Recently in Politics Category

transadvocates.gifDear Fellow Transgender Advocate,

This year we have an opportunity to elect a President who will be the most transgender-supportive in history.

But electing a candidate isn't enough just by itself.  Unless we're visibly and vocally involved with campaigns and giving our time, energy, money, and ideas we will miss out on an opportunity to create a relationship with a President who has already said he's willing to stand with us. That is why we are asking you to join with us in supporting Barack Obama.

obama1.gifIn a letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, Sen. Barack Obama stated his opposition to the California constitutional amendment. Here is that letter.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the opportunity to welcome everyone to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club's Pridc Breakfast and to congratulate you on continuing a legacy of success, stretching back thirty-six years. As one of the oldest and most influential LGBT organizations in the country, you have continually rallied to support Democratic candidates and causes, and have fought tirelessly to secure equal rights and opportunities for LGBT Americans in California and throughout the country.

carey.gifRea Carey, longtime leader and activist in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement, has been appointed executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

The Task Force was the first national LGBT rights organization and remains the community's uncompromising, progressive voice committed to building grassroots political power through advocacy, training, organizing and cutting-edge research and analysis.

"We were searching for someone who is both visionary and practical, has an understanding of our movement's history and can take advantage of new opportunities that lie ahead," said Alan Acosta, board co-chair. "There are very few people who have the right combination of voice, skills, passion, fearlessness and relationships in and outside the movement to take the Task Force to the next level. We've found that person in Rea Carey."

gaymenshealthsummit.gifThe Gay Men's Health Summit is a national call to all LGBT/ queer communities and our important allies from across this nation to come together to build a multi-issue, multicultural gay men's health movement focused on long-term strategic goals for gay/bi/queer men's health and wellness. The Summit will cover a full range of health
concerns, ranging from physical and mental health, to social issues, to community building and organizing, and is inclusive of all gay/bi/queer men, including those who identify as transgender or who have transgender histories.

obamastaff.gifBarack Obama's Deputy Campaign Manager Steve Hildebrand has announced that former Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Dave Noble will serve as the Director of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Vote. The news follows the announcement last week of Brian Bond as the Director of Constituencies. Bond, a Stonewall Democrat member, currently serves as the Executive Director of the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Council at the Democratic National Committee.

Carmen Vazquez: Welfare Made A Difference

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I grew up on Welfare in the General Grant Projects of Harlem where I lived in the late fifties through about 1971.  We received cash assistance and food stamps.

My father was a WWII vet who was disabled in the war and became an alcoholic.  When is fifth (and first son) was born, he lost his job and never had another one.  With five children (and two more on the way) to clothe, shelter and feed, my mother had little choice but to go on public assistance.

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What is intersex?

Technically, intersex is defined as "congenital anomaly of the reproductive and sexual system." Intersex people are born with external genitalia, internal reproductive organs, and/or endocrine system that are different from most other people. There is no single "intersex body"; it encompasses a wide variety of conditions that do not have anything in common except that they are deemed "abnormal" by the society. What makes intersex people similar is their experiences of medicalization, not biology. Intersex is not an identity. While some intersex people do reclaim it as part of their identity, it is not a freely chosen category of gender--it can only be reclaimed. Most intersex people identify as men or women, just like everybody else. Intersex conditions are also referred to as "disorders of sex development" (DSD) in some medical literature.

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Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE) has announced that Karen Taylor has been hired as the organization's new Director of Advocacy & Training. Creation of this new senior position was funded by a major grant from the Arcus Foundation, as SAGE, in partnership with the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, launches a national advocacy initiative on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) aging issues.

"We are thrilled to have Karen join our staff," said Michael Adams, Executive Director of SAGE. "Her expertise and ability to get things done will make it possible for SAGE to provide a strong national voice for LGBT seniors, as well as more training and resources to benefit our growing senior population," concluded Adams.

huckabee.gifAdvocacy Groups, Jeanne White-Ginder Still Waiting to Meet with Gov. Huckabee, but after two letters by the Human Rights Campaign and The AIDS Institute, the Huckabee campaign has not responded


WASHINGTON – One week after requesting to meet with Republican presidential candidate Governor Mike Huckabee, Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White, the Human Rights Campaign or The AIDS Institute, still have not heard from Gov. Huckabee or his campaign. The meeting was called in response to Gov. Huckabee’s 1992 remarks, that he refused to repudiate, when he said people living with HIV and AIDS should have been “isolated” even after it was determined the virus was not spread through casual contact. The morning after HRC and The AIDS Institute sent a letter to the Huckabee campaign requesting a meeting, the Governor said, “I would be very willing to meet with them.”

Darren ManzellaThis Sunday’s edition of the award-winning CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes will include a story by correspondent Lesley Stahl about reports from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) of a growing number of openly lesbian and gay troops in the United States armed forces. The segment will also feature an exclusive interview with SLDN client and openly gay Army Sergeant Darren Manzella, who has served a tour of duty in Iraq and is now serving inside Kuwait. Manzella tells Stahl that he has received overwhelming support from both his fellow soldiers and superiors since coming out last year. Stahl’s report also looks at SLDN’s work in assisting service personnel such as Manzella, and the organization’s campaign to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In addition to Manzella, Sunday’s segment also features SLDN board member Cholene Espinoza, an Air Force Academy graduate and the "It is perhaps only once in a lifetime that we are given the opportunity to do something of paramount importance, and I am honored to be able to use my voice to speak out on behalf of the countless lesbian and gay Americans currently serving in our armed forces."

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