The Big Snip

We've had some interesting discussions at DW on circumcision before, so when I saw this on MSNBC today, I thought it post-worthy. Enjoy.

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News roundup

There's a few things I think are mention-worthy, even as I sit here with what I'm fairly sure is H1N1. Luckily, you can't catch the flu through the interwebs.

From Gay Land:

• 3 ballot measures were voted on around the country last week. The biggest win came from Kalamazoo, Mich, where a whopping 62% of voters approved adding being gay or transgender to the list of things that can't get you fired or evicted. I'm not entirely sure, but I think getting 62% of the vote might make it the most successful LGBT ballot measure we've ever seen. (If I'm missing one somewhere, let me know). I got to spend the last 3 weeks on the ground in Kalamazoo, working with a team of very talented people (including South Dakotan Jon Hoadley, who ran the campaign).

• Voters approved Washington State's domestic partnership law, in spite of completely crazy ads from the opposition. I would post links here, but the videos have all disappeared from YouTube. Suffice to say it used the word "asunder." I know what it means and where it's from, but doesn't exactly speak to a larger audience. Maybe that's why they lost. Snap.

• Sadly, voters also overturned marriage equality in Maine. This was a tough loss, because on face value, everything went right: we had enough money, we had enough people doing the work, and we had enough people turn out. I'm sure much more thorough post-mortem will be done in the coming weeks, but this is going to be an interesting set of lessons learned.

From Choice Land:

• The Stupak Amendment unfortunately passed and was included in the health care bill the House passed Saturday evening. The gist of the amendment, from RH Reality Check, is that "this amendment, if passed and included in a final health reform bill, would block you from getting insurance to cover legal procedures in the United States of America, with premiums paid with your personal funds." Even worse, 23 House Democrats voted for the Stupak amendment, and no on final passage of the bill -- meaning they voted to weaken a bill they had no intention of supporting in the first place. That's inexcusable.

Although Herseth Sandlin ended up voting no on final passage, she does deserve props for voting against this ridiculous amendment. I realize she's self-identified as pro-choice from the beginning, but it's good to know that some things remain a constant. Thanks, Rep. Herseth Sandlin.

• Minnehaha County Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Caldwell ruled today that the $750,000 donor to Vote Yes for Cupcakes in 2006 can remain anonymous. I'll let our in-house legal expert weigh in on the specifics of the ruling, but it still seems pretty obvious that the spirit of the law is being sidestepped, even if Judge Caldwell is correct in saying a civil suit is an inappropriate remedy.

• Scott Roeder, the man accused of shooting Dr. Tiller, gave a 30-minute interview to the AP today in which he confessed to the shooting. He was unapologetic, claiming that the shooting was justified, and that he plans to use that as a defense in his trial. In MSNBC's related poll, they asked whether such a defense is valid. Under the "things that restore my faith in humanity" column, 88% of respondents said no. Fantastic.

Dear Chaz Bono: You're not helping.

Despite disappointing results out of Maine, it looks like the other campaigns listed in the post below have been successful (One Kalamazoo was in fact EXTREMELY successful and the latest out of Washington continues to look positive). While not the resounding victory for LGBT rights we might have hoped for, I do think we are moving forward.

Speaking of moving forward, what do you do when one of the higher profile trans people in the U.S. (at least at the moment) says b.s. like this:

Chaz Bono says his girlfriend of four years, Jennifer Elia, has been completely supportive during his process of becoming a man. Now, he says, his gender reassignment surgery allows the couple to physically have what they've always had emotionally: a heterosexual relationship.
...
"Our relationship always modeled a heterosexual relationship, emotionally and intellectually. So now it does physically as well."

(from People.com)

Can someone please explain to me how exactly heterosexual relationships are 'emotionally and intellectually' different from homosexual or any other kind of relationship? Seriously -- what is that supposed to mean? The article should really read, "Now, he says, his gender reassignment surgery allows the couple to be what they've really always been: blatantly heterosexist."

No Bittersweet Victories

Washington:

Who we are: Approve Referendum 71 is the campaign to preserve domestic partnerships in Washington State. By voting to approve, voters retain the domestic partnership laws that were passed during this year's legislative session, including using sick leave to care for a partner, adoption rights, insurance rights, and more.

What we need: We need phone bankers to get our supporters out to vote. Washington is an all mail-in ballot state, and we need to ensure our supporters put their ballots in the mail. Also, youth turnout is a critical component of our campaign, and youth turnout historically drops in off-year elections. So we need a lot of help to turn them out.

How you do it: Sign up here to make remote calls for Approve 71. We'll then contact you for a training, and you can make GOTV calls.

Maine:

Who we are: The No On 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign is working to protect Maine's recently-passed law legalizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Our opponents have put the issue on the ballot for Nov 3, 2009. Because of Maine's early voting election laws, people are already voting at the polls, so we need help immediately to turn out our side at the polls.

What we need: We need you to devote a few hours to Call for Equality. Call for Equality is a virtual phonebank set up so that you can call Maine voters wherever you are. Much of Maine is rural, where canvassing isn't effective, so we need to reach these voters- along with other supporters- by phone. All you need is a phone and internet connection. No experience required! We'll provide the training, and all you need is a a few hours to help get a win in Maine.

How you do it: Click here to sign up for a training and your shift. There are lots of times available for your convenience.

Kalamazoo, MI:

Who We Are: The Yes on Ordinance 1856 / One Kalamazoo campaign is working in Michigan to support the City Commission of Kalamazoo's twice approved ordinance for housing, employment, and public accommodation protections for gay and transgender residents. Opponents forced a public referendum on the ordinance so dedicated local volunteers, led by former Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Jon Hoadley, are working to ensure voters say YES to fairness and equality and keep Ordinance 1856.

Why The Urgency: In the final weeks, the opposition has gone all out with aggressive disinformation and misleading red herrings to try to defeat the ordinance. This includes signs that say "No to Discrimination" (even though voting No actually supports continued discrimination of GLBT residents), transphobic door hangers and fliers, and now radio ads that falsely suggest that criminal behavior will become legal when this simply isn't true. The Yes on Ordinance 1856 supporters are better organized but many voters who want to vote for gay and transgender people are getting confused by the opposition.

How To Help:

1) Help the One Kalamazoo campaign raise a final $10,000 specifically dedicated to fight back against the lies on the local TV and radio airwaves and fully fund the campaign's final field and GOTV efforts.

Give here: http://www.actblue.com/page/3-2-1-countdown

2) If you live nearby and can physically volunteer in Kalamazoo sign up here. If you know anyone that lives in Kalamazoo, use the One Kalamazoo campaign's online canvass tool to remind those voters that they need to vote on November 3rd and vote YES on Ordinance 1856 to support equality for gay and transgender people.

Contact voters: http://www.onekalamazoo.com/tellfriends2

Lunatic Fringe Fundraising

If you're the kind of person who wants to be able to support domestic terrorism and get your Christmas shopping done at the same time, has the Scott Roeder defense fund got a deal for you. If you're not into that sort of thing, this story will probably make you sick. I'm hoping that if they actually do decide to try to auction off a manual that talks about bombing clinics, eBay will refuse to host it.

UPDATE: Don't shut down your eBay accounts yet -- they've decided to do the right thing and not allow the auction.

Math is hard.

A little chuckle for your Friday, courtesy of Fail Blog and Leslee's crazy Abstinence Clearinghouse:

Wow. Just...wow.

Dispatch from Dakota Days

Both Scott Heidepriem and Dennis Daugaard (USD alums) made personal appearances in today's very chilly Dakota Days parade. I can't really imagine a world in which Daugaard would ever get my vote, but I have to give the guy credit -- coming with your own personal drumline is a totally fantastic idea. It took our corner a while to figure out who Dennis was and why people were drumming for him, but it the meantime, no one could resist dancing along. Keep this in mind, potential candidates -- it's so much cooler than just walking down the street with your supporters.