Bowling for Obama

Obama went bowling during his first couple weeks in the White House. But you don't have to be president of the United States to enjoy the game. Just head on down to Elitch Lanes in Denver and bowl a few lines. It's fun, affordable, and a nice break from the stresses of the world--just ask the president.

Obama's got his eye on Colorado

First Salazar, now Boulder's mayor, Shaun McGrath--Obama has his eye on Colorado.

Focus on the Family foiled?

Will Focus on the Family's dire (for them)predictions of what will happen with an Obama White House come true? Paul Varnell says Dobson and crew don't have to be worried--for the nonce.

Civil Rights according to WhiteHouse.gov

There have already been some big changes to the official website of the White House, www.WhiteHouse.gov, now that Obama's in office.

Here's what it has to say about Civil Rights.

It's a start--and the first time that we've seen something like this on the White House Web site. While all are still not equal, as Obama incorrectly claimed in his inaugural speech, we can't deny that this is progress. We just have to stay tuned.

HRC celebrates MLK

One day before Barack Obama becomes the nation’s first African American president, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights group, released this statement in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Day.

“Dr. Martin Luther King believed in the dignity of all human beings and their inherent right to equal treatment under the law. He also believed in the capacity of society to evolve into a place where all have basic freedoms and receive respect based on their characters without fear of arbitrary prejudices,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Dr. King’s dream has not yet been fully actualized, but with the inauguration of Barack Obama, it is ever closer to becoming reality.”

“It is fitting that Dr. King’s co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Coalition, Rev. Joseph Lowery, is set to give the benediction at tomorrow’s swearing-in. Together, they helped build a movement that continues to inspire all who dedicate their lives to justice and fairness—whether for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community or for anyone across the world who faces oppression,” continued Solmonese.

Bishop John Selders, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a prominent member of HRC’s Religion Council, also released a statement today. HRC’s Religion Council, a coalition of thirteen national religious spokespeople committed to equal rights for all Americans, provide a voice on the critical issues affecting the LGBT community from marriage, to adoption, to reclaiming the inclusive foundations of religion.

“Today, we observe the birthday and the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a visionary, prophet and pastor who believed that justice for the least of us was worth the commitment of our whole lives. Every modern social justice movement, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement, owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. King and his cohorts. Their courage and commitment for justice is the model all of us now reference, a glimpse of the beloved community that Dr. King articulated,” said Bishop John Selders. “As we celebrate King's birthday on the eve of the inauguration of Barack Obama, the first African American to become president of the United States, we see manifested before our eyes the lines King made famous that ‘the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.’ As LGBT and allied communities of many colors, backgrounds, and means, we pledge today to do our part to bend the arc further until the beloved community is a reality for all of us.”

Join the Online March for LGBT Equality on Facebook

Equality Matters, an organization working for LGBT equality, launched “Online March for Equality” to coincide with the historic Inaugural activities for President-Elect Barack Obama, scheduled from January 17 to 24. Organizers are asking members of Facebook and other social media sites to change their profile pictures to one of several “badges” created by the group. The badges highlight the critical rights being denied LGBT Americans, including the ability to file joint taxes, make medical decisions for a spouse, sponsor a partner for immigration or receive government benefits such as Social Security.

“If the gay community is going to achieve equality, we need to find new ways to educate the American public and reach them where they spend their time. We felt the best way to achieve that was to take advantage of the web and sites like Facebook,” said Bruce Namerow, founder of Equality Matters.

Read more after the jump.


A March 2008 Witeck-Combs Communications/Harris Interactive poll showed that a majority (57%) of gay adult men online declare they are a member of a social networking web site, compared to 37 percent of heterosexual men. Also, two out of five (42 %) gay and lesbian adults have visited an online social community or network in the last month, compared with roughly a third (32%) of heterosexuals.

Since its launch just over one week ago, the Facebook event has attracted more than 150,000 invited guests with more than 46,000 registering their intent to “attend” this virtual event. The figures continue to grow rapidly and organizers are hopeful that participants will exceed 100,000 before the event begins on January 17.

The power of social networking sites such as Facebook demonstrate why this medium is an ideal way to educate a broader audience on issues such as marriage equality. A London study showed that most Facebook users have an average of 150 people, or “friends,” in their network, meaning that this campaign has the potentially to conservatively reach over 22 million people.

“The goal of the campaign is to ensure people have a dialogue about what rights and benefits LGBT individuals are denied by not being allowed to get married. Gay and straight individuals alike may be unaware that there are 1,138 federal laws in which marital status is a factor in determining or receiving benefits, rights and privileges,” Namerow said.

The idea was born after Namerow saw more than 100,000 protesters take to the streets on November 15 – just eleven days after voters in California, Arizona and Florida passed ballot initiatives outlawing same-sex marriage. The Internet and social media sites like Facebook are credited with helping quickly spread the word and making the protests possible.

“News reports said that a main reason Proposition 8 passed in California was that those who supported such a law were never educated about what was really at stake for same sex couples. If more Californians were made aware of the rights and benefits denied same sex couples that are unable to marry, my guess is that there would have been a different outcome in that election,” added Namerow.

While the Facebook event page is the center of the group’s efforts, organizers have also launched a website at www.equalitymatters.org that is intended to educate visitors about the issue. It includes a detailed list of 1,138 rights and responsibilities that are denied gay and lesbian couples by federal law. The number 1,138 comes from a government report issued by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) in 2004 and available for download at the site.

To join the protest and get involved, visit www.equalitymatters.org and follow the four simple steps.



Obama's official inauguration poster

Here's your first look at the Official Obama Inauguration Poster.

To celebrate this historic inauguration, graphic artist Shepard Fairey has created another unforgettable poster.

Make a donation of $20 or more to get your limited edition inauguration poster.

Or, make any donation of $35 or more and receive two posters -- one to keep and one for a friend.

Openly gay priest to deliver inaugural invocation

Pro-gay priests at the inauguration, anti-gay priests at the inauguration.

I guess now Obama's got all his bases covered.

Hasn't anybody heard of a little thing called separation of church and state?

This is really starting to bug me.

Below is what HRC has to say about some gay priest invited to give an 'invocation' (whatever that is)at the inauguration.

The Right Rev. V. Gene Robinson, bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church in the diocese of New Hampshire has accepted an invitation from President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural committee to deliver the invocation at a concert held at the Lincoln Memorial. The concert, which will be held on Sunday, January 18th, is the first inaugural event the president-elect will attend. Bishop Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be ordained bishop by a major Christian denomination, is a member of the Human Rights Campaign Religion Council.

“Bishop Robinson models what prayer should be—spiritual reflection put into action for justice,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “It is encouraging that the president-elect has chosen this spiritual hero for all Americans to lead the nation in prayer at the Lincoln Memorial inaugural concert.”

Bishop Robinson is the co-author of three AIDS education curricula for youth and adults and has done extensive work on AIDS in the United States and in Africa. He helped build the Diocese of New Hampshire's close working partnership with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, advocated for debt relief for the world's most impoverished nations, and lobbied for socially responsible investment within and beyond the Church. He currently serves on the Board of the New Hampshire Endowment for Health, which works for access to health care for the uninsured. He also serves as a Trustee of the Church Pension Fund.

Obama's inauguration will be the gayest ever ...

... even with Rick Warren, thanks to the Centaur Motorcycle Club and the 25th annual Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend.

And if you want some gay motorcycle fun right here in Colorado check out the Rocky Mountaineers.




Having celebrated their 40th Anniversary in 2008, the Rocky Mountaineers are Colorado's oldest gay organization.

Dig this pic from 1981.

How cool is that?

They throw an awesome event, The Golden Fleece Run, every year and I'm hoping this 2009 will finally be the year I'm gonna be able to go and check it out.

We like Frank Rich

Former theatre critic and current New York Times columnist Frank Rich is one straight guy we really like. The fact that he criticizes Focus on the Family is reason enough for me, but his consistent support of the gay community seals the deal. Check out his memoir, Ghost Light, to find out how he became obsessed with Broadway as a child. And read his opinion on Obama's selection of Rick Warren here.

Obama names openly lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin as Inaugural co-chair

Does this make up for Rick Warren? Or is it just tokenism?

Today, the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee announced the honorary co-chairs for the Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden.

In keeping with the President-elect's commitment to an inclusive and bipartisan Inauguration, the list of honorary co-chairs includes members of the President-elect and Vice President-elect's immediate families as well as prominent Americans from both sides of the aisle who have dedicated their lives to selfless service to their fellow citizens.

"Vice President-elect Biden and I are grateful to these distinguished men and women for agreeing to serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the Inauguration," said President-elect Obama. "From family members to former Presidents, each of these leaders has an unwavering commitment to bipartisan cooperation and a proud record of service to their community and our country. They exemplify the spirit of unity and shared purpose this Inauguration will reflect."

The Honorary Co-Chairs for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration are:

President Jimmy Carter

President George H. W. Bush

President William J. Clinton

Mayor Adrian Fenty

Senator Dick Durbin

Senator Dick Lugar

Senator Claire McCaskill

Representative Tammy Baldwin

Representative Artur Davis

Representative Ray Lahood

Representative Linda Sánchez

General Colin Powell

Hunter and Kathleen Biden

Craig Robinson

Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng

Is Obama just a rational-sounding bigot when it comes to gay rights?

Time magazine columnist John Cloud seems to think so

I'm not so sure.

* via The Huffington Post

Anderson Cooper moderates debate over Obama's anti-gay inaugural pastor

- via OMGblog.com

Personally, it makes me pretty angry.

First of all, I think a religious ceremony at the inauguration is completely inappropriate because of a little thing called separation of church and state. One of the reasons for the existence of the separation of church and state is just so the personal religious convictions of people in power doesn't serve to disenfranchise other Americans who might have different religious convictions or even none at all.

Second, I think Obama's defense of this guy is a pretty big f**k you to the GLBT community. But I guess it's not surprising, he's got a history of being in bed with these kinds of anti-gay religious figures.

HRC's letter to Obama

Dear President-elect Obama -

Let me get right to the point. Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans. Our loss in California over the passage of Proposition 8 which stripped loving, committed same-sex couples of their given legal right to marry is the greatest loss our community has faced in 40 years. And by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table.

Rick Warren has not sat on the sidelines in the fight for basic equality and fairness. In fact, Rev. Warren spoke out vocally in support of Prop 8 in California saying, “there is no need to change the universal, historical definition of marriage to appease 2 percent of our population ... This is not a political issue -- it is a moral issue that God has spoken clearly about." Furthermore, he continues to misrepresent marriage equality as silencing his religious views. This was a lie during the battle over Proposition 8, and it's a lie today.

Rev. Warren cannot name a single theological issue that he and vehemently, anti-gay theologian James Dobson disagree on. Rev. Warren is not a moderate pastor who is trying to bring all sides together. Instead, Rev. Warren has often played the role of general in the cultural war waged against LGBT Americans, many of whom also share a strong tradition of religion and faith.

We have been moved by your calls to religious leaders to own up to the homophobia and racism that has stood in the way of combating HIV and AIDS in this country. And that you have publicly called on religious leaders to open their hearts to their LGBT family members, neighbors and friends.

But in this case, we feel a deep level of disrespect when one of architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination. Only when Rev. Warren and others support basic legislative protections for LGBT Americans can we believe their claim that they are not four-square against our rights and dignity. In that light, we urge you to reconsider this announcement.

Sincerely,

Joe Solmonese
President
Human Rights Campaign

A message from the Presidential Inaugural Committee

Today, in keeping with its commitment to hold inaugural events that celebrate our common values and reflects the diversity and history of our great nation, President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden's Inaugural Committee officially extended an offer to the Lesbian and Gay Band Association to march in the 56th Inaugural Parade. Members of that group will join representatives from across the country and our Armed Forces in the historic parade down Pennsylvania Avenue following President-elect Obama's swearing-in ceremony on the steps of the Capitol.

This marks the first time that an openly LGBT group has been invited to participate in an Inaugural Parade.

"I am honored to invite these talented groups and individuals to participate in the Inaugural Parade," said President-elect Obama. "These organizations embody the best of our nation's history, diversity and commitment to service. Vice President-elect Biden and I are proud to have them join us in the parade."

Organizations wishing to participate in the parade submitted an application to the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee (AFIC), which then assisted the Presidential Inaugural Committee in reviewing all of the groups' applications. All told, 1,382 organizations applied to participate, setting a new standard for interest in marching in the parade.

The Lesbian and Gay Band Association is a musical organization comprised of concert and marching bands from cities across America that provides a network of lesbian and gay bands.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee was assisted in its selection process by a group of experienced military musicians, who utilized their expertise to help assess the presentation skills of marching bands, musical acts and drill teams.

All participants in the Inaugural Parade are responsible for paying for their own lodging and transportation to and from Washington, D.C. The Committee has been working closely with area governments and civic organizations to facilitate access to affordable accommodations and would like to encourage citizens from across the country to reach out and help the Lesbian and Gay Band Association raise the necessary resources to participate in this historic event.

If you are interested in finding out more about supporting the Lesbian and Gay Band Association and their participation in the 56th Inaugural Parade, please visit www.gaybands.org.

What will Obama's policy on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' be?

The head of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network explains how Don't Ask, Don't Tell will disappear under Obama.

Now if we can only get the war in Iraq to do the same.

A lesbian in Obama's cabinet?

Mary Beth Maxwell, a lesbian mother, is being considered for Obama's cabinet and will make history as the first openly gay presidential cabinet member if she is chosen.

With Colorado's own Jared Polis as the first openly gay freshman congressman, we're making a lot of history right now.

Don't give up, and, as Harvey Milk said, never blend in.

Obama-Biden on HIV/AIDS

On a conference call with reporters on Thursday, leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS discussed how an Obama-Biden administration would provide real leadership to combat the epidemic and particularly its disproportionate impact on LGBT and African Americans. While there are many public health issues facing America, Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden will finally provide the kind of leadership on HIV/AIDS prevention, research and treatment that all Americans deserve.

“I’m really proud to support Senators Obama and Biden because they have done more than give lip service to AIDS prevention, they have worked hard to be leaders on both international and domestic AIDS prevention,” said Congresswoman Diana DeGette, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. “With the Ryan White CARE Act up for reauthorization next year and the potential to pass the Early Treatment of HIV Act, we need an administration that will work hand-in-hand with Congress to make this happen.”

More after the jump.


In contrast, “Senator McCain has shown no interest in supporting these programs, and more importantly, over the last eight years we have lost so much of the progress we made during the Clinton administration,” according to Sandra Thurman, former Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to expanding funding for research, especially for prevention options including vaccines and microbicides. Senator Obama led a bipartisan effort with Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to introduce the Microbicide Development Act, which would accelerate the development of topical applicants that prevent transmission of HIV and other infections, empowering women in the battle against the disease.

In contrast, “Senator McCain has shown no interest in supporting these programs, and more importantly, over the last eight years we have lost so much of the progress we made during the Clinton administration”, said Sandra Thurman, former Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

After eight years of little progress, the stakes for reform could not be higher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2006 more than one million Americans were infected with HIV/AIDS. In the African American community, more than 50 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases in the United States are African American males. Additionally, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses, and in 2005, men who have sex with men accounted for 71 percent of all HIV infections.

While John McCain continues to be silent about the growing number of domestic HIV/AIDS cases, Barack Obama has pledged to institute a National AIDS Strategy within his first year in office.

“Having a National AIDS Strategy, the likes of which we have never had in the history of this epidemic, will help transform the public and patient perceptions about HIV/AIDS,” said Thurman.

Jesse Milan, Jr., who has lived with AIDS for twenty-six years, applauded Senator Obama for his commitment to breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. Milan, the Chair of the Black AIDS Institute and Vice President and Director of Community Health Systems at the Altarum Institute, applauded Obama for inspiring many HIV/AIDS patients to live their life and not be crippled by their disease.

Milan said, “I’m so proud of Senator and Mrs. Obama for their leadership with regard to the LGBT community; the stigma of homophobia is not something that is crippling them, instead they are inspiring those of us who have been living with this disease.”






Denver Post endorses Obama

The Denver Post has endorsed Barack Obama for president saying he "is better equipped to lead America ..." - via Denver Post

Obama ahead in Colorado

Sen. Barack Obama leads Sen. John McCain by a nine-point margin in Colorado and also wins in three other battleground states, according to a new poll of likely voters. - via Denver Post