In a 136 page opinion, Chief Judge Vaughn Walker declared the California Ballot initiative Proposition 8 unconstitutional under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the US Constitution.

While Judge Vaughn’s decision is welcome, it is yet one more step in the long journey towards equal rights for the nation’s LGBT community.  Supporters of Proposition 8 will appeal his decision to the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and regardless of their decision, this case is most likely destined for the US Supreme Court.

All supporters of Equal Rights for the LGBT Community should continue writing their representatives in Congress.  Also, please be sure to write President Obama—who supports Civil Unions, but is not in favor of Gay Marriage.  Their is no place in the United States for Separate But Equal—not in the 1950’s & 1960’s and not now!

Check out the Chicago Pride Web Site for Pride Events & Details.

A Presidential Proclamation

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month

As Americans, it is our birthright that all people are created equal and deserve the same rights, privileges, and opportunities.  Since our earliest days of independence, our Nation has striven to fulfill that promise.  An important chapter in our great, unfinished story is the movement for fairness and equality on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.  This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists.

LGBT Americans have enriched and strengthened the fabric of our national life.  From business leaders and professors to athletes and first responders, LGBT individuals have achieved success and prominence in every discipline.  They are our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, and our friends and neighbors.  Across my Administration, openly LGBT employees are serving at every level.  Thanks to those who came before us    the brave men and women who marched, stood up to injustice, and brought change through acts of compassion or defiance    we have made enormous progress and continue to strive for a more perfect union.

My Administration has advanced our journey by signing into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which strengthens Federal protections against crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation.  We renewed the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides life saving medical services and support to Americans living with HIV/AIDS, and finally eliminated the HIV entry ban.  I also signed a Presidential Memorandum directing hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funds to give LGBT patients the compassion and security they deserve in their time of need, including the ability to choose someone other than an immediate family member to visit them and make medical decisions.

In other areas, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a series of proposals to ensure core housing programs are open to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.  HUD also announced the first ever national study of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing.  Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services has created a National Resource Center for LGBT Elders.

Much work remains to fulfill our Nation’s promise of equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.  That is why we must give committed gay couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple, and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.  We must protect the rights of LGBT families by securing their adoption rights, ending employment discrimination against LGBT Americans, and ensuring Federal employees receive equal benefits.  We must create safer schools so all our children may learn in a supportive environment.  I am also committed to ending "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" so patriotic LGBT Americans can serve openly in our military, and I am working with the Congress and our military leadership to accomplish that goal.

As we honor the LGBT Americans who have given so much to our Nation, let us remember that if one of us is unable to realize full equality, we all fall short of our founding principles.  Our Nation draws its strength from our diversity, with each of us contributing to the greater whole.  By affirming these rights and values, each American benefits from the further advancement of liberty and justice for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2010 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.  I call upon all Americans to observe this month by fighting prejudice and discrimination in their own lives and everywhere it exists.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

I installed a plugin that was supposed to do scheduled backups of my site and only managed to make it unavailable for about a week.

Apologies to those who follow my site, but the problem is rectified.  The posts scheduled for the days we were down are there.

Again, sorry.

Wow!!  This YouTube contributor continues to provide content that is real, germane and thought provoking. 

A great video about diversity and how a family is defined.

This is a great video discussing the issue of sexuality, specifically gay and lesbian sexuality in the schools.  It’s hard to believe how enlightened some of these children are. 

The Honorable Edward Moore Kennedy, US Senator from Massachusetts died after a long battle with brain cancer, just before midnight August 25, 2009 at his home in Hyannis Port.  The Senator was the last living son of Joseph and Rose Kennedy.  Senator Kennedy was the brother of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Senator Kennedy was a flawed human, like most of us.  However, he dedicated his life to the service of the people of Massachusetts and the rest of the nation.  At the time of his death, he was the third longest serving member of the United States Senate.

Kennedy was the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Due to his long history and influence in the legislature, he became known as "The Lion of the Senate". More than 300 bills that Kennedy wrote have been enacted into law, and he was known for his ability to work with Republicans and to find compromises among Senate members with disparate views. Kennedy played a major role in passing many pieces of legislation that have affected the lives of all Americans, including the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the National Cancer Act of 1971, the Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974, the COBRA Act of 1985, the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Ryan White AIDS Care Act in 1990, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Mental Health Parity Act in 1996 and 2008, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997, the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, and the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009. During the 2000s, he was a leader of several failed efforts at immigration reform. Over the course of decades, Kennedy’s major legislative goal had been enactment of universal health care, which he continued to work toward during the Obama administration.  President Obama selected Senator Kennedy to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom this year, the nation’s highest civilian honor.