From David Mixner's Blog

From David Mixner's Blog


Three Governor Races Crucial To Marriage Equality
By David Mixner
Copyright By David Mixner
Sep 15 2010
http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/09/three-governor-races-crucial-to-marriage-equality.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29


As the elections loom near, it is important to focus on our most important races. There are three gubernatorial contests that are crucial to the path of marriage equality this fall. If the Democrats win these three races we will be very close to marriage equality in all three states. Please give your valuable resources in time and money to these candidates.

Minnesota: In large part because of the excellent work of Jake Reitan, Democratic candidate for governor Mark Dayton has come out fully for marriage equality. With the Democrats comfortably controlling both legislative bodies and their leadership for marriage equality, this state moves right up the ladder for marriage equality forces. On the Republican side of the race is "Target " backed Tom Emmer who has been vocally anti-LGBT rights. You should strongly support the candidacy of Mark Dayton.

California: The Proposition 8 Court Case is at the heart of this battle for governor. Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown has refused to appeal the victory for the LGBT community. Republican candidate Meg Whitman not only voted "yes' on Proposition 8 but says she will appeal Judge Vaughn Walker's decision. Does any more need to be said? You should strongly support the candidacy of Attorney General Jerry Brown.

Maryland: This state is not quite as clear cut as the other two states. Democratic Incumbent Martin O'Malley (photograph) this past week came down heavily in favor of marriage quality. If we can keep both houses of the legislature in this border state, it is not out of the question we might have a shot at marriage equality with some progressive Republican support. The Republican candidate is former Governor Robert Ehrlich2005 who vetoed a domestic partnership bill that had passed the legislature. You should strongly support the candidacy of Governor Martin O'Malley.





Julianne Moore Does Video For Marriage Equality
By David Mixner
Copyright By David Mixner
Sep 15 2010
http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/09/julianne-moore-does-video-for-marriage-equality.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29



In The New York Times on Monday of this week, New Yorkers for Marriage announced a major ad campaign for marriage equality. The first video was of Oscar-nominated actress Julianne Moore appealing to the best instincts of New Yorkers and asking them to support full equality for the LGBT community.

Brian Ellner (photograph), the head of New Yorkers for Marriage announced other celebrities would be participating in this campaign. Such New Yorkers as Whoopi Goldberg, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rev. Al Sharpton will be making videos for release.The New York Times said:

The ads were the brainchild of Mr. Ellner, a former Bloomberg administration official and a one-time Democratic candidate for Manhattan borough president. They will appear first online and later on television, closer to a vote on the gay-marriage bill, organizers said.

Mr. Ellner, who is overseeing the group’s same-sex marriage push in New York, said that “polls show there’s broad-based support for marriage equality in this state, and this campaign is the first in a series of efforts that will put faces to that support.






Senator's Gillibrand and Udall To Attorney General Holder: Don't Appeal DADT Case
By David Mixner
Copyright By David Mixner
Sep 15 2010
http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/09/senators-gillibrand-and-udall-to-attorney-general-holder-dont-appeal-dadt-case.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29



Dear Mr. Attorney General,

We are writing to bring to your attention the recently issued decision of Judge Virginia A. Phillips of the United States District Court of the Central District of California in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States, which declared that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) underlying law violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of due process and free speech, thereby rendering DADT unconstitutional. In light of important national security concerns, we respectfully request that you, in your capacity at the Department of Justice, refrain from appealing this decision or any permanent injunction which may be granted against this law in the near future.

The following quote from the judge’s decision captures the overwhelming reason why the decision should stand: “Among those discharged were many with critically needed skills … Far from furthering the military's readiness, the discharge of these service men and women had a direct and deleterious effect on this governmental interest.” As one of many criteria that the Justice Department will examine in deciding whether to appeal a potential permanent injunction to this policy, we ask that you examine whether or not an appeal furthers a legitimate governmental interest. We would say any appeal does not.

Additionally, DADT harms military readiness, as well as the morale and the cohesiveness of our armed forces, at a time when our military’s resources are strained and unity is critically important. For every person discharged after ten years of service, six new servicemembers would need to be recruited to recover the level of experience lost by that discharge. This not only weakens our military, but neither is it an effective use of our government resources or taxpayer monies.

President Obama, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, have all publicly advocated for the repeal of this harmful law. There is no legal or military justification and not one shred of credible evidence that supports continuing the discriminatory DADT law, and considering the guidance of the commander-in-chief and the nation’s top two defense officials, we urge you to refrain from seeking an appeal. The federal court decision was a step in the right direction, and we are confident that the Senate will take the ultimate step by voting this fall on the fiscal year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act to permanently lift the ban on gays in the military. Although we understand that only action by Congress can bring real finality to this issue, we believe an appeal of the recent federal court decision could set back those congressional efforts. Therefore, we request your assistance in ensuring that we can eradicate this discriminatory law permanently and urge the Justice Department to choose not to appeal any court decision that would keep this law in place.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D- NY) and Senator Mark Udall (D-CO)





What A Fine Election Day!
By David Mixner
Copyright By David Mixner
Sep 16 2010
http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/09/what-a-fine-election-day.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29



Victory Yes, it was marred by a bunch of total looney birds getting Republican nominations around the country. There will be plenty of time to write about those characters. As a gay man I have to sit back and enjoy a really good election day for the LGBT community. We had very important victories around the country and it is sure nice to feel good about an election.

In Rhode Island, openly gay Mayor David Cicilline won the Democratic nomination for Congress. While the mayor does have a real race in the fall, we have a real opportunity in this district to pick up our fourth LGBT Congressperson. He did it the old fashioned way by running the city of Providence in an extraordinary manner that gained the respect of voters around the state. The win was a big one for the Victory Fund. (Photograph of Cicilline and Victory Fund President Chuck Wolfe.)

In New York, three organizations went all-out to send a powerful message to our enemies in the New York legislature. Fight Back New York, Empire State Pride Agenda and New Yorkers for Equality worked hard to defeat those that lied to the community when it came to the marriage vote. Last night more legislators felt the wrath of the community for their deception. Especially in Buffalo where we were handed a sweet victory. The combined efforts sent the incumbent (over two decades in legislature) packing to retirement. The margin was huge. Our candidate defeated the anti-LGBT incumbent with 63% of the vote.

For example in this race, Fight Back New York sent out over 147,000 pieces of mail and created and ran a very effective radio ad. Good job, everyone.

Finally in Maryland, it appears after yesterday's primary that we will have a grand total of seven LGBT legislators.

All in all it was a very fine day.





Hell's Kitchen Journal: The Pain of AIDS
By David Mixner
Copyright By David Mixner
Sep 19 2010
http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/09/hells-kitchen-journal-the-pain-of-aids.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29


Haring This week there was a show on Oprah that sent me into a spin. Wishing I could change the channel, I was riveted as part of the "decade of darkness" unfolded before my eyes again. In celebrating her last year, Oprah returned to a Williamson, West Virginia where she had originally filmed a town meeting on HIV/AIDS in 1987. A young man with HIV had decided to take a swim in the town pool and set off a storm of protest, hate and anger. That hate, anger and sheer viciousness of the town folks were captured live.

Anyone who lived through those times and watched this show remembers it well. And how I wish I never watched it this week. Even writing this column, I am struggling to remain focused and share with you feelings that have been so suppressed for over 15 years.

The years between 1980 and 1995 were years of such contradictions. I call them the 'dark years' of my life. On one hand I lost over 300 friends to HIV/AIDS, gave 90 eulogies for young men mostly under 40 years of age and lost the gay men in my life who I loved deeply. My story is not unique. Anyone in the LGBT community who made it out of these dark years has their own trail of tears. At the same time, never have I seen more individual courage and a community more determined to live and be free in the face of massive hatred, discrimination, anger, violence and governmental criminality.

Like Nero, our leaders fiddled as we died. Undertakers would not bury us. Dentist and doctors would not treat us. Some hospitals refused us entrance and others insisted on a separate HIV/AIDS section. People stopped inviting us to their homes, Those who did, would serve us dinner on paper plates while giving the rest of their guests china. We were blamed publicly and often for bringing on this disease to ourselves because of our "disgusting, shameful and repulsive lifestyle choices." Insurance companies refused to cover us initially since it was a "self inflicted" disease. Home healthcare workers refused to walk into our homes.

Most of us were only in our 20's and 30's and just couldn't believe what was happening to us. Leaving the period of hope and dreams of the 1970's into a time of total darkness and feeling very, very alone. Weekends became Saturday morning funerals and Saturday night disco to dance the pain away.

The other day I was having a very casual conversation about the 'dark years' just rolling off the statistics and a glimpse into those times. The young man asked me, "How did you get through those horrible times of death and hopelessness? How can you laugh now?" My respond was a simple "We had no choice. We just did it. Our very lives were at stake." And then I shared stories with him of the unbelievable courage by both members of the community and our straight allies. We never became victims.

What I didn't share with him was the intensity of what those years really were about for me. The prime of my life, my 30's and 40's were spent fighting this disease, taking care of my friends and burying them. Never was there any let up. One would be buried and then that afternoon we would visit others in the hospital. Taking our break to get away from it, we would encounter intense hate, discrimination and lack of love in the outside world. Oprah's West Virginia show reminded me of the intensity of that hatred.

What I realize now is that for the last decade and a half as I grow old without my gay male friends from youth, I have taken those years, put them in a neat little box inside of myself and refused to allow anyone to open it. Watching Oprah reminded me the importance of living for now and leaving that damn box alone. It is just too damn awful and painful to relive.





Changing the 14th Amendment Is Changing Our Future Greatness
By David Mixner
Copyright By David Mixner
Sep 20 2010
http://www.davidmixner.com/2010/09/changing-the-14th-amendment-is-changing-our-future-greatness.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DavidMixnerCom+%28DavidMixner.com%29


How come all these dangerous looney birds on the right wing who desperately preach their reverence for the Constitution of the United States always are the first ones to want to change it? The radical right is filled with righteous indignation on how they want to return to the principles that our 'founding fathers' meant by the original Constitution and what, according to their skewed view, has been lost in America.

Of course, unless the reading of those constitutional principles means protection for the powerless, free speech, separation of church and state or the right of gays and lesbians to get married. Then they want amendments tailored to fit their values and principles to the exclusion of all other Americans. Instead of a pluralistic society, they are claiming sole ownership of that document and it should be changed to meet their narrow beliefs.

We have seen them over the last years push for the Federal Marriage amendment to the Constitution which would be the first time in history that our Constitution would specially exclude American citizens from the rights and benefits granted all other Americans. Over and over again, the demented wing nuts have returned in a desperate attempt to stop the inevitable tide of history by manipulating our Constitution.

Now they have a new target. Using the wave of fear and anger over undocumented workers in this nation, they want to change the 14th amendment so a child born on American soil is not a citizen if their parents are not citizens. No longer would an American be considered someone born in America. Recently, my sister sent me an article that listed all the people who historically would have been denied citizenship if these folks are successful in changing our Constitution. Take a look at this partial list and be reminded once again how dangerous it is to play with our Constitution.

1. George Gershwin
2. Henry Ford
3. Walt Disney
4. Frank Sinatra
5. Colin Powell
6. Ray Bradbury
7. Ralph Nader
8. Larry King
9. Eugene O'Neill
10. Groucho Marx