LGBT Groups React To Arizona Veto

Human Rights Campaign

With today’s veto, Governor Brewer spared her state from institutional discrimination and economic catastrophe. Make no mistake, there is no better way to doom jobs in a state than by signing license-to-discriminate bills,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin. “The bipartisan outpouring of opposition to this bill is all the proof you need that this country isn't turning backwards. Governor Brewer did the right thing in stopping this assault on businesses and the LGBT community and we call on her and the legislature--and governors and legislators in other states--to resist any attempt to give license to discrimination.”

The Task Force

"We thank Governor Brewer for her decision to veto this outrageous measure -- a law that if enacted would be bad for Arizona people and the Arizona economy. In doing so, she has stopped a bill that both cynically uses religion as a smokescreen to justify discrimination and insults people of faith who feel that discrimination is morally wrong. This decision sends a clear message that extremism is totally unacceptable to people of all political persuasions."

GetEQUAL

"Governor Jan Brewer stood on the right of history today by vetoing SB 1062. It is clear that this bill would have hurt business, caused unnecessary controversy, and -- most importantly -- increased the suffering of LGBTQ people in Arizona. We are relieved that she has shown leadership and vetoed a bill that is bad for business and bad for the people of Arizona. However, we cannot forget the suffering that some of her other decisions have caused to immigrants, LGBTQ people and women. She signed SB 1070 into the law -- one of the most anti-immigrant laws in the country -- then signed an executive order denying driver's licenses for DREAM Act-eligible youth who received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA). She has de-funded Planned Parenthood clinics and signed a bill prohibiting abortion after 18 weeks after conception. She has also backed a marriage equality ban in Arizona.

Truth Wins Out

"Gov. Jan Brewer avoided going down in history as ‘Jan Crow’ by wisely vetoing this wolf in sheep’s clothing," said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "If this bill had become law, it would have been a disaster for Arizona's reputation and severely tarnished the governor's legacy. “This was a major defeat for what has become a concerted Hail Mary campaign to carve out special rights for religious conservatives so that they don’t have to play by the same rules as everyone else does,” said Evan Hurst, Truth Wins Out’s Associate Director. “In this new up-is-down world, anti-gay religious folks are ‘practicing their faith’ when they’re baking cakes or renting out hotel rooms to travelers. On the ground, these bills hurt real, live LGBT people.”

ACLU Of Arizona

“Discrimination has no place in Arizona, or anywhere else,” said Alessandra Soler, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. “We’re grateful that the governor has stopped this disgraceful law from taking effect, and that Arizona will remain open for business to everyone.” The Arizona bill was passed last week following the defeat of similar bills in Maine, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Idaho. “We strongly support the right of every person to exercise their religious beliefs, but religious freedom doesn’t give any of us the right to harm others,” said Eunice Rho, advocacy and policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union. “The massive public opposition to this, as well as several other failed bills across the country, shows that Americans of all political persuasions and religions feel the same way.”

GLAAD

"Discrimination is not an American value, plain and simple," said GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Ellis. "Governor Brewer today demonstrated that basic respect for LGBT people extends across party lines, and anti-LGBT bias isn't just bad politics, it's bad for business. As other states consider similar laws that aim only to make LGBT people's lives more difficult, legislators would do well to remember that anti-LGBT laws just won't be tolerated."

Lambda Legal

“Arizona's recent history has taught corporate and civic leaders that discrimination is terrible for business. This religion bill would have reversed the state's hard-won economic progress by declaring "open season" on LGBT people. Everyone in Arizona deserves respect and inclusion, including same-sex couples and their families, and people of all faiths and backgrounds. Governor Brewer did the right thing with today's veto. May it be a guiding signal for elected leaders across the country considering similar bills.”

SLIDESHOW: Winter Party 2012

I finally sat down and whittled my hundreds of Winter Party 2012 photos down into the below manageable slideshow. Within you'll find lots of handsome hotties, scruffy bears, smiley cubs, lovely ladies, muscle marys and pretty much every age group, niche and subset of the LGBT world. (Plus you'll see some JMG regulars!) Kudos once again to the NGLTF for another flawlessly run operation. Full-screen photos here.

Winter Party: Under One Sun

Yesterday Father Tony and I attended the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Winter Party's Under One Sun pool event at Miami Beach's Surfcomber Hotel. This is the 19th annual Winter Party and I think I've only missed handful since 1993. Hit the play button for lots of happy people raising money for South Florida LGBT and AIDS causes. The Winter Party is volunteer-produced and staffed and 100% of the proceeds stay local. Amazing. Full-screen photos here.

After the pool event we attended a cocktail party for some of the big Task Force donors, then we headed north for the annual official Winter Party satellite event in Fort Lauderdale, which this year was held at Wilton Manor's sprawling bear bar, Bill's Filling Station. Which mean's I've gotten to hear DJ Herbie James for three nights in a row. Crazy fun there and a sound system that really did justice to Herbie's deep trance sound.

Today: the official and main beach event. I'm pre-exhausted!

Tweet Of The Day - Dan Choi

Dan Choi doesn't think it's any big deal if he attends CPAC with GOProud. Maybe it isn't, nobody really knows what's afoot there yet. Choi adds that he's attending the Task Force's annual Creating Change conference this week, despite their having denounced him for telling the Village Voice in November: "Harry Reid is a pussy and he'll be bleeding once a month." That resulted in a joint condemnation from the NGLTF, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and two gay service members groups. One month later Choi was happily shaking Reid's hand as he got his West Point ring back after the repeal of DADT.

UPDATE: You need not be a Twitter member to follow the responses to Choi's question.

UPDATE II: Things are getting awfully cozy at GOProud's happy hour.

Rea Carey Takes Over Task Force

Rea Carey, deputy executive director under Matt Foreman for the last four years, has been tapped to replace Foreman as executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Foremen left the Task Force four months ago to helm the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.

Foreman reacts to Carey's appointment: “Rea is an extraordinary leader, a brilliant thinker and passionately committed to complete equality for our people. Her appointment as the new executive director is not only wonderful for the Task Force and its future, but for the entire movement."

The Frank / Foreman Feud Continues

Outgoing NGLTF head Matt Foreman appeared on Michelangelo Signorile's show yesterday to take a parting shot at Rep. Barney Frank over the ENDA vote.

"Of the many things I've loved about being in the Task Force," says Foreman, "is that, you know, we're a progressive organization, and we're proud of it, and that we have a history of speaking the truth and seeing the world in a bigger way than just a 'gay-specific,' 'me-first-all-the-time' attitude that affects so much of our movement."

"I think what really happened," says Foreman of Congress' handling of employment discrimination protections for LGBT people, "is [Speaker Nancy Pelosi's] people said 'Look, Congress has a terrible reputation right now, they're not delivering for any progressive causes... What do we have to do to deliver to our progressive allies?' That means labor and health and environment and gays. And, so, I mean, I don't know this for a fact, but I would bet my life that this is what happened: They went to Barney Frank and said 'What do we need to pass ENDA?'"

"Representative Frank," continues Foreman, "who has always been pretty squeamish on the trans issue, and I guess I can say these things because I am leaving my job..."

"That's what we hoped you'd do," Signorile says to Foreman.

Foreman goes on: "...You know, said 'Look the best way to pass ENDA, and the easiest way is to -- let's take out gender identity,' and I don't think the Speaker's people thought this through--didn't think it through--and then they said 'OK, let's do it'."

Go to PageOneQ for audio clips of the interview. A spokesman for Frank called the idea that Frank is "squeamish" on the trans issue "absurd." Barney Frank will appear on the Signorile show today at 3:30pm EST to personally respond. Tune into SiriusOutQ to listen.

Big Win For Adult Websites

You may recall back in September when I passed along an alert from the NGLTF regarding the expansion of the 2257 Regulations, which would have required internet social networking and hook-up sites like Facebook and Manhunt to maintain your photo ID on file, information many would be loathe to put in the hands of such parties.

Fear no more. On Tuesday, the U.S. Sixth District Court of appeals overturned the original regulations as overly-broad and in violation of free speech protections.

Tuesday's ruling is a remarkable win for adult publishers, not just because of the weighty nature of the regulations but also because the lawsuit has been going on for so long. The case was originally filed in September 1995, and this is likely going to be the last word unless the U.S. Supreme Court gets involved.

Although the Justice Department tried to downplay the impact of the record-keeping rules, the court reasonably noted that the regulations apply even to couples taking erotic photos for their own private use. Uploading them to the Web is regulated as well, of course.

"This reach is extremely broad, and the most commonsense limitation, for which the statute and regulations provide some support, would be to limit the statute's reach to photographs taken for a commercial purpose, that is, photographs taken for the purpose of sale," the 6th Circuit said. But, the judges added, "the plain text and definitions of the terms used admit...no commercial limitation on who will be considered producers."

Fortunately, the 6th Circuit recognized this, and concluded: "The government has drawn a similarly over-inclusive line here by including all sexually explicit photographs, whether created for commercial purposes" or otherwise. (The lawsuit was filed by a swingers' magazine called Connection that allowed couples to send in explicit photographs of themselves.)

As the linked CNET article notes, as written, the regulations made felons out of anybody (not just the site owners) who made or uploaded sexually explicit photos without complying with the Justice Department rules. No word yet from BMB about their resuming to allow members to upload their pervy self-pics.