Pass The Bridge Act: Student Led Rally at Rancho High

For Immediate Release PASS THE BRIDGE ACT NOW RALLY March 06 2017 When: Tuesday March 7th 2017 Time: 2:00 to 4:00pm Where: Corner of Bruce and Searles Organizers: Joanna Conchas Andrea Villanueva #PasstheBRIDGEAct #ToImmigrantsWithLove Advisors: Reuben D’silva rdsilva@interact.ccsd.net 7028097838 Derek Washington dwashington314@gmail.com 7026001089 Who: STUDENTS from Rancho High Andrea Villanueva: Student Activist Maria Rodriguez: Student Activist Jazmin Navarro: Student Activist Elias K. Williams: Student Activist What: The first Student led BRIDGE Act Rally in the country! Students from Rancho High School will hold a rally to urge the passage of the BRIDGE Act. The BRIDGE Act is a federal bipartisan legislation that would allow DREAMERS who received a temporary work permit through the DACA program, to continue living in the United States with permission from the federal government. #PasstheBRIDGEAct #ToImmigrantsWithLove +++

I 'm BAAAACK! Thanks a Lot 45 YOU made me get back into blogging!

I don't know if you are aware of it, but, we have a new POTYUS. He is a deranged sociopath. He is the Joey Buttafuco of presidents. Due to his insanity, I have returned to blogging and sharing news important to citizens (and those who want to be of our great country). Here's some links to his and his administration's craziness. Stay tuned! This is a COON: YOU gave your son. I got deferred 5 times. http://www.salon.com/2017/03/06/khizr-khan-gold-star-muslim-american-father-says-his-freedom-to-travel-abroad-is-under-review/ STILL with the #BowlingGreenMassacre ? http://www.salon.com/2017/03/06/white-house-announces-revised-travel-ban-cites-bowling-green-and-honor-killings-in-u-s/ See You Soon!

Is Obama The "Fierce Advocate" For LGBT Rights That He Said He Would Be?

Organizing for America Community Action Night / LGBT ISSUES

NOTE: This will be the first time that all three Nevada Stonewall Organizations will participate in a joint meeting using New Media.

We will be discussing the Pro-LGBT policies of the Obama administration since he took office in 2009.

Just a few policies that the administration has produced in the last two years:

http://www.democrats.org/people/lgbt_community/lgbt_equality_accomplishments_of_the_obama_administration

We hope you will join us either in person or online at:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/is-obama-the-lgbt-community-s-fierce-advocate-yes

Wednesday, March 16th
LGBTQ with Guest Speakers include Derek Washington, Chair Stonewall Democratic Club of Southern Nevada. Also speaking will be Angela Brooks, Chairman of Northern Stonewall. Chris Miller President of State Stonewall will be telling us about the upcoming Equality Days in Cartson City of which he is Co-Director along with him giving us an update on the pending LGBT focused bills working their way through the Nevada Legislature.

We will be broadcasting live on Ustream from 5-7pm

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/is-obama-the-lgbt-community-s-fierce-advocate-yes

WHERE:
OFA Headquarters
2475 S. Jones Blvd #7 Las Vegas, NV 89146
(NW corner of Jones and Sahara, by Taco Bell)

TIME:
5:00–8:00 PM
5:00–5:30 PM Mix & Mingle
5:30–6:30 PM Educational Portion
6:30–8:00 PM Action Portion


What is the Idea Behind OFA CAN?
Our intent for OFA Community Action Night is simple: Knowledge + action = activism. The first portion of each OFA CAN allows you to mix and mingle with fellow supporters. From there we learn about a particular legislative issue and then break up into small groups to immediately organize around the issue.

Every OFA CAN concludes by giving you time to take action on the spot! If you like writing letters to the editor/blogs or even just talking to other supporters, then this Community Action Night is for you! Please bring a laptop or pen/paper.

STONEWALL DEMOCRATIC CLUB OF SOUTHERN NEVADA STATEMENT ON DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ENDING DEFENSE OF THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT

LAS VEGAS -- Today US Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Department of Justice will no longer defend Section 3 of the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) because it is unconstitutional.

“After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President’s determination.” Attorney General Eric Holder in a statement issued today.

Stonewall Democratic Club of Southern Nevada applauds the decision, bravery and leadership of President Obama, Attorney General Holder and the Department of justice for standing up to the forces of hatred and doing what's right for all American people. We will continue to support the President in his efforts to make America the land that it was intended to be by our founding fathers. This is a country that embraces the diversity and supports the equality of all its citizens. We salute the President and celebrate his leadership.

“President Obama has repeatedly shown himself to be a true friend of America’s LGBTQ community. His repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the elimination of the pre-existing condition clauses in Affordable Care Act combined with this historic decision confirms SDCSN's support of President Obama; and we will fight hard to see him reelected in 2012."

-- SDSN Chairman Derek Washington

BEFORE YOU TALK ABOUT LGBT CIVIL RIGHTS, END LGBT SEGREGATION

How Are We Supposed To Have Our Own Civil Rights Movement When Segregation Is Part & Parcel Of The LGBT Experience?

By Derek Washington

It really makes me feel good that so many LGBT organizations seemed to be celebrating the Martin Luther King Jr Federal holiday the way it’s supposed to be done. His speeches and sayings are all over Facebook and Twitter. I’ve received dozens of emails from my nationwide network of LGBT friends and allies extolling King’s virtues. All of this is focusing on what the man stood and died for instead of a new movie opening 3 day weekend or a Macy’s clearance sale.

Makes me proud.

In theory.

I feel that the minute we in the LGBT community understand and embrace our current struggle as the modern civil rights struggle, we will have the nation’s hearts and minds. I think instead of trying to have Melissa Etheridge or the Indigo Girls come up with a new “soul stirring” anthem, we should just go with the tried and true, “We Shall Overcome” by Charles Albert Tindley.

The problem is that so very many LGBT media outlets and organizations may as well have a “Whites Only” sign outside their boardrooms and all of the other places they make the big decisions that affect us all.

Case in point: OUT Magazine puts out a yearly “OUT 100”. It should be called “The Kids Are All White.” With the exception of one or two faces of color, it seems that OUT has a real problem finding folks who are doing anything who aren’t White (male mostly). The few faces of color feel like someone said, “Uh, there’s no Black people (Latinos don’t even register, yet.).” So, someone gets a friend on the phone and voila, a couple of colored faces make the cut.

Thanks.

Here’s a story I tell all the time to illustrate how ridiculous the situation is here in Las Vegas. The following is a verbatim quote from a board member of the organization that puts on our “Pride” festival. “Derek, you’re the only one who is ever talking about diversity. You really need to give it a rest.”

Huh?

Our own Gay & Lesbian Center has NO people of color on its board whatsoever. When you walk into the Centers lobby all you see are poor and homeless people of color and the Transgender (Trans folk, see: Latinos above.) community. Yet, there’s no one on the board who has ANY idea of what it’s like to be a poor person of color. Needless to say, there’s no real outreach targeted at the African American community. When the subject is brought up the standard answer is, “we can’t find any.”

Have ya looked?

I am proud to be the Chairman of Stonewall Democrats of Southern Nevada. My one legacy that I hope carries on long after I’ve left this Mortal Coil is that upon becoming Chair, we went into our bylaws and found provisions that allowed me to appoint VOTING Outreach Directors to serve the communities that the LGBT leadership in Nevada had ignored for so long. Our board has Black, White, straight, Gay, Transgender (A first around these parts. Shameful.), Latino, young people and senior citizens. We have been so successful in diversifying that Stonewall is now attracting young straight Latino activists who want to be with an organization that doesn’t just talk about diversity.

At Stonewall, we have diversity.

And how did we get that diversity that no one else in town seems to be able to find?

We picked up the phone and called people. If the people we asked to join us didn’t have time, we asked for referrals. We are now the most diverse board of an LGBT organization is the state of Nevada.

It wasn’t that damn hard.

Stop making excuses and pick up the damn phone.

Btw, even though I am a nationally known Black LGBT activist, no LGBT organization here has ever asked me to serve or if I had any referrals.

I’m jes sayin’….

Until such time that we in the LGBT community locally and nationally start picking up the phone more often, we don’t have the right to call our movement the modern civil rights movement. We shant dare sing “We Shall Overcome.” We can’t overcome as long as huge portions of our “community” are routinely shut out of the very organizations that are meant to strive for equality for all of us.

Until no LGBT board dares use the tiresome excuse, “we can’t find any”, we have no right to invoke Martin Luther King in our struggle. Until LGBT media understands that people of color exist outside of stories on MLK Day and HIV stories, we don’t dare compare the LGBT movement to that of those who were beaten in Selma. Until our LGBT activists mention Bayard Rustin every single time they mention Harvey Milk, we can have no expectations of being anything other than a Queer Tower of Babel.

And we know how that ended up.

So my LGBT brothers and sisters in arms, do me a favor. YouTube the videos of the great civil rights marches and notice something. In every shot. In the front row. In every march and demonstration. In all of these events, the FRONT row is a Rainbow.
Let’s take a look at that and promise ourselves to strive for that Rainbow instead of the fictional one we fly now.

HOW I GOT INVITED TO THE DADT REPEAL SIGNING CEREMONY, OR, ROBIN MCGEHEE MADE ME FAT!

Many moons ago, I was a svelte-ish radio show co-host and Gay guy who mixed Plaids & Florals and dared anyone to question it.

Many. Moons. Ago.

Then one day as if he had the most innocuous statement to make, Christopher Allen Miller (he HATES that. Tee. Hee.) says to me, he says, "we should do an interview with this Lesbian from Fresno who is really pissed off and having a rally."

Lesbian. Pissed off. FRESNO. Rally.

Really.

I swear.

Needless to say, all I could imagine was short weeble like angry women who insist on use using gender neutral pronouns whilst telling me how the first Lillith Fair was the best.

As if.

So.

I took a look at my fave blog, Towleroad, and saw instead a cute Blonde chick with a sexy, husky voice. She gave a speech about how she was thrown off her kids PTA because she was openly Gay.

"I wanna tell ya all a story 'bout a Harper Valley Widowed Wife..."

Sorry. I'm so Gay.

Anyway.

We interview her and before I know it, Chris and I are sucked up into helping plan the National Equality March and I'm fighting with Cleve Jones over diversity and inclusion.

Never meet other people's hero's.

THEN.

Somehow.

I end up involved in Stonewall and I drag everyone I know into it with me.

Oh. Wait.

Along the way I introduced Senator Harry Reid to Dan Choi and he told us that he and the President were going to end DADT.

Ooops. Little detail.

So.

Harry goes up against the nutjob of all nutjobs. We work our asses off to get him elected and he keeps his promise and my bestest buddy at the White House (I never know if I can say his name) invites me to the DADT signing ceremony which NEVADA played a huge part in making happen.

I know. I know.

HOW DID ROBIN MCGEHEE MAKE ME FAT?

Because.

When you complain to Robin about something, she say, "fix it."

WELL.

For two years I have been sitting at a computer eating bacon wrapped bon bons, going to every political event to get Harry Reid elected, drank more cocktails than a Singapore Hooker (oops, "SEX WORKER") and eaten enough pizza to have once actually pinched out a large pepperoni and cheese!

Thanks a lot Robin McGeHee!

HELP REPEAL DADT NOW! A MESSAGE FROM SWISH!

Dear Friends and Allies of Swish,


Here we go! Senator Reid filed for cloture on the DADT stand-alone bill last night (and just to be clear - this is the passed House bill, not S.4023), and the first vote is scheduled for early

Saturday, after the vote on DREAM.



Just to be clear on how the process worked - Reid called up the bill, and did not need to file cloture to proceed with it because this is "privileged" legislation. The cloture petition was filed to enable the Senate to get OFF the bill - to vote on final passage. That petition needs to sit for 30 hours before a vote, so Saturday is our day. So, on Saturday afternoon, we'll have a cloture vote to enable us to get to a final vote (60 votes needed), and then the final vote could come as early as Saturday, or Sunday (simple majority needed).



So ... action alert time!! This is it - the last chance for all of us to weigh in with our senators before they take this vote.



The ask: Call both your senators and tell them to vote for the House bill to repeal DADT. Click to call the Senate or dial the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 and ask to be connected to your Senators.



The updated targets list:



--John Ensign (R-NV);
--George LeMieux (R-FL);
--Richard Lugar (R-IN);
--Judd Gregg (R-NH);
--George Voinovich (R-OH);
--Kit Bond (R-MO);
--Mark Kirk (R-IL);
--Kent Conrad (D-ND);
--Joe Manchin (D-WV).



Those key senators particularly need calls, but of course calls are needed to all 100 senators at this point.



Also, SLDN is arranging for servicemembers to sit in the Senate gallery in shifts until the bill is passed - if some of Swish members are interested in participating, please let us know ASAP!

Here's hoping our next communication will be full of joy and bliss!

With Love and Pride,

The Swish Gang:
Sue (NY), Jamie (NY), Jason (NY), HL (NY), Adrienne (Northern CA), Josh (DC)

And our partners at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN, Follow us on Twitter)