Counter

Obama's Gay Rights Agenda (Catholic News Agency)

Obama administration reveals plans to advance gay agenda
Comments: 56
January 16, 2009

President-elect Barack Obama

Washington DC, Nov 23, 2008 / 07:48 pm (CNA).- Citing what they call America’s “promise of equality,” the Obama administration plans to push for homosexual rights by including protections of sexual orientation, “gender identity” and “gender expression” as civil rights. His office proposes expanding hate crimes statues and the adoption rights of homosexuals while supporting full civil unions for “LGBT couples” to give them “legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples.”

The proposals are announced under the Civil Rights section of their agenda presented at Change.gov, the web site of the Obama campaign’s self-described “Office of the President-elect.”

A section titled “Support for the LGBT Community” outlines the agenda for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered activists and quotes remarks Obama made on June 1, 2007.

“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do,” Obama said, referring to riots which followed a police raid on a New York City gay bar.

“Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

According to the web site, President-elect Obama and vice-president-elect Joe Biden will support expand crimes legislation such as the Matthew Shepard Act. They also back the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which they claim will “prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.”

“While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy,” the web site states, referring to similar legislation sponsored by Obama in the Illinois state legislature.

Regarding civil unions and same-sex marriage, the site says “Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples.”

Advocating the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, the agenda plans to “enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions.”

The site also references Obama’s Senate vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which, in the site’s words, “would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.”

On the subject of adoption rights, the Change.gov web site states: “Barack Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.”

The Obama agenda further advocates the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell” policy barring open homosexuals from serving in the military.

Its AIDS prevention policies also pledge to enact a “comprehensive” national strategy including contraceptive sex education and “combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception.”

proposal lines of authority for oac

Proposal of Description of Lines of Authority for The Older Adult
Center Since Transfer from College of Health and Human
Services To The Sociology Dept. under College of Natural and
Behavioral Sciences.

Dean of College of Natural Behavioral Sciences
           (Charles Hohm)
         I
         I
Chair of Department of Sociology
           (Clare Weber)
I
         Secretary of Sociology
           (Jennifer Agatep)
       I
holds backup key to OAC
I
Faculty Director of the Older Adult Center
          (Sharon Raphael) 6 hrs per week**
         Supervises Student Director & Supprt Coordinator;
           trouble shoots/ problem solving
        I
Student Director
                   (Ritwik Nath M.A. Gero) 20 hrs. per week
                   approves/directs interns/volunteers
                 head of operation of office
I
I
       / \                                        
Interns                    I  Volunteers
                I
          
Support Coordinator 15 hrs. per week
( Wanda Wyatt MFT student)
           assists Student Director
           helps with operation of office
           assists with interns/volunteers
           reports to Student Director & Faculty Director

  

The Older Adult Center has been transferred from The College of Health and Human Services under Gerontology (Health Sciences) to The College of Natural and Behavioral Science under Sociology.

The mission of the Older Adult Center is to provide a welcoming environment for older * students, faculty, and staff on campus, to process the fee waiver which provides low cost fees to adults age 60 or over, and to help interns from social service oriented and related professions gain expertise working with and for older adults in an educational setting, and when appropriate to develop “ethically directed” research projects which enhance the purpose and goals of The Older Adult Center and The Sociology Dept.

The Older Adult Center is run by a Student Director under the auspices of a Faculty Director. There is also at present a Student Support Coordinator who reports both to the Student Director and the Faculty Director. The Chair of Sociology is the administrative last line authority of the unit under which the Older Adult Center operates. If there are problems, the Student Director and/or Support Coordinator report it to the Faculty Director. If the Faculty Director has a problem, she/he will report to the Chair of Sociology who report to the Dean of The College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences. Since 1981, there have been very few complaints brought to the attention of a Dean or Chair or to the Faculty Adviser for that matter. In the past, the faculty person directly in charge of the OAC was described as the Faculty Adviser.

I have changed the name to Faculty Director as the term adviser is ambiguous and puts the faculty person in a less than relationship in comparison to the new term Faculty Director. However, it should be understood at this time, that the Faculty Director has no units off to carry out the duties of the position which involve trouble shooting and problem solving and generally mentoring the Student Director and Support Coordinator in her or his work running and helping in the running of the Older Adult Center.

*the term “older” should be self defined but as matter of practice 45 and older is has been used in terms of average minimum age of people who participate in the Center. This does not mean younger adults are excluded especially if they are at the Centerto provide services or to receive information about older adults they require. In general,older adults (over 50) are given priority in terms of use of computers or attention fromstaff when there is a line up or competition for service at the OAC.

**hours of the Faculty Director 2 hrs. on campus per week /4 hrs.or plus on
phone ore-mail or in my office or in meetings with Student Directors.

http://www.thankyoujonstewart.com/

Sharon Raphael says go to http://www.thankyoujonstewart.com/ if you want to send a message to stop the horrific bombing and killings going on in Gaza.