Rod 2.0:Beta #gay #news #lgbt #gaynews

Joan Garner Elected 1st Openly Gay Member of Fulton Co. Commission

History is made in Atlanta as the Victory Fund-endorsed Joan P. Garner, an openly lesbian African-American, won her run-off election for a seat on the Fulton County Commission. Because no Republican or independent candidates qualified for the November ballot, Garner effectively becomes the first openly LGBT member of the commission.

Garner will represent District 6, which is downtown Atlanta. Garner won 64% of the vote against 36% for challenger Keisha Waites, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  "I am both humbled and honored that my friends and neighbors in District 6 gave me their vote of confidence," Garner said last night. "I look forward to serving as their voice in the Fulton County government."

Garner boasts more than two decades in politics and non-profits, most recently serving as president and CEO of the Historic District Development Corporation, a nonprofit that facilitates the preservation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic District.  "Garner also served on the transition team of Mayor Maynard Jackson, who later appointed her as a senior advisor on gay and lesbian issues," writes Project Q Atlanta. "That appointment was the first high-level LGBT position created by an Atlanta mayor. "

The District 6 race was historical in more ways than one: Joan Garner and Keisha Waites are both openly lesbian Black women. But the LGBT vote did not split, reports Georgia Voice. "While Waites won the endorsement of the Atlanta Eagle, after helping the sister of one of the gay bar’s owners, Garner had the solid support of all three LGBT political groups that made endorsements in the race: Georgia Equality, Atlanta Stonewall Democrats and the Victory Fund, a national group that backs qualified LGBT candidates." Garner also had the support of the AFL-CIO.

Waites, who has unsuccessfully run for office seven times since 2001, "avoided interviews with gay media outlets... and has yet to spell out where she stands on specific LGBT issues." In contrast, Garner supports all LGBT platform issues, such as a statewide hate crimes law, workplace non-discrimination protections, repealing the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and gay adoptions.

Atlanta, which is often called the 'Black Gay Mecca',  is becoming a powerhouse for Black openly lesbian political candidates. Last December, Simone Bell was elected the first openly lesbian black state legislator in U.S. history. In 1999, Kecia Cunningham was elected Decatur City Commissioner and became the first  Black openly gay elected official in Georgia.

Gainesville Elects Openly Gay Mayor By 35 Votes, Recount Needed

Excellent news tonight from the Florida Panhandle. Gainesville City Commissioner Craig Lowe is the apparent winner of that city's mayoral election, beating conservative businessman by Don Marsh by only 35 votes. Lowe becomes Gainesville's first openly gay mayor—and the first in conservative northern Florida—if he survives the automatic recount, reports the Gainesville Sun.

Lowe was the target of an ugly anti-gay smear campaign which included a church sign that said "No Homo Mayor."

Lowe will become one of fewer than 30 openly LGBT mayors in the U.S., adds the Victory Fund. "Gainesville joins municipalities as diverse as Houston, Texas, with 2.2 million residents, and Dillon, Colorado, population 800–both of which have elected openly LGBT mayors in the past year."

Almost one year ago this week, Gainesville voters rejected Amendment 1, an attempt to eliminate anti-discrimination protections for LGBT residents.

WATCH: Obama and Clinton Criticize Anti-Gay Ugandan Bill at National Prayer Breakfast

Speaking at yesterday's National Prayer Breakfast, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton both criticized Uganda's proposed extreme Anti Homosexuality Bill—which would include life imprisonment and/or death penalties for"aggravated homosexuality".

Said the President: "We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are whether it's here in the United States or as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed, most recently in Uganda."

The New York Times posted the complete advance text of the president's planned speech. There was no mention of Uganda, gay rights or marriage equality, so it appears the President went off-script. Also: In addition to the Uganda mention, the Victory Fund reports Secretary Clinton said the Obama administration is “standing up for gays and lesbians who deserve to be treated as full human beings and "these are priorities of the Unitied States."

And Politico reports the guests at the head table with Obama and the First Lady are Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Clinton, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-OH), Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) and ... Tim Tebow.

Via Think Progress, Clinton and Obama's remarks AFTER THE JUMP ...

Parker Wins; Houston Largest U.S. City with Openly Gay Mayor

Houston voters make history and chose openly lesbian City Controller Annise Parker as their next mayor. The nation's fourth largest city is now the largest in the U.S. to elect an openly LGBT chief executive.

Parker was the favorite to win tonight's run-off election and lead in late polling. With 99 percent of precincts counted, Parker won with some 53% of the vote. Parker's election-day advantage reached nearly 11 points.

In recent weeks, tensions escalated between Parker and former City Attorney Gene Locke, who is black and "the ugliest attacks came from a group of black pastors who spoke out against Ms. Parker for what they called her gay agenda," notes The New York Times. Parker was targeted two vicious mailings sent to tens of thousands of Houstonians that targeted her sexuality. The mailings were linked to two of the largest donors to the Locke campaign. Locke denied having anything to do with the attacks and apparently suffered a backlash at the polls.

Parker's success comes in the conservative state that is home to former President George W. Bush and one of the nation's more restrictive marriage amendments. It also comes in the same city where a referendum on granting benefits to same-sex partners of city employees was soundly rejected. Molly Ivins, Ann Richards and Barbara Jordan are probably smiling.

This is the seventh city election in a row that Annise Parker has won. More at the Victory Fund, which supported her in this race and the past six races for city council and city controller.

Simone Bell Elected First Black, Lesbian State Legislator

History is made in Georgia. Simone Bell becomes the first openly lesbian black state legislator in U.S. history.

Bell won Tuesday's runoff election to represent Georgia State House District 58, which is eastern Atlanta in DeKalb and Fulton Counties. She becomes the second openly LGBT member of the Georgia State House, joining Rep. Karla Drenner. Both are from the Atlanta area.

Atlanta voters also elected Alex Wan, the city’s first gay man, and first Asian-American, to the city council.

The election of a black lesbian legislator in a conservative state that passed a constitutional ban on gay marriage in 2006 is quite significant. "This is a tremendous victory for LGBT Georgians. Simone is a longtime leader in her community, and she will be a huge asset in the Georgia State House,” says Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which supported Bell's campaign.

For two decades, Bell has worked as a progressive activist and community organizer in Atlanta and across the South. Bell says her top priorities are education and transportation. On LGBT issues, Bell says: "We don’t have a lot of votes in the state legislature to do any progressive work, but in terms of being on the offense, I plan to work with the movable middle to work on making Georgia a better place." The newly-elected legislator adds: "And I will fight hard against any legislation to take rights away from us on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Bravo and congratulations to Simone Bell.

Earl Fowlkes Appointed to DNC, Only Black Gay on Committee

The Democratic National Committee voted last week to welcome six new LGBT members appointed by DNC Chair and Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine. One of the new LGBT members includes black pride activist and political consultant Earl Fowlkes, "believed to be the only African American openly LGBT person" on the 447 member body.

The Washington DC-based Fowlkes is a member of the board of the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute, an arm of the Victory Fund, and president of the International Federation of Black Prides.

The DNC also welcomed Barbra Casbar Siperstein, a transgender woman to its ranks, "the first time that a major U.S. political party has appointed an openly transgender person to its national governing body," reports the Washington Blade. The other LGBT appointees include: Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund co-founder Terry Bean; Evan Low, a member of the Campbell (CA) City Council; Sheriff Lupe Valdez of Dallas; and Randi Weingarten of New York City, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Hopefully the six new LGBT members of the DNC will lobby Congress and pressure the White House to move on our issues, such as ENDA and a "Don't Ask Don't Tell" repeal. Hopefully.

Charles Pugh Finishes FIRST in Detroit City Council Primary

A fantastic update to the story of Charles Pugh, the popular and openly gay longtime former Detroit television anchor who entered the race for Detroit City Council. Pugh is poised to become Detroit’s first openly gay city councilmember and finished in first place among more than 160 candidates in last night’s primary, "a remarkable feat for a first-time candidate," notes Gay Politics.

The Detroit Free Press reports: "In the crowded City Council race, former Fox 2 reporter Charles Pugh was the top finisher with 9%, or 59,560 votes. Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. took second place, followed by former Detroit Deputy Police Chief Gary Brown. At Pugh's celebration, he gathered with about 200 supporters at Capital Square on Congress. He pointed his index finger in the air, as everyone realized he was No. 1. Silver confetti fell from the rafters. 'This is unbelievable,' he said. 'Very humbling. It speaks to the fact that Detroiters are ready for change. I'm going to fight really hard to take our message to the city. The message is about fiscal responsibility and creating jobs.'"

The top 18 council candidates now advance to an at-large election.

Pugh, who was endorsed by the Victory Fund, is one of the very few openly  gay black local or national television news personalities. Some analysts feared Pugh's historic candidacy would not resonate with voters "in one of the country’s largest African-American cities where openly gay elected officials are rare if present at all."

The issues triumphed and "many voters said they crave change and new blood on the nine-member council", which is under FBI investigation for bribery. Detroit's former longtime Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick—the anti-gay, serial adulterer who pushed a same-sex marrriage ban—was sent to jail for corruption. Another sign of change: Not only was Charles Pugh the top vote-getter last night, but his sexuality was not mentioned in the front page coverage by the Detroit News or Detroit Free Press.

Thanks RODNEY and KEN!

Bing Cruises [Free Press]
Bing Advances; Pugh, at Top of Council Race [Det News]

You May Enjoy ...
Openly Gay TV Anchor to Run for Detroit City Council [R20]

White House Reception Recognizes LGBT Pride and Stonewall 40th

Forty years after the Stonewall riots sparked the gay rights movement, President Barack Obama hosts an historic reception for LGBT activists and their families to honor LGBT Pride and the 40th Stonewall anniversary. The speech, carried live on CNN and other networks, marks the first time a sitting president has given a live televised speech on LGBT issues.

The President, who has been criticized by many LGBT rights advocates for inaction on his many campaign promises, says his Administration has made some progress on behalf of gay Americans and will do more. Full remarks AFTER THE JUMP:

"I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," Mr. Obama said at a reception for LGBT Pride Month at the White House. "It's not for me to tell you to be patient anymore than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago."

"But I say this: We have made progress," the president continued. "And we will make more. And I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the promises that my administration keeps."

Obama spoke about the "movement" created some 40 years ago: "The riots at Stonewall gave way to protests, and protests gave way to a movement, and the movement gave way to a transformation that continues to this day. It continues when a partner fights for her right to sit at the hospital bedside of a woman she loves; it continues when a teenager is called a name for being different and says, 'So what if I am?'; it continues in your work and in your activism, in your fight to freely live your lives to the fullest."

The list of attendees was forwarded by the White House Press Office to Rod 2.0. (Full list AFTER THE JUMP.) Invited guests included openly gay Administration officials such as Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and Asst. Labor Secretary Mary Beth Maxwell. Leading LGBT advocates such as Human Rights Campaign's Joe Solmonese, and Jarrett Barrios, the new president of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

There were a number of prominent black and Latino LGBTs that should be familiar to Rod 2.0 readers: Phil Wilson, Black AIDS Institute; HRC's Donna Payne; Andre Leon Talley; Connecticut State Rep. Jason Bartlett; Denise Simmons, Mayor of Cambridge, MA;  Cornelius Baker, National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition; San Diego City Commissioner Stampp Corbin; actor Wilson Cruz; Bishop Yvette Flunder, City of Refuge United Church of Christ;  Earl Fowlkes, International Federation of Black Prides; Lupe Valdez, Dallas County Sheriff; and black Chicago lesbian leaders Mary Morten and Vernita Gray, interviewed in my Advocate cover story on Obama and Hillary Clinton.

An historic occasion and we should be mindful of the progress being made and how much further we have to go. It was also a pleasure to hear Obama allude to the black Civil Rights Movement. The occasion would have been more meaningful if there were more substantive policy initiatives to announce. The guest list was pleasantly diverse ... but very Stonewall 1.5. Online LGBT activists are leading the fight for equality and none were represented. Very out of character with the Facebook, YouTube and BlackBerry-driven White House.

WHEN YOU JUMP, Obama's full remarks and the guest list.

No Openly Gay or Lesbian Cabinet Members in New Administration

For the second time in as many days, key gay and lesbian activists express disappointment with the Barack Obama transition team. After yesterdays announcement that Christian right wing and anti-gay Pastor Rick Warren will deliver the inaugural invocation, tonight it is apparent there will be openly gay or lesbian members of Obama's cabinet.

The transition team announced Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA) will be the new Secretary of Labor. This was the last of two remaining cabinet positions—the other being Interior—which many gays and progressives hoped would be filled by a qualified gay or lesbian candidate. The last time an openly gay man or lesbian held a cabinet-level position was in the Bill Clinton Administration.

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, expresses disappointment and notes the president-elect's top appointees "will gather in a Cabinet Room that does not reflect the living rooms, board rooms or rooms of worship across this country.  Openly LGBT people are accepted and involved in nearly all aspects of American life, but they still will not have a place at the table at the highest reaches of their government.

Solis' appointment was announced despite an intensive push for openly openly gay union activist Mary Beth Maxwell as labor secretary. In the last two weeks a grassroots campaign developed on Facebook and former Rep. David Bonior "mounted an aggressive behind-behind-the-scenes" push to press the Obama transition team and "top labor leaders to get behind Maxwell." But many insiders believed Maxwell's confirmation could have been difficult because the union activist is a leading champion for the Employee Free Choice Act—which is opposed by Republicans and the pro-business lobby.

The Obama team will make thousands more appointments in the coming months, and, there are some hopes the transition team will nominate gays and lesbians to the federal bench. Given the uproar over the Warren's prominent role in the inauguration, it seems likely the new administration will make a high level LGBT appointment. So far the only names mentioned are Fred Hochberg at the Small Business Administration. But ... this would be the very same post Hochberg held 15 years ago in the Clinton Administration and SBA was elevated to cabinet status. That's not "change." That's more like a plateau.

Some Background ...
News: Wanda Sykes, Mary Beth Maxwell, Oguchi [R20]
Openly Gay Labor Activist Mary Beth Maxwell Shortlisted as Labor Secy [R20]

News: Wanda Sykes, Mary Beth Maxwell, Illinois, Oguchi Onyewu

· Wanda Sykes becomes one of the new faces of gay activism and marriage equality in California and  joins the board of directors of Equality California. On November 15 at a Proposition 8 protest in Las Vegas, the actress and comedienne officially came out of the closet. "I’m proud to be a woman, I’m proud to be a black woman and I’m proud to be gay."

· The Illinois civil unions bill appears to be stalled. Sponsors say it will take a back seat to the state's budget crisis and it seemed even less likely to be called "after FBI agents arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on federal corruption charges Tuesday, casting state leadership into disarray."

· Introducing model and "it boy" Zack Clark.

· The Lesbian and Gay Band Association will march in Barack Obama’s inaugural parade—the first LGBT group to ever participate in an inauguration. 

· Iowa Supreme Court begins hearing oral arguments that the state’s 10-year-old law defining marriage as only "between a male and female." violates the state constitution’s guarantee of equal treatment and due process.

· CDC reports HIV transmission rates are falling in the United States. Only 5 percent of Americans infected with the HIV/AIDS virus "will infect someone else in any given year."

· The Advocate reports Obama will name openly gay Los Angeles deputy mayor Nancy Sutley as chair of the Council of Environmental Quality. "The leaked announcement comes at a time when gay Democrats have been beginning to express concerns over the absence of LGBT representation in President-elect Obama's senior-level appointees. ... She will become the first out person named to a prominent position in the administration by President-elect Obama. Denis Dison of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund said he was pleased to see an LGBT appointee added to Obama's roster but still has his sights set on a higher prize. 'I think the community is still hoping that we will see an openly LGBT cabinet secretary.' "  

· Speaking of that: Is momentum building for openly gay union activist Mary Beth Maxwell as labor secretary? Greg Sargent at TPM reports former Rep. David Bonior, "who has deep roots in the labor movement, has mounted an aggressive behind-the-scenes campaign, with letters and personal lobbying, to press the Obama transition team and top labor leaders to get behind ... Maxwell, who would make history as the first openly gay cabinet member."

· Male escort claims "up to 30" top players paid him for sex.

· Oguchi Onyewu's milkshake brings all the football clubs to the yard. "Suitors from France and Germany already waiting to hear back on official bids" for the strapping 6-foot-4, 210 pound Washington DC-native. The struggling Blackburn Rovers of the England's Premiership "would also like to sign" Onyewu and the big defender "is likely at the top" of the team's Christmas list. That must be nice.