Yesterday was the Rally for Equality on the steps of City Hall. A number of local organizations came together on Saturday to speak on a number of issues facing the LGBT community and to provide resources for those who want to become more engaged in the movement. The topics ranged from Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to ENDA to Hate Crimes and Health Issues to Marriage Equality and Adoption. The event started with a moving a cappella version of ‘We Shall Overcome’ sung by the Big Easy MCC Praise Team. I spoke briefly about why we there:

Disheartened by the election results? Angered that we are still being denied full citizenship? Tired of enduring a barrage of lies and insults? Furious that your dignity and humanity has been attacked and undermined?

Don’t agonize...organize!

Come to the Rally For Equality at the New Orleans City Hall at noon on Saturday, November 7th.

It took much too long, more than a decade. And it came at too great a price: the brutal killings of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. are just two among the thousands of crimes motivated by hate and bigotry. When talking about the need for hate crimes legislation, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: "The time for debate is over."

She was right.

The president has put pen to paper and fulfilled a campaign promise by the signing of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, extending the federal hate crimes statute to include sexual orientation and gender identity along with race, religion, gender, national origin and disability. Our deepest hope and strong belief is that this new law will save lives. Now, lawmakers and the president have made an imperative statement to the country and the world: Our nation will no longer tolerate hate-motivated violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

The steps of New Orleans City Hall will be the site of a Rally for Equality, to  be held on November 7, 2009 from noon to 1 p.m.  This rally will signal support for equality and justice for all, and highlight the problems that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals face in Louisiana  and across the nation.

Organized by the ACLU of Louisiana, Big Easy Metropolitan Community Church, Forum For Equality, the Human Rights Campaign, NO/AIDS Task Force, the National Organization for Women, PFLAG, TCC and other allies of the LGBT community, the event will feature the speakers, entertainment and provide information on services available to the LGBT community in the New Orleans area.

Thanks to the Forum For Equality’s alliance with the Equality Federation Equality Federation, I was able to attend President Obama’s Town Hall on Thursday at UNO with a VIP ticket. Our seats were only seven rows back from the stage. It is always good to see Obama in person, as he is incredibly charismatic and a dynamic speaker.

There were approximately 1,300 people in the audience for the event. The White House reported that 70 percent of the tickets were general admission, distributed randomly among people who signed up online and over the phone. The other 30 percent were distributed to elected officials and community leaders.

I have been polite too long. I want to demand my rights but there is a slight problem. Historically when marginalized groups of citizens have demanded their rights it has taken the added pressure of those not in the margins to achieve them. I don’t know if this is because it adds “legitimacy” or it simply swells the ranks and turns the tide. I don’t care anymore about the why or how. I want my rights and I want them now.

I want the same rights as a couple as my married neighbors have. To be assured of the legal right to visit my partner in the hospital, of knowing that there is no legal question regarding my parental status of my children, of the benefits that are provided to married couples in taxes, insurance, social security and so much more.

The Forum For Equality held Acclaim Awards XI on Saturday night at Harrah’s Casino Theater. This sold out event was not only a celebration of 20 years of service to Louisiana's LGBT community, it was a chance to recognize a number of individuals for their contributions toward a society free from discrimination.

We honored the following with our Acclaim Awards:

Political Leader - Judge Michael Bagneris
Political Activism - James Wiggins
Community Health - Heidi Nagele Chapman
Media - Leonard Pitts, Jr.
Arts & Entertainment - Ricky Graham
Chair's Award - ACLU of Louisiana

Leonard Pitts was also our Keynote Speaker and his speech was funny and enlightening. A Pulitzer Prize winning columnist and author, he spoke movingly about oppression and justice and the past and the future.

I’m posting for this week’s blog an article written by Forum’s alliance partner, The Equality Federation .

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk lately about this idea that we should demand a single federal solution for equality. I’ve heard it from Equality March organizers, and I’ve heard it from angry LGBT Americans. 

Much as that sounds like a great idea, equality is not going to happen that way. 

A single federal solution is simply not possible. Here’s why.

1.    The separation of powers between the federal and state governments means that states reserve all the powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution. This means that states hold the power to regulate marriage and family matters, a power upon which the federal government has been loathe to intrude. When the federal government does act, it must rely upon constitutional protections (like equal protection or the right to due process) as grounds for regulating state rules or behaviors. And while the federal government also may use the power of the purse (tying highway funds to higher age limits for buying alcohol, for example), it is unlikely to impose new rules that don’t already have support or precedent in the states.

Until 1996, federal law let states decide who could marry and be considered married.  The constitutional guarantee of full faith and credit controlled states’ obligations to honor other states' valid marriages. The Defense of Marriage Act was an unprecedented departure from those long-established rules.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people have families and want to provide those families with security, just like every American.  But same-sex couples don't have the same rights or obligations under federal law that other couples and families have. As more and more states affirm marriage equality, DOMA prevents legally married couples from fully protecting their families, caring for their loved ones, and being full and equal members of our society.

It is time to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.

The Forum for Equality celebrates 20 years of service to the GLBT community with its annual Acclaim Awards Gala titled “Night of Divas” at Harrah’s Casino Theatre on Saturday, September 26, 2009. The Forum is please to have Leonard Pitts Jr., as the keynote speaker for this event.

The Gala will feature the talents of lead musical divas from New Orleans who will belt out show-stopping tunes during the dinner. Entertainers include: Barbara Shorts, Troi Bechet, Anais St. John and Charmaine Neville.