Florida Agenda

NEW YORK, NY – During the opening session of the United Nations last week, President Barack Obama spoke out in favor of gay rights worldwide:

“And to make sure our societies reach their potential, we must allow our citizens to reach theirs. No country can afford the cancer of corruption. Together, we must harness the power of open societies and open economies. That is why we have partnered with countries from across the globe to launch a new partnership on open government that helps ensure accountability and empower citizens. No country should deny people their rights, the freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but also no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere. And no country can realize its potential if half its population cannot reach theirs.”

President Barack Obama has issued a proclamation in time for June, which is traditionally considered LGBT Pride Month. In his proclamation, the President mentions the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, legislation toward repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and his executive order implementing non-discrimination policies. He made no mention of the Defense of Marriage Act or marriage equality in the proclamation.

His proclamation read:

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2011 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION

The story of America’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union. It is a story about the struggle to realize the great American promise that all people can live with dignity and fairness under the law. Each June, we commemorate the courageous individuals who have fought to achieve this promise for LGBT Americans, and we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Since taking office, my Administration has made significant progress towards achieving equality for LGBT Americans. Last December, I was proud to sign the repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. With this repeal, gay and lesbian Americans will be able to serve openly in our Armed Forces for the first time in our Nation’s history. Our national security will be strengthened and the heroic contributions these Americans make to our military, and have made throughout our history, will be fully recognized.

My Administration has also taken steps to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans in Federal housing programs and to give LGBT Americans the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital. We have made clear through executive branch nondiscrimination policies that discrimination on the basis of gender identity in the Federal workplace will not be tolerated. I have continued to nominate and appoint highly qualified, openly LGBT individuals to executive branch and judicial positions. Because we recognize that LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration stands with advocates of equality around the world in leading the fight against pernicious laws targeting LGBT persons and malicious attempts to exclude LGBT organizations from full participation in the international system. We led a global campaign to ensure “sexual orientation” was included in the United Nations resolution on extrajudicial execution – the only United Nations resolution that specifically mentions LGBT people – to send the unequivocal message that no matter where it occurs, state-sanctioned killing of gays and lesbians is indefensible. No one should be harmed because of who they are or who they love, and my Administration has mobilized unprecedented public commitments from countries around the world to join in the fight against hate and homophobia.

At home, we are working to address and eliminate violence against LGBT individuals through our enforcement and implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We are also working to reduce the threat of bullying against young people, including LGBT youth. My Administration is actively engaged with educators and community leaders across America to reduce violence and discrimination in schools. To help dispel the myth that bullying is a harmless or inevitable part of growing up, the First Lady and I hosted the first White House Conference on Bullying Prevention in March. Many senior Administration officials have also joined me in reaching out to LGBT youth who have been bullied by recording “It Gets Better” video messages to assure them they are not alone.

This month also marks the 30th anniversary of the emergence of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, which has had a profound impact on the LGBT community. Though we have made strides in combating this devastating disease, more work remains to be done, and I am committed to expanding access to HIV/ AIDS prevention and care. Last year, I announced the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. This strategy focuses on combinations of evidence-based approaches to decrease new HIV infections in high risk communities, improve care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce health disparities. My Administration also increased domestic HIV/AIDS funding to support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and HIV prevention, and to invest in HIV/AIDS-related research. However, government cannot take on this disease alone. This landmark anniversary is an opportunity for the LGBT community and allies to recommit to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and continuing the fight against this deadly pandemic.

Every generation of Americans has brought our Nation closer to fulfilling its promise of equality. While progress has taken time, our achievements in advancing the rights of LGBT Americans remind us that history is on our side, and that the American people will never stop striving toward liberty and justice for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2011 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV

President Barack Obama last Wednesday made two administration appointments and nominated a judge – all from the LGBT community.

Longtime lesbian activist Roberta Achtenberg of San Francisco was appointed to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. She made history as the first openly gay presidential appointee during the Clinton administration, when she was named assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. Achtenberg is one of the founders of the National Center for Lesbian Rights and a former San Francisco supervisor.

Photo: Roberta Achtenberg Courtesy, browsebiography.com

“The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is a vital voice for fairness, and Roberta Achtenberg’s inclusion on the panel will be of great benefit to it and to our country,” said National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey. “As an accomplished champion of civil rights and of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, Roberta brings a critical and invaluable perspective to the table. We’ve had the great pleasure of working with Roberta as a member of our board; she is someone who truly embodies the Task Force’s belief that no one is free when others are oppressed. As a truth-teller of courage, conscience and conviction, she will serve our nation well as a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.”

Veteran gay rights advocate Jeffrey Levi was appointed to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health at the Health and Human Services Department. He formerly led the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Levi is currently executive director of Trust for America’s Health nonprofit and a professor at George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services.

“Jeff Levi’s long and distinguished career in public health advocacy and research has well prepared him to assume a larger role in public health service to the nation,” said Carey. “He is a former executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and was the first full time federal lobbyist on AIDS issues, just as the epidemic crested in our communities. Jeff crafted a plan to secure federal funding for AIDS research and treatment, marking the first successes in garnering federal resources to combat the AIDS crisis. Jeff ’s expertise will go a long way to inform the council on the issues facing those living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases.”

J. Paul Oetken Courtesy, deweylightfoot.wordpress.com

Openly gay attorney J. Paul Oetken was nominated for judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, based in Manhattan. Oetken served in the Clinton administration as an associate counsel to the White House and once clerked for Justice Harry Blackmun.

Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, weighed in on the Achtenberg appointment.

“The appointment of Roberta Achtenberg to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is history making. Roberta will be the first openly lesbian or gay person appointed to the Commission,” Kendell said. “More importantly, her appointment assures that a woman of remarkable intelligence, broad commitment to justice and equality, and a lifelong legacy of public service will be there to give voice and representation to those who are denied opportunity, fairness, and equality under the law.”

Carey applauded the appointment of former board member Achtenberg to serve on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, an advisory panel charged with investigating, reporting on, and making recommendations to the president and Congress on issues concerning civil rights in the United States.

LGBT people remain ‘second-class’ citizens

By CAMERON O’CONNOR

Photo: Courtesy of blogamole.tr3s.com/ tag/state-of-the-union
President Obama’s State of the Union speech touched on everything from “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell,” job creation, the economy, LGBT equality and more.

It only took President Obama a little more than an hour to deliver his State of the Union address to Congress and the nation. It took even less time for everyone else to chime in on the speech that touched on everything from “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” job creation, the economy, LGBT equality and more.

“Our troops come from every corner of this country -– they’re black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American. They are Christian and Hindu, Jewish and Muslim. And, yes, we know that some of them are gay,” said the president during his speech. “Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love. And with that change, I call on all our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and ROTC. It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. It is time to move forward as one nation.”

So how did the president do? That all depends on who you ask and what political party they are from. But gay rights groups wasted no time weighing in regarding the president’s comments on equality and the military.

“Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) is pleased the president expects that gays and lesbians will be able to serve their country openly this year. In fact, we think there should be certification from the president, Secretary Robert Gates and JCS Chairman Michael Mullen in this quarter,” said Aubrey Sarvis, Army veteran and executive director for SLDN. “We need to make ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal a reality sooner rather than later. It is also encouraging to see that the president and first lady recognize that LGBT troops are very much part of the fabric of our military families. However, we need to bring more visibility and awareness to that reality too.”

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, also reacted to the president’s assertion that open service by gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the U.S. Armed Forces would begin this year. HRC President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement:

“Very soon, what will matter in the U.S. military is how you do your job, not your sexual orientation. Last year the president committed to working with Congress to repeal the ban on open service by gay, lesbian and bisexual people and [the] announcement is welcome news for all Americans ready to close the book on discrimination in the ranks. Not only does repeal mean troops will be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, but our nation will be stronger with the best and brightest able to serve in uniform.

Beyond gays in the military, Solmonese expressed his concern over economic stability for LGBT people, which includes unfair taxation of health benefits and workplace discrimination..

“The issue most prevalent in [the] speech was jobs, and with discrimination in the military soon behind us, there remain a number of pressing issues for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community when it comes to economic security,” said Solmonese. “The president and Congress can do much more to ensure the economic empowerment of LGBT people including ending the unfair taxation of partner health benefits, prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and ensuring that all married couples have access to the same federal benefits and protections for their families.”

Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), echoed the comments from the HRC, and added that LGBT American are still second-class citizens who still have to deal with inequality on a daily basis, whether be at the local, state or federal levels of government. To grow the economy, said Carey, the president must ensure that the talents of LGBT people are not overlooked.

“President Obama spoke pointedly … of the dire need to get our economy moving again. We couldn’t agree more and urge his administration and Congress to work together to ensure that everybody — including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people — have the opportunity to contribute their talents, skills and expertise to this nation’s workforce. The repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ which the president noted, was a tremendous victory that will put an end to systemic discrimination against competent, qualified lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. But let us not settle there,” Carey said. “Fact is, the state of the union for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people remains largely one of inequality, as we can still be fired from or denied employment in many parts of the country for nothing other than bias, and marriage inequality relegates our families to second- class status. If the president is truly serious about job creation and boosting America’s economic well-being, he must provide leadership and action in helping to pass employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and ending the costly and unjust federal marriage ban.”

NEW YORK, NY-

Last week, President Barack Obama told a studio audience and the television viewers of an MTV town hall meeting that he felt that being gay was not a choice but genetic. “I don’t profess to be an expert,” the president said in response to a question on the matter. “I don’t think it’s a choice. I think people are born with a certain make up, and we’re all children of God.”