We just lost on DADT, but...

 

Because of an unprecedented filibuster by Sen. John McCain, we just lost a critical vote in the Senate to end debate on the Defense Authorization bill and repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

But this is NOT OVER. Not by a long shot.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can attempt to end debate -- and bring the Defense Authorization bill to the floor for a vote -- again. The question is when he will do so. Until he does, we need to keep up the pressure on the Senate.

On Monday, we delivered 557,293 Courage Campaign signatures to targeted Senators. While we may have lost this vote, we need to keep fighting to get another -- and finish off DADT for good. Please help us keep up the pressure on Washington to finally repeal DADT by contributing $25, $50, $100 or more right now:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/FightToTheFinish

Let's be clear. Without your relentless pressure to repeal DADT -- along with the activism of so many other organizations, individuals and communities --  a vote would not have taken place today.

Your pressure made it possible, from your support for Lt. Dan Choi during our "Don't Fire Dan!" campaign to the 557,293 signatures we delivered to Congress and the President, to the thousands of calls you made to Congress via Courage and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

And we're going to keep up that pressure. But we need your support now to do it.

Today, we came within ONE vote of bringing DADT repeal to the Senate floor. Now we need to get that last vote -- and finish off DADT for good. Please help us keep up the pressure on Washington to finally repeal DADT by contributing $25, $50, $100 or more right now:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/FightToTheFinish

Thanks you for your commitment to the cause of equality. We really can't do this without you.

Rick Jacobs
Chair, Courage Campaign

P.S. The Senate is not the only place we're going to apply pressure in Washington. We are also joining the Human Rights Campaign in calling on the Justice Department not to appeal the recent court decision that ruled DADT unconstitutional. The decision in this historic case, launched by the Log Cabin Republicans, affirms what the vast majority of the American people know to be true - that it's time for DADT to be sent to the dustbin of history. Stay tuned.

 

Courage Campaign Equality is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. To get involved in Courage Campaign Equality, visit "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.

To support our work to repeal DADT, please chip in what you can today:

Tell your senators today to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Today

 

Critical votes in the Senate are needed to repeal the unjust "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.  We expect the Senate to vote on the Defense Authorization bill, which includes a DADT repeal amendment offered by Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) this Friday. If passed by the Senate, we will be one step closer to repealing the discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law once and for all. For repeal to advance, we need 60 votes in the Senate.   We can only secure these votes if you take action today! E-mail your Senator. All of your calls, e-mails, letters, and visits have brought us to this moment. If you've voiced your opinion anytime in the past few months or years – please take a few minutes and do so again. If this is your first time, your voice is seriously needed. Call or e-mail your Senators today! Urge them to vote with Senator Harry Reid and Senator Carl Levin in opposing a filibuster, or any amendment to strike "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal from the larger defense spending bill. Be sure to tell your Senators to take a final vote on the defense spending bill before leaving for the election recess. This action would help ensure the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Thank you for moving equality forward, PFLAG National

This Week at The Center!

	September 20, 2010

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News of Note Congratulations to Carolina Ramos! Congratulations to The Center's Latino Services coordinator Carolina Ramos, who was honored as a local hero by KPBS as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. Watch a clip of her interview here or on  the Latino Services Facebook Page! This Sunday! AIDS Walk San Diego - Only 6 Days to Go! Join the San Diego community as we register to Walk, Volunteer and Donate! Together we walk to support those among us who struggle with HIV/AIDS and the local HIV/AIDS agencies that serve them. 37th Anniversary Gala, Saturday, Oct. 23 Please join us for our 37th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. VIP and regular tables are now available for purchase online. Don't miss out on the premiere LGBT event of the year! Can't make it? Sponsor a youth or senior! Equality Votes! From the top of the ticket all the way to the bottom, every office matters, every vote will matter. Want to vote by mail in the comfort of your home? It's easy! Click on this link to the mail ballot application. Go to www.sdvote.com for voting registration or re-registration, to register for a mail ballot or for polling place information. Voting begins October 4! Last day to register to vote is Monday Oct. 18, 2010. Get out the vote Tuesday, November 2! Find out more at www.facebook.com/Equality.Votes. Meet Our New Volunteer Coordinator: Jessica Culpepper Jess has been doing great work at Hillcrest Youth Center (and will continue, don't worry!), but now she'll also be working with The Center's fantastic volunteers. Congratulations Jess! Spotlight Events Two Cents with Aaron Heier: It's All About Sports! Tuesday, September 21, 7 pm Tuesday, September 21, 7 pm at the San Diego LGBT Community Center join host Aaron "AHizz" Heier and a panel of hawt special guests representing San Diego's LGBT sports leagues, including Jason R. Hefley, Gregory Lines, Tom Abbas and Carlos Legaspy! For more information, check it out on Facebook. Coffee & Conversation with Cool Women: Vertez Burks! Tuesday, October 5, 7 pm Join the San Diego LGBT Community Center's Women's Resource Center for the next Coffee & Conversation with Cool Women, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7 pm at The Center. Host Tryce Czyczynska will interview activist and community organizer extraordinaire Vertez Burks. This event is FREE and open to both men and women. For more information, contact Abby Schwartz at (619) 692-2077, ext. 212, or women@thecentersd.org. Find us on Facebook!  Guys, Games & Grub, Wednesday, October 6, 6:30 pm Have a hankering for an evening of board games, card games and pizza? Like the sound of a free monthly social event for guys 21+, where you'll meet interesting men of all ages? Then don't miss Guys, Games & Grub on the first Wednesday of every month from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the San Diego LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre St. For more information, contact Jeffrey Wergeles at (619) 692-2077, ext. 204, or jwergeles@thecentersd.org.		Support your community with a donation today!   Program Events: Youth, Seniors, Families, Men, Women, HIV Community and More   HIV Behavioral Health Services & Counseling (English & Spanish)    Author Catherine Kirkwood at The Center, Saturday, Sept. 25, 11 am   Fifth Annual Senior Resource Fair, Saturday, Oct. 9    Family Matters Halloween Carnival & Costume Contest, October 16, 4 pm   Nightmare on Normal Street, Saturday, Oct. 30, 7 pm   Community Changemaker Festival, Sunday, Sept. 26, 3 pm   Regional Black and Brown Summit, Saturday, Oct. 2, 9 am   Click on any story to see all of the latest news   A Fabulous Menu of Opportunities for Fall! This Fall season The Center has something for everyone! No matter what strikes your passion and heart most deeply, there are a menu of giving opportunities to help support the 46,000 service visits for LGBT San Diegans that we provide every year! Care about San Diegans living with HIV/AIDS? Help support AIDSWalk & Run San Diego. Go here and join The Center's Team or make a donation. Enjoy fabulous events with friends? Buy a table or some tickets to The Center's Fabulous Gala Event. Don't like events but want to sponsor a youth or senior who can't otherwise attend? Go here!  Care about LGBT youth? Make a donation to support the Hillcrest Youth Center or the Youth Housing Project. Go here and select one of the youth services. Care about LGBT seniors? Support the Senior Resource Fair with a gift. Go here and select senior services. Care about making sure we can Get Out the LGBT vote in November? Help support our Equality Votes. Voting. Is. Vital. Campaign! Go here and select the Public Policy Department.  Every dollar you can give helps to support the services, projects and programs that make a difference for so many in the LGBT San Diego community. You don't have to give thousands to make a difference in lives, give what you can and together we can all keep making a difference! Thank you so much for your generosity and for all you do!   Sunday, Sept. 26 – AIDS Walk San Diego Saturday, Oct. 9 – Senior Resource Fair Saturday, Oct. 23 – 37th Annual Center Gala Saturday, Oct. 30 – Nightmare on Normal Street Tuesday, Nov. 1 - Vote! Know someone who is right for the job? Current opportunities include: Biligual Staff Counselor – Licensed or Unlicensed  Visit us online for more details about our current openings.
The Center is located at: 3909 Centre Street San Diego, CA 92103 Our mailing address: P.O. Box 3357 San Diego, CA 92163 Phone: (619) 692-2077 Fax:(619) 260-3092 Web: http://www.thecentersd.org

The Center is committed to a policy of non-discrimination in employment and in the provision of all services. The Center provides services without regard to race, ethnicity, color, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, genetic characteristics, political belief or activity, status as a veteran, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state and local laws.

Two cents with Aaron Heir Tuesday, September 21

 

The chat starts promptly at 7PM. Two Cents is a free event (donations greatly appreciated)  Open to everyone 21 and older. Appetizers courtesy of Urban Mo's See you on Tuesday, September 21 at 7:00 p.m. The San Diego LGBT Community Center jwergeles@thecentersd.org (619) 692-2077 x 204 Please think of The Center when planning your charitable giving.  Your gift will fund needed programs and services for more than 36,000 community members serve each year. Please give generously at www.thecentersd.org/give or you can send a check to : The Center P.O. Box 3357 San Diego, CA  92163 Tax ID #: 23-7332048.   Thank you.

Montana Republicans ban gays (salon.com)

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Montana GOP: Ban homosexuality

The official party platform declares an intent to make being gay illegal

MATT VOLZ, Associated Press

At a time when gays have been gaining victories across the country, the Republican Party in Montana still wants to make homosexuality illegal.

The party adopted an official platform in June that keeps a long-held position in support of making homosexual acts illegal, a policy adopted after the Montana Supreme Court struck down such laws in 1997.

The fact that it's still the official party policy more than 12 years later, despite a tidal shift in public attitudes since then and the party's own pledge of support for individual freedoms, has exasperated some GOP members.

"I looked at that and said, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" state Sen. John Brueggeman, R-Polson, said last week. "Should it get taken out? Absolutely. Does anybody think we should be arresting homosexual people? If you take that stand, you really probably shouldn't be in the Republican Party."

Gay rights have been rapidly advancing nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Texas' sodomy law in 2003's Lawrence v. Texas decision. Gay marriage is now allowed in five states and Washington, D.C., a federal court recently ruled the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy unconstitutional, and even a conservative tea party group in Montana ousted its president over an anti-gay exchange in Facebook.

But going against the grain is the Montana GOP statement, which falls under the "Crime" section of the GOP platform. It states: "We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal."

Montana GOP executive director Bowen Greenwood said that has been the position of the party since the state Supreme Court struck down state laws criminalizing homosexuality in 1997 in the case of Gryczan v. Montana.

Nobody has ever taken the initiative to change it and so it's remained in the party platform, Greenwood said. The matter has never even come up for discussion, he said.

"There had been at the time, and still is, a substantial portion of Republican legislators that believe it is more important for the Legislature to make the law instead of the Supreme Court," Greenwood said.

Critics say the policy is a toothless statement, the effect of which is simply to make gays feel excluded. A University of Montana law professor says Montana's 1997 case and the U.S. Supreme Court's Lawrence decision means there's no real chance for the state GOP to act on its position.

"To me, that statement legally is hollow," said constitutional specialist Jack Tuholske. "The principle under Gryczan and under Lawrence, that's the fundamental law of the land and the Legislature can't override the Constitution. It might express their view, but as far as a legal reality, it's a hollow view and can't come to pass."

Montana Human Rights Network organizer Kim Abbott said the GOP platform statement does not represent the attitudes of most Montanans, and it shows that the party is out of touch with the prevalent view of the people they are supposed to represent.

"It speaks volumes to the lesbian and gay community how they are perceived by the Republican Party," Abbott said. "It would be nice if Republicans that understand that gay people are human beings would stand up and say they don't agree with that. But I don't know how likely that is."

Brueggeman suspects that the vast majority of the party believes, as he does, that the Republican party should remove statement. It's against every conservative principle for limited government and issues like this exemplify how a political party can interfere with the relationship between lawmakers and their constituents.

"I just hope it's something that's so sensitive that people don't want to touch it," he said. "Even if there wasn't a Supreme Court decision, does anyone really believe that it should be illegal?"

Dean Nelson on LGBT issues in the media - Sun, 2:30, First Nazarene Ellipse

This Sunday's speaker will be Dean Nelson, journalist and local university professor, who will share both the evolution of his thinking about LGBT issues and faith, as well as an analysis of the changes in media coverage of LGBT issues. We are honored that Sunday is the first time Nelson will have spoken publicly on LGBT issues. Dean Nelson's newest book is God Hides in Plain Sight (Brazos, 2009). See http://deannelson.net/   Upcoming AGC Programming: Sept 26 - A closer look at the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Do the Bible scholars agree?) Oct 3 - In Good Conscience, screening of a documentary film about the life and work of Sister Jeannine Gramick http://www.ingoodconscience.com/site/reviews.php ; http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/nugent.htm Oct 10 - Mark Trotter, retired pastor, First United Methodist Church of San Diego --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All God's Children at First Nazarene (AGC) meets almost weekly (except during some university breaks) Sundays, 2:30-4:30, at San Diego First Church of the Nazarene, 3901 Lomaland Dr., Ellipse building, main level, Bowes Conference Room. All are welcomed. Sessions are dedicated to an open discussion of LGBT issues and faith. Participants are asked to respectfully listen to and engage in a variety of contributions to discussion in a spirit of honest inquiry. Moderators ask participants to honor the announced program topic and to be courteous to speakers.

What Lady Gaga did...

Dear Patti --

In the last week, the entire debate around "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has been transformed, following the federal court decision by Judge Virginia Phillips that this discriminatory policy was unconstitutional:

Last Friday, Lt. Dan Choi asked Courage Campaign members to sign a letter to Sen. Harry Reid, asking him to bring the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to the Senate floor for a vote. As of today, 507,628 signatures have been collected by Courage to repeal DADT, including 16,431 on this letter alone.

On Sunday night, Lady Gaga brought four military servicemembers with her to MTV's Video Music Awards, passionately advocating for repeal and dedicating the front page of her web site to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) -- an amazing partner organization leading the fight.

On Monday, Lady Gaga asked her supporters on Twitter to call Sen. Harry Reid to ask him to bring DADT repeal to the floor for a vote, as part of the Defense Authorization budget bill. In a surprising move, Sen. Reid quickly responded to Lady Gaga on Twitter, telling her "@ladygaga There is a vote on #DADT next week. Anyone qualified to serve this country should be allowed to do so."

And, on Wednesday, Lauren and Ellie -- two students inspired by Lady Gaga's DADT activism -- uploaded an adorable YouTube video that has gone viral, mobilizing students across the country to call and ask their senators to support repeal.

With next week's critical vote coming up as early as Tuesday, it's your turn to be the tipping point between victory and defeat. That's why we're teaming up with SLDN to ask you to follow the lead of Lady Gaga, Lauren and Ellie and tell your senator to support repeal. The Capitol switchboard number is (202) 224-3121 and lines are open 24 hours a day. Call now and report your call here:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DADTcall

If you need to know the name of your state's two senators, just ask the operator. Here's what to say while you're on the phone:

• Tell your senators to vote with Sen. Reid and Sen. Carl Levin in opposing a filibuster, or any amendment to strike repeal from the Defense bill.

• Tell your senators that it is critical that they vote and finish the Defense bill before they leave for the election recess.

It's that simple. Speak up today and don't wait. Join, Courage, SLDN, Lady Gaga, Lauren and Ellie by calling the 24-hour Capitol switchboard now to urge both of your senators to vote for repeal:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/DADTcall

Thank you for taking action to finally rid our country of DADT and the discrimination it represents.

Eden James
Managing Director, Courage Campaign

 

Courage Campaign Equality is a part of the Courage Campaign's multi-issue online organizing network that empowers more than 700,000 grassroots and netroots supporters to push for progressive change and full equality in California and across the country. To get involved in Courage Campaign Equality, visit "Testimony: Equality on Trial" -- our year-long campaign to bring the Prop 8 trial into the lives of Americans.

To support our work to repeal DADT, please chip in what you can today: