It is because of her advocacy and support in the U.S. Senate that the LGBT community considers her a friend. Today, the Human Rights Campaign endorsed Gillibrand.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, announced today the endorsement of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in the 2010 U.S. Senate race. Gillibrand is the first U.S. Senator from New York to support full marriage equality for same-sex couples.
"Senator Gillibrand has emerged as one of the strongest advocates in the Senate for full equality for the LGBT community," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "From her personal lobbying of the New York legislature in support of marriage rights to helping garner support for a Senate hearing on repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' Gillibrand has time and again stood for fairness for all."
"I am very honored to once again have the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign," said Sen. Gillibrand. "Equality, civil rights, and equal justice for the LGBT community must be a clarion call for our party and our generation. This is the civil rights march of our generation. We must continue to push every day to repeal DADT, repeal DOMA, and provide equal protections in the work place for all Americans. There is far more support for our cause than people realize. Let's continue working together to write a new chapter of equality in this country."
Here are some key points regarding Gillibrand's record on LGBT issues:
• Support of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples;
• Helping lead efforts to repeal the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the U.S. military. At Sen. Gillibrand's urging, the Senate Armed Services Committee announced it would hold the first hearing on the policy in 15 years;
• Cosponsor of the fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA);
• Cosponsored and voted for the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act;
• Supports full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.;
• Cosponsor of the Uniting American Families Act, to allow same-sex couples in bi-national relationships to sponsor a partner for legal immigration to the U.S.;
• Opposes amending the U.S. Constitution to discriminate, including opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment;
• Cosponsor of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act; and
• Cosponsor of Early Treatment for HIV Act.
This is a big endorsement from the LGBT community. Getting the support of HRC shows that Gillibrand has been a great advocate for the LGBT community in the U.S. Senate and recognizes her past work in the House. Her support of equal rights is important, especially in New York, as we have our own fight for marriage equality brewing and having a sitting U.S. senator from our state out in front on these issues helps the pro-equality movement.
Liz is reporting today that the chances of a vote taking place on marriage equality aren't looking good, but that isn't stopping advocates from fighting for one anyway.
The Empire State Pride Agenda is hoping that a vote takes place. Executive Director Alan Van Capelle issued this statement in support of a vote on marriage equality:
Today, as the State Senate goes back into session, we expect that the marriage equality bill will get the overdue, respectful debate that we've been waiting for since June.
Our community has spent the past few years making the case to 62 State Senators for why we should be treated equally by the laws of our state. The time for making cases is over. We've heard dozens of excuses and we've been told countless times that we'll have to wait for equality. We've been told before that the time isn't right to end discrimination against tens of thousands of families. The excuses and the waiting must end today.
Hundreds of LGBT New Yorkers will be coming to Albany today to hear their lives debated on the Senate floor. New York State Senators will now need to do the right thing and debate this human rights bill and vote to treat these families-and the millions of others that cannot be here-like all other New York families.
To not bring this bill to the floor for a debate would be a slap in the face to every LGBT New Yorker. We have waited far too long for the basic respect of a vote from our elected State Senators on an issue that affects our daily lives and the lives of our loved ones.
This vote will be a vote of conscience for all Democrat and Republican Senators. There is no room for politics in a human rights issue like this. When this bill passes, it will be bipartisan. This is a deeply personal issue for Senators because they know that they will have to go back home to their sons and daughters, their nieces and nephews, their friends and neighbors and explain how they voted on this bill.
ESPA has an action alert they are sending around to rally those in Albany to head to the state capital and support marriage equality and tell leaders there that a vote should take place today in the New York State Senate.
Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. has been loud in his opposition to a vote on marriage equality. That, of course, is not very democratic. The chances of marriage equality passing are slim, but even that slim chance has Diaz worried. That is a good thing. If Diaz is scared, we must be close.
It is my hope that a vote takes place today. Even if it is voted down, we know who is on the side of marriage equality and who is against it. That's what we need to know. We need to know who is willing to stand for equal rights and who isn't.
We haven't even come close to seeing the last mushroom cloud of the healthcare debate, but already the next big fight is shaping upon the horizon... and our own Chuck Schumer is right in the middle of it.
Schumer has announced his intention to introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill by the coming Labor Day. That means that to have serious public input on the first phase of the bill's shaping, pressure has to start now.
Right now--as in, I'm typing while ignoring the crowd--I'm in the middle of a conference in Pittsburgh ahead of Netroots Nation talking about the intersection of immigration and LGBT issues. Strange bedfellows, right? Not exactly, because there's a very large exception created by the current laws.
An American citizen whose mate is a non-citizen can sponsor that person for citizenship--if they get married. Gay people still can't get married in most states, and even if they live somewhere that they can, the federal government doesn't recognize that fact.
There are already two bills in progress to fix this problem. One is the Uniting American Families Act, which simply extends current sponsorship laws to "permanent partners," which means gay relationships as well as common-law type heterosexual partners. The other is the Reuniting Families Act, which is an LGBT-inclusive comprehensive immigration reform bill.
However, both of these bills are likely to get steamrolled if a major CIR bill is introduced by Schumer and company. That means that in order to help out the estimated 30 to 40 thousand bi-national LGBT couples in the US--as well as the 15 to 18 thousand of them who have children who are under threat of having their families broken up--then we need to start contacting Chuck Schumer right now to get the UAFA integrated into the new bill.
For today's story, we will travel far afield from the typical domains of politics or science or law that have so often provoked our thinking into an often overlooked area of human relations:
To which gender do you belong?
It's a simple question, or so common sense would tell us-either you're male, or you're female.
As it turns out, things aren't quite so simple, and in today's conversation we'll consider this issue in a larger way. By the time we're done, not only will we learn a thing or two about sex and gender and sexuality, we'll also learn how to offer a community of people a level of respect that they often find difficult to obtain.
In a diary on Daily Kos, Sen. Gillibrand stood firmly against DADT and said that she would actively work to repeal the policy that discharges (or fires, which is more appropriate) members of the military who are openly gay.
Recently, Gillibrand announced that she was circulating an amendment that would be attached to the defense spending bill which would institute a moratorium on firing members of the military who are openly gay.
Unfortunately, as of today, such an effort is on hold.
Gillibrand, the freshman senator appointed by Governor David Paterson after President Obama tapped Hillary Clinton to head the State Department, signaled last week she would introduce the reform as an amendment to a Defense Department reauthorization bill.
The amendment would place an 18-month moratorium on the military gay ban, also known as "don't ask, don't tell," the law that prescribes discharge for gay and lesbian service members who do not remain celibate or closeted.
While the measure was supported by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, Gillibrand said the bill became a non-starter after her office shopped it around.
"She's not going to pursue the moratorium amendment at this time," Matt Canter, a Gillibrand spokesman, told the paper. "She was working for about a week to assess support among her colleagues for the measure. It does not appear that we're going to have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster."
...
A bill that would repeal the military gay ban is sponsored by Pennsylvania Representative Patrick Murphy, an Iraq veteran, in the House. Senator Kennedy is expected to sponsor the Senate version.
President Obama says he supports repeal of the law even as the administration has fired 313 gay service members, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group that lobbies for repeal.
I have no criticisms for Gillibrand here. She did everything she could do in trying to find support for the amendment. Unfortunately, it appears that fellow members of the Senate (including members of our 60-seat, alleged "filibuster-proof" majority) don't see it the same way Gillibrand does. Gillibrand sees DADT as discrimination and believes it is wrong. Apparently we have senators who think otherwise, even on our side.
It is time for DADT to come to an end. It has done far too much damage to good people like Dan Choi. It's good to see Gillibrand at the forefront, but we need more support.
Pride Month has come and gone, Gentle Reader, with no comment from this desk.
It's not that I'm in some way insensitive to the subject; instead it's more of a desire, once again, to stay off the beaten path.
And in that spirit, I do indeed have a story of Gay History...but it's not from the Summer of '69...instead, this story was already well underway before the Summer of '29.
So put on something très chic and let's head on over to Harlem...at the time of the Renaissance...because it's time to meet Gladys Bentley.
Keeping that in mind, let's have the Dallas Principles be our guide going forward as to why we need full marriage equality.
The Dallas Principles were created at a gathering in Dallas, Texas of top LGBT activists, donors and thinkers. The principles that they came up with are as follows:
- Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now. Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.
- We will not leave any part of our community behind.
- Separate is never equal.
- Religious beliefs are not a basis upon which to affirm or deny civil rights.
- The establishment and guardianship of full civil rights is a non-partisan issue.
- Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged.
- Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.
- Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles.
You can add your name to the list of supporters by signing up here.
The Dallas Principles are rules to live by going forward. Those who support marriage equality have seen empty promises made by certain elected officials who are willing to say on the campaign trail that they support marriage equality only to have them not deliver on their promise. It is time for marriage equality to be enacted all across America.
The fight for marriage equality in New York has been on for a long time, but that fight is slowly reaching the finish line. That does not have the LGBT community sitting back and relaxing though. After two successful lobbying days in 2007 and 2008, the Empire State Pride Agenda will be in Albany again this year for their annual lobby day, Equality and Justice Day, on April 28.
In order to promote this day, the Pride Agenda unveiled a video for your viewing pleasure:
If you need a reminder of how important this is, keep in mind that today California Supreme Court justices heard arguments regarding Prop 8, the infamous ballot initiative that led to a ban on marriage equality (and thus, the suspension of equal rights for the LGBT community) in California.
While a marriage equality bill in the New York State Legislature seems to be up in the air, the Empire State Pride Agenda is preparing as if legislation will be introduced.
Empire State Pride Agenda created Same-Sex Marriage Myths: Busted, an online resource that debunks nine widely read myths on the subject of marriage equality.
According to Josh Meltzer of the Empire State Pride Agenda, this tool was created to preempt any attacks that might come about in New York when the fight for marriage equality heats up.
"These are basically the biggest myths that we (and other organizationss) have come across in our efforts to pass marriage bills," Meltzer said. "The problem has been that, too often (as in the case of California) the anti-equality side has come out with these false messages first, thereby forcing the pro-equality side on the defensive. We're not going to let that happen in New York."
There are plenty of myths out there about marriage equality. If we are going to have a legitimate debate about the merits of marriage equality, we need to get the myths out of the way first. Of course, the myths are all the anti-equality side has had over the years, which means if we can debunk the myths, we can win this fight and have marriage equality in New York State.
Nearly two weeks ago, a gathering of the LGBT community was held in the Bronx. Not only were members of the LGBT community on hand, but a few elected officials were in attendance.
This event was held in his district, but as we know from the literature on Diaz's senate website, Diaz is a staunch opponent of marriage equality and homosexuality.
So the good folks at the New York Civil Liberties Union thought it would be fun to not only show what Sen. Diaz missed at this event, but also took the opportunity to wish him Happy Holidays. They produced the video you can see below which consists of clips from the event a couple of weeks ago.
On Diaz's website, there is a letter he sent to constituents that says he will be against budget cuts and "homosexual marriage." It is an interesting tie-in considering a lot of people oppose the budget cuts that will impact many people all over the state but not everyone opposes marriage equality.
One fact should haunt Diaz when he runs for re-election in 2010: The Bronx has more LGBT families than any other borough. That should make Diaz very vulnerable in two years.
The Empire State Pride Agenda will be leading the LGBT community in the Equality and Justice Day events in Albany tomorrow.
There will be a lunchtime rally tomorrow at West Capitol Park in Albany from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and members of the LGBT lobby will be sitting down with assemblymembers and senators to talk about legislation. The Empire State Pride Agenda has kept score on the state legislators and their stances on important issues relating to the LGBT community.
The legislation the Pride Agenda is championing includes the Dignity For All Students Act, which has passed the Assembly and is awaiting approval in the Senate.
Another piece of legislation is A.6584, otherwise known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA). That piece of legislation would "[prohibit] discrimination based upon gender identity and expression."
The final piece of legislation Pride Agenda is pushing would be Marriage Equality. That legislation would allow same-sex marriage and allow same-sex couples the same rights as opposite-sex couples.
Over 1,200 people are expected to take part in tomorrow's events. If you are in the Albany area, help our friends in the LGBT community by fighting for their many causes.
The good folks at the Empire State Pride Agenda have assembled quite a dossier on Rudy's seemingly all but forgotten past "pro-gay" positions including all manner of correspondence and even video. There's much great stuff here, though I can't imagine Rudy is all too happy to have it collected all in one place now that he's traveling the country seeking the votes of some of the most rabidly homophobic voters in the nation. Some highlights:
Not only did Giuliani show a willingness to engage in a dialogue with the LGBT community, he:
* took part in the annual NYC Pride March and held annual Pride celebrations at Gracie Mansion where he lived as Mayor
* established and funded a Hate Crimes Task Force in 2000 so the City could fully investigate and prosecute bias cases
* was one of the first Republicans in New York to publicly support a statewide and federal hate crimes bill that included violence motivated by anti-gay hatred
* supported the passage of a statewide sexual orientation non-discrimination bill
* maintained $1.5 million in funding in the City's budget for the LGBT community center's capital campaign
* made high-level appointments of openly LGBT people to his administration
* signed domestic partner legislation in 1998 that at the time was the strongest such bill of its kind in the nation
I wonder what GOP primary voters in South Carolina would make of what is actually a quite admirable record on LGBT issues. I wonder if they knew that Mayor Giuliani signed into law what was then the strongest domestic partnership law in the nation. If they didn't, they can see the video at least:
Not all Republicans are homophobes, but most homophobes are indeed Republicans. It's sad that to seek their nomination for president, someone like Giuliani, who has what is easily the most "pro-gay" record among the crop GOP of candidates, feels the need to run away from it. It's even sadder still that he seems to do so with such vigor.
