Thomas Waters | thomascwaters.com

Romney’s desperation.

Romney said, “I’m not for the bill,” and proceeded to argue that presidential candidates shouldn’t get into “questions about contraception.” For all of the shameless pandering Romney has done to the far-right Republican base, this unambiguous answer reflected remarkable bravery on the candidate’s part. Republicans have been hyperventilating for weeks about the issue, and here was the likely GOP presidential nominee announcing, on camera, his opposition to his party’s legislative remedy. I read this on[Read More…]

March 1, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Election

Will Ravenstahl make an announcement at the SCDC meeting?

Would that be a place for the Mayor to announce that he is signing on to the Mayors for Marriage Equality list? That would make a spash, right? This is pure speculation on my part, but what do you think? Sound plausible? Possible? Useful to his campaign?

February 29, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Activism, Election, general, Same-Sex Marriage

DADT and the value of visibility.

For many queers, the issue of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) was merely about the ability to serve in the military, and for some, this seemed like a no brainer. Why woulds a person want to go and risk their life for a country that treated them as second class citizens? And others rationalized war as “wrong,” so no need to support the repeal of DADT. The real value of ending DADT however had little[Read More…]

February 28, 2012 — 1 comment — Activism, general

William Duncan’s legal analysisis anything but.

On the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) blog, which really should be named the NOHGP (National Organization Hating Gay People), William Duncan offers what is terms “legal analysis,” but which is actually just sarcastic snarkiness. Nothing either legal or analytical about it. For those interested, the “Heightened Scrutiny Clause” is next to the “Right to Government Funded Healthcare Clause” in the Constitution. Of course, all but one of the federal circuits and the U.S. Supreme[Read More…]

February 28, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — general, Same-Sex Marriage

Will DWTS advance LGBTQ Rights?

Saw this on Joe.My.God: Lesbian tennis legend Martina Navratilova has been cast for the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars. And it leads me to ask what you think of this premise: Dancing With the Stars is doing great things for LGBTQ Rights? Do you agree? Over the various seasons of this show, there have been a number of folks who self-identify as LGBT, and I’m of the belief that this advances LGBTQ Rights[Read More…]

February 28, 2012 — 1 comment — Activism, general

Equality Pennsylvania Endorses the Re-election of President Barack Obama

Harrisburg – The Board of Directors of Equality Pennsylvania (EQPA) has unanimously voted to endorse the reelection of President Barack Obama in 2012. President Obama is the first endorsed candidate by Equality Pennsylvania in the 2012 election cycle. Adanjesus Marin, Chair of the organization’s 501c4, which makes candidate endorsements, noted, “Under President Obama’s leadership, our community has seen the passage of the Mathew Shephard Hate Crimes Act, the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the[Read More…]

February 27, 2012 — 1 comment — Election

Santorum to end separation of church and state

Santorum’s position doesn’t place all Catholics at odds with the Constitution. He does however place the institution of the Roman Catholic Church as the enemy of the First Amendment.

February 26, 2012 — 1 comment — American Theocracy: Analyzing the Religious Right, Election, general

Republican Lawmakers Appeal DOMA Ruling To Ninth Circuit

[Emphasis added is mine] A group of congressional Republicans defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) will appeal this week’s District Court ruling against the law to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Earlier this week, District Judge Jeffrey White, a George W. Bush appointee, found DOMA violated the Constitution’s equal protection clause because it denied benefits to gay and lesbian couples. Some justices on the Ninth Circuit have previously ruled that the[Read More…]

February 24, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — general, Same-Sex Marriage

Mayor Ravenstahl’s deafening silence on same-sex marriage.

There are two extremely different impressions of the mayor within Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ community: some feel he is a homophobe and has only made gestures for the community- just enough to get the support of wealthy Pittsburgh gays. Others believe he is genuinely interested in the LGBTQ community and has acted in ways that are good for the community. Which view is correct? I don’t know.

February 24, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — Activism, Election, Same-Sex Marriage

Republicans efforts to increase health care costs while controlling women’s choice.

Some might try and claim that the GOP strategy is confusing. On the one hand they fight Health Care Reform and claim it is about taking away a person’s choices. And then on the other hand, they are fighting in many states to force tests and procedures onto people against their will. This increases health care costs by promoting unnecessary procedures. ProgressMoShuffle has a good piece over on the Pennsylvania Progressive about this. But I[Read More…]

February 24, 2012 — Comments are Disabled — general

Articles by: Thomas Waters

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