Todd Clayton’s thoughtful essay addresses white privilege in the mainstream LGBT cultural narrative. Invoking gay author James Baldwin, Clayton writes:

Baldwin, more than anyone else, taught me that although I am gay, I am white, and that being white always involves persistent privilege that must be recognized and accounted for. Baldwin explains that white LGBTQ men and women feel slighted precisely because they know that had they been straight, they would have been heirs to incomparable privilege.

Read more here.

State-sponsored discrimination. Lovely in the 21st Century.

A Brief History of the Patriot Act

or

“How Both Democrats and Republicans are Enemies of Civil Liberty.”

(Source: theamericanbear, via political-cartoons)

Don’t Ask! Don’t Kill!

Amen.

Indeed, the myopia of “gay rights” often throws broader socio-political progressivism under the bus in order to extend our own civil liberties. In New York, Empire State Pride Agenda’s endorsement of Andrew Cuomo is an example of supports a candidate who has said to be for marriage equality but whose attacks on organized labor, demonization of public employees, slashing of social services, and essentially gutting working people, the under- and unemployed, and the poor, is not the kind of politician that will help a majority of who aren’t already upwardly mobile and interested in getting hitched for the benefits.

[via:queermovieman]

Well…um…I guess that’s progress | Sidewalk Bubblegum by Clay Butler

As I’ve mentioned before about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” within the larger context of progressive politics, the fight for the civil liberty to serve in the military needs to be couched in the long-term goal of dismantling the military industrial complex and American imperialism. In essence, peace-loving progressives ultimately need to articulate the greater goal to never having to slaughter in the name of the state, and yet reserve to right to die for it.

[via:bradicalmang]

Ann Coulter, Ann Coulter At Homocon (via brooklynmutt)

We at daniel extra HQ are starting to think she gets paid a high rate every time she says something offensive. Our low-ball guess is $20,000 per episode of mouth diarrhea.

(via brooklynmutt)

Making good on their campaign promises, The Australian reports that the Greens have immediately begun pressing for same-sex marriage and improving the treatment of refugees.

Adam Bandt (above), Australia’s first Green MP who won the seat of Melbourne, said:

During the election campaign, I said three of my top priorities were getting a price on carbon, seeing fairer treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers, and removing the discrimination facing same-sex couples. If the agreement that’s been reached holds and Julia Gillard becomes Prime Minister, then the crossbenchers, Greens and independents will have the right to introduce legislation on matters that are of importance to them.

The newspaper also writes:

The Greens will use their alliance with Labor to prosecute their push for same-sex marriage and liberalising the treatment of refugees by bringing forward their legislation and demanding it be debated, possibly with conscience votes, in the new parliament.

Of course, the opposition Liberal/National Coalition has declared that a “returned Labor government controlled by the Greens would be the most radical in Australian political history.”

That’s what we’re hoping for!

+ here

(via laguillotine-deactivated2013030)

The United States Department of Justice has filed suit against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for failing to turn over documents in a federal civil rights investigation into whether his department discriminated against Latinos while pursuing undocumented immigrants.

(Source: nadia-love)

The New Republic goes back into the archives to show how President Obama went from supporting same-sex marriage as a state senate candidate in 1996 to a marriage equality proponent/civil unions supporter.