What's Next?

Apparently, we're not done checking up on our original homeland. And sadly, we have to discuss another heartbreaking Orange County story here.

In June, Zoraida Reyes was found dead in the parking lot of a Diary Queen in Anaheim. She was a fierce activist who advocated tirelessly for immigrant and trans* civil rights. When she passed away, the local DREAMer and transgender communities were shocked by this horrifying loss.



But now, they're a little closer to justice. On Tuesday, Anaheim Police arrested Randy Lee Parkerson for suspicion of murder. Anaheim Police are not investigating the Zoraida Reyes case as a hate crime, even though local trans* activists suspect Reyes' transgender identity was a "huge factor" in her death.

Southern California LGBTQ community advocates are also asking questions in the death of Aniya Parker in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. LA Police initially described Parker's death as the result of a "robbery gone bad", but video surveillance shows the assailants shooting Parker after she ran away from them, then leaving her purse behind.



The untimely deaths of Zoraida Reyes and Aniya Parker in Southern California serve as sorrowful reminders of the dangers so many LGBTQ Americans still face in this nation. And they serve as reminders to LGBTQ civil rights activists that we still haven't reached the end of the long road to equality just yet.

Now, we're finally a bit closer here in Nevada. Just moments ago, Jon Ralston posted the document showing the usual H8 filled suspects withdrawing their respective petitions to the US Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit for an emergency stay in Sevcik v. Sandoval. They can still try requesting an en banc hearing in the Ninth or an appeal to the US Supreme Court. But as we've explained before, Perry v. Brown will ultimately be cited in their dismissal due to lack of standing.

So now, finally, after this very long wait, marriage equality is coming to Nevada. And already, we can hear folks asking, "What's next?" "What do those people want?" "Can't they leave all us 'normal people' alone now?"

As long as injustice persists, the beautiful struggle for equality continues. As the old saying goes, "No Justice, No Peace." Hate crimes are still happening, and perpetrators are still claiming "panic defense". People are still being fired, and perpetrators are still claiming "freedom". People still face wrongful discrimination on a number of matters daily, and perpetrators are still claiming "segreation laws".

While we've come a long way here in Nevada, there is still more progress needed here. And yes, there's still far more progress needed nationally. Today, we can't help but feel relieved that the Nevada case is finally coming to an end as marriage equality is fast on the move nationally. However, this doesn't mean the LGBTQ civil rights movement is now finished.

So what's next? Justice. And equality. For everyone. As long as people like Zoraida Reyes and Aniya Parker are losing their lives because of who they are, we should all know what's next for the LGBTQ civil rights movement.

Real Life "Segregation Law"

We figured now is as good of a time as ever to explain this to him. Sure, we had some choice words for outgoing Assembly Member and current NV-04 candidate Cresent Hardy (R) after he let slip his (lack of) qualification to serve in Congress. But ultimately, we at Nevada Progressive are here to help. And yes, this means we're even willing to help Cresent Hardy.

But before we can help Cresent Hardy, he really needs to help himself. And that means he needs to be willing to reevaluate his idea of "segregation laws".

While Hardy has been engaged in a philosophical debate (with himself?) on the nature of anti-discrimination laws, real Americans have been enduring real life wrongful discrimination. Matthew Hileman was fired from AT&T after he spoke out on the nasty notes being left on his chair. Hobby Lobby still refuses to allow Meggan Somerville the same treatment afforded to other female employees. And Colin Collette was fired from his church for getting engaged.

And that's not all. Sometimes, wrongful discrimination can turn violent. Earlier this week, Philadelphia police arrested Kathryn Knott (ironically, the daughter of a Bucks County police chief), Philip Williams, and Kevin Harrigan in relation to the brutal beating of a Philadelphia gay couple. While Knott, Williams, and Harrigan face several serious charges, including aggravated assault, this case has revealed the lack of protection Pennsylvania state law provides its LGBTQ residents. This has infuriated Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims (D), especially since this attack occurred in his district.



This isn't just Pennsylvania. This is Texas. This is Utah. This is New York. And this is a shocking number of states across the nation. This is real life "segregation law".

Fortunately, Nevada has improved in recent years in moving closer to equal protection under the law. However, that's no thanks to Cresent Hardy, as he's voted against nearly every single piece of pro-LGBTQ civil rights legislation. He even voted against SB 139 last year, the hate crimes law that Brian Sims is now fighting for in Pennsylvania.

Back in February, Cresent Hardy claimed he couldn't support any advances in LGBTQ civil rights "because of my religious beliefs, the way I was raised [...] For me to vote for it would be to deny the same God that I believe in." Has he ever met Former President Jimmy Carter? He still teaches Sunday School at his local Baptist church. And when asked about this matter at a Michigan college earlier this month, Carter had this to say.


And Cresent Hardy should pay attention to this. This is real life "segregation law". When loving couples are prohibited from marrying because of their respective genders, that's "segregation law". When someone is fired from the job because of who one is, that's "segregation law". When someone is beaten to near death because of how someone looks, that's "segregation law". And when someone can't even count on being treated like a human being because of someone else's definition of gender, that's "segregation law".

There. Now, no one can say we never did Cresent Hardy a favor.

Turn the Page

Yesterday, a body of a slain young adult was laid to rest. A family mourned this painful loss. And a reeling community began to pick up the pieces and hoped for eventual healing.

Michael Brown's funeral wasn't just for his family. It wasn't even just for Ferguson. It was for the nation.

Yesterday, Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) said this after the funeral: “This tragic event of Michael Brown — while as horrible as it is, and he should have never lost his life as an unarmed boy who had just graduated high school — it is providing the opportunity for us now to have a national discussion on what policies, laws and practice we need to change so we can improve going forward.” He's not alone in demanding change after this horrific tragedy.

This week, we've gained more insight into how and why St. Louis County, Missouri, has sparked this nationwide conversation on the state of American police. And none other than St. Louis County Police Officer Dan Page has helped explain everything.



Ah, where do we start? How about "warning the ladies" about "domestic violence stuff"? "Just shoot each other and get it done"? Did Las Vegas Metro Police actually take his advice earlier this month? Christy Mack's neighbors have been wondering why it took so damned long for Metro to respond to their 911 call. While they took their time, War Machine escaped to Simi Valley, California, while leaving Mack and Corey Thomas near death at her Las Vegas home.



Hold on, there's more. Dan Page also went into a tirade against "homosexual sodomites". According to Page, ICE should keep Marichuy Gamino in solitary confinement in a men's prison for daring to report her rape. According to him, Monica Jones deserved to be arrested for "walking while trans*". And perhaps he also doesn't mind Mia Henderson being taken from this earth way before her time.

He didn't even stop there. No, Dan Page also claimed President Obama wasn't born in America. He actually called himself "a killer". He repeated even more bizarre conspiracy theories.

Oh, and he gave this speech to the Oath Keepers earlier this year. Remember the Oath Keepers?



They're the Patriot Movement friendly militia who occupied Bunkerville and Mesquite during the height of Cliven Bundy's "Range War". They only left when sh-t became too real and they suddenly were under attack by fellow pro-Bundy militia groups.

Dan Page was one of the St. Louis County officers patrolling Ferguson during the height of the protests. He was the one who roughed up CNN reporter Don Lemon in front of a global audience. And even now, St. Louis County Police still won't fire him!

W. T. F?! And they're still wondering why so many in the St. Louis region have a hard time trusting the police? Perhaps they need to start looking in the mirror more often.

It's also important to keep in mind that this problem isn't limited to Missouri. We've seen shades of this here in Nevada as well. After all, Metro Police have often used excessive force on valley civilians (especially those living in inner city communities) while giving the Bundy Gang kid glove treatment and giving War Machine just enough time to escape the crime scene.



In so many ways, the Dan Page saga in St. Louis County illustrates why so many minority communities have trouble trusting the police. If police forces there, here in Southern Nevada, and elsewhere want to turn the page, they need to clean house. If they want to regain our trust, they must prove themselves trustworthy. We can't truly turn the page on this sorrowful chapter in American history until we see no more Michael Browns being shot, Monica Jones' being arrested, and Christy Macks left for dead.

The Real Issue

Goodbye, "rebranding". And hello, stone cold silence. We've actually known for some time that Republican rebranding" was going nowhere fast. As soon as it was manufactured, that facade began to fall apart.

Sure, G-O-TEA party "leaders" still occasionally deploy "soft language". However, that's only meant to deflect from the hard reality of their "political issue".

So how do they really feel? Listen to their base. Here's world renowned G-O-TEA s--t stirrer Laura Ingraham attacking the Whittington and Jackson families, as well as all other American families who strive to do what's best for their children.



Wait, aren't Republicans the party of "family values"? No, not really. They're just the party of doing whatever it takes to continue placating their deranged 21st Century Know Nothing base while tricking just enough non-extreme voters to win some more elections. Hell, they're not even above playing into their base's apocalyptic fantasies of Ebola delivering them from the plague of "teh gayzzz".



We know G-O-TEA Culture Warriors love to play the victim. Yet while they engage in melodramtic temper tantrums, real LGBTQ Americans continue to face real bigotry, real discrimination, and real danger. If they won't listen to us, they should listen to Laverne Cox.



And if G-O-TEA politicians like Cresent Hardy and Adam Laxalt still have trouble understanding "segregation laws', they need to go to Arizona and see Monica Jones. She was essentially convicted of "walking while trans*", as the full time Arizona State University student walked into the car of an undercover Phoenix police officer... And a bogus "prostitution" conviction.

Aren't Republicans supposed to be the party of "free enterprise", "limited government", and "individual liberties"? Then why don't they pay attention to the many business leaders who have endorsed marriage equality? Why don't they notice the economic benefits of workplace equality and marriage equality? Oh, and why don't they just drop the scare tactics they're using to butt into people's lives?

Sure, G-O-TEA politicians don't want to talk about "social issues" now. That's simply because their campaign consultants told them they'll lose their elections if they do so. However, they still haven't stopped pandering to their Culture Warrior base. They still haven't changed their position on civil rights. Nope, they've only changed some rhetoric here and there.

This is the real issue. Let's not forget that.

Full Circle of Hate

Already, it's gone from a humanitarian crisis to a political football. And now, the usual G-O-TEA suspects want to make #Murrieta into their new rallying cry.

Just keep in mind that this didn't start with the Murrieta bus blockade. This didn't even start with the growing media attention to the Central American migrant children. No, the 21st Century Know Nothings have been around for some time. And they've been making the same arguments against scores of immigrants that they're now using against the migrant children.

In Murrieta last week, the Mayor and anti-immigrant protesters were claiming fear of "diseases". This didn't come from nowhere. For many years, the Federation for American Immigration Rwform (FAIR), the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), and Numbers USA have been spreading their signature message of hate. And it's no coincidence that they're all so eerily on message like this. They can all trace their origins to one John Tanton, a well known racist/white supremacist who's been attacking communities of color since 1969.

During the early years of Tanton's anti-immigrant advocacy, he operated in the dark shadows of American politics. But in 1994, one Barbara Coe launched a campaign that would forever transform California and American politics. In 1994, Coe launched both the California Coalition for Immigration Reform and the campaign for Proposition 187. Suddenly, John Tanton's radical xenophobic "philosophy" was making national headlines and California public policy.



That's because Prop 187 passed in November 1994. But soon after it was passed, it was halted in federal court and later invalidated. Barbara Coe would then go on to embrace "fringe of the fringe" conspiracy theory powered extremism (Hello, Orly Taitz!) before she passed away last September. And as a result of the California Republican Party's then unapologetic support of Prop 187, it's becoming increasingly irrelevant in the multicultural California of today.

Yet even though Prop 187 and its #1 cheerleader have met their demise, their legacy lives on. Barbara Coe essentially launched Jim Gilchrist's political career. Jim Gilchrist encouraged the "unique brand of activism" pushed by Shawna Forde. And the anti-immigrant movement built by the likes of Tanton, Coe, & Gilchrist encouraged Sharron Angle to shock Nevada & the nation with her incredibly xenophobic US Senate campaign.



Oh, and John Tanton hasn't gone anywhere. In fact, Tanton's network of anti-immigrant outfits succeeded in convincing most Congressional Republicans (and even a few conservative Democrats as well) in 2006 to kill a comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) proposal that then President George W. Bush championed. And John Tanton's network has deep ties to the Minutemen movement that Jim Gilchrist founded.

Even Gilchrist himself later admitted that his Minutemen movement attracted a number of fringe characters. Those fringe characters include neo-Nazis, white nationalists, and convicted murderers J.T. Ready & Shawna Forde.

The Minutemen movement has also "graduated" "movement leaders" like Connie Foust. She had been part of the Minutemen vigilante patrols along the Arizona Border. But now, she's in charge of the Virgin Valley TEA Party. And earlier this year, her Virgin Valley TEA Party rallied hard behind Cliven Bundy and his radical right militia fueled "Range War" against federal law.



Is it really any surprise that Cliven Bundy is now endorsing the Murrieta bus blockade? Both have been merrily endorsed by Fox "News". Both have embraced dangerous extremists and their radical anti-government ideology. Both are angling for an epic political comeback. And both celebrate extreme xenophobia.

Now, the full circle of hate is complete.

They Broke the Law

He broke the law. It was obvious to many that he broke the law. Yet somehow, he amassed his own militia to fight a "Range War". And at one point, he became a media darling celebrated by "TEA" powered pundits & politicians across the nation.

Cliven Bundy exploded onto the national media stage with his outrageous views on Constitutional law, community relations, and civil rights. He even convinced a bunch of G-O-TEA politicians to stand with him in urging law enforcement agencies to stop enforcing the law.

After about 3 weeks of bumbling around this issue, outgoing Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie (R) has finally admitted that Cliven Bundy needs to be "held accountable" for breaking the law. We can only wonder if the murder of Metro Police Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo (along with civilian Joseph Robert Wilcox) by two #BundyRanch "super fans" has finally registered with him.

In recent weeks, we've been digging deep into the dark side of the "Patriot Movement" that its allegedly "mainstream" "TEA" tinged allies prefer that we not notice. And in doing so, we've been reminded of the lurid story of Jim Gilchrist and Shawna Forde. Jim Gilchrist was once a Congressional candidate in Orange County, California, who managed to turn a long-shot local campaign into a national movement. And Shawna Forde ultimately became his right-hand woman on the Arizona Border after raising hell in Washington State. Gilchrist, Forde, and their army of Minutemen ultimately succeeded in killing comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in 2006.



But when Shawna Forde was arrested in 2009 for the murder of Raul & Brisenia Flores, Gilchrist suddenly denied his extensive working relationship with Forde. He even later embarked on a "rebranding campaign". After all, how better to respond to evidence of encouraging criminal behavior than to "rebrand" oneself as a "kinder, gentler anti-immigrant demagogue"?



Jim Gilchrist is back. In the wake of the Murrieta bus blockade, Gilchrist has declared his interest in restarting Minutemen vigilante patrols along the entire US Border. And already, some "TEA" powered activists are vowing to start patrolling South Texas.

Ironically, anti-immigrant extremists claim they just want to "enforce the law". But as the Obama Administration is taking action to enforce current law regarding these Central American migrant children, the 21st Century Know Nothings are now breaking the law... And encouraging violent "revolution"?

When & where have we heard this before? Would Sheriff Gillespie like to explain? Would Cliven Bundy like to discuss this? Would the residents of Bunkerville & Mesquite like to chime in? Perhaps we should also extend the invitation to the families of Officers Beck & Soldo?



They broke the law. It's becoming increasingly obvious to many that they broke the law. Ironically, they're crying about "enforcing the law" while they're breaking the law... And threatening even more violent & illegal activities.

("TEA" flavored) Politicians who are rushing to celebrate the Murrieta bus blockade and encourage even more of these activities need to think twice before going any further down this path. After all, they claim to care so much about "enforcing the law".

A Brighter Future

Jeff & Hillary Whittington have a six year old son. Their son, Ryland Whittington, is enjoying a happy childhood. One of the reasons why Ryland Whittington is enjoying a happy childhood is because his parents decided to listen to him when he gave them a critical message.



Isn't this what ultimately matters? Doesn't Ryland deserve a happy and fruitful childhood? Must he endure the kind of pain, hardship, suffering, and sometimes even abuse that defined the childhoods of so many of us who had to hide in the closet when we were young?

Even after growing up, far too many transgender Americans still experience immense hardship. They're at risk of being shut out of the locker room, questioned over their actual identity, denied shelter, thrown out of the classroom, beaten on a train, and even murdered. This isn't rhetoric. This is reality.

Perhaps all of this is a joke to Rush Limbaugh, but not to the trans* community. Perhaps he and some others want to keep "debating language". But for the rest of us, this isn't a debate. This isn't "rhetoric". This is real life.



Why should we force anyone to suffer? Why must we subject certain people to wrongful discrimination simply because of who they are? Why should anyone have to hide one's true self?

Zoe and Ofelia have had to tackle these questions because this is their life. Zoe is a 7th grader who attends a Los Angeles County public school, and Ofelia is her mother. Zoe had been struggling because she felt no one else truly understood her. But when her mom provided her with love & support, and when the State of California took action to ensure safe schools for all, Zoe had the space she needed to flourish.



Now this is what we call family values. And if Cresent Hardy (or anyone else, for that matter) still has questions about "segregation laws", perhaps he should speak with Zoe & Ofelia and the Whittingtons. We're sure they can educate him on value of true acceptance and the meaning of equality.

And really, we can all learn something from them. After all, don't we want to give more kids the chance to enjoy a happy childhood? Shouldn't we give all our kids a brighter future?

Transition

Once again, violence was on full display. But at least this time, no guns were used. Rather, the perpetrators simply used their fists & feet to attack two women on an Atlanta subway train.

What made this even worse was that no one even bothered to help these women under attack. Everyone else was busy recording video and/or cheering on the assailants. Apparently because these women happened to be trans women, the other MARTA passengers saw this as some sort of luridly entertaining "circus".

Hate crimes against transgender Americans still occur... All too frequently. Don't believe us? Believe the official crime reports. And believe what just happened in Atlanta.

At least here in Nevada, our Legislature has taken action on matters like hate crimes and workplace discrimination. However, other parts of the nation still lack even basic consideration of transgender people's civil rights. And even to this day, we still witness epic slander, fearmongering, and hate speech used to condone discrimination, and sometimes even violence, against the trans* community.



As LGBTQ Pride Month begins today, we have a chance to examine how far we've come... And how much further we still must go to achieve full equality.

At least we have seen some progress in recent days. G-O-TEA politicians in Maryland have just failed to collect enough signatures to place a referendum on trans* civil rights on the November ballot. The US Department of Health & Human Services recently announced it overturned Medicare's ban on covering medically necessary transition related surgical procedures. And Time Magazine will feature Laverne Cox on its June 9 cover along with an extensive article on the state of trans* civil rights today.



Much progress has been made in recent days. But again, there's still so much more to do. ENDA is still not nationwide yet. License to Discriminate "Segregation Laws" are still being considered throughout the nation. Trans* Americans are still banned from open military service. And hate crimes like the brutal MARTA attack still occur all too frequently.

In recent years, we've seen a tremendous transition on LGBTQ civil rights throughout America. Marriage equality is approaching the tipping point of becoming a nationwide reality. And overall, gay & lesbian Americans are increasingly being accepted into the cultural mainstream. Still, let's remember that L & G aren't the only letters that form our community. Our nation's great transition on civil rights has come along, but it's not complete just yet.

My SB 139 Testimony

Shortly after my earlier report on SB 139, I testified here at Grant Sawyer. My full prepared remarks are below.

---

Hate crimes are on the rise again nationally. In 2011, we saw the highest level of hate crimes against LGBTQ Americans in 14 years. This was confirmed in last December's FBI report.

And that doesn't tell the whole story. In fact, the FBI will only begin collecting data on hate crimes against transgender Americans this year.

From what we have seen in recent years, transgender people are especially vulnerable. At least 15 transgender people are killed every day in America. And these are not just statistics. These are real people. And for many of us, these people are our loved ones.

We can not let this continue. This is why Nevada needs SB 139. We can't afford any more of this senseless violence. And we certainly should not overlook this violence just because of who these victims are.

SB 139 doesn't grant any "special privileges" to any one. Rather, this bill levels the playing field so transgender Nevadans can finally access the justice they deserve. Law enforcement agencies have had problems handling crimes against transgender victims. And perpetrators of these violent crimes have often sought leniency from the courts by using excuses like "gay panic defense". This must end.

I'm heartened to see such strong support for SB 139 now, and I hope this means you will finally pass it this year. Thank you.

Hate Crimes on Today's Agenda

Let's take a brief trip down memory lane. Remember this?



Well, I'm doing it again today. This session, it's SB 139. And it's still badly needed.

In fact, it's likely needed now more than ever before. Hate crimes against LGBTQ people are at the highest level recorded in the last 14 years. This was confirmed in the most recent FBI hate crimes report.

Yet even that doesn't tell the whole story. The agency is just starting to collect data on anti-transgender hate crimes (so they're not included in last December's report). And far too many victims are still too afraid to come forward.

Don't believe me? Believe this.

“Despite issues of underreporting from law enforcement agencies, some additional data suggest that hate crimes against transgender people are a significant problem. Community organizations and other interested groups have been tracking hate crimes against transgender people for several years. In particular, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) includes transgender people in their collection of hate crime data against sexual minorities. When examining reports on 14 major cities, 5 states, and one multi-state region since 1997, the NCAVP reports an average of 213 hate crimes per year against transgender people. In 2004, the NCAVP reported the highest number of hate crimes against transgender people: 321 hate crimes. Nationally, this level of violence is comparable to the level of violence perpetrated against Muslims since 2002. Thus, the inclusion of gender identity in the categories reported in the Uniform Crime Reports and in the new National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) system would allow for more tracking of this serious problem.”

So it's heartening to see this return to the Legislature's agenda after the close miss of SB 180 in 2011. So far, SB 139 has 16 Senate sponsors and 21 Assembly sponsors. And even better, both lists are bipartisan. That's encouraging going forward.

Still, we can't forget how SB 180 unraveled in 2011. Transgender Nevadans can't afford for that to happen again. So I'm heading to Grant Sawyer today. I'll provide updates going forward on this and other LGBTQ equality legislation.

(Not) Standing on Solid Ground

There's been plenty of outcry from across the country in the past month over the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin near Orlando, Florida. There's been growing suspicion both of shooter George Zimmerman and his motives for killing Trayvon, as well as of Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Law, and just how much that contributed to Trayvon's untimely death.

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Yesterday, The Sun asked: Can it happen here?

In Las Vegas, officials and academics are taking a close look at the Martin case, and for good reason: Nevada recently passed a law nearly identical to Florida’s, leading many to believe a similar tragedy could play out in the Silver State.

“The circumstances are ripe for a Trayvon situation to happen here,” said Sylvia Lazos, a law professor at UNLV's Boyd School of Law. “We have a lot of crime. We have a lot of people with guns. We have a lot of people who are untrained. We have to watch it. ... These combinations can be quite toxic.”

Nevada is one of 25 states, according to the Legal Community Against Violence, with a law allowing individuals to use deadly force when they feel threatened with no obligation to stand down or try to avoid violence once reasonable fear is established.

Nevada’s “stand your ground” law was approved by the 2011 Legislature and took effect in October. It allows that as long as a person who feels threatened didn’t initiate the altercation and isn’t doing anything criminal, that person can stand and use deadly force and it would be considered “justifiable homicide.”

Such laws “are all designed to allow for some expanded notion of self-defense,” Lazos said. “The problem that you have when regular people engage in self-defense ... is that people make decisions fairly quickly about whether they are, in fact, in danger.”

Last year, our Legislature passed AB 321, which was a somewhat modified version of "Stand Your Ground" that formalized the already accepted view (in this state) that people can shoot to kill if they feel their lives and/or property is at stake. While AB 321 may "feel good" in that it supposedly empowers potential crime victims to "stop a crime before it starts" (along with providing politicians who support it with plenty of praise from the NRA), it may soon lead to some frightening unintended consequences. Case in point: Trayvon Martin.

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Last session, all but three Nevada legislators (for both houses COMBINED!) voted for AB 321. Assembly Members Maggie Carlton (D-East Las Vegas), Richard Carrillo (D-Paradise), and Peggy Pierce (D-Las Vegas) were the only ones to vote against AB 321, while all their Assembly colleagues either sponsored or co-sponsored this bill in addition to voting for it. The Senate passed AB 321 unanimously. Sadly here in Nevada, "trigger happy" on steroids can be prevalent in both parties, and it especially reoccurs when NRA and other gun lobby endorsements are at stake.

So far, there's been no hard evidence proving George Zimmerman was in danger of losing his life or any of his property when he spotted Trayvon Martin in his gated community. However that didn't stop certain folks in law enforcement from letting George Zimmerman go without charging him for homicide, simply because Zimmerman's lawyers claimed "Stand Your Ground" as his defense. There's a good chance we can see cases like this occur here in Nevada thanks to AB 321.

And frankly, that's why state statutes like Nevada's AB 321 and Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Law frighten me. They set up a dangerous slippery slope for justifying as "self-defense" what would otherwise be declared manslaughter or murder. After all, what we may consider murder can be twisted by a smart criminal defense attorney into a "Stand Your Ground" situation just by insinuating that the homicide victim was somehow threatening the shooter's life and/or property, even if there's little or no evidence that the shooter was really at risk.

So why are we now falling down this slippery slope? Why did we have to take this downhill course in the first place? And can we afford to keep making decisions out of political convenience while ignoring future public safety crises?

Extreme Sharrontology

Just as the Sharrontology Obtuse Angle "No Really, She's Sane and Likable!" Tour looked to pull off a coup of pulling the wool over all our eyes, this happens...



And we're all reminded of why she's so afraid of us looking into her record. But wait, there's more! Desert Beacon caught something yesterday, yet another endorsement that Sharrontology doesn't want us to investigate.

An organization calling itself Vision to America sent out a recent fundraising appeal sponsored by U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) on behalf of Nevada Republican senatorial candidate Sharron Angle. [link] "I have put together a plan to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Nevada Senate race — along with several others like it — to achieve conservative victory. This plan includes running statewide television and radio ads, sending direct mail to targeted voters, and operating phone banks — all geared toward defeating Harry Reid in November."

What is American Vision, and why do they love Sharron Angle? American Vision has a goal: "The goal is to return America to its Biblical foundations “from Genesis to Revelation” (a postmillennial reading of Revelation, which holds that the Second Coming will occur after an era of Christian dominance). American Vision is a non-profit, tax exempt, educational organization. Like many of these groups, DeMar also has a companion organization that can raise money and promote candidates for elected office: Vision to America." [Alternet]

The Vision America website clearly shows its connections to the Patriot Pastors. They also appear to be quite disturbed by a photograph of President Obama removing his shoes before entering a mosque. The implication could be intended that the President (formerly castigated as a radical Christian) just might be a muslim? And, their "Mandate To Save America" reads like a wish list of ultra-right wing political talking points. The organization that have signed on to this statement includes the American Family Association, Concerned Women of America, and the Beverly LaHaye Institute. A right wing candidate given the support of a right wing Senator and the use of a radical right wing Christianist fundraising effort shouldn't be surprising, but there is more to this story.

So wait, who are these folks at American Vision? And what has Gary DeMar, the founder of American Vision, actually said? Oh, they just want me dead. Yes, you heard me right... THEY WANT ME DEAD!

"The Bible is clear on moral issues that are culture-killers: homosexuality, homosexual marriage, and abortion," says DeMar, who is closely allied with D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries, where he frequently speaks.

While DeMar insists that homosexuals wouldn't be rounded up and systematically executed under a "reconstructed" government, he does believe that the occasional execution of "sodomites" would serve society well, because "the law that requires the death penalty for homosexual acts effectively drives the perversion of homosexuality underground, back into the closet."

Another "long-term goal," he writes elsewhere, should be "the execution of abortionists and parents who hire them."

DeMar is also down on anti-poverty programs. "Nowhere in the Bible is civil government given authority to help the poor by raising taxes on the rich," he insists in the American Vision Web site essay. "In fact, as history shows, the 'war on poverty' became the war on the poor."

DeMar is tightly linked to other Reconstructionists, including Gary North, with whom he co-authored Christian Reconstruction: What It Is, What It Isn't.

In 1993, American Vision helped county commissioners in Cobb County, Ga., pass an anti-gay resolution so strongly worded that it sparked a national controversy. Cobb County Commissioner Gordon Wysong spoke at American Vision's annual fundraising banquet the following year, saying of gay people, "We should blame them for every social failure in America."

Hear that? According to Sharrontology Obtuse Angle's new BFFs at American Vision, all of us queer folk are to blame for every social failure in America. And I am to be executed for being gay. And if you know someone who works in health care and has had to deal with abortion patients, he/she is also to be put to death.

Imagine if Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale were to cross the realm of fiction to become reality? This is the Amerika the religious right extremists envision, and these are the folks Sharrontology is now taking blood money from.

And you think that's bad? It gets worse! American Vision also hates public education, even going so far to say that higher education leads to totalitarianism.

Not to mention, American Vision also hates the Civil Rights Act, equal rights for minorities, women's equality, and just about everyone who doesn't subscribe to their type of radical right Christian fundamentalism.

Hey Steve Sebelius, I think I've figured out why Sharrontology wants to bring back alcohol prohibition!



So just to sum it all up, Sharrontology is now palling around with the extreme religious right "Christian Reconstructionists", folks who want to turn back the clock on everything from women's rights to LGBTQ equality to civil rights to public education and the social safety net. By the way, I'm sure these folks also disapprove of the way most of us make a living here in Nevada. So why again did the Nevada GOoP let her get the nomination? And why would we the voters even consider sending someone like this backed by extremists like these to the US Senate?

GOP, "Tea Party" Have Become Party of Hate

So what is Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) talking about? This.

Civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and fellow Congressional Black Caucus member Andre Carson (D-IN) related a particularly jarring encounter with a large crowd of protesters screaming "kill the bill"... and punctuating their chants with the word "nigger."

Standing next to Lewis, emerging from a Democratic caucus meeting with President Obama, Carson said people in the crowd yelled, "kill the bill and then the N-word" several times, while he and Lewis were exiting the Cannon House office building.

"People have been just downright mean," Lewis added.

And that wasn't an isolated incident. Early this afternoon, standing outside a Democratic whip meeting in the Longworth House office building, I watched Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) make his way out the door, en route to the neighboring Rayburn building. As he rounded the corner toward the exit, wading through a huge crowd of tea partiers and other health care protesters, an elderly white man screamed "Barney, you faggot"--a line that caused dozens of his confederates to erupt in laughter.

After that incident, Capitol police threatened to expel the protesters from the building, but were outnumbered and quickly overwhelmed. Tea party protesters equipped with high-end video cameras were summoned to film the encounter and the officers ultimately relented. [...]

"I do think the leaders of the movement, and this was true of some of the Republicans last year, that they think they are benefiting from this rancor. I mean there are a couple who--you know, Michele Bachmann's rhetoric is inflamatory as well as wholly baseless. And I think there are people there, a few that encourage it."

"If this was my cause, and I saw this angry group yelling and shouting and being so abusive to people, I would ask them to please stop it," Frank concluded. "I think they do more harm than good."

But guess what? They're not.





This is the Republicans' plan for the rest of this year. They think they're scoring political points by stoking this ugly hatred. However, all they're really doing is revealing the emptiness of what their political arguments and total ignorance of health care policy.

LATE BREAKING: Hate Crimes Bill FINALLY Passes Congress, On Its Way to Obama's Signature

Here's a great announcement from HRC on the hate crimes bill FINALLY passing Congress!

Dear Andrew, The hate crimes bill has passed through Congress! This groundbreaking victory never would have happened without the actions and determination of thousands of people like you. Thank you. Visit LoveConquersHate.org and send a personal note of thanks to the families that did so much to make this victory possible! I have some amazing news: after a Senate vote today, the inclusive hate crimes bill has crossed its last hurdle in Congress! President Obama has vowed to sign it by the end of this month. Today's victory marks a truly pivotal moment in our fight for LGBT equality. It happened because of the dedication of people like you and the families of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., for whom the bill is named. And with bills seeking to end workplace and military discrimination coming up for debate in Congress, today's victory could be just the first of many if we can keep up our momentum. Check out our Love Conquers Hate site – celebrate this victory and send a note of thanks to the Shepard and Byrd families for their years of hard work! But even as we celebrate this amazing news, we're already getting a sense of the fight we'll have to wage to keep our momentum going. Courageous lawmakers are continuing to hear from right-wing groups falsely claiming their vote will end free speech, criminalize anti-gay thoughts, and open the door to jailing pastors for their sermons. One recent right-wing article said passing this bill would "shred America's Judeo-Christian value system." That's what we're up against. It's clear that we can't afford to sit back and hope for the best. But we've proved today that if we continue to fight with the passion and persistence that paved the way for today's hate crimes victory – we can fulfill the promise of this moment, despite our anti-equality opposition. I hope you'll take one moment today to celebrate this turning point and send your message of support for the families whose dedication helped pass this law: http://www.LoveConquersHate.org Thank you again for everything you've done to help make this possible. Warmly, Joe Solmonese President

"The Laramie Project" Under Attack

Something big is happening at Green Valley High School. The school's drama department is showing a very important play next Monday night, but the anti-equality forces are already threatening it. Steve Friess has more:

Y'see, Green Valley High School, one of the top public high schools in the region, decided to do some real cutting edge theater this year. This Monday, timed to the anniversary of the brutal 1998 attack on and death of Matthew Shepard, their theater group is doing "The Laramie Project." It's a brilliant spoken-word performance that tells the story of how a gay teenager's crucifixion rocked a Wyoming community and then the world. Then they do the same show again Nov. 12-14.

They're also scheduled for six performances of the Bohemian musical "Rent" in January and February.

Of course, both shows have lots of content that -- gasp! -- deals frankly and honestly with sexual orientation. To some, that's an evil that ought never utter its name in school. According to Ryan Maseo Smith, a friend and local gay club promoter, "Some community members feel that the subject matter is inappropriate for high school students to be performing and intend to have it removed."

I hope we can all go again to see "Rent" in January, but in the mean time I encourage all of you to buy tickets for this one-night only showing of "The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later" on Monday! This is an important message that Southern Nevada needs to hear. No one should be discriminated against because who one is and/or who one loves.

So far, administration at Green Valley High has been supportive and is refusing to cancel the show. Let's make sure the show goes on by making sure it's sold out!

My Story Behind the Crime Statistics

Something frightening happened to me yesterday. I was nearly mugged and some hoodlum almost got away with all my valuable belongings, including my computer, my wallet, and my smartphone. Fortunately, my inner Sasha Fierce was released and I beat that bitch's ass hard enough to hold onto my bag and scare the wanna-be thief off the bus.

Still, I must admit that I still feel a little frazzled today. OK, and I'm also still a little afraid of riding the 204 bus on Sahara any time soon.

So today, I have my own thoughts on the new Las Vegas crime statistics. Hell, I have my thoughts on the politics of crime in general!

First off, how could something like this happen on an RTC bus? I know, I know, it's public transportation and something like this is destined to happen some time. But come on, I've used MUNI and BART in San Francisco and it didn't happen there. I've used Metro (they use this term for transit, NOT police) in LA and it didn't happen there. I've used MTS and NCTD in San Diego and it didn't happen there. I still use OCTA whenever I'm back in Orange County... And while I sometimes run into some "interesting characters" at the bus stop and on the bus, I've never experienced a violent crime there.

So what makes RTC in Las Vegas different? Are we doing enough to keep mass transit safe here?

And why is it so damned difficult to report a crime to Metro (Vegas' police)? That thug threatened me. He nearly stole almost $2,000 worth of goods from me! And they "don't do reports over the phone"? And they "close at 8:00 PM"? WTF??!!

Am I still angry? You bet your sweet ass I am! Am I overreacting?

Wait... Am I taking this the wrong way?

Should I be afraid to use the bus? Should I be afraid to walk or use transit in "inner city neighborhoods"?

Honestly, I feel confused right now. Part of me wants to buy a gun and blow off anyone who ever tries to threaten my life and steal my stuff ever again. Part of me feels revolted by my own feelings. Again, I just feel confused.

Am I right to think about getting a gun license? Am I wrong to look suspiciously at "gangsta looking urban youth" walking my way? Am I racist? Am I going gun crazy? Have I forgotten how to function in the city?

I still feel confused.

It's easy for me to proclaim progressive values when they're just concepts, but what happens when something happens to me? Do I just become selfish? Do I forsake my better angels to engage in blind prejudice? Do I become a violent person myself?

Such is the story of my life today after experiencing a violent crime last night. I can't deny that I'm shaken. I can't deny that I clutched my bag a little closer to me when I got off the bus at Commercial Center and saw another black man. I can't deny that I really considered going to the gun store today.

I feel filthy. I feel like crap. Am I a victim? Or is this bad karma?

What's the real problem behind the spike in violent crime? Yes, perhaps Metro, RTC, and other local government agencies can do more to keep us safer. And yes, maybe we have our own problems inside us, our own violent demons, that we have to deal with. Maybe our perception of "criminal" needs to change...

Harry Reid Doing the Right Thing (Again)??!!

Wow! Who gave our Senate Majority Leader some serious spine? I'm impressed!

With a possible fight brewing in Congress over repeal of the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, came down on Tuesday solidly in favor of eliminating the ban.

“We’re having trouble getting people into the military,” Mr. Reid told reporters when questioned about whether he could support an 18-month moratorium on enforcing a prohibition on gays in the armed forces. “And I think that we shouldn’t turn down anybody that’s willing to fight for our country, certainly based on sexual orientation.”

Mr. Reid said he would go the proposal, being considered by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, one better and support a permanent repeal of the ban. [...]

To make his case for that proposal, Mr. Reid was accompanied Tuesday by Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was tied to a fence, beaten and left to die in 1998. The bill will be named for him.

“For the last decade, Matthew Shepard’s name has been associated with hate crimes,” Mr. Reid said. “When this bill passes, his name will thereafter be associated with justice.”

So not only is Harry Reid finally ready to do something about hate crimes, and not only would he support a moratorium on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" enforcement, but he may even be ready to end the military service ban once and for all. I just hope he follows through and makes it happen. It seems that he, Nancy Pelosi, and President Obama have been playing this sick game of "chicken" on LGBT civil rights for far too long. Hopefully now, the game will end and we'll see some real action.