Dec 29, 2008
The time for polite and passive waiting has passed. Now it's action time. The signals coming out of the Obama camp have begun to dismay some of us. Eight weeks after the election the President-elect has not appointed one openly LGBT person to a high office in his Administration, which will be upon us in three short weeks. In an affront to the LGBT community, he asked the Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of a California megachurch, to give the invocation at his inauguration. The preacher fought hard for Proposition 8 in California, putting committed gay relationships in the same bag with incest, polygamy, and "an older guy marrying a child." Nonetheless, some of Rev. Warren's best friends are gay. He says he has "eaten dinner in gay homes" and he likes the lesbian singer Melissa Etheridge. Who is that supposed to please? Read More | Comments (5)
Dec 23, 2008
Christmas is always a very special time of year for me. It's more than just another holiday. While people are shopping and decorating their houses for this special holiday, there are men and women who don't get that opportunity because they are protecting the freedom of people like you and me. I have had the pleasure and privilege of being one of those people. As a soldier, your definition of family changes from just the normal platonic family to a family made up of just random strangers from all over the country with one mission in mind: To serve this amazing, diverse country we call the USA. As one of those people who stepped forward to defend each of us, there was more than just the pain of not being able to see your family on such a family-oriented holiday, but the fact that I was unable to express my love for my partner over the phone. I was in fear that if I said I love you to another man that someone would overhear me talking to him and turn me in for being gay. Read More | Comments (0)
Dec 19, 2008
For most of us the holidays are a time for families and celebrations, a time of happiness. Hundreds of thousands of men and women serve our country around the globe, in places you see in the news every day, and others you’ve probably never heard of. The closest service members will get to family over the holidays is a morale call or an e-mail from their loved ones back home, or hopefully a care package from home. Hearing a loved one’s voice from half way around the world can lift one’s spirits with a little holiday cheer and brighten the monotony of a combat zone, if but for a moment. But many of our brave service members called into harm’s way will not have that luxury. Some of our service members will make morale calls this holiday season in secret. Not because they are embarrassed, but because they are forced to do so under the heavy yoke of the law we know as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Read More | Comments (2)
Dec 15, 2008
An SLDN supporter shares a moving story of courage as the partner of a service member who will soon be deployed to Iraq. The author also thanks Frontlines contributor and decorated combat veteran Tim Stalling for his inspirational guest editorial, submitted for Veterans Day last month. Read More | Comments (0)
Dec 12, 2008
On Saturday, December 13, Lambda Archives of San Diego will honor attorney Bridget Wilson, along with 11 other “heroes, pioneers and trailblazers” at its annual gala event. Bridget and the other 11 honorees “have committed their lives to advancing rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Their advocacy has carried the movement to heights once unimaginable.” We couldn’t agree more. Read More | Comments (2)
Jan 04, 2009
Change.org guest blogger Janessa Goldbeck writes that 12,500 people have been discharged from the U.S. military under the archaic "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law, including 60 Arabic linguists. DADT has been in effect since 1994. With the U.S. fighting two wars, are 12,500 qualified U.S. soldiers being turned away from service enough of a reason to overturn DADT? The answer is a crystal clear yes. Anything less is an affront to our national security.
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Dec 31, 2008
For LGBTs, 2008 was filled with triumph, tragedy and troops.
On the money: The estate of Ric Weiland-one of the first people to work at Microsoft Corporation and a high school classmate of the company's founders, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, bequeathed $65 million to gay-rights and HIV/AIDS organizations. Among the organizations that benefited from the bequest were Lambda Legal and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
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Dec 30, 2008
Consider "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which proved a political quagmire for Bill Clinton early in his first term. In 1993, just 44 percent of Americans believed gays should serve in the military. Today, an encouraging three-quarters of the public believes gay people should serve openly. Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell will still be controversial. But with significant public support for a repeal, the time is ripe for the administration to signal that it takes the issue seriously.
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Dec 30, 2008
Queerty Year in Review - Months after admitting to superiors that he was gay and showing them videotape of him making out with his boyfriend, Sergeant Darren Manzella found himself still in the Army. Although ultimately Manzella, like so many others, ended up booted from the military branch, that it took the brass so long to can him shows that enthusiasm for the Pentagon's long-standing "don't ask, don't tell" policy is waning. Looking to raise awareness, Manzella went on 60 Minutes last year. Queerty wrote about the surprising quiet from the Pentagon following the interview.
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