Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, June 17, 2009
Politics / Homo Those New Rights For Gay Federal Employees
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 12:29 PM
They're not special rights... and they're not new.
1
I posted this in the Civil Disobedience comments, but I wanted to see if more people would be interested in joining me in my protest. I am working at getting a website up and would love it if anyone would be able to help me in that effort.
I scheduled a vacation for June 30-July 5 to visit my brother for his birthday and to visit family over the fourth. While I would still like to do this, I have decided that this time could be better spent petitioning our government for equal rights for gay and lesbian citizens.
I have decided to change my itinerary and fly to DC for that week and stand outside the White House gates from sun-up to sun-down, peacefully holding banners with quotes of the president's expressing his support for gay rights. It would be nice if I could recruit others into this, and I'm gonna try, but I'm willing to be there by myself for the week.
I'm tired of being dismissed as a wedge issue by the Democratic party who are supposed to be on our side. I am ready to stand up and challenge our government. Please stand with me.
Feel free to forward this to anyone you know that would be able to help in this cause. Not just financially, but to research the presidents quotes and get banners made up and the such. Thanks.
saunatina@gmail.com
I scheduled a vacation for June 30-July 5 to visit my brother for his birthday and to visit family over the fourth. While I would still like to do this, I have decided that this time could be better spent petitioning our government for equal rights for gay and lesbian citizens.
I have decided to change my itinerary and fly to DC for that week and stand outside the White House gates from sun-up to sun-down, peacefully holding banners with quotes of the president's expressing his support for gay rights. It would be nice if I could recruit others into this, and I'm gonna try, but I'm willing to be there by myself for the week.
I'm tired of being dismissed as a wedge issue by the Democratic party who are supposed to be on our side. I am ready to stand up and challenge our government. Please stand with me.
Feel free to forward this to anyone you know that would be able to help in this cause. Not just financially, but to research the presidents quotes and get banners made up and the such. Thanks.
saunatina@gmail.com
3
Jesus. This is almost getting into self-parody levels of sadness. His address this afternoon had better be pretty enlightened. How is this the only issue he's so damn tone deaf on? I hate referring to myself as an "issue."
4
Hm, but these people work for Obama willingly.
They assist him in what he's doing, in fact.
Ethical dilemma, indeed.
They assist him in what he's doing, in fact.
Ethical dilemma, indeed.
5
I also LOVE how half of our federal employees are in the military. That means that half of the people obama threw this bone would be FIRED for taking it. If it had been offered to them, which i wasn't anyways. only SOME federal employees get it. So our gay servicemen and women are less equal than straights, and less equal than civilian employees. Its not like those benefits would be useful to the partners of gay soldiers who's situation is slightly higher risk than a paper pusher.
6
People are rejecting your repeated instigation on this Mr Savage, get with the program once and for all. The President is going to extend benefits for the gay partners of federal employees that's something that no previous administration has ever done! You just come off now as someone who's trying to stir shit up by hounding on him, and all you accomplish with it is drive away people from being tolerant of gays.
I'm still waiting for you to declare that yourself as a republican since you repudiate so much the President now.
I'm still waiting for you to declare that yourself as a republican since you repudiate so much the President now.
9
New Odubya playbook: Actively work against our constitutional rights, give us something we already have, then bitch about how ungrateful we are to the state-run, sycophantic media. BRILLIANT!
10
equally pissed, but you have to realize obama's treatment of our issue isn't anything special- not that torture, executive secrecy, concentration of power, aren't "our" issues too.
12
I applaud any action like that taken by @1.
Still waiting for the month-long lines at courthouses politely but firmly demanding marriage licenses and not accepting No for an answer, mind you.
Still waiting for the month-long lines at courthouses politely but firmly demanding marriage licenses and not accepting No for an answer, mind you.
13
Wow, way to polarize there. Now if you're critical of Democratic policy, that makes you a Republican? I realized that the Ds and the Rs are the strongest of the parties, but those are not your only choices in life. That's like saying, if you're not a Catholic, you must be a Jew.
17
In Ohio, where there is a constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage, or the granting benefits similar to marriage, Ohio STATE University extends health insurance benefits to same-sex couples. I'm proud to be an OSU employee.
18
From John at Americablog: UPDATE: I just asked OPM Director John Berry, on a White House media conference call, whether in fact federal agencies already have the right to give these benefits to gay employees. The answer, "yes." So what's new about tonight? Obama is going to "tell" the agencies to give the benefits - as if any agency in the Obama administration would dare tell a gay employee no to a request for time off to attend their partner's funeral?
Oh, and Will @12? How on earth would my standing at my local courthouse make a difference? The clerk can't do anything. STFU about it already. Your idea is stupid.
Blessings.
Oh, and Will @12? How on earth would my standing at my local courthouse make a difference? The clerk can't do anything. STFU about it already. Your idea is stupid.
Blessings.
19
@ 1: love your idea. Am unfortunately too poor to join you currently (partner lost job 3 months ago), but have suggestion for those of us who can't afford a trip to DC. If we don't want to be ATMs and volunteers for candidates who talk a good game but do nothing to help us, do we really want to wear their t-shirts, buttons, stickers, etc.? I suggest mailing Obama-gear to the White House, the DNC, and high level dems with notes saying that we want our money and our votes back.
Also, the executive branch is being awful, but we can't let Congress hide behind Obama and use him as an excuse for not stepping up. What are we doing to hold them accountable too?
Also, the executive branch is being awful, but we can't let Congress hide behind Obama and use him as an excuse for not stepping up. What are we doing to hold them accountable too?
20
@18: Uhhh, most of the court cases we've had in the past decade were due to people demanding marriage licenses at courthouses, and most marriage laws were changed after people demanded their licenses. Anyone who believes in and wants a marriage should be demanding their licenses now.
But yeah, let's ignore our GLBTQ history, we're in the Blogeneration!!!
But yeah, let's ignore our GLBTQ history, we're in the Blogeneration!!!
21
Shh, Baconcat, if you give them useful practical advice they'll bite off your hand.
We just want parades and fluffy bunny Net actions that cause no change and dull the masses instead in the Gayosphere.
We just want parades and fluffy bunny Net actions that cause no change and dull the masses instead in the Gayosphere.
22
The website is live.
It's just a frame at the moment. A fellow Slog commentator has offered to do a real design, but that won't be up until this weekend at the earliest.
Spread the word- The protest starts July 1st. Let's not let it end until every American is treated equally.
http://protestforhumanrights.com/
It's just a frame at the moment. A fellow Slog commentator has offered to do a real design, but that won't be up until this weekend at the earliest.
Spread the word- The protest starts July 1st. Let's not let it end until every American is treated equally.
http://protestforhumanrights.com/
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