Why the Occupy Movement Deserves the Full Support of the LGBT Community

This past Saturday I went to a LGBT rally and march in West Hollywood where we marched down Santa Monica Blvd. and chanted "We are the 99%!", "What Do We Want?  Equal Rights!  When do we want them?  Now!".

Why should this matter to the LGBT Community?  Because we are just as affected by broader social-economic trends as everyone else.

One of the lies that anti-gay bigots repeatedly say about the LGBT community is that we are spoiled, pampered hedonists with more than enough disposable income to influence politicians with campaign money that "hard working 'Christian' families" cannot afford to give.

The truth is that the LGBT is just as likely to be poor as anyone else.

LGBT youths who have been cut off from their families are less likely to receive financial support to pay for college and get a higher education than their straight counterparts.

HIV positive men can tell you what negotiating our for-profit health care non-system has done to their finances.

Because of DOMA, we do not receive any of the federal benefits of marriage, meaning gay and lesbian couples are poorer than their straight counterparts.  

Anti-gay bigots want to pretend we do not raise children and want no government recognition of our families, and our children are poorer for it -- and not just theoretically.

LGBT around the world depend upon an American government that believes that our human rights are important all over the world, at home and abroad.

Also, the Koch Brothers and other far right-wingers buy and sell politicians to implement economic policies to not only to create a "rigged market" that transfers ever-increasing wealth to the top 1% and their decendants, but also helps to elect anti-gay politicians who will use their time in office to pursue anti-LGBT legislation.  Getting special interest money out of politics matters, especially from the bottomless pockets of corporations and the superwealthy who give money to anti-gay politicians, if the LGBT community is to see its inalienable right to legal equality become manifest in America.

While it is true that there are some gay activists who seem to care more about their "access" to the top 1% than actual "progress" for our community and believe we should ONLY focus on overtly "gay issues" like marriage equality.  In my opinion, this is a very myopic look at the world.  The countries with the greatest social justice (and marriage equality) for the LGBT community (Scandinavia, Canada, Netherlands, etc.) also have the greatest economic justice for ALL their citizens.  Martin Luther King, Jr. knew this all too well.  Social justice and economic justice go hand in hand -- which is why the success of the Occupy movement should matter to all of us, LGBT and our allies, and deserves our full support.

As the Occupy movement moves from having stationary camps to more organized activism, I implore you to get involved with a progressive movement in rescuing American politics from Fox "News" and the corporate-financed "tea party".   The coalition building this encourages will make LGBT equality MORE likely in the future.

Boycott Next Week's DNC-LGBT Fundraiser

The Department of Justice just filed a legal brief to UPHOLD (not repeal) the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) which not only bans federal recognition of gay marriage, but civil unions and domestic partnerships as well, and denies all of the 1,138 federal benefits of marriage for gay partners, and also bars gay marriages performed in one state from being recognized by another.

This legal brief used outrageous legal arguments invoking incest and pedophilia and could have easily been submitted by a McCain/Palin administration or the Bush/Cheney administration for that matter. This legal brief was signed off by Assistant Attorney General Tony West, President Obama's appointee in HIS Department of Justice.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16355867/Obamas-Motion-to-Dismiss-Marriage-case

Here is John Aravosis' great commentary on the legal brief:

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/obama-justice-department-defends-doma.html

Here is what David Mixner had to say about this legal brief:

http://www.davidmixner.com/2009/06/a-personal-statement-doma-brief-brings-shame-to-obama-team.html

We cannot let this DOMA brief go without an accountability moment. It's a willful betrayal of the community and nothing less than that. There was no legal requirement for the Justice Department to file any brief. Previous administrations have occasionally declined to file briefs in the past. There was certainly no requirement to file a brief that invokes incest and pedophilia. Why didn't the legal brief at least stipulate that the plaintiffs were entitled to the 1,138 federal benefits of marriage if not the name?

I don't care what "standard procedure" is. Some of the worst evil on the planet is carried out in the name of "standard procedure". The SS guards in Nazi Germany were just following orders. People who bought and sold slaves were just following standard procedure. Apartheid was standard procedure. Intensive State spying was standard procedure in East Germany. Throwing us in prison for being gay was standard procedure, that is if we were lucky enough not to be tortured and killed. Even now it is standard procedure to allow people to deny us employment, housing and hospital vistation of our partners in most states. Standard procedure is not a defense for evil.

And, this is not a matter of the President and the Administration having too much to do to help us with their campaign promises. I too support the President's success on the economy, health care, climate change and the myriad foreign policy challenges. However, this is a case of the Administration using its valuable time and energy to actively harm us. And the time they picked for this was now, on the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall. And now they ask us for more money?

Just for once can we not be doormats who go back for more when politicians wipe their feet on us, as they think we are?

We HAVE to boycott this DLC-LGBT fundraiser. If we don't, what does it say about us individually and our self -esteem and pride? What does it say about us collectively on the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall?

It's clear that our votes don't matter to them, our volunteer time and energy doesn't matter to them. Even our street protests don't seem to matter them. The only thing that seemed to get their attention was when be started turning off the GayTM.

So in response a scrambling President Obama signs a memo granting gays and their partners "benefits" that were already available via the federal agencies for which they work, but don't include health or pension benefits. Yay. There were no executive orders on anything meaningful and no mention of stop lossing the over 200 gays who have been discharged from the military since he took office.

Pardon me while I try and keep my lunch down.

The crumbs the President threw us last night in no way begin to make up for his Department of Justice filing this offensive legal brief.

We cannot let this DOMA brief go without an accountability moment. It's an out and out betrayal of the gay community and nothing less than that. There was no legal requirement for the President's Justice Department to file any brief. There was certainly no requirement to file a brief that invokes incest and pedophilia.

Don't fall for the "standard procedure" defense for filing this brief. Some of the worst evil on the planet has carried out in the name of "standard procedure". The SS guards in Nazi Germany were just following orders. People who bought and sold slaves were just following standard procedure. Corrupt CEO's who ran their countries into the ground while paying themselves obscene bonuses are following standard procedure. Insurance corporations play games with people's lives by denying them the health care treatments they believe they were paying coverage for as standard procedure. For centuries, throwing us in prison for being gay was standard procedure, that is if we were lucky enough not to be tortured and killed. Even now it is standard procedure to allow us to be denied housing, employment and hospital visitation of our partners in most states.

If you know anyone who was planning to attend this fundraiser, please ask them to withdraw.

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/11487/politely-ask-barney-frank-tammy-baldwin-and-jared-polis-why-they-are-hosting-a-dnc-fundraiser

There will be hundreds of $1,000 a plate fundraisers before the next election.

Please consider giving this $1,000 elsewhere. All worthy nonprofits and political organizations are suffering in this economic climate. This one time, redirect your $1,000 to something constructive. Don't throw good money after bad. Only when we were willing to withhold our money did Washington give a crap about our outrage. If money is all we are valued for, then we should use that value for our greatest benefit.

If you need any further incentive to boycott next week's fundraiser, then click on the link of what Obama promised us and compare this with his Administration's feckless behavior over this legal brief.

http://obama.3cdn.net/36ddd2f5daac41cb21_rym6bxaax.pdf

Even if the President meant to be honest with us during the campaign, he's chosen that he cannot and will not be that "fierce advocate" for us now.

And since we are exercising the only power we seem to have, we should also boycott the DSCC and DCCC as well until they take action. Congress isn't returning our phone calls either and our "allies" are hiding under their desks lest we find them and ask them to keep their promises to us as well. Since we aren't going to get the kind of leadership from the White House we were promised, we need to refocus our efforts to getting our legislation through Congress without its leadership. Don't let our allies in Congress hide behind waiting for the White House.

As an alternative, California gays have the luxury of two Democratic candidates for Governor who have shown they aren't just talk, they show action -- Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsome. Plus, the campaign to repeal Prop 8 will be on the ballot next year. Can we use our political campaign money for something that will actually benefit us?

Don't worry about the hysterical rantings of Beltway insiders and apologists who are in a panic about this one fundraiser falling apart. There will be countless others and there are a lot more important things to worry about than their "access".

Boycott the DLC-LGBT fundraiser.

The Department of Justice just filed a legal brief to UPHOLD (not repeal) the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act" (DOMA) which not only bans federal recognition of gay marriage, but civil unions and domestic partnerships as well, and denies all of the 1,138 federal benefits of marriage for gay partners, and also bars gay marriages performed in one state from being recognized by another.

This legal brief used outrageous legal arguments invoking incest and pedophilia and could have easily been submitted by a McCain/Palin administration or the Bush/Cheney administration for that matter. This legal brief was signed off by Assistant Attorney General Tony West, President Obama's appointee in HIS Department of Justice.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16355867/Obamas-Motion-to-Dismiss-Marriage-case

Here is John Aravosis' great commentary on the legal brief:

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/obama-justice-department-defends-doma.html

Here is what David Mixner had to say about this legal brief:

http://www.davidmixner.com/2009/06/a-personal-statement-doma-brief-brings-shame-to-obama-team.html

We cannot let this DOMA brief go without an accountability moment. It's a willful betrayal of the community and nothing less than that. There was no legal requirement for the Justice Department to file any brief. Previous administrations have occasionally declined to file briefs in the past. There was certainly no requirement to file a brief that invokes incest and pedophilia. Why didn't the legal brief at least stipulate that the plaintiffs were entitled to the 1,138 federal benefits of marriage if not the name?

I don't care what "standard procedure" is. Some of the worst evil on the planet is carried out in the name of "standard procedure". The SS guards in Nazi Germany were just following orders. People who bought and sold slaves were just following standard procedure. Apartheid was standard procedure. Intensive State spying was standard procedure in East Germany. Throwing us in prison for being gay was standard procedure, that is if we were lucky enough not to be tortured and killed. Even now it is standard procedure to allow people to deny us employment, housing and hospital vistation of our partners in most states. Standard procedure is not a defense for evil.

And, this is not a matter of the President and the Administration having too much to do to help us with their campaign promises. I too support the President's success on the economy, health care, climate change and the myriad foreign policy challenges. However, this is a case of the Administration using its valuable time and energy to actively harm us. And the time they picked for this was now, on the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall. And now they ask us for more money?

Just for once can we not be doormats who go back for more when politicians wipe their feet on us, as they think we are?

We HAVE to boycott this DLC-LGBT fundraiser. If we don't, what does it say about us individually and our self -esteem and pride? What does it say about us collectively on the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall?

It's clear that our votes don't matter to them, our volunteer time and energy doesn't matter to them. Even our street protests don't seem to matter them. The only thing that seemed to get their attention was when be started turning off the GayTM.

So in response a scrambling President Obama signs a memo granting gays and their partners "benefits" that were already available via the federal agencies for which they work, but don't include health or pension benefits. Yay. There were no executive orders on anything meaningful and no mention of stop lossing the over 200 gays who have been discharged from the military since he took office.

Pardon me while I try and keep my lunch down.

The crumbs the President threw us last night in no way begin to make up for his Department of Justice filing this offensive legal brief.

We cannot let this DOMA brief go without an accountability moment. It's an out and out betrayal of the gay community and nothing less than that. There was no legal requirement for the President's Justice Department to file any brief. There was certainly no requirement to file a brief that invokes incest and pedophilia.

Don't fall for the "standard procedure" defense for filing this brief. Some of the worst evil on the planet has carried out in the name of "standard procedure". The SS guards in Nazi Germany were just following orders. People who bought and sold slaves were just following standard procedure. Corrupt CEO's who ran their countries into the ground while paying themselves obscene bonuses are following standard procedure. Insurance corporations play games with people's lives by denying them the health care treatments they believe they were paying coverage for as standard procedure. For centuries, throwing us in prison for being gay was standard procedure, that is if we were lucky enough not to be tortured and killed. Even now it is standard procedure to allow us to be denied housing, employment and hospital visitation of our partners in most states.

If you know anyone who was planning to attend this fundraiser, please ask them to withdraw.

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/11487/politely-ask-barney-frank-tammy-baldwin-and-jared-polis-why-they-are-hosting-a-dnc-fundraiser

There will be hundreds of $1,000 a plate fundraisers before the next election.

Please consider giving this $1,000 elsewhere. All worthy nonprofits and political organizations are suffering in this economic climate. This one time, redirect your $1,000 to something constructive. Don't throw good money after bad. Only when we were willing to withhold our money did Washington give a crap about our outrage. If money is all we are valued for, then we should use that value for our greatest benefit.

If you need any further incentive to boycott next week's fundraiser, then click on the link of what Obama promised us and compare this with his Administration's feckless behavior over this legal brief.

http://obama.3cdn.net/36ddd2f5daac41cb21_rym6bxaax.pdf

Even if the President meant to be honest with us during the campaign, he's chosen that he cannot and will not be that "fierce advocate" for us now. It is beyond outrageous that did not repudiate, distance himself from or even criticize this legal brief.

And since we are exercising the only power we seem to have, our money, we should also boycott the DSCC and DCCC as well until they take action. Congress isn't returning our phone calls either and our "allies" are hiding under their desks lest we find them and ask them to keep their promises to us as well. Since we aren't going to get the kind of leadership from the White House we were promised, we need to refocus our efforts to getting our legislation through Congress without its leadership. Don't let our allies in Congress hide behind waiting for the White House.

As an alternative, California gays have the luxury of two Democratic candidates for Governor who have shown they aren't just talk, they show action -- Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsome. Plus, the campaign to repeal Prop 8 will be on the ballot next year. Can we use our political campaign money for something that will actually benefit us?

Don't worry about the hysterical rantings of Beltway insiders and apologists who are in a panic about this one fundraiser falling apart. There will be countless others and there are a lot more important things to worry about than their "access".

Boycott the DLC-LGBT fundraiser.

P.S. The fundraiser is on Thursday, June 25, 2009
at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
1330 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, DC
Reception 5:30 p.m. / Dinner & Program 7:00 p.m.

If you are going to be in Washington, D.C., feel free to attend the protest and see who actually attends this thing. Take pics and upload them so we can all know who the scabs are.

Rail Riders Union comes to Gay Pride!

Everyone should know about the Rail Riders Union -- a desperately needed alternative and counterbalance to the backward looking and vehemently anti-rail, but thankfully declining in influence, Bus Riders Union. (Reasonable transportation advocates recognize we need both a strong rail network and a strong bus system.) Other transportation advocacy organizations worth joining include Southern California Transit Advocates and the Transit Coalition.

Founded in 2008, the Rail Riders Union’s mission is to promote new transportation solutions for Los Angeles. As a not-for-profit mutual benefit corporation, the Rail Riders Union relies on the support of people like you in our efforts to educate Southern Californians on the need for an expanded subway system, identify supporters of new transit projects and mobilize them to give Los Angeles the subway system it deserves as a world-class city.

The Rail Riders Union will be at the Pride Festival this year.

Rail Riders Union Comes to Pride

Just imagine... Someday we will be able to ride The Pink Line to Gay Pride each year!

And perhaps we can have a station with rainbow colors and gay-themed monuments, such as the ones in Berlin and Montreal, at the LaCienega/Santa Monica Station.

Go to the Pride Festival, and if you see someone from the Rail Riders Union and they offer you a sticker, wear it proudly!