Wednesday, 1 July, 2009

Panel wants openly gay guardsman discharged (SF Chronicle)
A military review panel recommended Tuesday that National Guard Lt. Dan Choi, the gay Arabic translator who became a national figure in fighting the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy after declaring his sexuality on television, be discharged from the service.

The day before, President Obama spoke to a gay audience but took no action towards equality and six months into his presidency has not kept the promise he made to use his executive authority to stop the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Last month, the Obama Administration compared gay marriage to incest in court filing defending the Defense of Marriage Act.

Monday, 29 June, 2009

The Anniversary of Stonewall (The White House Blog)

The official White House blog notes the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a turning point for gay rights when the patrons of Stonewall Inn fought back against the police who had come to raid the bar for the simple fact they were gay. Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Brian Bond writes,

With over 60 out appointees working in this Administration already, we are free to be ourselves.

I don't think that's how it works. 60 out staffers doesn't make up for the 272 service members discharged under the Obama Administration which promised to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Sign the Statement of Support for Lt. Dan Choi (Courage Campaign)
Lt. Dan Choi, from Orange County, California, is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an Iraq War veteran. On Tuesday, he will face a panel of colonels who will decide whether or not to fire him -- to discharge him from the military for "moral and professional dereliction" under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Tuesday, 23 June, 2009

Gay couple's weapon in lawsuit: Obama's words (SF Chronicle)
Pressed by gay-rights groups to live up to his campaign promise to be a "fierce advocate" of equality for gays and lesbians, Obama denounced the 1996 law Wednesday while announcing limited benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees.

Thursday, 28 May, 2009

Only 17 Percent Drive to Downtown SF to Shop, Study Finds (Streetsblog)
In a complementary study conducted by the TA, 72 percent of business owners surveyed in commercial districts said they thought their customers drove alone to shop, while another 15 percent assume customers drove some of the time. Further TA data show that while commercial districts in high car ownership neighborhoods like West Portal see up to 41 percent driving shoppers, nothing comes close to the near 90 percent perception among business owners.
Gay rights advocates rip suit to undo Prop. 8 (SFGate)

Supposed gay rights organizations such as the HRC are opposing legal efforts to get Prop 8 overturned.

Tuesday, 26 May, 2009

Photo Gallery: Prop 8 Protest & Arrests (SFAppeal)
Sixth Grader's Project About Harvey Milk Censored by School (SFist)
Natalie Jones, a sixth-grader in Ramona, California, created a Powerpoint presentation about Harvey Milk's life and activism, for which she received a near-perfect score. The day before the presentation, Jones' principal said that although her project was as good as a high school student's, because of the "sensitive material," she might be unable to show it.

Twitter Status Updates

  • Sarah Palin had 16 months left in office, a full legislative session, to do more than tour the state and collect a paycheck. 1 hour ago
  • @Schwarzenegger, how about signing the Harvey Milk Day bill this time instead of saying he should only be honored in SF again. 8 hours ago
  • I didn't know my photo was going to be the newsletter cover when the SF Bike Coalitio asked permission, a nice surprise in today's mail. 2 days ago
  • "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard" - John F. Kennedy 2 days ago
  • @sf311 The Harvey Milk memorial onboard Muni streetcar No. 1051 was defaced over Pride. Link 3 days ago

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