Salt Lake City Gives a Damn!
Apr 05th, 2010 11:03 PM By AdminSalt Lake City now protects its residents from discrimination in employment and housing based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. Salt Lake City really gives a damn! Check out this news report from ABC 4:
GET INFORMED, GET INVOLVED
- Read more about the new protections in the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Learn more about Workplace Discrimination and how you can get involved in our Damn Issues section.
- Visit our Workplace Discrimination non-profit partner: Human Rights Campaign
- Visit Equality Utah’s website
U.S. Census, Be Counted
Apr 05th, 2010 06:32 PM By AdminToday, the U.S. Census Bureau released a series of public service announcements urging gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to fill out their 2010 Census form.
According to the videos below, “Same-sex partners and, for the first time, same-sex married couples, will be counted. This includes couples who may live where their relationship is not recognized. Transgender respondents are counted in the gender in which they identify.” So, be sure to fill out your form. There is even a video at the bottom of the page to show you how to fill it out correctly. (It is kinda long, but important. We suggest fast forwarding to around 4:00)
For all you straight folks, be sure to fill out your form too! But, also share the following videos with the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in your life to let them know how important it is that they take part as well:
This is the long instructional one! Again, we recommend you start at around 4:00.
If you would like to see more videos, check out the U.S. Census YouTube Channel.
White House Easter Egg Roll
Apr 05th, 2010 10:46 AM By AdminAs posted on Gay Rights at Change.org:
“Each year, the sitting U.S. President hosts an Easter egg hunt on the grounds of the White House, bringing together families from around the country for some colored eggs, baskets and bunnies. And though it sounds like a simple and cute event, it’s actually the largest public event that the White House holds each year, bringing 30,000 people total from around the country to attend.
“This year, the White House Easter Egg Roll takes on extra significance for LGBT families. And it’s not just that there will be LGBT families in attendance — that’s happened for quite some time, even under George W. Bush’s administration. It’s that this year, one of the families invited is at the center of historic litigation in Florida, challenging the state’s ban on LGBT adoption.
“Introducing Martin Gill, the North Miami man who is fighting the state of Florida so that he can adopt two young brothers — two children that he and his partner have been providing foster care to for years. In November 2008, a judge ruled that the state of Florida had no right to refuse Gill’s attempt to adopt the two children, essentially labeling as unconstitutional a Florida ban on gay adoption that has been termed the worst adoption law in the country. The case is on appeal, as Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals prepares to weigh in with a ruling.
“But the White House isn’t waiting for a decision in order to place their bets. By inviting Gill and his family to this year’s Easter Egg Hunt, the Obama administration has definitely sent a message to the state of Florida: you’re hurting children by preventing LGBT folks from adopting.
‘Inviting us, knowing that we are plaintiffs in this lawsuit, sends a pretty strong statement,’ Gill said of the White House’s decision to invite his family. ‘It’s extremely gratifying. What we’ve been through in the state of Florida has been somewhat of an ordeal.’”
GET INFORMED, GET INVOLVED:
- Watch an NBC Miami interview with Martin Gill discussing the White House’s invitation.
- Learn more about adoption bans and ways to get involved in our Parenting Issues section.
Iowa’s 1 Year Anniversary
Apr 03rd, 2010 01:02 PM By AdminToday is the one-year anniversary of marriage becoming legal for gay couples in the great state of Iowa! Nearly 2,000 gay couples have enjoyed the freedom to marry.
GET INFORMED:
- Learn more about marriage in the Damn Issues section.
- Read this great story about a Iowa couple from KCAU-TV in Sioux City, Iowa.
- Read this great op-ed from Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of our non-profit partner Freedom to Marry.
GET INVOLVED:
- Read and then share some Personal Stories about why people give a damn about marriage.
- Watch our Damn Videos on Marriage and then share them with the straight people in your life.
- Visit our marriage non-profit partners’ websites: Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry
- Visit One Iowa’s website, they were instrumental in making sure marriage stays legal for gay couples in Iowa.
Finally, We’re Back!
Apr 02nd, 2010 10:51 PM By AdminWe know you have been waiting a long time to get on this site to let us know you give a damn about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. We have seen the reports of the numbers of people visiting the past 36 hours and it has shocked us.
As many of you know, Anna Paquin’s honesty and openness about being bisexual generated huge news coverage and as a result we were slammed at a pace that we could not keep up with – even after adding two additional servers. So, we had to switch over to something our web developers tried to explain to us, but all we could understand is that it would make sure you all were going to be able to enjoy the website fully without it crashing. The only thing was we had to move the entire site over in record time to the new solution.
The outpouring of support for equality is more than we could have ever dreamed!
Thank you for your patience. Please enjoy the website. Explore and share as much of the damn videos, personal stories and other information that you find on this site with the people in your life – especially the straight people.
The Damn Blog will be updated throughout each day with news items pertaining to equality, as well as ways that you can get involved. So be sure to bookmark it right now and check back often to stay informed and continue to give a damn.
Thanks for hanging in there,
Your Damn Team
Overwhelming Traffic
Apr 02nd, 2010 07:16 AM By AdminDue to the enormous traffic from the many news stories about the Give a Damn Campaign and Anna Paquin identifying as bisexual today, wegiveadamn.org has been overwhelmed.
We are back up and running, but you will find things might be a bit slow until we can put a better fix in place. Thank you for giving a damn and visiting the site. We are sorry that things are not working as well as we had hoped! Be sure to:
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN: This way we can keep you informed and let you know when the site is operating at better speeds
SUBSCRIBE AND WATCH THE DAMN VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
Give a Damn Campaign Launches!
Apr 01st, 2010 07:36 PM By AdminCYNDI LAUPER’S TRUE COLORS FUND LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO SPUR STRAIGHT SUPPORT FOR GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER EQUALITY
Cyndi Lauper, Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg, Jason Mraz, Cynthia Nixon, Anna Paquin, Sharon & Kelly Osbourne, Judith Light, Kim Kardashian, Clay Aiken, Wanda Sykes, and others join forces in Give a Damn Campaign Video Series
April 1, 2010 [NEW YORK] – Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund today launched the Give a Damn Campaign (www.WeGiveADamn.org), a bold, web-based initiative with the goal of educating and engaging the straight community in the advancement of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. The call-to-action campaign kicks off with the release of its first series of videos which feature Cyndi Lauper, Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg, Jason Mraz, Cynthia Nixon, Anna Paquin, Sharon & Kelly Osbourne, Judith Light, Kim Kardashian, Clay Aiken, Wanda Sykes, Eric Roberts, and Kevin Alejandro expressing why they Give a Damn about equality.
“In my life I’ve crossed paths with many different people and I’ve seen firsthand what it means to be discriminated against,” said Cyndi Lauper, True Colors Fund co-founder. “I’ve come to realize equality means a lot to people who don’t have it and that, as a straight person, I have a responsibility to stand up for gay and transgender people each and every day. We all have to get involved; we all have to give a damn.”
The Give a Damn Campaign’s debut video series, produced by Red Thread Productions, directs viewers to wegiveadamn.org, an innovative and interactive website designed by Purple Crayons, where they are presented with ways they can get informed and get involved.
The site is designed as an easy to understand introduction to the issues affecting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. In addition to the video component, wegiveadamn.org features three important sections: the Damn Blog, which is updated daily to keep readers informed on breaking news and ways to get involved, Personal Stories, where visitors can read about why other people support equality and how inequalities have affected their lives and Damn Issues, where visitors can learn about the issues that matter most to them.
Wegiveadamn.org also functions as a helpful tool for people to get involved in advancing equality. In particular, visitors are urged to reach out to the straight people in their lives to encourage them to show their support. Through the use of the site’s “Tell a Friend” feature and social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, users are able to easily share any of the videos, personal stories or other content that will best assist them in opening a dialogue about equality with the people in their lives. Additional opportunities to get involved are available through partnerships with an array of non-profit organizations. One of the easiest things visitors can do to support equality is join the Give a Damn Campaign. By providing their email address visitors can stay informed and stay involved, as well as enjoy a personalized and customized version of wegiveadamn.org.
“Our focus is to open a dialogue with everyone, especially the straight community, who may not be fully aware of the inequality facing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. The Give a Damn Campaign will help bridge that gap,” said True Colors Fund Executive Director Gregory Lewis. “’Equality for all is the basis upon which this country was built and it can only be achieved if we all get informed and get involved.”
ABOUT THE TRUE COLORS FUND
True Colors Fund, the non-profit organization co-founded by music icon and longtime activist Cyndi Lauper, seeks to inspire and engage everyone, particularly the straight community, to become active participants in the advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality and ensure a strong and vibrant LGBT community.
For more information please visit www.truecolorsfund.org.
ABOUT SPONSORS:
The Give a Damn Campaign has been made possible with the very generous support of lead sponsors Purple Crayons, designers of wegiveadamn.org and the Give a Damn logo, and Red Thread Productions, producers of the Give a Damn video series. Additional support has been provided by Eccentricity Design, Dietrich Nelson & Associates, Inc., Jeff Ertz, Keaton Simons, MAC Cosmetics, and Mayu Mishina.
ABOUT PARTNERS:
The True Colors Fund’s non-profit partners are: CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Freedom to Marry, Gay & Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Immigration Equality, Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders (SAGE), Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), The Trevor Project.
