marriage equality
GRITtv: Charlene Strong: For My Wife
Fourteen years ago this week, Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law. DOMA, as it is known, allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, and laid the foundation for marriage bans across the country. Charlene Strong has been fighting DOMA since the death of her wife, Kate Fleming, in a flood in their Washington State home. Strong faced discrimination at the hospital and the funeral home while dealing with the loss of her partner, and a documentary was made of her struggle. For My Wife is available now on DVD to buy or to rent, and she joins Laura in studio to remind us all what the denial of marriage rights really means to couples.
Email this pageGRITtv: Richard Kim: Marriage, Mosques and Mutiny
"Who needs gay bashing when you have the Ground Zero mosque?" Richard Kim, senior editor at The Nation, asks guest host Esther Armah.
GRITtv: Celebrating Justice on Proposition 8
In the nearly two years since Proposition 8 passed in California, putting a blot on the progressive victories of Election Day 2008 by taking marriage rights away from gay and lesbian citizens, there have been plenty of protests, arguments, and court cases. But when a judge appointed by George H.W. Bush struck down the law as unconstitutional on August 4, citing the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, celebration broke out around the country. The fight is, of course, far from over--the decision was stayed in expectation of inevitable appeal, and will probably end up before a conservative Supreme Court. But New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and comedian Kate Clinton are optimistic about eventual victory. Clinton joins us via Skype and O'Donnell in studio to discuss the victory, the decision, and the country's evolving view of equality.
GRITtv: The F Word: What Good is the 14th Amendment?
The 14th amendment has done it again! No wonder right wing radicals want to repeal it. Just a few days ago, in Congress, Tea Partiers and their pals were signing up 93 co-sponsors up for a bill to repeal the thing, or at least change it, to be clear that it can't and shouldn't justify citizenship for those born to inadequately documented people in the U.S.
GRITtv: Courage Campaign: Fighting Bigotry Across America
There's struggles in the courts and there's struggles in the streets over the question of marriage equality. The National Organization for Marriage is running its "Summer of Marriage" tour across the country, "defending" the institution of marriage from those who think it should be open to ALL people. California's Courage Campaign has been following the tour, and in Indianapolis, they interviewed Larry Adams, who was holding a sign with two nooses drawn on it. They shared this video with us.
GRITtv: Promises Unfulfilled: Obama and the LGBT Community
"This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists." That's from the President's declaration on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride month this June. But other than pretty proclamations, what has this administration actually done to deliver on its promises of the campaign trail? Miriam Perez of Feministing.com and Cathy Renna, longtime activist and head of Renna Communications, join Laura in studio to talk about the state of things in the LGBT community: Don't Ask Don't Tell, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, marriage equality, and much more.
GRITtv: Inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Needed Now
Cathy Renna and Miriam Zoila Perez discuss the need for a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, why it matters, why it's hard to get, and why little steps do help.
GRITtv: A Progressive Case for States' Rights?
As the health care bill drags toward a finish line, conservative opponents of the bill are raising a specter with some long history--"States' Rights." They claim to be able to nullify the federal reform bill on the state level, but the argument for states' rights has been made before to prevent progressive action from being taken, particularly around racial equality. Dedrick Muhammad, senior organizer at the Institute for Policy Studies, and Nathan Newman, executive director of the Progressive States Network, join Laura to talk about what states' rights really means, and how it can be good for progressives as well as bad.
GRITtv: Nathan Newman: Not A Real Debate About Federalism
Nathan Newman of the Progressive States Network says that conservatives don't really care about states' rights; they just want to prevent others' rights. GRITtv with Laura Flanders brings participatory democracy onto your computer screen and into your living room, bridging the gap between audience and advocates. Watch any show, at any time at http://grittv.org.
GRITtv: Moving Forward From Maine
Tuesday we looked at the Maine Equality campaign leading up to the election, watching volunteers from around the country working to help Mainers keep the marriage rights granted by the state legislature. In the second half of this video, from Chase Whiteside and Erick Stoll of New Left Media, we see election day go from elation to heartbreak as Maine voted, by a thin majority, to revoke marriage rights from gay and lesbian couples. Reactions from volunteers range from defiant to determined, discussing accountability -- from national organizations, politicians, and especially President Obama and the DNC, who ignored the No On One campaign.
