| christian grantham | |||
| Christian Grantham was a student activist in the late 90s and later was a consultant to domestic policy forums for the Clinton Administration as well as events for HRC and GLAAD. | |||
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latest posts
May 28, 2004
The Republican Party has delivered yet another reminder of the culture war brewing within the GOP over the issue of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian Americans.
An openly gay delegate to the Republican National Convention has been stripped of his delegate seat this week for his vocal opposition to the President's support for a divisive amendment to the United State Constitution.
David Catania, who is also a Washington D.C. councilmember and rising star in the Republican Party, was told he is no longer welcome in the party of Lincoln because he doesn't support the party's effort to write discrimination against gays into the constitution.
Never mind Catania's support of President Bush's more important positions on the war on terror or taxes or the fact that Catania has raised more than $50,000 for Bush's re-election. The more important issue emerging within the Republican Party is whether you will support their plans to alienate American citizens and help them deny equal rights via the United States Constitution. see also> Republican vision of America excludes equality
For those Republicans that claim they have no intention to discriminate against gays by denying equal marriage rights, Catania's example shows that the desire of Republicans to "defend marriage" is a veil over efforts to go much further. If you don't think like they do, they don't want you around.
Is it a stretch to think these same people would apply their political practices to foster an atmosphere of intollerance in their community's, places of worship, hospitals and the workplace?
The recent actions of the Republican Party speak louder than words.
The attitude at the heart of Republican notions of "inclusion" is anything but compassionate. Acts of discrimination do not unite Americans behind common goals and higher principles. They divide Americans.
Today's Republican moderates need to speak up as their party is slowly taken hostage by radical elements in our society set on soiling America's founding principles of fairness and equality, and tragically destroying the Republican party.
Catania Leaves D.C. GOP Over Convention Seat
By Vanessa Williams
Washington Post
May 28, 2004
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May 25, 2004
Pete Coors, from the Coors Brewery family, is running for U.S. Senate as a Republican from Colorado. He's also giving America a good reason to make sure he's not elected.
In a debate with his Republican opponent, former Congressman Bob Schaffer, Coors lent his support for a discriminatory amendment to the United States Constitution denying equal marriage rights to gay and lesbian Americans. Coors went further to limit his support to the Federal Marriage Amendment language as written by U.S. Representative Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado.
Coors Brewing Company has long been the focus of an uncoordinated gay and lesbian community boycott for several direct efforts by the Coors family to fund campaigns denying equal rights to gay and lesbian Americans.
The conservative Heritage Foundation, founded and financed by Joseph Coors, openly criticized the Supreme Court for striking down Colorado’s discriminatory, anti-gay Amendment 2 a few years ago. Rush Limbaugh said of the Heritage Foundation in November 2000, "Some of the finest conservative minds in America today do their work in the Heritage Foundation." That's a mind-numbing endorsement from America's paragon of conservative talk radio.
The Castle Rock Foundation, whose president is William Coors, funded efforts to fight an equal marriage rights battle in Hawaii in the late 1990s. One of Castle Rock's missions listed on its website if to "uphold traditional American values."
Each purchase of Coors Beer seems to not only fund an ideology of discrimination, but now plays a direct role in electing officials aiming to undermine our nation's founding principles.
Those efforts now regrettably live on through Pete Coors' recent pronouncement as a candidate for U.S. Senate that the founding principles of fairness and equality codified in the United States Constitution need to be altered to exclude some Americans.
It's time for Coloradoans to send a signal of support for better principles and choose a candidate that stands for fairness and equality. It's time for the gay and lesbian community to reconsider the price paid for each bottle of Coors beers sold in this country and abroad.
Coors says he'd support proposal to ban gay marriages
By Gwen Florio
Rocky Mountain News
May 25, 2004
Browse the shameful comments made by supporters of the Federal Marriage Amendment in Community Quotes.
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May 24, 2004
Radical Christians are tired of an America whose fairness and equality makes them equal under the law to Hell bound Muslims, Pagans and gays. Equality for gays was the last straw, and now some Christians in Texas have a plan to make sure equality and fairness don’t apply to heathens.
No, it's not an amendment to the Untied States Constitution that their Republican friends are fanning across America promoting this week. Their plan is to secede from the United States to form their own country.
Cory Burnell, president of ChristianExodus.org, has chosen the state of South Carolina as the new all-Christian-no-fags-allowed nation. Burnell invites divisive-minded Christians eager to split up our union to move there.
Burnell's plan, as stated on his website, is to move 50,000 Christians to South Carolina "when the federal government forces sodomite marriages on our local communities." The plan further states Christians will begin involving themselves in all areas of state government "for the express purpose of dissolving that State’s bond with the union." Thanks for the heads up, Burnell. Now that the plan is out, we can put into context the actions of radical state legislators.
I'd like to echo Burnell's invitation and also invite the KKK, who recently protested at Dollywood for letting gays drink from the same fountains and ride the same roller coasters as straight people. We shouldn't leave out all those congressional Republicans promoting a discriminatory amendment to the United States Constitution, either. Now, they can all have their own country and not have to worry about fairness and equality challenging their fanatic notions that they are more deserving than others.
I can't imagine what the national anthem would be, but perhaps the first President of the new Christian nation, MA Gov. Mitt Romney, would have some ideas.
Same-sex marriage called last straw prompting plan for 1 state to secede
By Joe Kovacs
WorldNetDaily.com
May 24, 2004Senators Target Gay Marriage
By Mark Preston
Roll Call
May 24, 2004Klan protest has little effect - Dollywood visitors seem unfazed on 'Gay Day'
By J.J. KINDRED
Mountain Press
May 24, 2004
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May 21, 2004
After a recent historic day of lobbying the United States Congress, the transgender community is discussing trans-exclusion from the HRC-backed language of the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA).
Gwen Smith, a trans-activist and author, was one of about a dozen transgender activist of Transgender Menace who protested outside the headquarters of HRC in Washington, D.C. In her online blog, Smith shared what she describes as a "disturbing" roadblock to gender inclusive language in ENDA.
Now, information has come to me that shows why this remains the case within the beltway, even while transgender-inclusive change has happened across the country. The answer is as simple as it is disturbing: the Human Rights Campaign itself has been the roadblock.A day before I stood in front of HRC’s swank offices, a sibling activist visited a congress person’s office. They were supportive of transgender inclusion, but wondered out loud why HRC was no “on board” with this. Over the course of the next day, more heard similar questions from Congressional aides.
Another trans-activist from New Jersey, Rebecca Juro, wrote of the experience:
The kernel was the stunning tidbit NTAC lobbyists heard when visiting the office of a major Republican co-sponsor of ENDA. When asked if the congressman would be willing to support a version of ENDA that is inclusive of gender identity and expression protections, a closely-placed source responded, “If HRC would just get on board with this, it would be so much easier.” Those in many other congressional offices, while generally supportive of protecting Transgender Americans in civil rights legislation, were curious as to why HRC isn't supporting a trans-inclusive ENDA.
A recent press release from the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition didn't parse words on the matter:
On the negative side, the perennial gatekeepers to transgender rights still need more "time" and "education." As one Senate staffer said, it would be "immensely helpful" for us to get the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) on board, and a House staffer bolstered it, saying their office would "be there in a minute - but it's not our bill. You need Barney [Frank D-MA], you need HRC.""All of the hard-sell the transgender community was given about Barney Frank and HRC championing our cause from their own press and from those they enlisted to pass along have been nothing more than illusion," said a markedly disappointed Vanessa Edwards Foster. "We're now faithless in these self-appointed conservators of our rights."
You can read more about this issue, including responses to from HRC, here:
Transadvocate: SONDA Revisted
May. 21st, 2004 @ 12:22 pm
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May 19, 2004
Ferrell Blount, the North Carolina Republican Party Chairman, wants to make it clear that gays are not welcome in his party's vision of America, much less at their state's convention. Perhaps in Blount's fish bowl, gay and lesbian families and businesses are also not welcome in North Carolina or our great nation.
In a letter to the North Carolina Log Cabin Republicans, Blount rejected the group's application for a table at the convention citing the state party's platform which says "homosexuality is not normal." That was enough justification for Blount to make sure gays weren't invited. Perhaps it's enough justification for Blount and others like him to take whatever actions deemed fit to make unwelcome the thousands of gay and lesbian families and businesses in North Carolina. Perhaps it's enough for his national party to justify much worse.
The assumption that Republicans care more about taxes, the economy and the war on terror are put into question by Blount's discriminatory actions. Despite North Carolina Log Cabin Republicans agreeing on their party's position on these important issues, Blount's most important qualification for participation in his party's state convention is that you support discrimination against gays.
As the Republican party continues to sell an image of fairness and inclusion leading up to the 2004 Presidential elections, pay close attention to the footnote to which Blount, his party's national leadership and the President of the United States eagerly lend their collective voice.
In the Republican party's vision of America, American principles of fairness and equality will be amended, with your permission, to justify divisive and exclusionary policies compliments of radical elements taking over the Republican party.
Read Blount's rediculous letter here.
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May 19, 2004
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney this week continues to demonstrate the lengths divisive politicians will go to unfairly target gay and lesbian families.
After legal marriage licenses were issued in his state to gay and lesbian couples, Gov. Romney began demanding copies of only those "gay" applicants in order to apply a law from 1913 banning out-of-state residents from seeking marriage licenses.
The last time the law was used was to prevent mixed race couples from "seeking to destroy the institution of marriage." This time, Gov. Romney is using the law for similarly scurrilous reasons that don't seem to care at all whether straight people are defying the law.
To people like Gov. Romney, there are more important things to do as Gov. than making sure the laws are applied equally, like making life as hellacious for those seeking equal rights as possible. Gov. Romney follows a long line in history of people we look back on in shame.
Mass. gov seeks gay nups info
NY Daily News
May 19, 2004
MASS. GOV'S GAY-NUP TWIST
NY Post
May 19, 2004
Request spurs fear of state crackdown
By CONOR BERRY and DAVID KIBBE
TIMES BOSTON via Cape Cod Times
May 19, 2004
State To Review Non-Resident Gay Marriage Licenses
WCVB-TV
May 19, 2004
Massachusetts governor demands wedding licenses
Advocate.com
May 19, 2004
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May 17, 2004
Images from 50 years ago are reminding Americans today how far we've come from a time when some Americans fearlessly and regrettably proclaimed their desire for segregation.
The snarling displeasure of some people in the 1960s with the "judicial activism" of the United States Supreme Court is a stark reminder of the forces our country continues to face. The same divisive political rhetoric that defied the Constitution in the 1960s today seeks to deny equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian Americans. Equal marriage rights begin today in Massachusetts on this historic anniversary of Brown v. the Board of Education.
Today, President Bush said of Brown v. the Board of Education, "Segregation could not be squared with the principles of America." Yet, those same principles today stand in the way of President Bush's desire to discriminate against gays and lesbians. President Bush's solution is to alter the document which protects those American principles he speaks highly of to force an exception that allows for discrimination.
On the issue of equal marriage rights, the White House issued the following statement by the President of the United States:
The sacred institution of marriage should not be redefined by a few activist judges. All Americans have a right to be heard in this debate. I called on the Congress to pass, and to send to the states for ratification, an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and a woman as husband and wife. The need for that amendment is still urgent, and I repeat that call today.
~ Statement by President Bush - May 17, 2004
America will remember the stain of defying American principles of fairness and equality. America will stand for better.
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May 14, 2004
According to the Christian conservative group American Family Association, a North Carolina school district will apologize for censoring three students for wearing T-shirts quoting the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality. Whether you agree with their condemnation or not, bigots have rights, too.
The students wore shirts during a national gay student demonstration, "National Day of Silence," that said “Homosexuality is sin (Leviticus 18:22),” “Hell is REAL (Revelation 21:8),” and “Jesus is the Answer! (Romans 10:9-10).”
Thanks to free speech, bigotry has a face in the Watauga County School District that in a repressive society would seeth in the shadows and find tragic methods of expression. Thanks to free speech, the market place of ideas can properly value such disgusting attitudes by allowing people who make their voices count to call them for what they are while at the same time allowing those who hold opposing opinions to decide whether those attitudes are worth promoting.
The censorship of these students was yet another example of knee-jerk reactions from public school administrators in America. The incidence further illustrates the need in this country for a mandatory course in public schools on the United States Constitution at the high school level.
Another example of the sad state of affairs in our public schools took place this past week in Utah's Hillcrest High School. There, high school administrators suspended 4 students for refusing to cover up gay anti-smoking t-shirts that said "Queers Kick Ash."
America treasures our founding principles of freedom of speech, and this freedom has a way of allowing truth to prevail even in the face of objectionable speech. Public school administrators who react in an unconstitutional manner toward the excercise of free speech by students ought to be fired. Their illegal reaction to the messengers demonstrates a level of intollerance and disrespect for the law that fuels negative reactions and a hostility toward the Constitution rather than helping to foster discourse on the subjects rasied under freedom of speech.
If we don't demand public school administrators adhere to the law, our country will quickly go the way of Canada's rediculous and oppressive speech codes and the kind of society these type laws will eventually produce.
filed under: Free Speech
May 13, 2004
I remember the first time I saw titties on television. I was in elementary school in the 1970s, when we only had 3 channels on television, and one night on PBS, there they were. There was nothing sexual about it, unless you're into long droopy breasts of native Africans, but I distinctly remember the shock my siblings and I had at the site.
PBS has always opened our eyes to other worlds. Back in the 1970s, PBS presented the first reality television show American Family. Not only was it the first reality television show, but the sheries also provided a glimpse into the coming out process when Lance Loud, the teenage son of the Loud family, came out.
PBS is at it again, only this time its with the reality television series Colonial House. This series puts several people in a Colonial setting forcing them to live as we did back in the day. Not a detail is spared, down to the very fabric of the clothes, the food, the role of subjugated women, and the toils of living without modern conveniences.
In the story below, 24 year old Jonathon Allen talks about how he had to come out on the show. Interestingly enough, nothing is said about whether this subject is handled in the way Colonials would handle it.
If PBS really wants ratings, I have some suggestions.
PBS should adhere to Colonial House's concept and force the colonist to deal with his homosexuality the way they did back then. After all, the women in colonial house must endure a daily regiment that is nothing short of slavery while men enjoy a relaxed home life. Why shouldn't the colonists work their frustrations out with everyday life on the homosexual in true Colonial fashion?
Gay actor comes out in series set in Colonial America
By Tim Clodfelter
relish
May 13, 2004
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May 11, 2004
If you haven't seen the Log Cabin Republican's television ad campaign featuring Vice President Dick Cheney, you really owe it to yourself to do so. The television ad features a reasoned arguement by Cheney made in the 2000 Presidential elections that equal marriage rights is a matter for the states and not the federal government.
Starting this week, LCR will be airing the commercial in 6 more states, including that of Federal Marriage Amendment author Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. In April, Musgrave's own state legislature voted against supporting her effort, sending a clear signal the people of Colorado stand for something better than Musgrave's divisive poltical agenda.
The sense of fairness one gets from Cheney in LCR's television ad is a stark difference from the Cheney we see today flip-flopping on the issue for the sake of dividing our country in time for the 2004 elections. The contrast of the Cheney in 2000 with the Cheney of 2004 demonstrates the Republican party base is far removed from moderate Americans who want to protect the United States Constitution and basic principles of fairness.
Dick Cheney's current opinion on the matter of equal marriage rights is one of politicaly expedient support for a constitutional amendment. It's a shameful political calculation on Cheney's part that illustrates the hollow rhetoric of the Republican party and to what part of America they have chosen to lend their voice.
To Cheney, "family values," "compassion" and being a "uniter, not divider" are meaningless phrases when it comes to making sure his own lesbian daughter is denied basic fairness and equality. Vice President Dick Cheney should be ashamed at how far he's allowed a radical and hateful agenda to make his political career more important than his own daughter and America's founding principles.
This is the challenge our nation faces when deciding which direction we want to go in November 2004. The kind of Republican party Democrats face is a brand that is so determined to win that the lives of family and the fairness they deserve are mere cannon fodder.
Despite this, I'm very proud of those Republicans who face the complicit silence of their moderate Republican colleagues on issues of fairness yet still stand up on basic American principles and challenge their party's lack of leadership and regrettable divisive politics. I'm even more proud of the many new voices that have come to understand the importance of voting in America is 2004.
Gay Republicans launch ad blitz
By Peggy Lowe
Rocky Mountain News
May 11, 2004
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