Activists working to pass federal gay rights legislation should move now to take advantage of the current political climate, an Obama official said Friday.
“This is the best opportunity we will ever have as a community and shame on us if we don't succeed,” openly gay John Berry, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, said.
Berry made his remarks at the Out & Equal Workplace Advocates conference that ended Friday in Orlando, the AP reported. Michael Guest, the first openly gay ambassador to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum, also spoke at the four-day event.
“The clock is against us,” Berry said. “If we lose this, it could be years if not a decade before this opportunity comes around.”
UnitedByLove | Published 
Time Is Right For Gay Rights Obama Official Says
Posted by
UnitedByLove 957 days ago
(http://www.ontopmag.com)
Congress Makes A Move
Posted by
UnitedByLove 963 days ago
(http://pargoletta.livejournal.com)
It's not a perfect bill; if you click a few links and look at the text, it wouldn't immediately make gay marriage the law of the entire land. What it would do is entitle the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages contracted in those states and foreign countries that allow them. My college friend and her wife in Massachusetts, for instance, could get federal marriage benefits as well as state benefits, but their marriage would still probably not be recognized in Arkansas. However, the bill also recognizes foreign gay marriage, so that, say, a married Canadian couple could move to Massachusetts and still have their marriage be recognized.
The other thing I like about this bill is that it smooths a little more of the path for the Uniting American Families Act, which is a bill that would try to take care of Americans who go abroad to marry same-sex partners who are
The other thing I like about this bill is that it smooths a little more of the path for the Uniting American Families Act, which is a bill that would try to take care of Americans who go abroad to marry same-sex partners who are
In spite of hard times in Sacramento LGBT rights advance in California
Posted by
UnitedByLove 971 days ago
(http://socalvoice.net)
... that bans healthy gay and bisexual men from donating blood; and passage of the Uniting American Families Act, which would keep bi-national same-sex couples together by allowing one partner to sponsor the other for immigration. ...
Already in Congress is the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) and the Reuniting Families Act, which seek to put a stop to the discrimination and permit same-sex partners to obtain permanent resident status by amending the Immigration ...
Repeal of Discriminatory DOMA Introduced
Posted by
UnitedByLove 971 days ago
(http://baltimoreoutloud.com)
On September 15, the House of Representatives introduced the Respect for Marriage Act which would repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act and restore the rights of all lawfully married couplesa 'including same-sex couples to receive the benefits of marriage under federal law.
Respect for Marriage Act Will to Repeal DOMA
Posted by
UnitedByLove 971 days ago
(http://www.towleroad.com)
UPDATED U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler , Tammy Baldwin Jared Polis , along with John Lewis and Nydia Velazquez today introduced the 'Respect for Marriage Act', a measure that would repeal the 'Defense of Marriage Act' . I'll be posting more details on the press conference as updates to this post as they come in.
United by Love divided by Law Week 12
Posted by
UnitedByLove 984 days ago
(http://fairunion.blogspot.com)
This is the 12th week of a coordinated ‘Call Congress’
grassroots effort. In addition to coordinated e-mails,
faxes, and letters to the members we are focusing on, getting
a large number of people to call specific members on the
same day could help bring us more co-sponsors.
It is also a way for us to ‘circle back’ to those members we
had focused on that still have not signed on, to remind them how
important this is to us and that we’re not going away.
Note - ALL FIVE of the Representatives listed below were
past co-sponsors of UAFA, but still have yet to sign on.
grassroots effort. In addition to coordinated e-mails,
faxes, and letters to the members we are focusing on, getting
a large number of people to call specific members on the
same day could help bring us more co-sponsors.
It is also a way for us to ‘circle back’ to those members we
had focused on that still have not signed on, to remind them how
important this is to us and that we’re not going away.
Note - ALL FIVE of the Representatives listed below were
past co-sponsors of UAFA, but still have yet to sign on.
Babs Siperstein Is Officially Committee Member of DNC
Posted by
UnitedByLove 987 days ago
(http://www.pamshouseblend.com)
I think the broader LGBT community forgets about looking for commonalities sometimes. Think for a moment about immigration reform; there is a whole community of immigration advocates that the LGBT community could work with to help to make same-sex/same gender partner sponsorship possible. If members in the LGBT community care about the progressive immigration reform issues, and work with the organizations that promote immigration reform, we could use our commonalities to build a stronger, more powerful coalition. The LGBT community's partner sponsor issue could become part of a broader immigration reform bill; and in the process of LGBT people working for immigration reform, our broader LGBT community issues could become immigration advocates' issues.I'm happy to support the Uniting American Families act - the law that specifically relates to LGBT families. I won't go any past that unle
Same Sex Immigration Benefits is an Equality Issue
Posted by
UnitedByLove 993 days ago
(http://lezgetreal.com)
Of the 1,138 federal rights and benefits that the LGBT community is denied, the worst (I am biased having suffered this particular form of discrimination) is the one that denies us two fundamental prerequisites to our basic freedoms and happiness:
1. The right to fall in love and live with whomever we choose from wherever we choose;
without impacting -
2. Our right to remain in our homes and Country.
On the lips of every Binational I know and I am sure on the lips of those I do not know, is “How can my Country, the United States of America, in all its glory, allow this to happen to its own citizens?” Our country is in effect causing its citizens to go into exile when “in pursuit of happiness” in flagrant disregard of our own constitution and while we are preaching human rights to the rest of the World we are so grossly at fault within.
1. The right to fall in love and live with whomever we choose from wherever we choose;
without impacting -
2. Our right to remain in our homes and Country.
On the lips of every Binational I know and I am sure on the lips of those I do not know, is “How can my Country, the United States of America, in all its glory, allow this to happen to its own citizens?” Our country is in effect causing its citizens to go into exile when “in pursuit of happiness” in flagrant disregard of our own constitution and while we are preaching human rights to the rest of the World we are so grossly at fault within.
Fierce Urgency of Now
Posted by
UnitedByLove 997 days ago
(http://gayrva.com)
Since ACT UPwe have done nothing on a mass scale to exploit the potential of passive resistance and nonviolent civil disobedience, the most effective, proven techniques of social action refined in the last century. Aside from a few rogue players who’ve applied for marriage licenses and small bands of activists like Soulforce (who’ve been arrested for trespassing on Christian college campuses where they try to instigate conversations about homosexuality), we have not even tried. When gay soldiers get kicked out of the military, why don’t they refuse to leave? Why don’t the rest of us go to support them? Why haven’t we tried?
Press Release from National Equality March Supporting UAFA
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1010 days ago
(http://pflaglaurelms.wordpress.com)
NAACP BOARD CHAIRMAN LEADS GROUP OF RECENT, HIGH-PROFILE ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE NATIONAL EQUALITY MARCH Diverse Ranks Continue to Deepen as “Equality Across America” Expands Los Angeles, CA, August 18 – Broad-based support for the National Equality March (NEM) has been growing exponentially across the country over the past few weeks, according to its organizer Equality Across America (EAA). Thousands of Americans are hearing the drumbeat for LGBT equality and plan to follow it to the nation’s capital this October. Thousands of individuals representing dozens of organizations from across the country have gone to the organization’s website to sign up.
US Representative, Danny K. Davis, of Chicago, Illinois; Michael Letwin, Co-Convener, New York City Labor Against the War (NYCLAW); and NAACP Board Chairman, Julian Bond, have all recently voiced their support for the NEM. “GLBT r
US Representative, Danny K. Davis, of Chicago, Illinois; Michael Letwin, Co-Convener, New York City Labor Against the War (NYCLAW); and NAACP Board Chairman, Julian Bond, have all recently voiced their support for the NEM. “GLBT r
Sacramento – Today, the Assembly Judiciary Committee passed three resolutions with a 6-3 vote of the committee on critical federal laws affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people including a resolution in support of the Uniting American Families Act (AJR 15).
"It is important for California, the state with the largest LGBT population, to urge the federal government to repeal discriminatory federal policies that ultimately hurt all people in the United States," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "We have more potential now than ever before to make a positive impact at the federal level, and we call on Congress and the President to seize this historic opportunity."
The measure formally requests that the United States Congress pass and President Barack Obama sign the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). "Thousands of American families a
"It is important for California, the state with the largest LGBT population, to urge the federal government to repeal discriminatory federal policies that ultimately hurt all people in the United States," said EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. "We have more potential now than ever before to make a positive impact at the federal level, and we call on Congress and the President to seize this historic opportunity."
The measure formally requests that the United States Congress pass and President Barack Obama sign the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). "Thousands of American families a
I've written to 6 local newspapers, well local to Carterville, Illinois, urging the readers to write to their senator or congressman to request support for the Uniting American Families Act, which would help to end discrimination and gain equality regarding spousal sponsorship immigration rules. I have no idea if they all or even any or them will print my letters, but I'm hopeful, one The Southern Illinoisian, emailed me requesting I shorten my letter to 250 words, their editorial maximum, so ya never know, they may print it up!
They Are Already Planning For The Next War
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1016 days ago
(http://www.thealbanyproject.com)
...and our own Chuck Schumer is right in the middle of it. One is the Uniting American Families Act, which simply extends current sponsorship laws to "permanent partners," which means gay relationships as well as common-law type heterosexual partners. The other is the Reuniting Families Act, which is an LGBT-inclusive comprehensive immigration reform bill.
However, both of these bills are likely to get steamrolled if a major CIR bill is introduced by Schumer and company. That means that in order to help out the estimated 30 to 40 thousand bi-national LGBT couples in the US--as well as the 15 to 18 thousand of them who have children who are under threat of having their families broken up--then we need to start contacting Chuck Schumer right now to get the UAFA integrated into the new bill....
However, both of these bills are likely to get steamrolled if a major CIR bill is introduced by Schumer and company. That means that in order to help out the estimated 30 to 40 thousand bi-national LGBT couples in the US--as well as the 15 to 18 thousand of them who have children who are under threat of having their families broken up--then we need to start contacting Chuck Schumer right now to get the UAFA integrated into the new bill....
Professional Associations Back UAFA and Gay Marriage
Posted by
UnitedByLove 1018 days ago
(http://allogenes.blogspot.com)
Both the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Bar Association (ABA) have adopted resolutions backing GLBT rights, including the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry.
Without naming the legislation, the NEA voiced its support for repeal of DOMA, passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill currently before Congress that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, a bill that would extend health-care and retirement benefits to the gay and lesbian spouses of federal employees, and the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), a bill that would allow gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor an immigrant partner for citizenship.
Without naming the legislation, the NEA voiced its support for repeal of DOMA, passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill currently before Congress that would ban employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, a bill that would extend health-care and retirement benefits to the gay and lesbian spouses of federal employees, and the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), a bill that would allow gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor an immigrant partner for citizenship.
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Promoting public awareness of the need for fairness in immigration policy particularly as it relates to the rights of same-sex bi-national couples in the United States who seek equal immigration rights; Providing information regarding political issues relating to gay immigration equality issues, rights and policy.