On December 3, 2010, General James Amos testified that if DADT was repealed, the Marine Corps would step out smartly to carry out the new policy. On January 28, 2011, the Commandant and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps released this video to the Corps describing the way ahead.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Pentagon Announces DADT Rollout Plan, Short on Details, No Clear Timetable
The two military leaders gave very few specifics on the content of the training and throughout the proceeding their attitude was "trust us, we know what we're doing", which never sits well with me.
The plan, as outlined by Cartwright and Stanley is very short on details and seems to be very much like any corporate training session about tolerance for diversity in the workplace, that most of us have had to sit through. Commanders will be provided with "tool kits" consisting of Power Point presentations and "vignettes". The training is expected to begin next week and continue for ninety days. In response to specific questions about potential personnel problems, the two gave no specifics on how discrimination complaints might be handled, Stanley said there are "Already behavior and conduct standards out there... the standards are still valid."
There will be no protected class status and nothing specifically protecting gays and lesbians in the DoD's personnel policy. The two kept saying throughout that they would follow all legal guidelines. When pressed about the fact that there are no legal federal protections for gays, lesbians and bisexuals, the standard response was that all military personnel will be treated with equal respect.
A few specifics that came out at the press conference are that there will be no change in benefits or housing policies. Due to DOMA, there will be no recognition of legally married gay and lesbian couples or those in domestic partnerships or civil unions, for the purposes of housing, transfers, insurance or other benefits typically afforded to straight married personnel.
A reporter pointed out that there had not been any dismissals under DADT in the last ninety days and asked if this meant that a moratorium is in effect. Stanley clarified that there will be no moratorium on dismissals pending final implementation of repeal.
When pressed by reporters, he admitted that DADT dismissals currently under review could still result in separation from the armed forces. Stanley said that the process is more specific now on a case by case basis. He added that he was not saying there won't be more discharges, but said "there's just an extra level of review. It takes more time." He said that discharges are still possible, but gave no details on what the circumstances might be.
The proposed time line calls for training to begin in February and to continue for about 90 days. At that time, the certification process can begin, when Gates and Mullen are expected to sign off on repeal once they are satisfied that there will be no adverse effects to military preparedness or morale. After that, the president will sign off, then there will be a 60 day waiting period until full repeal. In the best case scenario, we could see full repeal by the end of the summer, however Cartwright and Stanley would not commit to specifics.
Related articles
Scuffle Breaks Out at Funeral of Slain Gay Rights Leader After Anti-Gay Remarks
During the funeral -- which was attended by about 300 people, including about 100 members of the country's gay community -- the pastor lashed out at homosexuality, provoking a strong reaction from friends of Kato.
"The world has gone crazy," the pastor told the congregation through a microphone.
"People are turning away from the scriptures. They should turn back, they should abandon what they are doing. You cannot start admiring a fellow man."
Gay activists, wearing T-shirts featuring Kato's face with sleeves coloured with the gay pride flag, then stormed the pulpit and grabbed the microphone.
"It is ungodly," the pastor shouted, before being blocked from sight.
"ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE US"
An unidentified female activist then began to shout from the pulpit.
"Who are you to judge others?" she shouted. "We have not come to fight. You are not the judge of us. As long as he's gone to God his creator, who are we to judge Kato?"
Locals intervened on the side of the pastor and scuffles broke out before he was taken away to Kato's father's house to calm the situation.
Villagers then refused to bury the body at which point a group of Kato's friends, most of whom were gay, carried his coffin to the grave and buried it themselves.
Uganda's anti-gay movement first made international headlines in October 2009 when a bill was tabled in the country's parliament proposing the death penalty for homosexuals who are "repeat offenders".
The bill was quietly postponed under international pressure, but rights groups fear it may pass after a February presidential election that President Yoweri Museveni is expected to win.
"I'm very upset," Julian Pepe, gay rights activist and a friend of Kato's who attended the funeral, told Reuters, her voice breaking with emotion.
"After we had read statements from everybody, including Obama, after all the nice things friends said about David, that this man could stand up and throw dirt at someone who should be resting in peace. It's just disgusting."
Friday, January 28, 2011
Suspect Arrested in Murder of Ugandan LGBT Rights Activist David Kato
The Ugandan civil rights activist was found bludgeoned to death in his home Wednesday, just three weeks after a Ugandan court ordered the tabloid Rolling Stone to stop publishing the names, addresses and photos of supposedly gay and lesbian citizens and to pay damages to the civil rights leader. Kato's information was displayed on the front page in October.
The crime is being treated as a robbery related killing. Reuters reports:
Kato was attacked at home and died on the way to hospital. Police said he had been bludgeoned to death with a hammer.Activist Pepe Julian Onziema, who worked with Kato, told Reuters, "David had faced so many threats in his area that he didn't feel safe anymore," Pepe said. "I don't know if the police are aware but they should investigate that before ruling out homophobia. He was too frightened to leave his house."
Police told a news conference in the capital Kampala that one man, Arnold Senoga, had been arrested in connection with the killing and that they were looking for another man, Nsubuga Enock, who had been staying with Kato after the activist bailed him out of prison on Monday.
"His homosexuality has not come up as an issue in the preliminary investigation," police spokeswoman, Judith Nabakooba, told Reuters.
"At the moment, we think theft is the most likely motive. Nsubuga Enock, who had been staying with Kato, was well-known for committing robberies and had almost been lynched in the area before."
French Court Rules Against Lesbian Couple in Fight for Marriage Equality
Liberté, égalité, fraternité ou la morte. (Liberty, equality, brotherhood or death) These words are the official motto of France and date back to the French Revolution. You see them engraved on public and government buildings all over Paris and throughout the nation that Americans think of as the epitome of class, sophistication and forward thinking. Not so fast.While many Americans assume that same-sex marriage is already legal in fancy-schmancy France, it isn't. French gay and lesbian couples can have a civil union, or pacte civil de solidarité and that will have to suffice for a while. A lesbian couple lost their battle for marriage equality today when the French Constitutional Court ruled against them in the bid for the right to marry.
The UK's Pink News reports:
France’s constitutional court upheld the ban on gay marriage today after a challenge from a lesbian couple.
Corinne Cestino and Sophie Hasslauer, who have lived together for 15 years and have four children, asked for the right to marry but were turned down by the Constitutional Council.
Ms Cestino and Ms Hasslauer have a PACS (pacte civil de solidarité) but argued that they should be able to marry.
“It is not so much about getting married but about having the right to get married,” Ms Cestino, a paediatrician, told Associated Press.
“So, that is what we are asking for: just to be able, like anyone else, to choose to get married or not.”
The couple also told the AFP news agency that marriage was the only way to ensure the protection of the children, should one of them die.
But the court ruled that the ban did not breach the French constitution and said it was up to parliament whether to change the law.
France has had PACS since 1999. The civil unions are available to straight and gay couples but do not give all the rights of marriage.
A survey published today by TNS Sofres showed that 51 per cent of respondents were in favour of gay marriage and 35 per cent were against.
In 2006, the same agency found that only 45 per cent of respondents agreed with giving gay couples the right to marry.
Seven European states – Norway, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden and Iceland – allow gay couples to marry.
Others, such as the UK and Germany, allow civil partnerships or unions.
A fight is currently underway in the UK to give gay and straight couples the right to choose either marriage or civil partnerships.
The Equal Love campaign, led by Peter Tatchell, plans to go to court this year.
New Music from P!nk: F**kin' Perfect (Music Video)
P!nk's latest music video, Fuckin' Perfect", takes on bullying and suicide prevention. Possibly not suitable for work due to language.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Statement by the President on the Killing of David Kato
President Obama released the following statement this afternoon regarding the brutal murder of Ugandan LGBT rights activist David Kato:
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David Kato. In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom. The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David’s work.
At home and around the world, LGBT persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate. In the weeks preceding David Kato’s murder in Uganda, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras were also murdered. It is essential that the Governments of Uganda and Honduras investigate these killings and hold the perpetrators accountable.
LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights. My Administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad. We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all."
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