Damn Straight! (No Pun Intended)

One of the tough things about being in a targeted (discriminated-against) group is that when law after law takes away your rights or ignores you completely, you get used to disappointment. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the Proposition 8 court decision being handed down today. After the nervous months leading up to the Prop 8 vote in California in 2008, then the months of disappointment when it passed and took away the right of same-sex couples to marry, and then the long, five-month trial and deliberation period when Prop 8 was being challenged, I didn't know what to expect.

I was honestly surprised to hear today that the federal judge hearing the case declared Prop 8 unconstitutional, saying that it violated both the equal protection and due process rights clauses. Combined with the ruling from a Massachusetts judge in July that said that the federal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act = defines marriage as one penis + one vagina) is unconstitutional, it looks like queer folks' rights are actually on an upswing right now.

No doubt the Prop 8 case will go all the way to the Supreme Court soon, and will have a lengthy deliberation there as well, but the facts and reason have been clearly laid out in this case. (The pro-equality lawyers successfully argued that there is no "rational basis" for preventing same sex couples to marry; see the whole decision here.) We can only hope that love triumphs over hate once again and freedom and equality get a little bit closer to actually being the law of the land.

WTF Thursday

Since I don't anticipate being able to blog tomorrow (regularly scheduled WTF Friday), I'm officially declaring this WTF Thursday.

John McCain (you remember him, right? the let's-work-together, I-love-the-military, Mr. Bipartisanship of 2008?) is saying that he will "without a doubt" support a filibuster blocking the entire defense budget to stop the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. What is this man's problem?

He is also apparently asking the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines to oppose the bill, even though Obama and the Defense Secretary support it.

This is Right-Wing Hatred and Obstructionism at its worst. Honestly, holding up the bill that funds protective gear for our men and women in combat, security at our airports, and oh yeah, those borders that the right is up in arms about, just in order to keep LGBT folks in the closet a little longer.

Gross.

Thanks to the Courage Campaign for this breaking story.

Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Vote Possible

Big news on the Don't Ask Don't Tell front: Congress could vote to repeal it TODAY! NPR reported this morning that there should be no trouble in the House, the Senate will be tougher, but sponsors are confident that the repeal will pass.

In a compromise with military leaders, the bill says that the military can take as long as it wants to implement the repeal, but even so, a vote today rather than in December (when some want to push this off till) is big news.

If you've got an extra 30 seconds today (come on, who doesn't?) call your Senators. You can reach anyone in Congress by calling the capital switchboard at (202)224-3121 and asking for them by name.

More updates later if and when the vote happens.

WTF Friday

Pennsylvania state Representative Babette Josephs accused her primary challenger, Gregg Kravitz of faking bisexuality to gain votes. She said “I outed him as a straight person.”

Who knew that being queer was a political plus these days?