Received this e-mail from Governor Steve Bullock's (D. MT) re-election campaign:
Greg Gianforte: "Homosexual advocates try to argue that businesses are leery of locating in towns that aren't friendly to homosexuals, I believe the opposite is truer." Tell Gianforte he's wrong >> https://act.myngp.com/...
Here in Montana, one thing we don’t take too kindly to is discrimination. We believe that everyone deserves an equal opportunity. We know discrimination is not only wrong, but it’s also bad for business.
Our likely Republican opponent, Greg Gianforte, disagrees. In fact, he campaigned against the non-discrimination ordinance that passed in Bozeman. He even said he thinks discrimination is good for business. Those aren’t Montana values.
Add your name today and tell Greg Gianforte that discrimination has no place in Montana.
Gianforte spent his time and money fighting against a non-discrimination ordinance and in favor of discrimination. Do you remember the national backlash and embarrassment over the Indiana discrimination law? That’s what Gianforte wants for Montana.
Let’s send Gianforte a strong message that Montanans won’t stand for discrimination. Add your name today >> https://act.myngp.com/...
California's Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom is a bit irritated with Mike Huckabee for implying on ABC's This Week that there is a double standard because Gavin Newsom ordered city and county clerks to issue marriage licenses to gay couples in San Francisco in 2004 and it was not legal. Huckabee says that Newsom wasn't put in jail for that, but that Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was jailed for not issuing marriage licenses.
The problem with that argument is that Gavin Newsom DID stop clerks from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples when he was under court order (by the California Supreme Court) to do so. He did not defy the Court and earn a contempt charge as did Kim Davis.
They’re at it again. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s definitive ruling on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, apologists for hate are equating my 2004 decision to have the City and County of San Francisco issue marriage licenses to all loving couples with last week’s decision by a Kentucky county clerk to refuse marriage certificates to loving same-sex couples.
On ABC’s This Week, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee wondered why Kim Davis was in jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and I was not for doing just the opposite:
You’ve got Democrats who ignored the law when it was the law to have traditional marriage, Gavin Newsom in San Francisco as mayor, performed same-sex weddings even though it was illegal. Did he ever get put in jail? He most certainly did not.
Here are some facts:
1. On February 12, 2004, I ordered the clerk of the City and County of San Francisco to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. I believed that the law on the books at that time, defining marriage between a man and a woman, violated the equal protection clause of the California State Constitution.
2. Citizens challenge the constitutionality of local, state and federal laws all the time. They have that right. That is how our system of democratic governance works. The matter is then handed to the courts to determine the constitutionality of a law.
3. One month and 4,000 marriages after we started, the California Supreme Court ordered the City and County of San Francisco to stop issuing licenses to same-sex couples. We complied with the court’s order immediately.
That’s it, and therein lies the key difference: We did not issue one more license after we received that order from the California Supreme Court. Because the Supreme Court is charged with interpreting the constitution, I could not, in my mind, object to its order — its order is law.
Kim Davis was in jail because she was in contempt of court. She defied the ruling of a federal judge, was given ample room to comply and was finally thrown in jail after she failed to do so. The same would have happened to me had I continued to order the clerk to issue marriage licenses in defiance of the California Supreme Court’s order.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges did not order individuals to perform or recognize same-sex marriages; it ordered state governments to legally recognize same-sex marriages. As the clerk for Rowan County, Ms. Davis took an oath of office where she swore to support the U.S. Constitution — the same constitution that gives the Supreme Court final word on all constitutional matters.
Ms. Davis would like to act as a martyr, but no one has forced her to issue marriage licenses to anyone. She had two very clear choices that would have allowed her to maintain her religious liberty. First, she could have resigned. Second, Judge Bunning told her that he would release her from jail if she would simply allow her deputies to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and not interfere in any way — but she pointedly said that she would interfere and order them not to issue licenses to same-sex couples.
San Francisco’s Winter of Love in 2004 expanded civil rights and furthered the pursuit of liberty and justice for all. The state that prohibited James and John to marry could not prove harm caused to others resulting from their union. In complete contrast, County Clerk Kim Davis’ refusal to allow same-sex couples their constitutional right to marry has the effect of curtailing civil rights and harming those whose love she deems inferior.
I challenge Governor Huckabee and all of Kim Davis’ supporters to think about this question that was posed by Jon Davidson of Lambda Legal:
I have to wonder: just how many of those supporting Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’s refusal to issue marriage licenses based on her religious objection to same-sex couples marrying would support a Quaker government official who refused to issue them gun permits based on a religious commitment to pacifism?
Here’s what I know for sure — while history is not always written by the victors, and while justice delayed is justice denied, one outcome is always certain: In our democracy, tolerance will defeat bigotry, equality will overcome injustice, and love will triumph over hate.
If you have any doubt about that, just look at the picture at the top of this post of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, a couple who, after being together for 50 years, finally had the opportunity to have their love recognized by the county they lived in — a right so many of us have taken for granted.
Thanks for setting the record straight, Mr. Newsom.
Hey everyone! Sorry I've been M.I.A. for the past few weeks. Been busy with a few things and doing some traveling. I'll be back on the road after Labor Day weekend but I figured I would at least do some coverage on a few races today and this week. Lets start off with the Governor's race in Kentucky happening this year. So as you all know, this has been the big story out of Kentucky:
This week, an elected county clerk in Kentucky named Kim Davis is owning the news cycle with a ridiculous George Wallace act, where she refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Even though the Supreme Court has ordered Davis to grow up and do her job, she’s continuing to refuse, putting herself in real danger of being held in contempt and possibly jailed.
If Davis thinks her martyr-for-bigotry act will make her a right-wing hero, however, she might want to think again. Instead of being a sign that conservatives will never give up on this issue, it’s starting to seem instead that Davis’s last stand is evidence that mainstream conservatives have decided to let this one go (for now, anyway), leaving hysterical opposition to same-sex marriage to a right-wing fringe.
The support for Davis amongst more mainstream conservatives has been, at best, muted, even from those who built their career on hating gay people. Maggie Gallagher, whose life’s work has been opposing same-sex marriage, limply wrote in the National Review, “There is no way to maintain the rule of law if public officials can ignore direct court orders.”
The most belligerently anti-gay writer at the Heritage Foundation, Ryan Anderson, wrote, “The citizens of Rowan County have a right to receive in a timely and efficient manner the various government provisions—including licenses—to which they are entitled.” If you peruse conservative media, it becomes clear that they’re more bent out of shape about Obama letting Alaska name its own mountain than they are about this woman’s supposed martyrdom. - TPM, 9/2/15
So it sounds like Davis isn't even that big of a deal in the conservative movement right now. While I'm sure Kentucky voters aren't exactly thrilled about same-sex marriage, it seems like it's not really a big issue in this election. But Matt Bevin (R. KY) seems to be making it a big issue in this race:
"I absolutely support her willingness to stand on her First Amendment rights," said GOP Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Matt Bevin on a national conference call, according to The Courier-Journal. "Without any question I support her."
He also used the controversy surrounding Rowan County Kim Davis -- who will appear in front of a federal judge Thursday for her continued refusal to grant the licenses -- to criticize the Democratic nominee for governor, Jack Conway, who as state attorney general refused to appeal a federal court decision that struck down the Kentucky's same-sex marriage ban.
“There are stark, stark contrasts between myself and Jack Conway,” Bevin said. "His hypocrisy on this issue to say his conscience, not his constitutional right, prevented him from doing his job but he has come out and been on the record as stating these clerks need to do their job or quit." - TPM, 9/2/15
Can't say I'm surprised. Bevin has always been an ignorant and arrogant jerk and he's just trying to play up the social issues to win over socially conservative voters from both parties. It remains to be seen if it will actually pay off.
While we're on this issue, I'm becoming more and more convinced that Presidential candidate, Tea Party Senator Rand Paul (R. KY), will end up running for re-election because he can't secure his own billionaire sugar daddy to back his campaign and has been trailing in the GOP primary polls. He also chimed in on this issue:
"I think people who do stand up and are making a stand to say that they believe in something is an important part of the American way," Paul told Boston Herald Radio, according to The Washington Post.
He made the statement after he laid out his broader theory on how to deal with those with religious objections to same-sex marriage.
"I think one way to get around the whole idea of what the Supreme Court is forcing on the states is for states just to get out of the business of giving out licenses," Paul said. "Alabama has already voted to do this, they’re just no longer going to give out licenses. And anybody can make a contract. And then if you want a marriage contract you go to a church. And so I’ve often said we could have gotten around all of this also in the sense that I do believe everybody has a right to a contract." - TPM, 9/2/15
While Kentucky voters aren't completely sold on Bevin it's likely Paul will get another six years in the U.S. Senate. Right now, the race is really heating up and while Bevin is trying to attack Conway on this issue, the Koch Brothers are trying to defeat Conway be attacking him on this issue:
The political 501(c )(4) group Americans for Prosperity is jumping into the fall election cycle with an ad attempting to tie Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jack Conway to President Barack Obama and the Affordable Care Act.
The ad, first reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader, launched Monday in what AFP told the newspaper is a “hefty” six-figure ad buy. AFP is supported by the billionaire ultra-conservative Koch brothers.
“Jack Conway chose Washington insiders over Kentucky families when he decided not to take Obamacare to court — now we are yolked with double-digit premium increases and thousands of lost jobs,” Julia Crigler, state director of Americans for Prosperity Kentucky, said in a press release. “Kentuckians want affordable, accessible healthcare and rather than listen to our families career-politicians have doubled-down on government-controlled healthcare.” - CN|2, 8/31/15
Bevin has called for dismantling the successful Kynect program that has helped expand Medicaid in Kentucky. Dismantling Kynect would hurt thousands of Kentuckians and cost the state millions of dollars. This is a race we cannot afford to let the Koch Brothers buy. Click here to donate and get involved with Conway's campaign:
Friday The New York Daily News obtained a video of a Staten Island man receiving a very ugly beating from four New York City Police Officers.
The victim, Louis Falcone, 31 says four officers beat him while shouting homophobic slurs, calling him a “fag”and a “faggot.”
“While I was on the ground, I had mud and blood in my mouth,” he said. “One (of the cops) said, ‘Don’t let it get on you, he probably has AIDS, the faggot.’”
"It deeply concerns me to hear any report of prejudice or bias by any public official -- obviously -- especially by a police officer. We take this very, very seriously."
Despite a fairly high level of visibility to the story, there is a lack of transparency to how this is being handled by the NYPD. Initial stories made no reference to any internal investigation.
According to Staten Island Live, The NYPD "would not say if the officers were receiving disciplinary action or identify those who were involved in the incident, which took place in the 122nd precinct." The department says New York City's Civilian Complaint Review Board is reviewing the incident.
Apparently, we are left to assume these four men are still patrolling Staten Island with guns and badges as though nothing has happened.
There are of course claims of belligerence. Which really doesn't explain why they needed beat, and kick him on the ground. At no point does it appear in the video that the officers in question are having a hard time subduing Falcone, should they wish to detain him. On detention, the question is for what? They were called on a noise complaint that by all accounts was no longer valid at the time of the police arrival. It doesn't seem there was any cause to drag him out of his home and beat him.
It's unclear from news reports how Falcone got to the hospital, where he was treated for a broken nose, two black eyes, cuts to his face and body. Falcone recently had foot surgery and was wearing a boot. He alleges this tempted officers to stomp on his foot requiring still more more foot surgery to repair.
Inquiries to the NYPD when unanswered so I reached out to New York City Public Advocate Letitia James' office to see they had any information. I was forwarded this quote from Ms. James:
"I am shocked by the alleged mistreatment and misconduct against Luis Falcone, a gay man from Staten Island. There's simply no place in our country, let alone New York City, for this type of behavior."
Received this e-mail today from Secretary of State Jason Kander's (D. MO) U.S. Senate campaign:
When my friend Jolie Justus emailed after the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling, she remarked that we still had much work to do.
She's right, and that's especially true when it comes to protecting LGBT youth -- children -- who have one of the highest suicide rates in the country.
That's one of the reasons I was actually kind of surprised to hear that Republican Senator Roy Blunt voted against a bill designed to protect students in our schools from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Sign my petition if you believe it's time for the Senate to act to keep our children safe from discrimination in our schools.
Senator Blunt has spent a long time on the wrong side of history when it comes to issues of equality. But these are our children, the most vulnerable among us. And if he can't even stand up to protect them from bullying and discrimination, that's another clear demonstration that it's time for a change.
I'd like to congratulate Catholic Vote for Friday night reaching 1 million YouTube views of their new Supreme Court response video, "Not Alone." This video is, by far, Catholic Vote's most popular video to date, exceeding Catholic Vote's second most-watched video by over 800,000 views. Catholic Vote's YouTube channel currently has just over 2,400 subscribers.
This heartfelt public service announcement speaks to Catholic voters who are despondent over the Supreme Court's recent nationwide legalization of gay marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. (Note: Recent polling suggest that fewer than 40 percent of U.S. Catholics actually agree with the Catholic Church on gay marriage; see the Washington Post, article and also how the Catholic vote went in Ireland.)
It's true the Supreme Court may have radically determined that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens are entitled to the same Equal Protection under the United States Constitution as other citizens. But Catholic Vote wants to assure you it's still your right—even vitally important—to remind everyone you know that (Republican) God still hates gays. The theme "you are not alone," is sure to resonate with the many Americans who feel they are fast losing their entitlement to obnoxiously lord their sincerely held belief in their own inherent supremacy over their fellow US citizens.
"Not Alone" also educates people that anti-gay Americans are the real oppressed victims who are now suffering so much that they are crying real tears on cue and on camera.
Now ordinarily anti-gay activists do not allow ratings or comments on their videos. They are somewhat, shall we say, audience-challenged when not messaging by Church bulletin, Pony Express or cave painting. But Catholic Vote did let the people vote and thumbs down are outpacing thumbs up by a factor of 10.
I and almost everyone else in the nation is celebrating this momentous SCOTUS ruling in favor of nationwide marriage equality. However, religious right fundamentalist leaders are not among those celebrating, to put it mildly. They are having a very bad day. Follow me below the orange marriage decoration for some of those reactions and responses.
Needless to say, this is a momentous day, and there are going to be many, many words written on this site on the subject of today's Supreme Court ruling. But I want to share one story that, well, hits me right in the feels.
Today, despite Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton's urging that county clerks wait to issue licenses, Dallas County began issuing licenses to same-sex couples. Many of these couples have waited a very long time to finally have the right to wed. Including one Dallas couple, in particular:
Received this e-mail today from Attorney General Kamla Harris' (D. CA) U.S. Senate campaign:
Victory!
In a 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court recognized marriage for same-sex couples in every state across America. This is a landmark victory for marriage equality and a ruling in favor of justice, just in time for the 46th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the culmination of Pride Month.
Today's Supreme Court decision brings us one step closer to fulfilling the sacred principle that binds our nation: All people are created equal.
Equality prevailed in California before Proposition 8 passed in 2008, and I remember the dark days afterward, when loving couples lived in limbo, unsure of the future of their unions. I have long fought for equal rights for LGBTQ individuals, and I'm proud that the work we did in California laid the groundwork for the marriage equality cases just decided.
It is an historic day for couples across the country who, until now, only dreamed of legal recognition of their love and commitment. Let's celebrate!
Sign my card congratulating these couples on their historic victory in their long, hard-fought quest for justice:
Jim Obergefell
Valeria Tanco and Sophy Jesty
April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse
Gregory Bourke and Michael DeLeon
David Michener and Robert Grunn
Timothy Love and Lawrence Ysunza
Dominique James and Rev. Maurice "Bojangles" Blanchard
Brittani Henry and LB Rogers
Kelly Noe and Kelly McCracken
Nicole and Pam Yorksmith
Joseph Vitale and Robert Talmas
Ijpe DeKoe and Thom Kostura
Matthew Mansell and Johno Espejo
Those are the plaintiffs in the cases before the Supreme Court, the citizens whose pleas for justice will usher in a new future for America, where same-sex couples have achieved full marriage equality in all aspects of the law and in all 50 states.
Help me congratulate these brave fighters for equality. Sign the card to congratulate the plaintiffs of Obergefell v. Hodges on today's historic Supreme Court victory.
Eleven years since the first legal same-sex marriages were performed in Massachusetts; seven years since the California Supreme Court ruled that marriage was a fundamental right not to be denied gay couples (only to be rebuked by Proposition 8 six months later); three years after the President of the United States stated his support for same-sex marriage; eight months after the Supreme Court refused to stay the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Kitchner v Herbert that Utah's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional; it's over.
In a 5-4 decision, as many expected, in an opinion written by Justice Kennedy, as most expected, and with Justice Scalia in opposition, as everyone expected, bans on same-sex marriages throughout the United States were declared unconsitutional today.
Yes, I am referring to the horrible fire at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans on June 24, 1973. I first wrote about this event last year on May 31. I'll re-post what I wrote below the fold, but first I want to (partially) quote a couple of other articles I found related to the incident today. The UpStairs Inferno documentary premiered in New Orleans today. More on that below. The comment under the photo to the right simply states "UpStairs Lounge patrons during happier times".
32 Killed in Arson Fire At New Orleans Gay Bar: 1973.
The UpStairs Lounge fire was the deadliest in New Orleans’ history, and may very well have been the worst mass murder of gay people in American history. But aside from the first day’s coverage, New Orleans could barely muster a yawn. Newspaper photos of Rev. Larson’s charred body against the window frame came to symbolize the city’s apathy t0ward the tragedy. Talk radio hosts told jokes (“What will they bury the ashes of queers in? Fruit jars.”), and a cab driver callously quipped, “I hope the fire burned their dresses off.” Not only did the New Orleans Police Department barely investigate the crime, they could hardly be bothered to identify the victims. Major Henry Morris, chief detective of the New Orleans Police Department said, “We don’t even know these papers belonged to the people we found them on. Some thieves hung out there, and you know this was a queer bar.” Churches refused to allow families to hold funerals on their premises. Other families refused to claim their dead sons’ bodies. Four unidentified bodies ended up being dumped in a mass grave. Although there was a firm suspect in the case, no one was ever charged.
The deadliest attack on LGBT people in U.S. history is being remembered in powerful new ways today on its 42nd anniversary, including two new films. An arson fire killed 32 people at the UpStairs Lounge, a gay bar in New Orleans, 42 years ago today on June 24, 1973.
“Upstairs Inferno,” directed by Robert Camina and narrated by Christopher Rice, premieres tonight in New Orleans, where “Tracking Fire” is currently filming on location with director Sheri Wright. “Upstairs Inferno” brings humanity to the headlines by interviewing more than 20 people, including several survivors who have kept silent for decades.
Few people cared about the UpStairs Lounge fire at the time. The crime was never solved, churches refused to do funerals for the dead, and four bodies went unclaimed. Now there is a resurgence of interest.
Other recent works about the fire include an award-winning online exhibit at the LGBT Religious Archives Network; the 2014 book “The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-two Dead in a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973” by Clayton Delery-Edwards; and the musical drama “Upstairs” by Louisiana playwright Wayne Self. In 2013 the New Orleans Museum of Art acquired Louisiana artist Skylar Fein’s major installation “Remember the UpStairs Lounge.” The tragedy is also recounted in a short documentary by award-winning film maker Royd Anderson released on June 24, 2013, and in the 2011 book “Let the Faggots Burn: The UpStairs Lounge Fire” by Johnny Townsend.
There is much more about the incident and the documentaries at the link above. I encourage you to check it out if you're interested in this event.
My reporting of the horrible fire and the circumstances surrounding it is below the fold.
We're just getting news that a state judge in Sacramento has tossed the heinous "kill the gays" ballot initiative. I first wrote about this issue back in March. And, then AG Kamala Harris filed suit in state court to have the initiative tossed.
BREAKING:
'Kill gays' initiative tossed from ballot
A judge has granted California Attorney General Kamala... http://t.co/...
Yesterday the California Assembly approved a resolution which denounces the Sodomite Suppression Act, the proposed 2016 ballot measure to have all gay people put to death. The Assembly's move is now moot as a Superior Court judge has approved Attorney General Kamala Harris' request to strike the measure before petition signature gathering can begin. The court's ruling comes despite the position taken by some legal experts who say ballot items cannot be challenged until after being approved by voters. In early May, Sodomite Suppression Act author Matt McLaughlin vowed to have a court force his item directly onto the ballot if he is not allowed to gather petition signatures.
A judge has granted California Attorney General Kamala Harris' request to keep a proposal to kill gay people off the November 2016 ballot.
In his ruling Monday, June 22, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Raymond M. Cadei said that Orange County-based attorney Matthew McLaughlin's "Sodomite Suppression Act" is "patently unconstitutional on its face" and "any preparation and official issuance of a circulating title and summary for the act by the attorney general would be inappropriate, waste public resources, generate unnecessary divisions among the public and tend to mislead the electorate."
"The attorney general is relieved of any obligation to issue a title and summary for the act," Cadei said.
