Tammy Baldwin raised $1.1 million in Q4 for Senate bid

Tammy Baldwin, Homophiliac!

Rep. Tammy Baldwin's bid for the U.S. Senate has attracted more than 16,000 donors in just a few months, an indication her campaign is building strong grass-roots support, according to this article. 

Baldwin is the presumptive Democratic nominee in the open-seat race to replace Democratic Wisconsin Sen. Herb Kohl. Numerous Republican candidates will battle for the chance to face her in the general election.

Discharged troops should have benefits, says Jared Polis, other out lawmakers

Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Jared Polis, D-Colo., and David Cicilline, D-R.I., each of whom is openly gay, are signing on to a letter by Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., urging military leaders to reinstate the benefits of troops who were discharged under "don't ask, don't tell." 

"While we cannot completely undo the injustice that has been done to gay and lesbian service members, we can at least diminish the harm they suffered by preserving the benefits they earned," said Frank in a release.

Victory Fund releases video salute to women in gay politics

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund celebrated Women's History Month with a video honoring the roles women have played in LGBT electoral politics. U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Victory Fund Deputy Executive Director Robin Brand make appearances. - via Advocate.com

U.S. Reps Baldwin and Polis on ENDA

Out U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in an interview with Bilerico Project's Bill Browning taped during last week's International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference in San Francisco, discusses the timetable and strategy for passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Browning was also able to sit down with Colorado's own openly Rep. Jared Polis to discuss ENDA and other pending LGBT bills.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin speaks out about LGBT-inclusive health care

The topic of health care is a big, divisive one right now but openly gay Representative Tammy Baldwin wants to make sure that any health care reform that happens addresses the needs of gay Americans.

Yay, Tammy!

Legislation introduced to repeal DOMA

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, hailed today the introduction of the Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) which would repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and restore the rights of all lawfully married couples—including same-sex couples to receive the benefits of marriage under federal law. The bill also provides same-sex couples with certainty that federal benefits and protections would flow from a valid marriage celebrated in a state where such marriages are legal, even if a couple moves or travels to another state. The lead sponsors of the measure include Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO).

“The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a hurtful and cynical law enacted to discriminate against loving, committed same-sex couples,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese, who also offered remarks at the introduction press conference. “It does real harm by denying thousands of lawfully-married same-sex couples the federal rights and benefits that only flow through marriage. Many of these include the protections couples turn to in times of need, like Social Security survivors’ benefits, medical leave to care for an ailing spouse and equal treatment under U.S. immigration laws. Today’s introduction of legislation to repeal DOMA is a welcome step, and as more states recognize the commitment of loving same-sex couples and their families, it's time for this law to go into the history books where it belongs.”

Earlier this month, HRC launched a national action alert, an interactive website, RepealDOMAnow.org, and delivered to Congress nearly 50,000 survey responses showing the concrete harms DOMA brings to the lives of LGBT Americans and their families. The survey was commissioned in August by the Human Rights Campaign and asked a series of questions on DOMA repeal. The results of the survey showed 70 percent of respondents consider the repeal of DOMA a “top priority.”

Through DOMA, which was signed into law 13 years ago, on September 21, 1996, the federal government singles out legally married same-sex couples for discriminatory treatment under federal law, selectively denying them more than 1,100 federal protections and responsibilities – including Social Security and immigration benefits – that otherwise apply to married couples. This policy is discriminatory and harmful to families, preventing the government from honoring its legal commitments and the needs of families, even though these couples have assumed the obligations of civil marriage under state law and contribute as citizens and taxpayers.

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