News aggregator

Watch the live USTREAM.TV webcast of our panel at The Big Tent, "LGBT issues in 2008: What a Difference Four Years Makes," at 9:00 AM MT (11:00 AM EST). Panelists: Democratic pollster Celinda Lake; Washington Post editorial board member (and panelist for the Logo/HRC Foundation presidential forum in 2007) Jonathan Capehart, and Arizona State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.

UPDATE: The live webcast has now ended. I'll try to post the recorded video online as soon as possible...

5:30 PM MT - At 7:30 tonight, HRC's “Rock to Win” live music event will be held at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver—a venue modeled on the historic San Francisco Fillmore rock club.  Thelma Houston, Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper and Rufus Wainwright are scheduled to perform.

Here are a couple of "behind-the-scenes" shots of the Filmore from our staff pre-show "walk-through" on Monday:

Stay turned for more updates and pictures from the "Rock to Win" concert....

4:30 PM MT - On opening night of the Democratic Convention, Michelle Obama gave a keynote address from the Pepsi Center where she discussed her background, family, and Sen. Obama's vision for America:

The full text of her speech is here. 

This afternoon, Michelle addressed over 600 LGBT delegates, supporters, bloggers and members of the media at a luncheon sponsored by Congressman Barney Frank and the Victory Fund.  Before a packed audience, Michelle talked about Senator Obama's support for LGBT families, the Ryan White Care Act and the full repeal of DOMA and DADT:

11:40 AM MT - There's already a lot of buzz around today's LGBT delegate luncheon sponsored by Congressman Barney Frank and the Victory Fund. This is definitely going to be one HOT event for the LGBT folks here at the Convention.

9:00 A.M. MT - HRC's "Celebrate Diversity" reception with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus was truly a success yesterday. Donna Payne, our associate director of diversity, put together the great reception in the Westin's Mollie Tabor room where delegates, elected officials, HRC Board members, the media, and LGBT activists like the Black Aids Institute's Phill Wilson, Elizabeth Birch and Keith Boykin mingled among their peers. Not to mention, it was a lot of fun!

Here are photos of some of the faces at the event:

3:50 PM (MT) - HRC's "Celebrate Diversity" reception with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus is about to begin shortly. 

Jack Johnson (pictured left), an LGBT delegate and a former state legislator from Arizona, will be one of more than 200 people who will attend tonight's reception. He told us that he is "happy to be here as a gay man, honored to be here as a Native American and humbled to be here as a delegate of the Party that embraces every citizen of this nation."

We're expecting this to be a very successful reception and I hope to get some good photos to post. I'll try to post pictures as soon as I can...

****UPDATE: Photos from the reception are here.

HRC President Joe Solmonese will be one of the featured panelists on a discussion, "Dividing the Voters: Working the Wedge in 2008," sponsored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights at the Big Tent. 

The panel was webcasted live on USTREAM.TV.

It's a beautiful morning in Denver and Brad Luna, Trevor Thomas, and I are heading downtown to jump head first into the Convention action. The Convention officially kicks off today at 5 PM. Up first for us, a 9 AM HRC convention staff meeting/conference call to make sure everyone has their marching orders (although I personally prefer to skip...).  The DNC LGBT Caucus lunch at noon and HRC's "Celebrate Diversity" reception at 4 PM are the events that will headline our day today. Donna Payne, our associate director of diversity, forwarded me some background on a few of the people that will be featured at tonight's reception. I'll try to post on the blog today...

Joe Solmonese will be a panelist on a discussion sponsored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights at the Big Tent at 2 PM MT (4 PM EST) today:

Scheduled to Appear:
Ben Jealous, incoming NAACP President and CEO
Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign President
Arturo Vargas, head of National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
Peter Groff, President of the Colorado Senate

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) will sponsor a discussion about some of the hot topics in the 2008 elections, including equal opportunity, immigration and marriage rights.

Sponsor: Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Topics covered: Race/Diversity, LGBT, Latino

Speaker Pelosi and President Jimmy Carter will speak this afternoon. Sen. Ted Kennedy (!) and Michelle Obama will speak tonight at the Pepsi Center during primetime. I AM BRIMMING WITH ANTICIPATION to hear what Michelle has to say to America -- and girl, what is she going to wear??!

We're here!

I just arrived from Washington, DC into Denver a little while ago, and if the cheery greeting by the DNC volunteers decked out in orange shirts welcoming travelers at the Denver International Airport is any indicator of how the Convention will be organized, we're in store for an exciting week ahead that will hopefully run rather smoothly.  I'm here at my hotel now in Highlands Ranch, and while I can see the mountains and a sliver of the Denver skyline from my room (...if I practically lean out the window), this place looks very spread out at first glance.  I'll have to figure out the lay of the land rather quickly if I don't want to lose my bearings - or worse, my ride back to the hotel!   

I'll be reporting from Denver on HRC's activities at the Convention through Friday - as well as some of the other people, places, and things here at the Convention that I think you should know about. I'll have my video camera and computer ready with me to get as much great footage and pictures as I can. HRC and Back Story is really going to be all up in the mix this week!

(I'll also be trying to do some serious 'liveblogging' from Huffington Post's Oasis of my own, so don't mind me...)

On Wednesday at 9 AM MT (11 AM EST), I'll be moderating a 50-minute, four person panel at The Big Tent, the central communications hub for citizen journalists, bloggers and new media types during the Democratic National Convention. The discussion, entitled, “LGBT Issues in 2008: What a Difference Four Years Makes,”  will focus on public opinion research on attitudes towards LGBT issues; media coverage of LGBT issues; Sen. John McCain’s troubling record on issues important to the LGBT community; and anti-LGBT state ballot initiatives. We're fortunate to have assembled an all-star lineup of panelists with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake; Washington Post editorial board member (and panelist for the Logo/HRC Foundation presidential forum in 2007) Jonathan Capehart, and Arizona State Rep. Kyrsten Sinema. 

The panel will be webcast live on USTREAM.TV. I hope to carry the live webcast feed on Back Story so stay tuned for updates!

Here's a schedule of the week's "LGBT-related" DNC convention activities that we have on our radar:

Monday, August 25:
                
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. LGBT Caucus Meeting; Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St Denver, CO 80202; Media contact: Trevor Thomas, DNCC.

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Stonewall Democrats Tea Party; The Pinnacle Club by the Grand Hyatt Media contact: John Marble, Stonewall Democrats.
   
4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Celebrating Diversity Reception by Human Rights Campaign; Westin Tabor Center 1672 Lawrence Street Denver, CO 80202; Media contact: Brad.Luna@hrc.org. 

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (EST) The Agenda with Joe Solmonese will air live from the convention with special guests Rep. Diana DeGette; Hilary Rosen, Huffington Post; Mary Ann Akers, Washington Post; Patrick Gavin, Washington Examiner; and GLBT Delegates.  The program airs live every Monday night on XM Radio’s Channel 155.  It is co-hosted by Mary Breslauer.

Tuesday, August 26:
                
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch for LGBT Delegates Hosted by Rep. Barney Frank, with Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Human Rights Campaign; Sheraton Hotel, 1550 Court Place, Denver, CO 80202; Media contact: Steve Adamske, barneyfrankpress@gmail.com.

7:00 p.m. Human Rights Campaign presents “Rock to Win” with Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright and Margaret Cho; Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson St Denver, CO 80218; Media contact: Brad.Luna@hrc.org

Wednesday, August 27:

****9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Human Rights Campaign hosts panel discussion on LGBT Issues in 2008: What a Difference Four Years Makes; The Big Tent.  Panelists: Celinda Lake, Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (Del.) and Jonathan Capehart.  Media contact: Christopher.Johnson@hrc.org.

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. LGBT Caucus Meeting; Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St Denver, CO 80202; Media contact: Trevor Thomas, DNCC

Convention headline and featured speakers:

Monday, August 25 – One Nation.

Monday’s headline prime-time speaker will be Michelle Obama. Other Monday night speakers include: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri; Barack Obama’s sister Maya Soetero-Ng and Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s older brother; Jerry Kellman, mentor and long-time friend of Barack Obama; Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr.; former Indiana Representative Lee Hamilton; Tom Balanoff, President of Illinois SEIU; Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America; NEA President Reg Weaver; AFT President Randi Weingarten; Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan; State Comptroller Dan Hynes; Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulis; Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle; and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.  Monday night will also feature a tribute to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Tuesday, August 26 – Renewing America’s Promise.

Senator Hillary Clinton will be the headline prime-time speaker and former Virginia Governor Mark Warner will deliver the keynote address on Tuesday night. Pay Equity pioneer Lilly Ledbetter will also address the Convention on Tuesday.  Other Tuesday speakers will include: Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana; Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts; Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas; Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona; Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia; Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin; Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania; Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio; Governor David Paterson of New York; Governor Chet Culver of Iowa; Senator Bob Casey, Jr., of Pennsylvania; Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont; former Secretary of Energy and Transportation Federico Peña; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer; House Democratic Caucus Chair Rahm Emanuel; Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Assistant to the Speaker of the House; and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Chris Van Hollen, who will use his time to showcase his top candidates for change. Representatives Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Mike Honda (D-CA), California Controller John Chiang, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, Change To Win’s Anna Burger, and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will also speak.

Wednesday, August 27 – Securing America’s Future.

The headline prime-time speaker on Wednesday will be Barack Obama’s Vice Presidential Nominee, Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE).  Featured speakers will include: Former President Bill Clinton; former Senator Tom Daschle; Governor Bill Richardson and Senators Evan Bayh, Joe Biden, John Kerry and Jay Rockefeller. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Convention home state Senator Ken Salazar, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, and Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) along with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Representative Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth will lead a tribute honoring those who give so much to secure our nation’s future – veterans, active duty military and their families.

Thursday, August 28 – Change You Can Believe In.

On Thursday night, the DNCC will throw open the doors of the Convention and move to INVESCO Field at Mile High so that more Americans can be a part of the fourth night of the Convention as Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination. Obama will communicate the urgency of the moment, highlight the struggles Americans are facing and call on Americans to come together to change the course of our nation. Additional details of the program to precede Barack Obama’s acceptance speech will be announced later this week.

HRC hailed the presumptive Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama’s selection of Senator Joe Biden as his Vice Presidential running mate.  During his career in Congress, Senator Biden has a proven record of fighting for and supporting issues of fairness and equality. 

Joe Solmonese:

In selecting Senator Joe Biden as his running mate, Senator Obama has chosen a proven and effective advocate for fairness and equality that our entire community can be proud of. Senator Biden’s record in the United States Senate is one of support and understanding that has been unwavering throughout his career.

Recently, Senator Biden, as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, played an instrumental role in securing the passage of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), legislation which included Senator John Kerry and Senator Gordon Smith’s provision repealing the discriminatory HIV travel and immigration ban.  His working across the aisle guaranteed that the Kerry-Smith provision was adopted.  Furthermore, when opponents of the provision attempted to garner support to strip the provision from the bill, Senator Biden fought to keep the provision in the bill and helped secure the votes for PEPFAR'S final passage.

“We only need to look back to the recent passage of the repeal of the HIV travel and immigration ban to see the type of leadership we can expect from Senator Biden on the issues important to our community,” continued Solmonese.  “It was because of his determination and tenacity that we were able to see this relic of discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS torn down.”

“If the support Senator Biden has proven on our issues is any indication of the type of Vice President he will be than our community can be assured that Senator Obama has chosen a thoughtful and staunch advocate for equality as his closest adviser,” concluded Solmonese.

Good afternoon,

With your help, the Human Rights Campaign California Marriage PAC reached a major milestone this week.

Thanks to the generous and enthusiastic support of HRC members and allies, the HRC California Marriage PAC has raised over $2 million for the campaign to defeat Proposition 8 at the ballot box. This $2 million figure includes the inspiring $1 million contribution from HRC Board of Directors member Bruce Bastian, and an additional $1 million worth of donations, many of which were made by HRC members and supporters at the HRC California Marriage PAC website.

I have discussed with you the hard work that HRC has been doing in California surrounding the battle to preserve marriage equality in the state. In the past year, HRC provided six full-time staff members and $2 million to Equality for All, a large and diverse coalition of civil rights, faith, choice, labor and communities of color organizations working to prevent the marriage repeal measure from reaching the ballot.

When Proposition 8 obtained enough signatures to place it on the ballot, HRC made an initial pledge of $500,000 to defeat the measure. As part of this commitment, guests attending the annual San Francisco dinner had the option to allocate up to 100% of the fee to the HRC California Marriage PAC.

On June 17th, the first full day of legal marriage for gay and lesbian couples in the state, HRC sent seven staffers to various locations in California to ensure our side was fairly represented to the media. Since then, HRC has opened up its Action Center Store in San Francisco to be the home base for Equality for All canvassing operations in the city.

The remarkable milestone reached this week is truly something to celebrate, but we are far from done. Our opponents will stop at nothing to raise the funds necessary to make discrimination the law of the land in California. Together, we can stop them. If you haven’t yet done so, or even if you have, please consider making a contribution to the HRC California Marriage PAC and helping us stop this amendment and preserve marriage equality.

Next week I’ll write to you from Denver and the Democratic National Committee Convention. As I told you last week, HRC will participate in a number of exciting events during the convention. These include:

• HRC and our allies will host a reception honoring the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus on Monday, August 25th. The reception will provide an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the pro-equality movement.
• On Monday evening my XM radio show “The Agenda” will be broadcasting live from Radio Row at the convention with an all-star line-up. We’ll welcome Reps. Tammy Baldwin and Diana DeGette, Hilary Rosen, the Washington Post’s Mary Ann Akers as well as other journalists, newsmakers and delegates. For more information, visit www.hrc.org/TheAgenda.
• On Tuesday, August 26th, HRC, along with the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and key Capitol Hill allies Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Barney Frank (D-MA), will host a luncheon honoring the LGBT delegates at the DNCC. There are a record number of them this year—including HRC Business Council and Boston Steering Committee member Diego Sanchez, and HRC Board members Terry Bean, Terry Penrod, Lisa Zellner, and Karen Aronoff.
• Later that night we’ll hold the long-awaited Rock to Win event, featuring Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Thelma Houston, and just-added Margaret Cho. There are still tickets available for this not-to-be-missed celebration of LGBT equality. Visit www.hrc.org/rocktowin for more details.
• Chris Johnson, lead blogger at HRC Back Story, will be moderating an HRC-sponsored panel at the Big Tent.  The discussion will focus on public opinion research on attitudes towards LGBT issues; media coverage of LGBT issues; Sen. John McCain’s troubling record on issues important to the LGBT community; and anti-LGBT state ballot initiatives. The panelists are democratic pollster Celinda Lake, Washington Post editorial board member Jonathan Capehart, and Arizona Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (Del.).  The event will be webcasted live on Back Story and we’re encouraging our members to pre-submit questions for the panelists. Please email your questions to christopher.johnson@hrc.org.  Chris will also be live-blogging throughout the convention so make sure to check in frequently for the latest updates!

Before I end today, I want to express my deep sadness at the passing of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH). Representative Tubbs Jones consistently earned a 100 percent on the HRC Congressional Scorecard and could always be counted on to speak out for civil rights and basic fairness. She was a great ally and friend to the LGBT community, and we will sincerely miss her.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

Special thanks to Allyson Robinson, HRC's associate director of diversity, for submitting this guest post:

The mission statement of the Washington DC Veterans Administration Medical Center says, “We are dedicated to providing high quality, comprehensive health care to veterans in an environment that fosters trust, respect, commitment, compassion and excellence.” But according to a landmark study published yesterday by the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA) and the University of California Santa Barbara’s Palm Center, a VA hospital can be “at best a precarious environment for transgender veterans, and at worst, a location of stigma and discrimination.” 

I spoke this morning with Dr. Kristen Schilt, one of the study’s coauthors, and she told me that despite the focus on transgender service members and veterans, this is one of the largest surveys of the transgender community in general that has ever been done. The results are appalling, but sadly, not all that surprising. TAVA summarized their findings:

Over a third of survey respondents reported having experienced some form of discrimination in the workplace and 10% of respondents were turned away from the VA due to being transgender, while many reported other forms of discrimination including lack of respect from VA doctors (22%), non-medical staff (21%), and nurses (13%).  In addition, among those who served under the “don’t ask, don’t tell policy,” 1 in 5 were questioned by an officer about their sexual orientation, a violation of the military’s DADT policy.

When I asked Dr. Schilt what surprised her most about their findings, she mentioned two things:

• Harassment of active duty transgender service members effects trans men disproportionately.  Trans men were nearly twice as likely to be suspected of being gay than trans women and three times more likely to have been asked by a superior about their sexual orientation (in violation of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”). 
• These and other findings point to a deeper issue—the impact of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on transgender service members and the overlap between homophobia and transphobia in the military and the VA.

As a veteran (I served in the Army Reserve for a year prior to attending West Point, and then on active duty for five years following graduation), I was appalled by the examples of blatant prejudice in the VA medical system transgender vets cited in their responses.  One trans man’s experience stood out in particular; he was told by a clerk to “just go away because I was an insult to the brave real men who were there for treatment.” Monica Helms, President of TAVA, speaks for me on the issue: “We served our country honorably and proudly and the VA medical benefits we earned should not be denied or diminished simply because of the direction our lives took after discharge from active service.”

I’m grateful to TAVA for leading the fight for equality for transgender veterans and service members.

This is a special guest post from Kimberly Stagg, HRC Steering Committee Member in Tampa Bay:

On Sunday, August 17, 2008, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel held after "Freeheld", the final film of Sarasota Film Society’s 10th Annual GLBT Film Fest. “Freeheld” is a heart-wrenching story of Lieutenant Laurel Hester, a New Jersey police detective diagnosed with cancer.  The film documents how Hester’s dying wish, to leave her pension benefits to her life partner, was denied because she was a lesbian:

After the film, a panel discussion explored the impact that the proposed Florida Marriage Amendment will have on all Floridians.

Panelists included:

• Nadine Smith, Equality Florida
• Rebecca Steele, Florida ACLU
• Joe Saunders, Fairness for All Families
• Kimberly Stagg, Human Rights Campaign
• Deborah Tannenbaum, Florida Red & Blue

The panel consisted of a number of people that are working to educate Floridians on the necessity to defeat Amendment 2. Each person on the panel had a few minutes to talk, and most people talked about why it was important to them and how their organizations are working together to get the word out.

It was wonderful to meet people from Fairness for all Families, Equality Florida, Florida Red & Blue and even the Florida ACLU. Even sitting there as one of the experts on the panel, I learned so much.  Most gratifying of the entire event, however, was getting to meet people who wanted to get involved and defeat this harmful amendment. It’s so obvious to me now how important a united front if we want to defeat Amendment 2 in November. Sunday showed me how that is coming to be and how the word is getting out!

Deborah Tannenbaum from Florida Red & Blue also shared her perspective of the event:

First of all, the movie was incredible. It put a human face on the challenges that same sex couples face in getting simple benefits that they have earned! It was very emotional to see what Laurel and Stacie had to go through, but I think it definitely made an impact on the audience.

These are the challenges that couples all over America face today without the passage of these sort of Amendments...  And we have something this November that would potentially make it harder or even impossible on attaining Domestic Partnership benefits.

It was our job as panelists to let them know what is at stake for ALL unmarried couples (gay, straight, young, and old). I discussed what we happened in Michigan, Ohio with the challenges to their Domestic Violence laws, and Kentucky where the universities were being sued for offering their professors domestic partnership benefits by the groups who backed the passage of similar amendments.

I let them know that these things could happen here.

People were astounded that 22 other states have passed similar Amendments and the ramifications.

I encouraged them to go to the SayNo2 web site for talking points.
Additionally, the group was asked to email their friends and family to encourage others to vote No on 2.

The group was very motivated and asked great questions. It was a great forum, just wished they had a few more people attend...

My hope is that everyone in that group (about 30-40) emailed 5 people…and it motivated them to get involved and contribute to the cause!

Special thanks to Chris Edelson (pictured below), our state legislator director, for authoring this guest post:

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

When we think of the fight for equal rights, we tend, of course, to be forward-looking, with an eye toward building on existing protections.  Sometimes, though, opponents of equality try to move things in the opposite direction, away from equality.  The discriminatory marriage amendments in California, Arizona, and Florida, as well as the repeal efforts in Montgomery County, Maryland and Gainesville, Florida are stark reminders of that.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has managed to roll back protections for GLB people in Louisiana simply by doing nothing.  Gov. Jindal announced yesterday that he will allow an executive order prohibiting discrimination against state employees based on sexual orientation to expire.  The order was signed by Jindal’s predecessor, Gov. Kathleen Blanco, in 2004, and will expire this week unless it is renewed.  The first executive order prohibiting such discrimination in the state was implemented nearly two decades ago, in 1992.

Gov. Jindal’s explanation for his inaction is perplexing, to put it charitably.  He claims that he is allowing the protections to lapse because it is not “necessary to create additional special categories or special rights,” and said that state and federal law already prohibit discrimination.

This is simply not correct.  Gov. Jindal surely knows that Louisiana is one of 30 states (.pdf) that does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation (it is one of 38 states that does not prohibit discrimination based on gender identity).  Federal law, of course, does not prohibit discrimination based on either sexual orientation or gender identity—that’s the reason why ENDA is so vitally important.
 
Gov. Jindal is also being misleading when he refers to “special rights”.  As Randy Evans of Lousiana’s Forum for Equality aptly put it, Jindal’s decision means that “it is perfectly legal to fire anyone based on their sexual orientation even if they are a perfect employee.”   There is nothing “special” about being protected against such arbitrary discrimination—whether it is based on race, gender, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other personal characteristics unrelated to job performance.   Protections against such discrimination are a basic part of what it means to have equal rights.  To put it simply, Gov. Jindal’s decision denies equality to his state’s citizens.

Gov. Jindal’s callous attitude is also a reminder that elections matter.  As mentioned, Gov. Jindal’s predecessor signed the expiring order.  A new governor in Louisiana meant a setback for equality.  That’s a good thing to keep in mind this November—voting for fair-minded candidates can have very tangible consequences.

Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese issued a statement on Wednesday on the sudden death of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH):

On behalf of everyone at the Human Rights Campaign, I want to express deep sadness at the passing of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.  The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has not just lost an ally, but a friend. Representative Tubbs Jones could always be counted on to speak out for civil rights and was an outspoken advocate for LGBT equality. She will be greatly missed.

Congresswoman Tubbs Jones consistently earned a 100 percent score on the HRC Congressional Scorecard. She was a co-sponsor of H.R. 2015, the fully inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and H.R. 1592, legislation that would expand federal hate crimes protections to include crimes motivated by anti-LGBT bias. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones was a frequent guest at the annual HRC Gala Dinner in Cleveland, Ohio, and was a recipient of the HRC Equality Award.

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

NOTE FROM CHRIS: During my 4 1/2 years on Capitol Hill before I came to work for the Human Rights Campaign, I worked for members of the Congressional Black Caucus, most recently for Congressman Mel Watt, the former chairman of the CBC.  A few of my friends even worked in Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones's congressional office and I was able to see and interact with the congresswoman rather frequently.  She had this unguarded, down-to-earth way that drew you in and made you feel like she was genuinely interested in the people around her.  After she lost her husband, it was truly inspiring to see Congresswoman Tubbs Jones return to work with the same passion that was her signature.  I will always remember Congresswoman Tubbs Jones as being one of the most authentic, dedicated and approachable Members of Congress on Capitol Hill.   

The establishment of marriage for same-sex couples in California (2008) and Massachusetts (2004) legally expanded the definition of "spouse" as used in many employment and benefits contexts in those states and, as of July 31, 2008, neither state requires married couples to reside there. Also, the State of New York has taken steps to recognize same-sex spouses married in other states.

As a result, employers across the country must assess their employee benefits with respect to same-sex spouses. In fact, John Lake, our director of corporate relations, recently reported on a business panel organized by HRC Board of Governors member Tom Floyd on how California companies are legally responding to gay and lesbian couples who marry.

The HRC Foundation has produced a new resource that examines the interplay between inconsistent state and federal laws and an individual employer’s partner and spousal benefits structures. The guide, "Marriage for Same-Sex Couples: Considerations for Employers," also suggests ways employers can proactively address changing laws to ensure same-sex couples are provided equal benefits, including eligibility, enrollment and tax treatment of benefits.

Download Marriage for Same-Sex Couples: Considerations for Employers [PDF]

[Photo: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at City Hall with Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, the first couple to marry under California's new marriage law.]

Just found an interesting story from Lou Chibbaro at the Washington Blade. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Congressman Barney Frank's intention to challenge an FDIC insurance policy that unfairly leaves out gay and lesbian domestic partners as qualified beneficaries:

“He will talk to the FDIC to see if they have the authority to do something about this administratively or whether a legislative remedy is needed,” said Steve Adamske, Frank’s press spokesperson.

The FDIC is an independent federal agency that protects Americans against the loss of their deposits in banks and savings institutions in the event that a bank fails. FDIC insurance covers accounts of up to $100,000 per bank or other covered financial institutions and protects against the loss of up to $250,000 for certain retirement account deposits.

The agency also provides $100,000 in insurance protection for each owner of a joint account and any two or more individuals are eligible for coverage in joint accounts, including domestic partners. Under FDIC rules, a same-sex couple opening a joint bank account would be eligible for deposit protection for a total of $200,000, just like a married couple.

But the FDIC restricts its deposit insurance protection for revocable trust accounts to a list of “qualifying” beneficiaries — and domestic partners are
excluded from that list.

Under FDIC rules, those eligible to be beneficiaries, for purposes of receiving $100,000 in deposit insurance protection per beneficiary, are the trust owner’s married spouse, child, grandchild, parent and sibling. Adopted and stepchildren also qualify under FDIC rules.

“Others, including in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews, friends, organizations [including charities] and trusts do not qualify,” according to a description of the rules posted on the FDIC web site.

[Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

According to a statewide Zogby poll commissioned by Garden State Equality, New Jersey voters are in favor of changing the state's civil union law to marriage equality (PolitickerNJ):

By a 50%-42% margin, likely New Jersey voters support allowing same sex couples to marry. 59% say they would be fine with a same sex marriage law, and 57% say New Jersey should recognize same sex marriages that took place outside New Jersey.

Thurman Hart dissects the numbers further at BlueJersey. It's a post worth checking out.

HRC's Dallas Camp Equality - the largest one so far with over 60 participants - caught the attention of the Dallas Voice's Ben Briscoe, who visits the program and interviews Kaye Gooch of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, Pam Rogers of Tarrant County Stonewall Democrats and Anthony Hayes, our senior Camp Equality field director.

Watch the DVTV clip here.

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

UPDATE from Anthony Hayes:

Dallas Camp Equality was HRC’s 10th Camp Equality across the country and it was our most attended camp so far. The Dallas participants realized what was at stake and spent their entire weekend learning how they can effect change in Texas.

The room was filled with people who were either first time volunteers or candidates running for local offices in Texas. Women, men, straight, gay, transgender, and people of all ages worked all weekend together and discussed why they were there and why they wanted to participate in the political process.  I am amazed at the dedication of our members and our coalition partners to get engaged. Each camp you see that our LGBT community across the country is impacting the election cycle like never before.

There has never been a greater need for all of us to stand together and fight for what we know is right. We have 76 days until November 4th and the men and women in Dallas Texas are already planning to get involved this weekend in one of our fair-minded campaigns. The time to Act is now and together we can make 2008  The Year to Win not only in Dallas Texas but across America.

From Anthony Hayes, senior Camp Equality field director:

Answering a last-minute call for help from one of our fair-minded campaigns in Denver Colorado, HRC’s Camp Leaders Sam Roecker and Joe Peterson (both pictured, right) set up shop in a mail center for one of our fair-minded candidates.  The four volunteers worked a 4-hour shift on Friday, August 15th to help prepare this mass mailing to be sent out.

Camp Equality volunteers across the country are taking what they have learned and applying it immediately to insure that we elect fair-minded people across the country. The Denver camp leaders are working again today to help get another mass mailing out to the Denver people.  Volunteers are the lifeblood of every campaign across the country as is proof from our team in Denver, Colorado.

With 77 days remaining before everyone casts his or her vote on Nov 4th, our team in Colorado is setting the stage to make 2008 The Year To Win!