Comments on: 4 major LGBT bills await new Congress

By: brandi parker

brandi parker — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:47:52 +0000

It was my understanding the that Hate crimes bill Included Gender Identity. As far as HRC or Barney Frank fighitng for anything Inclusive for the trans community I’ll believe it when I see it. Both Joe and Barney are very Transphobic.

Sincerely
SWVA Rep Equality Va

By: Morgan

Morgan — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:46:16 +0000

When President elect Obama is in office and when the new Congress is seated, hopefully all 4 of these long-standing bills will be voted into law and Congress can thus free its self of old unresolved busineess and reinstate what should be reinstated and move on to yet other things that need to have been resolved years ago. Hopefully, although I am not holding my breath, more of the American people’s business can get done.

By: Morgan

Morgan — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:40:18 +0000

My own church did not want to “serve as an agent of state of Maryland RE: any one’s marriage” since especially since gays cannot legally marry in Maryland.
My church does not want to sign any marriage documents that are official to our state government and thus be thrust into a legal relationship with the state for something that should be a strictly state function. Thus freeing a church to celebrate any one’s wedding gay or straight as it sees fit and as the couple wants.

People of course should have the choice as to where to have their big ceremony of the day be it church or elsewhere but
all clergy conducting a wedding (which should be a private and non-legal event)should be stopped from signing anything that is not strictly a record of the church where wedding ceremony was held)

and only state officials should be allowed to sign marriage documents. That way it is kept in the realm of the legal function of the local state. All ceremonies beyond a kiss and a quick one minute pledge to stick together and take care of each other until death between any two adults (two men, two women, or one man and one woman) of legal age, not already in a relationship and not related by blood having paid a fee and having their marriage witnessed and signed by the state. Ceremonies if they are wanted should be in some private venue be it park, under a tree, by the lake, in a rented hall, in a home, in a church, but not in some official place where ceremony consumes time or tax dollars.

By: Ron

Ron — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:34:36 +0000

What about the the Uniting American Families Act, which would enable an “unmarried” citizen to sponsor for residency their partner?

By: Scotty Thacker

Scotty Thacker — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:28:41 +0000

What is really so upsetting to me is that straight people say the LGBT community deserves no rights. Myself being gay that really hurts me deeply. I did have a wedding ceremony in the MCC Church in Louisville, Kentucky on October 7, 2005 but the sad reality is my marriage isn’t recongized by Kentucky or even by the majority of America. I believe it’s not right that we have to have straight people to vote rather if we get any kind of rights like marriage for example. My only hope is eventually somewhere down the road the LGBT community will have full rights just like the straight people do.

By: Karl Rosenqvist

Karl Rosenqvist — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:51:22 +0000

“In an effort to get around a veto, the Senate version was tied to the 2008 defense authorization bill.”

Your country sure has a wierd sense of democracy *lol*

By: Das Hans

Das Hans — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:13:46 +0000

Why is the Uniting American Families Act not part of the agenda? Since same-sex marriages are not recognized under federal law, American citizens cannot sponsor their foreign same-sex spouses for permanent residency. There are around 50,000 bi-national same-sex couples living in the U.S. Because of the discrimination in immigration law, many couples are forced apart, abroad, or underground. The UAFA would create a mechanism for bi-national couples to stay together, with the American citizen sponsoring their same-sex permanent partner the same way gender-discordant couples can. In 2006, the UAFA had 116 co-sponsors in the House and 14 in the Senate (although Biden, Obama, and Clinton were all AWOL on this one). Should that not qualify this bill for inclusion on the list of LGBT priorities?

By: Zeta

Zeta — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:40:11 +0000

“Hate to say it and be negative, but you might want to start working on the Black Community, especially the reverends, ministers, etc… If 70% of the black community voted for discrimination like they did in Cali. on Prop 8 then, you are gonna fight an even steeper uphill battle…. ”

We really have come full circle now that other minorities have to beg African Americans for rights.

By: tristram

tristram — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:53:11 +0000

Be real. Dobson, Bauer and others are already proclaiming the “end of the gay agenda.” Even with enhanced Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, our defeat in 4 of 5 ‘gay rights’ ballot issues (if we can count CT as a win) is going to make it very difficult for Obama and our congressional friends to successfully push anything more than watered-down ENDA and hate-crimes legislation. We gave them no cover to go after DOMA or DADT.

By: Reality

Reality — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:12:27 +0000

Hate to say it and be negative, but you might want to start working on the Black Community, especially the reverends, ministers, etc… If 70% of the black community voted for discrimination like they did in Cali. on Prop 8 then, you are gonna fight an even steeper uphill battle….

Some people think its ok to use others and pay them back with hatefulness, cruelty and ignorance as opposed to opening their minds and hearts.

I know had I been born when Dr. King was marching I and ppl. who look like me, love like me and act like me would have been marching along side of him. So we would ALL have oppurtunity to achieve the “American Dream” of Equality and Justice for All.