GLBT Equality, Highs and Lows

The next congress under the new president could be a banner session for equality for the GLBT community. I've had a peek at the portion of the proposed Democratic Party Platform to be presented at the convention that deals with equality, and here are some highlights.

• A united, comprehensive strategy on ENDA that includes both sexual orientation and gender identity.
• An end to the failed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy
• Security in adoption rights for all caring parents
• More inclusive Census reporting
• Passage of Hate Crimes legislation
• A National HIV/AIDS strategy
• Opposition to the "Defense of Marriage Act" and similar initiatives
• Opposition to voter ID laws which unfairly target transgender voters

At the same time, I am a little dismayed that the American Family Ass. is continuing its campaign of deception and hate by asking for a boycott of McDonald's because of their support for diversity. Thanks Tom, for alerting me to this.

McDonald's was a sponsor of the Out & Equal Summit which offered diversity training and such to corporate types. American Family Ass. claims that the summit's "primary purpose is to train employees how to aggressively promote homosexuality within the company they work for..."

No, they promote tolerance and understanding. Here is some of what Out & Equal says on their website:

"We advocate building and strengthening successful organizations that value all employees, customers and communities."

"(We) champion safe and equitable workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people."

So, McDonald's chooses to value all of its employees and American Family Ass. says "No, discriminate against those who are different."

American Family Ass. is living in a parallel universe, where the bigotry and hatefulness of the 1950's that was directed at African Americans in this country still exists, with new targets, the GLBT members of our society. They are a hate group and should be recognized as such.

This is a comment I posted on a previous post that gives examples of their hatred:

This is hatred:

Scott Lively, California chapter director of the AFA, is co-author of a book titled, The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality and the Nazi Party, in which he claims that “homosexuals [are] the true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities.” Lively makes explicit links between his claims about the Nazi party and the modern gay equal rights movement, claiming that “From the ashes of Nazi Germany, the homo-fascist phoenix has arisen again, this time in the United States.”

This is hatred:

From their website, a page called Homosexuality in America: Exposing the Myths (I refuse to link to a hate group):

Among homosexual lifestyle and sexual practices are included: "sex with boys... eating and/or rubbing themselves with the feces of their partners... urinating on or in their partners... sadomasochism... bondage... sex with animals."

What a bunch of lying propaganda.

Why the Southern Poverty Law Center has not named AFA as a hate group I do not understand.

Time for a Big Mac and fries.