Morning Sweep

Breaking news: McCain has picked Sarah Palin, Gov. of Alaska, as his VP running mate. Palin is against same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

In his rousing speech last night in front of an estimated 84,000 people at Invesco Field, Barack Obama had this to say about gay marriage: "I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free from discrimination."

Gay City News has a great profile of Kevin Parker, the Brooklyn State Senator who is facing two primary challengers who are against marriage equality. The Pride Agenda has endorsed Parker for the Sept. 9 primary election.

Gay City also has more on the Williams Institute study that shows the majority of LGBT New Yorkers with families live in the outer boroughs.

Michelle Obama spoke at a LGBT convention delegate and media luncheon earlier this week. She praised openly gay Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, and emphasized her husband’s past and future plans for support for LGBT issues.

The only gay couple ever legally married in Iowa will soon celebrate their one year anniversary. Same-sex marriage was ruled legal for one day in Polk County, Iowa in August 2007, but Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan were the only couple able to make their union legal before a stay was issued by the court pending an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court. It’s unclear when a decision on the case will be handed down.

Gay Pride organizers in Birmingham, Ala. have sued the mayor for not allowing them to hang pride week banners on city property.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an interesting story about a policewoman who recently discovered she is intersex.

Police in a suburb of Toronto have set up a LGBT Hate Crime Hotline, believed to be the first of its kind in North America.

Morning Sweep

Del Martin, a gay rights activist who wed her partner of 55 years, Phyllis Lyon, on June 16 in the first legal same-sex marriage in California, died yesterday at age 87. Pam’s House Blend has reactions from supporters.

The New York Times editorializes that now that Obama’s supporters have spoken so highly of him and his positions, including those on gay rights, it’s time for him to be just as clear about what he stands for.

A new poll shows that the majority of voters in California (54%) oppose Prop. 8’s aim to ban marriage for same-sex couples, while only 40% support it. The same group is evenly split on whether they actually support the practice of same-sex marriage, however.

A new report shows that HIV is spreading in New York City at three times the national rate, with African Americans and gay men at the highest risk.

A total of 94% of Fortune 500 companies now provide workplace protections based on sexual orientation.

The Washington Post has a short interview with Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend.

The lawsuit over the wording of Arizona’s same-sex marriage ban amendment has been dropped. The ballot question will now fairly inform voters that same-sex marriage is already illegal in their state.

Report shows lesbian and gay families live in NYC's outer boroughs

Note to those who think being gay in NYC means you must live in Manhattan: You would be wrong.

This week the Williams Institute at UCLA issued a report that gives a detailed look at the lives of same-sex couples living in the five boroughs of NYC. The report’s primary author, Gary Gates, is the nation’s foremost expert on studying U.S. Census data to shed light on the demographic and economic makeup of the country’s lesbian and gay population. The report gives a city-wide overview and then looks at each borough separately.

From our perspective as advocates for marriage equality, the major take-away in this report is the strong message this sends to Assemblymembers and State Senators in the outer boroughs still making up their minds on where they stand on marriage for our families. The message is this: our families having access to marriage (and the protections New York provides with marriage) will directly benefit families in your districts. You have lesbian and gay constituents – a lot in fact – and they need marriage and the 1,324 rights and responsibilities it provides to keep their families strong. They are raising thousands of children who are depending upon you to provide their families with the protections only marriage can provide.

Here are some of the report's key findings:

• Same-sex couples live in every borough with 62% living in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island
• They are racially and ethnically diverse and in some cases, like in the Bronx, are more likely to be non-white than those in the Bronx who are different-sex married couples.
• Ninety-two percent (92%) of children being raised by same-sex couples live outside of Manhattan and nearly half of same-sex couples in the Bronx are raising children.
• Same-sex couples raising children are economically disadvantaged, having average household incomes between 7% (Brooklyn) and 36% (Staten Island) lower than their married counterparts.
• Same-sex couples raising children in the four outer boroughs are less likely than their married counterparts to own their own homes.

The New York Post got it right in its headline (for once) when it said: Gay-Parent Mecca. Chelsea? Nope. The Bronx!

Go here to look at the entire Williams Institute report and here to read our statement on the report.

Morning Sweep

Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention was all about New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who mentioned the fight for gay rights in her phenomenal speech last night.

The Wall Street Journal's "Numbers Guy" blog looks at the DNC's system of affirmative action when selecting delegates that are an accurate demographic representation of the country. According to these calculations, 6-8% of the delegates at the convention should be LGBT.

Three bloggers from Pam's House Blend are keeping us updated on all of the goings on (specifically relating to LGBT issues) at the Democratic Convention. So does Andy over at Towleroad.

The GOP platform includes a constitutional ban on marriage for same-sex couples, even though the party's presumptive nominee supposedly doesn't support such a ban.

The Williams Institute at UCLA released a census snapshot of same-sex couples living and raising children in New York City. We'll post more on that later.

The Oneonta Daily Star editorializes in favor of the decision by the Otsego County board to overturn the county treasurer, Myrna Thayne's attempt to ban married same-sex couples from receiving spousal benefits as county employees. Said the board's Republican Chair, "[what Thayne did was] wrong and it is wrong, period. Gay people get sick, too, and when they do, they need medical attention."

Cortland resident Kathy Gilleran is trying desperately to find her missing gay son who disappeared in Vienna, Austria last October.

Morning Sweep

Among the highlights of the Democratic National Convention last night was Mass. Senator Edward Kennedy’s remarks: "Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race and gender, and group against group, and straight against gay."

The new draft of the Republican Party Platform includes calls for constitutional bans on gay marriage and abortion, which McCain doesn’t support.

An Arkansas group has succeeded in getting a measure on the Nov. ballot to ban unmarried couples, including all same-sex couples in the state, from adopting or becoming foster parents.

Same-sex marriage opponents in Massachusetts have gotten the official go-ahead to begin petitioning to reinstate the 1913 law keeping out-of-state same-sex couples from marrying there. The group needs 33,000 signatures to get the measure on the 2010 ballot.

The city government in Sydney is attempting to crack down on homophobic violence in a historically gay neighborhood, but critics say their efforts are little more than a stunt.

Morning Sweep

LGBT groups are enthusiastic that Obama has picked Delware Senator Joe Biden as his VP running mate. Check out the LGBT blogosphere’s take here, here, and here.

The New York Times examines the lengths that some political bloggers have gone to in order to make it to the Democratic National Convention, including Pam’s House Blend’s Pam Spaulding and The Albany Project’s Phillip Anderson.

The Times’ Modern Love column tells the tale of a gay couple who decided to get married in California despite some hesitations.

The AP reports on the thousands of same-sex marriage foes who have mobilized in California in support of Prop. 8.

Organizers in Ca. aim to bring 1 million Catholics, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, evangelical Christians, Sikhs and Hindus together in support of Prop. 8. "What binds us together is one common obsession: . . . marriage," said Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Church, an evangelical congregation in La Mesa. Too bad the religions’ newfound common ground isn’t a little bit less hateful.

Arizona’s Secretary of State Jan Brewer wants to limit the state’s same-sex marriage ban proposition’s wording to keep voters in the dark about the impact of the proposed amendment. Although Ariz.’s laws already prohibit same-sex marriage, Brewer is trying to keep that info from being explained on the ballot.

Openly gay Australian diver Matthew Mitcham took home Olympic gold in the 10-meter platform competition.

Not surprisingly, some Hallmark store owners have already decided not to carry the new line of same-sex wedding cards.

Endorsements for the Sept. 9 Primary Election

The Pride Agenda announced today endorsements for the September 9 Primary Election and released a Primary Election Online Voter Guide.

We have endorsed five incumbants who have, time and time again, stood with and actively supported the LGBT community on several important issues, including the three bills at the top of our public policy agenda: marriage equality, GENDA and the Dignity for All Students Act.

Three of the endorsed candidates are from New York City, one is from Buffalo and one from Suffolk County on Long Island. Many elected officials who are friends of the LGBT community are not profiled in this voter guide because they have no primary opposition. They will be profiled in the General Election Voter Guide, which will be issued in October.


New York City:

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-WFP)

Assembly Speaker Silver is the incumbent for this seat, having served a total of sixteen terms in the New York State Assembly, with seven terms as Assembly Speaker. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and votes correctly on all of our issues. As Speaker, he has played a pivotal role in making sure LGBT legislation such as the marriage equality bill, Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, and Dignity for All Students Act has come to the Assembly floor for a vote. Under his leadership, the Assembly has also provided millions of dollars to fund the important work of community-based LGBT health and human services providers.

Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat (D)

Assemblymember Espaillat is the incumbent for this seat, having served six terms in the New York State Assembly. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and has voted correctly on all of our issues, specifically for marriage equality (June 2007), the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (June 2008) and the Dignity for All Students Act (2002-2008). He is also a co-sponsor of GENDA and Dignity for All Students Act.

State Senator Kevin Parker (D-WFP)

Senator Parker is the incumbent for this seat, having served four terms in the New York State Senate. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and votes correctly on all of our issues. He is also a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, and Dignity for All Students. His challengers are New York City Councilmembers Kendall Stewart, who is against marriage equality, and Simcha Felder, who is against marriage equality and has voted a number of times against pro-LGBT legislation in New York City, including a bill protecting transgender people from discrimination.


Buffalo:

Assemblymember Sam Hoyt (D-I-WFP)

Assemblymember Hoyt is the incumbent for this seat, having served eight terms in the New York State Assembly. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and votes correctly on all of our issues. He is also a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill, the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, and Dignity for All Students, and he has voted to secure millions of dollars in state funding for groups like AIDS Community Services, Gay and Lesbian Youth Services, Pride Center of Western New York and other programs that directly benefit LGBT people.


Long Island:

Assemblymember Philip Ramos (D-I-WFP)

Assemblymember Ramos is the incumbent for this seat, having served three terms in the New York State Assembly. He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community and had voted correctly on all of our issues, specifically for marriage equality (June 2007), the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (June 2008) and the Dignity for All Students Act (2002-2008) He is also a co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill and GENDA.