Rally at Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego Over Clinton's Speech

Former President Bill Clinton, was urged not to speak at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego due to the owners large contribution to proposition 8.

It appears the effort was not enough and now the former President will have to cross a picket-line of people who will be protesting. Clinton spokesman Matthew McKenna said. "I don't think you can name a leader in the world who has done more to advance gay and lesbian issues".

Are you kidding me? Don't Ask Don't Tell, the Defense of Marriage Act, and now this? Gee, thanks.

Rally at the Hyatt
Sunday February 15th, 11am – 1pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt
1 Market Place, San Diego, CA
Contact: pdegange@unitehere.org

Congratulate Obama and Remind Him to Act for LGBT Equality!

Barack Obama is now officially the president of the United States of America. The celebrations continue, and the excitement can still be felt throughout the nation. That being said, the president faces tough challenges ahead.

Please call and email to congratulate him on this historic election and to remind him that the LGBT community is counting on him to act quickly to advance our civil rights.

White House E-Contact Form

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

'Refresh Everything' - Dear Mr. President...

PepsiCo (an LGBT affirming company) started a new site called 'Refresh Everything' where you can make your own video starting with Dear Mr. President and send any message you choose to be broadcast to the nation. You can choose to present singing, standing upside down, acting, tell a joke or express your message in whatever fashion you so choose. The best videos will get placed on the front page. Who knows, maybe someone important will get to see it, Obama has internet access too!

Here is a video of two guys for same-sex marriage...

Got something to say or want to check it out? Goto Refresh Everything.

Open Letter to Barack Obama

The following is a letter writing campaign by Join The Impact to President-elect Barack Obama urging him to remain committed to addressing LGBT issues while in office.

"Dear President Obama,

Congratulations on your historic and inspiring victory. Your lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens, along with families, friends, and heterosexual allies, would like to welcome you to the White House. We are thrilled to see that true change has come to this country.

During your election campaign you wrote an open letter to us, making it clear that you were committed to gaining ‘full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country.’ In that letter you asked for our vote and promised to:

* Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and ensure that states treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws

* Enact a fully inclusive Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity

* Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

* Enact the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes against our community

* Confront the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the stigma surrounding it

* Amend the Uniting American Families Act to afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system


We come to you as esteemed citizens of the United States of America in need of equal protections under the law for all families. The LGBT community is part of this diverse country, but do not share the same rights as their heterosexual brothers and sisters. In the spirit of family, respect, and of course, hope, we will work with you to make these promises become a reality.

We paid attention to the statements you made during your campaign, and we voted for you. Now, as you take office, we ask something in return. Please keep your promises to the LGBT community and provide the leadership needed to achieve true equality for all Americans.

Sincerely,
Your Fellow Americans"

The deadline for mailing the signature pages is January 12 for us to get them to Barack Obama on his first day in office.

Please mail to:
Join The Impact
PO Box 141491
Columbus, OH 43214

Print out letter pages here.

Print out signature collection pages here.

Send George W. Bush a Retirement Card!

After eight years of treating gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans like second-class citizens, George W. Bush is about to leave office. Send him your own personal retirement card celebrating this historic occasion.

Send Bush a personalized Happy Trails card from the LGBT community and allies.

Obama-Biden Lay Out Plans for LGBT Community

The President-elect Barack Obama transition team and agenda website change.gov has listed comprehensive plans for the nation, including plans for LGBT rights.

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

The Obama-Biden Plan

* Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. Barack Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.

* Fight Workplace Discrimination: Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. Obama also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

* Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

* Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: Barack Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.

* Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.

* Expand Adoption Rights: Barack Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

* Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Obama will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. Obama also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. He will continue to speak out on this issue as president.

* Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Barack Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

The transition team is also taking your opinions on civil rights, and ideas for moving the country forward.

Obama on Supreme Court Appointments & Marriage

Obama on the Supreme Court:

"And so my criteria, for example, would be-- if a Justice tells me that they only believe the strict letter of the Constitution-- that means that they possibly don't mean-- believe in-- a right to privacy that may not be perfectly enumerated in the Constitution but, you know, that I think is there. I mean, the-- the right to marry who you please isn't in the Constitution. But I think all of us assume that if a state-- decided to pass a law saying, "Brian, you can't marry the woman you love," that you'd think that was unconstitutional. Well, where does that come from? I think it comes from a right to privacy-- that may not be listed in the Constitution but is implied by the structure of the Constitution."

Crossposted via Good As You.

Paris Hilton: "You Can Get Married If You're Straight or Gay"

Well finally, a presidential candidate who supports marriage equality! Paris for president!

Obama Makes a Host of Jokes Including One On Cross-Dressing Rudy Guiliani

I'd watch the whole thing it is hillarious, the cross dressing joke comes in at 6:52 min in.

Obama PRIDE - Video of Hope!

Did McCain Just Get a Man Peck?

At 42 seconds in this video it appears a cowboy man gives McCain a kiss on the cheek.

McCain - Against same-sex marriage, against adoption, against military service, against hate crimes legislation, against employment fairnesss.

Pro Man on Man Kissing.

Open Forum: Are We Ready for a Gay Leader?

Around the world there have been major advances for minorities and people subject to discrimination. From England, to Israel, Pakistan and beyond we have seen women Prime Ministers and leaders. In the United States we had John F. Kennedy become the first Catholic president. Currently in the United States the democratic party has nominated the first African-American to be a presidential contender. The republican party has also nominated Sarah Palin a female governor of Alaska to be the Vice Presidential selection.

Now in France under the socialist party Bertrard Delanoe an openly gay man is running for Prime Minister. We have seen transgender politicians in Italy's cabinet, gay men and women within the U.S. congress, and state houses, and LGBT people throughout the world holding significant positions of power.

So I pose the question... Within your respective country, and most readers here are from the U.S. so (please specify) do you think your country is ready for a gay prime minister/president?

John McCain Bad for America, Bad for Queers!

A Record of Opposing the Interests of GLBT Americans

"OPPOSED Ending Discrimination Against GLBT Americans in the Workplace. Senator McCain cast a deciding vote against the federal Employment Non Discrimination Act.

OPPOSED Protecting GLBT Americans from Hate Crimes. Senator McCain voted three times against expanding the federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation.

PROPONENT of Discriminatory Military Policy. Senator McCain supports Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and does not believe that gays should serve in the military.

OPPONENT of Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Couples. Senator McCain voted for the Defense of Marriage Act which prohibits same-sex couples from receiving federal rights and benefits in any state.

ACTIVELY SUPPORTED State Ban on Domestic Partnerships. Senator McCain campaigned for a ban on same-sex relationship recognition in his home state of Arizona – even appearing in a campaign television ad.

SUPPORTED the Confirmation of Anti-GLBT Equality Judges. Senator McCain voted to confirm President Bush’s judicial nominees who had taken anti-GLBT positions. He has pointed to Justice Samuel Alito as a role model for future Supreme Court appointments.

SUPPORTED a Discriminatory HIV/AIDS Policy. Senator McCain supported a Jesse Helms strategy to cut off funding for prevention efforts aimed at the gay community and voted to prohibit foreign nationals with HIV from immigrating to the United States."

HRC - Year to Win 2008