I may at some point write commentary about the policy, but my real interest is illustrating what I am doing, as both an employee as well as an activist/advocate towards this issue of discrimination towards Trans persons at the University of Pittsburgh.
In the past few days, major corporate sponsors of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have indicated they will not renew their memberships to the controversial conservative organization. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Intuit and Kraft Foods announced their departure amid mounting criticism over ALEC’s backing of “Stand Your Ground” gun laws, which have been implicated in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.
Scott Brown translation: I might vote for your equality sometimes and I might not vote for your equality at other times. Is that good enough for you? Not good enough for me.
Follow the link below to see the whole story attached to this headline: KANSAS SPENDS HALF A MILLION DOLLARS DEFENDING ANTI-ABORTION LAWS Imagine what could have been done with half a million dollars for direct patient care or disease prevention. Instead it went to lawyers to support big intrusive government. This is not the GOP of yesteryear, but more like Big Brother. via Kansas Spends Half A Million Dollars Defending Anti-Abortion Laws | ThinkProgress.
See the folks who oppose our equal rights are loud, well funded and organized, but they are small in number. There are many many who might vote against our rights because they hear the lies and misinformation, but all it really takes is shining light against the lies, and these folks become our supporters. Men like these beautiful dancers , through their genuine willingness to be themselves educate the masses and increase the ranks of those who stand with us and see why we deserve full equality.
Additionally, Equality Pennsylvania endorsed five openly gay candidates seeking state legislative offices this year. Adrian Shanker, President of Equality Pennsylvania, stated, “In a state that has never seen an openly gay legislator, it is encouraging to see five well-qualified openly LGBT candidates seeking the opportunity to serve, and all in the same year!” The five candidates are: Roy Christ (Dauphin County), Jeff Dahlander (Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming), Chris Dietz (Dauphin), Kelly McEntee (Dauphin), and Brian Sims (Philadelphia County). Pennsylvania has never had an openly gay state legislator.
As I see it, you homophobes are pretty loud and viscious, but there aren’t that many of you given how big this country really is. Try as hard as you want, and while you may get more signatures, it won’t be enough to really impact the bottom line at Starbucks (and it really is all about the bottom line). But what you will accomplish, is getting one or more homophobes outta line so I can get my morning coffee just a bit quicker! Sounds like a winner for me!
150 Pennsylvanians to meet with Administration officials to discuss issues WHAT: White House Community Leaders Briefing WHEN: Friday, March 23, 2012, 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM WHERE: The White House, Washington, DC. (participants will be departing from points across the state) WHO: Keystone Progress leadership, partners and local community leaders,Thomas C Waters (Pittsburgh PA)—Thomas C Waters, has been invited by the White House to participate in a delegation of Pennsylvanians for a Community Leaders Briefing[Read More…]
The linked story and associated video are worth watching. But what I’d like to do is place this current battle into a larger picture. Here is some Iowa history concerning same-sex marriage. Iowa already had a local Defense of Marriage Act passed by their legislators which was struck down in 2005. and now they want to do it again? It easily passed the GOP run state house, but Mike Gronstal, a Democrat is vowing to[Read More…]
The bill as passed in some other states, has been deemed unconstitutional, and full of errors. If Pennsylvania passes the bill, the state can expect lawsuits and a chaotic election season at a time with the voice of the voter is truly needed more than ever.