Thomas Waters | thomascwaters.com

PA Voter ID Coalition Opens New Office

Received this via email. Note the figures below for the number of Philadelphia voters who may lack adequate ID. For the entire state, there are approximately 750,000 voters who most likely lack or will be unable to attain a valid voter ID. Please join the PA Voter ID Coalition as we open our new Operations Center Saturday July 21, 2012 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 310 W. Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia Refreshments, Voter ID materials, Volunteer opportunities, Entertainment[Read More…]

July 19, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Election

Who answers when you call 911?

Last week. I had the opportunity to tour the Allegheny County/ City of Pittsburgh 911 Center, a call center that takes 1.5 million calls a year. I was there for a tour, but also to ask questions about LGBTQ issues in relationship to the 911 services.

July 19, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — general

The long range damage of PA’s Voter ID law.

op-ed written by Lucas Michelen, a student at Temple University that I received in an email. It is a clear and straight forward account of the way PA’s Voter ID bill will impact college students who wish to vote in the November 2012 election, and it is a great read, all on its own. Reading it however, prompted me to think about the long range damage this will cause. Many see the importance of the upcoming election as the immediate and short-term impact it will have. What will it mean for our Democracy for the next four years? This is a worthwhile argument, however, the effects go far beyond this election.

July 18, 2012 — 2 comments — Election, general

Punk rocker comes out as transgender.

but I was astonished as I became aware of the stereotypes and assumptions I brought to it, and the expectations I had of Gable, simply from the sound as well as from the visuals. Learning more about me was great, and learning more about why a person, and in this case, this singer,felt the need to transition is really important stuff. I think the majority of people don’t know how to comprehend feeling as if you are a different gender, so the more trans persons talk about their journey and their feelings, it can really help others understand.

July 13, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — general

Video from the Pittsburgh Vigil for Mollie and Mary

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/45149061[/vimeo]

July 3, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Activism, general

The problem of polling and interpreting the polls: SCOTUS rules on the Affordable Care Act

The link below is to a CNN article about the Supreme Courts decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act in full, a prospect many were not counting on. Opponents of the legislation often have pointed to polls that show a number of people opposed to the legislation. But finally, this gets pointed out: Previous surveys have indicated that some who oppose the law do so because they think it doesn’t go far enough. Early on,[Read More…]

June 28, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Activism, general

Equality PA Brings White House Appointee to Pittsburgh

Today, there is a special meeting/presentation by Equality PA to host Obama appointee, Chai Feldblum. Here are the details: Friends: Over the past several months, Equality PA has had the pleasure and honor of developing a great working relationship with The White House. In that time, we’ve worked to bring Obama Administration appointees and thought-leaders into close contact with numerous members and allies of the state’s LGBT Community for conversation and learning. On Tuesday, June 26[Read More…]

June 26, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — general

The holy war we didn’t ask for.

So, the battle isn’t holy in the sense of being “with God” or even “with Religion,” in the biggest sense of the term, but rather, this is the last and desperate attempts by a group of human beings in Rome to control the lives of others in the name of their religion.

June 19, 2012 — 1 comment — general

Ballotpedia is a great resource!

If you aren’t familiar with it, check out the Ballotpedia, a Wikipedia-type site that provides a ton of great info in an interactive format. http://ballotpedia.org

June 19, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Election, general

Diverse Communities: Kicking out the Bisexuals?

What I do want to really own from Jillian’s position however, is that today, more than ever before, we have a need to both accentuate our differences, and at the same time embrace our togetherness. Even if we can easily see how to cut ourselves up into isolated parts, there is enormous value in owning our connectedness which makes us one community full of diversity. Our sense of community isn’t about how we are alike, but rather, our willingness to celebrate our differences without it harming our individual or collective identity.

June 18, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Gay Pride, general

Articles by: Thomas Waters

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