Tell the President to allow same-sex partners of federal employees to receive health benefits

As the New York Times reported on Thursday, “two judges of the federal appeals court in California said that employees of their court were entitled to health benefits for their same-sex partners under the program that insures millions of federal workers.” But, citing the “Defense of Marriage Act,” the federal Office of Personnel Management has instructed insurers not to provide the benefits ordered by the judges.

President Obama is now faced with a choice — to uphold the benefit ban or keep his campaign promise to enforce equal rights. Last year, in a letter to San Francisco’s Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, he reaffirmed his support for providing federal equal rights to same-sex couples:

“I am proud to join with and support the LGBT community in an effort to set our nation on a course that recognizes LGBT Americans with full equality under the law. That is why I support extending fully equal rights and benefits to same-sex couples under both state and federal law.” – Senator Barack Obama, in a letter to the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club, March 2008

President Obama now has the opportunity to keep his promise and allow the federal government to provide health benefits to all same-sex partners and spouses of federal employees.

Please sign on to this letter to President Obama IMMEDIATELY!

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Obama Administration Takes Stand on LGBT Rights at the United Nations

(by Michael A. Jones, change.org, 19 February 2009)

By many accounts, President George W. Bush’s interaction with the United Nations was nothing short of an embarrassment, whether it was in how the Bush administration pitched the Iraq war to the international community, or how it nominated firebrand John Bolton to be the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, or in how the Bush administration joined with Sudan and Saudi Arabia to vote against a UN statement calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality.

While Sudan and Saudi Arabia may have been the company that the Bush administration wanted to keep at the United Nations, that’s no longer the case under President Obama. Especially when it comes to the issue of LGBT rights. According to UN Watch, the United States has signed on with a number of other Western countries to a proposal that would condemn discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of the United States’ reputation improving in this world.

The official proposition, which was introduced as part of a review conference on racism and xenophobia in Geneva, Switzerland, is worded:

“…Recognizes that experiences of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance are aggravated and intersect with discrimination on grounds including sexual orientation and gender identity, and condemns all forms of discrimination and all other human rights violations based on these grounds.”

That proposal caused a number of anti-LGBT countries to go ballistic, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Nigeria. But for a change, isn’t it nice to see the United States actually falling on the side of equal rights? Kudos to Obama and to his UN Ambassador, Susan Rice, for beginning to change the tide of how the U.S. will respond to LGBT issues in the global community.

Obama appoints gay fundraiser to White House role

Bernard to be liaison for National Endowment for the Humanities
By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade | Feb 18, 3:48 PM

President Obama has appointed a gay man who helped raise funds for his presidential campaign to a role in the White House, according to a Democratic source.

Jeremy Bernard was appointed as White House liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities this week, the source said. Bernard’s new role means he’ll serve as the primary point person between the White House and NEH, a government agency that provides grants to research and programs in the humanities.

Bernard worked with his partner, Rufus Gifford, to raise millions of dollars through their company, B&G Associates, for Obama’s campaign in California. Last month, Gifford was tapped to become the new finance director for the Democratic National Committee. Bernard, a Los Angeles resident, also helped in fundraising efforts for freshman U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). A superdelegate at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August, Bernard was pledged to Obama.

Bernard worked for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and in 1999, then-President Clinton appointed Bernard to serve on a presidential advisory committee at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Bernard and Gifford were honored last year by Out magazine, which ranked the couple at No. 32 on its annual list of the “50 most influential gays.” Bernard could not be immediately reached for comment.

Honor the New Day with a Lincoln for MERI

In honor of the historic inauguration of Barack Obama and a renewed hope for all Americans, please donate $5 to Marriage Equality Rhode Island.

The next four years will be pivotal for MERI and for the country. While we push forward to win marriage equality here in Rhode Island, we hope to see the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of an inclusive Hate Crimes Bill.

As Pres. Obama is sworn in using the Lincoln Family Bible, renew your commitment to marriage equality by donating “a Lincoln” to MERI.

DONATE NOW