Department of Justice Hires Attorney Matt Nosanchuk as LGBT Liaison

Towleroad reports:

UPenn law professor Tobias Wolff, who served as chair of the national LGBT policy committee for the Obama campaign, sent an email to associates last night announcing that gay attorney Matt Nosanchuk has been hired for the Justice Department as a liaison to the gay community.

Nosanchuk Wrote Wolff: "I am pleased to pass along the news that Matt Nosanchuk has been hired as Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Department of Justice. Matt served as one of the leaders of the LGBT policy group from the first days of the Obama campaign. He is a respected out gay attorney and public policy advocate whose previous positions include serving as counselor to Senator Bill Nelson of Florida and doing significant policy work on gun control. In addition to his other duties as Senior Counselor to the Assistant AG, Matt will be the front office point person on LGBT issues for the DOJ Civil Rights Division."

This is good news.

Early in office, Obama's administration decided not to have an LGBT liaison, a position past administration's used with varying success, but at least it existed. Obama passing on a liaison proved to be a mistake.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) angered the LGBT population by filing a brief back in June comparing marriage equality to incest. Many said this could have been avoided if a liaison had existed and had objected to the filing, which apparently hadn't even been reviewed by Obama or raised any red flags in the administration before the brief was filed.

Yesterday, the DOJ attempted to make slight amends by stating in its newest filing that it thought DOMA was discriminatory and called for its repeal. However, many said it wasn't enough since it was still defending the law.

Though Nosanchuk won't by an administration liaison, working for the DOJ will still hopefully prove beneficial. Several LGBT DOMA lawsuits are working their way through the federal court system, among others. The DOJ has shown that its in dire need of Nosanchuk - hopefully they can avoid anymore mistakes, mistakes that could give ammunition to LGBT opposition and can be costly to LGBT equality.

VIDEO: Brad Pitt Emphasizes Support for Marriage Equality, Tells Opponents, "Let's Stop the Nonsense."

Last week, Brad Pitt appeared on the Today show and once again stated his support for marriage equality. On Friday, he spoke on Real Time with Bill Maher and went into more detail, calling for those who oppose marriage equality to "stop the nonsense."



Transcript thanks to Towleroad.

Said Pitt: "You know, I grew up in a religious family, in a religious community and it just doesn't make sense to me. It just doesn't work for me in the long run. I never wanted to step on anyone else's religion and their beliefs -- that's what's great about our country -- until I started seeing it defining policy. ... Like gay marriage, you have a group of people telling other people how to live their lives, and you can't do that....I just say you have to, you really have to check what country you're living in because the freedom that allows you to practice religion is the same freedom you're stepping on. That's not right. And I want to add that if there was a nation of gay married couples who were telling you you couldn't practice your religion, I'd be speaking up for you too. So, let's stop the nonsense."

I like how the show gave Brad Pitt the title of "activist" rather than actor. With all his work in helping restore New Orleans as well as his political drive for equality in many facets of society, I would have to agree with that description.

You're not just any pretty boy. Keep up the good work, Brad.

Maine Becomes Marriage Equality Ground Zero As Campaign Funds and Accusations Increase

This November Maine is considered ground zero for the marriage equality struggle since its residents will be the first in the nation to vote on same-sex marriage since Proposition 8. With the vote only a few months away, the campaigns on both sides of the issue are kicking into high gear as not only more money flows, but accusations as well.

On Friday, Equality California (EQCA) launched a fundraising drive in which it will match donations to the NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign up to $25,000.

The Human Rights Campaign, gave $50,000 to NO on 1, on top of $25,000 it gave earlier, totaling to $75,000. HRC has committed to donating yet another $50,000 soon, resulting in $125,000 in total donations.

These "outsider" donations angered Stand for Marriage Maine, the anti-marriage equality campaign orchestrating the "people's veto."

"Stand for Marriage Maine's (SFMM) opposition has constructed a glass house, claiming their campaign is being orchestrated by Mainers, not special interest groups from away," the campaign said. "The Equality California announcement would seem to roll a boulder right through that glass house."

The popular Maine newspaper, the Kennebec Journal, pointed out the hypocrisy in SFMM's statement. In talking to Mark Sullivan, spokesman for NO on 1, it reported, "Sullivan noted that Stand for Marriage Maine had already received more than $200,000 from out-of-state groups, according to campaign finance reports filed last month."

One of those groups happens to be the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), well-known for its anti-marriage equality stance and responsible for the widely mocked "Gathering Storm" ad. They donated over $100,000.

This didn't escape the notice of Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate, whose mission has to been to investigate the role of the Mormon Church behind Proposition 8. It has claimed that NOM is a front for the church.

Karger sent a letter Maine election officials, and in a press release titled "Warning of Money Laundering by National Organization for Marriage (NOM) & Others," he states:

The organization trying to overturn Maine’s same-sex marriage law, Stand for Marriage PAC recently turned in 100,000 signatures to place the question on the November ballot. These gay marriage foes hope to repeal LD 1020 -- the law passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor allowing same-sex marriage in Maine.

Of the $343,689.50 raised to pay the Brighton, Michigan based National Petition Management, Inc. to collect the signatures, only $400, or a mere .001 of that total came from individuals. The remaining $343,289.50 was given by various religious organizations and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family. The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) gave nearly half of that total, $160,000. The remainder came from Catholic organizations ($150,000) and James Dobson’s Focus on the Family ($31,000).“It sure looks like they are trying to hide the donors in their latest effort to strip away marriage equality,” said Fred Karger. “ There is no way these organizations like NOM and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland had all this money sitting in their treasuries (except for possibly Focus on the Family). They went out and raised it expressly for this campaign. It’s very expensive to hire these signature gathering firms to collect 100,000 signatures in a short period of time.”

Read the letter to Maine's election officials.

"We certainly don't take much of it very seriously," Marc Mutty, chairman of Stand for Marriage Maine's executive committee, told the Kennebec Journal in regards to Californians Against Hate's accusations. "We are frustrated at the fact that it's yet one more distraction."

Mutty went on to say that he sees Karger's actions as just a way of blurring the issues on marriage equality.

Election officials have taken the letter as a request for an investigation, and the state's attorney general's spokesperson indicated assistance would be given to the ethics committee if an investigation is warranted.

Find out how you can get more involved in protecting marriage equality in Maine, no matter where you live, at the NO on 1 campaign website.

NOM "Traditional Marriage" Picnic in Rhode Island Is Met with Protests from Marriage Equality Supporters

With Rhode Island being the last state in New England to not legalize same-sex marriage, or recognize any same-sex union for that matter, the anti-marriage equality National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has set its eyes on keeping it that way.

This past weekend, NOM held a "traditional marriage" picnic in Warwick, RI, officially titled "First Annual Celebrate Marriage and Family Day," the same event that large chain Tim Horton's backed out of sponsoring last week after it learned what NOM was all about. About 20 to 30 marriage equality protesters stood at the front gates of the Aldrich Mansion, a Catholic Diocese property, with signs that read, "Please, don't define my marriage" among others.



NOM president Maggie Gallagher appeared at the event and gave the following speech.



For the past twelve years, marriage equality bills have been introduced and killed in Rhode Island. This past June, a bid to give same-sex partners the right to make funeral arrangements for their loved ones also died.

However, in May, a Brown University poll showed 60% of Rhode Island voters support a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, with 75% supporting civil unions. Only 31% flatly stated they would oppose a marriage equality law.

With Governor Carcieri being a member of NOM (though he did not attend the picnic) and the state legislature not wanting to reflect the desires of its constituents but more rather the powerful Rhode Island Catholic Church, both marriage equality supports and opponents don't see marriage equality making it to the state any time soon.

ACTION: Go to Marriage Equality Rhode Island to see how you can get involved with their efforts to bring marriage equality to the state.

BREAKING NEWS: Department of Justice Changes Tone in Brief Filing; Believes DOMA Is Discriminatory, Supports Repeal

The Department of Justice, in a brief filed this morning related to the Smelt case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, the same case in which earlier the DOJ infamously compared same-sex marriage to incest, stated clearly its stance against DOMA.

"With respect to the merits, this Administration does not support DOMA as a matter of policy, believes that it is discriminatory, and supports its repeal. Consistent with the rule of law, however, the Department of Justice has long followed the practice of defending federal statutes as long as reasonable arguments can be made in support of their constitutionality, even if the Department disagrees with a particular statute as a policy matter, as it does here."

Sounds like the backlash brought on by the DOJ's earlier filing had its intended effect, though minor compared to calls that the DOJ not defend DOMA at all. No longer will the DOJ rely on past thinking and offensive strategy used by the prior Bush administration, nor submit language by rote. In this new day and age of Obama and the rebirth of the LGBT rights movement, they cannot get away with what was said before. But shouldn't our "fierce advocate", President Obama, act on precedent set by past administrations who did not agree with specific federal laws and not defend DOMA, which he finds "abhorrent"? I think so.

Many others agree. John Aravosis of America Blog, who was one of the DOJ's and Obama's loudest critics when they first filed the nasty motion in support of DOMA, stated today:

"I guess this is a step in the right direction. I don't want to fail to praise the administration for doing better, but to some degree the only reason this is "good" is because of how "bad" they did on the previous brief. In the end, they're still defending a discriminatory law that the president himself has called 'abhorrent.'"

Joe Solmonese, HRC's President said "It is not enough to disavow this discriminatory law, and then wait for Congress or the courts to act. While they contend that it is the DOJ's duty to defend an act of Congress, we contend that it is the administration's duty to defend every citizen from discrimination."

Equality California, who has successfully lobbied many acts of legislation in California, issued this statement from its Executive Director Geoff Kors.

“Although we are pleased that the Obama Administration has stated that DOMA is discriminatory and that same-sex couples are as good parents as heterosexual couples, we are troubled by the Obama Justice Department saying that discrimination based on sexual orientation does not raise serious constitutional issues and that such discrimination is rational,” Kors said. “Discrimination against same-sex couples is never rational, and laws that discriminate must be reviewed carefully to ensure that the majority’s animus toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is not the motive.”

President Obama issued this statement on the case:

"Today, the Department of Justice has filed a response to a legal challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, as it traditionally does when acts of Congress are challenged. This brief makes clear, however, that my Administration believes that the Act is discriminatory and should be repealed by Congress. I have long held that DOMA prevents LGBT couples from being granted equal rights and benefits. While we work with Congress to repeal DOMA, my Administration will continue to examine and implement measures that will help extend rights and benefits to LGBT couples under existing law."

This specific brief that was filed supports the argument that the Smelt case should be dismissed since they argue the federal court lacks jurisdiction over the claims being filed, but should rather be in a state court, and that the Plaintiff's claims lack legal standing.

However, the DOJ dismisses many of the conservative's arguments about keeping DOMA in place because it protects children

"The United States does not believe that DOMA is rationally related to any legitimate government interests in procreation and child-rearing and is therefore not relying upon any such interests to defend DOMA's constitutionality."

DOJ Motion to Dismiss Smelt

VIDEO: The Great Nationwide Kiss-In Gives Equality and the Nation Thousands of Big Kisses

This past Saturday, the Great Nationwide Kiss-In took place across the country with thousands of LGBT and allies demonstrating PDA, or in layman's terms, public display of affection.

"If you had told me one month ago, that on August 15, 2009, thousands of people would come together in over 55 cities, across the United States and Canada, to stand together and kiss for equality, I would have said, 'impossible!'" exclaimed lead organizer David Badash, who blogs at the New Civil Rights Movement, in a message sent to participants and those who helped make the event possible.

"In just a few short weeks, you accomplished something almost impossible, changed hearts and minds, stood to represent equality for millions of people, spread love across the world, showed people that everyone has the right to kiss their loved ones, regardless of gender, and proved that peaceful displays of love can be farther-reaching, more powerful and meaningful than protests and hate," David gushed with enthusiasm.

"Yesterday, despite so many incredible challenges, hardships, and barriers, you made a decision to step outside of yourselves, and, for the good of all people, stand together, kiss, and say to the world, "A kiss is just a kiss" - but don't ever try to stop me from kissing the one I love!"

David announced that they plan to make this an annual event.

Below are some fun videos taken from around the country at kiss-in events.

Chicago (See pics!)





San Francisco



Denver



Santa Monica, CA



San Diego



Report from:
San Diego
Salt Lake City
Denver
Normal, IL
Battery Park, NY
MSNBC

Photo by Michael Lehet

California Assembly To Hear Testimony On Resolution Supporting Uniting American Families Act (UAFA)

Crossposted with Lez Get Real.

The California Assembly Judiciary Committee will be hearing testimony on AJR 15, a California resolution to support the federal Uniting American Families Act (UAFA).

The resolution, introduced by Assembly Member Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and co-sponsored by Equality California (EQCA) and Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE), formally requests that the US Congress pass and that President Barack Obama sign the Uniting American Families Act. Under current federal law, American citizens are permitted to sponsor an opposite-sex spouse. LGBT partners do not have the same right and are specifically excluded even if married under State law, sue to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA which defines marriage as between a man and a woman only). The UAFA would extend this basic right to committed same-sex couples, who can prove they are in a committed relationship.

More specifically, the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA, H.R. 1024, S. 424) is a U.S. bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by permitting permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the same manner as spouses of citizens and lawful permanent residents and to penalize immigration fraud in connection with permanent partnerships.

Binational same-sex partners suffer enormous hardship due to this inequity in the law. In April this year a case received national attention; Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado, from Pacifica California were granted a reprieve when Shirley’s deportation was in effect stayed for the duration of this 111th Congress. A Private Bill from Senator Feinstein was introduced and will have to be reintroduced each new Congress, unless it is voted upon.

But that is a private bill – how can we obtain private bills for all the LGBT binational couples? The only recourse is UAFA and that is why Tuesday’s assembly resolution hearing is so significant. It would be California’s way of saying – …”you have to give all Americans the same rights regardless of relationship orientation. ” It would also hopefully send a message to Senator Feinstein who has not yet signed on as a co-sponsor of UAFA; and hopefully those who are signed on and all advocates will stop hanging their hats on the yet to be seen, maybe to happen, mega issue of comprehensive immigration reform. We must push NOW for UAFA.

So much talent has been lost to our State because so many of our Californians have had to leave home to be with their partners.

Amos Lim, founding Board member of Out4 Immigration, noted “It is important to get California on record as supporting the passage of Uniting American Families Act because our state has the highest number of same sex binational couples living here. According to the studies conducted by Williams Institute, there are about 30% or 10,000 binational couples living here and our representative needs to take a stand for equality and pass this important bill.”

I for one believe that UAFA must move faster and could if it was given enough attention. Now is imperative because it has a lot of support in Congress and the momentum could be there as a result of heightened advocacy and visibility. The Uniting American Families Act had its hearing in DC and now California want to see it happen.

The community is very grateful for the hearing next week and California representatives are urged to vote in favor. It is simply the right message to send to DC.

Notably. Senator Barbara Boxer is a Co-sponsor of UAFA/ and Senator Dianne Feinstein is not.

PRESS: On-site interviews will be available : Providing testimony :

Melanie Nathan, of Marin County and a Commissioner on the Marin County Human Rights Commission who could not Petition for Israeli partner for residency in the U.S. interviews nathan@privatecourts.com

Gina Caprio cannot Petition for British partner for residency in the U.S

Alice Kessler, Government Affairs Director, Equality California

Santosh Seeram-Santana, Legislative Advocate, Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality

Amos Lim, Founding Board Member and Treasurer, Out4Immigration

When: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 9:00 AM

Where: State Capitol, Room 4202

Blogged by MELANIE NATHAN, CEO of Private Courts, Inc. Consulting, mediation & private advocacy ; motivated by injustice, I blog about family law/mediation, politics, news and LGBT equality and anything that ‘tickles my fancy.’ Otherwise blogging as O-blog-dee-o-blog-da. Websites and blogs include: http://www.privatecourts.com; http://www.divorcemediators.us; http://www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com