Gay Politics Report

Reading this on a mobile device? Try our optimized mobile version here: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/dKaHCfbwoceBdYdlenIT

June 22, 2012

A free twice-weekly news summary for the LGBT community

Top Story

GOP candidates fight to face Baldwin in Wis. race
A new poll in the Wisconsin Senate race finds openly lesbian U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin leading or tied with all but one of the four Republicans competing in the GOP primary. However, the candidate that Baldwin trails, Tommy Thompson, is facing political attacks from conservative groups. The former Wisconsin governor is well known in the state, which political observers say is helping his poll numbers, but his popularity could take a hit as the primary campaign heats up. Meanwhile, a group funded by the the Koch brothers, who are conservative billionaires, has launched a multimillion-dollar effort targeting Democratic Senate candidates, including Baldwin. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)/The Associated Press (6/20), Daily Kos (6/20), The Hill/Hill Tube (6/19)

Politics and Policy

Bipartisan group of Senators call for movement on ENDA
Nine members of a Senate committee with jurisdiction over the Employment Non- Discrimination Act are urging committee chairman Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to schedule a markup and vote on the legislation. ENDA would establish a federal ban on employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “Jobs and the economy must be the first priority for Congress, and the freedom to work is fundamental to getting all Americans back to work,” said Christian Berle of the group Log Cabin Republicans, which praised Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., for joining the call to pass ENDA. Washington Blade (6/19)

Catholics disagree over church role in marriage debate
Some Catholics who are fighting an attempt to ban marriage equality in Minnesota say they feel out of step with a church they otherwise admire, but polls find they are among a majority of Catholics who support the rights of same-sex couples to marry. Minnesota church officials contend their role in trying to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples via a constitutional amendment should not be seen as anti-gay. CNN/Belief blog (6/20)

Southern Baptists say LGBT rights are not civil rights
Southern Baptists, at their annual meeting this week, adopted a resolution stating the denomination opposes “gay-bashing,” whether through violence or rhetoric, but said it rejects the idea that LGBT discrimination is equal to race-based discrimination. “We deny that the effort to legalize 'same-sex marriage' qualifies as a civil rights issue since homosexuality does not qualify as a class meriting special protections, like race and gender,” the resolution said. MSNBC/The Associated Press/Reuters (6/20)

Obama preferred on social issues, poll finds
A new poll finds Americans trust President Barack Obama over Mitt Romney on social issues such as abortion and marriage by a margin of 52% to 36%. The poll also found that U.S. adults are nearly evenly split on the question of marriage rights for same-sex couples. Politico (Washington, D.C.) (6/22)

GOProud backs Romney for president
The board of conservative group GOProud has voted 4-3 to endorse Mitt Romney for president. Some gay and lesbian board members voted against the endorsement, according to this article. "At the end of the day, our board is united in our effort to defeat Barack Obama," said Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud's executive director. Metro Weekly (Washington, D.C.)/Poliglot (6/21)

Who will defend the Illinois marriage law?
A judge in Cook County, Ill., has combined two lawsuits seeking to overturn the state's ban on same-sex couples marrying, but it's unclear who will defend the law as both county and state attorneys have called the law unconstitutional. Chicago Tribune (6/21)

Key House Republican gives up fight over gay troops
Philly.com (Philadelphia)/The Associated Press (6/22)

Opinion

A new history of the LGBT movement
Rich Benjamin reviews “Victory,” a new book by Linda Hirshman that chronicles the American LGBT movement's remarkable progress from radical to mainstream. “Hirshman’s book, drawing from an arsenal of archival records, firsthand interviews, court documents and previous histories, is a sprawling account of juicy trysts, hushed political meetings, internecine movement skirmishes, sudden mutinies and activists turning personal humiliation into rocket fuel,” Benjamin writes. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (6/21)

Beyond Politics

Trans athlete takes shot at Olympic glory
Keelin Godsey failed to qualify Thursday for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in the women’s hammer throw event. Godsey, who identifies as male, would have been the first openly transgender athlete on the U.S. team. "I’ve still competed at a level that most people haven’t. I don’t want to let not making a team be what brings that down," Godsey said. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/London 2012 blog (6/20), The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/London 2012 blog (6/21)

Is the world ready for an out pro soccer player?
The first openly gay member of a professional soccer club is in for some pretty harsh treatment by both players and fans, according to Ellis Cashmore, a sports researcher. "It will be mean, nasty and wounding," Cashmore said. Still, fans will eventually accept any player who proves himself on the field, he added. San Francisco Chronicle (6/21)

Position Title	Company Name	Location
Senior Maternal and Child mHealth Advisor	United Nations Foundation	Washington, DC
Deputy Director of Development	Family Equality Council	Boston, MA
Financial Manager	Seattle Counseling Service	Seattle, WA
Legal Assistant	National Center for Lesbian Rights	San Francisco, CA
Director of Regional and Program Support	Equality Federation & Equality Federation Institute	Multiple Locations, United States
Director of Development	Worldwide Orphans Foundation	Maplewood, NJ
Communications Director	Freedom to Marry	New York, NY