17

May

LGBT Roundtable with Martin J. Chavez | May 24th

Equality New Mexico will host  a roundtable discussion with former Albuquerque Mayor and democratic candidate for congress Martin J. Chavez.

former Albuquerque Mayor Martin J. Chavez

This is the second Roundtable in our series, designed to provide you with the opportunity to ask each of the candidates for congress in New Mexico’s first congressional where they stand on issues that matter to the LGBT community and families.

What: Equality New Mexico Roundtable discussion with Martin J. Chavez

When: Thursday, May 24th | 7:00pm-8:00pm

Where: Flying star downtown, 723 Silver Ave. SW | Grande Room

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15

May

New Gallup Poll Finds Increasing Support for Gays and Lesbians, Marriage for Same-Sex Families

A recent poll out from Gallup shows 54 percent of Americans consider “gay or lesbians relations” “morally acceptable,” while 42 percent say gay or lesbian relations are “morally wrong.” Gallup has been asking this question since 2001. At the time, results were clearly flipped with 53 percent saying homosexual relations are morally wrong, and 40 percent saying morally acceptable. Acceptance eclipsed in 2008 and has continued to increase since this time.

Support for same-sex marriage has closely mirrored acceptance of gay and lesbian relations. For the first time, in 2011 Gallup found majority support for same-sex marriage and has since maintained marginal majority support.

 

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14

May

Lesbian Arrested for Seeking Marriage License in North Carolina

The online blog Gay Star News is reporting that a lesbian was arrested for seeking a marriage licence in North Carolina on Thursday (10 May).

She was arrested after refusing to leave a government building in protest over the passage of Amendment One in the US state.

Mary Jamis of Mocksville, and her heterosexual friend Mary Lea Bradford of Winston-Salem, were arrested after joining nine couples looking for a marriage licence.

The couples presented completed forms and identification to a clerk at the local Register of Deeds office.

‘We cannot issue you a marriage license because it is not allowed under North Carolina law,’ a clerk told two gay men.

After refusing to budge, six female officers surrounded Jamis and arrested her. Both Jamis and Bradford were charged with second-degree trespass, and released without bond.

North Carolina became the 30th state to ban same-sex legal unions in the United States, a day before President Barack Obama’s historic support of gay marriage.

The amendment means only marriages between a man and a woman will have legal recognition. Civil unions are now outlawed, and it is possible cohabiting partnerships for both gay and straight couples are in danger.

North Carolina governor Beverley Perdue said ‘writing discrimination into North Carolina’s constitution is just plain wrong.’ She added she was worried what the law would do for the reputation of the state.

‘This will harm the stability and security of North Carolina’s families like never before,’ the governor warned.

She said: ‘Our constitution was written to guarantee rights, not to take them away.’

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13

May

Equality New Mexico LGBT Roundtable with Michelle Lujan Grisham–Democratic candidate for congress

Last week, North Carolina showed us again why elections matter to the LGBT community.

With the passage of “Amendment One,” a majority of North Carolina voters denied the freedom to marry to thousands of same-sex families.

With so much at stake for the LGBT community in this year’s elections, Equality New Mexico will host a series of roundtable discussions with each of the Democratic candidates for Congress in New Mexico’s 1st congressional district:

Current Bernalillo County Commissioner, and former New Mexico cabinet secretary, Michelle Lujan Grisham

State Senator and former Albuquerque City Councilor Eric Griego, and

former Albuquerque Mayor Martin J Chavez.

This will be your opportunity to ask the candidates where they stand on issues that matter to our state’s LGBT community and families.

Michelle Lujan Grisham

Our first roundtable discussion will take place on Tuesday, May 15th with Michelle Lujan Grisham, from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the Flying Star Downtown (723 Silver Ave SW).

Below is more information about Michelle Lujan Grisham (information provided by her campaign): 

Born in Los Alamos and raised in Santa Fe, Michelle graduated from St. Michael’s High School, then came to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico for both undergraduate and law school. Her grandfather Eugene Lujan was the first Hispanic Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court. Her mother Sonja cared for Michelle and her disabled sister and now lives with Michelle in Albuquerque’s North Valley. Michelle’s father, Buddy Lujan, served his Santa Fe community as a dentist, often providing dental care free of charge so that all of Santa Fe’s residents could be provided services that were necessary for their well-being.

As a young attorney she worked for the Lawyer Referral for the Elderly Program of the State Bar of New Mexico. Because of her tireless work on behalf of seniors, four-term Governor Bruce King to appointed her to head the New Mexico State Agency on Aging; she served as the state’s first Secretary of Aging and Long Term Services when the department was elevated to a cabinet position.

As head of the Stage Agency on Aging under both Democratic and Republican administrations, she was an early advocate for the Hate Crimes Act.  In the early 1990s, as advanced medical directives were becoming a priority across the nation, Michelle spearheaded the effort to include language in the bill recognizing same-sex partners as legally qualified to make medical and healthcare decisions for their partners. New Mexico became the first state to include the provision and served as a model for other states. Michelle worked to ensure that providers offer an array of services that meet the needs of the GLBT community, and NOT discriminate in their services, and to be held accountable if they did.

In 2004, Michelle was asked to head the New Mexico Department of Health, Michelle advocated for increased funding from the state Legislature for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in New Mexico. At the same time she helped create the HIV/AIDS Commission. Michelle also worked closely with Linda Siegle, a prominent activist for New Mexico’s GLBT community, to fight for the Domestic Partnership Rights and Responsibilities Act.

Elected in 2010 as a Bernalillo County Commissioner she hit the ground running, leading efforts to bring more transparency and accountability to county government. Michelle stood up to Sheriff Dan Houston who was holding mandatory meetings of cadets at the anti-gay fundamentalist Legacy Church.

Michelle serves as President and co-founder of the Delta Consulting Group, a small business that oversees New Mexico’s Health Insurance Pool and helps to provide access to health insurance coverage to New Mexico residents who have been denied health insurance

Michelle will continue her strong service on behalf of LGBT New Mexicans in Congress. She will work to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and end LGBT discrimination in the workplace. She will work to pass the Student Non-Discrimination Act to protect LGBT students from the problem of bullying. Finally, she will work to ensure marriage equality, repealing DOMA and passing the Respect for Marriage Act in Congress.

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02

Apr

Help us “Build the Beat”

At Equality New Mexico we work to build a better and more equal community for all New Mexicans–and that’s why we are pleased to announce an exciting new partnership between us here at EQNM and the Albuquerque music community.

On April 7th, local music legends the 2Bers will release their new album “Dig” at an all ages concert to be held at the historic El Rey theatre. (Find more details here)

With this release, the 2Bers are charting new territory in the New Mexico music scene by saying “no” to profits, and instead using music to help build community by donating the proceeds of their concert to Equality New Mexico, the Media Arts Collaborative Charter School and the Albuquerque Center on Peace and Justice.

Help us “build the beat” and support this emerging partnership between community organizations and local musicians bypurchasing your ticket to the April 7th concert here.

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22

Mar

Equality New Mexico tells US Speaker John Boehner: They’ve earned it


US Speaker of the House, John Boehner (R-Ohio)Last week, we wrote about US House Speaker John Boehner’s near obsession with defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court.

Even though President Obama and several federal Courts have said the law is unconstitutional, Speaker Boehner and House Republicans just won’t let up, and are prepared to spend millions in tax payer dollars to defend this discriminatory and anti-family law.

This time, Boehner and House Republicans will go it alone to defend DOMA in a case brought by soldiers with same-sex spouses—soldiers whose families are denied many benefits they have earned through their service and sacrifice because on DOMA.

Equality New Mexico has launched an on-line petition, calling on New Mexicans to tell Speaker Boehner: They’ve earned it!–all military families deserve the benefits they have earned.

You can find the petition and sign here: https://www.research.net/s/theyveearnedit

60 days ago Short URL Comments

19

Mar

Equality New Mexico annonces launch of LGBT Aging Roundtable

Below is a message from Equality New Mexico President/CEO, Jacob Candelaria, announcing the launch of Equality New Mexico’s LGBT Aging Roundtable—a new initiative aimed at providing LGBT seniors, as well as their caregivers and service providers, ongoing updates on issues that impact LGBT seniors and information about community based services and programming.

___Begin Message____

Momentum.

That’s what comes to mind after this morning’s roundtable discussion on LGBT aging issues with Kathy Greenlee–the US Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary on Aging.

We had a room full of community members and service providers, and it’s clear to me that there is a lot of great work going on in New Mexico on issues that impact LGBT seniors–and a lot of work left to do. (You can see pictures from this morning’s roundtable here).

To keep the momentum going, I am pleased to announce the launch of Equality New Mexico’s LGBT Aging Roundtable–a new initiative that will provide you with ongoing updates on issues that matter to LGBT seniors, as well as information about community based senior services and programming.

You can sign up as a roundtable member by clicking here. 

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18

Mar

Equality New Mexico to Co-host Roundtable on LGBT Aging Issues featuring Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary on Aging, Kathy Greenlee

The US Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary on Aging, Kathy Greenlee, will begin her trip to New Mexico on Monday at a roundtable discussion with local advocates and community members about special challenges that face LGBT seniors. The roundtable will take place at Flying Star Cafe Downtown at 8th and Silver from 9:00am to 10:30 am.

Recent national studies confirm that LGBT seniors encounter a series of unique issues as they age, including reduced access to caretaker networks, higher rates of poverty, and additional complications in the estate planning process. Assistant Secretary Greenlee has lead efforts within the Obama administration to draw attention to these issues.

Assistant Secretary Greenlee will then proceed later in the day to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the landmark healthcare reform law with local seniors at the North Valley Senior Center in Albuquerque.

Equality New Mexico is please to co-host this event along with the Senior Citizens Law Office.

What: Roundtable Discussion on LGBT Aging Issues with Assistant Secretary Kathy Greenlee–co-sponsored by Equality New Mexico and the Senior Citizens’ Law Office

When: Monday, 19 March 2012, 9:00am to 10:30 am

Where: Flying Star Cafe Downtown, 423 Silver Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 (Grande Room)

Please note, the roundtable will be closed to the press. Please direct all media inquiries to Jacob Candelaria (609-651-3891).

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17

Mar

He’s back. Rep. David “DOMA Dave” Chavez to challenge state Sen. Michael Sanchez in November

Less than one week after announcing that he would give up his seat in the NM House of Representatives to focus on his law practice, Rep. David “DOMA Dave” Chavez, a Republican, announced today that he would challenge Democratic state senator Michael Sanchez in November.

Sanchez has held the Belen-based senate seat since 1993, and also serves as the senate majority leader. A position that makes Sanchez arguably the most powerful of the state’s 112 legislators, as the majority leader decides what bills will make it to the senate floor for a vote.

Chavez made the announcement today at the Republican Party of New Mexico nominating convention in Albuquerque. This is not the first time Chavez has sought to challenge Sanchez for the seat—the two were pitted against each other in 2000, an election that Sanchez won handedly.

Less than one week ago, Chavez announced his retirement from the state legislature, saying that he needed to focus more time on his law practice.

“One can get dizzy trying to follow David Chavez’s political game playing,” said Jacob Candelaria, Executive Director of Equality New Mexico. “One day, he’s out of politics because he can’t balance serving both his constituents and his own clients. The next day, he takes it back. Maybe he has found more hours in the day, who knows,” continued Candelaria. “One thing is for certain, with David Chavez in the legislature pushing his right wing agenda, his constituents are sure to be shortchanged,” concluded Candelaria.

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11

Mar

“DOMA” Dave to Retire from NM House–Rep. David Chavez will not seek Re-election

Breaking:

The Albuquerque Journal is reporting this week that Rep. David Chavez (R-Los Lunas) will not seek re-election to the New Mexico House of Representatives.

Rep. David "Doma Dave" Chavez (R-Los Lunas)

Chavez, who was first elected to the House in 2010, said that his decision was motivated by a desire to focus all of his attention on his Los Lunas-based law practice.

Since joining the House, Chavez had joined Rep. Nora Espinoza (R-Roswell) as the new standard bearer in the GOP’s attempts to deny marriage to same-sex families in New Mexico. Since joining the House, Chavez has introduced four separate pieces of legislation to do just that.

Chavez’s most recent attempt came in this year’s 30 day legislative session. Following the introduction of HJR 22–Rep. Chavez’s definition of marriage bill–Equality New Mexico, along with support from the Human Rights Campaign and ProgressNow NM, organized a grass roots campaign that generated over 3,000 emails and phone calls urging Rep. Chavez to withdraw the bill.

Chavez eventually did withdraw HJR 22, only to reintroduce it (on valentine’s day) with less than 48 hours remaining in the legislative session. The bill was defeated in House committee on a party line vote.

“New Mexico is better off without David Chavez,” said Jacob Candelaria, President/CEO of Equality New Mexico. “When legislators like David Chavez focus more on pushing their own ideological agenda, nothing gets done in Santa Fe on the issues that matter most to New Mexicans like jobs and the economy,” concluded Candelaria.

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