Today's Key Reads: AmericaBlog's credibility problems & Prop 8 repeal

Law Dork once again raises important questions concerning the credibility of one of the most popular sites in the progressive blogosphere - AmericaBlog. Since I started blogging -- interestingly enough, after hearing AmericaBlog founder John Aravosis speak -- I've been both fan and critic of his work. I love the fact that he picks up on issues quickly. I love his fighting spirit, but too often I've clicked on his links only to learn that his posts exaggerated, or even twisted, the facts. This isn't always true, but I've seen it happen often enough to cause me to worry when I read AmericaBlog.

I agree with Law Dork in this instance. While Aravosis claims that Obama's CNN interview proves that the President no longer wants to get rid of "don't ask, don't tell," I don't see it. Watch the video, and decide for yourself.

Meanwhile, Pam Spaulding is pleased that a coalition of LGBT activists representing people of color want to delay repeal of Proposition 8. While other activists want to mount a repeal campaign as early as 2010, the Prepare to Prevail coalition has announced that it wants to hold off until 2012. We are still waiting word from Equality California on its plans for Proposition 8.

Personally, I'm torn. A 2010 campaign could capitalize on the newly energized movement, but it could also fall flat because of tight resources and a lack of time to organize. The communities represented by Prepare to Prevail also may well prove to be the key to victory. Ignoring their wishes could be a very bad idea.

Reports identify HRC as the roadblock to ending DADT

The LGBT blogosphere is in an uproar. Several sources are reporting that the stunning lack of action on the "don't ask, don't tell" military ban can be traced to a deal the Human Rights Campaign allegedly made with our allies in Congress.

As I understand these reports, the HRC "deal" sounds more like a political strategy then any kind of quid pro quo deal. The situation, as Jason Bellini reports on The Daily Beast, is that HRC asked key senators and House members to first tackle the supposedly easier-to-pass bills on hate crimes and employment non-discrimination before moving to repeal DADT.

This approach, if true, may be why the Obama Administration seems to be so uninterested in taking any action on DADT. The Administration, the theory goes, has been convinced by HRC that the LGBT community is OK with waiting.

Pam's House Blend reports HRC angrily denying the story.

"This story is not only an outright lie, it is recklessly irresponsible. HRC never made such a deal and continues to work with congress and the administration on a full range of equality issues including a swift end to the military's shameful ban on gay servicemembers."
-- Brad Luna, Spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign

I have no personal knowledge of what HRC may or may not have done. I have worked with HRC President Joe Solmonese and have always known him to be a honorable man. What Bellini and others report looks, on first glance, to be a classic political strategy, so it doesn't surprise me that HRC might do something like this.

If there is any truth to this, it is also a huge, honking mistake.

If anyone from HRC or any other LGBT leader has done this, they have provided Democrats with an excuse for inaction. This is particularly galling because Obama may be able to suspend enforcement of DADT with an executive order.

Full repeal requires an act of Congress, but a stop-loss order would end the on-going tragedy of DADT. Lt. Dan Choi and hundreds of others members of the service are being forced out of the military by an administration that claims to support them.

If this is true, HRC will have also destroyed its credibility with the LGBT community. Its leaders will have shown that they are completely out of touch with their base.



Mike Signorile interviews Solmonese and Aaron Belkin of the Palm Center.

Pam Spaulding comments and links.

Angie Zapata gets justice

It only took a Colorado jury two hours yesterday to convict Allen Andrade of murder, and to determine that his actions were a hate crime. Andrade beat Angie Zapata, an 18-year-old transgender woman, to death with his fists and a fire extinguisher. Andrade was sentenced to life without parole. This marks one of the first times hate crimes have been applied to a murder case involving a transgender citizen.

For the best coverage of the case, see Pam's House Blend and particularly the work of Autumn Sandeen, a transgender woman and Blender who traveled to Colorado to cover the trial in person.

Here's all of the Blend's Angie Zapata coverage.

Some have criticized the LGB blogosphere and LGB media for ignoring the case. Another blogger on how most LGB bloggers missed an opportunity.

Here at In This Moment, I can only raise my hand and plead guilty. I didn't give Angie Zapata the coverage she needed and deserved. Click on the links to the material by and about Sandeen. She did a marvelous job of raising the visibility of the case, and educating the mainstream media about transgender issues.

Queers, Blacks & more Proposition 8 postmortems

I found New York Times columnist Charles Blows' piece on Proposition 8 to be both interesting and unsettling. But I couldn't figure out why it worried me so much until Pam Spaulding came to the rescue. Among her many criticisms:

I think Blow makes another serious mistake with the first suggestion -- we cannot throw up our hands and cede a "religious beliefs" or bible-based excuse to those who don't support marriage equality. The Right and black religious conservatives don't own religion. There are black leaders of faith who do support equality, and they need to be front and center and supported by the LGBT community to do outreach.

However, she also praises Blow, making a point that I heartily endorse.

Blow's piece is full of flaws, but the premise that we haven't engaged or challenged wrong-headed beliefs of a community on terms it can relate to is correct.

Pam's entire post is worth reading. Thanks to Pam for quoting my most recent column, but I'm also sending her even greater thanks for writing about her own clearly written perspective on the issue and for highlighting Jim Toevs' words of wisdom.

Literally erasing gay lives

By Diane Silver

[1:28 p.m. update]

The Newark School District has apologized and said it will issue an uncensored version of the yearbook. See below for details.
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We know our history as gays and lesbians has been repeatedly erased, but this is almost too blatant to believe.

Newark East Side High School in New Jersey literally erased -- or in this case blacked out -- a kiss between Andre Jackson and his boyfriend in the school yearbook. Note that their kiss was on a page Jackson purchased for $150. The New York Times reports:

The thin, hardcover yearbook, titled “Take Another Look,” features many pictures of the Class of 2007, including several of heterosexual couples embracing and kissing. On the page immediately opposite Mr. Jackson’s, a young man and a young woman kiss on a couch, his hand on her leg as she sits on his lap.

Garden State Equality is fighting back. Pam's House Blend also has information and commentary.
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PHOTO: Above is the offending photo. I'm reprinting it precisely because it was censured.

Marriage equality in New York: Not this year, but progress is made

By Diane Silver

Here's yet another sign that fairness is on its way: A bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state of New York made major progress this year. The proposal easily passed the state Assembly on a bipartisan vote.

The state Legislature adjourns tomorrow, however. Bill opponent, Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, a Republican, has pledged to block the bill from coming up for a vote. In New York, the Assembly is controlled by Democrats and the state Senate is controlled by the GOP.

Polls show that attitudes on marriage equality in the state are split, although a huge majority favor civil unions.

One of the things that, I think, hinders us out here in Kansas is a lack of decent polling. I suspect that we may well have far more support than we think for basic fair rights for our families.

365gay.com has some fun stories about what happened during and after the Assembly vote. More details and continuing coverage can be found on The Agenda, Empire State Pride's blog.

Hat tip to Pam's House Blend.

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IMAGE: Saints Sergius and Bacchus, possibly an example of an early Christian same-sex marriage.

Massachusetts constitutional ban on same-sex marriage fails by 5 votes!

By Diane Silver

Oh yes!!!!! A joint session of the Massachusetts Legislature just defeated a proposal to put a ban on marriage equality into the state constitution. The vote was 45 to 151. It needed 50 votes to be sent to a statewide vote.

This means that the ban cannot appear on the 2008 ballot, and that the earliest such a ban could go before the voters is 2012.

This is amazing, wonderful, and above all, it shows fairness to the thousands of lesbian and gay families who need the protection of marriage.

I have two dear friends who live in Massachusetts. They wed the first week same-sex marriage was legal. Counting this year, these two wonderful women have been together for 22 years. I cannot conceive of a way that their marriage in any way does anything to hurt anyone. I can't see how allowing them the benefits of marriage does anything more than help society. I cannot imagine what it would have done to them to have the state strip them of their marriage.

Kudos to the Massachusetts lawmakers who voted "no" today. Kudos to all in that state who lobbied, marched and stood up for fairness.

Pam's House Blend has an open thread on the debate and vote.

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PHOTO: A small slice of a Boston Globe photo of a demonstration opposing the ban.