Captain's Log

National Equality March is a Fool’s Errand

October event lacks focus, is disorganized and distracts from key fights we must win.

The ill-conceived and poorly planned National Equality March is coming to Washington, D.C. Many have criticized the “event” for a variety of reasons, and national gay rights organizations have either reluctantly endorsed the march or remained on the sidelines. 

Some have said they are not “actively supporting” the march, while others have said, in effect, “let ‘em march.” As a former Air Force officer, I know the saying “lead, follow or get out of the way.” But I also know when it is time to state the obvious, question the judgment of others, and say, “Enough is enough.” And this is one of those times. This “march” should be called what it is — a fool’s errand.

In the past few months, I have watched the event organizers proceed in total disarray, lacking key planning skills and unable to develop an effective grassroots organization.

You only need to look at the march web site to see they have no clear idea of what it is they hope to accomplish, what it takes to successfully build a grassroots movement or how to plan and implement an event.

The site includes this: “Rally for a weekend of dignity and join us at the National Equality March. We hope to galvanize our movement and knit together a nation that cries for full access, equality & justice for all … We will come together and work together to create the dynamics for a historic moment in fabric of America’s history.”

This is what I call a “Miss America” answer: Could I have whirled peas with that?

As I write this, every event except the “rally” (their words) on the west lawn of an empty U.S. Capitol building (Congress will be out of town) is “to be announced,” excluding an informal gathering at Arlington National Cemetery and a walk/run around the war memorials on the National Mall. 

For this Washingtonian, it looks like an ordinary weekend in the District of Columbia.

The fact is that the limited resources utilized in a vain attempt to pull off this march could be used to affect real, positive change for millions of LGBT Americans. Our community is in the midst of waging several battles on the national front, as well as fighting hand-to-hand combat in many states — from Maine to California.

Additionally, cuts in AIDS and other health and welfare services in some states are jeopardizing the lives and homes of many people with AIDS, including many that led the modern gay rights movement. And the organizers of the National Equality March want people to spend valuable time and resources traveling to D.C. to hold a rally and yell at an empty U.S. Capitol building?

Also, to step out of the LGBT box for a moment, there’s a major health care reform fight going on, as well as wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Add those to realistic worries of swine flu hitting in October, along with a few other things we don’t know are coming down the tracks, and you have an ill-advised and unhelpful “march” that does nothing to combat the very real life-and-death issues facing our community.

The so-called and self-appointed organizers of the National Equality March should stop this train wreck, turn it around and instead focus their (and our) limited resources on the fights that we can — and must — win.

Since it is unlikely they will heed my call, however, I have a few challenges for the organizers: Make a pledge to the LGBT community that this isn’t simply a “touch-and-go” operation. Stop being divas and start working in the trenches. Agree to spend 10 days each month in Washington, D.C., lobbying the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress until the Matthew Shepard hate crimes bill is passed, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act is enacted and “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed.

Additionally, ensure everyone coming to “your event” attends at least one training session that teaches them how to effectively lobby their representatives, learn how to effectively utilize local and regional media, develop skills to create a public relations campaign for effective change and how to use emerging social media to effect positive change in their own communities.

Otherwise it’s not a National Equality March, and it does nothing to further our community’s concerns. It’s simply a fool’s errand — one we can ill afford.

//

Editor's Note:  This op-ed was originally published in The Washington Blade.

Q: What Does Plaxico Burress, Senator John Thune and DOMA Have in Common? A: States Rights

Fomer New York Giants wide-receiver Plaxico Burress testified before a grand jury in Manhattan last week to explain his rationale for carrying a concealed handgun into a New York City nightclub. You may remember it as the "Sweatpants Shooting," as Burress suffered a self-inflicted wound when his Glock pistol, tucked into the waistband of his sweatpants, slid down his leg. During Burress' fight with his own weapon, he inadvertently hit the trigger - shooting himself in the leg.

In his defense, Burress' attorney, Benjamin Braufman, explained that the handgun was registered in Florida - although that permit had expired. In any case, it is illegal in New York to carry a gun that is not licensed in New York State.

What does this have to do with LGBTQ issues? Plenty. Think 14th amendment, and whether individual states should be forced to recognize the laws passed in other states. Equal protection clause, folks - plain and simple. And Republican John Thune of South Dakota is apparently now on our side - he just doesn't know it. How's that for irony?

To get the ball rolling, here's New York Times columnist Gail Collins' thoughts on the subject:

Plaxico Burress, the former football star, appeared before a grand jury in Manhattan this week to explain how he came to carry a concealed weapon into a nightclub. Burress, you may remember, had cannily tucked his loaded pistol into the waistband of his sweatpants when he went out for a night on the town. The gun started to slip, as objects in waistbands are wont to do. When he grabbed it, he accidentally shot himself in the thigh.

This is what is known as a bad plan.

So the story gives us an excellent entry into the question of whether states should be required to recognize other states' gun carry permits.

With gun rights in mind, you knew some Republican would put two and 14 together, and come up with nothing except a rationale why Burress should have been able to carry a concealed weapon into a Manhattan nightclub. Cue up Republican Senator John Thune of the great state of South Dakota. From his website:

I strongly support the Second Amendment, which protects "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." I firmly believe the plain language of the Second Amendment guarantees the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. During the 111th Congress I introduced legislation (S. 845) that would allow individuals who have a concealed carry permit the ability to carry a firearm in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This legislation is needed because some states refuse to honor concealed weapons permits from other states.

Oh really, Senator Thune? Then shouldn't each state also be required to follow the 14th amendment?

From an article on the 141st anniversary of the 14th amendment I wrote last month:

The constitutional issues most relevant to DOMA are the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment, which is concerned with the definition section of DOMA and the Full Faith and Credit Clause, which is primarily concerned with the second section of DOMA.

A right to marriage -- at least "marriage" defined as one man and one woman -- overriding the provisions of state law, was found in Loving v. Virginia.

The Wall Street Journal, on its narrow-minded and myopic op-ed pages, zeroed in only on the 2nd amendment. Have any of those folks actually read the U.S. Constitution?

Most observers believe that the Supreme Court will eventually make state and local governments obey the Second Amendment. If it does, New York's discrimination against nonresidents will probably be ruled unconstitutional.

Which brings me to my point. How is it logical to require a state (in this case New York) under the 2nd Amendment to be forced to allow a person with an expired concealed weapon permit from Florida to carry a weapon into a New York City nightclub (for what purpose, by the way?), and yet not require each state to also follow another Amendment to the U.S. Constitution - the 14th Amendment - requiring every state to recognize marriages performed in other states?

Senator Thune, as well your pals in the U.S. Senate, the National Rifle Association and the Republican National Committee, I'm waiting for an answer.

I'm just not going to sit by the phone. As you have no logical case. And you know it.

//

Cross-posted from Bilerico.com

Let's Call it a "Queer Quilt Across America"

In recent weeks, the gay and lesbian community has been in a serious and, at times, contentious debate about the wisdom of holding a March on Washington this October.

The concerns range from there isn't enough time to organize any type of event that would garner national attention to the rationale of spending limited resources when they could be used in targeted states to the fact that Congress is out of session that weekend.

Event proponents, meanwhile, say the power of social networking can bring people together in one place, there should be no delay in fighting for equal rights, and it only costs about $300 to fly from the west coast to D.C.

What nearly everyone does agree on is that if the "event" goes forward, the most optimistic projections of people who will attend will number in the tens of thousands - if that. And if less than that show up on the west side of the Capitol, the gay and lesbian movement will look disorganized and weak.

It is time to alter course, and - while we still have it - it is time to stitch together a "Queer Quilt Across America" - not just one on the west side of an empty U.S. Capitol Building.

A little context is in order here. Anyone who knows their gay history or has seen the movie Milk (about the life and times of gay icon Harvey Milk) will know who Cleve Jones is. He worked right alongside Milk as he became the first openly gay elected official in California. Jones also conceived of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.

At a small rally in Utah on June 8th, Jones declared (almost unilaterally) plans to organize a national March on Washington. An article from the Boston Globe will provide some context to the Salt Lake City rally:

An activist who worked alongside slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk announced plans yesterday for a march on Washington this fall to demand that Congress establish equality and marriage rights for the lesbian, gay, and transgender community.

Cleve Jones said the march planned for Oct. 11 will coincide with National Coming Out Day and launch a new chapter in the gay rights movement. He made the announcement during a rally at the annual Utah Pride Festival.

The call for a LGBTQ "March on Washington" drew nearly instant criticism from gay rights groups, activists and bloggers.

The founder of The Bilerico Project, Bil Browning, listed 10 reasons a march was a bad idea, including several I mentioned, as well as these two:

4. None of this has been coordinated with anyone other than a small circle of people. None of the large organizations have been consulted - although that's not necessarily a bad thing if you've got the grassroots behind you. A small circle of people is not the grassroots though; it's just a different cadre of wanna-be movers and shakers.

6. A march on Washington will not bring marriage equality to flyover country. It will help to prod conservatives to rally and focus energy and money into states like Maine (that could repeal marriage) or Indiana (where we've successfully fought off an amendment every year for almost a decade). In their zeal to bring marriage back to California, the coastal queers are willing to sacrifice us on the alter of domesticity.

Pam Spaulding, of Pam's House Blend, had this to say about the idea:

It is not the time for a march, IMHO. People who would scrape up the time, energy and enthusiasm to get to DC to march should at the very least be able have the opportunity to learn how to lobby elected senators and reps, since we all know people love to turn out to demonstrate en masse, but rarely show up to speak with lawmakers with the same enthusiasm. Also, direct contact with lawmakers is something the right wing far surpasses us at in terms of effectiveness -- this has to be the goal of any effort of the scope of a national march.

Give people tools they can use back home at the state level, not just provide an offline social networking opportunity to hear feel-good speeches in the equivalent of an echo chamber. Stonewall 2.0 grassroots efforts like the initial Join the Impact rallies showed us that we have to take advantage of online direct action to spur  targeted offline action. And it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

In a blog posting of his own on Bilerico, Jones defended the idea of a march, saying there was time to organize the march and there was "a large and growing network of grassroots activists from throughout the country is coordinating the march."

The October 11 march and rally in Washington, DC, offer our community a powerful opportunity to protest the lack of action from President Obama and the Congress. It's an important way to express our anger while building the foundation for a nationwide grassroots movement to change votes in Congress. The organizers are all volunteers, operating with a stripped down, barebones budget and committed to doing the hard, often tedious work of organizing in all 435 Congressional districts.

There you have it - at least the history of the idea of a March on Washington. So far, however, most of the major national gay and lesbian groups have been standing on the sidelines - waiting and wondering.

Some have called for renaming the event to lessen the public relations fallout from a small band of disorganized protesters yelling at an empty building, but one thing is clear: You don't "gather" or have a Woodstock-style "event" on the National Mall - you March. That's a rather well-established fact - unless you are attending the Smithsonian's annual kite-flying festival.

Holding a rally on the west side of the Capitol is a well-intentioned, but highly ineffective, idea - Especially when Congress is out of session, there is no lobbying involved, and there is no clear agenda.

Many have suggested smaller, targeted rallies in all 50 states - and the District of Columbia. Now that's more than simply an idea, that's real grassroots action - and the media coverage would multiply by a factor of at least 50.

It's not just time to "re-brand" the ***idea*** of a March on Washington this October, it is time to nix "it" entirely.

And it's time, in its place, to stitch together a "Queer Quilt Across America" for National Coming Out Day in October. Rallies and marches included.

//

Cross-posted from Bilerico.com

The F-22 v. The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill

Woo Hoo~!

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed cloture in the United States Senate last night. How awesome is that?

Not much.

For starters, hate crimes legislation is a no-brainer and should have been passed as a stand-alone bill - on its own merits - months ago. My political friends will say "that's not how it works," but I have one thing to say to that: Bull. The U.S. House of Representatives passed it as a stand-alone bill in April. The Senate - still missing in action.

The Matthew Shepard bill was first attached to a Tourism Bill - if you can believe that - before being shunted off to a military funding bill.

Secondly, President Obama has repeatedly said he will veto the military authorization bill due to the politics behind the F-22 aircraft. And you can bet the Republicans will argue for funding for a war-fighting aircraft that is over-priced and past its prime to shoot down hate crimes legislation.

To me, this is ridiculous. A bit of leadership from both Capitol Hill and the White House, and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act would now be law. As a stand-alone piece of legislation. And, yes - symbols matter.

I'm seeing a larger problem here, with everyone from the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. With high poll numbers, a commanding lead in both houses of Congress and a popular president, I don't get it. I'm not seeing any action here, and actions speak louder than words.

First, some history regarding the hate crimes legislation, courtesy of The Washington Post:

The Senate on Thursday approved the most sweeping expansion of federal hate crimes law since Congress responded four decades ago to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The legislation, backed by President Barack Obama, would extend federal protections granted under the 1968 hate crimes law to cover those physically attacked because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

"This bill simply recognizes that there is a difference between assaulting someone to steal his money, or doing so because he is gay, or disabled, or Latino or Muslim," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said.

The Post goes on to say that "the measure still has a way to go." With President Obama promising to veto the defense bill because of the F-22 fighter, it's still not certain the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act will be enacted. For what it's worth, the United States House of Representatives - to their credit - passed a similar bill - but as independent legislation.

But enough about those more-words-and-no-action senators (as we saw with the Sotomayor hearings this week). Here's what a few gay rights organizations are saying about the vote late Thursday in the Senate to end "cloture" and attach the hate crimes bill to military spending.

From the Human Rights Campaign, which always seems to want to trumpet its own horn before it gets to the point (check out the first sentence):

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, praised the U.S. Senate today for successfully invoking a motion for cloture to proceed to the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 909) Amendment, which would provide local police and sheriff's departments with federal resources to combat hate violence. The cloture motion to consider the Amendment to the FY 2010 Department of Defense Authorization bill was adopted on a vote of 63 to 28.

Or this, from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund applauds the U.S. Senate's approval today of an inclusive hate crimes amendment, as part of the Department of Defense authorization bill. Hate crimes legislation cleared the House in April with a vote of 249 to 175. After the Senate finishes debate on and passes the Department of Defense authorization bill, the legislation will likely move to conference committee where differences will be ironed out.

I'm not suggesting that President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will let the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act fall through the cracks. But the fact of the matter is, despite Mr. Obama's and Senator Reid's promise to get the hate crimes portion of the bill passed - until it becomes law, it's all talk and no action.

And the politics of a fighter jet versus the reality of the need for a hate crimes bill should make everyone stop in their tracks for a moment and wonder: What's going on and what are we paying these people for?

Actions speak louder than words. Show me some action.

//

Cross-posted from Bilerico.com

The 14th Amendment and the Defense of Marriage Act

Today is the 141st anniversary of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Under the Equal Protection Clause of the amendment, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws."

According to the United States Government, the 14th Amendment "greatly expanded the protection of civil rights to all Americans and is cited in more litigation than any other amendment."

And then along comes Congress, and in a fit of ignorance in 1994, enacts the Defense of Marriage Act. I'm no lawyer, but if I played one on television, it would seem to me that the 14th AMENDMENT trumps the Defense of Marriage ACT.

If I read the 14th Amendment correctly, the United States Congress is more than compelled to use its constitutional power to force states to recognize marriages performed in other states - same-sex or otherwise. But DOMA clearly states that no state has to recognize same-sex marriages performed legally in other states.

So, listen up Amendment 14~! Don't break out the champagne just yet. We have acts to consider. Or do we?

I guess a brief history lesson is necessary at this point. More, from the Library of Congress:

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on July 9, 1868, and granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States," which included former slaves recently freed. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws.

By directly mentioning the role of the states, the 14th Amendment greatly expanded the protection of civil rights to all Americans and is cited in more litigation than any other amendment.

Expanding on the information provided by the Library of Congress, and making it easier for the average citizen to read, there's this from Wikipedia:

The amendment provides a broad definition of citizenship, overruling Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) which had excluded slaves, and their descendants, from possessing Constitutional rights and was used in the mid-20th century to dismantle racial segregation in the United States, as in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).

Its Due Process Clause has been used to apply most of the Bill of Rights to the states. This clause has also been used to recognize: (1) substantive due process rights, such as parental and marriage rights; and (2) procedural due process rights requiring that certain steps, such as a hearing, be followed before a person's "life, liberty, or property" can be taken away.

The amendment's Equal Protection Clause requires states to provide equal protection under the law to all people within their jurisdictions.

And this, specifically regarding the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, and the Defense of Marriage ACT.

The constitutional issues most relevant to DOMA are the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment, which is concerned with the definition section of DOMA and the Full Faith and Credit Clause, which is primarily concerned with the second section of DOMA.

A right to marriage -- at least "marriage" defined as one man and one woman -- overriding the provisions of state law, was found in Loving v. Virginia.

Seems to this television lawyer that Congress over-stepped its bounds on this one. DOMA appears to violate the 14th Amendment, violating the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Amendment.

But wait, it gets more interesting...

On Wednesday, Massachusetts filed a lawsuit challenging DOMA, titled Commonwealth v. United States Department of Health and Human Services. Here's a pdf copy of the complaint.

In the lawsuit, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley alleges DOMA violates the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution, specifically the Spending Clause of that particular Amendment. The 10th Amendment, by the way, is the 12th article and the 10th and final amendment to the Bill of Rights.

Among several things, the lawsuit argues DOMA requires the state to violate the constitutional rights of its citizens by directly interfering with Massachusetts' longstanding sovereign authority to determine who it determines are "married" and places the state in the position of choosing whether to adapt its programs to fit federal law or limit the ability of the tax-paying residents of Massachusetts from having full equality, as enshrined in the Constitution of the United States of America.

It seems clear to this journalist (and television lawyer) that the United States Congress cannot compel the various states to violate their responsibilities to uphold the constitutional rights of their own citizens, in violation of both amendments.

Nor can they write an act that violates at least two amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

//

Cross-posted from Bilerico.com

Same-Sex Marriage Law Goes into Effect in Washington, D.C.

At 12:01 a.m. today, our nation's capital began recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states. Issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in the District of Columbia, however, remains illegal.

The D.C. City Council overwhelmingly approved the new ordinance in a 12-to-1 vote in May. Democratic Mayor Adrian M. Fenty signed the bill into law.

And so that was that. Right? Wrong...

Laws passed by the District are subject to a 30-day review period by the United States Congress. That review period has now expired, but not after a few homophobes tried to get in the way. Several Republican members of the U.S. Congress objected to the law, but Democratic leaders refused to take up the issue.

As our own Michael Crawford said in a detailed post on how this has played out in our nation's power center, it is "worthy of a soap opera."

In June, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics (BOEE) issued a ruling denying a request by a group of anti-gay clergy members to collect signatures to place on the ballot whether or not the District should recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.

The BOEE cited a provision in D.C, election law that prohibits a popular vote on a matter covered by the D.C. Human Rights Act - which includes sexual orientation.

The drama continued for a while, until the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics said enough.

Bilerico's Nancy Polikoff updated us, with this post:

DC Superior Court Judge Judith Retchin cleared the path for the D.C. law recognizing same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions.

The 15-page opinion rejects every ground put forward by Reverend Harry Jackson and others, who asked the judge to allow a referendum on the law to go forward and that, pending the referendum, the law be prevented from going into effect.

And so the marriage equality football moves two steps forward, one step back. Even the conservative Washington Times newspaper did an in-depth article on the issue today.

The D.C. Council has openly acknowledged their next move is to legalize marriage equality in the District.

Same-sex couples currently can get married in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa; with Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont following suit in the next several months.

The city will also recognize the marriages of 18,000 same-sex couples in California before Proposition 8 reversed the legalization of gay marriage in the Golden State.

Legal marriages in foreign countries will also be recognized.

The rights include the ability to file "state" taxes jointly, hospital visitation rights, benefits for spouses of employees at private companies and in District government, and spousal immunity from testifying against each other.

Freedom

Being the Fourth of July weekend, I thought it important to remind us of part of the Declaration of Independence. After all, it is Independence Day...

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

As we go about our July 4th celebrations - wherever they may be - it is important for every single one of us to remember that there are many men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States of America defending the very freedoms we take for granted. And, yes, many of them are gay or lesbian and have to serve in silence - due to the onerous federal legislation known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Here's just one of the stories of someone, code-named "Sarah" to protect her identity, having to serve her country, fighting for our very freedoms, in silence:

"Sarah's" story is not unique, but it is heart-wrenching. As I have said before,

Nearly 13,000 gay and lesbian members have been kicked out of the military since DADT was enacted, including dozens of Arabic translators. Thousands more gay and lesbian servicemembers have died or been injured while serving their country - the same country that doesn't want to even acknowledge their existence."

And that was in March 2009 of this year. Add a few more hundred to that list, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of gay and lesbian American citizens that either do not enlist in OUR military, or decide to leave because they either do not want to live a lie, fear for their lives, or find it unacceptable to live in an environment where they are treated as second class citizens.

As you go about your holiday festivities, please remember those members of the U.S. military serving in silence. In 1993, in an attempt to fulfill a campaign promise to end the policy of homosexuals serving in the military, former Democratic President Bill Clinton signed into law the infamous Don't Ask, Don't Tell legislation. For the first time in the history of the United States, a federal law was enacted that mandated anyone who acknowledged they were gay or lesbian was to be automatically fired.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, reads in part:

Sexual orientation will not be a bar to service unless manifested by homosexual conduct. The military will discharge members who engage in homosexual conduct, which is defined as a homosexual act, a statement that the member is homosexual or bisexual, or a marriage or attempted marriage to someone of the same gender.

In simpler form, the Don't Ask part says mere suspicion of homosexuality does not grant a superior officer the power to initiate an investigation of a service member's sexual orientation. That hasn't necessarily stopped many a dishonorable discharge against a possibly gay or lesbian service member based on rumor or innuendo.

The Don't Tell part prohibits any homosexual (or bisexual) from disclosing his or her sexual orientation, or from speaking about any homosexual relationships, while serving in the U.S. military.

Numerous studies have shown that gays and lesbians openly serving in the military do not in the least bit undermine unit cohesion, morale, or the security of the United States of America.

And yet the beast goes on: DADT@ DADT@ DADT@, dumb...

Numerous editorials and op-ed pieces have been written calling for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

From the editorial board of the NY Times:

The ostensible rationale was that the known presence of gay men and lesbians would undermine morale and unit cohesion, but as it turned out, the policy caused its own kind of damage to military readiness. Thousands of service members have been discharged from duty at a time when the military is stretched by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The loss of highly skilled interpreters and intelligence analysts has been especially damaging.

From an opinion piece in the Air Force Times:

DADT is a failed policy on three counts: moral, humane and national security.

It is morally wrong because it legitimizes a politically expedient lie of omission that violates military values, such as trust, respect and integrity. What's the effect of justifying lies of omission in other military affairs?

It is inhumane because we ask gays and lesbians to endure the hardships of military service and be subjected to the emotional pressure of being outed -- forced into the shadows as second-class citizens by the institution they serve.

Finally, DADT is a threat to national security at the strategic level because one day, the 65,000 currently serving gays and lesbians might choose to out themselves, thus devastating military capabilities and readiness, to say nothing of a recruiting and training nightmare. At the tactical level, it creates a threat in that foreign agents could use the threat of outing gays and lesbians holding high security clearances to secure their cooperation.

Back to the personal for a moment, and another story from "Sarah," who deploys to one of America's battlefields later this year:

The cost of discharging me at this point in my career is not as significant as my partner. But it's significant. I would say it's at least half a million dollars, plus the experience, the 20 years of experience of leading soldiers, the maturity. You don't just put another one of me, in my spot, and make more widgets. We're leading soldiers in life and death situations everyday.

I get emails like this all the time. One soldier told me of how she was cleaning the blood out of Humvees one day in Afghanistan when she got called into the field commander's office to sign a sworn statement saying she was not homosexual.

Think about that, and picture in your mind and feel in your heart what that must have felt like.

And then watch this powerful video - not from a gay and lesbian group, but a group of veterans looking out for other veterans. Many of whom were standing beside a group of gay and lesbian former and current military members, on a cold winter day in March 2009, lobbying Congress to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Or this, from an Army veteran writing on Pam's House Blend, calling on President Obama to fulfill his campaign promises regarding equal rights for ALL Americans.

However, since Obama's election we have watched DADT continue-unabated, full stop, despite two wars that included a military escalation in Afghanistan. For me, especially as a veteran who served in the Army, this policy and its process has become even more repulsive and counterintuitive because we elected Barack Obama; this once in a generation gifted orator who said he was a fierce advocate for the LGBT community-and yet, since his historical election, his growing silence on the question of DADT is stunning, dismissive even.

Or this video, which tells the tale of "Chad" and his partner serving is silence. The film was produced by the great people at In Their Boots. Their next project, entitled "Silent Partners," premieres on July 4, 2009.

As I said in a Washington Blade Editorial in March:

Traditions, whether right or wrong, are steered like battleships -- over time.

It is time to steer this particular battleship. It is time to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." And it's time to let service members, straight or gay, place a picture of a loved one on their desk, whether stationed in a foreign land, or in an office at the Pentagon.

It is time to end this. Otherwise, we are only fighting ourselves.

And so, as each of us goes about our Independence Day celebrations, please take a few minutes to remember every member of the United States Military fighting for our independence. And say a little prayer for all those serving our country - in silence. As they're hoping and praying that we'll do the right thing for them, and their loved ones.

Our nation's collective independence, and security, is waiting. It's well past time to make that call, and repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. For all of us.

U.S. Military Veterans March on the White House

Active-duty and retired members of the United States Military from around the globe, as well as family and friends, participated in today's March on the White House, organized by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. According to a press release issued earlier, SLDN said:

Service members, veterans, their families, loved ones and supporters will be marching to the White House at 2 p.m. to demand action against the DADT law passed by Congress in 1993 that makes gays and lesbians second-class citizens in the military of their own country

Seems a no-brainer to me. and my thoughts on this subject are very clear:

I'm sick and tired of politicians playing "kick the can" with the lives of gay and lesbian servicemembers, and it better stop soon. First off, the LGBTQ community is not a "can" and I for one am tired of being kicked - down the road or anywhere else.

As a former special operations officer, you bet I have an opinion on this, but I'll let others do the talking for me right now while I go punch a wall or two.

That's from an earlier article I wrote this year, and here we are - in the same place. Grrr...

Here are a few thoughts, and a few pictures, from today:

From a comment posted on SLDN's website:

Thank you everyone who is marching on Saturday. I would be there too, but I am currently deployed overseas. My partner of 4 years remains at home stateside, both of us silenced from DADT. If you're thinking about going, please do! Every person counts!

A Photo of the March:

Again, I am absolutely astounded at this travesty of justice - from a country that spouts every second that it can - that it is the "shining example of human rights."

We have men and women, braving their lives and their souls on battlefields every day - from Afghanistan, to Iraq, to their own military base. I can't say this enough, but ENOUGH already~!

From a guest editorial I wrote in the Washington Blade last year:

End the U.S. military's gay ban, because courage is what counts on the battlefield - not sexual orientation.

Thoughts from a dear friend that I had the distinct honor of lobbying Congress with to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell earlier this year. A veteran, he's the one behind the camera in most of these photos.

For many years, I have supported the mission of SLDN to end the DADT regulations that prohibit Gays and Lesbians from serving openly in the military. Today, we joined with about 350 others to march to the White House and implore President Obama to take action to end DADT and the discharge of countless men and women who have been discharged from the military simply because they are Gay or Lesbian.

The march focused on the fact that an estimated 265 men and women have been discharged under DADT since the President took the oath of office on January 20th. While Obama has promised change, he has not taken any public action to demonstrate his support for the end of DADT.

77 members of Congress have called on President Obama to lead on this issue, not to play duck-and-cover by passing the ball back to legislators. It is time for Mr. Obama to come out of the closet on this.

Again, a comment from the SLDN site:

If the President doesn't take care of the situation, I'll be leaving the military as well and I'm currently on my second enlistment. Since that's what my partner and I agreed on.

This insanity has to stop. There are men and women serving our country bravely and honorably, only to wonder if their own country will turn their back on them when we need them most.

It's time we stopped defending injustice, and started defending our freedoms - and that includes the right of every brave servicemember in the United States Military to be free to do their job.

It's time for every American to take a stand on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. NOW. I'll leave you with a quote from one of today's veterans that marched on the White House to prompt them to make a solid statement that DADT will be repealed - THIS YEAR:

I just saw a great documentary ("Shouting Fire") about our First Amendment rights of free speech and realized as I stood on Pennsylvania Avenue that, as a Gay American, I have the right and privilege to exercise my right to protest.

It was empowering to join with others in this effort and to hear their stories of changed lives as a result of discharge under DADT. I also enjoyed watching spectators watch us either in avid support, thumbs up, or seeming bewilderment. I have a sense that many citizens (both Gay and straight) don't understand this issue or simply don't care.

The day was exciting and empowering for me, and yet I came away thinking that we must do more to get our message to Congress and the White House.

DNC Fundraiser? LGBTQ to boot? Really? I Didn't Hear a Thing...

OMG. There is sooo much news to talk about~! Where do I start?

Farrah Fawcett died yesterday ~ as did lots of people, legislative "things," and stuff just plain disappeared, without a trace.

Dammit~! She was the first 'poster' that hung above my bed when I was a kid. I wish I would have kept it, as it was cool. I loved her hair, her attitude, and her smile. And when she pulled that gun in Charlie's Angels, I was all over myself. And, yeah, I did want to date her when I was 13.

And then I found G.I. Joe - posters and all. And the Sears catalog, specifically the men and boys underwear section. That's what gave me my toaster...

But I digress. We were talking about the main gay and lesbian event for Thursday, right? The Democratic National Committee fundraiser, sponsored by the LGBTQ community, now weren't we?

Call me lazy, but I wake up around 9 a.m. Eastern Time. I try to catch up with all my emails, tweets, peeps, Facebook pals, the NY Times, WaPo and several blogs. All the while slurping down a cup of coffee.

Welcome to 9 a.m., my style. Not a good time to piss me off.

Just when I got settled into a nice, yet fast-paced, groove Thursday morning, news hit from the Twitterazzi that the Senate was taking up the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill - with the Democratically-controlled Senate intent on passing the legislation before that nasty, semi-blacklisted gay and lesbian Democratic National Party fundraiser in D.C. Thursday night.

Yes, the Dems riding to our rescue. And right before the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, no less~! I'm sensing a good day...

And so, I scrambled to catch the live web-cast of the Senate meeting - only to hear them ramble on, and on, and on. They do that rather well - it may be time for them to try to learn a new trick or two.

Speaking of tricks, we still had the South Carolina (ex?) Governor, Mark Sanford, also dominating the airwaves. I just love a good old-fashioned hoedown by the Grand Old Party, especially those from the south.

Meanwhile, my husband - recuperating from surgery - was intent on getting furniture moved before he left for upstate New York to finalize his mother's (and my mother-in-law's) move to D.C. A good thing, but I had to put him off just a bit while more news was breaking.

Busy morning? Yep. But it gets better, and we're not even up to the DNC *fun*draiser yet~! More news from nowhere.

Back to reality, namely the slow-as-a-snail Senate hearing on the hate crimes bill that should have been signed into law by now. That legislation - by the way - passed the House more than 2 months ago, but not before a Republican congresswoman from North Carolina took a sawed-off shotgun and figuratively aimed it at every member of our community. Don't even get me started, not a good time of the morning to piss me off.

And so, after adjusting the Bilerico-DC calendar for some very poignant and timely news by Cathy Renna regarding the United States government finally apologizing to Dr. Frank Kameny, I thought I could take a break for a few minutes to see my husband off as he headed off on his trip that I was supposed to be on also.

Not going to happen...

Before I could see him off, we had furniture to give to one of our favorite charities. And we had to move it first. Not one of my favorite times of day to move heavy furniture, but - hey - we had a schedule to keep.

And so we did, and then ~ poof ~ off in a flash was my husband, sans me, for his own adventure. Geez, I wish I would have been in our Jetta Diesel with him (50 miles per gallon, people~!), as the news just kept getting stranger by the minute.

Then, three recently-graduated college kids and I moved some more furniture. While I stopped traffic on Connecticut Avenue in Washington D.C., helping them back the van into our loading dock. That was fun, and yes, I did give them some Powerade and refreshments afterwards.

I can't imagine what it's like to graduate college today - not knowing if you have any possible chance at a job, have $100,000 in student loans, and do not know what to do. It simply boggles my mind, as I am sure it does theirs - as well as their families - and stops me in my tracks.

BACK TO REALITY, oops there goes gravity...

We're talking DNC gay and lesbian fundraiser here people~! Stay with me! Or not.

And so, we - being the non-MSM - are covering other things. Like how to donate to several LGBTQ causes, instead of the $1,000 a plate+ dinner at that semi-blacklisted DNC non-raiser down Connecticut Avenue.

In the midst of all this chaos, organized as it was, along comes Michael Jackson and a cardiac arrest. A "cardiac" arrest? Of all things...

Don't get me wrong, I love MJ. He practically invented MTV. But then he up and went dead. And the news cycle went wild.

The news of his passing sucked the air out of the entire frikkin' room~! I'm not going to hyperlink it, as it's all over the 24/7 cable news channels. I'm usually an Olbermann and Maddow fan, but watching the train wreck on ALL of the cable channels made me want to projectile vomit.

A "live camera shot'' from a helicopter above the scene at the hospital at UCLA, awaiting a "statement" from the Jackson family? For two hours?

As several of my friends said, he was a great singer, dancer and artist - but he was also an "alleged" child molester.

I, for one, love the Jacksons - from Michael and the Jackson 5 to Janet and her Pleasure Principles. And they know how to play the media. It still amazes me, however, that the media didn't know they were being "played."

Oh, and that LGBTQDNC fundraiser? It raked in about $900K, protesters and flashbulbs were about, some very prominent faces were not, a few "promises" were made by the vice-president ~ and absolutely no news coverage was to be had.

Access v. Progress

Many things have been said, spoken and written about whether the LGBTQ community should attend the "gay" fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. this Thursday.

While President Obama's overtures - and non-overtures - to our community may be real or superficial, and his "celebration" (versus what should rightly be called a "commemoration") about the Stonewall Riots with gay and lesbian "leaders" at a reception at the White House this coming Monday are admirable, I still have my doubts. As do many.

I understand the difference between formal and informal lines of communication. I know the value of revolutions in the street, and I have participated in a few. Witness the power of the Rose Revolution in Georgia or the Green Revolution going on as we speak in Iran.

And I know that access to power doesn't make you powerful, nor a leader. I'm talking about a single reception - for a whole 10 or so minutes - with the president of the United States. And how that access, by a few hundred of our gay and lesbian leaders, is detrimental to LGBTQ progress on everything from hate crimes legislation to matters of adoption by gay and lesbian couples across the country.

Face Time Does Not Equal Progress. Oh, and for those of you going to either event - remember to have your "ticket" punched - as you're simply a photo-op. Meanwhile, I have laundry to do.

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill still hasn't been signed into law, and now is an amendment to a frikkin' Tourist Bill. Youhavegottobefukkinkiddingme.

Words matter. And this bill need to be passed, NOW. But it should have been passed months ago. As a stand-alone bill.

Symbols matter also.

Tell the gay kid that just got beaten-up, just because he "looked" gay, that he's an amendment.

Tell that to the lesbian couple that just got threatened with their lives because they dared to move into a middle-class neighborhood in Ohio, because they are tourists.

Tell that to the transgender that just got murdered in a back-alley in nowhere America, because they almost didn't make it into the hate-crimes bill.

Nowhere is Now Here.

This, of all bills, should have been passed long ago. And we're still waiting, and I'm not ready to make nice.

Yep. The video, like the Democratic National Committee and President Obama's promises, were cut at the end.

Sound familiar?

I sometimes feel like the internet was never a reality, that VHS is still battling it out with Beta, and former President Bill Clinton - our friend and ally in the White House - turned his back on the LGBTQ community for his own political expediency and signed into law both Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act.

Power versus Progress? This, from the NY Times:

Whether Mr. Obama will address the complaints at Monday's reception is unclear. One person who received the invitation said the White House was billing the event as a celebration, akin to the festive affairs the administration holds on St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo.

Oooh...and then it will be July 4th, and we'll all be Americans~! Except for those left out in the wilderness, tied to a fence, to die.

From the "gay" DNC fundraiser (watch for those flashbulbs outside) to the "reception" on Monday at the White House, let's see who is powerful and who represents progress.

I'm betting on a revolution. And I'm voting for a pink one.