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Archive for the ‘Barack Obama’ Category

Iraq's top commanding General, Raymond Odierno, was asked about the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on Monday:

"The top commanding general in Iraq says he thinks everyone – gay and straight – should be allowed to serve in the military 'as long as we are still able to fight our wars.' … Odierno told reporters Monday that he hadn't had much time to think about whether gays should be allowed to serve openly. He said the policy of 'don't ask, don't tell' has been a 'non-issue' to him."

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about Lieberman's announcement (scroll to bottom) that he's taking the lead on legislation to repeal the military gay ban:

Q Senator Lieberman is now planning to introduce a "don't ask, don't tell" repeal bill next week. Would the President like to see Congress pass repeal this year?

MR. GIBBS: Look, as you know, the President is strongly in support of this, working with Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen. There is a process that's underway. You saw in Admiral Mullen the first joint chair to openly — active joint chair to openly call for its repeal.

We have stated throughout this process that the only durable way for this to happen is through legislation. We think that Senator Lieberman's proposal is obviously an important step in that legislation. And I would point out that you heard from commanders in the field over the weekend on news shows as well as former Chairman Powell also come out strongly in support of repealing "don't ask, don't tell."

Q A lot of people fear that if it doesn't happen this year that it very well may not happen throughout the entire first term, not just in the second one.

MR. GIBBS: I don't think the President shares that because I believe, and I think you all have seen this throughout, obviously there has been a lot of public polling on this done since the President's proposal and since Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen testified on Capitol Hill about this. There is strong bipartisan support for its repeal among the American people. The President obviously shares that, as do important members of the military. And we think it will become law.

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Admiral Mike Mullen held a 25-minute question and answer session with troops in Amman, Jordan today. At the end of the session none of them had asked him about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" so he brought the subject up on his own, McClatchy reports:

"As it turned out, none of the two dozen or so men or women who met with Mullen at Marine House in the Jordanian capital Tuesday had any questions on the 17-year-old policy that bars gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military — or Mullen's public advocacy of its repeal."

McClatchy continues:

"At Tuesday's session, which included not only Marines, but members of the Army and the Air Force, both male and female service members explained why they were nonplussed by the issue: They'd already served with gays and lesbians, they accepted that some kind of change was imminent, and, they said, the nation was too engulfed in two wars for a prolonged debate about it.

That there's been so little reaction raises questions about how much study the issue needs and whether the Pentagon study is meant to pacify its concerns — or Congress'."

Read the whole piece. Mullen says that since his testimony "not a single servicemember" has asked him about the issue and those gathered before him in Jordan "made it clear they've already accepted the idea of gays and lesbians serving among them."

 HRC insists (in a statement reacting to today's blog swarm) that there is "a clear path to repeal", however Pentagon sources recently told the AP that a repeal is "probably years away". Politico recently published an article quoting Rep. Anthony Weiner and Sen. Carl Levin which illustrates the confusion surrounding the timeline. Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi recently offered a parallel study/repeal track timeline, and a lack of one, respectively. Nobody's on the same page.

Said HRC's spokesman today: "There is a clear path to repeal, and that’s the one we’re on." Which is a pretty frightening statement when you consider all the reports that have been coming out of Congress.

Clearly the military is ready. Dick Cheney even thinks they are! The American people are ready too.

As noted in the earlier post about the blog swarm, there is a lack of leadership from the top. Our largest LGBT advocacy group is in Washington to demand it for us, and needs to stop making excuses for our self-described "fierce advocate" and demand that he be that.

Plenty more bloggers chimed in about today's call for action as well. Read the updates here.

HRC's full statement in response, AFTER THE JUMP…

HRC Statement from spokesman Brad Luna:

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has to be repealed this year. That has been the Human Rights Campaign’s position from the start, and at this point there is no one in the White House who does not know it. We and the community to whom we are accountable agree: This is the year.

We firmly support including repeal in the annual Department of Defense Authorization bill, and have not only indicated as much, but continue to make that case, all while working to gain support for the Military Readiness Enhancement Act….

We have been lobbying the White House relentlessly, and we’ve seen more movement in recent weeks than in the previous 16 years. Our nation’s top defense officials testified, before the Senate Armed Services Committee, that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell should be repealed. That did not happen in a vacuum.

These events are just the start. There is a clear path to repeal, and that’s the one we’re on.

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Sick:

"Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan told The Associated Press that the large black doll was found Saturday morning along Main Street in the small town of Plains.

Footage from WALB-TV shows the doll was hanging by a noose in front of a red, white and blue sign that says 'Plains, Georgia. Home of Jimmy Carter, our 39th President.' A witness told the station that the doll had a sign with Obama's name on it.

Mayor L.E. Godwin III says the volunteer fire department was called to take it down. He says he saw the doll but couldn't read the signs."

Video here.

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Minneapolis assistant police chief Sharon Lubinski was confirmed as U.S. Marshal today, making her the first openly gay U.S. Marshal.

The Star Tribune reports: "Her confirmation by the U.S. Senate was announced Monday morning by Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar, who recommended her.

Lubinkski was formally nominated for the post in October by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in a flurry of pre-holiday legislative activity last week.

U.S. Marshals oversee federal courthouse security, protect witnesses, transport prisoners, and catch federal fugitives.

Already one of the nation's highest-ranked female law-enforcement officers, Lubinski now becomes the state's first female U.S. marshal and one of only two women in the nation currently serving in the post."

Said Obama in October: "Assistant Chief Lubinski has dedicated her career to the
noble cause of protecting her fellow Americans. She has displayed
exceptional courage in the pursuit of justice, and I am honored to
nominate her today to continue her selfless work as a U.S. Marshal for
the District of Minnesota."

Lubinski joined the Minneapolis police force in 1987.

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Uganda president to soften "kill the gays" bill?

Why the President went golfing the day Flight 253 was attacked.

Activists arrested, fined a month's pay in Belarus for protesting Iranian execution of gays.

Fancy fashion gays Jacobs and Martone swimsuit frolic on beaches of St. Barts.

AT&T halts sales of iPhone to NYC zip codes: city not ready.

Get ready for the New Year's Eve Blue Moon (and eclipse in some areas)!

NYT on the success of gay candidates: "There are currently at least 445 openly gay and lesbian people holding elected office in the United States, up from 257 eight years ago, according to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a political group that supports gay candidates. "

Connecticut Sears security supervisor arrested for breach of peace and alleged hate crime: "Manchester police said in November, Garrido made inappropriate comments to his own employees about the sexual orientation of a lieutenant with the Buckland Hills Mall security.

According to the arrest warrant, one of the comments made by Garrido was, 'I’m not gonna let the little gay kid tell me how to do my job.'

Garrido told Eyewitness News that the accusations are nothing more than a misunderstanding."

Colin Farrell celebrates gay brother Eamon's wedding in Dublin.

Something fairly violent happened to Pete Wentz.

Scientists see fountain of youth in caloric restriction.

The Situation was a stripper.

Mr. Gay UK 2006 Mark Carter arrested: "PC Mark Carter, 27, has been suspended from his job with West
Yorkshire Police after the alleged incident in Leeds at the weekend. The police officer was arrested at a city centre hotel in the early hours of Saturday morning and later released on bail. A police spokesman said: 'A 27-year old man has been arrested on suspicion of committing a serious sexual offence.'"

Fred Phelps' new target: Lady Gaga.

Really homophobic editorial about gay parents in Australia's The Age.

Are you a Cheyennetologist?

Chris Pine's crotch grab.

Jude Law shows off his beach body.

Walk with Pride: Photography project documents Gay Pride celebrations around the world.

13-year-old survivor of Comoros islands plane crash speaks for the first time: "In the middle of her makeshift raft, a piece of aircraft fuselage,
she noticed a porthole and peered through it into the inky depths. The
sight of dark shapes moving below filled her with terror. 'I couldn’t bear it any longer,' she said. 'I couldn’t move any more. It was the end. I closed my eyes.'"

Malcolm X attorney Percy Sutton dead at 89.

Bartender found stabbed to death, left in the middle of dance floor at gay club in rural Houma, Louisiana: "The body of Robert LeCompte, 39, was found inside The Drama Club, 126 N. Hollywood Road, after Terrebonne Parish sheriff's deputies were called out at 3:45 a.m., said Maj. Malcolm Wolfe, a Sheriff's Office spokesman.

The bar's owner, Randall Chesnut, who lived with LeCompte in Houma, called deputies when LeCompte failed to show up after closing.

Wolfe said there were no indications of forced entry at the bar, which normally closes at 2 a.m. There are no suspects, Wolfe said.

The bar is a dance club that attracts a predominantly gay and lesbian clientele.

Chesnut said in a telephone interview that he was told LeCompte was found on the club's dance floor."

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Andrew Sullivan has once again been doing some excellent work covering the protests ongoing in Iran following the funeral of dissident cleric Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, the spiritual leader of the opposition there.

See here and here for some examples…gripping, emotional stuff.

The White House released a strong statement earlier today: "We strongly condemn the violent and unjust suppression of civilians in Iran seeking to exercise their universal rights. Hope and history are on the side of those who peacefully seek their universal rights, and so is the United States.

"Governing through fear and violence is never just, and as President Obama said in Oslo — it is telling when governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation."

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California Assembly Speaker-to-be John Perez talks with the L.A. Times: "This means there's one less barrier for people. When I grew up, there were only a handful of Latino state elected officials and there weren't any openly gay ones. So I never thought I would be in office. . . . It speaks to the fact that California has a sophisticated electorate that struggles with issues of gay rights but really is driven by an overwhelming sense of fairness."

Gay Canadian MP flooded with support over Christmas card controversy. "Letters and phone calls of support, including one from Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, have been pouring in for an openly gay Nova Scotia MP whose Christmas card ignited controversy this week because it showed him with his partner."

Madonna and George Clooney went on a very unsuccessful date.

Rwandan Justice Minister denies plans to criminalize homosexuality.

Chemistry: Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

Hate crime assault reported in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Dustin Lance Black vs. Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

James Franco does SNL: The skits.

Arthur Cores, who founded Boston Market restaurant chain, dies of cancer at 52. "Arthur Richard Cores was born in Brookline, Mass., on Aug. 11, 1957,
one of three children of Sidney and Rose Meister Cores. Besides his
sister Michelle, of Brookline, he is survived by his spouse, John Yee,
whom he married in a legal ceremony in Massachusetts in 2004; and his
brother, Steven, of Bradenton, Fla."

Britain's top footballers told to stay in closet: "Britain's foremost PR advisor, Max Clifford, told The Independent on Sunday last
night that he has represented two high-profile gay Premier League
footballers in the past five years and has advised them to stay in the
closet because football 'remains in the dark ages, steeped in
homophobia'."

Baggy pants get revenge on killer.

Scientists: Earth on track for epic die-off."
The study of the fossil and archaeological record over the past 30
million years by UC Berkeley and Penn State University researchers
shows that between 15 and 42 percent of the mammals in North America
disappeared after humans arrived.
That means North American mammals are well on the way – perhaps as much
as half way – to a level of extinction comparable to other epic
die-offs, like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs."

Male model fix: Rodrigo Calazans.

Politico: Left feels left out under Obama.
"The disillusion has produced a growing tide of organizing energy — and
money — among liberals aimed at dragging the White House back to where
many supporters believe Obama’s heart really lies. Union presidents
have discarded their talking points and are openly sparring with the
White House, while gay rights activists threaten civil disobedience,
the ACLU keeps litigating, and congressional Hispanic leaders work to
force their issues into the debate.
But while those actions may actually create politically useful space to
the president’s left, the other consequence of disillusion is what
polls have found to be deepening apathy among Democratic voters."

Avatar stars get LIFE.

Cameron sci-fi flick has $232 million opening weekend worldwide.

A photo retrospective of newly-out Wales rugby legend Gareth Thomas.

John Amaechi on what's coming for Thomas: "When people learn you are gay, often that can squash your definition
so all the good stuff goes and you just become 'some gay rugby player',
which is quite difficult for many athletes to deal with."

Gay in Dubai — one man's experience: "Walking back to the hotel from the festival’s opening night party I was
definitely cruised by a group of guys, not to mention there were a good
dozen questionables at the party itself.  Anyway, friend of friend
informed that Dubai is actually quite gay, but it’s all underground. 
And underground in this unromantic, contemporary way: It’s all sex via
the internet.  Apparently Dubaisexuals have also discovered the Hotspot
Shield (which I’ve been using for a good year to watch NBC and Hulu in
Canada), a device that gives you an anonymous IP address.  Via the
Hotspot Shield, all the porn and gay social networking sites in the
world are available. "

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In late November I posted about the White House's order
to the Office of Personnel Management to defy a 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals judge's order to provide health benefits to the spouse of a
lesbian employee.

Today, Kerry Eleveld reports:

"The Office of Personnel Management has concluded that it does not have
the legal authority to provide benefits to the spouse of Karen
Golinski, a staff attorney who works at the U.S. court of appeals for
the ninth circuit in San Francisco…OPM attorneys consulted with the Department of Justice on this case, and the key to the case, according to the OPM official, was that Kozinski was presiding over an administrative proceeding that’s an internal employee grievance procedure — he was not serving in his official capacity as a ninth circuit judge. 'It’s important to understand that Judge Kozinski was acting as an administrative official in this matter, reacting to the concerns of an employee of the judiciary,' reads OPM’s statement official statement. 'He was not acting as a federal judge in a court case.'

Based on that distinction, DOJ concluded that Kozinski’s order was not legally binding. If it were legally binding, OPM would have been faced with either appealing the decision or complying with the order."

They have a full statement from Elaine Kaplan, OPM General Counsel here.

Americablog goes off:

Funny, but that's the judge's job to decide, not some Obama appointee. You don't get to just decide that a judge doesn't have the authority to order you what to do. If you don't like it, you appeal. You don't just ignore it, a la George Bush. Even weird, the administration is now claiming that DOMA precludes them from following the judge's order.

Uh, would that be the same DOMA that candidate Obama called "abhorrent" during the campaign. The same DOMA that Obama promised to repeal. Yeah, not so much anymore. There's no plan to touch DOMA at all now. At least until Obama is re-elected, if he's re-elected. So now, yet again, we're told that because the President is refusing to follow through on his promise on DOMA, he can't do anything else for us because of DOMA.

Of course, it's interesting to note that DOMA came up during the review of this case, and the judge said DOMA wasn't even relevant. So now we have the Obama administration doing over the head of a judge to say that DOMA precludes them from doing something when the judge say it most certainly does not.

We reported this morning that Newsweek says Obama won't do anything on gay issues next year. Perhaps that's not entirely true. I have a hunch he's going to find the time to take a few more slaps at us, and then some.

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Newsweek predicts Obama will do nothing for gay rights in 2010.

Activist Peter Tatchell says brain injuries from gay bashings in Brussels and Moscow are forcing him to step down as the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East:
"The brain damage caused by Mugabe's thugs in Brussels in 2001 and by
neo-Nazis in Moscow in 2007 has been compounded by head injuries in an
accident while I was campaigning in Devon in July…The injuries don't
stop me from campaigning but I am slower, make more mistakes, get tired
easily and take longer to do things."

Video: Rihanna gets "Hard" with military men.

Viennese artist Alfred Hrdlicka, who outraged Catholics in 2008 with a homo-erotic depiction of The Last Supper, has died.

Lesbian mom files suit against Netflix, claiming the company's recommendation system algorithms could have outed her.

Ellen noticed.

Anderson Cooper, Kathy Griffin, and Lance Bass to host CNN New Year's Eve.

The Big Picture begins its look at 2009 in photos. Also, the decade in news photos.

Scotland's wild red deer are changing shape.

The Situation's high school yearbook photo.

Snooki gets apology from punch-thrower.

Author Jeanette Winterson is not happy with tabloids for sensationalizing her sexuality: "The 50-year-old Mancunian, whose latest BBC children’s drama called ‘Ingenious’ will be broadcasted on Christmas day, has strongly criticised the press for its offensive way to use the words ‘lesbian’ and ‘gay’.

Speaking of her new relationship, she said in a recent blog entry: 'I am in love. And I don’t care who knows it. The tricky bit is watching it turn into a girl-on-girl drama in the press.'"

A Single Man's Matthew Goode looking good in GQ.

Absolut Hunk hits the beach in Brazil.

Church's leave homeless ministry over Kalamazoo's anti-discrimination ordinance. "Martha’s Table, through which eight churches have provided Sunday
afternoon worship and meals for the needy at First Congregational
Church, is losing three of the churches because of the issue of
homosexuality, even though the ecumenical ministry takes no position on
it, said the Rev. Matt Laney, pastor of First Congregational."

LIST: Original song candidates for the Oscars.

Twitter hacked by "Iranian Cyber Army".

Slab of cement block from the Berlin Wall featuring Banksy rat for auction on eBay.

Dallas could elect its first gay judge: “This is the first election cycle that I can remember where we’ve had
openly gay candidates for the judiciary. It’s probably long overdue, to be honest with you.”

Five GOP Senators in NJ say "no" to marriage equality: "Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean (R-Union) along with Sens. Chris 'Kip'
Bateman (R-Somerset), Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth), Sean Kean
(R-Monmouth) and Andrew Ciesla (R-Ocean) asked for Democratic senators
to join them, saying it's 'unlikely that a bill redefining marriage can
pass the Senate.'"

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Ellen DeGeneres speaks out against Uganda.

$9.6 million was spent in the battle for and against marriage equality in Maine.

Loving Mr. McDonald: "Patrick might be the only person in America who still keeps a crystal vial of smelling salts in his purse."

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner says coming out for an actor can be "commercially devastating": “The viability of you as a character – no matter how good an actor you
are – can be jeopardized by this. We struggle with it – obviously, it’s
wrong. It shouldn’t be that way.”

Screen Actors Guild Award nominations announced.

Watch: Robert Downey Jr. in the new Iron Man 2 trailer.

Maryland feeling marriage equality pressure from Washington D.C.: "…the issue of gay marriage is now at Maryland's doorstep, and it
increases the urgency for Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler to rule
on whether the state is permitted to recognize same-sex marriages from
other states."

Hugh Jackman is heavily armed.

In a Daily Beast interview, Kevin Sessums asks Sarah Jessica Parker
if her decision to go the surrogacy route with Matthew Broderick was a
way for them to channel their inner affluent gay man. Says Parker:
"God, that’s so true… and so funny. No, no, no … Matthew and I were
looking at a variety of ways to expand our family. So it’s not that
simple, channeling our inner gayness. And I wouldn’t say that we are
done either. We will keep exploring different ways to have a family I
think."

Obama thanked Lieberman for promising to support bill without Medicare or public option.

Sens. Monserrate and Onorato protested in Queens for anti-gay marriage votes.

New hope for skin and lung cancer as genetic code is cracked: "Not only will the cancer maps pave the way for blood tests to spot
tumours far earlier, they will also yield new drug targets, says the
Wellcome Trust team."

Pee wee thinks he's Jason Mraz.

Mark Salling sings a Glee tribute.

Vintage Brando.

Homophobic New Mexico lawmaker William Sharer pre-files marriage amendment bill.

Facebook group demands apology from BBC over Uganda forum question asking if gays should be executed.

Greater sea level rise from global warming predicted: "A new paper published online Wednesday in the journal Nature suggests
that the world may face a long-term sea-level rise of 20 to 30 feet,
even under a modest global temperature rise…The findings are significant because the estimate is higher than
previous projections, which put the sea-level increase at between 13
and 20 feet at 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or two degrees Celsius, which is
the temperature rise threshold that policymakers are hoping not to
cross if they can seal a climate deal in Copenhagen."

The 25th most influential gay and lesbian Australians.

Phillippine elections commission rejects appeal by gay party Ang Ladlad.

Gay activists stamp out Evil Incarnate in Chicago.

Homophobic murderer in UK has sentence cut: "On Thursday, the Appeal Court decided to reduce the period to 14
years after deciding the 21-year-old had been 'led-on' by 15-year-old
friend Alexander Kindred, who is now 16. Lady Paton and Lord Clarke decided the sentence should be cut by two
years despite the fact Meehan went to the park to inflict violence and
later boasted about it at a party."

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