Rallies planned across the country on ruling over Prop 8

Hi there

These are the rallies planned, so far, across the country in response to the ruling over Prop 8. Please pass on to friends and lists so each rally has huge attendance and media coverage.

Rally/March in San Francisco - Beginning at 5pm with a rally at Castro & Market, at Harvey Milk Plaza, continuing with a March to SF City Hall with a brief stop at the SF LGBT Center along the way

Rallies in Colorado – Boulder County at 6:30pm at the Boulder Pride House (2132 14th Street, Bouder). Denver at the Colorado State Capitol Building at 6 PM. Contact colorado@marriageequality.org.

Rallies in Texas– Austin at City Hall at 5:30 PM.

Dallas at the Center Cedar Springs Road and Oak Lawn at 6 PM.

Denton at Courthouse Square at 5 PM.

Houston at City Hall at 5:30 PM.

San Antonio at City Hall at 6:30 PM.

Rally in Atlanta, GA - 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Corner of Piedmont Ave. and 10th. Street, Midtown Atlanta

Rally in Phoenix, AZ - 5:30-8pm - Cesar Chavez Plaza across from Phoenix City hall then March to Federal Court House

Rally In Palm Springs - 6:00pm - 8:00pm - Across from Palm Springs City Hall in the court House Parking Lot

Long Beach, CA - Community Rally: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Where: Bixby Park, Junipero & Cherry Avenue at Broadway Street

Rally in Mountain View, CA - 6-8pm - Mountain View Caltrain Station and City Hall

600 West Evelyn Ave

Rally in San Diego, CA - 6:00 p.m. at 6th & University

March - 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. to The Center

Community Town Hall - 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. at The Center (3909 Centre Street)

Rally in New York City, NY -7pm - New York City Supreme Court

60 Centre St.

New York, NY

Prop 8 Ruling to be announced tomorrow

Hi there

Whatever the ruling, we will be gathering for a rally/march or celebration/march at 5pm at Castro & Market, SF.. See you there..

Just got this:
On August 4, 2010, the court will issue its written order containing findings of fact and conclusions of law following the court trial held in January and June of this year. The order will be e-filed in the court’s Electronic Case Filing system, and will be immediately available thereafter through ECF and PACER. Visit www.cand.uscourts.gov for details on registering for PACER. There will be no court proceeding associated with the publication of the order.

A small number of hard copies will also be made available for public review shortly after the order is e-filed in the following locations:

San Francisco Courthouse: Clerk’s Office (16th Floor) & Press Room (18th Floor)

Oakland Courthouse: Clerk’s Office

San Jose Courthouse: Clerk’s Office

Lynn Fuller
Media & Public Outreach Liaison
United States District Court
Northern District of California
(415)522-4051

I don't know exactly when this will be released, anytime between 9am and 4pm. I'll keep you posted..


Time to get busy!!

Kelly Rivera Hart

We Can Make Better Use of Our Time

Hi there

Another of many rallies is being planned soon to protest one of our allies. Why? Who is behind all this negative press of people that have stood with us time and time again? What is the reason for getting the community all fired up to protest at the offices and homes of people on our side instead of protesting people who are not? These are questions we need to ask ourselves?

One protest is claiming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is turning a deaf ear to the need to save AIDS Drugs Assistance Program, or ADAP. This is far from true. Pelosi has been and continues to be one of the most outspoken, hardworking allies for the HIV community. She may not be perfect but who is?

“Effective drug treatments have improved both health and quality of life for thousands of Americans living with HIV/AIDS. However, many uninsured, low-income HIV-positive individuals still do not have access to these life-saving medications because they generally do not meet Medicaid requirements until becoming disabled by full-blown AIDS.

“Forcing people with HIV to wait for health care until their immune system is compromised by AIDS is bad health policy." House speaker Pelosi said in Nov. last year. She has been fighting for more AIDS services funding for over a decade. Why are we throwing her under the bus now?

How far are we willing to pressure our allies? Are we willing to protest so much that we may start losing allies? We should be radical,yes. We should be assertive for our rights, yes. But we have to be operating wisely and with all the facts.

"The AIDS Drug Assistance Program offers a lifeline to people who otherwise would be unable to pay for these new drugs. Research has shown that combination therapies are effective in battling the AIDS virus. We need to make these drugs available to all Americans who would benefit from them," Pelosi said.

And she hasn't just talked the talk. Pelosi has worked tirelessly to save the Ryan White Care Act time and time again. She's also been supportive, in the foreground and the background, for ENDA for ages. And she's been outspoken for repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act for years. Look at her voting record on votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=26732 to see for yourself.

So, why aren't we going after those that are not fighting for ADAP instead? What is going on that people are feeding more fuel to the fire for the republican party's quest to take Pelosi and President Obama down? Because, make no mistake, every protest and every die in will be used to the advantage of people running against these two leaders. Would we rather have the republican or tea party running the House and in the White House? Then we will really see inaction and disregard for healthcare, human rights and the LGBT community. Remember the Reagan years? Remember the Bush Sr years? And, we don't have to go too far back to remember the GW Bush years.

We may have the numbers for full equality right now, according to polls (by an uncomfortably slim margin since demographics are usually off give or take up to 10 points), but we don't have the political or financial clout. We have to keep our allies and gain more, not turn on the few that we have. Wouldn't it be a better use of our time to go after the people that are not supporting us and educate them? Why are we constantly preaching to the choir? This is pointless. And, if I keep helping my neighbor to my left and he keeps accusing me of not helping me, sooner or later, I'll help the neighbor to my right instead.. That's not losing compassion, that's just giving up on the ungrateful.

We need to keep moving forward, not backward. Yes, we do need to keep encouraging those that are fighting for our health and human rights. But we need to call out those politicians that truly are in the way of saving lives and getting rights.

thanks

Kelly Rivera Hart

Speak Up About Stigma

Hi there..

Got this about an important survey on stigma towards people with HIV/ AIDS. Please take it and pass the word on..

Your voice is needed today! GNP Plus, the Global Network of People Living with HIV, has developed a survey to collect information from people living with HIV globally about ways to measure stigma. This is an anonymous survey, meaning your name will not be connected to any information you submit.

Information will be compiled from many different countries to create an international map of priorities in addressing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. We believe this work is integral to creating a world that upholds the human rights and dignity of all people affected by HIV.

Right now, North America is the only GNP+ region that has not implemented the Stigma Index in any part of our region. The survey closes next Monday, August 2nd, and we've just learned that they need more responses from North America - especially from HIV-positive women and younger men. Please spread the word quickly, and take the survey today!

http://surveymk. com/s/GNP- PLHIV-Stigma- English

The survey is available in English, Spanish, Russian and French - links for the survey in all languages are available here and listed below:

blogs.poz.com/ sean/archives/ 2010/07/plwha_ input_needed. html

Please circulate widely.

Link to English: http://surveymk. com/s/GNP- PLHIV-Stigma- English

Link to Spanish: http://www.surveymk .com/s/GNPstigma Spanish

Link to Russian: http://surveymk. com/s/RussianSur vey1

Link to French: http://www.surveymk .com/s/GNPStigma French

Hi there..

In an article today, it was reported that yet another study showed the links between discrimination and the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Discriminatory laws contribute to spread of HIV/AIDS: report
Drew Singer at 1:15 PM ET

[JURIST] Laws criminalizing homosexual activity are contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the findings of a study announced Wednesday by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The study, "Legal environments, human rights and HIV responses among men who have sex with men and transgender people in Asia and the Pacific," commissioned by the UNDP and the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM), was presented at the International AIDS Conference held this week in Vienna. Among its findings were that laws against public disorder and vagrancy were often used exclusively against homosexual men and transgender people. Additionally, other legal provisions are used in an arbitrary manner to infringe on the rights of homosexuals, creating an environment where HIV treatment efforts are obstructed. Jeff O'Malley, Director of UNDP's HIV Practice elaborated:

Repressive legal environments institutionalize discrimination, limit funding and in effect obstruct the participation of men who have sex with men and transgender people in protecting themselves and their families, friends and communities from HIV. In the context of HIV and in the context of human rights, we must continue to vigorously defend and promote rights based HIV, health and development policies and programme responses - this necessitates working to remove punitive laws and discriminatory practices.

The report noted, however, that there is a rising awareness of the need to address this segment of the population among policymakers, leading to national strategies to deal with the growing problem.

I think it's much broader an impact.

As long as there are discriminatory laws in effect, making many of us feel, to some level or another, disempowered to take care of our health and our partner's health, some of us will continue to make unsafe choices. As long as we are told that we're not good enough, by the laws of the land and the religious and political leadership, we will feel less good about ourselves and more inclined to take chances that put us at risk.

When we grow up being told that what we secretly know we are is a hated and sinful people, we grow up with varying levels of self-hatred or shame. That is fed when we become young adults and start to fully grasp how many things are legally blocked from us being a part of, such as marriage, the military, equality and protection at the workplace or housing, or even healthcare. We constantly see images and messages showing that our love is the wrong love and that we are doomed to a lonely miserable life until we die and then go straight to hell.

A lot of us break through these deceptions and limitations and find our self-worth and rightful place in society despite inequalities. But a lot of us don't. And to some degree, we don't think highly enough of ourselves to always keep our safety and welfare in mind. That low self esteem is a huge factor in higher percentages of suicides and addictions in the LGBT community.

This is why we must change the laws and thinking that has us living as second class citizens. This is not who we are and this is not where we belong. We are a thriving, important and profound people with incredible contributions to the world. We must be able to know that, to foster that and to live that. Otherwise, every new generation will question their worth and find less value in their lives.

New Reports of Arrests of Queer Iranians

Hi there

This was sent to me from the Gay Activists Alliance International.. We have got to speak out against the brutality on our brothers and sisters around the world.

source: Iran Queer Railroad-

New reports of arrests of queer Iranians in the city of Shiraz, Iran.

On Sunday July 11th 2010, a private party in a suburb called Podonak was raided. The police lead the raid, accompanied by the volunteer moral militia (Basij) and revolutionary guard (Sepah). Reports vary, but we understand that between 17 and 19 people have been arrested and taken to the local intelligent service's detention centre on Modares Boulevard

Their police files are labeled "Gang of Faggots in Shiraz" and their homes have been raided and personal belongings confiscated by the police. They are to be tried today, in both the Revolutionary and the General Courts, Shiraz.

Since the raid, we have been able to confirm the names of 9 people who have been arrested and labeled as a "Gang of Faggots in Shiraz" and we do not have information about the rest of them.
We understand that the police are going to entrap more queers in Shiraz, Esfahan and Mashhad, and fear that more arrests might take place in the coming days. We advise Iranian queers to be extremely careful with their safety, and to be aware that phones in Iran can and are being tapped. Most queers in Shiraz have deleted their Yahoo IDs, profiles, facebook accounts and other cyber communication. We have heard rumors that a party has been raided in Esfahan, but have not yet confirmed this.

The Iranian authorities have a long record of arresting and torturing LGBTQ Iranians.

For example, in September 2003, in Shiraz, a group of men were arrested at a private party in one of the men's houses. They were held in detention for several days, where, according to one of the men, police tortured them to obtain a confession. They were tried for "participation in a corrupt gathering" and fined.

In June 2004, also in Shiraz, police arranged meetings with men through internet chat rooms. Once arrested, the men were repeatedly beaten and tortured, and sentenced to 175 lashes, 100 administered immediately. Since their arrest, police have subjected the men to regular surveillance and periodic arrests.

On May 10, 2007, eighty-seven men were arrested and beaten by the police at a birthday party in Esfahan. The police turned off the lights, shot blanks from their guns, forced everyone to lie on the ground, then walked over to them and began beating them. The police then covered the guests' heads with bags or blouses, forced them out into the street and pushed them with batons into a military transport. The people who witnessed the event on the street reported that the clothes of the arrested men were torn and that their faces were bleeding.

On the July 8, 2010, Mohammad Mostafai, an Iranian lawyer announced that three of his four clients were cleared of sodomy charges, but one, an eighteen year old youth named Ebrahim Hamidi, was sentenced to be executed.

Also on June 18, 2010 we received reports from Iran regarding three more possible death sentences for homosexuality, one man receiving 74 lashes for his homosexual act and the murder of a 23 year old bisexual man by the Iranian security forces.

These many incidents are just some of the many examples that reveal the extent to which the walls of private homes in Iran are transparent and the halls of justice opaque. It also reveals that the authorities and Islamic government's respect for privacy and personal dignity is nonexistent in Iran.

We at IRQR call on the Iranian government to end these arrests of LGBQ Iranians and to respect the basic human rights of its citizens.

Arsham Parsi

Executive Director

Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees

National AIDS Strategy Announced Today

Hi there..

This is info on the announcement from the White House on the first National AIDS Strategy.

Over the past three years, we have been fighting together for a National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Today, it will be launched by President Obama.

We invite you to join us in ensuring the Strategy becomes a tool for HIV Prevention Justice.

TODAY: The press conference launching the Strategy (2 pm Eastern) will be a live webcast from the White Housecomplex at WhiteHouse.gov/live. Join us for a LIVE BLOG at www.preventionjustice.org DURING the webcast to share your thoughts, analysis, and ideas. President Obama will also speak on the Strategy via live webcast at 6 pm.

We have been told by numerous people involved in the creation of the strategy that we MUST "hold their feet to the fire" on implementation. If we agree that the Strategy has key elements that reflect human rights and principles of HIV Prevention Justice, you can rely on the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance to join together in action to demand implementation and monitoring. Thus, we will make sure you have all available materials to help analyze and act on the Strategy.

Below, you will find the information for:

- TODAY's live web broadcast and the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance Live Blog of the Strategy launch (as well as the link for watching the President's address on the Strategy at 6 pm ET).

- resources for evaluating the Strategy and/or leveraging its release for local use.

- an invitation to a conference call sponsored by the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy.

- the New York Times story from yesterday's paper with leaks from the Strategy itself.

As the Strategy launches today, know that it was your dedication, passion and voices that demanded its creation.And know that we must stay in the fight if it is to succeed. Our thanks to you, and our invitation to move forward together.

Yours in the struggle,

David, Dazon, Julie, Pat, Waheedah, Walt and all of us at CHAMP and the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance

1) TODAY: webcasts and liveblog:

On Tuesday, July 13, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and White House officials will unveil the Obama Administration's National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Watch the presentation of the plan online atWhiteHouse.gov/live at 2:00 p.m. ET. Open another web browser window and join the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance Live Blog at the same time at www.preventionjustice.org.

Later, President Barack Obama will deliver remarks at a White House reception honoring the HIV/AIDS Community. The President's address can also be viewed online at WhiteHouse.gov/live at 6:00 p.m. ET.

2) How to get the Strategy, and tools for evaluating and leveraging it:

From the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy:

On Tuesday afternoon, the Strategy will be posted online at: WhiteHouse.gov/ONAP. To help prepare community members for the announcement, the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy developed this Guide to Communicating about the Strategy, which offers ideas on how to leverage the plan to garner local and national attention for urgent issues in our communities. Other helpful resources include the Gender Monitoring Toolkit and Report Card developed by a coalition of groups to evaluate and monitor the Strategy from a human rights and gender perspective. Moving Beyond the Status Quo summarizes the recommendations of an independent working group to improve chances the Strategy is effective. Other community recommendations for the plan are posted at nationalaidsstrategy.org.