gay rights

A great bunch of guys, although they could use some spine....

http://www.progressnc.org/2011/11/sometimes-prejudice-can-surprise-you.html

Staying married has its dangers. Off the top of our heads -- and this is purely at random, mind you, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the inability of lawmakers to address NC's real problems -- all of these things can threaten a marriage: the loss of a job and resulting money troubles, a chronic medical condition and no health insurance, destitute in-laws whose Medicaid benefits have been cut, children who are miserable because their schools lack the resources to address their learning needs, and restrictive abortion laws that shame and punish women for making the gut-wrenching decision to terminate a pregnancy, even when their lives are in danger.

Big kudos to friend-of-the-Blend Michelangelo Signorile. He somehow convinced NC Senator James Forrester, the sponsor of the job-killing, anti-LGBT amendment that we face, to go on the air with him (big, big mistake, Forrester).

The man, obsessed with homobigotry, filed an amendment bill 8 years in a row, only to watch it die in committee under Dem control in the NCGA. But now, under GOP leadership, Forrester finally he got his chance on the big stage and the measure passed without public debate, and no challenge from legal scholars. That's transparency at work.

As you might have predicted, the interview lays bare just how ignorant and lacking in facts that pro-amendment forces are, and they are led by Forrester, a retired physician who hasn't any grasp of the facts at hand, and who recently said ‘We need to reach out to them and get them to change their lifestyle back to the one we accept’.

It's time to boycott North Carolina

"Different things can be treated differently if the things or people are in a very different relationship."

--North Carolina House Majority Leader Paul "Skip" Stam (R), referring to gay and lesbian same-sex couples and their eligiblity for civil equality, at a debate at UNC-CH Law School, 9/21/2011

Well, Skip this "thing" (a native North Carolinian, who pays her taxes and is in a legal marriage not recognized by my state already) is calling for a boycott of this great state. We have a state economy in the crapper (10.4% unemployment), a state budget in crisis, and quite a few pro-LGBT companies and institutions located here that don't deserve to be punished by a boycott.

Breaking: Debate discussion reveals that the NC marriage amendment ballot initiative will not contain GOP's bogus last-minute additional language meant to appease business community's concerns.

(Photo: Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam (R-Apex), Moderator Professor Michael Gerhardt of the UNC School of Law, House Minority Whip Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland).

The debate on the topic of North Carolina's discriminatory, job-killing marriage amendment was really over before it began when bill sponsor, the bigoted State House Majority Leader Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam (R-Apex) passed out two documents to the attendees at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Law today. In his opening remarks he gleefully referred to the "Act Concerning Marriages (1669)" handout (below) as if it were some holy text representing law in North Carolina. He seems to have forgotten that in 1669, blacks were slaves and they couldn't even marry one another. That's a real tradition to uphold.

It's a natural question to ask, of course, after being told by your state lawmakers -- pissed away $150K paid with our tax dollars -- to hold a special legislative session to specifically stroke off their inner bigot. Actually, for most of these pro-amendment politicians, there was nothing "inner" about their full-time, fact-free, disgusting bigotry.

Here's some jaw-dropping cowardice at work in the North Carolina Senate. At the 11th hour -- of course in the dead media zone of Friday afternoon -- Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (@SenatorBerger, Phil.Berger@ncleg.net, 919-733-5708) and staff are not only are trying to hide the fact that they will bring a marriage amendment bill up for debate on Monday, but they are trying to do it in a stealth fashion that is completely disgusting. Berger and his fellow elected Bigots to Kill NC Business don't want the public to know about or participate in the debate. Laura Leslie @ WRAL:

According to the public notices released today, the Senate Judiciary 1 committee will be meeting Monday on H61, “Speaker/Pro Tem Term Limits” - a proposal to limit the numbers of years House and Senate members can serve as leaders of their chambers.

But a new version of the bill leaked to WRAL Friday night shows the bill the committee will take up Monday has absolutely nothing to do with term limits. The new H61 is an amended version of the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

You can try to look it up at the legislature’s website, but you won’t find it there.

Good news - and I hope the elected proponents of bigotry are taking note as the short session nears in North Carolina's General Assembly. Via Equality NC:

Fifty-six percent (56%) of North Carolina voters oppose or strongly oppose an amendment to the state constitution that would ban same-sex marriage, a five-point jump in the last two years, according to a February 2011 Elon University Poll, a non-partisan polling service.

The poll also showed a strong majority (57%) of North Carolinians support marriage or civil unions for same-sex couples, revealing a dramatic 9% increase in public support for marriage equality in only two years. This result mirrors two separate polls conducted by Public Policy Polling in March and July that also reveal majority support of legal recognitions for same-sex couples.

What a day! A nice rally on Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh against the bills that would enshrine bigotry into the NC Constitution in front of the North Carolina General Assembly turned into kick-ass direct action. First, I'll give you the straight-up press release from GetEqual, and then give you my account - with plenty of video and photos.

Another stupid war
All teh gayz fault
Show lies