Gay thread

I just hope there is a day you don't feel like you have to start a thread like this. And everyone just loves you, respects you, and treats you as equally as everyone else, so threads like this are not needed.
 
Thanks for the thread. I'm hoping you can update us on all of the latest efforts towards marriage equality. It would be nice to know which of the many e-mails I receive are the most worthwhile efforts to support. I'm a little confused by all of the petitions and such I have received recently. I'd also like to hear a little more about your recent activities.
 
I don't know a lot about gay issues except for prop 8. That whole situation last year was so ridiculous. I remember driving past South Coast Plaza and seeing anti-prop 8 supporters demonstrating. We honked to support them, but I remember seeing people drive by shaking their heads at them. I really don't understand why a group of people would band together to create a law denying other people rights. Who cares who other people marry? If you don't like gay marriage, don't marry a gay person. Pretty simple. I don't understand how gay people marrying each other would threaten straight marriage so much that we would need a law "protecting" it. Ridiculous.
 
Because if we allow this, then our children will see it and want to be gay too! Society will collapse!!! /end sarcasm
 
One of the things that makes me happy about my children's generation (mine are 18 and 20) is how irrelevant sexual orientation is, as far as they are concerned. In their groups, it's simply not an issue, and they have a hard time figuring out the whole Prop. 8 business.... they say that as soon as us "old farts" get out of the way, no one will care about who marries who, or whether or not someone is gay or straight.
 
[quote author="centralcoast"]One of the things that makes me happy about my children's generation (mine are 18 and 20) is how irrelevant sexual orientation is, as far as they are concerned. In their groups, it's simply not an issue, and they have a hard time figuring out the whole Prop. 8 business.... they say that as soon as us "old farts" get out of the way, no one will care about who marries who, or whether or not someone is gay or straight.[/quote]
I was talking to my nephews about this issue. They said that a lot of their high school classmates have stated they are gay, and none of the other kids seem to mind. I guess we are heading in the right directions. Maybe it's baby steps, but the steps are going in the right direction.

Equality for All!
 
Thanks for the kind words all!

So, an update on news from the LGBT world:

Congress just decided to push back ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) to next year, with no explanation given for the delay. If passed, companies with over 10 employees could not fire someone just b/c they were LGBT. Yes, it's still quite legal to do so in 29 states in this country.

Gay marriage was passed by the Maine legislature and signed by the gov. earlier this year, but a Prop 8 style ballot measure went to the voters in Nov. and they voted to outlaw it.

Gay marriage was just voted on two weeks ago in the NY State Senate (had passed in the House). Senate voted against it by a 6 vote margin.

Gay marriage passed out of a key New Jersey committee on Monday, was supposed to have been voted on yesterday but vote canceled due to likely failure.

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act was signed by Pres. Obama last month - legislation that we've been pushing for for over 10 years. (Stronger penalties and Justice Department data collection)

Pres. Obama announced that he will sign a bill lifting the HIV positive travel ban into the United States. (Yup, HIV+ people could not travel here for over 15 years now)

Just today, announced that the ban on gay men donating blood will be lifted. (Uh, they don't all have AIDS you know, all blood is tested anyways)

Obama appointed an openly gay ambassador and spoke at the Human Rights Campaign national dinner in October (a seated President has never spoken at any gay rights group function)

On October 11th, 150,000 LGBT and allied folks marched on Washington, D.C. to show their displeasure about Congress and Obama administration's inaction on our issues and promised legislation. The event was called the National Equality March and I was one of the main organizers. Yup. (This is why he finally did all of the above)

We're still getting kicked out of the military due to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. (DADT)

Our bi-national couples are still not able to sponsor their partners into the U.S. for citizenship.

Even if we're legally married in the states that allow it (Mass, CT., Iowa, NH, VT), the federal government doesn't recognize that marriages (tax purposes!) due to the still existing Defense of Marriage Act. (DOMA)

SO - to recap, Obama told us that if he was elected, he would end DADT, DOMA, and would pass ENDA and Hate Crimes. So, he's 1 for 4 and the community is pissed! We know if these things aren't done in a very small window, he'll be going into full re-election mode and we won't see them until his (possible) second term.
 
Trooper, thanks for the updates.
Hopefully we'll soon see some better results.

For the life of me I just don't understand how people can be OK with discrimination - and it's 2009! It just seems so petty when there are so many other things to focus on in this world - like hunger, sickness, poverty, etc.
 
Thanks for the update, Trooper. What would you suggest those of us who are ready to become involved in this cause do to start?
 
I think his name was Perez, but our new speaker of the Assembly in the state is the first openly gay speaker. While I think it's just cruel irony that someone even at that level cannot marry who they choose, I also see it as a positive step. I'm sorry Troop that ignorance has prevented us from being a society as a whole who embraces human beings for who they are rather than what they are, I am truly hopeful and expectant that we are SLOWLY moving in the right direction.

Some people just don't seem to understand how easy tolerance is and how damaging intolerance is, even though history is one big lesson in the ugliness that results from intolerance.
 
[quote author="centralcoast"]One of the things that makes me happy about my children's generation (mine are 18 and 20) is how irrelevant sexual orientation is, as far as they are concerned. In their groups, it's simply not an issue, and they have a hard time figuring out the whole Prop. 8 business.... they say that as soon as us "old farts" get out of the way, no one will care about who marries who, or whether or not someone is gay or straight.[/quote]

Why, oh why, can I not exalt? If there is anything that I truly miss about the IHB, it's the ability to just hit thanks as I feel the urge.
 
[quote author="pebbles"]Trooper, thanks for the updates.
Hopefully we'll soon see some better results.

For the life of me I just don't understand how people can be OK with discrimination - and it's 2009! It just seems so petty when there are so many other things to focus on in this world - like hunger, sickness, poverty, etc.[/quote]

The people who are focused on discriminating against people because of their sexual orientation don't give a crap about issues like hunger, sickness or poverty. They may pretend to with their religion on their sleeve, but you're exactly dead on there.... if they truly cared about these issues, they wouldn't have the time or energy to fight against gay people.
 
[quote author="winex"]Trooper, you neglected to mention other recent LGBT news.

Don't forget about "Safe Schools Czar" Keith Jennings being a keynote speaker at the youth conference at Tufts University that promoted "fisting" at the "youth-only age 14-21" conference.

http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/10/fist.... nt-in-advance/[/quote]

What, what, I truly want to know, what the F is wrong with Winex? You are truly an abomination to the human race. And if you dare try and spin this as a death threat, I'm going straight to the mods.
 
Just so there is no ambiguity, I don't think someone with that background should be a "Safe Schools Czar". Actually, if you look at the powers given the Federal government in the Constitution, I don't think there should be such thing as a "Safe Schools Czar", but that's another conversation entirely.

Are you telling me that you are comfortable with someone with his background being in charge of the safety of our children at school?
 
I'm telling you that I'm not comfortable with you pissing on Troop's thread. You want to talk about "Safe School Czar?" Put it n the education or politics threads, not here. And when you do so, please use links to the standard media, not your twisted intolerant "news" pages.
 
Hmmm, you should talk to SoCal. Something is wrong with your member id. I don't see any "moderator" tag by your name.
 
I just want to say thanks to all of the brave people that have to endure stupidity and intolerance daily just for being themselves. Thank goodness they continue to be themselves because what a sad, sad world it would be without them. I hope that Trooper and many others I know realize that they will have an exalted position in history for fighting a cause that will seem to be a given for a generation in the future.
 
I'm defintely not a mod and I give my hats off to them because it's a truly thankless job in the end. However, I am a member of this community and as such, I think we all have the task of neighbhorood watch. So, as a citizen of Irvine Talk, I'm citing you for littering.
 
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