After a long debate, openly gay Marisa Demeo's confirmation to the D.C. Superior Court was official last night. Marisa Demeo was appointed by President Obama in March 2009, but heavy opposition from Republicans blocked her confirmation for more than a year. The vote fell on party lines 66-
Image via Google
32, but it finally gave her the majority needed to assume her new post. South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint led the opposition. He told the National Law Journal in February, “A number of Republicans had concerns and asked me, as chairman of Steering, to ask for limited debate and a recorded vote because of a history of very leftist activism. There are just a number of things that don't look like a fair-and-balanced approach that you'd like in a judge.”
Her appointment is a victory for the LGBT and Hispanic communities. She has worked hard to advocate for Hispanic causes and has a history of gay activism. She currently holds memberships in the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal.
It is no surprise that socially conservative groups, like Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), were none too thrilled with Obama's appointment. In a letter that was sent by TVC that was published Tuesday by ThinkProgress.org, the group wrote, "As an open, radical lesbian, Demeo has openly condemned the effort to amend our Constitution to protect marriage as a one-man, one-woman union...Demeo supports gay marriage, claiming it is a constitutional right. She also claims that LGBT individuals are equal to racial minorities and can claim protection as minorities under our civil rights laws.”
The Courage Campaign has launched, Fight Back New York, a political action committee that is dedicated to defeating politicians who voted against marriage equality in New York.
Target one: Hiram Monserrate
Monserrate represents the Queens neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, and Woodside. Monserrate was removed from office earlier this year because of a domestic violence and assault conviction, but instead of retreating into the political graveyard, Monserrate is running again for the seat. Fight Back New York is asking for your help to fund their campaign to hold the politicians who voted against marriage equality accountable, especially Monserrate.
If you're a Queens, NY resident, don't forget to go out and vote for José R. Peralta today. The Daily News shows public opinion for Monserrate down to a mere 15%, but this doesn't mean that you shouldn't go out and vote.
To show some more support for the cause, join the Facebook group.
The wife of Senator John McCain can be added to the ever-growing list of influential people who have posed for the NOH8 Campaign. She joins her daughter Meghan McCain in supporting marriage equality. Meghan will be the keynote speaker at next month's National Equality Week at George Washington University.
According to the NOH8 website: "Aligning yourself with the platform of gay marriage as a Republican still tends to be very stigmatic, but Cindy McCain wanted to participate in the campaign to show people that party doesn't matter - marriage equality isn't a Republican issue any more than it is a Democratic issue. It's about human rights, and everybody being treated equally in the eyes of the law that runs and protects this country."
Houston's first openly-gay elected official Annise Parker (D) has just become the first lesbian mayor of a major US city. The former City Controller beat former City Attorney Gene Locke (D) in a long awaited run-off election, today.
Although both candidates are Democrats, Parker was popular with voters because she has over 20 years of experience in politics and has a financial plan that, many believe, can help Houston in this difficult economic climate.
Unfortunately, Parker was subjected to numerous homophobic remarks during her candidacy. Conservative activist Steven Hotze sent out a mailer telling voters they should vote for Locke because Parker was endorsed by Houston's GLBT Caucus. Locke drew criticism for seeking the endorsement of Hotze, who is notorious for being anti-gay. [CHRON]
Assemblyman John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) has been selected as the next Speaker of the House in the California State Assembly. He is the first openly gay man to hold this position in the United States. This is the state assembly's top leadership position. Lawmakers think Perez will bring valuable assets to the table and will effectively combat California's economic troubles.
Perez served on the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and is a board member for the California League of Conservation Voters, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Latino Coalition against AIDS, the California Center for Regional Leadership, and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. In 2008 he was endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund. [HRC]
The first openly-gay mayor of Chapel Hill North Carolina was sworn in on Monday. Mayor-elect Mark Kleinschmidt stood with his partner, parents, and other family members as he swore on the Bible and repeated the oath given by the judge. Prior to his political career, Kleinschmidt worked tirelessly as executive director of the Fair Trial Initiative in Durham, where he tried to keep people from being executed by the state. Resulting from his experiences with issues like the death penalty, his approach to government is said to be much more sociological, working to uncover the root of societal problems, rather than putting Band-Aids on them. He will speak today The Michelangelo Signorile Show at 4:30 P.M. about his plans for Chapel Hill.
Not everyone is happy about Sarah Palin's upcoming visit to the nation's capital, especially the D.C. Theatre Collective. The group will be celebrating the end of the Palin book tour with a special performance titled The Palin Project, a theatrical reading of selections from Going Rouge: Sarah Palin-An American Nightmare.
The play features professional actors and an original script adapted from the book by two local anti-Palin activists. Created and produced by the D.C. Theatre Collective, The Palin Project promises not to be your average book reading.
Among other things, the Palin Going Rouge circus has proven that America’s “favorite” hockey mom isn’t going away – and the collective has something to say about it.
The first politically-appointed, openly-gay, Senate-confirmed ambassador in US history, David Huebner, was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden at the White House this afternoon. He is now the US ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. Huebner's longtime partner, Duane McWaine, attended the event.
Prior to this, Huebner worked as at the law firm Sheppard Mullin. Following the swearing-in, a party will be thrown in Huebner's honor, but he can't stay out too late. He's leaving for Wellington, New Zealand tomorrow morning to start work. (LGBTPov)
Yesterday, voters in Georgia elected Simone Bell to the Georgia State House. She will be the first openly-lesbian, African American state legislator in the US. Voters also elected Alex Wan, the city's first openly gay man and first Asian-American member of the council.
The Campbell City Council is expected to select Evan Low as their new mayor. Low is 26, Asian, openly-gay, and may or may not be single. He is currently serving as the vice mayor of Campbell City. For such a young lad he sure has been making waves in politics. So much so, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom declared June 5, 2006 "Evan Low Day."
PASSPORT was lucky enough to catch up with Low a few years ago:
You might not even notice Evan Low walking down the streets of Campbell, California, a suburban community of 40,000 in the heart of Silicon Valley, where Asian-Americans are the second-most populous demographic. Home to high-tech megaliths eBay and Netflix, Campbell is also one of the youngest cities in the Bay Area—the average age of residents is about 35.
Evan Low, however, is no ordinary suburbanite. Low, 23, made history last year when he became the first Chinese-American, openly gay, and youngest person to be elected to Campbell’s city council. Having earned endorsements from such political heavy-hitters as U.S. Congressman Mike Honda and California Assemblyman (and gay politico) Mark Leno (not to mention a throng of local and state officials) Low won one of the three open spots in the November 2006 election, after narrowly losing his first campaign two years ago. (Continue Reading)
Houston's first openly-gay elected official Annise Parker (D) has just become the first lesbian mayor of a major US city. The former City Controller beat former City Attorney Gene Locke (D) in a long awaited 
Assemblyman John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) has been selected as the next Speaker of the House in the California State Assembly. He is the first openly gay man to hold this position in the United States. This is the state assembly's top leadership position. Lawmakers think Perez will bring valuable assets to the table and will effectively combat California's economic troubles. 
Not everyone is happy about Sarah Palin's upcoming visit to the nation's capital, especially the 
The first politically-appointed, openly-gay, Senate-confirmed ambassador in US history, David Huebner, was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden at the White House this afternoon. He is now the US ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. Huebner's longtime partner, Duane McWaine, attended the event. 
Yesterday, voters in Georgia elected Simone Bell to the Georgia State House. She will be the first openly-lesbian, African American state legislator in the US. Voters also elected Alex Wan, the city's first openly gay man and first Asian-American member of the council. 
