HRC Back Story

Good afternoon,

It’s hard to believe, but the Human Rights Campaign Twelfth Annual National Dinner is just two months away.

Earlier this week, HRC announced that personal finance expert Suze Orman will be presented with the National Equality Award. In addition to being a best-selling author and Emmy Award-winning talk show host, Suze is someone whose commonsense financial advice has been heard by people across the nation and the globe. That this advice comes from an open lesbian bridges the divide between LGBT and heterosexual communities and proves that we all share the same concerns about paying our bills, feeding and clothing our children, and buying homes.

This idea is particularly resonant in this election year. The night of the dinner, October 4th, is exactly one month from Election Day, and HRC will be working overtime to guarantee that the first Tuesday in November brings the change that our community has worked so hard to achieve.

By that time, HRC and our state and local partners will have trained hundreds of pro-equality activists to volunteer in some of this year’s most crucial races through our Camp Equality program. The success of these two-day trainings led us to increase the number of camps from the originally slated 13 to 18. The twenty-six promising young participants in the Campaign College program will be deployed to targeted races across the country, working full-time as members of the staffs of fair-minded candidates and campaigns to beat back discriminatory ballot measures. To keep up with the latest news on these programs, check out the HRC Back Story blog.

This is our Year to Win. There is so much our community stands to gain—relationship recognition, working to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and the passage of fully inclusive hate crimes and employment protections.

But this week brought another solemn example of just what we’re fighting for. Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old transgender woman, was brutally murdered in Greeley, Colorado in what prosecutors are calling a hate crime. Jose Andrade, charged with first-degree murder and a possibly sentence-extending bias crime, has attempted to justify his actions by invoking a “trans panic” defense. It’s nothing more than a scurrilous attempt to blame the victim for this heinous crime. The case is a reminder of the violence that threatens transgender people every day, and the urgent work we must do to put an end to it. Just this week, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs reported on a rash of hate crimes that have plagued the nation since February.

One need look only to Angie, to Lawrence King, to former Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, or to Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon to understand just how much is at stake in 2008. I hope you’ll join us, for Camp Equality or the National Dinner or on the campaign trail.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

P.S. There’s another important election year event between today and the National Dinner. On August 26th, HRC will hold the Rock to Win event in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright will perform. There’s still time to reserve your seat! Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Good afternoon,

To me, this week vividly illustrated the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community’s progress, inching ever closer to our goal of full equality. We’re building momentum—and it couldn’t have come at a better time. This momentum is our signal to ramp up our efforts and throw all our community’s strength and energy into working to make fairness and justice a reality.

The president’s signing of the PEPFAR reauthorization bill with the repeal of the HIV travel and immigration ban presents us with just this sort of opportunity. We appreciate the president signing the repeal of this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States, and we thank our allies on Capitol Hill who fought to end this injustice.

But we’re not done yet.

Now, we must call on Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt to remove the remaining regulatory barriers to HIV-positive visitors and immigrants. To remove HIV/AIDS from the list of communicable diseases precluding entry into the United States, HHS will have to promulgate new regulations. The new regulations must first be published in the Federal Register, to allow for public comment. After the proposed regulation first appears there, a 30, 60, or 90-day comment period follows and only then is it finalized. I will be sure to let all of you know what you can do to speed up this process when we learn more.

Yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed a repeal of a 1913 law that was used to bar out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying in the state. Same-sex couples from any state will now be able to marry in Massachusetts, although their marriage may not be recognized by their home state.

Governor Patrick, the Massachusetts legislature, MassEquality, and GLAD deserve applause for repealing this antiquated and discriminatory law. The law’s repeal isn’t just a victory for loving, committed couples who wish to have at least some legal recognition of their relationship. This law’s repeal is a moral acknowledgment that the fundamental right to marry knows no borders, and that gay and lesbian couples shouldn’t be barred from marrying in Massachusetts just because their home states have discriminatory marriage laws.

Across the nation, the LGBT community and our allies are using these victories to fuel themselves for what could be the most important fight of our lives: the elections in November and the ballot initiative battles in California, Arizona, Florida and Arkansas.

Last weekend, HRC Board of Directors member Bruce Basttian stood up during our annual San Francisco gala dinner and pledged $1 million to the campaign to defeat California’s Proposition 8, which would end marriage equality in the state. Bruce’s unforgettably generous donation was motivated not only by his personal dedication to LGBT equality, but by a desire to inspire those who have heretofore stood on the sidelines to rise up, as he did, and vow to contribute to this vitally important struggle.

If the events of this week are any indication of things to come, then we could be on the verge of breakthroughs that could lead us to the passage of fully-inclusive employment protections, the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and more widespread recognition of LGBT families. But we’ve got no time to rest. Our community and its allies must join together and work harder than we ever have to capitalize on this momentum and move full-speed ahead toward our goal: full equality, full inclusion, and full recognition under the law.

As always, I’ll be sure to keep all of you updated on our progress, the obstacles we must overcome, and how you can play a part in it.

Before I end today, I want to send our thoughts and prayers to the members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville on behalf of the entire HRC family. Harry Knox, director of the HRC Foundation’s Religion and Faith Program, attended a candlelight vigil honoring the victims on Monday of this week. He praised the Unitarian Universalists for their staunch support of the LGBT community. To learn more about the vigil, please read a Boston Globe article on the event here.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

P.S. Check your mailboxes for the latest issue of Equality Magazine, which features Senator Barack Obama on its cover.  Other topics in this quarter’s issue include Senator John McCain’s record on LGBT issues, the California marriage battle, and last month’s Congressional hearing on transgender issues.

With just 100 days to go before November’s election, we had a great show focusing on some of the politics of the moment as well as some lighter topics last night on The Agenda with Joe Solmonese.  Here are audio clips of some segments of the program:

Rep. Robert Wexler
The six term Florida Congressman talks about his new book “Fire Breathing Liberal.”  Listen:
• http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080728/wexler.mp3

Page Gardner
The executive director of Women’s Voices. Women Vote. talks about Barack Obama’s advantage among unmarried women.  Listen:
• http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080728/gardner.mp3

Dan Hunt
The filmmaker behind the new documentary “Bear Run” discusses the gay male bear subculture.  Listen:
• http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080728/hunt.mp3

Paul Alexander
This biographer of McCain gives an in-depth look at the Senator.  Listen:
• http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080728/alexander1.mp3
• http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080728/alexander2.mp3

Damien Holbrook
The TV Guide senior writer discusses the fall TV season.  Listen:
• http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080728/holbrook1.mp3
• http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080728/holbrook2.mp3

To read the full blog entry on last night’s show, go to: http://www.theagendaonxm.org/2008/07/29/135

On Wednesday, for the first time since 1993, Congress held an oversight hearing to review the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) law. Its aim was to start an important dialogue on the national security impact of losing qualified, capable service members for no other reason than their sexual orientation. The hearing was held by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Military Personnel of the Armed Services Committee.

Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1246), and Subcommittee Chair Susan Davis (D-CA) were the leading forces working to make this hearing a reality. It was particularly gratifying that Tauscher and lead Republican sponsor Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) both attended the hearing to speak out against DADT even though they do not serve on the subcommittee.  The repeal bill is cosponsored by 142 of Tauscher and Shays’ fellow Members of Congress.

HRC worked in coalition with a number of organizations, including Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, Stonewall Democrats, the Log Cabin Republicans, PFLAG, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and others, to call for this hearing. Together with our coalition partners, HRC will continue to take on the tough work required to ensure that any patriot can serve in the military openly, honestly, and with honor.

The three witnesses who testified spoke eloquently in support of ending the discriminatory policy.  Here are excerpts from their remarks:

Staff Sergeant Eric Alva (Ret.), a dear, dear member of the HRC family, spoke of his frustration at being deemed at once a hero and unworthy of service:

I received the Purple Heart, along with visits from the President and First Lady. I was told I was a hero. That landmine may have put an end to my military career that day, but it didn’t put an end to my secret. That would come years later, when I realized that I had fought and nearly died to secure rights for others that I myself was not free to enjoy. I had proudly served a country that was not proud of me.

Major General Vance Coleman (Ret.), who served in the U.S. Army for more than 30 years, told the panel about his own personal experience of being devalued for arbitrary reasons:

I know what it is like to be thought of as second-class, and I know what it is like to have your hard work dismissed because of who you are or what you look like…It is bewildering and counter-intuitive to me that we maintain a federal law that says, no matter how well a person does his or her job, no matter how integral to their unit they are, they must be removed, disrespected and dismissed because of who they happen to be, or who they happen to love.

Captain Joan E. Darrah (Ret.), who served for nearly 30 years in the U.S. Navy, gave dramatic testimony on the immense strain of serving under DADT:

On Tuesday, September 11, I was at the Pentagon attending the weekly 8:30 intelligence briefing…When American Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon, I was at the Pentagon bus stop. As it turned out, the space I had been in seven minutes earlier was completely destroyed. Seven of my co-workers were killed. The reality is that if I had been killed, my partner, then of 11 years, would have been the last to know as I had not dared to list her in my emergency contact information.

HRC staffers live-blogged throughout the hearing. Their accounts are posted here. You can also check out a piece Eric Alva wrote for Huffington Post here.  Additionally, the hearing was covered by several mainstream media sources such as the Associated Press, Newsweek, USA Today. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post also wrote his assessment of the hearing yesterday.

Before I end today, I want to remind all of you who’ll be in Denver for the Democratic National Convention to get your tickets to HRC’s Rock to Win event. Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright and others will be performing at this celebration of GLBT equality—it’s a can’t miss! Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. I’ll see you there!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

P.S. I’ve got some breaking news for you as well: last night, the U.S. House approved PEPFAR, the global AIDS initiative that includes a repeal of the ban on travel and immigration for HIV-positive individuals, 303-115. The bill now heads to the president, who is expected to sign the bill. This is a huge victory for our community! I’ll keep you all updated as developments occur.

More good news: HRC praised the U.S. House of Representatives for approving late Thursday afternoon the repeal of our nation’s discriminatory law barring HIV-positive visitors and immigrants.  Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) secured a provision to repeal this ban in the Senate’s legislation to reauthorize PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.  The PEPFAR bill passed the Senate last week with the Kerry-Smith provision by a vote of 80 to 16. The House approved that Senate-passed bill by a vote of 303-115 and it now heads to the president’s desk. 

Here's Joe Solmonese's statement:

Congressional backing for the repeal of this unjust and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States is a huge step forward for equality.  The HIV travel and immigration ban performs no public health service, is unnecessary and ineffective. We thank our allies on the Hill who fought to end this injustice and now call on President George W. Bush to sign the PEPFAR bill into law and ask Secretary of Health and Human Services Leavitt to remove the remaining regulatory barriers to HIV-positive visitors and immigrants.

From California Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D), one of the House sponsors of the legislation to repeal the ban:

I am so pleased that we were able to eliminate the unjust and discriminatory policy banning HIV/AIDS positive people from entering the United States.  It’s far past time we got rid of this shameful policy.  I’m glad we were able to remove the statutory ban and pass this bill less than two weeks before the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

Here's a little bit of background on HRC's involvement in working to repeal the HIV travel ban: HRC has been a lead organization lobbying on Capitol Hill for the repeal and will continue to work to ensure that Department of Health and Human Services’ regulations are changed.  HRC has worked closely with the offices of Sens. John Kerry and Gordon Smith, as well as Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the sponsor of an effort to repeal the ban in the House of Representatives.  Both Sen. Kerry and Rep. Lee participated in a national media conference call held by HRC in March. 

In addition to action alerts urging members to contact their Senators, HRC and Immigration Equality drafted a coalition letter on behalf of more than 165 organizations in support of the Kerry-Smith provision in the PEPFAR bill, and has directly lobbied numerous Senate offices on the repeal measure.

In December of 2007, Senators Kerry and Smith introduced legislation, the HIV Non-Discrimination in Travel and Immigration Act (S. 2486), to repeal the ban.  In the House, U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced similar the legislation, H.R. 3337, in August 2007.  The travel and immigration ban prohibits HIV-positive foreign nationals from entering the U.S. unless they obtain a special waiver, which can only allow for short-term travel.  Current policy also prevents the vast majority of foreign nationals with HIV from obtaining legal permanent residency in the United States. 

The HIV travel ban originated in 1987 (the language was introduced by Sen. Jesse Helms) and was explicitly codified by Congress in 1993, despite efforts in the public health community to remove the ban when Congress reformed U.S. immigration law in the early 1990s.  While immigration law currently excludes foreigners with any “communicable disease of public health significance” from entering the U.S., only HIV is explicitly named in the statute.  For all other illnesses, the Secretary of Health and Human Services retains the ability, with the medical expertise of his department, to determine which illnesses truly pose a risk to public health.

Today is the last full day of the Netroots Nation 2008 blogger's conference in Austin, Texas. Check out my latest updates from the convention here.

Good afternoon,

I am happy to report that this week brought deeply satisfying evidence that our community is making progress.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve the reauthorization of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, more commonly known as PEPFAR. The legislation included a provision sponsored by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) that would repeal a discriminatory policy barring almost anyone with HIV from short-term travel to the U.S. or obtaining legal permanent residency. The bill passed 80 to 16.

The ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants originated in 1987, and was explicitly codified by Congress in 1993, at a time when fear and stigma still trumped public health and medical expertise in driving HIV/AIDS policy. Shamefully, for over 20 years—even as HIV/AIDS awareness increased—the HIV travel and immigration ban remained on the books. With this week’s huge legislative victory, this injustice can finally start to be remedied. The Senate’s change is welcome, and long overdue. We applaud the Senate for rejecting this unfair and sweeping policy that deems HIV-positive individuals inadmissible to the United States.

The HIV ban is ineffective, unnecessary, and has dubious worth as a public health policy. It is especially harmful to GLBT families, who do not benefit from the immigration waiver available to opposite-sex couples. The Senate passage of the bill is a remarkable step forward. With hard work, determination, collaboration, and focus, we have come so far in conquering outdated ideas surrounding HIV/AIDS and replacing them with more enlightened views on the human toll of ignorance codified into law.

For example, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) had introduced an amendment to strike the Kerry-Smith provision from the PEFPAR bill. However, the efforts of Senators Kerry and Smith, in addition to robust advocacy from the Human Rights Campaign and our coalition partners, secured enough opposition to the Sessions amendment that the Senator agreed not to bring it forward for a vote. Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) attempted to have the bill named for the recently-deceased former Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC)—even though Helms was the primary advocate for the useless HIV travel and immigration ban. Thankfully, this effort was also squashed.

The repeal of the HIV travel and immigration ban still has to clear several hurdles before it becomes official. The House is expected to pass the Senate’s PEPFAR bill soon and send it to the President who is expected to sign it.  At that point, though the HIV travel and immigration ban will repealed from our nation’s laws, we will have to work with the Department of Health and Human Services to remove HIV from its regulations barring individuals with certain communicable diseases from entering the U.S.

HRC has been a lead organization lobbying on Capitol Hill for the repeal. Our legislative team has worked closely with the offices of Senators John Kerry and Gordon Smith, as well as Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), the sponsor of an effort to repeal the ban in the House of Representatives. Both Senator Kerry and Rep. Lee participated in an HRC national media conference call aimed at educating them about the issue in March. In addition to action alerts urging members to contact their Senators, HRC drafted a coalition letter on behalf of more than 165 organizations in support of the Kerry-Smith provision in the PEPFAR bill, and have directly lobbied numerous Senate offices on the repeal measure.

Not only is the bill’s success gratifying, it’s an historic denunciation of antiquated, mean-spirited prejudice masquerading as legitimate policy. I am so proud of HRC’s work on behalf of the HIV travel ban’s repeal and pleased that it passed the Senate by such a large margin. This is another great legislative victory—hopefully one in a long line of victories to come.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

P.S. The first Congressional hearings on the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy since 1993 are scheduled to take place next week. It’s another exciting step toward equality! I’ll be sure to keep you all updated as developments occur.

HRC Public Policy Advocate Dena Wigder Feldman and the rest of the HRC legislative team worked tirelessly to assist Senate allies in their quest to pass PEPFAR with the Kerry-Smith HIV travel ban repeal. Last night, their vision became reality as the bill passed 80-16. Dena has written a guest post about what this work entailed. Thanks Dena!

*************************************************************************************

Shamefully, for over 20 years, the United States has had a policy barring almost anyone with HIV from short-term travel to the U.S. or obtaining legal permanent residency.   Now, we are very close to repealing this unfair law.  Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) secured a provision in legislation reauthorizing U.S. efforts to combat global AIDS (known as PEPFAR) which would remove this discriminatory ban from our nation’s laws.  Unfortunately, anti-gay Senators signaled their opposition to repealing the ban, and Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) filed an amendment to strike the Kerry-Smith provision from the PEPFAR bill and leave the ban in place.

The HRC legislative team has been working for months to educate Senators about the need to repeal the ban and end this draconian policy.   In the run up to a vote on the Sessions amendment, we were in constant contact with key staff from the offices of Senators Kerry and Smith, counting our votes and figuring out which Senators needed more education.  We shared talking points and background materials with staff in dozens of Senate offices.  We took the lead in matching up Senate offices and key coalition partners, helping to ensure that Senators and staff heard from the groups and constituents that have the most sway with them.  The legislative team was not alone in our hard work on this fight.  This was truly an organization-wide effort.  With the great work of our colleagues at HRC we sent out a nationwide action alert urging our members and supporters to contact their Senators in support of the Kerry-Smith provision and against attempts to strike it.  Additionally, we spent numerous hours briefing reporters and answering technical questions from Senate offices.

In the end, all the hard work paid off.  The heroic efforts of Senators Kerry and Smith, in addition to the intense lobbying efforts executed by HRC and our coalition allies, secured more than enough support for repealing the ban. There was simply no appetite, on either side of the aisle, to move forward with a mean-spirited effort to strike the Kerry-Smith language.  Senator Sessions decided not to offer his amendment after all and the PEPFAR bill passed the Senate last night by a vote of 80-16 with the Kerry-Smith provision intact!

Now we move to ensure that the Kerry-Smith provision is included in the final legislation sent to the President’s desk.  We are excited to be so close to removing this policy from our nation’s laws and thank everyone who helped to achieve this historic victory!

Yesterday afternoon, the Senate passed a crucial global HIV/AIDS funding bill that included an amendment to repeal the ban preventing HIV positive individuals from entering and seeking permanent residency in the United States under most circumstances:

PEPFAR passed the Senate with the Kerry-Smith provision by a vote of 80 to 16 and now moves to conference committee before being sent to the President.

The travel and immigration ban prohibits HIV-positive foreign nationals from entering the U.S. unless they obtain a special waiver, which can only allow for short-term travel.  Current policy also prevents the vast majority of foreign nationals with HIV from obtaining legal permanent residency in the United States.[...]

"We call on the leaders of the House and Senate to retain the Kerry-Smith provision in conference and ensure it is included in the final legislation sent to the President’s desk," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. 

This is, obviously, a long overdue development and removes n of the last vestiges of Jesse Helm's legacy of fear and discrimination.

Joe and Mary might have been on vacation but that didn’t keep them from offering a fresh new edition of The Agenda with Joe Solmonese last night. They were broadcasting live from Martha’s Vineyard and gave us a GLBT taste of the island.  If you missed the show, you can download audio clips of some segments of the program - or just use the player below (Internet Explorer only):

Alan Dershowitz:
The attorney and famed constitutional scholar discussed the Bush record on civil liberties and the future of the Supreme Court. LISTEN HERE.

Peter Simon:
Carly Simon’s brother discussed his photography of Martha’s Vineyard and his books on reggae.  LISTEN HERE.

Tony Lombardi:
The program director at the Safe Haven Project discussed HIV/AIDS education on the island.  LISTEN HERE. PART I, PART II.

To read the full blog entry on last night’s show, go to: http://www.theagendaonxm.org/2008/07/15/133/

On Tonight’s The Agenda with Joe Solmonese:

Special “vacation edition” live from Martha’s Vineyard:

·         Attorney Alan Dershowitz

·         Jill Nelson, author of Finding Martha’s Vineyard, African Americans at Home on an Island

·         Julia Wells, Vineyard Gazette editor

·         Peter Simon, photographer and author (and Carly’s Brother)

·         Dan Waters, local poet, printer and printmaker

Tune in live from 6 – 8 p.m. eastern every Monday on XM channel 155.  Download clips at www.hrc.org/TheAgenda every Tuesday.

Former Senator Jesse Helms, the notorious author of dozens of measures attacking GLBT and HIV-positive people during his years in the Senate, died on July 4. Unfortunately, the legacy of discrimination against HIV-positive people he helped to create lives on in a law that bars nearly every foreign person with HIV from entering the United States. That's right – with very few exceptions, an HIV-positive individual cannot come to the United States for any reason, be it to visit, work, study or become a legal resident.

It's an embarrassment and an outrage. And at long last, we have a chance to bring it to an end.

Ask your Senator to stand up against bias and ensure that the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants is repealed.

Earlier this year, Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Smith (R-OR) added language to repeal this discriminatory law that was included in legislation reauthorizing efforts to fight HIV across the globe, commonly known as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). We thought we were close to finally ending the discriminatory ban which prevents HIV positive individuals from entering the country or obtaining legal U.S. citizenship.

But now, just as Congress is preparing to vote on the PEPFAR bill anti-gay Senators are pushing to remove this critical provision keeping the discriminatory ban in place.

Send a message urging your Senator  to support the Kerry-Smith provision and to ensure that the repeal of the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants remains in PEPFAR.

This discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS is inexcusable, and the policy has serious consequences. It separates families, denies American businesses access to talented workers, and bars students and tourists from accessing opportunities and supporting our economy. And it is just downright wrong.

Because of stigma alone, HIV is the only medical condition codified in U.S. law as a basis for inadmissibility for short-term travel and immigration – the admissibility of persons with all other communicable diseases is at the discretion of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Removing the ban would treat HIV/AIDS like all other medical conditions in the eyes of the law. The U.S. is one of only 12 countries – including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Sudan – that maintains such harsh and outdated travel and immigration restrictions on people living with HIV.

No one should be punished by the law because of their HIV status. That's why we need to make sure this critical provision remains in PEPFAR and this discriminatory ban is finally abolished. When your Senator votes this week on whether or not to remove the ban from PEPFAR, make sure they know that this discrimination against HIV-positive individuals must end.

Please ask your Senator to reject discrimination and stigma and support the Kerry-Smith repeal of the ban on HIV-positive visitors and immigrants in PEPFAR.

Take Action Today!

Good afternoon,

I hope all of you had a happy and safe Independence Day full of family, friends, and fireworks. It was on the fourth that the death of former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms was announced, ironically on the day we celebrate our nation’s noble ideals of freedom, opportunity, and equality.

Death of GLBT community foe Jesse Helms:

Jesse Helms represented, for so many, exactly what the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality movement is up against: antiquated notions about what constitutes morality; stubborn refusal to let go of prejudices based on nothing but mean-spirited, unfounded fears; a false sense that those who are different are somehow inferior.

Such attitudes continue to be well represented in Washington and across the nation. However, they have been significantly quieted by increasingly vibrant voices rejecting those outdated viewpoints and recognizing that the time to treat everyone equally under the law has arrived.

While we should not relish in Helms’ passing, it does symbolize the changing of the old guard. Of this I have no doubt: equality is on the move.

For the Bible Tells Me So study guide:

Since 1980, the Human Rights Campaign has been at the forefront of the activism, education and outreach that have slowly but surely coaxed those who believe in basic fairness to speak out about their feelings and encourage others to do the same.

As part of this work, the HRC Foundation’s Religion and Faith Program this week released a study guide to accompany the celebrated documentary For the Bible Tells Me So. The film, a 2008 GLAAD Media Award recipient and 2007 Sundance Film Festival nominee for the Grand Jury Prize, spotlights the stories of GLBT people of faith and their families, including New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Reverend Gene Robinson and his parents.

HRC’s user-friendly guide, available at no charge at www.hrc.org/religion, is divided into three parts: a discussion of the feelings the film evokes about families and faith; a conversation about the Bible—both how it is misused to discriminate against GLBT people and how it is a source of empowerment and liberation; and a step-by-step training to move people of faith and congregations from acceptance to public advocacy. What a signal of the progress we’ve made: we’re not only reaching out to communities of faith, but giving them an active role to play in the pursuit of equality.

For communities of faith who plan to use the guide in conjunction with a screening of the film, a package including a DVD copy and HRC’s accompanying educational license is available at a discounted rate at of $50.00 for those who agree to use the study guide. This rate is only available through the HRC Store. Visit the online store at www.hrc.org/shop.

Year to Win Campaign:

There is no greater evidence of how far we’ve come than the upcoming elections. Our community stands at the precipice of dramatic breakthroughs in public policy as well as public opinion. I have in previous weeks told you about HRC’s “Year to Win” initiative, a nationwide electoral effort aimed at mobilizing pro-equality voters in the 2008 election season. With your help, we are poised to elect pro-equality candidates to Congress, statehouses across the country, and the White House, and to beat back discriminatory ballot measures in California, Arizona, Florida and Arkansas. It’s a stunning contrast from just four years ago—let alone Jesse Helms’ heyday. Visit the Year to Win website at www.hrc.org/yeartowin to learn more how you can get involved.

Final Thoughts:

We’ve got a long way to go, but what a wonderful feeling to look back at how much the political landscape has changed. No longer must we contend with the shocking, cold-hearted ignorance of the likes of Jesse Helms. HRC stands with you as those relics crumble around us.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

On Tonight’s The Agenda with Joe Solmonese:

·         Gregg Goldstein, Hollywood Reporter

·         Gary Gates, Williams Institute at UCLA

·         Scott Sherman, author of First You Fall

·         Dan Gilgoff, BeliefNet

Tune in live from 6 – 8 p.m. eastern every Monday on XM channel 155.  Download clips at www.hrc.org/TheAgenda every Tuesday.

We also have clips from last week’s show. Download clips below, or just use the player (Internet Explorer Only):

Terence Samuel

The deputy editor of TheRoot.com discusses race in the presidential contest.  Listen:

·         http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080630/samuel.mp3

Kim Severson

The New York Times food writer discusses summer cooking and gay vs. straight wedding planning.  Listen:

·         http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080630/severson1.mp3

·         http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080630/severson2.mp3

Ed Salvato

The editor of the Out Traveler discusses GLBT vacation destinations.  Listen:

·         http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080630/salvato.mp3

Dennis Patrick

The participant in the FX show “30 Days” talks about opening his home with his partner and children to an opponent of same-sex parenting.  Listen:

·         http://www.theagendaonxm.org/audio/20080630/patrick.mp3

This year, as we enjoy barbecues, fireworks and the company of family and friends, let’s take a moment to reflect upon the ideals that make this country great—freedom, opportunity, and equality.

These are the tenets upon which our nation was built. But as the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community knows all too well, these principles do not always translate into reality.

We have much to do. The most important election of our lifetimes is coming in just four months, and there has never been more at stake. Fair-minded candidates across the nation will need our help to gain or retain their offices. We have a shot to break the eight-year anti-equality stranglehold on the White House. We’ll also be working to preserve marriage equality in California and to defeat a discriminatory ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Arizona and Florida.

On this 4th of July, please join me in renewing your commitment to ensuring that all members of the GLBT community are able to fully take advantage of those promises made to us in the Declaration of Independence. I wish you all a happy and safe Independence Day.

Warmly,

This guest post was written by Cristina Finch, HRC's senior counsel:

******************************************

Yesterday, the newly founded Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), held a briefing on Capitol Hill about international LGBT issues.  The briefing was also hosted by Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.  The panelists, including Mark Bromley of the Council for Global Equality, Paula Ettelbrick of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Boris Dittrich of Human Rights Watch, and Ariel Herrera of Amnesty International, spoke about the current state of LGBT rights around the world.  Sybille Nyeck, a lesbian from Cameroon, detailed her struggle with credibility – and imprisonment - when she reported the rape of a young female relative to the police. 

Today I had the pleasure of meeting with Boris Dittrich, Advocacy Director for the LGBT Project at Human Rights Watch.  Dittrich is a former member of the Dutch Parliament where he sponsored legislation granting gay and lesbian couples marriage and adoption rights.  Dittrich visited HRC to meet the staff and discuss areas of mutual concern to our organizations.  While Human Rights Watch focuses primarily on international human rights issues, the LGBT Project monitors U.S. domestic policy as well.  For example, HRW publicly applauded the California Supreme Court’s marriage decision.  Dittrich’s visit was short but productive and will hopefully lead to greater cooperation in the fight for equality.

As Dittrich left for meetings on Capitol Hill, his fellow activists Mark Bromley and Sybille Nyeck stopped by HRC as well.  As you can see, I managed to snap a quick photograph of Boris, Sybille, and me in front of the building.  How energizing to speak with fellow LGBT activists from around the globe!  We here at HRC are grateful for those pushing human rights internationally to ensure LGBT people can live openly and honestly wherever in the world they may reside.

[Photo: Cristina Finch, Boris Dittrich and Sybille Nyeck at HRC headquarters.]

This memorial to gay victims of the Holocaust is long overdue: Berlin inaugurates memorial to Nazi's gay victims. It's great to see the German government recognize the lives of the thousands of homosexual men who were brutally murdered and maimed under Nazi rule - especially since gay German men continued to be persecuted under Nazi law for years after World War II (See a picture of the memorial here):

Nazi Germany declared homosexuality a threat to the German race and convicted some 50,000 homosexuals as criminals. An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 gay men were deported to concentration camps, where few survived.[...]

Few gays convicted by the Nazis came forward after World War II because of the stigma attached to homosexuality. The law used against them remained on the books in West Germany until 1969, and Dworek said there were 50,000 convictions under the legislation after the war.

Not until 2002 did the German parliament issue a formal pardon for homosexuals convicted under the Nazis.

Even after the end of Hitler's reign of terror that left thousands of gays dead, homosexuality was not formally decriminalized in Germany until 1994. Berlin's openly gay mayor, Klaus Wowereit, is to be commended for his statement regarding the discrimination still faced by gays even today:

"The monument consecrated today is a reminder to us of the horrors of the past and draws our attention to the degree of discrimination that currently exists," Wowereit said.

"Great efforts will still need to be undertaken before the sight of two men or women kissing here or in Moscow or elsewhere on the planet is accepted by society in general."

Here's a clip of the video that is featured in a continuous loop at the memorial:

hat tip Andy Towle.

Speaking of Minnesota, OutFront Minnesota drew more than 1,000 GLBT supporters to St. Paul on Thursday for its "Just Fair" lobby day at the state capitol. At what's being called the biggest rally at the state capitol so far this year, more than a dozen state elected officials and "for the BIBLE tells me so" producer Dan Karslake turned out to speak in support of GLBT equal rights.

OutFront delivered a petition to Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty asking him to pass the domestic partner bill that was passed by the state senate in March but stills awaits a vote in the house.

Local NBC affiliate KARE-11 has video footage of the "Just Fair" rally here.

**UPDATE from Jo Marsicano, OutFront Minnesota communications director:

The day was a reminder that GLBT equality is part of a larger progressive agenda. “We want health care that provides for everybody, not just a select few. We know that whether the economy is good or not, it’ll affect all of us, and we want public policy decisions that will help people get jobs, keep jobs, and be paid a living wage. We know that racism is not dead. Racism is alive and well in this state. We know that sexism is alive and well in this state and homophobia is too. And we know that all of those things are related to each other,” said former OutFront Minnesota Executive Director Ann DeGroot.

OutFront Minnesota delivered petitions with 800 signatures to Governor Pawlenty, asking him to allow the local government bill to become law. The petition said “Dear Governor Pawlenty, you have a great opportunity to support basic fairness in our state. By allowing SF 960 to become law, you will enable local governments to decide the health care benefits packages they provide their employees.  It’s a matter of local control, addresses the lack of affordable quality health care in our state, and shows that Minnesota is a welcome place for all workers. We the undersigned urge you join the League of Minnesota Cities, the Association of Small Cities and other local government bodies in supporting this legislation.”

** UPDATE #2: OutFront Minnesota has posted pictures and video of speeches given at the "Just Fair" lobby day here.

State Senator Scott Dibble and State Representative Karen Clark at the podium during OutFront Minnesota's "Just Fair" lobby day

Here is our final installment of answers to questions that our legal and financial experts were unable to post during last Thursday's live webchat. Questions on a wide range of financial issues affecting GLBT individuals and couples were addressed by Joe Kapp, Advocate contributor and co-owner of a Washington, DC financial planning practice that caters largely to the GLBT community; Brenda Jackson-Cooper, an associate at the Washington, DC law firm Arnold & Porter in the tax and estates practice group; and HRC’s state legislative director Chris Edelson and legal director Lara Schwartz.

The transcript of the live portion of the online discussion is available at www.hrc.orc/chat.