Rep. Robert Andrews opens transgender protections hearing

On 26 Jun 2008, the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on transgender employment protections. Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ-01) is the subcommittee chair. The subcommittee heard testimony from transgender citizens, Members of Congress, and business leaders on the necessity of including gender identity protections in civil rights laws.

Other witnesses included Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI-02); Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA-04); U.S. Army Col. Diane Schroer (ret.); Diego Sanchez; William H. Hendrix III, Ph.D.; Sabrina Marcus Taraboletti; and Shannon Minter, Esq.

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Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) indicted

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) has been indicted on seven counts of making false statements on his financial disclosure forms. Stevens' most recent HRC scores have been 0, 13, and 0.

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House transgender hearing videos and transcripts available

On 26 Jun 2008, the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing on transgender employment protections. The subcommittee heard testimony from transgender citizens, Members of Congress, and business leaders on the necessity of including gender identity protections in civil rights laws. The video archive and testimony transcripts will be made available in subsequent postings.

Witnesses included Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI-02); Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA-04); U.S. Army Col. Diane Schroer (ret.), whose job offer from the Library of Congress was rescinded after she revealed that she was transitioning; Diego Sanchez of the Massachusetts AIDS Action Committee; William H. Hendrix III, Ph.D., chair of Dow Chemical's Gay, Lesbian, and Allies at Dow employee affinity group; Sabrina Marcus Taraboletti, who was fired from United Space Alliance, the prime contractor for the space shuttle program, after revealing that she was tranitioning; and Shannon Minter, Esq., legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ-01) is the subcommittee chair.

The entire hearing can be viewed here. The video lasts 01:54:05.

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Delaware Lieutenant Governor candidate blogs about Stonewall Democrats event

Matt Denn, Delaware's elected insurance commissioner, is running for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. As he notes on his blog this morning, he got some politicking and some family time in this past weekend:

On the Boardwalk

We are having one of our usual, hectic Monday mornings at the Denn household, so the weekend update today will be somewhat abbreviated.

Unquestioned highlight of the weekend: after visiting the State Fair in Harrington and the Stonewall Democrats annual fundraiser in Rehoboth, the boys and I headed to the boardwalk where they enjoyed a nutritious post-dinner feast of Thrashers fries and soft ice cream and several games of Whac-a-Mole. (Mrs. Denn stayed home to engage in similar recreational activities such as weeding the garden.) Because I knew that I was going to change the boys into their pajamas before we got into the car to head home, I didn’t spend too much time trying to clean the food off their clothes. So if you saw a guy last weekend in a Matt Denn polo shirt walking down Rehoboth Avenue with two three-year-olds whose faces and clothing were smeared with chocolate ice cream and french fry debris, that was me, and thank you for not calling social services.

He doesn't take the kids along to hypnotize undecided voters with their cuteness; but that's the result anyway.

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Roundup

♦ Labor unions are inexplicably ganging up on out congressional candidate Jared Polis, who is running for the Democratic nomination for Colorado's CD-02.

♦ Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA-05), a member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee that is reviewing Don't Ask Don't Tell, delivered a strong statement against DADT in yesterday's hearings.

♦ Numerous social issues will be on state ballots this year. Same-sex marriage is just one of them.

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Barney Frank slaps down Republicans over housing crisis

Today the House passed H.R. 3221, the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, with overwhelming Democratic support and substantial Republican opposition. The bill, which goes to the Senate and could be sent to the White House by next week, will provide relief for homeowners crushed under ballooning mortgage payments and gives the government more authority to shore up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

During floor debate today, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA-04) read the riot act to recalcitrant Republicans who were trying to stall the bill. Among other points that he made, he noted that he and other representatives had tried for years to reform housing laws but had been obstructed by the Republican majority. In this video, Frank is fiery, irritated, lucid, and unstoppable. As always.

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Poll of military personnel on gays in the military

Following are details of a survey of U.S. military personnel who are serving or who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan regarding their attitudes toward gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. The survey was submitted in December 2006 to the Michael D. Palm Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara by Zogby International. The Center specializes in studying Don't Ask Don't Tell.

26 ♦ percent of personnel who think gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military
37 ♦ percent of personnel who think gays and lesbians should not be allowed to serve openly in the military
37 ♦ percent who are neutral or not sure

47 ♦ percent of officers who think gays and lesbians should not be allowed to serve openly in the military

28 ♦ percent of personnel who say the presence of gays or lesbians in their unit has a negative impact on their personal morale
66 ♦ percent of personnel who say the presence of gays or lesbians in their unit has no impact on their personal morale
6 ♦ percent of personnel who say the presence of gays or lesbians in their unit has a positive impact on their personal morale

73 ♦ percent of personnel who say they are comfortable in the presence of gays and lesbians
19 ♦ percent of personnel who say they are uncomfortable in the presence of gays and lesbians

52 ♦ percent of personnel who consider themselves more tolerant than their peers on the issue of homosexuals in the military
11 ♦ percent of personnel who do not consider themselves more tolerant than their peers on the issue of homosexuals in the military

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