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REALLY Damn Lucky

I was cleaning out my office today and found a letter I had saved from my mom to her representative some years ago… Its things like this that make me feel SO lucky to have a family that is so wonderful and supportive. I still get choked up reading it… Just had to share

Tom – We’ve met a few times, most memorably at Amdahl corporation’s Good Government series talk and your activities with Amdahl and high school students. And, of course, I’ve voted for you consistently! 🙂

Now, I want to bend your ear and urge to hear my vote on gay adoption. My son is gay. He is also a very talented and responsible software engineer and manager at Apple Corporation. He is also a generous, moral, loving and giving individual… the type of individual who would be a blessing for any potentially adoptive child to have as a parent. However, because of ignorance, hatred, or other misguided reasons, he, and other gays, are continually lumped into groups of misfits, deviants, and others unsuitable for parenting. This stereotype not only is incorrect and hateful… and limiting to a gay individual’s ability to live well and without being an object of prejudice (and worse), but the stereotype also robs the community of a gay person’s ability to give. Adoption, with sufficient investigation of anyone’s qualifications and suitability, is a gift that an adult can give to a child in need. We, as a community, need these gifts.

I have been told that Rep. Steve Largent (R-OK) is planning on offering an amendment, perhaps as early as this evening (Tuesday),that would ban gays and lesbians from adopting in the District of Columbia. The amendment is to the DC Appropriations Bill (HR 2587). I strongly urge you to not only vote against this bill, but to use your influence to ensure that it is soundly defeated. You carry great influence in the House. Please use it here.

I’m so saddened to have to continually make sure my voice is heard about these awful anti-gay initiatives. I’m particularly disappointed at the extent to which the radical “religious right” seems to be disproportionately impacting the direction of the Republican party. However, I’ll stick to the issue at hand. Please tell Rep. Largent to stop – he’s dead wrong and we’re not going to tolerate his position.

Thanks for all you do.

Judy Abraham

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Oh Yea….

HAPPY PRIDE

Props for MSFT after all

So it seems Microsoft decided to do the right thing after all. In response to growing critism for backing off its support for state civil rights legislation, Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer said in a letter to employees “After looking at the question from all sides, I’ve concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda”. Its unfortunate that they didn’t do this in time to save the bill but better late then never. Thanks Steve! 🙂

Yet another reason

Its not like I needed another reason to avoid Microsoft Products – but they’ve given me yet another reason anyway.

In this article on theStranger it appears Microsoft has bowed out of supporting a bill which would guarantee basic civil rights (we’re not even talking marriage – just the basics) to GLTB folks in the state of Washington. After a meeting with between Ken Hutcherson (pastor of a church in the Redmond church near Microsoft’s headquarters) and a senior Microsoft executive Microsoft withdrew its support for House bill 1515. I have found a statement from Steve Blamer regarding this position thiat is interesting however i’m not buying it as articles such as this one seem to back the article in theStranger though in a more neutral way. Another very well put piece on this was this one by Nicole Brodeur.

There is plenty to debate here as to whether or not corporations should be supporting legislation which support their corporate policies and how this relates to their business but the fact remains that Microsoft has a history of political activity on any number of fronts and for them to choose this issue as an example of a change in their legislative policy strikes me as disingenuous. The fact of the matter is they put business interests and the interests of religious conservatives before human rights and any way you dice that its just wrong… it just is…

The bill was defeated in the state senate by 1 vote.

Gay in the Heartland

I heard a really good segment on NPR on the way to work today (yea – I know… on the way to work on SATURDAY… Don’t get me started).. The segment was called Gay in the Heartland and was done by a woman who’s lesbian mother lives in small town Kentuckiana (southern Indiana / Northern Kentucky). Its worth a listen.

Gay Repbublicans

While I was working this morning I watched a show on ‘Trio‘ called ‘Gay Republicans‘ .. Oh my GOD… This is one of those shows that had me yelling at the TV. I can completely understand standing behind some of the stated Republican values of smaller government (though they’re missing the mark), conservative fiscal values (though they’re missing the mark), fiscal responsibility (though they’re REALLY missing the mark), and national security (oh my GOD are they missing the mark).. Mind you I’m not saying these are unique to the Republican Party – this is just their schtick. So, while I might not agree with their policy on these positions, I can at least understand the goal and how gay men and lesbians would support it.

However, what AMAZES me is how some openly gay and lesbian people can be a part of a party that goes beyond not accepting them to actively attacking them and using gay issues as a blatant political tool to to win a campaign at the expense of basic civil rights..It just escapes me…I just heard a gay man actually say ‘The amendment states that marriage is between a man and a woman – it doesn’t say anything about excluding me’… What the FUCK?.. That is actually PRECISELY what it says. It states that the rights and privileges that government provides to heterosexual couples isn’t available to him (and me).. Mind you I’m not talking about religious marriage (if a church doesn’t want to marry me i’ll go to a different church) – I’m talking about civil marriage and the rights the government ties to that construct. Oh my GOD… There are actually people that agree with, not only writing discrimination into the constitution, but writing in discrimination against them selves… I just want to scream.. Do people REALLY hate themselves that much?? WOW…

Makes ya wonder if there were women who didn’t think they should be allowed to vote… Or African Americans who thought that slavery was justified…

Uggg.. Anyway… Just venting

(BTW – the show also did a good job of showing the other half of the log cabins that were forced to split with their party over this very issue… I was impressed by their take on the whole thing)