Good News: Medals for Harvey Milk & Billie Jean King & progress on another pro-LGBT bill

The Obama Administration announced today that Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King will become the first out gay and lesbian to receive the Medal of Freedom. This is good news indeed, and they are certainly in good company.

In other good news, a House subcommittee passed the second pro-LGBT bill to start the long slog through Congress. This is The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act introduced by the only out lesbian in Congress, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin. The bill would extend benefits to same-sex domestic partners of federal civilian employees on the same basis as heterosexual spouses receive benefits.

HRC reports that there were a few tussles in the subcommittee, but that the bill was reported out successfully. Next it goes to the full House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

The first bill to move through Congress was the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act. Versions of the hate crimes bill have passed both the House and Senate, but its final fate won't be resolved until September.

Both of today's events are cheerful news. But we need to keep our eyes on our real goal. Medals aren't a substitute for equality. Benefits for partners of one class of workers aren't benefits and protections for all families.

One more thought on Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin & DADT

Following upon my previous post...

I admire both Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin. They do an amazing job, but there is something about their comments to Roll Call that bother me. Their comments also ring warning bells about our lobbyists in DC like the Human Rights Campaign and for other national organizations like SLDN.

Frank says they can't bring up a repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" because:

“We haven’t done the preliminary work, the preparatory work. It would be a mistake to bring it up without a lot of lobbying and a lot of conversation.”

Baldwin says:

“We don’t even know the votes in committee, let alone the votes on the floor.

Um, why not? Yes, I know we're in the middle of an economic crisis, and I'm willing to give Frank a pass, given that his chairmanship puts him at the center of every issue involving financial institutions. But why hasn't anyone else done this work? You don't have to be a member of Congress to count votes. You don't have to be a member of Congress to lobby. Where IS everybody?

Barney Frank & Tammy Baldwin say "don't ask, don't tell" stands for at least another year

Roll Call: Two of the three openly gay members of Congress -- Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin -- now say they don't expect to even attempt to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" until 2010. The newspaper quotes Baldwin:

“We don’t even know the votes in committee, let alone the votes on the floor."

Meanwhile, SLDN is mounting a renewed push to overturn the ban.

More from TPM.

Out-Lesbian Tammy Baldwin named inaugural co-chair

Interesting. Madison, Wisconsin's own Tammy Baldwin has made the list as an honorary co-chair of Barack Obama's inauguration. I'm not certain what an "honorary co-chair" does. I suspect it involves standing around and looking, ah, honorable, but I do appreciate the symbolic bone tossed to LGBT Americans.

Since I was feeling so emotional and wounded about the Rick Warren thing, I do have to say that this does take some of the sting out of the Warren slap in the face. Other folks, however, remain angry. See the comments at Pam's place.