Equality

New data out today: 

A solid majority of Americans say gays should be allowed to openly serve in the military, and an even higher percentage believe that the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in effect since 1993 amounts to discrimination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted Feb. 2-8.

We may die in a terrorist attack if Congress repeals "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

From Wednesday's Daily Show:

Sen. Bill Stouffer will be opining on the "Missouri response" to potential changes in the federal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy this morning, as you may know by now. 

Stouffer will no doubt spend some time trying to explain how his anti-gay posturing with state time and resources is not related to his campaign for Congress, and he should. 

But as Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, Stouffer may also have some insight into how and why Cpl. Dennis Engelhard, recently killed in a Christmas Day traffic accident, was able to serve openly in the Missouri State Highway Patrol. 

As far as I know, there have been no questions about Engelhard's ability to perform his duties at the highest level, though his death does raise serious questions about state policy regarding domestic partner benefits. 

UPDATE: Jason Noble has a brutal blog post over at the Prime Buzz about Stouffer's campaign official press conference.  In response, Stouffer's campaign has explained that the Senator will be sponsoring legislation somehow related to federal policy. 

Tell us again why Stouffer's Congressional campaign is making the announcements about what his official office is doing? 

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State Sen. Bill Stouffer is conducting an "informal press conference" tomorrow morning alongside state senate candidate Jack Jackson to talk about how terrible it would be if the discriminatory and counterproductive "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy -- a federal policy -- is repealed. 

In Stouffer's media advisory, distributed at taxpayer expense, the Senator promises to offer a "Missouri response" to President Obama's stated intention to end DADT. 

Of course, there aren't any "Missouri responses" to a prospective change in federal DADT policy, but Stouffer wants to get his name in the paper to prove he's as disgusted by gays in the military as primary opponent Vicky Hartlzer.

I'm sure Stouffer doesn't mind any criticism from the left for his demagoguery against the LGBT community. But conservatives and progressives alike should be able to agree that it makes no sense for taxpayers to be paying for this garbage.

Todd Akin has signed on to an amicus brief in D.C. Superior Court calling for a voter referendum on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. Akin and 38 other Republican members of Congress have signed on to the brief filed by the American Center for Law and Justice, an organization founded by televangelist Pat Robertson. The Washington Post:

In the filing, U.S. senators James Inhofe (Okla.) and Roger Wicker (Miss.) and 37 House Republicans align with Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church, in asking the court to reverse a D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics decision prohibiting the same-sex marriage question to be put before voters...

The University of Missouri is (finally) looking into domestic partnership benefits for employees, and UM System President Gary Forsee is said to be "receptive."

Kit Bond voted for the Department of Defense appropriations bill today which included hate crimes provisions Roy Blunt said  are "unconstitutional," criminalize "thought" and compromise "the very freedoms our service men and women fight to protect."

The measure was approved, 68 to 29, with a majority of Republicans voting against it.

Bond says he's not happy about the idea of voting to broaden the current definition of federal hate crimes -- which covers attacks motivated by race, color, religion or national origin -- to include those based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, but if it's really an unconstitutional act to create thought crimes and destroy America, shouldn't Kit Bond really be making a bigger stink about it? 

Roy Blunt was outraged by a defense authorization bill that passed the House by a 281-146 vote because it included new hate crimes protections that he says are "unconstitutional," criminalize "thought" and compromise "the very freedoms our service men and women fight to protect." Minority Leader John Boehner said the bill would institute "radical social policy."

But Blaine Luetkemeyer and 43 other Republicans voted for the bill and in favor of the unconstitutional radical social policy.  "We must support our military men and women who are putting their lives on the line to defend our nation and our freedoms, and we must remain committed to the fight against terrorist regimes that seek to destroy our way of life," Luetkemeyer said.

The Post-Dispatch's Bill Lambrecht tweets that Roy Blunt will vote against the FY2010 defense authorization bill because it includes hate crimes provisions designed to protect gays and lesbians.  The provisions Blunt opposes would expand federal hate crimes to include attacks based on a victim’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or mental or physical disabilities.

The House passed the same protections in the "Matthew Shepard Act" in April by a 249-175 vote, which are supported by more than 300 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations.  That legislation was then added to the DOD authorization bill in July by the Senate by a 63-28 vote. 

Representatives from more than thirty equality advocacy organizations gathered in St. Louis this weekend for The Equality Federation's summer meeting.  The conference -- to celebrate recent successes and discuss the continuing work to protect the lives of LGBT folks at the state and local level -- wrapped up yesterday.

"While we still wait for progress at the federal level on issues like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Employment protections and hate crimes, we have been very successful at moving things forward within our respective states," said AJ Bockelman. "For example, just this past spring, Columbia passed a domestic partner registry. It is limited in scope, but now at least registered couples can have some way to be recognized as a couple when one of them gets hospitalized or incarcerated."

In anticipation of hearings in Rep. Ike Skelton's House Armed Services Committee, a number of pro-equality groups are stepping up their efforts to demand the repeal of the nation's misguided "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy.

Passed by Congress in 1993, DADT is a law mandating the discharge of openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual service members. Under the law, at least one individual per day on average is fired because they are gay or lesbian. Incredibly, almost 13,000 service members have been discharged since 1994. Since President Obama was sworn into office, almost 300 have been discharged.

Earlier this year in the House, committee chairs promised hearings on both the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act (HB 701), sponsored by Rep. Mike Talboy (D-Kansas City), and Safe Schools legislation (HB 518), sponsored by Rep. Sara Lampe (D-Springfield).

Speaker Ron Richard is still refusing to release the bills to committee so they can receive a hearing.

The Missouri Nondiscrimination Act would extend the existing Missouri Human Rights Statute to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Lampe's Safe Schools legislation would clarify existing law to list specific categories of students (e.g. by race, sexual orientation, disability, etc.) against whom bullying is prohibited, and would require school districts to train teachers and administrators on how to handle bullying.