Stories from the Frontlines: Former Army Capt. Rebecca H. Elliott

Anticipating the markup of the Defense Authorization Bill in the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the House, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has launched a campaign, publishing open letters daily to President Obama from gay and lesbian servicemembers to urge the president to get "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed this year. As we've discussed on the show, the president must pressure senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee to put repeal as an amendment in the Defense Authorization Bill. And the president must put it in the defense budget he sends to Congress.

Every day we're on-air on the show, as well as here on the blog, we will share a letter, along with coalition of other blogs and commentators, that SLDN has highlighted from a servicemember written to President Obama.


April 30, 2010

President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I am the mother of two young children, and an Iraq war veteran. I joined up just like my dad – a retired Army officer – and my sister, who currently serves in the Guard. My brother is a reservist and has been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Two weeks ago, our family gathered together as he is leaving again for Afghanistan -- his 4th deployment. Even my husband, Jay, served as an officer in the Air Force until 2008.

Like my dad, I chose the Army. I reached the rank of Captain and was a platoon leader in the military police. I was there during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

I had some of the best NCO's (non-commissioned officers) in the Army who could accomplish any mission. Several members of my platoon received decorations for valor during the combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On my last day of active duty, some of my old squad leaders revealed to me that one of my former team leaders was gay. They figured it was safe to tell me, as I was leaving the Army. My first feelings on the matter were, frankly, a little surprised, followed by complete indifference.

I was surprised because I had never suspected the soldier of being gay. But then, I never really had any thoughts about her sexual orientation whatsoever.

When I reflected on it, it didn't make one bit of difference in how she performed her job or how she related to the other soldiers in the platoon. She had the respect of her squad leaders (fairly conservative men, mind you), who kept her secret and continued working with her side-by-side for years.

As an officer, I would have been bound by my position to report such “credible information” that would have led to the discharge of a great NCO. I am glad that I was never placed in the position of having to choose between one of my soldiers and enforcing this terrible law, which I feel is unfair and wrong.

Please, Mr. President – at this critical time -- do not allow those serving their country to be forced to choose between good, honorable soldiers, and upholding an unfair law.

Please, do not continue to allow gays and lesbians in the service to have to choose between hiding a part of their identity and continuing to serve their country.

Please, help Congress repeal “Don't Ask Don't Tell” now.

Respectfully,

Former Capt. Rebecca H. Elliott
Untied States Army

Stories from the Frontlines: A Military Chaplain

Anticipating the markup of the Defense Authorization Bill in the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the House, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has launched a campaign, publishing open letters daily to President Obama from gay and lesbian servicemembers to urge the president to get "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed this year. As we've discussed on the show, the president must pressure senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee to put repeal as an amendment in the Defense Authorization Bill. And the president must put it in the defense budget he sends to Congress.

Every day we're on-air on the show, as well as here on the blog, we will share a letter, along with coalition of other blogs and commentators, that SLDN has highlighted from a servicemember written to President Obama.


April 29, 2010

President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

As an active-duty military chaplain who just returned from a 15-month deployment in Iraq, this is my appeal for justice:

Over the years some of us have buried our closest friends -- officers and enlisted, African American, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians, Whites, rich, poor, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and Jews. They had the courage to make the supreme sacrifice in order for us to reap the bounties of freedom. We owe them a debt of gratitude which can never be repaid.

What is remarkable about these Marines, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Coastguardsmen is they understood the personal risk when they answered the highest calling of our nation. What could be a nobler act then to give one’s life to one’s country, knowing that in their lives many freedoms would be denied them?

And when their story is told a significant piece of their life would be missing.

As they sleep under the crosses, the stars of David and the crescents there is no bigotry. There is no prejudice. There is no hatred. And within the sacred confines of their resting place there is no law of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” There is only purest democracy.

When the final cross has been placed in the last cemetery, will it only be then that we as a nation acknowledge our gay brothers and sisters who took the risks of life and truth to answer their nation’s highest calling? How many of these brave men and women lie in military graves and still hide in death?

They are among the unknown soldiers.

There are only a few who know the truth of those who lie in these graves. There are only a few who know the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn them in silence and fear. The nation remains silent and owes no allegiance to who they truly were nor does it honor their loved ones. What does that say of our sacred values?

If one gay person was killed in defense of America, issues such as the destruction of unit morale or the fear of people not wanting to join the military devalue their sacrifice. This is not about appeasing the uncomfortable feelings of a minority; this is a universal and transcendent matter of justice. America was built on the common Jewish and Christian heritage of justice when the Bible commands: “Justice, justice you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20).

It is easy for those who do not live in fear of being ‘outed’ to say: ‘We must wait and examine this law further.’ But when you have to watch what you say, where you go, and who you talk to, this erodes the human person. When you live in fear that the wrong pronoun slips through your lips, or a co-worker see you in public with your life long partner and you respond ‘this is just a friend’, this degrades your human self worth.

Gays and lesbians wait not for justice, for them justice is denied, but they wait for the ‘knock on the door.’ They are haunted daily waiting ‘to be found out.’

We went to foreign lands to wage war to liberate people so they would not have to live in the fear of waiting. But citizens of our own land who served nobly, who died to secure freedoms which they would never profit from, must live in fear waiting for justice.

"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" is an unjust law. It degrades the human soul because it forces those who willingly serve to live in shameful humiliation because of deceit and fear. It undermines the very principles and values of what it means to be an American. Living the façade of a life goes against the Core Values of every Armed Service. How much longer is justice going to be denied? There comes a time when despair and fear must end.

Mr. President, we depend on your sense of justice and fairness to help end this gross injustice so we, as a nation, do not have to wait for the final marker to be placed in the last cemetery.

We ask you to lead the way in repealing this unjust law and replace it with a policy of non-discrimination that advances open and honest service. A law that is consistent with true American values and honors the sacrifices of so many who have served – and died -- in silence.

With deepest respect,
A military chaplain
(The writer is currently serving and unable to identify himself publicly.)

Today on the Signorile Show

In a week in which we've had a lot of discussion about the draconian immigration law signed Friday by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, a bill which gives the local police broad powers to check documentation "when practicable" of anyone they suspect to be undocumented, we're perceiving a delay from some legislators in working on climate change legislation. It's an issue we spoke about with Bill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making A New Life On A Tough New Planet, who underscored that the U.S. is falling far behind in comprehensive reform. And the oil rig blast in the Gulf of Mexico is also muddying the waters for an energy and climate bill. According to the New York Times, "Several senators said they were troubled by the accident and might not support broad climate and energy legislation if it contains expanding drilling without adequate safeguards." Will this disaster be a wake up call for the president and Democrats, or will they continue to cave to the oil companies, and pass a bill with extensive drilling as planned? Or will they do nothing. We'll get into it.

Yesterday, Mike told you briefly about an abortion law in Oklahoma, a bill which was vetoed by the governor but then was overridden by zealous legislators. The law requires doctors to give an ultrasound of the fetus and show the fetus in the monitor to the mother describing the hearts, limbs and organs of the fetus. The law makes no exceptions, having doctors also provide this same measure to incest and rape victims. There is another measure of the law, one that opponents say protects doctors. The measure "prevents women who have had a disabled baby from suing a doctor for withholding information about birth defects while the child was in the womb." And we thought Arizona was turning fascist? We'll discuss today.

Could Illinois be the next state that steps up for marriage equality? State Representative Deborah Mell went on WTTW's Chicago Tonight with her partner of five and a half year, Christin Baker, to announce their engagement. Representative Mell plans on making a formal announcement on the House floor, where she will make the plea to colleagues to discuss the issue of marriage equality in the state.

Guest / 3:30pm EST - Focus On The Family has made an announcement that Jim Daly is now heading the very radical, antigay group. In an article from AOL News, it is claimed tht Daly would bring a new tone to FOtF, but Jeremy Hooper, editor of Good As You and someone who has monitored the far for for a long time, disagrees and will join us today to point out why.

Guest / 4:30pm EST - Is morality strictly a human concern? Should it be independent of religion? Rodrigue Tremblay, author of The Code For Global Ethics: Ten Humanist Principles, joins us this afternoon to discuss the humanists ideals he feels could contribute to a peaceful global community.

When you went to McDonald's or Burger King as a child, perhaps you remember your father saying, "Eat your burger first, then you can have the toy." That may change for the next generation. County supervisors of California's Santa Clara County, which encompasses Silicon Valley, voted yesterday to ban the toys that come in a child's meal at fast food restaurants if the meal doesn't meet nutritional standards. Is this going too far? Could putting the toys in healthier meal be incentive for children to eat healthier or will they want fries with that? We'll discuss this afternoon.

All this and more, today on The Michelangelo Signorile Show!

And, don't forget, you can follow Mike on Twitter and Facebook!

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Stories from DADT's Frontlines: LCpl Danny Hernandez

Anticipating the markup of the Defense Authorization Bill in the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the House, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network has launched a campaign, publishing open letters daily to President Obama from gay and lesbian servicemembers to urge the president to get "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed this year. As we've discussed on the show, the president must pressure senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee to put repeal as an amendment in the Defense Authorization Bill. And the president must put it in the defense budget he sends to Congress.

Every day we're on-air on the show, as well as here on the blog, we will share a letter, along with coalition of other blogs and commentators, that SLDN has highlighted from a servicemember written to President Obama.


April 28, 2010
President Barack H. Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest

Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I was humbled to have earned the title of U.S. Marine just two years ago – my goal since I was 14 years old. But just nine weeks ago, I was informed of my discharge under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.
Mr. President, if I could be serving my country right now – I would be. Instead, I was fired while you were my Commander and Chief.
The stories we hear of discharged service members are becoming far too common and are based around a primitive law that we should have eliminated years ago. As this injustice continues to hurt our country, we are in desperate need of your support and leadership as we work to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
After I finished my training, I was a 20-year-old reservist. I returned to school to continue working on my undergraduate degree with hopes of becoming an officer. I wish I could tell you about my distinguished service, about stories from the war overseas, or about how being a Marine has changed my perspective on life, but I can’t.
My discharge came from the fear that my sexual orientation was going to be revealed by a third party; a group of unknown Marines who threatened to use my sexuality as a way to retaliate after a dispute in a bar. I had spoken with two fellow Marines from my unit; both of whom I trusted. They calmed me, told me that it wasn’t a big deal, and reassured me that everything was going to be fine.
I returned to drill only to find out that the two Marines – the Marines I confided in -- had mentioned it and word had reached my 1st Sergeant and Commanding Officer. They told the two Marines to submit written statements detailing everything I had told them. When I walked in to my 1st Sergeant's office the first question out of his mouth was, "Are you gay?"
I answered honestly. The investigation was now underway.
The 1st Sergeant proceeded to tell me that there was no way he could protect my privacy in the matter, citing the “grapevine,” and having no control over what people within the unit said or did. I was told by my CO to hang tight and wait to hear from the Battalion Commander.
Ultimately I was discharged, a fate I found out only through my persistent calls and emails. My dreams of being an officer had been shattered and it felt as if the world was tumbling down on me and all I could do was step aside.
Upon earning the title of Marine, I took an oath and vowed to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” This enemy is a domestic one, and with your direction as Commander and Chief, this is a war in which we can be victorious.
“Semper Fidelis” is the Marine Corps motto meaning “Always Faithful.” Not only am I willing and anxious to go overseas, but I am prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect our freedoms.
I have remained faithful to my country; please be faithful to me.
Very Respectfully,


LCpl. Danny Hernandez, USMC (Separated)

Today on the Signorile Show

Yesterday, we spent a a lot of time of the show talking about this draconian immigration law passed Arizona. There was a lot of great debate on the issue and many of you expressed some ideas regarding what needs to be done in response. According to a report from the New York Times, "La Opinión, the nation’s largest Spanish-language newspaper, urged a boycott in an editorial Monday, as did the Rev. Al Sharpton, and calls for such action spread to social media sites. The San Francisco city attorney and members of the Board of Supervisors said they would propose that the city not do business with the state." Is an economic boycott the answer?

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and on of the panelists on The Path Forward last week, spoke with Ben Smith of Politico yesterday regarding the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. He tells Smith, "The President's political and moral dilemma is how to reconcile the process he worked out with Gates and Mullen...and the commitment he made in the State of the Union message to work with Congress and the Pentagon to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell this year." With the protests last week and the urgency to start working on repeal before the midterms, do you think the president can keep his promise and commit to repealing DADT this year?

In an effort to keep attention on repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, SLDN is launching a new media campaign, "Stories From The Frontline: Letter's To President Barack Obama," to underscore the urgent need for presidential leadership and congressional action. Everyday, SLDN will post an open letter to the president by someone affected by DADT. Read the letters and get the word out!

Guest / 2:30pm EST - Kevin Naff, editor of The Washington Blade, joins us this afternoon to talk about the return of The Washington Blade after five months.

Guest / 3:30pm EST - Last week, the White House released a memorandum, allowing hospital patients to have someone by their bedside, a step forward in the right direction for the LGBT community. Joining us today, Janice Langbehn, who was denied visiting rights to her partner, Lisa Pond, in 2007 by a Florida hospital to talk about the memorandum and about her call from President Obama regarding its announcement.

Guest / 4:30pm EST - Author Bill McKibben joins us this afternoon to speak about his latest book, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, in which he writes about that while we still live on Earth, we've managed to fundamental change the planet we thought we knew.

Last month, we spent time discussing the California law classifying gays as sexual deviants and requires the state to conduct research on the causes of homosexuality. We also spent time talking about how CNN anchor Kyra Phillips discussed the law, calling on "ex-gay" Richard Cohen to give reasons why the law should stand. Yesterday, the State Assembly approved a bill, 62-0, to remove references to homosexuality in the provision that calls for research. It moves to the Senate now, will it have the same success it had in the Assembly? We'll discuss this afternoon.

Are violent video games not obscene? Lower courts have drawn the line at violence, but the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case to determine if violent video games should be sold to children? Is the Supreme Court crossing the line or is this a valid case for the First Amendment rights?

All this and more, today on The Michelangelo Signorile Show!

And, don't forget, you can follow Mike on Twitter and Facebook!

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

More Clips from LGBT Town Hall

The following clip was in response to my asking Joe Solmonese about the promises he made at a fundraiser in North Carolina.




I asked Aubrey Sarvis to confirm that he was not a pivotal meeting with the White House at which we're told the White House didn't commit to repealing don't ask, don't tell this year.This was some of the news that came of the town hall.




Robin McGehee of Get Equal asked Joe Solmonese if he will resign.




John Aravosis of Americablog asks why SLDN was excluded from the meeting.

Grading Obama and Congress

At our LGBT Leadership Town Hall last week perhaps the most stark example of the disconnect between some gay groups -- namely the Human Rights Campaign -- and the LGBT movement as well as average gay, lesbian and transgender Americans, was when panelists were asked to give a grade to President Obama and to Congress.

Everyone can talk about the bit of progress that has occurred -- rules changed at the Health and Human Services Dept. that allow for hospital visitations by gay partners, executive orders banning discrimination in the federal workforce for gay and transgender people -- but how do these things add up and how do they compare with the very big issues the president promised action on, such as don't ask, don't tell repeal, the Defense of Marriage Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act?

In my opinion it's unfathomable that anyone can give the president a "B," but HRC's Joe Solmonese did (and, curiously, so did Mara Keisling of the National Center for Transgender Equality), while Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's Aubrey Sarvis gave him a "C," and a "D" was given by former Clinton advisor on gay issues Richard Socarides, Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Rea Carey.

Listen in to their grading. And tell me how you would grade Obama and Congress. Following this, I'm posting in a separate post some other highlighted clips from the Town Hall, which you can of course also listen to in full.

Today on the Signorile Show

Last week was a big week in breaking news for the LGBT community, with the interruption of President Obama by protesters at a fund raising event for California Senator Barbara Boxer, the chaining of LGBT military servicemembers to the White House fence, and our event in Washington DC, with leaders of LGBT activist groups and critics showing guidance for The Path Forward. But do you think the White House is listening? According to Kerry Eleveld of The Advocate, "...it appears that President Obama and his political team have yet to get the message that LGBT Americans don’t want to watch in silence while Washington squanders the best opportunity in 17 years to right an unjust law," and points to an interview the president gave in 2008 during his campaign, saying, "It’s not my place to tell the LGBT community, ‘Wait your turn.'" But is the White House doing just that? We'll discuss today.

On another civil rights front, an article in the New York Times focuses on the newly signed immigration law in Arizona we spoke about on Friday afternoon. The law "gives the local police broad powers to check documentation 'when practicable' of anyone they reasonably suspect is an illegal immigrant. " Many Arizonan's are split on this law, which take effect this summer, "between the punitive and the practical solutions to the nation’s illegal immigration issue." Why such a split on this issue? We'll talk about it today.

According to a new study, there is a rising percentage of elderly care givers providing home aide to the elderly. The study, conducted by the PHI National, "found that in 2008, 28 percent of home care aides were over age 55, compared with 18 percent of women in the overall work force." We'll get into why this elderly workforce is growing, and expected to grow more in the next 10 years.

Guest / 4:30 - I mentioned earlier about last weeks protest in front of the White House, with LGBT servicemember effected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" chaining themselves to the White House Fence. Autumn Sandeen, one of the six protesters to handcuff themselves at the White House, joins us this afternoon to talk about the aftermath of that event and how she was subjected to harassment from federal law enforcement. Read her letter to the president about her treatment at Pam's House Blend.

Would you give up your citizenship? More and more Americans living abroad are. Many Americans who work abroad are now renouncing their citizenship due to growing frustrations over taxation and the lack of services they are provided by the US. According to reports, 502 expatriates gave up citizenship, a number that has almost doubled since the previous years reports. If you were working abroad, would you consider doing the same?

All this and more, today on The Michelangelo Signorile Show!

And, don't forget, you can follow Mike on Twitter and Facebook!

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Weekend Back Talk

Some of last week's listener survey comments, some of which I read on the show.If you're a listener to the show and haven't taken the survey, please scroll down and click through on the right. Thanks!

Pittsburgh, PA (XM)
I find your show to be the best thing on outQ. I listen to it as much as i can when i am on the road. You always make good points, give good facts, and i do love your pauses. Keep up the awesome work!!!!

Corning, NY (Sirius)
I find this survey kind of odd as far as some of the questions asked. My problem with the program is that it is very one-sided and quite frankly, at times is not factual. I'm all for gay rights, but dividing the country instead of uniting it, is wrong. You have a national voice and I think you are wasting that opportunity to make something bad in this country, better.

Spokane, WA (XM)
Love the show, I listen every day. I really appreciate that you had a couple of guest's taking your place while you were on vacation, a refreshing change of pace. I'm not a big fan of clips of the week, I think a 30 second clip would suffice.

Clinton, MS (Sirius)
I love the show. I love the lighter moments for example pronouncing the name of an Icelandic volcano. Sometimes returning constantly to the same issues, (enda, dadt, etc.) gets tedious. I know its important but sometimes I just can't listen to it. My favorite is probably when there is an interesting guest.

Rochester, NY (Sirius)
I was amazed, but not really surprised at today's interview with the author of "Texas Tough". Sexism/racism/homophobia are all entrenched and becoming more and more extreme. I don't think we can get too much news about them. Forewarned = forarmed only if we get our butts in gear and DO something about it.

Durham, NC (Sirius)
I appreciate your efforts on behalf of the LGBTQ community! I work at Duke University and attend LGBT activities & talks to learn more about the movement and the rights of all folks regardless of their sexual preference or gender identity! I am also learning about how the HRC has been to push for repeal of DADT and drive a vote of ENDA through both the House and Senate in 2010! Your voice as powerful as it is on Sirius/XM, needs to be out in the national & local media in a fashion where you become the go to guy, so to speak, for LGBT political and social issues! Thanks for all you do! I am learning a great deal!

Calgary, AB, Canada (Sirius)
Thanks for all you do Michelangelo, although I am a Canadian listener I still find your American content very interesting! With that said I really think you need to ditch your segway music, it is so not "fresh", in fact it is down right painful to listen to! Please choose some music that better reflects you and your show!! Sorry David if your responsible for the show 's music but please make better choices :).

Holmes, NY (XM)
Your show is the reason I subscribed to XM radio:) It's informative and interesting and listening makes the 2 hours of my daily commute fly by....

Fallbrook, CA (Sirius)
I enjoy the show and was inspired to write when the topic reflected what the crazies are doing politically. Thanks!

New York, NY (XM)
I appreciate Michael's passion, commitment and intelligence. The LGBT community should thank their lucky stars to have him. I feel that I always learn something when we listen, and that I should be more up to date on events, facts and issues than I am. He is not perfect, but he is better than anybody else I've ever listen to, and tries to engage the listening audience to have a constructive dialogue with him. Woefully, many times they cannot live up to this. Recently, when he has read the listeners comments on the air, I am surprised at the weird suggestions and criticisms. I think they are listening to another show. On a lighter note, I think he is very attractive and I would like to know where I can find some gratuitously (or not) salacious pics of him !!! Just kidding (maybe not)

Toronto, ON Canada (XM)
We are new to satellite radio and OutXM. We usually have this on when driving...and what a treat after the usual stations with right-wing talk, bad music, and evangelical rants.

Harrisburg, PA (Sirius)
I wish that the progressives would more frequently, and more forcefully, counter the outrageous rants of the right. The Palins, Hannitys and Becks of the world, with their loud, shrill rantings, seem to get all of the media attention. Where is the response? Why do their half-truths and outright lies go unanswered? You do a great service, Michelangelo, by exposing the right wing blowhards. But where are other voices? If the right wing wingnuts are allowed to go unchallenged, too many people assume that they are telling the truth.

Munnsville, NY (Sirius)
I like your show, I also enjoy almost everything you say about Sarah Palin and Janet...last name I can't remember, but yeah it's funny.

Sacramento, CA (Sirius)
Been listening for about two years so far, and I appreciate your efforts on behalf of our community and your unwavering conviction of your beliefs. I'm happy with how you handle callers and guests, always pressing the issue and refusing to allow the more hostile people you speak to divert attention from the matter at hand with straw man arguments. I'm also quite pleased that you are critical of anyone who is deserving of criticism, whether it is the RNC, DNC, or the HRC. I usually get irritated when you go on vacation (though I know you need to take time off) since we lack your commentary on those days, so I was quite happy when you decided to start adding guest hosts to your lineup. I enjoyed Lizz Winstead and I'm hoping the other guest hosts you have lined up in the future will do as well as she did. Finally, since it doesn't seem to be a complete listener survey comment without this lately: You mispronounce "sword." The 'w' is silent, and you always seem to pronounce the 'w'.

Full Audio: The Path Forward: An LGBT Leadership Town Hall

Here is the full 2-hour audio (below) of our special show from DC on Thursday, April 22: A Path Forward: An LGBT Leadership Town Hall. I was impressed by the level of discussion of the members the panel, all of whom I'm grateful to for taking the time out and engaging the community. Yes, it got spirited, but remained constructive and I think by the end everyone came together on some key issues. But you decide. (I will also post specific clips of exchanges among the panelists in a separate post).


The Panel:

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force executive director Rea Carey; Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese;National Center for Transgender Equality executive director Mara Keisling; Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis; political strategist, attorney and former Clinton White House advisor on gay rights Richard Socarides; and blogger and activist Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend.

Today on the Signorile Show

We are back, broadcasting live from New York this afternoon after an exciting and much needed LGBT Town Hall. The Path Forward: An LGBT Leadership Town Hall will be replayed this weekend. Here are the times in case you missed it:

Saturday, April 24th -- 1pm to 5pm EST (Hours 1 & 2, then hours 1 & 2 again)

Sunday, April 25th -- 1am to 4am (Hours 1 & 2, then hour 1) and 12pm to 2pm EST (Hours 1 & 2)

The event generated a lot of buzz on the internet, with the Daily Kos live blogging the event. Tweets are still generating on the #PathForward. And the blogs have been posted, giving their overall results of the news from The Path Forward.

Pam Spaulding, panelist and blogger at Pam's House Blend, posted a bit of video and, from the view of a panelist, said of the event, "[I]t wasn't an HRC bloodbath as you might have imagined, though Joe and I got into a bit of heat over that 'repeal in 2010' fundraiser."

John Aravosis, blogger for AmericaBLOG and someone who attended and posed a question to panelists, writes, "Many, if not all, of the hard questions were for Solmonese at HRC... But one bit of news that I found particularly interesting was that the White House has apparently been ostracizing SLDN, our lead 'gays in the military' group." He goes on to talk about this news, saying he knew "more about this issue than what was said today, but much of what I know was gleaned in confidence, so I'll only share what was public today." Check out his report at AmericaBLOG.

And Andy Towle at Towel Road writes of the news of the "Solmonese Six," saying that The Path Forward mainly focused on the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and says "Solmonese said he stood firm in his belief that DADT would be repealed this year, despite accusations from members of the panel and audience that he sold a bill of goods to the LGBT community when he knew the White House had no plans on delivering it."

Do you agree with their takes? We'll discuss these and other stories of the event this afternoon...

Also, a lot more to get into on today's show....

A few weeks ago, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee gave an interview to The Perspective, a student run paper at The College Of New Jersey, where he said "Children are not puppies... This is not a time to see if we can experiment and find out, how does this work," regarding a question about gay adoption. Yesterday, he spoke with Rosie O'Donnell, saying "his biblical worldview convinced him that a heterosexual environment still represented the 'ideal' for children." Rosie pressed him on his choice of word, "ideal," and he continued to say "I think the ideal is traditional marriage." Keep digging, Huck...

Listener survey's today! Do you agree? Disagree? We'll want your opinion of the show, too!

Guest / 4:30pm EST - Tom Jokinen joins us this afternoon to talk about his latest book, Curtains: Adventures of an Undertaker-In-Training, which takes a look at the business of death through the Jokinen's hilarious search for the right way to honor the dead.

Gingrich Gaffe? On Wednesday, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich spoke at an event in York County, Pennsylvania. York Dispatch, the local paper, points out that Gingrich said of the Tea Party crowd, "...the movement is a 'natural expression of frustration with Republicans and anger at Democrats,' which is 'more likely to end up as the militant wing of the Republican Party' than as an independent or third party." Civil disobedience at its finest.

This and so much more, today on The Michelangelo Signorile Show!

And, don't forget, you can follow Mike on Twitter and Facebook!

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Great Discussion, Thanks All

Want to thank all the panelists from our event yesterday in DC, The Path Forward. The event revealed a lot, and brought together people who needed to come together to speak publicly. We'll go through a lot of it on today's show but wanted to let you all know it will be rebroadcasting throughout the weekend (check the schedule) on OutQ, Sirius 109, XM 98, and we will be posting the entire two-hours her on the blog, hopefully later today, to listened to online.

The Path Forward: An LGBT Leadership Town Hall

Very excited about the big event today in DC at the XM studios, broadcast live and streamed online in front of a studio audience: The Path Forward: An LGBT Leadership Town Hall. If you are not a subscriber to Sirius XM just get a free 7-day pass and listen online, by clicking here and going to Sirius 109. (Instructions to listen on your iPhone or Blackberry are below.)

With all the direct action protests this week by GetEQUAL, the uncertainly and anger about getting a passing vote in the House and Senate on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act -- which has been put off since last summer -- and the signals from the White House that it doesn't support repealing "don't ask, don't tell" this year, we'll put the tough questions to those who engage with the White House and Capitol Hill on a daily basis.

In the room will be activists, including Robin McGehee of GetEQUAL, who will be posing a question as well; supporters/members of the groups represented on the panel; and listeners to the show who were chosen at random in a drawing. Like millions around the world, we couldn't escape being affected by the Iceland volcano: panelist Joe Solmonese of the Human Rights Campaign has been stuck in London because of the volcanic ash which has flights out of London backed up for a week. But he will join us through a live feed from a BBC studio and will be very much a part of our event.

The Panel:

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force executive director Rea Carey; Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese;National Center for Transgender Equality executive director Mara Keisling; Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis; former Clinton White House advisor on gay rights Richard Socarides and blogger and activist Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend.

When:

Thursday, April 22, 2-4 ET, Sirius 109, XM 98.


Where:

XM studios, Washington DC. Will be aired live on The Michelangelo Signorile Show, 2-4 ET, Sirius 109, XM 98 and streamed online.


We'll also be taking questions from the audience as well as on the phones so I hope you'll all join us.

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.

Today on the Signorile Show

We're just one day away from The Path Forward, our event from our DC studios discussing the issues the LGBT community is currently fight for. This week, we have been speaking about different aspects of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," from the hecklers at a fund raising event for Senator Barbara Boxer interrupting President Obama's speech to the men and women who chained themselves to the White House fence. Now, there is news that Colorado Senator Mark Udall is calling for repeal. Yesterday, he sat down with service members who had been discharged under this policy. Senator Udall's writes on his blog, "As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I believe “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is harmful to our national security and readiness—especially since we are embroiled in two wars. And I believe the stories of these former service members reinforce the need to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell." We hope the White House is listening.

Say it ain't so, Joe... California State Senator Leland Yee has been receiving racist and homophobic death threats and hate messages. Why? A few weeks ago, Senator Yee had made inquiries regarding a speaking engagement this June at California State University Stanislaus with special guest, Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Guest / 3:30pm EST - Jose Antonio Vargas is the writer and co-producer of the documentary "The Other City," which is scheduled to premiere next week at the Tribeca Film Festival. The documentary talks about HIV/AIDS in Washington DC and is based on series Vargas wrote in 2006 for the Washington Post, A Living HIV Quilt.

Guest / 4:30pm EST - Evelyn Monohan is a retired psychologist and served in the Women's Army Corps from 1961 through 1967. She is also the author of A Few Good Women: America's Military Women From WWI To The Wars In Iraq and Afghanistan and joins us this afternoon to talk about the women who fought for the right to defend their country by serving in our armed forces.

Should bisexual players be banned from a Gay World Series? Three are suing, claimed their sex lives were invaded. We'll go through the facts and get your thoughts.

We've talked before about the government regulating the salt content in food and according to the New York Times, "elevated sodium intake contributes to high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and other health problems, a federal effort to cut salt in the food people eat could prevent 100,000 deaths a year, said the report, by the Institute of Medicine." Because of this startling statistic, should the government step in to prevent these deaths? We'll discuss today!

All this and so much more, today on The Michelangelo Signorile Show!

And, don't forget, you can follow Mike on Twitter and Facebook!

Listen to The Michelangelo Signorile Show weekdays live from 2-6 pm ET on Sirius XM's OutQ: Sirius 109, XM 98 and on the Sirius XM iPhone app. Not a subscriber? Not a problem! Listen online any time with a free seven-day pass or, if you have an iPhone or Blackberry, go to the app store and download Sirius XM for free, for a 7-day trial, and listen on your phone.