Progress Now Action

In some great news for progressives and the GLBT community, a new Harris Interactive poll commissioned by GLAAD finds that Coloradans overwhelmingly approve legal recognition of same-sex partnerships.

• About eight out of 10 Colorado adults (83%) say that gay and lesbian couples should either be able to marry, have all of the same rights as marriage, or be able to form domestic partnerships. Only 15% say there should be no legal recognition.
• A slight majority of CO adults (51%) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry. This represents greater support than among U.S. adults, where, according to the recently released national Pulse of Equality survey, opinion is evenly split.
• Coloradans support gay and transgender-inclusive hate crimes laws (63%) and employment, housing and public accommodations non-discrimination laws (56%) for gay and transgender people. Such proposals are similar to those already enacted in Colorado, signaling clear public support for those policies.
• Nearly three out of four (73%) of Coloradans also oppose attempts to ban qualified gay and lesbian couples from adopting. This finding suggests strong support for existing Colorado law that allows for second-parent adoption in the state.
• Two-thirds of Colorado adults (66%) favor allowing openly gay military personnel to serve in the armed forces.

Looks like all of your effort in 2006 and beyond has really paid off.

I often wonder what I should put up on the blog, but then I just post anyway...

The Denver Post recently reported on the many up-and-coming LGBT retirement homes and assisted living facilities. They offer the same bias-free and comfortable space that the queer babies (that's everybody else) look for in bars, parties, GSA's, and sometimes community centers.

I often wondered, as I marched, danced, and worked to elect allied officials... what am I goind to do when I start "living out old age?"... especially considering the outside world is not as tolerant as I'd like... here's an answer...woo!

On the other hand, I get to skip out on the agism prevalent in the LGBT community and dive into a potentially classist and racist situation. With homes going for $200k, who is this community really for?...hmmm...

Shocking that a gay bashing could occur at CC, but good for the students for taking a stand against it. Read the story on Pols.

I paid attention to the 2004 election mostly because it was the first one in which I could vote. I gotta admit it wasn't that exciting. But yay for having a voice. Some people don't like that...

Unfortunately the thing I remember most about the election was all the anti-gay rhetoric coming from the right wing. Parents, preachers, teachers, and community leaders galore were all over every medium talking about how Kerry was pretty much taking us to hell. I remember the intensity of it all in the weeks before the election. Apparently Romney is trying to get the jump on everyone else. 

The week after the election I remember the cover of the advocate and the story about how Kerry could have dumped the LGBT community at the last minute but didn't... good times...

PS.... don't shot at Walmart.... for many reasons including this one 

Local Gay Musician and Friends Visit Dobson's Ministry Headquarters
Soulforce "Focus on the Facts" Campaign Pursues Dialogue and Reconciliation

Soulforce Press Release: November 12, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact(s): James Roy, Blue Disco Records, Ltd, 303-906-4603, james@bluediscorecords.com
Christopher Hubble, Soulforce Colorado State Organizer, 303-241-3225, cahubble05@yahoo.com

Video and still photos available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/exgaysurvivordan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arQRh0Bf0MM

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(Colorado Springs CO) - In a low-key visit, Denver-based musician James Roy and a group of friends toured the Welcome Center of Dobson's mega-organization Saturday in order to learn more about the operations of his ministry first-hand. The visit was intended to remind the partisan evangelical leader and his associates that Soulforce continues to observe the hurtful anti-LGBT rhetoric which emanates from America's leading source of misinformation about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

In a personal letter to Dobson, James Roy wrote about his own commitment to being a positive impact in the lives of others. "I think it benefits us to reflect on what we have in common… I am here today to take a tour to better understand you and invite you to the possibility of dialogue."

In the spirit of the nonviolent teachings of Gandhi and King, at the conclusion of the tour, each participant left a single yellow rose for Dobson to symbolize their desire for dialogue. Gandhi and King were the preeminent advocates of nonviolent conflict resolution in the twentieth century. They are best remembered not only for their desire to achieve justice for their respective constituencies but also to attain reconciliation with their adversaries.

Two of Saturday's participants were a lesbian couple from Denver who have adopted children together. During the tour, they asked whether they would be welcome to bring their own children during a future visit to the campus, "I was surprised and gratified when our tour guide encouraged my partnered friends to return as a family so that their children may also enjoy the many recreational resources available on the lower level of the welcome center," Lead Focus on the Facts Organizer Christopher Hubble observed.

This quiet, unannounced visit was part of FOCUS ON THE FACTS, an ongoing campaign of nonviolent direct action which Soulforce launched at the beginning of 2007. Beginning in 1994, Soulforce has repeatedly attempted to engage Dobson and his associates in dialogue and has been continually rebuffed. FOCUS ON THE FACTS seeks to end religion-based oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Coloradans and is modeled on Gandhi's Satyagraha campaigns in South Africa and India. In the words of Nelson Mandela, Gandhi "rightly believed in the efficacy of pitting the soul force of Satyagraha against the brute force of the oppressor and in effect converting the oppressor to the right and moral point."

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SOULFORCE is a national civil rights and social justice organization. Our vision is freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance. To learn more about Soulforce and FOCUS ON THE FACTS, visit www.soulforce.org.

To learn more about JAMES ROY and his inspirational creative work, visit www.jamesroymusic.com. "It took a four-year electrical engineering degree and a taste of the corporate world before [James] realized that life is more about living than trying to meet the expectations of others. In the few years that followed, he built up a studio, founded the company Blue Disco Records, Ltd., and started capturing the world around him in high-energy songs with powerful lyrics." Soulforce recently announced a new partnership with James Roy on his latest release, Rise Above. 10% of the proceeds of this CD will go to benefit the social justice work of Soulforce.

New since my last post... and as of this morning... 

The House was to vote on ENDA today but it's been pushed back to Wed or Thu.

In the meantime, civil rights behemoths are coming out in support of the non-inclusive version of the bill. 

Groups like HRC, it's umbrella org The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the NAACP submitted a letter to congress encouraging them to "pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act even if it doesn't include protections for trans-workers." According to HRC director, it's "a pragmatic and strategic decision."

Not only that, but HRC polled its members and concluded that "70% of LGBT Community Supports Passing Non-inclusive ENDA"

The plot thickens... 

Check here for the article and for a list of non-inclusive ENDA supporting orgs.

I just finished reading jared polis' post about ENDA on DailyKos. He basically says it's not strategic for the LGBT community to separate the bill nor can we be proud of divisiveness.

Now I've seen every side of this argument:

from people saying that nothing is going to be made into law so the community should at least push a symbolic bill 

to over 300 orgs signing on to oppose anything but a trans inclusive ENDA 

to Barney Franks's video chastising the community for punishing our hard earned political friends and refusing to "understand the broader political reality"

to people thinking right wingers have infiltrated the left wing and have spurred the fires of controversy so nothing gets passed. 

I don't know what the outcome of this fight is going to be but I know that the issue should be at the forefront of every LGBT org in the country right now. 

It's on the front page of the Task Force website and I just got an action alert email from them.

You have to do an extensive search to find anything about it (let alone a position) on the HRC website. Apparently they're staying neutral

Here's a great article on the issue...and a current one