National
DNC 2012: First lady urges LGBT supporters to step up campaign efforts
Michelle Obama speaks at HRC, Victory Fund luncheon
First lady Michelle Obama addresses the Democratic National Convention (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
First lady Michelle Obama encouraged LGBT supporters on Wednesday to do all they can — even packing up to travel to battleground states — to get friends to go to the polls on Election Day to help her husband in the increasingly tight race for the White House.
Michelle Obama spoke to LGBT attendees of the Democratic National Convention at a luncheon hosted by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund at the Marriott City Center. According to her prepared remarks, she warned the 2012 presidential election will be “even closer” than the previous one.
“And quite frankly, all of these elections are close,” Michelle Obama said. “Since I have been an adult paying attention to this stuff, they’re always close. But in the end, this election, like many, could come down to that last few thousand votes in a single battleground state.”
The first lady recalled that in 2008 her husband won Florida by 236,000 votes — which she said broke down to 36 votes per precinct — and North Carolina by 14,000 votes — which said broke down to five votes per precinct.
Warning attendees at the luncheon that they don’t want to wake up the day after the election wondering if they could have done more, Michelle Obama encouraged them to travel to battleground states to help in the presidential race and to remind friends to donate and go to the polls.
The first lady called on attendees to find 36 votes that would match the margin of victory for each of the Florida precincts in 2008, then “get five more, and then get five more, and again and again” until Election Day.
“If you do not live in a battleground state, get to one,” Michelle Obama said. “Get your suitcase, pack it up, get a car, do something, find that neighbor — get to a battleground state. If you can afford it, write a check — and if you haven’t maxed out, max out. Max out.”
Michelle Obama didn’t devote a large portion of her speech to convincing the LGBT crowd why her husband deserved their support. But she did tick off a few accomplishments: such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, refusing to defend the Defense of Marriage Act and “speaking out for the rights of all Americans to be able to do what Barack and I did and marry the love of our lives.”
“And that’s why all of you are here today, because you know that all of that and so much more is at stake in this election,” Michelle Obama said. “We can’t take anything for granted because it’s all still on the line. And I know you’re here today because you believe, like I believe, that our president, my husband, he’s done an extraordinary job.”
The first lady also invoked her label as “mom-in-chief” — which she called herself during her speech the previous night on the floor of the Democratic convention. After saying she’s putting on her “serious-first-lady face,” an audience member said it was, “Your mom face.” Michelle Obama replied, “My mom face, that’s right. That’s it. You heard me, Sasha.”
According to pool reports, about 600 people attended the event, including notables such as Democratic National Committee Treasurer Andy Tobias, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and U.S. House candidate Mark Pocan.
Prior to the first lady’s remarks, Democratic National Convention Chair and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took the stage to deliver remarks as part of the program, saying he’s proud the Democratic platform supports “every American’s right for the freedom to marry.”
Introducing Michelle Obama was Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin, who praised Michelle Obama for “her clear and much-needed message to policymakers and youth alike that bullying is not something that we have to accept in this country.”
Jeremy Hooper, editor of the gay blog “Good as You,” was among those in attendance at the luncheon and told the Washington Blade afterward he was struck by four words Michelle Obama said after talking about her husband’s LGBT accomplishments and commitment to equality: “And he always will.”
“I think that’s notable, considering where the president was versus where he now is,” Hooper said. “The message used to be ‘stick with me and I might get to where you want me to be.’ Now the message is that this administration is with us without fail or end date.”
Federal Government
US Census Bureau testing survey on LGBTQ households
Agency proposing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity
The U.S. Census Bureau is seeking public comment on a proposed test of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on the American Community Survey. The test would begin this summer and continue into next year.
The Census Bureau published the request as a Federal Register notice. In its press release the agency noted that the ACS is an ongoing survey that collects detailed housing and socioeconomic data. It allows the Census Bureau to provide timely and relevant housing and socioeconomic statistics, even for low levels of geography.
As part of the process for adding new questions to the ACS, the Census Bureau tests potential questions to evaluate the quality of the data collected.
The Census Bureau proposes testing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to meet the needs of other federal agencies that have expressed interest in or have identified legal uses for the information, such as enforcing civil rights and equal employment measures.
The test would follow the protocols of the actual ACS — with one person asked to respond to the survey on behalf of the entire household. These particular questions are asked about people 15 years of age or older. Households are invited to respond to the survey online, by paper questionnaire or by phone.
The current Federal Register notice gives the public a final opportunity to provide feedback before the Census Bureau submits its recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The public may provide feedback through May 30 online.
The White House
Judy Shepard to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom
Nancy Pelosi is also among this year’s honorees
Beloved LGBTQ advocate Judy Shepard is among the 19 honorees who will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S., the White House announced on Friday.
The mother of Matthew Shepard, who was killed in 1998 in the country’s most notorious anti-gay hate crime, she co-founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation with her husband Dennis to raise awareness about anti-LGBTQ violence.
The organization runs education, outreach, and advocacy programs, many focused on schools.
In a statement shared via the Human Rights Campaign, Shepard said, “This unexpected honor has been very humbling for me, Dennis, and our family. What makes us proud is knowing our President and our nation share our lifelong commitment to making this world a safer, more loving, more respectful, and more peaceful place for everyone.
“I am grateful to everyone whose love and support for our work through the years has sustained me.
“If I had the power to change one thing, I can only dream of the example that Matt’s life and purpose would have shown, had he lived. This honor reminds the world that his life, and every life, is precious.”
Shepard was instrumental in working with then-President Barack Obama for passage of the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009, which was led in the House by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who will also be honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom during the ceremony on Friday.
Also in 2009, Shepard published a memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed,” and was honored with the Black Tie Dinner Elizabeth Birch Equality Award.
“Judy Shepard has been a champion for equality and President Biden’s choice to honor her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a testament to what she’s done to be a force of good in the world,” HRC President Kelley Robinson said in a statement.
“A mother who turned unspeakable grief over the loss of her son into a decades-long fight against anti-LGBTQ+ hatred and violence, Judy continues to make a lasting impact in the lives of the LGBTQ+ community,” she said.
“It is because of her advocacy that the first federal hate crimes legislation became law and that countless life-saving trainings, resources and conversations about equality and acceptance are provided each year by the Matthew Shepard Foundation,” Robinson said. “We are honored that Judy is a member of the HRC family and know that her work to create a more inclusive and just world will only continue.”
Other awardees who will be honored by the White House this year are: Actor Michelle Yeoh, entrepreneur and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jesuit Catholic priest Gregory Boyle, Assistant House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), former Labor and Education Secretary and former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.), journalist and former daytime talkshow host Phil Donahue, World War II veteran and civil rights activist Medgar Evers (posthumous), former Vice President Al Gore, civil rights activist and lawyer Clarence B. Jones, former Secretary of State and U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) (posthumous), Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, educator and activist Opal Lee, astronaut and former director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center Ellen Ochoa, astronomer Jane Rigby, United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero, and Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe (posthumous).
National
United Methodist Church removes 40-year ban on gay clergy
Delegates also voted for other LGBTQ-inclusive measures
The United Methodist Church on Wednesday removed a ban on gay clergy that was in place for more than 40 years, voting to also allow LGBTQ weddings and end prohibitions on the use of United Methodist funds to “promote acceptance of homosexuality.”
Overturning the policy forbidding the church from ordaining “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” effectively formalized a practice that had caused an estimated quarter of U.S. congregations to leave the church.
The New York Times notes additional votes “affirming L.G.B.T.Q. inclusion in the church are expected before the meeting adjourns on Friday.” Wednesday’s measures were passed overwhelmingly and without debate. Delegates met in Charlotte, N.C.
According to the church’s General Council on Finance and Administration, there were 5,424,175 members in the U.S. in 2022 with an estimated global membership approaching 10 million.
The Times notes that other matters of business last week included a “regionalization” plan, which gave autonomy to different regions such that they can establish their own rules on matters including issues of sexuality — about which international factions are likelier to have more conservative views.
Rev. Kipp Nelson of St. Johns’s on the Lake Methodist Church in Miami shared a statement praising the new developments:
“It is a glorious day in the United Methodist Church. As a worldwide denomination, we have now publicly proclaimed the boundless love of God and finally slung open the doors of our church so that all people, no matter their identities or orientations, may pursue the calling of their hearts.
“Truly, all are loved and belong here among us. I am honored to serve as a pastor in the United Methodist Church for such a time as this, for our future is bright and filled with hope. Praise be, praise be.”
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Comings & Goings
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