the others

Meet Congress’ Secret Gay Skull & Bones Society

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The LGBT Congressional Staff Association is where gay staffers on The Hill, working for terrible bigoted lawmakers, come to kvetch, and such as. The group, founded some 15 years ago, has been “dormant” for a while, but now it’s back and under the auspices of Scott Simpson, the 26-year-old deputy press secretary for Rep. Marcia Fudge, the Ohio Democrat. It’s also going to get conservative conspiracy theorists all riled up, hoorah!

The group hasn’t been dead — just waiting to activate its sleeper cells of homosexual influence!

In recent years, Simpson said the organization had the appearance of being dormant because it was continuing a commitment made when it was founded of protecting the identities of members who weren’t openly gay. “They wanted that soft influence on policy and they wanted to protect the identities of their staffers, and that doesn’t lend itself to being the most vocal organization,” he said. But Simpson said LGBT staffers on the Hill in recent months wanted to give new life to the organization, to make it more open and “continue on with the legacy of breaking barriers” that emerged when the association was founded.

And they’re gonna get all up in your legislative grill, yo.

Simpson said the organization would work to influence LGBT policy matters related to bills on Capitol Hill, such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He said he wants to network with LGBT staffers to educate them on the issues and expand the number of co-sponsors on those bills. “We’re going to be doing training and education on that,” he said. “We want to make sure that we are connecting and networking as many of these gay staffers in every office, in every party across geography to know what’s up.”

Simpson said one bill his organization is particularly pushing is the Domestic Partnership Benefits & Obligations Act. The legislation would make same-sex partners of federal workers eligible for the same benefits available to the spouses of straight workers, including health and pension benefits.

Repealing the Defense of Marriage Act, a move that would allow the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages, is another issue in which Simpson said his organization would be involved. With same-sex marriage now legal in D.C., he noted that many LGBT staffers are able to marry and want the federal benefits associated with marriage.

Gays on The Hill: Ambitious and needy. Ew!

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