are the proponents trying to hide the identities of those contributing to their campaign? Are they directing all contributions to existing organizations, who then gave the money to Stand for Marriage PAC? This appears to be the case.

If this is true, would it not be considered money laundering?

We have been very active and have closely tracked all the money that was raised to pass Proposition 8 in California last year. Californians Against Hate was the first to uncover the vast involvement in the election by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church). Our extensive research revealed that the Mormon Church had its members in California and around the country give approximately 75% of the $40 million that was raised to pass Prop 8.

On November 13, 2008, just nine days after the election, we filled a complaint with, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), your counterpart in California . Our complaint alleged that the Mormon Church had spent a tremendous amount of money in non-monetary contributions that they never reported, which is required under California election law.

We submitted evidence supporting our claim that the Mormon Church ran out of state phone banks, produced 27 slick commercials (that ranged from 30 seconds to 8 minutes long) and put them on their elaborate web site Preserving Marraige.org for all to see. We also asked the Commission to investigate the Mormon Church for bussing people from Utah to California for precinct walking, sending out extensive direct mail and numerous other activities.

Eight days later, the FPPC announced that they were launching an unprecedented investigation into the Mormon Church (Case # 08/735) as a result of our complaint.

On March 19, 2009, we filed a supplemental complaint with the FPPC. We received hundreds of secret Mormon documents that show exactly how involved the Mormon Church has been throughout the country in fighting same-sex marriage. The documents reveal how the Church established front groups to wage their battles, and shield the Church from any negative publicity

We believe that the Mormon Church established the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) in May of 2007 for the express purpose of qualifying Proposition 8 for the California ballot. This was done in conjunction with leading Catholic organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family.

It is no coincidence that these are the exact same groups that are funding and leading the effort to repeal Maine ’s recently passed same-sex marriage law.

We believe that only Focus on the Family had money in its treasury. The other groups raised money expressly for the campaign to hire the professional signature gathering firm to qualify the referendum.

They are trying to hide the true identities of those contributing to the campaign.

It certainly sounds like money laundering to us. We hope that your office will investigate the genuine sources of the funds contributed to Stand for Marriage PAC.

The Mormon Church appears to be using the National Organization for Marriage to fight same-sex marriage all over the Northeast.

They admitted as much in a Washington Post story on May 29, 2009. A spokeswoman in Salt Lake City declined to say whether the church is involved in debates going on in the Northeast except to say, “…that leaders remain intent on preserving the divine institution of marriage between man and woman. The faith holds that traditional marriage transcends this world and is necessary for the fullness of joy in the next life."

It sure sounds like the Mormon Church is involved to us.

On our web site Mormongate.com, we describe the formation of NOM. This was done at the very highest level of the Mormon Church – the President and the 12 Apostles.

You can see exactly how they operated in Hawaii in order to skirt state election laws there. They funneled money through Hawaii ’s Future Today, which they established to fund that state’s campaign to ban same-sex marriage.

In the near future, we will be releasing other official Mormon documents that explain how this happened in other states.

If we can be of any assistance in your efforts to monitor Stand for Marriage PAC, please to not hesitate to call upon us.

Best regards,

Fred Karger
Founder
Californians Against Hate
www.CaliforniansAgainsthate.com
619-592-2008

cc: Attorney General Janet Mills

Central Valley City Shifts On Marriage Equality

After leading the charge in support of Prop 8, Porterville's City Council voted 3-2 to reject a resolution in opposition to SB 54, Equality California’s out-of-state marriages bill, authored by Sen. Mark Leno.

Porterville, California, a city of approximately 50,000 located deep in the heart of the rural Central Valley, has made itself into the symbol of the anti-same sex marriage crusades, but now the tides may be starting to turn.

During the 2008 campaign for Prop 8, Porterville’s City Council voted unanimously 5-0 in a resolution to urge its citizens to vote to remove existing civil rights from some Californians. It was the only Council in all of California to vote in favor of supporting Prop 8. Porterville citizens responded to the Council’s call, voting over 75% in favor of the measure.

Advocates for civil rights have been active and present at every public meeting since the California Supreme Court ruled Prop 8 as a valid amendment, and at most meetings prior to that dating back to September 2008.

Read the full story here.

Three Killed In LGBT Center Attack In Tel Aviv

Hundreds of police officers scoured the streets of Tel Aviv in a manhunt for a gunman who shot and killed three people at a youth club in the worst ever attack on homosexuals in Israel. The Tel Aviv shooting shocked the Mediterranean city, which prides itself on its live-and-let-live attitude and boasts a thriving gay community. The brazen attack drew condemnations from the city's mayor, from Cabinet ministers, the country's chief rabbis and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A masked man entered the center for gay teens in downtown Tel Aviv late Saturday night, pulled out a pistol and opened fire. The shooter then concealed his weapon and fled the scene on foot into the busy streets outside the center, Rosenfeld said.