October PFLAG Update
As you may know, October is GLBT History Month. Launched by the Equality Forum in 2006, GLBT History Month honors 31 Icons—one each day—with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images and educational resources, and special features for students.
The videos are broadcast on cable TV channels and are available as a free download to organizations and the public. GLBT History Month is free and all 124 Icons (2006-2009) are archived on the site. Visit www.GLBTHistoryMonth.com. (Note that Tammy Baldwin is one of the Icons for 2009).
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President Obama Speaks at Annual HRC Dinner
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From the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Update – October 2009
We did it! The U.S. Census Bureau will count married same-sex couples in the 2010 census. But this is just the beginning: We're working to get the census to count all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
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National PFLAG Blog
Kay suggests that you might find the national PFLAG blog interesting and worthwhile: www.pflagblog.blogspot.com
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From National PFLAG
Grassroots Power Harnessed to Pass Employment Non-Discrimination Act
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) National are hosting a training on grassroots organizing to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) as part of this weekend’s National Equality March in Washington, D.C. ENDA is federal legislation that will ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Your Role in Passing ENDA: Grassroots Organizing Training” will take place Saturday, Oct. 10, from noon until 2 p.m. at the Center for Community Change, located at 1536 U Street NW. The training will feature experts in lobbying and grassroots organizing. Participants will get an update on ENDA, learn about “local action teams” and how they are critical to passing this legislation, and get the tools necessary to join the grassroots mobilization to pass an inclusive ENDA. For more information: (http://nem.gaycities.com/events/738-your-rolein- passing-enda-grassroots-organizing-training)
President Obama Calls PFLAG’s Story “The Story Of America”
WASHINGTON; October 11, 2009: Last night, President Obama told a part of the PFLAG story, the story of Jeanne Manford walking alongside her son Morty in a parade. This is where the story began, the story that the President called “the story of America.” In telling this story, the President signaled his continuing support of the LGBT community and of the issues in which all Americans have a stake.
“PFLAG is honored that President Obama recognized the very personal and powerful beginning of our organization,” said PFLAG National President John R. Cepek. “It’s awe-inspiring to consider that PFLAG began as one woman’s show of support for her son and has grown into an international network of activists from all walks of life.”
The President acknowledged the need for progress on a number of key issues, including passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. He encouraged Americans to have faith in the movement for equality: “Do not doubt the direction we are headed and the destination we will reach.”
For more on this story, go to: http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=1193&chid=107
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From the HRC Weekly Update
Fed. Employee DP Benefits Hearing Wrap-Up
October 15, 2009: Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) held a hearing this morning on S. 1102, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO), which would extend equal employment benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. An archived webcast of the hearing is now available.
The hearing featured testimony from three expert witnesses: Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); John Berry, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM); and Dr. William H. Hendrix, III, a biology team leader at The Dow Chemical Company and chair of the Company’s Gays, Lesbians, and Allies at Dow (GLAD) network. All three witnesses’ testimony has been posted on the committee’s website. Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese also submitted written testimony [pdf] for the record. .....continued at: http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2009/10/fed-employee-dp-benefits-hearing-wrap-up/
Challenge to Proposition 8 Moves Forward in Federal Court
October 14, 2009: This afternoon, Judge Vaughn Walker denied a motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8 in California. The case, being argued by noted Supreme Court litigators Ted Olson and David Boies, will now move forward to a trial, which is expected to begin in January 2010.
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