Barack Obama, Gay Rights Groups Struggle Over Democratic Platform

Barack Obama, Gay Rights Groups Struggle Over Democratic Platform

Tennessee Senator Thrown Out of Restaurant for Antigay Stance | News | The Advocate

Tennessee Senator Thrown Out of Restaurant for Antigay Stance | News | The Advocate

A bistro in Knoxville, Kentucky is doing its part for gay rights. It refused to serve state Sen. Stacey Campfield, following his recent comments that straight people seldom get AIDS.

Martha Boggs, owner of the Bistro at the Bijou, asked the Republican legislator to leave her restaurant Sunday.

"He's gone from being stupid to dangerous," Boggs said today. "It's just my way of standing up to a bully."

Campfield is the man behind the controversial Don't Say Gay bill, which would ban schools from teaching anything about gays. Only sexuality involving "natural human reproduction" would be permitted in classrooms.

Then he made news last week after claiming the AIDS virus developed after men had sex with monkeys. He also stated that the disease was "virtually impossible" to contract via heterosexual intercourse.

So when Campfield walked through the bistro door during Sunday brunch, Boggs told him he wasn't welcome.

"I asked him to leave the restaurant to take a stand for the gay community and to let him know what it feels like to be discriminated against," said Boggs."He didn't have much to say. He left graciously."

On Monday, the sign in front of the Bistro today read, "Today's Special: Fried Chicken. Crispy Chicken Livers. No Stacey."

UN Secretary General: Africa Leaders Must Respect Gay Rights

Africa Leaders Must Respect Gay Rights: UN's Ban Ki Moon | Common Dreams

GOP Says Christians Discriminated Against More Than Gays | News | The Advocate

GOP Says Christians Discriminated Against More Than Gays | News | The Advocate

Obama Administration Makes Case for World LGBT Rights | News | The Advocate

Obama Administration Makes Case for World LGBT Rights | News | The Advocate
In a historic address before the United Nations in Geneva, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on all countries to respect the civil rights of LGBT individuals. The Secretary also announced new U.S. initiatives to support organizations working to protect gay people who are marginalized and targeted with violence.

Hillary Clinton to UN: "Gay Rights are Human Rights and Human Rights are Gay Rights"

8 Must-read moments from Hillary Clinton's UN Speech

We’re Here, We’re Queer, We Are the 99% | News | The Advocate

We’re Here, We’re Queer, We Are the 99% | News | The Advocate

Queer/LGBT activists join the Occupy Wall Street protests

Obama Lauds LGBT Achievements at HRC Dinnder

Obama Lauds LGBT Achievements at HRC Dinner

Obama's Remarks at 15th Annual HRC Dinner

With a lot of pressure and push from LGBT activists, President Obama did deliver on overturning Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but still refuses to support marriage equality (publicly), though that may change if he wins re-election since the only reason he could be holding back on endorsing gay marriage is to get re-elected.  He promised to work to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages even in states where they are legalized.

Now that the diversion of DADT is out of the way, the real fight for LGBT equality should focus on marriage equality and finally passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Iran Hangs Three Convicted of "Sodomy"

Three men executed in Iran for Sodomy


Iran Human Rights, September 5: According to the reports from Iran, six people were hanged in the Karoun prison of Ahvaz (southwest of Iran) early Sunday morning September 4th.
The state run Iranian news agency ISNA reported that three of those executed were sentenced to death by the Ahvaz revolution court, convicted of "unlawful" acts based on the articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic penal code. Articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic Penal code are part of the chapter covering the punishment of "Hadd" for "sodomy". Article 108 says: "Sodomy (or Lavat) is sexual intercourse between men”, and article 110 says:”Punishment for sodomy is killing; the Sharia judge decides on how to carry out the killing".

Two teenagers were hung in 2005 for rape and sodomy. (Iranian officials are believed to accuse gays of rape to make executions more acceptable to the public and international community.)

Four GOP Presidential Candidates Sign Anti-Gay Marriage Pledge

im Pawlenty has become the latest Republican presidential candidate to sign a pledge from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), according to Politico. The group is dedicated to fighting same sex marriage and preventing same sex couples from adopting children.

Republican candidates Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney have also signed the pledge, vowing to support a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman.

By signing NOM's marriage pledge, the candidates also vowed to protect the Defense of Marriage Act in court, appoint conservative judges and a conservative attorney general, create a presidential commission to investigate harassment of same sex marriage opponents and put same sex marriage up to a vote in D.C.

Tenn. Gov: "Don't Say Gay" Bill a Longshot

Tenn. Gov: "Don't Say Gay" Bill a Long Shot

In an interview with Nashville's City Paper, Gov. Bill Haslam said he is tired of the media attention to the bill, which would prohibit teachers from discussing homosexuality in public school classes in kindergarten through eighth grade.
By Andrew Harmon
Gov. Bill Haslam Tennessee governor Bill Haslam is tired of the media attention yo the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which would prohibit teachers from discussing homosexuality in public school classes in kindergarten through eighth grade.

"The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill didn’t pass and probably is never going to pass," Haslam said in an interview with Nashville's City Paper.

Comparing the bill to reporting on the appointment of the first superintendent to run the new state Achievement School District, he added, "'Don’t Say Gay' is real sexy and yada yada yada. It’s not going anywhere.

Harold Ford Jr. Makes Marriage Equality Video

My former political opponent, former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford Jr.,  made a video in support of gay marriage in his new home state of New York.  I believe he supports gay marriage now, he LIED when he campaigned against gay rights, including marriage, when he was pandering for the bigot vote in Tennessee and bragged about his support of the anti-gay marriage amendment.  My opinion of him has not changed.  Sorry Jr.

Harold Ford Jr. Makes Marriage Equality Video

"Justice For All" Rally Seeks to Unify Progressive Causes - WREG

"Justice For All" Rally Seeks to Unify Progressive Causes - WREG

A coalition of progressives groups representative women, labor, immigrants, and the LGBT community, organized a rally Saturday in Memphis to protest recent actions by the conservative Republican Tennessee legislature to restrict the collective bargaining rights of public employees, cut funding for Planned Parenthood, and to rollback and prohibit local laws to prohibit discrimination against gays and lesbians and LGBT people. 

In addition to anti-gay and anti-labor legislation at the state level, the Memphis City government is considering proposals to privatize sanitation services and destroy the local AFSCME labor union that Dr. MLK came to Memphis to march with to protest low wages prior to his assassination.

Gay Activists Arrested in Moscow Protest

(CNN) More than 30 people were arrested Saturday in central Moscow during the sixth attempt by gay rights groups to hold a parade in the city.

According to the group, Gay Russia, far right groups clashed with activists who were gathered in front of the Kremlin wall and city hall.

A total of 18 gay activists and 14 anti-gay activists were arrested, according to Moscow City police.  A police spokesman told CNN that the group did not have permission to gather publically for a parade.

Three prominent gay rights activists, Americans Dan Choi and Andy Thayer, and France's Louis-George Tin, were among those detained.

Tennessee Green Lights Discrimination

Tennessee Green Lights Discrimination

Tennessee legislature passes and governor signs bill overturning and prohibiting cities from passing non-discrimination ordinances or policies to protect LGBT people from discrimination.

Companies Targeted in TN Anti-Gay Law Passage

Gay Rights advocates began calling out companies that were part of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce which supported the bill.  Many of the issued statements opposing the bill and asking the governor to veto it, AFTER the bill was already passed and signed!

TN Govenor Reverses Nashville Metro Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Strike another blow to LGBT civil rights in Tennessee

Gov. Bill Haslam has signed the bill reversing Metro's new nondiscrimination ordinance, dealing a blow to opponents who had mounted a campaign urging him to veto the bill.

The bill effectively reverses an ordinance passed by the Metro Council that required contractors with the city to agree to follow Metro's rules barring discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgendered people.

The move comes despite an effort by opponents of the bill to convince Haslam not to sign the bill, which passed by a more than two-thirds margins in the Republican-led state legislature. Gay rights activists from across the country have been pushing companies to issue statements against with the legislation.

The campaign led the executive committee of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which had supported the bill while it was in the legislature, to reverse its position Monday.

"The Tennessee Chamber supports a standard regulatory environment at the state level as opposed to potentially conflicting local regulations covering employment practices," the executive committee said in a statement released late Monday.

"That principle was the only interest the Chamber had in this bill. Because (the bill) has turned into a debate on diversity and inclusiveness principles, which we support, we are now officially opposing this legislation in its present form."

From The Tennessean

AmericaBlog has been been closely following the anti-gay legislation in Tennessee and helped launch a nationwide campaign to boycott the companies which had supported the TN Chamber of Commerce's support of the anti-gay bill.

Tennessee Dismantles Anti-Discrimination Ordinances

It's been a sad week in Tennessee as the Teapublican controlled state legislature passes a series of anti-gay bills to override local non-discrimination ordinances, such as one recently passed in Nashville, and another bans discussion of homosexuality and gay issues in public elementary schools.

Tennessee Dismantles Anti-Discrimimation Ordinances

"Don't Say Gay Bill" Passes in Tenn. Senate

Arkansas Supreme Court Strikes Down Adoption Ban

New RNC Chair Vows to Fight Marriage Equality

New RNC Chair Reince Priebus Vows to Fight Marriage Equality for Gays and Lesbians

LGBT Groups Scale Back Goals in 2011: 265 Anti-Gay Members of Congress

Facing an emboldened Republican House unlikely to consider significant gay rights legislation in 2011, the nation's leading LGBT advocacy organizations are aiming to push for measures that advance pro-equality causes but are a far cry from historic bills like the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

A new analysis by the Human Rights Campaign, the country's largest LGBT advocacy group, argues that the 112th Congress will have 53 more lawmakers unlikely to vote on behalf of advancing gay rights than in the previous session; the Senate will have five more, bringing the total of such members in the new Congress to 265:

Scalia: Constitution Doesn't Protect Gays Women from Discrimination

In a recent interview, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia argues the Constitution doesn't promise protections from discrimination for gays or women.