LGBT Advocates Hammer Senate Dems Over Gay-Inclusive Immigration

As Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) appear ready to throw gay-inclusive legislation under the bus, advocates are reacting furiously.

Richard Socarides, writing in the New Yorker, suggests that Schumer's behavior teaches the world that gays are not as deserved of equality as everyone else, and therefore he is sending that signal to those who might harm us:

It may not be fair to connect the historically thorny debate over immigration reform and issues of employment discrimination to the horrific and fatal events of this weekend in Greenwich Village. No one is suggesting that opposition to civil-rights protections for gay Americans is an open endorsement of hatred. But when our national leaders have a debate about whether or not to treat gay Americans the same as everybody else, it sends a powerful message that perhaps gays are not entitled to equality. Why not? Is the argument still that they are not as good as other citizens or that they are engaged in some immoral or otherwise improper behavior—that they shouldn’t be walking around openly at night?

The people who commit hate crimes get the idea that their victims are fair targets from somewhere. The movement for gay rights may in fact have some “political power” behind it now, as Justice Roberts also went out of his way to point out, but gay Americans do not have equality, and they still can and are targeted for discrimination and violence every day, even on the streets of Greenwich Village.

And Lavi Soloway unleashes at The DOMA PROJECT:

Despite hearing from tends of thousands of constituents in recent weeks, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) have not budged. They will refuse to vote for either amendment, and as a result, Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy, will likely not call either of his LGBT amendments (the one based on the Uniting American Families Act, which I helped write 14 years ago, or his historic and unexpected Marriage Equality “DOMA Carve Out” exception) for a vote knowing that the amendment will fail to garner the necessary 10 out of 10 Democratic votes to pass out of Committee.

The betrayal of our community by Senator Schumer who voted for DOMA as a member of the House and fought for gay votes when he ran for Senate despite HRC’s controversial endorsement of his incumbent opponent, Republican Alphonse D’Amato, is appalling to put it mildly. After all his promises to fight for LGBT inclusion, he has signaled day after day that he won’t upset the bipartisan Gang of Eight applecart. Dianne Feinstein, who, 35 years ago, became Mayor of San Francisco after the assassination of Mayor Moscone and Harvey Milk, has once again failed to provide leadership when the going got tough. Her leadership on the repeal of DOMA (Respect for Marriage Act) notwithstanding, this was the moment that counted. This was the moment that required courage and leadership. The most vulnerable members of our community relied on Senator Schumer and Senator Feinstein to stand up for us and end decades of catastrophic and irreparable harm to our families caused by DOMA and our exclusion from US immigration law.

Today, it seems clear, they will betray us.

Obama 'Wants to Move' on Assault Weapons Ban

President Obama backs Senator Dianne Feinstein's effort to ban assault weapons, the White House said today:

White House spokesman Jay Carney offered some of the first specifics on how Obama intends to make good on his promise to address gun violence in the aftermath of a shooting rampage at a Connecticut elementary school that killed 26 people, including 20 children.

"It's clear that as a nation we haven't done enough to address the scourge of gun violence," Carney told reporters. He reiterated that Obama "wants to move in the coming weeks."

News: Dianne Feinstein, Indiana Poll, Kelly Clarkson, UKIP

As of this writing, almost 50,000 people have signed a petition calling on the White House to designate Westboro Baptist a hate group.

South Carolina's Rock Hill Herald apologized after running an advertisement for guns next to a news story about the shooting. "Advertisements are usually placed days before the newspaper lands on your doorstep. In this case, the advertisement in question was placed Thursday morning," wrote editor Paul Osmundson. "But we at The Herald should have recognized the unfortunate juxtaposition of the advertisement with stories and a photograph about gun violence."

In the wake of the Connecticut shooting, Fox is airing repeats of Family Guy and American Dad tonight instead of new episodes that contain "possibly sensitive material."

From author Liza Long's piece on raising and caring for a mentally ill and potentially dangerous son, "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother": "No one wants to send a 13-year-old genius who loves Harry Potter and his snuggle animal collection to jail But our society, with its stigma on mental illness and its broken healthcare system, does not provide us with other options. Then another tortured soul shoots up a fast food restaurant. A mall. A kindergarten classroom. And we wring our hands and say, 'Something must be done.'"

Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she plans to introduce an assault weapons ban next month. "It will ban the sale, the transfer, the importation, and the possession. Not retroactively, but prospectively. It will ban the same for big clips, drums or strips of more than 10 bullets," she said. "There will be a bill."

The U.S. Army's experiments in chemistry: "In 1953, a catastrophic amount of EA 1298—a version of mescaline—had been injected into a patient named Harold Blauer, who had a violent reaction: shock, coma, and then death. Blauer, a professional tennis player, had been admitted to the institute for depression, and was never told that he was part of a military experiment."

Openly gay Rep. Barney Frank on his forthcoming retirement: "I'm hoping to get paid well to do what I do now for nothing."

Latest polls show Indiana voters split on legalizing gay marriage: "The survey taken for the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University and WISH-TV found that 45 percent of those surveyed supported allowing gay people to wed, while 45 percent opposed the idea. Ten percent had no opinion."

Homeland actor Mandy Patinkin was very excited to hear that Fox New York morning show host Dave Price's wife was going into labor.

Kelly Clarkson announced today via Twitter that she and her manager's son, Brandon Blackstock, are getting married.

Can the Spice Girls really exist without Victoria Beckham?

Martin Short knows all the right people in his SNL monologue.

For sperm, it's not just the head that matters, but length too: "Most fertility research has focused on the size of sperm and the size of the swimmers' heads, but a new study suggests the variability in the length of sperm also may put a wrench in successful reproduction. Like a factory churning out products of inconsistent sizes, ejaculates with varying sperm lengths can be a problem, said James Mossman of Brown University in Rhode Island."

British conservatives upset with Prime Minister David Cameron's push for marriage equality appear to be turning toward anti-EU political party UKIP. From Reuters: "UKIP, which wants Britain to exit the EU, has pledged to exploit Conservative divisions over the issue and polls showed its support reaching new highs, putting it in third place ahead of Cameron's junior coalition partners the Liberal Democrats."

RIP: "Gustavo Archilla, whose marriage in Canada in 2003 after almost six decades of a quiet and committed relationship inspired supporters of same-sex marriage, died on Nov. 27 on Marco Island, Fla., where he lived. He was 96."

Finally, an inflatable bee beard.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/16/3144695/liberal-icon-frank-eyes-high-profile.html#storylink=cpyFinally, an inflatable bee beard.

Senator Dianne Feinstein Talks About Bill Repealing DOMA: VIDEO

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) appeared on CNN's State of the Union yesterday and spoke with Candy Crowley about the "Respect for Marriage Act", the bill that would repeal DOMA, on the day that hundreds of couples began to marry in New York state.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

DOMA Repeal Has Enough Support to Advance to Senate Floor

The Washington Blade's Chris Johnson reports that DOMA repeal legislation has picked up enough votes (at least 10) in the Senate Judiciary Committee to advance to the Senate floor:

Last week, the Respect of Marriage Act, legislation sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that would repeal the 1996 anti-gay law that prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriage, gained two additional co-sponsors: Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Herb Kohl (D-Wis.).

Kohl’s support for the legislation is critical because he’s a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and would have a vote when the roll is called to move the legislation to the floor. Lynn Becker, a Kohl spokesperson, said the senator had previously considered DOMA a state issue.

Meanwhile, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), another member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has also said she’d vote for repeal of DOMA in committee, although she’s stopped short of co-sponsoring the legislation. 

Significant hurdles remain once the legislation is advanced to the Senate floor, but advocates are looking for the opportunity to get a fair hearing for the measure.

Watch: House, Senate Dems Introduce Legislation to Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)

This morning in the House, and this afternoon in the Senate, legislation was introduced that would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Watch both press conferences, AFTER THE JUMP...

The WSJ:

On the House side, Reps. Jerry Nadler (D., N.Y.) (at podium, below) and John Conyers (D., Mich.) teamed up with the four openly gay members of Congress, Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.), David Cicilline (D., R.I.), Barney Frank (D., Mass.) and Jared Polis (D., Colo.), plus more than 100 cosponsors on the legislation, which is slated for formal introduction Wednesday afternoon.

In the Senate, the DOMA repeal effort will be led by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) (above) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.). Some 20 other co-signers have signaled their support.

Recently President Obama concluded, upon consultation with Attorney General Eric Holder, that classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to heightened legal scrutiny and that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, is unconstitutional.  The Administration said that it would continue to enforce DOMA until it was repealed or overturned by the courts, but it would curtail defense of Section 3 of DOMA in legal challenges.

White House spokesman Shin Inouye released the following statement to Towleroad: “The President has long said that DOMA is discriminatory and should be repealed by Congress.  We welcome the introduction of bills that would legislatively repeal DOMA, and look forward to working with lawmakers to achieve that goal.”

Watch both press conferences, AFTER THE JUMP...

Meanwhile, a House resolution with 81 Republican sponsors condemns Obama for his decision to stop defending DOMA in court.

Recent DOMA developments...
Poll Shows Americans Oppose DOMA, Government Defense of It [tr]
Boehner Announces House Will Defend DOMA in Court [tr]
DOMA: Defending the Indefensible [tr]
Immigration Equality Prepping Binational DOMA Case [tr]
DOMA: The Ripple Effects of Heightened Scrutiny [tr]