Tag Archives: Joe Solmonese

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

She came out, they told her to leave school

10/19/2011 Nativegrl77

She was a model student and a star athlete – an honest young woman in her final year at a private Christian high school, The Master’s School, in Connecticut.

But when school administrators asked her about her sexual orientation, she answered courageously and honestly that she is a lesbian.

And then those same administrators told her to withdraw or she would be kicked out.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students across the country are back in school, many facing bullying from peers. The last thing these students need is a school administration that refuses to protect them from unfair treatment.

Thousands of equality supporters like you have already sent letters to officials at The Master’s School calling on them to make it right and protect all of their students. Will you send a letter now, too?

Tell The Master’s School: Your LGBT students deserve protection – not expulsion. Now’s the time to enact a non-discrimination policy so that all students feel safe to be who they are.

National Coming Out Day was just last week and Spirit Day is Thursday – it’s a time each year when we celebrate openness and speak out against bullying. Together, we’re striving to create a world where no student, no soldier, no employee – no one – has to fear coming out.

In too many places around this country, LGBT students risk expulsion, bullying, and harassment that jeopardizes their academic futures and their emotional well-being.

The Master’s School in Connecticut has a chance to make it right with the student they asked to leave. They have an opportunity to lead by example – to institute modern-day policies, and to bring their model student back into their community.

Will you take one minute to send a letter to The Master’s School right now? Tell them to update their policies and treat all their students fairly.

The path to equality has taken us together on a lot of twists and turns. The Master’s School, with HRC‘s help, can become a model environment for diversity and tolerance in education, but they need to take the first step now and make things right.

Thanks for standing with us now and always.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese
President, HRC

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

President Obama’s powerful message to everyone at the HRC’s 15th Annual National Dinner

10/03/2011 Nativegrl77

President Obama just finished his keynote address at HRC‘s 15th Annual National Dinner.It’s time to thank him for his support and remind him that we’re counting on him.Watch his speech here:

President Obama just delivered a stirring speech at HRC’s 15th Annual National Dinner that has left me ready for action.

In my introduction, I thanked the President for his leadership on repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” signing breakthrough hate crimes prevention legislation, ensuring hospital visitation rights for our loved ones, and declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and indefensible.

When we got backstage, I turned to him and told him I could only imagine what his appearance at an event like this says to a teenager in Salt Lake City who’s too nervous to come out, or to a young soldier in Afghanistan who just wants to serve her country openly.

And then I shared a message that comes from people in every corner of the country: “Mr. President, there’s a lot more work to be done, but we’ll keeping standing with you if you keep standing with us.”

WWW.HRC.ORG

On the heels of his inspiring address, will you join me in thanking President Obama and asking him to redouble his efforts for equality? “We’ve got your back since you’ve got ours.”

WWW.HRC.ORG

President Obama is one of our most visible straight allies, and every pro-LGBT move he makes in the next few months is going to come with a heavy dose of political scrutiny.

You and I have watched as each of our victories turns radical, right-wing activists more livid and their attacks more vicious. Anti-equality legislators are going to continue to fight marriage equality in the states while trying to turn being pro-equality into a liability for the President. And far-right candidates will continue promoting their vision of a world where “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is law again and hate crimes against our community don’t receive the attention they deserve.

It’s moments like these that I’m glad the President is standing so publicly in our corner – but I can’t thank him enough by myself.

Will you help me thank the President and remind him of the work that’s still to be done? Send your message to President Obama now. WWW.HRC.ORG

Every National Dinner, I reflect on the amazing community of supporters HRC is blessed with. Every victory we’ve ever accomplished is thanks to your calls, your letters, and your dedication. Thank you for your activism and your enthusiasm in the fight for equal rights.

Proudly,
WWW.HRC.ORG
Joe Solmonese
President, HRC

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

What has four wheels and loves equality?

08/03/2011 Nativegrl77

HRC is hitting the road, taking our message of equality cross-country.

Join our “On the Road to Equality” tour at a stop near you »

You can also download and proudly display these signs supporting LGBT rights everywhere.

Dear Carmen,

It’s been an exciting couple months. We’ve won marriage equality in New York, secured new protections for transgender people in Connecticut, and watched as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” crumbled into history.

Americans’ support for LGBT equality issues is at an all-time high, but there’s still a long way to go in fighting discrimination and educating the public at large.

Carmen, we are at a crossroads and we need to drive as far and as fast as we can toward fairness.

So, we’re hitting the road – and we wanted you to be one of the first to know. Ten days from now we’re launching “On the Road to Equality,” our 12-week, 15-city, nationwide bus tour to spread the message and promote equality. We’ll be working with local communities to educate the American public and empower LGBT people to become advocates for fairness all over the country.

Join us on this exciting journey. Come meet us at a stop near you or download one of our four fun “road signs for equality” to display your support everywhere you go:

This tour will bring us to the reddest of red states where legal protections for LGBT Americans are severely limited and living openly can be incredibly difficult. We’re starting it off in Salt Lake City – where less than a year ago one of the Mormon Church‘s top leaders called same-sex attraction “impure and unnatural” in the days following a rash of teenage suicides.

We’ll be traveling then to Omaha and Little Rock and Birmingham and beyond – carrying our message to states with few, if any, legal protections against discrimination. We’ll be holding workshops and forums to help local LGBT communities empower themselves even in some of the nation’s most conservative areas. Achieving equality isn’t just for LGBT people in cities or on the coasts. It’s got to be everywhere.

Even if you don’t live near a tour stop, you can still join this ride for equality by downloading and displaying these pro-equality signs in the window of your car or home.

Our bus tour launches in just 10 days and we want to see your support on display as we travel the country. You can also follow all of the action at www.hrc.org/roadtoequality. If you do join us along the way, you’ll get to visit our one-of-a-kind traveling exhibit and share your own story and experiences with our very nifty video sharing tool.

We’re excited to have you on board.

Bags packed,

Joe

Joe Solmonese
President

P.S. You can also text ONTHEROAD to 30644 to join HRC’s ever-growing Mobile Action Network. You’ll get our updates from the road and beyond.

~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Equality hangs in the balance. Will you tip the scales? … from HRC

05/26/2011 Nativegrl77

I just got off the phone with HRC Board Member Bruce Bastian. He’s challenged HRC supporters to raise $100,000 – and he’ll match every dollar with one of his own.

He’s doing it because big things are happening here at HRC and all across the country – thanks to you. You’ve helped run ads and mobilize thousands of volunteers in an all-out blitz to win marriage equality in New York. You helped bring 250 pro-equality clergy members to Capitol Hill this week. And together we’ve sparked a new, national conversation about homophobia in sports.

But make no mistake. We could win in New York – or right-wing hatred could prevail. More sports stars could support equality – or more slurs could air on national TV. Speaker Boehner could stop spending tax dollars to defend discrimination in the DOMA case – or we could see a resurgence of discriminatory efforts in Congress.

It all depends on how quickly we can react to a crisis, on how skillfully we can fight when it counts – and on you.

www.hrc.org

Don’t miss this chance to double your impact – all gifts will be matched up to $100,000.

Look around. From TV sitcoms to professional sports, to new polls showing unprecedented support for equality – we’ve reached a tipping point in our culture.

After years of discrimination, when a single victory for LGBT equality was cause for hope, we are now in a place where it’s hate that’s out of place. And you’ve been at the center of that change. In just the past few months, look what you’ve accomplished:

•After an outcry from HRC supporters, a major law firm dropped its defense of the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

•After HRC’s rapid-response campaign in major media outlets and on Twitter, all-star Kobe Bryant personally called me to apologize for calling a referee a “f***ing f***ot” in front of millions of young viewers – and the commissioner of the NBA fined him an unprecedented $100,000.

•Star athletes such as the NBA’s Steve Nash and the NHL’s Sean Avery have joined our “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality” campaign – the videos are everywhere from cable TV to New York City cabs right now – and when Avery was attacked for his brave stand, thousands of you spoke out in his defense.

•Mayors, governors, actors, past presidents and even George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara have all joined HRC’s campaign for marriage equality in New York.

And, for the first time ever, polls show a majority of Americans support marriage equality – not just civil unions.

These aren’t unconnected events. But this moment is only what we make of it. People like you generously funded ads, fueled outreach to prominent figures, and gave us the strength to respond to attacks without delay – and to seize this opportunity, we’ll need you again.

www.hrc.org

Don’t miss out: have your gift MATCHED in the next seven days.

We can create a sea change in our society – but we may still slip backward. I know that HRC supporters like you will be the deciding factor, and that we can count on you to fight.

Let’s tip the scales,

Joe Solmonese

President

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Joe Solmonese …Our enemies are relentless – we need your help

04/07/2011 Nativegrl77

You can be a leader in helping us defend critical victories in the fight for equality. All it will take is 67 cents a day – less than the cost of a candy bar or a bottle of water.

An end to the hateful Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Critical protections for same-sex couples. Constant pressure on Congress – and unyielding work to secure lasting marriage equality in state after state.

Will you be one of the select few – the HRC Partners – who don’t just join these fights, but lead our movement to victory?

By midnight tonight, HRC needs 100 people like you to take their support to the next level with a monthly gift

Why give monthly?

www.hrc.org

•It’s easy on your budget, and it goes a long way. Most of us don’t think twice about keeping the lights on or the car insured – aren’t fundamental rights just as essential?

•The enemy is relentless, shameless, and animated by hatred. A Congress elected to tackle economic issues has set its sights on defending discrimination at any cost. It takes steady resources to fight back with national grassroots pressure, direct lobbying, public education programs, and hard-hitting media campaigns.

•Monthly giving is the right wing‘s bread and butter. We need to match our opponents – gift for gift, dollar for dollar. Or, to put it a finer point on it, for every 67 cents they pour in, we must do the same. These are the critical funds we use to counter right-wing lies and push back assaults on equality – all at a moment’s notice.

That’s why we need you to become an HRC Partner by midnight TONIGHT and claim your eco-friendly tote as a thank-you gift.

Now’s not the time to relent – we can’t afford to give one inch back to the radical right. Take the next step with us, and help us ensure we don’t.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese

President