Morning Sweep

Obama is expected to announce an end to the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban during a signing ceremony for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act scheduled for today.

David Mixner shares his experience at the signing ceremony for the hate crimes bill.

Argentina may become the first Latin American country to legalize marriage for same-sex couples.

Morning Sweep

Yesterday's signing of the the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act enacts one of many campaign promises the Obama administration has made to the LGBT community.

Moonhawk Riverstone, a former Pride Agenda Board Director, writes a letter to the editor in the Albany Times Union on the lack of attention paid to the transgender component of the hate crimes bill, which will protect the entire LGBT community.

Many of those testifying against marriage for same-sex couples in D.C. focused on claims that lesbians and gays "choose their lifestyle."

Morning Sweep

Some community leaders in Queens are encouraged by the recent passage of the hate crimes bill.

The New York Times highlights the importance of the fight for marriage in Maine. If the referendum doesn't pass and marriage is upheld, it will mark the first victory at the ballot box on this issue - 30 states have voted to ban marriage for same-sex couples, but none have yet voted to uphold it.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci is urging voters to cast their ballot against the referendum.

A growing number of LGBT asylum seekers are arguing before U.S. immigration courts that anti-LGBT violence and threats in their home countries make it too dangerous for them to return.

An interesting visual analysis of public polling data on marriage equality and other LGBT issues suggests in many states, "legal and policy responses (whether from the legislative or judicial branch) lag behind much more liberal popular opinion."

Scenes from the 2009 Fall Dinner

Last Thursday was our 18th annual Fall Dinner, the Pride Agenda’s biggest fundraising event of the year. With more than 1200 supporters in attendance, we had a great mix of donors, activists, elected officials and celebrities.

The night kicked off with our hilarious emcee, Margaret Cho, who kept us laughing with her colorful sense of humor!

We then heard from Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle, who reminded us that in regards to the marriage bill:

“…the time for making cases is past. The time for petty partisan finger pointing is past. The time for lame excuses, for botched maneuvers and simple, plain old foot dragging is past. The time to get this bill to the floor of the New York state Senate is now. The time for the state Senate to acknowledge our existence is now the time for us to hear our lives - our lives! - debated on the floor of the New York state Senate is now."

We had a great musical performance from actor, singer and activist Alan Cumming, with Lance Horne leading the band.

Our keynote speaker was U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, who spoke about his experiences fighting for equal rights for LGBT people on the federal level. He praised the Senate for passing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act earlier that day, and pledged to continue to work on reform for our community, including repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Part one of his speech is below:

(Click here for Part 2).

We also welcomed special speaker Governor Paterson, who pledged to put the marriage bill on the Senate’s agenda as soon as it comes back for its extraordinary session.

Part one of his speech is below:

(Click here for Part 2).

Finally, we honored the Hathaway family – actress Anne, her parents Gerald & Kate, and brothers Thomas and Michael, as well as Michael’s husband Joshua Lawson.

As the recipients of our 2009 Douglas W. Jones Leadership Award, the Hathaways are an inspiring example of the important role that families play in our movement.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make the Fall Dinner a success!

(Photos courtesy of Doug Meszler and Steve DiMaio).

Morning Sweep

Sorry for our absence...we've been recovering from the 2009 Fall Dinner! We'll recap the event in an upcoming post. Now, on to the news:

Gov. Paterson has stated that he wants to bring the NY Senate back for a special session on November 10, and he has promised to put marriage on the agenda for this session.

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed the U.S. Senate on Thursday and is set to be signed into law by President Obama tomorrow. Read the Pride Agenda's statement on the bill passing here.

A panel of justices in New York County's Supreme Court ruled last week that a transgender person seeking judicial permission for a name change should not be required to furnish medical documentation supporting the change.

At a town hall meeting at the LGBT Community Center in NYC on Sunday, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand spoke on many issues important to the community, including same-sex marriage, DADT, ENDA, immigration reform and gay persecution in Iraq.

The New York Times writes more on the U.S. district court's refusal to grant a request by backers of the Prop. 8 campaign to dismiss the federal lawsuit against the ban.

Supporters of marriage for same-sex couples in Maine have raised more money than their opponents, but polls are still predicting close results on the Nov. 3 referendum.

More than 250 people will testify for and against marriage equality in D.C. Council hearings.

The federal Housing and Urban Development Department has announced that it is developing regulations to ensure that LGBT people aren't denied access to federally subsidized housing based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The HUD will also commission a first-ever nationwide study to determine the extent of anti-LGBT discrimination in housing sales and rental programs.

Morning Sweep

The Buffalo Common Council held a public hearing yesterday to discuss a proposal to create a citywide domestic partnership registry.

NY Rep. Jerry Nadler and VT Sen. Patrick Leahy urge Congress to pass the Uniting American Families Act, which would allow LGBT Americans to sponsor their non-citizen same-sex partners for permanent residence in the U.S. An estimated 36,000 bi-national same-sex couples would be affected by this law.

A new bill introduced by CA Rep. Pete Stark called the Every Child Deserves a Family Act would seek to prevent bias in adoption and foster care by restricting federal funds for states that discriminate against LGBT applicants.

The Vatican is taking steps to make it easier for Anglicans who are uneasy with their church's acceptance of female priests and openly gay bishops to join the Roman Catholic Church.

No More Waiting - Pride Agenda launches our first-ever click-to-call campaign

This week the Pride Agenda launched our first-ever click-to-call campaign to connect LGBT New Yorkers and their allies directly to their Senators' offices with just a few clicks of the mouse. The time is now to reach out to Senators and let them know that our community won't stand for inaction on the marriage bill any longer--we demand a vote on the vital protections of marriage that our families need and deserve. Click the graphic below and you'll be prompted to enter your information so you can be matched with your Senate district. The service will then call the phone number that you enter and patch you directly through to your Senator's office so that you can tell them you expect them to vote on marriage equality. It's that simple!

Your phone call will only take a few minutes of your time, and calling your Senator is one of the most important things you can do to help win marriage equality before the end of this year. Even if you have called your Senator before, please take the time to do it again now. Keep up the pressure and let Senators know that New Yorkers won't wait any longer for equality!