Like many in the LGBTQ community, I am still grieving over those murdered at Club Q in Colorado Springs last month. I am also thinking about how much anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has created a climate in which such violence can germinate, and how much a purported concern over children’s well-being has played into that rhetoric. We need to reclaim the narrative of what it means to think of the children.
A man shot eight people in Georgia this week, six of them Asian Americans and seven of them women. This is yet another tragic reminder of the devastating effects of gun violence—but those who think this is an isolated incident against Asian Americans haven’t been paying attention.
I am deeply saddened today by news of the mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina, a crime apparently motivated by racism. Ferguson, Baltimore, Charleston—and the many places that never make national headlines. When will it end?
Wow. Another week of major news. I’ll keep this fairly short, though, as there’s bound to be lots of news next week after the elections, one way or another. U.S. National News President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It’s worth reading his remarks (link above) and Judy
I don’t usually just post press releases, but I think this one from the Matthew Shepard Foundation needs no explanation. The legislation is due in large part to parental love. After a decade of debate, persistent advocacy and 14 separate congressional floor votes, President Barack Obama today signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James
What a week in LGBT political news! Here are some of the highlights: National News The U.S. Senate approved the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It now goes to President Obama, who has said he will sign it. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a series of
Lest we forget, in the communal excitement and debriefing over the National Equality March: Today marks eleven years since the death of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard after a brutal gay bashing. His mother Judy Shepard, one of the LGBT community’s staunchest advocates, spoke at the March yesterday: I had the honor of meeting
U.S. National News The National Equality March is taking place this weekend, and the biggest news to come out of it so far is President Obama’s upcoming speech at the HRC dinner tomorrow night. HuffPo has lined up a panel of bloggers to tell us what they think Obama should say. My favorite piece so
Confused by the bevy of marriage-related lawsuits now in play? Lisa Keen at Bay Windows breaks it all down in a multi-part series. (Parts I and II are out; Part III will be next week.) Chris Geidner does a similar breakdown for federal hate crimes legislation. Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed the Defense Department authorization
The U.S. Senate unanimously adopted the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill. This means its fate is tied to whether the president will veto the bill because it also includes funding for F-22 fighter jets, which he opposes. The NAACP announced a partnership with National
