A Compromise on Gay Marriage

A discussion at the Brookings Institute regarding gay marriage was held with participants David Blankenhorn, President of the Institute for American Values, and Jonathan Rauch, author of the book “Gay Marriage: Why It is Good for Gays, Good for Straights and Good for America.”

Blankenhorn and Rauch presented their proposal of legalizing gay marriage. The proposal works as a compromise between the advocates of gay marriage and the religious groups that oppose it.

“Congress would bestow the status of federal civil unions on same-sex marriage and civil unions granted at the state level, thereby conferring upon them most or all of the federal benefits and rights of marriage. But there would be a condition: Washington would recognize only those unions licensed in states with robust religious-conscience exceptions, which provide that religious organizations need not recognize same-sex unions against their will,” Rauch explained.

Blankenhorn further discussed the danger of viewing the different opinions as wrong and using bad faith. He explained that to solve this delicate issue, a compromise is necessary.

Rauch also emphasized the importance of legalizing gay marriage, but leaving the religious groups the possibility to choose for themselves. He referred to this as the compromise, and by enforcing this proposal, civil rights will be protected.

HIV treatment misguided worldwide

2.5 million people will contract HIV this year, a disease that is "preventable" according to Elizabeth Pisani, author of "The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS" at a discussion of her book at the Center For Strategic and International Studies today.

Pisani disagrees with the idea that AIDS is a worldwide problem saying, "There is no global HIV epidemic." She said that parts of Africa, or 10 percent of the world's population, have 66 percent (40 million people) of reported cases of HIV. She said that the rest of the HIV epidemic is prevalent in people who "sell sex," gay men, and drug injectors.

She focused on the multitude of interest groups that will not help in the fight to prevent HIV. She said those in the UN will lose money, politicians will lose votes, religious groups will "compromise their morality," and AIDS activists do not want to bring this problem back to its "bad days."

Pisani added that the religious "sacred cows" against prevention of HIV are miscalculated. She said the feeling among the religious that providing condoms is a way of promoting sex is misguided. She said, in her experience, carrying condoms "doesn't make it any easier to get laid." She also said that the notion that providing needles promotes injection is untrue as well.

In the U.S. , Pisani said that HIV is "a gay male disease." She said that prevention in America must be focused on that group.

In regards to to treatment of HIV, Pisani stated that she supported treatment, but "We can't do it without doing better at prevention."

Don't Ask, Don't Tell effects military cohesiveness

"I may be straight, but not narrow" said Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) at a heated review of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy before the House Armed Services Committee, Military Personnel Subcommittee. This was the first time in 15 years that the policy had been revisited since its creation in 1993.

Retired Marine Corps. Staff Sgt. and first wounded soldier during the Iraq War Eric Alva, stated that trust was the most important bond he shared with his fellow soldiers, and that when he admitted to them that he was gay, trust and cohesion in the group only strengthened.

Joan Darrah, a retired Navy Captain, echoed Alva's sentiments, saying that she was constantly forced to live a double life while serving. After leaving a room in the Pentagon that was destoryed only minutes later on the morning of 9/11, Darrah realized that her partner of 11 years would have been the last to know, had she been killed. Due to the policy, she said that she was very secretive about her life as a lesbian, not even listing her partner as an emergency contact. In addition, Darrah said that the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy actually hurts troop cohesion by mandating the immediate removal of soldiers who are found to be gay.

Brian Jones, a former Army Special Operations and current business owner and Chief Financial Officer defended Don't Ask Don't Tell by saying that certain military situations require a closeness that could be uncomfortable for heterosexual soldiers, pointing to communal showers and even the need to huddle together for warmth, which he stated can result in the sexual arousal of gay soldiers.

Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness said that by removing the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, heterosexual soldiers would be pushed into a situation she called "forced cohabitation". She also stated that by allowing openly gay soliders to fight alongside straight soldiers, the government would be putting an unfair burden on Americans with religious convictions.

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), a member of congress who has served in the US military, exressed sharp criticism of Donnelly for remarks that he said implied that the US Army was not professional enough to to work alongside gay soldiers.

Domestic partners discriminated against

The fact that the U.S. government covers the travel cost of a family pet yet does not cover that of a domestic partner was brought up at a discussion held at the Center for American Progress (CAP). Unlike spouses of married foreign service personnel, domestic partners are ineligible for medical benefits, life insurance and are not even permitted to attend a two-day safety training course which the State Department offers to spouses.

Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, spoke during the discussion, recollecting when James Hormel became the first openly gay ambassador appointed by President Clinton to Luxembourg in 1999. Albright also considered former ambassador Michael Guest's resignation as ambassador to Romania a big loss to U.S. foreign policy. Guest resigned from his post because his partner was unable to receive the same benefits that spouses of his straight colleagues were offered. Albright wondered how America could expect itself to be a leader in promoting civil liberties when it still discriminated its own people.

Senator Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), also speaking at the discussion, pointed out that to an employee, health benefits are second in importance only to salary. Smith described how, in order to keep the best and brightest Americans working in the public sector, equal health benefits should be afforded to all. Also, Smith discussed his theory that a key to reducing health care costs is to widen the pool of those eligible, even if the "paradigms of families get shifted".

Gay/Lesbian Community Comes Together at Caucus on Public Policy Agenda

This morning the Gay, Lesbian, Allied Senate Staff (GLASS) Caucus held a forum on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender/transsexual (LGBT) public policy agenda at the Russell Senate Office building.

Participants at the forum included both Democrats and Republicans, with a fully engaged crowd consisting of equally diverse members. Black and white, male and female, many people came out to discuss the future of gay rights.

The caucus focused on uniting its often philosophically different participants. Issues covered included the HIV/AIDS epidemic, hate crimes, and the forthcoming presidential election. "We are a truly united LGBT community," said hopeful public policy advocate David Stacy. As the forum concluded, messages such as these suggest a hopeful future for the LGBT.