Exit Polls and the role LGBT voters played...

ADVOCATE Magazine: Nov 8, 2012

Exit polls have a lot to say about the role LGBT issues played in the election, and on how President Obama's support for marriage equality might have resonated with the electorate.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual voters sided heavily with Obama, for example, helping to propel him to a commanding win. Exit polls conducted for The New York Times and other media outlets indicated that 5% of voters were gay, lesbian or bisexual. (Voters weren't asked whether they are transgender.) Of those, 76% voted for Obama. While that number is high, it's also a six-percentage-point increase over the 2008 election for the president.

Where marriage equality was on the ballot, exit polls offer insight into whether it helped or hurt the president. The Associated Press reports that exit polls in Maryland, where voters approved legalizing same-sex marriage, show those who sided with equality broke strongly for Obama, while those opposed joined Romney. It was Obama and marriage equality that prevailed.

The time has arrived for a change in Washington and this country. Time for equality for everyone, regardless of sexual preference, gender identity or all other labels society feels obligated to place on people. Help make those changes become a reality by becoming involved.

Gay.net - The Disney Co. Says, “It Gets Better”

Disney has long supported same-sex partners by offering partner benefits and supporting LGBT rights. One of their more noticeable events is the annual LGBT day at the USA parks.

Now they have jumped on the wagon with this great video, adding it to the long list of "It Gets Better" video's in support of The Trevor Project.

Thanks once again Disney for your continued support of the LGBTQ community!

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End Bullying Campaign tops 100K

The Stop Bullying, Speak Up Pledge campaign has now reached -  as of this posting - has hit 100,699 signers! no, wait...that's 100,704 people that know just a little more about the subject and want to end the hate.

Take the time...take the pledge...the sign up is on this blog, or here.

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Students Suspended in Rodemeyer Suicide

Jamey Rodenmeyer September 18, 2011

As we have followed the sad story of Jamey Rodenmeyer, the 14 year old student who took his own life in September after posting an "It Gets Better" video, recent developments in his suicide resulting from bullying were made public following a rather long police investigation. Essentially police are not prosecuting any students who purportedly bullied Jamey, leading to his death. Only after a large public outcry of injustice and coverup by the school and police has it come to light that several students have been suspended.

While they have not been named due to their age, the suspensions seem rather trivial and show a lack of accountability on the part of police, school administrators, and others involved in determining where to place blame.

As seems usual with cases involving teen suicide resulting from bullying, this is just another example of how far we have NOT come in dealing with educating the right people about bullying, and have not learned to recognize the signs of those who cry in the nighttime, but suffer in the daylight.

We MUST keep pressing, keep writing, keep pushing until this monster is gone from our midst. Young people that we have lost to this terrible disease of ignorance and hatred must not be forgotten and their deaths not in vain.

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I'm Christian, unless you're gay, fat, ugly, smelly...

One of the most eloquently, passionate and loving articles I've seen online, in the news, or publicized in a long, long time. This is a MUST READ! A must read for all those who believe they're right, they're perfect, they're "Christians."

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Southwest Idaho schools throwout Student Club Rule

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A legal group claims Idaho's largest school district rejected a measure to require a parent's signature for students to participate in school clubs amid pressure from a national organization that promotes equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

But the Meridian School District says the proposal was dropped because the vast majority of their student clubs do not currently require parental permission.

The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based group of Christian lawyers, issued a statement Monday saying the district was "duped" by gay rights activists into ditching the proposed parental consent policy. The group claims the proposal was cut amid pressure from Lambda Legal and the Idaho Safe Schools Coalition.

Those organizations wrote the district in August, saying the proposed rule would be harmful to already vulnerable students.
 (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is a conservative Christian nonprofit organization with the stated goal of "defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.

The Alliance Defense Fund established the Day of Truth "to counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective." The Day of Truth is held annually following the Day of Silence, which is organized by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The Day of Silence is the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's (GLSEN) annual day of action to protest the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and their supporters. Students take a day-long vow of silence to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBT students and their supporters. The Day of Silence has been held each year in April since 1996. The 2010 Day of Silence was held on April 16; in 2011 it was on April 15

ADF has announced that beginning in 2009, it was passing on its leadership role in the Day of Truth to an ex-gay organization, Exodus International, who had prepared the resources for the event. On October 6, Exodus International stated they would no longer be supporting or leading the Day of Truth.

On November 11, 2010, Focus on the Family announced it had acquired the Day of Truth event and was renaming it to the Day of Dialogue. The goal would remain unchanged.

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Moab, Utah has its first Gay Pride Festival!

Knowing the area fairly well, it was a complete surprise that Moab, Utah, known for it's outdoor jeep tours, beautiful scenery, and small-town pride hosted its first Gay Pride Festival this year. Utah, predominately Mormon, has traditionally not been known for being LGBTQ friendly. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (full name of the Mormon church) has, in the past, been a large financial supporter of anti-gay legislation and movements, such as Prop 8 in California. Prop 8 repealed the legalization of  same-sex marriage, still being fought in the courts.

So for the small town of Moab this might be that "shot heard 'round the country" when it comes to LGBTQ education, equality and awareness. Time will tell but city officials, who fully supported the parade and festival, hope that next year it will grow and become an annual event, drawing in more tourists and money for the small, but  beautiful town.

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Adrian Smith demoted for not backing gay marriage after criticising new law on Facebook | Mail Online

Sometimes I believe that a cause, protest, even the "right" for equality of same-sex marriage can go a little too far. Don't get me wrong, I believe that equality is needed for all of us and has to come about soon. And it is in many ways with same-sex marriage legal now in six states and civil unions in a few others.  But sometimes, in our zealous fight to win, we have collateral casualties that shouldn't be.

I believe this is the case with Adrian Smith, a Christian and employee of the Trafford Housing Trust, living in the UK, who placed a somewhat inocuous statement on his personal FaceBook page stating his belief that, "allowing gay weddings in churches was ‘an equality too far’." His statement and page were only viewable by his friends and not the general public, but apparently one of his co-workers complained, asking : "‘Does this mean you don’t approve?’ The following evening after work, Mr Smith, who attends an evangelical church in Bolton, responded: ‘No, not really. I don’t understand why people who have no faith and don’t believe in Christ would want to get hitched in church.‘The Bible is quite specific that marriage is for men and women. If the State wants to offer civil marriages to the same sex then that is up to the State; but the State shouldn’t impose its rules on places of faith and conscience.’

Recent legislation proposed in the UK would allow gay ceremonies to be held in churches and other religious places.

Adrian Smith

Lawyers for Mr Smith, whom friends describe as affable and non-confrontational, say his comments were merely expressing an ‘honest belief’ based on his Christian faith.

I believe that this is a fair expression of his personal beliefs and a violation of his civil rights . Unfortunately, his life has been affected by this as his employer suspended him, then  demoted him to money support adviser, handling rent collection. His pay was reduced from £35,000 to £21,396 a year, phased in over a year, and he was given a final written warning.

The question remains thus: can we sometimes, in our fight for equality, go too far and create the very same situation for people for which we are fighting for?

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More schools take action to stem anti-gay bullying | Latest National Headlines | News fr...

The awareness of bullying in schools, the passing of Same-sex marriage in New York, and the spate of "It Gets Better" video's from celebrities and other people have slowly begun to raise awareness about bullying and teen suicide. California recently passed legislation that ordered teaching to be incorporated into the classroom about LGBTQ contributions and the history of same. Even more in the news was the recent passing of DADT, allowing gays in the military to come out of the closet without fear of being thrown out of the service.

Although we have a long way to go, the California legislation is having an effect on school bullying and also intervening legally in cases where guidelines have not been followed.  For example, instead of a teacher simply telling kids to quit using a disrespectful name, stopping taunts is more effective when the teacher explains why teasing hurts and getting bullies to recall instances when they were taunted or acknowledge that they would feel hurt if they were, experts said.

"It's about making them realize what it's like," said Travis Brown, an anti-bullying speaker now on a 200-school tour.

Students must be told to intervene if they witness bullying and to accept others' differences even if they don't agree with them. That goes for teachers, too. It is illegal, for instance, to order a boy to wash off makeup if girls are also allowed to wear it.


There remains a long, slow haul to spread informative and educational programs across the country's schools, but with the help of the ACLU and other legal eagles watching over the growing movement, it will happen and we might, just might, see the near end of bullying as we know it now.

Now if we could get politicians to end bullying among their ranks and setting a poor example for the bullies of today.

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Anti-Gay Linda Harvey Warns Parents About Gay Dr.'s Treating Their Children

From: Addicting.org

As usual, this extremist, right-wing activist from another anti-gay, hate group has come up with an original thought (something new!) Her ranting goes like this (courtesy of addicting.org):

“How do you feel about open homosexuals tending to your child in a health care setting? Do you think these folks provide good role modeling at a time when your child is very vulnerable? I was thinking about this recently when I heard that Children’s Hospital in Columbus has a homosexual employees group called NCHARGE, which stands for Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Advocates Representing Gay Employees. The meeting minutes of this groups reveal that they participated in last June’s gay pride parade, that they participated in a health expo on adolescent health this summer and that they’re concerned about same-sex partner benefits. They’re also planning to be identified with rainbow lapel pins.

But let’s say your eleven year-old has broken her leg rather badly and needs to be in the hospital a few days, which would you prefer: a nurse who’s proud of her lesbianism, who has rainbow identifiers on her work clothing, or a nurse who does not?

I would like to suggest that parents think long and hard about this. If you want your children to admire people who proclaim a homosexual lifestyle, they’re involvement with your child during a hospital stay is sure to be an influence. And let me be clear that folks involved in these behaviors can be certainly competent workers but they are tacking on to their workplace identity one that is highly offensive to many people and can be erroneously influential to children who won’t, or shouldn’t, see the whole picture of how this behavior really manifests itself.

Here’s what parents can do: select your pediatrician very carefully, first of all. There are a few homosexual doctors treating kids, there are far more nurses, LPNs, technicians and other health care workers in these lifestyles so you may want to consider writing a letter that you file with your pediatrician that should your child ever be hospitalized, you do not want your child to be treated or cared for by one of these members of the Children’s Hospital gay employees group except in the case of an emergency situation. But for routine in-hospital care where contact with your child would be required, your values should be respected.”

Harvey is a notorious bigot, especially against the LGBT community. Her organization, Mission America, crusades against the LGBT community on a daily basis. Harvey is a hateful woman and her bigotry must come to an end. If you wish to contact Linda Harvey and her organization, you can write to them or email them at the following addresses.

webmaster@missionamerica.com

Mission America P.O. Box 21836 Columbus, OH 43221-0836

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Frontrunners New York make an "It Gets Better" video

Members of the Front Runners New York running club let LGBT teenagers know that it gets better as part of the It Gets Better Project founded by Dan Savage. If you are an LGBT teenager and are contemplating suicide, please call the Trevor Hotline at 866 4-U-TREVOR or visit www.TheTrevorProject.org.

For more information on how to get involved with the It Gets Better Project, go to the official website at www.ItGetsBetterProject.com. Front Runners New York is a running club for lesbians, gay men and gay-friendly people of all athletic abilities. For more than 30 years, the club has supported a network of men and women that ranges from recreational walkers and joggers to competitive track athletes, road racers and marathoners.

Front Runners was founded on and sticks to a simple mission — to provide lesbians and gays with a healthier life through running. No matter what your pace, preferred distance or racing goal, you will find members to run and train with. Many of our members found lifelong friends, training partners and spouses through the club. At Front Runners New York, we are family in every sense of the word! Whether you are running for fun, competition, fitness, or just want to socialize and get to know other runners, we're glad to have you join us! For more information, visit www.FRNY.org.

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Another Suicide - Zach Harrington, Norman, OK

From: edgephiladelphia

A gay teen in Oklahoma killed himself following a "toxic town meeting he attended at which residents debated a resolution naming October "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History Month." The rhetoric spouted at the meeting was "toxic," the family of 19-year-old Zach Harrington says. They maintain that the anti-gay remarks were so hurtful to the young man that they pushed him over the edge.

Zach Harrington -2011

In the end the resolution was adopted, but the one-sided debate of the town meeting had already taken its toll on the young man who was continually subjected to bullying in school. So we lost another young, promising soul to bullying in October of this year. There just seems to be no end to this, and what's more horrifying is that many people don't seem to care (until it touches their lives...which we all know is different.)

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Recent Teen Suicide Victim Jamie Hubley Video Singing "Born That Way"

This video of recent suicide teen, Jamie Hubley of Ottawa, Canada is heartbreaking. Nobody should have to report about such things these days as teen suicide due to bullying...but if we don't keep these names in front of those who bully, then the great loss of these kids would be for nothing. Here's Jamie singing Lady Gaga's, "Born This Way."

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Like We Said...No Accountability for Politicians

I've said way back from the  beginning that people, that includes parents and politicians, must be made accountable for their actions concerning bullying and bearing false witness. DADT was finally out the door on September 20th of this year, and the sky hasn't fallen yet. But tell that to Sen. McCain, who vehemently said that soldiers would leave in droves, the army would fall apart at the seams, and it would bring about such disaster within the armed forces that we would no longer be recognized as a world military to be reckoned with.

(About.com-Political Humor)

Well Sen. McCain, where are the deserters? Why is the military still functioning the same as it did before the repeal? Why are you not being held accountable for all the lies, threats and false statements you made preceding the repeal?

From the Washington Post, this thought:

"The political world just doesn’t seem to operate this way. McCain will continue to enjoy his standing as a leading voice on military affairs because the establishment says so.

If ridiculous predictions had any bearing on credibility, conservative Republicans would never be able to utter a word about economic policy in public again without being laughed at. We’re talking about a group of folks who said Reagan’s tax increases would be a disaster, Clinton’s agenda would cause an economic collapse, Bush’s policies would work wonders, and Obama’s agenda would make the 2008 crash even worse."

I guess that accountability depends upon which side of the fence you happen to be on at the moment.

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Dealing With Gay Students, Bullying In Different Ways - Education News Story - KFOX El Paso

By Chris Welch CNN

Posted: 1:33 pm MDT October 12, 2011 

 Updated: 4:36 pm MDT October 12, 2011

A success story related to LGBT students seems to always be followed by a, "but." The success experienced by Jared Pettingill in finding a school where he wouldn't be harassed by bullies for being gay has worked out for him. Strangely enough, it's right next to the infamous Anoka-Hennepin School District (just outside the Twin Cities) that made headlines in recent years after seven students committed suicide between November 2009 and May 2011. It's also the home district of presidential hopeful, Michele Bachmann.

In January, the school board district where Jared is now attending unanimously passed a unique resolution instructing administrators to track bullying incidents related to the harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. The measure also requires all staff to be trained on LGBT issues. It injects LGBT topics into the curriculum, which includes adding an LGBT component to sex ed. They will eventually add an elective high school course on LGBT history.

This sounds like progress finally being made in the "war against bullying." But, several miles away and in the midst of Bachmann's efforts to thwart such acceptance, the controversy is not so clear. The district's curriculum policy, adopted in 2009, bars teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom and says such matters are best addressed outside of school. It's become known as the neutrality policy. Anoka-Hennepin, which encompasses the Twin Cities' northwestern suburbs and is the state's largest school district, is the only Minnesota school district known to have such a policy.

More.....

Punching, Burning, Electrocuting And Stabbing Your Gay Son Will Probably Not Make Him Straight / Queerty

From queerty.com is this tragic, but very important article about the theory that homosexuals can be "converted" to straight. This is a true story of torture, emotional and physical abuse fostered on their son by Southern Baptist missionary parents. Samuel Brinton, now a student at KSU, was the unfortunate and sad son of a Bapatist minister who, upon discovering that his son Sam might like boys instead of girls, subjected him to electric shock therapy by sticking needles in his fingers and then shocking him when he was forced to look at gay porn and other inhumane trials.

Sam, an incredible and shining example of the forgiveness that his parents ought to have shown him, has in return tried to repair the relationship with his family. His father has threatened to shoot him if he tries to contact the family or any of his siblings. This is such as sad story revolving around the idea that gays can be "converted" and that being gay is a choice.

Sam has his story here at ImFromDriftwood where he shares his story with many others in celebration of National Coming Out Day.

Chart Showing How Candidates Would Vote on LGBTQ Issues

This chart indicates how the current candidates would vote on different LGBT issues (go to this site frequently as candidates' votes change in different areas and are updated on the chart.)

Methodology  •  Starting in August 2011, a survey was delivered to the office of each active, formally announced candidate via e-mail, web mail, and/or facsimile, and also via certified U.S. mail for which a campaign employee signed a receipt confirming the delivery.  Each candidate’s survey showed his or her latest stand on each LGBT issue, based on speeches made, documents signed, and interviews given.  All candidates were invited to notify MEUSA of updates to their positions as they occur, up through election day on 6 November 2012. 

Send questions and comments to:  NFlaherty@MarriageEquality.org.

LOGOTV's new series, beCause Docs! A series that tackles different issues and asks YOU to help!

This is a new series on LOGOTV starting on October 24th. So far the previews are intense and also horrifying as they report about homophobia around the world, in sports, and especially interesting--> the hidden closets of the Republican world.

Tags: Gay Video & Lesbian Movies, Logo: Fierce TV

October is LGBT Celebration Month!

Every day in October, featured on this website, will be an "icon" - someone who has distinguished themselves as making significant contributions to LGBT rights. There’s also going to be a video, biography, bibliography, downloadable images and other educational resources, available as well.

At the top of this blog is the video that changes every day during the month of October. I hope that you will take the opportunity to watch each video and learn more about the contributions of LGBTQ people over the years to the human race.

Part of the goal of LGBThistorymonth.com is to encourage high schools, colleges and community centers to download the materials and create exhibits.

Video Tribute to Jamey Rodemeyer from Davey Wavy

There's not much that needs to be said that this video doesn't portray about the high rate of suicides in this country as a result of gay bullying.