The Split-Screen Struggle Over Gay Rights

Good article by Arianna Huffington at the Huffington Post on the political struggles over gay rights, particularly the growing impatience of the LGBT community with the lack of progress on LGBT issues by Obama and the Democratically-controlled Congress.

And what's up with John McCain?  He can't seem to stick to any position on anything anymore, and is grasping at straws to stop the repeal of DADT.

13 Arrested at White House DADT Demonstration

GOP Urged to Avoid Social Issues

Gay conservative group GOProud joined forces with some Tea Party leaders to urge Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. John Boehner to avoid social issues such as same-sex marriage and keep their congressional members focused on economic freedom and individual liberty.

According to a news release, GOProud and Tea Party leaders from at least 10 states sent an open letter to McConnell and Boehner on Monday morning. Part of the letter, which includes 17 signatories, reads:

“This election was not a mandate for the Republican Party, nor was it a mandate to act on any social issue, nor should it be interpreted as a political blank check.

“Already, there are Washington insiders and special interest groups that hope to co-opt the Tea Party’s message and use it to push their own agenda – particularly as it relates to social issues. We are disappointed but not surprised by this development. We recognize the importance of values but believe strongly that those values should be taught by families and our houses of worship and not legislated from Washington, D.C.

“We urge you to stay focused on the issues that got you and your colleagues elected and to resist the urge to run down any social issue rabbit holes in order to appease the special interests.”

According to Politico, signatories like Ralph King, a Tea Party Patriots national leadership council member and Ohio co-coordinator, may be more motivated by limited government than they are pro-gay.

Memphis City Council Moves Forward on Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Memphis City gay/gender inclusive non-discrimination passes the first reading, and sets up a study of anti-LGBT discrimination in city of Memphis.

Memphis Flyer Gaydar
Discrimination Debate
TEP Grand Divisions

DOMA Lawsuites Filed

Gay civil rights groups trying to build momentum for a possible Supreme Court showdown filed two lawsuits Tuesday that seek to strike down portions of a 1996 law that denies married same-sex couples federal benefits.

The lawsuits were filed in federal courts in Connecticut and New York and come just months after a federal judge in Boston struck down a key component of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

The legal actions seek judicial declarations that the law enacted by Congress in 1996, when it appeared Hawaii would soon legalize same-sex marriage, was unconstitutional because it prevents the federal government from affording pension and other benefits to same-sex couples. Since 2004, five states – Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts – and the District of Columbia have legalized gay marriage.

ON a related note..

13 Ridiculous Laws States Would Rather Have than Gay Marriage

Pope Rails Against Same-Sex Marriae/Gays Kiss

BARCELONA, Spain — Pope Benedict XVI strongly defended traditional families and the rights of the unborn Sunday, directly attacking Spanish laws that allow gay marriage, fast-track divorce and easier access to abortions as he dedicated Barcelona's iconic basilica, the Sagrada Familia.

It was the second time in as many days that Benedict had criticized the policies of Spain's Socialist government and called for Europe as a whole to rediscover Christian teachings and apply them to everyday life.

As he headed to the basilica, about 200 gays and lesbians staged a 'kiss-in' to protest his visit and church policies that consider homosexual acts "intrinsically disordered." Later, a few hundred women marched to protest their second-class status in the church and the Vatican's opposition to birth control.

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The Roman Catholic Church continues it's attempt to stop social progress and keep gays and women in their place

Election Setback for Gay Rights

While there were a few wins for gay/lesbian candidates, the 2010 Election was mostly a setback for LGBT equality.  With a Republican-controlled Congress, overturning DADT, and passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act are now in doubt, or off the table until after 2012.  

Anti-gay Religious Right Groups Unseat Iowa Judges who Ruled for Same-Sex Marriage

Gay-rights Groups See Election as Big Setback

Don't Mourn, Organize!

The 2010 Election was a major setback for Obama and the Democratic Party, but it may be good for the progressive left. 
The failure of Obama and the Democrats to push a progressive agenda (e.g single-payer Medicare for All) and escalation o the war in Afghanistan suppressed younger and more progressive voters. 
But the Tea Party and the Republican Party are still unpopular and do not have popular support for their radical agenda of austerity and cuts to social programs like education and Social Security. 
John Boehner and the Republican Congress will soon loser favor with the Tea Party and the American people.
The progressive/left must learn from the Tea Party and take over the Democratic Party, or better yet build a movement for a viable third party.
As labor organizer Joe Hill said before he was killed, "Don't Mourn, Organize!"

Republican Blowout, But NO Conservative Mandate

It Didn't have to Be this Way--Progressives Must Be Bolder

7 Things Progressives Need to Keep in Mind about the "Bloodbath"

Comeback of the Republicans and the Rise of the Tea Party-Result of Democrats' Failure

Norman Solomon, Back to Basics

Election Day 2010

Eight Things Voters Didn't Know on Election Day

The Bad News is John "Boner" is Speaker of the House, and that could be good news, he is now the face of the TeaPublican Party...
And just wait until the TeaPublicans start CUTTING programs that the majority of American support, like Social Security...
And if Tea Partiers think Boner and the GOP will balance the budget anytime soon, or cut anything but small programs that benefit the poor, you will be disappointed..

Most people did not vote, because they hate both parties, and the GOP is still even less popular than the Democrats. Both parties are in the pockets of the corporate rich and Wall Street, and the Democrats failed to deliver real change, it was business as usual, and it still is.
We need campaign reform, and give third parties a chance!

Check out other election news on my other Blog,  Coffee Party Progressive

Appeals court extends life of gay military policy

Appeals court extends life of gay military policy

Thanks to the OBAMA DOJ appeal of the recent DADT ruling, the anti-gay policy will continue indefinitely.

Arkansas School Official Wants Gays Dead

School Official Wants Gays Dead

Arkansas school board member Clint McCance believes "queers" and "fags" should kill themselves — that is, if they don't get AIDS and die first.


Truth Wins Out Demands Removal of Homophobic Arkansas School Board Member

UPDATE: Arkansas School Board Member Resigns

Discrimination Ordinance Approved by Memphis City Council Committee

Does Opposing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Bolster US Militarism? A Debate with Lt. Dan Choi and Queer Activist Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

Does Opposing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Bolster US Militarism? A Debate with Lt. Dan Choi and Queer Activist Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

Obama: It Gets Better Message

President Obama contributes a video to gay teens as part of the "It Get's Better" project

Military (No Longer) Accepting Gay Appllicants

The U.S. Military is now accepting gay and lesbian applicants after US District Judge denies a stay on her decision ending the military's anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips in California denied the government's request for an emergency stay of her order barring the military from enforcing its ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly. The government is now expected to go to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.


Lt. Dan Choi, who was kicked out of the military under DADT for being gay, has re-enlisted.


UPDATE:  Appeals Court Grants Stay, DADT Back

The Gay Rights Movement in the U.S. Today

Democracy Now Segment on the Gay Rights Movement in America

Judge Ends "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Judge Orders "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Injunction

A federal judge has issued a worldwide injunction stopping enforcement of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, ending the military's 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops.

The Dept. of Justice is not required to appeal the decision but is expected to do so.

In related news, the Dept. of Justice is Appealing Rulings Against DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act)

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday defended the federal law defining marriage as between a man and a woman by appealing two rulings in Massachusetts by a judge who called the law unconstitutional for denying federal benefits to gay married couples.

How ironic that the administration of the candidate who promised to repeal DADT and DOMA is now defending them, while conservative Republicans are winning court cases to overturn them!

Memphis Gay Rights March

The Memphis LGBT community held a March for Gay Rights today.  More than 200 people participated in the march from the Civil Rights Museum to City Hall to rally for LGBT equality and to call upon the Memphis city council to approve a non-discrimination ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  The City Council failed to pass a resolution earlier this year.

Commercial Appeal: Memphis Gay Lesbian Rallies at City Hall To Support Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

WMCTV: Hundreds Rally For Gay Rights (With Video)

Eyewitness News:  Gay Rights Supporters Walk for Equality in Memphis (with Video)

Coffee Party Progressive Blog

I've created a new blog to counter the right-wing Tea Party for Coffee Party Progressives

It is not the official blog of the Coffee Party Progressives but is designed to supplement the official website with other information from progressive websites and blogs.

Be sure to Join the Coffee Party Progressives!

Another Gay Teen Suicide

Oklahoma Gay Teen Commits Suicide

Another gay teen has taken his life after vicious attacks on gays in Norman Oklahoma.

A 19-year-old gay man from Oklahoma has taken his own life, and his parents say a hate-filled recent City Council meeting he attended may have driven him over the edge.

Zach Harrington was a talented musician who’d endured years of struggles due to his sexual orientation in high school in conservative Norman, Okla.

Memphis March for Gay Rights Oct. 11

Join the Memphis March for Gay Rights Oct. 11