Hello from Creating Change! I just heard the outgoing Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Matt Foreman give an amazing "State of the Movement Address." I have a full-on crush.
NGLTF is by far and away the most progressive queer organization out there. While organizations like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) continually disappoint progressives everywhere with policies that do little more than advocate for the most privileged in the gay community, NGLTF continues to impress me with their broad reaching justice based agenda. We're not talking about gay marriage here people. We're talking about:
-Universal health care,
-Transgender rights (including an INCLUSIVE ENDA),
-Ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell,
-Repealing the Defense of Marriage Act,
-HIV prevention,
-A woman's right to choose,
-Immigrant rights,
-Opposing the war,
-Social security reform,
-Fighting abstinence only education
-and just being overall bad ass.
Matt called for a "Transformed America" and I sure hope that his vision carries on. For more information on NGLTF check out their website. (And in case you were wondering, they aren't paying me to rant for them, although if they want to give me a job that would be amazing.)
The best part of his speech was when he invited up his super cute partner Fransisco (who was wearing amazing leather pants) and thanked him for his support over the years. Aww.
Also I went to a blogger meet-up here just now and was sorely disappointed by the lack of feminist (and even female blogger) representation.
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Damn, man, why isn't he running for President?? :-( *sigh*
Hi Miriam,
Thanks for the low-down on the conference. I wanted to let you know that we've got a couple of amazing bloggers from Advocates for Youth attending the conference and writing for us about it as well. You should seek these amazing women out so you can be all feminist blogosphere-y together!
Creating Change Starts With Opening Your Mind
Anti-Racism 101
--Amie
RH Reality Check
I don't mean to be a killjoy, but has anyone else noticed how often Feministing kudos come in the form of a "crush"? It feels a little school-girlish to me.
No shortage of feminists in attendance though! This is my first Creating Change and I've been really impressed with the recognition of gender and race issues within the LGBT movement. Great to know you're here!
can anyone synopsize their views on "immigrant rights" for me?
dunno about the immigrant rights platform, but apparently they also published a 200pp report on queer homeless youth in the US
Not really sure where to put this, so I'll just put it in the most recent post.
I saw an ad on TV tonight that pissed me off and didn't know if anyone here was aware of if yet, but I thought you should be.
It was an ad from JC Penney which basically promoted partner rape. The ad was several shots of pendant necklaces swinging back and forth between two people, with a male voice saying things like "You're very happy. This is all you wanted," ending with a screen which said "Everyone's getting what they want this Valentine's" or something to that effect.
Disgusting. I'm planning on writing a letter to company, I was so pissed off.
I dunno. I like HRC. Do people have to put down one organization (HRC) in order to promote another? I'm progressive and I'm not "privileged," and HRC is one of my fav organizations. Why do we have to dis one organization that sticks up for gays in order to support another? That's really irritating. Is this the way the NGLTF talks about HRC? If so, I won't support NGLTF.
lizadilly: I'm afraid your comment is lacking in "hotness". It also fails to kick sufficient ass.
Did you get to see Julian Bond? Whoa. NGLTF rocks my socks.
-A woman's right to choose
Really? This is great. I feel like often, at least in my experience, you have the Queer Issues in one room and the Repro Rights in another. Or, to put it another way, our "Students for Choice" club on campus is entirely composed of straight girls, an entirely different population than the people I meet at queer-club meetings.
Kudos to NGLTF (except, wheres' the "B"? Talk about the invisibility of bisexuality! Was there any discussion of this?).
bethora - check out their website! I just did, and right under issues is a page on bisexuality. I was pleased. :)
can anyone synopsize their views on "immigrant rights" for me?
I was curious but couldn't find it as well. I wonder if part of this involves getting Immigration to recognize a same sex union (in addition to a "marriage") as a stepping stone to permanent residence and citizenship?
Here's a nice article that should answer your questions. Sorry, I'm too lazy to summarize. Plus I think the whole thing is pretty damn good.
http://www.thetaskforce.org/press/releases/pr945_052206
Very helpful link, Manda!
I guess I'm curious whether the main objective is to reorganize the Immigration Departments to expand their definition of a partnership to include unions, or to recognize gay marriages (in the context of immigration and otherwise). I've asked a couple of friends, and they seem to have different opinions.
It's really easy to appeal to red state voters (or anyone not in an urban setting) by firmly planting visions of people swarming across the borders, or the babushka-clad folks running off the boat. Half my friends are in some sort of immigration limbo at the moment (ranging from lost passports to future deportation), and they're just like any of my other professional, student, working-five-service-jobs, or artist friends. In addition, a percentage of them are gay, so they have to jump through hoops whereas the others at least have the "legit" marriage option. And, even those aren't foolproof.
(I know there are a many others I haven't included, but I'm just using the people I know as an example.)
-Transgender rights (including an INCLUSIVE ENDA),
I was equal parts amused and annoyed to read a column from an ostensibly "liberal feminist" complaining that the "far left" was shooting itself in the foot by insisting on trans inclusion to ENDA.
I'm a life long Republican, so I didn't quite know just what to think of being accused of "far left" suicidal delusion, as I am also one of trans women who supports the bill in its' original form. I wasn't terribly surprised that Barney Frank caved, and then blamed things on the Trans community.
Same sex marriages provide couples that want to marry with protections that they would not otherwise have.
You can more or less cobble most of those protections together without gay marriage if you have an excellent lawyer... but the less privileged among us don't generally have access to such things...
And HRC works on a gazillion other issues, including hate crimes legislation (there probably wouldn't be a Matthew Shephard Act without them), ending Don't Ask/Don't Tell, health care access, immigration rights, parenting rights, housing for low income people affected by HIV/AIDS, and on and on and on.
Glad that you like NGLTF, but HRC does a lot of good work.
Same sex marriages would provide couples with protections but it would also open up liabilities right? Just as my marriage does. The reason I ask this is because I'm curious as to what would happen with the custody of children from a same sex marriage. whats the default? would same sex marriage advocates also have to advocate the "shared parenting" initiative being pressed by a lot of MRA's?
As it stands now, even in hetero marriages adoptions happen all the time and all kinds of contraception techniques are used but there is still no shared parenting default, would GLBT marriage advocates push for one?
I love Matt *and* Frank.
This was basically the most awesome conference ever. I was not expecting Matt's speech to be so inclusive and progressive. It made me very happy.
Detroit was very cold for this southern girl.