Hero of the Week Award: February 3, Martha Boggs

Hero of the Week

Thank you to my dear friend and LGBT ally, Mary Suave for inspiring this article and nominating Martha Boggs for HWA.  Sadly, Republican Tennessee state senator Stacey Campfield again demonstrated his utter ignorance and bigotry when he went on record saying:

…it isvirtually impossible to get HIV/AIDS through heterosexual sex, and that only gay people get the disease. He also claimed that HIV began after a gay man had sex with a monkey.

Does Campfield live in a cave with other KKK members?  Currently there are several specific heterosexual populations that are at highest risk for contracting HIV.  One of those populations is young teens that have only had “Abstinence Only” programs.  I would say that anyone associated with Campfield and his ignorance is probably at high risk.

Thank you to our hero Martha Boggs, owner of Bistro at the Bijou , for kicking Senator Campfield out of her restaurant for his bigotry.  Boggs was quoted as saying:

I hope that Stacy Campfield now knows what if feels like to be unfairly discriminated against.

Martha, you certainly earned this week’s HWA and thank you!  Click here to see the video of Boggs.

I also have to give the State of Washington an Honorable Mention for the Senate passed the Marriage Equality bill!

Marriage Equality: Good for Business

Support Pro-Equality Businesses

Since Gov. Christine Gregoire‘s passionate speech launching a push for full marriage equality in Washington state, things have moved forward quickly. Enough members of the Washington House and Senate have indicated support for a marriage equality bill to make its passage very likely. It looks like our neighbor to the north will become the seventh state to offer full equality to same-sex couples some time this year.

One pleasant surprise in this effort has been the outspoken support from the Northwest business community. A number of powerful companies are headquartered in Washington (including Microsoft and Starbucks). Seven regional companies have written to the Governor and the Legislature indicating their support for marriage equality. After watching the anti-gay efforts of companies like Target, let’s take a moment to celebrate these firms. Three cheers to:

• Starbucks,
• Microsoft,
• Nike,
• Vulcan,
• RealNetworks,
• Concur, and
• GroupHealth.

Other major companies from Washington score very high on the HRC Corporate equality index, including Amazon.com (90), Costco (90), and Boeing (85). Let’s hope they add their vocal support to this equality effort. As Starbucks Vice-President Kalen Holmes so eloquently states:

Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Starbucks strives to create a company culture that puts our partners first, and our company has a lengthy history of leading and supporting policies that promote equality and inclusion. This important legislation is aligned with Starbucks business practices and upholds our belief in the equal treatment of partners. It is core to who we are and what we value as a company.

Bravo to businesses that understand the value of all their customers.

Hero of the Week Award: January 6, Gov. Christine Gregoire

Hero of the Week

Voters in Washington state have every reason to be glad that they narrowly elected and re-elected Gov. Gregoire over serial nutjob Dino Rossi. This week she gave everyone one more reason to appreciate her wise, compassionate leadership. Bravely acknowledging her somewhat flawed record on full marriage equality, Gov. Gregoire announced this week that she will introduce legislation in the next Washington legislative session to create full marriage equality for same-sex couples. During the press conference, she clearly and articulately identified opposition to her proposal on religious grounds as simply discirminatory and labelled the current civil union option in Washington as “separate but equal” and unacceptable. Brava, Madame Governor! Watch her press conference here.

Honorable mention this week goes to President Obama. Standing up to absurd levels of Republican obstructionism, he used his constitutional authority to make recess appointments to some critical positions. Republicans are naturally howling about his brave, principled move. Congratulations on standing strong for America, Mr. President.

Kudos to Senator Patty Murray

Kudos to Sen. Murray

I always appreciate it when elected officials can be real leaders and admit when they are wrong.  Sen. Patty Murray D-WA. is now supporting the repeal of  DOMA.  In 1996 supported DOMA, a legacy of the Clinton Administration. Now, she is co-sponsoring legislation to repeal the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act.  Murray said:

I am proud to stand with Senator Feinstein and others as we fight to end this 14-year-old policy and make sure all married couples are treated equally in the eyes of the federal government.

Now, to the very out of touch John Boehner, please stop wasting tax payer money to enforce discrimination. To see the full article, click here.