More Bio Info On Awards Dinner Special Guest Susan Eggman

Susan Eggman is serving her first term on the Stockton City Council. She is the first openly LGBT person to run in the conservative central valley. Susan’s successful campaign gives testament to the power of what we can do when we refuse to be afraid of running as an “out” person. She was a founding member of the Central Valley Stonewall Democratic Club and an endorsed candidate of the Victory Fund. Councilmember Eggman is also an Associate Professor of Social Work at California State University Sacramento.

U.S. Senate Passes Hate Crimes Bill

The U.S. Senate voted to pass the Matthew Shepard Act, which updates and expands the federal hate crimes laws to include bias motivated violence based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability, and provides new resources and tools to assist local law enforcement in prosecuting vicious crimes.

The amendment confers authority on the federal government to investigate and prosecute crimes committed against victims solely because of their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability when local officials are unwilling or unable to do so. It also expands existing federal hate crimes law to improve prosecution of bias-motivated crimes based on race, religious, national origin and color and provides additional resources to local law enforcement.

The bipartisan vote of 60 to 39 accepted cloture which ended debate on the bill and then moved to approve the Matthew Shepard Act by a voice vote. It will be attached as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Defense Authorization bill.

On May 3rd, the House of Representatives passed a companion bill, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1592), with a strong bipartisan margin of 237 to 180.

The President has threatened to veto the legislation, calling it “unnecessary.” According to the FBI, 25 Americans each day are victims of hate crimes — that means approximately one hate crime is committed every hour. One in six hate crimes are motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation.

General Pace Widens Disapproval To ALL Acts Of Sodomy

General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, caused a stir at a recent Senate hearing when he said he believes homosexual activity is immoral and should not be condoned by the military. Pace, who retires next week, said he was seeking to clarify similar remarks he made in spring, which he said were misreported.

"Are there wonderful Americans who happen to be homosexual serving in the military? Yes," he told the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing focused on the Pentagon's 2008 war spending request.

"We need to be very precise then, about what I said wearing my stars and being very conscious of it," he added. "And that is, very simply, that we should respect those who want to serve the nation but not through the law of the land, condone activity that, in my upbringing, is counter to God's law."

Anti-war protesters sitting behind Pace jeered the four-star general's remarks.

Pace said he would be supportive of efforts to revisit the Pentagon's policy so long as it didn't violate his belief that sex should be restricted to a married heterosexual couple. "I would be very willing and able and supportive" to changes to the policy "to continue to allow the homosexual community to contribute to the nation without condoning what I believe to be activity — whether it to be heterosexual or homosexual — that in my upbringing is not right," Pace said.

Pace noted that the U.S. Military Code of Justice prohibits homosexual activity as well as adultery. Harkin said, "Well, maybe we should change that."

Top Rated Joe.My.God Blog Mentions ECCO Awards Dinner

Special thanks and shout out to Joe over at Joe.My.God, one of the top GLBT sites in the blogosphere, who graciously mentioned our Awards Dinner in a post today.

Welcome JMG readers!

ECCO Coverage In The Orange County / Long Beach Blade

Denise Penn wrote a great article on the upcoming 24th Annual ECCO Awards Dinner for The Orange County / Long Beach Blade. Check it out!

Hate Crimes Coming Up For A Vote In U.S. Senate

From HRC:

Senator Ted Kennedy, a lead sponsors of the Senate hate crimes bill, took to the Senate floor to urge them to pass S. 1105 and for President Bush to sign the legislation into law. Senator Harry Reid filed a cloture motion on the hate crimes bill, a procedural move to overcome Senator McCain's objection to bringing the amendment to the floor. 60 votes must be achieved on the cloture motion to win; that vote is scheduled for Thursday, September 26. The Senate should then move towards passages of the hate crimes bill as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill.

Episcopalians Capitulate In Anglican Debate

Episcopal leaders, pressured to roll back their support for gays to keep the world Anglican family from crumbling, affirmed that they will "exercise restraint" in approving another gay bishop.

The bishops also pledged not to approve an official prayer for blessing same-gender couples and insisted a majority of bishops do not allow priests to bless the couples in their parishes.

The statement came in the final hour of an intense six-day meeting and at a crucial moment in the decades-long Anglican debate over how the Bible should be interpreted.

The Anglican fellowship has been splintering since 2003, when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

Ahmadinejad Declares No Homosexuality In Iran

Asked about executions of homosexuals in Iran, President Ahmadinejad told an audience at Columbia University in New York City that their judiciary system executed violent criminals and high-level drug dealers, comparing them to microbes eliminated through medical treatment.

Pressed specifically about punishment of homosexuals, he said: "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country." With the audience laughing derisively, he continued: "In Iran we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you that we have this."

This photo is from a 2005 hanging of two teenagers put to death because of their homosexuality.

Watch the CBC documentary Inside Iran's Secret Gay World.

San Diego Mayor Comes Out For Marriage Equality

Just one day after pledging to veto a pro-gay marriage resolution by the San Diego City Council, Republican Mayor Jerry Sanders abruptly switched gears and signed the resolution, outing his lesbian daughter in the process.

Fighting back tears, Sanders told reporters, "Two years ago, I believed that civil unions were a fair alternative. Those beliefs, in my case, have since changed. The concept of a 'separate but equal' institution is not something that I can support." Sanders said that he wanted his daughter and other gay people he knows to have their relationships equally protected under the law, adding, "In the end, I could not look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationships — their very lives — were any less meaningful than the marriage that I share with my wife."

Sanders has been otherwise supportive of gay rights and has appeared in San Diego's gay pride parades. His daughter, who is in a relationship, came out to him four years ago, but was not out publicly until Sanders' revelation. San Diego, the nation's 8th largest city, now joins San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Long Beach among California cities officially supporting marriage equality.

Maryland Court of Appeals Rules Banning Same-Sex Marriage Isn't Discriminatory

Plaintiffs vowed to take the fight over same-sex marriage in Maryland to the Legislature after the state's highest court threw out a suit challenging a law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

In a 4-3 decision, the Court of Appeals ruled that the state's 1973 ban on same-sex marriage does not discriminate on the basis of gender and does not deny any fundamental rights guaranteed by the state constitution. The court also found that the state has a legitimate interest in promoting opposite-sex marriage.

"Our opinion should by no means be read to imply that the General Assembly may not grant and recognize for homosexual persons civil unions or the right to marry a person of the same sex," Judge Glenn T. Harrell Jr. wrote for the majority.

Legislators on both sides of the debate predicted action on the issue in the next session. The heavily Democratic legislature has passed several gay-rights laws in recent years but has not voted on legalizing same-sex marriage or civil unions. State Sen. Richard Madaleno, who is openly gay, said he plans to introduce a bill to allow same-sex marriage. He also expects a proposal to create civil unions. Don Dwyer, one of the General Assembly's most conservative members, said he would introduce a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage as "insurance."

Baltimore Circuit Judge M. Brooke Murdock in January struck down the law defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman, but the state immediately appealed.

In throwing out the lawsuit, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that denying same-sex couples the right to marry does not discriminate based on gender because the state law applies equally to men and women. Maryland's Equal Rights Amendment, ratified in 1972, bans discrimination based on gender, but it was not intended to apply to sexual orientation, the court found.

The court also found that the state has an interest in promoting procreation and that the General Assembly "has not acted wholly unreasonably in granting recognition to the only relationship capable of bearing children traditionally within the marital unit."

Romney Rolls Out Ad Opposing Marriage Equality

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is launching a radio ad in Iowa touting the strength of his opposition to marriage equality. Romney, who has come under criticism from conservatives for his past support of some gay rights issues, says he is the only major GOP candidate backing a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

The ad is meant to set him apart from Fred Thompson, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani in the minds of conservative voters.

Governor Schwarzenegger Set To Veto AB 43

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has promised to veto AB 43. The bill is set to reach his desk this week, giving him a second chance to do the right thing by giving same-sex couples the option to marry in California.

Equality California is organizing protests throughout the state to let the governor know he is failing thousands of families across California by refusing to sign the marriage bill.

Let him know that the rights of one group of people should never be put up to popular vote, and that he should stand up and represent all Californians.

For Los Angeles and surrounding counties, gather at 7 p.m. tonight at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s McDonald/Wright Building at 1625 N. Schrader Boulevard for a march to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s star on Hollywood Blvd.

National Stonewall Dems Name New ED

National Stonewall Democrats Board of Directors named Jon Hoadley as the organization's new Executive Director. Hoadley will begin his tenure on October 1.

Jon Hoadley is currently with Gill Action, an issue advocacy organization working to secure equal rights regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression. At Gill Action, Jon focused on legislative and political programs at the state and local level.

NY Court Says Benefits For Out-Of-State Same-Sex Marriages Okay

An Albany , NY court dismissed a challenge to a decision by New York State's Comptroller that treats out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples the same as any other legal marriage in terms of benefits afforded to state employees through the New York State Retirement System.

In 2004 in response to an inquiry by a gay state employee wanting to know if his retirement benefits would cover his family if he went to Canada to legally marry his partner, New York State Comptroller at the time, Alan Hevesi, stated that, “Based on current law, the retirement system will recognize a same-sex Canadian marriage in the same manner as an opposite-sex New York marriage under the principle of comity. That principle has been legal practice pursuant to New York Court of Appeals rulings for many years.”

The New York State Comptroller is the sole trustee of the retirement system - the biggest state plan in the country - which includes 334,000 retirees and 648,000 current employees.

Hevesi’s interpretation of the law matched that of then Attorney General, now Governor Eliot Spitzer, who also said that, under the state’s current laws, same-sex couples who legally married in other jurisdictions should be treated as any other married couple in New York State.

In dismissing the suit judge Thomas J. McNamara said that case did not apply to the question raised by the ADF since the issue before the Court of Appeals had only addressed whether same-sex couples could marry in the state, not whether marriages performed outside of New York State should be considered legal here.

The policy of the Comptroller to recognize same-sex Canadian marriages in the same manner as opposite-sex New York marriages…is legal and not contrary to law,” McNamara said in his written ruling.

The issue that Hevesi addressed for the purpose of retirement benefits involved only same-sex marriages from Canada. Following today's ruling by Judge McNamara, Hevesi's successor, Thomas P. DiNapoli announced that the retirement system would be recognizing all legal out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples including Massachusetts, Spain, Netherlands, South Africa, and Belgium.

California Legislature Passes Marriage Equality

From an EQCA press release:

For the second time in two years, the California Legislature has passed legislation that would grant same-sex couples the ability to marry. With a 22-15 vote, the Senate approved AB 43, authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno, D-San Francisco.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act is almost identical to the bill the Legislature passed in 2005. It gives all couples equal access to a marriage license, while also protecting religious freedom. AB 43 reaffirms that no religious institution would be required to solemnize marriages contrary to its fundamental beliefs.

California remains the only state in the nation that has approved marriage for same-sex couples through the legislative process. The bill now goes to the governor’s desk for consideration. The governor must take action on all bills by October 14.

A September 2006 poll by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that 47% of likely voters in California support marriage for same-sex couples, while 46% oppose.

Although California allows same-sex couples to register as domestic partners , marriage and domestic partnership remain two separate and unequal institutions. Domestic partnerships do not provide the universal recognition, honor and dignity that come with marriage. They also do not provide federal benefits and essential support systems needed upon illness or disability, in times of crisis and in older age.

AB 43 is co-authored by 29 Assemblymembers and 14 Senators. A broad coalition of more than 250 civil rights organizations and leaders support the measure, including Equality California, the NAACP California State Conference, United Farm Workers, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Chinese for Affirmative Action, California Teachers Association, ACLU, California Nurses Association, Lambda Legal, Anti-Defamation League, California National Organization for Women, California Church Impact, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Senator Larry Craig Resigns

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig resigned over a men's room sex sting, bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans worried about a scandal dimming their election prospects.

"I apologize for what I have caused," Craig said.

Craig's resignation completed a stunning downfall that began with the disclosure that he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge following his arrest during a sex sting in a Minneapolis airport men's room.

Although leading members of his own party had called for him to step down, Craig steadfastly resisted resigning for days, contending that he had done nothing wrong and that his only mistake was pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge.

Craig was defiant after the arrest and guilty plea were first reported. "I am not gay. I never have been gay," he declared Tuesday in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Suzanne, at his side. He said he had kept the incident from aides, friends and family and pleaded guilty "in hopes of making it go away."

Craig, 62, represented Idaho in Congress for more than a quarter-century and was up for re-election next year.

"It is with sadness and deep regret that I announce it is my intent to resign from the Senate effective Sept. 30," Craig said, with his wife again at his side and Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter standing behind him.

Craig was arrested June 11 in a police undercover vice operation in a men's room at the Minneapolis airport. The arresting officer, Sgt. Dave Karsnia, said in his report that the restroom is a known location for homosexual activity.

Otter said he has not chosen a replacement, although several Republicans familiar with internal deliberations said he favored Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch.

Craig opposes gay marriage and has a strong record against gay rights. Craig has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s. He has called assertions that he has engaged in gay sex ridiculous.