Mass. GOP candidate outlines senate strategy

(Needham, Mass.) Republican Scott Brown is hoping to ride a tide of voter anger at Wall Street bailouts and soaring national debt as he seeks to topple Democrat Martha Coakley in the race to fill the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Edward Kennedy.

In an interview with The Associated …

White House Looks to Include Same-Sex Unions in Census Count

WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday it was seeking ways to include same-sex marriages, unions and partnerships in 2010 Census data, the second time in a week the administration has signaled a policy change of interest to the gay community.

The administration has directed the Census Bureau to determine changes needed in tabulation software to allow for same-sex marriage data to be released early in 2011 with other detailed demographic information from the decennial count. The bureau historically hasn’t released same-sex marriage data.

The gay community strongly supported President Barack Obama during the 2008 election. But some gay activists say they have been frustrated by what they see as his slow approach to rolling back discriminatory policies.

See White House Looks to Include Same-Sex Unions in Census Count

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Barney Frank Pulls Plug On CNBC: “This Interview Is Over!”

Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and a vocal critic of Wall Street pay, appeared on CNBC this morning to talk about what should be done to limit executive compensation. Let’s just say it didn’t go well. Frank stormed off the set after exchanging heated words with CNBC’s host.
“It seems to be that you’re dealing with a model that no longer works,” CNBC’s host said of Frank’s proposed executive pay rules, which would give shareholders much greater control over compensation.
Then things escalated. After Frank said, “May I respond sir?” several times, the interview devolved into a mini-shouting match, and not much was settled. See Barney Frank Pulls Plug On CNBC: “This Interview Is Over!”

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Revisiting 1969 and the Start of Gay Liberation

On Friday afternoon, officials from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and also to honor Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
The embrace of the gay rights movement by Wall Street — the title of the stock exchange event was “From Stonewall to Federal Hall” — was a striking example of how much things have changed for lesbians and gay men in four decades. The change is brought into relief in a monthlong exhibition, “1969: The Year of Gay Liberation,” that opened June 1 at the New York Public Library.
Using the Stonewall uprising, which began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, as a starting point, the exhibition focuses on the pivotal months that followed, charting the emergence of a new strain of militant activism — exemplified by groups like the Gay Liberation Front, Radicalesbians and the Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries — that expressed a new vision of gay freedom.
The activist vision of that era, the exhibition suggests, was more far-reaching than the so-called homophile movement, which had used a more cautious approach, and also more critical of societal institutions like the family than the contemporary gay rights movement, which has been dominated in recent years by the debate over same-sex marriage.
Jason Baumann, who curated the exhibition and also coordinates the extensive collection of gay materials in the library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division, contrasted the new exhibition with “Becoming Visible: The Legacy of Stonewall,” the library’s landmark show in 1994 on the history of gay and lesbian life in New York.

Photo: Photo: Diana Davies. Gay Liberation Front marches on Times Square, 1969.

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Is White House’s inaction a step towards lifting military ban?

Is White House’s inaction a step towards lifting military ban?
An order by a federal appeals court in San Francisco that directs the government to present a justification for the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”-based ouster of a lesbian decorated military officer will stand because the Obama White House opted to not appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision is being viewed by some activists as a positive step toward President Barack Obama upholding his campaign pledge to end the military ban. The Wall Street Journal (5/19)

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Obama Avoids Test on Gays in Military

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has decided to accept an appeals-court ruling that could undermine the military’s ban on service members found to be gay.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco last year ruled that the government must justify the expulsion of a decorated officer solely because she is a lesbian. The court rejected government arguments that the law banning gays in the military should have a blanket application, and that officials shouldn’t be required to argue the merits in her individual case.

The administration let pass a May 3 deadline to appeal to the Supreme Court. That means the case will be returned to the district court, and administration officials said they will continue to defend the law there.

The move “takes the issue off the front burner,” as a trial and subsequent appeals could take years before the question returns to the Supreme Court, said an official familiar with the matter.

The decision comes as President Barack Obama attempts a balancing act on gay rights. He was elected with strong support from the gay community and promised action on a number of issues. But mindful of the complex politics, the White House has moved slowly.

See Obama Avoids Test on Gays in Military Wall Street Journal

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German party leader could become its first out foreign minister

If a potential alliance between Germany’s Social Democrats and the Free Democratic Party is successful in the country’s next election, FDP leader Guido Westerwelle is likely to become the nation’s first out foreign minister. Among Westerwelle’s plans would be to stop providing financial assistance to countries with anti-gay policies. The Wall Street Journal * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual

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Sen. Arlen Specter to become Democrat

CNN - ‎21 minutes ago‎

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Veteran Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania, intends to switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party on Tuesday, multiple sources said.

GOP’s Specter Plans to Switch Parties Wall Street Journal

Specter to Switch Parties Washington Post

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Rachel Maddow Talks Wall Street, Limbaugh On Leno

Rachel Maddow fulfilled her duties as NBC phenom by appearing on “The Tonight Show” while she was in LA (for the second time — watch her previous appearance here) Tuesday night. Leno opened by congratulating Maddow on her surging ratings but then the two got down to business: talking AIG, Wall Street, and, of course, Rush Limbaugh.

Watch their interview below — and if you’re hungry for more Maddow, she’ll be on “The View” tomorrow, presumably with some lighter fare.

Watch:

Rachel Maddow Talks Wall Street, Limbaugh On Leno