Yesterday, we gave you an amazing opportunity to help us Impact the White House with Equal Rep. Today, we were asked to join with Change.org to provide another GREAT opportunity to make an IMPACT in government!
Change.org announced the following:
What’s Your Big Idea for Change in America?
President-Elect Obama says he wants to hear ideas from all Americans, so we’re taking him up on his offer. Submit your ideas for how to change America, discuss with others, and vote for your favorites.
The “Top 10 Ideas for America” will be presented to the Obama Administration on Inauguration Day. We will then build a national campaign to advance each idea in Congress, marshaling the resources of Change.org, MySpace, and our dozens of partner organizations and millions of combined members.
They asked us to participate and we feel that this is a great opportunity to affect positive change for the LGBTQ community. Since JoinTheImpact is YOURS, we are asking you a simple question: What idea for change should we post to make an impact? Once we decide on an idea, we can all work together to give it the support it deserves. Imagine if EVERYONE who came out for November 15th and who will be coming out for the December 20th Light Up the Night event, were to join in and vote for our idea. What an amazing IMPACT we WILL make!
3 AMAZING LGBTQ ideas have already been posted to the site (Trans Inclusive ENDA, Gay Adoption, and Same-Sex Civil Marriage). PLEASE lend your support and VOTES to these great ideas. Change.org is picking the top 10, so we should definitely add to these two amazing requests for positive change. Please help us decide what is the best idea. Here are some suggestions:
- Repeal DOMA
- Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
- Stronger Hate Crime Legislation
These are just a few. Check out the suggestions on Change.org and then add your suggestions in the comments on this post. Our voices came together on November 15th. They are coming together over and over again. People are starting to pay attention! We have been asked to make our voices heard again. Let’s take this great opportunity for change. We WILL prevail!
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[...] The White House Part 2 Posted in December 15th, 2008 by in Uncategorized IMPACT The White House Part 2 Yesterday, we gave you an amazing opportunity to help us Impact the White House with Equal Rep. [...]
Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
[...] Impact » IMPACT The White House Part 2 Posted in December 15th, 2008 by in Uncategorized Join the Impact » IMPACT The White House Part 2 Yesterday, we gave you an amazing opportunity to help us Impact the White House with Equal Rep. [...]
Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Students for equality
http://www.studentsforequality.com/
Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
My choice would be Repeal DOMA. Here’s my logic: 1) Don’t ask, don’t tell. Lots of generals are advocating to get rid of this so it will happen. I’ve also seen interviews with soldiers that more and more commanding officers know someone in their group is gay and doesn’t care. I think this one will resolve itself. 2) Hate crimes. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for increasing the punishment for a hate crime. But there are laws for people who commit crimes.
My picks: 1) Repeal DOMA. There are so many financial benefits that protect married couples and families that they are not getting now. I see this as crucial. 2) Nationwide, it should be illegal to fire someone just because they are gay. People deserve to have their jobs and livehoods protected. Now, I know that’s hard to enforce. But it can’t hurt.
Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Hi Judegeekgirl,
I’m with you! Right now the site has gay adoption, trans inclusive ENDA, and same-sex marriage up there for ideas. We should ALL join the site to vote for those issues, and we should add “Repeal DOMA” to the list. They are taking the top 10 ideas. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could make all 4 be in the top 10?
Thanks!
Amy
Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Top 10 Changes for LGBT Rights or What Obama and America can give LGBT Americans that will make us very happy in the New Year!
Gay Agenda
1. PASS ENDA
Pass a trans-inclusive Employment Non Discrimination Act protecting the rights of LGBT Americans in the workplace. No one should be fired from their job because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or gender non-conforming in their appearance or choice of clothing. It’s not fair that I could get fired, or never even hired, because I wear suits sometimes.
2. REPEAL DOMA
Repeal the “Defense of Marriage Act” which actually denies marriage to LGBT Americans seeking to marry someone of the same sex and the 1,138 federal rights that heterosexual married people have access to including: health insurance benefits, social security, filing joint federal income taxes, and having their marriage recognized outside of the state they were married in. Why should the health care benefits I receive through Molly’s work be taxed as income when her brother is not taxed extra to provide his wife health care benefits? Why is it fair to deny Marvin who was with Bill for 51 years access to Bill’s social security benefits when my mother who was with my father for 15 years will still have access to my father’s social security when he dies because she never remarried? I love my parents, but Bill and Marvin were together for many more years than my parents and Bill deserves to be treated fairly!
3. REPEAL DODT
Repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Seriously, most other civilized militaries, yes I know that might be a contradiction in terms for some of you, allow LGBT people to serve openly. And in fact, most Americans think this policy is antiquated, not to mention a waste of our hard earned money! According to Wikipedia, a Government Accountability Office Report released in February 2005 it cost the U.S. Government “$95.4 million in recruiting costs and $95.1 million for training replacements for the 9,488 troops discharged from 994 through 2003” under DODT. We could use that money right NOW people!
4. PASS UAFA
Pass the Uniting American Families Act, (HR 2221, S 1328) a bill that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow LGBT Americans the chance to sponser their partners for immigration and citizenship as heterosexual couples can through their marriage. Immigration is one of those 1,138 federal rights that same-sex couples are denied that I talk about in my book Why You Should Give A Damn About Gay Marriage. By passing the UAFA my friend Martha could move back to the U.S. from the Netherlands with her dog and her wife, Lin. Presently, she can only bring her dog back. Check out http://www.loveexiles.com to learn more about couples who are living in exile for love. Please note the UAFA was once the PPIA and has been around since 2000! Feinstein, Obama and Clinton are NOT sponsors. Anyone up for another letter writing campaign?
5. PASS DPBO
Pass the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act. This one was near and dear to my heart while I was working for the federal government for the past 12 years. Under the DPBO LGBT federal employees would be able to give their unrecognized same-sex spouses/partners health insurance, life insurance, government pensions, and other employment related benefits that married heterosexual federal employees enjoy by being married and heterosexual. It’s time to eliminate this second-class status in the workplace. Pass the DPBO. To learn more, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_Partnership_Benefits_and_Obligations_Act
6. PASS THE HATE CRIMES BILL
Pass the Matthew Shepard Act (H.R. 1592) which would provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes. Just a few weeks ago two brothers were attacked in New York because some guys thought they were “fags,” one of the brother’s was killed. “Fag-bashers” need to spend a little more time in prison thinking about why it’s okay to them to attack gay people.
7. REPEAL ALL mini-DOMAs and Constitutional Amendments
We must repeal these unconstitutional mini-Defense of Marriage Acts and these unconstitutional constitutional amendments. A majority should never have the right to vote down a minority group’s rights. Let us stay not keep repeating mistakes like segregation and second-class treatment of American citizens, let us end this hierarchy of hate and discrimination and grant LGBT Americans the same rights as heterosexual Americans.
8. Repeal laws denying LGBT people the right to adopt and foster children.
Gay parents are just as good for children as straight parents. Research repeatedly shows that kids that come from same-sex parents are just as healthy and well-adjusted as American kids from straight parents. It’s time to repeal these mean-spirited laws that hurt children and deny same-sex couples the right to care, nurture, and protect their children and family from unnecessary state intrusion.
9. Marriage Equality for couples without regard to sexual orientation or gender. In all 50 states and with all the rights, responsibilities, and protections on a state and federal level. Marriage, anything less is less than equal.
10. Peace and Happiness for all.
Posted on December 17th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
It’s imperative EVERYONE goes to change.gov and voice their outrage over Obama’s choice of Rick Warren (Saddleback Church, the target of many prop 8 protests) to deliver the inaugural address. Rick Warren is a right-wing extremist who publicly support Prop 8 and who has compared abortion–a woman’s right to choose–with the holocaust.
If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.
Posted on December 18th, 2008 at 2:43 am
Rick Warren has been selected as the pastor to make the opening prayer. It seems as if many gays are upset about this. Well, it should indicate that the gay communities political currency with Obama is very small. I don’t understand how you people think he will just make certain laws and amendments to state constitutions just go away. This is still a democracy and we have a balance of powers. I know how much you guys hate this. But Obama has made considerable gains with the Christian community and it has more voters than you do. So, if you are pinning your hopes that he will sweep away all that the people have voted on just to appease your demands, guess again. You can scream all you want. No one is listening except a few people in the media and they will get bored with it after a while. You lost get over it.
Posted on December 18th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Erk ( perhaps “Bull Connor” would be a more appropriate moniker),
We will not “get over it” and we are not going away – that is a fact you cannot change regardless of your contempt and arrogance for gay people. So, my dear little bigot, you’d do well to take your own advice to just “get over it” — we are here to stay. And if Obama ignores us, then he best accept the consequences of his actions, as there will be consequences, just as there were when John F. Kennedy ignored the demands of black civil rights leaders in the early sixties. And just like you, the bigots of the day dismissed the blacks as a whining minority who likewise had little “political currency.” The racists of yesteryear tried to wish away the blacks with a supercilious sneer and a dismissive wave of the hand, just as you and your fellow bigots have wished us away. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now. History is unalterably on our side, get over it.
Posted on December 18th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Well, Nikki facist, if you want a fight like that, bring it on. I’m sure you’ll quickly learn that you don’t have as many supporters as you thought. That’s why every referendum against gay marriage passed. Not to mention you haven’t brought out the numbers to really make a difference. The media overates you guys. Your arrogance is your over inflated self importance. Your nazi attacks against people of faith will only show your true colors.
Posted on December 19th, 2008 at 3:57 am
Since my partner left the country and the current state of affairs, I have lost my home, my job and now am about to loose my mind!
Why can’t I keep my partner of 5 years just because he is from another country, where is my life , liberty and pursuit of happiness, I truly for the first time in my life feel like a second class citizen.
If we could afford it I would move where we are welcomed.
Posted on January 2nd, 2009 at 5:29 am
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