Dems Move On DOMA Section Two

Yesterday House and Senate Democrats wasted no time in announcing their plan to overturn the remaining portion of DOMA by reintroducing the Respect For Marriage Act.

The Supreme Court Wednesday threw out just one section of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn) wants to strike the law's death blow. Nadler and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) celebrated Wednesday's historic Supreme Court decision by introducing legislation that would repeal the rest of the law. They're targeting a particular provision that spares states from recognizing gay marriages conducted legally elsewhere in the country. The new bill would also standardize the federal government's handling of same-sex marriage across programs, they said."We salute today's ruling," Nadler said in a release.

Nadler's bill, needless to say, has little chance of passage in the GOP-dominated House.

RELATED: Rep. Nadler, who has appeared at virtually every LGBT-related event I've attended in the last couple of years, was at Edith Windsor's side yesterday in the West Village.

TENNESSEE: State Sen. Stacey Campfield Blogs Pressure Cooker Image Against Sen. Dianne Feinstein

The guy behind Tennessee's "Don't Say Gay" bill is at it again.

A Tennessee state senator is being slammed for insensitivity to the Boston Marathon bombing victims after posting an illustration of a pressure cooker – like the ones used in last week’s deadly attack – to mock gun control advocates. Republican Stacey Campfield posted an illustrated image of an “Assault Pressure Cooker” on his personal blog Camp4u on Sunday.

“Here comes Feinstein again” he titled the post in a reference to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who authored an assault weapons ban in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The pressure cooker illustration is then labeled with features similar to those of a gun – like a “tactical pistol grip” and “folding stock.” “Large-capacity, can cook for hours without reloading,” it also says.

Campfield has refused to apologize or remove the post. Some commenters on his blog are backing him.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Campfield's "Don't Say Gay" bill first passed before the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee in April 2011, and then passed out of the House Education Committee in February 2012. It did not pass before either full chamber. In January 2012 Campfield was booted out of a Knoxville cafe by its owners, who were angry about the bill. Also in January 2012 Campfield appeared on the Michelangelo Signorile Show to declare that "straight people don't get AIDS."  In January 2013 Campfield reintroduced his "Don't Say Gay" bill with an added portion that requires teaches to out gay students to their parents. Earlier this month Campfield introduced a bill that would cut public assistance to families if their children get low grades.

Dianne Feinstein Breaks Election Record

Politico notes a little bit of election trivia regarding Sen. Dianne Feinstein:

Dianne Feinstein is the most popular senator in U.S. history. If you measure by votes won, that is. The latest, semi-official tally from the California secretary of state reports the Democratic senator won nearly 7.3 million votes on Nov. 6, breaking the previous Senate record held by her colleague, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. Feinstein won 7,297,972 votes on Election Day – 342,244 more votes than Boxer in her 2004 re-election romp.

As Politico notes, Senators elected from California will always have the highest vote count.

Seriously, NBC?

According to NBC Bay Area, the death of a one-time San Francisco mayoral candidate and highly-regarded AIDS activist falls under "Weird News" because he occasionally wore a costume. We'll have to remember that the next time a famous costumed person dies.

Sister Boom Boom Dies At 57

Well known Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence member, one-time San Francisco mayoral candidate, and early AIDS activist Jack "Sister Boom Boom" Fertig passed away Sunday night at age of 57. The Sisters send us this remembrance:

On August 5, 2012 at 9:30 PM, Sister Boom Boom aka Jack Fertig succumbed to liver cancer in the loving presence of his partner Elias Trevino and dogs, Chloe and Perry. Jack was also known to many as teacher, astrologer, artist, and a devout and faithful scholar of Islam. Sister Boom Boom was a key Queer pioneer who took Queer Consciousness to the mainstream. In 1982, Sister Boom Boom nearly won a Board of Supervisors seat by running a uniquely San Francisco campaign of radical politics and nun drag. She won 23,124 votes with her occupation listed as “Nun of the Above.”

A year later, Boom Boom ran for the 1983 mayoral race against incumbent Dianne Feinstein and, as a result, San Francisco passed a law that requires candidates to only use their legal names on the ballot. This law is often referred to as the “Sister Boom Boom” law. Due to internal disputes, Jack Fertig broke from the Sisters in 1985. Jack Fertig went on to pursue his Divine calling and became an award-winning astrologer and respected Queer Muslim activist. He was also an avid organizer in the leather and sober communities. Cleve Jones, AIDS activist and creator of the NAMES Project AIDS Quilt remembers Sister Boom Boom as a “dear friend” and a “fierce advocate for the poor and immigrant communities.”

Fertig eventually reconciled with the Sisters, who will announce a public memorial for Sister Boom Boom shortly. (Tipped by JMG reader Daigan)

Concerned Women Are Concernstipated About DOMA Repeal In Congress

They know it isn't happening, but they sure don't mind riling up their followers with an easily Google-able lie.

Another Day, Another NOM Lie?

Late this afternoon NOM fired out an "emergency alert" that "Senate liberals" headed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein were planning to attach the repeal of DOMA to a "must pass" Defense Authorization Bill. The outrage! The trickery! The...totally untrue lie by compulsive liars who can't stop lying?The Human Rights Campaign's Fred Sainz moves in for the kill.

“Their members and their donors are, obviously, upset at their very poor performance,” Sainz said. “NOM needs to give them a red herring that equals hope or shows that they are working on something no matter how big of a lie it is. They’re trying to raise money with this is what they’re trying to do. They are trying to give the sense that something is going on when this is not something that is in the works.”

Of course, one could make the case that Feinstein is only denying having "threatened" to attach the DOMA repeal to the bill and is actually planning on doing it. Which would be an interesting, if hopelessly doomed tactic.

Quote Of The Day - Sen. Diane Feinstein

"Virtually any advance in civil rights or any kind of rights has been carried by the Democratic Party. It’s just a fact. So, we’ll just march on. We’ll continue this. And if I have to reintroduce it next session, I’ll reintroduce it. Session after that, I’ll reintroduce it." - Sen. Diane Feinstein, acknowledging the temporary end of the campaign to repeal DOMA legislatively. On Thursday her repeal bill passed 10-8 in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but the measure will not be brought to the full chamber because it would not pass.

RELATED: Although the repeal battle is over in Congress until at least 2013, the Family Research Council and NOM both launched petition campaigns against it this week in a typically deceptive ploy to raise money on the fear of something that cannot possibly happen.

VIDEO: Today's Senate DOMA Hearing

It didn't last very long, but Sen. Diane Feinstein got to say her piece. The committee vote is now scheduled for November 10th.

Feinstein & Gillibrand Intro DOMA Repeal

Sen Patrick Leahy: I Will Cosponsor Feinstein's Bill To Repeal DOMA

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) emailed his constituents today with a promise to cosponsor Sen. Dianne Feinstein's coming bill to repeal DOMA.

As a Vermonter who has been married for 48 years, I believe it is important to encourage and to sanction committed relationships; relationships that encourage us all to give back to our community; and relationships that complete our lives. Vermont led the way by being the first state to adopt a same-sex marriage law through a legislative process. Now that several states that have voted to give full marriage rights to same-sex couples, I believe that the Federal government should not interfere with those laws or discriminate between marriages sanctioned by State law. Vermont and other states have determined that committed same-sex couples and their families should be entitled to all the protection of that state-sanctioned union. The Defense of Marriage Act denies some Vermont families equal treatment, creating a system of second-class citizens. This goes against American values and it must end. In the coming days, I will join with Senator Dianne Feinstein to introduce legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. It is a core American value that all people should be treated equally by their government. Vermont has been leading the nation on this important civil rights issue and this week, President Obama and Attorney General Holder moved the Federal government in the right direction.

(Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

Feinstein Promises DOMA Overturn Bill

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) today vowed to introduce a bill to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.

"My own belief is that when two people love each other and enter the contract of marriage, the Federal government should honor that. I opposed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. It was the wrong law then; it is the wrong law now; and it should be repealed," the California lawmaker said in an e-mailed press statement.

Feinstein's bill will likely have a decent shot of passing in the Senate, but any companion House bill would be dead in the water.

Democratic Senators Hold Press DADT Conference: We Will Get This Done

Sen. Diane Feinstein Says No On 8

No On 8 notes:

The ad's placement on statewide television happens to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the murder of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk. Feinstein, who was President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors 30 years ago, immediately became the city's mayor at a time of great unrest and anguish. Re-elected twice, she became the first California woman elected to the United States Senate.