Please indulge me in this experiment. Music has been pivotal in prior civil rights movements. And I wonder if there is space for it in our current LGBT movement. I’d like to share with you every Friday night a great song from our LGBT movement and other civil rights movements to inspire and educate the current and prior struggles that we have a had as a human race. Let me know if other songs of struggle and social justice should be shared, and I’ll happily post in future “Friday Night Video” postings.
The first song comes from an artist named Sean Chapin from California who I first discovered from around the Prop 8 challenge. Sean Chapin is a talent that is adding the music to our movement. You can visit his website at http://www.moreequalunion.com/.
Not only is following catchy and motivational, it clearly articulates our LGBT struggle . Enjoy the cameo from heroes Dan Choi and Cleve Jones. And you might see some other faces that you recognize.
Here are the lyrics of Equality Now by Sean Chapin.
Wake up America. It’s time we make a change. this is the land of the free and we got to be brave.
We the people, all together in life and liberty. And we will not wait until we are treated equally.
Can you see who we really are? Can you hear what we have to say? Do you know why all of us are here? We are coming out because we want equality now.
Wake up United States. It’s time that we evolve. Denying us our civil rights will only hurt us all. We pursue our happiness and the great American Dream. And we do not deserve to face all the pain and suffering.
Can you see who we really are? Can you hear what we have to say? Do you know why all of us are here? We are coming out because we want equality now.
Let’s demand equality now! Hey, we want equality now!
This time, the the call from HRC is to “Repeal DADT now. Not tomorrow. Not next year. Now.” One can only hope that HRC will challenge the Democratically controlled Congress and President Obama to deliver their promises to repeal DADT. If they do, HRC will help the movement greatly.
It is time for some accountability for our Democratic friends, and I’m hopeful that HRC is starting down that road. If not, HRC might find itself to blame as clearly articulated by John Aravosis from AmericaBlog.
So where is HRC, which told us that everything was on track just two weeks ago, even though SLDN, Nathaniel Frank from the Palm Center, Senator Levin, Barney Frank and staffers in the House and Senate all have now publicly said that the administration isn’t showing the leadership it needs to show on DADT repeal? Everything is not on track, and groups like HRC and the Center for American Progress, which we only recently learned has been at the center of HRC’s “work” on this issue in the guise of their staffer Winnie Stachelberg (a former HRC staffer), are going to be held accountable if they continue to claim that everything is going well while the White House so obviously undercuts the effort to repeal DADT. It’s almost as if HRC and CAP are intentionally lying to America’s gay community and our straight allies, trying to convince us that everything is moving ahead swimmingly, when they know it’s not. That would be an unfortunate turn of events for both organizations, and their donors.
Thanks to Rachel Maddow, I learned that Virginia’s new Republican governor Bob McDonnell has just rewritten their non-discrimination policies for state employees to exclude sexual orientation from the list of protected classes and wants to refuse funding to Planned Parenthoods in the state. I’m fascinated with the intersections of the politics between what Republicans do, and what Democrats don’t do. It was crystalized for me when watching the following segment.
Notice the argument Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University Melissa Harris-Lacewell makes about who is responsible for creating an environment where hostility and discrimination towards the LGBT community and women is acceptable.
She argues that Blue Dog Democrats who have made women’s reproductive health in health care reform an ok target to demonize during the last few months are responsible for setting this tone by classifying women’s reproductive health to be attackable.
Professor Harris-Lacewell also argues that Democratic leaders who do are not agressively addressing discrimination and taking a hard stand around citizenship based on sexual orientation as evidenced by the delay in the repeal of “Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell” are also to blame.
And like a rockstar that she is, she then goes on to say that these discriminatory laws need to also address the discrimination in employment and housing faced by those who do not conform because of their gender expression.
Most importantly, according to Professor Harris-Lacewell as Democrats “we need to set a new tone. We need a new standard of citizenship.” Amen, sister. (Hat Tip: JoeMyGod)
We shared with you that this was going to happen in our Actions section, and here is the video to prove it. Thanks to Alan, Gabrielle, Justin, Jake and others of QueerRising for taking their activism, and that of the LGBT movement to the next level. I was honestly moved to tears, and I hope you are also touched by the bravery of these activists for full equality. Chant with them: “I am somebody who deserves full equality. Right here. Right now.”
Thanks for the update from JoeMyGod regarding the court hearing on Friday that charges were dismissed for the four that were arrested for chaining themselves to the front door.
Four members of the group Queer Rising, a group which advocates for civil rights for the LGBT community accepted pleas of ‘adjournment contemplating dismissal’ (ACD) today from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The individuals were charged with Obstructing Government Administration as well as two charges of Disorderly Conduct for chaining themselves together in front of the New York City Marriage License Bureau on February 12, 2010, in attempt to bring attention to the fact that the office denies LGBT New Yorkers the opportunity to file for marriage certificates. Justin Elzie, Alan Bounville, Gabriel Yuri Bollag and Jake Goodman accepted the offer which would allow them to dismiss all charges after 6 months assuming they are not arrested again during this time. Ted Bohn, co-counsel for the defendants, said “As long as the State of New York maintains a policy which codifies that the love between two men or two women is inferior to the love between a man and a woman, these actions will continue. This was only the beginning. We are grateful, however, to Cy Vance for recognizing that those arrested in furtherance of civil rights should not be treated like criminals.”
1. Our National Organizations and the LGBT community and its allies should demand that President Obama immediately issue a ’stop-loss’ order. “The No Excuses” campaign means no excuses from our national organizations as well and they must take a tough and uncompromising line with the President on this ’stop-loss’ order. This action can be done tomorrow by the President.
2. LGBT organizations and activists should target Congressional leadership and demand an amendment to the “Defense Authorization Bill” and repeal DADT this year.
3. If they fail to respond to lobbying and pleas from our community we should stage sit-ins at Congressional Leadership offices until there is a vote. Under no circumstances should we wait for another year for a worse Congress for a vote.
I’m down with #1, #2, and #3. Tick-Tock. Now it’s time to get busy.
I love that non-violent direct action is taking place around the country, especially in New York. Here is another great example of how to expose the injustice that hundreds of thousands of lesbian and gay couples experience at the hands of the state. One day our children will look back and say: “What were they thinking?”
Today a young brave college student asked President Obama about DADT and Marriage Equality. It is almost embarrassing watching Obama stumble through his answer.
I think President Obama using the Representative Tammy Baldwin bill providing domestic partner benefits to federal employees as political cover is shameful, and unacceptable. Representive Baldwin and other Members of Congress should not allow that to happen. The LGBT community at-large has never fought for such legislation, we never made it a priority for our movement, but the Administration and various national LGBT organizations have been co-opted to accept this crumb as progress.
President Obama doesn’t say anything about DADT which is troubling since he was asked to name specific steps that he is taking.
President Obama then goes on to say that he is out of time, but spends another 5 minutes wrapping up (which isn’t captured on this video).
The game is changing and the LGBT community will no longer accept being treated as a pariah from the Democratic President. Either the Democratic Party insiders have no access, are not being listened to, or they are being walked all over.
“As I said last night my belief is that a basic principle in our Constitution is that if you’re obeying the law, if you’re following the rules, that you should be treated the same regardless of who you are.
“I think that principle applies to gay and lesbian couples, so at the federal level one of the things that we’re trying to do is to make sure that partnerships are recognized for purposes of benefits, so that hospital visitation for example is something that is permitted, so that social security or pension benefits or others, that same-sex couples are recognized in all those circumstances.
“We actually have an opportunity of passing a law that’s been introduced in Congress right now and my hope is that this year we can get it done just for federal employees and federal workers. A lot of companies on their own, some of the best run companies, have adopted these practices. I think it’s the right thing to do and it makes sense for us to take a leadership role in ensuring that people are treated the same.
“Regardless of your personal opinions the notion that somebody who’s working really hard for 30 years can’t take their death benefits and transfer them to the person that they love most in the world and who has supported them their whole lives doesn’t seem fair, doesn’t seem right and I think it’s the right thing to do.”
As we go in to the New Year, we have to turn our eyes to to the complicated process controlled by Congressional leaders House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). That overly complex process is the passage of Health Care Reform.
Below are the following provisions that were included in the House Health Care bill as provided by HRCs blog. I can’t seem to remember the larger LGBT community listing these on the top of their legislative priorities to be passed. However, we should appreciate the leadership of Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her office for working to include specific LGBT provisions in the House version of the health care reform bill (health disparities, unequal taxation, and non-discrimination).
Each issue is about fairness, sound public policy, inclusion of the LGBT community, and lives being saved. We hope that Congress and its Leadership do not leave the LGBT community out of such a significant piece of legislation as they go into the merger process between the House and the Senate this month.
Health Disparities – the bill specifically designates LGBT people as a health disparities population, opening up health data collection and grant programs focused on health disparities related to sexual orientation and gender identity. With collection of data and funding of research, we can better address the specific health issues facing LGBT people.
Unequal Taxation of Domestic Partner Benefits – the bill ends the unfair taxation of employer-provided domestic partner health benefits, incorporating the language of the Tax Equity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act. Without this tax penalty, more people will be able to afford employer-provided coverage for their families, and more companies will be able to offer these important benefits.
Early Treatment for HIV under Medicaid – the bill also incorporates the Early Treatment for HIV Act, which allows states to cover early HIV treatment under their Medicaid programs, instead of withholding treatment for Medicaid recipients until they develop full-blown AIDS, This will dramatically improve the quality of life for low-income people with HIV, as well as saving taxpayers money and reducing the transmission of the virus.
Comprehensive Sex Education – the bill provides funding for comprehensive sex education programs that focus not only on abstinence, but also reducing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. After more than $1 billion wasted on failed and discriminatory abstinence-only programs, this funding will provide youth, including LGBT students, with the tools they need to live healthy lives.
Non-discrimination – the bill prohibits consideration of personal characteristics unrelated to the provision of health care.
HRC launched a 
