"The Kids Are All Right"

This mainstream summer movie, "The Kids Are All Right," starring Julianne Moore and Annette Bening makes a wonderful statement about marriage equality. I love the "double entendre" of the title, too--very clever.
The highly-rated film deals with a lesbian couple and their children, each conceived by the same sperm donor, and the drama unfolds when the oldest child reaches 18 and wants to find their father.
According the Julianne Moore, the movie is not making a political statement. "It's reality. We wouldn't have had a movie like this 20 years ago, but now my kids have friends in these kinds of families--it's not unusual to them. So it's just a movie about marriage."
Progress! Amen.

The feds had to step in to give gay Arizona state workers their benefits back

Arizona is such a humane place. What they take away on a state level has to be fought for on a federal level. Such is the case of state employee benefits for same-sex partners.
This week, U.S. District Judge John Sedwick granted a temporary injunction that will prevent Arizona from enacting a 2009 law that denies insurance benefits to domestic partners. These are state employees who have been granted benefits for years, but Gov. Jan Brewer, in her quest to balance the state budget, axed them. I hope Judge Sedwick--the voice of reason--can make this reversal permanent once again.
In a state where marriage equality is not approved, it was easy for her to budget crunch at the expense of gay and lesbian employees of the state.
It's tough to be gay or Mexican--or both--in Arizona. We can only hope that somewhere in this desert of discrimination, the voice in favor of marriage equality can be heard. It doesn't look like it will happen too soon pardner!

A breath of fresh air toward marriage equality

According to a recent nonpartisan poll, one in four Californians have become more supportive of gay rights over the last five years. The poll, conducted in English and Spanish was based on random phone interviews with more than 3,300 Californians over a two-week period last month.
The poll conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute, examined the attitudes of Californians toward marriage equality two years after the passage of Proposition 8, a state law banning same-sex marriage.
It appears that the winds of change and acceptance are blowing in the right direction in the coastal state--a breath of fresh air toward marriage equality.

Why can't everyone think this way

This is the woman who helped make Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. Talk about someone who understands the essence of marriage equality, the retiring Massachusetts Chief Justice Margaret Marshall stated, "Recognizing the right of an individual to marry a person of the same sex will not diminish the validity or dignity of opposite-sex marriage…If anything…that same-sex couples are willing to embrace marriage's solemn obligations of exclusivity, mutual support, and commitment to one another is a testament to the enduring place of marriage in our laws and in the human spirit."
A brilliant statement from a brilliant woman. Why can't everyone think this way?

"The new Evita" leads Argentina into approving marriage equality

With "the new Evita" President Cristina Fernandez leading Argentina out of the dark ages, same-sex marriage was approved by lawmakers after a 15-hour debate and a long and bitter battle with the country's Catholic hierarchy.
Fernandez is known as a strong supporter of marriage equality and accustomed to politics in Argentina. Her husband, Nestor Kirchner, is the former president and they have two children (which, of course, makes me think that as a mother she is more sensitive to this issue).
As to her fierce battles with the Catholic Church, she said their attitude "is reminiscent of the times of the Inquisition."
Argentina is as gay-friendly a destination as Rio and a place where lawmakers want to show the world how much Argentina has matured.
"Society has grown up. We aren't the same as we were before," said Sen. Daniel Filmus.
So with "the new Evita" at the helm, we can now cry tears of joy for Argentina.

Does parental pride help inspire gay activism?

At 15, Arizonan Caleb Laieski is already an established gay activist. In 2008, he and a friend founded Gays and Lesbians United Against Discrimination in reaction to the votes banning gay marriage in Arizona, California and Florida.
He knew discrimination. He dealt with it at his high school in Surprise, Arizona--west of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The school district should have tried to stop the anti-gay slurs and abuse, he said, but they did nothing. School district officials won't comment but say they have policies in place to prevent harassment.
"Everything I have gone through has inspired my activism," he said.
His pursuits have received a lot of notice and attention from human rights organizations. Many people are surprised at his youth because of his knowledge and accurate information on issues.
Here's the best part for me! When Laieski was recently invited to attend a Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner, his dad drove him there and stayed.
"There are so many profound things that have happened that it constantly impresses me," Michael Laieski said proudly!
Don't you think his father's acceptance and pride partly gave him the courage to step out there as a gay activist to fight against the ignorance of those who discriminate?
Never underestimate the importance of parental acceptance, openness and pride. I bet his mom feels the same way. Way to go Laieskis!!!

Marriage is being redefined--finally

According to today's New York Times editorial, a federal judge in Massachusetts finally stood up and said there was never a rational basis for the official definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman.
The editorial further agrees with Judge Joseph L. Tauro's outcome that to declare the definition unconstitutional is long overdue.
In an Associated Press article published yesterday regarding the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, Judge Tauro wrote: "Congress undertook this classification for the one purpose that lies entirely outside of legislative bounds, to disadvantage a group of which it disapproves. And such a classification the Constitution clearly will not permit."
Marriage equality seems to be heading in the right direction.

What happened to the "Aloha" state of mind?

So what's the deal? I always thought Hawaii was this laid back balmy vacation land where everything was groovy.
Then, what's with their governor, Linda Lingle? She vetoed the legislation that would allow same-sex couples the same rights and benefits that the state provides married couples, "ending months of speculation on how she would weigh in on the contentious, emotional debate."
Hawaii? That surprised me. But I didn't know anything about Linda Lingle, so I googled her. Not only is she the first female governor of Hawaii, she's the first Republican since 1962 and the first Jewish governor. She has been married and divorced twice and has no children.
From what I read, my take is that her "contentious and emotionless life" influenced her complete lack of empathy for the gay community. How did Hawaii, of all places, end up with her as governor?

So what if you're gay and Mexican in Arizona?

I can't take it. I wish Obama could wield his constitutional axe and get rid of SB1070.
So what if you're gay and Mexican? Does your life become a living hell in Arizona?
So what if you've worked here with a fake social security card for years and had all of those withholding taxes taken out of your check--and you know you can never file for an income tax return? Where is all that dinero? Nobody ever talks about that.
Two of the hardest working and most brilliant young women I know are Mexican and lesbian--illegal immigrants. Under different circumstances they might be CEO's. Here they are maids.
They are well educated. They have studied and learned to speak English. They work harder than anybody I know. They are happier and more positive than most people. They have learned how to stay under the Sheriff Joe Arpaio radar.
We used to have a lot more fun with them. We could ride in the same car, go to lunch, laugh and tell funny stories. Now we hardly ever see them anymore.
That's sad. Arizona has gone backward!

Arizona's a mixed-up melting pot of political goo

Unfortunately, not much is happening in our world of marriage equality pursuit. Is everyone on vacation? Are they too busy chasing Mexicans out of Arizona?
Many gay rights groups are boycotting Arizona because they feel that "SB 1070 essentially declares an entire class of people to be inherently criminal on the basis of their race and appearance."
The chairman of the the Greater Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chamber of commerce, voiced his concern because the boycott could hurt their own members.
The Human Rights Campaign feels that SB 1070 has the potential of discriminating against any type of group, including LGBT.
Worst case scenario: What is you were a transgender Mexican dressed as a female and were stopped by Sheriff Joe's crew because your brake light was out (supposedly)??? Ay dios mio!
National news is so busy with SB 1070, it has gone unnoticed that last year Gov. Jan Brewer stripped away earned health insurance benefits from same-sex domestic partners of state employees." What will Jan "brew up" next?
We don't even have state parks or rest stops open anymore (nothing to see and nowhere to pee). It's looking like the "Wild West" again. The guns are loaded with political darts shooting in all directions, and nobody benefits but the politicians.
And here we wait and wait for marriage equality. No doubt, Gov. Jan Brew-up will screw up that too!