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 On May 22, cities all across America will pay respects to Harvey Milk on his birthday. Remembering Harvey’s numerous achievements in a push for LGBT equality, thousands of activists, allies and community members are organizing local actions to demand full federal equality. International Week Against Homophobia, IDAHO, anchors the event. MAY 22, 2010 – HARVEY MILK DAY ACTIONS Live TRUTH Rally, Mobile, AL ————————————- ARIZONA Honoring our fallen LGBT Veterans on Harvey Milk’s Birthday, Phoenix, AZ On Harvey Milk’s birthday, we honor him and our fallen LGBT Veterans who have served with courage and pride. We will be laying a wreath at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Veteran of America Memorial in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona on Cave Creek and Pinnacle Peak Road. For more info: Find us on Facebook! ————————————- CALIFORNIA Harvey Milk Day March and Rally, Sacramento, CA For more info: Email Us! See complete list of activities for May 12th – 22nd on Facebook Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Don’t Die for Freedoms You Don’t Have! Coronado, CA Massive “Coming Out” Harvey Milk Day Action Los Angeles, CA OC Celebrates Harvey Milk Day Santa Ana, CA —————— Color Your Cause: Art through Activism, Washington, DC Noon sharp, in all our colors, Equality Across America, Full Equality Now! DC, Listen UP Live, the Lifestyle Power Players and many more allies and ally organizations will march to the Metro and ride right up to the White House. We are asking organizations, organizers and the much more than ordinary to: Pick a color to represent their cause! (Wear it, paint it, rep it, wave it, graffiti it!) Then take the Metro to the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest —————- Harvey Milk Day Dinner and Candlelight Vigil, Tampa, FL Harvey Milk Day Festival, Sarasota, FL —————– Out of the Closet and Into the Streets: Rally for Equality! Savannah, GA —————– Harvey Milk Day March, Chicago, IL —————– Harvey Milk Day, Bangor, ME —————– Rally at the State House for the Trans Civil Rights Bill and Full Federal Equality, Boston, MA Full Inclusion of Transgender Americans in the Promise of Equality, Passage of H. 1728, the Trans Civil Rights Bill, Passage of Trans Inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Full Federal LGBT Equality . Sponsored by Join the Impact MA For more info: Email Us! —————– Harvey Milk Day, Minneapolis, MN —————– Mississippi Dignity Caravan, Jackson to Fulton, MS —————– Harvey Milk Day March and Rally St. Louis, MO —————– Harvey Milk Day New Mexico Albuquerque, NM —————– Harvey Milk Day of Action for Full Federal Equality, New York City, NY Staten Island Pride Events Kick off to Staten Island LGBT Pride 2010 Staten Island, NY —————– Harvey Milk Day of Action Tulsa, OK —————- Harvey Milk Day March, State College, PA —————- Harvey Milk Day Action, Providence, RI —————- Harvey Milk Day Rally and March, Austin, TX —————- Equality for All Festival: Celebrating Harvey Milk —————- Rally for Equality on the Job In the Military and at Home: Repeal DADT and Pass ENDA Now! Seattle, WA Pass the federal Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy NOW! RSVP on Facebook! For more info: SeattleOutProtest or Email Us! For More Information Nationwide Events: http://www.equalityacrossamerica.org/
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Out4Immigration is an all grassroots organization and our letter writing campaign is now in its 63rd week. Recently, we saw Congressman John Sarbanes co-sponsor UAFA and a few weeks ago, the Democrats in the Senate leadership unveiled a framework for comprehensive immigration reform, and UAFA’s language was included. We must continue to keep this issue out front and make sure UAFA’s language is included in any bill that moves forward. Our efforts have gained us a LOT of co-sponsors in both the House (23) and Senate (5), and it’s important to remember the impact that continued, consistent grass roots efforts have. WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! This week, we are focusing on five more members of the House –
– Let’s finally hit our goal of 500 signatures! Click this link to send an e-mail to all of these members of Congress, and please also forward this on to as many family and friends, and share on Facebook, Twitter, etc… We need as many people to sign this each week as possible, and the change.org link makes doing this quick and easy! If you have not participated in our previous week’s letter writing campaign, you can still sign those letters, just click through to the link, here. We are also working on getting UAFA-supportive resolutions passed by city councils all around the country, and getting State, County and City elected officials to send letters to members of Congress urging them to support UAFA. Please contact Tom Tierney – [email protected] – if you can help (it’s very easy!!).
cross posted at out4immigration’s blog Watch this powerful short video of Britta and Carla, a married same-sex binational couple living in New York City fighting to stay together in the United States. The video was put together by New York Civil Liberties Union in collaboration with Rep Jerrold Nadler and the NYC LGBT Center. Watch it, share it, tweet it… and let's make sure that congress knows about this injustice and addresses it by passing an INCLUSIVE Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill, ie. one that includes LGBT Families! Many thanks also go to Melanie Nathan who represented them (as well as Ms Shirley Tan) and worked tirelessly to get Britta out of detention and deportation. You can read more about their story on Melanie's blog.
(No Ratings Yet) ENDA ACTION ON TUESDAY in San Francisco! The Employment Non-Discrimination Act will ban employment discrimination against LGBT people across the United States – BUT ONLY IF IT PASSES CONGRESS! Why won’t Congress vote on this fundamental civil rights bill for LGBT people? ENDA is stuck – and ONLY YOU can help get it moving again. We need as many people as possible to show up in front of Speaker Pelosi’s office – will you come? Will you bring friends? Tuesday, May 18 We know that Speaker Pelosi supports ENDA. We want her to know that this legislation is a community priority – and we support her efforts to move this bill through Congress. She needs to hear from her constituents. She needs our support and we need her leadership. We need to send a LOUD MESSAGE to Congress: PASS ENDA NOW! We have been waiting for decades to pass a simple law that would ban discrimination against LGBT people at work. We were asked to be patient for more than a year while Congress focused on the financial crisis and health care. We were patient. We were told to lobby our representatives in Congress to get the votes necessary to pass the bill. We did the work. Now we need to tell Congress: STOP STALLING! We are ready. We have the support. We want a vote on ENDA now. If we don’t get a vote in the House very soon, we will have no time at all to get ENDA passed in the Senate. The President will sign ENDA into law – but only if it passes Congress. It could be years before we have another chance to enact this most basic civil rights law. PLEASE TAKE ACTION! JOIN US ON TUESDAY! Equality Federation
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As a college professor, I’ve listened to many excuses on why the report wasn’t done over the past decade. These included classic homework-eating dogs and tales of laptop explosions, Lazarus-like grandmothers who passed away, only to miraculously revive in order to have a funeral again in time for the final report due date. But the one that really takes the cake is the explanation of why the Employment Non-Discrimination Act isn’t moving forward. They haven’t had a chance to ask Representatives whether they’ll vote for the bill. Never mind that they’ve had over a month to do it. Never mind that this has been pending since June of last year. Never mind that the window for Senate approval is fast closing. This Professor ain’t buying it. I’m kind, but I’m not a sap. And you shouldn’t be either. It’s time to rise up and be heard. This is the week of the International Day Against Homophobia, and Harvey Milk Day protests are planned across the country. A rally is being held at Pelosi’s SF office on Tuesday at 4:30 PST. More on this, and The Metro’s right-on article “Left Jabs At ENDA,” after the jump.
 Please Take Action, and Pass this Important Message On. Information Here: http://idahomophobia.org/wp/ Everybody, everywhere can organise actions on, or around, the Day Historically, all actions on the week before and the week after are considered part of the “Day” . Surf our national action pages to get inspiration. Or just send us an email to [email protected] to express your interest and we will liaise with you. Please take into account that in a lot of countries initiatives are already planed and it would be so much more effective and powerfull if actions were coordinated. In some countries, we have a national coordinator is in charge of this. Please contact this person as a first step. Contact details are on the national action pages. http://idahomophobia.org/wp/?cat=269&lang=en The GREAT GLOBAL IDAHO KISS-IN stretches across the world This year, IDAHO will be marked by Kiss-in events organised in several cities around the world in a global celebration of love ! Features of these events, and messages from people around the world, will be edited into a global video for MAY 17th. Almost 60 cities around the world participate in the event. You can still be part of it, even if you are not in one of these cities ! See this section for all details of events and how to participate ! More… IDAHO Campaign 2010 : Religions, homophobia, transphobia. Across the world, in many different social and cultural contexts, homophobic and transphobic violence is being propagated by people who use religious arguments to justify their positions. But other voices do exist everywhere also within these same religions to object to the use of religions to justify hatred and rejection and sometimes even violence, crimes and bloodshed. The objective of this campaign is to expose and oppose the negative impact of religious fundamentalist discourses and to give visibility and promotion to voices who are working for inclusion, tolerance and peace. Joint the voices that call upon religious leaders to stop fuelling homophobia and transphobia and to act for universal Human Rights for all people. Sign the APPEAL TO RELIGIONS ! Signez l’APPEL AUX RELIGIONS ! Firmen el LLAMAMIENTO A LAS RELIGIONES ! Международное обращение о религиях! Unterschreiben Sie den APPELL AN DIE RELIGIONEN ! 关于宗教的国际诉求! مناشدة دولیة للأدیان! Firmate l’Appello internazionale alle religioni! Upload the Strategy outline document Télécharger la note stratégique résumée Descargar el documento de estrategia More… International IDAHO MEDIA project This year, LGBT media around the world will mark IDAHO by pubishing an International Editorial. This initiative was launched by the French LGBT magazine Tetu. Media in more than 28 medias in 22 countries, and on 4 continents joined the initiative and will publish, or have already published, the International Editorial. If you are the editor of a media, or if you have a Facebook page, group, cause, or any other means dissemination, feel free to post this Editorial and make this initiative known to the public. More… IDAHO in Turkey : Thousands march in all major cities across the Nation. An international conference hosts European MPs, politicians and…Judith Butler ! 14 Cities across the country have activities organised during the week around IDAHO. Conferences, debates, film screenings,… Find all the details on www.antihomofobi.org The highlight will be a two-day forum on May 15/16, that will witness the presence of several European MPs member of the LGBT intergroup, several Ambassadors and representatives of the international Human Rights community. The reknowned queer feminist writer and philosopher Judith Butler will be holding a conference as part of the programme. More… French LGBT groups organise an IDAHO National Conference on “Religions, homophobia, transphobia” A large group of French civil society organisations, including Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Protestants, Atheists, Agnostics,… orgnanises on May 17th a national conference within the framework of this year’s international campaign on “Religions, homophobia, transphobia”. More… European institutions get ready to celebrate IDAHO On Monday 17th May 2010, the 6th International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) will mark the exact 20th anniversary of the World Health Organisation’s decision to remove homosexuality from its list of illnesses on the 17th May 1990. More… Slavic Gay Pride March in Minsk met by Police Violence Minsk finally had its non authorized gay pride march on Saturday afternoon at 2.30 pm local time. More… 1st National March against Homophobia- 1st National Cry for LGBT Citizenship and Against Homophobia For the IDAHO, the Brazilian Association for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals – ABGLT, called upon its 237 affiliated organizations, from all 27 States, for the 1st National March Against Homophobia. Thousands of people are expected to converge to the capital Brasilia on May 19 and shout out the the 1st National Cry for LGBT Citizenship and Against Homophobia. More… The world initiative “A Day in Hand” gets mobilised again on the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia –> This year, A Day In Hand initiative will mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia with a Same-Sex Hand Holding Week starting on May 17th. Click here to know more about A Day In Hand and to join the action ! More… Santa Catarina becomes the 9th Brazilian State to recognize May 17th as the International Day Against Homophobia The parliament of the State of Santa Caterina (Southern Brazil) recognized officially May 17th as the ‘Regional Day for combating homophobia and discrimination and violence on ground of sexual orientation’ More… More Information Here: http://idahomophobia.org/wp/ http://idahomophobia.org/wp/
I have been lied to. I have suffered from discrimination in my own community. The GLBT community. I have been told for years that the battle that was raging was one that could be won. That if I just made one more donation, attended one more dinner, one more event that we would be one step closer to full equality. I listened and followed the lead fuelled by hope and optimism. I lobbied, I have called. I volunteered countless hours until exhaustion for what seems like a Wizard of Oz dream of full equality. I am not a corporation. I am not an organization. I am just an out able bodied passionate crusader for social justice and glbtq equality. I don’t want to be pacified with stories of what could be one day or treated to another glossy handout with flashy marketing that makes it look like my rights are on their way. I want the truth, I want action and I will not wait anymore. I will not wait for the perfect season, the perfect fiscal calendar or election cycle. The time to wait is over. I have put countless miles on my shoes knocking on doors for equality only to get them shut in my face not only from the right but from the left as well. No one can tell me to wait, as the value of my life as an openly gay woman gets tossed around in board meetings, committees and used as a political bargaining chip. I am somebody and I choose to use my voice. I choose to be authentic in every way and I choose to stand up and demand full equality. I am somebody, Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo shouted this message over and over again on the White House fence. I am somebody, Kip Williams, C.D. Kirven and others shouted at the sit in at Speaker Nanci Pelosi’s office over ENDA. I am somebody, Autumn Sandeen echoed as a transgender service member speaking out for DADT while experiencing less than professional conditions by the D.C. park police. I am somebody, students Derrick Martin and Constance McMillen said as they were discriminated against by their peers, communities and schools. I am somebody, Robin McGehee shouted as a mother of two who was handcuffed and taken away for standing up those who could not. These are just some of the everyday people who are taking a stand saying they will not accept being second class citizens. The movement is moving forward and we need everyone’s support to create change. Now is the time to stand up for equality, now is the time to tell the world, I AM SOMEBODY. There is not one person, organization or cause that will get us to full equality alone. It will be the collective effort of all of us together with our ally members standing tall and proud. We can debate on when, why and how but the more we discuss the fine print the less of a change we are creating. Daily students are bullied, people are fired from their jobs, hate crimes happen, couples are denied recognition, a solider is discharged, bi-national couples spend another day apart while others struggle with coming out lose their life from the fear. The time is now. The time is today. Stand up. We are somebody. We deserve full equality now. The choice is yours. Will you chose to be a second class citizen or will you stand up and be heard?
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