Barack Obama and Joe Biden are laying it all out there with their new website, Change.gov, “the official website of the US Presidential transition.” In addition to have biographies of the new White House power couple, the site contains some policy initiatives, including civil rights-oriented pledges. Here’s what they say about hate crimes: “Obama and Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice’s Criminal Section.”
Change.
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ChicagoJimmy
Great, so the government will prosecute if I get hospitalized due to a hate crime. My partner of 4 years won’t be able to visit me in the hospital, or make financial or medical decisions for me, or receive any of my social security benefits should I die, or be protected in our home from hateful relatives, but at least the schmuck who beat me about the head with a bat will rot in jail. Thanks.
Joel
They need to make repealing DOMA a priority.
Read more: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/11/06/doma/
fredo777
Jimmy, check this out:
http://www.washingtonblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=20935
I know, I’d prefer the full-on “marriage”, as well, but if it’s the actual rights we’re after, this is a step in the right direction.
donsnyc
Change will not happen overnight. We still have a long fight ahead of us. By electing Obama is a big step towards that direction though. By acknowledging the gays during his acceptance speech in Grant Park in Chicago is a huge step for us. Do you think that McCain would have uttered the word “gay” in an acceptance speech?
I for one refuses to become cynical. I have not lost hope that someday, we can have equality.
ChicagoJimmy
Fredo,
Thanks for the link. I saw this before the election and his stance on gay rights is one of the reasons I support him.
I guess I’m feeling a little let down today. Sort of a bitter-sweet election.
You’re absolutely correct that this is really all about rights and less about a word.
fredo777
No worries. Don’t get me wrong, though. I very much think that word is important, also, but I just don’t want us to get too cynical to see that we can make other steps toward those equal rights even if it doesn’t mean we get marriage in every state, right at once.
However, I would never suggest that we should give up that fight for marriage equality altogether.
andy_d
We need to impress on the new administration the following:
1. Repeal DADT and DOMA.
2. Actively support a right to a CIVIL marriage, guaranteeing that religious organizations have the right to refuse to perform the religious RITE. Look to how France does it.
3. Push for passing ENDA with protections for transgendered people.
4. Actively enforce revoking 5.01.C(3) status on religious organizations that violate same by directly or indirectly attempting to sway politics. Case in point – the Mormon Church and California’s Proposition 8.
Feel free to cut and paste the above and submit it to the website.
tofer david
its nice to see that gay rights appears no where on the “change” website. same bs as i would expect.
fredo777
Tofer, government’s job isn’t really to initiate a lot of pro-gay laws, but to react to the demand by pro-gay activists +/or supporters who propose said laws.
fredo777
Btw, they also mention hate crimes + ENDA on that very site:
http://change.gov/agenda/civilrights