Category: Uncategorized

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San Diego mayor: Supporting marriage equality is “the most important thing I did”

I wasn’t blogging at the time, but the 2007 video of San Diego Mayor jerry Sanders’ tearful declaration that he had reversed on same-sex marriage went viral at the time. It is still very moving.

As regular readers of The Randy Report know, I feel marriage equality is one of the most important issues in today’s political arena. I understand how difficult it is for some to reconcile the issue within themselves. Watching this video of Jerry Sanders, it’s striking what emotions the topic brings to bear. I never make light of that, nor do I dismiss it.

Evolution is a slow but undaunted force.

Recently, outgoing Mayor Sanders explained to the Union-Tribune editorial board that supporting marriage equality was the “most important” thing he did as mayor:

Q: What about marriage equality for same-sex couples? [Sanders got national attention when he opposed many fellow Republicans who were backing a 2008 state ballot measure banning same-sex marriage. Sanders said his daughter Lisa, a lesbian, and gay members of his staff in committed relationships should have the same marriage rights as he and his wife. He later testified in the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger lawsuit that led to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturning Prop. 8.]

A: I still get emotional on this one. I think it’s the most important thing I did.

Q: Really, the most important thing you did?

A: Yeah. Equality isn’t something you can quantify. But it’s something that has to be there. I think it’s coming right away. The Supreme Court’s going to take up [the appeal of Prop. 8 supporters] and I think they’re going to let [gay marriage] stand in California because they don’t want to deal with it. The voters are going for it. Young people, that is not even in their concern list. We’re all taught from the day you start school, equality’s very important. And you look at the civil rights movements – this is exactly what this is. And so playing a little part in it, it’s been good.

(source)

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Funny: Thanksgiving joke

A Thanksgiving joke via the fabulous Ed Dixon:

A hunter goes into the woods and spies a GIGANTIC tom turkey. He fires at it and misses. The turkey says, “that was really dumb! Now I’m going to have my way with you!” and he does.

The hunter goes home and is overcome with shame, “I can’t live with this.” he says, “I must kill that turkey.”

So he goes back the next day, fires at the turkey and misses again. The turkey says, “That was REALLY dumb. Now I’m going to have my way with you again. And he does.

The hunter returns home and cannot live with himself, so the next day he goes back, fires at the turkey yet again… and misses.

And the turkey says, “Okay, tell the truth now. You don’t come here for the hunting.”

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Op-ed: “Adopting my son has brought extraordinary meaning to my life”

Beautiful op-ed piece on Advocate.com by Jake Dekker. 

Jake is the author of One Kid at a Time: A Single Dad, a Boy in Foster Care, and an Adoption.

In the op-ed, Dekker explains why he adopted a ten year old troubled foster child, and how it transformed his life.

Here’s an excerpt:

Why would a 45-year-old gay man with a lovely home, a six-figure income, and lots of free time adopt a troubled foster child? Although I couldn’t predict it then, adopting my son has brought extraordinary meaning and healing to my life. I discovered that my sexuality has nothing to do with whether I am a good parent.

Because I followed my childhood dream of being a father, my son was saved from a life of foster homes, gangs, overmedication and abuse. Four years later, my 14-year-old is a typical high school freshman. His behavior issues are mostly gone, and I love him as much as I can imagine loving any daughter or son.

Yet in some states, my son would still be suffering in foster care because gay men and women aren’t allowed to adopt. My son and I, and many other families, are proof that gay men and women can make excellent parents. It makes no sense to me that some people would rather force a child to grow up in foster care than allow a gay man or woman to provide them a loving home.

As November, National Adoption Month, comes to an end, let’s continue to encourage laws and policies that allow as many foster children to be adopted as possible. The ability to love, protect and provide a permanent home for a child, not their sexual orientation, should determine whether someone can adopt a child.

Read the entire essay at Advocate.com

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New guidelines proposed for regular HIV screenings for all Americans

The experts on the U.S. Preventative Task Force, a government-backed panel of scientists and medical professionals, are now recommending that every American between the ages of 15 and 65 be tested for HIV.

Since the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover the preventative services that are recommended by the task force, regular HIV testing will now be covered under Obamacare as a routine part of a check-up.  The AP reports:

The updated guidelines will bring this long-simmering issue before doctors and their patients again — emphasizing that public health experts agree on how important it is to test even people who don’t think they’re at risk, because they could be….And if finalized, the task force guidelines could extend the number of people eligible for an HIV screening without a copay in their doctor’s office, as part of free preventive care under the Obama administration’s health care law. Under the task force’s previous guidelines, only people at increased risk for HIV — which includes gay and bisexual men and injecting drug users — were eligible for that no-copay screening.”

Every year, about 50,000 individuals in the U.S. are newly infected with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of December 2011, the agency estimated that 1.2 million Americans had the virus, but it also noted that as many as 240,000 were not aware of it.

Says Chris Collins, Vice President and Director of Public Policy for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, in a statement to Towleroad: “Too many people living with HIV don’t know it and too often health care providers don’t offer their clients an HIV test. Today’s recommendation sends a clear message that screening for HIV should be a normal, routine part of appropriate health care. It’s an important step forward in connecting people to the lifesaving care they need.”

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Syracuse passes trangender protections

JoeMyGod points to some great news today from central New York.

The New York Civil Liberties Union today applauded the Syracuse Common Council’s passage of legislation amending local civil rights law to protect transgender and gender non-conforming residents from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations, such as restaurants, hotels and stores. In an 7 to 1 vote, the Common Council approved a bill to amend the Syracuse Fair Practices Law to include gender identity and expression as protected categories. With the passage of this legislation, every large city in New York State has enacted basic civil rights protections for transgender and gender non-conforming residents and visitors. Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Binghamton, Ithaca, New York City as well as Westchester, Suffolk, and Tompkins counties have similar local anti-discrimination laws.

The NYCLU notes that a statewide transgender rights bill has long been thwarted by the New York Senate. They believe that today’s news from Syracuse may provide “additional momentum” for GENDA.

I went to college at Syracuse University in the early 1980s.  It’s a great part of NY state.  Although the winters are tough, the rest of the year is beautiful.  And the residents are fab.  As we can clearly see from today’s news.

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US Soldiers vs Miami Dolphin cheerleaders “Call Me Maybe”

So, I figured we had finally exhausted all of these Carly Rae Jepsen videos BUT some troops stationed in Afghanistan copied the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders version move for move. I think the guys get a lot of credit for making it their own. And who doesn’t like to see our American heroes show off their bodies and sense of humor?

And just in case, here’s the boy’s version all by itself.

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Anti-gay Rep. Allen West finally concedes failed re-election bid

After two weeks of refusing to accept that vote-counting by officials in St. Lucie County, Florida, favored his opponent Patrick Murphy, including a recount which extended Murphy’s lead, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) conceded the race late Tuesday, Politico reports:

West acknowledged that he couldn’t surmount his 1,904-vote, or 0.58 percent, deficit. That difference was just outside the 0.5 percent threshold to automatically trigger a recount of all votes.

Said West in a statement:

“For two weeks since Election Day, we have been working to ensure every vote is counted accurately and fairly. We have made progress towards that goal, thanks to the dedication of our supporters and their unrelenting efforts to protect the integrity of the democratic process. While many questions remain unanswered, today I am announcing that I will take no further action to contest the outcome of this election… I pray he will serve his constituents with honor and integrity, and put the interests of our nation before his own.”

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States to reap income windfall from marriage equality

JoeMyGod points out an Associated Press report on the three states about a boom in business due to same-sex weddings:

Add the coast of Maine, the banks of the Chesapeake Bay and the shores of Lake Washington to gay wedding destinations.

Next month and in January, laws go into effect in Maine, Maryland and Washington that allow same-sex marriage. They’re the first states where voters approved such laws, rather than legislators or courts. Nearly 18,000 same-sex couples in those states will exchange vows in the first three years after the new laws are in effect, estimated The Williams Institute, a national think tank at the UCLA School of Law, and the laws should generate at least $166 million in wedding spending in the three states over the next three years from in-state couples alone, boosting tax revenues and creating new jobs.

Wedding-related spending for in-state couples is projected be about $16 million in Maine, $63 million in Maryland and $89 million in Washington. The numbers go up when figuring in out-of-staters who travel to those states to be wed.