ACT On Principles

The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell takes effect today. It is a very good reason to celebrate and to thank the large number of people and organizations that worked tirelessly for 17 years to see this day.

TODAY WE ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE EQUAL

Today we are delighted to update our Federal LGBT Equality Index which today rises to 12% from 8% (which was obtained when President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Bird Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act two years ago).

Why didn’t the Index rise to 16% as expected for reaching the goal? Read below.

STILL OUR SERVICEMENBERS WILL NOT BE TREATED EQUALLY

The DADT repeal legislation that passed Congress last December was significantly different from the Military Readiness Enhancement Act introduced earlier in two important ways:

• Does not include nondiscrimination provisions
• Does not include LGBT servicemembers in the Department of Defense Equal Opportunity Policy
  So, the legislation does not ensure that our servicemembers are treated equally. Nor does it include transgender members.

Furthermore, article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice has not been revoked by Congress (despite requests from the Military). This article forbids any act of sodomy (whether among people of the same gender or not).

Equality in the military will require Congress to act again, otherwise a future administration could ban LGBT members from serving by using a directive from the Department of Defense—without need for an act of Congress or even an Executive Order from the President.

If Congress doesn’t act, another venue that can bring equality is the successful lawsuit that the Log Cabin Republicans are pursuing with the intention to proving, to the Supreme Court if necessary, that discrimination of LGBT people in the military is unconstitutional.

MONITORING PROGRESS

To monitor progress, we have created After DADT; this is a resource that lists 49 pending issues for LGBT servicemembers to be treated as equals.
This resource is sponsored by eQualityGiving and is maintained on our website by Tom Carpenter. Tom is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served on active duty in the Marines from 1970-1976. He was also in the Marines Reserves from 1974-1982. When he resigned his commission in 1980 as Captain, he was a highly skilled attack pilot. Tom was Co-chair of the SLDN board from 1998-2005 and currently is a second term SLDN board member and Co-chair of the Forum on the Military Chaplaincy.

Check the list of 49 pending issues for LGBT equality in the military.

While we celebrate today as an important day for LGBT equality, we need to continue to fight for full legal equality… including, still, in the military.

Don’t miss the fifteenth panel of eQualityThinking, the free, open, virtual convention for LGBTQ equality.

You can hear this panel live this Sunday, March 27, 2011 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm EDT (4:00 pm to 5:00 pm PDT)

Click to get the dialing information for this eQualityThinking panel.

You will hear from five filmmakers whose films are likely to have an impact on people’s perception of LGBT.

You will hear from our youth… their own perspective… their own voice.

You will hear from next generation donors.

You will hear from four of the authors of The Dallas Principles. What has been the impact two years later?

You will hear from the webmaster and users of Act On Principles… an innovative platform to do whip counts and focus our efforts to reach lawmakers to pass LGBT equality legislation.

Do not miss this panel!

PANELISTS

LGBTQ EQUALITY THROUGH FILM
Filmakers, producers, writers talk about their work

• Brynn Gelbard, Director/Producer, Devote Campaign
• Craig Harwood, Producer/Writer, The Most Famous Woman in the World
• Christopher Mason, Filmmaker, Driving Equality
• Patrick Sammon, Filmmaker, The Genius of Alan Turing
• Bruce Presley, Founder, Downtown Loft Studio

VOICES OF YOUTH
Several youth will contribute their voice here to the dialog about LGBT equality.

• Carolyn Laub, Executive Director, Gay-Straight Alliance Network, will introduce the youth panelists.

NEXT GENERATION OF GIVERS
New ideas? Different approaches?

• Wesley Adams, Co-chair, Young Leaders Council of the New York Gay & Lesbian Center
• Bill Lyons, Next Gen Giving Circle

THE DALLAS PRINCIPLES
Four of the authors of The Dallas Principles talk about impact 2 years later

• John Bare, Donor
• Ken Ahonen-Jover, M.D., Co-founder, eQualityGiving
• Dana Beyer, M.D., Board Member, National Center for Transgender Equality  and Keshnet, the national Jewish LGBT education and outreach organization
• Lisa Polyak, Board Member, Equality Maryland

ACT ON PRINCIPLES
Advanced technology used to monitor how Members of Congress intend to vote on our issues (whip counts)

• Donald Hitchcock, Webmaster, Act On Principles
• Heather Cronk, Managing Director, Get Equal

Don’t miss the fourteenth panel of eQualityThinking, the free, open, virtual convention for LGBTQ equality.

You can hear this panel live tomorrow Friday, March 25, 2011 from Noon to 1:00 pm EDT (9:00 am to 10:00 am PDT)

Click to get the dialing information for this eQualityThinking panel.

Click to post now an open question for the panelists.

Among the topics to be discussed:

- What are the current areas of focus for major donors?

- How do donors make choices between issues and organizations?

- How do they measure impact and evaluate success?

- How do they balance giving for political campaigns and non-profits?

Panelists

- Ron Ansin, Founder, Ronald M. Ansin Foundation

- Joanne Herman, Author, Transgender Explained for Those Who Are Not

- Alix Ritchie, Founder, Provincetown Banner

- Paul Yandura, Cofounder, Scott+Yandura

Question Moderators

- Leslie Payne, Senior Director, Arabella Philanthropic Advisors

Don’t miss the thirteenth panel of eQualityThinking, the free, open, virtual convention for LGBTQ equality.

You can hear this panel live this Wednesday, March 23, 2011 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm EDT (3:00 pm to 4:00 pm PDT)

Click to get the dialing information for this eQualityThinking panel.

Click to post an open question for the panelists.

Question Moderators:

- Ari Geller, Vice President, Rabinowitz/Dorf Communications

- Donna Red Wing, Executive Director, Grassroots Leadership

Don’t miss the twelveth panel of eQualityThinking, the free, open, virtual convention for LGBTQ equality.

You can hear this panel live this Sunday March 20, 2011 from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm EDT (2:30 pm to 3:30 pm PDT)

Click to get the dialing information for this eQualityThinking panel.

Click to post an open question for the panelists.

Combining rigorous academic thinking from Harvard and NYU with successful ground work to create new insights for winning hearts and minds. The discussion moderater is Roberta Achtenberg, commissioner on the US Commission on Civil Rights. There is no better place to spend an hour this Sunday afternoon than on this panel listening and participating.

The panelists are:

- Julie Davis, Executive Director, Face Value Project at Harvard

- Patrick J. Egan, Ph.D., Asst Professor, Political Science, New York University

- Timothy Patrick McCarthy, Ph.D., Lecturer and Director, Human Rights and Social Movements Program, Harvard Kennedy School

- Phyllis Watts, Ph.D., practicing psychologist and President, Wild Swan Resources

The question moderator is:

- Roberta Achtenberg, Commissioner, US Commission on Civil Rights

Don’t miss the eleventh panel of eQualityThinking, the free, open, virtual convention for LGBTQ equality.

You can hear this panel live tomorrow Wednesday March 16, 2011 from Noon to 1:00 pm EDT (9:00 am to 10:00 am PDT)

Click to get the dialing information for this eQualityThinking panel.

Click to post an open question for the panelists.

This panel discusses substantive and strategic perspectives for passing equality legislation in both chambers.

The panelists are:

- Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

- US Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

The question moderators are:
- Kerry Eleveld, Editor, EqualityMatters
- Kathy Levinson, Founder, Lesbian Equity Foundation

Don’t miss the tenth panel of eQualityThinking, the free, open, virtual convention for LGBTQ equality.

You can hear this panel live tomorrow Monday March 14, 2011 from Noon to 1:00 pm EDT (9:00 am to 10:00 am PDT)

Click to get the dialing information for this eQualityThinking panel.

Click to post an open question for the panelists.

According to eQualityGiving’s States Scorecard, five states have almost full equality for its LGBT citizens. More than half of the states offer minimal protections.

In this panel we discuss what are the challenges and opportunities for four states, representing different levels of equality. The panelists are:

- AJ Bockelman, Executive Director, PROMO (Missouri)

- Carolyn Jenison, Executive Director, One Iowa

- Geoff Kors, Esq., Executive Director, Equality California

- Ian Palmquist, Executive Director, Equality North Carolina

The question moderators are:
- Rebecca Isaacs, Executive Director, Equality Federation
- Rex Wockner, Freelance Journalist and Blogger

Don’t miss the ninth panel of eQualityThinking, the free, open, virtual convention for LGBTQ equality.

You can hear this panel live tomorrow Friday March 11, 2011 from Noon to 1:00 pm EST (9:00 am to 10:00 am PST)

Click to get the dialing information for this eQualityThinking panel.

Click to post an open question for the panelists.

The ninth panel of the eQualityThinking Convention is about making true on the promise that “It Gets Better.”

Thousands of people, including President Obama, posted videos with a clear message to our LGBTQ youth who despair in school under the pressure of bullying and harassment. We all said: “It Gets Better.”

This was a very successful campaign started by Dan Savage based on a moving speech given by Fort Worth City Councilmember Joel Burns last year.

Now it is our turn to make good on that promise by passing legislation to protect youth from bullying and harassment in school.

In this important panel we bring together some of the leaders who are working to make it better:

- Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ)

- Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO)

- Eliza Byard, Ph.D., Executive Director, GLSEN

- Charles Robbins, Executive Director/CEO, The Trevor Project

Moderating the questions will be:

- Carolyn Laub, Founder and Executive Director, GSA Network

Don’t miss the eight panel of eQualityThinking, the free, open, virtual convention for LGBTQ equality.

You can hear this panel live tomorrow Tuesday, March 1, 2011 from Noon to 1:00 pm EST (9:00 am to 10:00 am PST)

Click to get the dialing information for this eQualityThinking panel.

Click to post an open question for the panelists.

A panel to discuss how LGBT groups navigate their relationships with corporate America – especially in the wake of the landmark Citizens United decision. Who is thinking bigger and who is acting differently?

Panelists

- David Alexander, Director of Institutional Gifts, NGLTF

- Victoria Fulkerson, Vice President Corporate Relations and Supplier Diversity, National Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

- Daryl Herrschaft, Director, HRC Workplace Project, Human Rights Campaign

- Jean–Marie Navetta, Director of Equality Partnerships and Communications, PFLAG

Question Moderators

- Charlie Rounds, Principal, Forward Motion Travel

- Bob Witeck, CEO and Founder, Witeck-Combs Communications