Action Needed - UN Declaration for the Global Decriminalization of Homosexuality

Today my Google RSS headlines that feed into my Gmail sent me this little bit of GLBT news about the UN Declaration for the Global Decriminalization of Homosexuality. News - CLICK ME

Now we need to take action!

Step 1: Go to THIS BLOG and click the "DIGG THIS" link at the bottom.
Step 2: Mike Tidmus' Blog furthered the news by requesting action in the U.S. and provided links to find your Senator's contact info. And also provided info about the Vatican's stance and how to contact them.
Step 3: Contact your Senator/Congress/Representatives... whatever. (See sample letter below.)
Step 4: Twitter/Status update/Blog/Forward E-mails to get the word out.
Step 5: NOW GO!

I took action and sent letters to my Senators and Congress people.

Here's the letter I wrote (stealing snips from different blogs and articles) - feel free to copy/paste.

Dear Senator FILL IN NAME,

This Wednesday a declaration for the global decriminalization of homosexuality will be put before the UN General Assembly. While every country in the European Union has signed on and Canada is a sponsor, the United States of America has not signaled support for this declaration.

This is a outrageous! By not actively supporting this declaration the U.S. government is suggesting to the world political arena that it is OK with us if human beings are imprisoned, tortured, murdered or legally put to death simply for loving another.

This is NOT OK. This is not OK with me. This is not OK morally. I urge you and your office to do what you can to influence a decision to support this declaration.

The declaration will be tabled on Wednesday by France with the backing of all 27 member states of the EU; plus non-EU European nations including Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Ukraine, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Armenia and Macedonia. Support of the Latin American states of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay has also been offered. Canada is a sponsor. Gabon, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, New Zealand and Japan are also on board with the declaration.

Why aren't we on that list?

Thank you for taking the time to consider this note and this request for action.

Twittering & Protesting

I'm gonna do a little experiment here... I finally found someone to take me to a protest and I figured I might try to do a little play by play Twittering while I'm there. (If I get there at all.) So follow this blog entry for possible interesting things.

That dang marriage thing!

Being un-politically aware and blissfully ignorant of most things - I did not actually know the following. I just knew that denying me the right of marriage was wrong. Interesting point, below, regarding Massachusetts and the rights they still do not have. My surrogate older sisters were married in Massachusetts several years ago when it first became legal. Then together they had a child. It was a joint pregnancy - one woman carried the other's egg. Both of their names appeared on the birth certificate. But then one day they decided to go on a vacation outside of the country and since their rights didn't extend outside of the state the mother that did not physically bear the child had to ADOPT her own flesh and blood son. Just IN CASE something happened on their trip. I was appalled when I heard that. It hadn't even crossed my mind that something like that would need to happen.

So please read below (which I quote from a forwarded e-mail which was cut and pasted from a blog... I don't know where the original source material is or I would cite it):

Civil unions/domestic partnership DO NOT give gay/lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples. Here are examples of some rights that are denied.

Question: What are the legal benefits of marriage?

With the denial of gay marriage, gay and lesbian couples are kept from more than just a ceremony and marriage certificate. There are many real legal and economic benefits of marriage that gays and lesbians are denied because they are not allowed to marry. What are the legal rights and benefits of marriage?

Answer: According to Lambda Legal Defense, more than 1,400 legal rights are conferred upon heterosexual married couples in the United States. By not being allowed to marry, gays and lesbians are denied these rights. Even in the state of Massachusetts, the only US state with legalized gay marriage, most of the benefits of marriage do not apply, because the Defense of Marriage Act states that the federal government only recognizes marriage as "a legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife".

Here are some of the legal rights that married couples have and gays and lesbians are denied:

1. Joint parental rights of children
2. Joint adoption
3. Status as "next-of-kin" for hospital visits and medical decisions
4. Right to make a decision about the disposal of loved ones remains
5. Immigration and residency for partners from other countries
6. Crime victims recovery benefits
7. Domestic violence protection orders
8. Judicial protections and immunity
9. Automatic inheritance in the absence of a will
10. Public safety officers death benefits
11. Spousal veterans benefits
12. Social Security
13. Medicare
14. Joint filing of tax returns
15. Wrongful death benefits for surviving partner and children
16. Bereavement or sick leave to care for partner or children
17. Child support
18. Joint Insurance Plans
19. Tax credits including: Child tax credit, Hope and lifetime learning credits
20. Deferred Compensation for pension and IRAs
21. Estate and gift tax benefits
22. Welfare and public assistance
23. Joint housing for elderly
24. Credit protection
25. Medical care for survivors and dependents of certain veterans

These are just a few of the 1400 state and federal benefits that gays and lesbians are denied by not being able to marry. Most of these benefits cannot be privately arranged or contracted for within the legal system.

Now go on over to my blogroll at the right ----------> and click on "The Gay Marriage Thing" blog. And visit The Gay Marriage Thing movie site: http://www.thegaymarriagething.com/ I bid you to do this if you wish to know more about my surrogate sisters that I reference above.

Feedback and Stickers

Have you ever seen the channel "Current"? Frankly, I think it is awesome. I hate watching the news. I feel that much of it is over my head when it's talking about the world. When it's talking about local things it's merely depressing. Current (the tv channel, not the catalog that sells Christmas cards and wrapping paper) is a news channel for people like me. I want to say it's for "younger" people but I guess I can't claim to be "younger" anymore so I'm gonna make a guess and say that it's targeted to 25-35 year olds. That way I fit in there. :)

The channel itself is designed to be fully interactive - it's like YouTube on TV. But with news. But with USER-GENERATED news. And also user-generated ads. It's a great place to check out if you're a video or filmmaker because you can totally get your stuff on the air if you generate it for the channel. Like MTV it has people that act like VJ's. News Jockeys? NJs? Like YouTube it has a little run time at the bottom of each piece letting you know how much longer the piece is. Most pieces range from 2 minutes to 10 minutes. (Our messed up attention span thanks to MTV and Sesame Street!) It's digestable news by my peers - I can understand it. And I can watch it in small batches when I have only 10 minutes to watch TV.

Current.com is the channel's social site. You can add articles for comments, sign up to be a video maker (by listing your experience with equipment and crew positions), and interact with what goes on the air. If you make it on the air they display your little avatar, screenname and your quote. (Also I love the motion graphics on this channel!)

CURRENTly, the channel is asking for feedback about Proposition 8. I sent my long winded comment in yesterday but you can send your thoughts in at any time. Just send a note to "feedback@current.com" and maybe your comment will make it on the air. You never know who'll see it. Who's mind you might change!

Go to Current.com and look at the bottom right on the footer to see if you get the channel and what number it is.

Also - this website is giving away free Shepard Fairey designed Obama stickers. If you're one of those collectors collecting historic things - you might want one: http://pol.moveon.org/shepstickers/?id=-11840743-FShHT2x&rc=

Nov. 15 - National Protest

On November 15th there will be a national protest against Proposition 8. Check here for the location/event details: http://www.jointheimpact.com/

No on H8

These are seriously awesome. More awesome than the damn boring No on Prop 8 commercials that I donated money to air. (If you're reading this blog I'm most likely preaching to the choir by posting these but JUST IN CASE.)