Author: Randy Slovacek

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General Mills supports equal rights for gays in the workplace

You may not know that every ten seconds an American places a General Mills product in his or her bag.

You also may not know General Mills has been an amazing partner in the goal of full LGBT workplace equality for years.

Yesterday, the three-time 100 percent rated company on HRC’s CEI sat on a panel of four witnesses to testify before the Senate HELP Committee on the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). This is what true leaders look like.

Ken Charles, Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion, represented General Mills at Tuesday’s hearing, and spoke eloquently about how diversity and inclusion drive success at a company that has been in business for over 150 years.

Employing 35,000 workers worldwide, Charles noted that if employees cannot bring their full selves to work, and if employees live in fear of being treated differently simply based on who they are, it comes at a cost to the company.

General Mills has had a non-discrimination policy inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity for years, sending a strong message that their LGBT employees are respected, valued, challenged, and rewarded for their contributions and performances. As a result, General Mills employees are productive and engaged.

Via HRC

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Penn State Officials thought it more “humane” not to report Sandusky

Pennsylvania’s attorney general is now suggesting that former Penn State vice president Gary Schultz kept a file on former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, and that in emails between him and former Penn State president Graham Spanier suggest that university officials thought it would be more “humane” not to report Sandusky than to report him.

I’m not sure what that means, to be honest. Can they possible have been under the impression that embarrassing an older man because he molested a young boy would be “worse” than exposing a possible predator?

I’m looking forward to seeing the full context of the emails described in the news report.

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Maryland: President Obama urges support of marriage equality

At a campaign fundraiser, last night in Baltimore, President Obama urged Maryland voters to uphold the marriage equality law passed there earlier this year, the Washington Blade reports:

“We’re moving forward to a country where we treat everybody fairly and everybody equally, with dignity and respect,” he said during a campaign fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore. “And here in Maryland, thanks to the leadership of committed citizens and Gov. O’Malley, you have a chance to reaffirm that principle in the voting booth in November. It’s the right thing to do.”

Obama’s comments come less than a month after the Maryland Marriage Alliance submitted 113,000 signatures – more than double the 55,736 signatures they needed to collect by the end of the month to put the same-sex marriage law on the ballot. An unofficial count posted to the Maryland State Board of Elections’ website on Tuesday shows that officials have validated 109,317 of the 113,000 signatures.

A poll released shortly after Obama’s endorsement of marriage equality in late May showed that his words had an impact, Dominion of New York reported:

A poll released yesterday shows that Maryland’s support for gay marriage has increased 12 percent since Obama’s endorsement, with most of the shift coming from African-American voters who have flipped their stance on the issue. Fifty-five percent of Maryland blacks now support gay marriage and would vote against such an amendment and 36 percent oppose it, according to the poll. It’s likely Obama’s endorsement affected them. Before it, 56 percent of blacks opposed gay marriage and 39 percent supported it.

Via Towleroad

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Nevada elects first gay woman to state legislature

Nevada Stonewall Democrats are reporting that Patricia Spearman made history as the first ever openly Gay woman to be elected to the Nevada State Legislature. Pastor Pat is also the second African American woman elected to serve in the Nevada State Legislature. She is the current Stonewall Democrats of Southern Nevada Vice-Chairwoman.

Her victory in the Democratic primary means that she will serve representing Senate District 1 as there was no Republican entrant in the heavily Democratic district. Pastor Pat scored a landslide victory with votes from Nevadans who were just plain fed up with the Anti-Equality, Anti-Choice, Anti-Environment Senator John Lee.

More info here.

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George Zimmerman’s wife charged with perjury

George Zimmerman’s wife was arrested today and charged with perjury for collaborating with her husband to shield the couple’s finances from the court.

According to an affidavit, Shellie Zimmerman transferred more than $74,000 to her personal account days before the bond hearing. Taped phone calls between the couple revealed that they had discussed the money transfers in code to hide the funds, according to the affidavit. The calls also showed that George Zimmerman instructed his wife to “pay off all the bills,” including payments to American Express and Sam’s Club. Nearly $50,000 was transferred to an account held by Zimmerman’s sister.

Mrs. Zimmerman was released after posting bail.

Via JoeMyGod

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Tony Perkins, of the Family Research Council, equates being gay to adultery and alcoholism

The president of the Family Research Council slammed the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community once again, condemning Pride month while equating LGBT people with adulterers and alcoholics.

As Right Wing Watch reports, Tony Perkins filled in on the American Family Association’s radio network last week, and responded to one caller’s accusation that right-wing pundits were ignoring societal ills to instead focus primarily on promoting misconceptions about the LGBT community.

“The month of June is Gay Pride Month,” Perkins declares. He went on to note, “Now, I have not yet seen where they have declared Adultery Pride Month, I have not seen where they have declared the Drunkenness Pride Month,” before adding that “we’re not celebrating those other forms as a society, we’re not promoting [them] and teaching [them] as normal in our schools.”

Read more at the Huffington Post

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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers video message for Pride Month

Text of video:

“I am honored to join you to celebrate the fundamental freedoms that all human beings deserve – no matter who they are or whom they love. This month, and every month, we proudly reaffirm our commitment to making sure that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

In the United States and around the world, progress is being made. The tireless advocacy of generations is bending the arc of history. Barriers are being torn down, discriminatory laws repealed, and millions are now able to live more freely and participate in the future of their communities and countries.

But there is still much more to be done. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender men and women continue to be persecuted and attacked. They are arrested, beaten, terrorized, and even executed.

United States Embassies and Missions throughout the world are working to defend the rights of LGBT people of all races, religions, and nationalities as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority of our foreign policy. From Riga, where two U.S. Ambassadors and a Deputy Assistant Secretary marched in solidarity with Baltic Pride; to Nassau, where the Embassy joined together with civil society to screen a film about LGBT issues in Caribbean societies; to Albania, where our Embassy is coordinating the first-ever regional Pride conference for diplomats and activists to discuss human rights and shared experiences. And through the Global Equality Fund that I launched last December, we have strengthened our support for civil society and programs to protect and promote human rights.

We will not rest until full and equal rights are a reality for everyone. History proves that the march toward equality and justice will overcome barriers of intolerance and discrimination. But it requires a concerted effort from all of us. No matter how long the road ahead, I’m confident that we will travel it successfully together.

Wherever you are celebrating this month, I wish you a happy Pride.”