tagged w/ Equality
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Los Angeles Times...
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J.C. Penney stands behind Ellen DeGeneres as spokeswoman
February 3, 2012 | 5:45 pm
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Portia and Ellen DeGeneres
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As an openly gay couple, Portia and Ellen DeGeneres have faced plenty of challenges, but one worry they can safely put to bed is Ellen getting dropped by J.C. Penney.
The company has signaled that it is standing by DeGeneres as its spokeswoman, despite the group One Million Moms -- part of the American Family Assn. -- having launched a campaign to force J.C. Penney to end its association with DeGeneres and "remain neutral in the culture war."
In a statement Friday, J.C. Penney responded with support for the comedian, saying it "stands behind its partnership with Ellen DeGeneres."
GLAAD was understandably overjoyed with the news. A site the group had launched to show support for DeGeneres changed focus to show support for J.C. Penney over its decision. As of Friday afternoon, #StandUpForEllen had received more than 26,000 signatures.
"This week Americans spoke out in overwhelming support of LGBT people and J.C. Penney’s decision not to fire Ellen simply for who she happens to love," GLAAD spokesman Herndon Graddick said in a statement. "But while Ellen has the nation on her side, in 29 states today, Americans can still be legally fired just for being gay. Our elected officials should use this incident as yet another example of the support for legal protections for all hard working employees."
.Los Angeles Times...
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J.C. Penney stands behind Ellen DeGeneres as spokeswoman... more
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KB723
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Researchers Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett discuss their findings when comparing the social equality (or lack off) of nations in comparison with the effect on the quality of life of citizens living in such places.
If you need hard research to prove why a more equal society is better definitely watch this video.Researchers Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett discuss their findings when comparing... more
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On March 28,1965, Martin Luther King Jr. appeared on Meet The Press. This was one week after the five day march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama to demonstrate against police brutality and conditions in Alabama as well as voting rights. In this interview Dr. King's courage, wisdom and strength of character shine like a beacon in a dark place. As you listen to the questions as well, to me at times it seemed more like an inquisition than a news program (especially the question about communism) but remembering the times it certainly wasn't surprising. And actually, the question in the beginning sounded like the same criticism of the Occupy movement. I guess times haven't changed that much after all. So as we celebrate his birth today it is only fitting to remember the legacy he left us and there is no better way to remember that than with his own words.On March 28,1965, Martin Luther King Jr. appeared on Meet The Press. This was one week... more
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CNN...
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Two more states allow same-sex civil unions
By Josh Levs, CNN
updated 5:24 PM EST, Sun January 1, 2012
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Gay couples first civil unions in Hawaii
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Hawaii and Delaware began allowing same-sex civil unions Sunday
5 states recognize same-sex civil unions; 6 and DC recognize same-sex marriage
Opponents say civil unions are a springboard to redefining marriage
"It means that our state supports us," one member of a same-sex civil union says
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(CNN) -- Several same-sex couples came together in the first minutes of New Year's Day in Honolulu to become the first in the state's history to enter into civil unions.
"We really don't want to wait any longer because we have been together for 33 years waiting for the opportunity and our rights and everything that goes with it," said Donna Gedge, who was with her partner Monica Montgomery, speaking to CNN affiliate KITV. "So why wait?"
The couple told CNN last week about their plans to stay up late for the ceremony.
With Hawaii and Delaware joining the list Sunday, five states now recognize same-sex civil unions, while six other states and Washington, D.C., allow same-sex marriage, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island already recognize civil unions providing state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples, the NCSL says.
Marriage licenses are given to same-sex couples in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and the District of Columbia, the NCSL says.
California does not currently allow same-sex marriages to be performed.
In May 2008, the state's Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry in California. Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, passed later that year.
In 2010, a federal district judge ruled that Proposition 8 violated the U.S. Constitution, but enforcement of that decision was stayed pending appeal.
Delaware said its new law became effective at 10 a.m. Sunday.
In Hawaii, online application for civil union licenses was made available beginning at midnight, despite the fact that government offices are closed until Tuesday, the state government said.
The union becomes valid after a ceremony performed by someone licensed by the Department of Health.
"It means that our state supports us, and that's a really good feeling after all this time," Montgomery said at the ceremony.
The laws in Delaware and Hawaii followed heated debates in both states.
In 2010, then-Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican, vetoed a similar bill in Hawaii, saying the issue needed to be put to a referendum.
Some religious groups were among those pushing for the move. "We need you to mount a campaign to flood the governor's office with requests to veto the bill," Larry Silva, Catholic bishop of Honolulu, wrote on the Diocese of Honolulu's website at the time.
A group called the Hawaii Family Forum argued that "a vote for civil unions is a vote for same-sex marriage."
"Civil unions are a desperate and dishonest attempt to force same-sex 'marriage' on Hawaii," the group said. Despite the opposition, there was no referendum.
In both Hawaii and Delaware, the language of the law emphasizes that "it is not the legislature's intent to revise the definition or eligibility requirements of marriage."
Gedge and Montgomery told CNN last week they hope there will one day be federally recognized same-sex marriage.
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie, a Democrat, signed the state's civil unions bill into law last February, calling it "a prime example of exercising civic courage. It is about doing what is right, no matter how difficult, no matter how much opposition."
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, a Democrat, signed his state's bill into law in May.
The Delaware Family Policy Council, which says its goal is to "educate, equip, unify and engage the citizens of Delaware in advocating for family values and preserving the integrity of the family as an institution," argued that civil unions "are a springboard to redefining marriage."
"You can't really talk about civil unions without talking about same-sex 'marriage' because there really isn't any difference," the group argued.
But Markell, at a signing ceremony last year, said, "This bill is about a new energy and excitement. It's about a moment in our history that came about because people came together to work for it, because it became clear that Delaware's LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community is in fact part of every Delaware community. The greater good is served when we speak out and fight hard when we see that bias, prejudice or even outdated laws attempt to lessen any one of us."
Bonnie Limatoc, who was part of the midnight ceremony in Hawaii on Sunday, told KITV, "The historic part for me is to be one of the first to open that door so that the rest of them after us, there's others out there that want to do this. ... We can show them, "Hey, you love somebody, you have the right to be with them the rest of your life also.'"
"Our message is go for the gusto," her partner Lydia Pontin added. "Don't be ashamed."
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CNN's Brianna Keilar contributed to this report.
.CNN...
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Two more states allow same-sex civil unions
By Josh Levs, CNN
updated... more
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article shows the correlation between feminism and a nation's happiness, wealth, secularization, and longevityarticle shows the correlation between feminism and a nation's happiness, wealth,... more
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GENEVA -- The U.N.'s top human rights official urged countries Thursday to abolish legal discrimination against gays, including the death penalty for consensual sex, days after the U.S. government said it would use foreign aid and diplomacy to promote gay equal rights.
The U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said governments should also outlaw all forms of abuse based on sexual orientation and set the same age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual activity.
The report criticizes the continued existence of death penalty punishment for same-sex relations in at least five countries - Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen - as well as legislation explicitly criminalizing gays in 76 countries.
Last week, President Barack Obama directed government agencies to make sure U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote gay rights and fight discrimination. At the same time, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a speech to diplomats in Geneva, compared the struggle for gay equality to difficult passages toward women's rights and racial equality.
http://tinyurl.com/83wy27rGENEVA -- The U.N.'s top human rights official urged countries Thursday to... more
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LOrion
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Princeton University, the alma mater of financial bigwigs like Carl C. Icahn, is not typically thought of as a hotbed of anticorporate ardor.
In “Liar’s Poker,” Michael Lewis (Princeton class of 1982) described the on-campus recruiting frenzy during which undergraduates fought tooth and nail for jobs at the most prestigious Wall Street firms. The Princeton career office of the early 1980s, he wrote, “resembled a ticket booth at a Michael Jackson concert, with lines of motley students staging all-night vigils to get ahead.”
Oh, how times change. As DealBook reported last week, several Ivy League schools have seen their on-campus recruiting programs come under fire this fall, because of the influence of the Occupy movement and rising antipathy for the financial sector.
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And this week, student protesters affiliated with the Occupy Princeton movement interrupted not one but two big-bank recruiting sessions at the school, typically among the biggest feeder schools for Wall Street firms.
According to the Daily Princetonian, Princeton students targeted a JPMorgan Chase session and a Goldman Sachs session this week. They “filed into the information sessions under the pretense of prospective applicants and interested students, dressed in business attire, providing their names and emails on sign-in sheets, picking up pamphlets and chatting with recruiters who approached them.”
At the JPMorgan Chase session, held on Wednesday, students used the Occupy movement’s trademark “mic check” call-and-response style to lambaste the bank. “Your predatory lending practices helped crash our economy, we’ve bailed out your executives’ bonuses, you’ve evicted struggling homeowners while taking their tax money,” the protesters said, speaking in front of an audience of interested students and bank recruiters. “In light of these actions, we protest the campus culture that whitewashes the crooked dealings of Wall Street as a prestigious career path.”Princeton University, the alma mater of financial bigwigs like Carl C. Icahn, is not... more
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The wind up is a small gadget with big uses. This seemingly normal handle is a device designed to power any electrical appliance by simply winding it up. Tipped to become the century’s most important invention preventing trillions of units of carbon emissions from polluting the air, reports suggest the wind up could reverse the effects of global warming within our lifetime.The wind up is a small gadget with big uses. This seemingly normal handle is a device... more
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Proof that not much has changed since this time for all of our supposed progress. The same problems with income disparity, class war, unemployment, and those who think problems can fix themselves or "trickle down" to others. And this is because we are still doing things the same way hoping for a different outcome. The same two party system, the same greed, the same campaign rhetoric, the same empty promises, the same catering to the 10 who can buy the country rather than keeping their oaths to the millions who make it work.
I posted this because I thought of the Bonus March after seeing Mayor Bloomberg's actions in NYC regarding the Americans occupying Zuccotti Park and the actions of others. Their Hoover mentality also reflects a time when we saw high unemployment, homelessness due to failing mortgages and the corrupt greed of those who then took advantage of the less fortunate. **That is why Americans are out in the parks now for those who seem to have forgotten their own history.**
This is not a just society. This is not a society that strives for equality. This is a society that thrives on the needs of the many being sacrificed for the wants of a few. And it is failing all of us, especially our children and all of us have had a hand in it because we continue to place trust in those who do not care about anything but continuing to cater to those 10. So we now see Americans taking a stand to make it right and hold those who will not take responsibility for their corrupt actions accountable. Just like veterans did when they held their Bonus March on Washington DC and built their shantytowns in the Capitol. And it was the right thing to do then and it is the right thing to do now.
So to all of the mayors in all of these cities, to the jackbooted Homeland Security Dept., to this administration that is silent on this, to those from the last USSC appointed administration who precipitated this and to all those who think that you are on the right side of history... history has already proven you wrong. Shame on you all for forgetting that.
We won't.Proof that not much has changed since this time for all of our supposed progress. The... more
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Los Angeles Times...
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Barbara Grier dies at 78; co-founder of lesbian publishing house
Grier, who wanted to provide lesbian readers with stories that could help them lead happier lives, and her longtime partner launched Naiad Press in 1973 and built it into a $1-million business.
Barbara Grier | 1933-2011
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Photo's Caption: Barbara Grier challenged mainstream prejudices to make literature by and about lesbians widely available in the U.S. and abroad. Her publishing house's top-selling book was the nonfiction “Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence” (1985) by Rosemary Curb and Nancy Manahan, which presented the accounts of 51 women, most of whom had been Roman Catholic nuns. (Urscia Mahring / November 12, 2011)
By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times
November 13, 2011
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Barbara Grier, a pathbreaking publisher who challenged mainstream prejudices to make literature by and about lesbians widely available in the United States and abroad, has died. She was 78.
Grier, a founder of Naiad Press, died of lung cancer Thursday in Tallahassee, Fla., said her longtime partner, Donna McBride.
Grier and McBride launched Naiad Press in 1973 with a $2,000 loan and built it into a $1-million business. By the time it folded in 2003, it had published more than 500 titles by authors such as Rita Mae Brown, Katherine V. Forrest, Jane Rule and Sheila Ortiz Taylor.
"She created Naiad Press because the mainstream would not publish any of our books," Forrest, whose career was launched by Naiad in 1983 with the publication of her novel "Curious Wine," told The Times on Friday. "Her accomplishments are just monumental, given the obstacles she faced. There was such virulent homophobia. Barbara was nothing if not fearless."
Before she and McBride, a former librarian, started Naiad, lesbian literature consisted primarily of pulp fiction written by men whose protagonists generally ended up one of three ways: They married a man, went crazy or killed themselves.
Grier wanted to provide lesbian readers with stories that could help them lead happier lives.
"I have always believed that the best thing I might leave behind is a world in which any woman, anywhere, might say to herself 'I am a lesbian' and be able to go to a nearby store or library and find a book that will say to her, 'Yes, you are a lesbian, and you are wonderful,' " she told gay historian Jim Kepner some years ago.
Naiad published primarily romances and mysteries, but its top-selling book was the nonfiction "Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence" (1985) by Rosemary Curb and Nancy Manahan, which presented the accounts of 51 women, most of whom had been Roman Catholic nuns. It sold 500,000 copies and gave Naiad Press a national profile.
Born in Cincinnati on Nov. 4, 1933, and reared in Detroit, Grier was aware of her sexual orientation as a girl. When she was 12, she told her mother she was a homosexual — a word she learned from her physician-father's medical books.
Her mother, who came from a theatrical family, took an enlightened view of her daughter's declaration.
"Because Mother and I were always open with each other, I told her immediately," Grier said in the book "Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context" by Vern L. Bullough. "Mother said since I was a woman, I wasn't a homosexual, I was a lesbian. She also said that since I was 12 I was a little young to make this decision and we should wait six months to tell the newspapers."
When Grier was 18, she entered a long-term relationship with a woman 20 years her senior. They moved to Denver and later to Kansas City, Kan., where they both worked for the public library.
In 1957, Grier began writing a column for the pioneering lesbian magazine The Ladder. She became its editor in 1968 and publisher in 1970. When she tried to give the magazine a more feminist orientation, its benefactor withdrew funding and the publication closed in 1972.
She met McBride in 1971 and soon after ended her relationship with the older woman. They launched Naiad Press two years later with financing from a retired attorney, Anyda Marchant, and Marchant's partner, Muriel Crawford. The first book they published was a romance novel Marchant wrote under the pseudonym Sarah Aldridge called "Latecomer."
Forrest, who worked as Naiad's supervising editor from 1984 to 1994, said Grier and McBride overcame many obstacles, including homophobic printers and cover artists who refused to work for a lesbian press. But it gradually established itself as a major force, creating a market for lesbian writing, including Rule's classic "Outlander," a collection of stories and essays about the lives of lesbians.
Other specialized presses and bookstores emerged in the wake of Naiad's success, including Bella Books, the Tallahassee press that took over Naiad's inventory and authors when Grier and McBride retired eight years ago.
In addition to McBride, Grier is survived by two sisters, Diane Grier of Willard, Mo., and Penni Martin of Denton, Texas.
.Los Angeles Times...
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Barbara Grier dies at 78; co-founder of lesbian... more
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"Hayes writes, "In the past decade, nearly every pillar institution in American society - whether it's General Motors, Congress, Wall Street, Major League Baseball, the Catholic Church or the mainstream media - has revealed itself to be corrupt, incompetent or both. And at the root of these failures are the people who run these institutions... In exchange for their power, status and remuneration, they are supposed to make sure everything operates smoothly. But after a cascade of scandals and catastrophes, that implicit social contract lies in ruins, replaced by mass skepticism, contempt and disillusionment. In the wake of the implosion of nearly all sources of American authority, this new decade will have to be about reforming our institutions to reconstitute a more reliable and democratic form of authority.""Hayes writes, "In the past decade, nearly every pillar institution in... more
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Carole Ann Hope, 36-year-old math teacher at New Heights Middle School,Darlington, South Carolina, has been accused of engaging in sex acts with at least one of her male students.
Darlington County sheriff’s investigators arrested Carole Ann Hope, of 1105 Snyder Lane, Hartsville, in the end of the last month. She is charged with one count each of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and committing a lewd act on a minor, booking reports show. Arrest warrants from the State Law Enforcement Division accuse Hope of having sex with the 14-year-old boy at her Hartsville home and at a hotel in Horry County between March 1 and Oct. 31. One of the warrants says Hope met the teen while teaching seventh-grade math at New Heights Middle School in Jefferson.
According to the Chesterfield County School District, Hope has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation and a substitute has been placed in her classroom.
Horry County Magistrate Aaron Butler set a $10,000 surety bond — $5,000 for each charge — for Hope, who was released last week from J. Reuben Long Detention Center. SLED asked the judge to order that Hope have no contact, even through social media, with the alleged victim.
Hope’s next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 14 at 9 a.m. at the Darlington County Courthouse. She is scheduled to appear next in Horry County court Dec. 16.
http://femalesexoffenders.com/fso/index.php/the-news/447-female-teacher-accused-of-sex-with-14-year-old-boyCarole Ann Hope, 36-year-old math teacher at New Heights Middle School,Darlington,... more
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b2r
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Conan officiates the wedding of costume designer Scott Cronick & his partner David Gorshein in NYC. News stations everywhere put their own unique spin on Conan's same-sex wedding news. Congratulations Scott & David! You are awesome Mr. Conan O'Brien!Conan officiates the wedding of costume designer Scott Cronick & his partner David... more
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ARETHA FRANKLIN SANG “I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU” for the happy couple & their 670 guests, telling reporters, “Yes, I do,” believe marriage equality should be legalized nationally at Sunday night's mega wedding & reception for Bill White & Bryan Eure at NYC's world-famous Four Seasons restaurant.
White's the former head of the USS Intrepid Museum & was once-thought to be Obama’s next Secretary of the Navy. “Red, white & blue spotlights roved the building’s facade. Guests walked up one of 3 carpets—red, white or blue—flanked by 40 uniformed members of a Naval ROTC Honor Guard,” &, entering the restaurant, were greeted with songs by the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus.
Pronouncing the couple’s vows was Prop 8 lawsuit challenge co-counsel David Boies before former NY Gov. Patterson, former NYC Mayor David Dinkins, Barbara Walters, music mogul Clive Davis, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, & Oprah’s Best Gal Pal Gayle King.
White explained to reporters from “The New York Times,” “The Wall Street Journal,” & even “Women’s Wear Daily” that they meant the event to be as much a political statement as a personal celebration.
“We have each other; that’s the blessing we have from above,” Mr. White said. “There are a lot of people who can’t get married who love each other dearly, and we hope people see it’s not such a bad thing and it’s not hurting anybody.”
http://tinyurl.com/43rhvk9ARETHA FRANKLIN SANG “I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU” for the happy couple &... more
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LOrion
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The Mapuche defeated the Spanish Crown invaders, and do not recognize the border that Chile and Argentina have tried to impose. Presently, the struggle is focused on maintaining the identity as a people, and stopping the encroachment of multinational corporations in Mapuche ancestral territory. In an effort to increase profits, logging, hydroelectric, oil, mining, and tourist companies -among others- cause destruction and pollution on both sides of the Andes Mountains.
http://equalitynow.blog.com/2011/10/17/the-voice-of-the-mapuche-one-people-one-nation-undivided-by-the-andes/The Mapuche defeated the Spanish Crown invaders, and do not recognize the border that... more
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mab001
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