Two openly gay candidates for Supreme Court?

News that President Barack Obama may be considering two openly gay law professors -- Kathleen Sullivan(l) and Pam Karlan(r) -- for a slot on the Supreme Court. Awesome!

Will Obama follow through on gay campaign pledges?

Although there are high expectations in the LGBT community for President Barack Obama to make good on pledges to end the military ban and enact hate-crimes protections, as well as to possibly name an out Supreme Court justice and even amend his views on marriage, the nation's chief executive is seen as more likely to take a measured approach to policy changes. "I think he has a genuine sense that in order to move these issues forward you need broader buy-in than you are going to get if you poke a stick in too many people's eyes," said Tobias Wolff, a law professor at the University Pennsylvania who advised the Obama campaign on LGBT issues.

President Obama urges the passage of Hate Crimes Prevention Act

The White House issued the following statement from President Obama yesterday regarding H.R. 1913:

"This week, the House of Representatives is expected to consider H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. I urge members on both sides of the aisle to act on this important civil rights issue by passing this legislation to protect all of our citizens from violent acts of intolerance – legislation that will enhance civil rights protections, while also protecting our freedom of speech and association. I also urge the Senate to work with my Administration to finalize this bill and to take swift action."

Obama names Global AIDS Coordinator, other administration posts

Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals for key administration posts: Eric Goosby, Ambassador at Large and Global AIDS Coordinator, Department of State; and Paul N. Stockton, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs), Department of Defense.

President Obama said, “The American people will be well-served by the addition of these skilled and dedicated individuals. They will be valued voices in my administration, and I’m confident they will work to the greatest of their ability as we work to tackle the challenges ahead of us and keep the American people safe. I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”


More after the jump.

President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals today:

Eric Goosby, Nominee for Ambassador at Large and Global AIDS Coordinator, Department of State

Eric Goosby, MD, has been CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation since 2001. He is also Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Goosby has played a key role in the development and/or implementation of HIV/AIDS national treatment scale-up plans in South Africa, Rwanda, China, and Ukraine. He focuses his expertise on the scale-up of sustainable HIV/AIDS treatment capacity, including the delivery of HIV antiretroviral drugs, within existing healthcare systems. Dr. Goosby has extensive international experience in the development of treatment guidelines for use of antiretroviral therapies, clinical mentoring and training of health professionals, and the design and implementation of local models of care for HIV/AIDS. He has worked closely with international partners on the development of successful HIV/AIDS treatment and treatment-based prevention strategies for high-risk populations. Dr. Goosby has over 25 years of experience with HIV/AIDS. His experience ranges from his early years treating patients at San Francisco General Hospital when AIDS first emerged to engagement at the highest level of policy leadership. In his role at HHS as the first director of the Ryan White Care Act, Dr. Goosby helped develop HIV/AIDS delivery systems in the United States. During the Clinton Administration he served as deputy director of the White House National AIDS Policy Office and director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy of the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Goosby has longstanding working relationships with leading multilateral organizations including UNAIDS, the Global Fund and the World Health Organization.



Paul N. Stockton, Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense (Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs), Department of Defense

Mr. Stockton is a senior research scholar at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation. He was formerly the associate provost at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and was the founding director of its Center for Homeland Defense and Security. His research focuses on how U.S. security institutions respond to changes in the threat (including the rise of terrorism), and the interaction of Congress and the Executive branch in restructuring national security budgets, policies and institutional arrangements. From 2000-2001, he founded and served as the acting dean of NPS' School of International Graduate Studies. From 1995 until 2000, he served as director of NPS' Center for Civil-Military Relations. From 1986-1989 Stockton served as legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Stockton received a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in 1976 and a doctorate in government from Harvard University in 1986.




Michael Steele accuses Obama administration of planning to "rig the Census"

In an official statement today from Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, he says that "it seems the Obama Administration has plans to rig the Census results," because the group ACORN has been chosen to partner with the Census Bureau to help determine population counts.

Accusing the Obama administration of rigging the Census? That really seems beyond the pale, doesn't it?

Michael Steele's had a history of gaffes in his short tenure as RNC chairman but this is just really out there.

Obama launches Act Against AIDS campaign

Every nine-and-a-half minutes another person in America becomes infected with HIV. Officials from the White House, Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today a new five-year national communication campaign, Act Against AIDS, which highlights this alarming statistic and aims to combat complacency about the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States.

According to CDC data released last year, about 56,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV each year -- significantly more than was previously known -- and more than 14,000 people with AIDS die each year in the United States.

“Act Against AIDS seeks to put the HIV crisis back on the national radar screen,” said Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. “Our goal is to remind Americans that HIV/AIDS continues to pose a serious health threat in the United States and encourage them to get the facts they need to take action for themselves and their communities.”

The campaign will feature public service announcements (PSAs) and online communications, as well as targeted messages and outreach to the populations most severely affected by HIV/AIDS, beginning with African-Americans, with subsequent phases focusing on Latinos and other communities disproportionately impacted.

To help achieve widespread use of the campaign messages within African-American communities, the Obama Administration also announced today the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI), a partnership with 14 of the nation’s leading African-American civic organizations to integrate HIV prevention into each organization’s outreach programs.

To promote broad use of the campaign messages, CDC is also collaborating with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation to focus on outreach and technical assistance to the media and the entertainment industry.

The Act Against AIDS campaign will be supported by a CDC budget of roughly $45 million over the next five years, as well as the efforts of community, media, and public health partners across the country to promote and utilize campaign materials and messages.

Breaking News: White House to Announce New National HIV/AIDS Communication Campaign

White House officials will team up with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to announce a new national communication campaign on HIV/AIDS today at 1 p.m.

This marks the first federally funded national domestic HIV/AIDS campaign in almost twenty years.

The Obama Administration will join with leading civil rights and HIV/AIDS groups and officials from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation to announce the first phase of the $45 million campaign.

Which gay issue should Obama deal with first?

Check out the results of this recent SmartBrief Poll about which LGBT issues Obama should tackle first.

Do you agree?

Disagree?

Obama adds another one of us to staff

The Washington Blade reports that Obama has named lesbian Elaine Kaplan as OPM counsel - whatever that is - and she'll be working under yet another gay fella, John Berry. I've lost count at this point but surely Obama's got to have more GLBT appointees than any other presidential administration in history, no?

Obama to sign UN declaration for gay rights

He may be getting heat for some of his decisions on the financial crisis, but at least Obama's moving us into the 21st century with regard to some human rights for gays.

Obama comments on AIG bonuses at small business meeting

President Obama had a meeting with small business owners, community lenders and members of Congress today and had some comments about the outragous bonuses being paid to top AIG executives - after they received taxpayer bailout money to the tune of $170 million. Here's what he had to say:

"Now before I talk about the new steps we're taking to get credit flowing to small businesses across our country, I do want to comment on the news about executive bonuses at AIG. I think some of you have heard a little bit about this over the last few days. This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed. Under these circumstances, it's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay. I mean, how do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?



In the last six months, AIG has received substantial sums from the U.S. Treasury. And I've asked Secretary Geithner to use that leverage and pursue every single legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayers whole. (Applause.) I want everybody to be clear that Secretary Geithner has been on the case. He's working to resolve this matter with the new CEO, Edward Liddy -- who, by the way, everybody needs to understand came on board after the contracts that led to these bonuses were agreed to last year.



But I think Mr. Liddy and certainly everybody involved needs to understand this is not just a matter of dollars and cents. It's about our fundamental values. All across the country, there are people who are working hard and meeting their responsibilities every day, without the benefit of government bailouts or multi-million dollar bonuses. You've got a bunch of small business people here who are struggling just to keep their credit line open -- that they are foregoing pay, as one of our entrepreneurs talked about, they are in some cases mortgaging their homes, and doing a whole host of things just in order to keep things afloat. All they ask is that everyone, from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, play by the same rules. And that is an ethic that we have to demand.



And what this situation also underscores is the need for overall financial regulatory reform, so we don't find ourselves in this position again, and for some form of resolution mechanism in dealing with troubled financial institutions, so that we've got greater authority to protect American taxpayers and our financial system in cases such as this."

Diana DeGette's Facebook note about stem cell research reversal

Here's what Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO, awesome) had to say on Facebook yesterday about Obama's stem cell research reversal:

"I am excited that President Obama will reverse the restrictions on stem cell research today by an Executive Order, and am pleased I will be at the White House to witness the event."

Obama names Director of AIDS Policy

President Barack Obama today announced the appointment of one of the nation’s leading public health policy experts as the Director of Office of National AIDS Policy. Jeffrey S. Crowley, MPH, Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute will coordinate the federal government’s efforts on HIV/AIDS policy and will help guide the administration’s development of disability policies.

“Jeffrey Crowley brings the experience and expertise that will help our nation address the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis and help my administration develop policies that will serve Americans with disabilities,” said President Obama. “In both of these key areas, we continue to face serious challenges and we must take bold steps to meet them. I look forward to Jeffrey’s leadership on these critical issues.”

The Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) is the White House Office tasked with coordinating the continuing efforts of the government to reduce the number of HIV infections across the United States. The office emphasizes prevention through wide-ranging education initiatives and also helps to coordinate the care and treatment of citizens with HIV/AIDS. The President has made a strong commitment to developing a national AIDS strategy, which will be a top priority for the Office of National AIDS Policy. In addition, ONAP coordinates with international bodies to ensure that the fight against HIV/AIDS is fully integrated around the world. The ONAP is part of the Executive Office of the President’s Domestic Policy Council.

Check out his bio after the jump.


Jeffrey S. Crowley’s Bio:

Jeffrey S. Crowley, M.P.H., is a Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute and a Senior Scholar at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center. In these roles, he is recognized and respected for his capacity to integrate public health research with political strategy to achieve policy changes. He has authored numerous reports and policy briefs, and has testified before various Congressional Committees and the Institute of Medicine on several occasions. His primary areas of expertise are Medicaid policy, including Medicaid prescription drug policies; Medicare policy; and consumer education and training.

Crowley previously served as the Deputy Executive Director for Programs at the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA). While at NAPWA, he helped implement several key initiatives including The National HIV Testing Day Campaign and the Ryan White National Youth Conference.

Crowley has spent the last fourteen years working to improve access to health and social services for people living with HIV/AIDS, people with physical and mental disabilities, low-income individuals, and other vulnerable populations. His writings have been printed in numerous publications and journals.

Crowley received his Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, and his Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Kalamazoo College. He is also an alumnus of the United States Peace Corps, where he served as a Volunteer/High School Science Teacher at the Nsongweni High School in Swaziland.



Colorado next to last for stimulus aid

Good news and bad news.

The good news is that Colorado isn't as bad off economically as a lot of other states.

The bad news is that it means that we're second-to-last in the country in terms of how much aid we'll receive from Obama's stimulus package.

But I wonder why Obama came to Colorado to sign a stimulus bill that puts us 49th out of 50 states as far as aid we will receive?

Why didn't he go to the very bottom--Utah--to sign it?

I guess Utah doesn't need the money because they have all those rich Mormons there who are able to spend millions of dollars fighting same-sex marriage in other states.

What can gay marriage activists learn from Obama?

The SFGate reports that gay marriage activists in California are 'Obamafying' their tactics by pairing new media approaches with tried-and-true methods like door-to-door outreach.

Will it work?

Only time will tell.

And I love that line from the No On Prop. 8 campaign about how Equality shouldn't be a matter of popular vote.

Imagine how scared some folks would be if they thought their rights and standing as citizens could be given or taken away at the drop of a ballot.

Obama's back in Denver today - here's what everyday Coloradans want him to know

On the occasion of President Obama's return to Denver (first time since the DNC), the Denver Post has put together a feature where everyday Coloradans with everyday concerns speak out to let Obama know what's on their minds.

Check it out here.

I'm in there talking about gay marriage and HB1260 and whatnot.

MileHighGayGuy speaks out on Obama to the Denver Post

Just got off the phone with a nice young fella named Douglas Brown from The Denver Post.

We had a good talk about Obama and the gay community.

Check out tomorrow's Denver Post to see what I had to say.

Obama's back!

Obama's coming to Denver to sign the economic stimulus bill. Am I the only one who thinks that they should just give that money to the American people instead of to banks and corporations that have already proven selfish and untrustworthy? What's the worst that could happen? We might pay off our mortgages or our credit cards, or we might actually go buy something. Now that would stimulate the economy.

Fired for being gay under Bush. Rehired by Obama.

I might not like everything going on under the Obama administration, but stories like this are proving that there are going to be change the GLBT community can believe in.

Obama appoints a gaggle of gays

Maybe Rick Warren was just a terrible mistake. Obama is loading his upper echelon with gay men and lesbians. Well, loading might be overstating the case a bit, but he's appointing quite a few. The Blade talks about his latest here, and you can go to the Victory Fund Web site here to see all his G & L appointments.