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 the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) has been passed by the Assembly, and the only remaining obstacle to the bill becoming law is the New York State Senate. The time is NOW to take action and make our final push to get the Senate to vote to end discrimination against transgender New Yorkers. GENDA would amend the state’s human rights law to ban discrimination in housing, employment, credit and public accommodations. It also expands the state’s hate crimes law to explicitly include crimes against transgender people. We need you to get on the phone and call your Senator and the lead Senate sponsor Tom Duane at their Albany offices to tell them that you want them to bring GENDA to the Senate floor and pass it. We’re at a crucial moment and it is vital that they hear from you. Here’s how to make your calls: 1. You can find your State Senator’s Albany phone number here and you can reach Senator Tom Duane at (518) 455-2451. 2. Remember to tell your Senator the number of the GENDA bill (S.2406) and ask them to support GENDA and bring it to the floor for a vote. 3. You can use these talking points about the urgent need for GENDA and the broad support it has: Due to difficulty with job discrimination, one-fifth of transgender New Yorkers have incomes below $10,000 a year Working together, we can win! Start making those phone calls now! http://eqfed.org/espany/all-msgs.html
From The Empire State Pride Agenda From: jsolmonsohn The New York State Assembly has passed the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) for the third time. The Empire State Pride Agenda thanks the Assembly for once again taking a stand in support of transgender rights. The final vote tally is posted on “The Agenda” blog. Now, it’s time for the Senate to act! The Pride Agenda will be launching a GENDA Call-In Day to Senators statewide next week. Click here to tell your friends to sign up for our Action Alerts today so that they will hear from us next week when it’s time to take action! The Pride Agenda just released the following statement regarding the Assembly’s passage of GENDA: New York State Assembly passes bill banning transgender discrimination; Pride Agenda calls on State Senate to act Today the New York State Assembly voted by an overwhelming bipartisan margin to amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression. The bill (A.5710), known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), bans discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, credit and public accommodations. It also expands the state’s hate crimes law to explicitly include crimes against transgender people. The Assembly has now passed the bill by large bipartisan margins the past three years; Governor Paterson has also said he will sign GENDA into law should the Legislature send it to him. “Transgender New Yorkers shouldn’t have to live in fear that they lack basic protections and could lose their job or be denied a lease on an apartment or service in a restaurant just because of who they are,” said Interim Executive Director Joe Tarver. “In passing this bill, the Assembly continues to demonstrate its leadership on civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) New Yorkers. We thank Assemblymember Richard Gottfried for his sponsorship and support of this bill, as well as the Assemblymembers who voted to pass it.” “The State Senate remains the only obstacle to passing GENDA. It is now time for the Senate to follow the Assembly’s lead and end discrimination against transgender New Yorkers once and for all by passing GENDA,” said Tarver. “Transgender New Yorkers can’t—and shouldn’t have to—wait any longer.” Transgender people face severe discrimination in New York. A 2009 needs assessment of New York State’s LGBT community conducted for the Pride Agenda found that 20.7% of transgender New Yorkers have incomes of under $10,000 a year, and one-third are or have been homeless at one time; 28.4% have experienced a physical or sexual assault motivated by transphobic or homophobic violence that was serious enough to require medical care. Twelve states and the District of Columbia have comprehensive laws banning discrimination based upon gender identity and expression, covering public and private sector employment as well as other areas of everyday life. Eight additional states including New York have executive orders covering public employees only. According to a March 2008 Global Strategy poll, 78 percent of registered New York voters support passing a bill to protect transgender people. This support is strong across the state, including upstate (74%), New York City (79%) and the downstate suburbs (82%); and among Democrats (86%), Republicans (67%) and Independent voters (78%) alike. For more information and to get involved, contact Joanna Solmonsohn, LI Program Organizer at 212.627.0305 x103 or jsolmonsohn@prideagenda.org. http://eqfed.org/espany/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=38057040
 (No Ratings Yet) From The Empire State Pride Agenda From: jsolmonsohn The New York State Assembly has passed the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) for the third time. The Empire State Pride Agenda thanks the Assembly for once again taking a stand in support of transgender rights. The final vote tally is posted on “The Agenda” blog. Now, it’s time for the Senate to act! The Pride Agenda will be launching a GENDA Call-In Day to Senators statewide next week. Click here to tell your friends to sign up for our Action Alerts today so that they will hear from us next week when it’s time to take action! The Pride Agenda just released the following statement regarding the Assembly’s passage of GENDA: New York State Assembly passes bill banning transgender discrimination; Pride Agenda calls on State Senate to act Today the New York State Assembly voted by an overwhelming bipartisan margin to amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based upon gender identity and expression. The bill (A.5710), known as the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA), bans discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, credit and public accommodations. It also expands the state’s hate crimes law to explicitly include crimes against transgender people. The Assembly has now passed the bill by large bipartisan margins the past three years; Governor Paterson has also said he will sign GENDA into law should the Legislature send it to him. “Transgender New Yorkers shouldn’t have to live in fear that they lack basic protections and could lose their job or be denied a lease on an apartment or service in a restaurant just because of who they are,” said Interim Executive Director Joe Tarver. “In passing this bill, the Assembly continues to demonstrate its leadership on civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) New Yorkers. We thank Assemblymember Richard Gottfried for his sponsorship and support of this bill, as well as the Assemblymembers who voted to pass it.” “The State Senate remains the only obstacle to passing GENDA. It is now time for the Senate to follow the Assembly’s lead and end discrimination against transgender New Yorkers once and for all by passing GENDA,” said Tarver. “Transgender New Yorkers can’t—and shouldn’t have to—wait any longer.” Transgender people face severe discrimination in New York. A 2009 needs assessment of New York State’s LGBT community conducted for the Pride Agenda found that 20.7% of transgender New Yorkers have incomes of under $10,000 a year, and one-third are or have been homeless at one time; 28.4% have experienced a physical or sexual assault motivated by transphobic or homophobic violence that was serious enough to require medical care. Twelve states and the District of Columbia have comprehensive laws banning discrimination based upon gender identity and expression, covering public and private sector employment as well as other areas of everyday life. Eight additional states including New York have executive orders covering public employees only. According to a March 2008 Global Strategy poll, 78 percent of registered New York voters support passing a bill to protect transgender people. This support is strong across the state, including upstate (74%), New York City (79%) and the downstate suburbs (82%); and among Democrats (86%), Republicans (67%) and Independent voters (78%) alike. For more information and to get involved, contact Joanna Solmonsohn, LI Program Organizer at 212.627.0305 x103 or jsolmonsohn@prideagenda.org. http://eqfed.org/espany/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=38057040
-by Tommy News, Citizen Journalist President Obama opened a bipartisan conference on health-care reform on February 25th, in a last-ditch effort to secure a compromise bill, urging lawmakers on both sides of the issue to focus on areas of agreement. The version of the bill passed by the House of Representatives in December included provisions for LGBT health care reform introduced by Representative Tammy Baldwin, however, the Senate version made no provisions for LGBT health care reform whatsoever. The new version presented by President Obama also includes no LGBT provisions, and no public option. As the bill is now being re-worked and reconciled, I urge you to call, fax, email, send web forms and postal mail to President Obama, US Senators, and Members of the House urging them to include LGBT and HIV/AIDS health care provisions as well as a public option in the revised Health Insurance Reform Bill. Tell them to look at the Health Care System in Canada as a model for the public option. Please take action and pass this message on to everyone in your address book. Contact Information: www.congress.org US Senator Contact Information: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm United States Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121Toll Free 1-800-517-5696 Ask for your two Senators. US House of Representatives Member Contact Information: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml United States Capitol switchboard (202) 224-3121Toll Free 1-800-517-5696 Ask for your Congressman. White House Contact Information: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact You can also call or write to the President: Phone Numbers TTY/TDD Please take action and pass this message on to everyone in your address book.
“Run, Sarah, Run!” Palin Talks the Talk and Teabaggers Walk The Walk at “Gaylord Opryland”: “Drill, Baby, Drill!” From The New York Times: Convention organizer Judson Phillips remarked to Palin in the question and answer segment following her speech, Phillips was right about that. Those two words scare me to death. As President, Sarah Palin could easily start World War Three. Dear Gay Lord, Please Stop her. Read the New York Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/us/politics/08palin.html?hp
Frank Rich: Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet A funny thing happened after Adm. Mike Mullen called for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military: A curious silence befell much of the right. If this were a Sherlock Holmes story, it would be the case of the attack dogs that did not bark. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/opinion/07rich.html?ref=opinion
Frank Rich: Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet A funny thing happened after Adm. Mike Mullen called for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military: A curious silence befell much of the right. If this were a Sherlock Holmes story, it would be the case of the attack dogs that did not bark. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/opinion/07rich.html?ref=opinion
TAKE ACTION: Complain To CBS About Superbowl Ads; CBS and Its Homophobic Superbowl Double-Standard. Tell CBS Not To Air the hateful Tim Tebow Anti-Abortion Advocacy Ad and Replace it with the funny Mancrunch Gay Dating Ad they rejected or you will boycott the Superbowl, CBS, and it’s sponsors. From The Huffington Post: So fine, CBS, show the ad. Even though you have a history of rejecting advocacy ads, even though it might upset some of your audience, let’s do it — we’re a nation of grownups, and it’s 2010. We can handle it, right? This is the point where I punch a wall — because apparently that only applies to pro-life ads featuring handsome football players wearing Bible-verse makeup. CBS has REJECTED the scary Mancrunch ad featuring two football fans realizing they leurve each other and making out furiously. It’s true! It’s too hot for TV! Apparently the network that thought it was okay to have Frosty the Snowman talking about his PORN COLLECTION gets all squirmy when confronted with two schlubby dudes touching hands in the chip dish and then going in for the smooch (and by the way, for the fakest, spoofiest most non-lip-touching smooch ever. Read the article and see the ad here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-sklar/cbs-and-its-homophobic-su_b_443281.html Write CBS here: audsvcs@cbs.com Webforms Here: http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.php Postal Mail: Audience Services Call Here: Fax Here
The horrible consequences of the Supreme Court Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling. -by Tommy News The Conservative Supreme Court of The United States has murdered Democracy as we know it. Supreme Court Sanctioned Murder Of Democracy! Keith Olbermann Special Comment Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMTJ–JWJqM Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9ZeUjSpF5g What we can do: Protest and contact our elected officials. Take Action: Sign The Save Our Democracy Petition From Congressinal Candidate Alan Grayson: The Supreme Court stabbed Democracy this morning. I was there; I saw it happen. I brought our petition with me — your signatures — and presented them to the Court. Now it’s time to act. We have filed six bills to reverse this assault, the “Save Our Democracy” platform. Sign this petition today, and show your support for saving our democracy. Together, we will move these bills forward and prevent the sale of our government to the highest bidder. Petition Text: PETITION TEXT I support the “Save Our Democracy” Platform: We cannot have a government that is bought and paid for by huge multinational corporations. We need a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Sign the petition Here and forward this message on: http://salsa.mydccc.org/o/30019/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4&tag=redirect http://salsa.mydccc.org/o/30019/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4&tag=redirect
Off Topic Action: Haiti Earthquake Relief: Resources and how to help -resources compiled by Tommy News Haiti Chief Says Thousands May Be Dead United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today issued an urgent call to the international community to assist Haiti following yesterday’s catastrophic earthquake that has devastated the impoverished Caribbean nation’s capital. “There is no doubt that we are facing a major humanitarian emergency and that a major relief effort will be required,” he said. Expressing gratitude to nations rushing aid to the earthquake’s victims, he called for the world to “come to Haiti’s aid in this hour of need.” The UN, he said, is also mobilizing an emergency response team to help coordinate humanitarian relief efforts and is expected to be on the ground shortly. Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33470&Cr=haiti&Cr1 United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) Donate Here: http://ochaonline.un.org/cerf/DonateNow/HowtoDonate/tabid/1819/language/en-US/Default.aspx Haiti: Resources and how to help Associated Press: The U.S. State Department Operations Center set up the following number for Americans seeking information about relatives in Haiti: (888) 407-4747. The department cautioned that because of heavy volume, some callers may hear a recording. The department also suggested contacting agencies such as the Red Cross or Mercy Corps to help with relief efforts. American Red Cross Disaster Online Newsroom Disaster Alert: Earthquake in Haiti 12:30am (1/13/2010) You can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for Haiti. The donation will be charged to your cellphone bill. 6:20 pm The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake, and is prepared to take further action as local responders assess the situation. As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. The American Red Cross is accepting donations through their International Response Fund. Donations can be sent to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013 or made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org. Mercy Corps Make a donation through Mercy Corps Call for registered nurses to help quake victims OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A national organization of registered nurses is calling for nurse volunteers to assist residents of earthquake devastated Haiti. In a statement Tuesday, National Nurses United Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro said the organization is calling on nurses throughout the U.S. to join in this critical effort. Through the Registered Nurse Response Network, the organization says it hopes to send nurses to provide emergency short term and long term medical support as it has in previous major disasters. The organization says details are still being worked out, but nurses can sign up at the NNU Web site, www.nationalnursesunited.org. The 7.0-magnitude quake — the most powerful to hit Haiti in more than 200 years — struck Haiti’s capital on Tuesday. http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fgw-haiti-earthquake-resources13-2009jan13,0,1415237.story Huffington Post: An earthquake centered near the impoverished Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince caused the collapse of several buildings and an unknown number of fatalities Tuesday. The quake measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and at least 1.8 million people live within the area where the earthquake had its highest intensity. Huffington Post Impact is working to collect a comprehensive list of links and ways to get involved in relief efforts, detailed below. NOTE: We will continually be updating this page. If you have more information about how people can get involved in relief efforts, leave a comment or e-mail us at impact@huffingtonpost.com. U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that his “thoughts and prayers” were with the people of Haiti. “We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti,” Obama said in a statement. The Obama administration said that the State Department, USAID and the U.S. military were working to coordinate an assessment of the situation and any possible assistance. •The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund. •UNICEF has issued a statement that “Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them.” UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF. •Donate through Wyclef Jean’s foundation, Yele Haiti. Text “Yele” to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the organization. •Operation USA is appealing for donations of funds from the public and corporate donations in bulk of health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Donate online at www.opusa.org, by phone at 1-800-678-7255 or, by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232. •Ben Stiller’s Stillerstrong campaign will be temporarily diverting all donations to support the Haiti relief effort. •Partners In Health reports its Port-au-Prince clinical director , Louise Ivers, has appealed for assistance: “Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS… Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us.” Donate to their Haiti earthquake fund. •Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year. Donate online, call 1-888-256-1900 or send checks to Mercy Corps Haiti Earthquake Fund; Dept NR; PO Box 2669; Portland, OR 97208. •Direct Relief is committing up to $1 million in aid for the response and is coordinating with its other in-country partners and colleague organizations. Their partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damien Children’s Hospital, and the Visitation Hospital, which are particularly active in emergency response. Donate to Direct Relief online. •Oxfam is rushing in teams from around the region to respond to the situation to provide clean water, shelter, sanitation and help people recover. Donate to Oxfam America online. •International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. Donate online. Go Here for the links: http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20100113/cm_huffpost/421014 http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20100113/cm_huffpost/421014
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